Bob Kassow, a friend and regular participant of the Spring Mountain tours, liked getting together a few friends who enjoyed driving their sports cars at a spirited pace. Bob called these "No Picnic Basket" runs as the folks would gather early in the morning and drive as many hours as they could. There was no time to mess with picnics! In the summer of 2006 several of us gathered with Bob near the Georgia/Tennessee border at sunrise, grabbed a quick cup of coffee and sped off for a ride which took us through the Appalachian Mountains, the Smokey Mountains, the Cherohala Skyway (Bob's favorite road) and eventually to Asheville, NC. Driving his Ginetta, Bob lead us down many curvy, hilly, tree lined roads and through many side roads he had previously explored. He seemed to know the area like the back of his hand.
After several stops for sight seeing and gas, we arrived at the garage of one of his friends where we were served lunch, enjoyed looking at all of the wonderful memorabilia, cars, etc. and gathered up a few more cars and drivers.
We thanked our host and hostess and headed out again. More beautiful roads and sights leading us to Asheville. The final destination was a car show which was the final stage of a week long classic car road rally. We arrived in time to see a lot of the cars before they drove away. After a beer, we turned around and headed home. It was a beautiful day and we greatly enjoyed the camaraderie.
Robert Kassow February 13, 1947 - December 2, 2006
Bart wrote the following eulogy for Bob: "Though I've known Bob only for a couple of years and only in the shared appreciation of sports car driving at levels of concentration that erase the intrusions of anything not related to the sensory inputs necessary to maintain control, I came to realise that he was one of the few. The few who could escape, for a while, time itself and its limits. Think about skiers, mountain climbers, bicycle racers and sports car drivers as all able to escape time for a bit. Bob did all of those things and the things the rest of us do in the other life we share with each other. He got his time."
Bob is sorely missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.
