Hot Rod Power Tour 2011: The Voyage Home

Waking up early, I wanted to grab breakfast at Toast N’ Jams before I had to get to the ferry, so I shot over there real quick.

I ordered their INCREDIBLE cinnamon roll pancakes and struck up a conversation with the owner of the establishment who just happens to be the brother of Dave Boertman who drove the blue 70 Rod Shop Challenger. What a small world! I ate my wonderful breakfast and then headed out to grab the ferry.

My thinking was that it was early Sunday morning, there wouldn’t be anyone around. The ferry would be empty. I was very mistaken. I got one of the last two car spots on the ferry. I got the car loaded onboard, grabbed my laptop and Top Gear DVD’s and headed to the seating area.

After settling in, we departed, passing the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper as well as the U.S.S. Silversides before we headed out to the open lake.

I settled below deck watch an hour of Top Gear, then the next things I knew I woke up (apparently I passed out from exhaustion) and I look out the window and I saw Milwaukee. I was finally on the right side of the lake! It was quite beautiful coming in to port. I grabbed some pictures before we docked. Ran downstairs and jumped in my car. Then unloaded.

I made my way through Milwaukee and headed south, towards home. It didn’t seem real, it did not feel like the end of Power Tour. I didn’t want it to end.

And that was the end I made my way home. After a little over 4000 miles, an unknown amount of gas (I’ll wait for the credit card bill) and a ton of new stories involving friends, a fake deer, and more cars then you would ever believe it was completed. I will miss all my new and old friends. It went by much too quick. Next year I hope to have my 71 Challenger up and going… or perhaps my pie in the sky idea of a Dodge Travco…. but I am sure I will be back!

Til next year, you can follow along with my other blog, about my adventures hunting cars in barns. http://www.carsinbarns.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading!

Ryan Brutt