Spring is upon us, and what better way to start the good weather season than with a road trip? Road trips are special, of course, in that they exist to accomplish one of three basic goals: see something, do something or get (buy) something.

Road trips are not vacations, and as such should be short (preferably one overnight), to the point, and provide intense if not borderline excessive quality time with your favorite Porsche or other cool car of choice. Having a guest passenger is a great idea as long as he/she helps drive, understands and supports the purpose, and doesn't mind road food.

When properly managed, road trips become the stuff of legends to be retold whenever possible with suitable amounts of hyperbole and embellishment.

Most, but not all, of my road trips center around car-oriented activities. A couple of my favorites occur back in my home state of Pennsylvania, which gives me the perfect opportunity to make a mad dash overnight run from Michigan to Pennsylvania and back to participate.

Here are a couple I have planned that you may not find on your typical Porsche event calendar.

Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (Qualifying & Car Shows)

Saturday, July 18

I first experienced the PVGP in September of 1983 when I was just beginning the senior year of my mechanical engineering degree at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The CMU campus is also adjacent to Schenley Park, which hosted a number of activities each year — including,as luck would have it, the inaugural Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.

My long-running obsession with prototype sports cars and motor racing guaranteed my attendance along with my trusty Olympus OM1 and friend and fellow vintage car nut Lance Smith. I was, in a word, smitten and overwhelmed. OK, that's two words.

Where else could you could you achieve this automotive-driven visceral, sensory overload at a race course venue straight out of the 1950s with cars you had only ever read about in books and magazines. Intoxicating stuff for a 21-year-old gear head obsessed with sports cars and endurance racing. Of course, all of this was also within walking distance of my dorm, our Guinness beer stop, and our favorite hot dog and fry carryout.

Inaugural race poster for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (left) and competitors in the race, including the Carrera Mong Spyder.

Since that inaugural event, I make it a point to attend the PVGP race weekend as often as possible. It takes place every July on a 2.33-mile-long road course that twists and turns along public roads within Schenley Park.

For those of you who don't know, Schenley Park came into being in 1889 when Mary Schenley donated 300 acres of land to the city of Pittsburgh. Subsequent acquisitions by the city — along with an option for an additional 120 acres from Mary Schenley — increased the park's size to its current 456 acres.

The PVGP race came into being in 1983 when Art McGovern and Mary Beth Gmitter proposed Schenley Park as an ideal venue at which to run a vintage sports car race. Pittsburgh mayor Richard Caliguiri granted approval for the event, contingent on the proceeds being donated to two local autism charities.

Since that first one-day race event in 1983, the PVGP has evolved into a weeklong event that includes multiple car shows, cruises, a rally, a concert and a supporting race event at the nearby Pittsburgh International Race Complex the preceding weekend.

Since its inception more than 30 years ago, the PVGP venue has combined gorgeous scenery and esthetics with superior spectator access and a broad array of fantastic vintage cars. Racers compete through more than 20 turns and 17 elevation changes, all the while racing along a collection of stonewall and tree-lined streets. Hay bales dot the course, while jersey barriers are kept to a minimum mostly for traffic control and course definition where appropriate.

Spectating areas are close to the track, including all of the really interesting corners, with an abundance of truly superb photography and video opportunities. If you can't get a cool shot of your favorite race car either in the paddock or whizzing along a stone wall you just aren't trying very hard.

A look at the 2011 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.

On Saturday, the golf course is host to multiple car shows, member corrals and manufacturer displays that run concurrently with the on track activities. You can easily spend the entire day wandering around the hundreds of vehicles on display on the golf course next to the track. Offerings can range from vintage '60s sports racers to the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile.

One of the most appealing features is that there is no admission to pay or ticket to buy. The race is open to the public and always has been since 1983. With that in mind, I always buy a T-shirt, race program and race event poster. The proceeds benefit a worthy cause, and the art work is always display quality.

Even with all of the changes that have happened over the last 31 years, the PVGP has maintained that original atmosphere and esthetic that makes it so worth the effort to attend.

A look at the Porsche Corral for the 2011 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.

Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum (Demo Days)

Saturday, Nov. 14

Last October, my sister invited me to attend a charity function for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. As luck would have it, the event was being held at the Simeone Museum, which just happens to have one of the most interesting and diverse collections of racing sports cars on the East Coast. I did not know it at the time, but their collection also includes a Porsche 917 LH Chassis Number 917-043.

So I set off Friday morning, and nine hours later arrived with just enough time to change into a suit and get to the event. Many of the cars in the Simeone were kept on display along the periphery of the dining area including the 917 and its hippie livery.

Now, I've been obsessed with 917's since first seeing "Le Mans" at the theater as a kid. I have seen short tail 917K's but never a long tail, so the chance to get up close to one was an unexpected treat.

As the evening progressed, I soon discovered that the Simeone Museum also conducts Demo Days in which the cars in the collection are taken outside and exercised for everyone in attendance to enjoy and appreciate. A quick check of the Simeone website confirmed that I'll be there in November to watch the Hippie Car stretch it legs.

Nine hours each way. No worries, I get to hear that flat 12 sing.

Check out "der best von Deutschland" on Nov. 14 at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.