Join me (Madmanx) as I do the 2015 Manx Over The Falls

[rzeller]

Bud, relating to the EZPass. There are several paces to just walk up and buy an EZPass here in VA. I think there is an office on RT 168 (The Chesapeake Expressway) that is right on your way. There is also an office at the south end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel I think.

Here is the VA web site with info.

https://www.ezpassva.com/EZPages/Store-Locations.aspx

In my last trip up that direction an EZPass would have saved money, but not a great amount unfortunately. It was most often only available to cars, and I happened to be towing a small trailer with a dune buggy on it ($42 one way on the NJ Turnpike ... Seriously???) The round trip from VA up Eastern Shore to Gloucester, MA was over $250 in tolls....

Calvin

Calvin, thanks for the info. I'll look into it.

Wave as we go by

[rzeller]

And so it begins. Buggy is packed (over-packed), driver is excited, 3 days, ~1100 miles to Buffalo, NY, epic journey (for me), traveling with great friends, let's go!!!

Start: Day 1....

[rzeller]

And so it begins. Buggy is packed (over-packed), driver is excited, 3 days, ~1100 miles to Buffalo, NY, epic journey (for me), traveling with great friends, let's go!!!

Start: Day 1....

Day 1 in the books. While it was a short day relatively speaking, it was HOT! I tried out my high tech nav system but quickly abandon it for the phone. Looked good on paper. You'll see I'm traveling with Mr. Lucky.

Distance today only 226 miles (4.5 hours)



I met up with Gary in Jacksonville and he rode along with me for a while.



Stopped for gas and found I had a stowaway


Long day tomorrow.

[rzeller]

Day 2 started out with a bang (literally). At 6:18am we took our morning photo and started down the road from Vince's house in Manteo.




Little did I know that my trip was about to take a nasty turn. At the top of the bridge in this picture there lurked "danger".


Made it about 4 miles, and while crossing the bridge over to Nags Head I hit a 8x8x24 inch block of wood that was in the traffic lane. Bent the rim and punctured the tire.


Meet my nemesis, Mr. Woodie. I look forward to inviting him to our bonfire at MOTB 2015.


Chris stayed with the buggies while Paul and I went in search of a new tire and repair of the rim.




Seems Woodie had his own fans/family. Here is a report written about that scoundrel:

"Tragedy" struck in the early morning hours of 6/22 when a victim was hit on the east bound side of the Manteo Nags Head causeway. Witnesses report that the victim, aka Woodie, was struck while sitting in the middle of the roadway. No one knows why Woodie was in the middle of the road but alcohol has not been ruled out.

EMS was late to the scene and was unable to reattach a severed "limb". Woodie expired on the side of the road. EMS report that his last words were "Sparkly... Sparkly.... V E R Y.... S H I N E .....Y". It is unsure what this means but it could be a description of the vehicle that struck him.

Woodie will lie in state in Manteo until mid October at which time a memorial ceremony/cremation will be held on a Nags Head beach. After which a celebratory procession will transport his ashes to Corolla where they will be distributed on the waves of the out going tide.

In lieu of cards and flowers, please send vintage Meyers Manx and buggy accessories to:

Woodie
C/O Vince Simansky
OBX, NC


Thanks to (and for) the support of my good friends - Paul, Chris, and Vince - I was ready to hit the road again (with hopes that the road didn't hit back).


After about 2 hour delay, we were back on the road with a new tire and hammered out rim:




Tracking put me in the water at some point today


Finally made it to my brother's house in Port Jervis, NY. The buggies are all tucked away for the night


Total miles for the day: 512
Hours on the road: 12
Hours on the side of the road: 2
States traveled through: NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, and NY

Rest day tomorrow.

[abgiles]

So happy that you got it fixed and back on the road. I'm green with envy right now, but will make a long haul within the next year. I wish things would have worked out for me to be able to join you guys. Looks like an incredible time!

[manxvair]

Looking good Bud! our paths will soon cross!

[Jon]

Keep on truckin'. See you on Thursday. Perfect time to rest up from the weather front. Should be a dry weekend.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[richvw1]

glad all is going relatively well for you on your trip to ny

[rzeller]

Day 3 was a rest day and a chance to show one of my travel companions, Chris Lewis, around my hometown of Port Jervis.

First stop were the "S" curves of the Hawk's Nest (Rt 97). We played around this area running back and forth for a little while.




Next up was Point Peter which is an overlook of Port Jervis. In the background you can see NJ (far left side of the picture), PA (far side of the river), and NY (in the fore ground and city).



While up on the mountain we took the opportunity to do some mild off-roading on the maintenance road for the power lines




Since Port Jervis is at the point where NY, NJ, and PA meet you have to visit Tri-State Rock. Here is Chris at that point.


No visit would be complete without going to Texas Lunch for the world famous chili dogs and fries.





While I don't have any pictures (my brother took Chris) rumor has it that Chris sang on the stage at the site of the Woodstock festival (1969).


Day 4 tomorrow. Will be meeting Paul, John, and Ron in Port Jervis to finish the run to Buffalo. We may even catch up with Vincent and France along the way.

[rzeller]

Day 4 Summary:
Miles traveled from Port Jervis to Buffalo: 366
Hours on the road: 9 (the group waited about 1 hour in Endicott, NY - just west of Binghampton, NY - for Vincent and France)

Chris and I arranged to meet Paul, John (Farmer John), and Ron in the parking lot of the local bowling ally. Shortly after John's arrival we discovered these mysterious "crop circles" in the parking lot. Very strange??


Here is our Groufie shot of our circus train. Hey John, where did that bowling pin come from?


This was a very fun day for me. We left Port Jervis with 4 buggies (me, Chris, Paul, and John) under power, and 1 (Ron) under tow. When we were about 1 hour outside of Binghampton, NY I contacted Vincent and France who were on their way from Canada to Buffalo. They decided to deviate from their planned route and drive further south to join the Zeller circus train. We waited for them in Endicott, NY to arrive. While there Ron discovered that half of his exhaust had fallen off his buggy while it was being towed. The search for another exhaust system started on Facebook. It was a very short time later that word arrived that he would have an exhaust when we arrived in Buffalo.

Here is our impromptu lunch (peanut butter and beagles) on the hood of John's buggy while we waited for our Canadian friends to arrive.


France is known to take a picture or two. Here I am en-route (notice the mismatched tires)


A little photo Opt during a lunch break (L-R Chris Lewis, Paul Mabin, me, John Marcinka, France and Vincent)


We arrived at the host hotel in Buffalo without incident. Contrary to some rumors, the leader did NOT accidentally miss any turns along the way. All U-turns were pre-planned


As the saying goes, sometimes you are the bug and sometimes you are the windshield. This day I was the windshield.


Every job needs a supervisor, so France and I volunteered to oversee the replacement of Ron's exhaust system. They did a good job


Since we arrived on Wednesday (the event starts Thursday late afternoon), we were able to have a quiet dinner before the large crowd arrived. I want to thank each of these friends for going out of their way to meet up with me and ride with me while I pursued my Long Haul League status. Paul drove from NJ to NC back to NJ and then through to Buffalo. Chris drove out of his way to meet me in NC to ride along. John and Ron drove out of their way to meet me in Port Jervis. Vincent and France drove further south than they had to in order to join up with the circus train. Thank you all!

[rzeller]

Day 5 - 8 we attended the Manx Over The Falls. Here are some pictures:

Before the event actually started a small group of us traveled into Canada to see the falls from that side. Here we are going through customs. No one was stopped and strip searched, not even Chris.



Our crazy group at the falls. No one fell in!





No, this isn't the cast from the Blue Man Group. We took a "wet" ride on the Maid of the Mist with "the Man" Bruce Meyers.



I caught this guy writing graffiti on my buggy Bruce signing our buggy.


"Someone" thought this was funny


The Show-N-Shine turned out to be the Show-N-Soak but our buggy still won First Place for Best Paint/Gel-coat (thanks Vince)




Someone (Frizzy) thought it would be a great idea to present me with an honorary "Woodie" award


Not a big secret that one of the reasons I attended this event was to earn my Long Haul League status. With 1104 miles driven to the MOTFs, I qualified!!!


Here I am with the "new inductees" to the LHL


While he wasn't acknowledged, my little co-pilot and talisman earned his LHL also. Here's to Mr. Lucky


Here are all the club members (in attendance) who have earned the LHL award/pin

[rzeller]

Day 8 summary:
Miles Driven: 785!!!!!!
Hours behind the wheel (non-stop): 17

While my intention was NOT to drive from Buffalo back to Wilmington, NC in one day, I was "in the zone" and just kept on driving (I sound like Forrest Gump). Since I was travelling alone I had the luxury of being able to make short stops when and if I needed. I wouldn't recommend doing a long drive like this to anyone. I was fortunate with the traffic (not so much the weather - drove in rain the first 5 hours after leaving Buffalo) and had a great co-pilot (Mr. Lucky).

Final Tally:
Total miles driven from Wilmington, NC to Buffalo, NY, and back to Wilmington, NC: 2037 miles
Total hours behind the wheel driving (excludes the time in Port Jervis and at the MOTF): 42.5 hours
Total states driven in/through: 8 (NC, VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, PA, WV)
Total countries driven in/through: 2 (US and Canada)

I've gotten over my fear of long distance travel in a buggy. Our buggy is comfortable to ride in and the motor runs like a top. I traveled at highway speed without issue (I was told by the circus travelers that I was going too fast). Time off from work is my biggest limiting factor. I can't wait to figure out another trip so Sue is able to earn her LHL also. Maybe here?


Some last pictures:

The view from my seat for way too many hours


This is my motivational reminder of places traveled to/through. I have the rest of the 50 state stickers to add to this collection

[FarmerJohnLI]

Bud , it was a pleasure traveling along with you for your final miles to achieve "L H L" status it was fun busting your chops about getting it Your driving 17 hrs. straight through is an even crazier accomplishment I'll drive with you anytime , and no you don't drive too fast !

[hillmotorsports]

Pleasure meeting you Bud. Looking forward to catching up with you at MOTB in October.
Sent an email to Island Cruisers, still awaiting a reply. Thanks for the heads up on them!

[rzeller]

For those that traveled with me during my quest, I've added a ton of pictures to my gallery and to my travel log. These are pictures that I took and/or "borrowed" from others. You might be interested in some of these candid shots of yourselves (or not ).

The gallery is here: http://www.manxclub.com/forum/app.php/gallery/album/54