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Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
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Author:  JackMcCornack [ April 30, 2009, 7:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
> You ready to whip it into the nearest Mazda dealership and buy a Miata?

:-) Heck no, I'm having huge fun! The car is a pleasure to drive and I'm a glutton for the attention--from both genders, btw, I'm just not taking many pix of the "And here's a guy who thinks I should put a Chevy in it" ilk.

Also btw, one of my (three) photo rules is I don't ask anyone for a photo unless they initiate a conversation about the car.

> How's that inspection sticker holding up to all that squeegee action?

I'll probably scrape it off when I get the car registered to me in Oregon. I don't think the WV DMV anticipated roadsters when they printed them; it's looking a bit...saturated.

The squeegee-on-a-stick works just fine, and Rainex is a miracle product! If they ever want an endorsement, they can quote me:

"I like Rainex so much I put it on both sides of my windshield."
--Santa Claus

> It's a small world. Donkervoort has many models; the older the model, the more traditional it looks.

It is indeed a small world, and the spelling error (Donkevoort) was my own. Their pronunciation was excellent, and the gals slipped back into Deutsch whenever they wanted to make fun of me...which was more than once.
Author:  dhempy [ April 30, 2009, 8:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
Man...that's weird...a photo of Jack with no groupies.

Yer slipping, dude. ;-)

JackMcCornack wrote:
Image


-dave "wishing he had groupies" hempy
Author:  Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F [ April 30, 2009, 9:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
From Jack's gesture, it appears he is showing us that the french did not cut off his fingers in the 100 year war and he will firing arrows at us shortly.
Author:  chetcpo [ April 30, 2009, 10:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F wrote:
From Jack's gesture, it appears he is showing us that the french did not cut off his fingers in the 100 year war and he will firing arrows at us shortly.


He's actually demonstrating his new squeegee on a stick, er I mean windsheild wiper system. :P
Author:  JackMcCornack [ April 30, 2009, 12:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
A lovely morning in Dallas, weather radar says it's clear all the way to Albequirk... Albekirk...all the way west, I'm outta here.

> Man...that's weird...a photo of Jack with no groupies.

:-) Any time there's a photo with me in it, assume one more groupie is present. I've taken a couple of pix holding the camera at arm's length, but mostly I find accomplices.

I'll check in again tonight.
Author:  Off Road SHO [ April 30, 2009, 1:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
Are you heading along I-40 then, instead of I-10? Dang, I won't get to meet you.

Tom (in Phoenix with a spare vacant house and a big shop with a lift and every tool you could want to work on your car and was hoping you'd take I-10 all the way across) Dooley
Author:  horizenjob [ April 30, 2009, 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
Quote:
Man...that's weird...a photo of Jack with no groupies.


I thought they were taking the picture, fair is fair. Jack impresses me as an honest fellow and carefully reading his posts and disclaimers about all the nice women he meets - I just don't see anywhere he's actually ruling out all the nice things that I imagine might be happening on this trip. :)

This thread is probably viral marketing for a new TV series to pick up where "Route 66" left off.
Author:  JackMcCornack [ May 1, 2009, 2:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
horizenjob wrote:
I just don't see anywhere he's actually ruling out all the nice things that I imagine might be happening on this trip.


:-) You shouldn't rule them all out, though you can rule out most of them. It's like running the 100 meter dash in 14 seconds, not worth a medal, but not bad for my age group.

Speaking of rules, my other two photo rules are 2) no photo postings inappropriate for the eyes of children, and 3) no PDAs with women less than half my age. Seriously, I find that unseemly in advertizing, and advertizing, after all, is the point of this trip (and if you don't believe me, wait'll you see my 2009 business tax filing). I'm trying to show that Locosts are fun to drive and fun for road trips, I'm not trying to show you that owning a Locost will inspire 20-somethings to drape themselves over your wrinkly self.

Amazingly enough, that's a difficult message to communicate during spring break. I've said more than once this trip, "Thanks, now could I have one photo where you keep your hands to yourself?" It's just that some people are natural hams...well, that and the fact that The Young People Today have had a lot of visual input thrown their way, and posing is a part of their lives (I suspect there are spring break Madchen Entlaufen Wild videos in circulation). But they wonder why I turn into a prude when the cameras come out..."Jealous girlfriend? Keeping secrets from your wife?" No ma'm, it's strictly business.

Back to Lafayette for a moment: Speaking of Santashocking, right after this photo was taken, the woman in yellow said something so naughty she is risking a lump of coal in her stocking. No wonder they didn't want me to use their names.

Santa "Is that an icicle in your hat, or are you happy to see me?" Claus
Author:  JackMcCornack [ May 1, 2009, 2:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
Post deleted at poser's request. It wasn't anything naughty, it was just shot from an unflattering angle.

Wow, it's April 15 2010, a year plus a day from when I started this thread.
Author:  JackMcCornack [ May 2, 2009, 3:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
DECATUR, TX: This is Krista, and her dog Diesel, and her '81 Datsun 280ZX. We talked sports cars and pets for half an hour. When she told me her Z had barely enough room inside for Diesel the Dog, I said "That's why I have a hamster. She's in here somewhere...come out, Canola, come on out..." I kept it up as long as Krista kept laughing.*

In the top picture, the cars look close to the same size. In the second picture, the Locost look much smaller than the Datsun. In the third picture, you can barely see the Locost at all.



* "Well of course Canola is a girl. I used to travel with a bull hamster, but never again. Every time I'd stop, he'd get into a fight with another hamster, and the inside of my car got all tore up."

[edited Saturday to fix/replace a bad jpg]
Author:  JackMcCornack [ May 2, 2009, 9:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
190 MILES NW OF DECATUR, TX: Stopped for gas, as is my habit every 200 miles or so. There's no gas guage and an 8 gallon tank, I'm getting 25 to 30 mpg, depending on my hoon level, a dependable 28 when cruising 70 to 75 mph.

As Chet told me before I left WV, "It's not a car, it's a parade float," but from some of the reactions I get, sometimes it seems like this Locost is a Mardi Gras parade float and I should be throwing out strings of beads. I mean, surely it's them, surely I'm not encouraging such...rowdyism.

So when a gal at the gas station asked if it was a kit car and if I'd built it, I told her about the Locost do-it-yourself ideal, and about Chet and how he'd made it from plans in a book, and she marveled and said, "Whoever built this sure must be good with his hands."

My knee-jerk reaction (or is that merely a 'jerk' reaction) was, "Uh...I helped? I made some of the parts?" I started juggling my gloves. "I put some oil in it only yesterday?" I crouched down by the passenger side of the car, still juggling. "How about two gloves and a hamster. Come on, Canola, just jump on in, you can do it..."

She thought it was pretty funny, and indeed it was, but I think the immediacy of my reaction indicates I'm a bit compulsive. I should accept that I bring this on myself, and quit complaining.

Jack "Satyr from Decatur" McCornack
Author:  JackMcCornack [ May 2, 2009, 9:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
TUCUMCARI, NM: Time to find a cheap motel with wifi and call it a night. This car has been a blessing in the room pricing arena, it's like having William Shatner right next to me. "What is that? All the way from West Virginia? All the way to Oregon?" I've been getting great prices and great service--getting spoiled, actually, so when this place wouldn't drop under fifty bucks I took my leave.

When I came out to the car, there were three young women photographing it, I knew somebody was taking pictures because I could see the camera flashes from the lobby, but they were all embarrassed that I'd caught them. I said of course they could, I wasn't worried that their cameras would steal its soul and they tittered like anime elves (I guess today is my day to amuse people). There was something very odd I'd noticed when I came out the door--they were standing in such a tight group that they looked like a team in a four-legged race (you're familiar with three legged races, well there's no reason it couldn't be a team sport). They may have been aliens, disguised as earthings, here to steal our technology--that would explain their interest in the Locost.

A few motels down the row, I saw this sign and just had to stop. "Eight foot six isn't very long," I said, "you keep the entryway reserved for Smart Cars?" Yep, I'm a funny guy, and I got a room.

Searching for supper, the bikes drew me in. Four guys from Florida on their way to Vegas. They got the four-wheeled motorcycle thing instantly, we shared rain stories and I showed them where I'd had to drill a new drain hole in the floorboard in Dallas. Pardon the fuzzy photo, hand held and available light, you can see traces of the Locost in the background.

One of the guys said, "Man, women must go crazy over this car," (hey, we're five guys on the open road, you know the subject is going to arise) so I shrugged and said, "Well, women go crazy over me, of course, and I guess some of that rubs off on the car." This cracked them up, for some reason--today's my day to amuse.
Author:  KB58 [ May 2, 2009, 1:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
After reading through this I think either there's an exhaust leak or maybe Jack got whacked in the head real hard with a June Bug.

Seriously, road trips in cars with character is what life's all about. People who'd never give you the time of day suddenly become real friendly and talkative. I'm already planning some longer trips for when my car's done.

A trip across the country in a minivan is a totally different - and numb - experience.
Author:  Earley Motorsports [ May 2, 2009, 8:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
You go Jack. This is great reading and I can tell you this, I am tempted to take some time off and do a long haul in mine. I am in the process of making new seats for it as the others are just not comfortable enough with my back. I have made some styled after a Kirkey but with removable padding for racing. Can't see me doing the haul this year :( but next year I think I will have time as this is just a real busy year for me. Any way Jack this is great and it is also a credit to Chet for building the car :yay: and by the sounds of it no problems as yet. How many miles so far and what do you think your average mileage is per day? Thanks for the updates. :drive:
:cheers:
Author:  olrowdy_01 [ May 2, 2009, 9:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Jack's Spring Fling '09 WV-FL-OR
Great read Jack! Thanks for sharing.............
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