Black Hills / Bighorn / Yellowstone Tour 2011

[slomove]

[/URL]As a continuation of a [URL="http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5060"]previous announcement thread (http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showpost.php?p=52192&postcount=57) here we are getting to more detail. Most of the hotels are picked (Newcastle still pending), the route is more or less defined and all we need to do is go there :seeya:

So, if you are interested (a few people were apparently serious about participating) have a look at the attached table with destinations and accommodation. Many thanks to Randall Z. who did a great job scouting out some of the hotels. After all it was the goal to find places in the $100 range (plus/minus) with close access to the cars and good traveler reviews. This mostly (not always) ended up as an old fashioned motel with parking in front of the room.

I made my reservations already and recommend to do the same if you want to be there next Summer. Depending on the location you may have some time but in the interesting places it may sell out soon. For the central place of Custer where we want to stay 5 nights I picked a well recommended moderate cost place. There are more fancy hotels in Custer close by if somebody prefers that. If you want to come along, I would appreciate if you could let me know for a tally who to expect. Otherwise it is a completely self-organized tour.

So, here's the deal.....

--------->>>>>> (http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showpost.php?p=52192&postcount=58)deleted to avoid confusion, new itinerary here: (http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showpost.php?p=52192&postcount=57)

[rzempel]

I'm planning to be there. :)

[Automoda]

Its awesome! I need to pay attention to getting my Birkin sorted and tuned up.

[scannon]

Gert,

I'm still up for most of the trip, I will probably join up in Thermopolis, Newcastle or Custer.

I will most likely have to trailer the car most of the distance and would share driving time if someone wanted to fly out and take turns driving the truck/trailer and the Caterham.

I did this last time when Mazda and his wife flew out to join us.

[solder_guy]

Gert and Skip: I need to start talking to my wife about letting me be free!

[scannon]

Gert and Skip: I need to start talking to my wife about letting me be free!
No time like the present to plant the seeds.

[slomove]

Gert and Skip: I need to start talking to my wife about letting me be free!
That would be great meeting you there. *Only* 1500 to 1700 miles from Atlanta, depending where you want to join. But maybe it is easier if you bring your wife on the trip?
If she needs any convincing I can gve her my wife's contact info. She loves touring with the Seven and may be able to alleviate some concerns. On USA2005, my first longer trip she did not have the time for the full 2 weeks and took a plane to Durango, Co for the return trip to Ca. Such a partial trip may be an alternative.

Good luck!

[lancylad]

Hi Slomove.
Me and the wife are seriously looking at joining in on your trip, if you dont mind a couple of Canucks tagging along, would meet up with you in Custer and take in the following 5 days. Just have to make sure our schedules are all taken care of before we make a final decision.

[slomove]

Hi Slomove.
Me and the wife are seriously looking at joining in on your trip, if you dont mind a couple of Canucks tagging along, would meet up with you in Custer and take in the following 5 days. Just have to make sure our schedules are all taken care of before we make a final decision.

The more the merrier....the Canadians let us in with the Se7en group in 2007 so I guess it is just fair to have a few Canadians on board for this trip :seeya:

[lancylad]

We just booked for 5 days at The Rocket Motel. Will be there on the 12th. Better start making sure the old girl is in good shape for the trip, ( the car I mean).

[slomove]

:)

[dickbrink]

I think this travel schedule sounds like great fun! My wife seems to be in favor of the trip as well. So, we are planning to clear our schedule and join the group. Please let me know if I can be of assistance in some way?

Sincerely,

Dick Brink

[slomove]

Dick, that brings back memories of touring with you, Bernie and Mitch at USA2005. Would be great seeing you there!

[Alaskossie]

Gert,

I don't know if scannon has mentioned it yet, but he asked me if I wanted to take on the driving of his truck and trailer on your Tour 2011, in return for the thrill of driving his SV part-time on the Tour. I have agreed, and am presently clearing my schedule.

Where we join up with you folks is still up in the air, but we will be going to and from scannon's place in Colorado.

Since your Tour 2011 is a bit to far for me to plan on joining up in my own Seven, this looks like the next best option, and it will allow scannon to join in with an extended range for his on-board 02 supply.

And scannon's rig might provide a needed chase vehicle for any unexpected mechanical issues befalling other Tour participants. Looking forward to seeing you again!

[scannon]

Tom/Gert,

I've also invited Jeff Ball to come along on this adventure. Its a big truck so plenty of room for all of us. He hasn't committed yet but I hope he can make it.

For those who don't know Jeff, he is a long time Se7en builder/owner and it was in his garage here in Colorado that Alaskossie's Caterham ESL was built. He also built bsimon's and 75twincam's Caterhams. He has owned several other Sevens as well.

[Tbox56]

My wife and I plan to be there for at least the Custer area part of the tour.
2009 Birkin Duratec Wide Track IRS

Tom Carlin

[slomove]

Wow, it looks like we are getting quite a group! So far I have (some sure, some tentative, some maybe, some part of the trip)

Randall Z.
Bill G.
Dion D.
Gert B.
Dick B.
Skip C. / Tom M. / Jeff B. (1 Seven and a truck) (Black Hills only)
Bob S. (Black Hills only)
Tom C. (Black Hills only)
Derek W. (Black Hills only)
Lancylad (Black Hills only)
Z3_Stalker (maybe, Black Hills only)
SolderGuy (maybe)
Ed H. (maybe)
Automoda (maybe)
Chuck Sp. (no update lately)
Al N. (will Bessie be ready?)


Whatever it is at the end, I am sure it will be a great trip.

[scannon]

Skip C. / Tom M. / Jeff B. (1 Seven and a truck?)

Whatever it is at the end, I am sure it will be a great trip.
Gert,

You may remember from the Yellowstone trip that I have to have the truck along to carry my LOx tank. We will trailer the Se7en to Custer then take turns driving it and the truck.

Tom's Seven is in Alaska and Jeff doesn't have one at this time so we share.

If this trip turns out as well as the last time it will be a great time.

[75TwinCam]

I am giving some serious thought to driving the ol' Twin-Cam up to the Hills along with Skip, Tom and Jeff to meet the tour in Custer. So count me as a tentative!

[bsimon]

OK

I'm clearing the dates as we type. I'll be trailering to Custer on 7/12 and taking part in the day trips originating from there. I'll have to return to CO on Sunday.

More Sevens, more seats, more fun.

[75TwinCam]

All you guys in your fancy trailers . . . Perhaps I can be in line with your fancy rigs in the simple seven. Maybe you'll have room for a jerry can or two?

Gotta admit that I'm thinking the drive across Wyoming has me thinking I'll finally get the Simpson Bandit (white, of course) that I've been eyeing.

[bsimon]

Derek,

I'll have plenty of room for your gas, beer, and luggage.

[Z3 Stalker]

I would like to join the group in Custer for the time it will spend there; I just have to make sure my schedule will allow but will not know until closer to the date. I would trailer my Stalker down and would travel with Lancylad all being well.

[scannon]

Derek,

Talk to Jeff, he cannot stay as long in Custer as Tom and I are planning, maybe he can ride back with you.

I also have room for your extra luggage but no guarantee your beer will arrive intact. :D

[lancylad]

Good to hear Stewart. Hope your schedule allows you come along. Would be good traveling with you. We shall get together and talk over a cool one. Still at the coast taking care of business. Will call you on our return. Steve

[squarefour]

Tina at Storage Stables ((307) 733-6876) said they should be able to accommodate a few tow rigs and trailers. She said to call again a couple weeks beforehand so they can make space available. It's about six miles from Ranch Inn. The fee will be $75/rig.

Ranch Inn definitely did NOT want to store a trailer for that time.

[squarefour]

Hotel reservations made!

[slomove]

For all who have voiced interest in this trip: Please let me know by private message if your status changes. While not officially an organized tour I would still like to know who may be there and how to reach everybody. So, if you don't mind please write me your cell phone number and email (credit card and social security numbers not needed :rolleyes:).

Gert B. SoCal, Birkin (hotels reserved)
Dion D. SoCal, Locost (hotels reserved)
Lancylad Alberta, Westfield (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Randall Z. SoCal, Birkin (hotels reserved)
Chuck Sp. Michigan, Ultralite (pretty sure)
Bill G. NorCal, Stalker (highly likely)
Herb Utah, Birkin (highly likely, part only)
Lee Utah, Birkin (highly likely, part only)
Dick B. Texas, Birkin (likely)
Skip C. / Tom M. / Jeff B. Colorado, sharing a Caterham and a truck (likely, Black Hills only)
Bob S. Colorado, Caterham (likely, Black Hills only)
Tom C. Colorado, Birkin (likely, Black Hills only)
Derek W. Colorado, Lotus (likely, Black Hills only)
Stewart G. Alberta, Stalker (maybe, Black Hills only)
Al N. New Jersey, Lotus (will Bessie be ready?)
Ed H. So. Carolina, Caterham (thinking about it)
SolderGuy Georgia, Rotus (possibly)

[rzempel]

Gert,

I'm booking motels now, and have discovered a problem....on the 18th, you list the hotel as Best Western, but that phone number is actually to the "Hulett Motel." http://www.hulettmotel.com/

Which one is it?

Mon, 7/18/2011 Deadwood, SD - Hulett, WY 146 miles Sturgis, Spearfish Canyon, Sundance, Devil's Tower N.M.
Best Western Devils Tower Inn 229 Highway 24, Hulett, Wyoming 82720 307-467-5220 $104.39

[slomove]

Gert,

I'm booking motels now, and have discovered a problem....on the 18th, you list the hotel as Best Western, but that phone number is actually to the "Hulett Motel." http://www.hulettmotel.com/ (http://www.hulettmotel.com/)

Which one is it?

Oops....my bad. I believe I tried the Hulett Motel first without getting good response and the Devil's Tower Inn was anyway better rated.

So, I did make reservation at the Best Western Devil's Tower Inn and the correct number is: 307-467-5747

I also edited the earlier posted lists.

[rzempel]

Thanks,

What tipped me off was that when I called the Hulett Motel number, the answering machine said they were closed for the winter...not a good sign.

I couldn't get through to a couple of others--I suspect the recent storm may have knocked out their phones. Hopefully I'll be fully booked in the next couple of days.

[squarefour]

Oops, didn't even notice the wrong name when I made reservations.
Corrections made.

[rzempel]

One more speedbump-- The phone number listed for the Ranchester Western Motel [(307) 655-4511] does not appear to be working...it immediately drops the call. A quick google appears to show me a different number [(307) 655-2212] plus a toll free number 1-866-373-2213 (that connects to satellite video service rather than a hotel).

Is this the right place, or am I about to book myself into the wrong motel?

http://www.walkingstar.com/portfolio/ranchester/ranchester_motel.html

[scannon]

I've been having the same problem with the Ranchester. I tried the 307-655-2212 and got something called RPM.

Gert sent me the number for the company that represents the group of independents (877) 747-8713. I haven't tried that one yet as I want to talk directly with the motel before I make a reservation.

[rzempel]

I've found another number (on a site for an adventure trail run) for the Ranchester Motel....866-366-2213. I'm going to wait until I know how Gert managed to make this reservation while both of us have failed. :-)

edit-I've tried the new 866 number. It isn't the motel, either--it's "Amanda at Corporate Sedans; please leave a name and number," etc.

[rzempel]

The (877) 747-8713 number is to the Magnuson Hotels, "The World's largest Independant Hotel Group" according to their web site. http://www.magnusonhotels.com/hotel-details.cfm?pcode=M19570

I, too, want to talk to someone at the hotel rather than a call center thousands of miles away.

I've found a couple more possible phone numbers for this place--I've never seen anything like it. So far, in addition to previous numbers, I've found (307) 461-4208 and (307) 655-2511 listed for this place.

[scannon]

Gert used the original number but that was awhile ago. It seems to have gone off the air recently. I just tired the 307-655-2511 and got the Ranchester. The lady who answered did not recognize the original number on our schedule. Unfortunately the Ranchester is full up on the 19th. She recommended the Trails End in Sheridan, about 15 miles East of Hulett. 307-672-2477

I have a call into this one but reading the reviews on the Yahoo travel site it sounds like a dump. Further research required.

[slomove]

I am beginning to wonder why the tour organizer did such a sloppy job.:rant:

Well I guess he mistyped the number and it is (307) 655-2511

Anyway, there is good news and bad news:

The good news is that I could reach the hotel under the number mentioned above.

The bad news is they do not have any more rooms available for July 19 and there are no other hotels in Ranchester.

Bummer.

I suppose we will have to keep going the 15 miles to Sheridan and look for hotels there. I will check tonight.

[scannon]

Sheridan is off our of our intended route. I found this resort about 35 miles beyond Ranchester. The Elk View Inn http://www.elkviewinn.com/info/hotel.php 307-461-4168.

The website show rates as $100 for single and $110 for double. I called and asked about the rates. It appears Winter is their high season and Summer is low season. Both room rates are only $70 in July.

Is this too much distance to add to the 254 miles already scheduled which includes a stop at Little Bighorn Battlefield?

[slomove]

Thanks Skip, I think this looks very nice and is a great find. And better adding 35 mile on the planned route than wasting 2 times 15 miles on the freeway. Given that the roads for that day are rather straight and level, the distance of 290 miles should still be O.K. On the USA2005 tour we did 395 miles one day with 3 passes over 10.000 ft and even that was fun.

I think we should go for it. I will change my reservation tonight and change the tour table again.

[scannon]

Gert,

You can change Derek W. to Hotels Reserved. Eight cars with reservations! Its going to be a great trip. Thanks for setting this up.

[slomove]

Did anybody ever ride the 1880 train (http://www.1880train.com) from Hill City? I am considering to add this to one of the Black Hills loops. Roundtrip 2 hours 15 minutes and $24 per ticket sounds reasonable but maybe somebody here knows if that is worthwhile.

http://www.1880train.com/images/img_home.jpg


YouTube - the 1880 train (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sb82GCbUd0)

[scannon]

First I've heard about it but I'm up for a steam train ride most any time.

[lancylad]

We are game for that...

[squarefour]

Well I'm all set with the changes, except I can't seem to get a hold of the Ranchester place to cancel.

[slomove]

If anybody is still on the fence, here are some other things (http://www.custersd.com/attractions.html) (than Se7en driving) that are available in the Black Hills area. May be sufficient to get the family interested :bigear:

More advertising here:YouTube - 2010 Custer State Park Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gog6ShkXlF0)

[lancylad]

We were excited to begin with, now we are even more pumped to visit the area. Thanks for posting that. " Her Madge " the car, is up on blocks right now while I get her fettled and ready for the trip. So far I have found a small leak from a tiny crack in the oil pan, got to get a sump guard, small movement in the passenger side front wheel, possible ball joint or wheel bearing? And I need a bigger gas tank! In process of making a half hood..Oh, we boys and our toys!!

[scannon]

Our Miata club visited the area a few years back. Those bison are not pleasant animals to be close to. One of them head butted a pickup a couple of times. I was getting nervous in the Miata, not sure I would want to drive a Se7en through the herd.

The rest of the trip was great.

[DeanG]

We missed the buffalo roundup by one day on our last trip out west in the M100. It should be a fabulous trip. I wish we could join in.

[WestTexasS2K]

I hope the snow melts before the tour.

[RDROCKT]

Geez!!!!

[slomove]

I hope the snow melts before the tour.

I believe so :)

CUSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA (392087)

Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary

Period of Record : 6/22/1911 to 9/30/2010


Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
Average Max. Temperature (F) 35.6 38.1 43.2 52.3 62.0 71.7 80.1 79.1 70.0 58.5 44.4 37.3 56.0
Average Min. Temperature (F) 9.6 12.3 17.7 26.9 36.2 44.7 50.9 48.8 39.5 29.2 19.1 11.8 28.9
Average Total Precipitation (in.) 0.38 0.51 0.95 1.98 3.21 3.18 2.82 2.33 1.36 1.12 0.52 0.40 18.77
Average Total SnowFall (in.) 5.7 6.7 11.2 9.1 1.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.6 2.7 5.1 5.8 48.4

[scannon]

That first picture came to me in an email awhile back. According to the email it was supposed to have been in S. Dakota. However, close inspection shows the cars are driving on the left side of the road but I cannot come up with any country that drives on the left side of the road that has that much snow. Anyone know just where the picture was taken?

[MHKflyer52]

Could have been taken in NZ up in the Southern Alps but that is just a guess.

[MoPho]

That first picture came to me in an email awhile back. According to the email it was supposed to have been in S. Dakota. However, close inspection shows the cars are driving on the left side of the road but I cannot come up with any country that drives on the left side of the road that has that much snow. Anyone know just where the picture was taken?



It's in Northern Japan

YouTube - Japan Snow Removal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ_2Xll1VIU)

[locost7018]

And we bit*h about our snows!!!!!

[slomove]

And now back to the topic :hurray:
To learn more about the area I got this book:
http://www.sturgismuseum.com/cart/images/Black%20HIlls%20Motorcycle%20Rides.jpg

It looks like the earlier picked tours were already pretty good but I did some more fine tuning. If we do all that there is little paved road in the Blacks Hills left uncovered....

Tour Start Sat, 7/9/2011 Jackson, WY
Ranch Inn 45 E. Pearl, Jackson, WY 83001 800-348-5599 $105.00
Sun, 7/10/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/QMJf) Jackson, WY - Thermopolis, SD 247 miles Grand Teton, Shoshone Res., Wind River Canyon
Roundtop Mountain Motel 412 N. 6th St. Thermopolis, WY 82443 1-800-584-9126 $79.00
Mon, 7/11/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/hskV) Thermopolis, SD - Newcastle, WY 269 miles Southern Bighorn Mountains, Thunder Basin Grassland
Pines Motel 248 East Wentworth, Newcastle, Wyoming 1-800-946-4334 $78
Tue,7/12/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/ojzs) Newcastle, WY - Custer, SD 50 miles Jewel Cave Nat. Monument, Crazy Horse Monument
Rocket Motel 211 Mt. Rushmore Road, Custer, SD 605- 673-4401 $79.00
Wed, 7/13/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/9RCv)Custer, SD - Custer, SD 149 miles, Hill City loop, 1880 Steam Train
Rocket Motel $79.00
Thu, 7/14/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/iQ5m) Custer, SD - Custer, SD 120 miles Southern Black Hills, Wind Cave N.P.
Rocket Motel $79.00
Fri, 7/15/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/6gjL) Custer, SD no driving Laundry, car care, town visit
Rocket Motel $79.00
Sat, 7/16/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/xO5q) Custer, SD - Custer, SD 198 miles Mt. Rushmore, Norbeck Scenic Drive
Rocket Motel $79.00
Sun, 7/17/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/c5Tc) Custer, SD - Deadwood, SD 266 miles Badlands National Park
Cedar Wood Inn 103 Charles Street, Deadwood, SD 57732 800-841-0127 $120.00
Mon, 7/18/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/mwzK) Deadwood, SD - Hulett, WY 146 miles Sturgis, Spearfish Canyon, Sundance, Devil's Tower N.M.
Best Western Devils Tower Inn 229 Highway 24, Hulett, Wyoming 82720 307-467-5747 $104.39
Tue, 7/19/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/SpdF) Hulett, WY - Dayton, WY 280 miles, Little Bighorn Battlefield Nat. Memorial
Elk View Inn, 27 miles west of Dayton, WY on Hwy14, 307-461-4168, $69
Wed, 7/20/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/9BSv) Dayton, WY - RedLodge, MT 212 miles Northern Bighorn Mtns, Chief Joseph Hwy., Beartooth down
Yodeler Motel 601 S Broadway, Red Lodge, MT 59068 866-446-1435 $125.00
Thu, 7/21/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/XdLP) RedLodge, MT - Jackson, WY 225 miles Beartooth up, Yellowstone, Teton N.P.
Ranch Inn 45 E. Pearl, Jackson, WY 83001 800-348-5599 $105.00
Tour End

Tourers:
Gert B. SoCal, Birkin (hotels reserved)
Dion D. SoCal, Locost (hotels reserved)
Randall Z. SoCal, Birkin (hotels reserved)
Bill G. NorCal, Stalker (hotels reserved)
Skip C. / Tom M. Colorado, sharing a Caterham and a truck (hotels reserved, Newcastle-Red Lodge)
Lancylad Alberta, Westfield (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Bob S. Colorado, Caterham (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Tom C. Colorado, Birkin (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Derek W. Colorado, Lotus (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Stewart G. Alberta, Stalker (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Chuck Sp. Michigan, Ultralite (was pretty sure, but maybe Seven-less)
Loren Edwards, Ultralite (highly likely, Black Hills only)
Herb Utah, Birkin (highly likely, part only)
Lee Utah, Birkin (highly likely, part only)
Dick B. Texas, Birkin (possible)
Al N. New Jersey, Lotus (will Bessie be ready?)

[scannon]

Gert,

Could you highlight the changes for us? It doesn't look like there are any changes to the nightly stops, just the day trips from Custer, is that correct?

Thanks,

Skip

[slomove]

Gert,

Could you highlight the changes for us? It doesn't look like there are any changes to the nightly stops, just the day trips from Custer, is that correct?

Thanks,

Skip

Yes indeed, no night stop changes. I tweaked these 3 day-trips but at the end, we may anyway end up changing our mind as we go :rolleyes: Since we return to the hotel we can cut short or extend as we like.

Wed, 7/13/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/9RCv)Custer, SD - Custer, SD 149 miles, Hill City loop, 1880 Steam Train
Thu, 7/14/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/iQ5m) Custer, SD - Custer, SD 120 miles Southern Black Hills, Wind Cave N.P.
[/URL][URL="http://goo.gl/maps/xO5q"]Sat, 7/16/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/6gjL) Custer, SD - Custer, SD 198 miles Mt. Rushmore, Norbeck Scenic Drive

[scannon]

Thanks Gert.

[slomove]

I updated the participant list a few posts up.

Also, for the folks with route-capable Garmin navigators, the Mapsource database can be downloaded here (http://home.earthlink.net/~gertsignet/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/blackhills.zip). In the same zip file there is also a GPX version that can be opened in Google Earth (e.g. if you care previewing the route with the Google flight simulator).

[scannon]

Wow, 15 Sevens running wild through Wyoming and S. Dakota. Its going to be a blast.

[slomove]

Oh no.....we are law abiding citizens who stick with almost all the rules and regulations.

[scannon]

"Almost" being the operative word here. :D

[squarefour]

Got the suspension parts plated and put back together, put on HTR200s (front) in place of the "bald-but-just-getting-good" RA1s, and everything's waxed and/or polished. Just about ready!

[slomove]

Excellent, car looks good! I am not yet finished with some smaller stuff. Need to strengthen the front wing brackets (or risk the other one will fall off, too). Balance wheels and repack exhaust. Oh well, a few weeks left (2 of that out of the country). But I would not mind going tomorrow....

[WestTexasS2K]

I hope its not to late to join in the fun. I called the hotel in Custer and Deadwood and they have a room left. We have to sort out a place for our son to stay so we can go. So I am not 100 percent sure yet but it looks promising. We will be leaving the tour on the 18th if we can make it.

[slomove]

Cool. The more the merrier and, since this is a self-organized tour you are welcome to join at any time.

Looking forward to meeting you there!

I would appreciate if you could PM your cell number and email. I want to distribute a list to the participants, just in case somebody needs help or similar.

[WestTexasS2K]

Pm sent

[squarefour]

After no maintenance and no problems for years, after I decide to clean it up of course I’m having issues. First the alternator bearing went out, now this morning on the way to work I had a miss in the ignition and turned around to get it home. About halfway home the throttle stuck at 1/3 open and I had to turn the key on/off to regulate speed. FUN!

[slomove]

Well, better now than in 5 weeks. At least you don't seem to have the ignition lock on the steering column :jester:

[slomove]

I looked up where to find gas stations on the way so that we don't run out on the longer distances. There are two places with convenience/feed store gas pumps, I am not sure about. If they don't have gas the longest distance would be about 140 miles. Not sure if we have a 10 mpg Crossflow car among the tourers but I will carry spare 2 gallons just in case....

A-Jackson to Dubois 84.8 mi
B-Dubois to Lander 73.9 mi
C-Lander to Riverton 28.0 mi
D-Riverton to Shoshoni 20.1 mi
E-Shoshoni to Thermopolis 32.3 mi
F-Thermopolis to Worland 32.7 mi
G-Worland to Ten Sleep 27.0 mi
H-Ten Sleep to Buffalo 63.5 mi
I-Buffalo to Kaycee 46.2 mi
J-Kaycee to Wright 84.0 mi
K-Wright to Newcastle 72.4 mi
L-Newcastle to Custer 36.4 mi
M-Custer to Hermosa 26.5 mi
N-Hermosa to Scenic 77.7 mi (questionable)
O-Scenic to Wall 66.9 mi
P-Wall to Rapid City 55.5 mi
Q-Rapid City to Deadwood 43.3 mi
R-Deadwood to Sturgis 13.2 mi
S-Sturgis to Spearfish 18.8 mi
T-Spearfish to Sundance 72.9 mi
U-Sundance to Hulett 36.2 mi
V-Hulett to Alzada 31.8 mi (questionable)
W-Alzada to Ashland 102 mi
X-Ashland to Battlefield 62.0 mi
Y-Battlefield to Ranchester 55.1 mi
Z-Ranchester to Lovell 104 mi
ZA-Lovell to Powell 21.8 mi
ZB-Powell to Cody 24.1 mi
ZC-Cody to Red Lodge 113 mi
ZD-Red Lodge to Cooke City 63.6 mi
ZE-Cooke City to Yellowstone Canyon 51.0 mi
ZF-Yellowstone Canyon to Yellowstone Fishing Bridge 15.5 mi
ZG-Yellowstone Fishing Bridge to Jackson 100 mi

[lancylad]

Thanks for the update , with my little 5 gallon tank got to be aware all, the time where the next fill up point is. Thanks also for doing such a great job keeping us all informed. looking forward to meeting you. Finished the luggage rack today, now working on a high level brake light.. we are excited and raring to go.

[squarefour]

All fixed. A rubber thingy wedged in the throttle cam and degreaser goo in the spark plug wells.

[slomove]

For the folks who do the whole tour:
We may already meet at the hotel but otherwise we have planned a tour start dinner Saturday 7/9 at 7pm at the Snake River Brewing Company (http://www.snakeriverbrewing.com/). It is only 2 blocks or so (http://goo.gl/maps/OgF3) from the hotel.

For all others joining en route, please just call me when you arrive (numbers were e-mailed).

[squarefour]

I compiled Gert's directions into book form if anybody is interested. It's a 4.2 MB pdf scan that won't seem to attach, so I would have to email it.

[Alaskossie]

I'd like a copy of the route book. Thanks.

tmeacham@gci.net

Alaskossie

[lancylad]

Me to, I PM'd you my email adress.

[scannon]

Me three,

skipcannon@msn.com

Thanks.

[squarefour]

Let me know if I missed anybody.
I wish I didn't have to scan it; the maps lost a little legibility. But I lost some software in the last computer "upgrade".

[75TwinCam]

I was in Spearfish over the weekend, and thought the group should know about this. I have to head home to Colorado before the tour reaches Spearfish, but you might want to stop here for lunch. It's on the south end of downtown, on the west side of Main Street.

3093

[slomove]

Let me know if I missed anybody.
I wish I didn't have to scan it; the maps lost a little legibility. But I lost some software in the last computer "upgrade".

Thanks! That was a good idea. If I should lose or break my GPS I would have to rely on memory. And I am losing that, too :willy_nilly:

[slomove]

I was in Spearfish over the weekend, and thought the group should know about this. I have to head home to Colorado before the tour reaches Spearfish, but you might want to stop here for lunch. It's on the south end of downtown, on the west side of Main Street.


Very Cool! I am wondering if we would get a discount ;-)

[lancylad]

Got mine just printed it, all good. Thanks. Steve

[scannon]

Very Cool! I am wondering if we would get a discount ;-)
We need at least a photo op there even if it isn't a convenient time for lunch or dinner.

Derek: did you sample the food?

[75TwinCam]

My sister ate dinner there last Thursday night. She said it was good, but pricey.

[Alaskossie]

Derek,

Sort of like most Sevens, then, I guess?

Alaskossie

[WestTexasS2K]

Squarefour I sent you a pm can you check to see if you got it.

[squarefour]

Squarefour I sent you a pm can you check to see if you got it.

Oops, missed it. Pdf sent. I guess I'll turn on email notification...

[Automoda]

Hopefully the winding mountain roads dont have 8 feet of snow on them. Here in UT we're at about 400% snow pack, and some spots have 1200%. Many camp grounds normally open are still covered in deep snow. I'm imagining a lot of muddy spots with water trickling across the road at the very least. Does anyone have any info about the condition of the route's higher elevations?

[slomove]

No idea about the Beartooth Hwy which is really high up but probably well maintained. There was ample snow at the side of the road when we were there 2 years ago but perfect road conditions.

But I returned today from a trip to Europe and had a chance to check out the Bighorn Mountains from above. Some snow patches at higher altitudes but nothing contiguous and I would guess the roads are well open. Black Hills is not that high altitude, anyway and we have another 2 weeks to go. Hey, it is Summer, after all.

[slomove]

For the folks new to long distance touring in a Seven, here my personal checklist for some items to consider.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hqnRpuZAp9I/Tgc2BjIrdwI/AAAAAAAACi0/fhI9cQHit_0/ScreenHunter_01%252520Jun.%25252026%25252006.34.jp g

Obviously if everything goes alright you don't need all this junk, but many items don't really take much space. I just like to be as self-sufficient as possible. As the passenger seat is occupied, I have a luggage tray in the back of the car so that I can pack all that.

The clothes, laptop and the like go into watertight roll-top duffels like this one (http://www.bobwards.com/CAMP%20INN--Undertow-40L-Roll-Top-Dry-Duffle-Bag-36356). Very handy.


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5kk0WnPqt4Y/SmuKIerYEeI/AAAAAAAACjE/9KVmFIH3vm8/P1010432.JPG

[squarefour]

Looks like Storage Stables may be flaking on me. Anybody have any other leads for tow rig storage?

[slomove]

There are 2 RV rental places in Jackson who might do that?

I will also write our friends tonight where we are going to store our trailer if there is more space in the neighborhood (8 miles north near the airport).

[squarefour]

That would be great, but if it's a no-go I found an RV storage place in Idaho Falls.

I called all over Jackson and came up empty.

[slomove]

Whatever it is I would need to let Bill G. know. AFAIK he is going to need trailer space too and he is not often here on this board.

[rzempel]

How about long term parking at the Jackson Hole airport?

[squarefour]

How about long term parking at the Jackson Hole airport?

The website says it's $10/night, with trailer that's probably $20/night. A little steep, but an option. The Idaho Falls place is $50 for the whole month.

[squarefour]

On another subject, anybody else planning on stopping by Bonneville on the way back?

[rzempel]

The website says it's $10/night, with trailer that's probably $20/night.

It sounds like they think they are in a big city, or something. Just brainstorming...are there any Hay and Feed, or Ranch Supply places in town? One of those might have a spare corner you can park a trailer in.

[squarefour]

It sounds like they think they are in a big city, or something. Just brainstorming...are there any Hay and Feed, or Ranch Supply places in town? One of those might have a spare corner you can park a trailer in.

Yep, like a city-scale Napoleon syndrome:)
I was directed to the manager of a local Albertson's who was actually cool with me parking there if I called him when I got there. But it seemed a bit sketchy from a security standpoint. At this point I'm good with the Idaho Falls place, but Albertson's is my backup option.

[Automoda]

Is anyone passing through SLC on the way up? If so it might be fun to join up.

As for the parking, I'd be willing to bet you could ask the average rancher and offer 50$ for the whole trip and when it came time to pay, after having chatted a while, they'd send you off for free.

[slomove]

I have a preliminary answer from our friends that it should be possible at their place or their neighbor's. But she is still checking with them. I gave them the size info "about an F150 with a 16' flatbed" and hope that is not too far off.

[slomove]

Is anyone passing through SLC on the way up? If so it might be fun to join up..

We are going to stay at the best Western Landmark Inn in Park City Friday night, because we want to be in Jackson by noon. But that is not exactly close to you, I guess.

[rzempel]

Is anyone passing through SLC on the way up? If so it might be fun to join up.

I expect to be passing through SLC on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Typically, I haven't made any firm plans for Friday night, but I'm vaguely planning to stop somewhere in the Provo/Orem/SLC area for the night.

Automoda...are you coming on the tour?

[Automoda]

Yeah I'm on the tour. Automoda=Herb. I'm kinda going seat-of-the-pants though. I'm going to end up using the KOA to keep my costs down and since I never booked anything in advance. But thats fine. I'll hang with everyone when the hangin's good at the official hotels. I'm looking forward to this. Just got the limited slip installed and fixed up a few other things on the car. Nearly ready.

My plan is to take off from Salt Lake on Friday after lunch most likely. I'm not going to do the whole tour-- But I'm not quite sure what day I'll break off yet. I've got something on the 21st I need to go to so sometime before that. I'll probably stay for the black hills part and when everyone heads toward MT I'll head back to SLC.

I'm afraid Lee wont make it. Unfortunately he has a family outing that clashes with the tour, on top of his job being very... dynamic at this time. Too hard to predict, and he travels a lot. So he's going to have to skip this time.

[slomove]

Latest Participant Update. Removed the "maybe", itinerary not changed:

Tour Start Sat, 7/9/2011 Jackson, WY
Ranch Inn 45 E. Pearl, Jackson, WY 83001 800-348-5599 $105.00
Sun, 7/10/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/QMJf) Jackson, WY - Thermopolis, SD 247 miles Grand Teton, Shoshone Res., Wind River Canyon
Roundtop Mountain Motel 412 N. 6th St. Thermopolis, WY 82443 1-800-584-9126 $79.00
Mon, 7/11/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/hskV) Thermopolis, SD - Newcastle, WY 269 miles Southern Bighorn Mountains, Thunder Basin Grassland
Pines Motel 248 East Wentworth, Newcastle, Wyoming 1-800-946-4334 $78
Tue,7/12/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/ojzs) Newcastle, WY - Custer, SD 50 miles Jewel Cave Nat. Monument, Crazy Horse Monument
Rocket Motel 211 Mt. Rushmore Road, Custer, SD 605- 673-4401 $79.00
Wed, 7/13/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/9RCv)Custer, SD - Custer, SD 149 miles, Hill City loop, 1880 Steam Train
Rocket Motel $79.00
Thu, 7/14/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/iQ5m) Custer, SD - Custer, SD 120 miles Southern Black Hills, Wind Cave N.P.
Rocket Motel $79.00
Fri, 7/15/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/6gjL) Custer, SD no driving Laundry, car care, town visit
Rocket Motel $79.00
Sat, 7/16/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/xO5q) Custer, SD - Custer, SD 198 miles Mt. Rushmore, Norbeck Scenic Drive
Rocket Motel $79.00
Sun, 7/17/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/c5Tc) Custer, SD - Deadwood, SD 266 miles Badlands National Park
Cedar Wood Inn 103 Charles Street, Deadwood, SD 57732 800-841-0127 $120.00
Mon, 7/18/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/mwzK) Deadwood, SD - Hulett, WY 146 miles Sturgis, Spearfish Canyon, Sundance, Devil's Tower N.M.
Best Western Devils Tower Inn 229 Highway 24, Hulett, Wyoming 82720 307-467-5747 $104.39
Tue, 7/19/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/SpdF) Hulett, WY - Dayton, WY 280 miles, Little Bighorn Battlefield Nat. Memorial
Elk View Inn, 27 miles west of Dayton, WY on Hwy14, 307-461-4168, $69
Wed, 7/20/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/9BSv) Dayton, WY - RedLodge, MT 212 miles Northern Bighorn Mtns, Chief Joseph Hwy., Beartooth down
Yodeler Motel 601 S Broadway, Red Lodge, MT 59068 866-446-1435 $125.00
Thu, 7/21/2011 (http://goo.gl/maps/XdLP) RedLodge, MT - Jackson, WY 225 miles Beartooth up, Yellowstone, Teton N.P.
Ranch Inn 45 E. Pearl, Jackson, WY 83001 800-348-5599 $105.00
Tour End

Tourers:
Gert B. SoCal, Birkin (hotels reserved)
Dion D. SoCal, Locost (hotels reserved)
Randall Z. SoCal, Birkin (hotels reserved)
Bill G. NorCal, Stalker (hotels reserved)
Skip C. / Tom M. Colorado, sharing a Caterham and a truck (hotels reserved, Newcastle-Red Lodge)
Lancylad Alberta, Westfield (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Bob S. Colorado, Caterham (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Derek W. Colorado, Lotus (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Stewart G. Alberta, Stalker (hotels reserved, Black Hills only)
Herb Utah, Birkin (camping, Jackson to Black Hills)

[slomove]

At this point I'm good with the Idaho Falls place, but Albertson's is my backup option.
Just got email from our friends....the neighbor lets us park the trucks and trailers for free. Please check your GMAIL account for directions.

[squarefour]

I'm on my way, spending the evening at a cedar city rv park. I'm actually in a smallish (20'?) RV and 18' flatbed. Hope that's ok with the angels providing parking.

[scannon]

Gert,

My Caterham is dead in the water, two broken turbo studs, again. :( I have some inconel studs on order but they won't arrive in time for the fix to happen before we leave.

Tom and I will be sharing my Miata and truck instead of the Caterham, we'll try to keep up. :D

See you in Newcastle on Monday afternoon.

[soareyes]

Have fun guys! Please take some pictures and post them here so the rest of us can see what we are missing :(

[JohnCh]

What Stan said. And Skip, very sorry to herar about the Caterham. I'm interested to hear if Tom returns from the tour and starts looking for a Miata :)

-John

[slomove]

Gert,

My Caterham is dead in the water, two broken turbo studs, again......

Skip, sorry to hear that. Do you still have warranty? You should complain with the guy who built the car :cuss: :jester:

Anyway, looking forward to seeing you. At least you won't get wet when it rains. We had a roaring thunderstorm today in western Nevada and were happy to be still towing.

[slomove]

Have fun guys! Please take some pictures and post them here so the rest of us can see what we are missing :(

Will do!

So far no pics Se7en related yet but tonight here in Tonopah, Nevada we have seen the light....well, at least a nice sunset.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29562014/SeeTheLight.jpg

[scannon]

Skip, sorry to hear that. Do you still have warranty? You should complain with the guy who built the car :cuss: :jester:

Warranty was 50 feet or 50 seconds, which ever came first. I had a conversation with the builder, he is going to fix it but on my nickel. :D The inconel studs cost $19 each!!!!

[bsimon]

Tom and I will be sharing my Miata and truck instead of the Caterham, we'll try to keep up.

Derek and I each have an empty seat. If one of you chaps needs some Se7en during the tour, we'll hook you up.
:cheers:

[scannon]

Thanks Bob,

I was hoping there would be a chance to sample a number of Sevens on this trip.

[lancylad]

That sucks, sorry to hear that you cant bring the Caterham. We leave tomorrow AM, should ahave been today but business got in the way(again...). Time to do a last minute check on the car and see how much SWMBO has tried to cram into the megre luggage space we have.. See you all in Custer.

[Z3 Stalker]

Steve,

If there is anything you need me to take down for you call me.

We will be leaving on Sunday morning, the plan is to stay in Billings that evening.

Stewart

[rzempel]

I'm well on the way...left LA this morning, and I'm sitting in Park City now. Only 250 miles to go. At about 600 miles, I realized the Birkin is now more comfortable to drive on long trips than most of my other cars. Who would've thunk? Along the way, I'm tickled by the number of folks in Utah that are taking pictures of my car. At home, too many guys are too cool for school and would never do that. It's really fun to see the enthusiasm among younger kids for these cars--and it bodes well for the future of Se7en variants.

[JackMcCornack]

I'm sort of a newbie (to this thread at least) and just yesterday heard about this gathering; I'm headed for Ohio (from Oregon) and y'all are right on the route (well, not exactly, but sufficient for blatting purposes) so I'll try to hook up in Custer SC if there's room for a weirdo Locost.

And man, mine's way weirdo. It's set up for fuel efficiency (you'll note the MAX MPG license plate) and has a 32 horsepower Kubota industrial diesel under the hood. Hey, somebody has to bring up the rear, right?

[Automoda]

Hey rzempel. I'm in between SLC and Provo. I'm leaving tomorrow too. Where are you staying and when are you leaving tomorrow?

[scannon]

Jack,

We're all weird in our own ways. Welcome, I'm looking forward to meeting you and seeing your diesel Se7en.

[rzempel]

Hey rzempel. I'm in between SLC and Provo. I'm leaving tomorrow too. Where are you staying and when are you leaving tomorrow?

I'm at the Holiday Inn Express, and will probably roll out around 8. I think Gert is here, too, but staying in the Best Western around the corner.

When I got to Provo, the traffic was so bad (probably because of the construction) I turned north on the 189. What a great decision. I had forgotten how beautiful Provo Canyon is.

[rzempel]

And man, mine's way weirdo. It's set up for fuel efficiency (you'll note the MAX MPG license plate) and has a 32 horsepower Kubota industrial diesel under the hood. Hey, somebody has to bring up the rear, right?

I've been following your build for some time now, and I am really looking forward to seeing Max. And meeting you, too. :-)

[Automoda]

Oh, you guys are in Park City or something. I wont be rolling out till later. I'd have to get up mighty early to catch up with you guys, and I still need to pick up a qt of royal purple and get some more minutes for my trac phone. So I'll see ya in Jackson. I've got a KOA to set up at 15 miles out of Jackson before I head to the hotel Saturday evening.

See ya there... if I'm presentable. I wouldnt want to be seen with bugs on the windshield or anything.

[rzempel]

Yes, Park City. I'll be leaving early because I don't care to hang around hotels. but, I'll be dawdling along so you may catch up with me anyway. And gert is trailering until Jackson.

[lancylad]

Leaving in an hour, Stewart we will be in Billings on Sunday, lets touch base along the way, we havn't booked a place in Billings, have you?

[lancylad]

Had a great drive to Great Falls today. Incredibly windy all the way. Car ran terrific- looking forward to pushing on to Billings tomorrow.

[rzempel]

I'm sitting here in Jackson, sipping freshly brewed coffee and watching as the sun begins to warm the valley. It hasn't quite reached me, yet. But, that's OK, nobody else is up yet anyway and I love this early morning stillness.

We had a very nice pre-tour day yesterday. I left Park City early, and on the advice of a local took Highway 89 into Jackson--it goes through rather than around the mountains. I expected everyone else would take the more direct route, so imagine my surprise when, while stopped on top of the Salt Creek pass for photos, Gert and Rosie pulled up. After a short chat, we both left. I poked and dawdled and stopped in almost every town of substance (and some of none), but still arrived in Jackson by 2:30.

My wife had flown into Jackson Hole, and she was at the Ranch Inn with news that Gert and Rosie had unloaded their gear and were parking the trailer at their friend's house. In short order, Bill arrived, followed by Herb and Dion. Once all the trailers were parked we gathered for a nice dinner at the Snake River Brewery, joined by Gert's friends Burt and Teresa (I hope I got that right).

Today we have a nice run to Thermopolis. When she saw our intended route, Teresa opined that we, "sure aren't taking a very efficient way to get there." Really? Imagine that!

Well, my coffee is getting cool, and the sun has reached the center of town, so I'm off until later. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of the tourers, and missing everyone else. Until later....

[GBOLT]

Thanks for the update. Scenery looks spectacular.

[Kitcat]

Rzempel:

Great post/photo, keep 'em coming!

[lancylad]

Just getting ready to leave for Billings. No wind - screaming hot! Looking forward to hitting the open road again. Boy do I love my 7! See you guys soon - Steve and Linda

[rzempel]

Alright guys, day one is nearly in the bag. We're done driving, and I have a cold brew in front of me. All that remains is a nice dinner to cap a (nearly) terrific day [more later].

We pulled out of Jackson early, about 9:00. The sun wasn't quite done warming the air, but it was still very comfortable. I didn't have many hopes as we joined the parade of rented Harleys and Motorhomes on the highway out of town. There was an unending stream of traffic that all turned into Teton National Park with us. At the little guard shack where they fleece the tourists (have you seen the prices to go into a National Park these days?) I was ready with my magic pass, but Gert said something to the ranger ("these aren't the droids you're looking for...") and he waved us through without payment. Amazing.

That place really is amazing. No words or photos can really do it justice. The Grand Teton are simply incredible. We drove through the park, and once we left, there was astonishingly enough, no more traffic. Apparently all those cars, RVs, and motorcycles were stuck in the park's honey trap.

We buzzed up and over the mountains, descended into the Wyoming grasslands, and hit a wall of heat. Let me tell you, cooling systems were fully tested today. In Shoshoni (yes, they spelled it wrong), it was 96. We lunched in a quaint little "owboy cafe' in Dubois, walked along the town's quaint little boardwalk shops, and looked into the quaint general store. That was enough quaintness for the day. So, we left. Into more heat. Oh yes, should I also mentin the wind along the aptly named " Wind River?" Probably not.

I will admit, it wasn't all heat and wind today. There were some gorgeous scenery as well. Particularly as we got closer to Thermopolis. There was a simply stunning canyon to enjoy. I slowed down so that I could read the signs along the way pointing out the Cretaceous (600 million yuear old) rocks, and a few million year younger ones, too.

We arrived in Thermopolis--if you guessed that the Thermo part of it's name means it's hot, you're right--so we stopped at the Dinosaur Museum. I had no idea, but this is apparently the number one rated dinosaur museum in the entire country. It looked like a bunch of old bones, to me, though. 'Might have been sour grapes, though...as we arrived, I heard a huge noise under my car, and on inspection I found my exhaust hanger bracket is broken (this is the "nearly" referred to above). Now I'm in a small dying town in the middle of nowhere with a broken car and no stores or shops open because it's Sunday. I guess I'd better wrap up and go find a way to fix my car.

Until next time....

[Kitcat]

The Tetons are amazingly beautiful. I was there in '60 and again in 2000. Jackson Hole exploded over that period, scenery stayed beautiful. We had the same heat experience: mid '90's coming in, water froze in the campgrounds up in the mountains that nite.

Good luck w/the repair! As some poster here aptly noted, adventure begins when plans fall apart (easy for me to say tho, sitting at work, living vicariously:)).

[DeanG]

It seems to be a good trip and great adventure so far. Keep it up and have fun.

[Racergt]

Sounds like I'm missing a great drive, other than that 'thermo' thing :) Looking forward to more pics!

[rzempel]

Another great touring day is in the bag.

Yesterday, I left off as I went off to dinner and with a broken exhaust mount to repair. I asked the girl a the motel desk if there were any hardware stores in town which might possibly be open. I described what I needed--perforated metal pipe hanging strap, she relayed it to her husband who happened to be on the phone and in the neighboring 'big city' of Riverton. He assured her, and she assured me that he had exactly what I needed. So I went to dinner with the guys.

We chose the "Happy BBQ." Mostly because it appeared to be the only place in town that was open for business. Unfortunately even though the BBQ was Happy, the waitress wasn't. We had a great time anyway, and the food was pretty good, and the company was fabulous.

After dinner, I returned to the motel compound, and was greeted by a tall guy waving something int he air, "Which one of you has the broken car? I have the tape." I identified myself as the ailing party, and "Tom" proudly handed me a roll of teflon pipe thread tape. Hmmmmm, this wasn't going as planned.

I explained the situation to Tom, who as it turned out is a former US Marine who left the service after two tours in Iraq...apparently none the less for the wear, except possibly the unfortunate addiction Methamphetamine which was quickly destroying his teeth. No matter. Tom, like all tweekers had a stash of "stuff" in the basement. Tom happily went off to rummage through his stuff and shortly returned with a 8 inch diameter band clamp.

We wound it around the frame and exhaust pipe, and I crossed my fingers and hoped it would hold until I can get a proper repair. We shall see.

In any event, we were all anxious to get started in the morning, as today was scheduled as a long day of driving. About 30 minutes in, and about 30 miles into the middle of nowhere, Herb's car decided it was tired and didn't want to run any more. Great. Herb pulled over, followed by Bill and I. And, curiously, abut ten minutes later, by our new friend Tom the Tweeker.

A quick diagnosis found that one of Herb's coil signal wires was broken, so we rigged a temporary patch and continued into the next town where we stopped at the local auto parts store. We were puzzling out the best repair given the limited selection of parts in the store when, fortunately, one of those grizzled old (not really..he was only 70 or so) guys that used to inhabit all parts joints looked on and said, "I got what you need...you need a coupla these special connectors from my box of stuff." Or, word to that effect. with the special connectors in hand, repairs were completed in short order and we were on our way again.

And almost immediately ran into several miles of road construction. Or deconstruction. Or something. It was miles of dirt road, in any case. Once through that, we seemed to fly to the mountains.

As we drove up into the mountains, and straight into one of those situations that exist only to suck the joy out of life, we came up to 1) a doofus who wouldn't let anyone pass. Really. When Dion tried to pass in a two lane passing zone, that idiot actually tried to cut him off. There wasn't much time to hurl invectives, though. Another mile or two brought all uf is, including mister considerate, to a near halt behind a giant earth mover being towed through the hills. It was absolute agony.

Finally, we each managed to sneak past by using our superior power to weight ratios. I had the smug enjoyment, just before I made my run, of watching Mr. courteous try and fail to accelerate to pass. His POS just didn't have any go left at that altitude. I resisted giving him a special salute as I passed.

The road after that was glorious. All the traffic in our direction was still behind the monster machine, and there was nearly none coming the other direction. There were trees, meadows, deer, flowers, snow...all that stuff. No, I didn't take any pictures, I was busy driving. You'll have to go yourself.

Too soon, the mountains werre behind us, and we had a long slog through the grassland. the grassland is beautiful enough, but unfortunately, the roads are awfully straight.

We had lunch in Buffalo and continued on our way, knowing that we were waaaaay behind schedule. As we left Buffalo, we had the first real rain; though Gert at the front had only wet asphalt from rain that stoppe as he approached, and I at the end got big wet raindrops falling on my head. It only lasted five or six minutes, so there was no reason to put the top up.

On and on, through the grass we went watching the super cells dump huge volumes of rain not far from us. We, fortunately avoided any of it. We did get a bit of high wind, and at one point one of Gerts windows blew out of the frame. It was quickly recovered, and we ultimately found our stop at Newcastle. Tom and Skip were waiting for us at the Motel. We all enjoyed a nice dinner together, and I think we're pretty much done for the day.

Our numbers have grown, and I'm sure the adventure will as well.

Until next time....

[Kitcat]

Jeez, great stuff. Almost glad I am not there, I'd miss these posts :).

[rzempel]

Jeez, great stuff. Almost glad I am not there, I'd miss these posts :).

Thanks for the encouragement. I'll do what I can to keep the commentary coming.

[rzempel]

Just a short note for now: Today, we had a short drive with plans to visit Jewel Cave and Crazy horse with a run up to the air museum outside of Rapid City after we checked into our motel.

Things went a little sideways for me when we stopped to fill up before we bagan today's short drive. Dion noticed something leaking from my car, and I discovered that I was losing coolant from my thermostat housing. Every day, so far--except for today because we had such a short distance to go, I checked oil and coolant. I think my car decided to demonstrate that it felt neglected today. I was ready to stay and fix it in Newcastle, but let myself be convinced that prudence should win out. I rolled my car into Skip's trailer while Tom drove the Miata into Custer. Ohhhh the shame of it.

In town, the local auto parts guy was, thankfully, not tied to his computer to find parts. We chose a couple of potentially suitable gaskets and I went to work. It doesn't take too long to replace a faulty thermostat gasket, but now I'm stuck waiting for the RTV I coated it with to dry.

Meanwhile everyone else seems to have gone off together for a drive.

Until next time....

[Z3 Stalker]

While rzempel waited for his repairs to tale effect some of us went up to Crazy Horse.

Stewart

[rzempel]

We had a change of plans today, so if you're following the itinerary, you should know that we didn't. We had some weather concerns--the weather guessers agreed that we faced a 40% chance of rain today, clearing by tomorrow with warm & sunny conditions for the rest of the week. The consensus seemed to be that we would be best served by trading today with our "laundry and no-drive day later in the week." As it turned out, we just couldn't sit around...but, I'll get back to that in a moment.

Yesterday, when I left off, I was watching paint (or, rather, RTV) dry. That was agonizing. Everyone else [we've been joined by Stewart, Steve, Tom, Skip, Bob, Derick, Catherine, and Linda.] drove away to see the Crazy Horse Monument. I have been assured that I only missed a waste of money--everything worth seeing is visible before you have to pay the steep entrance fee.

They eventually returned, and we all went off to happy hour across the street. Two dollar draft beers seem destined to become a tradition as long as we're here in Custer!
Today, we rose to foggy and drizzly conditions. In the roads, the locals appear to use stream rounded pebbles for the concrete aggregate. As a result, the roads are like ice-skating rinks when they are wet. That's not very good for driving, so we spent the monring having a leisurely breakfast and wandering up and down the main street of Custer. At about 10:30, I think we had all had enough resting and we'd become restive. At about five minutes to 11:00, the word came around that we'd be leaving for a drive if anyone was interested. I don't think I've seen nine Sevens warmed up and ready to go so quickly. At 11:00, we were on the road towards Wind Cave National Park.

At 11:05, Bob sifted into third gear and immediately lost all power and oil pressure. He coasted to the shoulder, followed by several others. The bonnet was quickly off, and several of us gathered to help. As he described the symptoms, I spied the loose coil wires. Bob's car had apparently tried to emulate Herb's car, hoping that it, too, might be treated to a neon red paint job.... The offending plug was re-attached and we were again on the way. As an aside, during the stop, Kelly (with me) kept Rosie (with Gert) appraised of the situation via texting. That's a great way to keep the front and back of a caravan together as long as there's cell service.

We drove south a few miles through the beautiful Black Hills until we reached Wind Cave National Park. In case you haven't read the tourist propaganda, Wind Cave is the fifth longest cave in the world, and contains 95% of the world's box work mineral formations. I asked our young Park Ranger guide if this cave had any blind cave zombies, but sadly the answer was no.

After the cave tour, we drove on to Hot Springs for lunch. After we parked, Catherine somehow managed to chat up a local woman who said she owned a local cafe with a great menu and offered everyone free beer. That settled the question of which establishment to choose. Unfortunately, I had a pending appointment with a welder in Custer to repair my broken exhaust bracket so I had to skip both lunch and the free beer.

As I write this, I see that it's half way through happy hour and the entourage hasn't yet returned. If they're not here soon, I may have to go across the street by myself.
Until next time....

[locost7018]

Oh, man I wish I were there!!!!! Russ

[WestTexasS2K]

Man wish I could have gone. My father in law is still in the hospital.

[rzempel]

Last night, as it turned out, most of us didn't make it to Happy Hour. As everyone returned either from the days drive, or in my case from the welder, we were met by a couple who had driven 400 miles to see our Sevens. "Dallas" is a beef rancher from far north South Dakota, and has decided that it is time that he have some fun in his life. Cobras initially caught his attention as being light and powerful, but he felt that something was missing (handling) until he discovered the existence of Sevens. Dallas subsequently learned of this tour on the USA7 site, and packed his wife along for a visit. After just one evening, his wife "Sonja" was ready to write a check for any one of our cars if we wanted to sell. We finally wandered out of the parking lot and all had pizza together.

Today, we all headed off reasonably early, heading for the 1880 RailRoad and the roads north of Cody. We had previously decided that the train ride itself would probably be a waste of money and time, so we just stopped to look at the stuff in the yard and watch the steam train leave. It was interesting, but I'm glad we didn't go on a train...we came here to drive.

The train left on-time, at 10:00, so we jumped in our cars and left. The weather was gorgeous--blue skies accented with little puffy clouds. It was a bit on the warm side, but otherwise absolutely perfect driving weather. As we left the tourist train station, we turned onto the Old Hill City Road. What an amazing road. That twisting ribbon of asphalt twisted and turned around the hidden hills and valleys. Along the way, I learned a lesson important enough to share...sometimes, it is prudent to give up the best line through a corner in order to keep your right tires out of wet cow pattys when you have a passenger on board. My wife was a good sport, and told me that she was glad her mouth was closed when I showered her with fresh wet green dung. We met the herd that defiled this wonderful road a sort distance later. Fortunately, they made way for us so we could continue.

Not long after that, Bob's car coasted to a stop. This time, it wasn't so simple as a coil wire. it appears that his fuel pump has called it quits. Bill returned him to the Motel so he could get his trailer and retrieve his car. While det ails were being worked out,Skip had a bad fall and was packed off to a local emergency room (it turned out that he wasn't as badly injured as we first thought...just a lot of blood from a cut on his arm, but he was still banged up a bit.

With nothing else to do but wait for Bob and Skip, we decided to have lunch at the Sugar Shack diner, which advertised the "Biggest and Best Burgers int he Black Hills." Incredibly, they were right. Their burgers were delicious, and huge.

Burgers consumed, and alll of us feeling sleepy in the warm afternoon, we sat and chatted until, simultaneously from opposite directions, Bob and Skip returned. Bob quickly loaded his car onto the trailer and returned to commence repairs, and Skip rejoined the parade in his Miata.

From there, we decided to drive across the Needles Highway--except for Stuart and Steve whose car was running roughly and needed some attention from a local tuner. Stuart and Steve left our company as we turned off towards the Needles State Park.

I haven't any idea if you're familiar with the Needles Highway, but since a few minutes after our arrival in Custer nearly every motorcycle rider we've met has asked if we've been on that highway yet. It is a very special road. There are dozens of incredibly tight turns stacked on top of each other. At the top, there are some really fun little tunnels to drive through. It would've been awesome if only there weren't so many other cars on the road. As it was, we got full runs around a few turns, enough to tease us with the road's potential. At the top, we had to stop for quite awhile as a tour bus squeezed through the tunnel that was mere inches wider than the bus. That driver is an idiot.

Even with the traffic, it was a fun road but too soon it was ended. Gert had another interesting looking road on his GPS that turned out to be dirt. He and Dion continued, but Herb, Derick, and I opted to stay clean and return to Custer via paved surfaces,

We returned to the motel, and Dallas came out to visit with us again. I took him for a ride, as did Bill, Dion, and Herb. I'm fairly certain that he has the bug and will own a Seven pretty soon.

In any event, we all went to Happy Hour across the street followed by dinner and had a terrific time with conversation and humor. I expect that someone has some incriminating photos of Steve and his interesting desert.

All is quiet now, with small mumurs of conversation from the few still out enjoying the cool evening. As for me, I think it's about time to go inside.

Until next time....

[DeanG]

Free range. Better than speed bumps for slowing down traffic.

[Kitcat]

Still lookin forward to these posts. Entertaining AND educational: no zombies in the caves, cow patties on the road are bad. Stuff I wld never have otherwise known (or even thot to ask abt)!

[Z3 Stalker]

Just a quick post with some photo's, I'm sure Randall with give a more detailed update.

Stewart

[rzempel]

Thanks for the photos Stewart. My camera battery died, and I neglected to bring the charger.

Today was another fun day. The day started early, with Bob standing at the S&B Auto Parts counter bad fuel pump in hand. Nothing in the catalog matched, and none of the numbers on the pump matched anything in the computer. Finally, after examining and rejecting several potential pumps, some internet searching on the old iPhone found the right pump,,,which just happened to be sitting on the shelf. Which I think is amazing, since the original pump came out of the commonly available (cough, cough) Buick Grand National Turbo. It was his lucky day.

Bob started reinstalling his new pump as the rest of us took off for a repeat of the Needles Highway. This time, we drove in the reverse direction, and had fairly light traffic. That made it even better. Just about the only hiccough was towards the end of the highway when several Corvettes came up the road the other way. It was nice to be in a narrow car, since those guys had no idea where their wheels were, and they refused to find the edge of the road. Sheesh. There are about 400 of those plastic fantastics in the Black hills right now, there's some sort of national rally not far away. So far, it appears that C5s are most represented followed closely by C6 and only a few C4 and earlier cars. many of the drivers have expressed interest in our cars, and one C6 Z-06 owner admitted that he would really rather own a Seven!

Following Needles, we played tourist at Mount Rushmore. As always, it's an inspirational sight. It did appear, though, that there were more people in the gift shop than actually looking at the memorial....

Bob rejoined at Mt Rushmore, and we scooted off to Keysotne for lunch. It seemed a good time to eat something other than deep-fried whatever or burgers, so we parked at one end of town and walked to the mexican restaurant at the other end. What a horrible tourist trap that town is. The food was unremarkable. After lunch, we returned to our cars only for me to discover that I had a flat tire. Close inspection failed to reveal any obvious reason for the flat, so Dion used his "Air Buddy" (or something like that--it's a little rechargeable hand held tire air pump,,,pretty cool if you ask me,) to put a few pounds in my tire. When I had enough, I drove around the corner to a gas station that had an air hose. As I fought the hose's non-functioning chuck, I discovered that it was my valve stem that was leaking. I managed to get a few more pounds of air into the tire and seal it with a metal valve stem cap borrowed from Stweart.

We lit out again, and traversed some very beautiful, very twisty, and very hot roads. It was, nonetheless, supremely enjoyable--except for my under-inflated front tire that was doing really bad things to my steering. I was luck to be able to get within 2 or 3 degrees of where I was aiming, and the tire trammeled on imperfections like a steam engine on steel rails.

We crossed the Iron Mountain Highway, with its famous pig Tail Bridges. I've never before seen, or driven, curves greater than 360 degrees. It was a blast. Except, of course, for the flat tire. And the RVs. I cannot believe that people were actually stupid enough to tow huge trailers on that highway. There are plenty of straightish highways to get wherever they want to go to drop the trailer and return with just the tow vehicle. Idiots.

In any event, we soon found ourselves on one of those straightish highways towards Custer and our now traditional Happy Hour across the street. Even though I had been placed protectively in the center of the line, once we hit that highway, everyone zoomed past as if to say, 'screw him, it's happy hour time...."

Until next time....

[GBOLT]

I look forward to the updates also

[MHKflyer52]

Thanks for the posts as they are great and I look forward to reading the groups next adventure and the photos.

[Kitcat]

OK, the final photo goes into my "favorite se7en photo" category!

I am surprised the parking lot at Mt R is so empty. Shdn't it be jammed?

The roads sound fantastic, the traffic less so. Still, it's hard to beat "supremely enjoyable":)!

[slomove]

It was actually pretty crowded at Mt. Rushmore but we parked at the top level that was just filling up. Otherwise, the popular roads like Needles and Iron Mountain obviously had a lot of (slow) traffic but most cars pulled over after a while. Also, the scenery is so nice that you really don't want to race them 10/10, not even considering the wildlife that has a bad habit of jumping onto the pavement.

Other than the two famous highways here are ample other back roads with no traffic to speak of.

[11Budlite]

Thanks for the updates with photos, it looks like a fun time!

[rzempel]

This morning was magnificent. Together, w e performed a Symphonie Fantastique in the local mountains. The combined ribbons The further we went, the of the Iron mountain Road, Needles Highway and Old Hill City Road provided the score directing tone and tempo.

We started early...before the Corvette crowd had finished their frapp' 'cappucinos and decaf latte's. The sun was low, the shadows long, an the dew still on the grass. There was virtually no traffic as we attacked the Iron Mountain Highway. Our engines sang happily as we seemingly ignored physics flying low around the turns. Our Seven's voices rising and lowering in halleluias of joy. Their tones ranging from gravvely Satchmo growl, pulling out of unexpectedly slow corners, to a soprano wail powering through fast sweepers. Crescendo followed crescendo, building to a heavenly chorus.

The angelic tenor voices of our Sevens were accompanied by symcopated basso profundo of passing Harleys. Occasional piccolo duet of song birds. Cattle guards providing drum-roll percussion background. The tenor voices joined in the tunnels, creating a song so magnificetly sublime that Pavorati would weep from joy on hearing it.

All too soon, we returned to the Motel. As we shut off our engines, the lingering memory of the magnificent melody seemed to echo through the sudden stillness.

Until next time....

[Z3 Stalker]

Some organizing more photo's taken over the week. I would like to thank Slomove for organizing this adventure and all participants for making this a very memorable event. My part in this is over as I head back to Calgary on Sunday morning when others continue on.

Until next time, regards to all.

Stewart

[Z3 Stalker]

I am having trouble attaching photo's through this connection, I will try again later

Stewart

[Automoda]

Made it home safe and sound. Not even a wrong turn. But the head wind ruined my milage.

[75TwinCam]

Glad to hear you made it safely. Did you have pie for dinner? Or perhaps a Turtle Puff? (Incriminating photo to follow . . . ?)

[75TwinCam]

Wrapping up the last night at the hotel in Custer. The old Twin-Cam is ready for the road home to Colorado tomorrow. What a spectacular week this has been! The drives have been only a part of the fun - the comaradarie with new friends has really made this a week to remember! Many thanks to Slomove for organizing the tour, and rzempel & Z3Stalker for daily posts and pics. It's been fantastic to meet and spend so many wonderful miles and smiles with everyone.

Cheers!
Derek

[rzempel]

It was a great week, and a fantastic time getting to know all the guys, so it was with a bit of sadness that we bid adieu to Herb yesterday morning and Stewart and Catherine, Steve and Linda, Bob, and Derek this morning.

Gert, Dion, Bill, Tom and Skip (in the Miata), and I made an early escape from Custer. We knew the day was predicted to be hot, so we wanted to get as far into it as we could before the sweltering began. We took a last run through Custer State Park, along now familiar roads. Once out of the park, we quickly descended into the South Dakota Grasslands.

We sped through undulating countryside until we reached the western edge of teh Badlands. Our itinerary had us cross to the east just south of the badlands, but as it turned out, the road was 20 miles of gravel. We conferred and decided to take a 100 mile detour rather than drive over the gravel road.

You've probably guessed the punchline, but we ended up driving over more than 20 miles of worse dirt road allegedly being repaired. At the end of the deeply rutted goat trail of a road, we stopped to gas up in Pine Ridge on the Oglala Lakota Reservation. There was a distinctly Stephen King feeling about that place so we didn't linger.

Eventually, we made it back to the Badlands National Park where we stopped for lunch. The tourist center was air conditioned and we didn't want to leave but eventually we forced ourselves outside and on the way. It was about 105F there. It was a bit uncomfortable but in true Sevener fashion, we pressed on along the Badlands Loop. Ther scenery was actually spectacular, but after enough of it, I was ready for more air conditioning.

Leaving the park, we drove to Wall, SD, home of the world famous Wall Drugstore. I was particularly interested on their "free ice water" which they've offered since the great dust bowl migration. I doubt any of those migrants were any more thankful for that water than I was. it was still 105 out, and my air-conditioning didn't seem to be working.

Once again, we pried ourselves back out into the heat--this time it wasn't so hard because of the thousands of people inside. There didn't seem to be enough road traffic to support the number of people inside, so I left wondering how they do that.

Back on the road, we jumped on the interstate and picked up some speed until Rapid City. At that point, we turned off and after an interminable trip through town we were back in the Black Hills. The temp was, thankfully, lower (maybe 95 or so), and we had a nice meander through the hills to Deadwood. Pur Motel is just outside the old city center, and I'm sitting here with the air conditioner blowing on me full blast. It feels so good, that I might not even go out to dinner. I wonder if the liquor store down the street will deliver...?

Until next time....

[75TwinCam]

BSimon and I have made it home to Colorado. Was a hot, hot drive across Wyoming today. He did try to tell me that he had the windows down and the heater on in his Tahoe, but the puddle from the frozen air conditioning condenser betrayed his story at the rest area north of Wheatland . . .

Have fun out there on the rest of the tour! Wish I were still along . . .

[slomove]

Sounds like the tour is about to break up. But no, the hard core is still going strong. Well that means, kind of strong ar better said pretty weak after 340 miles with temperatures hovering around 100 to 104 degrees. On the way to the Badlands NP we wanted to avoid an unforeseen 20 mile dirt road, just to drive a 60 mile detour on a paved highway that had, guess what, about 20 mile construction with gravel surface. Accordingly we looked like we had done the Paris-Dakar with dust in the mouth and everywhere else.

Badlands is spectacular, but given the circumstance we did not even stop at the vista points. I think they are better enjoyed later in the year or in a car with A/C.

Anyway, thanks to all who had to leave the tour already for coming along. It is just not the same driving alone. The 2-Dollar tap pint happy hour was a serious bonus, though :cheers:

P.S.: the other day we did not join the engine choir that Randall described. Not that my engine was singing out of tune but we wanted to sleep in and do the laundry. We did the "Wildlife Loop" of Custer State Park instead later but other tha a few aggressively beggig donkeys there was no wildlife whatsoever.

[soareyes]

Bet you wish you had a Cool Shirt about now! But of course the required ice chest would leave no room for a passenger.

[Automoda]

Guys, I made the pictures-thread we had discussed.

http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?p=56287#post56287

May the uploads begin... at least for the folks who are home. I know those hotel connections are slow and people tend to get tired after a long day....

http://herb.linkrealms.com/tour_for_web/Tetons_Wide.jpg

[lancylad]

Hi everyone, we are now in Buffalo WY, an easy drive from Custer apart from the heat.. Tomorrow we head on to Cody and then into Yellowstone. really looking forward to the drive thru the park. I want to take this oppertunity to thank Gert and Rosie for all their work in getting this adventure together. I look forward to doing this again. Let me echo here what has already been said by many others, that is simply that this week has been so much more than having a blast driving the cars that we all seem to have a love affair with. What has been so much more is the gathering of a terrific group of people who before this encounter were simply faceless Avatars. We all now have faces and personalities and for Linda and I a bunch of friends we would love to spend more time with. Thankyou all for making us feel so welcome. This week I have been Living The Dream, Amazing roads, Amazing cars, Amazing company. Thankyou..

[slomove]

I took a bunch off video clips and some of that looks like it came out well. I will try to get it sorted and edited in a reasonable time when I come home. Admittedly I never completed the PNW2007 video and did not start working on the 2009 video. But I will give the 2011 movie some priority ;-)

[Kitcat]

Trip sounds truly epic!

Any touring tips for the rest of us? Since the cockpit in my car runs around 110+ degrees in temperate weather, I cant imagine driving in 105 degrees. When cruising any distance, I tend to run w/my "high visibility" top up, doors and rear window out. That keeps wind buffeting way down and the hot sun off. The air flow helps draw out the heat (a little). Except for getting in and out, it seems ideal. I went blatting that way yesterday in 93 degree weather and it was quite tolerable.

What didn't you do that you wished you had?

Were there things in hindsight you shd have brought with you (spare parts, Jim Beam, etc.)?

Mike M.

[bsimon]

Home again. What a brilliant trip. :cheers:

Work Sucks! :ack:

[Hudson]

Well you do get the odd look at rest stops but one of the "advantages" to Tilletts they hold a bit of water and with 5lbs of crushed ice on your lap you end up looking like this...
Belts hold the ice away from... er... sensitive bits

[JohnCh]

When hot weather touring I keep a camel back attached to the back of the seats and fill it up with ice and water before leaving the motel each morning. Helps keep me cool, hydrated, and more presentable than Hudson's solution.

BTW My wife was really concerned for you when she saw this photo after I returned from the Monterey tour. She was relieved when I explained that it was just melted ice. :)

-John

[Z3 Stalker]

Well after travelling approx. 3400 klm (2100 ml) round trip I am back in Calgary and temperatures of upto 37C (90F) through South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana I am glad to be home. I just wish I had a bit more time to spend on the tour, as others have said the driving and people attending were great. Here are the photo's promised earlier.

Stewart

[Z3 Stalker]

And some more.

[rzempel]

You're probably getting tired of hearing this, but it was another red letter day.

Yesterday, after a few missed connections, we were briefly visited by Jack McCornack and his maximum mileage car "Max." It was after sunset but we stood around in the dark parking lot admiring Jack's ingenuity. That is a totally awesome effort. If you haven't, you may want to read about it over on www.kineticvehicles.com. Ultimately, Jack had to leave and we had to go to bed. Jack treated us to a 32 horsepower burning rubber shift change as he drove off...and we nearly fell down laughing.

This morning, after the best sleep we've had so far, Jack joined us for breakfast adn regaled us with just a few of his amazing experiences. These tours really are all about the people you meet, and Jack is an amazing guy that I'm glad I met (along with all the rest of you guys on the tour, so leave me alone--you know what I mean).

After breakfast, we said farewell to Jack and set off ourselves. We drove through more superlative mountain roads. We briefly stopped in Sturgis, where preparations are already underway for "The Rally"--the only way everyone within 50 miles refers to the mass immigration of motorcycles to Sturgis in August. The vendor tents and beer stands were being built, but nothing compelled us to stay, so we didn't.

We returned to the Black Hills scenic byways. I struggled with the decision whether to concentrate on driving or look at the spectacular scenery in Spearfish Canyon. All too soon, we left the hills and canyons, and entered the gently rolling grasslands. They have a stark beauty of their own. Miles rolled by until, a few miles outside of Sundance, Gert noticed that yesterday's Baja 1000 off-road race had broken his front fender bracket. We all stopped, and Gert designed a brilliant repair using a box of hose clamps.

In Sundance, we had lunch and unsuccessfully attempted to find a welder. From there, we quickly closed the distance to Devils Tower National Monument--the nation's first, according to the propaganda in the visitor's center. Gert and Rosie hiked around the monument in the heat (and discovered that there isn't any water anywhere), while Kelly and I went to the junk store to get ice cream.

Once we had completed our individual quests, we drove the short distance to Hulett, where I sit now. This evening, the plan is to grab some beer at the local biker bar and then pizza at one of the two local pizza places.

Until next time....

[slomove]

My photo of the day, first aid with bandages for the broken wing stay tube.
(note to myself: don't build parts with high fatigue stress from stainless tubing)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PcPBpftTp5k/TiTwbeaQxaI/AAAAAAAACkw/GSUAjCoEwY8/s512/DSC00217.JPG

[lancylad]

After another day of driving in extreme heat, we are staying put in Cody, Wyoming, until we find a welding shop that can fabricate a bracket to reattach my alternator to the engine. Oh, the joys of 7 driving! Could be worse ...there could be no beer in this town! Will update you when we are mobile again.

[lancylad]

Update....our motel owner took me to a local small garage this morning, they were working on a hot rod and found the seven quite amusing. There easy going response to the problem was comforting, they will remove the engine mount which The alternator bracket is part of, grind down the remains of the mount and weld new support pieces to hold the alternator. Should be ready to go by 4.30 today..we are going to the Cowboy museum for the day, the motel owner is taking us, what a great guy he is. Updates to follow..

[Croc]

Great thread of interesting posts. Good to see all you guys having fun out west with no major casualties!

[rzempel]

OK. I was a bit smug about how great yesterday was, and today Karma bit me in the behind, big time.

We left Hulett early since we had a long day ahead of us. It isn't like there was anything to do in Hulett, anyway--if you ever find yourself there, I suggest you find someplace else to be. Otherwise, eat at the deli, not the cafe. I never really figured out if they actually use the same kitchen, but the deli is cheaper and has really good soft serve ice cream. Also, visit the antique shop/museum. They have some very rare and interesting artifacts in the back room, and the admission is free.

Anyway, back the road. The Hulett area is sun-burnt red soil with rocky outcroppings and trees. It's very beautiful, but the town is not much more than two motels, two bars, two pizza places, and a bank named "Bank." The road, on the other hand was pretty nice. It rolled over and around gentle hills. The hills gradually gave way to somewhat flatter grassland with somewhat straighter roads. It was still very nice driving.

At one point, in the middle of rolling grassland, we came across a 15 mile section of "road repair." We stopped and waited for the pilot car, and followed it to the end of the "repair." The trouble was, there was no repair. That road was as nice as any we've driven, it just didn't have a middle stripe on it. Dion proposed that it was pilot car driver training. I think that it's more likely a make work program. There were six pilot cars plus two flag people at either end. Eight jobs funded by the Feds in the middle of nowhere will buy at least eight votes.

Immediately after we were released from the "road repair" convoy, Dion's alternator quit making enough electrons. We stopped, and despite everyone standing around with concerned looks, Dion couldn't convince it to make more voltons. Into the trailer of shhame it went.

We continued on to the Little Bighorn Custer's last stand monument, where we spent an hour or two looking at exhibits and listening to the Ranger talks. At the end of our visit, my car wouldn't start. Symptoms seemed to indicate that the starter solinoid had packed it in, so a push start was tried. The car started, so I left ahead of everyone, and headed independently for the nearest town that might have a starter--Sheridan, WY.

As I write this, my car sits in Sheridan awaiting a starter that I now know is not compatible with my Birkin. I'm in the mountains at our scheduled stop (I rented a car, that's how.) and will return to Sheridan in the morning. While the remaining members of the tour continue to Red Lodge, I'll be working to get back on the road.

Until next time....

[lancylad]

Sorry to hear about your troubles, guys - we're following your threads with interest. Our little green machine is back on the road. She now has a small piece of Toyota and a small piece of Subaru. Fully functional, and all for a huge cost of $171.00. The guys at Joe's Garage in Cody are amazing! We're off into the park today ...fingers crossed thar all will be good!

[lancylad]

What a great day, beautiful weather and more great seven roads albeit slow ones, the scenery as I am sure you all are aware was remarkable. Had lunch at the Old Faithful Inn, what an awesome place that is. Terric food and friendly staff, followed by watching Old Faithful do his thing...we amdethe most of the incredible scenery and took lots of shots. We will post some of them on our return to Nanton. Staying in Livingstone tonight then on to Canada tomorrow. The car is running well so no more repairs to report on that front. Good motoring everyone.. Will post again soon.

[rzempel]

Today was one for the books. You know the kind...the ones with everything going wrong, and an unexpected ending...?

Early this morning, and I do mean early--3:30am, I woke and decided to get an early start on my car. I had left it at the Sheridan, Wyoming ford stealer because I expected that they would be best equipped to discover any useable starter for a Birkin. The standard unit is from an obscure (and so far unidentified) Ford from South Africa.

I had been a bit concerned that, while I could afford to fix my car at my leisure, my wife needed to be in Jackson on Friday to fly home. I arranged for her to ride withthe others back to Jackson, so when I left a Oh-dark-thirty, I was assured that I wasn't actually abandoning her in a strange inn 27 miles from the nearest town.

When I got to Sheridan, I was a bit early for either the stealer or the local parts counter, so I found a cafe with wifi and both posted yesterday's saga (sorry I couldn't do it earlier, the mountain inn wifi was completely flaky and died entirely when a local transformer blew up).

Once teh sun came up, the local parts guys arrived tfor work. I already knew they'd not be able to help me with the starter, but I asked anyway. I was right. I just got blank stares. But, the real reason I bothered them with hard questions was to find out if there were any starter rebuilder businesses in Sheridan. Unfortunately, there were not. that was a real setback. I had counted on a city the size of Sheridan, somewhat cut off from the rest of civilization, to have one. So, I went on to plan two--I called Dick Brink at Texas Motor Works. Dick had a starter in stock, and was more than happy to next-day ship it to me. Meanwhile, as I was talking to Dick, the ford guys arrived for work. No, Sheridan isn't really that small, the two places just happened to be nearly next door to each other.

I asked Dick to find out if there were any cross fit starters/solenoids, and he gladly set off for his shop to findout. the Ford guys, on the other hand, were sort of hopping from one foot to the other in excitement, waiting to tell me wha tthey knew. It seems that the newest tech at the stealership had a few free minutes to spare and he started checking the wires. Imagine my surprise and happiness when they told me he had found the original wire crimp at teh solenoid was so poorly done, the wire was only in place from tradition. There was no contact between teh wire and the solenoid. He cleaned everything up and recrimped the wire. The car fired right up yesterday evening, and he took it for an eye-opening spin around the maintenance building. His eyes were still wide when I arrived this morning.

So, I was back in the race. I was about an hour behind the other guys, so I wasted no time heading back iinto the mountains. There were, however, two scenic roads between Dayton and Cody. I fell victim to the Fifty-fifty-ninety rule. Whenever you have a fifty-fifty chance at making the right decision, ninety percent of the time, you'll choose the wrong one. I had a great drive down Shell Canyon while everyone else took the upper route.

When I re-entered cell-phone civilization, I discovered my mistake (if you can call it that), and arranged to meet in Cody for lunch, which we did. Re-connected, we set out for Red Lodge across the Bear Tooth Highway.

The Bear Tooth Highway is another of those superlative roads everyone needs to drive once. We're planning to do it again tomorrow in the other direction. The road's summit crests at 10,960 feet, and there are still snow banks on both sides of teh road. It was a bit chilly as the wind blew across the snow fields, but it was also incredibly exhilerating. I had fallen well behind the other guys because of road maintenance delays and my grandfatherly slow driving. But, I didn't care. It was absolutely amazing.

Over the top, the road decends quickly and before long, we arrived in Red Lodge. As we pulled up, Dion was putting the last finishing touches on his alternator replacement. We are a complete troupe again. Tomorrow, we plan to attack the mountain and traverse to Jackson where the tour officially ends. I will be driving home for a few days after that, and will try to keep posting until I get home. So far, this has been an incredible experience filled with amazing people. thanks guys.

Until next time....

[rag1998]

Randall,

Thanks for the wonderful posts, visiting the site every day just to see the updates on this tour. Looks like you guys had a wonderful time..

Keep the posts and pictures coming...

[Kitcat]

Life is good!

If I had a "bucket list", driving the Beartooth in my se7en would be on it.

Like others, I am hoping you guys just keep touring and posting:).

[lancylad]

Great to hear that you are all back on the road again. Randell, wish you could have had the mechanic I found while we were in Cody, he would have found your problem in no time flat I am sure. Our trip into Yellowstone park was nothing less than spectacular. What an amazing landscape, no matter where you look there is always something to create a visual feast for the eyes and soul. Needless to say our cameras were put to full use. Mental pictures of the old western movies and the rugged landscapes with John Wayne chasing the bad guys thru Canyons and surveying his next route from a cliff top were all flashing thru my comic book mind. Each stop we made had me on the look out for a bear or checking where I was placing my feet just in case there really were Rattlesnakes out here..our stop at the Old Faithfull lodge was well worth it, having lunch in the lodge was a trip back in time the architecture of the place is stunning and a pleasant surprise is the more than reasonable cost of dining there. Our timing was perfect, we finished our lunch just in time to see Old Faithfull do his thing, I love Nature and to see and feel the power of a natural force of the earth is soul inspiring. There is so much to see and do in this beautiful Country of yours we will be back to do and see more. Around every bend in the road was a new sight to enjoy, although I would have loved to travel at true 7 speed around some of them, it was also a joy to meander along these roads and soak in the scenery.

[75TwinCam]

Keep the posts coming Randall, it's helping me to keep the mundane real world I had to return to in denial. Glad to hear that it was just the wiring in your car (imagine that - dodgy wiring in a Seven! Even one with no trace of Lucas). Wish I was still along. My best to the group. I'll get some pictures sorted and posted in the other thread in the next couple of days.

Cheers!

[rzempel]

Today was a Very Long Day. It started normally enough, in the usual way. Kelly and I got up early, enjoyed a cup of coffee as the sun rose, then walked to a nice cafe for a light breakfast. After breakfast, we hurried back to the Motel to tell everyone how great the cafe was.

At the motel, we learned that Skip and Tom had decided to leave for Colorado right away immediately. Good byes and well wishes were said, and they departed forthwith. Everyone else went to the Cafe, leaving me a few minutes to pack and warm my engine--my cold engine mapping is next thing to awful, so I need some extra time to get heat into the engine or it's essentially un-drivable. After several minutes at high idle, I shut it down.

At about the time everyone returned from breakfast, I noticed a small pool of fluid under the nose of my car. Suspicious, but actually hoping somebody's dog had marked my car, I pushed it back to inspect the puddle. The good and bad news was that it wasn't dog pee, it was coolant.

Unable to definitively determine the source of the coolant leak, I removed the nose and gathered a crowd. Crowds of concerned onlookers always make things better, don't they? I have a plumber's nightmare between the radiator and the water pump, with scads of hoseclamps and little short bits of hose. The consensus was that one of the clamped junctions must be leaking, so I needed to tighten all of them. Including the completely inaccessible ones. Off came the radiator--well, almost, I unbolted it and pulled it forward enough to tighten all the clamps. As that was being done, a new leak appeared at the crimped-in fan temp switch bung. Wonderful.

As Gert, Dion, and Bill all roared off to the Beartooth Highway, I set off in the other direction to find a bottle of radiator stop leak. By the time I found the auto parts store, bought it, and poured that sludge in my cooling system, I was at least a half hour behind. So, up the Beartooth I went.

It was still pretty early in the morning as I approached the nearly 11,000 foot top. And it was near freezing. It was so cold, my temperature gauge needle was trying to burrow into the left side to keep warm. Did I mention how my car doesn't run well when it's cold? What a bear it was to keep it going forward...especially when I came upon one or another of those lost souls who have no idea that fivee miles per hour is not appropriate on a highway like that, no matter how spectacular the scenery.

I nursed it over the top, and mercifully the temperature rose to comfortable levels as we descended the other side. Soon enough, we were at the north gate into Yellowstone. The cute Rangerette was interested in the Sevens, but hadn't been able to ask questions "when those other guys came through," because there was a line of cars behind them. So, I was still about a half hour behind.

As soon as we entered the park, I knew it wasn't going to be a good day. The road speed limit was 35 mph. And, there was suddenly traffic. Bad drive traffic. Drivers who thought that since they had paid an entrance fee they were free to do whatever numbskull thing they wanted to. We had about a hundred miles to cover with those idiots.

In the park, we finally saw a bison and an elk. There was a huge crowd at one point, blocking the road. Apparently there was a grizzly in the adjacent field, though it had just gone over a small hump and laid down amidst the flowers so nobody could see it. Great. These idiots were all gathered to look at a bear they couldn't see. Get out of my way.

Yellowstone is full of all that neat steamy stuff, but I didn't want to park my car anywhere near it because I don't want it to learn any more bad habits. So, we buzzed through the park, only stopping for the obligatory Old Faithful show. Once it blew it's top, we were off. Back into that horrible traffic and ridiculous speed limits.

After Yellowstone, we passed through Teton National Park. I suppose you have to do that to get to Jackson, but there wasn't much to recommend it. I'm glad I didn't pay to get in. The traffic was a bit better because the tourists were all stopped taking photos of themselves in front of the Tetons. Have you ever wondered how lonely those early explorers had to be to name a jagged heap of rock "Large Breast?" Those had to be some uptight folks....

Down teh road and around the corner, and we were back in Jackson. I had just checked into the Motel and Gert called. It seems that after a full day of driving and sightseeing we had arrived at nearly the same time, he at his friends house and I at the Motel. Amazing. Not quite as amazing as my wife, however. This morning, as I poked at my coolant leaks, she struck up a conversation with a woman in the expanding audience. It turned out that they had both gone to the same High School and sung in the same music programs. It just goes to show how small the world is, except when you're driving through it at 25mph behind a lost tourist from Kansas.

Tomorrow, Gert, Bill, and Dion all head for home with their cars resting comfortably trailers. I, on the other hand, just can't get enough of these seemingly endless minor mechanical irritations. I'll set off for home in my Birkin. I don't know which route I'll take, but I'm sure it'll be an adventure.

Until next time...

[scannon]

Tom and I made it into Grand Junction at 8 PM. None of the roads go straight from Red Lodge to Grand Junction so it took 13 hours to get here. About 1.5 hours of that was spent stopped at construction sites or for lunch. I think we did about 700 miles.

I left early Red Lodge at 7:04 AM and despite a long delay at the construction site at the top of the Beartooth Highway I made it to the Chief Joseph Highway Junction in 61 minutes. I had only five cars/trucks to pass and had a glorious trip over the top. There were only three cars to pass on the Chief Joseph Highway and total time from Red Lodge to the end of Chief Joseph highway was one hour and forty two minutes. Tom took the truck and trailer (of shame) over the short, non mountainous route and we met and put the Miata in the trailer and headed South for Grand Junction.

We saw a lot of very desolate terrain as we traversed Montana, Wyoming and into Colorado where things got much greener and prettier.

Tomorrow AM we have an appointment at Flyin Miata to test drive the LS2 powered Miata with about 480 HP. Then it is on to Erie, about a 4.5 hour drive on I-70.

It has been a fantastic trip, probably the best road trip I have been on. Thanks to Rosie and Gert for planning and setting it up, I'm looking forward to the next one and bringing along the Caterham instead of the Miata.

[rzempel]

Today was tough. The euphoria of the tour has worn off, and it's a chore to drive the thousand miles home from Jackson. We had a nice dinner last night, choosing Thai over burgers and steaks. I think we're beefed out after two weeks of nothing but.

We all slept a bit late, and consequently got a late start. Even though we were traveling independently, we seem to have fallen into complimentary habits during the tour. By the time I was packed and ready to leave, I had decided to just go straight home rather than take any chances breaking down on a super lonely two lane highway through the wasteland. So, I made tracks for the interstate.

I took a different route out of Wyoming than I took in. It was beautiful. I followed the snake river for a while, then turned away through the hills. After a few scenic miles, the hills gave way to sagebrush. Beautiful in it's own way, but not my preference. Mile after mile of sagebrush passed, then I was in the Utah red dirt and outcrops.

Provo Canyon was beautiful, Provo traffic was horrible but soon I was just doing the boring I15 drone. I stopped in Nephi for a break, and Gert drove up. apparently he and Dion had been caravanning and followed the exact same route I took. We had been playing leap frog all morning without knowing it. Dion stopped in Nephi for the evening, Gert had reservations in Beaver City. I have no plans, so I continued until I was tired of driving. Well, not quite. I drove until the sun went down and other driver's inner idiot came out.

I ended up in Cedar City. The nicer motels were all full, and I wasn't willing to stay in on of the lesser places. A nice girl at the Holiday Inn counter called a B&B that her mother likes. I was lucky, not only did they still have one room left, the owner discounted the room rate. At this point, all I want is a dark, quiet bed and a shower to clean off the road grime. All told, I drove about 600 miles today. All I want to do now is to get home and put the Birkin away.

Until next time....

[Z3 Stalker]

Good to hear all are almost home or home already safe and sound. Well it's almost time to start planning the next trip in two years time; right Bill:)

[Kitcat]

Any idea who put the most miles on their se7en (exclusive of trailering) on this tour? 600 miles in a day is a lot of driving in one of our little (loud, hot, bumpy, fumey) wonderful cars.

[lancylad]

Havn't added the mileage up yet, speedo broke so will have to figure it the old fashioned way. Guessing at about 2500 miles. Randell will have a fair bit of mileage on his car..

[slomove]

Well, we are home. Pretty uneventful tow at a good clip together with Dion. He stopped for the night at Nephi, UT. We continued and even caught up with Randall at a gas station in the middle of nowhere on I15. Only a few miles miles later, the engine of our trusty Hyundai Santa Fe cut out from one second to the other. No luck restarting until 10 minutes later. Another few miles on the freeway and it cut out again. AAA tow truck came, loaded the Hyundai on the flatbed and hitched the trailer. He got us to our reserved overnight place at Beaver, UT (only 35 miles away) and told us he has one or two tows a day with this symptom, related to fuel pump overheating. Well, it was somewhat hot and the fuel level was a bit low so maybe the pump did get hot (never done that before but maybe that 8 year old thing is on the way out).

Anyway, in Beaver we filled up with fresh cold gas to the top and kept it high: no trouble since. Not sure how we can convince the dealership to replace an obviously working fuel pump on the 10-year warranty but I don't really trust it anymore. To give it credit, this was the first trouble with this car in 8 years.

Now...unpack, stock up refrigerator, shower, download/upload pictures, and....back to work on Monday :ack:

It was a fabulous trip, as others mentioned. Thanks again to everybody who joined and made it a special event. Now, while we were driving back through the Nevada desert my mind was wandering where to go next in 2013.

Eastern Oregon, northern Idaho, western Montana, Glacier NP etc. (maybe into Canada?) just sounds good. Let me think about that a bit.

Gert

[speedwagon]

in tank fuel pump cooled and lubricated by gas, anything less than 1/4 tank and the pump is at risk of excessive wear, it will quit again, no question about it and one of these quits will be the last. the dealer should be smart enough to know this and may even pay for your tow. tee heee

[rzempel]

Wow, today was crazy hot. It probably wasn't as hot as South Dakota, but the heat combined with four or five hundred miles of droning freeway full of idiot drivers in big SUVs and pickup trucks drove me to near madness.

I left my luxurious overnight digs this morning after a terrific breakfast. Unfortunately, the breakfast made me a bit late leaving. It was aready pretty warm in Cedar City and I knew it would quickly get worse. Even though it was dull interstate, there was still a bit of scenery to look at as the miles rolled by.

Southern Utah has some spectacular geoligical formations--I know I was close to Radiator Springs, but somehow I missed the exit. The North West corner of Arizona was also beautiful. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Nevada or California. It was a real chore to press on through the desert, but I was very ready to be home, and there was no other way I'd get there but through the baking heat.

It was 98 in Las Vegas, and even hotter through Baker and Barstow. The famous Baker thermometer didn't have any numbers lit, so I have no idea how much higher, but the misery value was huge. I was, however, thankful that I was not going the other direction. The traffic going to Vegas was incredible; it looked like bumper to bumper commute traffic all the way between the Strip and Victorville.

Once I crossed the Cajon Pass, the temperature started to moderate, and I knew I was closing in on my final destination. I stayed focused on the goal, and finally reached my driveway. I was exhausted but thrilled to by home. After a quick cool shower, I even feel human again. I'm sure looking forward to sleeping in my own bed after two and a half weeks on the road.

My final mileage tally is almost exactly 4,000 miles. The trip odometer reads 4,461 and the speedometer is about 10% high, so...

Until next time....

[Kitcat]

Impressive mileage, trip, photos, heat. Not sure what the rest of us will do now for entertainment since the posts here will be winding down.

[squarefour]

Well I'm back, as well. The trip home was uneventful for me. Thanks again to Gert for organizing it. Thanks to Skip and Tom for the trailer and Miata rides. And Gert, please thank your friends again for the rig parking. My camper did pick up some small furry Wyoming hitchhikers during the tour, whom I hope to murder shortly...

[slomove]

My pleasure. However, did you check with the Wyoming Fish and Game Dept. if it is O.K. to remove live animals from the state? And did you declare them at the California state line inspection? :jester:

[slomove]

Quick overview of unexpected events (from memory, somewhat chronological, never mind errors and omissions):

-- Herb has a broken ignition coil feed wire - fixed on the spot with auto store parts

-- Randall's exhaust hanger breaks - fixed with band clamp, is welded later in Custer

-- Randall's thermostat housing leaks - fixed with auto store parts

-- Derek physically loses complete exhaust - new bracket fabricated in Custer for a few bucks.

-- Bill loses speed sensor signal to ECU - minor idle issue, not fixed

-- Bob's fuel pump fails - new one found in Custer

-- Randall's car has a flat tire - turns out to be a leaking valve stem

-- Gert's right front wing stay tube breaks - jury rigged on the spot with 7 hose clamps and several cable ties, holds up until end of tour

-- Dion's alternator stops working - 2 days on Skip's trailer until a new 93 Miata alternator is shipped to Red Lodge

-- Randall's starter does not work - turns out later to be a bad crimp

-- Randall's radiator hose leaks - fixed on the spot by tightening but in the process we moved the fan sensor that started leaking. Radiator leak-stop held up until home.

-- Steve's alternator bracket broke on the way home - new bracket fabricated for little money in Cody

-- Gert's tow vehicle fuel pump stopped on the way home -- got towed but no fix, worked again with enough fuel in the tank to cool the pump.

-- Dion's tow vehicle got rat (or mice?) infested - still working on a solution

Summary: everything went pretty well. All part of the adventure.:smilielol5:

[squarefour]

I am terribly sad to report that two small itinerant Wyomingites have met their demise this morning.

[lancylad]

In a very Humane..Christian way I feel sure!!!!!:smash::hurray:

[slomove]

Not sure if that works but I posted a teaser video clip (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/29562014/BlackHillsTeaser.avi). For the record, the white van in one of the clips was standing on the right lane so we had no choice. :cooldude:

Be warned, the file is something like 112 MByte and it is only a small fraction of what I took.

So far no title, no transitions, no music but it may give an idea.

I am still weighing my options how to produce a real nice video. Maybe a 30 min DVD for whoever is interested or maybe only a 10 min Youtube clip.

Any ideas?

[MHKflyer52]

Hi Gert,
How about 3 ten min clips on YouTube. Sure would promote the 7 and would get a lot of hits I would think.

Video is real clear and interesting. Sure looks like you all had a great time.

[lancylad]

Cheers Gert, really enjoyed seeing that. Would love to see the whole thing when you have it done.

[Z3 Stalker]

I remember following that maroon pick-up truck up the Needles Parkway.
Oh! the memories:)

[scannon]

I get the sound track but just pretty patterns when I play the teaser. It comes up using Windows Media Player and .avi is one of the types selected and supposed to play on it. Any ideas?

[squarefour]

I get the sound track but just pretty patterns when I play the teaser. It comes up using Windows Media Player and .avi is one of the types selected and supposed to play on it. Any ideas?

I got the same thing, glad I'm not the only one! After several failed fixes, a coworker suggested installing something called the "K-Lite Mega Codec Pack" and it worked.

http://download.cnet.com/K-Lite-Mega-Codec-Pack/3000-13632_4-10794603.html

[slomove]

Ah, sorry about that. I should probably better have used a Windows Media File instead of MPEG-4 or H264 or whatever that format is. The .avi suffix does not mean much if the playing computer does not have the proper codec installed.

[scannon]

Downloaded the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack and all is well, thanks Squarefour.

Thanks for the clip Gert, I'm looking forward to the complete version.

[Racergt]

Nice HD vid, especially once I stepped it up to full screen!

[Alaskossie]

Geert,

Was Stewart's Stalker the only Seven on the trip that had no problems and/or issues? Bill's Stalker's problem was pretty minor....so I'd say the Stalkers won the reliability prize, overall.

Alaskossie

[slomove]

Geert,

Was Stewart's Stalker the only Seven on the trip that had no problems and/or issues? Bill's Stalker's problem was pretty minor....so I'd say the Stalkers won the reliability prize, overall.

Alaskossie

Well, you may be right.

I believe most failures were not really the result of inherent design weaknesses of the basic car but the consequence of build quality. That is surely true for the broken wing stay tube that I fabricated myself.

But, considering that Bill's Stalker (not sure about Stewart) came already assembled speaks indeed for the quality of the build.

Gert

[lancylad]

Give my little girl some credit,,, she is 16 years old!!

[bsimon]

17 years here. A modern fuel pump with less than a thousand miles is what shot craps.

The real prize goes to Derek's car. 36 years old before normal metal fatigue made her shed any parts.

[lancylad]

:iagree:

[slomove]

O.K., O.K., I withdraw the "build quality" explanation except for my own shoddy work.

[slomove]

I know....it is not politically correct. But remembering the enormous number of trikes we have seen in the Black Hills I found this funny:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8-G8o8B6z6Y/Tj8_oR3tI3I/AAAAAAAACwQ/gmlC88BHFDI/JohnDeere.jpg
http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/docs/docDownload.ashx?guid=3581F8B6-D85A-455E-A141-987CBF0632DB&webtag=sgmfa

[slomove]

Just noticed, this has been the most active thread on this forum behind the Stickies and the "Best Picture" thread in General Discussions. :hurray:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gja5llE7rGI/TqdiL9frJhI/AAAAAAAAC54/I4lk4s3FJRA/s998/ForumStats.jpg

[Z3 Stalker]

Well we have 6" of snow here in Calgary; the Stalker is up on blocks having some upgrade performed on it. Just thought I would post some more photo's from the trip, refresh everyone's memory that attended the tour.

Stewart

[lancylad]

Cheers ...Now I am revved up already for the spring to arrive.. just got to put this engine back together!!

[squarefour]

So the snowmobile suit I bought for the tour, and carted around without ever using, has finally seen use. It's great for motorcycle rides in 45° weather. Apparently nobody else in L.A. has a snowmobile suit, because this popular biker hangout was deserted Saturday morning. Sorry, no pic of me in the suit, but I looked cool, honest.

[locost7018]

More Pic's of the cafe racer please (and spec's). I want a cafe thumper sooooooooo baaaaaad!!!! Russ

[squarefour]

Its just your usual DR650 running gear and engine bored out to 780cc, in a rigid flattrack frame, with a BSA Victor tank and a moped seat suspended by a 7-castoff coilover:) It's got about 50hp with a torque peak at ~4300rpm, and weighs 265lb. It's what I've been tinkering with for the last year or so.
More pics and details here-
http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5142

[locost7018]

They won't let me view pic's without joining. 780cc?????? Do you have any cylinder wall left? Cool bike though. Russ

[squarefour]

They won't let me view pic's without joining. 780cc?????? Do you have any cylinder wall left? Cool bike though. Russ

Oh that's right, that sucks. PM email and I'll send some. Cylinder's resleeved, so there's enough steel but not much aluminum left.

[slomove]

Sorry to report that my Seven has been badly neglected since summer. The broken front wing is not fixed yet and to not look stupid I removed the other one too (for now). But this weekend I finally got around to wash off the precious South Dakota and Wyoming dirt and bugs, at least.

Major reason for the neglect was a build project for a CNC machine (I follow in Mazda's footsteps here). I can not drive that thing but a lot of fun anyway and I promise to repair my Seven for the next trip.

http://youtu.be/HsAlAmrAPUg (http://youtu.be/HsAlAmrAPUg)

[rzempel]

My car, too, has not been driven much. After the tour, I think I only drove to the dyno day and following Blat. After that, I tore out the leak-prone cooling system and repaired it properly with a cooling rail, alloy tubing, silicone hoses, and t-clamps. I also discovered the reason the fan switch was leaking--a previous owner had installed the switch by drilling a hole in the radiator and twisting in the switch; no bung, no real threads, no clamping surface. Amazing that it lasted as long as it did.

A couple of weeks ago, I set out on a nice Saturday to test the new system...only to find out my alternator had died. Fortunately I have a good alternator/starter rebuild shop nearby, so it was an afternoon repair.

On Sunday, I headed to the mountains for a test. The coolant stayed a constant 180 on the way up, and going down with very little engine load I had a steady 160 in the frigid mountain air. I'm much happier with that state of affairs, and feeling more prepared for another assault on Beartooth Pass. :-)

[Alaskossie]

With my wife's assistance, I have put together a 2012 monthly calendar featuring Slomove's 2011 Black Hills Tour, which was USA7s' "official" national tour of the year.

I used the Apple publication services, and the result is (if I may say so) a fairly professional-looking calendar. (We did the same with my 2010 Seven drive from Colorado to Alaska, and scannon and some others can attest to the nice appearance of those calendars).

I had intended to use a number of the photos that various Tour participants had posted on the USA7s site, as well as my own photos. However, their resolution as posted was insufficient for Apple's calendar purposes, I didn't have specific rights to those photos, and I was running out of time to obtain high-res originals from these other folks.

So I used all of my own photos in high resolution, which cover the majority of the Tour fairly well. Since I rode shotgun during much of the Tour, I was well-placed to shoot photos while on the move.

The calendar is titled (admittedly, somewhat presumptuously), "USA7s 2012 Calendar," and is subtitled, "Black Hills Tour July 9-21, 2011." Recognizing that one month of 2012 has nearly passed already, my calendar is a 13-month calendar.

This calendars cost me about $19.00 each, not including postage from me to you. Since publication is "on demand," I would be pleased to offer these calendars to all 2012 Black Hills 2011 Tour participants, and to all other USA7ers, for US $25.00 each, which will include postage to you. I'm not intending to make anything on this, but want to cover my postage costs if possible.

Please let me know if you want one of these calendars, as soon as possible, and provide me with your mail address. Payment can be made to me by PayPal, at the address tmeacham@gci.net

I'm hoping that this calendar will bring back some good memories for Tour participants, and might inspire other USA7ers to put together or participate in similarly ambitious tours in the future. Thanks, Gert!