3-11-2023 Hawthorne, NV

The time spent visiting the Hawthorne Military and Ordnance Museum was happy and gratifying.  Volunteers greeted us: 

Harold and Rob

Bob and Lindy wearing Dad's 
dress blues hat

Harold, Bob and Bob, three retired USAF Lt. Colonels in their 90s.  They were impressed with our creation and Dad’s hats and duds, especially his field jacket, one of which they did not have yet.  It was a little emotional for us to say, “Good bye,” to Dad’s memorabilia, but we are both grateful to know that it is all in good hands and safe keeping now and for as long as we can hope.  It will take some time for the folks to create the display because of a shoestring budget and lack of space and facility.  They display all uniforms in cases behind glass because, if you can fathom this, visitors actually steal medals and pins from the uniforms. 

Marine's uniform with a 
chest full of medals.

We hope Dad's case will look like this one.
We didn't give up his flag, though.

The case will have to be built by hand and all of this labor is strictly volunteer.  In locked cases, you can view many Purple Hearts, Medals of Honor, Medals of Freedom and other beautiful citations donated by folks from all over the land.  There are tanks, old jeeps, bombs, nukes, mines, bullets as tall as me (all deactivated), an experimental drone from the 60s that is as big as a helo and cannons.  One was the rifled section of a cannon barrel from a battleship that fired 16” shells.  It was just a section, of course, because this little 3-foot tall section weighs 6,000 lb.  The whole barrel weighs 187,000 lb.  Imagine a ship with 20 of these monsters on it!  Our friends spent a great deal of time with us, teaching and explaining.  What a wonderful experience. 

Hawthorne Military & Ordnance Museum

 

When we left, we stopped and did a little shopping and stopped for a pizza and beer, since we were a bit hungry and it’s cold enough to freeze the nuts off a plow up here.  We learned from the locals that US95 heading north from Hawthorne is closed due to snowmelt and a massive mudslide.  The 95 is the only way out of Hawthorne heading north and rows of semis, presumably loaded with precious cargo, sit stranded.  The 95 south is also the only way out of town (unless you are a bird).  It has been raining steadily in Hawthorne (el. 4,800’) and the mountains nearby are socked in and continue to turn blindingly white.  The locals say that this kind of rain in Hawthorne usually means snow and possible road closures in Tonopah (el. 6200’), our homeward-bound path. 

Nobody's going this way!

 

This morning, weather notwithstanding, we are packed up and headed south.  At this point, the roads are clear 15 miles north of Tonopah.  God willing and the Creek don’t rise, we may escape the Weather Gods’ wrath and make it back to the homestead this afternoon.  That’s all the story I have in my fingers for this time, t-loggers.  Love to all.