fluffysheap

Revlis has some good ideas about route plotting. I brought my laptop, in case of a major lost disaster, but didn't have any time to look at it while on the road. I definitely like the phone number exchange.

I also like having the radios... probably only a few people need them though, Kristopher, whoever's in back, and maybe one or two others. There was a couple times where everyone got separated, especially in town, and another couple times where I at least didn't know what was going on. (Like toward the start of the drive where we went down that funny dirt road and then everyone got out of their cars... I assume that was a lost moment?)

Heh, I felt pretty slow there for a while. Now I know you guys had GPS and moving maps! That's cheating! There were a bunch of corners where you guys just rocketed around and I'm like... well I can PROBABLY take that corner at that speed... but it's blind I have no idea what is coming up and my tires are older than most of your cars and, uh, I better let the WRX pass me at the next stop sign.

Not sure whether I was too slow for Sojourner or not. I thought I was doing ok because he was back a ways but then he told me it was just to keep from breathing my exhaust.

120? Seriously? OK if that happens on any of these squiggly-roads I am not keeping up.

Nuzzle was actually my third choice but the state wouldn't give me "OMG WTF" or "O RLY" Anyway, sheap are big-time nuzzlers. Very friendly animals.

kristopher_d

No nav for me. I just spend WAY too much time studying the route.

Everyone's definition of "spirited" is a little different. I've actually been feeling really cautious lately and not pushing to hard. Even when I was really miffed over the Chuckanut experience and driving to burn it off, I still found myself baking off earlier than I would have 6 months ago.

Revlis

The only problem with the route plotting like I did is the time it takes. Not a big deal I suppose to make one, and email it out. But it's time consuming.

Folks really could be made responsible for their own directions and getting them from The Website.

BUT

The Flip card Directions could really be handy for everyone. BIG BOLD LETTERS...

05TiGr8Lady

I agree about different definitions of spirited. Maybe it would be good to post something about your definition on the Winding Road or in our drive threads so that people have an idea of what to expect ahead of time. For example - I think BunnyGirl was a little surprised at how fast we were going on the Formal drive in December and she has only been driving for about a year - period. She came all the way up from Oregon to drive with us and it was tough keeping up.

Golly, it didn't seem like you were being that cautious. Cautious is a good thing though

fluffysheap

Yeah, I imagine if you've driven the route a couple times planning it out, you'll have a pretty good idea what's coming up.

I'm not complaining... in fact I'm wondering whether there will be an April event, besides the low-speed Tulip Rallye. It did, however, take me a few minutes to, uh, adjust.
But I will say that this is the fastest group drive I've been to

kristopher_d

Maybe I haven't been being "cautious" so much as not exploring the limits as much. Everytime I think I'm driving as fast as Ruby will go, I back off, pay attention, and she let's me know she's still got more performance in store.

Yeah, we will have an April run in addition to the Tulip Rallye. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junky, and I really don't see the tulip rallye filling that need. Any suggestions on the destination?

I was actually reading the directions (2 at a time) to myself since I've never driven the route as a whole. I've run most of those roads before, just not all strung together, so I guess that gave me a bit of an advantage.

I'll definitely get a "Spirited Driving: Defined" article up. I'm learning stuff every month, so I really appreciate the patience and suggestions.

sojourner

I like the idea of big flip cards to look at. I would have done that but my printer died about a week before the drive and I haven't replaced it yet. I also would have had a co-driver, but they bailed last minute so I was left to my own devices. The reason I brought up the FRS radios was because we had no signal in several section of the drive, making it impossible to contact anyone up front. And not everyone needs one, but if they have them, it would be a good idea.

As far as spirited driving, I like to do it myself, but I think more caution should be used when driving in areas where there are driveways and such. I felt we went a little fast in a few areas.
And yes, I was keeping my distance from flufflysheep to not have to eat so many fumes, but you were not holding me up. I was enjoying the scenery.

I am waiting to hear about the next one. I would like to meet up with everyone again. It was fun. And by the way, I am putting a route together over here for when the roads are a little cleaner and safer. I will send you some info Kristopher when I get it together.

Revlis

Honestly the initial pace was too hot for the conditions IMO.. "IMO" I've been driving and riding sport bikes for 20 and 14 years respectively and have a good sense of where the limits should be in just about any given circumstance. Damp crappy asphalt is an iffy place to be pushing limits. then add in the bicycles, farm implements and blind corners? It's just a matter of time. I'd only caution the necessity of letting folks know to DRIVE THEIR OWN PACE.

It's similar in sport bikes. A Fast group or more aggressive group takes off, the folks in the middle are left feeling like they need to catch up, well to catch up they must by definition push harder than the folks who are already at 80%. Not safe, and I've seen a fair amount of pretty messy scenes because of folks letting their ego's or emotions get the better of them, or just not realizing that they are in fact pushing harder than those upfront to try and catch them. It's a dangerous pattern.

Just my .02 there just needs to be an announcement that "You NEED TO DRIVE YOUR OWN PACE" It's important that folks don't let pride or ego get them in over their heads.

kristopher_d

Huh, I guess I need to recalibrate for the group drives. Sorry about that, I certainly don't want to make anyone uncomfortable or ask them to overdrive themselves or their cars. A couple folks asked about "rules" and gave them the "drive your own drive" instructions. I feel like I get a little too preachy when I ask everyone to gather 'round for a pre-drive talk. However, given the feedback I've had this week, I guess it's well warranted. Maybe I forget that not everyone who drives cars like these spends as much time doing it as I do. I really need another hobby, but any time I start in on something else, I just want to go driving.

I guess that's another reason to carry radios if you've get 'em. I had mine...in my trunk. If we're on radio's it's real easy to push the button and say "Kristopher, you're getting carried away." Or "Kristopher, you're in my way, pull the hell over and let me by."

Revlis

No No, Don't take my comments too much to heart. While I agree that a Pre-drive huddle is a great idea, your drive is your drive, and I didn't think you made anyone too uncomfortable except in that some may have felt the need to keep up.

It sounds to me like you really need to hit the track though Kristopher, get the hell off the roads and really explore the limits in a controlled environment. Hell Join the SCCA and hit some of their AutoCross events. HUGE FUN.

shaunv74

As a counterpoint to all this I think Kris has done an excellent job and we all appreciate the work he puts into these drives each month. They are spirited and I think as long as we set some good rules on keeping the pack together and everyone drives their own drive then it's each person's responsibility to drive at their own pace and the group rules should keep us together.

kristopher_d

Actually, I agree. I do need to get to the track. I've auto-crossed a couple of times (with my RX-7) and didn't really enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. I find myself distracted by the parking space lines and the lack of course lines (I know there are cones, but I don't connect the dots well in my head) just turns me all sorts of upside down and sideways. I spend too much effort trying to figure out where I'm going to really be fast. I keep planning to sign up for one of the schools (preferable proformance) but just like with the shocks I'm finally ordering tomorrow, there's always something else that requires money. There was definitely one corner complex on Colony Rd (the one we turned onto when Chuckanut got down into the valley) that told me to back off. It was a damned cool experience, but if anything had gone wrong, we wouldn't be able to claim a perfect safety record (knock on wood, knock on wood, knock on wood).

I honestly thought there were more straight aways, and I usually slow way down in the straights to let the back of the pack catch up. That's a bit of advice Darin gave me at our first drive, 10 months ago, that has really worked out well.

All in all, I know you folks appreciate the effort, and that means a lot. I love doing it, other wise I wouldn't bother. I think it's probably time to close the door on this love fest though so we can all go back to rough and tumble car folks who are too tough to show emotion.

red_rabbit86

red_rabbit86

i tried to get my gf to take pic of people with thier wow faces when we all passed them but my gf wasnt fast enough with the cam

red_rabbit86

red_rabbit86

the evil corner

red_rabbit86

and the famious motorcycle

red_rabbit86

red_rabbit86

red_rabbit86

ok that is all of the pics i have hopefully nobody hates me for the plate # i dont have the program to edit it out. kris if you want to use any of these pics on your site feel free. i used the sceanery just to show what people missed out. well i had fun hopefully next time i could just take the pics and let somebody else do the driving

kristopher_d

There's several really good one's I think I'll incorporate.

Revlis

Very Nice Pics Rabbit... Thanks for posting em'.

fluffysheap

Yeah those are good pics, your GF really likes my license plate, hehe Startled passers-by would definitely be a treat though.

I think it's silly that people edit out license plates. I mean, yeah, so people can see your license plate on the internet. Also they can see it when you are driving. Big deal.

Hmm, so I was going to say this yesterday but the forum ate my post, the only time I thought we were going too fast was around a couple of blind corners, because you never know what's going on on the other side. The rest of the time was just faster than I expected. Since I have only had my car for a couple months and have never really driven it hard before, I had no idea what I was doing at first.

I also liked the occasional stop sign or traffic light, which helped everybody catch up. I was never worried about, like, trying to prove I could keep up, but I didn't want to get separated from the group. Once I realized that wasn't going to be an issue, I wasn't too worried.

shaunv74

Wow. Looks like it was a great day. BTW: love the body kit on your FB Fluffy.

sojourner

Great pictures re rabbit. They are a very good representation of the group and the fantastic weather. I really feel sorry for those who decided not to come because of weather. They really missed out.