USA Visitor

[Hudson]

Cross post from the USA mailing list for Johnty

 

 

I just thought I'd say hello

I'm visiting in the Fort Worth /Dallas [bedford] area, Flew in here from

Ireland on 7th and staying until 28th Some of you may remember me from the

2005 Trip I was the guy who loaded the cars and flew in early ahead of main

crowd to unload them all, was also involved with logistics and spare parts.

I'm here with my wife visiting relatives, just thought I'd ask if there was

anything going on in area whilst I was here.Love to meet up with some of you

guys again and discuss possible rerun of similar event in 2015.

Johnty.

[BirkinBernie]

Hi all!

 

We have arranged to meet Johnty and his wife tomorrow (Sunday the 17th) at 5:30 pm at the Texas Land and Cattle Company in Bedford:

 

1813 Hwy. 121

Bedford, TX, 76021

121 Service Rd & Murphy Dr, next to 24 Hour Fitness

817-318-1811

 

Please reply to bclong7@verizon.net to let me know you are coming. I have talked to the restaurant and space should not be a problem that time of day, but I would like to let them know how many are coming.

 

Hope to see you there!

Bernie Long

[Sean]

I hope the dinner went well.

 

I find the possibility of a rerun in 2015 interesting. Is that intended to mean a rerun of the British (mostly) invasion in 2005 on the HTWWD tour? I really wanted to go on at least part of that one, but it just didn't work out for me at that time.

[Alaskossie]

Sean,

 

I was a passenger in Bsimon's Caterham during part of the 2005 HTWW Tour through Colorado. It was really great seeing 60+ Sevens in one place -- a sight we never see in N. America. I was impressed with the thoroughness of the route book -- though it did have a few items that only bolstered the Euro stereotypes of the American West (how to treat rattlesnake bites, how to avoid bear problems, etc.!).

 

However, I had some questions about route choices. Although they needed a seaport to embark from, I questioned their choice of Houston, with a long hot drive between there and anything Seven-interesting. A better plan would have been a West-Coast port, and a long loop tour instead of a point-to-point, some of which was definitely not Seven-friendly.

 

Even in Colorado, some of the best Seven roads (known to the locals, but not necessarily to the route planner) were neglected.

 

I trust that Johnty Lyons, in planning for a possible 2015 repeat of the 2005 HTTW, is considering a repeat of the grand concept, and not necessarily of the route.

[Alaskossie]

Correction: the official name of the 2005 tour was "How the West was Driven" or "HTWWD." The route was from Houston TX, north and west through New Mexico, then north through the Colorado Rockies, then west through the Utah desert and Monument Valley, across Nevada, and to San Francisco. It was in early September, but Texas and the deserts were still very warm.

[pksurveyor]

In the 2005 USA Tour, Jeff Sloan and I were at the warehouse near the airport helping the Brits assembling the cars after they were unloaded from the containers. The main group arrived later that afternoon and then the tour begun. The Houston Lotus Club provided each car with bottles of water before they departed from the warehouse. My wife and I leaded the groups to the motel through 5 pm Houston traffic. A lot of them were having a tough time with the summer heat. Several of the wives elected to ride in my wife's air conditioned Hummer instead of their Sevens.

[DeanG]

Wow, Hummer vs. Se7en pretty extreme choices.

[Kitcat]

Per a post on another Forum, Johnty just lost a year long battle w/cancer. His son, who posted, commented on how much his tours in his se7en meant to him. Tough month for the members on the US tour in '05.

[JohnCh]

And considering it was Ed who started this thread...

 

-John

[pksurveyor]

I had the opportunity to meet Johnty during the USA2005 event. Several of us were helping the early arrival Brits getting their Seven ready for the trip in a warehouse near the Houston airport. Johnty was a real gentleman.