I'm not sure how many of you know what Burning Man is, but living in the SF Bay Area and working in an industry that is largely populated by people younger than me, I have been familiarized with it. It is a festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada over the Memorial Day weekend that is full of art cars, semi- (or fully-) naked people, techno music, art installations and a giant wooden man that is burned in effigy to all the problems the people at the festival have in the real world. The population at the festival makes it the 3rd largest "city" in Nevada for a week or so, behind Las Vegas and Reno respectively. So many people from around San Francisco attend the festival that traffic in the area is markedly less.

I equate the drop in email and message board traffic during the Fray to that of foot and automobile traffic during Burning Man. It sure gets quiet on HOWL and the HO sections of Hobby Talk, SCI and other message boards.

I also equate the re-entry into the regular world after the Fray to be like olympic athletes following their performances every 4 years. I once heard Jonny Moseley talk about his life after winning his gold medal in which he wanted to do ANYTHING but go skiing. He had spent every moment of his life for many years working to that point in his life. Having won a gold medal, he put up his skis for a long time before even thinking of hitting the slopes again. I imagine many Fray competitors suffer from T-Jet fatigue after running their 45 year old toy cars for 2, 3 or more days straight, especially after "training" and preparing for the event for weeks and months.

There are few people who stay active in this here slot car hobby of ours for decades. I can think of a few, Curtis Adams, Rick Philis, Bob Lincoln, Bob Beers and Henry Harnish come to mind immediately. I know there are many others, but they're escaping my brain at the moment.

I am a prime example of someone who has come and gone from the hobby a couple times. I started with slot cars back in the 70s with my Jackie Stewart set. That lasted a few years until junior high school when I needed money for bikes, movies and other new interests, so the slot cars were sold at a garage sale.

Then in the 90s, The Phantom Surfers released their "The Exciting Sounds of Model Road Racing" LP just as I was moving to San Francisco. I found a cool HO scale set at a sidewalk sale, set it up in the living room, Phantom Surfers blasting, and I was hooked again. However, I couldn't find any HO scale tracks, hobbyists or racers in my area, but about 10 minutes away was Slot Car City in Colma, CA. I ran there for a few years, enjoying 1/24 scale stock cars, sprint cars, can-am cars and drag racing. With the closure of Slot Car City, I sold my slot car stuff for a ridiculously low price and my interests grew in scale to RC cars. I tried that for a couple years, but due to living in one of the most expensive cities in the country, traveling to tracks on a regular basis was cost prohibitive.

Now in the early 2000s, I picked up a Super International track with cars, some other HO cars, pieces, parts, bits and bobs, as well as a wealth of information from those that I met online.

Where am I going with this? Well, as people fal out of the hobby for one reason or another (financial reasons, interests change, wives clean out the garage, kids grow up, etc), it gives us a chance to enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor and efforts, as well as introduce it to others who show interest.

While it sometimes might feel like pulling the boots of a fallen cowboy, I think it's more often appreciated by the person getting out of the hobby for carrying on their interest. Many times they may be able to continue to offer information and insight into their collection, as well as hints and tips for racing, painting, construction and collecting.

We are standing on the shoulders of giants and continue the lineage of slot cars, be they HO, 1/43, 1/32 or 1/24 scale. We are rich with information, historical vehicles, tools and equipment, as well as racing venues and competitors.