October, 2013

Mepkin Abbey

Miz B continues to never let me down.  We took a very long drive with the Palmetto A's to Moncks Corner in the LowCountry of South Carolina on our regular 3rd Saturday of the month get together.  We met up at the Reid's parking lot for a quick business meeting and then we were off!

There were 8 Model A's in the line up.  We made our way onto Interstate 77 for a brief three miles, taking the Bluff Road exit.  Then it was onto Highway 378 for a quick trip to Sumter.  We met up with a previous club member and his grandson at the Chick Fil A.  After a brief stop and hellos, we were headed south for Monck's Corner.

We arrived for lunch at The Dock Restaurant, now a Gilligan's, about 12:30.  To our surprise, another club member met us at the restaurant.  Now we had 10 Model A's!   Everyone enjoyed a nice seafood lunch and fellowship.  JP Temple came out of the restaurant to discover he had a hitchhiker wrapped around his light bar - a little green snake!  Wonder if he came all the way from Lexington or if he thought he might just go for a ride from the restaurant over to the Abbey?

After the snake was removed, we made our way across the canal and on to Mepkin Abbey.  

Mepkin Abbey is a community of Roman Catholic monks established in 1949 on the site of the historic Mepkin Plantation located on the Cooper River, north of Charleston, South Carolina. Founded by the monks of Gethsemani in Kentucky, the brothers of Mepkin belong to the worldwide Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance popularly known as Trappist. Following The Rule of St. Benedict, the monks at Mepkin Abbey devote their lives to prayer, spiritual study, work and hospitality.

We toured the grounds and gardens of the Abbey.  Such a peaceful place.  The beauty of the South Carolina LowCountry is absolutely awe inspiring!

We began our way back to the Midlands about 4 o'clock.  It had been a beautiful day to travel in the Model A's.  We arrived home well past dark.  It was good that I had the halogen headlights this night!  

The Ford TriMotor

Our next adventure had us staying in the Columbia area.  In fact, we were at the downtown Columbia airport, known as Hamilton-Owens Field.  The Ford TriMotor airplane was making a trip to our state capital.  This one is owned by the Kalamazoo Air Zoo and is retiring to museum life after this year's tour of the US.  It was manufactured in 1929.

The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed "The Tin Goose") was an American three-engined transport aircraft that was first produced in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and that continued to be produced until June 7, 1933. Throughout its time in production, a total of 199 Ford Trimotors were produced. It was designed for the civil aviation market, and was also used by military units and sold all over the world.

In postwar years, the Ford Trimotors continued in limited service with small, regional air carriers. One of the most famous was the Scenic Airways Ford Trimotor N414H which was used for 65 years as a sightseeing aircraft flying over the Grand Canyon. The aircraft was still in use as of late 2011, mainly for promotional and film work, though one Trimotor operator offers rides. As of August 2013, a Ford Trimotor was still being used by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) to fly passengers on sightseeing tours.