Month: February 2024

Lessons Learned While Camping at AMS

I am beginning to remember that not every camping trip is a total vacation. Case in point: I have learned several things from this trip.

First, I replaced my battery with two Lithium batteries.  (Read about that here.) But I couldn’t figure out why the 12-volt systems (refrigerator, water pump, stove light, outside awning, side lights, and several overhead lights) wouldn’t work when the generator was off.  The folks across from me have a Puma, and we discussed the electrical system. There is a battery shutoff switch, and mine was turned off. I turned it on, and all is good.

This evening, the generator shut down due to a carbon monoxide fault.  Before this trip, I modified the muffler to add an extension to direct the exhaust away from the generator. The vibration of the generator running in the bed of my truck shook one of the screws out and loosened the other.  After removing the back and only losing one screw, I was able to get it working.  I didn’t at first, but I had forgotten to press the Reset button.   

It’s been nice to relax and have time to think and sort out issues that have come up. Plus, with all these campers in the infield, it’s like a living, breathing Google search.

Night 1 – AMS Infield

Lots of campers have arrived and the area is filling up. Glad I got here to drive across empty spaces, so I didn’t have to back ino a space. Not my best skill There were a couple of events on the track today. You could ride your bike around the track and after 6:30 PM, drive the track for a fee.

Lisa and her kids came over from the other Puma camper in my area. It’s a big one, but I think the kids want a small one.

The generators on site are not overpowering as I had remembered in years past. Lots of quiet ones, similar to the Honda or my Wen. Quiet time is Midnight to 7AM, we’ll see if anyone turns theirs off. If you are a fan of 80’s music, you’d be right at home here tonight. It’s everywhere and loud.

The picture above this post is my spot. That’s turn 3 and 4 track within view.

Arrived Alive

The map program in the Nissan Frontier quickly corrected only two wrong turns. It’s never good to hear, “Make a U-Turn when you can,” and the road head gets narrower. I’m set up and on the generator for now. Plenty of propane. It took a minute to find the staging area. I could see it, but I just seemed to be on the wrong side of the fence. I won’t show the entrance because I don’t want to hear you all say, “You missed that?”

The picture n this post is coming into the tunnel for the infield spot. The camper across from me has a larger Puma camper. They have a big setup with another camper. I’ll beat there is food (aka extra food) over there. I’ll report back. Looking for some LSU folks, they have the best food. .

Hello Atlanta – Here I come!

It’s NASCAR weekend in Hampton, Georgia, a.k.a. the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Oh my, where will I be? Inside the 1.5 mile oval for the Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday. Yep, Infield camping, in turn three, is my home for five days. Entrance to the infield is open at 2 PM Eastern on Thursday (2/22/24). I’ll drive up on Thursday morning, getting into the marshaling area about 2 hours later, then onto the track. It’s the first time for me on the infield.

What can you expect from me here? Daily updates, maybe twice daily—the exploration of the Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) Infield with many pictures and some videos. I hope to provide a better overview than I was able to find on the internet. Watch for short, to the point videos. Well, that’s my goal anyway.

I plan to post specific questions and answers, so maybe the internet will find what I hope to be valuable information for the camper. Let’s see how that works!  What do you want to know about the infield? Let me know in the comments below.

My Move to Lithium

A friend pointed out that I had not posted here in several weeks. Yeah, I know. However, today, I have an update. With some help from a friend with mechanical skills, I was able to upgrade my power from a single Interstate Deep Cycle battery with two 12 Volt 100 Amp LifePO4 Lithium batteries from @litimepower. Mechanical skills were needed because the two batteries would not fit in the battery rack on the frame, so we built a new one. I should note now that the Interstate battery is guaranteed for one year and may last a few more, but the Lithium will most likely outlast my time left here.  

Next, I want to install a solar controller (also from Li Time), but probably won’t get that done before my trip to the Atlanta Motor Speedway later this month.