Livin' Our Dream...: Hot Rod Power Tour 2017

What a wonderful two weeks we had on the road this month! I left work early Thursday, June 8th and we didn't get back home until Wednesday, June 21st. Our trip this year had us in seven different states and we covered almost 3,500 miles in the El Camino. We started out from the house and spent Thursday night in Alma, AR and Friday went on into Kansas City. We bought the Platinum Package for the Power Tour this year and was it ever the way to go! We got the benefit of them booking all of our hotel rooms (and they were ALL very nice rooms in very nice hotels), VIP gifts, a $125 debit card to purchase whatever we wanted, kickoff dinner, preferred parking at all of the venues and very nice VIP rooms at every venue with drinks and snacks. All VIP rooms were air conditioned (very important because, again, there were record breaking temperatures everywhere we went) except the last venue in Bowling Green, KY. But they made up for that with large tents that provided much-needed shade, free beer and a fabulous lunch! Here are all the cities and venues we visited:

June 10 - Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO

June 11 - Iowa Speedway, Newton, IA

June 12 - Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, Davenport, IA

June 13 - State Farm Center, Champaign, IL

June 14 - Gateway Motorsports Park, Madison, IL

June 15 - Lucas Oil Raceway, Indianapolis, IN

June 16 - Regional Airport, Bowling Green, KY

We met up with old friends, made new friends and ate WAY too much good food! The routes had people sitting out in classic cars, under tents, in tractors, on four wheelers and bicycles, standing outside their places of business all just to wave at the cars going through their towns. It's a wonderful way to see America and all the small towns off the beaten path that so many people miss nowadays just flying down the interstates. Every gas station during the day and every hotel in the evening are mini car shows.

With all the work Kenneth did on the El Camino over the winter and as prepared as we hoped we were, there were still plenty of kinks to be worked out. He ended up putting a heavy duty clutch fan on the second day, a bigger carburetor on the third day, had all the tires balanced and the rear shocks replaced and made some other minor adjustments. We were able to run the air conditioner (thank the LORD) after he put on the new clutch fan so I was OK with everything after that! It was a memorable trip, for sure, and we have so many wonderful memories.

After the Power Tour, we headed up to Elkhart, IN to see Jenny and Mike and their new home. What a beautiful place they've found! I walked in and felt right at home. We got there about 5:00 Saturday afternoon and were greeted with shots and beer sammiches! Jenny grilled hamburgers and brats and we ate, drank, visited and relaxed on their screened in porch all evening - just what the doctor ordered after nine days of driving and different hotels every night. Over the next couple of days, Mike took us on a tour of the AM General Plant where he works, we drove through the Notre Dame campus, ate at several wonderful restaurants, tried lots of local craft beers, listened to a street band (I felt like I was back in NOLA!), got to ride in Mike's fabulous new Mustang (maybe they'll join us on the Power Tour one year!) and we got to drive a legit military Humvee on the AM General training course! We had such a wonderful time at their house and hated to leave after just a few days, but we were ready to be home.

Turning the water off before we leave...heard too many stories of friends coming home after being gone a long time to flooded houses!

Our house...see you in a couple of weeks!

On the road!

I spent a LOT of time watching this gauge the first five days. We couldn't run the A/C because we were running too close to 220.

We were almost into Kansas on Friday before I finally spotted the first Power Tour car!

Passed the prison on the way to the VA for a car show that never happened!

Saw lots of cool bridges - Kenneth is always interested in them.

Pulled into the hotel parking garage right behind this beautiful 1968 (I think that's the right year!) El Camino and met Rich and Michele, a wonderful, fun couple from Chicago! We spent quite a lot of time with them over the course of the week and enjoyed them so much...:)

VIP dinner Friday night at Arrowhead Stadium

Came out of the dinner to a puddle of transmission fluid under the car. Fortunately it was only something loose that Kenneth tightened up and we were good to go. Rich was great - every time Kenneth was under the hood of his car, Rich was there to back him up with advice, help or tools.

Went to an event after hours at a local business. I love catching people looking at the car...:)

Loved Kansas City! Beautiful town-lots of fountains. Went to breakfast with Rich and Michele and again to dinner that night.

Outside the IHop Saturday morning - love seeing them together!

He said he wasn't going to wash it. She looks so pretty when she's clean!!

Arrowhead Stadium - the door was locked, but I managed to get a shot of the field!

The VIP room at Arrowhead was fabulous! It was the first venue and it definitely spoiled us. The others were nice, but this was absolutely the best one!

Random people selected to draw the corvette in the front and turns out the guy on the end is the designer! He did a Q&A afterwards.

This will be enlarged and framed for our travel/retirement wall!

Dinner with Rich and Michele at Jack Stack BBQ-very good.

LOVE these kids sitting in the bucket!

Carl, Michelle, Colin and Cole with their 1970 Ford LTD aka The Big Comfy Couch!

He added a few stickers to the window this year...

Steven and grandpa, Jerry with their 1972 Cutlass

Our caravan on Sunday, June 11 - we're leading the way for the LTD, the Cutlass and the backup van driven by Steven's dad, Eric. Insurance restraints had them trailering the car to and from the Power Tour.

These little towns go all out to welcome us!

Gas station car show!

The Edlebrock guys, Sinbad and Moose, checking out the carburetor. They went above and beyond helping with it!

SO many beautiful farms in Iowa and all along the route. Love driving back roads America!

Found another friend...

Visited Antique Archaeology, home of the TV show "American Pickers" in Le Claire, IA.

We actually saw them pick some of this stuff!!

This couple was training Chevy, a six month old lab, to be a service dog.

Picking up the new carburetor!

Nice view from our hotel room!

Had the Davenport Gold

Had dinner here with Rich and Michele and met up with another couple we'd met at the VIP room at the venue earlier, Jeanne and Eric from Mississippi. Another fun couple we spent a lot of time with!

Jeanne and Eric at Sippi's. We walked from the restaurant after dinner down the river to this little place to try another craft beer!

The Power Tour will shut a little town down! It was nice when the local law enforcement would help direct traffic.

El Caminos only, please...

VIP room on June 13th.

My shade tree mechanic! Changing out the carburetor with Rich helping. Michele and I sat in lawn chairs, drank a beer and watched.

If a guy is working on a car, other guys have to check it out.

Finding the right tool in Rich's tool box.

Giving his girl a little TLC, too...:)

Michele in the middle of dinner! Our hotel served dinner and free wine and beer Tuesday night! No need to go anywhere - we ate dinner, drank and visited until time to go to our rooms. I had to do payroll so I wanted to get to my room at a reasonable time...all for the power to go out at 10:00! I woke up at 2:30am and finished the payroll...

Our room at the END of this very long hallway! That blue spot is Kenneth.

Getting her shined up for the day. That Mother's spray works great!

Along the route to St. Louis, we stopped at a barn with a decommissioned F4 Phantom fighter jet in it! The things you happen upon sometimes! Very cool.

Isn't this beautiful?

Got to visit with our niece, Colleen, and have some great St. Louis BBQ and her recommendation for local beer!

Yum!! Some Beast Craft BBQ!!

Watching the drag races at Indy from the VIP balcony.

He's not good at just watching. See our El Camino sitting in line?

Obviously, the big ol' heavy girl isn't a drag racer, but we can say she went down the track in Indianapolis!!

Went to an event that evening for a local Odessey battery store opening and met Rutledge Wood and Tanner Faust from the TV show "Top Gear". Really nice guys.