THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

(MARCH 5, 2018)  Well my 2018 Basketball vacation is under way. I left Newton, North Carolina this morning at 8:15 an made my way down Route 321 to Gastonia where I picked up Interstate 85 and headed south.

Some 20-Miles later I crossed into South Carolina. With the Big Peach in Gaffney in my rear view mirror it was on through the Greenville-Spartanburg area where road construction slowed me down just a little.

About 45 minutes later I put South Carolina behind me and crossed into the Peach State. I made a quick stop at the Georgia Welcome Center. This is one of the nicest Welcome Centers on the south and the Staff is always nice and more than helpful. They even took a photo of me and Homer the Gnomer with the Bulldog in the lobby.

The next hour an a half was smooth sailing and then I started to encounter the famed Atlanta Traffic. I time My arrival in the Atlanta area to hopefully avoid rush hour. I did encounter a couple of slowdowns as I made my way onto I-285 from I-85 but for the most part my trek around Atlanta was smooth and uneventful.

It took about 35 minutes to make my way around I-285 and transition on to Interstate 20 west, which really wasn't bad at all. I have seen a time when it has taken almost 4-hours to make it 40-miles.  Those days are no fun. 

Having made my way quickly around Atlanta I stopped for Lunch at Exit 24 in Villa Rica, Georgia before heading on toward Alabama. After lunch, the Traffic on Interstate 20 was really light and I was able to make great time crossing over into Alabama and the Central Time Zone.  

Making good time and gaining an hour, I decided to make my way over to the Talladega Super Speedway and tour the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum.  I have been here on a couple of previous trips to the area and have enjoyed it. Today, it was a way to take a break from a long day of driving. 

The self-guided museum tour cost $12 and took me about 90-minutes to go through the three different wings.  I really enjoyed seeing the older cars of the early stars, like the Famed Black and Gold #22 driven by Fireball Roberts. 

There are several cars on display that were driven by the Alabama Gang; Bobby, Donnie and Davey Allison along with Red Farmer.  Seeing these cars brought back memories of the days when I use to watch and attend Race. These were real race cars and the drivers was nothing short of being folk heroes.

Fireball Roberts Famed #22

I haven't been to a NASCAR Race since 2003 and can't tell you when the last time I watched a race on TV.  When Dale Earnhardt and Bill France, Jr. died so did NASCAR. I have completely lost interest in the NASCAR of today but enjoyed revisiting some of the cars and drivers of my past. 

Before I left the Talladega Super Speedway I checked my Gas Buddy App and found that gas at a near by Pilot Station was $2.16 so I opted to fill up before heading on into Birmingham. It has been 523 miles since I last filled up at Kroger's in Christiansburg which figures out to 39.96 mile per gallon. Not Bad gas mileage, I'll take it. 

It was an easy trip on into the Birmingham area, actually just east of Birmingham, I turn south on Interstate 459 and followed it south to Interstate 65 which I followed to the community of Pelham which I am spending the night at the Sleep Inn on Southgate Drive.

The first day of my Lone Star Basketball Vacation comes to and end  her in the Birmingham Area. Tomorrow we will make our way across the rest of Alabama and all the way to Vicksburg, Mississippi where I will spend the next couple of nights.

MILES TODAY: 411

TOTAL MILES: 573

Here is a short video from my visit to the International Motorsport Hall of Fame and Museum