Charlottesville to Roanoke

Today began dark, rainy and foggy!  What better way to start out on a Model A adventure!  Before breakfast, we decided to get the tarp off the car and load up our gear. So, out we went at 7:30AM. I think everyone else had the same idea!  There was a great deal of bustle under the portico. Elvis was trying to get his car in good working order, along with about 10 other Model A'ers trying to load their gear under cover. We proceeded to the parking lot and just dealt with the rain.

After loading up the car, we went upstairs for breakfast and to connect with our group. We enjoyed seeing several other friends, as well.  Soon, it was time to make our way to the Blue Ridge Parkway. So, we said our goodbyes and said we would see each other soon..

We had directions to the parkway, but decided that we didn't want to use them, as they would put us on the Interstate highway for 18 miles.  That was just too much high speed traffic to deal with in the rain and fog during rush hour traffic this morning!  So, we put in the coordinates for mile marker 0 of the Parkway and off we went.

We actually backtracked the exact route we had taken into Charlottesville on Sunday afternoon. We got to the beginning of the parkway and decided that we best stop for a potty break - as there is nothing commercial on the road, at all.  It was pouring cats and dogs by that time!  We were very thankful the visitors center was open.  After a quick 15 minute stop, we off.  We did make a wrong turn, but Model A's are great at making U Turns and that was exactly what we did!

Very foggy on the Parkway

Above the clouds on the Parkway

We drove the beautiful parkway in heavy fog for the first 30 miles. Honestly, it was uncomfortable to drive above 30 mph. I couldn't see more than 15-20 feet in front of the headlights!  The bright spots in the woods were the beautiful dogwoods heavily in full white bloom.

At mile marker 46, we got off the parkway for lunch and possibly gas. We chose the Subway in the little town of Buena Vista. After consulting the route and the availability of gas, it was decided that we should gas up, as well. It was an interesting journey getting back up to the parkway. You literally must go down the mountain to get off and you must climb the mountain to get back on!

It was nice that the rain stopped just as we left for lunch.  We took a break of about 45 minutes, but then we were back on making our way to mile marker 86. We were headed for the National D Day Memorial in Bedford, VA.

We arrived about 3:15. They have a beautiful, fully restored 1927 Seagrave Fire Truck on display in the Visitors Center, and we really enjoyed looking it over.  Soon, it was time to go over to the Memorial area for our guided tour.

This memorial is really well thought through and extremely symbolic of the exact happenings of that triumphant, yet tragic day.  Per capita, Bedford, VA lost more young men than any other city of the US on that fateful day than any other.  Therefore, the memorial was built in this tiny little mountain town.   Here is the link for the site.  http://www.dday.org/

We spent two hours here listening to a very knowledgable gentleman. He explain all of the symbolism of the memorial.  It is a wonderful tribute to all who were there on that fateful day in 1944.

After making a few purchases in the gift shop, we decided that we needed to make our way back up to the parkway for our final leg of the day's journey. It was a very steep climb, which we made in second gear!  The rest of the days journey was a bit uneventful, although, the scenery was spectacular.  There aren't as many flowers blooming as I had anticipated, but we were treated to trillium, dogwood redbud trees.rees.  

Red Trillium

Charlottesville and Monticello

It has been a great day for ducks here in Charlottesville!  It has been very chilly and misty most of the day.  After breakfast, we decided that the best plan of action was to head up to Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson-our third President. It wasn't really raining, just a heavy mist. We wanted to be able to walk through the gardens before the heavy stuff came down. 

The drive up the mountain was rather uneventful. We were prepared for a very steep incline, but that wasn't the case. The countryside was absolutely beautiful!  Dogwoods, rhododendrons, and squill were blooming.  The road was very curvey. 

We arrived at the new Visitors Center about 11. We had some time to kill, so what better way than a bit of retail therapy!  We enjoyed perusing the many books about Jefferson and his magnificent gardens.  I bought a few gifts and a pin for my Model A vest.  We enjoyed the video presentation about Thomas Jefferson and Monticello, then it was time for our tailgate picnic.  I mean literally - we had a picnic lunch from the tailgate of Buster, the Austin's 1930 Model A Pickup in the parking lot of Monticello.  We enjoyed barbecue sandwiches, chips, okra pickles, homemade cookies, fresh fruit, poundcake and sodas.

Soon it was time to tour the house. We went in through the front door, not the facade which is so photographed - the same image which is on the US nickel.  Once inside, we were in a two story foyer with many Indian artifacts, clothing pieces, antlers from several different game animals. We progressed into the private rooms of the Jefferson family. Jefferson's library consisted of hundreds of books in the 7 different languages he was fluent in. Jefferson's home was a beautiful example of his architectural genius. There were dumb waiters for transporting wine bottles to and from the wine cellar beneath the main floor and to transport food from the kitchens to the dining room.

Once we finished touring the home, we went out into the formal gardens. There were beautiful paths lined with peonys, various spring bulbs, French Lavendar, and many other species of Spring perennials. 

We further wandered down to the household garden. There were vegetables and herbs of just about anything imaginable.  Below were the vineyards and orchards, all perched on the mountainside.

Our last visiting place was to Jefferson's grave. It is set at the edge of the woods in a quiet and peaceful spot.

Our visit concluded back at the Visitors Center. 

We left Monticello intending to follow the directions - but got turned around, so we decided to follow Garmin's directions and took the scenic route through a beautiful old neighborhood. There were many turns, but we enjoyed not driving on the Interstate in the rain!

Upon return to the hotel, we joined many other Model A'ers in the Executive Lounge before going to supper in the main ballroom of the hotel. We enjoyed a great cookout spread of hotdogs and hamburgers. Then we were enlightened to the history and sights we would encounter on our drive this week.  After a few Longevity Awards and closing remarks, we decided to call it a night and will meet up in the morning. 

Tomorrow we are bound for Roanoke. Lets hope the rain lets up a bit, because right now it is pouring cats and dogs!

Reidsville, NC to Charlottesville. VA

Yesterday morning dawned cooler, cloudy and very windy. We met for a quick breakfast in the lobby, checked our cars over, loaded up and were off by 8:30 headed for Charlottesville, VA. 

Garmin was our guide as we travelled the back roads of northern NC. and southern VA. The azaleas were blooming and the dogwoods scattered through the woods were so beautiful!  We decided to grab an early lunch to beat the church crowd. So, about 11:15 we pulled into a Cracker Barrel for lunch. It seemed that everyone else had the same idea. It was packed!  We were in no hurry, so the 35 minute wait was no problem. 

After a great Sunday dinner, we were back in the cars headed up the road for our destination. We arrived at the Doubletree Hotel about 4 and quickly found many friends from all over the country. The parking lot was full of Model A's!  A right hand drive was spotted by another in our group. I'll have to find the owner and meet him/her sometime this week. You just don't see very many of these.

Below are a few snapshots of cars in the parking lot:

We enjoyed the Executive Lounge before heading out to check out the parking lot and button up the cars for the night. So many beautiful A's!  

We decided we were just too tired to go anywhere, so we opted for the hotel dining room and John and I split a salad. We discussed having a picnic at Monticello, but are concerned that the rain maybe upon us in the midday. Well prepare for the picnic, but have a backup plan if there is no covered picnic area. 

It was off to bed by 9. We are looking forward to our adventure beginning this morning!

Day 1 - Columbia, SC to Reidsville, NC

Yesterday morning dawned crisp and cloudy. We finished putting the last of the items on the rumble seat area. It was so full, we couldn't close the lid. No worry a couple of bungee cords and we were all set.

We pulled out of the drive at 7 AM. We made our way into Columbia to meet the rest of our group. After a quick stop for gas, three of our group of four A's were ready to roll. I put a few items into the truck , closed the rumble seat lid and we were off to meet the last of our group headed to Reidsville.

The day went well, as we had no problems. Garmin, our handy nav system, took us up the back roads as we drove along.  Lunch was enjoyed by all. Most of us got chili to warm up with. The sun still hadn't made an appearance, so everyone was a bit chilly.

By noon, we had well progressed into NC, skirting Charlotte and driving through Thomasville and High Point. Most of the furniture manufacturing has been moved off shore to the orient, so these beautiful old towns are not so thriving anymore.

We arrived in Reidsville close to 4 and checked into our motel. Soon, we were back in our cars headed for the downtown area. Very little was open And most of the Main Street buildings were empty. Signs of a failing town.

Reidsville is the home of Lucky Strike cigarettes. With the decline in smokers over the years, the factory has seen better days. They still produce cigarettes here, but not at the capacity of the 60's and 70's.   there is another corporation here, Ball. They make metal containers at this plant.

Dinner was enjoyed by all of us at The Celtic Fringe. It is an eclectic Irish pub. The food was great!

John and Twila Cockerill

John and Happy Begg

Cheryl and Danny Austin

Bill and Fay Prince

Then it was back to the motel for- hopefully a good nights sleep. Today, we will make our way to Charlottesville, VA, less than 200 miles up the road.

Floor Boards

While most of us never think about what is under the carpet in our modern cars, this is not so for the Model A owner.  We've always called this subsurface "floor boards," and with good reason!  In the older cars, they had a lot of wood in them.  My little roadster just happens to have very little wood.  There are a couple of pieces in the sides just behind the doors, one in the rumble seat area, and the most important two are where you put your feet - the floor boards!  Well, Model A floor boards are very important in that they not only are the place you put your feet, but they cover the battery, transmission, and the back of the engine.  Every time you need to connect or disconnect the battery or oil the transmission, you have to remove the larger of the two floor boards or a trap door in the floor board.  It just so happened that I noticed that Miz B's floor boards were looking a bit sad and very warped.  The car is supposed to have a 7 layer Birch plywood floor board.  Miz B's were 2 layer particle board.  No wonder why they were warped!  

So it was off to Smith & Jones for a replacement set.  Unfortunately, they only sell left hand drive sets.  No problem!  The larger and flat positioned board is exactly the same as the left hand drive.  The trick was going to be fitting the top, slanted board.  The pedals are on the opposite side of the car, naturally, but they are not configured exactly the same way.  Left hand drive cars have the gas pedal to the right of the brake and clutch, while right hand drive cars have the gas pedal between the clutch and brake!  So, we flipped the board upside down, cut a circular hole for the gas pedal and made one of the slots, for the clutch, a bit wider.  Simple!  I have a few extra small holes, but the floor mat and carpet cover it all.

Little by little, this car is getting put back together the way it should be.  

Most of the packing is complete for the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour.  We are trying out a new way of packing clothes with this trip.  I've packed a days worth of clothing per person into a 2 gallon zip lock baggie for each and put them into an easily accessible bin.  That way, we can grab out toiletries and a change of clothes to take into the hotel each night and not have to lug in a big suitcase.  We are going to be staying in a different hotel for 7 of the 8 nights we are on the tour.

Saturday morning, we are meeting the Prince's and the Austin's at the Starbucks in Trenholm Plaza at 8AM.  We will then travel up Percival Road and meet up with the Cockerill's near Clemson Road.  The weather is supposed to cooperate on Saturday and Sunday as we travel up to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Next post will be from the road . . . .

Cook Out for Kids

Yesterday dawned with cloudy skies and drizzly rain.  Didn't look too good for a Model A outing in support of the Epworth Children's Home in Columbia, but we had faith that the weather man was correct with his forecast of the rain stopping by 9:30 and abating until about 3PM.  

Joey and Lauren arrived just a couple minutes past 9 in his 1929 Tudor.  We loaded up the last of the chairs and cooler filled with water and ice.  Soon we were off to pick up Jacob.  We were a convoy of three Model A's.  John in his 1930 Town Sedan, me in Miz B, and Joey in his Tudor.  It was a quick stop to pick up Jacob, and once he was buckled into his car seat, we were off.

We had a small 20 minute shower on the way into town, which quickly dried up, and left us with an uneventful drive.

We arrived at Epworth pretty close to 10AM, parked the cars and wiped them down.  We had lots of help setting up the tents and chairs.  In all we had 15 Model A's in attendance!  Great showing, considering the weather just before our appointed arrival time.  Joey and Lauren got involved with volunteering to help with the event and were quickly put to work directing car parking.  

As in the past, the Epworth Alumni had put together a great day.  There were magicians strolling the Green, balloon artists making fun shapes for the kids, delicious barbecue, and a good band playing requests.  Not the Bluegrass music of the past, but the crowd enjoyed their show.  Jacob got involved playing an instrument with them and dancing to the music.  He, also, found lots of children to play with all day.  

We had lots of interesting questions about the cars and folks seemed to be pretty amazed that we actually drive them and that they are reliable.  We met a lady whose father had been head football, basketball, and baseball coach at USC after being Henry Ford's chauffeur.  Mr. Ford had given him a Model A just prior to him coming to Columbia to take the athletic job with USC.  I asked the lady for her story, hopefully, she will write it up and send it to me.  I think the national club would like to hear the story as well.  His name was Ted Petoskey and he played football, baseball and basketball at UofM during his undergraduate years.

One of the alumni, Len Ross, recorded and emailed the following short video of the cars on the Green in front of the chapel.  Click the following link for a quick look at the cars.  Model A's @ Epworth, 2013.

Epworth was a success from the Model A turnout!  The weather cooperated and just as we were driving away around 2:30, we had a few sprinkles, again.  We think the weather man got it right, after all!  The alumni were very kind and gave each driver a smoked Boston Butt for their support of the event!  Yum, yum!

Just a few last minute things to take care of with Miz B.  I need to go to Smith & Jones and pick up a fan belt - need to have a spare in the trunk, just in case.  We are all looking forward the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour next weekend!

Engine teardown

Well, as you can see from the photos, the engine had to be completely removed to replace the clutch pressure plate.  The car stayed at the mechanic's shop for three days.

Upside down engine

This is where the engine is supposed to go!

View of what is under the floor board

JP Temple explaining to John what is wrong with the old pressure plate

I drove the car to Greenwood for the Old 96 District Model A Club Swap Meet on Saturday and all is well!

I've made some improvements to the curtains - again!  This time, I sewed some pockets on each side, with a flap held down by velcro.  This will give us some added storage space for little things we want to have easy access to, while driving down the road.  I have also repositioned the Garmin for ease of viewing to the upper windshield/wind wing area.

Pocket has divider down middle and is quite deep.  Duplicate on other side of car.

Curtains have full view and tidy appearance.

I've also made some improvements to utilizing the trunk space.  I added a milk crate to hold the 12V deep cycle battery (this is the electricity to charge cell phones, iPod, speaker, and Garmin), the top cover, umbrella, extension cord, and the ever necessary kleenex box!  I also added a recycling box, with it's one lower side for stowage of water, oil, SeaFoam,mini grease gun, paper towels, and fire extinguisher.  I covered the seat platform with an old crib quilt and covered the back of the lid with rip stop nylon.  Behind the lid cover, is a shop coat - for dirty road repairs and a whisk broom.  All making for a much neater appearance and easily accessible necessities!  This will leave the seat platform open for luggage and garment bags.

I also found a small rolling cooler to put on the running board.  This will free up valuable trunk space and make getting a cold drink much easier! 

Well, as you can see it looks like we are pretty well set to make our way down the Blue Ridge Parkway, beginning in Charlottesville, VA and ending in Gatlinburg, TN.  But, first, day after tomorrow, we will be taking the car over to the Epworth Children's Home, in Columbia.  The car club  supports the children's home fundraiser each year by showing our cars on the green in front of the chapel.  Always a nice crowd, great barbecue, and entertaining Bluegrass music.

Greenwood & Greer, SC - Clutch Problems!

Saturday morning, before the sun came up, we were off to Greenwood and breakfast with the Old 96 District Model A Club.  It was a pretty chilly morning, with temps in the upper 30's.  We had the side curtains up and blankets on our laps.  The sun came up on a gorgeous morning as we made our way northwest on US76.  We traveled through Chapin, around Newberry and into the foothills of the mountains of South Carolina.  About the time we were near Chappels, it got considerably colder!  We noticed frost on the roofs.  We had a couple of blankets, but probably needed the third one!  It was in the trunk and unless we stopped, we were going to do without.  Not much further to go, and I was happy I had my gloves in the car.  Mornings like these make me wish I had a heater!

We made it to Greenwood with plenty of time before our reservation of 9AM, but we were in for a very long wait!  Seems that someone had double booked our regular meeting room at the local Shoney's.  Once we were seated, 40 minutes later than expected, we had a great breakfast and relatively short meeting.  News was shared and the upcoming Swap Meet was discussed.

Soon, it was time to part ways.  A few of us decided to travel up to Greer to check out the Saturday morning Flea Market at The Barnyard.  We enjoyed a nice drive with 4 other A's.  We got up to the Flea Market and were met with hoards of folks out looking for their "finds."  We pulled to the very back of the parking area, where it was decided that we didn't want to leave the cars or fight the masses just to go peruse someone else's junk!  So, with us in the lead, Calvin followed us back to the Columbia area via Spartanburg and Union.  A different road from the one we went north on earlier in the day.

The little car is running extremely well.  The engine is definitely ready for the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour with MAFCA in a few weeks, but I've noticed that I have a clutch issue!  Seems that I'm having trouble putting the car into 2nd gear, even at a dead stop.  

We decided to take the car to Mark's on Monday for an adjustment on the clutch.  He and his dad, JP, took a look at the clutch, after Mark and I pulled out the carpet, rubber mat and insulation over the inspection plate.  Not good news!  Mark did what adjustment that he could, but it was decided that the pressure plate was bad and needed to be replaced.  Now, to do that job, the engine has to be pulled out - AGAIN!

We buttoned up the car - putting all the floor coverings back into place and drove home.  Mark was going to give us a call when we could bring Miz B back for the clutch work.  It would take 2-3 days, but they had to get the '37 Dodge Brothers car out of the shop, first.  

Stay tuned for the next adventure - hopefully, Miz B will be ready for the trip to Greenwood on the 20th.

Chapin Rotary

Yesterday morning we set off at 6:30.  We were headed for the Rotary Meeting in Chapin, SC.  Chapin  is about 8 miles from home and an easy, early morning ride.  We arrived at Crooked Creek Park a few minutes before 7.  It had been raining lightly on the drive over and coupled with the darkness, it made the trip a little slower than usual.  No windshield wiper and a need for more RainX on the windshield didn't help much either!  

We were warmly greeted by a gentleman setting up the facility for the meeting.  We got busy with the computer projector and making sure our presentation would run smoothly.  Breakfast was pretty good and John reconnected with other SCORE members and Irmo Navy friends.  Amazing, we see friends every where we go these days!  All went well and of course, we were met with the usual questions.  How fast will it go?  Do you ever drive on the interstate?  How many miles to the gallon do they average? etc.........

Afterward it was time to show the group our cars.  It was still raining, so we pulled the cars around and parked under an awning.  After a few more questions and photographs, the Show & Tell came to an end.  

We drove back home in a constant drizzle.  The temperatures had also dropped, but I was quite comfortable in Miz B with her side curtains in place.  We arrived home at 9 and had the entire day ahead of us.  Hard to believe that we had a Model A outing and were back home so early!

Little did we realize, we had been interviewed and photographed for the local Chapin newspaper. Below is the photo.  Hood was open only for the curious, no mechanical problems!