Road trip! VA to California, the long way West

[shipm_8]

Well, I did what I had to do in Northern Virginia, and now Jessie (spouse, consigliere and first officer/navigator), Tip Top (72tii) and I are heading back to California, the long way back.

We left DC on Saturday and headed north. Stopped by to see Bill and Ruth Williams, a visit that was quite a privilege after all he's done, wittingly and unwittingly, to educate me on all things '02, spent the night in Lancaster County, PA, are now in Newport RI, and will head up to Maine tomorrow to see some friends.

The rest of the trip is up in the air, but we are definitely going through Dayton OH next week (ETA TBD), Cedar Rapids, shooting up to Minnesota and then....I don't know. We'll figure it out.

William

[Mike Self]

getogether for the Shipm8s--they're heading for Dayton later this week...

William, keep us posted so we can plan...

cheers

mike

[shipm_8]

Mike,

Thanks. You are very kind.

We anticipate arriving in Dayton late on the 7th, and we'll probably leave on the 9th.

So, if you are free on Monday the 8th, we'd love to see you then at your convenience.

Best,

William

[KFunk]

In case you missed my last post, my old phone number isn't working right now and I'm using 740-856-9222 in case ya need me.

Kevin

[shipm_8]

Mike,

On a second thought, if easier to get together on a Sunday evening, all we have to do on Sunday is get ourselves from Buffalo NY to Dayton OH, and we could make an evening get together on Sunday the 7th. Thanks in advance for your hospitality. Jessie and I have been bragging about Ohio since we visited last July.

And bragging about Kevin too! The best Athens tour guide/ambassador. Thanks for the cell phone. We don't anticipate going through Athens this time since we are approaching from the Northeast, but you never know. Thanks again.

William

[Jim_75Sahara]

William & Jessie: I may not be able to see you all, I am working the night of the 7th, so if you hit Ohio on the early side that will help. If I don't link up w/you -- good luck with your travels! Jim

[shipm_8]

Thanks, Jim. We'll leave Niagara Falls/Buffalo early on Sunday, and it looks like an 8 hour drive. We'll leave it up to Mike to decide whether Sunday evening is a good time, or whether Monday anytime is good too for a visit. We'd love to see you all, but we don't want to be an inconvenience. We are staying in Dayton for two nights regardless.

Best,

William

[Jim_75Sahara]

Monday might work. Do whatever works out best for the most.

[johnnysquare]

Sorry I missed you this time through Dayton. I was glad to meet you and check out TipTop several weeks ago. I meant to ask, is it a 4 speed? If so, did you spend the trip wishing it wasn't?

johnnysquare (John in cincinnati.)

[johnnysquare]

Sorry I missed you this time through Dayton. I was glad to meet you and check out TipTop several weeks ago. I meant to ask, is it a 4 speed? If so, did you spend the trip wishing it wasn't?

johnnysquare (John in cincinnati.)

[KFunk]

Any updates on how things went in Dayton?

Ya missed out on the big excitement in Athens the other day, William. For three quarters, our little old hometown football team was actually beating the big bad Ohio State Buckeyes. Things got crazy for a bit, yes.

[shipm_8]

Kevin!

Jessie and I were bummed to miss you this time around, but we'll make sure we go through Athens next time. If you give me an email address, I will send you the pics we took last time. We had a lovely time with the '02 crowd the other night: great company, great cars, and great food.

William

[shipm_8]

Sorry to miss you too, John! The '02er get together was great fun. Tip Top is a 5-speed. Fast! And great mileage too....27.5mpg average on the eastbound trip in July. On this trip, I expect the same; got 30mpg the other day.

No mechanical problems during the trip other than a loose spark plug wire which prompted me to replace all wires one night while in Virginia, an oil leak at the rear of the cylinder head, and missing nuts on the exhaust manifold cylinder (Thanks to Mike McCarthy of Foreign Car Service for fixing those and for some preventative maintenance tips for my to-do list).

See you next time around,

William