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August 12, 2000: Honda Insight Fans Gathering in Jacksonville and Sneads Ferry, North Carolina

Sponsors and honchos: Lejuene Honda, Jim Skinner, Bert Singer

Copied from a report supplied by Bert Singer--Thanks, Bert!

Highlights:

• Jim Skinner Memorial Poker Run 25.9 miles including city and country roads plenty of traffic lights
• The longest distance traveled was 638.8 miles by Bambi from Midland OH
• The highest MPG for the trip in was Diego Torres with 87.6
• The highest MPG on the set 25.9 mile course was Bert Singer at 88.3
• The group average for the drive to Jacksonville NC was 71.26 MPG accounting for 29.25 Gallons
• The group included 10 Insights 2 Red, 8 Silver

Keith Raynor the Service Manager was our host at Lejuene Honda. After parking our Insights in a row right in front of the dealership under the, banner welcoming us to the First Annual Insight gathering coffee and donuts were available. Everyone got a name tag; most of them even had an Insight of the correct color on them. There was a chance to fill out the score poster with their mileage and MPG data, lifetime and trip in.

Drivers arrived spread out from 9:00 'til Noon. We had lots of time for discussion and comparisons. Photos on an absolutely glorious day were taken aplenty. Just before lunch we moved the Insights from a row parked in front of the dealership to the service bay out of the sun. Never have so many Insights seemed to be getting service at one time.

Lunch was served to us by the dealership staff on one side of the service bay. After lunch the first set of
prizes were given out to Diego for best MPG and Bambi for having traveled the furthest to get there. They each got a Honda duffle bag. Then there was a drawing for Insight golf shirts; about half the drivers were lucky enough to get one. Then each driver got a goodie bag. An insulated Honda professional Service bag that will hold a six-pack. Inside the insulated bags were a tee shirt, a flashlight, and a dashboard plaque engraved, "FIRST ANNUAL INSIGHT DRIVE IN LEJEUNE HONDA AUGUST 12, 2000." Our final booty was an 18-inch trophy topped by Altus holding a Yellow Honda Insight. (I am planning on mounting Altus and the Insight on my Insight’s hood.)

After we had all stuffed ourselves. The staff at Lejuene Honda helped us raise one Insight on their lift so that we could examine the underside. They also got out the computer analyzer and read the error code on an Insight that was giving an Engine check light. It was the code for the Oxygen sensor. We put a full size tire into the storage well to see that it fits and is just a little deeper then the donut spare. Keith took a video of 9 Insights emerging from his service bay one after the other.

We left about 1:45 on our Poker Run, 26 miles to the beach on Topsail Island. The Insights were spread out at 30-second intervals to avoid drafting or copying technique. At the beach, after comparing performance high of 88.6 to a low of 65.8, we took a break to walk on the beach. We caravanned back to Jim Skinner's house in Sneads Ferry with a view of the New River. All the Insights were parked on his front lawn. Jim gave the prize for the highest MPG on the Poker Run. The prize was an official Honda storage bag for the back deck of my Insight, where it fits perfectly.

Refreshments with more talking and bragging about our place in the future of auto and environmental issues. Then dinner was serviced at Jim and Cheryl’s house. It was a North Carolina barbeque followed by some of Cheryl’s cakes and brownies.

A few of us woke up to the smell of bacon and barking of Cheryl’s guard dog, the 8 pound Pandy. After a nutritious breakfast we were lucky enough to get a long ride on Jim’s boat around the New River and Inter-Coastal Seaway, he refrained from taking us offshore fishing.. Besides beach houses, there were lots of birds to be seen, egrets, puffins sandpipers and seagulls. After a quick lunch we took the Long Distance winner from the Midwest for a long walk on the beach collecting shells and more pictures. Finally in the early afternoon with sad hearts we went our separate ways.

We know that we will join with Insight owners randomly on street corners and intentionally at other rallies of this incredible cars owners again soon.

Thanks again to Lejuene Honda, Keith Raynor, and Jim Skinner.

Pictures from this event are at http://www.egroups.com/files/honda-insight/NC+Gathering/

Jim Skinner Memorial Poker Run for Best MPG on a Fixed Course