2006 Street Rodder Road Tour - Leg 3

the run to the rockies

By Jerry Dixey

Photography by Jerry Dixey

On Monday morning after the L.A. Roadsters' Father's Day Show, 35 registered vehicles and over 50 participants gathered at the headquarters of SO-CAL Speed Shops in Pomona. The third leg of the PPG / STREET RODDER Road Tour was about to begin, and with our sights set on the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals in Pueblo, Colorado, everyone was excited to experience some of the most beautiful scenery in the U.S. from Los Angeles to Pueblo.

With our bellies full of coffee and donuts provided by SO-CAL Speed Shop, we headed out on I-10 East to I-15 for the four-hour trip to Las Vegas. SO-CAL was the official sponsor of Tour #3 and we were celebrating their 60th anniversary, so that meant traveling with some of the great SO-CAL gang. Hot rod legend and SO-CAL founder Alex Xydias traveled to Las Vegas with us, riding along with Frank Streff of SO-CAL of Phoenix in Frank's F-100. We gassed up in Barstow and stopped for lunch in Baker, California, with the temperature at 106 degrees.

The trip across the desert in that heat put all of the cars to the test, but everyone managed to survive. While the heat did not create any problems, we did have one participant suffer a flat tire. Another one had some wiring problems, but with a little help, everyone made it into Las Vegas. Lenny Ribaudo, his sons Michael and Lenny Jr., and his partner Angelo Falzone, owners of SO-CAL Las Vegas, were our hosts for Monday afternoon in Vegas. After dinner at SO-CAL, everyone spent the evening enjoying all the sights and sounds that Las Vegas has to offer.

Tuesday morning, all of the participants gathered in front of our headquarters, the Gold Coast Casino. It was quite a sight with over 30 street rods lined up in the valet parking area. At 7:30 a.m., we started north on I-15 to our destination for the day, Page, Arizona, at Lake Powell. We then kept going north on I-15 to St. George, just across the state line into Utah. After lunch in Hurricane, Utah, some of the group took the direct route toward the North Rim of the canyon while others took a route traveling through Zion National Park.

On all of our tours this season, we have tried to stay somewhat flexible in our travels. Everyone knows where we are headed for the evening, so if anyone wants to take a side trip or alternate route, they are welcome to do so. Since I had never been to Zion, I took that route, and it was a beautiful drive and the coupe performed flawlessly.

There is only one road into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and we made sure we topped off our tanks since it is a 40-mile drive to the rim. Forest fires were raging in areas near the North Rim, so while we were able to get through, we could actually see timbers burning along the road. One week later, fires shut down this same road and around 1,000 tourists were temporarily trapped at the canyon. We made it in and out without incident but got a look at the Grand Canyon that most folks do not see, since it's the South Rim that draws in most tourists. We rolled into Page by 6 p.m. with lots of stories to tell.

On Wednesday morning, the Road Tourians were up at dawn. We wanted to take full advantage of the longest day of the year and some of the most beautiful scenery the tour will pass through all summer. We headed east from Page and drove through Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian reservation. If you do not know the name, I can guarantee you would recognize the images. Towering pillars of stone created by millions of years of erosion standing guard over the entire area created an incredible sight as we rolled through in our street rods. The unbelievable views continued as we headed north through Utah and then on to Moab. From Moab we traveled on Route 128 along the Colorado River-yet another postcard stretch of highway.

We rolled into Zipper Motors in Grand Junction, Colorado, around 4 p.m. and were greeted by Rosalie and Darrell Zip. They provided us with great food and a bluegrass band for entertainment. Lots of local folks turned out, including two TV stations and the local newspaper. Our incredible day was capped by a 28-mile drive through an area called the Colorado Monument. This highway travels through the mesas and cliffs surrounding Grand Junction, and the landscape was a perfect wrap-up to our amazing day.

We set our sights on Pueblo on Thursday, and while it's just five hours from Grand Junction, the peaks of the Rocky Mountains are between the two cities. We traveled on Route 50 and made the ascent up Monarch Pass, and it is quite a view at 11,000 ft. All the cars were up to the task, and after the long downhill route, we had lunch in Salido. With Pueblo only two hours away, some of the group made a stop at Canon City and the Royal Gorge.

We spent the weekend at the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals recounting our weeklong travels. We were able to park our cars around the STREET RODDER tent and we cooked hamburgers every day. Traveling together in street rods is a real bonding experience; friendships were made during the week and sights were seen that will stay with us forever. What made this tour fantastic was traveling with great people who all have a common bond: street rods.