Derbyshire

Last month, my Dad came to visit us while he was in England for the annual H:O Le Mans race in Derby.  H:O is a scale of models, cars in this case, and Le Mans is a type of car racing and a track in France.  Derby (pronounced dar-bee) is a city in Derbyshire just west of Nottingham.  Dad comes out, most years, to race with friends on a gymnasium-size slot car track, for 24 hours straight.  There are eight teams, sometimes international, that compete for the trophy.  This year, Dad was racing for the host team DHORC, since Team USA was sitting this year out. 
The DHORC Team Car:

We drove up to Derby to prepare for the race.  When we got there, the track had been assembled, and we had a nice meet and greet with some of the other drivers.  That night, after dinner at The Harvester, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and the next morning, we were off to the race!
The Track:

Lindsay and I stayed for the start of the race, and the first hour or so of Dad’s driving stint.  We then left to go site seeing.  We also drove east for an hour to see Nottingham, where we toured the town square and local Westfield Mall.  We even got a chance to see a movie, before returning to the race.  We kidnapped Dad for dinner at Pizza Hut, and then returned him to the action.  Lindsay and I opted to stay at the Holiday Inn rather than set up camp on the gym floor, as most of the drivers did.
Dad Driving:

The next morning, we drove to the Peak District National Park where we got to go hiking across the beautiful landscape.  Lindsay also got to see her favorite British animal, sheep.  We then returned to the race to watch the finale.  Dad’s team didn’t win, but he said it was the most fun he’d ever had. 
The Team Results Line-up:

Hiking Trail in the Peak District:

Back home, we got to spend more time with Dad, including a nice hike in Hinchingbrooke Park with Cooper.  The fall colors were everywhere and Dad got to see English woods, a major climate change from LA. 
Hiking in Hinchingbrooke Park:

We always enjoy Dad’s visits and look forward to his next one early in 2012.  Derby was a wonderful treat, Lindsay and I really liked it.

~Blake