But not gold 101.
The tricked out custom, which no one knows what it is, was lying fallow on the side of 44 west coming out of a construction zone with a dead fuel pump, presumably.
The mohawk dude, its green today, driving the s60 had stopped to help, as had we.
He's got teammates coming up behind to help. As we pulled out, the black Ferrari zipped past with nary a glance which sort of proves what i've always said. A car says more about a person than the person says about the car.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
mmmmm....
Note: oklahoma is home to the world's largest mcdonalds.
It spans OVER the interstate. Yes, I got a picture.
It spans OVER the interstate. Yes, I got a picture.
oklahoma police
Have got the coolest cars.
Here's to hoping we don't get a close up view of one, but if you've seen the new transformers movie, you've seen the car.
They're all rolling around in black and white dodge charger hemis. Gotta love middle America!
Here's to hoping we don't get a close up view of one, but if you've seen the new transformers movie, you've seen the car.
They're all rolling around in black and white dodge charger hemis. Gotta love middle America!
missouri...
Southern missouri has a definate theme to it. Keep in mind we're on the interstate so our cultural immersion is limited, but i'm not kidding when I say it is LOADED with churches, gas stations, firework stands and adult super stores.
We just passed the 'kum and go'.
I'll let you guess what it was.
We just passed the 'kum and go'.
I'll let you guess what it was.
dropping the average
Funny thing happened between nyc and Indiana, we learned how to rally.
Its not that it's technically hard, but leg like today really makes you sweat. Averaging 61 mph on an interstate sounds easy, right?
Factor in gas stops, bathroom stops, traffic, road closures, idiot fire trucks and dead armadillos and your average can drop. Quickly.
After our lunch blunder we immediately got stuck in traffic and it brought our necessary average up to 64.6. That was the number we HAVE to average to make it on time and finish this leg at 61. So far, so good. In the last couple of hours we've managed to bring it down to 59.7. We're thinking we gotta get it down to 55.
Why? We're running out of gas.
Its not that it's technically hard, but leg like today really makes you sweat. Averaging 61 mph on an interstate sounds easy, right?
Factor in gas stops, bathroom stops, traffic, road closures, idiot fire trucks and dead armadillos and your average can drop. Quickly.
After our lunch blunder we immediately got stuck in traffic and it brought our necessary average up to 64.6. That was the number we HAVE to average to make it on time and finish this leg at 61. So far, so good. In the last couple of hours we've managed to bring it down to 59.7. We're thinking we gotta get it down to 55.
Why? We're running out of gas.
close call...
Doing 80+ on 44 west, we had been behind a local st. James fire department truck with its lights on in the fast lane.
We had about a quarter mile distance with traffic in the slow lane when out of nowhere he came to a very fast dead stop.
We had to merge instantly into the slow lanes with people locking up their brakes.
That was a pile up waiting to happens and honestly, we don't know what happened behind us as we were the second car to pass him.
Chalk up one near missed accident with all credit to the morons of the st. James fire department.
We had about a quarter mile distance with traffic in the slow lane when out of nowhere he came to a very fast dead stop.
We had to merge instantly into the slow lanes with people locking up their brakes.
That was a pile up waiting to happens and honestly, we don't know what happened behind us as we were the second car to pass him.
Chalk up one near missed accident with all credit to the morons of the st. James fire department.
big mistake!
So after Sunday nights trip where there was a compulsory 2 hour stop, there isn't one today.
What do we do? We get hungry not thinking about our average. Not until we get back into the car do I realize we'd better check the math.
Hell, you lose a lot more time getting has than you realize. when you're trying to average 61 mph, you have to speed at times because when you're pumping gas you're going 0 mph.
Right now, we're on interstate 44 heading west into tulsa and have 375 miles to go and we need to average 64 mph!
Doesn't sound like much, but that means no traffic, no missteps and no delay. Plus based on the mileage we're getting, we have at least one more petrol stop. The truck will be if we can avoid a second stop.
No more water for us, we can't even stop to piss at this rate.
What do we do? We get hungry not thinking about our average. Not until we get back into the car do I realize we'd better check the math.
Hell, you lose a lot more time getting has than you realize. when you're trying to average 61 mph, you have to speed at times because when you're pumping gas you're going 0 mph.
Right now, we're on interstate 44 heading west into tulsa and have 375 miles to go and we need to average 64 mph!
Doesn't sound like much, but that means no traffic, no missteps and no delay. Plus based on the mileage we're getting, we have at least one more petrol stop. The truck will be if we can avoid a second stop.
No more water for us, we can't even stop to piss at this rate.
meet me in st. louis.
Just about 20 miles out of town here and we're about to pick up 44 southwest to tulsa. By the way, being on this trip and in the midwest hangin with the arkansas guys I can't say 'tulsa' without it sound like I grew up in backwater 'bama! As in TuuULsa!
Anyway, illinois corn is pretty good, I nabbed me a raw ear out of some guys pickup about an hour ago for a midday snack.
i feel like an honorary midwesterner for the day.
I can't help but wonder what the the hell the citizenry of TuuUlsa is gonna think when hits from Iceland (really) come screaming into town driving the likes of what is about to arrive.
I wonder where the bugatti dealership is down there?
If you're the religious type, put a word in for the tulsans, they's gonna need it. This crowd is rested and ready to cut loose.
Anyway, illinois corn is pretty good, I nabbed me a raw ear out of some guys pickup about an hour ago for a midday snack.
i feel like an honorary midwesterner for the day.
I can't help but wonder what the the hell the citizenry of TuuUlsa is gonna think when hits from Iceland (really) come screaming into town driving the likes of what is about to arrive.
I wonder where the bugatti dealership is down there?
If you're the religious type, put a word in for the tulsans, they's gonna need it. This crowd is rested and ready to cut loose.
mechanical failure!
Is a thing of the past for now. We've had to disconnect the voltage regulator from the alternator as it was pumping about 16.5 volts back and overcharging the battery. We absolutely fried the cell and have stocked up.
We even have a spare battery just in case along with the old voltage regulator along with a case of 20,50w oil as we're burning about a half quart for each full tank of gas.
Other than those issues and the incredibly hectic day yesterday with the car in the shop, the coupe is running like a dream. Of course, that's all hearsay as I haven't so much as touched the steering wheel and according to dad, i'm not gonna!
My five year old son has driven this thing more than me.
We even have a spare battery just in case along with the old voltage regulator along with a case of 20,50w oil as we're burning about a half quart for each full tank of gas.
Other than those issues and the incredibly hectic day yesterday with the car in the shop, the coupe is running like a dream. Of course, that's all hearsay as I haven't so much as touched the steering wheel and according to dad, i'm not gonna!
My five year old son has driven this thing more than me.
no yellow jersey for gold 101
Our buddies from arkansas in the shelby came in first, really nice guys and it was good to see because the rules have kind of been tossed out the window.
I'd say that this race was cleaner than the tour de france but i've partied with these cats and ain't no one passing a blood test...
Just left Indianapolis, which is a hell of a nice town actually.
Our target is tulsa as expected and we've got our calcs done. In a TSD we only have to worry about the time and distance to take care of the 61 mph we're supposed to average.
Our target mileage is 633 today and according to our calcs we've got 10 hours, 23 minutes and 2 seconds to do it. And yes, the stopwatch is running and synchronized with another clock just in case.
That puts us into tulsa at 7:59 pm tonight.
The route is pretty basic. Really isn't much you can do out here to mess up the field. The only thing out here are corn fields and the ever present crucifixes on the side of the road.
I'd say that this race was cleaner than the tour de france but i've partied with these cats and ain't no one passing a blood test...
Just left Indianapolis, which is a hell of a nice town actually.
Our target is tulsa as expected and we've got our calcs done. In a TSD we only have to worry about the time and distance to take care of the 61 mph we're supposed to average.
Our target mileage is 633 today and according to our calcs we've got 10 hours, 23 minutes and 2 seconds to do it. And yes, the stopwatch is running and synchronized with another clock just in case.
That puts us into tulsa at 7:59 pm tonight.
The route is pretty basic. Really isn't much you can do out here to mess up the field. The only thing out here are corn fields and the ever present crucifixes on the side of the road.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Day 1 recap...
i don't even know where to begin - ultimately we'd had more fun in the first day than we probably realized - we had it all; torrential rain in NYC, getting lost, making up time, exotic cars as far as the eyes can see, lack of sleep, arguments, jokes, fun, dinner, stress, worry, pain and exhaustion - mostly exhaustion.
the car is patched up and read to roll and we'll make our start time - the rumor is we're heading to tulsa tomorrow and we leave our checkpoint here at the hotel between 8 and 10 in the morning - i'm guessing a normal day tomorrow.
i just re-read the posts i put up earlier and i'm not sure how much i can add to it - lets just say this thing has been a blast, coming into indy with the soldiers and sailors circle in our sights was a hell of a sight- this is really a kick-ass town with apparently a nice night life - i'm gonna go check it out now as a matter of fact, but mostly to just pop in, say hello and head out - i'm beat annd need some sleep.
so, here are some pics to enjoy of the race - keep in mind, this will span from saturday evening's event, sunday's start and todays end - there isn't much to report between photo-wise because of the overnight drive...
massage angels from the UK - absolute god send.
bugatti - $1.6 million. tim durham (nice guy), has entered 8 cars into the race - this is one of them. there's also a ford gt, lamborghini, ferrari, rolls, bentley and something else...
porsche - one of my favorites...
gold 101 pulling into the checkpoint in downtown indianapolis...
there are more photos, but i'm tired.
the car is patched up and read to roll and we'll make our start time - the rumor is we're heading to tulsa tomorrow and we leave our checkpoint here at the hotel between 8 and 10 in the morning - i'm guessing a normal day tomorrow.
i just re-read the posts i put up earlier and i'm not sure how much i can add to it - lets just say this thing has been a blast, coming into indy with the soldiers and sailors circle in our sights was a hell of a sight- this is really a kick-ass town with apparently a nice night life - i'm gonna go check it out now as a matter of fact, but mostly to just pop in, say hello and head out - i'm beat annd need some sleep.
so, here are some pics to enjoy of the race - keep in mind, this will span from saturday evening's event, sunday's start and todays end - there isn't much to report between photo-wise because of the overnight drive...
massage angels from the UK - absolute god send.
bugatti - $1.6 million. tim durham (nice guy), has entered 8 cars into the race - this is one of them. there's also a ford gt, lamborghini, ferrari, rolls, bentley and something else...
porsche - one of my favorites...
gold 101 pulling into the checkpoint in downtown indianapolis...
there are more photos, but i'm tired.
head is spinning...
Got back from the shop, hit the bar, watched that nutjob in Dallas run from the cops (hey fella, ever run a rally?) grabbed a martini, listened to Frankie and realized I had no idea what time it was, what day, and when I had eaten last.
So... I ordered me up a caesar salad, drank a ton of water and hit the sack. So instead of running on empty, I have now slept for one hour and eaten some lettuce.
Car is patched up, we'll make our start time and it only cost us some exhaustion.
More later...
So... I ordered me up a caesar salad, drank a ton of water and hit the sack. So instead of running on empty, I have now slept for one hour and eaten some lettuce.
Car is patched up, we'll make our start time and it only cost us some exhaustion.
More later...
a rally is more than a race...
We've learned a valuable lesson here. A rally isn't a race, hell, it isn't even a rally.
More than anything it's the journey and how you respond to adversity.
While i've already had a much needed soak in a hot tub, that's it. We're still driving and still trying to get the car back in rally shape because there is no option, you HAVE to act.
I've told people in the past to get things done you have to let your dreams die. Why? Because having a dream gives you a reason to not succeed. After all, who ever fulfills their dream?
Just live baby, just live. You know why?
because every moment turns into exactly what you want when you act.
Who needs dreams when you're doing what you want.
More than anything it's the journey and how you respond to adversity.
While i've already had a much needed soak in a hot tub, that's it. We're still driving and still trying to get the car back in rally shape because there is no option, you HAVE to act.
I've told people in the past to get things done you have to let your dreams die. Why? Because having a dream gives you a reason to not succeed. After all, who ever fulfills their dream?
Just live baby, just live. You know why?
because every moment turns into exactly what you want when you act.
Who needs dreams when you're doing what you want.
how hard is it to rally?
Harder than I thought. While dad and I feel we did damned well, I was hanging out in the hot tub decompressing and guys were talking about over 20 cars still not in.
I was taking a walk in downtown indy, the westin is smack dab in the middle of town, and came back to the Ferrari pulling in and asked what was going on at the checkpoint and he mentioned there are still 7 cars out.
I feel like we hit our number within 10 minutes (time will tell I suppose) and we've been here for over two hours.
The prediction by one of the organizers seems to be coming true, that the Ferrari won't finish. At two hours late, he's certainly got an uphill climb.
Tonight its time to get gold 101 back running, relax and propare for what I think is another long ride. My prediction; tulsa.
Yay for tulsa.
I was taking a walk in downtown indy, the westin is smack dab in the middle of town, and came back to the Ferrari pulling in and asked what was going on at the checkpoint and he mentioned there are still 7 cars out.
I feel like we hit our number within 10 minutes (time will tell I suppose) and we've been here for over two hours.
The prediction by one of the organizers seems to be coming true, that the Ferrari won't finish. At two hours late, he's certainly got an uphill climb.
Tonight its time to get gold 101 back running, relax and propare for what I think is another long ride. My prediction; tulsa.
Yay for tulsa.
gold 101 disabled...
'Tis a sad day in indy my friends, the venerable gold racer is DOA right in front of the hotel.
Can you believe this car gets if 942 miles from the start, exactly at the finish line and the battery dies?! Unreal.
Some local saviour who is actually in the race is taking him down to the autopart store to pick up not one, but two, new batteries. After all, why get one when you can get two?
Can you believe this car gets if 942 miles from the start, exactly at the finish line and the battery dies?! Unreal.
Some local saviour who is actually in the race is taking him down to the autopart store to pick up not one, but two, new batteries. After all, why get one when you can get two?
gold 101 disabled...
'Tis a sad day in indy my friends, the venerable gold racer is DOA right in front of the hotel.
Can you believe this car gets us 942 miles from the start, exactly at the finish line and the battery dies?! Unreal.
a local saviour named pace who is actually driving the rolls Royce in the race is taking him down to the autopart store to pick up not one, but two, new batteries. After all, why get one when you can get two?
Can you believe this car gets us 942 miles from the start, exactly at the finish line and the battery dies?! Unreal.
a local saviour named pace who is actually driving the rolls Royce in the race is taking him down to the autopart store to pick up not one, but two, new batteries. After all, why get one when you can get two?
oh baby...
We have GOT to be on schedule. We're 22 minutes from the finish and just got passed by team saleen.
We had been wondering if we knew what we were doing and it looks like it.
Dad picked up 10 mph when the lamborghini passed us and I had to back him off the throttle. It ain't about beating them, its about hitting our number and they left before us so the need to finish before us.
Rock on, the end of day 1 is in site!!
We had been wondering if we knew what we were doing and it looks like it.
Dad picked up 10 mph when the lamborghini passed us and I had to back him off the throttle. It ain't about beating them, its about hitting our number and they left before us so the need to finish before us.
Rock on, the end of day 1 is in site!!
mission 1 finish line...
We just stopped for some breakfast and now we're making our approach into indy. We're actually stalling a bit because we're trying to hit a target time of 11:42.
We have no idea if its correct, but that is the time we're shooting for.
If nothing else, we've managed to get 900 miles in the time we are shooting for. It's not a matter of can we hit the right time but did we calculate the right time.
I'll post what our actual finish time is later when they announce the stage winner at dinner. Here's hoping we're in the yellow jersey!
We have no idea if its correct, but that is the time we're shooting for.
If nothing else, we've managed to get 900 miles in the time we are shooting for. It's not a matter of can we hit the right time but did we calculate the right time.
I'll post what our actual finish time is later when they announce the stage winner at dinner. Here's hoping we're in the yellow jersey!
WTF is a hoosier?
I have no clue. What I do know is that we're about to enter Indiana.
By far we're in the oldest car on this run, and quite the sentimental favorite. Hell, even the hardened new yorkers kept turning their heads. Dad keeps beaming ear to ear when someone checks his rig out.
However, with the oldest car in the rally comes some distinct disadvantages. We've had a few mechanical problems; the navigator's door hinge snapped, we're burning about a quart of oil every 300 miles and the battery is leaking. That's the nasty one because the stench is filling the car up. We'll be replacing that this afternoon.
All in all the BMW is running very well, is staying cool, and is comfortable enough.
We're at 820 miles right now and my ass can feel every last inch of it. We've massage angels for sore backs, I wonder what we got for sore... Nevermind.
Lots of pics to upload once I get settled at the hotel.
By far we're in the oldest car on this run, and quite the sentimental favorite. Hell, even the hardened new yorkers kept turning their heads. Dad keeps beaming ear to ear when someone checks his rig out.
However, with the oldest car in the rally comes some distinct disadvantages. We've had a few mechanical problems; the navigator's door hinge snapped, we're burning about a quart of oil every 300 miles and the battery is leaking. That's the nasty one because the stench is filling the car up. We'll be replacing that this afternoon.
All in all the BMW is running very well, is staying cool, and is comfortable enough.
We're at 820 miles right now and my ass can feel every last inch of it. We've massage angels for sore backs, I wonder what we got for sore... Nevermind.
Lots of pics to upload once I get settled at the hotel.
welcome to ohio.
Dateline, ohio @ 4:50 am.
Dad's been driving the whole time, I caught about an hourla worth of sleep and we've logged 595 miles so far. Technically, we're supposed to have 927 miles this first day, but with getting lost I figure we'll finish at 950, maybe 960.
Just worked it backward and we've got to maintain a 48 mph average on the last few hundred miles which shouldn't be too hard considering we're all interstates from here to indy.
The BMW is performing well although it's chewing up a little oil.but still running like a top.
Dad's been driving the whole time, I caught about an hourla worth of sleep and we've logged 595 miles so far. Technically, we're supposed to have 927 miles this first day, but with getting lost I figure we'll finish at 950, maybe 960.
Just worked it backward and we've got to maintain a 48 mph average on the last few hundred miles which shouldn't be too hard considering we're all interstates from here to indy.
The BMW is performing well although it's chewing up a little oil.but still running like a top.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
@!?%*! da police!
Not sure if my last post got up, but DAYUM the cops are nasty in upstate NY.
The Bentley girls got nailed, the massage angels got nailed and people are already lost.
We just got out of the catskills on our way to scranton, PA.
Hell of a trip so far and after we hit Indianapolis, i'll give a more detailed account of this leg. We've already figured out what our target time is and hopefully we'll pull in at 11:50 east coast time.
The Bentley girls got nailed, the massage angels got nailed and people are already lost.
We just got out of the catskills on our way to scranton, PA.
Hell of a trip so far and after we hit Indianapolis, i'll give a more detailed account of this leg. We've already figured out what our target time is and hopefully we'll pull in at 11:50 east coast time.
the Bentley girls...
At this party last night, I was talking to a couple of entrants whose names escape me and asked what they're driving. "Bentley".
Well, when you drive a Bentley, slathered in rally stickers, you get popped! Just got word through Tim, the organizer, that they got nailed for doing 50 in a 45. You read that right, 5 mph. Cops. Sheesh...
This road is nasty, one of our brethren, the aforementioned massage angels, just got popped too. If you're ever on 28 in upstate NY, watch out, the cops are brutal. We've already seen 4 in about a 5 minute stretch.
That all happened just before we stopped to see if the lamborghini pulled off to the side of the road needed help.
As deano would say, "god is on our side"! :)
I need a cigar now.
Well, when you drive a Bentley, slathered in rally stickers, you get popped! Just got word through Tim, the organizer, that they got nailed for doing 50 in a 45. You read that right, 5 mph. Cops. Sheesh...
This road is nasty, one of our brethren, the aforementioned massage angels, just got popped too. If you're ever on 28 in upstate NY, watch out, the cops are brutal. We've already seen 4 in about a 5 minute stretch.
That all happened just before we stopped to see if the lamborghini pulled off to the side of the road needed help.
As deano would say, "god is on our side"! :)
I need a cigar now.
the route.
Something cool about being in the middle of nowhere, and get paased by a range rover full of girls, horns blaring because they're on the same rally as us.
The route: out of Manhattan, straight north to the catskills, down to scranton PA, across the state, into ohio, right through the heart of columbus, and over to Indianapolis.
927 miles, 104 down, 823 to go.
I gotta take a leak.
The route: out of Manhattan, straight north to the catskills, down to scranton PA, across the state, into ohio, right through the heart of columbus, and over to Indianapolis.
927 miles, 104 down, 823 to go.
I gotta take a leak.
lost in paramus...
I'll get right to the point and follow up later with stories of massage angels, bugattis and Aston martins.
Getting out of Manhattan? Piece of cake. Hell, we even saw a Porsche miss the very first turn.
As we're laughing, the highway just disappeared. Literally. The best part, we dragged half the field down with us as they followed our mistake. Which we're pretty sure was an act of god and NOT navigator error!
Our first leg is 927 miles and dumps is in indianapolis. According to our calculations and taking into account the mandatory 2 hour stop, our target time is 11:50 tomorrow morning.
Yep. Lost already, but gold 101 is about to rip through the catskills and back on track.
Getting out of Manhattan? Piece of cake. Hell, we even saw a Porsche miss the very first turn.
As we're laughing, the highway just disappeared. Literally. The best part, we dragged half the field down with us as they followed our mistake. Which we're pretty sure was an act of god and NOT navigator error!
Our first leg is 927 miles and dumps is in indianapolis. According to our calculations and taking into account the mandatory 2 hour stop, our target time is 11:50 tomorrow morning.
Yep. Lost already, but gold 101 is about to rip through the catskills and back on track.
Where's Burt?
the only thing missing from last night's party at cain was burt reynolds. my dad and i decided to show up fashionably late for the 10:00 party at 10:30 and guess what? apparently that ain't fashionably late in NYC - we were only the second people there.
that was actually a good thing because we got to talk to a couple other cannonballers from london, paul and sara. they were actually quite helpful too because they had just completed the run across europe and the rabbit run and gave us a hell of a lot of tips for this one. rumor has it our first run could be 24 hours. my guess is that it'll be about 20 - we leave at 6pm, and we have to check into a hotel, right? more importantly, we have to check out. i figure we have a 3:00 check-in the first day which puts us on the road for 21 hours.
as for the party? it kicked ass - my dad wound up taking off around midnight or so and i think i stayed until about 1:30 - nothing too late (apparently manhattan night clubs are open until 4). while it didn't seem at first that there were many rallyers, it turned out there were - i got to talk to some staff members for the run (wouldn't give out any hints), a couple of guys running their porsche (from mass) and a sister-sister team in their bentley. (from oregon)
also talked with a group of people who just showed up to talk to the rallyers - they were part of a local ferrari club on the island here and just fans of rally races.
more later, i'm gonna roll back over and close my eyes - the martinis at cain are as big as i have seen anywhere.
oh - and the club still had 400 people trying to get in when i left and i gotta tell ya, i was ready to do some serious people watching with the rumored high fashion in NYC and ya know what: fugedaboutit as they'd say here - while this town is great in every respect (mostly), it dropped significantly in my eyes when it comes to fashion... if i'm the best dressed guy in a bar, we got problems... i did peek my head into the hiphop club across the street and those cats were dressed much nicer, but still not up to what i thought i'd see.
must sleep...
that was actually a good thing because we got to talk to a couple other cannonballers from london, paul and sara. they were actually quite helpful too because they had just completed the run across europe and the rabbit run and gave us a hell of a lot of tips for this one. rumor has it our first run could be 24 hours. my guess is that it'll be about 20 - we leave at 6pm, and we have to check into a hotel, right? more importantly, we have to check out. i figure we have a 3:00 check-in the first day which puts us on the road for 21 hours.
as for the party? it kicked ass - my dad wound up taking off around midnight or so and i think i stayed until about 1:30 - nothing too late (apparently manhattan night clubs are open until 4). while it didn't seem at first that there were many rallyers, it turned out there were - i got to talk to some staff members for the run (wouldn't give out any hints), a couple of guys running their porsche (from mass) and a sister-sister team in their bentley. (from oregon)
also talked with a group of people who just showed up to talk to the rallyers - they were part of a local ferrari club on the island here and just fans of rally races.
more later, i'm gonna roll back over and close my eyes - the martinis at cain are as big as i have seen anywhere.
oh - and the club still had 400 people trying to get in when i left and i gotta tell ya, i was ready to do some serious people watching with the rumored high fashion in NYC and ya know what: fugedaboutit as they'd say here - while this town is great in every respect (mostly), it dropped significantly in my eyes when it comes to fashion... if i'm the best dressed guy in a bar, we got problems... i did peek my head into the hiphop club across the street and those cats were dressed much nicer, but still not up to what i thought i'd see.
must sleep...
Saturday, July 28, 2007
now THIS is a city.
i've been pretty lucky - i've been to new york, philly, chicago, SF, LA, dallas, etc. - but there ain't no town like NYC. these cats could give a rats ass about you and i LOVE IT.
rolled into town about 7 and lived the life as far as i'm concerned - tossed my bag on the ground, headed straight to the fitness center, worked up a sweat because i'm gonna be nothing but a bump on a freakin' log for the next four days, walked straight down to the street (we're at the grand hyatt on east 42nd street - sweet!), got me a sabretts with kraut, a diet pepsi (yeah - i know, hot dog and a diet pepsi, shaddup) - and now i'm gonna go have a cigar, hit the shower and hit cain nightclub on 27th for the cannonball kick-off cocktail party that starts at 10 pm.
i'm hoping to god there will be some worthwhile photos from the nightclub - and yeah - i'm brining my camera. bwahahahahahaha....!
NJ: Bon Mots and Cheap Shots...
(pictured: me, my cousin julianna, my uncle mike and his girlfriend cheryl)
new jersey - what can i say? see, i'm originally from NJ and when i was 12, my parents dragged my across country kicking and screaming to california and i've been thanking them ever since.
in some ways i love this state, in others... meh, not so much. flew in thursday evening, left saturday afternoon - here's my thoughts (with apologies to all i'm about to offend);
- newark. tear it down. oh wait, looks like it already has been.
- jersey shore: THIS is a vacation destination? COME ON. LBI, maybe - "slease"side? hardly.
- jersey shore: kicks freakin' ass - yeah, it sucks and rocks at the same time - kind of like that girlfriend you had in high school that you hated/loved/hated/loved/hated. you probably ain't marrying her, but you ain't forgetting her either.
- princeton/lawrence - wow. yeah - wow. every time i'm here, it just blows me away how gorgeous it is...
- is this entire state covered in on-ramps?? well - to be fair, maybe its just half - the other half is covered in off-ramps.
- the turnpike... exit 9 for those of you in the know.
- the garden state parkway: okay, legit beef here - i had spent the weekend dumping all my loose quarters in those baskets for the privilege of driving and WTF is this? i'm coming up to the one near matawan or whatever and i'm thinking "perfect - i got me 60 cents, i'm set" - and BLAMO! this bad boy is 70 cents. to the cool dude in the guardhouse who let me off without making me pay the extra dime - thanks! to the morons who decide to not tell anyone about the only toolbooth on the road that ISN'T 25 cents: @*#!&*! you.
- do not speed on 195. just don't.
Friday, July 27, 2007
"Gold 101" Arrives!
the gold racer finally landed in brick, nj for its run cross country - here's a pic of my dad and i standing in front of it. we had a bit of a small family reunion there as this is where my aunt olga (90, and still with most of her wits about her) lives.
it was great to see her, meet her caretaker, mary, and to see my cousin julianna rose, my uncle mike and his girlfriend cheryl. (pic below)
after sleeping on the smoked-out floor of my buddy mike's room, it was nice to get some sunshine - hell, i think it was about 4 or so by the time i hit the sack. up, shower, see the family, snap some photos and then take the crap-ass drive across the pine barrens of new jersey to visit my aunt patty and uncle tony which is where your intrepid author is writing this entry.
more later, right now i'm gonna lay in bed and make some phone calls! here's a couple of pics of the family and their dog - and yeah, considering the race is sponsored in part by national lampoon, we had to take this picture. sorry - couldn't find a real gun.
Asbury Lanes...
sorry for the bad photo, i didn't bring my camera so i was stuck with my phone.
as for asbury lanes, i'm not kidding, there was a beat-the-hell-up, dirty red, dented, t-top camaro (late 70s) wreck parked right in front of this joint. nothing screams "jersey" like asbury lanes - and its all good, babe. the car represented the "jersey" i moved away from - asbury lanes, the best of jersey.
i'll get shit for this, but i'm probably not gonna see these cats again, but the guys and dolls in there are in full rockabilly mode - high style in every sense, and very well done.
this place kicks ass - sadly we didn't show up until late and the band had already walked off, but picture a small stage in the middle of the bowling alley lanes and an interior style that screams "i fucking love 1954" with a modern twist.
love the joint.
next up: heading up to my aunt patty's and uncle tony's house for a bit and then back down to the shore to see my aunt olga (who i saw last night! felt bad being there so late - sorry!) and my uncle mike.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
On a bus?
If any of you know me, you know there are few things I hate;
Puppies.
Melted ice cream, and...
Buses.
The last thing I want to do is sit next to some shmoe who decided to forego his last shower and have a tuna fish sandwhich for breakfast.
Thankfully, i've lucked out. Dad's across the aisle and the yappy teenagers who, i'm guessing are flying to mystery town USA with their parents to see gram-gram and grampa have finally fallen asleep.
More when we land. Got a punk concert at a bowling alley to go to tonight!
Puppies.
Melted ice cream, and...
Buses.
The last thing I want to do is sit next to some shmoe who decided to forego his last shower and have a tuna fish sandwhich for breakfast.
Thankfully, i've lucked out. Dad's across the aisle and the yappy teenagers who, i'm guessing are flying to mystery town USA with their parents to see gram-gram and grampa have finally fallen asleep.
More when we land. Got a punk concert at a bowling alley to go to tonight!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Schedule
here's the schedule between now and sunday evening, and no, i'm not gonna include every damned thing i gotta do today including building my son's map so he can track "pop-pop and papa" cross country, moving his fish (roscoe!) and getting fitted for a tux. we'll just focus on thursday through sunday;
thursday: fly out of SFO, land in newark around 7 pm. drop my dad off at my aunt's house, stop in for a while and say hello. i'll then take the rental and stay at my uncle tony and aunt patty's house in lawrence, NJ.
friday: lazy morning, drive down to brick to visit my aunt and see my uncle.
friday evening: gonna call up some strange-ass people in north jersey and smoke a few cigars - head back to lawrence.
saturday: really don't know what i'm doing that morning - the ONLY gap in the schedule. probably see some family hopefully.
saturday afternoon: have my dad follow me back to the airport, drop the rental car off and head into manhattan to check into the hotel.
saturday evening: the cannonball party at cain in NYC. oh yeah. i have NOTHING to wear. greeeeaaaat.
sunday morning: final check on all the navigatory action (love that made up word). check out of the hotel, drive on over to the tavern on the green, check in from 2-4pm. driver's briefing in the park room of the tavern at 5pm, then off to the starting line at 6pm.
vroom.
thursday: fly out of SFO, land in newark around 7 pm. drop my dad off at my aunt's house, stop in for a while and say hello. i'll then take the rental and stay at my uncle tony and aunt patty's house in lawrence, NJ.
friday: lazy morning, drive down to brick to visit my aunt and see my uncle.
friday evening: gonna call up some strange-ass people in north jersey and smoke a few cigars - head back to lawrence.
saturday: really don't know what i'm doing that morning - the ONLY gap in the schedule. probably see some family hopefully.
saturday afternoon: have my dad follow me back to the airport, drop the rental car off and head into manhattan to check into the hotel.
saturday evening: the cannonball party at cain in NYC. oh yeah. i have NOTHING to wear. greeeeaaaat.
sunday morning: final check on all the navigatory action (love that made up word). check out of the hotel, drive on over to the tavern on the green, check in from 2-4pm. driver's briefing in the park room of the tavern at 5pm, then off to the starting line at 6pm.
vroom.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Snake who?
i swear to god the stress is getting to me - not getting cross country, that's no problem, but getting out of new york! see, you only get your first checkpoint 1 freakin' minute before your slated starting time - and i have a feeling its going to involve us getting out of NYC. so i'm talking with dad and he's really got that "you're the navigator" look on his face.
to that end, i gotta figure out where we stand as far as technology - so, i start chatting with pops.
dad: your job is to get us out of new york and to vegas, i'll drive.
me: okay - no problem. (which is "jay speak" for "fuck!")
dad: not gonna be a problem, right?
me: nah... piece of cake. (same "jay speak" definition as above)
dad: good. i bought an atlas.
me: cool. (which is "jay speak" for "an atlas?!?! wtf good is an atlas gonna do us, do they even make atlas' anymore?!")
dad: i got one for each state too.
me: cool. (see above)
okay - so here i am thinking, we gotta get our asses out of NYC as QUICK AS POSSIBLE. last thing we want is to be stuck in the freakin' city with a hangover. (yeah - i'll be hungover, sorry dad)
that brings us to... the "navigatory" toys (that's more "jay speak") - here's the gear for the trip;
- dell laptop p4 with 17" monitor.
- mobile gps unit (mio c220).
- blackberry pearl with mapping function and internet access.
- canon elph 7.1mp digital camera.
- sony mini-cam video recorder.
- scientific calculator.
- mp3 player loaded with nothing but legally downloaded songs (screw you RIAA!)
Race Preparation...
as any experienced rally race car driver will tell you, your car has got to be dialed-in, in order to take the long journey cross-country. of course, neither of us have a lick of experience in racing a cross-country rally so i really have no idea what i'm talking about.
what i do know is that the folks at bavarian tuning in santa rosa have taken it upon themselves to be personally challenged by this race and getting the "gold racer" up to par.
check out the gallery for photos of some sweet dinan action they've put together along with a couple of shots of my dad's 3.0.
what i do know is that the folks at bavarian tuning in santa rosa have taken it upon themselves to be personally challenged by this race and getting the "gold racer" up to par.
check out the gallery for photos of some sweet dinan action they've put together along with a couple of shots of my dad's 3.0.
Monday, July 23, 2007
The Eagle has Landed!
gotta do something to pass the time on a 2500 mile trip cross country, right? well - for those of you that know me, this is obvious - for those of you that don't, i'm a total cigar nut. my cigar for the trip is this box of habana bolivar royal coronas. one of my all time favorites. short enough to be smoked anywhere, powerful enough to force me to pay attention.
expect many a photo with one of these sticking out of my pie-hole.
Info, Info, Info...
more action keeps pouring in left and right from my father (pics of the both of us shortly) - here's what's going on for those of you keeping score at home.
- event registration is between 2-4pm on sunday, july 29th at the tavern on the green on the corner of central park west and 67th street in manhattan.
- pre-start PARTY! - this one's for jay, baby! we're gonna be hanging with the new york hoi polloi wishing we knew how to dress like an right-coaster. the event starts at 10pm (as all good events should start!) at cain at 544 west 27th street in NYC.
- final night party - another jay-special at the millennium biltmore on 506 south grand avenue in LA on august 3rd. this bad boy is a black-tie affair only. i'll be knockin' back some martini's ala james bond without wussing out and using vodka.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Get 'em up! Move 'em out!
thar she blows! likely a sad moment for my father, trusting his car to anyone, but if you're gonna trust someone, make it autobahn transport as this guy was talking about getting to chicago in record time... say buddy, if the whole transport thing doesn't work out, you might want to consider road rallies!
well, as i type, the gold racer (heretofore known as "gold 101"), is on its way to new jersey. good luck and thanks again autobahn transports.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Lunch at Mac's...
there's the "gold racer" as my son calls it that my dad and i will be taking cross country in a week. it actually shipped out for the east coast this morning.
for lunch, william edgar with Edgar Motorport Archive joined us as he writes for bimmer magazine and will be writing up a little sum-sumptin on our adventure cross country.
thanks again for the time and photos will and i'll try to keep this as current as i can!
The Competition...
aye caramba!
molly saleen and her "molly pop" are gonna be on the scene for the race - so check this out, i'm reading this article that my "bidness" partner sends me (danka, miguel) and one thing catches my eye... well, okay, two things - anyway, the quote in the article;
"Molly’s not afraid, nor intimidated by the amount of experience or caliber of other cars in the race. "
huh? here i am thinking we're gonna get dusted by her and the other 25 saleen mustangs in the field and she's not worried? of course she's not worried, she's got the experience, the pedigree and the car. shouldn't the field be worried about her? yikes.
check the car out and for the article: click me, baby!
molly saleen and her "molly pop" are gonna be on the scene for the race - so check this out, i'm reading this article that my "bidness" partner sends me (danka, miguel) and one thing catches my eye... well, okay, two things - anyway, the quote in the article;
"Molly’s not afraid, nor intimidated by the amount of experience or caliber of other cars in the race. "
huh? here i am thinking we're gonna get dusted by her and the other 25 saleen mustangs in the field and she's not worried? of course she's not worried, she's got the experience, the pedigree and the car. shouldn't the field be worried about her? yikes.
check the car out and for the article: click me, baby!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules!
damn it. yeah - there are rules... i'll keep it brief;
- average 61 mph, coast-to-coast.
- average 61 mph for each day's race.
- average 61 mph for each checkpoint within each day.
- presumably get penalized for each minute you're late to each checkpoint and/or finish line.
- presumably get penalized double for each minute you're early.
- no announcement of the next checkpoint's location and route until the moment you're ready to leave. (we are willing to cheat so if someone can leak something to me - go for it.)
The Great American Race!
what is it?
not really sure to be honest... what i do know is that my dad (peter) and i (jay) will be taking his newly restored (thank you defont's autobody) 1973 BMW 3.0 CS across country from manhattan (which is in new york city for you geographically challenged) across country to the finish line in las vegas, nevada - the home of all that is pure. after a celebratory dinner in vegas, the 400 drivers and 400 navigators (i am the trusty navigator on this journey) will then whisk their way across the god-forsaken southwest desert to las angeles, california for a swanky celebration at the biltmore millenium hotel. so, if i wind up making it to LA, i've got to scrounge up a tux i guess...
the 400 entrants start from four different cities, NY NY, washington DC, atlanta and miami (remind me again dad why we didn't start in miami?!?!) and race against the clock to LA from july 29 to august 4.
the idea of the blog is to update it as we go as i'm bringing every known electronic convenience with me (laptop, blackberry, GPS, ipod, etc.) in order to keep the tens of fans across the country updated on our progress.
that's it for now - here's an artist's rendering of what the car looks like - we'll snap some pretty photos of the actual bavarian coach as we get closer to the event.
not really sure to be honest... what i do know is that my dad (peter) and i (jay) will be taking his newly restored (thank you defont's autobody) 1973 BMW 3.0 CS across country from manhattan (which is in new york city for you geographically challenged) across country to the finish line in las vegas, nevada - the home of all that is pure. after a celebratory dinner in vegas, the 400 drivers and 400 navigators (i am the trusty navigator on this journey) will then whisk their way across the god-forsaken southwest desert to las angeles, california for a swanky celebration at the biltmore millenium hotel. so, if i wind up making it to LA, i've got to scrounge up a tux i guess...
the 400 entrants start from four different cities, NY NY, washington DC, atlanta and miami (remind me again dad why we didn't start in miami?!?!) and race against the clock to LA from july 29 to august 4.
the idea of the blog is to update it as we go as i'm bringing every known electronic convenience with me (laptop, blackberry, GPS, ipod, etc.) in order to keep the tens of fans across the country updated on our progress.
that's it for now - here's an artist's rendering of what the car looks like - we'll snap some pretty photos of the actual bavarian coach as we get closer to the event.
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