[Alfisto Steve]

ML and I started our westward sojourn towards my brother's house in Yuma, AZ. Our target date to get there is Jan 11 for a family reunion with my brother and my sisters and families.

Highlight of today was a visit with my friend John manager of Fiat/Alfa Studio in Greer, SC. We test drove a yellow Fiat 500L Trekking model when we went out to lunch with him. He has already sold both of the Alfa 4C they were alloted and has more orders in for next ones they get. John has set up a whole bunch of his Fiat and Italian model car collection and pictures of the many Fiat Freakouts we both have attended over the last 20 plus years.

We are staying the night in Suwanee, GA and will be having breakfast with vice prez of our family name association tomorrow and then heading to Vicksburg, MS to stay at a paddlewheel casino and resort on Ole Miss River.

We will be doing a 2-dayer in DFW with my bro in law and visiting Curt the 164L owner if AA doesn't have him off flying somewhere.

 

[jc96]

why 5:10??? drive safe gang ciao, jc

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Day 2 - 5:10 to Yuma

why 5:10??? drive safe gang ciao, jc

Eastern Standard Time, Jan 5, trip was to start at 10 a.m. and maybe ten days long. So any reason will do.

After leaving John in Greer, SC we made it to Suwanee, GA for our RON (Remain Over Night) at a Red Roof Inn. We were too tired to visit with my family association VP on Day 1.

So this morning we met him and his wife at a Cracker Barrel for breakfast before he had to go to work.

Sure was nice to have a EZPass this morning to use HOV lane to go through downtown ATL on I-85. Don't leave home with out!

As for Car sightings today of some interest, we passed by a Fiat Studio located off of I-459 on the southeast corner of Birmingham, AL and the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa County near Vance, Alabama on I-20.

We are now bunked in at Ameristar Casino Hotel in Vicksburg on the Ole Miss River.

No pictures taken today. Stay tuned.

 

[jc96]

i was going down that road as you left on the 5th but the 11th being the reunion is what had me thrown. Happy trails....chris

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Day 3 - 5:10 to Yuma

Day 3 Vicksburg, MS Shreveport LA and Dallas, TX

Central time zone now but we are still eastern zoned out folks so we were up little earlier than the folks in the Casino Bella's Cafe . However, the gambling appears to be a 24/7 event it seems and you can't take pix in gaming area.

We took shuttle bus from hotel to river boat casino where the cafe is located. Had a nice breakfast but did not give away any cash in the game room.

Our cook told us the old paddle wheeler boat had been brought up the river years many ago for the casino and they had to lay down the smoke stacks to get it under the dueling U-80/train and I-20 bridges. Both bridges are side by side. We saw long train going over old bridge but all cars and trucks now use only the I-20 bridge.

After a few Kodak moments of the Paddle Wheeler Ameristar Casino and dueling bridges we headed west.

We had lunch at Barksdale AFB in Shreveport and I took some pix of old aircraft displays which includes a RAF B2 Avro Vulcan and a MIG-21.

We finally arrived in Dallas just at the start of rush hour and in time for Happy Hour at a Tex-Mex eatery.

I called Curt while dining and we are getting together to kick tires on his 164 on Day 4.

After supper we checked in at my brother-in-laws just as he got home from work. After a nice visit off to sleepy time in the bedroom.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Day Four of our 5:10 trip to Yuma

Day Four of our 5:10 trip to Yuma

Pretty cold for Dallas this morning at 19 now up to 36. While ML bonded with her brother and sister in law, I took off to visit Alfa Romeo bud Curt in Flower Mound, TX. We went to Grapevine for lunch in Willhoites Saloon with an old automobile motif.

We had a great visit talking cars, planes and telling fairy tales and old sea stories about Once Upon a Time and this is No **it. tales of yore.

 

[AlfaTango1]

Wasn't 5:10 to Yuma a Russel Crow Western from about 5 years back?

 

[Del]

3:10 to Yuma.

Haven't seen it, but generally like Russell Crowe, esp in Master and Commander. Have read all 20 1/2 of the Aubrey novels. Wish they would make a sequel or more before that ship sinks since they still have everything from the movie. It's in San Diego at the Maritime Museum, slowly rotting away, according to the guys on board I chatted with. They don't quite know what to do with it. Love that boat, wish I had a chance to sail it.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Day 8 Spent with Blues in Training

Yep it was 3:10 to Yuma and he was the bad actor in it who let his guard win in the end so to speak.

That was mountain time so 5:10 fit me better.

We are having a great time with family reunion and sightseeing.

After seeing the Ferrari on the roll back truck, we went out to NAF El Centro to visit with the Blues Angels winter training team. I went to see how my old airframes shop set up has changed in 43 years. Bunch of sharp sailors in the shop. The wrenches in picture are hand made by the men in the shop from a sheet of 0.250" AL using no power tools. Each man made a different size and no man may touch another man's wrench unless he himself has made one. Each new member of the shop has to make one as part of "newbie" indoc process to become "crested" and allowed to wear the Blue Angel patch on his uniform. Back in my day we were on probation for 3 months before we were vested in the team but did not have the wrench project then.

 

[goats]

Steve you coming to San diego ? Come tip a pint with me!!!

 

[Alfissimo Int.]

He just visited me goats. But I'll be out in March and expect a beer with you!

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Day 9 Flagstaff by Sundown

Maybe next time Bob. We did however, as Jason said visit him today. ML she put his address in Tom Tom instead of Club Wyndham Resort. She told me to turn right and we ended up seeing his 164 so drove right into his driveway instead. He lives about 1/2 mile from Resort.

Had a nice short visit and took a couple snaps of his Alfa. to cold to do much tire kicking though.

Really nice digs here at Club Wyndham. We got have a house with kitchen, dining room, great room, bath, king suite and jacuzzi

We hit Route 66 and had dinner at Crown Railroad Cafe.

Up early with fireplace going. Wife sleeping but I am still on EST so 7:01 on east coast.

 

[SpiralArchitect]

The wrenches in picture are hand made by the men in the shop from a sheet of 0.250" AL using no power tools. Each man made a different size and no man may touch another man's wrench unless he himself has made one.

That sort of mechanics are a rarity these days. It reminds me of my late grandfather's garage. It was basically a courtyard he roofed over and it still had a packed dirt floor. As there were tools he couldn't source or afford, he built quite a few of them. Those were the times where mechanics even had their own forges.
One of the most curious things I remember he had was a sort of acetylene generator for a torch. I always wanted to see it work but it was too dangerous.

 

[goats]

Beautiful in Flagstaff with light snow on the ground and Jason's snow leopard waiting to pounce on unsuspecting beemer! Jason yes for sure, Steve sorry I missed you!

 

[brewtech]

awesome trip!

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Day 12 of our 5:10 trip to Yuma

awesome trip!

Day 12 http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/6000345-post5123.html

We spent last night at Kirkland AFB in Albuquerque, NM and saw Cadillac Ranch aka Stonehenge TX near/before Amarillo and a mini-VW slug bug ranch-Stonehenge after Amarillo in Conway, TX. We are now bunked in at Tinker AFB Inn in Okie city, OK.

Cadillac Ranch http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220

VW Slug Bug Ranch http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/6767

 

[Del]

How has the weather been?

The time we drove our 75 Alfetta sedan across from Seattle to DC in the winter, because of bad weather we had to take the southern route through LA to San Antonio and then New Orleans before heading up through Bama, staying in campgrounds (no money but future PostDoc work for my wife at Naval Research Labs), eastern Tenn and then up in Virginia to Manassas. Stayed in a campground there, where it snowed on us, until we got a motel the next day. Temps dropped to about 15F, freezing the doors in the Alfetta (known for that).