Volume 21 #9 October, 2011 Fall Foliage & Train Station Tour by Joe & Linda Zimliki F Upcoming Events Sat Oct 8 Sat Dec 3 Fall Foliage and Train Station Tour WPMC Annual Christmas Party all's paint brush will soon appear, painting the landscape with hues of yellow, red, orange, and green. Hopefully the fall colors will be out the day of our cruise. We will be cruisin the countryside to view and photograph those bright colors, then on to the train station for a tour. Whether the colors are in full array or not, you will see some beautiful scenery. Bring your camera, as there will be plenty of photo ops. This will be a more leisurely cruise. Date & Time: Sunday October 9, 2011 at 9:30 AM Place: Fifth Third Bank Parking Lot in Walnut Plaza, Murrysvile, Pa. GPS: 4923 William Penn Highway RSVP by October 3 to lzimliki@westpennmiataclub.com or 724-327-1762 West Penn Miata Club Christmas Party by Pam Gregar O ur Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at the Comfort Inn on Rodi Road in Penn Hills. This marks the end of another wonderful cruising season and I d like to thank the leaders who made our weekends so enjoyable. I ll be at the Christmas Party so you ll also have the opportunity to pay your 2012 dues at this event. Cash or checks are accepted. See the invitation at the end of the newsletter for more information. This Way / That Way Cruise Report by Bill and Juliette Flasche I t was chilly on the morning of September 17th, but nevertheless there were 15 Miatas, including a first time visitor, in the Target parking lot ready to venture out into the unknown. Our cruise directors, Bill and Nancy Willis, started us out until only those with GPS's knew where we were. Then they must have decided they were lost because they pulled over and told the second car in line to take over the lead and they went to the back of the pack. Now the second car did the best they could, but they also decided they had enough leading and also pulled over and went to the back of the pack. Well, the third car realized after about ten minutes that the back of the pack was becoming pretty appealing so they also pulled over leaving the fourth car responsible to provide the leadership. Now, as we are sure you know, we have some pretty smart forks in our club so each car ended up leading for about ten minutes and then headed to the back to become the sweep. Amazingly we ended up having a great cruise through some beautiful countryside going up, down, and around hills, valleys, and farmland with only an occasional ride on a "highway." (continued on page 2)
2 (continued from page 1) Somehow after all had a chance to both lead and sweep, Bill and Nancy realized where we were and took over the lead once again. Before we knew it, we were at the Springfield Grill on Route 228. But, as you know a cruise never ends at a restaurant. So, we headed down Route 228 to a TCBY Frozen Yogurt place for a make your own treat. Needless to say we had a very enjoyable day cruising, eating, and being with many of our Miata friends. Wagner Maple Sugar Camp Cruise Report restore the building to its current state. Part of the building was a lumber and feed mill which now houses the shoppes. An actual opera house is on the second floor and we take the opportunity for a group picture at center stage. Then back on the road for more Miata driving eventually ending up at the Wagner Maple Sugar Camp. Oh the smell of the Maple Syrup when we walked through the door - just delightful! We watched fourth generation owner Susan Jeffrey make a batch of maple sugar coated nuts and then got to enjoy the results. I can attest that the plate was clean when we left. Susan then took us on a tour describing the operation of the camp as well as showing us artifacts recovered from earlier times. A number of us purchased syrup and nuts before we left. I can't wait to try the "B" i.e. dark syrup on some pancakes. T by Steve and Dana Lapp his cruise had it all - great roads, great stops, and excellent food! Ten Miatas left Smail Mazda in Greensburg for a trip up the Laurel Mountains on many of the same roads used for MMM 2010. Weather was overcast with some peeks of sun and very pleasant. It was tops down the entire day. When we hit PA 130, I knew we were in for a treat as that is one of our favorite roads to get to the Laurels. Dana and I are sweep and having a great time giving the supercharger a workout when Linda suddenly says, "Right turn onto Dillon Road?" What's this??? - just another superb road that I never knew existed. Eventually we end up on County Line Road and head up past Seven Springs. No snow on North Face yet but that will come soon enough. For now, it's just a beautiful fall day in our favorite cars. First stop is the Rockwood Mill Shoppes and Opera House where we enjoy hot coffee, delightful pastries, and for those that need it, an early ice cream fix. Following that, coowner Judy Pletcher takes us on a guided tour and describes the painstaking work she and her husband have done to Following Wagner's, it's driving more superb roads until we cross the border into Maryland for lunch at the Penn Alps Restaurant. Linda - always taking care of us - has called our orders in ahead of time so lunch is served immediately. After lunch, we take the opportunity to visit an artisans' village next to the restaurant. Some of the work here is breathtaking. Woodworkers, metal workers, and weavers to name a few are set up to display some of the finest work you'll ever see. We then begin to retrace our steps heading back to Seven Springs and stop at the Compton Grist Mill where Jay Compton takes us on a tour and describes the work he is doing to restore operation of the mill. The Compton Mill was completed in 1871 and last operated in the 1930's. Jay describes the task of getting the mill operational as "not for the faint of heart" and he's right. It's a huge job but when Jay finishes, I can tell you I'll be back there in a second. The sights and sounds of that mill operating would be nothing short of spectacular. More twists and curves then followed (you can never get too much of this) and we ended up at the DQ in Donegal for the requisite end-of-cruse ice cream treat. I've been in the club thirteen years and can say this was one of the best cruises I've been on. The combination of driving superb roads, traveling to wonderful destinations, meeting people who have a real passion for their work, and of course doing this with the top down on a lovely fall day made this a cruise we'll remember for a long time. Many thanks and congratulations to Allan and Rose Marie Palaschak for organizing this cruise and to Linda and Joe Zimliki for leading it. We had a great time!
3 2011 CRUISIN & ZOOMIN SEASON BY LINDA ZIMLIKI T he season is nearing its end. There is just one more cruise and it's the Fall Foliage & Train Station Cruise on Sunday October 9. We have our Christmas Party in December and the invitation is at the end of this newsletter. I normally have a Christmas outing in December but don t have any specific plans yet. If anyone knows of a Christmas House Tour or event, please contact me. Miatas Play Music City's registration opened November 15. More information is at www.miatasplaymusiccity.com Fees are $60 - Driver and $50 - Passenger. Mass Miata Club's event now has a name and registration is open. Fall For New England Dates: Oct 11-14, 2012 Fees: $125 per person until June 12, 2012 and $150 per person after June 12, 2012 Website: http://www.massmiata.net/fallfornewengland Curvy Roads With Bill by President Bill Willis I hope to see everyone at the WPMC Christmas Party on Saturday, December 3, 2011. There will be great entertainment, and I am sure everyone will have a fun time at the party. We also have a menu change. The Chicken Florentine is being replaced with Chicken Cordon Bleu. Interesting Information from Edmunds Submitted by Lee Morrell on July 28, 2011 The 2009 Mazda Miata is an Edmunds Used Car Best Bet that will help you beat the heat! We've been talking a lot about used cars, lately. The reason is simple: there are some really great deals to be gotten if you know what to look for and how to spot them. Our friends at Edmunds have put together their annual Edmunds Used Car Best Bets, which is a great list that will help you in that search. The list is comprised of the very best bets on used cars, by category, from 2004 to 2009. The editors looked at reliability, safety and availability as the criteria and created a very respectable list that cast a pretty wide net among brands and models. (Below is a partial listing of the top five.) Compact Sedan: 2004-09 Hyundai Elantra Midsize Sedan: 2004-09 Nissan Altima Coupe: 2004-09 BMW 3 Series Convertible: 2004-09 Mazda Miata Luxury: 2004-09 Infiniti G35/37 Anyone who wonders how car enthusiasts can be so passionate about driving need only take a spin in a Miata. With its communicative steering, ultra-responsive handling, an exuberant engine and a manual transmission with short, precise throws, Mazda's little two-seater wins over even those drivers who don't know a camshaft from a half shaft. Nothing within the average Joe's means represents affordable all-around automotive athleticism better than a Miata. Factor in great reliability, frugal fuel usage and plenty of aftermarket accessories and it's easy to see why so many Miata owners love their car as much as their significant other (and perhaps even more). Come on I know everyone in WPMC loves their car but more than their significant other!?!? Zoom, zoom zoom!
Officers e-mail: web site: wpmc@westpennmiataclub.com http://www.westpennmiataclub.com Founder: Paul Fronko President: Bill Willis Vice President: Bob Wachter (724) 226-3461 (724) 357-8377 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: Pam Gregar Secretary: JoAnn Sprague Events Chair: Linda Zimliki Past President: Jim Pfeiffer (724) 863-2124 (412) 278-0944 (724)327-1762 (724) 468-8435 Editor - In - Chief: Steve Lapp Send all editorial contributions to: WEST PENN MIATA CLUB c/o Steve Lapp 105 Gadshill Place Pittsburgh, PA 15237 e-mail: slapp@westpennmiataclub.com The WEST PENN MIATA CLUB 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 CLUB c/o JoAnn Sprague 1750 Norsen Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15243 West Penn Address goes here Club leave room for mail bar code to go here
WEST PENN MIATA CLUB ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY Date: Saturday December 3, 2011 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 699 Rodi Road - Parkway East at Penn Hills Exit 11 Spending the night - Special room rate $59.00 includes Continental Breakfast Reservations (412-244-1600) Mention WPMC Christmas Party Main entrée selections: 1. Grilled Salmon 2. Roast Prime Rib of Beef Rare, Med, Med-Well or Well Done 3. Chicken Cordon Bleu Entertainment: Streetlights Doo Wop Send your check made out to WPMC for $18.50 per person and meal selection to Bob Wachter by November 19, 2011. RSVP: bwachter@westpennmiataclub.com Bob Wachter 136 Stone Ridge Road Indiana, Pa 15701 724-357-8377