Week One

The ride from Buffalo NY to Huron  Ohio was great.   Rolling farm lands of NY , PA and Ohio.  Stayed on Route 5 along the Lake,  and Route 2. No traffic,  car running 3200 rpms.  Midyearvette, (Frank Iafolla) has a house on the lake .  It was full of relatives,  so his kind neighbors,  John and Judy Halter, thought that sleeping on the beach in the warm weather was out of the question and offered me a room at their house.   I swam in Lake Erie for the first time and the water was warm and felt wonderful.

Life on the road is beginning to have some routine , and I hope that I will have more time to write.

Day Six

I will be back with the rest of the story in the morning.  Great Ride, Great people , was going to Pittsburgh, then to WV, but ended up in Orchard Park, NY.  Off to Columbus , but ended up in Huron , Ohio.  Country side is wonderful,  county roads at 60 mph, no traffic, just cows , plows, barns and endless rolling hills.    It is late and I will be back in the AM

Day 5

Got up early in Cortland NY.  Picked up car and left for Webster NY  to see Dan Dillingham.  He has a great 54 that he is working on.  Pictures on the NCRS forum in a day or so.  I also met Gene and Susan Manno.  He is a NCRS chapter President and has some great cars.  Photos on NCRS soon.  Gave me some good advice on my rear end alignment.  Hope to take care of in PA or Ohio.

I was running a day late because of the fuel pump and had to leave Frank and Gene sooner than I wanted in order to get to St Catherines, Ontario by dark.  Staying with Sam Kalmut in Welland.  He has a Grand Sport.  He and his wife Jackie have been great, good food, beverage, and talk.

We did go to a local car show and that was fun.  Still having phone and computer problems, but hope to sort them out on Sunday.  The trip continues to be exciting and everyday I am off to a new destination. Keep the light on  ..............

Day Four

I would like to share my thoughts on the kindness that people have shown to me on this trip.  I had few problems  , phone not working, fuel pump not working,   stuff that happens.

Take the kindness shown by Joey & Jimmy of the Bronx.  Two guys at a garage in the Bronx that came to my aid.  And what do you know,  Joey's mom was driven to the hospital by his dad, to give birth to him in a 63 SWC  , that is still in the family.  They cleaned my gas vent cap, said my fuel pump was OK and sent me on my way.  Odd happening in the Bronx.

The car acts up near West Point, and because I can't use my phone to call , I remember a friend who teaches at the Academy.  I don't have her number, but do get the address, put it the GPS and I make it to her house, knock on the door and say remember me?  Turns out , her husband has a 73 Corvette in the garage.  I stay the night and the car seems fine in morning and off we go to Rochester, next stop. 

Of course I break down in Cortland NY, when the fuel pump goes south.  What do you know, the garage owner has a 67 BB and a bunch of trophies in the office.  He knows how I am feeling at the moment, and  kindly lends me his truck for the night  , while we wait for the part in the morning. Such kindness.  Also, many forum members (Gene,Rick,Dan)  tried to help me via phone and emails with opinions and advice. Thank you

Now for the good stuff.  Route 17 from about West Point to Cortland is one of the best roads that I have ever driven a mid-year on.  The day was cloudy and threatened rain.  The road is a 4 lane divided highway.  Almost no traffic and 170 miles long.  It wines its way through the Catskill Mountains hugging the river valleys and mountain tops.

On this day you could imagine yourself on a Bavarian highway in Germany.  Wisps of fog and low hanging clouds.  The turns are perfect for our cars to negotiate at 55 to 70 mph.  I put on cruise control at 3300 rpm and just let the car run.  Great road to use instead of the Thruway from Buffalo to NYC.

Hope all is well tomorrow with the car, and off  I go St, Catherines, CA/ Buffalo area, to see my son row in the Canadian Henley , and to see Sam Kalmuk , who owns a  1964 Grand Sport.  Life is Good

Day Three

It started out great!  A nice ride to Captree and Jones Beach on Long Island.  Had a little car trouble in the Bronx.  Got as far as Cornwall on the Hudson near West Point.  Safe landing at friend's house.  Jim has a 73 vett and knows a garage close by if I can't fix it in the  am.   It's been hard to get into a routine, but I'm sure once I am in the country side, things will slow down.  Off to the Rochester area on Thursday.  Living out of a car is proving challenging.  Will start to post pictures in a few days; too tired after the heat of driving the last day or so and still have a few bugs with new computer  and on the road internet posting.  Still loving it.

Second Day

The last two days have been great.  Car is running fine with no problems.  Lots of people met and pictures to post.  It is about 12 at night and I just wanted to let everyone know that this trip may turn out to be even more that I had hoped for.  I am working on a new computer and phone, so it will be a day or so before I can settle down and write and post.  Stayed in RI last night and I am on Long Island tonight.  The hospitality shown by forum members has been overwhelming in a good way.  Thanks to Paul, Kevin, Charlie and many others.

The Journey Begins

The car is packed, all systems checked and at 7:30 AM  I leave with the morning tide.  I would like to thank my family for their support and understanding.  First stop will be Cape Cod in MA, then on to Newport, RI and ending the day at Green Hill Beach , RI. 

Just a little bit nervous, but I am sure that will all go away by 7:31.

Hint: If you click on, Itinerary "Follow Jack's Journey" just below the car picture on the upper right hand corner, it will take you to my travel calender.  Once there, click on (agenda) top of page next to day, week , month tabs. This will give you a short, easy to read, state by state trip plan.

Thanks for all the enthusiastic comments ,  leave the light on!