about a year ago, i became obsessed with a certain 1967 chevrolet impala. sure, i had admired the contours of the classics when i saw them on the road, but never before had i truly understood the inherent beauty of detroit's finest exports.
today, classic cars occupy a rather large portion of my brainspace. i watch for them when i'm driving, on the road, parked on the side, inside garages, hoods popped, waiting for examination. i want one so badly i practically taste the cold steel.
part of the attraction is the overwhelming dudeliness of possessing a muscle car; when the awakening of my masculinity happened, so did my awakening to the hotness of american heavy metal. there is an obvious sexuality in almost every classic car. they come from a time when miles per gallon wasn't even a thought, the engineering focusing on speed and horsepower. if she roared like a lion when her engine was revved, who gave a frak about gas mileage? the classics are machines of power and beauty, not economy and ecology.
but more than the aesthetics and the raw power, classic cars give me a chance to reconnect with a past i never experienced, to bring my idea of a perfect existence in the past a little bit closer to the reality of the present. in the same way that wearing vintage polyester, watching a steve mcqueen flick or listening to ludicrous amounts of bad company makes me nostalgic for a time i never lived in, the thought of cruising around in a late '60s chevy makes my heart melt a little.
which is how i became a classic car stalker. haven't seen the dreamboat on the road yet, but there are beauties all over town. following here, my first victims...
1976 ford mustang
(at the auto shoppe, burnet rd.)
1975 mercury monarch/1976 ford mustang
(at the auto shoppe, burnet rd.)
1970 mercury cougar
(at the auto shoppe, burnet rd.)
1970 chevy el camino
(justin lane at airport)
1975 chevelle malibu
(justin lane at lamar, behind a garage)
1. introduction to the prairie. i like it. it's pretty and open.
2. we avoided all interstates and took smaller 2 lane state highways for the majority of the trip. i was so into it. i felt at peace.
3. and 4. at some truck stop in texas. it was incredibly windy and i really struggled with that map for a minute. thankfully, i avoided DANGER!!
5. at our first food pit stop, the cracker barrel. i was kinda horrified, but it didn't turn out so bad. also our first interaction with completely bemused and incompetent waitstaff who were flummoxed by our paying together.
6. an awesomely awesome license plate spotted in norman, ok.
7. - 11. the diner in norman, ok. this place was incredible. the waitresses were rad, the food was super yummy and the decor was pitch perfect.
12. sailors. yum. double yum.
13. aquarium covered in splattered blood stickers, courtesy of a thai restaurant in norman.
14. hot chicks in glasses.
15. sisters caught off-guard
16. goddamn right.
17. main street, u.s.a.
18. doc faces off with a strange creature in front of the lawrence public library.
19. famous people from lawrence mural
20. hard to tell, but the flier says "death becomes hair"
21. and 22. i did not know that ford made a car called the maverick, but i am so into it.
23. - 25. we found this cute little eastern themed park in the middle of downtown. when i live in lawrence, i will go there when i miss doc.
26. and 27. there are three independent bookstores in downtown lawrence. so clearly we had to take pictures in front of at least one of them.
28. and 29. the main drag in lawrence is massachusetts avenue, where the buildings are old and beautiful. (except sometimes they get turned into urban outfitters. sad.)
30. and 31. lawrence is home of the marvelous free state brewery. doc was especially fond of the ad astra ale, though all the beers we tried were delicious.
32. suspicious bar texting...
33. and 34. the famous stull cemetery just outside of lawrence. it is said to be one of the 7 gates to hell in the u.s. the foundation in the background is from an old church (possibly subversively satanic) that mysteriously burned down a few years ago. and yes, it was featured in the season 5 finale of supernatural.
35. and 36. we saw this SWEET camaro driving through topeka. meow.
37. also spotted: this rad vintage dr. pepper mural.
38. - 40. the beautiful, rainy road home
