Most of the vehicles were the usual
suspects except for the two Tesla’s….a white one and a grey one. I guess they are a glimpse into the future of
the automobile but at north of 100K and no noise….they are not my cup of
tea. And I read that if you drop your
spotted owl sandwich on the seats it really leaves a mark….grin
We had a large group of friends come
and sit with us and we all caught up on what we have been up to the last
month. There was a higher than normal
bunch of hooligan drivers Friday, doing burnouts and driving recklessly. It is an unfortunate thing that the club
cannot really control, they can tell everyone to take it easy but in the end
the individual drivers make the decision to be stupid or not! So by 9PM we all packed up and cruised home.
Saturday the Princess and I took one
of our “alone” cruises. We like to just
drive around the Virginia countryside and be thankful we can still enjoy this
hobby together. The preceding couple
weeks I had done a lot of repair work on the truck as well as performing the
mid season maintenance and wanted to make sure the parts didn’t fall off or
start leaking before we ventured out too far.
So we cruised about 80 miles and ended in Fredericksburg at Family Diner
for the cruise that evening. We didn’t
get in any rain till we came out from the diner and found the truck was wet….it
had rained while we were eating! It was
about 6PM and there were no other cars showing up so we waited a little till
the roads dried then cruised 17 miles home.
Sunday we met seven other couples
that came out for the first annual Summer Screech Cruise. We met in Fredericksburg, VA at the WAWA
where Rt. 17 runs into Rt. 1. The sky
was foreboding with angry black and grey clouds and we actually got a couple rain
drops on the way down from Stafford to the meeting location. But it wasn’t actually raining so we launched
on the inaugural cruise. Our first stop
was about 50 miles from the start just a little south of Tappahannock, VA. We cruised into the Sheetz and filled up the
tanks and drained the bladders….reminded me of riding the Harley those many
years. After about a half an hour we
formed up and ran the last 60 mile leg of the cruise to Williamsburg, VA and
Capt. George’s Seafood Restaurant.
The restaurant is nestled in the
outskirts of Williamsburg on Rt. 60.
There are a lot of “tourist” things to do in that area, many outlet
shops and the College of William & Mary is not far. The original American settlement at Jamestown
is just a few minutes past Williamsburg….so the area is always a very busy
place. But we came to eat and eat we
shall.
We started visiting Capt. George’s
in the late 70’s and have never had a bad experience with either the food or
service. They serve some traditional
American food but their specialty is seafood….any kind of seafood. And did I mention it’s a buffet? If you go away hungry from Capt. George’s….you
really didn’t try. Our group was ushered
into the large group room where we had a long continuous table set up so our
group of 16 people could all be seated at one table. That was a very nice surprise. Almost all of us exerised a modicum of
restraint while eating and didn’t embarrass ourselves by the number of dirty
plates the wait staff cleaned off the table around us…. Then there was the Princess…. She came to eat….crab legs! It was a very dangerous place to be found
between the Princess and the crab legs in the buffet. I think she had 5-6 helpings heaped on the
plate about a foot high. Then there was
the fried oysters, scallops and rice pudding….I started getting a little queasy
watching her make each new mountain of food disappear….one fork full at a time…. She used to complain about eating so much and
then riding the Harley for 3 hours….now she can sit in a nice comfy bucket seat
in the truck….I’m doomed. I think
everyone’s belly button was popped out so we paid the bill, emptied our bladders
and headed for the hot rods.
The weather had been nice coming
down….a little cloudy but cool. Now the
weather was hot and sunny, what a change!
We formed up and began the next 47
mile leg of the cruise to a Valero gas station right past King William HS. Unfortunately a couple cruisers started
getting low on fuel so an impromptu fuel stop had to be made. We stopped about 2 miles from the scheduled
stop and when we were back on track I didn’t know if everyone else wanted or
needed to stop again so soon….so I kept going.
Big mistake! Months ago I set up
the stop for a lot of reasons….the clean restrooms, multiple fuel islands, a
busy station so the fuel is not old and easy egress to Rt.30. I also planned to use that stop to thank
everyone for coming on the cruise as there would be no more stops after
that. So I began getting stressed about
that and started looking for a place to stop again….but it was Sunday, we were
in the country….not all fuel stops are open on Sunday. We cruised through Bowling Green and switched
to Rt. 2 and still no place to stop. But
as soon as the Bowling Green sign was fading in my rear view mirror….the sky
ahead and to the west was getting dark….very dark….and I began to see lightning
flashes!
The rain started easy for about 20
seconds then it looked and felt like we were driving underwater. The wind was howling through the trees,
stripping out the dead branch ends from the cicada hatch a month ago along with
some good size branches and other debris.
I had put the windshield wipers on the truck before we left the house as
insurance it wouldn’t rain. But rain it
did….so hard that visibility was about 50 feet and closing. The lightning and thunder was incessant….the
wind was blowing across the road buffeting the cars….especially the high and
flat ones like Ron’s ’28 Dodge sedan. It
was a wild ride for about 25 miles till we were close to Fredericksburg! Then communication broke down and people
started leaving the column. First Steve
& Elaine disappeared then Bill & Linda stopped. Then Roy & Sharon and Paul & Kim
left. Ron & Gene and Dan &
Ramona followed me into a WAWA so I could get fuel and figure out where
everyone went. Ron & Janet honked as
they went by us and soon after Bill & Linda did the same. So….I think all were accounted for but it was
a little stressful trying to figure out if anyone had trouble from the rain or
were just close to home. I need to do a
better job of that next time. The 6 of
us talked a little at the WAWA but soon decided it was time for us to motor on
home too.
I think all enjoyed the day….even the
rain….even the 210 miles….it’s good to drive them cars a little….that’s why
they have wheels & tires on them!
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