MAY 10th
PHIL SHIRES HOSTS
FOOTHILLS DRIVE 2008
TEXT by Bud Silvers TC-8192
I awoke early, slowly becoming aware that I was beginning to come into conciseness. I had not slept particularly well as I often don’t when the next day is an event. With my eyes fully open I began to discern shapes in the forest surrounding our home. Yes the sun was just beginning to lighten the world. I glanced at the glowing clock next to the bed. 05:41! I had set the alarm for 05:45 so I quickly shut it off, not wanting to awaken Anne my wife. I just laid there for a minute or two watching the dim world outside begin to lighten. It was going to be a good day, then suddenly my wife touched my shoulder and said; “It snowed last night!” I looked more closely at the world outside and indeed there was SNOW covering the ground! As the world lightened even more I could clearly see that it was going to be a cold day for me and the MG-TC which patiently awaited in the garage.
My watch said it was 06:10 when I rolled the TC out of the garage and put the door down. I felt as if she had been waiting for this, just as much as I had. If it is possible, we were both smiling! I know I was! Once out of the garage and having closed the door I reached inside her cockpit and unscrewed the fast idle knob, turned the key, pulled the choke knob, then pulled the starter knob. She started right up! Yes, she was definitely as ready as I was. Her engine was a bit rough so I pushed the choke in, just a bit. Her engine smoothed out at about 1500 RPM. I let her get used to being alive again for a couple of minutes while I put on my bomber jacket and scarf. I climbed inside and put on my hat, my goggles, and my gloves. By this time she was running much smoother and seemed to be anxious to roll, so I pushed the choke all the way in and pressed the clutch, put her in gear and we were off.
I stopped in Monument and put some fuel into her tank. It simply would not do to run out of gas on this day! After the fuel we headed up Highway 105 north towards Sedalia. Patches of wet spots on the highway, but the sun was up by now and the world was beginning to warm. Highway 105 is a great road for a TC, mostly mild rolling hills with lots of gentle curves. Most of the trip to Sedalia was 45 to 50 MPH. We just rolled along enjoying the early morning. I enjoyed seeing the smiles of a scant few other drivers we met along the road. Everyone seems to like the TC.
I had planned to meet Dave Crosby in his MG-TD in Sedalia at 07:15. A few minutes South of Sedalia I pushed the cuff of my glove back just enough to see my watch, it was 07:08. I was going to be right on time, and sure enough when I turned the corner in Sedalia, there was Dave and his beautiful yellow MG-TD. The thought went through my head that the TC and the TD meeting was a bit like a father meeting his son along the road. I believe they smiled at each other too. We didn’t tarry long since there were donuts and coffee awaiting in Boulder.
The drive from Sedalia to Denver on Highway 85, then around Denver on Interstate 470 was fairly fast for the TC. We mostly ran 60 to 65. She, of course resisted this and let me know by wandering around the north bound lane a bit more than usual. Finally we got off of I-470 and headed up Highway 93 to Boulder. This road was a bit more pleasant, but the early morning had become a windy. The TC is very light and dislikes high wind as much as I do, but we forged on. She never missed a beat, just grinned and bore it, so did I.
Now, I must digress from my narrative just a bit here to explain that we were going on a tour with a group of other MG’s. The departure point was at a friend’s home, or more correctly at the house next door to where my friend lives. Phil actually bought the home next door and converted it into his “Club House”. Several interior walls had been removed and the floor replaced with concrete. It was really a garage. And it was full of absolutely stunning cars! AND did I mention Coffee and Donuts too!
As we approached the “Club House” there was an MGA and an beautiful MG-TF sitting in the drive way. Behind MGA was a bright red (of course) Ferrari and next to it was an absolutely stunning 1952 Allard (also bright red). Inside we found a car that I first thought was a real (not kit car) Cobra, but alas I was wrong. When I looked inside the engine compartment I saw a very clean 6 cylinder engine. OH MY, this was not a Cobra, it was an AC Bristol! WOW! Of course there were many other cars there including a formula racing car, a 62 Corvette, a Jaguar XK something, and several motorcycles. There was also a car downstairs. Phil created a very ingenious large window at garden level and a lift right next to the window. This allows him to drive through the window and onto the lift which then lowers the car to the lower level of the “Club House”. AND did I mention there were Coffee and Donuts in the Kitchen of the “Club House”.
Inside the “Club House” and in the front yard Dave and I found a number of other MG folks. The Rocky Mountain MG T-Register is blessed with a good number of wonderful people. Some of these guys have been messing with MG’s since way back in the day. I met a new member there who was driving an MG-TD that his father had purchased new! Lots of good camaraderie, conversation, and ogling the collection of cars. It was really good to visit with the crowd.
A bit after 10:00 we all mounted our respective steeds and headed for the hills. I noticed that Dave, parked behind me had put his windshield down and had donned his helmet and goggles behind his Brooklands Screens. We all lined up and rolled towards the hills. Part of the way up through Boulder Canyon Dave pulled out from behind me with his TD and picked up the pace a bit. I pulled into the passing lane and followed him up the hill. Daves TD was a bit stronger than my TC and I honestly had a bit of trouble keeping up. In fairness to TC-8192 (mine) there was an MGB that pulled out behind me and seemed to be working awfully hard to keep up. When we arrived at the small town of Nederland we turned north on Highway 72. By this point we had climbed quite a ways into the mountains. It was getting pretty cold. North of Nederland we hit snow! Much of the mountain road was wet, but the snow did not seem to be sticking. I was following Phil in his MG-TF and he began to pu ll away from me. I was a bit nervous about the wet road freezing. Finally we descended enough that we were out of the snow and it was beginning to warm up. A ways down the road Phil had stopped to wait for me and the others. When I got out of TC-8192 I noticed that there was ice on my wings! I have on rare occasions had a small amount of ice build up on the wings of various airplanes, but this was a first; ICE ON THE WINGS OF MY TC! We traveled on down the mountain to the small town of Lyons where Phil had arranged for us all to have lunch. Oskar Blues is a great place to eat in Lyons and we all had our fill. We also had some great conversations regarding MG’s and some other “not so important” topics. Once again it was good to visit with old friends and see the beautiful cars.
The hard part of living so far south of Denver is that when the lunch was over I still had almost 100 miles to go to get home. Maybe in retrospect that is not such a bad thing. The trip home was actually more enjoyable than the trip up. The weather had warmed and the sun was shining. We passed through Boulder, Golden, around Denver, through Sedalia (where Dave and his TD turned off). I changed my route home slightly and continued on Highway 85 through Castle Rock, then on some back roads over to Highway 83 and from there on south to Home. IT WAS A VERY GOOD DAY! TC-8192 never offered any trouble and hummed along happily till we were in the garage again!
Bud Silvers
TC 8192 - Low n slo in the Black Forest of Colorado......
The following pictures were submitted by Dave Crosby. Thanks Dave!
Taken at the "Club House"
I guess you could say it was a bit nippy in the mountains.
Finally; Oscar Blues, good cars, good food, good friends = A GOOD DAY!
