TORRINGTON – Rick Williamson was a little nervous when trying to organize the late-week event through the Nebraska Panhandle and Southeast Wyoming.
In the beginning, Williamson, of Cheyenne, was hoping for 10 cars, but in the end, he ended up doubling that number
“We put the word out, and it got way bigger,” he said. “I’m the one who was planning everything. I wasn’t sure we could if we could park all of our cars and trailers in Scottsbluff. We managed to get it done.”
The group is part of a national club – the Horseless Carriage Club of America – and is part of a branch of the HCCA based out of Loveland, Colo.
“All the cars are 1915 or older and there are a lot of different makes,” Williamson said. “There are a lot of Fords. There are a couple Buicks, a couple Chalmers, an Abbott Detroit, which is rare, a Studebaker, a Peerless, Pierce Arrow.”
With the age of the cars, it was slow going for some.
“The Fords are only 20 horsepower. They can do 35-40 which is a good speed for them. Some can do a little faster than others,” Williamson said. “The Peerless, the Pierce Arrow and Abbott, they are big 40 horsepower engines. They can run along at 50-55 with not much trouble.”
Car owners from Colorado, Sioux Falls, S.D., Kansas City, Kan., Salt Lake City, Utah and as far away as Red Oak, Texas, joined in on the tour of the area.
The group began its ride on Wednesday, June 19 in Scottsbluff, Neb. and traveled to Chimney Rock before venturing west into Wyoming. The tour spent a night in Torrington as the group headed as far west at Guernsey before returning to Nebraska on Friday, June 21.
