To start things off, I have to say that setting the alarm clock for 4:30 AM Friday morning was a little bit ambitious on my part. But I didn't want to be late for the State 2 State Cruise to Las Vegas. And I'm glad I fought the urge to throw the clock against the wall and go back to sleep.
First Stop: Dealers Sport Truck
It was still dark when I got on the 405 freeway heading north and made my way to the starting point of the trip ... Dealers Sport Truck in Los Alimitos, CA. I thought I was going to be the first one there, and catch some pics of people pulling into the parking lot, but as it turns out, I should have gotten up earlier. Now mind you, this was at 5:30 AM, and the cruise wasn't scheduled to leave until 8:30, but these are die-hard truck fans.
As you can see, 5:30AM still...
As you can see, 5:30AM still had not seen the light of day when I arrived at Dealers.
Even though it was still dark,...
Even though it was still dark, it didn't keep the early arrivers away. As you can see here, the truckers were representing.
People were giving their rides...
People were giving their rides a last minute detail before everyone showed up.
Registration began out back, and the folks from Truckin', Sport Truck, Mini Truckin', Truckin's SUV and Custom Classic Trucks were kind enough to bring out some muffins and juice for those over achievers (like myself) who skipped breakfast to get a good spot. One of the fun things this cruise had to offer was the Poker Run. Here's how it works; at each stop on the cruise you pick a playing card out of a hat. At each stop, you get another card, and by the end of the cruise you'll have 5 cards in your hand. The person with the best hand at the end of the cruise wins a prize. And if that weren't enough, they were also raffling off a Van Demon flame paint job and a Vortex spray on bed liner. So really, you couldn't lose on this run to Vegas!
Muffins and juice were provided...
Muffins and juice were provided for those who didn't get breakfast. This was also where you could register and pick up your cruise kit.
Joe Rafael and Amber Pierce...
Joe Rafael and Amber Pierce welcomed the crowd and laid out the ground rules for the cruise, as well as announced the raffle winner.
Here's the lucky winner of...
Here's the lucky winner of the $100 gift certificate, presented by Bob from Dealers Sport Truck.
Once everyone got registered and got their first card of the run, Joe Rafael, Associate Publisher of Primedia's Truck Group, welcomed everyone and started the cruise out with a raffle for a $100 gift certificate from Dealers Sport Truck. Now how cool was that? Once the winner got the goods, it was time to head out.
A scant 5.3 miles down the road and it was time for our second stop on the State 2 State Cruise; Auto & Truck Specialties, or ATS. The parade of trucks took up their parking facility and most of the Cul De Sac their business is located on. After all of the trucks found spots to park in, the folks from ATS were kind enough to give anyone who wanted a tour of their facility, Not only do they have a complete line of running boards, but they also do a ton of work for the airplane industry. Huh ... the things you learn on a cruise.
Our first stop was just a...
Our first stop was just a few miles down the freeway to our good friends at ATS.
The ATS stop was also the...
The ATS stop was also the place where you picked up card #2 of the Poker Run. Two down, three to go and the best hand wins.
During this stop, four gift...
During this stop, four gift certificates for $100 each were raffled off. you can tell by the smiles that they've got some big plans for their rides.
Since this was stop number 2, it was time to get some goodies. For starters, the participants got to pick up their second Poker Run card and a free ATS T-shirt. In case you still had problems waking up, they had plenty of coffee and water to get your blood moving. Of course, no stop on the cruise would be complete without a raffle. The folks from ATS were kind enough to donate 5 $100 gift certificates to the raffle. Truckin' Magazine's editor, Steve Warner was on hand to call out the winning numbers on the bull horn. All 5 certificates were handed out, and it was time to move on to the next stop.
The next stop took us 37 miles to Corona, California where the good folks from Advanced Flow Engineering or AFE were waiting for our arrival. For those of you who don't know, AFE makes some of the best cold air system around. I gotta tell you, we caused quite a stir as our caravan of trucks descended on Granite Street in the middle of a business district. Luckily, there was plenty of parking for an impromptu truck show, while folks collected their third card in the Poker Run.
The third stop took us out...
The third stop took us out to Corona, california to the folks at AFE. They were kind enough to host our growning gang of trucks.
As you can see from this photo,...
As you can see from this photo, we packed out their packing lot, and were spilling out into the street.
Like the last two stops, AFE...
Like the last two stops, AFE raffled off a $100 gift certificate good toward one of their cold air induction kits.
There wasn't too much time to mill around, as it was getting close to lunchtime. But before we left, the folks from AFE hook us up with a raffle for a $100 gift certificate. Kevin Wilson, Editorial Director and Editor for Sport Truck Magazine, got on the bullhorn and called the numbers for the raffle. Rob Sara from AFE got into the action by throwing T-shirts out into the crowd. Once the lucky winner got hooked up with the gift certificate, it was time to head to our fourth stop and get a bite to eat.
By this time, the crowd was getting restless to get going to Vegas, but you can't make a drive like that without some nutrition, Our good friends at JC Whitney hooked up everyone with free hamburgers, chips and a drink. Just the thing to hit the spot before the long drive to Sin City. It was a good time hanging out with all the cruisers talking trucks and getting pumped for the weekend.
The good folks at JC Whitney...
The good folks at JC Whitney were kind enough to sponsor the 4th stop of the cruise, and decided to have it at the NHRA Museum in Pomona.
Since we were already gathered in the parking lot of the NHRA Museum, the kind folks at JC Whitney also gave out free passes to go in and check out all the cool vehicles in the museum. It was a neat opportunity to see some of the history making cars you may have only read about, up close and personal. After taking the whirlwind tour (I'm planning on coming back and checking it out when I've got more time), it was time to put some serious miles under the tires and jet to Vegas, baby.
By the time we all got to...
By the time we all got to Pomona for the 4th stop of the trip, we were all just about to eat the spare tire. Thankfully, JC Whitney hooked us up with lunch.
I got on the freeway at just after 1:00 in the afternoon, expecting to have a relatively quick jaunt to the Nevada border. However as luck would have it, we were chasing a rainstorm that was heading to Las Vegas. We must have been right on its heels too, as we got hit with intermittent showers slowing traffic down to a crawl.
Fifth Stop: AIM Industries dinner party in Vegas.
It took about 5 hours to make the run to Vegas, and pulling into the Lady Luck Hotel parking lot, the rain was still gently coming down, and the skies were growing dark and menacing. The Aim Industries dinner party was supposed to start at six, but was slightly delayed because of the late arrival of some of the cruisers. It was a great spread of BBQ chicken, baked beans, corn on the con, hot rolls and slaw. Not to mention a full-blown DJ cranking out the tunes. The Poker Run winners were announced, as were the raffle winners of the Vortex bed liner and Van Demon paint job. For all the details, you'll have to pick up an upcoming issue of Truckin'.
When the alarm went off the next morning, I opened the windows and saw rain coming down in torrents. Will the show be cancelled? What about the bikini contest? What about the paint job the winner won? I wonder if there's an open spot at the craps table?
FIND OUT NEXT WEEK FOR WEB EXCLUSIVE ON THE VEGAS NATIONALS!