Well, it's Thursday and I'm begining to adjust back to US time after being in Europe for two weeks. The Le Mans experience was so rich for me, I just don't have adequate words to express all of the emotion and excitement I had at the race.
As many of you may recall, I was chaperoning some high school kids thru France, Italy, and Switzerland two weeks prior to Le Mans. Because the tour was ending as the weekend for Le Mans was begining, it was the opportunity of my life to fullfill a lifelong dream to be able the come the the granddaddy of all endurance/motorcar racing. I am no spring chicken, so this has been festering for over 40 years...and now it was going to happen.
I caught the train on Friday the 11th from Engelberg, Switzerland, to Lucern. Changed trains to Olten, then caught another one to Geneva and then the TGV to Paris. There I change Gare's from Lyon to Montparanasse via the Metro at 5:00 rush hour. You can't imagine how physically difficult this was because I'm bringing 22 kilos of two weeks in Europe luggage plus another bag with the camping gear weighing 20 kilos. And a wheel on each bag was burned out. So here I am dragging this heavy luggage up stairs, down stairs, only 1 wheel rolling on each bag, walking long distances from platform to platform and Montaparanasse seemed like a mile from the Metro to the Grand Train station. I thought I was going to die right there in the train station.
But I finally made it to get on the train to Le Mans. The worst was behind me, right? Hell no! When I got the Le Mans, the plan was to store my Europe tour traveling suitcase in the storage locker at the train station and backpack to the circuit. I was to meet the dinner party set up by Gilles at 8:00. Well, the train station people are not providing any lockers because of terriorists. I became very depressed and didn't know what I was going to do. They wouldn't even let me throw my stuff in the garbage can and just walk away.
Finally, a young lady, an angel named Marlene, spoke English and understood my problem. She called Gilles for me and he came and got me at the station. He saved my life because I was at the end of my rope. Here I had come nearly 5000 miles to see something I had dreamed about since I was a boy and it was falling apart. But Gilles came thru---Gilles, thank you so much, you have no idea how much you kindness and gesture means to me!!!
Anyway, on the way to dinner to meet the other guys, he got a call from a friend who was unable to come for the weekend. Gilles said that his tent is already set up at MB and that it is mine if I want it. ARE YOU KIDDING?
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After a lovely dinner, lasting until midnight, we headed for the circuit, rode right in the gate to MB and up to the campsite of some people that adoped me as family immediately. These guys are the most hospitible, welcoming people I have ever met. The first gift to my country from their town was the Beetles and now their gift was to me personnally.
Brian, Ian, Jimmy, and Chris of Liverpool, no words can express how blessed I was to be with you guys during this event. They made me welcomed immediately and their help, guidance, generousity, and fun conversation made a great racing event become an experience that I shall never forget!!!
There are stories during the race I could talk about like examining and evaluating, wire mesh suspension systems from New Zealand at the Shampoo Bar on Saturday night. I was too far from home to handle that very well.
But on Sunday around noon time, another CA angel came to my rescue, Big H. He was leaving after the race for town to his hotel room which happened to be just across the street from the train station and so he gave me and my 100 pounds of luggage a lift, in a classic 57 or 58 Jag Saloon, beautiful car. Thanks Big H, I really appreciate you help so much.
I saw Marlene again, she was the one who called Gilles for me when I arrived and didn't know what I was going to do with all my luggage. She bid me farwell and I thanked her again and headed to the platform to head to Charles D Gaulle airport. I have a short converstion with a photographer on assignment by Car and Driver Magazine and then walks up Johnny O'Connel and Ron Fellows ( the Corvette drivers in the race) We have a nice conversation and ride in the same coach to Paris. There is a whole another story about that part of the trip but I'll save space by wrapping this up here.
But I just want to say that CA is a whole lot more than a website, with information about the race, and maps, and chatty stuff between people with funny names, and they write English but use words I don't know their definition, but much more than all of that, it's real people, who like to have a good time, who are helpful to strangers they have never met, who are generous with their time, food, drink, and even grandstand pass, who are late for the dinner they set up for their friends to pick up some fool from the states with too much luggage, and on and on and on!!!!.
I know this is probably one of the longest postings on the site and I apologize for that, but I just had to try to express my deepest and sincerest thanks to all of those "angels" who helped me have the grandest time of my life. I could never repay you guys, ever. Gilles, mercie, Brian, Ian, Jimmy, Chris, Mr and Ms RS2babe, Big H and all the other folks I met that helped me along the way, thanks guys, What a deal! What an event! and yes, What a race!
Added some paras to improve readability! John, I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and it is no surprise to me that CA members came up trunps for you...they are all top people. Remember Gilles ride after the meal ..."all you want now Mark is a cobbled street".
Come back next year, now you know what to expect... 
