Mrs. Martin is what we’re calling our 1949 Hudson, Commodore 8. She’s demanding of our time. She’s takes our money. She refuses to be rushed. The challenge: it’s time to hit the road.
It’s Thursday, October 3rd. Per and I are heading Westward in what feels like ten minutes from now – this Saturday. We’ve gone though our list of Mrs. Martin’s demands. The last of the punch list we’ll perform in Per’s garage here in Boston are: Plugging leaks in the gas tank (now on the floor of Per’s garage) with epoxy, ponder what to do about clutch fluid that’s weeps from the transmission, and install seat belts in the back seat that I removed from our 1951 Pacemaker yesterday.
Bittersweet is that we’re taking much of our loyal Pacemaker with us having transplanted it’s straight six, 232 cubic inch engine into Mrs. Martin at the end of August. We’ve also taken the Pacemaker’s hood latch, spare tire bolt, radio, headlight, spare rim and lug nuts.
Dan McNichol is a number-one bestselling author and an award-winning journalist. His published books, articles, thought-leadership papers and speaking events focus on mega construction projects in the United States and The Peoples Republic of China.
McNichol recently contributed to a front page story in The New York Times titled, “Trump-Sized Idea for a New President: Build Stuff”. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) / Boston Chapter named McNichol as one of nation’s outstanding journalists in 2014 and again in 2003. McNichol contributes to worldwide media outlets including: The New York Times, Engineering News Record (ENR), ABC World News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) network, China Central Television (CCTV), TV Tokyo, MSNBC and PBS’s The NewsHour, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, History Channel. McNichol is a frequent voice on National Public Radio (NPR).
ENR Magazine recently tapped McNichol as the magazine’s national correspondent for a cross country tour. McNichol and Aileen Cho, ENR’s senior transportation editor, drove in a 1949 Hudson Commodore with the tagline, “America’s infrastructure is as old, rusty and energy defunct as our original Detroit lead-sled.” The journalists wrote ENR print and online cover stories about the nation’s ailing infrastructure.
A former White House appointee, McNichol served the President on US policy issues surrounding transportation and infrastructure between 1991-1993. McNichol has worked in official capacities on the nation’s largest infrastructure projects: California High Speed Rail (2017), San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Replacement (2013) and The Big Dig, a.k.a. The Central Artery / Third Harbor Tunnel Project (2000).
