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Posted By: brewster My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/03/16 11:26 AM
This morning I'm hitting the Highways and Interstates on the way to South Lake Tahoe Nevada/California for the 2016 55th Anniversary meet. In tow is my freshly restored 1951 2dr Deluxe Sedan.

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]

Tune in for for my drive across your beautiful country, and then a week long adventure of friends, fun, and vintage Chevrolets!
Posted By: jiaccino Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/03/16 12:07 PM
Have a safe journey. We leave Saturday morning....Joe
Posted By: Junkyard Dog Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/03/16 02:35 PM
Have a great trip! We are leaving early Sunday morning and we should arrive in Tahoe in the mid-afternoon.

laugh wink beer2

Posted By: Back Roads Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/03/16 06:36 PM
Be sure to keep us posted from home to home. Have a safe and enjoyable trip. I'll be with you in spirit.
Posted By: Bill Barker Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/03/16 09:11 PM
At the top of this thread,
click on TOPIC OPTIONS,
and then on ADD THIS THREAD TO MY WATCHED TOPICS.

Now you'll receive an email each time a new posting is made here.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/04/16 10:54 AM
Thanks Bill! Now the pressure is on me to make posts! ok

I'm now on day two of the drive to Tahoe. Wednesday started out a bit late because once again I couldn't sleep the night before a VCCA tour! I slept in a bit until 7:00, went to my local coffee shop, and then hit the highway. 10km in I realized I forgot my new MasterCard at home, as the magnetic strip on my old one stopped working. Turned around to head home to get it. Got to give Abby a hug and a kiss, as she was up by then... well worth the first U-turn of the day!

The drive was fairly uneventful. Down the 401, and 402 to Sarnia, where I crossed the border into Port Huron Michigan. The border guard asked me about the child seat in the '51, and wondered where I was hiding the extra people. With all of the nice smooth Canadian highways behind me, I headed into the abyss that Michigan calls an interstate system. My favourite road signs are the ones that say "keep right unless passing". It translates to "Use this torn up, bumpy, broken half of the highway, and leave the nice lane for the idiots that want to speed." Uhggg... Lots of orange pylons too!

Lunch at a Wendy's, and a couple of stops for gas got me to just the other side of Chicago. I hit a rest area and got punished for being cheap! I figured I'd save a bit by sleeping in the truck when I could. The rest area was full of trucks and campers doing the same. The trucks were all left running all night, and it was really hot there! I thought maybe the sound of the trucks would lull me to sleep, like Abby's sleep sound machine at home. It didn't really work that way though. Also, the back seat of the truck isn't exactly comfortable. Maybe I'll hotel it tomorrow... Don't tell Jane I've given up on being cheap though!

The jet lag is already setting in. I woke up at 5:30am, and realized I hadn't set the clock back an hour. An early start today, and I even got 30 miles in before breakfast. I'm all loaded up on coffee now, and headed for the great wide west!

Hanging with the big rigs...
[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]
Posted By: tonyw Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/04/16 11:47 AM
My experiences with the big rigs is that a lot of the drivers will give you a fair go while you do the same. Leaving their engines idling while parked is a bit of a contradiction though. They probably wanted the air con to work while they rested.
Travel safely and enjoy the party in the middle
Tony
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/04/16 04:45 PM
Iowa... This state never ends. That is all.
Posted By: Chev Nut Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/04/16 05:24 PM
The next state is even longer wave
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/04/16 06:26 PM
Geeze... Get my hopes up! Lol!

A shout out to my buddy Andy. While I'm wining about all the corn I've seen in Iowa, Andy has driven 1500 miles to North Dakota and Wyoming, and has also replaced a fan clutch after 200 miles in a hot truck! Way to go Andy!
Posted By: XLVIIdriver Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 12:04 AM
[quote=Bill Barker]At the top of this thread,
click on [b]TOPIC OPTIONS[/b],
and then on [b]ADD THIS THREAD TO MY WATCHED TOPICS[/b].

Now you'll receive an email each time a new posting is made here. [/quote]

Won't work for me. Anyone else try this and is receiving e-mail notice of new posts to this thread ??
Posted By: Chipper Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 12:12 AM
I got an email informing me of your post. Make sure you have the correct email address in your profile. Also make sure the email in not in your spam folder. Some email servers don't like messages with wide distribution.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 01:18 AM
"My Stuff"
"My Profile"
"Edit Profile"
Then make sure the question about if you want to receive emails is answered "yes"
Posted By: XLVIIdriver Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 01:21 AM
email address in profile is correct and I have the "By default anything added to watch list be emailed to me" checked with a "yes".
nothing in spam folder either.

Dick
Just now saw in "File manager" the box "add this thread to my watched topics" was not checked. I have check it so maybe that was my problem.

Posted By: Chipper Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 04:18 AM
Checking the file manager box should notify you of this reply. Hope to see all of you Sunday morning (late) in Tahoe.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 05:27 AM
So today (Thursday) started out early...real early! As I said, I got up early with the truckers and drove 20 or 30 miles to a McDonalds for breakfast & journal writing. The morning coffee crew of locals checked out the car, and gave me the thumbs up on it too. I decided to hit the highway and really put some miles on today, as I knew I was going to have a bucket list stop this afternoon. After an hour or so of driving, it was into the Kum & Go for gas...

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]

I also stopped and bought lunch supplies at a Walmart somewhere in Iowa, and had a nice picnic lunch somewhere in Iowa. I learnt that Iowa is big... and the corn is un-ending! Also, nobody told me there were so many hills in Iowa. I was picturing it being more flat like our Canadian Prairies... except full of corn instead of wheat. It seemed like I was constantly going uphill, and my gas milage went downhill.

Around Omaha, I hopped off of the interstate and took route 6 through the city in search of the Old Lincoln Highway. One of my bucket list things is to get pictures of my '51 on the three big brick ways of America. Two down, one to go. We need a tour to Indy...

Heading right through the city may not have been a great idea at 2 in the afternoon, but I liked looking at the buildings.

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All I had for a location of the brick highway was "North of 181st street". It turned out to be harder to locate than I thought. I got the trailer down a gravel road. So much for keeping it clean. Maybe Dave Miner will wash it for me?

I got turned around, and found Matt Petersen out mowing his lawn and selling corn. I stopped to show him the picture of the road, and asked if he knew where it was. he gave me perfect directions, then told me I came too far to not take some corn for the road. You Americans are so helpful and nice! He also had this little International tractor out there that he putters around with. Told me he spends more time fixing it than using it... but he enjoys it. Sounds like a certain '50 convertible that I know too well! I'm saving the corn for tomorrow's picnic...

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I ended up driving back into Elkhart Iowa, and unloading the car for the drive onto the bricks of the Lincoln Highway...

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Posted By: Bill Barker Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 05:37 AM
My hat is off to you for unloading your car for the photo. That is dedication!! Impressive.

Bill B
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 05:40 AM
After loading the car back up, I left the vent windows open because it's been super hot today. I got about 2 miles down the road and saw this coming...

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A huge storm front blew in, and I had time to pull over, get the windows closed, take a couple pics, and hop back in the truck before it hit. It was more rain than i've ever seen at once! The interstate was backed up, as people couldn't see. They were pulled over to the sides and parked under bridges, or just puttering along at 20mph. It lasted about half an hour like this. When it calmed down I turned the radio on. There was tornado warning, and reports of one touching down where I just was!

An hour later, another front moved in. It felt like I could reach out the window and grab the cloud. Picked up the pace a bit, as it was coming from behind, and managed to outrun it before it dumped on me again. There was also pretty cool lightening from it!

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]

While all of this was going on I didn't want to stop until I was beyond the weather. I cut it a little close...

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I went 15 miles drafting a truck at 55mph to get to the aptly named "Petro Oasis"!

Tonight I'm hoteling it. My shower was much needed!
Posted By: tonyw Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 11:35 AM
Sounds like you are having fun and doing the unload/reload for a couple of pics is real dedication but they are good pics, worth the effort.
Tony
Posted By: m006840 Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 01:24 PM
Brick road-dirt road-fresh picked corn-and a natural car wash with a light show!! Welcome to the USA!! Glad to see you are enjoying your trip.
Posted By: XLVIIdriver Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 01:31 PM
Nope, still not getting email notice of new postings to this thread. OH well, I'll just check several time a day on the forum to keep up with Bruce's adventure.

dick
Posted By: 41carguy Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 03:31 PM
Bruce, good journal! Your making good time. It's the same trip I made in 2011 but in the opposite direction. This time it's payback...Six Serra View Region members are meeting at 10:00 AM Sunday for a grueling 158 mile trek to Tahoe. We may get the short distance award.
Looking forward a great meet and meeting you and other Chat members.
Jay
Posted By: XLVIIdriver Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 04:35 PM
Great Pics. I suppose next series will show your car in the middle of the Platte Rive at an Oregon Trail crossing. :driving:
Posted By: leagl Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/05/16 06:01 PM
Bruce, I know you are pressed for time and there are hundreds of sites to see along the way, but there is a great car museum in Kearney, NE off I-80. Maybe something to consider on your way back.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/07/16 06:48 AM
So I slept in a bit yesterday morning... checkout time ended up being 8:00am. It was nice having a shave and a shower and a hot breakfast. Expensive... but nice! I hit the Interstate with the plan to roll up the miles and try to make it to Salt Lake City by nightfall. I didn't want to go past there, as I'm a little unsure of what there is for accomodations and rest stops in the middle of a dry lake!

The day started out with lots of Nebraska corn fields. Last week I picked up a National Geographic that was at the dealership while they changed the oil in the truck, and read about how America is running out of water as the farmers in the midwest drain the aquifiers beneath the earth to water their crops. I thought it was weird that even though it was raining heavily yesterday, they were still out there with all of the taps on!

As I drove along I all of a sudden saw a large cattle farm, then another. It was as if they drew a line and said “no corn farms after this point”! All of a sudden the rich greens of corn gave way to the dry browns of grass and scrub... and the hills sharpened into jagged little peaks. Then I started climbing. Up into the foothills of the High Plains.

I have no idea where it was, but I made a stop at a rest area just inside of Wyoming. It was the stop with the memorial to Lincoln for the Lincoln Highway. It's at the highest elevation of the highway. Without Jane around it's impossible to run the maps and concentrate on the driving... so I just drive along in ignorant bliss of where I've been, and hope to get where I'm going. As I got out of the truck an RV pulling a small Jeep pulled up and I was complimented on the nice Chevy! Thank you, whoever you are!

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Back into the truck, and I headed out again. I made a stop at a Walmart in a town that looked exactly like Radiator Springs from the Pixar movie, Cars! I had to by a US certified fire extinguisher for the show on Tuesday. (Someday we'll have y'all up to Canada and watch you scramble to buy CSA approved extinguishers!)

Another few hours of driving, and it was time for lunch. You guessed it... Peanut butter sandwiches again! This time it was at a rest stop somewhere near the middle of Wyoming. As I was pulling out, The RV with the Jeep was just pulling in... Hey again, stranger!

The rest of the day until 5 or 6 was uneventful. I must be getting old... I dont drive by as many rest areas as I used to. Near the end of Wyoming I started to get into some really big hills. One thing I've noticed with the truck is that it doesn't like the altitude. When I get up around 6000ft, it really works and tries to hunt gears. I hit two long 5% grades that I had to put the four ways on and chug up with the trucks in 2nd gear with it held at 2800-3000rpm. The grass lands have given way to straight out desert now, and I'm weaving through mountain passes. The last long run was up into Echo Canyon, where I pulled into another rest area. I took a quick hike up the mountain and shot some neat photos.

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When I got back, there was that RV for the 3rd time today! Small country! I met Gary and Judy. They are traveling from the east for the summer, and are seeing most of your beautiful country. They asked if I had dinner plans and quite frankly I did... more peanut butter sanwiches! Well, we negotiated a better deal for all of us. I supplied the Canadian beer (a nice Sleeman's Honey Brown) and the corn I got from Matt yesterday, while they supplied the hotdogs, coleslaw (Gary's secret recipe... I talked it out of him!) and the ice cream. We ended up having a really nice tailgate cook-out and meal. Sure beat peanut butter again! Gary worked for years as an autobody stripper back in Conneticut, so we had lots to talk about! I face timed Jane to brag about the coleslaw, and they told her that they've adopted me. She seemed a little too pleased...

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]

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Thank you very much for the meal and comraderie, Gary & Judy... Safe travels!

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]
Posted By: tonyw Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/07/16 01:11 PM
Sounds like you are clocking the miles up and seeing some interesting sights on the way. Your unexpected travelling companions would help break the boredom.
Jane is obviously better at reading maps than my ex wife, she invariabley read it upside down the tell me to turn at the 3rd street ahead when we should have turned at the 3rd street behind us. Needless to say I never let her read a map after that.
Continue safely.
Tony
Posted By: Chev Nut Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/07/16 04:53 PM
6000 feet is like nothing. Once you get over 10,000 feet you will not think your driving the same vehicle, not to mention the power loss.
Sounds like your having the adventure of your life, enjoy every mile of it canada carbana
Posted By: Chipper Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/07/16 06:56 PM
Got to the Montbleu this morning. There was a very nice looking Chevy coupe in the show field lot with Ontario plates. Haven't met Bruce yet. It will be a fun week.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/08/16 06:50 AM
Well, I'm running a day behind on my journal, so I'm going to try and catch up on it all right now. Right up until the point where I met the Junkyard Dog!

Now where were we? Right... Echo Canyon (Echo Canyon, Echo Canyounnn...) Utah!! After such a great meal last night, I slept like a baby. The 3 hour jet lag is starting to catch up with me. It's not such a big difference...just I wake up at 5am instead of 8am. My new neighbours were up as well, so we took some photos and hit the highway. I wonder If I'll see them today?!

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]

I headed off towards Salt Lake City and, after a stop for gas, it was off into the desert. It's a funny feeling when you head into a desert. I always travel with a cell phone, a truck load of tools and supplies so I never worry too much about a breakdown or flat tire,etc. It's when the cell phone service shuts down, and there's nobody around for miles that it really dawns on you how unprepared you're going to be for a problem. The highway is absolutely littered with blown out tires, just to remind you how fast it can all go south! And then you see a sign like this...

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Get me out of here!

I head out of the higher desert area, and the highway drops down onto the Bonneville Salt Flats. When they say flat, they mean flat! There was a sign at the beginning of the flats that said "Reno 456 miles" Across the flats at the horizon, you could see where the road went up into the mountains. My first thought was "great...6 miles of flat and then 450 miles of hills" Well, I drove the first 6 miles, then 40 more miles, and I still wasn't at the end of the lake bed!! It was really far away! A lot further than it looked at the start! I stopped at a rest area near the end of the salt lake, and saw Gary & Judy go driving by again! It was the last time I saw them. Safe travels, my friends!

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]

The rest of the day was long, boring, and uneventful. 300 miles to Reno through a desert is not as exciting as it sounds. As I got to Reno I started seeing a lot of street rods and other Non-VCCA cars that were in town for the "Hot August Nights" Car Show. This Rat rod ran by me and gave me the thumbs up...

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The last 50 miles to South Lake Tahoe were the hardest. I went up the biggest mountain pass I've ever driven up. I thought my truck was going to give up! It just kept going up, and was really steep! I've decided not to drive the '51 on the tours that go outside the Tahoe area, as it's not good on uphills with the Powerglide rear end in it.

I pulled into Montbleu Resort around 6:00 pm. The lot already had 30 cars in it. I unloaded the trailer, and checked to see if there was a room available for the night. Nope, sold out! After visiting with many friends, and meeting many new folks, I ran into Dave Miner. He had a spare bed where he and Cousin Dale & Janice are staying, and offered to put me up for the night. Sweet! The best sleep I've had all week!
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/08/16 07:16 AM
Sunday Morning... 7:00 am start. If you ever want to start a day off with entertainment, get Dave Miner to take you out to breakfast! He also supplied a free driving tour of South Lake Tahoe. We ate at the International House of Pancakes. You would think that with a name like "International House of Pancakes", they would be everywhere... but they're not! Not in Canada, anyway!

After loading up on delicious French Toast, we finished our driving tour and headed back to the Resort. I took my trailer up to the trailer parking area, and saw Andy Jurski pulling his hair out about how he was going to fit 101 trailers into half a parking lot!

Next I went looking for a car wash. There is a watering ban here due to the continuing drought conditions in California. They were unable to secure us a wash station at the resort because of it. I found a quarter wash, and got it hosed off, came back to the lot and polished the chrome. I had so many people stop to look at it, and compliment the job I did on it. Likely gave me a big head!

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]

After I had it cleaned up, I headed up to the field entrance and put it through. Then I took up my post, helping the photographers pose the cars for the event photos. That was fun! The car show came to us... and what better way to meet all of attendees!

The rest of the day was visiting, and the buffet dinner. You guys don't want to hear about that though... you're here for the pictures!

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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/08/16 07:17 AM
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After hanging around the lot, I saw Bruce Deford out showing off his new ride. There were some guys begging for rides in it... and that's when I met the Junkyard Dog! So great to finally meet some of the guys that we all spend so much time "Chatting" with! Chipper, you're up next!

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Posted By: tonyw Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/08/16 10:25 AM
Good to see you arrived safely with no unwanted dramas.
Being able to meet up with our contacts from chatter is good fun, I had that experience 11 years ago for a Junkyard Dog tour, that was thoroughly enjoyable week.
Tony
Posted By: Chev Nut Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/08/16 12:09 PM
I got up early this morning just to see your latest report. Glad to see you arrived safely and with no problems.
Look like it going to be an exciting week, fop you and for us guys wainting for your daily reports. Wish I could be there with you and thanks for the meet pictures.
Posted By: Chev Nut Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/09/16 01:51 AM
Guess I got up too early to see the keys.

Would be great to see pictures of the fellow chat site guys attending the meet.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/09/16 05:03 AM
I'll see what I can do, Gene...
Posted By: JEB36CHEVY Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/09/16 06:10 AM
Great pictures Bruce. Thanks for sharing!
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 04:49 AM
I'm falling behind on the journal again, as I've been having so much fun here in South Tahoe! I honestly don't remember what I did Monday morning. I did have breakfast with Barry & Pat Staples, then went out to the lot and looked over the car with Barry. He gave me plenty of tips on working on some of the details on my car. Good, helpful stuff to learn. I could soak in the knowledge from him all day. I think I just hung around the parking lot all morning, and then hit the swap meet for a while. I bought a horn button for my '50 convertible that is in better shape than the one I have from Andy Jurski. Then I headed back to the lot for a little more car cleaning and socializing.

At 2:00 I headed for Reno to pick up Jane & Abby. What I had pictured was a happy little girl running across the airport and jumping into Daddy's arms with a big hug. What I got was an obviously tired and grumpy little girl that walked across the airport and collapsed in Daddy's lap! The jet lag had caught up at nap time! Apparently my 4 day drive through deserts and mountains had nothing on a 7 hour flight with a two year old! Jane has offered to tow the '51 home while I fly with Abby!

We headed back to the hotel, had supper, tucked Abby in bed, then I hit the parking lot and hung out for a while. Off to bed early for the big day tomorrow!!

Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 05:10 AM
Tuesday morning. Today is the big day... Show time!!! I think I'm actually prepared this time. Entrance and judging forms filled out, fire extinguisher ready, trunk all packed up, and car clean. We made our way up to Heavenly Valley Ski Club. The show was in a parking lot, which I never really like to see. I prefer the park settings as opposed to the hot pavement. However, the surrounding mountains and view of Lake Tahoe quickly trumped the parking lot. What a beautiful sight! Somewhere near 250+ (my estimate...official number to come) beautiful Chevrolets all laid out in rows by class.

I'll let the pictures do the talking...

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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 05:11 AM
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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 05:13 AM
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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 05:14 AM
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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 05:18 AM
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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 05:26 AM
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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 02:27 PM
While we were waiting for the judges to tabulate the results there was a free ride up the gondola to the summit of Heavenly Mountain. The view was spectacular!

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When we got back to the hotel it was off for a quick dip in the pool with Abby. We didn't find any bears or lions in the grotto at the end of the pool, despite the concern from Abby that they were in there! Dinner was a trip to the buffet again.

After dinner, Abby & Jane went and crashed. We had one tired little girl!

[Linked Image from i150.photobucket.com]

I went and listened to Carl Kelsen's seminar on CKD Australia. Carl talked about Chevrolets assembled Down Under from 1949-1969. It was interesting to learn a lot of the history and see the differences in cars between USA and Australia.
Posted By: Back Roads Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 02:59 PM
I counted about 100 vehicles in the picture. How many are registered for the meet.
Posted By: XLVIIdriver Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 04:23 PM
You aren't suggesting the pic of the girl on the billboard behind your car was Abby (or Jane) getting off the plane ?? :haha:

Thanks for posting the narrative and pics of your adventure.
Posted By: Chev Nut Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 05:44 PM
Thank You ever so much for taking the time to post the pictures. Made me feel almost like I was there. thanku wave
Posted By: dandyd Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 06:37 PM
Thank you so much for the pictures, I had reservations but had to cancel because of health problems.
Posted By: Jack Kennedy Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 08:27 PM
Hey if you get a chance can you send some pictures of the 32 roadster interior. Really enjoy your posts. Car looks great.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/10/16 11:18 PM
Originally Posted by Back Roads
I counted about 100 vehicles in the picture. How many are registered for the meet.

When we did the photos we saw up to 460 registrants. A bunch of the "display only" cars stayed at the hotel, or parked in different lots. People not being judged came & went all day. I'll get a better # for you tonight.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/11/16 06:15 AM
Wednesday morning, and the start of the tours! We made it down for breakfast for 8:00am, and departed around 9:00am. Abby was full of pancakes! Our destination today is Virginia City, a small mining town South East of Reno. We left the '51 at home, as there are two big mountain passes to go up, and I didn't feel like it was a good tour to break the car in on. Maybe tomorrow...

The drive to Virginia City was through some nice and hot Southwest desert. We saw a couple of the old cars making their way there as well. We had a choice to make as to which route we took up the mountain, and chose the more difficult "Highway to the Sky". A long 15% grade, with some good curves in it. I was glad I left the '51 back at the hotel.

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The main street is an eclectic collection of crafts, antiques, saloons, and tourist trap stuff for sale. It looked pretty good with the old buildings and old cars lining the streets.

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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/11/16 06:27 AM
We had lunch in a saloon with Pat & Barry Staples. The staff was short handed, and over run with VCCA customers. Our poor waitress! A little more wandering around town, and we were ready to go. we left town through a six mile long gorge that runs out of the mountains. At the top of the hill is this '52 GMC...

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It was a fairly hot day, and we finished it up at the hotel where we went for a dip in the pool...

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We went for supper, then took a wander around the lot. Today this little '34 roadster was out there. First time we've seen it all week!

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While Barry & Pat, Dale James and I talked over the days tour, Abby was getting ready for tomorrow's tour...

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Posted By: Pat S Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/11/16 11:28 AM
Originally Posted by Chev Nut
Thank You ever so much for taking the time to post the pictures. Made me feel almost like I was there. thanku wave

X2. I also had plans to go until life and the financial gremlin started to interfere. Beautiful!!!!!
Posted By: ab_buff Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/11/16 03:05 PM
Having a great time in Tahoe, meeting lots of people from the chat site, having a good time with the Brewster

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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/12/16 02:49 PM
Sorry I'm falling behind guys! All I can say is there is no entry yet for yesterday because I was out drinking beer last night with a certain Junkyard Dog we all know! :beer mugs: It's been a blast meeting fellow Chat members this week as well!
Posted By: tonyw Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/12/16 02:55 PM
Like everyone else Thank you for posting the pics and description of proceedings from your angle. I too would like to have attended but the employment situation almost fell over 2 years ago and still hasnt recovered or I would be there with you all.
I also need to find a warmer climate at this time of year, winds that come out of the freezer are not fun to contend with as some of you probably know.
Brewster I can imagine Jane would put up with taking the cars home rather than flying with A 2 year old. I mistakenly decided to do a 2 day road trip with my wife and 18 month old twins, it didnt happen again until the twins were 6 or 7 and even then I nearly regretted it. I havent decided which were the worst passengers, the twins or the wife as they all very nearly walked home at various stages.
Tony
Posted By: Dave_C Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/12/16 02:59 PM
Hi Bruce, We are enjoying the story of your travels and photos. It looks like you traveled alone to Tahoe and have the family meet you there?
Abby sure is getting big...... Time does fly by.
Dave C
Posted By: Billu38 Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/12/16 04:17 PM
Bruce..I'm glad to see you had your priorities in the proper order yesterday!!! Enjoying the pics and comments...Keep'em coming! Billu38
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/13/16 07:22 AM
Originally Posted by Dave_C
Hi Bruce, We are enjoying the story of your travels and photos. It looks like you traveled alone to Tahoe and have the family meet you there?
Abby sure is getting big...... Time does fly by.
Dave C

Dave... We're missing you here! A couple of weeks to go until Six Cylinder Tour time!
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/13/16 07:55 AM
Right... so where were we?! Thursday morning we woke up early again for another day of fun touring. I really regretted not driving the '51 on Wednesday, so decided that if Dan O'Day can drive a 1914 Model H out one of these mountain passes, then surely I could manage it in my trusty stovebolt six!

The first thing I did was surround myself with suckers to look after me when things went wrong! Dale James (ab_buff here on Chat) was going to follow/push me up the passes in his 1933 sedan, and Bruce DeFord (32confederate on Chat) was going to follow him in his modern pickup to pick up the parts that fall off of our cars!

We started heading North on our way to Harrah's Auto museum in Reno. We're on the "short" side Mount Rose pass going out of Lake Tahoe. My '51 runs a power glide rear end for better gas milage on the straight aways, but that didn't help me here! On the steep grade it bogs down in third gear, and the downshift to second is the exact opposite... screaming engine with little headway! I stuck it in second most of the way, and held it back to a reasonable RPM. We ducked in and out of the turnouts to let faster cars pass as well. Next came the big drop down to the desert on the other side. Screaming down the mountain in a 65 year old car with Bendix drum brakes is no easy task! By the time we got to the bottom I felt like I had been through a workout!

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After missing the turn out to the optional "No freeways" route, we headed into Reno on the interstate. The Harrah's collection is outstanding, and even had a few Chevy's> Here's a sampling of what we saw...

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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/13/16 08:00 AM
1918 D-V8...

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1926 wagon...

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Posted By: corvaired Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/13/16 06:06 PM
Great pictures,thanks so much. Did you happen to see any Corvairs there especially Corvair trucks? Ed Bittman VCCA# 47508 Dade City,Fl
Posted By: jaw33 Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/13/16 06:31 PM
There was one incredible cargo corvair van with open back and fold down cargo side. Did not get picture of it but very unusual and beautifully restored
Posted By: corvaired Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/13/16 11:34 PM
That would be a Rampside PU. probably the most useful truck ever made! Ed VCCA#47508 Dade City,fl
Posted By: Chipper Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/14/16 03:55 AM
It was a '61 Rampside. Very nice restoration.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/14/16 03:19 PM
Guys... I'm on the road now on the way home. I don't seem to get good internet at the rest stops or McDonalds. It won't give me enough band to upload pictures. I'll finish it off when I get home. I'll even have a pic of that Rampside!!
Posted By: Chev Nut Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/14/16 03:59 PM
Have a safe trip home and thank you for all the pictures and stories.
You made my week even if I could not be there. thanku
Posted By: Back Roads Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/14/16 04:37 PM
As per Gene, Have a safe trip home. Keep it between the ditches and thanks for everything you have done for us stay at homes. I look forward to seeing you next month on the Six Cylinder Tour.
Posted By: Billu38 Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/14/16 05:50 PM
Great job Bruce!!!! Enjoyed all the photos and stories! Safe driving back....Billu38
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 01:02 PM
The tour through Harrah's took a couple of hours. I certainly didn't get to see and read everything, as it's a bit long of a walk with Abby's shorter attention span. I showed her how to push the button on the camera, which served as a distraction for a while. Then that was all she wanted to do! Such is life!

Here's a couple more of their Chevys...

1933 Phaeton...

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John Wayne's 1953 Corvette

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You would think they would have a Chevy out for photos when the VCCA is visiting! Oh well, the Pearce family will pose in any roadster!

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After we left Harrah's we headed to a Dairy Queen for lunch. Dale & Janice Carter soon showed up to join us. Abby had fun playing with the toy VW bus we got her at the museum. Janice made her a garage out of her fry container. She's still using it a week later!

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Jane wanted to hit a Hobby Lobby for scrapbook supplies, and I wanted to check out their signs and door pulls. They carry all of the reproduction GM stuff. Dale & Bruce went on to the Army Museum, then met us back at the Hobby Lobby. Then it was back up the mountain pass to Lake Tahoe. Abby slept most of the way, but woke up in time to hear Dale & I lay on the horns in the tunnel! "Daddy, beep-beep!!!"

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Dinner was with Pat & Barry at the cafe, as the buffet was closed. (The buffet was great... and a good deal with our VCCA only 2 for 1 coupons!!) After dinner I took a wander around the parking lot. Dan O'day was out there demonstrating his gas head lights. It was pretty interesting.

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A couple of us wandered around, and then I went in and had a beer with the O'day's, Skip Gear (JYD) and Kim from Norway. Kaydene was showing us pictures from her trip to the Golden Gate bridge. They got the "inside tour" as they have a friend that works on the bridge. There are elevators that are 2'X2' square, and go up to the top of each of the towers. Her pictures were spectacular!

Then it was off to bed. Big day tomorrow... Loop The Lake Day!!
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 01:25 PM
Friday morning came early, as I woke up with the anticipation of the day's tour. It was so great to see most of the cars in the parking lot getting ready to participate as well. I think the milage for the tour was about 89 miles around the lake... all of it hills, switch backs, and spectacular lakeside views! The lunch stop is at Squaw Valley, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. We were in the later half of the cars to leave. We did end up catching up to a bunch, but other than the lunch stop there were no big traffic jams of vintage Chevys. We made a few stops to take in the views and shot photos as well.

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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 01:27 PM
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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 01:34 PM
All week we had the goal of getting our toes into Lake Tahoe. These VCCA events seem to be chocked full of stuff to do, and it was impossible to schedule it in. We finally found a rest stop with access to the water, later in the day. When we got down to the shore we found it was a rocky section with huge rounded boulders. Nothing would stop us!! As I carried Abby down, I found the one slippery wet rock of the bunch! Down I went, with Abby in my arms held up to keep her out of the water! I spent the rest of the day in wet shorts! It was worth it though!

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The dash plaques are awesome! A metal sign for the garage! Even the people that drove modern or rental cars got one. Everyone had a great day!

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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 01:46 PM
Originally Posted by corvaired
Great pictures,thanks so much. Did you happen to see any Corvairs there especially Corvair trucks? Ed Bittman VCCA# 47508 Dade City,Fl

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Posted By: Junkyard Dog Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 03:06 PM
Quote
A couple of us wandered around, and then I went in and had a beer with the O'day's, Skip Geear (JunkYardDog) and the guy from Norway.


Hey Brewster! Sure enjoyed having a beer together with you, the O'day's and Kim Schmidt-Christensen (he is from Denmark) that evening at the hotel. That was a blast!! Also had a great time spending many hours with you in the parking lot with the cars as well!

After you and the O'Day's left the bar to go to your rooms, Kim Schmidt-Christensen and I stayed behind for another beer. Also, Michael Ferguson and his wife Jodi from Australia came over to our table to show us photos of his way cool, and one of a kind, 1932 Chevrolet Moonlight Speedster. What a great car that is! We talked so much that we didn't leave the bar until after mid-night. What fun!

Received an email from Kim Schmidt-Christensen yesterday (Sunday) and he arrived home back in Denmark already. Also, Michael Ferguson and Jodi stopped by my house yesterday on their way to the Filling Station in Lebanon, Oregon. They spent the day with us and we toured my collection of stuff. Dave Cufr and his wife from Ohio came by for a visit as well and Mike Rice from Oregon stopped by also, so the fun continued!

The 55th Anniversary Meet was fantastic and those that didn't attend missed the chance of a lifetime. It was definitely a great and highly organized meet! Thanks to Dave Cufr, Billy Boy Barker and all of those VCCA members that helped put the meet together. You guys did a fantastic job!

laugh wink beer2
Posted By: DdeuceMan. Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 04:16 PM
Neat stuff there Bruce, I,ve also meet Skip G. ooooooh it also would be at least....yes....about 12 or so years ago.
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 05:32 PM
Thanks for grabbing Kim's name for me Skip! I was going to look it up when I get off of the road and do an edit, but you've covered that for me! Sorry about that, Kim! norway

By the sounds of it, I should have taken the long way home and dropped by for a tour and more beer as well!
Posted By: Junkyard Dog Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/15/16 07:05 PM
Ya, you could have joined the group at my house yesterday for the VCCA "mini meet" if you had taken the "longer way" home. I have draft beer on tap at 32 degrees. Dave Cufr had some of the draft beer and he loved it.

Glad to help out with Kim from Denmark. He and his wife stopped at my place on Friday, August 5th. They were on their way down to Tahoe for the anniversary meet. They spent the day with us and we went out to dinner that night as well. Sampled a pitcher of beer also!

laugh wink beer2

Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 02:33 AM
Friday Evening was banquet time! Time to put my good deodorant and iron-free button up shirt on! All gussied up, we headed down to the Happy Hour, where they were handing out the awards.

This year they decided to change things up for the better. Instead of a long drawn out awards ceremony, they handed out the awards beforehand. (Not best of shows at this time) It was nice, as you picked up your award Mary (our VCCA President) & Roger were there to congratulate you. During the awards portion of the dinner, they put up a slide show of all of the class winners, and Jr, Sr, and Preservation winners.

Here's Meet Chairman Dave Cufr and Assistant Chairman Bill Barker calling on Chief Judge, Roger James to announce the winners...

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The First Place Winner of Class Q & First Place Junior award went to...

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I can't tell you how proud I am of this accomplishment, and how much it means to me to be recognized by the VCCA and fellow members. This journey started many years ago when I used to leaf through Dad's 1976 and 1981 Anniversary issues and dream of the day when our '51 would be good enough to take the same stage. It was a long journey, but completely worth every hour, day & year of it!
Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 02:49 AM
At the intermission ,between the speeches and entertainment, I had to take Jane & Abby out to catch their bus to the airport. Their flight was supposed to go out at 12:45am. I headed back inside to catch the end of "Kat's" comedy routine. She was funny! Around 11:pm I received a text from Jane. Her flight was delayed, and they re-booked her onto an Air Canada flight to L.A. & then onto Toronto. She & Abby had to sleep at the airport. I felt better about it after driving 3 days & sleeping in the back of the pickup for 3 nights in a row!

Saturday morning came early. I headed to the lot to get the '51 all loaded up, and said goodbye to friends both old & new.

Bruce Deford loading his "new" '32 Landau...

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Posted By: brewster Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 03:24 AM
The next 3 days were a blur of sleep, desert, corn, and rain. Lots of rain...

Rest stop in the desert... worst picnic ever!

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The first day out in the desert on my way to Salt Lake City I came close to running the truck out of gas. No worries, I had my 1st place spare tank on the trailer! There was a sign at a fuel station that said "next gas stop 26 miles"... no problem, I can make it there. This is what I found...

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Apparently last May, an RV owner with an electrical dash fire had made the brilliant decision to park close to the fire extinguisher at the gas pump! It burned the RV to the ground, and they haven't had gas since... or changed the sign on the highway!! The attendant tried to sell me a 2 gallon tank for $20. No thanks, I've got a spare in the truck and a big shiny one on the trailer! I made it to the next station without dipping into the reserves!

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I changed up my driving strategy for the ride home. I was waking up at 5am and driving a couple of hours early, in the dark. I got to see a couple of beautiful sunrises... until they were burning right into my eastward heading eyeballs! I pulled off and caught a couple hours of napping while it was still cool, then continued on when the sun was up out of my eyes...

On Sunday I caught up to a fast moving freight train in Nebraska. The tracks run right beside the Interstate for a couple hundred miles. He was running between 55 and 60mph. He was so long that it took me almost 3/4's of an hour running 65 to 70mph to overtake his 100 or so cars, and get far enough in front of him to pull off of the interstate and wait 30 seconds for him to arrive for this shot...

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His caboose wasn't as hard to catch...

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Around the Chicago area I ran into the tail end of the storms that pounded Louisiana the past few days. I had to get off of I-90 and into a truck stop where about 300 other trucks had the same idea. There I learned that there was flooding and a washout further along the road. Waited it out a night, and made it home today (Tuesday) around 4pm.
Posted By: Chipper Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 03:25 AM
That is one spectacular Chevy. The photos and narration will be treasured by many that were there in Tahoe and especially those that couldn't attend. Thanks from all of us.
Posted By: Ed_Osier Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 04:22 AM
Thank you brewster, it has been great to follow your adventure!
Posted By: Junkyard Dog Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 05:26 AM
Hey Brewster! Out in the parking lot at Tahoe when we were kicking tires you were telling me about the old garage at your house and I mentioned how cool the garage sounded from your description. I love old garages so how about a few shots of your neat old garage from the inside and outside?

laugh wink beer2
Posted By: tonyw Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 11:02 AM
Your journal has been interesting for me at least and when you have a reward for attending must be a bonus.
Tony
Posted By: 41carguy Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 02:30 PM
Bruce, great journal! Really enjoyed it and enjoyed meeting you, Jane and of course Abby. Thanks for posting the picture of Louise and I with the 41 on the other thread....You made the three of look good.
You can keep the hubcap.
Jay
Posted By: chef-chevy Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/17/16 05:40 PM
So nicely done Bruce and congrats on you achievement!!
Posted By: Impalaman Re: My Lake Tahoe 2016 Journal... - 08/18/16 04:52 AM
Bruce,

I finally found time to read your journal, thanks, It's almost like I was there. Was great following along with photos from you and my other friends on facebook too. Wish I could have had made it. Congrats on your first outing with the car, looks great. will see it in person some day , maybe Central Meet in 17 or 18.
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