Oh man, that was a blast! I just rode some wild roller coasters yesterday, and they don't even give me nearly the same adrenaline rush!

Despite a little trial-and-error for us both in the TIGHT hairpins (there were a lot too - I guess at least 7 or 8 per run), Joe got some compliments for his driving on one of the tight hairpins right at the start of runs 5 and 6. One of the workers said he'd been around the sport for 28 years and hadn't seen anything quite like Joe's two-wheelin' adventure. It was a 3-ft drop out of a sliding turn, he was on just two wheels for I don't know how long, and he mowed down 50 yards' worth of vegetation then popped back up and into the next turn. Apparently it was a quite spectacular and impressive recovery! Let me tell ya, a few people wanted a VX after that! I was sitting there waiting to go, saw him come in fast, saw lots of dust, and heard lots of oohs, ahhs, and clapping, but didn't actually see him take the turn because my view was obstructed by my own B-pillar. I sure do hope someone comes through with footage of that (most of the people with cameras were spectating from a considerable distance and did not see it).

Joe's right - we were out there driving in 6 stages that probably averaged 3.5 miles, and for safety reasons people were only able to watch us start, sometimes watch finishes, and see us run the kart track. There's an awful lot of awesome action that went on out there on the airstrip and in the woods that will never be commemorated by film. No one will have pictures of my bouncing over some serious bumps out there, my heart-stopping first run spin-out, or driving over those asphalt berms after a second lesser spin-out, and doing a little bit of off-course bushwhacking out of a few hairpins. LOL! Some times I was worried for those guys out there on the ATV's working the course, because while I didn't get near them, I can see how a vehicle might. We did have a Subaru roll, the aftermath of which you may have seen in Joe's pics.

My BFG's have a slight bit of shoulder wear too, but they ought to considering how they chirped and squealed their way through the kart track. LOL! I was likewise amazed that my Mud Terrains did so well on the kart course.

It was definitely a very fast course, but also quite technical. One of the configurations was particularly wide open at the beginning and at the end, and I'm not sure what my highest speed was but I looked down while going out and was looking at 65, and I'm sure I did more than that, and it was definitely faster coming back in. Due to initial unfamiliarity with the stages (no peeking allowed prior to running them), I did not even push as hard as I could have in the faster sections for fear of coming over a crest going God knows how fast and finding a hairpin in my face. I also wasn't quite used to all that sliding around, but once you get a feel for it, it is a blast! By the time I left for home, it actually felt weird NOT sliding through a turn! :-)

Definitely the most fun you can have with your clothes on! :-)