Bill is turning me into a hot rodder and I'm trying to make him a happy camper - it's working.

On June 8th we set out in our yellow 1927 Model T Roadster towing our new utility trailer Bill built over the winter. (Our experience last year going to the Sechelt Sleepy Hollow run convinced us we needed a trailer for our tent and all the other "gear".) Quite literally, the trailer was not ready until the night before we left. The packing was done on Saturday morning and a number of items were left behind due to lack of space. We had enough gas, oil, water, antifreeze, cleaning supplies etc. to outfit a convoy to L.A. But, as Bill keeps saying, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. (We'll note here that it was his drip coffee maker and boom box that had to be left behind).

Saturday, 08JUN02 - got a late start as we still had to stop by Murray's house and pick up our BCHRA caps to go with our BCHRA jackets we picked up from Henry's the night before. It proved fortunate we didn't cross the border until noon as we wound up driving behind the rain the complete trip to Salem. (Bunny and Charlotte had driven down four hours ahead of us and had dreadful rain all the way down.) As we don't have side curtains or windshield wipers, rain was not something we wanted to encounter. We had booked a hotel in Salem for our first night.

Sunday, 09JUN02 - headed for California with a planned stop at Bunny and Charlotte's place in Medford. We had planned on a quick coffee visit but accepted their warm invitation to stay for dinner and spend the night. They gave us a tour of the area that evening, complete with a visit to their friends' place to see the hotrod the friend is building.

Monday, 10JUN02 - Bunny rapped on the bedroom door at eight the next morning to announce "breakfast in 10 minutes". This fit in with Bill's idea of "camping". After our gourmet breakfast we hit the road and soon reached the California border. They have a "fruit check" and won't allow Florida citrus fruits into the state. Rather than have our grapefruit confiscated, we pulled to the side of the road and peeled and ate grapefruit all the while waving at the stream of people honking and giving us thumbs up as they drove by. We proceeded happily down I-5 until we thought it was time to stop and we very conveniently found a campground. Bill had a good omen as we pulled in because the first thing he spotted was a 1940 Ford 2 Door with a matching flamed Boler in tow. We were still pitching the tent as our fellow rodder walked over with a couple of beer to welcome us. When we went to the pool I swam around while Bill stood waste deep in the water and talked cars with our new friend (I'm getting used to this).

Tuesday, 11JUN02 - after a good sleep and a great breakfast (Bill quickly mastered the Coleman stove and an old perk coffeepot -remember, he had to leave the electric coffee maker at home) we packed up and hit the road headed out to the coast. The only misadventure was when the navigator overshot the interchange to Hwy 101 and we had to proceed past San Jose and wind our way down Hwy.17 to come out on the coast at Santa Cruz. To his credit, the driver never complained although the road was reminiscent of the Road to Hanna on Maui; very steep and full of switchbacks. That little trailer tracks beautifully. We passed by Monterey and Carmel as we reached our destination - the campground at Big Sur. Hot dogs for dinner and a nice shower before bed rounded out the day.

Wednesday, 12JUN02 - a leisurely picnic table breakfast was really enjoyable after spending the night sleeping on the hard ground. You guessed it - our air mattress went flat! But never fear, we had a spare. We phoned our friends, Dick and Mary-Lu (L.A.Roadster members we were to stay with that night in their home just south of San Luis Obispo). They drove up and met us along Hwy. 1 to have lunch and lead us to their home. It is worth mentioning here that this stretch of the drive, down Hwy. 1 from Big Sur to San Luis Obispo was the best of the trip. It was hilly, zig-zaggy and very slow driving but it was fabulous! The coastline is absolutely gorgeous and it smelled so good! Bill and I agreed that the Roadster was perfect because you would miss so much in an ordinary car with the windows closed and the air-conditioning blasting.

Dick and Mary-Lu have the perfect garage - it is huge, has a small hoist, contains everything you need to play with your cars, the walls sport pictures of their cars over the years and it is fully carpeted. When the triple doors go up you see their blue '32 Roaster Hi-Boy, red '32 two door, and while we were there, our yellow '27 Model T Roadster. Yes, we have pictures!

Thursday, 13JUN02 - up early and on the road to Pomona where hundreds of Roadsters awaited our hungry eyes. The drive provided the inevitable unscheduled stop - Dick and Mary-Lu blew a rad hose. We were all grateful we had been travelling together as Bill lay on the ground and did the best "that'll do 'til we get there" repair job under Dick's supervision. I was surprised to find we had to plug in two bits for each three minutes of water to cool down and then refill the radiator. Luckily, the last hour to Pomona was uneventful as the cooling fan wasn't working and there was always the danger of being stuck in traffic and overheating. A relaxing dinner at the hotel was appreciated by the four of us.

Friday, 14JUN02 - this was the day before the show so our hotel parking lot was a beehive of activity as the trailer queens pulled in and unloaded and all the roadsters got their last minute cleanup and spit & polish. I got to "dress the wheels" which I had never heard of before. This ranked right up there with picking the bugs out of the radiator with a toothpick. However, when I saw Bill on his back, wiggling underneath the car to clean the chrome, I figured I had the better job. I didn't know until two days later when some other wives informed me "the women don't clean the cars, they just drive them". Do you think I was sucked in?

Saturday, 15JUN02 - Finally! The Main Event! The reason we had driven 1,500 miles! The L.A. Roadster Show began. This year saw over 800 Roadsters and probably another 2,000 hotrods outside the fairgrounds that couldn't get in because they didn't fit the definition of pre 1937 finished Roadster or Cabriolet. Talk about impressive! Bill's eyes glazed over as he walked me through the grounds and meticulously told me year and model and pointed out unique modifications done by proud owners. I have to admit to feeling pretty proud myself as people would come up to us and make complimentary comments about our car. I felt especially good when they would ask me a question I actually knew the answer to (thank you, Bill - I know I'm slow to catch on but I am learning). There were a kazillion vendors hawking very expensive have-to-have items for the hotrodder from the basics like a frame or motor to all the goodies. Of course, everything was chromed or polished. No lack of places to spend your money in this sport! There was also a huge swapmeet outside the grounds with items to meet every budget. The evening was capped off with an Italian dinner on the fairgrounds for the Roadster participants. All round, not a bad deal for people who were just happy to be there!

Sunday, 16JUN02 - the wrap up of the show and everyone stays to the end because they won't give out the coveted pewter participant mugs until 3 PM . (they sure know how to keep the roadsters in the lot) We spent our last hour sitting by the gates and watching the cars exit the fairgrounds. What a parade! We had a nice dinner with old friends and new.

Monday, 17JUN02 - packed up and took the scenic route back to Dick and Mary-Lu's with lunch along the way. Yet another dinner out with Dick and Mary-Lu and another couple, Chuck and Betty who own a '34 Roadster and an all steel '37 Cabriolet. (yes, food played a very dominant role in our trip)

Tuesday, 18JUN02 - Bill had brought along an extra steering box (just in case) and as he felt the steering had a little too much play, he chose to change the box before he let me drive again. Fine with me - I always like a car to turn the corner when I want it to and not half a block further down the road. We started out at noon and drove up Hwy.101. A stop for dinner at Red Lobster gave us a chance to look at the map and we agreed to drive another 100 miles and camp just west of San Jose. We stopped at a state park but the arrangement was to park in a common lot and then hike your tenting gear up a hill and into the woods, out of sight of the car and trailer. You don't ask a hotrodder to leave his car out of sight. Ixnay on that plan. We moved on to another sight and camped beside a pretty little creek. I enjoyed the sound of the water all night but when I think about it, maybe that's the reason Bill got up to visit nature in the middle of the night.

Wednesday, 19JUN02 - over the Golden Gate Bridge and on up the coast to Eureka. We sat in a hot tub and had a lovely visit with a young German couple who were exchange students living in the New York area and road tripping on their summer vacation. Next to our campsite were four young people cycling the Oregon coast. Campers are a mixed lot.

Thursday,20JUN02 - drove the coastline north to Florence, Oregon home of the awesome sand dunes. We stayed at the Jesse Honeyman State campground which contained several hundred sites and proved to be the best camp experience of the trip. You can always impress Bill with clean washrooms and hot showers.

Friday, 21JUN02 - another day, another few hundred miles. We drove up to Lincoln City and after setting up camp, drove off to the local casino for a buffet dinner and to make our contribution to the local economy. We had fun even though it was very misty and damp as we crawled into our tent at midnight. Still, a very comfortable night.

Saturday, 22JUN02 - north to Astoria and then east to join into I-5. We could have driven home but I was still on vacation and didn't want to cut it short. We stopped in Lynwood, just north of Seattle. Our compromise was to stay in a hotel so with all the extra time not having to set up camp, we walked to the nearest Olive Garden and had a leisurely dinner.

Sunday, 23JUN02 - a slow drive to the border saw us back in Canada shortly after noon and the weather at home was just as nice as what we had left in California. Home safe and sound and looking forward to doing it again.

Submitted by:
Dianne Lewis & Bill Townsend

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