MTMA Fun Run and Shooting Range Meet @ Bucks County, PA
MTMA (Mazda Team Mid-Atlantic,
http://www.mazdateam.org) is a club that I helped create for Mazda owners and enthusiasts in NY, NJ, PA, and DE. It has been inactive for some time due to family issues preventing me from dedicating time to it, but I want to change that. To that end, I am happy to announce the first MTMA meet in 2009 -- a Bucks County, PA Fun Run.
While MTMA is by name a Mazda club, I am opening this meet up to everyone. Bucks County, PA has some great twisty roads, and I have made a nice route that passes through some of the better roads in the area. I've done meets like these many times over the past couple of years and people have had a lot of fun.
Afterwards, for something different, we'll be heading over to
Ready Aim Fire in Bristol, PA, a public shooting range that rents handguns to anyone 21 or older that is not barred from handling firearms (convicted felons, those with psychiatric illnesses, etc.). Gun ownership is of course a hotly debated topic, but this is just some target shooting at a safe location. It can be a lot of fun, so even if you've never fired a gun before, you are welcome to come along -- someone from the range or myself (or someone else in the group who is an experienced shooter) can show you how to safely operate a handgun.
If you wish to attend this meet, please reply to this thread stating which part you will be there for (the run, the shooting range, or both).
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GENERAL MEET INFORMATION
This meet will consists of two parts. The first will be a 45 mile long cruise through the twisty backroads of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. There are some great roads in the area, and people who has been to one of these runs in the past has had a blast.
After the run, we will head over to Ready Aim Fire in Bristol, PA to shoot some guns! They are only fifteen minutes away from the start & end location of the run. They have plenty of rental guns available for very good rates ($10 to rent a handgun). Normally, renting one lane at the range is $20 per hour, but depending on the turnout, we will probably need multiple lanes. I will be looking into a group rate if interest is high. If you've never shot a gun before, or if you are afraid, that is not a problem. I'm not an expert shooter by any means, but I can definitely show you the basics. The staff at the range will also help you out if you feel more comfortable doing it that way. Ear and eye protection is included when you rent as well. Even if you are afraid of guns and have never even touched one, you should come along and give it a try, or at the very least, come and watch the others shoot. Until recently, my girlfriend was absolutely terrified of guns, but when I convinced her to go to this range, she ended up shooting 50 rounds out of a .22 LR handgun -- something anybody can handle as it is a very small caliber and there is barely any recoil at all. She walked in afraid to even touch a handgun but walked out knowing how to use one after having a great time shooting 50 rounds from a very 'tame' handgun. She has been back a couple of times and has had a good time in every case. It really is a lot of fun even if you have never shot before.
DATE: Saturday, August 8th, 2009
Schedule:
2:00PM - Meet at the park & ride
2:30PM - Head out for the run
3:45PM - Finish the run, stop back at the park & ride
4:15PM - Head over to Ready Aim Fire
4:30PM - Arrive at Ready Aim Fire
After that is is up to you. I will be at the range until around 6:30PM or 7:00PM. If you want to leave early, or stay later, that is fine.
If rain is in the weather forecast either during the run, or before the run, but not long enough before for dry roads, the run will be postponed. We will still head over to the shooting range even if it is raining, as it is indoors. I will make the final decision based on the weather forecast on Friday, August 7th by 5:00PM.
INFORMATION
The 'Fun Run' meets are a regular gathering of local MTMA members and prospective members who want to have a fun ride around the twisty backroads of Bucks County, PA. Non-Mazda owners are also welcome -- all that is required is a love of curvy, twisty roads, which of course applies to most of the members of this forum.
The cruise is about 45 miles long with plenty of twists, bends, hills, and curves. We'll be meeting up at the Park & Ride in Yardley, PA off of I-95 right on the NJ/PA border at 2:00PM on the day of the meet.
The cruise will start promptly at 2:30PM. If you are running late, you must call and let me know; otherwise we will leave without you! If you don't have my cell #, just PM me and ask. This is required because several times in the past, we waited on person(s) who posted that they, "absolutely, without a doubt, 100% are going to be there", and then did not show up and did not even let me know that they weren't able to make it. So, we sat around for 20-30 minutes before finally taking off. Now, I don't mind waiting for that amount of time, but
only if you call me and let me know that you are stuck in traffic or otherwise going to be late. It's not fair to make the others wait for someone that said they were definitely coming and ended up being a no-call, no-show.
Depending on the turnout, the run usually takes a little over an hour to complete, and ends back at the Park & Ride, where we will line up for some more photos. Printed directions for the course will be given to all in attendance. They also can be downloaded at
http://www.mazdateam.org/documents/f...nnsylvania.pdf.
After the run, we will head over to the shooting range.
We should be done with the run by 4:00PM, and we should be finished at the range by 7:00PM. Depending on the turnout, afterwards, we may head out to dinner at a local restaurant, or we may just part our ways right after the meet.
FUN RUN SAFETY & RULES
1. Keep a safe distance from each other. Do not tailgate. This is a cruise, not a race, and I will be setting the pace at speeds which are safe. If we are going too slow for you, then just deal with it for the time being. You will be given a copy of the directions if you want to take the drive faster by yourself at a later time.
2. There are some residential areas in the run where houses and buildings are close to the road which have 25mph speed limits. Safety is first, and we will be obeying the speed limits in these areas.
3. Use common sense at all times. No burnouts, attempts at drifting, etc. Public roads are not the place for this. You are representing the club on this run, even if you are not a member. We do not want to attract any negative attention from local residents.
4. That said, we will be taking things fairly quick, so be prepared for some 'spirited' driving. People that do not feel comfortable taking sharp turns a bit higher than the posted recommended speed (not the speed limit, the speed posted on the yellow signs) will want to stay towards the back of the pack. If you find that you are having trouble keeping up with the car in front of you, signal your hazards, pull off to the side of the road, and let the faster cars pass. Do not feel embarrassed if you need to drop to the back. It will be more embarrassing if you exceed your own abilities trying to keep up with the faster drivers up front.
5. On straights and slight curves, for the most part we will stay close to the speed limit to avoid negative attention. However, there are some areas where we will temporarily 'kick it up a notch.'
6. If your car is significantly lower than stock you may want to think twice before going on the run. There are a lot of elevation changes, and people with extremely lowered cars have had some trouble. Use your own judgment when driving; participation on this Fun Run is at your own risk, and I or MTMA accept no responsibility for any damages.
7. Car-to-car communications will be done via FRS/GMRS two-way radio. This will help keep the group together, and will help us regroup if we are separated due to traffic control devices (stop signs, traffic lights, etc.). Anybody with a radio: If you see any car or group of cars begin to lose the pack,
immediately radio in the information to me so I can take actions to keep everyone together.
SHOOTING RANGE SAFETY AND RULES
All safety rules at Ready Aim Fire's indoor shooting range must be abided by
to the letter. If you have never handled a firearm before, please let me know. Myself, or someone else at the meet who has shooting experience, or someone working at the range will gladly walk you through everything, stressing safe firearms handling
at all times.
DIRECTIONS
The Park & Ride is located at the corner of Taylorsville Rd and Woodside Rd in Yardley, PA. You can enter that intersection into most online mapping services (Yahoo! Maps, Mapquest, Google Maps, etc.) to get turn-by-turn directions. Here are some general directions from the major highways in the area. Feel free to PM me with any questions you have about how to make it to the meet.
From NJ/North: Take I-95 into Pennsylvania. Take exit 51 (the very first exit in PA, right over the bridge) towards New Hope. The Park & Ride is on your right at the first light.
From NJ Turnpike: Take exit 7A to I-195 West. See directions from I-195.
From I-195: Take I-195 West to the end. Keep to the left, and I-195 West will turn into Route 29 North. Continue on Route 29 North past Trenton. Follow the signs and take the exit to I-95 South. Cross over the bridge, and take the first exit in PA (exit 51 towards New Hope, right over the bridge). The Park & Ride is on your right at the first light.
From PA/South: Take I-95 North towards New Jersey. Take exit 51 (the last exit in PA). Keep left at the fork, and turn left onto Taylorsville Road. The Park & Ride is on your right at the first light.
From Southern NJ: Take I-295 North to the end. I-295 will turn into I-95 South. See directions from NJ/North.
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions about anything concerning this run, feel free to post a reply or send me a PM. Anyone is more than welcome to come to both the fun run and the shooting range, or only to one or the other. Please let me know what you are planning on attending as soon as possible, so I can secure a group rate for us at the shooting range.
I hope to see some new faces (as well as of course some previous participants) at this meet. I'll see you on the 8th!