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HOME IS ON THE ROAD By Kyle Doyle - 01/24/07
A line from a favorite song of mine reads: “We are only at home when we are on the run”. That statement does a pretty good job of accurately reflecting my view on life, at least at this point in time. For me, the call of the road is quite strong, the never-ending question “What’s next?” constantly forcing itself to the forefront of my thoughts. Of course, we don’t always want to know “what’s next”, but we always find out one way or another. The road is one of the few places I can feel content, excited, and curious; indeed, home is on the road.
After an hour or so of fiddling with a variety of different cameras, we came to a stop at the Nikon D50. This camera’s reputation certainly precedes it, and I was excited to fool around with it a bit to see if I would like it or not. Having been a very vocal supporter of Fuji cameras since 2003, I wasn’t sure how I would like the unfamiliar setup that the Nikon offered. While I would have been happy to upgrade to a better Fuji (thus allowing me to continue using my stack of memory cards), I had learned through my research that the next Fuji in their line that would suit my tastes and needs carried a price tag well into the thousands. Umm….nope. So, the Nikon became a serious contender in virtually no time. Strangely enough, as I hovered on the critical yes/no decision, a hand clamped down on my shoulder from behind and said “Just do it KD.”
The O’Riley Autofest in Little Rock.
The New Year came and went,
and before long I found myself en route to my first gig. The first annual
O’Riley Autofest in Little Rock, AR (promoted by the Special Events Performance
Series folks) would be my first destination in 2007. With DW booked for a car
show in Boston, Mark and G racing in WV, and Dale and Travis racing in TN, I
would be flying solo for this trip, which I’m not at all afraid to tell you made
me a tiny bit apprehensive. My employers are demanding people, who expect a
quality job out of their employees at all times. Ok, no problem, I can handle
that. I was a bit more worried about piloting my 75ft long semi straight into
the heart of downtown Little Rock, where the host venue for the car show was
located, without an extra set of eyes to help out.
The March of the Ducks at the Peabody.
Of course, this isn’t to say
that I didn’t put my time in on the job that weekend too. Saturday show hours
ran 9am to 9pm, with Sunday kicking back to a 9am to 4pm schedule. Though the
majority of my time was spent hanging out with fans, signing hero cards, and
checking out the car show, I made sure to stop by the PlayStation 3 demo booth
to kick some butt on “Need For Speed: Carbon”. Eric and Dave were pretty proud
of their scores on the “downhill drifting” track, but their smiles turned into
confusion and surprise when I eclipsed their highest score within my first
couple of tries at the game. By the end of the show on Sunday, my high score had
reached far into the 400,000’s. Oh, and I made sure to drive the right brand of
car while electronically drifting my way to glory; my scores were set with
nothing other than a Chrysler SRT-8 300C sedan. Ha!
Even the models and their photographer couldn’t resist the Raminator. The driver, yes, but the truck, no.
Downtown Toledo, as seen from
across the Maumee River. The weekend in Toledo was mainly consumed with the normal ride truck duties, but minus the normal race truck duties. With two race trucks in Colorado and one elsewhere in Ohio, the only Raminator in Toledo was the R/T. While we could have simply chosen to hang out on our own and focus only on the R/T, we opted instead to spend the weekend working alongside Butch and Mitch Tulachka of the Get ER Done truck. I first met Mitch (owner/driver) and Butch (crew chief/brother) last year in Indy, when I certified their truck for them. Since then, we’ve gotten to be pretty good friends, so I was excited to be at a show with them. Throughout the weekend we would pile into our Dodge Durango support vehicle to go eat, and of course plenty of humorous stories and mayhem would ensue. We also did what we could to help the two of them out over the course of the weekend, though by the end of 2007 I’m sure the two of them won’t need much help or direction, as they are on the fast track to success at their current rate. Regardless, our time spent hanging out with them was priceless, and I’m proud to say they are my friends. And yes, for the record, I certified their truck for 2007.
Toledo’s Fifth Third (what??)
Field, located next door to the Seagate Center, where the MT event was taking
place.
Amanda’s father Mike works in
Toledo, so DW and I also took some time to hang out with him, be it grabbing a
meal at “Legs ‘n’ Eggs” or the world-famous “Tony Packo’s”, or checking out the
view of Lake Erie from a windy lookout point on the coast. We had a blast
spending some time with him, mainly due to the fact that he is one of kindest
persons I know, always willing to share some helpful advice or a funny story.
Good times, no doubt. So far, the road isn’t so bad.
“Seagulls of the Great American Cities, Volume III – Toledo” at your local bookstore now.
(Only veterans of this
author’s writings will get this one.)
As I mentioned earlier, I
always try to find things to help keep me interested while on the road…things
that aren’t stressful, and give me something other than just the trucks to focus
my energy on. For 2007, I decided I wanted to somehow involve my younger brother
and sister in my travels a bit more, and before I had even managed to consider
many of my options, the winning idea leapt out at me while I was in Little Rock.
The Peabody Hotel provided their guests with two complimentary post cards with
their stay; what better way to make them feel a part of my travels than to send
them the very symbol of the traveling person: a post card! While Little Rock was
an easy find, post cards in Toledo proved to be very, very elusive. Eventually,
I had to settle on a pair of post cards from the Tony Packo’s restaurant, which
really was fine because I had made up my mind to avoid the usual “sky line at
night” post cards. In this contest, points are awarded for uniqueness.
Some of the “famous buns” at
Tony Packo’s in Toledo.
The Monday following the
Toledo event, DW and I boarded our semi transporter and headed off to Cleveland.
Despite sporadic rain and fog, our big red Freightliner consumed the 120 miles
between cities with ease, and before we knew it we were on the phone with George
Eisenhart of the Monster Nationals to figure out where to park our rig. George’s
Monster Nationals group was putting on the coming weekend’s race at the CSU
Convocation Center in Cleveland, and he had arranged for DW and I to tackle
several displays and interviews over the course of the week. The first gig
wouldn’t be until Wednesday, so that left us with the rest of Monday and all of
Tuesday to figure out what to do to pass the time. George suggested that we
drive to his family’s business in Painesville, OH, as it had a semi-friendly
parking lot. What’s this business, you ask? Why, none other than Scores Fun
Center, the best bowling joint in the Cleveland area!
DW tearin’ it up at Scores Fun
Center. Though George was on the way back from his Colorado Springs event when we arrived at the bowling alley, he had already called ahead to the staff, instructing them to give DW and I whatever we needed that they possessed. Well, by the time the facility closed Monday night at midnight, DW and I had tormented our arms and legs with nearly eight full games of bowling, several attempts at the pool tables, and a near-deadly game of darts. Of course, we kept George’s mother Sandy and her helper Loren busy at the snack bar, as our cola and root beer cups seemed to evaporate into the air nearly as quick as we got them. I should also note that if you are in that area and need a great burger, DW and I would highly recommend theirs. At this point I need to pause to thank Sandy, George, and their whole staff for opening their doors and their arms to us grizzly road warriors. Their first-rate facility helped me realize why I should stick to wrenching and not go pro in the bowling leagues. The fastest ball I threw went a measly 20.50mph, while my high score barely tickled the 120 mark. Yep, go ahead and laugh, it’s ok.
A true pro at work here folks,
stand waaaaaay back!
Fear not for the sake of the
bowling alley staff, for DW and I didn’t haunt the place the entire time we were
in town. On Tuesday we decided to unload our Durango and drive down into
downtown Cleveland to scope out how we would get the semi into the venue if the
need arose later in the day, and to see how the road conditions had deteriorated
since the snow had begun falling the night before. Well, the route we scouted
for the semi was simple enough, but the snow and ice that Lake Erie had helped
to bestow on the area was enough to scare us into leaving the rig parked right
where it was at. People must forget how to drive in the snow each year, as
wrecked and wadded-up vehicles could be found in the dozens on the way into
Cleveland. I guess you could say the tow truck companies were “on their toes”
(no pun, right?) that day.
After arriving in downtown
Cleveland, the foggy blizzard-like conditions made it clear (again, no pun) that
any photographic efforts of mine, at least outdoors, would be all for not. So,
with that being the case, DW and I decided to venture indoors; our venue of
choice: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Rock Hall at night (after
the blizzard.) Much to my pleasure, one of my favorite bands was very well represented in the museum: The Who. Want to see one of Pete Townshend’s famous Les Paul guitars? They’ve got it. What about a bass drum head from Keith Moon’s “Pictures of Lily” kit? Yep, that too. Add in a John Entwhistle bass guitar and some Roger Daltrey get-ups, and you’ve got yourself a happy Who fan (Happy Jack, maybe?). Seemingly in no time the morning gave way to afternoon, so we wrapped up our HOF trek and headed back through the sorry weather to the bowling alley to touch base with George about the following morning’s gig, and to figure out what to do with the semi.
The R/T on display at 4-Wheel
Parts of Cleveland. The usefulness of in-room internet at hotels these days should not be underestimated, as I called upon a map-providing website to show us the way to our display. With seemingly firm directions in hand, we returned to our rig only to find that the terrible cold of the previous night had sapped just enough energy out of its batteries to keep it from starting. After an hour or so of attention from a battery charger, the beast roared back to life, clunking and clopping fitfully as only diesel engines can do when they are cold. By lunchtime we were on the road to Parma, in search of some 4 Wheel Parts.
Doing our afternoon gig at the WMMS studios.
In spite of the Icelandic
weather that the Cleveland area was suffering from, DW and I got tired up with
no trouble at the 4 Wheel Parts Performance Center, and were on display right on
time. As the day wore on, we got to become pretty good buddies with the entire
staff, as we spent the day bench racing and talking 4x4’s and Monster Trucks. At
the end of the night, after tiring down, we headed off to grab dinner with one
of the stores reps, Brian. Brian comes from a racing background, and had some
interesting stores to share with us over dinner about his experiences as a
monster truck fan when he was young. His memories certainly struck a chord with
me, considering he’s only a few years older than I am. As you can imagine, a lot
of his memories are along the same lines as mine; seeing Bigfoot and the rest of
the bunch as an impressionable young child leaves a lasting impression on your
memory, at least if you are destined to become a gear-head.
The view from our 18th floor
room in downtown Cleveland.
The Hard Rock by day…
…and by night. Thursday proved to be a fairly slow day, as we relocated from 4 Wheel Parts of Cleveland to the same radio station facility that I had been at the day before. This time, we actually set the truck up and had one of the afternoon DJ’s broadcast from the back of the truck while we motored around an empty section of parking lot, much to the humor of the in-studio DJ’s. When done, we once again tired down in sub-freezing temperatures and quickly retreated to our downtown hotel, which was conveniently located about a mile and a half from the Hard Rock Café of Cleveland. Prior to heading over to the station for the afternoon gig, DW and enjoyed a quick lunch at the HRC. I could have cared less what was on my plate, as I meandered around the restaurant, google-eyed over the mass of neat instruments and memorabilia they had managed to collect. Though a fairly small HRC in comparison to others in across the country, the quality of goods this place had quickly impressed me. Mike Ness and Stevie Ray Vaughn guitars, Jimmy Chamberlin’s green sparkle Yamaha drums, and yet another John Entwhistle bass captivated my attention while I mindlessly consumed my cheeseburger. I guess I really love my job for two reasons: 1.) I like monster trucks a lot, and 2.) I really like the cool places my job takes me to.
One of the coolest drum sets
Jimmy Chamberlin ever played. Friday morning, however, proved to be a particularly trying point in the week for me. Late on Thursday night, DW and I set the R/T up in the arena in preparation for an early-AM TV spot the following morning. The next morning, as the TV crews were doing their thing, DW and I engaged in a conversation with some of the building folks. The TV crew moved away to a different part of the arena to change their angle for the next segment, when the host came over and asked us to move the truck real quick to get it in place or something like that. DW had taken the ladder down to relocate it, so I climbed up onto one of the rear tires of the truck, and from there onto the lowered tailgate of the truck. Well, it seems that the shallow tread of my boots and the massive amounts of tire dressing on the tires were enough to cause my left foot to slide right off of the tailgate as I stepped onto it. Basically, it was like slipping on ice as you walk out your front door: unexpected, and unwelcome. Seven feet later, I was on my back on the concrete floor with the wind knocked out of me, frantically gasping for air and wondering just how bad I was hurt. Anyone who has had their wind knocked out of them for any extended period of time knows just how terrible and frightening that can be, as you lie there and wonder if asphyxiation is just around the corner.
Back at 4 Wheel Parts of
Cleveland. Another slow and painful tire-up in blizzard-esque conditions at 4 Wheel Parts made us grateful for the warm interior of their store. I tried taking a break in their lunch room by sitting in a large, cushy chair, but after an hour of relaxed sitting, I realized I had made a critical error. My back had begun to lock up, and it was extremely painful to rise from the chair and head back up to the storefront. I now knew for sure that the only way to minimize the pain my back was to keep moving, even if it was just a small bit, to keep things loosened up. Rest would come later, but for now being on the move was the best medicine. While hanging out with the boys at the counter, manager Sean Campbell and I discussed some lift options for my Dodge Ram 1500, along with some cool tire/wheel combos that 4 Wheel Parts offers. This type of activity helped to pass the time, and before we knew it, the time had come to put the beast away yet again.
Just prior to tiring down, Sean and I began discussing ways for 4 Wheel Parts of Cleveland to get involved in monster trucks a bit more. I’m now proud to say that 4 Wheel Parts of Cleveland is the presenting sponsor of the “Behind the Scenes with KD” section on the Monster Blog. We are still ironing out the details, but Sean has also agreed to award the “Picture of the Month” and “Picture of the Year” winners on the Monster Blog with 4 Wheel Parts gift certificates. On top of all of that, Sean and co. have signed on as MTRA Sponsor members. The specifics are still being worked on, but at this point, 4 Wheel Parts Performance Center of Cleveland is looking to offer ALL MTRA MEMBERS a 10-40% discount on their products, which range from lift kits and tires to oils and accessories. The big plus to all of this is that anything you order from 4 Wheel Parts of Cleveland, regardless of your location, ships from one of 45 national 4 Wheel Parts distribution centers. This means you will get your stuff pretty quick, which is always good.
Preparing the new motor to be hoisted into place.
Photo courtesy of John Roberts,
www.buckeyemt.net As time passed away at a furious pace, we worked frantically to perform open-heart surgery of monstrous proportions on Mark’s truck. A long-boom forklift was called upon to lift the destroyed motor out of the truck’s frame, while the final preparations were made to our spare motor. After swapping over some key parts, the new bullet was lowered into the truck and the re-installation process began. As the pit party flowed on around us, we consumed every inch of our roped-off pit space during our motor swap. As friends we had made at the bowling alley looked on, no doubt wishing they could chat with us some, DW and I, along with Tim, Mat, and our super-volunteers Dusty and Jim, began securing the final components of the motor. Headers, frame bars, power steering, and magneto were all restored to their proper locations. We just barely missed the “Racers, start your engines!” call at the beginning of the show. Fortunately enough, we were not scheduled to run either the wheelie or donut contests, which gave us enough time to make sure the motor was in time and running well. As Mark blasted out of his pit space and hit the cars for the first time in the evening show during freestyle, our hearts sank as we heard the motor die in mid-air. Nosing the truck back into the pits with the loader, we realized that the clamp for the magneto had been off of its mark just a small bit, but that small bit was enough to allow the massive MSD unit to come out of its socket, killing the motor instantly.
Dusty and Jim stabilizing the now airborne motor as I climb up on to the frame to help lower it in.
Photo courtesy of John Roberts,
www.buckeyemt.net With that problem fixed and the motor once again in time, Mark was able to a lay down a blistering qualifying run with some of the biggest air of the night. The crowd roared in appreciation at the effort we had put forth to make sure that both of our trucks would be seen on track that night. Our brief burst of good luck ended in the semi-finals, as Geremie and Mark fell to Tail Gator and Bigfoot, but thankfully by close margins. Despite the lack of a “story-book ending” to this tale, we were all pretty proud of what we had accomplished. Though my back was making me pay for all the work I had done throughout the day, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I think you will be hard-pressed to find another team that can swap out a motor that quick, much less a team even willing to try.
Downtown Cleveland at night. With all of that behind me now, I look on down the road to my next series of gigs, with high hopes that they will have as many high points as my last few have had. Though I certainly fell to some low points (ok, ok, pun INTENDED) over the last couple of weeks, those low points only serve to help you enjoy and appreciate the higher moments in life. So, as we trudge on through the days in this still young year of 2007, I urge you all to counterbalance your low points with your high ones, using those bluesy moments to help you appreciate and enjoy the good times when they happen. For me, when I look at the finer times in my life, I take much pleasure in knowing that my career in monster trucks helped get me there. I can tell you one thing…a dead-end job in Cheyenne wouldn’t have gotten me to the Rock Hall of Fame, that’s for sure. Until next time, keep enjoying yourselves, and thanks for reading.
- KD Email KD and let him know what you thought!!
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