2010 Carlise Ford Nationals - East Coast Entertainment

The 15th Annual Carlisle Ford Nationals Did Not Disappoint Car enthusiasts everywhere look forward to their favorite shows of the year. The reason these shows end up being at the top of their travel lists vary, as any one show can mean different things to different people. For some it's the actual show location. Aren't we all guilty of fitting a family vacation in and around a major show event? Come on, you can tell us the truth (and your wife isn't fooled either guys, trust me!). Other reasons include annual meet and greets within the show for those diehard Ford fans of Mavericks, Torinos, 7-Litre cars, Cougars, T-birds, and more. Not to mention the show's activities are a big reason too; from driving events and cruises, to photo opportunities, drag racing, celebrity signings, and so forth. Whatever the reason, we all have our short list of favorites, and for us the annual Carlisle Ford Nationals is right there near the top.

Of course the new logo isn't the only great thing happening at this year's event. For those who couldn't make Carlisle this year you missed some great activities, visuals, and more. Besides the regular grin-inducing components of Carlisle's Ford Nationals-like the burnout contest, autocross, Ms. Carlisle contest, and so forth-there's also the huge vendor midway, swap meet, car corral, and giveaway car year after year. For the 15th anniversary show, the Carlisle crew pulled out all the stops with displays on Ford design and performance history showcasing Model As, Model Ts, GT40s, Cobras, and more. A Cobra Jet display with '68, '08, and '10 CJ race cars, including Don Fezell's collection of beauties like Al Joniec's Rice and Holman CJ and all three Daddy Warbucks CJs (one from each year!) was a highlight as well, though the planned Friday night drag racing display of these awesome cars was cancelled due to inclement weather. Hopefully we'll see many of you there next year. Who knows what Carlisle will have in store for us all then? But you can find out yourself by being there-June 3-5, 2011.

Magellan To The Rescue
We've been going to Carlisle, Pennsylvania for the Carlisle Ford Nationals for more than a decade, and over the years we've flown into different air-ports, stayed at different hotels, and gone to different restaurants for meals with guests. Up until two years ago, finding our way around meant either pre-printing maps for our destinations and not deviating from what we printed, or paying extra for in-car GPS options from the car rental agency. Well along comes a little guardian travel angel in the way of a Magellan GPS-a gift from the wife a couple of years back. Now we were no longer chained to those printed maps. If we needed a discount store for some supplies, just punch it in. Visiting an advertiser on the way? Just feed it the address. We were in car guy heaven, never having to ask for directions!

We recently found out that Magellan's latest line of GPS navigators has been released and knowing we're such big fans it asked us to try out its new Roadmate 3055. It was perfect timing with our big Carlisle Ford Nationals trip just a few short days away from starting. Once on the ground and our gear stowed in the back of our Brand X rental (yuk!), we pulled the 3055 from its packaging and without even looking at the manual got it setup in no time flat. The new Magellan windshield mount is more compact, but with a larger suction cup and a simple one hand adjustment wheel for positioning. The new bracket also holds the power cord, so placing the unit into the bracket is a one-hand operation now. The unit itself has so many features we don't have room to discuss them all here, but the hands-free Bluetooth is great and sync'd with our Blackberry fast and easy. Turn-by-turn directions were spot on and we loved the new lane assist to show you which lane you need to be in on the highway. Check out the new line for yourself at www.magellangps.com.