We took I-40 to Oklahoma and then deviated from our original route by heading to St Louis, where we stopped to gas up. While I was inside the service center, I heard a young woman ask the man working behind the counter what kind of car the red one was. He replied that it was a $150,000 to $200,000 exotic. He added that on his 21st birthday he was inheriting $45,000,000 and was going to get one of "those" cars. I gave him my card and told him to give me a call on his birthday.
In Indiana, we pulled in for fuel and a bite to eat when we noticed a big rig follow us in. A statuesque man jumped out and exclaimed, "What kind of car is that? How much is it? And how can I get one?" His name was Sterling Miller, and he said his uncle was a famous physicist. He was a professional golfer on the senior tour and drove the truck for fun. He wanted to buy one of the cars to use to promote charity events that he held at the golf tournament! Sterling proceeded to show us his scrap book of articles and pictures to prove he wasn't making this up, and showed us a letter from Frank Sinatra, who he credits with helping to overcome his stuttering. It seems that as a teenager, he would recite Frank's songs until he could make it through without stuttering.
It was dark and Paul was driving when a Nissan 300ZX went zooming by with a few other cars following. Paul jumped on the gas and soon we were having fun too! I yelled, "You're going to get a ticket!" The driver of the Nissan waved as it veered off and we continued on. A short time later Paul said, "I think we're running out of gas." We took the first available exit and found a remote filling station. The man behind the counter informed us that we should have been there last night because there had been a stabbing. "Look!" he pointed out. "You can see the blood stain." Thanks, but I think that we'll just leave now.
Our homeward route would take us through Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Albany, and then home. Although the skies continued to threaten and it rained all around us, it didn't get us until we hit New York, and by then we felt like we were getting close to home. Paul was driving when I noticed that he had hooked up with a couple of other cars and our rate of speed had increased. I was thinking to myself that he was going to get a ticket. But again, at the risk of sounding like a worried old woman, I kept my mouth shut. That's when I noticed the flashing lights behind us.
The officer approached the car and said, "I stopped you for speeding, and I wanted to check out the car." Paul replied, "Well, you had to pick the red one." I was thinking, Paul, just be quiet! The officer is smiling. I thought we were going to get away with a warning, but not now. Unbelievably, the officer just asked us to slow it down and sent us on our way.
We hit Albany at 1 a.m. Thursday, and the rain that we had been avoiding finally hit us. It was remarkable in that as long as we didn't stop, no water fell into the cockpit. Poor visibility and slick roads made the last few hours of the trip seem endless, but just before 5 a.m. we pulled into our garage, safe and sound.
You cannot imagine the elation and satisfaction we have experienced as a result of this trip. We drove over 7,000 miles in a car of our own design without any serious problems. Everywhere we went people honked their horns, waved, and gave the thumbs-up in admiration and approval. People took photos and made videos. Their comments of, "What a beautiful car," "What great lines," and, "That is the best-looking car I have ever seen," made us proud. Our hard work had paid off. Perhaps because the car is not a replica, everyone thinks that it's an expensive rare exotic and not a kit. Most people think that it's some kind of Ferrari. We told this to a man wearing a Ferrari suit and driving a Fiero rebody. He stared at us and said incredulously, "What, 'cause it's red?!" Oh well. Would we make the trip again? Absolutely! I am ready for another adventure. Alaska anyone?