Aylmer Express "MoHo" Extravaganza 2006

The kids were pumped when they got up this morning. They couldn’t wait to head over to the paddock of the Skip Barber Racing School to see things close-up. After breakfast we took the short drive across the track, literally (overpass), and quietly joined the group of lucky dogs at the driving school. There we saw them taking turns driving a Porsche 911 and a BMW M3 around a a course laid out with pylons in a large paved parking lot area. We fraternized with the paying customers and found out that most of them already owned a 911 of one sort of another. One guy owned both a 911 and a Boxter and when I asked which he like best, he told me he preferred the boxter, but he did so in such a way that the others couldn’t hear him. You could immediately tell who was the most aggressive driver since, when he pulled in after his turn in the M3, the front brakes were actually smoking. We notified the instructor since he was in the car and might not have been able to see it. He simply said, “That means he was using the brakes.” You know, I think I can relate to these people. I must admit that it was a little frustrating watching these people doing what I wish I could be doing ... up close and personal. I was hoping that if I stood with the group long enough maybe they would think I was one of them and I would get a turn. No luck with that unfortunately. I should also mention that off to the side there was another group of Skip Barbarians, if I may use that term, practicing slides on a wet track in some other BMWs. Lots of fun. After a little while they put the 911 and M3 away and pulled out the Dodge Viper. For those who are not familiar with this car, it is a 500 horsepower beast that has the appearance of being about twice the size of a 911. It is notorious for being a "hairy chested" machine that requires a lot of effort just to steer and shift. Each of the guys (yes, they were all guys), in turn, emerged from their Viper drive with one of those goofy smiles on their faces that says both “That was awesome” and “I’m not exactly sure what the people were thinking when they created this vehicle”. I'm guessing it is probably a similar feeling to what you get after stepping out of a bobsled at the end of your first run down the track. Anyway, it was time to move on so, after a quick look at the open-wheel Formula Fords that the guys would be taking out on the full track soon, we popped by the Laguna Seca souvenir store to pick up some souvenirs (another word those French stole from us). Then it was back to the campsite for an early lunch at the MoHo afterwhich we sat by the track and watched our morning buddies flogging Boxers, 911s, and M3s around the track (check the video). Once we had our fill of that we headed off to the Monterey Aquarium just a few miles down the road. Now this aquarium is an extremely well done facility. All the way through they managed to provide incredible close-up views of the fish, and sea creatures in general, along with the natural vegetation of the undersea world. They had some very exotic species there on display and, believe it or not, they even had a “petting zoo” area which they more delicately named “touch pools”. I actually got to touch everything from a sea cucumber, to a star fish, to a bat ray (see video). If I had to summarize what that all felt like, and I guess I do, I’d say that most of that undersea life is pretty slimy. The jelly fish they had on display were pretty wild, especially the way they displayed them. But I think the family favorites had to be the sea otters. They are just too cute. After seeing all those fish what do you think we had for dinner? Yup. Then it was back to the MoHo and off to the land of Nod.

Today’s word:

land of Nod, noun:
sleep