Stuart's class wasn't listed on the schedule as having any runs today, so we slept in late and lazed around - a really nice change, and it made it feel more like a vacation to me. We got downstairs too late to eat breakfast here in the hotel, so we drove to a small nearby town to McDonald's for breakfast, and then to see a couple of plantations in that town. We went to Houmas House plantation, which was ENORMOUS, with the most beautiful gardens and old sculptures. Then we drove down the road a bit to another plantation whose name I can't remember - it was closed to tours, but we drove beside it. It's amazing how treasured these old plantations are here - I know that's undoubtedly due to the money tourists bring in, but they are so beautifully restored, in such detail.
The plantations that we saw (and there were 2 more in the same area) are all along the levee - the Mississippi River is 100 feet from them. And we can see the unloading docks/equipment rising above the levee, for unloading barges, all right across from the plantations. I'm so interested in the details about how different life is here.
We headed for the track then. Everywhere we drive, we are surrounded by two things: sugarcane fields and refineries. There are refineries here that are larger than Buhler. And not just a few - they are EVERYWHERE and they are HUGE. It's like being in a different country. The farmers have planted sugarcane in every single tiny available bit of land - little snippets beside ditches, little corners of fields, every single bit. And they have a whole different tractor for harvesting - something I've never seen before and can't figure out how it works - I'm going to have to look for a video of it on youtube.
We spent the afternoon & evening at the track, so that Stuart could watch the other racers. The people in his section who won their class competitions yesterday had a special race against each other today. The only way to win it is by going all out and giving it everything you've got, so it's good to watch if you are going to be racing against any of them, since you'll know what their cars can really do. It's very typical for racers to "sandbag it" - not ever run their car as fast as it can actually go until the last day of racing, so that no one knows what they can really do. The whole drag racing thing is way more complicated than it seems. Anyhow, we went to the track - L and I read books and sewed and played with toys, etc for the afternoon, in our shorts and sunglasses and hats, because it is really warm here. In the 80s in the afternoon - which I'm loving. A little glimpse of summer!
This evening, there was a jet car race. We wanted to stay to watch that, so we ate dinner at the track. This was my food adventure #2 - jambalaya. And it was delicious!
Then the jet car, which L has never seen before. That's such a cool experience because it's so loud you can feel it inside of you - it actually rattles you. They spray water behind it, so it makes enormous clouds of steam, and it roars, and blows jets of fire. It's one of my favorite things at the track - I've only seen them one other time; they are kind of rare.
Tomorrow is eliminations day, so I'm going to head to bed - we'll have an early day. Stuart's category races 2nd, and he's been slotted to be one of the first 3 racers, so we'll be there super early to get ready!
Carla
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