Weekend In Vermont

by jerri Wiley

Our May 22, 2004 Vermont Tour started with 18 cars -- and their occupants -- meeting at the Vermont Welcome Center on Route I-91.   Willy and I were among the last to arrive.   As we drove into the parking lot we noticed a large group of people huddled under a covered picnic area.   They were hiding from the rain.   Undaunted, we headed north into better weather.

Again this year, Marsh Wilson picked some great roads.   A flock of Zs added elegance to our long slinky line of cars, outnumbering all other body types.   We included four Z3s and three Z4s, a numerologist’s delight, (!), driven by an especially happy bunch, an M Coupe, an M Roadster, two 540is, an 535i, a 635, an ’02, a 325 Convertible, a 323i, a 320i and, of all things, a Saturn; no, that’s not a BMW, folks!   Willy and I left the welcome center parking lot near the back of the pack, (because jerri wanted to take photos of the cars as they left the lot – WW), so we had a good view of our lineup as we wove through the twists and turns on some of Vermont’s greatest back roads.

All but one of our starting lineup carried two-way radios, and we fixed up the isolated radio-less car at a rest stop, handing over the extra radio we had brought along.   The radios allowed for some interesting conversations between cars as the day progressed.   The caravan passed a “trailers for sale” sign, triggering a spontaneous group sing-along of “King of the Road.”   Of course, no one person seemed to know all the words, but amongst us all, we managed to fill all the gaps.   Roger Miller would have been proud.

Food at the lunch stop was great.   We broke into table-sized groups, making lunch a pleasant way to put faces to the voices we had learned over the radios during the morning’s drive.   Willy and I sat with Dave and Nancy Scofield, whom we had met at other events, including last year’s Vermont tour.   They drive one of those cute silver Z3s when they are not carrying their tandem bicycle around.   (Ah, yes, the 2-HP model from the recent Bike Tour – ed.)   Jim and Maria Hurczyn caught the pack at the lunch stop, bringing our second non-BMW, a VW, although at least this one hailed from the right country.   They had slept in, spotting our group a couple hours head start.   They drove with the pack for a short distance, then headed off on their own again, only to reappear at cocktail hour.

Route 17 was voted the “Driver’s Dream/Navigator’s-Hang-On-Tight” road of the day.   I am sure you could see toothy grins behind every steering wheel.   I called Rt. 17 “zee perfect road,” because I was sure all zee Z drivers were having zee greatest time negotiating all zee beautiful curves.   Route 108 through Smuggler’s Notch turned into more of a navigator’s dream.   What a view!   The luxury of being able to really look at the off-road scenery made up for having to hang on tight, feet braced on the fire wall, while Willy drove Route 17 with zee grin on his face, even though in our ’02.   The rock formations were incredible, and we needed our sunroof to see some of the mountains above us.

Speaking of sunroofs, the Zs wanted to go topless, but none quite dared.   Rain threatened off and on during the day, and we did find a few sprinkles.   Our sunroof came in handy, open for much of the ride, closed when light rain came, then open again when it passed.   Temperatures were a little cool, but that is what heaters are for, isn’t it – for driving around on cold days with tops down and sunroofs open?

We arrived for our overnight stop near Jay Peak, Vermont at the lovely Inglenook Lodge.   It looks like a great ski lodge, complete with large, inviting fireplace near the equally inviting bar.   Cocktails were soon followed by a buffet dinner.   Some of us took a swim after dinner, some just lounged in the hot tub.   Very interesting design, that pool/hot tub combination!   The hot tub sits higher than the pool, and as more people entered the tub they triggered a little waterfall into the pool.   The pool was warmer than the average pool, and, particularly if you stayed near the hot tub, was very comfortable.

Breakfast was also buffet style, with people wandering in as they woke up.   An added attraction to the breakfast menu:   a large screen TV with that morning’s Formula 1 race properly tuned in, making the Williams BMW fans very happy to be able to have breakfast and watch the race at the same time.

More adventurous than most of us, Maria Hurczyn decided not to watch the race and took off for a couple hours’ drive into nearby Canada.   In the meantime, the group left for home, leaving poor Jim stuck in the lodge without a car.   Willy and I kept him company until Maria cleared customs.   By that time, even the lodge workers had left, telling us to close the door behind us when we left.   Different sort of place, Vermont .

We are all looking forward to next year’s tour.   Marsh and Andrea are checking out New Hampshire to see if they can top the roads they used this year!