Day 2, Sunday June 29

Today started early, we left Casa Grande at 4 AM sharp. It was very dark but still around 90 F. The Healey and I ran cool for the next few hours, the early start was a good idea. We stopped for a hearty breakfast at a truck stop in Yuma at around 7 AM.

After that it started to get hot, especially when we left the Colorado River cooling effects around Yuma. At El Centro, I am sure it was over 100, and likely over 110. West of El Centro the Imperial Valley is a vast sand dune pierced by I-8. This dune adds to the dramatic effect of the heat. The dunes are a major recreational area for off roaders, but it is empty in the summer.

After the dunes it got fiercely hot and the road climbed dramatically by 4000 ft. This is a 10 mile climb, grade is 6% or more. The Healey ran the hottest of the whole trip here, it started at the bottom at 190 F and finished at 212 F. After the crest, we descended gently into San Diego and it cooled off considerably as we picked up ocean breezes.

Finally saw a few Healeys on their way to the Conclave here. It was hard to keep track of them, congestion got major as we approached I5 and the Airport where the Sheraton is.

It was a great end of the day to find this gathering of Healeys. They motored in all day, some in trailers but many driven. It was time to relax and share stories, all had a few adventures to talk about. We saw several Healeys that were driven from S and N Carolina, by the way, what a journey.

Day 1, Saturday, June 28

The first casualty for our Conclave trip was Bill H's Healey 3000. Bill had installed a new engine several weeks ago, but several nagging problems with the engine kept him from feeling comfortable with the car. So out comes the rental car, a very nice and new Nissan Sentra. Considering the hot weather ahead, having a modern car along is a pretty good thing.

We got an early start, Bill S's Healey 100 arrived in Belen about 7:30 AM. We continued south on I-25 to Socorro. From there we headed west on US 60. Out goal was Casa Grande, AZ, about 400 miles from Albuquerque.

This was a very lovely day on an outstanding route. US 60 is rural but wide enough to make reasonable time. Most of the speed limits were 65 mph, traffic was always light. This road goes through the antelope laden plains of San Agustin, home of the Very Large Array radio telescope.

We had a great brunch at the Safire Cafe in Springerville, AZ. Temps were mostly in the mid 80's. Bill and John hardly had to tweek up their air conditioning.

US 60 runs through the spectacular Salt River Canyon. This is a pure sports car road, lots of up and down and left and right.

After Globe, a working mining town, we descended into the plains between Phoenix and Tucson. The temperature went over 100 here, but not all that much. The Internet said it was 107, but I'm not sure. The Healey handled the heat well, but it was getting uncomfortable for me with the sun coming through the windshield. I had enough and we stopped at a comfortable Holiday Inn in Casa Grande. Total distance traveled, about 420 miles.

News: We heard by phone that Bill H's wife Joyce broke her arm in California. She was packing to meet us in San Diego. She had surgery today, and we heard she is fine. Bummer!, more on this later.

Bill

Healey Trip to San Diego

The crazed Bill Sullivans are at it again. Another Healey adventure, this time a relatively short one: Albuquerque to San Diego for the 2008 Conclave.

If all goes well, we should be off on Saturday, June 28.

This trip is a lot shorter than our last one in 2007, see http://home.comcast.net/~wsullivan711/healey.htm

We are using the same 1954 BN1 and 1960 BN7 Healeys. Both have rebuilt engines this time, they did OK on the Vermont trip but all of them were pretty well worn so we spent the winter with a rebuild. Bill H. put a previously rebuilt BJ8 engine in his while Bill N. rebuilt his original engine. This required sleeving the bores back to the original size.

The rebuild took longer than expected, so we are off on this trip with just a few hundred miles on each engine. Wish us luck driving these unproven beasts.

We should leave on Saturday, June 28, so we will probably not post anything until the weekend. We are allowing two days to make this 800 mile trip, that should be no problem as long as the Healey's keep running an no one gets heat prostration.

Our wives are smart enough to pass on our ride through the hottest deserts in North America. Joyce Sullivan will meet us in San Diego. Nance is staying home to take care of the house, dogs, and also my mother who has not been well. Bill H's son John Sullivan is riding with us, so we have plenty of company.