Live on-the-road webcam in my 318is!

[Choking Hazard]

I'm going to the Canadian Grand Prix, do you want to go?  My son and I will be driving from Alabama to Montreal over the course of the next week.  We have installed a webcam in the car and will be pretty much continueously connected to the net the whole trip via cell phone technology called EDGE.  We have a blog started to post the cam and hopefully interact with folks over the course of the trip.  The camera test was a success, so we gotta start packing.  The trip won't be non-stop, because I have to stop for work stuff in North Carolina, but the cam should be on most of the time we are in motion.  Please link up with us starting Sunday the 18th about 1:00 pm central daylight time.  Please join us!http://www.m42goestocanada.blogspot.com

[johna]

You mis-spelt Canada in your URL link... the correct link should be http://www.m42goestocanada.blogspot.com/

[Choking Hazard]

yeah, thats typical for me  


corrected now.  Thanks.

[Choking Hazard]

Car is packed (sorta).  It is at least VERY shiney.  Weather should be nice tomorrow and maybe Monday.  I sure hope we have some visitors....

[2002maniac]

sounds like fun!  I'll be sure to check it out.

[silverblades181]

Yeah, I'm going to Montreal as well. It's a huge 5 min drive from my house. The Quebec Chapter of the bmw club is holding an M Brunch where many M cars will be on display, we're gonna eat and watch the Grand Prix on big screens. If you want details pm me.

[Choking Hazard]

Tomorow we set out for NY- Probably somewhere near Binghamton.  I washed the car, checked the oil, etc.  I added a bit of ATF to the PS reservoir (I know I need a new rack... got a little leak there). Otherwise the car just buzzes along happily.  I could lower gas consumption if I would slow down a bit. I am really looking forward to the Canadian experience.   we have had trouble keeping the cell connection up (no real surprise I guess) and since it takes several actions to get it back up, it that kinda takes the a toll on the motivation to kep it functioning.  We will get underway around noon EDT and hopefully will get online soon after that.

[Choking Hazard]

We are here in Canada- just accross from Montreal.  We left about an hour early and made great progress.  We blew on by Binghamton at about 6 and kept on going.  Got all the way to Plattsburg, NY (almost to the Border), and stopped to find out that the fishing tournament had ALL the rooms in town and a little farther than that.  We decided to just keep on going.  The border took a lot longer than I expected- going INTO Canada, although my time at the entry booth was really brief.  Two questions or so and we were away.  Tomorrow we are going to practice and hopefully the BMW cup race, then going downtown to visit the BMW Pit Paddock Park.  It will be great.  I gotta crash 'cause itis pretty late.

[M42boy]

Tomorow we set out for NY- Probably somewhere near Binghamton.  I washed the car, checked the oil, etc.  I added a bit of ATF to the PS reservoir (I know I need a new rack... got a little leak there).

Try adding a 50/50 mixture of ATF and Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak.  Worked for me and my leaky rack!  I just wanted to get another year out of it.

EDGE is a great operating system.  I had a Nokia with it and it's wonderful.  Then I got a MotoRazr and it was like going back in time 10 years.  Looking for the next Nokia to get.  

[Choking Hazard]

Montreal is a great place!  We have been downtown twice.  Lambos and Ferraris were everywhere.  Went to BMW Pit Walk Park and it was really cool.  BMW is the popular make here right now because of Jaques Villeneuve.  Today was qualifying and of course Alonso is fastest, but he was not at the top untill the last minute or so. Shumacher is all the way back at 5th.  Villeneuve is 10th, but he was damn fast- right to the edge of the track, over every curb, inches from the walls.   The 318 pissed ATF all over Peel St when I cranked from lock to lock parallel parking, but I added more and it hasn't gone down (much) again.  I'll try some stop-leak when I get back to DC.
The web-cam is a bit of a  hassle, and it is difficult to motivate my son to keep it going.  And the picture is pretty boring.  But we will get it going again.  Tomorrow after the race we will head back into the US.   Maybe Binghamton...
anyway the car has worked great and I'll have to say I feel more attune to the F-1 ambiance with my dinky 15 year old 318 than my usual Porsche association.    No P-cars in this race (or any other F-1 race).  BMW however is RACING!  My son now has a BMW-Sauber hat, I have a BMW-Sauber key chain, and my brother's son (uber-Porsche nut) has a Petronis BMW-Sauber team shirt.

[D. Clay]

I was on the crew of a TransAm team in 1991 in Phoenix when the US Gran Prix ran there. We had to tow all of our stuff from the other end of the course to pit row for our sessions. Our car was pitted right in front of the McLaren and Ferrari garages and we were no more than 20-30 feet away. There were 10,000 people there and I think most of them were from Brazil. Senna, Prost, Mansell and a new kid named Alesi were the stars. F1 is the F1! Wish I was in Canada for this one. I wish Cotton was a monkey. I wish I had a watermelon. As Eddie Vedder said, " I wish I was the full moon shining off a Camaro's hood!"
More here:
http://mydrive.roadfly.com/blog/dwilsonc/461/

[Choking Hazard]

The race was massive!  Beautiful weather, great seats. We were right at the exit to the hairpin.  They were screaming in, brakes glowing and ratcheting down through the gears, then blasting up into the straight.  just amazing. Actually awesome (as in I was filled with awe).  Alonso pretty much bagged the win from the start.  He looked slower than the other cars when he was slowing the car or executing the turn but I think thats how smooth he is- not slower but less dramatic.  Anyway we are back in DC.  I've already put about 1900 miles on the car with about 600 to go.  It has been an easy drive, very comfortable.  I haven't tracked gas usage.  I've proly gone close to 80 for about 75% of the distance, so the brick aerodynamics have kept it down.  I'm guessing about 20 mpg.  I'll see if I can get that Ol' webcam up some tomorrow.  Here is a pic of us in upstate new york on the way up to Montreal.

[Choking Hazard]

Back home in Alabama!  1284 miles from the Canadian border.  Round trip with destination miles included is 2900 or so.  I am sure glad I learned about that oil pickup thing from Febi BEFORE we left.   Other than the PS fluid leak, the car was great.  Now my other son wants to teach some girl to drive a manual trans with it    Oh well