HCCA Old California Tour
May 26-29, 2010
 |
| Annie parked at Asilomar Beach (Pacific Grove, CA) |
Lynn has registered Annie for the 37th Annual Old California Tour. Responsibility for the tour has rotated in recent years between the Bay Area Horseless Carriage Club, the Santa Clara Horseless Carriage Club and the Central California Regional Group. This year the tour is sponsored by the Central California Regional Group in conjunction with the Modesto and Santa Cruz Regional Groups.
As some readers will know, Annie's ring gear was broken after the first day of touring on last years Old California Tour (Sep. 9-12, 2009). This years tour is the second outing for Annie with her new ring and pinion gears. The tour covers about 350 miles in four days, and it is a strenuous test of Lynn's repairs only completed on May 18.
Centered on Soledad, CA, this is a large tour, with more than 50 cars participating. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the tour for Lynn is that TWO KisselKars cars run in the event. Vic and Linda Groah from Tulare, CA, bring their beautiful 1912 KisselKar 4-50 Touring. Lynn has known Vic for several years and it is a real treat to share the road with him.
 |
 |
| The beautiful 1912 KisselKar 4-50 Touring owned by Vic and Linda Groah. | |
The day tours are:
- Day 1 — a "short" 40-mile shake-down tour to a BBQ dinner at the Michael Griva Ranch;
- Day 2 — a 120-mile trip through the coastal mountains to Carmel-By-The-Sea;
- Day 3 — a 90-mile trip to the mission at San Juan Bautista;
- Day 4 — an 82-mile trip to Marina State Beach.
 |
 |
| Our second day of touring is wet. Jeanne sits in Annie at the foot of Ocean Street, Carmel-By-The-Sea (left). The view through a wet windshield (right). | |
Although Annie's drive train makes some noises that worry Lynn, the car completes the entire tour without mishap.
In fact, Lynn is feeling so confident that he breaks off from the planned return route on Day 4 and makes a side trip to Monterey and Pacific Grove. Lynn, Jeanne and Annie stop for awhile at Asilomar Beach at the tip of the Monterey Peninsula, adding another 20 miles or more to the day. Indeed it is somewhat scary to be away from the other old cars, running solo with modern traffic.
 |
 |
| Lynn driving (left) and the view of the road ahead (right). | |
Although Annie completes the tour with no mishap, the same cannot be said for five of the cars. Three car develop mechanical problems of one sort or another that take them off the road.
On wet Day 2, a Model T's steering goes "over center" (a known failure mode for some versions of the "T") while on a tight mountain turn and locks, then plows nose first into the rock hillside. The front of the car experiences severe damage and needs to be towed back to the hotel.
The most serious accident happened on the first day of the tour. A couple going to dinner in their Model T are traveling about 45 MPH in the left lane on US 101. The car is rear-ended by a 18-wheel "big rig" going about 70 MPH, is pushed off the highway into a field and through a barbed wire fence. The car was completely destroyed. By some miracle neither the driver or passenger received critical injuries. It was a very sobering event. (Around Soledad, US 101 is a four-lane divided highway. On most days of our tour we take US 101 for short stretches as no other through roads exist.)
Contact 
with your comments or questions
Copyright © 2018 Lynn Kissel
Last updated: June 3, 2010