2006 Street Rodder Road Tour - Fun On The Run

It was amazing to see a professional plating facility firsthand. We were all extremely impressed and couldn't get over how spotless and meticulously run the plant was...

...No wonder Advanced turns out such flawless work!

It was just a skip and a jump from Advanced Plating over to the Gibson Guitar plant. The opportunity to combine cool stops such as these with a street rod road trip was great--it just doesn't get any better than this.

Gibson Guitars was another impressive operation. To be able to see just how a guitar is constructed was interesting as heck...

...The custom shop was a favorite with us car guys--go figure!

After one of our drivers meetings, it was then onward toward Holly Springs, MS, and our pal George Poteet...

...Cruising the South was a pleasure; there's nothing like traveling in a group turning heads and getting the thumbs-up from the locals the whole way.

We met up with George at our hotel in Holly Springs and then caravanned over to a little local market for a bite of lunch and what ended up to be perhaps the best burgers we've ever eaten...

...The market was in a Civil War-era train station complex nestled on the edge of town--a perfect place for a laidback lunch.

After lunch we gassed up and again followed George over to his farm to check out his shop and collection of cool cars and trucks.

After lunch we gassed up and again followed George over to his farm to check out his shop and collection of cool cars and trucks.Our parade of hot rods wound through the back roads of Holly Springs and ended up at the farm. The rolling hills of George's digs were beautiful, and we couldn't wait to check out all the cool early iron we knew was there.

The Poteet spread was even more impressive than we could have imagined, and George was a more-than-gracious host...

...Aside from having pretty much free rein of the farm, George fed us homemade pie and ice cream, as well. Like I said before, it just doesn't get any better than this!

The next morning we headed toward Springfield, MO, and our final destination, but not before stopping at a local hangout for a breakfast that couldn't be beat.

After breakfast we headed toward Memphis. Once there, we cruised historic Beale Street and made a quick stop at Sun Records (where Elvis made some of his early recordings). From Memphis we crossed Arkansas, made a stop in Hardy, AR, and toured a cool automotive museum that was chock-full of not only a great selection of cars and trucks, but also a vast array of early mechanics tools and auto accessories as well.

From there we made our way to Springfield and our final destination, the NSRA Mid-America Nationals. Jerry set up the STREET RODDER booth and tucked the Road Tour Chevy in the shade while the gang visited, laughed, and recounted the trip's highlights...

...We all enjoyed the show, and the trip was, well, more fun than we'd ever anticipated--the company was great and we hope to see and possibly travel with everyone again sometime!