Today was the “Pre Tour” tour day. About 90 cars participated.
The morning started out with breakfast, then the driver’s meeting with Julius and Jim telling everyone not to honk at the cows while driving across areas with livestock running free. We don’t want to scare any farmer’s stock.
After the meeting yours truly discovered the keys were missing for our 1917 runabout. Wife to the rescue, she found he keys back at the restaurant where I had apparently dropped them. Bullet dodged!
Out in the parking lot a real straight TT was undergoing final preparation for wheels on the road. Got to say she was doing a fine job. The spare Muncie Transmission in the bed was happily not needed today.
This TT is the veteran of many Texas T Parties. I think this is the first year that we have had two C cab TTs on the tour. There have been other years where we had multiple TT’s, typically the kind with steel doors.
The first stop of the morning was at James Avery Jewelers. The company has made its home in Kerrville for many years. Their handcrafted silver and gold was on sale for those who could afford it. Cash registers were busy.
The bright Texas sun made photos difficult, especially when the car is as shiny as this lovely 1913 runabout. James Avery parking lot, Wednesday October 11, 2017.
On the road towards the next stop. Roads in the Kerr County area are kept in fantastic condition. Traffic was nil. Model T’s were swarming in all directions.
Our next stop of the day was the tiny community of Harper, Texas. Harper is a tiny community in Gillespie County, Texas. Even though the town is small the history is big and well remembered in the Harper museum and community center. We swarmed the area with Model T’s snorting and kicking up dust as they parked all around the museum and picnic area.
Inside the museum exhibits are devoted to local history, including a post office façade used by town founder William Harper, and a still used to make liquor during prohibition.
After lunch there was some minor tinkering going on. Some folks were overcome by the barbecue and had to enter a trance like state where all you do is dream of more barbecue.
Finally we were on the road again to see Stonehenge, Texas style. This is a 9/10 sized replica of the (supposedly) Druid monument in England. It is sort of what happens when a couple buddies have a bunch of chicken wire, plaster and beer on a long weekend. Needless to say it is much more impressive when surrounded by Model T’s.
Our '17 runabout was doing well except for a low speed shimmy. Looking at the steering in the parking lot tonight it appears the bushing in the steering bracket on the frame is shot.
