September 26-30, 2007
As new members and first time participants in Maser Miglia both Joan and I were excited and
apprehensive of the September TMC event in Georgia. We did not know anyone in the club other
than through e-mail and we were not sure what to expect. Now that the trip is over and we have
had time to recover, the only comment I have is that it must be illegal to have had that much fun.
The people, cars, conversation, food, wine and the scenery were all outstanding. Let me tell you
about our experience:
We arrived at the very beautiful Chateau Elan on Wednesday, Sept. 26th about 3:30 in the
afternoon. Just enough time to look around the resort and have a cold Harp’s at the Irish Pub.
The evening dinner was on the patio terrace under the stars and our first introduction to the other
members. The ease of conversation amongst everyone was incredible. There was no lack of
discussion and lot’s of laughter.
Next morning we headed out for the first driving leg
of the tour to Dahlonega. Dahlonega and the Historical
Commercial district were established in 1833. A few of
the buildings date back to 1836. Everyone had a chance
to stretch their legs and walk thru the historical downtown.
Our lunch stop was at the Wolf Mountain Winery. The view
was absolutely breathtaking. What is the song called: “You
can see for miles and miles?” How they built this winery on
the side of the mountain is an amazing accomplishment.
After the fabulous buffet we had the opportunity to meet with
the owner, Karl Boegner, and see his car collection. Three Porsches, an old Mercedes and two
1920’s trucks that he still uses for promotional purposes with his business.
From Wolf Mountain we made our way back to Chateau Elan where the Irish Pub called us in for a
pint of the finest from the old country. Total miles driven were 147.1 with no wrong turns. For
dinner that evening we car pooled to The Carriage House. We had a private dining room on the
upper level and were served an extraordinary meal. The instant comradery amongst this group of
people is not something you see every day. It is an experience you had to witness to truly
understand. .
We were warned that Friday would be a longer excursion, but
that did not concern anyone in the club. With a few U turns, we
drove 68.2 miles to our first stop at the “Mark of the Potter.” A
great little store overlooking a fast flowing creek and waterfall.
From the deck of the store we fed the trout, and the girls did some
shopping. We were then off for a picnic box lunch at Bob Brecker's
garage, where we viewed his collection of Rolls Royce, Bentley’s
and Fords. Three Rolls-Royce/Bentley’s all dating from the 1930’s
and 1940’s. I am not even going to try and guess the value. Bob
and his wife Shirley were both very gracious and wished all of us to
return soon.
Next stop was Ivan and Myrna Ruiz’s Lake house for home cooked lasagna before heading back to
the hotel. What we did not know was Ivan’s ulterior motive to have some extra manpower (and very
little muscle) to move his dock. That scenario was similar to the keystone cops in action. Funny,
but we got the job done. Total miles driven on day 2 were 169.5 miles.
On Saturday we had the fortunate opportunity to visit Elan motor
sports and Panoz racing. Elan motor sports build all the cars for
the IRL and the Champ series racing. Observing how they built
the tub from Carbon Fiber and rebuild the engines to a race
performance standard was fascinating. From there we moved to
Panoz where they build the Esperante. For a mere $100K you can
have your own custom built coupe. They had 7 cars being shipped
to the Middle East the day we visited. They also do a significant
amount of custom work for famous actors like Patrick Dempsey.
John Leverett, who hosted us for the four hours, was terrific and
before we left we placed orders for his new 2008 version of the
Esperante (just kidding!).
The weekend ended with a Gala dinner and an award presentation in the candle lit wine cellar of
Chateau Elan. Another great evening with people I now consider to be good friends. Both Joan
and I were exhausted, but the friendships we created will last a lifetime.
MASER MIGLIA X: Bill and Joan Dempsey
| TMC: SOUTHEAST CHAPTER |
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