Just about ready to park the car for the season

It's Friday and the "official" end of the 2011 season of E@RTC is tomorrow. It doesn't look too good though with a forecasted 20% chance of rain. In fact, the past 2 have been called due to rain. I think we may be done for the season.

Here are a few cool things from the last event. A Noble M12 GTO-R3. It's powered by a twin-turbo Ford Duratec V6. It reportedly puts out 415 bhp and can propel this 2380 lb car 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds. From what I've heard, Noble's can be a handful because they have a tremendous power to weight ratio, but don't have any of the really advanced electronics to keep the car from killing you. I briefly talked to the owner and he said, "it's faster than a Lotus Elise. What more do I want?"



Have a look at this really cool Morgan Aero three-wheeler. I think it's from around 1925 and it's powered by a V-twin in the front. The coolest thing about it is that the engine valvetrain is almost completely open. You can actually watch the rocker arms and valve springs move. Very cool.



Of course there's the obligatory Ferrari shot:)



I've been on vacation for the last two weeks. TK and I jumped in the camper and drove down South then East in a big loop. It was a fun trip and there was one thing that really stood out. In Lincoln City, OR we met up with TK's parent for dinner. We stopped off at a restaurant called the Pier 101 Bar and Grill. As I was thumbing through the menu, I realized it was Friday and that they served prime rib on Friday and Saturday. Since we had a fridge, I decided to get the "Big Cut" and we could eat the leftovers later. When the waiter came by, the conversation was like this:

Waiter: What can I get you sir?
Me: I'd like the Big Cut of prime rib.
W: Have you been here before sir?
M: No, I haven't.
W: Well, our regular cut of prime rib is two pounds.

(silence)

M: Hmmm...ok then. Thanks for letting me know. I think I'll have the Regular cut then.

Two pounds? Was he kidding? When it showed up, it was apparent that he was NOT kidding. This thing was massive. It was cooked and seasoned perfectly, but I could only eat about 1/4 of it. We took the rest with us and ended up eating on it for the next four meals. What a bargain? Locally, you'd pay the same amount and get 1/3 the portion. So, if you find yourself passing through Lincoln City, OR on a Friday or Saturday, I highly recommend the prime rib. Regular Cut or Big Cut -- your choice.