Now that we’re finally starting to feel settled in our new house, it’s time to start exploring! And what better time than fall?! If you’re not from Michigan, you may not know that this is one of the most beautiful places to be, in terms of the fall colors! Our trees have already started to change (this happens sooner in the season the farther north you are). Check out this beautiful picture that our trail camera captured!
Sometimes I still can’t believe this is our back yard!
Ok… now to get back to our exploration adventure last weekend…
Since we are still new to the area, I have joined a bunch of groups on Facebook that advertise things/events taking place nearby. One of the events I came across was the “Halloween Havoc Figure-8 BNR Derby & Awards” that was put on by TNT Demolition Derby in Cadillac, Michigan. I immediately knew that Chris would love this, being the car lover that he is. And the kids typically enjoy anything that involves leaving the house, especially if it’s something that Dad is excited about.
So we headed off to Cadillac – about an hour drive for us. We got there around 6pm, right when they were doing some sort of “dirt drift racing”. (I have no idea what the actual name of it was.) It only cost $10/person (over 5) to sit in the stands and they had snacks and drinks available. My only complaint is that the bleachers were not super comfortable for long term sitting. Some people brought those “bleacher chairs” that have backs on them. I would highly recommend that if you go to anything similar. We will be investing in some for next time!
After the “dirt drift racing” in a circle, they did “dirt drift racing” in a figure 8. This was a little more exciting because the cars had a higher chance of crashing into each other. Before each race began, Morgan and I picked out our favorite cars to cheer for. We started making up cheers for them, despite the dirty looks and eye-rolls we were receiving from Chris. Haha!
After the figure 8 races, it was the main event – the DEMOLITION DERBY! This was the part that we were all excited for. And of course Jenna had a poopy pull-up and Morgan had to use the bathroom as soon as they were getting ready to start. So I took the kids to the bathroom and was just finishing up with Jenna when I heard them announce that the derby was starting. I wanted to see it, so I hurried Morgan along and rushed to finish getting Jenna changed. We did make it back to our seats in time. However, about 30 minutes later, Chris noticed that I had put Jenna’s shoes on the wrong feet. And when we got home later, he found that I had put her pull-up on backwards! Mom of the year over here… That’s what I get for rushing. Poor kid!
They broke the Derby part up into several different heats. It was getting late at this point, so we didn’t stay to watch all of them. But Morgan and I were excited to see that a girl was in one of the heats with 3 other guys. So we were obviously rooting for her. And she won! (See the pink Jeep-looking-thing above.) It was pretty cool!
There were several other vehicles that were really fun to watch too. Size didn’t play an important role in this – it all came down to how fast the cars were able to get going and where they were able to hit the other cars. There was one car in particular that was the smallest of its group that killed it! He was dishing out the hardest, most destructive hits, despite the small size.
Overall, we had a great time. It was something different to check out and was definitely entertaining! They’re doing some sort of motorcycle racing later this month. Chris was interested in that, so we may head back there to check it out. The drive isn’t bad either. The trees are so beautiful right now, it makes the hour go by really fast.
Has anyone else ever been to a Demolition Derby? If so, where did you go? I remember seeing one when I was younger, but I can’t remember where/when that was. If I had to guess, it was probably something that my Uncle Randy took me to!
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Crystal