I arrived in Oregon 25 years ago today in my Red 76 B!

A hair OT, but who cares -- recently I've posted a bevy of real-tech questions, so here's one that is related to why we are tech related...so we can drive the darn things!

On November 12th, 1984, (and arrived in Oregon Nov. 18th, 1984). I drove away from my Indiana home (and parents) at age 21 - in my 1976 Red Roadster, loaded with a large orange duffle bag, some sad feelings and excitment about getting to Oregon to accept the invite my sister extended - to live here in Portland! Well - I'm still here and the Lord's blessed me. How is it, I own a house, two MG's, have my health, teach others to keep it - and do it all because I love to help others keep fit? Go figure, (pun). :eyepop:

I drove 2640 miles to be exact - and took the southern route after being on I-69 to 40, then 44, then to 99 through the southern tip of California all the way up to Sacramento (then on to I-5). It rained so hard from the middle of California - my brakes didn't want to engage for what seemed like 1/4 of a mile, on the highway.

I got all the way out here on a the stock ZS - with the lovely H20-choke. The Water pump was rattling bad, and leaking. Every morning, (after driving hundreds of miles the day before) - when I'd start the car - I'd have to wedge my 6-pack cooler against the gas pedal, because it wouldn't want to idle, then it would warm up. I didn't even know how to change a spark plug then - or even know where the fuel pump was located. She never broke down and got me here, unscathed!

ps: I went on to put 100K on that MG and sold it for the 79 (back in 2000) -- I now have...to Sid Olson. He used parts of it for his race car MGB's. I have the lighter, SU's, (that he refitted back in 86), spare tire, and a ton of good memories of that B. She was badly rusted from the Indiana salt, big holes in floorboards but I had them cheaply fixed back then, with fiberglass!

What's your travel story with your MG?

Dan, it was 29 years ago this summer that I made almost the opposite trip in my old '71 - California to Washington, DC. God knows what I was thinking, since I was at a point in my life where I didn't know a hammerhead shark from a hammer. Made it, though! What a wonderful car....

Geeze Dan I always thought you were a lot younger than 46. Maybe there's something to be said about all that exercise. I might have to put down my beer, lift some weights, and get on the treadmill. On second thought maybe I'll get started tomorrow.

And here I am....still in central Illinois after almost 56 years....except for a 5 year hiatus for college in Michigan.

I drove my 69 bgt from Palmer Alaska to Boston College in 1973 mostly thru Canada. In all that trip, it took 2 weeks, not even a flat tire!

Ok...here's one of my MGB stories, please bear with me.

After graduate school in SoCal, I went to work as a city planner in Orange County California. I signed off my own dismantlers license (so I could bid at salvage auctions) and started buying wrecked British cars. I had a customer with a 1967 Mineral Blue MGBGT with 20k miles on it (1976). He wanted me to install a full synchro overdrive box for him. About 9 months later I'm walking through an auction and looking at this dirty blue GT. When I looked inside I noticed the tunnel cover I had made and realized that it was the same car....stolen and stipped of the interior. I bought it (its the car in my avitar).

I put it back together and drove it 200k miles over the next 20 years....including a 7500 mile trip from SoCal up to Vancouver, then across Canada to Toronto, over to Watkins Glen NY, down to Bowling Green Kentucky (I am a Corvette nut after all), up to Boulder and back home. No problems ever..........never left me stranded....even at -40F across Iowa going home to northern Minnesota for Christmas. Car is now in England.

Since I have an original Mineral Blue '67 roadster, I'd love to have it back for a garage mate. It was pretty faded by the time I sold it...but no rust...honest Kelvin, no rust.

It was only 1 year ago today that I arrived in Billings Montana, driving the 69 GT that I had just purchased 3 days earlier in Bellingham, WA - the scenery, the sunshine and 65 degree temperatures were just fantastic. I was on my way home to Altona, MB Canada; needed 72 hours for US customs to clear the title (and whatever else they do) for export into Canada at Pembina ND, so I came back along the interstates 90 & 94. Can't say the drive was trouble-free, but it was a treat non-the-less.

I had previously owned a couple of roadsters 30+ years before and never could get free of the 'bug'.

Have also enjoyed this site as well - there is so much valuable information here.


Ed

I drove my 1963 Austin Healey Sprite (a kissing cousin to the MG Midget) from Irving, Texas to El Paso, Texas. It was a distance of about 650 miles and I did it in one day. My little Sprite made the distance. The speedometer did not work but based upon the tach, I ran between 4000 and 5000 RPMs, I guess was I was doing between 60 and 75 mph, the whole way. The highlight of the trip occurred when I passed a Corvette. Of course the Corvette was pulling a trailer but he was sure surprised when the Sprite passed him. I had to sell the Sprite to pay for college but it was fun while I had it.