MOG 2000 ADVENTURE
PAGE 4DAY 5 Today it was through the Vale of the White Horse, where the Celts
carved a giant horse in the chalk hills many centuries ago, and on toOxford, the home of England’s first university, founded in 1167. The town has long been a strategic point on the route to London. Its name describes the position for conveniently crossing the river, (a ford for oxen). Here we came across a group of loud Americans, touring England in one of those huge bus things with air- conditioning and reclining seats.
Just outside of Oxford is the Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill. After we got settled in our room, on a small street just off the Palace grounds, Judy took the rest of the day to stroll through the Palace and its gardens. I enjoyed the more civil air of the streets of an English town. For tomorrow was the big day. Tomorrow was the Morgan Motor Company factory and of course, we needed to be well rested for tomorrow.
Before I continue with my story, my wife insists on a small retraction. You see, while Judy was touring the Palace at Blenheim, in Oxford, I was not actually "enjoying the more civil air of the streets of an English town". I was enjoy the comforts of a firm English bed. Ed Day 6
We arrived early, for today was the day the Morgan Motor Company factory closed at 2 PM to honor a fallen worker. A custom not observed in the States. The office gave us a floor plan of the factory and sent us on our tour. The factory was a beehive of activity. There were men hand filing wooden frames, and women sewing leather upholstery. There were band saws, jigsaws, hand drills, and tin snips at their best. There were Morgans in every stage of building. It was everything you have heard of but with a new coat of paint. The only thing that was 21st century was the paint shop,
which looked as out of place as a robot would. And, we were up to our elbows in Morgans of every color. Every corner was filled with Morgan. There were blue 4/4s, and white +8s. Someone was taking delivery of his new Jaguar Regency Red four seater, and he had his wife convinced there was room for their growing family. It was true Mecca.
We chatted with Charlie Stiles from the finishing shop, and he checked our car. Charlie was working at the factory when Squeaky was built. We
inspected custom orders from all over the world. Did you know someone had a flask built into the dashboard of his car? It was like falling into a vat of chocolate at the chocolate factory. The smell and the taste of Morgans overwhelms you. I was dazed by it all, and almost forgot to take a picture of Squeaky in front of the factory. Before we left we held up traffic long enough to capture Squeaky at her birthplace, on film.
That afternoon we wandered through the town of Malvern, the only placed where they showed no interest in a Morgan on the road. Judy stopped at a photo shop for one-hour photo development. We planned to take a picture of Squeaky to the factory. I was still in a Morgan induced trance, but found my way into the Malvern Museum, four small rooms in the rock of an ancient castle. The exhibits centered around the towns major industry, and the community’s contribution to the two World Wars. The museum was manned by two of Malvern’s most senior residents, who were not at all shocked when I accidentally set off the emergency alarm.
When we returned to our rooms we found three Morgans in the little parking lot. It was Hans Spaans, and his five fellow Morganeers from the Netherlands. They were on their way to Malvern Link. We spent the evening comparing trips and cars. The day was already too much for a poor American in an old English sports car and still it was not yet complete. We still had to make our way across England to meet our new friends at Canterbury.