A new attraction at the fall rally. Wally Fisk shows up with his newly acquired military Caribou. Super nice plane. This huge plane took off in less space than the T6’s. What an impressive sight that was!!!!!!
The warbirds entertain the crowd every year.And if you are lucky you can get a ride in one.
On the left is Gary Wirth waiting for the pilot to take him for a ride. In the photo on the right Al’s wife Kelly is all smiles after landing.You won’t see this in many places. 5 WWII amphibs swimming together, including 2 GPA’s. These guys put smiles on many a face by swimming them all.Wally builds up his nerve to take the dare of riding in the trailer. We have all heard they are supposed to swim, but he wanted security before he took the plunge.Wally does it. He stayed dry and the trailer did too!
Now, I must admit that this looked fun on the calm lake. By looking at the free board space, I did not think this would have been fun in any sort of rough water, or in a combat situation. Makes you stop and think.DUKW rides for all. Man those things are smooth and quiet.When in Wisconsin on a Friday night you have to find a good Fish Fry. The Friday night Fish Fry at the Twin Oaks Tavern down the road is also a Spooner Rally tradition. We drive all these vehicles about a mile down the county hwy. We usually have the local sheriff escort us though.Bren Gun Carrier rides and tank rides are always a crowd favorite.
After consistent begging from the party goers of last year, I decided to bring the MK1 carrier back for a return engagement. Yes, I had fun too. Here we are zippng across the runway at about 30 mph. The only draw back to the carrier at that speed is the track slapping the bottom of the hull. Boy that is loud!But my son’s favorite is always the Mule rides. Once he is on it, you can’t pry him off. Notice the firm grip he has on the railing.
Lining up for the parade of vehicles.Thea Kronlund directs the vehicles thru the parade announcing stand. Tom Berndt tells the crowd what the truck is, what it was used for, and interesting history items about each.From the very small to the VERY LARGE …From the very small to the VERY LARGE …and ALL sizes in between … here is a Russian GAZ, a Dodge KD64 ambulance and a very rare GMC Small Arms repair bus/van.A new fast attack prototype golf cart showed up. John Kotke came up with this design. He received numerous requests to start taking orders for production.Paul Viens’ newly acquired M20. You couldn’t slap the smile off his face.
You get to see a wide variety here in Spooner. You should plan to attend next year. Nobody who has come has ever regretted it.A great site if I do say so myself.
John’s personal favorite. The MACK NO. Man I gotta own one of these. It was used to haul the 155 Long Tom. Since I have the 155, I think it only fitting I have the hauler to go with it. Some convincing will be required on the home front for this one. It may require a new house with a bigger building, or a good neighbor with extra storage space. I got to drive this in the convoy and it was a dream. For a massive truck, it drove, stopped and rode extremely well. I was impressed.
This is the inside of the GMC Small Arms bus. Nicely restored and outfitted.The start of the convoy. The airport is way off behind the far tree line. We had a combo on-off road trip this year. The WWII warbirds made mock straffing runs and escorted us thru the entire 38-mile trip.Well that’s it for Spooner 2007. Hope to see you there next year.
