The best laid plans....

We had planned to visit the Exquisite Car Club cruise in Woodbridge, VA on Friday but tropical depression Beryl took care of that!  The rain stopped, as forecasted, around 3AM so the cruise to Brunetti’s restaurant in Mechanicsville, VA, near Richmond was on for Saturday.

We left the WAWA in N. Stafford around 2PM as the cruise was from 3pm to 8:30pm and it would take us a little over an hour to cruise the 67 miles.  We chose a route that is less traveled as the more direct route of Interstates would be slammed with traffic.  Rt 2 & 301 is a great road through the flat lands of rural Virginia….never much traffic and always in good condition. 

Since I make changes and upgrades every week to the Cruise Missile it’s always an adventure when we drive it out of N. Stafford.  Everything was going fine till we were about 40 miles from home.  Then the Princess started to whine….”How come it’s raining on my side of the windshield?  The weatherguessers said it wouldn’t rain….AND WHY DON’T YOU HAVE ANY RAIN ON YOUR SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD?”  Hmmmm?  It all happened so fast….she did in fact have liquid on her side of the windshield….it was green coolant!  I pulled over at the first opportunity to see where the coolant was coming from.  After much blotting of coolant and avoiding the running, engine mounted fan we discovered the leak was between the thermostat housing and the intake manifold.  It is O ring sealed and the O ring must have a defect and the coolant was spraying out toward the fan which was blowing it back on the passenger side firewall and hood….the hood has louvers so the coolant was blowing through the louvers onto the Princess side of the windshield….she is just so special.  It was SO UNFAIR that it went on her side and not mine….!  It also went down the side of the truck and Jim said it went on his Vette behind us!  Last weekend we had driven many miles and didn’t have any problems so I took my tool bag out for this trip….big mistake!  But since we were traveling with friends as soon as I said ‘does anyone have a 9/16 wrench or socket?  I got two immediate responses from Tony & Dan….so I tightened up the housing bolts just a little, the leak stopped and we proceeded on to Brunetti’s.  I also have to check out the radiator cap pressure….it might be over pressuring the system….something else to do this week.

We had dined at Brunetti’s a few times before after Chuck & Cindy turned us on to the restaurant and cruise years ago.  Brunetti’s food is as I have written before, better than great!  It’s worth the trip just to eat there….  And Ramona always tries to turn our cruises toward Brunetti’s or Capt. Georges whenever she thinks she has enough power to sway our decision.  Jim & Linda had not eaten at Brunetti’s but were anxious to check it out after all the good things we had said about it….  Andrew likes Italian food and was likewise anticipating the dinner at Brunetti’s.  Tony is an Italian food aficionado and had not eaten at Brunetti’s but had heard us brag about it for years.  It was to be the high point of the week for all of us.  The anticipation was thick as real Italian pasta sauce.

We cruised into the parking lot and there were only 5-6 cars?  Fay-Ray, the tune misters, was not set up?  The ‘primo’ parking spaces were available?  So we all parked, opened up the cars and started to make our way to Brunetti’s for the much awaited dinner….  They were closed for renovations!  They would be open in two days!  I stood in disbelief….reading and re-reading the closed sign.  I thought if I read it again it would change?  WOW….it was like a gut punch….almost took my breath away!  I was so disappointed on many levels.  Not the least was….we were all hungry!  We looked around to see where else we could eat.  A local cruiser recommended a ‘nice’ restaurant about a quarter mile away in the mall across the street.  The street was Rt. 301….a six lane, extremely busy, divided highway with a 45 mph speed limit….I think he wanted to lower the population a little by sending us over there?  When he saw we weren’t going to fall for that he said there was a pizza place the other direction.  It was a Stevie B’s pizza off in the distance across Atlee Rd.  Could an old person really walk that far?  Some more of the local cruisers recommended it so we trekked across Atlee Rd. and settled in for a pizza dinner in a kid infested “happy” restaurant/kids game place….whoopee!  I guess it was alright but I just ate enough to fill the hungry hole and sat back while I waited for the others to be done.  It was kind of like ordering a new Challenger SRT10….waiting months for it….going to the dealership to pick it up and your salesman gives you the keys to a Prius….yeah it’s a car, kinda cool….but not the same….

So back at the cruise the lot was filling up….evidently the ‘yellow’ memo got circulated in time….I never saw so many yellow cars at one cruise!  There were about 75 cars at the event, most parked and stayed awhile but some just cruised through.  I liked the yellow and white ’58 Chevy wagon and the red and white ’55 Nomad was neat as a pin.  The ’67 AMC Rebel SST is a seldom seen car….it looks a little like the early Plymouth Road Runners from a distance.  The yellow ’62 Corvair was a cool glimpse of our go fast heritage. 

We gathered up our stuff around 7:30 and cruised back home.  This is a popular well attended cruise that you should check out when you are in Mechanicsville, VA on Saturday night….just call ahead about your dinner plans!

Strawberries anyone?

Our small group of fun seekers left Stafford and cruised 56 miles to the 19^th Annual Strawberry Festival in Delaplane, VA.  Most of the time I lead our adventures but beginning this year I want to allow others to perform that chore….and it is a chore….so many things need to be constantly considered.  Keeping the group together through traffic lights, stop signs and wrong turns.  Being mindful of the speed of the group so we are not visited by the keepers of the peace.  Understanding the needs of the participants and their vehicles for the rest and/or fuel stops….part of making the trip enjoyable for all.  Planning a route that is less traveled to a destination we have visited before.  It’s all good but it is a chore….so I like to drive in the group sometime instead of leading.  I asked Fred to lead us to the Festival as he knows many lesser known ways around our countryside so we all followed the red/white ’57 Dodge around all day….cool!

This is one of those events that is just fun….something for everyone.  And no competition….just share your passion for our hobby with those that inquire as they move through the festival.  We arrived and met Franklin, Bull Run AACA, who sets up the vehicle display and he directed us to the parking.  From past experiences at this event I don’t think there is anywhere “bad” to park….it’s all on grass, on a knoll in the foothills of Virginia….what’s not to like?  We set up four canopies so all could be in the shade somewhere and a continuous breeze kept the humidity from becoming a problem while we hid from the sun.  There were many varied food vendors from crab cakes, funnel cakes, strawberry shortcakes, Asian cooking, German delights and much more….burp!  Oh yeah did I mention strawberries?  Oh Yeah!  Craft vendors from across the region sold their wares.  All types of entertainment from bluegrass, classic rock, folk, choral and bagpipes.  Hayrides in the fields of Sky Meadows and hiking on part of the Appalachian Trail.  A 4H petting zoo and pony rides along with a 5K fun-run on Sunday.  Whew….like I said, something for everyone!  Ya have to put this event on your calandar next year.

This was the first outing this year that was really hot and I think the Princess and I didn’t hydrate enough.  We had planned to visit the weekly cruise at the BK in Manassas, VA but when we got there the Princess was just pooped….she didn’t get out of the truck….just sat in the shade, drank some water and whined….’are we leaving yet?’  So I got the rest of our group, who were sitting INSIDE in the A/C, rounded up and Fred led us back to Stafford.  I think we will bring some Gatorade next time. 

A Weekend for C.O.P.S.

Cruisin For Heroes has been planning this event since last November and through the winter we finalized some details then on February 24, 2012 we sent the ad to the two sites most people go to when they check for events; www.carclubcouncil.com/cal.html or www.capitalcruisin.com/shows.html We settled on the date of May 19 because it was at the end of National Police Week and our charity was connected with NPW. When we put it up on the net there was nothing else scheduled that day….should work. But what is becoming the norm around here is that it doesn’t matter what else is happening on a particular date….if someone wants to have their event on a day….they just do it without checking on what else is scheduled on that day. That makes for low attendance for all events….everyone gets some participation but no one gets a large crowd. And it makes the participants pick one event between all the events even though they may want to attend the others too. It’s a dumb way to serve the car culture and raise money for charities. I’ll get off my soapbox now….

So we planned to run a Rally for a law enforcement group and since I’m usually on the other end of the pointy finger with most law enforcement I decided to ask advice from our sage of Law Enforcement. He recommended a group called C.O.P.S…..Concerns Of Police Survivors; http://www.nationalcops.org/ We investigated the group and felt it would be a perfect fit for how we operate. We spent the next 3 months setting up the Rally! For those of you that haven’t been on one of our Rally’s, they are something like a poker run. But we do it a little different…. we have something interesting at each stop so the participants can spend some time checking out what is going on at the stop….that time is figured in the whole event.

Like a poker run each participant purchased one or more ‘Rally’ cards and when they arrive at each stop they draw a playing card from a bag.  That card is recorded on the ‘Rally’ card. At the last stop they draw the fifth card and the poker hand is complete.  Whoever has the highest hand wins ½ the proceeds from sale of the Rally cards.  In years past we have had Rallies of 150 miles or so….this year we decided to keep it less than 50 miles because of the price of gas and we wanted to cater to the local car crowd and give them an opportunity to participate locally in one of our Rallys.

We had enthusiastic assistance from Stafford County Sheriff’s office, Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy, Virginia State Police Area 5 office, 610 Cruisers and Home Depot in N. Stafford. We had invited Stafford Volunteer Fire Dept, Engine 2 and received confirmation that they would be involved but for whatever reason they were absent….? We had enlisted the participation of some C.O.P.S. representatives and they came through with a passionate presence at our event. The event began at 11AM and ended promptly at 6PM. We raised $325 for C.O.P.S. The sale of the rally cards was $230 so ½ was given to Darryl who had the highest hand, two pair. Some had donated beyond the Rally sale so we had $210 to give to C.O.P.S. But Darryl decided to give his winnings to C.O.P.S.! So we wrote the big check for $325!!!! Ron made an announcement about the C.O.P.S. group to the cruisers that didn’t participate so they could make a donation to C.O.P.S. and another $80 was raised! Beyond the money that was raised I think we raised the awareness of C.O.P.S. on Saturday, which is one of the things we try to do with all our events.

We sat around and talked with our friends at the cruise then motored home when the adrenalin stopped pumping and I started to slow way down…. these events are really stressful for me and sometime when I wind down I really wind down!

Be sure to check out the pictures at; http://rides.webshots.com/album/582827601pynuOx

Finally a dry weekend.....whew!

  Finally a dry weekend….whew!


Friday evening we attend the BK in N.Stafford, this cruise needs to have more wives/girlfriend attendees to be successful….it’s starting to look like a boys club….something that I don’t want to help perpetuate. The traffic is so hateful trying to go north or south so we will keep supporting this cruise for now. I think there were about 10 cars that stayed and another 4-5 that cruised through. This is a nice location with easy ingress and egress. It has a number of food choices close too….it just needs to ‘catch on’.

Saturday we attended the Home Depot cruise (used to be the Bruster’s cruise) and found it to be a little off in attendance….I know there was some intense competition for them and as the summer unfolds the regulars will start coming back. They have a rotating DJ system and Saturday was Ron & Gary’s turn at the mike.

The 42 cars that participated ranged from Daryl’s purple Challenger to Ron’s ’28 Dodge. George & Yvonne brought their ’29 Willys Knight and two T-Buckets cruised in to liven up the atmosphere. I personally liked the copper & cream ’65 Ford F-100….nice. One of the downsides of attending a cruise where you are friends with a lot of the people and we all sit together is that the ladies conspire against us guys….they whine and chirp like baby birds in a nest. Us guys were settling in for a nice evening of conversation when the shrill noise overpowered us….I’M HUNGRY….FEED ME….ME ME ME. And the Princess was right in the center of the chorus. So a bunch of us walked to the Hibachi Buffet for dinner. I know there would be trouble complying with the government guideline for food consumption whenever I go to a restaurant with the word “buffet” in the name….it never works out well for me. I am from the generation that was told to clean my plate because there are people starving in China….so….when I order from a menu I do alright, but at a buffet….I have to do my part cleaning up all that food because the people in China are starving….still? So true to form I ate too much and had to waddle back to the truck while feeling like a tick that had been hanging on a dog for a week….burp! It was a beautiful evening and we talked till about 9:30 then decided to cruise on home….tomorrow would be a busy day.

Dan & Ramona met us at Bob Evans for breakfast around 6:30 then cruised to Fredericksburg, VA and the 22nd Annual Mothers Day Rod Run at Walker Grant MS put on by Fredericksburg Street Rods. This event is one of the “must attend” events of the year and with 155 registered cars it seems like a few others had it on their calendar too! The event is run with Military precision and things always seem to work out just right. It also seems that rain is usually in the discussion for this event and Sunday was no exception but the show ended and most got home before the rain began….whew. They have adult games, 50/50, neat goody bag with dash plaques, many trophies, vendors….especially the food vendor, ‘Tar Heel Pig Pickers BBQ’….their food was a cut above normal ‘car show’ fare. Although there were a couple trailered cars the other 148 were driven to the show and most are driven around our area to other events. That is why our group, Cruisin For Heroes, sponsors the longest distance, driven not trailered award at this and other events….we believe cars should be driven. There were many very nice examples of our varied car culture represented at the event but my favorite was the candy plum ’55 Merc custom….with swing up Continental kit! What a throwback….white interior, lake pipes, ports, Caddy taillights….the whole deal! There were cars from the Richmond, VA and New Market, VA area that came to play and we thank them for coming and making the event more complete. This event also has the winners drive up and receive their awards. This is a neat touch and allows everyone to see and hear the winning vehicles….making the winners feel a little ‘special’. That is a fault of so many other events, the award ceremony is rushed and relegated to just get it done so we can go….which is too bad.

So Dan packed up while I took a video of the winners and it soon was time to leave….we had an uneventful cruise home….now to get ready for next weekend….and the Rally….

Locust Grove Cruise

In our part of Virginia the rain deficit is about 2.5 inches for the year and the weatherguessers said we may fix half of that this weekend….starting about mid-day Saturday! So most outdoor events were cancelled or modified because of that threatening forecast. But we had planned to attend the first cruise of the season at Locust Grove, VA so we left Stafford around 3:30. This cruise is hosted by Locust Grove Town Center and managed by the Orange County Cruisers led by D.J. Ron and his traveling music machine. D.J. Ron’s playlist is always comfortable and suits the car cruise just right….it is a welcome addition to any cruise or show. This night he also had some organized line dancers of all ages demonstrate their skills…I don’t have the requisite amount of eye/ear/feet coordination to survive at that….I think I would make it look like a geriatric tumbling act gone very wrong….so I’ll just watch!

Since the Cruise Missile is apart for repairs….again….and because of the impending rain, we decided to hitch a ride with Dan & Ramona in their Silver Bullet (Chrysler Mini-Van). We arrived about 4:15 and there were about 15 cars parked already! One of the reasons we wanted to attend the cruise was to support them by patronizing the restaurants in the complex. Being an organized person I decided to try the eateries in order, left to right so tonight it was Mama’s Pizza. The food was scrumptious for a pizza place but our waitress made the experience at our table unforgettable. She could give the harassing comments of an old ornery guy right back to me….I love social interaction….the Princess says I’m getting better at playing with others….chuckle

After we finished eating and we came back out to the cruise there were about 37 cars in the lot! The sky was becoming very ominous and the wind was picking up….I decided to take my pictures quickly before people started leaving. The further out in the country an event is, the more pickups that usually attend….not that I have anything against pickups or anything….I really like the black ’55 Ford with the wood stake sides. As I walked around taking pictures I was able to reestablish friendships the winter had put on hold….spring is always a good time to talk. Some cruisers from the Fredericksburg Classic and Muscle Car Club were present along with some from the Orange County Cruisers. Even Hoppy and his rowdy yellow ’55 Ford came to see what was going on. About 6:30 the wind picked up to Cat 5 velocity and the black clouds were getting lower, faster and rolling right toward us….we packed up the silver bullet and scooted back home. When you consider all the reasons the people in the 37 cars could have used to rationalize not supporting the cruise it is refreshing that they chose to come out and play. This cruise is very comfortable with parking on asphalt and sitting on grass or mulch, a very vehicle/participant friendly venue. It has the paved space for over 100 cars with a lot of overflow capability. This cruise has the potential to be big when the weather cooperates!

Season Opener

The North Stafford High School, Skills USA show is the first major car event of the year in Stafford, VA and has been a “must attend” deal for six years now. This Saturday’s show did not frustrate that expectation! This show is put on by the students in the SkillsUSA program, http://www.vaskillsusa.org The students plan, organize, manage, secure resources, secure awards and most everything else connected with having a successful event. Herlong Associates Inc. http://www.herlonginc.com/ has been helpful with the event for the last few years. They are the liaison between the student’s educational environment and real world business reality. It seems to be a symbiotic relationship as Herlong Inc. gives back some of their expertise to the community through the students…. And the students that take advantage of this opportunity will be much better equipped contributors to our Society in the future….works for me!

This was the first ‘Official’ outing for our group, Cruisin For Heroes, and we sponsored the award for the longest miles driven, not trailered, to the event. An ex Navy type won it by traveling 155 miles to the show! We also ran a 50/50 for Fisher House and SkillsUSA. Cindy and the Princess had way too much fun with this thing….the Princess likes anything involving money or shiny things….opps! The winner, an Air Force type, won $196 and we split the remaining dollars evenly to Fisher House and SkillsUSA. A good day for both!

Besides being the first event of the year, the main draw for this show is the trophies they present. They are designed and manufactured by the students and are a coveted item to be sitting in your trophy space. This year’s offerings were no exception….you have to check out the pictures. The show also boasts a good food vendor, a limited menu but what they have is great! Clean restrooms in the HS building were appreciated as was the other vendors.

There were 147 registered vehicles that ran the gamut from 20’s antiques, traditional hot rods, street rods, muscle cars, military vehicles, race cars, modern tuners and new cars that still have that ‘new car’ smell! There was even a blue Toyota Celica that was hot rodded into a electric car!....the wave of the future? We’ll see…. My hands down favorite pick was the black ’66 Chevy crew cab pickup! These pickups are really an oddity but this one was done just right….check the pictures. The quality of the entrants made the judging very difficult I’m sure….but by 3PM the results were in and the award ceremony began. Another NSHS SkillsUSA show was in the record book….well done!

After the show some of us cruised to N. Stafford’s new/old cruise. The old Bruster’s cruise has been replaced by the new Home Depot cruise every Saturday from 4PM to 9PM. This was the first cruise at this location for the year and it was well attended by over 55 vehicles. The two Plymouth Valiants were really special, both convertibles....very nice. This may turn into a very good cruise because of the dining choices available within walking distance….and if ya need a few bags of mulch, the Depot is right there….what is not to like? The Princess was getting cold and wanted to go home….so we fired up the Cruise Missile and motored home. That truck presents a real conundrum for me; one of the things that was always elusive for me in a hot rod is now becoming a reality….the ride! The truck rides like a ’59 Buick, kinda floats around and just laughs at holes or bumps in the road….really different from the coupes. I think it’s something I can learn to like! We’ll see how this unfolds?

Sunday the Colonial Beach Cruisers ran their cruise to the USMC Museum in Quantico, VA….we didn’t have time to attend with them but I wanted to shoot some video of their cruise to share with all. We caught up with them in Fredericksburg, VA and took a short video as they left the parking lot of the FOE. They are a great bunch of cruisers….check out their shows and cruises when you can.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqpFUAR0y4E

The adventure begins….

A small group of us left Stafford, VA Saturday morning and drove North on I-95 & Rt. 1 to our designated hook up point, right past Fort Belvoir. We met some other cruisers and continued North on the scenic Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway toward Alexandria, VA. This highway parallels the Potomac River and is a nice cruise in its own right….we have to come back when the cherry blossoms are out in a month or so. The Mt. V. M. H. turned into Washington St. when we crossed under the Washington D. C. beltway, by the new Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. We traveled through old town Alexandria to west on Cameron St. The Tucker Collection of Mr. Dave Cammack is nestled behind a Fire House and is not marked….it’s a stealth museum!

The history of the Tucker automobile has been explained by many others much more qualified than I, so I’ll limit my ramblings to our visit on March 10, 2012. Mr. Cammack has the most comprehensive collection of Tucker automobiles and memorabilia in the world! He is a gracious and patient host as he explains almost every item in his collection. He has examples of all the engine versions used in the Tucker….he also has a new one that he is learning about! He led our group of about 20 people around his collection while he explained everything and always ended each station with “are there any questions?”….a truly genuine, caring host.

The tour began with a comparison of the Tucker chassis with a contemporary, a 1947 Cadillac. The differences are startling and the innovation in the Tucker is curious and at the same time astonishingly clever. Mr. Cammack strolled along the isle explaining the engines and the items near him each time he stopped. He spoke with a comfortable demeanor and the authority that he knew just about everything there is to know about the Tuckers. We wound around the room…learning….soaking it in. We were on the second trip around in the first room when Mr. Cammack walked through a door and there they were….three of the 47 surviving Tuckers! To actually see one Tucker is a life time experience but to be in the presence of three is beyond words. The three examples are pristine and each historically significant….but….I was mesmerized by the sheer presence of these cars that by the time I started to listen to Mr. Cammack speaking again we were leaving the room….about 45 min! I missed most of the stories of the cars. Some people stayed in the room but most followed Mr. Cammack to the “upper” room. There he had a trove of Tucker engineering drawings, paper work from the Tucker factory and many….many other artifacts of one of the most famous of the over 2000 independent American automobile manufacturers. Mr. Cammack also has his train collection in this room….some of the group that were ’train people’ enjoyed this collection too.

We all wandered down to the starting room where Mr. Cammack was taking donations for the Tucker DVD and other saleable Tucker items….the proceeds of which were to be donated by Mr. Cammack to the Tucker Automobile Club. At this time a couple of the people from the group that organized the day, Cruisin For Heroes, presented Mr. Cammack with a token of our appreciation for letting us experience his collection and for his kind tolerance of us asking questions and gawking at his cars. This was a day most car enthusiasts will never see and a place that some don’t even know exists. Please check out the pictures at http://rides.webshots.com/album/582478984miMPzy and do some research online about the Tucker….it is amazing.

After bidding a fond farewell to Mr. Cammack we cruised to Glory Days in Lorton, VA for a late lunch then dispersed to all points of the compass and home. What a day….something to be treasured and shared