Walt's TBHL III Photo Album

	Those of us who got to Death Valley Wednesday night had time for some sightseeing Thursday morning. We visited Scotty's Castle, where a ranger let us pose the Boxsters in front of the building for a photo (l). It gets pretty hot in Death Valley (r). This picture was taken with the top down on the way back from Scotty's Castle. The speedometer reading didn't impress Viola Vamp, who drove on ahead with Kevin Christiansen. She says she prefers to drive the temperature.
	We had a nice cocktail hour and dinner (l), with our own private dining room, thanks to the Furnace Creek Inn. After dinner, many of us retired to the terrace and enjoyed the warm desert evening (r).
Next morning a group of us saddled up and set out on our Friday drive. Like last year, we drove the scenic Artist's Drive loop through a colorful rocky landscape (r). This year, though, we had something special.		By coincidence, there was a German TV crew staying at the Inn. They were filming a documentary on Death Valley for the Germain ARD TV network. They had planned the following day to film a group of British Bentley owners who had their cars shipped over to the U.S. for an excursion. But we stole the show.
	We lent the reporter Tom Morris' spare Talkabout, and the TBHL Second Unit was all set to go. We waited by the side of the road (above) while the camera car drove ahead and set up. Then they radioed us, and we drove by the camera for the shot. After repeating this a few times, we got to Artist's Palette and set up for our group photo (l), while the TV folks duly recorded the whole thing (r).
The reporter liked our work so much he asked us to do another go-around. Everybody volunteered. The camera car drove ahead of the group (r) and got more footage, then shot us from behind. We had a blast. Back at the Inn, the reporter asked if I had done production work. "You seem to know what we need," he said. Well, gee, after you've been on a few TBHL drives and used Talkabouts to set up a Boxster Rainbow or two, this TV stuff is pretty easy by comparison, don't you think?		The documentary was aired on German TV on June 1. Rene Weenink taped it from his home in the Netherlands, and has done a beautiful job of posting some stills and video clips on his web page. The poor Bentleys wound up with about ten seconds in the video.

	Arriving in Las Vegas, we checked into the Monte Carlo Hotel and headed for the cocktail party, our first chance of the weekend to hobnob with Boxster Board notables. Chuck Hammersmith (Porsche Pete/Just Pete) looks concerned (l)as Matt the Car Nut displays his new driver's license. (Chuck's rental car company should have been the one to be concerned, but no damage resulted.) Howard Graff from London and Macsac, from Hawaii (r), compare their native costumes and comestibles.
Next morning, we convened at the Boxster Corral (r). The weather was in the 70s all weekend, so the lack of covered parking turned out to be a benefit. It was perfect.		We hopped in the Boxsters and headed out for Lake Mead. The Speed Yellows stuck together (below).
	After the traditional regrouping, much waving of arms and talking on Talkabouts, the Boxster Galaxy was formed (l).
Saturday evening we convened for a sumptuous Boxster dinner, followed by the traditional awards. Master of Ceremonies Paul Cordell presented Howard Graff with an honorary U.S. citizenship (below l). Howard retaliated with a few brilliantly witty insults that had everyone ROTFLOL. Other celebrities recognized included Boxster board founder Chuck Hammersmith (center) and TBHL organizer Mark Lysinger (r).

	Sunday morning, it was off to the Valley of Fire. We regrouped at the indian trading post off I-15 (l), and then drove to the entrance station. The lineup of Boxsters was awesome (r and below).
The drive through the Valley of Fire was, as always, spectacular (below).		The parking area at the end of the road was our last photo op of the weekend. Here I am (below), with Truman Maynard, his son Lee, and their wives.
	Last year, Lee enjoyed his dad's TBHL II experience vicariously through Internet reports and photos. His message on the Board, about his dad, the Boxster, and the family's appreciation of the experience, was a classic. This year Lee and his wife flew in from Florida to share the weekend in person, and Lee's post was read at the Saturday night dinner.

	We spent Monday in Pahrump, Nevada at the Tracquest event, along with several other TBHL participants. That's Tracquest coordinator Todd Serota (l) with Nancy, and Trygve and his gear (r).
And that's the finish. See you next year.

TBHL III - Photo Album

April 26-30, 2000

The Boxsters Have Landed III was the third annual gathering of Porsche Boxsters from all over the U.S., and Boxster fans worldwide, held in Las Vegas from April 28-30, 2000. We had a pre-event in Death Valley on April 26-28. Seems like every year, more people bring more cameras and post more great reports and pictures. So I won't even try to do a complete chronicle like last year's. Here's just a few snapshots. (As usual, click on the thumbnails for a full size image.)