A middle-aged couple drove straight through from Salt Lake City Utah to southwestern Oklahoma in a minivan to get one of my machines. They were here long enough to load the treadle machine, visit and laugh for a second, and then they were on their way for the straight-through drive back home.

We loaded the machine so there was room enough to let one lie down and sleep while the other one drove.

The wife commented that while they had made those kinds of long road trips before, it was back when they were much younger. She said that it wasn’t quite as much fun now as it had seemed to be back then, but they were still having fun.

CD in Oklahoma

Just for a sewing machine I've made one 250 mi round trip. I might go further for the right machine or if the location was interesting...

and it was a lot of fun!

I just got back from an 1800+ mile round trip to pick up one machine....

SF Bay area to Walla Walla Washington to pick up a 1862 Grover & Baker double chainstitch machine.

i would definitely drive even 3 hours for that machine. and to think that you got 2. i was emailing a guy about his FW that is 1 owner machine. we decided on a time and day (it was 1.5 hours from me) then all of a sudden he said that someone bought it for his asking price of $250.

wow. you're a hardcore. but will definitely do it also for that machine. hey steve, i see that you're the expert antique sewing machine guy and in california too. i am in the east bay. nice to meet you. i will surely be in touch with you for some advise. thanks.

My record would be 3 hours one way, twice. I saw the 115 in the Drawing Room cab one week, walked away, and then turned around and went back the next week to get it. Does that count as 12 hours? LOL!

Steve H...if you're going to travel Hwy 97 through Central Oregon, you HAVE to stop by and say "hi"!! (You barely have to get off the hiway to do it too!)

I went weekend before last and I drove straight up Highway-5. But it would have been great to stop and see some folks along the way. maybe the next machine from the civil era or earlier will be up there too... hehe

Just to clarify, I have been doing this for a little over a year. My birthday is this Saturday and I got my first "basket case" treadle machine on my Birthday last year......

I've been repairing cars as a hobby since I was 10 (in 1971), started making Jewelry as a hobby in 1977, Armor in the mid 80's, and blacksmithing in the 90's. So I do have some practical knowledge to bring to the discussion. I research like a fiend and love the oracle Google for answering my endless questions.

But I am still a "newbie" in the collecting and restoring world.

I feel very much like a newbie, too. There is sssssssssooooooooo much to learn isn't there?