Thunderhill or Bust!

I-5 to Willows

The drive up to Willows went great. Gwen even fell asleep to the drone of the mighty big block Dodge as it dutifully carried the two of us and all our junk north on the 4 ½ hour trip. Dinner once again consisted of our favorite road trip meal, Western Bacon Cheeseburgers. It’s become a ritual for us to stop by a nearby Carl’s Jr and pick up a couple of burgers to chew on while we hit the road.

After a couple hours I stopped at a truck stop to check all the tires, fluids and safety chains, then filled up with cheap gas. A few months earlier gas was threatening to cross the $5 mark per gallon, but thankfully had dropped to around $1.90 just in time for the trip. With a 40 gallon tank, I needed every penny I could save!

We pulled in late to the roadside Motel, quaint in it’s own kitschy way, and got a few hours sleep in preparation for the first big day.

The next morning we drove out to the track skipping breakfast. We figured if they did not have any hot food, we could wrangle up something in the back of the RV. We over-packed in the food and snack areas, bringing nearly a week’s worth of food. Plus my industrious-sandwich-maker spouse made us a dozen sandwiches to bring with us. We had the food thing covered.

I drove through the gate and threaded my way through the paddock looking for an open spot. We got lots of looks as people realized there was one of them itty-bitty smart cars tagging along behind us. One person came up and said “That’s an interesting juxtaposition”.

We found an open spot towards the back. Unfortunately all the spaces with electrical power were already occupied, so we picked one long enough for the RV and trailer combo. We I went about turning on all the bits and pieces that make up the camper, and finished just in time to hear the all hands drivers meeting being announced. I figured we may as well go listen in. And then see if they are selling any hot breakfast.

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From The Begining - The Hook... (Part 1)