[MSCW list] EARLY NOTICE - MSCW 2025 Destination Drive #5 - The Final Frontier - June 27-29, 2025

[Timothy Metzinger]

Roads... the final frontier.  These are the journeys of the car group - MSCW.  Our unending mission - to explore strange new roads, to seek out new food and roadside attractions, to avoid tickets and accidents, to boldly go where no group of Mazdas has gone before.

In Ticonderoga, NY, a Fan(atic?) began the process of rebuilding the sets just as they would have been seen 50 years ago when the series was being filmed, a 14 year journey has culminated in the most accurate rebuild of the original sets, and is now open and welcoming STAR TREK fans from all over the world.   Since we have some trekker(s) in our group, we have the option of taking a long weekend at the end of June to head up there, and see the sets.   Bill Shatner will be there for a weekend, so folks who wish can buy tickets for a tour when he's 'in the house' as well as other add-ons like an autograph and/or picture.   Lots of information is available at https://startrektour.com/.

But things aren't as organized as Starfleet might make them... Shatner will be there on Friday evening (6/27), all day Saturday, and Sunday morning (6/28), and there's no guarantee that a tour/autograph/photo will all take place on the same day.   So the plan is to head up on Friday morning, spend Friday and Saturday night in the area, and then head home on Sunday, in the afternoon when everybody's done.   This is a big time commitment, but the area is lovely, so I will lead car tours on Saturday for folks who wish - we'll head up the NY border of Lake Champlain, take a ferry over into Vermont and have a good lunch there, then come back by heading down the VT side and taking a shorter ferry ride back to NY.   The key word here will be flexibility - we're not likely to all be at the same event in the museum at the same time.  I'm hoping that they may offer 'regular' (Shatner-free) tours on Friday evening or on Sunday afternoon, as they'll be less expensive.

I'm posting this early so that folks who KNOW they want to go up and see Shatner and the original set can buy tickets (which are going fast).  The tours are not scheduled, but some things (like a chat on the bridge with THE CAPTAIN) are only available on Sunday.   Final schedules will be posted in May.   So by all means sign up and buy tickets - I'll lead the drive up and back, regardless of whether I do anything beyond a tour (I've already met Bill years ago).    Alternatively, if NOBODY wants to see Shatner, we can do a trip to see the sets at a different time.  I just wanted to give the group the opportunity to go while Bill will be there.

Logistics:
Assembly - Currently the plan is to assemble at the Maryland House rest stop on I-95 north of Baltimore, likely around 7:15 AM on 6/27/2025.
Departure - 7:45 AM.  Everybody signed up will get the details as they're available.
Time/Distance - It's about 425 miles of driving one way.  We'll stop for fuel/bathrooms and a meal enroute each way.
Fees - The events with Bill Shatner are not cheap.  A tour of the set is $75 (regular tour around $25) and photos and autographs cost money.  you can see packages at https://startrektour.com/product-category/2025-06-shatner/.  Then you'll need lodging in the Ticonderoga area.
Food - We'll find food enroute and good places in Ticonderoga.
Car limits - ten (10) cars initially, though more slots will be added if folks want to go.
Weather - This will be a rain-or-shine trip.
Technology-  I will bring extra Midland GMRS radios.  If you want to bring your own GMRS radio, we will be using Channel 30 on Midland Radios, or 462.7000 MHz frequency and CTCSS 17 (118.8 Hz) for the privacy code.  In Glympse, we'll use the !mscw_cruise tag to keep track of each other.

RSVP via signup genius at https://rebrand.ly/mscw2025-dd-05.  Don't use Facebook to indicate you're going.

Visit www.midatlanticscenicdrives.com<http://www.midatlanticscenicdrives.com> (in May) for maps and GPS files.