I had dinner with our roving ambassador Stumblefoot tonight and he reported on the LA connection and the Scottsdale connection. We had a few laughs and discussed everyone and all the threads we thought were funny (that took a while... We both agreed the GL is the quietest, best riding SUV on the planet regardless of the model. We discussed the 2009 models and have come to the conclusion many will be very happy except for oknish since Distronic Plus will probably not make it to the option list.

The food was great at Rao's at Ceasars and I thank Brian for contacting me and picking up the check...

 

What'd Prof. Foot say about driving a 320 versus a 550? I let him take the beast from Camelback Inn to Z'Tejas for lunch meeting up with Danno.

Brian? Comments?

STP

 

He spoke very highly of his stint in the CDI and was duly impressed. I will have to let him provide the detail but he is on the golf course right now (about a mile from where I live.)

He also spoke well of Danno's trailer expertise.

 

I know you guys drive GL550's, I have the GL320 and always thought that both were essentially the same, with a few different appearance features. I drove past a GL550 a few moments ago. As much as I have been telling myself they look essentially the same the 550 really just looks great and is just an awesome looking truck with great road presence.

Both are great trucks, but I now 'get' the 550 (actually want to get one really bad!). Congrats on your great looking rides.

 

Great to hear of the get together, Jack and STP. It has been crazy lately so I am glad that our roving ambassador is staying true to his new title.

Here is a list of our official titles so far -

Patron Saint - NJ.
Roving Ambassador - Senor Foot.
Class clown - STP.
My middle name is "Diesel" - ScottyB.
Yeah, you can tow that - Danno.
LabbyMom - Jen (You have to see her GL to get this one).


Any other nominations?

 

I nominate oknish as Court Jester...all in favor?

 

Aye! Either that or Mr. Distronic

 

Glad you had a good visit with Brian; he's such a great guy.

We're heading to Nevada on March 9, but not Vegas...Laughlin. One of these days Jack, I'll get to see your beautiful 550 in person!

 

Yes he is a great guy Jen...and he spoke well of you also. We both agreed that this is a great group of enthusiasts which is kind of unique for a internet forum.

Hopefully I will get a little further west this summer and the LA/LV connection can have lunch.

 

If you say it, Jack, then we will follow ...

 

I am fattened by the honor

No, that is not a typo, BTW. I have a responsibility to keep now.

 

I will pay for your 550 detail. That should help with the timing a bit

 

Are you free tomorrow nish or perhaps later this afternoon? LOL

 

Do you not look at the picture forum? How're you going to detail that thing? You can eat off of the treads of the tires in every shot, even when he's just finished an hour off-road to get just the perfect reflecting pool against the sky. He's willed the dirt to stay away. You think simple soap and water will be allowed near it? Ha! I laugh at you, ha! (Well, you are the official Court Jester, so I'm supposed to laugh at you.)

STP

 

My "air shower system" in the garage broke down Steve so it really does need a detail...I noted some dust just the other day on the engine cover when I was cleaning the dip stick handle.

 

We are not worthy! We are not worthy!

 

I confirmed with John today and he is ready to do a 550 at any time. Say when :-)

 

I'm confused now.......

 

One thing that works well for me, Jack, is good ole plain Saran wrap. Just wrap some of it on the handle and, when dirty, just peel it off and replace with new. I still can't figure out how to keep the bottom of the dip stick clean. It always has this oily/black goo on it whenever I check it. Any tips?

 

Changing your oil daily is the best way to prevent the "oily/black goo" from getting on the dip stick.

 

I'll send you a PM when I plan to make a trip...maybe in early April.

How long does John take to detail a GL?

 

Last time he did mine, him and his buddy spent a total of 10 hours which translates to 5 hours for me. That was exterior clean and Zaino and interior clean and Zaino too. It's a big truck when you have to clean it He now jokes that after doing my GL he doesn't sweat on cars at all.

 

I absolutely love the new title and must say, it's the nicest I've ever had bestowed upon me. Since Feb. 11th, I've only been in my house with the family that lives there full-time for a total of 3 days. So, you can imagine how thrilled I am to be home with them for 3 days this weekend, before heading to Dallas on Monday.

My latest sequence of biz trips began in the land of tricked out vehicles (LA). I've never seen a place that has as many expensive vehicles as LA does. And, it seems that nearly everyone has to upgrade their wheels too! If you want to see chrome, head there first.

Dinner with Nish, Ratika, Jen, and Allen was fabulous at Opus. Jen and Allen have absolutely got to be the nicest Harley riders I've ever met. And, Nish will have you rolling all evening. It's nice to have a friend that will go toe-to-toe with you on any gastronomic dish you want to try. And, for those of you who wonder, he clearly scored a coup with Ratika. She's a beautiful and remarkable woman who clearly is way out of his league, but somehow he was able to convince her that she needed to spend the rest of her life with him. I don't know how he did it, but clearly that old Honda Prelude of his must have been one heck of a car.

After leaving LA, I headed to other sunny locations throughout Florida, before heading to the true land of the sun (Scottsdale). The graciousness of Steve-the-Pilot is second to none. As soon as he arrived to pick me up at the Camelback Inn, he hopped out of the driver's seat and said get in. I was like a kid in the candy store since I never had the opportunity to drive a 320 before ordering my 550.

Steve's 320 blew me away. Everytime I thought I was stepping on the throttle too hard, Steve would chastise me and say "C'mon... would you step on it please"? I finally found an open road and I let it rip. Holy Smokes! I was floored with the giddy-up-and-go of the 320. The low end is just a monster! I know it's not coming here, but if MBUSA ever decides to bring the 420 to the US in another 6 years or so, I think Steve has convinced me that the next GL I get will be a diesel.

It was great getting to meet Danno for the first time too. This fella has forgotten more knowledge about vehicles than I'll ever know in my lifetime. He truly is an amazing resource and I'm glad to have him as a new friend. I look forward to his help with my trailering experiences.

After completing business in Arizona, I was able to head into Vegas for a little R&R for the weekend and dinner with NJ. Jack is truly the class act of our world. Spending time with him is as refreshing as clear mountain air. I never tire of his stories, or experiences. Next time, I hope to spend some time gambling with him so that some of his good luck might rub-off on me since Caesar certainly has no trouble getting into my pockets.

BTW... for those of you who have not been to Vegas in awhile, the strip has become a dining mecca. Guy Savoy's namesake restaurant may just be the finest French restaurant this side of Paris. Mario Batali's new restaurant "Carnevino" served the finest rib-eye I have ever had in my life and trust me, I eat a lot of steak. I also had the opportunity to dine at Charlie Trotter's new restaurant (Restaurant Charlie) on opening night, where Mr. Trotter prepared the meal himself. Although there were slight service miscues (to be expected), the food was absolute perfection. If you like seafood and sushi, this is sure to be the hottest new place on the strip.

On Monday, I left the city of sin and headed to do battle with rain, ice, and snow throughout Tennessee (where my plane was struck by lightening and briefly lost power for <5 seconds, but scary none the less), Ohio and Indiana.

I am glad to be back home to catch-up on the forum. It truly is full of great people that I have been blessed to meet and enjoy their company. Best wishes to all.

Stumblefoot (a.k.a. the Roving Ambassador)

 

Glad you're back home, Brian. I agree with you about Ratika -- she is such a sweetie. Nish, ya done good! Allen & I had a great time that night.

We're headed to Laughlin, NV on Sunday & it was supposed to be a Harley trip. Allen says to me last night, "Why don't we take the GL to Laughlin?" I think I've created a monster!

 

Love that guy!!!

At least he didn't suggest the Civic.