News and Views from my Traveling Model A Ford Friends
THE OLSON/SMITH MODEL A FORD TOUR
(Circumnavigation of the Coterminous USA)
by Keith SmithFor almost as long as I have had a Model A Ford (which dates back to 1960), I have thought about touring around the USA and of running my tires in every state of The Union. Now it looks like that is going to happen!
Joann and I are most fortunate in that we both greatly admire the Model A Ford and enjoy touring in it. That fortune extends to having friends, Joan and Dennis Olson, who are likewise disposed to Model A touring. We have toured with them extensively in Europe, Mexico and drove from California to Kansas City in 2000. Our touring friendship has met the test of time and we have declared ourselves to be “touring compatible.”
Before getting anymore involved with this introduction, I need to thank good touring friends, Pat and Jay Burbank, members of the Model A Touring Club (MATC) for offering to host our adventures on Jay’s website. As I find time and the opportunity to “hook-up” with the World Wide Web, I will send Pat my reports, both verbal and graphic. She will, in turn, post them to Jay’s web page for your pleasure and amazement. These updates may not be daily, as I may not be able to get online every day, nor may I always have the time, considering our busy travel schedule, to compose something. Then too, Pat may not be at home or have the time to upload them. Don’t give up if you sometime visit the site to find old material. We will do our best to keep you informed.
We plan to depart from the San Fernando and the Santa Clarita Valleys (where the Olsons and Smiths, respectively live) on the 8th of April 2003. We will motor down to San Diego on the I-15 and take the I-8 toward Yuma, Arizona. We may not make it that far the first day, so we might stop in El Centro, California. The next day, we hope to get to Benson, Arizona, just east of Tucson. Then we will haul for El Paso, Texas. Next, it will be Carlsbad, New Mexico, where we plan to visit the caverns. We are aiming for Kerrville, Texas by the 14th of April and expect to Remain Over Night (RON – an old term from my flying days!) in Sonora, Texas before getting to Kerrville. In Kerrville, we will meet with members of MATC who are on a two-week jaunt to see the wildflowers of Texas and enjoy the experience of eating fine Texas cuisine! We will stay with them for four nights, departing their fellowship on the morning of 18 April at San Antonio en route to Houston.
In Houston, we will visit the Johnson Space Center (JSC) before heading northeast to Arkansas. (None of us have driven our A’s there.) From there, it will be on to Vicksburg, Mississippi, thence to New Orleans, over to Fort Walton Beach, Florida then down the west coast of Florida to Key West. From Key West, we will drive along the east Florida coast and make our way by some devious route to Bangor, Maine. From Bangor, we plan to hop across the US-Canadian border and visit several places including Quebec. Then, it will be back into the US to pick up the rest of the New England states and down the back side of the Alleghenies to pick up other states missed. We will cut across to Ohio, where Keith hopes to meet up with his brother, Phil and his wife, Marcia, and see Paul and Jill Griesse, members of MATC. The Auburn, Dusenburg, Cord Museum in Auburn, Indiana will be a must stop! From Auburn, we will hop into and out of Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and up to Minnesota.
We will traverse the Dakotas, stopping to see the great Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse sculptures. Next, our sights will be set on Montana, Wyoming and Idaho as we wend our way to Walla Walla, Washington. From Walla Walla, it is all down hill! Bend, Oregon then Weed, California should hear the singing of our tires as we head “for the barn!” That should take the better part of 90 days, by our reckoning and barring any major mechanical problems – heaven forbid!
You will notice that after San Antonio, Texas, there are no dates involved. We really aren’t certain where we will be going or how we will get there after Houston. You will have to “stay tuned” to this site to see how it all pans out! We have names and phone numbers of friends and relatives along the way, but owing to a busy schedule, we may not be able to do more than make a call as we whiz by. If you are within hearing distance of our “Ahooga,” we will try to make contact, but don’t be offended if we can’t stay around and chat.
As the days go by, you will notice that we haven’t always adhered to the plan outlined above. Don’t be surprised. That predicted path is simply a point of departure! We hope that the updates will give you a better prediction of our course and the actual route traversed.
Don’t forget – stay tuned for details of this great adventure. Ride along with us! Visit the website frequently.Regards,
Keith, Joann, Dennis and Joan
