Jump to content

NorthGeorgiaWX

Administrators
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    34,538

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1,499

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by NorthGeorgiaWX

  1. NorthGeorgiaWX

    New England Trip 2019 - Day 4 - Nantucket

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    New England Trip
    This was our first big adventure (and our first blog post together!) after arriving in New England. Exploring Cape Cod on Sunday was nice and scenic and the National Seashore was very awesome, but our Monday Nantucket Island trip was even better. 

    This also happened to be our first ride on the high speed ferry. Because we were staying just a few miles from Hyannis, we were close to the Hy-Line ferry terminal. Hy-Line operates a fleet of high speed ferries to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and is the company we used for both island trips. 

     
    And high speed is an appropriate adjective to use as I clocked the Nantucket ride at 36 mph. This is not a little boat (158 feet) and it probably had at least 200 people on board, not to mention all of the luggage and other "freight" type baggage.  Being a guy... I was really interested in how they made this thing move so fast... and the reason is below.
     
    The Grey Lady IV is the newest vessel of the Hy-Line fleet. It is one of the few high speed ferries that has 3 passenger decks, and when fully loaded, can carry 493 passengers and their baggage. 
    Measuring 153.5 x 34.5 feet and a draft of approximately eight feet loaded, the vessel is powered by four Cummins QSK60-M EPA Tier 3 diesel engines, each delivering 2,200 Bhp at 1,800 rpm. Each engine propels a Hamilton HM721 water jet through a Twin Disc MG61500SC horizontally-offset gearbox. The ferry’s top speed is more than 34 knots (39 mph) with a fully-loaded deadweight of 64 metric tons.
     
    We arose early to depart at 5:12 am for the first High Speed Ferry to Nantucket. We arrived at the ferry at 5:20 am under some fog and high overcast skies and a temperature of 59º. Most of the other passengers were sleepy workers commuting to work with an early 6:10 am Monday departure time.

     
    On this ride, Amy and I paid extra to sit in the "Captain's Seats", the top level passenger deck with more room and larger forward facing seats, and the views were great. All of the pictures and videos that I took traveling to Nantucket were taken from inside the ship from these seats, and I was pretty happy with the way they turned out.  You can also get drinks and snacks on board during the ride.  The trip was about as smooth as it gets.  Other than the vibration from the engines there was no motion at all unless you happened to cross another ships wake. This water can get very rough and visibility can drop to nothing, so days like this are a treat. I spoke with a tour guide that travels back and forth on a regular basis and she told me about one trip where it was so foggy you couldn't see in front of you. She said they blew the horn continuously through the entire trip. They do stop the ferry if the seas get too rough, but I don't know how they determine that. 
    I have a few short videos of the ferry leaving the Hyannis Harbor and cruising across Nantucket Sound just to give you an idea of the views and the calm water. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    As we approached the island the skies were dark from the rain clouds that had passed earlier in the morning. Here are a few pictures of those clouds as we approached Nantucket. 


     
    When we arrived on the island at 7:40 am, we were the life on the island! After the hustle and bustle of the ferry passengers settled, Nantucket was still asleep. It was cool, tranquil and quiet. It was so serene that the still beauty stops you in your tracks. The calm AFTER the storm feeling… PEACE that surpasses ALL understanding. It may be true that a picture is worth a thousand words and this one captured the moment perfectly.

     
    Our bus tour of the island wasn’t until 11:00 am so we had some time to explore a little of the town on our own. Of course, food was of interest. While scouting looking for something that was open, we walked around looking at all the cool shops and gorgeous old houses/buildings. Since it was so early, there really wasn't much open, so we headed back to this cute little place called "Provisions" that we saw after stepping off the ferry. We ate a wonderful breakfast sandwich  that was just what we needed. "The Original" consist of herbed egg frittata, cheddar, bacon and house-made tomato chipotle jam. They have all kinds of coffee as well as sweets, juices and other light food. Keep in mind, everything is more expensive on Nantucket, but with drinks we paid $19 for our breakfast.

     
    Remember... if you get to Nantucket too early... NOTHING is open, it's almost like a ghost town. This may have been one of the reasons it was so surreal. Take the 6:10 am ferry and see what I mean 🙂

     
    Once we were fed and we located the bus tour spot, we were ready for adventure. We pretty much scoured the town while Steve was able to capture some incredible images. The sun began to peep through just as the town seemed to wake up. PERFECT in every way! It actually warmed to 74 degrees later in the day. Below is a link to the album with all of the pictures. Notice that many of the buildings will have the date they were built on the front, and you'll see a few here but there are more in the link further down the page.
     
    New England Trip - Nantucket - June 3, 2019 - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 136 new items added to shared album  

    The 11:00 am tour guide was with Billy from Australia. LOL. He was AWESOME!!!!!!! I wish we had a recording! (EDIT: We found it!) Now I HAVE to return. Here are a few items I learned:

    There is a HUGE Preservation Society in charge of everything. Even 2% of real estate sales go to this establishment. Not sure of the political inclination, but if they are responsible for actually preserving this incredible island, then they are doing a mighty act. Only 12 colors can be used on exteriors and Billy spouted them off like the days of the week. The average home is $2.5 million (and I’ve always considered myself above average. HA! and Zillow sales confirm. LOOK!) and they just got squirrels. Can you believe that? Only sweet animals allowed here. I think rodents came over as stowaways. Gasoline is $4/gallon, there are NO traffic lights (Steve can put it on cruise and never stop), there has only been one murder in 150 years, one stucco house (before the conservation society), and CRANBERRY bogs galore. There are 11,000 residents year round and 60,000 during the summer. Oh, and the two hotels run $1000-$1500/night, so this sheds new light on the phrase “DON’T miss the BOAT!” You may end up sleeping on a bench!
    The history was fascinating! It embraces you and makes you a part of the island story. So much has stayed exactly the same since the island was placed on the National Historic Landmark District in 1966. It is considered the "finest surviving architectural and environmental example of a late 18th and early 19th century New England seaport town". I LOVE that.
    This is where naming your vessel began to identify the numerous shipwrecks. The island is referred to as the “Little Grey Lady of the Sea” and our ferry boat was the “Grey Lady IV.” There is a Whaling Museum with a remarkable scrimshaw collection and the quaint shops are curiously inviting. We saw the little airfield where “Wings”, the TV show, was filmed. Our stop at Sankaty Head Light and exclusive golf club was spectacular. The most amazing views and lighthouse stamped golf ball (found courtesy of Steve) were the bonus takeaways. 
    This island tour was an additional service available through Hy-Line cruises and was $25 per person. It is highly recommended by both of us in order to gain an understanding and appreciation of the total Nantucket experience . Billy’s narrated tour was truly a MUST in our schedule.

     
    The tour was about an hour and fifteen minutes, allowing us plenty of time to tour the town of Nantucket again on our own. Nantucket is the smallest of the two islands and is only about 48 square miles, so it would be real easy to navigate the island by bike. Both islands also have car rentals, so if you chose to get around and explore on your own, you have options. The video below is from the Sankaty Head Light over on the east side of the island. As you can see, there is a reason there are so many lighthouses in New England. Warm land and cold waters make for some pretty dense fog. 
     
     
     
    We purchased lots of goodies from several shops and also visited the Whaling Museum.  I had lots of pictures from this place and I have somehow lost them along with a few others. Hopefully I'll find them misplaced in another folder. I do have a video of an old restored clock that is on display there and I've included that video below. A little history of the clock...
    "In 1881, William Hadwen Starbuck presented the Town of Nantucket with an E. Howard No. 3 flatbed striking clock. Manufactured by the E. Howard Watch & Clock Co. of Boston, it was installed in the tower of the Unitarian Church and began operating on May 28, 1881. It powered the four clock faces of the south Tower and the church’s familiar bell, 52 chimes, three times a day, until 1957, when the dials were electrified.

    The Howard clock was donated by the Town to the NHA in April 1972 and was moved to the Peter Foulger Museum. It was restored in 2004–2005 to be installed in the glass-enclosed three-story stairwell of the Whaling Museum for its grand reopening in 2005, a location that displays the clock and its intricate mechanism in full view. Today, from the lobby to the museum’s rooftop belvedere, visitors can closely observe the clockworks chime the hours."
     
     
     
     

    It was afternoon and time to eat, so we went back to a location near the ferry dock and secured a lovely patio spot at The Tavern for a late lunch consisting of clam chowder (we were committed to having it every stop), roast beef sandwich, fries, and beer ($54). Yes... no seafood here, Nantucket is a little pricey and we were saving up for points north. 
    With newfound energy, we footed on, did a little more shopping, and enjoyed all that we could before leaving for Hyannis on the 4:15 pm ferry. We had planned on returning on the 5:40 pm, but by that time we were done so they let us swap.
     

    Finally, we have two short videos of the return trip. It was sunny but very windy and the back of the boat had lots of people on it until we got out in open waters... and then the wind and the spray chased everyone inside except for us, a couple of Hy-Line employees and this one girl. Every now and then she would get blasted by a COLD spray... and she never flinched. One person even came out and asked her if she was ok! 🙂 We talked with her after we pulled in and discovered that she had moved from Miami to just north of Boston and was here for the summer to work on Nantucket, and on this return trip she was headed back to the mainland. Amy just KNEW that she must have lost a bet. 🙂 Wouldn't it be great if you could somehow let these people know you have a picture of them? I wished I had gotten a video of her getting sprayed. 🙂
    So a great day with great weather, and it just so happens that this wonderful weather will be our traveling companion over  the following 9 days. We were both  blown away by the beauty and charm of the old seaside port and the staggering amount of documented history. It's amazing and not uncommon to see building's from the 1700's that are meticulously maintained and still in use today. The fact that the brick and cobblestone roads and sidewalks have withstood the wind and weather and 300 years of use is amazing. Overall, our island trip was surreal and exceeded our every expectation (as each day has so far). I came as a visitor and left as a faithful friend, and this visit would be tough to beat.  But what we didn't know was that the next few days would end up being even better. 🙂
     
     
     



  2. NorthGeorgiaWX
    We made it! We arrived in West Yarmouth about 4:30 pm on Saturday.  Along the way we stopped to visit two lighthouses in Rhode Island and eat a lobster roll. 🙂
    I've added a few pictures and a couple of videos below. Most were taken at the two lighthouses or on the way to them. Oh... and my lobster roll. 🙂 You can't forget the lobster roll. 
    We're just getting started so I'll have lots more pictures and videos. Now is when it starts getting good!
    EDIT: Here's the link to the photos for this day.
    New England Trip - Rhode Island/MA - June 1, 2019 - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 180 new items · Album by Steve Brueck  
    Here are a couple of videos I took on the ride, and both of these are from the Beavertail Lighthouse. I'll have more later. This first video is from the dash cam and the second video was taken using my S7 with polarizing filter. 
     
     
     
     
     
  3. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Here we go! Up early this morning for one of our two longest continuous stretches of driving. Our destination today is the Hyatt Regency at the inner harbor area of Baltimore Maryland. Thanks to @mudrun for all of the great information about the Baltimore area!
    This leg of the trip is about 650 miles and Google is estimating about 11 hours on the road, so it's going to be a long day. The plan is to leave at 4 am in order to miss rush hour traffic in Charlotte and DC.  The original plan was to travel I-85 to I-95, but after noticing that the back roads through Virginia only take 20 minutes longer, I think that's the route I'll take, and that's the route you see in the map above.  We'll get lots of pictures and videos along the way, and I'll be posting those as time permits. 
    We wanted to get past Washington DC to find a place to stay for the night, because early the next morning (Friday) we are going to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. I didn't want to have to battle early morning DC traffic and we need to be at Independence Visitor Center when it opens (you need tickets), so Baltimore was a good stopping point.   From our place in Baltimore, it's about 100 miles and a little less than a 2 hour drive to the Independence Hall parking. We need to be there at 8 am as they start selling tickets at 8:30 even though it doesn't open until 9. 
    I don't mind the long haul driving, we drive 8 hours one way to see my parents in Sarasota, and when I go to the SCCA National Championships in Lincoln Nebraska we drive for 14-15 hours. My longest drive was 22 straight hours from Atlanta to Boston once, so 11 is very pretty doable. And since I don't normally like to ride with other people driving, so unless I can't keep my eyes  open, I'm it. 🙂 With lots of different things to look at, the side roads won't be as boring as the interstates, so staying awake in broad daylight shouldn't be a problem.
    Update Friday AM: Well, we made it to Baltimore. No, not in 10-11 hours as planned, but instead it took us 15 HOURS to get here. If you think Atlanta traffic is bad, try DC traffic.  Let me say this... if you ever thought you might like to live in northern Virginia/Maryland... you'd better drive those roads before you decide. 
    One 14 miles stretch took 1:10 and after that the next 39 miles took 53 minutes. So 2 hours to go 53 miles. For those in Gwinnett that know the road, we took Lawrenceville Hwy all the way through Virginia. 🙂 Yes, highway 29 goes all the way through Virginia (NC too). For the most part, Hwy 29 was an awesome drive. The speed limit is lower, but it's a 4 lane divided highway, and you can sit back, stick it on cruise and relax. It's nothing like taking I-95. 
    We're off to our next overnight stop in Connecticut, this drive will be a lot shorter and we're going around NYC instead of through it.

  4. NorthGeorgiaWX

    New England Trip 2019

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    New England Trip
    I found this old blog post on my old blog site, so I'm going to get it copied over here. I'd really like to get rid of the old site since I don't use it except to keep some old blog post. 
    ------------------------------------
    This is going to be the story of our two week vacation through the New England states, complete with all of the places we will see, things we will learn, and memories that we will make.  Amy and I will include as many pictures,  videos, links to the places and things we do, as well as any other information we can find to help document the  entire trip. (You know, just in case you'd like to go sometime 🙂
    When I was 16 years old my parents took us on a trip to the New England states and I still remember parts of that trip to this day. Since my wife Amy has never been to that part of the country (except for a trip to NYC), it will be a new experience for her and a great refresher for me, and there are a lot of places that we'll be going that I've never seen as well, so this ought to be fun!
    This is going to be a driving trip.  We thought about flying up and getting a rental car up there, but there are so many great places to see along the way, it would be a shame to not take the scenic route by driving versus flying. The total round trip length is about 3000 miles, so it's going to be a long haul with many days in the car. And since I didn't want to put that kind of mileage on my own vehicles,  we are renting a SUV (Ford Explorer supposedly) for the trip. We have most of the itinerary planned now, so I'll be posting maps and more details as we get closer in time. 
    Basically, we pick up the rental vehicle at on Wednesday the 29th, start the trip on the morning of the 30th,  and we return home on Wednesday, June the 12th.  During the time we are gone, we will pass through a total of 15 states, 11 of which Amy has never seen. On the way up we will travel through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and into Massachusetts.  We will set up home in West Yarmouth (next to Hyannis, see map below) in Massachusetts for a stay at the Holly-Tree Inn condo. From there we'll spend almost an entire week exploring Cape Cod and the surrounding area before we embark on a two day drive up the coast to Bar Harbor Maine where we'll stay another two nights at the Coach Stop Inn Bed and Breakfast. We plan on getting off the beaten path and hug the coast as much as possible in order to see all the sights along the way. Our route will pass through a very small section of New Hampshire (Portsmouth) on our way into Maine, and we will be stopping at numerous places all along the coastline before staying at Kennebunk Friday night. The next morning (Saturday) we take the back roads that will lead use to Bar Harbor. Sunday morning after arriving in Bar Harbor, we have to get up REAL early so we can go capture the sunrise (the sunrise is 4:50 am!!!)  from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. From there we will drive up to the US-Canadian border at Eastport Maine, maybe see the "Old Sow",  the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere, and eat a lobster roll at Quoddy Bay Lobster before heading back to Bar Harbor. 
    The return trip begins after breakfast on Monday the 10th, and the first day on the road will lead us across the beautiful forest and mountains of northern New Hampshire. We stop for a three hour round trip ride on the Cog Railway to the top of Mount Washington before continuing the trip south along the Vermont/New Hampshire border where we'll stop to sleep in Woodstock, Vermont.  After an overnight rest, we get up early the next morning to begin a long day of driving  toward the Cave Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast in Virginia. Rising with the sun on Wednesday the 12th, we'll drive on a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia and North Carolina before hopping back on the interstate to finish the trip home. 
    We have a lot of things planned while we're gone, like stopping at the Independence Hall in Philadelphia, taking the ferries to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard islands for day trips, a  4 hour whale watching tour, a guided walking tour in Boston, a trip to the top of Mount Washington, and stops for what is supposed to be some of the best seafood ie... lobster) and lighthouses anywhere.  In between, there will be a thousand other things to see and do, and I hope we can capture it all so you can follow our fun.  
    I'll break all of this out by making a new post for each day of the trip, so we should end up with a minimum of 14 different post. I'm sure I will also create a special post or three for those special side trips, highlights, and activities that we do.  I'm also sure the post will be delayed since I can't spend all my time writing blog post 🙂 Who knows... I've never documented  a two week trip before.  I'm just winging it right now 😉

  5. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Thursday, December 7

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Front Yard
    Progress is continuing, and it's all digging. Today they are digging for the footings for the big wall, so more dirt coming out. Due to the height of the wall it's going to have to be 16" wide. These are a few pictures from yesterday, and I'll have more later today. Two more trees will need to come out, one at each end of the drive. 




     
  6. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Tear it Down

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Home
    So.... the first day was fun to watch! They ripped out the boulder wall, all of the remaining shrubs, tree stumps, and other debris. 
    They started around 11 AM, taking the boulders that made up the old wall, and placing them on the other side of the driveway. That side was pretty steep and I wanted to shore it up as much as possible, so that my driveway stays where it's suppose to stay. That process took about three hours, and after than they ripped everything else out. 
    In these two pictures, you can see the boulders that are being moved.


     
    Here's a good before and after, minus the boulders.

     

     
    The small tree on this end of the drive will have to come down.


     
    I was hoping to keep this tree on this end of the drive, but I'm afraid it will need to go too. It's a beautiful maple, and I hate to lose it. 


     
    All of those boulders that made up that wall, ended up here. It was a perfect fit, as all of the boulders got used.  These will really help to reinforce the bank. 


     
    The rocks have since been covered with dirt and daffodils will be planted all over the bank.

     
    What we're putting down on the bank.

     
     
    I managed to get a time lapse video of the first day of demolition, and this is what it looked like.
     
  7. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Before

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Front Yard
    These are some before pictures of the front "yard". First, a few things about living here in Big Canoe.
    You can't have a regular yard here, meaning, you can't have a grass front yard. I love it, no grass to cut for me! The POA (our HOA) has to approve all the projects like this, and we had to get a variance for the Right of Way for the top wall.  The POA was very helpful, and gracious for allowing us to redesign the front in a manner that helps them and us. For them, it keeps their road from washing away, and for us, it keeps our bank from washing away.  In this post, I'll try to explain why we decided to change the area in front of the house. 
    The pictures probably make the drive look wider and shallower than it is, so they are a little deceiving. The drive is a semi-circle, and this is the entrance that we normally come in from. The only problem here is the stairs and handrail that was about to fall down. One thing you can't tell in these pictures, is how high the road is compared to the bottom of driveway. This entrance is not as shallow as the camera makes it look, and this is the shallow side of the drive. The bigger problems happen as we move toward the right in the picture.

     
    First, the weather station was only sitting there temporarily! One of the primary reasons for doing the renovation was to get more parking/turn around space. The problem here is the space from that garage door, to the wall. It's sometimes an issue backing out of the garage, especially if we park the SUV against the wall, and pulling back in requires getting right up against the wall, and making a wide swing toward the door. It's very tight and the wife doesn't want to do it, so her car parks on the other side of the garage. Also, if multiple cars pull in, the lead car has to leave first so others can get out, so the extra parking space will be nice. That existing boulder wall (that has already been torn down) will be replaced by the lower of the two new retaining walls, and it will be pulled back in 3-4 feet. 

     
     
    This picture gives you a better idea of the slope of the bank. Also notice that the road slopes up about 4-5 feet from this end of the drive where I'm taking the picture from, to the other end of the drive. The other reason for the walls, is to keep the road from washing down into our yard, and to keep the bank from eroding. Many of the plants that were originally planted, haven't survived, so what was left were a bunch of scraggly plants. The area between the road and the top wall will be landscaped, and the 8 feet between the top wall and lower wall will be landscaped, and that is where the water feature is going. You see this better as things start to take shape. 

     
    In this image, you can start to see the slope at the other end of the drive. Unfortunately, the drive slopes can't be changed, but we're use to it. There are a few people that come to visit that get a little freaked out with this steep part, because it is about a 30% slope. 🙂 The upper retaining wall will be 8 feet from the white line at the edge of the road, and those shrubs have already been removed. That's in the next post. 

     
    The plants in front of the house will be removed and replaced by new ones, so that area will look very different as well. 

     
    In the next post I'll show what they accomplished in the first two days of work. Prior to the destruction of the bank, we had four trees taken down, and will probably have to take one more.  We will be replacing those with trees that are friendlier to retaining walls, and I think those might be some Japanese Maples. I would show the plan, but we've had to change it and I don't have the updated copy yet. 
     
  8. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Ever since we were down in the Keys, I've had this desire to get back on the water. My fun on the water started when I was 7 years old and continued through high school. My dad had been a fighter pilot in the Air Force and weather was an important thing to know when flying. So when he put me in charge of keeping track of the weather, I handled that job until I left for college. We went through three boats before I went off to college and missed the rest of the fun, but during the time I was there, we traveled up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, and brought his third boat down from Holland Michigan, where it was made (Chris Craft), all the way back to Nashville. My love for the water was solidly entrenched in me and despite all of these years being on dry land, it's something that doesn't ever really go away.
    Boat #1 - No Name - 17 foot Chris Craft
    I was probably in the 3nd or 4th grade when this picture was taken. I lived in Paris Tennessee when I was in the 2nd through 4th grade and my dad kept this boat at the Paris Landing Marina on Kentucky Lake. I don't remember a lot about this boat except for the time me and my dad took it out to drain some water out that had accumulated after some rain. To do that you had to get up on plane and then open a plug that was located near the lower rear of the boat. Easy enough. Except that the lake was REALLY rough (the lake is almost two miles across at that point) and I was driving while my dad pulled the plug. I was pretty young to be doing that and I remember that it scared the crap out of me. 🙂 But I did get to spend 2-3 years on Kentucky Lake as a kid, and that was the start to my boating fun.

     
    Boat #2 - BobaRue - 32 foot Burns Craft
    We moved back to Nashville and we had the first boat there for a short time before my dad bought this boat. It was a 32 foot Burns Craft houseboat and he spec'd out everything on the boat. I remember going to the factory and looking at all the boats they were building, and listening to my parents go over all the options etc. It was a boat that I spent a lot of years on. We kept this boat at Old Hickory Marina and ran it up and down the Cumberland River to Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. To do that you end up going through several locks, and being a kid, I loved the adventure! 
    The boat was pretty nice. It used twin Mercruiser 302 cubic inch gas engines that made 215 hp each, and the boat would get up and go! It was great traveling around in all kinds of weather, and we even took it out when it was snowing! Awesome experience! My sister and I slept in the forward cabin, and that cabin had the little window that you see on the side of the hull. 



     
    Boat #3 - Moonraker - 41 Foot Chris Craft
    This was a step up from the house boat and was a much more capable boat in rougher water. My dad bought this boat brand new (he had it built) from Chris Craft in Holland Michigan. My dad, the owner of the marina that we were going to keep it at, and myself, flew from Nashville to Michigan to pick it up and sail it back to the home marina. The plan was to bring the boat down lake Michigan to Chicago, and then through the locks to the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal where we passed directly through downtown Chicago, At some point past Chicago it becomes the Illinois River, so you continue south to the Mississippi River. Head downstream until you get to the Ohio River and hang a left to head toward Paducah Kentucky. At that point you have two choices to get back to Nashville, get on the Tennessee River and go through the locks at Kentucky Dam, or continue a few miles further and get on the Cumberland River and go through the locks at Barkley Dam. Either way will get you back to Nashville since Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake are connected by a narrow canal. Kentucky Lake is fed by the Tennessee River and Barkley Lake is fed by the Cumberland River.  Once you're on the Cumberland River you pass through the locks at Cheatham Dam before arriving in Nashville. We continued past the downtown area toward Old Hickory Lake where the boat would be docked. The last lock is at Old Hickory Dam where you make a 60 foot rise to get to the lake. 

     
    The trip was fairly uneventful except for the first 3 days. Lake Michigan is always full of surprises and on this trip that was no exception. We headed south toward Chicago from Holland which is on the east side of the lake. After traveling about an hour or so under pretty nice conditions, the weather took a turn for the worse and the waves got larger and larger. They ended up being so large, that when you were in the trough of the wave, you couldn't see over the top of the next wave. Look at the picture above and you can see how high I am off the water and you start to get an idea of what we were facing. The other issue with waves on Lake Michigan is that the wave period is very short meaning not a lot of distance from crest to crest. Combine the short wave period with the wave height, and we ended up getting the props out of the water when we crested the wave peaks. We finally got close enough to find a place to take shelter, and it ended up being the docks for the ore carriers. They allowed us to stay until the lake calmed down, but that took three days. In the meantime, they were not letting any of the ore carriers leave either. 

     
    Once we passed through most of the Chicago area, we stopped to spent the night at a small dock on the Illinois River. At some point someone from the other side of the river started taking pot shots at us using a pellet gun. Chicago is NOT my favorite place and I don't care if I ever see it again. But I will have to do it one more time.... and I will talk about that soon.
     


     
    Boat #4 - Eastwind - 53 Foot Chris Craft 
    I don't know much about this boat as I was off in college and working. I don't think my dad had this one for long, and I don't have many pictures. I believe this was taken before they bought it.

     
    Boat #4 - Silver Cloud - 65 Foot Hatteras 
    I never got to spend much time on this boat either. I was living about 8-9 hours away (they lived in Venice Florida) and was working, so I couldn't come down as often as I would have liked. My parents took this boat on part of the "Great Loop", leaving from Venice Florida and travelled all the way to Maryland and Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, I wasn't on that trip but sure would have loved to have been there. All of these boats don't mean a lot to most people, and you probably wonder why I have shared this with you.

     
    When we were down in Key West and we took that sunset cruise, I walked up to the bow of the boat and stood for a while. The sound of the water, the warm wind, and the feeling of freedom flowed all over me and brought back all of the of memories of being on boats. There is just something magical about it that I can't even describe. 
    A few months ago I discovered a site that was discussing a boat trip called the "Great Loop",  so I started reading about what that was all about. 
    "Loopers cruise the 6,000-mile Great Loop route aboard their own boats completing a circumnavigation of the eastern U.S. and part of Canada via mostly protected inland waterways. The Great Loop route follows the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake Bay, and the New York Canals northwards, goes across the Great Lakes, south on the Inland Rivers, and then east Gulf Coast to complete the Loop."
    Here's a basic map of the loop. There are alternate routes in some areas, and lots of places to enjoy side trips along the way. 

     
    The loop has been done in as little as 6 weeks and as long as 12 years, but generally it takes people a year or so to complete the entire route. There is no timeframe for completion. However, there are certain times of the year when you need to be on specific sections of the loop. During the winter, you need to be down south as most of the marinas and facilities are closed on the northern part of the loop. So you do the northern part during the summer and the southern part during the winter. People generally do the loop counterclockwise as that direction keeps you from having to sail upstream against the strongest currents, so you're doing the downhill portion from Chicago to the Gulf in the spring and up the east coast in the fall. Maybe... Weather, side trips, trips back to the house for a little break, all dictate the timing of where you will be at any specific time. 

    Some people take extended side trips off of the main route. For example if you are in Florida during the winter, you might as well head over to the Bahamas to spend a little time there, or around the Tennessee area, I would explore the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers as far as they go. Once you get up to New York, some people head up to the seaport towns of New England. It's all about what you want out of the trip.
    So.... Amy and I have decided to start looking for a boat so we can participate in this big adventure! There are some size restrictions for boats that want to make the loop, and it all comes down to the draft of the boat, both water draft and air draft. A lot of the time you'll be traveling on the intercoastal waterway as well as some shallow offshore areas and canals. A boat for the loop needs to have 5 feet or less of draft in order to keep from hitting the bottom and/or tearing up props. The out of water height (air draft) is just as important, as there are some fixed bridges that are pretty low, so you generally want a boat that is less than 17 feet high out of water, although there are alternate routes that allow you to go a little higher. Many boats have mast and antennas that fold down for those situations, but it's critical to know the exact height of the boat for this trip. The boat will probably be int he 40-50 foot range.
    Otherwise, get whatever boat you'll feel comfortable in for an extended amount of time. The boat doesn't have to be fast since in most areas you can't go fast anyway.  It needs to have at least 250 mile range since there is a stretch or two with no place to stop for fuel, and with diesel engines that is not a problem. Diesel engines are a must as well as the latest electronics (navigation, radar, radios, beacons, auto pilot). A good solid dinghy is a must as well as bow and stern thrusters, the capability of enclosing the fly bridge and aft deck, walk around beds in the main cabin, cat walks down the side of the boat, as well as other miscellaneous things that I'm sure I'll have to add. I would love to have a Great Harbor 37 or 47, so I may start my search with that in mind. Can't wait to get started!
    I now belong to the Great Loop Association, and they have a ton of resources for making this journey. This site will answer any questions you might have about the loop.
    AGLCA | Homepage
    WWW.GREATLOOP.ORG  
    Here is an article from some loopers about traveling through the "Dismal Swamp" that I thought was pretty cool.
    Great Dismal Swamp – For Many Moons
    MINDFULMARY.ORG We're here! I've been looking forward to this for a long time, having heard about it for decades. We had to time it right to arrive at the southern lock at opening time, since the two locks that book-end the canal open on a schedule. We traveled in a parade of three boats...a Nordic Tug…
  9. NorthGeorgiaWX

    2023 AGLCA Fall Rendezvous

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Loop
    We just got back from the looper gathering at Wheeler State Park over in Alabama, and what an amazing event. So much information, so many beautiful boats (all types), and some of the nicest people that you could ever meet. Many people that were there are in the planning stages, but others are in progress, and others are Gold and Platinum loopers (gold is twice, platinum is more than twice). There were numerous seminars about all aspects of doing the loop, from wind and weather, anchoring, buying a boat, navigation, and many others. There were also sections where experienced loopers shared detailed information about different sections of the loop. I attended two of those, the first was from just north of Clearwater Florida to Miami, and the other was about going to the Bahamas. Really, really good information. People also shared the tools they use for navigation and how to share the location so others can track the path of the boat. There were vendors as well as boat brokers, boating insurance, and other boat related services. There are were also captains that will train you and help bring you boat back to your home port, which is a service we will absolutely use. 
    But probably the best part of the vent, was the Loop Crawls. Every afternoon around 4, we got to go down to the docks and explore all the different boats, inside and out. There aren't many places where you can actually get on 40 boats, and not just any boat, but boats that are actually doing the loop right now. One boat just started the loop 2 days ago. 🙂 Here are a few of the other boats. I should have taken a picture of each boat.






     

     
    We think we found a boat that would be suitable for extended traveling for us. Because there are so many types of boats doing the loop, there is no "perfect" boat. Whatever your personal requirements are determine what boat you choose. Obviously, the wife's likes and wants will play a big part in what boat we get, and it needs to be spacious on the inside, not only for us, but for any guest that would like to travel with us, and it should have the basic creature comforts that you might have at home. 
    What we found was this boat, and it's a 2007 Cruiser 455 Express Motor Yacht. This boat is not for sale (we we tried to steal it from them), but it is currently 2500 miles into the loop. The owners, Peter and Kim Squier were very gracious in allowing us to climb all over their boat and explain all of the features to us. 


     
    The specs for this boat are:
    Length: 45'6" Draft: 3'3" Beam: 15'4" Fuel Capacity: 500 gals. Water Capacity: 140 gals. Waste Capacity: 100 gals. From Powerboat
     
    Here's a look at a Cruiser 455
     
    I took some pictures, but I discovered after the fact that some of them were blurry, but here are some the show what the video didn't.
    It does have a combo washer/dryer. 

     
    This is the forward stateroom, and it's very roomy.

    Forward head. It has a standup shower. 

     
    Two smaller berths next to the washer/dryer.

     
    Eating area.

     
    Headed down to the Master bedroom.

     
    Master

     
    Master shower

     

     
    Yes... it has a tub. 🙂 

     
    Queen bed

     
    Cockpit area behind  the upper cockpit.

     
    Looking down inside the cabin.

     
    The boat has bow and stern thrusters, and they can be controlled with a handheld remote control. The throttle and steering can also be controlled with a handheld remote. 

     
    This is looking from the slightly lower rear cockpit, toward the front. This top area has heat and air conditioning. At the bottom of the picture is a refrigerator/freezer. On top of the hardtop are three solar panels that provide 1400 watts of solar power for charging batteries. It also has AIS, radar, sonar, GPS, and a full set of Navionics equipment.

     
    I now have Custis Stokes and Associates to help me find one that will suit our needs, so we'll see what they can come up with! If this boats were for sell, I would certainly buy it. 
    This was on a different boat, but a really nice dinghy.

  11. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Good afternoon!
    Sorry, I've been pre-occupied with a hurricane, so now I can re-focus. 🙂
    It's gonna be hot. There really isn't much to discuss, hot and dry are the two key words for the next 7 days. Oh... and no rain. These are the official forecast high temperatures. The DOW is in the top right corner of each image.





     
    Zero rainfall through 2 PM Thursday the 7th. Or so the Weather Prediction Center says.

     
    Dew points will remain in the 50's and 60's, so there won't be much in the way of humidity to add to the heat. All in all, not a bad forecast for the Nationals. I would take the heat over the rain any day, even though I hate the heat. I always found that the heat made me drive worse. 
    Hope you all have a great time. I'll be back tomorrow to complete the forecast.
  12. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Good morning!
    I've been spending my energy watching the tropical system in the Gulf, so it is time to re-focus. We're getting close to September 1 (and the start of meteorological fall), and we are now in range of the official NWS forecast. First, there is no sign of rain through about the 6th of the month, so that's the good news.
    The bad news is of course, the heat. Fortunately, the worst of the heat will remain just to the south over Kansas, at least to start with. We'll start with the highs on August 30th, and go from there.


     
    Close to 100, and on that concrete, it will certainly feel like it. 


     
    These are the high temp anomalies for the 1st and 2nd.


     
    I think the Euro and Canadian ensembles have the best handle on the temperatures, the GFS has been sniffing too much race fuel.



     
    Here how the rainfall totals look through September 3rd. Please don't ask where Nebraska is. 🙂 

  13. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Good afternoon!
    Well, 7 days until the ProSolo starts, so we will now be able to give you a little better idea what to expect with the weather.
    I hope I didn't get too many hopes up about cooler weather, because  I think we can forget about any hope of that happening. The core of the high pressure and the heat, is going to be centered almost directly over Nebraska. Let's just call it the bullseye like it is. Here are the three major global deterministic models, the GFS, Euro, and Canadian. All the images show a 5 day average temperature anomaly from August 30 to September 4. Notice that the GFS is the hottest of the three, and I suspect it's a little overdone.



     
    Looking at a meteogram from each of the three models, we see highs like this. The Euro falls in the middle, so I'd lean on that one for now. 



    Looking at the Euro max temps, this is Thursday, August 31. The date is in the top right corner of the image. The time doesn't matter since the images show a daily max.

     

     

     

     
    If you're looking for rain to cool things off, you'll have to look really long and hard. In these multi run images, you can see the trends from the oldest model run at the top of the image, to the newest at the bottom. If anything, the chance for rain is going down.



     
    Looking past the 3rd, it's not looking any better. These are 10 day average temp anomalies. This particular image is from the GFS ensemble and runs from Sunday, August 27 through Wednesday, September 6. I'll get an update later, for some reason it's stuck at September 6.

     
    The Euro is from Tuesday the 29th to Friday the 8th.

     
    And the Canadian is from  Wednesday, the 30th to Friday night on the 9th. Either way, all are above normal, and all show the greatest concentration of heat right over Nebraska. You're welcome. 🙂 

     
  14. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Good morning!
    We are inching closer to the realm of the medium range global models, so that will be a big help. Yesterday I left out the ProSolo folks, so I wanted to touch on that today.
    First we'll look at the ensembles, since we are just a little too far out to rely on the deterministic models right now. Tropical Storm Harold will be making landfall today over Texas, and that will be bringing some rainfall to Lincoln next Saturday and Sunday. The rain and moisture will wrap around an area of high pressure over OK/TX, and will bring some much needed rain to the central plains.

     
    The next two images are the ensemble temperatures for Lincoln through Tuesday, September 5th. It's hot but still not double digits. The di pin temperatures is due to TS Harold's rainfall.

     
    The GFS ensembles are hotter. 

     
    Compare the Euro ensemble to this Euro deterministic run. Close.

     
    As for precipitation, these images depict the "spread" in all of the ensemble members. The Euro has 50 ensemble members plus one control member. Notice the small stair steps as we get to Sunday the 3rd.

     
    The GFS ensemble shows the same stair step pattern. So for now, it appears that there may be a slight daily chance for precipitation beginning around the 1st and continuing through at least the 7th.

     
     

  15. NorthGeorgiaWX

    2023 SCCA Solo National Championship Weather

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Solo Nationals Weather
    Good afternoon everyone!

    It's been a while since I've posted, but it's that time again! We are still pretty far out in time for most of the computer models, but a few of the ensembles may give us a hint as to what everyone might expect for the start of the Nationals.
    The Euro ensemble goes out to 15 days, so this is what Tuesday, September 5 looks like to the Euro in terms of temperature anomalies.

     
    The GFS goes out slightly further but not much. It's thinking warmer temps than the Euro

     
    And there are the temperatures. We need a few more days to see where the models take this, 

     
    Again, this only goes to August 31st. We do see rain from the tropical system (#9) that is currently in the Gulf, impacting Nebraska before the end of the month, but we just don't know much further than the 5th or so right now, so please check back.

     
    All of that being said, the GFS Extended and Euro Weeklies suggest that Lincoln will be among the hottest and driest places in the country for that week.
    GFS Extended


     
    Euro Weeklies


     
    More in a day or two!
     
  16. NorthGeorgiaWX
    EDIT: The room has been put on hold indefinitely due to a new adventure that we've decided to undertake.
    I finally have the as-built drawing from Shawn Byrne and the first revision of the equipment list from Adam Pelz. The as-built is 21 pages of drawings that I won't show here, but this is one of the pages.

     
    Here is the equipment list for the moment. This shouldn't change very much as this point. There are miscellaneous bits and pieces like cables and other connections that will be needed, and all of that was included in the equipment list. I already have a nice rack with lots of space, so all of the rack equipment in the list below (with the "r") will fit. 
    (1) - Seaton Sound SS2-4000-DS18 (2x4000 watts) for sub (r) (2) - Seaton Sound DS212-8 Dual 12" subs (2) - Wisdom Audio SA-3 Amp (500 wpc x3 channels) (r) (for Left, Center, and Right) Each speaker requires two channels of amplification) (1) - Wisdom Audio SA-8 Amp (375 wpc x8 channels) (r) (for surrounds and Atmos speakers) (1) - Lumagen Radiance Pro (r) (1) - Trinnov Altitude 16 (r) (1) - JVC NZ9 Projector (1) - Stewart Filmscreen WS25138HHMG2APX acoustically transparent screen (3) - Wisdom Sage Cinema Line 2 (L/C/R) (8) - Wisdom Sage Cinema Point 2 V2 (surrounds and Atmos) (1) - Roku Ultra Streaming device (r) (1) - Reavon UBR-X200 4K Blu-Ray/SACD/DVD-Audio player (r) (1) - Roon Nucleus (r)  (1) - Kaleidescape Strato C player (r) (1) - Kaleidescape Terra Movie Server 12 TB (r) Everything will be controlled by Crestron control devices and all of this will work independently from our existing Control 4 system. I will have a connection from the Trinnov to our existing Sonos system. 
    Right now the installation is scheduled for September but I think I'll be lucky if it's all working before Christmas. 
  17. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Siblings

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Car
    01/21/23 - Updated a few sections, mostly the mod section. For more updates and changes see the additional blog posts. 
    Well.... my wife really needed a nicer car as hers was getting old and she has been a Cadillac girl since she had her 2001 Cadillac SLS in Obsession Red. So.... we found one a little newer in the color she likes. 🙂
    This is the newest addition to the family... a 2016 ATS-V sedan. 🙂 Yes, another ATS-V.  

     
    This one is a little special though. It looks pretty unassuming doesn't it? Just your normal Cadillac if you didn't know any better. But if you thought you might like to have a little run against it, you had better come loaded for bear. This car was originally built to be the fastest ATS-V in the country, but that isn't our goal for it now. The times below were done before the turbo's were replaced with a couple that should be good for 700 whp. As it sits right now, and running on E85, this car makes approximately 700 hp at the wheels... and that's a lot more than my car makes. The guy that owned it said he liked to mess with Hellcats and this is a V6. 🙂These next two image are a little old now, there are at least multiple ATS-V's in the 9's so the target keeps moving. These highlighted numbers were recorded before the new turbos and before the next tune I'll throw at it. 


     
    The car has the following modifications:
    Xtreme-DI high pressure fuel pump Xtreme-DI fuel cam ZZP valve springs Deatschwerks DW400 low pressure fuel pump JMS Voltage Increaser for low pressure fuel pump Renick Performance charge pipes with Synapse bypass valves Renick Performance cold air intake GM throttle body from LFX motor Renick Performance vacuum tank  Renick Performance downpipes Vibrant 4” resonator with custom 4” single mid pipe Turbobay turbo's with custom designed inlets ZZP rear trailing arms  Carlyle rear toe bars Renick Performance RP 556 wheels, 19x9.5 and 19x11 Renick Performance Swift springs Michelin PS4S tires, 275/30-19 and 305/30-19 ZZP Flex fuel sensor  Renick Performance carbon fiber mirror covers GM Morello Red carbon fiber interior trim Tuned by Justin Schmidt Sounds like this car will be a good 1/2 and 1/4 mile car. 🙂 A car with the EXACT same mods (including the TurboBay turbo's) running on E70 made this power, so hopefully this is what it's making now. I talked to the guy, they had to tune it down on the street because it is breaking the tires loose at 100 mph. The bump dip in the curve is where they pull out power for the dyno in high gear, apparently the computer doesn't like something at that RPM range on the dyno.


     
    It still handles like mine does, it had the same identical suspension and wheels and tires before I upgraded mine. Actually the tires on this car are the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires which I'll be putting I have on my car. I have new wheels ordered so she'll have the exact same wheel/tire setup in a few weeks (changed). I'm considering getting some Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08 R tires (200 treadwear) to go on my car.  So I'll mount the new front tires on her new wheels and then put those on my car, the my wheels and front tires on her car, and then take the Michelins on my rear wheels and put those on the new rear wheels for her car, and take the new rear tires and put those on my rears. Confused yet? Since I want to autocross this year, I want the 200 treadwear tires on my car. I should wear them out before it gets cold next fall, and I'll put something else on them.
    Once I've had time to play with it, I'll post some more information. 🙂 In the meantime, here are some pictures I took with both (or all three at times) Caddy's. 
    Here's a link to a few more pictures. We will be getting the hood repainted since it got a little sandblasted making high speed runs in Florida. 🙂 
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/b3tentypc9yQE8Wf8



     



  18. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Design Update - 03/09/22

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Media Room
    After all of this time, they are finally making progress on the room design! I finally have some detailed drawings and they are now working on the as-built plans. 
    This image shows the placement of the speakers in relation to the seating position and screen. The magenta speakers are ceiling, and the aqua color speakers are in-wall. It would be nice to have a larger room, but I have to make do with the space I have. 
    Fortunately, the ceiling, side and rear speakers will be the Wisdom Sage Cinema Point 2 v2's since the Planar Magnetic Driver module can be rotated 90 degrees and tilted 22.5 degrees, providing any seat in the room the clarity for vertical, horizontal, DOLBY ATMOS®, DTS:X®, and AURO-3D® installations. I have no place to put the left/right side speakers, so those will be in the ceiling as well, and the Trinnov processor will aid in focusing the sound where it should be. 
    There are four ceiling speakers, two side speakers, and two rear speakers, for a total of (8) Point 2 V2's and (8) channels of amplification.

     
    Here's a side view looking toward the wall with the windows. The windows will have motorized blackout shades. 

     
    Looking toward the front wall. The two speaker cabinet is a custom Seaton Sound Submersive F2+ dual 15" sub. It has two 15" drivers with a 4000 watt amp and there will be another one of these (a slave version that runs off of the amp for the front sub) in the rear, so basically 4000 watts across four 15" drivers. Each of these sub cabinets supposedly act like like 18" subs. The three front speakers are the Wisdom Sage Cinema Line 2 speakers. Each of those speakers has two 24" planar magnetic drivers and six long linear excursion, high-output woofers, and each speaker requires two channels of amplification, so the front three speakers require a total of 6 channels of amplification, for a grand total of 14 channels. Not sure which amps will be used just yet. 
    The projector screen is acoustically transparent, but I'm still waiting on the final equipment list, so not sure of the screen brand yet. 

     
    Looking toward the rear wall. You can see the same sub that was in the front is also on this back wall. The projector box can be seen near the top of the ceiling.

     
    I hope to get the as-built soon and get started on this. It's been more than a year in the works. 
  20. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Design Update - 11/27/21

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Media Room
    As you can see, this has been a slow project, but we're finally getting somewhere. I have more plans and now have a speaker list and screen size.
    This is going to be a 7.2.4 home theater system, and that's really about all you can fit into the room. Again, my primary focus is on music and sound quality so the video part takes a second seat. 🙂 But with a 9 foot wide screen and the correct projector, that's not going to be too bad either. 
    Here's the room. To get your bearings, the top of the image is the outside wall and those red diagonal lines are the windows. The right side of the image is the front of the room and the bottom of the room is open to a hallway. You can start to see some of the challenges with sound management since the room has glass on one side and open on the opposite side. Those speakers you see out in the middle of the room will be in the ceiling and the speakers at the top and bottom (either side of the sitting area) are the left and right surrounds. On the back wall are two rear channel speakers and a subwoofer (actually a dual cone subwoofer, more on the speakers below). 
     

     
     
    Here's a side view (left) looking toward the windows. They will have a motorized blackout shade that we can control remotely. There are actually 5 treys in the ceiling. There is one large one and four other ones inside. There will be LED lights that will make the treys look like they are floating below the ceiling. 
    The right image is the front of the room. It shows the three front channel speakers and the other dual cone subwoofer. Everything is hidden, you won't see any speakers or anything else. The projector screen is 9 feet across but the height will be determined on whether I go with 16:9 or 2.35 aspect ratio, and I still haven't decided on that, nor has the projector been picked out. If I go with 2.35 the shelf on top stays, if I go 16:9 it has to go. 
    The side view looking out the windows (the three windows have shades over them) is on the left, with the front of the room to the right. The right side image is looking at the front of the room.

     
    I finally have a speaker list! YEA!!!
    Front Channel - All three speakers for the front channel will be identical, and I'll be using the Wisdom Audio Sage Cinema Line 2 speakers. The center speaker will be behind the screen while the other two to the sides. I will need a total of 6 channels of amplification to power these speakers as each speaker needs two dedicated channels.
    SAGE CINEMA LINE 2 - Wisdom Audio
    WWW.WISDOMAUDIO.COM Targeting high-performance media rooms and private cinemas, The Sage Cinema Series models are dedicated to hidden installations behind projection screens and fabric walls. The Line 2 features the award-winning Sage 24” Planar Magnetic Drivers, and six long linear excursion, high-output woofers. The Line 2 delivers a new level in...

     
     
    Surrounds and ceiling speakers - There are two side surrounds, two rear surrounds, and four ceiling speakers, and they will all be the Wisdom Audio Sage Cinema Point 2 V2 speakers. I like the idea of keeping the same speakers for all the surrounds and ceiling. I will need 8 channels of amplification to power these.
    SAGE CINEMA POINT 2 V2 - Wisdom Audio
    WWW.WISDOMAUDIO.COM The Sage C20i offers the ultimate high-end audiophile loudspeaker in a slim and stylish design that fully integrates into any home. Perfectly suited for home theater and media rooms, C20i produces the highest level of sonic refinement and performance available from an in-wall speaker. The Sage C20i includes a large planar magnetic driver – and...
     
     
    Subwoofers - There will be two subwoofers in the room, one in the front and one in the rear. Each cabinet contains two 15" cones and a 4000 watt amp, so a total of 8000 watts of bass power. We will be crossing over to the subs at 80 hz. 
    SubMersive F2+ & F2-Slave Subwoofer – Seaton Sound, Inc
    SEATONSOUND.NET  
    Ours will be hidden so we'll just get the plain black version. They do make prettier versions though. 🙂 They also make other models of subwoofers.

     
    Main Processor - Of course the main processor was decided right up front, and that is the Trinnov Altitude 16. Hands down the best processor in the world. Plus I am thrilled to have the best calibrator in the world coming to calibrate the room. His name is Adam Pelz and he's the expert when it comes to managing the Trinnov Processor, and he's worked extensively with Wisdom Audio Speakers. To give you an idea of his demand, he's in Bahrain right now doing a calibration. 🙂 
    Trinnov | 20-Channel Reference Immersive Sound AV Processor
    WWW.TRINNOV.COM The Altitude16 builds on the success of the Altitude32 and Trinnov's exclusive platform with 20-channel immersive sound decoding and best-in-class Room Correcti

     
    Amplifiers - It will come down to one (or both) amp series in their line. I will need 11 channels of ~500 watts each, so 5,500 watts of power. That doesn't include the subwoofers. 

    AT54X Series - Amplifier Technologies Inc.
    ATI-AMP.COM These amps come with 1 to 4 channels of amplification, each channel making 500 watts of power. This was going to be the amp I was going to use and may still be. I would need three of these.

    But... these are an option I am seriously considering. 
    Signature Series 6000 - Amplifier Technologies Inc.
    ATI-AMP.COM
    These come with 1 to 7 channels of amplification. It makes slightly less power (450 watts) into 4 ohms (which is the impedance of all the speakers) than the other amp, but these are sonically better amps. I could get away with two of the 7 channel amps. I need to talk to Adam and Shawn to see if this power output would work ok with the main speakers, and make sure I can achieve the required sound levels.


     
    Time to start ordering equipment!

     
    Projector
    Last but not least, we've settled on the JVC DLA-NZ9 projector. Since we have a bright room, I needed a projector that could give decent light without always closing the blackout shades, and this new JVC projector fits the bill.


  21. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Originally start the post on September 21
    Yea, this isn't inside the house, but it is part of the house. 🙂
    I am in the process of doing a garage makeover at our house. First, you have to understand that I'm a car guy and have been all my life, so I baby our cars, so it's only fitting that I have a nice "bedroom" for the "babies". 🙂 I'm working with Amanda Dame (she's right here in Big Canoe, click to email her) to coordinate all of the work and design. 
    I don't have any real good before pictures of the garage now, but it's not in terrible shape. But I wanted more of a car guys garage, and was originally thinking about something along these lines but I've since changed my way of thinking in terms of the flooring. More about the design in a minute.

     
    Our garage already has an epoxy floor but it is starting to come up in several places and the only way to fix it is to strip the epoxy from the floor and start over, and that is not a cheap thing to do. In order to get epoxy to stick, the concrete has to be meticulously prepared and if not, you have spots where it will lift off the surface, and that is exactly what my floor is doing.


     
    I love the floor, but I don't want to go to the expense and effort to fix it and run the risk of it happening again. I figured the floor was the first place to start in the design because that color would dictate the color palette for the walls and ceiling. I have been looking at interlocking tile floors for a while now, and I thought I had my floor figured out. I wanted that fancy "race" look much like what you see in the image above and something like this image.

     
    Those tiles look like this. 


     
     After thinking about that for a while, I didn't want a tile that "drained". I want a floor. The disadvantage to the self draining tiles is that they have to be vacuumed, you can't sweep them. So any dirt or bug that gets in the garage falls into the holes to the surface underneath. Nope, not for me. So what else is there?
    This was never going to be a true "working" garage. Think of it as a living room for the cars. 🙂 So, along those lines, I've decided on these interlocking tiles (same company) in a smoked oak color.


     
    To give you an idea what the floor looks like with a car sitting on top of it, here's a picture. As you're looking also notice the darker color to the ceiling in the left half of the image. I'm going with a darker color ceiling. 

     
    RaceDeck is the company that makes the flooring.
    Smoked Oak Garage & Display Flooring - RaceDeck
    RACEDECK.COM Everything looks good parked on Smoked Oak display flooring. This RaceDeck flooring offers a vintage reclaimed wood look that will stand out at any car show  
    So now that I have the floor picked out we'll move on to the room colors. That will have to wait until I get the floor sample from RaceDeck, and then we'll sit down with Amanda and talk colors (the sample is on the way). We're looking at using three to four colors in the room. I'm adding wainscoting all around the lower half of the walls, so that will be one color, the wall above that will be a different color, and the ceiling will be some dark color. There may be a thin border color between the wainscoting and upper wall, but not sure yet.
    We've already complete step 1 with the room, as I just had Bruce Jankowski come out and remove the old fluorescent lights and replace those with recessed LED's. What a difference! It's like a showroom in their now! I'll have to go count but there are at least 16 lights total. The run down the sides of both walls as well as between the cars. Plus, I can now dim the lights, so if I want to detail the cars I can turn them up, if I just want to relax the cars I can turn them down. LOL! Yes, the cars must rest. 🤪


     
    I took some pictures at night so you could see how bright the lights are. Click to enlarge. 
       
     
    What you probably notice in the picture are the shelves to the right of the red car. Those are built in so they are going to be ripped out as they are in the way when opening the car doors. So those will all come out and I've decided to replace the tub sink with a small vanity and sink. I'm not going for the industrial look and I want to hide the pipes etc.. 🙂 That needs to be done before the floors go down, so I need to search for something that will work in that spot. I love having a sink out there but don't like the look of the one that is there. 

     
    We have one area in the back of the garage that we need to cover up. I've debated the best way of doing that and considered doors and other things like that, but it's such a large opening (83" wide and 97" tall) that doors would become impractical. 

     
    In my searching I found a company that makes curtains in custom sizes and they have some that are race related. 
    Race car Window Curtains & Drapes | Block Out | Custom Sizes
    WWW.VISIONBEDDING.COM VisionBedding is the home of unique bedroom decor! We have a wide variety of custom bedding and custom home decor to choose from. Shop now at VisionBedding.com!  
    So I've decided to go that route for now. I'll have a custom curtain (1 panel) made to fit the opening. 
    I have other accessories planned, there is a piece of neon (a nice garage HAS to have some neon!) that I'll be ordering (below),

     
    as well as a few other car and garage related clock, signs, etc. 

     
    I'll add more information in the comments as we start the work on the garage. 
  22. NorthGeorgiaWX
    I drove down to Atlanta Motor Speedway yesterday to participate in a SCCA autocross. I've had a 4 year sabbatical from driving and wasn't sure how well everything would come back to me. Instead of driving one of our cars, I decided I'd jump back in the last car I autocrossed and give it a try again. I drove this car for about 6 years before my break and got pretty good in it, managing 4 3rd place finishes at the National Championships. But it's a very difficult car to drive and and I was a little apprehensive getting back in it after an extended layoff. The wheelbase of the car is only 80", so it's very short. Being short, it has a very low polar moment of inertia meaning it doesn't take much to make it spin. Throw in 350 whp/380 ft lbs of torque in a car that weighs 1760 lbs with me in it and you have a really big handful. 

     
    But yesterday didn't go to well, and it wasn't because of me. 🙂 They have made lots of changes to the car. They have totally reworked the suspension, retuned the engine, and removed the electric power steering. All great. BUT... this car relies on a ton of mechanical grip to go fast, and without it, you might as well be driving on ice. 
    Two of us were driving the car yesterday and both us have had a lot of seat time in the car, and we both had issues. Come to find out, we were running on one year old, 40 run Hoosier slicks, that had the grip of a Flintstone rock tire. We both spun the car, Rick doing it twice. We had ZERO traction all day. To top that off, we discovered that the front tires were corded. So we literally had no traction. Keep in mind, to put that power to the ground and corner at 1.8 g's, we run 14" wide Formula Atlantic qualifying rear tires that generate a ton of grip. But once those tires get hard, you might as well be on rocks.
    So... this was my 4th run and I managed to do it correctly. You can hear the blow off valve as I have to lift to keep the back tires from spinning (no... to keep the car from spinning).
     
    If you'd like to see a good spin, I did one not far from the start on my 2nd run. 🙂 This run was a total disaster as I also missed a couple of gates (you don't get a time, it's called a DNF).
     
    It was a fun day, but the car is capable of going much faster, and hopefully I can get back in it soon with some good tires on it.
  23. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Update - 07/16/21

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Car
    Got my car back from Balanced Performance Motors today after having a few changes made to it this week. 
    I had to replace the low pressure fuel pump (LPFP) that I had purchased from Tapout Tuning since it couldn't hold enough pressure on E85. It was supposed to be a "Stage 2" pump, meaning it wouldn't have any issues running straight E85, but testing during the tuning process showed that the pressure was dropping to 45 lbs or so which is not anywhere close to what it needs to be. It will be sent back for a refund. This is a picture of the pump/housing that came out. It is a DW400 pump but apparently the venturi in the housing is the restriction to the flow and the reason for the low pressure. 

     
    I installed an XDI Stage 1 LPFP and it is supposed to be sufficient to run E85 up to the limit of the stock turbos.
    Specs:
    OEM ATSV ACDELCO LPFP Spec’s:
    377 LPH without back pressure.
    215 LPH at 70 PSI
    XDI Stage 1 Spec's: 
    435 LPH at no back pressure
    265 LPH at 70 PSI
    23% Increase overall
    Maximum Pressure
    >80 psi at full flow (PLV opening pressure 85-90 psi, stock is 70-75 psi)
    See chart.
    Fuel Compatibility: all known fuels, all Ethanol blends
    Fitment:  100% OEM, no cutting, no crimping
    Tuning Support:  HPT, Trifecta

     
    While the car was there, I had them replace the plugs with NGK Ruthenium plugs since I knew it still had the stock plugs.
    The plugs were gapped at 0.026" which is what is recommended for these cars running the boost levels we are seeing. 

     
    I also installed a new Renick cold air intake (CAI), here's a picture of the installation. Click to enlarge. The new system consist of two equal length tubes each with its own filter.  "Equal length ensure that the compressor wheel on each side of the LF4 has identical RPM response as they spool up and spool down. The LF4 has matched mirror turbos for efficiency why not have a flow matched intake as well? This helps make the engine respond identical on both banks with maximum efficiency. "
    The CAI kit also came with an oil catch tank to prevent any oil from reaching the turbos.

     
    So... I need to take the car out and get a pull or two and send it off to Justin to refine the tune a little. The plan now is to get the car on the dyno the last week in July to see what it's making, but it should be somewhere between 620-640 whp. Can't wait. Assuming nothing breaks, I'm done with changes for this car for a while.  Famous last words... 🙂
     

  24. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Done with appearance items for a while! Thanks to James Renick for many of the items on both the cars. We couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out. 
    There is always more to do though... the fun never stops. 🙂 
    The wife's car now gets:
    Cue update so she can get Android Auto New RE-alignment. Yes, to fix the current one AEM wideband/XDI translator/plugs install Justin Schmidt tune to replace the Trifecta tune I'll have them service the diff/trans/anything else that needs service when it's in for the Cue update... it has 56k miles My car needs:
    Have to replace the Tapout Stage 2 LPFP that is supposedly a DW400... we'll see but I don't think it is.  I have a new XDI LPFP pump waiting to go in. Install Renick CAI and new plugs To the dyno to see how well Justin has done 🙂  After the dyno I see I need more power, we'll install a fuel cam. Not much left to do now! Here is a link to more of the pictures that I took today: 
    ATS-V Appearance Items Done - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 25 new photos added to shared album




     
  25. NorthGeorgiaWX

    07/18/21 - Room Design Update

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Media Room
    Things are progressing, although never as fast as I'd want it to. 
    The room is a struggle to work with since one side has large glass windows and the other side is open with a bar, stairs, and a hallway. There are large bedrooms on each end of the media room so the room can't be expanded those directions. 

     
    They did a modal review of the room and initially placed the subwoofers in these locations. THe subwoofer where the arrow from from was not going to work in that position as it would have to stick out in the floor. My suggestion

     
    In the bar area where I drew the red box is an ice maker that no longer works and is too expensive to fix. It made 60 lbs of ice a day so it's not a little icemaker. 🙂 WE have plans on removing that and adding shelves, but it would be a great place for that subwoofer to go and it would be hidden. We can add black fabric panels in place of the wood panels that you currently see.

     
    The original modal graph looked like this. Notice all of the peaks.

     
    After their original placement it looked like this. Much smoother. Again, the room is far from ideal. We will be using acoustic panels extensively in order to help with the room acoustics, and the rest will be managed during the final Trinnov calibration.

Various Links

These are links to various pages on my Daculaweather.com site

NWS Links

×
×
  • Create New...