The first morning of the Hot Rod Power Tour we got a real treat, being able to drive our classic vehicles (well, we're not sure what to call the van) "inside the fence" of the Kennedy Space Center.

When we put the idea of cruising with the Power Tour together, we encouraged other Mopars to hook up with us for the trip. And while we would have loved to cruise with another group of Mopar owners over to the Garlit's drag racing museum, we get to do that any time since we live in central Florida.

Plus, how many times do you get the opportunity to drive on Space Center property for an up close tour, especially in a vehicle that has all the appearances (and smells) of being crime-scene evidence at some point of its life. The space center rolling tour was great, and co-pilot Garret rode with Paul in his '69 Sport Satellite convertible to get some photos. I guess they're lucky NASA didn't try to launch them into orbit.  After the tour, we headed north and west for next venue, South Georgia Motorsports Park located just north of Valdosta.

Our representation of Mopar was diverse, with the groovy van (dubbed the Great Pumpkin), Brandon's '68 Polara two-door C-body, Paul's Sattelite ragtop, Matt's '69 Charger 500, Jim's Viper, Chris' '72 440 Charger, and Dave's Coronet Wagon (which may be equally as groovy as our van).

The Power Tour purposely travels on very little Interstate, making for a nice drive on highways and through some of the smaller towns along the way. Local enthusiasts get the word about the route as well, parking their cars in front of their houses, waving, and enjoying the rolling car show as it goes by.

We won't say that this is the best road trip we've had, but it is toward the top and definitely worth doing. After arriving at our stop late due to the Space Center tour, we had a little time to relax at the carshow, then make plans for the next day. Unfortunately, Matt and Dave have real jobs and would travel home, but the rest of our group decided to make the trek to Montgomery Alabama for the next stop at Montgomery Motorsports Park.

We've seen a couple of GM products on the side of the road so far, but our Mopars are all running strong. The van has come in handy for shade and space, but after sitting in it we can't help but feel the urge to bath in hand sanitizer . . .