SUNDAY JULY 13th
We retured once again this morning to Carlisle, me driving the Belvedere and Merle driving the pickup and trailer. We left the pickup and trailer in Lowes parking lot in Carlisle, and continued on into the show. Not as many cars today but it was awards day, and I knew I had won a celebrity's pick award, so we waited for the trip across the stage.
This is my car receiving the award from one of the helpers.Nowdays most cars look alike even from different manufacturers. In 1960 these three models, even from the same manufacturers, don't look alike.
We left Carlisle about 2:30 and arrived in Farmington PA about 5:30 in time for the welcome dinner at the WPC national meet. We traveled through a serious thunder and lightning storm with very heavy rain. It has rained here this evening but it will be just fine for the rest of the week.
MONDAY JULY 14th
Greetings from the Summit Inn near Farmington PA. The weather was much better today for our driving tour to Fallingwater. This is a home in nature, and one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most widely acclaimed works, and was designed in 1935 for the family of Pittsburg department store owner Edgar J. Kaufmann.
IT’S TUESDAY, IT MUST BE PITTSBURGH
We left at 8am this morning on a bus tour to Pittsburgh. Our first stop was
the Frick Art & Historical Center, a fascinating complex of museums and historical buildings located on over five acres of lawns and gardens in Pittsburgh's residential East End. The Center is devoted to the interpretation of the life and times of industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick. Exhibitions of fine and decorative art, and a carriage and auto museum are also presented at the Center. We toured the house and visited the car museum. Photos were not allowed, but we can show some pictures of Pittsburgh.
We had lunch at the Grand Concourse restaurant, which is set in the Edwardian splendor of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad terminal built in 1901.
Then we took a city tour on a river boat of Pittsbugh’s Three Rivers.
tomf wrote:The weather was much better today for our driving tour to Fallingwater. This is a home in nature, and one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most widely acclaimed works, and was designed in 1935 for the family of Pittsburg department store owner Edgar J. Kaufmann.
Wow, Fallingwater. It's in my state, and I've never been! I've always wanted to go... Now, I gotta. Thanks for the pix, Tom...
WEDNESDAY JULY 16TH
When we arrived on Sunday evening, we had a flat tire on the trailer about a quarter mile from the motel. Today was a free day, so we decided to go into Uniontown to get the tire repaired or replaced. When we took the tire off there was a small round hole in the tread area. The tire shop pulled the tire off the rim and took out the small missile that had ended up inside the tire. The missile is about 3 inches long, shown below, and appears to be a shaft from a disc brake rotor.
With the tire repaired, we spent some time cleaning the car for tomorrow’s show and then at 5pm drove to the Christian W. Klay Winery for an evening barbecue. They provided a hayride to a lovely view, wine tasting and then dinner in a big barn while listening to live Blue Grass music. They had roasted 2 whole pigs which we ate along with potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, fried taters, and baked beans. Then we had grilled peaches with ice cream for dessert.
Tom - Thanks for the tour and all the beautiful pictures, one of the things on my bucket list is to make Carlise with you guys. One thing though, it's not fair, good wine, good food, good friends, good musc, a hay ride and a car show, makes me jealous, congratulations on your award at Carlisle. Keep the pictures coming, fair or not.
Dick
THURSDAY JULY 17th
Show time at the WPC National in Farmington PA. They started loading the field at 7am and cars kept coming until about 10am. Most of the cars were already at the meet but several more showed up this morning. By noon at least ninety cars were on the field and it was warming up. Fellow 59 Sport Fury owner Tom Gerrard from Big Sky Montana was there but didn’t bring his SF. Instead he brought his 60 Chrysler 300F and his 56 DeSoto Pace car.
Tom Gerrard and Tom FoxTom Gerrard’s Terra Cotta 1960 300F convertible with Terra Cotta top. This 300F was ordered new with this top. Gerrard found some top material in the correct color and had the top made from it. This is likely the only car that Chrysler produced like this.The Pace car with the top up is Gerrard’s other entry. Overview of the show field
The awards were given out at the banquet, and the Belvedere received Best of Show, Plymouth.
Last edited by tomf on Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:00 am, edited 2 times in total.
FRIDAY JULY 18th
This morning we left the Summit Inn and headed to Gettysburg for the remainder of the DeSoto National meet and the NCPC (Nation Chrysler Products Club) National meet being held at the same place. We arrived at the hotel about 10:30am and parked the trailer and unhooked from it. We then drove on to Hershey at toured the AACA museum. They have a special display of fin cars, here are a few.
The Mercury Pace car and the Olds 98 convertible are both owned by Tom Gerrard and on loan to the museum.
SATURDAY JULY 19th
Show time at Gettysburg. It started out warm and humid and then got hot and humid.
I entered my Belvedere in the NCPC show and won Best of Show, postwar through 1959.
This 59 Super D500 and my car entering the show.This 56 Chrysler New Yorker convertible was a Portland Oregon car before being sold and shipped to New Jersey a few years ago. I knew the previous owner very well.This was my class.This was my DeSoto Adventurer before it was shipped to New Jersey in Nov 07 to the same person who bought the 56 New Yorker above.An overview of the DeSoto show fieldThree 56 Pace cars. There was at least one of every year of Adventurers at this show.
SUNDAY JULY 20th
We left Gettysburg and headed for Columbus OH to meet a fellow that had talked to us at Carlisle about some 59 Plymouth parts. When we finally made contact with him Sunday evening, he was in Kentucky. Seemed to be a little miscommunication somewhere…..
MONDAY JULY 21st
We left Columbus and headed West, getting as far as Des Moines, IA The only photo I took was crossing the Mississippi River
TUESDAY July 22nd
We left Des Moines and headed west. Our only planned stop was to meet a guy who Merle had bought a hood from about three months ago. Both have Chrysler 300D projects, and Merle traded an AC unit which we had brought along, for a hood. It was located about 40 miles south of York NE. This guy had a collection of Mopars in a big building in the middle of a big corn field down a gravel road. Most were 60s muscle, buy he had just purchased a 59 Dodge sweptside pickup project.
We found our way back to I80 and made it to Cheyenne WY for the night.
WEDNESDAY JULY 23rd
Today we traveled from Cheyenne WY to Twin Falls ID. Just about five miles west of Laramie WY, we saw a column of black smoke and came upon what turned out to be a semi truck fully engulfed in flames. There was debris all over the freeway so traffic had to be stopped. We sat in one spot for two hours while several emergency vehicles arrived. A front end loader and a dump truck was brought in to clear the hiway and we finally started moving. The following photos show the smoke as we arrived and the last one is the truck as we drove by. Don’t know if the driver got out or not.
Hi Tom, Great to be on your blog at last. Wonderful job and I know time consuming but really worth it to us 'back home' . Looking forward to the car museums. Thanks. D
