(apologies that some of the images were distorted due to the production process).
My wife and I look forward to January 1st and the Tour D’ Orange drive. What a nice way to start the New Year, except for the getting up really early part. Remembering last year’s long line for over-priced instant coffee we stopped at a Starbucks on the way. This year there were two gourmet food trucks and a live rock & roll band (which I thought was pretty good). I think everybody was having a good time enjoying the band and getting snacks from the catering trucks while waiting for the route maps to be handed out. Anna Johansson really planned ahead with the hand warmers she had tucked into her gloves. Definitely on my list of things to bring next near as it was rather chilly.
This is also a great time to walk around and see all the cars that showed up.
Once you look past all the newer Mustangs, Corvettes, and Dodges, and there are a LOT of them, you can see some great classic cars. That includes stock, custom, hot rods, and rat rods as well as a nice showing of British cars. Viewing the staging area alone is well worth the drive down to Costa Mesa.
About 9:00 the route maps are handed out and so off we go.
This year’s route (maybe the same as last year) is an easy drive down the coast on PCH, then heads inland through Trabuco Canyon and we end up at the Red Robin in Tustin for lunch with some of the club members. This was a fun, easy, top down drive, under 100 miles and 4 1⁄2 hours, and that’s door to door time and mileage. After a cool early morning, the day turned into a beautiful and typically warm and clear Southern California day. A pleasant drive home and then it was time to put my feet up and watch the Rose Parade that I recorded.
Club members attending: Steve Kirby, Jay Miller, Mike Biss and Anna Johansson, Tom Biss, Tony Trentacost, John Hummer and Alice Johnson, Dex Kaytis driving with his son- in-law, and his club member granddaughter Paige, driving her Ranchero, Gary Barmore, Jimmy Winn, and Chuck and Dawn Lakowski.