An Amazing Story: Part 2

[Mark75H]

Part 2

Picking up where Wayne left off:

We left Devils Lake and did some sightseeing down the Pacific Highway. Seems like it was No. 5. It was kind of weird at sunset with the clouds below us on the Pacific like we were flying. I guess a lot of people fly above the clouds in this part of the world Maybe we were close to Big Sur.

We spent the night at the Sequoia National Forest. I think we were the only ones there. At least we were the only ones in the dining room that evening. We had been running solid for the past week and I couldn't sleep. I hadn't talked to Debbie since we left. There was no phone in the room so I went outside to a pay phone. The guy running the place said not to wander around outside and if you did go out, keep a close eye out for bear. That I did, while standing outside talking to Debbie. She was crying the whole time because she had never heard from me and didn't know what was going on. That's about the lowest I have ever felt. Even to this day I have a little pang about not bothering to call her when we got to Lincoln City.

The tree Tim Butts is standing by is the largest living thing in the world. It has thirty more years growth since that photo was taken. I wonder how many Aerowings it would make.

It was on the way back that Ruth Butts got sick from a hot dog we grilled under the hood. A trip to the VA hospital and several hours later we were back on the road.

[Mark75H]

Don't apologize, you obviously did a good thing ... a real good thing

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I've got to penalize myself one lap. I came across thes pics and discovered that Tim and Ruth Butts came to see Debbie and I in Denton the week before we went to Lincoln City rather than the week after we got back.

As previously mentioned we moved to Denton Texas in order for Debbie to get her Master's Degree in Nutrition and Texas Women's University. Back in those days you could legally have a separate women's college. I for one wouldn't want to attend a college especially for women because they would probably think something was wrong with you.

So Tim and Ruth came to spend a few days with us and the first night they were telling us about this great movie that had come out and they watched it the night before they came down from Michigan. There was this new movie star named John Travolta and he starred in Saturday Night Fever. Up until then the Bee Gee's songs that I remembered were Massachusetts, To Love Somebody, New York Mining Disaster 1941, etc. It was also while Debbie and I were living there that Star Wars came out and the Cowboys won the Superbowl.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Bill and Eileen Van Steewyk also came down from Festus, Mo while we all took a brief break from racing. We went to the Original Six Flags over Texas. It is in Arlington between Dallas and Fort Worth. I know other states now have Six Flags theme parks, but were they also ruled under six soverign flags during their history? That I do not know.

We had a great time at the park, then we went back to our house in Denton a little under an hour north of Arlington. We grilled steaks, had baked potatoes and salad with probably a Burgandy or Bordeaux. Debbie probably also made a cheescake or a cobbler. Don't remember, but it would have been typical.

In the meantime, while we were nibbling on some appetizers I happened to mention something I had heard that was very interesting to me. (Sometimes stupid little inconsequential things catch my attention.) I had heard that Gatorade was named for a Florida college team called the Gators. It was named that because of the help the Gators gave them in developing the drink. As the Gators were in the heat of battle of a sports event they allowed the Gatorade people to collect samples of their urine to analyze to determine what electrolytes, minerals and other products were eliminated from the body during strenous excercise. It was their idea to replace the beneficial products for the players to be able to replenish them within their bodies so they their stamina and performance wouldn't fall off as much.

Flash back to Dayton in the Amazing Story Part 1. If you may remember, Bill Van Steenwyk consumed quite a bit of Gatorade as he had taken a liking to its refreshing qualities during the heat of the day. Now back to Denton.

When I mentioned that there was quite a bit of uric acid that left the body in the Gators waste stream and that the Gatorade people came up with a synthetic uric acid to put in the drink, Bill Van shouted "SO THAT'S WHAT IT WAS!" He said that he had gout and he took pills to get rid of uric acid from his body. He added "After Dayton I had the worst attack of gout I ever had."

So after all these many years..... Sorry Bill Van!

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

Wayne:

Thanks for posting the pictures taken at 6-flags. I had almost forgotten about that trip. I will NEVER forget about the Gatorade deal thought. Thought someone had a red hot spike stuck in my instep. I had one doctor tell me if you had gout, you can drink all the beer you want, but no hard booze, another at the same time told me absolutely no beer, but Jack Daniels was OK. I didn't know which one to believe, so I just stayed with both so I was sure I was at least 50% right all the time. Eileen asked who the babe was with me in the pictures, and I told her now I knew why she says she must have had a good time in the 70's but really is not sure. Please notice "Buttso" looking over his left shoulder in the dodge-em cars. I had just bumped him good and he is getting ready to take my "safe lane" away. I also seem to remember he didn't care much for the amusement rides. Looks like he is squeezing the hand rail in two on the roller coaster.
Thanks again for the swell memories. Old friends and the times you had are the best, especially as you grow older.

Bill and Eileen

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Yeah Bill, Tim's like me on those rides. This runaway mine train is about my limit. Tim liked it even less. Reminds me of one time when on a publicity tour around the track at Daytona Richard Petty was a passenger with a couple of other media guys. When they got to that 30 or whatever degree banking at less than 100 mph Richard hollered "Get it down--get it down!". Racing's different.

So now we get to Alexandria-1977. The races were held over October 8th through the 10th. I flew down from Love Field into Corpus Christi on the newly formed airline Southwest Airways. They had fought a legal battle for years as the only airline allowed to use Love Field in the city of Dallas, while all other carriers had to fly from the new and in progress Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. My one way-on time- ticket to Corpus......$25.00.

I flew down to help my Dad load up on a Wednesday and we drove to Alexandria the next day. On Friday Debbie flew from D/FW to Alexandria for $46.00---about half the distance I flew.

A few views of Fort Buhlow Lake at Pineville. I don't know why Joe is flying his hat half mast for this escort van.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Registration time. There's Louis Williams, Jr. registering and behind him in the background you can see Ray and Pete Nydahl. Eileen Van Steenwyk is wearing her Master Oil Racing tee shirt. And Joe and an official are looking for something while Tony Byron (far left) and Reles LeBlanc (behind Joe) look on.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Just a little tour of the pits for some interesting sights. Some of these are have a little historical significance.

We had not seen Freddie Goehl since he last raced for Ed Holstein around 1968 or so. You guys remember Ed from Kansas? I think it must be a least one of Freddie's sons with him in the pits. Cindy Hosler in her intricately painted boat. One of the shots of Cindy I believe was in Powerboat. Check out Gary Pugh's helmet. The motor on Dan Kirts' Butts hydro is a Merc-Quincy. Maybe Paul could tell us a little bit about this particular motor. I think Denny had a good weekend, but he looks a little unsure about something after coming in from testing.

[epugh66]

WOO HOO I made the thread, I made the thread!!!!
Look closely, the number is #66, the number of the late Mark Donahue. I don't know why Gary chose #67?

Yes, those are rookie stripes. 1977 was my first year, 1976 was Garys as he had attempted to get on plane at Winona. That was a Hedlund that we bought from Phil Wagner "U-4". For a couple races, we switched from bolt on Konig to clamp on Yamato so I could race Novice 350 and MOH .

As to why i'm getting towed in, I don't know??? At least I wasn't the only one. We would "test" those rigs for hours on end.

That race was where I had my first dedicated 125 boat, one I still have today, complete.

[epugh66]

Wait a minute, I'M doing the towing! Thats Frank Milner on the hook. He "tested" alot too. We all did. Twenty gallons to test, four to race.

Hey look, my post count is 66, where's the lottery outlet?

Launching Cindy in "Chantilly Lace" is Jeff Hutchins and Tim Townsend.