Hey it's Saturday morning and all the cartoon shows are on right now. OK, I'm just kidding, when one of the grandkids stays overnight I watch cartoons with them but I don't normally do that. Really, I don't...
So the alternative is to surf the internet and see what the message boards have to offer. One of the boards always has a lot of threads about all wissota classes from eastern Wisconsin to Montana. I'm not hanging on the edge of my seat wondering what happened at some track way out in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas or eastern Wisconsin unless it's a touring series I'm familiar with.
Don't take what I'm saying wrong because I enjoy watching the local racing at the nearby tracks. I know quite a few of the people that race and that makes it fun when you can watch people you know. On the other hand, I'll never get to know the drivers who live in the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana or eastern Wisconsin. I know a couple of the IRA Sprint Car drivers and am familiar with some of the Late Models and Mods but that's a different deal because they race around here with the touring groups. So following everything that's going on in the racing world from coast to coast isn't something I have the time or desire to do.
So it only took a few minutes to catch up on the message board posts. In addition to watching the boards I am keeping a close eye on the weather. The IRA is supposed to race at Deer Creek tonight and I'm hedging whether or not to make the trip with "R" in the area. Ten years ago I wouldn't have hesitated but it's so pricey to run up and down the road anymore that I watch the weather a lot closer. It's pretty gloomy outside here in the Forest Lake area and I see a large area of rain coming across Minnesota this morning. No red spots on the radar, mostly light green, so it looks more like showers than a gully washer.
The alternative plan if weather becomes a problem would be Cedar Lake. That's nearby and costs about $10 in gas as opposed to Deer Creek that I'd estimate at $50. Another factor (and I'm not complaining but this would be nice to know before spending the gas money) is that we haven't received an acknowledgment from the track that my photographer's clearance has been approved. I talked to a friend a little while ago who knows the promoters and said he would call on my behalf. He warned me that I would want to be absolutely 100% sure before making the trip so it's going to weigh on my decision if I don't know that for sure. Steve Sinclair appreciates our coverage and gave us a standing invitation to help get us setup at any of the IRA races so maybe I should have called Steve. Better safe than sorry, I don't want to make a 250 mile round trip for nothing with these gas prices the way they are.
So we've got weather moving in and uncertainty about which track I'm going to attend. It seems like it's been this way almost every time I have traveled this season. Sometimes I get a little jealous of the ATD writers and photographers because those guys get an identification good any time at all the wissota tracks. They don't need to contact the promoter in advance, that's why when you read Ed R or Jerry O's columns in ATD they can change their destination to another track while in route when weather is an issue. In this part of the country if you're not working for the official publication traveling requires more advance planning. I submit photos to ATD and get some of my stuff in there once in a while but I'm on my own at the gate. Ironically, one card carrying photographer told me he had only gotten two photos into the paper for the entire year but they still gave him one of their passes. I think so far this season four or five of my photos have appeared in ATD but I'll never qualify for one of their passes so I'm limited to helping them out once in a while. I understand where they're coming from, they need more of a commitment and I can't give that to them but I don't mind helping out when I'm the only one shooting at one of their tracks. That happens every now and then, especially when I fill in at Kopellah or I get a shot that nobody else caught I think they might like.
So we'll see what happens later today. I looked out on the deck and it just started sprinkling a few minutes ago. Stay tuned...
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