ROAD TRIP! (Pontiac Flathead Reunion)

[Bloo]

Day 14: I left Forest City IA on highway 9 west. Northern Iowa was cool and foggy in places that morning. I pulled over in Buffalo Center to take a picture in front of this old blacksmith shop. My headlights were on and I noticed one of them was out. Hmm. They both worked the night before. I had one spare bulb in the glovebox, and while I was changing it a lady in an early 90s LH Chrysler pulled over to say hi. We talked for a while about Studebakers.

 

 

Estherville, IA:

 

 

 

 

Estherville Public Library:

 

 

Some antique tractors on display in Spirit Lake IA:

 

 

There are some beautiful views of this lake, and opportunities for much better pictures, but no good place to pull off the road. This was taken near the tractors:

 

 

Old gas station on the way out of town:

 

 

Some old buildings in Rock Rapids, IA:

 

 

 

 

After Rock Rapids, I had a decision to make. I could follow highway 9 into Sioux Falls SD, or drop to highway 18 into South Dakota, the route I would have taken on the way out had I not taken the wrong turn. It was about 5 PM, so I decided to avoid driving into Sioux Falls at rush hour. I turned south on highway 182 and caught highway 18 west at Inwood. I promptly ran into road construction at the Big Sioux River crossing into South Dakota. I waited there a long time, and was eventually lead across by a pilot car.

 

 

Canton, SD:

 

 

 

 

Back on highway 18:

 

 

Highway 18 is common routed with Interstate 29, for about 3 miles. Interstate 29 turns out to have a speed limit of 80 mph, and a bunch of truck traffic, and it was raining. Ugh. Once back on highway 18 proper the rain cleared:

 

 

I turned north on highway 281 toward Aberdeen, but did not go that far as it was getting dark.

 

 

I spent the night in Plankinton, SD.

 

 

Edited September 22, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

Great pics and a terrific travelogue. Thanks for posting. 
dave s 

[oldcarfudd]

I am thoroughly enjoying this thread.  What a fabulous trip, exactly suited to the period of your car.  Many thanks!

 

Gil Fitzhugh, Morristown, NJ

[Bloo]

Day 15: Morning came in Plankinton, and the Pontiac almost didn't start. I had been running the headlights most of the day yesterday as northern Iowa had been foggy and rainy in places and everyone else seemed to be running headlights.

 

I untaped the trunk and got out my spare battery, thinking I would put it in. I had fully charged it the day before I left Washington State. It was completely dead. No point in trying to put that in.

 

There had been some question in my mind whether the tiny generator could carry the commonly available 50/32 candlepower headlight bulbs, since the originals would have been 32/21 candlepower, and those bulbs are no longer made. I brought my homemade charging system voltmeter along to figure that out while traveling. I always had bright lights on this trip, and sort of forgot about it after the deer incident in Montana.

 

This is the voltmeter. It will get a custom scale eventually but for now, on the lower scale, 0=6v, 100=7v, 200=8v, 300=9v. It reads 7v in the picture, because although the system is charging, the battery is low and the generator is small. It should come up to the set voltage of 7.65 volts as the battery gets closer to fully charged.

 

 

There is a thread about the voltmeter here if anyone is curious what is inside the box.

 

 

I continued north on 281 toward Aberdeen:

 

 

But then decided to cut back east over to Huron on highway 24 and pick up some oil. I also wanted to get on a different road because 281 is the same route I took on the trip out.

 

 

Here is another spot with a bunch of cars, even a couple of Pontiacs! I think this was on 281 before Huron, but I am not sure.

 

 

 

 

Steam Shovel?

 

 

And then I noticed more cars hiding in the underbrush:

 

 

I got more oil at an Oreilly in Huron, and they had a 6 volt battery so I bought it and put it in the plastic box my useless spare had been in. The car is cranking normally on the battery I drove out with, so this new spare is just for peace of mind. I put the plastic box in the front floorboard. It is getting really piled full of stuff now because it is so inconvenient to get into the trunk. I headed north on highway 37 toward Groton.

 

An old filling station in Groton:

 

 

 

And then back on highway 12 east toward Aberdeen for a meal. Looking out the window at Culver's:

 

 

Here are a Ford and a Hudson parked in a field along highway 12 just west of Aberdeen:  

 

 

From Aberdeen on, I was just retracing my steps from the trip out. As the sun began to set I got a room for the night in Mobridge SD, which is on the east bank of the Missouri river.

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Fossil]

Your making good progress. You missed me by about 60 miles when you were in Huron. I did have June Bug out for a drive though. Too bad we didn't cross paths. 

 

 

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Color me envious.  😁

 

  Ben

[EmTee]

What a wonderful old Pontiac you have!

 

 

This is a terrific picture - not only is it a very flattering picture of your car, but I just love the anachronistic character.  It's just the opposite of those 'main street' shots you have posted previously.  Quite a trip! 

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Had to look that one up, EmTee.

 Agree.

 

  Ben

[Fossil]

You really need to change the color of your trunk tape. Maybe black duct tape or bandage beige. Or maybe some of this. 

 

[Bloo]

The green masking tape is what is in the car. There is also black gorilla tape, but I think it might pull the paint off. I really need some hinges....

[Bloo]

Day 16: Crossing the Missouri River at Mobridge:

 

 

 

 

 

And back onto the Standing Rock reservation:

 

 

I turned south on highway 20, to cross on a different road that I came out on. This would take me eventually off of the Standing Rock Reservation and onto the Cheyenne River Reservation.

 

 

Trail City, SD:

 

 

 

 

Timber Lake, SD:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firesteel, SD:

 

 

I didn't notice that was a double sided sign. Fortunately waymarking.com had the other half.

 

 

 

Whats this thing?

 

 

Back on highway 20:

 

 

Then I ran into road construction again. I had intended to turn north to Hettinger, ND on highway 75. It turned out that is the intersection I was at. It is a good thing the flagman told me, thanks to the construction there was no sign.

 

I got meal at Scruffy's in Hettinger. The Pontiac had been running a little ragged, it seemed to not have enough spark at full throttle. I was getting a little suspicious of the coil, and I had a spare along, but I was even more suspicious of the condenser. There seems to be a rash of condenser failures here on the forum lately.

 

By this time I had noticed why the battery had been low back in Plankinton. After driving 20-40 miles, the generator almost stops working. It charges great at first, and then drops drastically. It is like flipping a switch. It keeps charging, but just enough to keep the cutout in. Using the car like I was at home, mostly around town, with an occasional 150 mile jaunt, usually in the daytime, I never noticed. It may have been doing this for years (!), possibly longer than I have owned the car. The previous owner had the generator rebuilt, and the car has always cranked really good. Once I reslivered the headlight reflectors, I always had bright lights.

 

I headed over to the NAPA store and bought a condenser and put it in. I also noticed the screws in the choke plate had come loose, so I tightened those. The car ran much better. I full-field tested the generator and it made no difference. That confirmed the problem was the generator, not the regulator. Oh well. I just won't run at night. I don't want to run at night anyway thanks to the deer incident.

 

I headed west on 12 through North Dakota and into Montana, intending to spend the night in Baker.

 

 

The last 10 miles or so into Baker were a bit of a white knuckle ride. Deer EVERYWHERE. I was glad it was over. I thought it was over at least. It wasn't.

 

There were no motels available in Baker. I ran into the father of the mechanic who helped me out with the brake cylinder on the trip out. He told me what all the possibilities were and I checked every one. I asked why everything was full on a weeknight when it isn't even late. He told me a pipeline was being built through town. There were towns about 40 miles north or south, but those also might be affected. The next thing on my path was Miles City, and it was 80 miles away, and the deer were thick. By this time it was dark, but I had a full battery, nice bright lights and a spare new battery sitting in the front floorboard. I made the decision to drive halfway to Miles City, change the battery, and continue. That is exactly what I did. At least the deer thinned way out after the first 30 miles or so. I changed the battery at the Powder River at that historical marker I posted on the trip out. I got to Miles City and there were no rooms. Nobody seemed to have any idea why. I spent the night in a truck stop....

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history)

[mrspeedyt]

those hinges looks similar to the ones on my 41 cadillac… my cad suffered from collision damage to the rear… and the hinges did fine… 

Edited September 23, 2021 by mrspeedyt (see edit history)

[Bloo]

Wow, Hope you are ok. That Cadillac doesn't look like it is hurt very bad at all!

 

Mine landed on the LR corner bumper and the corner of the trunk, pushing the lid straight up. The hinges broke clean off on the body side. Surprisingly, it did not bend the sheetmetal at the hinge attachments. Those points are reinforced.

[SC38dls]

Bloo, you’ve already had your limit on deer this year. Quit trying to get another one. 
dave s 

Edited September 22, 2021 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[mrspeedyt]

the cad was parked. (I was 400 miles away.) the kid lost control of his mustang. spun 180 degrees and hit the parked industrial flat bed truck in it’s front. and pushed it back 12 feet. my cad was parked 10 feet behind. 

[Bloo]

GAH!!!

[John S.]

Great thread. Wonderful story.

[Bloo]

Day 17: I decided not to retrace my path to Jordan, as there were gobs of deer out there. It probably wouldn't matter in the morning, but I still decided to avoid it. Staying on 12 meant a common route with Interstate 94 for the next 48 miles to Forsyth. It wasn't heavily traveled and the traffic wasn't too bad. I didn't mind it at all. From there I got back on 12 headed northwest to Roundup, MT.

 

WIkipedia thinks this is the town of Vandana. I never saw any sign, just a school building all by itself in the middle of a field, one farmhouse, and some cows. The cows didn't look all that interested in education.

 

 

An old gas station in Roundup, MT:

 

 

Then I got on highway 87, north to Grass Range and then west to Lewistown, MT where I spent the night.

 

 

[Robert G. Smits]

Thank you for posting.  The photos of middle America are great.  Reminds me of growing up in rural Iowa.  One summer we took our 51 Plymouth to Colorado and back.  Only vacation we ever went on as a kid.  Summer was work time on the farm.

[TerryB]

Wonderful story narration and photos!  Your adventure should be an incentive to others who are unsure if their old car is capable of long travel.  

[TAKerry]

Bloo, thanks for posting.  Looks like you were def. on the path less travelled. I have never travelled in that part of the country but would love to one day. Living in the mid atlantic, halfway between baltimore and philly on the I95 corridor it seems odd to me how quiet things look. It seems like I encounter more traffic on my way to the grocery store than you did in a 3 day span.

[Tate]

Excellent travel log! I like all the old buildings you’ve seen along the way 

[Bloo]

Day 18: I left Lewistown, MT and headed out toward Great Falls on highway 200. I was basically retracing my steps from the trip out. I passed a shop with a bunch of old cars out in front of it, but didn't get pictures. It wasn't long before I hit road construction, and I recalled from the trip out that this is a major reconstruction that goes on for miles, is all gravel, and you have to wait a long time for a pilot car to get through. I decided on the way out I would not go through it again. I turned back toward Lewistown and the owner of the shop with all the cars out in front was standing outside, so I pulled in to say hi. He had no hinges, but we talked for a while about old cars. He had a few out by the road for sale, but said that he had too many projects, and had some T's he wanted to concentrate on, so I suspect a lot of these would be for sale if somebody asked.

 

 

 

 

The plan, concocted on the way out after going through the road construction, was to take highway 191 north out of Lewistown to a town called Brooks, head west on Highway 81 to highway 80, then head south again to pick up Highway 200 just past a town called Stanford.

 

Here is another place with some oldies on the "truck bypass" in Lewistown:

 

 

I headed out of town on 191, and kept expecting to see a sign for Brooks. It is right at the intersection of 191 and 81 on my official Montana state map. There are some pretty steep hills out there, and the Pontiac was running hot, even hotter than normal as it seems to like 195F. At one point it even boiled a little. It felt a little rough too, not bad, pretty subtle in fact. I kept making small 2 degree changes to the ignition timing with the "octane selector", thinking I must have got the timing too far advanced by resetting the points back in Hettinger when I put in that new condenser, but trying to figure out for sure which way it needed to go. Nothing seemed to make any difference. Eventually I got to a "T" in the road, and it became clear I was way past "Brooks" in the wrong direction. I turned around and eventually found the 81 turnoff. There was no town, and it was at the bottom of a hill that mostly blockes the view of the turnoff when you are northbound. I decided to go on back into Lewistown since it was only about 10 miles away at that point, and get some coolant. That way I wouldn't have to untape the trunk again to get at the coolant in there. I picked up coolant at an Oreilly in Lewistown and grabbed some more oil while I was at it. It was getting on toward evening, and I considered spending another night in Lewistown, but the hotel I had stayed at was already full. I know where the turnoff is now. On to Great Falls!

 

The highway 81 turnoff was no problem this time, but no sign of "Brooks" until I was on 81 for a little bit. There was a sign. It pointed to a farmhouse and a few outbuildings. It wasn't even the closest farmhouse to the intersection, it was the second one.

 

Population out along Highway 81 is fairly sparse.

 

 

 

 

And then I turned south on highway 80 and got back on highway 200 and retraced my steps from the trip out the rest of the way to Great Falls, where I spent the night.

 

 

 

[Bloo]

Day 19: I left Great Falls and headed for Lincoln and ultimately Missoula via highway 200. Great Falls to Lincoln was the section where I had the deer encounter on the way out. The Pontiac was still running hotter than normal.

 

By now it was clear that the generator problem is a pattern. It works fine for the first 20-40 miles, and then almost stops working, charging just enough to keep the cutout engaged. Sometimes driving through cool air or rain it starts working again. I am pretty sure it is heat related. Full-field testing it doesn't help, so the problem is definitely in the generator. The way I was using the car I never noticed it. It may have been doing this for years. The former owner paid someone to rebuild the generator, and they apparently did. The inside is all painted in Glyptal, and the brushes are long like new.

 

There are a bunch of steep hills west of Great Falls, and I kept pulling over here and there changing the timing a little trying to get the engine temeprature to come down. It wasn't working. At one point I pulled over to check the oil and make sure the radiator was still full. Some guy pulled over to see if I was having trouble. I asked "How many more hills like this are there before I get to Missoula?". He said "Well, you know this is the big one don't you?". I didn't. I continued on. It was Rogers Pass, at the continental divide. By the time I crested the top I was in second gear, going pretty slow and it boiled just as I crested the top. The next few miles were straight downhill, so I went a little further to let it cool off and then pulled over and topped the coolant and oil again, and continued toward Lincoln. Apparently I went over this at night on the way out, and didn't even realize it.

 

Once down the other side, I started looking for skid marks, or the streetlight I pulled over under after the deer incident. I found the streetlight, and just a little further down the road I found the spot I went off. I had an idea that on a bright day like this the chrome gas cap I lost might shine in the sun. As it turned out there were old beer cans everywhere, buried in the grass, and all of them shined in the sun. There was no place to pull off, so I had to pull off down the road a little way and hike back.

 

Down in the gully, I could not tell exactly what happened. There was more than one set of tire tracks. Apparently I am not the only one who went off the road at this spot recently. The tracks cross and get all mixed up. I was able to find the spot where the left rear corner of the Pontiac hit the ground. That identified my tracks, at least for a short distance.

 

Here is the spot where I came to a stop, more or less. That is the road up at the ridge at the very top of the picture where you faintly see a line of fenceposts. They must be on the other side. I didn't hit them.

 

 

Oh wait, what's this?

 

 

 

I filled the tank in Lincoln, and got to Missoula with no more drama. I stopped at an Oreilly and rented a torque wrench and retorqued the Pontiac's head. This was often done at tune-up time in the old days. I had already done it before I left Washington. I got a little movement on two or 3 bolts. It probably won't help but it can't hurt. It is really easy to do on a flathead engine. I spent the night in Missoula.

 

[SC38dls]

Great you found the cap! Did you look around for trunk hinges?  

[Bloo]

3 minutes ago, SC38DLS said:

Great you found the cap! Did you look around for trunk hinges?  

 

Yes, no luck so far. I am going to post want ads as soon as I get caught up on this post. I would still like to find another gas cap too, either a good one or a parts unit that the broken and missing "GM" flip lid could be salvaged from.

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Bloo]

Day 20: The next thing on the trip, retracing my steps, was highway 12 over Lolo Pass into Idaho. It is almost as high as Rogers, and I might have been able to avoid it by going through Sandpoint instead. That looks like all valley, but I am not sure. I decided to press on over Lolo to Lewiston, as a hobbyist there was going to look for trunk hinges for me. He is not very mobile these days, and had not been able to look yet. I had a timing light with me, but it is 12 volt. I didn't figure on using it, I just threw it in thinking someone might need it at the event. In the motel parking lot, I connected my spare battery in series with the car to get 12 volts and checked the timing. It was 6 degrees more retarded than I thought it was. I had been trying all sorts of incremental changes to get the engine temperature down. As it turns out, all the settings I tried were way too retarded.

 

Apparently when I changed that condenser in Hettinger, and set the points, it wound up more retarded than it was. Setting the points does change the timing, and generally you expect the timing to get more advanced when you re-gap them. That is because rubbing block wear retards the timing from the original setting. Not this time apparently.

 

I also cleaned the plugs. Those probably hadn't been looked at in a long time, and I didn't get around to it before leaving Washington. They were burning with a nice beige color, but had beige buildup that looked like lead deposits from the old days. It had to be from oil. I chipped it off with a screwdriver and re-gapped the plugs, then headed for Lolo Pass. The Pontiac was now running perfectly, and crested Lolo Pass at 53 mph in high gear, and the temperature gauge didn't even rise. What a difference.

 

I filled up with gas at Lochsa Lodge, just over the top of the pass.

 

 

Because there won't be any more gas for a while.

 

 

Coming down the west side, it got pretty rainy, and my generator kicked back into high gear. I saw a 56 Chevy pulled off at a wide spot with tools out, so I pulled over. It turns out he was on his way from Missoula to Boise, and his fan pulley had broken. He asked me to call his brother in Missoula when my cell phone came back to life, which he thought would be around Kooskia. By now it was pouring rain. When I got to Kooskia there was no service. I could see cellphone towers, but did not get service until about 22 miles east of Lewiston, ID. I was able to get help on the way, but I imagine he was out there quite a long time.

 

It turned out the hobbyist I was hoping would have hinges did not have any. I spent the night in Lewiston, Idaho.

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

Great travelogue, thanks for taking us along!  You do know that the folks at  Lochsa Lodge will be talking about 'the crazy guy from Washington State driving an old 1930's Pontiac car' that stopped for gas one day in 2021 for years afterward!  You made their day!

[TerryB]

I’ve never been to the places you have shown in your travels.  They are absolutely fantastic to see, especially with the photos of your car in them to set the theme of the story.  Safe travels to you as you head for home.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

I am absolutely going to hate to see this one end.

 

  Ben

[cahartley]

Bloo, your travelogue is some of the best stuff I've ever read along with your outstanding photos.

Your writing style makes me feel like I'm there with you.

 

 

[EmTee]

It makes me wish I was there with you! 

[37_Roadmaster_C]

Bloo and I have been friends since junior high in the mid 70's. I also feel like I was riding shotgun on this trip.

[SC38dls]

How many of us do you think could fit in that Pontiac? 

[Robert G. Smits]

33 minutes ago, SC38DLS said:

How many of us do you think could fit in that Pontiac?

what do you mean, we have all been riding along.  When is our next trip?

[SC38dls]

The ride has been fantastic due to Bloo’s pictures and detailed writings. But us old guys like the real thing more than the virtual reality!  Surely 10 or 15 of us can squeeze in that big Pontiac!  The clowns do it in a VW. I’m sure Bloo would love the company of all of us. We would have to draw straws to see who rides shotgun and who gets a window as opposed to the trunk!  

[Bloo]

Day 21 Part 1: Lewiston ID and Clarkston WA are very closely connected, separated only by a bridge over the Snake River. I decided to turn south at Clarkston, and take a little side trip to Cloverland WA. I considered doing it on the trip out, but I didn't know how long it was going to take to get to Wisconsin, and I thought I was falling behind. Why Cloverland? I had some sort of a family connection to it over 100 years ago, but that isn't the reason. The reason was to take a picture with the Pontiac in front of the Cloverland Garage.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloverland_Garage

 

Here's wikipedia's photo of it:

 

 

While I was in Wisconsin, the Lick Creek fire was raging and Cloverland WA was under a level 3 evacuation notice. I had my doubts it would still be there when I got back. The fire is 100% contained now and the fire maps on InciWeb seem to indicate they stopped the fire before it got to Cloverland.

 

First you head down the bank of the Snake River to Asotin, WA. An old bridge from the Cloverland Road into downtown Asotin:

 

 

Some old buildings in downtown Asotin:

 

 

On the Cloverland Road in Asotin:

 

 

And then you make the climb. I don't have any great pictures of it. The road winds back and forth with many switchbacks up the steep side of a mountain.

 

 

And then comes out on a very high plateau up on top. There is only one way in and one way out as far as I know... unless you are riding a horse.

 

 

Are they following me around? I didn't get the camera out quick enough...

 

 

The Cloverland Garage:

 

 

The sign was gone. I hope the owner just took it down to preserve it, but I can't help but suspect it might be stolen. Bah.

 

There is not much at Cloverland. The Garage, this little church, and a couple of farmhouses. Later I found out that the farmhouse across the street from the garage was the old hotel. I should have got a picture of it but I didn't.

 

 

I then headed back out and down the hill. This road is a hoot in a sportscar, especially on the way up. Not so much in a 36 Pontiac, but you run what you brung. Also, there was a lot of truck traffic. It must be harvest time. The road had been basically deserted the other times I was here years ago. I have some great pictures of the switchbacks from the 1990s, but they are not digital photos and I don't even know where to find them.

 

 

That's the Snake river valley ahead. Asotin is at the bottom if you could see that far down.

 

 

A road across the canyon that climbs to similar heights:

 

 

Cloverland Road:

 

 

 

 

 

And then back up the Snake River Valley to Lewiston/Clarkston for lunch.

 

 

More to come....

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by Bloo (see edit history)

[GARY F]

I said it before and i'll say it again. what a great story and trip. The pictures are the greatest. I love the old buildings.

[Bloo]

Day 21, Part 2: I headed west on highway 12. Here's a old vacant farmhouse in Pomeroy, WA:

 

 

and on to highway 261 and back through Starbuck, retracing the the trip out again.

 

 

Crossing the Snake River where the Tucannon River connects at Lyons Ferry:

 

 

Not much chance of getting a picture while on this thing. it is NARROW! Here's one of Google's:

 

 

There in no road directly north here toward Lind. There is a "T" and you have a choice, you can take highway 260 to Kahlotus, and then highway 21 north, or you can take highway 261 to Washtucna, and then highway 26 to highway 21 north. There really isn't any significant difference in mileage. I went through Kahlotus on the way out, so I went through Washtucna on the way back. Here are some pictures from Washtucna.

 

 

 

 

 

An old Chevrolet dealer! You can still read the sign if you are standing there, but not in this picture:

 

 

But you can still read it on waymarking.com 's picture. Sitko Chevrolet Co.

 

 

A gas station:

 

 

"Potlatch Yards Inc." Lumber?

 

 

There must not be many criminals here.

 

 

 

Just retracing my original route now via highway 21 north through Lind to Odessa.

 

 

And then Highway 28 back to Wenatchee.

 

 

 

48585 miles:

 

 

And 46177 at the beginning of the return trip, so 2408 miles for the return trip including the little side trip to Cloverland:

 

 

And 43888 at the beginning, so 4697 miles overall including the tour and whatever:

 

 

It's been fun! Glad you all enjoyed it.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history)

[GARY F]

Sure did.  Thanks