Hot Rods 2254 miles round trip for LARS (again)

Made the trip from Northern OR to LARS again… this time the wife came along. I know others make similar, or even longer trips, but if you haven’t tried it I suggest you’ll love it. We stayed at some of the little motels she arranged for me last year, but we also travelled many miles on roads we’ve never seen before. We spent about a week and a half on the trip, including a few days visiting two brothers in the LA area, Saturday at LARS, and 6 days home along the CA Coast on CA 1 (might have been more fun in a Corvette than a Model A with 5.00 x 16 front tires, but hey), through the Redwoods, Central Oregon, then home. Car ran great except for a short-lived stuck float after an abrupt ‘jump’ in a construction zone, and it didn’t like the 95+ degrees and long grades north of Mohave, CA. The car has a little over 10,000 miles on it over the last few years. Here are a few photos of the trip.

Giddyup,

John

 

Great photos, quite a trip !

 

wow.. that looks like a good time. I had a buddy that drove his 47 Chevrolet coupe all over hell and back. I've never done anything like that.

 

That looks like FUN......great pics.

 

Thanks for the pictures. Looks like a good time.

 

That would be a fun trip. We did almost the same when we went to Pismo Beach for Trog in 2016.

My wife is a Texan who tries not to be impressed by anything and didn't understand the significance of The Chandelier Grove drive through tree when we stopped there.
While we were stopped there someone rolled a tank truck full of waste oil a few miles north there and we ended up backtracking about 90 miles to find a motel.
She didn't understand the reason for stopping at Trees of Mystery either.

The first time I stopped at both I was 5 years old and riding in the back of my dad's 51 Ford. New at the time. The second time was when I was 15 and dad took my sisters and I on a road trip to San Diego in his 57 Olds Super 88 with a J2 tri power. Then again in 2016. I don't think that anything inside the gift shop has changed in 73 years though, that place is a time warp.
I've got a 62 year old 50 ft redwood tree in the back yard that I brought home to my grandmother as a seedling from Trees of mystery in 1962.

 

That is the stuff right there that makes life worth living.
A (your) hot rod, a real road trip full of old highways and backroads in some of the most picturesque scenery in the world, taking your time to enjoy the drive while hitting the mom and pop ran motels, eating food from the non chain diners, seeing family all while using the excuse of going to one of the most iconic hot rod shows and swapmeet in the entire world and to top it off your with your girl... That there is my idea of a perfect time with good memories that you'll think about for the rest of your life.

 

You need to get out and do it...
Any truly old car will work from a hot rod to a custom to a bone stock 1970s comfy couch like cruiser. The big thing is it cannot be a modern boring car that every body sees every day... Old car will generally bring out friendly people especially once you get two or three states away and people will be blown away by the fact that you drove your antique car that far.
Follow the simple rules of trying to stay off the freeway (or interstate or whatever they're called in your neck of the woods), only eat at independently ran restaurants and stay at family ran hotels and I can almost guarantee you that you will not regret your trip.

 

Thanks for sharing Almostdone.
Your A is just the way I like 'em.
The road is best when it lasts all damn day and then tomorrow, and tomorrow.
My kind of drive, My kind of ride
WOW

 

As others have said, stay off of the highways when possible, eat at "mom and pop" places. Enjoy life, That is why we are here,

 

Stunning color! Love it.

 

Great hot rod.

 

Time well spent.

 

Thanks, nice model 'A' & great photo's.

 

Great adventure! I admire you and your trip. I know guys that won't go 200miles by themselves. Good on you!

 

cool, cool, cool

 

My last drive out to LARS from Florida I finally convinced my wife to join me. My plan - I'll drive out, she'd fly, spend a week in SoCal and drive back together. But Nooo..she wanted to ride both ways. My traveling buds finally convinced her to fly and we had a great week and she saw what all the hype was about me spending 16 father's days there. On the four days coming home, each day we had temperatures of at least 100 degrees. She finally understood.

 

That sounds like a great adventure!

 

Beautiful ride on a beautiful ride . Thanks for sharing

 

Great pics and story. Have a 32 Roadster with a 348 and doubt if I could get the boss to take a trip like that with me. Fun, Fun, Fun. JOHN

 

Sounds like a very cool trip! Thanks for the pics!

 

Check out this awesome and recent road trip! Wow.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/good-ol-fashion-hot-rod-road-trip.1318366/

 

Been wanting to do the Power Tour for years but now no thanks. Too many cars, too many people along crowded freeways and way too commercialized. My idea is get a couple of guys together and caravan cross country, maybe to Crusin the Gulf

 

Last July I went to the BCA Nationals in Spokane, WA. Visited a couple siblings. 4600 miles. I WANTED alone time. Having said that, I think a caravan of a half dozen or so might be fun.

Ben

 

Awesome trip, thanks for sharing it with us!!!!!!!

 

That’s the perfect number. I always like following the Rolling Bones when they make their pilgrimage to Bonneville in August

 

My friend Dennis and I talked about making the trip in my deuce pickup but decided against it. 3500 mile round trip. Decided to take a load for the swap meet and enjoy the trip in my Silverado.. Ended up with 3 guys, would have been a little crowed in the deuce.

 

I’ve thought about the same thing. Power Tour would just be too much for what I’m after. Last year there was a ‘West Coast’ Power Tour that was just a few days. I wasn’t able to attend and my brothers in the area didn’t go…. Sort of wish I had.

John

 

Not much of a tour, lots of desert driving on the freeway to Vegas then drag race at the strip, turn around and drive back. Would have been more fun to do 395 through the Mohave to Bishop the shoot over the hill to Vegas from there. Suppose to be in October this year.

You could always shoot down to the Duct Tape Drags in Tucson. First weekend in October. For you just shoot over the hill to Madras and hit the 93, straight shot all the way to the 10 going through Phoenix however you can bypass downtown by taking the 202 loop that catches the 10 again outside of Phoenix. Straight shot to Tucson, the event is just south of Tucson.

 

Good post. It takes time to do trips like that. Usually us old guys are the ones that get to do that. because of aging, the schedule tends to be different.