Went away for the weekend to go hiking in the Georgia mountains. I left early Friday morning and returned Sunday at noon. I checked the email before I left and when I go back I had received 42 pieces of spam at the Master’s Miata Club Yahoo email address in those 54 hours. My favorite is the one from Venessa with the subject line, “Sick of Deleting Junk Email.”
The trip home this morning was uneventful and along our now familiar route. GA 52 to Lula, GA 51 to Washington and then GA 17 to I-20. Settle in for a 4 day week of work before we travel to middle Georgia again next Friday. This time not so far up north and we are coming back Friday night. The Master’s Miata Club is going to visit the Panoz Factories over near Braselton (the town that Kim Basinger once owned.) We have to come back as the Club’s annual trip to the Big Mo is on Saturday night.
Purchased Today: $8.00 in gas & $2.13 in oil
Money spent since 03/03/03: $181.23
Started up, went down, went up, back down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 74
After a hearty breakfast the four of us began the trek back down the mountain. To add a little variety to the trip we took the alternate route back down. You continued on the trail to the inn for an additional mile and ran into the Appalachian Trail Approach Trail and went back to the top of Amicalola Falls where our cars were parked.
To make amends to the Miata for leaving it out all night in the “wilderness” we used the 4 hours we had to waste before checking into the lodge on the state park and went for a drive in the surrounding mountains. We tried to duplicate the loop the bicyclists took last weekend in the reverse direction. We almost made it, missed one turn, so we didn’t drive across the one-lane bridge, but that wasn’t a great loss. The best part of the drive is GA60 north of Dahlonega. There is a stretch of it that is nicknamed “The Snake” and is a Mecca for motorcyclists because of it’s twisty loopy route over a couple of mountain passes. Yehaw! The highlight of the whole drive was about 03/4 of the way through when about 75 yards in front of our 2 car parade a decent size black bear bounded down from the woods on one side of the road and beat feet across to jump the guardrail into the woods on the other side. That was either one smart bear to wait for a gap in traffic or a lucky one.
Purchased Today: $14.50 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $171.08
Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 71
Up at dawn for the road trip to northern Georgia, again. This time we were with another couple in another Miata to go almost exactly where we were last weekend. We even used the same route we took home last Sunday to get there. Destination was Amicalola Falls State Park. we were parking our cars and then hiking a 5 mile trail to Len Foote Hike Inn where we would spend the night in the quiet splendor of the forest.
It is a fairly easy hike, mostly up, but some down too. We got a slightly early start as there was rain predicted for the late afternoon. We were prepared for rain (stuff packed in plastic bags, etc.) but just really didn’t want to get soaked. The rain didn’t come until around 7 PM and when it did arrive it wasn’t torrential. The best part was the lighting and thunder show. After dinner a lot of us gathered on the porches surrounding the various wings of the inn and enjoyed show. It was nearly dark and the lighting was going off all around us on different peaks surrounding us. As if arranged just for us, the evening’s entertainment finale consisted of a criss-crossing of almost the entire eastern sky with cobweb of lightning streaks. Almost if there was a cause and effect relationship between them, after the lightning a rainbow appeared against the gray sky backdrop. Because there is no TV and heaven forbid, no Internet, we were in bed by 9:30.
Purchased Today: nothing
Money spent since 03/03/03: $156.58
Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 69
I drive a Miata. It has a tight suspension (really only slightly tauter than stock) and 50 series stiff sidewall tires. It handles like it is glued to the road. One by product of this is that bumps, holes and ripples in the road are felt a lot more than in you typical family sedan. I try and avoid them when I can, but it is not always possible. Lately in our little town, the top layer of asphalt seems to be coming out in dinner plate sized chunks along the tracks of where most cars wheels travel in. Not just one or two places, but more like several dozen. On the commute to work there must be 10 of these little patches of 2 inch drops that I try and slalom around. I think that one day if a cop follows me for any distance he will probably pull me over for my seeming erratic driving.
Took an afternoon off today to test drive BMWs. No I’m not getting rid of the Miata and trading down to a Z4, I participated in the 7th Annual Ultimate Drive for The Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I did it 2 years ago and had a blast. For some reason the local dealer didn’t participate last year. The idea is simple, you show up and drive a BMW and for every mile you drive BMW donates a dollar. I reserved a spot to drive a Z4 2.5 manual and then a 330 convertible with an automatic. They have a 15 mile loop laid out that they want you to follow so it is cool to see all these gray BMWs with gray & pink stripes driving around. Drove the Z4 first and like the Z3 of two years ago it felt much more solid than my 7 year old Miata and had gobs more torque. It lacked the audible feedback and the tossable feel of the lighter Miata. It was so quiet that I hit the rev limiter several time in first gear and a couple of time in second. After a couple of laps we turned in the Z4 for the 3 series drop top. If I won $10 million in a Lotto I might get a Z4, but the first I’d do would be change the muffler for something that will let me know that my engine revolutions are sweeping through the range. It was about the same car except for the visual differences and a little more wind buffeting from the open rear seats. After that we tired of the sun so took the hardtop version of the same 3 series for a ride. Quiet, comfortable and quick these cars are fun to drive if not a little isolating. With time for one more lap, we tried the X5 4.4. After the first few minutes of seeming to be driving a bus because of the height and breadth of the thing, it quickly turns into another BMW. The V8 scoots and feels quick, but for a heavy tall vehicle it handles the sweeping ess turns of the Riverwatch Parkway with aplomb.
After it was all over it was a relief to get back in the Miata. Sounded just right and the short throw Voodoo shifting were music to my ears and arm. There is no place like home.
Purchased Today: $14.25 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $156.58
Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 67
Donna and I decided to walk up to the Chinese Restaurant to eat supper. It is about a mile one way, so it makes a nice evening walk. Walk, eat and walk back helping to burn off the meal. When we got back to the house, I went to unlock the front door and when I pulled my keys out of my pocket I realized I didn’t have the house key anymore. When I got the custom caricature key chain I didn’t put the key back on, hadn’t used it in so long that I figured what the heck, leave it off. Donna reached into her purse to get her keys and it turns out all she had was a car key, a key to her desk and a house key that we have no earthly idea whose house it goes to, but we do know it doesn’t go to ours. Normally Donna’s mom would be home and she could let us in or maybe the door wouldn’t even been locked, but tonight we had to use the emergency key. I took the screen off a window that we knew was unlocked, Donna boosted me up and I climbed in.