RODS & ROSES BLOOMS AGAIN IN CARPINTERIA, CA!

Showcasing classic American hot rods, sports cars and Musclecars, and supporting local charities and non-profit support groups, RODS & ROSES BLOOMS AGAIN IN CARPINTERIA, CA! Since 1912 the small seaside city of Carpinteria on California's Central Coast has promoted its designation as the location of the "World's Safest Beach" – and since 1997 the city has also been touting its Car Guy credentials as the home of the rad Rods & Roses car show. This popular community event has never been t...
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2024 QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING

Umbrellas and spirits were up and the ‘Rain Gods’ failed to dampen the fun and excitement at the 2024 QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING.
Umbrellas and spirits were up and the ‘Rain Gods’ failed to dampen the fun and excitement at the 2024 QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING. It's not surprising that folks with a passion for motorcycles are a pretty rugged and optimistic breed. Sure, rain was predicted to start falling at around 10 AM on May 4th, the Saturday that the 14th annual 2024 QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING would kick-start in beautiful Carmel, CA – on the manicured lawns of The Quail Golf Club. And rain it did, throughout mos...
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35TH ANNUAL SOLVANG DATSUN ROADSTER CLASSIC

35TH ANNUAL SOLVANG DATSUN ROADSTER CLASSIC
Vintage Japanese vehicles shine at the 35TH ANNUAL SOLVANG DATSUN ROADSTER CLASSIC, held in the Danish capital of America!  You could say that the 35TH ANNUAL SOLVANG DATSUN ROADSTER CLASSIC organizers and participants have a cozy relationship with their host city, Solvang, CA. Allocated just one street in the heart of The Danish Capital of America, 75 vintage Datsun roadsters, sedans, coupes, trucks and Zs performed an early morning ballet of parking precision as they snugged-into their assi...
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CARS & COWBOYS’ BENEFIT FOR MEALS ON WHEELS.

CARS & COWBOYS’ BENEFIT FOR MEALS ON WHEELS.
Jim Palam moseys over to the Red River Ranch in Los Olivos, CA, and rustles up some tasty images from the CARS & COWBOYS’ BENEFIT FOR MEALS ON WHEELS. There are over 31,000 residents in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, which includes the communities of Solvang, Buellton, Ballard, Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. It is also home to the Santa Ynez Chumash Indians' reservation and casino. If you're out and about in the Valley you will inevitably encounter winemakers, farmers, equestrians, gambler...
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12TH ANNUAL QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING

We asked CGC West Coast contributor Jim Palam to scoot up to the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, CA and bring back a special two-wheel report for the 12TH ANNUAL QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING, the return of two-wheel splendor to the grass of Carmel Valley. Mission accomplished! It was Friday-the-13th when I drove past Valhalla Drive in Solvang. I was on my way North to cover the 12TH ANNUAL QUAIL MOTORCYCLE GATHERING in Carmel, after the show was put on-hold for a two-year hiatus th...
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CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: CENTRAL COAST WHEELING WEEKEND

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: CENTRAL COAST WHEELING WEEKEND
Who doesn't love a special deal? Perhaps it's CGC’s Jim Palam's years in advertising that was behind his idea to give our readers two-reports-in-one, combining two of the Central Coast's popular car shows – The Solvang Fall Classic & The Montecito Motor Classic – into one feature. It’s a great idea, so here's CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: CENTRAL COAST WHEELING WEEKEND. Covid changed the 2020 Car Show scene significantly – pretty much eliminating many if not all of the popular gatherings not only in...
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ELKS LODGE 613: GROOVIN’ IN THE GROVE

This annual gathering of car enthusiasts - ELKS LODGE 613: GROOVIN' IN THE GROVE - reaps big rewards for Santa Barbara area veterans and their families. CGC's Jim Palam brought his support and camera to capture some of the good things that can happen when Car Guys with a Cause gather in The Grove! The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was founded in New York City in 1868. Part of their stated mission is "To inculcate the principles of Charity, Justice, Brotherly Love and Fidelity – and to...
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MENDENHALL: CARS, GAS PUMPS & PETROLIANA MUSEUM

CarGuyChronicles’ Jim Palam pulls in to the MENDENHALL: CARS, GAS PUMPS & PETROLIANA MUSEUM to fill-up with American petroleum industry history and an eyeful of colorful signage and cars from a bygone era.  Sitting at a window table at Ellen's Pancake House I could see the large neon and red Pegasus rising up above the tall wooden perimeter fence surrounding the Mendenhall Museum – located just across Avenue of the Flags from the eatery in Buellton, CA. Over the years I had picked up a ...
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HOT RODS & CUSTOMS: CRUISIN’ ANGELO’S

HOT RODS & CUSTOMS: CRUISIN’ ANGELO’S
Pat Ganahl digs into his archives and retrieves memories of living in Anaheim in the late-1970s, early-1980s and shooting HOT RODS & CUSTOMS: CRUISIN’ ANGELO’S for So-Cal mags. I think it was one of my Instagram readers who mentioned recently that a photo reminded him of cruising Angelo’s on State College in Anaheim. I hadn’t thought about that in quite a while. But we lived in Anaheim from 1977 to 1984 – in fact son Bill was born there – and Angelo’s was just a little more than a m...
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SHOWTIME: BENT AXLES STREET RODS!

SHOWTIME: BENT AXLES STREET RODS!
Car Guy Chronicle’s Jim Palam fights an urge to swerve to the vineyards and instead, uncorks a tasty car show report from Old Town Orcutt, CA. SHOWTIME: BENT AXLES STREET RODS! I’m going to give it to you straight: As I headed North from Solvang to Orcutt, CA on the 101, my thoughts were less about street rods and more about the ribbons of grape vines carpeting the rolling hills East and West of the freeway. It was Saturday, sunny and seventy degrees. Man, I could exit the freeway right now and ...
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