The Year in Review

Martha and I put over 8,000 miles on the MGA this year. We got the engine put together 3 days before the Heartland Regional in June, and with about 300 miles on the engine and overdrive transmission we left with the rest of the Flatwater Caravan for St. Joseph, MO. The run down Route 7 was as delightful as always, although the eatery we had planned to utilize had closed.

The field on the courthouse lawn in St. Jo. was a beautiful venue for a car show - the view of the show from the top of the hill was spectacular. As always we had several local winners, including, but not necessarily limited to, Marvin Marshall, Steve Espelund, Leo Thietje, Jerry Trainer and Dan Forehead. We shared a few buckets with the Kansas City area Triumph drivers, were blessed with the company of Miss Lizzy at the banquet and were honored with the presence of John Twist in our unofficial hospitality suite. But the real award for valor should go to Ryan Ries and Renae Drewel who drove a newly installed and untested overdrive transmission in their almost equally new (to them) and untested B. They made it back, after losing a heater hose, by filling the radiator with their drinking water and with water from a rain gutter. Renae is reported to have kept smiling throughout it all. It is interesting that such reports of Ryan were omitted from the tale.

There were several drives into the country and club events, including Fish in Union and the Marshall's annual 4th of July bash (yes, there were loud explosions, yes there were car alarms going off about 5 blocks away, yes the police did visit and yes the fireworks at near by Rosenblatt Stadium were spectacular) and then, with about 1200 miles on the drive train, the tour of the year commenced.

On July 6th,with the party behind us, we were back on the road with the Marshalls and the Espelunds, for a two week and 4200 mile trip to the coast of Oregon, by way of Dannebrog, Carhenge, Chadron, Lusk, Jackson Hole, Mountain Home, Boise, Cottage Grove, Coos Bay, Florence, Boise, Rawlins, Saratoga, the Snowy Range, and Olie's Big Game Lounge in Paxton.

Sports car driver's nightmare!

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