--continued....
I’m certain that his booming voice awoke several of the young-uns who were staying over for a soccer tournament – several of them had yelled “Nice Car, Mister!” the evening before………
The mist rolled off the paint as we headed down 28th street and onto I-96. The butterfly valves on his exhaust opened up – announcing to the world
“OK…I’m HERE -- now GET the H@#& OUT OF THE WAY……..”
....
--At that hour of the morning, it was appropriate for us to ‘practice his performance’ by performing ‘sprints’ – no traffic on the highway, so one can slow to about 5mph and then ‘hit it’ – allowing his muscles to get exercise. Funny – you could hear the joy in his roars and bellows………after all, isn’t that what a ZL1 is all about? Not breaking the law - but going from 5 to 70 is a lot of fun when there is nothing around......
At 4:30am, you can get a fresh cup of strong coffee at the Speedway station – the clerk a bit sleepy-eyed –but pleasant none-the-less.
“…nice car young feller, you take care now, ya hear?.. I remember my ’63 Chevy 409…………”
("...young feller?.....he can't even see that early in the morning!! )
– followed by a few very pleasant memories – his lined face seemingly to grow younger as he talked….. You wonder what other great stories you could get him to share over a drink or two……and what you just might learn from his many years – and the wisdom that those years brought forth…..
At 70 mph – the world flies by – but when there’s no traffic, you get to enjoy what’s alongside of the road. The mist nearly hides an old Chevy truck from the early 50s – as it sits in a field by itself….you wonder why it was parked there in the first place. Many farms – many outbuildings – some so very neat – others abandoned….each with many stories to tell. A sign for “Dot’s Candies” – I find myself wondering if Dot is someone’s grandmother – and if they use her original recipes…….. Cars enter and exit the freeway – very few of them, but it makes you wonder where they’re headed – or perhaps they’re getting home from an overnight job…..
God’s sunrise was especially firey on Sunday morning – the oranges and pinks and reds shimmering off Valentino’s hood……..out in the open, it can be breath-taking. I switched on the Halos as the skies grew lighter….and I came upon more and more cars and trucks.
I stopped just outside of Detroit to grab a quick breakfast. A young lady came into the restaurant a minute or two later and said to me:
“Is that your Camaro out there?” (….must have been the Camaro shirt….)
I indicated that it was and she said “…Oh my God! I looked in the rearview mirror as you came up behind me and your car could scare the heck outta someone! It just looks like it’s ANGRY!.......”
True, that…………. She tells her friend that she really really really wants one – except in yellow………….
As I pulled Mr. Valentino into my driveway, I realized just how relaxing the ride was coming home – and how much more calm I was -- and how I was looking forward to a Sunday of just plain-old relaxing….something I don’t seem to do much of…….. Perhaps I’d take some time to wash off the bugs (…Mustang Crumbs…) from Mr. Valentino's face – after all, a Michigan August DOES bring out the bugs………..and the Mustangs.....
And so as I come to the end of ANOTHER long story that doesn’t really lead anywhere – I highly encourage you to take a drive in the early hours of the morning…….and to just enjoy the trip…………
Thanks for listening………….