A bit O/T - moonshine & stock cars:

After we were done having lunch at Wolf Mountain on Saturday, and going our separate ways, I decided to check out the action at the City Hall complex in Dawsonville. The last time I had been there, they had dismantled a cafe and were converting it to a (legal) moonshine distillery, and I wanted to see the finished product.

The distillery is between the Georgia Motorsports Hall of Fame and a reproduction of an old-time gas station, complete with a racing Pontiac next to the pump. Inside the distillery, a (free) tour of the works was about to start, so I tagged along.

The employees were all dressed in what I'd call stereotypical garb, but our guide knew his stuff in describing what I found to be a surprisingly complex process. He's standing between the actual still and the mash cooker, where the process begins.

The back room is where the filled bottles are labeled and packed for shipment. This stuff is legal (they do pay the taxes), and while they cannot sell it right there, it is available in stores throughout Georgia. They'll give you a small sample out front (no, I didn't try it) and they even have something non-alcoholic to give to kids. They also sell other merchandise, such as a book with recipes made with moonshine!

You can read more about the place at Dawsonville Moonshine Distillery - A Moonshine Distillery in Dawsonville, GA, and they're having a festival the last weekend of this month.
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As mentioned, right next door is the Georgia Motorsports Hall of Fame, and while I'd been in their lobby before, I had never actually gone through the whole museum, which costs a reasonable $4.

Naturally, Bill and the other Elliotts feature prominently, but other Georgia drivers and even some non-Georgia drivers are included as well. Bill's son Chase is only 17 and just getting started, but he's been racing (and winning) for 3 years already and a selection of his cars include a couple of karts, a Bandolero and a Legends car, and a ton of trophies! It's obvious that his success goes well beyond having a famous last name.

Other well-known NASCAR stars with cars in the hall are the Dales, Jarrett and Earnhardt, but I think my favorite car was the 1960 Boomershine Pontiac out front.
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