Monday, September 16, 2013

Three up....three down...

Friday afternoon Ron & Jean and the Princess & I began our 75 mile cruise to Louise, VA.  We met Lou & Arlene in Culpeper so all 6 of us could cruise together to Kenny & the Cruizers Cruise In.  We had tried to fit this event in our plans all year but something else always came up….this was the last time for the year so we made sure we got there.

The event is held at Kenny’s Central Tire & Auto which is right on Rt. 33, 22 & 208 in downtown Louisa.  The lot is a little tight but adequate for the size of the cruise.  The restrooms were inside, well maintained and very nice.  Kenny’s crew cooked up hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ and BBQ chicken for contributions to Louisa Food Pantry.  They also provided soft drinks and bottled water free of charge!  The food was tasty, above average for this kind of event….and it was welcome after our long trek through the Virginia countryside to get there.  They also had a silent auction and a 50/50 that benefited the Food Pantry.  This is how Americans deal with those less fortunate among us….we take care of our own, we don’t rely on Govt. handouts.  They also played a good list of music for background noise….I love it!  Arlene & the Princess won a silent auction and Jean missed the $88 50/50 by one number….and we had to listen to that on Saturday & Sunday….just ONE number!
So….you go to a “country” cruise and expect to see tractors and farm pickups….really?  The 60 some vehicles that cruised in were all great examples of our “car culture”.  Some daily driven rides with bugs in the grilles to National car show quality rides.  The copper & maroon ‘56 Ford Pickup might just be one of the 5 best pickups I have ever seen….it’s just that good!  The red DeTomaso is a seldom seen car and this one was done for looks as well as running.  The red & black original ’34 Ford Pickup was much better than new and the silver & orange ’39 Olds was really special….with the blown motor!  So if you go to a “country” cruise in Virginia….you just might be surprised what shows up!
About 9PM we packed up and headed home….since it was dark we chose the shorter route, about 55 miles, across Lake Anna.  This is more fun than old people should be allowed to have….grin!
Saturday Ron & Jean and the Princess & I cruised to Colonial Beach and the annual Jim Stills 1954 Ford Museum picnic.  We have attended all but one of these deals….and it’s always fun.
Jim & John manage the event with the support of the Colonial Beach Cruisers.  John does all the cooking, Jim runs around waving his arms making sure everything goes as it should.  The Colonial Beach Cruisers usually are very well represented in the lot and some of us from Stafford always show up.  This event is just as it is advertised….a picnic….you just drive your hot rod instead of your daily driver.  Jim & John make some games with an automotive flair.  Like the lifter toss, piston ring toss, piston & rod toss, push rod drop, nut stack and flywheel spin.  But the most fun is the blind driving race!  HUH….   Yup it’s the ginchiest….  The track is about 150 ft. long and 20 ft wide….the driver lines up on the start line, aligns the vehicle with the side lines….the driver is then blindfolded and told to lightemup…..grin  The driver then determines when to stop without going over the finish line.  Some drivers try to time it to know when to stop, some listen to ambient noise from the crowd to gauge where they are on the track, some have become one with their vehicle so that they ‘just know’ how far they have gone and when to stop.  I think the guy that won has an implant that is uplinked to 7 geosynchronous satellites which will project his location on the inside of his eyelid…..he was that close!  This is really a fun event and the more participants the merrier.
The Princess won the piston throw contest….think about that.  She also tied in the push rod drop….  John said that he believes in sharing the wealth and just because the Princess actually won two contests, she should be happy to let someone else win one too….that is not a concept the Princess understands.  I tried to explain it to her that she had to sacrifice once in a while for the bigger good and let someone else enjoy the fruit of her magnificence….share….another word not in her lexicon.  She just stood there….I thought she was going to start talking through her teeth, another bad sign.  Did you ever see a deer in the headlights?  She stood there and looked at me….then John….then me again, I started getting nervous.  I think she called John a name that I can’t spell so I won’t try.  This is another one of those times I had to reflect on the wisdom of allowing a redhead to be armed….whew  I quickly started dangling my keys in the sunlight till she got distracted enough to forget about “sharing”….you have no idea.
The hot rods that show up are usually varied and unusual….this year was no exception.  Hoppy brought his red & white ’55 Ford golf cart!  That is a very cool deal….and it was a perfect garage mate to Jim’s yellow ’54 Ford golf cart.  I liked the orange & white ’56 Ford Ranchero….it started out as a station wagon and the owner turned it into what you see in the pictures….just too cool.  And the finished ’54 Fords that Jim displays are all unique….and he has many “in waiting” to work on….it never ends.  Jim has built the building like a ‘50’s car dealership would have looked like.  Complete with the wall murals and other memorabilia.  He has a 292 OHV motor on a stand that is original, not hot rodded.  It’s really a neat place to visit…but it is by appointment only, usually only during the picnic he has each year.  So….don’t miss it next year if you are a fan of the 1954 Ford.
The four of us cruised home but since we were within 1200 furlongs of Carl’s Ice Cream we were legally constrained to stop and buy ice cream.  I know I know….but the law is the law….  A great ending to a fun day….I love this hobby.
Sunday the Princess and I left Stafford around 6AM and cruised 21 miles to Occoquan, VA and the Prince William Cruisers, 5th annual  Benefit Car Show at the Occoquan Regional Park.  We like to help the club because they give to worthy charities and we have some friends in the club….so it works out just fine.  I help Jo & Roger with the registration and the Princess helps with the T shirt sales and this year she helped sell raffle tickets for a Harley afghan one of the club member’s wives crocheted. Dan & Ramona also assist the club, Ramona sells the T shirts and Dan helps with the entry gate registration.
This is one of the larger shows in the area, usually attended by 200 vehicles.  This year it was right at that number plus or minus a couple.  The show is on a rolling grass field with the vehicles lined up in long rows.  The quality of the vehicles is always top notch but this time some of them surprised me.  And two of my favorites were pickups!  The silver/maroon Chevy AD and the orange ‘56 Ford F100 were National show quality pickups.  I also liked the yellow Mack semi tractor and the red car hauler with the bathtub tied on the bed.  Jim’s yellow ’72 Plymouth Satellite (Road Runner) was just too smooth and the orange/black ’37 Ford was very unique.  There was no shortage of enviable vehicles.
The event features a live band, Route 66, which keeps things jumping all day….in fact some come just to listen to the band.  One of the vendors on the show field was selling hot dogs and BBQ and I’m told it was good.  The bathrooms have always been a problem here and they still are.  Besides being too far for people to walk to them, the men’s facility had water (I think it was just water) all over the floor.  It was not only unsanitary it was unsafe.  The women’s facility was still too far away but I’m told it was nice inside.  There were a number of other vendors that made the day a little more interesting, this really helps.
The weather was a chamber of commerce postcard perfect….really perfect!  As I’ve written before this club runs their deals with the precision of German railroad….it WILL be on time!  Steve and his group start the judging early in the morning, as soon as the cars are set up.  So by the time the registration closes at noon the judging is almost done.  They give out top 75 awards….75!  And they have 5 ‘best of’ awards.  Steve and his judging group have the fairest process I’ve seen.  You will always have unhappy people no matter who judges but this club does it as right as can be done.  It’s also neat to see all the club members step up and do their part to make the show the success it always is.  And it is truly amazing to watch them take everything down….all the tables, chairs, tents….everything done with the precision of a marching band within 30 min!  This is a show you have to put on your calendar next year.
We were on the road to Stafford by 4PM so we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner….Zibibo’s in Stafford serves the finest Sicilian fare….so we ate till we couldn’t move and moseyed home to fall asleep by 8PM….   What a weekend….it will take 5 days to rest up for next weekend!  Keep on moving….








1 comment:

Unknown said...

What a great story. Who is Dave in the story?? Your robot thing took tooooooooooo long!!!!!!!!!!!!!