Taking the Long Way … By Ken Rabbers, President

The Official Newsletter of the Indy Miata Club
Volume 23
Issue 11
November 2013
What’s Inside
Page 2
Taking the Long Way (cont.)
Taking the Long Way …
By Ken Rabbers, President
Let’s start this month’s column on a different note; the upcoming officer elections for the Indy Miata
Club. We’re still in need of people wishing to help out the club by serving on the Board of Directors,
particularly the Vice President / Events Coordinator position. I know I’ve mentioned this several times
throughout the year but this is a position that has some confused, and possibly misinformed. The term
“Events Coordinator” seems to invoke the most confusion regarding the various positions on the Board
of Directors. The position does NOT require the office holder to be responsible for putting on events,
arranging for events to happen, or to have any direct responsibility for the events. The position is
merely to provide for a clearing house and a keeper of the calendar of club events throughout the year.
This person would be whom one would contact if they wished to host an event to check availability for
a date or to ask other questions about a particular type of event. A lot of members over the years have
been under the assumption that the Events Coordinator is the person to whom suggestions about events
should be directed so they (the Event Coordinator) can precede to organize said event. So, that being
said, the Vice President / Event Coordinator position isn’t one that people should shy away from as the
duties are not much different or time demanding than any other board position. The one caveat that I’d
like to add is that this position requires that the person serve as President the following year.
In addition to the Vice President / Events Coordinator, the club has other elected and appointed positions. The other elected positions are Treasurer and Secretary. There are currently two nominations for
elected board positions for next year: Ken Rabbers as Treasurer and Joan Rabbers as Secretary. Additional nominations are still being accepted if anyone is interested. The office of President will be
served by Gary Weidman. The appointed positions are Membership Director, Webmaster and Newsletter Editor. At the October meeting of the Board of Directors, the board acted to appoint Darlene Evans
as Membership Director, and Steve Crouse as Newsletter Editor. Both appointees will take over their
respective positions after the current fiscal year expires on November 30. Sara McBride has indicated a
Page 3
Taking the Long Way (cont.)
Christmas Dinner Reservation Form
Club Classifieds
Page 4
Great Western Adventure
Page 5
Great Western Adventure Cont.
Saturday, December 7th
George's Neighborhood Grill
6935 Lake Plaza Dr.
Indianapolis, IN
Page 6
Indy Miata Club Invades St. Louis
Page 7
Advertisers
Page 8
Advertisers
Fill out and return the reservation form on page 3 with $10/person
and sign up on the website.
If you would like to participate in the gift exchange, please bring a
wrapped gift of approximately $20 in value.
ONLY 15 MORE DAYS TO SIGN UP!
November 2013
Page 2 Open Road
Indy Miata
Club Officers
2013
President
Ken Rabbers
president@indymiata.org
Vice-President
Gary Weidman
vicepresident@indymiata.org
Treasurer
Steve Crouse
treasurer@indymiata.org
Membership Director
Tom Lewis
Taking the Long Way Home cont.
willingness to continue as Webmaster.
OK, now that we’re through with the public service portion of the newsletter we can get on to our regularly
scheduled programming.
I’ve written quite a bit this year about owning cars, driving cars, racing cars, and car movies. I was going to
write about car books this month but thought that some humor might be more fun and interesting. Not only that
but it’s a lot easier to cut and paste cartoons and jokes that to try to come up with content on my own! Besides,
who doesn’t like a little bit of humor now and then? Hopefully you will all find the cartoons and jokes funny
A BLONDE, wanting to earn some money, decided to hire herself out as a handyman-type and
started canvassing a wealthy neighborhood. She went to the front door of the first house and asked
the owner if he had any jobs for her to do. "Well, you can paint my porch. How much will you
charge?" The blonde said "How about 50 dollars?" The man agreed and told her that the paint and
ladders that she might need were in the garage.
The man's wife, inside the house, heard the conversation and said to her husband, "Does she realize
that the porch goes all the way around the house?" The man replied, "She should. She was standing
on the porch."
A short time later, the blonde came to the door to collect her money. "You're finished already?" he
asked. "Yes," the blonde answered, "and I had paint left over, so I gave it two coats." Impressed, the
man reached in his pocket for the $50. "And by the way," the blonde added, "that's not a Porch, it's a
Ferrari."
membership@indymiata.org
Secretary
Joan Rabbers
secretary@indymiata.org
Website Editor
Sara J McBride
webmaster@indymiata.org
Newsletter Editor
Sabrena Smith
editor@indymiata.org
AN ANGRY MOTORIST went back to a garage where
he'd purchased a battery for his car six months earlier.
"Listen," the motorist grumbled to the garage owner,
"when I bought the battery you said it would be the last
battery my car would ever need. It died after only six
months."
"Sorry," the garage owner apologized. "I didn't think your
car would last any longer than that."
The Open Road is published monthly
for the members of the Indy Miata
Club. The Indy Miata Club assumes no
liability for any information contained
herein, or injury or damage resulting
from the use of this information. The
ideas, opinions, maintenance or modification tips expressed are to be used
at the reader’s discretion. Individual
contributors and/or the editors express
no approval, authentication, or endorsement. Thank you.
Page 3 Open Road
November 2013
Taking the Long Way Home cont.
A GUY WALKS INTO the local NAPA store and asks "can I get a wiper blade for a Yugo"? The clerk replies, "Sounds
like a good trade to me".
A college student drove his ratty, raggedy old car into the mechanic's shop, needing some repair advice for his jalopy.
The mechanic looked at it for a couple of minutes and said, "What you really need is the radiator cap solution."
"Oh," said the student, trying not to sound too confused, "Do you mean the radiator cap isn't holding enough pressure?"
"That's part of the problem," the mechanic said. "You need to lift the radiator cap and drive another car under it. Then you can replace the
radiator cap, and it should solve your problem."
So, there you have it, I hope you’ve had some laughter and brightness added to your day.
Miscellaneous Ramblings
Welcome to our newest members: Kurt Smith, owner of a 2006 Sunlight Silver Touring MX-5; Scott and Starla Cook, owners of a 2001 Silver
Miata; Trey Hodge, owner of a 1991 White Miata.
Don’t forget our upcoming 2013 Holiday Party to be held at George’s Neighborhood Grill on Saturday December 7, 2013. If you are planning to
attend, your reservation form and $10 per person must be received no later than November 15, 2013. A copy of the form is included elsewhere in
the newsletter. More information can be found on the Events page of the club’s website. Also, be sure to bring a gift so you can be a part of our gift
exchange, a gift value of $20 is recommended, one gift per car.
And Finally …
-“I’m beginning to understand myself.
But it would have been great to be able
to understand myself when I was 20
rather than when I was 82.”
Dave Brubeck
CLASSIFIEDS
1999 Miata Parts for sell—Brand New
spoiler parts. Contact Saundra Kimmerling at berthie01@comcast.net or call
765-617-8884
2006 Mazda Miata Mx-5 Touring, 5spd
manual, 49,000 miles, True Red, It has
Mom Wheels, Sportster11 Muffler, IIL
Motorsports red strut bar. Excellent
condition. Asking $12,500. Call Mark
@ 317-60-6686
Odds & Ends—A former member (and
President) sold his Miata (boo!) and
found some items while doing spring
cleaning in his garage. 1st gen front
license plate bracket, original console
ashtray, brand new. And a used but still
good original engine oil cap. All
free..........just come and get it. Contact
Rick Booe at 765-720-5624
November 2013
Page 4 Open Road
GREAT WESTERN ADVENTURE (Final PART)
Twenty one days, twenty one motel rooms!
By Gary and Kathy Collings
Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas,
Missouri, Illinois, Indiana
June 12th – July 2nd
Hopefully you’ve all read the previous 3 parts in the past three issues of the Open Road. If not, you need to go back
and read them before reading any further.
June 24: Destination Arcata, California and the
California Redwoods (overcast 59 Degrees) -- We
continued driving along the coast in cold, rainy conditions and stopped to view the Cape Blanco lighthouse. Once we got to the Redwood Forest, the rain
stopped and the sun came out allowing for awesome
views of the Redwood trees. How majestic and
beautiful. We now can better appreciate Teddy
Roosevelt having the foresight to save these indescribable giants from destruction. (223 miles)
Driving through a Redwood
Gary and Kathy in front of a Redwood and in front
of a fallen, hollow Redwood.
Rocks along Pacific Shoreline
June 25: Destination Clear Lake, CA (overcast to
sunshine) -- We continued on US 101 along the coast
to Ft. Bragg and the “Avenue of the Giants” with
more magnificent Redwood trees; we had a unique
opportunity to drive our Miatas through an opening
in a giant tree. California Highway 1 was 22 miles
of “S” curves along the Pacific coast shoreline. (256
miles)
June 26: Destination Sonora, CA, Napa Valley and Yosemite National Park (sunny with a little cloud cover) -- California drivers
are crazy! We drove from green hills, though Napa Valley on Highway 29 to St. Helena with all the areas famous wineries paralleling the route of the Napa Valley Wine Train. We then traveled from Napa to Yosemite Valley and its world-famous waterfalls,
cliffs, and unusual rock formations. The National Park was awesome with its beauty beyond description! The Bridal Veil Falls,
the Half-Dome and Glacier Point were unique sights to behold including El Capitan, a massive granite monolith that stands 3,593
feet from base to summit. We recommend a Yosemite visit be added to your bucket list. (298 miles)
Entrance to one of several
Napa wineries.
Continued on page 5
Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite
National Park
Half Dome at Yosemite National Park
Beautiful View at Yosemite
November 2013
Page 5 Open Road
GREAT WESTERN ADVENTURE Cont.
June 27: Destination Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nevada (hot) – We continued driving through north Yosemite National Park with its
hilly and curvy roads and terrain. We drove through Lake Tahoe, a busy tourist area, and later arrived at Reno Sands Regency Casino/Hotel. Reno is known as the “Biggest Little City in the World”. We toured the National Car Museum, housing Harrah’s personal, magnificent vintage car collection, which is a must see attraction (200 miles)
View from our Room in
Reno, NV
Gary with Lake Tahoe
in background
This car didn’t survive
the “S” Curves
One of a kind Car in Museum
June 28: Destination Elko, Nevada (still hot) – We drove along the National Historic Trail to California and the nearby National
Pony Express Trail. I-80 across northern Utah was hot with wind and sand storms causing “brown-outs” --- not a fun drive. The land
along I-80 is stark and barren with some areas left as salt flats on a much smaller scale than the Great Salt Lake Desert in Utah. Contrary to popular belief the speed limit is not 75 mph all the way across Nevada. One day to go on the Great Western Adventure and
we were all still smiling and enjoying each other’s company. (297 miles)
June 29: Destination Salt Lake City, Utah and on to Grand Junction, Colorado (sunny and a hot 103 degrees) – After an overnight in
Elko, we travel towards the Nevada-Utah State line, which marks the division between West Wendover, NV and Wendover, UT.
The huge casinos are on one side of the state line and everything else is on the other side – you guessed it, by and large, most folks
come from the Salt Lake Valley for a quick and easy gambling fix and entertainment. The flats of the Great Salt Desert were dead
ahead. The Bonneville Salt Flats stretch over 30,000 acres and were formed when the ancient Lake Bonneville dried up and shrank
below its outlet and so its water became salty. As the water evaporated, salt deposits were left (much to the delight of the Morton
Salt Company). During the last Ice Age (about 15,000 years ago) Lake Bonneville was the size of Lake Michigan.
As we approached Salt Lake City there were six cars left in our caravan from the 13 cars which began on the first day. We were
among the five cars that were together the entire 15 days of the Great Western Adventure. Some couples could only devote one
week to the trip, others dropped off at different locations to visit with family or spend more time in certain areas. Who knows? A
few may not have used the motel laundry rooms during the trip and headed home early because they had run out of clean clothes!
We have come to appreciate the members of the Utah Miata Club as a dedicated group of individuals, who take special interest in
their club and plan terrific events. We left our new Miata friends in Salt Lake City, shouting our goodbyes over the FRS hand-held
radios (channel 5.5), and promising to “See you in Bryce Canyon” next year (click on the Utah Miata Club’s website
<utahmiataclub.org> for their July 2 -6, 2014 event). The two of us continued south on I-15 to I-70, then east to Grand Junction,
Colorado for the night with three more days to go!
June 30: Destination Kansas State Line (hot) -- We drove along I-70, one of the most beautiful drives of the trip, through the Colorado Rockies and along the mountain creeks filled with rushing snow melt waters. We took time out to drive through one of our
favorite places, Breckenridge, and then on toward Denver. We spent the evening on the Colorado/Kansas line.
July 1 and July 2: Destination Indiana (still hot) – We spent all day Monday driving across Kansas but after traveling across the
wastelands of northern Utah and the barren Salt Flats, Kansas was more enjoyable than ever before (the audio book helped too). On
Tuesday, the final day of our trip, we continued on I-70 through more familiar territory around St. Louis and through Illinois … it
certainly was great to get “Back Home Again in Indiana.”
The Great Western Adventure allowed us to view scenic beauty beyond description, learn many new things about our great country,
and confirm a previous observation … that all the small towns through which we drove could be Any Town, Any State, USA! We
took over 1000 pictures along a route that totaled 7,734 round trip miles on this journey across 16 States that will remain with us
forever!
Happy Trails … Gary & Kathy Collings
Page 6 Open Road
November 2013
Indy Miata Club Invades St Louis, Attack #2, 2013
As rock ‘n roller Jerry Lee Lewis used to say occasionally, Goodness! Gracious! Great Balls o’ Fire! That pretty well sums up the highlight of our club weekend visit with the Gateway Miata Club late last month. This was our 3 rd September get-together with our Gateway friends, 2nd time in St Louis, once here. These meetings have been a chance to meet with old & new friends, and sample some
of the great back roads in the Ozark hills south of StL, and a few along the Mississippi River in Illinois. This year we also had the
pleasure of viewing a gigantic fireworks display and competition put on by the St Louis Police K-9 Corp. as a benefit to raise funds for
the corp. I’m betting that you have never seen a fireworks presentation this large.
Ten Miatas from Indy made the trip to St Louis on that Friday, Sept. 27, arriving at our hotel in Arnold MO in the mid-afternoon. We
were scheduled to meet several of the Gateway members for dinner at a BBQ joint across the street. Little did we know that 20-30
Gateway members would show up to welcome us to town. Good thing Gateway President Dawn Allen had arranged for a reserved
area for the group. We took up almost a quarter of the restaurant. The weekend was off to a grand start with fab food and fun company.
We all gathered early the next morning outside the hotel, ready for the 130 mile drive prepared by Dave Stroup (who is also a n Indy
Miata member). Once we cleared the populated area, it was Pedal Down for some of the best back roads
of the area. I can swear that this was the longest and fastest I’ve driven in quite some time. Our primary rest stop of the drive was
Maw ‘n Paws store in Richwood MO, where we became witnesses to a marriage proposal by Gateway’s Todd Browning to long-time
girlfriend Nicole Haulard. I know there was a tear or two in this crowd of sentimental fools. (No offence intended, folks.)
We arrived back at the hotel in the
early afternoon, and headed to another local eatery for a mid-day
lunch, then a brief afternoon respite
before heading to the fireworks.
We had been told to arrive early in
order to find a satisfactory area for
watching the program. Taking that
advice, we had an hour or two before dusk, which we spent relaxing
and chatting. With a threat of rain
on the evening, the fireworks program
started promptly at sundown. Each
competitor presented about a fifteen
minute program choreographed
with music. In addition, there were
several additional lengthy displays
during the evening performed by local
pyrotechnic groups. In total, the
evening lasted over 2 hours of spectacular fireworks. If you would like to see photos and videos of the various displays, go to the event file on the Photo tab, on the club
website. Luckily, the rain held off with only a little drizzle before we found it time to head back to the hotel.
Sunday morning, with the sun shining brightly, we again met a large Gateway contingent for another country drive, this time to sample
the river bottom and bluff roads of Illinois. Assuming that all of Illinois was flat, I think many of our group was pleased to find some
satisfactory challenges along the way. That’s not to say we didn’t use some of the
straight roads and highways of the area. Sure we did, but it was worthwhile when we
arrived at the Blue Springs Café near Highland IL, the “Home of Mile High Pies”. But before the dessert, we were treated to a country-style dinner in a quaint dining room.
After dinner, it was time to load up, and hit the road for the trip back to Indiana. It was an
excellent weekend, one that we will probably consider doing again next year for the 2014
annual fireworks competition. Mark your calendar for the last weekend of September 2014 for
a trip west to St Louis. I think you will want to
be there.
And look forward to the Gateway club coming
this direction next September too. We’ll have to
work hard to top the fun we had this time
around.
November 2013
Page 7 Open Road
Now celebrating 40
Exclusive Discounts for
Indy Miata Club Mem-
Tom Roush Mazda, Indiana’s first Mazda dealer established in 1972 has not
only the most experienced sales and service staff in town, but also is the
highest volume dealer in Indiana. We hope to serve you in our next 40
years as Indy’s premier Mazda dealer. In support of the Miata Club member’s we would like to offer the following benefits:
 15% off regular door labor rate
 15% off any accessory purchase
US 31 North @ 169th Street
Westfield, IN 46074 800-891-
November 2013
Page 8 Open Road
Hughes Insurance Group is an Independent Agency representing over 35 insurance companies.
Our ultra-competitive rates assure that you receive the most value at the best price for all of
your home, auto or business insurance needs.
For a limited time, I’m giving away a $20 gas card with an insurance review and quote for your
home, auto or business with no obligation! If I’m competitive, consider allowing Hughes Insurance Group to write your business. If I can’t provide you with a better value, you’ll have the
peace of mind knowing you’re properly insured at a fair price.
Tom Lewis
INSURANCE
GROUP
Call or e-mail Indy Miata Club member Tom Lewis today!
317-984-9228 tom@hughesinsurancegroup.com
Have a few dollars invested in upgrades? Ask about Agreed Value Coverage for your Miata!