On Saturday we participated in the annual Los Alamos Fair Parade. We first assembled at a staging area and lined up our cars in four pairs. The front cars were among the eldest in our club, the Dunn’s 1914 Model T nickel-plated touring car and the Azevedo’s 1912 touring car. Following them were the Ortega’s 1924 touring car and the Wing’s 1924 coupe. In the third row were the Duncan’s in their 1920 touring car and next to them the Willan’s in their 1926 touring. The fourth row included Dean and Linda in Lulu Bell, Linda’s 1926 Tudor, and the O’Brien’s in their 1916 touring car. The parade route was lined with enthusiastic families with a lot of young children. We parked our cars on the street after the parade and fielded a lot of questions about the historical and electro-mechanical aspects of Model Ts. We also got a lot of positive feedback and thanks for bringing our cars to to their annual parade!
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38After the parade and show, many members went back to the hotel while others followed Skip and Hedy to a former Los Alamos landfill that’s now a site of solar panel experimental station and battery storage facility for the solar generated energy. Our tour guide was Heath Hill, the site manager. Heath explained that the facility was a test site for joint Japanese/Los Alamos National Laboratory experimentation with cutting-edge and more conventional solar technologies. He covered the history and purpose of the solar panel testing site and its uniqueness in the world of energy research.
After the the solar/battery site, we drove to the solar powered experimental house located on Trinity Drive, very close to our hotel. The new house has duplicate US standard and Japanese appliances for direct comparison of performance and energy efficiency. This house has a sophisticated energy storage system and high-tech instrumentation/controls for house functions such as lighting and security. Heath Hill was very generous with his time and gave us all an excellent tour. Thank you Heath!
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26Dark clouds were forming in the late afternoon which made some of the tour members hesitant to drive their Ts to dinner. Dinner this evening was very special as it was the annual Sheriff’s Posse BBQ to raise funds for the maintenance of their lodge, a log cabin structure that’s been their meeting place and headquarters since its construction in the 1950’s. We were lucky to have gotten there early as the serving line quickly snaked around the room and eventually went out the door. The event was fun as the meal was chuck wagon style with smoked prime rib, salmon, beans, tres leches cake, and beverages. Entertainment was provided by singing and strumming sheriff’s posse members. Among our waitresses were the Los Alamos County Rodeo Queen and Sweetheart! It was a memorable and light-hearted event in a rustic setting.
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8Click on the links below:
- Thursday: Home page, Dixie Girl Restaurant, Genevieve movie
- Friday: Old Otowi Bridge, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Fe Opera tour, dinner at Dixie Girl Restaurant
- Saturday: Los Alamos parade, tour of solar demonstration house, dinner at the Sheriff’s Posse Lodge
- Sunday: Overlook Park – White Rock Canyon, Jim Stine’s vintage Texaco Station and soda bar, Bandelier National Monument