Valley Imports - Travel Memories 2004.12.27.28 0, __CT 0, __CTYPE_CHARSET_QUOTED 0, __CT_TEXT_PLAIN 0, __EUDORA_MSGID 0, __EUDORA_MUA 0, __HAS_MSGID 0, __HAS_X_MAILER 0, __MIME_VERSION 0, __SANE_MSGID 0'

As I was writing a note to Peter C today, I was reminded of a wintertime 
Sprite road trip. A Neenah, Wisconsin auto repair shop saved my bacon on 
that trip in December of 1973. My wife and I were taking the (almost due) 
North to South trip (US 41) from the shores of Lake Superior to Kankakee IL 
then on to Michigan and back to the Upper Peninsula.

Just before Neenah WI my Sprite began running poorly and by chance right 
there along the road was Valley Imports garage. I remember a few repair 
bays, a waiting room with a few chairs, a candy machine and a sports racer 
on display. They fixed the problem  (as a "walk in" I had to wait 4 hours) 
The intake manifold had worked loose so I was sucking air.

After sending the note to Peter I was looking through my desk for a spare 
key for the Sprite. What I found was the check I wrote to Valley Imports. 
The repair cost me $40.04 parts and labor.

A few years ago I was in Neenah and noticed that the two lane road is now a 
divided highway. Valley Imports is gone as far as I could tell.

Anyone know anything about Valley I? Any listers former employees? I wonder 
what $40.04 would translate to in today's dollars?

Also on that trip I had to swipe a tire from the junk pile at a tire shop 
in Michigan on Christmas day and then mount the tire with hand tools in the 
in-laws basement. The rest of the trip was OK although I could see the 
cords in the replacement tire when I got home. The trip was 1200 miles 
around Lake Michigan in the winter through Chicago in a Sprite. I'll never 
do that again!!!

Tim Collins
Dollar Bay MI
1966 AH Sprite