12,475 miles - Car Crazy!

People are crazy about their cars... and not just MINI owners! Last evening I attended a car show right here in beautiful Bayonne, NJ... my adopted hometown. Sponsored by Liberty Classic Car Club of Bayonne, NJ -- sorry, they currently do not have a website -- this gathering of members is held every Tuesday evening from 6pm to 9pm at the Southern Cove Shopping Center parking lot right off Rt. 440 north. Cars are preened for display while members mingle with both spectators and each other. A DJ plays classic rock and roll and periodically door prizes are raffled off. What a great way to spend a nice evening... admiring classic muscle cars and talking shop.

As the club name suggests, the show is all about classic cars... which by the club's definition is anything built prior to 1985. Please keep in mind that depending on which auto group/club you speak to, this date is debatable. But since this is an informal meeting, really any car is allowed to show, however non-classics are displayed along the outer fringes while the classics get the primo spots on the lot.

One important piece of news... apparently there is a 'circuit' of weekly car shows around my immediate area. Every Wednesday a group of owners in Staten Island get together to strut their wheels, and every Thursday the Holy Grail of local car shows is held in Rutherford near the Mid-Evil Times Restaurant... I have been told upwards of 600+ cars are on display every week! I sense lots more pics to follow in the very very near future mwuhhhahahaa...

Sadly, I arrived late to the show so I apologize for not taking more pictures. There were approximately 20 cars on display and I didn't get to see all of them. Sorry... but sunset -- and thus 'prime picture taking time' -- had passed and some owners left early (gasp!). I also spent way too much time chatting with some of the owners and club members.

BTW, if anyone is interested in learning more about Liberty Classic Car Club, just e-mail me and I will forward your request on :)

And so without further adieu, click here for more pics from last night... enjoy!

motor on!

12,012 miles - It's a gas gas gas

OK, my MINI is having trouble turning over these past few mornings. I would turn the key and my MINI would sputter... eventually kicking in after some coaxing with the ignition and the gas pedal. Originally I suspected it was the gas I received from el cheapo no-name gas station last week (I was desperate, what can I say!), but coincidentally a few people online posted the same problem with their MINIs!

It turns out it was the gas... but for a completely different reason. Right now, gas companies are switching from a 'winter gas' blend to a 'summer gas' blend. From what I've gathered, winter gas has a lower volatility level than summer gas. This winter mixture allows for ignitions at lower temperatures and better burn rates during the colder months. This kinda makes sense... with the weather being below normal for the past week and with this change over to 'summer gas', it is very possible that my MINI can't adjust to this strange new blend. A software update should be in the pipeline to permanently fix this, but no release date as of yet.... but I guess what I really need is a warming trend... I'll keep you posted on this.

Hit the 12,000 mile mark commuting home from work with the top down and my tie dancing in front of me as the wind breaks over and around the windshield...

11,847 miles - Interlude - Great Adventure Part II

Ok, I know there's something really cool I could say about this link, but I'll just leave it as a picture thread. I'll write something up shortly...

Given that I just spent a few days getting to know my car and what he -- and I -- can do, I figured I'd attach this link pertaining to twisties of a different sort.

11,467 miles - "Tail of the Dragon" Part I - Last Day

On Monday the eighth of May at 6:20am, Jolly and I made the decision not to wait for the others. We set our two-way radios to channel 721 -- the 'official' Dragon channel -- instead of 622 so should the other caravaners draw near to us, we can pick them up.

The ride home started with a final northbound run of the Dragon. It had rained the night before so the roads were wet. In addition, the fog had set in.

Being the adept driver she was, Jolly took lead. Her MINI proved to be the ultimate chaser car for me. As long as I kept up with it and followed its actions closely, I knew I wouldn't lose control.

We conquered the Dragon for the last time and continued our way north on rt129. It wasn't long until the tight-twists and turns were replaced by smooth undulating curves... and it wasn't long after that until we began to see signs of civilization; farmhouses, mom/pop stores, children waiting at bus-stops, commuters...

The remainder of the ride home was uneventful. Jolly and I occupied our time by keeping our speed at a good clip and running our mouths off into our 2-ways. I am trying to think of anything interesting to add here but quite honestly, nothing comes to mind. O wait, I hit 11,000 miles yay!

Around 6:45pm Jolly and I parted ways... final waves were exchanged in New Jersey as she exited northbound on I287. I was to continue straight on I78. We did keep our radios on, however the signal quickly weakened and within a minute they were useless. I turned my 2-way off.

After a brief moment I turned my 2-way back on. "Jolly?"... nothing. Not even white noise. I turned my 2-way off... there was no further need to communicate with my fellow Dragonslayer.

The Dragon was dead.




All Dragon pictures here.