I was reflecting on the trip Joe and I just made to Branson for the Orphan Car Show and thought I would share some of the little moments that make trips in an old car so neat. I was following, so sometimes I saw things Joe would have missed. His bright yellow Transtar would catch people's attention and then I would see the reaction.
One of the strangest happened on a long grade where there was a passing lane. I saw a man walking out into the middle of the highway with his arms extended and his hands slightly raised. It was only as I got closer that I could see he was taking a picture with his cell phone. Lucky for him there were no other vehicles right then. We had several people take pictures from other cars or when we were stopped.
Once Joe pulled into a parking lot rather suddenly and stopped because the loop on his shoe lace had gotten around the accelerator pedal. Another time, I had to signal for a stop because I rolled my window down to adjust the side mirror and couldn't get it back up. This was in the morning and my arm got cold from the chilly air.
At our fuel stop in Harrison, Arkansas, my 52 refused to start and Joe drove off up the street without knowing I couldn't follow. Lucky for me some fellows who were getting fuel gave me a push and the car fired up. By the time Joe realised that I wasn't behind him I was already catching up. After that, I always started my car first before he got in the pickup, but I had no more trouble.
Of course, there are the other things. Several people in cars or on motorcycles waved or gave thumbs up. People at stops would ask questions or make comments. One man where we ate lunch was telling us about an uncle in South Dakota who always owned Studebaker trucks and when he found out that I had lived in the state, we had a nice little conversation. Once, on a 4 lane stretch, I had a car overtake me and then disappear in my blind spot. I kept waitling for it to pass and almost decided they had turned off without me noticing. I leaned forward to get a different angle on the mirror and I could see them trailing along. After a bit more, the car came on past and the lady on the passenger side was smiling and waving. I guess they had been trying to read the name on the 52's trunk base.
All of our problems were small and the Studebakers ran great. The 52 ran cool with good oil pressure and climbed hills with ease. I'm ready to go again.
One of the strangest happened on a long grade where there was a passing lane. I saw a man walking out into the middle of the highway with his arms extended and his hands slightly raised. It was only as I got closer that I could see he was taking a picture with his cell phone. Lucky for him there were no other vehicles right then. We had several people take pictures from other cars or when we were stopped.
Once Joe pulled into a parking lot rather suddenly and stopped because the loop on his shoe lace had gotten around the accelerator pedal. Another time, I had to signal for a stop because I rolled my window down to adjust the side mirror and couldn't get it back up. This was in the morning and my arm got cold from the chilly air.
At our fuel stop in Harrison, Arkansas, my 52 refused to start and Joe drove off up the street without knowing I couldn't follow. Lucky for me some fellows who were getting fuel gave me a push and the car fired up. By the time Joe realised that I wasn't behind him I was already catching up. After that, I always started my car first before he got in the pickup, but I had no more trouble.
Of course, there are the other things. Several people in cars or on motorcycles waved or gave thumbs up. People at stops would ask questions or make comments. One man where we ate lunch was telling us about an uncle in South Dakota who always owned Studebaker trucks and when he found out that I had lived in the state, we had a nice little conversation. Once, on a 4 lane stretch, I had a car overtake me and then disappear in my blind spot. I kept waitling for it to pass and almost decided they had turned off without me noticing. I leaned forward to get a different angle on the mirror and I could see them trailing along. After a bit more, the car came on past and the lady on the passenger side was smiling and waving. I guess they had been trying to read the name on the 52's trunk base.
All of our problems were small and the Studebakers ran great. The 52 ran cool with good oil pressure and climbed hills with ease. I'm ready to go again.
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