My wife Janet
(Mrs.4fifty4) and I traveled from Seattle, Washington, together with
Aaron (Canuck) & April Dodsworth of Langley, British Columbia,
Canada to gather with some fellow western region club members for the
first-ever FGMCC Western Meet down in Carson City, Nevada. To say that
we had a great time is an understatement, and the only thing that would
have made the trip more fun is if my Monte had been up for such a
journey at this stage of its nearly 35-year existence. It's not though,
so it had to stay home while we drove the family runabout down to The
Silver State. The following is my first-hand account of how it all
happened.
Aaron & April
arrived in their '70 Monte Carlo at our house on the hot Wednesday
evening of July 28th, and Thursday morning we embarked on our trip
together. Within half an hour we were at FGMCC storekeeper Lloyd (ADG
Trunklid) Wilson's place to visit for a while and to pick up official
club merchandise which Lloyd had neatly packed in a box for us to take
to the meet - being as he was unable to attend the event himself.
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Friday
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After a good day and a half of enjoyable road tripping that included a
night's stay at a Mt. Shasta, California Bed & Breakfast, the four
of us from the Pacific Northwest arrived in Carson City on Friday
afternoon. We checked into the club's designated motel, the Days Inn,
where we quickly spotted Mark (Wallaby) Andrus' 1971 Monte Carlo SS454
in the back parking lot. Aaron's '70 was dusty from its 900+ mile
journey that saw quite a bit of road construction in sunny 90 degree
weather, so it was decided that a good washing was in order before
attending the Friday evening festivities of Carson City's Silver Dollar
Car Classic - the event chosen for our first FGMCC Western Meet. Aaron
had brought a bottle of car wash, a bucket and a wash mitt along, and a
quick trip to a nearby Lowe's Home Improvement Center garnered us a hose
and nozzle with which to get the job done.
When we returned to the
motel we spotted Rod (mo's70 mc's) Marin's '70 in the back parking lot
in addition to Mark's '71, and then proceeded to wash Aaron's Monte at
the shady end of the building. It wasn't long before we met Rod and his
wife Janet, and Rod decided that his car could use a wash job as well.
After a while we looked around the building to the back lot again and
noticed that Mark's '71 was gone, so with the two '70s cleaned up the
six of us cruised to where the classic cars were congregated and found a
couple of back-in angle parking spots together on the street. Our group
of three couples then walked around and checked out the many cool cars
while the six-piece band called Route 66 performed hits spanning from
the '40s through the '90s. Across the street from the parking lot where
the band played was the Carson City Nugget, where Rod treated us to some
tasty prime rib dinners (thanks again, Rod)! Mark and his wife Beth met
up with us after dinner, and our group of eight stood around the Montes
under the street lights, checked out the cars and chatted for a while
before calling it a night and heading back to the Days Inn. We had a big
day ahead of us.
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Please
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A water pump swap won't stop Rod and Janet from getting to the meet.
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This dirt highway and construction won't stop Aaron and April either.
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Aaron's Monte gets a wash after 900 miles of driving. Dave gives it a
good rinse. |
Rod ponders the purchase of some FGMCC goodies. |
Parked at Friday night's Street Dance |
The Friday Night Party |
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Saturday
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Saturday morning we all went to a nearby Denny's for breakfast, where
we met up with another club member, Cameron Lewis, who brought his '71
Monte Carlo from Reno. Good breakfasts and conversations were had
before taking some group pictures in the parking lot and then heading
to the grassy grounds and big trees of Mills Park for the Silver
Dollar Car Classic's Show and Shine. We were able to park the Montes
together, and set up the canopy that Cameron brought along - which
gave us some additional shade as well as provide a suitable place to
hang the FGMCC banner. Before long we spotted another first-gen
pulling in, and the owner was pleased to park it near the four Montes
already representing the FGMCC. It didn't take long for us to check
out the '71 and introduce ourselves to the owner, Steve Hawkins of
Reno - whose older brother had bought the car new. Steve had never
heard of the FGMCC, and he was blown away to find out that a club like
ours exists. We gave him a warm welcome, and he filled out a club
membership application form, bought a t-shirt and quickly became part
of our "family". Many Monte discussions were in full swing
as we checked out the cars and compared details between them. Man,
they sure looked great sitting there all together!
There was a DJ on
hand at the show, and Rod found out that he would announce a
"welcome" plug for our club if we put in writing what we
wanted him to say. Once we had it worked out, Rod took our piece of
paper over to the DJ and he soon read our little blurb during a break
between musical selections. Wow, did he ever do it justice! We all
listened with attentive ears, and as soon as he finished belting out
the last line through the loudspeakers, "…the first generation
Monte Carlo is the car that got Chevrolet back into NASCAR
racing", he cranked up The Beach Boys' "Fun Fun Fun".
Man, it just couldn't have been any better than that, and we were all
pretty stoked!
A while later, club
member Dick Sullivan and his 12 year-old grandson Cody arrived from
Rancho Cordova, California. Dick drove his '71 to the meet, and even
though he didn't have it entered in the show he was able to park on
the grass fairly close by. It was cool to see Dick and Cody hanging
out together while wearing their matching FGMCC flamed hats, which
they purchased on the spot. In the afternoon a couple came by and
stated that they had a Monte for sale, and they wanted to know what we
thought of it. A bunch of us went to check out their green '71, and we
all agreed that it would make for an easy restoration. After hearing
our assessment of their car, they said that they didn't really need
the money that its sale would bring, and that they just might keep and
restore it! They were excited to learn about our club, and they bought
an FGMCC t-shirt and were looking forward to checking out the website.
It was nice to meet them.
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Mmmm, breakfast at Denny's. Had to take the shot with 4 Montes
together Saturday morning. |
From L to R: Dave, Mark, Rod, Aaron, Cameron. |
Aaron and April |
Relaxing at the show |
The FGMCC gang trading stories |
Beth checking out Mark's unique drinking style |
Dave, Rod and Aaron |
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Reflection of Rod's Monte in Cameron's paint. |
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Steve's 402 big block. |
Aaron's 350 4 barrel engine |
Mark's 454. Check out that air cleaner! |
Cameron and his '71 |
The first generation Monte dash display |
A shot of Aaron's Interior |
Around 7:00pm Saturday evening the Silver Dollar Car Classic hosted
parade laps at the Champion Speedway. It was cool to cruise in the
long lineup of vintage cars on the way to the track with the
assistance from Carson City Sheriff's Department officers, who were
busy escorting us through intersections and stopping regular traffic
in order to grant us right-of-ways. A total of forty cars were allowed
to participate in the parade laps, and four of them were FGMCC Monte
Carlos. We were able to keep the Montes lined up one after another
while lapping the track, and we could distinctly hear the announcer
over the loudspeakers read participant's names along with "Monte
Carlo - Chevrolet" as cheers and applause sounded from the
grandstands. Quite a few low-speed laps were made around the track,
and Dick stood in the track infield near the Sheriff's Department
vehicles in order to photograph the event with his fine digital camera
gear. It was a blast!
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Staging for the cruise to Champion Motor Speedway. |
Staging |
Staging |
Cruisin' to the track |
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After leaving Champion Speedway, most of us headed out to the
"old west" town of Virginia City, where a lot of the main
street's parking was reserved for Silver Dollar Car Classic
participants. After getting the Montes parked we enjoyed strolling
along on the wood boardwalks, peering into store windows and taking
pictures in the dusk light on that last day of July. Many shops,
saloons and restaurants were open late, and we enjoyed evening meals
at a Chinese restaurant - Virginia City style.
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Leaving the track for Virginia City |
Cruisin' to Virginia City |
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Sun's goin' down |
Our Montes in the historic old west town |
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Dick's grandson, Cody, with a cool new hat. |
The moonlight coming over the hill and the historic church is lit up |
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Sunday
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August got off to an early start, as by 6:30 Sunday morning we were
parking a bunch of the Monte Carlos together in the parking lot of the
Days Inn for group photographs. Dick was the official photographer
once again, and he used his camera's self timer in order to include
himself in a few shots as well. Although we wished that Dick could
have stayed longer, he had to get in his goodbyes after that morning's
photo session so that he could understandably tend to his grandson -
who was still sleeping in their motel room - and hit the road back to
California. After that, most of us enjoyed breakfast at Denny's (the
official breakfast provider for FGMCC Western Meet participants) once
again before heading to Mills Park.
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Beth and Mark |
Steve |
April and Aaron |
Janet and Dave |
Dick the photographer. |
Janet and Rod |
By 10:00am there were
four Monte Carlos involved in the Silver Dollar Car Classic's Poker
Run. Participants paid $5.00 to buy a poker hand and then drove to
seven different checkpoints, where a random card was obtained at each
to complete the game. Nobody in our FGMCC group ended up with the
highest hand, but it was sure a fun drive - seeing so many cool cars
out and driving around the outskirts of town under the hot Nevada sun.
And when was the last time that you saw four beautiful first-gen Monte
Carlos chasing each other around, anyway? It was a lot of fun!
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Leading the pack during the Sunday Poker Run |
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Can you spot 3 Montes in this photo? |
Cameron and his
girlfriend Teresa were at Mills Park with his '71 Monte when we
returned from the Poker Run around noon, and the show's finale was a
steak barbeque and an awards ceremony where many plaques were handed
out. Thanks in part to my wife Janet inquiring about awards, Aaron
received a "Longest Traveler" award and got to drive his car
through the line for everyone to see him accept it. After the awards
ceremony we regrouped and chatted for a while before getting in our
goodbyes to Cameron, Teresa and Steve before they all headed back to
Reno. Our club sure has some great members in Nevada!
Those of us staying
at the Days Inn returned to the motel, with some catching naps or
simply taking it easy for a while. Janet and I got together at a
nearby restaurant with a couple of my Nevada cousins for an early
dinner and some time to visit, and it was great to see them again.
Later on, the eight of us at the Days Inn drove to Fandango's Casino
(which was highly recommended by Steve) for dinners, desserts and more
social time fun. It sure was a good recommendation on Steve's part!
After returning to the motel, we said our goodbyes to Rod and Janet so
that they could embark on their trip back to southern California.
Although Rod's Monte looked great in action under the lights of the
motel parking lot, we hated to see them go.
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Aaron receives the Longest Traveller award |
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You really can't beat the rear
end styling of a Monte Carlo owner |
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Going
Home
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We checked out of the Days Inn on Monday morning, and our last
breakfast at Denny's was had as a smaller group - with Mark &
Beth, Aaron & April and Janet & myself attending. After
breakfast we had to say our goodbyes to Mark & Beth, and as I
stood there and watched them pull away in the Mulsanne Blue '71 SS454,
it fully hit me that our Western Meet was officially over. Yeah, it
was kind of sad to watch them leave, too. They were headed for their
home in California, and our foursome from the Pacific Northwest set
out for Virginia City once again for more sightseeing and knocking
around before going to Reno for the evening and starting our journey
home on Tuesday.
When we stopped at a
rest area in Oregon on Tuesday afternoon, a gentleman came over to
give Aaron's Monte a closer look. He was kind of reluctant to talk
very much, but he did tell us that he had retired from GM four years
ago and that he did some design work for the original Monte Carlos
back in the day. He reminisced about drawing up a full-length interior
console that never saw production and told us what great cars they are
before walking back to his late model Cadillac, where it appeared that
his wife was waiting inside for him. As we all know, first generation
Monte Carlos are real head turners, and it just goes to show that you
never know who you're going to attract attention from!
To sum up, the
inaugural FGMCC Western Meet was a great success, and a wonderful time
was had by all. There are some very nice people in this club, and it
was a real pleasure for me to meet more of them in person and to spend
time with everyone who was able to attend. It's been said many times
how much this car club is like a family, and the comradery that one
experiences at a meet like this is further proof of that. In addition
to the fellowship of club members, getting to see so many great first-gen
Monte Carlos all together in one spot is truly what I would call
"eye candy"! Was it all worth the trip? Absolutely. Would I
do it all again? In a heartbeat!
- Dave
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