VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION Meets, Tours & Events 2004 V8 Family Power Tour 2004

Hello all,

I'm pleased to announce to the VCCA Chat group the first all V8 family tour for VCCA members.

2004 V8 Power Tour
A familiy oriented tour for V8 Chevrolets

Dates: June 5 - June 10, 2004
Point of Departure: Evansville, IN
Point of Ending: Wheeling, WV

A five day tour along the Ohio River and surrounding areas with events the entire family can enjoy.

This event is designed to be a chance for families to take a week long vacation. Starting on a Sunday (welcome gathering and optional day tour on Saturday, June 5th), you'll have a day or more to arrive and concluding on a Thursday you'll have the entire weekend to return home. I've drafted the dates and the itenerary to fit the budgets and desires of young families as well as more mature adults.

We'll be making stops in Historic Madison, IN - spending a day in the Cincinatti, OH region, a day in the horse country of Kentucky, and several other neat stops along the way as we wind along the Ohio River.

And don't forget tours of the Corvette Museum and Corvette Factory!!!!!!!!!

I hope this event serves as an opportunity for young members to come out and have some fun as well as the gray-haired folk who know how to party!

I will mark this on our calender. I look forward to touring with the club, and hopefully meeting some new friends.

Thanks for getting this going.

Cool, maybe my '57 will be done by then.

My wife and I have attended all eight Early Six Cylinder Tours to date and are pleased to hear of a tour for the V8 cars. Our '74 Nova is waiting for a good tour and this one will be close to home. Keep us posted.

See you down the back roads.
Jim

If anyone has specific requests for the tour that they would like to see incorporated in some way with the tour, please let me know.

As the first ever V8 tour... I'd enjoy hearing your ideas (while there's still time to listen!)

- James

My wife and I are looking forward to this tour. We just purchased a 1970 Impala Hard Top Coupe and joined VCCA.

If you wish to be included on the list of people to receive the registration form when it is available electronically, please email me your name, VCCA#, city, state, and email address.

Thanks,

- James

Welcome to Dick and the wife by the way.

Registration form for the June 5-10 V8 Power Tour 2004 is now available online at the VCCA web site:

http://www.vcca.org/events.htm

Just scroll down to the June events, click on the link and it will open in your web browser. The form is available as a PDF document.

If you have any problems with that, you can contact me and I'll email you a copy directly.

Space is limited to 60 vehicles.

Hope to see some of you there,

- James

This event has been cancelled, due in part to limited registration.

James

I am sorry to hear that you had to cancel. I wanted to go, but the wife and I decided that the 2 and 7 year old's would not sit very well for 5 days in the car. I do look forward to seeing you and Alex at the Central Meet in July. I will have the latest version of my Chevy Coloring book ready.

Do you think part of the problem for lack of participation was the dates. I could not participate because of a Grandson's graduation. The end of May and first of June there are lots of graduations. Just a thought.
See you down the back roads. Jim

James, sorry to hear of the failure of your 2004 V/8 tour, it sounded like a fun thing, now that we have had a couple of filled up 4 and 6 national tours maybe some of us old codgers will look into getting a V/8.... We are looking for a 1965 belair or a 66 caprice with auto, power steering and A/C to complement our 28 sedan and our 53 Belair, MrsMack don't drive stick shifts anymor, so she feels left out in the driving part.

Do you have to have a minimum number of people in order to have a tour? Are there some required number mandated by the VCCA or the region. Do you get some special rates or something?

If there aren't enough for whatever reason couldn't the few that wanted to go, still go and tour as a smaller group? Maybe call it a mini-tour or whatever. It would cost more maybe? Or what?

Even a few having some fun beats no fun for anyone. Sorry, don't understand; please don't shot me for not knowing the ins and outs of touring.

it takes at least one car to have a tour!

When you have minimums for rates at various locations and you can't even come close to meeting them, the costs can sky-rocket and that's not fair to those who want to attend but did not budget for the added expenditure.

FYI

There is no minimum standard set by the VCCA, except what is arranged by a tour director with particular venues.

There could easily be a national tour of three vehicles if the venues and Tour director can accomodate it.

So could you start out with saying that if 10 sign up and pay it would cost $X and if 15 then $X- and if 20 it would be $X-- etc?

I think maybe that some would still show up and tour even if the rates were to go up...maybe some have the extra money to spend now because you can't buy extra time to enjoy your Chevy....

Gator, we have tours where you don't pay anything into the tour, we just all pay-as-we-go!
Basicialy all you have to do to conduct a tour is scout out a route and announce the time and day! Then you and your buddies, friends, club members and whosomeever just meet and someone lead off and ... "..Away.. you Go!!
..But the well organized and planned tours are really something to enjoy!

A one day tour is one thing, but it is very hard having done a mutiple day tour myself a few years ago. Most places you deal with need a deposit to secure the location, without the money up front it is hard to do and estimate. I am sorry James that it did not work out. Mr Mack's suggestion is great for a one day local event, but when meals and hotels are involved it is very to just "wing" it.
John

Yes, My point is that holding tours can be as simple or as complicated as the
Director, or organizer wants to make it. I have been on multi-day tours or caravans that "wing it", and surprisingly most went rather well and slick...I wouldn't reccommend it for those that expect to be coddled or micro-directed at every step of the way.I guess that most of us modern tourists are just spoiled.

I often wonder what trival logistics the pioneers encountered on the wagon trains migrateing West back in the 19th century, along with hostile hotel owners, local landowners hostile Native Americans, and lack of good bathroom facilities.

Anyone that has been a tour director ( multi-day tours) will know how to work out such non-trival details as stops and breaks, safe scenic routes, driving times, and ice cream socials, doorprizes, banquet caterers, freebie breakfast vouchers, blocking out motel rooms, hospitality rooms, parking, on a regular basis, and also work out some complicated details as well, it isn't Rocket Science or just "the Magic touch" but it requires organization, hard work and and good planning. Our club is blessed with several experianced couples and also several newbie couples that are willing to learn the process. The club that tours is a happy well adjusted group.

I also have admiration for those Regions and clubs that organize, plan, and hold the meets for judging and teaching the seminars that many do so well.....

I have suggested that a seminar be held at the Anniversary Meet to help folks understand the workings of hosting a multi day tour. I suggested that folks that have hosted the tours in the past could make a presentation as to how they do it. I'm sure each of the existing tours have some differences and we could all learn from them.
See you down the BACK ROADS

Sounds like a great idea to me!

To me, there is nothing more fun than a multi-day tour! We tour with a couple of other clubs, too (forgive me).

I enjoy the Meets, as well, and seeing all the cars dressed in their Sunday Best and all shined up. I enjoy showing mine, too. At a Meet, maybe better yet is the activty of judging, and really getting the chance to study the cars with other folks - but the best part of a national Meet is seeing your friends from all over the place. Yes, we even see AACA and HCCA friends, and it's great.

But again, for the highest level of enjoyment of the hobby, in my opinion, is to go on Tours, and test the car and yourself. You still get to see all your friends (even the ones you never met before!). And you get to help the occassional unlucky fellow who has a mechanical problem, etc. On recent tours, I've had the chance to work on a 1916 Hudson, a 1911 off-brand "T", a 1929 Dodge, a 1930 Chevy, a 1927 Buick, etc, etc. I never would have had the chance to twist wrenches on those cars if not on a tour- not to mention the satisfaction of helping to get a fellow old-car-nut back on the road!

I think that is a great idea, have several of the experianced directors and also a couple of the newbies give their collective ideas, maybe everyone can learn something.

In the meanwhile, I think we should feel free to express our ideas, our wishes and also some of our dislikes and questions about touring here on this forum, it looks like we may even be off to a good start from the postings I have seen so far....

Maybe if we use more gas it will get cheaper in price, isn't that how it is supposed to work? Or is that only good for T.V sets and microwave ovens?

As BACK ROADS said:

"I have suggested that a seminar be held at the Anniversary Meet to help folks understand the workings of hosting a multi day tour. I suggested that folks that have hosted the tours in the past could make a presentation as to how they do it. I'm sure each of the existing tours have some differences and we could all learn from them.
See you down the BACK ROADS"

**************************************************

And then turn the presentation into some kind of written "VCCA Guidelines" or suggestions for how to set up and run a multi-day tour, maybe what to what out for, or who to contact. Either a video or a booklet or on-line to view and print out.

Maybe even the email address or phone numbers of people (with their permission of course) who have done the tours so you can contact them for advice or whatever at different times.

Why wait for someone else to do it?

We have a better vehicle right here on Chevy Chatter, than a meet that happens every five years. and we have the resources, those Directors that don't use the internet (like Tom Meleo) have friends and fellow club members that do, and these friends are knowledgable also, right Raymundo?.
All you have to do is ask a reasonable question.
Or why not set up a practice tour and get several friends to participate. Then you will know enough to ask reasonable questions, and not go on a wild goose chase.

Very good idea, MrMack, we need to start a thread here on touring, ("Everything you wanted to know about Touring, but were afraid to ask").

Then maybe someone who has the ability (authority) to edit the thread (what is posted) can sort of condense it (like the milk).

I have never been on a tour, but look forward to doing some.

Touring: "Hints & Help" or whatever...

I don't like the idea of "someone editing" They may be all wet! put it all out there and let the members make a choice.

Kinda like two of my friends, ask one about a certain eating establishment and he says" We had a terriable meal, it was cold, too expensive,the help was rude, blah blah. (pore Old Gabby has never had a decent meal)

The other guy will say about the same cafe "Boy We had a wonderful meal there, beautiful, pleasant smiling waitress the steak was so tender really worth the money,you could cut it with your fork, and the peach cobbler was to die for! (Old Smitty has never had a bad meal in his life.)

My wife and I hosted one of the Early Six Cylinder (1929 - 1954) Tours. I will try to start tomorrow telling how we did it. If you have questions after that I will try to answer them. Most of the Early Six Cylinder Tours have been organized about the same as ours.
See you down the BACK ROADS.

Back Roads, that looks like a good deal.
Maybe Vintage James won't mind too much if we use his original annoucement thread for his V/8 tour that failed to materialize.

I guess if he does mind he or Billy BaRRker can move this thread to a new Events topic.

I think I'll start a new topic. "Hosting a multi day tour." I'll put it under National Events. we'll see how that goes.
See you down the BACK ROADS.

Very cool, Back Roads.

MrMack, what I meant by condensing was just removing side comments, jokes, blather that had nothing to do with the topic, not editing the content.

Is there a big difference between 4, 6, V8 tours?

About the only difference I can think of is the speed and distance traveled. I have even found the speed the late six cylinder cars travel is much different than the early ones. Folks say just put in an overdrive but I think I can travel as fast as the brakes are good for without overdrive. The four cylinder cars would have a problem keeping up with the 6 bangers if they are stock. I like one of the rules a local motorcycle club has. "No tour can travel on a state highway more that one mile before getting off onto a county road." Therefore See you down the BACK ROADS.

I have started a new topic. How to organize a VCCA tour. I hope this will help. I'm sure there are more ways to do this. I'm only doing this to get more folks on line with hosting tours. For me tours is where it is. See you down the BACK ROADS.