Tours in Review

Chesapeake Region

9 Tours So Far In 2022

By Aniano Arao

PCA Chesapeake’s Tour & Rally Committee has held nine events so far this year, with at least three more inthe pipeline. The Eastern Shore Tour to the Suicide Bridge, above, was the first one. The April 10th drive was conceived, planned and led by guest tour master Tom Divilio. His 54-mile route took us on some of the mostenjoyable and scenic back roads on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. A total of 72 people in 39 cars took part. Most attendees joined the lunch at our destination, the Suicide Bridge Restaurant in Hurlock.

Next came the Drive to the Porsche Swap Meet on April 30th, above. For many years, this huge event hadbeen held in Hershey by PCA’s Central Pennsylvania Region. This year’s 45th meet was only the second one held in Carlisle. Many Chesapeake members usually go to this annual gathering on their own, especiallythose who have Porsche vehicles, parts or merchandise to sell or swap. Only 19 members in 12 cars joinedour drive this year. We used the same route I created for last year’s drive.

We usually hold at least one driving tour each year on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. This year we held two. OurMay 15th Delmarva Tour was the second one. It marked the first time any of our driving events took us all the way to Delaware. The 92-mile route I created started from the Queenstown Premium Outlets in Queenstown,MD, and ended at our lunch destination, Thompson Island Brewing Co. in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Rainyweather on the tour’s original May 8th date prompted us to reschedule to our May 15th rain date. This event was dogged by rainy forecasts and inclement weather from early May until almost the time we assembledon the 15th. The result was that our roster and turnout were reduced to way less than half. The 19brave souls, above, who showed up in 11 cars were rewarded with dry weather and dry conditions, an enjoyabletime on back roads with minimal to nonexistent vehicular traffic and fairly scenic surroundings, as well agreat lunch. The clouds were kind enough to disappear and to let the sunshine through by the time we reached the restaurant.

We usually divide the cars in a tour into groups of 8 to 12 each, for easier and safer caravan management.This year’s fourth tour was unique in that its three groups had their own assembly times – 8:15, 9:00 and9:45 AM – and their own drivers’ meetings 15 minutes later, the first one shown in the photo above. TheJune 5th Nike Missile Base / Linganore Tour was conceived and planned by guest tour master and PCA ChesapeakePresident Ron Farb. It was a reprise of his 2021 event. The group departures had to be staggered because the guided tour of the buildings and silos of the Cold War era missile base could accommodate only 20people at a time. The route from the Ellicott City assembly point to the missile base and then to the lunchvenue – Linganore Wine Cellars – was made up of delightful Howard County and Fredrick County back roads. The event attracted 55 people in 30 cars. I presided over all three drivers’ meetings but could not join thetour because of a problem with my left foot.

The ice cream tours of Steve Graham are always among our most popular events. That’s because the former Tour & Rally Committee co-chair and former executive vice president of PCA Chesapeake

never fails to deliver a wonderful summer treat – usually two of them. His first event this year was the double-barreledIce Cream Tour and Food Drive on July 10th. We held it in conjunction with the Community Service Committee, chaired by Dan White. All 70 attendees in 35 cars donated food stuff and other essential

items in lieu of paying the $5 per person registration fee – a brilliant idea hatched by Ron. Dan later said thathe had never collected as many donations, and never so easily, in all the years of his involvement in charity campaigns. Dan loaded the donated goods into his SUV and a friend’s pickup truck at the Sparks assemblypoint. They delivered them on the same afternoon to the Anne Arundel County charity Sarah’s House, which serves families experiencing homelessness. The tour participants, in the meantime, proceeded on a 59-mileroute through northern Baltimore County and Harford County. Their destination was Keyes Creamery in Havrede Grace, one of the 10 stops in Maryland’s Ice Cream Trail.

My fellow Tour & Rally Committee co-chair, Rich Ehrlich, planned, organized and ran his first PCA Chesapeake tour on July 24th. It was a huge success, as the photo above shows. Rich’s Allegheny Mountain Tour attracted 52 people in 33 cars. The 61-mile Stage 1 started from Frederick and ended at Jimmy Joy’s Log Cabin Inn in Hancock, MD, where everybody had lunch. The 72-mile Stage 2 started from there, went through wonderful roads in southwestern Pennsylvania and concluded at a gas station in Little Orleans, MD. The attendees had a long and thoroughly enjoyable day. Unfortunately, my wife and I were unable to join the fun because we had health problems during the weekend of Rich’s tour. Rich managed the whole event superbly. He is looking forward to putting together and overseeing more tours next year.

Guest tour master Steve Graham’s Ice Cream Tour No. 2 was nearly as popular as the first one he offered toclub members this year. The Aug. 13th event attracted 50 people in 26 cars, shown above. Steve’s 42-mileroute featured some of the most delightful roads in Frederick County. It started from Middletown and ended at Rocky Point Creamery in Tuscarora. Like Keyes, Rocky Point is one of the 10 stops in Maryland’s Ice CreamTrail.

For his second tour this year, guest tour master Ron Farb, shown above, took 48 people in 27 cars on an awesome 68-mile route through Howard County and Frederick County on Aug. 28th. His Bavarian Inn Tour’s35-mile Stage 1 started from Ellicott City and stopped for a restroom break at the Royal

Farms in Urbana. The 33-mile Stage 2 passed the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg and concludedacross the Potomac River at the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, WV, where most of us had lunch.

Our ninth event this year, the Sept. 24th Drive to the Bay Tour, was put together by Hank Lucas. I am featuringit in a separate article in this issue of Patter.

As guest tour masters, Hank, Ron, Steve and Tom did a great job planning, designing and leading their respective tours. I look forward to enjoying their routes again in the near future.

Our 10th event will be a Gimmick Rally on Oct. 23rd, during the 53rd running of the Chesapeake Challenge, our region’s premier gathering. There are some details about the rally and the Challenge elsewhere in thisnewsletter.

Also check out the announcements of my Oct. 30th West Virginia Fall Colors Tour and my Nov. 6th Catoctin Mountain Fall Colors Tour. I hope to see many of you at these forthcoming events.

Drive to the Bay Tour

PCA-CHS Tour & Rally 2022 Event No. 9 – Sept. 24th

By Aniano Arao

PCA Chesapeake’s Tour & Rally Committee offered as its ninth event of the year the “Drive to the Bay Tour”by guest tour master Hank Lucas. The Sept. 24th route consisted of some of the most delightful and scenic roads in Anne Arundel County and Calvert County.

This event was a modified version of Hank’s 2021 “Safeway to the Bay Tour.” It drew a strong turnout of 49people in 27 cars.

After the two-hour, 91-mile drive, most attendees joined the group lunch at Edgewater’s Old Stein Inn. A “People’s Choice Contest” was held after the tour participants had consumed their dessert. They had achance to vote for their favorite among the Porsches driven in the tour, as well as their favorite among the Porsche scale models that a few attendees remembered to bring.

In the photo above, John and Tilo Owsley’s 2014 50th Anniversary 911 came in second in the People’s Choice Contest, losing by just one vote.

The tour started from the parking lot of an Edgewater community’s clubhouse, courtesy of resident and PCA member Russell Pettis. Hank and Ellen Lucas led the first group of Porsches in a Midnight Blue 2018 911 CarreraS Cabriolet (991.2), above. There were 10 cars in their group.

John and Tilo led the second group of cars in a Geyser Gray 2014 50th Anniversary 911 (991.1). The People’sChoice Contest’s top contenders were in their group of seven cars.

Myrna and I led the third group of cars in an Arctic Silver 2009 Cayman (987.2). Consisting of 10 cars, ourgroup had the largest number of solo drivers.

During our “Oktoberfest Trifecta: Tour, Car Show & Lunch” on Sept. 29, 2018, Steve and Joan Wood’s Aqua Blue Metallic 2010 GT3 (997.2) won the People’s Choice Award. Four years later, on Sept. 24th, their car won the coveted honor again, above. And, coincidentally, both victories occurred at the same venue, the Old Stein Inn.

In the People’s Choice Contest for scale-model Porsches, Donna Brandt’s 1:18 replica of her Irish Green 1968911 Targa was the runaway winner, above. Unfortunately, Donna drove her black 993 in the tour instead ofher immaculate, concours-condition Targa.

The event chairman’s Family of the Tour Award went to the Richburgs – Ethan, Ava, Logan and their father Mark, above. Their plan had been to peel away midway through the tour and proceed to a children’s camp, but the young Richburgs enjoyed the drive so much that they unanimously urged their father to skip the camp and, instead, to stay in the tour until the end, and then to join the group lunch. Moreover, they told their dad that they all want to learn how to drive. Future PCA members! Won over by Hank’s wonderful tour route and Mark’s masterful driving of his Midnight Blue 911 Carrera 4S (992).

Aniano Arao Here, below, are photos of some of the other tour participants, taken at the Old Stein Inn.

All photos by Aniano Arao, except for one by Rich Ehrlich