"Sweet Home Illinois"...

[knightfan26917]

...does not have the same ring as "Sweet Home Alabama"...by a long shot. But, be that as it may, I am home safe'n'sound from my latest road trip...wishing, of course, I was still on the road. Heh...but, bills must be paid.

My eastern road trip, just like my western one last year, was an absolute blast! Life is short, so, like last year, I made the most of my time by meeting/catching up with people. I missed seeing "too many" people for various reasons, but those "misses" allowed me more time to spend with those I did see, more time to relax/sleep, & time to take scenic routes (i.e. I-90/SR 2 in Ohio en route to Michigan).



Met in person for the first time...
* Joel L (Memphis TN; mcml, mcss)
* Paula (Memphis TN; acha)
* Brandon (Birmingham AL; mcml, mcss) ... finally met my "little sister" (Brandon's fiance, whose last name is the same as mine ... don't know of any relation, however)
* Danny (Atlanta GA; vr)
* Tim (Atlanta GA; ct)
* Bubba (Atlanta GA; r1)
* Brian (Atlanta GA; cn)
* Bryan (Charlotte NC; r1)
* Alayah (Pittsburgh PA; xf)
* S*S (Pittsburgh PA; xf)
* escmylife (Pittsburgh PA; xf)
* Anthony (Johnstown/Somerset PA; acha)
* Karl (Baltimore MD; ecml)
* Pat (Smithville OH; ct)
* Ross (Canton OH; vr)
* Rick (Detroit MI; mcss)
* Kurt (Detroit MI; nmcoa/2nd Gen MC)
* Matt T (Detroit MI; nmcoa/2nd Gen MC)
* Josh (Detroit MI; c&g)
* Tom/LT (Sidney IN; r1)



Also visited with some "old friends" along the way...
* Jay & family (Central IL; 2nd Gen MC/nmcoa)
* Richard O (Jackson TN; mcml/fgmc)
* Bryants (Jackson TN; college friends)
* Mike (Nashville TN; fgmc)
* Stephen V (Nashville/Antioch TN; mcml/mcss) ... got to see his car shop!
* Sheri (Nashville TN; 2000mc)
* Kevin W (Anderson SC; fgmc founder)
* Jay O (Charlotte NC; mcml/mcss) ... his '87 MCSS with 6-speed & cupholder! is still waiting attention...
* Replogles & Floras (Bridgewater VA; friends from IL now in VA)
* Rob P (Pittsburgh PA; fgmc/nmcoa)
* John H (Pittsburgh PA; nmcoa/fgmc)
* bunch of family members (reunion, Johnstown PA area)
* Kevin/Crusher (Neptune NJ; mcss/mcml)
* Dan G (Neptune NJ; mcss/mcml)
* Dan M (Neptune NJ; mcss/mcml)
* Steve R (Neptune NJ; mcss/mcml)
* Randy M (Neptune NJ; mcml)
* Aunt Alice/cousin Charlotte (Alexandria VA)
* Allisons (Smithville OH; college friends)
* Rose (Detroit MI; MI MCs/mcml)
* Pete & Donna (Detroit MI; fgmc)
* Leo, Sue & Mike (Detroit MI; fgmc/nmcoa)
* Tim (Detroit MI; fgmc)
* Paul (Detroit MI; mcml)
* Mike B (Detroit MI; nmcoa)
* George (Detroit MI; fgmc)
* Jeff H (near Fort Wayne IN; 2nd Gen MC/nmcoa)
* Allen K (Warsaw IN; college friend)
* Amy & Tim (Warsaw IN; college friends)
* Tammy (Warsaw IN; college friend)


I don't think I have forgotten anyone....


"Time is a friend" ... Reba McEntire ... 'Is There Life Out There?'


I discovered...
...you never have enough time to visit with family & friends....
...strangers are friends you have yet to meet....
...sweet tea CAN be made incorrectly (had some bitter sweet tea in Memphis TN).
...it really IS "Sweet Home Alabama" (should've bought some souveniers or something).
...being from IL & driving a rental car (gray Buick Century) that features Georgia plates in Atlanta GA is not necessarily a good thing.
...the Carolinas are hot'n'muggy.
...I-81 in VA is not as long as it seems....
...driving the PA Turnpike is less costly these days than actually filling up the car with gas to drive.
...I really would like to have a 1975 Chevrolet Caprice Classic convertible someday.... Last year, I saw a white one for sale in TX; this year, I saw a red one at the Wexford PA car show....
...society/people seem to be centered/fixated on couples, have a knack for asking the same nerve-wracking questions, & not following through with plans....
...Philly PA/NJ area has way too much traffic...even on Sunday.
...the Washington DC/Baltimore MD/Philadelphia PA corridor has too many baseball teams ;).
...driving the "long way" (i.e. avoiding the PA Turnpike) from Alexandria VA to near Canton OH isn't that long of a drive & is quite scenic, especially through MD & the short distance in WV!
...I-90 & SR 2 are beautiful right along the lake in Ohio.
...the cruises before the official Friday/Saturday Woodward Dream Cruise feature just about as many cool cars!
...watching old reruns of shows (The Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, etc.) can be fun & relaxing.
...the longest drive is the one that leads you home.



I ate with friends at some great restaurants along the way...
* O'Charley's (Sat, Aug 6, lunch, Memphis TN) ... their bread is so good!
* Snappy's (Sat, Aug 6, dinner, Jackson TN) ... where you can have pizza & desert together!
* TGI Friday's (Mon, Aug 8, dinner, Antioch TN)
* O'Charley's (Tue, Aug 9, dinner, Birmingham AL)
* Mo's Pizza (Wed, Aug 10, lunch, Atlanta GA)
* A&W/KFC (Thu, Aug 11, lunch, Charlotte NC) ... rootbeer FLOAT!
* Eat'n'Park (Sat, Aug 13, breakfast, Pittsburgh PA) ... shouldn't this be called Park'n'Eat?
* a great Italian restaurant (Sat, Aug 13, late dinner, Somerset PA) ... can't remember the name of the place....
* Beacon Street Grill (Sun, Aug 14, dinner, Neptune NJ)
* The Barn (Tue, Aug 16, dinner, Smithville OH)
* National Coney Island (Thu, Aug 18, lunch, Warren MI) ... right across from the GM Tech Center
* The American Table (Fri, Aug 19, dinner, Warsaw IN)



Virtual & actual car shows...
While I saw a number of older cars during last year's road trip, this year's crop was impressive.... I attended actual car shows in Wexford PA (Friday, Aug 12) & Warsaw IN (Friday, Aug 19), spotting quite a few nice cars. Equally impressive were some personal collections....

John & Dot (family friends from IL, now in TN) have:
* 79 Caddy Sedan DeVille
* 41 Packard


Mike (FGMC, Nashville TN) has:
* '86 Pontiac 2+2 (Pontiac's version of the MCSS Aerocoupe...but the windows are not the same)
* 2 Chevelle Malibu convertibles
* 60s Buick Skylark convertible
* 60s Corvette
* Ford Mustang race car
* 60s Pontiac GTO
* 90s Lincoln Town Car Limosine
* 1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo (being converted to convertible)


Kevin W (FGMC founder, Anderson SC) showed me his family's collection, which includes:
* 68 Impala
* 72 Charger
* 69 Caddy Wagon DeVille
* 41 Pontiac
* 78 Buick Park Avenue
* 70 Monte Carlo (Kevin took me for a ride in this!)
* 59 Caddy Coupe DeVille
* 72 Monte Carlo (being converted to a Coke Machine replica ... Allison's #12 NASCAR)
* 74 Caddy Fleetwood Talisman
* 91 Caddy Alante
* 53 Ford Tractor...Golden Jubilee Edition
* 83 Chevy Silverado (lowered)


Jeff H (NMCOA, 2nd Gen MC Yahoo, MCML, etc.) showed me his collection & his Dad's "museum", which includes:
* 75 Monte Carlo ... gorgeous orangish ... has been to quite a few NMCOA MC Nationals
* 57 Ford Thunderbird
* 39 Ford Coupe
* 40 Ford Coupe
* 34 Ford 2-door Sedan
* a bunch of gasoline, Ford, and misc automotive collectibles!



Along the way, I saw...
17 1st gen MCs (7 out west last year)
10 2nd gen MCs (7 out west last year)
6 3rd gen MCs (5 out west last year)
57 4th gen MCs (31 out west last year)
59 5th gen MCs (67 out west last year)
100 6th gen MCs (94 out west last year)



All in all, it was a great trip...! Now, I need to plan for 2006....


As for the rest of 2005, unfortunately, I won't be at Frog Follies (Evansville IN) as planned next weekend (Aug 27). The rest of my schedule may be altered drastically, too...we'll see....



Cort, "Mr Road Trip" / soon2be ex-"Mr MC", 31swm/pig valve/pacer
MCfamily.models.HO.chdQB = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/
MC Guide = http://www.chevyasylum.com/mcspotter/main.html
IL & area MCs = http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/imcog/
"I'm fading away" ... Simple Plan ... 'Untitled'

[Guest Josh]

You are the man Cort. I enjoyed our hour and a half chat immensly. I never miss the chance to meet and hang with fellow C&G'ers and again, I had a blast talking cars, Monte's, C&G, GM and just life in general. I promised ya the site would be back and whabam! Here we are still kickin'!!

[knightfan26917]

You are the man Cort. I enjoyed our hour and a half chat immensly. I never miss the chance to meet and hang with fellow C&G'ers and again, I had a blast talking cars, Monte's, C&G, GM and just life in general.

*nods*

As did I :). Didn't seem like it was an hour and a half, but it sure was! Course, I had a "duh" moment as I was driving away...we didn't even take any pictures...and you had your camera there with ya...he heh. Next time :).

[GMTruckGuy74]

Philly PA/NJ area has way too much traffic...even on Sunday.

You're not kidding! I live in the southern central part of NJ, and not too far from Philly. I moved away from the Trenton area b/c the traffic was always a nightmare. Traffic (and the insurance rates) are a huge problem in this state.

[knightfan26917]

You're not kidding!  I live in the southern central part of NJ, and not too far from Philly.  I moved away from the Trenton area b/c the traffic was always a nightmare.  Traffic (and the insurance rates) are a huge problem in this state.

Heh...I prolly don't even want to know about those insurance rates, do I?

*shakes head*

On a somewhat related note, I was somewhat impressed with the southern areas I was in ... traffic wise, anyway. I noticed (what impressed me a bit) that most roadways have a nice "buffer" zone around them, such that the roads can be widened if needed. Here in the Chicago area and in my observations of some NJ/Philly/MD areas, such is not the case....