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Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

NutmegCT

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Everything posted by NutmegCT

  1. Thought I'd share an "epilogue". Here's my ol' Mercedes on the way to New Jersey, where it'll be repainted and rechromed. Mercedes-Benz will display the car in showrooms as an example of how reliable those wonderful 50 year old sedans are. Lots of mixed emotions seeing it heading away, but good to know it'll be cared for by "the experts", and the story of Mac and Phyllis will be shared by many many more people across the USA. Also, I've attached a copy of the story, published in the Mercedes-Benz Star Magazine this summer. Wow. Morehouse 45-49 V4.pdf
  2. Being a volunteer at the New England Air Museum research library, I seek out those aviation connections. EAA has quite a museum in Oshkosh, and of course the Pima Arizona air and space museum. Something I learned about points! If you reset the gap because of gap wear and/or follower wear, you've actually also reset the timing. So you have to reset the timing - or you'll soon have further ignition problems down the road. Ask me how I know! I've attached a photo of the distributor head, showing the worn cam follower. The wear drops the points closer to the cam, changing gap as well as dwell. But that 1960 system got me home again! Now thinking of "the next step". Tom
  3. Thanks Dave. They may be smiling ... but they're probably also thinking their son is nuts for driving that distance in a 50+ year old car! Funny - after the first day, I had no real car worries for the rest of the trip. Car was amazingly comfortable on the long highway drives, and absorbs the bumps of country roads without a complaint. Had to borrow a wrench to tighten the fan belt in Elko, Nevada. Drove to the local Ford dealer - about a dozen young mechanics all stopped their work and came over to see the car. One guy asked "what's that round thing with all the wires on the top?" I said - the distributor - and showed him how it works. Anyway - definitely the trip of a lifetime. Tom
  4. I did it! Yeehaa - over 7300 miles, Connecticut to California and back, just over a month. Old car - and old driver - still in one piece and ticking like a Timex. Here's the last blog post: http://nutmegflyer.wordpress.com/home/ Weekly updates are along the top, Week One, Week Two, etc. Still can't quite believe I did it. Wow. Tom Photo: Back home in Connecticut.
  5. Hi all. If you're still following along, here's the update for Week Two: http://nutmegflyer.wordpress.com/15-week-two/ Thanks for the advice and moral support! 2000 miles from home and still ticking! Tom
  6. Finally doing my long-delayed retirement trip. Spent several years restoring an old Mercedes-Benz, then had some health "issues", but I'm now 1200 miles from home and well on the way. Route goes from Connecticut to Utah to Washington state, then down the Pacific Coast Highway, back through Arizona to Texas to Tennessee and back home to Connecticut. If you'd like to follow along: http://nutmegflyer.wordpress.com/trip-details-daily-updates/ Just a sample: Tom
  7. After looking at your photos, and eyeballing the maps (paper and Google) ... you have me sold on this route. Thank you sir! Tom M. Eastford CT
  8. I was mesmerized by every single photo. Thanks for posting them. It's exactly the type of driving I'm looking for on at least half of my trip. Out in Montana, were there any steep mountain passes to work through? I'll be out there toward the end of September, but I'm not sure how the ol' Mercedes handles high altitudes and steep angles. Thanks. Tom
  9. John - thanks very much for that suggestion. I'd never heard of that 1912-1930 route, which sure is appealing to me. Is it primarily US Rt 12 from Minnesota on west? Tom
  10. Hi folks. I'm about to take my long-delayed retirement trip. Connecticut to the West Coast and back again. You can see the proposed route at the bottom of my blog homepage: nutmegflyer.wordpress.com I'll be driving my 1960 Mercedes-Benz 190b: I've got most of the routes covered, but would appreciate your suggestions on getting from the La Crosse WI area across to Spokane WA later in September. That's a long way! I have friends and family along the rest of the trip, but none between Minnesota and Washington. What scenic routes and sights along the way would you recommend? I have five days for that part of the trip, so I figure I-90 will be the backbone for MN to WA. All ideas and suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Tom M. Eastford CT
  11. At last, an update. I had to sell my wonderful 1958 Mercedes to pay for the unexpected expenses of 2011. (Cancer, eye surgery, two floods ... hey, don't want to get bored!) Spent a few months in the dumps but finally snapped out of it and decided that ... as long as my body is a wreck, I might as well get a "rolling wreck" old Mercedes, and make the trip after all. Make sure it's mechanically sound, but ignore the cosmetic problems. One ad said "Looks bad, needs help, but still runs." Just like me. So here's my "new" 1960 Mercedes-Benz 190b. Four cylinder, 90hp, 4 speed, lots of dents and scratches. Click on the images for a close up. California or Bust!
  12. Dave - thanks for the update. I think I'll pass on those RD materials. But now I'm keeping an eye open for 1980s AAA travel guides. As always, I'm probably going into overdrive on the pre-trip flights of fancy. If I were to follow even 10% of my plans, the trip would probably take a couple years. Something I'm finding more perplexing: I want to make this trip in honor of my parents, tracing their original coast to coast dream. But in my reading and research, I'm finding more and more things to see than I possibly have time for on this one trip. So now I'm thinking that after I return, I might sell the 1958, and buy a "less vintage" big ol' car (heavy sedan). Then I'll use it to target some regions in USA and Canada for further investigation on future trips. Maybe a 2000 Mercedes-Benz E320, or some such. Can't imagine doing a lot of traveling in a tiny car, despite the much better mpg. For me at least, something like the Smart is smart for commuting and shopping, but not for heavy-duty highway adventures. Tom
  13. Dave - that is a *great* idea. Thank you very much. I didn't know about those old Drive America materials; they could be very useful in recreating the route. I'll certainly take you up on your very kind offer. And if you're located anywhere along the eventual route, I might drop by in my 1958 Mercedes-Benz and buy you a Coke (or something stronger). Tom
  14. Truer words have never been spoken. As a retired network manager I've been known to be caught in "analysis paralysis" way too many times. It's likely my lack of patience with the GPS is due to my wanting it to be "perfect", and not leave me guessing (or worse). Funny example: I'm driving in downtown Boston; GPS is "acquiring signal". I pull over and park; see a guy with an iPad. Ask him to look up Fenway Park. He punches it in the pad, and in a few seconds I've got step by step directions for getting there. I faithfully copy down the directions, thank him heartily, and head out. First street comes up and I prepare to turn right. But it's a one way street to the left. I backtrack and manage to get on the street. Next turn comes up, and I prepare to turn left. But it's a one way street to the right. Turns out the iPad was giving me WALKING directions - not driving directions. Oy. Tom
  15. I feel like the old curmudgeon on this GPS topic. Feel free to delete this if it's not appropriate. I've used a GPS only a few times (borrowed from my neighbor). Every single time it's got me more bungled up than w/o a GPS. Sure, I can use it to get to Boston, but jeez - when I get off the interstate, the roads are so congested and twisting that the GPS can't keep up. Once I came off the Interstate into downtown Boston through the tunnel. Came up and GPS said "signal unavailable - please wait". The tall building had cut off the satellite signals I guess. Then once I used it to get to Hartford Hospital. Well, GPS got me to Hartford no problem. But it doesn't see the bus blocking the lane I'm in, or the "road closed" sign, or the construction and detour - and then goes into "recalculating route" while I keep driving into no man's land. I guess I could see using it on a cross country drive, just to keep track of interstates and highways. But I can do that with a $10 road atlas. Tom in CT a/k/a President, Luddites International.
  16. Didn't want you guys to think I've been purposefully neglecting this. Last Monday I had emergency surgery for detached retina. Not fun! Now I have to keep my head bowed down for two weeks while it heals. This on top of the cancer situation is getting a bit overwhelming (not to say gol'dern ridiculous). I swear there's a hidden expiration date on my birth certificate - and the clock it ticking. In a weird way, it's making me lose patience and start thinking of just piling into the old Mercedes and heading out on the highway. Not smart, but it would be a great break from the craziness I'm going through here. Minor detail that I have only one usable eye at present, and no depth perception. Details details. Tom in CT
  17. Dave - I envy you that 1958 MGA. I had been looking for one of those for about five years. Finally found a nice 1959 TR3, which I restored and now enjoy driving in good weather on our two lane country roads here in New England. Not sure I'd do a cross country trip in it tho'! Let's say I want to drive from eastern Connecticut down to the Annapolis MD area. I do NOT want to find myself in my 1958 Mercedes-Benz on congested interstates around cities, and/or in rush hour. But I don't really see any good "blue highway" routes along the way, unless it's detouring every ten or twenty miles. Any suggestions on how to deal with the issue of avoiding congestion on that route? When I get beyond the east coast, I don't have a problem using interstates if necessary. But I have definite anxiety about the I-95 corridor. Thanks. Tom
  18. Just to get things started ... if you were driving a "slightly used" car (i.e. 1958) across the USA, what tools/spares would you bring along? Other than a healthy credit card and your AAA telephone number. Plus, one thing I've always wondered about: when you're traveling, do you do anything special to keep your car safe in parking lots (motel, sight seeing, restaurant, etc.)? Thanks. Tom
  19. Probably should have clarified: back in 1982 my parents retired and planned to "see the USA". As they had never really had a vacation in their lives, they first rented a small travel trailer and took a "practice" trip from their home in Laredo, to go camping in central Texas Hill Country. On the first morning, Mom hung a mirror on a tree before washing her face, and discovered a discoloration on her neck; a few weeks later it was diagnosed as cancer. She died within a year, and they were never able to make that long-hoped for trip. So I'm just trying to do the trip for them. Certain places in my itinerary are directly related to them: Mom was born in Annapolis MD, Dad in Glens Falls NY, and they met in California. Interesting coincidence: now that I've been planning the trip for over a year, and restoring that old Mercedes, I've been diagnosed with cancer. Now going through radiation treatment and hoping for the best. Men make plans, and the gods just laugh. Tom
  20. These are all great ideas. Thanks for all the suggestions. One thing I have to keep in mind: don't kill myself trying to do and see everything that's out there. The cities I listed form a loosely circular route, and I'm itching to add things like Lincoln Hwy and Rt 66, Canyonlands, Going to the Sun Road, etc., when they're "within reach". What I need to do now is to read as much as possible about what's near to my route. I'm dealing with some health issues at present, so unfortunately I can't commit myself to a departure date. Probably the earliest now is next fall, or spring 2012. What's that old expression? When man makes plans, the gods just laugh. Tom
  21. Thanks all. Guess I have to admit my interests are in the "history" area. So far my thinking has been along this line: If I travel in the Spring, I'll take the southern route first (down to Texas and then across to California), then up the Pacific Coast highway to Washington and up to Alberta, then eastward back to Connecticut. If I start in the Fall, it'll be the opposite circuit: first across the Northern states, then south through California, then back home through the South. In the old Mercedes I don't mind driving on Interstates, but I sure do mind heavy congested Interstate traffic (like cities at rush hour). So it'll be a 50/50 mix of Interstate and other roads. Maybe I should also have a "sag wagon" trailing me, picking up the pieces of the car that come loose. Need a bumper sticker: "All parts falling off this car are of the finest German quality." Tom
  22. Good morning all. If things go my way ... I hope to make a coast to coast trip (Connecticut to California) in my 1958 Mercedes-Benz. A "retirement" trip to visit family, friends, and former students. I just learned of this forum, and hope I can get some ideas on planning the trip. So far I've been using the National Geographic "Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways", and Jensen's "Road Trip USA", plus several web sources. The goal is to make the journey that was originally planned by my parents back in the 1970s in their own old Mercedes-Benz: http://nutmegflyer.wordpress.com/ I've been restoring a 1958 Mercedes-Benz over the last year or so. Very similar to the one my parents owned, and that I learned to drive on. Starting and ending in Connecticut, the target areas on the trip are: Annapolis MD, Clarksville TN, Fort Worth TX, Tucson AZ, San Jose CA, Yakima WA, Edmonton AB, Appleton WI, Metamora IL, Athens OH, Allentown PA, Glens Falls NY. And points in between. About 50/50 interstate and "two lane blacktop". Any suggestions on planning the trip, and "what to watch out for", gratefully accepted! Thanks. Tom M. Connecticut
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