Here's a picture of my 1993 Miata on my daily commute, which takes me through the rolling hills of Western New Jersey, over the Sourland "Mountain," a curvey wooded hill climb with 4 one-lane bridges, a 19th century General Store (coffee and a newspaper), and a bear crossing. People think all New Jersey is like Hoboken but it's not!

Not everyone understands why I take such narrow windy roads over the mountain when I could take real highways around the mountain. Well, even though my route is the shortest distance (13.15 miles) and the shortest drive time (20-25 minutes), the real reason is that through most of the twisty wooded hill climb I can stay in 2nd & 3rd gear, hardly needing brakes at all as I slide around the curves and charge up the hills. Lately, I've come to love 3rd gear the best!

On my way home in the evening I'm likely to see hot air balloons flying overhead (when it's top-down weather), while my little guys watch the cows across the street waiting for Daddy to come home in his "cool cahr." The "Daddy Dance" as I come in the door is by far the best part of my commute.

Here's some more quick pics (also from my commute):

Handling features:
- Toyo T1R summer & Michelin Winter Sport M3 tires
- Volk Racing CE28N ultra light-weight wheels
- KYB AGX adjustable shocks
- Flyin' Miata 7/8" front & 5/8" rear sway bars
- Racing Beat endlinks
- Manual steering rack replacement
- Custom ballasted alignment (Lanny's)
- Limited slip differential
- 14 Degrees BTDC timing advance

Exterior mods:
- Robert's classic grille
- Softop Quick Release Kit from Leni's Motorsports
- Nautilus Compact Twin-Tone air horn
- Miata Vintage Chrome pieces:
--- Taillight Surround
--- Cockpit Wrap Trim Kit
--- Windshield Trim
--- Vent Window Trim Kit
- Moss polished side marker and 3rd brake light rings
- Stainless steel windshield wipers from MX5Parts

Interior mods:
- Re-upholstered leather seats
- Cobra chrome shift boot ring
- Small gauge rings (gas, oil, temperature)
- Finish Line weighted low profile leather shift knob w polished aluminum shift pattern & trim ring
- Redline leather shift boot
- Leather steering wheel wrapping
- I.L. Motorsport silver/blue heater contrl panel with chrome trim plate
- Dan Pedroza's classic brushed finish vent rings (replaced MMarketing brushed aluminum vent rings)
- I.L. Motorsport chrome air-out balls
- Chrome AC fan knob, button, and climate control sliders
- DaVinci Custom Aerodramatic chrome & brushed door cups
- KG Works chrome door pulls
- I.L. Motorsport leather & chrome hand brake handle & button
- Jeff Anderson's brilliant 5-11 paperclip radio humidity fix!
- JVC KD-G720 USB radio with large cubby from MX5Parts
- MAX-5 Headrest speakers and Ligtning Audio 2-way door speakers
- Chrome scuff plates (door sills)

I never name my cars, but a recently deceased friend of mine, Betty, told me I had to, so ... By the way, Betty drove a red 1937 SS-100, the first "Jaguar" of the Swallow Sidecar Company and one of the first great inexpensive red roadsters:

Speaking of classics, it's surprising how many people mistake my car for a custom Ferrari [/tongue out of cheek], especially with the hardtop, vintage chrome, and the egg-crate grille.

Here's our other red open 2-seater (with the live entertainment option):

Our 8-seater '04 Sagebrush Pearl Honda Pilot EXL-RES with chrome bumper garnish (if anyone's interested, www.HondaPilot.org is a great family car community):

Just a few more pictures of rural Western New Jersey (sun and moon rise from our backyard):

Hot air balloon and our neighbors, the cows:

Cheers, Robrecht!