Miatatude

Ultimate Drive

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

I Can’t Keep That Up For Long

I have this very annoying squeak in my dash that I have tried to fix (not real hard yet, see April 20th) I can make it stop if I hold the toe of my left foot against the bottom of the dash, but I can’t keep that up for long. Got to use the left foot for the clutch and it is an awkward stretch. The temperatures are warming up and soon my mysterious over 85 degrees glove box rattle will be back. I wonder if the squeak will disappear as the rattle appears? I call it the glove box rattle but that is not what is causing it, as I removed the box entirely last summer, but the rattle is still there. It was getting louder by the day, but once the temperatures cooled down it went away. I was waiting for a real hot day and have it suddenly stop, so I could look in my rearview mirror and see the part that was rattling fade away into the sunset.

Purchased Today: nothing
Money spent since 03/03/03: $142.33
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 66

No Trespassing

We had downloaded the route directions for yesterday’s and today’s stages from the Tour web site and used this to plan our viewing strategy. Using it and the Georgia state map we had, worked out real good for Friday, but for the life of us we couldn’t follow all of Saturday’s route. They had to be using some roads that weren’t on the map. We decided to get up earlier and drive the route from just past Ellijay to pick our first viewing spot. Using the printed directions and the orange arrow signs that get put out early, tracing the route was easy. Sure enough they were riding on roads that were not on the big state map. When we stopped for a soda break on the drive there was a Georgia Mountains map that showed the roads they were riding, so we bought it. Our original plan was to find a spot on the second King Of The Mountain climb to watch them pass, but realized if we did that there was no way to leapfrog the rolling blockade and make it to the finish before the riders. Plan B was devised. There was a cool little one-lane bridge the riders crossed outside of Ellijay that looked like a nice spot and it also had quick access to GA52 so we could get by the riders and make it to Gainesville to see the finish.

We made it back to the bridge with about an hour to kill waiting. We spent the time chatting some locals who had come out to watch thinking it was going to be like one of those charity rides. After we indoctrinated them a van of race volunteers showed up to sweep the gravel off the bridge. We tried to get them to come back with us and sweep the course of our next bike ride, but they would only do it if we would drive them around and feed them too. After a breakaway group of 6 cyclists passed over the bridge a couple of motorcycles skidded to a stop just past us. The official Tour photographer was on one and the official Tour videographer was on the other. The video guy hopped a fence, oblivious to the “No Trespassing” sign, and set up shop to the right. The photographer must have thought we were in a good spot as he came over and stood next to me. He was actually balanced on the guardrail to avoid the poison ivy I was standing in (I’m not allergic, so it doesn’t bother me) and needed to lean up against Donna to keep from falling off.

After the race passed, we got on GA52 and headed towards to finishing city. About 10 minutes into the trip a GA State Trooper car comes flying up from behind with his flashers and siren going. I slowed and pulled half off the road expecting him to zip on by as the road ahead was clear, but instead he stayed right behind me until I got all the way off the road. Then he took off around me. WTF? So I got back on the road and started driving again. 30 seconds later I found out why he wanted me off the road. A line of about 25 state patrol cars with lights flashing and sirens going came careening by at 70+. They were doing the same thing I was, leapfrogging around the race, only unlike me, I’m sure they were off to block the roads somewhere ahead of the pack.

Because the cyclists still had a mountain to climb we got to Gainesville with plenty of time to kill. We had a leisurely lunch, toured the festival area (again not going for official Tour jerseys at $70) walked back to where we had lunch and had an ice cream dessert before setting up shop on the 3rd floor of a parking garage 20 feet from the finish line. We watched the breakaway group of 6 charge the line with Fred Rodrigeuz winning the sprint, for his second stage win in a row. About 5-1/2 minutes later a chase group of 12 or so finished up. It was then about 10 more minutes before the rest of the peleton arrived. Of course they had to sprint to the line in a testosterone induced and meaningless fight for 20th place.

When the dust settled we hoped back in the car and drove back north to a town the riders had passed through earlier in the day to spend the night. If you are ever in Dahlonega, GA, I highly recommend Caruso’s Italian Restaurant, their pizza is excellent.

Purchased Today: $12.00 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $130.82
Started up, went down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 63

Rolling Party

We were in western Georgia to follow the Tour de Georgia professional bike race. We used to do this back in the early/middle 90s for the Tour DuPont in North Carolina and we were looking forward to doing it again. Our plan is to try and catch the race as it passes by in one or two spots then heading to the finish line to see the riders come in. Today’s plan was to drive south and catch them near Franklin, leapfrog around them to see a sprint in Cedartown, leapfrog again and end up in Rome for the circuit finish.

Our timing in Franklin was near perfect. We were the 4th car back when the State Troopers shut the intersection in front of us. The riders were going to the left and our escape route was back the way we came in. We got out of line and parked in a local eatery’s parking lot. Donna and I picked a good spot near the apex of the turn to watch them come around that curve. While we waited we chatted with a fellow from Rome who had talked the local paper into letting him cover the race as a freelancer. As it turned out our spot was about a 100 yards after a feed zone for the riders and after a while he headed down there to try and get a picture or two. Pro racers don’t pull into a country store and get a bottle of Gatorade like we do on a Club ride, each rider gets a bag with water bottles of water and/or fruit juice, some power bar things and/or the snacks of their choice. They ride right by, while team support members hand them a little bag while they pass. The riders then take what they want and ditch the rest. Apparently it is good fun to try and toss this stuff near spectators as they pass because they make nice souvenirs. Here I am looking through a viewfinder trying to take pictures and all of a sudden water bottles and mussets start landing around my feet with splats. I felt a little like one of those guys in those old western movies that the gunslinger fires bullets at the ground near him and says, “Dance.” We picked up three bags and about 7 water bottles to take home. After they passed we went in to Buddy’s where we parked and had some lunch. Figured that was the least we could do for parking there. Besides it would take a few minutes before the traffic would clear. Donna and I split a fried catfish dinner and it was pretty darn good.

Because we had a sit down lunch we were going to be too late for the sprint in Cedartown, so we just headed up the road to Rome. About the time we got into town, just as they were closing the streets, it started to rain lightly. The rain only slows the cyclists a bit on turns, nothing stops these guys. After zigging and zagging around the closed roads we finally made it into downtown by blind luck and ended up parking just a block or two from the finish line. There was a three lap circuit around the streets of Rome before they actually crossed the finish line, so we would get a few good chances to see the racers flash by. While we waited for the rolling party to arrive we checked out the festival area near the finish were they always have sponsor booths and a souvenir stand and of course the jumbo TV for watching highlights of yesterday’s stage. At the Tour DuPont (or France) it would have real time race coverage, but this is only the first year, maybe after this Tour is established they’ll get that too. After we watched the racers do the initial pass of the finish line, Donna and I then made our way towards the Clock Tower to see these guys struggle up a mean assed little hill that we learned about earlier. I don’t know what the grade was but it looked like a climb of about 100′ of elevation at about a 50 degree angle. These guys are awesome machines who usually average near 30 miles an hour for a 130-150 mile ride, but they were reduced to 8 or 9 MPH by this bump in the road. We even saw one rider resort to tacking up the hill like a weekend duffer.

Because it was still raining we didn’t stick around much, we just headed back to our hotel in Cartersville about 25 miles away. Fortunately the cable was back on so we could check the Weather Channel to see that tomorrow looked like a nice sunny day for the riders (and us spectators) in the mountains.

Purchased Today: $12.25 in gas
Money spent since 03/03/03: $118.82
Started up, went down, went up, back down, back up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 61

A Modified Echelon

Right after work, we packed the car and headed west, destination, Cartersville, GA. We started with the top down. Kept it down, but put the windblocker on for Donna’s Interstate drive as it was starting to cool off. When I picked up the driving again about 60 miles outside of Atlanta we put the top up as it looked like we were coming to rain. Of course it started to rain at dark, at about the time I started to navigate the dreaded I-285 loop around the big city. On Atlanta’s beltway there are at minimum 5 lanes of road in each direction and at 9:00 PM on a Thursday night they all are quite busy.

I was traveling in the middle lane at around 70 to keep all my options open and ahead I noticed the back of a Miata with one tail light out, first one we had seen in the first 150 miles of our journey. As we got closer Donna said, “Hey, there is a Miata.” About that time I noticed in my left rearview mirror the distinct light signature of a set of barndoors approaching in the lane to the left of me. Almost at the same time as I pulled along side of the one-tailighted Miata, the other one pulled along side of us. I tooted the air horns and got a beep-beep from my right. As the three of us rolled down the road in a modified echelon for a moment we passed a 4th Miata in the extreme right lane. The Blue Angels had nothing on us, too bad it wasn’t a bright sunny day so we could have acknowledged what was happening and drove like that for a while longer.

We arrived at our hotel and base of operations for the next two nights at around 9:30 after 230 miles (and no other Miata sightings.) A brief storm had just passed through the area knocking out the hotel’s cable, but we didn’t care we were tired and just went to bed.

Purchased Today: $0
Money spent since 03/03/03: $106.57
Started down, went up, still up.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 57

Test Mule

I removed the flasher from the third brake light today. I’m a test mule for a device that a friend is going to make. It addresses the big complaint that everyone over on Miata.net has with the flashing 3rd light, incessant blinking. This thing has a small circuit board with a couple of components on it, so that it flashes real quick for 5 times and then burns steady. It takes a minute to reset to flashing, so if you are in stop and go traffic it always burns steady after the initial 5 flashes (unless you sit for more than a minute without applying the brakes.)

While I was at it I took off the instrument hood and drove around the block a couple of times. There is a squeak in the dash on bumpy roads that goes away when you press on the hood. My hood is only held on by the 2 screws and only one of the three snaps so I thought maybe a replacement hood would fix the problem. As with any squeak, it’s not that easy, even without the hood it is still there. Got to be somewhere deeper in and when I press it stops a lot more than the instrument hood from vibrating. More trouble shooting is required.

Purchased Today: nothing
Money spent since 03/03/03: $96.63
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 54

Burning Precious Petrochemicals Wantonly

It was another beautiful day today. At our 10:00 PM walk around the parking lot, we decided to go for a drive at lunch. So we ate our lunches at our respective desks at 11:30 so at noon promptly, we walked out to the car and after removing the cockpit cover just drove around the back roads of Aiken County for 40 minutes burning precious petrochemicals wantonly.

Purchased Today: still nothing
Money spent since 03/03/03: $81.38
Started down, still down.
Top Transitions since 02/02/03: 54