Saturday, May 31
“Back in the Saddle, Again”
Ah, it feels great to get back to the touring part of the Power Tour. Yesterday was the kick-off party, and everyone was itching to hit the road and do what we do best — Tour.
The weather continued to cooperate with a few scattered clouds and mid-70º temperatures. Doc Riley last night appointed me the “Honorary Amateur Meteorologist” (HAM for short) during my time on the stage. I took the opportunity this morning early to study up on the weather, doppler radar, and how to gesticulate with my hands while speaking — all just like the folks on The Weather Channel. My forecast for today — non-stop fun with scattered traffic.
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After fighting with the folks at Opryland over valet parking fees, we spied car builder extraordinaire Troy Trepanier with this season’s “must have” in travel attire — a wonderful manly back-pack.
We couldn’t decide if he borrowed it from his daughter, or his mother, but either way we noted it didn’t match his shoes.
Shame, shame, Troy.
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Moments after shaking our head at Troy’s fashion faux pas, we blasted west towards Memphis. A mere 200 miles, it looked to be an easy drive. Gary had the ’59 in fine form as we left Nashville in our wake.
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We soon tired of following Gary — so we chose to take the lead, putting the ’59 in our mirrors. . .
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Despite traffic jams and construction, it was an otherwise uneventful drive through luscious green scenery. Just how Tourers like it.
While the paperwork listed Memphis as our destination, in actuality we crossed into Mississippi by a few miles and met up at the Desoto Civic Center. It’s a great modern building in beautiful Southaven, certainly justifying the hoards of Power Tourers filling its lot. Walking the lot was a challenge, but we were fortunate to find some more rides worthy of pictures.
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One of my favorites was this 1960 Plymouth Fury. . .
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Some of our younger readers might not be aware (unless they watch re-runs of “Leave it to Beaver” on TV Land), but there were “fin wars” in the late ’50s and early ’60s. It looks like Plymouth took the title in 1960.
Try not to impale yourself on that baby!
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Under the hood was every early Mopar driver’s dream, a 392 cubic inch Hemi.
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Tucked away in the BFGoodrich booth was this wild 1969 Camaro, sporting 410 cubic inches of Donovan go-power.
Quality of workmanship was over the top, and it’s one I’d take it in a second, vinyl roof or not.
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For the cruisers, there were tricked-out rides like this ’50s Ford custom,
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and this great old Buick sporting a Corvette drive train.
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When’s the last time you saw a hood ornament like this?
I guess Buick wasn’t always a stodgy brand.
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From the ’60s-era, choices abounded depending on your preference. If yellow was your color, you could pick a great ’69 AMX,
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or a ’67 Chevy II Nova Super Sport.
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Keeping the crowd entertained was a portable chassis dyno, where owners had the chance to prove their bite was just as bad as their bark. This big-block Corvette convertible spun impressive numbers for a stocker.
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As the resident meteorologist, Doc Riley called on me to give our Tourers good news about our upcoming weather. Sad to say, I didn’t make too many folks happy when I explained how a high pressure center located in the upper Mississippi Valley would cause the jet stream to push south, possibly bringing us rain at 6:17 tomorrow evening.
I’m not sure what it meant, but folks acted like they believed me.
We’ll be watching the developing clouds tomorrow to see if I have a future as a weather man, or if I should stick with wax. Either way, it’ll be fun heading for Jackson, the capitol of Mississippi and location of the state fairgrounds, our next stop.
Check back tomorrow for more fun and frivolity as we head deep into the true South.
Your humble and obedient servant,
Forrest Tosie
Mothers® Polishes•Waxes•Cleaners
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2003 Cruise Night Schedule
Friday, May 30
Gaylord Opryland Resort
Nashville, Tennessee
Saturday, May 31
Desoto Civic Center
Memphis, Tennessee
Sunday, June 1
The Fairgrounds and Coliseum
Jackson, Mississippi
Monday, June 2
Fair Grounds Race Course
New Orleans, Louisiana
Tuesday, June 3
Lake Charles Civic Center
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Wednesday, June 4
Red River Raceway
Shreveport, Louisiana
Thursday, June 5
and Friday, June 6
The Ball Park in Arlington
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
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