[johnsma22]

I would love to hear this story be topped!

I'm coopting my dad's profile to dedicate this in his honor solely because I wish I could see his face if I ever got to tell it to him.

Some of the long time vets on here may remember this car from it's original rebuild in the early 2000's but here it is again taking me and my wife across the country on one of the wildest two week honeymoon you can think of! What was originally built to be a mean street car did 6200 miles from Washington state to Massachusetts hitting 14 states and 1 province on it's way home!

When my dad passed in '22 it became my mission to keep this car alive and with the help of friends, family, and members of this forum (both in person and online) I wasn't just able to keep it alive, I got to drive it like I stole it whilst getting as close to feeling like Burt Reynolds through some of the most beautiful of stretches of roads and highways this country has to offer. Driving through North Cascades NP into Glacier, getting it right up next to the geysers of Yellowstone (and avoiding a few moose on Togwotee Pass at 9659ft above sea level). Down through Arches, then back over the Rockies through Badlands and over the Great Lakes, past Niagara then homeward bound! All while managing 15mpg the whole trip! I would personally like to give a handshake to the Pontiac engineer who designed these seats because riding on a sofa for eight hours a day every day for two weeks is probably the only reason I can still feel my back.

The fun did not come without challenges however! From switching ports in the carburetor to adjust for altitudes to having to do valve seals under a pop up tent in the rain a week prior to shipping the car across the entire country. To having the passenger side muffler sheer straight off the welds and brackets and drag a quarter mile in the middle of nowhere on the first day of the trip. To Masterminds Auto Repair in Idaho for welding it back on next day! Having overheating issues the second we crossed the Canadian border and stalling in the middle lane of the QEW while going over a bridge. I guess that's why it's called a Trans-Am not a Trans-Can

All that to say, this car will forever hold a special place in my heart not just emotionally, but as a friend and a small piece of what my father left behind that I got to enjoy on a once in a lifetime experience. With that I hope all of you can have similar moments with your cars making memories that will last lifetimes!

Carry On!