For car club members, it’s all about the ride

A small group of North Big Horn Car Club members fired up their engines this weekend for a road trip to the Greybull Car Show. The loosely organized group is less of a club and more of a gathering of like-minded classic car enthusiasts.
The club has no dues, no fees and no obligations required for participation. Participants take part in rides to local sites and occasionally caravan to local car shows in Greybull, Powell, Cody and occasionally Billings.
A number of group rides take place every year including a ride over the Beartooth Highway to Red Lodge, a trip up Highway 14A to the Big Horn Mountains for a group luncheon at Bear Lodge and a ride up Highway 16, via Greybull and Manderson into the local mountains for lunch at Meadowlark Lodge.
“About 15 years ago, a small group of classic car owners got together and thought we should start some sort of car club for coordinating rides,” explained member Bruce Wacker.
Wacker took it upon himself at that time to let people know via email about short group rides. He still maintains the list and usually sends out notification a few weeks before a ride is scheduled to take place.
“I don’t inform people about car shows so much, because they can read about those in the paper or on Facebook,” Wacker said. “I do let people on the email list know about organized short rides in the immediate area, since those aren’t published and are usually pretty spontaneous.”
Some rides have become very popular, like the ride to Red Lodge over the Beartooth Pass that takes place every year on Labor Day.
“People ask about that particular ride in advance,” said Wacker. “It’s a popular, end-of-the-season ride that usually has a good turnout. A ride like that can be daunting if you break down in a place with no cell phone reception. Most classic car owners like to tinker with cars and are usually mechanically inclined. So, we help each other out in the rare instance there is a problem, and we rely on each other to make sure each and every one completes the trip.”
With a shared interest in cars in general, participants have cars of all makes and models. Some are old and some are new, and all are considered special in some way or another.
“Our rides usually have a destination, where we have lunch together,” said Wacker. “It’s a great way to make new friends who like to talk about cars. We’ve kept it very informal and uncomplicated, because most people have busy lives and don’t need unnecessary obligations. It’s just something we do for fun, and it’s a good time to take your classic car out in the good weather.”
Wacker said though most participants are from towns in the immediate area like Lovell, Cowley, Byron, Greybull and Powell, enthusiasts from as far away as Thermopolis have joined the group for some rides. He said he’s always open to suggestions for road trips. He said anyone with an interest in classic cars is welcome to join the fun.
For more information or to be placed on the mailing list, contact Wacker at bjwacker2@gmail.com.