The Rumble of Monster Trucks

I had never been to a monster truck show before, but Eric has been talking about taking the family to the local scheduled event for two months, knowing that the boys (especially) would love it.   Any kind of family outing is always something I look forward to and this would be another "first" for Ramsey.  Admittedly, I was not so sure about this whole "monster truck thing" and had some preconceived notions.  :-)

The local speedway had two shows; one on Saturday night and one on Sunday.  We chose the Sunday afternoon venue.   Knowing that they had a Meet & Greet planned before the show so kids could meet the drivers and see the trucks, we left the house extra early to ensure we could take everything in.    Beforehand, we had been joking about the names of the trucks and how Ramsey's name (and personality) was so apropos; the "Raminator" was one of the featured trucks!

Ramsey's eyes were like saucers when he saw the first monster truck and we were all interested to see them up close.  We got pictures with all of the trucks, their drivers, plus autographs on a white racing flag as a keepsake.

Here's "Snake Bite":

The incognito driver was wearing a hood that looked like a python.  Ramsey freaked out when he saw him; he was pretty scary.  :-) 

Then, on to see "Rammunition".

All of the drivers were very nice, greeting us all and thanking us for coming.

Below is the driver from Raminator.

And Venom....

At one point, one of the pit men came up to us and handed us a sheet that said "Bigfoot".  He had chosen Ramsey to be one of the children to compete in a team challenge.  He explained that Bigfoot was his teammate.  And, if Bigfoot was the big winner of the day, Ramsey would receive a "special prize", which would be revealed later.    Here's Ramsey with Larry Swim, Bigfoot's driver, giving him a high five.

After meeting all of the drivers, it was time for the boys to get a ride in the "Mighty Monster", a colorful jacked-up monster bus.  For $10 each, Connor and Ramsey went for a two-minute thrill ride!

I somehow must have deleted the video of it (but I am trying to retrieve it!).   Connor was a nice big brubby, taking good care of Ramsey, while he screamed his little butt off during the ride.  We won't talk about how this may not have been the best idea for a toddler.  Connor had fun.

Then, time for the show!  There were six events in all to entertain us; The Wheelie Competition, the Doughnut Competition, Time Trials, Racing Competition, Long Jump, and Freestyle.

Eric brought his shooting earphones from the PD for Ramsey to wear. He didn't love them, until he heard the noise and then realized it was a necessary evil!

Even with the earphones, it was LOUD!  Ramsey was OK when the trucks were far away, but up close, he wasn't loving it!

The day started off with the Wheelie Competition, then the time trials.

Here's Bigfoot, soaring through the air:

Snake Bite got so carried away (and out-of-control), that he ended up going off the track, through the outer fence, and into a ditch!  I didn't get that on camera.  It was awesome!

Embracing my inner redneck (that I didn't know I had), I admit that the jumps, spins, and air the trucks got was impressive!

And then there was Venom.... who also went a bit haywire and ended up flipping over.

Thankfully, the driver was not injured!  It took a while for them to clear the racetrack. 

With all of the excitement and noise, we were perplexed to see that Ramsey had dozed off!

 But, when "Transaurus" came out to breathe fire and eat a car, he was wide awake, watching the dino-bot chomp and spew flames!

After Transaurus' show and an intermission, it was time for the Freestyle event which Bigfoot won.

Ramsey's "teammate" Bigfoot did take the title, winning five out of the six competitions (all but the Doughnut Competition).

So, Ramsey won his prize too; a new red Huffy bicycle!

..which now proudly adorns our living room.  :-)