Woodward Dream Cruise.(News)(pictures from Detroit, Michigan event)(Brief Article)

It took two hours to negotiate the air-cooled motorcycle through two miles of traffic. The engine ran hot-hot enough to scorch denim. And the clutch got increasingly more difficult to keep engaged without severe hand cramp. The thick, sticky, 85-degree air didn't help, either, especially from under a full-face helmet and racing-weight leather jacket. Doesn't sound like a great day for a ride, but it was heaven.

That's because this was the world's greatest traffic jam. Because of its size, few things can rival Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise for sheer, unadulterated car enthusiast fun. Look on the boulevard or in any parking lot along the 16-mile route and you'll see something to drool over-or laugh at-out of the 30,000-some cars that make the pilgrimage to this cruising mecca. It's been this way each August for the last eight years.

This year was no different. Organizers estimate Woodward had its biggest cruise ever, with more than 1.5 million people crowding sidewalks. And the corporati were there, as well: Ronny and the Daytonas belted out G.T.O. from the General Motors stage; Ford built a drive-in for the occasion. From Austin-Healeys to Zimmers (really), from the burble of lumpy cams at idle to the aah-ooh-ga-s ...