What is “Tour” you say? A “Tour” is simply getting you and your group of Corvettes from point A to point B. A “Tour” can be a short trip from the club designated meeting place to the parade, rally start point or Concours/Show-n-Shine location. Or a tour can be a hours long trip through the country side. So the point of what a “Tour” IS, is not what is important here. The ins and outs of how to plan or drive a tour is what we will hopefully educate you about here.
The CdeO Mystery Tour will be discussed below under **Special Note - CdeO Mystery Tour**.
Typically every “Tour” as with every event scheduled by the CdeO Events & Activities Chair will have a designated date, meeting place and meeting time. Try to be at the designated place early so that the event coordinator does not have to wait for you. If you sign up for an event or activity and find that you are not going to be able to participate, NOTIFY the event coordinator as soon as you can. There is nothing worse that having a group or CdeO members waiting for someone they think is late and in actuality is NOT late but is not going to show up at all.
As in other events, make sure you Vette is ready to go. Have the gas tank full, have it clean and have it mechanically sound. There is nothing worse than having your Vette break down during your “Tour” to where ever or what ever your purpose is for this day. We will discuss what to do later should you have “problems” enroute.
The event coordinator should have a short (and brief) drivers (and passengers) meeting prior to starting the “Tour”. This is an excellent time to make sure everyone knows exactly where you are going. The best time to determine if anyone (usually you C1, C2 or C3 drivers) will need to stop along the way to refuel. Determine a point now instead of having to make a panic stop somewhere along the way. Another stopping point to determine now is how many “potty” stops are going to be necessary along your way. Make sure everyone is comfortable (no pun intended) with the number of stops and the duration between the stops NOW. Again, this is supposed to be a fun “Tour” and we don’t want anyone to be in urinary tract distress. Another stopping point to determine is one that will allow everyone to “catch up” with the main “Tour” body should you get separated for what ever reason.
It has been determined that it is great fun to talk to each other during our “Tours”. But it is a huge pain in the butt to stop every time you want to talk to someone. So, CdeO members have (individually) purchased hand held Motorola CB radios to maintain contact with each other during the journey. The event (Tour) coordinator should make sure that everyone that has a radio has turned it on and has it on the designated frequency for this particular tour. Do a radio check before the group becomes mobile.
Okay, so now all the details of where you are going, how many stops will be made, where these stops will occur and how often these stops will have has been decided. YOU CAN FINALLY HIT THE ROAD
Get in your Vette, buckle up, start you engine, turn on your parking lights (older Vettes, C1, C2, & C3) or your running lights (C4, C5 & C6) and wait for the “Tour” leader (this can be the Tour Coordinator or anyone that he designates) to start your trip.
Once the group starts to move out from the designated meeting place, don’t panic if you find you can not immediately follow the car in front of you. Or if a car several cars in front of you is delayed causing you to be delayed in getting out with the first Vettes. You should have plenty of opportunity to catch up with the pack.
A friendly suggestion for the “Tour” leader when first pulling out from any start or stopping point is: Do not immediately accelerate to the posted speed limit. Accelerate slowly and keep your speed 10MPH or so below the limit at first. If the posted speed limit is 60 MPH keep you speed at 50 or so until you feel the rest of the pack has had a reasonable time to “Catch” up with the group. You must remember that not everyone can be one of the first two or three cars behind you.
Make sure both the FIRST and LAST Vette in the line up has a radio. This will allow the group leader and the group tail to communicate with each other. The leader will know if the pact is together or in fact if the group has become fragmented.
Okay, the group has all departed the starting point and has successfully been able to get together as a group. Please remember that the whole idea of this “Tour” is to get you somewhere or some place safely while having fun. If driving on a “Freeway” (multilane one way roadway), try to travel in a lane other than the “slow” or “fast” lanes. Be considerate of other vehicles around you at all times. Be aware that cars could be entering or leaving the “Freeway” at on-ramps or off-ramps at all times. These vehicles will need to either merge with your Vette or change lanes (either in front of you or the Vette behind you) in order to enter or exit. Be courteous! You don’t want to cause an accident and you certainly don’t want to be in one.
Should you discover that you are having mechanical problems or need to pull over for any reason and this is not at a predetermined stopping point, let the group leader know as soon as you have determined you need to stop. Contact the leader (and all other CdeO members) on your hand held radio if you have one. This will allow everyone to know that the group needs to stop.
If you do not have a radio, or if for some reason no one answers your radio call. Turn your headlights on and off. Or turn your headlights on and flash your high beams repeatedly. This is the indication that you need to stop immediately. Other members in the group should notice your lights and pass the information to the leader via radio. If you do not have a radio and notice another club member flashing their lights, flash your lights also.
Keep an eye out for your fellow club member! If you notice them pull off or stop without notice pass this information upstream to the “Tour” leader. We all care about each other and should also look out after each other.
Once you have reached your designated event or activity location and that event is over notify the “Tour” coordinator if you should not intend to return to Olympia with the group. Again this will allow the “Tour” coordinator to know who all will be with the group for the return trip.
All the same ”rules” for touring apply on the return trip as did on the trip to the event or activity.
There this should help you to “Tour” in the future. The point of “Touring” is to have fun in your Vette on your way to events and activities as well as once you arrive at that event or activity.
There is an additional document titled How To Drive A Tour - Supplement available from this web site. This document is also a good tool for learning to plan or drive in a Tour. Some information in it is repeated from this document and some is new. Between the two they are an excellent source for learning to plan for or drive in a Tour.
**SPECIAL NOTE - CdeO Mystery Tour**
Typically each year a CdeO Member volunteers to plan and coordinate a CdeO Mystery Tour. Everything that you have just read about “Tours” may or may not hold true with this event. It all depends what kind of wild ride the Mystery Tour Coordinator wishes to take you on.
But, be advised, no matter what the format or the rules of the Mystery Tour, it is always an exciting and fun event to take part of. SO DON’T MISS THE ANNUAL CdeO MYSTERY TOUR! ! !