southern california X1/9

After a relaxing evening in the pool and sauna, I got to bed and slept until I felt like getting up. No alarm, no real timetable, it would only be about a 5 hour drive today to my final destination. Today’s drive was rainy, at times very heavy rain which slowed me down some. It was otherwise a fairly uneventful drive aside from the fact that I now had some really green scenery along the way which was a nice change from the desert and plains. I finally arrived in Knoxville around 530pm.

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I had met, in-person, another one of my long-time virtual friends, Brett Melancon. Brett is one of the nicest guys you will ever find and it was quite a treat to pull up to his house and have his entire family come out to greet me and welcome in the Cinquecento. After settling in, Brett and I headed downtown to Calhoun’s on the Tennessee River where we met a couple of his friends for brew and BBQ. From there we visited a very unique garage filled with some very special and rare automobilia. I will not divulge all the details out of respect for both of the owner’s privacy (unless I hear otherwise), but here a few pics from the evening, including my final relay of The Torch.

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Last but not least, there are so many people to thank for having been able to take part in this whole experience. It starts with one man, Jim Magill, who with his association with the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice, led him to bring us this car and promote the fundraising charity. I only found out how I could get involved through my own association with XWeb and fellow club member Brett Melancon so without either of these individuals/organizations, none of this would be possible for me. As such, I have made my humble contribution on behalf of XWeb and all of it’s fine people and with the help of Brett for the amount of $100.

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Thank you to all!

Woke up this morning after another terrific night’s rest; this time in the warm surroundings of the Mandlebaum residence. Carolyn had fixed a nice breakfast of fresh fruit and homemade banana-chocolate chip bread, which I imposed my desire to take with me on the road! After breakfast, Allen and I took a short drive in the 500 – he demonstrated his experience in right-hand drive and was just having too much fun. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to the Mandlebaums for welcoming me into their home for the evening.

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Prior to leaving Tulsa, we took a quick shower…

On the road again, I’m doing shorter shifts in a vain attempt to prolong my time with the Cinquecento. Today’s journey only took me 400 miles into Memphis where I will camp out for the night and just take it easy. Jim Decker made the 4-hour trip all the way down from St. Louis, just to have a beer and a pork BBQ sandwich with moi and well, see a 500 too. We found a cool location to take a few pics together with the cars at this pyramid-shaped building called…….. “The Pyramid.”

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Jim’s X1/9 is still a virgin. Starts, runs, sounds and drives like you’re leaving the dealer lot with a new one. While we were at the bar finishing up a couple of sodas, the weather turned into severe thunderstorms so we waited it out until it was safe for him to trek back home – he could only stay for the day. Thank you Jim for making the trip down!

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Today seemed to be a pretty good day not only with the ‘lil girl, but with FIAT enthusiasts in this area of the country. I received a phone call from Duane Estill in Corinth, Mississippi. Although only 1.5 hrs away, it was unfortunate timing as he was not able to come up for a meet with Jim and I. There’s a southern route along highway 72 I can take into Nashville, however I’d like to do a late-morning departure and take advantage of some rest here at the hotel. I could use a swim and steam room treatment on the legs – the 500 is not equipped with cruise control and my right leg is feeling a bit twitchy.

To finish out the evening, I had the pleasure of meeting Memphis’ own Chris Layton. Chris and I have been long-time “virtual” friends via the forum, however this would be our first in-person meeting. Over dinner at the local landmark “Huey’s”, we talked like it was old times proving yet again that this little car hobby is more than just a hobby. The people behind the cars are just amazing and Chris is no exception. We talked so much, in fact, that I forgot to bring out the torch for the photos – Sorry Chris! I’ll photoshop it in

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The Mandlebaums, Jim Decker, Duane Estill and Chris Layton. This day was by far the highlight of my trip.

I am right on schedule.

The 500 said good bye to the California Riviera and headed east. We left home at 7am and after getting coffee, began the trek East.

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Nothing much to report out of Day 1, other than stumbling upon the Chrylser “Proving Grounds” in western Arizona. There has been some talk about Chrylser being involved with FIAT’s return to the U.S., and even though the 500 was eager to prove herself, she arrived a bit early in the game

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A quick 6 miles off course was Meteor Crater…didn’t stop in and look around, but the road was pretty interesting….

Much of the trek from Flagstaff into Albuquerque was filled with rain and lightening storms, which ruined my plans to stop at the Continental Divide since I was slowed down by the weather. I did make it to a comfy Marriott property in Abq right around 10pm – 11 hours of driving and 835 miles later.

Onto Tulsa tomorrow to visit with Allen Mandlebaum.