Put-in-Bay Airport

 

 

 

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:

 

 

Randy’s Complete Track List

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

ON THE WAY TO THE RACES

 

 

SUNDAY

 

 

Day #56.  Just ten more to go.

Today is day #56 of my 66-day trip. There are a few points in each of these long trips where things need to be “repositioned”. Today is the beginning of a repositioning segment.

 

 

Carol would be leaving the trackchasing tour on a flight from St. Louis to Los Angeles this morning. With an 8 a.m. departure that meant she was out the door of the hotel at about 6:15 a.m. 

 

 

We were staying at the St. Louis Hilton airport hotel. We could see the airport terminal from our ninth floor window. I volunteered to take her to her flight but the hotel shuttle seemed more practical for each of us.

 

 

It’s better to give than receive.

There is an old saying that, “It’s better to give than receive”. I truly do enjoy giving gifts more than receiving them. I personally have everything I will ever want or need at this stage in my life.

 

 

My gift to Carol this morning was having her fly first class on American Airlines back to Los Angeles. I had the best intentions. However there would be a slight glitch in my gift giving opportunity.

 

 

This trip started out to be a 56-day trip not 66 days. Originally the plan was for Carol and me to fly back together from St. Louis to LAX. That being the case I used some of my frequent flyer credits to upgrade both Carol and me to first class.

 

 

However several days ago this trip was upgraded from 56 days to 63 days and then to 66 days. Even though I had purchased an American Airlines ticket I would not be using it. That’s how strongly I felt about extending my trip.

 

 

However if I didn’t fly with Carol then she couldn’t be upgraded to first class. She doesn’t have the “status” with American Airlines that I do. I thought that might be the case and she confirmed it once she arrived at the airport.

 

 

Nevertheless Carol did safely return to San Clemente after an eight-day visit to the Midwest….in coach class. Almost all of her trip was confined to our touring of Branson, Missouri and surrounding areas. This was our second trip to Branson this year. We both agreed that in another year or so we would like to return again. That’s how much we enjoyed ourselves in the area.

 

 

With today being Sunday I didn’t have much going on. There were no new tracks to visit with an easy traveling distance. There were a couple of racetracks running special shows that I had already visited. However this would require a 4-6 hour drive if I wanted to return to St. Louis where I had a prepaid hotel room at the Hilton for this evening. I did not have a strong enough interest in seeing any of these racing choices to make that drive.

 

 

The three most important words in trackchasing?  Logistics.  Logistics.  Logistics.

Having the proper logistical plan is of critical importance to the success of my trackchasing trips. As a former logistics manager with Procter & Gamble I use the skills I learned there as well as my natural analytical mind to come up with the very best plans I can think of.

 

 

Proper use of logistics just as the proper use of technology will benefit me in a couple of important ways. First it makes my life easier. Secondly it drives down the cost of whatever it is I’m trying to do.

 

 

Some ten days ago I made a last-minute logistical choice to change my rental car provider from National to Avis. Just minutes before picking up my National Car Rental automobile I used Priceline.com to “save” $100 over the National rate. Although that might sound like a good idea in point of fact it was a terrible idea. Not all of my “good” ideas are really good!

 

 

I thought I was saving $100 by changing rental car providers. However the Avis rental car agent made it sound like upgrading to a GMC Terrain SUV was a good idea at two dollars a day or $24 for the entire rental. I also missed out on my $15 rental car credit from National a long time trackchasing sponsor.

 

 

A real money loser.

When I questioned the fuel economy of this SUV the Avis agent told me it was “rated at” at 31 miles per gallon. I actually got about 22 miles per gallon with it. A quick calculation told me that if I drove the car 1,684 miles the extra gasoline expense compared to getting a Hyundai Sonata at National would make the entire deal a “break even” situation. I ended up driving the GMC terrain a little more than 2,200 miles. This made my entire decision a money losing matter.

 

 

To top it all off the GMC didn’t have satellite radio. If you drive your personal car a few miles each day I can see why you might not need satellite. However if you’re going to be in the car for 2,200 miles over a span of 10 days satellite radio is critical. I made a bad choice with the last-minute change. I hope not to do that again.

 

 

I had tried to “buy cheap things cheap”. A GMC Terrain vehicle wasn’t necessarily cheap but not having the option of satellite radio was going cheap. I only want to buy good things cheap.

 

 

With Carol safely on her flight my one activity for the entire day would involve rental car management. How I managed my rental cars would have a significant effect on how the rest of this trip went.

 

 

Before I go any further let me explain why I share these logistical strategies. Most of my trackchasing fellow competitors have never really traveled much in their business or personal careers. Often they don’t understand the logistics of maximizing travel efficiencies and expenses. They might think they do but they don’t. Simply going with the all out cheapest option is NOT understanding travel efficiencies and expenses. Anyone who this that is not the case “doesn’t know what they don’t know”.

 

 

Why share?

They why share? I do this out of a personal generosity simply to help them out. If I don’t help them who will? Until they finally understood that rental cars were better assets to use in trackchasing than their personal cars they were losing money hand over fist….or they were riding around in a piece of junk. Hopefully that is been remedied for at least some of my fellow competitors.

 

 

Today I was returning my infamous GMC Terrain Avis owned (possibly leased) rental car after having had it for 10 days. I couldn’t believe how “tinny” the door sounded every time I shut it. That was on top of the passenger and driver side doors being so heavy they were difficult to open. Why are American made car from American manufacturers so bad?

 

 

I am traveling with a lot of gear on this trip. My golf travel bag and contents way about 50 pounds. I also have a soft-sided bag full of clothes that weighs about 30 pounds. I have my normal rolling carry-on piece of luggage that also weighs about 30 pounds. Finally I have my computer bag which attaches to my rolling carry-on bag. That’s a lot of “stuff”.

 

 

I didn’t fancy the idea of returning my rental car to Avis, then taking all of my luggage onto an Avis shuttle bus back to the airport and then waiting for another shuttle bus to take all of my gear over to the National Rental Car Company. I had a better solution.

 

 

My Avis rental car was parked in the Hilton parking lot. I had the good fortune to select an airport located hotel. The St. Louis Hilton property was just 3/10 of a mile from the National rental car lot and right next-door to the Avis rental car center.

 

 

First I would walk a little bit more than a quarter of a mile over to National to pick up a car I would use for just one day. Then I would drive the National car over to the Hilton parking lot where my Avis car was parked. At that point I moved all of my luggage from the Avis car to the National car a distance of ten feet Finally I would take the Avis car, gas it up, grab a bite to eat and return the Avis car to the Avis rental car center which is right next door to the Helton. When that procedure was finished it was a two-minute walk back to the hotel. That was about as easy as I could have done things.

 

 

Gasoline was selling for $2.38 in and around the Hilton Hotel. Gas stations at the airport are always a little bit higher-priced than normal. I used my “Gas Guru” iPhone app to find the cheapest gas in nearby areas.

 

 

There was a Conoco station just a five-minute drive from the hotel that was selling fuel for a $1.99 a gallon. That’s a first time in probably a year or more that I’ve seen gas selling for less than two dollars. I drove over there, filled the tank with 17 gallons, and saved nearly 8 dollars. It was definitely worth a five-minute ride

 

 

So THAT was my day. I had seen that Carol got off safely for plane ride back home. I had successfully exchanged rental cars without too much hassle moving my luggage back-and-forth. I spent the rest of the night doing personal financial planning so that we don’t go broke in retirement. Overall it was a relaxing day. Now I’m ready to make the final ten-day push-up my 66-day trip.

 

 

By the way I told you I was renting my car in St. Louis today for just one day. It would be a one-way rental. I will drop off the car in Indianapolis. Why do that?

 

 

There were really two reasons. I was going to use Indianapolis as my “hub” for flying. The flights out of Indianapolis to Minneapolis, where I wanted to spend next weekend, offered the best standby flying choices. I considered other airport locations but I plan to be trackchasing in Kentucky on Friday night and then hopefully in Minneapolis if the weather cooperates on Saturday morning. Indianapolis was to be my airport of choice.

 

 

However today was Sunday. I wouldn’t be flying until next Saturday morning. I certainly wouldn’t want to pick up a car in St. Louis on a Sunday and drop it in the Indianapolis five or six days later. It would cost nearly $1,000 to do that!

 

 

However this is what I WOULD do. I would rental car for one day for pick up in St. Louis and drop off in Indianapolis. Normally that rental would cost $80 at a minimum and well over $100 for folks who don’t know what they’re doing with one-way rentals.

 

 

However with National Car Rental being a long time trackchasing sponsor they wouldn’t charge me $80. What would they charge? Just $2.14. That’s right! It pays to have sponsorship if you’re going to be trackchasing around the country and the world as I do.

 

 

Then when I got to Indianapolis on Monday afternoon I would rent a car at “normal” rates of $30-$50 per day for the balance of the week. That was my plan.

 

 

You might like to consider this. This is going to be a 66-day trip. If “normal” rental car rates are $30-$50 a day you might be able to figure out how much I will have spent on rental cars for the entire trip.

 

 

Additionally I will drive between 20-25,000 miles on this trackchasing adventure. At $.07-$.10 per mile the gasoline bill adds up pretty fast as well.

 

 

For the last couple of rentals I haven’t been able to get my normal Hyundai Sonata car for a variety of reasons. In order to get satellite radio or a good rate I’ve been stuck with Ford Fusions and the most recent GMC terrain. Yuck! Double yuck!

 

 

Today when I walked over to the National Car Rental lot I found a lot manager, Bernie, a most helpful individual. I told him I wanted a car with satellite radio and good fuel mileage. I personally could select any car in the lot. However Bernie would make my choice a little easier by doing the “pre-work” to see which cars had active satellite radio systems.

 

 

We soon honed in on a couple of cars that met my requirements. I would end up driving a brand-new 2016 Hyundai Sonata off the lot. When I picked up the car it had a grand total of 834 miles on the odometer. I plan to add about 2,000 miles to that total before I turn the car back.

 

 

This was the first 2016 model that I’ve rented. I hope what I found with the satellite radio situation is not going to be a harbinger of things to come. The SiriusXM radio system didn’t have all the “normal” channels I’m accustomed to.

 

 

Editor’s note: January 2016. I would come to find out that National Car Rental was changing their policy on renting cars with satellite radio. Previously if you could find a car with an active satellite system there was no charge for that option. Today they have begun charging $5.99 per day for satellite. Luckily I have been able to thwart their new policy. I now have an unlimited AT&T data plan. I can now listen to SiriusXM satellite radio at no additional charge 24/7.

 

 

Importantly today’s satellite system didn’t have the NASCAR channel or any of the NPR channels. That was a bummer. Bernie, the National manager, and I checked three separate cars with satellite radios. They all had the limited channel lineup. I will monitor this closely for future rentals.

 

 

Here’s a strategy you may want to use in your own personal vacation travel. My rental car contract called for me to pick up the car in St. Louis and drop it within 24 hours in Indianapolis.

 

 

However I love the Hyundai Sonata and I was particularly impressed with this one being a brand-new car. My plan once I got to Indianapolis was to do something that I thought of a few years ago. I’ve used this strategy many many times.

 

 

When I returned the car to Indianapolis I would simply drive into the garage and ask the rental car agent to close out my one-day one-way rental contract. Then I would take the very same car without even getting out of the vehicle myself to the checkout gate. There I would BEGIN my new rental contract which called for me to pick up a car in Indianapolis, which I was already sitting in, and then return it four or five days later back to Indy.

 

 

This way I had the best of all worlds. First I had a one-way rental, which solve some logistical needs. I was able to keep a very good rental car without having to move my luggage around to a second car. That was a huge plus. Finally I was now on a “new contract” that reverted back to picking up and dropping off in the same location along with the better daily rates that provides. If you’ve never done this when you need to “reposition” yourself I highly recommend it.

 

 

 

MONDAY

 

Today was the second day of my repositioning plan. I was in the midst of from a weeklong vacation in the entertainment complex at Branson, Missouri to trackchasing first in Ohio then Michigan, Kentucky and finally Minnesota.

 

 

I had just stayed for two nights in the upscale Hilton St. Louis airport hotel. I was checking out this morning. I had paid for my room on Priceline.com to get the very best rate. This allowed Carol to have upscale accommodations for the one night she would spend at the hotel.

 

 

I am a member of most hotel chains frequent stay programs. For a couple, Marriott and Sheridan I have “top level” status. This gets me lots of upgrades and special preferential treatment.

 

 

With the Hilton chain I am a simple “Hilton Honors” frequent stay member. However when I ever I check into a hotel, even though I have paid in advance with Priceline.com and gotten bargain-basement rates, I try to “get myself upgraded”.

 

 

For lack of a better way to say it, long ago in my sales career I learn to “ingratiate” myself with whomever I was working with as quickly as I could. The more politically correct term might be “bonding” but I like the sound of ingratiating!

 

 

When I checked I simply smiled at the clerk. I mentioned that I was a Hilton Honors frequent stay member and “wondered” whether or not my status would get us a better room. That question works more often than you might expect. The hotel desk clerk wants to please their guests. If the guest is willing to ask for something special the desk clerk is going to provide it if I can.

 

 

When we checked in Carol and I were upgraded to a “executive king” room on the top floor of the hotel, the concierge level. Along with that came complementary admission to the “club” also located on the ninth floor. We could avail ourselves to a complementary hot breakfast each morning and cocktails in the evening. Mind you I was paying the lowest rate of anyone in the hotel and still getting all of these upgrades. I don’t even have any “status” other than simply being in the Hilton Honors club. If you don’t ask you don’t get.

 

 

A lovely gentleman named Marvin was serving the club breakfast this morning. We chatted for a while. He wanted to know if there was “betting” on the races where I trackchased. I think Marvin may have been more of a horseplayer than an auto-racing fan. Being an inner city guy I suspect he might not have ever seen an auto race in person. However, I was pretty sure he had “been to the track” (horse track that is) many times.

 

 

There was a businessman in the club this morning having his breakfast while I was there. We engaged each other in conversation and soon began sharing our “road warrior” stories. That’s what road warriors do.

 

 

I told him a little bit about my travel schedule. He asked me what I did that would require so much travel. I told him I was retired! He couldn’t believe it.

 

 

Here’s the deal. Most business people who travel don’t really like the grind. On the other hand if you been reading my Trackchaser Reports for very long you know that I absolutely love the freedom and adventure that travel offers me.

 

 

I explained my point of view on travel to the gentleman this morning. I told him, “If you have to travel because your boss or company requires it, it is night and day difference experience than when you are calling your own shots. If I come up with the idea that I want to go to New Orleans it’s going to be a fun trip. On the other hand if my boss tells me that I have a three-day meeting in New Orleans I may or may not like that idea if I’ve already been to New Orleans twenty-five times and my kid has a Cub Scout meeting that I’m going to miss because of my business travel. Make sense?

 

 

Carol has summed up the situation succinctly. She says that if I HAD to travel like I do for a job with somebody else calling the shots I would hate it. She’s absolutely correct. However if I decide when and where I want to go I’m going to love it, which I do. That’s my travel situation in a nutshell.

 

 

I was about an hour ahead of schedule on the way to my evening destination of Columbus, Ohio. I didn’t have anything planned until I saw a billboard that reminded me of something that would be fun.

 

 

I’m talking about the Indiana basketball Hall of Fame located in New Castle, Indiana. By the way New Castle is the hometown of high school basketball star and Mr. Indiana and now UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford. They even have a hotel named after Steve in New Castle.

 

 

This was my third or fourth visit the Indiana basketball of fame. For just four bucks with my AAA discount it was certainly worth a 45-minute stop.

 

 

I started off by watching an 11-minute film, which showcases Indiana high school basketball. As I recall this museum used to be named the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

 

 

Indiana is certainly noted for their high school basketball. When the little town of Milan, Indiana won the state high school basketball championship in 1954 Hoosier country went wild. Later on the fantastic movie, Hoosiers went onto chronicle the achievements of that little town’s championship endeavor. Milan, Indiana to this day has a population of just 1,864.

 

 

There been a lot of great Indiana high school basketball players that went on to greatness in college and the pros. Names like Larry bird, George McGinnis and Clyde Lovellette immediately come to mind. However, in my opinion, the best high school player and later college and professional player ever to come from Indiana was none other than “The big O”, Oscar Robertson. 

 

 

Robertson, #43 above, was a key member of two high school basketball championship teams. Then he went on to star at the University of Cincinnati. In the late 50s Cincinnati was part of Missouri Valley conference. Their main rival in league play was my hometown team from Peoria, Illinois the Bradley Braves.

 

 

As a matter fact I got to see the Bradley team defeat the University of Cincinnati with Oscar Robertson playing for the black and red suited Bearcats. At the time Cincinnati was ranked #1 and Bradley was #2. I’ve watch some wonderful high school, college and professional basketball games but nothing tops those Cincinnati – Bradley match ups.

 

 

During the past five years I’ve had a chance to play golf with two of the stars of those Bradley teams. I’m talking about Mike Owens and Dan Smith. These guys were obviously great athletes in their college prime and each still plays an excellent game of golf.

 

 

Soon it was time to hit the road again with a outstanding Trackchasing Tourist Attraction in my afternoon back pocket. I’m glad I wasn’t behind schedule and had the time, although not as much as I am I have liked, to visit the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame again.

 

 

When I’m not actually seeing a track on a trackchasing trip you’ll find me looking up family and friends. If there are no family and friends to meet up with I will seek out a Trackchasing Tourist Attraction.

 

 

European Trackchasers have a distinct advantage over American Trackchasers in one regard. Almost all of their racing happens during the day. That frees up the evening for restaurants and entertainment.

 

 

On the other hand most American racing happens at night. That knocks out having nice dinners at great restaurants. I can’t attend other entertainment genres that perform during the evening hours.

 

 

However tonight was Monday night the least raced upon day of the week. Although there was no racing I found a minor-league baseball game that fit my agenda just perfectly.

 

 

Tonight the Columbus Clippers of the International league would be playing the Indianapolis Indians. It might not seem intuitive but the Clippers or a farm club of the Cleveland Indians. The Indianapolis Indians are a farm club of the Pittsburgh Pirates!

 

 

The Indianapolis Indians are the second oldest minor-league franchise in American professional baseball having been founded in 1902. The Clippers from Columbus were founded in 1977 and are celebrating their 39th season of play.

 

 

I was surprised to learn that the government of Franklin County, Ohio owns the Columbus Clippers. In 2012 Forbes magazine ranked the Clippers as the fourth most valuable franchise in minor-league baseball.

 

 

This is their seventh year of playing in their beautiful baseball stadium called Huntington Park. The place seats about 10,000 people. Tonight the park was a little more than half full.

 

 

In the past I have been surprised at how expensive minor-league baseball can be given the product. I’ve often times been able to purchase tickets to major-league baseball games for less money than what it might cost to get a ticket to a minor league game.

 

 

However tonight everything was a major bargain. I parked about a block from the stadium and paid three dollars for the privilege. Granted I did have to walk through a very rundown area with rusted out Quonset huts flanking me.  By the way I lived in a Quonset hut, ala Gomer Pile, for three months during Marine Corps boot camp in 1971.  Tonight I finished with a walk through a heavily wooded area. It was a treat retracing those steps after the game in the dark. I was thankful for the flashlight app on my iPhone 6.

 

 

I had tried to buy a ticket on Seat Geek in advance of the game. They didn’t have many tickets for sale, which befits a minor-league baseball operation. The tickets that were for sale cost $34 each. I wasn’t going to pay $34 to see minor-league baseball game.

 

 

There weren’t any people outside the stadium selling “extras”. This is also common in small town areas where the idea of “scalping” is not that popular.

 

 

The lack of availability of tickets on the secondary market was not going to be a problem. I simply went up to the ticket office and ask for the cheapest seat in the house as well as a senior discount. That yielded a admission ticket for just four dollars U.S. It didn’t matter to me where my ticket called for me to sit. I would roam around the park and sit wherever I felt like sitting.

 

 

I watched the first couple innings from a very comfortable private like seating area in right field. Then I began to explore the park from top to bottom. That’s how I like to see a baseball game at a stadium I have never visited.

 

 

During my run of seeing a baseball game at every active major-league baseball park I encountered a couple of “dollar dog” nights. I must admit I eat more hot dogs when they cost a dollar that when they cost five dollars. I guess that’s the elasticity of demand (and waistline) model at work.

 

 

Tonight’s promotion trumped the dollar dog night by a factor of 10. Believe it or not tonight was “dime dog” night! That’s right hotdogs were selling for just $0.10. They were just a little bit smaller than a normal sized dog, which normally retails in this park for $4.75. However a hot dog would have to be pretty small to not be a value add just $0.10 each.

 

 

There was a limit on purchasing the hotdogs at the special price but not much of one. Folks could only order five hotdogs during one visit to the concession stand. However they could go back as many times as they wanted.

 

 

So as not to appear hoggish I ordered only three hotdogs to begin with. I smother them with mustard and ate the dogs only and threw the buns out. Later I went back for two more dogs giving me a total of five hotdogs for the evening (again no buns!). My large Diet Coke was a little on the expensive side at $4.75.

 

 

However I had only paid three bucks to park and four bucks for a ticket. Then for $.50 I had five hotdogs. At that point I certainly couldn’t complain about paying five bucks for a Diet Coke.

 

 

I didn’t have a whole lot of interest in the game itself. I had come to see a new stadium. I had come to have some dinner. I had come to have a Face Time call with those who now reside in Austin, Texas.

 

 

All of the above worked out fine. Tonight’s game went into extra innings before the Indians pulled out over the Columbus Clippers 6 to 3 in 12 innings. I must admit I was not in attendance when the final out was made in the bottom of the 12th inning.

 

 

After the game I had a two-hour drive. up to Sandusky, Ohio. This would have me well positioned for the half hour drive over to Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Tomorrow morning I would meet my friend Greg Robbins who lives in the greater Cincinnati area at the Miller ferry terminal at Put-in-Bay. We would then hop on the ferry for an 18-minute ride over to Put-in-Bay, Ohio. As you might’ve guessed they have a race there tomorrow.

 

 

 

TUESDAY

 

 

Yesterday I left St. Louis, Missouri and drove to Indianapolis, Indiana where I switched rental cars. Then I stopped by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame before driving onto Columbus, Ohio. There I saw a minor-league baseball game before finally ending up in Sandusky Ohio. That little trip covered about 560 miles. I find it somewhat amazing that I can have two very interesting Trackchasing Tourist Attractions, drive that far and still considerate it a NORMAL day. I guess that’s just my lifestyle.

 

 

 

 

 

THE RACING

 

 

Put-in-Bay Airport – Put-in-Bay, Ohio

 

Today I woke up in the EconoLodge hotel in Sandusky, Ohio. This hotel was a little bit on the older more rundown side. I now knew what a one star hotel from Priceline.com looking like.

 

 

However because I did so much driving yesterday I was now in Sandusky only about a 30-minute drive from Put-in-Bay, Ohio. That would be my destination today for some vintage sports car racing today.

 

 

A good deal of my friends live a long way from San Clemente, California. I guess that’s what happens when you do a lot of transferring during your business career from one state to another and traveling all over the country for business as well.

 

 

Today I would be meeting up with Greg Robbins. Greg lives in the greater Cincinnati area. He and I worked together for a few years back at Procter & Gamble. I retired 13 years ago and Greg has been retired for about eight.

 

 

This was not the first time that Greg and I had trackchased together. Although Greg is not a race fan he enjoys the time spent together talking about the events of the day.

 

 

Greg and I do not have a sterling trackchasing record together. On one occasion we went to an indoor karting track in Ohio. No countable racers showed up on that day. Another time we went to a dirt road course down in Kentucky. They canceled the event on short notice.

 

 

However we have had our trackchasing days in the sun. Greg and I joined up one time at an Ohio County fair figure 8 race. I’m sure that was a cultural shock for him. Additionally time we went to the Kil-Kare Speedway in Xenia, Ohio. Greg and I also made it to the first-ever NASCAR Craftsman truck race at the Eldora Speedway in rural Ohio.

 

 

Today we were going to see some racing that Greg had never experienced before. I didn’t have much experience with some aspects of today’s trip either.

 

 

Wikipedia has this to say about Put-in-Bay, Ohio:

 

 

“Put-in-Bay is a village located on South Bass Island in Put-in-Bay Township, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The population was 138 at the 2010 census. The bay played a significant role in the War of 1812 as the location of the squadron of U.S. naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry, who sailed from the port on September 10, 1813 to engage a British squadron just north of the island in the Battle of Lake Erie. The village is a popular summer resort and recreational destination. Ferry and airline services connect the community with Catawba Island, Kelleys Island, Port Clinton, and Sandusky, Ohio.”

 

 

The plan was for Greg and I to meet at the Miller Boat Line ferry boat location in Port Clinton, Ohio. For just seven dollars per person one-way we would take an 18-minute ferryboat ride over to Put-in-Bay.

 

 

We could have put our cars on the ferryboat but it didn’t seem worth the expense. Once in PIB we could have rented bicycles or a golf cart but we didn’t do that either. We hoofed it all over the place. I’m sure we put on 3-4 miles of walking or maybe more.

 

 

Once we got on the island itself we walked to where we bought the racetrack might be. Then we walked to where we thought downtown was supposed to be. Each of these locations was a little bit further than we had anticipated. It was a treat seeing two P&G guys wandering around without too much data to depend on.

 

 

The weather would be warm today with temperatures in the high 80s. There was a good deal of humidity as well. Essentially it was a pretty warm and humid day.

 

 

We were pleased to see an old school bus coming our way. The bus ran from downtown and then out to the ferry. The driving distance was a couple of miles maybe a little longer.

 

 

There was a $2.50 per person charge for the bus but it seem like a good deal to us. We soon used Yelp! to find a nice restaurant downton. There we dined on casual food and caught up with each other not having seen one another for a year or two.

 

 

Then we hopped on the “downtown” bus and rode it back to the racetrack. Today’s racing actually takes place at the Put-in-Bay Airport. The airport runways are used as the racing surface. The races are shut down from time to time when the runways are used to land a plane.

 

 

About a week ago I had spent several minutes talking with Jack Woehrie a founder of the Put-in-Bay race program. It was nice to be able to meet Jack in person. He was happy that I had “made it”. Of course I was too.

 

 

There was no admission charge for fans to watch the races. Some watch from outside the fencing of the airport itself. Gregg and I took a tour of the paddock area. We soon found ourselves signing a pit release to be in a space near the starting line.

 

 

When I ran into Jack, the track organizer he insisted I come up and speak for a few minutes about my trackchasing with today’s announcer. I was happy to do it. The local radio station was doing a live feed of the race broadcast and some of the racing action itself back to their studios.

 

 

It’s always fun to tell the assembled masses a little bit about my trackchasing hobby. The people that show up for a road racing event are certainly a different demographic than what you might find at a down-home stock car race. Both groups are racing fans. They just enjoy their hobby in different ways.

 

 

When I tell my trackchasing story I get two common reactions. One of those reactions from people is that they would love to do what I do. I can’t blame them for that. I love what I do too.

 

 

The other common reaction is something a little different. It goes along the lines of not only would I love to do this but it looks like it’s pretty easy and who wouldn’t want to sign up for being on a permanent vacation especially if it involves racing. Remember these comments are coming from racing fans.

 

 

However, I strongly believe there are virtually no folks who truly understand what it takes to do what I do. I don’t say that in a disparaging way. I only say it because I believe that that line of thinking is true.

 

 

Other trackchasers can’t really relate to what I do because they don’t trackchase in the same fashion I do. There are no airplanes for them for the most part. There are few overnights for them. They don’t take 66-day trips and drive 20-25,000 miles on any of their trips.

 

 

Let me be perfectly clear about one important point. This is not a put down of any other trackchasers. It’s simply an explanation of how they don’t do the hobby the way I do it.

 

 

Other folks who are into racing or travel are not going to truly understand what my trackchasing hobby requires either. Again this is in no way a put down whatsoever. It simply means that I don’t think that virtually anyone understands what this takes.

 

 

Nobody should fret about that. No, I didn’t think you would. One of the reasons I enjoy sharing via the written word as well as photos and videos is to simply give them anyone who is interested an inclination about what’s happening “out on the road”. I hope that what I provide and share helps do that to some degree.

 

 

Today I ran into a fellow who is the grandson of the people who organized the Put-in-Bay road racing events back in the 50s from 1952-59. He lives over in Virginia now and is part of the Washington D.C. BMW Club there. He has a strong interest in racing and in remembering the heritage of his grandparents. He was impressed with the trackchasing hobby. We agreed to stay in touch.

 

 

We were told that 108 racecars signed in to compete in the racing activity itself. More than 100 other cars also showed up to be part of the parade lapping that took place around the track.

 

 

One of the best things about the track today was that spectators could see the racing as the cars traveled the entire course. I timed one car’s lap time at about 64 seconds. I’m guessing the track was between a mile and a mile and a half in distance.

 

 

Hay bales were used for track markers. This way drivers knew where the course would lead them. There were several left and right hand turns as well as switchbacks. I would classify this road course as a temporary venue.

 

 

In many locations the only thing separating the racing cars from the fans were a couple of smaller hay bales and some chain-link fence thing. When I mentioned that this didn’t look like the safest situation for the fans I saw Greg backing up a few steps.

 

 

I was a little surprised to see that there was no admission charge for spectators at any point around the track. There was no admission charge for us to sign into the specialized private viewing area. Bottled water, soda and hotdogs all cost just a dollar each. This was certainly a financial bargain for today’s spectators.

 

 

We stayed for the very last race, which was sort of a “come one come all” for everybody still at the track. Despite there being 108 racers registered today only 14 cars took the green flag for the final feature of the day. They was a little bit of everything as you will see by viewing my photographs and racing video.

 

 

This was a nice laid-back day following the vintage racers.  We spent a few minutes touring the paddock area.  It was fun to discover a place like Put-in-Bay. I had never really known nothing about up until our visit today. The people we met were as nice as could be. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. The weather although a little hot was generally good.

 

 

I found this background information on the Put-in-Bay road racing website:

 

 

“The first race on the 3.1 mile course at Put-in-Bay was held in 1952 and continued through 1959, an attempt to resurrect the island race occurred in 1963. The race was popular and was limited to Sports Cars under 2 liters and a field of 100 cars (they were turning cars away). The reunion events are being conducted by the Put-in-Bay Road Race Heritage Society, which aspires to celebrate the Put-in-Bay Road Races and ensure the history of those races is captured and preserved.”

 

Put-in-Bay Road Race Heritage Society

9618 NW 156 Ave

Alachua, FL 32615

 

 

 

 

AFTER THE RACES

 

 

The ferryboat situation leaving the racetrack was extremely convenient. We boarded the 4:30 back ferry back to the mainland.

 

 

Once back on the mainland we agreed to meet up at a Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant. There we dined on Diet Coke’s and talked about all manner of things. Greg and I have a common interest in financial planning and all the stuff that goes with that subject. We probably spent the better part of two hours or more in Frisch’s.

 

 

Soon it was time to say her goodbyes. Greg had a four-hour drive back towards Cincinnati. I would have less than two hours to get up to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

 

I was looking forward to racing event tomorrow all the way up in the U.P. Michigan. Of course U.P. stands for “Upper Peninsula”.

 

 

My Trackchasing Tourist Attraction tomorrow would be another return visit to Bronner’s Christmas store in Frankenmuth, Michigan. I used to drive by that place for years and finally stopped in about three or four years ago. Now I can’t drive by without stopping.

 

 

In case you didn’t know Bronner’s is the largest Christmas store in the world. I’m a sucker for anything that is the largest, most unique or whatever it is in the entire world. Bronner’s fits that bill and more. I’ll tell you more about that visit and racing up and in the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan in my next report.

 

 

Good night.

 

 

 

 

Ohio

 

 

The Buckeye state

This afternoon I saw my 75th lifetime track in the Buckeye state, yes the Buckeye state. I’ve seen seventy-five or more track in nine different states.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

World’s #1 Trackchaser

Peoria Old Timers Racing Club (P.O.R.C.) Hall of Fame Member

Ohio sayings: “The Three C’s”= Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati.

 

 

 

 

 

QUICK FACTS

 

 

AIRPLANE

Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Chicago, IL (ORD) – 1,745 miles

 

RENTAL CAR #1

O’Hare International Airport – trip begins

London, KY

Indianapolis International Airport – trip ends – 766 miles

 

RENTAL CAR #2

Indianapolis International Airport – trip begins

Bedford, KY

Indianapolis International Airport – trip ends – 603 miles

 

RENTAL CAR #3

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – trip begins

Aitken, MN

Morten, Manitoba, Canada

LaGrange, IN

Manchester, IA

Oskaloosa, IA

Bowling Green, IN

Buncombe, IL

Ionia, MI

Osgood, IN

Hemlock, NY

Taylorville, IL

Cambridge, MN

Mora, MN

Urbana, IL

Bedford, KY

Owenton, KY

LeMars, IA

Belleville, KS

Grayslake, IL

Brazil, IN

La Grange, KY

Grayslake, IL

Sturgis, SD

Martinsburg, WV

Tazewell, VA

Henry, VA

Belmar, NJ

Berryville, VA

Croton, OH

Stockton, KS

Bates City, MO

Farmington, MO

Barnum, MN

Victoria, British Columbia

Springfield, IL

Scotland, SD

Russellville, MO

Put-in-Bay, OH

 

 

 

TRACK ADMISSION PRICES:

Laurel County Fairgrounds – $10 (not a trackchasing expense)

Trimble County Recreational Facility – $10

Aitken County Fairgrounds (oval) – complimentary admission

Aitken County Fairgrounds (RC) – $8

ALH Motor Speedway – complimentary admission

LaGrange County Fairgrounds – $10

Delaware County Fairgrounds – $10

Mahaska County Fairgrounds – $5

Sandstone – $15 (include pits)

HBR Raceway – $10 (included pits)

Ionia Free Fair – $13

Ripley County Fairgrounds – complimentary admission

Hemlock County Fairgrounds – complimentary admission

Christian County Fairgrounds – $8

Isanti County Fairgrounds – $12

Kanabec County Fairgrounds – $10

Champaign County Fairgrounds – $6

Dirty Turtle Off-Road Park – complimentary admission

Owenton County Fairgrounds – $10

Plymouth County Fairgrounds – complimentary admission

Belleville High Banks – $20

Lake County Fairgrounds – $8

Staunton MX – $15

Oldham County Fairgrounds – $10

Lake County Fairgrounds – $10

Buffalo Chip – $20

Berkeley County Youth Fairgrounds – $10

Tazewell County Fair Speedway – $10

Providence Raceway – $10

Wall Stadium Speedway – no charge

Clarke County Fairgrounds – $7

Hartford County Fairgrounds – $7

Rooks County Speedway – $10

JSI Off-Road Park – No charge

St. Francois County Raceway – $5

Carlton County Fairgrounds – $15

Western Speedway – $5 Canadian (about four bucks U.S.)

Multi-Purpose Arena @ Illinois State Fairgrounds

Lonetree Creek Race Park – Complimentary admission

Russellville Lion’s Club – $8

Put-in-Bay Airport – no charge

 

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS 

The three most important trackchasing comparisons to me are:

 

Total lifetime tracks seen

Total “trackchasing countries” seen

Lifetime National Geographic Diversity results

 

 

 

Total Lifetime Tracks

There are no trackchasers currently within 500 tracks of my lifetime total. Don’t blame me.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 2,158

 

 

Total Trackchasing Countries

There are no trackchasers currently within 10 countries of my lifetime total.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 70

 

 

 

Current lifetime National Geographic Diversity results

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 4.88

 

 

 

That’s all folks! Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report

 

 

 

 

Click on the link below to see the “Video Plus” production from the vintage racing at the Put-in-Bay Airport

 

 

 

 

 

A picture is worth more than 900 words.

That’s right. 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.

 

 

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame – New Castle, Indiana

 

 

 

 

Put-in-Bay vintage road racing plus Columbus Clippers baseball