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 A
recent column in Autoweek discussed the rapid growth in garden tractor
sales, and mused as to the reasons for the increase. The basic premise
seemed to be that men (in particular, but not exclusively) find mowing
the lawn with a large garden tractor a very enjoyable “motoring” experience.
There are no traffic rules to be concerned with, you can go as fast or
slow as you like, you can change directions quickly and without concern
for other vehicles, and you can do all that while talking on your cell
phone while you’re having a beer!
I happen to own a large garden tractor (purchased primarily to blow snow – as it is way overkill for our compact lawn), and as I read the column I found myself agreeing with nearly every point the author made. I do enjoy the freedom I have on my tractor, as I mow patterns into our lawn. I have put the beverage holder to good use (for coffee while I’m snowblowing in the winter), and I do time myself occasionally to see how quickly I can complete the task. I’ve yet to be ticketed for a violation of some type, and I never have problems finding a parking space. I haven’t yet set up pylons on the driveway, but I’m sure that’s going to happen at some time in the future! The second weekend in June found me spending a number of hours watching Speed Channel’s coverage of the 24 Hours of LeMans and the Canadian F1 race, and then the last 50 laps or so of the NASCAR race from Pocono. It was a great weekend for motorsport fans that was complicated this year by the gorgeous weather we finally experienced. I was pulled in two directions, wanting to watch every minute of coverage, but also not wanting to miss out on warm sunny weather for a change. The LeMans race featured very tight racing in the three classes over the entire race length, and several heavy shunts. I was amazed to see the Champion and Veloqx teams repair their Audi LMP 8s and then race them competitively to the end, after both cars crashed into tire barriers at high speed having hit oil on the track. Likewise the Corvette team repaired one of their cars twice after major shunt damage, one time after the Ron Fellows driven car blew a tire at 180 mph or so and hit a guardrail on the Mulsanne Straight. I was amazed that the three teams had enough spare mechanical and body panel parts to repair their cars such that they looked like nothing had happened – and they affected the repairs in amazingly short periods of time. We have to miss the Zone 1 48 Hours at Watkins Glen once again, this year because we have a nephew’s wedding to attend. We’re not too disappointed, as we also will get to spend quality time after the wedding with our now one-year-old grandchild. We’ll make up for lost track time in July when we go to Mont-Tremblant and Mosport – our Canadian track swing. Hopefully we will not have any noise problems while we’re driving at Tremblant! When we’re traveling to track events, we’re always watching for truck stops that can accommodate our truck and trailer. Fortunately there are plenty of options on major highways, and many of them are very expansive facilities offering restaurants, shopping, bathrooms and shower facilities, fuel, and service (if you need it). Recently Susana and I stumbled across a Travel Channel special on the World’s 10 Best Truck Stops (I know – get up off the sofa…). We’ve passed a couple of the featured stops, not knowing how deluxe they were, one in particular near Mid-Ohio will be on our itinerary next year. One facility in Europe provides a spa experience, complete with pool, and sauna (clothing optional and open to both men and women), another in the US in Georgia features a large amusement park that draws people from the local area. A stop in Nevada offers limo service from the parking lot. Yet another comes complete with a church, come in for the service or stay in your truck and listen to the sermon on your CB. I guess my expectations have been too low, as I’m primarily interested in a quick refueling (Susana and me and our truck), easy entrance and exit, and clean bathrooms. On our last trip to Mid-Ohio at our preferred starting point truck stop in Sturbridge I parked next to a truck, whose occupant had positioned a DirecTV satellite dish on a tripod outside his cab. We didn’t see the owner, as he was probably up in his cab watching a movie. His setup was very simple and no doubt quick to assemble. All he has to worry about is having another large rig park in his dish’s line of sight to the satellite. I’ve thought about equipping our trailer with a dish so we could catch Formula 1 races while we’re at an event, his setup looks like the way to go. |
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