All quiet on the western Carolina front

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Today was a lot of fun but not very story-filled. I went to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, just outside Charlotte, to take a tour of the speedway. Back in my redneck days, I was quite an avid NASCAR fan so this was a nice trip down memory lane. When I arrived, aural testosterone permeated the air as drivers from the Richard Petty Driving School were on the track. If that sound doesn’t charge you up, nothing will. I took a $5 tour of the track, where we stopped on pit row, took a van ride in the infield, drove the van around the track (only at about 85 mph, though) and saw the nearby drag strip and dirt track.

Remembering back almost 20 years ago when the sport was in its adolescence, it was amazing to see the extent which the presence of wealth has grown. Back then, only a handful of drivers owned planes they’d use to fly from race to race. Now, there are numerous helicopter pads and many condos surrounding the track as they more resemble Nancy Pelosi’s lifestyle dream than a bunch of hillbillies from the South.

This afternoon, I toured Rosedale Plantation, just outside the Charlotte city limits. The plantation is almost 200 years old and has been significantly refurbished in the last 15 years. It gave me an interesting perspective on pre-Civil War North Carolina plantation life.

Apparently it’s also quite the sight for ghost hunters. Many have claimed supernatural experiences there. One woman on the tour today mentioned some eerie feelings at various spots. While I wouldn’t rule out the possibility completely, perhaps I’m too closed minded to experience this myself. Ghosts or no ghosts, it still was an interesting and aesthetic sight.

Tomorrow I’m off to Clemson and then Atlanta tomorrow night.

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