So our adventure into manhood has come to an end - Sarah and Amy got home a little after one o'clock from their Amazing Alaskan Adventure. They had an amazing time and I'm sure Amy will post photos on facebook and on the blog she started. I have to say I'm a little jealous of their trip but my time with the boys was also truly magical. These past two weeks have been a great time to bond with the boys - including our very last bonding session which happened today, but more on that in a moment.
The other amazing homecoming that occurred today was THE RETURN OF BLACK BETTY!!!!!!!! I picked her up from Adams Cyclery just this morning!!!!! Yes, she is back and like the the Bionic Woman:
or if you are more of the "old school" fan;
She is STRONGER, FASTER, AND BETTER THAN SHE EVER WAS!!!!!! Of course, as a rider I'm not sure I am after five weeks of inactivity but I'm hoping to remedy that soon!
You see, BLACK BETTY may still have the same old frame, derailleurs, seatpost,brakes, pedals and stem but everything else is NEW AND IMPROVED!!!! I don't have photos loaded up yet since I just picked her up but there will be photos, oh yes there will! For now, join me in using your imagination to picture the Scattante XRL compactr frame with full Ultegra componentry including the newly upgraded TEN speed shifters! She has a new Bontrager Race X Lite wheelset (and tires), a new Bontrager Impulse saddle, a new Shimano Compact Crankset (to make climbing easier), new Bontrager Blade handlebars and I can't wait to see how she rolls!!!!!!! Like the Bionic Woman I expect her to be more amazing than ever.
But as I said we had one more day of male bonding to do and our cruise director scheduled us to go to the Riverhead Raceway to do the manly thing of watching cars race around a circle. I think she's trying to insinuate something about my Southern roots;
Anyway, knowing that the gates opened at 3:00, the boys and I got there at about 2:30 so we could get good seats. William of course immediately started in with "I'm bored" but then the cars started coming out for their test runs and the boys were in heaven. It was louder than you can imagine and we tried the ear plugs but the boys hated them because they kept falling out. We watched every single category (except the skid plate and demolition derby - more on that later) warm up and then the boys went out to the bouncy castle they had set up. We ate some overpriced (but incredibly copious portions) fried foods and then finally settled in for the races. The theme for the evening was "I Love America" and the schedule was as follows;
Legends, Chargers, Modifieds, Figure 8's, Skid Plate Race, Fireworks, followed up by a 4 Cylinder Demolition Derby!
The first races were the "Legends" series which are basically 3/4 size versions of the 1930's and 40's roadsters but they have 1600 cc motorcycle engines in them.
The boys had a great time watching them. What I didn't realize was how many crashes usually occur. It takes forever to finish the race because after each crash they have to clear the track, put down sand to absorb the fluids leaked out of the car, sweep it up with a mini street sweeper/zamboni and then restart the race. Fifteen laps took forever. The boys would get bored during the cleanup but then go nuts when the race would restart.
Then the Chargers took over and I was amazed that these guys could do what they do. If the straightaways were 150 I would be surprised and then there would be a sharp left turn and then another straightaway - IN A FULL SIZED RACE STOCK CAR!!!!!
Its amazing that the accidents we saw weren't more serious! But again, the boys had the best time when the crashes happened. We then watched the modifieds and the figure 8's (which are basically the chargers doing a figure 8) which got very exciting the few times that they almost crashed. One got clipped and of course the crowd went wild but the driver managed to pull through. Now I know what it must have been like to watch the gladiators.
We then moved on to what they call "specialty races" (as if watching people speeding around in a figure 8 is not special enough) which were the "skid plate" races and the demolition derby.
Skid plates are basically front wheel drive cars with special metal skids placed under the rear wheels so they have no traction. By the time they got to this event it was dark and there were sparks flying everywhere - it was sooooooo cool. Of course there were some bumps and spin outs as they had no rear wheel control or traction which made it even more cool. You can see a picture of one of the winners here;
And yes, some of them were that young. We took a photo with one of the drivers before the race (during warmups) and as soon as I get it unloaded I'll show it to you.
We then had a fireworks exhibition which was made incredibly cooler because they went off almost directly over our heads. We were only 100 yards (maybe less) away from where they were going off and they detonated not too far overhead (we were in Riverhead after all) so it was loud and so awesome!!!!!
Then the big event that the boys were waiting for - now you have to realize by this time it was almost 10:00 at night and I had told them if the derby didn't start by then we'd have to leave. At 9:57 the first car rolled out so we stayed. Talking about gladiators! There was one car that was so squashed in that it was amazing that it kept rolling and yet roll it did. It finally crapped out but not before becoming the crowd favorite. Here are some shots of some of the derby;
Of course, what the boys really wanted to do was come back the next week when they are going to have a demolition derby with 13 FULL SIZE SCHOOL BUSES!!!!!! Now what red blooded American school boy (or teacher for that matter) could not get all excited about that prospect???
But sadly we have other plans. So I loaded up the boys and we headed back to our clean(ish) home to await the arrival of momma and Sarah. Well, that was the plan anyway. James threw up on the ride home (a bit too much fried food, bouncy castle and second hand smoke I think) and I carried the boys up to their rooms. But this morning when they got up they got to snuggle with momma and that was the best present of all. Its good to have them back safe and sound - now if I could only figure out when to ride that bike, hmmm.
Stay well, and I'll see you on the road real soon!
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