2015 OAKLAND GATHERING May 14,15,16
The 2015 Oakland gathering held at Chesapeake Virginia is now history. For those of us who attended I think it is safe to say that a great time was had by all. The sounds, smells and colors of 9 Oakland cars touring down the roads of southern Virginia and northern North Carolina as we went to enjoyable historical and scenic destinations are now but a fond memory to those who attended.
But for all the members who were not able to attend I will attempt to go back and recollect the 2-3 day event so that in a small vicarious way the reader can participate in the enjoyable occasion.
This kind of event starts for most with preparing their Oakland for the challenge of a tour. Our 1930 Oakland 2 door executive coupe my wife Lynne and I own, started with Having Wayne Koffel the Grand Oakland “meister” expert, go over the car with his eagle eye. Brakes were adjusted, shock links fittings were replaced, engine oil changed, rear end seals were replaced and the 85 year old wiring harness had brittle and cracking wiring insulation taped up with electrical tape and heat shrink tubing to prevent potential shorts. I was warned by Wayne that a new wiring harness should be budgeted for in the near future.
For those towing, the trailer on which the car will travel is inspected. A hook-up and practice tow proved invaluable in our case to be sure the trailer brakes were properly adjusted to our new pickup. In many other Oakland households these basic rituals are performed in some fashion on cars and trailers as needed
It is quite exciting when the morning arrives when you leave for the tour. It is a cross between anxiety and anticipation. Thursday morning May 14 at 7 am. we left From Mount Bethel PA. Wayne Koffel and his wife Gail Towed their nicely restored maroon and black 1923 Oakland sedan and led the way. We traveled together across eastern Pennsylvania thru the Lehigh valley, down the Pennsylvania turnpike, onto route 95 into Delaware. Since he knew the way thoroughly, I simply followed.
As we passed thru the Delaware area where member Andy and Karla Wise live we stopped for lunch at one of Wayne’s favorite fish restaurants in Delaware, “Medings seafood“ in Milford DE. Known for its seafood fare, Wayne’s smile and eyes both got bigger as the food arrived. We stuffed ourselves with salmon, shellfish and other delights and were off again on our Journey.
The next challenge was the Chesapeake bay bridge / tunnel. I had never driven thru it with a trailer before. Wayne gave me sober, but informative advice about how narrow it would be and that was a good warning. Entering the tunnel, I tightly gripped the steering wheel with a few white knuckles, holding the trailer firmly between the concrete wall 12” on my right and the double yellow line 12” on my left with oncoming traffic rushing by at 55-60 mph. I survived the nervous experience and learned how to use controlled deep breathing for a calming effect. We continued south to Virginia beach arriving as rush hour traffic brought our traveling to a 5 lane wide standstill. After a hour of traffic navigating we finally arrived at the beautiful Hampton inn at Chesapeake VA. I am sure the other members had equally interesting stories regarding the trips each made to get to Chesapeake.
Its hard to describe the excitement and satisfaction at arriving and seeing all the Oakland members with cars and trailers parked in the designated lot for our club. The smiling faces, laughter, handshakes, jokes and support from all the members to each other were in ample supply . Suffice to say it seemed like we had come home to an extended family.
Andy Wise was the first to greet us and happily directed us to our parking spot. He and his smiling wife Karla would be driving Kenny Roach’s Dark green 1919 Oakland Phaeton. They were unloaded and ready. Then there was Steve and Andrea Cook who dwarfed my 370 mile trip by coming all the way form Missouri in 17 hours of driving..! Way to go Steve and Andrea! They brought their largely original Black 1930 Oakland 4 door sedan with red wire wheels and whitewalls. A sharp looking ride. The rest of the members came around soon. Lynn and Marsha Kieter in their Handsome maroon 1931 Oakland executive coupe with cream wire wheels, Robert and Meline Nahodil with their classic tan 1929 Oakland roadster with orange wire wheels, Ken and Charlene Roach and their cute yellow 1918 Oakland roadster, Bob and Sylvia Roughton brought their Maroon and gray 1930 Oakland 4 door sedan with beautiful wood wheels, and Dave and Betty Tollner with their magnificently restored maroon and black 1929 Landelet’ sedan with cream wire wheels and white walls. Wow.. What a great group of people and cars to tour with..!!
THURSDAY EVENING SOCIAL
Kenny and Charlene Roach were the event co-coordinators and did a simply fantastic job of planning, negotiating, and organizing this 2-3 day event. Thank you Kenny and Charlene for everything you did! They also thought of the perfect social get-together on Thursday evening. They ordered pizza, salad, and others brought some wine and soda. In the informal Hampton inn breakfast area, members sat down in a nicely appointed area and enjoyed a simple, relaxing, casual but tasty meal. Members got time to relax, eat, and enjoy social talk and interaction and get re-acquainted. Friendships were made or re-kindled. Jokes and laughter were common within earshot almost the entire evening.
During this time Charlene handed out black event program booklets to each participant containing daily event itineraries as well as brief descriptions of all sights we would be visiting. She also included turn by turn directions to and from the events. They were driven out by Kenny and Andy just to be sure they were accurate and up to date. These directions would later prove invaluable when the tour procession was broken up by traffic lights and delays. The only disappointment of the evening was finding out the hotel pool was closed due to a pool pump failure of the chlorine circulation system. But by 9pm members were heading off to their rooms for a good night sleep. Orders were to be in your Oakland seat by 10 minutes to 8 am Friday morning to get the tour started by 8 am… OR ELSE..!
FRIDAY TOUR:
The Friday tour would be heading into North Carolina to arrive at Murfeesboro NC to visit the Brady Jefcoat museum of Americana. This tour was about 55 miles each way. We were scheduled to arrive at the town / museum at about 10am for a personal tour by the head museum staff curator.
The morning of the tour arrived clear and brisk with perfect sunshine and a forecast of 70 degrees. Lynne and I got to the hotel breakfast area finding many members already there having breakfast. After eating, it was off to the trailer area where members staged the precious Oaklands and cargo together in the nearby church parking lot. At 8 am we started off under the watchful eye of a hotel supervisor with her video camera / phone. You can see this fun video clip at
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152938631623721&set=o.1513215868928133&type=2&theater
Kenny and Charlene Roach initially led the procession of 9 Oakland’s out into the brisk Virginia morning with their easy to see Yellow roadster. It did not take long for passing motorists to smile and wave, beep their horns, and generally stare in stunned amazing at a procession of 9 antique cars breaking up their boring rush hour drive to work.! One lady twisted her head around so violently she almost looked like Linda Blair in the movie “The Exorcist“. This is definitely part of the fun driving Antique cars and seeing the amazed looks and reactions of people you pass. It always seemed to bring a smile on most faces.
But it did not take long for stop lights to break up the tour procession. The overall group was quickly separated into 2 disconnected groups. Soon I was in the second group of Oakland’s (in “8th place overall.) that were not exactly sure where we were going. I made mention of this to Lynne several times and that she might want to get the directions out “just in case“ . she said “not to worry, those in front of us will handle it” About right after she said that suddenly we passed the main group that had already stopped across the street to wait for us. Our group flew right by unexpectingly taking the lead. Bob Roughton was ahead of me as we passed them and suddenly pulled off the road allowing me to pass into the lead. How courteous..!
A moment of sudden confusion and panic took hold of us as it was now apparent we were leading the entire tour.!! Weren’t the important directions in our black booklet obviously meant to be used for such a time like this.? . My navigator / wife Lynne suddenly changed her viewpoint and said: “I think I better get the directions!!!! ”
At first we were disoriented but frantically reclaiming some sense of location . Lynne began to call out the directions to me turn by turn as we drove towards Murfeesboro. This impromptu navigation technique went on more or less successfully for about 20 minutes. Just as I was thinking we were getting the hang of it , the road branched into 2 lanes. Then Andy Wise who was behind me and knew the way quickly whizzed passed us in the Green 1919 Phaeton with a big smile while his happy passengers and Ralph and Ellen Hamilton waved approvingly and Karla shouted congratulations of “GOOD JOB !! ”. They re-took the lead and gave us novices some time to relax and enjoy following for a change!
This was just in time for our important scheduled pit stop at the “Duck drive thru gas station” which I probably would have missed. That would not been good idea as there were some bladders that were full and gas tanks that were low. While most drivers were gassing up Lynne, Karla and others went inside searching for something to satisfy hunger pains, They came out with pork chops they bought raving how good they were. For the rest of the day many heard excited comments from them about the Pork chops.! The group then continued on the way and managed to stay together. Without much further incident we arrived at Murfeesboro NC at the Jefcoat Museum.
The Museum staff were waiting for us and we were graciously received by curator Mr. Brinson Paul. He warmfully helped us get parked and organized which is a feat in itself with 80 + year old cars and some drivers also approaching the same age!
Mr. Paul led us into the 2 story museum building which was actually an old high school building built in 922. He proceeded to give us a introduction to the collection. Apparently Mr. Brady Jefcoat, an electrical contractor, had begun collecting various items of Americana 50-60 years ago. Over the years Mrs. Jefcoat had only one stipulation: that Mr. Jefcoat would not store any of them inside their house! Therefore over this time the collection grew until there were about 13,000 items filling barns, garages, storage units and inside storage cases. His lifetime collecting hobby ended up including the largest private collection of American music boxes, old victrollas, houseware items, washing machines , irons, automotive garage tools and signs, carpentry tools and just about anything else you could possibly imagine. Apparently the Smithsonian was after this collection for many years. Mr. Jefcoat refused to give it to them because according to Mr. Paul Jefcoat said:
“ you will display a few items and put everything else into storage in a warehouse. People will never get to see the rest. I want my collection to be displayed”
Mr. Paul approached Mr. Jefocat with the proposition they would display all his collection in one building and he would have the right to assist in their display. Mr. Jefcoat agreed, the town sold the old high school building to the group, Mr. Paul brought all the items with his pickup truck, load after load, to the old school building, and the rest is history.
The entire collection was housed in the 2 main floors and basement. The personal tour was given by Mr Brinson Paul himself. He was a gracious tour guide and fascinated all Oakland members with many interesting stories about the collection and Mr. Brady Jefcoat. During the tour Mr. Paul pointed out many fascinating items including a red Victorian style courting sofa that was used in the movie “Gone with the wind“. When we came to the music box room he took time to play many of the actual music boxes for all the members. It was amazing. My wife added:
“ Mr. Jefcoats collection was astounding. The sheer sight of his collection was very impressive. Favorites included Irons, Butter churns, music boxes, phonographs, and plumbing supplies. The men were impressed by the 100 gun BB rifle collection”
At the end of the tour I noticed a plaque on the wall by the entrance door dedicating the building in August 2005 to Brinson and Lorene Paul in appreciation for 12 years of dedicated service to the town as founders, curators, and gift shop managers of the Mr. Brady Jefcoat museum of Americana and bringing its contents to Murfreesboro. By adding the dates up that means Mr. and Mrs. Jefcoat have been working over 22 years for the Brady Jefcoat museum. Quite impressive.
We next had lunch in the museum’s small but cozy lunch room. We were served Oriental chicken, casserole rolls, frozen fruit salad and Strawberry shortcake for desert. There wasn’t a word of complaint. Everyone was too busy eating this delicious meal.
After Lunch there was more to see. Murfreesboro town officials were very welcoming to our Oakland group. You could tell they were quite proud of their History. They opened a historic Lawyer’s establishment, civil war museum, tin shop, general store, and the historic home of the prominent townsman Mr. Wheeler. In the Wheeler’s house there were many unusual furnishings including a very unique gun rack, it literally was 2 deer racks mounted above a doorway with a flintlock rifle on top of it. Now that is a “gun rack”.! It seemed like the whole town opened up to show off their Heritage for us. It was very nice.
At about 4:30 – 5pm the Oakland group began to make their way back to their cars for the trip back to the hotel. We all stopped along the way for dinner at Bunny’s family restaurant. They gave us a private room for good food and friendly conversation. It was great to meet more people. We were happy to sit and have dinner with Bob and Silvia Roughton along with their passengers Jordan Glaser and his friend Mark. Mark was Jordan’s good friend and fellow wind / ice lake sail boat racer. Bob told us about some of his other interesting cars he has including his pride and joy 1930 Oakland touring Phaeton, a AACA award winner. Jordan was buying Bob’s 1909 Oakland and was going to pick it up on the way back to Brooklyn N.Y. Jordan was also a doctor in Manhattan as well. We hope to see Doc Jordan and Mark at Oakland gatherings in the future
We all arrived safely back at the hotel in the evening. Some a bit tired but all happy. As with any tour of vintage cars a few vehicles acted up. Wayne’s 1923 Oakland was overheating a little which he periodically kept watch on the water level. Robert Nahodl‘s 1929 roadster was not running well. Wayne, suspecting a carburetor issue, promised to look at it first thing in the morning . A good night rest was advised to be ready for Saturday’s tour. Departure was set for 9 am the next day.
SATURDAY TOUR
Saturday began with a another early morning social breakfast at the hotel well before 9am. True to his word, Wayne Koffel got up early Saturday to troubleshoot Robert Nahodil’s 1930 Roadster. Before long Andy Wise and Kenny Roach were helping and found the carburetor float was set too low, starving the engine with lack of fuel. The carburetor was rebuilt, readjusted, and reassembled in the parking lot. That solved the engine running issue. Everyone could see the smile on Robert’s face.
At 9am we were all on our way minus Bob Roughton. He had to go home to assist Jordan Glaser and Mark in picking up the 1909 Oakland. We bid them farewell.
Saturday’s tour destination was the Military Aviation Museum near Virginia Beach Virginia. The drive down was much smoother as all were getting better at the touring gig..! Along the way were plenty of Virginians looking on at our Oakland caravan as we traveled mostly thru rural Virginia and thru residential neighborhoods. Lots of smiling , waving children and parents were seen. I could not resist using my Oakland’s horn back at them,. It sounds like the roadrunner cartoon beep beep sound, and children loved it.
We arrived at the Military Aviation Museum at about 10:30 am and were quickly directed by the staff to our assigned parking area very close to the vintage aircraft. Once parked, Oakland owners were almost immediately besieged by interested on-lookers. Curious children were allowed to sit in some Oaklands. Older aged men looked on in interest as memories came back to them of by gone years. Questions were asked and stories were exchanged . I saw some puzzled looks form many onlookers on seeing a V8 in a 1930 Oakland, which demanded our typical well rehearsed explanations! It was enjoyable for owners to see their cars bring so much interest to the crowd.
For those of you who are not familiar with MAM, It is the largest private collection of restored, original, and reproduction WWI and WWII aircraft in the United States. It is owned by millionaire businessman Jerry Yagen. Instead of using his wealth as a international playboy, he has sincerely dedicated his energy and life to creating the largest private collection of WWII aircraft, military vehicles, art, and historical memorabilia in the United States that is open to the public. People from all over the world come to see this staggering collection of historical time capsules.
Also unique is that ALL the aircraft are restored to flying status unless they are awaiting restoration AND you can walk right up to the aircraft on the field. There are no ropes around the aircraft. Jerry Yagen wants his aircraft to be enjoyed by spectators and it shows. I have been to many vintage air shows and nowhere else can you consistently get this close to this many extremely valuable military aircraft. Many of us took close up photographs.
This day was their annual WWII reenactment weekend. This special event draws reencactors from all over the country. Dressed in period uniforms, clothing , and gear, one is able to see everything from American and British soldiers, to German solders, to women dressed in fabulous 1940’s fashions. There was plenty of music playing, and activities. For Aviation nuts like myself there were magnificently restored WWII aircraft absolutely everywhere.
All-round were the periodic sounds of aircraft engines starting as some planes simply warmed up their engines in preparation for the air show. Others actually took off giving plane rides for a fee. Several Oakland members attempted to get rides schedule in a SBD navy Dauntless dive bomber, but unfortunately all were quickly sold out.
My wife, Gail Koffel, Karla wise and others watched many of the side presentations inside the hangers. She added:
“ there were plenty of things to occupy the girls with as well. There were vintage clothing,, millinery vendors,, and souvenir shops. We also took time to see the “victory bells”, 3 female singers dressed in beautiful Blue 40’s fashion dresses and hats who sang 1930s and 1940; songs. Some were “Boggy wooggy bugle boy“ , and several of the Andrews sisters hits. They were great, very good. We thought they were in their 20’s. But actually they were in their late 20’s / early 30’s., Amazing!”
One of the more powerful reenactors was the airborne re-enactment group which portrayed the American screaming eagles 101st airborne troops that were dropped behind enemy lines on the early morning of the allied Normandy invasion on D-day June 6th 1944. This group was made famous by the Steven Spielberg / Tom Hanks movie “Band of brothers”, which was a story about Major Dick Winter’s E company and their exploits from D-day thru to the end of the war. These reanactors were inside the main hanger getting ready with, parachutes, guns, and equipment, and period uniforms including the impressive screaming eagle shoulder patch. It was so real you got goose bumps. The heavy equipment loaded them down and they began to sweat in the 80 degrees temperatures. Fully laden they slowly walked off to a waiting C-47 transport aircraft.
Countless people stood around watching this moment but were silent as they loaded up. It was very moving because many knew what this portrayed: More than half jumped to their death on June 6 1944 and afterward during the immediate battles. Later this reenactment group actually parachuted over the air show field. My wife found out some other details for me:
“Most of the 101st reactors were middle age. We were told on a previous event that one of the paratroopers went down on the trees and it took 3 hours to find him and he had a broken leg!. Got to have guts to do that.!”
Overall, It made history very real to anyone watching. It was unforgettable.
Some of us men walked thru the aircraft outside the hanger. We went past a massive US Navy F4U Corsair, America’s leading naval fighter of WWII, a North American P-51 Mustang, a British Hurricane fighter, a British Supermarine Spitfire MK IX, a US navy Dauntless dive bomber, a Curtiss P-40 to name just a few. The aircraft were everywhere. And in just beautiful condition.
My wife picked out her favorite by the highly technical and selective method women use .. By its color and name!. She liked the huge US Navy A1 Skyraider in dark navy blue. She said “I love the color and the name sound so tough …. SKYRAIDER!!”
There was so much to see that Members gradually drifted out to different exhibits. Some of us slowly made our way together down the airfield towards the hangers at the end of the field. Along the way we passed large groups of military re-enactors of every country encamped on the field. By that time our wives had caught up to us and we stopped and ate our lunch at “Granby Bistro” food stand . The Chicken / rice combo plate was delicious. Thanks again Charlene and Kenny for arranging an excellent lunch venue!
When we got to the first hanger at the end of the field I was hoping to catch a glimpse of their Rare British Dehavland mosquito bomber, one of only 2 in the world that still flies. However, As I got to the hanger, I was told I could not go close to the aircraft now because the area was now roped off by the FAA as the air show was starting in 15-20 minutes.
The staff member saw I was quite disappointed. He said “why don’t you go down to our metal hanger at the end where we have some German aircraft there“. I said… “what do you have?”. He said casually “we have 3 German Focke Wulf 190s fighters. One is original and 2 are German reproductions made in Germany from original factory dies.”
You could have knocked me over with a feather! For those who may not know there are only about 20 FW 190s left in the entire world and only one fully original FW-190 that flies in the state of Washington. Like a little kid, I walked quickly down to the hanger with Kenny Roach, My wife and a few others in tow. I went inside and there she was right in front of me, an original FW-190, Germany’s most dreaded Fighter of WWII, respected by friend and foe alike
I could not believe my eyes, there were no ropes! You could walk right up to it and practically touch it. Never in all my years have I been so close to one. Some of the original paint and markings were still on the plane. This actual aircraft ser # 732183 was flown by German 70 victory ace Lt Rudolf Linz. I won’t bore some readers with more details. Suffice to say, this was an incredibly rare aircraft to be allowed to be so close to.
The air show began and was impressive. The museum flew about 20 – 25 WWII aircraft that day. Wayne Koffel found the perfect spot to watch it from in the air conditioned second floor of the museum building facing the airfield, thanks to heads up advise from Lynn and Marsha Kieter. People had a excellent view thru a long window across the front of the building facing the airfield. Oakland members the Tollners, Charlene Roach. and ourselves made it there. Wayne befriended a pilot sitting at the window who flew many planes in this actual collection. For the next 1 ½ hours, as each plane took off, the pilot casualy explained what each plane was like to fly, how they handled in the air, how to land them etc. and became own private air show guide.!
The final treat was the fly over of the museum’s extremely rare German Messeshmitt ME-262 WWII jet fighter over the airfield. One of only 5 that can still fly. What a sight and sound!
As the day wound down members began to slowly wander back to the Oakland parking area. Everyone had the visible smiles from a satisfying day. Photos were taken of owners next to their cars, and some answered some final questions from interested spectators crowding around the Oaklands. Then it was off to dinner at The Southland restaurant. Museum parking officials held up exiting traffic for us as we were leaving the large parking area around the museum. Thank you very much!
It was along the way back that Lynne and I first began to notice difficulty in getting the transmission in our 1930 Oakland back into first gear at stops, accompanied by some hair-raising shrieking and wining sounds from the transmission area. Finally the transmission refused to go into gear at all when stopped.. The clutch simply would not fully disengage.
With 2 Oakland cars behind me (Wayne and Andy) and some other cars piling up behind them a certain level of my panic filled the air. I was dead in the water at a stop sign.
Then I remembered a similar situation I had had 40 years back in my street racing days with my 67 Shelby GT-500. I had to turn the engine off to stop the rotating gears and get the Transmission in first gear, then restart holding the clutch in. I tried the same procedure with the Oakland and it worked. The disengagement problem did not hamper double clutching up thru the gears, as the internal gears are meant to be turning as you mesh. But when we again came to a stop the same thing happened continually. So for the final miles to the restaurant I repeated my Laurel and hardy – shut the engine down / shift / start back up procedure and that got us to the restaurant.
Once my nerves settled down, Dinner at Southlands was excellent. They offered a nice choice of the buffet or entrees, your choice. Desserts were great too. I had a double dark chocolate German forest cake. After diner many of us gassed up at the gas station next store.
I can’t say enough for the support of Wayne and Andy and other members as I ran into my difficulties. They offered solid advice, moral support, and the option to come back with the trailer as a last resort. Andy and Wayne encouraged me to try and take it to the hotel and they would follow me to be sure. Their confidence and experience that we would make it ok was reassuring to say the least. I managed to limp my 1930 Oakland to the hotel using my comedy circus act shifting procedure and arrived with no further incident. Wayne will be Inspecting the suspected clutch and transmission as you receive this issue to correct the problem.
When members arrived at the church parking area there was a flurry of activity as everyone began preparing their cars and trailers for re-loading. While waiting my turn, a young man in his early 20’s anxiously drove in from the main street and right up to Our 1930 Oakland coupe and excitedly got out of his car. He wanted to ask questions and inspect my 2 door coupe. He was amazed at the wood wheels, and overall low silhouette roofline look of the coupe and was obviously appreciative that I was taking the time to talk to him and show him the car. It was great to see such interest in younger people . It brings clearly to the mind how enjoyable it is for many spectators who see your antique car driven.
I personally feel this is largely what tours are basically about. The enjoyment of driving and displaying your car in front of the public, to give the public a chance to see and hear them mechanically moving in their actual environment and answer their questions when asked. Having nice destinations are icing on the cake.
We then loaded our Oakland back on our trailer with the help of Wayne, Kenny and Ralph Hamilton. The Cooks loaded their 1930 sedan, the Tollner’s loaded up their 1929 landelet’ and Robert’s 1930 roadster was put to bed inside it trailer as well. The sun was setting signaling the day was slowly drawing to an end
SATURDAY EVENING CLUB MEETING:
After we all got back into the hotel, Wayne Koffel brought the annual Oakland Gathering club meeting to order in the Hotel’s breakfast lounge area. The club went over various items. I am sure that Wayne will be covering all this in detail in another article. I’ll mention briefly that Lynn Kieter has graciously offered to investigate the Cumberland PA area for a possible 2017 Oakland gathering Tour. Some of the potential tour sites include the Gettysburg civil war area. He plans to get back to the club with more details as the time approaches.
The final meeting allowed all the members time to thank Kenney and Charlene Roach for all the hard work and effort they put into this tour and Kenny and Karla Wise who also assisted. They did an incredible job and I’m sure did many things behind the scenes that none of us are probably fully aware. You could tell this by how smoothly everything went, which is a hallmark of well organized events. It also brought us all together for final goodbyes and enjoyable closing conversations. Much laughter and smiles were generated as everyone re relived and went over the 2 days of the tour. A spirit of friendship and friendly team camaraderie permeated the evening.
This being my first tour I participated in it taught me some valuable lessons. First, In an antique car tour, enjoy the moment!. One learns to simply take towing and touring as it unfolds. Second, I learned to enjoy the trip regardless of circumstances. You learn to laugh and be flexible when unforeseen events change things along the way. Lastly, you are among friends who will help you , support you and come to your help in times of need.
The next morning Lynne and I got up early to be ready to leave the church parking lot by the expected 7am clearing deadline. By the time we got down for breakfast at 6-6:30am most members had already left or were leaving on their trips home. After breakfast, Wayne and Gail, Lynne and myself went out to the church parking lot. Everyone else was gone except our 2 trailers. As we fired up our pickups and began leaving I sadly looked back and there was nothing left to show that for the last three days the Oakland club International had been there and had a wonderful time. We now had only good memories which we will keep for the rest of our lives.
As we drove off I realized I couldn’t wait until the next Oakland gathering…!
Hope to see you there too.!