Every year, the North Jersey Regional Group has its one-day Run Around the Mountain. The reason for the name of the tour is lost in the mists of time; New Jersey isn’t noted for its mountains. But we have plenty of beautiful, rolling, meandering back roads, 65 miles of which Joe and Brenda Henshaw selected for this year’s run. We started from their home, where we enjoyed coffee and doughnuts and a visit to their collection before we headed out. There was no traffic, the weather was ideal, and the instructions were flawless.
- Mark Conforth's 1909 Ford, an old Bill Harrah restoration but still gorgeous.
- I believe this is John Memmelaar, Jr.'s Ford
- A REO and a couple of Fords
- Two Fords and two Buicks
- Henry didn't build this, but he would have enjoyed driving it.
The morning’s destination was the Howell Living History Farm, a county park where animals and crops are raised as in the old days. A special treat was a demonstration game of early baseball – early, as in the Civil War. Pitching was underhand. There was no sissy stuff like mitts, gloves, helmets, or masks. A foul ball was not a strike. A hit ball caught on the first bounce was an out. The umpire wandered around in the vicinity of home plate dressed in a formal black suit and a top hat. A good hit was rewarded by cries of: “Well struck!” The average age of the players was marginally less than that of the HCCA drivers, but they tried hard. A couple of attempted diving catches turned out to be diving face plants, while the ball went thataway. Lots of fun!
- Early baseball; note the umpire's uniform!
- A Ford, with early baseball in the distant background.
- Reo and Ford at Howell Living History Farm
Lunch was in the Sergeantsville Inn, long a favorite in the area. It had suffered a disastrous fire a year ago, but had been restored to its former charm. Food was good and service was highly professional. The newest Gocek grandson/grandnephew, age 2 months, showed up for his HCCA introduction.
- A future driver on our tours
Most of us left room for ice cream on the way home.
Gil Fitzhugh the Elder