Miata Journal. Volume 21 Issue 7 July What s Inside. by Larry Smith, President. Page 2 Upcoming Events. Holiday Party.

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1 Volume 21 Issue 7 July 2011 What s Inside Page 2 Upcoming Events. Holiday Party. Page 3 This 'N That Review. Cruise Review. Page 4 Mystery Photos. Advertisers. Page 5 Advertisers. IMC Classifieds. Miata Journal by Larry Smith, President Greetings to all! The summer seems to be moving right along. By the time this issue reaches you it will already be the Fourth of July Weekend. The club has had several adventures this season with plenty more to come. Gas prices are down and with any luck will stay that way. Rally on! This month I d like to write about something near and dear to all Miata owners; the pothole. Okay, it is not really dear to a Miata owner. I was, or that is, our Miata was hard hit last season by a couple of in-line edge drop offs. Two new tires, an alignment and two straightened rims later we were back on the road. Truthfully, there was a least one more alignment as the first was not done well. In my position as County Engineer, I deal with highway and bridge issues. Potholes are an unfortunate evil. Not only are they a result of those good Ol Indiana winters with lots of freeze / thaw cycles, they are a result of limited funding for road repairs. It seems the higher gas prices go, the more potholes we see. There is in fact a correlation. You see, the funding for local road repairs comes primarily from gasoline taxes. Gasoline taxes are set at a certain price per gallon. When gas prices rise, the available funding drops as less gas is consumed; this reduces the funding available for roadwork. In addition, the higher gas prices climb, the greater the push toward alternate fueled vehicles which get higher gas mileage or use no gas and pay nothing. As the average miles per gallons increases, less gas is consumed and the lower the revenue source for road repairs. Along with the increase in fuel costs comes an increase in the raw materials used to make the asphalt for road repairs. So there is less revenue and higher priced materials. This is a double whammy for your local highway department. Another department funded out of the Gasoline tax is the State Police. The State Police budget has risen steadily over the years helping to amplify the loss of revenue to the local agencies. Presently, most counties operate on less revenue than was available more than 12 years ago. The consequences of the reduction of funding can be seen in your everyday travel as the roads deteriorate and potholes become more prevalent. Revenues are so bad that a majority of counties have started letting paved roads return to gravel. That s less Miata friendly roads. On to another favorite Miata trip. This adventure is less of a Miata run and more of an outdoor experience. This trip is to southwestern Indiana and southeastern Illinois. This trip can be made in one day, but can be made at a more leisurely pace if there is at least one night out. I won t detail the roads, just areas of interest. The first stop is New Harmony, Indiana. This historic village was founded by German Harmonists. The area has many unique buildings and grounds. The best access is exit 4 off I-64. The next stop is Garden of the Gods near Herod, Illinois. Continue west out of New Harmony on route 66 over the Wabash River into Illinois. SR 66 becomes Illinois 14. Turn left on SR1 and head south about 45 miles to Ponds Hollow Road. The area is also known as the Shawnee National Forest. In this area you will find hiking, camping, biking, as well as, many other recreational possibilities. Pounds Hollow turns into Karbers Ridge Road; follow the signs to the Garden of the Gods. This area has several large rock outcroppings overlooking a several mile view to the west. The area has very unique rock formations just waiting to be climbed on. There is a short loop trail around the area. On the return towards SR 1 be sure to stop at Rim Rock Recreation Trail. This area is similar to Turkey Run with steep rock cliffs and interesting rock formations. There is a trail around the lower rim and along the upper rim. (Want to know more? The following link details this area: gotg/pounds/pounds.html). Head south about 10 miles to Cave-In Rock. There is an interesting cave accessible along the Ohio River front or take the ferry cross the Ohio River before heading home. Have a great time!

2 2 Open Road July 2011 Indy Miata Club Officers 2011 President Larry Smith Vice-President Jeff Evans Treasurer Steve Crouse Membership Director Tom Lewis Events Coordinator Ken Rabbers Secretary Nancy Burrill Publications Sara J mcbridve editor@indymiata.org The Open Road is published monthly for the members of the Indy Miata Club. The Indy Miata Club assumes no liability for any information contained herein, or injury or damage resulting from use of this information. The ideas, opinions, maintenance or modification tips expressed are to be used at the reader s discretion. Individual contributors and/or the editors express no approval, authentication, or endorsement. Thank you. Upcoming Events for IMC The IMC forum post title said it all: "Seriously?" and Steve Myers asked "We really don't have a driving event on the schedule for another 50 days?". Being the great guy that he is, he stepped up to the plate and has a July rally for us. Steve looked in our route archives ( and resurrected a tour from 2005, the Skyline Drive. Knowing Steve, he'll add a twist to it, so it should be a fun run. Save July 23 for this event and check for more details (and sign up!) on our event page. Larry and Sabrena have the tentativley titled "Smith Family Anual Rally" scheduled for August 20th. These two know a lot of Miata friendly roads and have put on great rallies in the past. Other upcoming events include the Indy Miata Club Invades St. Louis on the weekend of September 10 and the Newport Hill Climb Rally on October 1. We re still looking for event organizers for the Night Before the Brickyard 400 Mingle on July30, and the Night Before the Red Bull Grand Prix Mingle on August 27. The dates have been set but we still need to have organizers to pick a spot for each mingle. If you haven t yet helped organize an event, now is the time! A mingle is the easiest event to hot. Find a drive-in, ice cream place, or something like that with a good parking area, set a time and show up! Unless we get an organizer for these events, they may be cancelled. Right now there are plenty of empty weekends on the events calendar. If you have ever thought about leading an event and becoming an event organizer, now is the time. Even if this is something that you ve never done before, you can do it. If you need help, need some ideas or have some ideas; again, please contact Ken at events@ indymiata.org. Let's go driving on great weekends this summer! Holiday Party Organizer Needed IMC's Board of Directors is looking for a creative individual to lead the organization of this year s Holiday party. What adventurous club members would like the opportunity to use their creative and party planning skills to assist the Indy Miata Club in hosting a memorable Holiday Banquet? The primary duties will be to select a location (if different from the past year) and caterer, or a feasibly suitable and relatively inexpensive restaurant, while staying within a budget. However, you won t have to go at it alone or from scratch - there are many suggestions awaiting you from past experience and venues. Please contact Nancy Burrill for more information or to volunteer for this opportunity. Nancy can be reached by from the club web site or at Secretary@IndyMiata.org.

3 Open Road 3 July 2011 A Little Bit of This, With A Little Bit of That... By Steve Crouse What a grand day for a Miata drive! Sunny and bright, temps in the mid-70 s! And a large group of club members to share it with! Twenty-one member Miatas (plus friends in an RX-7) departed from Gray Brothers cafeteria in Mooresville for a tour of 127 miles, passing through Paragon, Stinesville and Solsberry on our way to Bloomington for an event-ending lunch at the Upland Brewing Company. A number of rookie members attended the event, a couple for their first (or second) time ever. We introduced Roger & Sue Cooper, Terry Hilyard, David Truax and Greg and Deb Kloeppel to the group, and they to the many current and former club officers in attendance. We recognized some members who haven t been around in quite a while, Mike & Ann Selvy, John & Paula Thatcher and Bob Wiley & P.K. Rajic. We were also pleased and relieved to have Eric Drumwright/ Ann Cole and Roger Burrill on hand, fresh from their harrowing experiences at the recent Marietta, OH weekend! It s getting more difficult to find some fresh and challenging roads for these club runs. After all, they aren t adding any new roads out there. About the only thing we can hope for is newly repaved ones to make them interesting. On the other hand, we did find Pocket Hollow Road and CR-450 (Greene County), which were new to us. While laying out the drive, we enjoyed a portion of IN-43 that we hadn t been on within our memory. By the way, I tried to entice Sara to return from Canada for this drive. Apparently, Upland Brewing can t even get her to drive south 1000 miles to be with us for the most beautiful Saturday of the year thus far. Our many thanks to all who attended, especially with such short notice. It s always great to get out with our Miata friends! It Was A Good Day For A Cruise By Jack Cruse A record breaking number of sixteen cars involving new, semi-new and seasoned members enjoyed the perfect weather (now, that was news!) for the third annual "Mid Week" cruise. Pa r t i c ip a nt s t r aveled f rom Greenwood down through a very scenic and curvy SR144 route to Martinsville and then onto two different loops west of SR67, then back up to Gray Brothers Cafeteria for their small portion lunches and deserts. Good food! Everyone said they enjoyed the day even though a semi goof by the Rally Master had some cars using two different loop routes to get to the same exactly the same right spot. The good news? Nobody got totally lost. These two and a half hour runs and time for socializing are gathering fans and work well. Best comment of the day was by Gary Weidman who said "We had to laugh at the guy in a Chevy truck in Gray's parking lot. As we were preparing to leave, he was driving past the row of Miatas, shaking his head and saying "foreign, foreign, foreign..." plenty loud enough for us to hear." All in all, a good day for a "Cruse"!

4 July 2011 Open Road 4 Coming Next Month... An Explanation Of These Photos! Tom Lewis Everett Hughes is an Independent Agency representing over 35 insurance companies. Our ultra-competitive rates assure that you receive the most value at the best price for all of your home, auto or business insurance needs. For a limited time, I m giving away a $20 gas card with an insurance review and quote for your home, auto or business with no obligation! If I m competitive, consider allowing Everett Hughes to write your business. If I can t provide you with a better value, you ll have the peace of mind knowing you re properly insured at a fair price. Call or Indy Miata Club member Tom Lewis today! Tom@EHughesIns.com Have a few dollars invested in upgrades? Ask about Agreed Value Coverage for your Miata! 4265 West 96th St receive a 10% discount! We offer services ranging from a "Wash and Vac" to a "Full Service Detail". Most importantly, we'll also give you guidance on how easy it is to keep your Miata looking great after it leaves our shop. 298F Gasoline Alley Indianapolis, IN receive a 10% discount! AIM Tuning has specialized in Mazda Miatas since From basic maintenance for your street car to all out prep for your race car, AIM has the factory-trained knowledge, tools and experience to accomplish any Miata project!

5 July 2011 Open Road 5 Special Discounts for Indy Miata Club Members tom Tom Roush Mazda, the 1st Mazda Dealer in Indiana, in business since Offering the best is Sales and Service, our senior Mazda tech has been with us for 34 years, many of our salespeople have over 10 years experience and have the highest CSI in the state. Tom Roush is a MAZDASPEED dealer. 15% Discount on Parts, Accessories and Service S-Plan Pricing for any vehicle and all customers receive 2 year's free maintenance as well as free traceable identification on any new Mazda Saturday Service hours: 7:30am to 3:30pm US th Street Westfield, IN W. Pike Plaza Rd Indianapolis, IN Sales: Service: Parts: % Parts and Service discount for IMC Members 2009 Mazda President's Club Member IMC Club Classifieds For Sale - Front Custom Car Bra - This will fit a Miata. I don't think it will fit the newer ones since they changed the headlights some. In good condition with the exception of the edging on the lower part coming off. You could sew it or leave it. See a picture in the classifieds section of the IMC web site. and contact Greg Kloeppel from there. For Sale - Free oil and Filters! - I have received, as a gift, 6 quarts of this oil and a WIX filter that fits my 07 MX5 (others too??) I cannot physically perform oil changes any more. Free to you, pick up at my home or at an event this year. First come First served. Contact Jack cru1393@sbcglobal.net 1253 South US 31 Greenwood, IN Phone: Special pricing on new or used Miatas for all 18% discount for parts/service for all Free Statewide delivery on new car purchases For Sale - Rear Deck Luggage Rack- Stainless steel rack for MX5's All attachment parts included. $100 or best offer. Greenwood or will bring to you in Indy area. Contact Jack cru1393@sbcglobal.net Wanted - IMC Newsletter Editor- After 100+ issues, your newsletter editor is stepping down, so a replacement will be needed. The last issue she will publish will be the December issue, so this will give the new editor time to learn the easy steps of publishing the Open Road. Contact Sara J by at publications@indymiata.org.

6 6 Open Road July Indy Miata Club Events July 23 - Skyline Drive Tour - A late addition, check the web site for more details. July 30 - Night Before the Brickyard 400 Mingle - The "good old boys" are in town. August 20 -The Smith Family Annual Rally - Find out if that's the rally's real name! August 27 - Night Before the Red Bull Grand Prix Mingle - Motorcycles and Miatas. September 10 - Indy Miata Club Invades St Louis - Meet up in STL for some great roads. October 1 - Newport Hill Climb Rally - Covered Bridge Rally with a twist. November - Hidden Drives - It wouldn't be November if we didn't look for Hidden Drives. Contact Ken Rabbers at events@indymiata.org to fill out our event page. Help make it a fun year! Looking for a reason to road trip? Here's a couple of events sponsored by other Miata Clubs... September Gathering of the Green - Own a '91 BRG? There's a Gathering! tkirk38@hotmail.com or phone September 22 - Buggies & Bridges II - Tour covered bridges and Amish country - Sponsored by PACE Miata Club October Cruise, Brews & BBQ - Going to Kansas City? Cars are lined up for the This and That Rally. Drivers and cars are ready to roll at the start of the Mid-Week Cruise.