Our Travelogue...

[iptman]

Those were all her drawings of the cool things she saw throughout the trip. I believe those are trees, a couple of mountains and a tunnel that went through a mountain. You should have seen how many were up by the time we got home.

 

[POTATO LAUNCHER]

Man I dig it. I grew up in a 69 FJ55 and drove it to high-school. Both of my kids can spot a Cruiser anywhere. It's an inherited illness that will stay with them forever . Cruise on my friend...

 

[CharlestonG8R]

Will have an update after the weekend.

 

[David70FJ40]

I pick up from Booch on 11/20.

 

[David70FJ40]

Sunday 11/20 I met Booch and his Dad just south of the NC/VA border. The weather was clear, very cool and the wind was terrible, kept blowing my 40 all over the road. I enjoyed talking with Booch and his Dad, both retired Navy veterans so we had a lot in common. Sadly, once the conversation was over and the photos were taken, Booch tried to start his 40 and nothing worked. DEAD! After what seemed like several hours out in the cold and wind, the problem was traced to something in the wiring which was bypassed but the engine wouldn't crank. After another long search Booch finally lifted the dist cap and filed off the rotor and it cranked up.

Back on our way. I had a 287 mile round trip on secondary roads with a total drive time of 7 hours through a lot of little towns and burgs along the way which slowed the progress dramatically on a highway I had never taken before.

I recently completed a H55 conversion on my 40, the one on the left, and I can say it was well worth the expense, work and frustration!

More photos to follow as I squire the "baton" around parts of central NC.

 

[David70FJ40]

Starter died today. The 40 is out of action until a new starter can be sourced and installed.

 

[Bluegrass40]

Starter died today. The 40 is out of action until a new starter can be sourced and installed.

I just replaced the starter on my '78 last week in prep for my leg of the trip that is going through KY. I went with a gear reduction starter from an fj60. Purchased it from advance auto parts and used the coupon code 'trt41' to get $40 off a purchase of $100 or more for items purchased on line. Starter works well and I'm glade I made the switch. Just had to get used to the sound......

Good luck with the next leg of the journey.

 

[David70FJ40]

I have a gear reduction starter available for pick up tomorrow. $84 What is the difference in the sound?

 

[Bluegrass40]

 

[brian]

I have a gear reduction starter available for pick up tomorrow. $84 What is the difference in the sound?

alot.
i actually sourced a new direct drive to replace the gear reduction i have.

 

[cbmontgo]

Looking forward to tracking progress as it gets closer to Texas.

 

[David70FJ40]

Sounds like an air starter.

 

[CharlestonG8R]

Erik (@ErikinSC ) and I met at 0530 at Waffle House to begin the 250 mile (approximately) trip from Charleston, SC down to St Augustine. We took backroads down to Beaufort, SC to meet up with Moon (@77wagon ) and his wife Samantha at the historic Sheldon Church. Moon has a very unique Arkana conversion FJ45 - it is way cool! While I had hoped to get a picture in front of the Beaufort Lighthouse, that wasn't in the cards as the area was devastated by Hurricane Matthew. We got a few pictures on the waterfront and continued on the backroads to Savannah. We took a few pictures on River Street and said goodbye to Moon and Samantha.

Erik and I continued on the backroads to Brunswick, GA to meet up with Todd (@Godzirra ) in his dune beige topless FJ40. We continued on backroads and were greeted by about 100 bikers giving us a thumbs up as we arrived in Fernandina Beach. This is a very cool town that hosts quite a few festivals for the Jacksonville, FL area. We stopped for lunch at Peppers to meet up with Bryan (@chubot ) and Dean (@Kayaker ) in the historic district (Lobster nachos and Lobster quesadillas anyone?).

We stopped in Amelia Island to get some pictures on the beach. This is where we parted ways with our new friend Todd.

Continuing south, the drive is very scenic from here to the Mayport Ferry. The fishing is pretty phenomenal and there is always a break, somewhere in the area, if you're interested in surfing. From here we headed down A1A all the way to Vilano Beach to meet up with Deo (@mel lowe ) and hand off the stealth baton. The Light Festival had kicked off in St Augustine and the traffic was pretty obscene... If it hadn't gotten dark so quickly, some pictures in front of the Old Fort would have been in order.

On the way home, Erik and I met up with fellow Low Country Land Cruiser member, Hunter, in his hometown of Walterboro. Hunter knows everyone in town, so we weren't too concerned about getting arrested for driving on the manicured lawn of the Low Country Airport.

This was a heck of a road trip and I can't wait to do it again! Made some new friends and had a blast with some old ones. In my estimation, that's what this was all about. Great idea!

The journey of 500 miles begins with a nutritious breakfast at Waffle House.

The sunrise over the marsh was beautiful. The view never gets old and the weather was perfect for enjoying it.

Here is a shot of Moon, Erik, and I in front of the Sheldon Church.

You'll never see Moon without a smile on his face!

I topped off the TC, Tranny, and axles before leaving... When we got to our destination, I had to put in 2 quarts of gear oil in the Transmission and rear axle.

 

[CharlestonG8R]

Erik, me, and Moon at the Beaufort waterfront.

Moon approaching the Talmadge Bridge.

View of The Savannah River from River Street. This is where we parted ways with Moon and Samantha.

Erik on approach to Fernandina Beach.

Our lineup in Amelia Island prior to heading on to the beach. From left: Me, Erik, Bryan, Dean, and Todd.

 

[CharlestonG8R]

A few shots on the beach at Amelia Island.

 

[CharlestonG8R]

The lineup to get on the Mayport Ferry.

On the Ferry.

Meeting with Deo.

Meeting with Hunter (@whitenh ) in Walterboro.

 

[David70FJ40]

So, after the hand-off, Booch wasn't able to get his 40 started. We chased down everything and he managed to bypass a circuit to get things going. Turned out if was a fuseable link that gave up and wasn't seen until he got it home and was able to give it a closer inspection. I stayed around and helped as I could and supplied some tools but daylight was running out and I finally returned home after 7pm, much to dark to take photos.

Made it official first.

Early Monday morning I climbed in and took the baton for a jaunt around central NC. My home town of High Point has been known as a furniture manufacturing center for a long time. In the early 1900's the majority of furniture produced in the US was made in a 250 mile radius of here and once the manufacturers got together to start a furniture exposition, the furniture market was started. Today, High Point hosts two markets in April and October attracting sellers and buyers from all over the globe. To show how important it was and still is, a building in High Point had its front shaped like a larger bureau and was billed as the worlds largest bureau. High Point was also listed as the hosiery capital of the world which is why the socks are on the bureau. Sadly, the production of furniture and hosiery has largely gone overseas and there are a lot of abandoned plants around.

The next town over, Thomasville, was home to Thomasville Furniture Industries and that company made a large amount of chairs and the town produced a tribute, the worlds largest chair.

This is a place which I hold in high regard and respect. The Vietnam Veterans memorial on I85 just south of Thomasville. Yes, I have friends on the wall.

 

[David70FJ40]

Then it was off to Lexington for some lunch. NC is famous for BBQ and Lexington is the center. The town is only about 25k population but I can bet the ratio of BBQ restaurants to population is the highest in the nation. I know other cities and states boast they have the best but Lexington BBQ is the best in my book. NC has two types of BBQ, vinegar based which is eastern NC and tomato based which is Lexington style. You can smell the smoke for miles and I ever fail to stop for a sandwich or a plate. Lexington is on Business 85. The Lexington BBQ has the best BBQ, The BBQ Center has the best hush puppies and Speedys has the biggest portions. If you are ever in NC, make a side trip to Lexington, I doubt you will be disappointed.

I know the EPA has visited here and simply shook their heads and walked off. I also doubt Al Gore would find the smoke as delightful as the restaurant patrons do.

The first gold rush in America wasn't in California in 1849, it was in the Uwharrie mountains near the tiny area known as Flint Hill. To this day the holes in the ground and abandoned mines litter the landscape south of Flint Hill. One enterprising Irishman by the name of McCullouch cashed in on the gold rush by building a gold mill in High Point. Once the mines played out the mill went into disrepair and was rebuilt and turned into a restaurant and now a special events center.

Trust me, its there behind the trees. (Shameless self promotion the get my 40 in a photo.)

The gold in Flint Hill is gone and there is no gold floating around the mill either.

Then, my starter decided to die and the 40 is idle waiting for the new starter. Once I get the starter installed I will get around the state a little more.

 

[David70FJ40]

After a delay due to mechanical problems and weather I was finally able to squire the "baton" around central NC until the ONSC Christmas party where the hand off was to be made

For you NASCAR fans, NC was arguably the birthplace of NASCAR in the late 1940's. There are a lot of small dirt tracks scattered around the state with some being very notable and some which have fallen into obscurity. One of the more famous is Wilkesboro Speedway.

As the marker says, racing continued until 1996 when Bruton Smith bought the track and moved its two racing dates to larger, more profitable tracks. Several attempts to save the speedway have been tried but they have proved to be to little to late.

If you look at the top of the building, the roof is falling in and the years of neglect are causing this landmark in NC to simply rot away. I was hoping to get a photo inside but the gates are locked and no one is allowed in. Some media has been allowed in but they have to produce a 1 million dollar liability policy before they can do anything.

I was at least allowed to drive past the orange cones to get a photo in front of the ticket booth. I hate to see the speedway deteriorate like this but I guess larger tracks are more important.

Also, Wilkesboro is the original home to Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouses. Lowe's was a large employer in town, if not the largest, until they decided to move out of a shopping center they bought and renovated in favor of moving to Mooresville where they had a larger office built and could hire from a larger pool of prospective employees. I won't repeat the rumor that went around when they moved but it wasn't kind.

 

[David70FJ40]

Off to a more historically important spot.

In 1781, General Lord Cornwallis and his army were on the march north after securing Georgia and SC for the crown. His aim was to secure NC as well but he ran into an army commanded by Major General Nathanael Greene. The battle at Guilford Courthouse, now inside the city limits of Greensboro, NC, was a victory for the British and a defeat for the colonial troops. However, the loss of troops for the British was far more than they could afford which set up the eventual surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Greene and his army left the field and went to eastern NC to regroup and rearm.

I believe I am correct in saying that Greensboro was named for the General. One of the local breweries has a beer named for "Natty" Greene.

So off to the Christmas party at the ONSC barn in the Uwharrie foothills.

What a grand place. The owners allow us to use the property and hold event there and there is plenty of room for camping and parking. The Uwharrie national forest provides for different types of recreation, shooting, horeback riding, 4X4's, hiking, UTV's and motorcycle riding. It is maintained by the Forest Service and the club donates time and manpower to help maintain the trails for future use.

I arrived prior to the person I was to hand off the "baton" to so I have to apologize for not including his vehicle in the photo.

So the "baton" making its way to the next destination and I am happy to be a part of the adventure. I am sorry I was delayed but that was unavoidable. I look forward to seeing where it goes next.