Travels with Zia and Zia II: May 2016

Leaving North Carolina was with mixed emotions. We really did enjoy ourselves there. But, it was time to move on. We packed up and headed out on 4/30 with a destination of the KOA Campground in Natural Bridge, Va., a trip of approximately 230 miles.

Rest Stop in VA

The trip was interesting, especially the section of I 77 in the vicinity of the VA State line - very foggy and very slow going at times. But, we made it and mid afternoon we pulled in to KOA Natural Bridge Campgrounds.

Our spot for 2 nights

We spent 2 nights there and on each night, we took a short ride to the Pink Cadillac Diner for supper. Food was good and the prices reasonable......

An interesting decor

Notice the Vermont Plate

On monday, May 2, we packed up and headed out with a destination of Gordonville, Pa and Country Acres Campground, a trip of about 296 miles. Gordonville(aka Bird-in-Hand, Paradise) is in the heart of the Amish Country and Country Acres was neat. It is not a huge campground, but it was neat, and well taken care of. Sites were adequate and roomy. No complaints from us on anything!

The Office at Country Acres

Our Spot at Country Acres

Well, almost no complaints about the place. At first I thought at $50 a day it was a little expensive but then I saw some of the things that we got for that $50 like a free 2 hour tour of the Amish Country. Definitely made it worth it......Oh, and I need to mention that our friends Chuck and Anita from back in Brattleboro showed up on our second day here. We spent time together doing tourist things.....

Our Tour Guide on the left

The tour left from the Bird-In-Hand Restaurant in Bird-in-Hand- one of the 5 or 6 businesses that the owners of Country Acres own. The tour guide was excellent. She provided a running commentary as we drove through the Amish farm lands, distinguishing the Amish from the Mennonites, pointing out Amish customs like explaining why some kids rode scooters to school and some rode bicycles. She explained the Amish one room schoolhouses and why Amish children only go to school from grades 1-8. Told stories about religious practices, like the big grey wagon and what it was used for. All in all, we came away from this experience more informed than when we had started. Definitely worth it. And besides that, she took us to some real neat shops.

One of the shops we visited on the tour- they had pretzels to die for.

Ironic- power lines in Amish Country

Mary was quick to notice the sign for Fabric

Yes, that is a small bag of fabric in her hand

And then we were in Intercourse, PA

A view of the land

Our tour ended basically in Intercourse, but we decided to go back and spend some more time in the area as it looked like there was a lot going on here. Our first stop was Stoltzfus Meats for lunch and then some shopping.

This place had an excellent selection of meats, cheeses, breads, spices and best of all, they had a deli that served great food at reasonable prices. Mary and I each had soup and a sandwich and the bill was about $11.00. After we finished eating, we stocked up. And then it was time to play tourist.

We visited a number of the Gift and Quilt Shops and then found a local Winery/Brewery.....

The beer was ok. OK enough to buy a growler of it......

The day after the Tour of the Amish Country we headed to Strasburg and the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum.....

Chuck in his glory

Chuck & Anita

Our tour guide from the day before had warned us that the next day might find most Amish business' closed for the Ascension Day holiday. It was pretty obvious that it was indeed a holiday for them. A lot of them going places in their buggies, as well as walking.....

A convoy

Off in the distance as viewed from PA Railroad Museum

Amish Family walking in to Strasburg

One of the last places we visited in the Intercourse / Bird-in-Hand area was Kauffman's. They had quite a selection.........

The signs tell the tale

Done shopping at Kauffmans

Homeward bound......

And then it was our last night at Country Acres. We had Chuck & Anita over for a Happy Hour and then dinner. We did make a dent in the Growlers and then it was time to dig in to some of those Stoltzfus Meats hamburgers and Macaroni salad. And were they ever good!

On friday morning May 6, it was time to pack up (again) and head out. Unfortunately it was all done in the pouring rain. And rain it did for most of the way to NY. At least it wasn't snow. And it wasn't lightning and thunder. And no tornados. Yes, we are thankful for some things. Chuck and Anita headed out too, their destination for the day was to try and get all the way back to Brattleboro, Vt. Ours was a little simpler- 296 miles to the Finger Lakes Region of NY and more specifically, Cayuga Lake and SNED Acres Campground in Ovid, NY, where we would be staying for a month before moving 15 miles or so north to 2 NYS Campgrounds. More of that to follow...............

Trip Summary: Since leaving AZ on 4/1/2016 and arriving in PA, we have travelled 2885 miles, stayed at 12 RV Parks, and travelled through 9 States(AZ, TX, LA, MS, AL, TN, NC, VA, PA). This is the only way to live. And yes, HOME IS WHERE WE PARK IT.

On 4/22/16 we left Tennessee and headed to North Carolina- a state that we had not visited before. The main purpose of our trip was to visit with grandson Peter who was now living in the Charlotte area. We left Sevierville, TN in the rain and traveled in it most of the way to North Carolina but it did not hide the beautiful views along the way. I 40 from TN to Asheville was really something and a must do - AGAIN. We arrived in Asheville and with not too much difficulty found our campground, Campfire Lodgings. What a beautiful location - as is evidenced by some of our photos.....

The Office

Our Spot - # 17

Views were awesome

The second day that we were there, we did some exploring. Started with Blue Ridge Parkway.....

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, we found the Folk Art Center......

This Quilt was incredible

Next stop was the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitors Center....

And then it was downtown Asheville........

Lots of stuff going on .....

Inside The Thirsty Monk for lunch and a beer

Our time spent in Asheville was way too short. We definitely have to schedule another trip here some time- just way too much to do and 3 days in just not enough time to do it in.

And then it was off to Charlotte....and a visit with our grandson Peter.

Downtown Charlotte off in the distance

Bruton Smith Blvd. heading towards Charlotte Motor Speedway

We stayed at Yates Family Campground and Kevin, our host was most welcoming. We had a nice spot, and best of all - we were close to everything. The campground is positioned just off turn 2. We were about 2-3 miles from Concord Mills Mall and probably 1/2 mile as the crow flies from Hendrick Motor Sports Shops & Museum.

Our spot at Yates Family Camping

We made a day of it with Peter. He joined us at the campground early morning and after reviewing photo "albums" of where we have been and what we have been doing while "on the road" and catching up with him on what he has been up to, we hit the road for Welcome, NC and the home of RCR Shops and Museum.

Watching them load the Race Car Haulers prior to departing for Talladega.

Great Pic!

We finished off the day by going out to dinner.......

Great time. And was it ever good to see Peter. He is pretty special to us.

We kept pretty busy in the Charlotte area. One of the first places that we visited was the Cabarrus County Visitors Center. They were very helpful, answered a lot of our questions about the area and gave us some literature to help us get around the area. From there, and since it was so close, we visited Hendrick Motor Sports Shops and Museum. As I mentioned earlier, it was quite literally just around the corner

Dale Jr's Daytona Winning Car

Now there is some history

Ken Schrader's car after a wild ride at Talladega

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The race shops were very interesting.....

Main Entrance

Something new is going up

We followed up the Hendrick Shop Tour with a tour of the Richard Childress Racing Shops in Welcome, NC, which is about 50 miles north of Charlotte. All in all, it was an interesting day spent there.

We watched them load up the haulers prior to departure for Talladega that same day. Peter actually spotted the #3 Hauler on I 85 heading South when we went to dinner that night.

When we left the main shop, Peter and I took a walk down to the XFinity Race Shop......

Just as we got there, Richard Childress was seen leaving

While Peter and I were there, Mary had elected to stay at the Main Administration / Shop Building, and while she was waiting for us, this guy walked up to her and asked her if she was enjoying her visit, where she was from, etc and just before leaving introduced himself as Mike Dillon, Richard Childress's son in law and the Manager of RCR. His 2 sons drive race cars for RCR. Interesting

After our day with Peter, the next day was spent doing the Charlotte Motor Speedway "Over the Wall Tour". As Seniors, the tickets cost us $18.00 each, and in hindsight, will say it is probably the best $36.00 I have ever spent. The Tour was for 2 hours and started at 10:30.

Our Parking Spot at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Our transportation

Our Tour Guide - Arlene.

Arlene told us that she has been doing this for 47 years! She was VERY knowledgeable and it was so apparent that she loved her job. There was just Mary and I and another couple from Wisconsin and we got the first class tour. We saw everything and experienced much. We will start with the ride around the track. I did catch a glance at the speedometer at one point and it was registering around 80. And this is a van, not a race car. And we did the whole track, including the turns. Up high. On 22 degree banking. We also did the inside road course. She was really enjoying herself, while the rest of us got used to the g forces of her turns on the course. From there we did the infield.....

We visited Winners Circle, Winners Circle Lounge, and the Infield Media Center

The Infield Media Center

The Media Center with seating and desktop/computer space and seating for 150

From the Media Center, it was a visit to Pit Row and the Start / Finish Line, and lets not forget Victory Circle.....

Start / Finish Line

Victory Circle

While we were visiting in and around pit road, one of the Marketing people came over to us and said he had a surprise for us.......he had the trophy for the upcoming All Star race in the back of his car and asked us if we would like to see it......

We all actually got to "touch" it.

The Speedway

From the Speedway, she took us outside the facility to 2 nearby related facilities: The Dirt Track at Charlotte and the Dragstrip.

We couldn't get the van on the track, but I'd bet that if she could have, Arlene would have.

And then it was off to the Drag Strip...

The Corporate Suite

Arlene actually took us up the 1/4 mile of the track (with it floored of course) to show us the end of the track - after the parachutes come out, and if they fail, what precautions are available. Like sand and barrels.

Arlene says that she has raced some of the other tour drivers here, and was disappointed to say that her Ford vans were no match for the Chevy vans, which always won. She was a blast.

And then it was on to to the Corporate Suites.

Parking the van on one of the upper levels to access the Elevators

The Elevators

Bank of America Suite

And then to the Coca Cola Corporate Suite.....

And then finally to Bruton Smith's own corporate suite. Bruton Smith is the one who owns the whole place.....

We all decided that we liked this one the best

Check out the round table legs

One last view of the Corporate Suite area......

Our last stop on the tour, was to the Performance Racing Network offices, which are located on the Ground Floor of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Offices.....

As we left the PRN offices, I caught sight of a couple of neat pics.....

Autographs of drivers who were interviewed live on PRN

This pic says it all

And then our tour was over. It was without a doubt one of the more enjoyable days that I have had. Until the next day.

The next day was my Richard Petty Ride. And I didn't think it could get any better. WRONG!

Got there around 10:30 and got in line

And then it was my turn....

And then it was my time.....

I mentioned to this nice lady that I had done ride years ago up at NH. She said that was her absolute favorite track. She normally worked in the office, but loved to travel to NH. Her husband worked in engine shop at Hendrick.

The guy helping me get in, asked me where I was from and when I told him VT, he mentioned that he used to go hunting up in Ascutney area. Small world.