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Sept 19, 2018 21:19:28 GMT
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grizz This thread has been amazing from start to where it is right now. REAL America, not just tourist piccies. Love it. So sorry to hear about Dukey Thanks re Dukey. Yes it is the real America. I could not do tourist stuff like Vegas, Disney etc. But understand why people do Just not my gallon of cheap gas. And the people whom I keep referencing in the thread are real, salt of the earth, every one. From Clem, Dennis, Ray, the girls, every one makes my heart belive in humanity.
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Sept 19, 2018 21:22:20 GMT
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Everything about this trip looks brilliant. the bee, the food, the friends, the guns, harleys, classic cars, quads..... And you are right. They are and I never stop feeling blessed and fortunate for having the privilege. All this stuff is real The toys bought with real blood od, sweat and tears. Just thankful that I get to taste the bacon, smell the gunpowder and drive the cars for all of us.
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Stu
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,913
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Sept 19, 2018 22:08:28 GMT
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Still really enjoying this, chaps - keep the updates and photos coming, love it! Also. RIP Dukey... :-(
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'89 BMW E30 325i Sport, '04 MINI Cooper S, '09 Volvo V70 D5
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Sept 19, 2018 22:33:31 GMT
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Monday morning after a coffee, Craig and Imset off at 07.00 after saying our good byes to Dennis who was already headed to work. He must have had so much on his mind at the shop. Kept on driving for a few hours and then stopped for a motorway coffee and bacon and egg toasted sandwich that was just perfect. Also saw this registration plate. The country became flatter as the miles rolled over. Bullet holes. Random places and pictures. Love me a Deere, John Deere All too soon, we were in Amish country. Street name, indicating county/State lines and motorway. Another state. Headed for Oskaloosa. Not quite there. Eventually. Made it....... Collected the letters for Dennis to use on his gas station from a seller. Also spoke to another State Trooper to get advice on Antique stores. Then we headed out for www.Kelderman.com to meet Derek. I love the business hours. Definitely in America. More later. Bedtime now.
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Last Edit: Sept 19, 2018 22:38:21 GMT by grizz
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Sept 20, 2018 10:45:27 GMT
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Interesting seeing some of these photos, I drove Amish for a few years out of Bloomfield which is the capitol of Davis county. Worked on a farm there at the jog when I was in high school.
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Sept 20, 2018 15:22:55 GMT
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Interesting seeing some of these photos, I drove Amish for a few years out of Bloomfield which is the capitol of Davis county. Worked on a farm there at the jog when I was in high school. Looks like you do get around. We saw loads of Amish businesses along the way, but hat to get to Kelderman by 13.00 so did not stop as much as I would have liked.
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Sept 20, 2018 16:26:55 GMT
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Looove that truck in the “Welcome to Iowa” picture. Classic American styling brought right up to date. Seeing them trundle by without the limits placed on LGV drivers in the UK is awesome. Though with the amount of freight moved by road in the US, they’d never get anything delivered on time with UK style regulations lol.
You’re right about the business hours. Nothing better than being able to rock up at 7am, get your stuff done and still have the best part of the day to follow.
Mouth truly watering at that breakfast stop reference. Never had a bad one, no matter that they’re picked at compete random.
Really enjoying reading about your trip Guys, thanks for allowing us to share.
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Sept 20, 2018 18:09:44 GMT
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Looove that truck in the “Welcome to Iowa” picture. Classic American styling brought right up to date. Seeing them trundle by without the limits placed on LGV drivers in the UK is awesome. Though with the amount of freight moved by road in the US, they’d never get anything delivered on time with UK style regulations lol. You’re right about the business hours. Nothing better than being able to rock up at 7am, get your stuff done and still have the best part of the day to follow. Mouth truly watering at that breakfast stop reference. Never had a bad one, no matter that they’re picked at compete random. Really enjoying reading about your trip Guys, thanks for allowing us to share. Thank you mate. The truck, though small compared to some, certainly has a great presence. I love the squared off wheel arches and that front end. And then the big stuff you are commenting on....... That’s why I posted the pic as well. They are lovely. Yes, the breakfast was a “lite” option because we were just simply eating too much. Glad you are enjoying the ride. It will end in tears some time soon though.
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Sept 20, 2018 19:37:13 GMT
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When we got to Kelderman, we were met by Bo, the shop security dog. Evidence everywhere of hobbies, interests and passions. Derek introduced us to Jeff, the VP as part of our tour. He will be along soon to add some video links to some of their builds too. We saw a lot of stuff that is either in development, or private, also many customer trucks being fitted with various high lift kits. I have to say, most of the stuff he showed us was way above my pay grade and understanding, but I loved it all. This is a big concern. Evidenced by a double storey red barn inside the factory. Some more random pics of some of the builds, and toys. This is how you move bales.... Wide body, wider wheels. Good advice. Jeff’s corner. This was where my heart started to beat faster. Lastly, the corporate tow truck. Once we had completed the tour, we headed over to a small town called Beacon, that the Iowa State Trooper had suggested we go see. Unfortunately, it was Monday 15.00 and when we got there, the sign said closed Monday and Tuesday. But we saw something we wanted badly out front........ And so started another 2.5 hr story.
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Sept 21, 2018 7:42:52 GMT
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So we got to the small antiques shop in Beacon, Iowa only to find it closed on a Monday and Tuesday.
This was of course Monday afternoon.
We did see a pair of Shell backed vintage steel chairs that we wanted to get for Dennis for the gas station veranda, so made some effort.
So we called the number on the door, first one, then the other.
Unfortunately my number must have come up as a strange number being a U.K. dealing code etc, and they put the phone down after answering it, and then continued to not answer.
Bugggerr!!
So Craig walked two properties over (there are no fences in Beacon) and spoke to an elderly lady who was mowing her significant lawn on a ride on mower. She came back to the shop with him and tried to get hold of the owner for us too, using her mobile phone, but no luck. So an hour later, we decided to give up and he’d North to Monroe to Ray and Eve’s place.
Upon leaving we drove past a corner property one block away, that had loads of yard art out front, for sale.
Craig and I stopped, to see if there was anything interesting to buy, and ended up speaking to the owner and her daughter and their dog........ typical small town story, husband had passed the year before and wife and daughter were trying to get rid of stock and sell up. Craig bought a small metal chicken from them, and while we were speaking to them and playing with the dog, asked if they knew the antique shops owner......
Yes, it was her late husbands friend and he had bought all the best stuff already for his shop.
Could you possibly try get hold of him for us??
The daughter had to prompt the mum to go fetch her phone and get hold of the owner, whom it turns out, is a full time plumber.
After 10 minutes she came out and said that he had agreed to come back and open up for us, could we wait 20 minutes?
This did turn into nearer an hour, but still worth it in the end.
So Steve met us at the shop and opened up all his buildings, one is a large road trailer filled with great stuff.
He agreed to sell the two chairs to us at exactly the price Craig and I had thought we would be prepared to pay.
I asked if he had any others that were rotten, damaged or cheaper too, and he said he had sow more, different to what we had bought, so we walked to another property and he showed us a square back, and a square back rocker. The rocker price was agreed, as they are a bit more rare and expensive.
Under them, under the tree was a “Glider” bench, three seater.........
This was the Holy Grail of this part of the trip.
Dennis wanted one desperately but they are crazy prices at antique stores and usually two seaters.
So I asked if it was for sale and Steve, the owner said it was not his, but after asking him, he called the owner, who was away, and got a price.
Contacting Dennis with photos, than you to our travelling internet hotspot and Messenger, followed by a call, it was agreed to buy it.....
This was a massive win, but we now had to load and secure it all and travel a few more days with our bounty on the rear of the Silverado.
Thankfully we were in the Midwest, where things rarely gets stolen, removed or interfered with.
So even in public spaces, overnight in car parks..... it was all safe.
I will post up some photos of just one range of collectibles Steve has, he has some seriously good stuff.
Pepsi.........
Anyone interested?
Too bad if not, pics up soon.
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Sept 21, 2018 9:48:31 GMT
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Finally had a chance to see your updates!
Great stuff. Its something i want to do next time i go. Visit all the junk/antique shops and waste some money on stuff i don't need and have no where to put!
We only managed to visit 6 or so of these shops on my trip. Our routes just didnt go through the type of small towns these places are found in. And the travelling we had to do day to day. I underestimated the time it would take each day and the time we had for stops etc.
Would love to see some pictures of that place! Sounds great, and you are much better at posting updates than myself!
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1973 MK1 2600 Capri - Located in Texas 1976 3.0S Capri - X-Pack long term Project 1978 2.0S Capri 1984 Transit County MK2 4x4 LWB 2.5DI 1985 2.8i Special Capri (v8 5.0L) 1986 2.8i Special Capri 1987 280 Turbo Technics Capri 1993 1.8TD P100 - Beater, parts collector 2008 BMW 320i Touring - Daily
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Sept 21, 2018 12:55:42 GMT
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Finally had a chance to see your updates! Great stuff. Its something i want to do next time i go. Visit all the junk/antique shops and waste some money on stuff i don't need and have no where to put! We only managed to visit 6 or so of these shops on my trip. Our routes just didnt go through the type of small towns these places are found in. And the travelling we had to do day to day. I underestimated the time it would take each day and the time we had for stops etc. Would love to see some pictures of that place! Sounds great, and you are much better at posting updates than myself! Thank you for your reply and comments I agree, time is the biggest issue. You really need to add 40-60% to your agendas. Those shops can take days to find stuff in because its so eclectic and random. Wait till you see the stuff I brought back. Some utter rubbish. But its mine and makes me happy.
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Sept 21, 2018 12:56:16 GMT
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All of the Stuff Steve has is his shop is good collector quality. Craig bought an absolutely gorgeous vintage charm bracelet for his wife from Steve too and as I said to him, if I had someone who needed or deserved it and would use and enjoy it, I certainly would have been more envious. Prices seemed high to me because I do not collect but I suspect collectors will know Ultimately, the question “When last did you see one of them for sale?” Possibly rules As we drive off to rejoin the motorway up to Ray and Eves we saw why Pepsi stuff costs so much more. Just not as common as this. Hopefully Craig will come in and post a photo of his favourite bargain purchase and photo plus description of it. I may just add that he is a keen Coca Cola collector too. Back to Steves shop of antiques He has a very good Sinclair sign, post and light. Back to Dennis’ Birthday presents that we were lucky enough to find hundreds of miles away from St Louis in Beacon, Iowa after a discussion with an Iowa State Trooper on a Cassies gas and service station forecourt where he had bought his chewing tobacco...... The Glider in question under the tree after clearing the other stuff stacked on top of it, off. Craig for size perspective when I needed to see if this was what Dennis wanted. Loading the bounty. Steve and his sone helped us learn ad and supplied a lot of cardboard to help protect the Silverado and pieces. Note the brown Shell backed chair behind the Glider back and the white rocker backrest. A couple of rubber bungee straps and a single lightweight ratchet strap held everything in place. Capably tied by boyscout Craig. I love this photo. Its the one I took for Dennis after we had loaded “his Glider purchase” not showing the other chairs he was looking for as a surprise. After all of this we hit the road in a hurry as we were “running late” Letting Ray know our exact ETA according to Wayz that has been an awesome tool the whole trip. Our arrival was greeted by a big smile, bear hugs and these one inch prime pork chops that he had put on the grill as we turned up his street. Speak of military precission. Dinner, beers and two large, lovely dogs next. Ohhh and Eve, Rays lovely bride. PS. Sorry for the load of spelling ang grammar errors in the previous entry. iPad on an early train and not proof reading. Later.
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Sept 21, 2018 14:57:29 GMT
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Hopefully Craig will come in and post a photo of his favourite bargain purchase and photo plus description of it. I may just add that he is a keen Coca Cola collector too. Hey all, I've gone a bit quiet as I'm back to work and as you all know I tend to be a quiet when working as I seem to expend all my energy there. As grizz said above, I love coke things. I doubt I'd qualify as a collector, but I certainly have the odd thing or two (like fridges, signs, etc). Well I spotted this little beauty but it felt a bit expensive, so I dithered about it, and then eventually made an offer as part of the deal and bought it. Truth be told, I didn't really know what I was buying, all would become clear two days later when I spotted another for a different price, in a different store, in a different town, in a different state (but that's another story!!). I'll leave the story here for you guys to guess what it is. If you follow me on Facebook, then please don't cheat, rather leave it for others to guess.
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Last Edit: Sept 23, 2018 4:20:49 GMT by craigrk
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Sept 21, 2018 16:23:08 GMT
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Great update and some nice finds, its always good too bring back stuff that will always remind you of that trip, what happened under Craigs nose? don't remember seeing that before you guys went!
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Sept 21, 2018 16:29:30 GMT
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My hand baggage backpack was unpacked, due to metal objects and a bunch of license plates. Both Craig and I also needed to remove stuff from our big cases and carry by hand as second items. (Quite heavy) Then we’re permitted to surrender at plane check in/on when we boarded to collect at final destination...... Strange, but suited us both. When we got home, my case had been opened and inspected. All my knives and Craig’s haul of them were still in my bag. Yup, I guess they had an interesting day for sure. Ditto on the checks, both at handbaggage stage (although in my case they were interested in the sweets I was taking home to the kids) and when I opened my bag. I was a bit annoyed that my carefully packed model cars had been lobbed back in free form, but at least they survived, so shouldn't quarrel.
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Sept 21, 2018 18:36:48 GMT
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Great update and some nice finds, its always good too bring back stuff that will always remind you of that trip, what happened under Craigs nose? don't remember seeing that before you guys went! Burt Reynolds Tribute.
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Sept 21, 2018 19:44:23 GMT
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Thank you Craig for the insert. Looks like most people have stopped reading and responding. Onward we travelled. The further we went, the more the Silverado proved itself to be the right choice for this part of the road trip. Comfy, tall, panoramic views and an eager, very eager motor. Passing some beautiful farms and homesteads. Then we rolled into Monroe. Iowa. Ray had already started up the gas BBQ back home. Greeted like friends, not strangers, Ray showed us around, his LS powered S10 license breaker, our camper where we had selected to sleep, in order to give us and them privacy. Then the Dogs, both the Duke and Duchess. And finally, though one cold not miss it..... His 1966 Cadillac Coupe De Ville with well under 40k miles. Next thing he offered it to me. “Take it for a good ride, don’t be scared to drive it” he said to me next...... No need to offer again. Pretty cool to be headed out in an iconic car less than half an hour after landing at our latest host. After I came back, the car had left me gushing like a teenager at her favourite teen idols music concert, this land yacht was just so smooth, and the massive V8 just wafted along effortlessly. Craig took it for a drive too. Both of us had silly grins on our return. VIDEO. CLICK LINK. After unpacking, settling in and enjoying the dogs, we had dinner, before Eve got home, well, really as she got home. Those pork chops were just crazy good. Nothing like fresh, homewrown food. The potato salad had me reaching over three times to load up again. We relaxed, all of us just having such a good time. I have to say publically that Ray is a lucky man (Eve probably a lucky girl) that he has a wife who is a nurse,but also has a natural mothering tendency. She could not do enough for Craig and I. The dogs were very settled, and little Duchess had formed some attachment to Craig, weird that. After a good nights sleep in the massive camper, we showered etc. Coming back into the house to breakfast and cake..... What?? I hear you say. Yup, Eve had baked us a cinnamon cake in the oven for breakfast as well. My kinda girl for sure. BUT THERE WAS A TRICK UP HER SHORT LITTLE SLEEVE. We both had two pieces. Then she innocently asked us if we knew why she had fed us cake for breakfast We had both been bitten repeatedly by mosquitoes at Andy and other places, plus my back had been biting and bugging me since before we left 5e UK. Seems cinnamon has anti inflammatory properties. Thanks Eve. So what do you do in the middle of Iowa?? Antiques of course. So we headed out to the car. Camper and Silverado in the background, as well as Eves work car with Ray loving his car. And with his little pocket rocket, who is 5’2” tall or is that short, but larger than life. He also built her a custom Harley. When they ended up with a family of four daughters and the two of them, he added a sidecar for two to his bike, Eve took one on the back of her bike and they had two in the side car, one on the rear of his bike......... Sturgis is their yearly fix. Then we set off. These American motorways really suit this car down to a T. CLICK LINK FOR VIDEO. CAR IN ITS ELEMENT. Loved these signs, they are REAL America and indicated we had made it to places only seen in movies for most of us 50 miles later, windows down in the fresh morning air, via a detour to show us more of downtown Des Moines Ray brings to beast to a halt in a carpark outside the Brass Armadillo This car is a dream. This is antique store Central. I do hope those of you still following and actually reading the words, will also enjoy the next photodump of random photos from inside the shop. Well, it’s more of a massive warehouse with sublet shops and tenants inside.
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Last Edit: Sept 21, 2018 20:01:32 GMT by grizz
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Sept 21, 2018 20:33:28 GMT
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Superb grizz I for one am still following. That Caddy!!! Absolutely superb. Need a better paying job to go back and do justice to an American Road Trip...
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The Doctor
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 3,434
Club RR Member Number: 48
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Sept 21, 2018 20:35:21 GMT
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Thank you Craig for the insert. Looks like most people have stopped reading and responding. While the latter part is very true, the first bit isn't! Read every bit so far and enjoying it very much!
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