Month: April 2003

Ultimate Drive

Took an afternoon off today to test drive BMWs. No I’m not getting rid of the Miata and trading down to a Z4, I participated in the 7th Annual Ultimate Drive for The Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I did it 2 years ago and had a blast. For some reason the local dealer didn’t participate last year. The idea is simple, you show up and drive a BMW and for every mile you drive BMW donates a dollar. I reserved a spot to drive a Z4 2.5 manual and then a 330 convertible with an automatic. They have a 15 mile loop laid out that they want you to follow so it is cool to see all these gray BMWs with gray & pink stripes driving around. Drove the Z4 first and like the Z3 of two years ago it felt much more solid than my 7 year old Miata and had gobs more torque. It lacked the audible feedback and the tossable feel of the lighter Miata. It was so quiet that I hit the rev limiter several time in first gear and a couple of time in second. After a couple of laps we turned in the Z4 for the 3 series drop top. If I won $10 million in a Lotto I might get a Z4, but the first I’d do would be change the muffler for something that will let me know that my engine revolutions are sweeping through the range. It was about the same car except for the visual differences and a little more wind buffeting from the open rear seats. After that we tired of the sun so took the hardtop version of the same 3 series for a ride. Quiet, comfortable and quick these cars are fun to drive if not a little isolating. With time for one more lap, we tried the X5 4.4. After the first few minutes of seeming to be driving a bus because of the height and breadth of the thing, it quickly turns into another BMW. The V8 scoots and feels quick, but for a heavy tall vehicle it handles the sweeping ess turns of the Riverwatch Parkway with aplomb.

After it was all over it was a relief to get back in the Miata. Sounded just right and the short throw Voodoo shifting were music to my ears and arm. There is no place like home.

Purchased Today: $14.25 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $156.58
Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 67

Locked Out

Donna and I decided to walk up to the Chinese Restaurant to eat supper. It is about a mile one way, so it makes a nice evening walk. Walk, eat and walk back helping to burn off the meal. When we got back to the house, I went to unlock the front door and when I pulled my keys out of my pocket I realized I didn’t have the house key anymore. When I got the custom caricature key chain I didn’t put the key back on, hadn’t used it in so long that I figured what the heck, leave it off. Donna reached into her purse to get her keys and it turns out all she had was a car key, a key to her desk and a house key that we have no earthly idea whose house it goes to, but we do know it doesn’t go to ours. Normally Donna’s mom would be home and she could let us in or maybe the door wouldn’t even been locked, but tonight we had to use the emergency key. I took the screen off a window that we knew was unlocked, Donna boosted me up and I climbed in.

I Can’t Keep That Up For Long

I have this very annoying squeak in my dash that I have tried to fix (not real hard yet, see April 20th) I can make it stop if I hold the toe of my left foot against the bottom of the dash, but I can’t keep that up for long. Got to use the left foot for the clutch and it is an awkward stretch. The temperatures are warming up and soon my mysterious over 85 degrees glove box rattle will be back. I wonder if the squeak will disappear as the rattle appears? I call it the glove box rattle but that is not what is causing it, as I removed the box entirely last summer, but the rattle is still there. It was getting louder by the day, but once the temperatures cooled down it went away. I was waiting for a real hot day and have it suddenly stop, so I could look in my rearview mirror and see the part that was rattling fade away into the sunset.

Purchased Today: nothing
Money spent since 03/03/03: $142.33
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 66

Hudson Hawk

Borrowed Hudson Hawk on DVD from a friend at work, I think I deserve either a medal or some commitment papers for lasting 1 hour and 1 minute into this movie before hitting the eject button. I like Bruce Willis usually, but this must have been something he shot during a hiatus of Moonlighting, back when he was grasping with being a “star.” As a bonus bit of ugliness it had my least favorite movie actress of all time in it, Sandra Bernhard.

Giant Stop Signs

When came back from the weekend trip we noticed that they had replaced the puny new stop signs on Two Notch Road with King Kong sized stop signs. I guess people were still cruising through them so to help out our no-account, not paying attention drivers to notice the signs. For reference standard stop signs are 30 inches across, these puppies are 48″ and require two posts to support them. They have even put two orange flags on the “Warning Stop Ahead” signs.

PCC Hat

I try to be polite by taking my hat off while eating. It is kind of like not putting your elbows on the table, not always practiced anymore, but just a small nicety that I hope people appreciate. I either hang the hat over the back of the chair or try to hang it off my knee and invariably it falls to the floor in the normal dining movements. Most of the time I remember it and search the floor or I don’t remember and get lucky by accidentally kicking it when getting up to leave. For the second time in 3 months I left my Palmetto Cycling Coalition hat behind in a restaurant. The first time we were near Charlotte, NC so we could go shopping at a big ol’ mall. When I got back to the hotel and realized that the cap was gone we called them and they had it. Rather than make a return trip that evening I told them I’d get it the next day when we were over there again. This time we were in northern Georgia following a bicycle race. We had dinner at the fine establishment of Pruett’s BBQ, so I didn’t even really need to take it off, but did. When I got back to the motel this time and realized I’d left it behind again, I just said forget it. It was raining and I didn’t want to drive back the 10 miles to get the hat. Tomorrow we were leaving town early and weren’t coming back, so that option was out. Figuring it must be fate that I don’t have that hat, I abandoned it in rural western Georgia. Anyway, I’ve got a spiffy new Master’s Miata Club hat to start wearing around waiting for me at home.

No Trespassing

We had downloaded the route directions for yesterday’s and today’s stages from the Tour web site and used this to plan our viewing strategy. Using it and the Georgia state map we had, worked out real good for Friday, but for the life of us we couldn’t follow all of Saturday’s route. They had to be using some roads that weren’t on the map. We decided to get up earlier and drive the route from just past Ellijay to pick our first viewing spot. Using the printed directions and the orange arrow signs that get put out early, tracing the route was easy. Sure enough they were riding on roads that were not on the big state map. When we stopped for a soda break on the drive there was a Georgia Mountains map that showed the roads they were riding, so we bought it. Our original plan was to find a spot on the second King Of The Mountain climb to watch them pass, but realized if we did that there was no way to leapfrog the rolling blockade and make it to the finish before the riders. Plan B was devised. There was a cool little one-lane bridge the riders crossed outside of Ellijay that looked like a nice spot and it also had quick access to GA52 so we could get by the riders and make it to Gainesville to see the finish.

We made it back to the bridge with about an hour to kill waiting. We spent the time chatting some locals who had come out to watch thinking it was going to be like one of those charity rides. After we indoctrinated them a van of race volunteers showed up to sweep the gravel off the bridge. We tried to get them to come back with us and sweep the course of our next bike ride, but they would only do it if we would drive them around and feed them too. After a breakaway group of 6 cyclists passed over the bridge a couple of motorcycles skidded to a stop just past us. The official Tour photographer was on one and the official Tour videographer was on the other. The video guy hopped a fence, oblivious to the “No Trespassing” sign, and set up shop to the right. The photographer must have thought we were in a good spot as he came over and stood next to me. He was actually balanced on the guardrail to avoid the poison ivy I was standing in (I’m not allergic, so it doesn’t bother me) and needed to lean up against Donna to keep from falling off.

After the race passed, we got on GA52 and headed towards to finishing city. About 10 minutes into the trip a GA State Trooper car comes flying up from behind with his flashers and siren going. I slowed and pulled half off the road expecting him to zip on by as the road ahead was clear, but instead he stayed right behind me until I got all the way off the road. Then he took off around me. WTF? So I got back on the road and started driving again. 30 seconds later I found out why he wanted me off the road. A line of about 25 state patrol cars with lights flashing and sirens going came careening by at 70+. They were doing the same thing I was, leapfrogging around the race, only unlike me, I’m sure they were off to block the roads somewhere ahead of the pack.

Because the cyclists still had a mountain to climb we got to Gainesville with plenty of time to kill. We had a leisurely lunch, toured the festival area (again not going for official Tour jerseys at $70) walked back to where we had lunch and had an ice cream dessert before setting up shop on the 3rd floor of a parking garage 20 feet from the finish line. We watched the breakaway group of 6 charge the line with Fred Rodrigeuz winning the sprint, for his second stage win in a row. About 5-1/2 minutes later a chase group of 12 or so finished up. It was then about 10 more minutes before the rest of the peleton arrived. Of course they had to sprint to the line in a testosterone induced and meaningless fight for 20th place.

When the dust settled we hoped back in the car and drove back north to a town the riders had passed through earlier in the day to spend the night. If you are ever in Dahlonega, GA, I highly recommend Caruso’s Italian Restaurant, their pizza is excellent.

Purchased Today: $12.00 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $130.82
Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 63