The start of a new club!
After several years of inactivity, we decided it was time to resurrect the Central Coast Air-Cooled VW Club. To kick off the restart of the club we thought a Road Rally to the beach along some of our area's scenic roads would be a great start. So with only a few weeks notice, the drive was laid out, flyers were made, emails were sent, and the cars were getting prepped. The weather forecast for the big day was clear skies and warm temperatures, all we needed now was a good turnout!
The day of the event was an exciting morning. While we waited at the park to see who would show up, we wondered how many cars we'd have. Would we only a couple of cars? Wait...I hear the distinctive hum of another VW approaching. The first to show up was a sharp looking 1964 Sundial Camper Bus driven by Don Simoneau, Yay!!
 Eventually, 24 1/2 VW enthusiasts showed up! There was a really good variety of cars with all the VW types represented. Oh, the one-half was a Thing body on a trailer going to get painted! They had seen the flyer and came by to join the fun! Jim Thomas had his 1976 Westfalia van that he bought new in Germany and toured Europe in for seven weeks. Matthew Kenney was pulling his prototype teardrop camper trailer behind his super funky '64. Harlan and Ann Hobbs, a retired couple from Morro Bay, cruised up in their newly purchased '67 convertible bug. Event organizer, Brian O'Kelly, was driving his freshly completed '65 Deluxe 21 Window.
Some fun awards were given out to liven things up a bit. The youngest driver award went to 20 year old Lee Via in his 71 squareback. Talk about VW enthusiasm, this guy had it! The oldest driver award was cornered by 77 year old Walt McCulley, who was assisted by his son Tim, navigating their '66 bug. Walt was a good sport and from that point on was getting teased being called a WW1 vet. The Traveler Award (who came from the farthest away) was earned by Matt Souza who drove his newly found '57 Kombi 75 miles from Santa Maria, CA. The Spirit Award went to 7 year old Kyler Burdick, the son of John Burdick, who turned down a birthday party so he could go on the drive in his dad's shiny black '64 Ghia! I don't know about you, but my experience says it has to be pretty important for a 7 year old to pass up a birthday party. I guess we know where our next generation of VW enthusiasts is coming from!
 The Rally was a great trip through some of the most scenic countryside in the state. The wild flowers were in bloom and the hills were still green. The first stop was at Cider Creek Apple Farm on Hwy. 46, where many enjoyed the specialty of the house, a Caramel Apple Crown Sundae! We then ventured on to the beach town of Cayucos via Old Creek Rd, a windy narrow road down a canyon filled with lush vegetation and giant sycamore trees. In Cayucos we enjoyed walking out on the pier, wandering through some of the many small shops that line old Main St., and grabbing a cappuccino at the local coffee house.
The next stop was in Morro Bay where we drove out to the landmark Morro Rock. Morro Rock has got to be one of the most impressive sights on the entire Pacific coast. Finally we returned inland going to Atascadero Lake Park over another little used byway. Atascadero Lake Park is also home to the Atascadero Zoo.
All in all it was a great adventure, where Air-Cooled VW enthusiasts of all ages and interests could come together and swap stories and share their interest in these great cars with others.
For further info on the Central Coast Chapter, CA VVWCA
contact:
Brian O'Kelly
(805) 239-1619
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