As I stood gazing at the Ferrari Dino, surrounded by beautifully restored cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles, with vintage planes buzzing overhead, the unmistakable sound of the local railroad steam engine whistle pierced the air. For those few seconds, I was in a place of total contentment and happiness.

Those moments are so rare in life, and I really try to savor them when they come along. I stayed in the glow for the rest of my visit to the 1999 Wheels and Wings festival on the grounds of Motorbooks International, just around the corner from the Victory Motorcycle plant in Oseola, WI, about 35 minutes North of us along the St. Croix river.

Steph was at a local Spa immersed in a day of pampering massages, facials, etc. and Adam was working, so I was free to wander at my own pace and linger, ponder, appreciate and explore.

The honored guest was George Barris, creator of this era's most stunning custom cars, including the Batmobile among his many credits from the 50's, and 60's, through today. I spoke with he and his wife for a time. Very nice couple, even if his wife did try to talk me out of my camera on the spot.

I took advantage of the 50% discount in the book tent, and also went inside the warehouse to peruse the aisles of the order fulfillment department. Like kids in a huge candy store, I joined the other attendees in a wild-eyed pursuit of the world's widest and deepest assortment of books related to autos, trucks, tractors, aviation, and military subjects, along with every imaginable tangental subject remotely associated with these general categories. Everything from parts exchange guides for '46-'54 Plymouths to debrifing notes of German commanders on the Eastern front to spotters guides for obscure English tractors from the late '30's and '40's.

I purchased the maximum load, which is a finely balanced total between what you can possible carry and what will cause you to sleep in the garage for a week. I planned to lean heavily on the "1/2 off" aspect of the majority of my purchases. A fellow aisle warrior and I worked up the rationalization that wives love sales, and that would atone for at least the first 35 lbs. of booty.

It was a spectacular day, which I've attempted to capture in the pics below. They start with the cars parked across the street of where I finally found a spot a couple of blocks from the actual event and follow my wanderings through the day. I'm not going to title them as I can't remember the details on half of them anyway. For those of you who are into cars, you'll know what you're looking at, for those who aren't, you can just enjoy the sights.

Enjoy!

Doug

DSC00158.JPG 201423 1024x768	DSC00159.JPG '69 427, 4 speed rag top 176664 1024x768	DSC00160.JPG Lotus Europa with a Renault engine, for sale for $5,500 209012 1024x768	DSC00161.JPG 182320 1024x768
DSC00162.JPG 221335 1024x768	DSC00163.JPG 177672 1024x768	DSC00164.JPG 201042 1024x768	DSC00165.JPG Prowler 'mit out bumpers. Just like you drew it in study hall. 191360 1024x768
DSC00166.JPG 140122 1024x768	DSC00167.JPG 123379 1024x768	DSC00168.JPG 233825 1024x768	DSC00169.JPG 262291 1024x768
DSC00170.JPG The pair are for sale. CZ 125's, for the person who appreciates the obscure. 250981 1024x768	DSC00171.JPG 237947 1024x768	DSC00172.JPG 167146 1024x768	DSC00173.JPG 227737 1024x768
DSC00174.JPG Norton based cafe racer. Took best in class. Very, very well done. 243209 1024x768	DSC00175.JPG Rear view of Norton. Can't imagine what this guy has into this bike, but it was worth it! 241230 1024x768	DSC00176.JPG Lotus Europa in a beautiful blue. I always wanted one of these things. 220577 1024x768	DSC00177.JPG 217614 1024x768
DSC00178.JPG Old BMW. The sign on the side said "She divorced me over this car." 198271 1024x768	DSC00179.JPG 251914 1024x768	DSC00180.JPG 53816 640x480	DSC00181.JPG 170183 1024x768
DSC00182.JPG 99329 1024x768	DSC00183.JPG This picture doesn't begin to do justice to this "Henry J," a most beautifully proportioned rod. 112530 1024x768	DSC00184.JPG One of George Barris' rods brought in for the occasion. I had to wait about 10 minutes to get a clear picture. 142246 1024x768	DSC00185.JPG Mr. George Barris. A genuine nice guy. 168483 1024x768
DSC00186.JPG 66465 1024x768	DSC00187.JPG 122974 1024x768	DSC00188.JPG 182551 1024x768	DSC00189.JPG A very clean rendition of an original "hot rod." There were a handful of these "true to the original ideal" renditions. Very worthy. 188031 1024x768
DSC00190.JPG 144930 1024x768	DSC00192.JPG 197300 1024x768	DSC00193.JPG 260807 1024x768	DSC00194.JPG 194439 1024x768
DSC00195.JPG Rare 4 banger rod. 235250 1024x768	DSC00196.JPG Detail of manifold and dual carbs. Check out the flathead in the background. 189514 1024x768	DSC00197.JPG Best firewall art of the day. I felt like I was back in my youth, hidden away with a well thumbed copy of "Car Toons." 218615 1024x768	DSC00198.JPG 213484 1024x768
DSC00199.JPG 201365 1024x768	DSC00200.JPG 71662 1024x768	DSC00201.JPG For once, I couldn't find anyone to stand and gawk at the car I was trying to shoot. What you don't realize in this picture of the Crosley is that it comes up to about your armpit. A 3/5ths scale production car. 157098 1024x768	DSC00202.JPG 150837 1024x768
DSC00203.JPG 256487 1024x768	DSC00204.JPG I spent a lot of time lusting after Mopars when I was a kid. This is a very nice small block example of a lustworthy item. 190134 1024x768	DSC00205.JPG 273498 1024x768	DSC00206.JPG 107022 1024x768
DSC00207.JPG 268840 1024x768	DSC00208.JPG 146984 1024x768	DSC00209.JPG My uncle had one of these. Same colors, except his was a rag top. 189438 1024x768	DSC00210.JPG I'm not sure what they called this body style, but I sure like the look of it with no B pillar breaking up the lines between the doors. 151194 1024x768
DSC00211.JPG Driver's view of the caddy in 210. You'd have to wear shades at all times, just in case the sun came out and caught any of the 2 acres of chrome on the dash. Ah, but what style! 166175 1024x768	DSC00212.JPG 172554 1024x768	DSC00213.JPG 37085 640x480	DSC00214.JPG 151498 1024x768
DSC00215.JPG 218486 1024x768	DSC00216.JPG 155510 1024x768	DSC00217.JPG 152171 1024x768	DSC00218.JPG There was an antique tractor pull going on in town. Apparently they didn't have a class for these. I'm probably one of 50 people on the planet who know what one of these is, how to run it and how to repair it. We used these at one of my first jobs at Harvey's greenhouse in Adel. Perfect for cultivation. 176564 1024x768
DSC00219.JPG 165610 1024x768	DSC00220.JPG Interior of an AMX. My cousin Steve had one of these. 174789 1024x768	DSC00221.JPG Bike on the left is an original owner bike. 235289 1024x768	DSC00222.JPG Fairly rare Sport Fury. For the discerning Mopar enthusiast who needs a back seat big enough for a frat party. 179961 1024x768
DSC00223.JPG 76613 1024x768	DSC00224.JPG Sign in passenger seat of the Sport Fury. The trials and tribulations of classic cars. 103522 1024x768	DSC00225.JPG 63385 1024x768	DSC00226.JPG 141484 1024x768
DSC00227.JPG 111728 1024x768	DSC00228.JPG The little BMW again. These four college kids were trying to figure out how to get in it and where the motor was. I let them embarras themselves for a couple of minutes before I told them that you didn't need to crawl over the seats from the back and that the motor was not under the floor, nor was it meant as a tow vehicle for undesirable passengers. 216257 1024x768	DSC00229.JPG 163395 1024x768	DSC00230.JPG 102202 1024x768
DSC00231.JPG 218361 1024x768	DSC00232.JPG 192916 1024x768	DSC00233.JPG 141906 1024x768	DSC00234.JPG 181736 1024x768
DSC00235.JPG My 1961 Rambler cross country station wagon was a direct decendant of this original cross country wagon. I believe it was a Nash, which became part of American Motors, the maker of my Rambler, which by the way, had fold down front and rear seats, allowing one flat platform/bed from tailgate to dash. Not that I would know anything about that... 184092 1024x768	DSC00236.JPG 128232 1024x768	DSC00237.JPG 116661 1024x768	DSC00238.JPG 123175 1024x768
DSC00239.JPG 103609 1024x768	DSC00240.JPG 150224 1024x768	DSC00242.JPG 240Z. Original paint, original glass, original interior, orginal owner, 42k miles. Winner, best in class. Best Z there. There weren't any 280's as good as what I used to have. 176304 1024x768	DSC00243.JPG 108269 1024x768
DSC00244.JPG 151524 1024x768	DSC00245.JPG 161442 1024x768	DSC00246.JPG 141717 1024x768	DSC00247.JPG 129504 1024x768
DSC00248.JPG 162361 1024x768	DSC00249.JPG 151995 1024x768	DSC00250.JPG 140751 1024x768	DSC00251.JPG Inside the IMB warehouse. Subtitle is "just tell me when my Visa card says TILT." 216090 1024x768
DSC00252.JPG 207796 1024x768	DSC00254.JPG 184779 1024x768