{google_map}38.610997,-97.95573{\/google_map}<\/p>\n
We made this trip so that I could attend the KKOA Leadsleds (link to KKOA)<\/a>.\u00a0 I have been attending this event off and on for over 35 years.\u00a0 Indeed, we first drove the 56 Chevy to the 1987 event in Springfield, IL (and I had attended quite a few before that).<\/p>\n With our senior discount, this campground is a very low cost \u201cplace to stay\u201d.\u00a0 The hotels tend to jack their prices up for the event.\u00a0 Also, most of the good hotels book up quickly.\u00a0 The downside is that the internet connections via cell phone suck.\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed, we will be driving towards Salina this afternoon until we get a decent signal so that we can upload this post and do some other internet intensive stuff.<\/p>\n We stayed here in 2016 for the same show.\u00a0 That year we drove the bus and pulled the Durango.\u00a0 This year we have the Dodge truck and camping trailer.\u00a0 I had hoped that the truck with the Cummins diesel engine would have gotten better mileage, but we had a ton of side and headwinds the whole trip.\u00a0 The truck computer said we got 9.3 MPG which is still not too bad for our combination.\u00a0 I reset the computer for my two trips Salina (truck only) and it indicated over 20 MPG.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see what we get going back.<\/p>\n There were well over 1500 cars registered for the event.\u00a0 Some, like me, probably register but don\u2019t bring their cars.\u00a0 The park is huge, but almost all of the participant parking areas (many on the grass) were filled up on Saturday.\u00a0 The quality of the cars varies quite a bit.\u00a0 Many, like the 56 Chevy, are not show cars, but hold their own with a lot of the cars.\u00a0 Some of the cars are true masterpieces or \u201cworks of art\u201d.\u00a0 No matter, they are all fun to see.\u00a0 I have included a couple of pictures.<\/p>\n I have started to get the 56 back into a condition that will allow us to drive across country so that I bring it to the show again.\u00a0 Over the years, I did a lot of patching of systems to keep it going, but those patches catch up with you and the rebuild project is pretty daunting.\u00a0 Over the past couple of years, I did quite a bit of work on the paint and body (the paint was in terrible condition), installed a new cooling system, and I am in the process of upgrading the air-conditioning system, and totally rewiring the car.<\/p>\n I would love to bring one of my cars to a future event so that I can be a \u201creal\u201d participant again.\u00a0 It might be the \u201956 Chevy which we would drive to the event, or it might be the \u201950 Olds which we would have to bring on a trailer, as it is not set up for cross country driving. \u00a0Both need some significant work and I seem to get \u201cderailed\u201d from getting them completed.<\/p>\n We are staying over an extra day to relax and enjoy the campground.\u00a0\u00a0 On our way here we stayed in a campground in Colby, KS and will stay in a campground in Burlington, CO on the way home.\u00a0 Salina is close to 500 miles from Denver and that is more than we want to drive in one day.<\/p>\n When we had the bus, it was easy to pull into a WalMart to stay the night.\u00a0 Our current trailer electrical system does not allow \u201coff grid\u201d camping –\u00a0 thus dictating staying in a campground.\u00a0 I am in the process of updating the electrical system with an inverter that will make us independent of the \u201cpower pole\u201d.\u00a0 I almost got it completed for this trip, but ran out of time.\u00a0 We have another issue of not having a generator for the air conditioner, but that will be a future project.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That is all of this post.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello from close to Salina, KS Sunday afternoon\u2013 July 25, 2021\u00a0\u00a0 (First post of this travelogue) We are in a beautiful Bureau of Reclamation Campground about 30 miles from Salina, KS (Google Map) {google_map}38.610997,-97.95573{\/google_map} We made this trip so that … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/beltguy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Entrance-scaled-e1627241670949-1024x379.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/beltguy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Example-scaled-e1627241712586-1024x497.jpg\")
<\/p>\n