"Just Like My Mom Had" /  by Dave Hileman

You do not often see a race car - or today nearly any car, with whitewall tires. I asked the owner/driver of this 60’s era A.H. Sprite about the tires. He replied that his mother bought a Sprite in 1962 and immediately changed the tires for whitewalls. So he does this as a remembrance of her.

"Take me home.... /  by Dave Hileman

…country roads” Thanks to John Denver. I find this setting a great delight and always feel more at ease and relaxed. Not to mention the food and ice cream helps. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Last Photo - Sort of... /  by Dave Hileman

This is a 1972 Porsche 914. The racing team is from Madison, VA, just a few miles from where we lived for 8 years. So I was rooting for Stray Cat Racing. Plus is was in Gulf colors, bonus points. It was well prepared and qualified near the front of the grid. During the race he was third but in a close battle with the car in second place. I focused on him as he accelerated after the chicane. A minute later we heard a loud thud from the other side of the trees where the course snaked down a hill into a sharp 180 left turn not visible from where we were. Number 32 went off. Accidents are not rare but most of these valuable cars are driven with preservation in mind so shunts are usually minor. Not this time. The next time we saw the car on the back of a truck there was nothing left past the drivers compartment. The whole rear of the car was gone. Fortunes of racing. I am sure they will be back racing in a short time.

Negotiate /  by Dave Hileman

This little Triumph came into the chicane a bit hot, locked his brakes and still flicked that car around the hay bales successfully. I was geared up for a lot of flying hay but the driver was too good.

Still the One... /  by Dave Hileman

…is an old song but in the car world I have a soft spot for the Mini. My MINI was great fun to travel for 18 years then I got to teach grandkids to drive a stick with it before it went to auction.

This one used to be green and white but after an accident and a two-year rebuild it now sports new colors.

Harriet Tubman (NPS #315 Two Lane Touring) /  by Dave Hileman

This park is very near the Blackwater NWR in a corner of Eastern Shore, Maryland that is still quite rural. Harriet Tubman is a titan of American history and it is worth reading any of the books you might find about her singular life. Born a slave, escaped slavery, hunted, free woman, underground railroad “conductor,” spy, nurse, Civil War guide, farmer, leader, suffrage supporter, speaker, and in her later years - she opened and ran a home for black women that had no where to go. She did all of this with little education and little support. She had an iron will, unbreakable courage, a faith in God that might have made the book of Acts if she lived in another era and a determination that no circumstance could deflect. We visited her New York home in the Fingerlake region and were enthralled with her story. This museum is dedicated to her work on the Underground Railroad. It is built about 5 miles where she was born an enslaved person. She had a very hard life. The store pictured below is where as a girl she was hit with a heavy weight for not helping secure another slave and she suffered lapses of memory and more the rest of her life. Harriet Tubman will soon be the portrait on the US twenty dollar bill, a very fitting honor for one remarkable woman.

I like the dark storm clouds over the museum and Visitor Center, Mrs. Tubman had very few days that were not full of storms. The reeds and other fauna on a short walk are the kinds of plants common when and where she lived.

The museum has several vignettes from her life. Nicely done.

This private field was a part of the plantation where she was born and began working almost as soon as she could walk.

This store was where she first openly asserted herself and paid a price.

Fort Washington Park (NPS #314 for Two Lane Touring) /  by Dave Hileman

Fort Washington, like Piscataway (see August 1, post) is not on the usual routes one might just happen across it but it is more accessible than Piscataway. Located not far off Indian Head Road on that section of Maryland south of Annapolis bisected by Route 301, it is a large park. Most of it is given over to fields and recreation for the area but the centerpiece is the old, impressive Fort Washington. The brick and stone fort was built starting in 1809 to protect Washington DC. It was an active fort until 1946 when technologies made it completely obsolete. There are buildings from the early 1800’s through WWII on the grounds. The fort can be toured on weekends, unfortunately we were not able to be there on a day it was open. Still enjoyed the old light house, the extensive green space and a nice view of the fort.

Lighthouse on the Potomac

Remains of an 1890’s artillery platform.

Climb /  by Dave Hileman

This is the shakiest and most uncomfortable fire tower I have ever climbed. It is 89 feet hight and built in 1929. So it has been upright a long time. The first two sets of steps were rebuilt with metal the rest were thick wooden boards and not all of them were even. The railings were added on the lower portion and they were about waist high but the top three platforms were only a bit over my knee. The very top was two and one half boards wide. The metal seemed very thin and not at all sturdy. Nonetheless, it is still enduring nearly 100 years in and they still let you climb, which is very neat. The view was supposed to be 10 miles and it might have been but only the tops of trees.

View

PVGP - Final Grid Walk /  by Dave Hileman

A handful of starting grid photos from this year’s vintage car races at Schenely Park in Pittsburgh.

This driver was most talkative when I strolled through the paddock area and anxious to talk about his very cool car. On the grid he was totally focused on what he would be doing in a few minutes. Note the race courses outlined that he has competed on are on his helmet. More on his car later.

Those stickers on the rear window are race inspections from various years of the PVGP.

This was a nice car and it finished third

This car raced with this engine at Indy in the 30’s

Another place to keep you helmet to aid in staying a bit cooler

All 14 cars waiting for the signal to take the start lap.

PVGP continued /  by Dave Hileman

We are back at the starting grid again. Just some random shots of a few of the 14 cars or drivers competing in this race for under 2 liter sports cars.

Trying to keep cool.

If the car doesn’t need an adjustment the driver’s suit or helmet does!

This guy in a Sprite meant business. He won the race going away, very consistent and very fast.

The waiting seems endless

This 356 Porsche had a misfire that slowed it down on the track.

Bird Time /  by Dave Hileman

Before we return to the racing…. lets seek some solitude in the woods at Cook Forest State Park in Pennsylvania. We were on a short loop trail and saw this Hairy Woodpecker seeking a bit of lunch. The woods were cool and calm after the noise and heat of the racing in Pittsburgh. Glad we took a break and went to the park.