Fourth Quarter 2016 The Publication of the Silver Ghost Association, Inc.® 16-4

The

Silver GhostTourer®

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As this issue of the Silver Ghost Tourer (SGT) is both the final publication

of 2016 and the first issue you will receive in 2017 I wish to convey my very best wishes for the New Year to our members along with heartfelt thanks to our board members and all of the other dedicated volunteers that make up our SGA family.

This is the second issue of the SGT under the direction of our new Editor, Gil Fuqua. Many of you have written to me to express your approval and compliment his first issue. I encourage you to continue to provide Gil with your feedback and also to consider his request for articles, photos or ideas you may have for upcoming issues. The Editor’s task is a large one and can be made somewhat easier by a constant flow of content from our our membership. If you have never had an article published in the SGT why not make your first contribution in 2017?

2017 is shaping up to be another event filled year for the SGA. Our first event will be the annual SGA Winter Fling to be held Feb 1st through 4th at the beautiful Ritz Carlton Hotel located in the historic French Quarter, New Orleans. Registrations have been strong but at the time of writing there were still a few spots open so please consider joining us for what promises to be a memorable event.

The annual SGA Wholly Ghost Tour 2017, Maples & Mountains, hosted by Gilles Laviolette and confirmed for September 18th through Oct 3rd, is in the advanced stages of planning. Gilles has chosen beautiful scenic routes that will traverse the countryside of south eastern Ontario and the quaint Eastern Townships region of Quebec. Please watch the SGA website and the next issue of the SGT for the tour details and registration info. Registration is planned to open in February.

Since the new board was installed in August they already have two meeting under their belts. At the last meeting the board decided to add extra touring events throughout the year to augment our annual SGA Wholly Ghost Tour. Since these tours will be shorter in duration and easier to plan it will be more important than ever to make regular visits to the SGA website for information and registration details.

An exciting change for the SGA in the new year is our move to online membership renewal. In the past we have managed our renewals using a fairly labor intensive and mostly manual process. In an effort to serve our members more effectively, to reduce the workload for our volunteers and also to improve the cost effectiveness of our organization both “renewals” and “new membership applications” will be available online. Please watch your email inbox during February for an SGA email that will include instructions for completing your annual membership renewal.

Until next time, Happy Ghosting! Billi Carey

Board of Directors

President: Billi Carey 14 McKenzie Lake Place S.E., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2Z 2T5 H: 403-256-5611, C: 480-292-1674 president@silverghostassociation.comActivities: Doug Magee, Jr. Mineyahta Lodge, 766 N. Main St., PO Box 1919, Wolfeboro, NH 03895 H: 603-569-0456, C: 860-830-1707, O: 860-349-1097 activities@silverghostassociation.comMembership: Pia Sierra 8306 Jana Drive, Odessa, FL 33556-4705 H: 813-920-0305, C: 813-546-2185 sgapiasierra@gmail.com membership@silverghostassociation.comPublications: Jon Leimkuehler 2452 Washington Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15241 H: 412-835-4593, C: 412-427-6196 publications@silverghostassociation.comEditor: Gil Fuqua 3100 West End Ave, Suite 550, Nashville, TN 37203 O: 615-324-7311, C: 615-481-4237 editor@silverghostassociation.comTechnical: Bill Kennedy PO Box 304, Taylorville, IL 62568 H: 217-824-9375; O: 217-287-7231 technical@silverghostassociation.comSecretary: Twister Stroman PO Box 4, Sterling City, TX 76954 H: 325-378-3209 secretary@silverghostassociation.comTreasurer: Mark A. Corigliano PO Box 502, 1 Jonah Court, Peakpack, NJ 07977 H: 908-375-8044 treasurer@silverghostassociation.comWebmaster: Bill Kennedy webmaster@silverghostassociation.comNorth American Directors at Large: Morris Franklin 9019 S. New Braunfels, Suite 115, San Antonio, TX 78235 H: 210-656-7510, O: 210-333-7510 meftei@yahoo.comGregory R. Gill 1430 Bryant Dr. E., Long Beach, CA 90815 H: 562-494-6454, O: 562-354-2512, C: 562-243-6313 ggill@lee-associates.comDeNean Stafford PO Box 269, Tifton, GA 31793 H: 229-386-2685, O: 229-382-4401 deneanstafford@stafforddev.comLee Wolff 362 Blossom Lane, Orange Village, OH 44022 H: 440-498-1880, C: 216-496-9492 lee@vintagemotorcarsusa.comInternational Directors at Large: Roland Duce Thurgarton Priory, Thurgarton, Notts, England NG14 7GY H: +44 1636 830202 roland@thurgartonpriory.co.ukDenis Deasey 22/193 Doman Rd, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia 3141 H: +613-9866-6550 ddeasey@bigpond.net.au

The Silver Ghost Tourer® is the official publication of the Silver Ghost Association, Incorporated®. Efforts are made to publish accurate information and recommendations, but no responsibility can be assumed by the Association or the Editor in the event of claim of loss or damage arising from publication. Automobile or parts advertisements are free to SGA® members. The purposes of the corporation are exclusively for the Board of Directors to promote, support, encourage, preserve, educate and receive and accept funds for promotion, support, encouragement, preservation and education of the public of the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost automobile. Send contributions to Gil Fuqua, SGA Editor (editor@silverghostassociation.com). “Silver Ghost Association”, “Silver Ghost Tourer”, “SGA”, and “Wholly Ghost” are registered trademarks of the Silver Ghost Association, Inc. and may not be used without written permission.

Front Cover Photo: Front Cover Photo: Chassis 1341 – 1910 Roi des Belges – owner Danni Suskin. Photo taken at San Francisco de Asis Mission Church in Taos. The famous adobe church was the subject of several paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe. Photo: Gil Fuqua

President’s Message

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Ghosts in the Land of Enchantment

By Penny Armstrong, KS

PROLOGUE

Around the middle of September, 2016, a small migration of Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts and their owners was underway from coast to coast. Travelers were on the

move from the West Coast (California), from the East Coast (Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Pennsylvania), from the north (Michigan) and the southwest (Texas), and from the heart of the country (Illinois, Kansas, Iowa and Colorado). It was an international migration as well, from Canada, from England and Australia as well as a few originally from South Africa and Switzerland.

All of these ghostly travelers were converging upon New Mexico, an appropriately Ghost friendly state, for the 2016 Wholly Ghost Tour, hosted by Danni and Linda Suskin. Specifically, their destination was the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort, 20 miles north of Albuquerque.

Ghosts came on trailers, by transport, and some made the trip to New Mexico under their own power, four wheels on the ground. Some arrived several days early. Ron and Nanette Elenbaas and Bill Johnston and Ronda Stryker left their rig in the resort designated parking area and went to a wedding. We (Jim and Penny) arrived next and parked our truck and trailer next to the Michigan rig. We unloaded 74AU and set off in it

for Santa Fe where we spent four days with a large group of Penny’s boarding school classmates and husbands.

Doug and Mary White drove 29LK from North Carolina and, as usual and as they expected, found that getting to New Mexico was half the fun. They had perfect top down weather most of the time. On the way out they stopped for a day at the Crystal Br idge s Mu seu m of American Art in Bentonville, AR, and they spent the three days before the tour started in breathtaking Canyon de Chelly, AZ, home of the Navajos. They took scenic back roads and stayed mostly in bed & breakfasts.

A five-car “Ghost Train” departed from Illinois for an adventurous trip that tested their endurance on a hot, windy route that was nearly all interstate – I-44 and I-40, with a little bit

Photo: Kimberly Shadduck

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Doug and Mary White drove 29LK over 1,700 miles from their home in Winston-Salem to the start of

the tour in Albuquerque.

The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort served as the base for the SGA’s New Mexico tour that started and ended in Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque. Open cars represented over 80% of the Silver Ghosts on the New Mexico tour, including Wathne’s 1914

Littin & Son Tourer - 38MA, Milhous’ 1923 Pall Mall Tourer - 357HH, and Dolan’s 1926 Pall Mall Tourer - S176ML.

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on old Route 66. Participants gathered the day before departure at Bill Kennedy’s home in Taylorville, IL. Bill, Gil Fuqua, Bill and Lynn Vatter, Kimberly and Dave Shadduck, Nancy and David Watts, John Dolan, and Jacquie and Lynn Boynton filled Bill’s house to capacity that night. The next morning, David Shadduck and David Watts made their farewells and went home. Kimberly and Nancy loaded into the Shadduck Ghost. With everyone organized and ready, the Ghost Train headed southwest. As they went through St. Louis, John Dolan made a detour to the airport to pick up Denise and then rejoin the group.

Five cars became four on the first day, just outside Joplin, MO. A piston in the Shadduck ghost seized as Kimberly was in the passing lane going around a truck. Bill and Gil, who were traveling with them, helped get the car flat-bedded to secure storage in Joplin and managed to get Kimberly and Nancy and their luggage into Bill’s car for the rest of the day. After the Ghost Train rendezvoused that evening at a motel near Tulsa, OK, a great reorganization took place, luggage was

redistributed and Kimberly made the rest of the trip with the Vatters while Nancy rode with Bill and Gil.

The next big event was a flat tire on the Boynton car. Bill and Gil could see it happening and saw the locking ring roll

across the highway into the grass. The group searched for it while Lynn changed the tire, but to no avail. Jacquie’s summary of the Ghost Train experience: “The heat was stifling and all the cars had issues of one kind or another because of it. We spent the second night in Yukon, OK, and then in Tucumcari, NM. It was a long way, lots of fun, but the Tamaya Resort was a welcome sight.”

Sunday, September 25 -- Arrival And Welcome Dinner

The Tamaya Resort was a welcome sight for everyone as we arrived throughout the day. The big, comfortable lobby was the scene of what felt like a family reunion with greetings,

hugs, lots of talk, eating and drinking. The sprawling resort is nestled in the low hills of the Santa Ana Pueblo. Owned by

Lynn Boynton’s expertise in changing tires got an early workout on the pre-tour drive from Taylorville, IL to

Albuquerque - 85BG -1922 Pall Mall Tourer

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The evening glow off the Sandia Mountains as seen from the Tamaya Resort.

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the pueblo and operated by Hyatt, it is an important economic engine of the pueblo. It was the first, and most luxurious, of many experiences that we had with Native American Pueblos in New Mexico throughout the tour.

When I say sprawling, I mean just that. The resort land is vast and so are the resort buildings. For most of us, it was a long and sometimes mystifying hike from the lobby to our very nice rooms. During the afternoon, Danni arranged for Jacqui Hall, Kimberly Shadduck and Nancy Watts to share in the driving of the Suskin’s truck on the tour as a riders’ luggage carrier and trouble truck.

A cocktail hour and welcome dinner at the resort marked the official start of the 2016 Wholly Ghost Tour. After dinner, Danni handed out the tour bags one by one, giving each recipient an opportunity to make a brief autobiographical statement as he or she received it. Robert J. Torres, a native New Mexican with roots in the state dating back to the seventeenth century, rounded out the evening with an interesting introduction to the state, a hint of what was to come in the next several days.

Monday, September 26 – Day Trip To Los AlamosThis was an almost 200 mile day so an early start was

in order. The first 20 miles were on 4-lane Route 550 north. At San Ysidro we turned east onto New Mexico 4, a 2-lane mountainous route of incredible beauty – the first of many that we would see on the tour. Very shortly after the turn-off we entered the Jemez Pueblo, which has been occupied since the 16th century and has many buildings dating back to that time. We stopped at the visitor center for a quick introduction to their history and culture in their very nice little museum.

Back on the road, just past Jemez Springs we stopped to look at Soda Dam, a waterfall that looked like a cape draped over rocks. The weather was so lovely and the scenery so spectacular –autumn in the mountains! – that we put the top down while we were stopped there. It stayed down for the entire tour.

Beautiful Route 4 took us north and then east on a forested mountain road that passed through the Valle Caldera, a huge, meadowy volcanic crater, and then with some very sharp hairpin turns dropped us into Los Alamos.

Los Alamos is an interesting place – a city but not really a city, as if it’s trying but cannot quite get past the institutional greyness and the feeling of secretive security. You actually pass through a guardhouse to enter the city. It was confusing to drive in and there was a lot of intrusive road construction, but we managed to get to the Bradbury Science Museum at about 11:30. It didn’t open until 1:00 PM and rather than get back out on the one-way under-construction roads, we opted to have lunch at the very bare bones Time Out Pizza right next door to the museum. By the time we were finished and the museum opened, at least ten of our SGA cars had arrived and stayed. It was a nice little party.

Danni had had a blow out just before Soda Dam that morning, so after they arrived at the pizza place he spent some time in the shade of a tree doing a tire repair. Jim and I spent an interesting hour in the science museum, getting a glimpse of the history, research and science of Los Alamos, and then drove to an overlook of the valley. We decided to forego a visit to the Bandolier National Monument because of timing. It was an hour

until cars could enter and we didn’t want to take the shuttle in. Instead, we returned to the Tamaya Resort on Hwy. 4, taking the long, scenic route again instead of the faster interstate.

Tuesday, Sept. 27 – Albuquerque To Grants, NM, Via Acoma Pueblo

This was a day of driving long distances, with two main stops, first at the Petroglyph National Monument west of the Tamaya Resort and just 24 miles into the day’s drive, then at the Acoma Pueblo near Grants. Because Jim and I had taken

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sa tour of the Acoma Pueblo just the week before with my high school classmates, we chose to be a little more leisurely at the Petroglyph National Monument, eat lunch nearby and went our way to Grants at the end of the day.

The Petroglyph National Monument encompasses a great deal of land with three public areas where a visitor can hike and see the petroglyphs. In the small Visitor’s Center we saw an excellent introductory video about the entire site. We chose to go to the Boca Negra Canyon, to the north of the visitor’s center. It has a well-maintained system of paths that wind among black rocks with petroglyphs. At the end of the paths, there is a climb by way of a footpath and rough steps that looked doable from the bottom. We were not equal to the climb, however, and soon turned back, ready for lunch.

Don’t run out of gas in Los Alamos. Note the machine gun mounted on top of the armored police vehicle that stopped to

assist Bill Kennedy and Gil Fuqua in 1797.

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One of the friendly park rangers in the visitor’s center directed us to a local restaurant called Hannah & Nate’s, not far from the National Monument. It was a find, indeed. Great food and for dessert, the best bread pudding I have ever eaten.

We saw many pueblos on this tour, but the Acoma Pueblo stands out because of its location. The old pueblo is built on top of a large mesa. The adobe houses on the mesa date from the 1500s and there is an historic church, used only for special events. The Acoma tribe is matriarchal. Houses on the mesa are passed down from mother to the youngest daughter of the family. There is no electricity or running water on the mesa so now only about 20 families live there full time. The rest of the houses are used for weekends as well as when there is a tribal gathering. Most of the Acoma people live in the modern part of the pueblo that is on level ground surrounding the mesa.

Those who took the tour of Acoma reported that they had a charming and lively young guide named Megan, who was raised on the pueblo in her grandmother’s house, one of the oldest houses on the mesa. She no longer lives up there but returns to lead tours.

Visitors go to and from the mesa in shuttles from the visitor’s center, but for the hardy there is the option of walking back down to level ground at the end of the tour. Danni and

Linda, Jacqui Hall, Bill Kennedy, Gil Fuqua and Nancy Watts chose this option, and Jacqui said later that in places it was quite steep and much more rigorous than she had expected.

Grants, NM, is just a short drive from Acoma. We spent the night there at the Holiday Inn Express. At the end of the driving day, Tim Sierra ran out of gas just a mile from the hotel. Danni had arranged for a buffet dinner for the group at the nearby La Ventana Steak House. We were driving after dark, so people doubled up in the cars with reliable lights. Mike and Patti Adams from California, new to Silver Ghosts and new to the SGA, hopped in with us and we had a very pleasant evening.

Wednesday, Sept. 28 – Grants To Socorro Via Pie TownAnother long driving day, this one with two options: 192

miles or 249 miles. It was also a day of long distances between gas stations. Most of the group took the shorter option and made an early start.

After a false start in the wrong direction (we weren’t the only ones) we headed south along the eastern edge of the El Malpais National Monument, a volcanic field that covers much of the park area. It was a beautiful morning and a glorious drive at the edge of dramatic rock formations. Part of the drive was a designated scenic route along the Continental Divide.

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Acoma Pueblo sits atop a sheer-walled 367- foot sandstone bluff.

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The road from Quemado to Pie Town, and then to the radio telescopes at the Jansky Very Large Array provided long stretches of Ghost-friendly driving with little other traffic.

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Heather Furger and 1926 Pall Mall Tourer (S362PL) at Pie Town Café. The special feature at the Pie Café was the “New Mexico Apple Pie”

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As we left the National Monument area, the difference in terrain was startling – from spectacular, mountainous rocks directly to flat, arid plains. The morning drive (83 miles) went faster than we anticipated and we arrived in Quemado, our first and only opportunity for gas on this leg of the trip, in time for coffee and a fill-up. Our lunch stop in Pie Town was not far away and we were ready for lunch.

Pie Town is just what it sounds, a little wide place in the road with a few restaurants that feature pie. But that doesn’t begin to do justice to the incredible pies and home made ice cream (Jacquie Boynton said that the ice cream tasted like “more”) that we had at the Pie Town Café, which had opened just for us on their normal closing day. We overwhelmed the place, sat inside and outside and had a wait for our food but we didn’t mind. It was an unusual and delicious lunch stop in a very empty stretch of New Mexico.

Refueled in every sense, we started out again on Route 60 to Socorro. Flat countryside, big wide sky, crossing the Continental Divide again, and pretty soon we were seeing huge radio telescope discs in the fields as we went by. We were arriving at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array of radio telescopes that monitor radio waves from far outer space. The site is about four miles off the road and it was well worth the side trip. There is a great little Visitor’s Center with an informative video and we were very impressed by the mindboggling science and research done at this modest appearing site.

In the Visitor’s Center parking lot Twister Stroman discovered that he had a flat tire. It was changed quickly with help from friends and he and Sue were on the road again.

Our destination, Socorro, was about fifty miles away on a straight, flat road. We were all checked in at the Comfort Inn in plenty of time for dinner. Small towns have limited capacity for feeding large groups, so Danni had arranged for us to eat off the menu at the Socorro Springs Restaurant and Brewhouse. Once again, we were driving in the dark. Bob and Gail Milhous rode with us. We had dinner in a room that accommodated us all but was very noisy, and then had a quiet night in a nice little town.

Thursday, Sept. 29 – Socorro To Santa FeThe problem when planning tour routes in New Mexico

is that much of the land belongs to pueblos on which road construction is limited. That limits route options and sometimes puts our cars on interstates. Two different routes were outlined for us for today’s trip up to Santa Fe, neither of them ideal. It was possible to go up the I-25 for 75 miles, then east into the Albuquerque Old Town on Central Ave., which is also Old Route 66. Or take an untested route on access roads, ending at the same I-25 entrance to Old Town.

Photo: Kimberly Shadduck

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Bill Kennedy’s 1911 R.R. Wood Landaulet (1797) at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), a massive radio

astronomy observatory near Socorro, NM.

We opted for a third route, figured out by Doug and Mary White. This route took us north on I-25 for 25 miles to Bernardo. There we left the interstate and went east on US 60 to Mountainair, then turned north onto Hwy. 55 merging into 337. The beautiful and tranquil drive took us along the eastern edge of the Cibola National Forest through ranches and grassland. At one of the towns along the way we saw the Clendenen and Hunter cars stopped at a café and we also came upon the Stromans en route. We traveled along with Twister

and Sue the rest of the way. At Punta de Agua the road was justifiably designated the Salt Missions Trail Scenic Byway.

We crossed I-40 and joined Hwy 14, known as the Turquoise Trail, still headed north. At this point we also joined the recommended tour route once again. We found a gas station with Bob and Gail Milhous there cajoling their car, which had a thirsty and unhappy radiator. Three and a half gallons of water took care of that problem and we started out again, looking for lunch. We found a place called Hollar’s in Madrid – a tree-shaded outdoor table and a meal that included fried okra, sweet potato fries, fried green tomatoes and buffalo burgers. Maybe not healthy, but awfully good! Dog-friendly Hollar’s also had a dog menu featuring five items ranging from bacon and eggs to dog biscuits.

Those who followed the route through Albuquerque Old Town on Old Route 66 commented on the stop and go traffic. Lynn and Jacquie had a funny experience there. While they were stopped at a traffic light, a lady stepped into the street, stroked their car and made some odd comments, then asked persistently for a ride. Fortunately, the light changed and the Boyntons moved on quickly without a passenger.

Danni and Linda recommended a side trip from Hwy. 14 up to the Sandia Crest. Ron and Billi Carey took the suggestion and said that it was a long drive but well worth it. They were able to get very close to the tower at the top and the fall colors and view of Albuquerque were spectacular. The Sierras, who concurred, said the view was awesome.

We arrived without incident at the beautiful Inn and Spa at Loretto in downtown Santa Fe. Danni put out the word that we would have a bring-your-own-drink gathering on a second

floor rooftop terrace in the evening followed by dinner on our own. All very nice and we settled in for a two-night stay in Santa Fe.

Friday, Sept. 30 – Rest Day In Santa FeWe were happy to have a restful, leisurely

morning and a late breakfast without setting out in the car. Because the Inn at Loretto is so centrally located, it was possible to walk everywhere. Our tour book included recommendations for historic sites, museums, galleries and restaurants. And of course there was always shopping.

The first organized event of the day was the restaurant tour at 2:00 PM. We started with a salad at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. Then we were divided into two groups, each going to four different restaurants. At each stop we learned something about the restaurant and sampled an item

An Aussie (Jacquie Hall) in Madrid (New Mexico).

Photo: Gil Fuqua

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1924 RRCCW Pickwick Limousine – 261KFBill & Lynn Vatter – GA

1911 Roi des Belges – 1671Tim & Pia Sierra – FL

1926 Pall Mall Tourer – S176MLJohn & Denise Dolan – NY

1912 Roi des Belges – 1962Mike & Cynthia Sierra – FL

1914 Littin & Son Tourer – 38MA, Don & Darby Wathne – SC 1914 Penny Tourer – 20UB, Alan & LaDel Clendenen – CA

1910 Roi des Belges – 1341, Danni & Linda Suskin – GA 1915 Colonial Tourer – 10AD, Ron & Billi Carey – CND

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1926 Pall Mall Tourer – S362PLKurt & Heather Furger – CO

1923 Barker Style Tourer – 29LKDoug & Mary White – NC

1911 R.R. Wood Landaulet – 1797Bill Kennedy – IL

1913 Wilkinson Tourer – 18NAEd Rowan – NJ

1913 Roi des Belges – 2617, Ron & Nanette Elenbaas – FL 1924 Windovers Tourer – 74AU, Jim & Penny Armstrong – KS

1923 Hooper Touring – 23EM, Bill Johnston & Ronda Stryker – MI 1921 Locke Tourer – 63AG, Twister & Sue Stroman – TX

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from their menu. Memorable for our group were the steaks that were served at the first stop as well as the chef’s preparation of a beef tenderloin at the third stop.

The Monroe Gallery, just a short walk away, hosted our group for a happy hour reception from 5:30 to 7:00. They had historic photographs on display ranging from the Wright Brother’s first flight to the riots in Ferguson, MO. It was truly a trip down Memory Lane for many of us and it inspired much talk and reminiscing. Dinner was on our own. We had a lovely meal with Alan and LaDel Clendenen and Gary and Sheryl Hunter under the trees of the patio at the Café Sena. The Sierras, who had been in our group for the restaurant tour, returned to the first restaurant for more of that delicious steak.

Saturday, October 1 – A Drive From Santa Fe To Ghost Ranch

The drive from Santa Fe to Ghost Ranch was about 60 miles. We needed to be there and checked in by 4:00 PM for the group panoramic photo. We started out in the mid-morning, heading northwest on US 84 and taking our time. It was a beautiful drive and a beautiful day. We joined Twister and Sue in Abiquiu for lunch on a sun dappled patio at the Cottonwood Inn. As we sat there enjoying the meal and the sunshine, more of our cars arrived. It was a perfect spot for a congenial meal, with even a good little clothing shop for some after-lunch recreation.

The post-prandial shopping option turned out to be useful, as the Wolff car, traveling with the Wathnes, was sitting in the

parking lot with a flat tire. Pam Wolff, Darby Wathne, Jacquie Boynton and I hung out and chatted while another parking lot tire change was accomplished, taking advantage of Lynn’s expertise and experience. And then, onward to Ghost Ranch, just a few miles away.

Ghost Ranch is like a large summer camp for adults with the ghost of Georgia O’Keeffe and the landscapes so familiar from her paintings hovering over everything. We were assigned to spacious but

(Below) Sandy and Bruce Massman (L) with their 1922 Tourer (7KG) with Gary and Sheryl Hunter and their 1923 Oxford Tourer (327KG) at Ghost Ranch.

(Right) Alan Clendenen makes on the road repair of bonnet that tore loose in strong New Mexico cross winds.

Photos: Gil Fuqua

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Ghosts at the Loretto Inn & Spa in Santa Fe, NM. (left to right): 10AD, 20UB, 327KG, 261KF, 38MA, 39BG,

S307PL, 28MG, S176ML, 63AGPhoto: Kimberly Shadduck

spartan accommodations, widely spread out over the ranch, and instructed about mealtime hours in the big dining hall. Jacqui Hall was assigned to the Ghost House, which had been the home of Georgia O’Keeffe when she stayed at Ghost Ranch. Artists in floppy sun hats with their easels were ubiquitous – the scenery was spectacular.

Before dinner, served for exactly one hour in the dining hall, we posed for our annual panoramic photo shoot on a field near the ranch entrance. My chief memory of the experience is being instructed to take off my sunglasses and look into the setting sun. As the camera moved across the half-circle of cars,

people out of camera range moved around and chatted and took pictures of each other. We had a nice visit with Bruce and Sandy Massman, who were parked next to us.

Bill Kennedy conducted a Tech Session in the Convocation Hall after dinner. His topic was metal fatigue of fan hubs, resulting in the shearing off of the fan blades with serious potential damage to the radiator and bonnet of the car. He believes that it is inevitable that this will happen to every Ghost and he has developed a reinforced replacement fan hub that he recommends installing sooner rather than later. At the time of the tour he had yet to do it to his cars, but was planning to do

Photo: Kimberly Shadduck

The sedimentary rock formations around the Ghost Ranch provided spectacular variations in geological color.

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so when he returned home. The second part of his tech session was a slide show of the building of his underground garage from excavation to the raising of the clock tower.

Later in the evening the night sky was thick with stars. We took chairs outside and joined our neighbors, Gary and Sheryl, for a glass of wine, stargazing and quiet conversation.

Sunday, October 2 – A Drive From Ghost Ranch To ChamaBreakfast in the dining hall was so-so, as dinner had been

the night before. We had only about 60 miles to drive so we decided to do the Ghost Ranch Historical Tour at 10:00 AM. When I realized that the tour was more about the buildings than about Georgia O’Keeffe, I quietly dropped out to just wander and enjoy the beautiful day and the amazing scenery. Jim took the complete tour and really enjoyed it. The guide was an interesting young woman, a geologist who had come to Ghost Ranch for the fossils and stayed for Georgia O’Keeffe. All the workers at the Presbyterian-run ranch are volunteers who work 40 hours/week for free room and board. Understandably, there is a waiting list to be a volunteer there.

Taking advantage of the Ghost Ranch tranquility and scenery, the Morrisons and Joan Laybourn spent the morning on the porch of their cottage. The Stromans, Boyntons, Danni and Linda and Jacqui Hall hung around as well. Most of our group had left, opting to get their lunch on the road. We had a tire with several ominous bulges and Twister, Lynn and Jim decided that it needed to be taken off. So, once again a parking lot tire change. By then it was lunchtime and we decided to take our chances in the dining hall. It was the best meal that we had there, spaghetti and meatballs and excellent salad. We ate with the Stromans at a picnic table on a terrace outside the dining hall. We were happy that we had stayed for lunch and happy to have had the full Ghost Ranch experience.

The drive to Chama was more or less an hour and the scenery became more and more lovely as we approached Chama. For us, this was the most beautiful part of New Mexico. The aspens were in full fall foliage – bright gold scattered lavishly about on a dark green mountainous background. It was just spectacular everywhere we looked.

David Morrison’s 39BG chased the steam train through the mountains to Antonito, CO where he picked up Charlotte for

the return ride to Chama, NM.

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New Mexico sunrises and sunsets were spectacular. Kimberly Shadduck was up early and late to capture

the beauty. For those who slept late, this is what early morning can look like in New Mexico.

The aspens were in full golden color around Chama, providing a beautiful backdrop for touring the northern

New Mexico mountains.

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The adobe church located on the plaza in Ranchos de Taos was built between 1772 and 1816. Known as the San

Francisco de Asis Mission Church, it is one of the most painted and photographed churches in the world, including paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe, and photographs by Ansel

Adams, Paul Strand and Ned Scott.

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1922 Pall Mall Tourer – 85BGLynn & Jacquie Boynton – MI

1923 Oxford Tourer – 327KGGary & Sheryl Hunter – CA

1922 Regent Tourer – 7 KGBruce & Sandy Massman – CA

1923 Pall Mall Tourer – 357HH Bob & Gail Milhous – FL

1926 Fleetwood Tourer – S307PL, Karl Zoller & Marie Novak – PA 1922 Windsor – 39BG, David & Charlotte Morrison – CA

1921 RRCCW Enclosed Drive Cabriolet – 28MGJim and Mariann Stickley – IA

1923 Tourer – 107JH, Lee & Pam Wolff – OH

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Photo: Kimberly Shadduck

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Chama is a little mountain town about ten miles south of the Colorado border. It is the terminus of the narrow gauge Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, on our agenda for the following day, and it has some nice little shops near the downtown railroad station. It does not, however, have any motels that could accommodate our entire group so we were divided between two motels. We checked into the Branding Iron and found a parking lot full of MGs – a friendly group that was finishing up their own tour of the area.

The afternoon was still young and we were eager to see more of the beautiful mountains. We set off for a ten-mile drive north to the Colorado border with Alan Clendenen keeping Jim company in the front seat and Sue Stroman in back with me. It was so beautiful that it was hard to decide where to look, so much to see. Once back in Chama we got settled for our two nights at the motel.

Oh those sociable Hunters! Descending the outside steps of our motel, we found them happily partying with the hospitable MG group on the grassy area nearby. We were immediately invited to join in and it looked like too much fun to pass up. Along with Gary and Sheryl, we spent a delightful hour in very good company. Car people are great the world over. Since we have an MG TD in our garage at home, we felt quite a part of the group.

Once again, Danni had solved the problem of feeding a large group in a small town by reserving for both evenings

a banquet room at the High Country Restaurant and Saloon, the only restaurant in town capable of accommodating our group. We were to order off the menu. This evening, Bill and Lynn Vatter rode over with us and we joined Karl Zoller and Marie Novak for dinner. The noise was almost at hearing-loss level in the small, packed banquet room. We were seated at a makeshift table for six in the middle of the room, with voices and clatter coming at us from all four sides.

Northern New Mexico gets cool in early October. The temperature dropped to 27 degrees in Chama, producing

frost on the bonnets and warm hats, gloves and coats for the early morning drive over a 10,000 foot mountain road to Taos.

The Cumbres and Toltec Railroad uses period steam trains to provide tours from Chama, NM to Antonito, CO. The railroad was constructed in 1880 to serve the silver mining areas in southwestern Colorado. Its track traverses 10,015 feet, the

highest mountain pass reached by rail in the US.

Photo: Kimberly Shadduck

Photo: Gil Fuqua

Compounding the problem, most of our MG friends were eating in the main dining room at the restaurant. There was not nearly enough wait staff and kitchen staff to keep up with the crowd. After enduring noise amounting almost to pain in the center of the packed banquet room, I persuaded the wait staff in the main dining room to seat the six of us there around a table meant for four. We waited just as long for our food, but we could hear each other and enjoy our conversation as we waited. The wine wasn’t bad either.

Monday, October 3 – The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

The morning was cooler than mornings past and no breakfast was provided at the motel. We took the recommendation given to us by our waitress the previous night and went to Fina’s, a nearby small café presided over by Fina herself and heavily

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patronized by locals. David and Charlotte Morrison and Joan Laybourn as well as Twister and Sue had apparently received the same advice and we had a perfect breakfast.

Then we drove into town and parked the car, closed up with the

tonneaus, on the street in front of the railroad station. There was time to check out the better than average shops across the street from the station before we boarded the train for a 10:00 AM departure. As we departed it was raining and hailing a little but we were snug inside our parlor car, drinking coffee and eating coffee cake. The tracks followed the same route that we had driven on the afternoon before and the view was just as glorious.

Don and Darby Wathne were sitting next to us. Darby had had back surgery about a month previously and was valiantly handling the train movement, seated in an upholstered chair. More a concern to both of them was hurricane Matthew, which was threatening the East Coast and heading directly toward their home in South Carolina. Ultimately, they left the tour early and returned home before the hurricane’s landfall.

Train followers accompanied us for as long as possible, stopping their cars to take pictures at virtually every intersection where the train crossed a road. Prominent among this group was David Morrison whose large, white Silver Ghost was immediately visible as he followed us along. Charlotte and Joan were on the train with us.

At the halfway point of the trip, the train stopped at Osier and we all got off to have lunch at the best organized “mess hall” I have ever seen. Comfort food was the order of the day, a choice of the meat loaf line or the turkey line with beverages and desserts plentifully located around the large area. The food was really good and those efficient workers fed about 250 people in one hour without making us feel hurried.

We arrived at the station in Antonito, CO, at 4:45 PM. This was where things started to fall apart for about half of our group as a result of lack of supervision by the train company. Long story short, half of our group returned to Chama on the bus provided for us (tickets were not checked upon boarding the bus and passengers not in our

group boarded as well), while the other half waited a couple of uncomfortable hours for the bus to return and collect them for the hour-long ride back to Chama.

The only good that came out of the mix-up was that dinner, in the same location as the evening before, was served in two “shifts”, the first starting at 6:30 PM. It was quieter and quicker and altogether a better experience. As the first shift was ending and the second was trickling in, Bill Kennedy reprised his tech session underground garage slide show for those who had missed it the first time.

Fractured fan blades make a lot of noise and can destroy a bonnet or radiator. This errant fan blade partially penetrated

the bonnet when it sheared off.Note – The SGA store sells a reinforced fan hub and blades

that are much stronger than the original design.

Earthship Biotechture resembles a moonscape where Martians landed and built their homes in the New Mexico desert near Taos. It’s known for its

“Radically Sustained Buildings” that include interesting designs that incorporate the bottoms of wine bottles for portals and beer cans for their bling.Ph

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Tuesday, October 4 – Chama To TaosCold overnight and 27 degrees in the morning. John Dolan

decided to put his top up and shook out ice from the folds as he raised it. Gil Fuqua wanted to add water to their radiator and found ice at the top of the water bottle as well as ice crystals that rattled when the bottle was shaken. This was a good morning for layering.

so that it would reengage with the flywheel. While they were waiting for Ron to return, the ladies struck up a conversation with some hunters who invited them out to their truck to admire the elk that they had killed that morning. When the ladies didn’t return, their guys went looking for them and found them at the truck shooting Fireballs with their new elk hunter friends. Ron’s car ran fine. He said that it worked better than their three navigators did after their Fireball shots.

It was an interesting morning in Chama. Twister Stroman was in the Napa store buying antifreeze when a man approached him to tell him that he knew of a Rolls-Royce in a barn – his wife’s barn, in fact – that was for sale. He had recently married a widow whose deceased husband’s Rolls-Royce, prepped for painting, was still in their barn. The bridegroom was a Corvette owner and he coveted the barn space for his own car. So Twister went along to take a look. He found what looked like it might be a Silver Wraith. It had been completely dismantled, stripped of paint and primed. All the dismantled parts had been dumped into the interior of the car, making it hard to really see the condition or make an identification, but he had the owner raise the bonnet and he made a note of the chassis number –WYC76. Too big a project for Twister, but if anyone out there is interested, he knows how to get in touch with the barn owner and her new husband.

Sitting in the barn right next to the RR-in-a-basket was a Steinway baby grand piano in an equally dismantled condition, also for sale!

Well, back to the road. The drive into Taos was short and easy and started with the same glorious mountains and golden aspens as the last two days. We could see, however, that the cold

nights and rain had taken their toll. There was less gold to be seen and more clusters of upright bare aspen trunks. The road was lovely but it was also the most isolated that we had been on. In more than an hour of driving we saw only two other cars. No towns either. After we made the final swing around the mountains we found ourselves on a long,

Bob Milhous’ 1923 Pall Mall tourer (357HH) parked at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, near Socorro, NM. The radio telescope in the background is 25 meters across (82’) and

weighs 209 metric tons. By comparison, the Silver Ghost is about 6 meters long and weighs almost 2.7 metric tons.

New Mexico was full of wild cats – Kimberly

Shadduck, mountain lion and Jacquie Hall in

Santa Fe, NM.

Photo: Gil Fuqua

We headed back to Fina’s for breakfast. The word was out about Fina’s and more of our Ghost group showed up there for a perfect breakfast. It was also a popular breakfast spot that morning for elk hunters. Ron and Nanette Elenbaas, Ronda Stryker and Bill Johnston, and Ed Rowan and Coralie Ogle went to Fina’s for breakfast. After they had eaten, Ron went off with a borrowed jeep and a towrope to get his starter repositioned

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flat approach to Taos. We passed the fantasy-like houses of Earthship Biotecture on our left and then crossed a long bridge over the gorge into Taos.

We arrived at the El Monte Sagrado resort before lunch and could not check in, so we left the car and walked to one of our favorite places in Taos, Doc Martin’s restaurant in the Taos Inn. After lunch we set off for the Taos Pueblo but found it closed for a tribal ceremony. We decided to try once again at the El Monte Sagrado and this time we were luckier. Not only could we check in, but we also had been upgraded to a two-bedroom, two-bath cottage with a large living room, a patio and a walled garden. That kind of good fortune should be shared. With a rest day tomorrow in Taos, it was time to throw a party.

A cocktail party and plated dinner at the resort was on the agenda for the evening, followed by an SGA Board Meeting. I extended our party invitation during Danni’s pre-dinner announcements. Dinner was excellent and the board meeting was lively.

Wednesday, October 5 – A Day In TaosThe itinerary for today was the Enchanted Circle Tour,

beginning and ending at our hotel. This is perhaps the most driven of New Mexico’s scenic byways with several stops along the way including the Red River Fish Hatchery, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Eagle Nest and Angel Fire Lake, a popular sports resort. Our lovely weather held. It was a beautiful driving day.

As Bill Kennedy was headed toward the Fish Hatchery he heard a loud thump. A fan blade had sheared, creating a large dent in his bonnet, the very problem that he had featured in his Tech Session. The Tech Session apparently increased awareness of a few more fan incidents. In addition to Bill’s problem, Bob Milhous hit a fan blade when he closed his bonnet, scuffing the radiator. Bill Kennedy and Gil replaced the fan hub and blades on Bill and Bob’s cars after parts were shipped in from the SGA store. And Ron Elenbaas, closing Bill Johnston’s bonnet, caught a fan blade but did no damage to the bonnet.

(Top right) Bill Kennedy makes final adjustments at Ghost Ranch for his panoramic photograph of

the cars on the tour.

(Right) The afterglow of a perfect hot air balloon ride with Ronda

Stryker, Ron and Nanette Elenbaas, Mike and Cynthia Sierra, Pia Sierra, Karl Zoller

and Marie Novak.

We stayed in town to do car maintenance, kick tires and get ready for our party. Heather Furger, on her own today, went with us to the grocery store. While she and I spent an hour inside buying wine, fruit, cheeses and other necessities, Jim held court in the parking lot. We returned to El Monte Sagrado and stored away our purchases, then decided to go to the Taos Pueblo.

This time we were not disappointed. The pueblo was open and we took the 1:00 PM tour with a young Native American guide. All the guides are members of the Taos Pueblo and have grown up there. They are in college and their grades are part of the criteria for being selected to be a guide. The tour felt like a very personal experience.

The Taos Pueblo is an interesting contrast to the Acoma Pueblo. It is on accessible level ground, very spread out, brown and dusty. The Old Pueblo is at least 1000 years old and has adobe houses piled up on three levels. As with the Acoma

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Pueblo, very few people (only five families) now live full time in the Old Pueblo because it does not have electricity or running water. The houses pass from generation to generation but not through the matriarchal line. Some of the “newer” houses on the Old Pueblo site, 100 to 200 years old, contain shops and a couple of them have tiny restaurants. There appears to be continuous maintenance of individual spaces. We saw adobe walls being built and repaired in several places.

After our tour we ate lunch at the tiny Adobe Café right in the pueblo – maybe three tables. Jim, Heather and I each chose and shared different Native American dishes that included fry bread, chipotle stew and pies. We were the last customers of the day. We sat on a miniature patio enjoying the local food and the warm afternoon.

But we had work to do back at the hotel. The party was set for 5:30 PM so that it would fit with any later dinner plans. Organizing was pretty simple, however. We had asked that people bring whatever food and drink they had to share and the outpouring was amazing. Just about the entire group showed up and partied until nearly 8:00. There was so much food left that several of the usual suspects stuck around afterwards and we had a fine dinner that lasted well into the evening. Another group gathered for dinner at Kurt and Heather Furger’s neighboring cottage. It was a nice, convivial ending to the day.

Thursday, October 6 – Taos To Tamaya On The High Road Our driving day began on the 56-mile High Road, an official

New Mexico Scenic Byway that winds through the Sangre de Christo Mountains between Taos and Santa Fe. It goes through high desert, mountains, forests, small farms, tiny Spanish Land Grant villages and Pueblo Indian villages. The natural beauty of the area has attracted artists and artisans whose galleries and studios are scattered along the route.

We drove through Las Trampas, a royal land grant town founded in 1751 and designated a National Historic Site. It is dominated by the stately San Jose de Gracias Church, also a National Historic Landmark and considered a model of Spanish colonial church architecture throughout New Mexico. Next was Truchas, another royal land grant town that was the location for the movie version of The Milagro Beanfield War. Then we came to Chimayo, site of El Santuario de Chimayo, a Roman Catholic shrine that is a National Historic Site as well. It is a contemporary pilgrimage site and receives around 300,000 visitors annually. The Sanctuary is especially popular during

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. The SGA New Mexico tour was timed so that participants could finish off the tour with a hot air

balloon ride. The weather was perfect, the balloons were spectacular and the pilots provided perfect rides –

a great way to finish off a wonderful tour.Photo: Kimberly Shadduck

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Holy week for pilgrims who go there to seek blessings or fulfill vows. Walking is traditional, some pilgrims walking from as far away as Albuquerque, about 90 miles.

As the High Road ended, our route took us on a bypass around Santa Fe that led us to I-25 south of the city. There was no realistic non-interstate option going further south, so we set out on the interstate. The mountain views from the highway were great, the traffic not so, but we were on the home stretch and happy to be there.

It wasn’t quite as nice a ride for Danni and Linda, whose car failed to proceed on the interstate about 25 miles from the resort. Kimberly and Jacqui were following in the truck. Tim and Pia Sierra were driving along the I-25 access road in the same direction and came upon the stalled group. A quick roadside check determined that a gear that drives the magneto had stripped. They were able to get the car off the interstate onto an access road for safety and Tim and Kimberly went to the resort to retrieve Tim’s truck and trailer. Pia drove the Sierra Ghost to the resort with Jacqui, and Danni and Linda stayed with their car. The Suskin Ghost went back to Corrales on the Sierra rig for a well-deserved rest and repair.

Friday, October 7 – Balloon Fiesta!The Balloon Fiesta day started early. We were up at 4:00

AM, in the lobby at 4:45 AM and onto three shuttles in cold early morning darkness. Two of the shuttles carried those who were going on balloon rides to a tent in the Balloon Fiesta Park where they had breakfast and were prepared for their rides. Those of us who were keeping our feet on the ground went in a third shuttle that took us to the park entrance. We joined the hundreds of people pouring into the park at that dark and early hour, including busloads of well-behaved school children and countless families with infants and small children.

The scene was organized chaos and it was still very dark and cold. In front of us was a huge field where balloons – hundreds of them -- were being laid out on the ground by their support teams. Food and souvenir vendors were set up around the outside edge of a wide walking area that surrounded the field. And people, lots of people. It must have been fascinating

for the children. During the entire time that we were there, about four hours, I never heard a child crying or fussing. We linked our fate with the Clendenens and Hunters and went in search of breakfast among the vendors.

It was possible to walk right out on the field and watch close-up as the teams prepared the balloons. All around us we could see the balloons slowly inflating and then waiting at ground level for their scheduled lift-offs. Referees (about 180 of them we were told) in black and white stripes, many with quirky individual embellishments, were the lift-off authorities. Their skill was apparent as balloons went up around the field without incident, in no logical order of precedence to the uninitiated observer.

The day was lightening. The first balloons up were the commercial passenger ones. Danni had booked our group with RainbowRyders and we chanced upon them as they were getting things up and running. Our Ghost group was boarding baskets of twelve to fourteen passengers each, carefully balanced for weight. It was awesome to see the balloons ascending with our friends on board. And they said afterward that the half-hour ride was just spectacular, with the view, the other balloons in the air and the quiet ride being especially wonderful.

The specialty balloons were the next group to go up. The variety of styles was riveting. We saw dogs, space ships, Darth Vader, and on and on. We each had favorites, of course, as we wandered among the balloons in all stages of readiness. Danni stayed on the ground with us and was a welcome guide who could give us information from a balloon pilot’s point of view as well navigate us through the increasingly heavy crowd.

Led carefully by Danni, we were all out of the park and onto our shuttles by about 9:00 AM. We headed back to the resort for a day of catching up on sleep, talking, stowing cars in rigs (ours included), and general relaxation. We were going to return to the Balloon Fiesta Park early in the evening for the Balloon Glow Dinner at the Abruzzi Balloon Museum overlooking the launch field. A Glow features balloons that sit stationary on the field in the dark, inflated and lighted.

Once again in shuttles, we arrived at the museum with plenty of time to enjoy the exhibits and check out the fine shop. Dinner was a buffet for a few hundred people. We had reserved

The glowing balloons look like gigantic lighted ornaments in the early morning or evening. SGA members were greeted by balloon glows as they entered the field for their early morning flights and again at dinner at the Abruzzi Balloon Museum.Ph

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tables and plenty of time to eat and talk. Because the weather had turned colder and it was very windy, the Glow was limited to about five balloons. However, at the end of the evening there was a truly spectacular fireworks display coordinated between two different platforms on the far side of the launch field. We watched from the terrace outside the second floor dining room and then went back to our resort for some well-earned rest after a long, balloon-filled day.

Saturday, October 8 – Winding Down And Fond FarewellsOur last tour day dawned rainy, windy and cool – the first

bad driving weather of the tour. A number of Ghosts were already loaded in trailers. The plan for today was a circular trip that visited some of Albuquerque’s highlights including the Unser Racing Museum, the Casa Rondena Winery and Old Town Albuquerque. Our tour book had information about all those sites as well as restaurant, museum and shopping

suggestions.Terry Swann and Pam

Porter, who had just joined us at Tamaya, as well as Kimberly Shadduck took the resort shuttle to the Balloon Fiesta Field again this morning but returned disappointed. The bad weather meant that few balloons had taken off.

We slept late, collected Mike and Patti Adams and

Jacqui Hall and went off to Bernalillo in our truck for a late breakfast that turned into brunch as we searched for a breakfast place that could seat us. We had not taken into account all the people who would be doing the same thing after an early morning at the Balloon Fiesta. We ended up at Denny’s and enjoyed a leisurely meal, then returned for a quiet afternoon at the resort.

Some hardy souls set off to brave the weather and see the sights, but for a lot of the group it was an afternoon for packing and preparing for the trip home, visiting with friends, coffee or drinks in the lobby and a general feeling of winding down. Danni had planned a happy hour at 6:00 PM followed by a farewell buffet dinner at 7:00 in a resort banquet room. The dinner was delicious and afterwards we all spent an hour or so making our fond farewells and anticipating the next time that we would be together again.

PostscriptThere is no way that this description of our unforgettable

New Mexico tour can adequately reflect the fun that we all had together, the conversations, the sharing of ideas (lively, sometimes), the mutual support and friendships.

As a group we looked out for each other. There were no major car breakdowns – except, of course, for Danni’s and fortunately that was on the last day on the road and close to home – but there was plenty of satisfactory parking lot tweaking to be done at the end of each day. We had quiet heroes like Cynthia Sierra, who without fuss did much of their driving w h e n M i c h a e l developed a painful problem with his hand. And we had just enough flat tires along the way to keep things interesting and Lynn Boynton busy.

We had fellow feeling among those who had suffered losses. On the last afternoon, sitting in the Tamaya lobby, Joan Laybourn and Bill Keister, Doug White’s recently widowed brother-in-law who had been their rider during the tour, shared their lives after losing a spouse. We had old and new loving relationships as well. During a meal with the Morrisons and the Hunters we all shared stories of how we had met and married. And everyone enjoyed the happy aura that surrounded Ed Rowan and Coralie Ogle.

Danni and Linda could not have been better hosts. They were patient, supportive and creative. They made us feel welcome and they were excellent ambassadors for their adopted state of New Mexico. Planning and carrying out a Wholly Ghost tour takes years of careful planning that sometimes works out and sometimes does not when the day actually comes. Danni and Linda really helped us roll with the punches and made the tour seamless and fun. We thank them heartily for their kindness, hard work and flexibility and for a perfect introduction to the culture, history and beauty of enchanting New Mexico.

All Photos: Gil Fuqua

New Mexico’s roads included long straight runs and many curves through

the mountains.

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Isn’t it nice when everything you planned to do on your vacation turns out to be even more exciting and more fun than you ever imagined? This was our first tour ever, and an

SGA Tour seemed like the right place to start. Patti and I didn’t know what to expect, we just knew we would be seeing New Mexico together, and, that we wanted to get to know our car, and, the other people on the tour. Both of those expectations were met, and exceeded!

S110MK ran near perfectly after some minor adjustments by Bill Kennedy, Lynn Boynton and Dave Morrison and some good advice from others like Jim Armstrong, Twister Stroman, Doug White, and Ron Carey. Thank you to all who offered assistance. I would like to also thank Tim Sierra for the little fiber washer that stopped my big oil leak! No need to find a good mechanic....just go on tour and your Ghost will be running magnificently by days end!

All of the problems we had with S110MK were minor and easily fixed. In Albuquerque the points needed to be reset, as the fiber block had worn down to the point they would not open, hence no spark. At the Very Large Array near Socorro, we had a bad ground in the distributor housing, again a no start situation, and in Santa Fe the float stuck and the carburetor needed both the high speed and low speed jets adjusted. That stopped the belching black smoke! All of these repairs were made by the above mentioned members in the field with nothing more than a pocket knife and years of experience! From that point on, our car ran without incident, and we were left with enjoying what new adventures awaited us each day, and getting to know our fellow “Tourers”.

The tour book was amazing and was part of the reason we learned so many things on the trip. We could read about all of the things we were seeing each day and plan which route we felt up to, or just plan our own route from place to place using the maps provided. Being new, we mostly traveled alone, and I wondered how many others were as glad to see us at day’s end as we were to see them! Completing each day on the road seemed like a victory to us, as we traveled a total of 996 miles!

The tour had many highlights and one especially stood out for us. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic railroad was over the top

(pun intended) of the 10,015 foot Cumbres pass. The scenery was magical, the steam locomotive, the whistles, the smoke, the tracks clanking under foot, the leaves turning autumn colors, the cliffs, the tunnels, the clouds..it was one of those experiences hard to put into words. You just had to be there. I think everyone

who rode the train felt a special bond, like being in an Indiana Jones movie. And being on the first bus back to Chama made it a perfect day!

Another event we really enjoyed and had never done before

was the Balloon ride near the end of the tour in Albuquerque. Learning how to inflate, ride and then pack up the balloons after landing gave us the full experience of a balloon ride. Luckily we picked the right day (no rain) to ride and had the right pilot (soft landing). Check that one off on the bucket list! PS don’t look down.

Some of the other cars had problems which turned into an opportunity for me to participate in “real tech” sessions. I was able to spend quite a bit of time with Bill Kennedy, Lynn Boynton, and Gil Fuqua working on various fan blade failures which required replacing the hub assemblies on 1797 and Bob Milhous’ Ghost. There’s no substitute for hands on experience. I was fortunate to be able to learn and help out all at the same time!

Aside from the cars, places we went, and the things we saw and did, which were all very amazing, what Patti and I came away with was a whole new group of friends. We got to know most everyone on the tour, and as someone once said “you’ll join the SGA for the cars, and stay for the people”. So true. We look forward to seeing everyone again soon on the next tour. I might suggest to those of you reading this that have never been on a Wholly Ghost Tour to please consider going on the next one. If you like talking Ghosts, driving your Ghost, meeting wonderful people, eating out at great places, visiting interesting places and just having fun, then a Wholly Ghost Tour is for you, so, set aside the time for the next tour, you will be glad you did, I know it was a game changer for us. Thank you Danni and Linda for a wonderful two weeks in New Mexico! See you next year.

Our First SGA Tour Michael Adams in S110MK

Mike and Patti Adams toured through the

Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and visited Chama, NM for a ride

on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

on their first SGA Wholly Ghost Tour.

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Jacquie and Lynn Boynton Don and Darby Wathne

Jim and Mariann Stickley

Sue and Twister Stroman Billi Carey

Danni and Linda Suskin

Kimberly Shadduck

Mike and Patti Adams

John and Denise Dolan

Joan Laybourn

Alan and LaDel Clendenen Bill Johnston and Ronda Stryker Ron Elenbaas

Nancy Watts

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Karl Furger

Bob & Gail Milhous

Bill Kennedy, Pia and Tim Sierra Sandy and Bruce Massman

Lynn and Bill Vatter

Ed Rowan and Coralie Ogle

David and Charlotte Morrison

Penny and Jim Armstrong

Karl Zoller

Sheryl and Gary Hunter

Marie Novak Lee and Pam Wolff

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Silver Ghost Workshop 2016 in conjunction with the East Midlands Section of the RREC

The second of the popular Silver Ghost Workshops, held 19-23 June 2016 in conjunction with the East Midlands RREC Section, took place in Derbyshire, hosted by Graham and Barbara Mead. There a representative collection of Silver Ghosts spanning almost the entire twenty years of production, along with many mechanical components, were available for inspection and demonstration.

These workshops are open to all RREC members. There is no need to own a Silver Ghost, just to be interested in finding out what all the fuss is about.

The chief organiser, Roger Cockfield, had divided about 20 people into five groups. Each group moved from station to station, having about half an hour introduction and discussion on each station’s topic. Roger, with Martin Carnell, Nicholas Simon, Jeff Booker and several other knowledgeable enthusiasts, led these sessions which covered starting, maintenance and lubrication; failure to proceed – identification

of common problems and how to solve them; breakdowns on the road from ignition difficulties to wheel changing; failure to stop; adjusting and maintaining the brakes. Necessary for understanding were specific examinations of wheels, tappets, valves, magneto, trembler coil, springs, brakes, gear box, and much more.

Throughout the three days, we could compare and contrast, for example, a 1904 Rolls-Royce with a 1907 Ghost with a 1912 Ghost with a 1923 Ghost, each from below on a lift or from above while running. How I wish that my simple video of the oil drip feeds on the 1904 car could be reproduced here.

Although I have a passable knowledge of the workings of my Ghost, it was fascinating to learn more of the whys and wherefores (as Ralph Lindquist used to say) of those

earlier and later than mine. That statement could easily be made of the various workshops held by the SGA. A major difference is that the session leaders at this workshop did not necessarily own Ghosts themselves. But through many years’ ownership and driving of primarily small horsepower cars,

A Week in JuneSilver Ghost Register Events

Story by Mermie Karger, photographs by Colin Hughes and Mermie Karger

Albert & Margaret White, both always ready for a drive, happily pose 1365 overlooking the DoveValley and the Izaak Walton Hotel. This 1910 chassis carries a Roi des Belges tourer by Gamble.

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they had an excellent knowledge of Rolls-Royce principles and often had a solid engineering background which led to very clear explanations of the subjects.

I can’t resist noting certain differences in the language, and I don’t mean the usual English – American ones. At this workshop, the expletive of choice was “bugger”, and the term “balls”, for the weights on the governor, from the steam engine world’s term for full speed as “going balls out”, were heard from time to time over the general discussions.

More importantly, workshops such as these enhance prior knowledge, strengthen acquaintanceships, and bring more people into the fold. At least one couple are actively looking for a Ghost. Jeremy Leasor, pictured, recently purchased 1924 Silver Ghost 89RM, an open charabanc by R Ford, Registered YT33, now named Celeste (remember Babar?). Already familiar with other old cars, he commented: One of the great joys of old cars is that they are time machines which transport us to a world where things were done differently. They all have their idiosyncrasies and one must learn to indulge their peculiarities. Forgotten techniques must be mastered, out-dated technology understood and new skills acquired, but this is all part of the pleasure. If this alarms you, if you feel compelled to replace the old with the new, that is fine. To each his (or her) own. But why have an old car? Why not simply buy something new?

RREC Silver Ghost Register 110th Anniversary Tour of Derbyshire Peak District 21-24 June 2016

Thanks to the kind and knowledgeable efforts of Graham Mead, about 15 Silver Ghosts ranging in year from 1907 to 1924 spent three days driving in the Derbyshire Peak District. Many of the roads we travelled were used for testing our motorcars. Graham knows all of them.

Now we have one more reason why Silver Ghosts are so tough, smooth and reliable. If a car can handle the roads of the Peak District, it can handle anything.

Here are some excerpts from the directions.• You are now on the ‘Straight Mile’ used by R-R in the 1920’s

for speedometer testing. (Find it on Google Maps as Derby Road, west of Hilton at 52°52’26.9”N 1°39’59.4”W)

• Climb the long hill on to the moors. As you near the top on the far horizon note the Cat & Fiddle, an old coaching inn where the test drivers would frequently pause for refreshment. (Unfortunately for us, it was closed for lunch. Google Maps 53°14’25.3”N 1°59’31.8”W)

• Descend a steep hill on the narrow winding road with tremendous views of the River Dove valley. Cross a narrow stone river bridge. Turn right at the 1840s memorial stone column in Ilam towards Dovedale. (Google Maps 53°03’17.0” N 1°47’58.” W).

• We now start climbing Swinscoe Hill which was used by the Company for testing engine power and carburation, particularly for the Alpine cars in 1913. (On the A52 after crossing the River Dove in Mayfield. Google Maps 53°00’34.6”N 1°45’57.1” W).

David Morrison in Joan Laybourn’s 1913 Barker Open Drive Landaulette, 2644, which had been found in storage in Norway.

Looking very disappointed at finding the Cat and Fiddle closed, Graham Mead turns to leave in 1907 “The Auld Lady”, 60577,

carrying a Maudslay Wagonette.

Georgina Wood chats with fellow Ghost drivers Katie Forrest and Susie Forrest before Katie moves 2154, the Forrest’s

1912 Barker Phaeton, into place for the afternoon cavalcade at Burghley House. Following is 16RM, the Forrests’ 1924 Park

Ward 2 door allweather Allweather Coupé.

(Far left) Climbing up the moors to the Cat and Fiddle, 2644 followed 72EM, 1924 Laybourn/Windovers tourer carrying

Greg Gill and Joan Laybourn. The arrow in the road surface tells oncoming traffic “Get back on your own side!”

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• If you are feeling adventurous, you can carry on into the town of Wirksworth where cars being developed for the 1913 Alpine Trials were tested on the very steep and narrow hill out of the Market Place. (The B5053. Maybe some in our group tried, but it wasn’t reported widely. Google Maps 53°05’08.2”N 1°34’22.0”W)We first passed through the town of Ashbourne when the

town’s many antiques shops were closed. Many tourers were lured back from the challenging roads into the challenges of shopping. Colin quipped that it looked like the Silver Ghost version of The Antiques Road Trip. Reports were whispered, possibly not true, that one elaborate purchase necessitated a special present for a partner.

We enjoyed staying at The Isaak Walton Hotel, named for the author of The Compleat Angler, who fished the nearby River Dove in the mid-17th century. We had a bit of time to wander down to it for a walk along its banks and for the fun of crossing the Stepping Stones.

Wednesday evening, Graham Mead led us through the early history of Rolls-Royce and the Silver Ghost in a presentation that he and Mike Evans had worked out together. We were all sorry that Mike and Frances (and 72LG) could not be with us on the tour.

At Thursday’s final banquet, in SG Register style, the inimitable Andy Courtney rounded up the unabashed in our group to sing songs or tell jokes and tall tales, all excellent, but none as entrancing as Andy’s. He can elaborately recite a delightfully complex story from memory – even when he’s ill.

Andy and Rita Courtney’s 1924 6TM with Dual Cowl Tourer by Geo Williams

of Sydney, and Nick and ClaireStow’s 33CE, 1921 Tourer by Barker, linger in Ashbourne during our Silver

Ghost Antiques Road Trip.

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(Left) Under Roger Cockfield’s guidance, a new Ghost owner, Jeremy Leasor, prepares himself for the arcane

ceremony of compressing valve springs.

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Whether following narrow roads with passing places,maneouvering through road works, or parking in a space in town seemingly smaller than the car, Albert White, an

experienced lorry driver, knows exactly where 1365 will fit no matter what the obstacle. He moves it along smartly, too.

Photos: Mermie Karger

Friday, many in the group drove to the RREC Annual Rally via Nightingale Road, Derby to visit Rolls-Royce and the one remaining listed building from the old works. On leaving, they followed half of the 20 mile route used prior to WWII to test all chassis before being sent to the coachbuilder for the chosen coachwork to be fitted.

Those who started the week at the workshop, completed the tour and continued on to Burghley drove about 170 miles. It’s constantly amazing to this American how much there is of historical and social importance, and beauty, in a comparatively small area.

The 110th Anniversary of the Silver Ghost at the RREC Annual Rally at Burghley House

Saturday at Burghley brought more Silver Ghost celebrations and more Silver Ghosts.

In late morning, efficient marshals lined all Ghosts participating on either side of Silver Ghost in front of the main house. Innumerable photographs were taken in a variety of media.

Mid afternoon, all Silver Ghosts in the line-up were invited to take part in a Celebratory Parade around the Main Arena. Malcolm Tucker and Graham Mead gave a broadcast commentary on the history of each of about 30 cars. Most are listed in Issue 1 of the recent Silver Ghost Register magazine, ‘The Silver Ghost.’

The main event for all cars took place on Sunday. Silver Ghost awards will be reported elsewhere.

Without the dedication to Silver Ghosts shown by Andy Courtney, Silver Ghost Register Chairman, and without his appreciation for those who drive them, these celebratory activities might not have happened, and certainly not with the same flair.

Note: In order to join in on Silver Ghost Register events or to receive its magazine, join the RREC, and if you own a Silver Ghost, you will be included in the Register. If you don’t, there are other ways to be part of the SGR. Go to the RREC website, choose “how to join,” download the application form and proceed from there.

The roads were irregularly cambered, full of sheep and lined with Brexit “Leave” signs. During our very comfortable drive with David Morrison in 2644, 1913 Barker Open Drive Landaulette, we were treated to a few of his idiosyncratic quips: “The high seating position makes it easier to see if your headlamps have fallen off,” or, “It’s a 3 speed box, so there’s

only a 75% chance of making a mistake.”

Roger Cockfield uses his model trembler coil to demonstrate the adjustment of the stream of sparks between its points.

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20 UB was delivered to John Burns Frazer in Ottawa, Canada in June 1914. Frazer ran a successful lumber business in Ottawa and was on the Board of Directors of The Grand Trunk Railroad. He was also a Colonel in the Canadian Army and was posted to Flanders in WWI.In those days, rank had privilege and he elected to take his new Rolls-Royce with him. According to Alan Clark MP, who was the 5th owner of this car, King George V rode in 20UB when he reviewed the Canadian Troops. After the war in the early 20’s, the car was sent to Springfield for service and a new Pickwick body. John Frazer kept the car until the mid-1930’s when he sold it to a friend in Ottawa. The friend used the car sparingly one season, and then after World War II sold it to another friend in Windsor, Ontario. The friend drove it in a parade a few times in the 1950’s and then it sat until B.P Moser bought it in the late 1970’s. Moser known as Ben to his close friends, never drove it, but kept the car until his death. At that time, Charles Howard brokered the car to Alan Clark, MP of Salt Wood Castle, near Dover. After Clark’s death, it went to Doug Magee who had the current body built for it and restored by David Hemmings. The Clendenen’s acquired the car from Doug in 2006 through David Gooding.

1914 Rolls-Royce Silver GhostBarker Tourer – Chassis 20UB

Owners: Alan and LaDel Clendenen

Photos: Gil Fuqua

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Chassis 10AD was built to colonial London-Edinburgh specifications. It includes the taller 22 inch radiator and was constructed to carry a 5-passenger body. After completion of factory testing on March 20th, 1915, the chassis was shipped to Melbourne, Australia and then delivered to Sydney to the original owner, William J. Adams of the Tattersall’s Hotel and Tattersall’s Lottery fame. Once the car arrived in Sydney, it was bodied by Angus & Son, a leading coach builder in Australia. The original body was light blue in color.

After Mr. Adams death, his widow kept the car for her personal use until 1936 when it was sold to a Sydney firm of undertakers to be used as a mourning coach. The undertakers sold the car in 1949/1950 but nothing is known of this buyer other than it was presented to the workshops of Bert Ward where the cost to restore it was considered prohibitive.

In 1960, the car was purchased by Stan Nash of Sydney. It was fitted with a 1938 Studebaker body. Mr. Nash purchased the car for the paltry sum of 20 pounds, intending to use it for spare parts. It was some time later that he realized that he had purchased an Edwardian Silver Ghost with complete and original chassis.

In 2007, the Carey’s purchased the car and it underwent a complete restoration with completely new coachwork.

The car recently completed the 2013 Alpine Tour, the SGA

Wholly Ghost Tour of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales, the 2015 SGA Wholly Ghost Tour of Ireland, as well as several North American tours, including the recent SGA Wholly Ghost Tour of New Mexico.

1915 Rolls-Royce Silver GhostColonial Open Tourer – Chassis 10AD

Owners: Billi & Ron Carey of Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Photo: Gil Fuqua

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28MG is a copy of the Prince of Wales personal car of 1920, Chassis 9LW, a Barker two-door sedan. 28MG is also a two-door sedan but has the doors reversed from the English model (left front and right rear) so that passengers can enter on the kerbside. Note the single rear door. The car’s rear section is a functioning landaulette with an opening rear section. 28MG is featured in an early Springfield catalog and is described as an “Enclosed Drive Cabriolet.” The coachwork is Smith-Springfield, body number SS101. The car also has unusual natural oak wood window surrounds and “A” pillars. It was

originally painted Brewster green.28MG is an early Springfield model

and has more in common with its British cousins than later Springfield cars. The chassis is essentially English with Dunlop hubs, right-hand drive, and a 3.25:1 final gear ratio. It has 23" lock ring wheels with 6:00x23" tires. The running boards

incorporate a battery and tool box.28MG was made for Potter Palmer of the Palmer House in

Chicago through Emil Ennis, an agent for Palmer. It had three subsequent owners before it was acquired by D. Cameron Peck, a famous Chicago car collector. Peck ran into financial issues

1921 Rolls-Royce Springfield Silver GhostEnclosed Drive Cabriolet – Chassis 28MG

Owners: Jim & Mariann Stickley, Cedar Rapids, IA

and his trustees made him sell off his collection, and 28MG was purchased by John Schaller III, the Rolls-Royce dealer in Indianapolis, in 1950. Shortly after acquiring the car, Schaller drove it to an AACA meet in Lake Forest, IL for a total mileage run of about 600 miles.

Edward A. Young acquired the car around 1970 and kept it in storage for about 20 years until it was sold to a Mr. Duke in Kansas City. Roger Morrison bought the car from Duke and subsequently sold it to Jim Stickley in 2003. The Stickleys have driven the car, named Duchess, on every SGA tour since 2003. On the most recent SGA tour through New Mexico, the Duchess was reportedly flying at 70 MPH down a hill in anticipation of the approaching steep ascent.

Photo: Gil Fuqua

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Gale PetronisWe have lost a prominent member of our Ghost Touring family. Gale Petronis passed away on November 4, 2016. She succumbed to Wegner’s Disease. Gale is survived by her husband, Henry and daughter, Summer.

Gale knew how to live! Her life reminds me of a quote from the 1958 movie, “Auntie Mame” when Mame encourages her

assistant, Agnes, to “Live…Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death!” Well, Gale dined well…and threw countless dinners, parties and banquets enhancing many of our lives.

Gale’s life was filled with adventures like speed boat racing, circumnavigating the globe and touring antique cars, but she was sustained by the love of her family, her friends, her community and her co-workers.

Gale was born in Chicago and raised in Miami. She owned and managed the family business, Amazon Hose & Rubber, for much of her life until she turned over management of the business to the direction of her very capable daughter, Summer.

Gale entered the antique car world in about 1987, when she entered her 1913 Cadillac in Millard Newman’s Transcontinental Tour to England, Scotland and Wales. The Cadillac presented many challenges, but Gale persisted. She again challenged the Cadillac in 1993 on a Transcontinental Tour to Ireland, where she first met Henry Petronis, who

rescued the Cadillac, keeping it running for the duration of the tour. Gale and Henry married a year later at a lovely and quaint venue in Orlando, Florida.

The couple traversed the globe together for the next 22 years. Gale was like a ‘wild bronco’ when we met her. Henry was a ‘silent Sam’. They each influenced the other very positively. What a great couple.

Henry and Gale showed cars at almost every ‘Concourse d’Elegance’ in the world, always being recognized for the extreme quality of the Collection. Touring antique cars is the common denominator for most of us. Cynthia and I are so grateful for the privilege of meeting and becoming fast friends with Gale and Henry. We met Henry in 1982 and Gale in 1993. Since then, we have completed dozens of tours together, attended many Concourses together and enjoyed many dinner parties, and visits. We consider the Petronises among our best friends.

Cynthia and I had the pleasure of touring thousands of miles with Gale and Henry. Gale was “navigationally challenged”, so they would always follow us on tours all over the USA, Canada, Europe and the U.K. We will always remember Gale’s smile peering out from a blazing orange parka in our rear-view mirror. The last two tours together, Gale and Henry rode as passengers in our Silver Ghost. We are so thankful for the many amazing memories we shared together.

Gale’s outrageous, adventurous, loving and generous personality, wonderful dinner parties, hospitality and unconditional friendship will forever impact us all. Most of all, her presence will be sorely missed.

–Michael Sierra

James Richard Frawley3/30/47 – 11/30/16

Dick Frawley might not have been born with a wrench in his hand but he picked one up at an early age. Then set it down, assuming he would go to college and grad school to become a veterinarian. The selective service lottery interfered, when, in true luck-of-the-Irish fashion, he drew number four. That assured that the Department of Defense would

take over his education. He selected Naval Aviation and went off to learn about flying P3 airplanes. While stationed in Brunswick, Maine he frequented the officers’ club, which resulted in his marrying the bartender. From there it was to Villanova University to teach ROTC and get his Masters Degree in bio-chem (still planning to care for animals). When he heard from the friend of a friend about an old car

in a back garage – a 1934 Rolls- Royce 20/25, coachwork by Mann-Egerton – his focus shifted. By the time he had finished active duty, his Rolls-Royce hobby had morphed into a business. He retired from the Navy as a Commander, founded The Frawley Company and moved it to Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. Over the decades he has worked on more than three hundred Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars and for almost as many owners, who began as customers and ended up “family,” along side the vendors who made each car a communal project and each day an adventure. In business he had two aims: to restore the cars to running their very best and to treat customers as he would wish to be treated. He was a life member of the RROC and served as Chairman and Treasurer of the Keystone Region. For the club he conducted scores of seminars, both local and national, and wrote the definitive article on re-wiring a pre-war car (in brief, assume it will take four times longer than you think). His dream of helping animals was realized in the dozens of stray cats who wandered into the shop. He is survived by his wife, Judith Skillings, the cats that stayed and all the cars still running.

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David Dudley (1938-2016)It is rare for us to carry an obituary of a non-Member, but David Dudley, who died in July after a fall while maintaining the roof of his home, gave owners of Silver Ghosts exceptional service irrespective of where in the world they lived or to which organisation they belonged.

David attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst before joining the Royal Signals

Regiment where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. At the end of a posting in Canada in 1979 he brought back to England a much-neglected Rolls-Royce Phantom II which he then spent five years restoring before taking it with him to his next posting to Germany.

In the process, he became a member and avid contributor to the RREC and by 1989 he had become a member of the Management committee subsequently becoming Chairman 1995 -1997.

His success was down to several strong capabilities, careful detailed planning, determination and perseverance and an ability to get the best out of a varied team working with him. He had to use these qualities to the full in 1993 when he held together the management and sponsorship teams from the RREC, SGA and 20 Ghost Club in organising the very challenging re-enactment on the 80th anniversary of the

1913 Alpine Trial devised by John Kennedy. Subsequently David and Harry Watson organised the very successful 90th anniversary Scottish Reliability Tour in 1997. Finally in both 2003 and 2013 he advised on and participated in further anniversary celebrations of The 1913 Alpine Trial.

Throughout he planned everything with great care and smoothed over problems and difficult relationships with skill, whilst retaining his boyish sense of fun and good humour. He managed to bring together the RREC and the SGA and particularly the 20 Ghost Club better than anyone else. His interest was in the cars and the people who owned them as well as the incredible feats they were capable of then and now. As a result, all his events were attended by exceptional numbers of members from around the world. His delightful wife Fran was always there supporting him and charming all who met her. We all carry memories of David and those events, that will be remembered for many, many years.

Although never owning a Silver Ghost, he edited the RREC’s Silver Ghost Register magazine on a shoestring for 20 years, persuading members of all Club’s to write interesting articles, particularly on technical matters. He kept in touch by driving what he called his “Super Ghost” a fast, New Phantom tourer, which was a Ghost all bar the engine. His enthusiasm, persuasive powers and boyish charm will be sorely missed by all who knew him, but most of all by David’s wife Fran and sons Simon and Jon to whom we extend our condolences

–Tim Forrest

Cleo StromanCleo Stroman, the girl with the beautiful legs who was the love of Jim Stroman’s life, died on December 9, 2016 in Austin, Texas. She and Jim had a long history of touring with the SGA. Their son and his wife, Twister and Sue, have followed in Jim and Cleo’s footsteps and Twister is currently serving as SGA Secretary.

Although Jim died eight years ago, it is still natural to think of

Cleo and Jim together on their SGA touring adventures. They were quite a team. Jim provided lots of excitement while Cleo was the always-willing partner who could tone down her husband’s enthusiasms with a simple look or a touch. Over the years she rode in warm socks and always with a smile on some precarious perches in Jim’s various Ghosts. She kept a stash of cookies handy for sharing during roadside repairs.

For the last few years that Jim and Cleo participated in the SGA Wholly Ghost tours, my husband Jim and I had the privilege of being part of an ad hoc wrap around team that

helped keep Jim and Cleo on the road and headed in the right direction. We had wonderful times together. In Tennessee in 2006 we found ourselves stranded at a country service station because Jim Stroman’s car had failed to proceed. He did not have roadside assistance insurance so I called our AAA number and told them that Cleo was my mother. AAA came immediately. After that, Cleo and I enjoyed quiet jokes about our new “relationship”.

Cleo was a soft-spoken, gracious lady with a million-dollar smile that brightened all who came into her orbit. You just couldn’t keep from smiling back at her. One day she was standing in a ladies’ room line at a restaurant where we had stopped for lunch. A total stranger, exiting the ladies’ room, stopped by Cleo to compliment her on her beautiful smile. Cleo beamed.

For all that she was gentle and low-key, Cleo led an eventful life. She and her identical twin sister were born at home and grew up on various west Texas farms. She met Jim when she was hired as Jim’s father’s secretary and they married in 1944. Together they had an adventurous ranching life and raised three children. Cleo and Jim were married for 64 years. In addition to her children, she is survived by five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

–Penny Armstrong

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SGA Activities 2017

FEB 1-4: Winter Fling, Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, Sue Stroman

sgawinterfling@gmail.com

JUNE 18-24: RROC Annual Meet, French Lick Springs, IN:

Michael Ozment & Marlyn Coomesmax10n2@aol.com; marlyncoomes@gmail.com

SEPT 18 – Oct 4: SGA Wholly Ghost Tour in Quebec – Maples and Mountains Tour.

Gilles & Marilyn Laviolette, Gilles.Laviolette@sympatico.ca;

613-446-5750, 352-633-5753

FOR SALE: 1911 Silver Ghost Hooper limousine, chassis 1645, in excellent condition, just serviced and ready for show or a tour. Recent work includes a rebore and new pistons and valve guides, rewound generator, and new back wheels with straight sided tires (original beaded edge tires on rims are with the car). I have owned this car since 2005 and have enjoyed numerous tours including two trouble-free tours of over 1000 miles, and many shows with best-in-show trophies. The car has attended two RROC National Meets and Pebble Beach—see the Silver Ghost Tourer page 2117 or The Flying Lady page 8706. The archives show a Barker cabriolet as the first body, but I have been unable to find any evidence that this was installed. Certainly the Hooper body was installed well before WW1 and is likely the original body. I have most of the car’s history, an Owner’s handbook, and all necessary tools. I can deliver to the shipping company or to a transporter in Blaine, WA. Asking US $760,000 or £605,000. John Peirson in Vancouver, Canada, 604-926-2753 or jpeirson@telus.net.

Gonna Put Your Ghost Away For The Winter?

By Bill Kennedy

If you’re going to change the oil, be absolutely certain you run the engine under load long enough to get the oil up to temperature. That probably means you’ll have to drive the car at high speed on the highway for 15 minutes or more to get the OIL temperature up. Heat is required to activate the rust and oxidation (R & O) inhibitors in crankcase oil. Don’t forget the SGA 1 antiwear agent. If you can’t drive the car anymore, it’s better to store it with the old oil in it.

Don’t start the car during the off season unless you are going to run it enough to get the engine warm. Moving the car around from one garage to another, and similar short term operation is responsible for rusting in the engine which contributes to heavy wear, stuck valves, etc. Remember, sitting inside a dry building or even undercover outside never hurts an engine.

If there’s much chance the cooling system has OAT antifreeze in it, drain it if it’s approaching two years old. Store the engine with the cooling system full of 50-50 antifreeze, or water with SGA No. 3 in it if you are sure the storage location will not be subjected to freezing temperatures. Drain it only if there is pending danger of freezing and you can’t get antifreeze in it. An empty cooling system corrodes and develops hard deposits more so than a full one.

If you are going to put a battery charger on it, use one of the small tenders and connect it through a 24 -hour light timer such that the charger comes on only for about one hour a day. Even the best tenders tested boiled a lot of water out of the battery when left on constantly for months. Got an AGM battery? Remember it takes a different charger to do it right and get maximum life from the relatively expensive battery.

From The SGA Storehttp://www.silverghostassociation.com/sga-store/

SGA No. 1 – Antiwear Additive $20.57/qtSGA 1 is designed to replace the antiwear additives being removed from premium crankcase oil. It uses a different chemistry than simply adding the ZDDP that has been removed in unknown quantities, as too much ZDDP etches yellow metal in Ghost engines. The additive will effectively replace the antiwear characteristics that have been lost in the currently available crankcase oil, mineral or synthetic. SGA 1 has also been formulated to address storage corrosion in the relatively cool running bottom ends of Ghost engines when they are stored for a week or more at a time without being run up to operating temperature. Use one bottle per oil change. Part No. MP-JK32337

SGA No. 3 – Cooling System Corrosion Inhibitor $11.80/qt.SGA 3 is a cooling system corrosion inhibitor specifically designed for the open cooling system and metals in a Silver Ghost. It allows the use of plain water without antifreeze and extends the life of IAT antifreeze to five years. SGA 3 prevents corrosion and electrolysis, lubricates the water pump packing, prevents cooling system deposits, and is compatible with all types of antifreeze. Note: SGA 3 does not provide freeze protection. Part No. MP-JK45425

SGA WHOLLY GHOST TOUR 2017

MAPLES AND MOUNTAINS

QUEBEC & EASTERN ONTARIO, CANADA Tentative Dates: Sept 18 - Oct 3, 2017

To register interest or for more info: gilles.laviolette@sympatico.ca

613-327-5533