The Spousal Report ….10 days touring and tracking the Viper TA

[Richard Koch]

#111925

Great story. I will follow the updates. It is great to see people taking nice road trips in their Vipers. I think that others are missing out on a great adventure. I have an ancient 99 RT-10 with even less luggage space but my wife accompanied me on a great trip to Glacier park last summer and it was a great adventure. It is exciting to hang out with the mountain goats with the top off, but I loved the trip and it was more comfortable than I thought it would be.

Your photos of your destinations and explanations of how to pack should help other people see how you can fit in all the clothes etc. and still have room. So many people miss out on the other things a Viper is good for, like touring.

[Bruce H.]

#112105

Sounds like you had a great trip as well, Viperr!

Day 3

We set out for VIR this morning, meeting up with our friends in Buena Vista, Virginia. Travelling along Hwy 60 over the mountains was a thrill in itself. A bit unnerving at first with all the twists and banked turns along side a very, very steep cliff, but once we slowed down a bit it was quite enjoyable. We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway for a bit and stopped at a lookout. Spectalar is all I can say about the view.

We drove about 7 hours today with a couple of very quick stops along the way. I really find the car quite comfortable but need that stretch every once and a while… which is not unusual for me even in my SUV. Doesn’t take long for me to limber up and then we are back at it for another 2 1/2-3 hours on average it seems. I must say though, having a nap in the car is a bit challenging. Not alot of room to lean back but I did manage a short snooze. Again, the noise of the engine really doesn’t bother me, and Bruce has ear plugs that he’ll use very occasionally as his ears seem more sensitive.

We went to VIR tonight for Bruce and Claude to complete registration for the event tomorrow. What a beautiful location that the track is at. Rolling hills, lots of greenery and the hotel looked lovely sitting on the hill overlookiing the track. It is going to be very, very hot there tomorrow. It was 30 degrees today and they are expecting similar temps tomorrow. Bruce is off to the track tomorrow at 7:45 am and Kathryn and I rented a car so we can do a bit of touring and then we will meet up with the guys around lunch time for a ride around the track. The last 15 minutes of the lunch hour, they are allowed to take a passenger and Bruce assures me, we will be following a pace car which will keep the speed down so no need for me to be afraid. Sounds like fun. Well, that is it for tonight. Another great day in the Viper.

Deb H.

[Shannon Whitehead]

#112117

Thanks for the trip report. Fun to follow along with you.

[Shannon Whitehead]

#112125

Nice writeup. Thanks.

[V1P3R]

#112171

Thanks for sharing the experience! Road trip in a Viper, nothing like it!

[Shannon Whitehead]

#112451

Deb,

From reading this adventure it is clear to me that Bruce and you have discovered one of the secrets of life- whatever you choose to do, do it all out and enjoy it to the fullest. Nice shots! Damn that car is just gorgeous in a sinister kind of way, LOL.

My lady May and I have taken a few road trips together that remind me of your trip, including two to Vegas from our home in Northern California. Each time I tracked the Viper at nearby Spring Mountain, then we enjoyed Vegas’s fine dining, shows and casinos. Spring Mountain is an amazing resort, with track-side condos that we stayed in, a swimming pool and jacuzzi, even a day spa if you can believe it.

May and I look forward to meeting Bruce and you in person at the Viper Homecoming. But rest assured, the door prize is ours :lol2:

Todd

[Bruce H.]

#117201

So you must be wondering what happened after Day 3. We got very, very busy. We left VIR Thursday evening and headed directly to Washington, DC. We arrived around 10:30 at night only getting lost once. We had arranged that the car could be parked by the valet, in a spot where it would not have to be moved. Bruce ended up driving the car to the parking spot with the valet where it stayed for 3 days. However, this was an anxious moment for Bruce. He had to hand over the keys to the Valet. He definitely was not ready to do that but they insisted! We had a great 3 days in Washington. What a great city. Very, very hot though. On the Sunday evening we left for Philadelpia. I think that took about 4 1/2 hours to get there. Our hotel was beautiful. It was a Loews hotel. I had never heard of this chain before but they had renovated an old bank building and turned it into a hotel. Parking at this hotel was perfect, however, Bruce still had to hand over the keys. LOL. The Viper was parked right across from the valet station so they could keep an eye on the car. I guess this is one thing that Viper owners have to be very cautious about for very good reasons, but me, I just like to park my car and go.

We were in Philadelphia 3 nights and then headed back to our home on Wednesday morning. It was a long drive. By GPS it was 8 1/2 hours but with all the stops it took us close to 10 hours. The car was perfect and I found a comfortable way to sleep and was able to have a few cat naps on along the way.

While we were tired when we arrived home, I was amazed that my back wasn’t sore and I actually felt pretty good so the Viper gets a A+ for comfort.

It was a great vacation and I really enjoyed the car. Still can’t get over the comments and people’s awe when they see the car, and maybe one day I will get used to that!

Our next big adventure in the car is this weekend. We are heading to Detroit for the Viper Homecoming. Sounds like they have lots of exciting activities and opportunities to hopefully meet some of you!

Thanks for your interest, and I hope this will perhaps encourage some of you to consider using your Viper…Grand Touring style! I’ve enjoyed chatting with you and sharing my experiences as I “bonded” with the Viper 🙂

Deb (aka the spouse)

[Shannon Whitehead]

#14034

Bruce has suggested I post a blog from “the wife’s” perspective so that all you guys out there can share this with your “significant other” if you would like. Our trip is going to take us from Toronto, Ontario Canada to Donegal, Pennsylvana to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater home and tour the gardens. Then we are off to Danville, Virginia where Bruce will be tracking the TA for two days at the Virginia International Raceway with his friend Claude, in his GTR. From there, Claude and his wife Kathryn and Bruce and I will be heading to Washington DC for 3 days for some sightseeing. Our next stop will be Philadelphia for 3 more days and then home. We are going to find out how good a Grand Tourer the Viper TA can be for a trip like this!

We have been planning this trip for a while now and Bruce is so excited about taking the car on a longer trip, and of course, going to VIR. Me, I love road trips and doing it in this car is both exciting and honestly a bit worrisome. But not for the reasons you think. I have never mastered the art of packing lightly for any vacation and when I look in the trunk of the Viper I realize my packing habits are definitely going to have to be altered!

I started with strict instructions that we had to have room for a helmet, towels (to dry off the car when we have to wash it), tools and no more than two soft suitcases (his & hers), and if we had to, we could put a couple of pairs of extra shoes under the front seat.

Bruce took the car in for an oil change, brake service, bumper to bumper check, and then washed it so it would be the best looking car on the road. Oh wait…it is the best looking car on the road whether it is clean or a little dusty!

Day 1

Today, Sunday, June 22nd, we left and here is what we actually got in the car. All of the above along with a bag with all the things needed to keep me looking beautiful, 4 pairs of shoes for me and 3 for Bruce, a suit bag with some “dressier” clothes for when he takes me out for dinner, a small cooler bag and a couple of other bags. Of course there are all the electronic toys including a computer, iPad, iPod, Cell phone and a keyboard for the iPad to help in recording our adventure. Oh and one more thing, a small pillow if I needed to close my eyes. And we still had room to put a bit more in. I packed lighter than normal but I will let you know at the end of the trip if I could have packed even lighter.

So far the trip has been wonderful. I love the Nav system. It is so easy to use and the fact the driver can see it in the center of the guages is even better. We have Sirius XM tunes playing, air is on and believe it or not, the exhaust is not really that loud cruising at highways speeds.

It never fails to amaze me the attention this car demands. So many people craning their necks to see the car. So far, the best, was a family of four with two teenage boys in the back seat of the car, hanging their phone out the window to take a picture of the car. Bruce pulled up beside them and the smiles on their faces and the two thumbs up was hilarious. We waved and then took off like a lightning bolt.

The rest of the trip was uneventful and we made it to the hotel safely. What a great day.

Day 2

We went on some great twisty roads today going to see two homes designed by America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, named Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob. Bruce was wishing he could go faster as the roads were perfect for the Viper. It got a bit exciting driving to Fallingwater as we were a bit late and had to make it to the front gate by 4 or we would miss our tour. It was fun and a bit scary driving these roads but the car handled beautifully. Turns out the Viper is a great car for the two of us to travel in and I am starting to get used to all the attention it attracts. Another great day in the Viper.

Here’s a slide show of a few pictures…
http://s49.photobucket.com/user/GT2860RS/slideshow/Viper%20TA/Viper%20TA%20trip%20to%20VIR%20June%2014

We’re heading off in the morning for the few hour drive to Danville, VA to meet up with our friends, and prepare for two days of tracking for the guys, and sight-seeing for the gals.

Deb

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