<– Day 6 – Friday May 4: Parker To the Rescue! | Day 8 – Sunday May 6: Somber to Soda –>

Geoff and David in front of the Ford GPs at the Alabama Veterans Museum.

Day 7: On Saturday, we spent a pleasant morning with Geoff and Kathy, then drove down to Alabaster, Alabama.

A short drive today from Huntsville, Alabama, to Alabaster, Alabama.

Today began with a 10am rendezvous with Geoff and Kathy at the U.S. Veterans Museum in Huntsville, Alabama. On our way to the museum we spotted this CJ-5 on the side of the road advertising a tire shop. It’s the first ‘feral’ jeep we’ve spotted during this trip:

We arrived at the U.S. Veteran’s Museum to find the museum already open and our entry fairs pre-paid (thanks Geoff and Kathy!!).

A docent welcomed us to the museum and proceeded to show us around, telling us stories. When we first met him, I specifically mentioned that Ann was an Air Force veteran and that she’d been a weapons specialist. I’ve learned to do this because the older docents often assume that it’s the men that served and the men who know weapons (I can’t tell you how many folks assumed that I was the veteran when we used to drive around in Ann’s old Mustang with the Purple Heart plates).

I don’t believe the docent meant any harm and Ann claims it doesn’t bother her (I think it in fact does), but multiple times the docent assumed it was Geoff and I who knew things about guns such as the carbine vs. the rifle (Geoff did, but I didn’t have a clue; I could hear Ann under her breath answer his question) or his comment about our boys and the Purple Hearts (Ann’s received the medal, but it’s not a point of pride for her …. In fact, women have been awarded Purple Hearts since the first winner, a nurse from Pearl Harbor in 1941.) Eventually, Ann excused herself and wandered about on her own for a little while.

Apart from that minor issue, it was fun to wander around the museum with Geoff and Kathy. Of course, I enjoyed the jeeps the best, especially the Ford Pygmy and later Ford GP. It was the first time I noticed just how different the Pygmy was to the later models. Geoff knew enough about early Ford trucks to point out some of the parts Ford had used on their prototype Pygmy. Here are some pics:

Ford Pygmy, Ford GP, Bantam BRC-40, Willys MA, Willys Slat Grille

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<– Day 5 – Thursday May 3: Rainy Day Quilts | Day 7 – Saturday May 5: There’s a Coffee Shop Here? –>

DAY 6: Today we drove from Paducah to Huntsville via the Sam H. Werner Military Museum. It was almost a total bust, but Parker Lowndes saved the day!

Today’s drive from Paducah to Huntsville

Today we had one objective: To visit the Sam H. Werner Military Museum in Monteagle, Tennessee, a museum that just opened last year in 2017. I’d seen pics of prototype jeeps, prototype lightweights and more and couldn’t wait to visit.

Once again, for the first half the drive, rain came and went. About noon, the rains finally left us. It was great to have some dry weather again!

We reached Monteagle at 1:30pm. The Werner Military Museum isn’t far off the interstate, so within a few minutes we were sitting in front of the museum. But something was noticeably wrong. The gates were locked and no cars were in the parking lot.

But it’s supposed to be open today!!!! NOOOOOO…..

Hmmm …. This can’t be good. The hours were Wed-Sun, 10-3, so it should have been open. But, it wasn’t. I looked to my left and there was a sign, torturing me. It read: Jeeps to Tanks, Come in and Visit Us …. trust me, I’m trying to get inside!!

Desperate, I turned to the website. There, I found two folks with emails and phone numbers. The first one went to voicemail. The second one went to Parker Lowndes. Thankfully, Parker answered.

Parker explained that the volunteer who should have been at the museum had to leave early. Could I come back tomorrow? I explained that I’d come a long way and had to head south to Huntsville later in the evening. After a short conversation, Parker offered to meet us at the museum but couldn’t be there until 4pm. I said we’d be happy to wait. It turns out, it was worth the wait.

It was real pleasure to meet Parker and learn about the museum. He took time out of his Friday evening to open the museum just for us and guide us through it. He explained that the museum has only been open a year, serving about 1000 visitors so far. They are looking for more volunteers, to rebuild vehicles and operate the museum. They also need to sort through lots of items; they are not lacking in museum content. If you are interested in helping, contact the museum.

Parker also mentioned that the museum will be hosting a Military Vehicle Show & Swap Meet May 18,19 & 20 for anyone interested.

The museum itself is divided into two large buildings. Here are a few pics from the first:

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