Americruise 2001, Tour 3

Five days with the top down and the empty rows of corn along Nebraska’s lonely highway have resigned me to watching rain droplets dance and wiggle up the windshield of the ’54. I take a moment to reflect on the journey now behind us. This band of strangers, now friends, bound together by one thing—the love of driving old cars. And drive ’em we did, across the deserts of California and Nevada, through the badlands of Utah, and over the Continental Divide in Colorado. We saw the beauty of the western states and felt the camaraderie that only a traveling car show can provide. Every stop introduced new faces to the group that were quickly absorbed into the clan as our own.

We started our five-day outing in Pomona, California, at the NHRA Motorsports Museum, where curator Greg Sharp was kind enough to open the doors and allow our early morning group free reign among the endless rows of historic race cars. With the hot rod jones sated, our tour leader and VP of Events, Joe Sebergandio, held a drivers’ meeting, handed out goodie bags, and answered questions just before we took off. Twenty-five colorful rods and customs dodged the sunny Sunday-morning traffic, staying in small groups until we hit the open desert, where we grouped together for the first hitch to Vegas. Each day brought more blue skies and long miles as we wound our way toward Lincoln, Nebraska. We were 35 cars strong when we rolled into drizzly Lincoln 1,471 miles later, where we proceeded to settle into the warm embrace of its citizens, who obviously look forward to Americruise every year as much as we do. Americruise 2002 looks like it will be even bigger than this year’s event. So don’t be scared—jump in your rod and come meet your new friends.