Another series to start: I give some awesome ways to spend a Saturday, whether it’s the middle of the summer or the dead of winter. This is installation one of many.

It was a gloomy Saturday morning. I would wake up a little dazed from the night’s debauchery that ensued. I knew I had to hustle: It was already 8:30AM and a bust day was ahead of me. I would rally my roommate and descend upon free coffee and a fun peaky chest-to-head-high session at the local watering hole. After some good wholesome fun, it was time to hop out and get into the meat and potatoes of this send Saturday (thanks Nyjah).

The game plan was chug on down to north county SD and hit the Del Mar racetrack. The game plan was to take the 1:30PM train to get down there for ~3PM. We would bet on some ponies and stick around for sunset and a set from Iration (this being my 3rd time seeing them). Sounds like a pretty fun day, eh? It is for sure a marathon, but we had a crew of relay runners ready to get the job done.

My house and I were pretty put together: we kept the pregame to a minimum and hopped in the Uber to the train station at 1 o clock. This was ideal as the station was around twenty minutes away. Also to help paint a picture, we all were clad in white pants and collared shirts. I was sans collared shirt, but was rocking white jeans and a white jean jacket. A snow white Canadian Tuxedo.

We pulled up to the station with perfect timing. We had around 5 minutes until the train would arrive. Everything was going according to plan, except for the fact all our friends were missing. Luckily for them, the train would be delayed 30 minutes, and they would arrive in time for the newly timed train. We made a friend while we waited, and him along with one of my pals walked to a nearby gas station for more booze. It was time to hop on the train. All of us would soon realize this train was far from empty.

There wasn’t a single set of seats next to each other. Some awkwardly sat next to people far less energetic than us. We would eventually all stand in a circle near the caboose of the train, in our own little zone trying to be as orderly as possible. All of us with drinks in hand, decided to kill the time being with some conversation. 1 hour did not go by fast nor slow, probably the perfect pace.

Upon exiting the train, it was time to hop on another vessel of transportation: the shuttle. It would take us from train station to track. Super easy and we got right on without waiting a single minute. Fast forward 10 minutes and we were at the gates of paradise. We would have ample amounts of time to place bets and sip drinks, which we did plenty of both. Everyone lost money, whether form one or the other. In most people’s cases: both.

We would post up in the grand stands with our heavy wrecking crew, enjoying smiles and shouts. At one point a pal and myself found ourselves in the owners box. We cheered for the horse as if it was ours, because if we didn’t the jig might have been up. It was a short-lived stint, and we scurried back to our zone as if nothing had happened. Because nothing had happened! It was hard to think guys dressed this good couldn’t be in the mix. The day would go on, and the last horse race would ring in Iration.

We made our way to one more drink and mobbed the stage for a glorious sunset. It only felt right that a concert of this vibe would have a rifling sunset behind it. The sun would set, and the darkness would ensue around the crowd. Even though the sun still was in the sky, it was a cloudy sunset. I mean, it’s a reggae concert so you knew there would be some big smoke from the rastafari’s. It comes with the territory at these types of tings.

As summer nights finished up and a few songs were left, it was time to take on the trip back. An uber of epic price proportions would be in our future, but when split between four people was almost as affordable as the train. The only downside, you might ask? No music was played and it was a long hour. I decided to pull the power move of taking a snooze, waking up right when we pulled up thanks to a nice alarm clock named Wyatt and Lucas. Inside our crib we would go, and was in my bed in less than 5 minutes. A day well spent.