Springtime in the Smokies - Showtime!

May 13, 2023 

We got to Townsend yesterday after an uneventful drive from Cartersville.  After we checked in at the motel, we went to the show site where we could pick up our registration packet and socialized with some of our old friends and made new ones.  There was a cook-out provided by the organizers and afterwards we sat around a fire pit and caught up.

Today, we drove to the field next to the Tally Ho Inn, were directed to our parking space and cleaned up the car.  There was no rain predicted and it turned out to be a beautiful, hot day.  After looking at all the cars and voting for our favorites, we had lunch and waited for the awards.  This show had classes set up differently from anyone else.  The have classes based on years, such as '65-'69, '70-'74, '75-'80, etc.  It was a little odd having different makes of cars, as well as different models in the same class but seemed to work out well and everyone had a good time.  Four of the cars from the PMGR and the GTA in the Atlanta area won their class, including our Midget!  Here are some pictures from the show.  Tomorrow we will head back home taking a different route.  The weather should be fine, but maybe a little hot.

Springtime in the Smokies - Townsend, TN

 May 11, 2023

Since the show in Columbia/Cayce, SC, we have been to Pensacola for Brits by the Bay and Gainesville, FL for the GOF South.  Maybe I'll fill in later with an update and pictures.  For now, we are on our way to the Smoky Mountains for the show in Townsend, TN.  We decided to split the drive up and stop in Cartersville, GA and visit the Savoy Automobile Museum.

On the way out of Atlanta, we passed this interesting castle house in the Milton area.  This is a private residence so no tours!

 After  arriving in Cartersville, we stopped by the hotel, then  had a very good lunch at the Main Street Coastal Cuisine Cafe, and then headed to the museum.  The Savoy is an outstanding new museum that is run by the same people that run the Booth Western Museum and the Tellus Science Museum, both also in Cartersville, GA and both also first class facilities.  Along with their permanent display, the Savoy has rotating displays and the current one is British cars.  The Savoy is a beautiful, first class facility.  Even the building is a work of art!

Wonder where they got the name?  Well, when they were clearing the field, they came across this 1954 Plymouth Savoy.  They were looking for a name representing the superlative quality that the museum would be and Savoy fit the bill.  Thus, the Savoy Automobile Museum was born!

There was a room with cars from the Savoy's permanent collection as well as a room with a temporary collection of Porsche cars.  While they were all very nice, we were interested in the temporary display of  British cars.  Here are a few examples:

Wayne Carini's 1952 Allard J2

1952 Arnolt MG

1954 Arnolt Bristol Bolide

1964 AC Ace - drop a small Ford V-8 and, voila, you have a Shelby Cobra!

There were a lot of very nice, rare cars and the displays were very well done.  Later we had dinner downtown at the Appalachian Grill.  We were surprised at how nice and busy the downtown was on Thursday night.  

After dinner, we drove back to the hotel and put the top up, as there is a high chance of rain in the morning.  Tomorrow we will head to Townsend, TN.  Unfortunately, there is a high chance of rain the rest of the weekend.  Hopefully, it won't be as bad as predicted!

  

    

Carolina British Classics XV - 2023

 Friday March 31, 2023

Finally, the long anticipated first event of the year is here - the Carolina British Classics show in Columbia/Cayce, SC.  We met up in Athens, GA with 7 other LBCs and 2 non-British cars from the Peachtree MG Registry for a caravan to Columbia.  Of the 8 LBCs, no two were the same color!

From Athens we made our way along the backroads to Washington, GA where we took a short break at the historic Fitzpatrick Hotel.  We then continued on to our lunch stop at 3 Marias Mexican restaurant in Saluda, SC.  This is a permanent food truck with covered outdoor seating and good, authentic Mexican food.

After a good, filling lunch, it was on to Columbia, SC, check in our hotel and R&R before the show tomorrow morning.

Saturday April 1, 2023

It was a short drive to the speedway.  The speedway is a 1/2 mile track that was one of the early NASCAR tracks from the '40s - '70s.  Richard Petty drove his first race here in 1958.  Today, the track is an event center hosting various events on its 9 acre infield.  Today, it is the Tartan Day South Festival honoring the traditions of the UK.  Along with all sorts of Scottish athletics, food, dancing, music and crafts, there is a British car show.  Because of the threatening weather and short rain, there were many no-shows, but those that did come had a great time and there were lots of nice cars.  

Here you can see an MG Magnette, a nice Morris Traveler and an even nicer MG Midget!

Here is one of the more unusual cars, an MGB 4X4!

During the show, one of the Aiken Sheriff's Pipes and Drums came by to serenade our Midget!  Lots of bagpipe music today!

Here is an attempt at a overall shot of the field with the cars in the foreground and the festival tents in the background.  You can also see some of the old racetrack.  

 

It was a fun event and even a short rain did not dampen our spirits!  The Peachtree MG Registry had a good showing, taking home 3 firsts and 3 seconds!  

After a uneventful drive home, it was time to clean up the car and get ready for our next two events which are in Florida - Brits on the Bay in Pensacola and the GOF South in Gainesville. 

A Return to Normalcy??

    In our quest to get back in the swing of things, we have several trips planned for this year and hope to get back to keeping you entertained with news from our Midget travels.  The first is the Carolina British Classics XV in Cayce/Columbia, SC on April 1.  This show is held in conjuction with the Tartan Day South Scottish Festival.  So, stay tuned!!  

Homeward Bound!!

5/22/2019

Everyone at the hotel was very nice and the maintenance man loaned me a couple of tools I needed.  I got the alternators swapped this morning, everything buttoned up, crossed my fingers and started it up.  It started right up and the ignition light went out!  And, it was much quieter.  We left and headed home along the back roads of Alabama.  We shortly ran into and area where they were doing roadwork that slowed us down for a short period, but it didn't last long.   We stopped for a late lunch at the Holly Pond Cafe in Holly Pond, AL!  It was a good time, between lunch and dinner and there was only one other couple there.  It was a very good, locally owned, locally operated place.  Probably crowded a couple of hours ago with the regular locals, but empty now.  Everyone must know the place, because we couldn't see a sign or name on the front, only on the door.  But, we had another filling meal.  (The car is not in the picture because it is under a tree, in the shade)

The Holly Pond Cafe

We then continued on, soon getting to more familiar territory.  We soon entered Georgia, passed through Cave Spring, Rome and Cartersville, where we stopped at a QuikTrip for gas and coffee. 

Because of the late start this morning, we were late getting home, but we made it without further incident.  I'll order the needed brake parts tomorrow.  

It was a great trip and we had a great time with great people.  But, I don't think I'll take the MG on a trip to the west again anytime soon.  It is too flat and too vast of an area to be driving a 45 year old car with hard to get parts.  Even AAA would have a hard time finding me, or would take a long time getting to me. 

We covered 2624 miles and traveled though 8 states!  Now, to crawl into my own bed!!  Tomorrow, I'll get the dog, get the mail, either mow the grass, or bale it, wash clothes, wash the car, etc.

Have to get ready for our next adventure!!

More trouble?!

5/21/2019

We left Branson, MO this morning on the way to Tupelo, MS.  The roads are now winding through the Ozarks and several small towns in Arkansas.  Near the small town of Yellville, there is a huge building going up, seemingly out in nowhere, that resembles the grain elevators in Kansas  Turns out it is a Butterball poultry feed mill, which will make food for turkey farms, which is a big business in northeast Arkansas.  As we passed through Ash Flat, AR, we stopped at Meacham's Restaurant for lunch.  This appears to be the only place to eat in the area as it was quite busy.  When you walk into the waiting area, there is a sign that says to wait  here and when a table opens up, they will come get you.  And, the line is on the honor system!  Seemed to work just fine.  Turns out this is a family owned operation with an extensive menu.  The daughter of the founder still works there.  Food was good and filling.

After lunch, we continued on toward Tupelo.  We discovered a nice chain of gas stations, called Casey's General Store, from Iowa.  They were very clean and reminded us of QuikTrip that we have at home.  However, I soon started to hear a noise whenever I would come to a stop.  However, the car was running fine so I continued to listen for it as we motored on.  The noise seemed like it could be an alternator bushing and as we were coming to Jonesboro, AR, one of the few big cities on the way, I decided to stop at Bud's Starter and Alternator Shop to have it checked.  I got his name from an MG contact in MS that knew an MG guy in Jonesboro.  He recommended Bud's.  After a little diagnosing, Bud agreed that it sounded like a bushing.  Unfortunately, he did not have a replacement, nor did anyone in Jonesboro.  However, there was one in Memphis, and we were going through Memphis on the way to Tupelo.  He suggested loosening the fan belt to take some stress off the bushing and continuing on to Memphis.  So, off we went!  The car was still running fine, and I was checking the ignition light and voltmeter constantly!  We got to Memphis without incident and picked up the alternator.  However, because the car was running fine, and it was getting late and we needed to get to Tupelo so we could get home the next day, we decided to continue on.  I could change the alternator tomorrow morning when it was cooler, and when the car had cooled off.

Everything was fine until about 25 miles from Tupelo, as the sun was setting, the ignition light came on!  The car continued to run fine and the voltmeter was  still indicating that I had some volts left!  Luckily, traffic was very light on I-22 at that time and I kept the lights off until I saw someone approaching from the rear and then, after they had passed, I turned them off again to same the battery.  Even though the ignition light was on, it must have been at least partially charging as we made it to Tupelo, where I had to turn on the lights to get to the hotel.  We were able to walk to eat dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and next door to Lowe's for a tool I needed.  I'll swap alternators in the morning.

Flooding in Kansas and Missouri

5/20/2019

The plan today was to get to Arkansas, but the weather is against us.  The rain was now sporadic and lighter, but heading east from Wichita, there is lots of flooding.  There are many new lakes in Kansas and Missouri where once there were vast crop lands there are now vast lakes.  Most of the creeks and rivers we crossed were out of their banks, or very high.  At one point, we had to ford a stream that used to be a road!  There was a flashing sign board that said, "Standing water on road", and a little further along there was a DOT truck with flashing lights where the water was flowing across the street.  There was an area about 100-200 feet long with 1-2 inches of water.  As traffic was light, I just drove slowly down the center on the crown of the road and got through with no problem.  But, the weather slowed us down enough that we only got as far as Branson, MO.  We had never been to Branson, and we were pretty disappointed.  There is a lot of traffic and it reminded us of Gatlinburg, TN.  It's not very pretty and there are areas that are run down and unattractive.  Lots of garish signs for all the shows.  We were underwhelmed.  Had dinner at Landry's Seafood then were looking forward to leaving in the morning.  At least the scenery has changed from flat and vast to rolling green hills and trees!