****Revised Route! Click here, scroll down.****
Notice one alarming similarity in the photograph below?
That’s right, they all have the same model of wheels (it’s not rims, nor are they on the whip either). Most auto enthusiasts will pick up immediately on the famous CH model of wheel made by arguably the best wheel manufacturer in the world – BBS. Another similiarity? They’re all Audi’s – big shocker huh? Continue Reading…
Two most common letters in that phonetic spelling leads to “aaaaahhh” – what is said when one is relaxing. This could not have fit more perfectly than in Bar Harbor, Maine. I was looking forward to this one.
Why? For one, it was my first proper campfire of the trip. Secondly, the campsite was just yards from the shore (yet safe from the tide). Lastly, and how could one forget, the lobster. Sure, it’s not everyone’s favorite shellfish, but I couldn’t wait to taste that sweet, sweet flesh. Here are all the aforementioned, combined into one:
I can honestly say that throughout my trip, I’ve been to quite a number of urban environments, and as far as missed turns, Boston takes the cake. The cumulative missed turns from Denver, SLC, L.A., Miami, San Francisco, Portland, Miami, Vancouver, New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta, Charleston, and D.C. still don’t combine to half the number of that of Boston.
I lack any real explanation for it either – it simply seemed a bit non-grid-like, and different on-ramps and outlets had not 2 options to proceed, but 3 or more, constantly. After a while I simply started crawling up to the next turn so I could look at the routed map and then decide which turn that most closely resembled. Regardless, this did not put a damper one bit to Boston.
Of course, like most stops, it had to kick off with a meet with local Audi fellows. Quite the clean group showed with what us auto-enthusiasts like to call “OEM+” modifications. Simply put, you modify your car with OEM, or aftermarket parts that compliment the car so well, it’s as if the car came from the factory as it stood. Here are the three fine examples to show:
That’s what you get when you combine a dozen high-horsepower (to me they are, at least) super saloons. What’s needed to get them together for a romp around arguably the most famous city in the world? A bit of luck, some radio communication, and a group of willing enthusiasts who desire to convene to make an awesome sight – an awesome sight it was:
What can be said about the Tail of the Dragon that hasn’t been said before? One statistic says it all – 11 miles, 318 corners. The battle-hardened canyon carvers will question the voracity of the turns, but with so many, there are bound to be a good number to appreciate.
From the get-go, I arrived at the base of the famed stretch of highway 129 and checked in at the last room available at Deal’s Gap Motorcycle resort. After getting settled and grabbing a bite to eat, I was greeted by a group from Toronto. Armed with an Scoobie STi and two-wheelers of the Buell, Yamaha, and Ducati kind, a long holiday was to be spent centering around the Dragon.
Once Jason, the driver/owner of the STi, found out that I had just gotten in and had yet to run the Dragon, he grabbed his keys, took my arm and within minutes, we were blasting through. His knowledge and experience of the Dragon became quite apparent when the names of each corner streamed out of his mouth. It was an exhilarating road and I had a lot to look forward to the following morning.
The next day saw myself washing the car, compliments of Jason’s soap, bucket, and mitt. Soon afterwards, I headed down towards Fontana Dam for two reasons – to warm up the car before pounding on it, and to simply see the sights. Here is the view looking out towards the “high-side” and the dam itself.:
