Abandoned drag srtip east of Phoenix

[mockingbird812]

[ QUOTE ]
Ummm....I let Lynn take her!

I love to have hook ups just a phone call away. Thanks to my KDKB DJ buddy...Lynn and Holly are going to this...in a suite no less!




[/ QUOTE ]

Holy cow Bruce! A bud called me late yesterday p.m. and said he had tickets for this concert. Had a blast. I am not a Styx fan, but those guys played a great concert, very talented, some awesome duelling guitar riffs that were over the top.

Did the girls enjoy themselves?




P.s. Our seats weren't that good!

[427TJ]

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I am not a Styx fan, but

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In 1981 my still-in-high-school girlfriend (I was class of '80) went nuts over the Styx album Paradise Theater that had "The Best of Times" as well as "Too Much Time on My Hands." SO, we double-dated with a buddy and his GF and went to see Styx at the Oakland Coliseum. I got so sick of the song "The Best of Times" but "Too Much Time on My Hands" was a good song. Makes me want to go crusing with the Pioneer cassette player jammin' some Styx through the Jensen Tri-axials mounted in the rear package tray of my '67 SS 350. Jeez, was that really 27 years ago....?

[427TJ]

Here's what Fremont looks like today:



The former GM plant at right, now a Toyota plant:



Back in the '70s with the strip to the right and a small airstrip at left:



1993 aerial photo after Fremont, then known as Baylands, had closed:

[Salvatore]

Hey Bill, Great pictures! Fremont was real fast cause it was right on sea level with that real good air! Should have never closed in my opinion. Now......some pictures of Half Moon Bay Dragstrip please. We were there a few years ago and I took some pictures of the air strip as it is today. I am just not sure how and which way it was set up as a drag strip.

[427TJ]

Half Moon Bay, located about 20 miles south of downtown San Francisco along the coast. Built as a navy PBY seaplane training airfield in WWII, it was used as the drag strip in the 1950s and '60s and is now the local airport. The famous "Mavericks" surfing area is adjacent to the airport off the point at the bottom left of the G-Earth image. The drags ran toward the southeast or lower right along the airport runway.



Gasser Willys pickup gettin' it on at HMB in the mid-1960s with the coastal hills in the background:



Neat Garlits v Prudhomme poster with the Little Red Wagon in attendance as well:



54-minute long DVD on the history of the strip, available here: wediditforlove.com/Jackson-DVDs.html



Text from DVD ad:

"Located along the California Coast about 20 miles south of San Francisco lies the historic Half Moon Bay Dragstrip. All of the big name drag racers of the late '50s to the late '60s competed there before thousands of enthusiastic fans. The track closed around 1968 and it was not until October 29, 1994 did the track re-open for "Sound Tests" of mild to hot drag racing machinery for environmental impact studies. Local prominent citizen of Half Moon Bay, Bot Senz, and his friend Lenny Kolstad have spearheaded efforts to revive the track which would center around the promotion and development of the Jr. Drag Racing League created by NHRA. Stock cars with capped headers would compete once a month with an occasional nostalgia drag race. Bob Senz has waged a tough uphill battle against environmentalists, local boards and home owners with irrational, unfounded misconceptions. The name Drag Racing still carries a stigma and still gets a "bad rap" since its inception. The question is: Do we "blot out" Drag Racing to save the earth or do we let Earth take care of itself and save our youth and human spirit?"

[Salvatore]

Thanks Bill. I remember coming in off the main road and pulling up to the airport restaurant and hanger area. I believe I was on the right piece of black top that was used for the drag strip. Good picture of Panella Bros probably with Ken Dondero driving ( may be a little early for him) the gasser! Guys around here that ran the very early Pro Stock circuit used to go out west to test and tune in the winter months. It was tough for them coming back east and running 2 tenths slower because of the air and the sea level difference. Fremont truly was the place to go fast!

[x Baldwin Motion]

whats left of westhampton according to GEarth, they have an old overlapping a new satelite photo.

[Xplantdad]

Yep...they had a blast. They got home at 12:45am. Boston sounded great according to Lynn and Holly...as well as Styx.

I spent today with Rick E.(69SUPERSPORT396 on this site)and his family showing them the area around where I live. We cooked out and had a great time!

Bill Eaton...you keep bringing back the memories....

Cruisin down PCH with Boston playing in the 8 track...followed by Pieces of Eight

[x Baldwin Motion]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ummm....I let Lynn take her!

I love to have hook ups just a phone call away. Thanks to my KDKB DJ buddy...Lynn and Holly are going to this...in a suite no less!




[/ QUOTE ]

Holy cow Bruce! A bud called me late yesterday p.m. and said he had tickets for this concert. Had a blast. I am not a Styx fan, but those guys played a great concert, very talented, some awesome duelling guitar riffs that were over the top.

Did the girls enjoy themselves?




P.s. Our seats weren't that good!

[/ QUOTE ]

I have seen Styx several times in the 70's/80's , they were opening for Aerosmith on several tours.
I have never seen Boston but would have loved to, how did they perform without their lead?

[Xplantdad]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ummm....I let Lynn take her!

I love to have hook ups just a phone call away. Thanks to my KDKB DJ buddy...Lynn and Holly are going to this...in a suite no less!




[/ QUOTE ]

Holy cow Bruce! A bud called me late yesterday p.m. and said he had tickets for this concert. Had a blast. I am not a Styx fan, but those guys played a great concert, very talented, some awesome duelling guitar riffs that were over the top.

Did the girls enjoy themselves?




P.s. Our seats weren't that good!

[/ QUOTE ]

I have seen Styx several times in the 70's/80's , they were opening for Aerosmith on several tours.
I have never seen Boston but would have loved to, how did they perform without their lead?

[/ QUOTE ]

They found their new lead singer from a tip of some guy singing their songs on myspace...

He sounds eerily like Brad...and looks nothing like him. Lynn said that he sang really well...and dedicated a few songs to him..."A man I'll always be"...instead of "A man I'll never be".

She said the best thing is that he doesn't try to act like Brad did...

BTW, thanks to Chris (YenkoYS-199Stinger) for giving me the heads up that they were touring!