THE LONG HAUL!

Ok boys! I'm shipping the p-car from Hawaii to St. Louis (closest point the Navy will take it to Michigan). From there it should be a nice leisurely drive to Kalamazoo, MI.....I hope! Any cool places to visit along the way? Never been to that part of the good ol' USA. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!

Tim
'72 911TE

I have lived in St. Louis all my life. There are some nice places to visit. Right off the top of my head you may wish to tour the AB Brewery and/or Grant's Farm which is owned by the Brewery. If you get the opportunity you could drive north through Hannibal, Mo. which is Mark Twain's home town. Have lunch at the Mark Twain dinner and try the home made root beer.

You may also want to visit Navoo Ill (just accross the river and north of Hannibal) to see the Mormon Village that is recreated there.

If the timing is right you could also catch a Cards game (they are in first place) at the downtown stadium and catch the nightlife on Laclede's landing.

Have a good trip.

If the 911 needs any work, take it to Reid Vann Imports on Manchester Rd. They're one of the few places in St. Louis (I was told) that's familiar with the earlier cars. They were a lifesaver for me on my initial drive from Chicago to Los Angeles.

While you wait, going up in the arch is fun -- a rare opportunity for a panoramic view in the flat midwest. You can see where labor leader Mother Jones is buried about a half hour east of St. Louis, in Mt. Olive (that is, if you're a fan of coal and labor history -- and what Porsche owner isn't?). The drive across Illinois is likely to be uneventful.

Oh, and roll up your windows when you pass through Gary, Indiana. The place still has a pretty strong smell from the local industry.

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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T sunroof coupe

You probably know you're in for a long boring ride. I live near the U of Illinois (Danville Area). If you have any troubles give a holler!

Swing by Chicago. It's a great town, even for a 911. There's plenty to do there, and riding around with some of the world's best drivers (seriously!) is a lot of fun.

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2

Thanks guys! I can always count on ya'll. You're right....it WILL be a long boring ride, but I am so glad to be back in the mainland. Hawaii is beautiful, but....you can only go so far before you're already there. Lookin forward to the wide open roads.

Tim
'72 911TE

If you've got an out of state license, Illinois can be a strange place. I got a speeding ticket in my home town of Libertyville, IL, where -- since I now have a California license -- I was given the choice of either coming up with $95 in cash, on the spot, or having to go to the station, where I could wait for the banks to open in the morning. When I pointed out that I had $100 in cash that I could give the trooper, he acted strange, like I was maybe suggesting a $5 bribe. I scrounged for quarters and singles instead, put together $95, and was on my way.

Along the same lines, a radar detector never hurts, either. You can avoid the whole human cash machine altogether.

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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T sunroof coupe

[This message has been edited by JackOlsen (edited 09-07-2000).]

If your near Indianapolis on the 16th or 30th of Sept, I think there is a track event at Putnam Park. Nice rural area with cheap places to stay not to far away. If you choose that route check out Tweeks at Mid-America (sorry about talking about the competition, Wayne.) They have a cool Porsche and Vette museum. Then don't forget to stop in Auburn, Indiana if there's a Kruse Auction and if not theirs the Auburn-Cord-Dusenburg Museum. Yeah, a radar detector is cool.. When I drove (very close to the posted limit,) my red SC Targa from L.A. to Michigan, guess who was almost the only one they aimed the instant on at! A few month's later, I moved (at about 15 over) my dark green 928 along the same route and it I attracted no attention from the fuzz. Indications are that arrest-me red does get attention. Funny, I also bought that 78 SC Targa in Hawaii and had it shipped to L.A., but I wanted the whole drive across the western U. S. Have fun!

You will be driving right by TWEEKS on I-70E in Effingham, exit 162 on rt 45N (about 1/2 mile). Check it out if you can take the time. Cops are probably the worst in Indiana because you have out of state plates. Indy taxes plates by value so many folks tag their cars out of state to avoid $2000+ plates. Putnam is 30 miles West of Indianapolis and is having DE on the weekends of the 16 and 30. I plan to attend at least one of them. Stop by if you can.