Since I have been so busy these past few months, I ended up falling way behind on my blogging. So I will do my best to remember how the day went. This is going to be short, hopefully, since all I did was attend the event and take pictures all day.
I started off fairly early in the morning, and headed to Sacramento. The drive from my house was a little longer than normal as I was driving my air-bagged Chevy S10. I hadn't driven it this far since I had purchased it, so I was a little unsure about the drive.But I headed out anyways. The drive is about an hour normally, so I knew it was going to be a little longer than that. When I drive the S10, I tend to drive slower than usual. I keep it at a cruising speed between 55 and 65 mph. It relaxes me since I'm just cruising it down the highway. On the way up I saw several advertising signs for the show on telephone poles. I began to wonder what it would take to get one. So when I saw one that appeared to be close enough to the ground for me to try and get it, I pulled off the freeway and tried my best. But, without a hammer to pull the nails from the sign, I didn't get it. Oh Well! After 10 minutes of struggling, since it was a little higher than I expected it to be, I left, and kept going to the show.
I arrived at about 9:30 or 10:00 am. The parking lot was still pretty empty. Since Friday is the first day of the event, it usually doesn't draw a crowd until later in the day. This is why I decided to go. It was going to be a quiet day at the show, and I wanted to get as many photos as I could without having to wait 10-20 minutes for "just the right moment". On the way up to the gate, I caught sites of a few cool cars in the parking lot. So I grabbed a few shots with the iPhone for my "Spotted!" album, then headed in. First stop was the Ford booth just inside the gate. I checked out the green Mustang in the booth and pulled out the camera to get a few photos. Since I had just gotten a new wide angle lens, I wanted to see how well it worked. I took a few shots then headed into the first set of buildings.
The first building was the same as last years. Bike-O-Rama! I went in and saw yet again, a bunch of really cool bikes that were custom built. But not only bikes! There were some very cool custom pedal cars, and a few really cool custom wagons. I walked around for a few minutes checking it all out, and grabbed several photos of what really grabbed my attention. I spent about 45 minutes in the building then headed on to the next one.
In the next few buildings, I grabbed photos of some great looking rides. More Mustangs, A few Camaros, Some cool trucks, and several sweet drag cars. The one that really grabbed my attention was a vintage dragster. They always get my attention. This one was just too cool. So I grabbed as many shots as I could of it. It was a recent restoration of the Bob Duedall B/Comp Dragster.There was even a good sized plaque of the history of the dragster sitting in front of it. It was such a cool site to see. After getting the photos I needed, it was on to the rest of the buildings in this area. Once I completed looking through them, it was on to main building to see the best of the the best. I spent the rest of the day up until 10:00 pm in the main building checking out the sweet beautiful works of art. I took quite a lot of photos of each car that I just stood out to me and enjoyed every second of the day.
In the main area, there was an long time acquaintance of mine doing his usual thing. Brooksie was just under the stairs across from John D'Agostinos 1940 Cadillac Custom. Which happened to be the right place. I had been wanting to see this car for a while. At least since John started posting pictures of the car in it build state on his Facebook timeline. This car is absolutely stunning. The color, the chrome, the stance, the elegance. It all worked so well together. And of course, there's the name, "Sophia." Another Celebrity themed car to go with the builds from recent years. I grabbed a lot of photos of her too. As far as Brooksie, he's just a cool guy that sells really cool historical vintage and antique items, all related to the car culture. He had a couple of beautiful Jukeboxes, a cool pinball machine, neon signs, and a few cool smaller novelty signs. But he always has some very cool trinkets. Stickers, patches, ashtrays, telephones, and of course, the vinyl records. As it turns out, my cell phone had almost died, so I needed to charge it. Thankfully he had an extra opening in his outlet strip for me to be able to get it done. Then later on in the evening, he asked me to take some photos of him and the booth. He even offered to pay me. But not only for this time, but anytime I am at a show and he's there, he wanted me to shoot them too. So I agreed to do it to make a little bit of cash. It helped pay for me to get into the shows, and I wasn't going to turn it down. And it was a big help that it was late and no one was left in the building except the workers and a few car owners. So I snapped a few of the booth. Then John D'Agostino showed up, and I was able to get some shots with him and "Sophia."
My day at the event went very well! I saw some old friends, acquaintances, and some beautiful automobiles. So I left and went to In-N-Out Burger for a late dinner. Then I went to head home, and as a great way to end the day, I locked my keys in the truck. So I called AAA to get someone out to unlock the truck. I went bacck in and grabbed a milk shake, waited for them to arrive. It took about 30 minutes. Once that was all taken care of, I was on my way home to end the long fun day. Thank You for reading! I will also add some photos when I get the chance to do so. Check out more of my experiences, and please return for my Saturday write up. I will also be adding videos to my YouTube Channel - speedtrap73, and posting them here as well.
Showing posts with label California. Show all posts
Showing posts with label California. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
I've moved to a new home!
Well, as things have been really hectic as of late, I am writing to tell of why.
A couple months back, we decided to sell the house we had been living in for the past 9 years. We, means myself, my wife Cristy, her parents, her brother and his wife. We bought the house with the intention of helping out one another. Well as I said, it was the intention. But when the market tanked, that intention went south. So then it became more of a lets just wait it out and see. Then it became a let's wait two more years until I retire program for my father-in-law. So, I don't think I want to draw this into that story, so let me just go in a different direction. The direction, my wife and I are finally free of it all, and can get things back to where they should have been.
The house didn't take but a week to get to Pending status. We received several offers, and one wanted the house so bad that they just upped their offer to a price we just couldn't resist. We took the offer, and waited to be sure all things were good before we started to look for a new home. At first we had wanted to buy, but with so many investors killing the locale market, we took a right turn and hit the rental market. My wife and I started looking on several websites, as well as a few iPhone apps to see what we could find. After looking at a few, we got a little frustrated. Nothing had a good enough size Master Bedroom that would fit all of the furniture we had. Then, one day driving around we came upon a house with a sign in the front yard. So I got out and did a walk around the house. I looked in a window and noticed that the size of the Family Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen were very large. Then I looked into another window. It was the Master Bedroom, and it was also very large. It had more than enough room to fit our furniture into it. So I told my wife, and I called the number on the sign in the front yard while we were there. I left a message and off we went. A few day later I received a return call from the property management company, and we set up an appointment for me to go have a look. My wife wasn't able to make it since she was working, so I went without her. I walked around the inside of the place and took photos to send to my wife. This house was more than we really need for the two of us, and I wanted to apply for the place so we didn't have to keep looking. I spoke to the agent and asked a few questions. She gave me my answers, and the application, and I went back home.
I spoke to my wife later that evening about the place. She wasn't too sure of the area outside the neighborhood as it wasn't the best part of town. Well, the next day she asked me to contact the next door neighbor, who just so happens to be someone her family and several of friends had known for some time. So I got the number from a friend and made the call. I spoke to the wife and she told me nothing but good things about the neighborhood as they had been living in the house for seven years. I then told all that I had been told to my wife. She was still unsure, but decided to let me make a judgement call. So we went to the Agency and filled out the application. It took a few days to hear back from the agency, but when I got in contact with an agent, they let me know that there was a little problem and I needed to contact the company that was running the background and credit check. The problem was that we needed to have the house closed to show that it was in fact sold in order to get our Debt to Income ratio fixed. I explained that the house wasn't on our income, and in fact several, but the house still needed to close. So once that was all done, we got things in order, kept the appointment for signing the lease agreement and getting the keys.
Now, come appointment day we had several friends, and family members come to help load up a bunch of stuff. Once it was time to get to the house for the appointment, my wife and I headed over. But, I had been contacted by the agency, and they told me that they were behind schedule and that they would be about an hour late. So I told the friends and family to just meet us at a McDonald's around the corner from the house just to relax and wait. Once we were told they would be at the house, we headed over. We arrived, signed the papers, walked the house for what visible items were in need of repair and went on to get things in the house. It took all day to get things moved in. By the dinner time we were quite tired and decided to take the friends out to dinner, as the family had left earlier since they had things to do in the evening. The next day it was all over again. I had a couple of my friends meet at the house around 9:00 am as my wife and I stayed there. Once they arrived, we headed back to the old place to get some of the larger items, pack up more of the small stuff and bring it over to the new place. We got it all unloaded and a few of us went over to clean out the storage unit I had to rent to clean out the garage of all of my collectibles that had been boxed up for the past nine years. I had to put them into storage to help with the Open House when we put the house on the market. We got it all out, swept it clean, and took it home. Once it was all unloaded, it was time for dinner. So off I went with a friend for Pizza and Beer, then back home to relax from a long two days of moving.
Since all of our stuff wasn't completely cleaned out of the old house, and we really didn't have to have it out for a few more weeks, my wife and I relaxed over the weekend. But come Monday, she was back to work, and I was back to cleaning up and packing more stuff to bring to the new house. It took almost the entire week to get it all cleared out and cleaned up. My father-in-law had requested to get a dumpster to be dropped off, so I took Thursday off so I wouldn't have to waste my gas. So I went back on Friday to finish it off. I claened the carpet in my part of the house, tossed out all the junk into the dumpster and finished watching a couple show that were Tivo'd. By the end of the day, I was pretty much done. Still have a little bit of stuff to get, but it will be picked up the next time I'm around. Which happens to be on Saturday after I spend the day at a Pinstriping class I decided to take. The family decided to have 1 final family Virginia Ham dinner before everyone is off in their own world. So, with that said, I hope you enjoyed the read, and I will be catching up on all of the stuff I have been wanting to write about over the past few months. That includes mu experience of my Pinstriping class.
A couple months back, we decided to sell the house we had been living in for the past 9 years. We, means myself, my wife Cristy, her parents, her brother and his wife. We bought the house with the intention of helping out one another. Well as I said, it was the intention. But when the market tanked, that intention went south. So then it became more of a lets just wait it out and see. Then it became a let's wait two more years until I retire program for my father-in-law. So, I don't think I want to draw this into that story, so let me just go in a different direction. The direction, my wife and I are finally free of it all, and can get things back to where they should have been.
The house didn't take but a week to get to Pending status. We received several offers, and one wanted the house so bad that they just upped their offer to a price we just couldn't resist. We took the offer, and waited to be sure all things were good before we started to look for a new home. At first we had wanted to buy, but with so many investors killing the locale market, we took a right turn and hit the rental market. My wife and I started looking on several websites, as well as a few iPhone apps to see what we could find. After looking at a few, we got a little frustrated. Nothing had a good enough size Master Bedroom that would fit all of the furniture we had. Then, one day driving around we came upon a house with a sign in the front yard. So I got out and did a walk around the house. I looked in a window and noticed that the size of the Family Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen were very large. Then I looked into another window. It was the Master Bedroom, and it was also very large. It had more than enough room to fit our furniture into it. So I told my wife, and I called the number on the sign in the front yard while we were there. I left a message and off we went. A few day later I received a return call from the property management company, and we set up an appointment for me to go have a look. My wife wasn't able to make it since she was working, so I went without her. I walked around the inside of the place and took photos to send to my wife. This house was more than we really need for the two of us, and I wanted to apply for the place so we didn't have to keep looking. I spoke to the agent and asked a few questions. She gave me my answers, and the application, and I went back home.
I spoke to my wife later that evening about the place. She wasn't too sure of the area outside the neighborhood as it wasn't the best part of town. Well, the next day she asked me to contact the next door neighbor, who just so happens to be someone her family and several of friends had known for some time. So I got the number from a friend and made the call. I spoke to the wife and she told me nothing but good things about the neighborhood as they had been living in the house for seven years. I then told all that I had been told to my wife. She was still unsure, but decided to let me make a judgement call. So we went to the Agency and filled out the application. It took a few days to hear back from the agency, but when I got in contact with an agent, they let me know that there was a little problem and I needed to contact the company that was running the background and credit check. The problem was that we needed to have the house closed to show that it was in fact sold in order to get our Debt to Income ratio fixed. I explained that the house wasn't on our income, and in fact several, but the house still needed to close. So once that was all done, we got things in order, kept the appointment for signing the lease agreement and getting the keys.
Now, come appointment day we had several friends, and family members come to help load up a bunch of stuff. Once it was time to get to the house for the appointment, my wife and I headed over. But, I had been contacted by the agency, and they told me that they were behind schedule and that they would be about an hour late. So I told the friends and family to just meet us at a McDonald's around the corner from the house just to relax and wait. Once we were told they would be at the house, we headed over. We arrived, signed the papers, walked the house for what visible items were in need of repair and went on to get things in the house. It took all day to get things moved in. By the dinner time we were quite tired and decided to take the friends out to dinner, as the family had left earlier since they had things to do in the evening. The next day it was all over again. I had a couple of my friends meet at the house around 9:00 am as my wife and I stayed there. Once they arrived, we headed back to the old place to get some of the larger items, pack up more of the small stuff and bring it over to the new place. We got it all unloaded and a few of us went over to clean out the storage unit I had to rent to clean out the garage of all of my collectibles that had been boxed up for the past nine years. I had to put them into storage to help with the Open House when we put the house on the market. We got it all out, swept it clean, and took it home. Once it was all unloaded, it was time for dinner. So off I went with a friend for Pizza and Beer, then back home to relax from a long two days of moving.
Since all of our stuff wasn't completely cleaned out of the old house, and we really didn't have to have it out for a few more weeks, my wife and I relaxed over the weekend. But come Monday, she was back to work, and I was back to cleaning up and packing more stuff to bring to the new house. It took almost the entire week to get it all cleared out and cleaned up. My father-in-law had requested to get a dumpster to be dropped off, so I took Thursday off so I wouldn't have to waste my gas. So I went back on Friday to finish it off. I claened the carpet in my part of the house, tossed out all the junk into the dumpster and finished watching a couple show that were Tivo'd. By the end of the day, I was pretty much done. Still have a little bit of stuff to get, but it will be picked up the next time I'm around. Which happens to be on Saturday after I spend the day at a Pinstriping class I decided to take. The family decided to have 1 final family Virginia Ham dinner before everyone is off in their own world. So, with that said, I hope you enjoyed the read, and I will be catching up on all of the stuff I have been wanting to write about over the past few months. That includes mu experience of my Pinstriping class.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Bo Huff Rockabilly Extravaganza 2012
I had been planning on heading down to Southern California to visit my parents since they had moved back recently from Lake Havasu, Arizona. And as it turned out, there was going to be another car show somewhat close by when I was to be there. I just had to take the opportunity and make sure to be able to attend, as I had wanted to anyways, but was not sure if I would actually be able to make the event. Why? I had known about the event for several months, and just wasn't sure if I would be able to get there due to not having a reason to go. Then, about a month or so earlier, my parents had to make a quick decision to move back since my fathers health had landed him in the hospital when he was visiting my younger brother. Three of my brothers had to run out to Lake Havazu and pack up all of their things and bring them to the house my parents had rented. The weekend my father ended up in the hospital, they were actually looking to move back anyways, and had signed an agreement for the home. I was unable to go down that weekend to see him in the hospital due to things beyond my control. So, knowing that the 4 day holiday weekend was coming up, I decided it was time for my wife and I to head down for a visit.
My wife and I had decided to make the drive on Tuesday evening, rather wait for the traffic that would be on the rode Wednesday evening. So we got our extra day off and headed down. Now for the downside! My father was in the hospital yet again. So when we arrived at their house at 1:00 am, we hit the bed. We had to get up somewhat early and go to the hospital. I spent the next three days there visiting him. Most of the time we all just sat around in the waiting room since other members of the family had been coming off and on. My wife actually spent 4 days there with my mother since she didn't want to go with me to the car show. So on Saturday morning I woke up, got myself ready and after my wife, mother, brother, and sister took off, I decided to head out to the show. But, when I was in the driveway, one of the neighbors opened up their garage and their dog went running up the street. So I tried to help them out and keep it from running out into the main road. The dog was running around behind the homes, and since I really couldn't do anything, I decided to drive around through the neighborhood just to see where it actually had run off to. As it turns out, I lost track of the dog when driving by a yard sale and noticed a small item on a table with White Wall Tires on it. So I turned around and went to see what it was. I walked up to the table, which was in the back of the carport, and as it turns out, it was not only one, but four little pedal car planters. 2 Ford Trucks, a Fire Truck, and a Hot Rod. So I bought all four of them for a really good price, and got an old Model T wall hanger for free. Then I was off again. I dropped the stuff off at the house and left for the show.
At this point of the morning, it was already 11:00 am, and I was hungry. So I hit the closest In-N-Out Burger drive through and hit the road. The drive was about 45 minutes to the Riverside Municipal Airport where the show was to be this year. I arrived at the entrance and waited approximately 30 minutes just to get to the guy at the front to pay for my entry. Of course, as things tend to go, when I got to the front they appeared to finally get their heads out of their butt and get the attendees through a lot faster. They needed to do something! The cars were three wide, and out onto the main drag. The guys on the motorcycles were getting pretty pissed that it was taking so long to get in. But when I got to where I was able to park, all the waiting didn't matter. I was at the show and my mind went to what was waiting on the inside. But as expected, I had to stop for security for the man to search my camera case. No big deal! Nothing there but camera equipment. I finally walked through the gate and stopped to get my cameras ready. Then it was time to check out some cool rides that I never see.
As I walked around the show I was admiring the pinstriping and the cool custom work when the WWII Marine Fighter plane was flying by no more than probably 50 feet off the ground. It was cool to see this plane! I never go to air shows, so this was a cool thing for me to see. So I went over to where they were loading up the passengers for the rides and watched it for a little while. Of course I had to get some shots of it flying by a few times. Once I was done with that, I went back to checking out the Kool Kustoms. I walked around and checked them out, took some photos, and chatted with some of the other attendees, as well as a few vendors. Then I went to look for Bo Huff, John D'Agostino and George Barris.
It didn't take long to find them. I ended up hanging out with John and George for the rest of the afternoon, having a good time talking and just having fun. I was able to get the three of them to sign my vintage Race Track jacket that I had gotten Gene Winfield to sign earlier this year at the Sacramento Autorama when I did my interview with him. Besides Jon and George, I was also able to meet quite a few others, including Johns cousin and his two boys from Australia. After a little bit, John and I went over to a warehouse latter that was along the fence so we could get an overhead shot of the show. While doing so we checked out a few more of the rides. If you, the reader are wondering why I am writing this like I am friends with John, well as it turns out, over the past month or so I have run into John while on my lunch break from work. It's been cool too. He has been setting up shop across the street from the shop I work at. So it's going to be cool checking out some of the Kustoms that will be coming through. I CAN'T WAIT!
Anyhow! To get back to the show, I ended up leaving around 6:30 PM as I needed to head back to see my dad in the hospital before I headed home the next morning, So I helped John pack his stuff up, I put my camera equipment back in the case and headed out. I had a fun day and can't wait for the next event to write about. THANKS for reading!
My wife and I had decided to make the drive on Tuesday evening, rather wait for the traffic that would be on the rode Wednesday evening. So we got our extra day off and headed down. Now for the downside! My father was in the hospital yet again. So when we arrived at their house at 1:00 am, we hit the bed. We had to get up somewhat early and go to the hospital. I spent the next three days there visiting him. Most of the time we all just sat around in the waiting room since other members of the family had been coming off and on. My wife actually spent 4 days there with my mother since she didn't want to go with me to the car show. So on Saturday morning I woke up, got myself ready and after my wife, mother, brother, and sister took off, I decided to head out to the show. But, when I was in the driveway, one of the neighbors opened up their garage and their dog went running up the street. So I tried to help them out and keep it from running out into the main road. The dog was running around behind the homes, and since I really couldn't do anything, I decided to drive around through the neighborhood just to see where it actually had run off to. As it turns out, I lost track of the dog when driving by a yard sale and noticed a small item on a table with White Wall Tires on it. So I turned around and went to see what it was. I walked up to the table, which was in the back of the carport, and as it turns out, it was not only one, but four little pedal car planters. 2 Ford Trucks, a Fire Truck, and a Hot Rod. So I bought all four of them for a really good price, and got an old Model T wall hanger for free. Then I was off again. I dropped the stuff off at the house and left for the show.
At this point of the morning, it was already 11:00 am, and I was hungry. So I hit the closest In-N-Out Burger drive through and hit the road. The drive was about 45 minutes to the Riverside Municipal Airport where the show was to be this year. I arrived at the entrance and waited approximately 30 minutes just to get to the guy at the front to pay for my entry. Of course, as things tend to go, when I got to the front they appeared to finally get their heads out of their butt and get the attendees through a lot faster. They needed to do something! The cars were three wide, and out onto the main drag. The guys on the motorcycles were getting pretty pissed that it was taking so long to get in. But when I got to where I was able to park, all the waiting didn't matter. I was at the show and my mind went to what was waiting on the inside. But as expected, I had to stop for security for the man to search my camera case. No big deal! Nothing there but camera equipment. I finally walked through the gate and stopped to get my cameras ready. Then it was time to check out some cool rides that I never see.
As I walked around the show I was admiring the pinstriping and the cool custom work when the WWII Marine Fighter plane was flying by no more than probably 50 feet off the ground. It was cool to see this plane! I never go to air shows, so this was a cool thing for me to see. So I went over to where they were loading up the passengers for the rides and watched it for a little while. Of course I had to get some shots of it flying by a few times. Once I was done with that, I went back to checking out the Kool Kustoms. I walked around and checked them out, took some photos, and chatted with some of the other attendees, as well as a few vendors. Then I went to look for Bo Huff, John D'Agostino and George Barris.
It didn't take long to find them. I ended up hanging out with John and George for the rest of the afternoon, having a good time talking and just having fun. I was able to get the three of them to sign my vintage Race Track jacket that I had gotten Gene Winfield to sign earlier this year at the Sacramento Autorama when I did my interview with him. Besides Jon and George, I was also able to meet quite a few others, including Johns cousin and his two boys from Australia. After a little bit, John and I went over to a warehouse latter that was along the fence so we could get an overhead shot of the show. While doing so we checked out a few more of the rides. If you, the reader are wondering why I am writing this like I am friends with John, well as it turns out, over the past month or so I have run into John while on my lunch break from work. It's been cool too. He has been setting up shop across the street from the shop I work at. So it's going to be cool checking out some of the Kustoms that will be coming through. I CAN'T WAIT!
Anyhow! To get back to the show, I ended up leaving around 6:30 PM as I needed to head back to see my dad in the hospital before I headed home the next morning, So I helped John pack his stuff up, I put my camera equipment back in the case and headed out. I had a fun day and can't wait for the next event to write about. THANKS for reading!
MAD SKILLS!
SWEET CHEVY
LIGHTS!
A VIEW FROM HIGH
LOOKING DOWN!
THE KING AND I!
HANGIN OUT WITH THE GUYS
HASSLE THE HUFF!
TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT -
CLICK THIS LINK - http://razzi.me/albums/21642-2012-bo-huff-rockabilly-extravaganza
Thursday, September 13, 2012
VIDEO: Eric Clapton's 1932 Ford Vicky
This is one beautiful car! The guys at Roy Brizio Street Rods built another rolling piece of art for Eric Clapton. How many does this make that they have built for him?
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
VIDEO: Kustom Chevy Coupe
I attended the "Then and Now" Car Show back on July 12th in Tracy, California, and to my surprise there were quite a few amazing cars. While there I took some photos, as well as a lot of video of some of these rides. Here is one of the cars that caught my interest.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Road Trip to Arizona - Day 5 - Heading Home
So to finish up the story of my road trip, I really don't have a whole lot to talk about. So I'll do my best.
We got up on Monday morning around 5:00am and got ready for the long drive back to Northern California. After getting everything together, I did my room check out, then said goodbye to my parents. We got all the stuff into the truck and headed out. It wasn't too long and my wife was back to sleep and we were cruising back into California. On the drive all I could thing about was where wen had gone, and where I wanted to stop for breakfast. I was starving! So after seeing a few signs, I decided to take a slight detour into Yermo and have breakfast at Peggy Sue's Diner just off the 15 Freeway. Many have stopped here on their way to and from Las Vegas, and I had seen some TV programs that had talked about the place, and since I'm a car guy and old style diners fit the culture, this is where I decided to stop. The place may be old, but that part of the draw to this place. We went inside and sat down. Once we ordered our breakfast, I got up and walked around, reading and viewing the mass decor on the walls. Seeing what celebrities had stopped in here over the years was pretty cool to see. Some of it is so old, it needs to be taken down and preserved so it doesn't get destroyed. But that is my opinion. After looking around, it wasn't too long and we were able to satisfy the hunger. We ate our food and relaxed a little. Then we had to get back on the road. So, we went across the street and fueled up and hit the road again.
Our next stop was a quick driver change out in Edwards so I could get a little bit of rest. It wasn't too long after that that we stopped off in Tehachapi to use the restroom. Then we stopped at the Murray Family Farms again to grab a few things. Pretty much after that we just drove until we got home. Our trip was over, but the good times will always be remembered. My plan is to head back out, when I get the opportunity to do so, and do a full road trip down Old Route 66. This is something I have always wanted to do, so if the chance presents itself, I'm definitely going to go for it. I hope this short entry is a dissapointment, but I did say the day wasn't much to talk about. Thanks for reading!
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| The early morning drive through the desert. HWY 10 |
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| A must stop on your trip to Las Vegas |
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| The Tehachapi Mountains |
Friday, May 11, 2012
Road Trip to Arizona - Day 3 - Route 66 part 1
As the title says, this days writing has been broken up into two parts. I have so much to talk about, that I didn't want to have such a long reading. And, I didn't want to cut some things out of it either. So please read on, then check out part 2.
After having a good nights rest, we got up and headed downstairs for breakfast. Then we were off to check out Kingman. We left the hotel, hit the highway, and today was a little like the previous day. Only with more rain. But hit 68 and we headed East anyways to make the best of it. As we were on our way, we drove through Golden Valley. This place is pretty wide spread, but the only thing that caught my eyes was a place on the North side of the highway that was full of classic Ford trucks. I wanted to stop and get a shot, but I wasn't able to. Oh Well! Then we came up and over the crest on the East end of the valley and hit Highway 93 and dropped in to Kingman. Once off the highway, I decided that I wanted to just drive down through to see what I would want to stop in and check out. So we headed down Beale Street, made a quick right, then a quick left and we were on Old Route 66.
As I drove and looked around, I was pretty much amazed at how many old buildings were still there. After the first turn off of Beale Street, there was the Old Power House, and Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner. Then we turned left and headed up 66. While driving, I was looking around, and while seeing the old Hotel Beale, the Arcadia Lounge & Lodge, as well as many other buildings, my mind got to wondering about how it must have been when the Mother Road was "The" road to be traveling. It was pretty cool to see these old places, but I was amazed actually by how they weren't being kept up. Yeah the Arcadia was still being used, but it would be nice to see it in better condition. The Hotel Beale had obviously seen much much better days. For a town that is part of the history of Old Route 66, I think it would be nice if they would find some way to preserve these buildings. The one that was very nicely restored though, was the Old Power House. More about that further down in the read.
So I kept driving and was getting a little far out of town, or so it seemed we were far out of town. So I turned around and headed back into town. But, as usual, I had seen somewhere that I just needed to stop. First was a yard that had a few cool old items that caught my eye. So I pulled off the road and had my wife take a few shots with my iPhone. There was an old dirt bike with a side car that looked like it had been raced hard at some point. The motor wasn't even with the bike anymore. Then there was a cool old small tractor that also looked to have seen better days. But the one thing that really stood out, an old Quarter Midget Race Car. Now this was something that I would have loved to have seen if it was for sale. But not on this trip. Oh Well!
After having a look at the yard full of cool stuff and getting a few shots, I drove off. Then after a short drive I pulled into an antique shop. Middle Of The Road Antiques. As much as my wife hates it when I like to go walk through antique shops, I still stopped. Besides, my father like to hit them too, and I felt it was time to get us all out of the car for a few minutes. So we got out of the the car, in the rain, and walked in. As we walked in the door, sitting just a few feet away was a beautiful Ford Pickup. Yeah! That's what I said. It was inside the store. Then I started hitting the booths to see what I could find that wouldn't break the bank. So I kept it to a few small items. First I had seen a few items in a counter case, but decided not to get them. Then I found some records. I started going through them and found one I just had to have. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, "Me and Jerry". It has an old Ford Convertible on the cover. This is now in my collection of records that I have with cars on the covers. They get framed and then hung on my office wall. Then I found a couple of old 45 RPM records. So I kept looking and then I came to find a Ferrari Pin in a case. So I had to have that. Then I kept looking, found a few maybe items, but then found an old post card of the old novel "Go, Mam, Go!" with some cool Hot Rod art. Then I kept looking, found a few more maybe items, but I decided to just get the few items I had. I paid for them and talked with the lady at the register about some Moon Disc wheel covers that I was curious about. And of course, Not For Sale. Dang It! So we left and headed back down 66 to the Old Power House Museum. The adventure continues!
After having a good nights rest, we got up and headed downstairs for breakfast. Then we were off to check out Kingman. We left the hotel, hit the highway, and today was a little like the previous day. Only with more rain. But hit 68 and we headed East anyways to make the best of it. As we were on our way, we drove through Golden Valley. This place is pretty wide spread, but the only thing that caught my eyes was a place on the North side of the highway that was full of classic Ford trucks. I wanted to stop and get a shot, but I wasn't able to. Oh Well! Then we came up and over the crest on the East end of the valley and hit Highway 93 and dropped in to Kingman. Once off the highway, I decided that I wanted to just drive down through to see what I would want to stop in and check out. So we headed down Beale Street, made a quick right, then a quick left and we were on Old Route 66.
So I kept driving and was getting a little far out of town, or so it seemed we were far out of town. So I turned around and headed back into town. But, as usual, I had seen somewhere that I just needed to stop. First was a yard that had a few cool old items that caught my eye. So I pulled off the road and had my wife take a few shots with my iPhone. There was an old dirt bike with a side car that looked like it had been raced hard at some point. The motor wasn't even with the bike anymore. Then there was a cool old small tractor that also looked to have seen better days. But the one thing that really stood out, an old Quarter Midget Race Car. Now this was something that I would have loved to have seen if it was for sale. But not on this trip. Oh Well!
After having a look at the yard full of cool stuff and getting a few shots, I drove off. Then after a short drive I pulled into an antique shop. Middle Of The Road Antiques. As much as my wife hates it when I like to go walk through antique shops, I still stopped. Besides, my father like to hit them too, and I felt it was time to get us all out of the car for a few minutes. So we got out of the the car, in the rain, and walked in. As we walked in the door, sitting just a few feet away was a beautiful Ford Pickup. Yeah! That's what I said. It was inside the store. Then I started hitting the booths to see what I could find that wouldn't break the bank. So I kept it to a few small items. First I had seen a few items in a counter case, but decided not to get them. Then I found some records. I started going through them and found one I just had to have. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, "Me and Jerry". It has an old Ford Convertible on the cover. This is now in my collection of records that I have with cars on the covers. They get framed and then hung on my office wall. Then I found a couple of old 45 RPM records. So I kept looking and then I came to find a Ferrari Pin in a case. So I had to have that. Then I kept looking, found a few maybe items, but then found an old post card of the old novel "Go, Mam, Go!" with some cool Hot Rod art. Then I kept looking, found a few more maybe items, but I decided to just get the few items I had. I paid for them and talked with the lady at the register about some Moon Disc wheel covers that I was curious about. And of course, Not For Sale. Dang It! So we left and headed back down 66 to the Old Power House Museum. The adventure continues!
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| Ford Pickup at "Middle of the Road" Antiques |
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| Me and Jerry Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed This will be on my office wall soon. |
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| 45's for my collection It was rotated, but this is how it loaded up. |
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| Postcard Had to have it! |
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| Lapel/Hat Pin Another one for the collection |
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Today was a loooong day
So! Here's how my day went -
My mother-in-law wakes me up around 9:30am from downstairs with scream, my name. I ask what's going on. She then tells me she broke her arm. She was trying to step over a dog gate in the family room and fell backwards and she tried to break her fall. So I hurry up and get dressed. I get her to the E.R. and get her checked in. It ended up being her wrist. Around 2:00, still at the hospital, I see several nurses and doctors running out the E.R. door. I think they're just running out to get someone in the driveway. Then I see a few more go running out. So, not being nosey, I go to the restroom, then walk outside. A lady asks me, "Do you know what happened?" I tell her "No. I just came out". She then says "You I should go check it out". So I look out as I'm walking toward the parking lot and notice the carnage. My first thought, "Oh Crap! That's where I parked the car". So I go out and check on the car. The first thing I see, from the back, is dirt all over the car. I keep walking forward and I then notice the hood has damage. I see a maintenance worker and he then tells me, "The light pole bounced off the car". A minute or so later I see my father-in-law had just come outside. I call his name and wave for him to come out to the car, and then I tell him, "You better call the insurance company. There's damage to your car". He has someone take my mother-in-law back inside, then heads out to see what happened.
After that, I then I start to look around more. I see the SUV that caused the accident is in the planter just at the edge of the parking lot, and the entry to the parking lot. 3 cars destroyed, 1 missed, then my father-in-laws car. Then the light pole sitting in the driveway. It hit the wheel of the SUV on the other side of the entrance. I look around more. Pieces all over the street, the planter, and the parking lot. But then there's more! In the street is the car that the driver first hit, more debris, and 3-5 more vehicles parked at the curb. These must have been witnesses to the accident. Then I start to follow the trail of debris. I see where the light pole was originally. It was about 200 feet from where it was now sitting. Then I cross the driveway and keep following the debris. I notice that at the street corner it looks like to be where the accident originated. I keep looking for more clues and see more fresh bits of glass and small pieces from the vehicles when they collided. I see the bumper from the car, the foam that is used behind the bumper is scattered, along with so much it was quite disturbing to see so many pieces. Then I look back at where the SUV is at. HOLY CRAP! It was probably 500 feet away. The debris was scattered from that point to past the SUV, and about 50 -75 feet wide. It was like an explosion went off. It was crazy! Apparently a witness helped the guy out of his car, and he took off running. Hospital Security found him out back and apparently held him until the police showed up. Then, after about an hour we were finally allowed to leave. What's next?
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| Father-in-laws car |
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| The Jeep Cherokee was untouched other than the dirt |
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| Destruction! |
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| Destruction! |
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| Destruction! |
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| The light pole is on the other side of the bush. It hit the wheel of this SUV. It was between the second and third tree. Accident originated at the sign board you see just to the left of the flag pole. |
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| This was a light pole |
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| What Light Pole? |
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| This is about where the accident originated. Notice the cars bumper on the grass to the right. At the Red and Blue sign is where the SUV finally stopped. |
Road Trip to Arizona - Day 2 - Lake Havasu City
The day started out a little on the mellow side. We got up around 9:00am and got ready, then hit the hotel buffet for breakfast. We then left and headed South to Lake Havasu City to visit with my parents. We had not had any opportunities to get to visit them since they moved there, so we made sure to do so on this trip.
After checking directions on my phone, we headed out across the river to Bullhead City and drive down from there. What a mistake that turned out to be. If we had only known it was a much slower drive, we would have made the drive down on the California side where there is only a few traffic lights, and these were just south of the Casinos, with nothing until you get to Needles. Yeah the speed limit was only 55, but, I would rather drive than sit at traffic lights. Our drive down ended up taking about 2 hours. If we had gone the other way, we could have cut out at least 30 minutes.
Anyways! We got through the traffic lights, down to Interstate 40, and headed East. Since the drive to Laughlin was quite long, I never did pull off the highway to get any photos of Historic Route 66. So, I found a chance to get it done and pulled off. I asked my wife to take a pic of me with a road sign. The weather was a little on the bad side, so my wife took the shot out the open car window. Then I grabbed it took a shot of the sign itself. Then we were back on the road.
After a short drive, we made our exit onto Highway 95. Then we made it to Lake Havasu City. I got to my parents place, and, they were not at home. So I called them, and they had been in town and would be heading home in a few minutes. Well that few minutes ended up being about 30 minutes. Possible longer. They finally got home and since we were all hungry, I asked my father to decide where to go. 5 minutes later we were at a place called Rusty's. My parents said they come here quite a lot. The place was very clean and the waitress was very friendly. I knew then why they came here. We got our order, which was actually pretty decent. Then I stepped away from the table for a few minutes, and when I returned, my wife had mentioned that she invited my parents to come with us to Kingman, as well as the Grand Canyon. You would think I would have been a little upset about it, but since I don't get to visit with them as often as I used to, I was okay with it. But, we then had to get another room at the hotel for the to stay. So back on my phone I went to check room availability via Hotel.com. First I had to download the ap to my iPhone. Once that was completed, we checked for a room. However I had to wait to complete the transaction due to issues I wasn't able to deal with at the moment. So we finished up our meal and headed over to the "London Bridge" since my wife had wanted to check it out.
We arrived, parked and walked into the visitors center. After about 10 minutes of looking around, we walked out to the river walk under the bridge. My wife was hoping that there were some English Style shops, but was dissappointed when we got there and as it turns out, there are none to be found. So we made the best of it. We took a few photos, then went back to my parents place. Once we got back to their house, I got the reservations completed so they could get things together and follow us up.While my mother was gathering their things, my father and I made a run to the local Safeway supermarket to grab a prescription that he had forgot to grab when he was at his appointment earlier in the day. On the way, my father also needed to go to th bank. So, while he was at the bank, I hit the Big Lots in the shopping center to see if they had any Hot Wheels. As luck would have it, they did. I ended up finding an error. To top it off, it was a Ferrari. So this find will stay in with my collection. After that we got his prescription and headed back to the house to finish up. 30 minutes or so later, we were on the road. But, my mother forgot her purse at the house. Fortunately, we were just around the corner when she realized she had forgotten it. So my wife and waited until they came back. After sitting on the side of the road, and freaking out a gentleman that just arrived home, because we pulled over in front of his house, I saw a road runner crossing the road up ahead. I hadn't seen one in probably 20 or more years, so I pulled forward to show it to my wife. It was kind of cool to see one again. MEEP! MEEP!
My parents returned after about 10 minutes, and back on the road we were. As we headed out on highway 95, it started to rain. Yay! We're on vacation and it's raining. No big deal though. It wasn't to bad. But, the smell of the desert during a storm is definitely something I was enjoying. It may be the only thing I actually miss from the time I lived in the high desert here in California. Well that, and chasing the reptiles around to catch them. Anyway, we took it easy on the way back due to the weather, and after about an hour and 30 minutes, we were back at the hotel. So I checked in again, and we got everything into their room. We relaxed for a few minutes and then went back down for dinner. After that it was time for bed. We had a day of Route 66 touring to complete. But that happens tomorrow. THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES!
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| Looking North-East on Interstate 40 |
Anyways! We got through the traffic lights, down to Interstate 40, and headed East. Since the drive to Laughlin was quite long, I never did pull off the highway to get any photos of Historic Route 66. So, I found a chance to get it done and pulled off. I asked my wife to take a pic of me with a road sign. The weather was a little on the bad side, so my wife took the shot out the open car window. Then I grabbed it took a shot of the sign itself. Then we were back on the road.
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| Under the sign! Yes my wife didn't realize her finger was in the way |
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| Entrance to London Bridge |
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| London Bridge |
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| Desert Storm |
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Road Trip to Arizona - Day 1 - The Drive
As the plans had changed for what the weekend was to be, I was a little excited that my wife and I had decided to get out of town and go somewhere we had not yet been. When she decided to go to the Grand Canyon, I was more than happy to jump at the chance to go. So we made our plans sort of last minute and decided to stay in Laughlin, Nevada. I figured since we had not yet been there either, it would be a good middle point, and very inexpensive place to stay. So we hit Hotels.com and made our reservation. Where really wasn't a main part of the trip, and since we don't gamble, she decided in which hotel to stay at, and the reservations were set.
On Wednesday evening, we got to bed at a decent time so we could leave town early Thursday morning. We got up, got ready, ate some breakfast, A cup of coffee, as well as plenty for the road. We left the driveway around 5:30am, and in about 5 minutes later, we hit the 99 freeway and headed South. As I was trying to keep from being bored, I decided to grab the cell, put on some tunes, as well as take some pics so I would have something to add to this blog entry. I was doing okay, my wife was sleeping, and I made it as far as Visalia before having to stop. So we exited the freeway and changed seats so I could take a short 30 minute snooze.
After the 30 minute morning nap, I woke up and we were somewhere North of MacFarland, so I pulled out the cell phone to get some roadside pictures from the passenger seat to post on my Facebook status. Eventually we got to Bakersfield, then headed East on 58. We exited the first exit to fuel up so we didn't have to until after getting to Laughlin. We stopped at an Arco-AM/PM station, and for some reason I decided to go inside to use my card. What a mistake that turned out to be. The counter clerk was such an idiot about me using my card inside, He asked me a question that pissed me off. The funny thing is I do the same thing at the AM/PM at home. I was pissed that the guy couldn't figure out how to do such a simple task that I walked out and used my card at the pump.
After that, we hit the road for about 10 miles or so and exited again as my wife wanted to stop at the Murray Family Farms for some fruit. As we pulled into the lot I noticed a cool old Chevy truck. They had made it into a nice display with the business logo on the doors and some oranges on display. My wife went inside and, of course, I just had to walk over and get a photo of the truck. I then went inside and we spent about 20 minutes inside and bought what we wanted and hit 58 again. After seeing how nice the scenery was, I decided to exit again and grab a couple more pics with my cell. I grabbed my shots, and back on 58 in a matter of about 5 minutes. As we were driving, my wife had no idea as to what I was wanting to do next. HMMMMM! Once we got to the 14 Freeway in Mojave, I headed South again. I drove about 10 miles and exited the freeway, turned left, drove another 1/2 mile and made a right turn and drove about another 1/2 mile or so and made a U-turn then parked the car. I had decided to make a pit stop to check out Gene Winfield's place as I had never been there before. So since I was going to be withing 10 miles of the place, I figured this was my chance to check it out. Why? So I could come back and attend the "Winfield & Watson Car Show" or one of Gene's Metal Working classes. I had talked to Gene at the "Sacramento Autorama" event about wanting to come, so this gave me an idea to check it out before returning for another adventure. So, as it turned out, I could only check the place out from the outside of the fence. No Problem! I just pulled out the Canon 40D and took a few shots. After 10 minutes I was back in the car again.
We hit the 14 Northbound and then back onto 58 East to cross more of the desert. We got to Kramer Junction and I had another side plan in mind that the wife didn't know about yet. I made a quick left onto Highway 395 and stopped at an antique store that I had know about for quite a long time, but forgot about. Then one day while watching "American Restoration", they had gone to this place and bought an old gas pump. After watching the episode, I knew I needed to stop in when in the area. Well this was the chance of being less that 100 yards from it, and I stopped on in. The name - "Kramer Antiques". The bad part, I didn't have much time since we wanted to get to Laughlin at a reasonable hour. So we kind of hurried our way around the store, and if I had had more time, and money, I'm sure I would have found something to bring home. I also didn't get a chance to go through the warehouse. The place was pretty cool. I would definitely stop in again when I have more time to really look around. I asked a few questions about what I was looking for, but no item related in the place except for a neck tie. Then back on the road again. We didn't stop until we got to the hotel after this, so there really isn't much else to say. I checked in, we parked, got our stuff up to the room, then relaxed until it was time to go back down for dinner.
WAIT! I do have more to talk about. On the way through from Kramer Junction, we got to Barstow (BARFSTOW), and my eyes kept bouncing across both sides of Interstate 40. I was just wondering what it was like back in the day when old Route 66 was the road to be on while driving through here. I knew for years that this is where it had travelled through, as I had grown up in So-Cal about an hour South of here. I even installed a fiberglass pool in Barstow when I was about 16 or 17. I had been through Barstow several times. But back then, Route 66 wasn't really a big deal. Not sure why either. I have been on several sections from Santa Monica, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana, Colton, Rialto, San Bernardino, up through The Cajon Pass, Victorville and of course Barstow. I even remember the Wigwam Motel in Rialto when I was a little kid. I thought it was odd back then, but in a oddly cool kind of sense. So where am I going with this? Well, while looking off to the south of Interstate 40 I was a looking for anything that was still around that was part of the history of Route 66. I saw several places. Now I have it my head for another great BUCKET LIST Adventure. Someday I want to drive whats left of Route 66.
One more thing! I did end up finally getting off the freeway before reaching Needles and asked my wife to get a shot of me with a road sign pointing out Route 66. But that happens tomorrow. THE ADVENTURE DOES CONTINUE!
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| Southbound 99 - North Madera, CA. |
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| Southbound 99 - North Fresno, CA |
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| Eastbound 58 - East Bakersfield, CA |
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| Murray Family Farms |
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| Murray Family Farms |
We hit the 14 Northbound and then back onto 58 East to cross more of the desert. We got to Kramer Junction and I had another side plan in mind that the wife didn't know about yet. I made a quick left onto Highway 395 and stopped at an antique store that I had know about for quite a long time, but forgot about. Then one day while watching "American Restoration", they had gone to this place and bought an old gas pump. After watching the episode, I knew I needed to stop in when in the area. Well this was the chance of being less that 100 yards from it, and I stopped on in. The name - "Kramer Antiques". The bad part, I didn't have much time since we wanted to get to Laughlin at a reasonable hour. So we kind of hurried our way around the store, and if I had had more time, and money, I'm sure I would have found something to bring home. I also didn't get a chance to go through the warehouse. The place was pretty cool. I would definitely stop in again when I have more time to really look around. I asked a few questions about what I was looking for, but no item related in the place except for a neck tie. Then back on the road again. We didn't stop until we got to the hotel after this, so there really isn't much else to say. I checked in, we parked, got our stuff up to the room, then relaxed until it was time to go back down for dinner.
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| Gene Winfield's Place |
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| Kramer Antiques - Kramer Juction |
One more thing! I did end up finally getting off the freeway before reaching Needles and asked my wife to get a shot of me with a road sign pointing out Route 66. But that happens tomorrow. THE ADVENTURE DOES CONTINUE!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Winter Wineland Weekend - Friday
I haven't had any opportunity to get some blogging in lately due to having to spend so much time working on the S15. But since I spent the weekend up in the wine country I figured I would just catch up with the world on what I did for the weekend in Northern Sonoma County. I actually did this last year with my wife and a few friends and had a good time. I was the "designated driver" then, and was again this year. Well at least I thought I was going to be anyways. As it turned out, I ended up not driving at all. And, since I'm not much of a wine drinker, I really didn't care anyways. It was an opportunity to get away with my wife and a good group of friends from the Bay Area and just have a fun weekend in a very beautiful part of Northern California.
I started out my weekend on Friday having to go to school. Well, as that turned out, I didn't have any class that day, so I just got more stuff done around my house for a good part of the morning. Then I finally decided around noon time that I'd better get my butt ready and head out. I had planned to make a few stops on the way for some things I needed to get. I I made a few of the usual stops looking for items at places that I could sell in my store on eBay, then I stopped in at a cool comic book shop in Livermore, Ca (Fantasy Books and Games) to get some magazine protectors and cardboard inserts for some other stuff I needed to sell on eBay. Then I headed over to Charlotte's Web around the corner to see what I could find that I just had to have. As it turned out, I picked up the latest copy of "Rod & Kulture Magazine", as well as a real nice hat with embroidered red and white pinstriping. By this time is was getting a little late and I really needed to hit the road to get to the house that we rented for the weekend. My wife was already up in the area with our friends, and I just needed to get there myself.
I hit the highway and headed west for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Everything was going well until I hit the usual Friday night commuter traffic of everyone coming East off of the Bay Bridge. It wasn't to long and traffic got better. I hit the R-SR Bridge and enjoyed the view of the sunset as I went across. Then once again I was in more commuter traffic for everyone going home to the North. By this time it was around 7:00 PM and I was getting a little bored and tired, so I got off the highway and grabbed some food and beverage to help keep me awake for the rest of the trip. Then I got back on the road and before long I needed to get off the highway again for another brake. After a 30 minute breather, I got back on the highway and was near my exit again. I got off the highway and headed west through Santa Rosa. I hit my destination in Rio Nido and made it to the rental house. I got there after 8:30 PM. Only I could take a 2.5 hours drive and turn into a long trip! It was a good ride though. I was able to have a good drive and just take my time and relax. I made sure to keep my commute traffic experience to a calm time and just deal with it. I got the car unpacked and went to bed.
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| Rio Nido Rental |
I started out my weekend on Friday having to go to school. Well, as that turned out, I didn't have any class that day, so I just got more stuff done around my house for a good part of the morning. Then I finally decided around noon time that I'd better get my butt ready and head out. I had planned to make a few stops on the way for some things I needed to get. I I made a few of the usual stops looking for items at places that I could sell in my store on eBay, then I stopped in at a cool comic book shop in Livermore, Ca (Fantasy Books and Games) to get some magazine protectors and cardboard inserts for some other stuff I needed to sell on eBay. Then I headed over to Charlotte's Web around the corner to see what I could find that I just had to have. As it turned out, I picked up the latest copy of "Rod & Kulture Magazine", as well as a real nice hat with embroidered red and white pinstriping. By this time is was getting a little late and I really needed to hit the road to get to the house that we rented for the weekend. My wife was already up in the area with our friends, and I just needed to get there myself.
I hit the highway and headed west for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Everything was going well until I hit the usual Friday night commuter traffic of everyone coming East off of the Bay Bridge. It wasn't to long and traffic got better. I hit the R-SR Bridge and enjoyed the view of the sunset as I went across. Then once again I was in more commuter traffic for everyone going home to the North. By this time it was around 7:00 PM and I was getting a little bored and tired, so I got off the highway and grabbed some food and beverage to help keep me awake for the rest of the trip. Then I got back on the road and before long I needed to get off the highway again for another brake. After a 30 minute breather, I got back on the highway and was near my exit again. I got off the highway and headed west through Santa Rosa. I hit my destination in Rio Nido and made it to the rental house. I got there after 8:30 PM. Only I could take a 2.5 hours drive and turn into a long trip! It was a good ride though. I was able to have a good drive and just take my time and relax. I made sure to keep my commute traffic experience to a calm time and just deal with it. I got the car unpacked and went to bed.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Had a great Sunday!
Well I made it home late last night. Very tiring day at school thanks to getting very little sleep once again. Anyways! This is about my great Sunday and not how tired I am.
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| Ferrari 458 Italia |
In the morning I got up early to get from Anaheim to South Central L.A. to pick up my brother by 6:30. After picking him up we headed up the 101 to Woodland Hills for the every Sunday gathering located at the Westfield Promenade Mall parking lot. This event is Supercar Sunday. This event is from around 7:00 am until about 10:00 am, or whenever everyone decides to actually show up, and when it's time to go home. If you are ever in Southern California, this event is a must attend. If you are down for a trip and want to break away from the typical touristy crap that you always seem to be stuck doing, here is the site for information - http://www.supercarsunday.com/ - ... To help plan it for yourself to go, it is about 20 minutes away from Universal Studios. So if you are planning that on your Holiday/Vacation agenda, why not go here for a couple hours in the morning to see some great cars. My only issue was that it had rained, and was still someone drizzley and it kept all the cars from coming that were to be there. It was the 1 year anniversary of them moving to this location, and the Ferrari Club was to have had a large number of cars coming. STUPID RAIN! I was able to meet up with a friend though. Also saw several individuals that I had met at various events in the past. Even though the rain ruined what could have been a spectacular event, I still had a very fun time. There was a decent amount of cars. Finally around 10:30 we were able to head out and get some breakfast before we headed to our next destination. Here are some of the photos I took at the event. If you want to see more, I will be adding them to my online photo hosting site that you can access by clicking on the link on the left that says "speedtrap73's photos".
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| Some of the Ferraris that actually made it |
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| Lamborghin Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni |
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| Ferrari 599 GTO - Chassis No. 175960 |
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| Porsche 911 - Gotta love the color! |
After breakfast we then headed up the 405 to go to the Museum District to spend some time at The Petersen Museum. On the way I decided to get off the 405 onto Sunset and take a drive through Beverly Hills and check out the beautiful scenery of some very nice houses. We drove around with no particular plan and had some fun. I then took my brother to Rodeo Drive so he could check it out. After about an hour or so of driving around, we finally made it to The Petersen Museum. I had been wanting to go for the past few years, but for some reason never made it. On one occasion they were closed when I had gone by. Since I was spending the day with my brother, I thought it would be cool to take him there, and I would finally get to see the place.
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| Troy Ladd - "The Black Widow" |
We walked around the museum with drool dripping from our chins as we saw some very beautiful examples of machinery. I had seen a few of the cars on display before at car shows, but no matter how many times I see them, it just seems to never be enough. Specifically, there were 2 of John D'Agostino's custom creations on display. "The Egyptian", a 1958 Oldsmobile Super 88, and "Elvis II", a 1959 Cadillac El Dorado Bairritz Convertible. These 2 cars were stunning! Then we got upstairs got to the Movie Cars. It was cool to see a few pieces that I truly enjoyed seeing. A 1982 Ferrari 308 GTS that was used for Magnum P.I. for the '82-'83 seasons, the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder that Raul Julia drove in The Gumball Rally, but the mirror had been put back on, and 2 cars that were driven or owned by Mr. Cool himself, Steve McQueen's 1956 Jaguar XKSS and the 1967 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow 2-Door Sedan that was used in the Original 1965 Thomas Crown Affair. Then we were off to see the surrent special exibit of "Supercars". Fitting, since we had been to "Supercar Sunday" in the morning. The examples on display in this area were once again some beautiful creations that are very rare. A must see before it is changed to something else. After about an hour looking at these rare pieces we moved on to the Drag Racing exibit. Seeing these vintage machines was a special treat. I grew up hearing about some of these cars, but not enough to really know too much about them. I wish I had spent more time reading the display placards to learn more about them. I just wanted to get in some photos. We then saw the Hot Rod History display. There are some sweet rides here. The Doane Spencer Roadster was the best of all. Such history with this Roadster. Also on display are some beautiful Boyd Coddington and Chip Foose creations. getting the opportunity to see these cars was a very special treat. All in all, my brother and I had a very great day running around being gearheads all day long. To finish off the day we drove up to a neighborhood and got shots of us with the Hollywood sign in the background. Then I took my brother home and hit the road back home. I finally got home around 1:00 AM or so, hit the bed and got up early to make it to school once again to get some education.
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| 1994 Bugatti EB110 |
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| Magnum P.I. 1982 Ferrari 308 GTS |
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| The Gumball Rally 1972 Ferrrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder |
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| 1962 Greer-Black-Prudhomme Dragster |
I would like to thank whomever for reading this. If you would like to see my photos from museum, same as stated above, you can click on the link that says "speedtrap73's photos.
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