Hi all!
I am sorry I am late in posting this, but life has been VERY busy
between then and now!
I had a wonderful great vendor invite me and my boyfriend out to CA for
a day at the CA Speedway for NASCAR qualifying Friday (a week ago) and
then a plant tour on Saturday. It was GREAT! The first thing we saw
when we exited the airport and went through the parking garage to his
truck was a TR6 with a roll bar and a steering lock parked in the
parking garage! That boded well for the rest of the trip.
After arriving, we went to The Cheesecake Factory (YUM!) and met up with
Justin Wagner, a TR4 owner and creator of the wonderful TR2-4A silicon
valve cover gaskets, for dinner. What a great guy! Sadly, his TR has
been down awaiting a transmission, so he brought the s*****n w***n (not
supposed to say what he was forced to drive, hee hee). It was a
pleasure getting to spend some time with him -- he's a really neat guy.
By the time we were finished it was 2 am Dallas time, so we were pretty
zoned.
We then went to the hotel the printing plant put us up at -- the Beach
House in Manhattan Beach. Right on the beach and a great view. The
room had a fireplace with Duraflame logs and a kitchenette, and even had
a rubber duck by the whirlpool tub! Wonderful place.
The next morning we went to breakfast and then went to the track. Mead
Paper had invited us to their private box, which was in the infield
right next to the garages. The second-story box was air-conditioned,
catered, and had a great viewing area with a bay window with bar stools
and a counter around it. The third-floor part of the box had an outdoor
covered-viewing seating area and we were about 1/4 of the straight from
the start/finish line. We were also right over where the cars and
drivers were entering/exiting the pits/track area, so I popped right
down there and got driver autographs and handshakes. (John Andretti and
Mark Martin get the most congenial award (they signed and shook until I
thought their hands would fall off) and Rusty Wallace (sponsored by Mead
Paper) and Jeff Gordon get the least congenial, since they basically ran
through the area to get to their cars without signing for anyone.) We
were wowed by the enormous assemblage of 18-wheelers set up to sell
merchandise outside the grandstands -- lots of cool stuff. We had a
BLAST!
After that we headed back to Manhattan Beach and rented bikes for a ride
on the Strand (the 27-mile bike and pedestrian walk along the beach).
That was fun! Neat architecture on the beach, and lots and lots of dogs
being walked or roller-bladed.
Saturday we toured the printing plant and were amazed. It was HUGE!
They (Lithographix) do all of Chrysler's work, among many, many other
companies, and do an EXCELLENT job. (They print our catalog.) After
the tour we loaded up in the Explorer and drove through Rodeo Drive and
the surrounding area since I wanted to see it, and saw a model search
going on at Tommy Hilfigers -- imagine 40 anemic waifs with the same
bodies and different faces (mostly female but some males too) all
standing in line pouting. Funny!
Phil wanted to go to the Petersen Car Museum (people who put out
Hemmings) and we did. We parked just off Wilshire and walked around the
corner. As we turned the corner I was saying I hoped I'd see a Triumph
in the museum. Exactly as I said that, a beautiful red TR4 passed us on
Wilshire headed west. Unfortunately, no TR's in the museum, but they
did have an old MG, hiss hiss. I wasn't too impressed with the museum,
but they did have some cool cars. My favorite was one of the old tank
cars that was raced at Bonneville in the 50's or so, made out of the
fuel tank from a bomber. VERY neat.
Heading east back from the Rodeo Drive area on 110(?) we saw a shabby
brown 1500 Spitfire with a red hard top going west. Anyone on the
list?
Then Phil and I went shopping around the Fontana Beach area while my
vendor Mike had to run off to a company party. After the shopping we
went to a wonderful Italian restaurant (Sangria) at Fontana Beach and
met up with the absolutely ebullient and crazy Miss Laura G for dinner!
She is certainly as totally insane and fun and charming as she sounds on
the list. We had a great time with her at dinner, and then she gave me
a ride from the top of the parking garage to the hotel (a block away) in
Nigel! We set off car alarms all the way down the garage, what fun!
Nigel is a handsome baby, and too bad it was nighttime with fluorescent
garage lighting so I couldn't see his full effect. We whooped and
laughed and almost drove onto the Strand (a no-no) as she dropped me
off. (I am kinda glad we live half a continent apart -- I could see us
getting in LOTS of trouble together if we were any closer!) It was a
wonderful feeling to stand on the Strand with the sound of the surf in
my ears, the wind in my hair, and hear that incredible Spitfire exhaust
note as she and Nigel accelerated away, up the hill.
Then it was to bed and to the airport Sunday for a 6:30 (BLEAH!) flight
out so Phil could catch the autocross and try to get a couple runs in
when we returned. It was a great trip, and I really am glad to know I
can go somewhere and meet up with people who love Triumphs like I do,
thanks to this list. Ya'll ROCK!
Keep Triumphing,
Susan :)
PS -- If any of you are heading to Dallas anytime, let me know
(hopefully in advance) and maybe we can get together too. I have room
at the house for guests, and a willing Spitfire for meeting someone for
lunch or dinner in!
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