Baby Bigfoot liked to follow in the footsteps of his Papa Thorne. Papa Bigfoot often took Baby Bigfoot to the top of the mountain, where they could see and hear what the humans called a “race track.” Papa Bigfoot had told him about the loud, shiny machines that transported the humans—called “race cars.” These race cars could go faster than anything Baby Bigfoot had ever seen! The humans drove the race cars around the racetrack, which Papa Bigfoot said was called “Watkins Glen International,” where thousands of humans would gather to cheer on the racers, telling them to go faster and faster!

Papa Bigfoot often shared stories about when he was just a little yeti himself, about Baby Bigfoot’s age. One of Baby Bigfoot’s favorite stories was the time his papa snuck into one of the fast race cars and experienced the ride of his life. And that’s where our story begins.

One night, while walking in the moonlight, Papa Bigfoot stumbled upon the racetrack. His curiosity got the better of him, so he snuck through the fence and into the garage to take a look around. Inside, all the shiny race cars appeared to be sleeping. The garage was peaceful and quiet, and Papa Bigfoot was very sleepy. He crawled into the back of one of the cars to rest his eyes—after all, a little nap wouldn’t hurt.

But early the next morning, Papa Bigfoot was awoken by the sound of humans talking. Oh no! The humans had arrived, and Papa Bigfoot was still curled up in the back seat! Just then, the car made a loud noise and began to shake. “What’s happening?!” thought Papa Bigfoot as the race car began to move. Where were they going?

The car rumbled and grumbled, picking up speed. Papa Bigfoot held on with all his might as the car roared around the track, turning left, then right, then left again. His heart was pounding with excitement—this was the thrill of a lifetime! But he couldn’t make a sound, or the driver might discover him hiding back there. Can you imagine looking in the back seat and seeing a baby Bigfoot staring back at you? So, Papa Bigfoot stayed silent, and soon the car pulled back into the garage and stopped.

His heart was still racing. How would he ever escape without the humans seeing? Just then, a loud voice announced, “Drivers and crew members, please report to the pits for the pre-race meeting.” That was Papa Bigfoot’s chance! After the humans left the garage and the coast was clear, he made a break for it. He ran across the garage, out the door, through the fence, and back into the woods.

His heart still pounding, Papa Bigfoot thought, “That was close!” But he was safe now among the trees. Baby Bigfoot always loved hearing that story, but Papa Bigfoot always warned him to never go near the racetrack and to only watch the fast cars from a distance.

However, Baby Bigfoot, being such a curious young soul with a thirst for adventure, couldn’t get the thought of riding in a race car out of his head! Could Baby Bigfoot find a way to experience the same thrill his father had so many years before?

Determined, Baby Bigfoot spent the next several days preparing for a chance to ride inside a real human race car. He made himself a helmet from a hollowed-out pumpkin and stitched together a racing suit. His forest friends watched in amusement as he practiced running in circles, imagining himself behind the wheel of a race car.

One day, Baby Bigfoot awoke to the distant sounds of cars at the racetrack. “This is the day!” he declared proudly. He gathered his pumpkin helmet and homemade racing suit and took off toward the track. When he arrived, he saw race cars already lined up. This was the perfect opportunity for B.B. to sneak into one of the cars. Surely no one would notice!

Baby Bigfoot found the ideal hiding spot behind a large toolbox, where he watched and waited patiently for his chance. Then he noticed one of the men, clearly not paying attention, talking to several others outside the garage. This chance—it was now or never! Baby Bigfoot put on his helmet and crawled quietly into the back of the race car.

Soon afterward, a man in a racing suit and shiny helmet climbed into the driver’s seat. As the engine started, Baby Bigfoot felt a rush of nerves and excitement as the car rumbled and shook beneath him. He had never been in a race car before! Then the car began to move. This was it! This was the moment Baby Bigfoot had been waiting for!

As the car pulled onto the track, he could hear the roar of the crowd. “Are they all here for my first ride?” he wondered. Suddenly, he felt the car surge forward, tires squealing, and Baby Bigfoot felt butterflies in his stomach. As the car went faster and faster, all the hairs on his body stood up! He had never felt this type of excitement before!

The crowd clapped and hollered even louder as the car moved left, then right, then left again—round and round the track. Baby Bigfoot was having the time of his life! Was this the same feeling Papa had?

Soon, the excitement was too much to contain, and Baby Bigfoot let out a joyful yell. Much to the surprise of the man driving the race car, who also started yelling when he saw Baby Bigfoot staring back at him from the rearview mirror—in his homemade suit and pumpkin helmet!

The man kept yelling as the car went faster and faster through twists and turns. Every time Baby Bigfoot yelled, the man yelled too! Baby Bigfoot thought, “Why would Papa tell me to never come near the racetrack and to beware of humans? We’re having so much fun together!”

After more twists and turns, Baby Bigfoot felt the car surge forward with a final burst of speed, and the crowd erupted with even more cheers and applause! The man driving the car started to yell too, but this time his yelling sounded happy!

Soon, Baby Bigfoot felt the car going around in smaller circles. What was happening? Suddenly, the car stopped, and the man got out to the ROAR of the crowd. Baby Bigfoot watched from the back seat as the man took off his helmet and hoisted a large, shiny trophy over his head. This was all incredibly exciting but very strange to Baby Bigfoot. He had never seen anything like this before. It seemed as though everyone was just as excited about B.B.’s first car ride as he was!

As the man held the shiny trophy high, someone asked how he found enough speed in the final moments to win the race. He glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of Baby Bigfoot still hiding in the back of the race car. With a grin, he said, “I had a little help,” and gave B.B. a wink and a nod for a job well done.

Once the car was back in the garage and all the humans had wandered away, Baby Bigfoot crawled out of the back of the race car. Just then, he heard his father, Papa Bigfoot, bellowing from the woods. He must have been looking for B.B. all day and was worried sick!

So Baby Bigfoot scurried across the garage floor, out the back door, across the grass, through the fence, and into the woods, where Papa Bigfoot was waiting.

Baby Bigfoot worried Papa would be furious that he disobeyed orders and went for a ride in a race car. But Papa Bigfoot just picked B.B. up and gave him a great big hug. Baby Bigfoot began to cry and apologized for running away and sneaking into the race car. Papa Bigfoot was just happy that B.B. was safe and sound.

As they walked through the woods back home, Baby Bigfoot noticed his papa trying very hard to hide a large grin—almost as though he was proud of him, even though Papa would never admit it.

Just before they arrived home, B.B. and Papa agreed that, for their own sake, maybe they shouldn’t tell Mama Bigfoot what actually happened that day.

“Let’s just keep this our little secret,” Papa said.

Baby Bigfoot agreed, with a grin from ear to fuzzy ear.

The end.