Road behind parking area. and some of our neighbours.Lots of track action. The series here include: Formula 3 Americas, Mazda MX5, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Porsche GT3, and of course IndyCar.
Several series qualifying today, some races as well.
Whoops didn’t quite stay on the track.
We are anxious for Indy qualifying at 3p. We settled into our favourite spot to watch.
First full day at the track. Hilltop parking is filling up and we meet the neighbours, Bob, Cathy and their 5-month-old puppy Cooper.
Sights around the Fan Zone.
We heeded this warning!
There are many practice sessions for the various series. We speak to several fellow RVers to determine the best corner to watch the Indy race and get many different opinions.
We explore the track to determine which corner we think is best. We settle on the back straight due to the track configuration, we have a great view of corner 5. This spot turns out to be directly across from where Bailey is parked.
Mary-Ann (me) chose a new driver this season, Felix Rosenqvist, a new diecast car was required for the dash. Allan got his annual Indy schedule t-shirt and I replaced a much worn out sweatshirt. Purchases done for the season.
No rain, yahoo, during the day, rain again at night.
Off to the races!!!It’s raining but not even that deters us.
Day’s plans – get Bailey wash at the Blue Beacon – hope it stops raining before Bailey’s bath.
Pouring rain seems to be the trend for us. Good thing, it rained so hard it removed the bugs from the front of Bailey and the windshield. No Blue Beacon for us today. Still raining
Info says gates open at 3p; we drive right in. There are cars on the track, several RVs set up already. We didn’t have to worry about arriving too early.
We follow the signs to Hilltop Parking. A few flowers on the way.
We set up, quicker than normal cause we are boondocking the 4 days we are here. We must be careful with water lasting and the amount of power we use.
We walk around to familiarize ourselves with the track, life doesn’t get much better. 🙂
Pouring rain again, wakes me up about 3a. All these spots are on grass, no pads, all the rain is making it mushy.
Back to today, Allan has about 3 hours of work to do so I am entertaining myself writing this, sitting outside in the beautiful sunshine and heat, a great change from the rain. Just love this weather.
Allan’s amber beer assortment ..
Wednesday was pretty much like today. Allan worked, I hung out.
We are getting super, duper excited because Thursday we head to Barber Motorsports Park, our first race in Bailey.
Choices are stay in and play games or risk the rain and head to Peter’s Grocery Store for much needed meat. Off we walk, Bossier City, Louisiana is not pedestrian friendly but we make it using the shoulders. We get to the other side of the highway and see signage directing to Louisiana Outlet Mall, Horseshoe Casino, and Margaritaville Casino, @Mville_Bsights
We forget about the grocery store for now, off to see the sights. We walk past @FlyingHeartBrew and decide to give it a try on the way back.
Horseshoe Casino, @Horseshoe_BC is much nicer than ours, offers several restaurants and entrainment and best part it doesn’t smell. People still smoking but much better ventilation. We found the slot machine of our choice and promptly lose our $20s. Vegas gambling and the occasional win was more fun!
It is sprinkling a bit now, so we head to the Outlet Mall which turns out to be an outdoor mall but at least it gets us closer to Margaritaville. This is the nicest of the 3 casinos. We find a bar and I have a #margarita, of course.
Allan discovers a local brewery amber, Abita! @TheAbitaBeer brewed in Abita Springs, LA. After enjoying our beverages, off to find a promising machine, and there goes another $20. Louisiana gambling is not for us.
Skies are more threatening. We make it to Flying Heart Brewery where Allan discovers yet another Amber ale. A look outside, it is now pouring fortunately it stopped when we were finished so now on the Peters Grocery Store found on Yelp. Get there only to discover it is closed for who knows what because there are employees in there doing something.
Even this sidewalks #Bossier is not pedestrian friendly with a sign dead centre.
Back to Bailey. Tomorrow’s destination, Marion, MS.
I thought today was April 1st and Allan was a prankster because my cell is gone, I search ever where to no avail so wake Allan up in a panic. We search and then remember the Find My Friends feature – it shows the cell is at Walmart, off Allan goes. It takes awhile for him to return and my heart continues to race. Allan is back – NO they don’t have it. Now Allan remember he can text me. RELIEF, it’s in Bailey. Finally found! Hiding in the most obvious spot, the couch crevice.
We’re excited thinking the Casino will be heaps of fun, hopefully with nightly entertainment. We arrive and set up. The park is much nicer than the Circus Circus RV Park. This one has grass and trees.
We head over to the casino and walk in the door. WOW what a smell, it turns out smoking is still permitted EVERYWHERE! We had considered eating in the casino but no way was that going to happen now. The casino is on 3 floors, we wander the floors, chose our slot machine and quickly lose our $20.
We are bringing Bailey back to Ontario for the summer. The best part of this trip is we are going to our first Indy Racein Bailey at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, AB. We’ve had these tickets almost as long as we’ve had Bailey and the time is here.
Airport Limo pick up 600a; WestJet to Phoenix leaves at 935, on time. Nice change from our previous Air Canada flights.
Time change is in our favour, we arrive in Phoenix about noon and grab an Uber to Goodyear. So warm, we kind of wish we could stay for a while. All Bailey systems go, we are hoping the jacks are finally fixed. We leave at 1235p; km 48,173 using Hwy I10.
Today’s destination: Deming, AZ. The weather is OK but oh so windy. We learned Arizona & New Mexico are really bad for wind in the Spring.
Scenery: lots of cacti, big rock mountains, smaller hills, lots of dust.
Bailey with the big boys at a rest stop. Dust storm are bad in the area, fortunately we didn’t encounter any of consequence only minor ones at the side of the highway. The photo doesn’t do it justice. Spots are bugs on the windshield.
These are the road side instructions if case of a dust storm.
We had a near miss with a large bird that got caught in a draft, but he managed to pull out on time.
We arrived at Roadrunner RV Park, in Deming about 615p. We set up just beating sundown. No food on board so we decide to eat out then pick up some breakfast food at Walmart about a 20-minute walk, then Uber/Lyft it back with our groceries.
Off we go, it’s really dark as many of the street lights are out. Most of the businesses on this stretch are out of business. How safe is this? Perhaps we should have investigated more but they say do something each day to scare you – this is it for today.
We pass a hotel that has a restaurant, as we approach they flick the sign from Open to Closed. Keep walking, get to Walmart. Eyes and legs do more licensed restaurant searching not a one to be found.
Plan B: Walmart! I say to Allan, based on what we are seeing I doubt Uber/Lyft is here and there isn’t. We limit our purchases as we are walking home. We get a lemon pepper rotisserie chicken and what turns out to be surprising delicious coleslaw. Get breakfast food.
Walk back we encounter a skunk but fortunately it saw us first and headed to the bushes.
Arrive back have a much-needed beer or 2 and have dinner. We get to bed midnight ish.
We awake thinking it’s 8 but it’s really 6. Let’s drink coffee and play with our devices for a bit. We do, then have a delicious breakfast, shower, and pack up.
In the “it’s a small world” the RV next to us is also from Sicard’s. Snowbirds, they have been in the Southern States for 6 month and are now heading back.
Today’s destination is Big Springs, TX, drive time 6-1/2h and we lose an hour entering into Central time. We are boondocking at Walmart RV Resort.
Allan is fed up with AT&T and on his ‘to do’ list for today is head to T-Mobile.
We leave at 935a; km 48,730.
Unlike yesterday, today is not sunny which on a travel day isn’t bad. It’s still as windy, scenery same as yesterday.
Speed limit on many highways in Texas is 80 miles an hour. Our best speed for fuel economy is 65; the norm is to have tractor/trailers whip by us.
Those are Teslas hurrying to be with their new owners.
Allan would love to be here in a Vette.
Their warning…
Imagine! Being sound asleep in the passenger’s seat and be awoken by the driver’s scream and seeing this…
We make it to Big Springs at 530. Google says there is a T-Mobile in the Walmart so off we trot. Google lies! No T-Mobile in Walmart but the store is a 15 minute walk. So very windy and none too warm. True to our experience they tell us it was 90 deg yesterday. We make it there and Allan signs up. Next door is a grocery store, H.E.B. we buy some meat, next stop liquor store where Allan finds some Alaskan Amber he first tried and liked in San Diego.
Feeling guilty that all our food purchases are not from our host, Walmart we head there to purchase the balance of our requirements. Dinner is left over chicken and coleslaw.
It’s a boondocking night.
Tomorrow is another bigger driving day so to bed we go.
Sadly, no but it is RACE DAY. The IndyCar new season begins.
As per our long standing rules, we have until the beginning of the third race to select our favourite driver for this season. The win$?$? A victory dinner at the restaurant of your choice.
Allan is sticking with his last year’s driver, Alex Rossi of Andretti Autosport. Alex did win for Allan in 2018. Allan’s first Indy win in years.
Following Allan photo just one of his own victories 🙂
My last year’s driver was Josef Newgarden Josef did some amazing racing but he let me down with his attitude last year.
Our sad day, heading back to Goodyear to store Bailey today, flying home at midnight 30.
We say our goodbyes and leave about noon, 47,915km. We keep trying and failing to take our mileage so these random ones don’t really count for much. Not much of a photo but we are on the road again.
Lots of track action. The series here include: Formula 3 Americas, Mazda MX5, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, Porsche GT3, and of course IndyCar.
