If you don't cruise you lose....

Friday afternoon and the Princess and I met Fred at WAWA to leave for the cruise at Ashland, VA. The cruise officially begins at 6PM but as I have written before the traffic around here is really hateful and Friday night….forget about it! So to make sure we made the 55 mile run without being late we gave ourselves plenty of time, we left at 2:30. Naturally we encountered very little traffic on the trip? We got there at 4PM! Chick-fil-a had roped off the parking lot but no one else was there including Fayraysounds, the manager of the cruise! So much for anticipating the traffic…. At least we got to pick our parking spot. After a few lame attempts by me of choosing the “best” parking place I decided it would be much better to let the Princess choose….hmm You think I would have learned my lesson about letting her pick the parking place, I guess I’m not very trainable?

Around 5PM the regulars started cruising in….this cruise always has a high percentage of traditional hot rods, it’s really cool to see them rumbling in one after another. There must be something in the water down there that ignites the imagination of those guys/gals. The first to come in was a rat rod tow truck….maybe he knew something? Jim showed up with his Rotten Peach ’46 Ford PU, this hot rod is always a source of interest….and Jim loves to talk about his ride to anyone, especially if the questioner is a girl, a nice looking girl, a single nice looking girl….I’m just saying. Some of the couples have discovered what fun it is to have two hot rods in the family….it was really cool to see the lady cruising in driving her T-Bucket….goggles and all! We experienced the same evolution of lady drivers while we rode motorcycles. When we started riding in the 60’s women never rode their own bikes but about 15 years ago we started seeing more and more lady bikers. And now we are seeing a similar evolution with the hot rods…. I like it when the Princess and I ride in the same car but when she drives her hot rod and I’m alone in the RedRat it’s somehow quieter …. I didn’t say that! Be sure to check out the “Studebaker” hot rod and the ’51 Mercury pick up. The black ’63 Chevy was flawless, like something out of a time capsule. And then….the white Citroen 2CV….I’m not saying anything else about that. The host of the cruise is Chick-fil-A and they give free sandwiches, drinks and refills to all the drivers which keeps us eating healthy….love those french fries….grin Around 8:30 it started getting cooler so the Princess said it was time to head home so we cruised north to Stafford and put the hot rods away for the day.

Saturday we decided to do some things around the house and just attend the local cruise at Bruster’s for the evening. We arrived around 4PM and the Princess got to have the pick of the lot again!
This cruise usually has a high percentage of post 1960 cars and Saturday was no exception. There were only about 8 old cars to represent traditional hot rodding. We visited with some friends and at 8PM we decided to go home.

Sunday the weather guessers were all over the place with their forecasts but at 7AM we left Stafford and cruised 31 miles to Manassas, VA and the 30th annual Bull Run Street Rods hot rod show. The rain was supposed to begin in the afternoon and be cloudy all day….and a little cool around 65-70. But it would be a great day for me to take pictures and the Princess wanted to win something, anything….so we started winding our way to Manassas.

This show always runs like a watch and Sunday was no exception. I think this show only allowed pre something cars at one time but has recently opened it up to anything, I think that reflects the reality of the times. This show always has a lot of primo cars and some not seen before. The “Best of Show” winner was a black, flamed Model A 2dr Sedan with the blown, zoomied, 540 Rat motored noise maker! A really cool looking and sounding ride. Notice….no radiator in front! And the radiator hoses go to the frame rails! Very cool…. Henry’s green ’55 Handyman wagon was just perfect and the nicest shoebox Ford I’ve seen in a while is Steve’s very dark green drop top. One of the advantages of opening up a show to all, is that it will eventually attract the young people….and their “tuners”. I like to see their cars at shows with us old folk….one day we won’t be here and they will be carrying on the “hot rod” tradition….I just hope they change their taste in music! Hot rodding is hot rodding whether it’s a ’34 Willys or a ’96 S-10 or Neon. They are all an expression of the owner’s idea of a better ride. It’s all good.

I have been enduring a personal problem at home….we have a flock of robins that have taken to using my daily drivers for target practice….every morning I come out to a river of poop on my Sport Trac and the Princess’s Mustang. We have tried a few things to keep them away but to no avail. So I was trolling the net for “bird repellent” and came across balloons with big bird eyes on them and pictures of owls and since it was on the internet it must be true! So Saturday I visited the local party store and picked up a couple Elmo balloons (big eyes) and some party tinsel (bling bling) to hang on the cars. That seems to be working for now except the neighbors keep knocking on our door asking about the party! But at the show I was the only one out of 140 cars to be bombed by birds! Why me! Maybe I’m on the bird Facebook or something….I think it’s the result of global warming? So when the Princess wasn’t flitting around picking up her door prizes and winning her Chinese auction stuff or doing other Princess things, she would keep an eye out for birds for me while I roamed around taking pictures….

The show had a few vendors, a Chinese auction, and the DJ played the GREATEST song list I’ve heard in a long time. There were too many very nice cars to pick out more….you have to look at the pictures. And maybe next year why don’t you attend the event and see for yourself!? The host club, Bull Run Street Rods always puts on a great show and the host, Burger King, is always gracious in allowing the show on their lot….a great symbiotic relationship.