The 2009 Amsoil Street Rodder Road Tour Leg 2

The second leg of the 2009 AMSOIL/Street Rodder Road Tour series was a cruise from the Vintage Air Headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, to the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky, that included nearly 40 hot rods. Jack Chisenhall and Rick Love from Vintage Air are great supporters of the Road Tour series and each year for the last four years they have put together a tour in June from their headquarters in San Antonio. Last year we drove to the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion and had such a great time all decided we should make a return visit to Bowling Green.

The traditional hot dog roast and get-together was held at the Vintage Air Headquarters on Saturday night. National Sales Manager George Packard did another fine job on the grill.

On Sunday morning it was time to roll. After our 7:30 a.m. driver's meeting nearly 40 hot rods headed east on I-10 toward Houston absorbing another 100-degree day. Our destination for lunch was the San Jacinto Battlefield Grounds and the Battleship Texas. We had a great lunch at the Monument Inn Restaurant and spent about two hours visiting the Battleship Texas, which is the only ship to have served in combat in WWI and II, and the Korean War. By 3 p.m. it was time to continue east, arriving at Lake Charles, Louisiana about 5 p.m. after a long, hot but fun day on the road.

After our evening in Lake Charles, Monday morning began day two of the Vintage Air Road Tour. Trail boss, Vintage Air's Rick Love, conducted the driver's meeting in the hotel parking lot at 7:30 a.m. as planned. Monday's route would get us off the interstate and take us through the rural areas of southern Louisiana. Our destination for the morning was Avery Island, the home of world famous Tabasco hot sauce and their family of products.

Avery Island is off the beaten path to say the least. We caravanned down the back roads lead by Rick, arriving at the home of Tabasco by about 10 a.m. The original plant puts out thousands of bottles of hot sauces every day, and we were given a look at the production line and saw a short film about the Tabasco story. A visit to the gift shop gave everyone a chance to get some gifts for home and also taste some of the many Tabasco products. The Tabasco soda pop was very interesting.

From Avery Island we traveled along more back roads to the famous Mulate's Cajun Restaurant in Breaux Bridges for our lunch stop. Known for its Cajun food and music, everyone enjoyed authentic Louisiana cooking. After lunch it was time to get on I-10 and head east to Baton Rouge and then north on famous Highway 61 to our evening destination of Vidalia, Louisiana, on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Tuesday morning found us again enjoying great weather. The day's travels would take us on the Natchez Trace. The Natchez Trace is a unique 444-mile-long road that runs from the banks of the Mississippi River to Nashville, Tennessee. It is a beautiful drive that lacks any commercial growth along the route. There are no commercial buildings, just a very beautiful tree-lined, two-lane road that was originally a trail used by Indians and early settlers. The 50mph speed limit is strictly enforced and it gives you a chance to really enjoy the beauty of the forest. Our scheduled lunch stop was an area called French Camp.