Fall back

By Jonathan Mellberg
photos by the author

What a year this has been. Sure, there’s another 50-ish days left, but I’m not talking about the calendar year. Let’s break it down: Bachelor party in Las Vegas last September (which was also my first experience flying on a major airliner), married a couple weeks later, honeymoon in October, broke my clavicle in Hawaii (on the same honeymoon), found out we were pregnant in January, bought our first house in February, totaled my car in a nasty rear-end collision shortly after, took on a 2nd part-time job at Menards in May, quit Menards in September, and welcomed my brand new baby girl on October 17^th, 2014. Like I said, what a year it’s been.

meet Jane Charlotte Mellberg, my daughter

And that’s not including this blog! I launched my first blog in August of this year. Since then I’ve penned 21 blogs (including this one). The fruits of my labor have been satisfying, if only by modest standards. TheWheelspinJournal.com has collected over 1,100 page views. Sure, some of those were from my mother (a faithful reader), and some were even from me; after all, I need to make sure this thing runs and looks OK! And while it hasn’t even been six months yet, I feel this has been one great summer for being a car lover. For example…

Tesla Model S

On my July birthday (my 30^th, no less) I drove -for the first time in my life- a Ferrari; a Ferrari F430 coupe, to be exact. As intoxicating as that was I experienced another automobile that was every bit as amazing: The new Tesla Model S, a full electric. I chased that by test driving the BMW i3 (another E-car) as well as the Nissan Leaf (a very poor man’s Tesla). Other test drives included the Scion FR-S and the Mini Cooper S Countryman. Both were quite enjoyable.

yours truly behind a Ferrari F430

But my test drives weren’t limited to just new cars, no sir. My good friends Dustin and Cheyenne let me get my mitts on their twins: Their Silverado SS and Trailblazer SS. In the process we also managed to finagle a test drive in the all-new Chevy SS Sedan, which not only instilled the fear of god in me (thanks to Dustin’s unabashed driving) but convinced me to give up my dream of owning a Corvette and instead try to procure such an athletic four-door sports car as the SS sedan.

Trailblazer SS, wrapped in matte black vinyl

I axed a major bucket list item when an acquaintance of my wife let me take his precious 1967 Chevelle SS 396 out for a drive. It was magical. Not only was it my first interview and test drive, but my first real drive behind the wheel of such a classic, iconic car as the Chevelle. And what a beautiful specimen it was.

yours truly driving a mint '67 Chevelle SS

But these weren’t the only ways I got my automotive fix. I hit plenty of car shows this year, too. Car Craft, an annual favorite, was a hit and featured very pleasant weather for July. I also spent a great deal of the month’s first Saturdays in Chanhassen at Automotorplex for Cars & Coffee, a monthly event that brings hundreds, if not thousands, to its free shows. I’ve seen cars in person this year that I thought I might never see in my lifetime. Cars like the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, the Porsche 959, and of course, the mighty Bugatti Veyron Vitesse. I actually saw that Bugatti multiple times. It was nirvana. And it still is.

a gorgeous Shelby Mustang from MN Car Craft 2014

And now the year is winding down. As I write this, the temperature outdoors struggles to reach 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and it will only get worse from there. Boats have been pulled from the lakes; pools have been drained and covered. And as hibernation begins, so goes all the cars that make summer so wonderful in Minnesota. Cars like my friend’s 1995 Corvette convertible he just bought (way to go Mr. Welty!). And that ’67 Chevelle I spoke of earlier? She’ll be swaddled in her custom car cover and tucked away in the garage until next April. Any chances of spying Ferraris, Porches, Lambos, or even lesser demigods is quickly diminishing. Soon all we’ll see is snow.

Porsche 959, in the flesh in Chanhassen, MN

Bugatti Veyron Vitesse at Cars & Coffee

I’ve decided to cut back on blogging, to temporarily hibernate. I’ll downshift from two blogs per week to one. As the cool cars begin hiding, so do my chances on driving them. Besides, I’ve got a new daughter to get to know. And with the holidays right around the corner it’s another great excuse on cutting back and enjoying life a little more.

That being said, I’m very much looking forward to next spring. I’d like to turn up the volume and really have some fun next year. I don’t know how exactly I’m going to accomplish that, but several ideas are already in the hopper. And some of those ideas require your help.

Ford Fairlane from the weekly Anoka car show

I lucked out this year. My amazing drive with the ’67 Chevelle SS materialized because my wife grew up with the children of Rory Berg, the owner. That was an easier “in”. And my time with the twin Chevy SS trucks was obviously aided because they are owned by friends of mine. But I plan on driving many more cars, and learning the unique stories behind each one. And though I have no qualms about approaching total strangers and propositioning them for a test drive and interview, it would be nice to also get to know friends of friends, family of family, and the machines they own. And so, this is my request to you: If you happen to know someone with a rumbling muscle car, a tire-squealing sports car, or an otherwise unique or special auto -and you think the owner might enjoy an exposition on them and their car- drop me a line and let me know. I’d be happy to look into every opportunity involving man (and woman) and machine.

Rory Berg's amazing '67 Chevelle SS

I’d also like to explore a little bit next year. I read about all these cool roads and trails, like the Tail of the Dragon in Tennessee and the Rubicon trail in Nevada. I’m not sure if lovely Minnesota is as blessed with awesome driving passages, but I’d very much like to find out. I’m very curious about the northern iron range and would like to round up the old gang (from my bachelor party in Vegas) and try tackling the 4x4 trails there with a Hummer or a Jeep. But if there are any great roads you like to cruise off the beaten path, please let me know. I’d love to find some new favorites.

And what about car shows? I know next year will yield similar experiences to 2014, like Car Craft and Cars & Coffee, but I’d like to try to hit a few more. This year I discovered that Anoka holds a weekly car show near the courthouse every Saturday night. I was able to catch the last one of the season, which was great. And I’d like to make my way up to Brainerd for one of the summer’s many events up there. Again, any suggestions my readers have, throw ‘em my way.

So there, you have your assignment. Any cars you know, roads you know, or shows you know, send them my way, if you’d please. In the meantime, The Wheelspin Journal will be setting the cruise control to one blog per week, every Thursday. 

-Thanks for reading The Wheelspin Journal-

photo by the author