Have I mentioned how much fun it is planning a FreakOut? It’s a huge party for you and your friends. You get to plan activities that you and your friends enjoy. For instance, scenic drives to: Trains, Track Days, Sunset on a mountain, a Concorso, museums, Gimmick Rally…
Luis and I just returned from an Excellent Day of driving! Today, March18th, we did a test run of the Gimmick Rally. Earlier in the week we had a snow storm that dropped over a foot of snow. Today, clear skies in the 40’s and clear roads with beautiful mountainous views.
We were joined by a group of 9 volunteers in 5 cars from 5 different states. John and Judy from Vermont, Dave and Sue from Connecticut, Kim and Daren from Massachusetts, Tom from New Hampshire and Kathy and Tony from Maine. It was a real treat; everyone came with different experiences in Rallying to share. We all gathered at the McDonald’s in Conway, NH.
Luis and I armed each team with Rally Guidelines, Questions to answer, a printed Tulip style Rally Roadbook (available for the Rally Roadbook Reader App.), a start position and instructions for cars to leave one minute apart. We then left to set up the first check point. Of course, in the actual Rally we will have volunteers setup on the route ahead of time. Today we had to make a few tweaks because we wanted everyone to experience the drive and there was winter, road and business closures as well. Thank you to Judy and Dave who have already volunteered to help during FreakOut. We could use a couple more if anyone is interested.
On our way to the first check point Luis and I were checking for clues to questions when we realized there was so much snow a couple were completely covered. OOPS! You can’t plan for everything. Fortunately, we tried to plan ahead and had already moved the first check point for the test run to a visitors’ center. It didn’t stop the teams either, I noticed some talking with the staff working out the questions. Rally participants and Visitors’ Center staff both seemed to be having fun.
The day was a success! Gimmick Rally is ready to go. We ended for lunch at the Littleton Freehouse Taproom where we went over everyone’s questions and notes on the route. The teams were great, noting where there was no phone service, road conditions, caution areas, and typos. One surprise we all had, was a few of the roads had so much sand and dirt on them they looked like dirt roads. They are paved but the towns use the sand and dirt instead of salt. They should be clear in June.
Luis and I had fun watching others enjoy what we had been working on for about a year. The day had us talking about planning rides for after FreakOut. We don’t want to loose touch with all the great people we have met on our FreakOut adventure.
NEW RIDE TO THE SEACOAST! Yes, I have my happy feet on. Northern New England Chapter member Tom Balon is offering a drive from the Grand Summit to Portsmouth SUNDAY morning after the Raffle. Once you arrive in Portsmouth there are plenty of places to park, and have lunch inside or out depending upon the weather. Tom is offering a guided tour of historic downtown as well. The seacoast is a beautiful area. If you can make the time, you won’t be sorry. Portsmouth is situated at the mouth of the Piscataqua River that separates New Hampshire from Maine. Also, Route 1A that runs along the seacoast is one of my favorite roads. In high school I had a 72 Corvette and after work my favorite drive was 1A from Salisbury to Portsmouth. Excellent cruise with beautiful ocean views.
We’ll keep you posted on the details. Check out Tom’s beautiful photos of the area.
No Fooling, we’ve made April 1st FreakOut Volunteer Day!
Pour your beverage of choice, have a seat and join fellow volunteers of FreakOut 40 in the White Mountains at 7:00PM on Zoom for a fun insiders’ chat.
We’ll fill you in on what we’ve been up to, what we have left to do and what we have for volunteer opportunities.
This is also your opportunity to share your FreakOut volunteer experiences and strengths.
If FreakOut 40 White Mountains is your first FreakOut volunteer experience, this is the place to be. Learn the ins and outs of FreakOut volunteering before you get there.
You must register to join the zoom meeting. If you are interested in joining us for the Vino Volunteer Day chat, email the Northern New England Chapter fiatclubnne@gmail.com for a link to the zoom chat.
We look forward to chatting with everyone. FreakOut 40 White Mountains is just around the corner. 74 Days! Registration Closes May, 7th Just 44 Days left to register!