West Branch to Detroit

We stayed on the two lane roads, (Bob's favorite type of roads) we enjoyed the changing colors of the trees along all the county roads and state highways enroute to West Branch. This time of year is the very best to tour back roads with all the deciduous trees turning bright colors. They would have been even more brilliant if  it weren't for all the clouds and rain. OK, I'll stop whining! We are having a great "Big Adventure". The car is running perfectly and even gets better gas mileage on the two lane roads when you obey the posted speed limits. Pictures to follow include captions to explain people and places. Enjoy!

Once upon a time in a country far, far, away, there was a little disagreement that needed some intervention by some of America's finest. The best of the best, in my biased opinion, was a band of craftsmen known as Sea Bees. Sea because the paycheck came from the US Navy and Bees because we were as busy as the proverbial honey bee. Actually, the letters CB means Construction Battalion. Joe and I became fast friends while serving in the role of Construction Mechanic with MCB 62. That's Mobile Construction Battalion 62 home based in Gulfport, MS. We worked together to keep all kinds of heavy construction equipment, earth movers, fork lifts, trucks, rollers, scrapers, loaders, cranes, compressors, ditchers, bulldozers, you name it; functional and on the job. The Sea Bee motto is "Can Do" and we did. Anyway, the good looking couple in front of Old Gold posing in front of their home in West Branch is Joe and Glenna. We are proud to include them in our list of good friends. After spending a delightful evening visiting with them we hit the road again. Mostly two lane roads to enjoy a little slower pace. Next stop, Detroit. Yep, Motor City. The central office and nerve center of Old Gold's creator, General Motors.

Here's Old Gold parked in front of the GM Building at the new Renaissance Center in the heart of Detroit.

It's a pretty impressive structure that emboldens the work force as downtown Detroit tries to revitalize itself. A vital economy would certainly help but, they are building some really nice cars for competitive prices. Say what you want but, GM is still an important part of America. And of course, the parent company of the Chevrolet Corvette. One thing is certain, every year's evolution of the Corvette has been better than the previous model. 1961 was the last year for the 283 cubic inch engine in the Corvette and they continued to get stronger and more fun to drive as the years progressed. I talked to one of the GM security people who wanted me to move Old Gold from in front of the Ren Cen, as it's called. I pointed out that Old Gold is 50 years old and has nearly a half million miles under her belt. So, we got a break and snapped some pictures.