Second WI Meeting of P15/D24 & Piloit House Members

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed (dodgepu1946) and I were discussing possibly setting up another meeting in another thread. Thought I would start a new one so it wouldn't get lost.

In that one we both agreed that after the first of November people start getting busy with the holidays. That only leaves us this month for this year, then anytime after the first of the year. Might be hard to get everyone together between now and the end of October due to short notice.

The purpose of this post is to see if and how many people would be interested in getting together, probably in 08. If so, what month should we do it? Do we want to do it when the weather is good enough for people to bring out their old cars, or in the middle of the winter months to break the winter humdrums? I did enjoy getting together in January last year to break the humdrums of winter. However, it would be nice to also get together with the old cars, if possible.

So..........should we do both? Have a January/February meeting, then another one sometime after April. Lets face it, around here April is not always nice weather. Can get a foot of snow sometimes in April, and not many are going to want to drive their cars/trucks in that slop.

We could do it like last year and just meet for lunch someplace, or make it a regular outing someplace. A garage tour would be neat. Only problem with that is, we are spread from the SE corner all the way to St. Paul, so that wouldn't work out too well. But........there are a lot of other things to do between here and there.

If interested what month and should we do two meets? Once we have that down, we can go on to what we do, where we meet and set a time and date.

[Dennis_MN]

I'd like to have a fall drive........

Around Columbus day, say to Spring Green at the Round Barn Motel..

Nice fall leaf ride, then put the cars away until next spring.

Dennis Sullivan

Monticello,MN

[rearview]

I'd be all for it... but my weekends seem to be hard to come by lately.

[Norm's Coupe]

Don't know where the Round Barn Motel is, but I know where Spring Green is. Would be a nice fall drive through there, but due to distance would have to drive my modern car. Problem may be as mentioned by Bob. Kind of short notice to get everyone together for Columbus Day weekend. Just checked my calendar and we have tickets to the play that weekend.

[rearview]

I think I'd need an IV bottle of rotella to get my Dodge to Spring Green and back.

But the underside wouldn't rust this winter!!

[Young Ed]

My plymouth keeps getting more road worthy. It was a pleasure driving it home with the repainted steering wheel! Dennis not sure where you are talking about as a destination. Already going on a 3day leaf your this weekend. 10-5 to 10-7

[55 Fargo]

Wouldn't mind attending this myself if the timing works out, where do you think it would take place. I would be going in my modern car of course. Is it a one day get together............Fred

[Merle Coggins]

Once again, I'm all for it. I like the Spring Green idea too, but I would have to take a modern vehicle as well. I will be pushing this winter to have my truck up and running by spring. If we do something then maybe I can participate with it. Otherwise I liked the January lunch get-to-gether too.

Merle

[Norm's Coupe]

My plymouth keeps getting more road worthy. It was a pleasure driving it home with the repainted steering wheel! Dennis not sure where you are talking about as a destination. Already going on a 3day leaf your this weekend. 10-5 to 10-7

Ed, Spring Green is in SW Wisconsin between the Mississippi River and Madison, WI. As mentioned though, I know I can't make it Columbus Day weekend. Any time after that is ok in October though. Only problem would be if the leaves are still hanging on the trees after that. One good wind or rain storm toward the end of the month and all the color is gone.

[Young Ed]

Ya I will already be on a leaf tour with our plymouth club. I believe we are headed to SW mn. I will more then likely be in WI the following weekend. Possibly storing my car for the winter at my parents cabin. Anything going on in the hayward area? I could probably head south a ways from there too. I think Spooner is the next big town to the south.

[Don Coatney]

Norm;

I have heard it is nice in Brownsville, WI. However that is 52.5 miles from Waukesha and way out of your range. However there is an Industrial drive about 2.6 miles closer to Waukesha near the Wisconsin Central railway track that might be a good meeting place well within your 50 mile driving range. You could park on this industrial drive and blink your headlights 3 times to let all the others know you have arrived:rolleyes:

[Norm's Coupe]

Norm;

I have heard it is nice in Brownsville, WI. However that is 52.5 miles from Waukesha and way out of your range. However there is an Industrial drive about 2.6 miles closer to Waukesha near the Wisconsin Central railway track that might be a good meeting place well within your 50 mile driving range. You could park on this industrial drive and blink your headlights 3 times to let all the others know you have arrived:rolleyes:

Don, not much to look at in the Industrial Park on Industrial Drive. I've been in that park many times. Plus I have a friend who owns one of the buildings there. He's retired and rents out most of the building now, but in one section of it he has his shop with several neat old 30's and 40's Fords. Only one done though, the others he does as projects and sells them. He keeps his 46 Ford Convertible though, that's done. He's the guy in the Blue and White shirt next to my car at the Waukesha Fairgounds at the Good Guys Show.

[Merle Coggins]

Norm;

I have heard it is nice in Brownsville, WI. :

What's so nice about Brownsville? I've been there. It's just another small town out in the middle of farm country. The only reason I go there is to visit one of our largest customers, Michels Pipeline. Their yard is about 1/2 of the town.

Merle

[Norm's Coupe]

What's so nice about Brownsville? I've been there. It's just another small town out in the middle of farm country. The only reason I go there is to visit one of our largest customers, Michels Pipeline. Their yard is about 1/2 of the town.

Merle

Merle, I think Don has "Way too much time on his hands". He's sitting in front of his computer looking at something like Map Quest so he can try to give me a hard time. His map on the computer probably doesn't show Spring Green because it's too small, so he chose Brownsville. Only time I know that he's been in Wisconsin was in the early 90's when he worked for Bordens. The Plymouth, WI plant was doing a revamp and he traveled to the plant to help with the machinery. As it turns out, I was there the same time working with the Plant Engineer on a lot of floor resurfacing. Of course Don and I didn't know each other then. We could have walked right by each other during that time and not known it.

[Young Ed]

Just want to get this back to the top and see if anyone has come up with anything. Also maybe could be in conjunction with Bobs trip through the area?

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed,

Bob doesn't seem to have a set schedule for his trip through the area. That would make it a little hard to get everyone together on short notice. I gave him my phone number to call when he gets here. I can usually break loose just about anytime, but others like Merle may not be able to. So, this is going to be more or less a spur of the moment thing meeting Bob. That would be especially hard for you on the spur of the moment. Might be better to just send Bob your phone number so he can call when he gets up by you.

Sounds like Merle liked the January get together idea. That did turn out nice last year, so maybe we'll shoot for that again this year and should set a date for it. I would like to set up something for the warmer months too. Merle tried that last year, but the May thing didn't seem to pan out for everyone so it didn't happen. Maybe we'll have better luck for the warm month one this year.

[Young Ed]

I can certainly try for January again. I think I missed the May one because our plymouth club was doing a tour that day. I think January I just decided it was a little too far to drive. I may change my mind this time though.

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed,

I'm sure everyone else that was at the January meeting last year understood why you didn't make it. Although it was a nice day that day (weather), you can't depend on it that time of year, especially when you're driving about 325 miles one way to get there. I know it's no fun driving between here and there that time of year. I did it many years traveling from here to our St. Paul office. Many times I'd run into bad weather up around Eau Claire, WI. Several times the only thing I could see through the snow was the truck in front of me. Followed their tail lights because they were marking where the road was for me.

[Young Ed]

I only did it once. I came to meet townwagon in Madison and buy a correct #d flathead for my 46 pickup. On the way back we ran into a really sloppy late winter snow storm. I think it would have been March. All the way back we had to go slow and not slip around in the sloppy freeways. At one time we started to slide sideways and almost took out someone on the shoulder when the trailer swung around.

[Merle Coggins]

Ahh, the fun of winter travel.

I've traveled through winter storms several times. Sometimes you could bearly see beyond the hood, other times it was just a mater of holding on the road without sliding off, and sometimes it's not too bad if you just take it easy. Either way it'll wear a guy out from the constant intense concentration. I-94 can get nasty. There's plenty of areas where the wind can blow snow across the road making things interesting.

Any time for the gathering would be fine with me. Having a few weeks notice usually helps with my schedule, but most weekends through the winter aren't as full of activities as in the summer. I just figured January would probably work best for most. November is busy with hunting season and such and December can get rather full with Christmas things for some people. For me, I don't hunt, but I'll probably be going down to Indy for Thanksgiving with family. And Christmas only takes up a few days with a couple of shopping days thrown in. Other than that I hope to be in the shop, most weekends from now through spring, getting my truck painted and back together.

Merle

[Norm's Coupe]

Merle,

I don't hunt either, value my life too much for that with all the quick trigger fingers out there.

As for winter driving in Wisconsin. Driving from here to Indy can be a challenge too from about November through March. Even as early as October sometimes it can get rough going that way. Especially between the Chicago/Indiana border and about Lafayette, IN. That stretch is terrible a lot of times that time of year. Use to go to Kentucky every Christmas or New Years up until the late 70's and finally said never again, unless it's an emergency. Can't count the times I had to pull off I-65 and wait for the salt truck to come through so I could follow it. Also use to make a trip to Cleveland to our home office about every October. Hit a lot of ice and snow storms that time of year on I-80 from about LaPort, IN to about Toledo, OH. Northern Indiana can really get hit hard during those months.

[Merle Coggins]

Oh yes, I know about I-65 too. I remember one trip. I left my parents house in light flurries. Up around LaFayette traffic got really slow and I noticed a salt truck in the right lane up ahead. After a while I was tired of following the crowd behind the salt truck, and listening to the salt bouncing off of my truck, so I got out in the left lane and worked my say past the truck. About the time my rear bumper passed the salt truck's front plow my truck turned instantly right, facing the ditch. I somehow managed to get it straightened back out without going into the ditch or median. Once off the salted surface I found out how slippery it actually was. The salt truck driver probably had some choice words to say about me at that time. I locked in the 4WD and was OK after that. But I still took it easy.

You guys in the sun belt don't know what kinda fun yer missin'

Merle

[Young Ed]

Ok so now the east and west are working again on meetings. We in the middle need to keep going on ours!

[Norm's Coupe]

Ok, since we want to do it but no one is setting dates, I'll set it for Saturday January 26, 2008. Time and place to be determined. Anyone have a problem with that date. If so, what other date sounds good. If that date is good, we'll work on the place. Any suggestions? I would think any place between Milwaukee and Madison along I-94 would be alright.

As for a warm weather date, any date is ok with me except the last weekend of May (Waukesha Swap Meet) and July 15th (anniversary) is ok with me at this time. Any suggestions for the warm weather date?

[Young Ed]

Norm not that I ever really watch but isn't that superbowl weekend?