Cherahala Skyway Photos

From the Front

A few of the Deals Gap photographers have now branched out and stationed someone over on the Cherahala Skyway to maximize coverage. I didn’t know this until we stumbled on one Saturday.

I was right on the tail of a Camaro RS that I was slowly reeling in turn by turn when I spotted the US129 Photos banner and tent with a guy and a camera. Thinking that I was too close to the Camaro for the photographer to get a good shot of the Emperor I went around the next corner to a small straightaway and did a quick u-turn. This time I passed by the photo spot unhidden. We flew by to get photographed, quickly found another turn around spot on the other side and went screaming by again.

From the Back

New Royal Portrait

9-28-2013_129Slayer

This past Saturday we got up just before dawn so we could have a really good chance of running through the entire 318 turns in 11 miles that is Deals Gap unimpeded. And our planned worked to perfection. I got to drive both from south to north and back from north to south without having to slow down for anything except my fear of driving off the mountainside.

After the first trip through, at the north end, we pulled into what used to be a gravel lot, but is now paved and took a brief break. We only stayed for a minute or so for fear of some slug of a vehicle getting in ahead of us. Just as we hopped back in the Emperor a car did go by heading south, but I wasn’t too worried about it slowing me down as it was a 2-door BMW 3 series. To be sure he would be no trouble we took another brief break after about a mile at the Calderwood Dam overlook at the top of the hill.

In the 15-20 minutes since we passed the approximate mid-point of the Gap, one of the intrepid “Tail of the Dragon” photographers had set up shop. This resulted in the photo above, 1 of 5 he took on my way by,which is now become the Emperor’s new Royal Portrait. As it turns out we probably didn’t need the break, because when I went to find that morning’s photos, the set right in front of ours was of that white BMW and it had M badges on it, so if the driver was there like me, to “drive” the road, I couldn’t have kept up with him if I tried.

U.S. Government “Shut Down”

123rd-anniversary-of-yosemite-national-park-Google Doodle

In a nice bit of irony, the image above is today’s Google Doodle in celebration of Yosemite National Park’s 123rd Anniversary. If you wanted to go and celebrate at the actual park today – oops, can’t, it’s closed.

Anniversary Cards

Yesterday was Donna and my wedding anniversary. This year we are celebrating the one that is right about halfway between major milestone and holy crap that long.

Because we are usually shopping together when it comes time to buy greeting cards for each other for Valentine’s Day and Anniversaries we take turns, one person shops for cards while the other loiters in the magazine section or an aisle over. Then we swap places.

This is a lot better than one couple we know, who never waste money on greeting cards, they both stand in the store/aisle and select a card they would like to give to the other and show it to them right in the store. Then instead of heading to the checkout counter, they put the cards right back in the slot where they found them.

This year because we were going away for the weekend we packed our cards separately to bring out on Sunday morning. Donna gave me my card first and as I opened it up she said, “I just love the picture on the front.” When I saw it, I instantly recognized it and said, “Well then, you’ll love my card.” That’s right, we has each chosen the exact same card. First time that has ever happened.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1262

Mountain Getaway

Hiwassee Reservoir

Made a trip into the NC/TN mountains this weekend. We were celebrating my birthday, our anniversary and on a recon mission for an MMC trip up here in November. Total distance traveled between 7:00 AM Friday morning and 1:00 PM Sunday afternoon was 760 miles. I drove every one of them and enjoyed the heck out of myself. We bought premium gas 4 times in that time (if you count the fill up before we left), 2 in the NC mountains with an average cost of $3.89 and 2 in SC midlands with an average cost $3.39. For the trip the Emperor got a little over 28 miles to the gallon, which ain’t half bad considering that about 2/3rds of the driving was spent in 2nd and 3rd gear at 3500 to 4500 RPM being flung around turns.

We stayed in a one bedroom cabin at a place called Fontana Village and had a mostly great time. The only real fault we found with the place is that you are a captive audience restaurant-wise because the nearest place to eat is Robbinsville, 22 twisty mountain miles away and what they have there really isn’t anything worth going for. As such, dining at one of the two open restaurants on the grounds can set you back a pretty penny. On Saturday morning the breakfast buffet at the Mountain View was our only option and at twelve bucks a person (total bill with tax & tip; $29) it was not as good as the $7.95 one at a Golden Corral in Aiken, just served from nicer containers. Dinner at the Wildwood Grill on Saturday night was $40 for 2 hamburgers a beer and a glass of wine. But now that we know there were serious about the fully equipped kitchen in the cabin, next time we are bringing our own (well as least as much as we can carry in the Miata.)

The photo above is of the Hiwassee Reservoir taken at the overlook of the Hiwassee Dam on at about the mid-point of the loop planned for the Saturday drive when we take the Miata Club to Deals Gap. This is the same loop as we did 2 years ago, but we are hoping the weather in November this year will be a lot more like our weather this weekend and not anything like the cold and wet of the 2011 trip.

This afternoon the Emperor got a well deserved bath while I ignored NFL football and its effect on my fantasy football team. I may not watch any games next week either, if that is what it takes, because the football Purple Whales are winning 118 to 106 and I still have one guy playing tonight and my opponent has nobody left to play at all.

Started down, went up, back down, up again, down again, up once more, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1261

Car Camo Considered

bmw m4 camo small

This is the back end of the new BMW M4 covered in camo because they are not ready to actually debut them yet, although they are out test driving them. I drove its predecessor, the M3, back in 2008 at a Susan B Komen Ultimate Drive and effervesced about the experience:

414HP V-8. Yikes! This car should be illegal, but I’m glad it is not. Just the exhaust note alone is enough to make the hairs on your arm stand up. Not deep throaty Detroit rumble, but raspy, race car purposeful. One suggestion, when you mash the go pedal to the floor you should already have your head back on the headrest or it will be snapped back to it. This is as close as you can get to experiencing a catapult launch from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier on land, unless you drag race funny cars on the weekend.

If I was really rich, or kinda rich and single, this thing would be my daily driver, but seeing as I’m neither of those things I drive a 10 year-old Miata (not that there is anything wrong with that.)

What I think might be cool, and I wouldn’t even have to be rich, would be to find a place that vinyl wraps cars and cover the Miata in that black & white swirly camo. Although, I think to do that I would need to be single, or if I did that without asking for permission, I would end up single. 🙂

We Own The East?

WOTEAll the clubhouse celebration photos of the FRS from last Friday showed the players all wearing this shirt. Do you think that they were contractually obligated to do so? Or did they just not care what the heck they were wearing after downing several Bud Lights (the official beer of MLB Playoff Clinching)?

First off they don’t own the East, at best they were leasing it for a year. Secondly, last night the Braves donned T-shirts with the same words on it. So just who does “own” the East?

The only thing worse than that shirt is this hat!