Troy Dog
“Where do you want to go on vacation this summer?” I asked my two young boys (Bub Dog 5, and Duke Dog 3).
“Wally World, dad,” they both said.
Nah, I’m just playing. That’s a Clark Griswold line from the 1983 movie Vacation starring Chevy Chase, but you already knew that.
You can call me Clark Griswold this week as I’m loading up my family for what I hope will be the most memorable vacation that we’ve ever had together. At RedBud, which is a place that has been a magical place for me ever since 2005, which was my first trip there when I was 14.
I’ll be honest, since 2005, I’ve barely missed a National on America’s birthday. I’ve gotten here one way or another. Up until 2005 we would always go to Kenworthy’s since it was right down the street basically, but when they shut it down we needed a new stomping grounds. We’ve been shouting REDBUD ever since. Ginger Dog first went in 2015 and I think she’s been back two or three times since, so she’s basically a pro.
This actually won’t be the first time that my kids will be at RedBud. Ginger Dog and I took them in 2021, but Bub Dog was only two and Duke Dog, well he was eight months old. It was wild he still had colic and it was a mess. Why did we do that? I don’t know man. I think I only got to watch the final 450 Moto from that weekend in between naps, meals, and snack time. Either way we did it. I don’t know how, but we did.
Now that both Bub and Duke are more aware of life, I wanted them to experience what RedBud is all about. THE FULL EXPERIENCE, except Lot B of course.
So, we’re leaving Thursday morning and we’re not leaving until we wake up on Sunday morning. I’m taking my mom and dad’s camper to camp trackside in my special spot.
Bub Dog is starting to understand what I do for a living. He knows that the races are always on TV and he’ll ask me questions about some of his favorite guys are doing, mostly Chase Sexton and the Cowboy, but he’s learning. He likes to ask me questions about Stew and Chiz now, so I’m definitely a proud dad on that.
Whenever I went to the races as a kid I would enjoy stopping at the trucks and looking at the bikes underneath the rig. Now I have access to these guys, and know a lot of them well, so I’m going to make sure and get Bub and Duke some autographs. They’ve never seen any of this stuff up close, so I’m excited to show them a whole new world.
Maybe a tour of the HEP truck is in order? Maybe they jump in the HEP pool like me? (Weege still won’t give me a high five since I jumped in that cesspool.)
Whatever we do, is going to be for the boys. Ginger Dog is looking forward to this too. She loves RedBud and the vibe. She helped the boys pick out their own outfits for the event as well, so we fit in with the locals.
I don’t really know what this weekend holds, that’s the best part about RedBud. You can plan all the ideas that you want, but you won’t know how everything is going to go until you get there. You just have to ride the vibe, mate.
IF you see us, we won’t be hard to miss. We’ll be the parents of the two boys dressed in red, white, and blue that are screaming REDBUD and making airhorn noises all day.
I can’t wait to make some new memories, at a place that means a lot to me, with the people that mean the most to me.
Main Image: Pro Motocross
