Reno to Santa Clarita, California

US Sunday 1st July - 2018

Yesterday afternoon after departing the Reno, Lake Tahoe area and heading south for Los Angeles, I decided to give ‘Sheila’ a breather beside a stream in the Eldorado National Forest. 

Located in Eastern California, in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range, about 30-kilometers south of Lake Tahoe, we spent around 1-hour there listening to the water as it meandered over the rocks heading down stream to who knows where.

The forest ranges in elevation from 1,000 feet [300m] in the foothills to 10,000 feet [3,000m] above sea level along the Sierra crest. Snow pack in here in the Winter can get up to 15 feet high. 

These are the hidden camp grounds scattered all around the US National Parks, you pay maybe $20.00 to camp there for 24-hours, there are no facilities (other than a bush dunny) just a nice spot where you can park your rig & relax & let the world go by in the middle of no where. 

'Sheila' parked by a stream in the Eldoardo National Forest
which is located just South of Lake Tahoe.

Here, you pay by an honour system, (there is no National Park Rangers here to greet you) when you enter these park sites there is a collection booth with envelopes, on the envelope you write your camp site number & place the money inside the envelope then drop the envelope into a sealed container depending on how many nights you stay in the National Park, & it actually works fine. Brilliant !!!

Today, I decided to drive 300-miles to my friends residence in Santa Clarita, (approximately 50-miles north of Los Angeles).

When I arrived at Ron's house in Santa Clarita, at 2:30 pm they had not made it home from the National Model A Ford Rally in Sparks, Reno, Nevada, so I decided to have some lunch & then drive back to their place & leave them a note just to let them know I dropped by to say hello earlier.

But when I drove up to their house: SURPRISE !!! SURPRISE !!!

Ron Mosher is this gentleman’s name, he is the undisputed GURU of the Model A Ford mechanics here on the West Coast of California, & what I witnessed as I drove into his drive way I could not believe.

As you can see by the two photographs, they were unloading his beautiful 1931 Model A Ford Woody from the back of a tilt-tray tow truck. I sheepishly walked into his driveway to find out what had happened to his vehicle. 

This was definitely not a place for me to be, I could see how upset & pissed off he was, so I decided to say a quick hello, find out what had happened & then be on my merry way to check into a Motel for the evening until things had cooled down.

Ron Mosher's beautiful 1931 Model A Ford Woody being unloaded off a
tilt-tray after cooking the engine coming home from Reno

Apparently his engine run out of water & he cooked the engine approximately 150-miles from his place here in Santa Clarita., CA.

Now this is the same person that I stay with when I am here in L.A. He also looked after my ‘57 Chevy & 2 Model A Fords at his place before they were shipped to Australia, so l know him well.

He is the person that invited me to stay at his place & also invited ‘Sheila’ & myself to attend the Parade on the 4th of July.

Fast forward a few hours: My cell phone rang while I was resting in my Motel room, it was Ron’s wife Carol calling to apologise for what had happened earlier.

Ron's magnificent 1931 Model A Ford Woody being delivered
home after cooking the engine on the way home from Reno, Nevada

In the morning I will meet up with Ron & his mates for coffee & donuts, then I need to drive into Pomona to go to the So-Cal Speed shop because I need to buy some parts for my ‘57 Chevy. 

Then in the afternoon when I return to Santa Clarita they have asked me to stay at their place on Mon-Tue-Wed night, so that I can attend the 4th July Parade on Wednesday which he actually organises for the Model A Fords.

So now that the dust has settled & by the time I make it back to their place tomorrow afternoon all will be good, Carol also invited me for dinner tomorrow night.

Never a dull moment in the life of an International Model A Ford enthusiast. I have no idea what to expect at the upcoming 4th of July Parade on Wednesday, all I know is that it will be BIG for ‘Sheila’ and her loyal driver, can’t wait to find out.

At the moment I have planned to leave here here & head south towards San Diego first thing on Thursday morning.

To be continued.
Cheers
Warbo

So much going on in Reno

Wednesday 27th June - 2018

I have included a few more details of this meet, this information gives you an idea of how much activity is going on here in Reno for the week-long 2018 Model A Ford Club of America [MAFCA] National Convention & Rally.

The program of events lists all the happenings here this week
I've marked the events that I am interested in with a *

There is a enthusiast Kiwi couple that I have met previously on the other three National Model A Ford Rally’s that I attended. I have have invited along to join me on the ride for the Grand Tour on Thursday. 

As they do not have a Model A Ford here in the States as I do, they were going to complete  the Grand Tour in their modern rental car & when I offered them a ride in my 1931 Model A Ford 'Sheila' they were over the moon and jumped at the chance to join me.

On the left is the Grand Tour drive map
it skirts around the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe
I will make the drive and have invited my Kiwi friends to join me

I know where I am centered...

I have included the map & information of the Grand Tour on Thursday [above]. The other photo shows the week's activities & where I have marked them with an asterisk*, indicates the events that I will follow or participate in.

Warbo

Judgement Day - Reno

Tuesday 26th June - 2018

I am totally gob smacked with this 1931 Model A Ford Town Car Delivery as is every body else here at the National Model A Ford Rally. Earlier this morning I went along to witness the Judging of some of the vehicles.

It's hard to believe this car is 87-years old and only has 2 -miles on the Speedo.

You may ask why this vehicle can demand such a price on the open market WELL!!!  Here is only one reason why, & it is hard to believe what I am about to tell you. The Speedo has only 000,002 miles on the clock. That's right - just 2-miles.

I know that the Good Year tyres would not be the originals [below photo], however these tyres are exactly (the same replicas) of the original tyres, if you look closely at the top of the tyre, you will notice the rubber tits still protruding from the tread. 

Even the tyres are showing no signs of wear or use.

Not only that you will also notice the small yellow & blue flag that is on the exterior wall of the Good Year tyre, unless the tyres have that flag emblem, one would not consider owning this vehicle.

Vehicles coming under the close scrutiny of the event judges

 

The judges take things very seriously indeed

In the two photos [above] you can see the judges inspecting a couple of the other entrants, and believe me, they take it very seriously indeed. I would say that these vehicles would be in better condition than when they rolled off Henry Ford’s production line in Detroit, Michigan some 87-years ago.

Warbo

Reno, Nevada - Day 3

US Monday 25th June - 2018

This afternoon I have just witnessed a Model A Ford that is worth a staggering US$250,000.

Yes, this is a true story. The photograph of the gentleman with the Champion Spark Plugs Delivery Van, that has a hair cut identical to mine, was recently at the auction where this 1931 Model A Ford Town Car Delivery (black) was purchased by the lady driving it. [directly below].

One of only seven of its type left in the world
This ultra rare 1931 Model A Ford Town Car Delivery
recently sold at auction for $250,000.

This very rare vehicle [above] is one of only seven left of this type in the world. He started the bidding at US$100,000 & when the offers sky-rocketed up to US$250,000 he dropped out of the race.

He told me that he would gladly sell his entire fleet of Model A Fords to own this one vehicle, that is how much he wanted to own this very, very, sort after motor vehicle.

One of over five-hundred Model A Fords at this Convention

As I have mentioned previously there are over five-hundred Model A Fords in attendance here in Sparks, Reno, Nevada for this US National Rally.

With over 500 Model A Fords in attendance,there is
an incredible amount of variety, styles and body types here

The Nugget Resort Casino have given us exclusive use of the 4th & 5th floors of their huge car parking facility so that we can park all of our vehicles together in a safe environment as you can see by the very bottom photo of the car park.

This is the gentleman that was chasing the car in very top photo
he gave up when the auction bidding reached $250,000

As of tomorrow the vehicle Judging commences, it should be a great day for me to see some beautiful exhibits of Henry's Model A Fords.

At some stage of the day tomorrow I am going for a drive to Carson City with another one of my mates, he will drive his ‘31 Cabriolet & I will drive ‘Sheila’ should be a blast.

Delegate's Model A Fords fill the 4th and 5th floors of the 
Nugget Casino Resort's parking garage in Reno

That’s about all for now, because I am about to watch the ‘Donald’s’ speech from South Carolina on Fox. This is not false news reporting.

Cheers
Ken.

Reno, Nevada - Day 1

US Saturday 23rd June - 2018

After my journey up from Phoenix, Arizona, I arrived safely at the 29-story Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Reno, Nevada, and checked in & registered for the week-long 2018 Model A Ford Club of America [MAFCA] National Convention & Rally.

MAFCA - the Model A Ford Club of America

No rest for the wicked, by the time I settled into my room it was time to meet downstairs for the first of my activities starting at 1600.

My home for the next week and the venue for the 2018
 Model A Ford US National Rally: the Nugget Resort Casino
in Sparks, Reno, Nevada

First up for us was a bus trip over Mount Rose into the gorgeous Lake Tahoe. The coach departed the casino for the 30-minute drive to Lake Tahoe. At Zephyr Cove we boarded the MS Dixie II, a paddle-wheel steamer for a 3-hour dinner cruise on the crystal clear Lake Tahoe. 

Onboard the MS Dixie II cruising on the crystal clear 
calm waters of Lake Tahoe

I did not realise that the Lake is the largest alpine lake in North America and is situated at approximately 6,200 ft. altitude. There were 170 of us Model A Ford fraternity on board enjoying the breat taking scenery & taking the opportunity to get to know one another.

The Jeffery Pine lined shore of Lake Tahoe

I was up very early this morning, I have already had my breakfast looking forward to the day ahead, as I want to familiarise myself with everything.

This afternoon from 5:30-9:00 is the official Welcome Dinner to be held in the Nugget Casino Ballroom. There are 523 registrations for this event, & most are couples, so you are looking at well over 1,000 people & of course there are Model A Fords vehicles everywhere from all over America.

First day of the Convention and it a great chance to get to meet and
exchange stories from some of the other 523 enthusiastic delegates.

I am only one of three Australians in attendance at this US National meet, the other couple are friends of mine Arnold & Glenda from Chivers in Victoria.

There is no doubt about these Americans, they sure know how to organise an event like this, that is why I keep coming back. Today’s events include: Car Judging, swap meet, fashion show, Hubley Derby, Seminars for Model A Ford brakes, wiring & a Model A restorer's class, so there is always something to do.

Gotta go as there is so much to do, I can not waste any more time in my room writing these notes.

Cheers
Warbo

First Leg: Driving from Phoenix to Reno

US Thursday 21st June - 2018

Part I: Roadtrip from Phoenix, Arizona to Reno, Nevada

I departed the trailer park in Chandler, Phoenix at 0300 this morning to beat all the Phoenix peak-hour traffic. Peak-hour congestion starts to build from 0500 here in metropolitan Phoenix & with their 6-lane freeways - you can just imagine what the traffic is like trying to get out of the built-up areas.

I am now well on my way to my final destination; the Golden Nugget Casino in Reno, Nevada to prepare for the upcoming week's events at the National Model A Ford meet.

Sheila - stopping for a breather
87-miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada

Today was a HUGE driving day for me as I wanted to knock over the miles as quick as I could.

The total distance from Chandler in Arizona to Reno, Nevada is 785 miles (approx. 1,300 klms.) I had the pedal to the metal on ‘Sheila’ today driving for 12-hours & covering 654 miles (approx. 1,000 klms) leaving me only a short drive of 131 miles (approx. 200 klms) into Reno on Saturday morning, to take up residence at the Golden Nugget Casino for the next 7-days.

'Sheila' my Model A Ford resting on the verge of 
Highway 95 North between two iconic Joshua Trees.

I would say without a doubt that today’s road trip would have to be the most boring, desolate, arid, dry dessert highway that I have ever experienced.

Hwy 23 North from Phoenix in Arizona, then Hwy 95 North from Las Vegas is like the dark side of the moon, there is just nothing for hundreds of miles. 

Today's first Leg of my drive - approx 654 miles from
Chandler, Arizona to Hawthorne, Nevada

I was too scared to think about ‘Sheila’ possibly breaking down, what with the desolation & the 43ºC [110ºF] or more temperatures, heavens knows what would have happened.

As you can see by the photos how dry & isolated it is along the highways, however the Joshua Trees seem to thrive in this sort of climate. The road north from Las Vegas skirts along side the Death Valley National Park, the photo that shows ‘Sheila’ parked outside a store in Main Street, Goldfield, a town which is located in the middle of nowhere in the vast deserts of Nevada.

'Sheila' parked outside a quirky store on Main Street in
the remote desert town of Goldfield, Nevada
185-miles North of Las Vegas

Needless to say I was very relieved when I drove safely into Hawthorne this afternoon to check into my Holiday Lodge Motel. I have decided to stay here for 2-nights because my reservation at the Casino in Reno commences on Saturday. 

My accommodation for two-nights enroute to Reno, Nevada
at the Holiday Lodge Motel in Hawthorne, Nevada.

With only 131-miles remaining left for my drive into Reno, Nevada, I will check out of here on Saturday morning then drive the final leg into Reno so that I can check in there at 1400 on Saturday afternoon.

Rest assured that I definitely will not be taking the same route back to Phoenix in a week's time when I make my return journey back to Chandler.

No more news for now.

Cheers
Warbo

US Father's Day - Arizona

US Sunday 17th June - 2018

What you have to do here in this hot Arizona desert climate to get anything done is to wake up early & plan your day starting at 0530.  Because by the time 10 o’clock rolls around it is way too hot to work out side in the blazing sun. Temperatures will climb into the high thirties or the low forties Celsius.

This morning I replaced the battery in 'Sheila' so that she would not let me down on the upcoming road trip to Reno, Nevada - then I proceeded to give the old girl a wash.

My US 1931 Model A Ford 'Sheila' parked outside
No.93, my trailer home here in Chandler, Phoenix, Arizona

You may ask how my 1931 Model A Ford 4-door, slant window, Town Sedan got her name.

The gentleman that I purchased this vehicle from lives in Sedona, Arizona. 12-years ago he & another eight Model A Ford US enthusiasts shipped their cars to Australia & drove them over to Perth in W.A. to attend the Model A Ford National Rally. 

Ross took a fancy to the name 'Sheila' & decided that was what he would call his vehicle. Once the Australian Rally was over they then shipped their vehicles back home to America.

Sammy’s office on this amazing property where I live
where Sammy runs his Arizona Model A Ford business

Next week, I am the only one out of the Arizona Model A Ford Club that is driving their vehicle to Reno, the rest are all trailering them, they are all a bunch of pansies with no balls, & of course they think that I am totally off the planet. We’ll see about that down the track.

Sammy’s Dad is into tractors & here are a few 

of them in the paddock with the mules.

I am starting to feel a little better now that l have started my course of antibiotics
yesterday, so by the time Thursday rolls around I should be firing on all 8-cylinders once again.

I still have heaps to do before I hit the road, so I will finish off now.

Cheers 
Warbo.


The next 3 photos shows you just some of the animals roaming around the property, 

Arrival into Phoenix, Arizona

US Saturday 16th June - 2018

Phoenix, Arizona

Reporting live from my Trailer Park home here in Chandler, which is in southern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona, USA.

Phoenix is also known as the Valley of the Sun which in turn is part of the Salt River Valley. Phoenix has long hot summers. Its climate is typical of the Sonoran Desert which it sits on the edge of. Phoenix receives the most amount of sunshine then any major city on earth. Over 300 days of sunshine a year with scant rain.

Summer officially starts here in the US this week, but here in the Arizona desert
temps are already very high. On arrival I was greeted by 43ºC [109ºF]
This is my my outdoor thermometer.

As you can see in the photo [above] by the thermometer at the front door of my trailer it was almost 43ºC [110ºF] when I arrived two days ago from the UK via a brief stopover in New York enroute.

Once I let myself inside & turned the Air-Con on to cool the place down, as it has been 10-months since I last visited here, the next very important job is to check if there are any Scorpions taken up residence in my house. They can sneak in through cracks and crevices as thin as a credit card.

A visitor that find his way into my bathtub during my absence

As you can see by the photo [above] I did have an uninvited visitor that made his way into my bath tub. There a plenty of Scorpions here in the Arizona desert, every night I go looking for any visitors with my blue light torch. They are much easier to spot with the torch when it is dark. You have to make sure that they haven’t climbed into the bedding before you hit the sack.

Yesterday was the start of the monsoon season here in Arizona, & guess what, this morning when I looked outside it had actually been raining overnight. It has been 97 days since they last had any rain here in Chandler.

They also have chooks, goats, rabbits & Sammy the son runs his
Arizona Model A Ford Business from the same property

One of my friends dropped around to see me in his early Model Bronco for a cuppa. Dan is the guy with the Ford Tee shirt & Sam is the owner of the Park. In the photo with the 2 mules is the view that I have out the front window of my luxurious trailer. If you look closely at the back on the left hand side you can see my R.V.

Dan and Sam called by for a cuppa in an old model Ford Bronco

I have never told any one in Sydney that this place is Model A Ford Heaven, as you can see by the photo this line up is just a few of the Model A Fords that the Guthrie’s have scattered throughout their Trailer Park, there are something like 50-60 Model A Fords on this property. 

The US-based popular TV show; American Pickers want to shoot an episode here, however the owners are not interested and do not want to have a bar of it.

When I am here at the Trailer Park it is like living in the '20s-'30s, there is no where else like it in the world, I really love it here & the Guthrie family treat me as if I am one of their sons.

Model A Fords lined up on the Chandler property.
Arizona with its dry desert atmosphere - is a good rust free environment
for storing cars. The sun can be tough on interiors though.

To give you a better idea of this unique place I will take a few more shots & post them here on the blog for you. 

They also have chooks, goats, rabbits & Sammy the son runs his Arizona Model A Ford Business from the same property.

They also have chooks, goats, rabbits & Sammy the son, runs his
Arizona Model A Ford Business from the same property

Along the way in my last 3-weeks of travel, I have managed to pick up an Upper Respiratory tract infection, I was so crook this morning l decided to go to the Dr’s today for antibiotics, hopefully I will come good by the time I depart for my drive up to Reno, Nevada next Thursday.

Today is much cooler, temperature, around 24ºC [75ºF] with overcast skies that I very rarely see here in Arizona.

At the moment it is 1530 on Saturday afternoon, I will finish this off & enjoy a quiet evening watching the TV.

Cheers for now
Warbo.

Departing London Gatwick for JFK, New York

Thursday 14th June - 2018

Preparing to depart the UK for the US

After the One Day Cricket game today I headed for London Gatwick Airport to hole up in the Sofitel Hotel located on the Airport in preparation for my early 4:00am check-in for my 6:30am departure to JFK, New York on the low-cost, trans-Atlantic carrier, Norwegian.

My Norwegian B787 Dreamliner, Rego G-CKWD
with British Polar Explorer, Ernest Shackleton on the tail
Their VHF radio call-sign is  'Red Nose'
I have renamed Norwegian Airlines “The Flying Tampon”.

Here we are crossing the North Atlantic Ocean at 38,000 feet
The B787 flies at Mach 0.85 - that's the equivalent of 650mph
We had a total flight time of just 7-hours. 

My Norwegian B787 Dreamliner, Rego G-CKWD

with British Polar Explorer, Ernest Shackleton on the tail

Arrived here in New York a couple of hours ago, I am now sitting in the American Airlines departure lounge waiting for my flight AA 952 to Phoenix, Arizona departing here at 1330 local. I just checked, the temperature in Phoenix is currently 42ºC [108ºF]. That will be quite a marked difference from the mild temps I've experienced in the UK over the last two weeks.

It was definitely a different experience flying with this low-cost, long-haul airline. This is the first time I have flown on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, it is a very neat aircraft with larger windows, 30% bigger than any other aircraft and a more silent cabin and has 20% less omissions then similar aircraft.

Norwegian is the third-largest low cost carrier in Europe behind EasyJet and Ryan Air. They operate 15 x B787-900 Dreamliners.

The in-seat-back electronic menu onboard my Norwegian B787 Dreamliner

Let me tell you, you only get what you pay for on this discount Airline, definitely no frills. There's 309 seats in the Economy cabin with 8 Flight Attendants.

Hold luggage is 20 kilos - In-cabin bag 10 kilos - so needless to say they get you on excess luggage BIG time, plus you pay for every thing in-flight & they are very strict. You pay for food, drinks, headsets, blanket, coffee, tea, etc, etc. They don’t miss you. However, toilet paper is still free, unless they figure out a smart way to charge us for it.

My purchased in-flight meal onboard Norwegian

On final approach to New York's JFK Airport our flight
descends & tracks over Block Island Sound and Long Island at 6,000ft

Once settled in Phoenix, I am really looking forward to my time here in the States, my pace slows down for the next week or so, I should have plenty of time to kick back, and do what ever.

Cheers for now
Ken

One Day International Cricket at The Oval

Wednesday 13th June - 2018

One Day International Cricket at The Kia Oval

After my incredible Spitfire flight yesterday I have traveled up from Goodwood /Chichester Airport in the lovely rural setting of West Sussex up into London City to attend the One Day International Cricket match between Australia and England at the Kia Oval in Kennington, South London.

This morning I have traveled the 70 miles from Goodwood/Chichester
up into South London to the Kia Oval in Kennington

The Oval here has a long cricket history and has been the home of the Surrey County Cricket Club since 1845. The Ashes were first created here in 1882. And the great Sir Donald Bradman played his last ever innings here and memorably failed to make the four runs he required to retire from cricket with an average of 100 runs per innings.

At The Kia Oval in South London with the Member's Stand behind me

I take my seat as pre-match activities take place out on the center

My spot in the bleachers. I'm listening to former Australian Cricket
Captain Ricky Ponting's live commentary on the ear-piece.

Another coincidence, in the photograph [above] you can see the young guy sitting in front of me with the beer in his right hand, well, earlier I got a chat on with him because I could hear his Australian accent & asked him where he was from in Australia. His answer was; “you would not know where l live, I live in the Sutherland Shire at Menai". Well you could have knocked me over with a feather, trust me. He is now living here in London.

The game is under way. I have great views of all the action.
C'mon the Aussies!

This is the first outing for new look Australian Cricket Team after some big recent changes with a new coach, a new Captain and new attitude. Unfortunately my presence wasn't enough to spur the Aussies to victory against the arch enemies. 

Today is my last full day in the Old Dart. Tonight I'm headed for the Sofitel Hotel at London Gatwick Airport in preparation for my 6:30am departure to New York tomorrow morning on low-cost Trans-Atlantic airline, Norwegian Air at 6:30am. 

Warbo