RE: PistonHeads USA Tour 2013
Discussion
TheBlondeFella said:
Everyone is entitled to there own opinion and forums like this is are a fantastic place for people to air there views.
I for one won't be emailing those that disagree with me to find out why either.
Anyway ... Since when where we allowed to promote and sell our businesses on PistonHeads ... I know I certainly can't sell what I do here.
I guess you missed the bit in the article where it said PH American Dream Tour? I for one won't be emailing those that disagree with me to find out why either.
Anyway ... Since when where we allowed to promote and sell our businesses on PistonHeads ... I know I certainly can't sell what I do here.
Airing views is a very important part of forums, especially informed views.
It's why PH is the best car forum in the world because this is where you find people that have in depth knowledge which leads to useful and enjoyable interaction.
Asking via email why someone seems unable to understand when things are explained to them is, I would suggest, a nice way of asking a specific question in order to avoid a boring conversation in front of everyone else.
If you missed the fact it was a PH tour (at the top) run by PN (at the bottom) Then what else did you miss while you were forming your opinion on value for money?
Anyone Steve, enough now...I've met you off forum and at The Supercar Event last year and know you're a decent guy so take my comments above as tongue in cheek and we can put the rest of this down to misunderstanding?
Harsh said:
Steve, I hear that the latest iphone5 takes better pictures than a Canon 6d
especially if i use iphoto
especially if i use iphoto
Batchi, you're right, a talented individual could take a superior image on a phone camera than a Pro DSLR. That's because good images are produced by people and not products.
I hear Gordon Ramsey can cook a fantastic meal on a camping stove. :0)
TheBlondeFella said:
Harsh said:
Steve, I hear that the latest iphone5 takes better pictures than a Canon 6d
especially if i use iphoto
especially if i use iphoto
Bachi, you're right, a talented individual could take a superior image on a phone camera than a Pro DSLR. That's because good images are produced by people and not products.
I hear Gordon Ramsey can cook a fantastic meal on a camping stove. :0)
Dug out a small portion of my snaps from last years trip (I took well over 800+ photos!) - It was my 3rd PH tour having done 2 Alpine Tour's previously.
The thing is it's ALWAYS possible to do trips like this cheaper if you want to, if you can put in the time yourself that logic applies to everything! Whether it's DIY, going on holiday, selling a house! The benefit of paying (what is INCREDIBLE value for money) is that you pay for the experience of individuals that KNOW the roads, the hotels, & ultimately people that know the best way to eek the most out of the finite amount of time you're there...& for me the biggest attraction was I didnt have to THINK. I just turned up, I drove & thats what I love about these trips. I dont have the time to put in the leg work in co-ordinating a trip like this & to know I can go, and know I'll enjoy it due to the commeradary that develops, the scenery, roads, cars is what keeps me coming back.
Looking back through the photos...I miss it. The hot Death Valley sun! The amazing sunset as we drove down to Santa Barbera and our beachfront hotel! The Corvette's flyby's! & don't even get me started on VEGAS! This year though, it's the PH Alpine South Tour, might do the USA Tour in 2015 though
It was THAT good.
The thing is it's ALWAYS possible to do trips like this cheaper if you want to, if you can put in the time yourself that logic applies to everything! Whether it's DIY, going on holiday, selling a house! The benefit of paying (what is INCREDIBLE value for money) is that you pay for the experience of individuals that KNOW the roads, the hotels, & ultimately people that know the best way to eek the most out of the finite amount of time you're there...& for me the biggest attraction was I didnt have to THINK. I just turned up, I drove & thats what I love about these trips. I dont have the time to put in the leg work in co-ordinating a trip like this & to know I can go, and know I'll enjoy it due to the commeradary that develops, the scenery, roads, cars is what keeps me coming back.
Looking back through the photos...I miss it. The hot Death Valley sun! The amazing sunset as we drove down to Santa Barbera and our beachfront hotel! The Corvette's flyby's! & don't even get me started on VEGAS! This year though, it's the PH Alpine South Tour, might do the USA Tour in 2015 though
It was THAT good.Please all of you - tell my husband how lucky he is to have a wife who actually wants to go on a trip like this. I have a big bday this year and have suggested the trip as my present! He just smiles at me in a pity-ing way! I did suggest I contact r1ch who I see has booked to go solo - even that didn't sway him!
5MUG said:
Please all of you - tell my husband how lucky he is to have a wife who actually wants to go on a trip like this. I have a big bday this year and have suggested the trip as my present! He just smiles at me in a pity-ing way! I did suggest I contact r1ch who I see has booked to go solo - even that didn't sway him!
Err... time for a new one?Either that or take away his conjugals for a month or two...
5MUG said:
Please all of you - tell my husband how lucky he is to have a wife who actually wants to go on a trip like this. I have a big bday this year and have suggested the trip as my present! He just smiles at me in a pity-ing way! I did suggest I contact r1ch who I see has booked to go solo - even that didn't sway him!
lol, you're more than welcome to car share with me. Or any other ph'er who happens to be reading this! Those pictures look amazing!
5MUG said:
Please all of you - tell my husband how lucky he is to have a wife who actually wants to go on a trip like this. I have a big bday this year and have suggested the trip as my present! He just smiles at me in a pity-ing way! I did suggest I contact r1ch who I see has booked to go solo - even that didn't sway him!
P'raps he's booked a 'surprise' already.........Did the Caterham `How the West was driven' tour in 2005 and the least that could be said about it was that it was interesting!!!. Shipped about 45 Caterhams, Westfields, Lotis 7`s to the states. Got there between hurricanes, the hotel we stayed at on the first night was under 5ft of water a few hours after we left it, heading North to the Rockies. Got threatened by some down and outs at one hotel who said our cars would be trashed if we didnt hand over cash. Did a night patrol to watch over them. My Brother and I drew a 2am to 3am shift, which turned out to be unusual, because coming around a corner of the hotel came face to face with a mountain lion which was checking the hotel dumpsters for food. after what seemed like an age just staring at eachother, the lion backed off, and ran off across the car park.
Just as well, because we didnt know what the ***k we were going to do about it.
Took the Seven up to the solar observatory at Cloud, and got a personal tour for two, just because we had turned up in the Caterham (mind you the Seven didnt really work all that well at that at altitude)
and got a close up look at the sun, and the telescope which was 300ft tall (200ft in the ground and 100ft obove in a tower) but floated on a bath of mercury and could be moved with our little fingers!
Going through the tunnel North of the Golden gate bridge, a car was doing its best to get alongside us
So my brother dropped a cog, and floored it, which got the usual foot long flame from the exhaust (Crossflow on 40`s)and the usual loud bang. at which the car alongside hit the brakes so hard it nearly stood on its nose. this was followed by loads of screeching tyres, and cars coming to a halt acroos the tunnel (just like in the films). We got out of the tunnel to a bridge view area, and shortly after, the car which had tried to keep up with us rolled in. here we go! we thought, but the driver just apologised and said he was just trying to see what the car was. We asked why he had braked so hard, and he said, I heard the bang and saw the flames, and I thought you were shooting at me!
Could probably write pages about what happened on this trip, but can only say if you are thinking about doing this trip, then DO IT, it will be a trip you will never ever forget.
Just as well, because we didnt know what the ***k we were going to do about it.
Took the Seven up to the solar observatory at Cloud, and got a personal tour for two, just because we had turned up in the Caterham (mind you the Seven didnt really work all that well at that at altitude)
and got a close up look at the sun, and the telescope which was 300ft tall (200ft in the ground and 100ft obove in a tower) but floated on a bath of mercury and could be moved with our little fingers!
Going through the tunnel North of the Golden gate bridge, a car was doing its best to get alongside us
So my brother dropped a cog, and floored it, which got the usual foot long flame from the exhaust (Crossflow on 40`s)and the usual loud bang. at which the car alongside hit the brakes so hard it nearly stood on its nose. this was followed by loads of screeching tyres, and cars coming to a halt acroos the tunnel (just like in the films). We got out of the tunnel to a bridge view area, and shortly after, the car which had tried to keep up with us rolled in. here we go! we thought, but the driver just apologised and said he was just trying to see what the car was. We asked why he had braked so hard, and he said, I heard the bang and saw the flames, and I thought you were shooting at me!
Could probably write pages about what happened on this trip, but can only say if you are thinking about doing this trip, then DO IT, it will be a trip you will never ever forget.
As Caterhams are so different to most of what runs down US highways, we had to get used having pictures taken of our progress just about every where we went. The weirdest thing was stopping at gas stations in the absolute middle of no where, with not another building in sight for miles, and within a few minutes people turning up, in everything from trucks, tractors, hot rods, and Harleys just to have a look and talk to us.
Arriving at our Hotel on the strip in Vegas, there were loads of photographers trying to get photos of any `Slebs' who might be arriving. A stretch Limo had just pulled into lobby stop off before us, and they crowded around it to get shots of whoever was in it. Then our Seven pulled in, with just a little' noise from the sidepipe, and immediately we had about 40+ photographers around us snapping away like crazy! Not an everyday experience. Later that evening we decided to go for a blast down the strip in the Seven, and it was just like at the Olympics, with literally thousands of camera flashes going off from the sidewalks as we went by (given the noise the Seven was making and the fact that we were hooning `a bit' we just hoped that the flashes were all from cameras, and not from Gatsos)
We had some American friends with us in what could be described as the US version of a Seven, called
Texans. and they were f**kstaggeringly fast, Lets just say they walked away from some V8 powered cars we had had in our group. One of them had a ding dong with about 20 Superbikers on some fabulous roads near the coast in California, and he went past, and left the lot of them like they were standing still. A few miles and some time later up the road, we finally caught up with them all in a layby. the bikers were staggered that any `car' could even keep up with them, let alone leave them for dead! but they, like nearly all the people we met there were a great bunch of people. We were running low on fuel at this point, so one of the bikers shot away to check if any of the gas stations near there were open, and came back with a gallon fuel for us. Absolutely bl**y brilliant place for petrolheads!
In San Fransisco a Hells Angel pulled along side us at some traffic lights, and looked at the Seven for a few seconds. Then said `Thats one b
hin Ride Man! That kind of put the seal on it!
Arriving at our Hotel on the strip in Vegas, there were loads of photographers trying to get photos of any `Slebs' who might be arriving. A stretch Limo had just pulled into lobby stop off before us, and they crowded around it to get shots of whoever was in it. Then our Seven pulled in, with just a little' noise from the sidepipe, and immediately we had about 40+ photographers around us snapping away like crazy! Not an everyday experience. Later that evening we decided to go for a blast down the strip in the Seven, and it was just like at the Olympics, with literally thousands of camera flashes going off from the sidewalks as we went by (given the noise the Seven was making and the fact that we were hooning `a bit' we just hoped that the flashes were all from cameras, and not from Gatsos)
We had some American friends with us in what could be described as the US version of a Seven, called
Texans. and they were f**kstaggeringly fast, Lets just say they walked away from some V8 powered cars we had had in our group. One of them had a ding dong with about 20 Superbikers on some fabulous roads near the coast in California, and he went past, and left the lot of them like they were standing still. A few miles and some time later up the road, we finally caught up with them all in a layby. the bikers were staggered that any `car' could even keep up with them, let alone leave them for dead! but they, like nearly all the people we met there were a great bunch of people. We were running low on fuel at this point, so one of the bikers shot away to check if any of the gas stations near there were open, and came back with a gallon fuel for us. Absolutely bl**y brilliant place for petrolheads!
In San Fransisco a Hells Angel pulled along side us at some traffic lights, and looked at the Seven for a few seconds. Then said `Thats one b
hin Ride Man! That kind of put the seal on it!r1ch said:
Hey, are there any other forums/threads that will discuss the trip in more detail?
Must sort my flights soon. Thinking of going a day earlier and sleeping off the jet lag in a hotel in the airport...
Go to http://www.petrolheadnirvana.com/ and they have individual forums for each trip. Not that busy but there will probably be some info from last year.Must sort my flights soon. Thinking of going a day earlier and sleeping off the jet lag in a hotel in the airport...
I flew out two days before as San Fran is a really cool city and there's plenty to do. Alcatraz is well worth a visit if you haven't done it before but you will need to book before you leave the UK. It's always booked up a good few days in advance.
Andy W's Blog from last year gives a good insight into the trip........ i enjoyed it anyway as i wasn't able to go 
https://www.icloud.com/journal/#1;CAEQARoQsNivTy7M...
https://www.icloud.com/journal/#1;CAEQARoQsNivTy7M...
I drove my Caterham 7 around Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur just today (a lot less cars out on a Friday). Not all of these roads will be driven on your tour maybe, but you will drive right by them! A few photos:
Carmel Valley road, around the middle:
Nacimiento Fergusson road, East end:
Nacimiento Fergusson road, West end (Hwy 1 is visible below):
A gravel turn-out on Hwy 1 North-bound (must be tourists - never seen sunbathers here before, but I'm okay with it):
Carmel Valley road, around the middle:
Nacimiento Fergusson road, East end:
Nacimiento Fergusson road, West end (Hwy 1 is visible below):
A gravel turn-out on Hwy 1 North-bound (must be tourists - never seen sunbathers here before, but I'm okay with it
):Gassing Station | Events & Meetings | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff