[pearman00]

i am now starting to plan anic: a trip to usa with our cars (max10 cars ) all of them LOTUS mine being a S1 Elise (Honda engine) im looking at shipping them to New York and going down the east Coast for 2 to 3 weeks next year (2010).
so im am posting on here for some ideas : roads to drive, events or places to see, LOTUS meetings to go or even trackdays todo.
As this is the start of my plan what is the best month for the weather.
and as long as we end up at a port where we can put our cars back on a ship to England it should be fine.
so all of your help will be appreciated


Tony

 

[ajp33]

Sounds like a hell of a fun trip. Have you contacted Ian Wilson on seloc as he did a trip accross the US in his Honda'd Elise a couple of yeras ago on his way back to Oz.

I'm a Brit about 7 hours from New York and can't add too much advice but would love to help, meet up if I can.

 

[pearman00]

yes i know of Ian from seloc, i have no problems in getting the cars over to New York and back.
what i am after is more info with local knowledge.

would be great to meet up at some time

Tony

 

[ajp33]

You may want to try tail of the dragon in North Carolina. A group of us are heading there on teh way back from the annual Lotus meet and it;s supposed to be amazing

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f220/tail-dragon-after-log-29-june-1-2-a-71601/

 

[Uncle Sam]

You should consider these East Coast tracks, north to south: Watkins Glen; Virginia International Raceway; Road Atlanta; Daytona (unlikely, only a few events a year); Sebring.

You could ship out of Miami easily.

Washington D.C. has tons of stuff to see in museums. Plan on a couple of days minimum. Sounds like a cool trip.

 

[Rainier]

For driving scenic routes on east coast from NYC area and down, I know of following:

A bit north of NYC : Hudson river valley, Storm King Highway, Catskills

Virginia: Shenandoah National Park

Florida Keys

If you going to the trouble of comming over, you might as well go out west to where the stunning scenery is!
Monument Vally, Utah, Moab, Grand Canyon, Canyon Lands....

 

[lotus69f2]

Coast for 2 to 3 weeks next year (2010).
so im am posting on here for some ideas : roads to drive, events or places to see, LOTUS meetings to go or even trackdays todo.

I applaud you for the financial and time obligation to do such an event, especially for organizing and exclusively Lotus group.

I organize the Philadelphia Area Lotus Society and we do monthly events which you can find posted regularly to Lotus Talk.

You would certainly be welcome to attend any of them, but if I could see fit to do an event especially to welcome you and your group to the US. I would even be willing to host it at my place. I have a Barn dedicated to my Lotus collection and a large property that can accomodate a large gathering of Lotus - and have done so - http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f11...s-society-pals-winter-planning-meeting-68703/

Also consider making LOG part of your plans. 2010's edition has not yet been announced, but it should be announced in a few weeks, as the next years LOG is usually announced during the current LOG. It is rumored to be in the Northeast of the country in the Fall.

Reply to post or PM me if you want to coordinate your trip with a PALS event.

 

[catapult]

I suggest you combine some good driving with checking out some cool sites/places. Try this route if you are arriving and leaving from New York. I recently did a road trip from Toronto to Charleston. You could go to Philadelphia from New York, from there I would suggest heading towards Wilmington (Delaware I think) and then cross the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge (IMO its an engineering marvel) to Norfolk, West Virginia (Norfolk is where the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet is headquartered). From there you can check out some very important historical sites including Jamestown (first North American permanent settlement and also where Pockahontas is from) and Williamsburg (this is where much of the American Revolution was fought). From there head to Wilmington, North Carolina while hugging the coast and sticking to secondary roads. I was able to set my GPS to "scenic". From Wilmigton you can head to Charleston, South Carolina (Myrtle Beach is along the route - a bit tacky IMO) and then perhaps Savannah, Georgia. For the trip back, we then headed to Asheville, North Carolina. This is in the middle of the mountains and has some great driving roads. This is also where Biltmore Estate is (the Vanderbilt's estate). If you head west from there you can hook up with the Tail of the Dragon (see other posts) or head towards Washington via the Blue Ridge Skyway (now quite as twisty as the Tail of the Dragon but less traffic and less cops but still a beautiful and fun route). Washington is worthwhile spending a coupe of days in if you haven't been there before.

I'm excited for you. I had a great time on my road trip. Remember to pack light!!

 

[...m...]

...just, you know, avoid alabama if you have MAN LOVE RULES OK painted on the haunch of your car - just sayin'...

 

[ggelise]

Was that 5th Gear who pulled that stunt? Those guys genuinely feared for their lives! One of the funniest things ever on tv.....rotfl

 

[pearman00]

You may want to try tail of the dragon in North Carolina. A group of us are heading there on teh way back from the annual Lotus meet and it;s supposed to be amazing

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f220/tail-dragon-after-log-29-june-1-2-a-71601/

had a look on the map and tail of the dragon looks and sounds :shift: good to me, so that will have to go on the list

thanks for your help

Tony

 

[pearman00]

...just, you know, avoid alabama if you have MAN LOVE RULES OK painted on the haunch of your car - just sayin'...

Does it not rule in Alabama then








so we can go to Alabama then, as i took that off my car last week

 

[serpent]

As far as i know next LOG (Lotus Owners Gathering) is supposed to happen in Philadelphia (or somewhere else close). We wont know for sure until its announced, but you guys should definitely plan on coming to that.

Why not ship cars to NY and then drive down to Miami and ship out? That way you can hit everything along the way and have a fulfilling trip.

Once you have the basic planning down i'm sure we can all plan for an awesome trip with specifics.

 

[mldlaw]

Philadelphia area

1. Track days are easy to arrange at Pocono International Raceway - 2 hours from NYC or Philly, and at New Jersey Motorsports Park near Ocean City New Jersey (they have great go-karts, too).
2. You may want to come watch the Pagoda or Duryea Hillclimb in Reading, Pennsylvania, about 1 hour from Philadelphia.
3. Why not sign up for a Philadelphia area SCCA autocross one Sunday.
Just some ideas for you.
Be sure to let us know when you are coming.

 

[JungleJim]

Tony, if you want some track time, contact Ian at SCDA1.com to talk about Driver Ed days at Lime Rock Park. Beautiful setting in the Berkshires. An easy drive from New York City. Don't miss out on some great roads in the Northeast. If you are planning a run to the south, head out onto the Skyline Drive and BlueRidge Parkway.

Sounds like a great trip.

 

[SirLotus]

If you come to South Florida, as an ex-Brit, I would be happy to meet you. We have a Pub here The Blue Anchor British Pub...... 19th Century Pub Imported From England that was partially brought over from the UK, Chancery Lane to be precise, nice place to meet.
BTW, hurricane season is June 1st to November 30th.
Cheers,
Michael

 

[pearman00]

All, thanks very much for all of the replies, much appreciated, your suggestions have given me a lot of ideas of routes etc. We will definitely plan the event to coincide with LOG30 - sounds like that will be a lot of fun.

I'll get the group together to sort out details soon, but at the moment I'm thinking we'll start in NY, go inland to Phili and then head over the the East coast and meander back up the coast to NY.

 

[pearman00]

Sorry - hit the send key before I was ready to send that message - meant Alabama not Phili..... but will take that in as well.

If we get as far as S Florida we'll definitely pop into the pub for a real English pint!

Again - thanks for all your help - keep the replies coming - all ideas greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Tony

 

[Vampyre]

Starting in New York......
Check out one of our local tracks
Watkins Glen International - Watkins Glen International

Located in the Finger Lakes wine country.
Finger Lakes Wine Country

... the track opens in May

 

[Paul H]

Just saying 'Hi' - I intend to be coming across with Tony for this next year. Already excited!
As for pre-planning what do you recommend as the best map book to use for checking out routes?