Today's route was another really good one. We wended our way alongside the Talladega National Forest and the hill country of Alabama and Georgia.
For the most part, traffic was light. We had some Power Tour induced traffic at one left turn, but it only took a few light cycles for our group to finally get through and we were able to regroup at the end of a nice winding two lane road and head to a gas stop.
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| Just about every gas station along the route has a car show- these 2 1960 Impalas had serious motors by the sound of them |
After a crowded gas stop at the only 2 gas stations in sight, Tara and I let Tim and Lori take over the lead and cruised along at the tail of our group. It's a little pressure relief not being in the lead. You're always questioning whether you are going too fast or too slow for the group, whether you should change lanes or stay together. Worse yet, the fear of missing a turn and taking the group and often a bunch of other Power Tour cars off the route with us. This happens a lot because people figure if they are in a pack of Power Tour cars, they can just follow along. When we detoured into Newnan, GA for our lunch stop, about 10 other cars followed us off the route and into downtown traffic.
Before getting to lunch, we passed a Haunted Chicken Ranch, which had a bunch of hearses stacked up on the side of the road. We also ended up on a great twisty stretch of scenic byway, but were stuck behind a Prius that puttered along at 35-40 mph and slowed down more for the curves. Each time we hit a passing zone, a few of us were able to pass him with extreme prejudice. We really felt bad for the 6 brand new Corvettes that were stuck behind him with us. This would have been a great stretch of road to open up and carve through the corners at what proper people call an elevated speed.
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| Too clucking scary for me |
We stopped in downtown Newnan for lunch. It's a neat town and they have some art project where there are painted barnyard animals on each corner. It reminded me of the geckos or whatever they were that were put up in Orlando. There were a bunch of restaurants on the square around the courthouse. Some of our group ate at Mother's restaurant which was a soul food place down an alley. I, Tara, Tim, Timmy, and my folks ate at Meat and Greet which was a really good burger place, with several other options. Tara's still raving about her food.
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| Newnan's Art Scene |
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| Happy as a pig in flowers. |
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| Pollo de Los Muertas |
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| Street frontage is overrated |
Once we finished lunch, Tara found a way back to the route that avoided having to backtrack through town. It's a good thing she did. When she checked the Power Tour Facebook page to see if there were any issues along our path, she read accounts of a police officer outside of Newnan who was sitting by a very short left turn arrow and ticketing any Power Tour cars that "blocked the intersection." In a lot of the towns we go through the cops are helpful and will actually control traffic to keep the Power Tour cars from stacking up and snarling traffic. This officer decided to be a jerk rather than help.
Our venue today was the infield of Atlanta Motor Speedway.
There was no traffic getting inside and we went straight to the Motor Medics to get the ball joints replaced. We even ran into our buddy Hollywood Howard and his green Monte Carlo being checked out by the Medics for a vibration at higher speeds. They adjusted his pinion angle and found he had a bad wheel and tire, but after rotating the tires it reduced the vibration some.
At this venue, the Motor Medics were right by the entrance to the Speedway. So, while we waited for them to have an open spot to work on the Acadian, we sat out front and watched the cars roll in. My dad picked up our credentials and got us clocked in and picked up our magnets for us.
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| Hellcat powered 1970 Challenger |
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| Lead Sled |
Once they got the Acadian wheel off the ground, they made short work of replacing the passenger side upper and lower ball joints.
Once they had it all buttoned back up, we headed into the show field and the squeaking and creaking was gone. We parked with Scott (Orange G8) and Jacob, a Power Tour regular with his white G8 who couldn't take the week off of work but came up from Orlando just for the day. There wasn't any shade to be found, but we parked on the grass and there was a decent breeze, so it was comfortable. We picked a good spot to just watch the show roll past as the cars either left the speedway or got in line for the "parade laps" on the oval. Unfortunately, we missed the chance to sign up. On the other hand, while the laps looked fun and some people really pushed it, the line waiting to get onto the track was well over an hour and I was glad not to be sitting in it.
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| Our friends Rick and Lisa on the Parade Lap |
Nova) and the 6 of us went to Graffiti's Greek Taverna and Pizza. Jacob ordered a calzone that was massive. Tara and I split a pizza and it really hit the spot.
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| This thing is huge!! |
Having finished dinner, we went back to the hotel and spent a few hours talking with the other Long Haulers, some of whom we had met over the past few years, others over the past few days. It seems that at least 3 or 4 other cars have the same tastes in hotels as we do. A couple people were cleaning their cars, others doing some last minute repairs while their buddies drank beer and "advised."
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| I guess it beats watching a car repair TV show. |
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| Radical Pro-Street Chevelle |
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| PBR anyone? |
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