After Jim Meyer's former navigator died, he talked his friend, Kevin Menning, into joining him on a trip with his convertible club. For Menning, it was love at first ride. "I fell in love with the people, the open road with the top down," he said.
"We go on county roads. It’s just beautiful." After serving as a navigator -- while Meyer drove -- for three years, Menning invested in his own convertible - a 1983 Ford Mustang convertible - which he describes as "one of one.
" Menning joined a Wisconsin-based convertible club Meyer was a part of, OpenAir Tours, and began joining his friend on trips, many in western Wisconsin. But this year, Menning and Meyer didn't have to travel far at all. The two friends and native Dubuquers were joined in the tri-state area Thursday by more than 170 convertibles and 350 enthusiasts for a three-day car cruise throughout the area, from Potosi, Wis.
to Dyersville, Iowa, to multiple landmarks within Dubuque city limits -- and everywhere in between. "I just wanted to see if they could come up with something I haven't seen in this town," Menning joked. "So far, they haven't.
" The convertible cruises are the brainchild of Gary Knowles, of Madison, Wis., who spent some time working in the tourism industry. In 1993, he and a friend thought it might be fun to organize a tour from Madison to Green Bay, Wis.
, and Knowles has been planning the tours since. In those 31 years, Knowles brought on his wife, Mae, his son, Alex Knowles, and his fiancé, Samant.