Anyway, the day began at 0900 with an admonition from the organizers to the effect that, if you were having car trouble, you should not follow the planned route due to the dangerous roads and remoteness from, well, everything. We took off and ended up following the route as planned. This included a dirt road through primordial forest, altitudes of over a mile above sea level, and many, many turns.
After almost 10 hours, we rolled into the hotel parking lot in Murphy, Tennessee in time to see the vivid aftermath of what happens when you try to cook a can of soup on the engine of a Toyota camper van (hint: it explodes).
A few pictures from today's adventure:
The car as it looks today. Decoration is a work in progress, as you can see. Many teams have contributed. No major mechanical issues, just an exhaust leak that is getting louder. John is working on it as I type. Other teams have not fared as well, with some pretty major failures. We shall see how many make it here in the wee hours.
One of the highlights of today's drive was Deal's Gap, a route known as "The Tail of the Dragon" and infamous in the motorcycle community for its never-ending twists and turns over 11 miles. Frankly, Rt.58 that we drove yesterday was twistier and more demanding, but this was entertaining nonetheless.
Tomorrow, Birmingham, Alabama. We may deviate a bit from the planned route and make a straight run along the interstate in the interests of being a little more comfortable at the end of the day. We'll see.
What, you don't show up on film? Post a picture or forever defend yourself as a 'ghost' driver.
ReplyDeletePictures. MORE PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBring me a souvenir!
ReplyDelete