The Spirit rolls into Wapakoneta, Ohio, birthplace of Astronaut Neil Armstrong

The second of four stops in Ohio brings The Spirit of the American Trucker, OOIDA’s touring tractor-trailer, to Wapakoneta.

Jon Osburn, skipper of The Spirit, plans to be at the Wapakoneta TA travel centers through Aug. 3.

After he leaves Wapakoneta, he plans to be at these stops:

• Aug. 4-6 at the North Baltimore, Ohio, TA truck stop; and
• Aug. 8-10 at Truck World truck stop in Hubbard, Ohio.

Trip Advisor says at the top of the list of things to do in Wapakoneta is to visit the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. It is named for Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission who became the first person to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta. The museum opened three years to the day on the anniversary of Armstrong’s first step on the moon.

At the museum, you can find a moon rock, two full-sized aircraft flown by Armstrong, the Gemini VIII space capsule, artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission and other memorabilia.

According to OOIDA records, this is the first time The Spirit has visited Wapakoneta.

The stop before Wapakoneta, Jon was “An American in Paris” – New Paris, that is. It was his first stop on a short tour of Ohio. There he commiserated with drivers complaining of “dysfunctional dispatch.”

Other topics of discussion included fuel prices that seem to be creeping up and the ongoing controversy about glider kits. The latest news is that the Environmental Protection Agency has reversed its previous decision to not enforce a cap on glider vehicles.

Truckers may welcome a reminder about the key point in former Administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision to not enforce stricter emission standards on glider kits: the law said “new motor vehicle,” and glider kits are not new motor vehicles.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports the glider industry, contending that gliders give small-business truckers an affordable option when compared to new trucks.

Whenever you see The Spirit tour truck, go say hello to Jon. He enjoys visiting about the Association’s activities and current issues. You also can join or renew your OOIDA membership for $10 off the regular price there. Also, you can get vouchers for flu, shingles and pneumonia vaccines from Jon at The Spirit.