Not even eight hours after a weeklong deluge of rain finished pounding the entire Eastern seaboard, The Northeast Rod Run kicked off it's 3rd annual trip on a bright sunny Saturday morning at Pete Newell's shop, Competition Specialties in Walpole, Massachusetts. Pete greeted everyone with an open house, and some much needed coffee and donuts for some energy to start the day. Once inside the shop, the Rod Run participants got to see a seldom seen view of many high end restorations and customs, in various stages of completion.
After everyone fueled themselves up and their car's tanks were topped off with fuel, we headed west through the Berkshires until crossing into New York and following the Taconic Parkway to our first night's stopover in Kingston. Eventhough this was The Rod Run's shortest leg to date, it didn't mean it went problem free, but there was nothing that would stop anyone from getting to the hotel that night. Once all the car related issues got taken care of, everyone moved inside to Roudigan's Steakhouse for well deserved dinner and drinks.
Sunday morning began with bright sunny skies and great weather, but various issues continued to hamper the Northeast Rod Run's cruise throughout the day. After driving through the Catskills and checking out some great foliage, we had our planned noontime stop at The Northeast Classic Car Museum, where everyone was able re-group and check out some very old American iron. From there we stopped for luch and picked up three more cars, before continuing north through the heart of the Adirondack Mountain Range and arriving at Water's Edge Inn & Conference Center for our second night's stay. After everyone checked in, some people went out to dinner at a few of the area's many restaurants, while others decided to just order pizza and hangout in the Great Room and re-cap the day's events while enjoying some of their favorite beverages.
Monday morning brought the threat of rain for the final leg of the trip, but aside from a few light sprinkles, that the Rain-X treated windshields made a non-issue, the day just gave us overcast skies. Instead of just heading directly home, most of the remaining group decided to continue heading north along scenic Route 28 and through the Fulton Chain Lakes before making the turn south to head home.
When it was all over, it just showed that wether it's nagging mechanical problems, or less than perfectly laidout directions, The Northeast Rod Run still manages to show everyone a good time. Now all that is left to do, is to finish taking in all that happened over the weekend, and then start planning for 2011.