After our busy Tuesday on the Road Tour we were up on Wednesday with another full schedule on tap. It was a very short drive to the AMA Motorcycle Museum in Pickerington, Ohio. Most street rodders have an interest in vehicles of all types and there were many of us on the Tour who found the AMA Museum lots of fun. There was plenty to see with a wide range of motorcycles and memorabilia on display.
From the AMA Museum we headed east across Ohio and into Pensylvania. Our destination for Wednesday afternoon was the central Pennsylvania town of Altoona and a get together at Dan Baker's Alumicraft Street Rod Grille shop in nearby Bellwood, Pa. We arrived at the hotel about 4PM and Dan's father Delmar came to the hotel to greet us in his newly completed hot rod Volkswagen beetle. Delmar stated the business in the 70's and son Dan took over about 10 years ago. Alumicraft has grown over the years to become the leading manufacturer of billet aluminum hot rod grilles in our hobby. Many of the Road Tour vehicles of recent years have featured an Alumicraft billet grille. After some great BBQ and a surprise birthday cake for me, Dan gave us a tour of the facility. It was amazing to see the wide variety of grilles that come out of this small family run facility. It was yet another example of hard working, talented folks making quality products here in America.
Thursday morning was another beautiful sunny day and the drive from Altoona east across the mountains was gorgeous. We traveled over 50 miles on Route 30 which is the old Lincoln Highway, the first road to completely cross the United States. Our destination for lunch was the Totally Stainless facilities in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Totally Stainless is the Official Satinless Fastener supplier of the 2010 Road Tour. Our hosts for lunch and tour of the business were owners Sherry and Doc Hammett. Doc went into detail about the special fastners and stainless hardware that Totally Stainless offers in their extensive line of products. Their Total Loc header bolts have keep our roadster pickup headers tight and leak free all season. After a good lunch it was a very short drive to the new visitor's center at the Gettysburg Memorial and Battle Grounds. Gettysburg was the location of one of the fiercest battles of the Civil War and the site of Abraham Lincolns famous Gettysburg Address. While some of the Road Tourians had visited Gettysburg before, for many it was their first time and the new visitor's center is fantastic.
By Thursday afternoon it was time to get to York and the NSRA East Coast Nationals plus. We arrived at headquarters registration about 3PM and the traditional parking lot festivities were in full swing. This was the first year for the new NSRA extended year format and everyone was wondering what the response would be. One look at the lot at registration told the tale. The turnout was huge with plenty of street rods joined by customs, muscle cars and street machines. The total registration after all was said and done was 3847. That was an increase of over 400 cars from last year and the later model cars seemed to fit right into the mix.
It was a great weekend at the NSRA East Coast Nationals plus. The threat of showers did not keep anyone away and the grounds were filled with participants and spectators all weekend. It was a great wrap up the Woody's Hot Rodz Tour. The week on the Road was lots of fun and everyone have a great time. With two Road Tour of the 2010 season in the books there is a few weeks off and then it is down to San Antonio, Texas and the start of the Vintage Air Tour to the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals plus in Pueblo. Check back here for all the latest updates on all of our 2010 Road Tour travels.