Your PopCulteer is back from a mini-trip he took with Mrs. PopCulteer over the weekend. It was our first trip like this in well over a year, and it was a load of fun, even if it’s a bit awkward doing this again after our pandemic year. It’s still strange seeing some people in public without masks, and it’s going to take some time to shake the habit of seeing other people as potentially infectious zombie-like critters.

The main reason for the trip was to meet my new grand-nephew, Indigo. Mission accomplished, and he is a beautiful, healthy baby.

Then we took a side-trip as a favor for my buddy, Dave Mattson. Dave is rebuilding his website devoted to all things Tanks, and I will be linking to it and telling you all about it once he has it up and running again. A few months ago Dave asked me how close I was to Weirton. “Not very” was the answer, but I was willing to make the effort for a friend.

The reason Dave asked me that is that there is roadside park in Weirton, The Brooke-Hancock County Veterans Memorial Park. It’s located right in the curve of an exit ramp coming off of US 22 onto Route 2. They have a tank on display there that is one-of-a-kind. You can see it at the head of this post in a selfie, but I’m saving all the other photos I took of the tank for Dave, who will be able to tell you much more about it than I ever could.

However, there’s more to The Brooke-Hancock County Veterans Memorial Park than just the tank.

The park has several military vehicles and pieces of artillery and monuments, and even a piece of the wreckage of the World Trade Center. It’s a humbling thing to see, and it really drives home the sacrifices of those brave people who swore to uphold our Democracy. It was an appropriate way to spend part of my Memorial Day Weekend. We’re going to bring you photos of that stuff right here.

You can find out more about The Brooke-Hancock County Veterans Memorial Park at their Facebook page. The park is maintained by a non-profit group, and you can find an address there if you are inclined to make a donation. The park is right off of Exit 2, on US 22, headed West, or you can find it by driving North up Route 2, until you see the military Jet by the side of the road. It’s a pretty great day trip. It was about a fifty-minute drive from just South of Pittsburgh, and that was mainly due to some winding roads.  I’m tempted to repeat the trip in the future, so I can get photos at night, when the park is lit up.

I will present these photos without comments. I am not nearly knowledgeable enough about military equipment to identify the planes, choppers and big guns with any descriptor beyond “really cool-looking,” so I will leave that to any experts who wish to leave comments. Photos are mostly by your PopCulteer, with a couple of them taken by Mel Larch.