[Richard and Rhonda]

Bristol was fun, and completely different than what I expected. First, the last NASCAR race I attended was in 1975, so a lot has changed since then. I was prepared for the drinking and behavior that goes with it, both in the stands and in the campgrounds. Frankly, the obnoxious behavior just wasn't there. It was almost genteel. The second thing I was unprepared for, and perhaps this explains the first observation, was the total acreage of RV''s. There was a lot of money camped there. The campground we were in, at the end of the dragstrip, was very quiet.

It wasn't nearly as rowdy as a typical college football game. I am not disappointed, just surprised.

The racing is hard to keep up with at Bristol, harder than the longer tracks I had attended before.

The coach ran fine after the great engine debacle. We drove about 600 miles total in some pretty hilly terrain, so the engine saw a handful of long grades with the boost pegged, and also the downhill side with the jakes blasting. I think if it were going to have infant mortality, then one of those conditions would have provoked it. The outside is dry and tight, and the oil and coolant levels stayed just where they belonged. We had pulled the toad just in case, but we didn't use it at all during the trip. I did however generate a pretty good list of to do projects that accumulated since last summer. More on those later.