Day 1 began with a jovial gathering in the spillover parking lot of the Staten Island Hotel. Teams were asked to be near their "vehicles" by 9am, anticipating a 9:30 start. After a brief round of announcements from Justin, one of the rally marshalls, the airhorn was sounded and the collection of wrecks began snaking out onto the road like some sequel to Mad Max. Karen, another marshall, handed a flyer to the person occupying the "shotgun seat" in each car as they passed. The flyer detailed our photo challenges for the day:
- Ferrari 430 (real, not a model)
- Official license plate with two full English (no abbreviations) words
- Flying Confederate flag
- Building or sign with a President's name on it.
- Three Ford Edge automobiles in any color, but copper.
- Mustang GT convertible with top down (bonus if owner poses with car)
- Hot air balloon
- Six highway patrol cars (not police or other law enforcement), each from different states.
The teams quickly split up as we crossed the bridge from the island. Wendy and I, followed the directions in our GPS to Harrisonburg, VA - our endpoint, some 300 miles distant. Challenge #4 was quickly nabbed as we passed an exit to a road named Washington. Breaking out the laptop, I began searching for Ferrari dealerships along the route while Wendy kept EZ in the straight and narrow, all the while, looking for license plates and State Police cars.
Our best shot for a Ferrari 430 was located at a dealership just outside of Philadelphia, which we would bypass on our current route. Checking the dealer's inventory online revealed not one, but TWO 430 coupes. We plugged in the address for the dealer and left the direct route to Virginia. As we exited the Interstate, we noticed a State Patrol repair depot and made a quick turn into the lot. Spying two wrecked cruisers, I grabbed a couple of shots while Wendy whipped EZ into a tight circle to make a hasty retreat from the stares that greeted our arrival.
Continuing south, we searched parking lots along the way in vain for vanity license plates (don't seem to be popular in New Jersey) and the elusive Ford Edge. Once we had a picture of an Edge (thanks to Google) and knew what to look for, challenge #5 fell quickly. We had just nabbed our last Edge photo, when we noticed a Mustang convertible parked just outside of an insurance office. Turning the car around, we discovered, to our luck, that it was indeed a GT. Walking into the office, we pleaded our case with the office staff and met the manager, who owned the car. Once we explained what we were all about, he was more than happy to drop the convertible top and let us take the picture. Challenge #6 complete!
Still no two-word license plate though. Nearing our date with a Ferrari, we came across a mall with a large parking deck. After about 20 minutes of searching, Wendy spotted a plate bearing the words "ICOPY2". Don't know if the owner ran a copier service company or was a budding plagiarist, but we took the shot and made for the highway once more. All of this slow riding through parking lots was taking its toll on our clutch. Just how much, we were soon to learn.
Entering the town of Bryn Mawr, PA, the home of Villanova University, we were passed by a Ferrari parts truck. Success was within sight! A few blocks later we found the combination Ferrari/Maserati dealership. Wendy, being the far more respectable member of the team, entered the establishment to explain what we were looking for. Yes, for the low, low price of $178k or $231k we could have our choice of either of the Italian stallions. Beautiful cars, to be sure. Talking with one of the salespersons, we learned that we were the sixth visitor to the dealership from the rally. Challenge #1 done!
Now to find a hot air balloon. Pointing EZ towards the Pennsylvania Dutch country, we hoped to find a balloon at a launch site that we found on the 'net. As we neared the location, Wendy mentioned how hard EZ's shifter was becoming to get in gear. Not good. Not good at all. Didn't plan on transmission issues and certainly out of my capacity to repair. We switched seating positions at the launch site, which was a bust. No balloons. My fears were confirmed as I had a chance to experience the shifter for myself. Very nearly did not get it out of reverse.
While we had planned to spin through Gettysburg in search of a Rebel banner, the tranny issues convinced us to seek out the Interstate once more, where shifting would not be as much of a requirement. Once on the superslab, it was smooth sailing once more. What shifts were required were met with mechanical growls and protests. We chose to risk a quick trip through Chambersburg, PA in one more search for a flag. No go, but we did manage to fill up on gas, oil and snacks.
Back on the highway, we met another team, Shite Rider (the Knight Rider clone from the nether regions) and continued along together until we reached Harrisonburg around 7:45pm. Photos had to be turned in by 9 on this day, so we skipped checking in at the hotel and made tracks for Clementines, a local restaurant/bar where the marshalls were holding court. Wendy showed our collection of snapshots to the organizers while I wrestled a even more cranky EZ into a parking space.
By the time I walked in, Wendy had already wrapped things up with the marshalls. Success! All of our photos were accepted. Arriving at the Best Western, our home for the evening, I started flipping through the Toyota repair guide in the hopes of finding some solution to our problem. I did not look forward to speed shifting through the mountains of NC on Day 3. The guide made reference to a clutch fluid reservoir and then it clicked. Wendy had found a half empty bottle of brake fluid stashed behind one of EZ's headlights when we brought it home in January. What if....
After locating the fluid tank we discovered that it was empty and required DOT 3 Brake Fluid, which was a part of our toolkit. We test drove EZ for a short trip to a Vietnamese restaurant down the street to confirm the "repair". Mystery of the brake fluid bottle solved, along with our shifting problem. Just one more leak to keep an eye on.
And now for Day 2...astronauts descending upon the gentle people of Virginia. Heaven help us all...
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