Walking the Red Brick Road

A photographer's journal and life in rural America

Posts Tagged cars

Where the wild things are in a cage

Jun 22

Posted by Roxie in animals, big game, photos, south dakota, travel | 2 Comments

On the last day of our trip, we were passing Bear Country USA when Dad suddenly decided that we should go there. Attraction was listed as a gem in AAA Tour Book. Otherwise, I would have tried to talk him out of it. We’d seen so much wildlife in the wild that a zoo seemed anticlimactic.

Bear crossing between cars

This is a very good zoo. People drive and animals roam within the boundaries of their cage or fence. We were ordered not to lower our windows, especially in the bear area, because the animals were able to come right up to us.

Even so, zoo was most definitely anticlimactic.

We had seen a couple black bears but I didn’t get a shot of either. That was disappointing, but shooting bears in a cage is a lot like catching fish in a barrel. I felt as if I were cheating.

If we had visited Bear Country USA at trip beginning, I’m sure I would have thought zoo was great. But at the end, well, it was a disappointment. Seeing wild things where they belong is a thrill. In a cage? Not so much.

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Desuetude

May 20

Posted by Roxie in nebraska, photography, Photoshop, sepia, travel | No Comments

Desuetude (des-wi-tood): discontinuance from use or exercise

When I must ensure I know a word’s meaning, I rarely use it, but in this case, desuetude is a perfect fit. This entire gas station was in a state of desuetude.

The Red Phone

I had no intention of stopping at this place. I was whipping by at highway speeds when I saw that red phone. It was crying out, “Take my picture, please!” So I did.

I cranked a U-turn into that gas station and shot several pictures. The finished image was already complete in my mind before I ever depressed the shutter button.

Super Unleaded

Then I found a bonus image, a perfect companion piece for the Desuetude Department. The peeling blue label stood out almost as much as the red phone.

Can we even buy only 10 cents of gas any more?

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Hood ornaments

Sep 25

Posted by Roxie in automobile, photography, photos | 2 Comments

Airplane hood ornament

Airplane hood ornament

Tomorrow is our annual rod run/bike show/street festival. It’s a photographer’s dream. I especially enjoy the vintage automobiles. Last year I took several pictures of hood ornaments. This airplane one amuses me. A jet engine is not what I might expect on a car!

Bird of prey

Bird of prey

I’m not sure what this stylized ornament is meant to represent. Is it a Winged Victory or a bird of prey? Whatever it represents, I loved the sculptural form.

Target ornament

Target ornament

Is this supposed to be a bulls eye or a pointer showing where a person is going? Or maybe it’s a mini steering wheel? Whatever it is, it’s fun.

I can hardly wait to see what images tomorrow will bring!

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Dancing the Charleston with musketry at a speakeasy

Jul 4

Posted by Roxie in American history, automobile, history, travel | No Comments

1909 Model T

1909 Model T. Note the red bricks on the street. That’s where the Red Brick Road originates.
If driving on horrible roads without any protection from the elements were not hardship enough, the Model T was a nightmare to drive. Time recently named it one of the Fifty Worst Cars of All Time.
Car and Driver compared driving it to “trying to do the Charleston while loading a musket after a big night at the speak-easy.”

So why was it so difficult?

Model T pedals

Model T pedals
How Stuff Works describes the pedals as follows:

The pedals aren’t in the standard placement that we’ve grown accustomed to over the last 100 years or so, and in fact, only one of the three pedals does what we might expect from a floor pedal these days. I’m talking about the brake pedal. Yes, the brake pedal stops the car — but even then, it’s in the far-right position (where you would normally find the accelerator pedal). So what are the other two pedals for, you ask? Well, in addition to the brake pedal, you’ll find a gear selector pedal that provides first gear (all the way to the floor), neutral (half-way out and used for stopping) and second gear (all the way out). Next to that pedal, you’ll find a separate reverse gear pedal. In other words, if you’re driving a Model T, you’d better be up for some pretty fancy footwork.

steering wheel with throttle control

steering wheel with throttle control

steering wheel

steering wheel
The little extra levers hanging out are not just decoration. They had a purpose. Again from How Stuff Works:

[I]n a Model T, your hands will get a pretty good workout, too. Aside from steering the car where you want it to go, with your left hand, you’ll be adjusting the firing of the spark plugs (down to advance and up to retard), and with your right hand you’ll control the throttle (down to open and up to close).

I suppose all this becomes second nature after awhile, but it seems very difficult to me. I have a new respect for those who are driving these cars from coast to coast.

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Model T Fords and cultural survivals

Jul 3

Posted by Roxie in American history, automobile, history, photos, travel | No Comments

Model T tail light

Model T tail light
When I saw this Model T’s tail light, I was immediately reminded of a college professor’s discussion on “Cultural Survivals”. When carriages became horseless, they still retained much of the carriage look. No one knew what a motorized vehicle should look like, so many of the carriage features were retained.One feature, the high-riding body, was essential in the period’s horrible roads. When wet, most of these roads were seemingly bottomless mud pits. Our current low-slung vehicles would have lost their undercarriages at least under those conditions.

1925 rear end

1925 rear end
Even by 1925, the first model year for a pickup, the axle and wheels still looked like an old horse-drawn wagon. This car apparently hails from Buena Vista, Colo., and is displaying a Pikes Peak Highway license plate. I wonder if this Model T did surmount The Peak. If so, that’s quite an achievement for an 84-year-old vehicle.
dd Model 656 Early headlights were fueled by kerosene, just like the lamps people used in their homes. (Maybe that’s why many of these Model Ts carried fire extinguishers?) I believe this is a fuel reservoir. LOVE the brass. Hubby is the elongated gentleman wearing braces at right in the reflection.

1912 Model T

1912 Model T
Even though the vehicle looked much like a carriage, some items definitely had been found on no previous carriage. Before 1919, a crank was needed to start the vehicle. If the engine backfired, the starter was likely to receive a broken arm from a sudden jerk on the crank.(No, Model T crank starters were not where the word cranky originated. )

Once started, driving these things was quite a skilled operation as well.

But that’s another post for another day.

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Ocean to Ocean

Jul 2

Posted by Roxie in American history, automobile, history, scenery, travel | 1 Comment

Model T driving down the highway

Model T driving down the highway
A few days ago, Model T cars came through on their Centennial of the 1909 Ocean to Ocean Endurance Contest. We were one of the original stops in the 1909 race, which ran from New York’s City Hall to Seattle’s Drumheller Fountain, now on the University of Washington campus. The Model T entrants were stripped of nearly everything, including their windshields, to save weight. His local dealer network acted as guides while the other cars often got lost. The Model T crossed the finish line first, but was disqualified later because of an engine switch, which was against the rules. Second-place finisher, a Shawmut, was later declared the winner. Ford ignored this technicality and mounted a major marketing push.

Spin wins. Which company is still extant and which is now hardly remembered?

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