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Saturday is a day off for a family outing and for the cubs to enjoy.


Weather conditions depicted in this story are actual weather conditions that were
researched on The Farmer's Almanac weather archives site.
https://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather-history/

Parts of this story are also in the pool named "Project Courier".


In this part of the story, Tri-Star Plaza in Albuquerque, and mentioned slot car racing clubs are fictional...Though the path that Interstate 40 will replace Rout 66, in what will be in the future to 1960, is accurate from research.
Church of Christ in Santa Rosa mentioned at the end of the story is in real life actual, and has been established more than 80 years ago.", "writing": "Being Saturday morning, everyone didn't have to get up as early...In fact, the family didn't have to use the alarm clock. That southbound freight train that goes by when the cubs are normally waiting on the school bus during the week served as an alarm clock as it went by blowing the horn for the route 3 crossing. \nAs the Coyote Family got up that Saturday morning, Jed checked the thermometor outside in the front porch indentation.\n\"It doesn't feel like it would be cold as it has been\", Mama Marge said to Rex. \"What's it read?\".\n\"It's almost 25 degrees\", Jed answered.\n\"Well, at least it's not as cold as it has been\", Rex added.\n Radio Station KANR 91.9 out of Santa Rosa, which Al had the radio in the living room tuned to, gave a weather report that it was expect to get up into the low 50s that day.\n\"Oh I'm so glad to hear that\", Marge said. \"Fifties ain't too bad\".\n\"With as cold as it's been here lately, I'm ready to welcome temperatures in the fifties anytime\", Al added.\n When the cubs were asked what they wanted to do that day, Jed, Rex and Donna agreed they wanted to go to Tri-Star Plaza in Albuquerque to run their 1/24th scale slot cars on the commercial slot car track the hobby shop has there. \n\"Slot car racing it is\", Al replied as Marge agreed, thus the cubs went to get their 1/24th scale slot racing cars, and the controllers for them, from their bedrooms.\n\"I've never seen slot racing cars before\", said Clarence. \"I've heard of them though\".\n\"Here's what they look like\", Jed said to Clarence, as he returned from the boy's bedroom with his model of a 1957 Ford in red and white.\n\"Wow. Thats awright\", Clarence acknowledged as he observed the miniature chassis with a Strombaker 12 volt motor geared to the rear axle, and under the front a key way guide with electrical pick-ups, and the plastic, miniature, 1957, Ford body held on by four screws.\n\"Here's mine\", Rex said, holding up a model of a blue 1957 Chevy.\n\"Mine is like Poindexter Fox's car\", Donna said as she showed Clarence her model of a 1956 Nash, which was in pink and white, unlike the green, black and white that Poindexter's real Nash is.\n\"Donna likes that style of car like Poindexter drives\", Marge affirmed to Clarence.\n\"Yea. A pookey ole Nash\", Rex jested.\n\"Rex!\", Marge called Rex down.\n\"It's NOT pookey\", Donna protested. \"Nashes are cool, and I bet mine will beat your ole Chevy ANY ole day\".\n\"Rex, you know that was uncalled for\", Al intervened. \"And Donna. Let's not make an argument out of this\".\nAfter Rex and Donna acknowledged what Daddy called them down for, Clarence asked, \"Being I don't have one of those cars, will I be able to take turns running one?\".\n\"They have them for rent at the hobby shop if you don't have one\", Al assured Clarence. \"I'll go ahead and rent one for you\".\n\"Okay. Thank you, Dad\", Clarence replied.\nOther things the cubs retrieved were little, two and three inch high figures, including a little panda character and a Gumby and Pokey...Daddy Al also clipped some short pieces off of a roll of tie wire for them.\n\"What's that for?\", Clarence asked, referring to the figures and tie wire.\n\"That's so we can have drivers in our cars\", Jed answered.\n\"Kinda makes it look authentic\", Al added as he set the roll of tie wire and wire dikes down on the living room coffee table.\nWhat the cubs would do is wire the figures to the side of the chassis of the cars, so the figure would be visible in the windows of the car body. \n\"Oh, I like that idea\", Clarence said when he saw how the other cubs would wire the figures inside the cars.\n\"Pokey's driving mine\", Rex proclaimed, with his miniature 1957 Chevy appearing as though the little, orange, cartoon pony was in the driver's seat.\n\"Gumby's got the Ford\", Jed announced as he held his car up with the little green Gumby fastened inside of it for everyone to see.\n\"And Andy Panda's driving my Nash\", said Donna.\n\"Do you want a driver too, Clarence?\", Rex asked.\n \"I don't know what all you have\", Clarence replied to Rex.\n\"I got just the thing\", Jed mentioned as he went to the boy's bedroom.\nAs Jed came back with a small Mighty Mouse figure, Rex said, \"Cool. That will work\".\n\"What ever car Dad rents for you, Mighty Mouse can drive it\", Jed said to Clarence.\n\"Oh, gee. Thanks\", Clarence thanked Jed, as Al picked the wire and dikes back up from the coffee table and cut off another small length of tie wire.\n\"Take this and old Mighty Mouse with you, and you can have a driver\", Al said to Clarence as he gave him the piece of tie wire.\nAs usual on days off, it's also Marge's day off as well. So instead of cooking breakfast at home, the family made plans to stop in a cafe' in Vaughn to have breakfast...Then from there, they'd go west on 60, catch 285 north in Encino, turn west on Route 66 at Clines Corners, then take route 66 to Tri-Star Plaza in Albuquerque...Tri-Star Plaza being on Route 66...The trip is roughly 100 miles from home, taking not much more than an hour the way Al and Marge, and many of the other locals they know, drive.\nShortly there after, everyone got into the car, with Al making sure the house was locked up, then the family was on their way to Tri-Star Plaza in Albuquerque, first making a stop at the cafe' in Vaughn to have breakfast.\nOf course, because of the four seat arrangement a 1960 Chrysler 300 has, Clarence had to share one of the individual back seats with Rex as usual, and Donna sat on Mom's lap...Hence why the family needed that station wagon Al and Marge talked about three days ago. Of course, Marge likes that Chrysler 300 as much as Al does...In fact, it was both Al and Marge together who chose that car at the dealership. However, there were times Marge had said that she wished a Chrysler 300 had been available with an option of bench seats...Though because of the 300 models being limited production, sports enthusiast cars, the bench seats that would have accommodated more occupants were not an option.\nUpon approaching Vaughn, Clarence pointed out the stretch of open land to the right off of Highway 54, telling the family, \"That's where the doublewide my original family lives in would be in 2018\".\n\"Doublewide?\", Marge replied, as the other cubs wonder what that was.\n Al then explained what Clarence told him two days ago what a Doublewide is.\n The cafe', on the north side of town, seemed pretty busy when the family arrived. Upon exiting the car where it was still cold in the late morning to go inside, Clarence noticed another thing different that can be seen from the cafe'...It was the land northeast outside of town beyond the Santa Fe Railroad tracks.\n\"There's no airport\", Clarence muttered.\n\"Airport?\", Al asked just before the family entered the cafe'.\nBeing careful there were no other animals nearby listening, Clarence explained that there will be an airport there in 2018.\n \"It will just be a little airport where private airplains take off and land\", Clarence said. \"No jet-liners though\".\n\"What you're talking about is a municipal airport\", Al, also making sure no other animals were listening in, affirmed to Clarence. \"Do you know when it was...or rather, will be built?\".\n\"I don't know. It's there before I was born\", Clarence answered. \n\"Out in this part of the state, we can sure use an airport\", Marge added.\nWith all that said, everyone then went into the cafe' to have breakfast.\nThe cafe' had a sizable crowd, thus the family knew getting breakfast would take longer than usual...But the good food there was worth the wait.\n\"Oh hi there, Al, Marge. How are the cubs this morning?\", one of the waitresses, a prairie dog, greeted the family.\n\"Were doing fine, Doris\", Marge replied as Al said \"Hi\".\nThe Coyote Family and Doris Prairie Dog had know each other for years since Doris had been working as a waitress there.\n\"We're gonna race slot cars today!\", Donna gleefully proclaimed.\n\"We're going out to Albuquerque to let the cubs race their cars\", Al told Doris Prairie Dog. \"They have a large commercial track there\".\n\"Oh, that sounds like fun\", Doris replied. \n\"Everyone got a laugh when elderly Eleanor Weasel sitting at a nearby table, who was the town busy-body, spoke up, \"Aren't those cubs a bit too young to be racing automobiles?\" \n\"Toy cars, They run on a 12 volt track\", Marge Coyote informed Eleanor Weasel as everyone were still giggling and chuckling.\n \"Oh oh oh, Okay\", Eleanor acknowledged as she realized this was one of those 'insert foot in mouth' moments.\n\"The track is in a hobby store\", Al added.\n\"Oh, I see now\", said Eleanor Weasel. \"For a moment there, I thought you all were talking about the real deal\".\nAfter Eleanor's 'putting her 2 cents worth in' was set on the right path, the Coyote Family placed their order. And it wasn't as long as they had anticipated before Doris Prairie Dog was bringing their breakfast out to their table.\nAfter a relaxing time at the cafe', and having a very satisfying breakfast, Al and Marge had that extra refill of coffee, as Al smoked a Chesterfield, before it was time to leave (the anti-smoking laws didn't exist back in the day)...Then, after leaving a tip for Doris Prairie Dog, and paying the bill, it was off to Albuquerque. \n\nAfter about 45 miles since they left Vaughn, the family arrived to a highway crossroads where Clarence was surprised to notice a sign that read 'Clines Corners' ...though he didn't give notice to the directional signs for west 66, east 66 and north 285.\n\"[b][i][t]This[/t][/i][/b] is Clines Corners?!\", Clarence exclaimed, as he had not been recognizing what highways they were travelling because of 285 and 66 being two lane highways crossing at an intersection.\n\"This is Clines Corners. Always was and always will be\", Marge replied to Clarence as Al made the turn westbound from 285 onto Route 66. \n\"I believe this place will be different in 60 years is why Clarence didn't recognize it\", Al said to Marge, as Al was still speeding up the Chrysler 300 cruising along Route 66.\n\"Oh yea, Dad. Way different\", Clarence explained, and to the amazement of the other cubs. \"The road we just got off of is a four lane highway in 2018. And this road will be an interstate, with an overpass where we just turned...From what I remember, Exit 218 I think\". \n\"That doesn't surprise me\", said Al. \"They do have plans to run interstate 40 through here within the next few years\". \nAs they sped past a Route 66 sign that Clarence did notice, he asked\", Is this the Route 66 I've always heard about?\". \n\"The very one\", Al replied.\nThis was the first time Clarence was seeing Route 66 as it was back in the day. Clarence had heard about there once being a Route 66 in the year 2018, though he never had any clue until now as to just where exactaly Route 66 was.\nAlong the rest of the way to Albuquerque, the two lane Route 66 was so different and unfamiliar to Clarence, as he had remembered it in 2018 as Interstate 40...Clarence did recognize a couple of business locations along Route 66, that Clarence remembered in 2018 as being boarded up derelict buildings off of Interstate 40.\nSince leaving Vaughn, there had been a few times Al and Marge changed stations on the car radio as previous signals faded out due to the driving distance. As they continued, there were a couple of slowdowns for the towns of Moriarty and Edgewood...Then, finally, the family was arriving to the outskirts of Albuquerque, which also looked unfamiliar to Clarence with the exception of several landmarks and distant taller buildings that would survive into the 21st Century.\n\"Does Albuquerque look anything now like it will 58 years from now?\", Al asked Clarence out of curiosity.\n\"Not really. It looks bigger and different from what I see of it from here\", Clarence answered. \"But I do see some things I know...Things that will still be here by then\". \nOff to the right, on the east edge of town was the Tri-Star Plaza. It was located near the corner of 66 and 556, which Clarence didn't recognize either highway due to both highways being two only lanes. \nThe cubs were already bragging who's car is going to beat who's when Al was pulling into the brown pebble asphalt parking lot of the Tri-Star Plaza, which was one of those classic, late 1950s, contemporary shopping centers. The plaza, built only three years ago, had that style that was considered cool, hip, and 'outa-this-world' in that day and time, but would be viewed as a cheesy, tacky eyesore to be demolished in the 1980s, and admired as a historical icon in the 21st Century. \nThe aqua-blue and gold-yellow, steel sign consisted of three, wide, four corner diamond shapes, with three, neon, five point stars in the larger center diamond. And a bright red steel framed, tilted at an angle, supported the neon letters above that which read \"Tri-Star Plaza\". The legs of the sign were two, large, steel poles, painted gold-yellow, that were closer to each other at the concrete base, then angled away from each other where the sign assembly was attached (not good from a structural consideration, but it did give that modern jet-set look). \nOnce Al parked the car, and as everyone were walking to the hobby shop, Clarence noted as he looked around, \"I can't tell where in Albuquerque we are right now, because things look so different to me...But I do know this strip mall isn't here in 2018\".\n\"Strip mall?\", Jed asked.\n\"Well...Shopping center\", Clarence clarified.\nUpon entering the hobby shop, there it was off to the right side of the large spacious store...The big eight lane, commercial slot car track, with it's long straight away leading to a high bank U turn on the far end, with S turns, a loop with an overpass, and each of the eight lanes marked in different colours for identification. \nhttps://youtu.be/KDExnrxHMoY?t=19\nThere were already two male raccoon cubs running cars on lanes red and orange...One car of a black, 1950 Ford, and the other of an orange, 1940s Willys coupe with the front fenders cut off leaving the front wheels in the open like a hot rod. And there was a female skunk cub running a slot car of a white, 1957 Thunderbird on lane black, which she seemed to be getting laps ahead of the raccoon cubs.\nThe hobby shop also had lots of cool stuff like trains, train board accessories, radio control plains, cars and boats, car model kits, model sail boats for racing on ponds, materials to build stuff from, a big variety of slot cars in different in different scale sizes, model flying rockets, and lots of other awesome stuff.\nTed Badger, the owner of the store, greeted Al, Marge and the three cubs he has always known. Then Al and Marge introduced Clarence to Ted Badger.\n\"Glad to meet you Clarence\", said Ted Badger. \n\"Pleasure's the same here\", Clarence replied.\n\"We'd like to rent four lanes\", Al mentioned to Ted. \"About an hour and a half\".\n\"You got it, Al. Lanes yellow, green, blue and purple\", Ted replied as Jed, Rex and Donna romped with enthusiasm over to the control counter of the track, hooked up their controllers, set their cars on the assigned lanes and joined the raccoon cubs and skunk cub in the car race.\n\"Clarence doesn't have a car\", Al told Ted. \"I'd like to rent a car and a controller for him\".\nTed Badger presented a selection of slot cars for rent, and after Clarence looked them over, he made his choice, \"That one. I want that one\", which was a slot car of a metallic cherry red, 1959 Chevy Impala...The car with the gull-wing fins.\nAs soon as Clarence got Mighty Mouse tie wired inside the car, and the controller hooked up with some help from Al, Clarence's 1959 Impala was off and running.\nThe cubs got acquainted with Tina, the skunk who was running the T-bird.\nAs for the raccoon brothers, Johnny and Larry, who were running the Ford and the Willys coupe, they were regulars thus they and the coyote cubs have already known each other for some time, except for Clarence, who was introduced to them.\nThe store having piped in music played at a low key seemed to make running the cars even more enjoyable.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LklFP1IG9KY\n https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDD21ZJF3mI\nJohnny and Larry the Raccoon Brothers, and Tina Skunk liked the idea of the figures tie wired into the cars like drivers.\n\"That's oh so cool. I'm gonna try that next time I come here\", Tina said. \n\"Miiiighty Mouse is on his waaaayyy\", Clarence sang the lyrics from the cartoon as he ran the Impala with it's Mighty Mouse driver around the track.\nRex, being aware that no one has watched a Mighty Mouse cartoon back at the house since Clarence arrived in the time travel machine, said to Clarence, \"Oh cool. I didn't know you still had Mighty Mouse where yo...\"\n\"REX REX REX!\", Marge called to halt Rex in mid-sentence\".\n\"Oh yea. Right\", Rex said as he suddenly realized how close he came to saying, \"Oh cool. I didn't know you still had Mighty Mouse where you came from in 2018\"...That would have been a bad slip up.\nOf course, Clarence had no experience at running a slot car. This was the first time Clarence had ever ran one. Thus quite often Clarence would have wipe-outs in the turns, sometimes turning the car over and hitting the little side wall on the track.\nAl would then put Clarence's car back onto the designated slot for him.\n\"It looks like Mighty Mouse is a lousy driver who got his driver's licence out of a box of Cracker-Jacks\", Tina Skunk teased just before Clarence had another wipe-out, sending his Mighty Mouse driven Impala into Tina's T-bird and sending both cars sliding into the side wall.\nMarge and Tina Skunk's mom put the cars back onto the lane slots, and both cars were back in the race...By then, the Raccoon Brothers had gained some laps with their Willys coupe and 1950 Ford back on Tina Skunk's Thunderbird.\nRex assured Clarence, \"I wouldn't sweat it about wiping out an all. It won't take long to get the hang of it\". \nAnd as Rex said, it wasn't long before Clarence got the knack of it, and the wipe-outs were nowhere near as frequent.\nSome piped in songs in the store played as Gumby raced around in the red and white '57 Ford, and Pokey in the blue '57 Chevy, Andy Panda cruising around in the pink and white '56 Nash, Mighty Mouse racing to the rescue in the cherry red '59 Impala, all in competition with the orange '40 Willys coupe hot rod, black '50 Ford and white '57 T-bird as they raced and zoomed around the track as though the wired-in figures were driving the cars in accordance to the music...You could almost, in a jocular and novel way, picture a view from inside the cars, while seeing the figures driving. \n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Pokey sez, just call me speedo\", Rex says.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9uZvrsAoyE\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Watch it. Might Mouse is blastin' off, everybody\", Says Clarence.\n\"But Pokey's going for the speed of light\", Rex boasted.\n https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAO77QLxRVw\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"There goes Gumby\", says Jed.\n\"Betcha Pokey catches him\", Rex replies\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysKhbaLyIFw\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Look out for Andy Panda\", says Donna.\n https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmjrTcYMqBM\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Mighty Mouse is on his way to catch the big bad mummy\", says Clarence.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC048zJHec8\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the Mummy Song continued playing;[/b][/color]\nIn silly conversations the cubs made up, Mighty Mouse was chasing after the mummy in that '59 Chevy.\n\"Mighty Mouse sees the mummy\", says Clarence.\n\"The mummy's runnin' away\", says Rex\n\"Gumby will help Mighty Mouse get him\", says Jed...Gumby joining chase in the '57 Ford.\n\"Betcha Pokey gets him first\", Rex added...as the '57 Chevy closed in on the chase.\nDonna says, \"Andy Panda will put him in the trunk, then he can't get away\"...the cubs laughing as they imagine Andy Panda driving around in the Nash with a real live mummy in the trunk trying to get out. \n\nA teenage male fox eventually came in and rented lane white for a car he had made specially for the official slot car competitions that Ted Badger holds at the hobby shop on the second Saturday nights of each month. A competition would be held that evening being this Saturday was the second Saturday of February 1960. \n\"Wow. Cool car\", Clarence complimented the fox. \"Gonna join the race?\".\n\"Not this one\", The teenage fox said. \"Thank you for the compliment though...By the way, my name's Raymond.\n\"Clarence\", Clarence replied.\n\"Glad to meet you\", Raymond Fox replied\n\"Our cars can't keep up with that one\", Rex told Clarence. \"That one's for the competition tonight\".\n\"That's right. I'm here to practice for the competition\", Raymond affirmed as he placed his car, which was of a red Ferrari, on lane white. \nRaymond gave the car a warm up lap, then high-balled it down the long straightaway, the car running fast enough to make all the cars the cubs were running look like they were sitting still.\n\"Holy shit! Look at it go!\", Rex exclaimed.\n\"That's a damn fast car\", Clarence added.\nAnd Mama Marge also added, \"Rex. Clarence. Watch your talk. \"I'm sure the two of you wouldn't like the taste of soap when we get home\"...Thus Rex and Clarence apologized.\nWhen Raymond Fox let the cubs have a close look at his car, the cubs were amazed to see the difference between their cars that were basically toys, and Raymond Fox's car that was precision built from high speed parts for the serious hobbyist.\nAs Raymond Fox put his car back on the track and continued practicing for the competition, Al conducted one lap races for the cubs, in which he'd have the cubs line up their cars side by side, then Al would give the start signal by saying, \"Ready...Set...Go\".\nBefore long, even Johnny and Larry the Raccoon Brothers and Tina Skunk would participate with the coyote cubs...The cubs did notice trophies on the front counter of the store. However, those trophies were for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places winners in the official competition to be held that night. \nRaymond Fox, however, continued his practice runs while the cubs ran their cars in the one lap races Al was conducting for them...After all, Raymond's car being a competition class car wouldn't be fair to the cubs who were running toy class cars.\n[color=#4e9a06][b]Meanwhile, the store's sound system continued playing songs;[/b][/color]\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgp5KcEJJTs\nEventually, the track rent time ran out for the Raccoon Brothers, and everyone bid good day as Johnny and Larry took up their slot cars and controllers and bid good day to everyone as they left.\nMoments later, a young adult cougar came in to rent lane red.\n\"Howdy, Raymond\", the cougar said.\n\"Oh hi, Sonny\", Raymond Fox replied. \"Ready for the race tonight.\n\"I will be\", Sonny Cougar replied as he set his miniature, red and white, 1958 Corvette, which was also a competition class car, on lane red.\nSonny ran his Corvette slot car for a warm up lap, then let-'er-run...That car was every bit as fast as Raymond Fox's Ferrari.\nA 19 year old Barbra Coatimundi came in and rented lane orange to practice for the race with her competition class car, which was a miniature, blue and white, Indianapolis 500 style race car.\nShortly thereafter, 18 year old Samantha Woodchuck rented lane purple for her competition class, teal colour, 1958 Edsel. \nBefore long, 17 year old Osmond Genet came in with a silver, 1960, Ford Falcon slot car that had the appearance of a hot rod with side pipes and a hood scoop...It too was a competition class car. But Osmond Genet had to wait for a lane to become available. Pretty soon, Tina Skunk's rent time ran out, then Osmond Genet was able to get on lane black.\nThe cubs got a good laugh out of a song that was recorded by a squirrel band;\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZv66skp5pc\nIt was shortly around 1:15 in the afternoon when the track rent time ran out for the coyote cubs. The cubs wanted to stay around and watch the slot car race competition. However, Ted Badger's store assistant, Ronnie Ferret, said that won't begin until 7:00 pm.\n \"Well. I don't mind letting the cubs stay to watch the competition\", Al said to Marge. \"But that would put us late getting the cubs back home\".\n \"Al, it's not like the cubs have to be in school tomorrow\", Marge replied, reminding Al today was a Saturday.\nAl and Marge talk the matter over for several minutes, then agreed to stay around to let the cubs watch tonight's competition.\nNeedless to say, the cubs let out those rejoyceful expressions of, \"YEAAAHHH!\", and, \"Awright!\", and, \"Yeah cool!\". \nAl mentioned to Ted Badger about letting the cubs run their slot cars again later that afternoon to pass the waiting time.\nTed Badger replied, \"That would be okay, but I'll have to cut the track off to regular customer traffic at 4:30 to let the competitors get a chance to have some practice time in before the race\". \n\"We're okay with that\", Al agreed.\nSo what to do in the meantime?...It was already 1:30, and they didn't have lunch yet. So the coyotes went a few doors down to a pizza shop in the plaza they always go to when they come to Albuquerque to let the cubs race slot cars...And they have good ice cream too. \n\"Al. Marge. Hello\", Manuel Kinkajou, the owner of the pizza shop, greeted. \"Cubs racing cars today?\".\n\"That they are\", Al replied.\n\"We've decided to stay for the competition this evening\", Marge told Manuel.\n\"Oh yea, almost forgot. This is first Saturday of this month. Ted has a big crowd the nights he hosts those\", said Manuel Kinkajou, \"Does good for my business here too\".\nOnce the coyotes were seated, Jed, Rex and Donna were pushing their slot cars around on the table as toy cars, which Al and Marge already knew for some time Manuel was okay with.\nBeing that Clarence had to turn his rented car back in upon leaving the hobby shop, he played along with the Mighty Mouse figure as though Mighty Mouse was a pedestrian.\nWhile the family was deciding what to order, Manuel Kinkajou mentioned, \"Today turned out to be rather pleasant\".\n\"It has\", Marge replied.\n\"It does feel like the low 50s like they expected for today\", Al added.\nIn actuality, in Albuquerque that day, it got up to just shy of 50...close enough anyway to feel like low 50s.\nFor lunch, the coyotes decided on a large pizza to be divided among the cubs. Al and Marge ordered spagetti. And a piture of root beer was ordered to be brought out for everyone. After the coyotes finished lunch, they stayed around to converse with Manuel Kinkajou a while to pass some of the waiting time before the slot car race competition.\nAt about an hour after they finished lunch, by then going on 3:35, Marge asked, \"What would you cubs like to do while we wait?\"\n\"How 'bout some ice cream while we're waiting?\", Al suggested.\nAs the cubs immediately began telling what they wanted, Marge told them, \"One at a time. Your dad and I can't hear you all at once\".\nRex, not thinking, began to order a brownie with vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge, whip cream and a cherry.\n'\"Hold on there, Son\", Daddy Al said to Rex. \"You're forgetting that chocolate is something us canines can't have\".\n\"Oh, I forgot\", Rex acknowledged.\n\"You canines are among several species I can't serve chocolate products to\", Manuel Kinkajou mentioned to Rex. \"If one of you were to die from it, I'd be held liable\".\nWith that said, fluffy white cake with vanilla ice cream, topped with hot butterscotch, whip cream and a cherry was looking mighty good.\nIt was 3:50 by the time everyone finished their ice cream, Al paid the bill, and the coyotes headed back to the hobby shop. \nBack at the hobby shop, Al asked Clarence, \"What do you say I buy you a slot car for your very own?\".\n\"Awright, yes! I'd like that, Dad!\", Clarence exclaimed, as his eyes seemingly lit up like that of a toddler cub in a candy store.\nAfter five minutes of looking over the brand new, 1/24th scale slot cars, Clarence found the very one he wanted.\n\"That one there\", said Clarence, picking out a replica of a black 1960 Chrysler 300, like the car the family has.\n\"Wow! Cool choice!\", Rex exclaimed. \"Just like Mom and Dad's car!\"\n\"Looks just like our car, alright\", said Jed.\n\"Let ME see! Let ME see!\", said Donna as she came over for a look at the car. \"Coool\".\nAl and Marge were of course flattered by the choice Clarence decided on, as Al made the purchase of the car, and a controller.\nAfter Clarence thanked Daddy Al for buying the car for him, Al asked Ted about renting some track lanes...It was 4:05 by then.\n\"I have green, blue, white and black available\", Ted Badger answered. \"But I can only give you all 25 minutes. It going to be going on four thirty\".\nWhen Al went to pay for the 25 minutes on four lanes, Ted told him, \"Being it's only going to be 25 minutes, I won't charge you any thing\".\n\"Oh thanks, Ted\", Al said, as Clarence wasted no time tie wiring the Mighty Mouse figure to the side of the car's chassis which put Mighty Mouse in the driver's seat. \nAnd it wasn't a moment too soon either...A teenage wolf, and a young adult otter had come in with their competition class cars for a practice run, only a moment after Al acquired the 25 minutes on the four lanes for the cubs.\nTed Badger told the wolf and otter, \"These cubs will be done with the track in 25 minutes, and I'll have some lanes for you then\".\nThen it was over to the track to try out that new 1960 Chrysler 300 slot car. In those 25 minutes, the cubs had more fun racing their cars, even though there four competition class cars sharing the track with them that were outrunning their cars seemingly with no effort.\nSome songs playing over the store's piped in music system, like before, also had that jocular, novel way of fitting in with the figures seeming to be driving the slot cars.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F13JNjpNW6c\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Pokey's floorin' it\", says Rex.\n\"But watch out. Mighty Mouse got a Chrysler 300 now\", says Clarence. \n https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WfDYssJMqs\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Andy Panda's comin' after you guys\", says Donna.\n\"Yea, but Gumby's passing Andy\", Jed says to Donna.\nClarence's Chrysler wipes out into Jed's '57 Ford, and Donna says to Jed, \"Oh Yeaaa?\".\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5WLc_am7s\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Gumby's not playin' now. He's rompin' down on it\", says Jed.\n https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S432puz0C8\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Here comes Andy Panda, and he's burnin' up the highway\", says Donna.\n\"In a Nash?\", Rex jests.\n\"YES! In a Nash\", Donna proclaims to Rex.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_FAqr6rP4w\n[color=#4e9a06][b]As the next song is playing;[/b][/color]\n\"Charlie Brown better get out of the way, 'cause Might Mouse ain't stoppin' for nobody\", says Clarence. \n https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWXgQa38Pkw\nTwenty five minutes can fly by when you're having fun, and before long, the 25 minutes on the four lanes ran out. It was now only going to be two and a half hours before the start of the competition, and some of the crowd who will be attending had already began to arrive, as well as those with their slot cars and controllers who will be competing in the race.\nThe thing for the coyotes to do now was to go out to the Chrysler...the real one in the parking lot Al and Marge owns...so the cubs can secure their slot cars and controllers in the trunk of the car. While there at the car, the family took notice how much the style of Clarence's Chrysler 300 slot car resembled the family's Chrysler 300. Clarence even held is slot car up to eye level to get a view appearing as though it was another real 1960 Chrysler 300 parked next to Mom and Dad's car. \nOnce the slot cars and controllers were secured, the coyotes went back into the Hobby shop to watch the practice runs...And also, there was an elaborate, HO scale, train board layout, which was one of those kinds that looked so real, that if you set a camera with a close up lens on it and took a picture, it would take a while from the photo to realize it was a model layout. The cubs were fascinated watching the seemingly realistic trains travelling the tracks that ran through the layout that looked like miniature for real countryside and towns. There was even an HO scale, Southern Pacific passenger train running on one of the tracks.\nClarence asked, \"Do they have a passenger train here of Amtrak?\".\n\"Amtrak?\", Jed asked, Jed's puzzled response hinting to Clarence that there was no Amtrak in 1960.\n\"Oh. I was thinking of something else\", Clarence said as an alibi.\nClarence had no idea that the consolidation of Amtrak and it's logos and colour scheme on it's trains didn't happen until 1973...And lucky it was that no one outside the family over heard that conversation. \nAs the cubs watched the HO trains, and watched the teenage and young adult animals take turns doing slot car practice runs, the store became more crowded with contestants and spectators...which was good for business as Ted Badger would have lots of potential customers making purchases...It was also obvious that Manuel Kinkajou's business was doing well that evening, being that there were many animals who were returning to the hobby shop with food, drinks and snacks. \nThe cubs would also browse the store, looking at all the cool stuff, which of course Al and Marge had to tell the cubs, \"You can look, but paws off of stuff\".\nWhile Ted's store assistant, Ronnie Ferret, was nearby, Clarence asked, \"I don't see any drones here. Do you have any?\".\nLuckily, Clarence and Ronnie were near an inventory of ant farm kits when Clarence asked that.\nRonnie Ferret chuckled and replied to Clarence, \"These kits don't come with the ants. You have to dig 'em up and catch them\".\nRonnie had thought what Clarence was referring to as drones were male ants, and Clarence then realized that flying drone models weren't around in 1960...Thus Clarence knew to avoid making any further mention of drones.\nFinally, the piped in music stopped, and Ted Badger switched the store's music speaker system to intercom mode...it was now 7:00 pm. Time for the slot car race competition to begin, and the store was packed with a big crowd.\nBefore making the announcement, Ted Badger asked, \"Is this thing on?\", as he tapped the mike three times, with the speakers sounding >NIK NIK NIK woooooooo<.\n\"You've got sound, Ted\", a wolverine called out.\n\"I guess it is\", Ted replied. \nThen Ted announced, \"Good evening everyone, and welcome to the monthly, Albuquerque Slot Car Club race competition held here on the second Saturday evening of every month\".\n\"Our contestants tonight will be, Don Wolverine, Kenny Jaguar, Raymond Fox...\", Ted Badger read off a list of 81 contestants, including Sonny Cougar, Osmond Genet and many others.\nTed then announced, \"For those of you who are with us for the first time, although we have eighty one contestants tonight, you may have noticed the track has eight lanes. How we do this is, we have preliminary races, 100 laps each...All our competition races are 100 laps. Then we have semi-finals until we're down to eight finalist competing for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize trophies\".\nThen Ted Badger consulted his store assistant, Ronnie Ferret, who had a list, then continued the announcement, \"Because of the odd number of contestants here tonight, how we're going to do this is start the preliminaries off with four races of eight cars each. Then seven races of seven cars each for the remaining cars...Semifinalist will consist of the two fastest cars from each of the eleven races. A car must be able to run the 100 laps in 14 minutes or less to remain qualified. Which means if you make a time that exceeds 14 minutes in the preliminary, even if your car was the fastest car in that particular preliminary race you ran in, you still won't qualify...Believe it or not, I have seen before where all eight cars in a preliminary race did not qualify. Contestants who's cars make times of less than 10 minutes will have the opportunity to challenge semifinalists from other preliminary races\".\nThen Ted continued, \"We'll also use the same process of elimination in the semi-finals until we have eight finalists who will be racing for a chance at being the proud recipient of one of these beautiful trophies you see here.\nThen Ted read off the list of the first eight who will participate in the first preliminary race. \nThen once the controllers and cars were set up Ted announced, \"And may the best animal win\".\nAs Ted Badger pawed the mike over for the first 100 lap race to the vice president of the Albuquerque Slot Car Club, Vince Bear, and while the first eight contestants were running their cars on a warm up lap, Marge let Donna sit up on her shoulders so Donna can see over the crowd...The other cubs were able to get a good view of the race. \nOnce the cars were lined up on the start line, Vince Bear gave the, \"Ready...Set...Go\", and the first eight of the fast competition class cars were off and running...After 11 minutes and 51 seconds there was a preliminary winner, being Kenny Jaguar who ran a replica, green, 1956 Jaguar coupe in the 11:51. The 2nd winner was Jason Prairie Dog who ran a car that had a body that looked like a red, white and blue rocket with stars on it in 11:54...only three seconds behind Kenny. \nIn the next preliminary race, Raymond Fox came in 1st with his red Ferrari making a time of 12:07...In that one, there was no 2nd place winner due to a wipe-out and pile up. That pile up caused the next fastest car, a yellow and black, 1958 Buick belonging to Oscar Jack Rabbit, to make a time of 14:17...now disqualified.\nIn one of the preliminaries, 19 year old Susan Mink's red, 1958 Plymouth (looks like the car Christine) made a time of 9:42, and 23 year old Roy Ferret's bronze, 1960 Corvair did a time of 9:56...Both Susan and Roy will have the opportunity to challenge semi-finalists from other races.\nThe cubs continued to enjoy watching the rest of the preliminaries, then the semi-finals...For that matter, Al and Marge enjoyed it too...Then it was finally the final eight contestants.\nIt was right at 10:58 pm when Vince Bear gave the, \"Ready...Set...Go\", and the eight finalists were racing for a chance at a trophy. Susan Mink's red '58 Plymouth was in the lead, with Roy's bronze '60 Corvair right behind. Kenny Jaguar's green '56 Jag and Jason Prairie Dog's red, white, and blue rocket car was running neck & neck for third...But then, George Otter's silver, 1957 Corvette wiped out on the far end bank turn into Kenny and Jason's cars, sending all three cars sliding into the wall...That put Raymond Fox's red Ferrari up to third place. By the time someone placed the three cars back on the track, it was too late to make up the time...Thus the winners were; Susan Mink's '58 Plymouth in 1st at 9:46, Roy Ferret's '60 Corvair in 2nd at 9:57, and Raymond Fox's Ferrari in 3rd at 10:10.\nEveryone applauded, and photos were taken of the winning contestants holding their trophies and cars, after the trophies were awarded.\nAfter a 2nd round of applaud from the crowd of spectators, Ted Badger made the announcement, \"I hope everyone had a good time, and I thank you all for coming out here tonight. I would also like thank all you good folks in behalf of the Albuquerque Slot Car Club who help make this event possible\".\nThen Ted Badger asked Vince Bear a couple of questions, then announced, \"Oh, listen up everyone. Vince tells me that on the second Saturday of July, we're going to have a competition between the Albuquerque Slot Car Club, the Sunset Model Racers Club from Arizona, and the Southern New Mexico Slot Car Racer's Association. That will be the Saturday after the 4th of July\". \nThen Ted Badger asked Vince Bear, \"What day will that be?\".\n\"The ninth\", Vince replied.\nThen Ted continued the announcement, \"That will be July 9th. As slot car racing enthusiasts, you wouldn't want to miss that event\".\nIt was at 11:45 pm (15 minutes before midnight) when Ted Badger announced, \"You all have a good night, and please drive carefully going home tonight. We'll see you all here next month...Good night everybody\".\nAs the Coyote Family were getting out to the car, as the crowd was clearing out, and Ted Badger and his store assistant, Ronnie Ferret were closing up shop for the night, Clarence was beginning to realize something.\n\"I heard someone calling that road Highway 556\", Clarence said to Daddy Al, referring to a narrow two lane highway just west of the plaza. \"Is that 556 like someone said?\".\n\"That is Highway 556, Son\", Al affirmed.\nClarence originally didn't recognize Highway 556 because he remembered it as a four laner in 2018.\n\"And the fairground is that way a few miles?\" Clarence asked while pointing west down Route 66.\n\"Yes. The fairground is that way right on Route 66, Just a few minutes from here\", Al answered.\n\"Now I know what's gonna happen to this plaza\", Clarence said.\n\"Something bad or good\", Rex asked.\n\"What are you talking about , Son?\", Al asked Clarence.\n\"Dad. I think I know where were we are at in Albuquerque now\", Clarence said.\nThen Clarence explained, \"Interstate 40 is going to be right smack dab where the plaza is now. And the interstate will run off that way\", Clarence said as he pointed west northwest.\n\"SHUCKS! That really stinks!\", Rex retorted.\n\"That's not gonna be cool\", Jed added. \"Having no more slot car track\".\nAl assured his cubs, \"I'm sure Ted Badger will move the hobby shop to another location by the time this plaza gets torn down for Interstate 40\".\n\"It's a shame too\", Marge said. \"It's been built only three years ago\".\n\"Well, I guess that's progress for you\", Al replied.\nThen Clarence pointed west down Route 66, and said, \"And that's gonna be Central Avenue. And it's gonna be four lanes with an exit going to it\" (referring to the present day Exit 167).\n\"I can't hardly imagine this place being as Clarence described it\", said Marge.\n\"If the interstate is going through here, you'd be surprised\", Al affirmed to Marge.\nIt was right at midnight when the Coyote Family left Albuquerque on their way home...which put it at between the times of 1:30 am and 2:00 am when they were pulling up into the driveway at home.\nThat late at night, it didn't take long for Rex, Jed and Donna to head for their bedrooms an climb into bed.\nMarge said to Al, \"We really need to get a real bed for Clarence\", as she pulled out the sofa bed in the living room for Clarence to sleep on. \n\"We do need to see into that\", Al acknowledged.\nThe family then knew it was right at 2:07 am...That's when that southbound passenger train came through Duran as it usually does at that time.\nhttps://youtu.be/uNwAEptoNl0?t=93\nAfter the train passed by, Al asked Marge, \"What time do you want to set the alarm to get up for church tomorrow?\".\n\"Church?!\", Clarence retorted.\n\"Yes...Church\", Al told Clarence. \"We go to Church of Christ in Santa Rosa every Sunday morning.\nClarence replied, \"When I was with my original family, church was only for Easter Sundays\".\n\"It's every Sunday morning in this household. So get use to it\", Marge affirmed to Clarence.\n\"Besides, it would probably do you some good\", Al said to Clarence.\nWith all that said, Al and Marge headed for bed, and everyone got a good night's sleep.\n\n[color=#ce5c00][b][t]To be continued.[/t][/b][/color]\n\n\n[color=#c4a000][b]Next episode is Clarence's first day of school in 1960.[/b][/color]\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Being Saturday morning, everyone didn't have to get up as early...In fact, the family didn't have to use the alarm clock. That southbound freight train that goes by when the cubs are normally waiting on the school bus during the week served as an alarm clock as it went by blowing the horn for the route 3 crossing.
As the Coyote Family got up that Saturday morning, Jed checked the thermometor outside in the front porch indentation.
"It doesn't feel like it would be cold as it has been", Mama Marge said to Rex. "What's it read?".
"It's almost 25 degrees", Jed answered.
"Well, at least it's not as cold as it has been", Rex added.
 Radio Station KANR 91.9 out of Santa Rosa, which Al had the radio in the living room tuned to, gave a weather report that it was expect to get up into the low 50s that day.
"Oh I'm so glad to hear that", Marge said. "Fifties ain't too bad".
"With as cold as it's been here lately, I'm ready to welcome temperatures in the fifties anytime", Al added.
 When the cubs were asked what they wanted to do that day, Jed, Rex and Donna agreed they wanted to go to Tri-Star Plaza in Albuquerque to run their 1/24th scale slot cars on the commercial slot car track the hobby shop has there.
"Slot car racing it is", Al replied as Marge agreed, thus the cubs went to get their 1/24th scale slot racing cars, and the controllers for them, from their bedrooms.
"I've never seen slot racing cars before", said Clarence. "I've heard of them though".
"Here's what they look like", Jed said to Clarence, as he returned from the boy's bedroom with his model of a 1957 Ford in red and white.
"Wow. Thats awright", Clarence acknowledged as he observed the miniature chassis with a Strombaker 12 volt motor geared to the rear axle, and under the front a key way guide with electrical pick-ups, and the plastic, miniature, 1957, Ford body held on by four screws.
"Here's mine", Rex said, holding up a model of a blue 1957 Chevy.
"Mine is like Poindexter Fox's car", Donna said as she showed Clarence her model of a 1956 Nash, which was in pink and white, unlike the green, black and white that Poindexter's real Nash is.
"Donna likes that style of car like Poindexter drives", Marge affirmed to Clarence.
"Yea. A pookey ole Nash", Rex jested.
"Rex!", Marge called Rex down.
"It's NOT pookey", Donna protested. "Nashes are cool, and I bet mine will beat your ole Chevy ANY ole day".
"Rex, you know that was uncalled for", Al intervened. "And Donna. Let's not make an argument out of this".
After Rex and Donna acknowledged what Daddy called them down for, Clarence asked, "Being I don't have one of those cars, will I be able to take turns running one?".
"They have them for rent at the hobby shop if you don't have one", Al assured Clarence. "I'll go ahead and rent one for you".
"Okay. Thank you, Dad", Clarence replied.
Other things the cubs retrieved were little, two and three inch high figures, including a little panda character and a Gumby and Pokey...Daddy Al also clipped some short pieces off of a roll of tie wire for them.
"What's that for?", Clarence asked, referring to the figures and tie wire.
"That's so we can have drivers in our cars", Jed answered.
"Kinda makes it look authentic", Al added as he set the roll of tie wire and wire dikes down on the living room coffee table.
What the cubs would do is wire the figures to the side of the chassis of the cars, so the figure would be visible in the windows of the car body.
"Oh, I like that idea", Clarence said when he saw how the other cubs would wire the figures inside the cars.
"Pokey's driving mine", Rex proclaimed, with his miniature 1957 Chevy appearing as though the little, orange, cartoon pony was in the driver's seat.
"Gumby's got the Ford", Jed announced as he held his car up with the little green Gumby fastened inside of it for everyone to see.
"And Andy Panda's driving my Nash", said Donna.
"Do you want a driver too, Clarence?", Rex asked.
 "I don't know what all you have", Clarence replied to Rex.
"I got just the thing", Jed mentioned as he went to the boy's bedroom.
As Jed came back with a small Mighty Mouse figure, Rex said, "Cool. That will work".
"What ever car Dad rents for you, Mighty Mouse can drive it", Jed said to Clarence.
"Oh, gee. Thanks", Clarence thanked Jed, as Al picked the wire and dikes back up from the coffee table and cut off another small length of tie wire.
"Take this and old Mighty Mouse with you, and you can have a driver", Al said to Clarence as he gave him the piece of tie wire.
As usual on days off, it's also Marge's day off as well. So instead of cooking breakfast at home, the family made plans to stop in a cafe' in Vaughn to have breakfast...Then from there, they'd go west on 60, catch 285 north in Encino, turn west on Route 66 at Clines Corners, then take route 66 to Tri-Star Plaza in Albuquerque...Tri-Star Plaza being on Route 66...The trip is roughly 100 miles from home, taking not much more than an hour the way Al and Marge, and many of the other locals they know, drive.
Shortly there after, everyone got into the car, with Al making sure the house was locked up, then the family was on their way to Tri-Star Plaza in Albuquerque, first making a stop at the cafe'  in Vaughn to have breakfast.
Of course, because of the four seat arrangement a 1960 Chrysler 300 has, Clarence had to share one of the individual back seats with Rex as usual, and Donna sat on Mom's lap...Hence why the family needed that station wagon Al and Marge talked about three days ago. Of course, Marge likes that Chrysler 300 as much as Al does...In fact, it was both Al and Marge together who chose that car at the dealership. However, there were times Marge had said that she wished a Chrysler 300 had been available with an option of bench seats...Though because of the 300 models being limited production, sports enthusiast cars, the bench seats that would have accommodated more occupants were not an option.
Upon approaching Vaughn, Clarence pointed out the stretch of open land to the right off of Highway 54, telling the family, "That's where the doublewide my original family lives in would be in 2018".
"Doublewide?", Marge replied, as the other cubs wonder what that was.
 Al then explained what Clarence told him two days ago what a Doublewide is.
 The cafe', on the north side of town, seemed pretty busy when the family arrived. Upon exiting the car where it was still cold in the late morning to go inside, Clarence noticed another thing different that can be seen from the cafe'...It was the land northeast outside of town beyond the Santa Fe Railroad tracks.
"There's no airport", Clarence muttered.
"Airport?", Al asked just before the family entered the cafe'.
Being careful there were no other animals nearby listening, Clarence explained that there will be an airport there in 2018.
 "It will just be a little airport where private airplains take off and land", Clarence said. "No jet-liners though".
"What you're talking about is a municipal airport", Al, also making sure no other animals were listening in, affirmed to Clarence. "Do you know when it was...or rather, will be built?".
"I don't know. It's there before I was born", Clarence answered.  
"Out in this part of the state, we can sure use an airport", Marge added.
With all that said, everyone then went into the cafe' to have breakfast.
The cafe' had a sizable crowd, thus the family knew getting breakfast would take longer than usual...But the good food there was worth the wait.
"Oh hi there, Al, Marge. How are the cubs this morning?", one of the waitresses, a prairie dog, greeted the family.
"Were doing fine, Doris", Marge replied as Al said "Hi".
The Coyote Family and Doris Prairie Dog had know each other for years since Doris had been working as a waitress there.
"We're gonna race slot cars today!", Donna gleefully proclaimed.
"We're going out to Albuquerque to let the cubs race their cars", Al told Doris Prairie Dog. "They have a large commercial track there".
"Oh, that sounds like fun", Doris replied.
"Everyone got a laugh when elderly Eleanor Weasel sitting at a nearby table, who was the town busy-body, spoke up, "Aren't those cubs a bit too young to be racing automobiles?"
"Toy cars, They run on a 12 volt track", Marge Coyote informed Eleanor Weasel as everyone were still giggling and chuckling.
 "Oh oh oh, Okay", Eleanor acknowledged as she realized this was one of those 'insert foot in mouth' moments.
"The track is in a hobby store", Al added.
"Oh, I see now", said Eleanor Weasel. "For a moment there, I thought you all were talking about the real deal".
After Eleanor's 'putting her 2 cents worth in' was set on the right path, the Coyote Family placed their order. And it wasn't as long as they had anticipated before Doris Prairie Dog was bringing their breakfast out to their table.
After a relaxing time at the cafe', and having a very satisfying breakfast, Al and Marge had that extra refill of coffee, as Al smoked a Chesterfield, before it was time to leave (the anti-smoking laws didn't exist back in the day)...Then, after leaving a tip for Doris Prairie Dog, and paying the bill, it was off to Albuquerque.

After about 45 miles since they left Vaughn, the family arrived to a highway crossroads where Clarence was surprised to notice a sign that read 'Clines Corners' ...though he didn't give notice to the directional signs for west 66, east 66 and north 285.
"This is Clines Corners?!", Clarence exclaimed, as he had not been recognizing what highways they were travelling because of 285 and 66 being two lane highways crossing at an intersection.
"This is Clines Corners. Always was and always will be", Marge replied to Clarence as Al made the turn westbound from 285 onto Route 66.
"I believe this place will be different in 60 years is why Clarence didn't recognize it", Al said to Marge, as Al was still speeding up the Chrysler 300 cruising along Route 66.
"Oh yea, Dad. Way different", Clarence explained, and to the amazement of the other cubs. "The road we just got off of is a four lane highway in 2018. And this road will be an interstate, with an overpass where we just turned...From what I remember, Exit 218 I think".
"That doesn't surprise me", said Al. "They do have plans to run interstate 40 through here within the next few years".
As they sped past a Route 66 sign that Clarence did notice, he asked", Is this the Route 66 I've always heard about?".
"The very one", Al replied.
This was the first time Clarence was seeing Route 66 as it was back in the day. Clarence had heard about there once being a Route 66 in the year 2018, though he never had any clue until now as to just where exactaly Route 66 was.
Along the rest of the way to Albuquerque, the two lane Route 66 was so different and unfamiliar to Clarence, as he had remembered it in 2018 as Interstate 40...Clarence did recognize a couple of business locations along Route 66, that Clarence remembered in 2018 as being boarded up derelict buildings off of Interstate 40.
Since leaving Vaughn, there had been a few times Al and Marge changed stations on the car radio as previous signals faded out due to the driving distance. As they continued, there were a couple of slowdowns for the towns of Moriarty and Edgewood...Then, finally, the family was arriving to the outskirts of Albuquerque, which also looked unfamiliar to Clarence with the exception of several landmarks and distant taller buildings that would survive into the 21st Century.
"Does Albuquerque look anything now like it will 58 years from now?", Al asked Clarence out of curiosity.
"Not really. It looks bigger and different from what I see of it from here", Clarence answered. "But I do see some things I know...Things that will still be here by then".  
Off to the right, on the east edge of town was the Tri-Star Plaza. It was located near the corner of 66 and 556, which Clarence didn't recognize either highway due to both highways being two only lanes.
The cubs were already bragging who's car is going to beat who's when Al was pulling into the brown pebble asphalt parking lot of the Tri-Star Plaza, which was one of those classic, late 1950s, contemporary shopping centers. The plaza, built only three years ago, had that style that was considered cool, hip, and 'outa-this-world' in that day and time, but would be viewed as a cheesy, tacky eyesore to be demolished in the 1980s, and admired as a historical icon in the 21st Century.
The aqua-blue and gold-yellow, steel sign consisted of three, wide, four corner diamond shapes, with three, neon, five point stars in the larger center diamond. And a bright red steel framed, tilted at an angle, supported the neon letters above that which read "Tri-Star Plaza". The legs of the sign were two, large, steel poles, painted gold-yellow, that were closer to each other at the concrete base, then angled away from each other where the sign assembly was attached (not good from a structural consideration, but it did give that modern jet-set look).  
Once Al parked the car, and as everyone were walking to the hobby shop, Clarence noted as he looked around, "I can't tell where in Albuquerque we are right now, because things look so different to me...But I do know this strip mall isn't here in 2018".
"Strip mall?", Jed asked.
"Well...Shopping center", Clarence clarified.
Upon entering the hobby shop, there it was off to the right side of the large spacious store...The big eight lane, commercial slot car track, with it's long straight away leading to a high bank U turn on the far end, with S turns, a loop with an overpass, and each of the eight lanes marked in different colours for identification.
https://youtu.be/KDExnrxHMoY?t=19
There were already two male raccoon cubs running cars on lanes red and orange...One car of a black, 1950 Ford, and the other of an orange, 1940s Willys coupe with the front fenders cut off leaving the front wheels in the open like a hot rod.  And there was a female skunk cub running a slot car of a white, 1957 Thunderbird on lane black, which she seemed to be getting laps ahead of the raccoon cubs.
The hobby shop also had lots of cool stuff like trains, train board accessories, radio control plains, cars and boats, car model kits, model sail boats for racing on ponds, materials to build stuff from, a big variety of slot cars in different in different scale sizes, model flying rockets, and lots of other awesome stuff.
Ted Badger, the owner of the store, greeted Al, Marge and the three cubs he has always known. Then Al and Marge introduced Clarence to Ted Badger.
"Glad to meet you Clarence", said Ted Badger.
"Pleasure's the same here", Clarence replied.
"We'd like to rent four lanes", Al mentioned to Ted. "About an hour and a half".
"You got it, Al. Lanes yellow, green, blue and purple", Ted replied as Jed, Rex and Donna romped with enthusiasm over to the control counter of the track, hooked up their controllers, set their cars on the assigned lanes and joined the raccoon cubs and skunk cub in the car race.
"Clarence doesn't have a car", Al told Ted. "I'd like to rent a car and a controller for him".
Ted Badger presented a selection of slot cars for rent, and after Clarence looked them over, he made his choice, "That one. I want that one", which was a slot car of a metallic cherry red, 1959 Chevy Impala...The car with the gull-wing fins.
As soon as Clarence got Mighty Mouse tie wired inside the car, and the controller hooked up with some help from Al, Clarence's 1959 Impala was off and running.
The cubs got acquainted with Tina, the skunk who was running the T-bird.
As for the raccoon brothers, Johnny and Larry, who were running the Ford and the Willys coupe, they were regulars thus they and the coyote cubs have already known each other for some time, except for Clarence, who was introduced to them.
The store having piped in music played at a low key seemed to make running the cars even more enjoyable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LklFP1IG9KY
                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDD21ZJF3mI
Johnny and Larry the Raccoon Brothers, and Tina Skunk liked the idea of the figures tie wired into the cars like drivers.
"That's oh so cool. I'm gonna try that next time I come here", Tina said.  
"Miiiighty Mouse is on his waaaayyy", Clarence sang the lyrics from the cartoon as he ran the Impala with it's Mighty Mouse driver around the track.
Rex, being aware that no one has watched a Mighty Mouse cartoon back at the house since Clarence arrived in the time travel machine, said to Clarence, "Oh cool. I didn't know you still had Mighty Mouse where yo..."
"REX REX REX!", Marge called to halt Rex in mid-sentence".
"Oh yea. Right", Rex said as he suddenly realized how close he came to saying, "Oh cool. I didn't know you still had Mighty Mouse where you came from in 2018"...That would have been a bad slip up.
Of course, Clarence had no experience at running a slot car. This was the first time Clarence had ever ran one. Thus quite often Clarence would have wipe-outs in the turns, sometimes turning the car over and hitting the little side wall on the track.
Al would then put Clarence's car back onto the designated slot for him.
"It looks like Mighty Mouse is a lousy driver who got his driver's licence out of a box of Cracker-Jacks", Tina Skunk teased just before Clarence had another wipe-out, sending his Mighty Mouse driven Impala into Tina's T-bird and sending both cars sliding into the side wall.
Marge and Tina Skunk's mom put the cars back onto the lane slots, and both cars were back in the race...By then, the Raccoon Brothers had gained some laps with their Willys coupe and 1950 Ford back on Tina Skunk's Thunderbird.
Rex assured Clarence, "I wouldn't sweat it about wiping out an all. It won't take long to get the hang of it".
And as Rex said, it wasn't long before Clarence got the knack of it, and the wipe-outs were nowhere near as frequent.
Some piped in songs in the store played as Gumby raced around in the red and white '57 Ford, and Pokey in the blue '57 Chevy, Andy Panda cruising around in the pink and white '56 Nash, Mighty Mouse racing to the rescue in the cherry red '59 Impala, all in competition with the orange '40 Willys coupe hot rod, black '50 Ford and white '57 T-bird as they raced and zoomed around the track as though the wired-in figures were driving the cars in accordance to the music...You could almost, in a jocular and novel way, picture a view from inside the cars, while seeing the figures driving.
As the next song is playing;
"Pokey sez, just call me speedo", Rex says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9uZvrsAoyE
As the next song is playing;
"Watch it. Might Mouse is blastin' off, everybody", Says Clarence.
"But Pokey's going for the speed of light", Rex boasted.
             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAO77QLxRVw
As the next song is playing;
"There goes Gumby", says Jed.
"Betcha Pokey catches him", Rex replies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysKhbaLyIFw
As the next song is playing;
"Look out for Andy Panda", says Donna.
             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmjrTcYMqBM
As the next song is playing;
"Mighty Mouse is on his way to catch the big bad mummy", says Clarence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC048zJHec8
As the Mummy Song continued playing;
In silly conversations the cubs made up, Mighty Mouse was chasing after the mummy in that '59 Chevy.
"Mighty Mouse sees the mummy", says Clarence.
"The mummy's runnin' away", says Rex
"Gumby will help Mighty Mouse get him", says Jed...Gumby joining chase in the '57 Ford.
"Betcha Pokey gets him first", Rex added...as the '57 Chevy closed in on the chase.
Donna says, "Andy Panda will put him in the trunk, then he can't get away"...the cubs laughing as they imagine Andy Panda driving around in the Nash with a real live mummy in the trunk trying to get out.

A teenage male fox eventually came in and rented lane white for a car he had made specially for the official slot car competitions that Ted Badger holds at the hobby shop on the second Saturday nights of each month. A competition would be held that evening being this Saturday was the second Saturday of February 1960.  
"Wow. Cool car", Clarence complimented the fox. "Gonna join the race?".
"Not this one", The teenage fox said. "Thank you for the compliment though...By the way, my name's Raymond.
"Clarence", Clarence replied.
"Glad to meet you", Raymond Fox replied
"Our cars can't keep up with that one", Rex told Clarence. "That one's for the competition tonight".
"That's right. I'm here to practice for the competition", Raymond affirmed as he placed his car, which was of a red Ferrari, on lane white.
Raymond gave the car a warm up lap, then high-balled it down the long straightaway, the car running fast enough to make all the cars the cubs were running look like they were sitting still.
"Holy shit! Look at it go!", Rex exclaimed.
"That's a damn fast car", Clarence added.
And Mama Marge also added, "Rex. Clarence. Watch your talk. "I'm sure the two of you wouldn't like the taste of soap when we get home"...Thus Rex and Clarence apologized.
When Raymond Fox let the cubs have a close look at his car, the cubs were amazed to see the difference between their cars that were basically toys, and Raymond Fox's car that was precision built from high speed parts for the serious hobbyist.
As Raymond Fox put his car back on the track and continued practicing for the competition, Al conducted one lap races for the cubs, in which he'd have the cubs line up their cars side by side, then Al would give the start signal by saying, "Ready...Set...Go".
Before long, even Johnny and Larry the Raccoon Brothers and Tina Skunk would participate with the coyote cubs...The cubs did notice trophies on the front counter of the store. However, those trophies were for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places winners in the official competition to be held that night.
Raymond Fox, however, continued his practice runs while the cubs ran their cars in the one lap races Al was conducting for them...After all, Raymond's car being a competition class car wouldn't be fair to the cubs who were running toy class cars.
Meanwhile, the store's sound system continued playing songs;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgp5KcEJJTs
Eventually, the track rent time ran out for the Raccoon Brothers, and everyone bid good day as Johnny and Larry took up their slot cars and controllers and bid good day to everyone as they left.
Moments later, a young adult cougar came in to rent lane red.
"Howdy, Raymond", the cougar said.
"Oh hi, Sonny", Raymond Fox replied. "Ready for the race tonight.
"I will be", Sonny Cougar replied as he set his miniature, red and white, 1958 Corvette, which was also a competition class car, on lane red.
Sonny ran his Corvette slot car for a warm up lap, then let-'er-run...That car was every bit as fast as Raymond Fox's Ferrari.
A 19 year old Barbra Coatimundi came in and rented lane orange to practice for the race with her competition class car, which was a miniature, blue and white, Indianapolis 500 style race car.
Shortly thereafter, 18 year old Samantha Woodchuck rented lane purple for her competition class, teal colour, 1958 Edsel.
Before long, 17 year old Osmond Genet came in with a silver, 1960, Ford Falcon slot car that had the appearance of a hot rod with side pipes and a hood scoop...It too was a competition class car. But Osmond Genet had to wait for a lane to become available. Pretty soon, Tina Skunk's rent time ran out, then Osmond Genet was able to get on lane black.
The cubs got a good laugh out of a song that was recorded by a squirrel band;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZv66skp5pc
It was shortly around 1:15 in the afternoon when the track rent time ran out for the coyote cubs. The cubs wanted to stay around and watch the slot car race competition. However, Ted Badger's store assistant, Ronnie Ferret, said that won't begin until 7:00 pm.
 "Well. I don't mind letting the cubs stay to watch the competition", Al said to Marge. "But that would put us late getting the cubs back home".
 "Al, it's not like the cubs have to be in school tomorrow", Marge replied, reminding Al today was a Saturday.
Al and Marge talk the matter over for several minutes, then agreed to stay around to let the cubs watch tonight's competition.
Needless to say, the cubs let out those rejoyceful expressions of, "YEAAAHHH!", and, "Awright!", and, "Yeah cool!".
Al mentioned to Ted Badger about letting the cubs run their slot cars again later that afternoon to pass the waiting time.
Ted Badger replied, "That would be okay, but I'll have to cut the track off to regular customer traffic at 4:30 to let the competitors get a chance to have some practice time in before the race".
"We're okay with that", Al agreed.
So what to do in the meantime?...It was already 1:30, and they didn't have lunch yet. So the coyotes went a few doors down to a pizza shop in the plaza they always go to when they come to Albuquerque to let the cubs race slot cars...And they have good ice cream too.  
"Al. Marge. Hello", Manuel Kinkajou, the owner of the pizza shop, greeted. "Cubs racing cars today?".
"That they are", Al replied.
"We've decided to stay for the competition this evening", Marge told Manuel.
"Oh yea, almost forgot. This is first Saturday of this month. Ted has a big crowd the nights he hosts those", said Manuel Kinkajou, "Does good for my business here too".
Once the coyotes were seated, Jed, Rex and Donna were pushing their slot cars around on the table as toy cars, which Al and Marge already knew for some time Manuel was okay with.
Being that Clarence had to turn his rented car back in upon leaving the hobby shop, he played along with the Mighty Mouse figure as though Mighty Mouse was a pedestrian.
While the family was deciding what to order, Manuel Kinkajou mentioned, "Today turned out to be rather pleasant".
"It has", Marge replied.
"It does feel like the low 50s like they expected for today", Al added.
In actuality, in Albuquerque that day, it got up to just shy of 50...close enough anyway to feel like low 50s.
For lunch, the coyotes decided on a large pizza to be divided among the cubs. Al and Marge ordered spagetti. And a piture of root beer was ordered to be brought out for everyone. After the coyotes finished lunch, they stayed around to converse with Manuel Kinkajou a while to pass some of the waiting time before the slot car race competition.
At about an hour after they finished lunch, by then going on 3:35, Marge asked, "What would you cubs like to do while we wait?"
"How 'bout some ice cream while we're waiting?", Al suggested.
As the cubs immediately began telling what they wanted, Marge told them, "One at a time. Your dad and I can't hear you all at once".
Rex, not thinking, began to order a brownie with vanilla ice cream, topped with hot fudge, whip cream and a cherry.
'"Hold on there, Son", Daddy Al said to Rex. "You're forgetting that chocolate is something us canines can't have".
"Oh, I forgot", Rex acknowledged.
"You canines are among several species I can't serve chocolate products to", Manuel Kinkajou mentioned to Rex. "If one of you were to die from it, I'd be held liable".
With that said, fluffy white cake with vanilla ice cream, topped with hot butterscotch, whip cream and a cherry was looking mighty good.
It was 3:50 by the time everyone finished their ice cream, Al paid the bill, and the coyotes headed back to the hobby shop.    
Back at the hobby shop, Al asked Clarence, "What do you say I buy you a slot car for your very own?".
"Awright, yes! I'd like that, Dad!", Clarence exclaimed, as his eyes seemingly lit up like that of a toddler cub in a candy store.
After five minutes of looking over the brand new, 1/24th scale slot cars, Clarence found the very one he wanted.
"That one there", said Clarence, picking out a replica of a black 1960 Chrysler 300, like the car the family has.
"Wow! Cool choice!", Rex exclaimed. "Just like Mom and Dad's car!"
"Looks just like our car, alright", said Jed.
"Let ME see! Let ME see!", said Donna as she came over for a look at the car. "Coool".
Al and Marge were of course flattered by the choice Clarence decided on, as Al made the purchase of the car, and a controller.
After Clarence thanked Daddy Al for buying the car for him, Al asked Ted about renting some track lanes...It was 4:05 by then.
"I have green, blue, white and black available", Ted Badger answered. "But I can only give you all 25 minutes. It going to be going on four thirty".
When Al went to pay for the 25 minutes on four lanes, Ted told him, "Being it's only going to be 25 minutes, I won't charge you any thing".
"Oh thanks, Ted", Al said, as Clarence wasted no time tie wiring the Mighty Mouse figure to the side of the car's chassis which put Mighty Mouse in the driver's seat.
And it wasn't a moment too soon either...A teenage wolf, and a young adult otter had come in with their competition class cars for a practice run, only a moment after Al acquired the 25 minutes on the four lanes for the cubs.
Ted Badger told the wolf and otter, "These cubs will be done with the track in 25 minutes, and I'll have some lanes for you then".
Then it was over to the track to try out that new 1960 Chrysler 300 slot car. In those 25 minutes, the cubs had more fun racing their cars, even though there four competition class cars sharing the track with them that were outrunning their cars seemingly with no effort.
Some songs playing over the store's piped in music system, like before, also had that jocular, novel way of fitting in with the figures seeming to be driving the slot cars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F13JNjpNW6c
As the next song is playing;
"Pokey's floorin' it", says Rex.
"But watch out. Mighty Mouse got a Chrysler 300 now", says Clarence.
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WfDYssJMqs
As the next song is playing;
"Andy Panda's comin' after you guys", says Donna.
"Yea, but Gumby's passing Andy", Jed says to Donna.
Clarence's Chrysler wipes out into Jed's '57 Ford, and Donna says to Jed, "Oh Yeaaa?".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5WLc_am7s
As the next song is playing;
"Gumby's not playin' now. He's rompin' down on it", says Jed.
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S432puz0C8
As the next song is playing;
"Here comes Andy Panda, and he's burnin' up the highway", says Donna.
"In a Nash?", Rex jests.
"YES! In a Nash", Donna proclaims to Rex.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_FAqr6rP4w
As the next song is playing;
"Charlie Brown better get out of the way, 'cause Might Mouse ain't stoppin' for nobody", says Clarence.
               https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWXgQa38Pkw
Twenty five minutes can fly by when you're having fun, and before long, the 25 minutes on the four lanes ran out.  It was now only going to be two and a half hours before the start of the competition, and some of the crowd who will be attending had already began to arrive, as well as those with their slot cars and controllers who will be competing in the race.
The thing for the coyotes to do now was to go out to the Chrysler...the real one in the parking lot Al and Marge owns...so the cubs can secure their slot cars and controllers in the trunk of the car. While there at the car, the family took notice how much the style of Clarence's Chrysler 300 slot car resembled the family's Chrysler 300. Clarence even held is slot car up to eye level to get a view appearing as though it was another real 1960 Chrysler 300 parked next to Mom and Dad's car.  
Once the slot cars and controllers were secured, the coyotes went back into the Hobby shop to watch the practice runs...And also, there was an elaborate, HO scale, train board layout, which was one of those kinds that looked so real, that if you set a camera with a close up lens on it and took a picture, it would take a while from the photo to realize it was a model layout. The cubs were fascinated watching the seemingly realistic trains travelling the tracks that ran through the layout that looked like miniature for real countryside and towns. There was even an HO scale, Southern Pacific passenger train running on one of the tracks.
Clarence asked, "Do they have a passenger train here of Amtrak?".
"Amtrak?", Jed asked, Jed's puzzled response hinting to Clarence that there was no Amtrak in 1960.
"Oh. I was thinking of something else", Clarence said as an alibi.
Clarence had no idea that the consolidation of Amtrak and it's logos and colour scheme on it's trains didn't happen until 1973...And lucky it was that no one outside the family over heard that conversation.
As the cubs watched the HO trains, and watched the teenage and young adult animals take turns doing slot car practice runs, the store became more crowded with contestants and spectators...which was good for business as Ted Badger would have lots of potential customers making purchases...It was also obvious that Manuel Kinkajou's business was doing well that evening, being that there were many animals who were returning to the hobby shop with food, drinks and snacks.
The cubs would also browse the store, looking at all the cool stuff, which of course Al and Marge had to tell the cubs, "You can look, but paws off of stuff".
While Ted's store assistant, Ronnie Ferret, was nearby, Clarence asked, "I don't see any drones here. Do you have any?".
Luckily, Clarence and Ronnie were near an inventory of ant farm kits when Clarence asked that.
Ronnie Ferret chuckled and replied to Clarence, "These kits don't come with the ants. You have to dig 'em up and catch them".
Ronnie had thought what Clarence was referring to as drones were male ants, and Clarence then realized that flying drone models weren't around in 1960...Thus Clarence knew to avoid making any further mention of drones.
Finally, the piped in music stopped, and Ted Badger switched the store's music speaker system to intercom mode...it was now 7:00 pm. Time for the slot car race competition to begin, and the store was packed with a big crowd.
Before making the announcement, Ted Badger asked, "Is this thing on?", as he tapped the mike three times, with the speakers sounding >NIK NIK NIK woooooooo<.
"You've got sound, Ted", a wolverine called out.
"I guess it is", Ted replied.
Then Ted announced, "Good evening everyone, and welcome to the monthly, Albuquerque Slot Car Club race competition held here on the second Saturday evening of every month".
"Our contestants tonight will be, Don Wolverine, Kenny Jaguar, Raymond Fox...", Ted Badger read off a list of 81 contestants, including Sonny Cougar, Osmond Genet and many others.
Ted then announced, "For those of you who are with us for the first time, although we have eighty one contestants tonight, you may have noticed the track has eight lanes. How we do this is, we have preliminary races, 100 laps each...All our competition races are 100 laps. Then we have semi-finals until we're down to eight finalist competing for 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize trophies".
Then Ted Badger consulted his store assistant, Ronnie Ferret, who had a list, then continued the announcement, "Because of the odd number of contestants here tonight, how we're going to do this is start the preliminaries off with four races of eight cars each. Then seven races of seven cars each for the remaining cars...Semifinalist will consist of the two fastest cars from each of the eleven races. A car must be able to run the 100 laps in 14 minutes or less to remain qualified. Which means if you make a time that exceeds 14 minutes in the preliminary, even if your car was the fastest car in that particular preliminary race you ran in, you still won't qualify...Believe it or not, I have seen before where all eight cars in a preliminary race did not qualify. Contestants who's cars make times of less than 10 minutes will have the opportunity to challenge semifinalists from other preliminary races".
Then Ted continued, "We'll also use the same process of elimination in the semi-finals until we have eight finalists who will be racing for a chance at being the proud recipient of one of these beautiful trophies you see here.
Then Ted read off the list of the first eight who will participate in the first preliminary race.
Then once the controllers and cars were set up Ted announced, "And may the best animal win".
As Ted Badger pawed the mike over for the first 100 lap race to the vice president of the Albuquerque Slot Car Club, Vince Bear, and while the first eight contestants were running their cars on a warm up lap, Marge let Donna sit up on her shoulders so Donna can see over the crowd...The other cubs were able to get a good view of the race.
Once the cars were lined up on the start line, Vince Bear gave the, "Ready...Set...Go", and the first eight of the fast competition class cars were off and running...After 11 minutes and 51 seconds there was a preliminary winner, being Kenny Jaguar who ran a replica, green, 1956 Jaguar coupe in the 11:51. The 2nd winner was Jason Prairie Dog who ran a car that had a body that looked like a red, white and blue rocket with stars on it in 11:54...only three seconds behind Kenny.
In the next preliminary race, Raymond Fox came in 1st with his red Ferrari making a time of 12:07...In that one, there was no 2nd place winner due to a wipe-out and pile up. That pile up caused the next fastest car, a yellow and black, 1958 Buick belonging to Oscar Jack Rabbit, to make a time of 14:17...now disqualified.
In one of the preliminaries, 19 year old Susan Mink's red, 1958 Plymouth (looks like the car Christine) made a time of 9:42, and 23 year old Roy Ferret's bronze, 1960 Corvair did a time of 9:56...Both Susan and Roy will have the opportunity to challenge semi-finalists from other races.
The cubs continued to enjoy watching the rest of the preliminaries, then the semi-finals...For that matter, Al and Marge enjoyed it too...Then it was finally the final eight contestants.
It was right at 10:58 pm when Vince Bear gave the, "Ready...Set...Go", and the eight finalists were racing for a chance at a trophy. Susan Mink's red '58 Plymouth was in the lead, with Roy's bronze '60 Corvair right behind. Kenny Jaguar's green '56 Jag and Jason Prairie Dog's red, white, and blue rocket car was running neck & neck for third...But then, George Otter's silver, 1957 Corvette wiped out on the far end bank turn into Kenny and Jason's cars, sending all three cars sliding into the wall...That put Raymond Fox's red Ferrari up to third place. By the time someone placed the three cars back on the track, it was too late to make up the time...Thus the winners were; Susan Mink's '58 Plymouth in 1st at 9:46, Roy Ferret's '60 Corvair in 2nd at 9:57, and Raymond Fox's Ferrari in 3rd at 10:10.
Everyone applauded, and photos were taken of the winning contestants holding their trophies and cars, after the trophies were awarded.
After a 2nd round of applaud from the crowd of spectators, Ted Badger made the announcement, "I hope everyone had a good time, and I thank you all for coming out here tonight. I would also like thank all you good folks in behalf of the Albuquerque Slot Car Club who help make this event possible".
Then Ted Badger asked Vince Bear a couple of questions, then announced, "Oh, listen up everyone. Vince tells me that on the second Saturday of July, we're going to have a competition between the Albuquerque Slot Car Club, the Sunset Model Racers Club from Arizona, and the Southern New Mexico Slot Car Racer's Association. That will be the Saturday after the 4th of July".
Then Ted Badger asked Vince Bear, "What day will that be?".
"The ninth", Vince replied.
Then Ted continued the announcement, "That will be July 9th. As slot car racing enthusiasts, you wouldn't want to miss that event".
It was at 11:45 pm (15 minutes before midnight) when Ted Badger announced, "You all have a good night, and please drive carefully going home tonight. We'll see you all here next month...Good night everybody".
As the Coyote Family were getting out to the car, as the crowd was clearing out, and Ted Badger and his store assistant, Ronnie Ferret were closing up shop for the night, Clarence was beginning to realize something.
"I heard someone calling that road Highway 556", Clarence said to Daddy Al, referring to a narrow two lane highway just west of the plaza. "Is that 556 like someone said?".
"That is Highway 556, Son", Al affirmed.
Clarence originally didn't recognize Highway 556 because he remembered it as a four laner in 2018.
"And the fairground is that way a few miles?" Clarence asked while pointing west down Route 66.
"Yes. The fairground is that way right on Route 66, Just a few minutes from here", Al answered.
"Now I know what's gonna happen to this plaza", Clarence said.
"Something bad or good", Rex asked.
"What are you talking about , Son?", Al asked Clarence.
"Dad. I think I know where were we are at in Albuquerque now", Clarence said.
Then Clarence explained, "Interstate 40 is going to be right smack dab where the plaza is now. And the interstate will run off that way", Clarence said as he pointed west northwest.
"SHUCKS! That really stinks!", Rex retorted.
"That's not gonna be cool", Jed added. "Having no more slot car track".
Al assured his cubs, "I'm sure Ted Badger will move the hobby shop to another location by the time this plaza gets torn down for Interstate 40".
"It's a shame too", Marge said. "It's been built only three years ago".
"Well, I guess that's progress for you", Al replied.
Then Clarence pointed west down Route 66, and said, "And that's gonna be Central Avenue. And it's gonna be four lanes with an exit going to it" (referring to the present day Exit 167).
"I can't hardly imagine this place being as Clarence described it", said Marge.
"If the interstate is going through here, you'd be surprised", Al affirmed to Marge.
It was right at midnight when the Coyote Family left Albuquerque on their way home...which put it at between the times of 1:30 am and 2:00 am when they were pulling up into the driveway at home.
That late at night, it didn't take long for Rex, Jed and Donna to head for their bedrooms an climb into bed.
Marge said to Al, "We really need to get a real bed for Clarence", as she pulled out the sofa bed in the living room for Clarence to sleep on.
"We do need to see into that", Al acknowledged.
The family then knew it was right at 2:07 am...That's when that southbound passenger train came through Duran as it usually does at that time.
https://youtu.be/uNwAEptoNl0?t=93
After the train passed by, Al asked Marge, "What time do you want to set the alarm to get up for church tomorrow?".
"Church?!", Clarence retorted.
"Yes...Church", Al told Clarence. "We go to Church of Christ in Santa Rosa every Sunday morning.
Clarence replied, "When I was with my original family, church was only for Easter Sundays".
"It's every Sunday morning in this household. So get use to it", Marge affirmed to Clarence.
"Besides, it would probably do you some good", Al said to Clarence.
With all that said, Al and Marge headed for bed, and everyone got a good night's sleep.

To be continued.


Next episode is Clarence's first day of school in 1960.

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