I'm sure you're all wondering why the hell we'd be going to the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska. I'll get to that later.
On to today's adventure.
I woke up to a serious downpour this morning. I should've have taken it to be a prelude to the days events and just stayed in bed.
But I can't stay in bed. Gotta get back on the road.
I get of my ass, get dressed and packed, and start making some phone calls trying to find a Volvo dealership that has the wheel stud that I found out last night that I was missing. There's one just up the highway, and they have them, but they only come in packs of 10. No big deal. So I pack the car with my stuff, everyone elses stuff, the camera guys stuff, and cameraman Mike wants to join me for the day. Sweet! I'm getting a ride along w/ the cameraman!
I made sure that I gave him a clear warning about me having bad luck. He seemed kinda nonchalant about it. He had no idea what he was in for.
So we get the mission pack and take off b/c the dealership is in the opposite direction of where we're going. Up the highway in the pouring rain following the gps's instructions.
Found the dealership no problem, Junge Lincoln-Mercury-Volvo in Cedar Rapids.
Then it all starts to go wrong.
As I'm turning into the dealers lot my power steering goes.
Not the first time this has happened, either. So I go into small panic mode. Mike's says "Maybe you're just low on power steering fluid." If only. lol... Last time my power steering went I had to have the rack & pinion, pump, reservoir, and all the hoses replaced cause they couldn't figure out what happend. And that was less than 6 months ago!
The head service guy behind the counter seemed less than enthusiastic to talk to me. Doesn't even want to give me the time of day.
Finally I get the bolts and ask if I can borrow a tire iron so I can put the bolt in, otherwise I'm going to have to completely unload the trunk to get to mine. I'm told no. Real friendly people they have out here in Cedar Rapids, huh?
So I ask about getting someone to look at my power steering. The guy behind the counter tells me that he's only got two tech's and they're both busy, and they won't be able to look at it until Monday. It's freakin Thursday!! 5 days just to LOOK at my car. I explain that we're in a rally being filmed for Speed and that I needed to get back on the road ASAP. He leans over the counter and tells me a little above a whisper that we can't film at the dealership anymore. Guess he didn't want to look like an asshole anymore on film.
A tech finally comes out and tries to put my wheel stud in. Surprise, surprise, it won't go in because some of the threads are damaged. So they have to tap it out, but they can't do it where the car is. They have to take it to the back and put it on a lift. The tech grabs some plastic for the seats, hops in, and pulls it around to an almost completely empty service area. Thought they were swamped with only two techs and couldn't look at my car until Monday. Whatever... I can still drive with no power steering, but I can't safely drive missing a wheel stud.
Sitting in the bay talking with Mike I look over and notice a spot of oil on the ground. I panic as I realize that the oil catch can I had used to change my oil the night before was now in my trunk leaking. I go up to the guy behind the counter and explain that I need to get to my car ASAP and clean up the oil before it damages anything in the car or their shop. They tell me they'll bring the car right around.
More than a few minutes go by, so I get up and ask again if I can get my car. I'm told that my car has been missplaced. MISSPLACED?! WTF.
After a lot of yelling and angry questions over another ten minutes or more a tech brings my car around. Not into the bay mind you, to a parking spot out in the pouring rain. Immediately I tear into the trunk and pull out the oil cannister. Half empty because the pour spout didn't close properly. I use everything I had to clean up the spill. Amidst the barrage of questions from salesmen standing outside smoking I get the car put back together.
Last thing before we get on the road, Mike asks me to plug in my power inverter. I look down and it's already pluygged in and on. So I plug in the cord so that Mike can charge his laptop and the inverter starts shooting sparks and popping and fizzling! Something shooting sparks right next to a full 20 gallon fuel cell isn't a good thing. So acting as fast as possible I rip the inverter out and throw it on the ground before the car can burst into flames.
Welcome to the havok that is my life, Mike.
With the other mess cleaned up, everything packed up (again) we're ready to get out of Cedar Rapids. Get it, turn it on and... no power steering. Had the car for over two hours and never even looked at it.
Fuck it. We're out. It's still raining.
We're back on the highway not even two minutes and the cb starts going crazy. A semi had crashed on the highway bridge in the center of town, shutting traffic down.
Just so you don't think I'm making this up:
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/27225034.html
Now 2 - 2 1/2 hours behind, we're hauling balls to get to Hastings, Nebraska. Why would we be racing to get there of all places? Track day.
The rest of the trip went pretty well, uneventfull. Cameraman Mike and I stopped to get some scenery shots, some b-roll footage of my car racing through a cornfield, and me goofing off at McDonald's. So all in all a good time.
Despite all that we managed to make it to the checkpoint. Late, but not last.
Team Thrice had been caught going over 120mph and the driver went to jail. So they had to go bail him out, which cost them time.
At the track we didn't have enough time to get the Volvo emptied out and on the track. Not even sure they would have let me with my power steering messed up, but alas, another day. I did get to see my boy Raags and his turbo RX8 out on a few laps, and the GTR. Man that GTR is an evil machine!
After everyone got their cars packed up it was off to dinner on the other side of the track. Buffet style steak and sides plus all the free beer we could handle. Boya!
Then it was time for the fun stuff. The owner of the track decided he was going to take us all out in a school bus on the track to show us some cool breaking and cornering technics. Sounded like a plan since we had all been playing beer pong.
Come to find out the guy driving the bus had five shots of Bacardi 151 before we went out! Uh oh...
We get on the bus and it's been gutted and fulled with couches. haha... This is going to be fun. Here's the video I took with my cell phone. Kinda dark but you can still see the chaos that went on.
(video coming soon)
Much thanks to the guys at MPH Motorsports Park for a great time! Since I didn't get out on the track, I'll definately be back!
Back at the hotel the insanity continued. Some of the guys went to WalMart and got some stuff to doll up Justin's Ducati.
Glittery tassles, and basket for the front, a bell, and a horn. Gotta love it. Justing wasn't the only one being pranked. Dale became a target, too. So his car was covered in Depends with brown pudding in them, and a sign on the window from WalMart that read "DALE Was 19.96 Now 10.00". hahaha... good times good times.
All this in one day. Talk about having fun.
