Chattanooga British Car Show

Oct. 31, 2013

This is our last show of the season and we're looking forward to seeing some of our old friends from Tennessee and Alabama.  I also decided that we would go a day early and spend some time in the Chattanooga area.  I made a reservation several months ago for a tour of the VW factory and was really looking forward to that.  Then, just yesterday I received an email informing me that due to some production problems, they had to cancel the Friday tours.  Bummer, but nothing we could do about it.  Maybe another time.  We left home about 8:00AM and after a little over an hour, were finally on the other side of town!  We ate breakfast at Simply Southern, in Lathemtown.  When we came out, there were several bees on the car. Maybe because its the same color, they thought it was the queen bee!  And, they stayed on the car for several miles and up to 60 mph before they finally blew off!

 We then had a very nice drive through Ball Ground, Jasper, Chatsworth, Dalton, Ringgold and then on into Ooltewah.  By taking the backroads, we were treated to beautiful fall colors for most of the trip. Ooltewah is a small town just east of Chattanooga that we decided to stay at tonight because it was close to the VW plant and another place of interest I wanted to see - Miller Industries.  Since VW was out, we went on to Miller Industries.  This is the largest producer of towing and recovery vehicles in the world.  I had called well in advance and they said they don't have set tours, but just come in and they would find someone to show us around.  So, we went in and the receptionist asked if we were in the towing business or associated with it.  I said no, but we had utilized their services in the past!  She really didn't want to let us have a tour, but after checking with several people, someone came in and gave us a tour.  It was very interesting and quite a difference from an automotive factory.  It is much smaller in volume and almost all work is done by humans. They do have a couple of robots, but most of the work is done by hand.  They would not allow pictures inside, but I did take a picture outside with some of their largest recovery vehicles.

This big boy toy can be yours for $625,000!  It can handle 60 tons -  about 70 Midgets!

Think this rig could handle the Midget?!

 After the tour, we took a scenic drive to Cleveland, about 20 miles away.  We stopped at some antique and bead stores and were going to check out the downtown, but there was a huge Halloween block party going on and the entire downtown area was blocked off.  So, we drove to the Old Fort restaurant, where we have eaten several times before, for dinner.  It was a delicious, home cooked meal - chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and collard greens, all washed down with some sweet iced tea!

After that, it was a nice ride back to the hotel.  Expect rain tonight, but the rest of the weekend is supposed to be very nice.  Tomorrow, we'll go to Chattanooga where we'll do some sightseeing and check into the Choo Choo hotel where we'll be for the show.

Nov. 1, 2013

After breakfast, I checked the car and the inside stayed dry!  We packed the car and put the top down.  It turned out to be a beautiful clear day.  We headed towards downtown Chattanooga and our first stop was the International Towing and Recovery Museum.  It was an interesting history of the tow truck and towing business with many restored old wreckers.

After we finished at the museum, we went to the Chattanooga Choo Choo to check in.  We unloaded the car, "freshened up" and then took the free, electric shuttle bus downtown for lunch and see the sights.

We had lunch at the Noodle House and then walked toward the river and to the Houston Museum.  Ms. Houston would be called a hoarder today, but she collected all sorts of things, especially glass.  Pitchers, plates, beer steins, vases, anything glass.  When she died in 1951, she had about 15,000 pieces.  These were donated to the city of Chattanooga and are now on display in a museum housed in an old Victorian house downtown across the street from the Hunter Art Museum.  We then walked on the old river bridge that has been made into a pedestrian only bridge.  There are about 5000 kids in town for the Head of the Hootch rowing competition.  There were a large number of boats rowing up and down river practicing for the competition that will be going on until Sunday.  After walking back down to one of the main streets, we caught the shuttle back to the hotel.  There was a casual dinner and get together at the hotel.  After eating and visiting with friends, we went back to the room.  Another day down!

Nov. 2, 2013

Today is cool and clear.  After cleaning up the car, I drove over to the show area.  There are about 6 Midgets, which is more than usual.  I didn't hear how many cars are here, b

ut it looks like a good turnout with some interesting cars.  About 1:30, we left in small groups for a scenic drive up to Missionary Ridge.  It was an interesting, if bumpy, drive up the historic ridge.  It is a residential area, but there are many historical markers along the road, as well as several monuments and cannons.  Many of the markers and cannons are in peoples yards.  When you cut the grass, you have to trim around the cannons, too!

The MG Midget class

Very nice 1967 Sunbeam Imp

Interior of beautiful 1957 Bentley.   The leather smelled wonderful!

Cannons on Missionary Ridge

After the scenic drive, it was back to the hotel to rest before heading downtown for dinner.  Then after dinner, it's back to the hotel for an awards ceremony and socializing.

We took the free, electric shuttle bus from the hotel to downtown and walked to the Hair of the Dog Pub for dinner.  It was a cute, two story pub in an old building.  Only problem was they don't have a smoking ban in restaurants in Chattanooga (I guess), because it was too smoky for us inside, but they had an outdoor patio that was OK.  The food was OK - it's pub food, what do you expect? - but I had a good beer - Erdinger Octoberfest Weisbrau.  After dinner, we walked around a bit, then went back to the hotel for the awards ceremony.  Tomorrow we'll say good byes and head home.

Nov. 3, 2013

We go up early, (because we gained an hour!) and had breakfast.  We then went back downtown to check out the Head of the Hooch rowing competition.  This is a very big rowing event with about 5000 rowers from all over the country, mostly college teams.  It used to be held on the Chattahoochee river in Atlanta, but it got too big and moved to Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.  It was a cool, clear, beautiful day and there was a carnival like atmosphere along the river.  Lots of tents with vendors, hundreds of long, sleek boats lined up, thousands of kids in their school's colors and just a lot of activity and very festive.  I got a few pictures and then my camera battery died so I took a few with my phone.  It was very interesting and I learned alot about the sport.  In this competition, the teams rowed up the river, around an island, then raced back to the finish line, racing against the clock, not other boats.  Each race lasted about 16-18 minutes, and there were boats constantly being put in the river and then being taken out.  We missed the eights (8 rowers + coxwain) but will check the schedule next year and try to see them.  

Overall view of the waterfront.  Tennessee aquarium is at upper left.

Gentlemen, choose your weapon!  Some of the oars laid out by team.

Just a few of the boats

 

Tree people!  Some of the junior competitors resting in their hammocks.

After enjoying some of the rowing, it was time to go back to the hotel, load the car and head home.  We had a nice, uneventful ride back in beautiful weather.  It is always nice to get back in your own bed!  Now its time to plan our travels for next year.  Stay tuned!

British Car Festival - Fairhope, AL

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013

We're on our way this morning to Fairhope, AL to the British Car Festival.  We've never been to this show, or to Fairhope, but we had heard good things about both of them.  So, we decided to go early so we would have a day to explore Fairhope.  We left early, about 8:00 AM and it was pretty cold!  But, we layered and bundled up and it was actually not uncomfortable.  We stopped at QT for a cappuccino to warm us up and started our trip down the backroads, through Conyers, McDonough and Griffin where we stopped for breakfast at Waffle House.  After breadfast, we continued through Zebulon, Concord, and Woodbury.  From Woodbury, we continued on through Waverly Hall then on through Columbus and over the Chattahoochee. river into Phenix City, AL.  We stopped for gas and then continued on passing through Hurtsboro, Union Springs (home of the Bird Dog Field Trials World Championship), Troy and on into Andalusia, where we stopped for gas and lunch at Beef O'Bradys.  We noticed that towns in Alabama are very patriotic.  Union Springs had a sign that said "Welcome to U.S.A. -  Union Springs, Alabama" and Andalusia Ford was spelled "AndalUSiA Ford"!

We also had some excitement in southern Alabama.  We saw deer at two different times on the side of the road thinking about committing suicide by running in front of us.  Luckily, they had a change of heart and disappeared back into the woods.  Also, while cruising smoothly along the back roads of deepest, rural Alabama, the car suddenly started slightly sputtering, sort of like it was running out of gas.  But, I knew it had plenty of gas.  It only lasted a few seconds and then back to normal.  I was looking for placed to pull off if needed but it never happened again.  No idea what it was, possibly crud in the gas.  Will check what I can tomorrow.

We are getting close now, and were getting excited as we continued through Flomaton, Bay Minette and into Fairhope.  As we were driving along towards our hotel downtown, we noticed the banner on a pole along the road! 

We pulled into the Hampton Inn downtown and checked in.

Not the usual Hampton Inn!

 Downtown Fairhope looks amazing.  There are flowers planted on every corner!  We walked around a little and found Pinzone's Italian restaurant where we ate a fantastic meal of scallops and risotto.  Looks like a lot to explore and see tomorrow, as well as clean up the car for Saturday.

Pinzone's Italian Restaurant

Long day today, 425 miles and about 10 hours!  Will now relax for a couple of days!


Friday, Oct. 25, 2013

Day 2 in Fairhope.  We slept well and took our time getting up.  Most of the stores don't open early anyway. We had breakfast at the hotel and then started walking around downtown Fairhope.  The streetscape is awesome, with flowers planted at every intersection as well as trees and flower boxes along the sidewalks. There are also benches everywhere (I guess for the husbands, while the wives shop!).  We walked up one side and down another, checking out all the shops and restaurants.  Even offices look nice.

Office building

For lunch, we stopped at Sandra's Place, a longtime sandwich shop, for a delicious cup of shrimp and corn chowder and a Fairhope shrimp salad, plus a slice of homemade cranberry and orange cake.  Yum!

Then it was off to do more exploring.  The Fairhope History Museum was a very nice facility with interesting items and artifacts on view, including a 1935 Ford fire engine.  Even has part of the original building and jail, from 1928, on display.  The jail was still in use until about 10 years ago.

There are many interesting and different shops, including this home furnishings store named Boxwood.

All the shopping wore us out, so we went back to the hotel to rest (and update this blog).  I also cleaned the car up so I would not have as much to do tomorrow.  Although it looked clean, wiping it down covered the towels with road grime and crud.  Glad I got this out of the way.  Tonight we have a BBQ dinner and get-together put on by the host club.  The hotel is very convenient as the show tomorrow, and the party tonight, are within walking distance from the hotel!  After the show tomorrow, we'll explore the waterfront on Mobile Bay.  On the way to the welcome party tonight, we walked to the Sheldon Castle, the home of eccentric local artist Craig Sheldon (look him up).  Since he passed away, his daughter and son-in-law now live in the house but are used to strangers walking up and taking pictures.  We also passed the Fairhope Arts Center where we noted what looks like "tree art" outside.  We then made it to the dinner and there was a very good selection of BBQ, and various side dishes plus a big selection of desserts made by local club members. After some announcements about the show tomorrow and giving out some door prizes, we walked back downtown to the hotel.  We noticed several more little British cars in the parking garage.  Should be good weather tomorrow which should result in a good turnout.

Sheldon Castle

"Tree Art"

  Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013

We had breakfast at the hotel and drove three blocks to the show site.  It was cool, but perfectly clear and bright.  We were directed onto the field, had our picture taken and parked.  The show was well organized and had a record attendance of 120 cars.  While I didn't take home any hardware, I did see some old friends from Mississippi that I met at another show.  Also met some very nice people and saw some very nice cars and some unusual ones, like the Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire.

On the way to the show.  I look to my left, and who do I see?  It's me!

1960 Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire

View of the show field

It was a beautiful day and warmed up.  After the awards ceremony, we left and did some sightseeing.  We drove down to the bay front and walked along the Fairhope pier.  We then drove along the Hwy. 98 scenic bypass.  The road was lined with huge live oak trees and many beautiful homes with views of the bay.  We came to the Marriott Grand Hotel at Point Clear and walked inside to check it out.  Looks like a very nice place, but probably out of our price range!  We then drove back to the hotel, rested for a little while and then walked down the street to Tamara's Downtown for dinner.  We had a wonderful dinner with good food and good service!  Then, walked back to the hotel.  On the way, we noticed a beautiful red Ferrari convertible parked on the street.  The guy had put 4 construction type cones around his parking space to "protect" his car.  First time I've see that!!  We will be heading home tomorrow morning and then get ready for our last trip of the year to Chattanooga on Thursday!

Is your car this precious?!

Sunday was another beautiful day, clear and bright.  It was cold, but not as cold as Thursday morning when we came down.  We had breakfast at the hotel, packed the car and headed out.  After getting gas (I've been getting between 30-34 MPG.  It's nice to be able to fill-up the tank for about $15!) we decided to go back a slightly different way to avoid the fresh asphalt that we encountered on the way down.  We decided to just let TomTom choose the way, as I thought I knew where it was going.  Well, I was wrong!  It took us on a "northerly" route through completely new territory.  While most of the roads were very good and scenic, some of it seemed quite desolate.  Think Deliverance!  We were beginning to wonder when we would come to a gas station or place to eat and bathroom with indoor plumbing!  We did pass through some small towns, there were no name brand gasoline, and most of eating establishments, if there was one, were closed on Sunday.  But, we just put our trust in Tom and soon we came to the small town of Camden, AL.  Kathy spotted a Hardee's so we stopped ;there for a bathroom break.  People seemed to come out of the woodwork to look at the cute little car.  Several people stopped to talk and take pictures.  One older guy said he had gotten a Midget for his daughter soon after she got her license.  He said he figured she couldn't get very far before it would break down!  We saw a nice gas station across the street so we went to fill up. Turns out there was a separate pump off to the side, unmarked, but there was someone filling several gas cans.  So, I ask if it was kerosene and he said no, it was ethanol free gas.  He was filling gas cans for all his farm equipment and other small engines.  So, when he finished, I pulled over and filled up with 100% gas. We then noticed a restaurant, behind the Hardee's that we were told was good.  Since we didn't know how far it was to any other civilization, we decided to eat here.  It was Ms. Kitty's and it was a buffet of good southern, soul food.  We filled up on baked chicken, fried  catfish, peas, candied yams, squash casserole and washed it down with pink lemonade.  When we got there, there was only one other couple there and the parking lot was empty.  While we were there, church let out and before long, there was a line!  We did notice a Subway nearby, but it looks like the town likes Ms. Kitty's for Sunday lunch!

A full house at Ms. Kitty's

We then set off, following TomTom and enjoying the different sights.  The trip was memorable for the wildlife we saw.  We saw 4 deer, at 3 different times.  Two ran across the road in front of us (but not close) and the others were just eating on the side of the road.  We also saw a fox run across the road in front of us.  And, we startled a vulture dining on the roadside and he flew off in our direction, low to the ground before swooping up.  We got a close view of it and those are large birds!  We finally made it back to Georgia and felt "home".  We continued on a new route until we got to McDonough and then we our way.  We stopped in Conyers at a Wendy's and had a nice salad for dinner and then made it home.  Will now wash clothes and car for our trip to Chattanooga.  It was a great trip, 863 miles total!    

SEMGTR's GOF at Callaway Gardens

October 10, 2013

After the trip to Hendersonville, we had our club's Fall Tour to Brevard, NC the following weekend.  This was a driving, eating and socializing event - no show involved.  It was lots of fun but I didn't really have a chance to update the blog.  Here is a picture of MGs in the Smokies on the way up.

No sooner had we gotten back from the Fall Tour, then it was time to wash clothes and car and get ready for a show the next weekend.  This was the Southeastern MG T Registry's (SEMGTR) Gathering of the Faithful (GOF) held at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA.  We, and another couple, took the scenic route from Atlanta south to Pine Mountain.  We passed through such scenic towns as Zebulon (with a recently restored court house), Concord, Molena and Woodbury, where we stopped at the High Cotton Antique Mall for a stretch and bathroom break.  We discovered a great cafe, the Blackbird Cafe, where we ate lunch.  The food was plentiful and cheap and the interior was very nicely finished with old brick and wood.

The Blackbird Cafe

Rest stop in Woodbury, GA

After lunch it was a short ride through Warm Springs (home of FDR's Little White House), then a beautiful ride through the Roosevelt State Park to Pine Mountain where we checked into the Mountain Creek Inn.  The T club had a well organized and well planned weekend for us.  The theme was the '40s and the first night we had a showing of the movie Casablanca with popcorn, drinks and candy with '40s prices!  The next morning we had breakfast at the Country Store before lining up for a scenic ride which ended up at the Bulloch House in Warm Springs.  The Bulloch House is a large, old residence which has been turned into a restaurant.  It was a buffet with outstanding southern cuisine and we left full!

Breakfast at the Country Store

The Bulloch House

MGs at the Bulloch House

After lunch and a beautiful ride back, we were on our own.  We decided to go to Callaway Garden's butterfly exhibit. This is like a glass enclosed aviary, but its full of plants and butterflies.  Although the number and variety of butterflies was down while we were there, it was still very nice.  After visiting the butterfly house, we took a scenic drive through Callaway Gardens.  There are seemingly miles of windy roads through the park and you could almost get lost driving in it.  But, it was a nice leisurely drive and then we returned to the hotel.  Later it was dinner on our own and we found a local restaurant that was decent.  After that, it was back to the hotel to clean up the car and get ready for the show on Saturday morning.

 

Saturday morning, we drove across the street to the park where the show was held.  It was a very nice venue with large trees shading the parking lot.  There was a nice pavilion nearby and the park had set up a breakfast table with coffee, tea, soft drinks, biscuits and pastry.  It turned out to be a very nice show, great weather and 100+ beautiful British cars. 

After the show, we went to downtown Pine Mountain and explored several shops downtown and had lunch at one of the local cafes.  When we had seen most of the town, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for the banquet.  We had a wonderful dinner, met new MG friends and saw lots of very nice cars.  The next morning, Sunday, we packed up, went back to the Country Store for breakfast and then headed back home.  The trip back was uneventful.  We now have two weeks to get ready for the next show in Fairhope, AL.  We've never been there but have heard that it is a nice town and a good show. We're looking forward to it, so stay tuned!

Autumn in the Mountains

Sept. 27, 2013
Well, its time for the next session of Midget Travels.  This is the first of several trips planned for this fall.  We're off to Hendersonville, NC, site of the British Car Club of Western North Carolina's Autumn in the Mountains British car show.  We've never been there, so thought it sounded like it would be a nice trip.

We started off about 7:30 am in very "crisp", clear weather and made it out of metro Atlanta without any problems.  We stopped at the Jefferson House in Jefferson, GA for breakfast.  After a hardy breakfast it was off to NC.

We took back roads, which are surprisingly good, probably due to the lack of big trucks.  Scenery was very nice, past lots of pastures and cattle farms as we drove through towns such as Commerce, Toccoa, Walhalla, across the northwest corner of South Carolina and into North Carolina.  The weather was perfect, clear and cool and the ride through the mountains very enjoyable.  We came to Flat Rock, NC and the area is dotted with spectacular homes.  Just outside of Hendersonville, we saw signs for Carl Sandburg's home, so we made a short detour and took a tour.  It turned out to be pretty interesting.  The house and grounds are now maintained by the National Park Service and the house is pretty much the way it was left when his wife decided to move due to declining health.  The amount of books is unbelievable.  Every room has floor to ceiling bookcases.  Mrs. Sandburg had a goat dairy and had many champion goats.  There are still goats on the farm, but it is no longer a working dairy.

Dining Room - note books

Work space - note books

Doing what goats do best - food in one end, out the other

 From there, we drove to downtown Hendersonville, which turned out to be very nice.  The main street is about 6 blocks with mostly original storefronts.  Most of the store fronts have historical plates telling when the building was built and what types of businesses were in them.  Only one storefront was empty and it appeared to be under renovation.  The street has been landscaped with lots of trees and planters as well as seats and benches.  Also, almost all of the restaurants have seating areas outside on the wide sidewalks.  We ate at The Square Root and it was very good.  Afterwards, we walked along the street and discovered that two blocks had been closed to traffic and there was a car show put on by the Hendersonville Antique Car Club.  Lots of old American cars, muscle cars, pickups and hot rods.  Some very nice cars and some odd ones, like the Gremlin X!  Another interesting thing about downtown Hendersonville are the dozen or so bears that have been decorated by various artists standing along the street!

View of downtown Hendersonville, NC

The Square Root Restaurant

One of the bears on Main Street

Downtown Hendersonville, NC

Afterwards, we went back to the hotel, unpacked, cleaned the car up and got ready for tomorrow.

Sept. 28, 2013

Had breakfast at the hotel this morning then drove over to the park, which was just a few miles away, for the show.  The venue is a big city park where the show was on one of the large grassy fields.  The number of cars was disappointing, only about 52 cars.  And, only two spridgets - me and a nice '59 bugeye Sprite.  There were some nice cars, especially an old Riley, a Morris Minor convertible and a Jag 140.  

A nicely restored drophead Riley

A Morris Minor convertible

After the show, we went back to the hotel and found out that they  had a wine and music festival going on all day in the field right in front of the hotel.  You paid for a wristband and got to sample wines from about 5 local wineries.  They also had live music by multiple artists.  It was winding down so we went back downtown and ate at The Cypress Cellar, a cajun restaurant which was pretty tasty.  Then it was back to the hotel to unwind and get ready for the trip back tomorrow.  Should be another great travel day.

Wine and music festival at the hotel.

The Cypress Cellar on Main St.

Sept. 29, 2013

Heading home today, but not in any big hurry.  We decided to go most of the way back, the same way we came, which was a nice drive through the North and South Carolina mountains.  Once back in Georgia, we took a different route just to explore some roads we have not been on.  We stopped for lunch at the Rabbit Town Cafe just outside of Gainesville.  This is a local "meat and three" kind of place served buffet style.  The food is good and reasonably priced.  We got there just in time, as church must have let out while we were eating and the line was almost out the door!  After eating, we continued along new roads through Maysville and Gillsville before getting to Jefferson.  One of our discoveries was the Diamond C ranch, which is a 1400 acre ranch out in the middle of nowhere.  But, the entrance was stunning and we couldn't see the house.  We looked it up when we got home and found out that it is for sale.  You should check it out - just Google "diamond c ranch north georgia".  It is pretty surprising.  In the same area is Craven pottery.  We would never have found these places if we had just gone home the usual way.  That's way Midget Travels is so much fun!  We got home without any problems and are now looking forward to our next trip in five days!