[paS2K]

To re-live some of the very first S2000 drives "back east", a small group of us are getting together today for a gathering and drive over the original route from April 2001. Meeting in "horse country" of northern Maryland and re-tracing a lot of the route followed in April 2001. The weather is good today; the twisties should be clear; and we're ready to rumble!

Look for pics later....a couple of our top photo buffs will be along on the ride

[NNY S2k]

Have fun Jerry.....I'm a relative newcomer, I wasn't here till 02.
Levi

[MsPerky]

Yep...Nov 2002 for me, although I got my first S in May 2001. Just didn't know about the website! Jerry, does that route follow some of the roads we did with Rick Hesel for the original Spring Fling from Balmer to Buckeystown?

[Kyras]

Bought my 2001 Silverstone in March 2001 but didn't discover S2ki.com until March 2003.

[Tadashi]

Enjoy the drive on those awesome PA roads I have loved the S since I saw the prototype on the cover of Autoweek.

Drove one April 30th, 2000; took another 6 years and 2 months to actually afford one.

Looking forward to pics

[jukngene]

Well, now that Jerry spilled the beans about our "secret" meet, I'd personally like to give my thanks again to Rick (Ricks2k) for hosting, and for Jerry (paS2K) for organizing. It was a great drive, even though we had to make several detours due to one road being closed because of a fire, a great lunch, and some very nice people! I'm sure Roy (canberra) will be posting some pics later. Oh, Ellen, we were in Maryland, not PA.

[jukngene]

MsPerky, on 15 October 2011 - 06:52 AM, said:

Yep...Nov 2002 for me, although I got my first S in May 2001. Just didn't know about the website! Jerry, does that route follow some of the roads we did with Rick Hesel for the original Spring Fling from Balmer to Buckeystown?

^^^Some of the same roads, but we just stayed near the Pretty Boy reservoir. It was a much shorter drive, but the leaves and scenery were beautiful!

[Legal Bill]

Somewhere around September 2002 for me.

[paS2K]

jukngene, on 15 October 2011 - 03:41 PM, said:

Well, now that Jerry spilled the beans about our "secret" meet, I'd personally like to give my thanks again to Rick (Ricks2k) for hosting, and for Jerry (paS2K) for organizing. ....

You're welcome....it was a pleasure. I first got the idea back in August while sorting out a huge pile of accumulated S2000 drives, meets and ephemera. On the bottom of the pile, I found Rick's "route" handout from April 7, 2001...as well as a printout of a photo thread from www.S2000online.com This got me thinking....why not see if Rick would like to do it again

A couple of us even had our original tee shirts from the longer gathering later: Fall Colors 2001....the very first of many

[Matt_in_VA]

Jerry,

Thanks for putting this together, and in the end inviting me and the Plant Pixie to tag along as we were not part of the community back in 2001. We had a great time (except for the traffic and road closures trying to get to Rick's office and back home last night).

I voted and will explain that I wanted an S ever since I found out about them in 1999. I knew about S2Ki from our long time friend Colin who was the community organizer in Hawaii. In 2000 on one of my trips to Hawaii Colin took me for a ride (he is an accomplished auto crosser) and we terrorized an industrial area at night. I was HOOKED, then he let me drive his car and I was really hooked! Back then around the Washington Metro area the dealers were asking $5,000 over MSRP and one could not test drive one. One had to buy the car, and then if you didn't like it they would buy it back. We looked at S's at a couple of different dealers over a period of the next few years. But it was not until April of 2003 that we took the plunge. I lurked but did not join until the day that I bought the car.

113,700 miles later, it still puts a smile on my face. I have a little blurb sheet that I tape to the air box when I go to drive in car meets that has some stats about the S. My bottom line states:

:If this car does not put a smile on your face, you either do not like cars or you are dead!"

[Matt_in_VA]

MsPerky, on 15 October 2011 - 06:52 AM, said:

Jerry, does that route follow some of the roads we did with Rick Hesel for the original Spring Fling from Balmer to Buckeystown?

jukngene, on 15 October 2011 - 03:43 PM, said:

Some of the same roads, but we just stayed near the Pretty Boy reservoir. It was a much shorter drive, but the leaves and scenery were beautiful!

Sort of. We did
the Pretty Boy Dam

I took these pictures at the first Spring Fling back in 2004.

But not THIS

P.S. Rick planned the route by maps and his GPS but had not pre-driven parts of it. In the second picture the only way down off of a mountain (without back tracking for miles) to get to the B&B we were staying at in Buckeystown, MD was on the road through the woods.

This post has been edited by Matt_in_VA: 16 October 2011 - 07:16 PM

[jukngene]

Here are a couple pics that Jerry took and asked me to post for him:

A few of us enjoying the donuts that RIck so graciously brought: (Rick, Gene, Roy, and Carole)


Ken (Zippy) and his +1 Nancy awaiting the start of the drive:


Two photos from the Pretty Boy dam: (you may recognize this from previous posts)

[canberra]

What a cool day! Super thanks to Jerry for developing the idea and staying behind it.... and equal thanks to Rick for saving and dusting off the particulars from the very first S2Ki east coast drive and hosting the "Prettyboy Redux"... celebrating that first drive that started all the fun we've been having all these years.

It was neat that among the "Magnificent Seven" who were fortunate enough to take part in this kind of impromptu day, that the majority of participants actually took part in the '01 inaugural event, several of them driving the same cars. All seven cars were AP1's (one has an AP2 front bumper). It was an absolutely glorious Fall day, with Fall winds, colors, pine needles (slippery), and smells all around. Some road closures due to the Baltimore Marathon and an accident provided a significant impediment to two of the drivers, but both were able to get to the start and enjoy the day.

Here is a slideshow of photos that I managed to upload to the S2Ki site.... I still am having difficulty dealing with how to 'post' individual photos. The "Prettyboy" album is public, and in my 'Gallery'. You can view it HERE or from my Gallery.

Was great seeing everyone, and great to have the opportunity to enjoy the car with friends doing the same. Thanks all !!!

[jukngene]

Thanks for the great pics, Roy. Love this one of all the leaves and associated debris my grill accumulated during the drive! Reminds me of the tumbleweeds I picked up in western Kansas in my NSX on my way to Vegas last October.

[valentine]

to you guys. I joined the club on 2/15/03, the day after I got my first S. Best thing I ever did. I'll try very hard to hold out for at least 10 yrs.

[MsPerky]

I'm sure y'all had a great time...that area around the dam is really nice. I remember a pic that Carmen took of Gene coming out of the woods there. He took a bit of ribbing as I recall. Of course, he went into the woods to take a picture.

[Pinky]

Jerry: What exhaust do you run? Was following and really liked the look/sound.

That aside thanks for organizing this event. Hell of a drive down from CT. Not sure if I will attempt it again next year but next year is far away!

I have had my S since November 18, 1999 so I am a couple years late in celebrating my 10 year anniversary. Though Matt has me beat for mileage but only by a couple K.

Thanks again for the great memories it was good to actually attend an event this year probably my first and last this year.

[PokS2k]

Been on S2ki since day 1. First official event though was Fall Colors in Fishkill, NY. Still have the original car too.

[Lainey]

This sounds like the best secret meet EVA! Glad you folks had a good time!

[dlq04]

Good to see the old timers having a get together. Although I was around then, I didn't make the event. Didn't make the last one either.

[paS2K]

Pinky, on 17 October 2011 - 07:26 AM, said:

Jerry: What exhaust do you run? Was following and really liked the look/sound.
,,,,,Thanks again for the great memories it was good to actually attend an event this year probably my first and last this year.

Jim, it's a SuperSprint exhaust that was GIVEN to me last year by Tom717...who had a leased S and was turning it in; all I paid for was the LABOR to take it off and re-install on my '03. I understood from Tom that it was the THIRD SuperSprint in this country....first ones going to Rick Hesel and his colleague, James. Glad that it was not TOO loud for someone following me. I love the sound...almost like having a completely new sports car Of course, my +1 says, "why is your exhaust so loud now "

I'm sure we met back in the early Fall Colors days, but now your face will be familiar It was nice to have ONE guy under 50 on the

[Zippy]

To Jerry for getting this together, it was a very cool 10th anniversary of the first 100 car S2000 meet in the US.

[hecash]

I joined S2KI in January of 01. I ran into some S2KCA folks about a year after I bought mine and they introduced me to the S2KI forum. S2KCA was a very big supporter of S2KI in those days. Frankly, I don't think that S2KI would have got very far off of the ground had it not been for the S2KCA member and management support.

I got one of the first three Comptech superchargers shipped from the factory and got it installed right away. It had severe MAP sensor hiccup problems as did all of the early kits. One of the vendors on the site who was nearby got his installed about a week later and raved about how well it ran. I knew he was having the same issues and contradicted his raving post on S2KI. That hand-grenade caused me to become an instant celebrity on the site for about a month for having exposed the bogus promotion of a new product by a vendor.

[jukngene]

MsPerky, on 17 October 2011 - 05:53 AM, said:

I'm sure y'all had a great time...that area around the dam is really nice. I remember a pic that Carmen took of Gene coming out of the woods there. He took a bit of ribbing as I recall. Of course, he went into the woods to take a picture.

I admit the pic that Carmen took looked suspicious, but, as Deb said, I was just taking a pic! (Note the spelling!)

[paS2K]

jukngene, on 16 October 2011 - 09:08 PM, said:

Gene,

Rick and I found a NEW pic place....just around the pier at the end of the wall on left side on this PHOTO....see two figures there