Going West!

September 13, 2012

We arrived in St. Louis yesterday, actually Cahokia, IL which is across the river.  Had an interesting dilemma during setup.  The deadbolt on our door jammed, and couldn’t be unlocked.   We were about to call a locksmith when miraculously the bolt clicked back and we were able to get the door open.  Looks like the DB got wedged between the strike plate and the wall behind it.   I suspect it occurred along the crappy, bumpy section of I-70 across Illinois.  Fortunately, I carry a drill and “dremel tool” so I ground out a relief for the bolt and now it should be okay.

Today we went into St. Louis and visited the Arch.  That is a remarkable structure. It really is a monument to Lewis and Clark, who started their westward exploration from here.  The Arch was completed in a bit over 2 years in 1965.  We visited here in 1971; on a return trip from Colorado. There is a lot more here now, including a museum that is underground and spans an area beneath the legs.

Getting into the place requires airport security-like screening, a pain, and it now costs $10 instead of $2.50 to ride to the top. The NPS has turned its management over to a concessionaire which explains the rip-off prices for everything. But like that or not, it really is something to see. We watched a movie on it’s construction, which was amazing.

Our second stop was the Budweiser Tour at Anheuser-Busch.  I wanted to see the Clydesdale Horses.  Although close-up was not allowed, it still provided insight into their size and beauty.  They have their own farm where these horses are bred, born and raised.  These guys have a life of Riley! 

Anheuser-Busch initiated several innovations.  Their process involves a second fermentation, they call beech wood aging that imparts a natural carbonation to their brew.  The second was bottling.  Prior to this, you had to go to a tavern to have a beer, or brew your own.  The horse drawn beer wagon was used for long distance delivery. The yeast strain they use is a descendant from the same culture of yeast used in the 1880's. They grow most of the grain and hops on farms they own.  They are still an American company, and have 12 breweries in the U.S.  Depending on the size of the brewery, they make from 4 to 15 million barrels of beer a year. Wow!

We’re headed to Springfield, MO tomorrow.

Its a Duesey!

September 11, 2012

Yesterday we arrived in Auburn, IN.  Nice trip, tow went smooth, got about 10.5 mpg which is about par.  So today we visited the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, an interesting place.  From the turn of the century (19^th that is) Indiana, and specifically, Auburn was quite the auto building meca.  There were tons of upstart car companies, 11 in Auburn alone, most lasting less than 5 years.

One of those cars was the Auburn Auto Company (named after the town) founded in 1900 by Charles and Morris Eckhart.  They only sold about 100 cars per year, and in 1919 Morris and his brother Frank sold the company to William Wrigley, Jr from Chicago, owner of Wrigley gum.  He totally screwed up the company, and in 1924 it was bought by E.L. Cord.



1932 Cord



Errett L. Cord brought out a new Auburn with an 8 cylinder engine, and a new design, at a more competitive price.  Now the Auburn Automobile Company, was quite successful.  Cord learned of hard times in Indianapolis for the Duesenberg auto company, so he bought that one in 1926.


 



Duesenberg Model J



The Cord was a front wheel drive car, first of its kind, and sort of a mid-level priced car. It was stated that its cost was about equal to 1 year’s wages for the average Government worker.  The Duesenberg was top of the line, many were custom built.  The Auburn, on the other hand, was more targeted at the “Ford” crowd.  It was a much nicer car but cost twice as much as Model T.

While the Depression wiped out most of the companies, ACD made it though, but ceased operation in 1937 due to changing tastes, bad economic climate, and corporate discord.









Auburn Speedster



The museum is housed in the ACD corporate headquarters.  There are 3 floors with cars, covering history, art, and engineering of their cars.  It would take several visits to soak it all in.  The showroom is restored to it 1930s appearance. We learned lots from our brief stay.  I’ll tell you, the Cord 810, Duesenberg Model J, and any post 1932 Auburn Speedsters were art on wheels.  That Duesey with a 16 cylinder engine was an impressive vehicle.  

1903 Auburn



Restored Showroom



All for now, heading to St. Louis tomorrow.