Austin '03 - Impressions from an Out of Towner...

[Flyin_Freddie]

Wow....what can I say, guys? Whatta good time I had...despite the drive down there. Like I said Friday PM when I pulled in....I turned on my wipers in the Navigator when I left Memphis at 0504 AM on Friday and turned them off when I pulled in to the Marriott parking lot at 1635 PM! I think I passed Noah and his boat just outside Dallas on the way down...and even HE was complainin' about the rain!

Impressions of the weekend...from an Out of Towner's point of view....

Friday Day... Damn! Damn! Double Damn ( )...can it rain anyMORE? Figures...the first Cobra trip of the new year and it's raining like a cow on a flat rock...what else would you have expected. Hope the gang in Austin is nice and the weather gets better the closer I get to Austin... Hell...I was supposed to turn off there...where's the damn sign 'LBJ Freeway'...is that I-20...? Crap....gimme the Atlas....screw the damned hotel website instructions...!

Friday PM... Okay, yeah, there it is....Marriott...looks like a lot of trailers in the parking lot....nice turnout even in the rain! These guys must be serious about theur fun. Richard Price told me I'd have to go some to keep up with these guys! Yeah...there's everyone...Wow...what a greeting party. Sure, I'll have a pull off that Llagavulin, Jim....you sure? I'd rather have a little glass with some ice....hell, why not? Heeeey...that's good. Lemme park and get out so I can enjoy this more.

Friday Nite... Mmmmmmmmm....Jambalaya smells goooood! That damn Ronnie Reed can cook some jambalaya, can't he? You wanna beer...? Yeah, I got some in my truck....c'mere. Richard wanted a vodka-tonic, too...sounds good to me....lemme make a couple. Mmmmm-mmmm....now THASS what ahm talkin' 'bout...! Met Dennis Mosley, John Russell, Steve Parks, Boudy.....and Lil' Boudy, too, Ryan Logan, His Royal Highness Tom, Dick Flesher, Dave Shelton, Tony Menendez...(nice talking with you about David, Tony...!), and more...can't remember them all.....not after those three vodka-tonics...whew!
Doug and Ronnie Reed and company....Don and Donald....helped Donald Ducotes dry his car after the ride in from Louisianna...there was at least 3" of water in the floor boards! Extended the awning on my trailer to let him park under it overnight and lent him my Noah car cover....now I know why they call it a 'Noah' cover... Went to the indoor go kart track with Doug, John, Ronnie, Don and Donald....and others....good thing I didn't have to pass a sobriety test....I'da failed miserably...snockered. ...drove like a madman....got the snot beat out of me by almost everyone....still had fun.

Saturday AM... Man...is it still raining...? WOOWEEE! Lookit that blue sky....bet it's cold....better dress for it. I'm goin' drivin' one way or the frickin' other! Unload the car....damn Holley 750HP w/ no choke...! Had to keep my foot on the pedal to let it warm up. Lessgo....! Richard and I off to Origins Parking Garage....following a buncha locals. Nice place....lotsa cars already here. Wow...what a nice buncha people...! INCREDIBLE WEATHER...getting warmer...need to shed this jacket. Okay, time to boogey....let's go, Richard.

Saturday PM... Great drive....had to stop for some gas, but nice plan to include several places to stop along the way. Gruen's nice....had to search for a place to park but found a nice one...nice enough anyway. Walked to the Gristmill...(what the hell is 'Grist' anyway and why do you always have to mill it?) Had to call to find out where everyone was...turns out they were already there looking for a place to park, too. Ate with Doug, Ronnie, Don, and Donald, Richard and Drew....good food, would have liked to stay longer, but need to get back before dark...don't wanna be runnin' around after dark in the middle of Nowhere, TX.... Man...why do these instructions say 'from New Braunfels take...." when we're in Gruen...? Hey, Doug's got his GPS with him....naw, man...you're turning the wrong way...! We need to head Northeast not West...the sun should be at our backs not in our eyes. DOUG! Gimme that damned GPS....! Okay...I-35 all the way into Austin...wait...aren't we in Round Rock...did we miss a turn off...? Okay...next time better instructions from Gruen back to the hotel...where the hell's 'MOPAC' anyway...? Never saw that sign....never.

Saturday Nite... Oh....MOPAC is Austinese for Loop 1...? Well, why in hell didn't they say 'Loop 1' instead of 'MOPAC'...? Next time I'm bringin' a 'shonuff' map...of my own. We gonna go to dinner somewhere...? Oh...okay....yeah, I'll help you load up. Great day, huh...? Yeah, we got lost on the way back, too. Still, it was fun....but a little hectic gettin' back to the hotel....saw half of Texas Hill Country along the way. Everyone else did, too? Okay, I don't feel so bad now. Hey, I bought these FRS radios and no one ever used them...wouldn't that have been a nice way to contact everyone in Gruen to let them know a convoy was heading back to the hotel...? Hell, I'll use them at DVSF in June. What....another vodka-tonic? Okay, no prob....let's go eat. Okay...first the door prizes. Okay...c'mon...c'mon...c'mon....940, not 939, not 942....NINE-FOUR-ZERO! Hey....Clois? Yeah....Flyin-Freddie...nice to meet ya! Yo...Doug....thanks for the extra doorprizes....! Whatta guy...! Okay...9-4-0....what? Okay, maybe next year. Blake's gonna do whaaaaa? With hot sauce....? Why? Okay...must be a Texas thing....Wow....lookit his face....he's tryin' not to scream....okay, there's the Bud Lite....shoulda brought some milk. Bet he'll pay the price for this little incident in the morning....ooooooweeeeee! C'mon ice cream!

Sunday AM... Hmmmm....only a few up this early. Some kids in the parking lot looking at all the cars....talked to them for a few minutes. They came in and looked at my car in the trailer. Nice, polite, and appropriately inquisitive. Answered all their questions. Pulled out about 0650....turned on to I-35 about 0654...reset my trip computer for the ride home. Nice weather all the way just about to Texarkanna....ran back into the rain I had left on Friday...all the way into Memphis....damn, damn, double damn!

Must write note on Club Cobra to document my trip and the wonderful people I met in Austin. Must make plans to go back next year.