07 Classic Car Club

2007:Classic Car Club, Nashville and Graceland, Elvis's Cars
2007:Clarksdale, Memphis Again, Subaru WRX STi
2001 flashback:The Midwest Z3 Ride to Missouri
2007:St. Louis, Brent's House, | Flying Home to NYC | NYC and MO, Epilogue
2007:Video- Hummingbirds, Catfish, Z3 Backroads, Guitars and Banjos 13.7 mgs mpeg download, 5 minute video | Windows Users may prefer the Windows Media version 11mgs .wmv file

DSC01171 I was excited to take my first trip with the Classic Car Club to New Orleans. I joined the group 2 days into their 4 day trip. Morning with the Classic Car Club: I arrived on time, no one so much as said "Hello", no maps or materials, just telling me to get in the car. It was not the Mustang we had arranged, (so the orange clothes I was wearing didn't match) but I didn't mind the Porsche. They said I was late, but they didn't leave for another hour.	DSC01172 The Porsche was full of snack and candy wrappers, my co-driver was taking his turn driving, playing a Techno cd (which I can not abide) he brought along with a V1, although I was told not to bring anything. He was having such trouble engaging the clutch I thought we were going to stall out on the street, then he was under-revving so much the poor car shuddered violently as he pulled into the gas pumps. On the road we were recieving text messages from the leader... instead of using radios. He was a Wall St. type. There was a GPS but he had no idea how to use it and there was no manual. Didn't much matter as we were taking I-40 to Memphis, which most of us can do blind.
DSC01174 Turns out we were headed to Graceland with no arrangements made, except some side commitments made to promote either the CCC or some of the members' business interests. Apparently no one had called ahead to learn that Graceland is highly organized and restricted access with thousands of visitors and hundreds of groups booking in advance. At our gas stop when I offered to drive the short hop to Memphis, I was told to get out of the Porsche and ride in the Mini- to satisfy my co-driver who is an investor in the leader's outside business. The Mustang was long gone- all the other members had gone straight to New Orleans without the leader- I don't blame them. I don't know why I was required to go to Memphis and Graceland with the leader's business client. I know I sure as heck wasn't driving the Mini or traveling in it. No offense to Minis, but my family already has a Mini CooperS, although it's not as souped up as this one, it's not a Ferrari, a Lotus, a Porsche... like I paid to drive with the CCC. I saw this Z3 in the Graceland parking lot, and wish I was with them instead.	DSC01175 Unsurprisingly, there was no time to take the Graceland tour, (which I have already seen and do not care to repeat) but we could see Elvis' cars. As we did, I tried to make the best of this mess.
DSC01176 I have already seen Graceland, 10 years ago, and once is definitely enough. For $30 we saw these cars and motorcycles. Photography was allowed so as I tell the rest of the story, I will post the pics.	DSC01178 I told the CCC drive leader, Zac, that I would rather go home than spend 8 hours driving a Mini (or being a passenger in a Mini) to New Orleans, For the hefty price I paid to drive a Ferrari or Lotus, I sure as heck wasn't driving a Mini- even a souped up Mini, with zero stops planned of interest. I have driven this route before, been there, done that, in a convertible Mercedes...
DSC01180 Zac offered the Subaru, which at least is a new car to me (my step-mom has a Mini Cooper S) and promised that I could stop in Clarksdale, which is on the way to New Orleans, and is a truly special place that can only be reached by car anyway. Thanks to Brent in St. Louis for the idea to stop at Crossroads, because Zac and the CCC didn't have a clue about the area, and I was too taken aback by the rest of the disorganization to think of it myself.	DSC01182 It was not until we got out of the Elvis car museum and back to the cars that I discovered that there was an enormous cooler in the back of the Subaru full of water and beer, more wrappers and mess, no room for my bag, and that it was a minimum 8 hours drive on Interstates to New Orleans.
DSC01183 And then I noticed that all the other members were gone.	DSC01184 So we were only the Mini and the Subaru heading South, with no map, only a Garmin GPS, and no idea even of the name of the hotel in New Orleans. I was told I didn't need to know, and that no plans for dinner were made, I was on my own. Wow.
DSC01186 When Zac stopped at a John Deere to buy a hat, I discovered that my driving partner was actually the group mechanic, and he hadn't slept the night previous. So I would be driving the staff to New Orleans. I asked the folks at John Deere about Morgan Freeman's restaurants in Clarksdale that Brent had mentioned. Zac looked stunned that I would even speak to the locals.	DSC01187 As I drove south, and my passenger was calling his friends and making other plans, it started to dawn on me...
DSC01188 that I had paid about $7000.00 to end up driving with the support crew in the support cars for over 8 hours, carrying their coolers ...	DSC01189 And I started thinking I should go home.
DSC01190 Just a side note, I love this 280SL, my sister had one, and I wish she'd kept it.	DSC01191 My head was spinning from everything, I didn't take time to read the information on Elvis' cars, but here is what was in the museum, in case anyone cares.
DSC01192 I also had been to Memphis quite a few times, and had driven all through the South in 1996, making friends and learning where the cool places were. I even walked the Peabody Ducks.	DSC01193 So I knew if these CCC chuckleheads tried to ditch me, they'd be in big trouble really fast- because this is pretty much MY nabe, and my friends down South don't take crap from a bunch of self-important spoiled rich guys from NYC (who can't even drive).
DSC01194 So I was calling my Z3 friends, like Brent who reminded me about Crossroads.	DSC01195 If your car is registered in TN, this must be the coolest plate you could have!

came back to Missouri since May 28, 2007

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