Event Coverage memorable road trips

The year I retired 2010, my wife and I drove our '46 Ford Woodie to the worlds biggest Woodie show called Wavecrest in Encinitas CA, from Long Island NY, 319 other Woodies. Took the entire month of September. Did a lap around Indy, Grand Canyon, Speedway Museum, Vegas, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, Arches NP, Bryce Canyon, Williams, AZ and several other sites. Did Route 66 on and off. We did 6877 miles and went thru 19 States. Only rain we had in 30 days was the last two days from Pittsburg, PA to L.I. and when I say rain, it came down in buckets. When we got home the car looked like it was painted a combination of black and gray primer, the whitewalls were brown, what a mess. Can't wait to do it again before I get too old.

 

Last time I was in a 1940 woody we got caught in a heavy rain then the sun came out and got hot, mthe wood in the passenger door must have swollen up because i couldn't get it to open, a couple of days of drying out and the door open and closed fine. HRP

 

Spent 15 years doing the Portland to Bakersfield deal for the CHRR (Famoso).
Most memorable roadtrip though had to be the 1997 Hot Rod Power Tour.
Portland to L.A. to Las Vegas (5 laps LVMS), many overnighters with cruise-in's (huge), in Denver, K.C. Kansas, St. Louis, Mo. Springfield and Lansing Illinois, and a handful of daytime event stops with final destination downtown Mt. St. Clemens Mich. (Detroit).
On the road east for a week, Detroit back to Portland, two days.
Followed Chip Foose through the Rockies in Boyd Coddingtons' red "no top" 57 Chevy (burrr).
Boyd and Vic Edelbrock (in person), sponsored lunch stops, met many hot rod industry movers and shakers, one of the high points was seeing Gray Baskerville at gas stops numerous times, the storys about him are true.
Even shadowed fellow HAMB'r Jim Forbes "squirrel" a few times in his blown 55 Chevy.

 

Was on the way to a car show and campout with a girlfriend in the early eighties. I Was about an hour and a half into about a two hour drive to the show. Driving though the country side past farms and on deserted hilly country road. As I came over a hill there in the road stood a cow. I slammed on the brakes and managed not to make a hood ornament out of him. I didn't to leave him there for the next car to grease him so I pulled over, got a piece of rope out of the trunk and walked him to the nearest farm which was about a quarter mile down the road. When I got him there the woman in the house claimed it wasn't their cow. I explained I wasn't going to take this cow all around the countryside looking like Jack from Jack and the beanstalk so she said she and would take him and make some calls. I tied him to their fence, walked back to my car where my girlfriend was still laughing. When I got to the show my girlfriend told the story to all my partners in crime where for the entire weekend I was referred to as jack.

 

Now this tale really could use a photo, seeing you traipsing around with a cow. HRP

 

There have been a few, where do I start? First long one was my wife and I to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia in 04 that's just over 4K mi. Had the HEI module go bad in New Hampshire. I'd just popped the hood when a guy stopped to see if I needed help. I figured what it was and he ran me to a parts store to get a new one and I was back on the road in less than an hour. Then 05 to Lake Tahoe and southern Ca. doing Rod and Custom mags Ego-Rama. I had a great co-pilot the one and only BobK. No problems and around 6K mi. Next was 06. Again to Lake Tahoe this time my wife was the passenger. We spent 2 weeks in Tahoe then went to Sacramento for the NSRA show. My wife didn't care to do the rest of the trip and flew home. On Sunday after the show I left on what was called The Iron Man Run for Tampa and the NSRA show there. Arrived on Thurs. a.m. and did the show. On Sun. after the show I headed home by way of Gatlinburg taking a couple of days to come home. This trip was 8K mi. in 4 weeks. Starting in 07 I made three trips to Jacksonville Fl as my youngest son was stationed there. Each time on the homeward bound run I would get up early and leave there and sleep in my own bed that night. The home trip was 1200 mi.

 

Billed as: “The Largest Independence Day Parade West of the Mississippi River.”


The 115 years old Huntington Beach 4th of July Parade and how I learned never to drive a VW van for life.

Hello,

Yes, a 115 year old 4th celebration parade in a So Cal beach town. Every year this parade gets bigger and bigger. Before it was just a parade that wound around the downtown area, these days, it is one long parade. It starts on the coast and goes inland for about 2 miles. The headliners were some of the celebrities that were on the music charts, actors/actresses, sports stars, local dignitaries, and a lot of bands/floats. It is the same today, only bigger and flashier with added festivities at the beach and pier.

The parade has grown to about 2 miles, starting on PCH and going up Main Street. But, back in the early 60s, we only saw it in the downtown areas.

(Villa Sweden was one of our favorite stop overs for lunch and dinner. It was all you can eat for one low price. They offered drinks and all accessories, plus the grand meals. This was a hungry teenager’s paradise. We saw plenty of our friends at all hours of the day and night.)
In 1960, we loved surfing the HB Pier all year around. In the Winter, it was the North side of the pier for the best rides. In the Summer, it was the big South swells hitting the South side of the pier. So, it was a gathering spot for plenty of good surfers from all over So Cal. As any gathering of surfers happened during those times, someone was bound to have a rousing party on any evening. On the 3rd, there were parties galore and those led into the late night of the 4th. Raging is a modern term, but back then, most parties were “raging.”

On the very early morning of the 4th, I wanted to be the first guy in the water. I got up early from the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery and walked to the beach. As I was approaching PCH, I heard a loud noise coming from the shoreline. The waves did not cover the noise up, although they were pumping. Upon arriving at the PCH corner, I saw a gruesome sight. A VW van had crunched itself into a light pole on the inland side of the highway, facing south. That meant the driver fell asleep going south on PCH and wandered across all of the lanes and hit the inland side light pole.

I immediately ran back to the party house and used the phone to call the police. No 911 back then. They sent an ambulance and tow truck to the site. Why did I not like driving a VW van from that incident? There was, as we all know, nothing in front of the passenger and driver except for thin sheet metal. In a crunch, everything just crushes inward. The driver went through the window and was stuck ½ way out.

Jnaki

From that point on, the parade and even the great surf were not as important anymore. Our thoughts were on that poor teenager that did not make the 4th celebration. R.I.P. We drove home in sadness that day. It was a sad road trip, to a fun place, gone sour.

 

There was the time several members of our club was en route to the Nationals and a member driving a T Bucket had a U joint failure s we were climbing a steep grade, so we all pulled over on the side of the road while another member went back down the mountain to a parts store.

We had about a hour and a half wait and a few of the wives decided they needed to go to the ladies room, being we were on the side of the road the ladies made their way down a hill side and into the woods, no more than they had gotten out of sight we heard a couple of them scream and they came running back up the hill a lot faster than they had gone down and we met them about midway point.

When ask what's wrong they said they heard something, we started laughing at them and said you are grown women and your scared of a noise but they were insistent that we go see what was making the noise.

Three of us when into the woods and sure enough we heard the noise too, on closer inspection we found a huge wild hog that appeared to hive been hit and was dragging it's rear legs, snorting and Roger reached in his pocket and pulled out a pistol and shot the hog and put it out of it's misery, to be honest it scared a bunch of grown men too. HRP

 

And I was going to tell about driving my Lincoln home from Tupelo MS with one working front brake, one hanging front brake, no rear brakes, and a bad axle bearing, but I can't top a story about a wild hog and screaming women!

 

I'm not accustom to being photographed with livestock unless it is on a plate in front of me well done.

 

I want to hear that tale Bobby, I realize my story sounds crazy but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. HRP

 

On the way home from the all deuce run I broke a lower coil over shock mount on the rear of my coupe and hrp saw the tire ribbing the body and smoking every time I hat a bump in the road, we got of the interstate and stopped at a small gas station. they was no way of fixing the mount and we were 2 hours from home.
hrp came up with the idea of using a piece of 4 by 4 we found beside the station and stuck it between the axle and the frame he used his belt to tie the block in place and wraped it around everything to hold it in place, the shock was just hanging but it got me home.

 

I remember it like it was yesterday, BTW, thank you for the new belt. HRP

 

Primer, it took about a week for me to be able to open the driver side rear door. Woodies squeak and rattle but when it rains the wood swells and it quiets right down.

 

Lots of road trips over the years but I have to say my first real one sticks out as one of the most fun. It was 1968, my parents and little brother went on vacation, I stayed home as I had a part time job. It ended up I didn't have to work for 3 days straight so my buddy and I decided to take my 55 Buick on a little camping road trip. We loaded up some camping gear and a cooler and took off for where ever, no real plans. The first night we landed close to Lake Erie, the next night some where in Indiana at a State park that was the site of a cheerleader convention/campout. SCORE!!! Over a hundred girls and they were friendly as hell, a 16 year old boys dream come true Too bad for us we had to be back home so bye bye chicky babes. Just as well , we were broke anyway. The Buick never missed a beat, only trouble we had was a fan belt broke and I had a spare and tools in the trunk. Come to think of it I never did tell Mom & Dad about that little trip as I had instructions not to go any where but to work or the local store. I se the guy that went with me every once in a while and the great summer of 68 camping trip and those cheerleaders is the first thing that we talk about.

 

If you insist, lol....

About three years ago, we were fixing to head over to Tupelo for the Blue Suede cruise, planned on taking the 88 Vette we had at the time. As luck would have it, it wouldn't run. We had been having problems with it but thought we had it straightened out, but we didn't, so since we already had a room reserved, we decided to take the Lincoln. Now, I had already been driving the Lincoln for close to a year, but never over 30 miles from home, and never really had any problems with it. We set out in it....

Made it to just before the truck scale in Fulton MS when the volt meter said it wasn't charging. Jumped off in Fulton and went to O Reilly's and had them check the alternator, it was fine, turned out I had a crimp come off a wire on the voltmeter, bought a cheap box of connectors and a crimping plier, new connector and we're good to go.

Made it on into Tupelo, got off on the ramp to Main ST to go get registered in, car didn't want to stop good, and pulled to the right kinda hard. It's always pulled right on a hard stop, so never thought nothing about it. Got registered in and went to leave, the car wouldn't move, right front brake locked up. Got under it as best I could, opened bleeder valve, it released. Figured it was just hot and I had the brakes too tight, so when we got to the hotel room, I ran it up on the curb to get some belly room and backed off the adjustment a bit. Went to supper, it was fine until we started back to the room, then it tried to grab again. Checked it again, and backed off it just a bit more.

Next day, we traveled down to the show site early that morning. By the time we got through town, the brake was stuck again. Let it cool, still stuck. Open bleeder again, it frees up, so I figure something is holding fluid in the lines. These are all new lines, new master [Corvette style from Speedway, firewall mounted}, new wheel cylinders from NAPA, shoes were originals, dry and looked good. Get the idea to block that wheel line off, put a small nail or screw in it, put it back together. Going back to hotel that evening, this damn thing won't hardly stop at all! Decide to open the line back up and just bleed it after I stop every time.

Sunday morning, went back down to show site for awards. Notice a metallic ringing coming from the rear end, what now? Get to listening to it, seems like every time the tire turns, it's a ring and a dull clunk. Get under, check U joints, OK, pull on tires, no slack. Head for home, 2 hours away, run 55-60 on Interstate to be safe. Made it home OK.

Next Saturday, jack up the rear to adjust brakes. First slot I look in, see something over the star wheel, flat steel, wtf? Pull wheel and drum {Ford 8"}, a bent piece of steel falls out. The spreader bar for the shoes, again, wtf? Pull other side, spreader bar is between star wheel and backing plate. When I put in the new shoes and hardware, I left out the self adjuster linkage because I didn't have a set of good E brake cables. Brain fart. Without that linkage, the spreader bar has no tension on it, and it fell out. As it bumped around in the drum, it hit the star wheel, backing off the rear brakes. And the clunking? Right axle bearing was GONE. Axle was bumping around in the housing, retainer was all that kept it from coming out. It got new axle bearings and seals on both sides, and the brake shoes were adjusted, the spreader bar was left out this time.

As to the front brake, well, I still don't know. I drove the car one more time to a show 30 miles from me, it tried to lock up when I got there, but bigger problems were on the horizon. On the way home, the transmission gave it up and started slipping real bad. When I got home, the front brake was again locking up, so I parked it. Few weeks later, I drove it to it's current spot in the carport shop, the brake had released enough to let it roll. I pulled engine and transmission, decided to swap from the Chevy motor to a 5.0 roller Ford I had since it all had to come out anyway, no way to drop transmission out the bottom. I've got to tackle it once I get it going again, once I figure out what's causing the fluid to not return from that side. About all it can be is the wheel cylinder or the stainless AN brake line, the other side works fine.

So there's the ugly truth of it Danny, how I drove home from Tupelo MS with one good working brake, one sticking brake, two out of adjustment rear brakes, and a destroyed axle bearing!

 

The first year me and my dad went to the salina ks car show in his Packard we decided to go last minuet and all the hotels were booked. We spend two nights sleeping in the car at a truck stop and used the trucker showers in the morning. You see lot lizards, drug deals, and all sorts of fun stuff at a truck stop late a night haha.

 

I just finished up reading the blog about the Macungie Run, really good read

I am sure the second blog, Hutchinson, Kansas will be just as interesting. HRP

 

Must have been a real seedy place. You don't see that kind of stuff in the ones I go to. It used to be the norm, but places like where you stayed are few and far between now.

 

Several members of our car club decided we were going to the Nationals in Louisville in 1989 and started making plans and one of our members volunteered to make reservations, he reported back that he had found a place called the Colonial Inn and they sent him a post card of what the place looked like (this is before computers) There was a pool and they gave us a very good rate, we were elated and looking forward to our adventure.

The day came to depart and there was 4 cars, 2 Mullins trailers, with tools,food & luggage 8 adults and 4 children, after a long hot days ride we were all ready to get out of the heat in a cool room, relax and hit the pool.

As we rolled in to the parking lot and walked into the office we knew the post card they had sent must have been made 30 years prior to our seeing it, the first clue was a huge tree glowing in the swimming pool, construction debris, beer can and trash littered the bottom of the pool with nasty green water.

As we entered the door going up th the second floor there was 2 bullet hold about head high in the door, we all met in one of the rooms after being told by a truck driver that this hotel rente room by the hour and he wouldn't stay there and suggested that we not stay there ether.

While we were desperately trying to figure out what to do, Diane got on the phone trying to find a motel that had 4 rooms, call after call she wa told there were no vacancies with the big car show in town.

She then called the Hyatt and was told the had 4 rooms left but when she told us the price it was almost 3 times what we had planned and at that time I didn't even own a credit card, she said don't worry about it, she would put it all on her card and we could pay them back when we could.

The sleazy Colonial Inn manager charged us for one room since we had been in it for about a hour and we soon left en route to the Hyatt , none of us had even stayed in a 4 star hotel and was amazed at just how nice the rooms were, our kids didn't want to leave.

There was a indoor pool near the bar and the adults and the kids were happy.
We had went from the outhouse to the penthouse!

Even though we got off to a rocky start we had a great time. HRP

 

Gotta go back later and check out Laroke's blog. But first my most memorable trip.
Date was late Nov. 1955, I was 18, and and in those days James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause" had nothing on me. I was damn sure I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof! Had decided I had enough of school, home, and GA, and left with a suitcase of clothes and hitch hiking.
Wound up in Odessa, TX, working as a "roustabout" (laborer) in the oil fields. After a few weeks of walking and bumming rides back and forth, I decided I needed wheels, and found a 1930 Ford "A" roadster, no top, old burlap bags piled on the seat springs for upholstery, busted muffler, a windshield frame with no glass, and lowered by torching the springs But it had decent 16" tires, and the engine ran great Bought it for $130 Sure beat what I had been doing to get around!
After a while, as it got colder, and other factors also, I decided that this wasn't gonna be the way I spent my life and I needed to go home and finish school instead of living in a tiny room in a flea bag hotel, eating in greasy spoons, carousing, and living from paycheck to paycheck working in a hard, dirty, and dangerous job. So I made preparations, loaded up and headed out the 1500 miles to GA.
Mid afternoon when I left, and I had planned to drive till late evening before stopping for the night. But remember I said windshield frame only? Well I had an old pair of plastic safety goggles I was wearing and when lights from oncoming cars on the 2 lane US hwy 80 hit those goggles it was like a million spider webs in front of me So I stopped at a little "Mom&Pop"motel that looked like it came straight outta the movie "Bonnie&Clyde" Stayed the night till daylight, stopped at first cafe and ate, continued on.
First big town was Big Springs, TX and there I found an auto glass shop. When I was given a price of $30 for a windshield glass installation, I declined, telling the man I then wouldn't have enough money to get back to GA.
Amazed that was was driving "that thing" to GA, he agreed to install single strength safety glass rather than the double strength required by TX law for front windshield, as long as I told no one in TX, and no receipt, for $15. I agreed, he did the deed, and off I went, the goggles put away
Drove all day, 45-50 mph, don't remember if I stopped that night in East TX or West La., next day crossed the Ms river and again drove all day, still on US80, as I would be on 80 till within 50 miles of home.
By the end of the day I was in AL and decided to keep driving as long as I could, and maybe make it home before stopping for anything but gas and food. Well after dark I stopped for gas in mid AL, think it was near Selma, AL. Gassed up and station attendant told me of a short cut that would still put me back on 80 but save me about 20 milesThat would save me almost 30 min. at the speeds I was driving so I took it.
Was really empty country, and the moon was out. Had noticed starter kinda grunting when I left that last gas stop, and I thought maybe the sealed beam lights were pulling down the battery faster than that old half worn out 3 brush generator could charge it. Knew I had an all night run ahead, so with no traffic, and a full moon, I proceeded to turn off the lights, turning them on if I saw lights from behind coming up or from oncoming traffic, and hoped to charge up the battery.
Clucking along pretty good when all of a sudden there were bright lights right behind me and an old Harley roared by doing about double my speed who had also been running lights out
When I again stopped for gas at The last station in AL before crossing the river, I was so cold I couldn't stop shivering as I only had an old war surplus Army field jacket with no liner and a light windbreaker. They let me stay the rest of the night with them inside that all night station, hugging that old gas radiant heater.
At dawn I climbed back in the "A" and driving much faster than I had before, drove the last 90 miles home in GA
That was almost 64 years ago, but I remember that trip like yesterday, and I hope I didn't bore you too much with such a long story. But I don 't know how to tell that story without at least that much detail.

 

Holy cow Dave, It's amazing you drove that far in a stone stock Model A, but then again it was practically a new car. HRP Bwahahah

 

My most memorable road trip was in October 2004. A trip to The World Finals at the Bonneville salt flats. Our roadster had set the G/BFR record that August at over 190mph. We wanted to drive the roadster from Pomona to Bonneville. To our knowledge nobody had driven to Bonneville and set a record over 200mph. Guys had run over 200 but not gotten a record. We left Pomona in the late morning headed to Vegas to spend the night.



After an uneventful trip to Las Vegas we were up early the next morning and things got interesting. Just outside Vegas we get pulled over by a county sheriff. He wanted to know about turn signals, horn, mufflers etc, etc. He tells us to put in the trailer or else. So we put it in trailer and drive 4 miles where he is waiting for us at the county line. We drove another 2 miles and then unloaded in the next county and continued on.



We arrived at Bonneville that afternoon and began the process of converting to race trim. Wheels and tires, pulled the radiator, changed the gears in the quick change etc.
We got in line the next morning and went 209mph, bumping our record and qualifying for the 200mph club. Went to impound and returned the following morning where I backed up the previous run with a 212mph run. establishing a new G/BFR record of 210.881.

 

Such a cool story, The county sheriff puffs up and thinks he is removing a public menace from his county, Kudos from doing it your way and for accomplishing a new record and driving to the event. HRP

 

Todd, a remarkable accomplishment indeed! Also imagine in was awful hard not to give that deputy a "single finger salute" as you exited his county!
Danny, true enough that old roadster wasn't but 25 years old then, LOL
Laroke, I just finished the first blog and will definitely read the second later today. No way could I stop reading that blog till I finished it.
Some of your travels were in my "stomping grounds" and some on roads I've traveled in my travels over the years, and I too enjoy driving the back roads when I can and have time, even if in a vehicle capable of cruising at high speeds, even for interstates.
One place I can recommend though here in GA that you passed near both ways is in the tiny community of Midway, GA, appropriately named as its midway between Savannah and Brunswick. IIRC the road is GA99 right on the coastal marshes, East of US17 and it was once US17 before it was rerouted and located a bit to the West, and of course there's I95 now even further to the West
As GA 99 goes into the tiny town of Midway, it goes between an old early1800s Congregational church and its cemetery. The church is beautifully restored and was well kept last time I was through there. No longer in use, but well preserved in it's original confiruration, down to the waist high partition down the middle so the the females sat on one side and the males on the other in the old days It was open to the public last time I was thru there.
The cemetery across the road is unique in many ways. It is walled with a low tabby wall. Inside are the graves of the white settlers, including 2 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Button Gwinnett and Lyman Hall.
Outside the wall, but near the graves of their masters and mistresses, are the graves of the house slaves, those who cooked and cleaned at the plantation homes.
There's a helluva lot of history in that coastal area of GA, you might want to someday do a bit of exploring there

 

A memorable road trip? That is the question. I would have to say that the trip I took to NSRA Bakersfield last year in my F-100 was a treat since I’d never driven that far in my life , granted I was a little stiff when we got there ( sore that is, had saddle sores on my saddle sores) but I’m getting ahead of myself. As we were nearing Sacramento some jerk in an O/T Lincoln forced my father off the road, crossed 3 lanes to the right and exited to the airport (let’s just say road rage doesn’t cover it). Then as we approached Bakersfield proper, guy in an 18 wheeler almost rips the front sheet metal off my dads convertible with the rear corner of his trailer (rude, uncalled for that is). After all of the nonsense we had a fun trip.


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I've had many memorable road trips , but one I'll never forget is my first trip to the U.S Nationals in Indianapolis , in 1978 . I worked all day on friday and left town as soon as I could get cleaned up, with a friend that i had know for a year or so. Everything was going great and I had driven about 360 miles of the 700 mile trip to Indy and was getting a little tired, so i asked my buddy if he would drive for a while . He did fine for about 5 miles, when he missed the exit to I -74 that headed south east to Indy . He comes flying into a T intersection , and at the last second whips the wheel to the left putting my Mom's 1974 Dodge Dart 4 door up on two wheels ! We briefly touched down then went back on two wheels before touching down for good and coasting into a parking lot . My buddy then says " good thing I'm a good driver or that could have been bad ! "

He resumed driving after I checked to see if we had all the wheel covers and the tires were ok , did ok for about 50 miles then started nodding off and running on to the shoulder. I had him take an exit , we grabbed a bite to eat and I drove the rest of the way to Indy . We watched 3 days of the greatest drag racing imaginable. Saw the" mongoose" beat the "snake" , Big daddy won top fuel , and a local racer from Lincoln Nebraska win super stock .
When it was time to head home , I had already decided I would drive all the way home so we could survive, but after 500 miles I had to let my buddy drive , and he did ok .

 

Your buddy's name wasn't Joey Chittwood was it? HRP

 

No but it should have been! When we got home I told another friend about the trip and he said "you can't let him drive out of town " !

 

Now ya tell me! HRP