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2023 Road Trip-Part 8A

25 Oct

A Slice of Lites

Bill Lites

Day 8 – July 22: Continued: 

 For my first stop after crossing the border and arriving in Ontario, Canada I had planned to visit the Fort Frances Museum located just a few blocks from the border in Fort Frances, but it was closed today.  So, I didn’t waste any time, heading northwest a couple of hours on Canada #71 to try to make up some of the time I lost at the border crossing.  I stopped in Nestor Falls long enough to take a photo of the float plane base.  I would have loved to have been able to just climb aboard one of those planes and fly to Winnipeg, to save all that driving time ahead of me.  Dream on Bill.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

At Kenora I turned west onto the Transcontinental Canadian Highway (MB-1W) and drove for hours thru mostly flat open uninhabited plains toward Winnipeg.  It wasn’t long before I began to worry about having enough gas to make it to the next gas station.  I had never seen the gas gage get this low since I’d bought the car, and I didn’t know how many miles I could go after the “Low Fuel” Warning Light came on.  I prayed for a gas station, and thank the Lord, I found a gas station before I had to start walking ($4.58/gal).  I don’t think I could have made it the next 40 or 50 miles to Winnipeg without that stop.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images:empty-fuel-tank-gauge

It was getting late by the time I arrived at the house in Winnipeg where I had reserved a room for the two nights I planned to be there.  I knocked on the front door, but no one answered.   I knocked louder but no one answered.  I walked around to the back door and knocked loud, but no one answered.  I called the number I had on my “Confirmed” reservation and was told by the operator that the number had been disconnected.  I called the travel group I had reserved the room with  and told them my situation.  They tried to call the number and got the same results.  They logged a “Trouble Ticket” and put me in contact with their reservations desk.  When I tried to make a reservation with my normal hotel chain, I was told there were no rooms available with any of their 12-group hotels in town.  How could that be?  He said a big conference was going on in town, and all the major hotels were full.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images:frustrated+man

He checked his records and said the New Lodge Hotel had a room for the two nights.  So, sight-unseen, I reserved the room and was given the address.   I didn’t like the general look of the area when Greta (my Garmin) told me I had arrived at my destination.  The 7-11 type store a hundred yards from the hotel looked run-down and was surrounded with all types of run-down looking people.  The lobby of the hotel was gloomy and smelled of cigarette smoke.  I checked in, got my things, and rode the elevator (littered with empty coffee cups and soda cans) to the third floor.  When the elevator doors opened, I was hit by a very strong cigarette smell.  Walking down the poorly lit hallway, I found my room and, as I looked around at the sparseness of the room, I was wondering just what I had gotten myself into.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;dingley+hotel+room

I was surprised that the (no-smoking) room really didn’t reek of the cigarette smoke I had expected.  I went back down to the lobby and ask the desk clerk about restaurants in the area, and he said, “There’s a KFC across the street.”  Well, that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but it was late and that would have to do tonight.  I had their 3-piece chicken dinner ($10.96) with mashed potatoes and gravy and cold slaw.  With a full tummy, I headed back to the hotel, and my room, for what turned out to be a restless night’s sleep (lots of hollering and banging of doors until way into the night).

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/KFC+3-piece+chicken+dinner+with+mashed+potatoels+gravy+and+coleslaw

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 8

18 Oct

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 8 – July 22:

This morning after breakfast, I headed back across the John A. Blatnik Bridge into Superior, WI to visit the Richard I. Bong Museum which was one of the main reasons for this trip.  Richard Bong was the highest scoring U.S. Army Air Force fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater during WWII.  I had followed his exploits and wanted to visit his museum for years.  This small museum is filled with artifacts and memorabilia following the history of Bong and his fellow fighter pilots as they fought the mighty Japanese war machine in the pacific.  Their beautifully restored P-38, representing Bong’s personal airplane, is the centerpiece of the museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Before leaving Superior, I wanted to visit The Old Firehouse & Police Museum situated in the old 1898 restored Fire Hall #1, which had used five horse-drawn fire fighting rigs, and I’m sure would have had a lot of beautifully restored antique fire fighting artifacts and memorabilia, but it didn’t open until noon today.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

A few blocks from the Old Firehouse Museum, I tried to visit the World of Accordions, but they didn’t open until 3:00 today, so, I gave up on the museums there in Superior and headed north, back across the John A. Blatnik Bridge, into Duluth to visit the Historic Union Depot.  This huge structure, built in 1898, is actually the second railroad station to be built on the site, replacing the 1st old 1869 wooden depot.  The building (known as the St. Louis County Depot) now houses the Superior Railroad Museum, the Duluth Art Institute, and the St. Louis County Historical Society Museum, as well as being the departure point for the North Shore Scenic Railroad 1-hour & 6-hour train rides along the Lake Superior shoreline.  The station provided railroad passenger service to and from the Duluth and Superior areas until passenger service was terminated in 1985.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Heading northwest out of Duluth on US-53, I drove for hours thru the beautiful Superior National Forest, stopping in Virginia, MN and Gheen, MN (we have good friends named Gheen) for potty breaks and to rest my bottom, before finally arriving at the Koochiching County Historical Museum located in International Falls, MN.  This 2-gallery museum displays exhibits and artifacts covering the 10,000 years of local native American history and culture, the early fur traders, and settlers to the area, which includes the development of the lumber and natural resources industries.  The second gallery is devoted to the life and career of the 1930s football legend & Football Hall of Fame inductee, Bronko Nagurski who was born and raised in International Falls.

Photo Credit: https://www.exploreminnesota.com/profile/koochiching-county-historical-society-museums/

I was a little apprehensive about crossing the border into Canada, as the van I had purchased in Wisconsin only had a “Temporary Tag” and I wasn’t sure how that would play with the Border Officials.  However, the temporary tag was not the problem at the border crossing.  There was construction going on at the crossing lanes and only two of the four lanes were open to cars.  It took me 1-½ hours to crawl along the approximately ¼-mile line of cars waiting to cross.  What a MESS and big waste of time that was!   Once it was my turn to show my Passport and temporary Wisconsin Auto Registration, my papers were checked, and I was passed right on with no problems.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 7

11 Oct

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 7 – July 21: This morning after an early breakfast, I headed north in my rented pickup truck, for 6 miles to meet Glenn at the Chrysler Dealership in Wausau, WI.  I wanted to see what kind of used vans he had available.  Glenn met me at the door and already had a red 2013 Chrysler Town & Country van out front for me to inspect.  We took it for a test drive, and I was satisfied that this van would suit my needs.  We settled in his office to do the necessary paperwork and he told me they had just recently received the van in a trade and had processed it thru their service shop with everything for resale, except it had not yet been detailed.  Since that would usually take about two days (for the carpets to dry) he would take $600 off the price for that not being done.  I was okay with that!

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/chrysler+town+%26+countryntry+touring

I told Glenn that Clayton (the mechanic) had told me he might be interested in buying my 2006 Dodge van if I decided to sell it.  I told him I wanted to add that money as a down payment on the 2013 van.    I called Clayton and we struck a deal for him to buy my van.  Then I said, “Okay Clayton, now you have my van, and you have the money for my van, how do I get the money to Glenn for my down payment? “  He said, “Let me talk to Glenn.”  He told Glenn, “I’m out hunting this weekend, but you know I’m good for it (friends for 25 years), I’ll bring the money to your office Monday morning.”  Well, Glenn was okay with that (I was amazed!) and he said, “Well that settles that, you are good to go.  All we need to do now is run this by the financial office.”  

image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/auto+sale+with+dealer

That done, Glenn said, “The final paperwork will take a while to put together, so why don’t you return your rental truck and then we’ll drive this van up to Clayton’s shop and I’ll help you transfer everything from your 2006 van to this 2013 van so you will be ready to continue your road trip as soon as possible.”  That worked for me.  He followed me the 8 miles to the Mosinee Airport, where I returned the pickup truck to the National Car Rental office.  When the agent handed me the receipt, he said, “I don’t understand this, but you only owe $2.53 for your rental.”  I was shocked!  And I said, “How can that be?”  He said, “I don’t know, but that is what it says here on your receipt.”  I told him I wanted a paper receipt showing the balance of the $750 I had paid for the week’s truck rental had been credited back to my credit card account.  He did that, and I was happy with that.  All I could say was, “Thank you Lord, for the miracles you work in our lives every day!”

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/national-car-rental

We drove the van over to Clayton’s Auto Repair shop there in Mosinee, and the transfer of my things, that would have taken me 2-3 hours, only took about 30 minutes with Glenn’s help.  That was a huge thing for him to do for me!  That done, I left my key and vehicle registration to the 2006 van in Clayton’s drop box with a note promising to send the van title to him as soon as I returned to Florida.  Another example of small-town trust on Clayton’s part.  By the time we got back to the dealership in Wausau, all the paperwork was ready for my signature.  That didn’t take long.  I thanked everyone for helping me through one of the most intense 24-hours I could remember.  I said my goodbyes and was on my way north on I-39 in new wheels by 1:00 pm.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/leaving+in+car+on+trip

In order to arrive at this evening’s destination without losing my room reservation, I had to pass up the Chippewa Falls Museum, the Thorp Telephone Museum, the Wisconsin Logging Museum, and the Wisconsin Canoe Museum.  I’ll just have to visit them on another one of my road trips.  It was late by the time I arrived in Superior, WI and all the museums were closed.  I drove across the John A. Blatnik Bridge into Duluth, MN and Greta (my Garmin) took me to the motel there.  After I checked into the motel, I asked the desk clerk for a good place to eat, and he said he liked the Buffalo House Restaurant not far from the motel.  I found it and had their Seafood Enchiladas plate (Never had that dish before) and they were wonderful.  After that delicious meal, it was back to the motel, and right to bed for me.  As you might imagine, I was a tired puppy and the bed felt great.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 6B

3 Oct

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 6 – July 20 Continued: 

 Here I was almost 1500 miles from home, with a disabled vehicle, only 6-days into a 20-day Road Trip with few options.  I asked Clayton, the mechanic at the auto repair shop, about rental cars and he told me he could have his helper run me over to the local airport where I could rent a car.  He also told me that he had a good friend (of 25 years) who worked at the Chrysler Dealership in the next town who might be able to help me with a car if I was interested.  I told him yes, and to give his friend a call and see if he had any vans available.  He called his friend, Glen, and he said he had a couple of vans, and I made an appointment to see him the next morning (Friday) at 8:00 am.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/mecanic/clipart

Then Clayton had his helper take me to the local airport to rent a car.  He dropped me off at the rental car office and I was surprised to see only two agents in the office.  With both showed big smiles, the first one asked me if he could help me.  I said, “Yes, I would like to rent a car.”  He said, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have any cars.”  I said, “No cars?”  And he said, “Not until late tomorrow at the earliest.”   I looked at the other agent and said, “How about you?”  And she said, “We don’t have any cars either.”  I said, “What is going on here?”  He told me something about a big annual reunion or something like that and all their cars had been rented for the week.  So, I asked him, ”What DO you have that I can rent?”  He said, “We have pickup trucks.”  So, I asked him about the estimated cost of renting a pickup truck from him and dropping it off in Florida (I was considering renting a pickup truck and a car dolly to take my van back home).  He said it would run somewhere in the neighborhood of $1000-$1200 for that scenario.  It never dawned on me that National Car Rental didn’t put trailer hitches on their pickup trucks or cars because they don’t allow people to pull a trailer or trailered car with their vehicles.  Duh!  I really wasn’t thinking straight by this time in the evening.

Image credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/car+dolly

When I added that to the cost of repairing the engine ($1500 estimate from Clayton the mechanic), I was looking at as much as $2500-$3000 to get my 17-year-old van running again.  And then there was the problem of having to cancel the rest of my Road Trip.  Bummer!  So, I decided to wait and check out the vans at the Chrysler Dealership in the morning before committing to anything right now.  I rented one of National’s pickup trucks for a week (cheaper than by the day) and headed for my motel, which luckily, was just 8 miles north on I-39 in Rothschild, WI.

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;national+car+rental+pickup+truck

On the way to my motel, I saw a Denny’s Restaurant and decided to stop for one of their 3-egg breakfast plates with hashbrowns, link sausage, and a biscuit.  I love a breakfast meal any time of the day, especially when I can get a hot cup of Earl Gray tea to go along with it.  After that delicious meal, Greata (my Garmin) took me to my motel for the night.  After I got checked in, and got my things in my room (not much tonight as everything was still in my van in Mosinee), I didn’t even look for anything to watch on TV, but just recorded as many of the details of today’s events as I could remember, and went to bed.  I was tired and had no trouble going to sleep tonight.

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/dennys/2-egg+breakfast+link+sausage+hash+browns

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip -Part 6a

28 Sep

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 6 – July 20 Continued:  As I mentioned last week, I was heading north on I-39 just north of Knowlton, WI when I heard “ding-ding-ding” and I glanced at my dashboard, to see my water temperature gage pegged on “HOT.”  I started to slow down and pull over, but before I could get to the shoulder of the road, the temperature gage went back to “NORMAL.”  “What was that all about?” I wondered.  I went back on the highway and proceeded on my way for another few minutes.  Then the “ding-ding-ding” sounded again, and the temperature gage was once again pegged on “HOT.”  This time I quickly made it to the shoulder and slowed down before the temperature gage went back to “Normal.”

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/ overheated+car+engine

I stopped and called my friend Ray (auto mechanic) to get his advice on the problem.  He said it sounded like a faulty temperature sensor, and to have a mechanic check it out the first chance I had.  So, I thanked him and continued on my way for another few minutes before I heard the “ding-ding-ding” again.  This time I stopped under an overpass, opened the hood, and was greeted with steam from the radiator.  “Oh Boy!”  I thought, “I have a really bad situation here.  What am I going to do now?”

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/overheated+car+engine

First, I needed to call my Roadside Emergency people for a tow to the nearest auto repair shop, but I hadn’t noticed any mileage markers before I stopped.  Then I checked both sides of the overpass for a road I.D. but there were none.  Then I remembered the gallon of water I had brought for just such an occasion.  After the engine had cooled enough to remove the radiator cap, I added the gallon of water and prayed it would be enough to get me to the next exit so I would be able to tell the Roadside Emergency people where to come pick me up.

mage Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/24-hr-roadside-assistance

I found the next exit and pulled off to call for a tow.  While I was sitting there looking up the number this “Angle” on a motorcycle pulled up beside me and said, “Do you need help?”  I told him my problem and he said, “Well, my name is Steve, and I own a small trucking company near here and know a little bit about engines, can I take a look?”  I said, “Sure” and popped the hood.

Photo Credit: CanStockPhoto.Com

He looked it over and said, “It looks like you may have a radiator leak.  Do you have any water?”  I showed him the case of bottled water I had brought along for my trip, and he didn’t say a word, just emptied the whole case of bottled water into the radiator.  Then he said, “That should be enough to get you to the small ‘Stop-N-Go’ store just up the road a short distance. Follow me and we’ll see what they have to get you on your way.”

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/stop+n+go+store

At the Stop-N-Go store, Steve refilled my Emergency Water jug and found a couple of different kinds of ‘Stop Leak’ while I was in the restroom.  We added the Stop Leak, topped off the radiator with water and he told me about an excellent auto repair mechanic in the town at the next exit up I-39 to see about my problem.  I thanked him and told him how much I appreciated his help and headed for Mosinee, WI.  I found the repair shop and told Clyton, the mechanic, my problem.  He removed the radiator cap and asked me to start the engine.  He immediately told me to shut it off and said, “You have a blown head gasket.”  I said, “Great.  What does that mean to me?”  he said, “I’m booked up with work and wouldn’t be able to get to your engine for at least a month.  I can call other auto shops in town, but I doubt any of them could repair your engine in less than a week.”  So, “Now what was I going to do?” I wondered.

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;man+with+car+trouble

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 6

20 Sep

A Slice of Life

Bill LItes

Day 6 – July 20:  After breakfast this morning, I said my goodbys to Brian and Karen and headed north for about an hour on I-41/94 to visit the Harley-Davidson Museum located in Milwaukee, WI.  I had visited this museum on another Road Trip, but I can never see enough antique motorcycles to be satisfied.  However, today I arrived an hour before they opened, and that wait would mess up today’s museum schedule, so I just took this photo and was on my way.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Having missed that great museum, I continued northwest on I-94 & I-41 for about a half-hour to visit the Harley-Davidson Factory located in Menomonee Falls, WI.  I wanted to visit this factory since I had spent almost 15 years riding Haley-Davidson motorcycles, and wanted to get an idea of how they were put together.  However, it was not to be, as there were no factory tours today.  I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to get to see any museums today.  So, I took this photo and continued  northwest on I-41 to find the next museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

That next museum turned out to be 45 miles northwest on I-41 where I visited the Galloway House Museum located in Fond du Lac, WI.  This museum turned out to actually be a historical village.  The village has 30 restored homes and business buildings arranged on 15 acres, that represent a typical residential, commercial, and farming community in this area during the mid-1800s.  Many of these structures have been moved to this location over the years to form a living village.  The original 1870s Galloway log cabin was used as the “Summer Kitchen” after the Victorian mansion was finished in 1880.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving Fond du Lac, I headed north about 20 miles on I-41 to visit the Military Veterans Museum located in Oshkosh, WI. This small museum displays military artifacts and memorabilia honoring all U.S. Military personnel from all branches of the U.S. Armed Services.  Many of the 20 restored (mostly U.S. Army) vehicles are operational and are used in special events at the museum and at other locations.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

While I was in Oshkosh, I visited the EAA Aviation Museum located just a few miles north of the Veterans Museum.  As it turned out the annual EAA Oshkosh AirVenture event was scheduled to begin on the coming weekend and several private antique and warbird airplanes had arrived at the museum early.  This was a great opportunity to get photos of these planes and talk to the pilots.  This large museum (one of my favorites) displays more than 200 home-built, general aviation, and military airplanes as well as replicas of airplanes of all sizes and descriptions dating from the first Wright Brothers airplane to modern air racers.  Interactive exhibits, antique artifacts, and aviation memorabilia could easily keep a person captive in this museum for days.  But, I had other museums to visit today so, after reviewing as much of that eye candy I could handle for one day, I moved on.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Heading northwest out of Oshkosh on US-10/41, my next museum was to be the Motorama Auto Museum located in Aniwa, WI.  But I never made it to the museum.  After about an hour on US-10, I turned north onto I-39 at Stevens Point, WI and was making good time, when all of a sudden, I heard this “ding-ding-ding” and glanced at the dashboard to see the temperature gage pegged out on “HOT.”  I panicked, and  asked myself, what in the world could this be?

Image Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/ overheated+car+engine

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

Tags: , , , , ,

2023 Road Trip-Part 5

13 Sep

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 5 – July 19:

  After breakfast this morning, I headed northwest on  I-65 & I-90, across the border into Illinois, and for an hour or so toward Chicago, where I visited the Chicago Maritime Museum located in the Bridgeport area of the city.  This museum displays a widely integrated history of how the early indigenous tribes used the many waterways for transportation and communications, and how much of this early knowledge has evolved into the maritime system we enjoy today.  The museum’s many exhibits, artifacts, and memorabilia bring to life how the early maritime influence has changed modern day transportation systems growing society. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

After leaving the Maritime Museum, it wasn’t too far to where I visited the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry located in the Jackson Park area.  This huge museum has the distinction of being housed in the only remaining building (one of the “White City” buildings) from the 1893 World’s Fair, and was built to house the Palace of Fine Arts for the Columbian Exposition.  After the fair, the building was restored in 1923 and again in 1933 for other museums that came and went.  This building is big enough to accommodate vary large exhibits such as half of a full-sized United Airlines Boeing 727 airliner and the captured WWII German submarine U-505 and others.  I was impressed with the amount of free open space between exhibits, unlike many large museums.  It is a “Must See” museum if you are ever in the Chicago area. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

I had to kind of rush thru the MOSI because I my plans were to visit my niece Karen and her husband Brian this afternoon and I wanted to save as much time as possible to spend with them.  So, after that amazing museum visit, I headed north on I-94 & US-41 to visit the National Museum of the American Sailor located in Great Lakes, IL.  However, Brian had informed me about Fort Sheridan, located in the Highland Park area of North Chicago, and since it was on my way up US-41 to visit the Sailors Museum I decided to stop there first.  As it turns out, an original French trading post was built at this location in 1670 and was enlarged and named Fort Sharidan in 1840.  Used as a military base until 1968, it was deactivated and taken over by the U.S. Navy and now includes parts of the U.S. Naval Training Center Command.  I was impressed by the design of their 1891 “Water Tower” located in the center of the base.

 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

There was some confusion (with Greta my Garmin) about the address for the Sailor’s Museum, and I never did find the museum (I think it is on the naval base and not open to the public) but I did end up finding the Main Gate to the U.S. Naval Training Center, there in Great Lakes, where I did my original 13-weeks of Basic Training (Boot Camp) in the winter of 1956.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Just seeing the words on that entrance wall brought back memories that replayed in my mind.  I was young and thought I knew where I was going and what I wanted out of life when I got there.  Boot Camp was a rude awakening!  It was a grueling period in my life, but I learned a lot about friends, discipline, my duty to my country, and responsibility there during those 13-weeks.  I must admit, I really needed that.

 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

After that short trip down memory lane, I headed northwest a short distance to visit Brian and Karen, who live in Lake Villa, IL.  We had a wonderful visit and Brian cooked a delicious meal, so we didn’t have to go out for supper.  We spent the evening reminiscing about the good-old-days, my Road Trip, and their European Christian Ministry.  As it happened, they were leaving for Budapest in two days and would include a long-needed vacation there after their European business conference was over.  Since Karen had to work and I wanted to get an early start after breakfast the next day, Brian helped me get my things into their guest room and we called it a night.  A family visit like that is so great!

 

Photo Credit: Judy Wills 

—– To Be Continued—– 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 4

6 Sep

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 4 – July 18:  After breakfast with Max and Anita this morning, I packed up my things and headed west on I-64 to visit the Kentucky Derby Museum located at the famous Churchill Downs Racecourse in Louisville, KY.  This museum was established in 1875 as part of the annual Kentucky Derby race and displays a variety of artifacts, trophies, sculptures, photographs, and paintings that follow the history of the famous Kentucky Derby race from its inception.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

While I was there in Louisville, I visited the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory located in downtown Louisville.  I had visited this museum once before several years ago on another Road Trip and wanted to go thru this interesting museum/factory again.  I am not a baseball fan, but I find this factory fascinating.  The tour takes a person thru the various stages of how a baseball bat is made; from how a tree is selected and the wood is treated (aged), to how the wood is sculpted into a bat (per each ball player’s specifications), and how the bat is sanded and finished with paint or varnish.  The huge 120-foot bat outside the front of the museum/factory is made of steel, weighs 68,000 pounds (34 tons) and is an exact scale replica of Babe Ruth’s 34” Louisville Slugger Bat.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After that interesting tour, I headed north on I-65 out of Louisville, and across the border into Indiana to visit the Freeman Army Airfield Museum located in Seymore, IN.  I knew the U.S. had captured many enemy aircraft during WWII and brought them back to Wright Field in Dayton, OH for evaluation and testing, but I had never heard of the Freeman Army Airfield.  I was surprised to learn that many German, Japanese and Italian aircraft were evaluated and tested here at the Freeman Field, and that after the war many of those airplanes were donated to museums across the country.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Continuing north on I-65 I next visited the Atterbury-Bakalar Air Museum located adjacent to the Columbus Municipal Airport in Columbus, IN. This large museum displays artifacts and memorabilia related to the history of mostly those airmen who served in the U. S. Armed Forces during the period from 1941 to 1970.   Also on display are large models of many of the aircraft flown by those brave airmen.  There are stories, photos, and artifacts of glider pilots, Tuskegee Airmen, Special Operation Forces, and many others from WWII to the Vietnam era.  The museum’s restored C-119 Flying Boxcar (City of Columbus) gate guard is very impressive and commemorates Bakalar’s participation with the U. S. Air Force 434th Tactical Airlift Wing.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

A little farther north on I-65 I stopped to check out the Franklin Depot Railroad Museum located in Franklin, IN.  This small museum is situated in the old 1909 restored Franklin Railroad Depot and displays many antique railroad artifacts and memorabilia.  However, the thing that got my attention when I walked in was the ice cream bar on the back wall of the museum, and I just had to have a cone of their hand-dipped Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream.  Perfect thing to cool me off on a hot afternoon.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Heading north on I-65 again, I had visited many museums and points of interest in Indianapolis, on another Road Trip, but wanted to visit the Stutz Auto Museum located in the old 1912 renovated Stutz auto manufacturing building in downtown Indianapolis.  But the museum was closed by the time I arrived at the location.  I was disappointed to miss seeing their impressive auto collection, so just took this photo and headed out of town.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Heading northwest on I-65, my plan was to visit the Linden Railroad Museum located in Linden, IN but here again, they were closed by the time I arrived.  So, I took a photo of their 1837 Norris 4-2-0 Steam Engine, coal car, and open train car displayed outside.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Since it was getting late, I gave Greta (My Garmin) the address of my motel for the night in Lafayette, IN and we headed for it.  However, as I was driving thru downtown Lafayette, on my way to the motel, I noticed this impressive building and just had to stop and take a photo of it.  As it turned out, it was the Tippecanoe County Courthouse.  Wow!  They spent some really big bucks on that building!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

When I finally arrived at my motel for the night, I took my things into my room and heated up my leftover Chili Relleno, Enchilada, and refried beans from the other night, and enjoyed that meal again.  The leftovers didn’t look as good tonight as they did in the restaurant, but they tasted wonderful.  With a full tummy, I tried to watch some TV, but couldn’t find anything worth watching. So, I recorded today’s activities and went to bed.  It has been a long day.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip Part 3

30 Aug

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 3 – July 17:  After a good night’s sleep, and breakfast with Mike and Alta, I headed north through portions of the beautiful Appalachian Mountains, passing thru Waynesville and picking up I-40.  Continuing north on I-40 (skirting the Great Smokey Mountains National Park) I passed thru Newport and across the border into Tennessee, where I visited James White’s Fort located in Knoxville, TN.  This “Fort” is a representation of an 18thCentury settlement that began in 1786 when James White built his 1st fortified log cabin in this area.  Other settlers soon built around White and by 1791 the Southwest Territorial Capital was moved to White’s Fort and renamed Knoxville.  The antique cabin furnishings and other historical utensils and equipment make this a living museum of late 18th Century pioneer life.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After that brief trip back in time, I headed northwest on I-75, across the border into Kentucky where I visited the Harland Sanders (KFC) Museum located Corbin, KY.  This museum is the home of the very first Kentucky Fried Chicken Café started by Harland (The Colonel) Sanders in 1940 and where he created his famous ‘KFC Secret Recipe’. Sanders had his ups and downs with fires, highway route changes and recessions, but in 1960 he began selling KFC franchises, and his business began to boom.  In 1990 the original building was renovated and opened as a KFC cafe and museum, where visitors can enjoy their favorite KFC meal and visit the museum which displays a replica of the Colonel’s office, kitchen, and other Colonel Sanders artifacts and memorabilia.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed north on I-75, skirting the Danial Boone National Forest and passing up the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Museum in Mount Vernon, KY (I had visited that museum on another Road Trip).  I by- passed Richmond, KY so I could arrive in Lexington in time to spend some quality time with my friends Max and Anita in Lexington, KY.  When Greta (My Garmin) had me exit I-75 I just figured I was getting close to my new destination.  However, that was not the case.  I was taken on a superius route for miles thru farmland, on back roads, and finally thru neighborhoods before I finally arrived at my friend’s house.  What was that all about?

Photo Credit: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/garmin-drive-52

Max and Anita laughed and told me a lot of other people had the same problem, and there didn’t seem to be a logical explanation for it.  Our family had been church friends with Anita’s family from the mid-1960s and Anita was one of my daughter’s best friends in junior high and high school.  We had a marvelous visit and Anita cooked so we didn’t have to go out for dinner.  After that delicious meal, we spent a lot of time reminiscing about our family’s activities during the early days of the nation’s Apollo space program in our hometown of Titusville, FL.  When we were all talked out, they helped me get my things into their guest room where they put me up for the night.  They warned me that the local 2:00 am train whistle might wake me, but I never did hear it.  I must have been in a deep sleep when the train went by.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2023 Road Trip-Part 2

25 Aug

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 2 – July 16:  I began today’s activities with a visit to CSS Hunley Museum located there in North Charleston, SC.  The CSS Hunley was a one-of-a-kind Civil War submarine that was the first combat submarine to sink a warship (USS Housatonic) on 17 February 1864, but sank shortly after the historic engagement killing all eight crew members.  The H. L. Hunley was lost on the bottom of Charleston’s outer harbor for 100+ years, before finally being discovered by E. Lee Spencer in 1970.  However, it was another 30 years before the historic submarine was raised from its watery grave, in 2000, for investigation and its preservation.  It is now submerged in a special tank of a sub-critical water solution where the iron structure is being neutralized before it can be exposed to the open air for all to see and touch.  The photo below is of a replica of the H. L. Hunley on display there at the museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I had planned today’s activities so I could end up spending as much time as possible with some good friends in North Carolina.  So, after leaving the Hunley Museum I headed northwest on I-26, by-passing Columbia, SC (I had visited Columbia’s museums on my last road trip) and continued northwest to visit the Sigal Music Museum located in the old 1930 Cocoa Cola Bottling Plant in Greenville, SC.  This museum (formerly the Carolina Music Museum) has recently been expanded with the addition of the Marlowe A. Sigal collection.  The museum displays a variety of musical instruments dating from the 17th century and interestingly has recordings of many of those instruments for their visitors to hear in their special listing rooms.  The museum’s library also has a collection of over 1000 individual rare record albums and sheet music.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I wanted to visit the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum while I was in Greenville, but I got to the house where Joe Jackson lived and died too late to visit the museum.  However, Wikipedia tells me that Joe’s house (also the museum) was moved to its present location in 2006 and given the number 356 Field Street in honor of Joe’s lifetime batting average (.356).  It also informed me that Joe got his nickname in 1908 at the local game between the Greenville Spinners and the Anderson Electricians when he removed his new spiked shoes that were hurting his feet; and after hitting a home run, he ran the bases in his stocking feet.  As he headed for home plate, an Anderson fan yelled, “You shoeless son-of-a-gun!” and the name stuck. Joe Jackson (1887-1951)

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/Shoeless+Joe+Jackson+Museum

Heading pretty much west out of Greenville, I soon briefly crossed the border into the northeast tip of Georgia before crossing the border into North Carolia.  I was looking for the town of Otto, NC where my friends Mike and Alta lived, and some of those winding mountain roads could make a person dizzy.  The roads got narrower and steeper till I finally had to stop and call Mike for directions.  Come to find out, I was within 500 yards of their driveway and Greta (my Garmin) didn’t know it.  We had a great visit and ended up going to one of their favorite Mexican Restaurants in Franklin where I had a Chili Relleno & Enchilada plate with yellow rice and refried beans.  Yummm!  Back at their house, after dinner, Mike and Alta regaled me with their black bear story.  That’s kind of a scary bedtime story, but the cool mountain air put me right to sleep.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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