[bashton]

OK...you asked so here is my rant and warning:

OK, so this is a bit of a rant, so bear with me...

If any of my friends or associates are coming into the Detroit area for the Woodward Cruise and related activities, allow me to offer up some advice. Make sure you have good tires, an easily accessible working jack and at least one spare tire, especially if you are trailering a car. Our roads are an absolute mine-field disaster. Also make sure your AAA, Hagerty Club or whatever road service you have is alive and well.

Over the past year I have driven in nearly 20 different states. There is no state that has roads even remotely as bad as Michigan. This past weekend I drove to/from Ohio on I75 and it was so bad, I finally got off on Southfield Road to bypass even more "construction." What should be a simple 4 hour 240 mile trip was great until I hit Michigan, which added nearly 2 extra hours and that was not due to the traffic as it was after 9 pm Sunday.

Coming in/out of Indiana, as I travel to IL and WI on a regular basis, I94 is nearly as bad, and much is "under construction" which has literally been going on for years. The roads that are "fresh and new" are like driving over a buckboard. In fact, a 20+ mile section about 6 miles into the state are so bad on the right lane I have to drive in the left lane and pull over when cars come up behind me.

As an FYI, I was not driving the Hornet, the CRX or anything else that would lend itself to a rough ride. I was in fact, in Laura's Escalade towing my 18' car trailer. On my IN/IL/WI trips, I am usually in one of our newer Mini-Vans.

Consider this a simple "heads-up" as a flat, or blasted out suspension parts or other issues caused by this can certainly ruin what should be a fun-filled week.

Now, as far as the actual event, the days to be out there for us "real" car freaks is during the week. If you don't have a pre-set place to park, it is near impossible to find a good spot, due to the myriad of Mini-Vans, new cars and drunken idiots yelling for you to do burn-outs. Also, get out before it gets dark, as the local police literally close Woodward in all the communities and there is a mass of unorganized chaos to get anywhere.

With that being said, there are always a ton of great cars along with every late model Camaro, Mustang, Challenger and SUV ever built and it is a real freak show for people watching...lots of fun indeed.

Thanks and best of luck to everyone...hope to see you out there!