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Steve Turkheimer

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From the Driver’s Seat – January 2020

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20-20 is wonderful eyesight and I hope 2020 is an equally wonderful year.  Our first month of the year is history and was a great start for the new year.  Would-be fighter pilots took to the “skies” on January 11th at FlightDeck in Anaheim in authentic military flight simulators in our first January event.  Just five days later, we gathered at the Backwoods Inn for Taste of the Town with an excellent turn-out.  Then on the 25th, we saw twenty-two Corvettes roll into the Walmart lot for a Mystery Run.  Our destination turned out to be Don Gus Mexican Restaurant in Lancaster, by way of San Francisquito Canyon into the Antelope Valley for lunch.  This was not a drive and eat event by any means though.  Following our tacos and tostadas, the run continued north on CA-14 to Red Rock Canyon for a photo-op with scenic desert cliffs, buttes and spectacular rock formations as a backdrop.

Yes, January was a great start for 2020 with eleven months remaining.  Being a club member is an honor, but being a club member who participates in the events planned by our activities team takes it up a notch.  If you haven’t been on a run in a while, check out the Three Months at a Glance and put some runs on your calendar.

Our annual picnic is not that far off, coming up in June.  Our spot at Steckle Park in Santa Paula has been reserved and planning is about to begin.  The picnic is a benefit of membership and we are looking forward to making it a success again this year, especially with your help when called on by our organizers.

Even though 2020 has just begun, we are over half-way through our 2019 – 2020 club year, ending on June 30th.  That means a couple things.  One is dues payment to continue your membership.  The other matter is board elections.  Now is the time to consider whether you would like to be considered for a board position.  I believe our current board of directors is doing an excellent job and I hope you do as well.  Be ready to answer the call!

February, then, is now here.  It will definitely not be as depicted in Groundhog Day.  We will have a “Valentine’s Day Poker Run” on the 15th to parts unknown.  Then on the 22nd, we will travel south to the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo with over  130 vintage, antique and muscle cars to enjoy followed up by lunch at Rock & Brews on Main Street.

Yes, February is here and there are some great club events to put on your calendar, but hey…don’t forget your Valentine!

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Surprise Lunch/Canyon Run To the AV – 2020.01.25

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Santa Clarita to Lancaster

Saturday, January 25th
Photos by Mark Ware, Karen Jewett, Scot Gregory

It was a perfect Saturday morning when a large contingent of Corvettes gathered in the  unusually warm January sunshine to prepare for some fun and scenic canyon driving. We were ready to embark on a trip to an unknown lunch destination, and alas, we were not disappointed – with either the drive or the lunch spot!

The San Francisquito Canyon was at the core of our trip, and allowing the historic, El Camino Viejo offer to its curves and straightaways, made our Corvettes feel right at home.

After passing through the communities of Green Valley and Elizabeth Lake, we followed our leader as we pointed our trusty steeds east until we rolled into the parking lot of the local mom-and-pop restaurant of Don Gus.


Our group descended on the small, family-owned establishment like a herd of hungry wildebeests. But the crowd was quickly appeased with warm chips, fresh salsa, and spicy bean dip, which held us over until the colorful and aromatic entrees of tacos, enchiladas, and chili rellenos, arrived at the tables.


With lunch underway, we learned there was yet another destination included in the day’s events.


Trivia Q: How many remember the TV series, Death Valley Days, co-staring Ronald Reagan, and produced by Gene Autry? Good Times!


I ask, because for those that could continue on, there was a run out to the desert cliffs of the beautiful Red Rock State Park for a photo-op and sightseeing. This is an area steeped in history, including the legendary twenty-mule team wagons that hauled borax from Death Valley in the late 1800’s, to the rail-head in Mojave.


This was a fun day, and our hats are off once again to the activities committee for another well planned, and well-organized club event. If you are not regularly attending these events, we encourage you to do so, and we will look forward to seeing you next month for both the Valentine’s Day poker run, and the driving museum in El Segundo!

 

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Taste of the Town Backwoods Inn, Canyon Country – 2020.01.16

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Winter ideally brings us in Southern California some much needed rain and one of those wet days happened to occur on January 16th, the day of our first Taste of the Town of the new year.  I was anxious to attend and have a good meal at the Backwoods Inn on Sierra Highway in Canyon Country, finally back from a bout with a virus.  Steak instead of chicken soup was the order of the day.

I rolled into the Backwoods Inn lot at the appointed hour expecting to find it full of Corvettes.  I saw just one.  I thought maybe attendance was down due to the weather or maybe others had my virus.  Steak was still calling so I went in and asked where the Corvette club was meeting, directed to the back room.  I was surprised to find the room filled with our members, who were busy enjoying one another’s company and preparing to order.  Like me, everyone apparently didn’t want to wash their Vette on Friday and also drove the “tin-can”.


I have to give a shout out to prospective members Jim and Patt Watkinson for acknowledging that Corvettes have wipers and using his to wave the Corvette colors at our social event.

The Backwoods Inn says it has the “Best Steak in the book”, and it’s “Where the Locals Eat”.  I tend to agree.  The restaurant has been a favorite in our community since its opening in 1968 and I must say, my steak was excellent.

Did you know that the Backwoods Inn rakes the sawdust on the floor every morning and it is changed once a week on Sunday?  Good to know I suppose.

Our Taste of the Town was another success and thanks to our organizers and attendees for making our night out a good one.  And, thanks too to the Backwoods Inn staff for taking good care of us.

Taste of the Town on February 20th will be at Mama’s Table on Cinema Drive.  See you there…in your Corvette!

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Flight Deck Simulation Center – 2020.01.11

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Anaheim, CA.
Saturday, January 11th

 “There’s no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you’ll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?”
—Elaine Dickenson, from the movie Airplane

It was Saturday afternoon when the Santa Clarita Corvette Airwing responded to reports of Bogeys in the skies over Anaheim, and the promise of a fun and unique adventure.
Once the squadron of Corvettes arrived, the pilots and their crews gathered in the officers’ lounge and briefing room where they were given their mission…defend Disneyland airspace!

Following a mandatory ground school, the pilots put on their zoom-suits, cool-looking headsets, and their best Captain Kirk personalities. Once briefed as part of the Great Pumpkin’s battle plan, they climbed into their E-Ticket rides, the F-16 Viper simulators, and prepared for takeoff.

With the adventure about to begin, and clearance from the tower, they spooled-up their engines and launched their lawn darts into the clear blue skies over Space Mountain.

With the sortie underway, it wasn’t long before they had bandits in their sights, and the dog fight commenced. Shortly after there was a roar and thunder that men have never heard, and it was the scream and the sound of a big war bird!

Back on the ground, the flight crews witnessed all of the live action feats of aviation bravery via the wall of flight monitors. They watched while the flying aces made short work of the invading MiG’s as they fired once, and then fired twice, and the Bloody Red Baron went spinning out of sight! Once again leaving Anaheim and Adventure-land safe for all the good citizens.


– Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, The Royal Guardsmen, 1966. Ha! Bravo Zulu, Top Guns!

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From the Driver’s Seat – December 2019

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It is somewhat hard to believe that 2019 has passed so quickly. It sees like only yesterday that the C8 was little more than a rumor spied here and there in camouflage coverings. Now, it is almost a reality with some in our midst really excited and others waiting for the dust to settle a bit. So, where did the year go? When you look through the past twelve copies of your Corvette Gazette, we did quite a lot as a club.

First up, Scott Gregory came aboard as our newsletter Editor and we must all applaud his great work in keeping us all up to speed about club events and Corvette news.

The year in review finds reports on all of our routine activities such as Taste of the Town and recognition of our growing number of Birthdays and Anniversaries. Our membership numbers are again maxed out and more folks are waiting for their spot as regular members. The SCVCC continues into our 42nd year!

In 2019 we experienced major turmoil in meeting location decision making and thanks to Vincenzo’s Pizza in Newhall we are again settled in for our monthly general meeting location. We all enjoyed our 3rd annual summer picnic at Steckle Park in Santa Paula and our participation in our community’s Fourth of July Parade as usual. Capping the year, we just enjoyed our Christmas holiday party at the Sand Canyon Country Club as well.

Two three-day events took many of us on the road too, a trip to Julian and the San Diego County back-country and a weekender to San Luis Obispo and the Central Coast. Some of our members even opted for even longer roar trips this year. One took two couples to the 25th Anniversary of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green and the other took five couples to the 48th International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque and on to several national parks throughout the Southwest.

But wait, there is more, lots more. We had mystery breakfast runs, bowling, museums, miniature golf and lasagna. We caravanned to Ojai for farmers market and to Arcadia for the horse races and we participated in the KHTS Home and Garden Show, the Canyon HS Homecoming and the Bunnin Chevrolet Santa Paula Grand Opening. Our club additionally participated in two toy drives this Christmas season, the local LASD Toy Drive and the Toys for Tots event at Bunnin Chevrolet. The local Christmas Lights tour through our community was the finale of our club events for the year.

From my viewpoint, we had a great 2019, enjoying the events the club put together, enjoying time spent with one another and enjoying driving the roads of America in our Corvettes.Wishing you all a happy 2020!

Mike

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Bunnin Chevrolet + Toys for Tots 2019.12.14

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Our friends at Bunnin Chevrolet of Santa Paula carried on the dealership’s annual tradition of hosting a Toys for Tots drive in conjunction with the US Marine Corps Reserve on December 14th.

This year’s event once again included the Corvette Clubs of Ventura, Santa Clarita and the Redline Corvette Club of Newbury Park.

Lou Bunnin, the dealership’s new owner, greeted us and hosted a delicious breakfast for us all in the middle of the dozens of Corvettes that filled the parking lot.

It is always great to enjoy a caravan together, and even more special that our club could help such a worthy cause!

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From the Driver’s Seat – November 2019

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No matter where you are, November or Noviembre, or how you choose to call it, might seem to be a minor month out of the twelve. Number 11 out of 12, next to last, in the shadow of December and the new year coming, November still has plenty to offer.

There are several great things on the calendar in November. We celebrate our veterans with flags and parades. The first Tuesday after the first Monday is typically voting day and don’t forget November is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month. Even with the push to replace Thanksgiving with Black Friday, Thanksgiving remains the focus for November.

We in our country and our community have so much to be thankful for despite issues that arise from time to time. Even as we looked forward to our special getaway weekend in San Luis Obispo this past month, our community was shaken by the senseless event at Saugus High. Our strength and faith will get us through as always in the past and bright tomorrows will follow.

When I reflect on things I am thankful for, they certainly include my family as I hope the same for you all as well. My list also includes the friendship and caring we enjoy in our club. I constantly witness the concern so many of our club show when those in our midst have an emergency or need. Your generosity for community events such as the Food Pantry and the toys drives are worthy of mention too.

Our club is so much more than a car club. Sure, we enjoy our Corvettes. We keep then shined and tuned and add correct PSI to the run-flats. We drive them proudly and they are our bond, but more important are the friendships that grow in our club. The SLO weekend we just had was a prime example with over 30 people from as many different backgrounds sharing and caring. For that, I am thankful as well.

November has passed, and December is here. We have the hustle and bustle of the holiday rush as we do each year. We have our club party in just a few days as well as toy drives all with weather reports of rainy weather to work around, but the rain clears and rainbows shine and Christmas is coming.

I want to wish you all the best at this special time of year and hope for a wonderful 2020 ahead. In whatever Corvette you drive, that 1954 or the latest mid-engine when they hit the market, always remember to “Save the Wave”.

Mike

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San Luis Obispo Weekend Getaway – 2019.11

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Mike Woodings

San Luis Obispo (SLO) and the Central Coast make a great destination for travelers and maybe even more so for Corvette people.  A road trip there offers not only many choices of sights and things to do, but also plenty of driving through beautiful countryside.  The weekend of November 15 – 17 was on our calendar for a weekend trip up the 101 to SLO and points beyond, and the plan was a popular one, one with time for getting together and time for individual interests.


Thirty of our members answered the call, eager for our annual weekend run to SLO.  Some of us were so eager, another day, November 14, was added for visits with friends in the area, shopping and the SLO Farmers Market held on Higuera Street every Thursday.  As Thursday was going on, our hearts were, at the same time, heavy with the events at Saugus HS.

Our advance-party conveyed to the main caravan that the weather was beautiful and we were eager for their arrival. First stop, Pea Soup Andersen’s for lunch. 
We all joined as planned on Friday afternoon at the Best Western on Madonna Road to officially begin our weekend.  We initiated the run officially with a mass gathering at poolside with beverages and snacks to get us ready for our mass arrival for dinner at the nearby Tahoe Joe steak house.

Saturday had no official agenda, but there was no lack of things to do as we rolled to the winds in our faithful Corvettes.  North and south, we found butterflies, elephant seals, cookies, farmers markets, apple farms, wineries, souvenirs, and cinnamon rolls.

There is likely even more, including rocking chairs.  I must add that despite my excellent packing skills, my trunk was filled with reminders of the SLO weekend.

Saturday evening brought us all back together for an impromptu happy hour at an undisclosed room on the third floor of the BW.  One more group dinner followed at the infamous Golden Gong, just south of our lodging.  Service and cuisine were just as good as last year!

Before you could blink, it was already Sunday.  Like the last day at camp, there were hugs and good-byes.  Some left early to miss Santa Barbara Sunday traffic and some elected to enjoy even more time in SLO.  It played out the same for us all in the end, we returned to our beautiful, but in shock, community with memories of a great weekend together.

P.S.  I felt compelled to make a stop at Bunnin Chevrolet of Santa Paula en-route home to see what’s up.  I was met by many familiar staff members there who reported they are indeed open and that virtually all of the sales and service employees were retained under the new business ownership and they are eager to see us at their Grand Opening.  I noted they have two Corvettes in stock as well, a Stingray convertible and a ZO6!  (Christian says he is anxious to make a deal.)  I was happy to see them up and running again.

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From the Driver’s Seat – October 2019

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Your Gazette once again has all of the information you wanted and maybe even more.  It is hard to believe that October has come and gone and only two months remain in 2019.  October 3rd started the month with our monthly Business Meeting at Vincenzo’s and then the following morning Ed Shaver gave his unofficial send-off farewell to the Southwest Caravaners at Denny’s on Sand Canyon.  Read on in this month’s newsletter for the details of the eventful 10-day trip some of us started the month with.  The October Calendar next offered the Holiday Pumpkinliner Run on the Fillmore & Western Railway which also provided us with some more noteworthy events fit to be reported herein.

We learned of the closing of Santa Paula Chevrolet with reports of an empty lot and locked doors following the sale of our sponsor business to Bunnin Chevrolet.  Happily, recent messages on Santa Paula’s answering machine provided some reassurance that they will be back in business on November 3rd.  We cross our fingers and hope for the continuance of our heretofore close relationship under the new ownership.

I have to ask who has heard about or read about class action issues concerning cracked rims on C-7s.  Have you been so lucky (not), to experience a cracked rim on your pride and joy?  I have to report receiving an OnStar notification advising 0 PSI on my right rear.  Follow-up found no nails or leaks in my 2-month old tire.  Nice, you say, but not so.  A dunk in the water tank revealed a steady stream of bubbles coming from my rim.  Now, what to do?  I quickly analyzed the many pages of my not too old purchase documents and agreements and discovered that I indeed purchased extra coverage which among many other things included wheel and tire coverage for road hazards.  GM just settled their strike and no rims were yet in the pipeline last week, but America’s Tire came to the rescue and worked with my extended warranty provider and in 3 ½  days had the new rim located, fully covered and installed.  I had to share the good news and express how happy I was to have this occur locally and not at the North Rim, Grand Canyon!

Now with four shiny rims and 30 PSI all around I am ready to jump into November and our Road Trip to San Luis Obispo.  I hope you all are looking forward to the big weekend event taking place on November 15 – 17.  Looking forward into December, we will get together to bring joy to some local kids as we join in the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Toy Drive on December 4th and then our annual Christmas Party at Sand Canyon Country Club on December 7th.  I urge you all to shop early for your contributions to the Toy Drive and to the Food Pantry for these two events.

While most of us were not affected by the many recent fires, some of our members were displaced for a while.  I have not been informed of losses anyone experienced, but please let us know if there are needs we can address.  Meanwhile, have a wonderful month and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Mike

 

Pumpkin Patch

Fillmore & Western Railway Co. Holiday/PumpkinLiner

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Sure, you can buy your pumpkins at Ralph’s or Von’s or even cheaper at Walmart, but chances are you will not be hauling them home in your Corvette.  Our Activities Team came up with a solution for all that with the  Fillmore & Western Railway PumpkinLiner run on Saturday, October 19th.

Six Corvettes comprised our caravan which headed west on CA-126 to Fillmore at a respectable 9:30 AM start for a ride on the vintage train to the Santa Paula Pumpkin Patch.

The event gave us our money’s worth with a half-hour ride to cover the short 8-mile route.  A lot happened in those 8 miles though, almost leaving an opening on our board when, in near slow motion, an oak table did its best to do-in our own Donna Webster before we even pulled out of the Fillmore Station.  Normally, the “you break it – you buy it” rule would apply, but that darn attack-table would not fit in the rear of the Webster Grand Sport.   After the OSHA incident report was completed we were off at a snail pace with break-it rule forgiven.

Donna still was still anxious to fill the rear of the GS, so upon arrival ay the Pumpkin Patch, she went about requesting the largest pumpkin in the patch, not fully understanding how it would be loaded onto the train, how it would be moved to the Webster GS and how in the world it would be loaded into the rear of the car.

All worked out and the pumpkin was loaded.

The rumor is that while Jim has not begun his quest to purchase a new C8 mid-engine soon and was quite happy to drive his C7 “mid-pumpkin” model back to Santa Clarita.

Many of you missed a fun time together, but you may actually have been wiser for taking the SUV to Ralph’s or Von’s or even Walmart for this year’s pumpkins.

By the way, that 44-pound monster looks pretty darn good on the Webster porch!

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