On August 3 we lit out for the California Auto Museum.

Pretty cool.

On the way the SUV that I rented got rear-ended.  But it was a minor accident, as the only damage
was to the panel that hides the Reese hitch.

There in the Auto Museum is where the Tech Session was held. 

Jeff Reade is a true C-1 expert and conducted a super tech session.

This Army Harley 45 really grabbed me.  Why?  My Father rode one as a messenger
in WWII.  He was in the Normandy invasion, being shot at; but for the beach invasion he
drove an artillary carrier. 

He told me that he had a scabbard on the front fork that held a Thompson
machine gun.  In general he did not talk about it all that much, and I didn't press.

(21 years later I was in the Air Force and honestly no one ever shot at me.)

This display is the exact same model that he rode on icy roads in the middle of the night, serving
under General Patton.

Then that evening we had a very enjoyable reception in our
well appointed conference room.

Now it is August 4.  Nice and early in the morning we set out on a road trip.

Our first stop was gold country!

This is an exact replica of Sutter's Mill where gold was discovered.  It is on the exact location...the
river ran a little differently back then.

Of course it was an accidental find there at that sawmill, and there was no keeping the news quiet.

This cabin is an authentic replication of the one used by six mill workers.

The ladies explained how cooking was handled, how rope was made, plus laundry.

Next stop was The Sportsman's Restaurant which was one of the stops on the Pony  Express
route.

And the guest of honor was the President of the Pony Express Riders Organization.  He explained how the
Pony Express business got started, how they rode, where the route was.

The route was St Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, then by boat to San Franscisco.

A letter sent would arrive to the recipient in 10 days.  At that time in history it would take a couple of months for your
letter to arrive via ship.

Club members ride that route every year, and some of it is private property with owner permission.

Lucy Badenhoop, the club's founding treasurer, was presented the Max Brockhouse Award.  The award
goes to exemplary club members who share their time and talents with the club.  And Lucy certainly does that!

Presenting is Jack, your club President.  Obviously I needed to hold that award just a little bit more level.
Oh well.

SoCal Chapter's Larry Pearson also was selected for the award.  Due to problems Larry could not attend.

All who attended received this commemoritive cup, courtesy of past
president Larry Spilman.  Thank you, Larry!

Those who are astute will note that this year is the 165th anniversary of
the Pony Express.

And at the convention we always want to know who drove the farthest.

This year it was Kathy, and Kathy drove from her home in Massachusets to the convention in
Sacramento, CA.

But also in attendance was a couple from Guam.  Quite a ways away!

So that is a brief run-down on the 2025 Convention.  We had a good time, learned things, and that is what a car club is all about.

-Jack