My car is as ready as it can be, with the most recent mileage check showing 13 miles per gallon.
It was a strange feeling seeing the carrier pull out with the car. Kind of like watching your kid catch the bus on the first day of school, or put on a plane traveling alone for the first time.
Anyway, I know that this falls into the category of unnecessary e-mail, but I couldn't help it.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you in Flint.
.
We were able to do a full day of shooting the exterior on Tuesday, and a full day on the interior on Wednesday. Now, the imagery is being handled by the editors in LA and is being stitched together to produce the interior and exterior "movies" of the car. All of the chrome, and that the car is white and a convertible, was somewhat of a challenge, but the efforts of eVox Productions at removing any problem issues with lighting, focus, angles, etc have been excellent.
For those of you who do not know, I have acquired a 60" fiberglass pedal car (from an auction on eBay) that was made by the Harley Earl Corporation, which appears to have been a studio design project prior to the release of EX-122, the prototype of the Corvette in January of 1953. While this is a unique find for the pedal car community, it is a truly unique, and extremely rare find for the Corvette community, especially on the eve of the 50th anniversary celebration. From all indications so far, this car has been sought after for more than 40 years by some who were aware of its existence. BTW, I only purchased the pedal car to continue my collection of scale models of the 53 Corvette. Little did I know what I was getting into.
Thursday is somewhat of a break for me, with a couple of meetings on the pedal car, which now appears to be the oldest Corvette in existence. I will meet with the president of a firm that was founded in 1946 by Harley Earl, the creator of the Corvette, to examine negatives and photos from their archive of documentation from 50 years ago. Tuesday night, I met with a grandson of Harley Earl, who has also provided historical background on this car.
I have selected a skilled restoration expert in McLean, Virginia to do the restoration on the pedal car. The body has been stripped and repaired, and we are now examining photographs from 50 years ago to fabricate a chassis for the car, which did not survive. My restoration guy has a 1930 Madame X Cadillac (created by Harley Earl), a 1930 Packard, and a 1903 Oldsmobile, and is extremely skilled at fiberglass restoration and brass trim fabrication.
On Friday, I drive my [real] car to Rochester Hills, and then Flint, Michigan. It is hard to say that I am on vacation, as my schedule to this point has been full. I do not know what to expect from the actual drive, as the agenda is very ambitious, and the time allowed from point to point on the 24th through the 27th would not be something that I would have put into a project plan. However, I feel confident that I will not be the cause of any delay. Because of the efforts of High Tech Auto and my restoration guy, the car is running great, and I am looking forward to the drive.
Saturday June 22, 2002 11:58 PM
It is Saturday evening and I am exhausted.
On Thursday, I had lunch with Tom Ernst, President of Ford-Earl Design. He gave me a tour of his company, which does brand and design consulting. He also provided photos of the Kidillac, but had no new photos of the Corvette pedal car. He and I had lunch, and then went to eVox, where I was able to show him my car.
Friday, I arrived in Flint from Troy. Along the way, I stopped in Rochester Hills and visited the pedal car historian/collector/appraiser regarding the Corvette pedal car. From him, I now have enough clear photos to do a proper reconstruction of the chassis. The photos are so clear, that with a 8x lupe one can read the debossed writing on the tires. And, because of the photos, we are now certain that not two cars were built, but only one. What we thought was a second car is actually the clay model from which the molds were made.
Just as I was getting into the greater metro city limits of Flint, it started raining. I pulled off of the interstate (motorway for my friends across the pond) and into a parking lot to put up the top. Fortunately, it only rained a few minutes. When I reached the hotel, before I took my luggage in, in front of the reception area, I was wiping down the entire car. The first impression that the observers of the car had of me was a soaking wet, somewhat neurotic guy who cared more about the car than those around him, or himself, severely in need of professional therapy. They were probably correct.
I went to the "cruise in" at the Sloan Museum Friday evening. There were some absolutely unbelievable cars there. When I returned to the hotel, there was a family looking at the cars as I entered the secured area. They had 3 children, two of which were boys, approximately 5 and 7 years old. The 5 year old was absolutely mesmerized by my car. I asked his parents if I could give him a ride around the hotel, and they agreed. The kid was as excited as anyone I have ever seen. I did the same drive for his brother. There is a story behind one of the prints that I have on the 53 vette, by the artist (Chris Parent), about how he knew a neighbor as a kid who had a 53, but was always afraid to ask to see it or for a ride. One day, the neighbor saw the kid walking and offered him a ride, which he never forgot.
Today, all 50 cars went to the Sloan Museum and were on display. What an incredible site, to see all 50 model years represented. There were probably several thousand photos taken, of just my car alone. And the people viewing all of the cars were just fascinating to watch.
During the display, an old gentleman and his grandson came to speak with me. He was Carl Jarema, head of production engineering at the Flint plant in 1953, and had actually driven VIN number 1 in 1953, as well as being responsible for coordinating efforts to get the St Louis plant ready for production of the 54's. He was 27 years old then. I was able to get a few members of the press to speak with him, and he ended up spending probably 4 hours more telling stories about how things were, fifty years ago. The coordinator of the Motorama has invited Mr Jarema to ride in the 54 or 55 car on Monday morning, as part of our drive. For a passenger in the 53 car, they have one of the painters of the cars from back in 53 riding with me.
Just as I was about to leave, another elderly gentleman approached me. This time, it was Harold Graham. He asked what serial number my car was. "281", I responded. Harold says that my car was a December car, and that he was responsible for hanging the doors and hood on the car. He also commented that the hood was a real pain in the ass, but they got them working.
I also met with another guy, who is arranging for a special photo op for me, that is somewhat "a violation" of rules. No comment until I figure out how to present it and keep him anonymous.
Tonight, we were treated to a reception by Paragon Reproductions, where Dave Hill, Corvette Chief Engineer, was in attendance.
All day, and this evening, my car and the 2003 car were side-by-side. Seeing the progress of 50 years is something to behold, and spending the day with all of the other owners was probably the most exciting time I have ever had. But meeting the people who were involved from the beginning, and having #281 return home to Flint for the first time in 50 years makes it a very special day. And for Jarema and Graham, it must have been equally exciting and fulfilling to see what they were part of fifty years ago generate the excitement that it has today.
Tuesday June 25, 2002 12:28 AM
On Sunday, the 23rd, we spent the day at the Sloan Museum again. All 50 cars were there, and the visitors of the event were about the same number as Saturday. All total, there were approximately 6500 visitors in the past two days. At the end of the day, the museum presented awards to those who had cars on display, and to each of the 50 Motorama cars.
I have neglected to mention that the State of Kentucky has issued each member of the Motorama a special license plate, good until July 31st, that bears the model year as the plate number for each car. Mine is "1953", and the 54 car is "1954", etc, ending with the 2003 car being "2003". Quite a collector's item.
There was a family with a little girl, about 5 years old, that was taking photos of my car. They wanted to get a picture of her in front of the car, but ran out of film. I offered to have them take a photo of her sitting in the driver's seat if they came back with more film, which they did. The little girl, as she sat behind that huge 17 inch steering wheel, had a smile that made the steering wheel disappear. What a great photo to have.
Sunday evening, I didn't have the special photo op that I was hoping for, but I had an unbelievable experience that few others get the chance to have. As I stated previously, I will maintain silence and keep the provider anonymous. But it has, like any experience, broadened my views, and was extremely enjoyable. And all it cost me was a ride in the car, which we did late Sunday evening. A small price to pay for such a unique opportunity. Those with no experience and idea about what Flint is made of, would do themselves well to take another look.
On Monday morning, all 50 cars drove, in formation, to the plant in Flint where the first 300 Corvettes were made in 1953. The top of the building is a parking lot, and all fifty cars parked on the roof, where the plant manager, local UAW chairman, and other GM execs greeted us. This was a photo op beyond compare, and marked the return of my car to the actual building where it was made 50 years ago. Mr Joe Bentoski was my passenger on the way to the plant. Joe was a painter of the Corvettes in 1953. He was 22 years old in 1953.
It took a while to get all 50 cars onto the roof top parking lot. So long, that the cars last in line began to overheat, including mine. Fortunately, I was able to keep the engine off until I needed to move the car into position. A couple of the other cars were not so lucky, and overheating is now a serious concern, especially in heavy traffic.
When we left the plant for our drive to the GM Tech and Design Center in Warren, my passenger was a member of the press representing Corvette Fever. I think I surprised the pace car by being able to keep up, a result of the performance of my car, which is excellent.
At the Tech center in Warren, we had two formations because of the size of the facility. The first formation was to have all cars lined up in a semi-circle, with the 53 and 03 car on ramps in the center. GM employees were able to view the cars and take photographs. Then, the second formation was preceded by a drive around the Design center, finally parking all fifty cars, in order, with the bumpers almost perfectly lined up. We were provided refreshments, and had the opportunity to cool off a bit before heading for the hotel.
Late Monday afternoon at the hotel in Warren, I was sitting at the laptop writing up my notes and looked up at the clock. I had fallen asleep at the keyboard for about 45 minutes. In the last three nights, I have been awakened at 4:20am, 4:15am, and 4:00am. The 4:20am wakeup was due to a domestic dispute in the hallway. The next night, it was due to a wakeup call. It was really nice of the hotel to give me a wakeup call. Unfortunately, I did not request one. This morning, I arranged for a wakeup call at 4:00am, and was wiping down the car at 5:00am. I cannot wait until I get back tonight to go to bed.
On Monday evening, we had a reception at Les Stanford Chevrolet. The owner of the 54 car and I decided it would be nice to leave the reception early and visit Elfie Duntov in Grosse Point. We had our event coordinator call her to see if she was home and available to visit. She was, and she requested that we bring some British beer. She is 80 years old. Imagine two middle-aged white guys, participating in the 50th anniversary of the Corvette Historic Motorama, driving through downtown Detroit in a 53 Corvette, looking for a place to purchase British beer, on the way to see an 80 year old lady, with a license plate from Kentucky that had just been issued, and a driver's license from Virginia, lost. The nice law enforcement officers really had not heard that one before, and helped us with directions.
We had a very nice meeting with Mrs Duntov (Zora Duntov's wife), where she drank beer and shared stories with us. During our visit, the event coordinator and some other members of the motorama dropped by. After a very pleasant meeting, we left to return to the hotel and have dinner.
The restaurant at the hotel apparently does not realize the potential for revenue from hotel guests and stopped serving dinner early. So, the 54 owner and I went out, driving around, looking for a place to eat. We found the National Coney Island 24-hour restaurant, where we parked the car, and had what could be considered food. We are both concerned about fermentation and the effect on tomorrow's drive, which begins at 7am.
Thursday June 27, 2002 2:46 AM
On Monday, the 24th, I had a reporter from Corvette Fever (Andy) with me once we left the Flint plant on the drive to Warren.
On Tuesday, I left Warren and drove to Joliet, about 390 miles. The morning drive went very well. I had a reporter (John) from Vette magazine with me until we reached our pit-stop at Corvette Central in Sawyer, Michigan. At Corvette Central, we had a great lunch, and the opportunity to use their facility to cool off from the oppressive humidity before leaving for Joliet. While at Corvette Central, I was interviewed by WNDU Television, an NBC affiliate. Hopefully, I can get a copy of the interview, as it was aired on the evening news.
Once we left, it did not take long for the storm to build and drench us. The rain was very heavy, and the reporter on this segment (Chuck) from Corvette Quarterly did an excellent job of bailing water out of the car as we were driving. I managed to keep up with the pace car. And, while I thought a maneuver that I executed quite successfully, and with the utmost of confidence, it seems to have caused some concern amongst the driver of the pace car. It is now called the "Hill Maneuver", or the "Exit 158 Maneuver". A rather large Kenworth semi was in a spot that I wanted to be in, with the rain pouring down. I accelerated to what I felt was an appropriate speed, and quite smoothly performed the maneuver. All the pace car driver could see in his rear view mirror was the top of my car with the word "Kenworth" above it. I still do not understand his concern.
With the rain continuing, I found observing the vacuum powered windshield wipers while accelerating or decelerating to be entertaining.
Just before our stop at Corvette Central, I went to a gas station to fill up. Next to me, a guy pulled up in a 1955 Thunderbird. The car was in pretty good shape. The guy, however, had no shirt, did not appear to know where he was, and was in severe need of liposuction. After he filled up, he was looking for a water hose, apparently to top-off his radiator. You have got to hand it to this guy. His car had Oregon license plates, and it looked like he had driven from Oregon to Illinois, without a shirt. While the photographer did take a number of photos, only the photos of the T-Bird next to mine, without the guy, are suitable for publishing.
We arrived in Joliet, ahead of schedule. Again, before I went to check in, I had cleaned the car to a sparkle. Later that evening, the 54 driver and I went to a reception, where he performed the "Hill Maneuver". I rode with him, and thought he did it to perfection. That evening, after dinner, he and I decided to explore a little gaming at the casino. I broke even, from Black Jack, Roulette, and Baccarat, he did not.
I believe that I have identified the gentleman in the photograph of the pedal car. It may be Henry Lauve, who worked for Harley Earl. I have contact information for his son, and will attempt to verify. If I am correct, it means that I now have an excellent chance of dating the sixty inch pedal car, which I believe to be somewhere between July 1952 and June 1953. This is a huge step forward.
On Wednesday morning, we departed for St Louis. We had a small brigade of police ready to escort us from the hotel, to our path down the original "Route 66". The police began to encourage us to leave early, as one could clearly see the line of a weather front moving upon us, with reported hail. Before we left the hotel, I had a super photo op with two police cars behind my car, lights flashing, one officer sitting in my car as if to drive it away, with the other officer hand-cuffing me. As we were leaving the hotel, in formation (my car being the lead car), I quickly learned that one should not turn the vacuum powered wipers on "full" while trying to accelerate from the exit of the hotel. I quickly stalled, but also quickly restarted and continued almost before anyone noticed.
It was great, driving down the old Route 66. I can still hear the song in the background as we went past the Spaceman statue just before the town of Wilmington. While we did have some rain, it was not really bad. We made it to Effingham, and had a great pit-stop at Mid America Designs. I am really impressed with both Mid America and Corvette Central. These are two first-class organizations.
While a few vettes passed us, I stayed with the pace car, sometimes pushing the speed in excess of 85. Several of the participants have begun taking a survey to determine when the last time, besides Tuesday and Wednesday, a 53 vette had been rained on. Before the drive, I was concerned about rain. Now that it has rained twice, it no longer seems important, and it is a worry off of my list. And I was going to replace that carpet anyway.
As we came into St Louis, one could see the Gateway Arch. We navigated to the downtown area, to Kiener Plaza, where we had somewhat of a challenge and lack of support from the local authorities to support us with parking. Still, we managed to park and had a great photo-op with the arch in the background. The mayor did not make the presentation, but did send a representative. During the display of the cars in the plaza, the driver of the 54 car and I went to have dinner, leaving the cars in the plaza. When we returned, all the other cars had left. Part of the organizing team stayed behind, wondering where we had gone. Before we left the plaza, the 54 driver and I decided it would be interesting to drive around the fountain, in opposite directions, a couple of times, giving the "high-five" as we passed each other, with all of the visitors observing our somewhat cavalier attitude and antics.
When we did exit the plaza, we thought it would be fun to see a Cardinals baseball game. We found a Sheraton, directly across the street from Busch Stadium. After the suggestion of monetary gain to the Bell Captain, we left both cars in front of the Sheraton reception area, and started looking for a scalper to purchase tickets to the game, which would start in ten minutes. With the 54 driver calling out "Need two, down low", we were successful. We had some excellent seats, nearly behind 1st base, 3rd row. A rather attractive young lady of college age and, unfortunately, her father sat next to us. While very distracting, we were gentlemen. The couple sitting behind us recognized us as the two who performed the chariot race around the fountain, finding it as humorous as we did.
We watched the game until the seventh inning, when it was apparent that the Cardinals would win over the Brewers. Sadly, we did not have the opportunity to drive the cars around the stadium, as there had been recent deaths amongst two well-known names in the Cardinals organization, and the organizers probably felt it would be inappropriate to have a parade of fifty cars around the stadium field, as they had just hosted a memorial ceremony that day.
After we left, we retrieved our cars from the Sheraton, and proceeded to the hotel. Of course, all of the other participants had already checked in. We, of course, headed for the bar, where we shared our afternoon and evening experiences with a couple of the participants who have now determined that ambivalence is the best way to describe our behaviour.
When we leave Thursday morning, we have only 300 miles to go. The 54 driver and I have conspired to have a race once we reach the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green.
Saturday June 29, 2002 9:19 AM
It is now Saturday morning…..
On Thursday morning, we left for St Louis after giving the cars a good wash. On the way to Evansville, Indiana, (our afternoon stop) we stopped for gas. A remarkable street rod pulled into the gas station as well, and all of the vette owners were admiring the street rod as much as the street rod owner was admiring our cars.
We traveled to Evansville, were we parked our cars for several hours and enjoyed their hospitality, and that of the Navy Blue Angels. When we left, we had a police escort from Evansville to Bowling Green, in formation all of the way. The Kentucky State Police really did a fantastic job of supporting us on the final leg of our trip.
Prior to the beginning of the trip, I had replaced all four tires on the car with new tires from Coker, and had new tubes installed as well. I also made sure that my spare tire was in good shape, and even ordered two additional inner tubes. I did not want tires to be a problem on the trip.
We were approximately 14 miles from the National Corvette Museum. The car began pulling severely to the left, with me trying to correct to the right. Then the left front tire went completely down, with me at 65 mph. This happened in the space of about 10 seconds. My left front tire had collapsed, and was smoking. I struggled to pull off, with all of the other cars passing me. Within 4 minutes, I had the trunk emptied, and had the jack, handle, lug wrench, and spare tire out, and had the lug nuts off of the blown tire. Then the Kentucky State Police pulled up and supported me by keeping traffic away. Several miles down the road, the remainder of the motorama group had stopped, on the interstate, under control of the police. Then, one of our chase vehicles stopped and offered support. I was just removing the tire, which was smoking and so hot that it burned my hands. I mounted my spare tire, put on the hubcap, and was back on the road in under ten minutes, per the state policeman. Not bad. The other cars were allowed to stop a mile or so ahead on the side of the Interstate and wait, and I quickly rejoined the formation. It is always interesting to add a little drama, and this was certainly an interesting and dramatic way to end a thousand mile drive.
I have decided to explore the politics of how to position this failure with Coker Tire to my advantage. There are a lot of press available to speak with, and I would really like a set of five radial whitewalls, and wheels, plus a replacement tire. Let's see how this plays out.
After I was back on the road, the motorama continued, and we arrived at the museum to find probably a thousand or more waiting to greet us. If last Saturday and Sunday produced several thousand photos of my car alone, the arrival today produced that much, and more.
It was very exciting to see those welcoming us. We had taken fifty cars, representing each model year, on the road, and had traveled a thousand miles, to be greeted by this crowd of people. It was an unbelievable experience. Along the way we had become friends, shared experiences, supported each other, and shared a common goal. I wonder how many of us will be around for the 75th anniversary to reminisce about what we just experienced.
We may take the failed tire, and autograph it, and have it put in the museum. But for an ending to add drama to our trip, this experience could not have been scripted. A little drama in the motorama.
On Friday morning, the 28th, we left the hotel, in formation, under control of the state police and traveled to the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green. When we arrived, all cars were positioned in front of the plant for a huge photo op with many of the media and press there to greet us, as well as the plant manager. The 53 car, and the 03 car were carefully positioned in the center of their entrance feature, with the Plant Manager and I standing beside our vehicles. Then, we took the cars to the side of the plant, where we were positioned for a later display. We walked into the plant, and were shown a film on the painting process, then allowed to take a self-guided tour of the plant. After the tour, we had lunch in the plant. Then, at 1pm exactly, we took all fifty cars, in order, through the plant. I had the honor of having Don Jenkins ride with me. Mr Jenkins is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient for his courage and actions in Vietnam, and provided me with couple of items that I will never forget and will proudly display.
As we drove through the plant, the employees working the assembly line watched and waved and greeted us. What an experience, for all of the employees to see the fifty cars and know that what they are building today could be in the next motorama twenty-five years from now.
We then drove the cars, under police escort, in formation to the museum, across the street from the plant. As we filed past the front of the museum, each driver was presented a plaque recognizing their participation in the motorama. Mr Jenkins and I were the first through the crowd of media and museum visitors, which had to exceed a couple of thousand or so. I do not have actual numbers, and will try to confirm with the event organizers.
We parked the cars, and began to enjoy the festivities. There were several ceremonies. One was particularly exciting, where Mr Jenkins was recognized and presented with the flags of the United States and the Corvette Museum, which were flown by the skydiving team.
That afternoon, at 4:30pm, the driver of the 54 car and I had organized a small drag race between our two cars. The 02 car had the flag, and the event was photographed by one of the media. I lost the dead start by a couple of feet. However, I won the rolling start by a couple of meters.
That evening, we went to dinner under the huge tent in front of the museum. The Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, the Mayor of Bowling Green, Dave Hill (Corvette Chief Engineer) and other dignitaries were there. During Dave Hill's presentation, one of the large lights hanging in the roof of the tent fell (about 30 feet), injuring one of the visitors. Medical attention was available, and an ambulance took the visitor to the hospital. I understand that she is ok.
Concerned about the safety of the others, we moved out from under the tent, where several items were auctioned by the museum. I purchased one of them.
Back at the hotel, on the way to my room, I picked up my laundry. I had dropped off seven shirts and seven trousers. I was given back seven shirts and four trousers. A trace has been started to locate the missing trousers. The good news is that I have only two days to go, and more than enough trousers to get me home.
The 54 owner left this morning. I will miss his company and friendship.
Monday July 1, 2002 9:07 AM
It is now Monday morning, July 1st. The Historic Motorama has ended, with most of the participants (including me) leaving yesterday. I have shipped my car back from Bowling Green via Intercity Lines, and the car is expected to arrive sometime between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
The events on Saturday were great, and it was quite a sight to see all of the visitors of the museum, with all of the photos being taken. The museum seemed like it was extremely busy, despite the heat and humidity outside. Saturday evening, it started to rain on my way to the hotel, but I got back just before the heavy rain started.
Saturday was a day to unwind a bit. The drive was over, the ceremonies were complete, the drivers were relieved. We had an unbelievable experience. I can honestly say that I have not had more fun, and have not had a better experience than this. A lot of new friends were made, and I have been to some gas stations and towns that would not normally have been on my itinerary for any other trip.
On Sunday morning, I did a final photo and video shoot with a team that was doing a documentary on the motorama. After that, I left my car with Intercity, and was able to get a ride from the 02 owner to the hotel, in his Z06, which should be examined by NASA as his car is really a rocket with a Corvette body. Remember, the 02 owner was the flag man for the drag race between the 53 and 54. I had thought that it would be interesting to race the 53 against the 02. After riding in his car, and experiencing the performance, it would have been a very embarrassing display for the 53.
I arrived home on Sunday evening. My wife's cats (I don't have cats myself) seemed glad to see anyone. My wife and sons are on vacation and will be returning on Wednesday morning. I have a couple of days to myself to get caught up on email, pay bills, cut the grass, and relax. I drove my daily driver to dinner last night. I found that I missed the sound of the bias ply tires, the air being sucked into the carbs, the manual brakes and steering, and open cockpit. I did, however, enjoy the air conditioning.
First on my list this morning is to contact Coker Tire and begin a discussion about tire quality.
This is my last daily message to be produced regarding the events of the motorama and my vacation. I plan on combining all of the emails into one, and perhaps clean them up with additional information, with the absolute final message having the complete list of experiences and events. I will also provide pointers to pictures on various web sites. I did not take a single picture, and did not even take a camera. Even if I had taken a camera, I would not have had time to take any photos. There are, however, probably more than 10,000 photos of my car now circulating, as well as many thousands of photos of the other cars and events available.
BTW, last night I visited a friend, who had a copy of the July 2002 "Car and Driver" magazine, who's cover story is the 50th Anniversary of the Corvette. The three photos of the 53 on page 67 are of my car from back in 1986.
Thursday July 4, 2002, 9:35 AM
I did begin a discussion with Coker Tire on Monday. The first phone call went well. The 2nd and 3rd, well, those two calls prompted me to write a letter expressing my concern and discontent about quality, safety, and attitude. Fortunately, the driver of the 54 has some background in law, and has been advising me in the usage of various statutes applicable in the State of Virginia.
My car arrived back home, safe and sound, on Tuesday. Again, I have to compliment Intercity Lines. My odometer was 52514 when it left my home, and 53902 when it returned. A total of 1,388 miles. Of course, that includes my drive from Troy to Flint, an excursion in and around Detroit looking for beer and Elfie's house, the fountain in St Louis, the drive-in at the National Coney Island resturant, a drive in Flint in exchange for "the rule violation", the drag race, and a quick joy ride with a couple of young ladies in Bowling Green.
This really is my last message now that I have consolidated all of the email into one message. I have been with several friends, in person and on the phone since I have returned home. All have asked about my vacation. My message to all of them is the same. I have not ever had such an enjoyable time, nor have I ever had the opportunity to share an experience such as this with a group of people that I not forget. For me, I have had the best time of my life and will not forget the friends made, the events, the cars, and those who worked so long and hard to make this happen.
Click here for the link to some of the photos that were taken.
Thanks for tolerating my random thoughts and email. Have a great holiday weekend.
Al Hill
+38` 53' 45.43" N, -77` 24' 54.03" W
NCM Lifetime #951
