Volume 17 #9 October, 2007 Upcoming Events Sat Nov 17 Sat Dec 1 Sat Jan 19, 2008 Holiday Tours - Nationality Rooms & Chihuly at Phipps Christmas Party Bodies - The Exhibition HOLIDAY TOURS - CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING NATIONALITY ROOMS & CHIHULY AT PHIPPS: GARDEN & GLASS relay interesting information about each room. Our next stop will be Chihuly 's Glass Exhibit at Phipps. I don't know if you have read or heard about the exhibit but it is all I've been hearing about. Adjectives such as superb, fantastic, & awesome have been used to describe Chihuly's Exhibit. Chihuly's glass sculptures are placed amid the Phipps Gardens to create a dazzling fusion of art & nature. We will visit in the evening to get the spectacular effect of special lighting to enhance the exhibit. Phipps is extending the exhibit. They will not have the winter flower show this year. Phipps is adding Saturdays as one of the night exhibits - before it was Wed, Thur, & Fri. THIS INFORMATION HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC YET. Since Saturdays in December are a busy time for people, I decided to have the tours in November so hopefully more people can join us. They anticipate the Saturday evenings to book fast. I will need to know if you plan on going on the tours so I can book them. I NEED TO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE BEFORE I CAN RESERVE A PLACE FOR US. The first viewing in the evening is at 7:00 p.m. That is the one I would like to reserve and so will everyone else. Please get back to me by SEPTEMBER 26TH. Camera is a must don't forget it. NOTE: PHIPPS CONSERVATORY & CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING ARE CLOSE IN DISTANCE...BOTH ARE IN OAKLAND DATE & TIME: SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2007 AT 1:45 PM I HAVE A RESERVATION FOR US FOR THE CHIHULY EXHIBIT. THE TIME IS 6:30 PM. I HAVE 8 SLOTS STILL AVAILABLE. PLEASE CONTACT ME BY OCTOBER 30TH. This year to get in the holiday spirit we will visit the Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning. There are 26 different rooms that will be decorated for the holidays. Our guide will take us on a 2 1/2 hour tour & PLACE: CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING - NATIONALITY ROOMS COST: NATIONALITY ROOMS - $3 PER PERSON DINNER: BETWEEN TOURS COST: CHIHULY AT PHIPPS: GARDEN & GLASS - $15 PER PERSON RSVP: LINDA ZIMLIKI via e-mail at lzimliki@westpewnnmiataclub.com or call 724-327-1762 BY OCT 30TH. IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND JUST THE NATIONALITY ROOMS OR CHIHULY, YOU MAY DO SO.
2 West Penn Miata Club Annual Christmas Party! Date: December 1, 2007 Time: Social Hour 6:00 7:00PM (Cash Bar) w/hors d oeuvres Dinner 7:00 PM Place: Comfort Inn (Formerly Harley House) Seasons Ballroom Pittsburgh East 699 Rodi Road(Parkway East at Penn Hills Exit 11) Pittsburgh, PA Special room rate if you wish to spend the night, $55.00 (412-244-1600) Main entrée selections: 1. Grilled Salmon 2. Roast Prime Rib of Beef Rare, Med, Med- Well or Well Done 3. Chicken Florentine Send your check made out to WPMC for $17.50 per person and meal selection to John Hutton by November 18, 2007 John Hutton 2170 Big Sewickley Creek Sewickley, PA 15143 jt@hutten.us 724-318-9138 T BODIES...THE EXHIBITION o take a break from the winter doldrums, I've planned a trip to Carnegie Science Center to view Bodies...The Exhibition. Here is an explanation from the website of the exhibit: BODIES... The Exhibition is a must-see during its limited engagement at Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. This striking exhibition showcases real human bodies, giving visitors the opportunity to see themselves in a fascinating way like never before. Take a close-up look inside the skeletal, muscular, respiratory, and circulatory systems as you come face-to-face with polymer-preserved human bodies. These meticulously dissected bodies are preserved through an innovative process called polymer preservation and are respectfully presented. Approximately 200 additional organs and partial specimens reveal the intricacies and complexities that lie beneath your skin. It's a phenomenal look at the phenomenon we call the human body. DATE: SATURDAY JANUARY 19, 2008 TIME: IT WILL BE AFTERNOON, TO BE DETERMINED AT BOOKING. DEPENDS ON WHAT IS AVAILABLE AT TIME OF BOOKING. LENGTH: APPROXIMATELY 2 1/2 HOURS PLACE: SPORTS CENTER COST: $18 PER PERSON - GROUP RATE ( WE DO NOT NEED TO PAY GENERAL ADMISSION AS WELL AS BODIES ADMISSION AS FIRST REPORTED FROM CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER.) AUDIO: THERE WILL BE AUDIO TAPES AVAILABLE FOR $5 TO ASSIST IN THE TOUR. RSVP: PLEASE RESPOND BY NOVEMBER 10TH to lzimliki@westpennmiataclub.com or 724-327-1762. If you have verbally told me you will be attending please email me with your response. I don't want to inadvertently leave anyone off the list. We will have an early dinner or late lunch after the exhibit. Anyone who knows of a restaurant in the area, please give me your suggestions when you respond. If you have already let me know you will be attending, please email me your recommendations for a restaurant.
3 O BUGGIES & BRIDGES REPORT n Thursday September 20 in the AM, seven Miatas from WPMC & one from Peachtree Miata Club met at the Quality Inn in Somerset to start our adventure to the Pace Club's Buggies & Bridges Regional. It was a beautiful day & we had gorgeous weather all weekend. The Regional was held in Lancaster, Pa. It is a beautiful area. We got to see Amish farms & a lot of buggies. I have never seen an area where every property was pristine & manicured to perfection. When we arrived, each couple chose their desired cruise. Bonds did the Chester County cruise. Pfeiffers did the Valley Forge & Maple Grove. Wally toured the Harley Plant. He really enjoyed the tour. Lapps did the Susquehanna River Cruise. The Harley & Susquehanna Cruises met at a Dealer for lunch. The second day, Lapps went to Gettysburg. We all did the Covered Bridge Cruise. Joe & I did our own cruise. We went down the Susquehanna River & stopped at Pinnacle Point Overlook where the depth of the water in front of it is 190 ft. Then we took some nice Miata back roads to Strasburg. Stopped for some Shoofly Pie...um um good. Drove thru Paradise, Bird In Hand, downtown Lancaster, & Ephrata where we visited the Cloisters. We continued on to Lititz where I made pretzels in the first pretzel factory in America. Then we arrived at our ultimate goal, Hershey. We brought goodies back for everyone. All of us visited the town of Intercourse and shopped at Kitchen Kettle Village. Leslie found some great gifts to bring back. All of us ate at a family homestead that served a family style meal at your own table. Every one of us tasted every dessert they offered. The last evening we gathered to listen to the 18-piece band. It reminded us of the Glenn Miller era. We danced & socialized into the wee hours. The next morning after closing ceremonies, some went home the fast way by turnpike & others took a leisure route. Whichever way you went, the weather was beautiful. I believe we all agree that we enjoyed our four days in the beautiful countryside of Lancaster. We thank our friends in the PACE for organizing & hosting Buggies & Bridges. I East Broad Top Railroad Trip by Joan Stenger t was the second weekend in October, who would have thought we would have such beautiful summer weather on our cruise over to Rockhill! We met early on Saturday morning in Latrobe, traveled up through Sleepy Hollow on some really neat, windy roads along Loyalhanna Creek, past the Rolling Rock Hunt Club and up over the Laurel Summit. The trees here were beautiful, tipped with color on the tops with green still mixed in. Then we came down to Somerset Pike on the outskirts of Johnstown -- just beautiful countryside -- and started up again toward the Allegheny Summit and down to Pleasantville for our first rest stop. We traveled through some really incredible windy roads through central Pennsylvania to Three Springs for a delicious, generous lunch. After lunch we headed over to Rockhill for our ride on the East Broad Top Narrow Gauge Railroad. We traveled back in time in vintage passenger cars, pulled by a 2-8-0 Baldwin steam locomotive built in 1914. After the ride, we had a chance to tour the trolley museum and check out some of the local craft vendors before heading over to the Raystown Lake Lodge. Here we had dinner, then a bon fire behind Joe and Linda's villa with a wine tasting and a "surprise" birthday cake for Linda. All in all a great day even if we went to bed slightly tipsy. Up early the next morning (bright tailed and bushy eyed), we headed off to the Johnstown Flood Memorial. We watched a dramatic documentary on the Johnstown flood of 1889 before heading down into Johnstown for lunch at the Holiday Inn. After lunch, we drove up windy Mill Creek Road to Grandview Cemetery to see the plot of the 771 unknown victims of the flood - all those unmarked graves! Then we stopped at the Johnstown Incline for a panoramic view of the city before heading home. Linda and Joe have done it again! We had wonderful roads, good food, spectacular scenery and great weather!! Who could ask for more?
4 B FALL TECH SESSION REPORT illco hosted the fall Tech Session. The topic was "How To Prepare Your Miata For Winter Storage." There was a great turn out. Miata owners wanted to make sure their pride & joy was stored properly. The session was very informative. Paul handed out a list of things to follow but added his own tidbits. To help with our storage of the Miatas, Billco handed out a bag of goodies. We thank Billco for the helpful information & goodies but especially for their support throughout the years. The list Billco handed out is shown below. It is taken from www.teammiata.com. Hope you find it helpful. Store it with a full tank of gas. But before you fill it up, add some gas stabilizer to the tank just prior. You'll want to drive at least 10 minutes after this to insure the stabilizer is all through the fuel system. Completely drain the coolant system and put in fresh antifreeze with at least -20 freezing point. Don't forget to put some antifreeze in your windshield washer fluid holder as well. Change the oil & filter. This will give the internal engine maximum rust and corrosion protection. Brake fluid - if more than two years old (or dark honey colored): flush it & refill with new fluid. This should be done every spring. Silicone brake fluid is recommended. Transmission and Differential should be topped up, it will displace any moisture. WD40 sprayed on all the hinges (hood, doors, trunk, etc.) will also help. Wash and wax your vehicle just before storing it. Clean the interior, dress all vinyl and rubber. (303 works great!) Store your vehicle in a dry place. Put the top up and leave the windows down about 1/2" down to allow air to circulate in the interior. Jacking the car up will remove the weight from the springs and prevent flat spots on the tires (more common on older bias ply). Spray the rubber bushings with a good quality spray to prevent rot. (303 works great here too!) If you cover your vehicle use only soft cotton or comparable materials that breathe and allow air circulation. Descant is a good absorber of moisture. Go to a hardware store and get 3 or 4 bags of descant. Put a couple of bags in the interior of the vehicle and 1 or 2 in the trunk. This will help minimize condensation & rust. Disconnect the battery while the vehicle is in storage. (You'll need to put you battery on a trickle charger like the Optimate Battery Charger.) Place a rag in the exhaust and air intake to keep moisture and small animals out. If possible, start your vehicle at least once a month and let the engine fully warm up. Probably for at least a good 15 minutes. Leave it in Neutral, hand brake off. In humid environments there can be a problem of the clutch disc becoming stuck to the flywheel and pressure plate. A wood dowel cut to the right length could be wedged between the clutch pedal and drivers seat to keep the clutch depressed. It possible place a vapor barrier between your vehicle and the floor of the building where your vehicle is stored. The vapor barrier will help keep the moisture away from the under carriage of your vehicle. INSURANCE: Keep your comprehensive insurance paid up, but you may qualify for a discount when the vehicle is "stored" Just remember to reactivate PRIOR to the first spring drive. If you have to store your vehicle outdoors, use caution about heavy tarps. Moisture trapped underneath them have lead to "bleached" spots in the paint. Also the wind whipping the tarp will tend to dull the paint as any dust between the tarp and paint will act as fine sand paper would. Oil breaks down over time so when you get your vehicle out of storage run the engine for a short time and change the oil & filter again. (continued on page 5)
5 (continued from page 4) This is a long list. If it isn't possible to do all the above, then wash and wax your car, change all the fluids and park it in a dry spot for the winter with the battery disconnected but attached to a trickle charger. That covers most of the bases and any problems you have come spring should be minimal. Tire Repair Kit Items H BE PREPARED by John Oldenburg ertha and I are new to the Miata Club, but we are used to touring as we were avid motorcyclists. Being prepared for the minor breakdowns is a way of life. Today the subject is flat tires. An annoying problem whether it s a motorcycle or a car tire. Most flat tires can be handled without much difficulty making it possible to get to where a permanent repair or replacement of the tire is possible. As with all things a flat is not going to happen in a convenient place. You will be on a back road, alone, and out of cell phone range. Hence the boy scout motto, Be Prepared. I carry the Mazda repair kit but I also carry plugs and an installation tool for them. I also carry an air supply in a pressurized cylinder. The air supply and installation nozzle are available at your local bike shop. The plugs and installation tool are available at the local auto store. It also helps to carry a flashlight. The plugs are needed if you have driven over a board with protruding nails. How do you know if you have stopped the leak? Soap solution is best, but on the road all you have is spit. If you have bubbles at the plug, add an additional plug till the seepage stops. A good practice is to check all tires, including the spare if you have one, for pressure and foreign objects on a monthly basis. The tire pressure can be found on the drivers side door post. Tires will lose, on average, one pound per month.
6 Journeys with John by President John Whitmire A s the cruising season is drawing to a close, although with the weather we have had you kind of think maybe we stopped too early, I have been thinking about all the wonderful events we have had this past summer. We have had lots of variety, great cruises, tech sessions, the picnic, rallys, and of course, the Vintage Gran Prix. A little bit of something for everyone. I want to take this opportunity to thank all who participated and especially those who lead or organized one of the events. I'm a firm believer in the concept that "If everyone does a little bit, all can have a lot of fun!" This summer definitely proved the point! the tight corners as fast or faster than most of my fellow students, and some had some very expensive hardware, and was hitting well over 100 MPH through turn 9 on the backstretch. It was a thrill! Not hard to understand why lots of folks find racing intoxicating. I definitely plan to do it again next year. Maybe we can organize a time when we could go together. In the end, the best part of all the events is seeing your friends and fellow Miataphiles! Hope to see you all soon! Miata Toons by Jim Pacillo Although we are through cruising for the year, there are still a couple of events planned. Sat. Nov. 17th is the Holiday Tours - the Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning; and Chihuly at the Phipps. If you have never seen the blown glasswork of Chihuly, you do not want to miss this opportunity. He is one of, if not the, foremost creator of art glass sculptures in the world. In combination with the plantings and lighting at the Phipps, the effects created are marvelous! I hope all can join us for this event! And last but not least is the annual Christmas Party on December 1st. We are planning a wonderful event again this year and hope everyone can join in to kickoff the Holiday season! Please see the invitation elsewhere in the newsletter. On a personal note, I finally got some "track time" at Beaver Run. I was supposed to participate on Labor Day but a flat tire kept me from getting to the track. I got there this past Saturday, and was it a blast! I participated in what are called "Flat Out Days". This is an event that anyone can be a part of. You are divided up by skill level into three groups; given a helmet, classroom instruction on safety, flag signals, etc., and then you have three 30 minute sessions on the track with an instructor in the car. You are allowed to go as quickly around the course as you and the instructor feel is safe. By happy coincidence, my instructor races Miatas and he worked really hard on helping me get the correct line through the corners, braking, etc. By the end of the third session I was able to get through W REMINDER - 2008 Miata Club Dues Joe Zimliki, Treasurer ell, we've reached the end of the cruise season for 2007 so it's time to think back over the fun we've had and to look forward to the Christmas Party. We hope to see all of you at the Christmas Party and we'd like to see all of you at the cruises and club events next year. Cruises are already being lined up for next year. It promises to be a great Zoom Zoom year. This is a reminder that your 2008 dues are payable starting in December. You will be able to renew your membership at the Christmas Party. The 2008 dues will remain at $30.00, payable by check to the West Penn Miata Club.
Officers e-mail: web site: wpmc@westpennmiataclub.com http://www.westpennmiataclub.com Founder: Paul Fronko President: John Whitmire Vice President: Jim Pfeiffer (412) 262-1813 (724) 468-8435 West Penn Club Legalese The FUN N THE SUN TIMES is published as a service by the West Penn Miata Club, Inc. a non-profit corporation. Treasurer: Joe Zimliki Secretary: Sherry Swarmer Events Chair: Lowden/Zimliki Past President: Bryan Bond (724) 327-1762 (724) 443-0834 (412)672-1689 (724)327-1762 (724) 439-4001 Editor - In - Chief: Steve Lapp Send all editorial contributions to: WEST PENN MIATA c/o Steve Lapp 105 Gadshill Place Pittsburgh, PA 15237 e-mail: slapp@westpennmiataclub.com The WEST PENN MIATA assumes no liability for any information contained herein; or injury or damage resulting from the use of this information. The ideas, maintenance, opinions, or modification tips expressed are to be used at the readers discretion. Individual contributors and/or editors express no approval, authentication, or endorsement. WEST PENN MIATA c/o Sherry Swarmer 1022 Arborwood Drive Gibsonia, PA 15044 West Penn Address goes here Club leave room for mail bar code to go here