Newark, Delaware to Indianapolis to Atlanta

The one day event in Newark was on the coldest day of the year thus far and we were outdoors, the only good thing we had going for us was NO precipitation. I use the word precipitation instead of rain because as cold as it was it would have been snow…ugh!

We had more issues with our helpers at this show and it took a real toll on us. There were several times throughout the day when there was only Jerry and myself to do it all and we were busy but when it came to loading up the truck we had plenty of helpers which was fantastic since I had done something to my knee and it was hurting bad.

We were beaten when we got done, we thought we would never feel normal again and we even wondered what the hell was normal anyway? We loved working with this company, the traveling was great, the assistance from management was outstanding but the onsite helper issue was weighing heavy on us but we continued on.

This was going to be a shorter travel week since we were heading to Indianapolis for the Super Regionals which is a two day show, so we needed to arrive a day earlier. We only had a little over 600 miles to travel but we were so exhausted from working so hard at the last show that we honestly thought we would not be able to do it.

It was tough since the Super Regionals were much busier and having that extra work day was intense but we nailed it…we topped our goal by lots and it was the push we needed to get us through it and on to Atlanta, another Super Regional, but once that event was done we had a week off in between traveling back to Indianapolis for the Grand Nationals which would be the finale to this entire ride.

We were both sad and happy to see it coming to an end…

We traveled to Atlanta in a daze, a little over 600 miles in 3 days which wasn’t too bad and even though we had some rain the weather was still on our side.

Our hotel, Hyatt Place Atlanta/Cobb Galleria that was located far enough from Atlanta but close enough for an easy drive in to the event was a gem…one of the best hotels we had stayed in our entire adventure. We were happy!

We celebrated my birthday by having a very nice linner at Carrabba’s Italian Grill with a few new tastes of some different wines.

We tasted the Rosatello Moscato from Italy and the Saint M Riesling from Germany and were quite pleased with them both. They each had a sweet but clean taste that did not leave any aftertaste but a desire for more.

The Three Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer with all the right spices combined with the cheeses and sausage was so tasty.

Our main courses were scrumptious as well…Seafood done Italian Style makes it so much better than we ever imagined seafood to be prepared.

Again, we worked hard at this event but once completed we had an extra week for play time and we certainly took advantage of it all.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Things Do Get Better…They Always Do!

We arrived at the Winston-Salem event which ended up to be one of the worst events we have endured. It was a one day show and helpers were none to be found and the ones we had were just a nightmare. Just way too inquisitive about things that are not any of their business, we were very uncomfortable the entire event but we made it through.

We stayed at Best Western Plus Hanes Mall Hotel in Winston-Salem, North Carolina which was just a few miles from the event. The hotel was clean, the workers were very accommodating and the bed was very comfortable but the parking was a nightmare all up a very steep hill, the room refrigerator leaked and made some weird noises, and our first morning breakfast consisted of moldy eggs…ruined me for a few days.

Our original plan after this event was to take our time getting to the ocean to hang out for a day but instead we drove almost 300 miles just so we could have two days on the ocean, which is exactly what we needed.

Since it was off season, we got a fantastic deal on a Jacuzzi room overlooking the ocean and we took full advantage of the patio and Jacuzzi for our 2 nights in Virginia Beach at the Schooner Inn. Funny how a night listening to the waves can take away all the stress that life brought to us. We were right on track once again.

We took a short walk to a nearby souvenir store to pick up a few trinkets and then stopped for lunch at Waterman’s where they serve fresh local seafood.

Our food was succulent and delightful and the Bloody Maria’s were just what the doctor ordered…only enough spiciness to make us order another one.

Life was good and it was hard leaving but we had more excitement ahead this week…

Our first adventure on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It was intimidating but exciting at the same time…two tunnels and plenty of bridge had our hearts pumping and the camera clicking.

We made our way to Dover, Delaware where we stayed at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino which was located right on the Dover International Speedway.

The hotel was nice but many of the workers need a bit of customer service refresher course, there were a few that were less than accommodating and were not very friendly in the hotel, but when it came to the tour of the track, well let’s just say that George Keller the Historian of the track was outstanding. He knew his stuff and since it was just Jerry and I on the tour he made it especially special. The tour is usually done in a bus but he pulled up in an official pace car and we were jacked.

We did so many laps around the track, stopping as they would for a pit stop, the only difference was they are usually traveling about 200mph and we kept it below 100.

He took us to areas that were usually off limits...

We had a blast...

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.