Little Red Corvette


On the road to Farley today, I was caught up in a Corvette Cruise. I got sandwiched in the middle of them just outside of Marion and didn't shake them until I hit Cascade.
 

We got a big ol' convoy...

As I drove along, I remembered that my cousin Mike once blogged about, "Will I Ever Buy a Corvette?" His blog was actually included in the Michael Dregni book celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Corvette, "This Old Corvette: The Ultimate Tribute to America's Sports Car." I think Mike's answer to the question was "yes," it was more just a matter of "when." His essay reflects on the effect the common car has on our every day lives and the lust many of us have to own a Corvette.

Funny thing about passing these 20-25 corvettes -- gray hair is required! Every single driver of the Corvettes I passed had to be 60+ years old. I guess the thing about owning a Corvette is that it is a totally impractical car, and you have to have it as a weekend toy. Most of us commoners can barely keep one vehicle operational, much less having a car that you can drive only on a handful of weekends in the year (at least in this part of the country).

But, this group of Corvette lovers sure seemed enthusiastic. Almost all had personalized plates on their cars:

• SNARL
• BCINGYA
• RSN2CRZN
• RSN2NJY
• CRZN247
• BLUEDMN
• SPIRITS
• JCUB

RSN2CRZN

They take this Corvette cruising seriously. Another apparent requirement must be a CB radio. 10-4 Rubber Ducky.... Most of the 'vettes were outfitted with big radio antennae.

CRZN247

They all jockeyed for position on the highway. Who was going to be in the lead? Like a flock of geese, they kind of took turns being the leader, eventually falling back and letting someone else head the pack. They liked being all in a row, too. Ummm, yeah, so there I am in my 2005 Accord...I'm sure I was annoying them, but they could not maintain steady speed! First they were going 60, then 75, back to 65. I didn't know whether to attribute this to "old age" driving, the fact they might not have cruise control, or if it was part of their master plan to keep in "funeral formation." JCub (with a handicap plate no less) in the red Corvette must have gotten annoyed because he blew ahead of the pack. I found him on Highway 136 at the Cascade exit, but I think he got goofed up because he was just sitting off the highway like he was lost and waiting for the rest of his Corvette buddies to catch up.

When I was 17 and got my first car, a Camaro, I swore I would *never* drive anything but a sports car. Now, I think I am more impressed with a distinguished looking man driving a Jaguar or Lexus or BMW. I guess I'm just too practical. I honestly don't see myself driving around town in a two-seater again.

Shortly after his high school graduation in 1976, my brother Tim did a short stint as a car salesman at the Chevy dealer in Dyersville. I can recall him trying to convince my father to purchase a 25th anniversary Corvette as an investment. Well, if you know Raymond (my dad), you would know he was like "hell no, I am not buying that." In retrospect, it probably would have been a pretty cool thing to do. Tim would totally fit into the Corvette Club look (you know, the white/gray hair required look):

Tim (with Pearl)

So, the answer for me to "Will I Ever Own a Corvette?" is most likely "no." As for my cousin Mike, well, the jury is still out. He did recently buy a pretty sweet little red Mazda Miata convertible...so he's getting closer. His kids are out of college now, so he said he finally had the extra cash to indulge.

oooooooo

I'm blogging again today because I'm totally in work avoidance. I need to write a proposal section for an effort at work. Of course, I'm thinking of 99 other things I'd rather be doing. It's sort of like being in college again with a 10 page term paper due tomorrow.