I spent months prepping and planning the West Coast Americruise route. Sacramento Vintage Ford sponsored the tour, so I knew we'd be taking a different route than last year. There was a lot of staring at maps trying to locate the smallest paved roads that still might have some services if we needed them, and once the roads were determined it then became a challenge to find places to stay that could accommodate our group. So after all this work it was great getting on the road and seeing if the effort was going to pay off. It did, and here's my account of the daily happenings.
Friday, June 22We gathered at our office in Placentia and snacked on some doughnuts and juice as we waited for everyone to show up. After a little last-minute repair to our Long Distance Award winner from Australia, we were on the road to Sacramento. We seemed to separate right from the start but grouped up again at lunch in Bakersfield. After about 415 miles, we made it to Sacramento Vintage Ford a little later than planned.
Saturday, June 23Got up this morning and headed east toward Lake Tahoe and then on to Virginia City. Hot and very windy from Virginia City to Winnemucca. Made note to buy earplugs and more sunscreen. Drove about 320 miles and had a barbecue hosted by the Flying A Garage.
Sunday, June 24Today was a lot of driving, since we needed to get through Utah and into Evanston, Wyoming. Stopped by the Bonneville Salt Flats because you kinda have to. Met with the Evanston Car Cruise car club for a barbecue hosted by the city of Evanston at the restored machine shop at the train yard, and took a spin on the train turntable (only one still operational in the country).
Monday, June 25Hit the road for our final bit of interstate highway and drove to Rock Springs, Wyoming, and toured Performance Auto Sales. We then headed for Casper, Wyoming, and met with about 20 cars from the Oil Capital Auto Club at Independence Rock. They led us into Casper and then hosted a picnic dinner for us. We had chicken and lots of homemade side dishes and desserts. It was true hospitality that had everyone talking.
Tuesday, June 26Today, Stan Goodwin and Steve Schaffer from the Oil Capital Auto Club led us on a tour through the Black Hills to check out Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. The roads and scenery were some of the best yet. We stopped a couple of times by the side of the road to check out herds of buffalo as they were grazing. We were advised not to try and ride them. We also got the attention of several wild burros. There was a brush fire in the area, so we took a short detour and made our way to Hot Springs, South Dakota.
Wednesday, June 27We drove to Alliance, Nebraska, to check out Carhenge (like Stonehenge, but with cars). The local paper and radio station were there to greet us. We then went to the VFW Club for a homemade chicken fried steak lunch. We drove to Broken Bow, Nebraska, and met with Ron Stewart and the Custer County Car Club, who hosted a small show around the town square. Had a great brownie sundae at the local ice cream shop.
Thursday, June 28Today was a pretty short driving day; we only had 180 miles to go. We stopped at Vintage Speed Shop in Central City for lunch and then went on to Speedway Motors for a warehouse tour.
So, there you have it. We could have made it to Lincoln in less time, but certainly wouldn't have had as fun. The support we had from local clubs and shops was the best it has ever been, and we'd like to thank them all again.