Extrodinary weekend planned...

[The_Bishop]

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37418

It's been really difficult to be productive today. Scooby and I are off to BWI in less than an hour. Scott's picking us up at Hobby tonight (great guy), then we're going to try to be on the road in the morning at a reasonable time. We're going to try to make it to Chattanooga by late tomorrow for some quality time at the Dragon on Sat., so if you see a Mag Blue streak between Houston and Tennessee, it's probably us.

Here's our planned route:



Well do a little photo documentation along the way, and update the thread once we're back safe and sound.

Later!

- Allen.

[ScoobyGuru]

woooooo hoooooo can't wait

[Phantom]

Don't forget to wave as you pass through Birmingham!

[titleist1]

Too complicated to hook up with you guys but I will be heading from the Atlanta area to PA on Sunday. I-85 to I-77 to I-81. Just maybe I will see you going north on 81 sometime Sunday. I hope to leave around 4 am to put me at my hometown around 3 pm. Adam.

[Scott in Houston]

Looking forward to tracking "my" Elise as it heads out East.

Great seeing you guys and weird watching it drive off.


Just be careful. You're entering some dangerous areas for an Elise. Here's a map for your reference. (I just think this map is funny)

Especially with 2 guys in it. lol


I almost cried as much as when Sanjaya sings...

[The_Bishop]

Thanks for the posts, guys. Scott, you're a trip! Love the map.

We made it to Chattanooga early this morning, around 1:00am. We left Houston about 9:30am yesterday and all told put around 850mi on the clock. Today is going to be a little easier as we make our way up to the Dragon and putter around there for a while. Yesterday was a test of endurance so we could have some liesure time today. We hope to carry on to Roanoak, VA. this evening, hit some of the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday morning and arrive home in the early evening.

I've got quite a few funny stories from yesterday's leg, so I'll wrap things up with some photos and stories once we're back safe and sound. The Elise is running fantastic and we're really enjoying the trip!!

Off for some breakfast now.

- Allen.

[Defiant00]

Had the pleasure of meeting The_Bishop and ScoobyGuru at the Dragon today and took some pictures of the (gorgeous) car. Also, you made Darren's day letting him sit in it

[Defiant00]

And a few more:

Spot the Elise:



It definitely got some attention when it pulled in, not to mention our group jumping up and running outside

[RacyTracy]

Great map!!! Seems like they got Illinois right.

[jlee]

whats with all the blue tape ??

you should give me a ring when you come by Wash DC if you still have my number !

[Scott in Houston]

The tape is where there is no star shield. It's just for rock chip protection for the long trip.

As for the map, I just found that on the net some time ago and thought it was funny even though it was obviously done by someone in Nebraska. lol

Allen will post more pics when he gets home. I've had a few sent to my cell phone that looked pretty good.

[jlee]

i still can't believe you sold it..you bought it right after me too...

[ScoobyGuru]

^ Ask Scott what he replaced the Elise with and you'll understand. I want some dynamic seats for my car!

What a weekend, I'm sad it's over. The Tail of the Dragon was amazing. Great meeting Difiant00, his wifey, and Scott. The attention the car got was great and the look on some of the bikers faces was priceless. The car has so much grip with the touring package, I couldn't imagine how it feels with some a048's on it.

The look on Allen's face was pricless all weekend as well and I'm glad he drives it like it was made to be driven!

Pics to come tomorrow, great weekend.

[Scott in Houston]

Did he let you drive it at all?

[jlee]

Scott, What did you get ???

[Scott in Houston]

Originally Posted by jlee

Scott, What did you get ???

I basically came to a point where I realized that I'm not going to get to do what I purchased that car for.... TRACK WEEKENDS.

My family and work take too much time, so I decided that I'd go back to uber-sedan world in order to meet my car/hp/fun addiction, but still be able to take my family with me.

I debated between another 911 Turbo or another M5 (E60), and ended up test driving one of these and buying the car in the pic below:

(I got it low-mileage, slightly used... best way to go on this car!)



I picked up Allen and Ryan in this car when they flew in to pick up the Elise.

I'll miss the Elise, but I barely got to drive it, so I won't miss it terribly, and now I have a fun car to drive daily.

[ScoobyGuru]

Originally Posted by Scott in Houston

Did he let you drive it at all?

Yes sir! I'd say I probably logged half of the mileage or close to it. Allen slayed the dragon, but I was able to get the brakes hot and smelly on the twisties leaving the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday.

[The_Bishop]

If anyone reading this thread is contemplating the purchase of an Elise, I can offer you two comments. The first one is, just do it! The second is, do not shy away from purchasing your car some distance form your home. What a great way to learn the car and experience the adventure of a cross-country roadtrip! We totaled 1,607miles over 3 days and averaged a bit over 31mpg! It’s hard to pick a trip highlight, as the entire experience was fantastic, but the Tail of the Dragon run definitely was a stand out. Below, I’ve assembled some photos from the trip. I have to credit Ryan for most all of them. This is definitely something we will remember for a long time to come!

Ryan took this photo to show our proximity to one another for nearly 30hrs for the uninitiated who might not otherwise understand the concept. His eventual mother-in-law got him some travel toiletries for Christmas. I’ll have to compliment her as his armpits smelled pretty good throughout the trip:




This was a welcome sight after 850miles of interstate driving as we left Chattanooga and headed along the Cherohala Skyway, kind of taking the bottom route to Deals Gap:



I’m not sure if truckers have a problem comprehending this sign or not, but looking at images from the Tail of the Dragon’s website, many try, but fail:



This is an image of the stop-off at Deals Gap. On our day there, we didn’t see many other cars, but there were plenty of bikers. Reaction towards the Elise was entertaining and plenty positive:



For those of you that have visited Deals Gap, you’ll definitely recognize this. It’s called The Tree of Shame. There was remnants of a Barbie Big Wheel, but no bits from Hethel:



I call the title of this photo, “What-ev-er.” :



The key fob says it all:



I like the contrast in this photo:



This is “Foamhenge”, a life size replica of the actual creation. It’s situated between exits 175 and 180 of I81 in Virginia:



Here’s what the GPS read once back at my home:



And finally, here are some random photos of the car taken as we were driving along our route. As I said, this will be a trip we will remember for some time to come. Here’s to many more miles in the Elise!:




and my personal favorite:



- Allen

[Scott in Houston]

Who was the idiot that sold that beautiful car!?


Man that looks like a fun trip.

[Alphonse]

Did you by chance by that car from a gent by the name of Bob Geiss?
Or did you get it from Star Motors? If it's Bob's car that would explain why we have not seen him around in some time.
Excellent photos, thanks for sharing, and good luck and enjoy the ride!

Al "phonse" B.
Houston