Hollywood Hills, NM

We left in Thursday night (6/26) and headed to Raton, NM. We’ve discovered that leaving the night before and going half way is so much healthier and less stressful. We stayed at a wonderful little resort called Ceder Rail. It was a peaceful little place which allowed us to relax and enjoy the morning.

We also practiced with Tazzer’s new Mutt Muffs which he got the hang of pretty fast. Thank goodness for hand commands. He’s looks so funny!

The drive to the speedway was smooth. This has probably been the easiest trip so far since there were no major passes to stress out the truck and Justin. When we got to Hollywood Hills Speedway we were amazed at how professional the track was. They even had concrete pit stalls complete with power. Awesome!! The stands were huge, the bathrooms nice (no porto potties! Ya!), and the track officials were really on top of their game. There was even a casino next to the track. The night was gorgeous with an amazing sunset. Justin did incredible! He learned how to off-road in the car when he got bumped from behind. He took 5th in his B event which was such a bummer because they only took the top 4 to the A event. If he would have had just a few more laps he could have caught the forth place guy because his car was hooked up! But he had a chance to really push the car and had it completely floored. Sweet!
The next day we set to cleaning up the car. It was pretty muddy from the night before so Justin’s mom and I got out the sponges. It started out as a hot day so we put up the ez-up and the guys got to work on the car.

Our good buddies Karla and Brandon came down to for the weekend to watch the races and help out. We are so thankful for these dear friends who mean so much to us. Brandon’s strength came in handy when Justin had problems getting a bent wheel part off. And Karla volunteered to take me to the store so we could get lunch. God has blessed us with great friends! We had a professional photographer take a photo of Tazzer in his Mutt Muffs so we could submit it to their website. I had him get up on the sprint car tire and wave to the camera. Everyone was amazed at his obedience but little do they know…he’ll do anything for a cheeto. ;o)
That night it was very windy with intermittent rain. Not a fun way to race. Ugh! The races still went on and we had to fight the elements, which was a little new to us. Everyone had dirt in their eyes, ears and nose. I dug out my dirt goggles. But after much prayer and hope, when Justin went out for his heat, the wind finally died down. Whew! Justin placed 11th in his feature after surviving some bumps and aggressive drivers. Some of the drivers were out for blood and it showed in the A event when half the field either crashed or dropped out from something breaking or not working right.

Rocky Springs, Wyoming

We left after work on Thursday and headed to Cheyenne, WY. Above is a view of leaving our gorgeous state to only view boring Wyoming flatlands.
We stayed at a peaceful rv resort that our rig almost didn’t fit into. After a good night’s rest and chatting with the wonderful resort owners we headed for Rock Springs. These silly signs were on the way out.

The rest of the travel was extremely windy and wreaked havoc on our gas mileage. But the rig and truck did great and Justin pulled off some great maneuvers to avoid killing all the little groundhogs that enjoyed hanging out on the edge of the road as if they were daring each other. When we got to the track we all had to wait in line to get into the pits early. Check out this massive rig complete with it’s own mural.

Here we are right behind a stock car looking tiny next to the rig. I took Tazzer for a run to get some energy out after the long drive. He wasn't too thrilled at the lack of foilage and things to sniff though.

Since we had some time before they opened the track, Justin and his dad opened the rig and began working on the car while waiting in line.

This t-shirt pretty much sums up all of our weekends.
Dirt, dirt, and more dirt!

We had an incident this weekend where I know that God was watching out for us. Friday night Justin was doing great, hanging with mid pack and gaining, when all of the sudden he dropped to the back of the pack. There were only 6-7 laps left and his car was all loose and squirrelly. He managed to hold on and finished the race but his dad had to go get him and push him back with the Yukon. The back end was making a horrible crunching noise and when we got to the pits one of the nearby mechanics came over and freaked out. He discovered that we were missing our lug-nut. The cars only have ONE nut and goes in the middle of the wheel. It was gone and the wheel should never have stayed on! Everyone was freaking out because he most likely would have rolled the car. Strong angels were on the wing of number 05 that night!

We were so tired after a long windy day and ready for bed. The wind mixed with dirt made for misery and stiffness. Plus after the missing lug-nut episode, extra time was spent trying to fix everything. Thankfully a nearby team loaned us a wheel so Justin could get the car in the trailer and work on it the next day.

We stayed the night at an onsite camping area but had to walk forever to nasty dirty bathrooms/showers. On top of that, after finally getting into bed at 2:30am, we were rudely awakened the next morning at 6:30 by a guy banging on our rig saying we had to move because they were doing construction. We were pretty upset but thankfully Justin’s parents had us park at their hotel and allowed us to use their facilities. We took a nap and then they worked on the car some more. I tell you what, it is God that gives us the strength to make it through weekends like this.

Sunday was so much fun! This track only had 2 push cars so Justin’s dad was asked to help. J had built a push bar for the Yukon and covered it with carpet so it was the perfect push vehicle. All these teams have ATVs but they are not big enough to push start only to roll them around. So for the main event they asked all the sprint cars to push out and park in front of the stands out on the track. I got to ride with Hank as we pushed J out and got to see first hand how the track feels and looks. Super cool!

They then announced each driver individually while everyone cheered. Then the 3 push cars had to get 25 sprint cars going. We would start one up and zip around and get another one going. Sometimes they needed theirs cars rocked into gear so I would jump out there and help. One time while we were flying around the track for another car, Justin came around us as I flailed and hollered out the window at him. I SO wish I would have had my camera for that.

More fun photos of us and even Tazzer can be found at this fun guy’s site.

Goose’s Pics

Aztec Speedway, NM

To God be the Glory!!
God has been so good to us with provision for every race, protection and guidance. He continues to amaze us as we walk this journey of learning, growing and shining for him. This racing team belongs to Him and it becomes more obvious every day that we could not do this without Him.

We drove 7.5 hours straight and were amazed at the views over Monarch Pass. We we got to the track, we started setting up and getting the car ready. What an awesome track! So professional and knowledgeable. They even prayed before each race! There was another series there with us so we got hang with some truly professional people. We were by far the smallest rig around and could not believe the rigs that kept rolling in. From semi trucks to these giant haulers which were complete with flat screens, leather, full bathrooms and such. But also cost $600 to fill their diesel tanks compared to our $100.

We got to know some people and J already had a safe driver reputation so he had people coming up to him. This group is great! Many of them have taken a liking to us and are flowing with info and help. Friday Justin still wanted to stay at the back of the pack and discovered the difference a good track can make. He got a good feel for the car and decided to pull a pill the next day. They kept messing up his name from Wolfendock to Merdock but now call him Wolf-Medlock and has been dubbed The Wolf a few times.

We put up the EZ-UP because it was so hot out. Tazzer wondering what I was doing.

We stayed the night at a KOA up the road but did not get there until midnight. It was kinda like something out of a bad movie but we were so tired we didn’t really notice until the next day. The next day at the track was awesome!! He also pulled a great pill and was in the first heat, second row. He discovered that he was in the same heat as Johnny Herrera who used to be a World of Outlaw driver. He dominated the weekend and even came up to Justin and complimented his rookie skills and gave him some pointers. There was a girl driver who’s car stalled out after she came out off the track. She jumped out of her car to push along with a push car and fell under the racecar and got ran over! She bruised ribs and broke her nose. Poor girl!Anyways, Justin placed in the B Main and did incredibly well. They only took the top 4 to the A main and he placed 5th. Arg!!

I thought he’d be upset but after he came in he was hooting and hollering because he finally ‘road the cushion’ and totally felt the car at it’s finest. Sprint cars perform best at high speeds and he finally got there. Riding the cushion is when the outside tires groove into the piled edge dirt and get sling shot around the corner. He was thrilled! Right now he stands 15 out of 35 drivers in points which rocks!!

Justin’s parents, Hank and Pat, have committed to joining us at every race. They are a huge help and we are so blessed by their willingness, commitment, and support. They have been there since Justin’s first days of karting and stand beside me as we cheer Justin on. It has been quite a treat watching Justin and his dad work together on the car while Pat and I try to keep things clean and organized. We all make a great team and we are blessed!

Justin and his dad waiting for the main event.

That night after the race we drove to Bayfield Colorado and stayed the night at a gorgeous resort.

Are we there yet?

Ouray Day Trip with Race Friends

After a long race weekend in Olathe Colorado we all smooshed into cars, leaving the rig at the rv resort and headed down to Ouray. It was such a blast hanging with our friends, seeing God’s gorgeous country and relaxing. This city is one of Colorado’s secret spots. It was absolutely amazing!! Everywhere you looked there were breathtaking views. The town was completely surrounded by mountains and wonders.

Our adventures started early when Justin was driving Michael-Ann’s car. We had only gone two streets when a cop pulled us over. J had not even hit the speed limit yet so we were confused. But the lady cop asked us if we left a drug container on the roof of the car. Michael got all wide-eyed about her vitamin box because she always realized where she left them. So it had flown off and shattered in the middle of their main street. The cop asked us to turn around and go pick it up. They even blocked traffic with 2 cars and 4 cops while MA and Justin picked it up. This is a safe town guys!

Lucky for us we had our wonderful Tour Guide Jenni. She loves this town and visits it every year so she knew all the sweet spots. She took us to see Box Canyon Falls which was too amazing for words. We hiked down into this crack in the mountain, rounded the corner and then viewed a spectacular waterfall. It was so roaring loud that it was hard to hear each other. There was a metal bridge that strung along the side of the canyon and took us deep into the walls of the earth. These photos do not even come close to showing the depth and layers of the rock we were in. Incredible!!

The bridge ended up turning into something out of Jurassic Park. I totally expected a pterodactyl to come flying at us.

The stairs led down to the bottom of the waterfall.

Dennis and Rob.

Me and Karla balancing on a slippery rock out in the waterfall’s base. Believe it or not, one bad move and we would have been swimming in the flowing river.

Me and my bestest friend Michael-Ann.

The sides of the cliff were covered grass and even had this tree growing out in the middle of nothing but rock.

We then took a drive up the Million Dollar Highway where our walkie-talkies came in handy. This stretch of road was gorgeous!! We got out and took photos along a blasting river. This river was flowing like crazy. The roar was so loud and powerful that the ground shook and it all came out of this hole in the side of them mountain which ran under the main road. Crazy! Karla and I were dubbed mountain goat and cliff jumper.

Dennis And Justin

Our pal Dennis shows us his impressive climbing skills...or not. :o)

J and I being silly throwing the ‘W’olf sign.

We also went to a wonderful hot springs spa that had amazing vapor caves. The water was so hot that only Justin and a few others were able to get in. It was so relaxing and enjoyable. It was such a wonderful time spent with wonderful people. Here is a group shot which I left big for printing. Check out the mountains in the background. Wow!

After God’s Own Heart Group

Olathe Race Weekend

Friday it took us about 6 hours to get to the RV Resort that we were staying at. We were thrilled to be on our way after years of planning and preparing for this season of life. It was a gorgeous drive over Monarch pass. You can see the resort and ski runs and snow on the mountain still. Blue Mesa reservoir was…gorgeous!

Tazzer hanging out his back window. He spends most of the rides like this. :o)

On Saturday we arrived at the track early to start setting up. We were so blessed to have 15 of our closest friends come to the races and start us off right. They split up with some in the stands and some joining us in the pits.

We soon discovered that this track was one of the worst around and many other drivers were upset to be there. They overwatered the track and when Justin came in after hot laps his car was dripping in mud. Thank goodness for our friends and the help they provided for us with scraping mud, airing tires and such. When the main event started the sun had gone down and we were horrified to find that one end of the track was not lit up very well. There were already two wrecks and the third caused a jumble of cars on the corner that Justin would have smacked into if his angels had not been watching out for him. He dodged the pile up at the last second and after sitting on the track and waiting for them to clear it he decided that it was not worth the risk to stay out there. Driving off the track that night gained him a ton of respect from the other drivers.
Thankfully the next day was a day race which Justin completed with no problem. This weekend he chose to start at the back of the pack in each heat and main event to learn and get familiar with the car. This makes it difficult to pass other drivers and you get no passing points but he was able to gain confidence in himself and get to know the other driving styles.

Justin's dad getting ready to push him out onto the track.

A professional photo of Justin ripping up the dirt track!
All finished, packed and ready to go home. Tight fit! I am sporting my 05 shirt and am exhausted. So is Tazzer. Let's go home.