It Is Good

960 miles in a Crosley with a little help from friends

In 2025 I accomplished one of my life goals: drive a Crosley to Wauseon. When I came to Crosleys fifteen years ago, there were legends of long-distance drivers like Bob Carson, but nobody had tried a really long trip to the national meet in Ohio recently. I wanted to change that.

In 2022 I bought a modified 1952 VC with a hand-made speedster body reminiscent of the Stutz Bearcat era circa 1916. Advertised as “runs and drives,” the Speedster came with issues typical of cars that had been sitting for a long time. I drove it until something broke. Then I’d fix it and drive it until the next thing broke. Do that long enough and the car starts to get reliable. When I put 1,100 miles on the Speedster over the summer of 2024, I realized it was ready for the Wauseon adventure.

A plus for the Speedster on this trip would be that the big 19” Model A wheels mounted in place of the 12” Crosley wheels cut down engine RPMs, allowing it to cruise easily all day long at 50-55mph. On the other hand, as a speedster the car had no protection from the weather and no place for luggage. That didn’t stop folks in the jazz and flapper era, and it wouldn’t stop me.

Plan A – The trip was easy-peasy: drive from Green Bay to Manitowoc, take the Badger steam ferry across Lake Michigan, and then meander the backroads down to Wauseon – about 305 miles. Coming back, we’d skip Chicago and take the Lake Express fast ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee, then on to home for another 330 miles. 

I thought I’d solve the luggage problem and give myself a margin for error by having my son Erick follow me in my pickup truck. He could carry the camping gear and, in an emergency, we could tow the Speedster.

Plan B – Erick said, “Sounds great! How about we take Adelaide as the chase car? And, let’s drive through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!” Oooo-kay. Adelaide is Erick’s 1929 Model A Ford roadster pickup. Cruising speed down to 45mph. Miles to Wauseon from Green Bay up to 777, then the 330 miles back. No problem. Surely both cars wouldn’t break down at the same time, so we’d always have one vehicle to go for help – right?

Erick and I started prepping our cars for the adventure. I had basics like adjusting the brakes and repacking bearings on my list. But when I tried to fix a small leak at the fuel pump, I discovered the intake and exhaust manifolds were wiggling loose on the side of the block. In trying to tighten them up, I found two old manifold gaskets and a broken tab on the intake manifold. Suddenly my list got a lot longer! In the end, I got the engine back together and had time to do the front brakes and bearings. The rear wheels had been fine for three years – what could go wrong?

On June 30, Erick drove Adelaide from Merrimac, Wisconsin to Green Bay. He had 140 miles on the trip already. We spent the afternoon on last-minute tweaks to the cars and packing.

July 1 – De Pere, WI to Manistique, MI

We set out on the first leg, 188 miles from Green Bay to Indian Lake State Park in the upper peninsula of Michigan. About half this trip we could do on country roads and amble along at our own pace. The weather was fine and sunny, the world was green and growing, and both cars buzzed along cheerfully. 

Once we crossed the state line, we were forced onto US Route 2, one of the two east-west roads across the whole upper peninsula. This is mostly two-lane road with extended passing lanes every few miles. Traffic began to build up behind us, but most folks were patient and waited for the passing zones. 

We stopped in Gladstone to check out the preserved Soo Line steam locomotive. The north woods parted for glimpses of the blue waters of Green Bay and upper Lake Michigan. We reached our campsite late in the afternoon and set up the tent, then drove into Manistique for dinner at the “40” Bar & Grille. 

July 2 – Manistique to Mackinaw City, MI

We started with an easy morning at the camp and lunch at the Manistique Big Boy. Our goal was Mackinaw City, a mere 103 miles but a hairy drive on US-2. The traffic speed picked up to 65mph+ and a few drivers began to lose their cool with our old crocks poking along the highway. Some horn-honking, dangerous passing, and single-digit salutes ensued. The Model A was running smooth, so we let our speed creep up to 55mph. 

Then the wind from a passing semi nearly ripped the windshield off the Crosley, so I pulled into a rest area to take off the monocle. When Erick followed me in, he discovered a steady stream of oil running from the bottom of Adelaide’s four-banger. Model A’s don’t have much of a rear main seal, and at 55mph the oil was splashing right out of the engine. We topped Adelaide off with a quart of fresh 20w-40 and went back to blocking traffic at 45mph.

We were compensated by the view – the road runs right along the shoreline for miles, passing white sand dunes and fragrant pine forests. The sun sparkled on the waves of Lake Michigan.

The St. Ignace / Mackinaw City area has been a tourist haven for 150 years and has the traps to prove it. Erick and I checked out the uncanny forces of gravity and perspective at the St. Ignace Mystery Spot (“Open Rain or Shine!”). We also climbed the historic lookout tower at the Curio Fair gift shop for an amazing view of the straits and the Mackinac suspension bridge to the lower peninsula. 

Technically the five-mile long Mackinaw bridge is part of Interstate 75, but with a tollbooth on the north end and a speed limit of 45mph we weren’t worried about keeping up with traffic. Wind was another matter – the bridge is famous for strong winds that push semi trucks around and once reportedly blew a Yugo over the edge. In our wobbly, open old cars this could be a challenge. In fact, the gusts sucked my bag of bedding out of the passenger seat where I had it snugged under the seatbelt, sending the bag spiraling into the waters hundreds of feet below. Yes, my pillow now sleeps with the fishes.

Other than that mishap, the white-knuckled bridge crossing went smoothly. Just as southbound I-75 traffic was spooling up to 70mph, we took the exit into Mackinaw City and found our spot at the quaint old Tee Pee Campground. Adelaide pulled evening duty for a Walmart run to pick up a new pillow for me.

July 3 – Sault St. Marie, MI

Leaving Adelaide at the Tee Pee, we took a day trip by Crosley up to Sault St. Marie, 136 miles there and back (and two more Mighty Mac bridge crossings). Our backroad paralleled I-75 but offered quiet cruising over the sparsely-populated, tree-covered spine of the peninsula. Road construction sent us onto a gravel detour at one point, where we encountered a highway sign warning of alien abductions. 

Approaching the hamlet of Rudolph, I felt the Speedster miss a few times and decided to stop and fill up the tank in case we were low on gas. On restart, the engine stumbled and died on less than all cylinders. We pushed the Speedster off beside the gas station and opened the hood to diagnose the trouble. When I first got the car, valves would sometimes stick. A few months of pure gasoline and a few doses of Marvel Mystery Oil in the tank had cured the problem, but maybe the little engine didn’t like Michigan ethanol?

Diagnosis meant disconnecting spark plugs one-by-one to find the problem cylinder, then pulling the spark plug and using a screw driver to pop the valve loose. We disconnected cylinder one, started the car… and it ran almost fine. We reconnected cylinder one, and it was completely fine. So we set off again, hoping at least to limp into Sault St. Marie where there would be garages and auto parts stores. The engine missed a few more times, but recovered and eventually cured itself. Faith healing works!

For history and engineering buffs, Sault St. Marie is a wonderland. The Soo Locks carry all the heavy shipping traffic from Lake Superior to the lower lakes and off to the Atlantic; it’s estimated that if the biggest lock closed for six months, it would have a trillion-dollar ripple effect on the economy. We watched ships pass up and down from the Army Corp of Engineers viewing center. The historic Lock View Restaurant was worth a lunch stop – the owner buys fresh-caught whitefish every day from the local Native Americans. We toured the Valley Camp freighter museum ship, and took a boat tour up through the locks, over to the Canadian side, and back. Then we hurried down to Rotary Point Park, where the 1000-foot ships pass yards off the shore. The giant freighter James R. Barker churned around the bend and blew us a salute on the horn. We ambled back to Mackinaw City, reaching our campsite just as the sun began to set.

July 4 and 5 – Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, MI

Days of rest and gawking. We toured Mackinaw City, the colonial-era British fort, and the retired Coast Guard icebreaker Mackinac on Independence Day, then watched five different sets of fireworks over the Straits from the beach at our campground. Adelaide drew the attention of an old gentleman who turned out to be one of the major Model A parts suppliers, now retired. We learned a lot about Erick’s truck from him! The next day we took the ferry to Mackinac Island and toured the 19^th-century American fort and quaint, car-free town. Oh… and we ate fudge.

July 6 – Mackinaw City to Bay City, MI

Rain pattered on the tent at dawn, but it was time to drive south. We packed up everything wet (ick), put on our rain jackets, and set off in the grey drizzle. First stop was church in Cheboygan, Michigan. We hung up our dripping jackets and warmed up with a cup of Methodist church-lady coffee, guaranteed to cure what ails you. After lunch at Pizza Hut, we continued south on backroads through the north woods of Michigan.

Then… over the drone of the Speedster’s engine, the sting and pounding of rain on my face, through the padding of my rain hood and helmet, and past my headphones… I heard a sporadic squeak from the rear wheel. Uh oh. We limped into Comins, a map speck with a handful of houses and one bar, not open on Sunday afternoon. By the time I pulled off, the squeak was more persistent and there was an occasional squawk. It sounded like a wheel bearing. 95 miles done, but still 90 miles from our goal of Bay City.

Plan C – Sheltering from the rain under the eaves of the locked-up bar, I called AAA. I subscribe to the platinum service, which is good for a free 100-mile tow now and then. The operator eventually dispatched a flatbed to take me to Bay City. In the meantime, Erick restarted the Model A, also balky in the rain, and headed south. 

After the AAA guy showed up and loaded the Speedster, we got on the road… only to see Adelaide pulled off beside the highway three miles south of town. Erick couldn’t get her to fire. So much for “one car will always run!” The tow truck driver told Erick to call AAA, but since he was the only truck in the area it would be three hours until he dropped me off and could come back. Erick slid as far under the dripping edge of Adelaide’s roof as he could go, pulled out a book, and opened a can of cold baked beans for supper.

I checked into a hotel in Bay City, rented a car to chase parts, got a hot dinner, and hung my wet clothes up to dry in the room. Long after dark, Erick and Adelaide were dropped off in the parking lot. We pushed the defunct Model A in next to the disabled Crosley, our own private parking lot of shame. Compensation was tucking into a warm, dry, soft bed for the night. Problems could wait for the morning.

July 7 – Bay City to Dearborn, MI

No rain, thank goodness. We diagnosed the Model A’s trouble as a bad condenser. Unfortunately, the one we bought from O’Reilly was also a dud, but Erick was able to adapt my spare condenser for the Speedster and get Adelaide back up and running. I spent the morning calling around, but was unable to find a shop willing to take a look at the Crosley’s wheel bearing, or a source for a replacement bearing.

Plan D – I rented a 17’ flat-floor UHaul truck and bought some ramps from Harbor Freight. We found a place to load the Crosley and limped it a mile to load it in the trunk. The squawking bearing was punctuated by a few crunches and turned into a painful screech the last hundred feet onto the UHaul, accompanied by the smell of red-hot metal. We strapped the Speedster down, hoping the damage was minimal and we could find parts at Wauseon.

With the Model A leading, we drove south to Northville, Michigan for a late supper with old friends. We finished the evening with an after-dark meander through the Detroit suburbs to Dearborn, Michigan and another night in a hotel. Adelaide racked up another 107 miles.

July 8 – Dearborn, MI to Wauseon, OH

A visit to the Henry Ford Museum was first on the agenda. We took Adelaide, who was likely built at the neighboring River Rouge factory. The Ford Museum has some fantastic automotive collections and several presidential Lincolns (including the ones that Kennedy and Reagan were shot in). But it also has a great display on the history of passenger airflight, an impressive collection of historic steam engines, and the only Dymaxion “House of the Future” in existence. The vintage Lamy’s Diner in the museum is a neat spot to eat lunch, 1940’s style.

In the afternoon, we started on the last leg to Wauseon – Erick and the Model A leading the UHaul with its burden of disabled Crosley. Some of our extended family from Africa, back to visit the US, had seen our adventures on Facebook, and we were able to meet for supper in southern Michigan. After dinner, we rolled on south and reached the Fulton County Fairgrounds at dusk, another 85 miles under the wheels of the Model A. 

Since it was dark and all our stuff was still wet, we did the bare minimum setting up camp. Erick spread his sleeping bag under the pop-up screen tent, and I stretched out in the bed of Adelaide. We were surprised at 2am when the clear night skies gave way to a sudden and quick thunderstorm that sent the screen tent tumbling across the fairgrounds and left us both drenched. We groggily collected the stray bits blown by the wind and tried to find a way to sleep in the UHaul, cold and wet. After 30 minutes of misery, Erick called the Rodeway Inn and booked us a room. Those five hours of sleep in a dry bed sure felt good!

July 9 – Repairs with Friends

Sunshine once again. We went back to the fairgrounds to pin down our tents and start drying our gear. Wisconsin Crosley buddies Dave Stubenvoll and Dennis McGill soon showed up at the campsite, ready to lend a hand on the Crosley. The UHaul proved to be a fine mobile garage. When the shade moved in the afternoon, so did the truck. With help and tools provided by other Crosley folks we got the bad axle pulled. The bearing was shredded, with some of the rollers turned sideways in the race, but the housing and shaft were undamaged.

Unfortunately, rear wheel bearings are one of those unobtanium parts. Service Motors didn’t have any. Dave Edwards, caught by phone as he loaded his van, offered to look for a used one in his parts supply and bring it Friday. In the meantime, with the blessing of club elders, we scavenged a bearing from the club’s cutaway display axle. Unfortunately, it was spauled. That ended our attempts at repair for the day. We hoped more used parts might show up Thursday.

Erick spent a second night at the hotel. He was done being wet. Dave Stubenvoll, Dennis & Lori McGill and I found a local winery and pizza place for a summer evening supper.

July 10 – Repairs, Fulton Manor, Tiny’s

My phone rang with a wake-up call from Dave Stubenvoll – Steve Miller was unloading parts and had some axles. We found one set up for a drive shaft instead of a torque tube. $20 later, I owned an oddball axle in addition to a broken Crosley. Now to put the pieces together… 

When we pulled the shafts on the parts axle, the bearings were perfect. A trip to town for parts cleaner, bearing grease, and some zerks to install in the axles, and we were in business. By lunchtime the Speedster was reassembled, backed out of the UHaul, and made the journey to Fulton Manor for a shakedown run. Abundant thanks to Dave and Dennis for the tech support!

Erick and I took Adelaide into Wauseon in the afternoon to do an oil change and lube job in the O’Reilly’s parking lot – her service interval is only 500 miles. My daughter Anna showed up late in the afternoon and we joined the Tiny’s ice cream run. We used the trip to town and back to bake cheesy potato casserole on the Model A’s exhaust manifold, which we shared around camp in the evening. We pitched another tent and slept at the fairgrounds.

July 11 – Friends and Crosley Games

Another guest arrived for the day. Old friend Jeff Williams flew his Mooney airplane over from Danville, Illinois to the Fulton County airport. Jeff’s father, Grover, had Crosleys when I was a teenager. Jeff has visited Wauseon with me several times.

I picked him up in the Speedster and we returned to the fairgrounds. We spent the morning walking and visiting. In the afternoon, we took turns in the Speedster for the Friday Crosley Games. Anna deployed the parachute in the coasting contest, Jeff tossed rings onto dipsticks, and Erick and I went to the dances. (By the way… freshly-greased wheel bearings are NOT an asset in the coasting contest!)

The biggest challenge was keeping cars idling in the nuclear heat of the afternoon sun. For the first time ever, I saw the Speedster’s temperature gauge climb to 210 – it usually runs around 170. A lap of the fairgrounds after each event brought the needle back down. 

Anna took off in the afternoon, and Jeff flew out in the evening. Erick and I spent another night camping before the big show.

July 12 – Crosley Show

Bright and early, Crosleys were buzzing all over the fairgrounds. The Speedster wears a lived-in patina. Since the road trip was part of the story this year, I left the dust on the fenders and the bugs on the radiator and just parked in the show line-up. 

Saturday at Wauseon is a feast of bright colors, old friends, and surprising new cars. Everyone spent the morning looking at all the cool Crosleys. Barry Smedley’s authentic CC race car was my favorite in the feature class. I enjoyed some of the oddballs that showed up – Sam Albright’s 6×6 Crosley project, and Jorn Jensen’s barn fresh ChryCrozHud special. 

A sudden downpour around lunchtime caused a scramble as many owners tried to get their cars under cover before the storm. I wasn’t worried about the Speedster – rain was part of its life on this adventure – but many thanks to Alex Wagner who got soaked covering his car and mine with tarps.

Plan E – I made a judgment call in the afternoon. The Speedster was running fine, so I turned in the UHaul and committed to completing the journey home by Crosley power. Erick and I also packed up our wet camping gear and booked one last night at the Rodeway. 

The Saturday evening banquet was a treat as we visited with old and new friends. The Speedster was honored with the long-distance trophy for the 532 miles it made on its own wheel, the hard-luck trophy for the breakdown, and second in the modified class.

July 13 – Wauseon, OH to South Bend, IN

Homeward bound! Our goal for the day was South Bend, Indiana, 125 miles to the west. First stop was tiny Tedrow, Ohio, for worship at the quaint little Methodist church. We checked on the internet and worship was at 9:30am. We parked the Speedster and Adelaide in the grassy parking lot at 9:20am, but no one showed up. Walking around the church we found a sign by the road advertising worship at 10:00am. So we broke out our lawn chairs to wait. No one showed up at 10. Another walk around the church revealed a sign on the building listing worship at 10:15am. 

At 10:10 a car swerved off the county road and pulled up next to us. The lady rolled down her window and barked, “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” I said we hoped to go to church. “We aren’t having church here this morning,” she replied. Her husband, the driver, helpfully added, “We’re having worship with another church down the road.” The lady turned to him and said “shh!” … But we followed them and enjoyed worship anyway. 

After church, we headed west for Indiana. Most of the trip was on US-20, breezing through Midwestern farm country. Cornfields flanked us. Red barns and silos rose up on the horizon. As a native Hoosier, I broke into “Back Home Again” as we crossed the Indiana border.

The Crosley was running fine. Adelaide had developed a bit of a miss again, but Erick coped and she kept up her speed. The sun roasted us like day-old roadkill. Cruising at 45mph, the breeze made it okay. Sitting at stop lights in various small towns had us sweltering and sweating.

When we entered the Elkhart-Mishawaka-South Bend metroplex, the stoplights became a problem. Modern lights are timed to modern traffic – once you get a green light you can usually cruise through several green lights. But our cars took too long to accelerate from 0 to 45mph, and inevitably one of us would get caught by the next stoplight turning red. So many red stoplights.

By the time we got to our hotel, Adelaide was steaming and so was Erick. Sunday evening was a cool-down night. We needed a break.

July 14 – South Bend, IN to Ludington, MI and Across the Lake

Vehicle maintenance was the first task of the day. The Crosley was running well and keeping most of its vital fluids on the inside, rarely using any oil or coolant. Adelaide needed a little more love. Erick filed the points and checked the plugs, trying to fix the miss, and topped up the oil and radiator.

We crossed town to tour the Studebaker National Museum. Studebaker started building wagons in South Bend, Indiana in 1852. They were the only wagon maker to successfully transition to building cars. Auto production ceased in South Bend in 1964, and Studebaker built its last car in 1966 in Canada. 

The five original Studebaker brothers, impressively bearded gents, had started collecting historic wagons and the company maintained a collection over the years. The museum is an amazing archive of American transportation from covered wagons to the space age. One of the carriages on display carried Abraham Lincoln to Ford Theatre the night he was shot. Presidential assassination vehicles were not on my bingo card for this trip.

After the museum, we encountered a problem. Our itinerary called for bypassing Chicago and taking the Lake Express ferry from Muskegon, Michigan into Milwaukee. But all the car slots on the ferry were sold out. Did we want to battle our way through the Windy City? Nope!

Plan F – So we headed for the far north, hoping to catch the SS Badger’s evening sailing back to Wisconsin. Instead of 120 miles to Muskegon, we had 198 miles to Ludington – our longest drive of the trip. And we had a deadline – the Badger sailed at 8:45pm and we needed to be there an hour early to load up.

Our route was mostly back roads with little traffic, which was nice. The day was again sunny and very hot, but we pushed north through farms and forests with a quick lunch stop in Watervliet, Michigan. 

Adelaide continued missing at speed, but it didn’t seem to slow her down. When we swapped cockpits, I played with the timing to reduce the miss. It worked for a while… until I noticed her motometer mercury was pegged! We pulled over, let the old girl breathe for a bit, then topped her off with water and moved on. No harm done. 

About 6:30pm we descended the back side of the sand dunes, crossed the marshes, and cruised into Ludington. We were at the ferry landing shortly after 7:00pm and lined up for inspection and loading. 

The Badger is a big ship at 410’ long. It was built in 1952 to carry railroad trains across the lake. Converted for automobiles, it now holds 180 automobiles. Usually the ferry staff drive vehicles onto the ferry, but with our antiques they decided to let Erick and I do the honors. We idled the length of the cavernous car deck to the bow, made a U-turn, and drove back to park near the stern ramp. 

Buttoning the cars up, we climbed to the people decks and ate dinner at the snack bar overlooking the harbor. The Badger steamed out of Ludington into the sunset. We’d booked a cabin for the four-hour trip, and once the sun went down we tucked in for a catnap. 

But the day and the drive weren’t over. At 11:30pm the steward banged on our door to wake us up for the arrival in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. By 11:45pm the ship was moored and we were driving off the ship into the dark parking lot.

July 15 – Manitowoc to De Pere, WI

Our last leg of our journey started at midnight – 40 miles by the light of the moon to my home in De Pere, Wisconsin. But first we needed gas. And even at midnight-oh-fifteen, at a quiet gas station on the edge of town, Adelaide and the Speedster attracted attention. A guy wandered up to visit with us. He talked and talked and talked. We finally had to cut him off. We were anxious to complete our trip.

This was one of the nicest legs of the whole journey. The night was quiet and cool. The roads were empty. We puttered and sputtered through small towns dreaming in the darkness. Our 6-volt headlights weren’t that bright, but we weren’t that fast either. 

The only excitement was when a bump in the road knocked my headlight switch out of position and the Crosley went dark at 40mph! Erick, driving ahead of me, said it was like I had vanished. Fortunately, we were on the edge of a town and the streetlights were enough for me to pull into a parking lot and wiggle the light switch back into life. (One disadvantage of the Speedster’s design is that the driver can’t reach the dashboard.)

At 1:15am we rumbled to a stop in the parking lot behind my home. Mission accomplished! … for me. Erick and Adelaide slept in in until late morning, then set out on the last 140 miles to his home in Merrimac, Wisconsin. Adelaide was still missing, but she proved rock solid reliable to complete the journey.

Reflections

I hoped for adventure… and we found it! The hardships along the way are the stories we laugh about. But the days of driving through the north woods, along the shores of Lake Michigan, through the cities and farmlands and hills, left my son Erick and I with sights, sounds, and smells hard to describe but good to remember.

So, can you drive a Crosley on a long-distance trip? Sure! 45mph is plenty fast to travel if you aren’t in a hurry. Just pack patience, tools, spare parts, and a back-up plan. In a pinch, Uhaul and AAA are great. And the Crosley Auto Club vendors and helpful members are never far away.

The Crosley Speedster covered 961 miles, including driving around Wauseon, according to my digital GPS odometer. That’s not counting the 200 miles in the back of the UHaul. (Adelaide the Model A was also a trooper, racking up over 1400 miles on the journey and soldiering on despite some hiccups.)

Now, I wonder if I can drive the Crosley to Newport, Indiana for the hill climb? Or California for the West Coast meet? After all, I still have plans G-Z left.

Statistics

Distance:         961 miles

Gas:                  33 gallons 

Oil:                   1.35 quarts

Coolant:          1 gallon

Mileage:          29.1 mpg