Just a Simple Wrench
Ann and Jake Snyder

Amtrak 2006

This year there were eleven of us who put aside MG cares and relaxed on the annual Amtrak Road trip. The destination was the North American International Auto Show, a perfect gem that we all need to appreciate more in spite of the simplicity of visiting it in Detroit. The Chicagoland MG Club's representatives to NAIAS were Doug Clark, Jim Renkar, Henneke and Reinout Vogt, Debby and Bill Mennel, Ann and John Schroeder, Bob Schultz and the two of us. The train left Union Station an hour late, and we hoped that the train's operator did not hurry. We wanted our party to last as long as possible. We passed around many treats and drinks, a feature we repeated on the return trip. The Greenfield Inn shuttle picked us up at the Amtrak station in Dearborn and we got to the hotel in time for dinner. The waiter politely informed us at 10:30 P.M. that the restaurant closed at 10:00 P.M. and we adjourned to the lounge to plan our visit to NAIAS the next day.

We left the hotel in three taxis on Saturday. The photos show only a very small part of what we saw. Ask anyone who attended NAIAS for more complete details beyond, "It was the best ever". Several of us had a little problem getting their taxi back to the hotel. The rest of us waited in the lobby patiently (and a little concerned when, by phone, Ali told us that Mohammed could not find our missing members), until they showed up in an inner city cab.

A few of us got to the pool on Sunday morning. We are not certain of the resolution of the problem expressed by some of the group: "I forgot my suit, what do I wear?" We respectfully did not take our Kodak to the swimming pool, and we promise never to tell.

From Porsche, one of many cut-away engines at the show

You may have seen cut-away engines before, but have you seen a cut-away car?

The trip back to Chicago on Sunday was a lot like the trip from Chicago on Friday. We had many of the same snacks, though the wines tended to be white rather than red. As always the Amtrak Road trip was an experience worth the effort. Hopefully, there will still be an Amtrak next year so we can continue the tradition for Amtrak 2007.

Second generation Solstice concept car

A dinosaur sinking into a tar pit?

Ford GT in the Gulf racing colors, a $13,000 option

The hotel mascot, Mr. Mugly, joins the Chicagoland MG Club