Rant of the Day….
23MAR17
Welcome to Freedom My Friends
Thinking about conversations had with another person who has acquired more wisdom than that of the author would be Nancy, a retired employee from the telephone company. She is a long time union member who is willing to listen to the other side, but feels sometimes that she is picked on for her political beliefs, or that her opinions fall on deaf ears in the political arena that is our NASCAR camping group. As I has stated to her prior and again this camping trip, it all sounds great, but the math doesn’t add up.
Nancy and her lovely sister Ellen are a part of our camping group. Both ladies are retirement age plus and one more mobile than the other. So Nancy tends to care for her sister in the only way that an Alpha female, getting her in line and setting a firm foundation of expectations. Seems to work, since her sister will complain from time to time, but when she realizes her words fall on the deaf ears of other Alphas who have trained others before she smiles and sits back and starts new conversations. On various topics carefully steering away from politics, however, everything is politics. Just like our discussion over the upcoming changes to the camping at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, AZ.
Changes are coming to the unreserved camping at Phoenix International Raceway. Word on the street is that the unreserved camping is going away completely and the entire area will become reserved camping. This throws a wrench into our little semi annual shindig up in PHX. A few others and I rolled up to the track on the 1st of March for a race on the 19th. Funny part is that we were 20th in line or more so the tradition and competition or as DW says “coop-itition” is strong with the fans of NASCAR.
To understand how this has come about one must follow a time line or pattern of events that have occurred since my group started getting in line for staging. We first started this about six years ago or so. It came about from me pulling in on a Monday evening prior to the race and being able to camp next to Richard, another retired Submariner. Between he and I the rest of the twigs on the Branches are of little concern, since the procedure has been created, modified for effect, and committed to memory years ago, it just happened to happen out that way after all. The racetrack is situated at the base of the Estrella Mountains, in between a county park, state trust land, and most likely BLM land. You know the type of land that everyone owns, but really no one does? Our unreserved area that we have been able to obtain over the last few years without incident was on either state or county land, not the property of the racetrack. Which until recently has played into our hands as consumers of the camping areas around the track. Many layers of government tend to get in line and measure that is the most influential so to speak.
We would park on the south side of Indian Springs road lined up with our rear ends facing the west. That was the standard for I don’t know how long, prior to the line being moved from the city of Avondale area on Indians Springs road to the county enclave or island portion. That was until a few years ago when the county put up no parking signs 21 days prior to races at PIR. So we moved down to end of Indian Springs Rd and down to the road that is a boundary of Estrella Regional (County) Park. No one to offend there and the only folks who go by that area are those who live in that neck of the woods, you know, next to a race track or speed stadium, it isn’t a major transportation artery so locals are most likely 90% of those on the road.
These are some of the examples of how the locals who need our tax dollars but despise out low cost efforts of enjoying ourselves in the general location of their upper middle class desert perfectly landscaped homes. One, walk with a rolling cooler along the edge of the road checking to see if the required allowance was allocated for the biking community. Along a rural four-lane road I add. These are the folks who do 35 MPH and rim ride the road to attempt to cause a disturbance, the initiator of the reporting call would come from the campers, it never came. These are the same locals who every night between 9:30-11:00 PM would come down and rev their vehicles engine and honk their horns as they noisily passed by folks enjoying their Liberty and Property along a government road not disturbing anyone. When the MCSO was ticketing the locals for exceeding the maximum posted speed of 35 MPH in the area it became self evident that our time there was coming to an end as well. What was next I thought? The County Park for staging for unreserved camping? That seemed feasible since the park system would get a little added revenue from a few die-hard dedicated campers and NASCAR fans. But no, the track is removing the unreserved camping option.
Phoenix International Raceway to remove unreserved camping option for future NASCAR events. What does this mean to the consumer? What does it mean to Nancy and Ellen? What about Richard? What about our group? No time to panic, just time to make a plan.
Looks like this blog may be sponsoring a camping area, guess I better sell some advertising space and get some stickers made for distribution to the good folks in an effort to make an name for myself.
Between Claudia, Nancy, Ellen, Sheri, Jane, Leah, and my beautiful wife they have come to the conclusion that the following is occurring. We must define our own Value and not be dictated to by others what our Value must be. That is the moral of the story. Well to be quite honest that is the moral of most folks’ life story, we just don’t figure it out with enough time prior to our expiration to enjoy it.
Not matter how the Good People rise up in rightful indignation and say you are wrong!! The track sets the prices and the fans pony up the property to exchange for experiencing an event. NASCAR brought the people together, the People are the reason we keep coming back and camping for a week to see a couple NASCAR races.
Special Thanks to Gary the “Gare Bear” from Camping World for inviting us to watch both the Saturday and Sunday races from the Perch on the backstretch. Great first time experience for some, but either way that view of the track is going to be changing and in essence going away in the very near future. Can you believe one of the selling points for one of the ladies was the air-conditioned bathrooms?
Cool as a cucumber and fresh as a summers eve at an event held outside in 90-degree temperatures, you do the math……..
There endith the rant………….