After a rain soaking drive on Monday the participants on the Street Rodder/PPG Eaton Spring Road Tour were looking forward to some dry weather on Tuesday. We were still talking about the great stops at Goller's Hot Rod Shop and Brookville Roadster when we gathered for our driver's meeting at 8AM Tuesday morning. The skies were overcast and there were sprinkles in the air when we headed out from Brookville, Ohio but nothing like the previous day's deluge. On tap for Tuesday was a history lesson in the morning and then a party at the largest Harley dealership in West Virginia.
Our morning drive took us through Dayton, Ohio and across Route 35. Route 35 has just been completed as a four lane highway and the smooth roads and lack of truck traffic was a welcome relief. Our stop for the morning was at the Hopewell Culture Center in Chillicothe, Ohio. The Hopewell Indians were "Mound builders" that lived in the Ohio area thousands of years ago. This National Park has preserved some of the mounds of the Hopewell Indians. We were shown a short film on the history of the Hopewell and their mounds and then we were able to actually walk around the mound areas that have been preserved. It was a very interesting morning history lesson.
After some lunch in Chillicothe we continued our trek east. We had been invited to a party at Harley Davidson of West Virginia and the Golden Oldies Street Rod Association of Charleston helped organize the event. When we arrived there were parking spots set up for our cars and the Golden Oldies were waiting to great us. Harley Davidson of West Virginia is the largest dealership in the state and we all enjoyed the tour of their facilities. Dinner for the evening was provided by Quaker Steak and Lube of Charleston. Previous Road Tours have visited Quaker Steak and Lubes around the country and it is always a treat to enjoy there wings after a long day on the road. The local media turned out to film a segment for the local news and members of the NRA Safety Inspection Team were on hand to provide safety inspections for anyone who was interested. After our evening at the Harley dealership we made our way to our hotel in South Charleston. The rainy drive had really gotten our cars dirty so many us spent some time washing up our rides.
Wednesday morning in Charleston was overcast and rain was in the air but by this time we were veterans of driving in the moisture so it didn't bother us. There was some beautiful scenery ahead of us. Sandy and Mike Eaton lead the way in their sedan delivery as we drove along Route 60 which winds along the river toward Virginia. We stopped at a scenic viewing area called Hawks' Nest and enjoyed a look over the New River. It was a very enjoyable morning as we traveled together in this beautiful area. As we crossed the border into Virginia on Route 64 we actually saw the sun for the first time in a number of days. It was a welcome sight. We stopped for some lunch in Lexington, Virginia and then decided to check out the Natural Bridge. This natural rock formation has been a popular tourist destination for years and was at one time owned by Thomas Jefferson. W all enjoyed the beauty of the area and the history it offered.
By 6PM we arrived at our destination for the evening in Lynchburg, Virginia, It had been a good day on the Eaton Detroit Spring Tour. The weather improved and we saw a number of interesting sights. We were getting close but we still had a few more places to stop before we arrive in Richmond. Check back here and get an update as we visit a racing engine build shop and a town in Virginia rolls out the red carpet to greet the Road Tour. Click on the previous pages at the bottom of this page to see earlier reports on our travels.
Jerry Dixey