Capulin Volcano and the Northwest Passage 2016, Part One (Post #564) 1/17/2017

Load Out

I really wanted to get out on the trail this fall and I felt like it was my turn to plan and lead a trip. I looked for a non-OU-Football weekend and found two one in September and one in November. The initial inspiration for the Capulin Volcano trip was seeing a similar trip in OutdoorX4 magazine. We had some interest in the trip from several people in the Oklahoma Land Rover Owners group but in the end only two of us made the commitment to the overland adventure.

Day One

Mr. Fisher and I got the Big White Bus loaded and started out on a pleasant Saturday morning and headed to our rendezvous with Erik O’Neal and his Discovery 2 in Okarche, Oklahoma. Continue reading “Capulin Volcano and the Northwest Passage 2016, Part One (Post #564) 1/17/2017”

Back to the Future (Post #502) 6/15/2014

Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there.

My son, Diet Mountain Drew, works at the OnCue on Flood in Norman. When he was leaving the other day a special treat rolled up.

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Yes, that is a replica Delorean outfitted like the famous auto from the Back to the Future franchise.

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An obvious crowd pleaser.
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Mr. Fusion
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Rich Corinthian Leather, its not really Corinthian.
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Fuel tank up front? Safety first.

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Diet Mountain Drew said the guy hung out and let people take pictures for almost an hour. That’s great. Sharing your toys with others.

I am a little surprised he stopped for petrol when he clearly has a Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor installed. Hmmmmm…..

Thanks for reading and Happy Time Travel.

SCARR – Day One (Post #477) 4/3/2014

The South Central Area Rover Rally was finally upon us. Leading in to it, I have had the worst two weeks professionally in my career. My wife has been my rock through it all and wanted me to get away for a trip. Mr. Fisher’s life recently has not been a cake walk either and Mrs. Fisher was also happy to see him out of the house doing something fun.

I’m going to stop here and thank both of them. You two are the best wives any two guys could possibly have. Your support to us is never-ending and we are very appreciative. Thank you.

wp-1395932045690Thursday started cold and blustery in Norman. Mr. Fisher and I organized our kit and got it loaded on to the Range Rover. It seemed like a lot of kit for a three-day event but we wanted to be comfortable. Even with all the kit we managed to forget several items: Continue reading “SCARR – Day One (Post #477) 4/3/2014”

An Old Classic on an Old Route (Post #451) 2/17/2014

nashI was up in Oklahoma City on Sunday. My friend Grant was trying out for the Oklahoma City Energy. I told him I’d come up and watch him play. He is a good soccer player and I believe he had a legitimate chance to make the final two squads from which 3 or 4 players would be invited to the team. Over 200 hundred young and some not so young men were suited up that weekend.

It was a ridiculously windy weekend with steady winds of 25 and gusts of 35 mph and higher. Simply put a very windy day. How they played soccer in that wind was beyond me.

After the matches were over I decided to take the “back way” home. South Oklahoma City is laid out in section lines, one mile sections. When I was a kid and worked in South Oklahoma City at the Braum’s at 89th and Pennsylvania I would drive the section lines to and from the store. After you drive the highway a few hundred times you get kinda tired of the same old route.

Meridian Avenue used to be the main north and south route before Highway 62 was built. It had businesses and even a road house near the river bridge.  Today the Southlake Soccer Complex is there and a few trucking businesses still call the area home. Farms and the airport complex are west of Meridian.

I got in the Range  Rover and as I pulled up to Meridian a Nash Metropolitan rolled by. I looked it up and it appeared to be a Series IV. I don’t see Nash Metropolitan’s very often. In my parent’s neighborhood growing up a neighbor on the next block had TWO of these sitting in the backyard of their home. I got in behind him and followed him. I over took him on 134th street and snapped the picture. He wasn’t in a hurry. He was having a true “Sunday drive”. He looked like he was enjoying it.

Winter has broken on the southern plains. I hope to see more and more classics as the weather warms up and people take to the roads.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

1969 Cord (Post #445) 2/7/2014

cord

I was eating at VZD’s on an unusually pretty day back in January when I spied what appeared to be a Cord pull up in front. The owner came in and I asked him if that was indeed a Cord. He said it was a 1969. Four hundred were made.

He told me about them being made in Oklahoma. I found this snippet along with a Youtube video.

These cars were made on an assembly line in Tulsa and later Mannford, Oklahoma for three years. It is a production of the original Cord inspired design but gone is the Lycoming V8 and front wheel drive..instead there is a 5.0 liter Ford power plant. A Chrysler 440 engine was also offered. The body is made of a fiberglass like material, apparently scaled down from the original dimensions of Cord. An earlier version by another company had a Corvair power plant and front wheel drive…it did not last in the marketplace…it was replaced by these Lear models.

I found a history of the Cord company and its principals on this site.

http://www.stutzbearcat.com/cordhistory.htm

According to Hagerty’s has an average value of 21,000$(US). The owner said it was a toy of his and he had only owned it six months.

I wanted to share this little piece of automotive history, history of Oklahoma, and a rare car with you. It’s an eclectic bunch that eats at VZDs in Oklahoma City and their cars reflect that.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

A Classic Next to a Classic (Post #394) 9/23/2013

A classic next to my Classic. I asked the fellow driving the rolling advertisement, “May I take a picture of your classic next to my classic.” He looked at me like I had just spit on his sister.

I repeated myself, “Can I take a picture of your car next to mine?” To this he responded in the affirmative. I snapped the picture and I said thanks, He climbed in and let him pull out before getting in mine and driving away.

I crossed 199,000 miles on my odometer the day I shot this.

Peter from New Mexico emailed me about some trouble with his steering box on his 1997 Disco. He has a leak and asked about replacing the offending pipe. I hope emails back with his results.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.