It all started back during my college years in the early 70s.

A fraternity brother returned to school after the Christmas holidays with a white TR6. An exhilirating ride was all it took to make me fall in love with the TR6. Its good looks didn't hurt either.

Lack of money prevented me from pursuing my dream of owning a TR6 in the early years. Then the kids came along and realizing the dream had to be further postponed. Just when I thought that the dream would never come true, everything came together.

My friend, Roy, from Victoria, Canada informed me that someone he knows at work (it seems that Roy knows everyone in Victoria) has a TR6 for sale. I immediately established contact with the owner who sent me pictures of his car. Numerous phone calls were made and e-mail exchanged while I tried to figure out how to convince my better half that I needed yet another car.

Meanwhile, Roy went out and bought his dream car - a 1967 Chevy Malibu. That did it! I booked one-way tickets for my oldest son and I to fly to Victoria to buy my own dream car and drive it home to California.

Soon after arriving in Victoria, I got my first look at the TR6. The car did not meet my expectations. I was crestfallen - disappointed beyond words. Roy and I repaired to a pub to drown our sorrows. It did not help to see a beautiful TR250 in the parking lot. I decided that I would stick with my plan to spend the next few days in Victoria, take the Clipper to Seattle, and fly home from there.

It turns out that there was a car auction in Victoria the following day. Of course, Roy and I decided we'd go. One of the cars being auctioned was a beautiful white TR4. It's not a TR6 but close enough! I registered to bid but the bidding quickly extends beyond my limit.

I went through the classified ads. A phone inquiry about another TR6 for sale north of Victoria revealed that it had already sold. Another TR6 for sale in Vancouver was being held by the owner's promise to a prospective buyer. I informed the owner that I am very interested and that I would like to see the car the next day in case the other deal fell through.

We hopped on the ferry the following day to Vancouver and by mid-afternoon, I finally owned a TR6! After a visit to the Capilano Suspension Bridge to wait out the commute traffic, I drove the TR6 onto the ferry back to Victoria.

My TR6 spent the next day at Bristol Motors to prepare it for its trip home to California. It turns out that Matt Davies, the owner of Bristol Motors, owns the TR250 we saw in the parking lot of the pub 2 days earlier. Another surprise! The Rolls Royce formerly owned by John Lennon was in Matt's shop that day. I highly recommend Bristol Motors to any LBC owner in the Victoria area.

My son and I left Victoria driving the TR6 the following day. Crossing the border was uneventful although I was worried about the car overheating and I closely monitored the temperature gauge while waiting my turn in a very long queue. Since my TR6 is 25 years or older, it was exempted from DOT and EPA inspections. After paying duty to Customs, we were on our way home. We spent the night in Seattle to catch up with an old friend, and then spent the next evening in Yreka (California). We were home by noon the following day.

After unpacking, I immediately drove to the local DMV office. An inspection verified the vehicle identification numbers and my TR6 had its California plates less than 30 minutes later - no smog inspection required!

Prior to my trip to Victoria, I posted a request on the Triumph Owners mailing list for Triumph owners located along my travel path who would be willing to assist me in case I encountered problems with my TR6. I was impressed with the response I received. Although I was fortunate not to require any assistance from these individuals, I would like to thank them for their offers.

I would like to reciprocate by offering any assistance I can provide to any Triumph owner encountering problems while visiting Sonoma County. Or if you would just like to get some tips about the local area and its many wineries, give me a call at (707) 585-3521.