Cousins across the South East

We had a nice, sunny travel day visiting some nice, friendly cousins while driving from Richmond to Raleigh.

This happy couple is Randy and Joan posing with Old Gold. It seems that Old Gold gets lots of attention and is included in many pictures to record our travels. We had a nice visit over breakfast and coffee. Then it was back on the road.

No, it's not snow! We might encounter some of that white stuff before we get home. I'm thinking Old Gold would be a lot happier driving on dry roads. This white field is a cotton field for those of you who haven't seen one before.

This charming couple is Fred and Linda. There's Old Gold posing again. Fred and Linda are newlyweds and we had a delightful dinner and visit with them. Again, getting reacquainted with a cousin after too long a time while also meeting a new family member. Hopefully, it won't be so long before the next visit. The weather forecast is for rain for our trip to Atlanta area. It's a long drive and promises to be a challenging one. So, I guess it's time to get packed up and hit it.

Visiting cousins in the DC area.

So, after driving south from Portland, ME area and avoiding NYC traffic and most of Boston's traffic, we arrived in the suburbs of Washington D.C. Weather has undergone a refreshing change for the drier and warmer. Much more pleasant driving! We even put the top down so Marie could have a ride with me in Old Gold.

From left in front row, Scout, Siobhan, Brad. The back row is LaDonna, Marie, Doug,

Toni, Steve, Louise and Kevin posing with Old Gold.

In addition to cousins, one of LaDonna's home town school friends lives in Manassas, VA. Marcia came over for a visit. Looks like a lively discussion with Marcia, LaDonna, Marie, Brad and Siobhan.

Kevin gets some fire starting advice from his sister, Louise. I'm just hoping they don't burn Old Gold in the process. Have you ever seen a fiberglass fire? It isn't pretty!

After a wonderful visit with cousins in the north, we drove down to the Richmond area to visit Connor and Corbin as well as their parents, nephew Steve and his wife Robin. The four footed friend is Wellington.

I just love some of the local names of streets and villages. I could not pass up snapping a picture of the street sign at the intersection of Foggy Bottom Drive and Snickersville Turnpike. You might think of a "Turnpike" as a multi-lane, high speed thoroughfare in both directions. This one is barely two lanes wide with several one lane bridges. It passes through some beautiful countryside with stately farms, historic buildings and many stacked rock hedge rows.

Just a quick update on Old Gold's trip status. Mileage is 472,680. So, since we left home three weeks ago, we've driven over 4600 miles. We've been averaging almost 23 MPG. We haven't had to add any oil, coolant or do any repairs. Well, I've tried to locate and correct one really annoying water leak. But, like the old timers say about old Corvettes. It's a little like driving a tent! When it rains, you get wet! We plan to visit more cousins and old acquaintances in the next few days. Remember the definition of "Old" vs "Old"! We'll keep you posted if you follow along.

To Maine and Beyond!

One of our goals for our "Big Adventure" has now been realized. That was to cover all the New England states and snap a picture of Old Gold at the Atlantic Ocean. Here is Old Gold posing in front of a lighthouse near Portland, Maine. Some of you may know of Bob's fascination with lighthouses. We'll, here you go Bob! At this point in our trip, we have covered 3,657 miles since we left Kalama. Haven't had to add any oil or coolant yet and we're not to the half way point yet. It would be pretty chintzy of us to just turn around and back track. Besides that, we still have one more milestone birthday to celebrate later this month in Iowa.

While in the Portland area, we stayed with Frank and Kitty and enjoyed their hospitality immensely. Of course, while we were in the "Upper right hand corner" of the map, we had to have some lobster. So, we dined at the Ocean Gardens Restaurant. Sorry, Dave! We devoured six yummy lobsters and a couple of lobster "Pies" between the four of us. Yummy! We also taught Frank and Kitty's dog a couple new tricks. She can now speak and growl on command. At least if LaDonna or I are commanding.

Here's Old Gold in Sunrise Watching position. It's pretty easy to watch sunsets at our place but sunrises are  a little more difficult.

We did find a "Local" to take our picture at one of the harbors north of Portland. He enjoyed hearing about Old Gold's cross country trip and our 'Big Adventure".

After our visit to Maine, we headed south and a little west. Our next planned visit stop is in the Washington D.C. area. So, we drove a few hundred miles today on the road system that some call "Freeway". There is also the "Thru-Way", "Express Way", "Turnpike", "Interstate", etc. Pretty good way to cover lots of miles in the shortest time but, also pretty unnerving when you see how other drivers act when they see Old Gold. Even more unnerving when you see how they drive when they DON'T see Old Gold. So, we hopped off the "Mass-Pike" and tooled around Boston and down through Rhode Island and found a very nice little restaurant for lunch. We managed to stay on the two lane roads for a little longer and finally landed in Danbury, CT for the night. Stay with us!

Albany, New York area for a visit with friends

Our next stop was in Delmar, NY just south of Albany to catch up with friends. We enjoyed a delightful dinner and fun visit with Mark, Christine, Michael, Lou, Jane, Norm and Adelle. The photo above shows from left to right, Chris, Michael and Mark. Can you guess from the photo who's headed for work?

We added a snapshot of us in front of "Sir Basil" The MG is in the garage for some minor modifications and repair of a couple oil leaks. You know what they say about the Brit cars, eh? "If there's no oil under it, there's no oil IN it." Old Gold, on the other hand has required no oil or coolant refills. Still on the full mark!

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Here's another post after another day of driving in the rain. I shouldn't complain, I guess. Old Gold is enjoying the trip, we're seeing some amazing sites and most important, we're visiting our friends. It has been way too long!

Here are Dan and Carol showing off in Old Gold's passenger compartment. Note who is riding shotgun!

Such a delightful couple that we are proud to count among our friends.

A rare picture in front of the Detroit Renaissance Center without people and cars. It's a bustling place!

We thought we'd drop by to see if the GM VP's were actually at work on the 38th floor. Well, it was Thursday! Pretty special opportunity to view this gorgeous foyer. Thanks Dan!

You may have heard the boating season is short in Detroit. We're in front of Dan's sailboat, My Three Sons. We talked about going out on Lake St Clair. When we got there, the winds were 20 knots with gusts to "Holy Smoke". Lots of white caps and choppy water. Temps were in the teens Celsius. So, we decided to snap a picture, sit down in the boat and visit a little. Dan is very proud of his boat and all three of his sons. Chris was home and we had a nice visit. Dan, Jr. and Will are away at college so, we'll have to catch them on our next visit.

American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls at Niagara. If you haven't been here yet, you must add it to your "TO-DO" list.

Here are the intrepid travelers taking a walking break from sitting inside Old Gold.

Rainbow Bridge connecting Canada to US. Connect your seat belts Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to hit the road again!

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.

Grand Rapids to West Branch via Lowell, MI

This segment of the trip was a homecoming of sorts for Old Gold. Look through the pictures and read the captions. I can hear Bob chuckling every step of the way. We headed out of Grand Rapids after a delightful evening with Matt and Lois. Pulled into Lowell and started looking for photo opportunities. Follow carefully.

First stop in Lowell, MI was in front of the City Hall / Police Department. Note that we parked where the sign says Don't. You have to live life on the edge! Then we drove around the corner and were flagged down by one of Bob's old friends who said, "There can't be more than a couple cars like this that would be in Lowell, MI. Jim said that he and Bob drove from Michigan to California in Old Gold in 1965 on Route 66.

Here is Jim and Beverly Hall with Old Gold in front of the White House in Lowell, MI. Their daughter Christie, told some stories about all four kids riding in the car to get ice cream, or anything else they wanted. I guess the statute of limitations has run out by now? She remembered the car seemed to be so big back then. What happened? Maybe we grew up. I can tell you that if you put two people and their luggage in this car and head out cross country on a big adventure, the car is NOT big!

The next stop was to snap a photo of the old Elementary school in Lowell where Bob, Jim and Lois' mom was a third grade teacher.

After a nice, relaxing visit and stop in Lowell, we headed out to visit an old Sea Bee buddy. You know "Old" as in a long time ago. Rather than "Old" as in when Moby Dick was a minnow. Ride along!