You may know that The Husband is a car fanatic. For the past few years, he’s been an active member of Fuelfed, a Chicago car club. For the past two years, he’s gone to the Fall Classic alone. The Fall Classic is an overnight scenic drive that is attended by mostly couples. This year, they moved the drive to Galena, IL. They also changed the date by one weekend so it didn’t coincide with the Chicago Marathon. The Husband signed us up with his Porsche 944 Turbo a/k/a “the Rat.” [It’s gray and started out a bit rascally when we got it 2003.]
I’m not a car person. In fact, I hadn’t ridden in the 944 since 2010 and only drove it one time in 2004! I didn’t really “get” the idea of a fall drive. I mean, I get the “leaf peeping” part, but the driving for the sake of driving.
I did my long run on Thursday so that we could leave bright and early on Saturday to get to the start. We got the car and headed to meet the group of ~20 European classic cars at the Belvidere Oasis.
We got maps and snacks (provided by yours truly!) The Husband was the group leader of five Porsches and I was the navigator. Thank goodness for Waze!
We headed out and the first segment of the drive led to lunch at Molly’s Kitchen and Bar in Mount Carroll.
After lunch, we drove ~15 miles across the Mississippi to Sabula, IA to a tiny island called Dicrolls Island for a photo opp.
The photo opp was really fun!
We took an exciting, windy and beautiful rural drive to Galena. Once we got there, we got to walk around which was really nice for me. I did “get” why this was fun and why the husband loves it. After walking around for a while, we went to the resort, checked in and went to dinner at an old fashioned supper club.
In the morning, I took a short run and enjoyed the hills and leaf peeping.
Then, we followed Robert on the scenic route back to Galena to meet the group for breakfast and for the return drive. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast and hit the road.
After being in the lead on day 1, it was fun to watch the parade of cool, classic cars heading up and down the hills and around the curves.
I’m still not a car person, but I’m really glad that I accepted The Husband’s invitation. The car enthusiasts of Fuelfed are a fun bunch and I got to see The Husband in his happy place with his people. I guess it’s not too late to teach this old dog new tricks. See you next year, Fuelfed!