May 4: Our first event of the C3on66 charity run down Route 66 was a blast. The Greater Illinois CFF Chapter made us a banner, gave us reserved parking for a car show, and let us participate in their “Great Strides” celebration today. 200+ people walking a winding path honoring CF community folks and sponsors, then picnicking and enjoying Donuts, Subs and Route 66 Root Beer and Soda! THANK YOU to Emily Hanna for the wonderful BANNER promoting our Route 66 campaign, and welcoming us to this cool event. More photos to follow. from Mitch.
At the Great Strides event, Mike and I successfully tried out the folding bicycles we carry in our cars, vowing to take the experiment to a higher mileage level next time. Meanwhile, Mike’s daughter, Allison Cline, was our ever-present assistant during the entire affair: Hauler of Sodas, photographer, chauffeur, designer and producer of graphics, host of three guys as overnight guests, chef, and all-around best friend we could ever hope for. The night before the trip, we installed all our graphics and decals on the cars, then actually “Started” our way down Route 66 in front of Allison’s home with a group photo showing off the results on our cool cars.
The Cobra contingent was hungry and ready to move about noon, so we took our leave and headed for Route 66. Lots of small town sights and Route 66-theme signs and businesses. PLUS the sight of beautiful farm countryside with plowed and seeded fields to the horizon on either side. Beautiful Midwest scenes!
Aardvark achieved some heartburn partway through the trip, losing clutch function in the early afternoon at a tiny farm town. When you can’t select a gear, ANY gear, you gotta stop! Here’s the good part: MANY passers-by asked if they could help, and TWO different local farm guys actually went to their homes and brought out floor jacks, jackstands, and other tools to try to help, once we located the clutch mechanism that had lost its adjustment. Sure, we were unsuccessful in making a roadside repair, but we made some new friends and learned a lot about the local landscape!
Flatbed towing is best for our cars, if you are very careful pulling the car onto the flatbed. Takes a dedicated driver not to damage your FFR. We had a good guy for sure, so loaded me up and headed to Springfield, IL, where we parked Aardvark in front of the hotel in a driving rainstorm. Rain finally passed, and we’ll figure out the proper repair tomorrow.
Group shot at Allison Cline’s home just before we set out on our 2 week adventure. THANKS Allison for all your help and patience!
