DFLer's: we returned from our "Morgan jaunt" through MN, WI and into the
great state of Michigan. Our purpose was essentially twofold: to attend
the "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" Car Show at Hickory Corners and visit
relatives. We accomplished both.
Regarding the car itself, with this trip of about 2,500 miles, we have
now driven our Morgan in excess of 16,000 miles since the 22nd of
November, 1997. We have had it in 20 states and a couple of Canadian
provinces. I think we can safely say that these cars are not for
everyone, although absolutely everyone seems to fall in love with the
car at first glance, and they are not for every region in any season. I
would also say that having a Morgan west of the Mississippi is quite a
different experience from having one east of the Mississippi - just as
the Morgan is one sort of a car at 70 mph and quite a different sort of
a car at 90 mph. In terms of practicality, the vast majority of Morgans
(at least the Plus 8's) should reside out here so that their full
potential can be reached in other than short little spurts!
The Car Show attracted 300 British cars of quite a variety, but only one
other Morgan. I am not sure of the man's name, but he would seem to be
in his 90's, has owned his three-wheeled 1933 Sportabout for now 50
years - and he drove in onto the showgrounds. He even got out of it by
himself. This car seems to be quite well-known in that area of the
country, is in almost perfect condition and it won first place in it's
class - which was the same class our Morgan was in. The bottom line
here is: forget about competing against a three-wheeled Morgan!
We were pleased to see the great variety of British cars - but were
disappointed there were no other Morgans present. Those in charge told
me they were seriously considering featuring the Morgan marque next year
in an effort to get more there. They felt there were quite a number in
Michigan but that they seemed to be hard to stir into action!
One other highlight: we have always enjoyed driving HW #2 across the
U.P. of Michigan. We have now found a route across Wisconsin that is
the best so far - HW #70. A beautiful drive through the North Woods!
HW #31 on the western edge of Michigan is also nice, but everyone else
in the world thinks so too - at least in July.
That's it for now!
Arlo Levisen, Revillo, South Dakota '87 Plus 8
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