The twelfth annual Corvette Car Show at the Courthouse Plaza in downtown Prescott, AZ, has been on the calendar for many SCVCC members ever since last September. Their enthusiasm about a road trip to Prescott has been right up there with that of a caravan to Bowling Green and it was contagious.
Over twenty Corvettes and their associated drivers and co-drivers were raring to go on Sep 20th when the trip began its first leg to Laughlin, NV for an overnight stop and then on to Arizona for the event which promised to showcase seven generations of Corvettes dating from 1953 to the current 2019 models. 250 cars were scheduled to be on display representing customized, restored, and current models, along with a variety of vendors and exhibits.
Our own Tony and Kathy Munshi and John and Linda Noble have recently departed California for a better life in Arizona and were anxiously awaiting our members’ arrival to help with the lay of the land and word is that several others are in the process of relocating soon and others have begun looking at real estate. But that will have to wait for another article.
Although the attendees have missed the deadline for this Gazette article, my detective work has uncovered some pics of their smiling faces and rumors that they had a terrific time and our people were trophy winners, to boot!
It was great to have the travelers back in time for the latest SCVCC All-Corvette Car Show just days after the Prescott Run.
This mid-week trip will start early because we have a lot to do. First we’ll head up to Cold Spring Tavern and enjoy a hearty meal at this famous stagecoach stop on the San Marcos Pass in the mountains north of Santa Barbara. Here you can appreciate the true ambiance of the Old West because, as if by magic, time stands still. Savor the traditional American fare made with fresh local ingredients including our famous Cold Spring Chili, tri-tip barbeque sandwiches, and delicious steaks and ribs. After our meal, before heading back home we’ll have the opportunity to either go wine tasting in Santa Ynez at any of the dozens of wineries or gambling at the Chumash Casino. If you like, do both!
We’re meeting at Walmart on Newhall Ranch Road at 08:45 in the morning to sign waivers to be able to head out by 09:00, we have a beautiful drive to Santa Barbara planned out by your leader Mike Woodings.
Story: Mike Woodings
Photos: Mike Woodings and Donna Nolan
Imagine a car show with no judges and no trophies. A show where every car is a winner. That is exactly the show that took place at the Four Points Sheraton over the weekend of July 20 – 22 at the Ventura Harbor. We are all members of our terrific Santa Clarita Valley Corvette Club where members own and enjoy Corvettes representing all seven generations, but in our midst, several members have in their corral some mighty fine C1 cars.
The C1s roll out when weather permits, not too hot and not too cold. They lead our entry in the annual July 4th parade. And their ownership is the key to membership in another terrific club, the Solid Axle Corvette Club (SACC), whose membership is open to owners of 1953 to 1962 Corvettes.
The SACC was formed by enthusiasts who enjoy the uniqueness of the C1s. The club has six chapters (Northwest, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, Central Great Rivers, Southern California and Arizona). The club features get-togethers, a National Convention and an excellent quarterly magazine (On Solid Ground). The National Convention rotates between the regions each year and this month the event returned to our area, hosted by the Southern California Chapter.
This year’s convention in Ventura featured 61 C1 Corvettes in attendance with not only local SACC members cars, but also a large caravan from the Pacific Northwest and members from Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Florida and even Massachusetts to name a few.
The meet included a caravan from Ventura to the Mike Malamut Museum in Thousand Oaks and a Harbor Cruise in Ventura Harbor, informative Tech Sessions and special old-time Corvette racers telling us all how it was at the track in the ‘50s. Besides all that, there was plenty of time for owners to kick tires and compare notes about their passion, their C1s!
It’s not often we actually see a C1 on the road like we did in the days of American Graffiti, but a few of us in the SCVCC are still living the dream, driving our C1s whenever possible. The Ryans with their ‘54, the Fulmers with their ‘57, the Nolans with their ‘60, the McDonalds with their ‘61 and the Woodings with their ’62 are the current C1 people. We have to include the McCloskey’s in the count too with their longtime ties to C1s and the SACC and “Clutch’s” wealth of knowledge about the old Corvettes that helps us all to keep them on the road!
With that said, there was plenty of interest among our SCVCC membership in seeing all of the C1s gathered at the convention in Ventura. Yet another reason for a run in the more modern ‘Vettes and maybe even a surprise breakfast enroute.
On Sunday, the 22nd, while many of our SACC people were attending a tech session and still many more were hanging out with their C1s in the “corral”, another sight to behold rolled off Harbor Drive and into the lot with over 20 Corvettes from the SCVCC arriving en masse to check out the old-timers there, and their C1s too!
As mentioned earlier, every Corvette at the convention was a winner and with the arrival of the SCVCC Corvettes, a score more winners were added to the collection according to hotel guests and other passersby checking out all of the activity and fiberglass in the lot.
In 2019, the SACC National Convention will be in August in Detroit. Keep abreast of the details as they unfold and maybe some of us can even include the convention with the Bowling Green Caravan. In your dreams, you say. I say it can be done. Just ask this year’s attendee from Massachusetts who drove her ’59 over 3,000 miles in a six-day trip…by herself! No wimps in the SACC!
We will be leaving Thursday, Sept. 20, for Laughlin, NV. Staying one night, then on to Prescott Friday morning for two nights Friday and Saturday night. Meeting place and starting time to come later. Then should you wish you may extend and spend more time in AZ sightseeing.
In Laughlin we suggest you check out …
Aquarius Casino Resort, 1900 S. Casino Drive, Laughlin, NV. 702-298-5111, ask for California Tower.
aquariuslaughlin.reservations.com/
In Prescott we suggest …
Prescott Resort and Casino, 3453 Ranch Dr., Prescott, AZ. 928-433-5500
Should you wish to join in we suggest you make your reservations SOON.
Sometimes you just Have to get up before breakfast, and Saturday, June 9th was one of those days. It is not often that we meet at 7:45, and even more unusual that we have a run with other clubs, but all the stars aligned and that is just what occurred.
Phase One was the roll-call and sign-in at Walmart on Copperhill and Newhall Ranch. When your writer arrived at the appointed time, the lot was alive with eager and dare I say hungry Corvette people with more rolling in. My best count was 15 Corvettes with the corresponding number of occupants that were ready to go when the word was given, on our first leg of the event.
Just 22.2 miles away, on CA 126 in familiar Fillmore, we rolled into the lot at El Pescador Mexican Restaurant on the west side of town. Fortunately, no pit-stops were needed en-route. Our run on this bright, clear day was to Fort Tejon, in Lebec, with breakfast beforehand together with the Ventura County Corvette Club and Red Line Corvettes.
Our hosts for the event were John Macik and his wife Sandra Macik of Santa Paula Chevrolet. They arrived in a beautiful 2019 Torch Red Grand Sport convertible (available at the dealership!).
El Pescador’s staff did a noteworthy job of handling our needs and desires as we flooded their banquet room with right around 100 customers. Thanks go out to El Pescador and our hosts as well for a delightful start to the Three-Club and Three County Run as our three Corvette clubs.
Following breakfast at El Pescador, John served as honorary road captain, complete with 2-way radio tuned to channel 7, for what was his and Sandra’s first Corvette Caravan. 50 Corvettes all headed EAST on CA 126, back to Santa Clarita and then north on I-5 to Fort Tejon. The route took three clubs from Ventura County, through Los Angeles County into Kern County to our destination.
As we arrived, we found the Fort Tejon visitor lot empty and ready to accommodate all of our Corvettes. It was beautiful to behold.
For those who opted for Cheerios at home and who have never thought to stop at Fort Tejon while traversing the Grapevine, I assure you it is worth the short ride up the hill to check it out. Fort Tejon is located in the Grapevine Canyon, the main route between California’s great central valley and Southern California. The fort was established to protect and control the Indians who were living on the Sebastian Indian Reservation, and to protect both the Indians and white settlers from raids by the Paiutes, Chemeheui, Mojave, and other Indian groups of the desert regions to the southeast.
Fort Tejon was first garrisoned by the United States Army on August 10, 1854 and was abandoned ten years later on September 11, 1864. There are restored adobes from the original fort and the park’s museum features exhibits on army life and local history. The park also has a number of beautiful 400-year-old valley oak trees.
We are all old enough to remember The Beach Boys and much of their music is imprinted in our minds, but one song written by Al Jardine might have slipped through the crack for most. The song is “California Saga” and starts out with big reference to Monterey. The first part of the lyrics goes:
‘On my way to sunny California On my way to spend another sunny day
Water, water get yourself in the cool, clear, water The sun shines brightly down on Penny’s place The sun shines brightly down on the bay The air’s so clean it’ll just take your mind away Take your mind away Take your mind away
Have you ever been south of Monterey Barrancas carve the coast line and the chaparral flows to the sea ‘Neath waves of golden sunshine’
So, about now you are asking, what’s that got to do with the Monterey Run? Here goes then. A long, long time ago, when some of you were in diapers and others were looking for deferments from the draft, some had a short 8-week visit at Ft Ord for Basic Training. Uncle Sam sent me to the Monterey Peninsula in 1968 as a new 2nd Lieutenant on another mission of sorts. I was accepted into Language School at the Defense Language Institute on the Presidio of Monterey for a one-year Vietnamese language course. So, while you may have been listening to Joan Baez, I was appreciating Cannery Row, the Monterey Folk Festival, Big Sur, Laguna Seca and 17-Mile Drive, listening to California Saga and The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face from Play Misty for Me. I was hooked on Monterey never miss an opportunity to go back for visits as often as possible.
When our club began attending the Monterey Coast Corvette Caravan in the infancy of the event I always marked my calendar to make sure not to miss the run. As the years passes, the annual Monterey event became an every-two-year thing, alternating with the Lake Tahoe Corvette Club show each June.
This year, as in many past years, Monterey was on my calendar as it was with several other members of our club and apparently MANY members of numerous Corvette clubs throughout California and beyond with the event becoming extremely popular. Since the size of the function was limited to 200, due to venue constraints, the sign-ups filled much faster than in years past and our club only snatched up ten spots for five couples. The Woodings, Turkheimer, de Avila, Bachmura, and Meier/Granen couples attended.
Our run started early on Thursday, 5-31, with a meeting at Walmart and then north I-5 to CA-46 and into Paso Robles for lunch at Bubba’s Bad BBQ. (If you haven’t traveled CA-46 recently, it is now a great route with most of the hour ride from Lost Hills to Paso Robles now a 4-lane highway.) Then it was off to our destination at the Embassy Suites in Monterey for the next three nights.
The Monterey club really knows how to put an event together and obviously worked their rear-ends off producing an action-packed event for us all. We began the fun right away with a well-attended Hawaiian Luau in Carmel Valley, complete with 3 hula dancers. Food, spirits and company were all terrific.
The planned events for the weekend included: Monterey Zoo Tour, Monterey Wharf Treasure Hunt, Red Nines Tournament, “Car Races” in the hospitality suite, Show N Shine, Poker Run, an incredible raffle display, 50/50 Reverse Drawing, and a Mystery Gift Drawing, concluding with banquet dinner and awards presentation.
The Monterey club held a drawing from the names of early registrants and the Turkheimers were picked for an upgrade for their lodging with a spectacular bay-view room at the hotel. So, you know where we enjoyed hanging out during the free time we had!
Now is the time for the synopsis of the weekend. The Bachmuras took home one of Chuck August’s great hand-built trophies for their well-shined Stingray, Brian de Avila left some cash at the “car race” table which greatly boosted the other players’ winnings, the Turkheimers were great hosts, and the Woodings were first to sign up for the event for the second consecutive time.
Now, to tie up the loose ends; you were about to ask, “Were the Attls there?” Why, yes, they were! They say “hi” to all and hope to see you at the 40th Anniversary picnic!
And, from the song above, who is still asking, “where is Penny’s Place”? Now, for the rest of the story, you will have to ask Al Jardine, but it’s named after Big Sur Sycamore Canyon resident Penny Vieregge, an EMT, now 89, who founded the local off-cliff rescue unit
Story: Mike Woodings
Photos: Moira Moe and Janene McDonald
June offered yet another opportunity for club members to pack up the Corvette and head out to locations distant from our local valley. Seven Corvettes with 13 adventurers met at Walmart for final instructions the morning of May 31st for a trip north with destinations planned for Sacramento and on to the Napa Valley.
Caravan members for the run were the Dwight and Janene McDonald, Jim and Glenda Fulmer, Ron and Joyce Bergmann, John and Linda Noble, Mark Ware, Jeff Hernandez and Moira Moe, and new additions to the club, Gerald and Dawn Berry.
The route up I-5 allowed for a visit to one of the many Black Bear Diners which just opened locally and most have not yet visited in our community.
Then, it was off to Sacramento where the California State Railroad Museum was one of the highlights. Everyone loves trains, and young or old all love the museum. The trains on display are wonderful examples of the history of rail travel. The museum is a part the state park system, telling of the role of the “iron horse” in connecting California to the rest of the nation.
The trip offered some great dining which included Frank Fat’s, a Sacramento landmark since 1939. Started by an immigrant dishwasher, Frank Fat’s single-handedly created a downtown political scene, along with a tradition of legendary modern Chinese cuisine and unparalleled service. This is why the oldest family-owned restaurant in Sacramento has been thriving for over seventy-five years.
On Sunday, the group divided. Half headed south to return home while Jeff, Moira, Ron, Joyce, Gerald and Dawn continued north for the Napa Valley, known for hundreds of hillside vineyards and gourmet food.
Just like Sacramento, what happened in Napa, stays in Napa, but a picture is worth a thousand words. You will have to ask the caravanners for their stories.
Story: Mike Woodings
Photos: Mike Woodings, Glenda Fulmer, Mark Ware, Mike Cusick
Did you know that “Pismo” is Chumash for “call of the wild”? Well, not really, but it might be the new meaning when it comes to Corvette owners in the Santa Clarita Valley Corvette Club. Twenty-two of America’s favorite sportscars with almost double that number of participants left Santa Clarita for a three to four day outing in beautiful Pismo Beach. The caravan was a sight to behold as our assembly of cars headed out CA 126 and all the way north on US 101 on the getaway leg. Morning coffee necessitated a pit in Ventura and then it was clear sailing into Buellton for a traditional traveler’s lunch at Pea Soup Andersons.
Spring flowers and poppies were abundant in the lush green hillsides along the route accented by an array of Corvette shades all the way into our weekend destination, the Kon Tiki Inn. The hotel advertises itself as having “one of the best panoramic ocean views Pismo Beach hotels have to offer” and we will have to concur with their statement. The place can’t be beat. Even their parking spaces were EXTRA wide, to the delight of our Corvette owners!
Our weekend was designed to be a time to relax, with no planned agenda. But, the Central Coast lends itself to many activities, so there was something for everyone. To name just a few of the things our people did: wine tasting, dining, walks on the beach, watching sunsets, drives to local sites, kite flying, shopping, conversation, quad runner dune riding and even some car detailing.
Here are the attendees for the Pismo run. Ask any of them for their critique of the weekend and it is guaranteed to be a universal “you missed a great run” answer: Anthony & Delores Bachmura, Ron & Joyce Bergmann, Jeff & Leeann Carley, Don & Connie Ceo, Dan & Lydie Colonello, Mike & Mary Cusick, Brian & Kathy De Avila, Jim & Glenda Fulmer, Jeff Hernandez & Moira Moe, Steve Hilton & Jo Ayers, Dave & Karen Jewett, Mike & Dorothy McCloskey, Dwight & Janene McDonald, Dick Meier & Leah Granen, John & Linda Noble, Sheila Percivalle & Linda Roselund, Ed & Deana Shaver, Steve & Judy Turkheimer, Mark Ware, Jim & Donna Webster, Mike & Judy Woodings, along with future members Gerald & Dawn Barry.
Story: Mike Woodings
Photos: Janene McDonald and Mike Woodings
Weekend runs are always fun and our get-away to San Luis Obispo and the surrounding area was right up there with the best of them. Our Friday began with the headcount and drivers meeting at Walmart and then off we drove in a tight and beautiful caravan, west on CA 126, to US 101 through Ventura and Santa Barbara (with only one pit stop). Then it was over the mountain past Lake Cachuma of Corvette parking and good food available there as well as photo ops in the beautiful surroundings.
Our Activities committee has another treat on the itinerary for us for our evening meal, Tahoe Joe’s BBQ in San Luis Obispo. Once again, plenty of good food and company to conclude our Saturday. Veterans even were treated to a free steak by the restaurant for Veterans Day! We did notice the McCloskey’s initially absent from dinner but later showing up with Mike wearing a new Cal Poly t-shirt and explaining he and Dorothy went to the Cal Poly/Sacramento State football game to witness Cal Poly’s defeat, 49-14. Sad for our CPSU alumnus! There was even another hospitality room event with a great turnout to finish Day 2.
Day 3 was much less organized with some wanting to avoid weekend traffic getting an early start while others took a more relaxed approach in leaving the area with more shopping, a visit to See Canyon for a final run to the local apple orchards, and even a later pass through Santa Barbara to be treated by a military style fly-over in honor of our vets!
Plenty to do, and great people and Corvettes to do it with!
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