The Manic Mechanic

I bet y'all didnt even miss me, or notice my absence for the past six days.

It was that time again, where I drive for over 500 miles to get to a place where I drive like a maniac in 11 mile or so increments along with several hundred other like-minded folk. It was the sixth installment of MINIs On The Dragon, and my fifth time there. The Tail Of The Dragon, aka US 129, that little two-lane blacktop that weaves it's way through the Smoky Mountains between North Carolina and Tennessee once again beckoned, and I heeded the call.Except for some rain squalls in Saturday, the weather could not have been any better. The cops left me alone, I caught up with quite a few friends I had not seen since this time last year, and I made a few more this time. I made it a point to be more social with people rather than keep to myself as I had been guilty of for a while now. It was like therapy.

Given the scope of the gathering, which is actually down in attendance from last year mostly due to economic concerns that many are encountering, things went well. There was only one accident involving a MINI, where a guy hit an unexpected bump in the road and overcorrected the resulting slide and ended up hitting a rock wall and ditch, rolling his car onto the roof. He and his passenger were completely unhurt, and with the help of bystanders to roll the car back on all fours, the tough little MINI was driven back to Fontana Village where the most of the group was staying. Rather than hide out embarrassed, the owner of the smashed car put the car on display as a reminder to all that bad things can happen in an instant if your attention lapses even for an instant. He also continued to enjoy his stay as well as participate in as many events as he was able to, even just as a passenger.

There was also a bit of excitement which occurred after a large pine tree, felled by the gusty breezes on Thursday, landed across power lines, causing spectacular arcing up and down the street behind the cabin where I was staying. The shooting sparks and such ignited a brush fire that proceeded to burn all the way to the top of the ridge and threatened more than a half dozen houses, including mine. At the time, I was in front of the cabin working on my car (as I am prone to do), and I managed to get some video of the arcing as well as tons of pictures of the ensuing chaos, in between emptying the cabin of my stuff as well as my roomie Katie, just in case the worst would happen. Thankfully it did not, and the rest of the day there was no power. My laptop, which was charging at the time, managed to escape damage. The television, Katie's boombox and a couple lamps,, however, did not. The power was restored by the following day, and despite the scorched earth a few feet from the back of the cabin, there was no smoky smells or other remnants of the fire to deal with. It could have been a lot worse, had a lot of rain not fallen earlier in the week.

I am still sorting through hundreds of pictures I took using three different cameras. I will eventually get them up on my Flickr site, but I have been too tired to sit here and resize, sort and upload everything. In the meantime, here is a self-portrait of me and my wheels. I need to get out in the sun more, as my winter paleness is enough to overexpose the shot. I am really starting to look like an old man now.



All in all, it was a great run. My tires are beyond shot, though, and I had to limit my gonzo running as a result. By next year, I will have new rubber, new shocks and struts, and some other suspension goodies to make my run totally killer.

I managed to find (and lift) some proofs frome Killboy's photo store of me having the Dragon to myself. These times were not very plentiful given the sheer amount of people in 'town' for the weekend. This I believe was from a run on Thursday.







This is one of the more open, easier corners, going probably 45mph or better (in a curve that most would be taking at no more than 20-25mph). Anyone who loses it in that turn will slide off the road and down the mountainside, with only the trees to stop the tumbling.

I wish I could drive like this every day.

It's full of curves, switchbacks and blind corners. Elevations changes. Walls of solid rock and precipitous, unguarded dropoffs. 318 turns in eleven and a half miles. Exhilirating, fun, scenic and very dangerous.

It's that time again. Time to slay the Dragon. Tomorrow morning I once again join a growing contingent of Mini Cooper owners for a long weekend of fun, eating, driving and all things MINI. Over 800 people and over 500 cars will be in attendance. This event has gotten HUGE. I hope to get some good driving time in, be able to catch up with good friends and hopefully have a great time.

How ironic, however, that this event, this road, has come to symbolize my life in the past three years. My first trip in '04 took place at the time between Mom's cancer treatments and the surgery that would happen the day after my return. This was also during the time I was out of work on disability. Much uncertainty clouded my time there, but with encouragement from Mom, the welcoming of new friends and my first time in many months being able to unwind a bit. It was therapy for me. Mom felt better for it too, as she was able to see me be 'myself' once again. The following year was a turnaround, as Mom insisted on accompanying me. We both had a great time, and things were looking up so much for the both of us. Then last year, with renewed uncertainty of Mom's health rearing it's ugly head during my trip, it was that weekend while I was away that she received the bad news from her doctors.

Of course, she assured me that everything was okay, so as to not spoil my time. The day after returning home was when she broke the news to me. We had less than two months together after that.

Is it this road that holds such uncertainty behind every blind curve? Or is it my life? It's both, really. And I intend to take them both at full throttle as much as possible. If something unspeakable should happen, at least I was having fun when it happens.


What awaits beyond the curve...

I'm really not ignoring you folks. Honest.

By now most have figured out my posting modus operandi. Late night post before hitting the sack in most cases, and any return comments happen the next day. With things being the way they have been lately, I've been too busy and quite often avoiding computerized social contact for fear of being a wholesale Debbie Downer to everyone around me. The times I have the chance, I go through my friends list and see what's cooking, and occasionally comment. It brightens my day up somewhat.

I have some photos to put up from the Dragon Run. Everyone involved had a blast, including Bear. I am still obtaining and sorting pictures.

More bad news about Mom, her cancer has spread to her liver and lymph nodes, but the doctors are mostly optimistic regarding treatments. I sure hope this is going to be the case, but the skeptic in me is not entirely convinced. Hope for the best, expect the worst, and with luck, a decent middle ground might be found. Or so is my thinking.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Me.

Yep, it's that time of the year again. Time to head down south to NC and the Tail of the Dragon, aka US129, which runs along the Smokey Mountains from NC to TN. 318 delicious switchback and sweeping turns in 11.8 miles of asphalt nirvana. This time Jeff and Bear are braving the trip. This year there is at least 650 (omg) people attending, most of whom have MINIs. Yeah, it's probably going to be gridlock at times, but I plan on getting my gonzo runs in. Today I amped up the brakes on the MINI, with new Stoptech crossdrilled rotors, Axxis ceramic pads, stainless brake lines, Motul 600 brake fluid... in other words, good stuff that makes for fade-free braking. A couple weeks prior I tuned the suspension, switched out the rear swaybar for a stiffer, adjustable one, added camber links and installed oil and water temp gauges (with navigation I lose the temp gauge, which in a MINI is not much better than the idjit light I have now). This, coupled with some show-level detailing and cleaning (you could eat off of the engine, but that would mess it up) and I am set. I just hope Jeff or the dog doesnt hurl all over the inside.

I am hoping this is a problem and stress-free little excursion, since I have been in need of such for quite a while. I am still not blogging to speak of, been trying to catch up work-wise and doing the springtime yard and garden duties. The latter is not always a hassle, there is something Zen-like about mowing the lawn and having some think time (or veg-out time) while running the tractor.

Unfortunately, there is a potential dark cloud following me down the road these next few days, as it has for a couple weeks. Mom has been having her twice annual checkup regarding her cancer treatments, and there has arisen some as-yet unknown concern. Additional tests and PETscans were done today; the last time she was pushed through this battery of tests was when they discovered the cancer in the first place. Both of us have a feeling that some bad news awaits in a couple days. I'm hoping for the best, but sadly expecting the worst. Keep Mom in your thoughts, I think she's going to need them.

Tomorrow we are heading out stupid early to get past the DC/VA traffic snarls and to hopefully arrive at a decent hour at Fontana. Wont be online for a few days, nor have cell phone coverage. Sometimes, it's nice to disconnect from the world at large. I cant wait to catch up with my friends that I have made in the last few years. Plus I want to burn up those new brakes.