Tom & Betty's thoughts after this seven state adventure:

I know it’s difficult, but don’t over pack.  Most hotels/motels have washers.  The more you take – the more you have to drag in and out of the car.

It was really fun not to have too many specific things planned.  Some of the best things we did were spur of the moment like Copper Harbor.  It was like going back in time – no cell service and one gas station that closed for 5 days on Saturday at 3PM.  We ate dinner at a little restaurant looking out onto Lake Superior.  We watched a bald eagle who was also fishing for his dinner.  We were in a different dimension.

The weeks at the MARC and MAFCA meets were fun but pretty typical.  The weeks before and after to me were the most fun.  You never knew what was going to happen next.  As Tom says, “You have to go with the flow”.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast that was like going home again.  Not sure they are all that way, since this was our first, but it was a real treat and we will likely do it again.  Louie and Kathy, our hosts, treated us like members of the family.

Another bit of wisdom, only one electronic device at a time for directions and only if absolutely necessary.  They will not always agree and may cause conflict in an otherwise happy day. Getting lost is always another opportunity for adventure. Paper maps work great!

The Model A’s were automatic celebrities wherever we went.   People would come up to talk to us and we met a lot of great people this way.  None of that would have happened if we had been traveling in modern cars. You hardly ever see other people when you travel on the Interstate, just their cars as they zoom by, or as you zoom by them. We all know The A’s make everyone smile.  We got many smiles per mile on this trip.

Tom & Betty

We made it back to the GA heat today!

 One of the pretty old tunnels in Chattanooga.

 One of the l-o-n-g tunnels in Chattanooga.

 Tom had another flat tire today. He borrowed one of our spares & we were back on the road in no time.

 It's the last gas fill up and then we part after 25 days together.

 Back home in Peachtree City (Above) 

That was the sunrise this morning when we left the hotel at 6:30AM to try to beat the heat.

  The final reading of our odometer.

We arrived home in Peachtree City a little after 3PM.  The total miles traveled for us were 3,604.5.  Tom & Betty travelled a little less. We had to replace our alternator but it didn't hold us back. Ray used a generator that he carried with him & he bought an alternator at the swap meet in Wisconsin. Tom had to fix a leaky roof, lost three lug nuts on one tire, and as you saw, had two flat tires. We all agreed that we would take another trip like this. Let's see maybe up the east coast or to the Florida Keys or there are the redwoods in California.  There are endless opportunities.

Ray, Teri, Tom, & Betty

PS: There will be one more post.

Last Night on the Road

                                              In the barrell room with our tour guide, Eddie.

                                                        The distillery that we visited.

                                                   Lots of used barrells.

                                                          The open for business sign.

                                                            More scenes inside.

          The truck in the parking lot. You can see that it is a lot bigger than the one on television!

                                     The front of the museum. It was an old car factory.

                                                                    Tom's first flat tire.

                     The road next to the George Dickel distillery. It was very isolated.

Celebrating Teri's birthday.

We arrived in Nashville in time for the Antique Archeology (Pickers Warehouse) toopen. it was interesting and some things are for sale but they are pricey. a man wandered by who is a photographer. We asked him for directions to get out of Nashville, using surface streets. He struggled to figure out a route and finally said to follow him. That worked. Our next stop was the George Dickel Distillery. It is a small distillery. we had a very hospitable tour guide. it is a beautiful drive into the remote area. I think everyone was a little disappointed that they were not giving samples of the whiskey. (I am not spelling whiskey wrong. That is the Scottish spelling.) When Betty was asked if she would do another tour, she didn't hesitate to say "Yes!" So I guess the question is when. As for favorites, Tom & Betty, liked Copper Harbor, MI for the location. ray liked meeting the guy who owned the Twenty Millionth Ford. he was a regular guy. I think I liked Mackinaw City the best. I loved the view of Mackinaw bridge from our hotel room! We ate at Logan's Roadhouse tonight. Betty announced to our server that it was my birthday and I needed to be embarrassed. They did their job. They announced to the entire restaurant that it was my birthday. The entire restaurant gave me a "Hee-haw!" Ray, Teri, Tom, & Betty PS I was not able to load the pics tonight. You will get them ASAP!

 Teri & Betty found some interesting guys to talk to while Ray & Tom looked at cars.

 Donnie works at this restoration museum. He says that he could retire but doesn't want to.  Ray says that is a job he would not want to retire from either.

 Another bridge in the countryside of Indiana.

A shot of a few of the 90+ cars in the museum.

Teri's favorite.

At the Studebaker Museum yesterday there was a shirt that Betty & I liked. It read "Quiet women rarely make history." I forgot to mention it.  This morning, Ray did a little bit of maintenance on the car & we left around 8:30. We stopped in Greenwood, IN to buy soft drinks when a man told us that next door at the Ford dealership there was a huge (90)classic car collection. We checkled it out and it was fantastic. They wew extremely hospitable. They even asked Ray's opinion on a 37 Buick they were thinking about buying. There were all kinds of restored muscle cars. My favorite was a Kaiser Darien convertible with pocket doors. They do their own cadmium plating and aluminum finishing in house to bring the cars back as close as possible to original. Ray like the 61 Chevrolet SS 409 tripower 4 speed with a factory drag package. It was low mileage, all original. it was really tough getting through Louisville due to road construction but we made it just fine. After that we had a pretty ride through the country roads of Kentucky. I wanted to put some pictures on the blog but the computer here is about ten years old and I have given up. We are in Glassgo, KY.  Tomorrow we plan to go to American Pickers warehouse in and after that stop at a couple of distilleries in TN. All is well in KY. Ray, Teri, Tom & Betty

Good Bye, Michigan! Hello. Indiana

                                       The river in Niles, Michigan where Ray & I grew up.

Below: Ray at the Studebaker Museum.

 Now we know what Betty is doing since she retired!

 Left to right: my parents, Bill & Peggy French, brother, Paul, Ray, Tom (hiding behind Betty) & my sister, Cathy.

I love the flavor of the coffee where we had lunch a couple of days ago.

We left Ann Arbor this morning a little after 8AM. He headed down US 12 towards Niles. It was a beautiful day for a ride with the temperature around seventy. Ray & Teri gave the Millers a tour of their home town before we met Teri's parents, a brother Paul, and a sister, Cathy, for lunch. After lunch, we headed for South Bend to the Studebaker Museum. We are spending the night in Kokomo.  We plan to be in KY tomorrow night.I decided to include some pictures from the past few days since there wasn't much to photograph today.

This is Louie's garden at the bed and breakfast we stayed at.

We thought of Eugene when we saw this covered bridge at Greenfield Village.

Ray & I at the Mackinac Bridge.

We ate lunch here a couple of days ago.  They had some fabulous chicken salad.

The 1920s baseball game. (Above) One of the players: below

Daisy at the Henry Ford museum.

Ray is with our "A" at the Henry Ford Museum.

                                      Above: 2 bicyclest. (SP?)  Below: a Model A bus.

We were not allowed to leave our B & B until we were served a breakfast of waffles, fruit, desserts, and the usual breakfast drinks.  Louie & Kathy were unbelievable hosts.  They gave us beer and what ever drinks we wanted.  It was an enjoyable visit. We were treated like family. Today we went to the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.  Ray & I had already been to The Henry Ford Museum so we spent our afternoon at Greenfield Village.  We got to see a 1920's baseball game, and so many other interesting homes from the past. It was great to see Thomas Edison's lab & the Wright Brothers cycle shop and of course, Henry's shop.Tomorrow we plan to head down on US 12 to Niles to see my parents for lunch and then say "Goodbye" to Michigan and start south. We will visit the Studebaker Museum in South Bend, Indiana.

We wondered why Greenfield Village didn't want the 20 Millionth Ford.

Singers at Greenfield Village. I love the clothes!

All is Well  . . . Ray, Teri, Tom, & Betty

Tom & Betty at the Christmas store in Frankenmuth.

Some of the cars in The Great Race. The driver of the one above is from Tyrone, GA.

We are in Frankenmuth, MI tonight at the Bavarian Town Bed & Breakfast. Kathy & Louie are our hosts. Louie has shown us his garden, flowers, his entire house, and lots of other things. He accepts cash only. He also took 4 pictures of us. We are eating dinner now at Tiffany's. Yes it is a restaurant but it used to be someones mansion. It has very pretty lights and ceilings. We drove from Mackinaw City to here today, using all state highways. Tomorrow we will go to Dearborn, to the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village. That should be a real test of our navigation skills getting through Detroit. Yesterday, when Ray stopped to help a fellow Model A-Er, he told us that the Great Race was going up Hwy 131, our route. The race started in Traverse City and was headed to St. Ignace for lunch. We were able to see most of the cars. One of the drivers stopped at a gas station where we weretaking pictures. He is from Tyrone, GA. It was fun and I have lots of pictures. Unfortunately, I can't post pictures again tonight because Louie doesn't have Internet. We passed a sign today that sais 45 parallel. You are half way between the equator & the north pole. We also passed Betty's Restaurant. I almost forgot . . . we went to Bronners, a huge Christmas Store. Betty says that it is the biggest in the world. I believe it! Ray, Teri, Tom, & Betty PS: The cars are running fine.