Got Bugs?

After many emails, a few phone calls and a schedule change, the day was finally here to go south and visit Larry and his friends at the Iron Bridge Sports Park cruise in Chesterfield, VA. We gathered up some friends and left Stafford at 2PM to make the 106 mile trip to the cruise. We had six cars traveling to the cruise, Ron-’28 Dodge, Bill-’70 Chevy PU, Fred-’66 Barracuda, Jim & Linda-’08 Vette and the Princess and me in our coupes. The trip took about 2 ½ hours with one pit stop near Mechanicsville. The road was great most of the way but I-295, as usual, was horrible….the “repairs” that were made left a lot to be desired and the transition on & off most bridges was a header scraper for some of us….at 55+ mph! We arrived around 4:30 and all of us still had our parts that we left Stafford with….except maybe Fred?

The cruise had about 50 cars parked when we arrived so we knew it was going to be a busy night! Larry and the owner of Iron Bridge Sports Park have put together a very comfortable cruise and it seems to serve the needs of the local cruisers just fine. The parking is on asphalt but if you are on the perimeter you can set up your camp on grass, which is always nicer. There is only one way in and out so vehicle control can be effectively achieved. Access from Rt. 10, a main thoroughfare, is uncomplicated and the event can be seen from Rt. 10 as well….which no doubt helps the participation. The restroom facilities are top notch and the onsite grille is great. I like this kind of food when we are running the cars, it adds to the nostalgic feel of the event. When your only choice is the upscale food chains it takes something away from the feel of the event for me. And the food was great and the food order taker/cashier/server was a hoot….she fit right in with our “car” humor….she helped make the experience fun!

Oh yeah….and they had cars! As with any cruise some cars came and visited a while then cruised out….and another one came in! So getting a hard attendance number is difficult but I think if everyone was counted it would be between 140-160 cars….not bad for Friday. And the cars were all types and conditions. I had only seen 4 of the cars previously….the Munster car, Chuck & Cindy’s Chevelles and Ron’s ’32 5w coupe….the rest were new to me! I was having a sensory overload of sorts because of all the very nice cars….and there were so many Mustangs….isn’t that what Larry drives? I like the red & black ’57 Ford convertible, the green Chevy PU that squeeked his tires when he turned a corner while parking, the red ’59 DeSoto was very cool too. I think the car I liked best was the copper Anglia panel with the turbocharged 2.3L four banger! A very courageous idea and masterful execution…. This cruise is every Friday and is advertised on the Car Club Council of Central Virginia’s website. I highly recommend this cruise and plan on returning when we can.

We decided to pack up and make our return trip around 9PM….Fred, our pathfinder in the group, said he had a different way back that would save some miles….so after a long day, a few miles shorter on the way home was greeted enthusiastically by all….especially me as I wouldn’t have to lead back. The route turned out to be a little shorter but it was much quicker and we should consider it both ways next time. I think it was a little longer for Fred though as he got temporally bewildered and thought he would go South for a few miles before resuming his Northward trek….grin! (No we didn’t follow him!) Fred can always be counted on to add a little excitement to our trips!

Saturday the Princess and I had been invited to attend the Prince William Cruisers annual picnic. It was being held at Roger & Mary’s home and was a hoot….the club members have accepted us as friends, it must be the Princesses strawberry pies that she brings!? We ate too much and then decided to cruise to Orange, VA and check out the monthly cruise at the Burger King on Rt. 15.

We arrived at 4:30 and there were already 70 cars parked….another good night!? Steve was amazed that the area was filling up that early but he found some good parking places to set up anyway. Sally was driving her very orange ’70 Mustang and parked next to the Princess….so they can discuss “Princess” things I guess? DJ Ron & Anita provided the audio ambiance for the event and was much appreciated. The music is the lubricant that keeps the event going along….think about it….when the sound stops, what happens? Anyway Ron always makes an event memorable and that night was no exception. About 180 cars cruised the event and a lot of them were the usual suspects but some were new to us….like the black ’62 Chevy deuce with a 572! And there were about 4 Cyclone’s at the cruise but the one that stopped my clock was the very dark green ’66 pro-street….a very nice ride! My favorite was the red ’63 Plymouth 426 SS car….one of my top 10 favorite cars.

The Princess and I walked around taking pictures and talking to friends when we spotted Bill doing what he does….a nice pearl ’39 Buick rolled in and Bill was on him like a politician on a pile of money. He was asking questions, writing everything down in his memo pad and taking pictures….he must have a database of cars that would rival a Madam’s little black book. He will sometimes attend 3 shows and a couple cruises….a day! Just getting info that he compiles in neat photo albums. You have to talk to him when you see him at the next show….he will be there!

After Ron gave out the awards the Princess said it was time to go since she didn’t get one….tell me again how you spell brat? So we gathered up and started home. Since the others didn’t know how to get into Stafford the back way I was elected to lead, a real bummer for me. The cruise home was uneventful except for the bugs. The bugs swarmed me between Orange and Culpeper to the point it was difficult to see out my windshield….they were blowing into the car with me but it was way too hot to roll up the windows so I just shared the cockpit with untold numbers of little wiggly things for the next 60 miles home….in the dark. When we got out of the cars in the garage at home they looked like they were flocked with some kind of flakey fish food! The Princess spent the next two hours cleaning off the bugs before she called it a day….sometimes the Princess can be very helpful….grin That’s our deal, I keep them running and she keeps them pretty….it works for us!