Hot Rod Heaven

8/8/2017

Today’s the day!! The day when vibrant paint and exorbitant amounts of chrome are suddenly the norm, not the exception. The day when hydrocarbons float on the breeze, and rumbling exhausts thrum throughout the streets. The day that returns us to the “good old days”, when cruising and racing were the only things on the ticket for your Friday night. It’s the day when thousands of hot rods, classics, and customs of every make and model gather in Reno, NV. Yes, it’s the first day of Hot August Nights.

I was brimming with excitement but tried not to overdo it and instead elected to first go see some more of the sights of Lake Tahoe. My dad and I headed up the eastern side of the lake towards Sand Harbor, a popular spot known for its sandy beaches and stunning views. We soon found, however, that we would likely be thwarted by construction all day. They (whoever “they” is) had shut almost the entire eastern road following the lake down to one lane. Traffic was fairly abysmal, as you could expect.

Fortunately, Dad and I managed to nip into the parking lot at Sand Harbor and secure ourselves two parking spaces – one for the rental, and one for Jane. We figured we’d tool around the area and hike to overlook points up and down the road rather than try to navigate traffic to park at them. Then I would leave for Reno with Jane sometime early in the afternoon to get registered, while Dad would stay behind for one more spectacular Lake Tahoe sunset before scooting into town the next day.

After gearing up, we hit the “trails” at Sand Harbor. Mostly these trails just link various scoops in the lake’s shoreline, which typically accommodate beachgoers and swimmers and canoers and kayakers and sailors and whoever else wants to hang out. I say “typically” because this year, the water level is quite high, and as a result the beaches are substantially diminished.

Dad and I wove our way through a veritable horde of beachgoers crammed onto what little remained of the beaches, finally coming out into the rockier side of the lake to the north. There, the waters were deeper and large boulders were being used as diving platforms by the adventurous and sunning beds by the colder-blooded. We found a couple of nice boulders to sit on and dipped our feet for a while. Even close to shore, the waters were COLD!

 

A fairly photogenic seagull that seems to have confused this large lake for the sea.

Eventually we moved on and decided to hike up the road to a lookout that my dad had really enjoyed when he visited last year. But as we made our way up the road, a construction lady came running and she hollered at us pretty good so we went back down the road and scrapped that idea. Bummer. Instead, we had a nice leisurely lunch after standing in line at this shack for about a thousand hours. It was actually kind of incredible how slow these people were moving. But I had time to kill so it didn’t bother me too much.

I was a bit concerned for Jane, as the starter had begun to act up again. While the new starter didn’t seem to have any problems actually functioning, it did periodically make a horrific grinding noise while starting. So after lunch, I was surprised when I gingerly turned the key and she roared to life with no complaints. I guess she was ready to head into town!

I chose to go south to Stateline before dog legging up a different highway for the trip north to Reno in order to escape the construction, which at that point was causing a 45 minute delay going north. Ugh! Fortunately, the trip was quick and uneventful once I got out of the traffic.

And so it was not too long before I found the massive, imposing sight of the Grand Sierra Resort centered over Jane’s hood. As terribly gaudy as the building seems (I mean, really, this thing is too large to feasibly ever be completely full), I was glad to see it. Because once I can see the Grand Sierra, I can also see hundreds of classic cars and the impending week-long party that accompanies them.

Jane and I roared into the Grand Sierra lot, actually succeeding in not making a scene for once. Those of you who know me and, more importantly, know this car, are probably very impressed because this is an extremely unlikely occurrence. Those of you who have never met me in person are probably very unimpressed because you would think that a car that goes all over the country on a regular basis would be well sorted-out. What a silly thing to think!

 

Jane attracts admirers very quickly, even when a disgusting mess.

Kind of a lot of '69-'70 sportsroofs all in one place 

I descended quickly into hot rod heaven, going to pick up my registration packet and relishing each and every “car guy” conversation I overheard on the way. There is something to be said for being among “your people” after a long absence. Sure, I’ve met some people along my travels who know cars fairly well. But that can’t compare to a total immersion into car culture, where people argue about years and makes and models and horsepower and torque and cam specs and drivetrain setups and overdone paint jobs and just about anything else you could think of. It is just spectacular listening to the wealth of knowledge and opinions that mechanically-minded people have. And it’s even better to be able to contribute your own knowledge and opinions and have a friendly argument with someone who will headbutt you right back if you push them. Everyone’s a little ornery, a little silly, and a little bit just totally whacked out from the sheer excitement of this magnitude of gathering (and probably the extra hydrocarbons floating around don’t help). It is truly wonderful.

I was able to find a few of my friends pretty quickly – some Mustang guys from California who I met a few years ago on my first road trip. We spent a few hours catching up, but it seemed like no time had passed since I had last seen them. These are the best kinds of friends to have – the ones that can pick up right back where they left off. We hung around the parking lot for quite some time until the security guard came around to kick us out. And then Jane and I ensconced ourselves in the Sands Regency, our own little (cheaper) slice of heaven.

So the day concludes: with Jane out in the lot, disgustingly filthy and a little tired but still ready for anything, and with me in the bed, disgustingly filthy and a little tired but still ready for anything. Tomorrow the real fun will begin! Until then… Kelly signing out.