Mid-Atlantic Cruise: York Road
 

Hello, everyone.

We've been talking about cruising our Z's over winding, scenic roads now for a while, and so I'm proposing the following route, because I've driven the roads that comprise it, and I know them to be fun driving roads.

Amended Details (subject to change):

• Date: Saturday, March 12
• Time: Meet at 10am, Depart at 11am, Lunch around noon
• Start Point: Starbucks in Shrewsbury, PA
• Mid Point: Hunt Valley Town Centre
• End Point: Hooters in Towson, MD
• Scenic Roads: York Road, Loch Raven Drive

Here is a link to the route:
Directions to Hooters, East Joppa Road, Towson, MD - Google Maps

The starting point is the Starbucks in Shrewsbury, PA. We will take York Road south from there all the way to Cockeysville, MD. There, we will cut east and drive through the scenic roads around Loch Raven Reservoir, ending up at Hooters in Towson for lunch. It is 35 miles, but with the curvy and residential roads, it should take us just over an hour to drive it. The first leg is a hike, and so we'll probably need a break, so Hunt Valley Towne Centre is a little past the midpoint of the route, right along the route, so we will stop there before taking the roads around to Loch Raven Dr.

While in PA, observe speed limits through small towns, as the police really crack down on speeding in small towns. The entire route goes through residential areas and public parks, so the plan is for a spirited run, but always be prepared to stop or slow down. We're not out there to test the limits of our handling or determine max speed :roflpuke2:

Loch Raven Dr is closed in sections on the weekends, so we will drive around it to Manor Rd, and then to Cromwell Bridge Road, driving up Loch Raven Drive from the other side, and then making a u-turn. VERY IMPORTANT, THE MAP IS NOT ENTIRELY ACCURATE. Instead of turning left onto Providence Road, we will simply make a u-turn on Loch Raven Drive and head back to Cromwell Bridge Road.

I would like to schedule this for Saturday, 3/12, in place of the MD meet or concurrent with it, but that's not set in stone, so please suggest alternatives if that doesn't work for you, but I'd like to keep it scheduled for that weekend, weather permitting. There is no conflict with the NASCAR season that weekend, as there is only a truck race on Saturday. And I know that some would like to both have the normal meet and then cruise later or the next day, but if we're getting our VA folks involved, they probably will only want to make one trip, rather than two.

As far as getting TO the starting point, the fastest way to get there is to take route 83 north, which is a fun highway in and of itself. You can either pick that road up and drive it all the way from the middle of Baltimore City, or you can pick up the Baltimore Beltway (695) and drive it around to 83 north. We will be meeting at Hooters at 9, 9:30 AM if anyone wants to meet there first, and then we'll drive to Shrewsbury from there.

The Starbucks Parking lot in Shrewsbury is small, but next to a shopping center, so we'll park in the shopping center and walk across to the Starbucks.

I think this is going to be really fun!

Planning To Attend

1. shado
2. blades
3. zcarman
4. 4r3s
5. Red__Zed
6. TROOPER
7. ZOLE
8. tooohip

Sounds like fun but that's way out of the way for me. Get some good pics for us. :driving:

Yeah, I realize that this is quite a hike for the NoVA peeps, but this is just the initial cruise, based on roads that I know. If this one goes well, we can start planning on more southerly MD routes, and perhaps some roads in VA as well!!!

I'm so down for this drive. I'm assuming I'll be fine just following you Shado and with the gps on my phone. I think its after all of my mid-terms so its the perfect way to have some fun :tup:

I'm sure they won't mind you joining in on the cruise without a Z... after all, the president of the Mid Atlantic 370Z Owners Club (MAZOC) drives a Mustang. ;) :tiphat:

Absolutely! Anyone is welcome!

Also, this will most likely not be our last cruise in that area, I believe, because these roads are so fun. :tup:

Crap... I will be on an airplane (with a little luck and no mass demonstrations)...

NOOOOOOOO

We'll try to get in this one and another before Zdayz, I hope! Either way, I'd like to start making this a monthly or bimonthly thing.

Sorry to hear you're out of town. :(

I think this is a good idea for those, like me, who won't be able to make it to ZdayZ. I've wanted to drive on some fun twisty roads ever since I bought my car and it looks like I finally get my chance :)

I've heard skyline drive in VA is a fun road to drive on.

My suggestions:
-We all meet somewhere in MD and then drive to the starbucks together
-Take a break at starbucks
-Drive back for lunch

Skyline is fun but it's just a leisurely drive more than anything else. Don't want to get a ticket there.

I guess we can figure out some other place then. I will leave that up to the NoVA crew.

I bet you do, big boy! :rolleyes:

lol I'll be going every month or so, even if I'm the only one. :bowrofl:

I'm in as well, we can plan a small group to drive together up to shrewsbury also.

I plan on doing this as well. I enjoy every opportunity to get out and drive.

Since we've got folks coming from both sides of the beltway, how about we meet up at the Towson Hooters at 9:30am and drive up together?

Can do.

Sounds good.

Darren and I made the drive today.

Some notes (I'll update the 1st post later)...

1. We'll stop at Hunt Valley Town Center in the middle for a pit stop.
2. Loch Raven Dr is closed in sections every weekend, so I'll adjust the route to take us on a proper detour.

How was the drive?

The enforcement has been pretty lax up there recently, at least in my experience. You've also can take it to Blue Ridge, which is a bit of a hike, but a great drive with almost no enforcement.


As for this drive, I'm going to try and make it. It's a bit of a hike, but we will see how busy I am.

Well, regardless of LEO presence, it's just not a good place to speed. Lots of scenic overlooks and tourists.

The guys from Top Gear went on Blue Ridge, but they said it was boring because the speed limit was 35. They also went to Capitol Raceway in that same episode. I believe they were here this past fall.

Agreed. A 40mph cruise is pretty safe, but also doesn't feel like you're crawling because of the nature of the road. The far southern section is a lot better for drives, but unfortunately a lot farther away.

BR's speed limits range from 35-55mph, depending on where you're at. The section near the end of skyline is 50mph IIRC.

Yeah, it's fairly slow. But the whole point of Skyline is a leisurely, scenic cruise for everyone.

It's really awesome! Did not disappoint! And even taking the detour and only driving part of Loch Raven Dr, it really is an epic joy to drive.

I'll update the map tonight.

Yes, it was actually a fun and awesome drive, we had good fun today.

An you can never go wrong visiting a Hooters ;)

KUDOS for AL for planning this event :tiphat:

Blueridge is 45. And it's actually fun when you drive faster! ;-)

OH and if I have tires, I'll be there.

Anyone else confirmed yet for the cruise?

I got some radios today, so we can have a few laughs with them on the cruise.

Awesome! We can have our own little Top Gear style adventure :tup:

No, it's so we can all mock Shado's navigation skills when we get lost :tiphat:

I was planning on doing the meet in Columbia to meet some of the Mid Atlantic group but this sounds like it would be a fun time. I'll know more for sure on Friday morning but I'd like to meet up with everyone and take a scenic drive if the weather is going to be good.

Do it..!!

:bowrofl:

We can do both. Shado can be the one who gets left behind while we all go on ahead without him :tup:

So who is going to stay behind and film him as he tries to fix his accelerator pedal that comes loose and falls off???

It will be EPIC!!!

Al's DIY skills actually came in handy, when he helped those stupid Brits design their next hybrid police car..!!

http://auto4u2c.co.cc/wp-content/upl...lice-car-3.jpg

We can use that camera that Mike had that sticks onto the car. Or we can have a designated camera man. They can also be the person that hands out the challenge envelopes. Currently watching Top Gear as I write this :D