DAY 18 AND I WAS HOME

I have been back since Monday Night, but took a few days to finish up the blog. Had a long drive home with virtually nothing to explore as it seems most museums are closed on my route Mondays! Day 3 found me in Dayton Ohio, day 18 had me driving through Dayton Ohio again and originally I had the US Air Force museum in the plan, but displaced it. As I drive back past my hotel I decide to swing off and visit the museum! I was there for more than 2 hours and it is something you should visit, I even found a few cars in there! Not sure of hours during the Gov't shut down, but my visit already had 2 hangars closed, one was the Presidential one!!

Ironically this is the last car I photographed!

Now that the trip is over I can explain what this was all about 18 days and 7,200 miles later! It started with my bi-annual attendance of the Pigeon Forge Tennessee Grand Rod Run, I have flown in for the weekend and also driven down in the past. I noticed the Charlotte Motor speedway auto fair is the following weekend ( I now have the honor of walking around the entire track at about 1 MPH and driving around it at 160 MPH) , a Street Rod Run is the weekend before at Dollywood also in Pigeon Forge. I do some mapping and find enough to keep me busy in between Grand Rod Run and Auto Fair and would have been 10 days. As this was being planned the big Lambrecht Chevrolet auction in Pierce Nebraska was in my sites and the Friday after Charlotte Auto fair, the little mouse on the wheel thingy in my brain started running a little faster!

Can I find anything to keep me busy for another 7 days? You bet your sweet SuperBee I can!

I was off like that Bee in a flash! Just before the trip performed an oil change with Synthetic Blend Oil and after the trip the car says 30% left until next service, I initially scheduled an oil change in Nebraska, but not needed! I had just installed new tires and tuned in to a hum and slight out of balance although I re-balanced them 3 times it had gotten worse on the trip, bad enough I decided to pop into a Honda dealer in Forest City NC to check hub bearings, axles and fluids. The guys there put it on the lift and did not charge me and it was a great piece of mind. In Afton Oklahoma I notice my left headlamp is out, grab one as I pass an O'Reilly auto parts figuring I can pop it in at the hotel. My schedule gets off track and I realize I will be driving at night so pull into a Lowes parking lot in Enid Oklahoma, the wind that never stops out there threatens to fold my hood over my windshield and it seems you can not get to that bulb without dropping the bumper!! First person that finds the old bulb in the dirt there next to the trailers gets a prize! I notice the other side is wide open so I perform a test run on that side then blindly squeeze my hand in the other side and by some stroke of luck actually change the bulb!! Yea for me!! By Hastings Nebraska the tire noise and feel is bad enough that I seek out the local Goodyear store and for $14 and about 45 mins I am in and out with the tires rotated! Looks like I have a bad tire because it was much better instantly with the bad one on the rear. A great plan was leave that light day 2/3 into the trip and obviously even with a fairly new car that kind of driving may need some attention so be prepared! I got a chance to clear my head, see some of this great country, met a bunch of people and visited some great events and museums seeing some of the rarer cars in the world.Takes awhile to get used to being a little laid back especially down south, I was in a small town and main street was blocked off for a funeral and here comes a hearse leading and some cars trailing with the townsfolk lining the streets. I ask a local who died and he says " I think its the guy in the first car?" Nice to be in a different world for a bit, gotta laugh! Was it worth it, heck yeah! I am already looking at 3 more short road trips!