Here's a You Tube video that accompanied the story on Dan Doughty's POW experience that appeared in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram on November 6th.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Scenes From A Small Town
More pictures from in and around the town of Merrill, Wisconsin.
Bridge
County Courthouse
State Park
Old Mill
Classic House
Ice Cream Store
Library
Lincoln House
Old City Hall
Old City Hall
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Everywhere The Signs
Last week's 2011 Doughty 500 was based in the bustling metropolis of Merrill, Wisconsin. Merrill is a town of about 10,000 souls that straddles the Wisconsin River in the north-central part of the state. Jay and I only really had one day to poke around the town, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a number of architectural items of interest including some vintage signage.
While the Lincoln Lanes building has been updated in recent years, you can see that it once had a classic modern look.
The theater features more of an Art Deco appearance with the font.
And the sleek tiled wall in front front.
This was one of Jay's favorite signs.
For my money, the Chip's drive-in logo is hard to top.
No matter where you go there's almost always something interesting to see. As long as you're willing to stop and spend the time to look for it.
While the Lincoln Lanes building has been updated in recent years, you can see that it once had a classic modern look.
The theater features more of an Art Deco appearance with the font.
And the sleek tiled wall in front front.
This was one of Jay's favorite signs.
For my money, the Chip's drive-in logo is hard to top.
No matter where you go there's almost always something interesting to see. As long as you're willing to stop and spend the time to look for it.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Quote of the Day
"The art of cranking a car is one that is not given to all men. Some of our greatest and wisest stand helpless before the task."
-P.G. Wodehouse in Three Men and a Maid
-P.G. Wodehouse in Three Men and a Maid
Monday, July 11, 2011
Last Call
Here's the latest, greatest, and last update on this year's 500 from Dan:
MONDAY 25 JULY 08:30, -WE WILL LEAVE FROM 4554 EASTLAND CT. LUNCH AT THE ABBY CAFÉ IN CURTIS.
TUESDAY, 26 JULY 09:00 – TOUR THE HARRISON HILLS AREA EAST OF TOMAHAWK. LUNCH AT THE HARRISON PUP & GRILL OR NUT ZEES INN. WE WILL TRY TO SPLIT UP BETWEEN THEM. THEY ARE ABOUT A HALF MILE APART.
WEDNESDAY, 27 JULY 09:00 - TOUR NORTHEAST TO ELCHO. THERE A COUPLE OF PLACES IN TOWN FOR LUNCH
THURSDAY, 28 JULY – NO TOURS PLANED. SOME MAY MAKE A RUN TO TOMAHAWK FOR LUNCH.
THE DINNER / AUCTION WILL BE AT CLUB 64, 2405 WEST MAIN ST. MERRILL. 5 PM, SOCIAL HOUR, DINNER AT 6 PM. DINNER WILL BE A SIT DOWN FAMILY STYLE WITH CHICKEN AND ROAST BEEF. COST WILL BE ABOUT $16.00 PER PERSON. I MUST PAY THE CLUB WITH ONE CHECK SO PLEASE HAVE CASH TO PAY ME!
CALL 715-835-0685 OR E-MAIL ME ASAP WITH YOUR NUMBERS FOR DINNER. I NEED A PRELIMINARY COUNT BY JULY 16th.
FRIDAY, 29 JULY 09:00 RETURN TO EAU CLAIRE WITH LUNCH AT THE OUTBOARD BAR & GRILL BETWEEN PERKINSTOWN AND GILLMAN.
CALL 715 536-7979 OR 800 634-3444 FOR ROOM RESERVATIONS.
THE AMERICAINN MAY BE FULL. ***It is.***
IF SO THERE IS A SUPER 8 ACROSS THE STREET. 715-536-6880
HAPPY HOUR MONDAY, OUR KIDS. TUESDAY, SAM’S BOYS. WEDNESDAY, THE GRADUATE’S PARENTS.
BRING SOMETHING FOR THE AUCTION.
MONDAY 25 JULY 08:30, -WE WILL LEAVE FROM 4554 EASTLAND CT. LUNCH AT THE ABBY CAFÉ IN CURTIS.
TUESDAY, 26 JULY 09:00 – TOUR THE HARRISON HILLS AREA EAST OF TOMAHAWK. LUNCH AT THE HARRISON PUP & GRILL OR NUT ZEES INN. WE WILL TRY TO SPLIT UP BETWEEN THEM. THEY ARE ABOUT A HALF MILE APART.
WEDNESDAY, 27 JULY 09:00 - TOUR NORTHEAST TO ELCHO. THERE A COUPLE OF PLACES IN TOWN FOR LUNCH
THURSDAY, 28 JULY – NO TOURS PLANED. SOME MAY MAKE A RUN TO TOMAHAWK FOR LUNCH.
THE DINNER / AUCTION WILL BE AT CLUB 64, 2405 WEST MAIN ST. MERRILL. 5 PM, SOCIAL HOUR, DINNER AT 6 PM. DINNER WILL BE A SIT DOWN FAMILY STYLE WITH CHICKEN AND ROAST BEEF. COST WILL BE ABOUT $16.00 PER PERSON. I MUST PAY THE CLUB WITH ONE CHECK SO PLEASE HAVE CASH TO PAY ME!
CALL 715-835-0685 OR E-MAIL ME ASAP WITH YOUR NUMBERS FOR DINNER. I NEED A PRELIMINARY COUNT BY JULY 16th.
FRIDAY, 29 JULY 09:00 RETURN TO EAU CLAIRE WITH LUNCH AT THE OUTBOARD BAR & GRILL BETWEEN PERKINSTOWN AND GILLMAN.
CALL 715 536-7979 OR 800 634-3444 FOR ROOM RESERVATIONS.
THE AMERICAINN MAY BE FULL. ***It is.***
IF SO THERE IS A SUPER 8 ACROSS THE STREET. 715-536-6880
HAPPY HOUR MONDAY, OUR KIDS. TUESDAY, SAM’S BOYS. WEDNESDAY, THE GRADUATE’S PARENTS.
BRING SOMETHING FOR THE AUCTION.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
On The Horizon
2011 update from Dan:
IT IS GETTING CLOSE, ONLY 6 WEEKS FROM TODAY.
WE WILL LEAVE FROM 4554 EASTLAND CT AT 08:30, 25 JULY 2011
DESTINATION, AMERICINN, 3300 E. MAIN ST MERRILL, WI.
CALL 715 536-7979 OR 800 634-3444 FOR ROOM RESERVATIONS.
RATE IS ; 49.50 PLUS TAX. BE SURE TO MENTION DOUGHTY 500.
NEED VOLUNTEERS TO COVER HAPPY HOUR FOR TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY EVENING. IF YOU CAN COVER IT PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
NEXT UP DATE IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS.
IT IS GETTING CLOSE, ONLY 6 WEEKS FROM TODAY.
WE WILL LEAVE FROM 4554 EASTLAND CT AT 08:30, 25 JULY 2011
DESTINATION, AMERICINN, 3300 E. MAIN ST MERRILL, WI.
CALL 715 536-7979 OR 800 634-3444 FOR ROOM RESERVATIONS.
RATE IS ; 49.50 PLUS TAX. BE SURE TO MENTION DOUGHTY 500.
NEED VOLUNTEERS TO COVER HAPPY HOUR FOR TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY EVENING. IF YOU CAN COVER IT PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
NEXT UP DATE IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Loaded for Bear
A couple of nuggets from a Wall Street Journal review of the book "The Big Roads" brought to mind the Doughty 500.
As the Lincoln developed, so too did other regions of the country begin building their own versions, like the Jefferson Davis Highway (intended to reach from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco by way of New Orleans but never completed), the Lakes to Gulf Highway (Duluth, Minn., to Galveston, Texas) and the coast-to-coast Old Trails Road. An automobile network began to emerge of mainly dirt and gravel byways, but road trips weren't for sissies. Mr. Swift notes that one engineer recommended that travelers carry, among many other things, "an ax, shovel, and four-foot hardwood planks, fifty feet of rope and sixteen of cable . . . a pile of cooking and camping gear and 'possibly a small pistol of some sort.'"
This is very similar to the list of necessities recommended for those who undertake the Doughty 500. I'd probably add a bottle of whiskey as well.
Another of the author's visionaries is engineer Thomas MacDonald, the brilliant and methodical, but utterly humorless, head of he National Highway Commission. It fell to MacDonald in 1919 to make passable this tangled continental grid that included every kind of obstacle, from snowbound mountains and raging rivers to "gumbo" mud in Iowa and briny tar beneath the salt flats of Utah. Seemingly by a combination of ingenuity and dearth of personality, MacDonald succeeded in bringing about the Federal Highway Act of 1921, the first, coherent plan for the nation's future roads.
The plan also eventually brought trucks and tourists by the millions, many of whom set up shop along the new roadsides. Filling stations, hot-dog stands, campgrounds and "mo-tels" by the hundreds flourished. Which, naturally, attracted more traffic. "By late 1920s," Mr. Swift writes, "you measured your progress by obscenities more than miles."
I think we can all recall a stretch or two of one of the Doughty 500s where that particular metric would have been an appropriate one.
As the Lincoln developed, so too did other regions of the country begin building their own versions, like the Jefferson Davis Highway (intended to reach from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco by way of New Orleans but never completed), the Lakes to Gulf Highway (Duluth, Minn., to Galveston, Texas) and the coast-to-coast Old Trails Road. An automobile network began to emerge of mainly dirt and gravel byways, but road trips weren't for sissies. Mr. Swift notes that one engineer recommended that travelers carry, among many other things, "an ax, shovel, and four-foot hardwood planks, fifty feet of rope and sixteen of cable . . . a pile of cooking and camping gear and 'possibly a small pistol of some sort.'"
This is very similar to the list of necessities recommended for those who undertake the Doughty 500. I'd probably add a bottle of whiskey as well.
Another of the author's visionaries is engineer Thomas MacDonald, the brilliant and methodical, but utterly humorless, head of he National Highway Commission. It fell to MacDonald in 1919 to make passable this tangled continental grid that included every kind of obstacle, from snowbound mountains and raging rivers to "gumbo" mud in Iowa and briny tar beneath the salt flats of Utah. Seemingly by a combination of ingenuity and dearth of personality, MacDonald succeeded in bringing about the Federal Highway Act of 1921, the first, coherent plan for the nation's future roads.
The plan also eventually brought trucks and tourists by the millions, many of whom set up shop along the new roadsides. Filling stations, hot-dog stands, campgrounds and "mo-tels" by the hundreds flourished. Which, naturally, attracted more traffic. "By late 1920s," Mr. Swift writes, "you measured your progress by obscenities more than miles."
I think we can all recall a stretch or two of one of the Doughty 500s where that particular metric would have been an appropriate one.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Photo Follies
This edition brought to your courtesy of Jay (so blame him):
"And here Chad and Jay* believed Bernie when he said Model T’s don’t shrink when they get wet."
*No, that's not really us.
"And here Chad and Jay* believed Bernie when he said Model T’s don’t shrink when they get wet."
*No, that's not really us.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Making Book
As previously announced, I'm trying to put together a brief photo book to capture the 25 year history of the Doughty 500 (so far). I'm going to use the pictures that I've collected over the years and from the My Heritage family site.
If you have other pictures that you think would be interesting to include or have stories, anecdotes, or history to share send it my way. So far I received some photos and history from Brendan and some pictures from Mike.
To ensure that I get this complete and ordered in time for this year's Doughty 500, I want to have everything in place by the end of MAY. So if you want something included, send it to me now.
Feel free to forward this to other family members I may have missed or am no longer on speaking terms with (kidding).
Thanks,
Chad
If you have other pictures that you think would be interesting to include or have stories, anecdotes, or history to share send it my way. So far I received some photos and history from Brendan and some pictures from Mike.
To ensure that I get this complete and ordered in time for this year's Doughty 500, I want to have everything in place by the end of MAY. So if you want something included, send it to me now.
Feel free to forward this to other family members I may have missed or am no longer on speaking terms with (kidding).
Thanks,
Chad
Monday, March 07, 2011
2011 Tour Information
THE DATES AND LOCATION FOR THE 2011 DOUGHTY 500 HAVE BEEN SET.
DATE: 25th – 29th JULY 2011
LOCATION: MERRILL, WI
HOTEL:
AMERICINN
300 EAST MAIN ST, MERRILL
715 536-7979 OR 800 634-3444
25 ROOMS HAVE BEEN BOOKED
WHEN YOU CALL ASK FOR; DOUGHTY 500
RATE IS $49.50 PLUS TAX = $55.74
FOR THOSE WHO WANTED AN EARLIER DATE; MAGGIE’S WEDDING DATE, 23 JULY, WAS THE DECIDING FACTOR.
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