PHOTO 1: Donna's Diner
When it was announced the GT49 would be in Oregon, my long-term road trip partner, Marv Stuart, was excited. He had made the trip from CT for GT28, and he enjoyed it so much that he looked forward to doing it again. My wife Cheryl didn’t drive to Memphis with me, and it wasn’t as much fun. I missed her company, organizational and navigation skills. I had to pay more attention to the GPS directions, and the added distraction made it more stressful. After the trip to Colorado Springs, I wasn’t sure she wanted to make another long journey.
As the year progressed, Cheryl’s interest in the trip to Oregon improved, and we began to make a route for the trip. As we all know, life gets in the way of our plans, and it appeared we would be making the trip alone. This would be our first truly solo round trip to a GT. I was confident the car was ready and I carried enough of the most important parts to keep us moving. My onboard inventory was developed through the experience of what needed repaired in previous trips and listening to others sharing their adventures of life on the road with an MGA. My parts inventory space is limited as we don’t have a luggage rack and we had long ago decided we wouldn’t add one.
The time was based on the fact that we were going to travel a few days and then spend a couple of days in an area and repeat the process. On the trip west, we stopped at Springfield IL and Cheyanne WY; heading home we stayed in Rapid City SD and visited relatives near Lansing MI. It made the trip longer, but the shorter days in the car were more tolerable in the heat.
Our journey began on July 5th. While we always enjoy our traveling companions, driving alone gave us the ability to leave early and get off the road early. Our first stop after leaving CT was Sharon PA, near the OH border. My wife is a vegetarian and has been for over 25 years. As we were quick to discover, once we headed west her options were limited at best. We looked over the restaurants near the motel and found on that seemed to fit the bill, Donna’s Diner. When we arrived, I felt like I was in a movie, as the parking spot was open directly in front of a 50’s style Stainless Steel diner. This made for a great first photo of our trip.
PHOTO 1: Donna's Diner
We took a couple of move days to arrive at our first destination Springfield, IL. The reason for this selection was all about Abraham Lincoln. I have always loved American History and I was always so impressed with how, from such humble beginnings, he developed into the great figure we know today.
The visit to neighborhood and house in which once lived were so well preserved you got a sense of what being there was like. The visit to the Lincoln Museum was great. The artifacts of the museum along with two outstanding video presentations were awesome. If you are interested in Lincoln’s life, even a little, a stop in Springfield is a must. While driving through the city we even drove on the Mother Road, RT 66 for a short time. Another stop in Springfield you want to take a tour of the Dana-Thomas House, a Frank Llyod Wright designed house built in the early 1900’s. Donations were suggested but admission was free.
The morning, we left Springfield, the remnants of hurricane/tropical storm Beryl was pushing north to the middle of the country. It began to rain as soon as we got in the car. For us who drive our MGs in the rain this means it not whether the rain is coming in but how much is coming in. The drip per second ratio was manageable with strategically placed towels. With the RainX doing its job, we continued driving west away from the storm. The rain ended in a few hours but the clouds remained keeping down the temperature.
While many will fault our route due our use of the Google maps, the interstate highway system and major state roads. This plan gave us a little more degree of comfort knowing there would be better access to services if we needed them. I’m not saying we would find a MG mechanic in the middle of nowhere but even knowing fuel was more available was somewhat reassuring.
We continued across Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska heading towards our multi-night stopping point Cheyanne, WY. As we started to drive through time zones, we had to make stops so we didn’t get to our next hotel before check in time. The Mansion on the Hill in Ogallala and Fort Sidney in Sidney NE were both spots I would recommend.
I knew that we were continually getting higher in elevation as we drove through the NE, but didn’t realize how high until we got into Cheyanne, WY. We seemed to be doing fine while on I80 being the RPMs were up. Once we stopped at a light near our hotel, I realized how high when I tried pulling away and the car was very sluggish. I remembered the trip to Colorado Springs and the suggested 2 flat adjustment to lean out the carburetors to improve the drivability. Once in the hotel parking lot I made the adjustment and it was better but while driving to dinner it was still not as good. After dinner I did one more flat and this was a big improvement the next day driving around Cheyanne.
If you are a railroad fan the Cheyanne Depot Museum is a great stop. The museum traces the railroads part in developing the west and the history of the Union Pacific. The second floor of the museum has a great model railroad layout that rambles through most of the space. The layout detail is extraordinary and provides a great representation of both urban and rural landscape.
PHOTO 2: Lincoln Museum
Outside the depot and around Cheyanne were a cowboy boot, each about 10 ft high, each boot was painted with a scene depicting a historic glimpse into Cheyanne’s past. This one is of the Pony Express.
PHOTO 3: Cheyanne Boot
In Holiday Park there is the Union Pacific “Big Boy” 4004 locomotive, these locomotives built in the 1940’s to haul freight over the Rockies were the largest ever built weighing over 1.2 million pounds.
PHOTO 4: Big Boy 4014
Big Boy 4014 was repowered by UP and still travels the rail today a marvel of engineering from another time.
The Wyoming State Museum and the Historic Governor’s Mansion are both worth a visit and are free to the public.As we began our journey the next day it was soon apparent that the 3 flat adjustment of the carburetors was not going to be enough. I know many of you would disagree with my field adjustments but, it worked for us. After climbing an 8600 ft rise, I pulled over and made my last adjustment. That was enough to get us through WY, which was the highest portion of the trip. Each night when I did my fluid checks I would also check the plugs to see how it was running. The car was running fine and the water temperature was normal except when pulling a hill but always went down when driving down the back side.
As we approached Boise ID, the air temperature was nearing triple digits with a forecasted high of 106. Cheryl had found a mall to eat at and kill some time until we could check into our hotel. It was a pleasant surprise to see a mall so busy and with so few vacant stores. This is not the case near us in CT were many have more vacant store fronts than occupied ones.
Once we got into the hotel and cooled down for a while, I walked outside the get something from the car and found we had a flat. It was now the hottest part of the day and the car was in the sun. I put on the spare and was able to back the car into the shade of the hotel. I know we’ve all heard the phase,” but it’s a dry heat” and 106 is 106. The dryness does make a HUGE difference between being in the sun or in the shade. The lack of humidity was a joy while changing the tube in the parking lot. I do carry tire irons in my car and I’m glad I do. I few years ago I bought a small cordless air compressor about 2” square and 7” long and it worked great. I was able to properly inflate my spare and fully inflate the replacement tube without recharging the compressor. Very impressed.
We left early out of Boise and headed to Oregon. Cheryl had relatives who once lived to Oxbow, OR, a tiny town of less than 100 on the Snake River in Hells Canyon. The ride was on great driving roads for the MG. At one point the smell of basil growing in the nearby fields was amazing. The road along the canyon was loaded with great vistas, challenging roads and continuing elevation changes. The roads were very quiet on a Sunday morning so traffic was very an issue. Being my MGA still has its drum brakes, downshifting to control our speed kept me busy behind the wheel.
PHOTO 5: Hells Canyon
After stopping in downtown Oxbow, we headed to Halfway, OR to pay our respects at the cemetery there. We stopped in Halfway for lunch and noticed a flag out for the area museum located in the town hall. While it was only one room, it contained many items donated by businesses and individuals from the area to inform and celebrate what it was like to grow up in this beautiful area.
Our plan was to stop in Baker City, OR for the night but we arrived well before our room was available. The local tourism office was in the same parking lot and we stopped in to find out where we might be able to occupy ourselves for a while. She suggested we visit the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center about 5 miles away. The center was great. It gave you a very in-depth look into what the men, women and children who braved the unknown to make that journey. The hardship they faced gives you an immense respect for their courage and vision. Our trip, in an old sports car with no A/C is not such a big deal in comparison.
The trip toward the GT venue s along the Columbia River was spectacular. The gorge carved by the river has beautiful cliffs which the road follows, all the way to when we got off the highway toward GT venue. Mt Hood appeared suddenly as we rounded a bend to make the ride even more special.
PHOTO 6: Mt Hood
The drive to the Mt Hood Oregon Resort was a beautiful ride. The great views through dense forests we’re not used to seeing in CT. Seeing the mountain appear above was an unforgettable memory. When we arrive at the resort, we were very pleased with the resort design and how the many buildings were nestled amongst the trees. Very rustic.
The Columbia Gorge MG Club were fantastic host’s for GT49. Donna McNabb and her team succeeded in being welcoming and accommodating. The events were well planned and kept you as busy as you wanted to be. I know there are many people responsible for the GT’s success but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Sondra and John Dutra, the Hospitality Team. From the first night to the last day the Hospitality Suite was always open to provide snacks, drinks and welcoming atmosphere whenever you stopped by. Our favorite time was afternoon tea which always included Sondra’s home-made goodies. We never missed a day. The weather the day of the show was perfect. It was even a touch cool when the clouds showed up.
While at the GT I was able to reconnect with Larry Zerwig from CA. I had met him at GT47 when through an article in the British Marque he realized he had gone to college with our club’s newsletter editor. It was great to see him again and catch up.
PHOTO 7: Larry Zerwig
The NAMGAR chapter I belong to the CT MG Club was fortunate to be a awarded the Chapter Recognition award at the banquet. I was honored to accept for its 250 plus members.
PHOTO 8: Chapter Recognition
Cheryl and I were also awarded the John Wright Award for the Longest Distance Driven from our home in Southington, CT.
We started out early on Friday morning as we began heading towards home. We headed into Washington to get to I90 a more northern route home. As we headed east, the weather and temperature were kind to us as we were able to stay ahead of the most servere temperatures all the way home. The ride through northern Idaho and Montana was beautiful. We were glad we were able to plan a route without a great deal of overlap. A stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield was defiantly worth the visit.
Our next stop on the journey was Rapid City, SD. This a perfect spot to enjoy Black Hills area. The day we visited Mt Rushmore the sky was a clear and blue. To see the monument and visit the museum gave you a much deeper appreciation for the work involved to make it a reality. It is truly inspiring.
PHOTO 9: Mt Rushmore
We were glad we arrived early as the crowds swelled quickly. We when took a trip to Deadwood, SD to learn more about this silver boom town. The road there was quite an adventure as for over a few miles it was loose gravel and just to make it more interesting, they had just wet it to keep the dust down over the last ½ mile. I’m still finding evidence of that experience.
The next day we traveled to Badlands National Park. We once again arrived before the crowds and were able to really enjoy the scenery. While we had seen some evidence of forest fires outside of Billings, MT, it wasn’t an issue until we visited Badland. While the landscape was still awesome, the smoke reduced visibility tremendously.
PHOTO 10: Badlands
The loop through the park headed us toward Wall, SD. When I was young, I remember seeing the bumper stickers asking “When the Heck Is Wall Drug”. I can now answer that. For those of you who have traveled I95 through North and South Carolina, think of it as a much larger South of The Border, with better stuff.
We left SD and headed east toward Michigan to visit relatives. We made stop at the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD, never knew it was a sports/concert arena and the I80 Truck Museum in Walcott IA. In the truck museum there was a truck like my father drove after WWII, a Mack BX, that seated 2 and had side curtains but I don’t think it could be classified as a roadster.
PHOTO 11: Mack BX
Both were free admission and worth a look. Donations were suggested.
We had stopped at a rest stop in Oregon and saw Dave and Lois Gribler. We chatted a bit and mentioned our route. They then warned us about traveling near Chicago. It was an experience I’m looking to repeat anytime soon. Just like the whole journey, we did it once I’m not sure I want to do it again.
After visiting in Michigan, we had 2 days to home. YEAH. When all was said and done, we had traveled 6700 miles and our repairs involved a flat tire and some minor adjustment and repairs. The car, which is really so simple, ran great and we were still talking as we pulled into the garage. Once again, I can say I backed it out and drove it back in the garage. The trip was a success and we are looking forward to GT 50 in Traverse City, MI