Wednesday 9/13/06 - Report #1 Location: Ft. Smith, Arkansas Miles Driven (since last report): 320 Miles Driven (total): 320 --- Got off work 4:30, packed and picked Greg Scott up 7:00 in Dallas. We made great time. Just like last year, the A/C went out (belt melted off, binding compressor?) as we're leaving town, so like last year are minus A/C for the trip. Luckily its about 20 degrees cooler than last year, so wouldn't have used A/C much anyway. We didn't know how far we would go last night, but we just kept going and going. Got into Ft. Smith (just North) before midnight. I guess there is a huge shortage of hotels turning the week because of Wal-Mart and other businesses that have expanded this area lately. Anyway, after calling around from first place there was a recently remodeled Super 8 that had a room still left. I tried to sleep in this morning, but previous occupant still had alarm set for 5:30am. Oh well, got back to sleep and can't complain about 7 hours. Catching up on FerrariChat now and then we're going to look for a local flight or military museum before making the 2 hour or so trip to Eureka. Car is running great besides the A/C and for some reason about half way through the trip the throttle pedal is sticking really bad. It has done this in the past and I thought we had fixed, but now I'm thinking it is temp related and as the air gets colder it mucks up. Time for a quick call to Norwoods. Pic 1 - Leaving house in Southlake. Pic 2 - Greg's place in Dallas. Pic 3 - Midnight at Super 8 North of Ft. Smith. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thursday 9/14/06 - Report #2 Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas Miles Driven (since last report): 164 Miles Driven (total): 484 --- Left Ft. Smith right before noon. The sticky throttle is fixed! Called James at Norwoods and he said to just use WD-40 instead of the gummy lithium grease. We stopped at the Fayetteville Air & Combat Museums before heading up here to Eureka. Already 15 or so cars in the parking lot. Reception, Dinner, and Ghost Tour are the plans for this evening. Tomorrow will be a big driving day. Pic 1 - Fayetteville Air Museum Pic 2 - Crescent Hotel Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thursday 9/14/06 - Report #3 Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas Miles Driven (since last report): 0 Miles Driven (total): 484 --- Great reception and then we did the ghost tour and then we did the balcony bar and then we went ghost busting! The ghost tour was interesting, but more entertainment for the couple dozen Ferrari people in the tour who were cracking one joke after another, while the poor tour girl who so passionately believes in the ghosts takes us around. Several of us did catch orb's on our photographs, so see if you can spot them. I took several pictures and of the entire group, but the orbs in my photographs would only appear over the tour lady and one other guy in our group. Didn't matter where or when I took the pictures, but they had orb's over them every time. The quick story behind the haunting is the hotel was owned from 1937-1940 by a guy that promised cancer would be 100% cured here. He brought in people with no family, so they wouldn't be missed and money. He would put them here in the hotel, but when they got close to dying he would move them into the basement morgue for research like animal transplants and live autopsies. He would sneak the bodies out at night or melt them in lye or bury them here onsite. They have discovered many human bones here and many bones are thought to be in the cement floors. Estimated that over 500 people died here in the 3 short years before the gov arrested him. At midnight with a couple beers the idea of going back down into the basement morgue sounded good. Doug from KC was enthusiastic about the plan too, so along with Greg Scott we went Ghost busting. Problem is they lock the basement up, but that didn't keep Greg and Doug from trying to break the lock (see picture below). The security guard finally caught up with us and he quickly identified us as harmless drunks, so with the sweet talking he actually opened up the morgue for us. We go back there and hang out for awhile with the autopsy table (picture below) and the body cooler. We even turned the lights off for awhile, but no ghosts spotted and no orbs in the pictures I took. Pic 1 - Reception Pic 2 - Ghost tour and orb over guide. Pic 3 - Balcony bar. Pic 4 - Greg and Doug trying to pick the lock to the morgue area. Pic 5 - Greg under the knife on the autopsy table. Pic 6 - Greg and security guard Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Friday 9/15/06 - Report #4 Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas Miles Driven (since last report): 230 Miles Driven (total): 714 --- What a day, 220 miles of intense driving. Rally this morning was 120 miles to the German winery and restaurant. Rally back was about 100 miles. On our return a great surprise to see the former Agnelli 375 Speciale SN #355AL. Tonight group dinner and more balcony bar. Pic 1 - Diablo hot on my tail. Pic 2, 3, & 4 - German winery parking. Pic 5 - LUNCH!!! Mmmm, it really was good for being under the weather. Pic 6 - Damn white Ford F-150 pulling the camper on my tail AGAIN!!! Pic 7 & 8 - Agnelli 375 Speciale SN #355AL. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Friday 9/15/06 - Report #5 Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas Miles Driven (since last report): 0 Miles Driven (total): 714 --- Pic 1 & 2 - Dinner sponsored by Premier. Pic 3 - Balcony Bar, "get your hand off my blankey Chris!" Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Saturday 9/16/06 - Report #6 Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas Miles Driven (since last report): 62 Miles Driven (total): 776 --- Pic 1 - Breakfeast at War Eagle Mill. Pic 2 & 3 - 6-of-a-Kind. Pic 4 - Umm, ladies gathering for group photo. Pic 5 - Waiting for start of parade downtown. Pic 6 - Parade downtown. Pic 7 & 8 - Downtown bar and overview of parking. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Saturday 9/16/06 - Report #7 Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas Miles Driven (since last report): 56 Miles Driven (total): 832 --- Great reception and meal, The Lodge at Whitney Mountain. Dream Car Garage sponsored tonights event and Tom gave a funny talk. Executive summary is most Ferrari Club members are wankers, but so are other car make clubs, but the Crescent Tour is an exception because we drive the cars hard. Pic 1 - View from The Lodge. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Sunday 9/17/06 - Final Report Location: Southlake, TX Miles Driven (since last report): 435 Miles Driven (total): 1,267 --- Greg and I left the hotel 8am to beat the Texas heat as we've been minus A/C the entire trip. Turns out we only got beat ourselves by the thunderstorms. Sunny and cool leaving Eureka Springs, but we first got nailed in Springdale. Rained 90% of the trip, but the 328 appeared to be doing better in the downpour than other cars, although the drivers might not have been as crazy. Another unbelievably fun weekend. The roads are some of the best in the country (I hope to have videos posted this week), the organization is perfect, the people and cars that come from around the country are great, the food and drinks are great, and all of this for $400 a person. Basically every person that is lucky enough to attend is a charity case because the event takes much more than this to put on, but sponsors like Speed, Premier, Bentley of St. Louis, and etc. want to take part and what we're left with is an unbelievable value. I would like to thank Chris, Dana, Scott, Bernadette, Stu, Crescent Hotel, City of Eureka Springs, and all the sponsors that make this the absolute best Ferrari event I've ever attended. Pic 1 - Storms on the horizon. Pic 2 - The Ferrari has drafted up to the Ford on the Mulsane straight in the pouring rain to complete the pass for position. Enzo cracks a smile. Pic 3 - The End. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
