Don has arranged for us to start our day with an 8:00 am tour of the Speedway Museum in Lincoln. We are told to park our cars in front of the museum in the circular driveway and are provided with a very warm welcome. None of us have been here before and we absolutely amazed at the magnitude of "Speedy" Bill Smith's collections. If it has to do with Speed -- it's there. The museum bills itself as the World's Largest Collection of Vintage to Exotic Racing Engines & Speed Equipment and it is. We are provided with a private tour guide and spend over 2 hours working our way through 3 floors of beautifully arranged exhibits -- and even then we have only scratched the surface. At the end of the tour we have the opportunity to meet Bill Smith who is still actively involved in every aspect of the business. We each thank Bill for sharing his collection with us and say our good-byes to our guide.
It has started to rain while we were in the museum. We head to the nearby gas station to prepare for our drive in the rain. Don & Arlene pull out raingear, Gail & I pull out electrical tape to try to "waterproof" the windows. Electrical tape has become a standard "extra" we travel with. After all that work, we drive out from under the clouds in less than 20 miles. The sun is out as we pull into York NE for lunch.
York is the site of yet another parting. Don & Arlene have decided to leave the group and head north on their own. They are headed to North Dakota where they will visit with Arlene's brother before heading home next week. We are all sad -- it just doesn't feel right to split up the group. So with hugs and a few tears we say goodbye and promise to check-in with each other this evening.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Effingham to Kansas City (Labor Day)
We head west out of Effingham and are headed toward our old home town of Kansas City. The cars are all continuing to run under their own power. Don has developed an electrical problem (we think) that keeps him from being able to start his car the normal way. So Don leaves the car in 2nd gear and parks on a hill whenever possible. When there is no hill in sight, we all line up and push. Teamwork keeps the group moving.
We are a bit concerned about running into Labor Day Traffic caused by all the folks returning from a long week-end at the Lake of the Ozarks but thankfully this never materializes. We make a quick stop for gas and a bite to eat thinking that by skipping a lunch stop we might miss some of the traffic. Don forgets to leave the car in gear and after several tries we finally get the car started. We are back on the road and in Kansas City by 3:30.
Perhaps the major reason for choosing this route is that Gail read about the Steamboat Arabia Museum in National Geographic and is dying to see it. Barrie and I have seen it several times and it is a wonderful story and an amazing display of pre-Civil War artifacts recovered from a sunken Steamboat. I read on the internet that the last tour is at 4 pm -- so we head straight to the museum and make it just in time. Except -- since this is Labor Day they closed the museum at 2:30. The first tour tomorrow is at 10 am.
So instead of touring the museum, we head to our hotel and have time to enjoy the city. I have arranged for us to stay at the Raphael Hotel on the Kansas City Country Club Plaza. This boutique hotel has always been a favorite of mine and I was able to secure great rooms at a very reasonable rate. Tonight we stay in luxury.
We are a bit concerned about running into Labor Day Traffic caused by all the folks returning from a long week-end at the Lake of the Ozarks but thankfully this never materializes. We make a quick stop for gas and a bite to eat thinking that by skipping a lunch stop we might miss some of the traffic. Don forgets to leave the car in gear and after several tries we finally get the car started. We are back on the road and in Kansas City by 3:30.
Perhaps the major reason for choosing this route is that Gail read about the Steamboat Arabia Museum in National Geographic and is dying to see it. Barrie and I have seen it several times and it is a wonderful story and an amazing display of pre-Civil War artifacts recovered from a sunken Steamboat. I read on the internet that the last tour is at 4 pm -- so we head straight to the museum and make it just in time. Except -- since this is Labor Day they closed the museum at 2:30. The first tour tomorrow is at 10 am.
So instead of touring the museum, we head to our hotel and have time to enjoy the city. I have arranged for us to stay at the Raphael Hotel on the Kansas City Country Club Plaza. This boutique hotel has always been a favorite of mine and I was able to secure great rooms at a very reasonable rate. Tonight we stay in luxury.
Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow (Sunday)
When I tell folks we are headed to Auburn for the reunion the most common response I get is -- again? Why do you do it year after year? Haven't you been there? A few years ago, I looked at Barrie one day and said -- I've finally figured it out -- you have MAD CAR DISEASE. That is indeed true and it is the cars that started the whole adventure but the simplest reason for us to be returning to Auburn year after year is the people.
The last few years we have been staying at the home in Auburn. Loann and Charles greet us upon our return like we are family. George and Sheila have been staying with them for more than a decade. They open their hearts and their home and provide us a quiet respite to return to throughout the weekend. This morning we pack our bags and say our good-byes for this year.
We arrive at the Awards Brunch and are soon surrounded by many friends. We know that in a few hours we will be saying more good-byes. I head into the museum's banquet room to grab a table for the group we have been traveling with. This is the last time that the 8 of us will be together on this trip. Josh and Betty are shipping their car home and will fly out tomorrow. The rest of head west as a group and at some point Gail A& Joyce will continue to head west as we head north. So, for the banquet we will sit together and celebrate our trip.
The awards banquet is always well-done and this year is no exception. As president of the Club, Tim Gillmartin is master of ceremonies and does a great job. We are thankful for the efforts of everyone involved in putting the week-end together and we really do appreciate how much hard work goes into the event. The exciting news for our group is that Don Wohlwend is awarded the Wat Adams gold ring. This award is bestowed on a person who DRIVES their Cord Automobile. Don & Arlene are amazing. They drive their beautiful, rare 1937 Cord Convertible Coupe with the top down. We all marvel and most of us don't think we could pass the endurance test. But, they love it and their smiles show it. In just a few short years, they have logged 20,000 miles or more. But more importantly, Don is always at the ready to help when there is a problem. His effort to find a permanent solution to the problem of cracking wheels is likely to keep us driving. The Wat Adams award is a true honor and Don is the 70th person in the history of the club to receive this award. Looking around our table -- each of the men have received this award. First Josh, then Gail, then Barrie and now Don. The Four Cordsmen are intrepid driver's of their cars and fast friends.
From brunch we head out to the parking lot and I take a final look around. I know we'll be back. We head to the cars and begin our drive home. We head southwest through Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and Terre Haute. There is still enough daylight for driving so we press on to Effingham for the evening. We learn that Effingham is a mecca for Corvette owners and laugh about what might be for breakfast in the morning -- perhaps effingham and eggs. Tomorrow we are headed for Kansas City.
The last few years we have been staying at the home in Auburn. Loann and Charles greet us upon our return like we are family. George and Sheila have been staying with them for more than a decade. They open their hearts and their home and provide us a quiet respite to return to throughout the weekend. This morning we pack our bags and say our good-byes for this year.
We arrive at the Awards Brunch and are soon surrounded by many friends. We know that in a few hours we will be saying more good-byes. I head into the museum's banquet room to grab a table for the group we have been traveling with. This is the last time that the 8 of us will be together on this trip. Josh and Betty are shipping their car home and will fly out tomorrow. The rest of head west as a group and at some point Gail A& Joyce will continue to head west as we head north. So, for the banquet we will sit together and celebrate our trip.
The awards banquet is always well-done and this year is no exception. As president of the Club, Tim Gillmartin is master of ceremonies and does a great job. We are thankful for the efforts of everyone involved in putting the week-end together and we really do appreciate how much hard work goes into the event. The exciting news for our group is that Don Wohlwend is awarded the Wat Adams gold ring. This award is bestowed on a person who DRIVES their Cord Automobile. Don & Arlene are amazing. They drive their beautiful, rare 1937 Cord Convertible Coupe with the top down. We all marvel and most of us don't think we could pass the endurance test. But, they love it and their smiles show it. In just a few short years, they have logged 20,000 miles or more. But more importantly, Don is always at the ready to help when there is a problem. His effort to find a permanent solution to the problem of cracking wheels is likely to keep us driving. The Wat Adams award is a true honor and Don is the 70th person in the history of the club to receive this award. Looking around our table -- each of the men have received this award. First Josh, then Gail, then Barrie and now Don. The Four Cordsmen are intrepid driver's of their cars and fast friends.
From brunch we head out to the parking lot and I take a final look around. I know we'll be back. We head to the cars and begin our drive home. We head southwest through Fort Wayne, Indianapolis and Terre Haute. There is still enough daylight for driving so we press on to Effingham for the evening. We learn that Effingham is a mecca for Corvette owners and laugh about what might be for breakfast in the morning -- perhaps effingham and eggs. Tomorrow we are headed for Kansas City.
The Reunion & The Repair (Friday & Saturday)
I am way behind on this post and will come back to this. I want to catch you up on our travels. For the moment what you need to know is the repair to our car was completed with much help from many folks -- especially Bill Richardson and FedEx. Barrie & Gail managed to complete the repair at 11:45 and we were in the 1:00 parade through town. More later.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Home Stretch (Thursday)
We are up this morning with just over 200 miles to drive today. We'll be glad to get to Auburn so we can get the car off the trailer. Barrie says he will have it on the field on Saturday. Josh & Betty take off early to be in Auburn in time for a meeting. Gail & Joyce opt to sleep in and take a leisurely start. That leaves the Wohlwend's and the Hutchinson's traveling together this morning. We head for the tri-state and hope to get around the bottom of Chicago without finding any real traffic jams. Our morning commute is amazingly smooth. All that worry about Chicago traffic turned out to be for naught.
Don calls on the cell phone and says he forget to fuel up. The needle is on EMPTY and we are on the freeway. We look up gas on the GPS and head for a fuel stop. If it isn't one thing on this trip, it is another. We decide to take the northerly route so we can stop at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend. We spend an hour or so. The museum is quite terrific. Then we walk 3 blocks to have lunch at the Studebaker Mansion. An amazing place that has been converted into a beautiful restaurant. Three of the four stories have been lovingly restored and the restaurant rambles from room to room on all three floors. After lunch we walk back to the cars (well - Don's car and our "rig") and head off for the last 100 miles. Yikes, what should have been an easy afternoon turns into a relative nightmare. First we find bad roads, then miserable detours and tons and stoplights. We are ever so glad to reach Auburn at 4:00. The first half of our trip is over.
We first stop at the Holiday Inn Express where Don & Arlene are staying. We bring in the infamous traveling box of wine and raise a glass to toast the "success" of our trip. At least we are all here!! We head over to the private home where we will be staying for the weekend. Ahhhhh. Finally an opportunity to relax. We end the evening at a birthday party.
Tomorrow is the swap meet and then Barrie has the challenge of tearing the car apart and putting it back together again. Cross your fingers, we'll need some luck.
Don calls on the cell phone and says he forget to fuel up. The needle is on EMPTY and we are on the freeway. We look up gas on the GPS and head for a fuel stop. If it isn't one thing on this trip, it is another. We decide to take the northerly route so we can stop at the Studebaker Museum in South Bend. We spend an hour or so. The museum is quite terrific. Then we walk 3 blocks to have lunch at the Studebaker Mansion. An amazing place that has been converted into a beautiful restaurant. Three of the four stories have been lovingly restored and the restaurant rambles from room to room on all three floors. After lunch we walk back to the cars (well - Don's car and our "rig") and head off for the last 100 miles. Yikes, what should have been an easy afternoon turns into a relative nightmare. First we find bad roads, then miserable detours and tons and stoplights. We are ever so glad to reach Auburn at 4:00. The first half of our trip is over.
We first stop at the Holiday Inn Express where Don & Arlene are staying. We bring in the infamous traveling box of wine and raise a glass to toast the "success" of our trip. At least we are all here!! We head over to the private home where we will be staying for the weekend. Ahhhhh. Finally an opportunity to relax. We end the evening at a birthday party.
Tomorrow is the swap meet and then Barrie has the challenge of tearing the car apart and putting it back together again. Cross your fingers, we'll need some luck.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Automatic Transmission & Air Conditioning (Wednesday)
Another day, another challenge. Good news is that we are all making the best of the situation. Arlene's nephew-in-law drove 2 1/2 hours this morning to have breakfast with us. Clearly he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to see his Aunt Arlene and it didn't hurt that his dad lives near Cedar Falls. We were thankful that he was willing to drive us to Waterloo in his vintage Mustang so we could pick up a rental truck and trailer.
The gang gathered for breakfast and lingered until after 9:00 before getting on the road. It was nice of them to keep us company until we could contact the rental company -- but in truth a little organization chaos may have been the cause of their delay.
We called the rental company to see what time we could pick up the truck -- and learned that we could head over right away. We had rented the truck and were on the road by 11:00. Pretty good recovery from yesterday's disaster. Barrie called Bill Richardson with a list of needed parts and Bill promised to get it in the overnight FedEX. Amazing how the pieces are falling together. We arrange for a place to work in Auburn and a place to have the parts shipped. Our next two days will be spent hauling the car to Auburn. We have a pretty comfortable ride with air conditioning.
We are making good progress and see no reason why we can't catch up with our group outside of Chicago this evening. We stop a time or two to check the load. These rental trailers were not really made for 125" wheelbase (the car hangs out fore and aft) but all seems to be secure. We stop for lunch in Iowa City and are swarmed by a group of old men who want us to know that there is an antique car museum in town. We grab a quick bite and stop by the museum to see the collection. Amazing collection of early (late 1800s - early 1900s unrestored cars). The folks at the museum offer to help us fix our car. Since we have parts ready to great us in Auburn, we thank them for the offer but decline. We still have more than 100 miles before we make our evening stop.
The afternoon rolls along relatively smoothly. I say relatively because an empty moving truck pulling a trailer on an old interstate is not exactly smooth. Never-the-less, we arrive at the hotel in Tinely Park before the rest of the gang. I take this as an opportunity for a quick workout. The group arrives just as were are finishing up our workout and we learn of Josh's trials over the course of the day. Evidendtly a combination of bad roads, high winds and big trucks resulted in Josh's hood flying open. The good news is that the people (Josh & Betty) are fine and the car suffered relatively minor damage. I don't even want to think about what might have happened. We all gather for dinner around 8 and head off to our rooms tired but glad that the team in still traveling together
The gang gathered for breakfast and lingered until after 9:00 before getting on the road. It was nice of them to keep us company until we could contact the rental company -- but in truth a little organization chaos may have been the cause of their delay.
We called the rental company to see what time we could pick up the truck -- and learned that we could head over right away. We had rented the truck and were on the road by 11:00. Pretty good recovery from yesterday's disaster. Barrie called Bill Richardson with a list of needed parts and Bill promised to get it in the overnight FedEX. Amazing how the pieces are falling together. We arrange for a place to work in Auburn and a place to have the parts shipped. Our next two days will be spent hauling the car to Auburn. We have a pretty comfortable ride with air conditioning.
We are making good progress and see no reason why we can't catch up with our group outside of Chicago this evening. We stop a time or two to check the load. These rental trailers were not really made for 125" wheelbase (the car hangs out fore and aft) but all seems to be secure. We stop for lunch in Iowa City and are swarmed by a group of old men who want us to know that there is an antique car museum in town. We grab a quick bite and stop by the museum to see the collection. Amazing collection of early (late 1800s - early 1900s unrestored cars). The folks at the museum offer to help us fix our car. Since we have parts ready to great us in Auburn, we thank them for the offer but decline. We still have more than 100 miles before we make our evening stop.
The afternoon rolls along relatively smoothly. I say relatively because an empty moving truck pulling a trailer on an old interstate is not exactly smooth. Never-the-less, we arrive at the hotel in Tinely Park before the rest of the gang. I take this as an opportunity for a quick workout. The group arrives just as were are finishing up our workout and we learn of Josh's trials over the course of the day. Evidendtly a combination of bad roads, high winds and big trucks resulted in Josh's hood flying open. The good news is that the people (Josh & Betty) are fine and the car suffered relatively minor damage. I don't even want to think about what might have happened. We all gather for dinner around 8 and head off to our rooms tired but glad that the team in still traveling together
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (Tuesday)
As you can tell, I am once again running behind on the blog. I'll try to catch up this morning but I make no promises. Simply not enough time.
Monday night we learned of a NAPA store about 30 miles down the road where the manager is a REAL car guy and might be able to help us find a new cap for Don's radiator. We pull in and park next to a 1959 Corvette - this seems to be a good omen. Sure enough, after a bit of head scratching, he comes up with a GAS cap that fits. Don's car looks very sport with a chome cap on the radiator. Then we are again on the backroads and headed toward Yankton. Clearly we are in farm country. Miles and miles of cornfields and open country. We arrive in Yankton just in time for lunch. This town is very close to the farm that Arlene was born on. Don & Arlene remember fine dining at the Library restaurant -- maybe this is our lunch stop. We ask at the gas station and are told that the Library has been closed for YEARS. We stop for lunch at Yesterday's Diner. Fun spot with old cars -- though not as old as ours.
Gail was off searching farmers' fields in Winner for old tractors at our time of departure so he has been trailing behind this morning. Gail & Joyce catch up just as we are finishing lunch. We now head off in a pack of four Cords. We head south out of town across the NEW bridge and follow lonely highway 12 through northeast Nebraska before joining with highway 20 and beginning the trek across Iowa. We need to make some time to cover 250 miles before we stop for the night. My original thought was to stop in Iowa Falls but as cell phone coverage permits, I check availability. Yikes, only smoking rooms are left. I start searching a little farther down the road for lodging and find four non-smoking rooms at the Country Inn in Cedar Falls. I grab the rooms and let everyone know our plans. The group has now split into two groups. We are traveling with Don & Arlene in our rear view mirror. We are beginning to hear noises coming from the front of the car. We stop for gas in Webster and Barrie looks at the car but decides we'll get to our final destination before he digs into the problem. We just have 75 miles to go.
Now, this is where it gets ugly. Barrie gets on his knees to look under the car and SWEARS. He immediately gets to works taking off Don's beautiful wheel (driver's side front) to see what is happening. It is not good. I'm not good at the technical stuff so I'll get Barrie or Don to blog what actually happened but suffice to say we are not driving the car another inch without some major work. Don pulls out his cell phone and places a call to Bill Richardson -- who answers immediately. We certainly travel under a lucky star. Bill says that if we can get him a list of what we need, he will get it in the Fed-Ex tomorrow.
Cedar Falls is a beautiful town but we don't really want to be left behind to wait for a package and we don't want to hold up our traveling companions from reaching Auburn. I get on the computer to see if we can get a truck and trailer to haul the car the remaining distance to Auburn. This way Bill can send the parts ahead and we can do the work in Auburn. Barrie is determined to drive the car home from Auburn. Another stroke of luck. A truck and trailer is available just 5 miles down the road in Waterloo - and we might be able to have it as early as 9 am. At this point we decide the only logical thing to do is to button-up the car and drink! We head back into the hotel for a glass of wine. After a glass (or two) we are feeling up to finding a place for dinner. We head toward the lobby with Don & Arlene and find the rest of our group checking in. They had stopped for ice cream and coffee along the way.
We quickly decide to order in Chinese. We take over the lobby and enjoy each other's company and another glass of wine while waiting for the Chinese food delivery. The manager offers us the use of the breakfast for our dinner party. We celebrate our friends and the fact that nothing really bad happened. Another stroke of luck. We all head off to bed a little humbled and very grateful.
Tomorrow we'll rent a truck and keep on going.
Monday night we learned of a NAPA store about 30 miles down the road where the manager is a REAL car guy and might be able to help us find a new cap for Don's radiator. We pull in and park next to a 1959 Corvette - this seems to be a good omen. Sure enough, after a bit of head scratching, he comes up with a GAS cap that fits. Don's car looks very sport with a chome cap on the radiator. Then we are again on the backroads and headed toward Yankton. Clearly we are in farm country. Miles and miles of cornfields and open country. We arrive in Yankton just in time for lunch. This town is very close to the farm that Arlene was born on. Don & Arlene remember fine dining at the Library restaurant -- maybe this is our lunch stop. We ask at the gas station and are told that the Library has been closed for YEARS. We stop for lunch at Yesterday's Diner. Fun spot with old cars -- though not as old as ours.
Gail was off searching farmers' fields in Winner for old tractors at our time of departure so he has been trailing behind this morning. Gail & Joyce catch up just as we are finishing lunch. We now head off in a pack of four Cords. We head south out of town across the NEW bridge and follow lonely highway 12 through northeast Nebraska before joining with highway 20 and beginning the trek across Iowa. We need to make some time to cover 250 miles before we stop for the night. My original thought was to stop in Iowa Falls but as cell phone coverage permits, I check availability. Yikes, only smoking rooms are left. I start searching a little farther down the road for lodging and find four non-smoking rooms at the Country Inn in Cedar Falls. I grab the rooms and let everyone know our plans. The group has now split into two groups. We are traveling with Don & Arlene in our rear view mirror. We are beginning to hear noises coming from the front of the car. We stop for gas in Webster and Barrie looks at the car but decides we'll get to our final destination before he digs into the problem. We just have 75 miles to go.
Now, this is where it gets ugly. Barrie gets on his knees to look under the car and SWEARS. He immediately gets to works taking off Don's beautiful wheel (driver's side front) to see what is happening. It is not good. I'm not good at the technical stuff so I'll get Barrie or Don to blog what actually happened but suffice to say we are not driving the car another inch without some major work. Don pulls out his cell phone and places a call to Bill Richardson -- who answers immediately. We certainly travel under a lucky star. Bill says that if we can get him a list of what we need, he will get it in the Fed-Ex tomorrow.
Cedar Falls is a beautiful town but we don't really want to be left behind to wait for a package and we don't want to hold up our traveling companions from reaching Auburn. I get on the computer to see if we can get a truck and trailer to haul the car the remaining distance to Auburn. This way Bill can send the parts ahead and we can do the work in Auburn. Barrie is determined to drive the car home from Auburn. Another stroke of luck. A truck and trailer is available just 5 miles down the road in Waterloo - and we might be able to have it as early as 9 am. At this point we decide the only logical thing to do is to button-up the car and drink! We head back into the hotel for a glass of wine. After a glass (or two) we are feeling up to finding a place for dinner. We head toward the lobby with Don & Arlene and find the rest of our group checking in. They had stopped for ice cream and coffee along the way.
We quickly decide to order in Chinese. We take over the lobby and enjoy each other's company and another glass of wine while waiting for the Chinese food delivery. The manager offers us the use of the breakfast for our dinner party. We celebrate our friends and the fact that nothing really bad happened. Another stroke of luck. We all head off to bed a little humbled and very grateful.
Tomorrow we'll rent a truck and keep on going.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Mutiny & Reunion (Monday)
Barrie and I are up early. He heads out to prep the car and I take a walk. My job is to find breakfast. I return to the hotel with directions to the grocery store. It is fruit and yogurt for us this morning after last night's dinner. We also find a great coffee shop in an old gas station. Lots of petroliana to take in as we wait for our latte to be made.
Monday morning mutiny. The plan was to meet in the parking located behind our hotels and start our day by going to Crazy Horse. The planned departure was 8:10 (the time decided by the group at dinner since it reflected the Cord). Barrie has our car running and Josh & Betty arrive ready to roll. But where are Don & Arlene and Gail & Joyce. We know that Gail and Don took an early morning drive to see Sturgis but they should be back. We discover they are still packing their cars and want us to drive around the block to join them. (Great idea -- now we'll all be facing in the wrong direction). They then tell us that they will head out on their own and we are free to take off. And so, Barrie takes the lead and Josh follows as we leave Deadwood in our rear view mirrors. We will travel route 385 through the hills to Crazy Horse. At Hill City we stop for gas and moments later we are in the parking lot.
Time to go..............
OK -- finaly back at a computer. The Crazy Horse Monument is a sight to behold. The immensity of the project and the dedication of the family for all these years. The monument is larger than the largest pyramid (imagine that). The magnitude is almost unimaginable. We enjoy the overview provided at the visitor's center and spend time looking at all the artifacts. I've been here before but so much progress has been made. We could spend all day but know that we have more sights to see and more miles to drive before we sleep. We head out to the parking lot and low and behold the rest of our gang has caught up.
We are all standing in the parking lot and just as we are getting ready to head out -- our motorcycle friends from last night arrive. More conviviality. Finally we are on our way again. Gail heads out first, followed by Don, we are third in line. Yikes, they are turning left!!! The shorter route to Mount Rushmore is to the right. We debate for a moment and turn right! We want to have time to spend at Mount Rushmore. Once again we are separated.
We arrive at Mount Rushmore and find a parking spot that provides for a good photo op. With photos taken, the Malks' and Hutchinson's spend some time enjoying this magnificant monument. After a short stop, we are headed to the Badlands. We are driving the backroad and while the scenery is fantastic, the place is desolate. We drive and drive and finally reach the "town" of Interior. Josh is starving and we stop at the only establishment in town -- a biker bar. We stop and are brave enough to enter but ultimately leave since there is no vegetarian entree. (Come-on this is South Dakota). We continue to drive into the park and find a less interesting lunch at the park restaurant. We are all wearing down but Josh is concerned about continuing along the lonely back-roads. We detour back the highway for the bulk of the afternoon drive. Eventually we turn south and head toward the evening's destination of Winner.
Interesting drive. Beautiful farmland. Everywhere we look there are pheasants. Driving is starting to look like dodgeball. Somehow we are able to miss hitting a pheasant. We arrive in Winner and start to look for a motel. I spot a sign for a Holiday Inn Express. Sounds pretty uptown for Winner and we decide to go for it. We check in and are glad to learn that we can walk to the Holiday House next door for dinner. A local traveling salesman discovers the cars and is so exitied. He joins us for dinner. More on this tomorrow.
Monday morning mutiny. The plan was to meet in the parking located behind our hotels and start our day by going to Crazy Horse. The planned departure was 8:10 (the time decided by the group at dinner since it reflected the Cord). Barrie has our car running and Josh & Betty arrive ready to roll. But where are Don & Arlene and Gail & Joyce. We know that Gail and Don took an early morning drive to see Sturgis but they should be back. We discover they are still packing their cars and want us to drive around the block to join them. (Great idea -- now we'll all be facing in the wrong direction). They then tell us that they will head out on their own and we are free to take off. And so, Barrie takes the lead and Josh follows as we leave Deadwood in our rear view mirrors. We will travel route 385 through the hills to Crazy Horse. At Hill City we stop for gas and moments later we are in the parking lot.
Time to go..............
OK -- finaly back at a computer. The Crazy Horse Monument is a sight to behold. The immensity of the project and the dedication of the family for all these years. The monument is larger than the largest pyramid (imagine that). The magnitude is almost unimaginable. We enjoy the overview provided at the visitor's center and spend time looking at all the artifacts. I've been here before but so much progress has been made. We could spend all day but know that we have more sights to see and more miles to drive before we sleep. We head out to the parking lot and low and behold the rest of our gang has caught up.
We are all standing in the parking lot and just as we are getting ready to head out -- our motorcycle friends from last night arrive. More conviviality. Finally we are on our way again. Gail heads out first, followed by Don, we are third in line. Yikes, they are turning left!!! The shorter route to Mount Rushmore is to the right. We debate for a moment and turn right! We want to have time to spend at Mount Rushmore. Once again we are separated.
We arrive at Mount Rushmore and find a parking spot that provides for a good photo op. With photos taken, the Malks' and Hutchinson's spend some time enjoying this magnificant monument. After a short stop, we are headed to the Badlands. We are driving the backroad and while the scenery is fantastic, the place is desolate. We drive and drive and finally reach the "town" of Interior. Josh is starving and we stop at the only establishment in town -- a biker bar. We stop and are brave enough to enter but ultimately leave since there is no vegetarian entree. (Come-on this is South Dakota). We continue to drive into the park and find a less interesting lunch at the park restaurant. We are all wearing down but Josh is concerned about continuing along the lonely back-roads. We detour back the highway for the bulk of the afternoon drive. Eventually we turn south and head toward the evening's destination of Winner.
Interesting drive. Beautiful farmland. Everywhere we look there are pheasants. Driving is starting to look like dodgeball. Somehow we are able to miss hitting a pheasant. We arrive in Winner and start to look for a motel. I spot a sign for a Holiday Inn Express. Sounds pretty uptown for Winner and we decide to go for it. We check in and are glad to learn that we can walk to the Holiday House next door for dinner. A local traveling salesman discovers the cars and is so exitied. He joins us for dinner. More on this tomorrow.
What about the Wheels
I promised a report on the wheels and this will be brief. In a word incredible. We have driven over 1,000 miles on the test wheels and due to other challenges, have hardly given them a thought. That is actually amazing -- clearly they have not given us even a moment of concern.
Barrie continues to check the torque and at each stop it has been perfect. We have driven over mountains and along some pretty spectacular winding roads and the wheels have performed perfectly.
Several times along the trip, the wheels have gotten more attention than the cars. They are actually beautiful to look at. Engineer-types marvel at the construction.
I'll get Barrie to add his comments on the wheels when he has time. As you might guess, he is out checking fluids so we will be ready for our 8:30 departure this morning. We are headed to Iowa Falls. Today is a shorter day of driving so hopefully I'll be able to catch up on the blog this evening.
Barrie continues to check the torque and at each stop it has been perfect. We have driven over mountains and along some pretty spectacular winding roads and the wheels have performed perfectly.
Several times along the trip, the wheels have gotten more attention than the cars. They are actually beautiful to look at. Engineer-types marvel at the construction.
I'll get Barrie to add his comments on the wheels when he has time. As you might guess, he is out checking fluids so we will be ready for our 8:30 departure this morning. We are headed to Iowa Falls. Today is a shorter day of driving so hopefully I'll be able to catch up on the blog this evening.
Monday, August 31, 2009
A Great Driving Day
After a day of rest on Saturday, we set out early Sunday morning in great weather destined for Deadwood, SD. This was the first day that four Cords would be traveling together. We had a little trouble coordinating the start but by the time we reached Cody all the cars were in sight. Gail pulled into a latte stand and in short order everyone was out of their car standing in line to order a coffee. With coffee in hand, we were back on the road again.
Our route that morning took us over Route 14a. We stopped an hour later for breakfast in a small cafe -- and once again we lost Gail & Joyce. A quick cell phone call found them looking at junk cars, train cars and more. They continued to explore, while we ordered breakfast. By the time we were done, Gail & Joyce were in the parking lot.
We took off as a group and shortly found ourselves climbing through the Beartooth Mountains. The pass was intimidating. We were already at 5,000 feet when we began the climb -- some stretches were 10%. Every time we came around a switchback, we'd see an even steeper climb ahead. We are in second gear and making good progress up the mountain when Betty calls to say that Josh needs to stop to add some transmission fluid. We pull to the side of the road and open the hood to wait. The temperature of our engine in climbing quickly. Don & Arlene are also waiting on the side of the road with a very hot engine. Gail & Joyce also pull over and offer to wait while we push on.
Don & Arlene led the way up the mountain and we followed behind. For miles and miles we drive in 2nd gear up the hill. Amazingly both cars continue to perform well. We finally reach the summit and pull over at a lodge to use the facilities and wait for Gail & Joyce and Josh & Betty. Several minutes later we see Gail crest the hill and not too far behind Josh can be seen. We all gather and wonder if this is the first time four Cords successfully summited a 9,000 foot pass. In any event, we are thrilled that all the cars made the grade and are still running well. Now for the down-grade.
Before leaving, Don decides to check his radiator fluid. He opens the hood and discovers that he left his radiator cap at the gas station at the bottom of the pass. Noone is going back. We improvise with a piece of foil obtained from the coffee shop and a zip tie. This is definitely a non-standard Cord part but we hope it will do the trick. Not too long ago, Barrie installed a "burp bottle" as an addition to our cooling system. It temporarily holds the overflow and we haven't had to add a drop of water. Josh has a similar set-up on his car. Both Barrie and Josh were feeling pretty smug when Gail had to add over a gallon of water to his radiator.
The trip up the pass was absolutely spectacular. We were simply stunned by the vistas. The trip down the pass to Sheridan was just as incredible. We regroup just outside Sheridan and agree to put some miles behind us before taking a break. We drive 120 miles on I-90 and then stop for gas in Gillette WY.
A stop for gas and a quick driver's meeting. Josh & Betty opt for a leisurely late lunch and a drive down I-90 to Deadwood. The rest of us grab a bite on the go and head north a byway to view Devil's Tower. Another great road for driving and the scenery is breath-taking. We stop at Devil's Tower for photos and a soft drink before continuing the backroads to Belle Fourche. Miles and miles of open road and rolling hills. This is an afternoon to remember. We are however pressed for time as the sun will soon go down. We arrive in Deadwood just before 7 pm. None of us knew what to expect but I don't think any of us were expecting a combination of Disneyland and Las Vegas. The restored main street is bursting with people and activity -- and slot machines are everywhere. Two couples are staying at the historic Bullock Hotel and two couples are next door at the Celebrity. We park on the main street to check-in and immediately draw a crowd.
Betty has made reservations for us for dinner at Saloon 10 on Main Street. Good news, it is walking distance and the cars can all stay parked. We all gather at the restaurant and spend the rest of the evening relaxing with good food and wine. Two east coast bikers are at the bar and Josh & Betty discover that they have lived in many of the same places. After a very pleasant evening we say good-night and head back to our respective hotels.
Tomorrow we are headed to the South Dakota monuments and national parks before arriving at our final destination of the "big" town of Winner SD.
Our route that morning took us over Route 14a. We stopped an hour later for breakfast in a small cafe -- and once again we lost Gail & Joyce. A quick cell phone call found them looking at junk cars, train cars and more. They continued to explore, while we ordered breakfast. By the time we were done, Gail & Joyce were in the parking lot.
We took off as a group and shortly found ourselves climbing through the Beartooth Mountains. The pass was intimidating. We were already at 5,000 feet when we began the climb -- some stretches were 10%. Every time we came around a switchback, we'd see an even steeper climb ahead. We are in second gear and making good progress up the mountain when Betty calls to say that Josh needs to stop to add some transmission fluid. We pull to the side of the road and open the hood to wait. The temperature of our engine in climbing quickly. Don & Arlene are also waiting on the side of the road with a very hot engine. Gail & Joyce also pull over and offer to wait while we push on.
Don & Arlene led the way up the mountain and we followed behind. For miles and miles we drive in 2nd gear up the hill. Amazingly both cars continue to perform well. We finally reach the summit and pull over at a lodge to use the facilities and wait for Gail & Joyce and Josh & Betty. Several minutes later we see Gail crest the hill and not too far behind Josh can be seen. We all gather and wonder if this is the first time four Cords successfully summited a 9,000 foot pass. In any event, we are thrilled that all the cars made the grade and are still running well. Now for the down-grade.
Before leaving, Don decides to check his radiator fluid. He opens the hood and discovers that he left his radiator cap at the gas station at the bottom of the pass. Noone is going back. We improvise with a piece of foil obtained from the coffee shop and a zip tie. This is definitely a non-standard Cord part but we hope it will do the trick. Not too long ago, Barrie installed a "burp bottle" as an addition to our cooling system. It temporarily holds the overflow and we haven't had to add a drop of water. Josh has a similar set-up on his car. Both Barrie and Josh were feeling pretty smug when Gail had to add over a gallon of water to his radiator.
The trip up the pass was absolutely spectacular. We were simply stunned by the vistas. The trip down the pass to Sheridan was just as incredible. We regroup just outside Sheridan and agree to put some miles behind us before taking a break. We drive 120 miles on I-90 and then stop for gas in Gillette WY.
A stop for gas and a quick driver's meeting. Josh & Betty opt for a leisurely late lunch and a drive down I-90 to Deadwood. The rest of us grab a bite on the go and head north a byway to view Devil's Tower. Another great road for driving and the scenery is breath-taking. We stop at Devil's Tower for photos and a soft drink before continuing the backroads to Belle Fourche. Miles and miles of open road and rolling hills. This is an afternoon to remember. We are however pressed for time as the sun will soon go down. We arrive in Deadwood just before 7 pm. None of us knew what to expect but I don't think any of us were expecting a combination of Disneyland and Las Vegas. The restored main street is bursting with people and activity -- and slot machines are everywhere. Two couples are staying at the historic Bullock Hotel and two couples are next door at the Celebrity. We park on the main street to check-in and immediately draw a crowd.
Betty has made reservations for us for dinner at Saloon 10 on Main Street. Good news, it is walking distance and the cars can all stay parked. We all gather at the restaurant and spend the rest of the evening relaxing with good food and wine. Two east coast bikers are at the bar and Josh & Betty discover that they have lived in many of the same places. After a very pleasant evening we say good-night and head back to our respective hotels.
Tomorrow we are headed to the South Dakota monuments and national parks before arriving at our final destination of the "big" town of Winner SD.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Lazy Saturday
Finally, a day for sleeping in but we are up before 7. We putter around and talk with the folks who have already gathered around the cars. Four Cords parked in a row and visible from the highway draw a crowd. This will be our first real breakfast of the trip. We grab a table and start with a cup of coffee. The Wohlwend's have joined us for breakfast -- the others are sleeping in.
After breakfast, I head out for a run. Just a few yards up the road there is a horse trail that heads back into the hills. The trail follows from one fence-line to the next as I head north. At each turn another ranch comes into view. It is simply spectacular. I run for 30 minutes and then change direction and begin to work my way back to the motel. No cars, no people, not even a horse to spoil the peacefulness of this place.
Three Cords head into town to run errands. Don picks up his fuel pump. We pick up a fuse for our GPS charger, and we all head to the Buffalo Bill Museum. Barrie is anxious to spend some time working on the car so we pass on the museum (I have seen it several times but it just gets better and better). We stop at the store for a sandwich and some car-snacks and then head back west. I am now caught up on the blog but I do want to post an update on how the new wheels. That will come next.
The Adventure Continues -- will it ever end.
Friday morning and we are up early. The focus has turned to the cars and whether or not we can get three cars running again. But, first things first. We head to the local coffee shop for a latte and a scone. Montana has caught-on to the coffee craze. Back in the parking lot, all hoods are up.
It turns out that we are actually parked in spaces belonging to the local post office -- good news the post-master is a car nut. He is offering tools and even crawling on the pavement under the cars. If we had time, he'd take us out on the Yellowstone River.
Maybe the cars were just hot and tired. With a little tinkering they are all back up and running. Barrie has discovered that our battery cables were loose (from all the fiddling around on the first day) and once he tightens them down, the electrical problems simply disappear. An adjustment to the choke and the points and we are set to roll. One concern is that our water pump is showing signs of distress. A trip to NAPA produces the necessary bearing and we tuck it away "just in case".
Don does nothing more that talk nicely to his car and it seems to be running happily. We are wondering if there isn't still an underlying fuel issue but since it seems to be running so well, we decide to press on. Gail makes a few minor adjustments and he is also back up and running.
Our next destination is Yellowstone Park and from there we head east to catch up with Josh & Betty near Cody. We drive 90 happy miles through the North Gate of Yellowstone (where everyone submits their "Geezer Passes" and all three cars are now in the park. We are in the lead and shortly notice that we are alone. We reach Don & Arlene by cell phone and they are again stuck with the dreaded vapor-lock. Gail & Joyce are with them so we press on to Mammoth where we relax in the shade and enjoy an ice cream cone. We expect the other cars to arrive any moment but they are not in sight. Finally we start driving back down the hill -- and find them still on the side of the road in sight of the Park entrance.
Lots of tools are laying on the ground, but it doesn't appear that they have resolved the problem. Barrie joins in on the fun and crawls under the car. In short order, the consensus is that Don needs to get the car on a lift and attend to the fuel filter. The good news is that we can see Gardiner from where we are parked. Somehow we get all three cars rolling in a downhill direction toward town. We stop at the gas station long enough to ask where to find a REAL service station -- one with a lift. We are pointed to Cooper Tire and sure enough the have a lift and the Cooper Tire man has time to help. Voila, the filter is replaced and a new fuel pump is ordered for pick-up in Cody. While we wait, we all find a bite of lunch and in no time we are on the road again. (Well okay, we've been in Gardiner for a bit over an hour but at least we are moving forward again). It is just after 3 pm when we gather the gang for the next leg of the journey.
We head back to the parks with high hopes that this is the fix that works. Nobody (and certainly not Don) wants to call AAA two days in a row. All cars are running well but we don't want to attempt any mountain passes so we won't be taking the scenic route out through the Northeast Entrance of the Park. We take a scenic less challenging route through Mammoth, Norris, Canyon and Fishing Bridge. We expect that along this route we may find some traffic jams but at least we won't find a major mountain pass. Amazingly, there is almost no traffic. We see a bit of wildlife -- elk, geese, ducks and several bison. One of the bison was actually walking across Fishing Bridge creating quite a gaper's block. Cars are running well and we are making great time through the Park. With luck, we will be at our evening's destination before 6 pm.
We are enjoying the scenery along the way but there is no time to stop. Long ago, I gave up on the idea of a leisurely lunch at one of the Park Lodges. But really, the good news is that we are all rolling along under our own power. We stop to make sure everyone is doing okay and I suggest to Gail that since our GPS is on the fritz, that he lead the way to our night's lodging. Instead he hands me his GPS -- so we are still in the lead. Halfway down the mountain, Gail & Joyce pass up -- I figure they must know where they are going. We continue on at a more legal pace and find the Yellowstone Valley Lodge (YVI) 50 miles down the road.
We pull into the parking lot with Don & Arlene close behind. One look at Don and you can tell that he is not too sure about this place. It is an RV park, motel, and rental cabins all rolled into one. There is also a restaurant, bar, swimming pool and hot tub on the property. It is on the river but it really is in the middle of nowhere. The motel part backs up to the river and our rooms on the second floor provide a very beautiful and peaceful view of the river -- but we don't know that yet.
We decide the sensible thing to do is to head for the bar. The question is where are Gail and Joyce? Once seated in the bar things start to look up. We meet the owner who is great and gives us a bit of background about the place. He also provides us with free samples of Rocky Mountain Oysters. Some of us have had this experience before but for Arlene this is new territory. We finally track Gail down by cell phone and discover that he is 18 miles down the road in Cody. They'll be back in plenty of time for dinner. Meanwhile Josh and Betty have arrived and are settling in. So the gang is together at last.
Dinner reservations are for 7:30 and there is plenty of good food and good company. We are all tired and head back to our rooms after dinner. Saturday will be a lay-over day. We are staying put so Betty can observe the sabbath but we are also all looking forward to a chance to relax, work on cars, and see a bit of Cody.
We are indeed in the middle of nowhere and I have never seen so many stars! The night is still and with the sliding door open we fall asleep to the relaxing sound of the river flowing by.
Friday, August 28, 2009
More Adventure
So much has happened that it has been nearly impossible to blog. I'll do what I can to catch up on yesterday so I can get to the excitement of today.
Okay - our plan was to get to Livingston. We stopped and tour Glenn Vaughn's restoration shop and then headed down the highway. What could be simpler? A few miles down the road Gail calls and says he has stopped at the local auto parts store to buy a part for our car. He says it will fix all our problems. He then tells us that he and Joyce have stopped at a bakery for some fresh bread. All seems to be well. Barrie & I and Don & Arlene continue down I-90. We seem to making progress but it is not to last. Without too much trouble we make it to Missoula for lunch. I ask our GPS (Jill) for a place for lunch and up comes the Depot and Bar. Sounds like a good choice and not too far off the freeway. Since Joyce and Gail are somewhere else -- it is just our car and the Wohlwends that head into Missoula. The Depot cannot be found!!! So we ask at the local Pawn Shop and they suggest the James Bar. Nice lunch on the patio.
Now we have to figure out how to get two cranky Cords to start so we can head off down the road. Ours is clearly NOT going to start!! Finally, I ask the two cars that are thinking about parking in front of us to move so we can push the Cord. This is desperation. Barrie is driving the Cord and two octogenarians and his wife are pushing. This cannot continue. The good news is that the Wohlwend's car starts. We stop for gas (Barrie is not turning off the engine) and head back to I-90. Still a couple hundred miles to travel and no sign of Gail.
What could be easier than driving I-90? Our car is over-heating and Don is struggling with vapor-lock. Arlene calls on the cell phone to say that they are pulling over - the car simply can't continue in a forward direction. We think about going back -- but the only thing worse than 1 car stuck on the side of the road is TWO!! We continue on and promise to stay in touch by cell phone.
We finally connect with Gail just east of the continental divide and push on for Livingston. Waiting to hear if Don manages to get the car restarted. Finally, it seems that the only logical choice is to call AAA for a tow. Don & Arlene wait for the tow truck and we continue on to the historic Murray Hotel in Livingston.
Barrie pulls our car into the parking lot and it QUITS. The car is not going to move. Gail pulls in behind us and his car QUITS!! We can't get it started again. Finally we push both cars into a corner of the parking lot and head to the bar. We are stopped for the night and will worry about the cars in the morning.
The Murray Hotel is just like the Auburn Hotel only restored. Our rooms are well-appointed but they are on the 4th floor and the elevator (which is older than our cars) is not working. We haul our things four flights of steps thinking that this is just more of the adventure. We enjoy a glass of wine (or two or three) and head downstairs to dinner at 7:30 at the Bistro.
We settle in for a wonderful dinner and a good bottle of wine. We are waiting for a call from Don -- and discover they have the car on the truck and should arrive by 10:00. You'll have to ask Arlene about the 150 mile drive in. The good news is that they have arrived. All cars are safe and so are the people. We are going to call it a night.
Okay - our plan was to get to Livingston. We stopped and tour Glenn Vaughn's restoration shop and then headed down the highway. What could be simpler? A few miles down the road Gail calls and says he has stopped at the local auto parts store to buy a part for our car. He says it will fix all our problems. He then tells us that he and Joyce have stopped at a bakery for some fresh bread. All seems to be well. Barrie & I and Don & Arlene continue down I-90. We seem to making progress but it is not to last. Without too much trouble we make it to Missoula for lunch. I ask our GPS (Jill) for a place for lunch and up comes the Depot and Bar. Sounds like a good choice and not too far off the freeway. Since Joyce and Gail are somewhere else -- it is just our car and the Wohlwends that head into Missoula. The Depot cannot be found!!! So we ask at the local Pawn Shop and they suggest the James Bar. Nice lunch on the patio.
Now we have to figure out how to get two cranky Cords to start so we can head off down the road. Ours is clearly NOT going to start!! Finally, I ask the two cars that are thinking about parking in front of us to move so we can push the Cord. This is desperation. Barrie is driving the Cord and two octogenarians and his wife are pushing. This cannot continue. The good news is that the Wohlwend's car starts. We stop for gas (Barrie is not turning off the engine) and head back to I-90. Still a couple hundred miles to travel and no sign of Gail.
What could be easier than driving I-90? Our car is over-heating and Don is struggling with vapor-lock. Arlene calls on the cell phone to say that they are pulling over - the car simply can't continue in a forward direction. We think about going back -- but the only thing worse than 1 car stuck on the side of the road is TWO!! We continue on and promise to stay in touch by cell phone.
We finally connect with Gail just east of the continental divide and push on for Livingston. Waiting to hear if Don manages to get the car restarted. Finally, it seems that the only logical choice is to call AAA for a tow. Don & Arlene wait for the tow truck and we continue on to the historic Murray Hotel in Livingston.
Barrie pulls our car into the parking lot and it QUITS. The car is not going to move. Gail pulls in behind us and his car QUITS!! We can't get it started again. Finally we push both cars into a corner of the parking lot and head to the bar. We are stopped for the night and will worry about the cars in the morning.
The Murray Hotel is just like the Auburn Hotel only restored. Our rooms are well-appointed but they are on the 4th floor and the elevator (which is older than our cars) is not working. We haul our things four flights of steps thinking that this is just more of the adventure. We enjoy a glass of wine (or two or three) and head downstairs to dinner at 7:30 at the Bistro.
We settle in for a wonderful dinner and a good bottle of wine. We are waiting for a call from Don -- and discover they have the car on the truck and should arrive by 10:00. You'll have to ask Arlene about the 150 mile drive in. The good news is that they have arrived. All cars are safe and so are the people. We are going to call it a night.
All in the name of Adventure
If we thought yesterday was long, I guess we didn't really know what long was -- but it was all in the name of adventure.
Great start to the day. Glenn Vaugh met us at his shop and we spent a half an hour walking through and seeing the many, many projects that they are working on. Certainly enjoyed meeting Glenn and wish we could have spent more time, but we know we had many miles to travel. So a quick stop to gas up and we were headed out only I90. Our goal is to Livingston MT this evening and we have 425 miles ahead of us.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A very, very long day
It is 9:30 pm and we are finally sitting down with a glass of wine. This is either a day to remember or a day to forget. Got off on time and had a beautiful drive up Whidbey Island. Blue skies and sunshine. We arrived on time at the designated Starbucks and the Wohlwend's were there with lattes in hand waiting for us. Gail and I grabbed a cup of coffee and we all headed back to the cars.
This is where it all started. Our car wouldn't start. Barrie tried and tried but no luck was to be had. Although he really hates to do it, Barrie finally decided he had no choice but to push start the car. It worked!!! At least we were off and rolling again. Our route took us up the North Cascade Highway (20) and we planned to spend a bit of time in the National Park before heading to Winthrop for lunch. As they say, the best laid plans.......
Just 75 miles up the road, our car quit!! Just quit!! And wouldn't you know, we were at the back of the pack. So we pulled off the road in driveway of a home that looked to be closed up for the season. The house was next to the Skagit river and the location was really quite beautiful. Eventually Gail & Joyce noticed we were no longer following them and they turned around to find us. Not too much later, Don & Arlene turned around and came back to see what was taking us so long. They had been receiving reports of our status from passers by.
After several attempts to start the car, we had run out of battery power. Just as we were deciding what our next course of action should be, a small pick-up driven by a local man stopped. Given his druthers, Barrie preferred to avoid trying to jump start the car with a 12 volt battery. Mel said, no problem, he could return in a few moments with a full size generator and battery charger that should do the trick. And sure enough it did. It was time to search for the root cause and it quickly became apparent that the voltage regulator was not working correctly. This was a modern regulator that Barrie had installed recently. Mel suggested we travel 1/2 mile down the road to his place where there many more tools to work with.
So, all three Cords headed to Mel's place. And with tools aplenty, the fellows went to work. They replaced the modern voltage regulator with a 70 year old spare that Barrie was carrying and sure enough we were back in business. Sounds easy, right. Well as you can probably guess, it didn't really go that fast. We spent well over 2 hours diagnosing and fixing the problem.
Finally back on the road at about 12:30 with 75 more miles to go before reaching Winthrop. We missed our lunch date with Gail's friend Steve but he met us alongside the road to say a quick hello as we passed through town. We had eaten lunch at the historic Winthrop hotel with Steve on our 2007 Auburn trip -- so a quick reunion was in order. By the time we gassed-up and headed out of town it was 3:00 -- and we still had 200 miles to drive.
The first 100 miles took us past Chief Joseph Dam and Grand Coulee Dam. Huge massive structures. It would have been fun to stop and see the sights but we were now tight on time so we pressed on. Stopped 20 miles further down the road at Billy's Burgers (reputed to be the best burgers for miles around) and had a so-so meal with very slow service. Maybe it just wasn't to be our day. The problem is that while we were waiting for service, we were burning daylight. Finally back on the road at 6:45 with another 100 miles to go. Don & Arlene and Barrie & I get started down the road while Gail & Joyce are just begin to enjoy their meal. Gail actually has headlights that work -- why don't the rest of us? We are trying to make it to Post Falls ID before darkness sets in and it is going to be a real race.
We are counting the miles and watching darkness set-in. We unplug the GPS to preserve precious power, then we turn off the dash lights -- still not enough power to shift. OK, next we turn off the headlights to shift. This is not the way the trip was supposed to start. Finally we have our motel in sight -- we pull into the parking lot and the car quits. Luckily, we can coast into a parking spot. We are done driving for the day. Don & Arlene pull in right behind us, and sure enough their car quits. They too coast into their parking spot. As it turns out Gail and Joyce are not far behind. Good news, we all made it safely. Tomorrow has to be an easier day.
This is where it all started. Our car wouldn't start. Barrie tried and tried but no luck was to be had. Although he really hates to do it, Barrie finally decided he had no choice but to push start the car. It worked!!! At least we were off and rolling again. Our route took us up the North Cascade Highway (20) and we planned to spend a bit of time in the National Park before heading to Winthrop for lunch. As they say, the best laid plans.......
Just 75 miles up the road, our car quit!! Just quit!! And wouldn't you know, we were at the back of the pack. So we pulled off the road in driveway of a home that looked to be closed up for the season. The house was next to the Skagit river and the location was really quite beautiful. Eventually Gail & Joyce noticed we were no longer following them and they turned around to find us. Not too much later, Don & Arlene turned around and came back to see what was taking us so long. They had been receiving reports of our status from passers by.
After several attempts to start the car, we had run out of battery power. Just as we were deciding what our next course of action should be, a small pick-up driven by a local man stopped. Given his druthers, Barrie preferred to avoid trying to jump start the car with a 12 volt battery. Mel said, no problem, he could return in a few moments with a full size generator and battery charger that should do the trick. And sure enough it did. It was time to search for the root cause and it quickly became apparent that the voltage regulator was not working correctly. This was a modern regulator that Barrie had installed recently. Mel suggested we travel 1/2 mile down the road to his place where there many more tools to work with.
So, all three Cords headed to Mel's place. And with tools aplenty, the fellows went to work. They replaced the modern voltage regulator with a 70 year old spare that Barrie was carrying and sure enough we were back in business. Sounds easy, right. Well as you can probably guess, it didn't really go that fast. We spent well over 2 hours diagnosing and fixing the problem.
Finally back on the road at about 12:30 with 75 more miles to go before reaching Winthrop. We missed our lunch date with Gail's friend Steve but he met us alongside the road to say a quick hello as we passed through town. We had eaten lunch at the historic Winthrop hotel with Steve on our 2007 Auburn trip -- so a quick reunion was in order. By the time we gassed-up and headed out of town it was 3:00 -- and we still had 200 miles to drive.
The first 100 miles took us past Chief Joseph Dam and Grand Coulee Dam. Huge massive structures. It would have been fun to stop and see the sights but we were now tight on time so we pressed on. Stopped 20 miles further down the road at Billy's Burgers (reputed to be the best burgers for miles around) and had a so-so meal with very slow service. Maybe it just wasn't to be our day. The problem is that while we were waiting for service, we were burning daylight. Finally back on the road at 6:45 with another 100 miles to go. Don & Arlene and Barrie & I get started down the road while Gail & Joyce are just begin to enjoy their meal. Gail actually has headlights that work -- why don't the rest of us? We are trying to make it to Post Falls ID before darkness sets in and it is going to be a real race.
We are counting the miles and watching darkness set-in. We unplug the GPS to preserve precious power, then we turn off the dash lights -- still not enough power to shift. OK, next we turn off the headlights to shift. This is not the way the trip was supposed to start. Finally we have our motel in sight -- we pull into the parking lot and the car quits. Luckily, we can coast into a parking spot. We are done driving for the day. Don & Arlene pull in right behind us, and sure enough their car quits. They too coast into their parking spot. As it turns out Gail and Joyce are not far behind. Good news, we all made it safely. Tomorrow has to be an easier day.
Early Morning Start
Everyone is up and quickly packing the cars. We are off this morning for the start of our adventure. Our day will take us over the North Cascade Highway before we drop down to Hwy 2 and head to Post Falls for the evening. Seems like that should be an apt place for our next post.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Ready, Set, Go
Well, here we go again -- heading from Whidbey Island to Auburn Indiana for the annual ACD Labor Day reunion. In many ways, this is a repeat performance of our 2007 trip. The same four Cords will be making the trip and many of the same characters will be along for the ride. Gail and Joyce Shaw arrived at our home on Whidbey Saturday evening (a full two days before we expected them). Last year Gail drove solo - this year he has Joyce as his co-pilot. They will be driving their 1936 Cord Westchester. Hard to imagine but they have already logged over 1,000 miles on their trip.
We'll head out as team early Wednesday morning. Planning to leave Whidbey by 7:30 and drive north over Deception Pass bridge. Barrie and I will be driving our trusty 1937 Cord Beverly. By the time we complete this trip, we will have driven "Tinkerbelle" over 40,000 in just 5 years. Just a few miles further down the road we'll meet up with Don and Arlene Wohlwend who will once again be driving their 1937 Cord S/C convertible coupe.
We'll head east as a team of three until we meet up with Josh & Betty Malks in Cody Wyoming.
More later
We'll head out as team early Wednesday morning. Planning to leave Whidbey by 7:30 and drive north over Deception Pass bridge. Barrie and I will be driving our trusty 1937 Cord Beverly. By the time we complete this trip, we will have driven "Tinkerbelle" over 40,000 in just 5 years. Just a few miles further down the road we'll meet up with Don and Arlene Wohlwend who will once again be driving their 1937 Cord S/C convertible coupe.
We'll head east as a team of three until we meet up with Josh & Betty Malks in Cody Wyoming.
More later
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