Go West Deathtrap Tour [FINISHED]

(Coming back to their tent plot from a hike up Scotts Bluff).

Kamil: Ah, what a nice way to start a day!

Jacek: Yeah, certainly better than that of those to in that turquoise dirt missile.

Kinga: True, if they’re still busy fixing that thing, then maybe we should offer lending them a hand?

Kamil: Sure, so we can embarrass ourselves by showing off our tech-incompetence… but yeah, I guess you’re right, sis, would be the civilized thing to do.

Jacek: Look over there, would-be helping hands!

(From a distance, they watch the Teal Terror head out on the road and blast away)

Kinga: Well, looks like our good intentions alone were enough to help along…

Jacek: Right, Kinga… so, dead last?

Kamil: Yep - slow but steady, that’s Progress the JET way.

EDIT: MRL: +5(+1); FTG: +2(+0)

8 Likes

Team ‘Southend Or Bust’

Original Post - Previous Post

“…Right, wait for it, I guarantee when the mileometer ticks over it’ll start again”. James was behind the wheel, with a gleeful smile on his face, and the other boys peering over his shoulder.

“Ready, here it goes”

Chug chug chug. The 2.2l inline 6’s smoothness died away and in came the unmistakable sound of a misfiring engine.

“Holy fuck” said Martin, sitting back in the passenger seat. “This is remarkable”

“Have you ever come across a missfire that happens every 4 miles for exactly 30 seconds at a time?” said Seb, laughing as he did.

“Nope, and before you ask, I don’t think we can fix it” said Martin, with a cheery ‘oh dear’ expression.

“Nancy’s a special girl, ain’t she” said Seb all of a sudden, in a mock posh British accent.

James looked in the rear view mirror, judging Seb. “You haven’t perfected you’re English accent yet” he said.

“Yeah it’s a bit shit to be honest” Martin chimed in, "and you’d probably get punched if you tried that in Oxford.

“Oxford? Why Oxford?” asked Seb.

“Well that’s where all the toffs live” said Martin, jokingly.

“I thought that was, er, where is it, Surrey?” said Seb.

“Oh yeah they live their too. They just go to university in Oxford” said Martin.

“We don’t have toffs in Spain” said Seb.

“Yes but then again you also don’t have any money” said James, and they both laughed.

Southend or Bust’s talent for geographical socio-economic generalisation knew know bounds.

9 Likes

Team Wagons West - Day 2
4AM - 6AM

By 6:00, team Wagons west had already left the campground. Over breakfast, the team had discussed the plan for the day, and Toni was given the keys. Packing up was completed with a minimum of fuss, and conversations were kept quiet, showing consideration for the other campers in the area. With the sun rising behind them, Toni was sure she’d be able to make up some time at the wheel, but didn’t intend to spend the ENTIRE day driving… like her nephew had chosen to do.


6AM - 8AM
With Beth in the front, and the boys provoking each other in the back seat, they’d gotten back onto Highway 26 in Morrill around 6:15.
Bill: Is it just me, or is that the exhaust knocking around?
Toni: It’s a 40 year old car. Plus, we’re driving it to death. If you’re really worried we can have a look at it the next time we stop.
Wookiee: You don’t need to. It’s working. Worry when it becomes a problem.
Bill: You wouldn’t be hiding something, would you?
Wookiee: You wouldn’t be a moron, would you?
Beth: For the sake of my sanity, stop.
Toni: Spoken like a old hand, little Betty.

They reached Fort Laramie some time near 7:00, by which point (under Toni and Wookiee’ s tutelage) Beth had become more confident with a paper map… they only had to turn once.

5 Likes

Legend of Terms:

TBDC: Time Block Distance Covered. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
ODC: Overall Distance Covered. This is the total distance that the team has covered since Noon on Friday
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

Friday, Noon - 2pm

Weather Conditions: 82-87 degrees (depending on location), high clouds

All vehicles are on I-15 North, US30 West, US 287 North, I-25 North, or 26 West

Upcoming POI (optional, let me know if you want to stop at them for rest/sightseeing): Independence Rock State Historic Site, Soda Springs, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Park, Old Fort Boise, Farewell Bend State Recreational Area.

Next Waypoint: South Pass, Fort Hall, 3 Island Crossing State Park.

VicVictory:
TBDC: 124 mi OD: 898 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +3 Notes: Team has reached Jeffrey City for refueling at about 150pm.

@BobLoblaw
TBDC: 0 mi OD: 1259 mi MRL: +6 FTG: -6 Notes: Team is asleep.

@Madrias
TBDC: 117 mi OD: 926 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Notes: Team reaches Jeffrey City to refuel at about 110pm.

@Jaimz
TBDC: 92 mi OD: 978 mi MRL: +2 FTG: +2 Notes: Team stopped at Jeffrey City for fuel at about 1210pm. Waypoint completed: South Pass. Team stops at South Pass for rest/sightseeing, which will bleed over into the next time period. TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@Fayeding_Spray
TBDC: 121 mi OD: 1106 mi MRL: -1 FTG: +4 Notes: Power steering leak has gotten markedly worse. Team has run out of spare fluid, and there are no parts stores here. Comfort penalty applies; power system may not be salvageable at this point.

@Zabhawkin
TBDC: 61 mi OD: 1191 mi MRL: -5 FTG: +7 Notes: FAILURE: Engine spits two rods through the block. Amazingly, via their cargo loading factor, specified spares at the beginning, and ridonkadonk cargo capacity, this team is actually carrying a spare (used) engine. Replacement is underway.

@conan
TBDC: 136 mi OD: 1101 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +7 Notes: Waypoint completed: South Pass. Team is starting to feel tired.

@Mythrin
TBDC: 119 mi OD: 1024 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +4 Notes: Waypoint completed: South Pass TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@JohnWaldock
TBDC: 96 mi OD: 1097 mi MRL: -1 FTG: +4 Notes: Clutch continues to get worse. Speeds over 55 MPH are now impossible.

@bastormonger
TBDC: 125 mi OD: 879 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Notes: Fuel low. Team will be refueling shortly in Jeffrey City.

@DoctorNarfy
TBDC: 126 mi OD: 1110 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Notes: Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@DeusExMackia
TBDC: 120 mi OD: 1099 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Car’s misfire continues. Option: Attempt to diagnose the misfire at the next fuel stop in Montpelier, ID?

@Dorifto_Dorito
TBDC: 130 mi OD: 1184 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +7 Notes: Team is feeling slightly fatigued.

@stm316
TBDC: 137 mi OD: 1178 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team is close to a planned rest stop at Soda Springs.

The following vehicles are in packs:
Bonchon, PRJ, Shromet (not within visual range, but within CB range of each other)

Team Teal Terror

“Will you look at the road, please?” Jen growled through clenched teeth. Her knuckles were white as chalk from gripping the OSH with all her might.

“Almost there…” Fuzz said quietly, staring intently at the gauge cluster.

“THEODORE KENNETH MACGREGOR!” Jen bellowed.

He sneered at her, though never broke his gaze. “You’re not Mom. That won’t work on me.” He smiled. “BINGO! Two hundred and fifty thousand miles.” His attention moved back to the highway before him. “Quarter of a million miles. Not bad for this piece of crap.”

She rolled her eyes at him and sighed. “I told you. It’s not a piece of crap.”

“Crap crap crap, crappity crap craaaaap.”

This went on for the next five minutes, until the brother-sister duo and their eye-assaulting coupe pulled up at the gas station in Jeffrey City, Wyoming.

“What the hell?” Fuzz gasped.

It seemed like the entire town was sitting at the gas station, waiting for them. This was not false, nor an exaggeration; academically speaking, the entire population, plus a few from nearby areas, had congregated at the lone fuel stop in the town. Fuzz had a mind to roll up his window, but figured that would be pointless, if this was indeed a hostile mob.

To the contrary, the citizens welcomed them, squeegied their windows, offered them a free sack lunch and coffee, and helped them fuel up. Apparently they had been doing this for the last few hours, as the parade of junkheaps rolling through had given them a bit of excitement.

As they were about to go, Fuzz asked a question of a man wearing an impressive ten gallon hat.

“Have you seen a bright green tin can driven by a bunch of obnoxious bro-bois?”

The man nodded. “Reckon they passed through here about 40 minutes ago. Stopped for gas, same as you.”

Fuzz grinned, and pulled out quickly onto the highway.

10 Likes

image

9 Likes

Highway Hooligans

Day 2, 10a-Noon - “Danger to Manifold”


DING! “Catalyst Failure. Prompt Service is Required.”

“Jake, can you do something about that?” Marcus asked, having put up with it for nearly an hour.

“Not while we’re running. Have to flash a patch to the ECU to make it think the Cat’s fine, or possibly think it doesn’t need one.” Jake said.

“And this can’t be done while it’s on why, exactly?” Marcus asked, giving a light glare.

“Gotta pull the EPROM and do this the hard way. I’ve got a spare in my electronics kit, but flashing that chip doesn’t instantly fix the problem, gotta yank the one that’s in there. Thankfully, I installed a socket last time I was in there, so this will be relatively easy.”

“Ah. Considering that sounds incredibly technical, about how long will it take you to do that?”

“Maybe 5 minutes. Go fill the gas tank, it’ll take longer.” Jake said.

The car rolled into Jeffrey City at full pelt, screeching into the gas station under full noise and neons, the eurobeat only cutting out when the ignition switched off. Mercifully, the obnoxious green glow-mobile blanked out and Marcus got out to fill the gas tank. Jake crawled over the seat, carrying a slim black chip in his hand like it was made of precious metals, then reached under the dash and gave the ECU a quick, sharp tug. “Gotta love Dynamite and their hard-mounted edge connectors. Makes ECU swaps easy, I bet.” Jake said, grinning.

“Oh, it used to be a real problem on the 80’s ones. They’d fry 'em left and right. Bad alternator design, the voltage regulators would go and the ECU would get 20 volts straight to the board. Nothing’s gonna survive that.” Trevor said. “Used to work on my fair share of the stupid things. Swap the alternator, pull the ECU, shove the new one in there, and let the car auto-calibrate.”

Jake flipped the lid open, got out the chip puller, yanked the main memory chip, then carefully put the second one in place. He flipped the lid closed, put the two screws back in, then shoved the ECU back into the slot under the dash.

About this time, Marcus and Cody recognized they had a bit of a crowd forming around them, including a guy in a huge cowboy hat and several other people who had some gifts for them. Never ones to pass up a free lunch, they politely accepted the sack lunches and some coffee in their travel mugs, and were glad when several people worked together to squeegee the last of the vegemite and the dirt-dicks off of their windows.

“You’re the ninth in three hours, you know?” the guy said.

“That’s actually good to know. We’re in a race, so… Yeah, we’re not doing so good, but we’re not last yet.” Jake said, his laptop propped open on the center console."

“What happened to the car?” someone asked.

“Oh, you mean the questionable drawings and the slime on the window? Motel stop, we’ve annoyed some of the other teams, but we gave as good as we got. They drew in the dirt, we gave them a pink racing stripe. Other team that got us, they’re in a teal shitbox. Smeared something disgusting all over the windshield, set us back about 10 minutes to clear most of it.” Cody said.

“What made them do that?”

“I shot at them with a party cannon. Guess they didn’t like my idea of a free metallic paint-job from all the glitter that showered their car.” Trevor replied.

“So you’re saying you guys deserved it?”

“Pretty much. Look, if you could do us a favor, if the teal thing’s not been through here yet, could you guys put diesel in their gas tank, slow 'em up a bit?” Trevor inquired, giving a wicked smile.

“Nah, don’t think so. That’s not good sportsmanship. Plus we don’t have diesel at this station.”

“Fair enough. Maybe just old coffee, then?” Jake asked, handing over a $20.

“Could give one of 'em a cup of last night’s brew. That’s at least acceptable.” the person said, taking the cash.

“Thanks. And thanks for clearing the windows for us, that would’ve been a real pain to explain to a cop if we got pulled over.” Marcus said, getting back into the car.

“Oh, have you seen a car with a bright pink racing stripe on it?” Trevor asked, grinning.

“Yeah, they came through here a couple hours ago, got gas. Broke their timing belt and their car wouldn’t start. Looked so upset when it happened, too.”

“Damn. Was looking forward to passin’ them, too.” Marcus said.

“Mister, something under that car’s glowing, and I don’t mean like the green lights you came in here with.”

Cody looked, then said, “Oh, yeah, that’s because we’ve got nitrous, so we really overheated the emissions crap on this car. It’ll be fine, we’re out of passing gas.”

With the fuel stop completed, the Hooligans hurtled out of the station with the volume turned up to 11 and the neons glowing.

DING! “Please Buckle your Seat Belt.”

Marcus reached and buckled the belt, and the angry flashing light on the dash winked out. After a few minutes of glorious silence, they all cheered. “Jake, you’re a fuckin’ genius with that thing! Ivan’s not bitching about the emissions equipment.”

“Disabled the Catalytic Converter Warnings. Won’t tell us about a catalyst overtemp or a catalyst failure, but leaves the others intact. Figured that was better than completely disabling the audible alert system entirely, as it can give some useful information at times.”

DING! “Exhaust Backpressure Exceeded Normal Limits.”

“Well, that’s not good.” Cody said. “Whaddya think?”

“Clogged cat. We had the engine off, it cooled down, some of it solidified and now we’ve got an exhaust restriction. Could stop and take it off, or we keep driving on it and hope it’s not blocked enough to reduce power.” Trevor said.

“Not on my watch.” Jake said, getting the laptop open. He prodded at the keys and gave a light grin. “We’ll burn a little more gas for a few miles, but it should do the trick.” he said.

“The fuck did you do?” Marcus said, feeling the engine’s power dropping slightly.

“Basically told it to fire spark later, so some of that exhaust can leave unburned. Then turned up the fuel trim to keep the power up, mostly. Should have the wanted effect in about 15 miles.”

20 miles later, they heard a loud bang from under the car, and some crackling that rattled the whole length of the car as well. Jake immediately backed off the fuel trim adjustment and restored the timing to standard, then said, “Everything’s okay, we’ve just blown up the catalyst.”

“That was fucking loud!” Cody said.

“Well, we did just have a gas explosion in the catalytic, and it did just spray bits of hot metal out the pipe all over the road, so I’m not surprised it was loud.” Trevor said.

Marcus chuckled, then said, “Should’ve let me yank the bastard while we were at home, would’ve saved us the trouble and some fuel.”

“Didn’t figure we’d need to blow it up, but then again, maybe the teal turd will run over some hot metal and burst a tire. Either way, we’re traveling at a great rate of speed, and we heard from back there that some of our competition’s out. Let’s just enjoy what we can while we can, and hammer down until we pass other people. And Trevor, man the party cannon in case the teal shitbox shows up again.” Jake said.

Trevor nodded, then stuffed some wadded up tissue paper down into the cannon, poured in three pounds of glitter, and another paper ball on top. “Won’t be aiming in front of their car this time. Hope they like media-blasting by glitter.” he said.

With the cannon loaded, the four of them decided to dig into their lunch bags. “Oh, perfect! Tuna salad! Plus chips. Not a bad haul.” Marcus said. He held the wheel with his left hand, and the sandwich in his right, eating quickly.

“I’ve got grilled cheese and ham, and chips as well.” Jake said, taking a bite.

“Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato.” Trevor said, taking a hungry bite.

“Got a pair of bratwurst! Can’t beat that.” Cody mentioned, before digging in.

“Gotta admit,” Marcus said between bites, “they did things right with the food. Sure, it’s mixed, but you can mix and match if you don’t like what you got. And none of us are picky, we do what we must because we can.”

“Yeah, having a cast iron stomach helps when stealing food from the other teams.” Trevor said. “That, and a bit of good luck when it comes to knowing what’s worth taking and what ain’t worth shit. Like lifting that jar of 'shine out of the back of the truck on the first day. Never knew it would be good, but it made for a hell of a party. Or all the water bottles out of that shitty blue coupe.”

“Can’t believe you did that.” Marcus said, laughing. “Of all the things, why the water?”

“Well, if you’re gonna pack enough water to ride a horse through a desert, I’m gonna take it. Means if we blow a radiator hose, the car gets to drink as good as us. Plus, it just made sense while I was busy getting that beer out of the station wagon, they were close enough together that I could hop from one to the other with a minimum of sneaking.” Trevor said.

“What else have you stolen?”

“Well, you already know the beef jerky was in the camo-lunchbox that had the shine, and I already told you where that came from, and you know the beer and the water bottles… Swiped a package of Kosher hot-dogs from some red car and ate those while wandering around the lot stealing other stuff. Don’t think they noticed me, or I’m sure I’d have heard about it. Plus, they had two other packs, who’s gonna miss one? Then there was the red lunchbox that had the cheesecake we ate. And the chips that, well, I can’t remember which car I stole those from, honestly. At that point, I’d gotten into the beer I found in the back of that truck, the shitty beer that wasn’t all that good, but it got me drunk. Think I took stuff from a few more cars after that, but I don’t know. And I remember leaving a bottle of piss in the back of one of them, though I don’t know who I did that to.” Trevor said.

“So what you’re saying is, we’ve got enemies we don’t even know in this race, and yet, no one’s acted on it much?” Marcus asked.

“Pretty much. Either they haven’t noticed or haven’t cared enough to find out who did it. Or they kinda knew who did it, but can’t be bothered.”

They continued on for the rest of the time-block, lazily eating their sack lunches, downing their coffee, and letting more garbage hit the fresh air.


Aftermath:

Morale: +2 (NC)
Fatigue: +7 (+2)
Waypoints: 5
Status: Cannon reloaded, fuel tank filled, free food (not even stolen this time!) and coffee, plus some miles under their belts. It’s a good day so far.
Notes: Will glitter-bomb the next car to (try to) pass them.


(OOC: Yep, the plot thickens. More disasters await those who were anywhere near the Hooligans at any point in time. Of course, completely optional, but possibly worth a laugh for some mild conflict among teams and team members. And I figured it made sense, @Zabhawkin, to pretty much make the moonshine and beef jerky yours, as it was half-implied earlier. After all, now would be when it, and any other things you might want ‘inconveniently missing’ to not be there. The Hooligans pretty much stuck to food and drinks, only because they’re immediately usable.)

4 Likes

Team Redneck day 2 1200-1400

Playing their 4th round of the alphabet game in two days, the radio is playing a local country station.

Jake, "Soda…(tick) O "

Otis pauses then “Springs… P”, “Ahead by one (tick)” pause “again. (tick)”

Jake turns off the radio (tick tick)

Otis, “I think we might (tick tick clack tick) have (tick tick) shit (clack bang bang whack clack bang clackita clackita)”

Smoke starts pouring out from under the hood in all directions as the truck starts rapidly loosing power, a black splattery mess of engine oil covers much of the road behind them

Jake seeing a flat paved area off to the side of the road across from a construction site, limps the wounded beast the last few hundred feet.

Jake finishes his dads interupted statement, “A problem”

Otis throws the door open before the truck comes to a complete stop, “Pop the hood, and grab the extra extinguisher in case it lights up” he then pulls out a fire extinguisher from behind the passenger seat.

Otis seeing a small fire on the drivers side calls out “Fire on the left manifold” to which Jake ducks under the truck and sprays the extinguisher putting out the small oil fire.

A couple of construction workers and truck drivers come over with extinguishers themselves to see if any other assistance is needed.

Worker1, “Do you need any more help?”

Otis, “No I think we got it”

Worker2, “We can call you a tow truck”

Jake, “Its ok we have a spare”

Worker1, “A spare engine is what your gonna need”

Jake, “Yeah we got one.”

The workers look at them in disbelief even when they pull back the tarps and uncover another complete engine, transmission, and transfer case (All bolted together of course).

Otis and Jake toss out everything that is in the way, which is literally everything else, the engine is strapped down at the very front of the truck bed. That includes the 400lb(180kg ish) spare axle which they move with the engine hoist once its assembled.

The tarps get tossed under the truck for the two to lay on when they have to work underneath, the hood comes off, then Otis works on carefully removing all of the 17 year old plastic wiring harness connectors while Jake uses the battery powered tools to separate the spare engine from the transmission.

Otis, “leave the exhaust on, we should be able to drop it straight in even with those on.”

Jake, “Ok”.

Jake finishes the relatively simple task first so he goes underneath to start working there. He straps the axle to the frame to keep it from moving as much when they remove the weight of the engine then starts removing bolts from both the bell housing, starter, and exhaust.

The first teams should pass them just before Soda Springs while they are unloading, the hood will be up with smoke still coming out, and a trail of oil leading to it from a ways down the road.

9 Likes

TEAM OUTRIDERS

(Marc and Luigi are currently asleep, Blake is about to go to sleep when his phone rings.)

Blake: Hello? Hold on.Hey Zach, it’s for you.

Zach: Hello? Mia? Somewhere in Kansas I think… No, he threw it out the damn window… Look, never mind that, what the hell do you want? Maybe I’ll use whatever tone I want! Because you reached into my chest, plucked out my heart, and threw it to the dogs for a god damn chew toy!!! And I think maybe at least this trip though I didn’t want to go on, at least it would give me some respite, but no! It seems I’ll never be out of reach of your bony fingers! I have nothing more to say to you! No! As you said, we’re finished! So? When I’m lonely I don’t immediately jump into someone else’s bed for convenience! This conversation is over! (ends call)

Blake: I’m proud of you.

Zach: What? Were you eavesdropping?

Blake: Yes.

Zach: …

Blake: No follow up?

Zach: I was expecting you to deny it.

Blake: She’s nothing but trouble, you did the right thing.

Zach: You want to know something disturbing?

Blake: What?

Zach: At the gas station, when I sprayed that guy down, I was kinda expecting him to shoot me.

Blake: That’s why I ran out there with the lighter, I’m not letting anything happen to my son!

Zach: You don’t understand, I was rather counting on him shooting me.

Blake: …

Zach: This whole thing just had me all scatterbrained.

Blake: And now?

Zach: I think I’ll be okay. Honestly, I feel kind of great after telling her off.

Blake: That’s the spirit! Now come on, let’s get some sleep.

6 Likes

Legend of Terms:

TBDC: Time Block Distance Covered. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
ODC: Overall Distance Covered. This is the total distance that the team has covered since Noon on Friday
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

Friday, 2pm - 4pm

Weather Conditions: 85-92 degrees (depending on location), clear

All vehicles are on I-86 West, I-15 North, US30 West, or US 187/189

Upcoming POI (optional, let me know if you want to stop at them for rest/sightseeing): Soda Springs, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Park, Old Fort Boise, Farewell Bend State Recreational Area.

Next Waypoint: South Pass, Fort Hall, 3 Island Crossing State Park.

VicVictory:
TBDC: 129 mi OD: 1027 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +5 Notes: Waypoint completed: South Pass. Team is feeling slightly tired.

@BobLoblaw
TBDC: 0 mi OD: 1259 mi MRL: +8 FTG: -8 Notes: Team wakes up at 4pm and will hit the road at 5pm. Team is still slightly fatigued.

@Madrias
TBDC: 110 mi OD: 1036 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Notes: Waypoint completed: South Pass. Team had to deal with a flat tire shortly after departing South Pass.

@Jaimz
TBDC: 88 mi OD: 1066 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Notes: None. TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@Fayeding_Spray
TBDC: 117 mi OD: 1223 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +7 Notes: Fuel low. Team has put reserve fuel can in the tank, which should carry them to Fort Hall.

@Zabhawkin
TBDC: 0 mi OD: 1191 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +4 Notes: Engine replacement will be complete shortly after 4pm.

@conan
TBDC: 137 mi OD: 1238 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Notes: Waypoint completed: South Pass. Team is feeling tired.

@Mythrin
TBDC: 96 mi OD: 1120 mi MRL: -4 FTG: +4 Notes: Team hit a pothole in the road, and one of the rims paid the ultimate price. Car is now riding on its spare.

@JohnWaldock
TBDC: 80 mi OD: 1177 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +6 Notes: Progressive clutch failure: Speeds over 55 MPH are now impossible. Team has refueled in Montpelier, ID.

@bastormonger


TBDC: 19 mi OD: 898 mi MRL: -5 FTG: +4 Notes: CRITICAL FAILURE: Car suffers a wiring harness failure as it is cruising into Jeffrey City. Repair is hopeless. Final morale: -1 (Meh) (EDIT: Specifically, the failure is a fire.)

@DoctorNarfy
TBDC: 125 mi OD: 1235 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Notes: Team is feeling fatigued.

@DeusExMackia
TBDC: 41 mi OD: 1140 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Notes: Team refuels in Montpelier, ID, and stops to diagnose their misfire. They find the distributor is failing, and the NAPA auto parts in town has one in stock. Repair will be completed just after 4pm. TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@Dorifto_Dorito
TBDC: 128 mi OD: 1312 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +9 Notes: Waypoint completed: Fort Hall. Team is feeling tired.

@stm316
TBDC: 60 mi OD: 1238 mi MRL: +2 FTG: -1 Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has stopped for an hour in Soda Springs.

The following vehicles are in packs:

Team Teal Terror

(Will post later, after @Madrias)

6 Likes

TEAM OUTRIDERS

(Team is asleep, will wake up soon.)

2 Likes

Highway Hooligans

Day 2, Noon-2p - “Free Food!”


“So, the Teal turd is still behind us, but they’re closing the distance.” Jake said, over the racket of the engine and the road.

“I’ve gotta surprise for them.” Trevor said, grabbing the glass jar from under the seat. “We’ll see what they think of some spaghetti sauce meeting their windscreen.”

As they cruised through South Pass, they heard a deafening bang as the passenger side front tire exploded after they clipped a bit of road debris. A quick pitstop later, and their full-size spare was on the front of the car, so they returned back to the road.

“That settles it. We’re pushing it hard, guts-or-glory, we’re not stopping for a good while. Crank up the music, Cody.” Marcus said. “And raise that damn flag.”

Cody cranked up the Eurobeat soundtrack, and pushed the button to, once again, raise the radio antenna. The pirate flag unfurled and waved in the breeze while they cruised along.

“Shitbox is nine miles back. Be ready.” Jake said. Trevor nodded and rolled down the rear window, holding the glass jar of spaghetti sauce like a hand grenade.

“I’ll land this fucker right on their hood and splatter red chunks all up their windscreen.” he said, grinning. “That’ll serve 'em right for smearing that shit all over the windshield on our car.”

The E5’s aggressive engine drone echoed down the open highway, drowned out by the pounding beat of the music. The vivid green lights glared brightly, making the car incredibly visible as they cruised, waiting to strike.


Aftermath:

Morale: +2 (NC)
Fatigue: +10 (+3)
Waypoints: 6 (+1)
Status: Flat fixed, War of the Windshields prepared.

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We gonna get more juicy details or not? :thinking:

1 Like

In time…

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Team Teal Terror

Having settled in and adjusted to Fuzz’s maniacal driving, Jen spent some time cruising Facebook, looking at posts from the event.

“Guess we’re dead last again,” she remarked. “The Kageshima bit the big one.”

“But the Hooligans are still in it?” Fuzz asked hopefully.

“Yup,” she confirmed. "Doesn’t look like they’re too far ahead, based on their last post.

“We got a surprise ready for them?”

Jen grinned and patted the glove box door.

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Team Redneck Day 2 1400-1600

Jake and Otis are working hard at getting the engine swapped out, parts and tools are spread about as the two make steady progress even though they are falling further and further behind.

As another competitor toots their horn as they drive by Otis asks while rummaging through one of the ice chests, “Where is that special parts cleaner, I need a swig and this pilot bearing really needs cleaning”

Jake, “It should be in the blue cooler”

Otis, “I’m looking in the blue cooler right now”

Jake, “It should be under the bags of jerky we made”

Otis growls, “Their ain’t no damn jerkey in here, you sure it ain’t in the red one”

Jake, “The red ones empty, we emptied it during the cookout last night.”

Otis notices the remaining bottles of crap beer in the blue cooler, “Well damn, I think I know where they went”

Jake, “Where”

Otis, “The same place that crap beer you set out”, Jake chimes in at the same time Otis says it “The Hooligans”.

When Jake gets a chance he sets up a full roll of toilet paper minus the carboard core in a large baggie of water and places it in the bottom of the cooler to get nice cold and real soggy.

Otis cleans the pilot bearing as best he can with WD-40 before slathering it with grease.

An hour goes by with the two working hard, the engine is in, the connectors are all hooked up and accounted for, only two small bolts are left over which neither one recognizes.

When they go to crank the engine… Nothing, it doesn’t even crank.

Otis grabs the multimeter while Jake grabs the laptop.

Otis, “12.5 volts batterys good”

Jake, “No codes”

Otis, “Check what all of the sensors currently read”

Jake, “good, good, good, oh crap, crank position sensor is reading out.”

Otis climbs under the truck to check the connector, “Try it now”

Jake, “still bad, lets just grab the one off the bad engine”

Otis, “Ok ill remove this one, you pull the other”

This time period is up…

@Madrias The jerky was some animal that the rednecks hunted recently.

6 Likes

(OOC: Wouldn’t have bothered the Hooligans. They assumed it was “Beef” jerky, so regardless of the source, they weren’t bothered by it. And yes, I know that jerky made with venison has a different taste. Plus, when you’re swiping snacks, you can’t afford to be picky.)

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Really?
2017-12-28-19-47-19-

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The still warm remains of the Kageshima are standing at the roadside, big parts of the front half charred from a recently extinguished fire. Kinga and Jacek are sitting on the ground nearby, Kamil is sluggishly pacing to and fro, his shoulders heavy with frustration. They are all looking quite helpless and miserable.

Kinga: “I don’t know much about cars, but this doesn’t look like something that can be fixed…”

Jacek: “No way - this thing’s dead as a dodo”

Kinga: “Progress my ass! So … what now?”

Kamil: “No idea. We’ll have to think of something - maybe actually try and organize a new car. We have to haul a load of stuff besides our bums, after all.”

Kinga: “It’s kinda sad - I’ve actually grown rather fond of the car over the years:”

Kamil: “Yeah, me too, would have been nice if she had held on at least til Japan, so she could have visited her birthplace before she breathed her last - well, wasn’t meant to be, I guess.”

Jacek: “At least we’re not in the middle of nowhere - perhaps the locals can help us hatch a plan on how to go on from here.”

And thus end the adventures of the Japonska Eks-Taksówka…

5 Likes

Legend of Terms:

TBDC: Time Block Distance Covered. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
ODC: Overall Distance Covered. This is the total distance that the team has covered since Noon on Friday
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

Friday, 4pm - 6pm

Weather Conditions: 86-93 degrees (depending on location), clear

All vehicles are on I-86 West, I-15 North, US30 West, or US 187/189

Upcoming POI (optional, let me know if you want to stop at them for rest/sightseeing): Soda Springs, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Park, Old Fort Boise, Farewell Bend State Recreational Area.

Next Waypoint: Fort Hall, 3 Island Crossing State Park, Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area.

VicVictory:
TBDC: 113 mi OD: 1140 mi MRL: +2 FTG: +7 Notes: Team pulls in to Montpelier, ID at 5:45pm to refuel, and engages Team Highway Hooligans. Team is tired.

@BobLoblaw
TBDC: 61 mi OD: 1320 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Notes: Team is feeling slightly tired.

@Madrias
TBDC: 104 mi OD: 1140 mi MRL: +2 FTG: +5 Notes: Team pulls in to Montpelier, ID to refuel at 5:40pm and is engaged by Team Teal Terror.

@Jaimz
TBDC: 103 mi OD: 1169 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Notes: Team has refueled in Montpelier, ID.
TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@Fayeding_Spray
TBDC: 100 mi OD: 1323 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +7 Notes: Waypoint completed: Fort Hall. Team has refueled in Fort Hall, ID. Team is feeling slightly fatigued.

@Zabhawkin
TBDC: 109 mi OD: 1315 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +5 Notes: Waypoint completed: Fort Hall. Team is feeling slightly tired.

@conan
TBDC: 120 mi OD: 1358 mi MRL: -1 FTG: +7 Notes: Waypoint completed: Fort Hall. Team has refueled in Fort Hall, ID. TEAM IS EXHAUSTED.

@Mythrin
TBDC: 118 mi OD: 12238 mi MRL: +0 FTG: +6 Notes: None. Team is feeling slightly tired.

@JohnWaldock
TBDC: 96 mi OD: 1273 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +8 Notes: Progressive clutch failure: Speeds over 55 MPH are now impossible. Waypoint completed: Fort Hall. Team is feeling slightly tired.

@DoctorNarfy
TBDC: 122 mi OD: 1357 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +7 Notes: Waypoint completed: Fort Hall. Team is tired.

@DeusExMackia
TBDC: 119 mi OD: 1259 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +6 Notes: Waypoint completed: Fort Hall. TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team is feeling fatigued.

@Dorifto_Dorito
TBDC: 94 mi OD: 1406 mi MRL: +2 FTG: +5 Notes: Fuel low. Team is taking an hour rest at Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, which will bleed into the next time frame. TEAM IS EXHAUSTED.

@stm316
TBDC: 139 mi OD: 1377 mi MRL: +1 FTG: +2 Notes: Fuel low. Waypoint completed: Fort Hall. TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

The following vehicles are in packs:
Ardent, Dynamite

Team Teal Terror

(RP will be conducted by @Madrias this timeframe)

8 Likes

Highway Hooligans

Day 2, 2-4p - “Armed and Dangerous”


5:40 PM

DING! “Your Fuel level is Low.”

“Shit, we’re runnin’ outta gas.” Cody said. Marcus nodded, then pulled into the nearby gas station, picking the pump closest to the exit. “Quickly, before they catch us!” Jake yelled.

“Hurry up, you thirsty bitch!” Marcus cursed, kicking the rear tire of the E5. Just then, team Teal Terror and their Terrible Teal Turd, the Ardent Smoke, hurtled into the gas station as well, pulling up to the pump right next to theirs.

Almost immediately, the chaos started. Jen of team Teal Terror opened the glovebox and removed a jar of Grey Poupon, removed the lid, and hurled the contents across the windshield of the Dynamite. Trevor went to open the door, only to get yelled at both by Marcus and IVAN.

“You fuckin’ idiot, the gas nozzle’s in there!”
DING! “Fuel Door is Open. Door Latch Engaged.”

He tossed the jar over to Jake, who threw open his sliding rear door, lunged over the liftback, popped the lid, and flung the spaghetti sauce across the Ardent Smoke’s windshield. “Take that!” he yelled, laughing like a madman.

This prompted Fuzz to stop paying attention to the gas nozzle long enough to clear the windshield, using the gas station squeegee to remove the offending mess.

Cody flicked the windshield wipers, clearing the worst off before getting out to do much the same, only for splatters of red to burst across the windshield as Fuzz flicked the squeegee and splattered their windshield with their own tomato sauce.

“Fucking hell!” Cody yelled, though it was Trevor who got the perfect chance. Spotting the door was open on the Ardent Smoke, he stuck the barrel of the glitter-loaded cannon out of the window, then fired it. With no one in the car, no one could get hurt, but there was now three pounds of loose glitter flying around, and about a pound of it in the interior, all over the dashboard and seats.

“Trevor! Really, in the fucking gas station?” Marcus said, though was trying not to laugh.

“Well, they wrecked our plan for a fast pit stop. And covered our windshield in slime again.” Trevor said.

“To be fair, both of our teams are pretty much dead-last right now.” Jake said. “We’re fighting each other quite a bit. Not that I’d trade that for first place, well, okay, fair enough, I would, but I wouldn’t trade it for second place. What I’m saying is, we’re having more fun through aggressive competition than the other teams could possibly have. Sure, some of them have run away from us quite a bit, but right now, who else is having a war in the gas station parking lot?”

“True to that.”

The Hooligans looked over at Fuzz, standing next to the Smoke, who had just confirmed the fun factor.

Meanwhile, Jen had gotten a bottle of cola from inside, then ran back over and hosed down the Dynamite and half of the Highway Hooligans. “Hey!” Jake yelled, “Watch the laptop!”

“That’s for the glitter inside our car.” she replied.

After a while, both teams came to at least a relative truce, as both teams were hungry. When Jen brought up Studebaker’s Pizza, and invited the Hooligans, they agreed.

“Sure, we could use some food, too.” Marcus said.


Aftermath:

Morale: +4 (+2)
Fatigue: +15 (+5)
Waypoints: 6
Status: Going for Pizza with Team Teal Terror.

(Hope I did well enough, @VicVictory.)

5 Likes