Monday, July 14, 2014

In the Country....


Friday we chose our meandering traffic free route to cruise our way to Fredericksburg, VA and the weekly cruise at VA BBQ.  The lot was slowly filling up….no doubt the heat was keeping many at home in the A/C.  But by 6PM the lot was almost full with many regulars but also some interesting visitors too.  Our granddaughter, Haley, is visiting us during the summer and since the truck can only sit two people....the Princess had to drive her Rio red '94 Mustang GT.  The two 1969 Mercury Cyclones were very special.  One in white with Dan Gurney blue interior, the other also white but with the Cale Yarborough red interior!  It is rare to see one of these cars but both showed up tonight!  Denny & Betty cruised in with their Gatsby….glad he finally has it on the road, it’s such an interesting vehicle, he even won a trophy for it later that evening.  Two restored Korean War era Army jeeps took up position near the end of a line and allowed spectators to sit in them for pictures!  A spotless black ’63 Falcon took a spot in front of the restaurant to be noticed easier next to the very red ’56 T-Bird….grin  Our small group formed up behind the truck and visited the evening away.  When the sun dropped below the tree line the temp dropped about 10 degrees with it….a very welcome occurrence.  The awards were given out around 8:30 and the winner of the 50/50 was drawn shortly after that.  Most of you know we don’t really care to compete for trophies at local events.  The larger deals out of town are a different matter.  We do, however, like to compete in some 50/50’s.  This night the 50/50 money was for a local little guy with some major medical issues.  In fact some of the people that attended came specifically to help little two year old Nathan….some even came without their hot rod!  Although the winner can do whatever they want with their winnings, I feel that when it’s for a specific need like this, the right thing to do is give your part of the 50/50 back to support the need.  The winner kept the money and drove off in a vehicle that didn’t reflect “need”!  I think that is the sad part of our hobby that some people can be so self centered that they don’t always see the bigger picture….I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Saturday Denny & Betty, Bill and the Princess & I began our journey to visit the monthly cruise in Locust Grove, VA.  We have been to that cruise a few times and the route is getting monotonous so we decided to be adventurous and let the GPS guide our way.  Some say electronic devices are not alive, I don’t believe that.  I know the GPS’s have an evil, devious heart that some would say is humorous….I would say malevolent.  As we twisted and turned our way towards Locust Grove the roads got narrower.  Then the shoulders disappeared along with the edge stripes.  When the centerline disappeared I think I heard the GPS make chuckling noises!  I got to the point that I was checking the fuel gauge to make sure I had enough fuel to backtrack if it got worse.  The Princess was calling out all the beautiful scenery along the way but I was trying to avoid head on accidents with the jacked up, screaming pickups from hell we met in the turns.  At one point I’m sure I heard banjo music from the GPS….  We finally popped out on Rt. 3 near Lake of the Woods and got our bearings back….whew!  I shut down the GPS for the remaining 7 miles and I think the off button gave me a shock?  It will remain at home next time….although it was an adventure….grin

This event is managed by the Good Times Cruisers of Locust Grove and supported by the many businesses in the shopping center.  We always look forward to attending this event and dining at Mama’s Pizza.  The food is good but the waitress makes the deal for us!  About 50 rides attended and represented a varied mix of vehicles.  The Princess won a door prize, a dozen cup cakes….think about that.  The red ’53 MG TD was nicely done and the black ’39 Rolls Phantom (all aluminum body, engine, trans) is always nice to see.  There was an original 1931 Buick and a stunning example of graphic painting on a ‘66 Chevelle.  A new Caddy, a T-Bucket, a jacked up Blazer, a drop dead gorgeous ’37 Chevy PU, a red Corvair convertible, Bob’s yellow SSR, a couple of Chevy AD pickups and a ‘56 Caddy rat rod…..so much variety….it’s all there.  Even Dan’s yellow Jeep snuck in.  As I said there is usually an eclectic mix of vehicles to see at this cruise.  You need to put it on your calendar, the second Saturday of every month.

We packed up and headed home before dark….our old eyes work better with sunlight.  I lead till we had gone about 3 miles on I95 when I guess Denny & Betty wanted to stretch the legs on the Gatsby.  He passed us with a thunderous roar so we followed them the rest of the way to Stafford, at about 70mph…..cool

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