JohnD1956

Don't feel bad Ben. I am missing a lot today as I try to get ahead of schedule. Otherwise this may be my last best chance to take this trip, so I want help remembering it.

No one better than you to bring it back @Dandy Dave It did appear to be a low milage car even thoigh it has seen two continents. I thought the data plate was on the passengers side of the cowl?

When I stopped for lunch this fellow pulled in next to me. Said he had put a Ford 289 in it. Did it in a short time period for his dad to take to a meet in Iowa. hecalso mentioned he has been to a Buick Club Meet last year in Napersville with a 39 Buick he did for a customer. We had a nice discussion about Buicks. Then Google maps directed me to the RT20 highway for the remaining 128 miles. It was just a great ride in a beautiful country! I do love the sight of a road stretched to a thin point out ahead of the car, as long as the car keeps running. And Annie did just that! In Sioux City i found a car wash and then hit a Perkins Restaurant for dinner. another restaurant I miss back home. And I will sign off with this picture from the hotel parking lot. Good Night

Another fine run today. It was supposed to be a 4 hr drive from Evansdale to Souix City IA and it probably is if one uses the newer US 20 and drives the speed limit. I started out using Google maps for the back roads. So it turned into a six hour ride. None the less it was glorious to me. To begin with there was this bargain i could totally live with this price. And with a full tank I was off for the back roads and along the way a nice Iowa River Park i just open the hood to let the heat out of the engine bay whenever possible. The fact is it was cool enough that I had used the heater for myself, a big change from before the new thermostat where I woukd use the heater to help it run cooler. along the way I shot some videos. I can't speak for others but I find the windmills impressive. And every bit of electricity we get from them means more energy for us. Plus the farmers must make some money off them so bring it on. Remember on day one when Rt 20 was closed on me so Google Maps directed users on a long roundabout route? Well this was a bit of a twist today While pondering if I should take this route a woman came down the road and told me she wasnt sure if one could get through as she hadn't been to the end of the road. It was only a six mile stretch to I took the chance and got through.

I believe it is leaking from that port in the drivers side head gasket again. Oil is dripping on the drivers side from the front of the engine and from the oil filter canister. I am keeping on top of the oil level and will decide what to do about, if anything, when I get back home.

Enjoy your ride Willie. Looking forward to seeing you again. I didn't bring any beer this time so we will have to find some local refreshments.

Some Buick news, the good and bad. Good: Original door seals held up against heavy rain last night. Wipers work great. So glad I had Fickens rebuild that motor. So far she has run great, and no vapor lock issues. Probably helps that it has been mild ambient temperature for the trip. It hasnt lost any coolant on this trip. Bad: Losing or using a quart of oil per day. I only have 16 more days supply on board at the moment. The coolant filter is still capturing debris. You'd think after 15 years or more that wouldnt be needed any more but I won't take it out of line till it is broken. The pinging is back after I was forced to put some 87 octane non ethanol fuel in. I gave up trying to figure the mpg. Due to the high cost of gas in Illinois (from east to west) I have only done partial fill ups. Today I plan to fill it at a local place which claims to have 93 octane. Then I will start tracking mpg again. Have a great day everyone.

I could not take pictures but they had two urns with grecian looking figurines scupled in. They came from a Chicago area hotel which used them as ashtrays outside the hotel. Diring the remodel of the chicago hotel the urns were thrown into the dumpster. A former worker discovered this and salvaged them. Eventually they made it to this collection. Then a few years ago. A woman shows up and said the urns were Grecian, and from the 1600's. Invaluable. So the curator called around to find who was the best authority on early grecian are and learned it was that particular woman!

WOW! WOW!

That is a 14foot tall mirror in the hallway. And it is original to the house and still very clear. It was awesome. Oh, that grandfather clock was purchased ny the captain if the Titanic as a gift for his dad. There is still a name plate on it But the town fathers in the day rejected the railroads presence. They had the river which was broad enough to hold a fleet of 18 ships. Then the area was logged causing erosion damage which filled in the river and they didnt have the means to dredge it. So this is all that flows today the water is way over on the far side of the bridge. After that I discovered I still had a few hrs drive to get to my hotel and it started to rain so I stopped taking pictures. Ah, tomorrow is another day, I hope. A short run is planned.

As soon as I left that Veterans Memorial I questioned that painted sign on the bridge. The very next road was route 84 which runs alongside the Mississippi river at what appears to be the current water level, and if flooding reached even the lowest mark then Rt 84 would likely be wiped away. So I must have been wrong. I do wonder what those numbers represent? anyway I proceeded to travel North on 84 to meet up with Rt 20, to go to Galena Illinois. There I wanted to visit the Belvedere Mansion and no, there is not a Chrysler connection. This place goes back to the 1700's. Unfortunately I got there in the nick of time before they closed, and left my hearing aids in the car so I could hardly hear the Docents speaches. But from what I did hear, the owner was a self made success in shipping by his early twenties and had this place built right on the fablous river outside the door. He was involved with the Civil War and General Ulysses Grant who owned a home not far away. As it would go, the decendents died and the place was abandoned by the 1900s. Purchased by a local, it was converted first to a restaurant, then left again after a bankruptcy. Purchased by a food company it was completely restored on the outside and used by that business in part as a retail store. Then that group went out of business and the conservator got it making a museum. I shot a whole bunch of first floor pictures and began on the 2nd floor when they said no pictures of the 2nd floor allowed. Sheesh. At any rate it is filled with some awesome antique furniture and artifacts. Worth a visit if you are ever in the neighborhood

Wait till you see the next post Willie!

1:20 pm July 7th. Savanna Illinois. 75°. Stopped at the war memorial park which is fitting for the July 4th week, and to take a break. Right alongside the mighty Mississippi river. Check out the water gauges painted on the bridge abutment. Had had a nice ride again, so far. Lots of miles of farms and the corn isn't tall enough yet to block the vista views. And saw a lot of stuff like this: This is a gorgeous place to wander. But the biting flies just found me so I am headed back out on the road..

It has sparked some people to comment. A lot of the truck drivers apparently appreciate seeing it too. That part is always fun.

I did make it to Mokena, at around 5 pm central time. Had a nice visit and excellent dinner with Ray and Kathy. I had to employ some back yard mechanics to the power steering high pressure line. A bunch of years ago I had a line made for it but it was shaped where it rested against the breather on the valve cover. That transmitted pump noise to the engine which even I could hear. Bill kindly provided some wire to pull that line away and it made the car a lot quieter it will have to be addressed when I get back. Otherwise the car is running very fine on Sunoco 93 with Ethanol. Tomorrow is a big day as I move to an un-planned portion of the trip. I hope it continues to go smoothly.

It is 2:49 pm. Started the day an hour delayed so thought I would run RT 90 to the Indiana border then drop down to RT 6. But as I progressed I decided to just stay on the Indiana turnpike and try to get to Mokena a bit earlier. Lots of trucks and everyone is passing me so not many pictures. I am just running at 60-65 and the engine temp is staying below 175. Been a nice window down drive albeit not the first time I ve been here. Meanwhile I am in the Wilber Shaw rest area where i just asked if they had ice cream. The clerk said no. But they did have soft serve. so I ordered a dish of that It was a $1.49 but they couldn't break a 20. So I had to use my credit card. Then the clerk filled a dinky kids cone but I said hey, I wanted a dish. The manager said to use this cup, where upon the clerk filled it to the top. Sheesh! Back on the road soon. 👍😃

Bill even helped me wash Annie this AM

It was a lot warmer after leaving that park yesterday. And those who know the area would realize that I was on rt 5 to be along the Lake Erie waterfront. I wanted to stop at this other park which Linda and I visited in 2017 on the way to the Brookfield Wisconsin meet. so now I have pictures of two of my Buicks in front of this Lighthouse. Continuing west into Erie PA the ambient temperature began to climd as did the Buicks when the traffic got backed up. Not overheating high, but around the 175 ish range. And just like in 2017, I got lost in Erie! Should be so simple but I missed the turn to stay on rt 5 alongside the lake. Not to fear though, this time I happened upon rt 20 again so what the heck. About 28 miles ahead, Google Maps showed a turn off and a big convoluted loop around Cleveland to avoid the highway, rt 90. But the map showed rt 20 continuing in my direction so I stayed on rt 20. Big mistake! 6 miles later Rt 20 was closed. Now I was into side roads and every turn it seemed the ETA kept going up. At one point it began to rain and there was a construction zone reduced to one lane. One cycle into the alternating traffic the sky opened so I pulled out of line to close the windows. A traffic officer came over and asked if I had a problem. I told him yes, this car dosen't have power windows. He laughed and then stopped the whole line to let me back in where as I crossed the train tracks the lights and bells started for an approaching train. I was the only car to get through before the gated came down. I beat it out of there to just decide f had to take Rt 90 to my friends place. 89 miles later I made it to this beautiful park in their town. And then to their place for the night many thanks to Bill and Molly for their hospitality!

82° and sunny in downtown Dunkirk NY. Taking a short break for a bit. But gotta get out of here before the sea gulls take a dump on the Buick! 😃

Didn't want to travel on the 4th so stayed at my son's place. But did go local for a photo op or two

@dship made a good suggestion. So I split this off along with the next several comments.

I always try to avoid the word "never" in statements, BUT I will NEVER buy another Olds 307

The photos I posted were of various roads. The sign post in Richfield Springs was on Rt 20. The movie theater was on Rt 20 much later. The side road was somewhere between rt 5s and rt 20 on the eastern end of the run. The gas Station was on Rt 318 in Onadaga County, which was towards the western end of my day's run. Rt 20 from Duanesburg NY to Rt 318 in Seneca Falls, NY is as picturesque a road as any I've ever traveled. I just did not take many pictures on it due to time constraints. There is a lot to see along the way. And there were several old style motels I'd even consider staying at if I did not live so close. Then there are the lakes, Cazenovia and Skaneateles which could be day trips in themselves, not to mention several others with major attractions. Come to think of it this could be a great BDE Tour. Plenty of rest areas and gas stations if one needs the facilities. Highly recommended.

Tx Brian. Looking forward to seeing you again too.

Thats such a nice car Rodney. Good luck to Kevin.