Jay Leno and Model T that went from PA to CA to PA
From the Pottsville Republican
PINE GROVE - Even blistering, 100-degree heat couldn't stop their 100-year-old vehicle.
For Pine Grove area adventurers Jacque and Mae White, it was California or bust.
The Whites recently returned from the Model-T Ford Club International Tour in Kanab, Utah. They also traveled on their own in their 1913 Model-T Ford across the United States to California and back, completing an 8,294-mile odyssey from July 10 to Aug. 13.
In addition to meeting some interesting people - like comedian Jay Leno - the Whites captured some breathtaking sights of national parks and sweeping landscapes. They shared their observations and more than 500 photos on a travel blog.
"Each day was a new adventure," Jacque White said.
From their blog, the Whites wrote about their experience going to the NBC Studio in Burbank, Calif., and meeting Leno on July 29.
"On our drive to Burbank we went through Angeles National Park. The drive through the park was 58 miles of hills and curves, very beautiful. We got here at Jay's Garage at 10:39 a.m. We got treated like VIPs. The tour lasted about 1 1/2 hours. There are 155 cars and 110 motorcycles. The building is 101,000 sq. ft.," they wrote. "We met Bernard Juchli, the manager of Jay's garage and Bob Sales who did our tour. We were not allowed to take any pictures. We were given VIP parking and two passes to The Tonight Show. We also got special treatment at the studio by getting in the green room which had finger foods and drinks where we could wait for the show to begin instead of waiting outside in the heat.
"We waited outside after the show, thinking we might get to see Jay leaving and take a picture since no cameras where allowed in the studio. When he saw us parked there he pulled over to us, told us he expected us back stage. No one had told us. We asked if we could take pictures and he said yes. After that we back tracked to his garage to take pictures and he was driving away from there, having switched cars. He saw us
and came over and offered the use of the garage to change oil or make any repairs."
Besides Leno, the couple also met race car driver Al Unser, and spoke with other car enthusiasts who had gathered for the tour.
Earlier in their trip, the Whites documented the glorious views while on their tour in Utah.
"As we got to Zion Canyon, we're thinking, 'Did they save the best for last?' We're hoping the pictures will give some idea of how spectacular it is," they wrote in their blog.
Jacque White said the most challenging part of the trip was dealing with the heat while driving along the Mojave and Senora deserts while in California and Arizona, and also traversing the curvy, mountainous roads in Virginia and Kentucky.
"The heat was hard on the car and on us," he said. "We bought a spray bottle and Mae would spray us down. The heat from the engine added an extra 10-degrees รข€¦ but the car had no major breakdowns."
They carried an extra three gallons of gas with them, he said, just in case gas flowed to the back of the tank while the vehicle was traveling up hills.
To see more photos and read more about their adventure, visit their blog site at www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/jxnmy.
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