What a blast!
I sent out an email this morning with some pics & video attached (
Jason & Chip - your mailboxes wouldn't take attachments that large - I'll try to make 'em smaller for you guys).
The Full Report
The day didn't start very well. It was raining and a big band of "green" was moving eastward from Alabama on the weather radar. Not good, but I held out hope. A few folks had to call and cancel and with very good reason. I actually didn't expect
any Cobras to brave the weather.
Around 10:15 the first Cobra arrived! It was Jerry Witt and his date, Robin, riding in his blue/white SPF (with the roof on). Not long thereafter, Jason and Wendy Patrick arrived
SANS ROOF in their Unique. Talk about taking chances! And then a THIRD Cobra arrived with Greg Buck's green/white Factory Five - again without the roof! This was turning out pretty well after all. The rain had stopped, but the clouds still seemed threatening.
Mike Geng (Toy Collector) arrived in his latest toy (a new pickup) and was almost immediately mad at himself for not bringing
The Hammer.
We milled around for a bit and Mike rode shotgun with my dad in his Luscombe taildragger. Soon, it was time to head out.
Let me tell ya something... three Cobras following each other around Jasper (middle of nowhere) GA will get some attention. Lots of it. It was totally cool. After one (ahem) wrong turn, we eventually got on the right path for Amicalola Falls. Nice 2-lane roads through the mountains... slow Hyundai's in front of you who ride their brakes through all the turns... yep, this was north GA alright. John Woerheide called me on the cell phone to say he was en route and would met us at the lodge.
The greatest thing about Cobras (to me) is not so much the speed and acceleration, it's the
effect the car has on other people. For example, the lady taking money in the booth at the Amicalola Falls park entrance didn't seem the
slightest bit amused by a bunch of loud, annoying cars. On the other hand, as we drove through the park, it seemed that everyone would stop eating their picnics to look and wave.
We managed to traverse the VERY steep grade up to the Falls Lodge and had a fine lunch. For those who have never been there, the view from the Lodge is fantastic.
After lunch, Jerry and Greg had to depart for home. After we all struck hands and wished one another a good journey, they fired up and departed, leaving our crew with only one Cobra (Jason's). We were still waiting for John and figured that he had driven straight to Bill Elliot's shop over in Dawsonville (that's where he was planning to take us anyway). So we headed out.
Shortly after leaving the park, we met John in his A/C Cobra. After a bit of recon, we managed to all get together and travel to Bill's shop. We stopped at a gas station on the way and had several oglers. Again, the lady filling up her Bronco next to us didn't seem amused. The two teenagers who stopped by were ecstatic. Several others looked on quietly.
By this point, the weather was looking very nice. Warm sun... scattered clouds... the rumble of the V-8... people along the route pointing and waving... leaving a little rubber in front of the gas station
... this is what owning a Cobra is all about.
We pulled into Bill's place and after a short visit to the shop, we headed for the private runway. It was a 1-mile long strip perfectly made for drag racing. We "goofed off" a bit. John was having a hard time shifting with his clutch problems and Jason kept winning easily. Jason made some high-speed runs (130). And basically, we just had a blast burning rubber and playing. I managed to take several nice pictures now that the sun was out. We chatted awhile and before long it was time to go.
I look forward, not only to April, but also to more Cobra Luncheons throughout the spring, summer, and fall. I hope everyone got home safely and without incident.
What a blast.
I managed to upload a few pictures to my gallery here on CC, but ran out of room. Here's a link to my Club Photo account with all the pics...
Weekend Pictures
Keith
