I'm BAAAACK!!!

[Busch Babe 899]

Look for photos in the near future...I have hundreds!! But I had a great time in Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas and Indiana last week, DESPITE the heat!!! It was awesome.

[PlanoHarvickFan]

Cool...I was thinking about you.  Sounds like you had a great time.  Waiting for pics

[AfterShock]

Well, Welcome back Babe!

I'm not surprised to hear you enjoyed the area. Now, you should visit the other side of the Show Me State. Cross the Mighty Mo from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas -- seems Missouri is big on sisters.
On the east side, as I'm sure you discovered -- if you didn't already know, is St Louis, Missouri and (East) St. Louis, Illinois.

I hope you had a chance to see the Gateway to the West Arch. What a sight to behold. Best view I ever had was when the fog blanketed the base and only the tip-top of the arch was visible above the fog -- glistening with reflected sun light. Awsome sight!

If you're like the rest of us, you eat. And great smells of food cooking makes your mouth water. For that reason I don't recommend any trips through the Ozarks area of Arkansas. Wayyyy too many smokers there burning hickory wood to slow cook the meat. You'll want to stop and sample every one of them, and you'll get nowhere ---- fast. Food to die for, I kid you not.
Can't stop ---- gotta go! I tried holding my breath when I drove through there -- once. Couldn't do it. Had to stop.
And I don't regret it one bit -- or bite either.

Something I've wanted to do for a long time now is, taking a ride down (or up) the Mississippi River. I have my copy of Tom Sawyer to read while on deck. I doubt anything can bring out the best in a Mark Twain story like actually being there and seeing the same sights the writer saw that caused him to put pen to paper.
LooK! Over there!
Is that Injun Joe?!!!

Babe, I hope you take advantage of every opportunity to explore the United States. I think I can speak for many when I tell you it's a privlidge -- and an honor -- to have you among us. It's a pleasure reading your thoughts on your travels from sea to shining sea. Some of the sights, I think, are taken for granted by those of us who call the U.S. home. I also think you and I are alot alike -- in that we have a fondness for travel. It's addicting, and rewarding. IMO, you have the perfect vocation to do that.

If it were up to me, Frontstretch would put you on the payroll with travel expenses paid in full.
Yes I would.

I'd also arrange for you to fly to the races
with Carl.
Couldja handle that?

[racin_girl72]

Welcome back Busch Babe...

So what did you do in Nebraska?  Not alot of people come here on purpose unless it's for the College World Series or just to get to Colorado from Iowa.  LOL

[ROOKER]

And like i'm supposed to roll out a red carpet for ya or something..?? lol..j/k.... glad you are back... and good 2 see you girl!!!

[Busch Babe 899]

If Frontstretch would put me on the payroll and let me fly to every race with Carl, you KNOW I'd be in heaven!! LOL

I'm sorry it's taking so long....as you can imagine, over a week of racing, there are more than a few photos!!

First of all, we, the official Carl Edwards fan club, ("Edheads") descended on Gateway International Raceway for the Busch race, and a get-together...about 15-20 showed up (if you include spouses), and we even ended up with a group photo with Carl after his signing at the hauler...well, 2 actually, but the person who was snapping our picture with Carl in VICTORY LANE  missed the big group pic. We're working on acquiring that from one of the reporters that was there...we'll see if we're lucky with that. We DO have an informal photo proving our presence...and video...  We had an AWESOME weekend!!











Of course, I have "Flip" video...



The video quality is much better with the original file...I haven't found a hosting site yet that will show it that way, but it will do.

The entire "Edfest" photo album: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buschbabe699/detail?.dir=9379re2&.dnm=c587re2.jpg&.src=ph

After about 90 minutes sleep after the Busch race, 3 of us hopped into my rental car and headed up to I-80 speedway outside of Lincoln, Nebraska, for the Carl Edwards/Clint Bowyer (and Carl's little brother, Kenny, who's first win we got to witness...watch for him down the road in Nascar, he's getting 'sperience as we speak!) and emerged after quite a few hours of looking at corn fields LOL into a furnace such as I, who have never been to the desert, have never experienced before. We left the humid 100+ degree heat of Missouri for the DRY 100+ degree heat of Nebraska, with a constant, HOT wind...I have NEVER had a wind feel HOT before...

Nebraska photo album: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buschbabe699/detail?.dir=318bre2&.dnm=60e2re2.jpg&.src=ph

After witnessing my first dirt track races (I'm hooked now!! ), we slept a full night, then drove back down to Columbia, MO (Carl's home town, and home to several of my friends), dropped one of the girls off, and continued on down to Batesville, Arkansas...a long day's drive, sure, and if it weren't for my friend chattering away in the passenger seat, those twisty, turny roads of Arkansas (through the Ozarks...it DID smell vaguely smokey, you know!!) I wouldn't have made it all the way...

After a good long night's sleep in a local hotel, we descended on Mark Martin Ford and Museum...LOTS of great stuff there!!!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buschbabe699/detail?.dir=6603re2&.dnm=1a64re2.jpg&.src=ph

We spent a few hours going through everything, then hit the road back to Columbia, where we had been invited to join the locals in a fund-raising event, that would also include Kenny Edwards and his racetruck, which he drives regularly at Odessa Speedway, I believe.

The fund-raising event?? Cow Patty Bingo....I cannot BELIEVE we in Bruce County, Ontario, home of Bruce County Beef, have never thought of this!! It was so much fun!! AND, being in Carl's home town, and the week after Pocono...well, of course, some mention of Tony would occur...



Me with Carl Sr and Kenny...Carl's Mom wasn't there, and Carl was in California doing some contest thing...but this was awesome:



More Cow Patty Bingo photos:http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buschbabe699/detail?.dir=9bb4re2&.dnm=e139re2.jpg&.src=ph

The next day, we headed back to St. Louis, did a bit of laundry (funny, I have plenty of shirts, but only so many pants/shorts/etc. that I like to wear...and by this point, I had nothing left to wear on the bottom half...even my grass skirt was filthy!!) then headed on down to Pevely, MO, to Ken Schrader's track I-55 Raceway, for his NASCAR Night of Stars. 

The Wallace boys (Rusty, Kenny, and Stephen) AND the Wallace Dad (Russ), Truex Jr, Kenseth, Gaughan, Crawford, and a cameo by Dale Jr, who was supposed to be 'flag man', but who showed up, signed millions of autographs, then bugged out, leaving the regular flag man to do that job...said he had to be somewhere else.

More dirt track racing...I'm truly hooked now!!!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buschbabe699/detail?.dir=/9517re2&.dnm=6638re2.jpg&.src=ph

Then next day, I headed off to Indy and met my brother, sis-in-law, and friends there for the big race weekend, including the Silver Crown race that Carl ran at IRP...ooops, ORP...that night...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buschbabe699/detail?.dir=8dfdre2&.dnm=73e0re2.jpg&.src=ph

Saturday night at the Busch race at ORP:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buschbabe699/detail?.dir=2286re2&.dnm=c2b8re2.jpg&.src=ph

I had an awesome time...I still haven't gotten to all the Indy weekend photos, but I WILL post my links for the others shortly!! Our seats, although very cool, directly behind Greg Biffle's pit stall, were too low for us to have any kind of decent view during the 400...and it was hotter than hades...so I don't have many pics of the actual race...but it was a blast, nonetheless!! 

[AfterShock]

WoW BB!
I'm speachless!

[Busch Babe 899]

Well, here are the last of them:

My Brickyard 400 photos, from qualifying, through the race:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/buschbabe699/detail?.dir=1562re2&.dnm=24d0re2.jpg&.src=ph

BTW, lookit who I saw many times...covering the pits at my end of pit lane:



Here's my brother doing his best Elliot Sadler impression (Well, if you substitute an M&Ms hat for the Bud hat...LOL):



Me and Nannette:



My sis-in-law, brother, and friend, enjoying qualifying:



Our view during the race...the seats were "good on paper", but in reality...unless it had been Carl's pit stall right in front of me...LOL but our view kinda sucked during the race:



And a few gratuitous shots of guys going in for Drivers' intros...for the gals!!





<SIGH!!> :D:D:D

[Tonyfan14]

Awesome pics!! Sounds like you had a really good time.

[nascarbabe2U]

How's she keep doing that 

Great pics 'BB'