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About This Club
General discussion, images, events and questions about what's going on in the Great Lakes States of IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI.
Location
Great Lakes
What's new in this club
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Need to figure out where we will be parking and go from there. Hope we can all meet up.
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That’s the spirit Fitzy! You could even say that you could eat their shit! And die…happy!
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I'll bet they do pack fudge...a shitload.
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My wife and I will be staying in East Pointe, MI for the week of the Woodward Dream Cruise visiting family - in a rental car, no classic Pontiac. But please keep me informed on any plans for the Dream Cruise. Rick
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As will I. The question at the moment is where will we be based out of. I have yet to hear any details yet on what the Widetrackers are doing for parking on Woodward this year.
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i will be out terrorizing the streets for sure. hope to see ya there!
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My wife and I won't make it to Roadkill Nights but we will be there for the Woodward Dream Cruise on 15 August - we arrive on 12 August and depart on 19 August, IIRC. Is anybody in the Detroit area doing anything for the Dream Cruise? Rick
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That’s part of the joke Fitzy! They pack fudge too, you know!
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fantastic pics mate
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That was awesome - great pics and commentary. That Blue Whale was freaky...must have been good drugs in the 50s too. I'm gonna say it again: Uranus Fudge Factory! Every time I say it I feel dirty.
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Awesome pic's. Thankz for sharing
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The 12th annual Roadkill Nights will be held at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac Michigan on Saturday, August 8, 2026. Registration is now open. Pontiac Roadkill Nights 2026 - Powered by DodgeI know Indyman Joe is trying to run in the small tire category. I registered Violet for the Cruise-In. It sounds like besides drag racing on Woodward, there will be chances to run all or part of the Champion, M1's road course or some sort of auto cross event too.
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Day 6 - Car Show Day and Awards Ceremony I had to be on the show field by 8:00 am, according to the rules. I was frankly expecting a huge line of cars as I was late getting to Pontiac in BB. It was 20 minutes to 8:00 when I got there. There was no line, no waiting. I cruised right in and found my assigned spot. GMCs I voted this for best of show 1992 and later. I wanna do the Bandit Run someday!!!! Sniff! Sniff! How about a Fiero Lambo? I was sorta surprised to see Camaro conversions allowed at the show. I was never sure where POCI stood on these. They are six figure cars all day though. It was nice to see a GMC 60 degree V6 in this truck. I couldn't what the displacement was though. Presentation of the colors, the singing of God Bless America. God Bless the USA, and the National Anthem. Monkeemobile #2 Monkeemobile #1 Aussie Paul Adams lives in Queensland. When he was seven years old, he saw Monkeemobile #2. Later in life, he spent seven years recreating his own Monkeemobile down under. He took me on a personal guied tour of both cars and he pointed out the differences between the two. Some obvious and some very subtle. This was very cool. These are my dream Pontiacs! Note the switches in front of the shifter. They were used for in-car microphone hook ups. The Last Ride GTO Slapshot GTO The xXx GTO. This looks seriously badass! At the awards ceremony, we had speeches from the Mayor of Pontiac ,,,,and Ben Hinmon, he iis the seventh great-grandson of Chief Pontiac. He spoke at length how the U.S. government has tried to systematically eliminate the Indian culture over the decades and he cited examples. He said his tribe isn't even recognized by the state of Michigan, which means they can't get any federal assistance. He noted that the highest participation in US military service by race are native Americans. The average native American lives below the poverty level. His tribe has signed 17 treaties with the US government and the US government has broken every one of them. As for awards, the Widetrackers did very well. I hope to have a final report sometime in July. Motor City and West Michigan members also won awards. So ends the 100th anniversary of Pontiac and the 54th POCI national convention. I'm tired....but I survived this convention better than the last one! I think I am finally caught with my posting. Next year's convention will be in Norman Oklahoma.
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Great pic's N story. As always.
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Day 5 - June 26 - Parade Day. Ugh. I took a look at Black Beauty. She runs okay except for the aforementioned electrical issues. My plan is simply. Drive in the parade today and get home before sunset. Ditto tomorrow. So that's what I did. Last day of the outdoor swap meet at the host hotel. Then it shifts to the Oakland Expo Center tomorrow. I was hoping the was a Ram Air pan for a 71-72 GTO. Nope 66-67. I loved this triple black GTO. There was no For Sale sign on it, so I am not sure if it was for sale or how much. Back to the parking lot. A rare FWD Phoenix - the Pontiac version of the Chevy Citation. My second Pontiac was a used '81 Phoenix hatchback I got in early '85. It was the worst car I ever owned. It had the Pontiac "Iron Duke" gutless 4-cylinder (often called the Iron Puke). The floor boards were already rust through (I patched with aluminuim siding), and the classic X-body / X-brake problem. It was while driving this POS that I ordered Black Beauty. BB arrived in late November '85 and my Phoenix was G-O-N-E! I had a brief window to run to the Oakland Expo Center to look at the Points Judged cars before having to come back to host my GMC chapter meeting and then run to the parade marshalling area. This is where the Points Judged (inside), and Popular Vote and Road Warriors (outside) will be held. Every car in here is gorgeous. Both Big Waumpam and the Untamed Tiger are both owned by fellow Widetracker, Jeff Bourcier. More race cars..... For the first time in 58 years, since the TV show ended, Monkeemobile #1 and #2 are together again! Monkeemobile #1 - this is the car that Geore Barris bought and updated after the show. Mel Guthrie of Livonia Michigan now owns it. Monkeemobile #2 - now owned by Tony Rota in New Jersey. This is the one that was left in Australia, found it's way to Puerto RIco and used as an airport car, and then purchased and restored. More on them later. Coach Reeves car from the movie "Slapshot". Paul Newman actually tried to buy this car after the movie. A nice Hansen Brother's towel is on the front seat. The XXX GTO! The '69 GTO from "The Last Ride" with Dennis Quaid An actual Rockford Files Firebird I shot back to the hotel to host my GMC chapter meeting and then I was off to the parade marshalling area. John Z DeLorean and Widetracker's president Tim Mays. Time to start lining up the cars! This is a Michigan-based Roadkill inspired '72 Lemans Sport convertible. I ran into this guy on Power Tour a couple of years ago. My name and car is on his hood tach - right next to David Freiburgers! This Fiero is a Woodward regular. This guy was the talk of the convention. He literally drove this '38 Pontiac from Washington State to the convention with only one problem along the way. Not a trailer queen! We had six GMC motorhomes to add to the parade too. They were once built in Pontiac at the truck assembly area. The Torrent TA Edition! LOL! Justa and Indyman show up together in Dirty Girl! I found out later that neither of them had actually signed up for the parade but since they were Widetrackers we let them in. Justa though Joe had signed up, Joe thought Justa had signed up. A classic Polish salute. Thanks guy - you made me laugh that day. I definitely needed it. OMG. Someone actually brought a BBC '69 Beaumont to the parade! A better look at the '38 from Washington. Meet our parade grand marshall.....from All Girls Garage and Garae Squad.....Miss Cristy Lee ....and me. Now the parade actually begins...... After Cristy and the mayor on Pontiac came all the Pontiac city council persons. WIdetracker Mary Woody A '26 and 2009 Sostice A rare '73 Lemans GT There goes Justa and Joe! I was also in the parade with Wayne and Lisa. I brought my Badflag.com flag poles with me. I had an America 250 flag and a flag Wayne had given me - Pontiacs Down Under.com Driving the parade route from my perspective Parade is over and we find Justa and Joe. I can't help but wonder where they stole those signs from. Online I found this drone shot of the staging area and part of the parade. Here is someone's Facebook video of the parade! https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=4647085935614098 Here is another video link I was sent. https://www.facebook.com/reel/947514705054294 Justa and Joe appear at the 7:29 mark. I am struggling to find the audio mark of Cristy announcing Joe's car. My car appears at the 9:28 mark. You can see BB with the flags and the Kiwis in tow! You can hear Cristy announcing my car at the 11:10 mark Somebody had a picture of my car as I drove by. I will post that here too once I find it. Obviously we hooked up briefly with Justa and Joe after the parade. I left Lisa and Wayne with Justa and Joe but they ended up getting a ride in Larry Crider's GTO convertible instead. I got BB back home safely well before sunset. Tomorrow is it, car show day! My volunteer work is finally and completely over. I get to enjoy the show. However, we have to be on the show field before 8 am. Ugh. Another early and long day.
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Day 4 - June 25 Day 4 - I was a free agent. I had signed up for a bus tour around the local Pontiac-Oakland-GMC area sites in the afternoon. The evening was the formal convention awards dinner/banquet. I ate with folks from the Motor City chapter and Dmitri. Widetracker's newsletter editor Dave Todd won an award. There is just one typo. Motor City is chapter 91. The Widetrackers are 16. So I turn the award upside down, it goes from 91 to 16! I told Peggy Mullinax about it and she said she would correct it the next day. The Motor City chapter won Best Junior Chapter of the Year. This a big deal. A junior chapter is a chapter with 50 or fewer members. It is essentially the things they do for their communities. Hats off to them. They are a great bunch of people! The National POCI BOard of Directors
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Day 3 - June 24 I spent most of the day working registration again. All three Michigan POCI chapters worked the convention. The West Michigan Pontiac Club manned the pre-registration and convention T-shirt tables. The Motor City group managed the hospitality suite for all the convention's volunteers, provide lunch for all of us. I greatly appreciate what they did for us. The Michigan Widetrackers were in charge of marshalling the 300+ expected cars for the parade for the original Pontiac Administration building parking lot to downtown Pontiac (.8 of a mile). Wayne and Lisa got on the tour of Frankenmuth, to shop at the Bronner's Christmas store and eat chicken downtown. Lisa showed me all the Christmas stuff she bought. I warned Wayne his credit card would be melting. I sent the picture of what Lisa bought in Frankenmuth to Kiwi. For some reason, he refuses to show them to his boss! Views of the show car lot at the hotel from the hospitality room on the 11th floor. Down in the lot itself..... This Judge belongs to a buddy from the West Michigan chapter. Going through the outdoor swap meet area.... The evening ended with a welcome party and trip to PMD Garage (a local restoration shop near the PTM) and the Treasury. It turns out that we could not go into PMD Garage, we could just use their parking lot. The Treasury is an old building with Chief Pontiac on the front and it is rather art decco on the inside. This was once a bank or government office. The Bates and me. L-R - The Aussies, Geoff and his wife, Paul Adams, POCI Convention Coordinator Larry Crider and his wife, and the Kiwis - Wayne and Lisa Bates. The DJ was trying to do his best Frank Sinatra singing Fly Me to the Moon. Outside was an Oakland The survivor. The autograph on it is hilarious! Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick! The Treasury served hors d'oeuvres of blacked shrimp, watermelon over balsamic vinaigrette, ice cream and cocktails. The ice cream and cocktails were cash bar. The food was tasty but not filling. On the way back to the host hotel, I took Wayne and Lisa to get beer that's cheaper than the hotels. So ended Day 3.
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Day 2 - June 23 I spent the morning in registration but I had some time to look around a bit too. From the host hotel's reserved show car parking lot. I would take frequent trips out to this lot over the course of the convention to see what was new. I brought Black Beauty with me so I could go thru tech inspection and be ready for later on tonight. My big responsibility for Tuesday was with the Firebird Chapter. I guess it is a tradition that the Firebird chapter does a cruise at every convention (since they are speciality chapter like my GMC chapter). This year they wanted to cruise Woodward and I volunteered to help them (sometimes I am such an idiot). We choose Tuesday night for the cruise simply because there were no other nights available during the convention to do it. We meet at the PTM. We had a driver's meeting around 5:30 pm. We headed south on Woodward (which is 2 blocks from the PTM) and headed for dinner at Nicky D's Coney Island on Woodward. After dinner, I would leave ahead of the pack and photograph each car as is passes the legendy Vinsetta's Garage (a former 99-year old garage now turned into a restaurant). Here is the meeting in front of the PTM. Notice anything about BB? More on her later. This is Scott Schneel. He is the new editor of the Smoke Signals magazine, replacing Tim Dye. This young lady came up to him and asked him for his "audio graph" (e.g. autograph) on this issue of Smoke Signals. POCI Treasurer Scott Van Tamelen is my witness. We heckled Scott pretty good for it. Time to mount up and head to Nicky D's on Woodward near 14 Mile Road. We got very lucky. We did not call ahead or make reservations with Nicky D's since we had no idea how many cars and people could go. They were not busy. We filled the place up and gave them some added business on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday evening. Next was staging the photographs in front of Vinsetta. Firebird chapter president John Frohele and I took off ahead of everyone else. I asked for a 10 minute head start so I could park and get set up. John and I got there and then we waited closer to 30 minutes. It seems one of the Firebirds would not start at Nicky's. It was a stick shift car, so the group pushed it to the back of the parking lot and then push started it. So that took awhile I am told. Note that where the gas pumps should be, they are EV charging stations now. Ugh. Did you notice something wrong with Black Beauty? Well one head light was popped up. Turns out I have electrical issues with BB now. The headlights come on but only the driver side lights pops up, passenger side stays down. I have no dash lights. I have no rear running lights. Turn signals and brake lights still work. I returned John to the hotel and started heading home. Unfortunately the sun had set by the time I was close to home. A cop pulled me over 5 miles from the garage mahal. He let me off with a warning because it was clear to him I was having electrical issues and he simply told me to get it fixed. Yes sir! BB sat in the garage for the next 2 days. I would only need her for the parade on Friday afternoon and from 7-3 on Saturday for the formal car show (I was enrolled in Popular Vote). So ended Day 2.
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This is going to be another multi-part posting, like Power Tour. So much went on. This is my second POCI convention in 20 years of membership. My first convention, in 2010 in Charleston WV, literally nearly killed me. That year the convention was held the week after the 4th of July. My wife, son, and I decided to make the convention a family vacation too. I was president of the Michigan Widetrackers at the time too. On the 4th of July, unbeknowst to me at the time, I suffered a diverticulitis colon burst and walked around another 3 days poisoning myself. I ended up with an emergency colostimy. I spent the next 22 days in ICU in a medically induced coma. My kidneys came close to shutting down in the process. I recovered but I spent the next 5 months recovering. So I am hoping this convention doesn't try to do that again. However, with everything I have committed to, I am not so sure. Monday - June 22 While working the registration help desk, I had the good pleasure to meet 31pontiac and his wife Karen. I can't say how thrilled I was to meet them both during the convention. My only regret is not getting a chance to say a proper goodbye at the end of the convention. From the host hotel, the Centerpoint Marriott. In the lobby is the last Pontiac (the G6) and a 1926 Pontiac. Essentially the alpha and the omegas of Pontiacs. Nothing significantly planned for the day to speak of. Registration opens up at 1 pm. Tech inspection and swap meet setups for early arrivals begin. There is a welcome party for early arrivals and convention volunteers at the Pontiac Transportation Museum. So here are the pictures from the PTM party. This cinder block ramp is new. It was installed literally within the last 2 weeks, since the last time I was at the PTM for a meeting about the parade. Desserts for the show. Merle refers to Merle Green, a legend in POCI. He has restored over 11 cars and he has been a huge contributor over the last 50 years to POCI. Eating dinner on the freshly minted PTM patio, out back. This one choked me up. The late Pontiac Historian, John Sawruk's GT-37. His widow, Marge, and his son's, Jeff and John Jr. were there too. This was new. The Can-Am prototype?! Cool beans! The original Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2 prototype that was given to Richard Petty and a production 2+2 next to each other. Similar to Buick selling Opel GTs, Pontiac dealers once sold Vauxhalls too. The only 4-passenger Fiero. Another new addition was this WWII GMC deuce and a half that was used a a maintenance support vehicle. A GMC Suburban pickup This is POCI business office manager, Paul Bergstrom, standing next to brick in front of the PTM. I helped Paul with registration for nearly three days. He is also the newsletter editor for the GMC Times, the newsletter for the GMC speciality chapter that I am president of. I figured I owed Paul big time! KITT The Pontiac Hall of Fame display. Last year it was in Pontiac Illinois. Fieros and the famous "Harry on the Hill" indian. Harry was a legendary highway figure near Asheville NC for decades. He was removed, restored, a third feather was added, and now here he stands proudly. The Widetracker's chapter bricks at the front of the PTM. End of Day 1 The last thing I had to do was airport duty. I was asked by POCI convention coordinator and former VP to pickup some Aussies from Detroit Metro airport. The airport is about 50 minutes away from Pontac and their flight didn't land until 10 pm. Ugh. Well, first thing that went wrong is the people I was getting were not Aussies. They were Kiwis. Wayne and Lisa Bates. They live in Kineith Tokoroa, about 40 minutes from Kiwi!!!! Wayne and Lisa own a '70 Trans Am, '70 GTO, a '61 Bonnie, and a '61 Ventura. I contacted Kiwi during the convention. Kiwi has seen their Ventura. They have a mutual friend. I sent something home with them to give to Kiwi, so they can meet face-to-face and raise a pint or two ol' sneaky Frosty. Kiwi - you are on the hook for showing us what I sent you. I have not told Kiwi what it is either and I am not going to say what it s here either. Kiwi will have to show us once he gets it.
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Well by now you all know what a disaster the Dust Off was for me and Black Beauty. She decide to blow the water pump as I pulled into the car show. Ugh. My frustration grew when I learned that our patron dealership doesn't work on "classic cars". Seriously? It's a small block Chevy? How is that difficult? I need this car working in a week for the POCI Convention. On Monday I found a place literally across the street that would look at and have it fixed by Friday. Good enough for me. I got some antifreeze and drove it across the street. They actually started working on it on Monday and it was fixed by Wedensday. Great. So here is the rest of the Dust Off for you to enjoy. This "Riveria" is actually a Pontiac Engineering study. It is marked as a 2+2, has a Poniac drivetrain and 8-lug wheels. I first saw this car 2 years ago at a show called the Troy Traffic Jam. Don't see many 77-78 Formulas these days. Indyman Joe and Dirty Girl were there!!!!! Justa and JustaG6 were off playing in Indy. Something about a grandson's wedding. I think he just wanted to give me his bad ju-ju....and it worked. Okay, this car is a first for me. While this is a Pontiac-Oakland-Buick-Olds-GMC show, this is a first cousin. I know REO stands for Ransom E. Olds, founder of Oldsmobile. REO is most famous for trucks, but for a short time, they built cars. This is a 1936 REO Flying Cloud. Very cool and different. A Canadian Parisienne with a Chevy Stovebolt straight six. This is different. Dmitri Toth - talking - as usual A Cadillac LaSalle! Wow! The hood of this Oldsmobile was neat because of the plexiglass windows in it. Joe and the Dirty Girl leaving the show! Thanks for coming Joe! We had 93 cars in total at the show. That's pretty much it....except for one more thing. The dealership employees moving Black Beauty at the end of the day to a parking place on the lot where I can leave it until I figured out what to do with her. Fin.
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Day 5 - Tulsa OK Raceway Park - Hell Day for me. I slept in knowing full well I had a 14+ hour drive home to get to the Widetracker's Dust Off the next day. Ugh. I was not looking forward to this. The venue opened at 11 am central time. So I made sure to be there around 10:15. There was already a line up! Great. Hurray! Violet with her badge of honor. She was awesome. Now let's get the hell out of Dodge (get it!?!?! Dodge?).....never mind. I hit the road but I allowed myself one last Route 66 stop on my way home. It was a 15 minues diversion so I set the GPS to Catoosa OK - home of the famous Blue Whale! This is an absolute icon on Route 66. I couldn't miss it. At one time this was some sort of kid's swimming/water slide. I assume for liability purposes and because of the tourism that it is no longer and it is just a tourist destination now. Still this was very cool. Time to hit the road for good now. Bye bye Route 66. Cows! Here is the exit for Uranus! A train heading north next to I-55 near Bloomington IL. Sunset in rural Illinois and I still have close to five more hours to go. Violet and I made it home at 3:30 a.m. eastern time. I would get 3 hours of sleep and then take pictures at the Widetracker's Dust Off and then go to my nephew's birthday party. Violet was great the whole trip. I averaged around 22 mpg and travelled over 2,700 miles in a week. End of Hot Rod Power Tour 2026.....for me. Fin.
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Day 4 - Second Half - Springfield MO to Tulsa OK (via Kansas) I was literally in Springfield for 30 minutes. Long enough to park, walk to the closest punch station (they set up several around the staduim because of parking lot sizes around the area), and get back on the road....back on Route 66. I just love restored old gas stations I am in Joplin! Another town mentioned in the Get Your Kicks on Route 66 song! Over my life I have been to Chicago (many times), St Louis (now), Joplin (now), Oklahoma City (back in the early 90s), Kingman and Barstow (on my honeymoon 20 years ago).. I just need Amarillo, Gallup, Flagstaff, Winoma, and San Bernardino. Joplin is near the state line with....... Did you know that there are only 13 miles of Route 66 in the state of Kansas. I drove them all! Welcome to Galena KS This is Gearhead Curios. A Route 66 tourist trap. I got my new Route 66 hat here. I am lead to believe that this gas station was part of the inspiration for the first Cars movie. Around the corner from the gas station is this..... This was interesting....justa up the road from the gas station was a burned out train engine, freight car, and caboose. Also some more abandoned stuff. I noticed this cool bridge that was just to the right - on a an old section of Route 66. As I passed by, I noticed that you could cross but only one-way, So I turned around and went across it. I had to make time since it was getting close to sunset. I needed to make time so I got on the expressway heading towards Tulsa. Yes, this part of Oklahoma is controlled by the Cherokee Indian Nation. So ends Day 4 - I made it to my hotel in Tulsa and crashed after nearly 9+ hours of driving from St. Louis.
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Day 4 - Springfield Missouri - the campus of Missouri State University (a.k.a. the Mo' Bears). Today would be my second longest day on the road, short of my return home. I was not spending the night near Springfield. I was driving all the way to Tulsa OK so I could sleep in a little before my 14+ hour cannonball drive back home after getting my long haul plaque. The plan was to drive from St Louis to Springfield and once I got my punch keeping going ahead of the rest of the Power Tour pack. As the end of the day, I found out I was not the only one to drive to Tulsa. At my hotel in Tulsa, there were several Power Tour folks there too. Leaving the Gateway Arch area and heading west..... However, I needed to make one short stop while in St. Louis. I needed to see the statue to one of the greatest guitar players of all time, who called St. Louis home....Mr. Chuck Berry. Out of St. Louis and back on Route 66. The Beacon has been a car wash since the late 50s according to my guide app. Another closed motel - being used as a...a.....a dump? Another old motel that is closed. This looks like it was once one of the famous Wigwam Hotels that were scattered across Route 66. However, there was no sign. Still it was cool to see. Part of the problem with driving Route 66 with Power Tour - traffic can back up bad in these small towns. So sometimes I decided to cut my losses and jump back on the expressway to get ahead this stuff. Some spectators waving at those of us on Power Tour. I saw this a lot in Missouri along side the road. It was great to see! The Missouri Hick? Seriously? Seriously. More roadside spectators. Nice....driving behind a hearse....on Power Tour. YYYYYYYEEEEESSSSSSS! If you have never been to a Buc-Ees, it is an experience. I have never seen so damn many fuel pumps in one place before. Back on the expressway (I-44) Thankfully I was headed west and the back up was eastbound. This was a miles long back up. I am glad I was not in it. Welcome to Buc-Ees of Springfield Missouri! Great restrooms. Cheap gas (since they literally sell a ton of it). I stocked up on beef jerky! Lunch was a massive chicken burrito to go! Finally arrived at the campus of Missouri State University to get my punch. I didn't stay for any of the midway/vendor stuff. I had more miles to cover that day. So ends the first half of day 4.
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ok !!! thats kinda cool dont go there ! i justa had a colin !!!!
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I really enjoyed those pics- tooling down Route 66 with you at the wheel now saves me having to do it. Uranus Fudge Factory? There's some joke material there!
