On the way to Albuquerque

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Heading out tomorrow morning. Got the car back late this afternoon after my mechanic gave it a good once over. New shoes & cylinders all around and new rear drums. Fixed the parking brake, replaced the rubber gas hoses from the tank, got the muffler bracket welded and fixed an exhaust lead. Heat, AC & cruise all work well.

Going south west to Skyline Drive, then a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Over to Asheville, NC to see the Biltmore, then heading to Nashville. Arriving in Lynchburg, TN to see the Jack Daniel's distillery and over to see my cousin in Tupelo, MS. After that, no specific plans other than heading west to Albuquerque for the show. After the show, over to Arizona to see the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. On the way back east, going up Rte. 66 to St. Louis, stopping along the way to get some shots. Then east to home. G-d willing, we get home Sunday, 10/28 or Monday 10/29. Will post pictures if not "forbidden".

Let the adventure begin!

[siglumous]

While you're in Lynchburg, you should plan to stop by Rich Liana's shop. He's just a stone's throw away in Troutville. Rich restores 61-69 Lincolns and is a true national treasure. Give him a ring--I'll bet he'd love to see you as you pass through. You'll be able to see his own personal '63 that he's "frame off" restoring. Quite a treat.

[Stuart M. Cohen]

I know Rich but unfortunately we won't have time to swing by on our way from VA to NC.

We arrived in Waynesboro, VA tonight around dinner time after an uneventful (thank G-d) trip. Hit the usual traffic along the Beltway around DC but after about 20 minutes heading west on I 66, no problems. Picked up Skyline Dr. in Front Royal and had planned on taking the entire 109 mile trip down to Wayesboro but after about 40 miles, Robin got bored and each scenic overlook started looking like the last one so we decided to cut over to
I 81 to head south. Was very pretty, even though it was cloudy. Very leisurely drive through the mountains on a twisty, curvy road. I bet had we come down a week later, we would have seen the trees start to change color.

Plan for tomorrow is to take some of the Blue Ridge Parkway south towards Asheville, NC and see the Biltmore on Thursday.

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Weather today was not conducive to taking the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fog was so bad I missed the turn onto the Parkway and I couldn't even see the star on the front of the car! I've never driven in such bad fog in my life. Turned around just before getting onto the Parkway and took I 81 down to Asheville, NC. No issues other than the rain. I think I used my wipers more today than I've used them in the past 15 years. More rain in the forecast for tomorrow thanks to the hurricane. We have tickets for the Biltmore and will probably just do the house and not the gardens. After that, heading over to Nashville. Picture is from the gas station/market next to the hotel.

[TonyC]

I have--the fog having been generated by a leaky heater core, on my way from Junction City to Chicago-Evanston to visit family last year. It was already starting to get chilly in the evenings at that time, and when I would turn the heater on I could not see Frankenstein's hood ornament, either. And wiping the glass didn't improve matters, with greasy film distorting everything--I narrowly threaded through a crash scene at night that I could barely see. That was when I knew I needed a new heater core.

Be careful, Stu, while you're in that part of the country. Michael is already Category 4, so the storms and the evac traffic are going to get worse.

---Tony

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Made it down to Nashville after spending a few hours at the Biltmore. Rained all night and until about noon today. Started having a problem this morning with the door opened light flashing when all the doors were closed. After we left the Biltmore and hit some dry land, I pulled all the door "plugs" and checked the wires. Noticed that there was water in the door jambs so I pulled the plugs, dried them off and voila, the light went out!

The Biltmore was wonderful and I was able to get a shot of the car in front. Going to check out Nashville tomorrow and then head over to Lynchburg for our Saturday tour of my uncle Jack's place.

[papawayne]

See, Stu, you really ARE a mechanic! Wayne

[Suicidekid63]

Nice!! You are dedicated, man!
Dont forget to stop at the old Ford dealership in Conway, Mo and The Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Mo, when you're eastbound on I-44.
Great photo op!!

[Stuart M. Cohen]

"Don't forget to stop at the old Ford dealership in Conway, Mo and The Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Mo, when you're eastbound on I-44."

On the to do list for the trip home.

Spent most of the day in Nashville. Not a country music fan (classic rock is my thing) so it wasn't as interesting to us as to the whole rest of the tourists. Had a good time; started with the trolley tour that takes you around the city so we could get a feel for things. When we got back to the beginning (2nd St. & Broadway) we had lunch at a pretty good place. Then, walked the pedestrian bridge and hopped back on the trolley to the Marathon Motor Works Village. That's the old Marathon Motor Works factory and showroom. The showroom has 4 of the 8 surviving cars and the old factory was converted to shops. Grabbed some peanut butter flavored whiskey and headed out. Got into Fayetteville for dinner and the Jack Daniel's distillery tour tomorrow morning.

[WhiteLightning]

see you there man

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Tried to post last night but was "forbidden".

Had a blast at the distillery. Great tour, super knowledgeable guide and oh yeah, good booze! Got to Tupelo, MS and met up with my cousin whom I haven't seen in 5 years (since we were down that way last). Tomorrow's goal is Shreveport, LA. Got that damn "forbidden" error again, so can't post pictures until I upload them to my site and tie in the link.

Left Tupelo today and got to Shreveport. Got to cross off another state and luckily no issues on the drive (thank G-d).
Tomorrow heading up to Texarkana, AK to cross of another state then over to Oklahoma City to a) cross off another state and b) head down Route 66 to stop at some of the sites on the way to Albuquerque.

Did get some more pictures but am afraid to try post them. I think possibly the site sees me logging in and posting from different IP addresses (different hotels) and thinks I'm a spammer, spambot or some foreign agent trying to take over the site and influence it. I know Dan is busy with work so I'll just wait to see how things go.

[Steve K]

Stu, for whatever it's worth, I never have a problem with logging in and uploading when I'm on the road or in different hotels and what not. Not sure what it is, but you could check to see if your firewall is blocking outgoing to unknown networks. You could also try setting the URL for the forum as a "safe" one in whatever security software you may be running. Good luck. Love hearing your stories from your journeys. I'm thinking about driving up to the summer place in MN next summer....1200 miles each way. Only thing stopping me right now (besides fear of the unknown) is my AC needs some attention - specifically some R-12 or conversion.

Have a great trip

PS, another thing you could try if you have an iPhone, is connecting to the forum while connected to the phone by hotspot. If you've connected before from that device using cellular vs. wifi, the forum should see you as a known user.

[papawayne]

The heck with all that technical stuff, Stu, there's a local brewery here in Maine that makes a maple syrup flavored bourbon. Very tasty. Had some at a wedding recently. Can't remember the name of the brewery anymore. Wayne

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Steve,

Not techie enough to even understand what you said. I know I can post regular threads, can upload pictures at home and was able to upload pictures for the first couple of days. While not a techie, I can safely say that the only variable is the internet connection; same computer, same "remember me" log in, etc. If all else fails, I'll upload them when I get home. If we have time, I may try to use my wife's Mac to see if that works.

Other than the rain, another good day. Got some neat pictures of the car in Texarkana TX & AK, the big Sonic cup in Choctaw, OK, the Milk Bottle Grocery in Oklahoma City and some other neat shots there too. Tomorrow we head west on I 40/Rte.66 to hit a half a dozen or so places along the way for pictures. Depending on how long it takes, we'll either end up in Amarillo, TX or Tucumcari, NM.

[Stuart M. Cohen]

Had a really good day. Hit a bunch of places on Rte. 66 (or whatever is left of it). Started at the Oklahoma Rte. 66 Museum, then over to McLain Rogers Park and the Y Service Station in Clinton, OK. Then over to the National Rte. 66 Museum in Elk City, OK (nowhere nearly as good as the one in Clinton). Headed to Shamrock, TX to the U Drop Inn Station & Cafe which was probably the neatest thing we've seen on this trip (the Milk Bottle comes in a close second). On the way to Amarillo, swung by the gas station in McLean, TX and the leaning Britten water tower in Groom, TX. Drove on Rte. 66 in Amarillo (which is 6th. Ave.) and got a shot in the city and had dinner at a place right on the highway.

Headed to Albuquerque tomorrow; will swing by the Cadillac Ranch and the big pair of legs on the way. Depending on time, we may do some of the Rte. 66 stuff in Albuquerque.

Will post pictures when I can.