Bailey's Blog
Tons of Interest and Lots of Fun Down on the Farm



The racing season for most of us is over. So now we're doing a few events here and there that are mostly weather permitting. One event we always like to squeeze in is the Bauman Farms' Fall Festival which is the Disneyland of all such fall events that includes hay rides, mazes, zip lines and the like.

Bauman's is always one of the best static events we do all year in terms of interest and turn out of people. It's one of those leisure events that's just the right setting for the Capitol Dragster. And it's at the most unlikely of places to see a six second race car! In fact when I sprung the idea on my wife after taking the kids there five years ago she thought I was nuts but in reality this event has been a big hit for our sponsors year after year. Why? because the logos get seen close up year after year. In fact, one guy came up and looked over the car and said that he patronizes all of the local sponsors he saw on the car. Bingo! For those of you without a sponsor, you need to read the "Bauman effect" at the bottom of my ProMotion page

Bauman Farms annual festival was simply off the hook in terms of exposure again this year. The event went as well as an event could with a steady flow of people throughout the day. It was a busy day and the time went by fast. It's a fun place to be matched with a positive atmosphere. I wish we could have the car there every weekend but that might be just to much of a good thing.

What really made my day this year was when a real tall guy walks up to the car with his family and joked he probably couldn't fit in the car. He was right and that started a conversation, it turned out that the guy I was talking to was none other than former NBA star Scott Haskin, who played for Oregon State as the starting center and then center - power forward for the Indiana Pacers!

As a fan and college student I remembering watching Scott play at OSU with the likes of Gary Payton and that's all it took for me to be my star struck self. I can still remember a game where OSU brought down Arizona, a number one ranked team in front of an ABC national TV audience at Gill! I have some great news concerning Scott that I will be announcing soon on this web site!

I want to thank Bauman Farms for allowing us to be a part of their event and thanks to Richard Lytle for his valuable help once again. I can't say enough about Richard's dedication and what a great friend both he and our crew chief Rick Klampe have turned out to be. What a fun year the three of us have had both on and off the track.

 

 

Bailey's Blog
Even a Move to Keizer Can't Stop The Festival of Lights Holiday Parade From Being a Giant Success



Richard Lytle, Rich Bailey and Rick Klampe Goofing around in the staging area before the parade.

I will admit that when I heard they moved the Festival of Lights Christmas Parade from Downtown Salem out to Keizer I thought it was a step down. A step in the wrong direction, a step out to suburbia, Big Boxland and McDonalds. From a route with the State Capital in the background and Macy's to the land of strip malls, Keizer doesn't cut it for such a grand event. But then I thought hopefully it's going to be a big parade and it's always a fun one so why pass on it just because they changed locations? And the parade chairwoman loves me, so, how could I say no?

The parade was canceled last year because the sponsor walked and it cost big money to stage the event in Salem. For some reason the City of Keizer could do it at a reasonable cost so it was either move it to Keizer or quit having the parade all together. At one time this parade was televised live all over Oregon and it was even syndicated in a few other markets including some areas in the south Pacific and even Prague.

With a new team in place we went to town on the lights and boy did it turnout good. Even my daughter gave us a rare compliment so the car and truck had to look nice. The route and the staging was like the Iris Parade which we have done a bunch of times so it was going to be nothing new to me. Once everything was in place and all the lights were working, we started to roll out right around 7:15 PM. I was quite surprised as to how many people lined the street sometimes 5 or 6 deep as we turned the corner from the staging area to River Road. There was easily 30,000 people lining the street. It was obvious that the locals in the Salem-Keizer are support this parade.

Brent Sanford returned as the driver of the truck and Richard and Rick were taking it all in from the tailgate. My daughter Acacia and her friend Tabby along with "Cappy" the Capitol Bear walked behind the car. Richard's family rode in the bed of the truck. The crowd was really lively on this cold December evening and we received a lot of cheers from the crowd. Acacia, who is a Sprague cheerleader, was doing cheers and her friend was even doing some cartwheels along the route to the delight of the crowd. It was really something.

In comparing the two parades I realized I was all wrong about the move to Keizer. About all you see in downtown are wreaths hanging on street lights and some nice old buildings as you are led around the downtown streets. The Keizer route was much different as you pass lighted christmas tree lots, colorful lighted decorations on street poles and even a big lighted Christmas tree next to Domino's Pizza, spearheaded by one of our sponsors, Dave Walery, who was also the parade's Grand Marshal.

Yes, I liked the downtown route for a number of reasons but the Christmas Spirit is alive and well and more jovial in Keizer, the town I grew up in. Keizer's civic pride was all over the parade from the local Fire Department to McNary High school, the event was well supported and the parade committee made the right choice to move it out there.

Hats off to the parade committee for bringing back this great event after a year's absence. Even though there was a little drizzle it was a perfect event and the crowds were big. Now we're really in the Christmas spirit!

Bailey's Blog
BIG Changes Expected in the Top Alcohol Classes in 2012

Clint Thompson does a burnout at this year's NHRA Divisional at Woodburn

The big news is that NHRA is looking to consolidate the Top Alcohol classes from competing at most existing divisional events to just 14 regional events in the western and in the eastern United States and Canada. In the Northwest my guess is that Mission (Vancouver BC market), and Woodburn (Portland market) would get a regional for sure and perhaps Seattle or Spokane, but that would be it as these tracks are safe and have traditionally been supportive of Top Alcohol.

Of course we are a blown alcohol team not a Top Alcohol team so this news doesn't effect us since we now race in the Pacific Pro Comp Series but there is a reason for that as our kind of car isn't conducive to the NHRA format and they don't draw much of a crowd at divisional races anyway which is one reason NHRA is taking action to eliminate top alcohol from divisional events. One of the issues I have with divisional racing is that it's become a marathon to attract as many paying sportsman cars as possible and then rotate them through as many times as they can. As a result of this the show and spctator attendance has declined and dumping the top alcohol cars will just make everything much worse than it is now.

I understand that NHRA needs to do something to keep the class alive. Basically they are going to throw the marginal smaller markets under the bus that aren't safe and can't pay the purse. Just a side bar but maybe there wouldn't be a problem funding the alcohol cars if NHRA didn't take such a big cut from these divisional events as they already do.

I can remember when they took the pro classes: Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock out of NHRA divisionals for the same reason. And was it a good move? Well, when that happened there was a shift from the independent guys having a place to run a fuel car in their own backyard to having to travel to national events. And the result was the regional fuel teams dropped like flies nearly overnight while the already touring national hitters like Don Pruhomme and others marched on. The good news was that the pro classes survived but on a NASCAR like circuit. Then you could run a fuel car on a $500,000 sponsorship and those guys did fine....for a while until it got to expensive for even popular names like John Collins, Dale Pulde and Rolland Leong to attract a national sponsor willing to spend 1 million plus. And now 5 million isn't an unual price tag for a season of fuel racing.

I give credit to NHRA for addressing the elephant in the room. However, what happens to these divisional events without top alcohol cars? They loose any prestige they had left and division races become lame to the spectators, and guys in other classes are racing in front of zero spectators at events without alcohol cars. Who wants to sponsor a deal like that? At that point why even run divisionals unless you're content with divisionals being like SCCA sports car club racing where an event is limited to just the racers only? These events become like National Opens that are largely not on most people's radar screens. In fact, some might recall we were to loud to race at the national open in Portland.

What has been lost over the years is the creativity to make these NHRA divisional events a spectacle that will attract a big enough paying crowd. You and I know watching an A/fueler or any kind of a blown car is spectacular but why isn't the word getting out to draw new people in?

I say bring back the jets, the wheelstanders and add a budget Pro Comp class to supplement the declining Top Alcohol cars. Then at races where you have short fields there will still be some blown cars to keep the action going if indeed they want to attract a big crowd again.

Kudos to NHRA for addressing the problem and wanting to keep the class going BUT they better have a plan B for those events that lose the alcohol cars because it's going to be a BIGGER ghost town than it already is at NHRA divisional events.

 

 

 

Editorial:
NHRA Needs to Revisit Cost Cutting in Top Fuel

One of my long time clients who I will not name told me this week that he's given up on racing in Top Fuel. This guy is a gifted driver and a hustler when it comes to sponsors. With IHRA no longer running a series and no companies in site willing to invest millions into a top fuel race team, the writing is on the wall. To my friend's credit, he's not giving up and is instead looking at competing in A/Fuel, a step below Top Fuel but costs fractions less than Top Fuel to compete in and you still run in the fives. Hey, Duane Shields races in A/Fuel and he's about as professional as they get so I think my friend's idea is a good one.

This week we are also hearing that Doug Herbert is passing on his home town race in Charlotte because he can't raise up enough money for just that one race. And when Don "the Snake" Prudhomme gave up for financial reasons the sport changed forever.

NHRA we have a problem: WHETHER WE WANT TO ADMIT IT OR NOT IT COSTS MORE THAN IT'S WORTH TO CORPORATE AMERICA TO SPONSOR A TOP FUEL CAR.

NHRA had been looking at ways to reduce costs and scrub speeds with a spec engine combo consisting of just one mag and a smaller fuel pump but they apparently abandoned the program or put it on hold after some teams made some test runs with the new spec engine combination. But the truth is that NHRA can make these cars more inexpensive to run but I think they are afraid to do anything that could risk a decline in attendance or prestige. Plus, there are some teams that want to leave everything as is, teams where apparently money is no object.

Well, IHRA's pro series is over so NHRA can do what they want and keep their superiority in the market place. So, why don't they? Again, nobody wants to risk their livelihood to do anything that might hurt the series in the short term. But the truth is that now is the time to slow the fuel cars down, cut costs, and reduce ticket prices. Other than nostalgia events, where else are the fans going to go since there is no longer a competing IHRA or AHRA pro series to speak of?

Nostalgia nitro funny cars have proven that the independent racer can survive and thrive in this economic climate for well under $500,000 a year or even less, way less!

Are the current big show fans getting any more thrills at an NHRA event that costs an estimated $10,000-$30,000 a lap by the big pro teams once salary and overhead is factored in vs. a nostalgia nitro funny car event where a trip down the track costs between $1000 and $2000 a run? Nope. The nostalgia funny cars put on just as an exciting show, the cars run in the fives, going the full quarter mile rather than 1000 feet for a fraction of the cost. We saw Zeigler and Sander's cars wow the fans at Woodburn under the lights. It might as well have been Force vs. Hagan out there, it was just as exciting with the header flames and the noise.

Everyone has had to cut costs and deal with this ugly economy. Sadly, the recession is alive and well with sign holders on every corner. Maybe NHRA and it's pro teams should get back together and cut their costs like everyone else has been forced to do before there is nobody left but four of the big multi-car teams. I know it's not a simple task but those at the top get paid very well for their expertise and not doing anything meaningful and effective is a failure of leadership just like it is in Washington.

-Rich Bailey

 

A Never Quit Attitude is the Key to Longevity

After I dropped my trailer off following the AC Gilbert event I spotted a face in the Capitol lot that I had not seen in a while. It was Tom Dalton, the man that landed me the Capitol sponsorship twelve years ago to the day. I had to stop and thank him for getting the company to sponsor me. At the time, I was content with what I already had in the way of sponsors and never imagined I would ever have a title sponsor lasting twelve years. It's been a blessing and I have worked hard to keep it going all of these years.

After a simple thank you to Tom I said "can you believe this sponsorship has been so successful and has lasted so long?" Tom replied that it's fascinating it has lasted as long as it has but he also said that it's been great for the company and it will be even better as the company moves to their new facility this fall. That was music to my ears. I truly love Capitol and I want to service this company as long as they will allow me to do so. Tom also attributed the longevity to the non stop exposure we deliver each and every year. "You've been here this long because you are always out there" Tom added.

Capitol and this race team have separately gone through a lot of changes over the last few years and I feel fortunate that we have been able to keep our program relative enough that we continue to earn our keep. I'll be honest and say that I haven't run a perfect program but who has in this sport?

This year we have had more turn over in one season then the last four years combined. But even with all the turn over we have landed on our feet after struggling with some bad tires to begin the year. I'm very proud of my crew chief Rick Klampe. He's awesome and has done a fabulous job. He's understands the nature of the sport and doesn't give up. He's also a lot of fun to be around which reminds me of Nyles, his uncle, who captured my interest in racing years ago.

Then there is Richard whom Rick brought on early in the season. He's as dedicated as they get and i really appreciate him as much as i do Rick. Richard has a big heart and I sure hope I don't burn him out as he's doing double duty helping with displays as well.

Rick, Richard, and myself work perfectly together. Just look at the predicament we were in just a few weeks ago when we put together an engine between races and then went to the finals in Medford. Sure the car wasn't running in the six's in Medford but the engine ran perfectly on a marginal track with a corrected altitude of 4,500 feet. The guys had really busted their tails all week and I'm glad we could reward them with a successful outing. We missed the win by inches. With these guys behind me our day will come.

I know some nostalgia teams that are sitting out the rest of the season or are done for good after experiencing problems similar to ours. I sat and watched a qualifying round at the Hot Rod Nationals and saw the carnage. We could have been in that situation in Medford if the motor wasn't put together right or we could have run out of time putting it together but we returned after just one week and the car ran as flawlessly as my checkbook would allow. I was a brutal week but a rewarding one that I'll never forget.

It's that we don't quit attitude and the willingness to go the extra mile and make our commitments that have kept this team going not just this year but the last twelve before it. We have a great thing going and as long as I can keep our marketing partners happy and keep the great team I have now. The great future that Tom predicts indeed looks bright for years to come.

 

 

 

Bailey's Blog by Rich Bailey
Goal Obtained: the Engine is Done and in the Car!

I don't know where I'm finding the time or energy to write this. It's almost 11 PM and I've been at it since 5:00 this morning. Actually since 9AM TUESDAY morning. Since then, I've been to Woodburn, I've been to Wilsonville, I've been to Madras, Sandy, Sweethome and even Bend twice! As I sit here to write this blog I'm dirty and in need of a shower. But the bottom line is we got the car just about done.

The goal was reached...it was a triumph! But it wasn't easy and took just about every resource this team has. I took the engine parts to Bend on Tuesday to assemble the engine at Rick Klampe's place. Sadly, I overlooked a part that was on the block we hurt back at a machine shop in Sandy. So I had no choice but to go back home and then on to Sandy the next day to retrieve the part and then it was on to Bend...again.
After getting to Rick's house via a pleasant drive over Mt. Hood we noticed that we needed new copper head gaskets. You see, after talking with Art on the phone we realized that what we had just wouldn't cut it. So we got some of gaskets overnighted from LA to Woodburn, Oregon which was where the racecar was. Meanwhile, we needed some galley plugs that could have put us behind again and after getting a little creative I was able to get them at Ace Hardware when O'Reillys, the only part store open late in Bend, didn't have them. Finally, at 10 PM on Wednesday night the short block was done. Thanks to Mr. Klampe and his wife Sue for feeding not only the monster but me too.

At 5 AM the next morning, I drug my sorry caraculs out of bed at 5:00 AM and headed back over the mountains to where the car was. Richard Lytle and I got the short block and the transmission in, and low and behold the copper head gaskets arrived right on time! I was betting they wouldn't because so far my luck with UPS delivering anything overnight hasn't been stellar.

This was all getting too easy until I realized the lifters were....GONE! And I still have no clue as to were they went. This stopped Richard and I dead in our tracks. So, we started hunting down some lifters but with little luck! How could this happen? I thought. Then we gave Richard's friend Keith a call and I'll be dang if he didn't have a complete set of Crower lifters and the price was right too. So we ran out there and grabbed them and went back to work. Finally, at about 9 PM we loaded the trailer and headed for the Night of Fire show.

We still have a little work to do but this "Dennis the Menace" (me) should be ready to rock by dark in the famous ring of fire during the NIght of Fire car show and then on to Medford to fulfill a race obligation there. Thank to everyone mentioned in this story as well as Keith McCurdy for making the impossible possible. Most people would have given up.

Part 1 (Below)

As expected the first night race at Woodburn in 25 years lived up to it's hype as a big Saturday night crowd filled the stands with the biggest attendance record since the Pro Stock race during the era of Bob Glidden. Sadly for me I was in the stands crawling out of my skin wanting in the baddest way to get out there. So what happened? Late in the afternoon we swaped head gaskets after a leak was discovered between one of the heads and block. On the side of the engine that didn't leak, we discoved a crack in the cylindar wall. It was border line wheather it would hold up or not but it still bad enough that we decided not to take the chance and have it all come a part in the middle of a pass so we chose not to run.

It was a wise decission to make if we expect to race beyond this weekend but still a very painful one as we wanted to run so bad. I'll admit that I was bummed out but I still had fun, I just wished that it wasn't this race but it was and at least we have another one to look forward to this coming weekend. The good news was that our new shirts and handout cards were a hit and we sold out of all of the mediums and small size shirts and sold a lot of the larger sizes. I also went through half of the box of handout cards.

So, with the Night of Fire (my show) and the Medford race coming up in four days what is the game plan? Well Plan A was to hope that we get the block repaired by Thursday and my good friend Keith McCurdy was going to do what ever it took to make it happen. Still that doesn't leave for much time so we are going to rebuild our spare block which is a sister to our current block. There isn't much time and the clock is ticking but if anyone can do it, it's the crew of Rick Klampe and Richard Lytle. We have all the components completely stripped out of the block so everything should to go back in as soon as we get the spare block so don't count us out!

Drag Racing Action in California Slowing to a Crawl

California might be known to racing fans and the country at large as the state where drag racing was born. For many outside the state, drag racing in California is alive and well. After all, California hosts the famed NHRA Winternationals and the Auto Club Finals and is the home to superstars like Don the Snake Prudhomme, Tom "the Mongoose" McEwan, Roland Leong and TV Tommy Ivo, now all of them senior citizens. The name "Pomona" is nearly as recognizable as Daytona in the auto racing world and California hosts three NHRA National events, more than any other state. So what could be better than that?

But, once you take away the three national events and the two nostalgia events in Bakersfield the sad truth is anything beyond watching a street car race is in short supply in this once great state. After the demise of Orange County International Raceway, fans and racers have been waiting for a replacement beyond the two nationals events a year in Pomona. So far, 28 years later, the only thing that has materialized is talk.

Since OCIR closed, a track in Irwindale has been built but it's a short eight mile facility and supports nothing more than muscle car and import racing. Another facility has sprung up near San Diego on indian reservation land but that facility is also a short eighth mile track and can't host much more than street cars. Finally, a track was built in Fontana which showed plenty of promise but noise issues with the surrounding neighborhoods have limited the track to nothing much faster than street cars. While these tracks are doing a yeoman's job at keeping the kids off the street it has not filled the void for sportsman and professional drag racing.

Up north, Sacramento Raceway has been keeping the sport alive with popular events like the Governor's Cup, Funny Car Fever, Fox Hunt, Nitro Night and others. But sadly, in the last few years the track's management has slowly paired these events back to the point that there not much left to see in Sacramento other than an occasional jet car race. Just 50 miles west of Sacramento is Infinion Raceway in Sonoma, a great Brutan Smith owned facility. Since the facility is more of a motorsports track, drag racing events are reduced to a minimum and there is not much interest in the promotion of mega shows like 32 funny cars or a similar event. Sadly, national event tracks such as Infinon are content with one national event per year and a perhaps a points race along with some weekly bracket racing. It's a pattern or curse that seems to be common with national event tracks all around the country in the last decade including Seattle.

This leaves just two tracks, Redding Dragstrip and Samoa Raceway near Crescent City. Samoa is a small eight mile that that is holding it's own but it's not big enough to host a major event. Of all the tracks in California, Redding Dragstrip seems to be the only track that is showing signs of improvement and is not on the decline. The track hosts several big races per year and has the blessings of the city to continue. The track will host two Pacific Pro Comp races in 2011 and had a national open in early June.

So what does all of this all mean? It means that if you race anything faster than a street car your choices are slowly slipping away in California for a whole host of reasons.

If you live in Oregon and you're a fan or a racer, you can't help but appreciate Woodburn Dragstrip. On a smaller scale this much improved track has had as big of an impact on the Willamette Valley and Oregon as OCIR once had on Sourthern California. The high performance industry in LA revolved around OCIR. At Woodburn there is racing every weekend between March and October, they host spectacular spectator events, and have the following of some of the best fans found anywhere. Woodburn owns the Portland market like OCIR owned the LA market.

We have seen what has happened to racing in California and lets hope it never happens here. They say that California sets the trend for the rest of the country. Let's hope not!

-Rich Bailey

Close Rattlesnake Encounter Likely to Baffle Local Skeptics!

For some reason rattlesnake encounters often come up on capracing.com. Why? Because we're big Don "the Snake" Prudhomme fans! And because they make a great story like the character who was arrested for having 32 rattlers in a motel room in Idaho! And who can forget the snake charmer in Portland who tried to impress his girlfriend and got bit on the lip when he kissed his "pet" rattler?

But Seriously, there is a growing debate about just how prevalent rattlesnakes are west of the Cascades, making these rare and sometimes lethal reptiles fun and interesting to discuss. We once did a story on the existence of rattlesnakes in the Willamette Valley which I'm sure generated some thoughts from regular readers of capracing.com that we finally jumped the shark.

Even when there were multiple sightings of rattlers in Wren (near Corvallis) the "experts" claimed that the snakes were transported into the area and then let go. The fact is that many locals know that the Northern Pacific Rattlesnake can be found in rural areas in Polk, Benton, Linn, Lane and even Marion County. More specifically near Mahema, Stayton, Dallas, the Eola Hills near Salem and even in Eugene at Spencer's Butte where a child was bit a few years ago! The photo above was taken in Marion County and the show Oregon Field Guide on OPB documented rattlesnake dens near Mahema during one of their past episodes. The Oregonian once had a story claiming that more people are treated for snake bites in Western Oregon than in Eastern Oregon.

Well, well, well, here is the latest rattlesnake sighting that hit very close to home! Cap Racing's own Kris and Patrick Cary were driving two miles west of Lyons on Thomas Creek Road when they came upon a snake sunning itself on the country road. Thinking that they ran over it and not knowing what kind of a snake it was, they backed up to get a close look. Out of the pickup comes Patrick with his friend Aaron. Not sure if the snake was dead or alive Patrick walked up to the coiled snake and poked it with a stick! The snake which was described as greenish brown in color with an octagon pattern on it's back, began to hiss and rattle! It then strikes two feet at Patrick, narrowly missing him!

His mom, Kris, was sitting in the truck watching all of this and believes that had Patrick not jumped back quickly enough he would have likely been bit. The ticked off rattlesnake then slithered across the road and ended up in someone's yard. Are there any more skeptics? And for those that still don't believe this story, the North Pacific Rattlesnake also known as the Western Rattlesnake is listed as a resident of the Thomas Creek Watershed by the BLM which is located in the same area the rattler was seen.

- Rich Bailey

 

 

Bailey's Blog
A Rock'n Trip Not Far From the Speedway

Hanging out in my new friend's jeep outside of Red Rocks.

My brother-in-law Dave and his family live in the hills not to far from both Bandimere Speedway and the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado just above Denver. We had not seen them in a while and the family was itching to get out out of dodge so we took our first extended road trip as a family which looped around the western United States. In the past we have flown to LA where they go to Disneyland and I go to Pomona. Not this time. In seven days we stopped in or drove through Portland, Boise, Twin Falls, Ogden, that arm pit Rollings, Wyoming, Fort Collins the home of Dan's Bake Sale, Golden, Denver, Grand Junction, Provo, Salt Lake City, Windover, Winnemucca and finally Bend.

We Started the trip by driving from Salem to Twin Falls with a stop in Boise where the kids went to an upscale mall. Anyone that thinks Idaho is no man's land or fly over country wouldn't believe their eyes in this place as I thought for a minute that I was in Newport Beach. After a couple of hours in Boise, we went on to Twin Falls where my side of the family is from and we stayed in a hotel not to far from where Evil Knevel attempted to jumped the Snake River Canyon in 1974. Today, people can legally base jump from the bridge there. No thanks! That's a hell of a long ways down if the chute doesn't come out.

The next day we made it to Denver via the biggest arm pit of North America, Rowllings, Wyoming. Half the town is out of business and the only one hiring is the local McDonald's. Once we got into Fort Collins, we ate at the Cracker Barrel which was another great experience. From there it was on to Dave's place and we arriver there at 10 PM. My daughters were so excited to see there cousins Tori and Shawn who are about the same age.



Acacia and Christine on the ride of their lives as uncle Dave towes them around the lake.

On our first day in Denver we went out to Red Rocks as well as the Speedway where we bought some shirts. The folks in the office were nice enough to go out of their way to take us up to the t-shirt shop inside the track on a day when the facility is usually closed. Then we drove up to an old mining town for lunch. That night we went out to listen to Dave's wife, Sabrina, perform with her rock band at a pub up in the mountains. She belted out some great numbers and had the place dancing from everything that included Led Zep to the Stones. Just before we got there a bear was seen in the parking lot. On the way back to their house around midnight we saw plenty of deer and even a fox.

The following day we had a blast boating and did some tubing. The kids have never had the chance to go boating or tubing and they hung on for dear life. I stayed on the tube for what seemed like 15 minutes but eventually I fell off and that was enough for me although I really enjoyed it. That night I was able to talk Dave and his son Shawn into going to the Broncos game where they disposed of the Seahalks with a field goal with two seconds left in the game.

Some deer that hang around the property and were checking us out as we were leaving.

On Sunday, we got to go to Elitch Gardens Amusement Park on Lockhead Martin's dime. It was a great day of fun and the park reminds me of Knott's out in California. To end our whirlwind trip in Denver, Susan, Dave, Sabrina and I went to see Def Leppard and Heart on Monday night. Before the concert we hiked up to Dinosaur Ridge just above the speedway where there are dinosaur tracks and bones plus plenty of rattlesnakes according to the warning signs posted around the area but we didn't see any although I had my camera ready. That afternoon, Dave took us over to a friends shop to meet a couple of local drag racers. One of them drives a super comp dragster while the other successfully races a 9 second Pontiac door car. They were very surprised to learn I drive and own a blown alcohol car which made me feel pretty fortunate to be in this position.

Oh, and the concert? It was phenomenal. Heart was great as an opening act and played such hits as Magic Man, Heartless, These Dreams, and Alone among others but they played to many old covers when they should have been singing their own songs, especially when their set lasted only an hour. Next up was Def Leppard and the night clearly belonged to them. They had a giant stage with an incredible light and video show. They played all the hits and were a clean first class rock act. There was no raunchy BS during the entire concert because they have nothing more to prove. That Vivian Campbell rocks on guitar and Joe Elliott was great on vocals. One of the guitarists had a camera on his guitar and you can see his fingers move up and down the frets on the big screen. I almost got into it in the parking lot when a bootlegger selling cheap bootleg T-shirts called me "Pops"...Pops? when I told him his $20.00 price tag was too high for a shirt that will fade after the second wash.

A nice sunset over the Great Salt Lake.

The next morning we headed over the Rocky Mountains through Vail, Grand Junction and Salt Lake City, then on to Nevada where we stayed at the popular Nugget Hotel and Casino. On the way to Nevada, I saw this beautiful sunset over the Great Salt Lake. Once at the casino, after buying an expensive dinner that wasn't very good, I realized I had thirteen bucks to get home on or use the credit card. Fortunately, I won over $100.00 playing penny slots! Rather than gamble the money away I cashed out right in front of the pit boss and used the cash to get home on. I guess there wasn't much he could say but you could sense that the casinos are not doing as well as they once did and he would rather see the money go back in the machine rather than in my pocket.

Before we headed for home the next morning, I went out to Bonneville Speedway to check out the salt flats. Not much was going on but a few time trials and one was five miles away from the entrance. Bonneville is a more laid back experience than the dragstrip and is full ex-drag racers looking for something new and fast with fewer politics. I tasted the white ground below me and yep it was salty. The salt flats are cool but I'll stick to the pavement. From there we got on the road and returned home close to midnight.