We left on Friday, since the race started fairly early in the morning on Saturday up near rain-soaked Duluth, and thus we'd need to drive up Friday evening and spend the night in a motel.
Keira, as always, quickly detected the packing, and positioned herself in such a way as to ensure that she was not left behind:
Gatorade? Check. Helmet? Check. Large hairy dog? Check.
Keira mildly enjoys riding in the car. When she's awake, she prefers what I call her "Dog Is My Co-Pilot" pose:
"I'm pretty sure we should have gone left back there..."
The Hubster decided that a human co-driver would probably be preferable for the race, though (besides, it would be tough finding a fire suit, helmet, and HANS device for ol' Pointy Head), so he had procured the services of a friend who had co-driven for him in the past. Co-Driver Boy met us at our house Friday evening, which allowed me to duck out of the tool-packing and race-truck loading because "you really only need two people to do that, right?" I managed to watch the entire Friday night Twins game before everything was loaded up and ready to go, which was nice.
Then we drove to the hotel, which Hubster had ascertained, before-hand, to be pet-friendly. Since we arrived after midnight we had to ring a bell to get someone to come out and sign us in, which we did sans hound. By the time we paraded our large and hairy pet through the lobby, no one else was around. So it came as a bit of a shock when we entered our room and saw the large "NO PETS" sign stuck on the mirror. I, of course (suffering from Obsessive Compliance Disorder), had to fight the urge to immediately go to the front desk, ring the bell, and confess. The Hubster talked me out of that insanity, saying that it was likely that the website had been updated more recently than the mirror, but I did manage to make sure that Keira slept on her bed from home instead of her preferred hotel accommodation--the bedspread on the floor at the foot of the bed:
This is a photo from a previous (pet-approved) hotel stay, at a skating race in Milwaukee.
I figured that, if the mirror was correct rather than the website, the hotel probably would not appreciate having to deal with furry bedspreads . Fortunately Keira is completely silent and virtually immobile once she gets into a hotel room, so we were able to conceal her presence all night and then smuggle her out in the morning. Whew--how stressful!
After a short drive, we arrived at the race start. Here's the rally truck, ready to unload:
The race was headquartered in a tiny town that consisted of a bar, a town hall, and a General Store. The store, fortunately, had lots of tasty treats:
I sampled the ice cream cones and sandwiches, but decided to forego the leeches and nightcrawlers.
The Hubster and Co-Driver Boy unloaded the truck and began preparing to race. They hydrated,
prepped the truck, and attended the driver's meeting, which was also attended by the local RallyCat:
Finally, they lined up in preparation for leaving for the race stages (the race is held on gravel roads out in the woods, so there's no opportunity to spectate).
Keira was not pleased to see them go...
After they left, Keira and I had a couple hours to kill before they would return (briefly) before they set out again for the second race. I read and napped in the truck, while Keira wandered about detesting her harness (you can't use a collar to tie out a dog who has a large neck and a tiny head) and staring hopefully at RallyCat, who insisted on doing her washing juuuuuust out of Keira's leash range...
And then the rally boys were back--no crashes, no rollovers, no mechanical issues. Second place in class in the first race, and first place in class in the second--a successful day at the races.
That looks so exciting! I'd love to do a rally. Minus the leeches, of course.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's fun...minus the leeches, the carsickness, the fear...and the "co-driving for your spouse" can get interesting, too! I find that, in this case, watching is much better than participating!
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