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Homecoming 2000 Survivor Shag  Big download ~ 20.4mgs mpeg Next morning, I met DaveT and MW for morning twisties. After a late start, we didn't have enough time to do it all, but enough to do some. We found awesome roads and ended up late at the lunch at the Woodfield (hey, it said until 2:30 on the schedule...). Niiiiice spread at the Woodfield, but everybody gone except those staying over. We grabbed JonT there and said goodbye to MW. I changed the route at the last minute figuring using I-40 to I-77 would be quicker and easier than picking smaller routes heading north. We 3 headed for the Interstate. In about 5 minutes, we lost JonT. We pulled over, he never showed. Called on TalkAbout, he never answered. Called on cell, voicemail. I figured that if we lost him that fast, he must have gone the other direction on the Interstate. By this time I find out that I have gone the wrong direction, heading south on I-26 to Spartanburg. So, I have lost JonT and I have added 100 miles to my trip after leaving late all day. Grumble. I did put the pedal to the metal to make up time, I admit it. Finally back in the right direction, we pick up I-40 heading east to I-77. Dum de dum. Miles passing. Dum de dum. Music stops. Weird. My very cool head unit, which I still haven't paid for, has just stopped producing sound. It still looks like it's working, but no sound on anything, tape, radio- nada. Now this could get ugly. Hours and hours of Interstate driving with no music. Then it started to rain. We pulled under a bridge to put our tops up and David answered a call of nature. What else can happen today? Lost JonT, went the wrong direction, radio dies, rain starts and I am stuck under a bridge having to pee. Z3 to the rescue. DaveT used his TalkAbout to play the tunes from his car into my car. Good thing we have similar taste in music. Can you believe that? He's driving for a couple hours holding down the TalkAbout button so I can have music while I drive. Awesome. He wins Survivor Shag. Phone rings. JonT. We've all been in a no cell phone area and he'd just been able to get through, after receiving all my voicemails. But he's going west on I-40 to pick up I-81 to I-77. Right. It's like a bad movie. OK, I-81 comes in to I-77 long after me an DaveT will get on I-77, so let's meet JonT at the first exit north of where I-81 comes in to I-77. I hate Interstates. Dum de dum, miles passing. Going speed limit, using cruise control. Dum de dum. Crossing into Virginia (you know how I feel about Virginia). Take down the V1. Dum de dum. Hello, Synchronicity? It's me again. We arrived at the meet point within 10 minutes of JonT. Well, sorta. He heard DaveT playing the music for me, and called us on his TalkAbout, but then I overshot the exit. Again. And uh, DaveT was on orange light. Oops. In the middle of nowhere again, we had the choice of gambling on finding gas before the tank ran out. We gambled and won, even ran into another Z3er, but he was going the other direction, returning from a high school reunion. I lost the boys once when I finally took an exit I was supposed to, but they didn't. They pulled to the side and waited, I caught up, no problem. Natch, cell phones and TalkAbouts were no use then either. My music came back on. With music I can drive a lot further than without- so we made up some lost distance driving into the night on Interstates. Gotta love that V1. (Can I get an "amen"?) No problem getting a hotel at the end of the Interstate, nice clean place, nice little town. Got about 3 hours of running on Extreme Twisties before returning to Interstates. Interstates were awful, congested and full of odd drivers- we took it with DaveT as far as we could and then split off. He was on orange light again. I-81 (blech) was wall to wall traffic, and bad road to boot. We pulled off and went in search of back roads. Found an awesome road to sneak us up to I-78. Somewhere around here my airbag light came on again. Fourth time. Oh well, at least now I carry black electrical tape to cover it. Then I-78 was at a dead stop. I tuned in the CB to hear from the truckers what was going on. 1 1/2 miles of traffic backed up to merge for 2 miles along construction. And about 20 blonde jokes. JonT jumped off at I-287 and I rolled home in Manhattan at around 1130pm. Damn, it was a good time. Thank you Wayne and Amy, BMW Manufacturing, BMW, ALL the Z3ers, ALL the Associates, ALL the nice people in Spartanburg for everything. Best vacation ever. Already planning the Shag for 2001... mileage ... |
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6 Shag Survivor Pages Part 1 ~~ Part 2 ~~ Part 3 ~~ Part 4 ~~ Part 5 ~~ Part 6 ~~ |
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