Midwest Esses Meet in Montague

[larry47us]

So, here it was. A fall weekend in the Midwest, and the second meet of the Midwest Esses (but there were some "E's" there as well ) It was supposed to rain, but it didn't. It was supposed to be cold, but it was only cool, and the cars were hot and the friendship was overflowing.

We were all to meet at the Weathervane Inn in Montague. Brian, Dwight (and his lovely wife Candice) and I met in New Buffalo, IN for a lunch and a caravan to the Inn.

That evening was a gathering of friends, old and new. The final talley was:

Brian (fryardds)
Larry (larry47us)
Dwight - and wife Candice (scargo70)
Curt - and wife Kim (curtegerer)
Randy - and fiance Barb
Dave - and wife Melissa (cornpanzer)
Jim - and wife Charlie (SWBS)
George (GeorgeK)
Jared - (JCR)

We all joined in for dinner at a restaurant called Scales - Fish and Steaks, just a short hop from the hotel. It was a caravan of early cars going there, and the service was good, the food excellent, and the company unmatched. Brian was going to leave to pick up George at the Grand Haven airport, but a phone call allowed Brian to finish dinner, as George's plane was delayed in Cleveland. A couple of hours in Cleveland is like a day anywhere else - or so Jay Leno says. The evening finished up at Randy and Barb's room with wine, beer, cheese and cheer.

The hotel was a smashing selection. Every room had a fireplace and a jacuzzi. But not everyone had a partner to share the amenities with.

That afternoon, while we were schmoozing about the cars, a local resident drove up - It was Bob, who had his own 993, and offered to take us on some lesser known roads, and seeing the sights. The next morning we were all to arrive at Gary's Restaurant. Jared and Brian got a headstart to the restaurant, and called us to inform us that they had landed at the Lumberjack Restaurant. Bob's eyes rolled. Oh, well, How bad can you mess up a breakfast??? Well, Kim chipped in at the Lumberjack, dealing out napkins, silverware, water and coffee. Finally the waitress came over and told us that she had called in reinforcements. Boy were they needed. Breakfast was ok, depending on who you spoke to. Dave had his issues with the meal - bathrooms just weren't close enough together on Saturday. For me, the pancakes were larger than the plate, and it was suggested that they were a fine addition to houndstooth fabric and vinyl sportseats. I passed.

We then lined up at the hotel and got ready for our drive into the hills and dales.

[larry47us]

Bob had planned on taking us to a nice place for that Kodak moment, but the bridge taking us over to it was out. "Geez" Bob declared, "it was open just a few weeks ago." So we drew the wagons into a circle to reconnoiter in a new direction. Heck, George doesn't need any special location for those Kodak moments, as can be clearly seen here.

Of course, George spent much of his time riding with his hand outside the window shooting these pix. Glad he had a tight grip on his camera. The twisties were really pretty, and the trees were all kinds of colors, but as is always the case, just as we got to the most interesting part of the roads, there was some pickmeup, or a Caddy STS or the like that decided to enjoy the sights and mosey down the road. "Oh dear, it says 15 mph, maybe we better slow down." Slow down??? Daayyym, my lead foot was just warmin' up!!! $&%*@#&%$

Here's pix of us tooling down the road, Randy with his everpresent grin, and your's truly.

[larry47us]

We then were led to one of the many beaches in the area. The dunes are magnificent, and there was this really tight turnaround that Bob thought would look really nice with all of us pulled in tight with each other. OK, but a 911 just isn't designed for traction in the sand!!!

That black S in the front of the third shot is Dave's. You gotta just love those Mag wheels. Hey, he complained about the potential rain, but he spent that obligatory hour polishing them Friday afternoon. But we all watched in admiration, and they sure looked HOT on his car - non-standard, but really HOT. Proud of ya' Davey boy!!!

And the pix of people - Here's the ID, left to right - Brian, Randy, Dwight, Melissa, Kim and Barb.

And that last pic is of Brian's E Coupe. Really nice looking car, but it had kinda of a bad outcome at the end of the run. Brian had talked all weekend long that the car felt a bit squirrely, but no one ever figured out what it was. He was going to have the suspension looked at after the weekend. On the ride home, Brian was leading, and I was chasing him from the rear, he suddenly pulled over, and told me that his front end was really, really wrong. Something was up. We tugged on the wheels and didn't feel anything. One more stop a couple of miles down the road - Now he was really concerned. We pulled off at the next light, and into a parking lot. I pulled out my jack, and we jacked up the corner. The wheel had about 6 inches of play as you tugged on it. Took off the tire and the grease cap, and the hub was dry, and full of metal shreds. The wheel bearing had disintegrated. Let this be a lesson to you younguns. Pack those wheel bearings. Luckily, nothing bad happened. We were all lucky. We had Brian's car flatbedded to a shop in Holland, and I drove him home. Whew, that was close - I mean really

[larry47us]

So, the run continued. We headed off into a small town, and George proceeded to line up the cars. Larry, pull yours forward a few inches. Dave, back yours up just a bit. Randy, just a bit forward. We all gladly complied. Jared, pull forward just a few inches. "Nope." Oh, come on Jared, pull your car forward. We all know that George is really anal about his lining up cars, but the pictures are worth it. "Hey, I can't do that." Jared, come on, why can't you just be one of the group, and just move your car?? "Because I locked my keys inside."

a-HAH!!! There was a good reason. So, while I called AAA, the rest of the guys proceeded with wires, screwdrivers, and whatever they could find to pry open the door to unlock unlucky Jared's car. And I might as well tell you that by the time AAA showed up, the car was unlocked, and Jared was justifiably more than a bit embarrassed. George and I didn't take pictures of that, but I think that Dave had a couple.

Oh, and that picture in the middle is of Curt. Yep, that's him with his perennial smile on his face. What he is really saying is, "will you guys just unlock Jared's car, so we can get to that tavern, and I can have my long awaited BEER!?!?!?!" (really, for those of you who don't know Curt, he doesn't always look like that -- -- only when the camera is pointed at him!!! Don't ask me why.

[larry47us]

More road pix, heading through town. We drew a lot of attention. There were always a few people that showed up to point fingers and say "hey, are you guys a Porsche club or something?" And you try not to say things like - Nope, I guess that we were all just driving around, and all happened to stop at the same parking LOT!!!

But everyone was really nice, and impressed with the cars. And with good reason. Hell, I'm impressed!!!!

So, we have a picture of Dwight in his Silver 70 S. Hey, Dwight - you talking on your cell phone??? Pay attention to the road!!!. Then there's a picture of me taking a picture of George taking a picture of me. Couldn't resist. And one of Dave and Melissa.

I might add that Candice, Dwights better half, was sick with a cold, and spent most of the weekend in her room, under the covers, trying to sleep it off. Hope you're feeling better Candice!!!

[larry47us]

After getting Jared back in his wheels, we all headed over to a brewhouse for some beer and food. It was a good place, and we parked about 4 blocks away, just because we weren't sure exactly where it was. Food was good, and the beer was even better. They had this Dry Stout that was really good . . . . . . . . .

Then it was back on the road through some great twisties at 20 mph, following someone in a chevy impala or some other american iron that doesn't know what to do with twisted pavement.

We headed back to the hotel, where we all dropped in on Randy and Barb. Beer wine and Maker's Mark flowed freely. Cheese disappeared, and M&M's Peanuts were seen leaving the scene as well.

The next morning, those that didn't have to catch the ferry back across the lake headed to Gary's - For real this time - and had a nice breakfast. Kim got to enjoy her meal. She didn't need to serve this time. But thanks for the last one, Kim, everyone appreciated it.

Most of these pictures were from George. On a personal note, it was great to see everyone again, and to meet some new faces. It looks like we are going to have to do this again, but once a year just isn't - nope just isn't - frequent enough. Need to plan a spring trip - Oh, we are - we'll see how the plans come together. Guys, please post your other pix, and the parts of the story that I missed.

Here's the gang flying in formation on the highway, a rest stop where we played musical cars, pix of Jared in his silver coupe, and one of George taking a picture of me, taking a picture of him - sorry, I couldn't resist.

larry

[Chuck Miller]

GREAT pics Larry !!!

Looks like you guys had a great event ...

Cheers,

[fryardds]

I too had a fantastic time once again with all of you. It was great to have several new folks join us for the event. What an easy and fun group to be with.

Thanks to Larry for putting up the photos and the weekend chronicles. Also for saving my bacon on the way home. The left front wheel bearings in the '70E coupe disintigrated around Holland, MI and the car had to be flat bedded to a local garage for repairs. We almost made it through the weekend with no mechanicals. George, glad you weren't relying on me for a ride to the airport.

Lookout West coasters a plan has been hatched for a long road trip by the Midwest Chapter guys to drive out for the RGruppe gathering in Monterey next year.

[Cornpanzer]

It was an excellent weekend for sure! Melissa and I drove 1000+ miles in three days in a 35 year old car without the slightest little problem. What other early sports car besides a 911 is that dependable?

Great seeing old friends and meeting new! I am definatly ready for the California trip!

Here is a pic of some of the group on Fri night. You will note that Dwight (Scargo70) is attempting to impress his wife Candace with the famous "face-cup" trick. I seriously doubt it worked. LOL

[Cornpanzer]

Here is Curt with his early morning, pre-coffee smile working!