Saturday, 9/30/17
On the road by 6:20 AM, just in time to watch the sunrise as
we headed east along I-90 through South Dakota, Minnesota, and into Wisconsin.
As we crossed the Missouri River in eastern South Dakota we took the advice of one the rangers at the Minute Man Visitors' Center and stopped to see the 50 foot statue “Dignity”, a recently erected memorial to Indian women. On a bluff directly overlooking the Missouri, the statue was very impressive.
Our campsite for the evening was room 212 in the Comfort
Inn. After 700 miles of driving, we were ready for a clean motel room with a shower. After 5 days without showers we were ready for a thorough cleaning!
After checking in to the motel, we headed for a local Mexican
restaurant that Joni discovered on Trip Advisor. It must have been a game day for the University of Wisconsin Badgers since almost all of the other customers were wearing red and white, the school's colors. College football is obviously a big deal in Wisconsin.
Sunday, 10/1/17
Up at 6 and on the road by 7, we headed for downtown Madison. Anyone that we've ever met from Madison has sung the city's praises, so we headed for a coffee shop in the downtown area so we judge for ourselves.
Madison is a big city, and it's the state capitol. It was pleasant enough, but our brief tour did not convince us that we must move there.
We had a shorter drive today, only 400 miles to my sister’s home in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Traffic was light until we got to Chicago,
but since it was Sunday morning, it was probably much lighter than it would
have been on a weekday. We stopped for
lunch at "Culvers", a Mid-Western version of Friendly’s, just outside Kalamazoo. Culvers is a step up from McDonalds and their milkshakes are made with frozen custard. We like them!
We arrived at my sister’s around 3:45 pm, and had a
wonderful time visiting with Wendy, Carl, and my nephew, Scott, his wife,
Michelle, and their two young sons, Ryan and Evan. Wendy put together a great dinner of
barbecue; pulled pork, ribs, creamed corn, and salad.
Monday, 10/2/17
Wendy, Carl, Joni, and I drove to Windsor, Ontario for the
morning, visiting a public garden that still had many beautiful blooming
plants. Hard to believe it’s
October!
Before returning to Detroit, we drove along the river, taking in some great views of the Motor City's downtown. Detroit is coming back and definitely recovering the the crash of the auto industry that so decimated the city a few decades ago.
Heading back into Detroit drove to Belle Isle, a city park right in the middle of the river that separates Detroit and Windsor. Wendy discovered a picture of our father at age one, with his mother on Belle Isle, taken in 1922. Why they were on Belle Isle is a mystery since they lived in Bayonne, New Jersey.
For lunch we dined in Greek Town, enjoying authentic Greek food at Pegasus. On our way back to West Bloomfield we drove past “Hitsville, USA”, Barry Gordy’s modest recording studio where Motown was born. Unfortunately it was closed on Mondays, so we couldn't take the tour. That would have been fun; so many of the songs that define our teenage years were recorded right there!
Monday night dinner was at a nearby Mexican restaurant. It was very good; we can’t get enough of it.
Tuesday, 10/3/17
In the morning we toured Ford’s Rouge Plant in Dearborn where
F-150’s are assembled, and in the afternoon we toured the Ford Museum which
includes cars, trains, & planes.
Both were really fascinating…I highly recommend both to anyone who likes
any of these modes of transportation.
Henry Ford’s contribution to the industrial age and our American culture
is certainly impressive.
the original mid engine Mustang 1 prototype
it's not a Ford, but it certainly epitomized 50's cars
Jimmy Clark's Ford powered Lotus, the first rear engine car to win the Indy 500
Nash Rambler
Pratt & Whitney engine with Hamilton props
600+ tons and 76 feet long, one of the last coal powered steam engines ever built
For dinner we went for elegance, dining on the lakefront
terrace of one of the finest restaurants in the West Bloomfield area. I can't remember the name, but it was good!
Wednesday, 10/5/17
500 miles across Ontario to Massena, New York, where we’ll
be spending two nights with Joni’s Aunt Roey.
Traffic around Toronto was very heavy…can’t imagine dealing with that
every day…but we made good time and crossed back into the US at Ogdensburg, New
York, around 4 pm.
Who wouldn't drive 500 miles for a slice of Sergi's pizza?
