I have no words. Pictures can't possibly do it justice but it's the future we didn't deserve then and certainly don't now.

A genuine, 1-of-51 Tucker! It was breathtakingly perfect in every detail. Seen at the new Savoy auto museum near Cartersville, Georgia.

The dashboard stuck out to me. Or more, the lack thereof. It was a little strange looking because we're used to dash boards going all the way across but why should they? They just get in the way!

Each cylinder gets an individual exhaust pipe. This rear vent treatment makes me think of the later Renault Dauphine.

It's bigger than I thought from photos. Really big. And not a single inch of it is done how the others were doing things. If Tucker hadn't been sabotaged before it had a fair shot, this could have been the blueprint for a whole generation of cars. Oh, the 'what ifs.'

I'm unbelievably happy I've had the chance to admire one of these historic machines.

Yesterday, we looked at a bespangled Dodge I found at Gray & White U Pull It. But far more interesting things were afoot.

You see, this yard had a Pontiac Aztek. Naturally I investigated it to see if they're as ungainly up close as they are far away. I regret to inform you they're somehow even uglier on the inside.

Unfortunately, this low spec purple one didn't have any of the dubiously useful accessories that characterized the Aztek.

Fortunately, they had another Aztek in their inventory that did! I managed to find a rare Pontiac Aztek removable center console cooler! And best of all, I only paid the entry price for it as the cashier seemed genuinely repulsed by the disgusting mishappen lump of plastic.

It was even grosser than the complete one David wrote up for the Autopian. Except, unlike him, I cleaned mine.

Admittedly, this particular Aztek cooler isn't perfect. It's missing both the rubber insert for the lid and the drop-in coin sorter and the exterior is scuffed up. But after a lot of scrubbing, the layers of filth dissipated. With some mild abrasives, most of the black marks even came off the inside liner. Against all odds, it actually appeared someone used this one as a cooler. And it somehow stayed with the vehicle for 15+ years.

I'm not sure what to do with it now, though. Ebay listings show values of around $50 for complete examples. I'm not sure I'll use it but it is an interesting piece of automotive history to have around. If any of y'all really want it, DM me.

I also scored these badges. Bonus points for guessing what two cars they came off of.

But I didn't get any good photos because I was on the wrong side of the car for the trip to the trailhead we hiked at Glacier National Park. Going-To-The-Sun-Road road was a bucket list item for me and I got to experience it. Possibly best known for the opening credits to The Shining as the road to the Overlook Hotel, it really goes over Logan Pass and connects East Glacier and West Glacier. Someday I will drive it myself at stop at more scenic overlooks, but that proved unnecessary on this trip.

I was glad I wasn't driving though when I got back from a long hike 8,000 feet above sea level and 2,200 feet above the trailhead off Going-To-The-Sun Road. Over the course of 10 miles, I ascended Siyeh Pass near the top of Matahpi Peak.

The path we took up was incredible but not overly difficult. It starts off as a climb through increasingly frequent alpine meadows full of Glacier Lilies separated by beautiful forest with burbling creeks and streams fed by glacier runoff.

Then the path switchbacked up a dry craggy trail in the midst of a boulder field. It was above the timber line and was devoid of most plant life.

Eventually the path cut along a cliff and out onto the highest point with a breathtaking view of the valleys below. But it was at this point that the adventure really began.

Fortunately, we had some time to relax at the top and try to ignore the enormous pile of rocks tourists had used to unsuccessfully try to steal the show from the magnificent unspoiled wilderness.

See that lake? We needed to make it to where Going To The Sun Road passes it. The trail became increasingly difficult on the way down. Snow blockage was present but wasn't too much of an issue except in one place.

This shot shows the only place where snow posed a challenge. There was a place to cross it lower down to reach the trail that was significantly less sketchy but I still wasn't fond of the experience.

The geography on the south side of the mountain was much more conducive to diverse plant life. It was still above the timber line but the scruffy grass and beautiful flowers sprouting out from among moss covered boulders between gushing ice cold streams was possibly one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.

This gave out to dry rocky terrain and grassy slopes depending on where you were in the valley we descended. The diversity in the terrain was incredible! You can just make out the broad expanses of burned land we had to pass through at the end.

Honestly a rather depressing sight. I was fine up until this point but I got pretty badly sunburned by the lack of shade here.

The verdict? The most beautiful place I've ever been by a longshot and easily the most intense hike I've ever done. 11/10 ultimate bucket list item.

I have had a replacement key fob kicking around for a long time now and got around to installing it. . . only to find out it's the wrong one. When I put everything back together in the old beat up one, I made an amusing mistake.

Dairy Queen was eaten. Gasoline was burned. Good times all around with @Taylor-Martin

Last weekend I walked downtown and stumbled upon some people wrapping up a film shoot. I'm not sure of the exact year it is supposed to be but I have my suspicions.

This postwar Ford sedan is quite nice with its whitewalls and everything. The distinctive humpback has a lot in common with prewar cars before designs started getting longer and lower.

The newest car there appeared to be this circa 1953 Ford sedan in a lovely shade of blue.

Unusually, this car has the Fordomatic 3 speed automatic transmission that first appeared in 1951. Those early torque converter automatics were remarkably sturdy things even if they weren't very efficient or fast.

Then we come to this characterfully patinaed GMC truck from around 1953 as well. It could be much earlier which would make the rust and terrible paint a little more realistic.

The chunky but gently curving details on this truck still look good all these years later. The heavy duty GMC trucks are not common sights at all due to their limited appeal to people without a lot of crap to move. And just look at that curly 'GMC' script!

GMC engineers had not chill with their different fonts. This one appears to be a 450 cubic inch version.

A vehicle that would have been old at the time is this International KB5 bread van. The KB series only ran from 1947 to 1949 as it relied heavily on pre war technology. An immediately post war commercial vehicle like this is a very uncommon sight anywhere.

However, I absolutely adore this thing! It might be looking a little too fresh for what most looked like in the mid 50s but it's a rare treat to see vintage commercial vehicles this old actually getting used and driven.

It's hard to get more rudimentary in construction than this! I think these were official upfits but the bread van body really feels like a callback to the low volume coachbuilt commercial upfits of the 20s and 30s.

I guess this shot takes place in Illinois

But due to their simplicity, a shocking amount of 40s and 50s commercial vehicles soldiered on long past their expected expiration date. A junk collector in my hometown used to use a thoroughly decrepit 1950s Ford dump truck that made an alarming cacophony of grinding and rattling noises going down the road. That lasted until the late 2010s when I assume it got scrapped.

There isn't much of a market for these old commercial vehicles in the hands of collectors which is a shame. Sure, they take up a lot of space and are probably pretty stressful to drive, but they're something unique. This particular International isn't heavy on the creature comforts.

This photo is now a desktop background of mine The old International logo was really quite cool with the triple diamonds.

Another commercial vehicle was still parked on the street after the shoot wrapped up: this GM "Old Look" bus. These legendarily sturdy things were used all over the place but good restored examples are quite uncommon.

I was informed by someone walking around that this bus belongs to Tyler Perry and is a replica of the bus that Rosa Parks rode. I can't find any evidence of him having owned this bus though.

The slanted windshield recessed into the bread loaf profile makes me think the bus has a Neanderthal forehead. Hehe.

What do you know, another desktop background! I love this photo.

The setting in front of these old early 1900s department stores is just right for the gentle curves of this industrial workhorse. Why can't our buses be this elegant in appearance anymore?

Everything except the fire extinguisher looks about as it did in the 1950s. The meter is even still there. I think I remember the same shade of green being on the inside of the GM Futurliner.

The replica period ads on the inside are a nice touch.

Now this is a rare one! A 1941 or 1942 only Studebaker President! The very last of the prewar cars, this luxurious sedan seems a little out of place for the setting but it's a very cool design.

The rear of the car reminds me a lot of the Lincoln Continental with the humpback and split rear windows. It has the unmistakable exterior running boards common on basically ever prewar car.

The car's owners had a little trouble with running it out of gas but it was fine. Man, what a beautiful car! The front end tapering to a distinctive point makes me think of a ship's prow.

What a wonderful and unlikely collection of vehicles! It would be hard to pick a favorite out of the bunch but I'd probably drive home in the Studebaker. Usually film shoots don't leave so many cool cars just lying about.

@hugz Reason 1:

Reason 2:

Reason 3:

Reason 4:

Reason 5:

So it turns out the answer is just almost always Miata.

I had a little fun with @Just-Jeepin today as he stopped by on his way from Florida. The color is even better in person. The Tuscadero Rubicon was surprisingly nimble and smooth riding for what it was as well. Oh, and the getting to know the person behind hundreds of nerdy Jeep posts was nice.

We spent about an hour talking and driving around Atlanta before he was on his way. I would highly recommend stopping by to say hello to your fellow Oppos if you're in their area.

I recently took an overnight road trip with my family to New Orleans to pick up a puppy.

I already made a post on the cars I saw while there.

https://opposite-lock.com/topic/4087/dots-the-cars-of-new-orleans/16

But now, it's puppy time!

Meet Arlo, a 9 week old whippet pup! He's just the most adorable thing while also being suspiciously well behaved.

Don't be fooled, he's an adorable sleepyhead when he's not frolicking around the yard. Arlo's also pretty large for a whippet puppy.

Fortunately, he gets along great with our other whippet, Turkey, who's six years old.

And to send off this year, have the show quality whippets from that litter. There were two pet quality whippets to choose from at the breeder's place outside New Orleans and I believe we chose well.

Bonus puppy picture to anyone who can figure out why we named him Arlo.

I replaced the automatic transmission fluid and front brake pads in my car. It doesn't sound that impressive, I know, but it was more involved than you might expect.

The principle problem I had to face is that the transmission doesn't have a dipstick but rather a weep hole that only functions when the car is completely level. And is helpfully located behind the driver side wheel. AND neither my two jackstands nor my craptastic floor jack can fit under the car on level ground.

This is all the way down. Look at how tight of a fit that is! But even then, the jackstands I borrowed that are lower still won't fit and the car has to be perfectly level front to back and side to side. How does one do this?

I'll admit, this was marginally sketchy getting it standing even on all four corners, but the fact that two patio pavers is the exact right height for the low jack stands to fit under seemed too good to be true.

Oh wait, it was. One is inexplicably shorter than the other. I made up the difference with the floor jack on the side with no tire and let the short jackstand act as a safeguard in case of jack failure.

Anyways, draining the old stuff wasn't the difficult part. The ATF that came out was brown like pre-emptively changed engine oil but not black like many of the videos I watched. so I figure I caught it just in time. I have no idea the last time this was done.

This stupid weep hole instead of a dipstick was why this was so hard in the first place. The car must be entirely level for it to work. I put in 2.8 quarts with the engine off before it dripped then I turned the engine on and added 1.7 quarts when it started to drip.

And I swapped the front brake pads while I was under there. The rear drum brakes didn't need anything but you can clearly see the front disks weren't doing their best job. Pretty even wear on the rotor, though it might be time to change them soon.

The car stops so much more confidently now. It isn't running out of puff late in the travel like before. I'm sure I could have squeaked some more life out of them, but the quality of the drive is much improved. And I didn't notice any clunky shifts or slippage from the automatic and it seemed to hesitate less on upshifts. I'll have to get some more seat time to be sure, but I feel today was a huge success.

I saved a crap ton of money too. All in, I have a little under $90 in this repair and I'd be looking at quadruple that for a shop to do it. It's my first real "big" wrench and I'm proud of my work.

@ash78 "Hmmm, should we take an additional hour to double the trips we take or should we ruin the second most valuable thing we own lease?"

"Send it, honey"

@EssExTee Daily the SL, track the Saab, and burn the tractor.

@RallyWrench said in A Visit To The Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama:

big bicycle fight in the streets of Atlanta

Maybe we should do that. Though bicyclist on bicyclist violence never solved anything.

@Long_Voyager94 I've not driven a 2nd gen but that is basically the opposite of how the first gen stacks up against its competitors. Excellent visibility, notable for its maneuverability (at least the extended cab), above average comfort, and great road manners. Still terrible MPGs.

@ranwhenparked said in A Visit To The Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama:

new, unused, surplus uniforms and equipment

The Confederacy never had that luxury. You were lucky to even get a uniform at all.

@ash78 said in A Visit To The Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama:

Not surprised the debt followed them around for so long.

@ranwhenparked I'm shocked they didn't try to make the ex slaves pay for it by taxing them to oblivion. Or maybe they did?

@e90m3 I never saw it when it was in Grant Park. They had to cut some of the sky and a few vertical portions out in order to fit it in the building.

@Skyfire77 said in A Visit To The Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama:

Philippoteaux hired a Gettysburg photographer to produce a series of panoramic photographs for his use.

They had three of the originals on display outside the Atlanta Cyclorama along with the history of some of the other Civil War depictions using that format.

I think the setting of the Battle of Atlanta is more inspiring however.

It's amazing that so many survived given the difficulty of preserving a massive painting before climate control.

Yesterday, I finally got the chance to visit the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama at the Atlanta History Center, one of the most astounding works of art you will ever see. You don't have to be interested in Civil War history or even art, dioramas, or paintings to be fascinated by it.

So, what exactly is the Cyclorama? It's a 49 feet tall, 382 foot long, 9,000+ pound painting from 1886 that is in the shape of a circle. A circular platform in the middle enables you to experience a 360 degree panoramic view of one of the last pivotal battles in the Civil War. A diorama is at the bottom that blends fairly seamlessly with the painting, giving the illusion of depth.

Describing the dimensions in writing doesn't give you a great idea of how breathtakingly enormous this historical artifact is. During the 1880s, there was a brief fad of cycloramas traveling the country like circuses; most have roughly the same dimensions because many were made at the same specially constructed studio in Milwaukee.

But why would I want to go see what is essentially a136 year old sensationalist war monument? While the incredible artistry on display is fascinating, its real significance is what it tells us about how we understand the shameful legacy of the Civil War.

This is not some lost cause monument to a fictitious history. It was painted to celebrate the sacrifice the North made. If you're interested, I recommend this excellent article from The Atlantic

hey, I can see my house from here!

The Cyclorama has been used during various points in its notably long life both for its original purpose and to promote a lost cause mythology. Its continued relevance comes from what it shows us about ourselves in how we interpret it.

The Atlantic article puts it well when it says, "The Cyclorama doesn’t show us the history of a battle; it shows us a battle over history." The Atlanta History Center, where it's located, does a fantastic job of distancing the artifact from the various ideologies that have tried to control it. I'd highly recommend you visit it if you're ever in Atlanta.

@svend Your posts always simultaneously make me feel good (because you're being so kind and attentive to your friends/neighbors) and bad (because I don't do the same - at least in the same way). That was a great gift I'm sure she will like.