A sunny day in Virginia....

Friday we planned to visit the Chick-fil-A in Ashland, VA but no one else showed up at the start point so we opted to visit our home cruise at VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA.  Saturday was shaping up to be a very busy day so the shorter commute distance Friday night would be better for us old folk.  As it turned out a lot of other people decided to visit the Q with us!  About 50 other cruisers came and went before the night was over….

A school bus yellow ’71 Ford Ranchero rumbled in….it was a 429SCJ car.  We had a ’71 GT 429CJ, I didn’t like the hood scoop of the SCJ so I ordered our car as a CJ.  I also had it factory painted the brown metallic they painted the Pinto’s that year, you could do that back then.  I also ordered it with a 2.73 rear gear as it was going to be my freeway flyer….but that’s another story.  It is always cool to see something you used to own, joining the gathering.  A lot of the usual suspects filled out the lot….a nice evening.  We cruised home and stopped by KFC to take some yard bird home for dinner, yeah at 9:30….in the PM. 

Saturday we began our day at the 13^th Annual, Fredericksburg Classic & Muscle Car Club; Car, Truck & Bike Show….whew!  We have attended this show from time to time in the past, one year it rained so hard we had to get in our truck to keep dry!  Our canopy was hosting everyone within 50’ that didn’t have their own canopy!  But this day was unfolding to be perfect, a little warm but just beautiful.  We arrived early to get “our spot” and save 7 other spots for our group.  The Princess and I set up our canopy and waited for the sleepy heads to arrive!  One by one they rolled in with Lou & Arlene last….Lou’s Princess needs her rest….or….maybe Lou’s GPS guided them via Richmond or something….it’s a process….hehehehe  We set up three canopies as close to the tree line as we could without rolling down the hill.  It was beginning to get hot but it was a Chamber of Commerce, picture perfect day!

This show historically attracts over a hundred cars but this day they would have 122 cars registered, the most ever!  A great day for their club….which uses the money from this show and the 50/50s all year at their Friday & Saturday cruises to make the Christmas season a lot brighter for many local families.  They really do a good thing for some local folks.  There were many very nice cars attending the event, you just have to check the pictures to appreciate the variety and quality of the rides.

The club invited a few vendors….many shows don’t do that anymore and I think it’s a shame not to invite local businesses to the dance too.  Something I had never seen before at a show or cruise was an NRA booth/table.  You must remember this is central VA….not northern VA….we believe in our Second Amendment rights down here and it was very refreshing to see the NRA represented.  One of the “car” ladies that drive a cool yellow new Camaro called Bumble Bee also dresses up in a “transformer” costume and entertains the kids….and a few adults too me thinks.  Kandy always adds to the positive experience of events whenever she is there, especially for the kids.  The DJ/Announcer was perfect, the tunes fit the day and the announcements were not overpowering.  Wes was in the outdoor kitchen making hot dogs….some of the best car show hot dogs around.  Kim and her cohorts were extorting money from the contestants with the 50/50 sales.  The winner (the owner of the ’59 BOS Chevy)  won over $300…..he gave back $100 to the club for their Christmas fund. 

If you have been following me for any length of time you know the trophies are not a focal point of my experience at shows.  And I seldom report on who won what…. but the Best of Show on Saturday was won by a flawless red/white ’59 Chevy Impala, complete with a 348….just a very nice piece anyway you look at it.  The BOS trophy was the nicest trophy of it’s kind and probably wouldn’t fit in the trunk!  Remember it was a ’59 Chebbie, with an 8 body trunk!  Think about it.  And there were many other fine examples of the car craft here in Virginia.  Arnold’s purple ’57 Chevy convertible is one, a candy red ’51 Ford PU is another, also a black ’49 Ford shoebox and a few others that peg the cool meter….just check out the pictures.

It was turning into a real hot, muggy day and we still had things to do, and places to go.  We broke camp and followed Lou to an ice cream place he & Arlene found recently.  We always have to check out any ice cream establishment within 300 miles….it’s a public service we provide!  This one was on Rt. 3 between Rt. 20 and Lake of the Woods.  It’s a little trailer deal that sells only Hershey ice cream.  The parking was a little crazy but the ice cream was great….especially on a hot day….and it was getting hotter….like a 400 megaton nuclear explosion hot!  I think the pinstriping was melting on the farm truck.  After we made the ice cream disappear some of us made our way to Orange, VA about 25 miles away and the monthly cruise at the Burger King on Rt. 15 in Orange.

By the time we arrived at the BK, about 4:30, the effects of over 9 hours exposure to the day’s heat had taken a toll on our old bodies was taking effect.  We parked our hot rods in the sun, nearest to the planned Italian restaurant we were going to dine in.  The A/C was more than welcome….it was a life saver!  I usually take 6 bottles of water for the Princess and me to drink….they usually last all day….we were down to one left!  And the Princess had been drinking some diet soda as well as the water.  So when we sat down in the restaurant I think we both drank 38 gallons of diet Pepsi, should have been water.  We took a long time to eat so we could cool down but eventually other people began coming in and staring at us….we not so graciously gave up our table. Back out in the heat we quickly found out how tired and worn out we really were.  The cumulative effect of not enough hydration, too much UV and other nuclear radiation from the sun, a mostly sedentary life style and an over 71 year old out of shape body, fell on me like a ’57 Buick Roadsmasher! We staggered toward our chairs under a large sycamore tree and collapsed….we were DONE.  I couldn’t bring myself to go around and take pictures of the nearly 200 cars that were present.  Next time we can’t plan to be out in the heat all day….  We had an uneventful 58 mile cruise back to the Shotwell hovel and the A/C.  We parked the farm truck in it’s place, on our Quick Lift ramps and fell through the door into our home.  We didn’t unload the truck till Sunday.  I can’t remember being that tired and worn out.  It really was a great day….at least what I can remember…..grinning…..I love this hobby!


https://www.flickr.com/photos/53063560@N05/albums/72157654988029253
https://www.flickr.com/photos/53063560@N05/albums/72157654930843164

To Wardensville, WV and beyond....

The weatherguessers were saying the rain would hold off till late at night….they lied!  Surprise?  The impending forecast kept many home Friday August 7^th but some still came out….like David and his gnarly blue Mustang from Culpeper, about 40 miles away!  And Warren just brought his blue/black ’47 Chebbie from NY to visit.  But around 8PM it started to sprinkle and the cruise folded up. 

Saturday we had planned a cruise to Wardensville, WV to attend the monthly cruise at the Quarter Mile Diner.  The day was gorgeous so we left Stafford and began our 74 mile leg to Luray and the first pit stop.  Along the way we checked out Cooters place in Sperryville, VA….yup, the same Cooter that was in Dukes of Hazzard.

After we emptied our bladders and filled the tanks we continued on the next 58 mile leg of the cruise to Wardensville, WV.  As cruised through Front Royal, VA we drove past a show at the local Chevy dealer….looked like a lot of nice cars.  When we arrived at the diner there was one other car, Scott’s black Mustang!  We parked and checked out the memorabilia the owner of the diner displays then sat down to check out the food.  Coincidently three of us ordered the Nitro Burger….it was very good and could defiantly put a little pop in your step!  We visited with Scott for a while then decided it was time to start our 98 mile return by a different route that included a stint on the Mother Road, Rt. 66.  Going out we used back roads exclusively but on the return trip we used Interstates as much as we could.  It was a great day driving the scenic Virginia highways….you should go with us some day….you really are missing an enjoyable part of our hobby if you don’t get out once in a while.  Shows are cool, cruises are enjoyable too….but out on the road is where it’s at….

60 Years of Cars and Stars 2015

Friday night at VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA attendance was down a little but the variety and quality of the cruisers was amazing.  A ’62 Chevy pickup came in late, very chopped and scalloped….nice old school ride.  A very nice silver Tahoe with cool graphics joined the cruise then Debbie’s little Metro made it too.  I think that Metro needs more HP….like a Sonny’s 1005 inch beast….yeah that would work!  We stayed till the end and had an uneventful cruise home.

Saturday we cruised to Fredericksburg, VA and the monthly cruise at the Pep Boys on Rt. 3.  This cruise is managed by the Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car Club and hosted by the folks at Pep Boys.  The attendance was a little off due in part to the excessive heat.  The humidity was a little lower but hot is still HOT.  Most of the cruisers were the usual suspects but Warren brought out his rowdy Nova to share.  The mud racer was cool and ran on E85….!  A nostalgia FED came through on a trailer but didn’t stop….he was on his way to the event on Sunday at Colonial Beach Dragway.  Bill brought his Model T speedster to share with the spectators.  This cruise is in an area that has a few restaurants nearby so there is always a lot of non-car people walking among the cars and asking questions.  For me this is the best kind of cruise, I love to talk about the cars with people.  We left a little early….I’m old, I need my rest….Sunday was going to be a BIG day.

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY….Sunday, August 2, 2015 we left the Eustace Rd. WAWA in N. Stafford, VA at 6AM to cruise to Colonial Beach, VA and the 60 Years of Cars and Stars, Drag Racing Reunion.  This is a big deal around here and is a “must attend” event for the year.  It’s run on the historic Colonial Beach Dragway that has been in existence for many years.  It was converted to a drag strip after the airport, that was used for commuters to gamble in the Maryland waters of Colonial Beach, VA, was no longer needed.  It is now an 1/8 mile strip, years ago when the cars were much slower it was a ¼ mile strip. 

We had attended the event a couple years ago and knew we had to get onsite by 7:30 or we would be parking away from the action….so we left early to ensure a good spot for the day’s activities.  When we arrived we hastily set up camp with some of the Virginia Stockers car club.  We had four canopies lashed together and to the drag strip fence!  It looked like a refugee camp!  It gave us a primo spot to watch the races in the comfort of shade while we socialized and our cars would be only about 20 feet away!  This event is a “car” event…..what I mean by that is that most of the people wandering around among the show cars already know about cars so we don’t have to be close to the cars to answer questions about them.  As soon as I had the Princess set up to relax under the canopy I took off to begin recording the day on film….I guess that’s not film anymore, maybe digital something?  The Princess says the pictures are converted to pixilated spirits then sent to a cloud where angles take care of them till I get back to my computer….you have no idea. 

Since my roots are in drag racing I like to visit the hot pits first….it’s a little different now but the activity focus is always the same, get ready for the bell!  I don’t understand all the new classes and is probably why I like the “nostalgic” events better.  The “old” cars still look like Gassers and rails….the Altereds look like a funny car without a body.  But they all make the same music….the sound of my people!

After I made my rounds in the pits I had to rest in the campground for an hour before beginning the next phase of the day.  The show car field was filling up and most of the cars were soon to be in place….a good time to photograph them.  There were too many interesting rides to describe….you just have to check out the pictures.  When I came back to the campground I watched the racing with the other for a while but I was getting too hot.  I told the Princess I needed to get home to A/C.  Since the old farm truck’s A/C consists of a cowl vent, windows and a sun roof….it works ok when the truck is moving but not so much at rest.  I guess everyone else was getting hot because when we started to break camp everyone else started too!

It was a great day at the drags….If you are around here the first of next August you need to check this event out….you won’t be disappointed.

Summer Screech....2015

We had the little people visit us the last half of the week so we didn’t ‘get out’ till Sunday.  And Sunday we would run the 3^rd Annual Summer Screech.  This is an event that Cruisin For Heroes has put on to raise awareness of the Fisher House Foundation and to cruise to Williamsburg, VA for lunch at the world renowned, Capt. Georges Seafood Restaurant.  The Princess and I would ride the 130 miles on our Harley for lunch years ago….but now we drive our hot rod instead.  There are shorter and faster routes but we use a low stress back road route….it’s just more enjoyable to drive that kind of road for 3 hours.  Yup, three hours….we plan half way pit stops going & coming.

We began the adventure in Fredericksburg, VA at a WAWA on Rt. 1 and traveled toward Tappahannock and the first pit stop.  We left the WAWA with 23 cars I think.  About 22 miles down the road we picked up 2 more cars.  Then at the first stop in Tappahannock we picked up two more! So….I think we had about 27 cars making the trip to Williamsburg….it was a nice sized group and fairly easy to keep everyone together.  And it included everything from a new Sub-Lime green Challenger to a Model T Bucket!  We had some daily drivers tag along too because of the heat and a couple special cars were broken but the owners wanted to make the excursion with us.  We reserved a room at the restaurant and everything there went as planned….just too much food.  If you can’t find something to excite your palate then you must not eat food.  The Princess tried to clean out their supply of snow crab legs and I think she was being helped by a few other people in our group. 

Finally we all waddled out to our rides and began the adventure home.  Some would stay and explore Williamsburg, some would go home a different route and some would follow us back by a different route than the one we came on in the morning.  We cruised 50 miles to our last pit stop in Central Garage, VA.  We fueled up, drained our bladders…..said our goodbyes and cruised the last 63 miles to Stafford and home.  Some would also stop for ice cream somewhere on the way back but we were just too wiped out for that…..did I just say to tired for ice cream?

It was a great day to drive the back roads of Virginia in our hot rods….then eat at a primo restaurant.  We are so lucky to know cool people to share a day like this with….I love this hobby!

A busy weekend....

The Friday night cruise at VA BBQ in Fredericksburg, VA would be an iffy deal….the weatherguessers were saying the major rain storms were going to stay south….about 30 miles from the cruise….so that meant it could rain within a thousand miles somewhere!  I checked the radar maps of 5 different sites and felt comfortable that the weatherguessers might be correct this time!   So we loaded the cooler up with water, put a fire in the belly of the farm truck and motored south.

 After we set up our little camp the sky started getting real black and ugly….but it WAS going west to east and it looked like it may stay a little south of us….whew!  As the evening was unfolding more and more cruisers came to visit.  Kandy’s zombie apocalypse response Jeep made an appearance and Kandy gave us a demonstration on how to use the long reach tactical response weapon (air rifle)….I think she enjoys her cars waaay too much!  The green ’37 Chevy Pro Street sedan was very interesting as was the stone stock beige ’62 Ford Falcon.  The TR-6 with the Webers was just too cool then the radically painted & slammed Chevy dually crew cab came in….niice….  John and his drop dead gorgeous, almost black ’37 Chevy coupe met up with the very nicely done black ’39 Chevy coupe….what a photo op!  Then another NY transplant showed up with his gunmetal grey ’52 Chevy PU…. another farm truck!  A lot of new Mopars too….the lime green Challenger with the Shaker hood caught my eye….if I only had a job….hee hee hee  It was a good night at the Q with over 50 special rides joining in on the festivities….oh yeah, we were celebrating something….it was the “Collector Car Appreciation Day”….you did celebrate it too….didn’t you?

I belong to a small group of guys that raise money & awareness to Fisher House Foundation, it’s called Cruisin For Heroes.  We accomplish that by providing a gaggle of special vehicles to business events for a donation to Fisher House Foundation.  We also organize over the road cruises to vehicle centric locations and/or restaurants.  We ask the participants of the cruises to consider Fisher House Foundation when they are doing their yearly charity giving.  We have been working this process for about seven years now and it’s finally starting to roll.  In January this year we made the first contact with Marie at Morais Vineyard and Winery to explore putting on an event in the summer.  After over 300 emails, numerous phone calls, personal invitations and a few visits to the Winery after our first meeting, we accomplished the event on Saturday the 12^th.

As with any long range planned event, weather is always a factor.  Planned rain dates are an option but in our experience they don’t work nearly as well as the original date of the event.  Saturday unfolded as a chamber of commerce, postcard perfect day.  High puffy white clouds on a deep blue sky….a gentle breeze and temps in the mid to high 80’s.  Some of the invited people began their journey early in the morning to the event from West Virginia and Maryland as well as Virginia.  The volunteers began arriving around 9AM and the last one was in place around Noon.   We had commitments from 31 people to support us on the 12^th….we had 8 people drop out for various reasons and two people ask to join us the day before so we ended up with 25 display vehicles.

The purpose of the display was to generate interest and provide another incentive for potential customers to visit the Winery.  Our display volunteers have agreed to bring their special vehicle to the event to help convince potential customers to visit the Winery and to showcase the Fisher House Foundation.  Our volunteers know it will be a day of interacting with the spectators, answering questions about their vehicles and sharing the Fisher House story with them to raise awareness of what Fisher House does.  It is also hoped that when the spectators know what Fisher House Foundation is, they will feel compelled to donate, either at the event or at some time in the future.  All of the above happens because our volunteers come out and support us.  They believe in the mission of Fisher House and help us share it with others.  We had $375 in our donation barrel at the end of the day!  Morais Winery & Vineyard donated $700 to Fisher House Foundation which was $500 for our fixed fee and another $200 from a percentage of the day’s business!  One of our volunteers, Denny, who makes custom wine bottle stoppers and he donates 100% of his sales to the Fisher House Foundation.  His donation check from Saturday was $450!  The donation from Bad to the Bone food vendor was $100. The donation to Fisher House from Funnel Cake Recess is $41.60.  It was a great day for Fisher House Foundation and Cruisin For Heroes, $1,666.60 of help for our Military Warriors....it really was a win-win day.

Be sure to check out the pictures here;  https://www.flickr.com/photos/53063560@N05/sets/72157653480001593

At the Q 7-17-2015

Friday night at the Q in Fredericksburg, VA the usual suspects were present with a few new visitors.  The very well done ’39 Ford convertible and the black 88 Fiero GT added to the group.  Jim C. came with his friend David in his 71 Comet and Bob’s yellow Challenger followed them from Sterling, VA.  Sterling is about 60 miles and on a “good” night Jim can make it in an hour and a half…..this Friday it took them three hours….3 hours!  Thank you guys for coming out!  Robert doesn’t bring out his black ’60 Ford Starliner much but tonight he made an appearance too.  The red ’32 old school high boy was very nice too.  And a step van that I didn’t inspect real close looks like it is going to be fun too.  About 50 nice rides came out….a nice pleasant night with friends and cars….I love this hobby!

Arsenal of Democracy May 8, 2015

 

Culpeper Regional Airport near Brandy Station, VA was host to some of the Arsenal of Democracy World War II Victory Capitol Flyover aircraft.  Manassas Regional Airport would be host to the larger aircraft; B-29, B-24 and B-17.  The event was held to honor the heroes who fought in WWII and those on the home front who produced the tanks, ships and aircraft that enabled the United States and its allies to achieve Victory in WWII.  It would be one of the most diverse and largest gatherings of WWII aircraft ever assembled to fly over Washington D. C. in recent memory.  This was to be a monumental event….over 50 old WWII vintage airplanes would be flying in arguably the most restricted air space in the USA.  Who got the clearance to do this?  Someone must have been doing some serious arm twisting….but it WAS going to happen on May the 8, 2015.  May 8, 2015 was also an important date for me personally….my bride and I would be celebrating our 50^th wedding anniversary on the 8^th.  My wife, Linda, knew how much I wanted to see this event so instead of leaving on the 8^th for our 50^th anniversary, around the USA trip, like we planned for about 5 months….we….WE decided to leave on Sunday the 10^th so I could immerse myself in this once in a lifetime aviation adventure then have a day to recoup before launching on our over 7000 mile odyssey.  A little give & take….that’s probably why we were celebrating 50 years together!

I knew the airport would be very busy and crowded with the event preparations leading up to the 8^th….and that on the 8^th it would probably be shoulder to shoulder standing room only.  AND they were in the middle of construction a new tower and office complex for the airport!  Linda & I visited the airport May 4^th to see if there was an alternate location to capture some video on the 8th.  I knew the “normal” places would be jammed with people on the 8^th so we explored the opposite side of the airport where the industrial park is.  We located what looked like a good location and secured permission from the property owners, Hardwood Artisans, to come back later in the week to take pictures from their property.  They gave us a hearty YES and I knew this was going to be fun! 

May 6, 2015….My aviation minded friend, Lou, and I visited the airport to check out what was going on.  It was raining a little when we arrived but it soon stopped while we queued up to take a ride around the ramp in a multi seat golf cart.  The airport didn’t want people aimlessly roaming around the airplanes and there were other security issues that needed to be considered.  Also some of the airplanes were running their engines and taxiing around the ramp.  When our turn came up go in the cart, we shared it with a WWII Veteran, a 506^th FG Veteran.  He flew the VLR, Very long Range mission from Iwo Jima to Japan in a P-51.  He had his wife and a friend accompany him….he was a hoot.  We toured all the airplanes on the ramp and when 4 Mustangs were taking off our driver asked the Veteran if he wanted to get closer to the runway to watch them….a very emphatic YES was heard from the front of the cart!  After the take off we were going back to the gate and the driver asked the Veteran if he wanted to take his picture next to a P-51….another loud YES and we stopped by the nearest Mustang for a photo op.  After that we said our goodbyes and planned for the next day. This is the video for the day; https://www.youtube.com/user/502SizeMatters/videos  The stills are here; https://www.flickr.com/photos/53063560@N05/sets/72157650078769014  

May 7, 2015…. I did some camera set up and testing while the airplanes took off and landed.  They were rehearsing for the big push the next day.  There were all kinds of airplanes in the sky, on the ramp….taking off and landing.  It was a very busy couple of hours for me.  The heavies from Manassas joined up and did some formation practice in the airspace around the airport.  It was just intense.  The only way I could capture the activity was to video everything.  So you need to check out my YouTube video of the day at; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUxGhpCbk10  I was satisfied that the location I had picked out would be the best vantage point….especially for the 8^th launch time, the sun would be to our back and the airplanes would be lit up just right till they all landed after the event.

May 8, 2015….  Lou & I met up at the Southern States gas station on Rt. 29 and drove to our reserved spot near the Hardwood Artisans back lot.  We set up our chairs and waited for the historic event to unfold.  The weather was perfect….this was going to be fun.  We heard the low rumble of open exhausts coming across the runway….the engines were warming up….the event was underway.  The rendezvous point was around Leesburg, VA (about 50 air miles away) so the slower airplanes would be taking off first.  A JSDF T-34 was the first airplane to leave followed by three Piper L-4’s (civilian J-3) then six Stearman biplanes…..this was going to be big!  Every manner of Warbird was leaping into the sky and pointing their trusty steeds N-NE to form up the historic fly over of DC.  It was nonstop for about an hour….the only way to appreciate it is to watch the video I took. 

The route from Leesburg was to follow the Potomac River into Washington DC, about 35 miles.  Then South out of the city then return to the airports that they left an hour ago.  Some would leave DC and return to their home airports, like PA, OH, MD and other parts of our Country.  But some would return to Culpeper.  After the last group launched we waited for them to return….in about ½ hour the first two came low over the fence….two P-40’s…..followed by two flights of 4 T-6/SNJ’s in echelon formation and did a fighter break to land….just too cool.  It was a very busy few hours that I wouldn’t have traded for anything.  That my Dad was involved in WWII as a Fighter Pilot flying a P-51 just added to the experience for me.  It’s a day I won’t soon forget.  Video;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs2ssvcVj_o