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Z3'ers trickled in a few at a time. There is also a wedding reception. It is soon evident which group is which. The wedding part arives overdressed dragging a ton of luggage. Z3'ers arrive with smiles, dishevelled hair and eau d'sunscreen. Afer several weeks of rain, the sun has broken aout, and it has turned (by Vermont standars) warm.
As the afternoon progresses, rumors develop - Rachel is seen heading southbond on route 7 through Shelburne. The Massachsetts contingent reportedly left at 10 but have not yet arrived. 2PM comes and goes, as does 3 and 4. John Trudel calls from NY. He is given a route to intercept us, and told to go look at a Subaru (several actually). As it gets later, memories of Doug and Rich's tours, the speeds and the visions of Z3'ers languishing in a New Hampshire jail take on a certian plausibility. Finally Rich calls to say they are approaching the hotel, but after a day on the road, opt out of the dinner cruise.
We take off for the Dog Team. People at the Automaster are collected. A salesman there contemplates making off with one of their Z3s to join us. Next year, we are told, the Automaster would like to do more for us - like hold a Saturday barbecue for us.
16 Z3s following one New Beetle head south. Looking for someone with (1) a Talkabout and (2) experience an a knowledge of VT roads, I ask for someone to take the "sweep" position. Rachel volunteers - not exaclty a Vermonter, Rachel's credentials stop with her attendance at Bennignton College. Except for a couple of Z3'ers dropping out for gas, the run is uneventful. We pick up John, who will probably never look at another Subaru, ever again, and I head back for the stragglers.
Dinner comes off successfully. After a full day, no one goes face-down in their entree, and if someone did overindulge in the bean relish or sauerkraut, at least its warm enough to drive back top-down, and the return route passes a sufficient number of dairy farms to allow one a sufficient cover for such indiscretions.
Back at the hotel, it's a slow night in the bar. By 10 PM, the bartender is about to close up when we show up back a te hotel. The bar is reopened and things liven considerably. We call it a noight around 12.
Sunday dawns ovcercast but soon clears. I get hook up the radio in the Z3, pack stuff inthe trnk, and put the speedster cover on. By 9, I am ready to depart for the Hampton Inn. The contingnet is already out polishing their Zs. The Mass crowd is there. Rich has jammed his top latch and I help him free it. Details are handled, cars gassed, ad we line up for the start -- all except Howard. We push, we try to pop start, then Rachel comes to the rescue with jumper cables (I make a mental note to put a set in for next year). Charles Wescott volunteers to run sweep for me. We are off!
We regroup on the interstate. The line behind me (21 Z3s) seems to go on forever, and I have to ask for others to relay Charles' tranmissions to me. This is a daunting veiw for someone leading their first drive. My hopes are (1) no one falls off a mountain. (2) No one gets in an accident (3) no one gets lost and (4) no one gets arrested. To further add to my apprehension, my SRS light comes on, and remains on throughout the drive.
We take some of the same roads we travelled last night to the Dog Team. Z3's of any variety are rare in VT. 16 in a row are damed rare and 21 the next day is about on a par with aliens walking up to your farmhouse door to buy a gallon of maple syrup.
No one does anythting indiscreet in Appalachian gap (decorating the scenery with either one's car or breakfast). Due to subtle hints regarding the apporpriateness of a "rest stop" It is decided to skip the viewing of the falls along Route 100.
A biorevolt takes place in Pittsfield, VT. This insurrection leads to gas stops, shopping stops, and pretty soon we are 30 minutes behind schedule. WQe head into the liunch sto, where Applebee's start to a chicken salad seemingly starts with incubaitng an egg. The planned 1:30 restart occurs at 3. Charles and the Massachusetts people depart, and Howard volunteers for sweep duties. A Subaru/Cadillac "sloth parade" and a brief construction zone only slightly mars the afternoon run. Around 4:30, the sky turns noticealby darker. Soon after, the first mist of rian is seen onthe windshield. A few shart minutes later, rain is runnig downthe insides of the windows, and a "top stop" ensues. By the time I get the speedster cover off and stowed, and the top up. Everything is equally wet.
We bid Route 100 a final farewell and head west on Route 9. here we encounter a Toyota trucklet with a camper three times its size perched in the bed - apparently attached by bungee cords and flattened carboard boxes wedged betwen it and the pickup bed. It corners like "a drunk balancing a stack of plates". No one dares pass - especially on curves to the right. Eventually we get a passing zone and minimize our collective exposure time to this hazard.
We make it into Bennington, slightly after 5. The Bennington Monument, and more importantly, its rest rooms, have closed. Racel and John decide to depart for New York and New Jersey. Howard, the Gilberts, the Olbrych's and I stick it out to the bitter (and soggy) end. Dinner at the Dakota is a pleasant diversion, but unfortunately we get back onthe road at 10, and it is now pouring rain. The Olbrych's and I depart for Burlington, the Gilberts for Maine! and Howard opts for a room for the night.
At 2AM, I park the Z3 in its spot across the back of my garage. This is not, however, the last I will see of the Roads of the OoH. By 4PM Monday, Iam headed south, dinner at the Dog team, Route 22A to 22 to 295 to the taconic on a business trip. It start to rain, and I arrive at the hotel around 11. Fortunately, I am on the right side of a Lincoln rentombile for this run. We do not attempt Appalacian Gap in it.
Some final thoughts: There can be no drive without particpants. Thank you all who participated. A special thanks to Rachel Corey, Charles Wescott and Howard Katz. It would be impossible to keep a group like this together without the help of a good "sweep" person. Thanks to these people we never became separated and no one was lost. Thanks also to John Trudel, Rachel and Doug Campbell for posting the great pix. Fianlly thanks to Doug and Rachel for organizing the caravans and getting people up here.
Will there be another OoH? YES! Living in an area, you tned to take it for granted. John's comments about the roads has instilled a new appreciation of how nice it is to own a sports car here -- even if you can only use it six months of the year. I can remember, as a kid, reading about the "Ektachrome Hills Of Vermont" in a "Sports Car Country" article in ROAD & TRACK.
What will next year's OoH be like? First, it will still be the first weekend in June. I will proivde the option of a full two-day event, as there is an antique car show at he Shelburne Museum on that weekend. The museum is a unique experience - including an actual Lake Champlain sidewheel steamboat. The local dealer will participate as a sponsor of a Saturday night dinner.
On Sunday, the route will be shorter, and I will probably have an extended stop in Woodstock, which is a 19th century Vermont Village (actually a project of the Rockefellers, similar to Old Williamsburg). The Bennington Monument will likely become a traditional ending point.
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