Ann & NASCAR country

We started the day with an hour tour of the Charlotte Motor Speedway including a lap around the 24 degree banked track at speed, well, the best speed of an 15 passenger van. We have been on tracks before but this was the first time they did 60 or 70mph. From there it was a stop at DEI, our second time there. Since Dale was killed in 2001 at the Daytona 500 the museum is now half memorials from his fans. Next stop was to see and visit with Ann, Judy's niece. She showed us her & Mark's new home, very nice. Mark is on the road living his dream. He drives the motorhome and works for Brad Keselowski who drives the #2 Miller Lite car in the Sprint Cup Series for Roger Penske. The three of is went out for a BBQ lunch which Judy (the BBQ queen) said was very good. We then went to JR Motorsports, Kasey Kahne Racing, Martin Truex Jr Motorsports, Kyle Bush Motorsports & Penske Racing. Sounds like a lot of traveling but they are all located within a very few miles of each other in Mooresville, NC. Ann also showed us where she & Mark use to live, their landlord was a guy names Dale Earnhardt Jr. When they took their trash out they drove a golf cart up his driveway to a dumpster. Neet. I stopped to visit him but the gate was closed, seems he was in Richmond, VA for a race so we turned around in Dale's driveway. We really enjoyed hearing Ann talk about meeting some pretty famous NASCAR people, including Jr. My last comment.....this darn blogger program sure doesn't put the pictures where I told it to put them! Dang.

Charlotte, North Carolina next to Charlotte Motor Speedway

We made the 154 mile trip into North Carolina arriving at 12:30. The CG is just a field with stone roads & sites. We are here 4 nights to see Ann, Judy's niece, tomorrow and do some NASCAR sightseeing. If we walk to the back of our site we can see the turn 2 bleachers and the water tower of Charlotte Motor Speedway. The CG is a racetrack CG so nothing to get excited about but the location. As I sit here we can hear the cars testing on the track, tomorrow morning we'll tour the facility before going to seeing Ann.

Either I forgot to lock the sliding doors to the bedroom after cleaning the carpet this week or the expressway was a lot bumpier than I thought because both doors were off their tracks and stuck open for the first time. I wonder if this excited Patches who, we think, travels in the bedroom either on the bed or hiding beside it.

Split Creek Farm....what does it grow?

The answer is goats, what did you think?

After the goat farm we went into Pendelton, a touristy type of an old quaint city, for lunch at the bakery deli. It was much better than yesterday. The building above is the Farmers Hall built in 1826.

There were a few politicians on the farm too and here they are in the above photos.

The end product of the 350 dairy goats is milk, cheeses, yogurt, fudge & soap.

These fellows are 2 weeks old and this is how they feed them.

This is Huey, Duey & Louie born 30 hours ago. Well, I guess Dewey isn't in these shots with his two brothers. Mom is isolated from them as mothers milk can spread goat diseases.

We returned to our home mid afternoon and started the procedure to pack up for tomorrows move. That makes it sound like moving is a major task, it isn't. We can be ready to go in 45 minutes easy & less than that to sit up.

$4 for strawberries???? Big brother is watching!!!!

We have been flying low the last 2 days. We did get 2 quarts of strawberries from a road side stand, when did they go up to $4 a quart? Good grief. Tuesday we didn't leave the campground, Judy took Patches for a walk, they are short and S L O W but Patches is happy. Sprawled on the back of the couch looking outside is one of her favorite spots. Today we went to Anderson, SC on the back roads and did the laundry, had a non memorable lunch at a local restaurant, did the laundry and fueled the truck for Fridays trip to NC. The forecast is for storms this evening and tonight but previous storm forecasts were wrong.

Back in February Judy started contacting one of our senators, Debbie Stabenow for tours of the White House, Capitol & Bureau of Engraving. We had to give them our social security numbers for a background check. The staffer said she'd be back in touch 2 or 3 weeks before our visit to DC. We have not heard anything so Judy called her contact yesterday and she received an email today. Our request to tour the White House was denied.....now there is no doubt in my mind the President keeps records of who contacts him telling him what we citizens think of his poor performance. The staffer didn't mention our request for the other two tours so Judy will call.....again....tomorrow. I bet the senators also keep records of non supportive constituents & will not be surprised if we get turned down again. I love our big government & their efficiency & I will keep telling them. Randy....if they come for you tell them it's me they are seeking using your address and they can come & find me! Rant off.

Duke Energy, Stumphouse tunnel & Issiquenna falls

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Today we did a half day road trip. The first stop was Duke Energy's World of Energy display at their Oconee Nuclear Station in SC. World of Energy takes you from the early 20th century as Duke transitioned from hydro electric to coal to nuclear power generation. The pictures show the entrance, Judy at one of the displays and their three nuclear reactor containment buildings.

Following that we went to the Stumphouse tunnel, where else but at Stumphouse Mountain. The tunnel was planned to connect the Blue Ridge Railway between Anderson, SC to Knoxville, TN in 1853. There were 1500 Irish miners working with hand tools & black powder on it but the Civil War then economic problems doomed the tunnel to nowhere. It sat unused until 1951 when Clemson University acquired the tunnel to, get this, cure blue cheese (due to its constant 54 degrees and 85% humidity), really. They stopped using the tunnel when they built a facility duplication the tunnel's environment.

At the same park we also walked over to the Issiquenna falls. To make a long story short the name came from an young girl kidnapped by the Cherokee, falling in forbidden love with a trader, running away (by riding a horse 96 miles) to warn him the Cherokee we going to raid the settlers, and hiding under the falls to escape the Indians.

A unique Easter

On Friday we stayed home, Saturday we went to Fair Play then Seneca. Seneca for a few groceries and local exploring. On the way back going through Fair Play we stopped at a small bakery....wow....good blueberry donuts and a great loaf of multi grain bread. Sunday we went to the CGs Easter sunrise service beside the lake. There were 12 of us but the missionaries service was disappointing. It was unique so we had to check it out.