UPDATE: Was on eBay. **SOLD**
Marc found this Paul Revere based ad with a jeep.
I’m surprised there’s no date stamp along with the description.
“This Fine Photo features American Jeeps as they pass over a US PONTOON BRIDGE in the New Guinea Jungle during WORLD WAR II, the troops are loaded with military supplies as they advance toward their ALLIES to aid against the fight with the JAPANESE.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $1250.
Cool old pedal jeep. I’m not sure what type. The price seems a bit over the top given the seller can’t identify it either.
“1940’s Willys Jeep Pedal car had lights, horn, folding windshield, adjustable seat. 2 feet wide 4 feet long. really nice shape and rare have never seen another one like this. $1,250”
<– Day 7 – Mar. 26th: Darth Vader and Tractor Bob | OVERVIEW | Day 9 – Mar. 28th: Charging Futility and FC Roundup Day 1 –>
From left to right Alan, Me and Joe and Joe’s jeeps. Alan also owns a few jeeps, including a Surrey he’s been restoring. He too can blame his father for his Willys sickness.
On Thursday morning we woke up to silence. The room at the Murray was amazingly peaceful. There’s no constant hum of a nearby highway, no air condition churning noisily, just relaxing quiet. For that reason alone we liked our stay in Silver City. But, as all good things must end, we said goodbye and hit the road for a ‘blue highways’ journey through New Mexico and Phoenix.
Before we left Silver City, we wanted to take a couple photos of the former Main Street. You can see the enormity of the damage from a storm that happened in the 1880s. There has been some discussion of filling in the area, but the importance of the event in the town’s history seems to win over any discussions of change.
<– Day 6 – Mar. 25th: TinkerTown and the Turquoise Trail | OVERVIEW | Day 8 – Mar. 27th: Joe’s Jeeps –>
Gordon and Ellen stand in front of their CJ-3B Tractor Bob. A name thought up by their grandson, who is an avid reader of eWillys. Tractor Bob isn’t Mr. Reliable; apparently, on more than one occasion, a jaunt about Silver City in Tractor Bob meant a relaxing hitchhike home. Therefore, Ann and I thank Gordon and Ellen for taking a chance and driving Bob to meet us for dinner and a narrated walk around the wonderful town of Silver City.
Before I share Wednesday’s fun, let me comment on the La Quinta Inn in Las Cruces . . . On Tuesday night when we arrived at the La Quinta Inn in Las Cruces (did I mention the La Quinta Inn??), we were surprised to discover that when we got to our hotel room, it hadn’t been cleaned (pizza boxes piled on a table and the beds remained unmade). Now, while I knew I’d gotten a great price on the room using Priceline, I did have an expectation the room would be clean. So, I went back to the desk and asked for a different room.
The mortified desk clerk apologized and quickly gave us a new room. Off to the second room we went (just a few doors down from the first one). We unpacked, then I went into the bathroom, only to discover there were no tissues in the dispenser (I really don’t give a rip, but in this case it wasn’t a good sign) and there was melted ice in the ice bucket container from the previous guests, meaning this room hadn’t been cleaned/restocked very carefully. While we were too tired to complain, I did check out the bed to make sure the sheets were clean.
Wednesday morning at checkout, I explained our poor experience to the morning clerk. Like the evening clerk, the morning clerk was mortified. She promised to address the situation and told me I’d receive a coupon in my email to make up for the poor experience we’d had. When I checked my email I discovered that the La Quinta Inn felt our poor experience warranted a whole $5 discount. It’s fair to say I remain unimpressed. Did I mention that was the La Quinta Inn in Las Cruces???
However, we didn’t let our La Quinta Inn experience dampen our mood. Our goal for the day was to get to the White Sands Missile Range Museum and then head over to Silver City.
The Museum was a pleasant surprise. Even the price was reasonable (free). The museum is divided into two interior sections and an exterior missile park. We started with the main interior portion. One of the first exhibits we encountered was an original Darth Vader mask. Apparently, the guy who won the Oscar for the Star Wars’ (for you young folks I am referring to Star Wars Episode IV) sound effects obtained a variety of sounds from the missile range, so he managed to get the Darth Vader mask donated to the museum. Nice bit of trivia!
Ann was very excited about all the missile stuff. She was particularly interested in the specifics of the device in this case. She hunched over this exhibit for several minutes, fascinated by it. She attempted to explain some part of it to me and did this with her hands.
But, there was more than just missile history. There were other smaller exhibits. For example, there was a very small, but interesting exhibit on the Apache fight with the U.S. Soldiers during the 1880s. One of the soldiers involved in the fighting was very sympathetic about the Apache situation, noting the Apache had been lied to far too many times and had no choice but to fight, even likening them to the American Revolutionaries fighting for the right to their land. It was an interesting perspective from a small, but good exhibit.
Another small, but powerful exhibit was a series of paintings done by Benjamin Charles Steele, who survived the Bataan Death March and Japanese prison camp. He drew sketches while a POW, but they were destroyed. So, after the war, he got a degree in art and recreated the paintings. The paintings coupled with concise descriptions tell a powerful story of his (and many others) experience as a POW in the Pacific Theatre.
Damon built this Pinewood Derby CJ-2A. He says it wasn’t the fastest model, but I’ll bet it was the coolest!
<– Day 5 – Mar. 24th: Talking Jeeps w/ Worn Rusty Hubbs | OVERVIEW | Day 7 – Mar. 26th: Darth Vader and Tractor Bob –>
We started off the morning at the New Mexico National Guard Bataan Memorial Museum, which includes a special exhibit about the embattled soldiers of Bataan and Corriegor. That episode of WWII was particularly important to New Mexico as they had a detachment of National Guard troops in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. The entry hall is lined with stories of soldiers who perished at different times during the war, some along the Bataan Death March, some in POW camps, and some in the ‘Hell Ships‘.
Given the use of ‘Bataan’ is used prominently in the Museum’s name, I expected to find a more in-depth look at the loss of Philippines, the type of treatment endured by POWs, the concern over the POWs lives if Japan lost the war (all prisoners were supposed to be executed) and more. However, instead of finding that, the museum focuses more on telling the story of the New Mexico National Guard, from their fights in the civil war to present-day, which is understandable.
So, it’s a fine little museum with free entry, but Ann and I both agreed that they have a unique opportunity to tell an important story that doesn’t fully educate the visitor about that event. Fortunately, there are some sources that do explain why the Philippines were lost and the treatment endured by the POWs (books that are sitting on my book shelf at home and whose names I can’t recall at the moment).
On the bright side, they do have a pretty accurate M-38 in good shape.
James from Red River Offroad, you especially might enjoy this video. The FC-150 sure had a rough time. It took a village to get it out of that mud!
<– Day 4 – Mar. 23rd: Hurray for Ouray | OVERVIEW | Day 6 – Mar. 25th: TinkerTown and the Turquoise Trail –>
Rusty and me with his FC-170. This seemed like an appropriate photo to start the post since the FC Roundup is only a few days away.
We woke up a little lazily on Monday morning. We knew we had a long drive ahead of us from Durango to Santa Fe, but we wanted to peruse a little of Durango before we left, so we hunted down some breakfast using an iPhone App called Ness (that won’t be around much longer), which calculates the time of day to suggest nearby restaurants (for mornings it will find breakfast places for example) and provide ratings. That’s how we found the Durango Diner in downtown Durango.
The Durango Diner had a wide selection of breakfast items that looked good, including two eggs & a chile relleno, which was my choice. I expected to just get the eggs and the relleno, but instead there was a heap of hash browns with green chile sauce (love that New Mexican Green Chile sauce, even in Colorado). It was a lot of food and if there’s one thing I’ve learned on these trips, eating light saves money and bathroom stops. So, I ate a good portion then pushed it away, reluctantly.
We left Durango and quickly found ourselves wandering through northern Idaho, or what looked like northern Idaho to us. Southern Colorado felt remote and looked beautiful as we drove through endless forested valleys with the occasional ranch.
UPDATE: I had mistakenly labeled this a BRC-40. Craig corrected me.
Neat photo with caption. The Associated Press labels it a Blitz Buggy.
<– Day 3 – Mar. 22nd: Old Bones and Old Jeeps | OVERVIEW | Day 5 – Mar. 24th: Talking Jeeps w/ Worn Rusty Hubbs –>
Here’s our selfie at an overlook just south of Ouray, Colorado. Ann is putting on a brave face for the camera, but she’s very scared in that photo. This overlook hangs over the edge of a steep cliff.
With beautiful blue skies overhead, we started the day in Grand Junction with our sights set on the mysterious Colorado National Monument. Having done no research on it, and trusting Dean’s advice from yesterday, we started at the western entrance of the park near Fruita.
After the ranger station, the road climbs quickly, switching back and forth, tunneling through rock, and teasing the driver (who should really keep his eyes on the road according to Ann) with beautiful views of the Grand Junction Valley. Those travelers familiar with Southern Utah will instantly recognize the red sandstone walls, the juniper trees, and narrow canyons.
After four miles of driving, we arrived at the visitors center, a complex perched near a canyon wall with a view toward some of the amazing pinnacles that dot the landscape. Inside the visitors center we learned about John Otto, the man that made the Monument happen. His early vision included an amazing road full of switchbacks that would allow cars to traverse the park from one end to the other. Hi dream might not have become a reality had the Depression not happened, for it provided all the cheap labor ($1/day/per person) he need to carve a twenty-three mile road through the park.
After driving the road, it’s my opinion that it is one of the truly unique features of the park. There aren’t many places along the drive that don’t feature beautiful views. It is one continuous bit of eye candy from start to finish.
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
Wait, that’s not a government issue mask! The three pictured from left to right are: CPL. Arthur Smith of New York City, NY, PFC. Matty Furyal of Detroit, Michigan, and PVT. Carl Carlson of Norwalk, Connecticutt.
“1944- U.S. troops in Italy with a mask of Mussolini attached to the bumper of their jeep.”
As Marc noted to me, the photo appears more likely to have been taken in the late 1940s. Perhaps it was a photo that wasn’t released until 1958?
“You are bidding on an original press photo of Willys Motors Employee in Vintage Jeep. Photo has staple hole top right corner & waving Photo measures 8 x 10 inches and is dated 6/17/1958.”
<– Day 2 – March 21st: From Salt Lake City To Vernal | OVERVIEW | Day 4 – Mar. 23rd: Hurray for Ouray –>
Dave shares his unique seat implementation, which will allow the seat to be tilted back or released entirely using the custom sliding seat attachments he’ll install for his seats.
We started our day planning to leave Vernal, Utah, and drive to Dinosaur National Monument, before heading for our final destination in Grand Junction, Colorado.
But, before we left our motel’s parking lot, we spotted our first ‘feral’ jeep of the trip, a CJ-5 that was right across the street from us. The snowplow on the front suggests this utility vehicle’s singular purpose.
Satisfied with a quick photo, we were on our way, but not before one final dinosaur bid us a farewell.
Dinosaur National Monument is about a 20 minute drive east of Vernal. The monument was established in 1915 after Earl Douglas discovered a quarry of bones near the small town of Jensen, Utah. While known for the amazing dinosaur history, much of the Monument consists of over 200,000 acres of rugged canyons. Apart from exploring the Monument, there are many other day trips which could keep a person busy exploring. We plan on returning to the area at some future point and spent several days driving the backroads.
This is the Quarry building. No, this is not some cheap ploy to encourage Jeep Corp to sponsor our trips . . . unless it works.
That jeep and trailer look pretty loaded up!
“Original advertisement for their C-82 Packet cargo plane showing an Airborne Signal Team loading a Jeep and radio trailer.”
<– Day 1 – March 20th: Dinner and Salt | OVERVIEW | Day 3 – Mar. 22nd: Old Bones and Old Jeeps –>
After our long drive on Thursday, we intentionally had an easy day drive of a few hours, a quick trip from Salt Lake City to Vernal, Utah.
We started off the day with some bagels at the Einsteins on 13th East with Karson. After we were done eating, we posed for a photo together, which further demonstrates that either he is growing or I am shrinking. Must be the water in Salt Lake or something . . .
We were just about to leave Salt Lake when Ann and I spotted Caputos, a well known deli that now has a small store next to Einsteins. They know their stuff at Caputos and know a couple suckers when they see them. We walked out a little poorer, but with some really good goat cheese and some locally made chocolate.
On March 22, 1948, The Federal Trade Commission ordered Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. to stop advertising that it had created or designed the “jeep.” Said FTC: although Willys-Overland “made an outstanding contribution in its powerful engine as well as in other features of the vehicle,” the credit belonged jointly to four companies—Willys-Overland, American Bantam Car Co., Ford Motor Co., Spicer Manufacturing Co. (now Dana Corp.)—and the Army.
Read more: Facts & Figures, Mar. 22, 1948 – TIME http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804527,00.html#ixzz2s81qUrOv
Marc forwarded this ad. I guess the message is that everyone will look good working on a jeep if they wear Stevens Twist Twill clothes?
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was on eBay.
“This is an old black & white photograph of a Jeep station wagon advertising American Relief for Poland. The car has a message board on the roof which reads: “Poland Needs Your Help Help the Children of Poland Tag Day Sept. 13th and 14th”. The car also says: “6000 Dubois MAdison 1644”. The latter is an old-style telephone number (this style was phased out in the 1950’s), and the former is likely an address. American Relief for Poland was formed in 1929 and was active at least through the 1950’s. The Jeep station wagon was introduced in 1946. I can’t see much of the clothing of the people in the background, but what I can see seems to look more like 1940’s or 1950’s clothes than later. A “tag day” is a day on which contributions for a charitable cause are solicited; the donors are given a tag in return. The photo is in good condition apart from some curl to it. It measures almost 7 inches long by 5 inches tall. I got this near Cleveland, Ohio, and I don’t have any other information about it; there is no identification on the back.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was $200.
Looks pretty original to me, but I haven’t seen many of these.
“Pedal Car; Hamilton, Princess Jeep, Canopy used needs restored”
<– OVERVIEW | Day 2 – March 21st: From Salt Lake City To Vernal –>
We left Pasco, Washington, at 5amish yesterday, which means we’d planned to leave at 5am, but due to last minute scrambling, our departure didn’t actually occur until 5:30am. After nine hours of driving, we arrived in Salt Lake City in time to celebrate with the kids.
Karson, Kasia and Colter joined us at the Old Spaghetti Factory for some pasta. It was Kasia’s choice, due both to her upcoming 18th birthday and because we found out yesterday she’s been accepted to the University of Utah. However, she won’t be attending the U this fall, but will postpone it until the fall of 2015 so she can spend the next school year participating in a mentorship program in Los Angeles.
Colter has another two years at East High School. I think he hopes that without his brother and sister at school, he will no longer be known as Kasia or Karson’s little brother. Instead, people will actually know him by his own name.
You may remember our trip from last summer when we ran into Karson twice during his participation in the Americorps/FEMA program. In November he successfully ‘graduated’ from the program with lots of experiences, stories and scholarship money. So, he decided to go to Westminster University starting this winter. He seems to be enjoying it immensely.
Several folks forwarded an article at Hemmings that announces the Ford Pygmy’s inclusion on the list of National Historic Vehicles.