Blast From the Past

Slow Miata to Texas Day 7

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
America’s second largest sports and entertainment facility, hosts more than 1 million people each year for exciting NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Bush Grand National Series and Craftsman Truck Series racing. Also included are Indy Racing League fans and Automobile Racing Club of America fans who come watch their favorite racing stars. Texas Motor Speedway also hosts a number of concerts and auto shows.
Bill,
Day 7 of 14 of the “Slow Miata to Texas” tour. Day 2 of 4 of “Miata World ’99.” Today’s and tomorrow’s activities are based at the track: hot laps, autocrossing, vendors and lunches. The NASCAR boys would get a chuckle about these little cars circling their track. But even with cone chicanes on the straights to keep the speed down, over 110 MPH is possible on the banked turns. Oh yeah, all those seats, EMPTY!
Brian & Donna, Aiken, SC		 Bill Kirby
The Augusta Chronicle
P.O. Box 1928
Augusta, GA 30903

Slow Miata to Texas Day 6

DALLAS, TEXAS
Welcome to downtown Dallas — the most beautiful city in America.
Bill,
Day 6 of 14 of the “Slow Miata to Texas” tour. Day 1 of 4 of “Miata World ’99.” Our car and 449 other Miatas and their contents gathering for the 10th anniversary of the birth of the car that revived small convertible sports cars in America. One of the participants here is going to win a special 10th Anniversary Edition Miata.
Brian & Donna, Aiken, SC		 Bill Kirby
The Augusta Chronicle
P.O. Box 1928
Augusta, GA 30903

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

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

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

Miata World ’99

Twenty years ago today Donna and I got back from a 2 week vacation which consisted of a drive to Dallas, Texas. We were going to a national gathering of the Miata Club of America to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the car. We were going to take 4 days to drive over, spend 4 days in Big D and take our sweet time on the way home. The big draw at this event was they were giving away, to one lucky attendee, a brand new 1999 10th Anniversary Edition Miata (it wasn’t us.)

Bill Kirby, who was the Metro Editor for the Augusta Chronicle, wrote a column for that section 4 times a week. He’d collect postcards from readers when they went on summer vacation. Each year, his goal was to get one from every state and as many different countries as possible. This served three functions: 1) Local folks get their names in the paper with the added bonus of bragging about their travels, 2) Bill got to go on lots of vacations, and 3) Bill got an easy way to fill his column in the summer months. A couple years prior Donna & I had made the paper, because we took a trip to New England and that seems to be a neck of the woods little visited by folks from the CSRA. So I vowed to sent him a postcard every day of our trip.

I had intended to start on May 2nd and post one of those postcards each day until today, but forgot, so better late than never, here is the first, with the rest follow.

LITTLE RIVER CANYON FALLS
Desoto State Park, Fort Payne, Alabama
Bill,
A little early for vacations, but this is ours for the year. Day one of fourteen of the “Slow Miata to Texas” tour. At 300 miles, the Aiken, SC to Fort Payne, AL leg is the longest of the trip. Staying in a lodge in the State Park. Saw Desoto Falls today, this one and others tomorrow.
Brian & Donna, Aiken, SC		 Bill Kirby
The Augusta Chronicle
P.O. Box 1928
Augusta, GA  30903