TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

[2K2BIRD]

Gang this one is much harder to join than the "100,000 Mile Club", "Trunk Mat Club", or "Borla Club".

The requirement for membership in the club is simple (but not easy to attain) ....

Drive or ride in the same retrobird in all 48 contiguous states for any distance, in any order, over any amount of time it takes you to accomplish the task.

Anyone that reaches this milestone will receive a gold mirror-finished dash plaque for their car from the current club members. Many thanks to Roger Benischek for helping with the design and to Dennis Christensen for making them for us. The reflective plaque does not photograph well, but it looks great with this logo:

TBN Double Celebrate Forty-Eight Club members(48 x 2):

1. Paul & Rosetta Thomas (2K2BIRD/Ms2K2BIRD) - 2002 Torch Red - 2018
(last: Washington)

TBN Celebrate Forty-Eight Club members

1.Fred Christie (fla bird 03) - 2003 Mountain Shadow Grey - 2009
(last state: Maine)

2. Paul & Rosetta Thomas (2K2BIRD/Ms2K2BIRD) - 2002 Torch Red - 2011
(last state: Wisconsin)

3. David & Jeannie Applebaum (DavidA/LuvOurBird) - 2002 Evening Black - 2012
(last state: Rhode Island)

4. Bill Green (15AGAIN) - 2002 Torch Red - 2012
(last state: Rhode Island)

5. Gary Himes (02TBIRD) - 2002 Evening Black - 2015
* (last state: North Dakota)

5. Pat & Connie Elliott (94mcd/Ms94mcd) - 2004 Torch Red - 2015
* (last state: North Dakota)

7. Ron McCloud & Liz Smith (4LOWBIRDS+5/Sharehisbirds) - 2005 Dusk Rose - 2016
(last state: Arkansas)

8. Roger & Sharon Quern (RQTBIRD/MsRQTBIRD) - 2002 Whisper White - 2016
(last state: South Carolina)

9. Ron McCloud & Liz Smith (4LOWBIRDS+7/Sharehisbirds) - 2005 Inca Gold - 2017
(last state: Louisiana) - 2nd different retrobird!

10. Steve & Donna Eberhart (valkyrie/TBIRDLUV) - 2004 Merlot - 2018
(last state: Wisconsin)

11.Dave Egan (Tbear) - 2003 Whisper White- 2018
(last state: Oregon)

12. Spence Haldeman & Judy Dennis (Gobird/Judge Judy) - 2002 Thunderbird Blue - 2018
(last state: California)

13. Ted & Mitzi (posthumously) Sturgeon (02-T-Bird) - 2002 Torch Red - 2018
(last state: California)
14. Ron McCloud & Liz Smith (4LOWBIRDS+8/Sharehisbirds) - 2004 Merlot - 2018
(last state: Oklahoma) - 3rd different retrobird!

15. Mike & Debbie Flynn redfire1/bluefire2) - 2004 Merlot - 2018
(last state: Michgan)

16. Kevin & Diane Mark (MISTYEYED829) - 2004 Merlot - 2018
(last state: Arizona)
17. Joe Apicella (03TEEBIRD) - 2003 Whisper White - 2019
(last state: Connecticut)

18. Who's next? (when you reach the goal - please respond to this thread)

Hoping to join the Celebrate Forty-Eight Club soon:

1. Bill Long (longbill) - 2005 Medium Steel Blue - (last state: ?)


* simultaneously joined the club

[02-T-Bird]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

Great accomplishment people. We are at 25 states and 5 Canadian provences. I guess we have a long way to go yet.

[4LOWBIRDS+7]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

Gang this one is much harder to join than the "100,000 Mile Club", "Trunk Mat Club", or "Borla Club".

The requirement for membership in the club is simple (but not easy to attain) ....

Drive or ride in the same retrobird in all 48 contiguous states for any distance, in any order, over any amount of time it takes you to accomplish the task.

Same retrobird needs to be changed to read your retrobird. If someone sells and trades for another retrobird you are saying they have to start over. In thirteen months we have been in 24 states, 3 providences and the District of Columbia with the Dusk Rose, but we are losing six states because we have been in a different retro.

[Rondor]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

There are just too many states I don't care to visit, in anf mode of transportation.

[wcoates]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

Same retrobird needs to be changed to read your retrobird. If someone sells and trades for another retrobird you are saying they have to start over.

Congrats to all you renegades on your wanderlust accomplishment. Impressive.

Have no dog in this fight but I agree with Ron. Not only Ron but as more folks own their second Bird they become candidates. Richard and Gordon are travelers with a Bird stationed in two different states and extensive traveler Tbear Dave might leave his 007 at home and we may never see it if the WW gets all the trips. Karen makes their Sarasota home a two bird family and they travel extensively. hey how 'bout that Dot/George team from Texas. Greg out in Vegas. Anybody else?

Probably never get more than 12-15 members but strongly believe the mentioned very active members should be given the chance to join your little fraternity.

[PITTBIRDS]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

This is a very nice award for a great accomplishment. Defining the rules is usually straight forward. Will the car wear the award, or will the person?

[Tbear]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

Have no dog in this fight but I agree with Ron. Not only Ron but as more folks own their second Bird they become candidates. Richard and Gordon are travelers with a Bird stationed in two different states and extensive traveler Tbear Dave might leave his 007 at home and we may never see it if the WW gets all the trips. Karen makes their Sarasota home a two bird family and they travel extensively. hey how 'bout that Dot/George team from Texas. Greg out in Vegas. Anybody else?

I think I'll drive the 007 to events where the WW has already visited. Maybe have a double 48. Seems to me like the award is as much for the car as it is the driver. I like it the way it is. Hard to do and a well deserved trophy.

[Gobird]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

One car in all 48 is the way I think it should be. I'm a few states short of this but we did pick up 5 more states in the past two weeks of travel. Might make it some day to all 48 in Misty Blue.

We now have 36 states covered with 12 to go.

[BirdsAndBugs]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

I'm not even close in either of my Thunderbirds. Even if I combined all the cars I've owned in my lifetime, I'm figure I'm still pretty far short. I've been to most states in the west, Midwest, and southern US; but very little along the east coast.

And yes, I agree it needs to be in one car. It's a dash plaque that goes on the vehicle that accomplished the task.

[Bruce]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

Congratulation to all that have made and will make this achievement!

Unfortunately, this is a goal I will never achieve. Counting both Birds spanning 12 years of ownership have totally accounted for 8 states.

[007Cruiser]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

Just 41 more to go!

[fla bird 03]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

2003 MSG and I have done the 48. Finishing that feat in 2009. Last state was Maine also 3 Canadian prov. Only one breakdown and it was a long one in texas. Six weeks 8 coils and plugs, transmission, drive shaft rotation sensor, vss, throttle body, airflow sensor, and engine control module. It took a factory rep to figure out the computer was causing wrong info and it probably was just the coils that damaged the computer. Longest trip was a little over 12,000 miles in 2005

[2K2BIRD]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

Wow, Fred, first time I'm hearing your story - did I miss it in a thread somewhere else on the site? Congrats on all 48 and the 3 Canadian Provinces! That stay in Texas must have been excruciating. Were you joined by a wife/significant other for all 48 states? If you are not in witness protection, mind telling us your last name?

If you will send a PM to Bill (15AGAIN), he'll give you the information on receiving your plaque for your car.

As for the criteria for membership, Jerry (PITTBIRD) hit the nail on the head - the award goes with the car. When a car has visited all 48 states it will receive a special plaque for display in any manner the owner(s) sees fit. You aren't in the 100,000 Mile Club if you have one car with 24K and another with 76K (or any other combination). The same goes with the Celebrate Forty-Eight Club - 30 in one and 18 in another (or any other multi-car combination) doesn't get the job done.

If we can ever get Mike & Evelyn and Eric & Cindy to put on a TBN event in the Pacific Northwest, that we can attend, our car will have visited all of the lower 48 at least twice. The only states we are lacking to accomplish a double 48 are Oregon and Washington!

[4LOWBIRDS+7]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

Looks like Fred was the first TBNer to accomplish the 48 feat.

[RQTBIRD]

Re: TBN "Celebrate Forty-Eight" Club

What if you were to have an accident (heaven forbid) and had to replace the car with another Thunderbird, would you have to start all over or just give up?