The first two groups stopped in Newark, Ohio and checked out the Longaberger Basket Building (neat). Our group (Bob and Pat, John and Judy, and Will) then went on to Holmes County, Ohio to tour through Amish country. We had fresh homemade pie in Charm and stumbled onto a steam power show just outside of Charm where they were using the old steam traction engines to thresh, run a sawmill and generally smoke up the countryside with coal smoke. We stopped, walked around, took a bunch of pictures, and had some home made ice cream made on site with a John Deere stationary engine. We then pressed on to Mt. Hope and Lehmann’s Hardware store and the Lone Star Quilt shop. Holmes County is just a neat place, lots of buggies on the road, manicured farms, and life going on at a different pace from another time.
Our group of three ended up in Weirton WV, and we think Dave and Susan J. stayed in Greensberg, PA, and Ted and Susan K. in Wheeling, WV. We couldn’t raise Jack and Don last night. We will be completely scattered for the rest of the way into Mansfield, MA. From here on in, all the cars will be traveling alone, because we all seem to have different places to go and people to see. We will stay in touch with cell phones and emails and try to keep the blog up to date.
Last night, Pat and I went to a dinner with family and when we came out to leave found we had no lights and a booming thunderstorm bearing down on us. A few probes with the test light showed no power to the switch box. I think a wire has parted inside the wiring loom, power goes in one end of the wire and doesn't come out the other end. (We drove on some rough stretches of highway yesterday where each seam was a heck of a jolt to the suspension.) Dug out my last alligator jumper and lit the headlights (just as it started to pour down rain) and used my flashers for taillights to get back to our lodging.
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Day 9
As we were all anxious to leave Dayton and the Wendy’s cuisine well behind us, we made a record getaway at 6:20AM. After loading all our luggage back out the window of our room, we sped off in the direction of outta here. We figured that if we left anything behind, Econo Lodge could have it.
Hwy 70 was our route out of the city, and everything went well until we reached Columbus, where my sophisticated navigation system failed, and we temporarily lost Patti & Bob and Will in circumnavigating the city. Got back on track, and headed for Newark, where we visited the home office of Longaberger Baskets…the building is a five story replica of a woven basket complete with 75 ton handles.
But the high point of the day was driving through Amish country farmland, where the majority of the homes have no electrical power, and family transportation is the signature black horse-drawn carriage. We stopped for a power exhibition of ancient steam threshers and other farm equipment hosted by the Mennonites. It was in the middle of a three day run, and the air was filled with coal smoke and steam from many old machines dating from the beginning of the last century. Bob Meneely and the guys enjoyed it tremendously. The ladies? Eh! The town of Charm has a little diner where we gorged on pie an ice cream, then we shopped in the local hardware store where the locals buy their kerosene lamps and other non-modern supplies.
But we had to wind this neat part of the day up so we could reach Weirton, West Virginia another hundred miles away. Patti has some relatives there she’s going to visit for a few days, and Bob will be having a re-union with some boyhood friends…that’s the good news. The bad news is that we won’t be seeing them for a few days, as we and Will complete the last leg of our country crossing to Mansfield. What started out as a six car convoy of Model A’s nine days ago has dwindled to two.
The advance group of two cars consisting of Dave/Susan & Ted/Susan is somewhere north of us… on a different route.
We never were going to Boston, by the way. Mansfield/Foxboro is somewhat outside the Boston area…”Boston” was just shorthand to avoid all the explaining. Just like my attempt to head off questions about the year of the truck by stenciling “29” on the rock guard in front of the radiator…people still ask. In fact, today someone stated “you didn’t drive those cars all the way from California…they were on a trailer”. I wish. I’m tired. Drove almost 400 miles today. We’re all more tired than we want to admit. On to Hazleton, Pennsylvania.
Weirton, West Virginia
John & Judy and another A
Ooooh, I love that countryside. I'm jealous of the quiltship and the Longaberger factory!! Mark is jealous of the steam show!
Thank goodness Pat finally got to see something besides cars, trains and automobiles. I, too, loved the Ohio Amish countryside. We were there on a Sunday and whole families where in their carriages out for an afternoon drive. Have fun at the family renunion.
Janet
Ken and Ruth Say: Hi Bob and Pat!! Now that you've had a taste of Indy cars, are you going to trade in your speedster? Keep all the great pictures and updates coming. Sounds like you are enjoying all sights and experiences along the way. Hope you have marked the ice cream stops, too!
We enjoyed the cell phone call from Will Friday at the ROMEO breakfast. I took Tom Boyd to the SV Sr Ctr PC lab to view the site..it is great! Glad you are having a great time.
UPDATE FROM JACK CASTOR
Don Stewart and I were last to leave Dayton. We were able to drive through Ohio, West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania. We stopped at a Mom and Pop motel just short of Bedford. It was probably the oldest of our accommodations so far, but was superbly maintained. Our village was so small we had no choice of where to take supper. We were the guests of the woman bartender of the VFW, which was across the street. We had a thinly-battered fried cod dinner, complete with stewed tomatoes. Beers were $1.25 a bottle, and we each drank two. I slept very well.
On Saturday we drove past Shanksville, where the road to the 9/11 crash site was marked. We continued through the city of Gettysburg, past the Harley-Davidson factory in York, to Lancaster. Then we drove through Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse. We made a stop at Gene Renninger's Model A parts store, where I bought some curtain sockets. He didn't stock the generator parts I need. We continued through Amish country to Shillington, where we sampled and bought Sturgis pretzels. I didn't have room for all the pretzels I wanted. Afterward we got some birch beer.
Now we are staying at my cousin's farm near Reading, Pennsylvania. Tomorrow we will change oil, grease the car, adjust the brakes, and make some minor repairs.
The car is running well, though the horn does not want to work when we encounter heavy rain, which we had twice today.
We are looking forward to meeting up with you tomorrow in Mansfield. We are leaving our house in Gilroy at 4:00 AM and our daughter is Driving us to the airport for our 6:30 AM Flight.
Molly will probably wait until we turn onto RRR before she heads to Patty and Dave's, her Foster Patents, for the week.
We are ready for all weather conditions with shorts and rain gear.Plus our Era Clothing.We have enough for at least 2 months. You know how we travel light!!
Our flight arrives Boston at 5:05 PM. Expect to arrive at Comfort Inn by 7:00PM.
Glenn and Vicki
Sounds like you guys had another busy day.The basket picture is great. Hope all goes well for everyone. Looking forward to the next update.
--Just got home--Nice plane ride--Mike Bowen in West Chicago Gave Ken and I a ride to the Airport--He is one nice guy!!He has a very nice 30 Fordoor that he is asking 12000 --Looks a lot like Wildmans car but not quite as nice--I hope all goes well for the travelers--I will return a week from Tuesday to rejoin the jurney West--I had the best time with you guys--Thanks alot for letting me tag along--bill rose
enjoying the trip and the pictures.
My wife and I were in Virginia Beach last weekend and had the same rainstorms and lightning. Lloyd (tennis)
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