We were supposed to leave tomorrow morning but we had everything ready so decided to leave today, after lunch. We wanted to try to get about halfway. We finished our last minute jobs, ate lunch, loaded the car and were gone a little before 1:00. We made it to Nevada, Missouri, about half way. We ran in to some heavy rain south of Fayetteville but luckily, it didn't last long. The construction between Fayetteville and Bella Vista is pretty much done...finally!
We found a Super 8 Hotel in Nevada and spent the night there. We went to Buzz's BBQ for dinner. We had some good food.
The temperature along the way was 92* and 93* until we hit the rain and the temperature dropped to 71*. Once we got out of the rain, it slowly got up to 93* again.
We drove 320.5 miles.
Day 2 - Sunday, August 12, 2018
We left the hotel at 8:50 a.m. We took I-35 to Lamoni, Iowa, just across the state line and stopped at the Amish store that has a Maid-Rite sandwich store inside. I haven't had a Maid-Rite since I left Iowa so I had to introduce Conrad to one. They weren't as good as I remember and Conrad thought maybe they needed some taco seasoning added to it!
Highway 69 on our way to Des Moines
From Lamoni, we took Highway 69 all the way to Des Moines and headed to cousin Sue Sundal's house. We saw her mom, Carol, for the first time since about 1969 or so. We all had such a great visit! Sue gave me some earrings and necklace she had made. She does beautiful work. After that, we headed to Ken and Millie's. We ended up eating supper with them and got to eat out on the back deck. It's been a long time since I've eaten outside on an August night! The weather was a little warm but still comfortable. 
Carol & Sue Sundal & Linda
Day 3 - Monday, August 13, 2018
Conrad and I picked up Bob and Linda at Ken and Sharon's in Carlisle and headed north for our Cousin Lunch but made a couple stops first. Our first stop was at Riverside Bible Camp in Story City. Bob and I both went there when we were kids. It has all been redone but it brought back so many memories! There was a camp going on so we stopped by the office to ask permission to drive around and look. The ladies in the office were interested in hearing about our experience so many years ago.
The sign
The dining hall
The chapel (it used to be brown) and the hill to the right
that was where we had a campfire every night.
The new cabins
More cabins
We also drove through Randall, where Mom was born and lived until she graduated from high school. It's not much of a town but we enjoyed it anyway!
Randall Post Office
Randall High School Gym
We drove around Ames for awhile, trying to locate some houses where Grandma Krukow had lived and a few others. Then we met up with the cousins at Perkins Restaurant. It was so good to see everyone and catch up.
Kenny Olson, Larry Olson, Kathy Johnson, Linda Miller,
Pat Bergeson, Bob Wakeham
After lunch we headed back to Des Moines and made a stop to see our cousin, Snookie. She was so glad to see us and we had such a great visit. She will be 85 next month, is legally blind and has lived alone for over 30 years.
Bob, Snookie & Linda
Then we met up with Bob's friends, Ken and Sharon Janes, at New China Restaurant. Bob and Sharon (Courtney) were classmates in high school.
Ken & Sharon Janes & Linda & Bob Wakeham
Day 4 - Tuesday, August 14, 2018
After taking a couple pictures outside around my old house, we took off for the Iowa State Fair. We parked at the Capitol building and took a bus to the fairgrounds. We got there about 9:20 and felt like we had seen it all by the time we left, about 5:30. Doug had come to Carlisle to see Bob and they came out to the fair and we met up with them for awhile.
The back yard
Some interesting facts about the Iowa State Fair: (1)There are 445 acres make up the current fairgrounds including 160 acres of campgrounds. (2) The fair moved to Des Moines in 1879 and was located on the western side of Des Moines. The state decided on the permanent location and the fair officially moved to this location in 1886. Grand Avenue in Des Moines received its name because it was to be the "Grand Road" that leads to the state fair. (3) Who holds the record for attracting the largest grandstand crowd? - in 1972, Sonny & Cher attracted 26,200 in 2 shows - in 1975, the Beach Boys drew 25,400 in 1 show - in 1970, Johnny Cash drew 25,300 in 1 show - in 1974, Chicago played to 24,700 in 1 show (my brother Mark and his friend John Kadell went to this show).(4) The hottest temperature recorded at the fair was 108* on Older Iowans Day on Aug 16, 1983! (5) In 1972, the entertainment included Sonny & Cher, Paul Anka, Bob Hope, Bill Cosby and The Guess Who.
The fair always has lots of farm equipment and Conrad really enjoyed looking at all of it.
Corn picker
There was a room full of beautiful quilts
Loved this quilt - it has a picture of the
courthouses from all 99 counties
Enjoying our day and it's true...
nothing compares to the Iowa State Fair!
For old times, I talked Conrad in to riding the Old
Mill ride. I loved this as a kid!
This tractor is sculpted from butter.
The famous butter cow - always a favorite!
Lots of Iowa corn!
Lots of vegetables
The grounds are SO CLEAN!
Chainsaw carving
More chainsaw carvings
An old plow
Poster advertising the 1953 State Fair
Wood carvings
Stained glass
We watched some of the cattle judging.
Some of the winning vegetables
More winners
Prize-winning pumpkin weighed 795 pounds!
Big tire!
Desserts
Beautiful cakes
Homemade jellies
Another cake
This ride takes you from one end of the fair
to the other
Bob, Doug & Linda
Day 5 - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
I had told Ken that he could have Conrad's help around the house one whole day while we were there and he had a long list of things to do! Conrad enjoys working with Ken. I went to Carlisle about 10:00 to pick up Bob and Linda and we went back to the Kruses to visit. Then, Bob, Linda and I went to Bondurant to Brick Street Market & Cafe for a tenderloin sandwich.
Ken and Conrad
The back of our old house
My swing set that Dad bought when
I was 3 years old.
The front of the house
My elementary school friend, Martha Utsler Ross came out for a visit again this year. It was fun to catch up with here.
Linda and Martha
Millie fed us roasted chicken, some good Iowa corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and a fruit salad. We stayed up late talking about so many things. Mom and Dad would be so proud of what all they've continued to do to their old house and how much they love living there. We're so happy that they share it with us!
Linda, Millie & Ken
Day 6 - Thursday, August 16, 2018
We left Kruses about 8:15 and headed to West Branch, Iowa to the President Hoover Library. I had to stop and get another picture of the Marks house. My dad was raised in this house from age 8 until graduation by his foster parents, Barbara's grandparents. I spent so many hours in this house and could probably still walk through it blindfolded! So many memories!
Barbara Marks' house
Herbert Hoover Library
Herbert Hoover was born in this house on 8/14/1874.
He lived here until 1879.
The trail to the grave site
President & Mrs Hoover's graves
President Hoover and I had a nice talk!
History of the Hoover Dam
State #4
State #5
Day 7 - Friday, August 17, 2018
State #6
We finally made it to Detroit, Michigan. We had a hard time trying to find the Motown Museum. Then, when we finally found it, there was no place to park. We had to drive around quite awhile to find a place and finally found a parking spot on a side street. We were a little hesitant to leave it there since it was obvious we were tourists with Arkansas tags and a full load of stuff.
Hitsville USA (Motown Museum)
The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant was the second home to Ford Motor Company auto production and is best known as the birthplace of the Ford Model T. While the Ford Automobile Production was located here from 1904 to 1910, Models B, C F, N, R, S and T were manufactured.
We got back on the bus and got off at Clifton Hill and walked up to Burger King for lunch. We walked back to the Crowne Plaza to get the car but walked through the casino first. (When we paid for parking for the night, we could leave the car until midnight of the night we checked out.) We went back to the Rodeway Inn to check in again. The lady remembered us and told us she had to move us to the 2nd floor. We told her with no elevator, we couldn't haul our stuff up to the 2nd floor so she found a room on the 1st floor, 2 doors down from the other room. This room had 2 queen beds instead of a king bed and she felt bad about it but we didn't care.
The old building was pretty neat and all the cars were lined up
and each had a sign describing the car.
Notice that the gas is put in inside the car!
I think I'll take this one out for a spin!
Conrad liked it too!
The Uniroyal Giant Tire was created by the Uniroyal Tire Company for the 1964 New York World's Fair, where it functioned as a Ferris wheel. It is about 83 feet tall and weighs 12 short tons. It is anchored in 24 feet of concrete and steel. As a Ferris wheel, it had 24 barrel shaped gondolas that could carry up to 4 passengers each.
Uniroyal Giant Tire
We found a Days Inn right across the street from the airport. It was one of the nicest ones we've seen and will be here two nights. We had an ad in our room for a diner nearby so went there to eat dinner. The food was really good and it was cheap! The cook came out and talked to us and was real friendly.
Day 8 - Saturday, August 18, 2018
We left the hotel for the Henry Ford. We got here early but were able to buy our tickets. We decided to do the factory tour first and loaded the bus. We saw 2 films and then went to the Observation Deck.
The Henry Ford Museum
From the observation deck we could see the new trucks in the lot that were waiting to be shipped. All were made in the last 24 hours but most of them last night, the employee parking lot with a blue line (those who owned a Ford vehicle could park closest to the building), the green grass roofs, the yellow track where every truck is test driven, downtown Detroit, downtown Windsor, Canada, and lots more.
The view from the observation deck
You can see the new trucks behind the train
After the observation deck, we went on to the River Rouge Plant where they make Ford F-150 trucks. You couldn't take pictures inside but I sure wanted to! It was fascinating to watch! We got to see them put together all the different parts. Each assembly worker has at least four tasks If they have more than that, they are on a moving platform. All the tools are connected to a computer. If a job isn't done right, a light at the station goes from green to yellow so the worker can correct what they did wrong If they don't fix it, the light goes to red and the conveyor stops. Any worker can pull a cord to stop if they see something wrong. The workers work in groups of 6. Only 4 work at a time and the other 2 will relieve workers as needed. They have unlimited bathroom breaks, a 20-minute break both morning and afternoon and a 30-minute lunch. They work four 10 hour days. There are 2 shifts Monday through Friday and one shift Saturday and Sunday.
We got back to the museum and went to the car to get some lunch. Then, we started with the Presidential cars, the the old car and some race cars. The place is huge!
President Kennedy's car
An original McDonald's sign
The Wright Brother's Plane
Civil Rights Area
Rosa Parks' Bus - On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an
an African American, refused to give up her seat to a
to a white man on a Montgomery, AL bus.
Rosa Parks Bus - Her seat was where
the boy has his elbow out the window.
Upholstered Sea Rocking Chairs were made from
1855-1865. This is the chair President Lincoln
was sitting in when assassinated on 4/14/1865.
Old furniture
Old furniture
Old furniture
The kind of lunch boxes they had when I was a kid!
Old tractor
The Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile
There was so much to see here and it was all so interesting! We really could have used two days to see it all. After a long day, we headed back to the hotel and decided to eat at the same diner since it was so good the night before! The cook recognized us and came out to talk to us again.
Day 9 - Sunday, August 19, 2018
We left the hotel about 7:40 and headed to the Windsor tunnel. It looked just like like I remember from our trip through there in 1965! It cost $5 to go through the tunnel. The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel was completed in 1930. It is the second busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing after the nearby Ambassador Bridge with about 13,000 cars a day making the crossing. The two lane tunnel is just under a mile long at 5,160 feet and at its lowest point is 75 feet below the surface of the river.
When we got to the customs booth, the guy asked us about 10 questions then let us go. We decided we'd spend the night in Niagara Falls and were able to get a room for an additional night at the Rodeway Inn.
The Windsor Tunnel - it connects Detroit, MI
with Windsor, Canada
Country #2
Welcome to Windsor
The Canadian roads are in great shape and so smooth! The speed limit on the Ontario freeways is 100 kph (62 mph) and 80 kph (50 mph) in construction areas.
Every town on the freeway had a fancy, rock sign with their name on it. They also have huge rest areas called OnRoute that has a gas station and a huge building with several restaurants in it. We decided to eat at Tim Horton's for lunch. We had seen a few of them and there was always a long line, like the drive-through at Chick-fil-A! They have sandwiches like ham and cheese and wraps. Conrad had a ham and cheese with potato logs (really good) and I had a chicken salad wrap with potato logs. It was all real good.
This is a Canadian exit sign
The rest areas are all huge with lots of restaurants
to choose from.
Inside the rest area
After unloading the car, we walked down to the falls. WOW! But, so many people here! We're hoping there won't be as many the next few days as today is Sunday and lots of weekend visitors.
Our huge room!
Our view from the hotel parking lot
Black squirrels
The American Falls
Tour boats
Horseshoe Falls
Linda at Horseshoe Falls
The water going over Horseshoe Falls
The Niagara River above Horseshoe Falls
While walking around by the falls, we bought our tickets for the boat ride, Journey to the Falls, The Fury, White Water Walk and the Aeral Tram. We rode the Incline Railroad to the top of the hill. It was $2.75 each, one way, and lasted less than one minute!
The Incline Railroad
Lots of people here!
Niagara Falls, Canada
The building on the right was a hotel.
The power plant
Dinner tonight was at Zappi's, a pizza restaurant in the parking lot of our hotel. It was good pizza.
Day 10 - Monday, August 20, 2018
We were up at 6:00 and left the room about 7:00 and walked tot he Hornblower Cruise. The buses don't run that early. We had over 10,000 steps before noon! We took our time walking and stopped to take pictures along the way. We had to stand in line awhile but we were on the first boat out. The walk there was foggy but the fog lifted by the time the boat left. We went by the American Falls first and got kind of wet but when we got to the Horseshoe Falls, we were soaked! On the way back by the American Falls, we saw a rainbow.
Our morning walk
The American Falls on our walk
The tall building in the next picture is the Skylon Tower. It is the most famous Niagara Falls Restaurant. The Revolving Dining room restaurant silently rotates 360 degrees every hour, giving diners a constantly changing vantage point.
Our morning walk
Bundled up and still got really wet!
The boat was full
Look at all the mist coming off the Horseshoe Falls!
American Falls
Horseshoe Falls
We walked back to the Visitors Center at the other end of the park. The wind was blowing from a different direction and about the time we had dried out from the Hornblower Cruise and we walked by Horseshoe Falls and got wet again! We hung around there awhile then it was time for the Journey Behind the Falls tour. That may be more awesome than the falls! There were two levels. The upper level put us right across from the edge of the falls. That was my favorite spot. The lower level had more room to look around. We stayed there quite awhile. We got soaked...again!
One-fifth of the world's fresh water comes crashing down to the basin below. During summer daylight hours, over 2,800 cubic meters of water thunders over the brink every second, traveling 40 miles per hour! You can't imagine how loud it is.
We walked down a tunnel where we could see the back side of the falls. It wasn't very impressive because the water is so heavy it just looks like a wall of water. We walked back to the hotel and ate lunch in our room.
Journey Behind the Falls
Linda, getting soaked again!
Our view of the falls behind the water
City view from the falls
Horseshoe Falls
After changing in to dry clothes, we went back to the Visitor Center to see "Niagara's Fury." It was kind of interesting. We had to watch a silly cartoon then we went into another room where we stood and held on to a bar. We got wet from mist and the floor shook. It gave you an idea of how it felt close to the falls.
We took the bus to the IMAX theater to see the barrel collection museum. It was really interesting to see. So many people went over the falls in barrels. A few lived to tell about it.
Even women took the plunge!
This shows how big they really were.
Conrad would have to scrunch up in one of these!
The plan for one of the barrels
We walked up to the souvenir stores and looked around then decided to eat. We ate at Hooters and had the fish and chips. Mine was overdone and Conrad's was burned. We were worn out so went back to the hotel. We've had a great day but are exhausted! We walked almost 18,000 steps today!
Day 11 - Tuesday, August 21, 2018
We checked out of the hotel this morning and headed to Niagara-On-The-Lake. It started raining about the time we left. We drove along the river but it was hard to see the river a lot of the time because of the trees. We also stopped at the Botanical Garden. We saw the Floral Clock. The intricate designs on the face of the Floral Clock are created with up to 16,000 carpet bedding plants and are changed twice each year.
Niagara-On-The-Lake is wine country and a quaint town. We stopped at a roadside market and bought some jelly, peanuts and dip mix. You could only buy fruit by the basket or container and that was too much for us to eat. We also saw the World's Smallest Chapel here. It is 10' by 10'. We drove around town and stopped at a grocery store for ice and Diet Coke.
We stopped at the St Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre. The museum consisted of lots of Canadian history, military, a large lacrosse exhibit, Canada's national sport. There is also a lot of information on building the Welland Canal.
A boat going through the Welland Canal
We stopped at Morningstar Mill. The mill was sold in 1875 to the city because the Water Works Commission had built a series of dams that diverted the water flow. Today, Morningstar Mill is one of the few mills in Ontario that houses all its original equipment, and operates its millstones using its original water source.
The owner's house
Salem Chapel was built in St Catharines, Ontario, Canada. in 1859 and was an important center of 19th century abolitionists and civil rights activity in Canada. Harriet Tubman, the famous Underground Railroad "conductor" lived near here from 1851-1862.
Salem Chapel - aka Harriet Tubman's church
Sign about Harriet Tubman
Mosque
Once we got back to Niagara Falls, we checked in to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. WOW! What a view from our room on the 12th floor! The window goes the length of the room. We had to take 3 elevators to get to our room.
One of the hallways on the way to our room
Our room
After checking in, we checked out the room. A fog had rolled in and we couldn't see the falls. Hoping it would lift soon, we walked over to the Niagara Brewing Company for a free sampling of their beer. Then we each ordered a beer and shared a soft pretzel. The wind was really fierce about this time and the door kept blowing open. We decided to eat at Boston Pizza. Conrad had the spaghetti and I had the Pesto Alfredo Penne. It was really good but we could see the storm moving in. We got to-go containers and headed back to the hotel. The fog slowly lifted and we had a great view of the falls and the city. We stayed in front of the window until after 10:00. The falls are lit up at 9:00 and are on overnight. At 10:00 there are fireworks over Horseshoe Falls. They were pretty at first but the smoke kept getting thicker and thicker
About 9:00, the hotel staff delivered a free bottle of wine for signing up for their loyalty program.
A video of our view
The American falls on the left and Horseshoe Falls
on the right
Area near the Crowne Plaza Hote
Area near Crowne Plaza Hotel
Niagara Brewing Company
Rainbow over the falls
The Rainbow Bridge to the United States
Our view of the falls from our room
We sat like this all evening
The falls are lit up at night
The lights change colors
Fireworks
Day 12 - Wednesday, August 22, 2018
We sure hated to leave this view this morning but finally left about 8:45 and ate breakfast at Subway. We caught the green bus to the Whirlpool Aero Car.
One last view from our hotel room
Lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Casino Niagara
Another view of the hotel
The Whirlpool Aero Car cable car is suspended from six sturdy cables and offers a wonderful view of the Niagara Whirlpool which is formed at the end of the rapids where the gorge turns abruptly counterclockwise and the river escapes through the narrowest channel in the gorge. A round trip is about 3,600 feet and takes about 10 minutes. The whirlpool is so big and moves counter clockwise. From midnight to 8:00 a.m., it runs clockwise, when the water is diverted to the powerhouse. The water here is 120' deep.
The Whirlpool
Fast water
We got back on the bus and went to the White Water Walk. We took an elevator 150' down then walked about 150' through a tunnel. The rapids were awesome! We took the 1/4 mile boardwalk along the river and at places, it was so close to the water. Again, it was just mesmerizing watching the water. And again, so hard to walk away!
Loved this!
One of the decks along the way
Linda
Conrad
These were Class 6 rapids!
We ventured out one more time to see the falls. We finally found the barge that was stuck back in August 1918. Two men were aboard the scow dredging up sand banks from the Niagara River upstream of the waterfall. When the tugboat captain went over to bring the scow back to shore, it broke loose and began floating downriver rapidly towards the falls. The boat got caught on a rock shoal 838 yards from the edge of the falls, leaving the two employees stranded in the middle of the raging torrents of water. It took 17 hours to get the two men back to shore! In recent years, the rate of deterioration on the scow has advanced significantly, with some speculating it will no longer be visible by 2030.
The stranded barge
The edge of the power plant with the barge
in the background
The falls from Queen Victoria Park
Beautiful flowers everywhere
Day 13 - Thursday, August 23, 2018
We were up early and got the car loaded, checked out of the hotel and headed across the Rainbow Bridge, back to the U.S.
Going through customs again - much quicker
than entering Canada
We drove over to Goat Island to view the American falls. Someone had left a parking ticket so we got it and saved $10!
Conrad and Linda
Conrad & Linda - Canada in the background
The edge of the American Falls
The river going over the American Falls
American Falls
American Falls
The American side where you can walk
down to the falls like we did on the Behind
the Falls tour.
Such power!
American Falls
Our next stop was at the Power Vista in Lewiston, NY. It was like a museum with lots of interactive activities. Electricity was explained but Conrad understood it or already knew how it worked!
Conrad standing in front of a turbine from the Robert
Moses Niagara Power Plant. it is 92 tons, 17' 8" in
diameter and 265,000 maximum horsepower.
The power house from the bridge to the museum.
The next stop was Lockport, NY for a boat ride on the Erie Canal. First though, we needed some lunch. We stopped at the Wide Waters Drive-In. I had a coney dog with curly fries and Conrad had a Rueben dog with curly fries. Pretty good!
Wide Waters Drive-In
Resting while waiting for my food!
Driving through town along the Erie Canal
We were on this boat for the 3:00 cruise
The Erie Canal connects the Great Lakes with New York City via the Hudson River at Albany. Taking advantage of the Mohawk River gap in the Appalachian Mountains, the E rie Canal, 363 miles long, was the first canal in the U.S. to connect western waterways with the Atlantic Ocean. Construction began in 1817 and was completed in 1825, two years ahead of schedule.
The Erie required 83 locks, each made of stone, to move boats up and down the natural elevations. The locks were designed so that each needed only one person for its operation.
We went under this inverted bridge.
Our ride took us through locks 34 and 35.
Going in to the lock
Now we're high enough to continue on our way.
A lot of the trip looked like this on the sides.
This church and house were built with "free
stone." When the canal was built, the stone that
was dug out was piled up and anyone could take
as much as they needed.
You can sort of see a path along here. In the early
days, men guiding mules pulled the boats through the canal.
We drove on to Buffalo, NY to spend the night. We went to Duff's Famous Wings for a dinner of wings and beer.
Day 14 - Friday, August 24, 2018
We left the hotel and headed to downtown Buffalo to the Richardson-Olmstead Campus and the Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration Site. A tour had started so we joined it. It was a very interesting place and we spent quite a bit of time there.
In the 1800s, the Richardson-Olmstead campus was place where people with mental illness were treated. Over the years, as mental health treatment changed and resources were diverted, the buildings and grounds began a slow deterioration. Today, the Richardson Olmsted Campus is being transformed into a cultural amenity for the city, beginning with the now open Hotel Henry Urban Resort Conference Center. We walked through the hotel and it was really nice.
The Hotel Henry
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site preserves the Ansley Wilcox House. Here, in the library, after the assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office as President of the United States on September 14, 1901.
Ansley Wilcox House, site of Theodore
Roosevelt's inauguration
Our next stop was downtown to Lafayette Square, Niagara Square, and City Hall. We saw some beautiful buildings here.
City Hall from across the park
Close up of the top of City Hall
The McKinley Monument is the center of Niagara Square, which is a big traffic circle. The city of Buffalo felt very guilty about being the place where President William McKinley was shot and killed in 1901 by a crazed anarchist from Detroit. So six years later, to the day, the city dedicated a 93' tall obelisk of white marble to the martyred President. The monument cost $105,000 and is guarded at all four compass points by giant marble lions, sculpted from life from a famous lion that lived at the Bronx Zoo.
The McKinley Monument in front of City Hall
Lafayette Square is a park in the center of downtown Buffalo that hosts a Civil War monument. The block, which was once square, is lined by many of the city's tallest buildings.
Civil War Monument in Lafayette Square
We headed on to Dunkirk, NY along the lake. We went through lots of neat, little towns, We stopped to see the Dunkirk Lighthouse. The next stop was Westfield, NY. We stopped at the beach. There are so many houses that back up to the lake.
We had trouble finding a place to stay for the night. The hotels were either full or way over $100 a night. We finally settled on Red Roof Inn in Jamestown, NY. We ate dinner at Shawbucks. We both had fish, fries and slow. Then, it was back to the hotel and some rest!Day 15 - Saturday, August 25, 2018
We were up early and ate breakfast and knew we needed to do laundry this morning. There was a laundromat nearby and we were there by 8:00 and back at the hotel, loading up, by 9:30. Our first stop today is at the Desilu Studio. Named for the television studio where "I Love Lucy" was filmed, the Desilu Studio contains re-creations of the television soundstage for Lucy and Ricky's New York City apartment and the Hollywood hotel suite the couple frequented.
Ricky & Lucy's Kitchen
Ricky & Lucy's Living Room
The living room with a view of the kitchen
I loved looking at all the scripts!
The Ricardos Hollywood hotel room
Another view of the hotel room
"I Love Lucy" was rehearsed for 4 days and then
performed for a live audience.
These panels told about the different camera angles.
This shows how the set was set up.
Linda re-enacting the Vitameatavegamin
commercial Lucy did in one episode!
We left the museum and went to find Lucy's birthplace and her grave site. Lucille Ball was born here at 69 Stewart Avenue
The house where Lucy was born.
Lucille Ball died April 26, 1989 from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. In accordance with Ball's wishes, her body was cremated and the ashes were initially interred in Hollywood. In 2002, her children moved her remains to the Hunt family plot at Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown where her parents and grandparents are buried. Lucy's brother's remains were also interred there in 2007.
Lucille Ball's grave site
State #8
Our next stop was in North East, PA at a roadside market. We bought some peaches that were so good! The peaches for $4.75 for six. I was looking for Concord grapes but they told me that they weren't harvested until late September or early October. (They are harvested in mid August in Arkansas.)
Everything looked so good.
Then we were on the road to Erie, PA and the Erie Maritime Museum. They have the history of the War of 1812 and the ships that were used. the US Brig Niagara was redone and they offer rides on it for a charge. There was also a very well-done 9/11 exhibit outside in front of the library that is connected to the museum.
The museum
This is part of the 9/11 exhibit. All the names of
those who died that day are inscribed on the
flag.
We walked around to the back of the building as we were leaving and there was a huge ship in port. We walked on around the building and saw the Niagara coming back from a cruise.
Big ship
US Brig Niagara
Again, we had a hard time finding a hotel. It must be because it's the weekend and we're near water. We finally found a Super 8. The first room they gave us had a bad, musty smell so they upgraded us to a king room on the 3rd floor. Much better! We had dinner at Black Jax, a bar in the hotel next door.
Day 16 - Sunday, August 26, 2018
Still in Erie, PA, our first stop was Presque Isle State Park. This is a 3,200-acre peninsula on Lake Erie.
Nice drive getting in to the park
Presque Isle State Park
This plant was across Presque Isle Bay. We think it's salt.
On the opposite side of the park, we stopped at the beach. The sand looked like finely crushed gravel and brown.
The sand
Presque Isle Light Station is a complex of three historic buildings including a lighthouse tower and two keeper's residences. Located on the Lake Huron shoreline near Presque Isle Harbor, the new Presque Isle Light is the tallest lighthouse tower accessible by the public on the Great Lakes. Built in 1870, it replaced the 1840 harbor light.
The Presque Isle Lighthouse
State #9
The next stop was Ashtabula, OH at the Hubbard House. This house was built by William and Katharine Hubbard about 1841 and served as a northern terminus of the Underground Railroad. Hubbard House was once code named Mother Hubbard's Cupboard and The Great Emporium.
The Hubbard House
Fairport Harbor lighthouse and keeper's dwelling was
erected in 1871 to replace the 1825 structure.
The flagpole at the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse is
made from the foremast of the USS Wolverine and
erected in 1950.
On our way to the Headlands Beach State Park picnic area in Mentor, Ohio, we passed a Morton Salt plant. A lot of salt used for highways is mined in Ohio, pulled from the remains of massive inland sea that dried up more than 400 million years ago. Thus vast deposit lies 2,000 feet below Lake Erie. Enormous machines drill into great veins of halite, extracting huge chunks that other enormous machines crush into bucket loads of salt that ascent on conveyors. It is a strange world of long tunnels and cavernous spaces illuminated by headlamps and floodlights.
Ohio produces 5 million tons of rock salt every year, much of it mined by Morton Salt. The company opened a mine in Fairport Harbor, 30 miles east of Cleveland, in 1958, Today the mine employs about 170 people, 110 of whom work underground, pulling 1.3 million tons of salt from the earth each year. Most of it is used to de-ice roads.
Piles of salt
Next up is the James Garfield National Historic Site. The site preserves the property associated with the 20th President of the United States and includes the first presidential library established in the U.S.
The Bible used for the oath of office
by Garfield on March 4, 1881.
Garfield acquired the home in 1876 to accommodate his large family. The home, named Lawnfield by reporters, was the site of the first successful front porch campaign in 1880. That same year, Garfield had 11 rooms added to the building to accommodate his large family. Garfield was President from March 4, 1881 until his death on September 19, 1881. Four years after his assassination, Mrs Garfield and her family added the Memorial Library wing, setting the precedent for presidential libraries.
Garfield Home
Garfield Living Room
Brandywine Falls
Brandywine Falls
Easy walking trail
Tonight finds us in Kent, Ohio at Econo Lodge. We had dinner at Perkins Restaurant.
Day 17 - Monday, August 27, 2018
We made an early morning stop at Kent State, The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre, were the killings of four and wounding of nine other unarmed Kent State students by the Ohio National Guard on May 4, 1970. The killings took place during a peace rally opposing the expanding involvement of the Vietnam War into neutral Cambodia by US military forces as well as protesting the National Guard presence on campus.
The signs at Kent State
A series of 4 black granite disks lead from the plaza
into the wooded area where 4 free-standing pylons are
aligned on the hill.
Close-up of memorial
The GPS looked like this!
The Old Town Hall building was erected in 1859.
In the early years, it was the most constantly
used building in Tallmadge.
Side view of Old Town Hall
This early Ohio church was finished in 1825 It
features a two-story portico and 180' high steeple
with a weathervane.
The next stop was at the William McKinley Tomb in Canton, OH. This large circular, domed mausoleum is the final resting place of William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States. He was the last Civil War veteran elected president. From 1871 to 1876, McKinley practiced law and worked for the Republican Party. He served in the US House of Representatives from 1877 to 1884 and again from 1885 to 1891. McKinley lost his seat in the House in 1890, but won election as governor of Ohio i 1892. He served two terms.
The McKinley Memorial that contains the tomb stands on a grass-covered hill overlooking the city of Canton. The circular, domed pink granite building rises 96 feet above ground and measures 79 feet in diameter. The double bronze doors of the entrance were the largest in the nation at the time of installation. Midway up the 108 stone steps is a large bronze statue of President McKinley delivering his last speech in Buffalo.
Colored marble laid in a cross pattern forms the floor of the mausoleum. The bodies of McKinley and his wife lie side by side in two polished dark-green granite sarcophagi, resting atop a ten-foot-square of polished dark maroon granite in the center of the space. The two young daughters are also laid to rest here.
McKinley Tomb
Inside the tomb
President & Mrs McKinley's sarcophagi
After touring the tomb, we walked over to the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. This museum was huge and had lots of antiques, articles about the President, a "street of shops", set up to look like an old town, an interactive, hands-on science center, a presidential museum, a historical library, planetarium and more.
The arms have carved elephants to represent the
Republican party.
A replica of the telephone McKinley used in the
White House in 1897. He was the first president
to campaign by telephone.
McKinley's White House desk
On to the Amish country, our next stop was at Lehman's Store. Wow! It was huge and had so many "old" things in it! We had so much fun looking around.
Lehman's Store
Relief carvings
Another relief carving
Lots of old bottled soft drinks
After looking around and buying a couple things, we headed to Millersburg to tour the Yoder's Amish Home.
Amish buggy
Amish Farm
This is the home of Eli and Gloria Yoder. Eli had been a part of the Old Order Amish faith until the age of 21. Gloria was raised "English" in an Amish community, having gone to a mostly Amish school until the 5th grade and lived just about 1/2 mile from Eli. With both of their heritages rooted in this culture and community, they thought it would be a great idea to share this unique culture with visitors from all over the world.
The barn tour will take you through their 119 year old bank barn. The barn is always the center of an Old Order Amish homestead.
Beautiful flowers at the Yoder Farm
The two Yoder houses we toured
Amish buggies
Then we still had time to visit Heini's Cheese Chalet on the north edge of Berlin. There were samples of more than 70 types of cheese with more than half made in the region with milk from local Amish dairy farms. We had lots of fun tasting all kinds of cheese, mixes and some meat.
You could sample each one!
When in Millersburg, the Millers stay at the Hotel Millersburg! Historic Hotel Millersburg welcomed its first guest in 1847 and is believed to be the 3rd oldest operating hotel in Ohio.
Hotel Millersburg
The room was really small but it was the most
comfortable bed we had the whole trip (and maybe
better than ours at home)!
You don't see many keys like this
anymore!
We walked across the street to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and then back to our room to rest up for tomorrow.
Some interesting store names we saw today:
Posh Pooch
Dave's Darn Near Anything Store
Forever in Flip Flops
Day 18 - Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Our first stop this morning was at the Guggisberg Cheese Factory in Millersburg. We weren't that impressed with it since we could only look through the glass to see where it's made and not much was going on. We did get some free samples again and bought some cheese.
In 1947, Alfred Guggisberg ventured to the U.S. from Switzerland to p his cheesemaking dream, arriving in Holmes County, Ohio. He created Baby Swiss cheese, known for its smaller holes and milder flavor.
Guggisberg Cheese Factory
Guggisberg Cheese Factory
The next stop was Hershberger's Farm and Bakery, a one-of-a-kind destination in Ohio's Amish Country featuring an Amish bakery, store, produce market, and a farm animal petting area. Again, we bought some pastries and some jelly.
Hershberger's
All the produce looked so fresh and good!
Miller's Dry Goods - interesting store
The painted oil-on=canvas cyclorama uses unique artistic techniques of line and color to illustrate multiple stories within a vast time line. The name Behalt, means "to keep hold, remember." We couldn't take pictures of the Behalt but I found some online. We had a 30-minute or so tour with a guide who explained all the different scenes.
Pleasants Power Station is a 1.3-gigawatt coal power plant. The plant is owned by FirstEnergy and began operations in 1979. In what is considered to be the deadliest construction accident in US history. Cooling Tower #2 collapsed on April 27, 1978 as it was still under construction. Fifty one workers were killed in the accident. Pleasants was completed in 1980 at a cost of $677 million.
We crossed over into Marietta, Ohio. First stop was at Basilica of St Mary of the Assumption that dates from 1838. The windows from Germany were brought here during World War I. There are almost 140 images of Angels to be found in the Basilica.
Below are several of the displays in the museum.
A guide describing the mural
The Behalt
Beth Lapp had suggested we eat lunch in Berlin at Boyd and Wurthmann Restaurant. She said it's the best and always busy. We were able to wait for a table inside and it was a pretty short wait. (Not the case when we came out and they were lined up down the sidewalk! She was right...the food was delicious!!
Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant
Conrad had the ham loaf with potatoes, gravy &
mixed vegetables.
I had a grilled pork chop, mashed potatoes topped
with homemade noodles. It also came with
homemade bread!
Next stop was Schrock's Heritage Village. This was sort of a huge mall with separate stores - crafts, antiques, Christmas, pet store, bakery, etc. We chose the craft store and enjoyed looking around. We bought some more jelly and Amish popcorn.
In Sugarcreek, OH is the World's Largest Cuckoo Clock. It is 24' tall. Of course, if anything is the World's Largest, we, meaning I, have to see it and get a picture!
World's Largest Cuckoo Clock
It really was large!
Next was Warther Carvings Museum and Button Collection in Dover, OH. Conrad had heard of this place and it really was fascinating. We had a tour guide who explained everything and how it was made.
Ernest "Mooney" Warther was born in 1885. Ernest's father passed away when he was 3 and times were tough for the family, with young mother Anna, five children, twenty cents, and a cow. Upon turning 5, Ernest began his first job as the local cow herder, taking cows to a pasture for a penny a piece. One fateful day, taking the cows out, Mooney found a rusty pocketknife in the dirt. This old knife would ultimately change the course of Mooney's life forever as the young boy began whittling sticks, fence posts, and anything else. Because times were tough and money was short, Mooney would only finish the second grade and would eventually lie about his age at 14 to work at the American Sheet and Tin Company which was the local steel mill.
As a boy he met a hobo who taught him to whittle a pair of pliers out of a piece of wood. Mooney quickly mastered this. He then set himself the task of seeing how many pliers he could make if each handle of the original plier was then carved to form a new set of pliers and so on. The "Plier Tree" on display at the museum has 511 interconnected pliers carved from a single block of wood.
Having pushed the plier thing as far as he cared to, Mooney began his second, and grandest, phase of his work - carving perfect scale replicas of massive locomotive steam engines. The Lincoln Funeral Train, carved in 1965, with tiny Lincoln in his tiny casket inside. There's the Great Northern, carved in 1933, which was Mooney's favorite. He worked almost exclusively in walnut, ebony, and ivory, and since he loved elephants he only used antique tusks or ivory from old billiard balls.
His carvings were created between 1905 and 1971, between the ages of 20 and 86.
Mooney's wife, Frieda, moved to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1894. She wanted to hold on to her Swiss roots. As the oldest girl, she helped her mother around the house, earning her the gift of her mother's button box, a European tradition that gave the eldest girl her mother's box full of buttons and sewing tools. She began making simple pieces of jewelry and she collected many buttons from other young girls who discarded their own button boxes in the hopes of being more American. Her collection grew to over 73,000 buttons.
A tradition that began when Mooney and Frieda were dating, was to go arrowhead hunting every Sunday. They found over 5,000 arrowheads and other artifacts. Frieda would eventually mount these in patterns, and the majority of the collection adorns Mooney's workshop today.
Mooney made these pliers, all from one
piece of wood.
Arrowhead Collection
A train carved by Mooney
The "Pliers Tree"
So much detail in his carvings
The Lincoln Funeral Train
Some of Frieda's button collection
After a long day, we are at the Best Western Hotel in New Philadelphia, Ohio. We ate dinner in the hotel from our food stash.
Day 19 - Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Lots of narrow, curvy roads brought us to New Vrindaban, West Virginia to Prabhupada's Palace of Gold. New Vrindaban is a Hare Krishna community and unincorporated village nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. Started in 1968 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON New Vrindaban serves as a community for Hare Krishna followers.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the untrained and unpaid devotees constructed the Palace of Gold, sometimes referred to as "America's Taj Mahal." Though they hardly knew how to lay stones when they started, an estimated $600,000 worth of materials ranging from marble, onyx, teak, and 22-karat gold leaf were formed into the Palace as it appears today. No pictures were allowed inside and we had to take off our shoes to go inside. Our guide put on his "Jesus clothes" and gave us a tour.
Inside the palace, the sunlight comes alive as it passes through 31 stained glass windows and is reflected in crystal chandeliers and mirrored ceilings. Your feet glide along cool, smooth, solid marble floors. All around - in walls, floor, and ceiling - you see works of art: intricate designs of inlaid stone, containing fifty-two varieties of marble and onyx imported from Europe, Asia and Africa.
Entering the Grand Hall, you marvel at the giant French chandelier, over 150 years old, and ceiling murals depicting ancient Indian classics painted in the tradition of Renaissance masters.The walls and pillars are accented with semi-precious stones and pure gold. Under the thirty-ton main dome is a 4,200-piece crystal ceiling.
Palace of Gold
Palace of Gold
Beautiful view from the Palace
Front view - Palace of Gold
Side entrance - Palace of Gold
After the tour, we went to the Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra Mandir, (or the Krishna temple). This ornate temple is full of paintings, hand woven tapestries, a large stained glass ceiling, a hand-carved teakwood swing and chariot from India.
Inside is a replication of an ancient Indian temple with twenty-four pillars topped with wood-carved lions leading up to intricately worked ceilings. The central golden altar, from which the presiding deities of the community give their audience is considered by many to be one of the world's most beautiful.
The golden altar
Stained glass ceiling
Now in Moundsville, WV we stopped by the West Virginia State Penitentiary. The building is a gothic-style prison. Now withdrawn and retired from prison use, it operated from 1876 to 1995.
West Virginia State Penitentiary
Across the street from the prison was Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex. The heart of the site is probably the most famous and certainly the largest of the Adena Burial mounds. A massive undertaking, the total effort required the movement of more than 60,000 tons of earth. Artifacts and exhibits interpreting the lifestyle of the Adena people are displayed in the museum. The most impressive and largest Adena mound, Grave Creek Mound is the largest conical type of any of the mound builder structures. Construction of the mound took place in successive stages f rom about 250-150 BC, as indicated by the multiple burials at different levels within the structures.
Grave Creek Mound
Inside the museum
Downtown St Marys, WV has train tracks running down the middle of 2nd Street, and freight trains running through the middle of town are a common sight. It is one of the few remaining towns in the US where freight trains actually share city streets with cars.
Railroad tracks in downtown St Marys
We saw lots of interesting bridges this trip.
Pleasants Power Station
We crossed over into Marietta, Ohio. First stop was at Basilica of St Mary of the Assumption that dates from 1838. The windows from Germany were brought here during World War I. There are almost 140 images of Angels to be found in the Basilica.
St Mary of the Assumption Basilica
Marietta, the first settlement in the Northwest Territory, is home to one of the oldest pioneer burial grounds west of the Appalachian Mountains, Mound Cemetery. General Rufus Putnam, who led the settlers here and founded the city, donated the plot of land surrounding this large Indian mound in January 1801, and the first burial took place in October of the year. In its early years, Mound Cemetery saw the burial of more than 25 Revolutionary War soldiers, including Rufus Putnam himself.
At the center of the graveyard is the Indian mound, which is 30' tall and can be climbed using a staircase. 
Conrad climbed the stairs to the top.
Mound Cemetery
We spent the night here in Marietta at the Red Roof Inn.
Day 30 - Thursday, August 30, 2018
Our first stop this morning was at Campus Martius, a civilian stockade built in 1788 as the first organized American settlement in the Northwest Territory. The Ohio Company sent an advance team of surveyors, carpenter, boat builders and other artisans to settle on the mouth of the Muskingum River. The settlers took immediate measures to provide for temporary shelter and security against the threat of American Indian attack. On a high bluff overlooking the Muskingum River, they constructed Campus Martius - a civilian fortification completed in stages between 1788 and 1791. The museum was built by the State of Ohio in 1928 and the Putnam House, inside the museum, was restored in 1972. It stands on its original location as the only surviving dwelling of the Campus Martius fortification.
This is a grain storage bin c 1790 -
Sections of hollow sycamores were
commonly used as grain storage.
The building was completed late in 1790. The green planks used in original construction shrank, and it was necessary to wedge lath into the cracks, until clapboard was applied later.
Nearby was the Ohio River Museum. This museum features exhibits recounting the history of the Ohio River and the many different types of boats that have been transporting people and cargo for hundreds of years. Outside is the Tell City Pilot House, a flat boat reproduction, a restored shanty boat, and a series of poles showing the heights of some of the worst floods in recorded history to hit this area.
According to legend, the mothman is a large mysterious monster who has been seen at various times soaring through the skies in the region of a former World War II munitions site, just north of Point Pleasant. Legend holds that the creature has huge red eyes and the face of an insect. No matter what the mythic creature's true nature is, the 12-foot tall polished steel statue in downtown Point Plealsant, pretty much assures that the legend of the mothman will continue to stick.
Then there was a visit to the John Parker House. We sat in one of the rooms and a guy told us the whole story of John Parker. He talked for awhile and then said that if we had time and wanted to hear more, he could tell us more. He talked for about 40 minutes and sounded like Morgan Freeman! He was very interesting and a great story teller.
Conrad checking out the Putnam House
Poles showing how high the flood
waters were
Conrad beside one of the poles from
the flood of 1913
We drove by The Castle for pictures. The property was leased as early as 1808 by a potter and his family, making it one of the earliest pottery manufacturing sites in the entire Northwest Territory. The Gothic Revival house was built in 1855 for $10,000 (equivalent to roughly $275,000 today) and a carriage house was completed just three years later. Only five families have lived on the property between 1808 and 1974.
The Castle
Fence around The Castle
State #10 (again)
Our next stop was to be Point Pleasant River Museum in Point Pleasant, WV. It was closed because of a fire in July. So, we walked across the street to Tu-Endie-Wei State Park. It is at the confluence of the Kanawha River and the Ohio River. There is an 84' granite monument commemorating the frontiersmen who fought and died in the 1774 Battle of Point Pleasant.
Granite monument at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park
Behind the monument is the Mansion House. It was originally a tavern built in 1796 by Walter Newman before it eventually transformed into a museum for the relics of its time. Inside, you'll find 50-year-old 4-post beds and a piano that is believed to be one of the first ever brought across the Allegheny Mountains.
We saw where the Silver Bridge used to be. It was an eyebar-chain suspension bridge built in 1928 and named for the color of its aluminum paint. The bridge carried US Route 35 over the Ohio River, connecting Point Pleasant, WV with Gallipolis, OH.
On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed under the weight of rush-hour traffic, resulting in the deaths of 46 people. Analysis showed that the bridge was carrying much heavier loads than it had originally been designed for and had been poorly maintained. The collapsed bridge was replaced by the Silver Memorial Bridge, which was completed in 1969.
The Silver Memorial Bridge
Another bridge
We walked along the seawall in Point Pleasant and looked at the murals. They are the best we've ever seen. The Point Pleasant Flood Wall was built in 1951. The wall features a beautiful mural containing scenes from the Battle of Point Pleasant with occurred on October 10, 1774. The mural is 150 feet long and around 15 feet high. The paint used was imported from Germany. The paint features various minerals that should allow the paintings to last for at least 100 years.
Linda and mothman
Back in Ohio again, we stopped in Gallipolis to see Our House Tavern. It is only open on weekends. The tavern dates to 1819.
Our House Tavern
Then, back across the river to West Virginia to Lesage to eat at Hillbilly Hot Dogs. This place was once featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It is known for its gourmet hot dogs and hamburgers. Such a cool place and I wish we could go there more often. The hot dogs we had were the best! So much stuff to look at here, too.
Part of the restaurant is in an old school bus.
Lots of "treasures"!
YUM!
Time to rest again. It's been another full, fun day.
Day 21 - August 31, 2018
We're in the furthest point south in Ohio now. I just love all the different bridges! Our first stop today was Serpent Mound in Peebles, OH. The Ohio River Valley was a focal point of the mound-building cultures of prehistoric North America, and even untold numbers of the area's earthworks were lost to the plow or to development, many impressive examples remain across central and southern Ohio. The best known and most intriguing of all is Serpent Mound, the largest effigy earthwork in the world, believed to have been constructed around 1017. Serpent Mound is a representation of an animal significant to the ancient people who made it, in this case a stylized snake 20 feet wide and 2 to 6 feet high, writhing sinuously a quarter-mile long. We visited the museum first and then walked the trail around the mound.
An Ohio bridge
The mound is to the right of the trail. You could
climb this tower to get a better view of the mound
from above.
The mound from above
The trail along the mound. You can see the
way it curves into a snake.
The bridge between Ohio and Kentucky
State #11
We crossed into Kentucky to Maysville to the National Underground Railroad Bierbower House. This was a 19th-century safe house, where slaves were once hidden beneath the floor boards for safety. Maysville was on one of the main escape routes used by fugitive slaves as they headed north to freedom. No pictures were allowed inside the house.
Linda & Conrad at the Bierbower House
We found some tobacco growing here!
Then it was back into Ohio again and the John Rankin House in Ripley. The Rankin House, located on Liberty Hill which overlooks the Ohio River and Ripley, is one of the better known sites which assisted in the Underground Railroad efforts. It was built in 1828. Seven bends in the river can be seen on a clear day.
With its proximity to the river and its owner's fierce opposition to slavery, the Rankin home was a perfect choice to become a stopping point on the Underground Railroad. The Rankin family (which included 13 children) was proud of never having lost a "passenger." Most of the 2,000 escaped slaves who traveled through Ripley stayed with the Rankins. 
The Rankin House sits high on the hill.
A view of the Ohio River from the Rankin House.
You can see the 100 steps that lead from the river
to the house.
When it was safe for a slave to come to the house,
a lamp was lit to invite them up. Again, you can see
the steps.
Conrad said he had never seen an Osage Orange
tree this big! It had hedge apples on it.
John Parker was born a slave in Norfolk, Virginia. He was sold at the age of eight to a doctor in Mobile, Alabama. The doctor's family taught Parker to read and write and allowed him to apprentice in an iron foundry where he was compensated and permitted to keep some of his earnings. Persuading an elderly female patient of the doctor's to purchase him, Parker, at the age of 18, bought his freedom from the woman with money earned from his apprenticeship. In 1845, he eventually made his way to Indiana and Ohio, settling in Ripley in 1850. He opened an iron foundry and eventually purchased a brick home. Parker also became active in the Underground Railroad, commonly traveling across the Ohio River and helping fugitive slaves from Kentucky escape to the North. Parker routinely took the fugitives to John Rankin, another abolitioinist who resided in Ripley.
The Roebling Suspension Bridge between Covington, KY and Cincinnati, OH opened to traffic on January 1, 1867. Its central span of 1,067' was the longest in the world. It was designed by John Roebling who also designed the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC.
Our next stop was in Troy, IN at the Christ of the Ohio. It was kind of hard to find and almost at the end of someone's driveway. The statue is visible for miles around, up and down the river, on the highway below, and far across the Ohio River. At night the statue and its setting are brilliantly illuminated.
Our next stop was in Lincoln City, IN at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. We toured the museum area first and then took the trail to the Pioneer Cemetery and then to where Lincoln's boyhood home was.
John Parker House
Another cool bridge!
Then, it was back to Maysville for the night.
Day 22 - Saturday, September 1, 2018
We crossed a narrow suspension bridge between Maysville, KY and Aberdeen, OH. It was very long as the river is shallow and wide at this point.
First stop was in Point Pleasant, Ohio at Ulysses S Grant's birthplace. The house was built in 1817 and Grant was born there in 1822. In 1821, Jesse Root Grant wed Hannah Simpson Grant (Ulysses's parents) and they moved into the home where they paid $2 a month rent.
Ulysses S Grant's birth place
Another neat bridge!
The next stop was in Cincinnati at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The underground garage here was huge! I guess it could have something to do with Paul Brown Stadium, home to the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals is also right here in downtown. Also nearby is the Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds. The Center offers insight into the struggle for freedom in the past, in the present, and for the future, as it attempts to challenge visitors to contemplate the meaning of freedom in their own lives. Its location recognizes the significant role of Cincinnati in the history of the Underground Railroad, as thousands of slaves escaped to freedom by crossing the Ohio River from the southern slave states.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
A view from the window of the museum
Roebling Suspension Bridge
Roebling Suspension Bridge
Waterfront area in downtown Cincinnati
Paul Brown Stadium - Inside there are over 65,000
green seats. There are 144 luxury suites, over 7,000
club seats, 2 club restaurants and a Bengals team
store. This stadium opened in 2000 at a cost of $450 million!
Next we visited the William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati, the home of the 27th president of the United States. Taft lived in this house from his birth in 1857 until he went away to college in 1874. President Taft's single term in office was not a pleasant one. Progressive Republicans, including his mentor, Theodore Roosevelt, assailed him as too conservative; Old Guard Republicans saw him as too liberal. Defeated by Woodrow Wilson in 1912, Taft happily returned to practicing law. In 1921, he achieved his life-long dream, when President Harding named him chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. Taft is the only American to have served both as president and as chief justice.
Howard Taft's home
You can see how close we were to the Ohio River.
Then it was on to Carrollton, Kentucky for the night.
Day 23 - Sunday, September 2, 2018
We crossed the river into Madison, Indiana and started by exploring the downtown area. There are so many old and interesting buildings.
Downtown Madison, IN
The Jefferson County Courthouse was built between
1854 and 1855 after the 2nd courthouse
burned down.
Trinity United Methodist Church was
built in 1873. We wanted to see the inside
but it was Sunday and too many people
were around.
The original Broadway Fountain stood in the middle of Broadway for almost 100 years before it was dismantled and replaced with the 1981 bronze copy or reproduction. The original cast iron fountain was displayed at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. After the Exposition closed, the Madison Lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows purchased the fountain and presented it to the city in 1884.
The Broadway Fountain
The Broadway Fountain
Built in 1884, the Eagle Cotton Mill is the best remaining historic example of Madison's working, industrial waterfront. The long, narrow main building is four stories tall and measures 75' by 300', taking up a whole city block. One hundred 8' tall windows (25 on each story) set in brick arches follow the course of the building's longer sides, allowing workers to make the most of natural light. Each interior floor is designed as a single open space with an enclosed corner stairwell. The expansive open floor plan allowed mill owners to fit massive machinery used during the cotton milling process.
The new owners are investing $21 million to transform the mill building into a new 85 room Fairfield hotel. It is expected to be complete in spring 2021.
Eagle Cotton Mill
We decided to tour the James Lanier Mansion. James Lanier was one of Madison's pioneers moving to the city in 1817 to practice law. In the 1930s he turned to banking and finance becoming the president of the Madison Branch of the State Bank of Indiana and a major investor in Indiana's first railroad. In 1840 he commissioned a local architect to design and build a residence for the sum of $25,000. The mansion was completed and occupied in 1844.
Lanier only lived here for 7 years before moving to New York City. In 1861, his son Alexander was given the deed to the mansion and moved into the house. Alexander modernized the house by adding amenities such as a coal furnace, gas lighting ,a toilet and bath tubs.
The James Lanier Mansion
Inside the mansion
Spiral staircase
James Lanier Mansion
Another Bridge
We had a quick lunch at Rally's then on the road again. We stopped at Clifty Falls State Park but admission was $9. There were lots of trails but most were moderate to strenuous and it was 90* so...moving on!
Our next stop was Louisville, KY and we toured the Louisville Slugger Museum. It was pretty interesting how they make bats. The company dates back to 1884. Preferred by legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams, the Louisville Slugger is undeniably the most famous bat in baseball. There was a large area of displays and then we got to go on the factory tour where they were actually making the bats. It was a great tour!
Louisville Slugger Museum
You can't miss the huge bat outside!
Babe Ruth's bat
Babe Ruth made notches on the bat every time
he made a hit with it in 1927. He scored 60
home runs in 154 games!
Conrad's form isn't too good!
On July 16, 1941, using this bat, Joe DiMaggio
smacked a hit in his 56th consecutive game, establishing
a record that stands as one of the greatest
achievements in all sports.
We'll be spending tonight and tomorrow night at the LaQuinta in Louisville.
Day 24 - Monday, September 3, 2018 (Labor Day)
Our day started at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville, IN. We walked down to the river and looked at the fossils. It was already 83* and humid. The park features the largest exposed Devonian fossil bed in the world and is part of a 1,404-acre National Wildlife Conservation Area. The fossils come in a variety of shapes, patterns and sizes. Some 600 different types of Devonian fossils have been documented at the Falls - from as large as a bus to smaller than the tip of a pencil. The interactive Interpretive Center brings to life giant fossil beds telling a story 390 million years in the making.
The Ohio River and the fossil beds
The Falls was the site where Lewis and Clark met for the Lewis and Clark Expedition at George Rogers Clark's cabin.
Statue of Lewis and Clark
The Interpretive Center
Fossil
Ohio River and fossil beds
Fossil
Conrad's foot showing how big this fossil is.
Fossils
Fossils in the Interpretive Center
Sign at Clark's brother's house where the group met.
The Colgate Clock is officially recognized as the second largest timepiece in the world, with Clarksville residents able to read the time from over a mile away. It is located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, KY. It was first illuminated in Clarksville on November 17, 1924. Each hand weighs over 500 pounds. It has a diameter of 40 feet. The clock was built to celebrate the Colgate company's centennial in 1906. The clock sat on top of the company's Jersey City facility until it was replaced and moved to Clarksville. The Clarksville site had been a state prison before being converted to a factory by Colgate-Palmolive in 1923. The factory was operational until 2005.
The Colgate Clock
Back to Louisville and the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum (aka Conrad's Castle). We were so disappointed that it was closed. Knowing it was closed, we still had to drive by for pictures. It is a gorgeous place! It is surrounded by a beautiful courtyard neighborhood at the center of the largest collection of Victorian Homes in the U.S. "Conrad's Castle" featured all the latest innovations of its day, including interior plumbing and electric lighting. Known for its beautiful woodwork and parquet floors, this massive Bedford limestone home, covered with gargoyles, beautiful archways, and elaborate stone designs, incorporated 7 types of hardwoods and magnificent stained glass windows in the interior design, making it one of the most stunning homes in Old Louisville. The home was completed in 1895.
Conrad-Caldwell House
Conrad-Caldwell House
Conrad-Caldwell House
Conrad, greeting you at "his castle!"
Our last stop of the day was at Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum. On TV, you don't notice how massive this place is! We toured the museum first. The museum showcases the history, hospitality and tradition of the world-renowned event. If you want to attend the Kentucky Derby, tickets are sold in two-day packages, with prices that range from $300 to $3,400 per ticket! Normal racing days, general admission is $3 per person and reserved seating costs $10 per person. Of course, ticket prices climb higher the more prestigious your perch.
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs entrance
Barbaro, winner of the 132nd running of
the Kentucky Derby in 2006
Conrad by a statue of Justify, winner of the 2018
Kentucky Derby. Justify went on to win the Preakness
and Belmont Stakes to become the 13th American
Triple Crown Winner that year.
As we were walking with our group to the track, we
read all the names of the Kentucky Derby winners,
posted above.
Up close at the track
Not at all like Oaklawn! This place is huge!
There are folding chairs in front.
The first Derby was in 1875 and the 144th Derby
was run in 2018.
We ate dinner at Chili's and then found a car wash. We had parked under a tree in the shade at the hotel last night and the car was covered in strong bird poop this morning. We were exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel.Day 25 - Tuesday, September 4, 2018
We had a tough time getting out of Louisville. The GPS did screwy things to us. It seemed to take us around the block instead of just going straight! We were glad to get out of there! Our first stop was at Capitol State Historic Site in Corydon, IN.
This original state Capitol building served as Indiana's
government center from 1816 to 1825.
Next stop was at the Cannelton Locks and Dam. There are two locks here on the Ohio River. The locks began operation in December 1966 and were completed in April 1967. Construction of the dam was started in August 1965 and completed in 1974.The dam has two sections. The main section is 1,412' long with twelve tainter gates. The gates are held between 15' wide piers. Each gate is 42' high and 100' long. Electric hoists on top of the piers are used to raise or lower the gates. At the end of the gated section of the dam there is a second section, a concrete fixed weir on the Kentucky side of the river. The weir is 195' long. The locks can be filled or emptied in about 8 minutes. It takes 25 million gallons of water to operate the lock.
Cannelton Locks and Dam
Construction of the Cannelton Cotton Mill began in 1849 and was completed in 1851. The mill was once the largest industrial building in the U.S. west of the Allegheny Mountains. It initially employed about 400 workers, mostly women and girls, and annually produced more than 200,000 pounds of cotton batting and four million yards of cotton sheeting. The mill is 280' long and 60' wide. Its most striking features are 100' twin towers; one housed a fire escape and the other was used for water storage and fire protection. The mill closed in 1954. After sitting empty for years, the mill went under a major renovation and reopened in 2003 as the home of seventy senior apartments.
Former Cannelton Cotton Mill, now Cotton
Mill Apartments for seniors.
Christ of the Ohio statue
Next up was St Meinrad Archabbey. It was founded by monks from Einsiedein Abbey in Switzerland on March 21, 1854, and is home to approximately 85 monks. It is one of only two archabbeys in the United States and one of 11 in the world. The Benedictine community at St Meinrad consists of men who dedicate their lives to prayer and work. They gather in community five times a day - for morning prayer, Mass, noon prayer, evening prayer and compiline - to pray for the Church and the world. Guests often join the monks in prayer in the Archabbey Church. )That wasn't going on while we were there.
Abbey Caskets is a work of St Meinrad Archabbey. Founded in 1 999, Abbey Caskets offers handcrafted wooden caskets and cremation urns directly to the public.
Front of Archabbey Church
The Archabbey Church
Archabbey Church
Inside the Archabbey Church
Inside the Archabbey Church
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abrahams' mother,
is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery. She died
of milk sickness in 1818 when Abraham was
only 9 years old.
This is the site of the original Lincoln cabin. The
sandstone foundation clearly outlines the boundary
of the house. It was discovered through a professional
archeological excavation.
Then, on to our last stop of the day, Santa Claus, Indiana. EVERYTHING here is Santa! There wasn't much to do here except drive around. We stayed at Santa's Lodge. All the stores are named Santa something - Santa's Candy Castle, Santa Claus Christmas Store (I bought some ornaments here), Santa's Toys, Holiday Foods and Grocery, Kringle Place, Santa Claus Ace Hardware, etc.
Main Street is Christmas Blvd
Santa Claus post office - yes, I mailed
postcards to the granddaughters with a
Santa Claus postmark.
One of many Santas greeted us to town.
The lobby of Santa's Lodge
The lobby of Santa's Lodge
Day 26 - Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Our last stop out of town was at the 1935 Santa Statue - The World's Oldest Santa Statue. This mighty 22' tall Santa statue is all that remains of a much grander vision, Santa Clause Park. It was purposely built on the highest hill in Santa Clause. Years later, the red paint had faded to a pale pink. A much-needed makeover in recent years restored the statue, the old paint was scoured off. Now it looks more like a really big, jolly tombstone.
1935 Santa Statue
Next stop was at the Colonel William Jones State Historic Site. William Jones served as a Whig party representative in the Indiana legislature from 1838 to 1841. He has been credited with steering Lincoln toward Whig politics. In the 1820s, Lincoln had worked odd jobs for Jones and clerked in his store. Jones reportedly said then, "Lincoln would make a great man one of these days." He also recalled that Lincoln read all his books, including one on American history.
Lincoln slept here the night he gave a campaign speech for Henry Clay, the Whig party presidential candidate in 1844.
Colonel William Jones home
Another stop was at the Newburg, IN Lock and Dam.
Then we were off to Angel Mounds in Evansville, IN. Angel Mounds State Historic Site is nationally recognized as one of the best-preserved, pre-contact Native American sites in North America. Built between A.D. 1000 and 1450 Twelve earthen mounds, built for ceremonial and residential purposes, are scattered throughout grounds encompassing nearly 100 acres.
Located on the banks of the Ohio River, Angel Mounds is one of the best-preserved, pre-contact Native American sites in North America. The site was abandoned before European explorers came to North America. Possible explanations for abandonment are depletion of natural resources, climatic changes or the collapse of chiefdom.
Angel Mounds
Somewhere in Indiana, we saw the LST 325 going up the Ohio River. This ship was used heavily on D-Day. Called the ship that won the war by Churchill, the LSTs were essential in sea-to-land invasions and many were built in Evansville, IN. The 325 is 328' long, 50' wide and 1,625 tons of steel power. She is also the "Last of the Class," meaning she is the only operational LST in existence.
We had the worst experience with the GPS through here. Plus, our Kentucky map had an interstate on it that didn't exist! We ended up on a tiny, 2-lane road that added 30 minutes to our trip to the hotel. We stayed at Days Inn at Clarksville, TN. It took us 20 minutes to get checked in. There were 3 people ahead of us and some Korean guys who couldn't speak English. The girl at the desk was trying to help them get a rental car. She'd talk to the Google translator on their phone. We had dinner at Chris' Pizza Village, great pizza with a really good homemade crust.
Day 27 - Thursday, September 6, 2018
I can't seem to find the pictures we took today. But, we drove the Trace at Land Between the Lakes. It reminded us of the Natchez Trace except smaller trees! We stopped at the Homeplace - A Living History Farm. It was really well done. All the buildings were moved here from the area. The house was pretty big (called a double pen building) and even had a kitchen out back, attached tot he back porch. There were chickens, pigs, ducks, mules and oxen. Conrad talked to one of the ladies for quite awhile about tobacco farming and learned a lot from her. They grew tobacco there in their garden. We also drove the loop near the lake but no lake access and too many trees to see the lake. It was really kind of boring except for the Homeplace. We stayed at Super 8 in Paragould, AR.
Day 28 - Friday, September 7, 2018
Arrived home about 12:30 pm after a total of 4,059 miles. Now to unpack and do laundry.
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