Blindone's Blog

This was my Readers Digest response……….

 

 

Ewwwwwwww, ya hurt a MAJOR nerve here son! It’s time for one of us to get outta dodge, and that would be YOU.  LOL!!!!

 

 

Seriously, I do take a bit of an offense to your comments. However I do understand your frustration with the whole event (to a point) Having lived on the northwest side of Indy for close to 12 years, I know the closed in feeling that comes with the 500. I also know that feeling when the NHRA nationals came to town every fall.

 

But let’s face the truth here, this country was built around the automobile so until we do away with cars there is always gonna be a “reason” to celebrate them. The act of cruising is just one way that the American public has celebrated its love of all things car.

 

Economics be damned! Honestly I get the feeling that you just needed a reason to blow off some steam (because you’re not a car person)

 

 

Now for the artillery………..

 

 

(remember the scene from “Apocalypse Now”, where the Helicopter is flying in for a strafing run? Remember the music?) (yeah you do………..lol!!!) (ain’t insanity great?!?)

 

 

OR how about “Mighty Mouse”?  “Here I come to save the day!!!!”  Actually the small block Chevrolet (Chevy for short) IS referred to as a mouse motor! 

 

 

Ewww, son you’re in for a world of hurting.  Rational or not, this is fighting back for all of us car people. (yuck I hate being politically correct) You’ve gone and gotten my knickers all tied in a knot and I’m not feeling too friendly. “Course if you take all of this seriously, then we’ll be really dancing!  For the most part this is tongue in cheek, sorta.

 

Where /how do I begin? I guess the best way is to start at the top and work my way to the bottom…..

 

“I know of many people that live near I-75 and/or Woodward that hate the Dream cruise.

 

The traffic is intense anywhere near the area starting the week before the cruise.”

 

Ok this is the first sentence, so let’s get busy. As I had stated in my posted comment; I spent 12 years in the northwest side of Indy, so I know all too well and understand the frustration of the lack of mobility in and around Indy when there is a function in town. But you know that’s the beauty of being human; we can adapt!  The real bottom line here isn’t the dream cruise per sa; it’s the fact that you get your knickers all knotted up because of the imposition that the increased traffic creates. Now as I stated after 12 years, I learned how to get around during those awful traffic issues, and I dare say that Indy was probably a far cry worse than the Woodward area. My point being if the folks in Indianapolis can do it, why can’t Detroit? AND if you really want to get picky about it; Indy has to deal with these types of problems multiple times a year, Detroit, or more specifically, the Woodward area, only deals with them for the Dream Cruise and Thanksgiving: which by the way you make no mention of.

 

You use the word “hate”, that’s such a strong verb. My question is, is it the Cruise itself that you “hate” or the cars? Or is it that you can’t participate, because you don’t have a car that you feel is either worthy or acceptable enough? Or is it just purely the fact that you can’t get around when the cruise is in town?

 

Page two……..

 

“Last year I was in Minnesota for the dream cruise, and people were laughing at people in Michigan and talking about how much gas we wasted.

 

For example:  I often wonder about the Indy 500 and how much fuel it wastes.  How much fuel does the Dumb Cruise waste?  Remember that Michigan is a peninsula and that gas works off supply and demand.  Gas this week in Ohio is approx. 2.52 per gallon, but the Ohio gas tax is also less by up to 15 cents per gallon, causing their gas to equal 2.77 per gallon.

 

So let’s use the following assumptions (generous on my part I assure you):

 

57 Chevy averages 12.5 MPG in city style driving, but we'll say 15 to be kind and use round numbers. 

 

20 miles to and from dream cruise (total of 40, again generous on my part), plus 5 laps x 16 miles, not including idle time, rev ups, peel outs, etc. 

 

Total of 120 miles/15 MPG = 8 gallons of gas wasted per car on non-essential travel with no destination in mind.  Why do you need a destination?  Well somebody that goes up north or to visit relatives doesn't just do laps. 

 

So we could say that if 250 cars cruise with the above assumptions, then 2,000 Gallons of gas will be wasted.  What's 2,000 gallons of Gas to the Michigan economy?? Nothing right now.  What is 2,000 gallons of gas in Oakland County??  A lot!  The average SUV gets approx. 22 MPG in combination driving in Oakland County.  The average Oakland county driver drives 16 miles to work every day.  Meaning that the average driver will likely pay 6 cents more per gallon of gas this week in Oakland County, and 1-2 cents more in surrounding counties based on demand.  So even if you don't go to the cruise, it cost you money, SUPPLY AND DEMAND! “

 

Maybe you should have stayed in Minnesota……………………………

 

 

 “and people were laughing at people in Michigan and talking about how much gas we wasted.”

 

 

Give me a break! I got news for ya pal, they were really laughing at you for wasting so much gas and money driving all the way to Minnesota just to get away from the Woodward Cruise!

 

Honestly who was the real Einstein here? Who drove for up wards of 14 hours and used how much gas (one way!) just to get away from “The Cruise”. I submit that you yourself “wasted” a whole lot more (of your personal) time, money and gas on your getaway than most of the participants at the Cruise.

 

Then you go on to substantiate your claim by going through all these gyrations of calculating the fuel usage and costs of a weekends’ worth of cruising. All in the name of the impact on Oakland County’s economy and to top it all off you spout some ridiculous comment about “SUPPLY AND DEMAND”.

 

Please……..get a real job.

 

All kidding aside, do you really think that a died in the wool “Hot Rodder” gives a royal rats butt about the fact that his 450 hp rat motored Chevelle only gets 10 mpg (at best)? Yeah it’d be great if got better mileage, but does that really stop him (or her) from building it? Nope. And if you really want o get picky about it, here’s a couple facts that you either don’t know or care about: one, most (not all) “Hot Rods” ( or what ever you want to generically call them) run cleaner and more efficiently than your daily drivers, and two 95% of all of the true “hobby cars”

 

will never see more than 5 to 10 thousand miles in a year’s time (if that).  Can you say the same about the car(s) that you drive everyday? SO with that in mind, you can take your averages and throw them out the window for all of the good they do. Your point is moot.

 

But if you insist, we could look at it this way: my 79 Z/28 that gets 10 mpg, sees say 5000 miles usage in a year. Ok? Well that figures out to 500 gallons of gas at $3.50/gallon (premium), or roughly $1800. Interesting!?

 

Now if we use your figures for my SUV, which probably sees 30k miles in a years time frame, uses approximately 1400 gallons of gas @ a cost of (lets just use $3/gallon) $4100 !

 

A wee bit of a difference, eh?!  Oh but wait I didn’t compare it the same way you did. Ok lets use the 120 miles of needless travel…………..nah, lets not. Here’s why, that 120 miles of needless mileage is just that only 120 miles, how about taking a serious look at all of the miles that you put on your SUV (that you never use as an SUV) in a months time?! And while we do that lets really be honest, your example is slightly flawed, no one’s SUV gets 22 mpg around town; maybe on the Highway, but definitely not around town. I digressed, how many “trips” to the movies did you make during that months time frame, or to blockbuster? Cable or Satellite TV would have saved you that money and not wasted that gas. How many times did you take a “trip” to take the wifey and/or kids out to dinner? Stay at home and cook the meal for the wife instead: that’s called family time. Go bowling, golf? How about that quick trip to the corner for a Sunday paper? I could go on and on, but I think that you get the picture. Again, your argument is moot.

 

NEXT!

 

“How can we still have the cruise and compensate?  I personally think the cruise should not be held unless......

 

Surrounding cities within a 15-20 mile radius offer 4 shuttles per day the weekend of the cruise.  Cruising cars submit a permit and can only lap 3 times and have a consistent speed through out the whole length of their cruising.  Cars classic or not, that do not meet a certain MPG requirement be adapted to run on electricity, ethanol, or not be allowed to lap.”

 

OMg! Stop it you’re killing me!  LOL!!!!!!  You can’t be serious? Detroit can’t even provide a decent mass transit program for its’ everyday needs and you want a shuttle service for that weekend?!  You’re joking right?!

 

“Cruising cars submit a permit and can only lap 3 times and have a consistent speed through out the whole length of their cruising.  Cars classic or not, that do not meet a certain MPG requirement be adapted to run on electricity, ethanol, or not be allowed to lap.”

 

How would you enforce this idea? By doing this, you’d be creating more of a backup than the cruise itself! The whole reason that there is a lack of forward movement is due in part to the shear number of cars in the area in the first place: and now you want someone to “police” the event to: one limit the number of “passes” that car makes during the course of a day, AND somehow determine what kind of gas mileage the vehicle gets and whether or not it meets those guidelines. Besides I can really se someone who would spend 25 to 50 thousand dollars on his restored 57 installing an electric motor to power it! Alternative fuels………maybe, some cars can and do run Alcohol (hahahahahaha) Who’s going to pay the “enforcers”? “or not be allowed to lap.”  Yeah right!  MLOL!!!!!

 

 

Page Three………..

 

 

“Does the above still hurt the Michigan economy?  Yes, but less.

 

Does the dream cruise help the Michigan economy?  In the short term

 

it brings in revenue, but not many full time long term jobs.  Some hotels do see increased business, but only for 1 weekend, which may help them keep a few employees through out the year, or have some work more hours, but the long term employment effects are minimal.  Please feel free to prove me wrong, but have the data to back it up!  SUPPLY AND DEMAND!  Have the cars park in Cobo hall like the auto-show and call it the auto-show, oh wait that names already taken!  We all talk (especially channel 7) about the positive impact of the cruise. But is it really?  Considering  pollution, gas, litter, etc.”

 

 

This whole side of the argument makes little sense (if any). And I do enjoy the throwing in of that phrase “SUPPLY AND DEMAND”.  Cute…………….

 

Really you just can’t see beyond the traffic jams, and the inconvenience of the whole Cruise thing can you?  That’s really what this is all about. The whole economy, pollution, gas wasting thing is just that; you’re just spewing gaseous waste about how the cruise is cramping your style.

 

Actually if you really take an honest look at the cruise and if I dare go that far, the whole “car” thingy; there is no real good reason for it’s’ support. Except for the fact that aftermarket (which by the way what they call it) supports far more American based jobs, and services than the “big 3” themselves! If it weren’t for the aftermarket companies, a lot of the improvements that you’d find on your daily driver wouldn’t be available today. The aftermarket and racing venues provide a vast arena for the major car companies to use for product development as well as show off their upgrades and improved technologies. From fuel injection (and related management systems) to safety equipment, all came about with the help from the very industry and pastime that you’d just as soon see disappear.

 

As I stated before, the cruise is not about economy, gas mileage, or even emissions; it’s all about the cars. Cars being an art form, an expression of personal creativity.

 

If you are going to take the stance that there is really no good reason for the existence of the cruise or gatherings, then you might as well do away with racing in general: because it is nothing more than a waste of gasoline (although I did mention that some cars burn alcohol) and contribute to the green house gas emissions. (I CAN’T BELIEVE I SAID THAT) Why not kill off Cart, Indy car, Formula one, NASCAR, (OMg, thems fightin’ words!) ((LOL!!)),

 

Off road, (4X4), Craftsman Truck Series, Short Track, motorcycle racing, need I really go on?! A whole lot of folks would be out of jobs……………..But using the logic that you present, they are all useless wastes of gas and serve no real good purpose.  And to a point you are exactly correct; however over all you’re all wet.

 

My conclusion:

 

DO I really need “the data to back it up”? I don’t think so. But if you really insist; here goes, I have worked in the automotive industry for 25 + years, I have (and read) every car magazine that I have ever purchased since April of 1969, I do 95% of all of the repair work on my own vehicles, I build and collect model cars and trucks (presently somewhere in the neighborhood of 500+ kits) , I can tell you want the firing order of a SMC is (in case you don’t know what that is, it’s a small block Chevy) in other words I live, eat and breathe cars; and have for 50 years. I think that’s data enough.

 

I’ve said it before and with complete honesty, and compassion, I understand your frustration with the congestion that comes about with the Cruise and all of it’s related brew ha ha, but let’s be realistic: as long as there are cars, there will be a Woodward cruise; whether it’s an organized event or just a bunch of cars guys getting together on a Saturday night. There has been cruising on Woodward since the fifty’s. And even if the cars all become powered by electric motors, there will still be folks who will figure out a way to modify them as well. It’s a whole lot bigger than you and me, so why not learn to be human and adapt your life style around the cruise instead of the other way around?