I finally caught up on all the SOL mail I've missed since Thanksgiving,
and therefore feel qualified to send one of my own.
I drove to Pittsburgh over Thanksgiving to visit my wife's family and to
deliver a core TR6 transmission to the Roadster Factory. The core was
worth $200, and I didn't want to spend $100 of that having it delivered.
While I was at TRF, I got a tour. It was the day after Thanksgiving, so
they were not in full swing; but it was still an impressive sight. In
the lobby of their warehouse, they have a LeMans fastback spitfire
reproduction (one that has seen extensive racing itself), a TR8, a
Bugeye, and a motorcycle (whose manufacturer I've forgotten). There is
also a large drum containing entries for the TR6 bodyshell they're
giving away for Christmas (sorry for the rest of you, but I'm pretty
sure I saw mine nestled right at the trap door :^)
In the warehouse proper, the aisles of shelving go on for miles, each
shelf holding gleaming wire wheel hub adaptors, primed body panels,
blocks and heads neatly wrapped and stacked to the ceiling, row on
row... I am an honest man, but oh how I ached for the opportunity to
carry a few shelf-loads away! The staff were friendly and busy, and it
gave me a good feeling about the business I've given this establishment
over the years.
Two days later, we were back on the long road home. I live in Alabama,
and my normal route to Pittsburgh carries me through Columbus,
Cincinatti, and Nashville. But we'd given my sister-in-law a ride from
Knoxville, so we took a more easterly route that crossed the New River
Canyon, in West Virginia. The scenery approaching this canyon is rugged
and mountainous---a very pleasant drive, only slightly marred by the
fact that I was driving my Trooper instead of my TR6. But the New River
Canyon is spectacular. The bridge across it (on Highway 19) is the
largest single-arch bridge in the world (or so claim the signs); you
have probably seen it in newsclips and commercials featuring bungie
jumpers. Most recently, I've seen a commercial with a pickup truck
thrown over this bridge suspended by God's own bungie cord. I'm not sure
how high over the river the bridge is, but it looks like miles to the
river swirling below.
It was cool out (40ish), but there in the middle of the bridge was a red
spitfire with the top down, headed North.
Was the driver a SOL?
Kevin Riggs
(205) 730-3074
work@riggs.b30.ingr.com
|