"Green Mountain Car Guy" (williamleedy)
05/13/2015 at 12:30 • Filed to: None
12
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"Green Mountain Car Guy" (williamleedy)
05/13/2015 at 12:30 • Filed to: None | 12
| 4 |
Reposting for the evening crowd.
Normally I wouldn’t repost, but, since it’s for a cause and not just my normal ramblings, I wanted to give it another shot to get some exposure. Thank you all very much for reading!
I’m not sure if this is kosher here or the right place for stuff like this, but, I know how incredible this community can be (Torch’s bug and the man from Detroit who walked to work every day come quickly to mind) and I have to try. But, anyway, here goes.
One of my closest and longest friendships (we’re 34 and met in kindergarten) has endured one of the most ridiculously tragic years of anyone I know. It began a little over a year ago when a small lump in his mouth (dismissed as nothing by his dentist) was found to be cancerous. Surgery and radiation was suggested and performed in order to remove the spot as well as a lymph node. In the meantime, his mother (74) was diagnosed with cancer and treated with chemotherapy. To add to the stress of all of this, his estranged father passed away. While they have not seen or talked to each other for 30 years, Shawn always had the option to do so if he decided on it - until now. Fast forward to around Christmas time 2014. His mother goes into the hospital with severe pain. We learn at this point that she had kept secret her colon cancer and the fact that she knew it would eventually kill her. Her death came shortly after. She was a small woman, but, her impact on the town we grew up in and everyone around her was monumental. To top off all of this, severe pain has returned to Shawn’s mouth and the area where the previous operation was. Further surgery, a biopsy and an MRI reveal that his cancer traveled through his nerves and had returned along with a tumor near his voice box. It was now immune to radiation treatment and will, in time, be fatal. It was estimated that he has about a year left.
Even through all of this, he has remained strong and level-headed. He has spent time getting everything in order and decided what to do with his possessions when the time comes.
His love of cars was inherited by the father he never knew. His collection of die-cast and matchbox cars is extensive and would rival the Walmart warehouse in quantity. In his yard grazing next to a dilapidated barn sat, since the day I met him up until a few years ago, a 1st generation RX-7, a Land Cruiser, and a handful of Datsun wagons. Over the years his car purchases have stayed a little out of the norm - even despite the fact that they include a Dodge Caravan and a Ford Taurus. Of note are a 200+k mile Range Rover, Infiniti I30, Bonneville SSEi and a Hyundai XG330 (I mean, seriously - who the hell buys one of those??). The current stable shows a 2008 Cobalt (his mother’s) with less than 20k miles on it and a 2014 Mazda6 Grand Touring. His encyclopedic knowledge of random and rarely useful car facts would probably rival that of the great Torchinsky.
The real reason for this post goes back to that bucket list. Here’s the basic plan: Epic road trip.
This idea started as one three-week epic lap of america and all of the fun stuff in between with 4 great people (Shawn, two more of our close friends and myself). What it will become instead, due to scheduling, time-off, a couple of weddings, and all that life stuff that gets in the way, is three one-week whirlwind adventures (which I’m hoping will give me lots of awesome writing material for anyone willing to read it!). The problem is that we’re all young and dumb and can’t afford any of this. Normally, we’d take our time, save up, talk about doing it and then it never happens. However, with the gravity of the situation and a deadline, our resolve to find a way to make this happen is hardened.
I would like to ask for the help of my fellow Opponauts in raising the funds necessary to make this happen. I have set up a gofundme page and would urge anyone interested in helping or reading about these adventures to donate.
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Also, if anyone reading knows what it takes to get a tour of Jay Leno’s garage, it would be an incredible addition to our tour and an awesome surprise for Shawn (not telling him about it in case it’s impossible....well, that, and I like surprising people.)
Or if anyone here has DeLorean that they would be okay with Shawn putting just a few miles on and especially if you are along our route - that would be unbelievable! (I know there are a couple around, just don’t know their kinja tags!
Here’s a rough idea of our itinerary as well (this is a work in progress and nothing is scheduled yet!):
Week 1:
From Vermont to NYC (after a stop at Miller Motor Cars (and crossed fingers that the Veyron and P1 are still there!). In NYC we plan to visit the Statue of Liberty and the top of the Empire State Building and perhaps a little time classing down (instead of classing up, get it!?) 5th Avenue as well as a visit to the Intrepid Air & Space museum.
After NYC we hit up Gotham Dream Cars in NJ for the Gotham Dream Tour (a 3hr, 100mi tour switching between 5 different cars). Then down to Washington D.C. for a quick look at our capital and a run through the Smithsonian. (Doug, I’d love to meet you and we’d love see the Skyline and the Hummer if they are both still in your possession by the time this comes to be. Perhaps an interesting day and stories for both of us to tell can come out of it!)
After that is a top to bottom trek of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Tail of the Dragon. Topping off this trip is a blast down to the craziest state of all, Florida, finishing off in Miami to fly back home.
Week 2:
Starting from Dallas we make our mark on the Cadillac’s of Amarillo and then head north west to take a stab at Pikes Peak and the mountains of Colorado. Then to South Dakota for the only reason anyone voluntarily goes to South Dakota, Mount Rushmore. After that it’s off to the spectacular Yellowstone. Finishing this trip is Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam - including a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.
Week 3:
This time we start in L.A. and do all the touristy crap (the Hollywood sign, the walk of fame and Universal Studios. Hopefully we can also take in a show at the Chinese theater.) Afterwards we’ll make our way through the mansions of Hollywood and Malibu on our way out to Yosemite and some of the spectacular water falls. Next we’ll make our way to San Francisco to see Alcatraz and the Golden Gate. North we’ll head up the PCH to the Redwood forest and crane our neck looking at gigantic trees. Then we’ll eat up the miles of Pacific coastline to see Seattle.
jkm7680
> Green Mountain Car Guy
05/13/2015 at 17:33 |
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No offense, but this is the second GoFundMe in the last 24 hours that’s been posted here.
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Green Mountain Car Guy
> jkm7680
05/13/2015 at 17:36 |
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Hmm, damn. That’s poor timing on my part!
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jkm7680
> Green Mountain Car Guy
05/13/2015 at 17:40 |
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Alll good though, I’d probably say if you’re going to want to repost it again to do it in a few weeks.
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Green Mountain Car Guy
> jkm7680
05/13/2015 at 17:41 |
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Sounds like a solid plan to me!