Going to Southern California

[wayne petty]

http://www.justicebrothers.com/racing&museum.htm

seems to be open mon to friday 8 am till 5 pm.
For General Inquiries
gencontact@justicebrothers.com

Justice Brothers, Inc.
2734 Huntington Drive
Duarte, CA 91010
626.359.9174
626.357.2550 FAX



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http://www.riversideabp.com/chili-cook-off-carcycle-show-information/

Riverside's Chili Cook-Off & Car/Cycle Show
25 / May 2013
Riverside ca

i have not attended either.. but i thought i would throw some more into the mix..

[jaybee]

Turns out I'm traveling back out there on Tuesday, so as soon as I know when I'll be off work I'll probably have a chance to knock some more off the list.

Monday I stopped at SoCal Hot Rods and took the 11am shop tour. The folks there were very friendly and there's a lot of cool stuff in the works there. I'm still on layover at the Minnepolis airport so no chance to get pics up yet. Billy Gibbons had a '34 in the fab shop and it's LOADED with interesting details. It has HID headlights incorporated in the grill and also a crank up sealed beam that comes out of the hood...I have no idea why but it's neat. I'll get pics up when I get a chance.

The Peterson is well worth a visit, though the current rotating exhibits don't have as many rods as I'd like. There's a great Baja exhibit as well as one focusing on cars with fins and another based on aerodynamics. Awesome stuff but don't be fooled by the $12 admission...parking cost me another $8.

The Iowa is still in rough shape but it's a dedicated bunch of volunteers with enthusiasm and passion doing the job. Typical government work, a lot of the problems the ship has now were caused by replacing a lot of the Teak decking with Douglas Fir in the 1983 refit. That decking is in bad shape now and of course sitting derelict for 21 years didn't help. Still, the thing just drips with history and I'm glad I went.

Next go around will be fly out on Tuesday after Memorial day and fly back on the 8th. Hopefully whatever days off they give me will be placed to hit some things I didn't the first time.

[jaybee]

Day off today and it was a good one.

First, I recommend the NHRA Museum for ANYONE. Lots of very cool stuff, I didn't hurry. the place is filled with some really significant cars and a lot of history. Some observations...The amount of fuel that runs through the ports of a Fueler during a run is mind boggling. The Chrisman Bros #25 was WAY ahead of its time in terms of workmanship and aesthetics. the nose alone is a work of art. In terms of a much more crude vehicle I've always been an enormous fan of Ak Miller's Caballo de Hierro and it was a special treat to see that car on the floor. The museum is relatively small, well priced at $8 admission, and it would've been my loss had I not gone. Every bit the equal of the Peterson for less money.

Second, though first on my itinerary today was something you do with YOUR car instead of looking at the cars of others. One of the locals here recommended making the drive from Highland to Big Bear and it's another highlight for me...and that's in a rental car. Highland already sits relatively high at 1,340' elevation. From there you run 32 miles of switchbacks and some 6% grades with some of the corners being so tight the Garmin tells you to "turn right" or "turn left" while staying on CA18 the whole time. If you want to feel like a driving hero this is a great opportunity to be really entertained at top speeds of only 40-50mph. The highest elevation posted was 7100' and the road goes higher...close to the tree line. The views are incredible and there is a turnoff every little bit where you can stop to take a look and take some pics if you want. I chose to run up on a group of cars from behind, stop to look around and point the camera, then repeat.

On this drive I also saw about 5 BMW SUVs in that crazy camouflage graphic pattern that mfrs put cars in when they have to get them on the road for testing but don't really want good pics of them in the magazines. They were all running in a group and drove right past as I was standing at a turnout.

I call it a good day...