ben dover

Wow - can't wait for the next installment.

mdb917

Atomic UK

Well the count down is now full on.

24 hours and I'll be leaving for the airport hotel in London
48 hours I'll be arriving in Florida

The best news is, I have been cleared for insurance to drive in America! Amazingly hard to do,
but we got there in the end.



So, I'll be going on a quick 1000 mile tour of Florida before taking her to the shipping port for
the crossing to England.

So lots more to come over the coming days with many photos!

Cheers guys for all your kind words and interest, it's most appreciated!

anotherone

what timing!!!! Tampa bay vettes ultimate corvette party is nov 17.
They have 400 registered vettes. Theres a sticky in the SE section. Looking forward to your travels!

Atomic UK

That sounds a must be at, thanks for letting me know, but it appears to be sold out?

I've posted on the thread in case they can make a little room for a visitor from England.

CH-Z51

WOW! Thanks for the great post. I can't wait to hear more of your adventures!

And, I hope the car arrives as expected.

cmb13

Looks like your car will be leaving its Home By The Sea to enter the Land of Confusion soon. I hope with your Invisible Touch, it will be In The Air by Tonight. I sure hope The Lamb gets to Broadway, though, when you get Back In N.Y.C. by ABACAB.

Congrats, you pseudo-Yank!

Btw, I've got a British vehicle, so we're 'opposites'!



ps let us know if you'll be near Boca!

Atomic UK

Well I am Happy The Man and I Know What I Like, so it looks like it's Follow You, Follow Me or
perhaps there is some kind of Misunderstanding?

Ok, That's All, Supper's Ready!



Seriously, I will be about 30 mins from Boca Raton on Monday evening.

0corvette pilot

great thread, maybe I will see you on a layover if you ever drive around Crawley!

cmb13

Wingrider

Great post. I look forward to following your adventure, or as my students say, "living the dream."

Atomic UK

So, here I am in America and the big day lies ahead, but it was a long journey door to door.

The Virgin 747 left London Gatwick on schedule for what seemed, as a regular trans Atlantic traveller,
a longer than necessary flight? It would later become clear than due to the 'air lanes', we'd head to
the north and would actually first break landfall over Nantucket Island and drop down along the eastern
seaboard at the wonderfully named Great Egg Harbor enroute to Florida, finally arriving over main land
USA over Chincoteague Bay.

All in all, this routing added around 3 hours to a point to point flight and some 4,400 miles would have
been flown. Still, the flight was less busy than I had expected for a Friday to Orlando and indeed, I
had a window seat with an entire row just to myself.

Earlier, after the 'standard' Virgin meal, 3 hours were passed with catching up on some of the recently
lost sleep and I awoke fresher and with the anticipation building further. The music of Tears For Fears,
The Goo Goo Dolls and Genesis were the soundtrack for my 38,000 feet window on the world.

My thoughts turned to the days ahead and apart from the obvious excitement, there was now also the
prospect of the Corvette show in Tampa on Saturday to look forward to, coupled with a bonus of seeing
a friend I'd played with in a band some 28 years earlier and whom I'd not seen for at least 15 years, it
is going to be a wonderful weekend.

A brief final addition, it took 2 hours to get clear of Orlando airport and then the Hertz Sat Nav died
leaving me clueless as to the location of my hotel 3 hours away just north of Fort Myers.

However, I finally made it here just before 1am and am off for some sleep as I have been on the move
now for 24 hours and have an Atomic day ahead tomorrow....more later!

RicK T

Do you write for a living? You should write. I hate reading but you have me hooked. Great post. Keep it coming. Have fun and be safe!

Brabus2

Very entertaining thread, looking forward to hearing more of your journey.

Indyxc

Awesome, even your fellow Brit, Jeremy Clarkson, says the c6 is the only American sports car worth anything.

Atomic UK

Well perhaps fittingly, I saw the sunrise over Florida this morning and grabbed a quick snap out of the
hotel window. Now I know I am biased, but doesn't it appear to have almost an Atomic glow about it?




I am tired still after just 12 hours sleep out of the last 3 nights, but my brain seems rather pre-occupied!

I'm still unsure what to do about the Tampa Corvette show today as I've not had a reply from those I
have contacted and It's a long way to go if I am not sure of the arrangements.

I already have about 1000 miles to cover over the next few days as I hope to get the best from the
car and the scenery of Florida, so It's quite a detour in the wrong direction, but still, I'd love to meet
up with some fellow Forum members.

RicK T asked if I wrote for a living? Very flattering, but no, I run a couple of companies, one of which
arranges Driving Adventures for sports car owners in Europe and North America.

Well it is time to sign off for the moment. The day ahead is like an blank page in the chapters of my
life and travels, but I am sure by the end of it, it will be crammed with memories never to forget.

Thanks for reading folks.

2vette2

weathermaker

Wow, this is amazing. I'm going to follow this thread to its end. Good luck and drive safe. Hope all goes well with no problems.

mcandrew67

Awesome, don't forget give me a shout if you get time when you drop it off in Miami. We can go for a pint in South Beach. Look forward to seeing your Pics, I want to see one of Neuschwanstein Castle in the background in Bavaria, beautiful place.
David

Atomic UK

There will come a time to us all where we look back and say, those were the days of our lives.
Defining moments that will feature at the top of our personal charts, and I for one, have been
fortunate and have a wide library of memories that could feature in a biography that will probably
never be written.

My marriage to Amy my wife, here in America, detailed to blend the best of a British and American
wedding traditions, a perfect day.

Cradling my daughter Katie after being left alone with her in an empty room moments after her birth
and experiencing the wonder of a life created.

Sitting on the side of the stage at the beautiful Berkeley Greek Theatre, California watching my
favourite band of all time, Genesis perform Supper's Ready, "What mean the dreams, night after night".

Being a passenger in one of he worlds fastest road cars, the TVR Cerbera Speed 12 as it hit over
200mph down Hanger Straight at Silverstone.

Riding the cockpit jump seat in a DC10 as it took off from Grenada in the Caribbean and
wondering if we'd hit rotate before the rocks that were fast approaching.

Tagged, 'The Jagged Little Travel Agent' playing a part in a very small way in Alanis Morissette's
global rise to fame in just 9 months, by arranging her travel to the stages of the world.

Joining another of my heroes on stage, Roger Hodgson of Supertamp fame, to play drums with him.

These are days that stand out and to that list, I add today without any hesitation.
I have dreamt of, planned and plotted this moment for over a year and there are few times
in many lives, when we are fortunate to obtain the car that ticks every single box on our
wish lists.

That alone would be enough to add today to my list, but to have flown almost 4500 miles and
to have been fortunate to make the acquaintance of such a delightful and sincere person as
Michael who was passing on the car to me and to then ice that cake, by heading out on to
the open road, exploring at my leisure, the beautiful coastal routes of Cape Coral, Fort Myers,
Bonita Springs and Naples - can anyone say, "it can be better than that"?

As Michael and his lovely wife Marybeth made me so very welcome, time did not remain to
make it to Tampa to the Corvette show, but even so, I have never seen so many Vettes
in a single day as I did today, not even when visiting Bowling Green and to then end the day
visiting a close friend who I'd not seen since the 1980's, and to mix in to that the inner
feeling of knowing what I had just achieved, seen, felt and experienced and now owned,
is beyond compare.

This may have been but one day of my life, but it will remain a chapter retold and revisited
with passion, pride and all with a recollection of personal achievement.

Tomorrow, we continue the 'Ultimate Journey' as we return to the open road, six hours behind
the wheel of 'my' Atomic C6 (there, I said it!) as we take in together, some of the best view
Florida has to offer.

Thanks again for joining me on my journey and to Michael, a true Gentleman, I thank you
for making this happen - It was and will remain, a real pleasure knowing you.

Today's Gallery.