We loaded up Friday afternoon and set off from Houston to San Marcos. The drive wasn't horribly exciting, but at least it was lush and green farmlands. It only took about three hours for us to arrive at our high class lodging establishment, the Econolodge of San Marcos. Niels and his dad, Siggi, had chosen the most affordable place in town since we were only staying for a night and everything else seemed overpriced. We all laughed as we pulled up to a very outdated and run down looking motel, but figured we all had flip flops for the showers and I have brought my own pillow, so it couldn't be that bad for a night.
After putting our bags in our rooms, we met up for dinner with two friends who were also staying at the same place and going to the track the next day. The most happening place in town was Texas Roadhouse, so we decided to join the crowd. Believe it or not, we waited 45 minutes to even get a table! Who knew that was even possible at Texas Roadhouse? I certainly didn't. We enjoyed beers, peanuts, and conversation about cars at the bar until we got seated for a meal that was surprising good. Since we were staying at such a nice establishment, once we got back to the motel from dinner we decided to put down the tail gate and enjoy a round of beers in true redneck fashion. It was a really fun group of people to be around, especially for someone who loves cars like I do. We called it a night after an hour or so, since we were meeting at 7am at the coffee shop across the parking lot for breakfast.
We arrived at 6:55am at the coffee shop, only to find it not open til 7am. We were able to look over the menu in the drive through while we waited and knew exactly what we wanted when the employee unlocked the door. After eating some breakfast sandwiches and getting coffee, we loaded up the trucks and headed to the track. I was so excited, I could hardly stand it. We got there around 7:30am and the parking lot was full of super cars! We had already unloaded Siggi's Porsche GT3 down at the grid when we got into town the night before, so all we had to do was get settled in and go to a driver's meeting. I obviously wasn't actually going to drive, but I figured the information that they would be discussing would be interesting and relevant if I ever get the chance to drive on the track in the future.
It wasn't much past 8:30 when the meetings were over and we were realized that spending our day sitting on the asphalt with a high of 90 plus degrees and high humidity wasn't going to be very pleasant. They had a pop up tent that we had opted not to bring with us to the track, but Siggi and I realized there was no way we were going to live without it. I took the truck into town to Walmart and found a sunshade to bring back to the track. Once we got it set up, things were substantially nicer and we were ready for the day!
Niels was instructing at the event, so his schedule was such that he was out with students for most of the day. Siggi was actually signed up as one of his students though, so at least they got to go out together on the track. Right after lunch was one of Niels' breaks, so we were able to take the GT3 out on the track. I was a little hesitant to go right after eating, but i put on some jeans and shoes, found a loner helmet and got strapped in! The adrenaline rush was unreal, I had such a great time. There was one hill on the track where I couldn't stop giggling every time we went down it. It was an incredible experience and I cannot wait to go out on a track again.
After a long day of watching the guys have a blast driving their cars, we packed up all our stuff, loaded the trailer and set off for Houston. The mix of the sun and heat was a perfect recipe for an early evening nap in the car for me, so I slept until I woke up as we pulled into the drive at Siggi's house. We got our stuff out of the truck and trailer and got cleaned up for dinner. Suzanne, Niels' stepmom, made us a wonderful dinner with help from Tim, Niels' brother, and his girlfriend Brenda. It was the perfect way to end an amazing day!
The next day we relaxed by the pool and worked on Niels' race car, a '79 Porsche 911. We took the race car and trailer back to storage and stopped at Whataburger for a late lunch. It is rare for me to crave a burger, but occasionally I get that strange urge. Everyone from the South raves about Whataburger and compares it to In-n-Out, so I decided I had to give it a shot. It was so delicious, the building was spotless, the employees were clean and polite. I definitely didn't regret my choice to try it! All of the events came together to create the perfect summer's day and a great way to end my trip! That evening we pulled all of our stuff together one more time and drove back downtown to Niels' house. I booked my flight home for the the following day and said goodbye to Houston for another time.
The trip was such an unbelievable experience! I'm such a lucky girl to have gotten the opportunity to go!
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