Baby Austins on the Mother Road

Five Baby Austins From the UK

Austin 7s on Route 66

This tour is being undertaken by a small group of enthusiasts from Great Britain.  They are driving 5 of the famous pre-war, 750 cc, 75” wheel base, Austin Seven ‘baby cars’.

The crews are all members of the, UK, 750 Motor Club – founded in 1939, mainly for such cars.

There is a ‘modern’ car in support.  The driver and her American domiciled daughter, who is co-driving one of the Austins, are doing the journey in memory of their late husband and father who had hoped to travel Route 66.

All the cars have travelled extensively in Europe in their Sevens and 3 of them completed a 3,500 mile journey from Buenos Aires, via the Andes, to Santiago, Chile and back in Feb 2005.

The cars date from 1929 to 1938 and are the type of car on which the ‘American Austin’ and ‘Bantam’ cars were based.  Jack Rittenhouse did the journey in a 1939 Bantam in 1946 and wrote about it in his book, “A Guide Book to Highway 66” - another inspiration for the trip – 60 years on.

The cars arrived in New York by sea and the crews by air on the 23rd of August. On the 27th of August they drive to Chicago, stopping off at Butler, where the American Austin and Bantams were made.

They start their epic 2,450 mile journey on the 2nd of September and plan to arrive in Los Angeles on the 21st.

The cars and their drivers will return to the UK the 28th of September.

The participants are as follows;
  Richard and Marlies Bishop from Exeter, Devon, in a 1938 sports.
  Ken and Eileen Cooke from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in a 1930 4 seater tourer.
  Vince Leek from Warminster, Wilts, and Diana Garside from Nth Carolina in a 1929 tourer.
  George and Joy Mooney from Bournemouth, Hants. in a 1934 Cambridge special.
  Stan Price from Carlisle and Chris Parkhurst from Aylesbury in a 1932 ‘box’ saloon.
  Veronica Garside, Wendy Hider from Swindon Wilts, and River Dukes from Nth      
  Carolina in a support car.

The Itinerary is as follows;
31st Aug to 2nd Sept.   Chicago Ill,          The Hampton Inn, Countryside.
3rd   September.          Springfield Ill.      Route 66 Hotel and Conf. Ctr.
4th   September.          Cuba                   Wagon Wheel Motel.
5th   Sept.                   Springfield Mo.    Best Western Rt. 66 Rail Haven.
6th & 7th Sept.            Claremore Ok.     Claremore Motor Inn.
8th   Sept.                   Oklahoma City.    The Carlye Motel.
9th   Sept.                   Shamrock Tx.      Irish Inn.
10th Sept.                   Tucumcari NM.     Blue Swallow Inn.
11th & 12th Sept.         Santa Fe NM        Santa Fe Motel and Inn.
13th Sept.                    Grants. NM.        Days Inn.
14th Sept.                    Holbrook  Az.      Wigwam  Motel.
15th &16th Sept.          Williams Az.        Route 66 Inn.
17th Sept.                    Kingman Az.       Hilltop Motel.
18th Sept.                    Las Vegas Nv.     Circus Circus.                            
19th Sept.                    Needles Ca.        River Valley Motor Lodge
20th Sept.                    Barstow Ca.        Route 66 Motel.
21st to 27th Sept.         Los Angeles.       Good Nite Inn, Calabasas.

Arrival in the USA

The cars arrived safely in Newark, NJ on Monday August 21 followed by their drivers on Wednesday August 23rd. Yesterday saw cars and drivers reunited and cleared of customs in just 6 hours! The cars were escourted to their hotel by a New Jersey taxi cab and were welcomed by many waving bystanders as they navigated the back streets of the big city.

The crews are currently enjoying an all day sight-seeing tour of New York City. Tonight, one more member of the crew, River Dukes, arrives from Charlotte, NC to join the Brits and to keep them out of too much trouble!

Itinerary

Click the following link for a detailed list of the planned itinerary. 

Download itinerary.xls

The Big Apple

August 26, 2006: After breaking the rules while going through the toll lanes in the Lincoln Tunnel, Vince and River brave the Big Apple to fulfill Vince's wish of driving down Broadway in his Chummy. With a carefully planned strategy of Vince driving through Times Square and River on the sidewalk ready to take his picture, the two promptly lose each other. This resulted in Vince driving round the block, searching for his navigator and photographer, and River jaywalking while shouting Vince's name and running after the Chummy before losing sight of him again. On the third go around the two are finally reunited and mission accomplished.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank everyone who has made this trip possible. In particular, I would like to recognise Vince Leek for all his hard work as the principle organizer and for realizing my dream of making the trip a reality. Vince coordinated the crews, by first getting their interest, and then arranged all the shipping, insurance, and much more behind-the-scene 'stuff'. Ken Cooke, who has done a wonderful job of researching the project, contacting interested parties, handling the hospitality we received, and for promoting the trip. My ever-loving Mum, Veronica Garside, who drew-up the itinerary and performed much of the hotel reaserch. River Dukes, my wonderful boyfriend, who has supported me all the way and who agreed to carry my torch for the Newark to Chicago leg of the trip. River has done a brilliant job of taking care of the crews. In addition, I would like to thank my friend Jeff Miller who set up this website for us so we can record this epic journey.

Love,
Diana

Pennsylvania or Bust!

August 27, 2006: Setting out in the rain, the small convoy eventually left New Jersey (I say eventually since the lead navigator, whose name begins with River and ends with Dukes, made his one allowable mistake and almost took the party back to the hotel), bound for Lewisburg, PA.  The trip took the group through a mixture of industrial areas and small mining towns. The sound of Austin 7 engines in first gear could be heard as they, some at 8 mph, made it up the steep hills. The rain and mist persisted, which was not as bad as it sounds because at least the 750 cc engines didn’t overheat.
After approximately 200 miles the little party found themselves at their next night’s stop in Lewisburg where they were greeted by a group of well-wishers. Among the welcoming party was 90-year old George Domer, the Austin Bantam Society’s historian who had traveled from Buffalo, NY for the event. Chuck Koons, a reporter from The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA says "George is quite an extraordinary man.  We believe him to be the last surviving American Bantam owner to actually have driven to the factory to pick his automobile.  His recollections are amazing, and his wealth of knowledge is truly encyclopedic".
Along the way, standing in the rain, a member of the  Antique Automobile Club of America handed out plaques to the crews, an extremely nice gesture. A little carburetor trouble with Stan’s 1932 Box Saloon was soon corrected on the side of the road and all is well.

The Butler Eagle

This article appeared in the 'Butler Eagle' on August 14, 2006. The story will be continued in future editions...

Download butler_eagle_august_14_2006.pdf Download butler_eagle_august_14_p5.pdf

Spares Carried

Check out the list of spares these guys are carrying. You name it - they'll fix it!

Download kens_spares.doc

Download stans_spare_parts.doc

Bon Voyage Messages

Thank you to everyone who sent their greetings. Here are a few of the comments that will keeep us going.

Download bon_voyage_messagges.doc

Lost Comments

For those of you who posted comments under the 'Itinerary' post last week - I lost them! I made an unrecoverable error during one of my edits of the website and lost your valuable comments. If you would like to repost them, I would be very happy as that is the only way we can all read your heart-felt and welcome sentiments.

Thank you.
Diana

I guess I have already made my one mistake for the trip!

Radio Broadcast

Catch an interview with the adventurers and Stephanie Abrams on Stephanie's travel show at 8:30 pm EST on September 17, 2006. Stephanie Abrams is the host of "Travel with Stephanie Abrams!" and is broadcast on the Business Talk Radio Network.

www.sabrams.com

More Butler Eagle

Front page news of the Butler Eagle - August 29, 2006.

Download butler_austin.pdf

Butler, Pennsylvania

August 28, 2006 and the group leaves Lewisburg for Butler, home of the Austin Bantam. The group drove through Amish Country where they were able to see some of the local culture. The cars were met half way by Bob Brandon (Austin Bantam Society Vice President) and his crew in a '69 Buick Cutlass convertible. Once at Butler, the Austin 7 visitors were given the red carpet treatment and were shown the old Austin Bantam factory where the American version of the Austin 7 was produced in the 1930s. This is also where the Jeep was first maufactured (www.butlercountyhistoricalsociety-pa.org/).

Today, August 29, 2006, saw a visit to the Butler County Heritage and Industrial Museum in which British Austins, and their American counterparts, the Bantams are on display. This evening, the British Visitors' cars were on display for the public to view and Bob Brandon kindly hosted a party to mark a successful visit.

The Daily Item

Another great article written in our honour for the newspaer in Sunbury, PA.

Download california_bound.pdf

The Fab Five

Excellent coverage of events of August 29, 2006 in Butler, PA.

Download butler_eagle_online_newspaper.pdf

Ohio

August 30, 2006: Escorted by Bob Brandon, the Baby Austin convoy left Butler, PA bound for Napoleon, OH. Approximately 230 miles into the day, the group was in desperate need of a 'cuppa tea'. Unfortunately, only coffee ws available - yikes! Just when all seemed lost, River whipped out his handy-dandy camping stove to boil water for the teapot and all was well again!

Finally, after a total of 275 miles (that's a long way to go in cars built up to 77 years ago!), the party arrived at their stated destination, weary but elated. Vince's little Chummy suffered a puncture but with a new inner tuble inserted, the tyre was once again fat and happy.

Amazingly, several complete nutters (I say this is an endearing and appreciative way), who had themselves gone to great lengths to be in Napoleon, met the travellers at their hotel. These people had driven, towed, and done whatever was necessary in the spirit of motoring, to join the throng with their own Bantams.

New Mexico Tourism Department

This from the New Mexico Tourism Department:

http://www.ballantinesbiz.com/newmexico/NM_Austin7s_081506.html

Chicago, IL

August 31, 2006: Another mammoth day of driving and the cars are all safely in Chicago, IL. Crews were seen to kiss the ground upon arrival, fighting colds and fatigue.

River and Chris went to pick-up Veronica Garside's chariot (a.k.a. a Hertz rental car and our support car) in preperation for her arrival tomorrow. Wendy Hilder (Veronica's friend) and Diana also arrive tomorrow and the entire group will prepare for the Mother Road.

The local support along the way has been fantastic and very much appreciated. Thank you all!

A stiff drink (purely medicinal you understand), happy reflections on what has been a brilliant trip so far, and off to bed.

The Road Begins, Chicago

September 1, 2006: A day of rest and some sightseeing in Downtown Chicago. Veronica, Wendy, and Diana all arrived safely and were chauffeured by River to their hotels.

September 2, 2006: A nice jaunt into the City this morning, kindly guided by John, Kathy, and Nicky Miller of the Illinois Route 66 association. The group was met by David Clark, a highway historian, who gave us an excellent walking guided tour of the City of Chicago and the history behind the origins of Route 66 (http://www.windycityroadwarrior.com).

Having located the official beginning of Route 66 on the corner of Michigan and Jackson, the five Baby Austins began Route 66.

Leaving Chicago

September 3, 2006: Leaving Chicago behind, the intrepid five set off in a westerly direction in the ‘capable’ navigation hands of Diana. After 8 miles and two mistakes, she was finally able to follow the map and get everyone to Wilmington, IL, home of the Gemini Giant (an advertising icon and cousin of the three famous “Illinois 66 Giants”). Met by the Weiss’s, members of the Route 66 Association of Illinois, the car park quickly looked like a classic car show with locals bringing out their own cars to join in the spirit. Jan and Dean Keeley escorted the convoy in their Chevrolet Bel Air for several miles to highlight some local sights, including the Polka Dot Drive In where the crews were much amused by life-size models of American icons including Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean. A visit to the Gardener Jail was followed by a pit stop at The Odell Standard Oil Company. Onto Pontiac, IL where the cars made a cameo appearance at the Pontiac Threshers Parade. The City of Pontiac and another contingent of the Route 66 Association of IL graciously hosted the group and provided an excellent lunch – fantastic. With 100 more miles to go, the group, bellies full, continued along the famous road. Just as teatime approached, Ken conveniently lost his linkage to the throttle enabling the water to be boiled for a cuppa and a round of biscuits on the side of the road in Towanda. Stopping only for some maple sirup at Funks Grove, the cars made it to Springfield, IL, arriving after dark, for a night at the Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center. The night was capped-off with a ride on a Harley Davidson for Vince and Diana.

Every Long Car Tour Needs a Leek

by: Bob Brandon

Trust is a prime ingredient in making plans to drive your antique car over 3000 miles in a foreign country. The A7 tour across the USA in September 2006 had sections with no modern support vehicle and no trailer to load a broken car. Trust in a car is the reflection of confidence in a person ... enter Vince Leek from Warminster, England. He's a man who understands what it takes to make a machine repeat a cycle of events millions and millions of times without failure. A machine with most parts over 75 years old creates an even greater challenge. Tours are not a controlled environment. They present brutal changes in temperature, speed, humidity, vibration and operator habits.
Let's talk to the man who knows Austin engines, keeps them running, and mentors so the information lives on.
Interview conducted August 24, 2006 - Napanee, Indiana
770 miles into the A7 Tour of the Mother Road - Route 66
Vince Leek - Master Mechanic of the A7 Tours
BB: Vince, I need to interview you for the ABS newsletter, Rooster Tails.
VL: About what?
BB: How you keep these cars running so good.
VL: Those are secrets. (laugh) Okay ... let's go.
BB: Let's say someone decides to join a tour at the last minute, and you have only one afternoon to check out the car for the owner. What do you put at the top of the list for reliability?
VL: Oh, tuff question. First, I'd make sure all the body work is secure and Loktite anything that might come unfastened. (English side curtains and hood [top] have lots of small bolts and screws) I would then check the vehicles wiring and make sure all those connections are secure. Next, a check of the distributor, coil, carb and dynamo [generator]. I have a list of spares to carry, it would be necessary to neatly package and label these for storage in the car.
BB: Would you drop the oil pan to look at the engine from the underside?
VL: No, if everything has been good inside the engine .... my policy is to not disturb.
BB: How much oil pressure do you want to see in your A7's while running hot?
VL: I run 15 pounds, but that's too much. My pump, the same style that's in the American Austin, has been bored out a 1/16th of an inch to grab more oil. Five to 10 pounds of pressure is good.
BB: Will you do an oil change in the engines before you reach California?
VL: (Chuckle) We are topping up the sump every day. That's new oil and that's our change.
BB: How's your steering?
VL: Not very good .... right now there is too much play.
BB: Can that be adjusted like on the American Austin?
VL: Yes, but I do not plan to do it during this tour .... even though the cross winds like we have today are difficult.
BB: Are you all running four speed transmissions?
VL: The three stock A7's are 3 speed, but Richard and George have 4 speeds in their specials.
BB: Someone said you modified your three speed.
VL: Yes, I made a new 2nd gear that puts it a little closer to third gear. I'm sure you have started out in your car on a grade ..... you wind it out in second, shift to third and the engine loads down. Too much separation in gearing.
BB: Nice idea. I hear some of your cars here are running 12 volts systems.
VL: Yes, Mine and the two specials are 12 volts. Ken's Chummy and Stan's closed car are 6 volts.
BB: What about your drive line from transmission to rear end. Any mods there?
VL: Three of the five cars have had the fabric coupler (thermoid) removed between the transmission and the drive shaft. We use a Spicer universal in it's place.
BB: Everyone seems to be getting great gas mileage.
VL: Yes, 30 as a low and 45 miles per gallon as a high.
BB: Some of the cars have extra fuel capacity either in a special larger tank or side tanks?
VL: Yes, that is correct.
FRIENDS TOURING WITH VINCE: Ask him about his snoring!
(Laugh)
BB: Okay .... a couple of questions about crankshafts. All five cars have new cranks made of a modern alloy?
VL: Four do, Ken Cooke's Chummy is still original. These new ones cost almost $1,000 American dollars, but are made of a good, hardened alloy. The hardness goes about .020 inch into the surface. I believe the material is called EN40B. After looking at a spare American crank you showed me in Butler. I think the two models are interchangeable - American and English.
BB: You took the crank I had, suspended it from the end, tapped it to make it ring ..... and said, "this is a good one." Is that a good way to replace the magnafluxing procedure to look for cracks?
VL: It's a good first test. Be sure the crank is clean, remove the flywheel nut .... suspend the crank from a string and give it a tap.
BB: How do you conduct a better check?
VL: I use a dye kit where you spray the crank with a red chemical which is good at making its way into any cracks. The dye is rinsed away with a solvent. Step three is to spray the crank with a developer which pulls the dye from any cranks ..... making them very easy to spot. Same procedure with connecting rods.
BB: Oh, you have seen cracked rods too?
VL: Yes, they tend to crank right below the quarter inch bolt that pinches the wrist pin at the top of the rod. That little slice in the rod the bolt pulls together will sometimes continue as a crack down the center of the rod. Something important to check.
BB: Vince, you've given us good information ... and, please sent us your list of spares to carry on a tour like this.
VL: I have your e-mail and we'll send it for a future Rooster Tail.

BILL SPEAR - You have Vince's picture sitting with River Duke - Vince behind the wheel of his Chummy. This photo can be used with this interview. Thanks Bob

Show Me State, MO

September 4, 2006: Gill and Bob, in a British-made TR6, kindly came to the hotel this morning to escort the group out of Springfield, IL (strange how we keep getting escourted out of towns). The majority of the road that was travelled today was the road that was in commission between 1926 and 1930. It took the little cars and their tenacious crews winding between cornfields and over railway tracks. The grass-filled cracks in the road were sure to shake a few nuts and bolts loose. One section of this older part of Route 66 was metalled in individually laid, red bricks.

Around lunch time, Scotty's Diner appeared where the crews were able to get a side dish of nostalgia to go with the burgers and fries. Shortly after lunch, Route 66 led the convoy up to the old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River and marks the border between Illinois and Missouri. Unfortunatley, this part of the old road has been de-commisioned to vehicular traffic although it would have been easily passable to the Baby Austins and tempting to break the rules again! While Vince and River walked over the bridge to Missouri, Stan was busy trouble-shooting his dynamo problems. Not successful, Stan is getting his daily exercise by having to start his Box by cranking the starting handle. Now, in a race against daylight since Stan has no elctrical power for headlights, the cars forged on to cover the 85 miles necessary to reach Cuba, MO before sundown. Passing the Meramac Caverns, Jesse James' hideout, the group reached the Wagon Wheel Motel, just as the sun hit the horizon. The 'quaint' rooms at the Wagon Wheel sparked much excitement among the group.

Fran Eickhoff, of the Route 66 Association of Missouri, was there to greet the weary and joined the group for dinner where she very kindly gave each guest Missouri Route 66 memorabelia for their scrapbooks.

LA Daily News

A short blurb in the LA News:

Download la_daily_news.pdf

Show Me More

September 5, 2006: Before leaving Cuba, MO, the Austins lined-up against one of Cuba's famous murals for local reporters and a photo-op. With Fran in their rear-view mirrors, off they went headed for Springfield, MO. Stopping only for a red-carpet breakfast at Rolla and an 'atmospheric' lunch at a cafe in Lebanon, where local reporters were given an unexpected scoop, the five (plus support car) arrived to a grand welcome by the Best Western in Springfield. The president of the Missouri Route 66 Association also came to meet the crews - what wonderful support!

A relaxing dip in the hot tub was much appreciated by the Austin 7 drivers and navigators.

The Lebanon Daily Record

This article in the Lebanon Daily Record:

Download the_lebanon_daily_record.pdf

Raleigh-Durham News

Raleigh-Durham, NC News and Observer

Download raleighdurham_news.pdf

...and into Oklahoma

September 6, 2006: Goodbye Springfield, MO. The Mother road led her five babies through the last of the Missouri countryside but before leaving, the group was met by Ron Hart, of the Route 66 TV Online (see related information), to the sound of “Rule Britannia”, in Carthage, MO. Ron assumed the role of an excellent host and escort and provided each car with a handout of points-of-interest along the journey from Carthage, MO to Baxter Springs, KS. These included the recently restored Route 66 Drive-In Theater, the old mining towns of Carterville, Webb City, Joplin, and Galena, which were all full of nostalgic and picturesque ice cream parlors, motels, store fronts, Victorian homes, and gas (petrol) stations. Galena, KS is the town that inspired the “Town of Radiator Springs” in the movie “Cars” and is also home to the old gas station and tow truck that inspired the “Tow Mater” character (a must see film).

Some of the oldest and most original parts of Route 66 exist in Kansas, through which Route 66 travels for only 13 miles before it enters Oklahoma. Lunch was provided by the famous Eisler Bros. Old Riverton Store, an old time grocery store at Riverton, KS, that still has its original tin ceiling and thick wood-walled cooler. The store has been going since 1925 and the crews were able to enjoy the marvelous ambience while eating the sandwiches, picnic style, outside the old store. River broke out the watermelon that had been traveling with the group since Illinois, which added to the stickiness of the sweat and sun block already coating the crews (I am sure they wouldn’t have it any other way!). Scott, the manager of Eisler Bros., serenaded the travellers with his own rendition of “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” before they left Kansas and headed into Oklahoma.

The quaint towns continued into Oklahoma and the convoy was able to stop in Commerce, OK, hometown of legendary baseball player Mickey Mantle and sight of a notorious police shooting by gangsters, Bonnie and Clyde. A most wonderful pre-1937 section of Route 66 is still in existence through Miami, OK and the original, single-track 1920s metal (road surface) is still drive-able and was, indeed, driven by the Austin 7 group.

River had his baseball cap ‘validated’ when it flew off his head and was run over by an 18-wheeler while entering the town of Vinita, OK where afternoon tea was consumed. Forty miles later, the little band reached Claremore, OK for the night where they were met by Robert Paige, dubbed by this group as a Route 66 guru. Robert helped immensely during the planning stages of this trip by sharing information about Route 66 and he will be joining the motoring nutters for a few days of driving America’s Main Street.

An unexpected treat was a visit by Ron Jones (the Tattoo Man), who spent the evening displaying his numerous tattoos of well-known Route 66 icons to the group.

September 7, 2006: A day of rest. Crews spent time shopping in WalMart and seeing the sights of Claremore, including the Will Rogers Memorial and Museum. This evening, members of the Tulsa Region Early Ford V-8 Club came to the hotel with some of their old cars ranging from the 1930s to the 1950s. The groups enjoyed each other's cars and company and the evening ended with a pizza party outside the motel.

The Day in Oklahoma

September 8, 2006: Shortly after setting off for a days drive through Oklahoma, the group stopped at Catoosa, OK, to play on the Blue Whale, the concrete star of a former swimming hole. A few navigational faux pas later, the convoy made it through Tulsa and enjoyed the old road, which wove in and out of railway tracks and beautiful back roads. Every so often a small town would emerge with lovely old storefronts such as the one at Depew, OK. A root beer, or two, were consumed at Rock Café in Stroud, OK, whose neon sign was the inspiration for the café in the movie “Cars”. Darting off the mail drag, the little party decided to drive along the Ozark Trail, a 1923-30 part of the road, where those behind the lead car actually ate dust! A rare 1930 Phillips 66 petrol station was seen in Chandler OK, followed by a restored 1898 Round Barn in Arcadia. OK. Final destination for the night – Oklahoma City.

...And you Thought Texas was Big!

September 9, 2006: Once again the gang was escorted out of town, this time by a very nice couple who had also met the convoy at the motel when they arrived the night before. West of Oklahoma City, the landscape changed into wide open, flat fields with red soil, and very straight roads that joined the quaint western towns. Just outside Weatherford, OK, five Baby Austins and their support car passed by the closed-down original Lucille’s Diner only to find the newly opened version just down the road. How convenient – time for elevensies. Manager Bill was elated to see the convoy and rolled out the red carpet and the happy troupe continued on their way to Clinton, OK where they spent time in the Route 66 museum – a great display of the history of America’s Main Street.

Route 66 became a baron old road, once again with grass growing in its many cracks. A milkshake and several ghost towns later, Oklahoma was finally in the rear-view mirror and the rubber met the Texas road. It was almost sundown when the group arrived at their destination for the night at Shamrock, TX.

Texas to New Mexico

September 10, 2006: Continuing through Texas, Route 66 was lined with more abandoned and forgotten garages, shops, and motels, all still with their distinctive neon signs and retro architecture. It seems very sad and is a reminder of the old boomtown days and the American Dream.

Route 66 lost its road surface at Jericho (it was never actually paved) where there now stands just a derelict house or two. The guidebook didn’t recommend this section, which consists of a dirt track running in between fields. It warned of mud baths in rain and ruts and dust when dry. What a challenge! Five Baby Austins and their trusty support car navigated the Jericho Gap, straddling previously made mud ruts and the grass growing down the middle of the ‘road’. During Route 66’s heyday, farmers made lots of money pulling distressed cars out of the mud along this section.

Well, that all deserved a cup of tea, didn’t it, so River, at everyone’s request got his little stove out and Earl Grey it was. Lunch at Amarillo’s “Big Texan” steakhouse, home of the free 72oz steak if you can eat it within 1 hour, and onwards for another 120 miles.

On the outskirts of Amarillo stands Cadillac Ranch, consisting of 10 luxury Cadillacs planted nose down in the soil. After spreading some suitable graffiti on the cars (the Cadillacs not the Austins), the cars pushed on to Adrian, TX, which is midpoint between Chicago and L.A. Fran, from the Midpoint Café, opened especially to serve cherry pie and coffee.

The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM, displays some of the best neon along Route 66 and is home for the night. Proprietor, Bill, served tea and garaged the Baby cars too.

To Santa Fe

September 11, 2006: Waving good bye to Bill at the Blue swallow and leaving Tucumcari, the group began their day travelling through the vast plains of the New Mexico landsacpe. A brisk dip in the Blue Hole at Santa Rosa proved to all that River is a true nutter. The water was a deep blue and very, very cold. Not only did River dive in once but because everyone wanted to get an action shot, he did it twice more due to some people missing the shot the first two times!

During the 7000 ft. climb above sea level to Santa Fe, the little caravan of cars took shelter at a petrol station when the heavens opened to a hail storm. The skies were black and had been lit up with some magnificent lightning streaks for a while. Eventually, with the tops on the cars up, the cars ventured back out, driving through what looked like a snow scene in mid winter. Only the warm winds gave away the true season. The flat plains turned to gorgeus green hills scattered with mountain flowers and the odd abobe-style building. The little cars, with their engines screaming in first gear, pulled into Santa Fe under blue skies and sunshine and settled into their hotel for the evening.

September 12, 2006: A welcome rest day and a chance to catch a breath. The team of travellers took a bus tour of Santa Fe and enjoyed the local atmosphere.

Message From The Cookes

Ken and Eileen would like to apologize to all their family and friends for not - so far- having sent any postcards.

"Our days have been so full that we have not had the time, or energy, to write them out! Thank you for your kind messages and be assured we are having a really great time. See you soon.

Ken and Eileen, Mum and Dad, Nan and Grandad."

Cuba News

This article appeared in the Cuba Free Press after passing through Cuba, MO.

Download britishinvadecuba_cuba_free_press.doc

Local Santa Fe News

This piece in the local Santa Fe news in "The New Mexican".

Download ridin_route_66.pdf

Route 66 Pulse

Route 66 Pulse - Online Newspaper article.

Download the_route_66_pulse_online_newspaper.pdf

Adobe Meets Neon

September 13, 2006: Adobe met neon along Route 66 through Santa Fe and down into Albuquerque. Once in Albuquerque, the group was met by members of the local British Car Club for a coffee break. Onwards to Grants, NM the convoy traveled through the Wild West, racing trains pulling a 100+ cars. Along the way, a side trip to “Sky City” (Pueblo of Acoma), the oldest continuously inhabited city in the US, afforded wonderful views of rugged landscape and lava fields. The elevation, which was back up to 6400 ft above sea level continued to play havoc with the carburetors.

Reaching Grants, the group was welcomed by Robin Webb of the Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce and Rick Best, the local Park Ranger. The Chamber, courtesy of Star Gonzales, treated the group to a wonderful home-cooked meal at the local “Uranium Café”, which was followed by a gift of a Dairy Queen ice cream. This was all very welcoming and gave the travelers a homely feeling - thank you!

Driving Arizona

September 14, 2006: More expanse of shrubbed desert, and a tarantula or two, the convoy passed over the Continental Divide (the highest point of Route 66 at 7275 ft above sea level) and into Arizona. The landscape was broken only by large mesas of red rock that loomed over the tiny cars. Apart from Chief Loose Nut (Vince was crowned with a lovely headdress at a Native American shop) having ignition problems that were corrected with a spanner (wrench), all was well.

Any chance to take the dirt road option of Route 66 is seized. This time it took the merry band over the 1930 Querino Canyon Bridge and washboard road surface. At this time the Arizona rains prevailed and the open cars stopped to put their tops up while the Crank Boys wound their windows up (they are traveling in the hard-top Box Saloon).

A section of the abandoned Route 66 runs through the Painted Desert area of the Petrified Forest National Park. Needles to say, off the group darted to investigate. Colorful rocks, wide, open vistas and ancient geological formations amazed the motley crew as they veered in and out of the Park’s vantage points.

Evening fell and the cars rolled into Holbrook taking their crews to the Wigwam Motel. Dinner at Joe and Aggie’s Café and into bed.

Grand Canyon in Sight

September 15, 2006: Marlies’ Birthday! Getting a leisurely start this morning, the convoy battled strong cross winds as they toured Route 66 of which much was Interstate 40. A pleasant section of the old road still goes past the old Jack Rabbit Trading Post and through Winslow, AZ. Winslow was made famous by the classic Eagles song “Take it Easy” and a statue and mural on the corner of 2nd Street mark the line in the song “standing on the corner in Winslow AZ…it’s a girl my Lord in a flat bed Ford…” A tour of Winslow’s one-way system while admiring their old Valentine diners and neon signs drew the attention of the local media.

Through Flagstaff (well a quick stop for tea and doughnuts) and onto Williams. The terrain changed from flat and featureless to one with hills and trees. Route 66 once again showed its favourable side and wound up and through the pretty pine forests and hills, leading the cars on its gravel road. Rustic log cabins replaced brick and concrete but the old neon signs were still apparent. Out of the blue, the Parks General Store, a 105 year-old store, appeared where an impromptu birthday party for Marlies ensued. You guessed it – tea and cup cakes! The elevation rose to 7410 ft above sea level, disproving the claim that the Continental Divide was the highest point on the Mother Road.

This evening, the little company ate at the Café where it all began. 51/2 years ago, Ron, Veronica and Diana found themeselves in Williams, AZ, after a day at the Grand Canyon, eating a simple meal at the Pine Cafe. The threesome fell in love with the nostalgia of Route 66 and said they would one day drive the length of Route 66. The dream has become reality, thanks to all the folks who have made it possible.

September 16, 2006: A train ride to the Grand Canyon, complete with train robbers. At least the cars were safe with Pete the garage owner watching over them parked around his vintage petrol pumps while the group was away for the day.

Vintage Arizona

September 17, 2006: The road to Kingman passed first through Ash Fork followed by Seligman then Hackberry, all along which the temperatures rose and the scenery became flat again with only various mountain ranges on the horizon to break the desert monotony. Seligman was the day's breakfast-stop and also home to a couple of curious old Route 66 shops. Hackberry provided a General Store also with much memorabilia. An early arrival into Kingman, which offered many vintage motels and home for the night.

Viva Las Vegas

September 18, 2006: A side trip to Las Vegas took the Baby Austins north. In Kingman it was discovered, however, that a recent crane crash at the Hoover Dam still had the road blocked. Undeterred, the scrappy little team took an alternate route to Sin City that added 26 miles to the trip (that translates to an additional hour of driving). Managing the long and slow haul up and out of Kingman, through Bullhead City, Las Vegas finally appeared out of the Nevada desert. The lunar landscape was beautiful in its own way and the early morning sun cast dark shadows that contrasted with the red colour of the craggy rocks.

Upon arrival at Circus Circus, Richard and Marlies were surprised by their Son and Daughter-in-law, Michael and Kay, who jumped out from behind a piller to meet them having flown into Las Vegas from England. Evening fell and Vince, Diana, River and Ken followed, of course, by the support car filled with River's sisters and Grandmother drove the strip. What a day!

California It Is!

September 19, 2006: Leaving Las Vegas to get back to America’s Main Street, the group including Lynn and Jan James from the Austin Bantam Society in their 1930 American Austin, were able to drive over the Hoover Dam – what views! Back in Kingman, the merry (or is it hung-over) band picked up the Oatman Highway and made their way into Needles, CA via Cool Springs and Oatman. Oatman was a time warp and is an old gold-mining town, lined with donkeys and curiously named establishments such as “Fast Fanny’s”, “The Classy Ass” , Classy Coyote”, and “Jackass Junction”. On the way to Oatman the cars drove over the Sitgreaves Pass, stopping first at a little shop at Cool Springs, home to a tame roadrunner.

Arriving in Needles, CA for the night, the group enjoyed at dip in the motel pool followed by a night of ‘medicine’ and take away food. The Fiat Panda, driven by Ron and Pete form England finally caught up and joined in the merriment.

The Mojave Desert

September 20, 2006: Should have had breakfast and filled up the petrol tanks at Needles - The Mojave Desert is quite unforgiving! Eventually, the convoy of five British Austin 7s and one American Austin, and their respective support cars, made it to a petrol station, literally in the middle of nowhere. Here the local establishment, which was the only occupied building for many miles and represented the town of Goffs (population of 23), sold a most excellent cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs and sold petrol at $4 per gallon.

The desert skies were clouded with ash from the recent wild fires in California and it gave the mountain ranges an eerie backdrop of a doomsday sky. Along the side of the road, which stretched out straight as far as the eye could see and over the horizon, fellow travelers had placed rock formations to spell messages. When in Rome…so a rock formation resembling “A7” now exists at Chambless, CA, beside Route 66. Reaching Amboy, now a ghost town, an old motel was being restored. In fact, the town of Amboy had just been bought for $400 K by a private entrepreneur and will hopefully be resurrected to its former glory of when Route 66 was a thriving highway. The temperature in Amboy was only 99oF since in the last 10 days the temperatures had dropped 20oF – guess we were lucky. A tea stop at Ludlow, another shriveled town, and onto Barstow for the night where the motel rooms sported round beds.

For OCME

Strangely, upon arrival in Barstow, Diana was surprised by a gift from her office (The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner). See the photo of ‘the gift’ (inside joke) on the bonnet of the Chummy. Thank you!.

From Ken and Eileen

“Good luck Colin and all at Zytek in the ALMS race at Road Atlanta next weekend.

From Mum and Dad and The Crew.”

WE MADE IT!!!!!

September 21, 2006: Leaving Barstow, CA the convoy was pleasantly surprised to be accompanied by Jim Johnston (President of the Austin Bantam Society, ABS) and Neil Fraser (also of the ABS) in a pickup truck with a huge welcome sign on the back. The old road twisted and turned along side the railway tracks all the way through San Bernardino and into Pasadena. The now familiar old neon signs and Route 66 art-deco architecture were also evident along the way, including a lovely old drive-in movie theatre.

Just before Pasadena, the convoy was joined by three vintage MGs from the 1940s and 1950s. Once in Pasadena, the group gratefully accepted Norman Booth's (Founder and Secretary of ABS) invitation to a picnic at his house where the food (thank you Katie Johnston) and company were excellent. A cake in honor of the trip was also produced - amazing.

Jim Johnston was presented with a shield from the 750 MC so the ABS could use it as a trophy for American Austin and Bantam car events. The suggestion of using the shield as a long distance prize was met with some amusement but let's hope that the Route 66 Tour has inspired more usage from the Baby cars in the USA. Certainly, Lynn James should be a candidate this year for his pilgrimage along the Mother Road with the convoy. In addition, there was an exchange of gifts between the MG folks and the ABS folks with the intrepid British car crews - thank you all.

Leaving the picnic earlier than they would have liked, the Austins hit the road for the final leg of the journey into Santa Monica. The convoy, expertly guided by Gene Olson (TC Motoring Guild) and Steve Simmons, both in their MGs, passed through the traffic of LA County, through China Town and Beverly Hills and into Santa Monica. The official end of America's Highway was a little disappointing since it was unmarked and is now the entrance to a freeway. Undaunted, the convoy drove onto Santa Monica Pier where, as they drove over the wooden planks, they were met by a round of applause by Gene Olson whose clapping was significant and sounded like 10 thousand hands. It should be acknowledged that the final 40 miles were made so much easier by Gene and Steve's help and support, and the access to the pier was made possible by Gene. Thank you so very much.

September 22, 2006: A trip into Beverly Hills to see the homes of the rich and famous was followed by a lovely farewell BBQ for the group, hosted by Steve Simmons and his wife at their home in Calabasas. A very emotional evening and a bitter sweet time. The Five Baby Austins and their support car all made it safely but now it was over.