Anyone who has ever planned to go to the Havasu Spring Break show in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, knows that the preferred way to get to the show (presenting sponsorship provided by Chevy Trucks, and Vortec Engines) was via the 6th annual State-2-State Cruise. Organized by Truckin', Sport Truck, and Mini Truckin' magazines, the cruise combined the staffs of all three magazines with hundreds of eager readers who gathered together for a day of fun and prizes.
With about 300 custom trucks and SUVs joining the fun, the State-2-State Cruise participants were welcomed at five different aftermarket manufacturers' facilities with a shop tour, goody bag items, a chance at a raffle prize at each location, and a poker card for the poker run. The cruise officially ended at Lake Havasu City, where a culmination party was held to welcome the cruisers and award the prizes.
The State-2-State Cruise got an early start at stop #1. The staff of Out Of Control Off-Road in Irvine, California, had Krispy Kreme donuts with milk and coffee ready and waiting when the crowd swarmed in at a brisk 7:00 a.m. The assembled group of hearty truck enthusiasts was welcomed by a huge shop that offered a wide variety of parts of interest to any truck enthusiast. With a backdrop of wheels, tires, suspension kits, and more, the participants collected their first poker card and hung out until 8:30 a.m. A lot of window-shopping was conducted and many from nearby towns (and some not so nearby) were glad to have visited the impressive facility that they might not have otherwise discovered on their own.
At 8:30 a.m. a mini-race ensued as the participants blasted out of Irvine and headed to stop #2 at MKW Wheels in the City of Industry. The 9:30 a.m. meeting seemed to agree with a few more of the participants and the attendance notably swelled. MKW displayed a bunch of its own project vehicles and lined up a gaggle of sick wheels for the crowds to gawk at. The ample parking areas around the huge warehouse filled up fast and resembled a pretty darned good local car show. MKW offered snacks, slapped a goody bag in each participant's hands, and the coveted second poker card was handed out.
A half hour was allotted to get from MKW to BTW in Azusa. That was plenty of time to make the run, but it seemed like everyone was in a hurry. Something about driving a radically modified truck or SUV seems to speed up the pace. BTW builds some pretty outrageous off-road vehicles and many of them were on display. The large lot allowed for plenty of parking, and some of BTW's best customers got there early and put their trucks on display. After everyone had perused the goodies at the shop, the highly desired third poker cards were distributed.
The next stop was S&S Motorsports in Rancho Cucamonga, right next door to where the Cucamonga Quakes minor league baseball team plays. Owner Robert Cianciminio moved the shop to new quarters recently, and it's much bigger and way better than ever. The new shop has a lobby with parts on display and some of the coolest poker-run-themed clocks (how appropriate for the cruise) you've ever seen. One of the clocks was pulled off the wall and donated as a raffle prize. The crowds had swelled even more by this stop, and several hundred people swarmed in and around the shop as anticipation grew for the fourth poker cards. Those who were starting to see their hands take shape were really anxious at this point.
After plenty of time to inspect the shop, the cruise headed out for lunch at Beer Hunters, right down the street from S&S Motorsports. By this time the assembled masses really were in need of nourishment and the expansive Beer Hunters was the perfect place to gather as the final stop before heading out to Lake Havasu. A feast of spaghetti and other pastas, meatballs, chicken, salad, and more was available for all participants. We have to tell you that some of these guys got more than they paid for - that's for sure! It was good eats and a good way to prepare for the long haul to the lake. Of course, quite a bit of anticipation was built up for the awarding of the fifth poker cards. While everyone left Beer Hunters satisfied and in a good mood, some were pretty darn ecstatic after getting their fifth card.
With no real serious incidents on the way to the lake (whew) the caravan hooked up again at the Destination Party at the London Bridge Resort in Lake Havasu City. Dinner was provided for the still-hungry crowd and again we were all more than satisfied with the grub. A short welcome from publisher Brad Christopher got the crowd going, and the premium raffle prizes from all of the stops were awarded to the lucky holders of the right ticket number. Then the super-duper, extra-special prizes were rolled out and everyone held their breath while Brad read off the numbers. If you weren't there, another ticket was pulled. Trust us, the window of opportunity for this ravenous crowed tightened with each ticket pulled. They demanded "another ticket" within seconds of not seeing someone jump out of their shoes when their ticket number was called. In the end, everything was distributed to those who were really happy about winning prizes. A cool Poker Run-style clock from S&S Motorsport went to Wendy Damwijk of Phoenix, Arizona; a $100 gift certificate from Sir Michael's went to Mike Faria of Huntington Beach, California; another $100 gift certificate from Sir Michael's was awarded to Jason Turner of Santa Rosa, California.
After all the ticket-pulling was done, it was time to turn over the cards and see who had the best hand. The grand prize winner of a $100 Sir Michael's gift certificate, a $200 Stylin' Concepts gift certificate, and a $200 Laguna Speed Shop gift certificate was...(drumroll, please)...Brandon Bradford of Austin, Texas, with a full house (3s over 2s). The dude drove all the way out from Austin to be on the cruise and attend the show, so he deserved to win the grand prize.