Bullrun Diary below the photos
www.my250gto.com (for more pics)
On the way to MONTREAL:
Well to start off... we drove to Montreal Canada from DC. 12 hours. We left Thursday afternoon at about 12pm with the GTO on a trailer. It was pretty nerve wrenching at first, because we kept picturing the trailer unhooking and watching the Car roll away or something of that sort. Obviously that never happened and before you knew it we were on our way.
We had the car detailed before we left so we had 2 car covers on it. Once we got on the highway it was already flapping in the wind and the Ferrari was showing her ass. Slut. Haha! So, car cover flapping in the wind= possible problem. All of a sudden we look behind us and the 1st cover is flying through the air. Too late to save it. About an hour after that the last one ripped off and flew away to car cover heaven.
So, now the GTO was fully undressed and got some attention. She just couldn't wait until we got to BULLRUN. Ha!
Before we got to Canada is started pouring so obviously that pissed us off because, not only was the car going to be dirty from being exposed, but it was going to be wet AND dirty.
Eventually we cross the border and the cops were already telling us about the cars that rolled through before us. Mr. Angry was included on that list. Reality sets in that before we knew it we were going to be next to all these PIMPS! All we could think about was "SHIT! The cars Dirty. They have to see the car CLEAN!!!"
Once we got to the Ritz and entered the parking garage we got a second wind (even though it was 2am). There were so many cars already there and we were in awe of how hot they were. We parked next to Mr. Angry's charger for the night, rinsed off our car and went to check in.
Once we got to the lobby, our first BULLRUNNER sighting was Morgan from Team Trans AM (from behind). I was star struck believe it or not. Haha!
About 4:30am we finally got to sleep.
Registration/Sticker/Welcome Day:
We wake up at about 6:30am. (Our first hint that we will not get to sleep much.) Our friend JP who helped us bring the GTO to Canada went downstairs before we did and told us our car had been stickered. So, that helped wake us up. When you don't have coffee, just get someone to BULLRUN sticker your car and you'll be wide awake! =)
When we went into the garage and saw all the cars stickered, it was amazing. It was like seeing something out of a movie!
After the stickers, we went up to registration. Bullrun stuff everywhere! We saw BULLRUNNERS from the show, Andy Duncan, the crew, & other rally runners, When we were filling out our forms, one of the camera men got up there and took video of us. I was like a deer in headlights because it was my first time in front of a camera that big.
After registration we went to the garage again to admire more cars, and then went out to have lunch in Montreal. Like idiots, we went to the tourist area and paid $100 for 3 of us to have lunch which consisted of beer and sandwiches. In the states, that would have been $60 max. Everywhere we went seemed to be ridiculously expensive. So, either we were hitting the wrong spots, or we were being taken advantage of. Ha!
When we got back there were a lot of cars parked out front of the hotel and we got to meet Mr. Angry, Rich & Jason (F-150). We actually chatted with Rich and Jason for 30 min or so. Out of everyone we have met so far, they are by far the most open. (Very cool guys, and very easy to talk to.) PIMPS!
Let's see, what else�.
We had dinner, and then we went to a club. They had the red carpet laid out with the BULLRUN logos behind it and the paparazzi were there taking pictures' of people coming in. If you're attending a rally you have to get used to cameras and videos real quick. Haha!
The club was cool. Lots of different peeps there. We had the VIP upstairs area, but everyone was everywhere. Inside, Outside, Upstairs, Downstairs. Rally runners are very social!!! Team Lotus and Team F150 had a dance off on this cat walk in the middle of the bar. (I have video of that which I'll put on my page soon.)
That night (um�morning) we slept at about 3:45am.
Day 1:
We had to have all our luggage down by 7:30am to get it on the BULLRUN trailer. After that we just got everything together, and we took off at 9am to head to down town Montreal. When we got there, there was a huge crowd and everyone was talking pictures. EVERYONE! There was nothing better then the feeling we had being in that moment. It was nuts. We all parked behind the starting line and the locals and tourists all walked through the line up admiring all the rides. We had a local reporter interview us on camera there too. That was exciting.
By 11am we were ready to take off. The flag girls got in place, and we were flagged off one by one to drive down a strip covered on both sides with hundreds of people going "ooohhh ahhhhhh" while snapping your photo. What a TRIP!
When your about to take off, they give you the destination card for the checkpoint. When you get to the checkpoint, you get the card to tell you where your going to end up that night.
The first check point was in New Hampshire (218 miles from Montreal). We had lunch and we were on the road again. The drive from Montreal to NH was so pretty. The scenery was amazing, and we couldn't have asked for a better road to drive on. We still can't believe were here. I think were still in shock. Haha!
At the checkpoint we find out the ending destination is Boston, and we're staying at the Intercontinental Hotel (136 miles away)
We finally get there, park and rest for about 30 min before we meet up with Friends in Boston for dinner. After that we went to the club where the girl's gone wild bus was. I guess they advertised us being there in the town because the VIP floor was packed with dancing girls and cameras. Haha!
At about 2am we got to retire, and ran into Rich on our way up to our room. He twistsed our arm to have a drink with him (yeah right) so, out went the idea of getting some rest.
It was worth it though because he's a blast to talk to.
4am comes and were finally in bed. (Not with Rich tho. LOL)
Day 2:
We wake up at 6:30. I immediately feel my throbbing headache and pop some IB. (Not helping.) As I'm writing this I still feel like I have rot gut and its 3:15 pm. I would love to either take a nap, or yack.
Back to the start for Day 2- Luggage down by 7:30. In the car by 8:30am. Wheels up!
The first check point is a Ferry Terminal in CT. (129 miles away) we load up on the Ferry and ride over to NY. (Note to reader: Don't ride on a Ferry when your hung over. NOT a good idea). I didn't have a jacket, and I was still on the roof deck getting air to keep myself from VOMITING everywhere. Ha!
We finally arrive in NY after the longest hour of my life, and head over to the checkpoint (Vineyard 48). We had an awesome lunch, and then headed off to our next destination, Atlantic City (244 miles away)
We are driving there right now as I'm writing this. I still don't know how I have typed this much with the bumps in the road combined with nausea. LOL.
We are staying at the Trump Marina Hotel and Casino. We don't know where the party is tonight until we get to the hotel, so I have no clue what lies ahead. All I know is I will still end up with 3 hours of sleep tonight even though at this point in the day I just want to sleep for 2 days straight.
It's just the life of a BULLRUNNER.
PLAY & DRIVE HARD!
We have seen a lot so far. Hot flag girls, fellow Bullrunners being pulled over by the pack, people going to jail, a car fire, 5 star hotels, gourmet meals, ALCOHOL, bags under each others eyes, many different cities with awesome driving roads and so much more.
I'll write more tomorrow.
Keep your fingers crossed that we have time for a nap before the party tonight!
Ciao!
Team GTO
Day 3:
After a few detours through NYC we arrived at the checkpoint in Atlantic City at around 7:30pm. We could have gotten there by 7pm but Jeb�s OCD side wouldn�t let him arrive with out washing the car first. From what I hear, Mr. Angry is the same way. Rich was telling us he waxed his car 3 or 4 times before we even left Montreal. Haha!
When we got to the checkpoint, the BULLRUN crew told us we came in 31st place. We were sure we would be last, but a lot of other teams also stopped in NYC, and some of them even made an evening out of it and had dinner & saw a play.
At this point, when your driving through a city your interested you might as well stop and see something because there really is no rush to get to the hotel less you need a nap before dinner.
Andy Duncan�s dad is along for this RALLY. Chris from the BULLRUN Crew told us his nickname is �MACHINE� because that guy can HANG like none other. I am even shocked myself because every time we party, he�s right there with his beer shooting the shit with everyone. He even stay�s up later than most of us, and get�s up before we do in the morning!!! Now we know where Andy gets his stamina from. POPS!
Everyone was actually exhausted last night and took it easy. We ate, had a few drinks in the club- which was only open for BULLRUNNERS so it was nice to just relax and be able to shoot the shit without a bunch of other people around. Some of us even did some gambling which obviously didn�t make any of us rich or you would be hearing about that. Haha! Rich is def. my favorite person so far. He�s HILARIOUS. Not only do I have him to blame for my hangover yesterday, but I have some funny stories from meeting him too.
My RICH story from Day 3- so, like I said everyone was tired. We�ll Rich had gotten to the hotel first because he rode with Claus Ettensberger ( CECwheels.com) and they got there first because they were in a 125k+ Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
Obviously.
So, when we saw Rich in the hotel he was already drunk. LOL. So, we order our drink and after we say were going to head to the room to rest. On our way to the elevator, Jeb says � Let�s try our luck and hit a slot machine before we go up.� We veered left to head in and like a BANDIT Rich pops up behind us and says in the most hilarious way ever �YOU LIED! Your not going to your room! Your trying to ditch me!�
LOL. I�m laughing my ass of at this point thinking �This kid is TOO freaking funny!� So he come�s in with us and puts a $20 in the machine and loses, and we put a $5 in and we lost. So we said �Screw it. Bedtime�
Rich goes back to the Bar and we head to the elevator again. On our way to the elevator we have to pass a small bar in the middle of the hotel. We saw Chris from the BULLRUN crew sitting there so we said �Hi� and ended up talking to him and his parents Alan & Mary (who came to see him for Mothers Day) for 20 min or so.
We�ll as we were doing that up pop�s Rich again and he has this huge smile on his face and a beer in his had and he says �That�s IT! Now I really know what�s going on here. You are trying to ditch me.� Chris buts� in and goes �Oh yeah, we were all just about to go to that club Angela was telling us about. You guys ready?� (Chris knew about the �casino ditching� because we were laughing about it with him as Rich was walking up- perfect timing right? Haha!)
So, Rich says �What�s the problem? Now that you met me and I�m normal like YOU and not some crazy celebrity you don�t wanna be my friend anymore?� All of us including Chris�s parent were laughing our asses off. HILARIOUS! We we�re all laughing and joking about it for a while more teasing Rich.
So I got his room number and wrote him a love letter and stuck it to his door. It said,
�Dear Rich, (I dotted the I with a heart) We love you darling! We weren�t trying to ditch you. We promise. Well, at least half of the time we�re not at least. LOL! We will see you Manana (Jason can translate for you since he knows Espanol.) Ha! Love, Team GTO (Jeb & Angela)
Jason & Rich were laughing about the letter on Day 4. Rich said he saved it and it was in his backpack. He might want to keep that because I�m kind of a big deal and anything from me should be cherished and kept forever.. LOL!!!!!!
Day 4:
WHOOT! We�re becoming pro�s at this shit. Before we sleep, we pack everything other than what we�ll need to wear in the AM so when 7:30 comes we can run our luggage down, then come back up and finish getting ready. If you know me, you know I am NOT a morning person. Never have been, never will be. HAHA! So, me even getting up this early is a miracle.
I had potatoes for breakfast because I still felt nauseous when I tasted anything other then fried carbs. Everyone took of on time this morning so when we pulled up at the starting line by 8:59 they had already started cruising the strip. They had the hotel give all our rooms a wake up call, plus most of us went to bed by 1AM so we were as �well rested� as �well rested� can get on a BULLRUN Rally.
When they gave us our card we were as excited as a fat kid with cake because it read:
� BULL RUN Regional Park Centreville, VA� (219 miles) HOME TURF! So, we posted a bulletin on MySpace announcing it, we posted something on Craig�s list, and we also called everyone in our phone book to make sure they knew.
When we got there I was chatting with Morgan (I shouldn�t need to tell you she�s from Team Trans AM anymore.) and a camera man snuck up. I was telling her how this is like a honeymoon for us because we never had one after or wedding. Then the camera guy goes �Wait. Can you say that again because I only got the last half of it.� He had Morgan repeat something she was saying for the camera too. It was funny saying the same line naturally then again for the cameras because the second time you say it you feel �slow� like your brain doesn�t know what to do. Yes- I am still getting used to the �cameras on you at all times� thing. Haha!
The next stop was Skyline Dr. in Front Royal (45 miles away) and from there we are going to Staunton, VA (133 miles). We�re on the road right now and were cruising next to Mr. Angry and another Ferrari. I�m getting ready to Google Staunton because I have no clue what there is to do there and I�m thinking since we�ll be in the boonies this would be a good time to hit up a Mom & Pop Shop. I love hole in the wall places, so this could be good. The alcohol is cheaper and they FILL THE CUPS UP in the country. Oh YEAH!!! I promised Rich we would get shitty with him tonight�and lucky me- it will be cheap. LOL.
All I have to say- is the vodka on the rocks I had made my rot gut go away night last . It REALLY is TRUE that when you have a hang over from something, drink it the next day and you�ll feel better. If I had known MORE vodka was my cure, I would have been sippin� on some with my coffee in the morning. Note to self. �Drink liquor when you wake�. LOL
More tomorrow�. Ciao for now!
Team GTO
Day 5:
Last night when we pulled into Staunton, VA we were more then pleasantly surprised. This town rolled out the GOLD carpet for us and treated us like the best thing that came around since sliced bread. There were kids with handmade signs, crowds of people lined up upon our entry, a champagne reception when we walked in the door and too much more to name.
After we checked in to the room, we went back outside. Almost everyone in their town had come out for this! We thought it was going to be a slow town and that we would be able to rest, but it ended up being the opposite. Ha! I was shocked when the first kid came up ad asked me to sign their autograph. I said �I�m not a celebrity, but I�ll sign it for you anyway.� And the kids said back, �We�ll you�re a celebrity in Staunton.� CUTE! I think I ended up signing about 5 or 6 autographs. Hopefully no one tries to sell it on Ebay b/c they won�t get much for it. LOL.
We had dinner at Lil� Italia and they had to lock the place down because all locals were trying to get in. They had to close the shades on the windows because people were piling up outside staring in while we were all eating. The food was great, and the company was better.
After dinner we walked to the next block for the VIP after party at this little tavern called �Clock Tower Tavern�. At the door there was a huge line of locals trying to get in. As we were walking in, they were saying �If there�s anyone in the line you like or want in just go grab them.� Haha! Once we were in we were shuttled into the back bar. Andy was on the stage and announced that he and David had just paid for 200 shots so we all needed to go to the bar and get some. Good Times!
After the bar all of these locals had opened up their houses and they were outside like �Yes, come right up. The club is upstairs.� Then when you get there it�s an apartment! Staunton is BY FAR the most hospitable place we have been to so far. They really made all of us feel like celebrities for a day. =)
Now, back to Day 5�
At the starting line they handed us our Route Card which said we were going to Concord Motorsport Park in Concord, NC next. (305 miles from Staunton) When we got there we had lunch, did laps around the track and watched a drift demo by a Mopar Team. It was awesome!!! I�m sure you�ll be seeing video�s of that on you tube soon. I was in front taking pictures eating tire dust! Haha! This guy had his tires changed like 3 times in 20 minutes. He had a crew with him obviously.
Once we left, our route card stated we were going to the Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, GA. (287 miles away) LONG day!!! We actually ended up showing up last because we had to change out both back tires before we even left NC. They were bare and we didn�t want to run the last leg like that. When we got to Michellin to do the tire swap the guy wouldn�t remove our tires because their boss won�t let them touch spinner lock rims because they can be a bitch to remove. They did give us a sledge hammer and a jack however. The first spinner lock came of easily. A few pounds and it was off. No damage done. The second one however wouldn�t budge. Jeb was being easy on it at first trying to get it off w/o damaging the spinner, but after 10 min of pounding on it (in the heat) he just started whaling on it. It still didn�t move! So, I take a look and realize he is hitting it the wrong way. Ha! After about 2 min of loosening it from being slammed in the wrong direction we finally got it off. The poor spinner has dents all in it, but if that�s the worst of what happens on this rally, I�m OK with that!
Tire trouble was long forgotten once we arrived in GA. The hotel was absolutely MAGNIFICENT! It was modern/classic. When we parked and walked in through the back there were already BULLRUNNNERS in robes out by the pool. The pool was so nice! In front of it was a tiled wall with water streaming down it into the pool with a BULLRUN logo shining onto it. In back was a glass wall separating the pool from the fountains and a canopy of white which covered a bunch of lounge tables. The scene could be described with one word: Dreamy!!!
It was even nicer when we got into the hallway and saw our rooms. After a long day of driving we got to unwind with a nice dinner served with wine. I of course, had a martini. My staple. LOL. After dinner, we went to a club called Club 309 West where we got to watch the BULLRUN season finale with BULLRUNNERS! When they announced Morgan & Mike as the winners the crowd ROARED! It was awesome!!! It was amazing watching the show WITH all of them, when just the week before I was watching it on my couch having never met ANY of them!
Day 6:
Breakfast was in a lavish ballroom which I had seen the night before. I had initially thought that was set up for a wedding, but it was for our breakfast! Go figure!!! After eating we started our engine and headed towards GRAND PRIZE OF AMERICA AVE. It was once used as an Indy Car race track 10 years ago, and this 1.8 mile track is now a public road. The city of Savannah closed it down for BULLRUN so we would experience it. Jeb drove once around it in the safety car with David and when he got out he said he almost wet his pants. He also said David is a great driver! Whoot!
As I�m writing this, we are headed to Club Firestone in Orlando, FL (281 miles away).
We are driving down 95 right now and the COPS are in FULL force! I think about 8 BULLRUN vehicles are on the side of the road right now having just been pulled over. Make that 9 cars! We just passed David and a camera man on the side of the road as I was writing this.
I think we will all end up being in FL around the same time. There is a Cop Car right in front of our pack, so we all have to go the same speed! No point in passing him because they will get us. We will call today the �Donughts are sold out so cops are on the road pulling over BULLRUNNERS Day!�
More later�. FLORIDA here we come!!!
TEAM GTO
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