My Stampede story by Mark Goodman
I am going to cheat a little bit and use the guide that Norm sent
How you heard of it.
I found out about it through the Ford Pinto Car Club website as well as Dave Kawa and Cookieboy. I had been hoping to make the 40th Anniversary since everyone started talking about it three or so years ago but with my job situation at the time, it was not looking good. I guess someone was looking out for me because about nine months before everything was to kick off, I got the call from the TSA that I had been hoping to receive for over a year. Once training got underway, I knew in my heart that we would make the show and Stampede.
I was even able to get the word out EARLY on at JSOnline.com
How you got the time off to participate.
As soon as I was able to put in for leave from the TSA and calculated that I would have enough time off to make this trip, I did. After I told everyone what I was doing, my long term leave (this was in October when I put in for it) was approved. We almost had a problem a couple of weeks before I was scheduled to take off because I switched shift and had to re-summit my paperwork but they still approved it.
How you planned for it.
The first thing I did was call Carlisle and get registered. From there we had to decide on how we were going to get there and came up with renting a U-Haul and trailer. I had bought a Dodge Ram just for this trip but my instincts told me to rent a truck so I did. Then there was calling the hotels to make sure we could have a dog. At the time we still had our dog Princess but that’s another sad story. Bottom line, this trip was going to happen in her memory even if we had to leave the Pinto at home and bring Karen’s Cobalt.
The rest was just a matter of getting camping gear together and waiting. We had friends lined up to watch the house and cats so that was no worries. To kill the time, I either restored or built about 40 different Pinto model cars and brought them with me along with my Pinto pedal car.
What you brought along with you in spare parts.
A LOT of stuff. A few tool boxes, alt, hoses, fluids, lug wrenches, lights. And my car was on a trailer. Glad I bought a few extra bolts because I must have lost one to my alt. It was not sounding good until the Pinto Pit Crew fixed it in the parking lot at the hotel in Indy.
What the trip meant to you.
This is a tough one because it gets me emotional. When our dog Princess died, I went into a downhill slide. Started making mistakes at work and for a few weeks, had given up on even going on this trip. Even though we had Meesha, I could not shake that black cloud that seemed to be hanging over my head. It just seemed like that there was no way that we could make the journey and that I just needed to give it up.
But a dear friend of mine convinced me that everything would turn out OK and that it would not be the same unless Karen and I were there. Even he wasn’t sure he was going to make the trip but things worked out for him and that was the turning point (THANKS BRIAN) Overall the coming together of everyone to raise money for such a GREAT cause.
On the lighter side, it finally made me feel that I am not insane for the love of my Pinto and Pinto related items. I felt good to feel normal.
The Good.
EVERYTHIING. Getting to meet so many nice people and the way that we all felt like a family was nice.
Can't say thanks enough to Norm and Louise (along with everyone else) that made this trip possible.
and the Bad.
Driving through the construction LOL!!! My hands hurt for a week after we got home from gripping the steering wheel so hard.
The really bad thing was having to say goodbye to everyone. I wanted the weekend to keep going but knew that it could not last forever.
Special moments to remember.
Even though they treated us poorly, getting to take a lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was still kind of special. After all, just three days prior to that, they had run the 100th Indy 500 race there.
Watching the "Pinto Pit Crew" get my car fixed in the parking lot of a hotel while it was on the back of a trailer. I knew then that this was going to be a special trip and that new friendships would be formed.
The way that Ford Motor Company and Carlisle went out of their way to make us feel special. It was nice to see the Mustangs have to take a back seat for once. I never thought in a million years that our little Pintos would be in the limelight and get treated like rock stars.
Getting to meet people who actually had their hands in build my car. The guy who was involved in the stamping as well as his supervisor was really nice to talk too. Just seeing the look on their faces and knowing that they were having good memories, well, that’s priceless.
Talking with Aaron and Jim!
Last but not least and the most special moment of this trip was the stop at the Flight 93 Memorial. Since my job as a TSA officer is to stop this from ever happening again, it was tough. It was pretty much on my mind from the time it was announced that we were stopping there until the moment we pulled into the parking lot. The last couple of hundred miles getting there were tough because of how emotional I know I can get.
Once there, I was hesitant to even walk down to where you could see everything but knew that I had to. My stomach was in knots and I thought at one point I was going to pass out but I did OK. I walked to a corner just to be by myself and was holding back the tears until Brian came over, patted me on the back and said "Thanks for what you do" At that point, I lost it.
Also watching Richard place his Canadian flag on the fence and then seeing the tears in his eyes, who could ever forget that. The entire stop was something that will be a part of me for the rest of my life.
Bottom line is that this was the trip of a lifetime and will never be forgotten. Sure there may be another Stampede but nothing will ever top the first one.
I HAVE TO SAY THANKS TO MY LOVING WIFE KAREN FOR LETTING ME DO THIS AND BEING SUCH A GREAT SPORT DURING THE WHOLE TRIP.
"Click Here" and return to stories from a road well traveled
How you heard of it.
I found out about it through the Ford Pinto Car Club website as well as Dave Kawa and Cookieboy. I had been hoping to make the 40th Anniversary since everyone started talking about it three or so years ago but with my job situation at the time, it was not looking good. I guess someone was looking out for me because about nine months before everything was to kick off, I got the call from the TSA that I had been hoping to receive for over a year. Once training got underway, I knew in my heart that we would make the show and Stampede.
I was even able to get the word out EARLY on at JSOnline.com
How you got the time off to participate.
As soon as I was able to put in for leave from the TSA and calculated that I would have enough time off to make this trip, I did. After I told everyone what I was doing, my long term leave (this was in October when I put in for it) was approved. We almost had a problem a couple of weeks before I was scheduled to take off because I switched shift and had to re-summit my paperwork but they still approved it.
How you planned for it.
The first thing I did was call Carlisle and get registered. From there we had to decide on how we were going to get there and came up with renting a U-Haul and trailer. I had bought a Dodge Ram just for this trip but my instincts told me to rent a truck so I did. Then there was calling the hotels to make sure we could have a dog. At the time we still had our dog Princess but that’s another sad story. Bottom line, this trip was going to happen in her memory even if we had to leave the Pinto at home and bring Karen’s Cobalt.
The rest was just a matter of getting camping gear together and waiting. We had friends lined up to watch the house and cats so that was no worries. To kill the time, I either restored or built about 40 different Pinto model cars and brought them with me along with my Pinto pedal car.
What you brought along with you in spare parts.
A LOT of stuff. A few tool boxes, alt, hoses, fluids, lug wrenches, lights. And my car was on a trailer. Glad I bought a few extra bolts because I must have lost one to my alt. It was not sounding good until the Pinto Pit Crew fixed it in the parking lot at the hotel in Indy.
What the trip meant to you.
This is a tough one because it gets me emotional. When our dog Princess died, I went into a downhill slide. Started making mistakes at work and for a few weeks, had given up on even going on this trip. Even though we had Meesha, I could not shake that black cloud that seemed to be hanging over my head. It just seemed like that there was no way that we could make the journey and that I just needed to give it up.
But a dear friend of mine convinced me that everything would turn out OK and that it would not be the same unless Karen and I were there. Even he wasn’t sure he was going to make the trip but things worked out for him and that was the turning point (THANKS BRIAN) Overall the coming together of everyone to raise money for such a GREAT cause.
On the lighter side, it finally made me feel that I am not insane for the love of my Pinto and Pinto related items. I felt good to feel normal.
The Good.
EVERYTHIING. Getting to meet so many nice people and the way that we all felt like a family was nice.
Can't say thanks enough to Norm and Louise (along with everyone else) that made this trip possible.
and the Bad.
Driving through the construction LOL!!! My hands hurt for a week after we got home from gripping the steering wheel so hard.
The really bad thing was having to say goodbye to everyone. I wanted the weekend to keep going but knew that it could not last forever.
Special moments to remember.
Even though they treated us poorly, getting to take a lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was still kind of special. After all, just three days prior to that, they had run the 100th Indy 500 race there.
Watching the "Pinto Pit Crew" get my car fixed in the parking lot of a hotel while it was on the back of a trailer. I knew then that this was going to be a special trip and that new friendships would be formed.
The way that Ford Motor Company and Carlisle went out of their way to make us feel special. It was nice to see the Mustangs have to take a back seat for once. I never thought in a million years that our little Pintos would be in the limelight and get treated like rock stars.
Getting to meet people who actually had their hands in build my car. The guy who was involved in the stamping as well as his supervisor was really nice to talk too. Just seeing the look on their faces and knowing that they were having good memories, well, that’s priceless.
Talking with Aaron and Jim!
Last but not least and the most special moment of this trip was the stop at the Flight 93 Memorial. Since my job as a TSA officer is to stop this from ever happening again, it was tough. It was pretty much on my mind from the time it was announced that we were stopping there until the moment we pulled into the parking lot. The last couple of hundred miles getting there were tough because of how emotional I know I can get.
Once there, I was hesitant to even walk down to where you could see everything but knew that I had to. My stomach was in knots and I thought at one point I was going to pass out but I did OK. I walked to a corner just to be by myself and was holding back the tears until Brian came over, patted me on the back and said "Thanks for what you do" At that point, I lost it.
Also watching Richard place his Canadian flag on the fence and then seeing the tears in his eyes, who could ever forget that. The entire stop was something that will be a part of me for the rest of my life.
Bottom line is that this was the trip of a lifetime and will never be forgotten. Sure there may be another Stampede but nothing will ever top the first one.
I HAVE TO SAY THANKS TO MY LOVING WIFE KAREN FOR LETTING ME DO THIS AND BEING SUCH A GREAT SPORT DURING THE WHOLE TRIP.
