Northeast Crew goes West to get East to Carlisle

Wow...we're having a blast. Again huge thanks to Dave Mitchell for receiving our car. Got up to the Sonoma wine area, down thru San Fran,South to Monterey, ( PCH closed guys ) had to detour up the Fergeson Highway in 2nd gear for and hour or so to get over the mountains then down and around to the PCH again. Second night in Pismo Beach ( Morrow Bay was a nice stop), got the Malibu / Hollywood thing done yesterday and spent the night in Victorville, we're now in Vegas for first night of two. We've done a little over 1,000 miles so far. Oil light fickering and will look into things tomorrow. Off to the Dam on Friday and down to the crazy start of Route 66. See y'all in Carlisle.

David--you are a hell of a man. Please kep us posted ---this is too much fun!

Do check that oil light first,( if only at idle, what RPM? enjoy the trip and keep us posted . Alan

Going well David. I'm sure your wearing that SEG in style!

That switch is super-cheap and built in super-cheap China -- check the contacts if you're not dripping anything. It should come on at about three pounds of case pressure or less.
If your dipstick looks good and you don't have a giant hole in the case, f*ck that switch. I'll mail you a spare somewhere along your travels!
I LOVE road-trip stories. Keep it up with the narration!

It was great to help two nice folks. Safe travels my friend! BTW I love your car. Henry wait until you see it in Carlisle.

Got the oil press switch changed out this morning. Engine is fine, my recently bought thermostat went TU and got changed at the same time. George Wallace tonight and back on the road tomorrow. 93 deg F
today, 96 tomorrow. Hoover Dam, Oatman, along Rt. 66 to Williams tomorrow. Later...

..I'm way jealous !

Watch out for the donkeys in Oatman.

Damn, I LOVE a road trip too! Wher's Bing and Bob????

Howard, you're showing your age :~)

Forgive me.....I couldn't resist:

Hope you took the Dam tour!

Despite what the song says, forget Winona. Same with the statue standing on the corner in Winslow, Az. You won't be missing anything.

If you can, though, cool off a little by taking the road SE from Flagstaff to Happy Jack, Pine, Payson & Show Low instead of I-80 the whole way. You'll be glad to get out of the desert for a while. These are fantastic roads that snake through the beautiful pine forests. You won't believe you're in Az. Swing back north & catch the highway near the NM border. fun stuff...

Bill,
i drove I-80 from Maryland to Sacramento in 1972 after discharge from Navy. I dont remember even getting close to AZ. I remember Wyoming and NV and into CA. Cant remember even getting close to AZ.
Are there 2 I-80s?

Excellent day today..Stayed up too late in Vegas last night but got out to the Hoover Dam by 9 am. The Go pro camera is running well. Oatman with the donkeys, Kingman AZ, Hackman, Truxton etc. to Seligman and we stay in Williams tonight. Neat little town with lots to see and places to check out the refreshments. Vegas was way more than I expected. Wallace was pretty good and I can't ever remember seeing so many legs and boobs as we did on the Strip. Excellent weather and the car is running great. Grand canyon etc., horseback riding and off to Winslow tomorrow.

Man, Man!!! Am I jealous? Hell Yea. How far South are ya goin'?

Sounds like you are on schedule. Glad to hear the car is OK oil pressure wise. Words cannot describe the Grand Canyon being there is the only way to "feel" it. Sorry I won't be able to see you in Carlisle.

Just a note on Winslow. If you're ever there, check out La Posada, the grand hotel facing the train tracks. It's so nice you might want to stay over.

http://www.laposada.org/

Aaron---David is coming accross I 40--I know he'll be on I-40 at Ok City and likely over at Amarillo too.

On the road he's not near a computer that often.

I envy his trip!

Williams was a great little stop. Unfortunately, Winslow was a poor place to stop over. The place is hurting badly but we did get the standard pic taken with the man standin' on the corner. Was neat to see the Wigwam motel in Holbrook and we took in the El Rancho in Gallup and had some excellent Mexican food. We headed straight up to Cortez for the night and will head out soon the Mesa Verde Park. After that, off to Durango. We'll pass on Silverton and Ouray because of very low temps and rain and likely spend the night in Chama, NM. Car is running well..just over 2,100 miles on the clock. The most Southern place we will hit in Texas will be going thru Amarillo this coming Sunday heading to Oaklahoma City from Tucumcari, NM. Hey...the next weekend is Carlisle !

El Rancho is a DON"T MISS attraction. Headquarters for lots of the 40's and 50's movies with a lobby like a Western Movie museum. Good for you for stopping there, David.

Hold your nose going through Amarillo---the cows on the hills look like a zillion flies--- what an odor.

50 miles West of Amarillo you will see trees and grass again.

The invite to spend a night here in Hot Springs is still open. Otherwise we'll catch up with you at Christiansburg.

Bob B: My mistake, I meant I-40 but typed I-80. Too many head injuries...

Dave: Wise choice skipping Silverton & Ouray this time. We've had record snowfall in the Colorado mts this year, & it's just barely starting to melt. The Million Dollar Highway is one of the most awe inspiring pieces of blacktop you'll ever see, but it can be hair raising even in mid summer. I've lost more than one friend to that highway over the years: one to an avalanche & one to bad brakes driving a gas truck.

David,

Betsy and I took the train from Durango to Silverton. What a beautiful trip but it takes all day. The day before we hit Durango we drove the road from Ouray to Silverton. One of the most beautiful trips ever but it was in August.

Dave

We had a great time cruising through the Colorado Rockies on one of our trips...

We hooked up with a few members of the local 356 club just outside Loveland, CO.




Came across this stone chapel, somewhere near Estes, with a wedding ceremony going on, so we stopped to check it out.




Dave S - we hope the rest of your trip is as enjoyable and a safe journey to Carlisle!

Dave: Hope you're not hitting this: a little spring snowstorm at 6500' = major blizzard at higher elevations

Yo Jim: It kills me to see those beautiful shots of your drive in the Colo. mts. I discovered this website the week after that get-together.

We had a great night in Cortez and off to Mesa Verda next morning. Wow, up to about 8,200 ft. in rain, snow, hail. Saw the sights through
it all. We did't feel to bad as others were up there in motorcycles and bikes. Stopped in Duuuuraaango for the night. They should change the name to Margaritaville. Wound up in the famous Strater Hotel (third stop that night ) and among other things we bacame part of the live entertainment and pulled off more than a few Moose Calls for the crowd. Off the next day through Pagosa Springs and down to Chama. Snow was forecasted so we continued on to see our buddy in Toas. Got down to see old town Santa Fe and we post this now from Albuquerque. We're off to Tucumcari this morning, maybe Amarillo. If anyone knows the latest news about I-40 crossing the flooded areas, pls. post here. We'll check back here soon. Thanks...

David, I have been watching I-40 closely and you are going to be fine going accross the Mississippi by the time you get there.

I will be crossing the Miss on I-40 Tuesday morning about 9:30----when wll you be there? I'm stopping in Knoxville for dinner with Hoss and Nolan and the next day caravanning with them to Christiansburg. Join us! We stay at the Hampton Inn In Lenoir City (865/988-2999) (Knoxville surburb) Tues night and a great restaurant is right next door.

What a fine trip you are having---you won'y believe what a blast Carlisle will be.

Strater Hotel, great place. That is where Betsy and I stayed while in Durango. Thanks for sharing the trip. So many places you are going to we went to as well. Brings back fond memories.

Got over to Tucumcari for the night and stayed at the funky Blue Swallow Motel per the plan. Had excellent Mex food again and saw a few sights in the small town. This message is from Amarillo Friday the 13th where we had excellent steaks for lunch at the famous Big Texan complex. Quite a place to see with all the deco inside. Got a pic of the Speedster under the big Steer outside. Staying here for the night. Thanks for the flood info Jack, my phone wouldn't work the last few days. Off to the second largest canyon in the US tomorrow...the Palo Duro Canyon, then East to Olkahoma City. Gord...sorry for your loss.

Giday, Jack. We're making good progress and everything is running well. Your hotel in Lenoir is fully booked for tomorrow night but we're trying to get into Lenoir tomorrow and will check for cancellations or stay nearby. We're now East of the Mississippi in Jackson tonight and Francine saw Elvis this morning.....Obama delayed our entrance into I-40 near Noon...nervy bugger. 3726 miles on the trip clock. See you soon.

David---there are quite a few nice motels in Lenoir City very near the Hampton Inn there. I'm sure that if you just walk in you will get a room at one of them or perhaps even the Hampton. I hope you will join us for dinner tomorrow (Tues 5/17) at around 6 or so.

When you know something either call us at the Hampton Inn at Lenoir City or call my cell phone which is 501/620-3831.

You will find that caravanning is infinitely more fun than solo. Last year Alice and I met Dusty and Sharon Johnson on I-40 in CO and rode along with them to Morro Beach, CA and had a blast!

The Speedster is all packed and snorting to hit the road in the morning. We launch at 5:30 AM and will get to Lenoir City at about 4:30-5:00. The Speedster has never looked sharper or run stronger. Every year we have an improvement to the VS----latst year it was a Raby Type IV engine and this year it's dual Dellortos, an A-1 Sidewinder muffler and an Espar heater.

Can't wait to meet you and hear about your great adventure!

Jack:

You keep improving that VS and, sooner or later, it'll turn into a Miata!

David and Jack,

You guys are my IDOLS! We're anxious to see you guys and hear your stories. Nolan Scott is driving up from near Fort Lauderdale, is he meeting up with you?

Bruce---yep--we are having dinner with Nolan and Hoss ane their wives this evening.

Gordon--that's too funny--I know what you mean though. Might as well be safe, fast and comfy though.

We will miss you at Carlisle this year. God bless, buddy.

We're in Valdosta Ga, heading to Knoxville, should arrive at Hoss's barn late afternoon. Drove to the Fl/Ga border with the top down, arms are lobster red from the sun. Top's up and SEGs flahing all the lookie-lou's. One looky-lou followed us for an hour and pulled up at a rest stop behind us, he said he'd been admiring our car for over an hour and said "Man! that's got to be a real Porsche, the way that baby crusied along and passed those big rigs". Didn't have the heart to tell him it's a replica.

We're in Valdosta Ga, heading to Knoxville, should arrive at Hoss's barn late afternoon. Drove to the Fl/Ga border with the top down, arms are lobster red from the sun. Top's up and SEGs flahing all the lookie-lou's. One looky-lou followed us for an hour and pulled up at a rest stop behind us, he said he'd been admiring our car for over an hour and said "Man! that's got to be a real Porsche, the way that baby crusied along and passed those big rigs". Didn't have the heart to tell him it's a replica.

David shall now and ever more be known as "Iron Pants(Ass)!

Super that you guys are all meeting up for the trip to Carlisle, probably one of the best caravan stories in the 8 year history of Speedsters Meet Spyders in Carlisle. Would appreciate if someone could keep track of who all is in the final cruise into town.