There's One Week Left to Enter Our Circus Contest!

Don't forget that we're holding a contest for FOUR tickets and a parking pass to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Prudential Center on March 16th. So if you want tickets to what is sure to be a fun-filled night for the whole family, then head over to our Facebook contest page (http://a.pgtb.me/LMdwkk) and enter now before it's too late!

America's Best Spring Drives

The arrival of spring inspires us to break out from winter’s hibernation and embrace the fresh outdoors. A road trip naturally satisfies that spontaneous travel urge, and we’ve mapped America’s best spring drives—routes that bring you up-close to nature’s finest floral displays, from a California poppy tour to Texas Hill Country’s bluebonnets.

Of course, flowers in bloom aren’t the only draw for these American road trips, many of which meander by woodlands, lakes, small quaint towns, even historic mansions and museums. Consider Colorado’s 232-mile San Juan Skyway, which takes visitors up melting snowcapped mountains, past natural hot springs, and through restored ghost towns.

No matter what route you travel and no matter how many detours you take, spring into action this season by road-tripping through America’s most awe-inspiring floral landscapes.

 
U.S. Route 9, New York

The Route: 57 miles.

The entire route runs more than 300 miles from Delaware up to the U.S.-Canada border, but this 57-mile lower New York stretch has special appeal when the weather warms. Start in Poughkeepsie and head north toward the town of Valatie, pulling over for fresh produce and organic homemade goods at one of the many local farmers’ markets that reopen in late spring. And keep your eyes peeled for Gilded Age estates along the route, such as the Vanderbilt Mansion.

Where to Stop: The historic open-air Hyde Park Farmers’ Market, just off Route 9, opens in early June on the grounds of the ’50s-era Hyde Park Drive-In Theatre. Further north, in Columbia County, stop at Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery for a bottle of dry apple brandy.

Texas Hill Country Bluebonnet Tour

The Route: 87 miles.

Lady Bird Johnson led a campaign to beautify American cities, and in her native Texas, vast gardens of bluebonnets were planted across Texas Hill Country. While there are countless nature trails, first-timers should start in Austin and take U.S. 290 west to Johnson City’s lovely Wildflower Loop. Then hightail it along U.S. 281 N to the town of Burnet, the official bluebonnet capital of Texas.

Where to Stop: Tour the colorful grounds at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. A toll-free Texas wildflower hotline (800-452-9292) provides blooming reports, and tune in to KLBJ News Radio 590, which airs the “Wildflower Hour” featuring expert gardening tips from Mr. Smarty Plants at 8 a.m. on Saturdays.

George Washington Memorial Parkway, Maryland and Virginia

The Route: 25 miles.

This green parkway reveals one floral show after another—591 wildflower species, from large-flowered valerians to Virginia bluebells—as you drive from the Great Falls of the Potomac through D.C. and south to Mount Vernon. The most famous are the cherry trees that bloom around the Tidal Basin in D.C.

Where to Stop: Hike the many trails that crisscross the 700-acre Turkey Run Park (just seven miles north of D.C.), which is carpeted in bluebells come late April.

Historic Columbia River Highway, Oregon

The Route: 70 miles.

The Columbia River area has long been Oregon’s premier scenic attraction. Explore by driving from Portland through the Columbia River Gorge and on to volcanic Mount Hood, Oregon’s highest peak at over 11,000 feet. Multnomah Falls, one of the tallest yearlong waterfalls in the U.S., is another showstopper. Beginning in late March, look for wildflowers like purple Columbia kittentails on the shaded banks of waterfalls.

Where to Stop: 3 Rivers Grill (541-386-8883), in a Victorian house overlooking Hood River, for lunch. Detour over to the Washington side for the Maryhill Museum of Art—fresh off a $10 million expansion—and enjoy unparalleled views of the gorge.

Hana Highway, Hawaii

The Route: 52 miles.

Tropical flowers bloom each spring along the Road to Hana, which paves its way through bamboo fields, rainforests, and waterfalls like 80-foot Wailua Falls, which appeared in the credits of TV show “Fantasy Island.” Start in Kahului, and head down Maui’s northeastern coast. Just don’t be fooled by the 52-mile count—this is an intense drive that can take up to four hours as you navigate 600 hairpin turns and more than 50 one-lane bridges. The payoff comes from the spectacular views and bragging rights.

Where to Stop: Fuel up with pancakes soaked in coconut syrup at Anthony’s Coffee Co. in the funky small town of Paia. Just beyond mile marker 32 awaits Waianapanapa State Park, with black-sand beaches and trails leading to sea caves and lava cliffs.

San Juan Skyway, Colorado

The Route: 232 miles.

The skyway’s biggest thrills come along the stretch between the Victorian-era towns of Ouray and Silverton that’s known as the Million Dollar Highway. While that name could easily describe the views, it actually refers to the massive amounts of silver and gold once carted through these passes. Four-wheelers can also attempt to traverse the rugged 65-mile Alpine Loop Back Country Byway past the 19th-century ghost towns of Howardsville, Eureka, and Animas Forks.

Where to Stop: Mesa Verde National Park, famous for Anasazi Indian cliff dwellings that were abandoned 200 years before Columbus arrived in America. And at Dunton Hot Springs Resort (duntonhotsprings.com), in a restored ghost town, soak in waters ranging from 85°F to 106°F and rich in calcium bicarbonate, iron, and manganese.

Highway 1, California

The Route: 121 miles.

Starting in San Francisco, cruise down America’s iconic coastline, passing Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, until you reach Pacific Grove, just outside of Monterey. The town’s seaside trail in Lovers Point Park is carpeted in magnificent magenta ice plants by late March each year.

Where to Stop: Join the cars lined up to navigate Lombard Street, a one-block stretch on a steep incline with eight hairpin curves and perfectly manicured gardens.

(courtesy of Travel and Leisure)

Win FOUR Tickets to Monster Jam 2014!!

Great news, Schumacher Chevrolet fans! We've just received FOUR tickets to Monster Jam 2014 at the IZOD Center on Saturday, February 15th at 7:30 PM, and we want to give these tickets to one lucky fan! So to enter, all you need to do is head over to our Facebook contest page (http://a.pgtb.me/ZZlW4l) for your chance to score four tickets to the best monster truck show out there!

The Super Bowl is Almost Here!

 
Alright fans, the Super Bowl is only two days away, and this year's game promises to be a great match-up between two even opponents that won't disappoint! So today we want to know: who do you think will win the Super Bowl this year?

Who Do You Hope Wins Super Bowl XLVIII?

Denver Broncos

Seattle Seahawks

I'm just rooting for a good game

I could care less, really

It's all about the commercials!

Football is the devil

What's football

make a poll

'Dogs in Cars' Photo Series Captures Pups at Their Happiest

Catching photos of animals is a tricky art to master. While some photographers spend their energy balancing squirmy puppies enough to snap a clear shot, Lara Jo Regan takes a different approach. She loads her canine subjects up in the car, rolls down the windows and documents dogs at their absolute happiest.

Regan's delightful series, titled "Dogs in Cars," captures pups with their snouts out the window and their ears flapping in the wind.

"Most dogs become downright delirious over a car ride," she told Mashable, adding that she wanted to catch her subjects' "amazing primal energy" in photographs.

Pet photography isn't Regan's only project; she's also an accomplished artist and photojournalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, Time and Entertainment Weekly. She's also the owner of one of the Internet's first animal stars, Mr. Wrinkle.

On This Date in History: The Corvette is Unleashed Onto the World

The legend goes that Harley Earl, General Motors' chief designer, had the idea for a true American sports car after going to the races at Watkins Glen, N.Y., and seeing a field full of European iron. An advertising assistant, Myron Scott, had the masterstroke of giving the convertible concept a name that "reflected the excitement of a fast World War II war ship named Corvette." When it was introduced on this date in 1953 at the GM Motorama show in New York, the Corvette concept was a hit; yet by the end of 1954, GM would be on the verge of killing the car, after a botched launch with underpowered models left sales far below targets. It was up to a young GM engineer, one Zora Arkus-Duntov, to show GM what the Corvette needed to stand for. His letter saved the Vette, and remains the best understanding of why it survives today:


TO: Mesars. E. N. Cole and M. Olley
FROM: Mr. Z. Arkus-Duntov
SUBJECT: Corvette

In this note, I am speaking out of turn. I am giving options and suggestions without knowing all the factors. I realize this but still am offering my thoughts for what they are. In order to make the content clear and short, I will not use the polite apologetic phrasing and say, "it is" instead of "it possibly might be" - and I apologize for this now.

By the looks of it, the Corvette is on its way out.

I would like to say the following: Dropping the car now will have adverse effect internally and externally.

It is admission of failure. Failure of aggressive thinking in the eyes of the organization, failure to develop a saleable product in the eyes of the outside world.

Above-said can be dismissed as sentimentality. Let's see if it can hurt the cash register. I think it can.

Ford enters the field with the Thunderbird, a car of the same class as the Corvette.

If Ford makes success where we failed, it may hurt.

With aggressiveness of Ford publicity, they may turn the fact to their advantage. I don't mean in terms of Thunderbird sales, but in terms of promotion of theirs and depreciation of our general lines.

We will leave an opening in which they can hit at will. "Ford out-engineered, outsold, or ran Chevrolet's pride and joy off the market". Maybe the idea is far-fetched. I can only gauge in terms of my own reactions or actions. In the bare-fisted fight we are in now, I would hit at any opening I could find and the situation where Ford enters and where Chevrolet retreats, it is not an opening, it is a hole!

Now if they can hurt us, then we can hurt them! We are one year ahead and we possibly learned some lessons which Ford has yet to learn.

Is the effort worthwhile? This, I am in no position to say. Obviously, in terms of direct sales a car for the discriminating low volume market is hardly an efficient investment of efforts. The value must be gauged by effects it may have on an overall picture.

The Corvette failed because it did not meet G.M. standards of a product. It did not have the value for the money.

If the value of a car consists of practical values and emotional appeal, the sports car has very little of the first and consequently has to have an exaggerated amount of the second. If a passenger car must have an appeal, nothing short of a mating call will extract $4,000 for a small two-seater. The Corvette as it was offered had curtailed practical value being a poor performer. With a 6-cylinder engine, it was no better than the medium priced family car.

Timing was also unfortunate. When the novelty appeal was the highest, we hadn't had the cars to sell. When the cars became available, hypnotized by the initial overwhelming response, no promotional effort was made.

The little promotion which was made was designed to depreciate the car rather than enhance it. Hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars contained in the price of a sports or luxury car are paid for exclusivity. What did our promotion say on the radio and advertised in magazines? "Now everybody can have it! Come and get it". What virtues did advertising extoll? Only X inches high, only X inches long, etc. In the country, in which bigger is synonymous with better, and we really know it, we were trying to sell a car, because it is small! Crosley is smaller........

Were there no virtues to talk about? Quite some, but a condensation of best reports which appeared in motoring press previously had more glow and enthusiasm than our advertising.

Summarizing, the promotion was uninspired and half hearted attempt with no evidence of thought or enthusiasm.

Where do we stand now?

The Corvette still has the best and raciest look of all the sports cars, the Thunderbird included. Performance is far superior to all the passenger cars and to 99% of the sports cars used on the road. It has flow in respect to passenger protection. Water leaks and cumbersome top and side window. With these minor flaws removed, we have a sports car with as much practical value as the sports care can have.

The borderline between the value and lack of same is not the absolute performance but comparative one. "My car can go X miles per hour" does not mean as much as "My car can trim anything on wheels". The '55 Corvette will have this pride attached to its ownership. To be a success, it will need more emotional appeal which can be provided by promotion which will fit the product and inflame the type of customers which can buy the car.

As I see it and put it down, the Corvette is a product different from a passenger automobile having in every phase of operation problems of its own. With sales potential between 3 and at the most 10,000 cars a year, it is bound to be a hindering step-child in an organization which acts and thinks in terms of 1,500,000 units. A subdivision, section, department or what not, but an organization no matter how small but which is directly responsible for the successes of operation is necessary.

An organization which will eat and sleep Corvette as our divisions are eating and sleeping their particular cars.

I am convinced that a group with concentrated objective will not only stand a chance to achieve the desired result, but devise ways and means to make the operation profitable in a direct business sense.

(courtesy of Yahoo!)

Life Hacks for Automobiles: Three Out of the Box Ways to Simplify Your Drive

If there's one thing us Americans know more than anything else, it's ingenuity. If life throws us a hurdle or obstacle our way, we often find a way to think outside the box and come up with a solution to our problem. So with that thought in mind, here are three "life hacks" that we've stumbled upon. Let us know if you've used any of these, and let us know if there's one that we missed!