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Day 10 - Sydney NE to Laramie WY
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From the Diary of Eagle Scout Bernard R.
Queneau Member of the 1928 Lincoln Highway BSA Lincoln Highway Promotional Tour Thursday, July 26, 1928 - On account of a telegraphic error, we only arrived at Cheyenne by 11:30 instead of 9:30; therefore we did not march in the Frontier Days parade. We heard that it was a perfect pageant of Western History. I am sorry not to have been there. We ate dinner in the barracks of Fort D.A. Russell where we will stay while in Cheyenne. We went tot the Rodeo immediately after the meal and took possession of unreserved seats. Tomorrow, however, we have reserved ones. It got kind of tiring this afternoon. since it is really a contest, not a display. One man had his head kicked in. Another jumped over a fence on a steer, but only got bruised and scratched.. |
| Tuesday - August 26th HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! The day starts off well – Had a great breakfast buffet (more food) and the weather remains incredible. Temperatures are cool enough to be really comfortable, and skies are clear. The climate is drier now, and the fields look much browner. Huge irrigation and sprinkler systems are used to keep things growing. |
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About 15 miles out of Sidney, Ken passes the Ausberger’s motor home. As he pulls back in we suddenly hear a loud, even thrumming. At first, we think it is just the tar strips in the road. But the sound doesn’t match up to the strips. We pull over to the side, thinking a tire may be going flat. Almost immediately, Jeff and Linda Lotze and Jim Cassler stop to see if we need help. The tires all look OK – there is a gas station ahead with a big open lot next to it, so we drive there to do further diagnosis. Jacking the car up, we determine that the noise is coming from the right rear. It is a low-pitched recurring rumble that doesn’t match the rotation of the tires. There are many things it could be – none of them are encouraging. The main problem is that any work will require an old-fashioned hub puller that will be hard to find. We don’t even want to consider potentially terminal problems such as broken differential teeth. Bill notes that the Packard has never left him stranded, and the noise doesn’t sound that bad. However, not knowing what the cause is, we can’t risk driving. It’s time to call the Sweep Truck. |
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Harold Woods and Louie Sabatino roll up with the Lincoln Navigator and trailer a short time later, and we drive Sophie inside. It takes a bit of shuffling, but they manage to get all three of us inside and we continue on to our lunch stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The ride is a little quiet – if this is serious, it will be difficult to finish the Tour. We can probably hitch rides with some of the other Tidewater members, or rent a car. That still would leave Sophie stuck a long way from home. |
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The rest of the Tour is already in Cheyenne when we roll by the Plains Motel. The Woolfitts are just pulling up in front of the old Lincoln Theater. J.R. Manning’s Model A is at the head of the pack on the main street, and a few cars behind we find not one, but TWO lavender and white 1958 Oldsmobile 88s! The near-perfect match to the Tillett’s car belongs to a man whose sister saw the Tilletts back in Ohio – she chased them down and got the information on the Tour, then let her brother know when to meet up with us in Cheyenne. Until we know what the story is with Sophie, we can’t plan anything. We have to forego lunch and the trolley car tour set up for the Tour. Ken and Bill start looking for some place to work on the car, and I walk around the area a quick tour of downtown. The members of the Tour group are anxious to help out. Bob Leibensperger (who really is on the tour) is a retired executive from Timken Bearings and makes some calls to see if he can rustle up a set of rear bearings for us in case that is the problem and have them over-nighted. |
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We regroup about a half-hour later with some good news. Ken has located a local garage owner who is into old cars. He will provide work space and tools, including the hub puller, so we can see what is ailing Sophie. Buck and Jo Wright operate Buck’s Auto Repair Center in Cheyenne, and are very active in the old car hobby. And very hospitable to strangers. Buck leads us to his private garage, opens it up, and leaves us to work in peace. Or is that pieces? After some grunting and pounding, we get the rear brake hub off, and then the backing plate and axle. Careful inspection determines that the culprit is Sophie's right rear axle bearing. |
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We go back to Buck, who pulls out his books and makes a
few calls. In ten minutes, we are on the way to a bearing shop
across town that actually has the bearing on the shelf, chauffeured by our
long-suffering and very patient Sweep Truck crew. And in another
hour, we have Sophie back on the road!
Ironically, if we had been in a modern car, we might not have been able to make the repair. Ken and I are so filthy we have to turn our shirts inside out, but we are both elated with success. |
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Harold Woods and Louie Sabatino follow us to our hotel stop in Laramie WY as we roll up Interstate 80. The Packard is smooth and quiet at 65 mph – all systems go. The Sweep Truck continues on when we stop to look at a Lincoln monument about 8 miles away from Laramie. The terrain has changed even more, becoming rocky and hilly. |
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| We find the hotel (which changed from the Holiday Inn to the Best Western that very afternoon!) and Ken and I do a major clean-up before we drive out to dinner and a tour of the Wyoming Territorial Prison. This is the first chance many people in the tour have had to see a prison from the outside… just kidding, folks. This prison once held the infamous Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, and has become part of a Pioneer Days exhibit that illustrates the hardships and conditions of pioneer life. |
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