...yes it was quite a day at Sears Pont...what was promising to be an exciting day of ALMS activity - seeing the Ferrari 550 head to head against the dominating Corvette C5Rs, Saleen S7s, and Dodge Vipers in the GTS class - getting next to last year's champion Audi R8Rs in the paddock - and the scenic Sears Point Raceway - and hanging out with Cooney and Triple J (soon to be DoubleJC?) it seemed too good...it was...

rain...an almost biblical amount...started early...and soon soaked the track Zan and Kate (Dan and Jen decided to leave later - good move...). By 8AM Z and K arrived and parked in a dirt lot. Z hurried K to the track as things moistened. Z went to take pictures in the paddock as K retired to a dry spot under the grandstand.

K began to get cold as she found a seat in the covered grandstand seating. Z gave K his sweater and returned to paddock. K watched as the racecars started their warm up. A Panoz slides into the wall, the wind blows, the GT3Rs throw up a rooster tail wake at speed...

Z gets cold and drops $55 on a rain jacket - red with a white stripe - hood (a good thing to have...) - Z calls Dan and Jen and warns them about the weather. Dan and Jen detour to Dan's parents' house in Petaluma - another good move...

K decides that Z and K have had enough rain for one day and that they should leave and meet up with Dan and Jen. And so - they go out to get the bus to take them to the parking area - but! because of the mud the bus is no longer running... so Z and K have to tramp through the mud to get to the car.

Let me tell you... this was not your ordinary mud... this was what I like to call - sticky mud - You know, the kind of mud that sticks to your shoes and then sticks to the next piece of mud that you step in...so soon enough you feel taller because the mud has clumped and collected on your shoes... Sticky mud...and Z soon learned something about his new bride - she is not a fan of it. They walked through the mud to the car to leave...but that was only the beginning...for just as the mud is sticky for shoes...it is to tires...

Z noticed a Mustang sitting in the road and wondered to himself, "what the hell is that guy doing?...why isn't he parking?" Then he noticed a 300ZX (not a turbo) trying to get up the slight grade, out of the parking area to the road to exit...and having very little success...none, as a matter of fact... and so Z and K get to their car and take off their mudshoes... K decides hers are so muddy, she no longer wants them and leaves them... next to a blue Mustang with a "Girls Kick Ass" sticker and a Coke can someone was using for chew spit...

And so they decide to exit... A little word of advice to those who would consider it - the Lexus IS 300 is not made for off-roading - I would beware of anyone who says that it is... Anyway, the mud was sticking and the wheels were spinning, but finally, with some skillful driving by Z - they made it out and headed to Petaluma.

Once at Dan's parents' house life became much better... Z and K and Dan and Jen and Dan's cousin Daryl went out for lunch...then back to Dan's parents' house ...where they watched AI...which we will review in the movie review section of zanandkate.com (coming soon) - strange movie... but very comfortable couch...so comfortable Z and K took a nap.

Later - this is the best part - Dan's mom made dinner for everyone! Fun conversation. Salad and chicken and corn and garlic bread and some pasta - Unbelievable - If you went to a resteraunt in Marin that served this meal -you would need to finance it... that's how good we're talking...

And so a very interesting day all around... I'd like to give a shout out to Dan's parents. And of course Dan and 3J.

And by the way...the race did go on - these are Le Mans cars - rain or shine - for the results check out http://americanlemans.com/ - and also I wish the 550 was red...the green didn't do it for me...whatever...