A Secret City

The Manhatten Project, responsible for the development of the atomic bomb in WWII, built three secret cities for that purpose. Hanford, WA, was where plutonium was made. The bombs were built at Los Alamos, NM. Oak Ridge, TN, was where uranium was enriched and by far where most of the project's funds were spent. 

Imagine an entire town built in three years, in secret no less. That's what happened at Oak Ridge. Imagine receiving a letter dated November 11th that the government will be taking possession of your property December 1st for the war effort and that you needed to be moved out by then. That's what happened to some, and for some, that was the second time they were told to move. The first was when the Norris Dam was built by the TVA. The Norris Dam with its hydroelectric power plant was one of a number of reasons this 59,000 acre site, Site X, was selected. 

Living in the secret city you have your ID badge at all times. Your children over the age of 12 have ID badges. The streets are patrolled by armed guards. Everything operates 24/7. Billboards and posters constantly remind you not to talk about your work. 

Not that you necessarily knew what you were doing anyway. For example, the Calutron girls knew how to operate the machine, keeping the dials and gauges within certain parameters. They did not know they were operating vacuum chambers, separating uranium to make a bomb.

Now imagine living in nearby towns. You're on rations. You're seeing tons of resources going in behind those gates. Nothing really comes out. No tanks, no airplanes, nothing that looks like a product that can be used to fight the war.  It makes you wonder. Only time and the dropping of the atomic bomb answered that question.

Now it's my time to wonder. Would something like building a secret city be possible in today's world? Zoom in on the third photo down to read just some of the fascinating construction facts.

Gotta be out by when?

All in 3 years

No reason to leave town

Mud was a serious problem

Display at Oak Ridge History Museum

Comforter made by Harold's mom

Where Are We Going Next?

Museum of Appalachia

We had booked extra days in the Knoxville area, not knowing what day we'd be able to take the DOE bus tour operated through the American Museum of Science and Energy. The Museum of Appalachia was just down the road from our campground. We decided to check it out. In some respects it reminded us of 1880 Town and the Prairie Village. All three museums had scores of buildings in which to wander at your leisure.

This museum seemed to lean a bit more to the telling of the backstories, humor, and how they "made do" with what they had. 

Though we weren't hungry at the time, the on-site restaurant gets pretty good reviews for their comfort food lunch.

"I play a mean..."

Commode seats and tobacco boxes repurposed

Tools!

Just whittling away

The stairs caught our eyes

Where Are We Going Next?

Happy Thanksgiving

Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that  your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 103:1, 4

Blessings to you today. May your mouth be satisfied with good things. Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours.

Carillon Historical Park - Round 2

During our stay earlier in the year at Wright-Patterson AFB, we had noted a Concours d' Elegance day scheduled for September at the Dayton Carillon Historical Park.  We kept it in mind and as we scheduled our trip southbound, we included the stop. 

Now, here's the funny part. We got back from the show to realize that we didn't have any photos of the autos. Despite the impressive number of Marmons and other elegant cars and historical motorcycles, we had no photos. How embarrassing! We had photos of some of the model car exhibits and the seven and a half inch gauge train (the real reason we went), but none of the cars.  Ah well....

We did spend a few minutes with one of the model car exhibitors who was more than eager to share his story. He won design awards. His high school principal was delighted to present the trophy, the school's first non-athletic award. His interest in model cars morphed into a scholarship and a career in auto design. 

Maybe next time we'll get photos of the cars...

Riding the train

Napoleonic coach

1962 Mysterion

Cover model

Cover model info

Bud at his table

Bud's designs

Where Are We Going Next?

I-80 Truck Stop and Trucking Museum

We finally made it to the world's largest truck stop.  It's on I-80, just west of Davenport, IA. So what makes it the world's largest truck stop? The photo below tells you the criteria for which they determined the status:

No, no, no...you'll shoot your eye out

In addition to the usual shopping, dining, showering opportunities, I-80 has a few additional amenities. On-site barber, check. Dentist, check. Chiropractor, check. Library, check. Theater, check. 

Then, there's the free I-80 Trucking Museum. It started as the private collection of Mr. Moon, the founder of the I-80 truck stop. It is quite the collection of trucks. 

1921 International Harvester

1930 Ford A Snowmobile

Have a coke

Hank's Highway Hilton - 1981 Kenworth - Over 1.5 million miles

1920 MacDonald 

If we're ever in the area the second week of July, the Walcott Trucker's Jamboree is going to be a stop for sure. 

Where Are We Going Next?

Motorcoaches and Spam

Steinbring Motorcoach, the dealer from whom we purchased our rv, holds a customer appreciation weekend on the weekend immediately following Labor Day. This event dovetailed nicely with the Rollag steam festival event. We visited with other Steinbring motorcoach and class B owners over the two days. We may have even influenced our next door neighbor in his purchase of a '22 New Aire. We got a ride in an antique Chris Craft runabout. We had the opportunity to check out a private car and tractor collection. Neither of us had seen orchard tractors prior to this. The low tractors had fins to help cut down on tree damage as the tractors drove through the groves. 

It's a banner day at Steinbring

Orchard tractors

Guess he likes orchard tractors too

Our next stop was Austin, MN. We had visited the Spam Museum back in 2010 and wanted to stop by again. They've built a new museum since our last visit. We smiled at all the Spam marketing stuff, from "Not all hogs go to Sturgis" t-shirts to Spam slicers (kind of like an egg slicer), keychains and flip flips that spell "Spam" when you walk, it's just kind of fun. Harold was disappointed that they were sold out of the Portuguese Sausage flavor. We did get to try the Tocino flavor which is only available at the Spam Museum and in the Philippines. Guess we'll have to try again another year. 

Where Are We Going Next?

Rollag!

Harold's Navy brother, Kevin, who encouraged us to come to Potato Days, also told us to stick around for Rollag. The Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion is held over Labor Day in nearby Rollag. For those interested in steam engines, hit and miss engines, and antique machinery, Rollag should be on their bucket list. 

We bought the season pass and attended the show two days and one evening. Yes, there is that much to see. The parade alone took around one and half hours with a double line of antique tractors. With tractors breaking down or sounding as if they weren't going to make it, you cheered them on as they climbed steam hill. 

Then there are the buildings of hit and miss engines, stationery steam engines, models of steam engines, and printing presses to see. Steam trains, speedsters, and trolleys convey visitors from one section to another, from the "sandbox" with steam shovels to the tractor pulls and to the onsite campgrounds.

After two full days we opted to return in the evening on the third day for the spark show. That was a great way to end our Rollag visit. 

Dump cart ride --- not comfortable

Kerosene Annie -- a prototype

Parade time

Hillside combine leaning to the side

Making shoelaces

Model engines

Nessie and baby made it across the Atlantic

One of three sawmills

Sandbox fun for adults

Conveyor belts galore

353 Engine

Speedster ride

Building of Otto engines

End of the day

Spark show!

Where Are We Going Next?