Basket Case Manx II

[RedBaronofRedBud]

Great recap, Joe! There were a few other things that happened, but those are stories for around the campfire and drinking beers!

The EMPI pump started giving troubles after our first stop and finally gave up the ghost just inside Kansas. Let me tell you, the ECVW pit crew was awesome! We had it troubleshot and I put in the spare (NOT EMPI) on the road in notime. Thanks to Joe, David, Tom, and Chris for the excellent assist!

One thing that almost kept us from continuing was a crank seal leak on our truck. Bars Leak for engines took care of it and we were dry the rest of the way to Cali and back.

Bill Loftin and his great friend that we met in Manitou Springs gave us the tip on advancing the timing. Also, I rejetted down and went fine up and down both big hills.

Joes buggy is just outstanding. I am honored and humbled to have shared the road with him, David, Tom, Kathleen, Paul, Stephanie (and the kids), Chris, Vincent and France. What an excellent epic journey!

If you have considering doing one of these epic journeys, do it. All the work, worry, frustration, aggravation, sleepless nights, bumps, bruises, and everything else that went into the prep for it is well worth it. One of my favorite moments was racing up Big Bear Mountain with Bruce Meyers leading the way! That made the Tail of the Dragon look tame by comparison!

Thanks for the encouragement, Joe and all the great advice along the way. It meant a lot and helped more than you know. I hope to cruise again with you, my friend!
_________________
Or you can call me………Tim

My two pennies…your mileage may vary

I’m not a complete idiot, there are parts missing

[vincent9993]

Excellent recap Joe, you can add to your list:

Vincent: Right headlight (low beam) (burned) and replaced in Cortland, NY.
Paul: Debris in idle jets

We can also mention our freind Joe Spittler's tow bar problems since we contributed to the solution.

[joescoolcustoms]

Well, I have done something to my back and it started when I awoke the last morning on the road in Anderson NC on July 19th. I have not posted much because it hurts to sit and type. But, I have some "pain" medicine left over from my knee replacement and it helps a lot, so if my post gets sounding a little goofy, that is the reason.

I thought the buggy was ready to go on June 30th and all that was left was to pack the buggy and final checks. One of the final checks was to change oil and adjust the valves. Upon adjusting the valves at about 5 PM on Monday, I found two rockers way loose, like 1/8 to 1/4 inch loose. WTF!!!! I pulled the rockers to find the push rods tip almost worn away on two and several other showing some bad wear. I bought premium cut to length pr's and expected them to work nicely. I called David, who was working across the State out of town, to tell him the trip was off. We kicked around pulling his 1835 and slipping it into my buggy for the trip. I had reservations do to the small size, bigger cam, bigger carbs and I have one heck of a heavy buggy. I was afraid it would not have the torque to keep up with the others and beat the crap out of his engine.

So, at 6:30 PM the engine was out and on the stand. 9:30 PM the case was split apart. The cam was fine, the lifters looked good on their faces, but showing polishing on the push rod cup area. The bearings looked like I just slipped them into the case even with 800 miles on them. The oil pump looked perfect, so, the ground up pushrods must have been caught by the filter, good!

I choose to install 8 new lifters and totally change pushrods. David had a new set of push rods that were custom made and only about 0.030 longer than what I used, so, close enough. At 2 AM Tuesday morning, I put the case together, without the camshaft. Repeat. At 3 AM I installed the cylinders and head, without pushrod tubes. Repeat. At 4 AM I installed the cooling tins to discover I had forgotten 1,2 under cylinder tins. Repeat. 5 AM the long block was complete with valves adjusted. 6 AM left for work 1 hour away.

Got home early from work on Tuesday, July 1, about 2 PM and back at the engine. That evening it was in, all hoses connected and fired up. Broke the cam in and went to bed. While I was working on the engine, David cut my grass, most excellent!!!

At least we had a short trip on Wednesday to meet up with the group. We did not need to leave until about 2 PM, so I had the morning to pack my self and pack tools and spare parts into the buggy, move cars and tailers around and secure the place from thieves. I kissed and hugged Darlene and headed over to David's at 1 PM, loaded up his clothes and supplies and we left right on 2 PM.

The "rebuilt" again engine had only about 17 minutes on it, so we were apprehensive when we left. Ran about 144 miles to Reynoldsburg OH to meet up with the ECVW crew that was taking shape. We watched the gauges almost to the point my eyes crossed.

But the engine did perfectly. Once we got there, I did some of my normal checks and found the front wheel bearing were slightly loose, so I pulled the wheels and adjusted them about 1/4 turn to just pull the slack out.

Then off to dinner at the Olive Garden and the first of many dinner beers I drank on the trip. Very satisfying!

Just as we finished dinner, it started raining, so we waited out the rain, then walked to the hotel. Being that we would be leaving early the next morning and all liked to be ready to go as a group, the three buggy's decided to go get fueled up and be ready. The rain came back as did the darkness. I got lost leading the buggy's and ran around the neighborhood for a bit until we found our way back to the hotel.

Kathleen and Tom showed up and were tired, but ready to start the adventure in the morning. And away we went the next morning!

_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[RedBaronofRedBud]

Nice beginning recap, Joe! The way you described the engine rebuild sounded like something Barb and I have done!

Im sorry you wrenched your back. Have you thought about going to see a Chiropractor? Hope you feel better soon!

Is this going to be the first of a number of posts describing the trip from your point of view? (I hope so!)
_________________
Or you can call me………Tim

My two pennies…your mileage may vary

I’m not a complete idiot, there are parts missing

[Aeromax98]

Hey whos towing the blue buggy behind the white minivan? You passed me on I70 Tuesday morning going east. Very sharp buggy. =)

[RedBaronofRedBud]

[joescoolcustoms]

Thanks Tim! The pain med is doing the trick right now, but is making me sleepy. Yes, I am going to do a follow along with the trip based from the seat of my buggy. Most of my pictures, but some taken by others.

Day 2 for David and I was a drive from Columbus Ohio to Saint Louis MO. It was promising to be a great day from the start with nice weather and the fact that we would be picking up two more buggy's along the way. Cool!

The 4 of us, (Paul in the Moss Green Manx II, Vincent and France in their Silver Kickout SS Manx, Tom and Kathleen towing their Blue Metal Flake Manx II and David and I in the Puzzle Manx) headed out about 7 AM and we lead the group a short hop onto I-70 and then around the loop by-pass of Columbus to avoid the inner city morning rush hour. Vincent then took lead where he and France stayed most of the trip. David drove this day and I watched those gauges again, still apprehensive about the engine. We kind of figured that the break point would be the OH-IN state line. Up to that point, David's wife Trish could still come get us. But after that point, we would switch to plan B if needed, a rental truck and tow dolly.

Ohio was pretty un-eventful. After crossing into IN, the weather turned a little more chilly and we picked up a little rain, but not for long.

And of course, Stephanie and the kids! Paul's wife and family following along as both a support vehicle and our cheering section.

So, across the IN border and a fuel stop about 130 miles into the trip. This 130 miles became to be real close for the fuel stops. Some went a few miles longer into the low 150 range, or less pending on a planned stop or a needed stop. Anyway, ever time we stopped, we filled the puzzle Manx just to be 100% sure we did not hold up the group. At that fuel stop, Vincent and Paul worked out a good spot to pick up the next buggy. It would be one or two exits West of Indy.

That buggy that you can barely see in the above picture would be Chris in the # 7 monocoque Manx. This is a very rare fiberglass buggy and is listed as the 7th Bruce Meyers made, one of the first 12 he made and the 7th of 8 that are known now. So, Chris would be driving a piece of history along with us, and a valuable piece too boot. It was the first time I got to see Chris's top he made for weather protection and it looked great! Now we are rolling 5 buggy's. After a lunch break, we fueled, Kathleen jumped into Chris's buggy to give him some company and headed West to pick up the next buggy.

France giving the customary double cheek kiss to Chris.

And the Mabin girl's dolling up the Durango!

So we pushed on through IN and approached IL. A few exits East of the IL state line and Saint Louis, we stopped and picked up the 6th buggy. Kermit! Driven by Tim and co-pilot Barb. Tim would lead us into Saint Louis to the Hotel and around all the road construction. That was a big help at the end of a long day of driving.

After some fooling around, we walked a few blocks over to the re-furbished side of town along the river for dinner at Joey-B's. Joe Spittler came down from Chicago to meet up and have dinner with us!

Chris, Evan and myself!

A perfect set of butt cheeks!

We also just happened to meet another local buggy group who saw us come into town and stopped by to check out what was going on.

I locked my buggy to Chris's so it would make it hard to take his. Off to bed for another adventure the next day!

_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[joescoolcustoms]

I guess I need to get this documented or I will forget the details. My hat is off to France on her ability to do this every evening no matter how tired and road weary she may be.

Day 3 for David and I started out early and leaving the Hotel a couple minute before 7 with Kermit in the lead to get us out of the construction area of the city. I did not know that Tim had arranged for 6 of his buddy's in the Southern IL buggy club, The Buggymeisters to meet us on the other side of the River with their buggy's. Very cool to drive around a corner and see 6 very sharp buggy's lined up waiting on us.

From there, the 12 of us went over to a viewing park where we were going to take pictures of the Arch n the background. As we were pulling up and lining up, the caretaker came out and my first thought was we were going to have to leave, but he invited us onto the grass for some pictures that not many get to take, if at all. All of us were very respectful and used the off road motto of treading lightly. We lined up the 6 ECVW's for a photo shoot, and then lined up all 12 of us for some really cool pictures!

And then, the care taker had us turn around 180* to position in front of the fountain pool for some more pictures. Three 800 Horse Power diesel engines pressure up in three stage to shoot water almost 300 feet in the air for a water show. Even though the sun was in the wrong spot, the pictures are still cool.

From there, it is onto Hays KS. The Buggymeisters also joined in with us for about 75 miles of the run West. Really cool to roll down the interstate 12 deep.

Just shortly after crossing into KS, Kermit started having some problems. It struggled for a few miles and finally just stopped. We jumped in and helped Tim diagnose the problem back to the electric fuel pump. A new EMPI pump bit the dust. But, being prepared like a long hauler should be, tim popped out another pump and in about 20 minutes we were back up and running as a group. Great team work! I pulled up beside with tools, Tom yanked out the floor jack and stands, the ladies helped flag traffic for safety and bamm, down the road we went.

The cross wind in KS was wicked. 30 to 40 MPH wind constant blowing about 1/2 head on and 1/2 half blowing against the drivers side. Had to keep the steering wheel about 1/8 turn to the left just to go straight. The wind on the side of the head and ears was miserable, but the landscape was incredible. These are the great plains that are the bread basket of the US. I can only imagine the first settlers crossing this in the wagons and then busting the sod to plant crops. Had to have been hardy people. A local in Hays KS told me that right at dusk, some of the original wagon trails can still be seen in the grassy plains as the sun casts low shadows over the tracks. As we crossed these flat expanses, David and I would look as far ahead as we could, pick out a landmark, (usually a silo or grainery) and then take note of the mileage it took us to get to it. We were able to see around 8 to 9 miles ahead of us, WOW! Cannot do that in WV.

A fuel stop somewhere in KS. Just a deserted cross roads with nothing there except this abandoned restaurant and fuel station.

That evening we got cleaned up and went for dinner and drinks at a local brewing station. We had what tuned out to be the best waitress of all the places we stopped. Very on the spot and quick to get our orders and needs. Very good day with beautiful weather, great buggy's and long lasting friendships.

A little photo bomb by Paul's daughter Brit.

A very tasty German Schloss beer with dinner. Very satisfying.

_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[joescoolcustoms]

Day 4 for David and I, (day 5 of the ECVW Trip) started out early again and will lead us from Hays KS to Golden CO. Since I drove the day before, it was Davids day to drive.

When we came out from breakfast and started getting ready for our group morning picture, Tim handed out to each of us a Spiderman Hot Wheels Buggy he had found in Walmart the night before while stocking up on supplies. Tim also handed out to us a pocket bible he bought for us as a insurance policy, cool!

I did not realize it, but all day we were on a slow, steady rise in elevation. We rose from about 2000 feet to around 5700 feet. I did not notice until we started refueling and the combination of driving up gradient and into a head wind caused the fuel mileage to suffer to around 18.5 MPG. It is what it is.

I also did not realize that Eastern CO was so flat leading into the foothill of the Rocky Mountains. More beautiful country an a lot more windmills.

We drove through the great expanse of the country and just very gently rolling. About 100 miles into CO, we turned North and followed that direction for about 40 miles, then turned West again. Just after tuning West, we peaked a "mountain" and was given a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains.

For the next 4 days we would drive and weave ourselves all around and over these mountains. Very different than the Appalachians Mountains in the East. Very dry, very rocky, long ascent and descent, a very stark change from the green sharp up and down that we are used to. These pictures are just a drop of the beauty of this area and barely capture what it is like to see them in person.

These are coming into Denver and then on into Golden CO.

Once we made it to the hotel, a group of us decided to run over to the Coors Brewing Factory that is located here in Golden.

The visitor parking area. What a cool view!

Going into the Brewery, we had to take a few pictures.

This is the exit coming out of the Brewery. This is a noce view the workers get when going home from work. The mountains that produce the water that makes Coors Beer brewed with Rocky Mountain Spring Water.

Another good day in the books. The buggy's were suffering from the altitude a little and we proceeded to change jets, adjust valves, timing and the such. Tomorrow would be a day we would go over 14,000 feet in elevation, so, a good sleep was in order, and a later morning departure was welcome for the next day.
_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[nightmanx11]

I have to agree with Joe's assessment of the quartering head wind.
I was crossing Missouri and Oklahoma on I-44 & I-40 and 'enjoyed' the same wind.
A good 35 knot wind with occasional gusts to 40/45 knots. Very glad the buggy was in Arizona, waiting for me.

[joescoolcustoms]

Day 5 for David and I started out a little slower due to a later leaving at 8 AM. It would be a easy driving day with only covering around 170 miles instead of the usual 450 to 550 miles.

Before we left the hotel, Paul had a few visitors that were left over from the Korn festival that was held close by. These three were bombed so bad, the one riding the luggage cart could not even walk. The other two hd a mix of shoes and socks missing.

On the road and heading to Mount Evans. Really got to see the Rockies up close with gentle grades upward and fantastic views. I knew we were in for a treat when I saw the snow capped mountains in the middle of July.

We stopped just before the gate leading up the mountain to Mount Evans as a rally point and to drop off a few trucks. I ran over to the main office building to use the restroom before going up, and darn near did not make it back. I did not realize what the altitude and thin air did to my stamina. Wow! I guess 8000 feet was more than I bargained for. Good thing was I was able to recover in about 3 minutes. We packed the buggy's and headed up the mountain. First time I have ever been above the tree line. The tree line in the Rocky Mountains is about 11,000 feet to 11,500 feet.

And we got to see the wild goats.

Once on top, we took some pictures and then a few of us climbed on up to the top peak of 14,258 feet. This is the highest paved road in North America.

A few people did suffer from Altitude sickness, but the symptoms let up for them when we made it back down to 10,000 feet where we had the vehicles staged, which is good! David suffered a little from the altitude sickness, so I drove off the mountain, and it is a double handed drive, so I did not get pictures of the descent.

We stopped for lunch in Clear Creek CO, right across the river from a former Gold Mine.

And right beside a Liquor Store????

From there we drove on down through the canyons and back out to the interstate that led us to Manitou Springs CO for the night.

That evening Bill Loftin came over and had dinner with us. Talked a lot about racing off road and Pike Peak. Bill gave us the tip of advancing the timing around 5* for better performance in the altitude, which benefited greatly the next day.
_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[joescoolcustoms]

Day 6 for David and I would be to tackle Pike's Peak and onto Gunnison CO. We started out the day getting fuel with Chris, then around the corner for some pictures at the local car museum.

When Vincent programmed the GPS for Pike's Peak, he did not realize it was set on most direct route. This took us right by Pike's Peak and to a back road that turned into a dirt road at a gate. Direct route was up the back side. So, it did give us all the chance to re-set the timing after Kathleen's buggy stalled and needed the high altitude tune up, so the rest of us followed suit. It also gave us a nice vacant road to stage some driving pictures.

Here we are with Pike's Peak in the background, waiting on Vinvent to re-program the GPS.

Once we made it to the entrance to Pike's Peak, I wanted to "Run" the mountain. So, we dumped everything in and on the buggy into the back of Tim's truck and went ahead of the group. As soon as we made it through the toll booth and around the first corner out of sight, I went WOT as hard as I could for the full run up the mountain. Since this involved both hands on the wheel, shifting quickly, watching mirrors, watching ahead for cars and the upcoming curves, moving quickly, I did not photo any of the trip up the mountain for safety purposes. David did go-pro film the trip, but we will not post it up due to unsaid reasons. I will just say I had a very good time driving up the mountain.

Up on top of the world.

The crew finally pulling in.

A little rock climbing just to say I did on top of Pike's Peak.

And back down the mountain. On the trip down, we passed three or four people pulled over by the police, made me a little nervous thinking of what could have happened.

I think this area is what is called the Devils Tea Table. It was kind of flat and on the way up, able to carry some real speed.

Once off the Mountain and our buggy re-packed, it was on for lunch. We did not go too far and Vincent found a biker bar for lunch. Located in Ute CO. Super cool place and we hit the weekly special for burgers. Super fast service, quite tasty and very cheap. The bar had a old western style wooden bar with foot rail and the large mirror behind the bar keep with the whiskey stored on it.

And as a dlight to us, Western Vince S came from NC just to have lunch with us.

From there we crossed the high plains of CO. These plains stretched for miles and was around 8000 feet elevation. I could just imagine the Western movies depicting these high plains in their movies rounding up cattle. It cooled down and sprinkled on us a little, but very pretty trip on into Gunnison CO.

Once at the Gunnison hotel, Paul noticed he was having some problems with the repair he made in Bethlehem PA to the torn new front transmission mount. I knew about his problem just before leaving to join the group and brought a padded mid-mount transaxle strap just in case he had problems down the road. So, instead of going out for dinner, Tom and Kathleen decided to buy everyone pizza and stay at the hotel so we could make sure Paul was ready to go the next day. Again, the group effort to keep our buggy's going!

So, being the helpful hands we are, we all decided to help get that last bolt in the strap.

While they were working on the buggy and waiting on the pizza's to be delivered, Kathleen, Vincent ans I made a beer run. The beer we bought would eventually end up in Mike Dario's trailer at Big Bear and enjoyed. But, I had to buy this one beer just because I wanted the bottle. David said it looked like fiberglass resin in the glass. Paul said it was skanky wheat beer. Arrogant Bastard Ale, "your not worthy".

Then a beautiful sunset over Gunnison Colorado as we ate pizza, drank skanky beer and then Kathleen and Stephanie taught us how to dance in the hotel lobby.

_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[vincent9993]

Thanks for doing this Joe, it's like reliving the adventure at every paragraph & picture you post. In a few years, you'll find yourself re-reading this diary and you'll remember the smells of the restaurants and road segments. I garantee!

Thanks again.

[wythac]

I think it is cool to read and see another point of view of the same trip so well documented by Vincent and France, well documented by another on the same trip.

Great that Joe's car got to see a few unpaved roads too. All in all a great tale told well.

[joescoolcustoms]

Day 7 for David and I started early. Today we will push a hard run from Gunnison CO to Page AZ. It would be the first time we experienced any type of heat, rain and hail in the desert.

Sunrise over Gunnison CO.

Overnight I got tagged by the green tape bandit. He rode with us the whole trip and back to WV.

July 8 was also my birthday and Brittany got me this pin and made me promise I would wear it all day.

On the road and headed for the Million Dollar Highway and Red Mountain Pass. We crossed over some really beautiful country. As the day proceeded, the topography changed from a dry climate to a arid climate and started changing to a desert style vegetation.

Starting into the Million Dollar Highway.

First glimpse of Red Mountain.

And an active gold mine.

And down the other side of the 11,100 foot pass.

We stopped at about 9000 feet at a nice pull off place to take some pictures, throw rocks and in general fool around.

Tim, Barb, Kim, Emily and I on Red Mountain in front of Kermit.

I am guessing this is where our telephone and power poles come from. These conifer trees are sooooo straight and super tall.

Just extraordinary scenery that these pictures cannot capture, but only give an indication of how gorgeous this country really is.

A gratuitous selfie.

I will digress from the pictures because I could post them all night just trying to describe the sights and beauty we saw on this trip. For lunch we stopped in Durango CO. At a Real Texas BBQ no less. It is no secret that I made this trip on a shoestring budget, and found ways to cut into that budget. One way was to fill up on a large free breakfast at the Hotels, pack a fruit and danish lunch from said breakfast bar, then hand around the buggy's at lunch standing a semi-guard protection over our sweeties. Well, from time to time, so did Chris. So, we pal'ed around and talked a good bit, joking and having fun. (This turned out to be the favorite part of this trip for me, not just with Chris, but getting to know all the people I traveled with, the locals that we met only once, and the "family" at Big Bear. After a few days on the road, I began to feel at ease with the buggy, and started enjoying the tip itself and the new family people I was spending these three weeks with. The buggy was just the transport to these new friendships) So, this day as we were out back with the buggy's eating our lunch, Chris happened to mention that it would be cool to have a picture with the Mariachi Men on the roof of the restaurant. Well, "here hold this camera Chris" and here they are:

And onto Four Corners New Mexico.

It was around 105* when we were at Four Corners and maybe higher. Off in the distance when we left, we could see rain coming down on the higher plateau's and Mesa's. We ran in cloud cover most of that afternoon, which was a blessing keeping us out of the hard sunlight and heat. When we passed by a area where it was raining 1 or 2 miles away up wind, we could feel the cooling effect. A couple time we ran into the light rain only to see it evaporate in mid air before our eyes.

And then, Holy Freaking Rat Crap Batman!!! We ran right into, without warning, a frog choking rain storm that quickly turned into a hail storm.

At this point in the story, I have to break away and give some acknowledgement to a few who helped me get this far in this now Epic adventure. First, my wife. Without her support, none of this would have happened for me. Second, to David for encouraging me, pushing me to excel at my build and physically helping me, even cutting my grass while I worked on the buggy. And, at this very moment in this Epic trip, I said a silent prayer thanking Farmer John for his idea on a soft top when he built his for the C2C in 2013.

In about 3 seconds, both David and I zipped up our side curtains just as we popped into this rain storm. (This is the similar design that Farmer John made that allows to run the side curtains down for the air movement, then raise them very quickly) The sky just dumped it's contents upon us and now I saw just how desert floods happen, and flash floods happen. The water running across the roadway was at least 4 inches deep and washing sand/soil across the highway. At this same time, some idiot decided to pass us with oncoming traffic and very little visibility. David handled it very well scooting off the edge of the road to give the maximum room he could. If one little mistake was made, it could have collected about 4 of the six buggy's in a really bad accident. Then, the hail started hitting the buggy. It was so loud I could not hear Davids hollering that it was hailing, (the hard top cap made it sound bad, like a drum). Vincent choose wisely to run through it and not stop in the middle of it. It seamed like forever, but in reality, most likely was about 1 mile. When we popped out the other side and ran about another mile, then stopped to assess damage and put the tops on and make sure everyone was OK, I realized David and I only had a little bit of our sleeves slightly wet. Everyone else was really wet and beat on by the hail. No damage to people or buggy's.

Thanks FarmerJohn!

We ran in and out of rain a few more times over the next 80 miles as we drove into Page AZ. What a day, but not over yet.

We made it into Page AZ shortly before sunset. All intact and all well, but tired. So, We decided to just eat at the Hotel Lobby/eating area and order Chinese Cuisine. So started the Chinese restaurant debacle. The restaurant owner decided he heard 70 orders instead of 17 that Vincent called for. I guess a Frenchman speaking to a crooked Chinese man did not bode well. But Paul thought quickly and called the would be thief's bluff and we ended up eating South West Cuisine.

Remember how this day started? My birthday? Well, while the Chinese thing was taking place, Stephanie slipped away and bought a cake, some birthday stuff and at almost 10 PM, we went to eat and celebrate my birthday. Thanks Stephanie and everyone for helping make it special on the road!

Now the day was over. Hope to get good sleep, for the next day was the longest and hardest push we had coming.
_________________
Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[joescoolcustoms]

Day 8 for David and I. Yesterday David drove, so my turn. Started early and already tired. This would turn out to be a long day pushing hard to try and meet a schedule of dinner with Bruce and Winnie. We ended up running a little over 600 miles, the most of any of the days we traveled. We would cross the intense desert, Death Valley, aptly named for I do not see how much could live in the 117 degree heat we drove through.

Sunrise started out getting fuel.

Crossing the Dam at Lake Powell next to Page AZ.

Shortly after this, Tim pealed off to quickly tighten a wheel bearing, because of the time table, the rest pressed ahead and Tim caught back up at the first fuel stop.

We weaved in and out of AZ and Utah on the way to Nevada.

Running hard in about 98* heat, head temps just below 325*, Oil temps below 195*, Oil pressure about 48 pounds.

Except for Las Vegas, the scenery did not change much.

And then, there it was. We made it! California! Like Vincent told me about the first time he and France crossed into CA, "even if we break down now, we made our goal". Wow, hard to describe the feeling of setting a huge plan in place, working hard toward it and then seeing it happen. But still a long way to go. Next comes the long up gradient climb out of NV into CA, in intense heat around 109*. When we stopped in Barstow CA for fuel, someone told me at was 117* as we crossed Death Valley. David said it was just like sticking your head in a toaster oven. I will say the Dry-fit style high tech clothing really helped, it not only kept us from getting sun burnt, but helped keep us cool. We also used the "Frog Toggs" wet neck wraps and they worked super well.

The heat was so tiring that I forgot to photograph much until way into the LA area and on over to Ocenaside.

And of course, LA traffic just like you hear about. 8 lanes going somewhere.

A few glimpses of the Pacific Ocean from the PCH, (Pacific Coast Highway)

After GPS'ing into the wrong Jolly Roger Restaurant, we made it to the correct place for dinner with Bruce and Winnie. Beat down, sticky and stinky from all day in a buggy, but pleased to be there.

I did get to have a really good conversation with Bruce about what, I was too tired to remember, but do remember it was enjoyable.

Off to bed for some much needed sleep and glad the next day was David's turn to drive. We still have a early morning departure so we can see something very special, if you like buggy's.
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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone

[FarmerJohn]

Joe , what a great account of your trip , and like you said it's great traveling with people that turns in to a close knit group . As I'm reading this it brings back the great memories of my C2C adventure . I'm glad the top/side curtains worked out for you. It was embarrassing , there were days that it wasn't calling for rain that me & Keith ran with the curtains (or as Mike Dario referred to them "skirts") on because of the chill in air plus they cut down on wind and noise a lot When me and my wife are in Page AZ. this October while you're all at MOTB I'll have to make sure to stop & get Chinese
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Now I Drive A Hard Top Buggy !

[manxvair]

Great stuff Joseph, Those beers were great. I'm also reliving C2C. The sights, smells and camaraderie are hard to explain to some one that hasn't done a trip like this. John & Kieth would harass me for wearing a jacket and gloves but he would put on his "skirts ' cause he wasn't man enough to go exposed! (this is no reference to John losing his shirt in Nevada!)

[manxvair]

Joseph, do you have a upholstery shop near you that could make me a copy of the your doors and rear cover? I might need it for Shuffle to Buffalo 2015.

[joescoolcustoms]

John, we never took the side curtains, "skirts", off until the day of the show at Big Bear. Almost every morning we ran the sides either up, or partially up. As the day progressed, we would un-zip them a little farther forward until we just tucked them down in beside the seat. But, when we went into rain, 3 seconds and they were zipped up. It also nice how they dramatically cut down air movement when it was cold or had a side wind. The pieces of aluminum I contoured to the body shape and sewed into the leading edge of the lower curtains completely stopped any flapping where the material crossed over the sides of the body.

Mike, glad you enjoyed the beer! The Laughing Lab was my favorite.

Also, I do not have a decent upholstery shop close. But, even so, my top is very, very custom and would not fit another buggy. Not only is my top 1 1/2 inch taller than normal do to the taller windshield, but I also stretched the body. So, the three panels would be too tall and too long to fit your body. Plus, the back section fits to the surround and the hatch back, not the body. In addition, the sides come over like John's and snap underneath to metal extensions supported by the hidden side impact roll cage.

Best choice would be to take some pictures of mine to an upholster you are comfortable with, and have them custom make you one to fit your body.

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Bad News Racing 2018 NORRA 1000 3rd in Class
Best Day Ever Racing 2022 NORRA 1000 2nd in Class and first All Female team to complete the race

Everyone is gifted. Some just do not open the package.

Looks like it was painted with a live chicken,polished with a brick and buffed with a pine cone