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Out
In The Passing Lane
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 You're
moving along at your planned pace, your anticipated arrival time looks
good, and suddenly you find yourself in a traffic detour. Is there anything
more frustrating when you're driving than to find yourself caught in a
long line of slow moving traffic created by an unannounced detour? Especially
frustrating when with a bit of warning you could have taken a different
route to your destination.
On our trip out to BeaveRun for NER's Driver Education event we motored along at a rapid rate through Connecticut, New York and most of Pennsylvania, and I was busily calculating our arrival time smug in the belief that we'd arrive well ahead of my computer-mapping program's estimate. Then disaster struck! The software route selection was solved on the basis of shortest distance/quickest driving time priority. We were within twenty miles of our destination when the suggested route placed us on narrow county roads. A few miles into that stretch we arrived at a small town and promptly encountered a truck detour route. Should we take that route with our large truck and trailer or guess that whatever was the cause of the detour wouldn't be relevant to our group? I made a spur of the moment decision and took the detour. As I should have anticipated, signage for the detour was sparse. So at the next intersection we were left to ponder which way to go. We consulted our maps and made a right turn, and then at the next intersection again were debating which way to go. A local in the lane next to us instructed us to continue straight for a couple of miles to pickup our planned route. Which we were able to do, wonder of wonders! Another mile and several intersections later we were certain we'd somehow wandered off course once again. When you realize you're driving around in a circle, you know you're off course! A few intersections later we found ourselves in the middle of town, at a tight main street intersection with our very long rig, starting to panic a bit about being trapped unable to go in any direction! I did the unmanly thing and consulted with a driver trapped behind us. He advised that all we had to do was turn right and we'd be back on course. Easier said than done. Fortunately oncoming traffic in the intersection gave way and I managed to make the turn without taking out a mailbox or streetlight. A few miles later and we were at the track, now about a half hour behind my anticipated record setting pace. I consulted our maps and determined that we should take a slightly longer route home from the track, which involved a minimum of country roads and no small towns or detours. Within ten minutes or so we were on a limited access highway, unstressed and at pace. In retrospect I should have discounted the software's solution and opted for the most number of interstate miles no matter the distance penalty. Yesterday I found myself in yet another unplanned detour. Normally my trip home from the office is a highly predictable 40-minute drive. On the day in question I was in a hurry to get home to pickup Susana for our trip into Brookline for a book signing at the Museum of Transportation. Again within a few miles of my destination (home) I'm suddenly confronted with a ramp closing onto I-95 North. All the traffic that was planning on entering the interstate was being detoured north up Route 1 through Topsfield. That up and down road was a parking lot as drivers unfamiliar with the territory started looking for options to the traffic jam. Drivers were reversing course at driveways or in the middle of the road. A lone traffic light several miles up the road I knew was likely to be a major impediment because no doubt all the redirected traffic would need to be turning left at that intersection which lacks a left turn lane or signal. Twenty minutes into the detour I finally arrive at a small back road intersection that allows me to escape the jam up. If the highway department had posted a notice advising the schedule for the ramp closing most of the people (and me in particular!) could have planned alternate routes and saved a lot of stress in the process. I mentioned our trip to the Museum of Transportation in Brookline for a book signing. The museum in conjunction with Bentley Books was hosting an evening with author Karl Ludvigson, author of the original and the newly released versions of "Excellence Was Expected". The original book has been the definitive history of the Porsche marque since it was published in 1977, but the original massive volume only covered the startup years to the late '70's. The just released update fills in the remaining years right up through the Cayenne and Carrera GT developments. The original volume was some 800 pages in length, and featured very small and dense type. Karl's update is so massive it requires three volumes, larger pages, more photos and still lots of dense type. These are not volumes you can read over a weekend, nor haul around on an airplane! A large crowd paid rapt attention throughout Karl's presentation, which was both entertaining and informative. I'm amazed at the details some people are able to file away and recall without hesitation. His presentation was replete with details of engine and model design and construction, along with sidebars about the personalities who've worked at Porsche over the years. The new edition "Excellence Was Expected" was on sale at the Museum so a number of people made purchases so they could get their books autographed by Karl. Others brought copies of the original book and had Karl sign those. He was most gracious and charming throughout the evening, a man very comfortable with crowds it seemed. Betty Jo Turner, editor of Panorama, was in attendance traveling up from Atlanta to interview Karl prior to his presentation. Betty Jo commented that she'd also interviewed Karl when the first version was released. I suspect Karl and Bentley can expect to sell a lot of copies of this new release. Almost every Porsche Club member is a possible sale, especially if they currently own the original version. The three-volume edition will retail for around $260, but it can be found on Amazon.com for their special price of $160 or so. I'll be working my way through the new release a chapter at a time no doubt throughout our forthcoming hibernation period. BeaveRun by the way is going to be a great driver's track when completed for the 2005-driving season. The course we drove in late August was fast, busy and bumpy in places. My average lap speed was nearly 90 miles/hour, a bit faster than my average at Mid-Ohio. The busy aspect of the course should be cured when the track grows from 1.6 miles to over 3.5 miles. The paddock area should also get better as they add paved surfaces. The management team is very cooperative and friendly, pleased to have us using their track. They've designed the facility to accommodate a variety of uses, varying from motocross motorcycles, go-karting, autocrossing, and of course paved circuit events. These multiple venues were all in use while we were at the track. A solid revenue stream is key to making racetracks financially viable, and it appears they've developed a plan that will provide that income. We'll go back next year and we'll have fun, but the real fun will start when the full track is complete. I suspect the full track will have as many thrills as VIR does now. |
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