Fun stuff. Check the '41 Buick above and compare it to the one you IDed as a '40 Chevy. I think it is a Buick too. That Stude g***er is a case of "form over function" and is why race cars have to p*** tech inspection. Man you are seeing the heart and soul if the US, more than most of us have. Thanks for sharing our country with us.
I am really enjoying following your trip. It's too bad, though, that what you saw was the worst of St. Louis and not any of the many really cool places and old neighborhoods that still thrive and have history and have not been abandoned after they started to self destruct. The blight and living conditions in those areas north and northwest of downtown is truly sad, but it's not representative of the St. Louis metro area as a whole. You are definitely living the dream of a lot of us, please keep the updates coming!! And here's the Suicide King in action....
There seems to be a lot of videos of it. I guess there are just a certain number of landings before something breaks. I love hot rod Studes.
Texas is a country in its own right, well at least it was at one time. it has everything it needs to be independent for sure and its certainly big enough. I once spent a life time crossing Texas, it was one damned long 3 days. That stude actually isn't a g***er at all, the engine is set too far back, while it is not my favorite car of all time ( it could be very fast if you let it) it does just exactly what it is built to do, stands it on end. Wheel standers break stuff that is just the nature of the beast. @dad-bud you actually saw the worse that St Louis had to offer, East St Louis has always been a bad place as long as I can remember. Hell they got armed guards on warehouses there. but you did what any respectable traveler does, you came through it and didn't let it destroy your trip. It really doesn't get much better then that does it.
Day 39 - in and around Kansas City Mo & KS We stayed on the Missouri side of the MO/KS border on Monday night and didn't drive over the border until the next morning. The significance for us was that Kansas turned out to be the 50th US state we would have visited in all of our trips to the US. It is probably not a big deal to most of you, and it's not going to make us better than we were before, it's just one of those things that you plan to do and now it's done. Anyway, that was the reason for this trip - to 'tick off' the last 13 states we hadn't visited previously, and caused us to weave back and forth across some of the more remote areas of the country. Our trip has been pretty well off the usual tourist beaten track but it has allowed us to see some wonderful, off-beat and eclectic things, and we still have almost 3 weeks to go (when this pic was taken a couple of days ago) Anyway, enough about that. We took the pic as we were heading down to Overland Park (part of KC metro). Mrs DB was meeting someone she knows. Afterwards, we had a look around KC in Kansas and then the one in Missouri. I'm sure there's an historical reason that KC in MO is soooooo much bigger than Kansas City in Kansas. I struggle to think of what it might be, but, in the end, who cares? That evening, we had dinner with porkn****** and Mrs ******. It was terrific to catch up and we really appreciate Benno cooking us up some of his signature beans. He showed me his current project A Tudor and we chatted for hours. It was really great for he and his wife to share their time with us and we thanked them and left after a great evening.
Thanks Benno, and thanks again for your time on Tuesday night - we had a great time. I hope we didn't keep Edie up too late for work the next day. Cheers. As for Texas being pretty big, Western Australia, where we live, is about 4 times the area of Texas. It's so big that to drive from Perth (again, where we live) to Kununurra in the north-east corner of the state, but still within WA is over 2100 miles - that's about the same as LA to Chicago, and still within the one state! It's a good few days drive. I stand corrected on the Studebaker. Thanks again.
Thanks Six Ball. I gotta admit I was really only guessin' about it being a 40 Chevy - I thought that was the grille and went with my guess based on that. I'm not too stressed if I got it wrong - I'm sure there are plenty of guys on here who will know for sure. When I first saw the 'Stude g***er', I just fell in love with it. I didn't spend the time thinking hard enough about it being a wheel-stander and just went with the elevated tube front end as being typical g***er fare. We've been here nearly six weeks now, and have two to go - lots, and I do mean lots, of National Parks in CO, UT, AZ and NV coming up.
I'd love to, reality might kick in some time soon though. I've still got to work out a way to pay off this trip and find some work when we get home. Thanks Mike
Thanks cvstl. I realise that I dissed pretty hard on StL and that I'm certain nearly all of the people living there are, deep down, good people. When we headed out to Fenton, we took the non-freeway route (as the freeways just sanitise the world as you whizz by) and went through some nicer areas, though there was still a few miles of run-down deterioration until we got to the somewhat better areas. We were just so surprised by the unexpected state of inner StL that I probably harped on about it a bit much, but the good thing about having this thread (for me) is that it gives me a chance to give my somewhat raw first impressions. Unfortunately, StL made a poor first impression on us, unlike just about every other city in the US we have ever been in. Only Detroit and parts of Miami (oh, and New Orleans) come to mind as being from slightly to properly 'blighted'. I'm sure there are others too. Actually East LA is pretty sad, but this whole thread isn't intended to be a critique of the US, so I'll focus on other things now. Cheers.
Day 40, Kansas City, KS to Dodge City KS We slipped out of Kansas City, heading west along the 2-lane blacktop to Topeka. The countryside was rather hillier than we expected. There is a myth going round that Kansas is as flat as a '****-carter's hat', but it seems not. OK, there aren't any 14000' peaks, but there are gently rolling hills that add to the experience. Topeka is the capital of Kansas, and while we missed Missouri's Capitol Building, here's a pic of Kansas's An impressive piece of architecture that proudly advises that its dome is 17' higher than the US Capital's famous dome. Topeka's other claim to fame (well, there really are other, more grand and valid claims) is that they have 'Truckhenge'. Having been to the 'original' at Stonehenge, we had felt somewhat compelled to visit Carhenge and left feeling lifted by the absurdity, tongue-in-cheek-ness and general fun derived from 'planting' some old cars partly into the ground. We figured we would give it a whirl. Truckhenge was closed off by gates adn looks like it was a 'swing and a miss'. Shame, because it had all the absurd features that might have made it a success. I believe that the fact it is overgrown attests to the fact it failed to hit the target. Ah well, at least they tried. From there, we drove to Wichita which is a pretty big town compared to what we thought it might have been. Photos of downtown Wichita are not that interesting (OK, I know I'll get flamed by those slighted Wichitawians now) and the road to Dodge City was uneventful - so uneventful that the only pic we took was of some clouds.
No worries DB, based on where you were, you're not wrong, and you saw a lot of the area that most people, locals included, never do. More importantly, if you ever come across me in my beater '37 - and I realize the chances are slim to none - make sure to stop and say hello. I don't want you to leave with a bad impression of U.S.'37 Ford owners too. Have a great trip
Thanks again cvstl. As for bad impressions of US 37 Ford owners, I'd pretty much forgotten about that. I'm sure he was just having a bad day - and I know that we all have 'em from time to time. I was just a bit amused really, and it gave me a chance to have a little play with him. Cheers.
Day 41 - Dodge City, KS to Pueblo, CO We looked around Dodge City the next morning - on the main Front Street is a tourist destination called Boot Hill. It's a recreation of old 1870's wooden buildings (which had pretty much been burned down over the years and replaced in the 'real' part of town). Parked out the front was a steam loco from the turn of the 20th Century It's not really related to the 'rootin', tootin' old gunslinger, shoot-'em-up cowboys days of Dodge City's earliest days, but did service the town and is therefore related. We spent a little time looking around town and came across a Cowboy Trail-of-Fame star for Dennis Weaver. Star of Gunsmoke and some stupid show where they couldn't even spell McLeod properly! (Marshall Sam McCloud - ptuh!) Ah well, good for him anyway.
From there, we headed to Montezuma - not that there was anything there, but it is a cool name (with Montezuma's Revenge connotations) and was on the way to Liberal, KS. Road to the SW edge of Kansas; Extra low clouds and very light drizzle meant cool running to Liberal. What's at Liberal, you say? Why, like Riverside in Iowa, Liberal has claimed to be the place where 'Dorothy' in the Wizard of Oz lived (supposedly). Mrs DB wanted to visit, and after all the places she's let me drag her through, it's probably only fair I 'give her this one'. They've erected a bronze statue of Dorothy and her little dog
Not only have they erected a statue, but they also built her a copy of the house that got destroyed in the tornado (yeah, I get it, it was just a movie, and no one got hurt, blah blah blah) and what Wizard of Oz tribute would be complete without a Yellow Brick Road - may I ask? It was pretty cheesy, but still not as cheesy as Riverside ( )
Sounds like you're headed back this way. What part of Nevada will you visit. The National Car Museum is in Reno. It's what is left of the Harrah collection. There is a good train museum in Carson City, a Capitol building too. The Virginia Truckee Rail Road is in Virginia City. Let me know if you get around here I'll buy you a beer.
After lunch, we headed back north and then west, with our planned motel in Pueblo, CO. Along the way, we had noted a National Park site called Old Bent's Fort, pretty much along the road to Pueblo. We got there just before it was due to close, but luckily for me, the guy who was running the place was interested in sharing his knowledge of the place. It was settled back in the 1830's on the northern side of the Arkansas River, just in what is nowadays Colorado. It was hundreds of miles further west than any other American (English speaking) permanent settlement, not initially a military establishment and was a trading post on the Santa Fe Trail, providing provisions to travellers heading along it. The inhabitants (Bent, his business partner and their staff) traded for tanned buffalo skins with the local tribes (Cheyenne, Arapaho and sometimes others) - they traded pots and pans, knives, hammers, etc which were invaluable compared to the more Stone Age tools used by the native peoples. The skins were very valuable and popular on the east coast and in Europe. Bent and his team established close relationships with the Indians to the point of marrying Indian brides and working closely with the native people in peace. The amount of land they used for the fort was miniscule compared to the large tracts of land taken for the farmers after the Civil War as America expanded westwards. The Fort existed in an uneasy level of peace with the Mexicans/Spanish who claimed all lands south of the Arkansas and frequently sought to expand their territory. America had a couple of wars with the Mexicans/Spanish which meant that the Fort was at some considerable risk, and the US military based soldiers there from 1846 due to then-recent hostilities. It is a story that has a very low profile but should have more importance given to it because it really helped open up the West.
The original fort was burnt down when it was abandoned in the 1850s, but was rebuilt for the US Bi-Centennial in 1976, based on sketches and written descriptions from the time. It is (and was) a substantial structure, but needed to be to withstand any aggressor of the day. It is fitted out inside to portray period uses and is very well done. To suggest to anyone that they should go to visit would be a m***ive understatement. I would definitely recommend a visit and for anyone interested in history of the West, to research Bent's Old Fort. For authenticity, an old-fashioned wagon-train wagon, period artillery gun and (ummm) stake-trailer are located outside the heavy access doors and just over the river are a couple of teepees From there, we headed into Pueblo for the night.
Just found this thread. Sorry I missed you while you p***ed through the Black Hills. Two points, most all of the buildings you saw in Deadwood are original save for the hotel in the right side of your photo. It was built after that corner burnt down in the 80s to historical guidelines. And, sorry about the Firehouse beers, that is the ****tiest place in rapid City for a beer. One block south and the Independant Ale house has killer pizzas and dozens of beers on tap.
Thanks Tman. The buildings in Deadwood's main street did look authentic to us, any gripe I might have had with the place was the modern focus of leveraging that for tourism. I get it that there's buck in them there tourist folks pockets and whatever it takes to extract them bucks is fine. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm happy to be the odd one out. The Firehouse pub was full of people, all enjoying themselves. The problem I find is that people making craft beers think every drop they make is pure gold, when quite a lot of it really isn't. Of course, taste is a purely personal thing - it's like opinions. Not everyone has the same one. Anyway, thanks for your comments. Cheers.
Hi Six Ball. We'll probably only get to the southern portion of NV. I reckon we'll be pretty much NP'ed-out after the next few days and will spend a couple of days in Las Vegas (It's 10 years since we visited, plus it'll be Mrs DB's birthday while we're there. (I could tell you how old she is, but I'd have to either lie or risk certain danger (She says she's only 35, but she's had a good few 35th birthdays now))) That'll pretty much take us up to our last week which we want to spend in SoCal around SD, LA, etc, so, sorry. Thanks anyway. Cheers.
I just read this whole thread today and was blown away by your descriptive talent as well as your photo skills of your ongoing adventure. Thank you for taking the time to post everything as it seems you have boundless energy and enthusiasm to plan and execute a trip of this length and complexity. Amazing.
OK, if thats the route. There's a road to Vegas from here too. The Grand Canyon Skywalk is down there. http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/skywalk.htm Bent's Fort has some interesting programs where people can re-live the kind of life that the traders lived. Fort Bridger is also worth a visit. I was able to hold Jim Bridger's Hawken rifle that is in a museum in Helena, Montana. The museum is in the ba*****t of the Capitol building. Don't forget Highway 12 in Utah between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon. The old parts of 66 between Kingman, AZ and Needles, CA through Oatman is great. On one of our several trips from Texas to California when I was a kid we started down the steep can you to Oatman just at twilight. My dad said, "I hate driving at this time of day. It's so dark you need the headlights but it's so light they don't do any good." I asked if we could stop of a while. http://pumpedupkicksonroute66.com/Websites/Route66/Day33.html
What a great adventure. It looks as if you are headed towards Royal Gorge. Let me suggest a turn north at Gunnison to the old mining town of Crested ****e, CO. (35 miles and worth it) Then out west thru the West Elk Wilderness towards Delta, Montrose, Silverton, and Durango. The road less traveled to Bryce Canyon is 666, 95, 24, 12 over the Hogback (no shoulder on either side) thru the round rocks to Escalante and Rubys Inn at Bryce. Be sure to watch the historical video there and I highly recommend renting the teepee (on the lake) for a night. There is so much to see. Thanks for taking all of us along with your pics and stories.
Yes the Hogback is exciting. Don't get a flat there! There is a Kiva Cafe going up the other side. Good sandwiches and and interesting building. It has some of the feel of a '60s commune. It's easy to miss the driveway.
No worries! The plus side is the gambling saved Deadwood 20+ years ago. Yes it is touristy but about half of those buildings would be gone today if not for the gambling/tourist money. A catch 22 if you will! If you make it here again try Crow Peak Brewing in Spearfish, VERY good beer! Or come to Bonneville, I always have some there!
Tman, The same goes for Virginia City, NV. Without tourists, gambling, and bars it would be a pile of bricks on the side of a mountain. The sad news is that two of the biggest bar/casinos were just shut down because the new owner can not have a gambling license. Besides tourism is nothing new along the highways here. Everyone along 66 was competing for the money that was rolling down the Mother Road whether it was Two Guns, Twin Arrows, the Giant Jack Rabbit, 66 Caverns or Tee Pee motels. As a kid in the 50s the best attraction was the Neon. It made me glad my dad drove all night.
The Jalopy Journal
