40 French tourists -- again!

Posted by Craig Hendrickson On 2012/10/9 18:55:40

Some background:

Almost every day during the late Spring, all Summer and early Fall while the weather is hot in Southern Nevada, several tourist companies run bus loads of tourists from Las Vegas to Death Valley. I think this is primarily so that the tourists can claim to have survived the heat and raw desert of Death Valley. Us locals think this is weird because the tourists actually pay to get hot, but of course they take comfort in their air conditioned bus to and fro. LOL! Anyway, is seems that most of these tourists are from Western Europe, so our 100F+ temps are unusual for them.

The buses make a refreshment stop around 10AM in Pahrump, NV where I live. This is about 70 miles from Las Vegas and only about 6 miles from CA and a short trip then onto Death Valley. The stops are at one of the local supermarket shopping centers because there is plenty of parking for the buses and lots of good food & drinks to buy at the supermarket.

Last year's Spontaneous Car Show:

Inadvertently, I made a grocery run in my 55 Pat last year to the Albertson's shopping center around 10AM. As I pulled up in front, many French tourists were making their way back from the supermarket to their bus. Upon seeing my Pat, they ALL made a left turn, walked over and surrounded by Pat, chatting away in French (which I do not speak)! I said it was a "55" and they echoed "cinc, cinc!" So, of course, I opened all the doors, the hood and the trunk. Cameras clicked with smiles all around. After about 15 minutes, the bus driver came over and motioned everyone onto the bus.

This year's Spontaneous Car Show:

Again inadvertently, I was again at the Albertson's parking lot about 10AM with my 55 Pat. This time a tourist bus loaded with about 40 French tourists pulled up a few parking rows away from my 55 Pat. And this time, instead of going into the supermarket, ALL came directly over to my Pat. Again, I opened up everything on the Pat amidst lots of chatting, smiling faces, camera clicks and such. One women even climbed into the trunk to have her BF/DH take her picture! Of course, then I had to demonstrate the T-L, much to everyone's amazement.

A couple of locals drove up in their jellybean cars to see what was going on. This was followed by an older guy in a brand new Challenger 5.7L Hemi with an Elvis front plate. The tourists loved that car too.

I tried explaining my personalized license plate "WHOWNS1" to the French crowd, but it took taking the rubber floor mat embossed with Packard Crest and "Ask The Man Who Owns One" out of the front and explaining that to the bilingual tour guide before the plate made any sense to the French. I'm still not sure they got it, though.

It took a lot of unplanned time before the French tourist bus departed for Death Valley and their experience with heat. For all I know, they thought my Packard was part of the tour!

Craig