As the father of daughters, this thread is too emotional for me.

My daughters are so young that they will never go off to college though.

I'm going to sign off and bury my head back in the sand now. Thanks.

Also be sure to check out the National Constitution Center, it's pretty cool!

Great suggestion since we've missed that one so far! Next time!

We started our day late. Not so late that we weren't where we should be on flight arrival, but late enough that we were over rested and, thanks to my new found replacement for all things soda, over-caffeinated, too! :rofl: But it was a beautiful morning in Charlotte. It was a beautiful day for a drive and to spend time with some old friends...

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As OB mentioned in another thread, Spartanburg is a short distance from Charlotte. Once we cleared a Shake Shack burger and strawberry shake, we were on the way South! I was anxious to meet up with an old friend at the Performance Center, How old? We became friends 17 years ago (this week!) over the delivery of our 2002 330. I'd guess this is the 10th time or so that I've visited since then. It's my daughter's 4th! :rofl: It never gets old...

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Once across the street at the delivery center, I sorta rolled up there like we own the place! :D But seriously, my buddy had cleared with security that we'd be there for a picture and a visit, so we didn't get a hard time by the very friendly officer on duty.

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I had not noticed this piece before- or if I had, I'd forgotten. I really like what they did here.

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We were fortunate that another buddy of mine from that day (and a few others in years since) was out back on the track. Gentlemen, THIS is my happy place! :popcorn:

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I know what yer thinkin. Yer thinkin.. "So what! I could see a bunch of Bimmers at my local dealer lot!" And that's true. But do you get to hear the sounds of THIS insanity happening right behind you! :cool:

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There's something for every eye out there. I think the thing that I love most ab this one is just how dirty it is. That's track schmegma, gents. Like dirt, and dust and rubber mixed in. Shes been ridden hard and hung up wet. I mean, for the moment. You know she's in capable hands. Something ab the parallel alongside this beautiful and dirty little thing and that twinkle in the eye of a woman you love... Ahhh.. Dirty Seggsy. That's what I'm calling this one, boys....

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Dinner recommendation from our friend put us in downtown Greenville. For all the times we've been in GSP, this was the 1st in downtown. My goodness is it idyllic. We had a lovely dinner at a reasonable price.

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After dinner, our waiter suggested a short walk around Main street. It really is a very peaceful place to spend a few minutes.

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And finally, here's an odd feature for any prospective future friends out there. I like to hear from a person I'm getting to know the things they find fascinating. Maybe just 'neat'. Maybe something that I think of about them is 'neat' but they think is kinda mundane. Usually, this discovery is the result of some reminiscence over alcohol or any other poor habit that draws conversation between 2 folks becoming pals.

For example, I didn't post the pic I texted to a buddy at the Duke bookstore. You see, according to a story he told me and my wife about 20 years ago, he'd worked for American Eagle in high school. It never occurred to me before that conversation that high school kids were not only the perfect labor force to keep a store like that in order, but that I missed a chance to learn a skill I might've used for life. My buddy certainly uses it even today when he packs a weeks worth of business dress into a carry on. And every time I see a row of tee shirt-laden cubbies all tightly folded to perfection, I think of him, snap a pic, and send it along with a note ab where we are and well wishes for him and his family.

And so it was, dear potential friends, yet another friend who lit up like a child when he spoke about engineering and the fun he has at his firm. They take old buildings and repurpose them to combat blight. I liked that look as he removed the reserved, calm, and yes, nerdy shell that he'd brought along to our 10th meeting as 2 families. I dare say that it's when we became friends. I figure he'd like to know that even if I could care less ab this, I figured he would. And that might make him smile for a minute. Even if it did, only for him.

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Nice trip! I've driven past the SC Plant before but never stopped by. Oktberfest in the fall is sounding enticing now

Well, we wrapped up the *other* business of our road trip by visiting both Clemson and UGA on the same day. We have been frequent visitors to another small, college town, rural campus with a Tiger mascot, so Clemson felt oddly familiar. The most odd thing? My daughter loved it. She moved Clemson in front of Duke and UVA. Of course, she has a lot of time to decide, but at least we have places to visit again when the time comes. As expected, the very friendly ambassador was full of energy and provided an excellent tour of the campus.

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We walked then across campus to the little town where an inordinate number of souvenir shops coexist, each within 100' of each other. I sent this one to all my Bama friends. :nanana:

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From Clemson, Athens, GA is just down the way. We walked around again, but this time on a tour of our own since the students were at Spring Break.

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We stayed again on campus at the Alumni conference center. We return annually to one over Christmas, so we wanted to compare it with other schools.

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Day light savings affords a wonderful time for late driving. We were home before sunset, the laundry was started, and I was able to wash off the miles between home and North Carolina.

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Moments later, I was taking a look at all the crevices that needed attention. Those of you who share the sickness know that this is a progressive effort. I'll continue to hit the high points until it looks like they've always had the love.

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The next day was all about inspections. I was pretty sure the seller said he'd changed the oil, but I still wanted my own elbow grease on the dipstick. A buddy has a lift so I was in and out in minutes.

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A short look around confirmed that we have no leaks on the diff, water pump, and head. There's a *bit* of rust on some of the bolts, but the threads are fine and I think we're good until a the 1st suspension overhaul.

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Finally yesterday, my mother-in-law saw the car. It was her '01 that we sold for this one. I still haven't polished/paint corrected but the alpine white just glows with a clean surface and some quick detailer. One thing you need to be careful about with elderly folks is the resistance to change. She never really understood that it was just a different color inside and out until she sat in it. Yes, the radio- that she doesn't use) is different (no NAV to NAV) and yes, the HVAC has buttons instead of dials... but the seats and wheel adjust the same, the key is in the same place, and yes.. the air suspension is a lot more subtle than the coils in your sport package '01.

She hugged me! Now, I won't say that our relationship is strained. But for the 30+ years I have known her, she's not a touchy person. She is happy with her white 2004. And so are we. It'll serve nice kid duty for the foreseeable future and may even be what ours takes to college. It's just a few years away. And by then, I should have replaced most of the moving parts! :D

I hope you guys enjoyed our car-purchase-made-road-trip. We really did. In the end, you guys were with us for just a touch under 2,500 miles. I didn't check before, but it turns out we made that trip on the original Michelins from 2003- Woops. :( But That's OK. The new tires for the 20's should be here this week. I'm hoping for some pics shortly after. Let's ride! :D

Thanks for allowing us to share the trip PH. Enjoyed every mile! :thumbup:

Promised and delivered!

The shop sent me these as soon as they were mounted. Oh yes. :thumbup:

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I liked it so much I just had to take a pic of it rolling...

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Looks great! Throw some iS flares on and gameover

:rofl: !ouch: :stickpoke


I just hate those things! ROFL

Looks fantastic. I love AW.