In The Breeze. September/October 2017 Official Newsletter of the Bluebonnet MX-5 Miata Club Still Free! October

Transcription

1 1 In The Breeze October September/October 2017 Official Newsletter of the Bluebonnet MX-5 Miata Club Still Free! If you own a Miata, and if your reading this you surely do, you probably have the Tail of the Dragon on your bucket list. I know I did, that is until Mark Hungerman had the brilliant idea to combine the recent total eclipse with a trip to one of it s total eclipse locations, Deal s Gap, or more precisely, the Fontana Village Resort near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The following is my recap of the entire trip. Marilyn and I left bright and early to meet Gail and Rich Sandenaw and Ed and Helenan Polansky in Seguin. We drove to Houston and met Rohm and Barbara Thompson at Buc-ee s east of Houston. We drove on to our goal for the day, just outside of Baton Rouge, LA at the Denham Springs Hampton Inn. We took a break at many Visitor s Centers, this one in Louisiana Refreshed, we take off the next morning, driving through Louisiana, Mississippi, and on to Birmingham, Alabama where we met up with Ed and Barbara Smith, Paul Wilson and Richard and Judy Schlotzhauer. Some drove on to visit the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum while Marilyn and I took time to take a photo of me near the Bessermer, Alabama welcome sign for one of my residents where I work. She was pleased beyond belief that I took time to do that. After checking in to our hotel in Birmingham, the Hilton Gardens, we met Jeff and Diane Holbrook and Mark Hungerman there. We asked where to eat BBQ and were told about Jim N Nick s. What a great find as the food there was nothing less than fantastic. We all retired early as we had lots of ground to cover the next day. We took off on a beautiful morning through Alabama, Mississippi, a bit of Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. I must say, the countryside was amazingly green and beautiful. After visiting the Cherohala Visitor s center, where some bought shirts there, we drove the Cherohala Sky way, one of the prettiest drives of the entire trip. Sites like this were commonplace every day! (Continued on page 4)

2 Club Officers President Gus Aguirre Welcome back, Wally and Susie Peters! While they ve remained in the club, we haven t seen these great folks in a very long time! They ve upgraded to a 2015 Club Edition! Let s hope we see much more of them in the coming months! Vice President Jim Jimbo Treat vicepresident@bluebonnetmiata.org Secretary Stephanie Turner secretary@bluebonnetmiata.org Treasurer Joe Knight treasurer@bluebonnetmiata.org Membership* Harry Maxwell membership@bluebonnetmiata.org Newsletter Editor* George Lucas newsletter@bluebonnetmiata.org Webmaster* Don Privett webmaster@bluebonnetmiata.org *appointed positions Club Graphic Designer Judi Privett judi@bluebonnetmiata.org Photo Contributors David Hamilton, Ed Smith, George Lucas, David Mulkey, Ed Polansky Inside this Issue Dark Dragon Cover, 4, 5, 6, 7 Officers President s Message Velocity Read from the Editor Lunar Zoomer at the Shake Shack....8 Starry, Starry Night.9 Jimbo s NASCAR Hamburger Run..10 A Once in a Lifetime Experience..11 Around the State in 80 Hours Texas Miata Round Up.13 BBMC Ladies Group...13 The Princesses Diaries...14 Remember When?...Back Page Upcoming Runs and Events Back Page

3 3 Presidents Message I am hoping for cooler weather and although July and August have been miserably hot and Hurricane season has been active lots of club activities took place. I understand that the The Tail of Dragon organized by Mark Hungerman was a great success and seeing the solar eclipse was a great experience. Lisa and Craig s band, Joyride, made a debut at a fundraiser for flood victims of the Houston Area. A special thanks to both of them for supporting this great cause. I want to express my sincere thanks to Jeff and Diane Holbrook for hosting the Star Party. All of us who attended the event had a great time. By the time this message is published another group will have left for Chama, New Mexico and Colorado with host Paul and Judy Faulkner looking for cooler weather and a great view of fall colors. The trip to the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, NM and the Christmas Party are among a few of the big activities still to come. The Christmas party is scheduled for Saturday December 9, 2017 at the YO Hotel in Kerrville. A block of rooms is available, please make your room reservations directly with the YO using the code BLUEBONNET MIATA CHRISTMAS PARTY. Dinner cost is $ per person (tax and gratuity included). Make your checks payable to the Bluebonnet Miata Club and give/ send them to Marilyn Hamilton is coming up soon. Rich Sandenaw, Paul Faulkner and Mark Hungerman have agreed to be on the nominating committee for Club Officers. Please give them your support, by providing your input and/or volunteering to be an officer. Elections will be held at the November meeting. Gus Aguirre Velocity Read So much info, so little space. While putting together this larger edition of In The Breeze, it became a monumental task to choose what to put in it! For instance, the Dark Dragon event had over 500 photos submitted! About one forth of my time was selecting the few to insert into this issue! All I can say is, please...go to our website and click on GALLERY at the top of the home page and peruse all the photographs. Don Privett also had the huge task of posting all of them as well. I d like to thank Ed Smith and Jeff Holbrook for joining me in providing many of the photos used in this newsletter s coverage of the Dark Dragon event. Skipping a monthly meeting was a mixed bag decision, I m sure. Particularly since again this month we have a large group of folks on yet another adventure. Fact is, it seems we re all taking more trips as events and it s rare we re, as Jimbo likes to say, all together. We still have much ahead of us in the way of events, including the Halloween party, the Statewide event in Austin (Buda) and other events still on our calendar as well as our Christmas party. If I may, as mentioned in the last issue of our newsletter, point out that I upgraded to a newer NC, pictured above. Many of us name our cars, although I think that s not done as much as it used to. My first Miata, a Brilliant Black 95 B Edition was appropriately called Pokey. My second, an 01 NB, Classic Red, was called EZ, as in Easy Does It. Thirdly and possibly my most emotionally attached, to me, was my 06 beloved Veelo. My newer NC, has a name as well. I call it Veelo Red Raider. I honestly think this will be my final Miata. But who knows, right? Oh, one more thing, Veelo will be rejoining the club as John Allen, a friend of Gus, bought it and is joining the club soon! Maybe even tonight! Welcome back, Veelo! Soon, I ll be hosting and leading the 7th Head for the Mountains event. Returning to New Mexico, we ll be taking in the world famous Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. With nearly 700 hot air balloons, this balloon event is the largest in the world! I can hardly wait! Until then... Zoom Zoom! George Lucas, Editor

4 4 (Dark Dragon, cont. from front page) Now, while driving the Cherohala Skyway, I m thinking ahead about the Dragon, right? I mean, is this like the Dragon, just a bit tamer? I tried to relax and not think ahead because honestly, the Skyway was breathtaking with it s lush green mountains and just perfect weather. This is a good time to mention that Marilyn drove about 60% of the entire trip and I didn t mind it one bit. Don t think I napped, the sights were just too pretty to waste time napping! One thing we noticed was every pull off on the Skyway were groups of campers. At first I wondered, That s not my idea of camping, then we realized the folks were staking out places to see tomorrow s great eclipse! We finally arrived at the Fontana Village around 6:30 p.m. and we were ready for some rest time. I have to say here, the Village was a resort that almost seemed too pretty to believe. isn t exactly what you d expect would work on this storied road, right? Additionally, the Dragon wasn t far from the Village and before I knew it, we were ON it! Yikes, I didn t have time to get nervous! I was very uncomfortable right off the bat, mostly because the new tires I had just purchased in SA were terrible! I felt like I was going wide on every turn, much like a cartoon car! I mentioned to Marilyn that I didn t feel good about these tires and in retrospect I guess that wasn t something she wanted to hear from her pilot! Turn, another turn, yet another turn, one right after the other! At one point, Marilyn asked, How fast are we going? I replied, Are you kidding, I haven t looked! Before you know it, the grueling ride is over and you wonder...is that it? I mean, it was challenging to say the least, but I guess it all goes so fast, who has time to think! I never got out of third gear! Marilyn drove the reverse drive and while she will tell you she didn t think she drove it well, I honestly think she did better than me. She certainly seemed more calm than me and, believe it or not, I never worry about Marilyn s driving. She s terrific. There were a few times I realized she s been driving an automatic so much, she felt a little uneasy with the six speed. But I ll take her as my co-pilot any day. Fontana Village was no Antelope Lodge! Checking into the Village, we were given complimentary eclipse glasses, a nice touch! Mark had already given us glasses, but hey, an extra pair was great! After checking in and catching our breath from a really busy day, we trekked over to the Wildwood Grill at the resort. A limited menu to be sure, but we enjoyed our food and great company. Marilyn s driving was impressive! After dinner, an astronomer gave an outdoor lecture. I lingered in the dining area for awhile, then joined her. It wasn t what she had hoped it would be so we left and met up with the rest of our gang, including Mark, Don and Judi, Herb Scranton, and Janice and John Walker. We retired as we were exhausted from the day, and coupled with the excited anticipation of driving the Dragon in the morning, we were happy to get some well needed rest. When we returned to our room, we were happy that Ed and Helenan were out next door neighbors! ECLIPSE DAY! TAIL OF THE DRAGON DAY! We all met in the parking lot of the Village restaurant, all ramped up for surely was to be an exciting day. Personally, I admit I was nervous. I had heard so many stories from pros like Stan Chambers, Jeff Holbrook and others...i wondered, Am I up for this task? I mean, my leisurely driving style After we returned, we all did some shopping and I left with a few others to run the Dragon again. This time was much easier simply because there wasn t anyone pushing me from behind. Marilyn was calm and very quiet. Hmmm...I wonder, is she uncomfortable with my driving? We stopped at one of the pull offs for a real photo op.

5 5 After another quick stop for shopping at Deal s Gap after running the Dragon, we headed by to the Village to prepare for viewing the eclipse! Most of us sat out on the lawn near the sports complex at the Village to watch this much anticipated phenomenon. Some even managed to get shady spots to relax. Paul Wilson had some really fancy binoculars equipped with special filters to get a truly fine view of the eclipse. My take on this event was a very eerie feeling. As we watched the gradual movement of the earth s shadow, the atmosphere took on a blue-ish tint. I likened to having polarized sunglasses filtering out the sunlight. Slowly the light turned to darkness. Not pitch black darkness, but a truly breath taking dusk look. When the corona took place, everyone outdoors began to whoop and holler with delight. Some even applauded. It was magical, I tell ya. This is a good time to mention, prior to our trip, I believe Marilyn was looking more forward to the eclipse and I was looking more excitedly to running the Dragon. But, now I m saying the eclipse easily overshadowed (no pun intended) the Dragon. Don t get me wrong, I was happy to finally scratch the Dragon off my bucket list. But solar eclipse don t happen that often. I think Marilyn s science background is having an effect on me. All good, mind you. We stopped at several lookouts for photos. I just have to pass along this humorous tidbit. During the drive on the Parkway, you d think the chatter would be about the scenery, right? Oh no, there were a few of the guys that were discussing auto parts, mileage per gallons and other guytopics. Hey, I like to talk about those things too! But now? When you re driving one of the most scenic roads in our country? Really? So, I contacted Betty Hicks and told her to start a conversation about quilts, sewing and other, um...less guy topics. She did and was terrific! Before you knew it, the chatter on the radios switched to girl-talk. Now, the funniest of all was Stan Chambers chiming in!!! He didn t even know the gag that was taking place. Marilyn and I were in tears from laughing! I loved it! Marilyn and myself on the Blue Ridge Parkway Wow, what a great photo by Jeff Holbrook! After the eclipse, the group felt like celebrating and we did just that at the Village Ice Cream Shop. After we enjoyed our ice cream, we went back to our rooms and you guessed it, I spiffed up Velocity Red Raider for tomorrow s drive. We again had dinner at the Village restaurant and also enjoyed some great company around the pool. The next day our drive was the Blue Ridge Parkway. Not as intense at the Dragon, but, to me, much more enjoyable. Beautiful lush mountains, tall pines and many other trees I didn t know and lots and lots of tunnels cutting through the mountains made the drive even more dramatic. Afterwards, we drove back on the Parkway and a quick stop to shop at a small store to get pins before we headed back to the Lodge at the Village. After we returned to the Village, we met everyone at Lynn s Place in Robbinsville for dinner. I think this is the only meal on the trip that we were all together. It was great to visit everyone there, especially when we all knew we had to part ways the next day. We left Robbinsville to return to Fontana Village to pack for our trip back home. Not sure why, but packing was easier coming home. Must be because, as usual, I packed way too many clothes. Oh well. The next morning, we met the gang for breakfast where we said most of our good byes. Our trip home including heading to Northwest Arkansas to visit my daughter Dyan in Fayetteville. It was good to see her as she s had some health problems and it was especially good to see her getting back to her old self. This will go down as one of my most treasured Miata adventures. Marilyn displayed unparallel patience putting up with me and I can t think of anyone I d rather be with. Soon, after she returns from Chama, New Mexico, she ll again join me for this years Head for the Mountain s adventure, returning to New Mexico. This is also a chance for me to thank Mark Hungerman for coming up with this brilliant idea. Combining the eclipse and driving the famous Tail of the Dragon on the same trip was a stroke of genius! Thanks, Mark! George Lucas

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8 8 At the newest Burger Joint in SA!

9 9 Starry, Starry Night Yet again Jack and Candy Holbrook opened up their homestead to our curiosity and wonderment of the beautiful hill country night skies. While growth of Kerrville and nearby towns begin to infiltrate the darkness with foreign light, we still enjoyed the telescopes of Texas Telescopes. After we all dined on burgers with all the trimmings and sides galore as well as many desserts, we settled in to view the night skies through two powerful telescopes. It was a perfect night and we can t thank the Holbrook s enough. Please let them know how much we appreciate their generosity.

10 10 JIMBO'S RUN

11 11 Dark Dragon - A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience By Ed Polansky When Mark floated the idea about heading all the way to North Carolina to see a total eclipse, I couldn t believe how excited I was to tell him, count me in! Being an astronomy junkie, I just had to see it for myself even if it was through special dorky glasses because it would be a once in a lifetime experience similar to when our family trekked out to Canyon Lake in the middle of the night to see Haley s Comet on its 76-year-round trip back to Earth. But Mark had something up his sleeve because he knew there was chance that we might not see the total eclipse because of the likelihood of overcast skies in the East, a common occurrence in a territory that gets a lot of rain. His plan was to surround the trip with the opportunity to run the Tail of the Dragon road with its over 300- turns in the 11-mile stretch. Even if we don t see an eclipse, he surmised, we will experience one of his bucket list items...to drive The Tail (as they call it there). And it was a glorious stretch of road that was truly delightful to transverse. But that wasn t all, he conjured up the Cherohala Skyway and the Blueridge Parkway as venues for a great bunch of shiny Miatas, all in a row, to motor around on. Over 30 years ago, my family drove the Parkway in our family Suburban, but you know, it is so much better to do it in a convertible roadster. In addition, there are so many other wonderfully winding, tree shrouded, picturesque roads in Tennessee and North Carolina that it was a completely magical Miata carpet ride. Helenan equated seeing the eclipse to one of her greatest life experiences right up there with her wedding, the birth of her children, and other great trips. And to have the experience with a great bunch of Bluebonnet Miata Club members and incomparable runs it was really special. Thanks, Mark!!!!!

12 12 AROUND THE STATE OF TEXAS IN 80 HOURS By David Mulkey Why, you may ask, would I go around the state of Texas in less than 80 hours? Three words, Texas Miata Challenge! You see, I had decided I would do the Challenge months ago and like most others, do it over a period of time. But something always came up, usually work in Miami, and I never did any of it. So, with time running out, I put a plan of attack together while in Miami the first weeks of August and then put it into operation on the 16th. 0630, H hour on 16 Aug, D day, I departed my driveway to begin the Challenge. Following the car's navigation system, I headed for Rockport. Arriving there a little after nine, the Steer Burger wasn't open yet, so took the picture and departed for Tookie's in Seabrook, followed by Sissy's in Cameron, and then Cranfills Gap. While en route to Cameron, I had the opportunity to visit family in College Station and did so for an hour and half. It was after 9PM when I arrived at the Horny Toad in Cranfills Gap. Place rocks on Wednesday night as it is pool tournament night. Recommendation, Do Not shot with them unless you are good! Anyway, left there and drove to Longview, finding a motel behind the next place, The Butcher Shop. Arrived after 2AM and got a few hours of sleep. The 17th found me up early picture taking and departing Longview for Royce City. It rained most of the way but cleared up as I approached Dallas. After meeting some very nice people at Burger and Fries and taking the required picture, it was on to Wichita Falls. Once there and a quick stop at Willie's, it was on to Lubbock for a high speed, low altitude pass at the Crafthouse. Next destination was Buffalo Gap and the Perini Ranch Steakhouse. After that it was on to Big Spring for rest, arriving there after 10PM. Morning of the 18th found me headed south to visit aviation great and World War II aircraft collector Connie Edwards. Found his ranch, arriving at nine, and spent four great hours looking at airplanes and talking with him. Very interesting man as he has done such things as fly A 26s during the Bay of Pigs invasion and work as the lead pilot during the fliming of the 1960's film "The Battle of Britain". Left there after one and headed for Midland and El Paso. Once again, the navigation system led me to the Basin and Rosco's with no problems. From El Paso, I headed for Ft Stockton for rest, arriving around 11PM. Left Ft Stockton early to find my last eating place, Willow Creek Café in Mason and then home. I arrived home at 2:10PM to complete the 12 stop Challenge in 79 hours and 40 minutes. I was a little(?) tired but very happy! Mission Accomplished! Facts/Lessons Learned 1. Total Miles: Gallons of Gas: MPG: Driving Speed: Speed Limit +4 to 8 (No Radar Detector) 5. Navigation System: Trust It! When it said destination is on the left, it was there. 6. Fun Meter: Pegged Out. Really enjoyed myself as I met great people and saw places I had never seen. 7. Do It Again: You Bet! Cannot wait till next year. 8. Driving Experience: There are no words to describe the fun, enjoyment, and pleasure of the Miata driving experience I had during those 80 hours. It was the BEST!

13 13 November 2-5 / 2017 $75 Per person EVENTS Thursday: Early Bird Run to be determined Friday: Registration 10 am - 6 pm Photo Op at Hotel LOCATION The Hotel will be the "Holiday Inn Express in Buda" Let them know you're attending the "2017 Statewide Miata Round up. Address: I-35, Buda, TX Phone: Grab Bag with T-Shirt and Round Up Swag for each attendee (Grab Bag Deadline 9/30/17 Austin Attractions Run (self led) - Explore the many quirks of our State Capitol from the Cathedral of Junk, shopping in SOCO, cruising down 360 over the Pennybacker bridge, and our own Lime Creek for some curvatious roads. Run to Jester King Parking Lot Social (Concourse de Zoom Zoom) Saturday Convoy to San Antonio for AutoX event (6 AM-2 PM) hosted by SASCA, there will be a $40 (cash) fee payable to SASCA to compete in this event. The following events will take place during the AutoX for those who do not wish to participate. Beer and Spirits Run - This run features Hays County libations where Buda is located. This will include assorted wineries, breweries, and distilleries. Lunch spot TBD based on group size. Toll Road BBQ Run - Start by heading Northbound on the Toll past Austin to the tiny town of Ding Dong, Texas. From there you'll encounter scenic country roads that snake along the Lampasas River. Destination is Stephenville for Hard 8 BBQ. Shop to you drop - Just south of Buda is the San Marcos Outlet Malls. If one feels the need to stuff your small trunks to the brim with designer clothing...this is your run! Luncheon TBD based on group size Saturday Evening Events 7:30 PM - Banquet (PinnBallz Kingdom) 10:00 - Boot Scoot Boogie (Dance Across Texas) Sunday: Check out Hotel by 10 AM North, South, East, West Brunch Runs The ladies met at the home of Ennie McCurdy for lunch and Bunco on Friday, September 8 th. Thirteen ladies played for fun and prizes, with a first and last place prize going to the biggest winner and the biggest loser. The ladies meet once a month, generally on the 2 nd Friday of each month. All ladies are invited to attend. To join, sign up at BluebonnetMiataLadies@yahoogroups.com. Barb Thompson manages this group. If you need help signing up, please contact Barb Thompson directly. The next scheduled event will be Date Night at the Stars and Stripes Drive in Theater, Friday, October 27 th, so mark your calendars now for you and your date! More details to come! Ladies, join us for fun and fellowship. We welcome ideas of places to go, events, or craft ideas, so let Barb Thompson or Lisa Martin know so we can put it on the calendar.

14 14 The Princess Diaries...or things you should know by Cheryl Knight (The Princess) Run Roles & Responsibilities I ve always found it helpful when everyone is clear about who is supposed to do what. Things just go better, there is less confusion, and it, in fact, provides comfort for the approximately 50% of our population that feels less anxiety when they know what to expect (I m drawing on my Personality Type Assessment expertise here, in case you think I m blowing smoke ) So while you the run leader may have a more laid back approach to life, at least half of your run attendees will have a much better time, if they know you ve got things under control, who is doing what and when things are supposed to happen. To that end, here are my recommendations for who does what DURING THE RUN. These are based on several years of participating in runs with multiple clubs. I hope you find it helpful. Run Leader OR Run Leader s Navigator: Turn on your headlights. Using the 2-way Radio, provide advance notice of upcoming turns, poor or changing road conditions, when you see cyclists, joggers or animals at the side of the road or when to double-up. On curvy roads, with no center line and blind spots, call out on-coming traffic. Share interesting tidbits or trivia about the scenery or areas you are passing through. For instance, you may know that a certain log cabin was used in an Old West Movie or, you could just make it up either way, it makes the trip more interesting! Sweep (the last car in the group): Turn on your headlights this allows the Run Leader to more easily see where the end of the group is. Using the 2-way Radio, provide an update to the Run Leader when you have cleared a turn, made it across a highway, or if there has become a large separation between you and the Lead Car. Ensure that everyone makes the turns, etc. If it appears someone has missed the turn, wait for them to come back or if necessary, go after them to help them find the way back. If someone breaks down or must pull over with a problem, stop to see if they need help or want you to stay until the problem is resolved. If this happens, the last car in the run, should step in and fulfill the role of Sweep. Relay or Middle of the Group Car (may be necessary on larger runs): Relay radio messages given by both the Run Leader and the Sweep back and forth, unless otherwise advised. If a Run Participant gives a radio message directed to the Run Leader or Sweep and it isn t heard, relay that message as well. Run Participants: Drive safely and use good run etiquette. It is fairly common, especially at turns or when there is a gap between our cars, for OTMs (Other Than Miatas) to end up in the line of cars. When this happens, IF it appears the OTMs are creating a large gap by driving slower than the Miata drivers, let the Run Leader know. Kindly let other drives know if their blinker stays on or if they have accidentally turned on their headlights. When everyone fulfills their role and responsibilities, the rest of us can relax and enjoy the ride! Next month, I ll cover anything else I can think of that hasn t already been addressed this year and then in the last IN THE BREEZE edition of the year, I ll provide a Master Miata Run Checklist, capturing all the important things to attend to when planning your runs. Hope to see you soon with your tops down! Cheryl

15 15 Please, Don t forget our Sponsors!

16 16 In The Breeze Bluebonnet Miata Club San Antonio, Texas To join club or renew dues, open the above web site and click on the membership tab Check your mailing label for your renewal date. Please renew your membership promptly! Remember When? Upcoming Runs and Events Monday, October 2nd, Sundaes on Monday, hosted by Rich and Gayle Sandenaw. TJ s Burgers and More in New Braunfels. Dine at 6:30, Devine at 7:00 p.m. Y all come! Thursday, October 5th, Lunar Zoomers, hosted by George Lucas. TBA, please watch your Yahoo Groups or check the calendar on our website for updates on this event! Wednesday, October 11th, Head for the Mountains 7, led by George Lucas. Return to New Mexico. Details will be released next week. Thursday, October 24th, Monthly Meeting at Bigz! Meeting starts at 7:30 sharp!