Those who went on the 2019 Caravan, will be familiar with the 2024 route. The plan is to follow the same road trip. The Oklahoma & Texas Caravan Captain is Ed Onley, [email protected].
Oklahoma & Texas Panhandle Itinerary
Oklahoma Route 66 Association - Trip GuideOur Story
We all have a Corvette story, so here is mine!
In 1968 in Morton Mississippi, I saw my first Corvette from a school bus. I mean the first, I never saw a C1 or C2 that I can remember. I always had my eye looking for another! I decided I would have a Corvette one day. Fast forward a few years. In 1977 after serving 3 years in the Marine Corp I had the privilege to marry my wife, at this writing we have been married 45 years. I was taunted by my fellow employees about never having a Corvette after our daughter was born. I am a retired Oklahoma City Police Officer. Rebecca arrived July of 1982 and one month later, I HAD MY 1972 Red on Red coupe. I have owned this Corvette 40 years of its 50 years of life, birth date December 1971. Incidentally, I purchased the 1972 Corvette from a man who was having his first child.
Moving forward another few years, working traffic in Oklahoma City, I saw my first Corvette Caravan going across I-40 in Oklahoma City, toward Bowling Green. Kentucky. One day I promised myself we would be in that Caravan! I needed an engine rebuild before that could happen. The last thing I did was paint in 2007. Everything was rebuilt. I am ready to go for the Caravan! In 1998 we joined the Oklahoma City Corvette Club to make that next journey.
In 1999 we were on our way, again for the 50th Anniversary. There have been several additional trips to the National Corvette Museum. I am a Charter member of the National Corvette Museum. I was not sure the museum would endure the test of time. Boy was I wrong.
In 1999, I organized the Corvette Caravan traffic out of OKC. I was the last Corvette out. My caravan friend, in his 1970 454 coupe, and I would come up on C-5s, which was newest Corvette at the time, change lanes and hit the gas pedal to pass on the left. My wife would wave at the air conditioning C-5s as we passed them. The only A/C in a C-3 is moving air. We did this repeatedly on our way to Webbers Falls to get much needed gas. My C-3 gets about 11 mpg. My friend’s 454 about eight mpg (we may not have been driving fifty-five, the national speed limit at the time).
I look forward to being the Captain for the 2024 Corvette Caravan for the Texas Panhandle through Oklahoma to Bowling Green Ky. We will have overnight stays in Tulsa and Cape Girardeau Missouri.
I would like to thank Patrick Pierre, Co-Captain, and my wife Donna.
Ed Onley
Text – (405) 642-6229
Email – [email protected]
