Seeing the Junkman's videos from past events, I decided to make plans to attend Corvettes Against Breast Cancer at Atlanta Motor Speedway this year. I like road trips, and took some extra time to take the "long way" down and back.
Left home on Friday morning and drove down through DE and into VA. Made plans to stop in Chincoteague and took a boat tour of the area, hoping to catch those famous wild ponies.
Lighthouse on Chincoteague:
Saw just a couple of ponies from the boat:
Stayed in the Chincoteague area Friday night, and made my way across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge / Tunnel on Saturday morning. What a marvel of engineering. It's a strange sight speeding across the bridge portion, straight into a boat! Driving solo, I didn't have a chance to snap any pictures from the car.
After a quick stop that day at the local (Outer Banks) Harley dealer, I drove on to the Outer Banks. Kept thinking how this would be a great destination for a Corvette gathering. At the same time, though, Sandy was moving in on the coast:
I took a little time to visit the Wright Brothers National Monument site before I high-tailed it outta there:
I was running a little behind schedule at this point, so I headed West across North Carolina and turned South into South Carolina. The thousand or so signs along I-95 influenced me to make a stop at that infamous tourist trap "South of the Border":
After browsing the souvenir shops, I headed over to "Reptile World" with low expectations. I was pleasantly (?) surprised - this place had a huge collection of reptiles, including a snake that could have easily been mistaken for a rolled-up green carpet
I took a picture of this monster before leaving:
I drove across I-20 for quite a while to reach the Atlanta area late that night. The next day, it was time for the event. I'd PM'ed Junkman from the road and we made plans to get breakfast at the local Cracker Barrel before driving out to the track that morning.
Lining up in the garage. That's the "Junkmobile" at the rear of the shot, and my red Corvette in the front:
Garage starting to fill up with 'Vettes:
The AMS Pace Car:
Taken right after I made my first set of laps (I got to go out twice). Had the 'Vette up to 106 MPH in turns 3 and 4
The Junkmobile is in the picture here again:
I forgot to get a picture of my car in winner's circle before leaving, but AJ was nice enough to rub it in with one of his:
I stayed in the Atlanta area that evening, and hit the road again early on Monday. Made a stop in the Royston area to see the Georgia Guidestones. What an odd monument:
Then it was on to Charlotte. I had made reservations to have a tour of the local race shops on Tuesday, but it was cancelled d/t conditions expected from the Hurricane. That didn't stop me or the Corvette from making the tour on our own.
Stopped at the North Carolina Racing Hall of Fame in Mooresville:
A trip to Hendrick Motorsports Shops and Museum in Corcord:
From the lobby of the 88/48 shop:
And the 24/5 shop:
Cool photo op:
Stopped at the RK Motors showroom outside of Charlotte for a look at all the cool collectibles here. Lots of low-mileage muscle cars and rare vehicles to choose from. The staff was very accommodating:
From there I continued the trip home, stopping on the campus of the University of Virginia on Tuesday night. I also wanted to see Monticello while I was in the area, but didn't feel like paying the $35 they wanted just to get a look at it
Road Trip to Atlanta - CABC 2012
Blue Angel
