Figured I’d do a AAR of my recon to the Tower Park Show, Spring 2013 (TPSS13). Having experienced several shows on the east coast (Aberdeen, GA Rally, Gilbert, NJ MTA Show, GAMVPA) over several years, I figure I’d do a quick once over about this experience.
To my knowledge, I never met anyone at the TPSS13. On a couple of occasions, I thought I recognized an individual here or there that I had seen at Aberdeen but not anyone I definitively knew.
The TPSS13 runs for 8 days (Sat for a week to the following Sun) but the crowd really picks up on Wednesday evening through Saturday. I departed for the show from West Texas on Monday morning at 0300 for what had planned to be a roughly 1200 mile, 18 hr trip. I was in my M1009 with M101A2 with a load lighter than what I would have taken to shows out east.
Problems started immediately. The forecast called for a steady headwind the whole way. In the end I battled ac onstant, stead headwind the entire trip out from start to the very time that I parked the truck at Tower Park. This further affected speed and engine performance. Second issue occurred with my vehicle charging in the yellow and then red. A quick call to Recovry4x4 to confirm my plan to keep going and not to turn off the vehicle until I reached a place to recharge. He also suggested swapping batteries as the charge went down. I later stopped at a truck repair shop and had the battery charged (2 hr delay) and then began the battery swap plan that worked the rest of the trip. Every 500 miles I would swap the batteries.
Because of the wind, I had issues staying over 55 mph. I stopped at Kingman and after completing a fluid check/fill and battery flip continued across the Mojave. This was my first time in this area of the country. The hills in the vicinity of 29 Palms exit of I-40 were steep and long. The truck started over-heating. The best practice I found was to keep moving but drop the truck into 1[SUP]st[/SUP]or 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] (gear selection depending on grade) and go up the hill very slow to keep the rpms down. The light went out within a minute or two and as long as I did this on the hills, I didn’t run into further issues but it sure slowed me down.
As night approached I pulled off in Barstow. The mountain between Barstow and Barksdale also caused some heating issues again but I slowed and lowered gear and it worked. I arrived around 2pm on Tuesday at Tower Park. Was directed to the HQ site 390 where I met JoAnn and Kurt Lesser. I must state that right from the start, the Lessers were the ultimate hosts. I was provided a nice spot right across the street from them under a nice shade tree. They were a source of support throughout the show. I can’t say enough good things about them.
Kurt and JoAnn were the primary “action officers” for theshow. The location is at a KOA Campground which is adjacent to a marina. It is well away from Lodi so don’t just search on the city and go to the city before trying to find the actual campground on the GPS. For those that attend Gilbert, it is very much similar to that show with tree lined streets and trees to park under. There are cabins available but slightly pricey. A field is available to dry campand for larger vehicles and the open field parking was VERY inexpensive. You will also see more RVs at this show versus the eastern shows. There is a pool, kids playground and a very large water bladder for kids (and adults) to bounce on. There were A LOT MORE families at this event than I see in the east. There were special activities specifically for spouses. The kids seemed to be occupied pretty well with the pool, playground and vehicle rides.
Weather was clear the entire time. Nights were cool to cold but the days were spent in shorts/t-shirt. Bring a good sleeping bag and warm jacket. One guy plays a military movie each night on a large screen. It is byob and maybe chair if you get there late. He had 3 movies and would have played ones from other folks. I was wishing I would have brought my collection of movies and especially the movie Play Dirty with Michael Caine and Nigel Green which had a bunch of jeeps and 3/4 tons in it.
The place is huge and rivals Aberdeen and is probably larger. The spots are spacious and yous ee more yet smaller vending set ups. Take a bike, scooter or small vehicle to get around, I forgot to take my bicycle and regretted it immensely.
Unlike all the eastern events, there was no MKT at this event. The food service for breakfast is pretty limited to a coffee/muffin shop at the marina or what you bring with you. A breakfast vendor was tried in the past with limited success and was cancelled. A restaurant is at the Marina for lunch and dinner. Dinner is available most evening by a vendor at the pavilion. The price was around $7 or 8 but my plate was loaded to capacity and is sure a step up from the standard burger and fries atmost shows. A small shoppette is at the marina for some food, drinks (including some alcohol) and ice. It is a hike from the marina to the far endof the camp ground (again, bring transport). The last town with a large full service grocery was about 10 miles to the east. There might have been a closer one in other directions. So definitely plan on self support for breakfast and to a lesser extent lunch.
I didn’t need it but I saw a forklift in the site and would assume that support would be available if needed and coordinated in advance. The marina also has a boat ramp for amphibious vehicles. There is no off-road park and convoying on the road outside the park (route 12) would be somewhat difficult without police support due to the high speed on the road. These are issues brought up by members themselves and they are looking for solutions or other opportunities.
A lot more WWII items can be found at this event compared to the east coast events. WWII jeeps were plentiful but very few deuces and larger vehicles. I did not see any wreckers, only one 5 ton and two M35 series trucks. There was an M915 with trailer parked at the entrance to the Marina. I was happy to see an M20 armored car and two halftracks. I was especially surprised to see a jeep and a right hand drive 1940’s truck set up as a Long Range Desert Group vehicle. This group has a website LRDG.org that is very interesting. I’ve read a bit on the Brit WWII special ops units and was very impressed with this moving monument to the LRDG.
I found the ‘stuff’ sought after on the east coast is not so on the west coast and vice versa. Modern, large M series ‘stuff’ isn’t really wanted. While I didn’t find much in the way of ‘cheap’ deals, I did find some neat items. The SCR510 (BC620) radio still eluded me (a little more on this below).
I had issues with the truck upon arrival and thought it was a bad brake drum shoe. Turned out one of the inside fork on my brake cylinder piston broke and sent the rest into the drum. While enroute to the nearest NAPA (15 miles)it got so bad I had to pull into a auto repair shop and have it repaired (expensive since they literally replaced the entire rear brake and drum—as in, all of it was chewed up bad). Wouldn’t have believed how bad but saw it with my own eyes and the pads had plenty of wear left except for the chewed up area on them.
So this repair had me off site from 7 am to 3 pm. During that time my site got raided. Being solo and not having someone to watch my stuff was a concern from the outset. I returned to find some items missing even though when I left, everything was closed and covered by a tarp. So ensure you set up with someone you know and/or leave instructions or contact info. The “raid” had the impact to keep me locked at my site virtually the rest of the show. This impacted my ability to find the items Iwanted/needed.
The majority of the folks I met joined or attempted to join Steel Soldiers but few were regulars. Most were unaware of the vin info thread for their more modern M series vehicles. If my next job keeps me in the west, I will definitely consider becoming a member of their club while still trying to expand membership in Steel Soldiers.
I took a different route home and came around Los Angelesand then east on I-10. Few hills on this route and I was lighter. My average speed was 63 on the way home and I did a quick sleep in the truck at a rest area. I left on Saturday at 2 pm and was home on Sunday at 7 pm.
Overall the show was great. The show is well organized, well managed and very impressive which displays a great team that organizes and manages the event. I met a lot of great people and the positive experience far outweighed the issues I had. I would definitely like to do it again.