Ford Mustang Shows

Well, this is the end, the last hurrah-at least until January when we start all over again. We can say that all the trails were fun, that we didn't get lost (at least we didn't get lost in the lead car), and we can truthfully say we had more fun than should be legal in most states.

The trails are getting huge; in some cases the participation is almost overwhelming. To have nearly 300 Mustangs tooling through the countryside is just shy of amazing. The real stunner is that our lowest number on the trail this year was still just a tick over 50 Mustangs.

Where does the credit for the phenomenal success of the Pony Trails lie? It lies squarely at the feet of attendees, many of who have been back multiple times. We can't express our deep thanks enough to those who partook in all our trails over the past five years, and indeed we hope that you will be back in 2003. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of you who took the time off to attend.

Now let's look at the totals for most of the field. Next month we'll post the totals for the rest.

Sixth Place: Charlotte Pony Trail Total: 51Though this trail ended up being our smallest, it was certainly a fun one. The roads were nice, the pace leisurely, and we were fed by the nice folks at Montgomery Motors in Troy, North Carolina. The one thing that probably kept our numbers small was that we started out under bad weather, and it only got worse.

Lazarus got its first real undercarriage dousing at the hands of mother nature, so all that detailing seen in the September issue is now in need of some tender loving care. Regardless, we had a ball.

What really surprised us was the show turnout. The Thunder In Carolina (aptly named for the weather) Mustang Club of America (MCA) Grand National show was a tour de force of good planning and good people. Carol Barker and others at the show made it easy to enjoy-even if the rain didn't. As it stood, more than 600 Mustangs braved the sorry weather to show off and shine.

Fifth Place:Carlisle Pony Trail Total: 96Carlisle was a great trail, though we encountered a problem when a business near our lunch stop, after getting many of our Mustangers to buy gas, called in the state troopers to clear his parking lot of all the Mustang traffic. No tickets were written, but there were some anxious moments as we scrambled to get the lot cleared before any tickets were issued. The troopers were cool; they moved very slowly in their attempt to get as many license numbers as possible before writing any tickets, allowing us to get all the cars moved. Suffice it to say we won't return to that place next year.

The show, like always, was a plethora of good and great cars as well as parts for just about anything that carried or carries a Ford logo. We spent Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ducking work so we could get some deals. Though we came home with nothing more than sore feet, we did see some things that made our mouths water. Judging from what we saw, Carlisle might just be the place to discover that hard-to-find part.

Since this is such a mega-Ford event, we will be back next year, and Carlisle will be one of our five featured shows (see the article on page 68 for more on what will make these shows special.)

Fourth Place:Silver Springs Pony Trail Total: 110Down by one from last year's 111 cars, the trail back to Cedar Key was once again an unqualified success. Quite frankly, we felt this total would be enough to put them squarely into at least third place. Little did we know this trail would end up being good enough for only the fourth spot. Even so, the trail is getting huge-larger than some of the local car shows we've been to, with mustangs of extremely good quality blowing down the road to and from Cedar Key.