The great (and not so great) stories are already rolling into our special Power Tour e-mail hot line. Power Tour participants are rolling toward Newton, Iowa, the starting point for the adventure, from all across the country. There’s some good, some bad, and some good old fashioned thrashing happening and the real trip doesn’t even officially start until tomorrow!
If you’re on the tour and you have a great story, funny photo, or anything else cool to share, e-mail it to [email protected] and we’ll share it with the world! This is the best stuff to read because they’re real deal experiences!
Also, click here to see the BangShift.com photo gallery from day 1.
Here we go:
From: BangShift.com reader James Bishir, sent at 2:25 AM on Friday!
Drove from Florida to Indiana to pick up my brother and the rear end started chattering. It’s nice to have friends with lifts!
From BangShift.com reader Bigbuds1 (Buddy), sent at 3:12AM on Friday!
From: BangShift.com reader David Miller, sent Friday at 8:28 PM
So at a rest stop somewhere on I-74 in Illinois, I stopped my mint green ’58 Chevy Apache longbed at a rest stop. It was late afternoon and i looked like I’d need to find some lodging. I pulled out my computer and walked up to one of the picnic tables and sat down to see what was available after Peoria. I got it to boot up when I noticed a guy looking over my truck, and under my truck. I walked back to the truck and the guy asked me if I’d pop the hood, he said he was a trucker, and that I’d passed him some miles back. Turns out he’s an old drag racer, who is currently building a Ranchero for the strip. I popped the hood, showed him the 5.3 Vortec 4L60e that I am running and we talked for two hours about cars, racing and wrenching. We both agreed that we build them to drive; no trailer queening here, and that shit happens when you drive. I showed him an nice chip and dent that I picked up from a construction zone past Indy. He gave me some good advice: If someone sees the flaws and battle scars on your ride, tell them to step back farther they are standing too close. This is from a guy who does demolition derby. He knows from dents and dings. Sounds like good advice for all us long haulers. Dave Miller aka, Bangshift forum’s Millerd.
From BangShift.com reader Bill Dunphy, sent Thursday 10:12 PM
I’m traveling topless in the 380 SL Mercedes (my Camaro fell too far behind to take). Well, due to it’s design if you are going over 55 or 60 you can drive in moderate rain with the top down and not get wet in the car. I went thru about 5 rain event with no problem. In Indiana, the skies are looking rough, I see lightning & then it start reaining really heavy, still the drivers area & the back seats were dry. I decided to look for a bridge to put under to put the top up. I find one, carefully get out put up the top, and just as I’m about to get in this guy pops up and says, “Did you stop to give me a ride?” I jumped about 3 feet in the air and screamed! I start talking to him and he is a guy from Wales hitch hiking across America, to go to California. I talked to him for a short while and determined his story was true. He was on the over pass till it rained and he really thought I pulled in for him.So I gave him a ride. He was very polite & did not smell bad. I know, I know the story of picking up hitchhikers, I’m an adult and in the 70’s we use to give people rides all the time. He was a nice guy, just wanted to be dropped off on the other side of Indianapolis. As we are driving he thanked me, I offer him some food, he said no thanks,I really expected him to ask for money or something, but he never did.We picked a spot on the side of safe road , he got out with his bag & waived good bye. It was another 19 miles to my hotel.He told me expercted to make another 50 miles before the sun went down.I do have some interesting times on the road.
