Drivin' Down South

Snow to sun is quite a transition that requires complex packing skills when going on a holiday.  However, I know that once we are in sunny Palm Springs I need good walking shoes besides all the shorts, suntan lotion, and sunglasses.  That’s because we always visit the Dr. George Charity Car Show when down there.  

Of course, our primary interest in the show is the plethora of classic cars, however, the vision behind the Fund Raiser is the memorial to oncologist Dr. George.  All monies raised are donated to cancer treatment services.  We have walked our own cancer journey with our son Andrew, diagnosed at age 2 with Leukemia and requiring a bone marrow transplant when he relapsed 3 years later.  We were thankful for the medical help that he received, and for a clean bill of health now 22 years later. 

 But before we could enjoy the car show we had many miles to travel.  Our 2009 Venza was new to us and we were excited to have a 4 wheel drive!  We left in fairly good weather but soon entered a downturn in weather on the south side of the border.  What we thought was rain seemed to be causing a lot of accidents and it was only when a small car spun out in front of us across 2 lanes of traffic did we grasp how slippery the road had become.  The promised ice rain which we had hoped to outrun had beaten us to the draw.  

After a good 45 minutes of slow driving we moved into less threatening weather and could test the feel of our new vehicle.  It covered ground quickly and smoothly.  The double sun roofs gave added brightness inside and our seats could do many wonderful things which quickly led to me having multiple cat naps.  Separate controls for the seat warmers and heating vents kept the temperature warm and cozy.   The drive was so comfortable that we even briefly considered driving through the night, but since I was the one who would likely be doing all the sleeping that plan was quickly abandoned.  

An interesting sight along the highway was the appearance of a Military Personnel Carrier.  Although the ice rain had stopped, temperatures were still chilly, and we commiserated with the young private who sat outside in the gun turret.  To his credit he waved back cheerily.  

Our arrival in the sunny south was celebrated with tasty burgers at our favorite  In ‘n Out restaurant which always heralded the beginning of Bliss as winter clothes were shed, Canadian money put away and American bills brought out, and the upcoming car show carefully deliberated upon. 

Fortunately car show day dawned warm but cloudy which gave us the perfect climate for traipsing across acres of cars.  We started out the day with two other couples who bravely kept up until noon and then bowed out of the grueling race to see every car.  In my opinion, the car of the day was an AC cobra worth $13,000,000.  Yes, that’s 6 zero’s.   It is a 1965 race car still in the hands of the original owner Hank Williams (not the singer!).  Besides its original owner, the car is still in almost original condition in spite of participating in 394 racing events.  (I’m still having a little trouble with the 6 zero’s.)  Besides winning over 35 trophies with his car Hank has the distinction of being the first African-American to have driven on the Indianapolis Speedway.  (Umm, the 6 zero’s??)  The factory color was supposed to be light blue, but someone goofed and it came out in a unique silver blue….called “Princess Blue”.  OK, for that I would pay the 6 zero’s.  Literally!   ($0000.00) 

All joking aside, I did try to make the effort to be serious about cars.  So at the auction lot we looked over a bunch of uninteresting cars until this one caught my eye.  It was kind of cute. 

Ok--cute in an ugly duckling sort of way.  Hold on!  It is a duckling because yes, it can go in water!   

Check out the propellers at the back.  And the large boat slip hook at the front.  And even a boat’s sidelights on the bow/hood with red indicating the port side and green signalling the starboard side.  Because this vehicle is so diverse its called an amphibious car or ‘amphicar’.  For geographic locations that tend to flood, this car would make a big hit.  Or should I say, splash?   I have seen it in action on our lake on one occasion, but for all its trappings you would have to pay me 6 zero’s to get into one of those.  

The completely wooden motorcycle at the Jackalope Restaurant in La Quinta is how I think two-wheeled terrors are best suited.  Silent and stationary!

 On the streets of Palm Springs we saw an interesting form of transportation:

A bus in which the passengers were seated side by side on stationary bicycles and had to pedal their way down the street.  We preferred to sit on comfy chairs at Ruby’s Diner while drinking our shakes and watching the world go by.

These 2 weeks of utopia eventually came to an end and the only car that really mattered was the one that would get us home---our Venza.