First Morro Bay Sightings

Since I am the closet to Morro Bay, I am already home. Here are some shots of Friday's wine tasting. Others will follow with better pictures, I'm sure.

Here are some shots on Saturday morning at the Morro Bay Parade. And, more wine tasting on Friday. Yes, that is a Ghia in the line-up. Guess who?

Check out these weirdos!
As you can see, the weather and the location was PERFECT!
Great bunch of people to hang with, for sure.
All hats off to Dusty and the fabulous Ms. Sharon for making this thing happen SO well!

Man o Man, What a weekend....Came down with the stomach flu thursday night, got very little sleep, woke up friday morning, told the wife I didn't think I was strong enough to make the trip, but this is something we wait all year for, so we packed Mr Ghia and headed North, had the biggest turn-out for the trip north, had to buy a second deck of cards for the poker run...come to find out at Morro Bay that Dusty is a card shark, so watch your step......
After dinner Saturday night, the wife catches my crud, so the ride home was not that pleasant...we covered 500 miles of unpleasant riding, but still had a great time....

Gotta thank Dusty and the lovely Sharon for putting together what will be considered the best west coast gathering so far.....
and a special thanks for the devil horns on my badge...

It was great to see everyone again this year, and also to meet a few new members to the fold...you guys think I'm a character, this speedster group has it's share of Characters, for sure, and it's a beautiful thing....
I got to see MR356, now owned by Blake and Jen....my speedie couldn't have gone to a better couple.....

Morro Bay was the perfect location for this year, especially considering the blast furnace type heat we were experiencing throughout California....

Can't wait for next year..........

I have to agree, this was a GREAT event and it was really nice to finally put some faces with all the names. Thanks again to Dusty, Jim, Theron and everyone else who put this weekend together. I'm sure the good pictures and video will be posted soon, but here's a link to a few of my pictures and some video of the parade to wet your whistle. I took the video with my still camera, so the quality is not the best. If you have any problem playing the video, just right click on the link and download it to your computer first.

http://kvanasx.hopto.org/Morro_Bay_2008/Morro_Bay_2008.htm

Troy

OK... I've seen enough!
I motion to appoint Troy to the position of official west coast SOC photographer.
Can I get a 2nd on this motion?
Ernie

First, I want to say that this was truly a fantastic event. Thank you to everyone who helped to organize this, Dusty, Miss Sharon, Blake, Jen, Jim and anyone else that I may have forgotten to mention.
Tamera and I had a great time. I only wish we could have spent more time with everyone.

This being our first major gathering, we were glad to meet all of you in person.

Tamera has heard me talk about how much I enjoy this group, and now she really sees how hospitable everyone is.

Due to some speedie issues We were unable to make it breakfast Sunday morning.

We did make it home sputtering and farting all the way (the car not us)through the hellacious heat top-down most of the way again,(the car not us)!

Can't wait for next year!!!

Thanks again, and it was great meeting everyone. Hope to see you all again very soon.

Robert & Tamera

Wow, what a great weekend and what great people!!! I cannot say enough about how much fun this has been and how absolutely fantastic Morro Bay has been for us. We had great tours (led by Blake and Jen Leong, MUSBJIM and Fast Eddie); fabulous food at two dinners and one brunch; weather that couldn't be more perfect. Our main dinner was in a private room overlooking the Bay and a "to die for" sunset (says the Lovely Miss Sharon). The city invited us to be in the parade and that was a real kick for everyone. It has been agreed that Morro Bay will be our home next year! (LMS and I already have events planned, places planned and surprises working up in our evil minds)

Right now our enthusiasm is somewhat dampened. I am writing this from a small motel in Atascadero (8 miles from Morro Bay) where we are cooling our heels for the night while waiting for a tire store to open tomorrow AM. The Cadillac truck blew a tire on the 101 and we spent three hours alongside the road with a cop waiting for a truck to bring us air and a tire plug. Tire is totaled!!! We limped 1 mile to the motel and the tire gave up the ghost about a block before we got here. Our plans to be home by Tuesday are shot!! Now we hope to make it by Thursday. When we show up in Carlisle look for rolls of duct tape wrapped around the tire hoping to keep sharp objects on the highway where they belong. Oh, well, a perfect three days blemished by Mr Goodyear's failure isn't really disastrous, just an inconvenience.

Thanks to everyone who made this week a time to remember for many moons to come. Carlisle, you have a lot to live up to if you want to impress us now!

(I will post pics when I get back to Colorado)

Happy Trails,
Dusty and the Lovely Miss Sharon.

Wow Dusty, that's just not right. Hope you have better luck the rest of the way. Thanks to you and the Lovely Miss Sharon for all the work you put in to make this a great event.
Troy
Your video shows the great turn-out at Morro Bay and really how much fun it was. It is only my second annual event, but by far the best. Wish I could make it to Carlilse (sp)and see what those guys do. I am sure they will have just as much fun. Guess Jim I. will let us know.
Robert
The only other name I can think of not mentioned is Eddie Janis. He took us on the 100 mile ride that was the most fun I've had since I was a stupid teenager driving too fast on curvy mountain roads. Man what a trip. Even though we took a wrong turn, it made the ride longer, which made it even more fun.

Dusty - it is quite obvious that even the roads of California mourn you and LMS leaving. The 101 itself was conspiring to keep you two on the left coast at least another day...

angela

You Tube links to the same Morro Bay videos in my previous message.
Troy http://kvanasx.hopto.org/Morro_Bay_2008/Morro_Bay_2008.htm

Angela,
LMS and I were not the only ones missing you out here. I heard many asking where you were and why you couldn't make it. I told them that you were "saving yourself" for the trip to the National in Loveland in September and they agreed that was, indeed, a compelling reason for them to come. See what you started?

Flat Tire Dusty

Hey Guys, I forgot I had this aerial shot of Morro Bay. We had exceptional weather and good times with great friends. What more could one asked for? That's us in the parking on the left. Not really in this image, but that is where we staged. What a great time we had!
Yes Angela, we all missed you.

WOW! What a great time! I'm glad I made it. To all the contributors and organizers, especially Dusty and Sharon, we REALLY appreciate the hard work put into this event!!! It will be a memorable one for me, this being my first. Great meeting faces with the names and chatting about our cars. Driving our speedies through the wine country was exciting and beautiful. How fun was that! Anticipating the next gathering! Thanks to all!

Bruce

Well, we arrived home after a leaisurly (HOT) ride home, we couldn't stop talking about how much fun we had, we have dubbed it the best weekend ever (or at least in recent history) Gosh, I just can't believe that the weather was great, we had a HUGE turnout (although we did miss Angela, I kept expecting her to roar in town at any moment, thrilled not to be wearing rain gear in the sypder) the food was great, the scenery was spectacular, and meeting up with our speedster "family" was the best of all. Dusty and Miss Sharon did an absolutley fantastic job with this event, it could not have been better, I thank them for all of there work and time that they put into this, we are seriously considering coming to Loveland in September!

Thanks everyone it was truly a pleasure to spend time with you!

Jennifer & Darrin too!

Looks like a spectacular time for all. I'm definitely jealous, and we'll have to work hard to match Jim's experience.

But it's only 2 1/2 weeks away!!! WOOHOO!!!

Super people, SUPER ORGANIZERS!, super weather, and a super good time for this firstimer! Great meeting everyone. Vince, you are a trooper! Sorry you and Teri were under the weather. You handled the caravan and Poker Run great! And that agua fria sure tasted good after our little unplanned desert run! Thanks again to Dusty and LMS for getting it done! Jim and Ginny, thanks for the pit stop on the Pineapple Express Homeward Bound Tour! See ya soon!

WOW I JUST COUNTED 30 CARS NOT INCLUDING THE VW THAT JUMPED IN WITH US
AWESOME TURNOUT

Hey Will, if it wasn't for you Teri and I might still be in one of those canyons off the side of the road, with buzzards circling around us....

who was in the VW during the parade?

Sounds like All Y'all had a terrific week-end!!

These have all been great posts, and it brings to mind a comment Chris and I overheard by a couple of Speedstah wives at the first Carlisle we attended:

"Wow! this is like the BEST "Family Reunion" I've ever been to! Everybody is SO NICE!"

That goes for the folks at Morro Bay, too, I see!! Keep those pictures coming!

Dusty: Looks like "The Curse of the Event Organizer" caught up with you! Last Carlisle, Chris and I we're waylaid with a dead Diesel, this year you and the LMS with a dead tire. Gotta love it....

Hope the rest of the trip goes far, far better!!

Gordon

Blake and I had a great time this weekend. You may be an evil bunch, but you're a damn fun evil bunch!

Dusty & Lovely Miss Sharon, Thanks for all of your hard work planning this event! I wish we'd have known that you were in Atascadero last night. I hope you're off to a good start today!

I started to post some pictures here, but the image quality didn't look too great. So I put up an album on Shutterfly. Here's the link: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AZOGLhk3ZOGFe

Already lookin forward to next year!

The words Karmann Ghia and High Performance should never be used in the same sentence, hence the reason the 100 mile cruise group left me in the dust on Saturday....
But Mr Ghia can sit around with the best of them....almost

Vince, you needn't be too envious. Your Ghia may not be as fast (but I'm sure it COULD be), but it is one beautiful car.

You can not say enough about this past weekend.. Lili and I had a super time and spent some great time talking and drinking and eating with the best of you all.. It was truely like a great family reunion, but we all happen to like each other and theres NO baggage to talk about either!! LOL.. Vince you guys are totally rad and dealing with your illness too. Dusty you and LMS are second to none.. and the list goes on and on.. too many to mention, however I did buy a new hat to rival my bro from the diff mo Jimbo.. we'll post our pix soon too. had to rest last night just too freaking tried.. LOL kinda cool you gotta come home from a long weekend and REST! LMAO...

Speedster "D" See ya next year Morro Bay!

Ann and I sure had fun too! Thanks to everyone, and of course special thanks to the LMS and Dusty! Great events! Great parties! Tons of food (burp)! Super group!!!

Eddie, that was one hell-of-a sports car route!

The Sunday morning cruise up the coast was great too! The parade through Cambria and the stops we made were all just perfect choices.

After we left you guys at the elephant seal love nest, we stayed on the coast north with Rick (and Mary in their 550). Rick and I stayed together til Castroville where he split to San Jose and I caried on up the coast all the way to SF. It was wonderfully cool and delightful all the way across the Golden Gate Bridge and onto Sonoma County.

We got home in Windsor just about 8:00 on the dot, pulled up to the garage, flipped off the engine, slumped back in the seats, and just smiled while telling each other we just had the best spyder drive ever! That was FUN!!

Mark and Ann

Wow Jen, great pics! We are thrilled to have you and Blake join our group, you guys are great to hang out with and you have great taste in cars (if I do say so myself) Hope we see you sooner than the next Morro Bay trip!

I will post more pics soon!

Jennifer -- thanks for compliments. I have to say, you have great taste in cars and photos!

David -- there was drinking going on this weekend?

Vince -- stop talking bad about your Ghia or we might have to buy that too!

Jen

Larry Bull, my son Greg and I wandered about the donut shops on Monday morning looking for SOC stragglers but found none. It was back to normal for the locals. A weekday ghost town. We had a fast and safe drive back to LA using the Los Olivos cutoff over the mountains into Santa Barbara on the way. Stopped in Marina Del Rey for lunch and fuel and wished Larry a safe trip farther down the coast.
This was such a ball! From the detour(s) through beautiful Oxnard and on up to Santa Barbara where Michael Guthrie had arranged our lunch stop. His wife's guard dog was sleeping quietly just inches from my feet through the whole meal. Everyone enjoyed seeing Michael's new ride for the first time in person. It is a masterpiece.
Dusty and the LMS certainly put together an event to remember. I am looking forward to Colorado in September. Many, many thanks to you two for all of your efforts!
The speed run could have been faster if those smaller cars would have moved out of the way. LOL. But by then we had lost the fast group on the 100 mile tour who were also lost anyway. Greg and I split off with Rick and Mary for a scenic cruise back over the hump to the coast for some cool ocean air. I cannot begin to express my admiration for the stamina of the gals in the right seat of the Spyders. They are all iron and I know Rick's copilot Mary can read a map. Hope those guys know how lucky they are.
Thanks to Jim we were able to view the sea lions resting on Moonstone Beach. They were saving their energies after eating all of the Pacific coast salmon just prior to setting out to sink more docks and boats in the marinas up and down the west coast. Quite a sight and a lovely drive. Thanks to all, mentioned or not, for your efforts, entertainment and camaraderie. It was a trip to remember.

Pics of Topanga-Santa Barbara-Dusty loading up

Harmony tour and alley lineup

VS's Mary explains that two non-speedsters sneaked into the line waiting for the parade and we are delayed waiting for the Morro Bay parade authorities to decide whether to allow them to participate with the Speedsters. Or, to follow the horses. Vince threatened to touch them with the dreaded Ghia Virus if they banished him to the rear.

I arrived in Escondido about 3PM. It was very hot from LA to Escondido. Roy said it all about the trip today. I truely enjoyed the outing this year, I believe it was the best yet. Like others I would like to thank Mr.and Mrs. Mayor of SpeedsterSpyderville, Dusty and Sharon, for their work on our behalf to have such a wonderfull weekend.

Larry

Awww, Dusty so glad you are "on the road again". Bummer about the tire, it always happens at the most inoportune (sp?)time. Can't wait to see your pics. We will all be thinking positive thoughts for your safe journey home, and hopefully free of anymore problems.

Jennifer

Too bad there weren't more Speedsters or Spiders in this picture, but this has to be one of the nicest curves of the trip. Here's the link: http://kvanasx.hopto.org/Morro_Bay_2008/Picture%20038.jpg
Troy

Whew!! It wasn't easy, it wasn't cheap and it wasn't quick but we finally located a tire for the Red Rambler and got out of Atascadero. In spite of a great weekend we are (just now ) glad to get out of California. We have only made it to Nevada for the night but plan to leave early and get home by Thursday before noon. I will edit the pictures and get some out to you all then.

What a great bunch of people you all are !!!!

Happy Trails,
Dusty (now RE-tired) and the Lovely Miss Sharon

"who was in the VW during the parade?"
I had a pretty good conversation with the "bug" man while we were standing by for the parade. His name is Don and he is a Morro area local. He's a well accomplished motor sports geezer who is teetering on joining the madness that we all have in common.
I'd call him a GOB, for sure............ (Good O' Boy).

he was a very nice person. he followed carrol and i for a while until we stopped at a 711 type store. he asked about our club the web site and our meeting spots. i directed him to dusty at the hotel for all the details.
i cant believe mary or kirk would not want this guy and his clean bug let alone vince who owned one of their cars in the parade. had a chance to speak with both mary and kirk and they are very nice people

The guy with the 64 bug belongs to the Central Coast VW club,
i am also a member of that club, but most of their activity is in the SLO area....he retired there from the LA area.....very cordial dude, ex VW mechanic, his 64 was all original.....