Taking a Sunday afternoon drive in a Corvette is always a pleasant experience. Joining up with a group of like-minded fellow fanatics makes it even better. And if you're lucky enough to own a mid-year, and your like-minded friends do also, well, it doesn't get much better.
The American Mid-Year Society, which is headquartered in Southern California, holds a get-together at least once a month throughout the year. Even though neither Rob nor I own a mid-year, founder/Executive Director Brian Pallas and the AMYS members are kind enough to invite us to join the fun-just so long as we stay at the end of the line during cruises.
The AMYS event this past February was a cruise from south Orange County, through a rare rural, back-country route on one of the O.C.'s toll roads to Chino Airport in San Bernardino County for a late lunch at Flo's Caff (an old-fashioned "hash house"-type eatery that's a regional favorite, even for non-aviation buffs), followed by self-guided tours of the Chino Air Museum. The Air Museum houses a superb collection of military aircraft; many are one-of-a-kind or sole-surviving examples, and a great many of the old birds in the collection are fully functional and flown on a regular basis.
About a dozen and a half mid-years (plus, of course, their lucky owners) showed up for the 40-some-mile (one-way) cruise. The weather was Chamber of Commerce perfect-sunny with clear blue skies and temperatures in the low 60s. Several of the convertible contingent took advantage of the great conditions and cruised top down. The only disappointment of the day was that we were not allowed to park the mid-years with any of the vintage warbirds for photos. Oh well, maybe another time. Regardless, it was a fun and relaxing way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and even if we have to go to the end of the line, we enjoy cruisin' with AMYS.
Editor's Note For more information about the American Mid-Year Society, visit to www.midyear.org or send an e-mail to bpallas@cox.net.