Most of you know the story with that Duster. Mr. Black’s Lincoln on the left is a single family, unrestored car. It kicks ass. When I suggested it would be an ideal Power Tour car, Mr. Black thought I was kidding at first, then feared he’d be laughed out of town if he showed up in it. I convinced him otherwise. It was his Grandmother’s car. A lady who strolled into a Lincoln dealership in 1974 and order a triple black Continental Mark IV. Awesome woman.
Mr. Black and I departed Your Classic ride in Kansas City, MO at about 7:15 this morning. Jim knows me as somebody who shuns early morning activities and was reasonably incredulous that I’d actually be up and at them at such an hour. But there I was. The Duster was as flight checked as it was going to be and I was ready to go. Mr. Black’s 1974 Lincoln Continental Mark IV was also well sorted and ready to make the trek to Concord. Mr. Black, Jimi and I shared in an early morning Coors (The Banquet Beer) and away we went.
As usual, Jimi, AKA Mr. Parks had made himself available to help out Mr. Black and myself as we prepped for our departure. Turns out, all we asked of him was to engage in a pre Power Tour toast. Cheers, Jimi!
Before long, Mr. Black and I were where making our way East with Concord, NC in our sites. The plan was that I would lead the way until we made it past St. Louis. Then we would pull over at a specific McDonald’s that Mr. Black is partial to and then he would take the lead, as he has made this journey many times before and we’d follow his course. Of course I blew past that McDonald’s and it would be miles before another one. But all this talk of McDonald’s really had me craving McDonald’s so I yanked the Duster off the interstate at the first site of the Golden Arches. QP 9; FF10; CC 10. Solid.
We made good time with little drama until we hit Nashville, TN. Mr. Black made a slight error in navigation that put us downtown during Friday rush hour. We pretty much idled for an hour before being clear of the mess. As with most traffic jams, there was no obvious cause for the backup. Once we hit a certain point, things just kind of clear up. Whatever. We had been driving for about eleven hours at this point and Mr. Black decided to pull over so we could consider our position and how we could improve it. Turns out, we decided to get a couple rooms at the Hampton Inn and pick it up tomorrow.
This sums up our Nashville experience. Lovely town.
Even though Mr. Black has never participated in a Power Tour, it turns out that he already possesses some valuable Power Tour skills. First and foremost, he’s adaptable and easy to get along with. Secondly, he has the art of long distance driving down to an art. Thirdly, he has a bar in the trunk of his Lincoln.
As we stood in the Hampton Inn parking lot drinking whiskey and discussing dinner options, the Sheriff and his stink eye cruised by. Knowing that harassing two middle aged white guys wouldn’t be worth the paper work, he rolled on.
I have to go to bed now. In the morning we’ll get an early start and try to be at the drag strip by 3:00 pm. I’ll see some old friends there and I hope to make some new ones.
