The Pit

This year’s cruise was planned in October so we could truly experience the cool weather and changing colors. Lucky for us, the wet weather stayed away and our last cruise for the year was indeed a memorable one! This is one of the longer cruises we’ve taken thus far. Rounds trips for most people were going to average over 300 miles!

Our day started at the rally point. We congregated at a Burger King on Lincoln Highway. 40 members and over 20 cars were in attendance. As always we spent a little time socializing before we packed things up and headed out!

We headed west on Lincoln Highway for almost thirty miles before a few zigzags brought us to our first stop, Jonamac Orchard in Malta! The Vipers arrived before the general crowd did, we parked right in front of the corn maze. Members chatted for a while before making their way over to the main building for some complimentary donuts, muffins, coffee, apple cider, hot chocolate, or and coffee. It was a slightly chilly morning, the hot stuff did good warming us up for the interesting jaunt we had coming up. The store itself had a great selection of custom made preserves, candies, deserts, pies, and keep sakes. Members perused the store a bit as country music played in the background. The cash register was ringing as folks picked up their knick-knacks.

Some members walked out into the orchard, there were still apples on the trees and they spent some time apple picking. As for most members, they decided to take on a special challenge… the corn maze!

The maze had 3 miles of corridors and the corn was almost 8 feet tall. Now it’s been rumored that people who’ve entered the maze have never come out. Of course nothing intimidates this crowd. Many groups of members entered the maze (many with maps – nothing wrong with a little insurance). Members joked as they realized this would be a very unique experience in the night and without a map... Halloween indeed! The idea of the corn maze, was to navigate the maze, using the signs along the way to guide you. The signs had trivia questions, right answer takes you the right way, the wrong answers, well… you’re going to be in there for a while. Members had a god time running around. Looking at the map it actually took 20 mins to straight shoot the proper route and we only did half of it!! Ever need to keep your kids busy for a few hours… we know just the place! Luckily for us, all members made their exits (we think). Should have done a head count.

We congregated around our cars for a while before we packed up again and headed to our next stop, lunch! We drove for another good hour before coming to a small sleepy town. Vipers definitely took over the road as you could see snakes parked all over the main drag. The locals came out in force, eager to take pictures and experience the cars they don’t often see. Several even mentioned they called each other to make one another aware that there’s a special Viper event coming through town. It was a cute sight to see.

Members began packing into the quaint little restaurant. The club actually FILLED the place. There wasn’t a single seat left. We definitely made this humble family restaurant’s day! The food was actually great, a far cry from fast food. Members got their fill of home made soups, wraps, and burgers before collecting outside the eatery. Outside, more onlookers were snapping photos and perusing the cars.

One young family declared they found their favorite Viper, our President Alex’s car (hidden actually on a side street) was picked by a young 10 year old. One of our members tracked down Alex to let him know. Alex offered the youngster a ride, his eyes lit up! Mother couldn’t disappoint and allowed the youngster to strap in for a memorable trip. Alex took him on a ride he wouldn’t soon forget. Tires were heard screeching and the engine was racing. Upon return, the child had a smile a mile wide! It’s surely something he’ll remember! He was speechless!

If you’re not familiar with Sneaky Pete’s, it’s a VERY casual steak house boasting some of the best cuts in the state. Of course the hundreds of ties hanging from the ceilings are another hint of the unique atmosphere. If you didn’t know, and we hope no one dressed up for the occasion… it’s a tradition of the restaurant, that if they see you entering with a  tie on, to cut your tie off and hang it from the ceiling!

Members had an absolutely great time. The food and the ambiance was great, the energy was high in the rowdy restaurant. There were a lot of chops served that night, and they were good! The drinks were served in cute jars instead of glasses. We spent a good while there until the group slowly began to disband. You could tell it was a popular place, there were people still waiting to get in the restaurant as we were exiting.

The ride home was the longest jaunt but a straight shot. Most folks drove over 2 hours. Of course we had some fun on the highways on the way back... you’re not a Viper owner if you don’t.

What could be better? Good weather, long distance, good food, a car museum, and yes… chocolate and cheap gas! Our summer cruise was a heck of a gathering. Over 20 cars rumbled over state lines and entered Indiana. It was almost too much for a single day!

Our day began at our meeting place, the Lincoln Oasis on the tollway. Over 20 cars gathered for the day’s event! We left promptly at 9:00am and headed toward our first stop, Centennial Park. The line of Vipers (a block long) was amazing. There wasn’t much traffic, but the Vipers were still especially close knit which made it tough for anyone to come between us.

We had a good 1 ½ hour drive to Plymouth where we settled in for a break at the park. Members grabbed an early lunch and then spent some time chatting. The Vipers of course drew a crowd. One onlooker said it best, she was inspired by friendship she witnessed and was happy to see people truly enjoying life and all its blessings. She couldn’t have summed it up better.

The gang fired up their cars and we headed to our next stop in South Bend, Indiana. The cars arrived at the South Bend Chocolate Factory after another 20 minutes of cruising. The factory is well known in the area for producing (and lucky for us – also selling) fine chocolates on premises. We filled the lot and headed inside to promptly begin the guided tour. Members were given a first hand look at how chocolate is produced from bean all the way to that 50 pound – 3 foot Santa that was on display (yes, you can own one for just $600!). Members also had a chance to try their hand at dipping their own chocolate and also enjoyed a short film at the factory. And of course, members made a short (long) stop at their chocolate store where they literally packed their trunks full of chocolate treats. With tummies full (for a second time) we headed to our next stop.

After a brief trip we rumbled to the newly remodeled Studebaker Museum, what a great stop! Members perused 3 floors of cars on display ranging from Studebaker automobiles to Abraham Lincoln’s horse-drawn carriage. We were also lucky enough to arrive at a time when there was a special display of cars paying homage to alternative fuels! We had a wonderful guided tour of the entire museum. We even had the opportunity to see a wonderful wedding happening on premises (I’m sure we added a lot to their memorable day with screams of “don’t do it!”).

As our day at the museum ended, some members departed while most went on to the evening portion of the cruise, dinner at Tippecanoe Place!

Members gathered in the main lobby of the museum and then we all walked a short distance to the mansion to grab a memorable bite. We filled a room on the second floor and enjoyed a great meal. The mansion was impressive! And what better way to end the day. In classic style, the ride home was of course “spirited” for some members, but we wouldn’t be the IL Viper Club if it wasn’t!

We’ve completed the first cruise for 2007 and it was a truly wonderful excursion. Mother nature cooperated fully. We had warm weather and dry roads in front of us! Almost 40 people were in attendance with a line of almost two dozen Vipers rumbling down the road!

And as always we incorporate a few stops along the way. We built our cruise around a visit to the country where we made two stops at some new locations for us. The needles on the speedometers of a few cars really got a workout on a few long stretches of road! This one truly was a fun and interesting outing with a venue that caught a lot of people by surprise!

Our cruise began at its gathering point in Crete, IL. Everyone got to the meeting point on time and shortly thereafter, the group began their long ride through the countryside.

The initial drive was about 60 miles through the back roads of Indiana and Illinois. The day was planned around a truly unbelievable visit to a live dairy farm. This farm was HUGE. Can you say TENS of THOUSANDS of cows!! The group arrived and parked their snakes at the facility. The group was in awe of this facility and it only got more interesting!

A bus tour was arranged for the group who were then led through the facility and learned about how this immense operation worked. This place was streamlined and the scale was immense. After the tour, our members had time to walk and observe the cheese/ice cream making area, calf birthing facility, gift shop, 3D movie, educational and interactive displays. It was FUN! Some members even got to witness a live calf birthing take place!

The group then met for lunch and enjoyed a few laughs together in preparation for the next leg of their journey. The club members departed the location and headed toward Monon, Indiana. We slithered through the country side to our next stop, a Railroad Museum. Members parked their cars then had a stroll of the facility. It was a relaxing stop for the group. We of course also fit in some dessert!