MAFCA 2014 National Convention

Well, Miz B stayed home for this journey.  We flew from Columbia, SC to Atlanta and met up with Jim and Holly Cannon at our Delta gate.  We had a nonstop from Atlanta to Tacoma/Seattle.  Wow, was that a long flight!

We were anxious to meet up with Orville and Sharon Booth.  They had driven their A, pulling their "sleeping trailer" behind from Columbia to Puyallup, making several stops along the way to visit with family and see some more of the National Parks they had missed on their other two cross country Model A adventures.  They arrived in Puyallup early, logging 5,595 miles between home and the convention!

The week was filled with MAFCA Board activities and some nice sightseeing.  On Sunday afternoon, we were off to Tacoma and a boat ride to Tilicum Village.  There we feasted on wonderful fire roasted Salmon and enjoyed a presentation by the native Indian tribes of the area.  On Monday, we drove the rental car from Puyallup up to Snoqualmie Falls.  We enjoyed a fabulous brunch at the Salish Lodge. Coming home we stopped for Mount Rainier cherries.  We grabbed a quick supper and were off to the Welcome Ice Cream Party at the Fairgrounds.  Tuesday was a day of seminars.  We attended one regarding Canadian manufactured cars and another on Town Sedans.  Both were very informative.  Wednesday, we joined Orville and Sharon on a Model A ride up to Fred's garage.  Fred is a local club member with a nice collection of antique cars.  There we were treated to a fabulous view of Mount Rainier and enjoyed a great barbecue lunch on the grounds.  Thursday, we were off again with Orville and Sharon traveling in the Model A for the Grand Tour.  Which was basically a big circle that took us to Marymount.  This is where there is a huge collection of automobiles, owned by the LeMay family.  There is a museum in Tacoma - Americas Car Museum, which houses even more of the LeMay collection.  There are over 3,500 cars in the collection.  Friday was a very long day in the MAFCA Board meeting.  We finished early - about 3, so we had a bit of time to relax before the banquet that evening.  The banquet was great - Orville and Sharon won the "Greatest Distance Traveled in a Model A to get to the Convention" Award.  It certainly was well deserved!  Many folks left the evening with trophies in hand for their beautiful Model A's.  The convention closed on a high note with all looking forward to the 2016 Convention to be held in Loveland, Colorado.

Will Miz B get a new "hat"?

It's been quite a while since I've posted an adventure with Miz B.  On Thursday, I'll be going up to Cashiers, NC with a group of folks in their Model A's.  We've been planning this trip since the middle of summer, when the temps were quite warm.  We had our thoughts on the beautiful fall colors and cool crisp temperatures.  At this point, it looks like we will definitely see some of the color, as most of the leaves are still on the trees and the colors are pretty vibrant.  The temps are definitely going to be crisp and quite cool.  It looks like we will have rain on our trip up, but the rest of the weekend will be beautiful.  Better make sure I load up the windshield with plenty of Rain X, as Miz B has no windshield wiper!

Miz B seems to have developed an issue with her right rear tire.  It looses air pressure between drivings these days.  I'll have to keep my eye on it over the weekend.

I am also going to see if I can make a different type of top covering system for the little car this week, in preparation.  I'd like to be able to have a full top cover, including clear vinyl front, side, and rear windows that can be used in rainy weather.  I'll probably incorporate the use of zippers at each door opening to make ingress and egress easier.  This would keep more air out of the "cockpit" area and thus keep the riders warmer and dryer going down the road.  I will also make sure that the "tail" of the cover covers the top drip rail of the rumble seat, as water tends to slide off the top at a quicker rate than the rails around the opening can handle.  This means that the interior of the trunk tends to collect water.  It's carpeted in there and that makes for a very soggy mess!

I'll post photos of the cover, if it is going to work. 

More about the top cover to come later 

Blackville, SC

Last weekend, we toured with 6 other Model A's to the tiny town of Blackville. 

Our original intent was to go to Healing Springs, first.  Healing Springs are artesian wells which supply legendary mineral waters to pilgrims seeking help for all kinds of ailments. Historical accounts and legend date the springs back to pre-European era when Indians considered the waters sacred and bathed in them for healing when sick or hurt. Tradition relates that during the American Revolution, four mortally wounded British soldiers were left here in the care of two able bodied men until they died and were buried. Six months later, all six returned to their garrison in Charleston, further perpetuating the springs' legend for healing. 

The weather wasn't too pleasant - chilly and misty.  So, we opted to just drive and enjoy the beautiful South Carolina Spring day traveling the back roads southwest into Orangeburg County.  

We left home at 8:30 to meet up with other club members in the little town of Gaston, just slightly southwest of Columbia.  It is an hours drive in the Model A.  Of course, we needed to fuel up before meeting our group.  While at the gas station, we were approached by a gentleman interested in the car.  There is always someone who wants to talk about the old car!  After exchanging business cards, we were back on our way to meet our friends.

We arrived at our appointed meeting place just a few minutes late, to find 5 Model A's waiting for us. Soon we were on our way to Blackville.  About 10 miles down the road, another Model A joined us for the adventure and that made 7 all total.

The countryside was fresh and green with newly emerged leaves on the trees.  The clover along the roadside was in full bloom with its bright crimson flower heads.  There were patches of yellow Canola blooming in the fields.  Here and there, the bright white wild Dogwoods bloomed in the pine woods along the road.  It was a beautiful morning, despite the intermittent Spring drizzle.

We arrived in Blackville about 11:30 and decided to proceed to Miller's Bread Basket for an early lunch.  Miller's is owned and operated by a Mennonite family and they have a wonderful lunch, which we all enjoyed.  No takers for the Shoo Fly Pie, but cheesecake, coconut pie, brownie sundae, and sweet potato pie were definitely enjoyed for dessert!

It was an uneventful tour, as far as roadside technical sessions go.  Everyones cars behaved well and we spent no time making any repairs.

On Saturday of this week, we are off to Greenwood for the Old 96 Model A Club Swap Meet.  I'll be driving solo, as John will be going to the Carolina Baseball game.

The next gathering of Model A's will be on May 3, as we convene on the Green at Epworth Children's Home in Columbia.  Our club exhibits our cars to help the Alumni of Epworth raise money during their Barbecue event each Spring. 

The Model A Trail to Bandera

This morning dawned sunny and very crisp.  Beautiful day to take a Model A adventure into the Texas Hill Country.  We left out of the parking lot about 9:30 and were headed first to Medina.

We picked up a picnic lunch in Medina and headed toward Bandera.  The Cowboy Capital of Texas!  We strolled the sidewalks enjoying a bit of window shopping, then made our way over to the grounds of the Courthouse.  We enjoyed our picnic lunch beneath the shade of a beautiful old Live Oak.

Around 2PM, we headed out for Campe Verde.  In 1854, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (who later became President of the Confederacy) petitioned Congress to appropriate $30,000 for the Army to experiment with using camels for supply transport and other military purposes. With the support of President Pierce, the bill was subsequently approved by Congress on March 3, 1855. Major Henry Wayne and Lieutenant David Porter were put in command of securing the camels from the Middle East. The first shipment from Egypt (of nine swift dromedaries, twenty burden camels, plus four others of mixed breed) arrived via naval supply ship in April of 1856. Four native drivers (who were given "American" names of Greek George, Long Tom, Mico and Hi-Jolly) accompanied the camels to the New World.

It was late August of 1856 when this first group of camels finally arrived at Fort Camp Verde. The second load of 40 animals arrived during the spring of 1857. By the time the Civil War had begun, there were over 50 camels in residence at the Fort. During the winter of 1861, the Fort was captured by the Confederacy. When the Fort was recaptured by the US Government in 1865, there were more than 100 camels.

The animals passed every test of their ability - carrying heavier loads and traveling longer distances than the mules and horses used in the area. However, the War Department sorely needed funds for Reconstruction after the Civil War. The Fort was deactivated in 1869 - ending the experiment. While a fire destroyed the buildings of nearby Fort Camp Verde in 1910, the courage and bold spirit of the Great Camel Experiment survives to this day.

We had a wonderful adventure in the Texas Hill Country!  We saw large and small ranches, live stock roaming free, deer, llamas, and lots of native birds all while driving over highways, private ranch roads, packed clay roads, crossing creeks and climbing steep hills.  The Bluebonnets are just peeking out, but the redbuds and Bradford pears were in full bloom; all adding to the beauty of the natural landscape.

Tomorrow, we pack up and head back to New Braunfels to pick up the rented truck and trailer for our travels back to South Carolina.

This was an adventure to be remembered for a long, long time.

Fredericksburg to Kerrville

Last night, we spent the night at the Hanger Hotel in Fredericksburg.  Beautiful hotel with nice amenities.  Very comfortable room with oversized leather club chairs for lounging.  The theme of the BOQ - Bachelor Officers Quarters was very well carried off.  The doors and walls were all painted in hues of drab army green and the room numbers were stenciled in a pale creamy yellow.  Typical of a military base!

About 11:00 we left for Kerrville.  We had enough of the ranch land, cattle grates, loose livestock, and creek crossings so we decided to for go the route described in the tour booklet.  We arrived in Kerrville, checked into the Y O Ranch and chatted in the lobby for a while, getting our game plan together.

Lunch was great!  We found a local sandwich shop and enjoyed wonderful sandwiches and soup.  The pies were fabulous!

After lunch, we decided to go over to James Avery Craftsman.  Unfortunately, as we made our way to the artisans shop, they were packing up for the day and we were unable to watch them making the beautiful jewelry.  A couple of us made purchases and we watched a film about James Avery and the history of the company, along with a demonstration of how the pieces are made.

Tonight, we enjoyed dinner along the Guadeloupe River.  Tomorrow the plan is to go to the town of Bandera.