12^th ICCCR,Means Motive and opportunity
for a dream holiday in the USA by Traction

Just like Caspar wrote in the last Floating Power, his visit to the TOC annual rally actually went back to a previous year, my decision to partake in the 12th ICCCR at Amherst Massachusetts had its origin some 30 years ago, when an organization called ‘Youth For Understanding’ or YFU for short, allowed me to spend a year as an exchange student with a family in Michigan called ‘The Collinses’. The aim of YFU was to build relationships between the countries previously engaged in World War II, so that such an event could never take place again. I always kept in touch my host family and Mom Collins had suggested a 30 year reunion with her Dutch and German exchange students, roundabout the same time as the 12^th ICCCR was about to take place in New England. What better motive and opportunity, especially as they were now living only about 2 hours drive from Port Elisabeth, Newark, where our cars were destined to arrive on August 5^Th.

Detectives like our favorite ‘Maigrait’ always required ‘means’ as well as ‘motive and opportunity’ to prove a case, and I guess, so did I. After unsuccessfully trying to sell my Six in the UK for 2 years I had US$ signs in my eyes and listed the car for sale on eBay.
I had convinced myself and Diane that while out there, an American would fall in love with my automobile and hand me over a fat wad of Dollars to save me the trouble of shipping it back while at the same time paying for our holiday! Then it turns out the successful bidder is a Frenchman. A good thing the return voyage was paid for!!

The Collinses posing with us for the camera, just before our goodbyes.

Portsmouth to Le Havre

Well that plan went pear shaped, as the car is now on its way back to France, where it will be collected by its new French owner. I took the Portsmouth ferry to Le Havre on Thursday July 4^th and it took the better part of the next morning to locate the GEFCO facilities. This was mainly due to a ‘route barré’ which made the previously issued map pretty much useless. In the office worked a sweet girl called Amelie, who was desperate to go home on her mobylette to collect her ‘Bac’ exam results. Nevertheless she promised to wait till four and I went back to meet up with Graham and Margaret Pitcher arriving on the afternoon ferry. We raced through the docks and got both Tractions booked in just before closing time. Phwew!! Amelie passed her exams with good results and we had a fabulous meal before heading back to England.

Our six waiting to be shipped at the GEFCO docks in Le Havre

Old meets new

Diane, the kids and I were now counting down the days to our adventure in the Wild West. Finally we flew off on Sunday August 4 at 6:30 PM and it was only 3 hours later in America, when the heat and humidity hit us like a hot wet towel, as we stepped out of the air conditioned airport building at Newark. We crashed out at the Airport Sheraton. Here the next morning collection of our cars would be arranged by a company called FAPS. The MD of FAPS turned out to have a private car museum adjoined to his office, which kept us amused while the man battled with unions and customs officials to get our cars back. Some papers were missing. In the end, I think he guaranteed the lot of us, with a personal bond. Great friendship proven again, between likeminded people!

Collection of ICCCR cars at FAPS, port Elisabeth Newark, New Jersey

First stop only a block or two from the depot was at a petrol station, because the cars could only be loaded on the vessel, with less than a quarter tank of petrol. People pointed out to me I was loosing water from my radiator. When I opened the top, steam blew out and I walked up and down to a tap in the filthy toilets with an empty coke bottle to top up the water for what seemed an eternity. Where did all this water go? The level was checked the day before setting off. I never loose water and I never lost water during the rest of the trip. Was this some bored dock worker playing a silly trick by letting all the water run out? Strange, but thank god I hadn’t set out on the motorway back to the airport. It was past midday when I arrived as the first released car back at the hotel to the relief of Diane who thought I was abducted by the mob.

Our next stop was U-Haul to collect a Sportster trailer, booked over the internet to carry the luggage of 5 people. There is no way, to fit five Samsonite suitcases in a small boot Six! The Sportster trailer proved a real eye catcher and served us well. Be prepared for a bit of a rewiring job however. The Americans use their brake lights to double up as indicators. A spare English trailer socket came in useful. The tattoed youth who fitted it however managed to blow all my fuses, as soon as I turned on the lights for the first time.

We now belted down the New Jersey Parkway to Manahawkin were the Collinses were awaiting us with the first of the many copious meals we were to enjoy in the next 14 days. Parkways in America are wonderful roads to drive, because in general they do not allow Heavy Goods Vehicles to use the roads. And boy, are these big eighteen wheelers scary! This makes Parkways much more relaxed to drive than Turnpikes, especially with an old timer like the Traction Avant. Parkways were built pre-WWII and were developed by park planners, a fact reflected in the beautifully landscaped rest areas and stone faced viaducts. We saw loads of deer by the side of the road, which also can be a hazard of course. There are tolls to pay, but no more than 35 cents each half hour or so. Be prepared to be overtaken left, right and center however, as that is the norm in America. The way British drivers hog the so called fast lane as if it was their private runway, I start to think we should introduce this system in the UK sooner than later.

Manahawkin is from an Indian name, like many towns in America. It’s not far from Atlantic City and also has easy access to Long Beach Island, a strip of land sometimes less than a few hundred yards wide and populated by the most fabulous holiday homes on stilts, never more than a minute walk from the beach. We spent Tuesday on the beach and Tuesday night on the Atlantic City Boardwalk plus Casinos, rivaling those of Las Vegas.

The Collinses built their fabulous house more inland however on the edge of a forest. In the evening deer come right up to the garden, but the most spectacular sight were Kolibri or ‘Humming Birds’, the size of an overgrown bumble bee, drinking from a special nectar feeder right under our eyes. Don’t go outside in the woods without Insect repellant though, as one gets eaten alive. Scare stories in the paper about the mosquito borne ‘West Nile disease’ also kept us in. Thank God for air-conditioning!

Liberty Park

New Jersey was an excellent place to do a bit of sightseeing before the main ICCR rally. On Wednesday August 6 the Tracbar gang was due to arrive for a photo opportunity and picnic in Liberty Park. We were so lucky, as we approached exit 14B from the NJ Turnpike we filtered right into this group of French modern day adventurers, who had set off from Los Angeles days earlier and followed dessert trails and the famous Route 66 to get to this same point. From here the park is well indicated and the road took us right to the water’s edge, with the most stunning views of Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. An old CRRNJ railroad terminal dominates the park. From here some of this nation’s most dramatic stories unfolded, with immigrants, after being greeted by the Statue of Liberty, being processed at Ellis Island, the nineteenth century equivalent of Sangatte. After being released they took their trains here to build their homes out west.

The enlarged black and white photographs of proud people from Finland to Turkey and from Ireland to Japan, makes you realize that there is nothing new about our so called economic refugees. These people all became fine US citizens in the end and helped build its prosperity, which is the envy of the world.

On Thursday we took a relaxing train ride from Point Pleasant into Penn station, to see New York City and give the girls their promised shopping trip to Macey’s

On Friday we said our fare wells to the Collins family to undertake the trip to Amherst Massachusetts. We decide to follow the route, recommended by local Citroen enthusiast Ed Merryman. This route starts at the top of the NJ Turnpike, almost to the George Washington Bridge. There we took the Palisades Interstate Parkway north, which follows the Hudson River. I recommend taking a short break at each of the recommended ‘Bella vistas’ to take in the panoramic view of this great river and the disappearing Manhattan sky line behind the George Washington Bridge.

After the Bear Mountain pass and bridge, we took the Taconic State Parkway to Martindale (near the end). Then route 7 north to Pittsfield and finally route 9 east into Amherst. I just loved the views of the rolling countryside and the red timber dairy farms, with their tin silos. Just like in the movies as they say.

Of our Victorian B&B in Amherst, the lest said the better. Don’t book B&B’s in America, thinking you will save a few bob on Hotel lodgings. Award winning the Allen House Inn may have been, but as a museum, not a place to enjoy American hospitality. Unless you don’t mind the ‘token smile’ with 0.5 second built in delay, while the land lady runs after your kids to put coasters under their glasses. Think of Janet Street Porter with an apron on. None of the ‘make yourself at home’ warmth we had become accustomed to with the Collinses. Not even a drink was offered, after we tumbled out of our car dehydrated and exhausted. No coffee served until breakfast time! Next time it’s Howard Johnson’s Motels for me all the way! Nothing better after a long hot drive than a dive in the standard pool and a big bucket of Ice from the regulatory ice machine next to the Coke machine. By the way my remark about B&Bs does not apply to Canada. More about that later.

12^th ICCCR

I am not going to write too much about the 12th ICCCR itself. I am sure others will and have done. It’s all true what they say and I agree with everyone bar the compulsory bitching of some! These events are all pretty much the same anyway, bar the location. I fully agree with the travel writer who once famously wrote: “The pleasure is not in the arriving, but the getting there! Also I find, I start to look less and less at the cars on display, which are all gorgeous anyway, and look more and more forward to meeting likeminded people and old friends swapping stories and spare parts brought from far away places. It was nice to put faces to names I had been swapping emails with for months. The UK Citroen Car Club put on a lovely lunch and invited members and non-members from the UK to join. They picked the best spot on the UMASS campus from where the Tractions could be seen over the pond in the distance and a moment of homecoming and sanity was enjoyed by the whole family. Thank You David Conway and Manny Mottishaw. Would you believe, of all places, I meet Richard Chimary from Ipswich, who offers me shared car storage in a beautifully converted and bone dry barn just down the road from me? That’s what these events and the ‘Citroen Amicale’ are all about!

The Monday after the event, we follow a well planned route to Stowe Vermont. We visit all six historic covered bridges of Madison County fame. Not the one that just burned down from ‘Beetle Juice’. We visit Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream factory and I still have my suspicion, that together with Macey’s in New York this was the only reason why my two teenage daughters were so eager to come along for this long ride;-) Tim meanwhile makes friends with Blair Anderson of ICCCR web master fame and earns himself an invite to Winnipeg Canada next year. Way to go Tim!

Raid Montreal

On Tuesday of the second week, we again were one of the last people to leave the Motel for our next destination Montreal, Quebec. Never mind, putting my foot down on the last stretch of motorway and at a good 85 MPH thanks to the SDC 9X32 Crown wheel and Pinion in my gearbox I overtook the bulk of the convoy, while approaching the bridge over the St Laurence river. The À La carte B&B in the old part of town was home away from home and the host Daniel, could not have made us feel more welcome. Access to a video library of 700 top films added to the attraction of the kids of course. What better place to watch 3 videos in a row than the capital of a country you have never visited before?

The first meet in Montreal at the Orange Julep hamburger and milkshake bar was very informal and relaxed. Two other car clubs were in attendance adding a bit of variety to what must have been one of the largest concentrations of Citroens in Canada for the last 30 years! Our host Daniel was glad for the invite to come along. The second night’s Gala Dinner was more formal. Everyone got their rumpled suits and jackets out of their suitcase again for a scenic voyage on board the ‘Cavalier Maxime’ cruising up and down the St. Laurence River and the Olympic Island. To great hilarity from the kids Di and I even kicked our feet on the bough’s dance floor boogying down till past midnight and a fireworks display that lit the sky line.

The next morning we managed one of our earliest starts for Niagara Falls at just after 9 AM and reached Niagara at 8PM. A distance of 700 Miles in a 54 year old car towing a U-Haul trailer and 5 grown up people. Some said it couldn’t be done in one day! I say it’s thanks to the engineering skills of the likes of Roger Williams, that we had no more problems than a slightly overheated engine in the Toronto rush hour in more than 3,500 miles covered in North America. An experience Di and I, and hopefully the kids, will never forget!