Reno, NV

The Last Bash is a pre 49 car show & this is the 30th one. I have been coming here for 29 years & think it is a great run! The club that puts it on is Obsolete Iron. They are a very small club but do a great job. They always come around a ask how you are doing & is everything OK. Always trying to make it better. I’ll always try to make this run.

We left Thursday morning at 6:30 am with Bob & Sally Tavares. The others are towing up later. Pete & Karen DeMaria, Ron & JoAnn Berti, Mike & Diane Robinson, Jim & Rhonda Chambers, Ken & Kathy Allen, Rick & Valerie Hahn & Ron & Joan Usrey. Everyone was here by Friday evening.

We all checked in at the kick off party Friday night at the Peppermill. We picked our goodie bags & got all of out tickets. The Show & Shin was Saturday in Sparks at a park. They had a BBQ & a raffle & us. Saturday night there was a block party at the Peppermill. Sunday was the Poker Run. It went to Virginia City & Carson City, to Al’s Garage. He has a car collection he lets us tour. Sunday night was the Banquet at the Peppermill. We won four things at out table! Pete & Karen won “Best Sedan” & had there car on display in the banquet room upstairs. It was so neat! Ron & JoAnn had the best Poker hand & the prize was an entry to Last Bash 2003 & a great plaque. The club had 9 cars there & tied with another club from Oregon. We got to take the plaque home & they will sent them theirs. I got a bottle of wine for the coloring contest. The entertainment was Mike Mancine from Santa Cruz. He was very funny! And is the s! on of Seaside’s Councilman Mancine. What a small World. Sunday morning Breakfast was at the peppermill. At 8:30 we said our good by to everyone & headed East! Got to Wendover, UT at 3:30. 395 miles Monday.

Started out early Tuesday. It was hot yesterday so we got an early start today. Meet up with the Goodguy's Colorado Cruise Hot Rodders in Green River, UT. There were 8 in that group. We all went to Zippers Motors in Grand Junction CO. He does some outrageous customs! We stayed the night in grand Junction & will go on to Pueblo, CO tomorrow. The Vickie has run great! (hope I don’t jinx it)

Will not have a port for a while. But as soon as I do I’ll send more! If anyone wants they can email us GOLDCOASTRODDERS@YAHOO.COM By for now. Mary

Wednesday we took Hwy 50 thru the Mountains to Pueblo, CO. It was a great drive except for the 25 miles of gravel road they were working on. The roadster boys aren't going to like that! The views were breathtaking. The trees are starting to turn color & their different yellows. We were at 11,320 ft. at Monarch Pass. In Pueblo we went to see Al’s friend Tony Armijo & he took us back out Hwy 50 to see the shop were he has the hot rods he builds, wired. Jim Plese has his '34 sedan there now. Last year we saw it in Tony's shop. Sure has changed. It has a lot of polished goodies & is black!!! That is when we saw the waterspout. It was the biggest dust devil I ever saw! We watcher it for a while then it went down into the gorge. It rained a little & it's warm. 291 miles.

Thursday Al checked the Vickie over just to make sure! He spent the day with Tony & Jim. He used Tony's shop to pull the wheel & Jim loaned us his car so we could run to Colorado Springs to get a seal. Tony & Jim have been great! Al put the wheel on & everything else looks good.

Friday we went to the show to register. The Goodguys 5th Colorado Classic is at Pikes Peak International raceway. We were #965. We parked in the “Ya got to Drive Em” corral. (You have to drive over 500 miles to get here) You can go for a ride in one of the NASCAR for $99. Friday night SoCal Speed Shop, in Colorado Springs, hosted a TGIF party & BBQ for all of us. The whole area around was packed with cars. All the shops on the street opened up to us. There was a band in one shop were we had the BBQ. Sodas & chips in another. And ice cream in another! It was very hot today, 98. I still can’t understand how the motels can have the pools closed for the winter! But last year it snowed at this show Friday night.

Saturday we headed out to the show to check out everything. It was hot! 99 today. They don’t have any shade in the infield & on black top it was even hotter. Parked in the “Ya got to Drive Em” corral again. Lots of different cars here.

Were going to have an early night tonight & get an early start tomorrow . It has clouded up & looks like rain. We thought we better head out to beat the storm. We are going north on 25 to Colorado Springs to Hwy 24 east to Hwy 70 & east into Kansas. We had a good time here & have gotten to know the town better. It was nice staying in Pueblo this year.

 September 11, 2002

Rhinebeck, New York - Goodguy’s Show

Thursday we headed over to the car show to register. The bridge over the Hudson River is a toll bridge, $1.00, & of course there doing road work on it. The bridge is very high. You can see all across the valley from it. We checked in, we’re #918 & headed for the displays.

Friday we went to the show & looked around. It’s nice to be at a show full of cars you have never seen before. Most of the cars here are pre 48, very few 5,6,7’s. The show is open to rods, customs & classics thru ‘64. The Hudson Valley Street Rods car club had a poker run today. It was about 70 miles long. The route took us all around the east side if the Hudson River Valley. One of the spots they had us go to was the Vanderbilt Mansion, in Hyde Park. It's so pretty here not at all what we expected New York to look like. There are so many trees that you can’t see most of the buildings in the towns along the river from the bridge that crosses the Hudson River. Back at the hotels it’s like a little car show. Our hotel parking lot is right next door to the Holiday Inn, the host hotel. It’s warm & we walked around & checked all the cars outs.

Long Distance Award!

September 16, 2002

Saturday was Al’s birthday! We went out to breakfast then over to the show. There are a lot more cars here today. We tried to find a parking place in the shade. No luck at first. We parked on the grass in one of the many fields on the grounds. On one of our walks we found a road with trees along it & there was a spot open so we moved over there. It was very nice under the trees. We were looking at the vendors & in a case I saw an 35 Studebaker hood ornament, just like mine! We’ve never seen another one before. Later in the day they were picking out the awards & we got the Long Distance award! I think this award means more to Al than the Cool Vickie Award he got last year in Colorado. Tonight there is a dance at the grounds & a fireworks show after.

Sunday morning it was raining but warm. At the fairgrounds they had a special area for award winners to park. With the rain they were giving out the awards as each car drove into the winners circle. The rain stopped for a while & more cars showed up & more people came in. I visited with Dan; he’s in the Hudson Valley Street Rods. He put the poker run together. He’s going to send me a copy of it so we can try something like it. It’s been a nice time here. We headed back to the hotel to get ready for tomorrow an watch the 49er’s play. Al has decided to rent a car and drive it, into New York City.

Monday morning it was still raining. We got a car & headed south. The countryside still has lots of trees. We took the toll road Hwy 87 south into New Jersey. Then to Hwy 17 south. As we got into Hackensack we could tell we were getting into a big city but still lots of trees. Next we took Hwy 3 east. Now the cities are getting bigger & the roads are getting ruff. By the time we had made it to the Lincoln Tunnel I was so glad Al had rented a car. The potholes & dips were so big the Vickie would have had the bumpers torn off. The roads had big areas that had pavement in piles & dropped off & then back up. What a mess! As we came out of the tunnel & into Manhattan, the buildings were like being in a deep canyon. We were going to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. The streets aren’t marked very well. We missed the turn to go there. So, as we were going back around to the street, there we were, at Ground Zero! We parked the car & walked down past the closed streets to the observation platform on Liberty Street. There were lots of people there. It was very moving! I took a few pictures but they don’t capture the depth of the area. We walked all the way around the blocks. We came back to the car & started looking for the Statue of Liberty. We realized that Battery Park was just around the corner from were we had just walked. We parked again & walked to the waterfront & I got a picture of her. We had a hard time finding the way to the Holland Tunnel. The signs are at the turns not before, so if you don’t know it your past it! We went around the blocks a few times, and then we made it & headed into New Jersey & back north. Along the way we passed the Giants Stadium. Our trip today was 223 miles.

NSRA & Vermont

Tuesday morning it was foggy so we stayed in Kingston, NY till it lifted. We're going to Burlington, Vermont today. That’s where the NSRA Car Show is. We'll be taking the scenic route! Headed off, took the toll Hwy 87, north. We had been on the east side of the Hudson Valley doing the poker run. So we stayed on the west side up to Albany, NY. Went thru the Catskill Park. Got onto route 2 east. We went into the northwest corner of Massachusetts, then north into Vermont on historical State Hwy 7. The road has overpasses for the railroad tracks. When you’re on top, you can see out over the trees to see all the changing colors. The trees aren’t as thick now. They’re different kinds of trees too. Vermont is known for its Maple Syrup, baskets & cheese. Lots of small stores with hand made Vermont products & souvenirs along Hwy 7. Stopped for lunch in Bennington. Vermont has quite a few covered bridges along this route. We followed the Otter River from Emerald Lake most of the way to Burlington. Burlington is on Lake Champlain. You can take ferries from New York State to Vermont across the lake in three different places. We got back on the main road to look for a motel. You can’t see any of the stores or motels from the highways here! You can’t even tell were the cities are, except for the road signs. Makes you think you’re in the middle of a forest all the time. We took exits near the car show exit & got a room. Saw a little piece of the lake as we drove down town. We’ll have to try to get to know the area here so it’s easer to get around. It was sunny most of the day & warm, in the 80s. 243 miles today.

Wednesday was sunny, in the 80's again. Al took me to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory! I got to make my very own teddy bear. They have you fill them with different things. I filled mine with “Wishes & Magic”. I got to put the heart inside also, after I made a wish on it & sealed it with a kiss. They sewed it up & I got to cut the “cord”. They held her up by the ankles & spanked the breath of life onto her. She was born! After her, Bear Birth Certificate, with name, time of birth & date, was made out; I got to take her home. It’s “Make A Friend For Life“. It was a lot of fun!! One of the Bear Ambassadors told us how to get to the do it your self car wash. Turned out to be across the street from the Champlain Valley Exposition were the car show is held. Got it all clean again. One of the front tires is starting to wear a bit. So Al decided to put new tires on the front. He had put them on in Yuma, AZ on our way from Oklahoma in April. That’s over 8,038 miles. We found out that Costco is right behind our motel across the highway. With all the trees we couldn’t see it! Today has been very relaxing.

Saturday & Sunday

September 22, 2002

Saturday we parked out at the end of one of the grassy fields. Lots of cars here today. Went to the Insulshield Technology’s booth to check out what we’d won. It was two rolls - 5’x10’ & one piece 3’x5’, a $250.00 value. But it's way to big to bring home in the car. Al has already put this in the Vickie so he doesn’t need it. So... he put a “FOR SALE” sign on it & sold it in about an hour. We had lots of people stop & talk to us today. They can’t believe we drove the Vickie all this way here. The Vickie hasn't gotten many chips so far this trip. It seems strange to hear people speaking French. They’re so many Rodders & spectators here from Canada. It’s only about 35 miles to the border. Today it was a little overcast so it wasn’t too hot. I took a lot of pictures today. There are lots of “Odd Rods” here. Spent the whole day at the grounds. We came back to the motel & went to eat across the street at Libby’s Blue Line Diner. It clouded up & rained for a while. But it’s still warm.

Sunday morning we got up & dried off the car & went over to the show. They had us park in a special lot today. We had won the Long Distance award. We also won the Poker Run. They took pictures for the magazine. We really made out at this show! Got two Award plaques & one of the Super Prizes. They gave us a lapel pin for the 2002 Super Prize Program. Were staying here tonight then heading out tomorrow.

September 25, 2002

Heading West!

Monday was sunny & warm. Went downtown to take the ferry across Lake Champlain from Vermont over to New York. The ferry trip took an hour. It had a ramp on the dock that you drive up yourself. The ferry was only half full when we went. 10 cars, 2 motorcycles, a tour bus & a big rig tractor. The ferry has a shop & snack bar downstairs. The view from the deck was great. You got a view of the lakeshore & all the cliffs. Once we were in New York we headed south to Albany & went west, for the first time in weeks! Highway 90 is a toll way. Stopped at one of the service exits for gas. I am still amazed at to set up here. All the shops & tourist information in one building. They have maps & books about the state & also have preprinted slips with directions to anywhere in the state you need to go, all for free! Paid the toll & took one of the exits by Rochester that had motel signs on the freeway. If there weren't signs you wouldn't know the city was even there. The trees hide all. 350 miles today.

Tuesday we didn't hurry off early because it's only 95 miles to our first stop. Al's taking me to see Niagara Falls. Got back on Hwy 90 to Buffalo then north to Niagara Falls. The directions we got from the tourist information booth were so easy to follow. The first thing you see is all the mist bellowing up over the trees. Looks almost like smoke. We didn't even know we were close to the falls. Went into the park's parking lot & walked to the falls. A very short walk. The falls were great! Much more than we had expected them to be. You can stand very close to the edge of the falls. You really feel the power. This is one of the greatest things I've ever seen! There are rainbows in the mist coming up from the bottom of the falls. They have tried to keep it natural looking, but with observation towers & walkways so you can really get a good look at them. You can take an elevator down to the bottom of the observation tower to take a boat ride & walk to the Maid of the Mist. I did the walk. Got soaking wet! It was the greatest feeling, to be so close, to all that power. It's unbelievable. There are lots of things to do here. Trolley rides, helicopter rides, balloon rides, boat rides, cave walks, aquarium, botanical garden, museums & even a wax museum & lots more. They even light the falls at night. Right across the street from the parking lot is a Hard Rock Cafe'. We had lunch there. Both sides of the falls are city buildings with high-rise hotels. After looking at the falls Al decided to go up into Canada. The speed limit is in kilometers. How many times have you looked at the odometer in the car & never paid any attention to the other marks? That's the km marks. Well they tell you as you enter Canada that 50 mph = 80 km/h. The Vickie has a digital speedometer so we just guessed. We know that 1 mile = 1.6 km. The first stop we made was the Tourist information booth. With map in hand we headed west. The highway is along Lake Ontario. 190 km & we were in London! Got a room at the Day's Inn. There are lots of signs in French, & the prices are in Canadian. $1.50 to $1.00 US. I went into Wal Mart to check it out, lots of different items. Most are Canadian made. Milk was in gallon plastic bags. TV, the voice over is in French. Well, we had quite a day. 222 miles today.

September 30, 2002

Homeward Bound!

Wednesday morning the sun was shining & we're going to go across the tip of Ontario, Canada to Port Huron, & back into The USA. We went along Lake Huron into Michigan. In Davison, a truck went by & threw a rock into the car. Took a chip the size of a quarter out of the paint just below the windshield on the passenger side. Went down metal. Rebounded off the windshield. Hwy 69 took us all the way to Battle Creek, then Hwy 94 to Benton Harbor & along Lake Michigan & into Indiana. The time changed again as we crossed into Indiana. Next we went into Illinois. We thought we would bypass Chicago by taking the Highway 90 Toll way that skirts the city. Was not a good road & the traffic was real bad. This toll was $.40 you threw in bin. You went 10 miles & threw in another $.40. After about 6 of these we took an exit in Rockford to spend the night. Today we were in two different countries, three different states & two time zones, & saw 4 of the Great Lakes. The land was mostly flat with trees in all the places we were in today. (but not as many trees as New York state has) 475 miles today.

Thursday morning it was cooler. Getting back on Hwy 90 & paying the toll of $.25, because it was in-between toll plazas. We headed north into Wisconsin. The toll way ends at the border. The roads got better too. The trees here are like poles. Lots of cheese advertised here. Went threw Madison then west to La Crosse, here we crossed the Mississippi River & into Minnesota. Mostly farmland & dairies now. It’s still flat! We crossed the bottom of Minnesota going thru Rochester. They’re lots of billboards along the highway. Two places have so many billboards, Al’s Oasis & Wall Drug. We crossed into South Dakota & stayed in Sioux Falls. 496 miles today.

Friday it’s cold! Frost on the ground. We had to put on coats & socks this morning. After seeing all the billboards, we stopped at Al’s Oasis for breakfast. It was really quite a place. Very western, with buffalos outside to see & buffalo burgers inside! Coffee was $.05. Breakfast was good. The gift shop was huge. We bought gloves here. Crossed the Missouri River. Stopped in Wall, window to the west & went to Wall Drug. Was like a old west town even with hitching posts. The hole town was gift shops. A lot like Virginia City in Nevada. Wall Drug is a shopping mall inside old western buildings. They were even giving you free coffee & donuts if you asked, because some of the billboards had adds for that. There is a scenic byway here that takes you threw the Badlands National Park. Had lunch & headed for Rapid City, Wyoming. Then south to Keystone & The Mount Rushmore monument. As you’re driving up the mountain you make a turn & there it is! I wasn’t expecting to be able to see the monument from the road. It’s free to go an see. Parking fee is $8.00. Good for the hole year. There is a small free parking lot also. If you know about it before you get there you can park & hike up. If you don’t, you pass it. The viewing of the mountain is from the Grand View Terrace at the base. As you walk to it, you go thru the Avenue of Flags. There is a museum along with a gift shop & restaurant. Gutzon Borglum the sculptor, studio’s is a historic building that was built in 1939 & you can tour it also. It’s quite something to look at. Just to think that someone could think of doing it, let alone, finding a place to do it. We spent quite a while there, eating our ice cream & looking up! It’s quite a sight. Incase you’ve forgotten who’s on the mountain, its Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, & Roosevelt. But not in that order. At night they have a lighting ceremony. The Borglum Historical Center is in Keystone & is also free. There are lots of things to see close to here. Crazy Horse Monument, Jewel Caves, Sitting Bull’s Crystal Caverns, Custer State Park & The Black Hills National Forest. Later we drove to Gillette, Wyoming to visit relatives & spent the night. The Black Hills Mountains have huge coal deposits, oil deposits, gold, & garnets. This is were Devils Tower is. In 1906, President Teddy Roosevelt designated Devils Tower as the nation’s first national, natural monument. The area also has large sites of dinosaur bones. Wyoming’s population is only 493,782. Some cities have more people. Yellowstone Park is in the northwest corner of Wyoming. We were going to go there next but a storm is coming & looks like it will snow there. It seems like a lot of miles for today, but it’s all long straight roads. 528 miles today.

Saturday we headed south on State Highway 59. Taking this highway will cut about 100 miles off the trip across Wyoming. The interstate highways zigzag across the state. Hwy 59 goes south threw the Thunder Basin National Grasslands. The Pronghorn Antelope are all along the roads. Bucks gather large herds of doe’s this time of year. We followed the train tracks leaving Gillette. The trains of coal cars were something! They just kept coming up the tracks. Campbell County mines more than 1/4 of the nation’s coal. Had lunch in Cheyenne then took Hwy 80 went to Laramie. The butte’s here are beautiful. Crossed the Continental Divide west of Rawlins, 7000 feet. The speed limit is 75 mph. Nice roads too. Stayed in Rock Springs. This is the first time we have spent two night in one state since we started west. The eastern states are much smaller & you can go thru a few in a day. 504 miles today.

Sunday was warmer. Headed west into Utah. There are still lots of antelope along the highway. Had breakfast at Park City, Utah. This is where the Winter Olympics were last year. You can see the Long Jump ramp from the parking lot at the restaurant. We have mountains again. Went on to Salt Lake City, then towards Wendover. Stopped & walked out onto the salt flats. It was hard, but stuck to your shoes. They had a foot wash there for you. As we crossed into Nevada the time changed again. We’re back in the Pacific Time zone. The colors in the High Desert have really changed in 5 weeks. Lots of yellow, gold & red foliage. It’s so pretty in the setting sun. Spent the night in Winnemucca, Nevada. 526 miles today.

Monday morning Al checking the Vickie out to make sure everything is OK. We aren’t in a hurry because we are planning on spending two days at The Peppermill in Reno & it’s only 160 miles away. We got coupons for two for one when we stayed there for the Last Bash. 160 miles today.

October 2, 2002

California at last!

Wednesday it’s time to leave here. After going to the Island Buffet at the Peppermill for breakfast, we started for Sacramento. It’s only 133 miles there, so we took a trip to Sacramento Vintage Ford to look around. Checked into the motel & had lunch. We went to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. It’s only a few miles from the motel. Great food! 144 miles today.

October 6, 2002

NSRA Golden State Street Rod Nationals

Thursday Bob & Sally Tavares drove up in there 39 Chevy. They got here around 3:00 pm. The rest of the group towed up. Richard & Phyllis Avila also stayed at our hotel. Mike & Diane Robinson, Ron & Jo Ann Berti, Ken & Kathy Allen stayed in there motorhomes at the Cal Expo grounds. The NSRA Inaugural Golden State Street Rod Nationals in Sacramento was held at the Cal Expo grounds. Registration was at The Double Tree Hotel. Thursday we went over & picked up the packets. There was a kickoff party in the Double Tree Ballroom.

Friday morning we went over to the Expo for the show. The grounds are very large. The club parked together on the rise above the screened parking area. Then we went to look at the exhibits. The host club The Over The Hill Gang of Sacramento had a continental breakfast at the grounds. Lots of nice cars here. All the main parking areas are covered with screens. Very nice because it can be very hot here. The weather is warmer than it has been for quite a while. There was live entertainment tonight at the Expo.

Saturday was warm again & we all parked in the same place. The guys took the cars through the NSRA Safety inspection. Joe & Debbie Cutrufelli came up even thought there car isn’t finished yet & they won one of the Super Prizes. There was a dance at the Expo tonight.

Final Entry...

There's no place like home...

Sunday morning we all parked under the screened area because it’s warmer today. Not as many cars here today as yesterday. There were 1411 cars at the show. The awards were at 2 pm & then the drawings. At registration they had a banner with the NSRA logo & the show name on it. They had everyone sign as we left registration. They gave the banner away as one of the prizes. The Over The Hill Gang of Sacramento did the banner. It was neat! NSRA shows, give away a lot of prizes at their shows along with a new S10 truck at all 11 of their show. After the awards everyone left to go home except Bob & Sally & us. We’re staying overnight & going home tomorrow. After we got back to the hotel & Richard & Phyllis had loaded up & left, the fire department came to the hotel. We thought “Not again”, but next the rescue truck came then the police. Someone didn’t answer the door when the maids tried cleaning or the phone so the police had to break the window to get into the room because he had the dead bolt on the door. They took him away in the rescue truck. The evenings here have been great. Setting out visiting & stuff (like having ice cream) has been so nice. Went out to dinner with Bob & Sally then for a walk.

Monday we headed toward home with Bob & Sally. It’s very fitting to go home with them since we left town with them. 186 miles today.

I would especially like to THANK Jody for having the idea of putting this on the web site & for all the work she has done. She sure has done a great job with the web site.

Well I guess this is the end of the trip. We’ve had a wonderful time. It’s made it very special being able to share it with all of you. I hope that you enjoyed reading about our trip. We sure enjoyed it. We’ve put 8,484 miles on our odometer this trip. We went thru 19 different states, some we went thru twice, two countries & 4 time zones, going & coming. We saw 4 of the Great Lakes, & two of our great monuments. We learned a lot about this great country we live in. We learned about the different ways of life across this country. And met lots of very nice people. We also learned not, to drink “sweet tea.” We learned you could live with just one pair of shoes! We learned to use the tourist information booths in each state. They have maps! We learned you need a night-light so when you get up in the middle of the night you know the way, and that you need to boil water in your room when it’s so dry. There’s lots more things we learned. Some we’ll use again, some we’ll just laugh about. We’re going to do another trip next year! I can hardly wait.

I know I made lots of grammar errors & spelling errors, but I hope you got the idea. This is the first time I’ve kept a journal like this. If you have any questions or comments please email us at GOLDCOASTRODDERS@YAHOO.COM

Till next time. Thank you, Mary Rosario