Las Vegas (long)

[Jack Janney <fastride@xxxx>]

I'm more of a lurker and relative newbie (I've had my DeLorean less than a month), but I haven't seen much posted about Las Vegas, so here goes.

First, a bit of an introduction. I've always been kind of a motorhead, from the time I would sit out on the front porch when I was five years old and ask my dad the make and year of every single car that drove up and down the street. In addition to motorcyles, my interest in cars runs both to the sixties big block muscle cars and to small two-seater sports cars. I won't take up space to list them all here, but I've been lucky to have had the chance to own some pretty neat cars. Lately, I've been down to a '94 Subaru SVX (I do live in Colorado and need something for the snow) and '91 Corvette ZR-1. Until 4 months ago I also owned a 96 Buell S2-T. I got a little carried away one day and ended up totaling the bike and putting myself into the hospital for a week. My wife convinced me to cool it with the motorcycles for awhile. So I went looking for something with four wheels that would be fun. After recovering from sticker shock over current prices of 60s/70s muscle cars I browsed through a Hemmings cover to cover. And what should jump out as an underpriced bargain, but a DeLorean.
I ended up locating a clean, 19,000 mile, 82 with 5 speed and gray interior in Orlando Fl. I could tell from the appearance of the carpeted garage that the former owner, Ray Maciejewski treated his cars well. I haven't put many miles on it yet, but the little driving I have done has convinced me I will be keeping it for quite a while.
I wanted to attend Las Vegas to learn more about DeLoreans and get to know some fellow owners. I was made to feel welcome right away. It was a great weekend packed full of fun activities. I should thank Linda Porter, Dave Knudson, John & Joan Truscott, Hank & Mimi Breer and others (sorry, I can't remember everyone) for the hard work they put into organizing it.
It started with the social on Friday night where I got to talk to a couple that had flown out from the midwest. They seemed to be typical of most DeLorean owners I talked to through the weekend, I felt like I'd known them for years right off the bat, knowledgeable about the car, and willing to explain things to a new owner. Later on, I ended up talking to Hank Breer who invited me along to dinner with his family. I rode along in his DeLorean so I didn't have to go the whole weekend without riding in one. I didn't drive mine since I haven't had time to go over it for a 1,600 mile trip.
I lived in Las Vegas in the early to mid-eighties and worked for Lake Mead National Recreation Area so I had no interest in going on the boat ride on Friday. I did however drive through the park and met a friend who keeps a boat at Boulder Beach Marina. On the way, we stopped at the launch ramp and spied about 30 DeLoreans parked in a reserved area of the parking lot. That was the first time I'd seen that many in one place, it was pretty exciting. I heard that the boat ride was fun, they ran a movie on the building of Hoover Dam that you could watch or you could go up on top to view the scenery. A bit of trivia: when they filled in the reservoir behind the dam, the water covered a town that used to be northeast of Las Vegas.
The facilities the events were held in were excellent and so was the food. The prices for Fri and Sat banquets were higher than my usual Friday night hamburger at Red Robin, but the food was so good I didn't mind.
On Saturday morning, we left the Rio and drove west through Red Rock Canyon on our way to Pahrump. Red Rock Canyon is a scenic 13 mile one-way loop that rises and drops through red rock sandstone formations. When I lived in Las Vegas, I occasionally ran the loop. Believe me, when you run or bicycle the loop, you remember every hill and curve, even 15 years later.
By the time I got to the winery, they were giving samples of the wine. I got in on the tail end, but got to sample a couple of the reds anyway. I was signed up for the tech session so I got to go in with the first (of 2) group for lunch. I had expected a sandwich or something pretty basic but was surprised find a choice of beef burgundy or chicken with a white sauce. As with the other meals this one was also excellent. I heard alot of comments throughout the weekend, we all ate about twice as much as normal.
There were two tech sessions on Saturday afternoon, so another chance for me learn more of the ins and outs of making our cars dependable. Many of the same vendors I see advertise or participate in this newsgroup and the DOA website were present and contributed to the weekend events. I feel they've earned my business and will patronize them when I need parts or service.
The dinner on Saturday night was bittersweet for me. I was having dinner with the friends I had made, but I knew we would all be going back home the next morning. The DeLorean Owners Association gave away some great door prizes. They have two events planned next year, the Eurofest in Belfast in May and a drive around Pennsylvania, I don't think they've selected a date next summer.
Overall, it was a fun, educational weekend.

Jack Janney
#10901
I 




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