By Wally Wersching
The Catawba Valley British Motor Club (CVBMC) is a very active club that offers many fun events and gatherings for its members. They are always happy to welcome new members to the club. It is loosely centered in Hickory, NC. The Blue Ridge area of the Appalachian Mountains provides scenic beauty as well as many rolling mountain roads for the British automobiles they love to drive.
The club meets on the second Tuesday of each month to discuss club business, and plan activities. These meetings are scheduled at local pubs where good food and atmosphere provide congenial environments for their gathering. They are dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and enjoyment of all British automobiles – old and new, big and small.
On June 9th, they held their Spring Fling Auto Tour. It started at the Timberwoods Restaurant in Morganton, NC, and ended at the Woodmill Winery in Vale, NC. It was a Charity Event. All money collected was donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. The rally was open to all neighboring clubs and individuals no matter what they were driving – even motorcycles were welcomed.
I read about the event on-line, and decided to take “Miss Vickie” for a ride. I’m familiar with the Timberwoods Restaurant because the Knob Mountain Motorcycle Club meets there every Sunday morning before they leave for the Sunday ride.
It was a cool and comfortable ride up to Morganton from Shelby. I made it in about an hour, and arrived at about 9:15AM. I was hoping to see some friends from the Broad River European Motor Club (BREMC) at the event. The BREMC is based in Boiling Springs, NC. I’ve been to some of their events over the years.
When I arrived at the Timberwoods, I noticed a few British cars in a blocked-off area of the large parking lot. There was a registration table in the shade taking the money from the contestants. Many of the drivers and navigators were inside eating breakfast. They had a buffet set-up for them.
While I was resting in the shade, a Triumph TR3 rolled in and parked away from everybody. He popped the hood (Bonnet), and was checking for a water leak. I walked over to see if I could help, but I couldn’t tell where the water was coming from. It had sprayed onto his windshield, and down the driver’s side of the car. He decided to go inside to eat, and let the car cool down before working on it.
I walked around looking at all the beautiful British cars and was really impressed by the British Racing Green 1949 MG TC. It looked like it was better than when it rolled off the assembly line in England. From the plaques on the front bumper, I could tell that the car had been in the northeast for a few years before coming south to North Carolina. I’d like to know how he keeps the car so clean and perfect. Not even a bug on the front end. Maybe he sprays it with some English concoction where the bugs just slide off when hit.
More and more people were arriving, and registering. It appeared that the event would be a success. One man arrived in his Morgan but did not have a navigator. A young lady in attendance volunteered to help him out. This event a navigator is necessary because it is considered a “Gimmick Rally” because there are questions to be answered by the navigator along with guiding the way. I read the questionnaire and it gave directions where to turn so the car will make it to the end. There were also questions at each direction like: “where can you get perforated?”, and “what address for spicy pie?” If you don’t answer the question right away, it’s lost because there’s another question before you know it. It sounds like it would be very busy, and a lot of fun – not a relaxing drive in the countryside.
While I was talking with some of the spectators, I noticed that a grandfather was trying to teach his grandson colors by looking at all the cars. The boy walked over to “Miss Vickie” wide-eyed, and wanted to touch her. She was still hot from the ride up but I told gramps to set him on the seat so his mom could take his picture. He was all smiles.
The driver of the TR3 with the water leak came out with a gallon jug filled with water. He filled his radiator then started the car. The leak was apparent then. It was a crack in an old hose. A friend had some rubberized tape and he wrapped it so the TR3 could be driven on the tour. He also left the radiator cap loose so it wouldn’t build up any pressure. We used to do that back in the day when we had a water leak. I drove my old Chevy for years like that.
Then they had a driver’s meeting before lining up to leave. They were to leave in two-minute intervals so they wouldn’t be all bunched up during the route. I talked with one of the club members. He said that he liked “Miss Vickie”, and took her picture. He had no idea what kind of bike she was. He just liked the way she looked. She sometimes has that effect on people.
At about 10:30, they started leaving. That was my cue to head home. I promised Cindy that I would take her to lunch, and I didn’t want to be late. I didn’t see any friends form the BREMC. They missed an adventure. Maybe next time some will make the drive up to Morganton, and have a great time.