knightfan26917

World Series ... tied at 1 game each .

Glad to know everything went well, Camino. Thoughts/prayers still coming your way..... Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ chdQB = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/quilt.html "Where have you gone?" ... Glen Campbell ... 'Still Within The Sound Of My Voice'

Alas, another spectacular road trip has ended [2003 I went out east; 2004 I went west through MO, KS, CO, WY, UT, NM, OK, TX, AR; 2005 I went east through TN, AL, GA, SC, NC, VA, PA, NJ, MD, WV, OH, MI, IN]. But, I had a blast, met a few more people for the first time, and visited some old friends. [it is amazing to me the number of people I have met over the last few years during my road trips. Someday, I’ll update that list … including all that I’ve learned … and post it .] Sadly, I missed some people along the way this time that I had hoped to meet…. Since this trip is different than my previous trips (1 week instead of 2 weeks … and PICTURES which I’ll post at a later date once I figure out how to upload ‘em and share ‘em), this “wrap up” is a bit different. Small World Proof: People ask why I do these trips … and I always say to meet people. It is also intriguing to find out what else you have in common other than an interest in a particular subject or message board/group. This year’s trip revealed one truly amazing connection. While in Oklahoma City, a few people got together to eat at County Line BBQ, Dennis (ChevyTalk.org’s Dee Gee) being one of them. Near the end of our time together, he mentioned he had lived in Ames, OK. I casually mentioned that my Mom and her parents and siblings used to live there as well, with my grandfather being the Pastor of the Church of the Brethren. When I mentioned my grandfather’s name (Virgil Weimer), Dennis said that Virgil had been his high school typing and bookkeeping teacher. We also figured out that he knew my 2 uncles (Dennis and David) from high school. While he didn’t remember my Mom as well, I still called her right away and she and Dennis had a cool discussion that evening. Very small world!!! 06 Charger: I absolutely loved the 2006 Dodge Charger (V6 edition) I rented. I put nearly 3,000 miles on it and have only 2 minor complaints … the rear taillights (don’t like the “bigness” of them, though at night, with only the 2 small round lights showing, they look better) and the interior door panels which seem a bit stiff/cold/uninviting to me…. If I can’t find a 1986-1988 MC LS or a similar vintage Oldsmobile Cutlass for winter use, I may just purchase a Charger. We’ll see. By the way, I noticed that if you look in the exterior/side rearview mirror and look at the “hump” in the back fender, it looks slightly (I did type SLIGHTLY) like the “hump” in the fender of the second generation (1973-77) MCs. Trip Highlights (Reader’s Digest version, believe it or not…)… Sat, Oct 14 …central IL to SE MO to Blytheville AR; IL 47 S to I-72 W to I-55 S * stopped near Champaign IL to see Alex from the First Gen MC club. Test-drove his ’93 Cadillac El Dorado for sale … great car, but I want RWD. * stopped in Decatur IL for lunch with Derek A and Janie, from various MC clubs/boards. * stopped just north of St Louis at Country Classic Cars (http://www.countryclassiccars.com) to look around. * stopped in Cape Girardeau MO for dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse with Mary (valvereplacement.com) and her family. [Met Mary for the first time.] Sun, Oct 15 …Little Rock AR to Dallas TX; I-55 S to I-40 W to I-30 W * stopped in Little Rock AR and met Keith (kmelton, First Gen MC Club) and his sons. [Met Keith for the first time.] * arrived in Dallas TX and stayed with Tommy (73-77 Yahoo group) Sunday and Monday nights. * ate dinner at Red Robin with several people from valvereplacement.com … Niki, Suzy, Janet (Katie), Marsha and Adam’s Mom … and families. [Met Adam and his parents for the first time.] Had a great time, despite the rain, which turned a 45-minute drive into an hour and 15 minute drive due to 3 accidents on I-635, including one that destroyed a mid-1980s Buick Regal. Mon, Oct 16 …stayed in Dallas TX * caught up on most of my forums while Tommy was at work. * attempted to check out the South Fork Ranch (TV’s “Dallas” fame; http://www.southfork.com), but had to abandon that for another trip. * cookout at the home of Kelly (El Camino list), along with Tommy, Smokey (ChevyTalk.org) [whom I missed by 45 minutes during my 2004 western road trip] and a few others. Had a great time, ate some great food, played some pool. One of the guys even drove me past a 1970 MC that the owner was just letting sit there…. As Tommy and I left, noticed that the Bears were losing 23-10 with about 7 minutes left; by the time Tommy and I got back to his place, the Bears had WON 24-23! Tue, Oct 17 …Dallas TX to Wichita Falls TX to Oklahoma City OK; I-635 W to 820 W to RT 287 N to I-44 N * Ate breakfast with Robert A (Monte Carlo Mailing List and El Camino list) at Ginger Brown & Old Tyme Restaurant) before leaving Dallas. [Met Robert for the first time.] * Ate lunch with Michael B (Monte Carlo Mailing List) in Wichita Falls TX … and had the pleasure of riding in his 1996 Impala SS, 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and his green vintage Porsche! * Ate dinner with Travis (former MCMLer), his girlfriend and Dad, Dennis (ChevyTalk.org’s Dee Gee) and Cat (MyMonte’s onecrazycowgirl) at Country Line BBQ in Oklahoma City OK. [Met Cat and Dennis for the first time.] Wed, Oct 18 …Oklahoma City OK to Wichita KS; I-35 N * Ate dinner with Jake (former MCMLer) and his son Chance, Saul (El Camino list) and his wife and son, and Eric (First Gen MC’s lurchsmalibu) and his children at Ryan’s. [Met Eric for the first time.] * spent the night at Jake and Mel’s home. Thu, Oct 19 …early evening Wichita KS to Kansas City KS; I-35 N * Stayed in Wichita a bit longer to go with Jake and Chance to see the movie “Cars”. Very glad I did; it was good to see that movie a second time … and I want to see it again and again and again . Luckily, it comes out on DVD on November 7. * Stopped in Kansas City and met Herb (NMCOA and 2000montecarlo). [Met Herb for the first time.] Fri, Oct 20 …Lenexa KS to Overland Park KS to Independence MO to Des Moines IA to Waterloo IA; I-435 E to I-470 E to RT 291 N to I-35 N to RT 20 E * Stopped in Lenexa KS for breakfast with Dave (carnuts.ws’s Jagman) … and a tour of the plant where he works. * Stopped in Overland Park KS to meet John (ChevyTalk.org’s awsum55) and saw his ’55 Chevy and ’63 Corvette (which I also got to ride in). [Met John for the first time.] * Stopped at Old School Paradise (http://www.oldschoolparadise.com) in Independence MO to check out the stock of 1980s GM Gbodies they have … found out they had heard about my trip and knew I was coming…. * Stopped in Des Moines IA for dinner with Nick (’73-’77 Yahoo Grp). [Met Nick for the first time.] * Stopped in Waterloo IA to see Nick (smyce, RacingOne.com) … and visited him at the radio station where he works. [Met Nick for the first time.] …Stayed with Jim (El Camino list) and his wife Barb just NE of Waterloo. Sat, Oct 21 …stayed in the Waterloo IA area * Had a great day of seeing Jim’s collection of vehicles, driving around (saw a 1973 MC in Oelwein IA and a 1971 MC in Fairbank IA), and relaxing … despite the rain and (incorrect) forecast of 1-3 inches of SNOW. Sun, Oct 22 … traveled home via Rt 20 E Day off today (Mon, Oct 23); back to work tomorrow, Tue, Oct 24. Looking forward to going back to work … something I haven’t been able to say in a long time … but, I still would rather be on the road traveling/driving and visiting friends/family…. Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ "We'll keep you close as always" ... Michael W Smith ... 'Friends'

Live ... from DALLAS! Having a great trip so far.... Will be in Dallas until tomorrow morning, so deftonesfan, if you see this, call me (my # is imbedded in a couple posts in this thread)......

Sweet! One of my buddy's here in Dallas has a '76 Olds Cutlass coupe ... love that front end. Now, I really want to figure out how to bring your '77 to me ... he he he. But, we'll see. Another friend along my travels (in central IL) has a '93 Caddy Eldorado he wants me to buy for my winter beater. And, another buddy in Wichita Falls TX (I'll see him tomorrow on my way to OKC) has a '96 Impala he wants me to consider.....

Live from Dallas.... Glad that the Tigers won ... especially via Mag O's 3-run walk-off HR . As for the StL/NY series, wow ... I think it may take the 7 games, tho, who knows. I was in the StL area Saturday night ... it was good to hear John Rooney (sp?) on the Cardinals' broadcast; he used to broadcast for the White Sox.

Just about ready to go … will be heading out either tonight late or early Saturday morning. I’ll be hitting the highway in a rental 2006 Dodge Charger (dark silver)! Looking forward to seeing whoever I see along the way!

Or worse ... wrap someone else's car around the tree ... killing innocent people .

LOL! Yeah, I know, XP . And, yeah, I still am very much interested ... just gotta figure out shipping ... or, perhaps, coming to pick it up. I'll know more when I get back from my roadtrip Oct 23. OK?

Glad I had a chance to check in before I left for my road trip.... Camino, Thoughts/prayers coming to you and your entire family. Please know that you have a lot of support. Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "My time here is over" ... Patty Loveless ... 'How Can I Help You Say Goodbye?'

Hrm. So, after all of the planning and posting, my road trip dates have changed … because of circumstances beyond my control [namely the COBRA issue not completely resolved through my old employer and the rental company, despite having the reservations for a couple weeks, ended up having only a Chevrolet Suburban, among a couple other cars I wasn’t interested in driving for just over a week]. The change of dates isn’t a big deal … might be a better (and more relaxing) road trip … we’ll see…. I was unable to post about it (even using Mom and Dad’s computer) until tonight (Thursday) because our internet went down Tuesday night through last night…arg. The revised dates/schedules/etc. are below … they may change along the way, so PLEASE CALL ME if you want to meet up (I’ve “imbedded” my cell phone # again)…. FRI, OCT 13 / central IL …leave Elgin after dinner, by 8p (or stay home and leave early Saturday morning). * Route = IL RT 47 S …stay near Champaign IL, with friends. 847 SAT, OCT 14 / IL-AR-TX …leave near Champaign IL early morning (or leave Elgin very early morning). * Route = (I-64 W … I-39 S) … I-57 S … I-55 S … I-40 W … I-30 W * MEET'n'GREET for lunch along I-57, near Mt Vernon IL or Marion IL (place & time TBD) * ALT Route = I-57 S … I-70 W … I-55 S * ALT MEET'n'GREET for lunch along I-55 in Missouri, approx 60+ miles S of St Louis * Route = I-55 S … I-40 W … I-30 W * MEET'n'GREET for dinner in/near Little Rock AR (place & time TBD) …stay in the Little Rock AR area overnight, or continue to Dallas TX (arriving around midnight or later) 337 SUN, OCT 15 / TX ...stay in TX (or continue to TX, if stay in AR overnight, arriving around late lunchtime) * Route = I-55 S ... I-40 W ... I-30 W * MEET'n'GREET for dinner (place & Time TBD) ...leave for Terrell 7:30p to 8p * 8:30pmish in Terrell TX to visit friends ...stay in Dallas, with a friend 9897 MON, OCT 16 / TX …stay in Dallas TX, perhaps side trip elsewhere in TX. TUE, OCT 17 / TX-OK * MEET'n'GREET for breakfast, sometime ~8:30a, Ginger Brown's Old Tyme Restaurant & Bakery: http://www.yellowbook.com/?A=1&T=11&PH=8172372114 ...leave Dallas. * Route = I-35W N ... SR 287 N * MEET'n'GREET for lunch, Wichita Falls TX, sometime between 12p & 1p ...leave for Oklahoma City by 2:30p * Route = I-44 N * MEET'n'GREET for dinner, 5-7pmish, place TBD ...stay in Oklahoma City, with friends WED, OCT 18 / OK-KS ...leave early to mid-afternoon, bound for Wichita KS * Route = I-35 N * MEET'n'GREET for dinner in/near Wichita KS, 5-7pmish, place TBD ...stay in Wichita, with friends THU, OCT 19 / KS-MO ...leave early to mid-morning, bound for Kansas City * Route = I-35 N * MEET'n'GREET in the KC KS/MO area, noonish, place TBD. * POSSIBLE visit to Old School Paradise, 15502 E24 HW, Independence MO ...stay in KC area. FRI, OCT 20 / KS-IA ...leave KC area mid-morning or after lunch, bound for Des Moines * Route = I-35 N * MEET'n'GREET for dinner in/near Des Moines IA, 5pmish, place TBD ...leave for Waterloo IA by 7p * Route = I-35 N ... SR 20 W ...stay with friends in Waterloo IA SAT, OCT 21 / IA ...stay with friends in Waterloo IA SUN, OCT 22 / IA-WI-IL ...leave early morning, bound for S WI. * Route (to WI) = TBD * MEET’n’GREET for lunch, 12p-1p …leave WI for home by 5p * Route (to home) = SR 20 E Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ "These hands are meant to hold" ... All-American Rejects ... 'Move Along'

*grins* Woo hoo!!!!!!!! I just hope they are able to close it out at home ... sooner, rather than later . Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "How can anybody be so lucky?" ... John Conlee ... 'Domestic Life'

After a great day at work today, I was on my way home, heading west in the center lane of IL RT 58 in Schaumburg (traveling about 20 miles per hour … luckily), when a car streaked across the roadway from the right lane to the left lane in front of me … no warnings, no signals, nothing. I was too shocked at what the driver did to react (i.e. honk horn). However, the driver of the car to my left blared his horn. The driver of the offending car apparently thought I had honked my horn and dived back into the center lane in front of me, sped up slightly, and then slammed on his brakes. I saw the rear end of the car shoot upwards and I quickly hit my brakes, skidding to almost a complete stop … I didn’t because I didn’t want to be rear ended myself. In the meantime, the offending car took off and weaved his way through traffic ahead. Luckily, I did not hit the offending car (it would’ve been my fault because I would’ve rear-ended that car) … nor did anyone hit me (I was one of 3 cars, 1 in each lane, at the back of a pack of cars). What had me shaking the entire rest of the ride home was that someone had carelessly raced across 2 lanes of traffic, upsetting another driver enough to honk his horn … and I (and my 1987 Monte Carlo LS) almost paid the price for the entire event…. Aye. Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ "I think I'd like to watch it burn" ... Wallflowers ... 'One Headlight'

They say flexibility is good. And, you know, they’re right. Sometimes, changing plans and “going with the flow” can be just as rewarding (if not more so) as carrying out the plans you’ve made…. At least, that’s what I’m counting on right now…. Since the COBRA issue (through my former employer) had not been resolved and the rental company, despite having the reservations for a couple weeks, ended up having only a Chevrolet Suburban (among a couple other cars I wasn’t interested in driving for just over a week) for me, I changed the dates of my road trip. Not too big of a deal … and, it may turn out better than I expected. Course, since our internet went down Tuesday night through last night, I couldn’t even use Mom and Dad’s computer to post about it until tonight (Thursday)…arg. So, how about you … what plans that you have made have had to change due to circumstances beyond your control? Has what transpired been better than what you had planned … or worse? Just curious….. Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ "You really think you're in control?" ... Gnarls Barkley ... 'Crazy'

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY to you both . Hope you both had a wonderful day! Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "It goes so fast" ... Jodee Messina ... 'Was That My Life?'

Satty, It isn't intentional. It's just a matter of not having enough time. However, if I do end up post poning the trip ... and leaving town on Saturday, I will have an extra couple days, so maybe I can swing by Springfield. We'll see. As for the signature ... nah, I've seen scarier ... he he he .

Oh, they are nice! A family friend has a '41 Packard and recently purchased a 1955 or 1957 Packard. In fact, the recent purchase is what he and his wife drove from Big Sandy TN to Goodletsville TN (just north of Nashville) in to meet up with me during the MC Nationals this past June. It was cool to see him with another new toy . He also has that gorgeous cinammon brown 1979 Cadillac Sedan Deville that I love so much .

As of now, this will take place on the dates originally scheduled, perhaps with a Dodge Charger. If that changes [switches to road trip dates of Saturday, October 14 – Monday, October 23], I’ll post…. In the meantime, a quick recap of the trip events (sorry, no extensions to Colorado or Utah at this time, unless the timeframe of the trip gets changed)…. If you have my cell ph#, be sure to call me … I’ll try to remember to call everyone, but I can’t guarantee . I plan to get specific directions to MEET’n’GREET places and peoples’ homes along the way…. TUE, OCT 10 … central IL …leave Elgin after dinner. * Route = IL RT 47 S …stay near Champaign IL, with friends. WED, OCT 11 … IL-AR-TX …leave near Champaign IL early morning * Route = I-57 S … I-55 S … I-40 W … I-30 W * MEET'n'GREET for lunch along I-57, near Mt Vernon IL or Marion IL (place & time TBD) * ALT Route = I-57 S … I-70 W … I-55 S * ALT MEET'n'GREET for lunch along I-55 in Missouri, approx 60+ miles S of St Louis * Route = I-55 S … I-40 W … I-30 W * MEET'n'GREET for dinner in/near Little Rock AR (place & time TBD), possible at Arkansas Arts Center, 501 E 9th St (downtown) or at Riverfront Dr... …either stay in the Little Rock AR area overnight, or continue to Dallas TX (arriving around midnight or later) 847 THU, OCT 12 … TX ...stay in TX (or continue to TX, if stay in AR overnight, arriving around late lunchtime) * Route = I-55 S ... I-40 W ... I-30 W * MEET'n'GREET for dinner (place & Time TBD) ...leave for Terrell 7:30p to 8p * 8:30pmish in Terrell TX to visit friends ...stay in Dallas, with a friend 337 FRI, OCT 13 / TX-OK * MEET'n'GREET for breakfast, sometime between 8a & 9a, Ginger Brown's Old Tyme Restaurant & Bakery: http://www.yellowbook.com/?A=1&T=11&PH=8172372114 ...leave Dallas. * Route = I-35W N ... SR 287 N * MEET'n'GREET for lunch, Wichita Falls TX, sometime between 12p & 1p ...leave for Oklahoma City by 2:30p * Route = I-44 N * MEET'n'GREET for dinner, 5-7pmish, place TBD ...stay in Oklahoma City, with friends 9897 SAT, OCT 14 / OK-KS ...leave early to mid-afternoon, bound for Wichita KS * Route = I-35 N * MEET'n'GREET for dinner in/near Wichita KS, 5-7pmish, place TBD ...stay in Wichita, with friends SUN, OCT 15 / KS-MO-IA ...leave early to mid-morning, bound for IA * Route = I-35 N to Kansas City * MEET'n'GREET in the KC KS/MO area, noonish, place TBD. * POSSIBLE visit to Old School Paradise, 15502 E24 HW, Independence MO ...leave KC area by 2:30p, bound for Des Moines * Route = I-35 N * MEET'n'GREET for dinner in/near Des Moines IA, 6pmish, place TBD ...leave for Waterloo IA by 7:30p * Route = I-35 N ... SR 20 W ...stay with friends in Waterloo IA MON, OCT 16 to TUE, OCT 17 / IA-WI-IL ...leave early to mid-morning MON, bound for either S WI or IL (home), arriving home no later than lunch time TUE. * Route (to WI) = TBD * Route (to home) = SR 20 E * MEET'n'GREETs TBD * TBD where staying (if go to WI) Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ "It's time to take a leap of faith" ... Steven Curtis Chapman ... 'Dive'

Go Tigers . Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "The stars might lie, but the numbers never do" ... Mary Chapin-Carpenter ... 'I Feel Lucky'

Ahhh....thanks for sharing those pics guys! Really enjoyed seeing them ... sure wish I could've been there, too. Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "We're outta here" ... Steve Azar ... 'I Don't Have To Be Me 'Til Monday'

Ahhh....love that '78 Riviera . Thanks for sharing those pics, GMTruckGuy! Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "Come pick me up" ... Ben Folds ... 'Landed'

Holy cow ... AWESOME pics ... thanks for sharing! He he he...I especially like the "which one is not like the other" pic of the Buick . Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "I wanna drive" ... Trace Adkins ... '(Her Favorite Color Is) Chrome'

Yikes, Camino ... very sorry . Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "Who do you think you’re talkin’ to?" ... Lee Roy Parnell ... 'What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am?'

(among most of what has already been shared...) Happiness is driving my older 4 MCs for about 45 minutes each on Saturday ... then a few more minutes on Sunday ... 2 days in a row in GORGEOUS sunny weather ... which is exactly what I did this past weekend . Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "We're outta here" ... Steve Azar ... 'I Don't Have To Be Me 'Til Monday'

*grins* I have a picture of Dale E Sr standing next to his MCSS Aerocoupe outside of the Union/Unocal 76 offices in Schaumburg IL in either 1986 or 1987. My Dad took it ... Dad worked as an accountant there until the company moved those offices out to CA..... Cort:33swm."Mr MC" / "Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker MC:family.IL.guide.future = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/ Models.HO = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort/trainroom.html "What I really need is an open road" ... Montgomery Gentry ... 'Speed'