Long distance Minors
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Highlander
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:52 am
Re: Long distance Minors
I have just returned from my bi-annual trip to Crimond in Aberdeenshire from Epsom in Surrey. Round trip of 1200 miles. Called in to Gary in Kendal and saw some of his wonderful work and a welcomed cup of coffee. Never saw one vintage car on the whole trip. Came home from Dunblane in 6 and 1/2 hours - 448 miles. Any news from Paul?. Highlander.
Re: Long distance Minors
After months of planning, Martin Redmond and Roger Gaunt are finally in Los Angeles and about to start on their trip across the USA in their 1937 Morris, as the penultimate leg in his round the world drive.
You can follow his progress at http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-e ... /tpod.html.
You can follow his progress at http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-e ... /tpod.html.
Re: Long distance Minors
Martin and Roger have reached the badlands en route to Chicago. Next Thursday they plan to reach Madison, Wisconsin and meet up with VMR member and fabric saloon owner Peter Caldwell, plus some friends. Watch this space for a report of this unusual VMR gathering.
Re: Long distance Minors
Tonight, Martin Redmond and Roger Gaunt reached New York on the last leg of their round-the-world drive. Here is their final daily blog from the Big Apple:
"Final stage today, we drove in to New Jersey which is where we will leave Stanley for his sea trip. Along the freeway there are many bridges with US flags displayed - is this the norm, or is it because today is Veterans Day in US. Many of the flags have regular slits in them, which I came up with the view that they are to show respect for the injured vets. However we were late told that the slits are simply to let the wind through so the flag doesn’t get damaged! I like my idea better, its more romantic.
Arrived at the shippers without any trouble. However, as we were getting ready to go in, we saw them moving a car ready for shipping, using a fork lift truck! Is this what we have set up for Stanley? No NO NO! However, it turns out that they are non-runners, and it’s the only way to move them. Stanley runs fine, so he won’t be subjected to such indignity.
Stanley was taken inside, we took out what we wanted to take with us (except for the map of New York, left that by mistake!) And with a fond farewell, we took a taxi to the hotel where we are booked in for the next 3 nights.
In a way, it’s a massive anticlimax, leaving Stanley and not going home. Having had Stanley with us all the time for the last month, its a great wrench. On the way to the hotel, we got the taxi driver to stop off next to the ocean so that we could deliver the bottle of Pacific water that Shelagh collected for us, into the Atlantic. I moved to the side so that the sun wasn’t direct into the camera, and of course the wind blew half the water into my face. Which is why in the picture, Martin is partly obscured!
Taxi delivered us to the hotel, near JFK. Its all we could find at the time, and although we later found others that weren’t full, in Manhattan, they were at horrendous prices, so we kept the booking we'd made. OK, we have to take the subway in every day, but at $2,25 each way, it’s not that bad!
After a lunch we went into Manhattan and wandered around, looking at things in general. A huge city, with lots to look at. Came back to the hotel, went out for dinner, and now its the end of the evening.
Mileage 130, of which 70 relates to driving Stanley.
Martin's Manhattan moment:
So – it’s done.
15,000 miles driven from West to East. From Bedford in England to Bayonne in U.S.A. This leg has been much more relaxed and personally more rewarding than the first. In truth it was capable of being done (and indeed probably has) by a number of older cars and drivers from the UK if they had the determination to get over there. But the truth is I do not know of any one off hand who has. I recall a programme featuring the ubiquitous (?) and irritating Stephen Fry in which he was driving the US in a London Taxi. It was left hand drive and registered in the US.
A little nervousness lingers after leaving Stanley with warehouse as they had not heard direct from agents through whom I had arranged shipment home. They have the car and the registration document and I fly home on Monday, after which I have no control over situation - as if I have now.
We are in the Brooklyn district of NY - a concentrated Italian community and very busy. The accents and mannerisms are those we have all heard mimicked lots of times, but as always you can learn so much by the journey on public transport and the conversations you can strike up with people.
Its a different world but very much the same."
Read and see more at: http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-e ... pod.html#_
"Final stage today, we drove in to New Jersey which is where we will leave Stanley for his sea trip. Along the freeway there are many bridges with US flags displayed - is this the norm, or is it because today is Veterans Day in US. Many of the flags have regular slits in them, which I came up with the view that they are to show respect for the injured vets. However we were late told that the slits are simply to let the wind through so the flag doesn’t get damaged! I like my idea better, its more romantic.
Arrived at the shippers without any trouble. However, as we were getting ready to go in, we saw them moving a car ready for shipping, using a fork lift truck! Is this what we have set up for Stanley? No NO NO! However, it turns out that they are non-runners, and it’s the only way to move them. Stanley runs fine, so he won’t be subjected to such indignity.
Stanley was taken inside, we took out what we wanted to take with us (except for the map of New York, left that by mistake!) And with a fond farewell, we took a taxi to the hotel where we are booked in for the next 3 nights.
In a way, it’s a massive anticlimax, leaving Stanley and not going home. Having had Stanley with us all the time for the last month, its a great wrench. On the way to the hotel, we got the taxi driver to stop off next to the ocean so that we could deliver the bottle of Pacific water that Shelagh collected for us, into the Atlantic. I moved to the side so that the sun wasn’t direct into the camera, and of course the wind blew half the water into my face. Which is why in the picture, Martin is partly obscured!
Taxi delivered us to the hotel, near JFK. Its all we could find at the time, and although we later found others that weren’t full, in Manhattan, they were at horrendous prices, so we kept the booking we'd made. OK, we have to take the subway in every day, but at $2,25 each way, it’s not that bad!
After a lunch we went into Manhattan and wandered around, looking at things in general. A huge city, with lots to look at. Came back to the hotel, went out for dinner, and now its the end of the evening.
Mileage 130, of which 70 relates to driving Stanley.
Martin's Manhattan moment:
So – it’s done.
15,000 miles driven from West to East. From Bedford in England to Bayonne in U.S.A. This leg has been much more relaxed and personally more rewarding than the first. In truth it was capable of being done (and indeed probably has) by a number of older cars and drivers from the UK if they had the determination to get over there. But the truth is I do not know of any one off hand who has. I recall a programme featuring the ubiquitous (?) and irritating Stephen Fry in which he was driving the US in a London Taxi. It was left hand drive and registered in the US.
A little nervousness lingers after leaving Stanley with warehouse as they had not heard direct from agents through whom I had arranged shipment home. They have the car and the registration document and I fly home on Monday, after which I have no control over situation - as if I have now.
We are in the Brooklyn district of NY - a concentrated Italian community and very busy. The accents and mannerisms are those we have all heard mimicked lots of times, but as always you can learn so much by the journey on public transport and the conversations you can strike up with people.
Its a different world but very much the same."
Read and see more at: http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-e ... pod.html#_