I stayed for the very end of the race, wet ass and all. I actually had a rain parka, but it was raining "up" where I was at times, because of the direction of the wind and the construction of the grandstands at the track.
was it worth it?
Oh, Hell, yeah!
It's the best race, most years and I've been rained on before (I literally hate being rained on from a sensory overload standpoint), but the race itself seems to ground me and keep me OK, even with getting a wet ass. It's a great time and it's MY ME TIME, once a year. I ditch my responsibilities and just have fun.
The party at a friend's house, near the track, always starts Friday afternoon and goes until he fires his "cannon" Monday afternoon, to tell everyone to get the hell off his property. He has a sort of toy (starter pistol style) cannon whch will shake the ground when he loads it up with one of his black powder charges. His house is only one and one tenth mile from the track, with almost an acre of backyard. He invites racing fans to park their campers on his grass and bring their own booze. He supplies the food and what a feast. He is from Louisiana and every year he Fed-Exes about a thousand dollars worth of fresh seafood to the party. He always gets crayfish, shrimp, 'gator tail and fresh oysters and various other wonders from the gulf. This year he had a thirty pound filet of swordfish, too. So, once the race is over, the party is still going strong. I have special spot in the back for my tent, away from some of the other twenty to forty people who show up, usually with unannounced friends in-tow.
