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AACA Western Spring
Meet – Tucson, Arizona
by Hal Cox
Flying from Bakersfield on
Thursday, April 24th, I arrived in
Tucson at 9:15 AM. I prefer to go to the meets
a day early, so that I have time to visit places
of interest. In Tucson, there are many
interesting things to see and do, so planning in
advance is a must. What better place to do
this, than on the internet. Detailed maps with
step-by-step instructions are very helpful. Who
needs GPS or “Where is it”? Also, prices and
hours of operation all help with the planning.
The weather was perfect.
I was thinking I could enjoy 365 days of this
weather. On my way from the airport to the
hotel, I spotted the Reid Park Zoo. This was on
my list, so I spent the rest of the morning
there. Then off to Pinnacle Peaks for lunch.
The last time I ate there, it was in the
country. Now it’s closer to the center of
town. The afternoon was spent at the Saguaro
National Park and National Wildlife Museum.
Arriving at the Hilton,
(host hotel) I waited for my friends (the
McGills from Imperial Beach) to arrive, as we
had plans to share dinner together. They left
San Diego at 6:00 AM riding their motorcycles
and pulled in at 4:30 PM. Looking at their
faces, I could tell that they had enough desert
for one day.
Friday morning found me in
the parking lot watching vehicles being
unloaded, cleaned and prepared for Saturday’s
judging. This also is a time to meet new
friends, see new vehicles and sometimes just
help out by guiding the vehicles out of their
trailers. One of the first people that I met,
was from Denver, with his beautiful 1910 White
Steamer. His cousin, and her husband from
Newport Beach, were also there. They were
interested in going to the Pima Air Museum, so
you guessed it, the four of us spent the morning
at the largest private air museum in the U.S.
Friday afternoon was spent
at Judging school and the President’s Round
Table. With new models being added to the
judging classes each year, it is a must to
attend judging school. The President’s Round
Table allows members to ask questions about
National, or to vent your gripes and
complaints. Friday night found us at pool side
with a great buffet of baby back ribs, chicken
and all the go-withs.
The judges breakfast is
the start of a busy Saturday. This is when you
find out if you will be judging the classes of
vehicles that you requested. Sometimes I end up
judging motorcycles, fire trucks, ambulances and
once a snowplow. At this meet, I lucked out and
judged some very fine vehicles, including the
1910 White Steamer I mentioned earlier. After
breakfast is the CJE Seminars. I picked one on
pickup truck beds. Then came the judging, which
saw my team judging in five different classes.
There were a total of 68
vehicles. We may not have a lot of vehicles at
our shows, but the ones that we do have are
excellent. Saturday afternoon is a time to
relax in anticipation of who will win an award.
Most people were not disappointed. At the
banquet each person received a small (8 inch)
Care Bear from the Arizona Governor’s office.
For dinner, we had a selection of chicken or
beef. During the course of the meal, they ran
out of beef, so some lucky people had a
substitution of filet mignon. After the awards.
There were raffle prizes and the 50/50 drawing.
The lucky winner took home $385.00. After
saying our goodbyes, it was time to hit the
sack.
The Tucson Region always
does a superb job sponsoring a National Meet.
This was their 7th National Meet,
with the first in 1979. I was there!
On Sunday morning, there
was a tour of the Franklin Museum. I passed on
this tour, as I had made arrangements to visit
our great-grandchildren in Rio Rico, AZ.
Driving back to Tucson that afternoon, I stopped
at the Titan II Missile Museum. This is an
outstanding museum with a great deal of history
related to the Cold War.
Flying home on Monday
morning allowed me to really enjoy the Poppy
Preserve from the air. The fields were golden
from Lancaster to Gorman.
Next Meet: San Diego
Transportation:
Train
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