It wasn't the biggest and it wasn't the best, or was it? When you consider shows, how do you judge them against each other? Do you base it on the number of vehicles, the number of spectators, or considering it's a three-day truck run, do you base it on the number of good and bad incidents?
Well to me, it was based on the overall experience. So putting any show in the same category as West Coast Nationals is probably not going to happen anytime soon for me.
When I drove past the gates on Wednesday, I was overtaken by many emotions: the first was excitement followed by a series of others which included shock. I couldn't believe we were actually back at La Paz. From that moment on, I knew that I was at the best show of the year for me. It didn't matter if it had 3,000 people in attendance or 30. The mere fact that we were back in Parker, Arizona, meant the world to me. As Wednesday turned to night and I got ready to turn in, I knew that Thursday and Friday would be followed with even more excitement as plenty more trucks continued to pour in.
By early morning Thursday, the gates already had people in line. The most astonishing thing is these trucks weren't from California or Arizona; they were from New Mexico, Texas, and Oregon. That's what a truck run is all about: bringing our community together, and bringing trucks from all over the country. To you Eastern and Southern boys, that's really nothing new as you guys travel all year long supporting shows near and far. But for us West Coast guys that's a pretty big deal as we just don't get much out-of-state attendance at our shows. There was a time when the West Coast had the biggest shows, and they were usually three-day truck runs.
By Friday evening the show was packed, and the best sight to me was the fact that No Regrets had taken up almost one side of the river down the main street. The last time I was in La Paz ten years ago, it was only me and one other guy. A lot had happened in ten years, not just for me and my club, but for the whole scene, but being back at La Paz in flip flops and swim trunks took me back in time for the weekend.
With shows like Tex Mex, Camp-N-Drag and a few others popping up across the country, maybe it's time for the three-day run to gain popularity nationwide and bring our scene closer together. But remember, these events can't exist without our support. So get out there, bring a tent and camp because staying in hotels is for wussies like Mike Alexander-Yup, I finally got my column back so now I can take low blows at Mike again. Many more to come!