Curves Ahead. The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club

Transcription

1 The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club Volume 25 Issue 11 November 2014 What s Inside Page 2 Curves Ahead (cont.) Classified Ads Page 3 Upcoming IMC Club Events Funny Stuff! Page 4 Recent IMC event reports Page 5-7 Miatas in Bryce Report Page 8 4th Gen. MX-5 News & Photos Page 9 Advertisers Page 10 Christmas Party Registration Form Page 11 Advertisers November calendar items Curves Ahead By Gary Weidman, President Unless you ve been in hiding, you ve probably seen some of the publicity about the new 4th-generation ND MX-5 Miata. Speculation has been rampant for months, with various renderings in the automotive press. Thanks to the recent introduction of the car at the Miata s 25th anniversary gala in California, we now know what the 2016 Miata will look like, even if we don t have all of the technical details. Many of us will be watching closely for further information on the new roadster. For those of you who either don t have time or just don t want to search for information, I d suggest keeping an eye on our club website forum, where there has been, and undoubtedly will continue to be, discussion and links to additional information. We re still almost a year away from seeing the ND on the road, and it will be interesting to see who shows up with the first one in our club. I have an idea who that might be, but I ll keep that to myself for now (no, it s not me). Linda and I have had a number of new cars over the years. With few exceptions, these have been practical and designed more for utility than enjoyment, so Miata ownership has been a great experience. We ve owned cars that now show up on worst 10 lists or similar compilations, and cars that Continued on page 2. Holiday Party Reminder Don t miss the fun! This year s IMC Holiday Party is Sunday, December 7, 2014 at George s Neighborhood Grill, 6935 Lake Plaza Dr., Indianapolis, IN Festivities begin at 6:00 PM with dinner at 6:30 PM, followed by a brief meeting to introduce our 2015 IMC President and for the election of our 2015 officers. We will have a raffle with half of the proceeds going to one lucky winner and the remaining half to a local charity. Once again we will have our traditional gift exchange. Please bring a gift (one per car) with a maximum value of $20 if you wish to participate in the gift exchange. There is a non-refundable charge of $10.00 per person to offset the cost of the dinner. Registration is a must! Please sign in to the IMC web site and go to the events page to register. You will find a link to a downloadable registration form that will be used to indicate the names of the attendees. This completed form and your registration fees must be received by our treasurer by November 21, Directions for payment and mailing are provided on the form. Please join us for a fun evening of food and friendship! IMPORTANT NOTICE! We need Officer Candidates, especially for Vice-President. Contribute to the welfare & operation of our club by becoming a Candidate this year. Please notify a current officer ASAP if you are willing.

2 Page 2 Open Road November 2014 Indy Miata Club Officers 2014 President Gary Weidman president@indymiata.org Vice-President Tom Lewis vicepresident@indymiata.org Treasurer Ken Rabbers treasurer@indymiata.org Membership Director Darlene Evans membership@indymiata.org Secretary Joan Rabbers secretary@indymiata.org Website Editor Sara J McBride webmaster@indymiata.org Newsletter Editor Steve Crouse editor@indymiata.org Curves Ahead, cont. are now thought of as more of a joke than anything else. Believe it or not, the first car we purchased after we married was a brand-new yellow 1972 AMC Gremlin. I can no more explain that decision now than I can understand why I once had a bright green leisure suit (those of a certain age will know what I m talking about). We also had a 73 Olds Omega, which was an experience I wouldn t want to repeat, and a 74 Ford Pinto, which fortunately did not get rear-ended while either of us was driving it. We all know how popular the original mid-60s Mustangs were. We didn t have one of those, but we had TWO of the now-infamous Mustang IIs. Linda had a baby-blue 1974; I had a cherry-red It s still not unusual to see the early Mustangs on the road, but when was the last time you saw a Mustang II (if you remember them at all)? The Gremlin mentioned earlier wasn t the only AMC vehicle we owned; we also had a 79 AMC Spirit. I d be surprised if many of you remember that model either. The Chevy Chevette, which often shows up on worst cars lists, was actually one of the better cars we owned in the 70s and early 80s. I still see Chevettes on the road now, so I m not sure why they have such a bad reputation. How about the 1987 Nissan Van? It didn t even have a model name, it was just the Nissan Van. It was like driving a small bus, but it was very roomy for a family of four and a Golden Retriever. Within days of buying it, we learned of a recall due to engine fires. That would be bad enough under any circumstances, but when you are sitting right by the engine in a flat-nosed van, and your family is within feet of the engine bay, the idea of a fire is particularly scary. Although Nissan came out with other minivans in later years, the first ones were a rare sight. Those are just a few, although some of the more memorable, of the cars we ve owned. If nothing else, it makes it easy to understand why we enjoy our Miatas so much. As you probably know, we are still looking for someone to serve as Vice- President (President-elect) beginning in December. This person would then become President for one year beginning in December of Please consider volunteering to be a candidate for this office. It s not a difficult job, and it doesn t take much time, but we need someone to take on the responsibility. We have a great group of officers and board members whose work makes the President s job easy, but more importantly, keeps the club running smoothly. Our club has been in existence almost as long as the Miata itself, and we need volunteers to keep it successful for many years to come. If you have any interest in serving the club in this role, please contact me or any of the other board members for more information. Don t forget to sign up for the holiday party! I hope to see you there. The Open Road is published monthly for the members of the Indy Miata Club. The Indy Miata Club assumes no liability for any information contained herein, or injury or damage resulting from the use of this information. The ideas, opinions, maintenance or modification tips expressed are to be used at the reader s discretion. Individual contributors and/or the editors express no approval, authentication, or endorsement. Thank you. CLASSIFIEDS Make your car quieter! Approx. 40 feet of EZ Cool Insulation and two cans of 3M General Purpose Spray Adhesive for sale. The material is 4' wide. 4' X 10' $35.00 The 3M Adhesive is $16.95/can. Contact Steve at: pairofkings@sbcglobal.net Gen. 2, Miata Body Parts for sale Brand New spoilers, rocker panels. "Asking Prices" are listed on club website but negotiable. If you are interested, please call or with an offer. Contact Saundra at berthie01@comcast.net or call Parts to replace or upgrade your 1st Gen.(NA)! Center console/style bar, Contact Jim Brew at bbrew55@msn.com or call See Classified tab on club website for complete information.

3 Page 3 Open Road November 2014 Indy Miata Club 2014 Events Hidden Drives #12 (Nov. 1, 2014) Circle, make a mark, color it in or do something to your calendar to remind you that on November 1, you'll be attending the 12th edition of Sara J's Hidden Drives. This is usually our last driving event of the year and hopefully early enough in the month that we'll be able to drive top down! More information (starting point, time and other need-to-know stuff) is posted on the website Event page for this outing. December 7, 2014 Annual Club Christmas Dinner, Party & Election of Officers It s not too late to register for our biggest party of the year! Reserve this date and mark your calendars for our annual Christmas party, again this year at George s Restaurant off Binford Blvd northeast. SEND IN YOUR DINNER RESERVATION FORM NOW! See the Events page of our website for further information! FUNNY STUFF? I won t use that car-wash again!

4 Page 4 Open Road November 2014 Event Reports Southern Illinois Wine Trail Tour Report Ken Rabbers A look back, literally, at the Southern Illinois Wine Trail Tour held October 17-19, I pulled into the parking lot and thought it looked like a convention of cute cars! ; those were the words from a local when she walked into the Wooded Hills Bar and Grill in Harrisburg, IL at our final stop of a very nice weekend. I m not sure most Miata owners would necessarily agree with the cute cars moniker but it s still nice when people react in a positive manner when they encounter a group of Miatas. We stopped at Wooded Hills Bar and Grill for lunch after a short but sweet drive from the Garden of the Gods Recreation Area in nearby Herod, IL. If you haven t been, Garden of the Gods Recreation Area is a must see if you ever are in the area. We stopped and took a short hike along the Observation Trail that traverses an area of spectacular views, and rock formations. The rock formations and cliffs at Garden of the Gods are made of sandstone and are about 320 million years old. Long ago most of Illinois, western Indiana and western Kentucky were covered by a giant inland sea. One of our group commented that it was hard to believe we were in Illinois and not out west somewhere. Our morning drive to Garden of the Gods was through rolling twisting countryside after an initial 8 flat miles from our hotel. The drive provided some nice scenery of the area with splashes of fall color along the way. Luckily the back roads provided some open stretches and little in the way of local traffic. Saturday evening found us at the 17th Street Bar and Grill for local BBQ after an afternoon of driving to 4 local wineries along the Southern Illinois Wine Trail. The wineries, in reverse order, were Windy Hill, Bella T, Hogg Hollow, and Shawnee; with each providing a different atmosphere and tasting experience. Our host at Shawnee Winery left several bottles for us to enjoy while she went out to the parking lot to admire the view our group of cars provided. Obviously a car person. We arrived at the first winery after our longest drive of the afternoon, a 20 mile trip north from Metropolis, IL, and the home of Superman! Everyone was on their own in Metropolis and free to check out the various Superman attractions and historic Fort Massac. There was an historic reenactment of some sort going on at the fort during the weekend. Although we didn t all dine together, I think most of our group had lunch at Fat Edd s Roadhouse, just around the corner from Superman Square and the giant Superman statue. The Saturday morning drive from Marion to Metropolis provided everyone an opportunity to get on the road and enjoy some of the fall colors and rolling hills. Although it was a brisk morning with temperatures in the 40 s, the sun was out and there were 4 Miatas with the tops down as we left the parking lot of the Drury Inn. A group of 12 cars and 23 people arrived at the Drury Inn in Marion, IL to begin the weekend for the Southern Illinois Wine Trail Tour. We spent the evening mingling and enjoying the complimentary meal and beverages (adult and otherwise) that were provided by the host hotel. The weekend was off to a good start! Thanks to all who attended and helped make this a great weekend getaway! The BOOville Haunted Road Tour Report Steve Crouse In case you don t remember, this was something of an experimental rally for our club, organized by an independent party who approaches it differently than we do. As a result, it didn t turn out to be like we anticipated. But it did have its good points. The highlights of the evening were several. First, we got to have dinner at Lil Charlie s Restaurant in Batesville where the food was good, and the employees were very friendly and accommodating. In addition, we encountered current club members, the Thatchers, who stopped for dinner not realizing our group would be there. Secondly, ex club members, Don & Becky Hill from Marion, saw the event announcement on the website and decided to come down for the weekend, joining us for the rally. It s always fun to get together with people who enjoy their Miatas. OH! It was warm enough to have the tops down too. Unfortunately, there was a down side to the evening. Having a rally after dark puts a big restriction on the drive. It s very hard to read route instructions and, maybe worse, reading road signs. And it s difficult to see the Points of Interest! I suppose it was good that the route was short. At least we had fun!

5 Page 5 Open Road November 2014 Regional Miata Events in 2014 Miatas in Utah-Bryce, July 2014 A Report by Gary & Kathy Collings This prologue serves as a reminder to us as to why we would continue to subject ourselves to on-going grueling trips through Kansas. In 2013 we checked off a major bucket list trip thanks to our new connection with the Utah Miata Club. This is the club that had previously hosted 5 years of Miatas in Moab, which we regretfully could not attend due to work schedules. Last summer we left Indiana on June 12, 2013 and returned home on July 3, 2013 after having traveled with 14 cars from the Utah Miata Club on an eight-state tour of the northwest which was dubbed the 2013 Great Western Adventure. We traveled a grand total of 7,734 miles through 15 States (twice across Kansas). This summer we left Indiana on June 25, 2014 (across Kansas) and spent three days in Moab and its unique combination of beautiful red rock scenery, along with the cool waters of the Colorado River. Utah has 11 national parks and national monument geographical areas. Moab is home to two of Utah s most diverse national parks including both the Canyonland and Arches National Park, the latter of which is the largest National Park in Utah with 76,518 acres. Over 2,000 cataloged arches range in size from a three-foot opening to the longest, Landscape Arch, measuring 306 feet base to base. American Indians used this area for thousands of years and now it is a paradise for photography, mountain biking, hiking, and off-highway vehicle riding. From Moab we traveled to the Bryce Canyon gathering of 125 Miatas hosted by the Utah Miata Club. We were not only re-united with our Utah Miata Club friends but our long-time Indy Miata Club members: Wally/Pam Kienzynski, John/Sue Reba, and Bob/Linda Kirkland. We were among a turnout of over 260 people from all over the country and Canada. Bryce Canyon National Park was officially established in Bryce Canyon is 148 miles from the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The elevation of the Bryce Canyon mountain range is between 8,000 ft. and 10,000 feet above sea level. Fiery colors and endless vistas give way to a spectacular, breathtaking display of a dreamy landscape. Fairy tale castle-like rock formations known as Hoodoos capture one s imagination as standing stones rise from the fiery red earth. Infinite variations of color and shape erode into a mysterious amphitheater of what many describe as sacred ground. The Bryce event logo (see above& below) featured a Miata perched on a Hoodoo, which is a bulbous spire or pinnacle eroded out of the cliffs where rows of narrow walls form. Snow, ice melt, wind and rain ensures that new Hoodoos will emerge while others are reduced to clay. Our impression of the vastness of Bryce Canyon was its raw beauty of colorfully displayed cathedral-like images as far as the eye could see. Miatas in Bryce 2014 was fantastic! Attendees welcomed the lip balm and the aluminum water bottles in the Goodie bags as well as shirts and other apparel for sale. Participants celebrated the 25th Birthday of the Miata complete with a custom hand-made cake baked by Ruby's Inn staff, who didn't even know what a Miata was before (Continued on next page.)

6 Page 6 Open Road November 2014 Miatas in Utah-Bryce continued (#2) taking on the task. The cake was fabulous featuring a bright red Miata on top of it. The cake topper was raffled off at the Welcome Social on Thursday evening. Keith Tanner of Flyin' Miata was the winner with a high bid of $30, which went into the pot for the Panguitch Quilt Raffle. The buffet was excellent with many choices of food. The club also auctioned off the large poster board event logo as well as a beautiful photo of Bryce Canyon. Both these items were raffled off to build up the Panguitch City playground fund. The Panguitch Quilt Raffle was a highlight at the dinner banquet and program. Panguitch, Utah is a national historic district. The word panguitch is a Native American word meaning big fish. The pioneers first settled the valley in March, The first winter was exceptionally cold and hard. Crops had failed; people were hungry. Seven men braved the elements to get food from a neighboring town (Parowan) 40 miles away. The snow was so deep the men had to abandon their oxen and wagon. They were only able to reach Parowan by placing a quilt on the deep drifts, walking to the end of the quilt, and then placing another quilt down, and retrieving the first quilt. This became known as the Panguitch Quilt Walk which is celebrated annually at its local festival. The Guided Drives during the event were well planned and well received by all participants. So many people signed up that club members had to organize a second drive to the Burr Trail, 75 miles from Bryce Canyon to Boulder, Utah on Highway 12, which is one of the most scenic By-Ways Drives in Utah. The drive up the narrow ridge line to Hell s Backbone was breathtaking before we even started on the Burr Trail. Just before we entered Long Canyon, about 11 miles down the Burr Trail, we stopped to take a short walk up a Slot Canyon. In this canyon we saw the wonders of the great red rock country that makes central and southern Utah so beautiful. The rest of the trip was a wonderland of colors ending at Blood Rocks where the pavement stops at an endless vista only accessible by four wheel vehicles. The entire roundtrip was about 180 miles to and from Bryce Canyon. On Friday, which was the 4th of July, we celebrated Independence Day by sitting in our Miatas at night watching a fireworks display put on by Bryce Canyon City Fire Department. We then drove to a Bryce Canyon lookout point in the park to watch the stars which was a great way to end the day. Kathy had a new Star Chart app on her Ipad that lined up with the star formations and identified the various celestial entities and constellations. On Saturday things really started to roll along with a wellorganized group Photo Shoot and Car Show & Shine. A (Continued on next page.)

7 November 2014 Page 7 Open Road Miatas in Utah-Bryce continued (#3) luncheon was set up to the west of the parking lot with BBQ hot dogs, burgers and chicken. At the evening dinner show the winner of the quilt was announced with the raffle making over $2,500 for Panguitch City playground equipment. Sponsor gifts were given away after the evening dinner and the Western music show. The food was excellent and a good time was had by all participants. The next morning we said our good-byes to our Miata friends from across the country and Canada. Rumor has it that the Utah Miata Club is considering hosting its next Miatas in Utah event (VII) in 2016 in northern Utah, specifically in the Park City area (former Winter Olympics site). We stayed an extra day in Salt Lake City and the Baileys took us to Park City to visit the Olympics Ski Jump area, which is abundant with spectacular scenery, tour routes, eateries, and activities. In July 2014 we stored our Miata at Salt Lake City and flew home to Indiana as an alternative to driving through Kansas again. The trip over Kansas at 30,000+ feet is more tolerable. We then flew back over Kansas to Salt Lake City in September 2014 for the 8 day tour dubbed the Great South West Adventure, which included standing on the corner at Winslow, Arizona and took us across four states (Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado). On the return three-day trip home from Carlsbad Cavern we avoided Kansas again by taking Interstate 40 across the southern route through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and back home again in Indiana. Our future article will detail this recent one-way journey of 3,200 miles. Our impression of the vastness of Bryce Canyon was its raw beauty of colorfully displayed cathedral-like images as far as the eye could see.

8 Page 8 Open Road November 2014 The New 4th Gen. MX-5/Miata has Arrived! How does the new interior strike you? What color would you choose?

9 Page 9 Open Road November 2014 Tom Lewis INSURANCE GROUP Hughes Insurance Group is an Independent Agency representing over 35 insurance companies. Our ultra-competitive rates assure that you receive the most value at the best price for all of your home, auto or business insurance needs. For a limited time, I m giving away a $20 gas card with an insurance review and quote for your home, auto or business with no obligation! If I m competitive, consider allowing Hughes Insurance Group to write your business. If I can t provide you with a better value, you ll have the peace of mind knowing you re properly insured at a fair price. Call or Indy Miata Club member Tom Lewis today! tom@hughesinsurancegroup.com Have a few dollars invested in upgrades? Ask about Agreed Value Coverage for your Miata! Benefits for Indy Miata Club Members -First year dues to the Indy Miata Club after purchase of any Mazda -S-Plan Pricing to Current Members -15% off All Parts & Accessories -15% off Labor Rates -Maintenance for Life with the purchase of Any Mazda -Saturday Service Hours 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM -Free Cookies!! Contact Laura Ault for more information. Now celebrating 40 years! Exclusive Discounts for Indy Miata Club Members Tom Roush Mazda, Indiana s first Mazda dealer established in 1972 has not only the most experienced sales and service staff in town, but also is the highest volume dealer in Indiana. We hope to serve you in our next 40 years as Indy s premier Mazda dealer. In support of the Miata Club member s we would like to offer the following benefits: 15% off regular door labor rate 15% off any accessory purchase S-Plan pricing to eligible customer s Extended Saturday service hours 7:30 3:30 US th Street Westfield, IN

10 Reservations & fees must be submitted by Friday, November 21, 2014.

11 Page 11 Open Road November 2014 See more of the new 4th generation MX-5/ Miata inside! 11/27/ /11/ /04/ /02/2014