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.

After lunch it was back on the Trace for our 90-mile drive to our destination in Tupelo, Mississippi. Famous as the birthplace of Elvis Presley, Tupelo is also the home of the new Tupelo Auto Museum. Good friend and hot rod icon George Poteet brought his traveling BBQ and ice cream road show to the Auto Museum to feed Road Tourians and many of the local rodders. Museum curator Allen McDaniel was kind enough to open the museum for us to get a look at their collection, which includes a wide assortment of vehicles ranging from the cars of the earliest days of auto transportation to modern special interest vehicles. Even Ed Roth's Wishbone was on display. (Many thanks to George Poteet and the folks at the Tupelo Auto Museum for providing us with a great evening of food and entertainment).

It was rise and shine Wednesday morning in Tupelo. Rick went over the scheduled activities at the regular morning driver's meeting. On tap for the day was a short drive to Elvis Presley's birthplace and museum, then back on the Natchez Trace for the trip to Franklin, Tennessee, for the evening.

Elvis's birthplace and museum was very interesting and included the actual small home where Elvis was born and lived until his family moved to Memphis when he was 3 years old. The museum was filled with artifacts and told the story of Elvis's early days in Tupelo. The birthplace and museum is run by the city. In 1956 after Elvis became a star, he returned to Tupelo for a concert. He was paid $10,000 for the evening concert. After the concert, he went to the city fathers and handed them his earnings with a caveat. He asked them to clean up the area where his original home was located and build a park. They did and, as the story goes, the park is enjoyed by all who have visited ever since.

For lunch we stopped at the Meriwether Lewis Site where the famous explorer is buried. Sandwiches were provided by George Poteet and it was a chance to pose for a group photo. After lunch it was back on The Natchez Trace and we arrived in Franklin, Tennessee, about 5 p.m. With nothing in particular planned for the evening, it was a chance for folks to catch up on laundry and some needed car repairs. Thunderstorms in the area provided a great lightshow but we were spared the threatening tornados.

Thursday morning started with a great breakfast at the famous Loveless Caf near Nashville. Since 1951 the Loveless Caf has been a favorite of Nashville musicians and celebrities from around the world. We were served family style and everyone got their fill of fantastic biscuits, gravy, eggs, and bacon. The Loveless Caf is definitely worth a stop when you are in the area. We then headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville. It is a great facility and the staff does a wonderful job of telling the story and history of country music. A special exhibit was on display that covered the lives and careers of Hank Williams Sr. and Hank Williams Jr.

For lunch we stopped at Hunter's Custom in Nashville. Owners Johnny and Linda Freund greeted us with goodie bags and pulled pork sandwiches. Hunters has been in business for many years and carries a complete line of street rod and truck accessories and is known for their extensive line of custom wheels. Their retail showroom is filled with a huge selection of parts and accessories.

From Nashville it was a short one-hour drive to Bowling Green and the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion at Beech Bend Raceway. The folks from the NHRA Wally Parks Museum again went out of their way to make everyone on the Vintage Air Road Tour feel welcome. We had a special centrally located parking area for the weekend in the midst of all the activities. The AMSOIL/Street Rodder hospitality tent was a center of activity for all the Road Tour participants. It also gave attendees at the Hot Rod Reunion a chance to get a good look at the Road Tour Chevy. Friday evening many of the Road Tourians went as a group to see the Bowling Green Hot Rods minor league baseball team play. We were asked to park our cars in front of the stadium before the game. Rick Love was even asked to throw out one of the first pitches. It was a great evening.

It was a fun-filled weekend at the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion and a perfect way to cap off the Vintage Air Road Tour. Attendance was huge at the event and the grounds were filled with traditional rods and customs. Vintage racers went head-to-head all weekend on the track. It had been a great week on the road and new friendships were forged. Many thanks to Rick Love and Jack Chisenhall for all of their efforts in again making the Road Tour a success.