Our Trip to Lake Tahoe

50^th Anniversary Grand National Meet

By Ken & Carolyn Bounds

What seemed like years in the making was finally here.  Time to trust that you have done all the preparation needed to ensure a 63-year old car can make it 4,000 miles through wind, rain, desert heat, 7% mountain climbs, and high altitudes.  We had a fresh radiator, hoses, and coolant, new tires, new brakes, and a high-altitude carburetor in the boxes of parts.  Wheel bearings were packed, fluids and belts were checked, Rain-X was applied, and the battery and all electric systems were good to go.

Meeting with the cross-country “Grand Tour” group the previous Friday got my blood pumped up for the trip.  They had a 5-day lead on us, but we were not going to take the time to do all the touring that they were doing; if all went well, we should pass the group before Lake Tahoe.  At noon on Wednesday, June 12, with severe storms threatening the area, Carolyn and I headed out in our 1950 Ford Convertible.  Our plan was straightforward: stay on the Interstate, keep the speed between 60-65, and log as many miles as possible each day to make it to Lake Tahoe by Saturday.

Someone was watching over us.  The line of storms skirted just north of our route, then slammed the Chicago area that we had left behind only a few hours earlier.  We barely had a few sprinkles on the windshield; strangely enough, this was the only hint of rain we would see the entire trip.  The Rain-X worked!  Throughout the trip we were staying in touch with other V-8 travelers, including Frank Miller’s daily accounts of the Grand Tour.  The I-80 traffic was heavy across much of Iowa, but after a fairly uneventful 471 miles we pulled into Council Bluffs, IA, to spend the night.  Good news:  there was a Quaker Steak & Lube right across the street.  Bad news:  it was Bike Night.  Blasting music and roaring Harleys made us wonder if we would get any sleep.  Like magic, at 10 pm it was over.

Early Thursday morning, with a good night’s sleep, we were on the road again, crossing the Missouri River for the 454-mile trip across Nebraska.  We learned that our good friend from Ohio, Jeep Iacobucci driving with his friend Mike, had broken a brake line in the Illinois storms.  Jeep is enterprising and quickly repaired the line.  We also heard that Craig and Annette Gorris, who had left Cleveland on Sunday, were broken down in Laramie, WY, which happened to be our destination for the night.  Craig diagnosed a blown head gasket and decided to leave his ’53 Convertible there for repairs, continuing on in a rental car.

It seemed to take forever to cross Nebraska.  The terrain begins to change dramatically as you move west.  Flat plains have given way to mesas, rock formations, and snow-capped mountains in the distance.  You don’t realize it, but you have gradually risen from an elevation of 1,000 feet above sea level in Omaha to nearly 5,000 feet at the western border.  You now have to carefully plan your fuel stops – it may be a hundred miles to the next decent gas station.  Somehow, though, Nebraska was in our rearview mirror as we entered Wyoming.  It was nice knowing we were near the cities of Cheyenne and Laramie, but between those cities the impending climb to the highest point on all of I-80 caused concern.  This would be the first of many such tests for the old Ford.

Suddenly we had the very first hiccup of the trip:  vapor lock approaching Cheyenne.  A flick of the electric fuel pump switch helped, but I feared the increased fuel consumption at the higher altitude had run us out of gas.  Crossing our fingers, we made it two miles to the next exit and filled up.  Eleven gallons.  Not even close.

With a full tank of gas and new confidence, we headed for Sherman Hill – a pass at 8,640 feet with an enormous bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln watching travelers below.  The engine was sluggish on the climb, but with a kickdown out of overdrive we made it in high gear.  One of the biggest concerns as we planned the trip had turned out to be of little consequence.  Our long day was nearing an end as we could feel Laramie on the horizon, 93 miles into Wyoming.  We pulled into our hotel with plenty of daylight left.  It was a nearly-new facility and we got a great restaurant recommendation from the friendly desk clerk.  We drove to historic downtown Laramie, had a great meal and some cool beverages.  Back at the hotel we settled in with 1,050 miles under our belts.  We were over halfway to Lake Tahoe.  If the old cars can go 1,000, they can go 2,000!

Friday morning we were on the road again.  Feeling good about the performance of the car we felt that we would have no problem making it to Lake Tahoe Saturday.  Today it was increasingly more important to schedule gas stops.  The miles kept melting away and the car was humming along.  We had that spare carb with leaner jets, but why make the change when all was well?

Wyoming again brought a great change in geography.  It is hard to describe the difference between our familiar flatlands with endless miles of cornfields to the sights that we were seeing.  With things going smoothly, we realized we were going to complete our remaining 310 miles across Wyoming by lunchtime.  As we began our 197-mile crossing of Utah, we began to think we would not stay in western Utah that night as planned, but would try to make it to Elko, Nevada.  Coincidentally, Craig Gorris phoned that afternoon and said they he and Annette were also stopping in Elko; we agreed to meet them there.

The terrain across northern Utah is like being on another planet.  From Salt Lake City about 70 miles into the state to the Nevada border, all you see is salt and water.  And more salt.  The elevation levels out at around 4,200 feet.  On the western edge you pass the world-famous Bonneville Salt Flats.  We made a gas stop at the border town of Wendover; next to our gas station were the Nevada state line and two casinos.  Here we had a surprise encounter with      V-8 Club members from Canada, Grant Fleming and Dale McFarland, on their way to Tahoe in a ’36 Roadster with no side curtains.  We had a great time chatting with them and would spend a little more time with them at the meet.

On into Nevada with another big change in scenery.  Now we were in the desert and in desolation.  You don’t want to break down or run out of gas here.  Our evening destination was only 100 miles away;  we arrived without incident and met Craig and Annette for a relaxing dinner and some great conversation.  1,691 miles down, a mere 349 to go.  Although we didn't see them, we were now actually closer to Lake Tahoe than the cross-country Grand Tour group.

All along our trip we had been checking fuel mileage.  We started out at 16-17 mpg, but the elevation and the climbs were taking their toll.  We were now down to about 14.  Saturday morning I decided to change carburetors – the replacement had .049 jets, down from the stock .051’s.  What a difference!  The car now performed much better on the mountain grades and the high elevation.  At our first gas stop we had gotten 18.8 mpg.  This was no fluke.  On most stops we would now average well over 20 mpg!  And the car was running much better.  I should have made the switch sooner.

As we continued through the desert and climbed through several passes, the outside temperature was increasing.  On the trip we had been in touch with John & Judy McBurney; they met Bob York & Brenda Clyden in Kansas and were encountering withering temperatures.  We had been lucky so far. 

At Fernley, Nevada, we did something we had not done the entire trip.  We left the Interstate and would take US-50, the Lincoln Highway, the remaining 77 miles to our destination.  The only event of real interest came as we were leaving Carson City.  At a stop light we turned right and were facing the biggest climb of the trip: a 3,000-foot climb over nine miles of twisting road.  It was a white-knuckler, but the engine made it with no problems.  At the top was the payoff.  Suddenly we were looking out the windshield at the magnificent site of Lake Tahoe.  What a change from the desert floor below!

Now it was just a few miles more through historic Cave Rock tunnel and into a populated area.  On a short climb into Stateline, NV, hiccup #2: the overdrive quit just 1.5 miles from the hotel (but it was fine the next day).  Suddenly we were there - Harrah’s appeared in front of us.  We pulled into the lot at 12:15 pm, grabbed a hard-to-find parking spot, and enjoyed a cold one.  The fun was about to begin. 

We hope you enjoyed our story about our trip to Lake Tahoe.  We had planned this trip for a long time and were thrilled that the Convertible made it.  We were somewhat apprehensive about the trip because of the distance and the changes in elevation; the reliable old Ford dissolved all the fear.

Next month we plan to tell you about the Meet and our return trip home.  Meanwhile, here is a teaser.

¨ The 50th Anniversary Grand National Meet was the largest in Club history, with about 625 registrations.

¨ There were more International registrations than those from all but three states.

¨ We will tell you about a real-life close encounter with a bear.  A real one.  Make that two.

¨ The ladies luncheon was an event to remember with some super, collectible, prizes.

¨ The concourse was in a spectacular setting with over 325 vehicles shown.

¨ The Meet organizers have many reasons to be proud; we’ll tell you why.

¨ Find out how the “Super Moon” saved us on our trip home.