Sure enough, that weather cleared up and I got back in the car, placed the HRPT pass around my neck, put the top down, and quickly went back to the show. I went through the checkpoints again and turned the corner, only to find the sun shining down on the largest show I’ve ever been to. What an awesome rush! There were literally lots full of cars that stretched further than the eye could see.

When pulling up the hill to put my car back in the show, I came across the gorgeous “F1 Street Car” that’s been making a lot of attention around here. You should have seen the crowds that were gathering around this stunning ride!

Next, I pulled the ‘Stang up into a lot, parked it, polished her up a bit and off I went to take a look at my fellow HRPT Participants’ rides. I’ve never been surrounded with such a diverse and large crowd of cars. Every single one was so unique and respectable – I just couldn’t get over what I was surrounded by!

I slowly but surely made my way down to the main lot and was quickly surprised with some of the coolest cars I’ve seen. First, I saw a stunning blue Mustang that was attracting a ton of attention. Snapped a picture of that, moved around the crowd and saw a small green machine (didn’t think too much of it). But it eventually dawned on me that this was an Aerial Atom! You know, the car that has no roof, no windshield, costs $65,000 and does 0-60 in under 3 seconds? Yeah, that Aerial. A couple had been taking it on the tour and man did I love looking at that car. Here’s a couple pictures to assist your reading….unless you’re just looking at the pictures (thanks, haha).

Next, I made my way to the Factory Five and Mothers booths. That was pretty awesome as well – I got to see the stunning 2010 Chip Foose Mustang that I’m pictured with above (I plan on winning it, so expect more pics). I learned a little something while spending time with these vendors: Even really expensive black cars have tiny swirl marks that can only be seen in bright, direct sunlight. I guess that I might be able to refrain from waxing and buffing my ‘Stang so much now with that comforting information in the back of my head (thanks Chip!).

I continued through all the booths and went to the next set of show lots. Once again, they failed to disappoint me in the least bit. From rare Corvettes that were in it for the long haul (one of which I got to watch make a couple runs on the Mobil 1 Dyno) to gorgeous 2010 Camaros and a Cadillac Drift Car, I saw it all. Eventually, I made my way back to the ‘Stang and talked to a bunch of guys and girls for a while. The people that you meet at these events are so interesting and nice. But what did I expect? They’re car guys!

The sun began to set and everyone slowly started to make an exit. Little did I know, this would be one of the most memorable parts of the entire experience. Parading out with the entire tour was extremely exhilarating. The vendor trucks alone took up the entire right lane! In the end, it was an unforgettable experience that I look forward to being a part of for years to come. Next time, I’ll make sure that I wear a CarDomain shirt though…I never could find any of you guys, haha. Here’s some more pictures for you all.

Photography by Austin Knight.

Getting up early, I had everything prepared the night before to make a quick exit. I got everything in the car and I was out of the hotel by 7:30 am. The gate opened to get into Bristol Motor Speedway at 8 am. The hotel I stayed at was only a few minutes from the Speedway, so I headed out with a bunch of other guys from my hotel.

Getting to the Speedway, the line was already out the gate. I guess everyone else had the same idea. The line moved quickly, and the group was in and parked in no time.

Continue reading after the jump!

I waited for my friends from the Gearheads, Wicked Rides and MoPower Tour. And no one showed up that I could see, the Gearheads had issues with their hotel and decided just to leave today instead of hitting up the Long Haulers meeting, the Wicked Rides group did not show up at all, apparently the women in the group decided to sleep in and pushed them back so far that they decided to head back to New Jersey. The MoPower Tour I don’t know what happened. I didn’t see them at all.

Getting into the Speedway, it was incredible. The place was immense, I have never been to a stadium/speedway so large. I’ve been to Joliet Speedway in IL, and it was nothing compared to this place.

Making my way into the photo area, I ran into my friends with the orange 71 Challenger. We sat next to each other and chatted for a while, since the Hot Rod people were still setting up for the Long Haulers picture.

Hot Rod’s members had everything ready around 9 am. They gave the normal speech about the sponsors and how great everything is. They told us that the Tour will start Saturday, June 12th, 2010 next yea.

Finally they got everyone excited and took the picture of the Long Haulers. After that they did the drawings for the engines and the Hot Rod Camaro, one engine went to someone in the crowd and another to someone not there. This year a Long Hauler won the give a way car, the 2010 Camaro. That was something new.

After that, it was all over, everyone began to file out to get their Long Hauler Schwag. It looked like cattle to the slaughter. I decided just to sit in the stands and wait while everyone else made their way out. It was very odd to sit there and watch the Power Tour bus do laps of the track. That just isn’t normal!

A little bit after 10 am, the crowd had diminished enough that I won’t have to wait to get my stuff. So I walked right up, grabbed my four Long Hauler signs and made my way to the Caprice.

It was sad to be putting everything I had for the Power Tour away, no more lanyard, directions, flag, etc… Here I was about to head out to Charlotte, North Carolina all on my own. I did run into a guy from www.bangshift.com that I had met a few days earlier while sitting waiting for traffic to lighten up. We talked for a bit about what a great time we had, and wished each other well on the drives ahead.

The parking lot cleared and I headed out, I set the GPS on my Sister’s address and headed East. I thought I would be taking major highways all the way there, the GPS had other ideas… first of many. It took me through the tiny roads of the small towns on the route. I was going up and down mountains, my brakes began to smoke. It was not what I had in mind for a easy ride to see my sister.

On the route, I passed by a car dealer on the side of the road that had a 74 Charger out front. I pulled over and began talking with the gentleman. His friend and him were just sitting there watching the cars drive by. I struck up a conversation with the guys, and he showed me the 57 Chevy hidden inside, along with the 69 Camaro. The owner asked if I had any old cars, I said I did, a 71 Challenger, 69 Charger and a bunch of other cars.

He then mentioned that he had a 69 Charger sitting out back! He said all it was missing was the engine and transmission. I was ecstatic, he took me around back, and there sitting in the back was a 69 Charger, what looked like a mid-60′s GM and a 69 Chevrolet. The Charger was very rough, but was mostly all there. Just the engine and transmission were missing, but everything had to be replaced.

I thanked them for letting me look at the car, I got the owners name and number, then continued on my adventure. Still listening to the GPS, it was taking me through the Blue Mountain parkway I believe. It had some incredible turns. The brakes were getting hot going through there. This put me off doing the Tail of the Dragon on the way home.

Coming out of the mountains, the GPS had me go off on a little road. I listened and followed the little road, it was all twisty and looked old. I was thinking that maybe this was some sort of short cut. Oh boy was I very wrong, it was a dead end! I went almost a half hour out of my way to end up at a dead end! Pissed is not a word I use lightly, turned around and headed back to the main road.

Once there, I headed the same direction I was going before the turn. The GPS then told me another route to go on. So I thought I could trust it again, that would end badly. It was telling me to make left turns, around a single block, and it continued to do so. I only went once around, but I think it was mocking me. I finally pulled out my Atlas and mapped out the route myself.

Back on a main road, I eventually made my way through small towns and cities before coming upon Charlotte. Coming through the trees, it was similar to a movie. There, after cresting the hill, I could see the Charlotte skyline. It was very impressive.

Going through Charlotte, I passed by Bank One Stadium where the Carolina Panthers play, and worked my way to my Sister’s place.

I reached there after 6 hours, where it was supposed to have taken me just 4. My Sister was pleased to see me, but since we never visit her our there, it was odd to be here.

Tomorrow I will leave back for Chicago, a 14 hour drive back which I plan to split up into two days. The past week has been a memorable one, I will never forget the adventure and friends that experienced it with me. I just hope that next Year we can do it all again.

Thank you all for following this blog, I hope you enjoyed reading of this little adventure. Let me know what you would like in future blogs, and I will see what I can do to help you all out.

To view all the pictures from today, go to the link below.
[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/sets/72157619706538352/[/url]

Thanks

Ryan Brutt
HemiPwr70@aol.com
www.ryanbrutt.com

Remember, watch for my wrap-up post on Monday for the whole story of the last few days.

Getting gas, I return to the meeting place for the MoPower Tour and they were all GONE! I was like, sheesh, could have waited 4 extra minutes. It wasn’t like you didn’t know I wasn’t coming.

Oh well, I turned around and headed out on my own. I traveled the route for almost a good 45 minutes before I came across another Power Tour participant. I was still trying to figure out if I was ahead or behind the main group. I think I was behind, but never did. It wasn’t that important.

Continue reading after the jump!

Getting off the highway I was with a group of unknown people, which was fine. We were cruising along, no issues. Going through the mountains were absolutely stunning.

A twist of fate worked in my favor though, my friends from the Chicago Gearheads had pulled over for some breakfast at an Arby’s in the mountains. This was great, I joined up with them and we all headed out into the mountains together.

This was the best leg so far. The weather was beautiful, the cars were working great and the scenery was just breath taking. We went for at least an hour or so without interuption, just our group making our way through these little valley passes.

Coming through the mountains, we came up to the Cumberland Tunnel. I hadn’t been in a tunnel like that in a while. It didn’t make me feel any better that I was lead car through the tunnel. Or the fact that the tunnel was closed for a bit to allow some chemical trucks through in front of us. But everything went fine, we all drove through without issue and entered Tennessee., then Virginia, then Tennessee again.

It might not seem like it, but it was tiring driving those mountain roads. Always have to be on guard, always alert. And of course I was trying to take pictures, which could have been a disaster.

We all just cruised along, me snapping random pictures of random things. There were some project Mopars for sale just outside of Jonesville, and I couldn’t get my camera up and out in time to take their pictures ironically. I was thinking about turning out, but decided to continue on with the group.

Coming out of some serious twistys, my friends in the new Mustang Convertible in front of us had a little issue. Their drag plate from the Chicago Gearheads had broken and was now dragging partially on the group. So we needed to make a pitstop before this thing went through someones window.

We found a little mini-mart gas station in one of the towns and pulled over to fix it. They had the problem fixed in no time, but we had other issues. The gas station only had one bathroom total, no boys and girls, just one. So we all had to wait our turn to use it, and since I had to use it longer, I let the other guys go in front, putting me at the back of the pack again.

Another problem was that the mini-mart we were at did not sell alcohol, which wasn’t a big problem for me, since I don’t drink. But the other guys did want some, so they went ahead to another gas station down the road for some.

The rest of the group who was with me made their way to the gas station and joined up with them. We let our cars cool down for a while, they had worked hard going through the mountains. I know the Caprice was running around 210 to 220 degrees.

So me always being a photographer, I pulled out the camera and began snapping pictures of cars going by. It was ironic because just as I get situated, the MoPower Tour head vehicle goes past me! I don’t know how they got behind me, but they did.

With the everyone rested up, and coolers full of refreshments, the group headed out on the last leg together. After this we would be going our seperate ways, some home to Chicago, some going to Pennsylvania, and myself heading to North Carolina to see my sister.

It was a sombering through, but we had such a great time and we had no regrets. So we made our way into Bristol. Going through Bristol, I happened to glance to my right, and there, pulling out of the gas station was my friends from Wicked Rides! So in one day, I was with all my friends. They pulled in line behind me, and we all pulled into Bristol Speedway together.

This venue was another one that I guess common sense took a day off, the vendors were all lined up against the drag strip, and the Hot Rod Stage was at the far end, about a half mile from where the majority of the show cars were at.

We didn’t dwell on this, some guys went to line up for drag racing, others went to sign up for going around the Nascar track in the speedway. I started my usual routine of mapping out where everyone was, finding unique or cool vehicles, then going back over everything to get more details.

Temperatures had risen, and the humidity was up, so sweating came easily to me as I walked the rows of cars. Finding some crazy stuff at this stop. A guy had a 68 Barracuda with 340/2 on the hood. I asked him about it, he said if I guessed right he would show me the engine. I told him it had to be a 170 slant six. He told me I was correct and showed me his tricked out small slant six. Pretty cool car with tweaks here and there to make it run real nice.

Walking around, I saw some cool old drag cars, the only “Super Mustang”, a SS Hemi Barracuda and Hemi Satellite. Which give you a real kick of nostalgia when being at a cool track like Bristol. On my swing back to the beginning I heard that the Nun-Runner was about to go down the drag strip, so I raced over the fence and grabbed some shots of it making a respectable 18+ second run down the quarter mile. Very cool for such a heavy beast, but a very cool, well engineered, well run vehicle. (Written under threat of death… ::ah choo, ah choo:: )

This venue had some really interesting cars to see, a Canadian Beaumont Acadian Sport Coupe… aka Nova SS in America. A stunning 69 Camaro with ZR1 engine ( I know it was here all week, I just now noticed it), amodified Checker Taxi Cab and a gaggle of rat rods. It was so refreshing to see such unique cars, instead of the hum drum stuff like usual.

Making my way through the crowd I found my friends with the new 09 Challenger R/T Classic. They were speaking with a gentleman and his wife who had a 71 Dodge Challenger R/T. We arranged an impromptu photoshoot with the two cars in a nice wooded side area of the parking lot, I think the pictures came out really nice.

Finishing with the pictures, we chatted for a while and then they both had to go, so I said goodbye to my friends, who were heading home to Indiana and wished them well. Before going, I learned that they are huge Diner’s, Drive In’s and Dive’s fans…. guess what we’re doing when they come to Chicago!

Walking back to the drag strip, the racing had finished and they were just allowing people to walk around the track like nothing, people pulled their cars up for pictures on the track, and next to the Thunder Mountain signs. I got some really incredible pictures I think. And finally I have proof, a picture of myself at a venue! I think there are maybe 2 or 3 others in existance.

It was getting later, many of the participants were leaving. So I made my way for one more trek through the venue. I found my friends from the Gearheads hanging out in the bleechers just off the track, talking with the guys from Streetwise about how my friends 60 Buick LeSaber convertible beat out their Box Truck on the drag strip by a full .01 of a second. Pretty funny stuff.

This time I was done, I made my way back to the Caprice, loaded all my gear up and headed for the Motel. Not before hitting up a BoJangles. Quite the name.

Tomorrow is the Long Hauler meeting, it is going to be fun and sad, because another Power Tour is ending. I hope to have something more profound for tomorrow, but for now I will just say, see ya tomorrow!

Oh Yeah, we Rule!… so says the city of Somerset!

Ryan Brutt
www.ryanbrutt.com
HemiPwr70@aol.com

To view all the pictures, please see below.
[url]http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/sets/72157619579712677/[/url]

Rushing through everything. I got the Caprice loaded, checked out and on the road right around 10 am. The look on the desk ladies face was priceless as I came almost running down the hall with everything I had to check out.

On the road I thought I would be near the end of the pack, I was wrong. I was immediately greeted with throngs of Power Tour participants. I settled into a group and we headed out of Ohio for Kentucky.

Continue reading after the jump!

Driving on a major highway is never the best option, but it was all that we had at first. Sometimes you do miss it though, especially when your right leg gets tired and starts cramping up from the constant brake pedal motion of small towns.

The weather was overcast, it had rained the night before and they were expecting rain in the future. So I was pretty sure it would come sooner or later, I just couldn’t tell when in the trip it would be. I did see some interesting clouds though.

After about an hour, we finally got off the major expressway and onto the more country roads. I enjoy them more, but that’s me. We were to travel on this one road for a majority of the day. So it didn’t require looking at the directions a lot.

Cruising in the group was nice, I didn’t lead and I wasn’t at the end. Just part of the pack. Kentucky is a beautiful place to drive, the roads are in fair to good shape, and there are actually some pretty good hills and turns to go around. It was far more fun then the plains of the past few days.

In one of the little towns I saw my friends ( they may deny that ) from Wicked Rides in the Shell station. Pulling into the gas station I came upon a cool sight. A 80′s Plymouth Gran Fury Cop Car. I guess it was a friend of theirs that had joined the Tour on this leg.

The group was of course surprised to see me, I grabbed something to eat and they all made their ways to their cars and we all headed out, me at the rear being with the least horsepower so I don’t hold everyone up.

The group drove through towns and farmers fields, but the roads were actually curvy and hilly, so you had to be on guard the whole time. I was follow the cop car most of the time so I knew he could stop, me, I was a little hesitant. We made it through most of this leg together, but got separated going through a little town with a ton of lights.

Making my way with another group, we worked our way through the hills of Kentucky, making it to the split where we went onto a two lane road through some incredibly hilly country. This looked like fun… at first.

Just into the twistys, a huge backup was going on. I could see at least 20 cars in front of me, and I couldn’t see the end behind me. I was hoping no one was injured. As we all made our way forward, after about 20 minutes, I finally was able to see what was causing the backup. It was an Amish buggy. They were going down the road, and since we were still in somewhat hilly terrain, no one could pass except in spurts. I did finally make my way past the buggy and continue on my way.

Then the hurricane came.

Going through the twistys, the rain started. At first a light drizzle, then a complete downpour. The trees were going sideways, my driver side wiper decided to have a big dead spot in the middle. I could barely make out the LeMans in front of me. The group slowed down to compensate, but it was still crazy. My nerves were on edge the whole time. Finally we made our way out of the hills and the rain began to diminish.

Driving into Somerset was not as bad as in previous cities. There were large signs showing us where to go, long enough signal lights to let large groups of cars go through. So after entering Somerset, we were to the venue fairly quickly.

Pulling in I found the guys and girls from Wicked Rides. I parked across from them, grabbed a drink and my hat and then set fourth to hit up the show.

Right near my car was a pretty well frakked up Chevelle. The owner wasn’t around, but from what I was told, a young girl spun out in the rain and hit him. I don’t know the circumstances or what was going on, but I can’t believe he drove the car to the show. But that wasn’t the only disaster.

The vendors and Hot Rod Power Tour stage was set up away from the rest of the show, you actually had to cross the street to get to them. And they were not just across the street, you had to walk a ways to get to them.

Once making my way to the stage, getting my card stamped I was sitting around drinking a pop trying to figure out in the confusion that was this stop, where the actual show was. Stuff was off in all directions. There was no sense to any of it.

Making my way around, I found a few of my friends from the Gearheads. Apparently all was not well with them. One of the members, in his El Camino blew up the rear end the night before doing a burnout. And today en-route someone blew out a tire. I didn’t know any more, the guys told me that everything was going to be alright though.

I continued on my walk, running into a few guys from Bangshift.com and a few other websites. This venue wasn’t as large as I was hoping, but it was turning out to be a beautiful day. Sun was out, getting a bit warm, but wasn’t anything to bad.

Going through the show, there were fewer and fewer cars I had yet to see, so I take fewer and fewer pictures. But there are still many interesting cars coming in at each stop. I hope I didn’t miss any in this round.

After twice through, I pulled out my chair and sat in front of the Caprice as I watched the cars drive by me on their way out. I can see why people enjoy this instead of the walking around.

Eventually my friends from Wicked Rides came back from walking around and we all sat around and talked for a while, it was getting late and we were all starving. Their hotel was a distance away so we parted company.

I headed to my hotel, but not before grabbing dinner. Blackened Chicken sandwich. Yum.

Time to hit the sack and actually wake up at a decent time!

Ryan Brutt
www.ryanbrutt.com

To view all the pictures, please check out the link below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/sets/72157619615914354/

Everything was going to plan, I was out the door and driving at 8:30 am. The meeting was set for 9:00 am, so I assumed that I could get there in plenty of time, sit down and wait for the group, that was the plan.

I get to where the restaurant was suppose to be, and there was nothing there. Just an empty lot. I thought maybe I had gone to the wrong address, nope it was correct. It was the damnedest thing.

There was a Krispy Kreme donut place across the street, going over there, I talk to the people who work there, and they had never heard of the place. I decided to just skip the meeting, grab some dough nuts and head out. Ironically there was a 88 Caprice Classic Brougham LS in the parking lot, so I snapped a picture of the two.

Continue reading after the jump!

Time was on my side for once, because as I get onto the highway, the lead MoPower Tour vehicle pulls in front of me! So I just fall behind the custom newer Charger Daytona and keep pace.

Making our way our of town, we had one stop to make, and that was at some local collectors shop. Sadly the directions given to us were not as good as we were hoping, so we were on the side of the road waiting for better directions. This time gave two guys in a yellow Superbird the ability to catch up to us though.

I shared my Krispy Kremes with the crew, and we got the new directions and headed out. It was nearby, so it was not too bad. Getting over there we were greeted by a 2008 Challenger SRT-8 in Hemi Orange, and an 1970 Challenger R/T SE with 440 in Hemi Orange. Just like the pair I saw last week.

The gentleman showed us the collection of Challenger literature and Thunderbird collection. It was quite immense, and he said only part of it was at the location we were at. I know I didn’t doubt him. We made our rounds through the collection, he was a very nice guy, even gave us some calenders that have Challenger pictures in them. But time was getting later and we needed to get going. So we said our goodbyes and headed out.

Our group of Mopars and one Chevy made our way along I-75. On our way, we ran across a Semi trailer loaded with new 2010 Mustangs, and at least half of them were Shelby’s. Very sharp cars, one was even in grabber blue.

Entering Toledo I got a text about ten minutes to late that the highway was heavily congested. This didn’t help me out anymore, but it was nice that they tried to warn people. So I settled into the pack of traffic, I go to turn my vents on, to get some air moving in the car, and it wasn’t working. Now I’m worried, because I can’t go the next few days through who knows what without at least a defroster. I couldn’t worry about it then though, I was stuck in traffic.

Traffic lasted almost an hour, but once we got going, our group flew. We were above the posted speed limit, and I was impressed that the Superbird kept up with us. Not that it couldn’t go that fast, but the fact that the guys were taking her that fast.

Unfortunately the traffic and our little jaunt had used up a lot of gas, so we all pulled into a Speedway off the highway to refuel the cars and to stretch out a bit. We were only at most 50 miles from Warren, so I knew this was going to be a long day.

Getting back on the highway, there was still traffic, and the Superbird was not going as fast as the rest of the group, so between me trying to stay with the Bird and the rest of the group, we all got split up. We did eventually get back together, but it was right before our exit, and I noticed that the Challenger and Charger Daytona were going straight, while the directions told us to get off the main highway.

Following the directions I got off the highway and the Superbird did as well. That is the last I saw of the rest of the group. I heard they arrived in Dayton fine though.

The Superbird and I kept together for a little while, we were with a large group of other Power Tour participants, and we eventually got separated. There wasn’t far to go through. The route we were on took us a majority of the leg for today.

Going from town to town, there wasn’t really anything else to see. Just cornfields broken up by the little towns. I would admire the architecture and local life. It was fun to drive through, being the center of attention with all these cool cars.

Being that I had only survived the day so far on Krispy Kreme dough nuts, I desired something more. Coming over a bridge there was a new Waffle House. Since I had never been to one, or one that I can remember I stopped there for lunch. There were people sitting at the windows just watching the cars roll by.

It was a good lunch, it was a small lunch though, I didn’t feel like anything to heavy. There was about another two hours ahead of me. Packing up, I jumped back on the route and headed to Dayton.

While passing through these little towns, I kept seeing signs for Drive-Thru’s. I would look and not see them. I finally saw another sign and pulled over. Apparently in Ohio they have these places where you actually drive through the building, they give you your beer or such and you drive out the other side. I had never seen anything like it. I called my friend in Chicago and told him, he couldn’t believe it either. Very interesting place.

Driving through the middle of old school Americana, we passed by real drive In’s, drive in movie theaters, Dairy Queens, Kings, Dream, and anything else you could think of. I wish they had more stuff like this in the Chicago land, it would make things much more interesting!

After running over a ladder in the middle of the highway (couldn’t avoid it, thankfully no damage) and hitting up a few more larger highways, my group finally made it into Dayton, Ohio.

Getting into the show, I parked and started playing with the blower motor, and got it working. Must have been a loose wire.

It had gotten hot and humid out, but was overcast and fairly nice. Just a few hours before I was told it was pouring out. Thankfully the weather stayed nice and actually cooled off near the end of the show.

Walking the show, I did my usual routine. I walked through once to find the new cars at the show, shoot anything I thought was interesting, then double back and chat with my friends.
It was perfect, I got there when everything was in full swing. I got my time card stamped, moved my Caprice over by my friends from the Gearheads and was just chilling out and chatting with them. Ironically my friends from Wicked Rides parked the Nun-Runner, 70 Hemi Challenger Convertible (for sale) and Savoy Wagon right next to the Gearheads. It was the best of both worlds.

The next few hours flew by going between the two groups. The talking and laughing didn’t end. We were there until just a few stragglers were left. The sponsors were gone, even the Hot Rod RV was about to leave. While the day started out slow, the end was great.

Tomorrow is going to be a little shorter then today, but not by much. So a long day of driving, but this stop is suppose to be huge. So lets see what comes.

I just hope Somerset, Kentucky is ready for us.

Getting up early, I was packed and on the road by 9:30 am. Which is good for me, since it meant that I would be roughly in the beginning to middle of the pack. I wouldn’t be alone like I had the previous day.

I immediately found a guy in a Fox Body Mustang in the parking lot of the hotel I was at to drive with. We pulled out of the hotel and hopped right on the highway, along with other Power Tour participants coming from different locations.

Continue reading after the jump!

The beginning was fairly easy highway driving, nothing to strenuous. We cruised along at a good pace, until we hit the highway we were going to be on for a while. Then it hit me how long this is going to be.

Indiana isn’t know for any mountains or valleys, so there wasn’t any surprises. The Tour just went through the small towns and cities. It was nice to drive though them and see a bit of old America, with the general purpose stores and non-brand name appliance places. We passed old abandoned gas stations, and ones made into museums. I’m a fan of architecture, so this was all very interesting for me.

It was about two hours into the leg from South Bend, In to St. Claire, Mi when I needed food. I had not eaten breakfast and wanted something other then normal fast food. I was lucky enough to find a real drive in one of the small towns on the route.

The drive-in is called Allen’s and it had been in the same location since the mid-fifties. I sat down at the counter and ordered up a hamburger, fries and some potato logs (wedge style fries). Talking with the people who worked and owned Allen’s was a real treat. Truly nice people, and I recommend stopping by there anytime anyone cruises this way.

Just after I finished scarfing down my burger, I noticed my friends from the Gearheads drove by. So I jumped back in the Caprice and drove out to meet up with them.

Traffic was light, so I was able to catch up with them fairly easy. Unfortunately the lane I was in ended, so I ended up being in front of everyone. Then a few lights later, a large dump truck gets between me and the other Gearheads. Thinking they were just behind the truck, I continued on. A few miles down the road the dump truck turns off and there was no one behind him! Apparently they had gotten stuck at a light, and then went to Wendy’s. Thankfully I still had the rest of the group to cruise with.

The next few hours flew by, just driving through the towns, waiving to people as we passed. It just felt so good. I wasn’t deep in thought or worried about anything, just living in the moment.

The first major leg of this part came to an end not far from Michigan International Speedway. It is some large circle track and road racing track from what I could see. The facility was in the middle of nowhere, just fields and fields of corn and beans around it.

Next on the agenda was a stop at Ididit Hot Rod and Muscle Car accessories. Pulling into an abandoned factories parking lot was a little sobering. But the place across the street was incredible. Ididit has an incredible facility. State of the art machines and the man power to run them. The showroom they had showed us the wide range of the items they make and produce. I just wish I could afford them.

At Ididit I met up with a few of the guys from Moparts.com. A great group of guys that were doing the entire tour with a very nice AAR Cuda. I was jealous that they were able to take their Mopar and I couldn’t. We chatted for a while about a range of topics. It was nice to put a face to the people I talk with on line, sadly it had to come to an end, and we departed Ididit.

From the Ididit stop to Mount Clemens it was about a two hour drive, the last bit on a major highway. So the cruise was fairly uneventful until we reached Detroit.

I actually found the GM lead vehicle while entering Detroit, a little funny since we were hours later then when they should have been there. So I tucked into pack and drove into Detroit at the head of the pack, or what it should have been.

Unfortunately the exit that we were all getting off at wasn’t regulated to allow us to pass easily, and the backup caused a rather large traffic jam on the highway, even after we got over onto the shoulder.

All of the cars there at this time were stuck in this large jam for almost an hour, just trying to get into Mount Clemens. Making our way off the highway and onto the road to the show grounds was fun. We all did eventually make it into the grounds. It is quite the place.

The actual parking lot is huge and bordered a large lake. There was plenty of room for everyone, the weather was great and I was able to get there with plenty of time, park and start hitting up the venue.

Just walking up and down the rows was nice, most of the cars were ones I had seen before, but there were some really interesting surprises, like the chopped Monte Carlo or Valiant drag car. There was everything here.

Finally I was able to meet up with the guys from the MoPower Tour. It was nice to finally talk with them and see how everything has been going, I might go meet them up for breakfast tomorrow.

I found my friends from Wicked Rides with the Dart Nun-Runner and Hemi Challenger convertible. They had a nice trip in as well, no issues with the Nun-Runner, not as though their should be. I found JoAnne’s Daytona and talked to her for a bit. Then made my way around and found the guys from the Gearheads, moved my car and chatted with them for a bit.

On my way to get the car to move it over by the Gearheads, there was a very good looking young lady posing on a sharp Monte Carlo SS Aero Coupe. I helped her out for a moment, and snapped a few very nice photographs and continued on to the car.

The guys and I sat around for a bit, just shooting the shit, watching the cars go by. It was getting later, and we decided to call it a night. There was a cruise in Warren I wanted to hit up, so I headed to the hotel and got checked in.

Then I sat outside and watched the cars go by and talked with the car guys at the hotel up until I knew I had to finish this blog.

Tomorrow is Dayton, Ohio. Are they ready for us? I hope so!

To view all of the pictures, please see below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/sets/72157619518972512/

Continue reading after the jump!

Today, unlike yesterday, was completely uneventful…which is a good thing. We skipped the driver’s meeting again today as our hotel was on a street under construction and getting to the meeting would have been much more hassle than it was worth. My dad reconnected with an old friend he hasn’t talked to in years driving solo in his 67 Nova Wagon, so we added one more to our crew. A motley one at that with a 78 Pacer, 03 Mustang Mach 1, and 67 Nova Wagon.

We jumped on the turnpike and headed for Tecumseh, MI and the ididit headquarters. Ididit was nice enough to host a lunch for us Power Tour participants, and upon our arrival there was close to a thousand local cars that showed up. Among those was a small AMC group! Two 70 AMX’s, a 70 and 72 Javelin, a Marlin, and a kickin’ 78 Matador…the most AMC’s we’d seen all tour!

From Tecumseh, we headed to Detroit. Through the gorgeous Irish Hills, past Michigan International Speedway (MIS) and into town. As we pulled in, the sheer number of cars was staggering. If you couldn’t find a car you liked there, you’re not a car person. Truly spectacular. Walking around we saw some truly gnarly stuff. A slammed 67 Rambler American (my favorite), a 37 Plymouth with a blown Hemi that the builder fit under the stock hood, another Dart Wagon, and a beautiful custom open wheel roadster. Of course, shots of a few are below. Check out MotorFanatics for everything too!

Austin-Healey with a Small Block Chevy

See the rest at MotorFanatics!