Earl On Tour 2008

Lørdag d. 10. maj var jeg til Van Nuys Meet 2008 i Holstebro. Van Nuys er den lokale amerikanerbilklub i Holstebro. Vejret tilsmilede dette træf med 25 C og kun få - og små - skyer. Vejret havde lokket mange til dette træf, og min klub, HCCC, satte rekord med hensyn til antallet af deltagere. På et tidspunkt lørdag eftermiddag var vi 60 mennesker og 32 biler fra Herning Custom Car Club på træfpladsen. Træffet var godt arrangeret, og Van Nuys fortjener ros for arrangementet. Lørdag eftermiddag var der cruisin´ i Holstebro by, og her indtraf en katastrofe for et medlem af HCCC., Brian, var så uheldig, at hans 1937 Chevy Hot Rod backfired under cruisin´en og hans motor brød i brand. Selv om ilden ret hurtigt blev slukket, var træffet forbi for hans Chevy. Den er for nyligt hjemkommet fra USA og deltog for første gang i et træf på dansk grund. Bilen er meget smuk, se bare her:

Saturday, May 10. I attended Van Nuys Meet 2008 in Holstebro. Van Nuys is the local american car club in Holstebro. The weather was smiling to this meeting with 25 C and only a few - and small - clouds. The weather had tempted a lot of people to this meeting, and my club, HCCC, set a record as to the number of participants. Saturday afternoon we were 60 people and 32 cars from Herning Custom Car Club on the meeting place at the same time. The meeting was well organized, and Van Nuys deserves credit for the arrangement. Saturday afternoon there was a cruisin´ in Holstebro City, and here disaster stroke for a member of HCCC., Brian, had the bad luck that the machine in his 1937 Chevy Hot Rod backfired during the cruisin´ and the machine caught fire. Even though the fire was put out quickly, the meeting was over for Brian´s Chevy. The car has recently arrived from USA, and this was it´s first meeting on danish soil. It´s a very beautiful car, have a look:

Jeg tog af sted til træffet ved 10.30 - tiden og var hjemme igen kl. 20.00. Alvorligt solbrændt efter 9½ time i bagende solskin. Jeg vil lade billederne, jeg tog på træffet, tale for sig selv. Der er de senere år importeret et væld af klassiske amerikanerbiler, der på grund af den lave dollar-kurs er til at betale sig til for almindelige mennesker, og de biler, man ser til træffene, har i dag langt højere standard end for få år siden.

I left home for this meeting at 10.30 a.m. and was back home at 8.00 p.m.. Severely sunburned after 9½ hours in roasting sunshine. I will let the pics talk their own language. In recent years a lot of classic american cars has been imported, thanks to the fall in the exchange rate on american dollars. The low dollar rate has made it possible for ordinary people to buy the car of their dreams, and the cars you see at meetings these days are of a higher standard than a few years ago.

D. 24. maj afholdte HCCC sin forårscruisin´ i Herning by. Til trods for, at der blev sendt indbydelser ud til samtlige klubber under FDA, kom der kun knapt 50 biler til arrangementet. Det var lidt skuffende, især set i lyset af, at HCCC mødte op til træffet i Holstebro 14 dage tidligere med 32 biler. Vejret var fremragende til cruisin´, vekslende skydække og 19 C, så vejret var ingen undskyldning for ikke at møde op. De, der kom, fik dog en dejlig eftermiddag og aften ud af det. Der var samling før cruisin´en i klubhuset på Teglvænget, og lidt over kl. 15 kørte vi til Markedspladsen ved Møllegade, hvor der var mulighed for at fugte ganen med en sponsoreret øl eller sodavand. Der var pænt besøgt med tilskuere på Markedspladsen. Fra Markedspladsen cruisede vi i samlet flok gennem Herning midtby og videre mod øst til Birk Centerpark, hvor vi igen samledes, denne gang ved Ingvar Cronhammers kæmpeskulptur 'Elia'. Efter opholdet ved 'Elia' gik turen tilbage til Markedspladsen af samme rute som på udturen. Der blev cruiset lidt op og ned af Møllegade, men til sidst blev der igen samling på tropperne på Markedspladsen. Lidt i kl. 17 begyndte bilerne at sive ud mod klubben igen. Her blev grillen tændt med en skærebrænder (selvfølgelig) og der kunne købes pølser og brød til den meget favorable pris á 15 kr. Baren var åben og Mie solgte øl, spiritus, vand og snacks til 'gi´væk priser' (næsten). Kl. 19.30 vendte jeg Chevys og min snude hjemad med kameraet fuld af gode skud fra en fed dag sammen med vennerne. Nedenfor kan man se, hvad jeg så gennem kameraet denne hyggelige lørdag i Herning:

May 24. HCCC held its spring cruisin´ in Herning City. Despite invitations were send to all clubs under FDA, just under 50 cars turned up to the event. That was a little disapointing, particularly in the light of the fact, that HCCC turned up at Holstebro with 32 cars only a fortnight earlier. The weather was excellent for cruisin´ with varying cloud cover and 19 C, so the weather was no excuse for not turning up. Those, who turned up, had a lovely afternoon and evening. There was gathering prior to the cruisin´ at the club house on Teglvaenget, and just past 3 p.m. we headed for the Marketplace by Moellegade, where we had the opportunity to wet our whistles with sponsored beer or soft drinks. The Marketplace was attended by quite a few onlookers. From the Marketplace we cruised in a body through the streets of Herning City and on towards the east to Birk Centerpark, where we gathered again, this time by Ingvar Cronhammer´s giant sculpture 'Elia'. After the stay by 'Elia' we cruised back to the Marketplace by the same route as on the outward tour. There was some cruisin´ up and down Moellegade, but eventually the troups gathered on the Marketplace again. Shortly before 5 p.m. the cars started to trickle back to the club. Here the barbeque was lit with a cutting torch (what else), and you could buy frankfurters and bread at the favourable price of only 15 kr. The bar was open, and Mie sold beer, liquor, soft drinks and snacks at 'give away prices' (almost). At 7.30 p.m. I turned Chevy´s and my face towards home with the camera filled with good shots from a great day with friends. Below you can see, what I saw through the camera this cheerful Saturday in Herning:

Lørdag d. 31. maj var vejret kanon godt. Ikke en sky på himlen og 28 C. Vinden var svag og østlig. Det var altså perfekt vejr til en tur til Vesterhavet. Mie og Gorm var med på ideen, og vi mødtes hjemme hos dem kl. 12 og spiste frokost ude på terassen. Efter frokosten pakkede vi min Volvo med fornødenheder til en strandtur og Mies og Gorms hunde, kongepudelen Diablo og silkepudelen Jostin, fik lov at komme med. De havde bagsædet for sig selv, for Gorm havde lånt sin brors Honda 500 til turen. Lidt efter kl. 13 kørte vi så afsted mod Søndervig. Søndervig med 28 C og fralandsvind er en sjælden cocktail, men det var netop tilfældet denne sidste dag i maj, så det var et absolut must at blive fotograferet med palmer som baggrund i 'hovedgaden':

On Saturday, May 31. the weather was just wonderful. Not a cloud in the sky and 28 C. The wind was low and came from the east. Perfect weather for a trip to the North Sea. Mie and Gorm were warm on the idea, and we met at their house at noon and had an outdoor dinner. After dinner we packed my Volvo with the nessessary things for a day on the beach, and Mie´s and Gorm´s dogs, the king puddle Diablo and the silk puddle Jostin, were allowed to go with us. They had the back seat for themselves, as Gorm had borrowed his brother´s Honda 500 for the tour. Just past 1 p.m. we headed for Sondervig. Sondervig with 28 C and off-shore wind is a rare cocktail, but that was just the case this last day in the month of May. Therefor it was an absolut must to be photographed with palms as background in the 'main street':

Søndervig var godt besøgt, men der er jo også kilometervis af fin strand at brede sig på, og der var faktisk flere mennesker i byen end på stranden. Det er dette syn, der møder øjet, når man passerer den yderste klitrække:

Sondervig was well visited, but there is kilometers of fine sandy beach to spread on, and there was actually more people in the village than on the beach. This is what meets the eye, when you cross the outer row of dunes:

Havet var næsten blikstille, for vinden havde været østlig i flere dage. Vi fandt os et sted at slå os ned på stranden, og så var det ellers afsted ned til vandet, der var isnende koldt. Det blev derfor kun til lidt sopperi; kun hundene var helt under.

The sea was almost dead calm, because the wind had come from eastern directions for days. We found ourselves a spot to settle on the beach, and then it was off to the water, that was ice-cold. We contended ourselves with some wading; only the dogs were entirely under the water.

Der var mange hunde, der var ude at bade, men menneskerne var mere tilbageholdende.

Jeg havde svoret, at jeg ikke ville komme hjem fra turen uden mindst én trediegrads forbrænding, men sådan gik det ikke. Jeg var godt solbrændt i forvejen, men blev da vist lidt mørkere i huden denne eftermiddag, men ikke engang en førstegrads forbrænding blev det til. Her følger en stemnings billedserie fra denne vidunderlige dag ved Vesterhavet. Vi brød op ved halv seks tiden og var hjemme i Hammerum ca. 18.15.

I had swored, that I wouldn´t return home without at least one third degree burn, but that didn´t happen. I had a good sun tan beforehand, but I think, I added a little to it this afternoon, but I didn´t get even the smallest of first degree burn. Here followes a series of pics from this lovely day by the North Sea. We broke up at 5.30 p.m. and were home in Hammerum at 6.15 p.m.

Den 19. juni var Mie og jeg i Gammel Ry for at hente en seng, jeg har købt. Meningen var, at vi ville benytte lejligheden til at tage nogle billeder af den smukke natur omkring Silkeborg-søerne, når vi nu alligevel var i området. Da vi havde fået læsset sengen på ladet af Chevy og kørte fra stedet, måtte jeg straks standse igen for at tage dette billede:

The 19. June Mie and I was in Gammel Ry to pick up a bed, I bought. The idea was that we would take the opportunity to take some pictures of the beautiful scenery around Silkeborg lakes, when we were in the area anyway. After we had loaded the bed on Chevy and drove from the spot, I had to immediately stop again to take this picture:

Idet vi kørte fra Gammel Ry begyndte det at regne, og inden vi nåede til Ry, var regnen blevet så kraftig, at man hurtigt blev våd af at opholde sig udendørs. Vi gjorde dog et kort stop i Ry, og det blev til 2 hurtige skud, inden regnen gennede os ind i bilen igen:

As we drove from Gammel Ry it began to rain, and before we reached Ry, the rain had been so strong that you quickly was wet if you stayed outdoors. We did, however, a brief stop in Ry, and I got 2 rapid shots before the rain rushed us into the car again:

På vej ind mod Silkeborg tog regnen til, og det var slet ikke tillokkende at stoppe op for at tage flere billeder. Vi ankom til Silkeborg, da eftermiddagsmyldretiden var på sit højeste. Silkeborg i myldretiden er et mareridt, og det tog en time at komme igennem byen. Nu har politikere og miljøguruer kævlet i årevis om, hvordan linieføringen for den projekterede motorvej i Silkeborg området skal være, og imens sidder silkeborgenserne fast i kilometerlange bilkøer og spilder hundredtusindvis af timer og brænder i millionvis af liter brændstof af på at vente på, at man skal blive enige om, hvilken linieføring, der er mest miljøvenlig. Komikken er da til at få øje på.

Det kunne ikke komme på tale at forsøge at finde en parkeringsplads i Silkeborg; det var på forhånd håbløst i turistbyen!!! Så det blev kun til et par snapshots ud af vinduet, mens vi sneglede os igennem byen:

On the way back towards Silkeborg the rain got heavier, and it was not attractive to pause to take more pictures. We arrived in Silkeborg, as the afternoon rush hour was at its peak. Silkeborg during rush hour is a nightmare, and it took an hour to get through the city. Politicians and environment freaks has been quarrelling for years about the layout of the projected highway in the Silkeborg area, and in the meantime the people of Silkeborg are stuck in miles of traffic jams and wasting hundreds of thousands of hours and burning millions of litres of fuel while waiting for an agreement on the most environmentally friendly layout. The comic is striking.

It would not make sense to try to find a parking space in Silkeborg, it was in advance hopeless in this tourist city! So Mie took a few snapshots out the window, while we snailed through the city:

Til sidst et billede af det bedst egnede transportmiddel i det motorvejsfrie Silkeborg. Denne cyklist er på vej over broen over Gudenåen. Det er ganske sjovt, at han foretrækker at cykle på fortovet, når der nu er en så fin cykelsti lige ved siden af. Og imod færdselsretningen kører han også. Han betragter sikkert sig selv som elitecyklist, med det privilegium at have ret til at skide på færdselsloven.

Finally a picture of the best mean of transportation in the highway free Silkeborg. This cyclist is crossing the bridge over the Gudenåen. It is quite funny that he prefers to cycle on the pavement, when there is a fine bicycle track right next to it. And he drives against the traffic direction, too. He probably considers himself an elite cyclist, with the priveledge to give a shit to the Road Traffic Act.

I løbet af den time, det tog at komme igennem Silkeborg, holdt det op med at regne, og resten af vejen hjem til Sunds gik i raskt tempo.

During the hour, it took us to get through Silkeborg, it stopped raining, and the rest of the tour home to Sunds went in a fast pace.

Lørdag d. 28. juni fejrede Alley Cats i Viborg klubbens 20 års fødselsdag. Vi var seks biler fra HCCC, der kørte i samlet flok. Vi mødtes i Sunds kl. 13.15 og kl. 13.30 satte vi kursen mod Alley Cats klubhus i Romlund lidt udenfor Viborg. Vejret var ikke noget at råbe hurra for; overskyet og med et par lette regnbyger, og temperaturen beskedne 17 grader. Så der var lagt op til alternativ camping for dem, der medbragte campingvogn. En staklade ved siden af Alley Cats klubhus blev okkuperet, så campingborde og stole kunne opstilles uden hensyntagen til vejret.

On Saturday 28th of June Alley Cats in Viborg celebrated the club´s 20 years anniversary. We were six cars from HCCC, who drove in a convoy. We met in Sunds at 13.15 and at 13.30 we took off for Alley Cats´ club house in Romlund, just outside Viborg. The weather wasn´t very nice; overcasted with a few light showers, and the temperature only reached 17 C. So camping in this weather called for alternative thinking for those, who brought their caravans. A Dutch barn neighbouring Alley Cats´ club house was occupied, and camping tables and chairs could be unfolded despite the quite bad weather conditions.

Vi ankom nok for tidligt til denne event, for der skete faktisk ingenting hele eftermiddagen. Der var nogen fra klubben, der først mødte op hen under aftentid, og de har sikkert en noget anden opfattelse af fødselsdagsfesten, end jeg har. Jeg kedede mig bravt i stive fire timer, og så besluttede jeg mig for at køre hjem igen. Medvirkende til beslutningen var også det ret kedelige sommervejr.

I think, we came to early to this event, for actually nothing happened the whole afternoon. Some of the members of my club didn´t attend before evening, and I´m sure, they have had a different experience than me. I was bored for four whole hours, and then I decided to go home. The weather didn´t make it harder to take this decision.

Den 5. juli var det så tid til den årlige tur rundt om Ringkøbing Fjord med HCCC. I år deltog 22 biler i arrangementet, der for de flestes vedkommende startede ved klubbens lokaler på Teglvænget kl. 11.00. Kl. 11.15 gik turen i samlet flok til Ringkøbing, hvor der var samling hos Charlotte & Ivan på Musvitvej. Vi ankom kl. 12.00 og foretog de sidste forberedelser til turen rundt om fjorden.

July 5. it was time for the annual cruise with HCCC around Ringkoebing Fiord. This year 22 cars took the tour, and for most of us, it started at the club´s premises on Teglvaenget at 11.00. 11.15 we headed for Ringkoebing, where there was gathering by Charlotte & Ivan´s on Musvitvej. We arrived at 12.00 and made the last preparations for the cruise around the fiord.

Kl. 12.30 startede kortegen, og første stop var Veteranfly Museet på Stauning Flyveplads. Her blev vi delt op i to hold, og så fik vi rundvisning af et par meget snakkesalige veteranfly entusiaster. Rundvisningen blev længere, end vi havde forventet, og mange faldt fra undervejs. Kun nogle få standhaftige tog hele turen.

12.30 the cruise started, and first stop was the Veteran Aeroplane Museum at Stauning Airport. Here we were parted in two groups, and then we got a guided tour by two very talkative veteran plane entusiasts. The tour took more time than we anticipated, and many dropped out on the way. Only a few resolute took the full version.

Kl. 14.45 var vi klar til at køre videre. Vi kørte nu gennem naturreservatet Skjern Enge

At 14.45 we were ready to go on. We drove through the national park Skjern Meadows

og videre til Bork Havn, hvortil vi ankom kl. 15.10. Mange spiste fast food eller en is, inden turen gik videre kl. 15.45.

and on to Bork Harbour, where we arrived at 15.10. Many had some fast food or an icecream here, before the cruise continued at 15.45.

Fra Bork Havn kørte vi videre over Nymindegab til Hvide Sande. Da vi kørte ud af Nymindegab og kom tæt på Vesterhavet, kom havgusen rullende ind over klitterne. Temperaturen faldt på et øjeblik fra 25 C til kun 17 C. Jeg forsøgte at fotografere havgusen, mens jeg kørte, men det lykkedes ikke ret godt at vise havgusen på billederne.

From Bork Harbour we cruised through Nymindegab and on to Hvide Sande. When we left Nymindegab and came close to the North Sea, the sea fog came rolling in over the dunes. The temperature dropped from pleasant 25 C to only 17 C. I tried to take pics of the sea fog as I drove, but it was no great success to show the sea fog on the pics.

Vi ankom til Hvide Sande, hvor havgusen var knap så slem som ved Nymindegab, ca. kl. 16.15. Vi stillede bilerne til parade på p-pladsen foran Hvide Sande Fiskeauktion, og her dannedes ret hurtigt en menneskemængde, der beundrede de cromskinnende yndigheder. Og så skulle der ellers konsumeres kæmpe isvafler.

We arrived at Hvide Sande, where the sea fog was less bad than in Nymindegab, at 16.15. Vi parked the cars for a parade on the parking place in front af Hvide Sande Fish Auction, and a crowd, who admired the chrome-shining beauties, was quickly built. And then it was time for giant icecream cones.

Kl. 17.00 brød vi op igen for at køre til sidste stop på cruisingen, der var Søndervig. På turen fra Hvide Sande til Søndervig kom vi til at holde i en mange kilometer lang kø, der var forårsaget af et færdselsuheld. To biler havde haft et frontalt sammenstød, og vejen var i nogen tid spærret i begge retninger, mens redningsfolk og politi arbejdede på stedet. Vi ankom til Søndervig ved 18-tiden, og det blev kun til et kort stop, for tiden var fremskreden og folk ville gerne tilbage til Charlotte og Ivans hus for at få tændt grillen.

At 17.00 we left for the last stop on the cruise, which was Sondervig. On the drive from Hvide Sande to Sondervig we were caught in a tailback of many kilometers, caused by an accident. Two cars had a head-on crash, and the road was blocked in both directions for some time, as rescuers and police did their job on the scene. We arrived at Sondervig around 18.00, and we just did a brief stop, since it was so late, and people wanted to go back to Charlotte & Ivan´s to lit the barbeque.

Der skulle nemlig være grillhygge om aftenen, og en del ville overnatte, så de kunne få noget at drikke til - og efter - maden. Jeg kørte dog direkte fra Søndervig til Sunds, og jeg var hjemme ca. 19.30.

The plan for the evening was a barbeque, and some would stay over night, so they could have something to drink to - and after - the food. I drove directly home from Sondervig and reached Sunds around 19.30.

30. august er ifølge kalenderen den næstsidste sommerdag. Og sommer var det denne dag i 2008. Letskyet, vindstille og behagelige 23 grader i skyggen. Perfekt vejr til en dag i det fri. American Street Machines i Odense afholdt sit årligt tilbagevendende træf, Odin Cruising & Meet fra den 29. til den 31. august, så det var oplagt at pakke det nødvendige og drage østpå til transitøen. Vi var nogle stykker fra HCCC, der havde aftalt at køre derover i samlet flok. Vi mødtes kl. 9.00 (sådan cirka!) hos Kurt i Hammerum.

August 30. is, according to the calendar, the second last day of the summer. And summer it was on this day in 2008. Only a few friendly clouds in the sky, no wind to mention and pleasant 23 C in the shadow. Perfect weather for a day in free air. American Street Machines in Odense held it´s annual meeting, Odin Cruising & Meet, from August 29. to 31., so it was the obvious choise to pack a few necessities and go east to 'the transit island' Funen. We were some members of HCCC, who had arranged to go there together. We met at Kurt´s place in Hammerum at 9 a.m. (roughly!)

Vi var i alt 8 personer i 3 biler, og ved halv ti-tiden drog vi afsted. Efter utallige tissepauser undervejs ankom vi til Tusindårsskoven i Odense kl. 12.30. Rygtet om sidste års gode træf kombineret med det ekseptionelt gode vejr havde lokket amerikanerbilfolket til Smilets Ø. Jeg fik nummer 423 klistret på forruden, men inden aften havde 610 biler passeret gennem indgangen. Det var dermed det største træf, jeg nogensinde har deltaget i. Der var rigtignok også trængsel i Tusindårsskoven, men det gik da.

All in all 8 persons in 3 cars set out about 9.30 a.m. After countless numbers of peeing pauses we arrived to Tusindårsskoven (The Thousand Years Forest) at 12.30. The rumour of last year´s very fine meeting, combined with the exceptionally good weather, had tempted the american car enthusiasts to The Island Of The Smile. I got number 423 sticked onto the front screen, but before evening 610 cars had been through the gate. This made it the biggest meeting, I have ever attended. And indeed, it was crowded in Tusindårsskoven, but it was allright.

Og træffet levede også fuldt ud op til de mange deltageres forventninger. Her var gode legemuligheder for både børn og voksne. Bungee jumpene var meget populære,

And the meeting fully lived up to the crowd´s expectations. Here was good opportunities to play for both children and adults. The bungee jumps were very popular,

og det var brænderpladsen også. Her var motordestruktion, hvor man kunne vædde på, hvor lang tid en udrangeret Ford Escort kunne holde til bundgas, når der ikke var vand på køleren. 3 minutter og 14 sekunder varede plageriet. Så døde Fordvognen ganske pludseligt.

and so was the burn out place. Here was machine destruction, and you could bet on, how long time it would take for an old Ford Excort to die with the speeder rock-bottom and without cooling fluid in the system. 3.14 min. lasted the torment. Then the old Ford quite suddently died.

Jeg havde væddet på, at den kunne holde til behandlingen i 7 minutter og 31 eller 51 sekunder, så jeg var langt fra hovedgevinsten, der var hele puljen. Der var også sponsoreret trøstepræmier, men de var også langt udenfor min rækkevidde. På pladsen var der indrettet en hel 'gade' med boder. Her kunne man købe så vidt forskellige ting som slik, fælge og bundmåtter, slibe- og polererskiver, tøj, bilnøgler o.m.a.

My guess was, that it would last for 7.31or 7.51 min., so I was far away from the 1. prize, which was the whole pool. There were consolation prizes too, but I was also far away from them . There was a whole 'street' with stalls in the place. Here you could buy as different things as candy, rims and floor mats, grinding- and polishing discs, clothing, car keys a.m.m.

og lørdag aften spillede det meget populære Decco Band. Og så var der jo selvfølgelig træffets absolutte højdepunkt, cruisingen på Ruggårdsvej og omkringliggende gader. Federe cruising fås ikke. Her er tusindvis af tilskuere samlet for at se de fede biler, og der bliver lavet brændere - big time. Der køres på en afspærret rute, og politi og politihjemmeværn sørger for, at det ikke bliver det totale kaos. Det gør det nu næsten alligevel, for cruisingruten er lovlig kort til de mange amerikanerbiler, der jo fylder godt i gadebilledet. Hvis alle biler havde kørt samtidigt på cruisingruten i år, ville der ganske simpelt ikke have været plads til dem, selv om der kørtes i dobbelt geled på Ruggårdsvej. Hvis der kommer lige så mange til træffet næste år, skulle arrangørerne nok overveje at lave en noget længere rute. Men hvor var det dog fedt med alle de tilskuere, langt flere end jeg har oplevet noget andet sted - og de kommer tilbage år efter år efter år.....

and Saturday night the very popular Decco Band played live. And then of course the absolute clou of the meeting, the cruising on Ruggårdsvej and surrounding streets. Better cruising can´t be found. Here thousand of spectators are gathered to see the great cars, and burn-outs are made - big time. The cruising is held in closed-off streets, and the police and home gard police sees to, that it doesn´t develope into total chaos. It does almost, anyway, because the cruising route is rather short for so many big american cars, that fills quite well in the streets. If all cars had cruised at the same time, there wouldn´t have been room for them, even though the cruising in Ruggårdsvej was two-wide. The organizers of the cruising should consider a longer route next year, in case the meeting is as well attended as it was this year. But how great it is with so many spectators, many more than I have ever experienced any other place - and they return year after year after year.....

Efter cruisingen vendte jeg snuden hjemover med den synkende sol i øjnene det første stykke af vejen over Fyn.

After the cruising I headed for home with the descending sun in my eyes for the first distance across Funen.

Vel ankommet til hovedlandet var solen forsvundet under horisonten, og aftenkøligheden satte ind og gjorde resten af turen til en behagelig og fredfyldt oplevelse. Bare mig og lyden af en dybt buldrende amerikansk V8´er i mørket. Kl. 21.30 satte jeg El Caminoen i garage, klappede den for vel udført arbejde - som altid trofastheden selv.

Til sidst vil jeg vise nogle af de fede flydere fra American Street Machines´ Odin Cruising & Meet 2008 i Tusindårsskoven i Odense:

Well arrived at the mainland the sun had dissapeared below the horizon, and the evening coolness came and made the rest of the trip a pleasant and peacefull event. Just me, alone, with the sound of the deep rumble of an american V8 in the dark. 9.30 p.m. the El Camino rested in it´s garage, and I gave it a pat for mission well accomblished - as always faithfulness itself.

Finally I´ll show some of my pics of great american machines at American Street Machines´ Odin Cruising & Meet 2008 in Tusindårsskoven in Odense:

Tak til American Street Machines, der har lagt et enormt stykke arbejde i at gøre dette træf til et af landets allerfedeste.

A big thank you to American Street Machines, whos enormous effort makes this meeting one of the best in Denmark.

Den 13. september var der indvielsesfest for Low Riders CC´s nye klubhus. Det gamle klubhus brændte desværre ned til grunden sidste år, men nu er klubben kommet på fode igen i nye faciliteter. Fra Herning Custom Car Club var vi 8 personer i fire biler, der deltog i festlighederne. Vi kørte fra Herning ved 13-tiden og ankom en time senere til Horsens, netop som cruisingen startede. Vi gled ind i kortegen og cruisede gennem gågaden. Efter et stop med udsigt over Horsens Fjord, deltes de ca. 50 fremmødte biler op i flere grupper. Én gruppe tog ud på et orienteringsløb, en anden gruppe cruisede langs fjorden og en tredie, lille gruppe kørte direkte hen til det nye klubhus. Jeg hørte til den tredie gruppe. Det skyldtes, at min passager, Bodil, bevægede sig på grænsen til en sprængt blære. Vi havde en gave med til Low Riders, så de kunne få noget til at fylde op med i de nye lokaler. Gaven var et dæk fra Pers dragster. Pers team havde week-end´en forinden vundet europamesterskabet for top fuel for anden gang de seneste tre år. Vi havde skrevet en hilsen på dækket, bl.a. med den hurtigste tid, som denne dragster har sat: 4,64 sec. og 501 km/t.

Sept. 13. Low Riders CC in Horsens held an opening party for their new club house. The old club unfortunately burned down to the ground last year, but now the club has rised from the ashes again in new facilities. We were 8 persons in 4 cars from Herning Custom Car Club, who took part in the festivities. We left Herning about 1 p.m., and we arrived in Horsens roughly one hour later, just as the cruising started. We joined the motorcade and cruised the pedestrianized street. After a stop with view over Horsens Fiord, the 50 or so participating cars were split into smaller groups. One group joined an orienteering race, another group cruised along the fiord and a third, small group, drove directly to the new club house. I was in the third group, because my passenger, Bodil, was on the edge of a burst blatter. Vi had brought a present with us to Low Riders, so they are having something to fill up their meeting room. Our present was a tire from Per´s top fuel dragster. Per´s team had just won the european championship for top fuel dragsters the week-end before. That was for the second time in the last three years. We had writen a greeting on the tire, including the fastest time, this dragster has done: 4,64 sec. 501 km/h.

Klubben har allerede fået sig indrettet hyggeligt i de nye lokaler, der består ag et mødelokale og en garage samt nogle udenomslokaliteter:

The club has arranged itself comfortably and cosy in their new premises, which consists of a meeting room, a garage and some outdoor facilities:

Ved 17.30-tiden var der motorafbrænding. En gammel Nissan var blevet tømt for vand, men ikke for motorolie. Nu kunne man så vædde om, hvor længe riskogeren kunne holde til bundgas. Jeg gættede på 5 minutter og 10 sekunder, men den døde allerede efter 4 minutter og 28 sekunder. Og ja, der var andre, der var tættere på det rigtige tid.

At 5.30 p.m. there was a machine burning competition. An old Nissan had been emptied for water, but not for oil. Now you could bet on, how long time it would take for this rice-boiler to die with its speeder flat bottom. My guess was 5 minutes and 10 seconds, but its death was declared after 4 minutes and 28 seconds. And yes, there were others closer to the correct time.

Jeg havde glemt at tage insulin med på turen, så efter motorafbrændingen måtte jeg køre hjem, mens de andre satte sig til bords for at spise schnitzler og pandekager. Jeg var hjemme kl. 18.30.

I had forgot to bring my insulin with me on this tour, so I had to leave shortly after the machine burn, while the others were seated at the banquet with schnitzels and pancakes. I was back home at 6.30 p.m.

Lørdag d. 20. september afholdt HCCC sin traditionelle sæsonafslutnings-cruising, også kaldet garagecruise. Vi kører rundt og besøger 3 - 4 medlemmer og ser, hvad de har gang i. I år var garagecruisingen lidt anderledes end tidligere. Vi har nogle medlemmer, der også er medlemmer af, hvad jeg tror må være Danmarks mindste amerikanerbilklub, Small Town Cruisers CC, som netop har bygget ny garage og klublokaler i en lille landsby, Davding, udenfor Brædstrup. De havde inviteret os til at besøge dem ved årets sæsonafslutning, og vi tog med glæde imod invitationen. De havde arrangeret et mini-træf, som ikke stod i skyggen af de store træf. Der var indlagt en cruising, hvor vi besøgte et privat museum med amerikaner- og andre biler, motorcykler, knallerter og meget mere. En stor anerkendelse til Bo, Andreas og de andre i Small Town Cruisers CC for et fortræffeligt arrangement, som havde deltagelse af over 20 amerikanerbiler.

Saturday, sept. 20. HCCC held its traditional season closer, also called Garage Cruising. We cruise and visit 3 - 4 members, and see, what is going on in their garages. This year the cruise was a little bit different than earlier years. We have some members, who also are members of what I think must be the smallest american car club in Denmark, Small Town Cruisers CC, that has just built a new garage/club room in a small village, Davding, just outside Braedstrup. They had invited us to visit them at the closure of the season, and we accepted the invitation with pleasure. They had arranged a mini meeting, that wasn´t overshadowed by the big ones. It had a cruising, where we visited a private museum with american- and other cars, motobikes, mopeds and much more. A big recognition to Bo, Andreas and all the others in Small Town Cruisers CC for an excellent event, which was attended by more than 20 american cars.

På hjemturen, der gik gennem noget af det smukkeste natur, Danmark kan byde på, gjorde jeg holdt et par gange for at tage billeder.

On my tour home, which went through some of the most magnificent nature in Denmark, I stopped a couple of times to take pics.