Chris' Stuff: my weekend as a Mini dad

Monday, June 01, 2009

my weekend as a Mini dad

People that read my blog asked what my weekend as a Mini dad was like...and it was an adventure.
Packed and eager to go on Friday, we pulled out of Seaforth just after one in the afternoon and pointed the mighty Ford towards Ottawa. After a brief stop in Stratford we were cruising down the road. Within one hour of leaving, the first moan from the back seat came. "Are we close?" said Caden, with his face scrunched up and hand pressing into his lap. The answer at that point - one hour into a six hour drive - was simple, NO! "Ohhh, I have to use the bathroom". So I, like any other parent who has driven with a child who had gone to the bathroom less than a hour prior, said "You can hold it". Well he couldn't and although it was close, tragedy was avoided thanks to an empty water bottle.
After a few more hours, just west of Kingston, we decided to pull in for a quick fuel fill, a cup of coffee and a stretch. As I slowed on the exit, I realized the truck was not running. I dropped it into neutral and attempted to restart as I coasted to a stop at the gas bar. We realized this was not going to be a quick fix, and with the race supplies, race radio, and prizes on board, minor panic crept in. The first faces to roll up were Joe and Mitch McColl. Both offered up a token peer into the engine with me, but it might as well been a Chinese space rocket, because none of us knew where to start. “Is there anything we can take” they offered? We transferred supplies and radios to their truck, and Joe promised to get it to the track. Tagging with them was Tina Weirenga who insisted that she would make sure sign in would happen, so one problem was solved. Next to pull up, was Dave Bell. I know secretly Dave loves to see new trucks dead. He drives an old Jeep that has close to 1 MILLION miles on it. It has been towing Dave to races since CMRC started holding races and served Dave for years before that. So it is like a small victory for the old truck that has been so good to Dave for so long. Dave offered up what help he could, and eventually after CAA arrived took what remaining things I had to make it to Sand Del Lee and left.
Now if you do not have CAA...get it. For a racer, get CAA PLUS or CAA RV. One break down more than paid for years of payments. CAA loaded my truck up onto the flat bed , hooked the trailer on, and off to the Ford dealership in Kingston. Within minutes of dropping off the truck and learning it would be a weekend fix, we were in the back of the CAA truck with Pete, our driver, bouncing down number 7 highway with trailer in tow. Pete explained he is on call 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, and does 30 plus calls a day. It seemed as crazy to me as it was to him once I explained how I went to motocross races all year for a job. At about 11 pm, almost 10 hours after we left home, we pulled into MX101 to a grinning Kevin Tyler and parked.
How did the weekend go? Amazing! We had more fun than we have had in years. My son rode great, and I was super proud, and excited. We played soccer in the field, Caden made good buddies with Hunter Scott and Mitch Tyler, he suffered through two scraped knees, and got a "sponsor" in Keith from PhatMX who hooked him up with a vent tube and some stickers. We had a "tossed together" dinner with Steve Emery, watched the Glen Helen National at Brett Cormier’s trailer, enjoyed a cold beer with team Gauldy, ate some greasy burgers with the Keast at the food shack, and really enjoyed the weekend.

Sunday night came and the reality of the truck in Kingston, the trailer in Sand Del Lee, and a little boy who needed to be in school by 8am in Seaforth crept back. Caden, after a great weekend of fun and racing, jumped in the truck with the Van den Borne family and their adopted family member for the weekend, Dylan Kaelin. Armed with his pillow, drinking boxes, his weekend trophies and some money for a treat, they all pulled out of the park and headed for home. Chuck Mesely offered to help us and backed his truck up to my trailer to take us back to Kingston. Melody, myself and Chuck loaded into his truck and pulled out of the track. We talked motocross and about the day all the way to Kingston.
My trip ended late Monday night after a long day in the Kingston, and at 8pm we finally arrived home. I could not have predicted any of this weekend. Sitting here, I think back to my racing days, and all the crazy trips and curves in the road. It is part of the experience of racing and travelling. This weekend was nothing I could have predicted, but what in life is? See you at Rat Track.