Esmerelda, the Emerald Car

The Trip to Homecoming 98

We joined the group at the rest stop and everyone told stories. It turns out that not only Walt saw the accident, but also the last car in the convoy, Bob, had seen it in his mirror. If you have to have an accident it sure is nice to have the driver in front of you and the driver behind you witness it. This made me a bit famous at the convention as people would ask if I was "the one" who got hit. 500 cars from all over the country but I was "the one". By the time the gathering was over, every single driver and everyone working at the BMW factory knows me on sight by my first name. I am going to get my car (Esmerelda) fixed like new and get it a license plate that reads: PRPLHRT (Purple Heart)...

Many thanks to the NE Convoy for their tremendous spirit and fun.

I am also asking for recommendations for a GREAT BMW body shop in the New York or Philadelphia Area.

The Trip Home

This is the long version- it's also the short version. If you just want the short version please skip to the "**********************************************************************************************************************************"

And for those of you in law enforcement- Walt, Bob and I are fictional characters. ;-)

To get to the Grove Inn I took the long "A" trip last heat at 9am- by accident, but that is another story. Leaving the Grove I had company for the drive home. Walt and Bob. This was a good thing although it did occur to me that Walt was behind me and Bob in front of me when I had that accident on the way down to Homecoming. Everyone knows that story right? But really since Bob and I had no clue where we were or how we got there or how to get home we were happy that Walt had it all under control. Walt has every kind of gadget in his car- and we were happy to follow his GPS and just drive. The first road he found was fabulous. Staggering scenery and the road was nearly empty, and stretched out for miles ahead with such a clear view the you could see that there were no police and so we flew like hawks down the road. I noticed on a hill that they were both leaving me in the dust even though I was in 5th gear and had my foot to the floor. Perhaps understandable for Walt in his M with the Dinan chip but Bob was in a 2.8 like mine. Something was wrong with this picture. I used the family radio to ask Walt about it and he told me he was in 3rd going up the hill. I tried upshifting on the next hill and Esmerelda (my car) flew past Bob and Walt. I blew their doors off and continued at 100miles/hr for a while until they were like little bugs in my rear view mirror. Then I could watch them catch up. Walt said he got up to 110 catching up. Bob was happy because we were driving fast.

Bob likes to go fast. Walt likes to be crafty- staying in the right lane and passing every single car as if he really wasn't going as fast as he is. We pretty much leap-frogged like that the rest of the way- someone pulling way up front- the others catching up averaging about 85 driving somewhere between 65 and 100.

We always had to stop when Bob and my gauges were on 1/4 tank because Walt's M would be on the orange light- the M's apparently have 2 gallons less tank space and use the fuel faster. Bob doesn't mind to stop as long as he gets to drive fast. Bob's usual line is "Let's drive fast". Or "Let's driver faster". Did I mention that Bob likes to drive fast?

So, after the second gas stop, (about 450 miles later) we stopped at a raunchy diner for food and gas and cockroaches. Bob was the closest to home so we said goodbye to him there, knowing he would be splitting off in about 100 miles. We had been quite a sight, driving together often in formation and pulling into gas stations and rest stops 1-2-3.

We had been in Virginia for a long time and most of our trip was in Virginia. I had mentioned to the convoy on the way down that Virginia gives me the creeps.

Fun facts about Virginia:
• 50% of the nation's budget for roads goes to Virginia.
• FBI, CIA, Pentagon- all in Virginia.
• Radar detectors are illegal in Virginia
• They recently had a law allowing them to stop people at the border and test their blood.

So we started out. It had gone from daylight to dark while we ate. Bob took off like a shot. Bob likes to go fast. Walt and I wanted to go slower, feeling naked without our radar detectors. I was doing my usual thing of acting as go between, catching up to Bob and then slowing down to reach Walt but this time Bob was so far ahead I couldn't find him. Bob likes to go fast. I kept trying to catch up to him because after all, if Bob hadn't got caught and Walt was covering my back I had to be safe, right? Right?

Walt says he was doing about 85 when he saw the flashing lights in his mirror and started to pull over. But the bear passed him. Amazed, he radioed me that a smokey was coming up fast. I slowed down in plenty of time but in 2 seconds there he was- yes you guessed it. "He's got me" I radioed back. "YOU?" said Walt. Maybe Bob was going too fast to catch- I don't know why or how the cop could have missed Bob and passed Walt but yes he went after me. Naturally. "78 in a 65" zone he said.

I told the cop about the accident on the way down as I pulled out my license and registration. At least I knew right where they were having gotten them out so recently...

*****************************************************************************(short version starts here) ******************************************

• "Come to the passenger side of my car" he said.
• (I never heard of a cop asking you to get out of the car unless they are doing a sobriety check.)
• I came to his car and he asked me to get in.
• (I never heard this- is this some Virginia thing?)
• "I don't mean to offend you officer but I feel uncomfortable abount getting into your car"
• "OK" says he, " I want to ask you some questions and give you your summons."
• I knelt by the passenger door.
• "Is this your current address?"
• "Yes".
• "How much do you weigh?"
• (again, is this some special Virginia torture?- no I am not going to tell you what I answered :-) )
• "Is that the 4 or 6 cylinder?"

I told him about the Homecoming. I told him about the 4 and the 6 and the M's and how they were made in America in South Carolina. He had trouble believing that. He asked what else they made at the factory in Spartanburg- it was like a test on what I had learned when I was there. I told him about Pete, the ex-cop among us and his car and the story about the delivery. I told him he should get one, that they are not that expensive, he said "About 35K, right?". The second ticket I have gotten in my life- and both times in the Z3 and both times the cops were interested in the car. He asked all about it and then he still gave me the ticket. $69.

We figure Bob was going about 100 and was home already, after all it was only another 300 miles, and BOb likes to go fast... we never saw him again. While I was getting the ticket Walt went ahead and was waiting for me ahead off the highway and was followed by 2 cops who told him he was wasn't allowed to wait for me unless he parked in a lot. We had another 400 miles to go.

I said good bye to Walt at around 3:15am when we stopped for the 3rd and last time for gas. I made the last leg on my own. I got in at about 4am. I had been driving for 19 hours.
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