S2000 East Coast Road Trip - Day 5

The past 4 days of this road trip have mostly involved driving long distances from destination to destination and then spending some time exploring each area on foot. For this last full day away from home, I wanted to cap it off with a more pure driving adventure. I was strongly recommended by several friends to make sure I swing by the Shenandoah Valley and drive the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive in Virginia. I stayed near Charlotte,  North Carolina, last night so my plan was to leave early for the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center near Roanoke, Virginia and get on the Parkway there and take it north all the way to Skyline Drive. I suppose I should've checked first but it turns out that the "season" is over and all the visitor centers along route were closed. The road was still open though and the upside to the season being over was that there were very few cars out. I had the whole road to myself the vast majority of the time just the way I like it.

Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center - Roanoke, VA - 11/13/2015

If you've ever driven I-95 or in Florida before, you know that it's basically a bunch of straight lines so while I racked up many miles, I didn't exactly have to turn the wheel much unless I was exiting. In stark contrast to this, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive were nothing but corner after corner for miles and miles. It was the most amazing thing ever. The speed limit was only 45mph the parkway and 35mph on Skyline Drive but this suited my purpose well because I wasn't trying to race through this area. I wanted to enjoy the twisties and have it last for as long as I could. It was roadster heaven! To top it off, I got blessed with the most incredible weather. It was mid-50s, sunny and clear skies for as far as the eye could see. It was perfect hoodie and top down weather.

Roadster heaven - Blue Ridge Parkway - 11/13/2015

I even had all the overlooks to myself. I could pick and choose whichever one I wanted, soak in the spectacular view without any distractions and even had time to set up my tripod and camera for more awesome shots to document this trip.

A man, his S2000 and the open road
Skyline Drive / Shenandoah National Park - 11/13/2015

I thought I couldn't surpass the inspired feeling I had yesterday but the 4 hour drive through these winding roads really helped me appreciate not only the beauty of nature but how incredible the S2000 is and that brought an even greater sense of inspiration. As I rowed through the gears and kept constantly transitioning to follow the corners, I felt truly at one with Lupa and the road. I was telling her what to do, she executed perfectly and in turn was giving me feedback through all my senses what was going on underneath me on the road. It was like a coordinated dance, she moved that rear around predictably and with confidence. The cool air was perfect for the engine and I could hear that F22C run through the revs smoothly as she breathed easily. She was like a race horse at the start line, wanting, no, begging, to be unleashed but we kept it civil, only occasionally testing the limits of her cornering ability through some of the hairpins. There was no drama, only perfection. The S2000 was in her element and it showed. This is what Shigeru Uehara designed the S2000 for...to negotiate the touge quickly and effectively, rewarding the driver with smiles to last for days. For those few hours I felt truly free and happy. I felt the happiness of a kid on Christmas day, the excitement of meeting someone and falling in love and the adrenaline of being chased by a wild animal all at the same time. It was the feeling of being alive, of being in the moment, of living life passionately, of not taking for granted any moment. It was Carpe Diem on 4 wheels. It, was, to put it simply, the most perfect day a man and his S2000 could ever ask for.

Onto Day 6...