Mid-Ohio Indy race 2024

 In July when Indy cars are at Mid-Ohio our S2000 group does the driver parade laps, since the series is sponsored by Honda.

It's really hard for spectators to get good photos because of all the fences, there are only a few spots where there are holes in the fence to shoot through.

Loading up our drivers, mine was Pietro Fittipaldi. We had a good chat and for part of the lap he was doing a live video for his and his brother's blogs.

 

Staunton VA trip

 Every summer we do a weekend trip to Staunton VA. We usually do a Saturday drive from there to High's Restaurant in Monterey for lunch. Several of us started several days early driving all over western VA and West Virginia.

Seneca Rocks in WV. Just down the road from here is a country store with the "2nd best coney dog in WV", at least that's what their sign says. We have eaten there several times and the dogs are pretty good.

 

Even with all the trips I've taken it seems there is always something new you never ran into before. On this trip it was chasing a hearse down a twisty mountain road. He must have been a local because he was really hauling, hopefully there was nobody in the back.

A normal day for us is driving 4 or 5 hours then BBQ for lunch and this is one of our favorite places.

Our "fearless leader".

We  found a couple of beautiful tunnel of trees type roads near Staunton.
 

Marietta Memorial Meet

 We do a weekend trip to southern Ohio every June, usually on route 555 or 26.  

After lunch we stopped at the Big Muskie Bucket. They used to do some kind of mining here and left the bucket from a huge dragline when they stopped.

 

The one on the left is a late model BMW, on the right is last years model.

Water and wildlife

 This year for RTD for me, I started in Michigan but after the event went to Florida instead of back to Michigan. A week or two later I drove back to Michigan and since I didn't have an time constraints I took the fun way, did the sixx-gap in northern GA, moonshiner, 215 over the Blue Ridge, the Gambler, and the Snake.

Coming down 215 from the Blue Ridge heading north there is a fast flowing stream that I've never gotten to photograph. Usually I'm driving full out trying to keep up with the group. This time I was by myself so I stopped, set up my camera and tripod and took some photos.

 

View from the Devil's Counthouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of where 215 crosses it.

Here are a few shots taken over the next couple of weeks. The painted turtles spend most days sunning on the logs floating in the pond.

We usually have a family of geese with chicks every spring.

The painted turtles are always sunning but the snapper is almost never doing it. I tried to get him to turn around but I guess he just wanted a portrait of his rear end.

Hunting for lunch.

Not sure what he was hunting for or if he caught it, his beak was empty when he came back up.

RTD 2024 part 3

Killboy is the original dragon photographer and a great source for posters, signs, stickers and all things tail of the dragon.

Instead of a banquet this year we did a picnic at the base of Fontana Dam and was a hit with everyone.

Lining up for our "monster rollout" over the dragon on Saturday morning.

 

RTD 2024 part 2

 

I hit a special mileage on my S2000 and yes it took some work to figure out when to reset the trip odometer to get this. I've owned this car since new all the miles except maybe 5 were put on by me. This happened on 64 just east of Franklin NC.

The view from behind Bridal Veil Falls. You used to be able to park under the falls but they closed it off several years ago.

Devil's Courthouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway.