National Corvette Museum
Bowling Green KY
April 29-May 1, 2010
Thursday, April 29
The joy of living in Alabama: leaving home at 8:08 to get to Bowling Green in time
for the Corvette Racing presentation and lunch that starts @ 11:00!
Moments before the I-65 Exit, there's the NCM.
Check the odometer with this view before the turn onto Corvette Drive.
As the r/f tire touched the Museum driveway I saw the odometer click to this, with this view.
I thought this was really cool & appropriate: It was at this event 4 years ago that the C6
was presented to me by Dave Hill. The car sat there in front of the NCM all day, odometer
reading 100,000. I lost count of the people who had to see it and take pictures!
The Corvette Racing lunch and talk by
Johnny O'Connell and Doug Fehan was, as always, a blast!
After lunch, it was time to set up the display, then check into the Microtel.
Friday, April 30
Our very favorite spot: front window, between the door and the turntable!
George & Aida Walden from Republic, WA, got to sign the hood
for their $25 donation to the American Cancer Society.
Billy Toon also made the contribution to ACS.
Shari O'Brien was back this year.
Here she shows me the bricks she placed in her husband's memory.
The site of many great evening get-togethers.
(Strangely, no photos this year...)
Saturday, May 1
Lance Miller gives a presentation on his father's dream, to take the Corvette that won
its class in 1960 back to Le Mans this June for the 50th anniversary of that milestone.
The original driver, John Fitch, will also be going back,
to drive the car around the course again!
Thanks to Shari for covering my table, selling 50/50 tickets,
so I could sit in on the presentation on the updates for the 2011 Corvette.
Harlan Charles (Product Mgr), Kirk Bennion (Designer) and
Tadge Juechter (Chief Engr) await the start.
Some new faces to the GM organization were introduced: Randy Schwarz and Dave Leone. Chevy VP Jim Campbell was not there but had been to several Bashes while Brand Manager about 10 years ago. Russ Clark was at the Margaritaville party that evening.
Familiar faces included Kirk Bennion, Tadge Juechter and Tom Wallace.
When Harlan was speaking, he made reference to my C6's 100,000 miles
by calling me their "Unofficial High Mileage Tester."
Saturday Evening - Margaritaville party
The crowd was much smaller than usual as a lot of the folks had left early
because of the severe storms that had begun, with more headed our way.
Wow, once again no pics: Too busy selling 50/50 tickets, with the help of Shari O, and Jim Miller. As so often has happened in the past, the winner, Jim During of Portage IN, gave back his half of the $1550 pot. Thank you Jim!
That $1550, plus the $50 from the 2 hood signings (see above) and a check for $100 from Sonny & Carmen Kilgo made a total of $1700.00 that I was able to send to the American Cancer Society's Bowling Green office!
Sunday, May 2
Pouring rain! Again! As forecast! Fortunately I was able to pull the Vette under the roof near the new entrance to load up the car. Then I took a leisurely walk through the nearly deserted museum.
On display was this #1 of 1, 2011 Carbon Edition tribute to the
50th Anniversary of Corvette's first win @ Le Mans.
The detail in this model Corvette junkyard and shop is mind boggling!
In the new Corvette Lifestyle section, our old Maine "lobster" plate is on display!
Back in the Rotunda I noticed something new...
Yep, the 2nd day of torrential rain was making its mark.
OK, enough stalling, it's time to brave the storm.
This shot is for Bettie Noerr. In 2006, as I first arrived at the Bash where the C6 was to be presented to me, I was walking toward
the Museum door when Bettie waved me down and said "Don't move, I have something for you!" and dashed back to their Vette.
She came back with that little Ty bear, seen here sitting in the cup holder, to be the mascot for the new car. It has never left the
car since, and this shot also shows the odometer, at 100058. Thanks, Bettie & Frank for all your support over the years!
I hear it might rain...
This was the day that Nashville got flooded. Like, 8' of water in the Grand Ol' Opry! And I have to drive through Nashville to get home.
Heading down I-65, it was mostly 30-40 mph with the 4-way flashers on because it was raining so hard that you couldn't see a thing. All the news reports said that even the Interstates were closed due to flooding in and around Nashville. The roadside warning signs said that I-40 and I-24 were closed. No mention of I-65... could I be that lucky?
NOT!
Barely past I-40/I-24, there was the dreaded sign: "I-65 closed @ I-440; Seek alternate". Off onto the streets of Nashville (with a couple GPS units for guidance) I finally groped my way back onto I-65 about 20 miles south, but not before having to turn back twice because of several feet of water across the local road. It wasn't until the Alabama border that the blinding rain began to ease up to just a heavy rain. At least you could see the car ahead of you! This was w/o a doubt the longest, steadiest, heaviest downpour I have ever encountered. I've been in rain that heavy, but not for this prolonged period.
Looking back, it sure could have been a lot worse. The trip took 3:45, only 1:00 longer than usual.
By the way, the Michelins, with 25k miles on them, performed faultlessly.
Thank you Michelin and Amy Batt!