Great Racin' in the Empire State!
Today's Great Race route took us through scenic New York state, leaving from our overnight stop in Watertown. Lots of farmland and orchards made for a beautiful drive in the country side of the glorious Northeast. We drove through Pulaski and even went to Mexico...we didn't even know that was a town in New York! From there, we motored through the hilly landscape of rural New York.
Unfortunately, we had an accident on today's route, involving one of our teams. Steve, Janet and Allison Hedke were involved in collision that damaged their Ford Model A roadster beyond repair to re-enter the race. The other driver (non racer) involved was at fault, but the crash gave everyone a scare. Thankfully, the Hedke's were not injured in the accident. At each and every stop, we pray together, in public for the safety of the racers, staff, and support crews, as we travel on our great journey. Today, those prayers were answered, and we WILL continue to pray at each stop. With that said, please keep Steve, Janet and Allison Hedke in your prayers, as they will eventually load up and head back to their home in Southern California.
The accident occurred toward the back of the pack just before lunch, so many of the racers had already made it to the amazing lunch stop in Fairport, New York before it happened. And when we say amazing...we mean it! Thousands upon thousands of spectators came out to see the Great Race, and the entire town filled with racers, as well as cruise in participants who came out to be a part of the day's festivities! As some of you know, Fairport is the home town of last year's Grand Champions, Howard and Douglas Sharp, so these guys put together a massive shin-dig for all of us to enjoy. The town atmosphere was awesome by itself, but adding a few thousand people to the mix and a few hundred cars made it even better! Thank you to the Sharps, and the folks at Fairport for all their hard work!
After a wonderful lunch, we got back in the groove, and headed down to the big city of Buffalo, New York! There, we welcomed the racers to the Pierce-Arrow Museum downtown, where we came through the finish line, and enjoyed a huge crowd! We then went inside the Museum to eat dinner, and browse around the place. We saw all sorts of cool stuff in there, and even saw a few Pierce Arrows...imagine that! So, after all that, we're resting tonight and preparing for another great day of rallying tomorrow. We'll be entering Pennsylvania and Ohio tomorrow, so get ready to hear all about it tomorrow! For now, check out our favorite shots from today!