Greetings from Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada
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From the travels and adventures of the “World’s #1 Trackchaser”
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Saratoga Speedway
Asphalt figure 8
Lifetime Track #1,365
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Saratoga Speedway
Asphalt oval
Lifetime Track #1,366
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Alberni Motorsports Park
Dirt road course
Lifetime Track #1,367
Reprinted with permission from my July 19, 2008 Trackchaser Report. . . . . THE EVENT . . . Today’s undertaking was just one of more than 2,000 trips that have taken me up, down and around the long and dusty trackchasing trail. If you would like to see where I’ve been and experience those adventures here’s the link: . . . . If you’ve got a question, comment or whatever please leave it at the bottom of this report. It’s very easy to do. I’ll try my best to respond. Thanks! . . I sometimes see two or more tracks in a single day. Today I saw three different tracks over the course of two days. I thought I would do in one day but that didn’t happen as planned. Today I will combine my observations from each track into a single Trackchaser Report. . . . DAY 1 – BRITISH COLUMBIA SUMMER TRACKCHASING TOUR . . . . TODAY’S HEADLINES Babies, golf and trackchasing, it’s hard to do them all……………….more in “The Objective”. . My trips can be as much of a mental challenge as a physical one …………..details in “The Trip”. The people I meet can make the trip…………..details in “The People”. . . . . Greetings from Port Alberni, British Columbia (almost) and then Courtenay, British Columbia, . . I woke up this morning in San Clemente, California. I went to sleep in Alberni, British Columbia (Friday). After the Saratoga races, I stayed overnight in Courtenay, BC. This is what transpired today. . . . . PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS . . . The Objective One of my overall objectives in life is simply to have fun in a safe and productive manner while listening too and supporting my friends and family. An outcome of that objective had me signed up to play golf this weekend rather than going trackchasing. . . However, when Carol volunteered to help with “baby duty” for a few days, I figured this might be a good time to go out on the road. Mind you, I’ve already spent time this week bottle feeding and burping our twin grandchildren. I’m surprised at how small and fragile they are, although they are both above six pounds as this is written. . . . The Trip Flying standby with my airline partners in the summertime is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Carol and I have now flown some 272 individual segments during our nearly two-year airline sponsorship. During this time, I have missed getting to my destination on time just twice. This gives us a 99.3% success rate. I never would have imagined it would be this easy. However, I would estimate that some 50-75% of the time, it seems like we WON’T get to our destination due to a full flight. I guess the system needs that “burr in the saddle” or everyone connected with the airline business would be trying to do what I do. Despite today’s flights (on a Friday afternoon) being very tight I was able to fly in first class from Denver to Vancouver. Getting to the track…… You might think that getting to a new racetrack in my own time zone would be easier than just about anywhere I travel in North America. That was not the case today. Here is what happened. 3:23 a.m. – Wakeup call in San Clemente 3:38 a.m. – Out the door for the one hour drive to LAX 4:42 a.m. – Arrive at the Parking Spot, my #1 choice for long-term parking at LAX. 5:17 a.m. – Clear airport security for this morning’s flight(s) with a final destination of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. 5:30 a.m. – Make a decision. I can depart LAX at 6 a.m., connect in Denver and then fly onto Vancouver (YVR) or I can wait until 8:30 a.m. and try to fly non-stop from LAX to Vancouver. The flights through Denver look good, although taking connecting flights brings potential problems into play such as delays and availability. However, my non-stop option looks tight on availability. If I pass on the early morning Denver option and then don’t make the non-stop, I’m backing myself into the Friday afternoon airport rush. I decide to fly at 6 a.m. and connect through Denver. 6:00 a.m. – We’re out of LAX and onto Denver. 9:10 a.m. – I lose an hour flying into Denver and the Mountain time zone. When I arrive I see my flight to Vancouver is delayed an hour. Delays like this are bad for me. If my connecting plane left on time, OTHER people might miss the connection to Vancouver because THEIR flight was delayed. When others miss their connections that opens up a seat for me. 1:03 p.m. We leave Denver bound for Vancouver. Just before flight time, the system told me there were three first class seats open and two in coach with just two standbys on my flight. That’s not bad, but it’s still tight. I ended up with one of those first class seats! 2:52 p.m. – We land in Vancouver. Of all the places I’ve traveled too in Canada, the Vancouver airport always has the longest “border check” lines. However, today, the wait was only about five minutes. I was onto the rental car pickup area in record time. 3:07 p.m. – I had a nice choice of cars from the National Rental Car Company to choose from. It came down to a bright red fastback Mustang or four-door Buick Lacrosse with leather interior and XM satellite radio. I chose the Buick. Yes, I am 59 years old. 4:03 p.m. – My GPS unit took me through heavy urban traffic on a late Friday afternoon looking for the BC Ferries “Horseshoe Bay” departure area. When I arrived, I paid my FIFTY-SIX DOLLAR crossing fee and pulled into the back of line #4. I wanted to get on the 5:20 p.m. departure, but they told me that was unlikely since I didn’t have an advance reservation. By the way, making an advance reservation on the BC Ferry system costs an ADDITIONAL seventeen dollars! 5:20 p.m. The boat leaves without me. I wait with others for the 6:55 p.m. departure. 6:55 p.m. I had nearly three hours to wait in the BC Ferries departure line. Luckily, I brought a couple of good books to read. Waiters, like me, also have the opportunity to walk into the small seaside down of Horseshoe Bay for food and comfort without losing their spot in line. I walked into town to get something to eat. My foot long Subway meal cost $13. Canada is expensive! When I return to my car the couple next to me are outside their car chatting. For the next hour and a half I have to listen to “adult mating” talk from a couple who seem to be dating and going away for the weekend for the first time ever. I did pick up some good lines! Finally, I drove my car onto the ferry. We will travel a distance of 36 miles. The sailing time is one hour and forty minutes. Folks who did not eat in Horseshoe Bay, line up onboard at the ship’s Café. Others stroll outside to get the beautiful views of a vanishing Vancouver skyline and the upcoming Vancouver Island arrival. Some folks elected to simply stay inside their cars during the trip. The ship is large and comfortable. However, it did seem like it took forever to get to our destination point. 8:40 p.m. – We arrive at Vancouver Island. Getting off the boat with the car is easy. I have a 60-mile drive up to Port Alberni in vanishing daylight. 10:07 p.m. – After just two tries, I locate a hotel. I’ll be staying at the Greenport Hotel ($102/night with tax) in Port Alberni, BC. The place isn’t the most upscale, but it will do. Stuff is expensive by American standards in Canada. Summary…… . . I started traveling nearly 19 hours ago. It normally only takes me 12 hours or so to get to most East coast tracks from San Clemente. Now that I’m here, I’ll see my first new track tomorrow at 1 p.m. on Saturday. That afternoon show will be followed by some Saturday night racing action. . . Then…..I don’t have much choice but to sleep in my car while I wait in line for the 6:20 a.m. Sunday morning ferryboat back to Vancouver. At that point, I will fight with summertime vacation travelers and folks returning from their weekend trips for an arrival back into Los Angeles sometime on Sunday. The most wide-open Sunday flights are in the morning. However, I’m stuck on an island until the ferry gets me to Vancouver at about 9 a.m. on Sunday and will have fewer good airplane choices then. . . . The People I’ve always enjoyed meeting the Canadian people. I rarely hear other trackchasers talk about the people they meet on their trips. I hope they are meeting interesting folks. That’s one of the best parts about trackchasing. I spent a good deal of time talking with the desk clerk at tonight’s hotel. He was disabled from the waist down and had to use twin steel crutches. For some odd reason the phone at the hotel was about 10 feet from where he stood at the front desk. Every time the phone rang, he had to grab his crutches and hobble over to the phone from his position at the front desk. He never once gave any indication this was a convenience. As we talked, he marveled at my hobby of trackchasing. The next time my foot hurts I will try to remember this young man with such a positive attitude even though life has dealt him a bad hand with regard to his disability. . . . . RACE REVIEW . . ALBERNI MOTORSPORTS PARK, PORT ALBERNI, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA Wow! What an up and down day!! I had stayed overnight in Port Alberni on Friday night so I would be close to the Saturday afternoon track in town. I showed up nearly an hour early for the 1 p.m. dirt road course race event. I had already purchased my pit pass when my idle conversation with the two women working the pit shack discovered a significant problem. There was not going to be any wheel-to-wheel racing today! The website told everyone they would have wheel-to-wheel racing on BOTH Saturday and Sunday. This was a major bummer. I would have to decide if I would stay over for Sunday’s race when they WOULD have countable racing. . . It was now nearly 1 p.m. My evening track (Saratoga Speedway) would not begin their program until 7 p.m. I was only an hour from the track so there was no rush to get there. That being the case, when “Tonto” my faithful GPS unit recommended a non-paved road I went along for the ride. . . Little did I know how long I would be on these unpaved, large rock, uneven mountain roads. I could only travel about 20 M.P.H. for fear of compounding my problems with a flat tire while I was truly out in the middle of nowhere. . . To make a long drive sound like it was shorter than it was I ended up driving 44 miles on these unpaved roads. I did get some spectacular photos of mountains and lakes. They were unbelievably beautiful. However, when I was in the midst of my 44-mile drive from hell, I had no idea how much longer it was going to continue. That’s a bad feeling. As soon as I reached a paved road, I changed the settings on “Tonto” to avoid unpaved roads in the future! . . . SARATOGY SPEEDWAY (FIGURE 8 AND 3/8-MILE OVAL), COURTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA The Saratoga Speedway was my “signature” track for British Columbia. Now that I’ve seen it, the P.G.A.R.A. Speedway in Prince George is my new BC signature track. . . Today could have very easily been a four-track day. I never would have expected to miss this afternoon’s show at Port Alberni. That would have been one. . . I came to British Columbia expecting to get two new tracks at the Saratoga Speedway. These would be the full-sized oval and the figure 8 track. However, as I began to talk to people about tonight’s event I learned the “mini-oval” class would be racing. It doesn’t take a genius to guess that these cars might not race on the regular oval. . . I had come to the Saratoga Speedway at 4 p.m. They rent the track in the afternoons for go-kart racing. It was here that I met “Brian” who runs the infield on race days at Saratoga. Yes, Brian told me the “mini-oval” class was on the card for tonight. . . When I returned to the speedway for their 7 p.m. start, I worried that the “mini-oval” class might be limited to drivers under the age of 18 and therefore non-countable by trackchasing rules. That concern was alleviated when the announcer told everyone the “mini-oval” class was for novice drivers but there was no age limit. . . That was good news. However, his next statement was bad news. Only one “mini-oval” car had shown up. That meant there would be no racing on the mini-oval track tonight. My possible four-track combo had now turned into just two tracks. Bummer! Nevertheless, I’ve definitely won more of these battles than I’ve ever lost so I can’t be too unhappy. . . The main track at Saratoga is a 3/8-mile asphalt oval. It’s semi-banked with only a retaining wall next to the front stretch grandstand. The figure 8 track is a bit hokey. They simply place two large tractor tires on the big oval’s front stretch and race a figure 8 around the tires. This is also how they do it at the Western Speedway in Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. . . In addition to seven small 4-cylinder figure 8 cars, there were four other divisions. These included the hornets (15), bombers (10), roadrunners (10) and crash to pass cars (12). I have estimated the car counts. . . The crash to pass cars were the best. These are high-powered V-8 cars that must make contact, as in crash or spin, with the car ahead in order to make a legal pass. All of the cars racing tonight were low budget. The racing was nothing out of the ordinary. . . The highlight of the entire night was “The Flying Canuck”. I was able to get some great photos of this novelty event that took place at intermission. “The Flying Canuck” was driving a large Ford Galaxy station wagon. His mission was to approach a ramp at high speeds, fly over a school bus AND an inflatable snowman and land into a line of junk cars. . . He almost made it but one of the two ramps slipped when he drove over it at take off. This moved his car over to the right causing it to still clear the school bus, but barely hit the parked junk cars. The angle of attack sent the “Flying Canuck” into a series of side over side flips much to the crowd’s delight. . . Yes, this was a highlight to a semi-screwed up day. I could have had four new tracks, even when my plan for the trip was to get only three. I should still end up with three by staying over tomorrow, Sunday. This would cause me to stay overnight in Canada for an extra night, my third. I didn’t want to do that but I don’t know when I’ll get up in these parts again. I also have to contend with the BC Ferryboat schedules as well as flight availabilities. . . . . . . British Columbia Today I saw my 8th and 9th lifetime tracks in British Columbia. That keeps me in the trackchasing lead up north here in British Columbia, Canada. Carol is right behind with three BC tracks. This gives her the runner-up spot in this province. . . Surprisingly, only 13 trackchasers have ever made it up here. Only 13 official new track visits have been recorded in British Columbia by trackchasers not named Lewis. That seems like a very low number. . . I had not been to British Columbia since my very first new track visit of 2008 back in mid-January. BC had some beautiful country and seeing it in full bloom in the summer is one of the best times to visit. . . . . RENTAL CAR UPDATE . . Vancouver, BC – Friday/Sunday I will be driving the National Rental Car Racing Buick Lacrosse. This was a shiny black Buick with leather interior and XM satellite radio. The car had just 5,000 miles on its odometer. However, where I ended up taking it, I probably wore it out ten times more than the drivers who had it before me. . . . Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser Jesus loves you, but I’m his favorite. . . . . . TRAVEL DETAILS AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA – Denver, CO – 861 miles Denver, CO – Vancouver, BC – 1,112 miles RENTAL CAR Vancouver International Airport – trip begins Courtenay, BC – 204 miles FERRY BOAT Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay Ferry – 36 miles . . . . TRACK ADMSSION PRICES: Saratoga Speedway – $20 Canadian . . . . RANKINGS LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE: There are no trackchasers currently within 100 tracks of my lifetime total. Other notables These worldwide trackchasers are within 100 tracks (plus or minus or more) of Carol’s current trackchaser total. . . . . . 2008 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS . . . . . LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS After the most recent updates (July 1, 2008), I have a comfortable 19 state position lead. As long as I can keep a 10 state position lead, things will be under control. . . . . . UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS I hope to tie my next trackchasing trip into a vacation with Trackchasing’s First Mother. This will be her first trackchasing trip since just before the twins were born. . . . . . 1,299. Barnes Lake Ice Track, Ashcroft (road course), British Columbia, Canada – January 13 1,300. Bira Circuit, Pattaya (road course), Thailand – January 19 1,301. Cameron Lake Ice Track (oval), Erskine, Minnesota – January 26 1,302. Birch Lake Ice Track (oval), Hackensack, Minnesota – January 27 1,303. Mille Lacs Lake Ice Track (road course), Garrison, Minnesota – January 27 1,304. Mille Lacs Lake Ice Track (oval), Garrison, Minnesota – January 27 1,305. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds (oval), Springfield, Missouri – February 1 1,306. Atlanta Motor Speedway (road course), Hampton, Georgia – February 2 1,307. Brainerd International Raceway Ice Track (road course), Brainerd, Minnesota – February 3 1,308. Bay of Green Bay Ice Track (road course), Marinette, Wisconsin – February 9 1,309. Lake Speed Ice Track (oval), Tilleda, Wisconsin – February 9 1,310. Shawano Lake Ice Track – North Shore (oval), Shawano, Wisconsin – February 10 1,311. Cecil Bay Iceway (oval) – Cecil, Wisconsin – February 10 1,312. Mototown USA (oval) – Windsor, Connecticut – February 15 1,313. Moosehead Lake Ice Track (oval) – Greenville Junction, Maine – February 16 1,314. Clarence Creek Ice Track (oval) – Clarence Creek, Ontario, Canada – February 17 1,315. Durban Grand Prix (road course), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa – February 24 1,316. Lake La Biche Ice Track (road course), Lake La Biche, Alberta, Canada – March 1 1,317. Rice Lake Ice Track (oval), Rice Lake, Wisconsin – March 8 1,318. Ashland Ice Track (oval), Ashland, Wisconsin – March 9 1,319. Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez (road course), Mexico City, Mexico – March 16 1,320. Hartwell Motor Speedway (oval), Hartwell, Georgia – March 22 1,321. Lavonia Speedway, Lavonia (oval), Georgia – March 22 1,322. Dover Raceway (road course), Brown’s Town, St. Ann, Jamaica – March 24 1,323. Lake Country Speedway (oval), Ardmore, Oklahoma – March 29 1,324. Swainsboro Raceway (oval), Swainsboro, Georgia – April 3 1,325. Screven Motor (oval), Sylvania, Georgia – April 4 1,326. Centerville Super Speedway (oval), Centerville, Arkansas – April 5 1,327. Central Arkansas Speedway (oval), Plumerville, Arkansas – April 5 1,328. Clinton Country Speedway (oval), Alpha, Kentucky – April 6 1,329. Pleasant Valley Raceway (oval), Boise, Idaho – April 20 1,330. Bremerton Raceway (road course), Bremerton, Washington – April 26 1,331. Port Angeles Speedway (oval), Port Angeles, Washington – April 26 1,332. Evergreen Speedway (1/5-mile oval), Monroe, Washington – April 27 1,333. Virginia Motor Speedway (oval), Jamaica, Virginia – May 1 1,334. Natural Bridge Speedway (oval), Natural Bridge, Virginia – May 2 1,335. Sturup Raceway, Malmo (road course), Sweden – May 10 1,336. Ring Djursland, Tirstrup (road course), Denmark – May 11 1,337. Nisseringen, Naestved (road course), Denmark – May 12 1,338. Valentine Speedway (oval), Glenrock, Wyoming – May 17 1,339. Gillette Thunder Speedway (oval), Gillette, Wyoming – May 17 1,340. Phillips County Speedway (oval), Holyoke, Colorado – May 18 1,341. North Pole Speedway (oval), North Pole, Alaska, – May 22 1,342. Tanacross Airport (road course), Tok, Alaska, – May 24 1,343. Mitchell Raceway (oval), Fairbanks, Alaska, – May 24 1,344. North Star Speedway (oval), Wasilla, Alaska, – May 25 1,345. Capitol Speedway (oval), Willow, Alaska, – May 25 1,346. Elk City Speedway (inner oval), Elk City, Oklahoma, – May 30 1,347. Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex (oval), Sweet Springs, Missouri – May 31 1,348. Central Missouri Speedway (oval), Warrensburg, Missouri – May 31 1,349. Lucas Oil Speedway (road course), Wheatland, Missouri – June 1 1,350. Ark-La-Tex Speedway (oval), Vivian, Louisiana – June 5 1,351. Monticello Speedway (oval), Monticello, Arkansas – June 6 1,352. Paris Motor Speedway (oval), Paris, Texas – June 7 1,353. Grayson County Speedway (oval), Bells, Texas – June 7 1,354. Prowers County Motorsports Park (oval), Lamar, Colorado – June 13 1,355. Moler Raceway Park (oval), Williamsburg, Ohio – June 20 1,356. La Junta Raceway (road course), La Junta, Colorado – June 21 1,357. El Paso County Speedway (oval), Calhan, Colorado – June 21 1,358. York County Fairgrounds (figure 8), York, Nebraska – June 22 1,359. Black Hills Speedway (oval), Rapid City, South Dakota – June 27 1,360. Heartland Speedway (oval), Rapid City, South Dakota – June 27 1,361. Newcastle Speedway (oval), Newcastle, Wyoming – June 28 1,362. Jackson County Sports Park (oval), White City, Oregon – July 11 1,363. Great Basin Raceway (oval), Ely, Nevada – July 12 1,364. Lovelock Speedway (oval), Lovelock, Nevada – July 13 1,365. Saratoga Speedway (figure 8), Courtenay, British Columbia – July 19 1,366. Saratoga Speedway (oval), Courtenay, British Columbia – July 19 . . . . You might have remembrances of the Saratoga Speedway. If so, please feel free to share in the comments section below. If you have any photos from back in the day, send them to me at Ranlay@yahoo.com. I’ll try to include them here. DAY 2 – BRITISH COLUMBIA SUMMER TRACKCHASING TOUR . . . . TODAY’S HEADLINES Sometimes the time, money and effort to trackchase does not provide a good value……………….more in “The Objective”. . . I’m working hard on my golf game and will take the next weekend off from trackchasing. I’ve only had three full weeks out of 30 in 2008 where I did not trackchase…………..details in “Just Comments”. . . My ferryboat riding was fun this weekend, but they were difficult to get on.…………..details in “The Trip”. . . . . . JUST COMMENTS I’ve been working hard on my golf game. I reduced my golf index to 7.4, which gives me a golf handicap of nine. This is significant, since the maximum score I can take with this handicap is double bogey. If none of this makes any sense to you don’t worry about it. . . About six months ago, I had the opportunity to buy tickets to several events of the 2008 Beijing, China Summer Olympics. I ended up getting two tickets to 13 different events. My total cost for the tickets was a reasonable $402. We weren’t sure we would go, but it was nice to know we had tickets if we did decide to go. A few months ago, we had the opportunity to buy round-trip airfare to China for just $1,000 a piece. That didn’t seem too bad considering the magnitude of the event. However, run of the mill hotels were going for $400 per night, which seemed steep. Finally, after much consideration we decided not to go. That probably wasn’t a good decision since you only go round once in life. . . Now, I had 26 tickets to the Olympics and we weren’t going. Just a few days ago, I decided to put them up for auction on EBay. As this is written, there is one day remaining in the auction. The total amount of the bids I have received so far is $887. Remember, my cost was $402. The auction action during the last day, and especially the last hour, is always hot and heavy. My revenue should easily go over $1,000. I’ll try to keep you posted in my next Trackchaser Report with the final totals. . . . . GREETINGS FROM PORT ALBERNI, BRITISH COLUMBIA . . I woke up this morning in Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada. I went to sleep in Vancouver, British Columbia on Sunday night before returning to San Clemente on Monday. This is what transpired today. . . . PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS . . The Objective There are times in trackchasing where the time, effort and money expended are way too much for the reward exacted. Some would say that is always the case in trackchasing. I won’t go that far, but I will say that attending today’s track was NOT a good value for the time, effort and money that was required to pull this off. . . . The Trip Recall I showed up at this track yesterday only to find out that the only countable wheel-to-wheel racing was today, Sunday. Going to this track yesterday also hooked me into a 44-mile drive over unpaved, boulder-filled mountain roads. That was a real treat. Today’s program was set to begin at 12 noon. Like a good Boy Scout, I showed up on time. It was 80 degrees with nary a cloud in the sky. My plan was to watch the racing for just one hour. I would love to have stayed longer but I had to catch a BC Ferry after the race. It was a one and a half hour drive from the racetrack to Departure Bay where my boat would depart. I was also dealing with Sunday night ferry traffic. I had waited in line for three hours on Friday night as Vancouverites vacated the city for a weekend retreat over to Vancouver Island. I could just imagine how crowded it might be on Sunday night when all of those folks who still work were trying to get back to their cubicles on Monday morning. In hindsight, I guess I underestimated to number of worker bees headed back to the hive. I also underestimated the interest at the Alberni Motorsports Park in running a countable race early in the program. This is certainly not AMP’s fault. How could they know what was countable in trackchasing and what was not? Maybe I should blame it on trackchasing’s founding fathers for placing so many limits on the hobby. Nevertheless, I did arrive at 12 noon. I hung around in the hot sun and dust until exactly 3:05 p.m. before seeing a wheel-to-wheel trackchasing countable race. How many other trackchasers would have been so honest and forthright to have stayed that long and not “fudged” the race? All of them I hope! . . My more than late departure made me miss both the 3:10 p.m. and 4:40 p.m. ferries. I arrived at the terminal at a little past 4:30 p.m. I did not have a reservation. This put me at the back of a very long line of cars. The folks without reservations were lined up on the street in two lanes for nearly a mile. I drove to the back of the line and waited. I had hoped to stop for fuel on my way to the boat. However, there wasn’t time. Just as I pulled into the back of the one-mile line, my low fuel light went on!!! If it weren’t for bad planning, I would have no planning at all. My ferry ticket ($56.15 Canadian) shows I bought it at 5:21 p.m. That would also indicat I missed the 5:20 p.m. shuttle. The boat holds 300 cars. I would estimate there are twice that many cars sitting in a huge parking lot with me who do not have reservations. We can only board the boat after those folks, WHO THOUGHT TO PLAN AHEAD, have driven their cars on the ferry. . . The BC Ferry facility is not unprepared for the waits their customers must endure. They have a new and beautiful shopping/eating area for people stuck in line like me. They have a Starbucks as well as gourmet pizza and BBQ. This is definitely, a nice touch on their part. The loudspeaker system told us to return to our cars for the 7:30 p.m. departure. I did as told. Unfortunately, I’m in line 18. After cars with reservations boarded, only lines 10-13 made this departure. The next sailing is at 9:05 p.m. and it’s delayed 30 minutes because of “traffic”. We have been told that everyone will make this boat. The ride itself is one hour and 40 minutes long. From there it will be about an hour to my hotel near the Vancouver Airport. I figure I will check in at about midnight. I have to be out of the hotel by 5 a.m. to begin to negotiate the process of returning the rental car, clearing U.S. Customs and then airport security. . . My original plan was to see the Alberni track on Saturday afternoon and return from Vancouver to home on early Sunday morning. However, I made the executive decision to stay for Sunday’s event at Alberni. Given its remote location, I figured I might never get back here. That decision was expensive. It ended up adding two nights hotel expense (my original plan called for sleeping in the car at the ferry terminal on Saturday night). Now I would be paying for hotels on both Saturday and Sunday night. I would also have the expense of one more night of car rental and one more day of airport parking. I’ll let you guess what all of the incremental expense turned out to be. At least while I waited I could have a cocktail and try to relax from this scheduling nightmare. . . . The People I met a lovely woman from England in the BC Ferry store. While we waited to get some BBQ, we had a nice conversation. Her husband is in the U.K. military but stationed on a training assignment near Calgary. It was interesting to get her take on the political situation in both the U.S. and the U.K. . . . . . RACE REVIEW . . ALBERNI MOTORSPORTS PARK, PORT ALBERNI, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA No other trackchaser has ever visited the Alberni Motorsports Park. With the ferryboat situation, I can understand why. The track does not even appear on www.trackchaser.net (a website no longer in existence as of 2016). That’s an indication, it’s remote even though they’ve been running countable racing for years. . . I almost visited here last year. I participated in the track’s email forum and received some very nice feedback from members of the club. Some even visited my website and signed my guestbook. Good for them. . . I didn’t have time to alert them to my visit this time. I’ll send them a message once this report makes the worldwide web. There was a nice crowd on hand to watch the racing today. There is no formal spectator seating. People either bring their own lawn chairs or sit on huge horizontal tree logs that are easily two feet in diameter. . . The countable portion of the dirt road course has several changes in elevation. I’m going to guess the track’s distance is about ¾ of a mile. However, the Alberni group is not primarily about wheel-to-wheel racing. They spent the better part of the day running two-vehicle, two-quad, two-motorcycle sand drags. I’m not much of a drag racing fan. I’m less of one as I write this today! . . I must have watched 100 or more drag races. The track has a P.A. system and decent announcer, but the speakers are located a good distance from where the crowd sits. I tried hard to hear what the announcer was saying about the competitors and the program, but I didn’t get much from it. . . While the drags were going on the road course was continually being watered by an old water truck and by hand with a huge fire hose. There was a small concession area and a single porta-potti that I saw. I will say standing out in the hot sun for more than three hours definitely tried my patience. However, I had come this far and there was no turning back despite the cost. . . Finally, four off-road pickup trucks came out onto the track for a qualifying race. They lined up in two rows of two and were led by a white pace truck. One of the competitors dropped out with a flat tire are only a lap or two. The remaining three continued on but were separated by a good deal of ground. . . I would like to have stayed for more than just one race. However, after being at the track yesterday and then today for three plus hours, it didn’t make sense. As it was, I waited at the ferry terminal for FIVE hours following the race. Staying as long as I did allowed me to be in my hotel for only five hours. I thought my sacrifice was both exemplary and beyond the call of duty. . . I wish the Alberni Motorsports Park well in their endeavors. I thank them for running some trackchaser countable racing. I have only one more Vancouver Island track (Port Hardy) remaining to be seen, so I may never get back to this part of British Columbia. PROVINCE RANKINGS . . British Columbia Today I saw my 10th lifetime track in British Columbia. That keeps me in the trackchasing lead up north here in British Columbia, Canada. Carol is right behind with three BC tracks. This gives her the runner-up spot in this province. . . Surprisingly, only 13 trackchasers have ever made it up here. Only 13 official new track visits have been recorded in British Columbia by trackchasers not named Lewis. That seems like a very low number. No true trackchaser other than a Californian has ever seen more than one lifetime track in British Columbia. . . I had not been to British Columbia since my very first new track visit of 2008 back in mid-January. BC had some beautiful country and seeing it in full bloom in the summer is one of the best times to visit. RENTAL CAR UPDATE . . Vancouver, BC – Friday/Sunday I will be driving the National Rental Car Racing Buick Lacrosse. It’s similar to the Chevy Impala but minorly more upscale. It has a leather interior and XM satellite radio. That’s all I can ask for. When I picked it up it had a shiny black exterior. After yesterday’s unpaved mountain driving it looks like it’s just completed the Baja 500. . . I drove the National Rental Car Racing Buick Lacrosse just 373 miles in the three days I had it. I paid an average price of $5.25 per gallon. The nicely appointed Buick gave me only 21.2 miles per gallon in fuel mileage at a robust cost of 24.7 cents (U.S.) per mile. The car cost 50.4 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included. Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, Randy Lewis Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser Quitting while you’re ahead is not the same thing as quitting. TRAVEL DETAILS AIRPLANE Los Angeles, CA – Denver, CO – 861 miles Denver, CO – Vancouver, BC – 1,112 miles RENTAL CAR Vancouver International Airport – trip begins FERRY BOAT Horseshoe Bay – Departure Bay – 36 miles RENTAL CAR Courtenay, BC – 204 miles Port Alberni, BC – 287 miles FERRY BOAT Departure Bay – Horseshoe Bay – 36 miles RENTAL CAR Vancouver International Airport – 373 miles AIRPLANE Vancouver, BC – Denver, CO – 1,112 miles Denver, CO – Los Angeles, CA – 861 miles Total Air miles – 3,946 miles (4 flights) Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 4,319 miles . . . . TRACK ADMSSION PRICES: Saratoga Speedway – $20 Canadian Alberni Motorsports Park – $5 Canadian Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $25 Canadian . . . . RANKINGS LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE: There are no trackchasers currently within 100 tracks of my lifetime total. Other notables These worldwide trackchasers are within 100 tracks (plus or minus or more) of Carol’s current trackchaser total. . . . . 2008 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS . . . . LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS After the most recent updates (July 1, 2008), I have a comfortable 19 state position lead. As long as I can keep a 10 state position lead, things will be under control. . . . . UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS I hope to tie my next trackchasing trip into a vacation with Trackchasing’s First Mother. This will be her first trip since just before the twins were born. 1,299. Barnes Lake Ice Track, Ashcroft (road course), British Columbia, Canada – January 13 1,300. Bira Circuit, Pattaya (road course), Thailand – January 19 1,301. Cameron Lake Ice Track (oval), Erskine, Minnesota – January 26 1,302. Birch Lake Ice Track (oval), Hackensack, Minnesota – January 27 1,303. Mille Lacs Lake Ice Track (road course), Garrison, Minnesota – January 27 1,304. Mille Lacs Lake Ice Track (oval), Garrison, Minnesota – January 27 1,305. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds (oval), Springfield, Missouri – February 1 1,306. Atlanta Motor Speedway (road course), Hampton, Georgia – February 2 1,307. Brainerd International Raceway Ice Track (road course), Brainerd, Minnesota – February 3 1,308. Bay of Green Bay Ice Track (road course), Marinette, Wisconsin – February 9 1,309. Lake Speed Ice Track (oval), Tilleda, Wisconsin – February 9 1,310. Shawano Lake Ice Track – North Shore (oval), Shawano, Wisconsin – February 10 1,311. Cecil Bay Iceway (oval) – Cecil, Wisconsin – February 10 1,312. Mototown USA (oval) – Windsor, Connecticut – February 15 1,313. Moosehead Lake Ice Track (oval) – Greenville Junction, Maine – February 16 1,314. Clarence Creek Ice Track (oval) – Clarence Creek, Ontario, Canada – February 17 1,315. Durban Grand Prix (road course), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa – February 24 1,316. Lake La Biche Ice Track (road course), Lake La Biche, Alberta, Canada – March 1 1,317. Rice Lake Ice Track (oval), Rice Lake, Wisconsin – March 8 1,318. Ashland Ice Track (oval), Ashland, Wisconsin – March 9 1,319. Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez (road course), Mexico City, Mexico – March 16 1,320. Hartwell Motor Speedway (oval), Hartwell, Georgia – March 22 1,321. Lavonia Speedway, Lavonia (oval), Georgia – March 22 1,322. Dover Raceway (road course), Brown’s Town, St. Ann, Jamaica – March 24 1,323. Lake Country Speedway (oval), Ardmore, Oklahoma – March 29 1,324. Swainsboro Raceway (oval), Swainsboro, Georgia – April 3 1,325. Screven Motor (oval), Sylvania, Georgia – April 4 1,326. Centerville Super Speedway (oval), Centerville, Arkansas – April 5 1,327. Central Arkansas Speedway (oval), Plumerville, Arkansas – April 5 1,328. Clinton Country Speedway (oval), Alpha, Kentucky – April 6 1,329. Pleasant Valley Raceway (oval), Boise, Idaho – April 20 1,330. Bremerton Raceway (road course), Bremerton, Washington – April 26 1,331. Port Angeles Speedway (oval), Port Angeles, Washington – April 26 1,332. Evergreen Speedway (1/5-mile oval), Monroe, Washington – April 27 1,333. Virginia Motor Speedway (oval), Jamaica, Virginia – May 1 1,334. Natural Bridge Speedway (oval), Natural Bridge, Virginia – May 2 1,335. Sturup Raceway, Malmo (road course), Sweden – May 10 1,336. Ring Djursland, Tirstrup (road course), Denmark – May 11 1,337. Nisseringen, Naestved (road course), Denmark – May 12 1,338. Valentine Speedway (oval), Glenrock, Wyoming – May 17 1,339. Gillette Thunder Speedway (oval), Gillette, Wyoming – May 17 1,340. Phillips County Speedway (oval), Holyoke, Colorado – May 18 1,341. North Pole Speedway (oval), North Pole, Alaska, – May 22 1,342. Tanacross Airport (road course), Tok, Alaska, – May 24 1,343. Mitchell Raceway (oval), Fairbanks, Alaska, – May 24 1,344. North Star Speedway (oval), Wasilla, Alaska, – May 25 1,345. Capitol Speedway (oval), Willow, Alaska, – May 25 1,346. Elk City Speedway (inner oval), Elk City, Oklahoma, – May 30 1,347. Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex (oval), Sweet Springs, Missouri – May 31 1,348. Central Missouri Speedway (oval), Warrensburg, Missouri – May 31 1,349. Lucas Oil Speedway (road course), Wheatland, Missouri – June 1 1,350. Ark-La-Tex Speedway (oval), Vivian, Louisiana – June 5 1,351. Monticello Speedway (oval), Monticello, Arkansas – June 6 1,352. Paris Motor Speedway (oval), Paris, Texas – June 7 1,353. Grayson County Speedway (oval), Bells, Texas – June 7 1,354. Prowers County Motorsports Park (oval), Lamar, Colorado – June 13 1,355. Moler Raceway Park (oval), Williamsburg, Ohio – June 20 1,356. La Junta Raceway (road course), La Junta, Colorado – June 21 1,357. El Paso County Speedway (oval), Calhan, Colorado – June 21 1,358. York County Fairgrounds (figure 8), York, Nebraska – June 22 1,359. Black Hills Speedway (oval), Rapid City, South Dakota – June 27 1,360. Heartland Speedway (oval), Rapid City, South Dakota – June 27 1,361. Newcastle Speedway (oval), Newcastle, Wyoming – June 28 1,362. Jackson County Sports Park (oval), White City, Oregon – July 11 1,363. Great Basin Raceway (oval), Ely, Nevada – July 12 1,364. Lovelock Speedway (oval), Lovelock, Nevada – July 13 1,365. Saratoga Speedway (oval), Courtenay, British Columbia – July 19 1,366. Saratoga Speedway (figure 8), Courtenay, British Columbia – July 19 1,367. Alberni Motorsports Park (road course), Port Alberni, British Columbia – July 20 . . . . You might have remembrances of the Alberni Motorsports Park. If so, please feel free to share in the comments section below. If you have any photos from back in the day, send them to me at Ranlay@yahoo.com. I’ll try to include them here. Important. Click on the link below for a photo album from today’s trackchasing day. Double click on a photo to begin the slide show or watch the photos at your own pace. Hover over a photo to read the caption. A fun day of trackchasing in British Columbia Important. Click on the link below for a photo album from today’s trackchasing day. Double click on a photo to begin the slide show or watch the photos at your own pace. Hover over a photo to read the caption. . . Photos from an unusual day of dirt off-road racing 
PROVINCE RANKINGS
RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2008 (** not the first time to visit this track)
RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2008 (** not the first time to visit this track)