January 22, 2006
Departed Havertown, PA for Yorklyn, DE 7:30 a.m. Arrived Yorklyn, DE 8:20 am. Hooked up trailer
with 71 which was loaded day before. Tom's Suburban and trailer were loaded with the Model K Stanley. The
group included Butch Cannard, Bill Rule, Tom Marshall, Ruth Marshall and Bill Schwoebel. Joined
enroute by Walter O'Rourke, also a member of Friends of Auburn Heights who followed both vehicles
in his Honda. Departed Yorklyn at 9 am sharp. Drove south to Newark, 896 to Middletown, DE, to
Route 301 South, Rte 50 to the Bay Bridge, 301 again. Stopped for lunch next to Fort A.P. Hill
at "New Yorker Restaurant" around2 pm in the town of Bowling Green, Virginia. On the road again
by 3 pm. Stopped around 6 pm at Rocky Mount, NC at a Comfort Inn. Dinner at Outback Steak House.
January 23, 2006
Morning was dreary and drizzling, about 40 degrees. Departed at 9 am. South on I95 all morning and had lunch in Florence, SC
at the "Flat Iron Skillet", a restaurant visited in January 2005 on the way to Ormond Beach. Stopped for the night in
Brunswick, GA at a Comfort Inn. Total of 350 miles for the day, drove through rain and thunderstorms. About 70 degrees. New
tires on the trailer are working fine.
January 24, 2006
Morning was damp and drizzling on departure around 9:30 am. South on I95 again. Reached the Florida state line in 41 miles.
Temperature was around 80 degrees. Had lunch at "Julians" in Ormond Beach before checking in with the Stanley Museum for
registration, then checked into the Bermuda House Hotel in Daytona Beach. Trailers were parked right next to the hotel on a
paved lot. Hotel was on the beach. Checked out the cars in the trailers, some insulating material worked loose on the K and
Model 71, these were re-mudded and brass was polished. Many other people were driving around in their Stanleys.
January 25, 2006
Colder than before and breakfast was not available until 7 am. Fired up the cars and left for the 30 mile "Loop" tour around
9:30 am. Butch drove the model 71 and Tom drove the Model K with Bill Schwoebel up front and Walter O'Rorke in the Mother-in-law
seat. Seemed like the pilot went out every other mile. Stopped for water about half way through the tour and for fuel for the K,
near the "Casements" house. Both cars made the tour without any other problems. A special meeting was planned at the "Casements"
that night, a special car display for the Town of Ormond. Bill Schwoebel drove the K with Walter O'Rorke as passenger and Bill
Rule and Butch took the 71. Very impressive display. Lost fuel pressure and had to bleed the fuel system twice before driving
home in the Model K. Lit the side, tail, and dash kerosene lamps and drove back to the hotel in the dark! Filled up with water
and blew both cars down.
January 26, 2006
100th anniversary of setting the land speed record by Fred Marriott in a special Stanley Steam Car is today. Car was called
"The Rocket". Very windy today, from the east across the beach. Got up early to fire up for festivities beginning at 9 am.
Wind blew the torch out several times, departed around 9:15 am. Tom Marshall drove the Model K and Butch drove the Model 71.
Tom and Ruth's friends, Lindsey and Marge Greenplate arrived and rode with the group today. 47 steam cars are in attendance
this week. Arrived at the beach and waited for the replica of the Rocket to make its arrival. Brent Campbell worked hard to
get this special car to run, it is normally on display at the Daytona Beach Speedway. The car will be run on the beach today
by the attending descendents of the Stanley and Marriott families. At 10:30 am the Star Spangled Banner was played and vintage
aircraft flew over, then Brent Campbell drove up in "The Rocket". After the Rocket made its runs down the beach, the other
attending Stanleys took their turns. Both the Model K and Model 71 successfully made their run down the beach. Next was a
drive to the Birthplace of Speed ceremony around 1 pm.
A new memorial marker of granite was unveiled. Many photos
were taken of the Stanley and Marriott families and other steam car
attendees and then onto the Casements to see the museum and to be interviewed
by Sue Davis' film crew. Tom Marshall and the Steam Team
were filmed. Left for the hotel around 5 pm. Washed off the
wheels and undercarriages of the K and 71 and got ready for the awards
dinner at 7 pm. It was a very tasty meal and nice surroundings
at the Ocean Side Country Club founded in 1904. The tour tomorrow is
110 miles to St. Augustine, Florida. Hopefully there won't be so much
wind.
January 27, 2006
The weather forecasters were wrong! Today is even windier than yesterday. After breakfast the cars were fired up. Bill
Schwoebel took extra time to lubricate the engine of the Model K, dry engine cars need to be oiled every 50 miles. Tom and Ruth
Marshall drove their Suburban on the tour. Butch drove the Model 71 with Walter O'Rourke as a passenger, and the two Bills rode
in the Model K, stopping for fuel before they started. They had some trouble with the hand fuel pump and returned back to the
hotel as Butch was having problems with the Model 71 and the water pumps. After working on the cars for 2 ½ hours it was too
late to drive the entire tour, so they drove to the first water stop, had lunch at a pier on the ocean in the town of Palm Coast
and returned to the hotel to work on a few other minor problems on each car. Dinner was a cook out on the mainland for all steam
car people and it was very good. The tour for the next day is to Ponce Inlet which is south of the Daytona Beach raceway.
January 28, 2006
Early morning was cloudy but after breakfast the sky cleared. The tour was 45 miles total. Butch fired up the Model 71, Bill
oiled the engine on the Model K and then fired it up. Tom Marshall drove the Model 71, Bill Schwoebel the K and Butch drove the
Suburban. Just after starting out, the group was asked to be videotaped as they drove over the causeway. A 1907 Model HK Stanley
owned by Chris Greaves joined the group and made an impressive sight. The pilot on the K went out and Bill could not pull off on
the causeway to relight it, he had to wait until they pulled into a gas station to get fuel.
The first stop was Raabe Inc., which builds, restores, and races automobiles. It was a huge complex. Went on a guided tour and
saw the racing shop, trailer with shop, and Peterbilt Tractor. After cookies, restrooms and water for the cars, the group left
for Ponce Island. Drove past Daytona Beach Raceway where Rolex 500 was going on. Pilot went out again on the Model K, Tom and
Chris drove on. The two Bills relit the pilot, after ½ mile stopped again to poke the center nozzle. The center nozzle on the
Model K is used the most on this 3 burner car so it chokes up first. Stopped at the light house and caught up to Tom and Chris. We
ate lunch along the Intercoastal Waterway. The return trip to the hotel was about 9 miles but through downtown Daytona and race
day traffic. Upon return, both cars were washed to remove all of the salt, the brass was polished and the tanks filled with
water. The brass was white from all of the salt in the air and from the beach. The blow down banquet began at 6 pm.
January 29, 2006
Woke at the usual time of 6 am, had breakfast and trailered the cars to their temporary place in Ormond Beach until they are
shown in March at the Amelia Island Concours de Elegance Show. The trailers were parked in the private, fenced, locked location
and then Bill Rule, Bill Schwoebel, and Butch Cannard drove to Orlando to visit an old high school friend for the day and
night. His home was surrounded by Sand Hill Cranes, and wild turkeys. No actual alligators were spotted, but their paths were
seen in the surrounding marshes. Also saw fire ant hills. The Marshalls stayed to visit Friends.
January 30, 2006
Departed for home at 9 am. Stopped for lunch around midday at a Cracker Barrel in Brunswick, Georgia. Were joined by
Sarah Stanley and her husband Don Davidson and talked to her about driving the "Rocket Racer" and the steam pressure troubles
she had when driving it on the beach, and how much the event meant to her and her family. Stopped for the night in Rocky Mount,
NC, about 650 miles from Orlando.
January 31, 2006
Awoke to rain and 45 degrees. Arrived in Yorklyn around 3:30 pm, back in Havertown by 4:40 pm.
-WOS Jr.
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