The Steering Column
Left Hand Drive from our President

Recently I celebrated a Homecoming. There was no pep rally, sock hop or marching band. I didn’t even stay out past curfew. (Whatever happened to the late news announcing “it’s 10:30, do you know where your children are?”) No, all I did was make room in the garage for the return of my beloved MG B from storage. I stocked up on Valvoline 20W50 racing oil and various cleaning products.

This was the first time I sent the B away for the winter and I was looking forward to being reunited with our little “baby”. Surviving a two week delay in the retrieval, my excitement was building. After all, I was missing out on some fine cruising weather.

While returning home from the Marengo storage unit, I spotted another club member going to the unit. By the time my mind processed the idea that I recognized someone on the road, it was too late to wave. However, that afternoon I received an email stating I too was spotted and he hoped I had a problem free jaunt home. I did. Unfortunately he did not. His trip home required a flatbed and I assume a certain amount of patience.

Then the attitude started. The next day when preparing for a drive to warm up the oil for the anticipated change, the always reliable B decided to pay me back for shipping her off to spend the winter in a cold barn. The starter went out.

Temperamental yes, stupid no. The car was smart enough to be stranded at home in a familiar garage. It was on a flatbed a few years ago and apparently didn’t like it.

Here is the amazing part; I removed the old starter and plan on installing the new one by myself. Just me and my ten thumbs.

So, Bralich, Hickenlooper, Skegg, you all stay close to your phones. Maybe Dino should be on call as well.

After this little hiccup, I will be back on the road looking forward to some wonderful rallies and tours this season.

Stay safe my friends,

~~ Phil Wydra

	The Steering Column
	Right Hand Drive   from our Vice-President

I remember traveling with my mom and dad to Turkey Run Inn—Indiana. Phil Jarvis (aka my uncle Phil to me) made this a yearly trip. We had a large caravan of cars, about 15 to 20 MG T Types.?

I was young and traveled in the cubby hole of the MG, definitely a no no today! My sister and brother followed in the regular car. We took long and winding back roads instead all highways. What fun it was, we would stop for breaks at little antique shops and cool points of interest.

A few cars would always break down and club members all pulled to the side of the road. The mechanics grabbed their tool bags and fixed whatever needed repair. It could have been an alternator, maybe some wiring came loose or something was leaking from underneath the bonnet or under the car. Whatever the issue was their car was fixed through the art of teamwork.?

I remember uncle Phil had dinner set up for us in a small town called Tupelo, Indiana. If I remember correctly we had dinner at a place where they had the best whole catfish. The catfish was perfectly fried. Oh man, that was delicious.

We finally made it to Turkey Run Inn, the main purpose was canoeing and hiking. So, whoever wanted to canoe would take a shuttle to the launch site and the outfitters staff gave us safety jackets to wear. We stepped into our canoes with coolers filled with lunch, wine and beer. It was a blast! The MG club members all traveling down the river in canoes, drinking and laughing having a grand ole time. It seemed like 12 miles of rowing but maybe it was only 6 miles, it felt like an eternity.

One time we hit some rapid waters and our canoe tipped over. Out went us and the cooler floating down the river. My dad grabbed me first, canoe and cooler next. Dad, thank you. Dad knew I could not swim. We all made it back to our rooms safely. We showered in our own rooms and went into a town nearby, driving our MG’s to an Italian festival, where we got a huge plate of spaghetti. If I remember correctly my brother won a mustache contest for the Fuzziest mustache. He just started growing it.

This may all seem boring to you. But what I am trying to convey is the MG Club was and is our family and we did things together. We did events for fun and to service our communities. We are MG enthusiasts and we strive to drive and preserve our cars as much as we can.

See you on the road soon. Here I come Spring Chicken Run, May 23rd!
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Thank You, stay safe and healthy

~~ Melissa Gonzales