Category Archives: car

NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, Part II

Friday, 25 January 2008 21:28

Written by Lane Bailey

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Day two… not as busy as I’d hoped, but there was a great surprise at the end… and it didn’t have anything to do with hockey.

I got to the Westin around 8:40 tis morning for my 9:00am to 3:00pm shift. I was quickly assigned another Dodge Caravan, and on my way to the staging area near the airport, awaiting my first pick-up. The St. Louis Blues players were coming in and Erik Johnson was my first ride of the day. We talked a little bit about snow, and the great traffic in Atlanta on the way to the players’ hotel.

I grabbed a little lunch and got back down to the staging area.

Next up was Brian Campbell. When I got to the secret pick-up area at the airport, one of the greeters let me know that we needed to move until the elevator was fixed, so the three vans that were there all packed up and moved out. Dispatch hit me on the radio to say that he was running late (waiting for his brother) and that I should just chill for a few minutes… then I was tapped to take Ken Bethea of the Old 97s to his hotel. They are playing the Wycliff Jean show tonight at The Tabernacle. He was a nice and really laid back guy. He’d been having a rough day, and was ready for a trip to DisneyWorld… seriously, after the show he was heading to WDW to meet up with his family. We chatted a bit about WDW, his kids, my kid and hockey (specifically kids playing hockey). This marked the end of my shift, and things had been moving pretty slow, so I headed back to the Westin to pack it in and head home.

So, I parked in the garage and headed up to the Transportation Center… and…

I got the nod to pick up Marian Gaborik. Off to the staging area I went. But, apparently there were issues at the airport with baggage getting down in a timely manner from some flights, so Marian was picked up before I got there and I was told to hang tight.

Up walks Patrick LaForge, President and CEO of the Edmonton Oilers. He was a very pleasant guy, and we talked about a few different things on the trip. He had some nice things to say about Don Waddell. He has also spent some time around race tracks, so we talked about racing a bit.

I dropped off a bag that had been left in another van, and then it was back to the Westin… this time it stuck. But, in the Motor Lobby, there was a new surprise. It wasn’t there before, and I WOULD have seen it. Seriously. I’ve seen the picks, but this thing is bad @$$ in person. It is a bit bigger than I expected, but since it is built on the Charger platform, I should have known…

**Edit** I meant to add something when I wrote this last night…

Alyssa Milano is in town for the game. A couple of people from the Motor Pool have shuffled her. I haven’t… but I would be happy to help. So, Alyssa, if you are reading… feel free to make a request. My wife is a big fan. I should just say that it didn’t break my heart to watch Charmed every Sunday. I’ll be driving Sunday and Monday.

Cub Scout Car Guys…

Tuesday, 22 January 2008 22:46

Written by Lane Bailey

4 Comments

Tonight I had the pleasure of visiting a Cub Scout Den and talking cars with the guys. Another local real estate agent, Katy Kassam, needed a speaker for the Den and this month’s focus is on cars. Never one to pass on the opportunity to talk cars, I gladly accepted.

We talked specifically about racing and sportsmanship, as well as teamwork. We also watched a few videos… The only thing more fun than talking cars is looking at them race. We started with a short film called “Climb Dance” which has won several awards. It is about Ari Vatanaan racing a Peugot up Pikes Peak. The many camera angles accentuate the altitude and danger.

To contrast this, we watched a short clip of the Pikes Peak Hillclimb from 1919.

At the beginning of the meeting, the kids each got to name a car. One of them said Corvette… I came prepared with a short film about Corvettes racing at LeMans on the 50th Anniversary of their first race there.

The final video was one of the coolest.

There are a couple of reasons that we ended the videos with this one. Aside from being really cool (anything that weighs 10 tons and flies like that is seriously cool), they also represent one of the best examples of teamwork and sportsmanship. They are the support vehicles for the other racers, and do all of their maintenance and repair. But, they are also committed to making sure their competitors finish as well. During events like the Dakar, these competitors help each other if they get stuck or break.So, thanks fellas… and Moms, Dads, Sisters and Brothers.

Here are the Sunday videos… enjoy

Sunday, 20 January 2008 21:07

Written by Lane Bailey

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First up is a video from my happy place, Moab, UT. The trails are steep and sticky. My nerves give out before my Jeep most of the time.

The next video is from Tellico. Tellico is close… and it features some of the nastiest terrain on this end of the country. It is steep and not sticky. This particular trail is Lower 2. It is no longer open. I’ve done it a number of times, and it was always challenging.

Stay tuned for more next week

Cold and dirty… I love my hobby

Saturday, 19 January 2008 21:07

Written by Lane Bailey

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Although at times it was about as comfortable as ice fishing in a muddy pond, the 4wheeling was great this weekend.

Yes, that is why I didn’t get a post out on Friday, and even though this is dated for Saturday, it is happening on Sunday (I need to keep room on Sunday for videos).

So, Friday evening I jumped in the truck with Pat and we headed north toward TN. We were hoping for snow for our annual Winter Madness run. Behind us we dragged Pat’s 85 CJ-7. It is lightly modified (ok, we call it lightly modified…) with 33″ tires, 4″ suspension lift, shackle reversal, Dana 44 front axle. It is locked front and rear, and is powered by a 4.0L fuel injected engine mated to a NV4500 heavy duty transmission. Of course there are a lot of other little tidbits… Pat is the National Sales Manager for Omix-Ada, owners of the Rugged Ridge line of Jeep accessories.

Pat’s Crew Cab El Camino (Chevy Avalanche 2500) is a lot more comfortable than driving up in a Jeep… We’re old, we like comfort..

So, while there was snow in Atlanta… there was no snow in TN. But it was cold. Increasingly cold. By Sunday morning, when we headed back to Atlanta, it was very cold.

But, on the trail it stayed mostly above freezing. At least just above freezing.

The trail system we were on is a really cool place. While a lot of our club members had been there previously, it was my first trip. I can’t wait to visit during the summer. Aside from the cool waterfall at the end of one of the trails, there is also a cave at the end of another spur. There are also a lot of rock gardens, which though the rocks are smaller than economy cars, they do require picking a good line.

There is mud, too. I’m not really a mud fan. This particular mud hole claimed a few casualties. A couple of our folks lost tire beads in the hole. A mud-filled tire is pretty heavy, and not the most fun to change… but it’s better than watching basketball.

This was the main reward. At the end of this spur, there is a really cool waterfall. The cool thing about it is that there is no stream at the top with the water flowing to the falls. And, at the bottom, the water disappears back into the rock again. There is no stream flowing away on the ground.

While driving to the waterfall, the river drops underground regularly. It will be there flowing strongly, and then disappear completely… only to reappear after a few hundred yards.

Anyway, that is why I wasn’t keeping my regular posting schedule.

I love my hobby…

Cool house… not cool garage?

Wednesday, 16 January 2008 15:18

Written by Lane Bailey

1 Comment

I just got back from a meeting with a local mortgage broker, Ken Cook. He let me know about a great sounding program to remedy the situation when you want to move and can’t find that perfect house… with the perfect garage. If you can find the house, he can do a loan that folds in the improvement to the garage (or renovation of the house).

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Category Archives: car

NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, Part II

Cub Scout Car Guys…

Here are the Sunday videos… enjoy

Cold and dirty… I love my hobby

Cool house… not cool garage?

Browse Listings

What's YOUR Home Worth?

Custom Listings

Follow Me on Pinterest

Category Archives: car

NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, Part II

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Cub Scout Car Guys…

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Here are the Sunday videos… enjoy

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Cold and dirty… I love my hobby

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Cool house… not cool garage?

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