August 30th, 2004
On August 27th thru the 30th Mass Miata met with the Big Apple Miata Club for the New Hampshire trip to the White Mountains. The first rest stop at Salem N.H. was our meeting place. It was hot and sunny…The Big Apple Miata Club was detained at the Ferry from Long Island and was a little late in arriving. The short – 15 miles, but long and hot ride along Rte. 93 finally brought us to Manchester and some enjoyable and cooling roads. Following the various roads we meandered from Manchester, to Candia to Deerfield, to Laconia and a quick stop a Mickey D’s. Some of us chose to continue on the back roads to Lincoln and some chose to take the highway to arrive at our hotel in Lincoln, N.H. First one in the pool was Jim Gillis, even before many of us had checked in. After some rest and some cooling down, we converged on the Chalet Restaurant for dinner organized by the trip masters Sheila Grenon and Al Meola. After good drinks, good food, good company, some neat raffle prizes, a lot of laughs, and our own hand made ice cream sundaes; we all returned to the hotel some for relaxation in the pool and Jacuzzi. The last one left was Sheila soaking all her wearies away in the Jacuzzi.
Saturday morning found all of us in the lobby for breakfast. Some of us mastered the waffle maker real fast, while others played it safe with cereal and Danish. We all picked up our ‘Yogi Bear’ Picnic baskets and headed out to conquer the ‘Flume Gorge’ in Franconia State Park’. A flume is derived from French and Latin words that mean – a stream or river through a narrow riverbed gorge. The two-mile hike included visas of Mt. Liberty and Mt. Flume and the Flume Covered Bridge and the Sentinel Bridge and Pond. A cooling walk up the water misted wooden stairs that brought us through the Gorge up to the top. After our picnic lunches we were free to enjoy roads that were built for Miata’s. Some of us put four notches in our Miata’s belt (Franconia, Crawford, Pinkham and Dixville) and some of us just enjoyed the exhilarating experience of driving the Kancamagus Highway and Bear Notch Road. Everywhere you went they were small groups of Miata’s with their drivers in ecstasy just enjoying the beautiful weather, the beautiful scenery and the greatest little sports car every made. And yes even though storage space is nil, some of us hit the North Conway Outlets. That evening we met for a group chow down at the end of the K. Highway at the Merlino’s Steakhouse in North Conway. Once again there was a raffle and all sorts of great goodies in brown bags were given out. But I thought the gentlemen from Tewksbury with the Mass Miata thong and teddy on his head was rather fetching.
I have found that every time Mass. Miata and The Big Apple Club get together, it is a guaranteed good time. But the best was yet to come. After the meal a nocturnal jaunt back down Bear Notch Road to the Kancamagus Highway back to our hotel was organized. Trying not to disturb the couple parked at the rest area “enjoying the view”, on a socked in, cloud covered evening; a group picture was taken using our cars as lighting. That’s one couple whom will never forget exactly what a ‘Miata’ is!!!
Sunday some of the group headed home early, and some did the drive around Lake Winnipesaukee, with a visit to the world famous? Polar Caves.
All in all it was a wonderful weekend that we keep me through the long winter with fond memories of great people, great roads, good food, good scenery and a lot of laughs.
Thanks Sheila and Al, once again you set up an extraordinary trip!
And I was just thinking…
Do only Nice people buy Miata’s?
Or does the Miata make people Nice?
Birth Announcement
Born May 27th, 2005
‘Miata 28’
