Power Tour 2009: Day Eight, Long Hauler’s Rule

Power Tour 2009: Day Eight, Long Haulers Meet-up

Last night I didn’t get much sleep, for today the Power Tour came to an end. Or perhaps it was the constant smell of burning tar from the factory next door. I can’t be sure.

Getting up early, I had everything prepared the night before to make a quick exit. I got everything in the car and I was out of the hotel by 7:30 am. The gate opened to get into Bristol Motor Speedway at 8 am. The hotel I stayed at was only a few minutes from the Speedway, so I headed out with a bunch of other guys from my hotel.

Getting to the Speedway, the line was already out the gate. I guess everyone else had the same idea. The line moved quickly, and the group was in and parked in no time.

I waited for my friends from the Gearheads, Wicked Rides and MoPower Tour. And no one showed up that I could see, the Gearheads had issues with their hotel and decided just to leave today instead of hitting up the Long Haulers meeting, the Wicked Rides group did not show up at all, apparently the women in the group decided to sleep in and pushed them back so far that they decided to head back to New Jersey. The MoPower Tour I don’t know what happened. I didn’t see them at all.

Getting into the Speedway, it was incredible. The place was immense, I have never been to a stadium/speedway so large. I’ve been to Joliet Speedway in IL, and it was nothing compared to this place.

Making my way into the photo area, I ran into my friends with the orange 71 Challenger. We sat next to each other and chatted for a while, since the Hot Rod people were still setting up for the Long Haulers picture.

Hot Rod’s members had everything ready around 9 am. They gave the normal speech about the sponsors and how great everything is. They told us that the Tour will start Saturday, June 12th, 2010 next yea.

Finally they got everyone excited and took the picture of the Long Haulers. After that they did the drawings for the engines and the Hot Rod Camaro, one engine went to someone in the crowd and another to someone not there. This year a Long Hauler won the give a way car, the 2010 Camaro. That was something new.

After that, it was all over, everyone began to file out to get their Long Hauler Schwag. It looked like cattle to the slaughter. I decided just to sit in the stands and wait while everyone else made their way out. It was very odd to sit there and watch the Power Tour bus do laps of the track. That just isn’t normal!

A little bit after 10 am, the crowd had diminished enough that I won’t have to wait to get my stuff. So I walked right up, grabbed my four Long Hauler signs and made my way to the Caprice.

It was sad to be putting everything I had for the Power Tour away, no more lanyard, directions, flag, etc… Here I was about to head out to Charlotte, North Carolina all on my own. I did run into a guy from http://www.bangshift.com that I had met a few days earlier while sitting waiting for traffic to lighten up. We talked for a bit about what a great time we had, and wished each other well on the drives ahead.

The parking lot cleared and I headed out, I set the GPS on my Sister’s address and headed East. I thought I would be taking major highways all the way there, the GPS had other ideas… first of many. It took me through the tiny roads of the small towns on the route. I was going up and down mountains, my brakes began to smoke. It was not what I had in mind for a easy ride to see my sister.

On the route, I passed by a car dealer on the side of the road that had a 74 Charger out front. I pulled over and began talking with the gentleman. His friend and him were just sitting there watching the cars drive by. I struck up a conversation with the guys, and he showed me the 57 Chevy hidden inside, along with the 69 Camaro. The owner asked if I had any old cars, I said I did, a 71 Challenger, 69 Charger and a bunch of other cars.

He then mentioned that he had a 69 Charger sitting out back! He said all it was missing was the engine and transmission. I was ecstatic, he took me around back, and there sitting in the back was a 69 Charger, what looked like a mid-60’s GM and a 69 Chevrolet. The Charger was very rough, but was mostly all there. Just the engine and transmission were missing, but everything had to be replaced.

I thanked them for letting me look at the car, I got the owners name and number, then continued on my adventure. Still listening to the GPS, it was taking me through the Blue Mountain parkway I believe. It had some incredible turns. The brakes were getting hot going through there. This put me off doing the Tail of the Dragon on the way home.

Coming out of the mountains, the GPS had me go off on a little road. I listened and followed the little road, it was all twisty and looked old. I was thinking that maybe this was some sort of short cut. Oh boy was I very wrong, it was a dead end! I went almost a half hour out of my way to end up at a dead end! Pissed is not a word I use lightly, turned around and headed back to the main road.

Once there, I headed the same direction I was going before the turn. The GPS then told me another route to go on. So I thought I could trust it again, that would end badly. It was telling me to make left turns, around a single block, and it continued to do so. I only went once around, but I think it was mocking me. I finally pulled out my Atlas and mapped out the route myself.

Back on a main road, I eventually made my way through small towns and cities before coming upon Charlotte. Coming through the trees, it was similar to a movie. There, after cresting the hill, I could see the Charlotte skyline. It was very impressive.

Going through Charlotte, I passed by Bank One Stadium where the Carolina Panthers play, and worked my way to my Sister’s place.

I reached there after 6 hours, where it was supposed to have taken me just 4. My Sister was pleased to see me, but since we never visit her our there, it was odd to be here.

Tomorrow I will leave back for Chicago, a 14 hour drive back which I plan to split up into two days. The past week has been a memorable one, I will never forget the adventure and friends that experienced it with me. I just hope that next Year we can do it all again.

Thank you all for following this Blog, I hope you enjoyed reading of this little adventure. Let me know what you would like in future Blogs, and I will see what I can do to help you all out.\

To view all the pictures from today, go to the link below.
[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/sets/72157619706538352/[/url]

Thanks

Ryan Brutt
HemiPwr70@aol.com
http://www.ryanbrutt.com

Power Tour 2009: Day Seven, Bristol

Power Tour 2009: Day Seven, Bristol

I finally had my act together. I got up early, out the door before 9 am. I went and met up with the MoPower Tour. It had rained the night before, but wasn’t now nor was it suppose to. All I needed to do was get gas and be on my way with everyone, and that is where Plan A fell apart.

Getting gas, I return to the meeting place for the MoPower Tour and they were all GONE! I was like, sheesh, could have waited 4 extra minutes. It wasn’t like you didn’t know I wasn’t coming.

Oh well, I turned around and headed out on my own. I travelled the route for almost a good 45 minutes before I came across another Power Tour participant. I was still trying to figure out if I was ahead or behind the main group. I think I was behind, but never did. It wasn’t that important.

Getting off the highway I was with a group of unknown people, which was fine. We were cruising along, no issues. Going through the mountains were absolutely stunning.

A twist of fate worked in my favor though, my friends from the Chicago Gearheads had pulled over for some breakfast at an Arby’s in the mountains. This was great, I joined up with them and we all headed out into the mountains together.

This was the best leg so far. The weather was beautiful, the cars were working great and the scenery was just breath taking. We went for at least an hour or so without interuption, just our group making our way through these little valley passes.

Coming through the mountains, we came up to the Cumberland Tunnel. I hadn’t been in a tunnel like that in a while. It didn’t make me feel any better that I was lead car through the tunnel. Or the fact that the tunnel was closed for a bit to allow some chemical trucks through in front of us. But everything went fine, we all drove through without issue and entered Tennessee., then Virginia, then Tennessee again.

It might not seem like it, but it was tiring driving those mountain roads. Always have to be on guard, always alert. And of course I was trying to take pictures, which could have been a disaster.

We all just cruised along, me snapping random pictures of random things. There were some project Mopars for sale just outside of Jonesville, and I couldn’t get my camera up and out in time to take their pictures ironically. I was thinking about turning out, but decided to continue on with the group.

Coming out of some serious twistys, my friends in the new Mustang Convertible in front of us had a little issue. Their drag plate from the Chicago Gearheads had broken and was now dragging partially on the group. So we needed to make a pitstop before this thing went through someones window.

We found a little mini-mart gas station in one of the towns and pulled over to fix it. They had the problem fixed in no time, but we had other issues. The gas station only had one bathroom total, no boys and girls, just one. So we all had to wait our turn to use it, and since I had to use it longer, I let the other guys go in front, putting me at the back of the pack again.

Another problem was that the mini-mart we were at did not sell alcohol, which wasn’t a big problem for me, since I don’t drink. But the other guys did want some, so they went ahead to another gas station down the road for some.

The rest of the group who was with me made their way to the gas station and joined up with them. We let our cars cool down for a while, they had worked hard going through the mountains. I know the Caprice was running around 210 to 220 degrees.

So me always being a photographer, I pulled out the camera and began snapping pictures of cars going by. It was ironic because just as I get situated, the MoPower Tour head vehicle goes past me! I don’t know how they got behind me, but they did.

With the everyone rested up, and coolers full of refreshments, the group headed out on the last leg together. After this we would be going our seperate ways, some home to Chicago, some going to Pennsylvania, and myself heading to North Carolina to see my sister.

It was a sombering through, but we had such a great time and we had no regrets. So we made our way into Bristol. Going through Bristol, I happened to glance to my right, and there, pulling out of the gas station was my friends from Wicked Rides! So in one day, I was with all my friends. They pulled in line behind me, and we all pulled into Bristol Speedway together.

This venue was another one that I guess common sense took a day off, the vendors were all lined up against the drag strip, and the Hot Rod Stage was at the far end, about a half mile from where the majority of the show cars were at.

We didn’t dwell on this, some guys went to line up for drag racing, others went to sign up for going around the Nascar track in the speedway. I started my usual routine of mapping out where everyone was, finding unique or cool vehicles, then going back over everything to get more details.

Temperatures had risen, and the humidity was up, so sweating came easily to me as I walked the rows of cars. Finding some crazy stuff at this stop. A guy had a 68 Barracuda with 340/2 on the hood. I asked him about it, he said if I guessed right he would show me the engine. I told him it had to be a 170 slant six. He told me I was correct and showed me his tricked out small slant six. Pretty cool car with tweaks here and there to make it run real nice.

Walking around, I saw some cool old drag cars, the only “Super Mustang”, a SS Hemi Barracuda and Hemi Satellite. Which give you a real kick of nostalgia when being at a cool track like Bristol. On my swing back to the beginning I heard that the Nun-Runner was about to go down the drag strip, so I raced over the fence and grabbed some shots of it making a respectable 18+ second run down the quarter mile. Very cool for such a heavy beast, but a very cool, well engineered, well run vehicle. (Written under threat of death… ::ah choo, ah choo:: )

This venue had some really interesting cars to see, a Canadian Beaumont Acadian Sport Coupe… aka Nova SS in America. A stunning 69 Camaro with ZR1 engine ( I know it was here all week, I just now noticed it), amodified Checker Taxi Cab and a gaggle of rat rods. It was so refreshing to see such unique cars, instead of the hum drum stuff like usual.

Making my way through the crowd I found my friends with the new 09 Challenger R/T Classic. They were speaking with a gentleman and his wife who had a 71 Dodge Challenger R/T. We arranged an impromptu photoshoot with the two cars in a nice wooded side area of the parking lot, I think the pictures came out really nice.

Finishing with the pictures, we chatted for a while and then they both had to go, so I said goodbye to my friends, who were heading home to Indiana and wished them well. Before going, I learned that they are huge Diner’s, Drive In’s and Dive’s fans…. guess what we’re doing when they come to Chicago!

Walking back to the drag strip, the racing had finished and they were just allowing people to walk around the track like nothing, people pulled their cars up for pictures on the track, and next to the Thunder Mountain signs. I got some really incredible pictures I think. And finally I have proof, a picture of myself at a venue! I think there are maybe 2 or 3 others in existance.

It was getting later, many of the participants were leaving. So I made my way for one more trek through the venue. I found my friends from the Gearheads hanging out in the bleechers just off the track, talking with the guys from Streetwise about how my friends 60 Buick LeSaber convertible beat out their Box Truck on the drag strip by a full .01 of a second. Pretty funny stuff.

This time I was done, I made my way back to the Caprice, loaded all my gear up and headed for the Motel. Not before hitting up a BoJangles. Quite the name.

Tomorrow is the Long Hauler meeting, it is going to be fun and sad, because another Power Tour is ending. I hope to have something more profound for tomorrow, but for now I will just say, see ya tomorrow!

Oh Yeah, we Rule!… so says the city of Somerset!

Ryan Brutt
http://www.ryanbrutt.com
HemiPwr70@aol.com

To view all the pictures, please see below.
[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/sets/72157619579712677/[/url]

Power Tour 2009: Day Six, Somerset

Power Tour 2009: Day Six, Somerset

Waking up around 7 I realized it was still way to early to get up, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. I rolled back over to see what time it was after this little nap, and it was now 9:30 am. So I was late.

Rushing through everything. I got the Caprice loaded, checked out and on the road right around 10 am. The look on the desk ladies face was priceless as I came almost running down the hall with everything I had to check out.

On the road I thought I would be near the end of the pack, I was wrong. I was immediately greeted with throngs of Power Tour participants. I settled into a group and we headed out of Ohio for Kentucky.

Driving on a major highway is never the best option, but it was all that we had at first. Sometimes you do miss it though, especially when your right leg gets tired and starts cramping up from the constant brake pedal motion of small towns.

The weather was overcast, it had rained the night before and they were expecting rain in the future. So I was pretty sure it would come sooner or later, I just couldn’t tell when in the trip it would be. I did see some interesting clouds though.

After about an hour, we finally got off the major expressway and onto the more country roads. I enjoy them more, but that’s me. We were to travel on this one road for a majority of the day. So it didn’t require looking at the directions a lot.

Cruising in the group was nice, I didn’t lead and I wasn’t at the end. Just part of the pack. Kentucky is a beautiful place to drive, the roads are in fair to good shape, and there are actually some pretty good hills and turns to go around. It was far more fun then the plains of the past few days.

In one of the little towns I saw my friends ( they may deny that ) from Wicked Rides in the Shell station. Pulling into the gas station I came upon a cool sight. A 80’s Plymouth Gran Fury Cop Car. I guess it was a friend of theirs that had joined the Tour on this leg.

The group was of course surprised to see me, I grabbed something to eat and they all made their ways to their cars and we all headed out, me at the rear being with the least horsepower so I don’t hold everyone up.

The group drove through towns and farmers fields, but the roads were actually curvy and hilly, so you had to be on guard the whole time. I was follow the cop car most of the time so I knew he could stop, me, I was a little hesitant. We made it through most of this leg together, but got separated going through a little town with a ton of lights.

Making my way with another group, we worked our way through the hills of Kentucky, making it to the split where we went onto a two lane road through some incredibly hilly country. This looked like fun… at first.

Just into the twistys, a huge backup was going on. I could see at least 20 cars in front of me, and I couldn’t see the end behind me. I was hoping no one was injured. As we all made our way forward, after about 20 minutes, I finally was able to see what was causing the backup. It was an Amish buggy. They were going down the road, and since we were still in somewhat hilly terrain, no one could pass except in spurts. I did finally make my way past the buggy and continue on my way.

Then the hurricane came.

Going through the twistys, the rain started. At first a light drizzle, then a complete downpour. The trees were going sideways, my driver side wiper decided to have a big dead spot in the middle. I could barely make out the LeMans in front of me. The group slowed down to compensate, but it was still crazy. My nerves were on edge the whole time. Finally we made our way out of the hills and the rain began to diminish.

Driving into Somerset was not as bad as in previous cities. There were large signs showing us where to go, long enough signal lights to let large groups of cars go through. So after entering Somerset, we were to the venue fairly quickly.

Pulling in I found the guys and girls from Wicked Rides. I parked across from them, grabbed a drink and my hat and then set fourth to hit up the show.

Right near my car was a pretty well frakked up Chevelle. The owner wasn’t around, but from what I was told, a young girl spun out in the rain and hit him. I don’t know the circumstances or what was going on, but I can’t believe he drove the car to the show. But that wasn’t the only disaster.

The vendors and Hot Rod Power Tour stage was set up away from the rest of the show, you actually had to cross the street to get to them. And they were not just across the street, you had to walk a ways to get to them.

Once making my way to the stage, getting my card stamped I was sitting around drinking a pop trying to figure out in the confusion that was this stop, where the actual show was. Stuff was off in all directions. There was no sense to any of it.

Making my way around, I found a few of my friends from the Gearheads. Apparently all was not well with them. One of the members, in his El Camino blew up the rear end the night before doing a burnout. And today en-route someone blew out a tire. I didn’t know any more, the guys told me that everything was going to be alright though.

I continued on my walk, running into a few guys from Bangshift.com and a few other websites. This venue wasn’t as large as I was hoping, but it was turning out to be a beautiful day. Sun was out, getting a bit warm, but wasn’t anything to bad.

Going through the show, there were fewer and fewer cars I had yet to see, so I take fewer and fewer pictures. But there are still many interesting cars coming in at each stop. I hope I didn’t miss any in this round.

After twice through, I pulled out my chair and sat in front of the Caprice as I watched the cars drive by me on their way out. I can see why people enjoy this instead of the walking around.

Eventually my friends from Wicked Rides came back from walking around and we all sat around and talked for a while, it was getting late and we were all starving. Their hotel was a distance away so we parted company.

I headed to my hotel, but not before grabbing dinner. Blackened Chicken sandwich. Yum.

Time to hit the sack and actually wake up at a decent time!

Ryan Brutt
http://www.ryanbrutt.com

To view all the pictures, please check out the link below.

Power Tour 2009: Day Five, Dayton

Power Tour 2009: Day Five, Dayton

The past few days, I normally get up a little later then everyone else. Today though I was getting up early so I could meet the MoPower Tour for breakfast and then head out with them.

Everything was going to plan, I was out the door and driving at 8:30 am. The meeting was set for 9:00 am, so I assumed that I could get there in plenty of time, sit down and wait for the group, that was the plan.

I get to where the restaurant was suppose to be, and there was nothing there. Just an empty lot. I thought maybe I had gone to the wrong address, nope it was correct. It was the damnedest thing.

There was a Krispy Kreme dough nut place across the street, going over there, I talk to the people who work there, and they had never heard of the place. I decided to just skip the meeting, grab some dough nuts and head out. Ironically there was a 88 Caprice Classic Brougham LS in the parking lot, so I snapped a picture of the two.

Time was on my side for once, because as I get onto the highway, the lead MoPower Tour vehicle pulls in front of me! So I just fall behind the custom newer Charger Daytona and keep pace.

Making our way our of town, we had one stop to make, and that was at some local collectors shop. Sadly the directions given to us were not as good as we were hoping, so we were on the side of the road waiting for better directions. This time gave two guys in a yellow Superbird the ability to catch up to us though.

I shared my Krispy Kremes with the crew, and we got the new directions and headed out. It was nearby, so it was not too bad. Getting over there we were greeted by a 2008 Challenger SRT-8 in Hemi Orange, and an 1970 Challenger R/T SE with 440 in Hemi Orange. Just like the pair I saw last week.

The gentleman showed us the collection of Challenger literature and Thunderbird collection. It was quite immense, and he said only part of it was at the location we were at. I know I didn’t doubt him. We made our rounds through the collection, he was a very nice guy, even gave us some calenders that have Challenger pictures in them. But time was getting later and we needed to get going. So we said our goodbyes and headed out.

Our group of Mopars and one Chevy made our way along I-75. On our way, we ran across a Semi trailer loaded with new 2010 Mustangs, and at least half of them were Shelby’s. Very sharp cars, one was even in grabber blue.

Entering Toledo I got a text about ten minutes to late that the highway was heavily congested. This didn’t help me out anymore, but it was nice that they tried to warn people. So I settled into the pack of traffic, I go to turn my vents on, to get some air moving in the car, and it wasn’t working. Now I’m worried, because I can’t go the next few days through who knows what without at least a defroster. I couldn’t worry about it then though, I was stuck in traffic.

Traffic lasted almost an hour, but once we got going, our group flew. We were above the posted speed limit, and I was impressed that the Superbird kept up with us. Not that it couldn’t go that fast, but the fact that the guys were taking her that fast.

Unfortunately the traffic and our little jaunt had used up a lot of gas, so we all pulled into a Speedway off the highway to refuel the cars and to stretch out a bit. We were only at most 50 miles from Warren, so I knew this was going to be a long day.

Getting back on the highway, there was still traffic, and the Superbird was not going as fast as the rest of the group, so between me trying to stay with the Bird and the rest of the group, we all got split up. We did eventually get back together, but it was right before our exit, and I noticed that the Challenger and Charger Daytona were going straight, while the directions told us to get off the main highway.

Following the directions I got off the highway and the Superbird did as well. That is the last I saw of the rest of the group. I heard they arrived in Dayton fine though.

The Superbird and I kept together for a little while, we were with a large group of other Power Tour participants, and we eventually got separated. There wasn’t far to go through. The route we were on took us a majority of the leg for today.

Going from town to town, there wasn’t really anything else to see. Just cornfields broken up by the little towns. I would admire the architecture and local life. It was fun to drive through, being the center of attention with all these cool cars.

Being that I had only survived the day so far on Krispy Kreme dough nuts, I desired something more. Coming over a bridge there was a new Waffle House. Since I had never been to one, or one that I can remember I stopped there for lunch. There were people sitting at the windows just watching the cars roll by.

It was a good lunch, it was a small lunch though, I didn’t feel like anything to heavy. There was about another two hours ahead of me. Packing up, I jumped back on the route and headed to Dayton.

While passing through these little towns, I kept seeing signs for Drive-Thru’s. I would look and not see them. I finally saw another sign and pulled over. Apparently in Ohio they have these places where you actually drive through the building, they give you your beer or such and you drive out the other side. I had never seen anything like it. I called my friend in Chicago and told him, he couldn’t believe it either. Very interesting place.

Driving through the middle of old school Americana, we passed by real drive In’s, drive in movie theaters, Dairy Queens, Kings, Dream, and anything else you could think of. I wish they had more stuff like this in the Chicago land, it would make things much more interesting!

After running over a ladder in the middle of the highway (couldn’t avoid it, thankfully no damage) and hitting up a few more larger highways, my group finally made it into Dayton, Ohio.

Getting into the show, I parked and started playing with the blower motor, and got it working. Must have been a loose wire.

It had gotten hot and humid out, but was overcast and fairly nice. Just a few hours before I was told it was pouring out. Thankfully the weather stayed nice and actually cooled off near the end of the show.

Walking the show, I did my usual routine. I walked through once to find the new cars at the show, shoot anything I thought was interesting, then double back and chat with my friends.
It was perfect, I got there when everything was in full swing. I got my time card stamped, moved my Caprice over by my friends from the Gearheads and was just chilling out and chatting with them. Ironically my friends from Wicked Rides parked the Nun-Runner, 70 Hemi Challenger Convertible (for sale) and Savoy Wagon right next to the Gearheads. It was the best of both worlds.

The next few hours flew by going between the two groups. The talking and laughing didn’t end. We were there until just a few stragglers were left. The sponsors were gone, even the Hot Rod RV was about to leave. While the day started out slow, the end was great.

Tomorrow is going to be a little shorter then today, but not by much. So a long day of driving, but this stop is suppose to be huge. So lets see what comes.

I just hope Somerset, Kentucky is ready for us.

Power Tour 2009: Day Four, Mount Clemens

Power Tour 2009: Day Four, Mount Clemens, MI

Today was going to be a long drive, the route took us almost 250 miles. And there was a stop along the way that I wanted to make. So it wasn’t going to be the quick three to four hour jaunt that it has been.

Getting up early, I was packed and on the road by 9:30 am. Which is good for me, since it meant that I would be roughly in the beginning to middle of the pack. I wouldn’t be alone like I had the previous day.

I immediately found a guy in a Fox Body Mustang in the parking lot of the hotel I was at to drive with. We pulled out of the hotel and hopped right on the highway, along with other Power Tour participants coming from different locations.

The beginning was fairly easy highway driving, nothing to strenuous. We cruised along at a good pace, until we hit the highway we were going to be on for a while. Then it hit me how long this is going to be.

Indiana isn’t know for any mountains or valleys, so there wasn’t any surprises. The Tour just went through the small towns and cities. It was nice to drive though them and see a bit of old America, with the general purpose stores and non-brand name appliance places. We passed old abandoned gas stations, and ones made into museums. I’m a fan of architecture, so this was all very interesting for me.

It was about two hours into the leg from South Bend, In to St. Claire, Mi when I needed food. I had not eaten breakfast and wanted something other then normal fast food. I was lucky enough to find a real drive in one of the small towns on the route.

The drive-in is called Allen’s and it had been in the same location since the mid-fifties. I sat down at the counter and ordered up a hamburger, fries and some potato logs (wedge style fries). Talking with the people who worked and owned Allen’s was a real treat. Truly nice people, and I recommend stopping by there anytime anyone cruises this way.

Just after I finished scarfing down my burger, I noticed my friends from the Gearheads drove by. So I jumped back in the Caprice and drove out to meet up with them.

Traffic was light, so I was able to catch up with them fairly easy. Unfortunately the lane I was in ended, so I ended up being in front of everyone. Then a few lights later, a large dump truck gets between me and the other Gearheads. Thinking they were just behind the truck, I continued on. A few miles down the road the dump truck turns off and there was no one behind him! Apparently they had gotten stuck at a light, and then went to Wendy’s. Thankfully I still had the rest of the group to cruise with.

The next few hours flew by, just driving through the towns, waiving to people as we passed. It just felt so good. I wasn’t deep in thought or worried about anything, just living in the moment.

The first major leg of this part came to an end not far from Michigan International Speedway. It is some large circle track and road racing track from what I could see. The facility was in the middle of nowhere, just fields and fields of corn and beans around it.

Next on the agenda was a stop at Ididit Hot Rod and Muscle Car accessories. Pulling into an abandoned factories parking lot was a little sobering. But the place across the street was incredible. Ididit has an incredible facility. State of the art machines and the man power to run them. The showroom they had showed us the wide range of the items they make and produce. I just wish I could afford them.

At Ididit I met up with a few of the guys from Moparts.com. A great group of guys that were doing the entire tour with a very nice AAR Cuda. I was jealous that they were able to take their Mopar and I couldn’t. We chatted for a while about a range of topics. It was nice to put a face to the people I talk with on line, sadly it had to come to an end, and we departed Ididit.

From the Ididit stop to Mount Clemens it was about a two hour drive, the last bit on a major highway. So the cruise was fairly uneventful until we reached Detroit.

I actually found the GM lead vehicle while entering Detroit, a little funny since we were hours later then when they should have been there. So I tucked into pack and drove into Detroit at the head of the pack, or what it should have been.

Unfortunately the exit that we were all getting off at wasn’t regulated to allow us to pass easily, and the backup caused a rather large traffic jam on the highway, even after we got over onto the shoulder.

All of the cars there at this time were stuck in this large jam for almost an hour, just trying to get into Mount Clemens. Making our way off the highway and onto the road to the show grounds was fun. We all did eventually make it into the grounds. It is quite the place.

The actual parking lot is huge and bordered a large lake. There was plenty of room for everyone, the weather was great and I was able to get there with plenty of time, park and start hitting up the venue.

Just walking up and down the rows was nice, most of the cars were ones I had seen before, but there were some really interesting surprises, like the chopped Monte Carlo or Valiant drag car. There was everything here.

Finally I was able to meet up with the guys from the MoPower Tour. It was nice to finally talk with them and see how everything has been going, I might go meet them up for breakfast tomorrow.

I found my friends from Wicked Rides with the Dart Nun-Runner and Hemi Challenger convertible. They had a nice trip in as well, no issues with the Nun-Runner, not as though their should be. I found JoAnne’s Daytona and talked to her for a bit. Then made my way around and found the guys from the Gearheads, moved my car and chatted with them for a bit.

On my way to get the car to move it over by the Gearheads, there was a very good looking young lady posing on a sharp Monte Carlo SS Aero Coupe. I helped her out for a moment, and snapped a few very nice photographs and continued on to the car.

The guys and I sat around for a bit, just shooting the shit, watching the cars go by. It was getting later, and we decided to call it a night. There was a cruise in Warren I wanted to hit up, so I headed to the hotel and got checked in.

Then I sat outside and watched the cars go by and talked with the car guys at the hotel up until I knew I had to finish this blog.

Tomorrow is Dayton, Ohio. Are they ready for us? I hope so!

To view all of the pictures, please see below.

Power Tour 2009: Day Three, South Bend

Power Tour 2009: Day Three, South Bend

Getting up today, I looked outside to see it had been raining again. I don’t think I’ve ever woken up to a dry parking lot on either Tours.

Skipping the driver’s meeting, I headed out on my own to Kenosha Wisconsin to hit up a diner from the show Diners, Drive ins and Dives. It was a little out of the way, but every week I go to another place that was on the show. I also wanted to hit up Kenosha to see their antique street cars that still run through the town.

Finding the place wasn’t a problem, trying to eat there was! It was packed, and is a typical old diner. Half of the place was an old railroad passenger car, the other half was added on at another time. I got seated at the end of the diner. The people were wonderful there, they had character and were really funny. I actually had a good time there, and the food was excellent. Though it did take a while to get my food and get out of there, I will be going back.

After my hour and a half in the Diner, I went over to the downtown area, where the street cars run through. I camped out at a corner and wait for one to go right by me. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait long, as an orange classic street car came by just after a few minutes.

It was really interesting to see the old street car running, I almost wish I could have jumped on one for a ride, but time wasn’t on my side.

I headed back to the route, knowing I was way behind everyone else. But it didn’t matter to me. So I made my way south along the lake shore. Going into Chicago was a disaster though, just to get ten miles, took almost an hour. Once I got past Chicago though, it was smooth sailing. I even cruised with a new black Challenger SRT-8 and a black 2010 Camaro SS. That was really cool.

Cruising along with no other cars from the tour was a little sobering (even though I don’t drink). Here I was on a road I had never been on before, all by myself. It was fairly boring.

Making my way through Illinois and then starting my way south through Indiana on a major highway isn’t exactly a bunch of fun. The time just flew by.

The last part before hitting South Bend was the best part of today’s route. I finally found some of the Tour to finish off the Tour with.

We entered the fairgrounds and it was hot and windy. But looked like the rain was going to miss us. After being so late, I just wanted to find everyone and see if I missed anything. I started my way through, and found Don and his son. They told me where some of the group was. The fairgrounds were very nice, so walking around wasn’t such a big deal.

I finally ran into the MoPower Tour Challenger, even though no one was there. I was getting closer! I made my way through at least half the show when the clouds started rolling in. It was getting dark and I wanted to see the rest of the show, and get my time card punched.

I ran into the guys from the Gearheads, they had setup camp and I talked with them for a little bit while. It was beginning to sprinkle, and I had yet to get my card stamped and see a the rest of the show. So I continued on through the crowds and found JoAnne with the 69 Charger Daytona. We had missed each other at the previous stops and caught up a bit.

This didn’t help matters any. I got through the show and made my way to the Hot Rod stage, got my card stamped, and then began going through the show again to see if I had missed anything. I was getting close to the Caprice when the clouds opened up and it began to pour.

I made it back to the Caprice soaking wet, it was then I knew I couldn’t enjoy the show anymore being completely soaked. So I went and said goodbye to a few people back in the show, and headed to find my hotel.

When booking on the Internet, I must not have seen how far I am from the fairgrounds, but it is a little bit of a hike, in the middle of nowhere. Making it there was an adventure in and of itself.

Getting checked in and settled in wasn’t a problem, going to sign in to put up the blog and get everything put up, and my hotel only has Internet, if I plug in. Of course I didn’t bring a spare high speed cable, so I’m going to head out to dinner and upload this at whatever free wifi place I can find.

BTW I found a place to eat, a Sonic! There are not any by me, so this was a real treat. But I am currently typing this up at a McDonald’s down the road.

So tomorrow we hit up Warren Michigan, or where ever Hot Rod decided to send us after GM filled for bankruptcy, so fun stuff tomorrow!

To view all the pictures, go to

Ryan Brutt
http://www.ryanbrutt.com

Power Tour 2009: Day Two, Racine

Today started off fairly bad, I got up around 8:30 and it was storming by me in Milton. I thought it was going to be a horrible day, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I got everything loaded, said goodbye to my friends there and headed out to meet up with the Tour in Whitewater. I didn’t know if I was going to be in front of the main group or behind, but I thought getting there by 9:30 or 10:00 am would be a good time to roll with the group.

I cruised along the back roads to Whitewater, it was fairly uneventful. Pulling into Whitewater it looked as though the whole town was still asleep. There wasn’t anyone on the sides of the road or anything. I was wondering if I had come to the right place.

Just down the route is a great place for Custard called Frosty’s. I always love stopping there, so I pull in and the lot is empty. I’m even getting more worried by this time.

Walking in, I knew the owner from meeting him before. He said it had been slow, but the main group had yet to come through, cars were just starting to trickle through. I was relieved, grabbed some frozen custard and headed out.

Crusing the back roads of Wisconsin was fun, we didn’t have any real dangerous driving. I was traveling in a group of probably 20 cars or so. We just chugged along. Some of the roads were really incredible though, I guess every state has some hidden gems.

I needed gas, so I found a BP station right near the corner where you go to hit up Union Grove Dragway. I had no intention of hitting up the drag strip, but instead to head to a Mopar show I had been invited too. Not knowing how far out of my way I really went.

I plugged in the address into my GPS and headed off. I thought that I had only gone a little out of my way. When I finally looked more into it, I was almost 45 minutes to an hour away from the show! I thought to myself, should I just turn around? I decided to continue on, there was no reason not to. So I kept on going.

I made it there just as the MoPower Group was leaving. It was great timing on my part again. But I had a great time. It was a really nice show, the weather was overcast but no rain. Lots of incredible cars. Sad to hear that the dealership is one on the chopping block. I wish the best for the people. The club that sponsored the group was a real nice group of people, I chatted with Roy, the one who told me about the show. He had a jaw dropping 72 Road Runner with a very large Hemi between the fenderwells. You have to read the emission sticker.

I said goodbye to my new friends and headed back to Racine, which was all highway driving. I made my way back to the route and hung with another group of cars that were heading to the show.

Getting off the highway, you start taking smaller and smaller streets, and the traffic gets worse and worse. But everyone was under control, no issues on this leg.

After an hour of traffic I finally made my way to venue area, which is literally right on the lakefront. It was cold and windy, so no one was that happy. I parked at what I thought was the beginning, but I was very wrong.

I started making my way through the show, seeing what new cars had arrived, I ran into the group from Wicked Rides again. They pulled into the show just after me with their old Plymouth station wagon, 70 Hemi Challenger convertible and 62 Dart Nun-Runner Limo. I have to clarify that the Nun-Runner is a GREAT vehicle and ran GREAT the whole time. The car did NOT overheat the previous day.

Walking the car show I ran into the cars of my car club from Chicago, they were browsing the show already, so I didn’t stick around. The walk was getting bad. The problem with Racine is that it is not one large area, they spread it out, it is a very LONG venue.

Making your way through the venue, you think the end was where the Power Tour stage was, you would be WRONG. Just to the left is a road going up into Racine’s lakefront district. I thought that there was an awful lot of people walking up to that area, I had better check it out.

Glad I did, a good 1/3 of the show was up and down the main street. They lined both sides of the street and every little side street. The place was packed with people in bars, restaurants and even a wine place.

It was really nice just to walk down the middle of the street looking at cars. Ironically one of my friends from the Gearheads happened to have his car up in this area. His classic Chevy cop car was a big hit, so they told him to go up to the street to park, and not the normal area.

After chatting for a bit, I continued on, I noticed that there was a ton of AMC cars at this venue. I believe it was because they were built right down the road in Kenosha.

At the end of the rows of cars was a little pizza place, I was a little hungry so I popped in and grabbed a slice of Pizza, and apparently the place used to be a tiny White Castle. Kinda interesting.

Heading back to cover the last part of the show I had missed on the other side of the road I noticed I felt warmer. It was then that I noticed that the Sun was starting to come out, the temperature was going up and it was becoming comfortable again.

Walking back to the lower show, I kept an eye out for the MoPower Tour car, a new 09 Challenger SRT-8. I couldn’t find it anywhere. They had left before me from the previous show, but they were no where to be found.

I met up with a photographer that I had met online who has shot for Hot Rod, Camaro Magazine, Car Craft, Popular Hot Rodding, etc…. Him and I just were talking when I saw the MoPower Challenger drive by, I ran after the car, but they drove away. This was the closest I’ve gotten to them so far.

Making my way back to my friends at Wicked Rides, I sat most of the afternoon with them, just chatting, watching the rediculous amount of people going crazy over the 62 Dart Limo. We didn’t understand what was going on, next to the Limo was a immaculate 70 Hemi Challenger convertible, and it barely got noticed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching cars go in and out, talking with random people and just enjoying the beautiful day it had become.

We all left there tired, heading back to our hotels for a night of burnouts and general car talk with anyone nearby.

Tomorrow we head to South Bend Indiana… lets hope that 90% chance of rain doesn’t come true!

View all the pictures below!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/sets/72157619407830740/

Power Tour 2009: Day One, Madison

Power Tour 2009: Day 1, Madison

When I got up today, I was filled with excitement. It was Day One for the Power Tour. I was going to see friends I hadn’t seen all year in just a few hours, and I couldn’t wait.

I went through everything I needed one more time to ensure that nothing was missing. Nothing was, and I made my way to Madison a little after 11 a.m.

It was an easy ride to Madison, straight up I-90 for about 20 minutes. I wanted to make sure that I would get a good spot. Even with the weather being overcast with light sprinkles, I knew that the Power Tour would be a madhouse.

Arriving at the Alliant Energy Center, I followed the signs to the registration area. Last year there was a line of people waiting, this year you could walk right up. Before I registered though I ran into some old friends from last years Power Tour in the 70 Hemi Challenger Convertible and their “redone” Dodge Dart Limo with Challenger hood, V10 Dodge truck engine with 6-speed out of a Viper. Unifortunatly pulling in the hood decided to rub again the coolant hose and spring a little leak, all over the driveway.

No worry though, they had tons of spare parts to fix the old girl. So we grabbed our registration and made our way into line to get into the actual show. We got split up, since trying to park the limo is similar to trying to park an air craft carrier.

Before I left though I was admiring a really clean Chrysler with a newer Hemi, I was chatting with the gentleman about the car, he was telling me about how he had the first set of serpentine brackets and pulleys from March Performance for the 3rd Generation Hemi. I was an immaculate car, I then noticed who I was speaking with, it was Herb McCandless… I was a bit in shock, but tried not to show it. The rain started coming down, so we parted company and told him I would see him on the Tour.

Parking was a madhouse, the people directing traffic had no idea what was going on, they sent a whole bunch of the group out the gates and back onto the highway, where we had to make our way back around into the fairgrounds! And they were yelling at us saying “our people” didn’t know what we were doing.

Once all of us got into the main show, all the little things I had been waiting for all year began coming together. I pulled out all the sheets to fill out from my big red bag, I threw the lanyard around my neck and began the task of collecting signatures and getting free schwag.

All of the sponsors are always set up on the borders of the car show, making it easy to start at one side, and to go around and collect everything you need. I did this for the first few hours, chatting with random people, meeting Vic Edlebrock and seeing some people from the last Tour.

The end of the sponsors area was the Auto Cross area, where anyone could try and get their cars around as quick as they could. There was a bit there for everyone, new Challenger, 30’s Ford Pickups and 80’s Camaro’s. It was fun watching them, but then the rain really started to come down, so I made my way back to my car for the poncho I had.

The timing could not have been perfect as my friends from the Chicago Gearheads were just pulling into the show. I was able to snap a picture of each of them entering the show, which I know they really appreciate.

I grabbed the poncho, something to drink and headed into the actual show portion of the event. Ironically though, parked just a few spots away from me was fellow CarDomain writer in the Black Pacer. Sadly we weren’t actually there at the same time, but cool that we were parked so close to each other.

The next few hours I walked the show, snapping pictures of anything I thought was cool, which was basically everything at the show. I ran into some other friends from the Chicagoland Mopar Connection (www.chicagolandmopar.com) and we chatted under a tree while the rain was pouring down.

It was this last heavier rainfall that many people began to leave, and I thought about it, but I yet to see the whole show, so I would be damned if a little rain would make me miss this.

Going up and down the rows you never know what you are going to find, from custom Buick’s to stock 2010 Mustangs. There was a little for everyone at this show.

Through the crowds I saw my friends from the Gearheads and made my way over to them. We all talked about getting there, what we saw, what was next, etc… I spent the last hour just sitting and talking with them.

It was nearing 5 and I was exhausted, so the Caprice beckoned me back and I put everything away, took the poncho off and headed back to LakeLand to relax, because tomorrow is when the rest of the fun begins!

Racine of Bust

Ryan Brutt
HemiPwr70@aol.com
http://www.ryanbrutt.com

Power Tour 2009: Day -1

Power Tour 2009: Day -1

Getting up today it dawned on me that today I leave for the Hot Rod Power Tour. I had everything ready sitting at the front door, so all I would have to do is grab the bags and get out of here.

I made a list of things to bring, especially with camera gear, laptop, cloths, tools, cooler. It all adds up fast, and almost fills the Caprice’s massive trunk.

Saying goodbye to home, I headed to work for the day. Arriving at Car Guy Garage, the place was abuzz. Everyone was excited for me, Jim, President of the company and Tim, the Vice-President were both getting everything in line for me leaving. Jim is a computer genius and had all the “geek” gadgets ready for me. Camera, laptop, website setup, FTP access for this blog to post video (test later).

Robert and LaVaughn who I also work with put in effort to get everything ready for the Tour. LaVaughn spent hours (I think) in figuring out a easy way to convert the videos I will be sending, putting them into a format so that any computer can easily view the updates.

By the time this is put up, I should already be in Wisconsin getting ready for a BBQ tomorrow. Here is the information on the BBQ for anyone interested in attending. And my groups arrival time in Madison on Saturday.

My group is going to be showing up on Saturday at 1.

The BBQ is at:

Lakeland Camping Resort
2803 East State Road 59
Milton, WI 53563

There is a party at my place though on Friday. It is only a half hour straight south on I-90 from Madison.

Once you enter LAKELAND, go down the main road to the main store, with the pool. I’ll be setup there.

2300 miles, here I come!

Always have Plan A, B, C, D and E, F, G.

Well lets just say the past few weeks haven’t gone quite as planned.

My main plan was to take my new 09 Challenger R/T Classic on the Power Tour.

Sadly Chrysler had to file for bankrupcy and push my car back a few months. And the 1971 Challenger is not ready for the Power Tour. So out comes the Caprice.

Now the Caprice isn’t a Hot Rod in the typical sense, but I’ve upgraded and modified the car. It will move with the other cars in the pack, just like last year.

Also my travel companion has had work issues, so he is no longer going to travel with me. So I’ll be doing the Tour solo this year.

I had a great time last year, so I don’t expect anything to change this year.

I’ll be posting from the Tour daily, and I will try to post daily updates up unitl the Tour.

See ya there.

Ryan

Hemipwr70@aol.com