One Last Hurrah [FINAL RESULTS]

Community Challenges & Competitions
157

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

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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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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…

5 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.

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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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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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.

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TEAM OUTRIDERS

The team wakes up at 06:00, two men take showers while the other two eat breakfast, then they switch. By 07:00 they are packed up and ready to go. Blake is behind the wheel for this morning start.)

Blake: All set?

Marc: Yup.

Zach: Yup.

Luigi: Not yet. We’ve got this bitchin’ stereo system, I say we put it to use.

Blake: Hell yeah!

Marc: Hold on, I know where you’re going with this, I have only one condition.

Luigi: What’s that?

Marc: Play that shit loud!

Luigi: Yeah!

(Blake turns the key, the big block roars to life. Luigi plugs in an MP3 player and switches it to the song everyone… well everyone but maybe Zach has on their mind.)

Blake: Let’s hit the bricks! YEE HAW!!!

(The Enforcer takes off with a flurry of (intentional) wheelspin. After throwing the car into a couple sliding figure 8s Blake turns the car onto the road and they take off in a roar of thunder!)

Zach: Jesus Dad, are you crazy?

Blake: Oh come on, where’s your sense of adventure?

Zach: Back at the hotel, but don’t worry, my mortality took its place.

Blake: You’re much too tense, you gotta learn to live a little.

Zach: Dying in a wreck isn’t what I’d call living.

Marc: Don’t tell me you’ve never had fun in the snow. Throwing the car into skids and practicing getting out of them.

Zach: My first car was a Petoskey Legion, not exactly known for taking honors at the drag strip.

Luigi: Those were pretty solid though.

Blake: Vast amounts of metal between your child and the tree he will inevitably hit.

Zach: I never hit a tree.

Blake: Thank God no, but if you had then at least you’d be walking away from it.

Luigi: Anyone know what the weather forecast is?

Marc: Light snow, and it looks like it may pick up later in the day. Expect snow all day, slippery roads, and an Italian homo in the front seat.

(Luigi turns around to give Marc the finger)

Luigi: sigh I’ve been in this country too long.

Marc: That’s what we’ve all been saying for over twenty years!

Luigi: Blow me! How’re we doing on gas?

Blake: We’ve got a quarter tank.

Luigi: Hey, maybe our esteemed Police chief will take a crowbar to his wallet for once and buy the next tank.

Marc: I understand, since you blew all your savings on midget hookers.

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@Jaimz I didn’t read your post until it was too late, so I am rolling with what is there.

Team Redneck Day 2 6-8:00am

After the snowball fight they have a brief discussion about old cars, up until the truck got warm enough to start melting the ice and snow on the hood.

Otis, “We need to get going, we tend to be early risers if you haven’t noticed”

Otis heads for the drivers side, Jake for the passenger side, as they pass the front wheels each one bends over to lock the hubs. Otis eases out of the parking space and heads toward the road where he pops the clutch and does a 4 wheel drift across most of the road. Once straightened out Jake pulls the chord to let out a blast from the train horns mounted under the hood. They pull in for gas before heading onto the freeway making slow but steady progress.

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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, 8AM - 10AM

VicVictory:
BD: 51 mi OD: 592 mi AT: 28 F FS: Full MRL: +1 FTG: +2 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Morale note: Car is handling well in the snow. Speed currently limited due to weather conditions. WEATHER CONDITION: Heavy snow.

@Madrias
BD: 50 mi OD: 541 mi AT: 27 F FS: Refuel in progress MRL: +1 FTG: +2 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team stops to refuel in Toronto at exactly 10am. Morale note: Car is handling well in the snow. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Mr.Computah
BD: 51 mi OD: 503 mi AT: 27 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +1 FTG: +2 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Speed currently limited due to chains. Morale note: Car handling well in the snow. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Jaimz
BD: 53 mi OD: 560 mi AT: 27 F FS: Full MRL: +1 FTG: +2 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has refueled in Toronto. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow, heavy at the end.

@Awildgermanappears
BD: 0 mi OD: 368 mi AT: 27 F FS: Full MRL: +1 FTG: -5 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team iwakes up at 9 am and is ready at 10am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@BobLoblaw
BD: 43 mi OD: 599 mi AT: 28 F FS: LOW MRL: -2 FTG: +4 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Driver loses control and gets vehicle stuck on a barrier. Tow truck en route. WEATHER CONDITION: Heavy snow.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 51 mi OD: 580 mi AT: 28 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Retaining control is difficult. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow, heavy at the end. Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 78 mi OD: 446 mi AT: 27 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team departs at 8 am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow, light at the beginning.

@Fayeding_Spray
BD: 45 mi OD: 465 mi AT: 27 F FS: Full MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Cobourg, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: This vehicle is poorly suited to the conditions. Issue has been isolated to a choke that is stuck closed. Team was able to eventually fire up and get the car on the road. Team has refueleld in Belleville. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow, light at the beginning.

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 52 mi OD: 591 mi AT: 28 F FS: LOW MRL: +1 FTG: +2 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Morale note: Car is handling the weather well. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow, heavy at the end.

@FindRED19
BD: 45 mi OD: 548 mi AT: 27 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has refueled in Oshawa. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@stm316
BD: 37 mi OD: 502 mi AT: 27 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury ON)
Notes: Car is poorly suited to the conditions. Team has delayed start until 9am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Mythrin
BD: 67 mi OD: 523 mi AT: 27 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Oshawa, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: None. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@abg7
BD: 60 mi OD: 459 mi AT: 27 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Kingston, ON Next Waypoint: Dyamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Speed currently limited by chains. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@Nicholander

Nicholander
Nicholander962×528 102 KB

BD: 31 mi OD: 604 mi AT: 28 F FS: LOW MRL: -5 FTG: +3 Last Town: Toronto, ON
WEATHER CONDITION: Heavy snow.
CRITICAL FAILURE: Despite slowing down, driver lost control and went nose-first into a barrier. Car is undrivable, but occupants are uninjured.

@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 available to hit the road at 10 am. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

@cpufreak101
BD: 38 mi OD: 541 mi AT: 27 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +2 FTG: +2 Last Town: Toronto, ON Next Waypoint: Dynamic Earth (Sudbury, ON)
Notes: Team has stopped for optional POI: Saint Peter’s Catholic Church in Toronto. WEATHER CONDITION: Snow.

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:

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

Team Moss Boss

“Man, it’s really coming down,” Kyle noted.

Hank nodded silently.

“Still doing OK? Do you need me to take over?”

“I’m fine. We’ll switch in a bit.”

“OK. Well, if it gets to be too much, just pull over. Don’t push it.”

“10-4.”

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Team Thunder Taxi, Part 6

En route to Sudbury, Ontario

Jack had eased off on the accelerator to cope with the conditions better. Meanwhile, Chris was busy pointing out hazards along the route. All was going well so far…

“So, we’re at least a hundred miles behind the leaders, but it’s early days. Hopefully we’ll catch up to them”, Bob told his teammates.

Jack nodded silently, acknowledging Bob’s status update. Meanwhile, Vince had been writing in his logbook about this epic road trip, detailing the team’s exploits. He wondered whether or not any of the racers ahead of him had crashed out in these demanding conditions, only for Chris to answer that question for him.

“We’ve just got word that a yellow compact has gone off the road near Toronto. The car’s wrecked, but the occupants are unharmed.” He could not believe his luck. The Thunder Taxi could gaine one place without overtaking any active competitors as a result of the crash. Considering that it could move even further up the order after the kooky Scandalnavians blew their engine on the previous day, he took this as a good sign; so far, no major mechanical issues had manifested themselves. Even so, the Thunder Taxi was still a long way from the border, and its crew told each other to expect the unexpected.

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V6 Vandals - Day 2 6-8a - “On The Road Again”

“Wow, it’s really starting to chuck it down out here.” Cody said, watching the snow falling around the Truckling, occasionally glancing at the unusual triple-windshield-wiper arrangement scooping snow off of the windshield and flinging it onto the road.

“Handles beautifully in it, though. Still responsive, no understeer or oversteer tendancies, just have to mind my braking distance, and the other traffic.” Luke replied, looking around as they cruised along.

“It’s slow-going, but better to be going slow than sitting around for hours waiting for it to get better.” Jake said, giving a light smile.

“And to think the Rednecks gave us shit for it being front-wheel-drive.” Amy said, chuckling about the situation.

“Well, in all fairness, they do have a proper four-wheel-drive, with the transfer case and everything. They probably have an easier job of driving in this than we do.” Luke responded.

Around 10:00 AM, however, the little Ishu Truckling announced a formal protest to the long drive with a violent shudder as they cruised into Toronto.

“What the hell was that?” Jake grumbled, as Cody yelled, “OW! I just hit my head on the fucking window! Don’t drive through potholes, you prick.”

“Oh. We’re out of gas.” Luke said, coasting into the gas station. With the fuel door opened, Luke stepped out and plunked the nozzle into the fuel filler, selected Premium, and squeezed the handle. Amy got out and wandered into the gas station to buy some snacks, while Jake and Cody looked around to see if they could spot any of their competition.

“Hey, look over there, isn’t that thing the ‘Commie-taisia’ or whatever it’s called?” Cody asked, pointing to the church parking lot.

“Yeah, I think that is a Communitasia. They’re not exactly common cars, so that’s gotta be those jokers cosplaying as Marx and Lenin. I’m just hoping they don’t get themselves shot over a bad joke like that.” Jake said, chuckling.

“Maybe they’re praying to God that they don’t get shot in the US when we have to drive through there.” Cody said.

“Or they could be praying for more snow. Those things could drive through Siberia in winter if they had to.” Luke said, adding a further point to their little discussion.

“That is true. But we’re not doing too bad in this.” Jake responded.

“It gets much worse, I’ll be wanting chains, and I’ve only ever had to chain up in Alaska. This weather makes me wish I had signed out the Storm Surge company car as a write-off at $500. Three cylinders, hybrid, about 50+ MPG and all-wheel-drive with geared differentials. Wouldn’t have been fast, but… I’d have just left at 6 AM and not 30-minutes-after.” Luke said.

“Finding chains would take too much time.” Cody said.

“True, which is why I’m hoping that our cheap eco tires can still grab onto this snow when it starts coming down heavier.”

Morale: +6 (+1) - Feeling lightly confident as their truck handles well in the snow.
Fatigue: +2 (+2) - You try sitting in the cab of a micro truck for two hours and see how you like it.
Waypoints: 3
Fuel: Filling
Fuel Stops: 2

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Team Mountain Pass

Team Bio
Day 2, 6AM - 8AM

Day Two, 8AM to 10AM

We left the Boathouse right on 8AM and hit the road. The roads were slippery and vision wasn’t great (due to the snowfall getting heavier) but we made good progress. This was especially surprising since our Bogliq was RWD and we only had winter tyres installed. I had done some snow familiarisation driving before so I was light on the throttle, deft on the steering and absent on the brakes. This resulted in us making good on our earlier procrastination with almost eighty miles achieved, despite the snow doing its best to try to kill us!

With no plans to stop for lunch (we had supplies, don’t fret) the two hours blurred into a sequence of careful driving, warm HVAC air keeping us tolerably warm and Andrew alternating between looking outside and fiddling with the radio. Thankfully he was unable to locate a country music channel but I knew this wouldn’t last when we reached the good ole USA!

TO BE CONTINUED

Distance covered: 78 miles
Overall distance: 443 miles
Fuel state: 2/3rds full
Overall fuel used: 1 and 1/3rd of a tank
Morale: +0 (+7) No scares or near misses to bring us down!
Fatigue: +0 (-2) Warm heater keeps us from feeling the worst of the weather.

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