Preparations and Plans Are Underway!

  Shortly after the 2014 season came to an end, our faithful Fan Van announced its intent to retire.


  The old gal has been good to us, over the years. We still intend on bringing her out to a few of the local races, but it doesn't look like she'll be footing any of the long hauls with us. 

  We have, therefore, added a new FanMobile to our garage. It's a Kia Soul, and the bank is being nice enough to let us borrow it for about 7 months, until we can officially own it!

  It's dependable, far more fuel efficient, and has Sirius radio (for those long stretches of static we encounter, with regular radio). It is also a LOT smaller, so we will have the opportunity to truly put our "light travel" and "car camping" skills to the test!


  After we decided to get the car, our laptop ALSO decided it is about done. It still works, fine... but it has developed a huge crack in the bottom, and various pieces are beginning to fall out of it. It's only a matter of time before ONE of those pieces turns out to be a vital component... we know this. 
  For this reason, Chew surprised me with a tiny "Transformer Netbook". It will be ideal for bringing you coverage and updates from the track! We'll still have the trusty laptop, for photo uploads and editing... at least, as long as it decides to stick with us. Who knew that being lugged to about 40 races a year, being pelted with dust and pea gravel, and working through floods and drastically-changing temperatures wouldn't agree with a high-tech electronic gadget???


  Chew ALSO surprised me by adding a new camera to our arsenal... a Canon Rebel T5! It has so many features and extra settings, it's unbelievable! Good news, though, folks... after reading through the first eight chapters of the owner's manual, consulting with my technical advisor (the 14-year old Chewable), and a week's worth of experimentation, I have finally learned how to attach the strap AND turn on the camera.
  Seriously, though, it makes a wonderful addition to our photo-arsenal!!!


  We ran into some problems with our reservations, for Bike Week... it seems that our usual motel is undergoing renovations, and won't be open until April. However, we were able to secure a room at another motel, down the street. While we prefer to camp, usually, the extended stay (and extra gear) requires a bit more "charging up" than my customary all-night watch over the car adapter can provide. 

  Extra outlets are a wonderful thing.


  The youngest started high school, this year. The good news is that she is rocking a 4.0 GPA, and loving her classes. The BAD news is that the school has an attendance policy that states any student who misses more than 7 days of school will receive a failing grade in all of the courses, for that term... AND be docked an entire point from their GPA. What this means is... we can't go to Savannah, during Bike Week. 
  We'll be there for the rest of the events, though... you can count on that!!!

  In fact, our bags are partially packed, our route is charted, our budget is planned, and the reservations are made.


  One problem...

  We can't wait that long.

  So, we'll be kicking off our season on February 1st, at the indoor races at DuQuoin, IL!


  We can't wait!!!

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