Perfect Father’s Day Gift
by Wyomingite.com staff
September 00, 2024
My brother refers to them as “oblications.” Semi-compulsory trips with family that you have to take time off for. They’re like vacations. Just not maybe the vacation you might have chosen for yourself.
Last year, maybe the year before-on Father’s Day, having no gift to give, I promised my dad I would take him to a tank museum in Dubois, Wyoming he had recently told me about. I wouldn’t call it a hollow promise, but I also didn’t make any plans, look up the museum’s actual name or even googlemap the distance to Dubois. Every several months, the promised trip might briefly come up with a “that’d be cool” before returning to the abstract. And, as I say, that got me through a couple of years until recently.
Two weeks ago the bill came due, my dad and I packed up and drove to the National Museum of Military Vehicles. What a name. So direct, so bland, almost arrogantly nondescript while describing exactly what it is.
What I pictured, what I’m guessing most people picture, including my dad was a half-acre dirt parking lot with somehwere between fifteen and fifty half-rusted-out tanks, jeeps and strewn jeep parts. In my mind, I assumed the term “museum” was being used loosely. As we drove the hundreds of miles to the middle of nowhere, it didn’t occur to either of us to bing the place. I didn’t bother because for me it was an oblication, so it didn’t really matter, and my dad didn’t worry about it because fifty rusted-out tanks in a dirt parking lot was a perfect father’s day. We got there just before it opened and planned on being on the road home by noon.
We pulled into a dirt parking lot used exclusively for parking. We got out of the car at the same time a young woman opened the glass doors of the main building. “It’s 10 minutes early. It’s a nice day, but we might as well let you in.” I’d say about twenty three of us were let in early for ten minutes of exclusive access before the regulars got there. My dad pulled out his wallet at the front counter, but I insisted on paying for the very reasonably priced entry tickets. After all, he had paid for everything else.
“Are either of you veterans.” Asked the very personable guest manager. “Veterans are free.”
“Well, General, I guess this is not on me” I said realizing my gift was costing my dad a fair amount of money and my contribution was purchasing my own non-veteran ticket. The least I could do. The cashier handed me a map, and pointed to of a theater showing a video introduction to the museum on a twelve minute loop. We were given wristbands and told about a tour starting at ten. I headed to the gun exhibit through a twelve inch safe door.
Wyatt Earp’s gun was a surprise. It impressed me. There were a lot of impressive arms, but I didn’t make it very far down the gun exhibit before the tour started.
I don’t know if it sounds cool to say that it was like walking through a text book, but it was very cool. The young man doing the tour was, like most of the museum, surprisingly impressive.
The innovation and industry of Americans during WWII was something I found new appreciation for walking through 1/1 scale dioramas and seeing the evolution of the vehicle technology taking place during the war.
It was passed noon when the tour ended, and we did not get on the road. The General and I tried to impress the tour guide with the audiobook about a Marine we’d listened to on the drive. It was very much like trying to talk to a teacher after class. We wanted him to like us. He wasn’t impressed, but he was familiar with the book.
The next tour, which follows the Korean War and Vietnam started in an hour. We used the time looking at more tanks and grabbing lunch in the surprisingly impressive cantina. I did pay for lunch and a novelty grenade shaped hot sauce, but I won’t make a big deal of it.
The second tour was led by the founder of the museum. He’s commonly asked why you would build a state of the art multi-millon-dollar museum in Dubois, Wyoming which he has a simple answer for. It’s where he lives.
I learned about WWII during the first tour, but the second tour taught me that I knew absolutely nothing about the Korean War and very little about Vietnam. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but there’s some Communism involved.
Fun fact, nearly all of the vehicles housed at the National Museum of Military Vehicles are fully functional including the above pictured helicopter.
There was a lot more to see when we left, but we decided we should get going. As we drove out the exit we could see the auxiliary storage… a dirt parking lot with about fifty vehicles.
I was incredibly impressed by the museum. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t expect much, but I was surprised again and again. I learned. I ate well. I got a couple of hours of walking in. And I got to see my dad thoroughly engrossed in something that wasn’t work. It was Surprisingly impressive and I’d highly recommend you take your dad too.
