Day 40: Circuit of the Americas

As I mentioned before, I used to live in Austin. That was about 13 years ago. There's a lot of new stuff to see. One of the things on my list was the newly finished Circuit of The Americas. I didn't get a chance to see the first coupe of grand prix races.

The track offers daily tours, but I noticed that there were a number of things that weren't shown to visitors, particularly the paddock and garage areas. I called the office to see if there was an industry-specific tour I could hop on. There isn't, but that were very accommodating when I mentioned back background from another racing series. I have to give special thanks to Kate Traver for setting everything up and allowing me essentially all access to the facility while they were getting ready for a private event.

My tour guide, Jeremy, was very enthusiastic. In fact, it was his fist time to see some of the areas I requested. I think he had as many questions for me as I had for him. That's racing.

Garage entrances

Panorama of turn 1

Day 38: Tooling around Austin

I just can't say enough about the glorious February weather in Texas. It's 70s every day. To add to it, Austin threw some pretty cool surprises while I was driving around.  I got an unexpected call from a long lost colleague from my days at IBM. It's always great to reunite with old friends. On the way I spotted another Evora on the road.

The great thing about owning niche cars is that you always stop and talk to each other. The owner of the red beauty below was Justin Jensen, an Austin creative-type. Justin and swapped stories on ownership, exchanged numbers, then I headed on to lunch; another friend was made.

mutual envy

I am pretty enthusiastic about rock climbing. After lunch, I headed to the Austin Rock Gym in south Austin. Here's the google review that I submitted afterwards.

"I visited ARG today for the first time in several years. I travel frequently throughout the US and often visit local gyms for a quick boulder or lead session. ARG is a little hard to find because there is no sign out front. However the google maps directions are accurate. The hours are really limited. I am shocked that they don't open until 3 pm. While $15 is pretty standard pricing for a day pass, I found the gym in a sorry state of repair. The carpeted floor was torn in many places. It hasn't been vacuumed in weeks or more. The bathroom clearly doesn't get daily cleaning. There were ample route and problems selections (V0-V8). There were few hard problems, but that is fine if you just want a workout. I am very surprised that Austin doesn't have a competing gym given it's size in 2014."

Needless to add, I wasn't very pleased. I'm looking forward to my next major stop, New Mexico, where I know I will find great (indoor) climbing.

Day 35: "So this is planet Houston"

Despite visiting several times, when my elder sister lived here, I've really never enjoyed myself when visiting Houston. (Correction: I brought my race car here once in 2009 and we won. That was awesome). The weather is spectacular this weekend, so I decided to give it another try, this time with a local guide.


Houston is certainly a town for driving around, even if the drives are not very scenic. There's plenty of parking everywhere, which is a relief. The highlight of eating was the new Caracol restaurant near the Galleria: great/authentic food and cocktails.

Excellent entree at Caracol

DAY 31: How to wash your car and not destroy the paint, for cheap

Traveling through the bad winter weather of 2014 has left the car pretty filthy on the outside. There is little-to-no salt on the southern roads, but sand, dirt, and water show up pretty clearly on a black cars.

Here's a breakdown on how I keep the car clean on the cheap while I'm traveling. Today I am in Austin, TX. It's sunny and warm -- a great day to wash the car. The first thing I do is ask around for the cleanest (well maintained) self wash location in the neighborhood. Next a go to the bank and get a roll of quarters. Next, I stop by an auto parts store for a large washing sponge and microfibers towels. On this particular day a sponge and towels came to $5.

Brand new sponge, one time use only.

"Why do I need a sponge", you ask? Never use the foaming brush on the wall at the car wash. They are full of dirt. Dirt is primary silica and misc minerals. It _will_ scratch paint / clearcoat. On the other hand the sponge is clean. At $2, you don't feel bad about throwing it away afterwards (or using it for something else). My process goes like this:

1. Wet car with sprayer in soap mode. Lotus specifically warns against pressure washing, so I keep the nozzle 5-7 feet from the paint and point it away from intakes.
2. Wet the sponge with sprayer in soap mode.
3. Wash Roof. 
4. Step 2
5. Wash hatch
6. Step 2
7. Wash quarter panel
8. Step 2
9. Wash doors
10. Rinse
11. Step 2
12. Wash front clam
13. Step 2
14. Wash front bumper
15. Step 2
16. Wash rear bumper
17. Step 2
18. Rinse
19. Wash wheels
20. Rinse

I may seem pedantic, but that order is pretty important. You don't want to let the soap or sponge dry and you want to keep the sponge clean. It is generally top to bottom to keep grime from being wiped around. Do the wheels last. Once there is brake dust on the sponge it is forever banned from touching the body panels. Lastly, if you drop the sponge then throw it away. You'll never been able to get it clean again. Don't let a $2 sponge cause a $500 scratch.

Here's some photos after the application of 20 minutes of elbow grease. Don't forget to clean the door and hatch jams. The interior is actually pretty clean after a month.

 

Don't forget the door jams

Day 28: ... 28 days later

For about two weeks now, I've been disconnected from the internet. On week one I was in rural Alabama, visiting family. Last Monday I got very sick and spent the week hiding from my fellow humans. In that time I learned entirely too much about the biohazard symbol from watching documentaries on TV. Some parts of the trip are much epic than others.

Sprint has some staggeringly big holes in it's southeast coverage.

Back on the road now, I'm cruising the Mississippi where the roads are empty and the gas is cheap. All the winter weather means that the Evora needs a wash. I'll talk about how to do that, without getting swirl marks, in the next few days. Next stop, Texas.

Day 13: Fighting the cold

All week I have been wating for the cold weather to break so I can head south. Light snow and the threat of single digit temps have kept me basically winterbound in Tennessee. There are a couple of reasons that I don't like going out in winter weather.

Cold enough to need a block heater for a diesel, but the Evora starts right up

Summer tires can crack when exposed to cold temperatures. There are many reports of tires failing from simply being exposed to cold temperature. Summer tires are also designed to work over a more narrow heat range and they usually have a lower void area. That's good for dry traction on the track, bad for everything else. Each day below freezing, I inspect the tires for cracks. I have found none.

The coldest temps that this car has ever seen

The above pic shows the warmest morning temp of the week, my best chance of getting out of town. Since it's well below the 'supported' temps for the tires, I took it very, very easy for a few miles.  Front tire pressure is down from 31 psi @ 100F to 25psi @ 15F, not far from what you would expect from the ideal gas law (the Earth's atmosphere is a mixture, not an ideal gas).  After about 10 miles, the pressures have built back up to 30psi, which indicates the the tire carcass (and air inside) has warmed up significantly, despite ambient temps of 17F. I drove almost 200 miles once they were warm, making a bee line for warmer weather.

Day 9: Hiding from winter

After a roughly a week on the road, I've retreated to East Tennessee to see family, do a little laundry, and hide from the weather. A second cold snap has descended on the eastern US and my choices were clear: head _way_ south, Miami or farther, or find a garage. I'm a big wimp and I don't drive the Lotus in the snow -- at least not with summer tires.

Brrr....

Coming from Charleston, I hit the 10,000 mile mark. It's nothing for a daily driver, but is a lot for a car that I have rarely driven in the past year. It also means I probably have a good idea on how the car will be for the next 100K miles. The Toyota drivetrain is likely to last a long, long time.

A couple days of normality gives me the chance to look at routes for the next couple of weeks of driving. The best multiroute map optimizer I could find was http://www.gebweb.net/optimap/. It essentially brute forces a solution to the traveling salesman problem using data from google maps. I find the interface a little tedious and I wish there were ways to insert additional constraints. There's also an extension to the problem where you are trying to optimize both time and distance at the same time. I haven't found anything to do that. Here's a sample route to a handful of places:


View Larger Map

Day 6-7: Charleston SC

Your fearless narrator, thinking revolutionary thoughts

In search of warm weather this week, I came out to the coast of South Carolina. This is not simple chance. Charleston is the largest US city (metro area) that I have never visited, outside of Hawaii. It's a shame I only have a few days to see things; there is so much history here. 60 degree temps in January -- gotta love it.

Evora, at home on Rainbow Row

As a good vacationer should, I'm living meal to meal. The highlights include seafood at the bank-become-bar Ordinary, amazing cocktails at the Gin Joint, and an equally stunning brunch at Stars.

Obligatory coastal awesome

Day 4: Packing assessment

After a few days living hauling around the essential must-haves in my life, I'm taking a look at my packing job. As I mentioned a few days ago, I will spend the next 10 weeks with a couple of duffel bags and a couple of backpacks. My packing goals were/are:

• Maintain the rear and side visibility, which is already limited 
• Keep use of the passenger seat
• Everything must be packed tightly and unable to shift left/right/fore/aft.
• As must of the weight as possible must be close the the center of gravity

Here is a visual inventory of everything that I am carrying; yes, I included a helmet.

Life, made simple

It is an astonishingly small pile of things, but is a tight fit in the trunk and backseats of the Evora.

All my work, reading, and writing material

The two duffels, hanging clothes, and helmet then fill the space behind the front seats. I considered using roller board bags because they are easy to carry around, but the rigid shape doesn't lend itself to cramped spaces. The wheels and hard edges would also cause damage to the interior with repeated packing and unpacking. The duffels contain only clothes, so they mold to fit the very small backseats. That meets all of my requirements.  

Day 2: Lotus Fortunes

The first stop of the trip is Clemson, SC to see friends and eat BBQ. Actually, I've never had BBQ in South Carolina, but I hear it is worth stopping for. It is a short jaunt from Charlotte and good chance to shake down my packing job, a topic for the next post.

The Lotus Evora is a peculiar car for an extended roadtrip through semi-homelessness. Most places, it is impossible to pass unnoticed. Anyone who has owns a rare car gets used to to some rubber-necking, but it is strange to experience it away from home. However, this trip is less about style and more about the experience behind the wheel.

My work schedule didn't allow me to drive the car more than a few miles in the last several months and it dimmed my memories of the driving experience. The first 150 miles reminded me that the Evora may be one of the most underrated cars on sale. Critics love to write glowing reviews, but they don't sell very well. At least in the USA, people aren't buying them. It's a shame. Whenever I show the the car to a gearhead, or let them drive it, the response is always surprise and elation. As I will prove in the next few months, you really can live with it every day.

Cosmic confirmation at lunch

Buy one!

Day 1: Escape Velocity

To start the new year, I resigned my position in professional racing. It was a suprise to some, but seemed long overdue to others. An excellent experience in what started as a dream job, that career had run its course. I have taken to calling NASCAR my post-doc: lots of domain experience, lots of hairpulling, and a limited engagement.

A headhunter put me in touch with a very exciting tech/finance company in NYC. The process of meeting company->company meeting me->offer->acceptance happened very quickly. There will be more on this later, but the opportunity is comparable with the most successful small companies in Silicon Valley. Of course, this necessitated a move to New York.

Like most change, the difficult part was getting the ball rolling. Once I announced my decision, only ten days of work remained. Without a job in North Carolina, there was no reason to stay in Charlotte, so I ended my lease as well. My sparsely furnished, small apartment was a good indication that I didn't intend to make racing permanent.  NYC would be a big change from Charlotte. A plan hatched in my mind.

I have moved across the country several times. NYC would put a premium on space. The floor space for a desk or couch would be hundreds of dollars per month. I remembered how the moves will filter out waste in life, if you can just decide to leave the baggage behind. In this case, I decided to take it to the extreme -- get my life down to what I can fit in my car.

"That's not such a big deal", you might say. "Lots of people own only a car's worth of junk." *cough* college students *cough*  The thing is, I drive a Lotus.  It may be the roomiest, most practical Lotus that you can buy. However, it's still a very small car by US standards. Things will need to get very, very simple.

I shipped off some very personal, but non-essential, items for my family to keep (books, pictures). Next, I sold every piece of furniture that I owned. I kept nothing that wouldn't fit under my arm. Couches, chairs, tables, TVs, and appliances made their way to craigslist. I donated what I couldn't promptly sell. I had to borrow a bigger car to go to goodwill. After two weeks, my apartment had become two backpacks, two duffel bags, and a handful of hanging clothes.

All the furniture I wanted to keep

At this point, things got very interesting. My numerous moves had taught me two unassailable truths. First, it sucks to leave a job on Monday and start the next on Tuesday. There is never enough time to get comfortable and make the transition smooth. Second, NYC is freaking cold in January. Avoiding these, a happy Donour makes. Using careful consideration (and 365-sided die), I pushed my job's start date to the beginning of April.

Now that my life is distilled to luggage that I could fit on a southwest flight at no charge and an exotic sports car, I have roughly 80 days of vacation and nowhere to live. I do have:

1. small personal savings that will allow me to eat, occasionally
2. one of the most fun to drive cars ever made
3. residence in the world's most drivable country
4. unsuspecting friends and family

Until I get to NYC at the end of March, I will be living almost exclusively out of the Lotus. No,  I won't be sleeping in it. There will be no camping or filling glovebox with hotel shampoo bottles. However, I am hauling all that I have chosen to keep around with me -- four bags and an an undiluted driving experience.

All the clothes I really needed