2014 TRI-STATE, CHAMA, NEW MEXICO Updated 17-Jun-2014 ==== Copyright (c) 2014 Corvairs of New Mexico ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ REPORTS ON 2014 TRI-STATE -- SPONSORED BY CORVAIRS OF NEW MEXICO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHAMA, NEW MEXICO - MAY 30 - MAY 31 - JUNE 1 STATISTICS NUMBER OF PEOPLE **REGISTERED** BY PRIMARY CLUB ** (Number of people does not =============================================== count guests or people who CNM = 38 (Attendance Trophy) just stopped by to visit.) RMC = 24 PPCC = 18 MCCA = 8 HACOA = 1 INCA = 4 Guests = 4 (or more) TOTAL = 97 (or more?) NUMBER OF CARS IN THE CAR SHOW ============================== BY YEAR | BY BODY TYPE | BY STATE | BY CLUB | ========= | ================== | =============== | ========== | 1961 = 3 | Coupe = 17 | COLORADO = 15 | CNM = 13 | 1962 = 3 | Convertible = 10 | NEW MEXICO = 13 | RMC = 9 | 1963 = 4 | Sedan = 4 | KANSAS = 3 | PPCC = 7 | 1964 = 7 | Station Wagon = 3 | OKLAHOMA = 3 | INCA = 3 | 1965 = 8 | F.C. = 2 | MISSOURI = 1 | MCCA = 3 | 1966 = 9 | | WYOMING = 1 | HACOA = 1 | 1967 = 1 | | | | 1968 = 1 | | | | TOTAL = 36 ========== | ================== | =============== | ========== | ========== WINNERS OF CAR SHOW =================== 1. Best Early ............ Loren Capron ............ INCA .... 1964 Monza Conv 2. Best Late ............. Elisa & Larry Yoffee ..... CNM ..... 1965 Corsa Coupe 3. Best FC ............... Steve & Rita Gongora .... CNM ..... 1962 Rampside 4. Best Custom. .......... Jim Reich ............... RMC ..... 1961 Lakewood 5. Best Stock ............ John & Sandra Drage ..... RMC ..... 1962 Monza Conv 6. Best of Show .......... Steve & Rita Gongora .... CNM ..... 1962 Rampside 7. Best CNM Member Car ... Curtis Shimp ............ CNM ..... 1966 Corsa Coupe HARD LUCK AWARD =============== Richard Law of Oklahoma City. Driving a 1966 Corsa and towing a 1961 Lakewood 700. In Santa Fe the Corsa had a failure of the transaxle and would not move in any gear. The Lakewood was removed from the trailer so the Corsa could be towed in to Chama. OTHER HARD LUCK STORIES ======================= Pat Hall Oil light came on. Keith Hammett Got bad gas, ignition knock. Later, vapor lock immoblized car. Lube Lubert Vibration at 65-70 MPH. Lee Olsen Had to buy new A/C condenser. Eric Schakel Only 42 payments to go. Wife makes me slow down. Kelly Westerfield Needed new battery. John Wiker Passed truck, truck threw rock, broke new windshield. SPECIAL ======= Larry Blair 1964 Spyder convertible, 140-HP, gas heater, daily driver. Loren Capron Lots of chrome, engine, wheels. John Drage Second owner, original (1962) engine. Garrie Fox V-8 Crown conversion. Art Gold Hand controls, smooth running! Steve Gongora 1962 Rampside - red, white stripe, almost perfect! Steve Goodman Sunroof Ed Halpin Original PPCC early 1980s car -- John Koll rescue car. Keith Hammett First Corvair I ever saw, at age 14! Later found and bought it. John Hesco Factory head rests. Richard Law Corsa with original A/C. Lakewood original. Ned Madsen 1965 Corvair is a daily driver. Jan Mohr 1964 Corvair is a daily driver. Lee Olsen Power top, A/C Dave Olwine It's a Spyder. William Pearce Uncle Russ gave it to us to haul off. We fixed it up! Jim Reich Lakewood "Shorty" with 82" w.b. and all 1964 suspension. Chuck Riblett Air dam, 15" wheels, lowered. Curtis Shimp 1966 Corsa has 3.1 litre engine rebuild. Tim Shortle 1964 Corvan has factory camper kit. Jim Steinborn 1966 Monza has original paint (90 percent plus!) Tarmo Sutt 1966 Corsa turbo is 12-year restoration (almost perfect) John Wiker Originally a Santa fe motors car. Larry Yoffee Torque Talent wheels, Recaro seats, turbo, oil cooler. John Dinsdale EVERYTHING! =================================== Drive to Chama Jim Pittman The day before we were to leave I called up John Wiker to see if he had found a caravan buddy. He hadn't, so we said we'd tag along. He told us he'd stop for gas in Pojoaque, and only drive at 65. We followed his distinctive 1966 yellow Monza all the way and John made every turn and I did not have to think twice about any tricky navigation, not even in Espanola where I always get lost. We were nearly there when John abruptly turned left into a motel parking lot. What? I turned in too, to see what was up. Are you staying here? I yelled. No, I'm lost! John said. How can you be lost, I said, You drove all the way here perfectly. Is this our hotel? he said. No, the Branding Iron is just up the road a half mile. We drove on and there it was. We checked in and soon saw Brand-Xs and Corvairs come dribbling in to the motel. We found the room where Registration and Hospitality would be set up. Pretty soon the early arrivers were hard at work, unloading their cars and finding out where everything was and where everything should go. Tarmo Sutt showed up in the afternoon with the 1966 red Corsa convertible on a trailer and the 1965 turquoise Corsa coupe under its own power. Larry and Tarmo discussed the best place for the car show and Chuck Riblett's newly arrived 1964 Monza coupe gave me a perfect three-color, three-Corvair cover photo. =================================== My First Car Chloe Mullins In August of 2013 I officially received my first car, a 1962 blue Corvair Monza, naming it "007" for its spy-like qualities that many modern cars often lack and many modern generations fail to recognize. I have enjoyed sharing knowledge I've learned from other members of the Corvair club and watching faces become filled with astonishment. As May 30th approached I looked forward to the Tri-State meet, expecting to hear stories of others on their expeditions to restoration. The trip to Chama was 007's maiden voyage on a journey longer than 30 miles. It ran smoothly up, down, and around every hill and winding road that led up to Chama. While the desert of New Mexico is often underappreciated due to its abundance of dirt and tumbleweeds, driving with windows that hide no properties of the scenery, in the midst of the comforting rumble of an engine that's still kicking after 52 years, to a beautiful refuge such as Chama gives it a whole new value. During the stay in Chama, locals warmly welcomed Corvair enthusiasts as they met to share the restorations they've completed through lots of hard work and dedication. Prior to and after the day of the Tri-State meet and banquet, the quaint shops and restaurants provided a friendly atmosphere that spread knowledge on the unique aspects of New Mexico. At the car show, Corvairs from different years, with different modifications, and each with its own distinct story brought together the collective knowledge and appreciation of car enthusiasts. People living in Chama, along with the many visitors, walked around acknowledging the incredible achievements made by every Corvair owner who restored their car to its grandeur in appearance and function, some even surpassing its former glory with customization. Excitement danced in the eyes of all onlookers as they saw the importance in things of the past being carried into the present and future. While 007 has had its ups and downs, it remains dependable, as do all Corvairs, because of the people who carry their extensive knowledge on Corvairs with them and offer to share it with anyone willing to listen. Each Corvair has a story that has accumulated over a span of 45-54 years, and each Corvair owner has a story of determination and dedication that has ended in success because they carry a part of history with them. When they share that history, they emphasize the importance of the past in leading up to future and demonstrate that just because something is old does not mean it has lost its worth, but instead has gained a new title of grandiosity by surviving the test of time. =================================== Tri-state 2014 Neyla Olwine This is the first time I was excited to ride in the car to go to Tri-state and I loved it! (Tri-state itself was the most fun though.) I loved the fan belt toss with Pat. I liked a lot of the cars. They had beautiful colors and there were new and old models which is a good mix. Tierra Wools was really cool especially the felted animals. I loved when a lot of people got to volunteer for spinning on the big wheel which was fun. The banquet food was wonderful and being a member of the Tijuana Club is always fun. Seeing my grandpa (John Drage) getting an award was awesome to watch. That is what I thought of Tri-state in Chama, NM. Sincerely, Neyla =================================== Tierra Wools Tour Lee Reider We thought we were going to see how sheep are shorn. We had no idea that, instead, we would see how the already shorn wool is spun into yarn (on a real spinning wheel) and that some of our people would actually be able to try their hands at the wheel. The capable and very talented artisans at Tierra Wools were gracious and showed us not only how the wool is spun into yarn, but the intricacies of dying the yarn with all natural dyes into the most glorious colors and the techniques of weaving the yarn into incredibly designed rugs. It was a truly rewarding insight into a process that is still "hands-on" from start to finish. Thanks to the Tierra Wools staff for making this such an enjoyable and colorful tour! =================================== Corvairs Take the High Ground Larry Blair A half dozen signed up to take a short trip to the top of Cumbres Pass, to meet the train as it escaped Colorado and descended into New Mexico's Chama valley. However, during the morning show and shine, the Chamber of Commerce Pres came by and invited us to do a photo op with one of the engines. We decided we could work it in, if it would be quick. "No sweat" he said. "We'll have the engine spotted so you can just park around it and take some shots." We lined up for the pass trip and a half dozen Corvairs became a dozen and a half. Driving into the rail yard and depot, we found Engine 489 smiling and ready. In a maneuver that would have made Robert E. Lee proud, we all wheeled into place in front of Engine 489. Alas, 489 suddenly backed up. It seems cinders had fallen on the ties and started a fire. A couple of buckets of water later and Engine 489 moved back into position and the cameras came out. So while many went back to the hotel for a nappy-poo, the hardy half-dozen headed north on Hiway 17 for our rendezvous with the train. A beautiful 20 minute drive found us at the pass, elevation 10,015, or 10,022 [I guess depending on whether it is measured at your feet or your head]. The train arrived 10 minutes later for many good shots while the tender took on water. Passengers were happy to see the Corvairs, which, after all, are only half as old as the steam engines. A few stops on the way back to Chama yielded more photo ops, more great scenery, and the anticipation of a good meal. =================================== Elisa and Larry Yoffee: Super Organizers! Jim Pittman Kudos to Elisa & Larry who worked for many months to prepare for a truly Super Tri-State! They made more than one trip to Chama to see facilities and talk to people face-to-face. They found an excellent caterer who provided a delicious meal. They organized meetings with volunteer chairpersons and somehow kept track of a host of details that had to be done. Larry arranged for beautiful T-shirt designs and a magnificent Chama poster. Elisa greeted our visitors, handed out the T-shirts and sold club merchandise. And certainly not least, Larry & Elisa brought one of the jewels of the car show in the person of the maroon Corsa turbo 180! =================================== Brenda & Hurley Wilvert: Super Hospitality Hosts! Jim Pittman The Wilverts brought tons of drinks and snacks and set them all out by the time our first guests arrived. They added more as needed. They never let the drinks get warm or the coffee get cold. Everyone enjoyed our special CNM food! Jim made one run to the grocery store for ice but Hurley got all the rest. Thanks to Brenda and Hurley for amazing energy and stamina! =================================== Boydston Award Heula Pittman The winner of the 2014 Tri-State Boydston Award (also known as the "St Francis of Corvair Award") was our John Wiker of Corvairs of New Mexico. And having known John for several years now, I can say that the Awards Committee was correct in choosing him for this honor. John has been active in the club for some 13 years and has always been willing to participate and lend a hand to whomever and whatever project he could assist with. He served as CNM vice-president for two years and as CNM president for two years. He is a faithful representative of CNM at car shows; I don't know if he has EVER missed one! He is a "Faithful Picker-Upper" of trash on our mile of Old Route 66. He rarely misses a membership or Board meeting. And if Ruth Boydston had been able to attend this year, I'm sure she would have been a part of Jim's presentation of the award to John. Ruth and her daughter Sherry set out to drive to Chama on Saturday morning and before they were out of Albuquerque they were involved in an accident! A large truck rear-ended them while they were stopped at an intersection and totaled their vehicle. It was not a Corvair but Sherry's daily driver Brand-X. Sherry says she strongly laments losing her car. It provided faithful service with not one single major repair for 11 years and 107k miles. Thankfully, neither of them was seriously hurt. As they set out to drive to Chama Ruth and Sherry were transporting a lovely bouquet of flowers that was to be presented to me during the banquet. The flowers were a thank-you gift to me for the "arts and crafts" I did for the registration bags and for the painting of the Corvairs on the raffle quilt. The accident ruined the bouquet. When she learned of this, Ruth's daughter Tina prepared a replacement bouquet of flowers and delivered them to me at home on Monday after the Tri-State. Many thanks to my CNM family for this thoughtful gesture. =================================== Rita's Tijuana Club Gains New Member! The famous Tijuana Club of Trii-State met amid boistrous celebration and inducted a new member: Ed Halpin, President of Pikes Peak Corvair Club and a busy member of two other clubs! =================================== Russ McDuffie - Master of Ceremonies Kudos to Russ who again provided an excellent performance in keeping our banquet running smoothly and under control. =================================== Tim Shortle - Next Year's Tri-State Tim wrapped up the banquet and the 2014 Tri-State by inviting all of us to the 2015 Tri-State in Durango, Colorado, hosted by Rocky Mountain CORSA. Many of us enjoyed the 1990 Tri-State in Durango and look forward to returning!