It was not like a walk in the park but it was just as much fun. The difference was that, unlike a stroll across the grass and around a pond, Peachtree City residents Ray and Teri Besch in their fully restored 1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Coupe traveled 11,609 miles and visited 19 states in the United States and three provinces in Canada in 44 days.
“Every day was fun. If we had not done the trip and left tomorrow we’d do it again with few changes,” Ray said. “We had a ball.”
The couple set out on their journey on June 1 and returned home July 14. One might think that riding in any vehicle more than 11,000 miles and traversing the plains and mountains across a decent portion of the continent would take its toll. But not so, Ray said.
“We weren’t tired and we were not beat to death,” Ray said with a chuckle.
And even along the way, with the unending scenery and the companionship of friends Jim and Rose Donaldson of Marietta, the two couples in their two 1931 Model A coupes drew attention. On one occasion, elected officials at Dawson Creek, British Columbia, turned out to greet and honor the travelers stopping in their city.
“People treated us like celebrities everywhere we went,” Ray added.
But why take the trip, why travel so many miles and why all the way to what is clearly in the direction of the top of the world?
“According to our friends, we’re nuts,” Ray said before the trip, laughing as he spoke. “We wanted to see Alaska. Once we’ve completed the trip we will have seen virtually all the states.”
So what’s next? It looks like next summer could lead to a trip to Wisconsin, the upper peninsula of Michigan and Lake Superior.
Meantime, want an up-close look at the intercontinental trek? That’s easy. Just visit http://beschdonaldson2011.blogspot.com.
And just in case anyone is interested, Terri and Ray would like to do the trip to Canada and Alaska again.
