Savor the Dream Cruise
The Dream Cruise is around the corner again this year. I love old cars but when I think of all the CO2 that’s concentrated in one spot, Southeastern Michigan, from that parade, I cringe. That’s a lot of fumes because the cars are old and more than likely have no catalytic converter. I know people who’ve driven their cars in the cruise once, and never again. Many of those old cars do not have A/C for one thing. It’s hot! The other issue they said were the fumes, especially on hot humid days where the air kind of lingers. Don’t think it’s any big deal? A study was done on tollbooth workers at a busy highway. Blood and urine samples were taken from the toll booth workers, along with a control group. The toll workers had nearly twice the urine levels of 8-OHdG, a marker of DNA damage inflicted by free radicals. They also had higher levels of 1-OHP, a metabolic byproduct from inhaling exhaust fumes. Free radicals cause cell mutation and cancer. It’s not hard to believe. Inhaling exhaust fumes is a no muss, no fuss choice for suicide. I know a lot of people reading this will be up in arms, “Oh no, not our Dream Cruise.” But why do they have to be moving is what I want to know? I like being able to walk around and look at, and in, old classic cars thank you. The parade is basically for the car owners, not the observers.
I’ve sat through and been trapped in the Downriver Cruise. Let’s put it this way, we jury our art shows so that we don’t have too many of one type of artistry. That isn’t so with cruises. There may be 10-20 old 57 Chevy’s. I don’t need to see them in every color. See what I mean? Everyone from everywhere should not be invited. That might help alleviate the world’s largest old car traffic jam. And that traffic jam is what causes many of those old muscle cars to overheat. One friend of ours was cruising his old vet. He made it about 4 miles and pulled over with an overheated engine—never again. There has got to be a better way.
The Pontiac Silverdome isn’t doing much these days and has a huge parking lot. Like I said, sitting for hours watching the cars go by is just that. You get all cars, any cars, and many repeats of the same model. Give me a classic car show any day, where I can walk around, look inside. If you think I’m a big party pooper for the Dream Cruise, think again.
The biggest racecar organization in the world, Formula One, wants to become high-tech pioneers for the environment. They’re proposing smaller engines, the use of bio-fuel, and restricting the use of wind tunnels. Formula One will introduce major rule changes by 2011 to promote fuel conservation. When I read this, I knew the Dream Cruise is more than likely on it’s last leg altogether, or at very least will be substantially downsized in the future. When the leaders in the racecar business go green, it’s a pretty good precursor to changes for other automobile extravaganzas. This also paints a dubious picture for classic car owners. What happens when we no longer have gas, as we know it, particularly high-octane gas?
For now, savor the Dream Cruise. Embrace it, revel in it, take pictures, and buy memorabilia, because we just don’t know how long it will continue in the face of growing environmental problems that cannot be denied. Michigan is hurting economically and won’t do anything drastic yet because the Cruise brings money for many small business owners here. But, just watch the news about the weather on CNN tonight—fires, floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes worldwide. Our world and everything in it is important too. Without a world to live in, economics is for not. To read about changes for Formula One: http://www.enn.com/todays-news/13181.
August 28th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Who doesn’t love classic cars? Seems everybody does and hollywood has jumped on the bandwagon too. You see them in just about every movie and TV show now.
August 28th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
I love classic cars too. But I don’t have to see them traveling up and down a road in one big glob, unjuried to love them. By unjuried, I mean there are many of one type and few of another. Say for instance an Avanti could get lost in a crowd of 57 Chevys. I might see the same thing over and over, there is no organization. Ut would be different if the cars were selected to parade around. I’d rather go to a car show, look at them up close, and see a greater variety. The parading around is more for the car owners than anyone else after all the cash, time, and effort put into the cars by the owners.
Besides, I love an uneventful weather pattern better than old cars. Ask anyone who just lost their home to floods, fires, or tornadoes. They would rather have their house back than any car.