Gallivanting Grandma

Tuesday – August 19, 2014     72 degrees & mostly sunny

Following Route 20 West

We had asked for a room at the back of the Comfort Inn in Porter, Indiana to avoid hearing the trucks barreling past all night long, which is why our room overlooked a quiet cornfield. I think this was the first time I ever slept in a cornfield.

We entered the Central Time Zone sometime yesterday so our internal clocks were off this morning. We checked out early and drove toward Lake Michigan to see the Indiana Dunes National and State Parks. This was rated as the state’s best natural attraction.

Indiana Dunes Looking West

I’m sorry to say we were disappointed because, as we stood in the sand, we could see belching chimneys of power plants, factories, and steel mills in the distance at both ends of the beach. Lake Michigan looked beautiful and the sand was a fine grain. The beaches were lovely, but….

Indiana Dunes Looking East

The dunes were impressive: high and covered with grass and trees.  We snapped a few pictures and drove back to Route 20 toward Gary, Indiana. We had liked Indiana and the people we met there, but the northwest corner was full of huge oil refineries, steel mills, factories, power plants, and other commercial buildings.

A Refinery Near Gary, Indiana

Sign By the Road

Probably the biggest surprises of this trip so far are the quantity of trucks on the small byways and the heavy industry visible from the road. Routes 6 and 20 converged with Interstates 80 and 90 between Gary and Chicago. The highways were congested with huge trucks and the scenery was not attractive.

Part of a Huge Refinery

Horseshoe Casino Sign Near Chicago

Approaching a large city is always exciting. There seems to be a quicker pace and a sense of heightened activity.

Approaching Chicago

Chicago Skyline

It was warm and hazy as we passed by Chicago on the Interstate. We debated whether to stop to visit the city on this trip, and we decided to save it for another time because there was too much to see in The Windy City. I took a couple of photos from the car, which I called my ‘drive-by shootings’. Sometimes they work well and sometimes they don’t, but these photos always remind me of what I saw.

Rain Storm

It took a long time to get past Chicago and away from the surrounding smaller cities. We had a bit of rain at one point but by afternoon it was 84 degrees and sunny.

After we left the Interstate and rejoined Route 20, we found a place for a late lunch in a town called Addison, Illinois. Jeff spotted it from the road and it looked like a ‘fun’ place.

Portillo’s

Charbroiled Chicken Sandwich

Portillo’s was a lively, very efficiently run restaurant with very good American fast food. The decor was chrome and formica with ’50s Rock ‘n’ Roll music playing overhead. After lunch, we rejoined Route 20 West and drove for several more hours.

Miles of Cornfields

Blue Highway Through Rural America

Elizabeth, Illinois

As we approached the Iowa border, the terrain became more hilly and the road more curvy. It was a beautiful day for a ride in the country!

Hills of Northwestern Illinois

We were tired of driving so we stopped at a small town called Galena to take a break. It was almost five o’clock and we had been on the road since nine in the morning. Galena was so charming that we decided to book a room at the DeSoto House Hotel. It was one of those historic hotels with a long list of famous people who had stayed there.

Shops in Galena, Illinois

Signs Along Main Street

The DeSoto House Hotel

It had been built in 1855 and served as Ulysses S. Grant’s presidential campaign headquarters. Abraham Lincoln was a notable guest. We had the Stephen Douglas room on the third floor with a view of Main Street.  What fun!

Attitude

Monday – August 18, 2014     72 degrees in the morning – 82 & sunny in the afternoon

Warning! If you’re not interested in antique vehicles, don’t read this blog…..

A 1931 Auburn

Our reason for staying in Auburn, Indiana last night was to visit the National Auto and Truck Museum and the Auburn Cord Duesenburg Museum. These are Historic Landmarks which are located in the former factory buildings of the Auburn Automobile Company.

I don’t know where my interest in cars came from. Maybe it was my mother’s first car: a 1954 orange & white Ford. Maybe it was my 7th grade science class where I learned about combustion engines. Or perhaps it was growing up in the ’50s and ’60s when new car models were different every year and the boys I knew had cool cars.  Life revolved around Rock ‘n’ Roll, hot rods, and Roger Maris & Mickey Mantle.

Nice Paint Job!

Whatever it is, I have to admit my heart goes pitter-patter at the sight of a shiny restored multi-cylinder driving machine. We arrived at the National Auto & Truck Museum and were blown away by their collection of early motorized vehicles through the 1970s. They also had an amazing collection of model cars and toys. 

Go Green!

Hood Ornament 

There must have been more that a hundred beautifully restored cars and trucks on two levels which were manufactured in Indiana during the early part of the last century. 

A 1930s Auburn Speedster – Wouldn’t that be fun to drive?!

Then we walked to the next building to see the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. This was the original Art Deco offices and showroom for these magnificent hand-built cars.

The A C D Museum

A Duesenberg

Art Deco Lamp

Copper & Black

Hood Ornament

We dragged ourselves away from the automotive museums reluctantly and wished we could return for the Annual Labor Day Classic Car Show or the auction which was scheduled to take place in two weeks. We had a quick lunch in a local place called Mad Anthony’s and then went to the Elkhart Public Library.

I can’t remember where I read about the library, but it was well worth the stop. It was designed in the ‘Prairie Architecture’ mode of the Art Deco Period with heavy overhangs and brickwork. There were early 20th Century decorative stencils on the walls and Arts & Crafts furniture as well as lovely stained glass windows. The library could have come directly off the drawing board of Frank Lloyd Wright and was definitely ‘Prairie School Architecture.

The librarian greeted us and gave us a quick history of the building and also recommended that we visit the DeKalb County Courthouse down on Main Street.  She said that at nine 0’clock every morning everyone in the government building join together to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in the rotunda. She loves to attend and that’s how she starts her day. We went and it was magnificent.

The Rotunda

When we walked into the lobby, we were greeted by a man who was sweeping. He stopped his work to welcome us and then ran to get an historical brochure of the building. He told us about the history of the building and recommended that we see the beautiful Circuit Court Room which had recently been restored. He escorted us upstairs and beamed with pride. He was so kind and said he hoped we would return soon.

Circuit Court Room

We drove out of Auburn, Indiana impressed by the generous spirit of the people who we met and the preservation of the vehicles which developed along with our country in the last century.

Free in the Wind

Sunday – August 17, 2014     Cloudy and 64 degrees

We spent the night at an overpriced Baymont Inn & Suites on the fringe of Erie, PA. The building appeared to be new and was located across the road from the Presque Isle Downs & Casino.  Our two-room suite was huge but nothing justified the price. We left early and got on Interstate 90 toward Cleveland.

Overhead Sign on I-90

In about half an hour we crossed the border into Ohio. For several miles there were wineries on both sides of the highway. Signs identified the many different vineyards. We never heard of mid-western wine and the flat land was nothing like the steep hills of Italy or France.

Coming into Cleveland

The speed limit was 70 mph but the road was flat and had very few curves.

Rainy Road

After a while, the clouds dumped their moisture on us.  It was Sunday morning and fortunately there wasn’t too much traffic.

Lunch in Sylvania, Ohio

We stopped for lunch at Tony Packo’s just outside Toledo. Jamie Farr made the cafe famous by mentioning it during his role as Corporal Klinger in the television comedy MASH. The Hungarian restaurant is known for its perogies, hotdogs, and chili. Jeff noted that the sour pickles were delicious.

Autographed Rolls

Among the tasteful decorations at Tony Packo’s was a plaque of autographed hotdog rolls bearing the signatures of Robert Goulet, Barry Manilow, Paul Anka, Andy Williams, and Perry Como. Does it get any better than that?

Corn Fields Everywhere

After lunch we found Route 20 and continued to drive westward. The land was flat and there were vast tracts of cornfields on both sides of the road.

Sign in Fayette, Ohio

In Fayette, Ohio we saw a sign for Route 66. Jeff stopped the car and we both got out to take pictures. We both breathed a collective “Baby Boomer” sigh.  Oh well, that will have to be another road trip!

Fayette Town Cat

There was a small park at the intersection with a statue of a cat sitting on a stone. The plaque read it was a monument to “The Town Cat.”

Farmland in Indiana

After a while, the road unceremoniously crossed into Indiana. There were more farms with more acres of corn and soy beans. Large farm buildings were seen in the distance. Route 20 continued through a town named Angola. A few miles later we took Route 69 south to Auburn. We had driven for seven and a half hours and we were ready to take a break. We found a clean comfortable Hampton Inn for $84. and settled in for the night. 

PS: Auburn was 82 degrees – humid and overcast.

Saturday – August 16, 2014   It was 39 degrees and overcast this morning.  It’s hard to believe it’s August…..

The Porters were perfect hosts and we were very comfortable. They cooked and served a three-course breakfast of all homemade goodies: select fresh-ground coffee, old family recipe biscottis, yogurt parfait with fresh-picked berries, made-from-scratch blueberry pancakes with melon and bacon. Ross Porter entertained us with his stories of the history of Smethport and the genesis of their many restoration projects.

There are twenty-four mansions in the Main Street district of Smethport.  I would highly recommend a stay at Jovanna & Ross Porter’s Mansion B&B. After much conversation, we finally left about ten o’clock and continued along Route 6 westward to the biggest tourist attraction in the area: The Kinzua Bridge.

This was a former railroad bridge which was built in 1881 to transport coal, lumber, and oil out of Pennsylvania. After the railroads closed, it had been used by pedestrians. A tornado destroyed it in 2003 and the bridge was partially rebuilt in 2011. Glass plates were installed at the end of the walkway to peer downward.

We continued westward on Route 6 and continued to meet construction and detours. The sun finally came out and the temperature warmed up to 73 degrees.

The photo below shows the three recurring themes of this trip through Pennsylvania: an oil refinery, a heavy truck filled with natural gas, and road construction. The only thing missing is a lumber truck carrying trunks of trees along the road. I wondered what will happen to the people living here after their natural resources are taken away. I’m sure some people are making lots of money, but it was not evident that the town folk were as prosperous.

We passed many towns whose stores were vacant and the streets were devoid of people. Many houses, farms, and buildings posted ‘For Sale’ signs. It’s difficult to imagine where the people will move, especially older people. There were several signs advertising employment for ‘drilling hands, rigger hands, and repairmen.’ Many of the motels were filled with itinerant workers.

This photo shows a few buildings of the Historic District of Warren, PA – population forty thousand people. Commercial trucks rumbled through the city and a large oil refinery was down the street.

As we approached the Ohio border, we decided to make a detour to see Erie, PA – fourth largest city along the Great Lake of Erie.. The waterfront seemed to have been rebuilt with a modern hotel, maritime museum, and marinas. There were new stores and people enjoying a festival.

We drove out to the end of Presque Isle State Park to see the beaches of Lake Erie. It was windy and drizzling and the surf crashed onto the shore. We watched rain clouds move in from Canada. I imagined how cold the winter must be here along the lake.

This is a photo of the Erie Land Lighthouse which was safely nestled in a residential neighborhood. It was originally built in 1818 and was the first lighthouse to shine its beacon on the Great Lakes. Today we traveled about two hundred miles and are very close to the Ohio border. Who knows what we will see tomorrow….