Event 12 information

Discussion of anything that doesn't fall into the Solo II and RallyX Categories
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Ian Wilson
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Post by Ian Wilson »

Woke up this morning to find overcast skies and a steady drizzle, not looking promising for running the ¼ mile. The gods were apparently in the mood for having a laugh at my expense as well. Climbed into the car, shut the door and the rear view mirror fell off – ho ho ho.

Decided to try and avoid the interstate on the way up to the drag strip an excellent decision as it turned out. I like it when I find a sign like this…

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What a road, mile after mile of switch backs and general twistiness. The further into the sticks I got the more it became apparent these folk don’t get out much. And when they do it’s the Hog Trough they head for.

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In fact it was positively disturbing when I pulled in for gas and everyone was decked out in camouflaged hunting gear and I mean everyone, men, woman and children – I got the feeling if I hung around to long I’d become prey. Image

Spotted this sign in a field and had to get a shot – I wonder if this was intended for me!

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The road kills are getting interesting as well, came across a couple of deer one had obviously been hit by a truck and had literally exploded, also spotted squashed Skunk, pulverized Possums, butchered Buzzards and one rendered Raccoon.

Got to hand it to the mayors of some of these small towns for thinking big. The folk living in Tightwad clearly have big ambitions for their little settlement. Why bother with ‘Tiny dot in the middle of nowhere limit’, when you know you’re going to big one day you may as well say City limits. :D

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As I mentioned earlier the weather wasn’t looking good and it continued to drizzle as I made my way towards the Mo-Kan Drag Strip. I arrived to find it deserted and grabbed a quick picture.

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But the owner Carl Blanton had given me his number and I gave him a call. 10 minutes later, Carl and part of the family turned up so I got to line the car up on the drag strip for the first time. Thanks Carl!

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In a way I was quite glad the track wasn’t open. The start of the strip has some kind of sticky chemical applied to it. I had visions of launching the car and leaving most of the drive train behind on the ground! We had a good chat and Carl kindly gave me a Mo-Kan T-Shirt that I’ll wear with pride. All too soon it was time to get moving again, but Carl kindly allowed me to run the ¼ mile. There was no timing gear and I was pretty careful getting of the line. But judging by Carl and the family’s reaction it should be able to run somewhere around 11 seconds, not bad for a plastic car on road tyres. I think it would have surprised a few people if the track had been open.

The big news of the day is nothing broke other than the mirror, so things are starting to look up!

Currently I’m in a town called Clinton about 80 miles south east of Kansas City. Got a long and boring day tomorrow on the interstate to Denver, Colorado. But it should be worth it, since the Rockies await the following day…

Mileage: 2,300

Since I’m in at a reasonable hour I’m off to sample the local drop. Image

If I'm still standing when I get back from the Pub I'll have a go at sorting out a couple of video clips from the past few days.
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Steve-o
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Post by Steve-o »

LMFAO at the Tightwad sign! I love that! Too bad we couldn't get an official time on the 1320. And that chemical on the strip that you referred to is probably VHT but possibly Neo Tac.


Oh, and that pic of the Elise with the "Very Crooked and Steep" sign is awesome!
Stephen Wilson

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Ian Wilson
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Post by Ian Wilson »

Found a site to host one of my runs from Saturday. Considering the number of times I spun I think it's right we show one of them. Contains profanity :oops:

Click here. The link will open a page - scroll down select free, then wait 20 seconds or so and the file will be available for download.

Should have been in third gear for the first slalom grrrrr Would have been a great run if I hadn't of spun, double grrrrr
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Steve-o
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Post by Steve-o »

I couldn't understand the profanity. I assume it's that bit at 1.25. I have an idea or two but it's not clear...
Stephen Wilson

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MARKP
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Post by MARKP »

Looks like a lot of fun. The course appeared to be similar to some national-level events I have been to. Looks like a good site. I wish we had something that big around here.

I'm glad the trip has been relatively mishap-free. I hope that continues. :D
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Post by Ian Wilson »

Today will be memorable for the unremarkable nature of it. As they say around these parts I got some serious saddle time in and I dare say my saddle is just as hard as the real McCoy. Covered 800 miles in dull tedium. I tried various tactics of attempting to remain relatively alert. An early favourite was cop baiting, with the radar detector beeping reassuringly I crept up on this guy.

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It took the better part of 15 miles to catch him, the road was one long ribbon stretching away into eternity and he was a mere dot on the distant horizon to start with.

Job done I crept past him 2mph over the limit and half an hour later he’d been blown into the weeds. :D

No need for the Laptop GPS just follow the jet trails to Denver.

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With a road like this it was time to amuse myself in other ways…

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I can report that lifting off suddenly at 150mph+ with a strong cross wind demonstrates a rather interesting area of the cars handling I’d rather not explore again. :o With the gas gauge heading for refill at an alarming rate and petrol stations few and far between it was time to find another way of staying awake. This involved crapping myself for 50 miles with the gauge on refill and my speed dropping mile by mile in an effort to eek out the last few liters in the tank. Finally when all hope seemed lost a few trees appeared on the horizon. Previous experience had shown trees mean human habitation and sure enough a small settlement slowly resolved itself. 9.4 gallons and a six pack of Red Bull later we were on our way again - bit frightening saying we – I think I’m beginning to form a deep and meaningful relationship with the car, I find myself chatting away to her quite happily. Is this normal?

While flicking through the CD case I came across Billy Idol’s Greatest hits. :o, So with Billy blasting out ‘It’s a white wedding’ and half a litre of Red Bull in my stomach, I trundled onwards.

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I was tempted to stop at a local attraction boasting a live six legged Steer. But when you’ve seen a World Wonder (see previous post), everything else is inevitably a let down. I’m learning now everything in America is bigger, the people, the distances and in particular the trains. The camera couldn’t fit in the length of this bad boy it must have been a couple of miles long.

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With dusk approaching there was still no sign of the Rockies and I was beginning to think they were part of some conspiracy theory and didn’t actually exist. But finally with the sun setting I spied something on the horizon.

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If you look very carefully just to the right of the sun you can see the Rockies. Not very impressive I’ll admit. I had expected them to be bigger :D, but at this stage I was happy to take what I could get.

Finally with the sun on the horizon I grabbed this shot.

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I’m typing this up at Cactus Jacks Saloon, in Evergreen about 30 miles west of Denver. There’s snow on the ground and the Rockies await me tomorrow…

Kind of surprised I managed to find anything at all to say about today.

Mileage: 3,098
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Steve-o
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Post by Steve-o »

I've traveled that bit of country myself. Bit different than Europe, huh? :D I once saw a thunderstorm and drove 300 miles towards it before the first drop hit my windscreen. I LOVE the pic of the Speedo needle pegged! Too bad it's not the best of focus. Although I can imagine that getting focus wasn't the biggest priority when you're doing 150 in a soda can with an engine. I also know EXACTLY what you mean by lifting at that speed. Try doing it at 130 in Montana with a Mitsu SUV! :shock: Scary to say the least. You've also figured out the big rule about gas out there. When you see gas, FILL UP! You may not see petrol again for a very long time. I can't imagine making that trip in that tooth chipper. Anyway, the Rockies will get a bit bigger once you get up close! :D The day may have been boreing but at least you aren't trying to tape the car together way out there in the middle of nowhere! Keep 'em coming. I really look forward to reading these!
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sean
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Post by sean »

Great write up on what I found to be the longest part of the trip when I headed west.
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Post by thrdeye »

"Hmm.....I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier."

"Yeah, that John Denver is full of shit."


Classic! :lol: :lol:
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Post by Mustangracer »

Ian, I have a friend who pegged his speedo @ 140 on a back road around here. Unfortunately it blew his engine, it was a Camaro, u have to expect that give upo from one.
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Post by Dentspeed »

About the Rockies: He just had not gotten there yet. That was what you would call foothills. Once you are there, you know it.
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Post by MARKP »

Ian,

I don't know if you plan on going there but if you have the time, you should go to Pike's Peak near Colorado Springs. Just the sight is awesome.
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Post by Ian Wilson »

Sorry guys no internet access the last couple of days. You'll be pleased to know I made it through in piece. As you will read later all is not so well at the moment.

So here's the Rockies update for the 22nd of Nov.

Word of the day is….


BUSTED

More on that later. Got on the road just after 8am and headed south on 285, the road was nice, but nice wasn’t what I was looking for. Turned of 285 onto 50 at Poncha Springs. The blue line is the GPS trace for today’s route.

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Things started to improve, until this happened.

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87 in a 65 and no way was I going to wiggle out of this one. As I was to observe later on the men in blue in Colorado have a simple mission in life – bust as many people as possible. The roadside was littered with victims. Back to my current situation. I asked Officer Averett if he considered my driving to be dangerous, reckless or in anyway unsafe. No he replied. So what was the problem I inquired? Well he said what would have happened if an Elk had leaped out in front of the car – slightly stunned by this approach I replied that unlike your 4,000 pound tank that would have plowed straight into it, I would have probably stopped in time or avoided it and it’s not like 65mph would some how make you safe from suicidal Elk... Silence… So a summons to appear in the Saguache county court on the 9th of January was duly handed over. Job done, I got a tour of his car, he’d got me with an instant on radar – my detector had gone off but no chance to react in time. He was quite proud showing me the whole setup inside the car. No hard feelings, I had budgeted on getting caught a few times and felt myself lucky to have got this far without a ticket.

So cost of admission to the Rockies: About 150 dollars.
The look on Officer Averett’s face when I told him I had no plans of slowing down: Priceless :D

Turned out the place was crawling with State troopers and local cops. I was stalked by about 10 miles by this character.

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Still there….

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Eventually he got bored and pulled a Volvo going in the other direction. The views were spectacular and well worth the price of admission.

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Things really started to look up when I turned of 50 onto 149 heading for Lake City. The road just started getting better and better. Climbing all the time, I eventually arrived in Lake City, attitude 8,761ft. But it got even better after that…

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The road kept on climbing to the point I was wondering if oxygen may be called for. Had to be careful in parts where the sun hadn’t got to.

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Finally I reached the top at 11,530ft (3,500m)!

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With the oxygen mask deployed I dropped down the other side I started heading towards New Mexico. The Police were everywhere again, and often I would just pull over to admire the view and let the Police move on.

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With night falling deer started appearing in numbers, I must have seen at least 20 or 30. They ignored you as long as you were moving but every time I tried to get a shot they’d get spooked. Managed to get one.

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Eventually hit the state border between Colorado and New Mexico – the road changed immediately from being smooth and well maintained to a pot holed nightmare. I’m guessing New Mexico has a lot less money in the coffers compared to Colorado. Pulled into the Super8 hotel in Bloomfield. Within one minute of parking up I’d been bailed up by a tramp, no internet access, no coffee in the room not very impressed with New Mexico so far. ..

Mileage 3,581

Pretty amazed by the fuel economy today. Across Kansas at an average of 85mph, I’d got 29 miles per US gallon (34mpg UK). Today I got 36 miles to the gallon (46mpg UK), thanks in some part to the boys in blue…

With a can of 8 year old Tyre weld for a spare tyre I decided this was one road not worth exploring further…

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Post by scottgib »

Keep the travel log coming. Fun reading. :D

Good luck.
Old men can still dream!

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Ian Wilson
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Post by Ian Wilson »

Last couple of days have been anything but fun...


Today’s words are…

Deep poopy.

An early sign of things to come was the split pin solution to the fuel pump issue giving up. So once again a familiar picture.

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Decided to sort it out once and for all was underway again within 15 minutes. Fortunately I wasn’t in New Mexico for long. And once again the change in road conditions at the State line was very apparent.

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Nothing special on the menu from a road perspective so I’d departed at 7am and cruised at the speed limit. Today was to be all about enjoying the scenery and I made my way to the Canyonlands National park. I thought the views were spectacular on the way there but I was totally blown away when I arrived at the park. This place has scenery in spades!

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The Police were up to their usual tricks, as you can see by the photos the road is obviously a death trap.

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I had planned on stopping the night in a little town called Blanding, not far from the Park, but having made good time together with the rather run down nature of the local towns I decided I would try to make up a day by pushing on to the Grand Canyon. I figured I could spend an extra day in Las Vegas and search out the local Lotus dealer to give the car a quick once over. Great idea, unfortunately poor execution. Throughout the day I had thought to myself you definitely do not want to break down here. The towns are very few and far between. And as mentioned before very rundown.

Some distance from the Grand Canyon as I overtook a car I noticed a shudder coming from the back end under power. Initially I thought it was just the road surface, but decided to test it by giving it a bit. The shudder returned but this time a magnitude worse. Uh oh – within a few seconds the shudder quickly got to the point where the best speed I could manage was 20mph. I pulled over and the problem quickly became apparent, a rubber boot on the right hand driveshaft had split, this allowed all the grease to escape and cooked the joint. When this occurred I have no idea, but it had completely torn itself in half. I think it probably split a long while back but due to the fact I’d been in cruise mode it gave no warning. I guess it’s lucky I was taking it easy since if it had gone earlier I really would have been in big trouble.

I pulled out with the sound of grinding metal and started to limp in the direction of the park – I was kind of reassured when I saw a sign indicating 14 miles to the Park. 40 minutes later I arrived at the entrance only to be told that the village was another 23 MILES AWAY. Oh my god!!!! Miles after mile I crawled along, taking small solace in the fact I was getting great views of the Grand Canyon along the way.

With the odometer ticking over at an incredibility slow rate, I finally crawled into the village. As it turned out if I was going to breakdown this was the place to do it. The village actually has a garage, supermarket etc and being a tourist trap it’s in good nick. Unfortunately internet access is limited to one public terminal at a couple of bucks for 8 mins access. No mobile phone coverage either.

With the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow the garage will be closed, which doesn’t matter since there’s nothing to be done until a new driveshaft arrives. The job itself should be straight forward enough. Bringing a spare had never been an option given the space constraints, but I was well aware that it was one part with the potential to cause problems.

But the real kicker in all of this is I left my shampoo Behind at the last hotel :D

Mileage: 4,107

Update today, 24th of Nov. The good news is the garage was open. The bad news is there is nothing much they could do. Owing to the remote location getting spares takes forever. So I took the decision to flatbed the car 85 miles to Flagstaff. Took the opportunity to walk a trail along the rim of the Grand Canyon, amazing what a bit of water can do!

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With a bit of luck I can be back on the road tomorrow or Saturday, in which case I’ll just skip Vegas, which will please the wife anyway :D Worst case is Monday. But I’ll be doing everything in my power to get this sorted as quickly as possible. Just one of those things.
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