Running with the rain....

Friday afternoon we made our way 16 miles North to Woodbridge, VA and the Prince William Cruisers weekly cruise near the Glory Days restaurant.  We usually try to attend this cruise a couple times a year because we like to interact with the people that attend it….it is always good banter and fellowship.  They set up a loose circle of folding chairs between a couple hot rods to keep the conversation close and it continues all evening.  We arrived first and the others cruised in as the evening unfolded.  The number of vehicles attending this cruise has never been overwhelming but they are always interesting.  Tonight a seldom seen car, an Opel GT from the late 60’s, cruised in….it was nearly stock but a neat comment on automotive design of the period and beyond….  And another Chevy AD (Advance Design) pickup, almost black too!  A tall T coupe then a pair of red Model A Sedans arrived. And lastly a black original Model A pickup snuck in with the brown Ford Sedan….very cool.  But as I said this cruise is all about the social interaction….and it goes on into the night….past “cruise time”.  If you like to talk or listen instead of power cruisin then you should visit this cruise.

Saturday Ron C., Andrew R., and the Princess & I met at the WAWA then departed at 7AM for Gloucester, VA and the Middle Peninsula Classic Cruisers, Blast From the Past Car Show.  Gloucester is 109 miles from the WAWA so it would be a long cruise to the event using Rt. 17 most of the way.  But it is a pleasant cruise through Virginia’s lowlands near the Chesapeake Bay and environs.  It is a very low stress cruise, mostly through flat rural farm country with the corn and soy beans growing near the road.  The cruise takes us through towns like Tappahannock, Saluda, Ark, Jamaica, Oakley, Ozeana, Dunnsville, Caret, Chance, Loretto, Iraville, Return, Olive and Etta.  Had we gone a few miles further we would have gone through Ordinary and Short Lane.  I’m not making these up!  

The weatherguessers had been forecasting rain for the day….20% to 50%.  It was supposed to be OK in Gloucester but raining in Stafford….yeah right.  It was an uneventful cruise to the event….weather-wise.  The large puffy clouds all around but no rain….OK so far!

When we arrived at the event it had about half of the cars that would make up the days contestants already in place.  We muscled our way to a spot with a tree strip in back so we could erect our canopy….the Princess must have her shade!  An overheated, over sweated, sunburned Princess is not a pretty sight nor is she very pleasant company….there would be a riff in the Force if she doesn’t have shade!   I don’t think the angry guy with the red flag wanted us to park by the trees but he finally gave up but then made us park a little too close together!  Whew that was stressful.  We set up the canopy and all the rest of our support gear.  How did we get all that stuff in our coupes?  It seems like each time I open the cover on the truck there is more stuff in there?  The Princess says “I don’t know what that stuff is or where it came from, not mine”?

There were about 80-85 vehicles in the event that ranged from cars that still had that ‘new car’ smell to Hot Rods from the 30’s and everything in between.  We had seen only a few before….like our friend Bing’s nice ’55 Chevy.  Bing is another one of HotRodHotLine’s intrepid reporters….be sure to check out his pictures too.  One person that visited our canopy was a man with his two sons that were taking in the show.  During the conversation answering his question of what Cruisin For Heroes was, he shared with us what Wounded Warrior Project meant to him….a personal deal….makes me happy that we can give back something to our Veterans.

The way too bright green ’67 Plymouth Barracuda was perfect…the detail was impeccable.  I liked the brown AMC AMX….another seldom seen car!  The blue & white Hillman wagon with the SB Chevy gets better every time I see it.  The graphically green 60’s Ford Econoline was a forehead slapping throwback for me….but the most memory intensive ride for me was the red ’69 VW flip front.  That turbo charged, over 300HP air cooled beast was one of the coolest rides at the event….what a nostalgia deal that was for me!  One of the other road beast’s that caught my solid attention was the yellow Model A pickup, with the massively blown Chevy big block and blue light attracting exhaust system.  I bet that one will set off car alarms….hehehehhe  The orange ’56 Merc custom was exquisitely executed….like something out of a Rod & Custom magazine from the 60’s. 

The weatherguessers were running for cover as the nice white puffy, picturesque clouds began turning into dark grey apocalyptical masses of lightning filled trouble….heading our way!  The host club began the award ceremony a little early so we could disperse before the impending deluge was upon us!  As some of you know when we had two cars I never had mine judged at shows….I care not about awards, I’m just thankful that God has provided us with the means to enjoy this hobby.  But since we now have downsized to one vehicle….and the Princess is always with me….the truck has to be in the contest.  The whining is incessant if she thinks she “missed a trophy”!?   So….HER truck won a couple trophies….best paint & best truck!  There will be happiness and tranquility in the Shotwell hovel till next time! 

So our little convoy ran back to Stafford….it started to rain about ½ mile from the show!  And it really rained….not Biblical proportions but intense enough to slow down….grin  It rained for about 30 miles then quit till we got close to Fredericksburg then rained again for a short while.  It was our first time driving the truck in the rain and we found it had no leaks and it was a lot less intense to handle than the RedRat was.  The truck has two little wipers that work just fine thank you….grin

We arrived at the ongoing cruise at Home Depot in N. Stafford and found a moving van was taking up half of the parking spaces!  Bummer  So we parked the truck in the cruise lot and walked to Hibachi Grille to meet others for dinner….it was a very, very long, tedious walk after our already long day.  I think the walk was about 184 miles long….won’t do that again soon.  When we came back to the cruise it was raining and everyone was gone!  The truck looked very lonely in the parking lot….all by itself….won’t do that again either!  We cruised back home and dried the truck to be ready for our next adventure….I love this hobby.