LBCC Nor-Cal Guerrilla Cruise- East Bay to San Francisco 11/12/11

LBCC Nor-Cal Guerrilla Cruise- East Bay to San Francisco 11/12/11

What an incredible end to an insane year. The weather broke late on Friday and cleared the way for a perfect day in San Francisco. I rolled out to the Emeryville Marina, our impromptu meeting spot early to hold it down, and enjoyed being the nicest car in the parking lot (by default, I was also the only car in the lot) for a little while: It didn’t last too long, as our friends from as far as Vallejo, Sacramento, San Jose, and Fremont quickly showed me up and rolled into the East Ocean parking lot at about 9 o’clock. We waited it out for more people, and eventually hit the road trying to out run to gloomy gray sky over the East Bay. I led the pack as we rolled slowly onto I-80 and across the Bay Bridge. Seeing cars in a parking lot or on the grass at a car show is great, but there’s just nothing like seeing chrome and flake in action on the highway. It makes you appreciate a car on a whole new level, not as a collection of cool parts, shapes, and colors, but as an incredible machine, moving and bumping down the road as if it’s alive and breathing. We must have turned a lot of heads rolling across the bridge, it’s a shame I couldn’t capture the action. We pulled off on Folsom in the city, and slowly rolled through the edge of the Embarcadero to my new favorite spot in the city, Red’s Java hut. This spot is incredible; it’s an awesome greasy-spoon diner (with a full bar, if one were so inclined) on the edge of the bay with the Bridge and the East Bay in the background. A perfect spot for a breakfast cruise by all measures, we’ll be back for sure. This means so much to me. I’m still a little in shock: Every time I get to make it out to a show and hang out with people at events like this, I always leave in a daze, constantly impressed by the quality of people who this lifestyle draws in. It is so nice to close the laptop for a while, put down the car mags, and hit the road with good friends and watch your worries fade in the rear view. I am so grateful for everyone who made it, and I’m looking forward to seeing more new faces out there next time. Thank you.

Nor Cal Guerrilla Cruise Nov. 12th to San Francisco

Be there! Should be a lot of fun, check the link for details:

Swanx Fall Fiasco 2011, Fairfield, Ca 10/8/11

Swanx Fall Fiasco 2011, Fairfield, Ca 10/8/11

I had a great time at the Swanx show this year. I couldn't have asked for a nicer way to close show season, for me at least, than hanging out with friends and cool cars in a Sheet Metal shop. It seems like bigger car shows this season have been a little down, and while I'm not sure why that is, I've got to say it's made the smaller shows more enjoyable. The Swanx show is one of the great examples of that; you don't need a huge venue or fancy pipe & drape to have a great show. I imagine this is what car culture felt like back in the mid-nineties, it's been a return to smaller more intimate shows where everyone seems to building things in different styles and we can all meet in the middle and hang out for a weekend and compare notes. I love it, it doesn't feel like a scene, it feels like a community.

For me, this was my second car show ever in my Buick, and my first time vending out of it. The car took it well, that huge trunk is perfect for holding a ton of merch.



The car ran pretty well, it handled the load great. I made it with no problems, and had a great time at the show.




I do not get sick of looking at this car. It's so... right.










Holding it down...






This was very much in a Sheet Metal shop:




I love the taillight treatment on this 57:















I had a great time. I couldn't help but be reflective on the past year on the drive home, all in all I accomplished a lot this year. Next year is going to be even better, the initial thrill of getting the car on the road has subsided, and now I'm ready to step it up and take it to the next level. Thanks to everyone who made this happen, it was a blast. Thanks for reading.