3AM with Gus: August 2008

If this is so, I can assure you that I didn't get the memo!

Honestly, I am beginning to see this more clearly though as my family and I embarked on our second annual trek up north for a week of camping, fishing, and overall relaxation. Every now and then it is nice to take the trailer out and know that I'm not going to have a ton of work expected of me in back. And thankless work I might add. My son, who is becoming more of a self proclaimed world champion everyday, usually brings the kart off the track and tells me he isn't fast enough. Suggesting that I figure out what's wrong, he'll then quickly retire up front for a nice meal, some air conditioning, and a color TV. Funny how the sound of Mel Brooks saying "It's good to be the King" echoes in my ears during these episodes. Anyway, we left the kart at home for a change and looked forward to some well deserved non-stressed family time.

OK I lied,

we did manage to fit an entire day in at Road America watching the pros do their thing. The ALMS boys were in town for the week and I just have to see them every time they come near. What, you actually thought I'd separate myself from the sights, sounds, and smells of a racetrack for a whole week? If you did, you obviously don't know me all that well. I figured it was only one day out of seven so I look at it like a baby step in the first tier of my long rehabilitation process.

So with a trailer loaded to the gills with food, bikes, bats, and balls, we left for the Plymouth Rock Campgrounds in lovely Elkhart Lake Wisconsin. Just over an hour later we pulled in and I have to say that for the first time in my life as a parent I never heard the words "Are we there yet?" muttered once. My kids must either be growing up or the small arsenal of electronic entertainment that they each had in tow must have been just enough to distract them. I sure do miss them both being little but I have to admit it's a welcomed change when you can go an entire trip without hearing that. It's hard enough piloting a fifteen thousand pound freight train in traffic as it is, let alone having your youngsters chime in every thirty seconds for an update on how much longer it's going to be until we get there.

The first day and a half was spent pretty much indoors due to rain. Not much was accomplished other than eating, drinking, and watching movies. Hey something I could have stayed home and done! After all there's far better accommodations there and I wouldn't have had to add to the OPEC retirement plan in the process. But we weren't about to let a minor setback like this ruin our time here. By Tuesday we would have absolutely fabulous weather that would stay with us clear through the week. Combine that with a vacation that wasn't planned with any one thing in mind and the only word I have for this is - Ahhhh.

Not having a schedule of things to do is the best way to do a vacation in my book. No matter how long you are gone or where you may go you owe it to yourself to do things in this low key less stressed way. I really enjoyed waking up each morning not knowing if I was going fishing, or for a bike ride or swim. We all really just did what we wanted to do at the moment. I guess if I had only a day or two in Rome I might have to prioritize things but other than that I think you should put the pencil down and take things as they come. It was really nice for a change to not have any structure and just do things on a whim.

I learned a few things that I didn't know prior to this outing as well. I now realize that my wife is so claustrophobic that she can't sleep in a ten by ten foot bedroom without the doors and windows being open. And no matter how large the room is, if you sleep in complete darkness (how I like it) she may as well be in a pine box! to keep a night light or even the television on is a must! I find this very strange but she's very serious about it. Taking a hard line on this wasn't going to solve anything so I opted to sleep on the couch for a few nights.

I also learned that my son is now noticing girls a bit more than I remember him ever doing. I heard him say "Hello Ladies" as we drove by a crowd gathered in a small town and I damn near pooped a masonry cube. It wasn't so much what he said but how he said it. There was a neck snap followed by more of a "Hellooooo Ladieeez". For a moment it sounded like I had Quagmire from the television series The Family Guy in my back seat. He used to be so shy and quiet about the opposite sex and now this! I guess I now know that my boy is becoming - well, a bigger boy. All I can say is that you let the cat out of the bag now pal! You very well could have been a wolf in sheep's clothing but you let your guard down and the old man is now onto you. After all I was in high school once before too sport.

Once the weekend arrived it was time for racing again. Only one day like I said but oh what a glorious day it was. When this series comes to town there's almost as much to enjoy off the track as well as the races going on itself. It's always neat to slip away for a moment and picture yourself behind the railing of one of these team's operations. We'd all love to be the driver who materializes from his million dollar motor coach just before the race but hey, I could handle being a crew member just as well. Have you ever seen the toys those guys have?

Everything about these teams is top notch, and top dollar. From the flooring that they bring for their pit spot, to the amount of spares on hand, and their elaborate pit carts that can offer two levels of seating to accommodate as many as eight crew personnel. A stark contrast to the team I worked with where two guys had a knee up on the pit wall with a handheld stopwatch! The Audi camp as always did not fail to impress. They, like many other teams, even bring a separate tractor trailer for their hospitality area alone. These lucky guys have chefs on hand cooking their food with other tables full of just fruit, fresh bread, and pastries. I'm walking by this at ten in the morning in 90 degree heat with a bowl of cereal in my gut? That ever widening gap between the haves and have nots is so apparent here.

So the race went on in typical fashion with Audi handing the rear ends to everyone on the track. A lot of people feel that this takes away from the sport by having such a dominant team in one series, and to some degree they may be right. But that all depends on which side of the fence you sit on. I'm not losing much sleep since I have been a fan of theirs for some time now.

And to cap off the week I once again entered the Tour De Road America bike ride for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. This was my second time here and I was bound and determined to better last year's results. If you remember from my last report, I had told you that the track crews were so busy getting in our way to repave areas of the course that the promoters had to shorten the event. I only got 20 miles behind me and felt good enough for double of that. But this year was not to be either. As strong as I felt, I only managed one additional lap before they shut down the course again on us. This year the race was moved to 7pm and with sunlight already on the down stroke, mere mortals like myself had to settle for around 24 miles. There were the usual gods of cycling who came down from the heavens with their ten thousand dollar bikes and their factory apparel and proceeded to lap most of us almost twice. Aggravating when it happens to you but nonetheless very impressive to watch these people who are at the top of their game. Not to take anything away from their athletic ability but having the right equipment is everything. My friend Tom Bartz who I rode with last year (and stayed ahead of) had brought his all carbon bike out this year and quickly became bored with my pace. Within a lap he was almost clear out of my sight and I never could quite recover. Honey, can I get one of those please?

So there's a week in the life. And ALMOST without racing being involved. Nor was there Firefighting or EMS calls. There were no pagers or company tones going off, and even more important - no schedule. I'll say it again, this is the way to go. And a way I have to admit I can't think I've ever done before. With our lives being so structured and our calenders so full, this kind of a getaway was a welcomed addition to our hectic life. I just wished it wouldn't have ended so soon.

Bonus photos