Sevens USA Tour '05

3 Birkins in Northern California

2005-10-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Still catching up, forgive the tense... I am actually sitting in the San Francisco airport, waiting for our flight home to Houston.

Our tour friends are arriving back home, but Stan, Bernie, Dad and I are still exploring the roads and scenery in northern California. Dan was kind enough to print out maps of his favorite (local to him) roads. We went up the 101, over to the coast via Scaggs something or other, down the 1 along the coast, and back inland to the 101 via 116. Some of the roads were VERY twisty, tighter even than the great blat we all had on 58. This was different, however, as it was through redwood forests, and parts of it were very dark. Dark pavement, dark trees, sunglasses, and limited sky, meant we had some exciting corners that were much tighter than expected

We played tour organizers, and made our own GDB files to upload into the GPSs. Our's did not work quite right, and we decided not to fight with it and followed Bernie and Stan. We were confused by the GPS the entire tour, as the route never lined up very well with the roads. In fact, on this trip, the GPS didn't even show the roads.

To cut to the chase, dad discovered a check box selection on the hand held that was not set to 'City Select Database.' One check, and like magic, the roads appeared. A little late, but oh well, now we know.

We were in the deepest darkest part fo the redwoods. Cool and dark, and them BAM we popped out right on the coast! Those are pelicans in the photo above, there were hundreds of them in this sheltered area. A few kayakers were down there as well.

Enjoying the view.

We had 3 nights at the hotel in Marin county. Not quite the same without the 50+ cars, but each night we mingled around the cars, a little fettle here and there. In fact we plopped on the curb and sat and had a drink or three. Dad decided Stan's car looked like quite comfortable. No driving was done after this, I promise :)

Farewell Dinner

2005-10-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

I think we had 80 or 90 people for dinner at The Mandarin. Interesting, I realized there were people on the tour I did not recognize. Just a few. I guess we drove on different schedules. Anyway, it was a great time, lots of smiles and slaps on the back. We had a great tour, even better than I expected.

Hat, what hat?
Sid, Allan, and Mitch.

Sights in San Francisco

2005-10-08T20:54:00.001-07:00

OK, I am a few days behind on posting. Just imagine we are still in San Francisco...

We took a short ferry ride of 1.5 miles to see Alcatraz. In the movies it always seems so harsh and remote, but there it is, a stones throw away from Fishermans' Wharf.

We also visited the WWII submarine the Pampanito. It is in fantastic condition, in fact the engines were to be fired up later in the day. Shame we missed that.

Ah, Mr. Blog decided to reorder my photos. Back again to Alcatraz. They told us the inmates spent 23 hours a day in their cells, unless they had a job detail, then it was 18 hours. Not much room to move around. A bed, toilet, small table, thats about it.

I am a fan of old submarine movies, so it was a thrill to be inside. Such a machine! So many pipes, valves, levers, dials. I have tremendous respect for the men who served on old submarines.

Thank you Roger Hamlin

2005-10-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

A few of us are shipping our cars and flying home. Where to safely leave the cars until the transport arrives? Hamlin Fabrication to the rescue.

Roger makes excellent race cages for sevens, and has some very exotic machinery in his shop. Is that a Porsche 962 I see above?

If you need anything fabricated for your race car, give Roger a call at Infineon Raceway.

Thanks again Roger.

What do you call this, a 14?

2005-10-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

The owner/builder of this car stood quitely by as we all made guesses about this car.

Just a smidge larger than a seven.

And a bit more power too...

All business. Maybe he can bring it on tour next year? Who wants to put their car under this thing???

More from Infineon

2005-10-07T20:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Gary and his father live in Grass Valley, and came to to Infineon to visit. Great to see you Gary!

We had a lot of sevens at the track. Several new cars joined in from California. Some VERY nice cars, I just love it how no two are the same.

Barry adjusting his carbs, listening for just the right sound. Not every day you get to see a Chevy in a seven.

Mike B. gets in a little fettling before going out on the track. Mike, I am so glad you were able to drive the bulk of the tour!

Driver meeting and introduction by Jim Russell Racing School.

San Francisco - last city on the tour

2005-10-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

Parking lot at the San Francisco Radisson. It was very nice when the hotels sectioned off parking space for us.

Driving the Golden Gate. We did this several times over a couple of days. Never thought I would do that in my Birkin!

Group dinner in San Fran

2005-10-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

Steve discovered his favorite condiment.

We had a good laugh at Steve W. He has to write his room number on his hand to find his hotel room!!!

I guess the joke was on you Steve :)

We had a group of 20 or so at this restaurant in San Francisco. Famous for their Irish Coffee, but I lost the name. Anyone? It was great to have Woody with us

Nothing like a little father & son horse play :)

More pics

2005-10-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

We pulled in to Morro Bay, and something smelled badly in Bernie's car. After we concluded it was not Bernie, it seemed to be the alternator. He was able to drive to the hotel on battery power. The next day he put in a new alternator, but kept having charging problems. Every couple of hours Dick charged up Bernie"s battery with his car, and we made it to San Francisco that way.

A few sevens resting in Cambria.

This little fellow has a great view of the road, if not a little windy.,
We had breakfast with Mary and Steve B. We would not have had the tour without them. Steve, how can I express what a fantastic job you did? Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Sid and Mitch somewhere on the Pacific Coast Highway. We met a couple on bicycles, riding from Canada to Mexico. Yowza!

Driving the best road, ever!

2005-10-04T21:05:00.000-07:00

On our way to Cambria, we drove on the best road I have ever seen. We were in rolling hills, and then it turned into a real roller coaster. Decreasing radius turns, big elevation changes, perfect road surface, zero traffic, beautiful weather, in a word, perfect.

That road was the talk of the day. Everyone loved it, as evidenced by the smiles:

Barbara and Chuck, stopped with some bikers after The Perfect Road.

A group of us stopped after TPR, debating on how we could live right here and keep the road to ourselves. The Ultralites ran with the bikes, and evidently Steve let them know what a seven can do in the twisties ;>

Des and Pete certainly enjoyed the ride.

Jeannette and Steve had a good run.

Stan had a blast as well.

I had the video camera running,camera facing backwards, with three cars behind me. I wish I had the camera watching the front. Hopefully someone else recorded that view. It would be neat to sync up the two videos and flip back and forth.

Misc Pics

2005-10-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

Changing I think a u-joint in the parking lot in Cambria.

Steve W. doing some major fettling in Cambria. Unfortunately he had problems with a camshaft, well, it broke in two :( which meant he was finished driving for the tour.

We stopped in Big Sur for a while. What a beautiful place.

The Birkins get a little rest at Big Sur too. Left to right is Mitch & Sid, Stan, Bernie, and Dick.

A dip in the Pacific

2005-10-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

The water was very cold, but it had to be done :) That is Morro Rock behind me, and the first place we stopped where we could touch the ocean. It may not look it, but this is the coldest water I have ever been in.

Infineon Raceway, California

2005-10-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today was our second track visit on the tour, the first being Willow Springs. I know we could have included more track time, but I think the feeling was to reduce the risk and save the tires for the miles ahead.

We did not have a full track day, but a 'parade' session behind pace cars. We were out for 20 minutes or so. Our group moved along as fast as I wanted it to, then we caught up to the next group and slowed down a bit. Infineon is a very nice track, lots of elevation change, fast bits, slow bits, all good :)

At the end we set up the cars for a group photo, with the track in the background. We had a photographer taking the final photo, and he will deliver CDs to us tomorrow night at the group dinner.

I'll try to go back and post pictures from the last few days. We stopped for a bit in Morro Bay, and I felt the urge to jump into the Pacific in my underwear. I'll tell you what, it was cccccoooold! Then I had to stand on the beach to air dry, otherwise my clothes would have been soaked too.

Hello San Francisco!

2005-10-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

We made it! All cars arrived in San Francisco yesterday. Only two not under their own power, if I have the numbers correct.

The drive yesterday was Cambria to San Fran, with a nice stop in Big Sur. It was cold and windy, and the most difficult day so far to navigate and keep the group together.

Internet in this hotel is too slow to use, so I am posting via my cell phone. If this one works out, I'll try to add some photos.

Today we went to Infineon Raceway (Sears Point). We had a great time on the track, and set up the best group photo of the trip.

Tomorrow night is the big end of tour bash.

More photos

2005-10-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Frank and Jo. We have driven together on several days. One day we realized Jo was reading a novel in the car, not easy to do in a seven! I am so glad they were able to fix their car and drive the rest of the tour.

Mike had a problem with his throttle return spring, and was only too happy to do a little fettling at Willow Springs. I hope the fix worked OK for you Mike.

Tbis little Alpha was FAST. He held off the entire field for the beginning of the race, but the 911s eventually closed on him in the straights.

Tourers watching the races, in a patch of shade. I think it was 90+F at Willow Springs today.

Anyone have an update on Steve W.? Last I saw him leaving Willow Springs, he said he had all the bits to put his engine together, including the valve spring compressor he needed. I hope he can get it all going tomorrow.

I also saw one car at the hotel with a broken drive shaft, or perhaps the u-joint. I'm not sure who it is,

Also heard of another car that melted the throttle cable. Several cars have had trouble with the heat.

More pics

2005-10-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

Great to see our friends Esther and alan, who live less than hour from Tehachapi. Thanks for the excellent dinner, best we have had on tour!

Ian happy to be at the next hotel.

Willow Springs is a nice track for spectators, you can see most of the track from a single location. We didn't get to run the parade lap, but I understand it is a fantastic course to drive.
A Big Man needs a Big Breakfast!

Parking lot in Tehachapi, California.

Surprise, photo posting is working

2005-10-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

The last week I have been fighting this site to get images posted. Tonight they are going right up, so I'll post a few more.

Jeanette was happy to discover two for one beers in the casino bar :)

Parking lot in Vegas, The Imperial Palace. Our room was directly across from the lot, and we heard every seven fire up in the morning. Not a bad way to wake up.

Here is Woody 'laying hands' on Jack's car. Jack could not go over 60 MPH. I was amazed to watch Woody just stand there for a minute, give a listen, and then fix it with his little finger. Jack had a small leak on the air intake. Rather than have Woody spend the rest of the tour hanging on to the bonnet with his finger plugging the hole, Jack fixed it with a little duct tape.

We went to dinner at a fun Italian place, the name escapes me. One of the main attractions was this fellow who played the accordian. My friend 'Diq would have loved it, for reasons he understands :) You can see Mav was quite impressed with the performance!

Windmills going into Tehachapi, California.

Las Vegas?

2005-10-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

We stayed two nights in Las Vegas. I have to say, it was my least favorite stop on the tour. After all the natural beauty, Vegas is rather gross.

Today we drove from Vegas to Tehachapi, California. Long hot rather straight and boring drive, but it had to be done. We stopped at Willow Springs race track, and had a great time visiting and watching the racing. We were too late for the 'parade' lap. I heard it was rather more than a low speed lap around the track, in fact one car went for a spin in the dirt.

Wedding bells in Las Vegas

2005-09-30T16:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning in Page, Az, we all found invitations to a bar in Las Vegas. Not sure exactly what to expect, we figured it was simply a tour gathering. (nothing wrong with that!)

Well, not quite. Two couples were married, in a drive through chappel, in their sevens! They had this planned before the tour. The best man sat in his car be hind them, with the guests in their cars in the third row. Allan showed us some photos on his camera, if anyone knows where they are posted please let me know.

Wedding bells in Las Vegas

2005-09-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning in Page, Az, we all found invitations to a bar in Las Vegas. Not sure exactly what to expect, we figured it was simply a tour gathering. (nothing wrong with that!)

Well, not quite. Two couples were married, in a drive through chappel, in their sevens! They had this planned before the tour. The best man sat in his car behind them, and a few guests were in their cars behind that. Allan T. showed us pictures on his camera, and said they are posted somewhere.

Posing for a photo with Pete.

Mav & Viv, happy couple #1.

Sid, Bernie, and Allan, the happy trio.

John & Esther, happy couple #2.

Congrats to both couples!!! One question, was Elvis at the ceremony?

Yet more pics

2005-09-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

Since Bernie is too tall for the stock setup, he has a cut down windshield and extra tall roll bar. That means lots of wind in the face, so he wears a helmet. Good for lots of stares as we go through small towns :)

Tunnel in Zion.

Time to wake up! Page, Az.

Misc pics

2005-09-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Following Bernie to Monument Valley

Mike B.'s VERY trick car, from Dubai.

Packing up in the morning in Page, Az.

A few spare parts

More group pics - Page Az

2005-09-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Group Photo in Page, Az

2005-09-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

I was out on a shopping spree, Walmart and Radio Shack, when I got the call. Hurry up, we are doing a group photo at the hotel.

Rocky Road

2005-09-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Lunch view at Monument Valley. I had a Navajo taco :)

In the two photos above, you can see Steve and Mary, Ian and Anita, and their cars. in Monument Valley. That is the rocky road they drove on. We had dinner with Mary last night, and she said they could see me up top waving at them, due to my bright red rain jacket.

A few rocks, so what?

2005-09-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

Monument Valley has a road to take you closer to the scenery. A big sign says not for low clearance vehicles. That did not stop Steve and Mary or Ian and Anita, no sir!

We stayed up top and watched them slooooowly drive down the path. They stopped at a scenic spot, and you can just make them out in the pictures.

...Well, I tried 5 or 6 times, cannot post pictures on blogger tonight. I'll try again in Las Vegas.

Pics from the road

2005-09-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

Mitch enjoying the view.

No big deal, just an engine swap.

Why am I smiling? Good friends to help me fix it :)

Dad enjoying the trip.

Moab, Utah to Page Arizona 9-28-05

2005-09-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

What a day, what a beautiful country we live in. Today we drove 300 miles in the Birkin, once again with Gert & Rosemarie, Dick, and Bernie.

We were not on the road very long, when I pointed to dad the left front cycle fender was vibrating more than it should. Sevens have a bad habbit of breaking fender (wing) brackets, but I have never had the pleasure. Well, today was my day. We hit a section of road construction that was quite rough, and the bracket completely broke and it was bouncing around on the tire. We stopped in the next town. Fortunately Dick had a spare, but it was of different design and we had to persuade it to fit :) Thanks Dick! Gert also had a few bits which helped to get us back on the road, very much appreciated.

The group then headed to Monument Valley. This is what I picture in the old westerns movies. Absolutely fantastic scenery. I'd like to return one day and take more time to exlore, instead of buzzing through as we are doing.

Here we are parked at lunch. Gert knew a place near Monument Valley. We had Navajo frybread, and a fanstastic panaoramic view from our table.

This was taken from the visitor center. The road below was said to be rocky, but I know at least two sevens went down there. Pictures in the next post.

Here is dad, cool as ever :)

Various photos of tour happenings...

2005-09-27T23:19:00.001-07:00

Why does this site always reorder my photos? Oh well...

Above is Steve W.'s turbo. He has a habit of tearing into his car every night in the hotel. The first day he was on tour, he drove perhaps 10 minutes and had an engine fire. Evidently oil leaking from a line to the turbo. No worries he said, and sure enough he fixed it and drove on.

This is the parking lot in Vail. I'm not sure who that is zooming out this morning, perhaps Ian? Poor Ian, his luggage carrier broke on the way to Austin, and he dragged his luggage behind him for a time. He managed to find a place to weld it together, and then I learned someone backed into him and bent the carrier. All is well though, metal can be unbent :)

Parking lot in Moab. Most cars came in muddy and wet. When I pulled in, Steve B. hit my car with the hose, thanks Steve :) Several people actually washed their cars with soap! Mav had a neat fold up bucket that he carries with him, so he can wash his car when the urge strikes him. I was happy for a splash of water. That is my car on the left under cover.

Dad and Bernie discussing the route. One nice thing about this part of the country, you can see the weather all around you. It was raining in the direction of our next leg, so we planned around it. We got rained on anyway :)

Steve W.'s car again, in the Vail parking lot. We parked next to each other, and I nearly tripped over his radiator. He has the head off, at a shop to weld up and machine the damage caused by detonation from low octane fuel. Then he told me there is another head on the way from England, just in case! I asked him how he feels to always be working on the car (and he is always smiling!) He said "I'll either have a good drive, or a good fettle, so I can't loose."

I'll try to take more photos of the main tour group. Usually my camera is in the boot, so I take pics when we stop and walk around. Most days we travel with the Birkins, all from the US. A few days we drove with the Saga group, and hope to join up with them again.

Arches National Park - Moab Utah

2005-09-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today we drove from Vail to Moab. We were the first at the hotel, checked in, and went to Arches National Park, just a few minutes from the hotel.

What a fantastic place! Dick and I walked down one of the trails, and could easily have spent hours. Around every turn was a new view, each better than the last. We left dad and Bernie up at the top, so we figured it best not to camp out for the night. Of course they had the cars and the keys...

The park is full of this type of formation. Reminds me of the Coyote and Roadrunner :)

Here is the famous Delicate Arch. It was a 1.5 mile walk to the arch itself, so we settled for the shorter trail to the arch view site.

Offroading in Vail - Jeep tour

2005-09-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, in Vail, Bernie, dad and I went on a Jeep ride up into the mountains. The highest we went was around 12,500 feet. I have to admit, the ride was rough and I felt sea sick, until I moved to the front seat.

Above is the base camp where we had lunch. It was so quiet and peaceful, we all wanted to stay there for a week.

This is a few steps from the base camp. They stock it so kids can have some easy fishing, but dad seemed quite tempted.

View out the front of the Jeep. I didn't get any good shots of the rough trails, we were bouncing all over the place.

A day in Vail

2005-09-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

Vail, Colorado is an amazing place. It is an unabashed tourist trap of the highest order. We are here at the perfect time to see the aspen trees turn their golden color.

This morning we went on an offroad Jeep tour. The going was fairly rough, and I started to get sea sick. We climbed to over 12,500 feet, and they view was breath taking (literally, I was short of breath).

Today's pictures will have to wait. Tomorrow we are getting an early start to Moab. Good chance for rain, we may get wet for the first time on this trip.

Michelle took the picture of the two funny looking guys in Durango, on a cold morning heading out for Vail.

Slumgullion Pass, Elevation 11,361 Feet

2005-09-25T18:39:00.001-07:00

Slumgullion Pass is in Lake City, Colorado. We stopped at a scenic overlook, and ended up looking more at our cars :)

Today was a fantastic day of driving. We had 4 mountain passes over 10,000 feet. The car ran very well, and traffic was fairly light for most of the day. We drove 380 miles, and are happy to be in Vail!

Durango pics

2005-09-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

Brian and Jerre with Scott. Jerre did not want to let go! :)

These two people are very generously supporting the tour, following behind in their RV, always ready to help. Brian makes the Ultralite, http://www.wcmultralite.com/
Thank you both so much!

Here is a typical scene on tour, working on our cars in the parking lot. Steve had a noise in his front wheel, and the collective helped to sort it out.

Ahh, what a beautiful parking lot!

Silverton, Ouray, with Michelle

2005-09-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

Michelle decided to brave the cold and wind, and head up the mountains with me in the Birkin. She had a great time!

We first stopped at Silverton, where we met my parents and Scott. They took the bus up, and later went down on the train. It is a beautiful ride, I'd like to take that train one day.

Second stop was Ouray. Three mountain passes to get there from Durango. We were behind several slow busses and trucks, which made for a boring drive (well, in comparison to having the road to yourself). The way down was much quicker, must have been the time of day.

Nice Seven

2005-09-24T21:28:00.000-07:00

I think this is Cornelius's car. I just liked the way it was sitting there. The clamshell wings are the classic look, and that front end is always so friendly.

Time to eat!

2005-09-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

We had a nice picnic at Mesa Verde park. Sometimes the simple meals are the best.

On the other hand...

We also visited Michelle's friends Fred and Jenna, who live in Durango. Fred is an excellent chef, and made us a fantastic meal. Between Fred's cooking, and Jenna's ability to calm Scott, we should be back very soon! Thanks for welcoming us to your home, and letting us do some laundry :)

Time for a little video

2005-09-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have recorded about 5 hours of video so far. Here is a short clip from Ruidoso, New Mexico. I believe this is coming down from the National Solar Observatory, on the way to Cloudcroft.

I have very little mountain driving experience. Going down hill is a little unnerving at first. Lots of speed, but not the noise to go with it. Decreasing radius turns can sneak up on you. Here I am following Dick, Gert, and Bernie in their Birkins.

http://www.leben.com/~mitch/videos/birkin/tour05/ruidoso9-20-05.wmv

Best to right click and save to your hard drive before playing. All you Mac users, suck it up and get Media Player! :) Actually I would much rather make mpegs, but I did not have the software sorted out before the tour started.

Mesa Verde National Park

2005-09-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful place! We were there for a few hours, but it would take 2 days to see everything at Mesa Verde.

Today Michelle and I are taking the Birkin over 3 mountain passes. Mom, Dad, and Scott are taking the Silverton train. We are driving through Silverton, chance we will see them up there.

Nice, crisp morning. Can't wait to hit the road :)

CNN reports that Houston faired quite well, power is still on, etc. We are all relieved.

Durango, Colorado

2005-09-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

We all made it to Durango!

We went to Steamworks Brewing Company to celebrate. The 6 beer sampler is very nice :)

Mom and Scott getting off the plane in Durango!

Santa Fe, New Mexico

2005-09-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

We had a very short stay in Santa Fe, basically over night. The rest of the tour will catch up with us today.
This is the hotel parking lot in Santa Fe. Many of the hotels give us our own area for the cars.

Check out Gert's cockpit cover! Gert has many custom things on his car, all made by hand. If you look carefully you can see he even has a trunk hanging off the back.

We drove 240 miles to Durango, stopping for lunch in Aztec. The first thing I did was get a bottle for Scott :)

This is the view behind the Holiday Inn!!! People were fly fishing, and lots of people walking their dogs. My mom commented on how friendly everyone is here.

Ruidoso to Santa Fe

2005-09-23T06:07:00.001-07:00

A group of us drove to the National Solar Observatory. The road was fantastic. I have a video following behind a few cars. I'll try to post some video shortly, but it might have to wait until after the tour.

Self portrait, into one of the telescope mirrors.

Birkins at the observatory. Left to right is Gert, Mitch, Bernie, Dick.

Another stop with the Saga group. We stopped here just for the photo, and to stretch our legs a bit.

This was a breakfast stop in???????? Who knows the names of all these little towns? We should probably take better notes as we go.

Behind on the blog, some photos

2005-09-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

Due to the hurricane and last minute plans, I fell behind on the blog. Oh well.
Dad in the Birkin, after an impromptu 'rest' stop.

We had 10 cars together from Ruidoso to Santa Fe. Once again the Saga group let us tag along. We stopped at a little town for lunch and petrol. I think the old guys at the gas station will be talking about the cars for a long time.

Our group was the first to arrive in Santa Fe. When we checked in to the room I had a surprise waiting, Michelle sent a birthday cake, complete with candles, plates, and forks! We put it in the hospitality room to share the the tour. Thanks sweetie! I have some pics of the cake on my cell phone, and somene else took pictures we may or may not see :)

Some truly fantastic views on this trip!!!!! Does it get much better than this?

Every morning the parking lot is full of people strapping bags and luggage to their cars. I think this fellow got stuck! :)

That is Dick B. working on his Birkin. Not sure if I posted, but a couple of days ago Dick's car put out huge volumes of smoke. We thought it was a head gasket. Turned out to be a bad tank of gas! While he was having it looked at, one of the mechanics sat on and broke his front fender. Here Dick is putting it back on with some of his spare parts.

Hurricane Rita

2005-09-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

What a crazy couple of days! We drove from Ruidoso to Santa Fe, and got the news that one of the largest hurricanes ever in the US was headed for Houston, where I live. Many phone calls, emails later, my family is now in Durango, Colorado. Dad and I left Santa Fe a day early to be with them.

Many stories of people trying to leave Houston. 12 hours to drive 50 miles, then turning around to go home. Seabrook, Texas, the first night of the tour, appears to be evacuating.

We are still on tour for now. After the hurricane passes we will find out what we have to do.

More photos

2005-09-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

More pics from Mayhill

2005-09-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

Discussing the finer points of se7ening.

Dad and his new friend Ian, from Jersey.

That is the Jersey flag on Ian's car.

OK, I think this one is deserving of a caption contest. Mick and Frank, all in fun!

Bad day for Frank

2005-09-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

We were traveling with Bernie, just the two cars, and caught up with a larger group, perhaps 6 or 8 cars. This was the famous Saga group. I am not really qualified to comment on Saga, but I was made an honorary member by Allan T. Dad was made a founding member, so that should give you a clue :)

I was amazed to hear that just before our meeting them, Frank hit a large piece of metal and cracked his oil sump. The amazing part is that he had a spare sump with him, and they fixed it right there on the side of the road! Fantastic!

We headed into the mountains, and then suddenly Frank pulled to the side. He lost oil pressure, and the engine did not sound happy at all. The oil on the ground told the tale, his new oil plug fell out :( Engine shot, stuck in in mountain twisties, on a hot day, what to do? No worries, hook two tow cables together and off we go. Allan T. pulled Frank into the next town, Mayhill, population under 100. Oh I learned that the Caterhams have a nice tow ring built right in, I wish the Birkins had that.

The object Frank is holding is the nasty piece of metal he hit.

Smoke, and lunch in Artesia, New Mexico 9-19-05

2005-09-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Bernie, Dick, and I set off before sunrise from Midland to Ruidoso. Not too far in were at a traffic light, and Dick's car started billowing smoke from the tail pipe. At first he thought it was a fire, but it was just lots of white/grey smoke from the tail pipe. The engine started and ran fine. The best guess was a blown head gasket. Fortunately there was a Ford dealership right up the street.

We called the support vehicles to let them know about Dick. The plan was for him to get the engine checked and hopefully repaired, and either catch up or put the car in the trailer and fix it further down the road.

To make a long story longer, Dick drove into Ruidoso under his own power just a couple of hours behind us! The problem turned out to be a bad batch of gas. Dick said it didn't even smell like gasoline. We all filled up at the same stations, so we can't figure out what happened, but at least it is fixed. They drained his tank, cleaned the carbs, and he was back in business.

After we left Dick at the Ford dealership, Bernie and I fell in with the Saga group. They are a great bunch, and we enjoyed the day. We pulled in for lunch in Artesia, and drove through the mountains together. There were some car problems, I'll write about them in another post.

Fix it along the way

2005-09-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Fortunately my Birkin has been relatively trouble free the five years I have owned it. Of course, it decided to give me major grief the first day of the tour, which thankfully is fully sorted.

Now that we are several full driving days in, other cars have had problems. The thing that really impresses me is the positive attitude of the tourers. Broken? Fix it. Stuck? Tow it. Simple as that, especially when you have 60+ friends ready to do whatever they can to help.

I am learning quickly what spares I should bring. I'm thinking a fuel pump would be a good item to add to the kit.

Pics from Simon

2005-09-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Simon B. has some photos to share. Nice shots of the Capitol in Austin!

http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=a22p1x5.5xtmxzl&x=0&y=-zdbo7d

http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/I.jsp?c=a22p1x5.mulczrl&x=0&y=-tlmcl7

Westfields steal the show

2005-09-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

We had a bit of a car show in San Angelo, including the locals, many showing their Corvettes. Naturally, they really appreciated the Westfields.

Catch the wave

2005-09-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

Chuck, heading out of San Angelo in his Ultralite.

Hello Mabs!

2005-09-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Mabs. Yes I am driving safely, but I do have to go on the highway occasionally ;)

Thanks for taking care of M & S, you are the best.

Love ya!

How hot??? This hot!

2005-09-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Pics from today 9-18-05

2005-09-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Bernie and Sid somewhere on the way to Midland

Carmen taking a rest in San Angelo

We made Midland

2005-09-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today I really feel like I did something. It was a long hot drive from Austin to Midland, with a nice stop in San Angelo at the fine arts museum. Big thanks to the museum for the air conditioning, snacks, and cold drinks!

We arrived at the Midland Holiday Inn, to find the restaurant was closed, and the bar is not licensed to serve on Sundays. Most of us were too pooped to jump back in the sevens and go out to dinner, so the local pizza delivery places did a great business tonight.

I saw many weary faces tonight, I'm concerned people are not drinking enough fluids. I'm sure they will figure it out soon enough. I filled my 70 oz. Camelback two times today, and had several bottles of water along the way.

A note to those who know Sexy Sid, he is doing fine. A little sunburned, but happy and smiling. We were joking around with some friends earlier and I commented he took a nap in the car today (at 75 MPH in the Birkin!), but he insists he was only resting his eyes.

No Intenet connection at the hotel tonight, so I'm on my cell phone. I'll see if I can get any pics posted later.

Don't mess with Big Bad Bernie!

2005-09-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Nothing to say!

Greune, Texas 9-17-05

2005-09-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

I am still learning how to match the text to the photos. Above (?) in the red Caterham is Rod and his son - I'm sorry I forgot his name. He had his first ever chicken fried steak!

Above is my dad Sid, enjoying a cold iced tea and talking to my mom, reporting in. "Yes everything is fine, I am being a good boy." :)

We drove with the ALE club, and stopped for lunch at the Grist Mill in Gruene, Texas.

Nice little town, but as I have been there before, I was more interested in some shade and a cool drink. The high was 98F today.

More Austin Pics

2005-09-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

Jack and Ruth at my house, picking up their car before the tour:

Tonight we had dinner at the Salt Lick, in Driftwood, Texas, with Chuck and Barbara, Steve and Jeannette, and Bernie. No pictures, but the food and company sure were good. Chuck drove the 7 of us in his truck, with air conditioning, what a concept!

Here are more pics from today. We have two cameras, so the postings may be out of order... We had lunch in Greune. You can tell I really like the Elise :)

ALE - Austin Lotus Enthusiasts 9-17-05

2005-09-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Bernie's Birkin in Gruene, Texas.

View out the back of the Elise with Mitch following.

ALE - Austin Lotus Enthusiasts 9-17-05

2005-09-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

A few tourers joined ALE for their monthly drive. Thanks for including us Trieu! They had several Elises, but no Sevens. We drove 150 miles, having lunch in Gruene, Texas. Dad caught a ride with Trieu in his Elise for a bit of comfort and luxury ;)

More B.D. Riley's

2005-09-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

Walking down 6th street, we saw this boat drive by!

It was great to chat with Amy, both at B.D. Riley's and the following day in Austin, with ALE, the Austin Lotus Enthusiasts. She and her husband Dan have a Birkin, but they were driving their Jag-yoo-r.

2005-09-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ian Brandon telling us about his Texas rain storm (he was the only one to get rained on!), and loosing his luggage when his carrier broke. Don't forget to ask him about the tee shirt!

B.D Riley's - Austin, Texas

2005-09-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

We all wore our tour shirts for half price drinks at B.D Riley's on 6th street. Lots of smiles and stories, and everyone buying one another drinks.

I will never learn all the names. Good thing Pete and Des East provided our name tags. Now I can tell which is which!

Hmm for some reason I cannot upload pictures :( I'll try again later.

On the road Houston to Austin

2005-09-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

Break down and repair

2005-09-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Breaking down on I45, oh joy. Fortunately the wrecker was there in less than 30 minutes. That is Bobby testing the ECU. We thought it was the Hall sensor not picking up the magnets on the pulley, but as usual it turned out to be something simple, a bad wire crimp.

Heading out

2005-09-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

Packing everything for a 3 week trip is not easy in a seven. Getting in is not easy either, when the top is on.

On our way!

2005-09-16T15:25:00.000-07:00

Well, what a couple of days. We are in Austin, Texas, and darn glad to be here! Yesterday the car died on I45 on the way to Seabrook, the very first leg of the trip. We had to get a flatbed tow to the hotel. It was not fun. We spent the entire day in the parking lot trying to fix it. After a sleepness night, this morning Bobby from BritishAuto Specialists located a bad crimp on a power lead to the ECU. 5 minute fix, and we are in great shape! Thanks Jeff and Bobby and British AutoSpecialists!

2005-09-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

I just realized I forgot the tour logo! Things are really happening now. The advanced group from the UK arrives tomorrow, to unload all the cars. Over the next three days se7en enthusiasts from all over the world will converge in Houston, Texas of all places!

Another Birkin ready to go

2005-09-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

Jack N.'s car arrived the other day, from North Carolina. She will sit quietly on my driveway for a few days until Jack and his wife Ruth pick her up for the tour. Beautiful car Jack!!!

2005-09-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

The Liberator is steaming across the Atlantic. Notice Hurricane Lee directly in line, and Maria to the south. I hope they both dissipate in the next few days.

Set Sail!

2005-08-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

They are on their way!!! This is the actual ship the containers are on, the Lykes Liberator.

The ship stops at Bremerhaven & Charleston, SC before arriving in Houston.

We are all wishing for clear skies and calm waters.

See the location of the ship at the following link:

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=WGXN

Scott at the race track

2005-08-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Gee dad, those cars sure are loud!

Walt at Texas World Speedway

2005-08-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

My friend Walt, before a race at Texas World Speedway. Walt will not be on tour with us, his car is very trick, and race only.

My bicycle is bigger than my car!

2005-08-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Planning for the tour is half the fun. Here I am testing the new bikini top from Dick Brink (Birkini). It greatly reduces the wind noise, and creates some welcome shade. It also makes it quite a challenge to get in and out, it helps to be flexible.

Makes the rest look a bit worn

2005-08-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

New belt tensioner. Ford not available, used Gates instead.

Nice and Shiny

2005-08-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

...So I replaced it, and voila! No more noise!
Turns out the old bearing was OK, but the cover plate was rubbing. I'll keep it as a spare.

Ticking Time Bomb?

2005-08-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

A little voice inside my head kept saying "Mitch, better fix that belt noise before the big trip." I have always had a slight rubbing sound from the front of the engine. I suspected the belt tensioner, here on the upper right.

Bullet camera mount

2005-07-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

So far I have only recorded 10 minute tests. The camera apears to be rock solid. I have the mic wrapped in foam in the boot, and it picks up too much fuel pump noise...

Getting ready!

2005-07-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today practiced packing, and recorded some video with the bullet camera.

Look Who's Driving

2005-07-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

So cute, how could a new father resist? Scott is 7 weeks old, and likes his new Bumbo chair. Made in South Africa, same as the Birkin. In fact it looks like he is driving, doesn't it?

All for one, blog for all :)

2005-07-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

I just signed up on Vinnie's USA 2005 Tour Org team site. Thanks Vinnie! I hope it is OK to put the link here. If not let me know. Should be OK, eh?

So here is the blog which I'd like to share with everyone on the tour. Please tell me what you think. Will it work? Do you think your families will use it? If so, then we can post images and stories, and our families can read and comment back.

I look forward to meeting everyone.

-Mitch

I have a catch container under the car, honest!

2005-07-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

Not as bad as it looks, I'd say 95% made it into the catch container. To get the last drops out, I jacked the rear end up to tilt the car forward

Changing the coolant

2005-07-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

I flushed the coolant in preparation for the tour. It looked brand new, even though it is over 4 years old. Good thing to do for peace of mind.

Ready for action

2005-07-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

Everything but the driver! This is from a year or so ago, at Motorsport Ranch.

Setting Corner Weights

2005-07-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

Here we are using the scales to set corner weights. That is Bernie supervising on the left. Craig Taylor is at the controls. I am the dead weight.

Testing "Hello"

2005-07-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

First test post with "Hello" software.

Here we see my dad getting the feel of a Caterham. I love the color combo.

Some pictures simply must be shown

2005-07-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

I saved this image from the web because it is such a great shot. Can you hear the engine, and the tires spitting gravel?

Michelle sporting a new hair cut, and a new baby

2005-07-15T00:13:00.000-07:00

My lovely wife Michelle, feeding Scott in a restaurant. He is around six weeks old here. He loves to go out, and usually sleeps the whole time. When we go home, of course, then he starts crying. He has a good pair of lungs :)

BTW this fine restaurant is none other than Southwell's Hamburger Grill, in Houston Texas. Great place for a burger, and THE BEST chocolate shake in town!

Little Scott!

2005-07-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

Scott was born on May 26th 2005. I am going to miss him on this trip. Some day I hope he too wants to head out on the road with dear old dad.

Here is Carmen

2005-07-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Carmen is my Birkin, sitting proudly after a bath :)

The engine is a 2 liter 4 cylinder Ford Zetec, producing approximately 145 HP.

Steven Davies and his Ultralite

2005-07-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

Check out Steven Davies, in his cool blue Ultralite from World Class Motorsports. This was taken at an open track day at Texas World Speedway.

The car is made right here in Texas, by Brian Anderson:

http://www.wcmultralite.com/

Bernie and his Birkin

2005-07-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here is Bernie at the Southwest Se7ens Festival in 2004. The track is Motorsport Ranch, in Cresson, Texas.

This is a post via email

2005-07-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so how does this work?

Second Post

2005-07-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

OK, let's try another photo.

First post

2005-07-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

OK, lets see how this works. What a bunch of rich guys on the left, eh? :)

I turned comments on, see if you can add a comment.

-Mitch

Sevens USA Tour '05

3 Birkins in Northern California

Farewell Dinner

Sights in San Francisco

Thank you Roger Hamlin

What do you call this, a 14?

More from Infineon

San Francisco - last city on the tour

Group dinner in San Fran

More pics

Driving the best road, ever!

Misc Pics

A dip in the Pacific

Infineon Raceway, California

Hello San Francisco!

More photos

More pics

Surprise, photo posting is working

Las Vegas?

Wedding bells in Las Vegas

Wedding bells in Las Vegas

Yet more pics

Misc pics

More group pics - Page Az

Group Photo in Page, Az

Rocky Road

A few rocks, so what?

Pics from the road

Moab, Utah to Page Arizona 9-28-05

Various photos of tour happenings...

Arches National Park - Moab Utah

Offroading in Vail - Jeep tour

A day in Vail

More Video - Mountain Pass

Slumgullion Pass, Elevation 11,361 Feet

Durango pics

Silverton, Ouray, with Michelle

Nice Seven

Time to eat!

Time for a little video

Mesa Verde National Park

Durango, Colorado

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Ruidoso to Santa Fe

Behind on the blog, some photos

Hurricane Rita

More photos

More pics from Mayhill

Bad day for Frank

Smoke, and lunch in Artesia, New Mexico 9-19-05

Fix it along the way

Pics from Simon

Westfields steal the show

Catch the wave

Hello Mabs!

How hot??? This hot!

Pics from today 9-18-05

We made Midland

Don't mess with Big Bad Bernie!

Greune, Texas 9-17-05

More Austin Pics

ALE - Austin Lotus Enthusiasts 9-17-05

ALE - Austin Lotus Enthusiasts 9-17-05

More B.D. Riley's

B.D Riley's - Austin, Texas

On the road Houston to Austin

Break down and repair

Heading out

On our way!

Another Birkin ready to go

Set Sail!

Scott at the race track

Walt at Texas World Speedway

My bicycle is bigger than my car!

Makes the rest look a bit worn

Nice and Shiny

Ticking Time Bomb?

Bullet camera mount

Getting ready!

Look Who's Driving