Hallowdega

I have been living in Alabama for seven years now, and as you all know, I have an Alabama Bucket List. On that list include not only places to hike and camp and photograph, but also cultural experiences. One of these is Talladega. Whoooooo! It was very very interesting. And at times frightening. Or, I guess I should say, shocking.

For instance. These people made their own port-a-potty. I'm not even joking. Out of a 5-liter bucket, a trash bag, and this pop-up contraption. Ew.
This is the "city" where all the "fans" walk around and drink beer and eat fried things. Not unlike the State Fair. In a way, Talladega is Alabama's State Fair, I suppose.
You can bring your own beer into the stadium (is that what's it's called?), and shirts are optional (apparently.)
The backdrop was amazing. That is Mount Cheaha in the distance, the highest point in Alabama. It was a gorgeous day. I was very thankful that our seats afforded us this view.
I've never actually watched a NASCAR race on television, and I guess I didn't realize how close the cars get to each other? They were like, attached at times. And then the tires would catch on fire when it was time for their pitstop! The whole thing was very interesting. Like the the jet engines that go around first to blow debris off the track, and the man with the overalls and the naked woman tattooed on his arm.
We didn't stay too terribly long, but it was definitely worth the trip. Dirk and I definitely enjoyed ourselves, but not nearly as much as the majority of the people there.
And I got to practice taking photos with my new telephoto lens. I think this one is my favorite.