I had three weeks off after the Nationals East before it was time to head west toward Pueblo, Colorado, and the Rocky Mountain Nationals. The trip to Pueblo is about 1,500 miles from my home in Youngstown, Ohio.
I spent the first night on the road in St. Charles, Missouri, after spending Monday driving in on-and-off rain showers. Tuesday was beautiful and the roadster was running fine. I drove about 25 miles south of Kansas City to visit the Pete & Jake's facility in Peculiar, Missouri. This year's roadster is equipped with the new "Super Bell" forged Aluma Beam dropped axle from Pete & Jake's. I wanted to show Jerry and Jason Slover and crew how well the front end was working.
I stayed in Colby, Kansas, Tuesday evening. After a brief stop in Colorado Springs I pulled into the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo on Wednesday afternoon. The roadster had not missed a beat on the 1,500-mile trip to Pueblo.
The weekend at the Rocky Mountain Nationals went quickly and I was heading back east on Sunday afternoon. Sunday evening was spent in WaKeeney, Kansas. A very long day on Monday found me and the roadster in Indianapolis, just one mile from the speedway.
Tuesday morning I headed north toward Elkhart, Indiana, for a visit to Wise Guys Seats and Upholstery. I got a tour of the Wise Guys R&D shop and visited with owner Jim Wise.
I spent Tuesday evening in Toledo and even stopped at Tony Packo's restaurant for one of their famous hot dogs.
I made a few more stops on my way home Wednesday. My first stop was in Milan, Ohio, at the birthplace of Thomas Edison. Milan is also the resting place of my great-grandfather W.C.Dixey. I then stopped to visit the PPG folks in Strongsville, Ohio. Their bright yellow paint has turned many heads over the last three months and is holding up very well after 14,500 very tough miles. Then it was time stop in nearby Berea, Ohio, to visit our friends at Flaming River. They were excited to get a close-up look at the installation of their steering column, Vega box, and steering system on the roadster.
I rolled into my own driveway in Youngstown on Wednesday afternoon. It had been a 3,200-mile trip and the roadster was running fine. Get complete coverage of my Rocky Mountain trip in an upcoming issue of Street Rodder. Stay tuned: the second half of this year's Road Tour season should be even more exciting than the first half.
I hope to see you on the Road Tour...
This has to be one of the...
This has to be one of the most picturesque areas of the United States. The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs is breathtaking.
My trip to Colorado takes...
My trip to Colorado takes me west on I-70. This classic barn is just east of the Ohio-Indiana border.
The crew at Pete & Jake's...
The crew at Pete & Jake's were excited to see the Road Tour roadster in person. Super Bell's Aluma Beam axle has performed flawlessly for the first 14,500 miles of the season.
The NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals...
The NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals is always one of my favorite events of the summer. The Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo was covered with street rods and spectators all weekend.
This sign says it all. It...
This sign says it all. It was a beautiful day and I decided to take off the Sid Chavers Bop Top and store it in the trunk of the roadster.
It was time to head back east....
It was time to head back east. This sign bids travelers farewell at the Colorado-Kansas border.
I paid a visit to Jim Wise's...
I paid a visit to Jim Wise's Hot Rod Shop in Elkhart, Indiana. His shop is also the R&D department for Wise Guys Seats and Upholstery. Their seat has made my life in the roadster very comfortable over the summer. Pictured are fabricator Cory Powell (l) and owner Jim Wise (r)
Janette Ladina and the staff...
Janette Ladina and the staff and crew at Flaming River appreciated the chance to check out the roadster. Their steering products have been doing an excellent job all season.