They drive to the end of the world for Long Beach Rod Run
Published 5:00 am Monday, September 14, 2026
In 1993, newly married couple Ron and Pam Derrick bought their 1991 Chevy Camaro convertible off a car lot in the middle of a rainstorm.
They had been looking all day with no luck. “It was pouring rain,” said Ron. “We went back into the store to get dry and I happened to look out the front window and on a rotisserie there it was and I said what about that one?”
On the spinning platform at the dealership was their future car. Their salesman told them he didn’t realize he had it in stock as it had arrived that day. Getting the car off of the auto spinner was a feat in itself. The couple arrived at 5 p.m. and left with their new car after midnight. “They had to take the car down which was a job in itself, plus the paperwork to make the deal,” said Pam.
The two from Castle Rock, Wash. weren’t looking for a convertible initially, said Ron, but they drove home 50 miles that night from Portland to Castle with the canvas top up on their new car.
Since then, for over two decades, the Derricks have been driving their pavement princess to the Rod Run to the End of the World, a vintage car event in Ocean Park. The retired couple make the trek over and over again because, Ron said, “it’s a nice end of the summer trip to the beach, well that’s number two. Number one actually is the cars.”
Over the years they’ve made friends and this year they camped as a group near the event which is celebrating 42 years.
Besides the show and shine portions where visitors can gaze upon the cars and visit with the cars’ human entourages lingering nearby, the show features raffles, live music, food and vendors that stretch out over the event hosted on the Beach Barons Car Club’s 27-acre piece of land.
Thousands of lookers strolled past hundreds of cars poised and polished on the grassy field, many with hands behind their backs, peering into the cars on display, signaling that they were observing the ‘look don’t touch’ signs on most of the cars.
“People walk around, they go, ‘that’s nice’ but they don’t look and see all the stripes and details on the car,” said Pam. The previous owners of the Camaro added custom pin-striping — a feature the couple has preserved including the original teal paint color all these years.
Prior to the Camaro, Pam had a 1977 Monte Carlo. Someone dented the door one day at work. “Door bashing,” she said, “it doesn’t matter where you park. Someone dented the door and so I said I’m going to go shop for a new car.”
That’s when Pam and Ron’s story collided with the unexpected convertible that blustery day on the car lot.
While the couple shares the car, it’s especially dear to Pam, who drove it to work for years. “I love the stance that it has. It’s not jacked up in the back. It looks like it’s slammed to the ground because of the grass, but it is pretty low and I like that it’s streamlined and flat.”
When pressed to describe her admiration further, Pam answered “I don’t know, I just like it,” and quickly added, “she’s interesting to me. I like the other years of Camaros but this body style and the convertible. … I don’t know — she’s just me.”