NW American tour - Fall 2006

[Yann Saunders, 12588]

Gita and I are planning for the Fall, a 1-2 month driving tour through the following central and NW states (approximately in the order shown): Tennessee, Kentucky, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky and back home to S. Carolina.  Thats a lotta miles to cover and were not even sure our 12-year-old Roadmaster wagon is up to it. But, heck, if it "dies" well just fly home!

We still dont have a final itinerary nor travel schedule but we will post it here, closer to our departure date (circa Sept. 11 - that should give us about a week to do laundry, pay bills and catch up on mail after we get back from our annual pilgrimage to Europe, in July and August).

We shall be traveling "light and cheap" (as Scots usually do!) using KOA facilities (where possible), the back of the wagon (if need be) and cheap motels (as an occasional "luxury"). If any of you with interesting Cadillacs are located on or near this route and can supply free beer, the use of a shower, a washer/dryer, that sort of stuff, well surely try to look you up.

And, when its all over, we should have collected a few stories and pics for the Self Starter!  All yall take care!

Man! Is it GREAT to be "retarred" or what?

[Sue 5125]

Yann,

We just spent the afternoon touring the Harold LeMay Collection near Tacoma/Pullayup Washington.  It was FABULOUS!!!  

We were given a guided tour of several buildings full of vast assortment of vintage cars - I think they said that there was approximately 450 cars at the Marymount Site with an additional 350 at the LeMay residence.  

The have a car show/open house/auction the last weekend of August each year and they open up the two locations for viewing.  

Harold LeMay amassed a collection of over 3,000 vehicles plus parts cars before he died in 1991. The LeMay family is planning a museum to be built near the Tacoma Dome - breaking ground in 2007 and hopefully to open in 2009.  They are looking for a couple more million $$ for needed funding if anyone has a couple extra $$ laying around.  

We shot almost 300 photos of our favorite vehicles - lots of Cadillacs, Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oakland, LaSalle, firetrucks, a Rickenbacker, Tucker, several Pierce, Packards - you name it.  There were four guests on our tour and we stretched a normal 2 hour tour to over 3 hours - Mike our guide/docent was very informative. I would highly recommend that you try to visit this museum.