We arrived at Meridian Speedway in the center of Boise, ID, to find an older, but nicely refurbished track with two large grandstands. Next door is a park, with pools, fountains, and nice lawns for Ben. The other side of the track was a ball park, schools and river winding through an old well kept cemetery. We could see the mountains on the horizon. It was a gorgeous place to stay. We arrived early, but already there were people working at the track. This is very unusual. We met the promoter and he assigned us a choice area in the pits, right where we could watch the action from our living room. We were lucky to also have power here.
This is a big event for Boise. The promoter told me that there would be over 3500 spectators and 1000 total drivers and crew. The event is billed as the "Eve of Destruction" and there is lots of preparation going on. Cars are being stripped, ramps are being placed and boats are being attached to cars. There will be a 200 foot car drop, a dominoes car jump,(see before and after pics above), a kids bicycle race, a gauntlet race, a wonderful jet car show, and a boat race. Plus fireworks and much more, all right outside our windows.
Thursday night we had our usual pasta night, this time with shrimps in red sauce, accompanied by our favourite red wine. Friday we cleaned the car and fired it up for a couple of minutes. We dined on steaks and ceasar salad for Shabbat dinner while racers were setting up for next day's activities. Some of these guys have very pricey race rigs. Saturday morning and the racers are arriving early. We watch them set up through the day. We also finalized preparations for our part in the big show. We inspected the burn car, and supervised its placement. We also coordinated with the pyro technicians and the announcers.
At 4 pm the gates opened and the stands started to fill. At 4:30 we had the driver's meeting right outside our door. This is a really well run operation, everything is pre-scripted and everyone knows the plan. At 6 the kids had their bike race, followed by the national anthem and then the series of races. In between the serious races, the car drop occurred, which was really cool. The falling Mazda totally flattened a mini van. Then the hornet cars (small 4 cyl junkers) were each given 4 pieces of duct tape and a bicycle. The object was to tape the bike onto the back bumper of your car. You are to knock the bikes off your competitors cars. The last car running with a bike attached wins. Really funny to watch! The crowd was getting excited.
More serious racing followed, then we had the domino jump. A local fellow jumped a station wagon through three cars standing on end. The pics above show the result. Next was the gauntlet race. A van races around the track, full of melons and cantaloupes and two guys to throw them. The little hornet cars chase the van, and try to block it in so it can't move, while the shooters hold them off by throwing melons at them. A real hoot, except we were on next and the track was now covered with melons and the 3000 gallons of water that they'd sprayed on the cars as they raced by. Oh well, the show must go on.
I was towed to the front stretch where Marlene supervised my car placement, and checked the burn vehicle. The promoter was on the track announcing live from in front of the car, and he read our whole Mike Flambet bio. Marlene's part of the story got some reaction from the crowd, and she even gave them a royal wave when they laughed and cheered.
I did our usual Fire and Fury show, with a change to suit two separate grandstands. The crowd seemed to love it. I did get into a four wheel slide on one corner due to melon and water problems, but survived to finish the show. After us there was the boat race, where each of 22 cars tows an old boat (NOT on a trailer) around the track. The object is to be the last car running with at least 4 ft. of boat still attached. What a riot. Marlene loved it!
After the boat race was a fantastic 10 minute fireworks show, then they opened the pits for fans. We were deluged by the crowd, all wanting autographed cards and to talk about the car. They sure liked the show, and we heard: "Thanks for coming here for us" from lots of nice folks. Marlene got some hugs from a few grandmotherly types who sympathized with her over my callous purchasing of the car without her permission! I signed over 600 cards for people.
After putting the car away for the night, we had a light supper of soup and grilled cheese then listened to some music while having a couple of drinks. The race crews were partying it up in the pits. I took Ben for a walk, and ran into the promoter, who was effusive in his praise for our show. He seemed to be really impressed, and had already been hearing lots of good feedback from fans. All in all a great night, and we even stayed up til 3 am partying!
We pulled out of Meridian at around noon, a little hungover but happy, and drove to Twin Falls where we deposited our check and dumped our tanks. Went to the liquor store, but it was closed, then went to the Jerome Walmart for the night. We stayed here before and it is a nice spot. Too bad we were hit with a HUGE windstorm around 11:30 pm when we were asleep in bed. It was the strongest wind either of us ever remember witnessing. Thought we were going to blow over. Took in the bedroom slide and the TV antenna and weathered the storm. In the morning the rig was half buried in tumble weeds. We'll stay here a couple of nights before moving on to Pocatello for our next gig. Stay tuned....
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