And a pretty good turnout. The makings of a wonderful time for all.

I hadn't been in about three years but it was the best weather I can remember.

you would have had to bring your ambulance for shelter from the sun.

I spent Saturday in a long sleeved plaid wool shirt as I neglected to pack anything light weight with sleeves.

But still, it was a glorious weekend!

He's got all kinds of cool stuff, his problem is there's only two months out of the year it ain't all covered up with snow!

If I drove that down for the CSA, could save money on motel rooms, but I would have to sleep in it to make up for the extra money it would cost in fuel. Of course, it is still packed away for the winter, there is still salt on the roads around here. The only toy that gets driven in the winter is the DeLorean.

You have a Delorean? Any photos? What else ya got squirreled away?

I don't have room or the money for any huge collections, but do have a few unusual toys to play with. In vehicles, I tend to be fascinated with vintage off-road iron and between my parents and I, we have about a dozen of them stored here, from an M274A5 mule on the small side, to an M54A1C Mack 5-ton 6x6 on the large side. Most are in pretty rough shape, having been saved from being scrapped, though most do run. I enjoy tinkering with them when I can scrape together the time and money for parts. My DeLorean is one of his lesser known products. Before starting the car company in Ireland, he purchased the snow vehicle division from the Thiokol Chemical Corp. and began building their snow cats under his DMC name. Mine is one of his smaller 'cats with a two-person cab that was set up for grooming cross-country ski trails.

I like this picture of the portable shade truck better. It was taken at the TSMS shoot a few years ago and also shows my poor old Jeep Scrambler.

but I either forgot or never knew it was DMC. Cool!

I remember that TSMS. The feller in the bib-alls whose name escapes me was pleasant to talk with. He was a big fan of Handi-Rifles I think.

Also unremembered, but which engine is in the ambulance? Big block 318? Or maybe I'm thinking of something else...

-

Yes, I don't remember the gentleman in the bibs name either, he frequented another board that Mark hung out on. He was certainly a fan of handi-rifles and farms in the eastern U.P..

The ambulance is a '72 W200 and has the LA 318, my '66 W500 has the A 318-3, which is also known as the wide-block, poly, or semi-hemi motor.

I have never taken them out together and lined them up for a photo. I have threatened to for a couple holidays, just to irritate some of my neighbors who strongly dislike me having so much equipment around. City folks who move to the country, then try to make the country just like the city they left behind, really cheese me off. I was thinking, line them up right along the road, for my entire 600+ feet of frontage, put US flags on all of them, then sit out front with them and salute the haters with a finger or two. So far, have decided it is best to just not poke that particular hornets nest.

-

and did not intend to highjack the thread. Really do enjoy seeing the pics from the CSA.

My dad spoke fondly of the old Mules from his time in Vietnam. He was a Hurt crew chief and said they were very handy for hauling tools, parts and munitions to the choppers. I have no idea what he'd do with one but I'd love to find home one to fix/play with!

--
https://facebook.com/M2bKydex/

Actually belongs to my Mom and she really enjoys it. A new Duluth Trading Co. store opened up near their home a couple weeks ago, so they stopped in and were surprised to see one sitting by the front door, piled high with merchandise as a display. There was a store employee standing near it to answer people's questions and keep kids from climbing on it. I guess she was really amazed when my 81 year old Mom proceeded to tell her all about them, how they worked, when and where they were used, some of the special features, and that she had one to play around with.

See, your Mom can share the drive! If you a had that ambo this year, you wouldn't had to sleep on the sofa!

But the Mule is an open vehicle, with only one seat and top speed of 25 mph. That would make for a very long, slow, cold, lonely trip.

The ambulance would be more comfortable, but only has two seats and no side windows in the back, so the third person would have limited view of things. It does not get driven when there is salt on the roads either, it only has 19k miles on the odometer and very minimal rust issues. It would also cost a lot more to get there since it only gets 10 mpg.

None of my antiques are good long distance highway vehicles, they were all designed more for off-road use and short distances.

Some years it does not seem like we even get the full two months. I probably should thin the herd on projects, just hard to part with things it took so much effort to acquire.