Day 1 - July 19, 2007 Let’s get out of town before the house falls down around us, or it’s time to leave when nothing else fits in the car.

Yesterday, the ice maker quit, the toilet in the ¾ bath sprung a leak, the kitchen door slammed shut in the wind knocking the doorbell box off which crashed to the floor, the printer quit printing blue. This morning 5 minutes before we left, the hot water heater started leaking, just lucky we had not left. (this must be the day that the 5 year warranty is up) We turned it off, and as we walked out the door we notice the ants walking in behind us, one by one. We called our daughter and told her to put a for sale sign on the house as is.

Hit the road at 8:05, made the parking lot at the Golden Gate bridge at 9:20 and met up with Jack Castor and Darryl Coe, and a couple from Washington (Paul and Carla Christen) who just bought a Model A roadster in SF this morning sight unseen and are on their way back to WA, hoping to tag along with us. Hope this works out, the timing gear is rattling at low speed, but we discussed that if it goes, they will go find a U-haul and finish the trip that way. Paul is learning Model A maintenance as we go.

Beautiful clear day crossing the Golden Gate and on up 101 to Cloverdale. Glad we were not going south, traffic backed up stop and go for at least 30 miles. In Cloverdale, we met the rest of our contingent who had come up from Pleasanton, and now we total 14 Model A’s and 24 people. That turns a few heads. Had a family style lunch at the Hamburger/Pasta Ranch in Cloverdale. Good smoked salmon pasta and all you could eat. The Model A Food Club is in full swing.

Next stop Navarro Winery for wine and chocolate. A little side trip through the redwoods of Mendocino gave everybody a lot of arm exercise on the winding roads. And I think I have seen enough trees.

Little mechanical problems to date, Bill Rose has a coil wire that keeps falling out, Ewart was blowing fuses till a crossed headlight wire was diagnosed, Darryl Coe stopped with fouled points, finally got a cell call through to the group ahead and so Bill and Melvin started back to assist, but Darryl got it going before they got there. We are at the Holiday Inn in Fort Bragg. It was a little warm in our room so Bob M found a switch on the box under the window and turned it on high, and cool air flowed in at first. Went back to check it 10 minutes later when it seemed to be getting warmer in the room and discovered that it was really an electric heater and we had made it 5 degrees hotter. Patti called the desk and asked how to turn on the air conditioning and they told her to open her windows. We don’t need no stinking AC in Mendocino County.

At happy hour hosted by the Nicholsons, told our heater story and Ron Bueno got a funny look on his face and ran up to his room to shut off his heater. Stuffed ourselves again at dinner at the Wharf Restaurant, walked on the beach, tested the water and it is cold. End of Day 1.
~by bob m



July 19, 2007 from the Guzzettas:
Ever notice how you start out on a long tour with lots of enthusiasm and high expectations? You wake up at 4:31 AM, take a shower, and go over in your groggy mind all the stuff you’ve done to make your Model A bullet-proof on the long haul ahead…But there’s always something there in the back of your remembering that makes you think “I forgot something”.

We started out with nine Model A’s from the Pleasanton meeting place, while another contingent headed off to San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate to meet up with us in Cloverdale for lunch at the Hamburger Emporium. But we didn’t have hamburger. We had smoked salmon pasta, garlic bread and salad. A lotta pasta, garlic bread and salad. So much, in fact that the following ride to Navarro Vineyard was a little too bumpy…a tad too twisty…and somewhat prolonged. You can’t beat good food. We’ve decided to have a contest to determine who gains the most poundage on the trip. Today, I won.

Along the way, Bill discovered that his coil wire is just too short. You plug it in, and after awhile…it just falls out. Mel tried to wire it in so that it wouldn’t drop out, but most of us think he’s going to just have to get a longer one if he wants to keep up with us.

We all got together at The Wharf, here in Fort Bragg for dinner this evening after Daryl’s little hiccup this afternoon. Something to do with distributors and broken shafts, and a Model A that quit running happy. You’d think that people who had just gorged at lunch might moderate at dinner…Nah!

We head for Gold Beach tomorrow at 7:03 AM. Lots of new faces in the crowd. We’ll explore them all as we wheeze and bump our way to Pendelton.
Keep in mind: if your coil wire’s too short, you’re gonna lose power…
~By John & Judy