The thinking man’s Lincoln Mark IV.  Same platform and luxury at a substantial discount.

But how many different Ford Fairmonts did you get to drive?

Did any model ever wander in more directions over its history than the Thunderbird?

My aunt had a 70's T-bird. It was a bitch getting in and out the back seat of that two door, but we had plenty of space once we were back there. My cousins, brother, and I all fit at one time. This was before the whole child safety seat business. If you could walk, they weren’t carrying around another seat to put on…

1974 was a cardinal year in which OPEC decided to limit the fuel we could buy and we ended up with massive lines at gas stations around the nation. That event singularly spelled doom for these leftover relics of the 1960's. The ‘74 bird lived into 1976, but at 224" long and 10 mpg, it was, along with the 214" Cadillac…

My friend Bob the PhD mechanical engineer had one. I helped him change the shocks once. My wife, who was watching us innocently asked, “Can you drive it without shock absorbers?” “Let’s find out!” Bob replied. So with all 4 shockes removed, we barrelled down a massive hill to Vilas Park in Madison, Wisconsin. I’ll…

When I was in high school, my dad bought a 76 T-bird for my mom to drive. Two-tone yellow and gold with a cream leather interior. It was pimp-tastic. With a big block under that miles long hood and ice cold AC, it was a primo ride for my senior prom.

Pointless waste remains a sign of wealth, it’s just done differently nowadays.

Case in point: SpaceX is landing rockets on goddamn boats, and no one cares.

I did that tour too. It was really cool. I think the Saturn V rocket was my favourite part. 

I know, right? Apollo 11? One small step for man, yada yada. Apollo 13? Change the channel.

I took my kids to see the shuttle up live and personal in LA. They were unimpressed.

There’s one at Kennedy Space Center too, Atlantis if I remember correctly. I took my kids on the tour, it was incredible seeing one up close.

The problem with the general public is that we’ll take great pride and enthusiasm over the first time we do something. After that, it’s a collective ‘so what’.

Some years ago an artist did some paintings of some very hipsterish grown-up MSB kids and retired Ms. Frizzle. But she(?) FORGOT. THE. BUS.

Not sure where you live but they have a shuttle in the LA science museum that you can see for an extra dollar ticket.  Seeing it up close is pretty damn amazing.  Every ceramic tile has a number and you can walk right under it.  Really cool stuff if you are ever in the area.

The shuttle program had the unintended effect of making space travel look “ easy”. I am old enough to remember when the first shuttle launched. I was at my grandmother’s house. It was amazing. Like a REAL spaceship that didn’t look like a coffee can going into orbit. The enthusiasm was over the top initially. Hell- I…

Far, far too late my friend.

I think we should all chip in and buy this property for David Tracy to store his Jeep collection and start a museum.

My girlfriend’s from the area, this is nothing new and nothing surprising, they’re always getting folks sent down snowed-out paths and turned back, years and years of this. There’s a disturbing irony that there is a picnic area at Donner Camp.