June 24, 25, 26, 2016

We are having a ball!  E T included!  We had a track side campsite (dry camping $300 for the event) reserved at Summit Motorsports in Norwalk, Ohio.  BUT … E T  likes  the Gotta Getaway RV Park  in nearby Bellevue, Ohio so we booked one night ($38 water and electric) there, before going to the track.

Above …Site # 18 at Gotta Getaway.   E T loves it here  because there are acres of mowed grass fields for her to run.

At Summit Motorsports Park we have been on a waiting list for one of their 120 track side camp sites (1 – 56 have electric hookups, the rest are dry camping).   We were offered site 118 this year.  For drag racing fans, you’ll understand,  our site is two sites away from the “kitty litter”.  This is where, when the parachutes or brakes on  the cars don’t work,  ALL the way at the END of the track, there is this huge area of gravel and sand (aka kitty litter).  We did a LOT of walking.   The nice thing is there are only two other sites that we are sandwiched between.  This is crazy, but the camper in site 119  also reserves site 120. Whats CRAZY is he reserves both sites for $300 each and only stayed for Friday and Saturday racing.  He left Sunday morning.  You don’t have to leave until Monday by noon.

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Our site #118

Friday racing didn’t end until after 11:00 p.m. with a spectacular fireworks extravaganza.  Ricky said it was the best he’s ever seen.   He also got to see Brittany Force (Monster Energy) and Richie Crampton (Lucas Oil) run the quickest side by side, 1,000 ft in 3.735 seconds,  in NHRA history.  Brittany ran 324.28 MPH topping Richie’s 323.22.  A treat for me was seeing the new “fuel injection” systems instituted by NHRA for the Pro
Stockers.   Check out the photo, with Greg Anderson in the slideshow.  I’ve heard the “blowers” described as elepant noses or giant vacuum cleaners.  What do you think?    Also, check out the Nostalgia Gassers.  Willys vs Anglia … David thinks he should build one and have Ricky drive it!  Also in the slideshow are photos of the NHRA Safety Safari.  These people do NOT get enough recognition for the work the do.  Our campsite, being at the end of the track, gave us a birds eye view of the Safety  Safari in action.  When a crash occurs they are the responders.   At all times, during the racing,  there are three members sitting in full fire suits waiting in preparation. This weekend this was in mid to upper 80’s temperatures.   Ricky, ET and I were sitting outside of the camper when one of the Pro Mod drivers crashed.  It was amazing to watch how organized and quickly the Safety Safari responded.

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One of our and now Ricky’s favorite Sunday morning events is the NHRA, Sealmaster sponsored Track Walk.  All fans are invited to walk the 1/4 mile and get to see and feel what the racers and cars experience.

Our other favorite, only here at Summit Motorsports Park,  is the pint of Ohio made,  Velvet  Ice Cream, for $1.  I hope Ricky doesn’t tell his parents that this is what we had for lunch, three days in a row.

Next Stop … Home!

June 20, 21, 22,  2016.
This is mine and David’s third trip to Mammoth Cave National Park.  When we were planning the trip with Ricky, I asked him if in between, the Tennessee and Ohio drag races would he like to go to Great Smoky Mountain National Park and bike the 11 mile Cade’s Cove Loop at sunrise or Mammoth Caves NP and explore the caves.  Without hesitation he chose the caves.  That was easy!

If you’re planning a trip to Mammoth Cave, here’s a few tips. The website is very deceiving.  The majority of camp sites at the Mammoth Cave Campground are on a first come basis.  The web site lists them all as “reserved” not “reservable”.  If you call Reserve America the operators will tell you there are none available.  When we arrived on Monday, there were dozens of sites available.  We got site #90, in my opinion, one of their best RV sites.  It is a large pull through, very shaded, very private and a short walk to the Visitors Center and amphitheater.  With A Senior or Access pass $10 a night, otherwise $20 a night (no hookups).  There are pay showers, laundry, water and dump station available.

This tip is for reserving cave tours.  Again the website may say a tour is full and may not be.  Call the Visitors Center to reserve.  Don’t wait until you arrive.  Popular tours do fill up.
Most important is read the tour descriptions carefully before booking.  There are degrees of difficulty listed for the tours … easy, moderate and strenuous … based on things like number of stairs, hills, tight passages, number of miles, on the lantern tours, kerosene smell.   David likes the lantern tours, so I booked him and Ricky two,  The Violet City  and the Star Chamber.   I had been on the Violet City and the Star Chamber was new so I passed on the Violet City.   Phew!  Lucky for me!  The Violet City had been upgraded to Strenuous.  The Star Chamber took it’s place in the Moderate category.  When David and Ricky came back from the Violet City Tour they thought I had set them up!  I had NOT.  I just booked without reading.  Sorry Guys!  They both have stories to tell about the “strenuous” parts and their tour guide that thought he was “Kentucky Jones”!  There was a lot of laughing and teasing about the experience.  But, I don’t think Davids calve muscles will ever forgive me.
Besides the two lantern tours we took the Historic and the Domes and Dripstone Tours.  All four tours are very diverse. 

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Other than the caves there are many hiking, biking and “tourist attractions’ in the area.  We have put kayaking on the Green River on our list of “next times”.   We were only here for two days and it was HOT (mid 90’s) and Humid.   The 54 degree temps in the caves were VERY welcoming 🙂

Next Stop … Norwalk,  Ohio

June 17, 18, 19 2016.
I’m calling this The Best of Both Worlds mini tour.  American Airlines flight 1950 to Charlotte then a quick connect to Tri Cities Airport in Tennessee, 18 miles from THUNDER VALLEY!  Best part … I’m with my 15 year old Grandson, Ricky.  This is not Ricky’s first drag racing experience.  He spent a day with us at the Mile High Nationals in Colorado last summer.  He’s in for a real treat.  On a scale of one to 10, 1 being the best, Thunder Valley is #1 and Mile High is #10.   Next weekend we’ll be at Summitt Motor Speedway in Norwalk, Ohio, which is my #2 favorite track.  Watch out Mom and Dad,  Ricky may be asking for a Top Fueler for Christmas!

David and ET drove down in the RV.  They arrived at Earhardt East Campground, at Bristol Motor Speedway ($150, full hook up, for the event) on Wednesday.  They left CT at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday and arrived at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.  David was a driving machine. 

      They spent the night at a Walmart that I’m going to forget that David even told me about.  In my opinion, Walmart overnights are at the bottom of the barrel.  They are one step up from a truck stop.  I am saying this from experience.  When we first started RVing I gave them both a try.  After staying at cream of the crop, State and National Parks and RV Resorts,  I’m NOT camping at a Walmart or Truck Stop unless it’s a last “resort”.

Ricky and I flew because, we could not miss his sister, Megan’s (Grand Graduate #1)  High School graduation.  You’d think Megan would be the one coming, but she chose going to the Florida Keys with us this past winter.  Sunshine and tropical fun vs Nitro and Noise, hmmmmm Both work for me!   I was a little worried that 15 year old Ricky would get bored during three days and over 20 hours of watching drags.  I was wrong to worry.  His favorite part was the eliminations.  He sat in the stands with my clipboard and bracket sheets keeping score.  Note to his Mom and Dad: There’s lots of Math involved in scoring and he’s having fun doing it 🙂

I have previous posts and photos,  to Bristol,  in the archives.  I will mention again, Steele Creek Park.  This is a beautiful park, eight miles from the track.  E T enjoyed her daily walks here and frolics in the creek.

My new Bristol find is the Red Rooster Market.  On the way home from the park one day with Ricky and E T we needed to stop for milk.  I spotted a sign for the Red Rooster Market.  Awesome!  I did not want to travel a couple of miles out of way to the only other place I knew to get milk, Food City.  Ricky waited in the car with E T while I ran in for MIlK.  Twenty minutes later I get back in the car with NO milk, but a huge bag of “goodies”.  The Red Rooster is not a Market, it is a Mom, Pop and Son run restaurant.   I won’t go into the details, but POP told me the entire history of the name and why it’s called a market and not a restaurant.  I also know the Son’s favorite race car drivers, where the family lives and their weekend plans.  Mom was no where to be seen. She is the cook.  My bag of “goodies” was a mix of homemade pot pies and sides.  A little pricy, but Mom is a very good cook!

This slideshow is especially for my friend Sylvia, that used to race at Lebanon Valley.  The cars are driven by my favorite drivers in all four classes.  It’s hard for me to have just one favorite in any one class.  There are just to many fabulous teams and drivers in the NHRA drag racing series to just pick one.

Pro Mod – Ricky Smith and Troy Coughlin

Pro Stock – Jason Line and Greg Anderson

Funny Car – Courtney Force and Tim Wilkerson

Top Fuel – Clay Millican and Richie Crampton

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