300TD Road Trip "This European Life: an open travelogue" - Page 11 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

H-townbenzoboy · #**151** 05-26-2011, 10:01 PM

Miguel, I know you're coming through Dallas, but if you can make the 240 mile trek south on I-45 to Houston, you may get to meet at least two forum members.

biking4jesus · #**152** 05-27-2011, 01:59 AM

just stumbled across this thread today! AWESOME.

i took a roadtrip from LA to Seattle a few years back, took the 101 and 1 a lot of the way. memories i'll always have.

just giving you a heads up- i'm here in san francisco, we ought to have some balloons or a banner for you to drive thru when you get here!

Delibes · #**153** 05-27-2011, 11:45 AM

I will be heading to Mississippi tomorrow, to meet gatorblue. Then, I will head down to Houston on Sunday, then to Dallas on Monday.Whatever it takes to meet as many of you as possible! You can ask other members for my phone, as I might be a little slow answering messages here.
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Day 7: The Devil Zoom'd Down thru Gawhga (listen to today's theme)

Very appropriately, I am currently enjoying the free WiFi in the Florida Welcome Center on I-75, in the border with Georgia. Many of the people I see around me, much like Chad and his wife will soon be, are proud parents taking their kids to DisneyWorld. I remember going to Orlando in in my early tens, and definitely recommend it. It's quite a blast, although my favorite childhood theme park still remains Futuroscope, in France.

I woke up in an moist oven, still at the shore of the lake. I lazily squinted at my loyal watch, and realized it was too late to take a swim, or even have a luxurious Round-Up shower. Got in the car, turned the key, glowed and departed towards the Peachiest State, Georgia!

My original plan consisted on visiting the (supposedly) official PeachParts central in Atlanta, but, a phone call before the trip revealed that there is no such thing as a brick-and-mortar PP headquarters. The other plan was to meet Winmutt, unfortunately I lost contact and never heard of him! Oh, well, in time we will meet.

The drive to Macon was nothing special to talk about, except for two very interesting highlights. The first one I found winding down a mountain road, at the side of it. All of the sudden, I see a very faint glimmer, and realize that it is a shiny airstream. Actually, more than one. Tens of them, all together like silver bullets in a magazine. I turned around, and decided to visit the camp. I was greeted by the manager and a friend of his, who talked eloquently about the history of the camp and Alumapalooza, meetup shrine for all things aluminum, coordinated by the Airstream Company. I was welcome to attend, unfortunately it was going to take place in Ohio! The manager told me I had to meet one of the campers, a young female, who "without trying to set you up or anything" (dear Bree, do not kill me) I would find very interesting to talk to. Sharon Pieniak, graphic designer by profession, had been traveling for three and a half years in her airstream across the USA, a truly admirable feat I hope to replicate one day.

Leaving the campground with a faint cloud of Anchorage-to-Argentina daydreaming around me, I got on the road, but not for too long. Around Alto, Georgia, I found a very interesting junkyard at the side of the road, and resolved to get some W123 woodgrain and a incline knob for my seat. A bearded man greeted me among the smithereens of a Buick, and ushered me towards a sunburnt 240D with 166k miles, from which I took some nice dash wood inserts. It is our mission to save these from the sun and the moisture, before they fade into oblivion and our cars become prohibitive relics that no average joe can maintain.

On to the highway, trying to make it on time for the meetup with Jim, username Engatwork. After mistakenly stopping at his neighbor's driveway (oops!), I drove down a pine forest and found a couple wood-beam houses, still uncertain whether I had arrived to his house or not. Two very friendly dogs came to, er, kiss me. A few seconds later, Jim came out to greet me, and showed me around the beautiful lake in the property and inside his 1930s home –a beautiful construction with large, open spaces– on its way to partial renovation.

Jim took his Harley and we headed to town, where we had some good fried rice, and talked about his plans to set up an import repair shop and a camping ground, following his true dream. Because, this is what America really means to me: the fact that nothing in the past conditions a person to take a sudden, unexpected turn to follow one's true passion.

After saying goodbye, a homeless man approached me, and politely asked me if I could show him "my home". I did, and shared a couple slices of my massive Pecan Pie with him. We talked about the economy, and complained about the price of things and people's selfishness. I then left towards the Florida border, with a small fuel stop where the cashier asked me in the smoothest of Southern accents: "You drive a DIESEL car?!".

It got dark. I drove on a perfectly straight highway for two hours and a half, occasionally rolling down my window and looking at the stars, or listening to the crickets and the clatter of my engine. Jim, in his outstanding hospitality, had offered me a place to stay in Valdosta; however, I declined, as I did not want to be an encumbrance by arriving there too late.

At midnight I got to the Flying J trucker stop in Lake Park, GA. A clean, waited-for shave put me quick to bed. The following morning I had some pecan pie and enjoyed part of the trucker lifestyle by trying one of the showers in the service stop, clean as a whistle, with towels and a bar of soap included!

Now, here I am, in Florida, ready to visit AquaticEdge and see the ocean, proof that I have practically bottomed out in this beautiful country, soon ready to head West until I bump into the Pacific.

I pulled over, just because this one was too good to pass up.

The South is the land of a Million Churches. I have never seen so many!

Dramatic Aristream camp.

Sharon's Silver Snail... ready for another adventure?

Helen, Georgia, modeled after a small German Alp town.

Junkyard wonderland, home to the most trashed school buses ever!

And then, it started pouring like crazy.

And then, I had some bumper-to-bumper traffic.

All clear now, ready to visit Jim!

I would have never guessed this was the way to a PP member's house!

Jim's peaceful lake. Aaah, if I had the time to stay I'd taken a bath!

The 1930s wooden palace in the forest.

Jim (Engatwork), on his iron stallion!

Swing low, sweet chariot... when will I find a home?

One out of the many intriguing rural Georgia scenes.

With plain lands come straight roads.

Aquaticedge · #**154** 05-27-2011, 11:54 AM

You've found the airstream Mecca! It's prolly the S.E Airstream Club gathering. they've been through the Roads around here like mad. a note on the Fuel thing. Gas station Attendants in FL will Turn off your pumps. Truck stops are notorious for it. On the way here. be careful through madison FL. Cops there Suck, and look out for any little thing to give out tickets.

Aquaticedge · #**155** 05-27-2011, 11:55 AM

also a note- there's an 85 300 in the junkyards here. I dont recall offhand if your car takes 85 parts or not, but if you wanna check it out lemme know

SwampYankee · #**156** 05-27-2011, 03:05 PM

Miguel, I know you're looking for forum members West of Texas. Depending on which way your travels bring you, should you find yourself in northern New Mexico and looking for somewhere to stop and freshen up, I could put you in touch with my sister and her boyfriend in Taos (about an hour north of Santa Fe). She's not a member but is hospitable, and a fairly accomplished artist herself. Even if you were just looking for a place to park for the night.

halman2228 · #**157** 05-27-2011, 04:26 PM

Miguel -

I just stumbled across your thread today (I don't get in here much anymore). Are you meeting up with anyone here?

I might be able to cut loose for a mini GTG... maybe even get to see Brian's Euro SE (I think I saw him chime in on the thread somewhere)

I'll PM Joe (HtownBenzboy) as well...

Kevin

Aquaticedge · #**158** 05-27-2011, 08:51 PM

Delibas Just left here. Spent a wonderful Day which he can Articulate better then I. Miguel, again, Thanks for Visiting!

Delibes · #**159** 05-28-2011, 12:37 AM

Day 8: Sliced Calzones (listen to today's theme)
From the Florida welcome center I zoomed through long tracts of highway on to AquaticEdge's home, with the slight taste of fear in my mouth, given his energetic warning about the policemen in the area. No worries, I am a granny at the wheel.

The rest of the day was simply wonderful. Lots of talk about Mercedes, followed by my first visit to a Pick'n'Pull. First things said, their prices are incredible, despite not having a terrible amount of Mercedes. There were some good finds, like a VW Type 3 hatchback and a 450SEL with beautiful door panels, as well as some Japanese rarities.

On the way back our conversation got into deeper matters, followed by a walk in the beautiful parks surrounding AE's property, with quiet, placid bodies of water and weeping trees. I charged my battery and moved on to dinner at a local Italian restaurant, were we had a Salami Sub and a Ham Calzone, both excellent.

What can I say? Meeting with AE was everything one would expect out of a micro-GTG. Conversations starting with automobiles, soon moving to deeper aspects of life, with random turns (Weebl, anyone?) and significant social relevance. All in an afternoon, folks!

I kept driving, to boldly go where no W123 has gone before. I just drove through Panama City, a small-scale city of excess with Hummers and blonde, scantily clad women accompanying muscular dudes who happened to walk in the same, gorilla-like, arms-towards-body pose.

Thanks to McDonald's once again, for the patience of their employees, who have let me stay late in their restaurant leeching their electricity and wifi.

Good night to you all!

Taking a rest at the Florida Welcome Center.

The Welcome Center itself. Did I mention Florida clouds are amazing?

Infinite, straight roads on this flat, flat lands.

Ceci L'AquaticEdge. J'aime sa voiture!

Epic Pic and Pull. Very cheap prices, too!

MG Midget... oh, sinful!

A rare bird, not too far gone.

"Slammed truck", flying emblem of idiocy worldwide.

The environs of the AquaticEdge castle.

What a shrine of peace!

"As long as you don't bother the alligators..."

These were the grounds of an old plantation.

A quick stop before saying goodbye.

Can it get more Florida than this?

I finished the Calzone before I realized I had to take a picture.

On the way down South to Panama City.

Old, new, facelifted. Three generations, one driveway.

Aquaticedge · #**160** 05-28-2011, 01:46 AM

Pour aller là où personne w123 a précédé, j'ai bien aimé notre visite! Merci pour les photos! Aujourd'hui était vraiment génial

(The translation may be slightly off)

It was really a fun day, we went from Driving rain to Peaceful Weather in a matter of a couple miles down the Road. Lots of fun cars at pick n pull, Some amazing some were downright odd (and an awful plum colored w210 comes to mind) I learned about some cars I had no Idea what were, and some rather nice and in shape Volvo (going back tuesday)

Poking around Miguel Spotted a couple nice Hub caps that I'm sure someone on here will want, and a nice piece of center wood that went un destroyed by the hellions that yank stuff from mercedes with too much brawn and not enough brain.

Today was fantastic, Again, It was really awesome meeting you! and I changed my signature to the Joke I sprang on you

Colorado220 · #**161** 05-28-2011, 02:33 AM

Great report, I dig your setup.

ROLLGUY · #**162** 05-28-2011, 10:20 AM

I know it may be a few weeks, but when you get to the end of Hwy 40 (in Barstow), you are about 35 miles away from our place (south on I15 about 35 miles). If you have time, there are many good wreck'n yards around here (I also have many parts and a couple parts cars). I also have the space and tools to do any maintenance you may need...Rich

Delibes · #**163** 05-28-2011, 10:52 AM

Stopping at a local McDonalds. If anyone can contact Gatorblue92, let him know that I will arrive to Diamondhead around 2pm today, so he should check his PM for my contact information!

It is extremely urgent, otherwise I will head north to Brandon, MS.
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@AquaticEdge: isn't it what every man is after?

@ROLLGUY: Thanks! I will definitely pay you a visit!

halman2228 · #**164** 05-28-2011, 10:55 AM

and available.

And air conditioned - its hotter than Hades here already.

Check your PM and google map me to see if you want to stay out here (far north Houston/The Woodlands area).

If you need to do some wrenching, I have a lift in my shop that may be handy.

Joe (H-townbenzoboy) and I look forward to getting together with you if we can make it happen...

Kevin

halman2228 · #**165** 05-28-2011, 11:05 AM

Wow.