Snowshoe WV, Sept 5-6

[slngsht]

It's that time again.

looking for 5 cars to join me for a weekend cruise to the mountains of WV. Like last time, the plan is to leave Maryland Saturday morning, drive to WV, chill out around a BBQ and camp fire (I have the right weapon for starting a fire this time), crash my brother's place (still have to ask him), then come back Sunday morning - back in town around 4 or 5 PM.

[Boxologist]

see if u get permission, then we'll see where it goes. besides west virginny.

[slngsht]

no worries on permission. there is a question whether the house will be under renovation at the time - if that's the case, there is a cheap motel directly across the street, or camping on the property itself. You can also stay at the resort (a few miles away), if you want a bit nicer accommodations, but you'd be missing out. You thinking about coming down?

[slngsht]

here is what the route looks like. this route is quite a bit shorter than the extra scenic route we took 2 years ago... 5 hrs, instead of 8 hrs. mostly country roads with NO traffic.

[stevet]

I can't make it this year, being seven less, but can highly recommend this blat - great roads and scenery and a distinct lack of traffic. Couple of pics from the last one to get you in the mood...

[jvbtte]

kind of short on $$ right now,but We have a car camping gear gas and food money.
is there a place to camp near by on Friday evening.

[slngsht]

kind of short on $$ right now,but We have a car camping gear gas and food money.
is there a place to camp near by on Friday evening.

If you're coming down 95, you can crash my place Friday night.

If you're coming down 81, look online for camping places around Front Royal, specially around skyline drive.

[Boxologist]

most likely in. Steve, we may need a photographer.

[slngsht]

most likely in. Steve, we may need a photographer.
:thumbs:

[jlbtrans1]

Box, I will have my camera, so there will be photographs :), maybe a video as well lol

[slngsht]

Box, I will have my camera, so there will be photographs :), maybe a video as well lol

Does this mean we have another taker?

[jlbtrans1]

Well Jack just takes me along cause I pitch the tent, get firewood and start fires.......but I'm trying to work on my photo/vid skills....LOL......j/k.....

[slngsht]

guys, here is an alternative...

The current route is a 4.5 hr drive from DC, or about 3 hrs from Front Royal, VA to Snowshoe (if you're meeting me there). The 3 hrs from Front Royal are almost all fun country roads.

As an alternative, from Front Royal, we can head south, to Luray Caverns. There are 2 very interesting attractions in Luray. The first is the caverns, and 2nd is the car museum by the caverns. The first time I went to the car museum, I thought it was just gonna be a bunch of classics. The museum is a gem:


The Car and Carriage Caravan Museum exhibit is a tour of milestones in transportation, including authentically restored cars, carriages, coaches and costumes, dating from 1725 to 1941. The centerpiece of the collection is the 1892 Benz, one of the oldest cars in the country still in operating condition. Other highlights include a Conestoga Wagon, a 1908 Baker Electric, a 1913 Stanley Steamer, and Rudolph Valentino's 1925 Rolls Royce.


Doing this will still give us 3 hours of quality back roads (from Harrisonburg, instead of front royal), but will add another hour of highway driving, as well as another 45 minutes of access roads to get to the caverns and back. Then add a couple of hours for seeing the cavern and museum, and it's an additional 6 hours.

So, if we leave DC at 8 AM, we will get to our final destination at 6 PM. It will be a long day.

Thoughts?

[ottocycle]

Mazda,
If I can commit at the last minute I would like to go, I will be just back from Ireland then and will not know what alligators I may have to deal with, post trip. West Virginia roads are the best and if we stay off Skyline drive we should have a blast.
Cheers-

Dermot.

[slngsht]

Mazda,
If I can commit at the last minute I would like to go, I will be just back from Ireland then and will not know what alligators I may have to deal with, post trip. West Virginia roads are the best and if we stay off Skyline drive we should have a blast.
Cheers-

Dermot.

Dermot, just let me know when you can. Your spot is good.
Agreed, Skyline is not the place to cruise. If we do the museum, we'll stay off Skyline drive.

[slngsht]

actually, thinking through the car museum thing, maybe it's better to hit that on the way back. I'm concerned we'll miss out on chilling out in the mountains if we make the trip too long.

[BobDrye]

Maz:
I've been very busy this summer! Saturday, we finally got Sal's 7 to stop overheating. We are both intrested in going. Have you talked to Scott?

[slngsht]

Maz:
I've been very busy this summer! Saturday, we finally got Sal's 7 to stop overheating. We are both intrested in going. Have you talked to Scott?
yes, he's game

[sparecr]

Mazda,

One of my SA questions. You are leaving Maryland, driving through VA and ending up in West VA, how is this Northeast? Isn't this more Mid-Atlantic?

[slngsht]

yeah, i noticed that yesterday. way back in the day, there was only northeast and southeast sections... old habit

[Boxologist]

Mazda,

One of my SA questions. You are leaving Maryland, driving through VA and ending up in West VA, how is this Northeast? Isn't this more Mid-Atlantic?

Hey, quiet from the peanut gallery!:leaving:

[DeanG]

Would you consider a non Se7en?

It is a bit far to meet & drive in our seven but it could be fun in our 1991 Lotus Elan (M100). Maybe we could act as the pack mule.

[EviLRome0]

just saw this thread and im thinking about possibly joining in the ultralite. hopefully after the turbo kinks have been worked out :) . how late is it possible to sign up for this?

[slngsht]

the day after we leave it's too late :D

[slngsht]

Would you consider a non Se7en?

It is a bit far to meet & drive in our seven but it could be fun in our 1991 Lotus Elan (M100). Maybe we could act as the pack mule.
Dean, bring it along

[DeanG]

This is getting close. Is there any other information?

[slngsht]

This is getting close. Is there any other information?

Dean, we need to come up with a meeting point and time on Saturday morning. Are you planning on coming up 95 to 17 to manasas and across 66, or 64 to 81 and up, or some other route?

A number of us will meet up in MD and caravan from there.

I will get a definite on accomodations in the next few days.

[DeanG]

We have been holding off on definite plans until we knew more. There is a car show I want to attend but this looked more fun.

We would probably either head up 95 to 17... or just take 17...

[slngsht]

We have been holding off on definite plans until we knew more. There is a car show I want to attend but this looked more fun.

We would probably either head up 95 to 17... or just take 17...

Dean, this is a pretty informal - mostly driving - event.

This is how we did it last time - this time will be pretty much the same.

Met at the Gaithersburg meeting point at 8 AM and left around 8:15.

Picked up Scott L. and Bob along the way at a McDonalds on 66W. Then met up with Steve T in Harrisonburg around 11 (took a different path that time). Then headed into the mountains. Made it to Snow Shoe around 4 (this time we are taking a shorter route).

I brought the Steaks. I forget who brought the beer. We had a BBQ by a camp fire, some of us took a hike up the property in the mountains, others just sat around and talked. We stayed at my brother's place (4 bedrooms and a couple of couches for sleeping accomodations). Got up in the morning, had breakfast at a local joint, and headed back to civilization.

The one difference this time is that my brother's house may be undergoing renovations (at this point it does not look like that will start till after labor day weekend). If it did, there is a small motel directly across the street where we can crash. We can still use the property, park our cars there, etc...

This is all off if they call for rain on that weekend.

[DeanG]

Dean, this is a pretty informal - mostly driving - event.

Met at the Gaithersburg meeting point at 8 AM and left around 8:15.



It would be difficult to get us on the road by 4:00 AM to meet up at Gaithersburg MD by 8:00 AM. Give me a call so we can work something out. I sent you a private message with my phone number.

[slngsht]

It would be difficult to get us on the road by 4:00 AM to meet up at Gaithersburg MD by 8:00 AM. Give me a call so we can work something out. I sent you a private message with my phone number.
yeah, I was expecting to meet you somewhere on 66. no point in doing extra interstate driving

[Boxologist]

i'm looking doubtful because of pinched nerve in my lower back.

[slngsht]

i'm looking doubtful because of pinched nerve in my lower back.
that sucks man. I hope it gets better by then.

[slngsht]

Alright, some more details...
Map with meeting points (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=14209+Secluded+Lane,+20878&daddr=4215+Winchester+Rd,+Marshall+to:4675+John+Ma rshall+Hwy,+Linden,+VA+22642+to:E+Main+St%2FWV-259%2FWV-55+to:Mace,+WV&geocode=%3B%3B%3BFUZUVAIdIslQ-w%3B&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=38.849334,-78.129272&sspn=0.43529,1.234589&ie=UTF8&z=8) (MEETING POINT UPDATED!)

Point B - McDonalds in Marshall, VA - Proposed meeting point with VA folks (Dean, Scott?). I plan to be there at 9:20 - leave at 9:30.

Point C - meeting point for others (Jack and Jen, Roman?). I plan to be there at 10:00. This should be a breakfast joint. 1 hour break here.

Ignore Point D. Point E is our destination. We should arrive around 3:30, depending on how many stops we make along the way.

Once we get there, we have a few options... we can either:
Chill out at the property, go for a hike, sit around and have a few cold ones, etc... OR
Go for a spin along area roads. If you are feeling adventerous, we could go through the Highland Scenic Highway (http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/sp/highland_hwy.html) (google map of route (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=mace,+wv&daddr=marlinton,+wv+to:richwood,+wv&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=38.216604,-80.305939&sspn=0.337716,0.617294&ie=UTF8&ll=38.305564,-80.285339&spn=0.337302,0.617294&z=11)) The full drive is 1.5 hrs each way, but we can go part way and turn around.

We can make that decision when we get there, and see how tired everyone is, how much daylight left, etc...

For dining, we can either bring bbq stuff, start a fire and barbque, or run up the mountain (9 miles to the top) and have dinner there. If you are interested in dining out, I will call ahead because this is the silly season between summer and winter. Here is a link to Snowshoe Village dining (http://www.snowshoemtn.com/village/dining/index.htm) choices (not all will be open). I was planning on the campfire thing, but would not mind going out either. Again, chime in with your preferences and we'll go from there.

BRING WARM CLOTHES. As the crew from our last trip will tell you, it can get COLD up there. We went the 3rd week of Sept last time, and in the morning, it was 30 degrees, even though the day was just delightful.

[slngsht]

oh, and the weather is still looking, well, AWESOME!

low 70's and Sunny!

[jlbtrans1]

Route looks good and campfire bbq sounds good to Jack and I.

[DeanG]

Ya Hoo! The house is a mess and smells of paint (fixing up my computer, ham radio, TV room) it will be great to get out for a weekend.

[slngsht]

guys, i'm planning to bring some marinated chicken on the skewer and some beer. bring drink of your choice, and some other items to throw on the flames.

[slngsht]

oh, and i'll be bringing the charcoal too.

if you have any, bring your own camping chairs for sitting outside. I can't remember how many there are at the house.

Dean, are you coming alone with with SO?

[Boxologist]

Definite out. Absolutely sucks as my back was feeling better yesterday and today has the suck again. If there's a 2010 W.Va blat i'll be on that fer sure! hopefully i'll be OK in a few weeks and schedule some local drives.

[DeanG]

oh, and i'll be bringing the charcoal too.

if you have any, bring your own camping chairs for sitting outside. I can't remember how many there are at the house.

Dean, are you coming alone with with SO?

Ya, a guess I'll have to bring her.

[DeanG]

We will meet up with the group at either Point B or C. It is about 4 hours to "C" for us.

[slngsht]

Guys, slight (but important update to our route). Based on info from a coworker, I have changed the breakfast meeting place...

updated map is here (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=14209+Secluded+Lane,+20878&daddr=4215+Winchester+Rd,+Marshall+to:4675+John+Ma rshall+Hwy,+Linden,+VA+22642+to:E+Main+St%2FWV-259%2FWV-55+to:Mace,+WV&geocode=%3B%3B%3BFUZUVAIdIslQ-w%3B&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=38.849334,-78.129272&sspn=0.43529,1.234589&ie=UTF8&z=8)

Here is a link to the restaurant ( http://www.theapplehouse.net/index.html )

[DeanG]

Just back and sitting down. Only 3 cars and 5 people but a great time. It was tough keeping up but it was fun to try.

[yellowss7]

So, did Al Show up with his new ride? It's not like him to be so quiet.

What do you think he's up to? Do you think he's gone and bought one of those Fiero based replica ferraris and is embarrassed to tell us?

Tom

[slngsht]

he probably bought an ariel Atom. :D

here is a pic from the snowshoe cruise. This is after we finished our drive on Saturday.

[slngsht]

there are tons more pics and some vids (I'm sure Jen recorded them so they show us going 2x actual speed). I'll post up some pics later. I think Jack and Jen are planning of putting some sections of video together as a compilation. I also have some decent viedo of Jack's car from my rear view cam that I need to post.

They are on their way back to NJ this morning.

[slngsht]

here are some pics from Jack and Jen's camera:

Pic one: Seneca Rock
Pic two: Waiting for next victim
Pic three: Jack @ snowshoe
Pic four: View from 2/3 up the mountain
Pic five: Horses resting up for Sunday's action

[DeanG]

Horrible waves of rain here. Glad we missed that.

[slngsht]

pic one: Greenbank observatory
pic two: George Washington National Forest. This straight section is RIGHT after an awsome section of twisties that has a combination of sweeping, steep turns up the mountain, followed by series of quicker switchbacks.

[slngsht]

Horrible waves of rain here. Glad we missed that.
it started raining here an hour after we made it back :)

[slngsht]

Oh, and the highlight of the trip was the neighbor's garage. This guy built himself a small block boss hoss, the decided it's not enough and did another one with a 502. He does everything himself, including building his own house, nicely restored 59 olds, and variety of his farm equipment. The surprise of the day was one of his abandoned project in a shed. I'll let Jack or Dean describe it. Typing this message from my phone

[DeanG]

A few photos

[jlbtrans1]

A few more pics....vid to come soon....

[slngsht]

heh, I look worn out in that last pic

[DeanG]

Lets see:
1 - speed blur
2 - slow driver in a blue corvette
3 - excellent doughnuts
4 - a couple of cool guys
5 - looks like I felt when I finally got home

[jlbtrans1]

Great titles Dean. Couldnt of said it better myself.

[slngsht]

my head is SOOO still in the mountains right now

[jvbtte]

Me too !! Ill post later when I get some time.

[BobDrye]

Mazda:
I can see your brake lights in the rollbar, but what about tail lights?

[Arya Ebrahimi]

They're lower on the sides of the rollbar, blacked out.

FYI, the boss hoss bikes of the neighbor were purchased and heavily customized. He tends to get a bit excited when he has an audience :)

[jvbtte]

We had a fantastic trip and missed the rest of the gang. Glad to hear you are back in your seven Jon, lets try to get together soon. The weather was terrific and Mazda set a fantastic white-knuckled pace through the twisties and switchbacks. While his LS2 powered monster 7 roared through the twisties effortlessly, probably without down shifting to add insult, my humble powered Zetec VCT 7 was wailing at 6500 to 7 k plus second to third gear shifts just to keep up, it was wicked cool. To have the car in its element and feel what a 7 is capable of doing, and to have the Caterham scream for more and sometimes my sidekick Jen was screaming and laughing hysterically louder than the Caterham, very exciting to say the least, yea the adrenaline was pumping. My cheeks still hurt from smiling for 3 days straight. A few times when driving behind Dean, I could hear the turbo spool up, sounded real neat. He is being modest because every time I looked in my rearview mirror, he was right there. Once, glancing back after going over some rolling hills, I saw his Lotus almost leave the planet, that must have felt real great Claudia. Another time in the switchbacks on the way up to the observatory, I looked in my mirror again and he was right there with me. I was going to wave him on by, we all know our 7s could handle it, but I had looked over the side of the mountain, don’t ever look over the side of mountain. I was thinking “holy crap that is along way down.” A man has got to know his limitations and today was a good day for low flying, we would save soaring for another day, so I backed out a little bit, sorry Dean. I am sure, for the most part, we stayed within the speed limit, you know, everything is amplified when you are in a 7. Well anyway, that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

While at Mazda’s brother’s house, we met the neighbor. He was a truly talented man with a passion for all things mechanical. He was eager to show his projects to us and he had a wonderful sense of humor. He is the kind of guy that gets an idea and then sets out to build it. I am sure he is valuable to the community. Later that evening, we built a fire pit and we cooked chicken and steak. Dean proceeded to anesthetize our sore backs and butts with some real Lotus vodka. Note to ones self, eat first before drinking deans rare Lotus vodka. Shortly after, we were all laughing and having a grand time and our backs and butts did not hurt anymore, thanks Dean. Jen and I would also like to thank Mazda and his wonderful family for their generous hospitality, I cannot wait to do it again.

[jlbtrans1]

This pic I took is for Mike (Croc). He was there in spirit.

[slngsht]

Mazda:
I can see your brake lights in the rollbar, but what about tail lights?
on the vertical legs of the roll bar.

[slngsht]

They're lower on the sides of the rollbar, blacked out.

FYI, the boss hoss bikes of the neighbor were purchased and heavily customized. He tends to get a bit excited when he has an audience :)
we didn't see the bikes... Just his Olds, which was gorgeous, and his twin engined monster.

[Arya Ebrahimi]

we didn't see the bikes... Just his Olds, which was gorgeous, and his twin engined monster.

Yeah, bikes are gone. Sold the small block one for the 502, and then the 502 to buy a solstice GXP since his wife's back pain precluded them from riding much. Great guy, loads of stories. I make it a point to go spend an hour or so with him every time I visit.

[DeanG]

We all forgot to mention passing the horse & buggies. Because I was at the rear of the line I got to see the faces of the kids as they pointed at the cars. I don't think of WV as an Amish or Mennonite area but it is. I guess it is as exciting for little kids to see Se7ens and an M100 as it is for a big kid like me to see horse and buggy (there was even a fully enclosed 2 horse rig).

At next year's LOG in Gettysburg we will see more horse drawn wagons. I guess as long as we keep the noise down and give them plenty of room the horses will be happy.

[slngsht]

yeah, i totally forgot about that... the first Buggy was piloted by a teenage boy. He gave me a wave :)

[gjslutz]

Any near misses by the forest rats (deer)? A friend was in the same area last weekend, and a couple that was riding with them on cycles woke up at the E.M. after hitting one.

Gary

[slngsht]

Any near misses by the forest rats (deer)? A friend was in the same area last weekend, and a couple that was riding with them on cycles woke up at the E.M. after hitting one.

Gary
I had one. I had an 18 wheeler come around the corner and into my lane in order avoid an already dead deer in his lane. had to hit the brakes for him to clear my lane.

[gjslutz]

We have lost a few cars to them around here. With daylight going south it is a large problem here. At night I doubt you can miss them, if they make it into your lights.