Vintage or reproduction?
“JEEP SIgn 30″x40″ Mike 503-312-7897”
Vintage or reproduction?
“JEEP SIgn 30″x40″ Mike 503-312-7897”
<– Day 15 – Sat. May 18th: At the Reunion; A Brick Shy of a Full Load | Trip Overview | Day 17 – Mon. May 20th: Gettysburg and A Little Slice of Heaven –>
On Sunday, we didn’t participate in the ritual Sunday drive through Cuyahoga National Park. Instead, we headed for Gettysburg. However, I was able to get a few pics from the ride:
As folks toured in their jeeps, we exited Hudson, Ohio.
As we wound our way through Pennsylvania to Gettysburg, the toll roads lightened our wallets to the point we were considering taking out a bank loan. In addition, we encountered clouds that were as thick as fog as we traversed a few tall hills. Isn’t it summer yet?
Finally, it seems the only photo we took all day was a blurry photo a barn. On the bright side, we got a killer deal of $51/night at a Marriott hotel using Priceline, so we plan to stay two nights in Gettysburg.
Tomorrow we will see the Gettysburg battlefield and museum.
<– Day 15 – Sat. May 18th: At the Reunion; A Brick Shy of a Full Load | Trip Overview | Day 17 – Mon. May 20th: Gettysburg and A Little Slice of Heaven –>
<– Day 12 & 13 – Wed. May 15th & Thurs. May 16th: Mixers, Foodies & Heavy Equipment | Trip Overview | Day 15 – Sat. May 18th: At the Reunion; A Brick Shy of a Full Load –>
Friday morning we awoke in Hudson, Ohio, a short distance away from the reunion, to a beautiful sunny day. I spent the morning honing Saturday’s presentation. I will be sharing with the audience (assuming more than just Ann shows up) why I run eWillys, how I do it, the challenges, and what the future holds.
On Friday afternoon we made our way to the Clarion Hotel where the 2013 Midwest Willys Reunion is being held. After a quick practice run through the presentation with the slide projector, Ann and I went out to look at all the jeeps.
It seemed every few steps we took someone approached us to share how much they enjoyed eWillys. It’s great to know the site is enjoyed by so many enthusiastic readers and it was fun putting names to faces and shaking hands.
As you can see from the pictures, there were plenty of jeeps to browse today. More are expected tomorrow.
Here’s an unusual postcard from Quaker Oats. The riders in the jeep are Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff.
“1946 government postal card postally used. Some corner wear. Slight bends at lower corners. Hard to find.”
Several protoypes pictured in this photo.
“Type I, News Press Wire Service photo. Measures 9×7″. This is part of a collection from a former employee of the UPI in Tribune Towers before this collection was moved to New York.”
UPDATE: **SOLD** Was No Price. Has Budweiser decals.
(06/04/2011) This looks well done.
“This jeep in good condition. Has a removeable top. This jeep runs and drives, is stock except for the engine. The engine is v-6 Buick. It is red, has new tires on white rims. This jeep was donated to Waukee VFW and we are going to sell it”
<– Day 10 & 11 – Mon. May 13th Rest & Tue. May 14th: Crust, Raisins, and Smoked Pork | Trip Overview | Day 14 – Fri. May 17th: Day 1 of the Midwest Willys Reunion –>
Wednesday, May 15th: We spent all of Wednesday at Ann’s Great Aunt Alice’s place in Greenville, Ohio.
Thursday May 16th: We drove from Greenville, Ohio, to Hudson, Ohio. Along the way, we made more new friends!
This morning we were back on the road. Our ultimate destination was Hudson
We began the morning heading to the Kitchen Aide Experience. Having never been, I pictured it as part tour and part museum in the Kitchen Aide factory itself. Instead, it’s a giant Kitchen Aide store where you can buy new or used Kitchen Aide products of every color and kind. Downstairs there are some beautiful refurbed mixers and blenders. Those ‘in the know’ tell us the refurbs are actually better than the new ones. They certainly were better prices.
Next to all the refurb machines in the lower level was a mini-museum. Since Ann assured me we didn’t have room to bring a refurbed 6 quart 575KW mixer with a glass bowl home, I had to make due with the mini-museum. What amazed me most about the museum was how little some of the attachments had changed. Here are a few pics from the museum:
Ed wanted to share these pictures. As you can see, he was in quite a pickle with that jeep. The last picture shows his son.
“Thought you might be able to use these. Couple of old photos from the late 60’s. The couple of me standing in front of the jeep in a creek were taken in Turnback Creek outside of Halltown Mo. on our family farm. The one of the jeep in a pond was also from the farm. The one of my son was taken at our home in Ormond Beach Fl. He is learning what a match book cover is properly used for. Yep, you guessed it, setting ignition points on his 67 CJ-5.”
<– Day 9 – Sun. May 12th: Tuckered Out? Then Visit a Firehouse | Trip Overview | Day 12 & 13 – Wed. May 15th & Thurs. May 16th: Mixers, Foodies & Heavy Equipment –>
Monday May 13th: Instead of trying to squeeze in a long day at the Ford Museum, we decided to take a day off instead, as we have a busy week coming up. So, Monday was a day of rest at Brian’s house in Fenton. Thanks to his hospitality, I was able to finish the 6th draft of the Amber Panels of Konigsburg book.
Tuesday May 14th: Today, we left Michigan for the state of Ohio.

That’s the former Willys Overland Smokestack behind me. As you can see, there isn’t much left of the old Willys plant.
We started the morning bidding a fond farewell to Brian, who’d opened his home to us for several days (Thanks!).

Brian and I posing behind his beautiful 1923 Buick. Unfortunately, it was so cold, we couldn’t take it out for a ride.
One of the places Brian recommended we visit before we left was a bakery in Fenton, MI, called CRUST. As soon as I looked up the website and examined their menu, I was hooked. Most of their breads are made with starters rather than commercial baking yeast. So, I HAD to visit the place.
I wasn’t disappointed. Everything looked so good, we walked out of there $37 poorer. I can’t recommend the place highly enough.
After the bakery, we’d planned to head for the Ford Museum. But, at the last minute, we changed our minds. I knew we had to be down in Ohio by dinner time, so I was concerned we’d have to rush through museum. Instead, we had the opportunity to take our time to drive south. It proved to be the right decision.
As we drove south, Ann’s cousin recommended we visit the River Raisin Battlefield National Park in Monroe, MI, from which the War of 1812’s “Remember the Raisin” call-to-action originated. At the battle of River Raisin the Americans thought they’d won, but then the Brits & Indians regrouped and beat the US troops. American’s were shocked by the loss, hence the rallying cry of Remember the Raisin. Ann’s cousin claims that one of the men captured was a distant relative of Ann’s. To capture the feeling of Ann’s relative, I put her behind bars.
Congrats to Hugh for completing his fiberglass build. Just in time for summer! Next on his plate is a M-151 Mutt project.
Hugh wrote, “Just got my fiberglass bodied cj2a back from my cousin who painted it. Chose olive drab because we figured if we scratched it off road it wouldnt break our hearts like a shiny paintjob would. Well i consider this jeep done so now we can start on the 48 cj2a with the m151 mutt drivetrain. That jeep is going to be an interesting project.”