Bristol, TN. Sept 10 - 14th

Yep! It finally happened. After four months on the road, Melissa and I finally went our separate ways and the second bed in the RV got used. We mutually agreed that is was best for both of us.

Here's how we got to this point. I'm a NASCAR fan and I've always wanted to see the Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It's an iconic race and kind of a bucket list item for me. Spending three days watching bright colored cars go in circles doesn't make it on to Melissa's list of top 1,000 things to do in her life time. But spending three days with some of her girlfriends drinking champagne and doing fun girl stuff definitely makes it on her list.

Fortunately we talked through it and figured out a way to save our marriage. 😁🤣 Some of Melissa's besties and my two sons, Garrett & Nicholas, fly into Asheville, NC. We pick all of them up at the airport in Betty, drop the girls in downtown Asheville, and us boys make the two hour drive to Bristol, TN. Tahdah! Girls weekend! Boys weekend! Brilliant idea!

I decided it would be cleaner to split the weekend into two separate posts so we'll start with Bristol, TN.

The drive to Bristol was beautiful. Some long, steep grades through dark green forests. Bristol is a relatively small town of about 28,000 people that sits right on the border of Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. BUT it has a Speedway that holds up to 146,000 fans. AND the track is only 1/2 mile oval so you can see the entire track from any seat. There are several RV campgrounds adjacent to the Speedway. We chose Earhart Campground. Had everything we needed. Full hook ups and only a 7 minute walk from our RV to the track. Hey, we were there to see racing under the lights at Bristol so campground requirements were minimal.

Weekend was so fun! We used all three beds in the RV. Everyone in the campground was super cool. Weather was great with comfortable days and cooler evenings. Two races on Thursday (ARCA and Truck Series for you NASCAR fans). Another race on Friday night (Xfinity Series) and the premier race on Saturday night (Cup Series). LOVED the time with my boys. No, we didn't drink champagne. We drank beer, whiskey, tequila, and vodka. No, we didn't eat caviar. We ate hot dogs, soft pretzels, and baked beans. We bbq'd chicken, burgers, asparagus, peppers, and potatoes. We sat around the firepit, watched football, and pondered life. We played cornhole and threw the football. We rode in the back of a monster truck. We saw plenty of racing, mullets and sleeveless t-shirts. We generally channeled our inner redneck and had a great weekend. It's Bristol, Baby!!

Melissa's weekend had a lot of similarities. Uh....no. 🤣

Except for the part where she spent time with people she loves, her weekend was quite different and you'll hear all about in my next post.