Motoring Challenge

The Challenge Begins

This year the Moss Motoring Challenge has been revamped by removing the requirements for US states and Canadian provinces. They have also knocked off the alphabet soup of cities, so you can now compete and not have to drive the entire North American continent gatherings points. There are more destinations, sign related and roadside oddity type points to be had. Should make for a lot more people with a chance at winning. Should be fun.

This morning the temperature was in the teens, so we temporarily lifted the “must bike ride to Ridgecrest for a panini” rule and drove over. Plus because of the temps, we took the Miata instead of the Sonata as it was nice and warm due to being in the garage. At breakfast the owner mentioned that on her way to work this morning (at oh-dark thirty) that Park Avenue was closed due to a water main break.

When we left, Donna said, “Road Closed was one of the challenges for 2017. Let’s go check it out.” Park Ave is pretty straight so we could see the excitement from a long way away, but we couldn’t get too close to the action because they had cones up a block away. We couldn’t have gotten any points for anything here anyway because the Road Closed challenge required a sign and the crew out in the freezing weather and calf deep in gushing water didn’t bother to erect one.

No worries, I knew they were still working on the York Street railroad bridge, so we detoured (pun intended) over there.

Once More Unto The Breach

Cool Vehicles - New Beetle Convertible

Ever since we took possession of this silver Miata we have been wavering back and forth as to whether we wanted to start all over again doing the Moss Motoring Challenge because of the different car or just let it go.

When we went on our usual Sunday morning bike ride yesterday the many puffy clouds were turning pink and orange with the sunrise and this got us thinking about the Sunrise “Destination” photo requirement for this year’s Challenge. So I suggested that we should get up early when we head to Lexington for bagels on Labor Day and if there is another interesting sunrise that will be a sign that we should start the Motoring Challenge again.

When we left the house this morning the sky was just starting to lighten up. By the time we had driven the few miles to the spot we had picked out for the sunrise photo we could tell there was not a single cloud in the sky. Well, that’s that, I guess we won’t do the Challenge with the CTBNL.

We have owned this Miata now for 27 days and Donna has yet to sit in the left seat, but on the way home she says, “I think it is about time I tried to drive this thing. Pull over here.” She was pointing at a stretch of asphalt along the side of the road that had no apparent reason for being there, except maybe as a spot to park cars with For Sale signs in the window. The one car for sale this morning was a VW New Beetle convertible. As I was stopping, Donna said, “That’s a cool car from another country.”

So, as my good friend King Henry V said, “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.”

Motoring Challenge II Points Today 4, Total So Far: 4 points.

165,000 Sunrises

165,000 Sunrises

That many sunrises would actually be somewhere just north of 450 years, so that is not how many I have witnessed, but perhaps in another life if I was Count Magnus Brahe, a Swedish noble, who was born on September 25, 1564.This particular sunrise was experienced by Donna and I on our way to work this morning.

Not too far into the trip to tonight’s MMC monthly meeting the Emperor pass thru the 165,000 mile mark.

Motoring Challenge Points 2, Approx Miles Driven 0
Totals So Far: 60 points & 970 miles

Started up, went down, went up, back down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 195

Bonus Time

Sneak Peek 2a - Valve Train Issues

Walked by the neglected Moss Motoring Challenge list on the desk yesterday and noticed that the cutoff date for the second sneak peek photos was fast approaching. July 1st was just next Friday and because of the timing and exhaust issues on the Emperor we really haven’t been very active Challenge-wise. Right now the Miata is sitting in the garage with the valve cover off so I can change the cover gasket which is leaking (from the last time I had it off.) The perfect opportunity at least for the first one of the possible two sneak peeks was just waiting for us in the garage.

Fingers crossed I’ve got the VVT timing issue solved, but now I have to figure out the ugly exhaust sound. Almost 2 months ago Rudy brought me his Borla muffler and a spare stock muffler along with a stock mid-pipe from John. I picked the Borla, but it turns out that was the wrong choice. So guess what Donna and I did Tuesday evening? Right, drove the Sonata to John’s house and re-borrowed the stock mid-pipe and muffler.

Plan for tomorrow is to put the valve cover back on, with a new gasket this time and on Sunday maybe start on the exhaust issues. The muffler should be no real problem, while the mid-pipe is a whole ‘nother story, as it has about a four undercarriage braces that need to come off first. Then the two bolts on the mid-pipe upstream near the header (and higher temperatures) that haven’t yet been removed, so they probably will be harder to break loose and require more hammering that ones at the muffler a few weeks ago.

Motoring Challenge Points 1, Approx Miles Driven 0
Totals So Far: 58 points & 970 miles

Another Country?

Cool Vehicles - Old Chevy (I think)

Donna spotted this one on the way home from her allergy shot yesterday, so she said, “Turn around.” So I circled the block. The category is called ‘Cool Vehicles from All Around the World’ with a sub-heading of ‘Your car alongside sweet rides from 10 other countries’. This is definitely a cool car but is it from an other country? Its from an other country from the car we are driving, so I’m good with it. Note that Donna is wearing a shirt in a color that nearly matches the car.

The day before we went on vacation I noticed the right fog light was out, so yesterday we picked up a pair at the auto store and I changed them out after dinner. I did save the working bulb for the next burn out.

Started down, went up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 173

Motoring Challenge Points 1, Approx Miles Driven 0
Totals So Far: 57 points & 970 miles

The Emperor Returns

New Pedals

The Cam Angle Sensor wiring harness was rubbing on a serpentine belt until it shorted out.

I was hoping to find a more local shop than Panic to take the Miata to when it needs work and it turns out Wayne’s won’t be it. Not that the quality of work is a problem, the car drove home just fine, but the intangibles sunk their chances.

When I got in the car to drive it home I noticed they had nicely laid one of those paper floor mats down to keep greasy footprints off the mats, but they had forgotten to put the fuse box cover back on and it was laying on the passenger seat. Back home I snapped the fuse cover back on and pulled up the paper floor mat. It had done its job because it had collected a couple greasy prints on it, but when I pulled it up, there were a lot more greasy areas on the real mats than on the paper. Good thing I still have some of that old carpet that I made these mats from. The topper came as I walked around the back of the car to go get that piece of carpet, there were four big greasy hand prints on the trunk from where they had pushed it into the shop.

Finally spent the $50 Gift Certificate we won for 2015’s Motoring Challenge. There was not really anything in the catalog that I really wanted. The only thing that I needed in there in the right price range were some replacement rubber pads for the brake and clutch pedals, but what would I do with the remaining twenty bucks. Plus I really didn’t like the ‘Roadster’ script on them. The fancy I.L. Motorsports aluminum ones were $15 over the sum of the GC, so what the heck, I bought them. They of course arrived on Thursday while the Miata was off at the shop. Put them on Friday night while I was cutting a new mat and wiping off the trunk lid.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 159

The Week In Review

Destination - Deer Crossing

Stopped on the way over to visit a friend and took this picture. It is worth two points and I’m counting zero miles because we would have passed right by it anyway.

Monday when we got home from work, Donna checked the mail and she came out with a padded envelope, looked at me and asked accusingly, “What did you order from Moss Motors?!?” I thought for a moment, couldn’t come up with anything…..then it dawned on me, it was our prize package for finishing as one of the 50 runners-up in the 2015 Motoring Challenge. Sure enough, that’s what it was, a nice t-shirt, a cool little sticker and our $50 gift certificate.

This year for the Motoring Challenge instead of a T-shirt they are giving everyone who scores 50 points a nifty hat, well last week’s “Slow Children Playing” sign put us over that mark. All they wanted as proof was a photo of your entry sheet with your progress so far marked off. So Wednesday after work I took a picture of ours sitting on the trunk of the Sonata and wrote 52 pts, so far with my finger in the coating of pine pollen. I then spent the next 1-1/2 hours washing the pollen off both the Sonata and the Miata, even though I knew they would be covered again to the same thickness in a couple days.

This morning was the monthly breakfast drive with the MMC and we had a turn out of two cars, us and the folks who were leading it. Maybe some were scared off by the chance of rain, the weather have been promising all week that it would start raining last night, continue through the whole day and not quit until tonight. It was sprinkling lightly when we got ready to leave for the drive, but halfway to the meet up spot we paused on the side of the road and dropped the top. We just returned from grocery shopping and it is still down. Radar is showing a line heading our way, should be here within the hour, but I would not be surprised if it dissipates before it gets here.

In this afternoon’s mail was another padded envelope from Moss Motors. This time, she didn’t ask what I bought because we knew the hat was on its way. Now I have to figure out what I want to spend the fifty bucks on so I can get another padded envelope from them in the mail again.

Started down, went up, back down, back up, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 06/25/15: 153

Motoring Challenge Points 2, Approx Miles Driven 0
Totals So Far: 54 points & 910 miles