The Ultimate California Trip

by Ron Bone

 

Let’s suppose that your idea of a great road trip would include a highly capable car of your choosing, beautiful scenery, nice weather, amicable companionship, and respite from days of doing nothing but driving.  Now make it a trip guided by someone who knows the country like the back of her hand and makes sure you get to see all the good stuff along the way.  If this describes you, and you didn’t accompany Trish on her trip to California, then you should be hosting a rump-kicking party for yourself right now. 

 

Seven Corvettes began the trip on June 7, 2003.  Even the desert was on display, showing us its finest greenery as we wound through Nevada.  Ken Olsen introduced us

to his spectacular driving skills as we exited at Battle Mountain, Nevada.  Although he was passing a Volkswagen when the rest of us exited, he still managed to pass in front of the VW and the exit sign without clipping either.  The guy in the VW is probably still talking about that maneuver; it certainly gave the rest of us something to talk about. 

 

Battle Mountain, which advertises itself as “The Armpit of the World,” proved to be a land of opportunity.  A jacked-up pick-up truck waited at the stop light for Ken Olsen to pull up to the light and then asked, in a manner understood universally by drag racers, what Ken was packing under the hood?  Even after the heroics he had just displayed on the interstate, Ken showed that he was up to the task and trailered the pick-up in short order.  Egon Lamprecht also saw an investment opportunity when he noticed that the Owl Motel was for sale.  Although the motel wasn’t painted the requisite color pink, Connie quickly grasped the idea and nixed the investment.

 

Once we were back on the road, Fred and Wanda Hughes gave us their impersonation of a flying red fire engine as they caught up to us.  No one saw the fire, but Fred certainly had it put out in nothing flat anyway.  Bill and Carol Merrell donned their Good Samaritan hats at a rest stop, allowing a stranded motorist to use their cell phone.  We stopped later for the night in Winnemucca, Nevada and everyone headed for the car washes. 

 

Bev and Brian Novak and the kids had gotten a late start and joined us in their two Corvettes at Winnemucca on Sunday morning.  Brian had almost lost a wheel on his ’66 the previous day.  He managed to recover, but could hardly wait to send a “Thank You” card to the responsible garage.  On the road again, Connie slipped in a power nap and then hung out the window at 75 mph to take pictures of the cars behind.  Salute her acrobatics as you enjoy the pictures. 

 

And then there were ten.  Richard and Linda Moore joined us at the Ponderosa Ranch on northern Lake Tahoe.  We relived the Bonanza of television’s yesteryear westerns, and then completed a circuit of Lake Tahoe.  Along the way, we stopped at Emerald Bay for a beautiful view of the lake and of Vikingsholm Castle.  The woman who built this sterling example of Scandinavian architecture certainly knew how to do it right when money is no object.  She even had her own island for afternoon tea parties.  We continued on to South Lake Tahoe for the second night, where Ken Olsen cemented his reputation as the king of fast maneuvers with an instantaneous lane change.  Do not trifle with this man during an autocross! 

 

On Monday morning we stopped for breakfast at a casino that offered a $2.95 discount.  It turned out, however, that the discount was contingent upon completing an application, being photographed, and being issued a gaming identification card.  All this while the supervisor trained two new clerks. 

Fred Hughes and Egon Lamprecht weathered the long line with equanimity, but Richard Moore was seething rebellion.  Meanwhile, Ron Bone was helping himself to Wanda Hughes’ toast, thinking it was for the whole table.  Although Wanda was gracious about sharing, the price of her forgiveness is steep and she has a very long memory. 

 

After a short stint on the road we stopped for our first California pre-pay gas, which is certainly not an innovation for the traveler’s convenience.  Linda Moore and Debbie Morris creatively avoided the long line for the women’s restroom by appropriating the men’s restroom.  When they came out, their heads were down and they were moving quickly.  By the time someone managed a “Hey, what the ….”, they were gone.  Meanwhile, Egon was squawking about the price of gasoline.  He figured that, at $2.59 a gallon, they must be squeezing it out of the rocks. 

 

Yosemite Park was certainly one of the highest points of the entire trip.  The park was not crowded, and we feasted on Corvette roads all day long.  You outdid yourself on this one, Trish.  What an experience!  The weather and the scenery were both spectacular, especially El Capitan and Yosemite Falls.  Debbie Morris convinced some of us that we would thank her for the exercise of walking to the lodge, and then proceeded to march us into a mosquito infestation of historic proportions.  Debbie was calm under fire, though.  After posting a guard at the bus stop, she sounded the retreat and the troops fell back to the shelter of the lodge to await the bus.  Thanks, Debbie!  It was great!  Really! 

 

 

We spent the night in Merced and then moved on toward Monterey on Tuesday.  En route, we visited the San Juan Bautista Mission and Egon found his pink building.  However, it was in the wrong state and was a restaurant, not a motel.  Later we met Ben and Claudia Sanchez at Fisherman’s wharf in Monterey for good vibes and a terrific lunch.  Key lime pie was $5.50 a slice, and worth every penny. 

 

On Wednesday we enjoyed 17-Mile Drive along the coast, gawking at the expensive homes (even by California standards) and stopping at Pebble Beach golf course.  Richard Moore was thinking of a potentially lucrative career as a golf hat model after being approached by a couple in the Pro Shop.  Later we enjoyed the legendary Monterey Bay Aquarium and the shopping at Carmel.  The Monterey area was such a great experience that it’s hard to speak of it without overusing superlatives.  It was definitely another high point of the trip. 

 

On Thursday we bid farewell to Ben and Claudia and Monterey, taking the fabled Highway 1 along the coast.  Trish confidently predicted that the clouds that had plagued us at Monterey would clear off before we reached the really scenic part of highway 1 and, sure enough, they did.  We drank in the sights and plotted a return some

 

 

day.  If Egon had previously squawked about gasoline costing $2.59 a gallon, he was positively hyperventilating when we found gas at Gorda Springs for $3.29 a gallon.  The attendant proudly admitted to being the highest in the United States.

 

 

Continuing on down the coast, we toured fabulous Hearst Castle and stopped for the night at San Simeon.  Then we went to watch the elephant seals lumbering about the beaches and later topped off the afternoon with a short jaunt to Cambria. 

 

We celebrated Justin’s thirteenth birthday over breakfast on Friday morning.  Thirteen!  Justin accompanied Trish during the trip and did a great job manning the radio and other tasks.  Plus, he was a good sport as he endured the occasional ribbing. 

 

Friday was to be a fateful day.  As we headed toward Las Vegas, we expected traffic to be heavy and aggressive.  We were not disappointed.  Some Simians, who just could not wait to get to Vegas, caused a multi-car stack-up.  Rich and Debbie Morris were caught in the middle in their beautiful ’58 Corvette.  Fortunately, they were shaken but not hurt.  The car didn’t fare as well, but most of the damage was limited to the body.  After having the car trailered to the motel in Las Vegas, Rich administered first aid and was able to get the car road-worthy again.  So on Saturday, the club drove home from Las Vegas without a hitch. 

 

Thank you, Trish, for planning and leading

this trip.  It was an experience we will savor for many years. 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Short Trips

by Ron Bone

 

Pencil these short trips onto your calendar. 

 

We’re planning to have the annual “Crocks and Camels” trip on Sunday, July 20, 2003.  This will be a repeat of the trip last year. 

 

We’re also planning to make a trip to Cody, Wyoming on September 19-21, 2003.  We’ll be going through Yellowstone Park after the crowds are gone, so we can see some of the sites we may not have seen for awhile.  We’ll also take in the breathtaking scenery of Bear Tooth Pass and Red Lodge, Montana.  The five museums of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center will be open, and a special exhibit called “Colt: The Legacy of a Legend” will be in the firearms museum. 

 

Depending on whether there is any interest, we are also considering an early October trip to the Fossil Butte National Monument near Kemmerer, Wyoming. 

 

 

 

 

Great Day for a Parade

by Janet Miller

 

The Rigby Stampede Parade was held on Saturday, June 14th in Rigby. It was a big parade and we had seven Corvettes show up. Those attending were Dale Larsen, Val Ball, Bill Madsen, Wayne and Pam Valentine, Sam Miller, Janet Miller, and Thor Miller.

 

We followed the State Police so we were right up front, #5 in the parade. All the horses were somewhere behind us. We threw lots of candy and the cars received lots of ooohs and aaahs.

 

After the parade some of us parked our cars in the city park and got out the lawn chairs. We had lunch and watched the antique cars, some classic cars, and two monster trucks pull in.

 

There was one trophy for the Corvettes and Thor Miller received it. Wayne even gave a few free rides in his car -- two older ladies came by and said that they had never ridden in a Corvette. Wayne gave them each the ride of their life. He turned one little white haired lady into the “Little Old Lady of Pasadena”. She loved it! The other one had never gone that fast before and was scared to death. It was quite the day.

 

 

 

Rexburg 4th of July Parade

by Janet Miller

 

The annual 4th of July Parade in Rexburg will be held on Friday the 4th. All those wanting to participate can call Janet Miller at 356-8678 or 351-1872. The registration form for the Corvettes of Southeast Idaho entry has already been turned in at the Chamber of Commerce in Rexburg.

 

Last year we had a great turnout and we all had fun. Let’s make an even better showing this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our cars and to show all our Rexburg sponsors how much we appreciate them.

 

The parade starts at 10 a.m. but if you want your car judged you should be there by 8:30 a.m. I am still trying to find out if they have ribbons and how many. Wayne is trying to get a Chevrolet pickup from Taylor Chevrolet to pull our trailer in the parade.

 

As soon as I receive our lineup number and the location of our position in the parade, I will make some phone calls to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackpot Weekend

by Barbara Bell

 

Six cars traveled to the Twin Falls Club show in Jackpot. Five of the six cars came away with trophies! In addition, Trish Bargman won an overnight stay at Cactus Pete’s on the poker table. Good going Trish and the other trophy winners.

 

The following is a list of sponsors for this year’s Wild West Vette Fest. More are coming in and will be added to the list, but in the meantime, let’s remember them when we need the services they provide, and whenever possible, see if they can provide it for us. Also, be sure to thank them for their support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Thirty-five is when you finally get your head together  ---  and your body starts falling apart.”

 

 

 

 

July Birthdays

 

 

Bruce Barton 13
Bonnie Fikstad 22