2018 Power Tour – Day 01
This is my eighth Power Tour of duty and while I haven’t racked up the impressive stats (or successful careers, loving families, and ability to make good choices) of say, Forrest or Shane, this ain’t my first rodeo (that was decades ago and the clowns really frightened me). Every year the Tour may, on the surface appear to blur into the next, where hot rodders from all walks of life routinely devour the miles on a daily quest to reach the next stop. Coming into Day 01 of this, the 2018 Tour, I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be a deja reboot of 2017, like some sort of Oceans installment that even the impossibly plucky Sandy Bullock can’t save. It turns out that couldn’t be further from the truth (although I could totes enjoy a proper dinner and a movie date night about now). Each year the Tour
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2018 Power Tour – Day 02
Ever wake up and wonder if all of this is worthwhile? Day in and day out, where life’s relentless demands can get to be too much and then Shane starts to yell, “John, you need to post a Tour blog entry!” Uh, not talking about me, only asking for a friend. But if I had one piece of advice to give my “friend,” I’d say, when things are getting out of control, take a deep breath, and buy new underwear. Nothing rivals the feeling of fresh undergarments. However, today I did let something get between me and my off-brand Calvins, and that something was a most welcome detour. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the Tour, and all of its delightful eccentricities, but sometimes it feels so good to get a glimpse at the upper end of the spectrum. Thanks to Jonathan Goolsby and his crew at Goolsby Customs
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2018 Power Tour – Day 03
You know what the best part of Power Tour is? Well, besides the countless hot rods and daily Starbucks Double Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Egg breakfast sammies, that is. The best part of Power Tour is the escape. Escape from the mundane reality of your pointless life. A monotonous existence where you drag yourself out of bed each morning, look yourself in the mirror, and say, “you’ve got this, John.” And for the record, that name is purely hypothetical. For instance, today we took a 200-mile open road trip, with some amazing stops, all on a Tuesday. Most people are going about their business and going to work on a Tuesday. Maybe their job involves putting down those orange cones on the highway or perhaps even building the digital presence for the leading maker of organic children’s clothing. Either way, we thank you for your service. If it wasn’t for
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2018 Power Tour – Day 04
It was at this moment I realized things had gone horribly awry. Day 04 of our 2018 Hot Rod Power Tour started innocently enough and we were laser focused on our impending mission. Completing today’s 295-mile route from Hampton, Georgia to South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway required us to adhere to a strict, dare I say, even militant schedule. This called for us to be wheels up and rolling out at precisely 0700. This is what makes it all the more confusing as to why the time stamp on this picture reads 7:23am. Nor does it explain why Forrest is holding his nose, although the latter may have something to do with the fact that I crop dusted the area shortly before taking this pic. What can I say, those breakfast sammies exact a heavy toll. Forrest, just be thankful you’re not locked in a car with me for hundreds of
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2018 Power Tour – Day 05
Welcome to Day 5 of the Hot Rod Power Tour. Today’s route was a bit shorter at 186 miles, so we expected a rather drama-free day (with the exception of Shane’s mini market mini rants on the adverse effects of processed sugar). This wasn’t to be, as I was caught off guard by our dependency on technology. It’s amazing how the smallest glitch can send reverberating ripples across our entire Tour experience. For instance, my unfamiliarity with the settings of the microwave in my room caused me to overheat my breakfast sandwich. Oh, and the connection speeds were so poor that it took all night and into the morning to publish yesterday’s post. It set our departure back by a couple hours, but more importantly, the soggy sammie put me in such a mood. Steen and Hunter were ready to take a turn behind the wheel of the Callaway AeroWagen on
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