One Last Hurrah [FINAL RESULTS]

Community Challenges & Competitions
151

TEAM OUTRIDERS

20:00
(The snow is starting to pick up slightly. The crew is jamming to Judas Priest)


Luigi: It’s starting to pick up a bit.

Blake: Heh, this ain’t shit.

Luigi: And just what would it take to faze you?

Blake: That’s easy. One of those storms in the North Atlantic. Especially when trying to land on a tiny surface in the middle of nowhere, blacked out because of combat exercise and naturally, it’s pitch black.

Zach: What are you talking about?

Marc: He’s talking about landing on a carrier.

Zach: When did you do that?

Blake: A few years before you were born.

Luigi: Blake here was a Navy flier.

Zach: And you never thought to tell me that?

Blake: It never came up. Besides, I left a few years before you were born anyway. I’ll tell you this much, no matter how big those carriers look, they’ll still bob up and down in a heavy sea. They’re a lot better than the smaller ones, but still scary.

Marc: I read something about that, how aviators felt more stress doing a carrier landing than even flying into combat.

Blake: Having been through both I can confirm that.

Luigi: How about that, we’ve got our own flying ace in the car!

Blake: No, I’m not an ace.

Zach: How do you determine who’s an ace?

Blake: Must have five aerial victories. I’ve been in combat five times.

Zach: That doesn’t make you an ace?

Blake: In my first engagement I shot down two enemies. In my third, I shot down another one. In my fourth, I got snuck up on and had to dodge a missile, but managed to bag number four. In my fifth engagement, I didn’t bring anyone down. Then the war ended before I could get number five.

Marc: Damn, tough break!

Blake: It is what it is.

(The team arrives in Oshawa. They pull into the parking lot og the Quality Suites)

Blake: I’ve got two rooms. Zach and I will take one, you two take the other.

Marc: Just don’t get any ideas!

Luigi: What are you talking about?

Marc: Just keep it in your pants!

Luigi: Please, I wouldn’t touch you to punch your lights out.

Zach: Hey, looks like one of the other teams pulling in!

Blake: So it does, I’m gonna crash early.

Zach: We should say hello.

Marc: I’m with Blake, I’m beat.

Luigi: I’ll go say “Hi”

(Conversation with Team Moss Boss shall commence, Zach and Luigi are still up)

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Team Redneck day 1 8-10pm

Otis, “Found a place to stop and eat, its just down the road a little”

Jake, “Great, at least I will only be tired, instead of tired and hungry”

They pull into a small family owned restaurant, the snow is sticking but not bad yet.

Waitress, “What will you have”

Otis, “I’ll have a burger, fries and coffee”

Jake, “Pizza and coke please”

Waitress, “I’ll be right back with your drinks”

Otis, “Whats the weather forecast like?”

Jake, “Snow by the looks of it, for much of the night”

Waitress, “Here you go, so where exactly are you from?”

Otis, “New Mexico”

Waitress, “Your English is pretty good”

Jake laughs, “Its a state, in the United States between Arizona and Texas, south of Colorado” Jake pulls up a map on is phone to show her where it is. “See right here”

Waitress, “Oh I thought it was part of Mexico”

Otis, “Don’t worry, it happens more often than you could imagine, even in the US”

Waitress, “What brings you way up here?”

Jake, “A junker contest, over 2000 miles in piles of junk worth $500 or less. Ours is one of our old ranch trucks thats seen a few too many hard days.”

Waitress, “Oh… that still runs?”

Otis, “Held together with bailing wire, duct tape, and bubble gum, but yeah its been a pretty good truck over the years”

After eating and a bit more conversation with the waitress the two decide its time to call it a night, and head to a nearby hotel. Strap a section of tarp over the cab and windshield and leave the wipers sticking straight out.

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Team Marx

Lenin: yawns I said… Sleep was for the weak.

Marx: Not when you’re the driver.

Lenin: I could have kept going if it wasn’t for you pestering at me to pull over.

Marx: Regardless, wasn’t that stay at the Hotel nice, have an actual comfortable 21st century bed?

Lenin: Darned 21st century tech, made me fall asleep right when I laid down! it showed my weakness!

Marx: Lenin… Sometimes I wonder how you survived the creation of the Soviet union…

3 Likes
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Legend of Terms:

POI NOTE: Blah blah blah you know the drill by now.

BD: Block Distance. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
OD: Overall Distance. This is the total distance that the team has covered since the event started.
AT: Ambient Temperature
FS: Fuel Status. Approximate fuel reading. May also include other fuel related concerns.
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Last Town: Last town of note that was passed (will not include tiny villages)
Next Waypoint: Should be self explanatory.
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

Thursday, 10PM - MIDNIGHT

VicVictory:
BD: 0 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 23 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +1 FTG: -4 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Quality Suites in Oshawa.
WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Madrias
BD: 0 mi OD: 420 mi AT: 23 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: -5 Last Town: Belleville, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Travelodge in Belleville. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Mr.Computah
BD: 0 mi OD: 420 mi AT: 23 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: -5 Last Town: Belleville, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Travelodge in Belleville. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Jaimz
BD: 0 mi OD: 466 mi AT: 23 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: -4 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Best Western in Cobourg. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Awildgermanappears
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 23 F FS: Full MRL: +1 FTG: -5 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Kingston. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@BobLoblaw
BD: 0 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 23 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: -4 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Quality Suites in Oshawa. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 0 mi OD: 466 mi AT: 23 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: -4 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Best Western in Cobourg. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 0 mi OD: 386 mi AT: 23 F FS: Full MRL: +0 FTG: -5 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Boathouse Country Inn. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Fayeding_Spray
BD: 0 mi OD: 420 mi AT: 23 F FS: LOW MRL: +0 FTG: -5 Last Town: Belleville, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: This vehicle is poorly suited to the conditions. Team is asleep at Travelodge in Belleville, ON. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 0 mi OD: 465 mi AT: 23 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +1 FTG: -5 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Comfort Inn in Cobourg. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@FindRED19
BD: 46 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 23 F FS: 2/3 MRL: -1 FTG: +6 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is feeling a little tired, as well as apprehensive over the weather. Team has stopped for the night at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Oshawa. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@stm316
BD: 0 mi OD: 465 mi AT: 23 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +2 FTG: -4 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury ON)
Notes: Car is poorly suited to the conditions. Team checks in to the King George Inn in Cobourg at the start of the time period. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Mythrin
BD: 0 mi OD: 433 mi AT: 23 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: -5 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Comfort Inn in Cobourg (arriving about 840pm) WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@abg7
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 23 F FS: Full MRL: +0 FTG: -5 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dyamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Holiday Inn Kingston Waterfront. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Nicholander
BD: 0 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 23 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: -4 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Quality Suites in Oshawa. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@LordLetto
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 23 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: -5 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Holiday Inn & Suites Express. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@cpufreak101
BD: 0 mi OD: 465 mi AT: 23 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +1 FTG: -4 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Comfort Inn in Cobourg. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:
(All vehicles are off the road for the night)

Note: vehicles within ~5 miles of each other are within CB range.

Team Moss Boss

10:01pm

Kyle rubbed his hands together as he walked into the hotel lobby. It was a typical affair; a couple comfortabe-looking armchairs in pairs scattered around, with coffee tables accompanying each pair. The desk attendant appeared to be finishing up some work in the computer.

Also present were a couple vaguely familiar faces. First was a young man, his face full of unfortunate cynicism. The other was an older, and… distinguished gentleman. They constituted half of Team Outriders, the owners of the ex-cop car parked just a couple stalls down from his own vehicle.

Kyle walked up to them, a polite smile on his face.

“Hey, that Petoskey out there is your ride, right? You’re in on this whole Last Hurrah thing?”

“Of course,” the older one replied. He extended his hand in courtesy. “I’m Luigi, and it’s my job to make sure these other maniacs don’t break her. Again.”

“Again?” Kyle asked, his brow arching.

“Yeah.” The younger one rolled his eyes. “They smashed it up during the last run. I was picking glass out of my hair for a week.”

“So which one is yours?” Luigi asked, ignoring his companion’s attempt at cutting in.

Kyle looked over his shoulder but couldn’t see the T50 from where he stood. He did, however, note his cousin walking in and heading toward them.

“It’s the kinda mossy-colored Townsend truck,” he said.

“Steel Moss,” Hank clarified. “It’s an old T50 three quarter ton.”

“I see,” Luigi replied. “You don’t see too many of those any more.”

Hank and Luigi immediately launched into a conversation about the two vehicles. Kyle tried to keep up, but got lost after a minute or two. He glanced over at the younger Outrider. The kid shook his head and his lip curled.

“Hope your friend likes talking. Luigi can go for hours about cars. Unbelievable.”

Kyle shrugged. “Hank too. He knows probably more than anyone in our family combined.”

“Your family?”

“Yeah, he’s my cousin.”

“Glad I’m not the only one who has to put up with their family on this thing. This was my Dad’s idea. Of course, he’s probably upstairs snoring and drooling by now.”

Kyle turned to face the kid. “I take it there’s some friction there?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s better lately, but still…”

“Over what, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The kid shrugged and sighed. “My future. College and stuff. How I don’t know what exactly I want to do with my life.”

Kyle nodded. “That’s pretty normal. Mind a little advice?”

The youth shot an icy glare back at him. “Is that all that adults ever give?”

“Sometimes. And to be honest, sometimes you have to fill it out. Just know that most people want to steer you away from their own faults and failures.”

“Look, I don’t know you, dude…”

“That’s true. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care or have advice. And my advice is simple; don’t commit to your path before you know what you enjoy.”

“… what?”

“I rushed into a path before I knew what I was passionate about. My parents drilled into me that you have to go to college, and you have to pick a major and do something with your life right away, or you’d be left behind. Maybe that worked for them, but for me it just left me as a 34 year old in a dead-end, soulless and meaningless corporate job.” Kyle shook his head and laughed nervously. “I honestly couldn’t tell you now what it was I even DID.”

“Did?”

“Oh, yeah. That bit. I kinda… quit my job today. My boss couldn’t get it through his thick skull that when someone is on vacation, that means they aren’t supposed to be working.”

“Wow. Sounds like he was a complete tool.”

“I’d use stronger words,” Kyle retorted. “Still trying to be polite company, even if I did just kind of vomit my life story on you. Sorry for that. But seriously, don’t be like me unless you like drinking Pepto Bismol at dinner.”

The kid’s face twisted in disgust.

“Anyway, I’ve probably horrified you enough for tonight. I should probably check in, since my cousin is going to be yapping his jaw off with your… Dad?”

“Dad’s friend and coworker,” the kid corrected.

“Right. Anyway, yeah. Sleep would be good. Need a room for that. Take care, and see you out there on the road.”

@BobLoblaw … your turn

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Spanners is asleep dreaming of cars he’s worked on.

Gran is asleep dreaming about when Great Britain was really great.

Mopey is asleep dreaming of the kind of things teenage boys dream of!

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Team V6 Vandals - 8-10p Day 1- “A Long Night…”
Team V6 Vandals - 8-10p Part 2 - “Into Which We Do Not Go Quietly.”

Luke looked out of the window, watching the snow piling up outside, covering the cars further and making the roads treacherous to drive on. “I sure hope everyone’s alright out there. I’ve seen snow far less than this cause fatal accidents.” Luke said. “I hope all of the teams have settled for the night. This is a bigger hazard than I initially thought.”

By this point, even the receptionist had headed elsewhere, leaving Luke to his quiet musings in relative peace, his book now closed, finished a while ago. He had his arm-mounted screen lit up, flicking through a variety of different web-pages, searching for anything relating to their challenge, their race. “Damn. Two teams out already.” Luke said to himself, before checking YouTube. “I know Pit Stop US is in on it. Might be time to catch up and see what we’re up against. Looks like I stopped… Yeah, I’ve seen Episode 45, so the next is Episode 46: Go West or Die Trying.”

Luke took advantage of the plain white walls to pop up his projector array and display the video in a scale that would make a movie theater proud, rather than using his 640x480 screen. He kept the sound internal, choosing to not disturb everyone in that manner, and chose to pass the two-hour period with a 1-hour, 45 minute episode of three guys monkeying around with a total turd.

Morale: +4 (NC)
Fatigue: +13 (-5)
Waypoints: 3
Fuel Status: 2/3. Refueling Stops: 1

(Yep, Luke’s full of nifty surprises, and in this case, his night-rest is being used to get information on the other teams’ progress and past accomplishments, should they have any that got noticed. It’s not much, but in this case, the team’s going to have to put up with Luke being excited that they’ve got a semi-professional YouTube show involved in this challenge, and him trying to catch up just to say ‘hello’ to the team. He’ll also be surprised to find out that one of his favorite gaming channels also happens to be one of the teams at his current location.)

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TEAM OUTRIDERS

(Blake and Marc are sound asleep. Since Luigi and Zach won’t be driving in the morning, they decide to stay up and chat with one of the fellow teams.)

Luigi: That’s a common misconception. That wasn’t one of the cop cars.

Hank: How does that explain the push bar?

Luigi: Surplus. We retired our last Enforcer and had a lot of bits left over. I thought it would help it look mean. When it was bought the seller claimed it was an administrative vehicle. After looking at the doctored mileage on the odometer, I gather it was a taxi. That would explain why the original motor cooked at the end of the first run.

Hank: How’d you handle that?

Luigi: I wasn’t on that run. That was just Blake and Marc, but they towed it back home. Blake’s wife is on standby with a flatbed trailer in case the shit hits the fan. Needless to say when it came back, I helped Blake swap out the motor and trans. The new motor isn’t as powerful horsepower wise, but it’s got enough torque that you could haul a boat with that thing now.

Hank: That’s the T50 there, excellent hauling capacity.

Luigi: I know a fair bit about those. A guy I worked with in the city owned one. His only complaint was when you loaded it fully, don’t expect to be in a hurry. Good solid motor though.

Hank: I understand your car uses a three valve per cylinder motor.

Luigi: Used to. Unfortunately when you put 450,000 on the odometer and treat it like it only has 150,000, you get issues. Those things are bulletproof up to 300,000 miles. At 400,000 you can give it an overhaul, and it’ll be like brand new. That is if you don’t chew up the cylinder with a fallen valve. No, the motor in it is a 432 big block. It came out of a 1 ton pickup. Works nicely, only Blake now has to find a new powertrain for his truck sitting in the backyard.

Hank: Aren’t you concerned with how far you’re pushing that car?

Luigi: Totally. Hell, when we started out, I couldn’t find a damn thing wrong with the car. Despite that I still get a paranoid feeling like something could go wrong. But until then we’re just gonna drive it until the wheels fall off. Then bolt them back on and drive some more.

Hank: I could hear you guys over the CB, sounds like you really get along with that cop.

Luigi: Marc? I have nothing to say about him!

Hank: That bad huh?

Luigi: No, I just won’t say anything behind his back, where’s the fun in that?

Hank: Hah!

Luigi: Well, it’s late and I’m feeling a bit tired. You guys have a good night. And be careful. I know Michigan snow can be brutal, I can’t imagine it’s much better up here in Canada.

Hank: Take care.

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Team Marx

Lenin: ZZZzzzZZZzzz Gulags ZZZzzzZZZ

Marx: zzzZZZzzzZZZzzz communism ZZZ

4 Likes
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Otis, “ZZZZZZZZZZZZ”

Jake, “11.2 to one compression zzzzzzz molly top ring zzzzzz”

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Legend of Terms:

POI NOTE: Blah blah blah you know the drill by now.

BD: Block Distance. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
OD: Overall Distance. This is the total distance that the team has covered since the event started.
AT: Ambient Temperature
FS: Fuel Status. Approximate fuel reading. May also include other fuel related concerns.
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Last Town: Last town of note that was passed (will not include tiny villages)
Next Waypoint: Should be self explanatory.
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

Friday, 12AM - 6AM

VicVictory:
BD: 0 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 25 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +1 FTG: -15 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 6am and is available to hit the road at 7am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Madrias
BD: 0 mi OD: 420 mi AT: 25 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +1 FTG: -13 Last Town: Belleville, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Mr.Computah
BD: 0 mi OD: 420 mi AT: 25 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +2 FTG: -7 Last Town: Belleville, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Jaimz
BD: 0 mi OD: 466 mi AT: 25 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +1 FTG: -12 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 6am and is available to hit the road at 7am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Awildgermanappears
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 25 F FS: Full MRL: +1 FTG: -20 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Kingston. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@BobLoblaw
BD: 0 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 25 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +1 FTG: -16 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 6am and is available to hit the road at 7am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 0 mi OD: 466 mi AT: 25 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: -15 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 0 mi OD: 386 mi AT: 25 F FS: Full MRL: +2 FTG: -3 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Fayeding_Spray
BD: 0 mi OD: 420 mi AT: 25 F FS: LOW MRL: +1 FTG: -18 Last Town: Belleville, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: This vehicle is poorly suited to the conditions. Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 0 mi OD: 465 mi AT: 25 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +1 FTG: -18 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@FindRED19
BD: 0 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 25 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +1 FTG: -15 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Oshawa. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@stm316
BD: 0 mi OD: 465 mi AT: 25 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: -16 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury ON)
Notes: Car is poorly suited to the conditions. Team wakes up at 6 am and is available to hit the road at 7am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Mythrin
BD: 0 mi OD: 433 mi AT: 25 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: -22 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Comfort Inn in Cobourg. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@abg7
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 25 F FS: Full MRL: +2 FTG: -4 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dyamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Nicholander
BD: 0 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 25 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: -18 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@LordLetto
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 25 F FS: FULL MRL: +2 FTG: -1 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is awake but unable to move due to pending mechanical work. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@cpufreak101
BD: 0 mi OD: 465 mi AT: 23 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: -19 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 6 am and is available to hit the road at 7am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:
(All vehicles are off the road for the night)

Note: vehicles within ~5 miles of each other are within CB range.

Team Moss Boss

Prelude: Oshawa has received 5 inches of snow overnight.

Kyle and Hank picked through what little was available of the free breakfast at this early time. Their selections were quite limited; bagels, cereal, fruit, yogurt, and coffee were all that was stocked at the pre-dawn hour. The staff was at work preparing the hot foods, but they would not be ready in time.

Still, they made the best of it, filling themselves sufficiently to face the morning.

As they sat at the table finishing off their coffee, Kyle pulled out his phone and checked the weather. He shook his head in dismay.

“More of this crap on the way on the way. I guess there’s a big arctic push going through the upper Midwest, and some really lovely lake effect snow as a result.”

“What about traffic?” Hank asked.

It took Kyle a moment to find the appropriate reporting site. “Slow, but moving. Plows and sanders on the roads.”

Hank nodded. “We should be fine once we get to the highway. Once we’re between cities, that’s another story. What do you think? Head out or delay?”

“Head out. I think we’ll be okay, just a bit slow.”

“Got it. Let’s fill up on our way out, get some extra snacks.”

Kyle’s phone pinged a notification. “Huh. Email from the organizers.”

Welcome, participants!

If you thought you were all set, then I guess you forgot about our deep love of twists.

That’s why we gleefully must inform you that we have a little detour for you coming up sometime in the next day or so.

When you cross over into Michigan, you have a mandatory detour.

You may not use any highway to go through or bypass the Sault Saint Marie State Forest on the Upper Peninsula. You may use Highway 28 as far as Raco, or I75 to the Highway 134 junction. Beyond that, you may not use anything larger than a county road until you are beyond the western boundary of the forest.

Good luck!

GM note here:

You’ve got two upcoming choices.

First, and more immediately, is how you will deal with the snowstorm. Are you going to delay departure, proceed, or attempt to find traction devices? Each has their own set of challenges. (If you do not PM me in the next 40 hours, i will assume you are proceeding)

Second, when you get to the UP peninsula, are you going to attempt to use your Trail Experience to find a shorter, but rougher path through, or are you going to take a longer course over more paved roads? (if you do not proceed me before you hit Michigan, I will presume you use your TE and get aggressive)

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TEAM OUTRIDERS

(Sometime in the middle of the night)


Marc: GAH!! Oh God! pant pant

Luigi: Keep it down, I’m trying to sleep!

Marc: What the hell was I dreaming? (tries to go back to sleep)

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Team V6 Vandals - Day 1 Finale - “Checking the Competition.”

4:30 AM.

Luke looked around the lobby, watching as the hotel slowly started to become busy again. Outside, they had about 5 inches of snow, give or take an inch, while inside, breakfast was slowly getting started. He folded his projector array back into the compartment it came from, then headed back upstairs.

5 AM.

The alarm clock started beeping quietly at first, then grew increasingly louder, the irritating noise growing in pitch and intensity until Amy glared at the infuriating object. She jabbed the ‘off’ switch, then got up to use the bathroom.

In the other room, Cody and Jake were already awake, and discussing strategic ideas to pass up to Luke for today’s drive.

“So, you’re saying, leave early, get on the road before anyone else does, especially those with cars ill-suited to the conditions? Brilliant. But what about the road conditions?” Cody asked.

“Luke’s from Chicago. He can handle a bit of snow.” Jake responded. Just then, Luke opened the door.

“Yeah, but we’re leaving at 6:30. Gives time for you to eat something for breakfast, gives the plows time to clear the road some, lets me warm up the Truckling and clear the snow from the hood, windshield, roof, and cargo area.” Luke said.

“So much for our grand strategy, he nailed it right away.” Cody said. “Even I’d thought 30 minutes was a good waiting strategy.”

“Says the shit who believed leaving now was good. 30 minutes was my idea!” Jake said, grinning.

5:30 AM.

The V6 Vandals settled at the table for a quick breakfast, and the morning meeting. Amy opened with, “Well, Luke, what do you know about the other teams?”

“Lost two last night. Scandalnavians and X/2000.” Luke started, letting it sink in.

“Significant loss, actually, this early on. Two cars this early is… Well, it’s not unheard of, but that’s significant.” Amy responded. “Please, continue.”

“One of the teams is the YouTube show, Pit Stop US. They broke down in their last run of one of these, but their car was, admittedly, a lemon and a clunker.” Luke said, before continuing. “Team Redneck has a bit of interesting history. Some dirt track successes, lawn-mower racing, a first place in a mud-bog competition a couple years ago. Some references to an illegal road race in Europe, but those tales are so over-exaggerated that it’s hard to tell where truth still exists.”

“So, basically the same shit my brother was in.” Cody said.

“ShardGaming returns again, this time with an extra teammate. And, if my searches were correct last night, they’re here. That OSHL boat in the parking lot, that’s them.” Luke said.

“Still, it can’t be that bad. Early 50’s class.” Jake commented, giving a light smile.

“Well, they named their team Faux Class for a reason… And from what I’ve researched, it has an 11 liter V8.” Luke said.

“Wait, that’s… Hold on, early to do math…” Amy said, giving a look of concentration, only to sigh as Luke said, “Roughly 662 cubic inches. Sinistra Savage territory, just naturally aspirated.”

“Didya find anything else?” Cody asked.

“Not much, no.” Luke said.

With that, the team set about eating their breakfast. “Oh, when are we heading out?” Amy asked.

“I’d like to leave at 6:30. Engine start at 6 AM, so that the Truckling can warm up.” Luke said.

5:45 AM.

Luke got up from the chair and headed outside to clear the snow from the Truckling, then worked around the Truckling to make it easier to get into it. He started the engine, the little 2.7 liter V6 rasping to life and idling quietly as Luke turned the heat on and let the engine, and the cab, warm up. Being polite to the other teams, Luke cleared the snow from around the OSHL and the Contendiente, though left them to clear their own snow from the cars, not wanting to risk damaging their cars.

6:00 AM.

Luke headed back inside, having managed to do his good deed for the day early.

Morale: +5 (+1)
Fatigue: 0 (-13)
Waypoints: 3
Fuel: 2/3 Tank. 1 Fuel Stop.
Notes: Engine warming up. Departure at 6:30 AM.

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Team Redneck day 2 5:00

Jake and Otis wake up without the need for an alarm clock.

Jake, “We have an update”

Otis, “Oh?”

Jake, “No highways through Sault Saint Marie State Forest, back roads only”

Otis, “Really, that’s interesting”

Jake, “Let me look it up on maps and see what roads are available” He pauses while munching on a bagel to look up the roads, “From Highway 75 get off at 80 to s Mackinac Trail, to Rudyard, then Trout Lake rd all the way to Caffey Corner then Hiawatha Trail to Engadine, north on 117 to highway 28 then on to Itasca State Park” eats some more while he checks how long it will take, “Eight and a half hours under normal conditions, so probably nightfall by the time we get there.”

A little before 6am they pull the tarp off of the cab, Jake folds up the tarp, while Otis fires up the engine. They let the engine warm up while they clear the rest of the snow off of the hood, in which a small snow ball fight between the two begin and anyone else who wants to join in, @Jaimz

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Spanners wakes Gran and Mopy up at 5:30.

Spanners: I’m making up some of the ration packs. Hot all day breakfast apparently. I’ll eat mine while I’m defrosting the car.

Spanners heads for a shower

Mopey: Jeeezuz…have you seen the snow?

Gran: Oh dear. Maybe we should wait a bit. These rations don’t taste that bad after all…and at least it’s hot.

Spanners come out of the bathroom dressed an heads outside

Spanners waves at Jake and Otis: Grim morning!

Spanners goes about his business. Clear the bonnet of snow, open it and remove the blankets. Tests hoses for any that are frozen. Checks washer bottle and washer pipes are not frozen. Finally start the car and clear the snow from on and around the car, checking the condition of the tyres and chains. A snowball clips Spanners’ hat…

Spanners: Oy! Careful!

He then decides “sod it”, grabs a handful of snow and launches it at Jake. Mopey appears at the door, after hearing shouting, and thinks “sod this” and closes the door again.

Gran: What’s all that noise?

Mopey: Spanners’ in another fight!

Gran: Oh dear…not again.

After the snowball fight Spanners will talk to Otis and Jake about cars, fixing cars and keeping pieces of crap on the road for 3000 miles. He’ll ask about travelling together for safety. There is also an offer of hot “All Day Breakfast” packs. @Zabhawkin, your choice.

Gran and Mopey come outside when it’s time to go and look relieved at the lack of bruises and blood.

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165

Team Mountain Pass

Team Bio
Day 1, 6PM to 8PM

Day Two, 5AM, Boathouse Country Inn

I woke up to the alarm at 5AM. This really annoyed me since I’d asked Andrew to set the alarm for 7AM…

P: “What the hell! ‘slaps the alarm clock until it shuts up’ Andrew!!! I said SEVEN, not five!!!”

A: “Well, I wanted to make up for lost time… You’re such a slacker when it comes to early rising”

P: “Look outside, what do you see?”

A: “Uhhh… Snow. Falling snow and more snow; some of which is falling”

P: " There’s no way we’re going out in that! The locals wouldn’t drive in that, so what makes you think we stand any chance?"

A: “Hmmm, you make a good point there. I’ll reset the alarm for seven, no sense getting up when the kitchen’s probably not open yet…”

P: “Good choice. Now shut-up and let me sleep!”

And with that I promptly rolled over and went back to sleep. :sleeping:

Distance covered: 0 miles
Overall distance: 365 miles
Fuel state: Tank is full, kinda
Overall fuel used: One tank plus a little bit
Morale: +3 (+7) Safe and sound indoors!
Fatigue: -12 (-2) So comfy in these nice warm beds…

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Legend of Terms:

POI NOTE: Blah blah blah you know the drill by now.

BD: Block Distance. This is the amount of mileage covered during the current 2 hour period.
OD: Overall Distance. This is the total distance that the team has covered since the event started.
AT: Ambient Temperature
FS: Fuel Status. Approximate fuel reading. May also include other fuel related concerns.
MRL: Morale modifier
FTG: Fatigue Level
Last Town: Last town of note that was passed (will not include tiny villages)
Next Waypoint: Should be self explanatory.
Notes: Any notes I have for your team during this time block. Including POI results, car issues, etc.

Friday, 6AM - 8AM

VicVictory:
BD: 38 mi OD: 541 mi AT: 26 F FS: Full MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has refuled in Oshawa, ON. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Madrias
BD: 71 mi OD: 491 mi AT: 26 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team delays departure until 6:30 am. They have spent much of this time period following a snowplow. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Mr.Computah
BD: 32 mi OD: 452 mi AT: 26 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Colborne, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has procured and installed a set of chains. Speed currently limited due to chains. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Jaimz
BD: 41 mi OD: 507 mi AT: 26 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has spent some time behind a sanding truck. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Awildgermanappears
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 26 F FS: Full MRL: +0 FTG: -11 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is asleep at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Kingston. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@BobLoblaw
BD: 53 mi OD: 556 mi AT: 26 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 6am and is available to hit the road at 7am. WEATHER CONDITION: Light now.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 63 mi OD: 529 mi AT: 26 F FS: Full MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has refueled on Cobourg, ON. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 0 mi OD: 386 mi AT: 26 F FS: Full MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has delayed departure. They are still at the hotel. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Fayeding_Spray
BD: 0 mi OD: 420 mi AT: 26 F FS: LOW MRL: -1 FTG: +1 Last Town: Belleville, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: This vehicle is poorly suited to the conditions. Vehicle will not start. Troubleshooting in progress. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 74 mi OD: 539 mi AT: 26 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team wakes up at 5 am and is available to hit the road at 6am. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@FindRED19
BD: 0 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 26 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +1 FTG: -4 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team awakens at 7 am and will hit the road at 8 am. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@stm316
BD: 0 mi OD: 465 mi AT: 25 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury ON)
Notes: Car is poorly suited to the conditions. Team has opted to delay start temporarily. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Mythrin
BD: 0 mi OD: 433 mi AT: 25 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +1 FTG: +0 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team awakens at 730am and will be ready to hit the road at 830am. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@abg7
BD: 31 mi OD: 399 mi AT: 26 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dyamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has acquired and installed chains. Speed currently limited by chains. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@Nicholander
BD: 70 mi OD: 573 mi AT: 26 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has spent some time behind snow plows, and time leapfrogging them as well. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@LordLetto
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 26 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team is awake but unable to move due to pending mechanical work. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

@cpufreak101
BD: 38 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 25 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: None. WEATHER CONDITION: Light snow.

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:

Note: vehicles within ~5 miles of each other are within CB range.

Team Moss Boss

Hank is driving, and Kyle is on his phone, trying not to distract the driver.

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167

V6 Vandals - Day 2 12-6a - “The Plan”

At 6:30, Luke led the team into the parking lot, where Jake and Cody quickly climbed into the torture chamber back seat and got belted in, before Amy and Luke got in, setting the seats back into their original position.

“It’s cramped back here.” Cody grumbled. “Why’d we have to get a car with no back seat room?”

“Could’ve let me had my Myriad. That had four doors and four seats.” Luke swiftly countered, before dropping the Truckling in first and working to get out of the parking lot. In the barely-cleared snow, there was quite a lot of wheel spin, and Luke found a lot more luck in trying to crawl out of the parking lot in third, eventually making it to the road.

“If we had the rear engined car, we couldn’t have gotten out of there.” Jake said.

“Nonsense. Tire chains, or a delayed start.” Luke responded, before saying, “Plus, all the weight’s on the driven wheels. Would’ve done much the same as this.”

“Didn’t it look like they were having problems getting the OSHL started?” Amy asked. “Shouldn’t we have offered to help?”

“If I’d known they were having problems, I’d have helped, but unfortunately, I was playing ‘200 questions’ inside with you guys trying to learn more about the teams.” Luke said. “Instead, we left at 6:30 on the dot because my alarm went off.”

“Ah, fair enough.” Amy replied, before turning the radio on.

A quiet fuzz of static drowned out most of it, but as it faded in, they got a tail end of the weather report. “… Minus Three degrees Celsius, and the snow is here to stay for a while. That’s the end of our weather report.”

“Nice to know.” Amy said, before plunking the cassette adapter into the radio. “Any thoughts on some music? Otherwise, we’re starting with Luke’s playlist, and he’s heavy on the classical music, so I’d advise trying to…”

Jake reached up and grabbed the cable, then said, “I’ve got a playlist, but feel free to change it as needed.”

After they had some rock-and-roll playing, Luke managed to settle into a spot behind a snow-plow, the little Truckling following the big truck in a comical train of vehicles. The V6 growled quietly as Luke tried to keep out of the engine’s torque band so that they didn’t just have twelve-tons of wheel-spin.

For the next hour and a half, they followed the snowplow, the Truckling cruising beautifully in the cold, crisp air. “Down to about a third of a tank. We’ll have to gas up soon.” Luke said, though kept cruising along.

“But then we’ll lose our plow.” Jake said.

“We’ll lose it either way if we run out of gas or if we stop for gas. I’d rather not mess with emergency cans in this shit.” Amy said. “We’ll stop for gas soon enough.”

Cody, meanwhile, was busy playing a game on his phone, otherwise ignoring the current situation.

Morale: +5 (NC)
Fatigue: 0 (NC)
Waypoints: 3
Fuel: 1/3
Fuel Stops: 1

4 Likes
168

Team Mountain Pass

Team Bio
Day 1, 8PM to Day 2, 6AM

Day Two, 7AM, Boathouse Country Inn

The alarm blared it’s incessant jarring screech at exactly 7:00AM; I know this because I saw it on the little LED screen. Andrew jumped out of bed to hit the showers early and I looked up the weather by looking outside. The snow was falling only sporadically so I figured we might as well head off since we weren’t getting any closer to the finish line dawdling about here…

After morning preparations were completed, Andrew and I had a leisurely breakfast of hotcakes with maple syrup and butter, bacon, eggs and some hot buttered toast. This was washed down with plenty of strong coffee. Andrew then went out and prepared the Bogliq for departure; defrosted the windows, unstuck the wipers and loaded up our luggage. I made a final sweep of our room then paid the bill for the night, thanked the concierge for the excellent services rendered and joined Andrew in the parking lot…

A: ‘hands over the keys’ “Now I’m hoping you know how to drive in snow cuz I have no idea what we’re in for!”

P: “I’m thinking, go easy on the throttle, smooth steering inputs and don’t brake… Or something like that”

A: “At least it’s lightly snowing. If we’d left earlier visibility would have been terrible!”

P: “Yep, so now we have a chance of being rescued if I bin us into a snowbank, two hours earlier it was almost non-existent!”

A: “Agreed; now let’s get going so we can turn the heater on! I’m freezing!!!”

We jumped into the bright blue Bogliq, fired her up and carefully made our way out of the carpark and onto the road heading south… Wish us luck!!!

TO BE CONTINUED

Distance covered: 0 miles
Overall distance: 365 miles
Fuel state: Tank is full, kinda
Overall fuel used: One tank plus a little bit
Morale: +0 (+7) Just leaving our sanctuary so nothing to see here…
Fatigue: +0 (-2) Delicious breakfast and two hour sleep in are keeping us keen and mean!

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169

Team Thunder Taxi, Part 5

Kingston, Ontario

Shortly after waking up, Jack rallied his teammates and instructed them to find traction devices. “It’s the only way to solve our traction issues”, he told Bob, who soon dashed out of the hotel room.

Bob found a set of snow chains and promptly put them on all four tires. “This should help!” he exulted as he got in the car.

“We’ve got some catching up to do!” Chris told his friends as the Thunder Taxi roared back into life.

Vince suggested a more conservative strategy in light of the challenging conditions: “Take it easy, Jack. The snow is making things trickier for us.”

Soon the Thunder Taxi was back on the road, quickly accelerating into the distance. Barring any unforeseen incidents, they would reach Toronto within the next few hours, and continue on to Sudbury soon after. But there was still a lot of ground to cover, especially on the other side of the border, and anything could happen on the long drive south.

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170

Team Marx

Marx: How’s the drive?

Lenin: you think a lil snow will stop me?

Marx: no, I don’t.

Lenin: good, cause it won’t. this is nothing like Siberia.

Marx: That’s reassuring.

4 Likes