One Last Hurrah [FINAL RESULTS]

Community Challenges & Competitions
256

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.

SATURDAY, 10AM - 12PM

VicVictory:
BD: 127 mi OD: 1181 mi AT: 36 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Last Town: Three Lakes, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: None

@Madrias
BD: 98 mi OD: 1083 mi AT: 35 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has finished the mandatory detour. Ongoing issue: Check Engine Codes: P0130, P0420, P0508

@Mr.Computah
BD: 87 mi OD: 1070 mi AT: 35 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has completed the mandatory detour.

@Jaimz
BD: 124 mi OD: 1140 mi AT: 36 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Negaunee, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: None

@Awildgermanappears
BD: 36 mi OD: 989* mi AT: 34 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +0 Last Town: Raco, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has entered the United States. Team has refueled in Sault Saint Marie, MI. Team is currently in the mandatory detour, attempting a shorter, quicker route. DETOUR ROUTE CONDITION: Torn up, slushy snow, shifting sand and mud underneath.

@BobLoblaw
BD: 79 mi OD: 1068 mi AT: 35 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has completed the mandatory detour.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 110 mi OD: 1099 mi AT: 36 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has completed the mandatory detour.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 76 mi OD: 1065 mi AT: 30 F FS: 1/3 MRL: -1 FTG: +5 Last Town: Raco, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team received a big scrape down the left rear from skidding and hitting a tree when on the detour section. Road conditions also degraded, and it was a tough slog through.

@Fayeding_Spray

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BD: 31 mi OD: 973 mi AT: 34 F FS: FULL MRL: -5 FTG: +4 Last Town: Sault Saint Marie, ON Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
CRITICAL FAILURE: Team stopped to refuel in Sault Saint Marie. Car would not crank afterward. Starter failed, and no replacement could be found.

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 128 mi OD: 1142 mi AT: 36 F FS: LOW MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Last Town: Negaunee, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: None

@FindRED19
BD: 109 mi OD: 1098 mi AT: 35 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has completed the mandatory detour.

@stm316
BD: 68 mi OD: 1057 mi AT: 34 F FS: 1/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: ONGOING ISSUE: Ticking and unusual RPM drop during shifts. Team has finished the mandatory detour. Ticking/RPM drop issue is becoming more pronounced.

@Mythrin
BD: 58 mi OD: 1047 mi AT: 34 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +3 Last Town: McMillan, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has finished the mandatory detour, which was turning into quite a slog at the end.

@abg7
BD: 59 mi OD: 989* mi AT: 34 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Raco, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has crossed into the United States. Team has refueled in Sault Saint Marie, MI. Team is currently in the mandatory detour, trying a longer, safer route. DETOUR CONDITION: County road with occasional potholes, bare and wet.

@LordLetto
BD: 118 mi OD: 935 AT: 34 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Iron Bridge, ON Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH.

@cpufreak101
BD: 99 mi OD: 1088 mi AT: 35 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has finished the mandatory detour section

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:

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

Team Moss Boss

No RP this time around, but the team has decided to eat a bag of chips each instead of a road lunch, and plan an extended dinner stop at the Dubh Linn Brew Pub in Duluth

*When teams get to 989 miles, their mileage will not increment, as that is the “start” of the detour. Once they are back onto the main course afterward, they will start at mile 1014. The pace through the detour is determined by your AF, TE, and whether it’s the short or long route.

6 Likes
257

Pit Stop US - Part 2

[I can finally catch up cuz it’s spring break]

On Friday the team went about without incident, though they did notice another team at a diner (@VicVictory), they did not speak to them…

The Pit Stop team is Sitting at the Diner

James: Hey, look over there. Aren’t they the Boss team?
Nathan: Yeah, oh but it doesn’t look like they’re having a polite discussion… (He notes Hank’s bitching)
James: Yeah. Probably best to leave them alone for now.
Charles: You know, you’ve [directing to James] had women troubles before, havn’t you…
James: Uh—
Charles: And I’ve never heard your stories, so let’s hear them then!

James starts to taking a defensive position, and it shows in his facial expressions

Nathan: Yeah, didn’t you have that one girl blow up on you? I wanna hear That story!
James: You’re not going to hear that story from me!
Charles: So she was something special!
Nathan: C’mon! Just say it! Tell us about this girl you met!
Charles: Was it in Europe?

James’ face answers yes while he remains silent.

Charles: Ha! I knew it! You met a girl in Europe when you worked over there!
Nathan: What was she like? Was she pretty?
James: Was she pretty? That’s the best question you got? …Of course she was pretty!
Charles: Oooh, I knew it! You shared a STRONG bond with her, didn’t ya!
James: I’m not commenting any further!
Nathan: Oh, come on! You havn’t actually told us anything about her.
James: Nope! That’s final! Not a single word more.

And with that, the team had dinner and James took driving duties

Saturday Morning

At 600 hours Charles springs up, and starts yelling at Nathan and James like they were privates at boot camp. This is not taken lightly, as James gets up and slaps Charles across the face, not hard enough to make a mark though…

James: Wake up Charles. It’s two-thousand eighteen. You’re not fighting any wars anymore.
Charles snaps out of his sleep-state and becomes aware that he woke up the team an hour earlier than planned.

Nathan: I hope this hotel has a continental breakfast like the last one.
James: And coffee.
Nathan: Oh, yeah that. That is that… er, coffee. Where is the coffee then?

The team heads out at 7a, instead of their planned 8a. No sense in wasting time when they’re already up.

Saturday Midday

James is still driving, while Charles decides to take a nap right after they left. This causes Nathan to get a “brilliant” idea.

Nathan (looking at a map): Hey, I think we could make a nice detour soon.
James: Detour? Why do we need to do that?
Nathan: It’d be quicker and quite scenic!
James: Well, ok, what’s the catch then?
Nathan: What catch? There’s no catch. We’d just take these side roads here (trying to show James as he kept driving) and we’d possibly cut a good 30 minutes off the time to the next landmark!

James (not getting a good look at the map): Well, ok then. Old man can’t disapprove of it since he’s sleeping again, Just actually do your job and navigate, Nathan.

Nathan: Already on it, just take a left up here… there! And we’ll be good in no time!

James (laughing): …And we’re saved by the team best-equipped to actually save us!

Nathan (surprised and slightly disappointed): By the Redneck Express.

Nathan: Wha-?
James just laughs
Nathan (to himself): Did they drive through the sewer to get that muddy?

The teams worked together to get the car out of the ditch, with Charles finally waking up when the car is half-way out. When the car finally gets unstuck, the Pit Stop trio thanks the Redneck Express for their help and drives forward, waving.

Nathan: Well, that went smoother than I thought it would.
James: That’s southern hospitality is what it is.
Nathan: How many tools did they have in their truck?
James: Probably more than we have, but I’m not sure what all Charles packed.
Charles: Well, not a spare engine, though we should do that for next time. …Veggie chip?
Nathan (disgusted): Uhhgg! NO! Don’t stuff your damn healthy chips in my face!
Charles: Well, ya don’t know what yer missing until you try it!
Nathan: Nope, I’m good.
James: Here, hand me one. Lemme try it.

James takes a bite… and grimaces as he finished the rest of the veggie chip

Charles: …Aaaannd?
James: You, you can keep your chips. I think I’m good.
Charles: More for me then.

Note: The camera team uses a Storm Serenity Mk2 to follow the Pit Stop Trio, so they’re pretty much never going to get stuck with the SymTrak and pretty much have the easy life with that luxurious minivan.
@Madrias I thought Luke might appreciate that.

3 Likes
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V6 Vandals - D3 8-10a - “Detour”

Luke kept the hammer down through the old country back-roads, the Truckling fumigating the countryside with dark blue smoke as the check engine light stayed glowing.

“So, what’s the plan?” Amy asked Luke.

“Parts store.”

“Okay, going straight to firing the parts-cannon at it, I see.” Jake said, grinning.

“An O2 sensor is inexpensive, and one of the easiest parts to replace. It also solves the problem of checking connections because the very nature of replacing an O2 sensor requires disconnecting the cable. If it doesn’t go away, we have the fun of finding out which one of our six IAC motors has gone stupid in our throttle-per-cylinder V6.” Luke responded.

“I guess sometimes the parts-cannon makes sense, then.” Jake replied.

Just then, the Truckling hurtled onto a proper road, and Luke belted it hard, accelerating in a huge cloud of smoke. A horn blared behind them as the Truckling covered them in the oily fog of doom before disappearing into the distance.

MRL: +10 (NC)
FTG: +2 (+2)
WAY: 4
GAS: 2/3
FST: 4
OIL: 1 quart

@findRED19 Yeah, Luke would appreciate that, when or if he gets to see it during a pass.

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TEAM OUTRIDERS

(The team is cruising along, radio is set to news)

Radio: 82 reported dead in the explosion. Over 160 wounded. Obristani separatists have claimed responsibility for the attack. And now in Domestic News, embattled Petoskey owner and CEO Eleanor Ventnor has a new curveball in her trial. Evidence of a Cayman Islands account has been revealed. Barry Claibourne, Ventnor’s attorney claims there is no evidence linking the account to his client. It’ll be a matter of time as to whether this exonerates or convicts Ms. Ventnor.

Zach: Fuck a duck!

Blake: Doesn’t get her off the hook.

Zach: No, but it’s a damn good start. Money was embezzled, now that money is out in the open. It’s only a matter of time before they follow the paper trail. That account has to belong to someone.

Marc: If she or whoever used an alias, that may be difficult. I mean, this has been going on for over twenty years, that means someone was very good at covering their ass.

Zach: Hopefully not for long.

Luigi: (checks map and signs) Looks like we’re nearing the end of the detour and getting back on the main path.

Zach: I don’t know, you think we should’ve tried for a shortcut?

Blake: Hell no, this isn’t a truck. Too much risk of getting stuck or worse.

Marc: With how good Missy has treated us, we owe it to her to be gentle.

Zach: Missy?

Marc: That’s the car’s name.

Zach: Why Missy?

Marc: Because shut the hell up.

Zach: We got a game plan?

Blake: Put the hammer down and give it Hell. Temperature’s above freezing now so conditions should improve.

5 Likes
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Team Thunder Taxi, Part 12

On the detour in Michigan

Having crossed the border into the United States, the Thunder Taxi continued its journey south on the longer, safer detour instead of the rougher shortcut. Jack had made the decision to use the detour hours earlier, and none of his teammates saw fit to overrule him. But would this decision help or hinder the team? Time will tell.

In the meantime, Chris was hearing persistent rumors that one of the entrants had dropped out of the race. “I wonder why this is so. Maybe they had a part failure and couldn’t find a replacement in time?” he wondered.

Bob’s reply was: “Who knows? Replacement parts might be scarce over here.”

Vince was feeling convinced that this was the case. But regardless of whether this theory was true, the fact remained that the Thunder Taxi had managed to cover nearly a thousand miles by now, and that number was guaranteed to increase. The question was, by how much?

3 Likes
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Team Mountain Pass

Team Bio
Day 3, 8 - 10AM

Day Three, 10AM to Noon

Well, that was a nightmare! Turns out the sand and mud wasn’t as frozen as we hoped and the rear wheel drive configuration in our Bogliq made the whole experience one of spinning tyres, trying to maintain momentum and terrifying moments when we thought we’d become bogged. In our attempt to traverse terrain unsuited to our car’s abilities we’d managed to tear up the road a substantial amount, rendering the route almost undriveable. Hopefully no-one follows our path or else they may find themselves biting off more than they can chew!

We thought we’d made it through unscathed but, near the end of the detour, Andrew hit a patch of frozen mud. The Bogliq’s rear wheels then spun instead of gripping which slid the passenger rear quarter into a tree trunk. They then managed to find grip which resulted in a 30cm long scrape being left on the panel. Thankfully the fuel flap wasn’t impaired and there was no damage to the fuel filler neck so we got off lightly, thankfully…

After that tiring, terrifying exercise in potential disaster we pointed our mud-caked Bogliq onwards; our hearts gladdened by our return to civillisation and sealed roads! The car seemed no worse for wear and we wanted to press our advantage so we raided our supplies for a lunch on the run. Things were starting to look up for team Mountain Pass… We might actually have a shot at winning!

TO BE CONTINUED

Distance covered: 76 miles
Overall distance: 1063 miles
Fuel state: 1/3rd of a tank
Overall fuel used: 3 and 2/3rds tanks
Morale: -1 (+11) We damaged the car :sob:
Fatigue: +5 (+5) RWD and mud are a terrible combination! :sweat:

6 Likes
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Team Redneck Day 3 10-12, If you have to say Yee Haw your having too much fun

Otis and Jake, “YEEEEE HAAAAWWW!!!”

Even though they were following team Pitstop to make sure they made it out of the mess they were zig zagging all over the road from bar ditch to bar ditch depending on which one looked more interesting to them. Snow and mud are flying everywhere as the engine roared with the truck bounces violently through the not part of the road sections.

Jake and Otis singing badly over the CB, “Dashing through the snow in a big redneck sled… mud right!!.. over the road we go… Whooooo yeah!!!.. laughing all the way”

Once they return to the paved road they stop long enough to unlock the front hubs and return to 2 wheel drive.

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.

SATURDAY, 12PM - 2PM

VicVictory:
BD: 110 mi OD: 1291 mi AT: 39 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Last Town: Saxon, WI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Bruce Crossing, MI. Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@Madrias
BD: 132 mi OD: 1215 mi AT: 38 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Sidnaw, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Ongoing issue: Check Engine Codes: P0130, P0420, P0508

@Mr.Computah
BD: 111 mi OD: 1181 mi AT: 38 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Three Lakes, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Munising, MI.

@Jaimz
BD: 110 mi OD: 1250 mi AT: 38 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Merriweather, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Bruce Crossing, MI

@Awildgermanappears

bupJIK4
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BD: 0* mi OD: 989* mi AT: 37 F FS: 2/3 MRL: -5 FTG: +4 Last Town: Raco, MI
CRITICAL FAILURE: Transmission gives up the ghost about halfway through the detour.
Final morale: +2 (okay) Final fatigue: +6 (just fine)

@BobLoblaw
BD: 106 mi OD: 1174 mi AT: 38 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Three Lakes, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Munising, MI

@Zabhawkin
BD: 122 mi OD: 1221 mi AT: 38 F FS: REFUEL IN PROGRESS MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Last Town: Bruce Crossing, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team pulls in to Bruce Crossing to refuel at exactly 2pm. Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 120 mi OD: 1185 mi AT: 37 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +6 Last Town: Three Lakes, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has refueled in Munising, MI. Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 109 mi OD: 1251 mi AT: 39 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +7 Last Town: Merriweather, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Ishpeming, MI. Team is a little tired.

@FindRED19
BD: 4 mi OD: 1142 mi AT: 38 F FS: FULL MRL: +2 FTG: +0 Last Town: Ishpeming, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Ishpeming, MI. The team has stopped for lunch and a POI break (Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum) in Ishpeming, MI.

@stm316
BD: 97 mi OD: 1154 mi AT: 37 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Three Lakes, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: ONGOING ISSUE: Ticking and unusual RPM drop during shifts. Team has refuled in Munising, MI

@Mythrin
BD: 107 mi OD: 1154 mi AT: 37 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Last Town: Ishpeming, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Ishpeming, MI

@abg7
BD: 61 mi OD: 1050 mi AT: 37 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has completed the mandatory detour

@LordLetto
BD: 54 mi OD: 989* AT: 37 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Raco, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has entered the United States. Team has refueled in Sault Saint Marie, MI. Team is currently in the mandatory detour, attempting to find a short, quick route. DETOUR CONDITIONS: muddy, sandy, heavily rutted.

@cpufreak101
BD: 107 mi OD: 1195 mi AT: 35 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +5 Last Town: Three Lakes, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Ishpeming, MI

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:

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

Team Moss Boss

“And there we go. We’re in Wisconsin now,” Kyle noted.

“Looks just as boring as most of Upper Michigan.”

“Yeah. The forests were great. The endless mining and farming towns? Not so much.”

Hank yawned. “Well, Minnesota’s coming up soon enough. And so is dinner.”

“That can’t come fast enough,” Kyle added.

Hank agreed.

*When teams get to 989 miles, their mileage will not increment, as that is the “start” of the detour. Once they are back onto the main course afterward, they will start at mile 1014. The pace through the detour is determined by your AF, TE, and whether it’s the short or long route.

6 Likes
264

Team Mountain Pass

Team Bio
Day 3, 10AM - Noon

Day Three, Noon to 2PM

The American countryside turned out to be just as featureless as in Canada, that is, if you consider constant forest to be a lack of features! We basically felt like we were hurtling down a stage in a tarmac rally, tall trees either side and naught but the road to suggest civillisation is near; which kinda explains why Andrew managed to cover 120 miles this session.

We stopped at a little town called Munising for fuel. As per usual for these quick stops, I filled the tank and paid for the fuel while Andrew cleaned the front and rear windscreen and checked under the bonnet for any signs of trouble. The stop did reveal one thing; we were starting to feel the crushing weight of all the travelling we’d done so far… Nothing terrible, just a weariness that sets in behind the eyes then slowly makes your whole body feel like you’re stuck in honey and you can’t break free.

Having completed our tasks we pressed on; plenty more driving to do yet! I estimated that we’d have to do two more sessions before we could stop for dinner then another full session before bed. Things were looking up for us and we just might win so long as we play the odds and don’t make any rash decisions… Wish us luck!

TO BE CONTINUED

Distance covered: 120 miles
Overall distance: 1183 miles
Fuel state: 3/4 of a tank
Overall fuel used: 4 and 1/4 tanks
Morale: +0 (+11) We’re in the rhythm and nothing can stand in our path. :face_with_monocle:
Fatigue: +6 (+11) We’ve driven a long way over the last couple of days! :open_mouth:

5 Likes
265

Team Redneck day 3 12-2pm

With the fun road behind them Jake and Otis continue on the paved road. The black truck is now brown with now drying mud. Jake has been taking a nap against the B pillar and door with his hat pulled down. When they get to Bruice crossing Jake climbs on the hood to clean the windshield which leaves a muddy mess in the window washer bucket, while Otis fills the truck.

Otis flips the switch on the CB booster and presses the mic button, “This is the Redneck Express, we are stopping in Bruce Crossing at Char’s Cafe for lunch, yall welcome to join us”

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V6 Vandals - D3 10-Noon - “A Plan”

“So that’s how they got their camera crew through the mud bath.” Luke said, looking as they passed the parked Pit Stop US team. “Good ol’ Serenity, a Mk2. Bet they had no problems crawling through the mud in that.”

“Good thing they’re not using help from the camera crew. Depending on the engine, they could have quite a bit of power on demand.” Amy replied. Cody and Jake just grinned and went back to watching traffic as the scenery turned into a blur.

A short while later, Luke flicked on the high-beams as he got ready to pass the Communitasia. “And now they have some prick dressed up as Hitler.” Luke said. “Remind me after we stop for the O2 sensor that we need to also get some steel plumbing parts and some preferably used welding equipment. Oh, and instead of a barrel sized for potatoes, we’re launching soup cans.”

“Soup cans!? Are you crazy!?” Jake asked, realizing what could possibly happen.

“Dressing up like old Communist party leaders is one thing. Dressing up like the world’s biggest mass murderer means you fucking deserve whatever happens. It’s a good thing I’m no longer given military supplies, or I’d be using a proper rifle and not a can cannon.” Luke responded. “And my aim is good enough that I’ll only wreck their car.”

As they passed, Luke pulled an overly aggressive downshift and floored it, unleashing 2.7 liters of turbocharged V6 fury on the Communitasia, and leaving them mired in a fog of oil smoke for several miles before Luke eased off and put the Truckling back in 6th gear.

“We’re gonna need to fix that.” Cody said, looking at the expanding blue cloud behind the truck. “We’re fogging up the whole road.”

Just then, a message came in from the Redneck Express with a very hot signal.

Luke ran a quick calculation, then said, “They’ve got to be just barely out of normal CB range. I’d guess 6, maybe 7 miles. Well within the range I can work with, and without blowing out their equipment, either.” He then adjusted the signal power to be clear without distortion and replied to Team Redneck.

“Vandals here. That’s sadly a negative from us. We’ve got a money light and smoke to fix before we can think about that. Got a parts store a little way ahead of you we’re headed to.”

MRL: +10 (NC)
FTG: +6 (+4)
WAY: 4
GAS: 1/3
FST: 4
OIL: 1 quart

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Otis, “Gotcha on the money light, there’s a Carquest on the corner across from the gas station in Bruce Crossing.”

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OOC: I have been to Munising, it’s a lovely town. Also there are a lot of cool waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula.

TEAM OUTRIDERS


Zach: Oh God! Who the hell did that? (rolls down window) That should be banned by the Geneva Convention!

Marc: He he he.

Blake: What are you… Oh! Son of a bitch!

Luigi: Jesus! Do you have ass cancer or something?

Marc: Air buildup. Speaking of which, have we any thoughts on lunch?

Blake: I’ll take care of it.

(Time passes)

(ring ring)

Blake: Hello? Hello Sweetie. She did? That’s wonderful! (to the others in the car) Sally passed her driving test!

Marc, Zach, Luigi: All right!

Blake: Yeah? She did what? chuckle Oh no, of course that wasn’t funny. Well, she didn’t get out of the truck right? Well, not enough people are using hand signals, I think she could be setting a good example. Just that one signal huh? Eh, it’ll be fine. She passed. Yeah, put her on. Hey squash!

Luigi: Squash?

Zach: Dad always though “pumpkin” was too cliche.

Marc: What does he call your other sister?

Zach: Gourd.

Luigi: You’re joking!

Zach: I wish I was.

Marc: And what was his pet name for you?

Zach: Nice try.

Blake: I’m proud of you. Oh, we’re having a blast. Zach’s driving. No, he’s not getting us killed. Your brother is an excellent driver. Uh huh. I love you too. Bye.

Zach: How long until we hit the next town? We’re getting pretty low on fuel.

Luigi: Munising should be within the next ten miles.

Zach: So Sally was using your road rage driving technique?

Blake: It’s not road rage if you don’t get out of the car!

Marc: You say that like you’re familiar with it.

Zach: He gave me the same advice when I was learning to drive. I almost flunked.

(time passes, the car is at a gas station in Munising)

Luigi: All looks good.

Blake: Okay, let’s get lunch started. (wraps a number of hotdogs in aluminum foil and places them in various spots around the engine bay.

Luigi: I don’t think we’ve done this with this engine.

Blake: Should be fine, these old 432s like to run hot. They’ll be plenty cooked.

Luigi: Hopefully not burnt.

Blake: I’ve got it worked out. Um, right here should work. (tucks a can of baked beans behind the intake plenum)

Marc: You guys done?

Blake: Yeah (closes hood) Where’s Zach?

Marc: Using the bathroom.

Luigi: He’s taking his dear sweet time.

(Zach returns a few minutes later.)

Luigi: Took you long enough, what were you doing, beating off in there?

Zach: No, if I was doing that I’d at least have something to show for it!

Marc: Whoa! There may be hope for your son yet Blake.

Zach: Let’s just go.

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Also OOC, in response to Bobloblaw’s OOC:

Never been to Michigan. But I’ve recently been to Minnesota and drove around it quite a bit. Very lovely country. And there’s a winery just a few miles from MSP that imports their grapes from Washington. I don’t know if sampling there soothed or exacerbated my homesickness… lol

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Team Letto Going Through the Detour Route Trying to Catch the Other Teams:



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Team Thunder Taxi, Part 13

Past the detour

Having completed the mandatory detour, the Thunder Taxi was now back on the main route. The previous segment had been completed without much fuss, so it was likely that the next few dozen miles would not trouble the Thunder Taxi either. But the detour had put them farther behind, and so Jack had another key decision to make: should he up the pace now or wait for conditions to improve further? That question would have to be answered sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Vince was wondering why they hadn’t heard from the Jager in a while.

“Hmm… They most likely dropped out while driving through the detour.”

“Given the poor reputation of early LTCs, that’s very likely…” Bob replied.

To which Chris responded with: “…but not absolutely certain.”

Jack said nothing in return. He was too busy pondering where to make rest stops, if he wanted to, and whether or not to go faster than before. But for now, the Thunder Taxi was holding up nicely.

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Team Shitbox Brothers

(You know the drill with the accents)

Gramps GT was holding strong. Soon a notification made Alejandro’s phone ring.

Alejandro: “Remember the guys in the Jager?”
Ana: “Aye. What about them?”
Alejandro: “Their trans decided to give up completely. They dropped out.”
Ana: “Tough luck. But we can’t stop now. We have the Bogliq real close and we should try to overtake them and besides, we have quite some catching up to do.”
Alejandro: “Got the perfect song for that.” Alejandro grabbed two cans of Conke Cola and passed one to Ana, and then played Hairspray Hurricane by Carpenter Brut. Ana then grabbed the microphone on their radio.
Ana: “Watch out team Mountain Pass, we’re coming for that booteh!”

And with that, Gramps GT kept roaring towards the horizon with a new goal to accomplish.

(@HighOctaneLove it’s on ya)

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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.

SATURDAY, 2PM - 4PM

VicVictory:
BD: 89 mi OD: 1380 mi AT: 41 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +1 FTG: +2 Last Town: Duluth, MN Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued. Team is currently at the Dubh Linn Brew Pub in Duluth to eat and relax.

@Madrias
BD: 56 mi OD: 1271 mi AT: 39 F FS: FULL MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Ironwood, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Bruce Corner, MI. Team has procured and replaced the front O2 sensor. Codes P0130 and P0508 have gone away. Ongoing issue: Check Engine Code: P0420. Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@Mr.Computah
BD: 118 mi OD: 1299 mi AT: 39 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +4 Last Town: Saxon, WI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@Jaimz
BD: 121 mi OD: 1371 mi AT: 39 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +6 Last Town: Poplar, WI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued

@BobLoblaw
BD: 119 mi OD: 1293 mi AT: 39 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +6 Last Town: Poplar, WI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@Zabhawkin
BD: 36 mi OD: 1257 mi AT: 39 F FS: FULL MRL: +1 FTG: -2 Last Town: Bruce Crossing, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team has refueled in Bruce Crossing. Team has eaten lunch (dinner?) at Char’s Cafe in Bruce Crossing.

@HighOctaneLove
BD: 124 mi OD: 1309 mi AT: 39 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +9 Last Town: Saxon, WI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team is tired.

@DoctorNarfy
BD: 124 mi OD: 1375 mi AT: 39 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +9 Last Town: Poplar, WI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team is tired.

@findRED19
BD: 121 mi OD: 1263 mi AT: 39 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +2 Last Town: Bruce Crossing, WI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: None

@stm316
BD: 114 mi OD: 1268 mi AT: 39 F FS: 1/2 MRL: +0 FTG: +7 Last Town: Bruce Crossing, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: ONGOING ISSUE: Ticking and unusual RPM drop during shifts. Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@Mythrin
BD: 117 mi OD: 1271 mi AT: 39 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +7 Last Town: Bruce Crossing, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team is a litte tired.

@abg7
BD: 115 mi OD: 1166 mi AT: 37 F FS: 1/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +6 Last Town: Munising, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team is starting to feel slightly fatigued.

@LordLetto
BD: 78 mi OD: 1067 AT: 39 F FS: 3/4 MRL: +0 FTG: +6 Last Town: Seney, MI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: TEAM MORALE IS HIGH. Team has completed the mandatory detour. Team is feeling slightly fatigued.

@cpufreak101
BD: 116 mi OD: 1311 mi AT: 39 F FS: 2/3 MRL: +0 FTG: +7 Last Town: Saxon, WI Next Waypoint: Itasca State Park, MN
Notes: Team is feeling slightly fatigued.

Vehicles that are traveling in packs:

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

Team Moss Boss

no RP… long day. But the boys are having good food and whiskey

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Team Mountain Pass

Team Bio
Day 3, Noon - 2PM

Day Three, 2PM to 4PM

It was barely five minutes after 2PM when we got the shock of our lives…

static “Watch out team Mountain Pass” more static "we’re coming for that booteh!”

A: “What the actual fuck!?!? This Bogliq’s possessed!!!”

P: “OMG, it came from the glovebox!”

A: “Did you just say OMG instead of Oh my God? I thought you weren’t down with the lingo of the streets!”

P: “Haha, very funny… looks in glovebox Turns out Kyle installed a CB radio!”

A: “He could have warned us… Why is it even on?”

P: “He hardwired it to the ignition switch. We’ve just been out of range all this time… I wonder who’s calling us?”

A: “No idea; just send back something appropriately witty and we’ll be on our way”

P: into microphone (OOC: @Mr.Computah) “Uh, had a slight weapons malfunction. But, uh, everything’s perfectly all right now. We’re fine. We’re all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?”

A: rolls eyes “Yup, that was real witty, positively brilliant… NOT!”

P: shrugs shoulders “It’ll keep 'em guessing for a while… Now let’s make like a tree and leave!!!”

Andrew then attempted to press ahead, which saw us travel an extra four miles over last session, but we really needed to have a break. I looked up Kyle’s list of places to stop at and found somewhere we shouldn’t have any trouble reaching at the end of the next session. Andrew and I were both looking forward to taking a break and a warm meal would be really special since our last cooked meal was at about 7:30AM this morning!

But for now, all we could do was press on, eat up the miles and pray that the good weather held on for another day…

TO BE CONTINUED

Distance covered: 124 miles
Overall distance: 1307 miles
Fuel state: 1/3rd of a tank
Overall fuel used: 4 and 2/3rds tanks
Morale: +0 (+11) We’re moving on up, moving on out, time to break free, nothing can stop us! :face_with_monocle:
Fatigue: +9 (+20) I’m so tired of waking up tired! :nerd_face:

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V6 Vandals - D3 Noon-2p - “Our Ishu has Issues”

“So, we’ve got the part installed, let’s see whether the O2 sensor fixed everything.” Luke said, clearing the codes before starting the engine. They’d just spent the better part of an hour buying a new O2 sensor and installing it, and so everyone was a little on-edge.

The light went out for a moment, then popped back up. “P0420. Catalyst Efficiency. So we’ve got a bad catalytic converter. Not surprising, we’ve got an oil leak, after all, and that’s not good for the converters.” Luke said.

“So, parts cannon, or drive it?” Jake asked.

“Drive it until it gets worse, then make a decision. We’ve got turbochargers, they’ll help with the power loss a little.” Amy responded.

“Can we go already, please? And let’s go get some fast food or something, I’m starving.” Cody said.

“So, fast food, then hit the road. Got it.” Luke said. He pulled into the line at the nearest McDonalds and then placed their order.

Soon after, the three living members of the team were eating some greasy goodness that comes from a bag, and Luke had his foot in the gas again, trying to make up lost time.

MRL: +10 (NC)
FTG: +10 (+4)
WAY: 4
GAS: 3/3
FST: 5
OIL: 1 quart

2 Likes