WD4F, The First Drive recap

When Monica and I set off on this journey we weren’t sure what we were thinking or what we were doing.  All we knew was that we made the time had a few bucks and were going to do it.

We sat next to each other for 6 weeks, most of the time holding hands, a camera or the navigation source (map or iPhone) and talked.  The radio was hardly ever on.  I have to say that this kind of a trip is not for everyone.  You need to be able to communicate, compromise and know how to go with the flow.  I remember when I first started a post on the 356 Registry forum, the first responses were all essentially the same, “drop her off at the nearest airport and enjoy yourself”.

This could not have been further from the correct response for me.  I consider myself a very lucky man to have married my best friend.  We love food, wine, the drive and each other.  The journey was one of personal growth, awareness and understanding.

One of the original reasons for the journey was the growth of our business, a small specialty cheese and wine store in Ridgefield Ct. Recently, a large gourmet chain store started building a new store within a 20 min. drive from our shop.  So the question presented itself, how does a small shop compete with the big boys?  The answer for us was hit the road and meet your cheese producers, vintners and farmers and experiences this great country, that’s how.  One of the fundamental elements that lacks in the larger stores is the ability to connect with the customer.

Monica and I have experienced what most can only dream of.

We’ve traveled over 6000 miles, visited countless restaurants, vineyards, farms, cheese producers, B&B establishments and hotels along our way.

We love when a customer comes to our store and we can tell the story of the product because we have been there.

We started in Los Angeles, drive up the coast to Whistler, across Canada through Revelstoke, Banff and into Alberta.

We then turned back to the USA and through Glacier National Park, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado and home to Connecticut.

The car was in retrospect the perfect road trip vehicle.  It has about a 250-mile range, smooth and comfortable on flat roads, amazing in the corners, enough storage with the back seats folded down for two and a great reliability factor for a vintage car.

Newfoundland this spring…..maybe

Check out the archives (May / June 2011) to see all of the details.

January and still driving the 356

This has been one of the most amazing winters for the vintage car enthusiast. Not just one day of driving this weekend, but two!

This weekend I was invited to a barn on hill for lunch with two friends and a late 356 “A” coupe. I was to bring a bottle of wine and a little something else.  I decided on some ibérico de bellota ham from Spain.

If you have never had it and you eat ham, you must find some.  This is the 4-cam of hams! Scallops with mushrooms and thyme were to follow; a great rustic lunch in a barn with cars.

It was 55 degrees, sunny and I was looking at two 356’s, I really can’t complain.  After a great meal and some even better car talk, I headed out for a cappuccino.

You gotta have a cappuccino after a meal, don’t you?  Tusk & Cup is a new shop in Ridgefield, Ct that I have been meaning to get to for some time, so…. Great cappuccino and I did get a homemade gelato sampler, even better! (Thanks Laura). Is there another weekend of driving around the corner?  One can only hope.

Our last 356 Drive of the season was a nice 4-hour drive through the country.  Monica and I set out for a breakfast destination called Patty’s Restaurant in Litchfield CT.

It had received rave reviews from various magazines and most reviews from Yelp were also promising.  The short of Patty’s was really big pancakes all of it just good.

As always, we were able to find a ridiculously long 60-mile back-road route to go what should have been more like 20 miles.  We find that not having a plan always leads to new finds and usually an extra culinary find.  Today we found fresh eggs, maple syrup, Arethusa Dairy and The Bantam Bread Company.

The must go of this Drive 4 Food is absolutely The Bantam Bread Company and Arethusa Dairy.

Make sure you get a Dirt Bomb from the bakery and chocolate milk from the dairy.

Ever just want to drive?  

Pick a destination or don’t, but get in your car (or bike) and go.  Take your partner or let them sleep in.

Stop along the way if you feel like it and get a cup of coffee or just stare at a cow.

Today was coffee in Kent, a quick hello to the gang at LimeRock Park, back to Kent for an extra cup, talked to a cow for a while and a stop in Ridgefield at the cheese store.

A great day.

The weather is turning and we have already had our first snow.  I am picking up my 356 from my friend Dick’s with a fresh rebuild on the engine and will try and get a few hundred miles on her before the season is completely over.  I find it fascinating how I look at my car from 1963 and plan on tucking it nicely in a heated garage until the first sign of spring.  Back in 1963 it would have been purchased from the Porsche showroom and driven just like a new 911 would be today.  I wonder what a 2011 Porsche 911 will be doing in the year 2059.