Day 1: Tuesday Lakeland to Lake City, Florida
From rolling start to grinding halt
By Jeff Bartlett
Photography by the author
Motor Trend, June 2003

Weeks of hurried preparation culminated in a timely departure to join the Corvette Caravan as it slithered north through Florida. Rolling through my neighborhood, struggling to find a home for modern electronic essentials in the nookless 1980 car, I buckled the seat belt to discover the retractor had retired. The shoulder belt hung slack, unwilling to be coaxed back in to its cave. The wise would have seen this as an omen.

With a schedule to keep, I motored on to the highway to pick up my copilot. Corvette Fever’s Andy Bolig. Crisscrossing highways, the repeating Bloodhound Gang song chorus, the drummer from Def Leppard has only got one arm” rang through my head, recalling his brutal Vette accident, as the belt drooped pathetically to the door sill.

Because the tall 275/60R15 Yokohama Avid S/T rear tires were fitted just a couple days before departure, we were unable to find a local shop able calibrate the speedometer on short order. Consequently, the combination of 140-mph speedo, 700R4 automatic transmission, 3.73:1 rear, and oversized tires left us gauging our speed by traffic and our K40 radar detector. If the alert sounds, then we may be going too fast. Pacing our fellow travelers would be key when we catch up with them.

After somehow shoehorning Andy’s two pilot cases into the cargo section, we drove north to meet the Caravan at an Exxon station off Interstate 4. We took the proper exit per www.corvettecaravan.com and drove a couple miles to each side of I-4 searching in vain. We even asked the manager at Burger King, where we enjoyed a midday cholesterol induction, who replied, “You’d know as much as I do.” That’s scary. We don’t work in the area...

We called the local route captain who said the cars were rolling from McDonald’s, and oops, the location had changed because there is no Exxon station. Guess we missed that memo. As we caught up with the tiny group of six cars, our vision of arteries clogged with Corvettes running bumper to plastic bumper coursing from all corners to Bowling Green started to lose focus.

Days 6 ft 7: Sunday and Monday - Nashville, Tennessee to Lakeland, Florida
The party has to end sometime

By Jeff Bartlett
Photography by Andy Bolig
Motor Trend, July 2003

After some debate, it was determined that we’d head back on Sunday, choosing to be absent for the official birthday party on Monday. Actually, it was an easy decision, as the scheduled activities were much the same on Sunday and Monday — with exception of apple pie and a U.S. Postal Service stamp cancellation — as we attended on Saturday. Duty calls, so we hit the road at a reasonable hour Sunday morning after another continental breakfast that would have starved a brown mouse.

The road was again utterly devoid of plastic Chevrolets as we began the long trek down I-65. We spoke with our friends at the Florida-based Corvette Clinic that morning, discovering they were only a few miles behind us. After more than an hour, their two C4s joined us and we moved in a pack, finally having one of our few true caravanning experiences of the week.

The weather forecast told of storms moving north through Louisiana, and we got just a trickle from that with about a half hour of rain; a strategically timed lunch allowed us to avoid much of the weather. Back in motion, we took a couple alternative routes to avoid the construction that slowed us down on the trip north. Passing through small towns, we were thankful for our K40 RD850 radar detector, which provided ample warning that the police were beaming their guns on several occasions. We weren’t intentionally speeding, but with the speedometer off by 12%, an extra margin of safety could only help.

After a draining drive, we halted for the night in Lake City around 9 p.m., realizing we probably couldn’t make another four hours — not counting dinner. The Clinic guys lead us to a restaurant with both “Road” and “kill” in its name for some late-night carrion. This marked only the second restaurant stop Andy and I shared with fellow Corvette owners, further reminding us of the value of traveling with companions. Clearly, the trip would have been more enjoyable had we joined a local club.

A week had gone by without my picking on Andy for his voluminous drinking habit, even though he stunned me one day by consuming an entire two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew (appropriately flavored Code Red) in five minutes, then cracking open a Gatorade minutes later with a shoulder shrug, saying “What? I’m thirsty.” Well, this evening he made us all proud by ordering the two-for-one special, a 16-ounce prime rib, then not sharing the second one. Not to worry, five glasses of lemonade washed it down.

We spent the night in the same Days Inn we started at, reflecting on the past week on the road;. We overcame technical challenges with support from friends and Andy’s determination, making the trip’s completion feel like a victory. Participating in the historical celebration was a real treat, pulling us deeper into the Corvette world by interacting with owners, organizations, and even the team that brings the sports car to life. General Motors and the National Corvette Museum coordinated two complementary events, offering much more than either could on its own. That attendance was reported to be stronger than ever at Bloomington Gold in St. Charles, Illinois, during the same time speaks volumes about the enthusiasm behind this American icon.

Whatever marque or model fuels your own passions, do seek events to share that enthusiasm with like-minded car people. Even better, chase your automotive dream and get involved with related clubs, you’ll be glad you did.

Look for videos from this adventure at motortrend.com in July.