While in no way comparable to the recent exploits of John Corey during
The Great Race (by the way John, thank you again for your
posts), I thought I would share with you a recent vacation
trip we made with our two grandsons, and "Babe".
We began the trip in Kansas City, taking two days to arrive in
Richmond, VA where we stayed overnight with our daughter and son in law. We
had timed our arrival to coincide with
the WPC Nationals in Williamsburg. We picked up our registration and
parked in the Imperial line. There were several very nice Imperials
including a beautiful Ghia Limo.
From there we drove to see an old friend in the Charlottesville area. My
wife and her friend are long time academics and I can tell you they love to
talk shop as much as any old car buffs.
The next leg of the trip was along "Skyline Drive", north, paralleling
the Appalachian Trail
toward Front Royal. It was one gorgeous view after another. Some of the
long continuous climbs of several miles, in 95 degree weather (with the air
conditioning on high) caused me to wonder how high the engine
temperatures would climb. Not to worry, the needle hardly
budged.
We wanted the boys to start to learn about the Civil War and what it
meant; to have some idea of the many issues that precipitated the conflict. We
visited Gettysburg, York, and Appomattox Courthouse, VA, among others.
Then there was a steam train ride through the Amish country: Bird in
Hand, Intercourse, and Paradise.
Of course the focal point of the trip for the boys was two
days at Hershey, PA and Hershey Park.
The last two days of the trip with them were spent in Washington,
DC, which included touring the Potomac via WW2 amphibious "Duck" and
looking out over the city from the top of the Washington Monument.
This was the first time the boys (10 & 11) had been away from
their parents for more than 24 hours. They survived several bouts of
homesickness and I'm sure home never looked so good!
Including the return trip, we drove a little over 3400 miles, averaged
17.4 mpg overall, ( last year it was 17.8, but that was a trip through Canada
when the air conditioning wasn't on full time), added two quarts of oil (but
no coolant), lost the generator in Beckley, WV one evening and had it repaired
by 9:30 the next morning; all in all pretty uneventful where "Babe" was
concerned.
Bottom line: this is a magnificent country, and we have these
magnificent Imperials that were built to do just what we did this summer.
Many, I know, are unsure of their car's ability to travel long
distances, mixing with today's traffic at interstate speeds reliably (we
mostly drove 70/75).Ours is just a # 3 driver reasonably maintained and
with added seat belts. We never felt that we were in any way pushing the
car near its limits. Invariably, where ever you go, people are glad
to see them in their true element and so are reminded of their own
stories. Given the chance, they can be a passport to great
memories.
Gary Kitterman
'56 C-73 "Babe"
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