Matt's New Mexico (Formerly Airstream) Adventure

[Matt]

Thanks!

Day 2.  Cave day…

[Matt]

[Matt]

The cave was used to make saltpeter for gunpowder during the War of 1812.  These are trees that they bored out by hand to use as piping for that process…

[Matt]

Dr John Croghan bought the cave for $10,000 in 1839 to see if he could use it as a tuberculosis hospital.  Obviously that didn’t work and people died but not before living out their final days as mole people living in stone huts like this one…

[Matt]

There was also an attempt to grow mushrooms here but a mysterious saboteur  destroyed the crop bankrupting the company before the first harvest…

[Matt]

This is called the water clock because the dripping water that slooooowly carved it out sounds like the ticking of a clock…

[Matt]

Jr Ranger badges…

[Matt]

National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green…

[Matt]

[Matt]

Some guy in Maine bought a brand new Vette and drove it for a few years then when his wife got tired of riding in it he decided to entomb it in a brick wall.  This is it after being pulled out in the 90’s…

[Matt]

[Matt]

[Matt]

Race cars…

[Matt]

Roy Orbison’s Vette…

[Matt]

Concepts…

[Matt]

[Matt]

I found this one to be particularly interesting.  GM’s president at the time, John Delorean, wanted to save weight by making the body of a Corvette  out of aluminum.  He contracted Reynolds to fabricate the body but the car was ultimately extremely cost ineffective to make.  You’d think this important lesson would have precluded the Delorean we all know and love today but I guess tenacity won the day..

I especially love the aluminum colored interior…

[Matt]

[Matt]

In 2014 a large sinkhole, because that’s Kentucky’s claim to fame, opened up inside the museum revealing a cave beneath.  8 very expensive cars were damaged and are now on display.  Look for the security camera footage on You Tube if you’ve never seen it.  It’s nuts…

Here’s a floor window showing the depth to the cave…

[Matt]

And last but by no means least, on special display was a full on Ed “Big Daddy” Roth exhibit.  It was amazing…