Day 2 - Charlotte

Charlotte wasn't quite as early a start as yesterday and we were there right at 7:30 to get to the Motor Speedway. We were lined up in the infield.

At least 5 more rows came in after this photo was taken. The gentleman in the center was kind enough to unjam the center console storage for us and I thanked him with a sticker. His car is the Countryman in front of me with the Cookie Monster wave on the boot. We were allowed to make a lap around the track and I was able to go a little faster this time, something over 70 but I'm not sure. I went up the embankment quite a bit and nearly passed the Countryman in front of me but I didn't want to be rude.

Getting out of the track and onto the route was a little more challenging than yesterday. I had to pull over twice to make sure we were going the right way but once we were on our way, it was smooth sailing. Mom and I were on our own for a bit until we caught up with a group that we were a part of for quite a ways. I was grateful for Mom's navigation today because the group missed a turn that she called out and I had several minutes of fun twists and turns without a single car on the road with me. We even saw a doe and fawn, that thankfully darted out of the road when they heard us coming.

After making our way to Pittsboro for a pit stop, we ran into some friends and made some new ones and then decided to not follow the rest of the route sheet, but make our way directly to Richmond. We were running a bit behind and we wanted to get into town and checked into the hotel. We had a nice little three car caravan going into the outskirts of Richmond from there and it was nice to have some company.

I also want thank the RVA MINI group for arranging for the ghost tour we took tonight. It was entertaining and we learned some history along the way. It was nice to get some walking in after being in a car since 7 in the morning!

Today, we started listening to the audio book of Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone. Mom has never read the books (I don't think she's seen the movies, either, for shame!) so I figured this was a great opportunity to get her hooked. I also have Book 2 if she likes it - I think we'll have the time.

Today's Route (Note: I thought I had posted the official routes from Mini, but it looks like if I use any directions in my phone, it overwrites them. I don't know - maybe I'll sort it out when I create a story map at the end. Stay tuned for that!)