The Wandering Minstrel

I was half watching a program on the History Channel today about the evolution of the revolver. They covered the history from before the period of European Pepperboxes to the latest revolvers.

Of all the antique revolvers shown on the documentary, my favorite was Sam Colt’s venerable Single Action Army revolver. The show mentioned the caliber of the gun as simply being “.45 caliber.” I seem to recall that these guns fired a .45 Long Colt, not to be confused with the .45ACP ammunition for semi-automatic pistols. According to GunWiki, .45 ACP ammunition is regulated to under 21,000 lbf/in² (145 MPa), while .45 Colt must be kept under 14,000 lbf/in² (97 MPa) to be safe in older guns.

Technical details notwithstanding, the Peacemaker sure is a pretty piece of Firearms Americana. Clickable image.

The Better Half took this photo in May while we were in Kingman, Arizona. The old part of town along Route 66 is lined with old-style motels, diners like Mr. D’s and the inevitable gift and souvenir shops.

I really liked Mr. D’s old Chevy pickup parked by the diner, It was one of many 40’s and 50’s classics we saw while we were in town. Clickable image.

Across the street from the diner is the Kingman Powerhouse which houses model trains, information counter and gift shops. I bought an aloha shirt with illustrations of Arizona-specific Route 66 landmarks and autos.

We went to the wireless dealer in town today to transfer our cellphones to this area. After finishing the transactions inside, we headed back to the SUV and saw this motorcycle parked outside. The decals on the bike were reminiscent of the surrealistic 1966 TV series, Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward.

I spoke to the owner of this unusual ‘conversation piece’ and he told me that it is a 1972 Honda, formerly owned by the California Highway Patrol in Fresno, CA. This guy acquired the bike way back when the CHP first retired it and put on the Batman decals. He has been getting looks and comments on it since. He claims to ride it back to visit his Mom in Fresno periodically. He was just another friendly guy in our new, friendly town.

I wonder if when it backfires it goes BAM or POW.

Clickable image.

This nicely restored classic looks like it could have been driven by the likes of Dillinger or Clyde Barrow. What a beauty!

Clickable image courtesy of The Better Half.

It was a nice, sunny day in the area today. These two gents were enjoying the day by cruising around in this nice 1958 Ford Fairlane Convertible. This is the model that retracted its hard top into the trunk. Clickable image courtesy of The Better Half.

I had a Radio Flyer when I was a kid but I don’t remember a cab or a tailgate. The owner of this Chevy pickup had the clever idea to associate it’s red color with the famous toy wagon makers. Clickable image - taken by The Better Half in Kingman, AZ.

Spotted today in Lake Havasu City, AZ - a seventies all American muscle car. This Super Sport sounded and looked just as good as the day it rolled off the line. Bright red, with shiny chrome. The American Flag Arizona tags read “USMUSSL.” Very pretty. Clickable image taken by The Better Half.

I posted a photo of a ‘48 Chevy coupe a while back. This is its 4-door counterpart and this one is just as sharp, and is for sale for a mere twenty-five grand.

(Clickable) image credit: The Better Half.