Month: November 2015

59,000 58,000 Really Dead Brain Cells1

While waiting in the bank’s drive up window this afternoon I looked down at the Purple Whale’s odometer and realized that it read 58,024. Back tracking as best I could with a large chunk of fifty-eight thousand brain cells that no longer work, I figure that mile mark was crossed on our grocery shopping trip on Sunday.

That same chunk, likely 1,000 less at that point, is probably responsible for my totally missing the 58,000 mile mark sometime between July and now.

1. This post has been edited to reflect that perhaps not only are the brain cells dying, but the eyesight is not nearly as acute as before too. Got in the car this morning (Thursday 11/12) and saw that the ODO read 58,xxx.

Literal Ghost Town

Destination - Ghost Town

This Ghost Town was literally a ghost town, as it was closed for the season. Right across the street was the town of Maggie Valley’s sign, so we got all three of our points for today within 100 yards. And actually it could have been zero feet because now that I look at the Maggie Valley sign, in the background is a billboard for Ghost Town. The ghost town destination has an asterisk next to it meaning you need to include a sign…

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 110

Motoring Challenge Points 3, Approx Miles Driven 275
Totals So Far: 157 points & 8645 miles

160,000 Steering Corrections In 11 Miles – Part 2

Cherahola View

— Saturday —
Well, I got my wish, sort of. It has been raining pretty steady all day. There have been brief moments when it has been misting, not raining and there was a short time around mid-day that it was just cloudy. We decided to use this time to drive the Cherohala Skyway to Telico Plains for lunch. The trip started uneventfully enough and up until about the 3,000 foot level the leaves were still hanging on to their color. Above that, they were pretty much gone. At 4,000 feet the rain started. Lightly at first and then enough that the top had to go up. It was then, about 15 miles into the 50 mile trip, I decided that we should just turn around and eat in Robbinsville. Fortunately, my co-pilot let me have my way.

— Friday —
After an early dinner at The Hub (they close at 5 now because it is “out of season”) we decided that if there was to be a run through The Gap it would have to be this evening. Because it was about 5:30 on a week night we thought there might be some traffic to slow us down, so I said if it did I’d just turn around rather than wait behind a slug. Turns out it worked the other way around. The Emperor passed the 160k mile mark just before the climb up 129 to the beginning of Deals Gap.

A couple miles into the Dragon around a switchback I noticed a 4-door Japanese sedan about 1/4 mile back. A mile later at another switchback he was still there and if I guessed right he was actually gaining on us. Now the rain in the area had stopped about noon, but there were still spots on the road that were wet, so I was not so much trying to slay the dragon as I was just riding on its back trying to hold on. A couple minutes later I heard a swarm of angry hornets closing in fast. Quickly there were 2 sets of HID headlights right on us. I found a spot and pulled over. A matte gray 370Z convertible, top down, roared by with a black Fiat 500 Abarth right on its tail.

We watched them go and got back on the road. During our pause our 4-door chaser made up a lot of ground and by the time I hit the next turn he was coming around the bend behind us. He was now close enough for me to make out that it was a dark blue Accord and he was working it. I played rabbit for a couple miles, losing sight during the the real windy parts, but anytime there was a 50-75 yard stretch of quasi-straight road he’d haul us back a bit. After a couple miles of this Donna said, just pull over and let him by. I thought what the heck, so I found a spot and pulled of. He came around the corner and pulled in behind us with a thumbs up gesture out his sunroof. I leaned back and said, “Go on by.” To which he replied, “No, you go, I’m having a blast trying to keep up.”

For the next couple of miles I was the rabbit to his greyhound until we caught up to a slow moving train of 6 cars which included the Z & 500. It was only a short time later that we got to the dam overlook which most folks consider the end of the dragon. Everyone in front of us pulled into one or the other of the already nearly full parking areas on either side of the road. Our Accord pulled in as well, but I opted to drive the last mile or so down the mountain to the large parking area, which I’ve always considered the official end. That is where we turned around the very first time we drove The Gap, almost 20 years ago at the inaugural Miatas at the Gap in 1997.

When we got back to the dam overlook there was absolutely no one there, so we stopped and took in the view a bit. After a while a few other cars pulled in and we took off back towards Robbinsville. This time through I just drove it and didn’t push at all and was sort of surprised that no one caught me from behind.

— Saturday —
At about 7:30 this evening we both had an attack of Cabin (Hotel Room) Fever, so we looked out the window to see if the rain had stopped. It had, so we got dressed into street clothes and walked the 200 yards to the McDonalds for a hot apple pie. Wow, its been a while since I’ve had one of these. When did they stop deep frying them?

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 110

160,000 Steering Corrections In 11 Miles – Part 1

City - Robbinsville, NC

This weekend was supposed to be the MMC’s Deals Gap Weekend that Donna & I head up, but for the last week and a half the predicted weather for today and tomorrow has been awful, so earlier this week we cancelled the trip. This allowed everyone to cancel their reservation at the Microtel in Robbinsville without penalty.

All except us. I had forgotten, to get a cheaper rate, I booked our room as pay ahead and non-refundable. We were all prepared to chalk it up as a loss, but on Thursday decided, “What the heck. “How bad can it be?” The answer…so far, so good. We got up to Robbinsville with more than half the time spent with the top down.

Tomorrow it is still supposed to be a nasty rainy day up here and I hope it is so bad that we have to spend the day in the hotel room, otherwise I’m going to feel bad about calling off the trip.

We took a picture of the Robbinsville sign for the R City in last year’s Motoring Challenge too, but ended up using Rome, MS instead, so we stopped on the way into town today and took another to use this year.

Started down, went up, went down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 108

Motoring Challenge Points 1, Approx Miles Driven 335
Totals So Far: 154 points & 8370 miles

Delivery Systems

I’ve got a big sweet tooth and I like my coffee light and sweet, so for me coffee is primarily a delivery system for cream and sugar.

We usually end up in front of the TV during or after dinner at around 6:30, so we end up watching a nightly national news show. No matter which network, these seem to be designed as a delivery system to inform people of new, probably expensive, prescription drugs?