A Fairly Ordinary Day on an Extraordinary Trip

I'm pleased to report that while Day 4 of the Drive Home II adventure included a few notable occurrences in Washington D.C., it contained no mechanical malfunctions or unplanned delays that were my fault – or anyone else’s! Being well spent by our taxing Day 3, the team used part of the morning catching up on administrative work; the exception was our ace mechanic Dale, who tackled the Chrysler 300’s issues by bleeding its brakes in the cold and windy hotel parking lot. Just another reason Dale is a top contender for the Drive Home II MVP Award.

The rest of our day was spent treating folks around the Washington Mall to a good look at the Drive Home II cars and giving Derek ample opportunity for video footage. Along the way there were lots of waves, cheers and requests for me to rev up the throaty engine of the Nomad; and at one point, we heard someone say – “Look, the LeMay Museum, that’s out in Seattle!” (Well, close…)   

Driving the Nomad in D.C. with a tiny White House in the background

Two additional notes of the day included:

·         Bill showing us the long stone staircase used in the final scene of the 1973 movie “The Exorcist.” You remember, it’s the scene where the priest launches himself down several hundred steps to finally release himself of the demon. Oh, you don’t? Well, neither did any of the rest of us, and we were a bit perplexed why Bill would know or care about such trivia. It was also mildly disturbing when he insisted on photos of him recreating the final position of the priest lying at the foot of the staircase while Dale feigned the role of the other priest in the movie giving him his last rites. (Viewer discretion is advised here, but you may find photos of this strange re-enactment in the coming days on Bill’s Blog at:www.blog.hemmings.com.)

      Topping this stop off was a construction worker who saw the cars, pulled in and proceeded to show Bill and Dale an incredible array of classic and antique cars he owned. As Bill remarked afterward; “It’s amazing – car people are everywhere.”

 ·         The second curious moment occurred when the Capitol Police took issue with Derek filming our cars “hatch-up” from the back of the SUV directly in front of the U.S. Capitol. Valerie was at the SUV’s wheel, and – rather than come to her aid -- as soon as we car drivers saw the squad car lights, we high-tailed it around the corner to get as lost as possible in the Mall traffic. Certainly a solid example of lost chivalry here, but to show our concern we found parking places at a safe distance to witness the confrontation and possible incarceration. Two police cars, two motorcycles and six policemen later, Derek and Valerie were politely but sternly advised that filming from moving vehicles in front of the U.S. Capitol is not prudent or acceptable.

The scene just before the Capitol police altercation

Another good team dinner full of stories and laughs, and we’re ready for a rockin’ and very full New Years Eve day and evening tomorrow. In the meantime, Happy New Year from the Drive Home II Team traveling the high-roads and by-roads on the Heritage Run!

PS: For those curious about the Mustang, stay tuned; this is a bit of a cliffhanger. We got word late today that the shop in PA put 6 quarts of transmission fluid in the car and it’s running just fine. No leaks and no idea why it drained itself on the asphalt yesterday in Times Square. We'll be there tomorrow to check it out first-hand. More mysteries to solve, and we’re thinking a transmission exorcism from Dale may be in order…