We traveled to Auburn, NY with the Centerfield Homemakers Travel Club (Donna Andrews, phone 585 394-3739) as the older you get the more you don’t want to be bothered by having to do the driving yourself. And we just like being chauffeured around in an air-conditioned bus! We left from Canandaigua and headed to Auburn, NY. Our first stop was at the Petro Rest Area just off the NY Thruway after Seneca Falls. Today’s modern motor coaches can travel 600 miles before needing to be refueled but seniors rarely get more than 60 to 90 miles on the road before needing a rest stop! Our next stop was at the Ward W. O’Hara Agricultural & Country Living Museum on East Lake Road in Auburn, NY.
Another sure way to tell that you are getting older is when yesterday’s model excites you more than the latest one! I spotted her in one of the sheds beside the museum. There she stood with her top down already to go on a summer’s ride. Sure, her floor mates were a little worn but her upholstery was new, and she looked like she had been well taken care of over the years.
Upfront it was what you would expect: two nice big headlights, a big windshield to keep the bugs out of your eyes, and a horn to scare away any stray animals which may have wondered onto the road. Ah, but under the hood – was that famous Ford 4 cylinder flat head motor in an uncluttered engine compartment. No fuel injection, no super chargers, no engine emission controls, no power robbing catalytic converters; just iron, motor oil, and REAL gasoline. The average miles per gallon of gas was about 25 mpg on a 1908 Tin Lizzie and the EPA mpg average for cars in 2008 was 21 mpg! (click here). I’ve never taken a ride in one of these old Ford cars, but at this point in my life, a leisurely pace of 25 to 30 miles per hour suits me just fine!