[JONAT-chat] I am Jonat!

[Alan Heartfield]

Hello all,

Jonat has degenerated into a modern-day version of the pony express.  Ian Bailey 
rushed Jay out to the end of the Regina sector today.  Mike Scales was along in 
his Apollo, but Ian's was the only Jag.  I met him all alone in my XJS, we 
transferred all the paraphenalia, had an ice cream and a quick chat and each re-
traced our steps home.  All 300 km of them.  So the 'tour' is down to single cars 
now. And it looks like for the rest of the Winnipeg sector at least, Jay will not even 
be travelling in a Jaguar.  I hope he will catch a ride in a Jensen to Minnesota, but 
if not, then it'll be in the  back of a UPS truck.  
Speaking for myself, but I suspect others also, the Canadian turnout has been 
very disappointing.  And it looks like the rest of the US section is going to be a bit 
thin, also.  What happened to all the tourers?  Doesn't anyone 'truck' anymore?  If 
it wasn't for Regina (of all places) Western Canada would have had almost no 
participants at all.  
Ian said there is talk of making it mandatory that everyone do the sectors before 
and after their home sector as a minimum.  Good idea, but how many would 
commit then?  Something has to change.  A tour of one or two cars is no tour at 
all.
Perhaps a change in route so people could take a mini-tour would work.  In other 
words, make it possible for people to loop around a section of the continent and do 
it in no more than 4 weeks.  Calgary-Denver-SF-Vcvr-Calgary or Phoenix-LA-SF-
Denver-Phoenix for example.  Well, maybe Lethbridge.  Calgary has had its 
chance :-).
Tonight Jay is resting at the corner of 50 and 100, almost spack dap on top of the 
Central Meridian.  Lets hope he has as good a trip home as he has had getting to 
the middle of the continent.
Bob - glad to hear you are online again, but at what cost! Ian says you had some 
'help' in the disaster.   Remember the 'P' in PC means Personal.  What happened 
- did a PBX destroy your modem?  Surely it can't have been a software problem?

Buffalo Alan 
Winnipeg Sector Co-ordinator and Express Rider.