Year: 2019

74,000 Large Pieces of Gravel

Andy Jordan’s Bicycle Warehouse in Augusta has been putting on a ride called the Lock to Lock Ride for 27 years and Donna has been trying to get me to do this ride for most of them. This year she wore me down and I acquiesced. The route is a little over 18 miles one way, there is food and door prizes in the park, and then if you are brave enough, you ride the 18 some odd miles back to the start.

The eighteen miles is broken down into three almost equidistant segments. The first part is along the Augusta Canal tow path from the head gates on the north side of town into downtown. The second part is mostly through downtown city streets with some along a paved section of the tow path. The last part is along the top of the levee from town to a park at the lock & dam on the south side.

We were brave. We figured, how bad can it be? We ride a lot and 15 – 20 miles is a piece of cake, it is all basically flat, no big hills, and we’d be on the tandem, so it will be half as easy. The first third of the journey we were familiar with as we used to ride it sort of regular like back when we had mountain bikes, it is a hard packed dirt road and quite shady. The middle third we have driven the car on enough to know that it was dead flat and the traffic would be minimal on a Sunday afternoon.

The third third was the big surprise, we had never been on it as it is normally locked because the levee runs along behind several industrial plants. The worst part of this segment was in the middle of it was 2-1/2 to 3 miles was covered in loose, large gravel rocks. After the smooth dirt and city streets, this stuff was a rude awaking. You had to keep moving to keep the bike on a straight course. It was nearly impossible to get to the water bottle or catch a quick break by coasting. I felt like I was riding in the Paris-Roubaix road race which is called the Hell of the North or A Sunday in Hell.

When we arrived at the park for lunch (very good BBQ sandwiches with a large selection of snacks) we kidded that maybe we should shop around to see if we could get a ride back to the start. But with our bellies full and our thirst quenched, determined, we stated back. On the way back we contemplated walking the bike over the gravel section, but when we tried it, was almost harder walking on it and much, much slower, so we rode. When the 74,000 pieces of gravel was over the rest of the ride back really wasn’t too bad.

We made it back to the start point dead tired and there were only a few other cars in the parking lot. There were around 275 entrants and I bet less than a quarter of them did it both ways. The ride is very well supported and we might do it again, if it is not ninety degrees out and if the gravel wasn’t there and maybe just one way…

Not far from home on the way back the CTBNL ticked over the 74,000 mile mark.

Slow Miata to Texas Day 5

DALLAS/FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Bill,
Day 5 of 14 of the “Slow Miata to Texas” tour. Jefferson, TX to the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. 215 miles. Our hotel for the next 4 nights doesn’t have its own postcard, but we are close enough to the airport that if you go up to the roof top pool and look up you can see the underbelly of an airplane every 30 seconds.
Brian & Donna, Aiken, SC		 Bill Kirby
The Augusta Chronicle
P.O. Box 1928
Augusta, GA 30903

A Cooked CAS Sensor and Smoked Pig Butts

Cross posted from the Masters Miata Club web site:

There were 4 almost entirely gray scale flavored Miatas gathered at the almost entirely re-branded Sprint quick stop for today’s Drive-Eat-Drive event. They only thing that remains of the previous Greg’s Gas Plus is just the big giant sign out by the street. The assembled consisted of the Masons who were there in their Sparkling Black NC, the Garners who were there in their Brilliant Black NC, the Scotts who were there in their Galaxy Gray NC and we were there in our Sunlight Silver NB with a touch of blue.

The Garners were the lead car and off we went north on SC230. Determined not to have any Interstate miles on the trip, they set up their GPS to plot a route. After several miles of not being able to get the GPS to find our lunch destination, Shealy’s Bar-B-Que in Batesburg-Leesville, they broke out the phone and Google had no problem plotting a course. Well they must have had “shortest route” selected as an option because about 90% of the way there, it popped us off the main road onto a little dirt road over some railroad tracks. Less than 50 yards ahead was a stop sign, so we figured it must be paved at that point. Nope. But after another 1/2 mile of driving down what seemed to be farm paths through rows of peach trees we turned right onto blacktop and the road the restaurant was on.

With a bit more than 3 miles to go, car #3, that would be us, inexplicably lost forward momentum. The car hiccuped, the CEL came on and while the engine was still running, there was no power to be had. We coasted to a wide shady spot along the road. Car #4, the Masons, slowed and pulled in behind us. I unlatched the hood and while Dennis was under there looking for anything obvious I went to the trunk and got out my Bluetooth OBD II dongle. We called ahead to the two leading cars to let then know what happened, almost to the BBQ place, they both turned around and soon we had 4 Miatas parked along the road. I had the dongle, but the app to use with it was no longer loaded on my phone, so I attempted to download it.

Someone suggested it was bad gas, I had purchased a couple gallons at Sprint. I wondered out loud how come the Garner’s car wasn’t acting up, they bought gas at the Sprint too. After more than a few minutes of not finding anything obvious under the hood, someone asked for me to start it up to see what the engine was doing. The car fired right up, I mashed the go pedal a few times and the car responded as it should. We decided to see if our car would make the last three miles to Shealy’s. It did. Still no download.

Because Shealy’s is a buffet, I always feel as if I don’t polish off 2 heaping plates of food I haven’t gotten my money’s worth and based on a quick sample of the dining room, I’m not the only one. As the rate of food consumption, as well as the conversation, at the table waned every one started making after lunch plans. Of course, they offered to follow us home to make sure we made it, Donna and I declined. We knew the trick, if it acts up again, stop, set a spell, and try again. Still no download.

Wouldn’t you know it, but just a touch more than a mile from home, the car started to stutter again. I pushed the clutch in and coasted a bit hoping to make it around the next corner where there was place to pull off. Realizing we were going to be a bit short, I down shifted to second and eased the clutch out. The engine returned to normal. The two of us held our breath and tried to levitate off the seats to lessen to load so we could make it home. We did.

After we got home, the Torque Light app I was trying to get ever since the Miata first stalled, finally downloaded. My phone was set to auto update its apps and in its infinite wisdom would not let me add a new app until the 5 that needed updating were through. Once the car cooled off I ran the code – P0340: Camshaft Angle (or Position) Sensor circuit malfunction. A quick search of the Miata.net forums let me know that a failing cam position sensor will generate the symptoms we had. When it gets hot it acts up, then when it cools off it might work fine (for a while.)

None of the auto parts stores in the area (at least according to their web sites) have a one of these beauties in stock, so I guess I will have to order one. It was then, that I remembered I have an extra one of these items in the garage. It was a left over from a couple years ago when I was having issues with the maroon car. Turns out I did, so I’ve swapped it out and we’ll see how it one goes.

Slow Miata to Texas Day 4

The Diamond Bessie Suite of the Excelsior House, a classic hotel with modern conveniences. The Exclesior House has been in continuous operation since the 1850’s at 211 W. Austin Street in historic Jefferson, TX 75657. (903) 665-2513
Bill,
Day 4 of 14 of the "Slow Miata to Texas" tour. Vicksburg, MS to Jefferson, TX. 215 miles. Practically blew accross Louisiana. Arrived in East Texas just in time to dodge thunderstorms and tornados. Jefferson has a population of only 3,000 people, but has 27 Bed & Breakfasts! May have to cover these 2 portraits to get a good night’s sleep.
Brian & Donna, Aiken, SC		 Bill Kirby
The Augusta Chronicle
P.O. Box 1928
Augusta, GA 30903

Name of Thrones

Disclaimer – I have not watched a single episode of the show, nor have I ever read any of George R Martin’s books. We have HBO in our cable package, so I have glimpsed drips and drabs of the show, including one brief scene that showed some sort of woman warrior, in a weird armored outfit that left one breast exposed, so that a 10 or 12-year old male child could suckle, but it is just not my cup of tea.

But seeing as I am a sucker for a well crafted name (or stripe or book title & plot or advertising slogan or movie genre) generator, how could I resist trying the Game of Thrones Name Generator.

Brian Bogardus = Brlian Arryn

Slow Miata to Texas Day 3

Escape to a tropical paradise like no other–the Isle of Capri Casino – Vicksburg, MS! 1-800-THE ISLE
Bill,
Day 3 of 14 of the "Slow Miata to Texas" tour. Tupelo, MS to Vicksburg, MS. 215 miles. Our original destination was Jackson to see a minor league babseball game. Arrived just in time (2:30pm) to see the last out. Didn’t know it was an afternoon game. Vicksburg has 4 hotel/casinos. The hotel, shops and restaurants are on land, but the casinos are floating on the Mississippi! Tommorow we will see some antebellum homes and tour the battlefield.
Brian & Donna, Aiken, SC		 Bill Kirby
The Augusta Chronicle
P.O. Box 1928
Augusta, GA 30903

Slow Miata to Texas Day 2

NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY – SUNKEN TRACE
During the late 1700’s and early 1800’s thousands of trvalers walked the Natchez Trace, a primitive pathway through the Choctaw and Chicasaw Indian Nations. The trip of nearly 500 miles between Natchez and Nashville required as much as four weeks. In places the trailwas eroded deeply into the land giving rise to the term “Sunken Trace.”
Bill,
Day 2 of 14 of the “Slow Miata to Texas” tour. Fort Payne, AL to Tupelo, MS. 280 miles. Would have been shorter, but got to zig-zagging around looking for covered bridges. Found 2 of 4. Arrived too late to get into you know who’s birthplace (Elvis.) Tomorrow we travel the Natchez Trace to Jackson, MS.
Brian & Donna, Aiken, SC		 Bill Kirby
The Augusta Chronicle
P.O. Box 1928
Augusta, GA 30903