Delivery Day
Thanking the Lord for a great night's sleep and a continental breakfast to get us going on this sunny day!
On the road headed east, but not enjoying the 20 mph south wind hitting us from the side! Papa is not just steering, he is "hanging on to the steering wheel! We are rocking and rolling down the interstate.
Acres and acres of farm land being tilled, having fertilizer applied and some still being harvested. Nearing Indianapolis and into rolling hills with areas of trees. Leaves have all fallen making trunks & branches grey & brown against the blue sky with a carpet of green grass. Getting cloudy.
As we get near Kentucky we see horse ranches. We have left the clouds behind and can feel the warmth of the sun.
Into Louisville on Interstate 65, across the Ohio River, remembering last years visit to Jeffersonville's Steamboat Museum and following the Ohio back east! (check last years blog)
Through the main gate of Kentucky State Fair & Expo Center and to the Winnebago staging area. Not the first and not the last of the 45 units to arrive. Unpack, unhook, check-in, paperwork signed, short visit with show hosts & back on I-65 south headed for Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Some leaves are still on the trees making shades of brown & tan on the hillsides. Curves! It has been a "straight" route until we started into these low mountains. The interstate is "cut" through the mountain leaving steep rock sides. Looks like shale with a very thin layer of top soil on top.
Super 8 is our "home" for the night. Cracker Barrel down the road served a great roast beef supper. We like the fried okra and hot cornmeal muffins. We have had some interesting experiences in the past at the restaurant chain, but tonight they did a super job!
Thanking the Lord for another safe delivery!
Check in as we share what we are seeing along the way!
Prairie Schooners
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
2008 Louisville, Kentucky
Pick-Up Day
Call came late in PM telling us a 37 ft Winnebago Sightseer was on the lot and ready to pick-up.
Early AM in the cold & dark heading north, watching the pinks of the sunrise over the frosty harvested fields.
What a change from the last units we have had. This is "BIG" and a beautiful bronze, blue & dark cherry color scheme inside & out with cherry cabinets. Two slide outs on each side, full length leather sofa, 3 TV sets connected to a satellite system, a fire place & a $147,000 price tag! This would have been great for sleeping. (Because the RV show is inside we cannot have any LP to run a heater, but will get reimbursed for our motel room.)
With the 75 gal tank we only had to do one partial fill to complete the 680 mile trip. Great to see lower gas prices with the 6 mpg!
Great day of traveling. Papa is liking to be back driving a "BIG" one even if it is not a diesel pusher! I'm lovin' the large flat desk-like dash for maps! Happy Campers!
Combines finishing harvest. Fragrance of freshly turned soil as they till the harvested fields. Windmills on wind farms silhouetted on the horizon. Steam rising in huge clouds from ethanol plants.
Found a parking place(last one available for us) for the "elephant" at the Days Inn in Morton, Illinois. Comfortable room.
A thumbs down for Hardee's new Mexican menu! Pictures look great, but the grilled chicken burrito was cold and dry with very little filling. Dab of beans & rice was also cold & dry. We'll eat our Mexican at our local Honk & Holler in Hampton!
How about some old Clint Eastwood movies for entertainment tonite!
Check in and we'll talk to you along the way!
Prairie Schooners
Call came late in PM telling us a 37 ft Winnebago Sightseer was on the lot and ready to pick-up.
Early AM in the cold & dark heading north, watching the pinks of the sunrise over the frosty harvested fields.
What a change from the last units we have had. This is "BIG" and a beautiful bronze, blue & dark cherry color scheme inside & out with cherry cabinets. Two slide outs on each side, full length leather sofa, 3 TV sets connected to a satellite system, a fire place & a $147,000 price tag! This would have been great for sleeping. (Because the RV show is inside we cannot have any LP to run a heater, but will get reimbursed for our motel room.)
With the 75 gal tank we only had to do one partial fill to complete the 680 mile trip. Great to see lower gas prices with the 6 mpg!
Great day of traveling. Papa is liking to be back driving a "BIG" one even if it is not a diesel pusher! I'm lovin' the large flat desk-like dash for maps! Happy Campers!
Combines finishing harvest. Fragrance of freshly turned soil as they till the harvested fields. Windmills on wind farms silhouetted on the horizon. Steam rising in huge clouds from ethanol plants.
Found a parking place(last one available for us) for the "elephant" at the Days Inn in Morton, Illinois. Comfortable room.
A thumbs down for Hardee's new Mexican menu! Pictures look great, but the grilled chicken burrito was cold and dry with very little filling. Dab of beans & rice was also cold & dry. We'll eat our Mexican at our local Honk & Holler in Hampton!
How about some old Clint Eastwood movies for entertainment tonite!
Check in and we'll talk to you along the way!
Prairie Schooners
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Greenville, Ohio --Continued!
The Garst Museum is several museums under one roof plus a geneology library.
The Lowell Thomas Birthplace was closed the day we were there.
The Lower Floor is filled with a variety of items used in the past. It includes a display of sewing machines made over the last 200 years, early laundry equipment, a surrey with a fringe on top, farm equipment, and the "Iddings Special. This car was built in Greenville & raced at Indianapolis by a local driver, winning in 1948.
This is a picture of an antique cash register. Wires were strung throughout the store connecting each check-our area with the store's business office. Money/checks received at the check-out area were put into the metal container and it was sent to the office. Change or a receipt was put into the container and sent back to the check-out for the customer! Yes, it was used at a JC Penney near us, but also in a small-town store in our community when I was growing up. It was fun to watch the little metal container travel all over the store!!
A machine from the Corning Company showed the molds used to make glass ware for cars.They manufactured the covers for headlights as well as pyrex ware.
The Annie Oakley Center
Annie Oakley,born in a log cabin near Greenville, was named Phoebe Ann, but her sisters called her Annie. Her father died when she was young. She learned to use her father's 40-inch cap and ball Kentucky rifle to hunt game to sell during her teen years.
As her reputation grew she was pitted against Frank Butler, a champion marksman whom she beat and eventually married. She took the name Annie Oakley. They went on the road to entertain eventually joining the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show.
One of her acts was to ride into the arena on a bicycle while shooting targets thrown in the air.
She taught women to shoot a gun for sport and to protect themselves.
She and Frank literally lived out of a trunk, coming back to Greenville to visit family whenever possible.
They carried an Armstrong Table Stove for cooking. It was a portable electric toaster and egg cooker. No McDonalds so had to make their own egg McMuffin!
Her motto: "Aim high at a high mark and you will hit it.
No, not the first time, nor the second, and maybe not the third.
But keep on aiming and keep on shooting.
For only practice will make you perfect.
Finally you'll hit the bull's eye of Success."
The Village's Wing
Nineteen rooms set up as stores as seen in late 1800's thru the early 1900's including a telephone office, apothecary shop(drug store), Doctor & Dentist office, Post Office, Barber Shop and Beauty Shop.
Wm. A. Lohmann was a wagon maker whose sons studied astronomy & optics (science of light). Two years after his son, Ed, graduated from High School he started a business of making telescopes in his dad's shop. In 1895 he built his first telescope. During the next 40 years, Ed helped build some of the most famous telescopes still in use today in US & European capitols.
The biggest lens he built was shipped from Greenville on a flat car and is part of Mt. Wilson Observatory Telescope in Los Angeles, CA.
Military History
This exhibit contains military uniforms from Army, Navy, marines, Air Force, & Coast Guard along with memorabilia from every war since the War of 1812, with the exception of the Mexican American War.
The exhibit of Lt. Commander Zachary Lansdowne, Captain of the USS Shenandoah, a Navy dirigible shows pictures of the crash. The USS Shenandoah was on a promotional flight to the midwest which included flyover of 40 cities and visits to State Fairs.
Commander Lansddowne, a native of Greenville, had protested the flight because of the violent weather conditions that were common in Ohio in late summer. His pleas for cancellation only led to postponement because his superiors were anxious to publicize airship technology and justify the huge cost of the airship to the taxpayer.
While passing through an area of thunderstorm and turbulence over Ohio early in the morning on September 3, 1925 the airship was torn apart and crashed in several pieces. The Commander and 13 others were killed. Twenty-nine survivors succeeded in riding 3 sections of the airship to the ground. It is believed that because the airship contained helium, which does not react chemically with air, it did not burn.
Indian History Section
Darke County, Ohio has an active archaeological dig. Artifacts from as early as the 1700's are in the exhibits.
The Indians planted the 3 Sisters, corn, beans & squash, together. The corn stalk became a support for the bean plant and the squash would cover the ground to keep the weeds from growing! Let's try that next spring in our garden!
Greenville was home to the Great Indian leader, Tecumseh, for several years. He was a Shawnee chief, a commanding speaker who tried to organize a mighty Indian confederation against the English. He did not sign the Treaty fo GreeneVille in 1795.
In the Ohio and Great Lakes region the Indians lived in very much he same manner as did the first white pioneers who settled in the west. The Indians in the Nothwest Territory, however, were basically nomads. They had a simple hunting and agriculture economy because of being on the move. This and the conflicts between tribes contributed to a limited population.
American History Section
Do you remember the Treaty of Greene Ville from history class?
As the frontier of settlement along the Atlantic Ocean filled in, the pressure of increasing population pushed some people westward. The mountains were a barrier until the American Revolution. As the white people moved west into the home lands and hunting grounds of the Indian tribes it was inevitable that there would be conflict. When the Americans began to enter the Ohio Valley, the Indians felt pressed to defend themselves.
Forts will built in the area and recruiting began for the start of an army for the United States.
In 1790,President George Washington sent an army against the Indians. Finally in 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated the Indians. He built several forts in the area and recruited men to build up an army for the United States.
General Wayne invited the Indian tribes to Fort Greene Ville to a peace conference. From January to July, 1795, tribal representatives came into the headquarters camp. General Wayne was responsible for providing for the soldiers & their families as well as about 1100 Indians that came for the peace negotiations.
After smoking the Calumet, or Pipe of Peace, the treaty was signed on August 3, 1795. This opened up settlement into what was called the Old Northwest Territory.
Another page in our country's history.
Again we felt "overload" from all that we had seen and read.
The "home magnet" was pulling as we headed west for the Interstate to take us back to our Prairie Home!
Thanking the Lord for another adventure,
Prairie Schooners
The Lower Floor is filled with a variety of items used in the past. It includes a display of sewing machines made over the last 200 years, early laundry equipment, a surrey with a fringe on top, farm equipment, and the "Iddings Special. This car was built in Greenville & raced at Indianapolis by a local driver, winning in 1948.
This is a picture of an antique cash register. Wires were strung throughout the store connecting each check-our area with the store's business office. Money/checks received at the check-out area were put into the metal container and it was sent to the office. Change or a receipt was put into the container and sent back to the check-out for the customer! Yes, it was used at a JC Penney near us, but also in a small-town store in our community when I was growing up. It was fun to watch the little metal container travel all over the store!!
A machine from the Corning Company showed the molds used to make glass ware for cars.They manufactured the covers for headlights as well as pyrex ware.
The Annie Oakley Center
Annie Oakley,born in a log cabin near Greenville, was named Phoebe Ann, but her sisters called her Annie. Her father died when she was young. She learned to use her father's 40-inch cap and ball Kentucky rifle to hunt game to sell during her teen years.
As her reputation grew she was pitted against Frank Butler, a champion marksman whom she beat and eventually married. She took the name Annie Oakley. They went on the road to entertain eventually joining the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show.
One of her acts was to ride into the arena on a bicycle while shooting targets thrown in the air.
She taught women to shoot a gun for sport and to protect themselves.
She and Frank literally lived out of a trunk, coming back to Greenville to visit family whenever possible.
They carried an Armstrong Table Stove for cooking. It was a portable electric toaster and egg cooker. No McDonalds so had to make their own egg McMuffin!
Her motto: "Aim high at a high mark and you will hit it.
No, not the first time, nor the second, and maybe not the third.
But keep on aiming and keep on shooting.
For only practice will make you perfect.
Finally you'll hit the bull's eye of Success."
The Village's Wing
Nineteen rooms set up as stores as seen in late 1800's thru the early 1900's including a telephone office, apothecary shop(drug store), Doctor & Dentist office, Post Office, Barber Shop and Beauty Shop.
Wm. A. Lohmann was a wagon maker whose sons studied astronomy & optics (science of light). Two years after his son, Ed, graduated from High School he started a business of making telescopes in his dad's shop. In 1895 he built his first telescope. During the next 40 years, Ed helped build some of the most famous telescopes still in use today in US & European capitols.
The biggest lens he built was shipped from Greenville on a flat car and is part of Mt. Wilson Observatory Telescope in Los Angeles, CA.
Military History
This exhibit contains military uniforms from Army, Navy, marines, Air Force, & Coast Guard along with memorabilia from every war since the War of 1812, with the exception of the Mexican American War.
The exhibit of Lt. Commander Zachary Lansdowne, Captain of the USS Shenandoah, a Navy dirigible shows pictures of the crash. The USS Shenandoah was on a promotional flight to the midwest which included flyover of 40 cities and visits to State Fairs.
Commander Lansddowne, a native of Greenville, had protested the flight because of the violent weather conditions that were common in Ohio in late summer. His pleas for cancellation only led to postponement because his superiors were anxious to publicize airship technology and justify the huge cost of the airship to the taxpayer.
While passing through an area of thunderstorm and turbulence over Ohio early in the morning on September 3, 1925 the airship was torn apart and crashed in several pieces. The Commander and 13 others were killed. Twenty-nine survivors succeeded in riding 3 sections of the airship to the ground. It is believed that because the airship contained helium, which does not react chemically with air, it did not burn.
Indian History Section
Darke County, Ohio has an active archaeological dig. Artifacts from as early as the 1700's are in the exhibits.
The Indians planted the 3 Sisters, corn, beans & squash, together. The corn stalk became a support for the bean plant and the squash would cover the ground to keep the weeds from growing! Let's try that next spring in our garden!
Greenville was home to the Great Indian leader, Tecumseh, for several years. He was a Shawnee chief, a commanding speaker who tried to organize a mighty Indian confederation against the English. He did not sign the Treaty fo GreeneVille in 1795.
In the Ohio and Great Lakes region the Indians lived in very much he same manner as did the first white pioneers who settled in the west. The Indians in the Nothwest Territory, however, were basically nomads. They had a simple hunting and agriculture economy because of being on the move. This and the conflicts between tribes contributed to a limited population.
American History Section
Do you remember the Treaty of Greene Ville from history class?
As the frontier of settlement along the Atlantic Ocean filled in, the pressure of increasing population pushed some people westward. The mountains were a barrier until the American Revolution. As the white people moved west into the home lands and hunting grounds of the Indian tribes it was inevitable that there would be conflict. When the Americans began to enter the Ohio Valley, the Indians felt pressed to defend themselves.
Forts will built in the area and recruiting began for the start of an army for the United States.
In 1790,President George Washington sent an army against the Indians. Finally in 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated the Indians. He built several forts in the area and recruited men to build up an army for the United States.
General Wayne invited the Indian tribes to Fort Greene Ville to a peace conference. From January to July, 1795, tribal representatives came into the headquarters camp. General Wayne was responsible for providing for the soldiers & their families as well as about 1100 Indians that came for the peace negotiations.
After smoking the Calumet, or Pipe of Peace, the treaty was signed on August 3, 1795. This opened up settlement into what was called the Old Northwest Territory.
Another page in our country's history.
Again we felt "overload" from all that we had seen and read.
The "home magnet" was pulling as we headed west for the Interstate to take us back to our Prairie Home!
Thanking the Lord for another adventure,
Prairie Schooners
Greenville, Ohio
Just looking at the map you would never know the history that we found in Greenville, OH just an hour drive north of Dayton. From the information we picked up at the Welcome Center we chose the KitchenAid plant tour and the Garst Museum. It was a rainy day making "inside" activities a good choice!
KitchenAid Stand Mixer Factory Tour
This hour tour was conducted by one of the "production associates" (workers) after we put on our walkman(to hear over the factory noise) and safety glasses furnished by the company.
The first mixer was displayed in their heritage exhibit showing the improvements over the years. All of the attachments old and new fit all of the mixers old or new. What a concept--leaving that part of the mixer unchanged! So if you can find attachments in a thrift store they will fit your mixer no matter what year you purchased it. The same goes for the bowls--any age bowl will fit any age mixer. They are making glass ones again making it possible to use them in the microwave.
The first KitchenAid stand mixer was produced for commercial bakers in 1908. A husband made a smaller version for his wife in 1919. It weighed 68 pounds. It took him 4 days to make one mixer. The housewives would sell them door-to-door for $189. Part of there selling point was that it was a great kitchen aid, this became their name!
KitchenAid Stand Mixer Factory Tour
This hour tour was conducted by one of the "production associates" (workers) after we put on our walkman(to hear over the factory noise) and safety glasses furnished by the company.
The first mixer was displayed in their heritage exhibit showing the improvements over the years. All of the attachments old and new fit all of the mixers old or new. What a concept--leaving that part of the mixer unchanged! So if you can find attachments in a thrift store they will fit your mixer no matter what year you purchased it. The same goes for the bowls--any age bowl will fit any age mixer. They are making glass ones again making it possible to use them in the microwave.
The first KitchenAid stand mixer was produced for commercial bakers in 1908. A husband made a smaller version for his wife in 1919. It weighed 68 pounds. It took him 4 days to make one mixer. The housewives would sell them door-to-door for $189. Part of there selling point was that it was a great kitchen aid, this became their name!
Today, they make hundreds of mixers every day in at least 50 different colors! The motors on the stand mixers are assembled at the plant.
Drop-in motors are used in the hand mixers and blenders.
The gear is made from kevlar. The same material used in bullet-proof vests.
A mixer is pulled off the line, taken apart and checked. If something is wrong all the mixers made from that time are taken off and checked. Quality control seems very evident.
You can call the 800 number listed on the band around your mixer and get any information you might need. There is a real person to talk to you!
Any mixer that leaves a store has to be returned to the factory and be completely taken apart and reassembled before it can be resold. It is labeled refurbished. This includes the wedding gift that is returned unopened.
This is true for their other appliances, also.
Buying a refurbished mixer/appliance can be a good deal!
We were impressed with how clean and neat the factory appeared with all the activity that goes with manufacturing!
Drop-in motors are used in the hand mixers and blenders.
The gear is made from kevlar. The same material used in bullet-proof vests.
A mixer is pulled off the line, taken apart and checked. If something is wrong all the mixers made from that time are taken off and checked. Quality control seems very evident.
You can call the 800 number listed on the band around your mixer and get any information you might need. There is a real person to talk to you!
Any mixer that leaves a store has to be returned to the factory and be completely taken apart and reassembled before it can be resold. It is labeled refurbished. This includes the wedding gift that is returned unopened.
This is true for their other appliances, also.
Buying a refurbished mixer/appliance can be a good deal!
We were impressed with how clean and neat the factory appeared with all the activity that goes with manufacturing!
Of course we were encouraged to drive uptown and visit their store!
Drool! Drool! What a variety of fun "kitchen aids" in a rainbow of colors!
We did purchase a mesh permanent filter to put in our coffee pot, hopefully no more coffee grounds in cup because that paper filter folded up!
Drool! Drool! What a variety of fun "kitchen aids" in a rainbow of colors!
We did purchase a mesh permanent filter to put in our coffee pot, hopefully no more coffee grounds in cup because that paper filter folded up!
A short drive to the Museum.
See you there!
Prairie Schooners
See you there!
Prairie Schooners
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Dayton, Ohio
There is much to see in the Dayton area. What a decision! The Aviation Trail has more than 30 sites open to the public to show the areas unique aviation heritage.
If you are going to the area check out aviationtrailinc.org on line.
National Museum of the United States Air Force
This is an awesome place. It is huge! It is free! It is full of history! We were there all day and did not even see three of the 5 buildings and one of them we practically ran through! It is located next to Wright-Patterson AFB. Easy to get to and plenty of parking space. There is no way we can tell you everything we saw so will give you some highlights and unusual items we discovered.
Imax Theatre:
There is a charge to see any of the four films shown daily. We watched Space Station. Seven Space Shuttle crews and two resident station crews transform the International Space Station into a permanently inhabited scientific research station. What views of earth! What challenges!
Early Years Gallery:
This section starts with the earliest days of military aviation, starting with the Wright Brothers and continuing through the Mexican Punitive Expedition, World War I, research and development in the l930's and the the US preparation for World War II.
The first airplane, built by Wright Brothers, actually used bicycle like chain and sprockets powered by a motor.
The first monoplane pilots were put in a plane with "clipped" wings, it could not actually "take off". They had to learn to control the rudder by bouncing across the air field. Once they could do a straight course they were given a plane with wings that could fly!
Editorial cartoons were criticizing Congress for not spending money on airplanes. One of them had a picture of an eagle without any wing feathers!
The pilots in the first high altitude flights of 4,167 feet were exposed to extreme cold. One newspaper article stated that it "was strength of will that saved the aviator from being dashed to earth. He steps into the rank of experts and adds to his days total of 12 flights."
WWI airplanes were built in Dayton, Ohio.
Because of lack of combat airplanes, American flying cadets had only primary flight instruction in the US & Canada. They were flown or shipped to England to get advanced instruction before flying in combat.
To meet the overwhelming expansion schedule for the aviation sector in WWI, 27,000 officers and men were assigned to Spruce Division. They worked in forests and lumber mills to supply sufficient wood for building planes. Castor Oil was needed for lubrication. 100,000 acres in southern US was planted with Castor beans.
The pilots flew in open cockpits. To provide them with sufficient protective clothes 450,000 Nuchwang dog skins were purchased from China.
Planes from other countries are also displayed! A Fokker D.VII German Fighter plane like the real Red Baron, Baron Monfred von Richthofen, flew was hanging above us. It actually had superior flying performance over the Allied fighter planes.
Original Google Earth----airplanes with holes cut in bottom and cameras mounted inside. First camera used one vertical and four oblique lenses to take surveillance pictures. To take night pictures a magnesium bomb was dropped with the camera synchronized to take a picture when it flashed! Because that was too dangerous in WWII they switched to strobe lights.
Presidential Gallery
We took a bus ride into the old Wright Field flight line on the AFB to walk through the hanger with the collection of 9 Presidential aircraft and the Research/Development experimental aircraft collection.
The picture was taken on President Eisenhower's,VC-121E, named Columbine III. Note the size of the hangar. You can walk around and under the planes, too!
The planes are set up for you to
enter the front door behind the cockpit
and walk through the plane viewing it from the aisle and exit at the rear of the plane. Each one has a communication center for the President, areas for the press, seats at the front and back door for secret service and a private area for the President.
President Roosevelt's, C-54C, called "Sacred Cow", had an elevator in the rear to accommodate his wheel chair.
"Air Force One", a VC-137C, known as SAM(Special Air Mission)2600 is the Boeing 707 that flew President Kennedy's body back to Washington D.C. from Dallas. It was the site of President Lyndon Johnson's swearing in. It also served every president from Kennedy to Clinton.
President Truman's, "Independence" is also in this hangar.
The Research/Development/Flight Test Gallery
The Tacit Blue was built in 1996 to demonstrate that a low observable surveillance aircraft with low probability of intercept by radar could operate close to the forward line of battle. This was the beginning of the stealth technology advances.
The Chance Vought XC-142A built in 1964 looked like a helicopter with wings. It could hoover or pivot the wings to take off vertically!
Air Power Gallery
All the heroism and drama of World War II air power is in this hangar's exhibits and memorabilia. Planes from other countries are a part of this exhibit.
Walt Disney Studio Artists drew insignias for WWII military units. Walt Disney said,"The insigna meant a lot to the men who were flying. I had to do it.....I owed it to them."
The Dutch acquired more land by pumping the water from various sections of the Zuider Zee, a former shallow inlet of the North Sea. After pumping a sector dry, they often discover the remains of aircraft which crashed into water during WWII.These artifacts were donated to the USAF by the Royal Netherland AF.
In September l942, Glenn Miller, one of America's greatest dance band leaders of the period, disbanded his orchestra so he could join the Army Air Force. Within a year he organized and perfected a group of dance band musicians into the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band! Next to letters from home the band was a great morale builder for the troops as it made appearances anywhere that US servicemen were stationed as well as doing radio broadcasts.
Bob Hope had an area displaying his visits to the troops, also.
Prejudice and Memory/A Holocaust Exhibit
A hallway between the buildings contained a replica of a ghetto with pictures and stories of what took place during the Nazi persecution. Even some US military personnel were confined to POW camps and sent to concentration camps. Stories of how the survivors have lived their lives is inspiring. Could I have experienced those horrors and learned to live a purposeful life? That is what the Lord can do when we put our trust in Him!
One wall has a time-line from 1900 to 1950 showing events in the world during that time. It was interesting to see that Germany was going through an economic depression in the 1930's at the same time that it was experienced in America. This was the time that Hitler started to rise in power. (A lesson for today???) During the time of the holocaust black people in America were suffering from lack of civil rights.
B-36J Bomber
After an announcement that the museum would close in an hour Papa Jim went to the information desk to find out where the B-36 Bomber was located. They graciously gave us a map with directions so we could walk directly to it.
He remembers hearing this plane fly over their farm when he was young. It was the first intercontinental bomber. Began flying in 1947 and continued through the 1950's. It is no wonder he could hear it! It is powered by six 3,800 HP Pratt & Whitney radial piston engines and four 5,200# thrust General Electric turbojets. It has a maximum speed of 411 mph at 36,400 ft!
World War II Tower/Nissen Hut/Air Park
After the Museum closed we drove to an area that had several planes parked outside beside a reproduction of a WWII Control Tower that was used by the USAF in England.
A simple brick & tin structure called a Nissen Hut was used by the USAF to house the pilots in England. Despite being muddy, leaky & cold they were cheap and wuickly built as well as versitile. It was closed, but we could look at the planes.
One of them was a German Fokker tri-plane that looked like it was made out of corrugated metal!
Snoopy Nose
During the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense needed a mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations. In a joint project, NASA and the Do
During the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense needed a mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations. In a joint project, NASA and the DoD contracted with the McDonnell Douglas and the Bendix Corporations to modify eight Boeing C-135 Stratolifter cargo aircraft into Apollo/Range Instrumentation Aircraft. Equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish in its distinctive “Droop Snoot” or “Snoopy Nose,” the EC-135N A/RIA became operational in January 1968. The Air Force Eastern Test Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., maintained and operated the A/RIA until the end of the Apollo program in 1972 when the USAF renamed it the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft.
Transferred to the 4950th Test Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in December 1975 as part of an overall consolidation of large test and evaluation aircraft, the ARIA fleet underwent numerous conversions.
In 1994 the ARIA fleet relocated to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., as part of the 412th Test Wing; however, taskings for the ARIA dwindled because of high costs and improved satellite technology, and the USAF transferred the aircraft to other programs such as J-STARS (Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System).
On Nov. 3, 2000, a flight crew from the Air Force Flight Test Center delivered the last EC-135E (serial number 60-374, nicknamed “The Bird of Prey”) to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Over its 32-year career, the ARIA supported the U.S. space program, gathered telemetry, verified international treaties and supported cruise missile and ballistic missile defense tests.
This was a FULL day of INPUT!
See you along the way,
Prairie Schooners
If you are going to the area check out aviationtrailinc.org on line.
National Museum of the United States Air Force
This is an awesome place. It is huge! It is free! It is full of history! We were there all day and did not even see three of the 5 buildings and one of them we practically ran through! It is located next to Wright-Patterson AFB. Easy to get to and plenty of parking space. There is no way we can tell you everything we saw so will give you some highlights and unusual items we discovered.
Imax Theatre:
There is a charge to see any of the four films shown daily. We watched Space Station. Seven Space Shuttle crews and two resident station crews transform the International Space Station into a permanently inhabited scientific research station. What views of earth! What challenges!
Early Years Gallery:
This section starts with the earliest days of military aviation, starting with the Wright Brothers and continuing through the Mexican Punitive Expedition, World War I, research and development in the l930's and the the US preparation for World War II.
The first airplane, built by Wright Brothers, actually used bicycle like chain and sprockets powered by a motor.
The first monoplane pilots were put in a plane with "clipped" wings, it could not actually "take off". They had to learn to control the rudder by bouncing across the air field. Once they could do a straight course they were given a plane with wings that could fly!
Editorial cartoons were criticizing Congress for not spending money on airplanes. One of them had a picture of an eagle without any wing feathers!
The pilots in the first high altitude flights of 4,167 feet were exposed to extreme cold. One newspaper article stated that it "was strength of will that saved the aviator from being dashed to earth. He steps into the rank of experts and adds to his days total of 12 flights."
WWI airplanes were built in Dayton, Ohio.
Because of lack of combat airplanes, American flying cadets had only primary flight instruction in the US & Canada. They were flown or shipped to England to get advanced instruction before flying in combat.
To meet the overwhelming expansion schedule for the aviation sector in WWI, 27,000 officers and men were assigned to Spruce Division. They worked in forests and lumber mills to supply sufficient wood for building planes. Castor Oil was needed for lubrication. 100,000 acres in southern US was planted with Castor beans.
The pilots flew in open cockpits. To provide them with sufficient protective clothes 450,000 Nuchwang dog skins were purchased from China.
Planes from other countries are also displayed! A Fokker D.VII German Fighter plane like the real Red Baron, Baron Monfred von Richthofen, flew was hanging above us. It actually had superior flying performance over the Allied fighter planes.
Original Google Earth----airplanes with holes cut in bottom and cameras mounted inside. First camera used one vertical and four oblique lenses to take surveillance pictures. To take night pictures a magnesium bomb was dropped with the camera synchronized to take a picture when it flashed! Because that was too dangerous in WWII they switched to strobe lights.
Presidential Gallery
We took a bus ride into the old Wright Field flight line on the AFB to walk through the hanger with the collection of 9 Presidential aircraft and the Research/Development experimental aircraft collection.
The picture was taken on President Eisenhower's,VC-121E, named Columbine III. Note the size of the hangar. You can walk around and under the planes, too!
The planes are set up for you to
enter the front door behind the cockpitand walk through the plane viewing it from the aisle and exit at the rear of the plane. Each one has a communication center for the President, areas for the press, seats at the front and back door for secret service and a private area for the President.
President Roosevelt's, C-54C, called "Sacred Cow", had an elevator in the rear to accommodate his wheel chair.
"Air Force One", a VC-137C, known as SAM(Special Air Mission)2600 is the Boeing 707 that flew President Kennedy's body back to Washington D.C. from Dallas. It was the site of President Lyndon Johnson's swearing in. It also served every president from Kennedy to Clinton.
President Truman's, "Independence" is also in this hangar.
The Research/Development/Flight Test Gallery
The Tacit Blue was built in 1996 to demonstrate that a low observable surveillance aircraft with low probability of intercept by radar could operate close to the forward line of battle. This was the beginning of the stealth technology advances.
The Chance Vought XC-142A built in 1964 looked like a helicopter with wings. It could hoover or pivot the wings to take off vertically!
Air Power Gallery
All the heroism and drama of World War II air power is in this hangar's exhibits and memorabilia. Planes from other countries are a part of this exhibit.
Walt Disney Studio Artists drew insignias for WWII military units. Walt Disney said,"The insigna meant a lot to the men who were flying. I had to do it.....I owed it to them."
The Dutch acquired more land by pumping the water from various sections of the Zuider Zee, a former shallow inlet of the North Sea. After pumping a sector dry, they often discover the remains of aircraft which crashed into water during WWII.These artifacts were donated to the USAF by the Royal Netherland AF.
In September l942, Glenn Miller, one of America's greatest dance band leaders of the period, disbanded his orchestra so he could join the Army Air Force. Within a year he organized and perfected a group of dance band musicians into the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band! Next to letters from home the band was a great morale builder for the troops as it made appearances anywhere that US servicemen were stationed as well as doing radio broadcasts.
Bob Hope had an area displaying his visits to the troops, also.
Prejudice and Memory/A Holocaust Exhibit
A hallway between the buildings contained a replica of a ghetto with pictures and stories of what took place during the Nazi persecution. Even some US military personnel were confined to POW camps and sent to concentration camps. Stories of how the survivors have lived their lives is inspiring. Could I have experienced those horrors and learned to live a purposeful life? That is what the Lord can do when we put our trust in Him!
One wall has a time-line from 1900 to 1950 showing events in the world during that time. It was interesting to see that Germany was going through an economic depression in the 1930's at the same time that it was experienced in America. This was the time that Hitler started to rise in power. (A lesson for today???) During the time of the holocaust black people in America were suffering from lack of civil rights.
B-36J Bomber
After an announcement that the museum would close in an hour Papa Jim went to the information desk to find out where the B-36 Bomber was located. They graciously gave us a map with directions so we could walk directly to it.
He remembers hearing this plane fly over their farm when he was young. It was the first intercontinental bomber. Began flying in 1947 and continued through the 1950's. It is no wonder he could hear it! It is powered by six 3,800 HP Pratt & Whitney radial piston engines and four 5,200# thrust General Electric turbojets. It has a maximum speed of 411 mph at 36,400 ft!
World War II Tower/Nissen Hut/Air Park
After the Museum closed we drove to an area that had several planes parked outside beside a reproduction of a WWII Control Tower that was used by the USAF in England.
A simple brick & tin structure called a Nissen Hut was used by the USAF to house the pilots in England. Despite being muddy, leaky & cold they were cheap and wuickly built as well as versitile. It was closed, but we could look at the planes.
One of them was a German Fokker tri-plane that looked like it was made out of corrugated metal!
Snoopy Nose
During the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense needed a mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations. In a joint project, NASA and the Do
During the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense needed a mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations. In a joint project, NASA and the DoD contracted with the McDonnell Douglas and the Bendix Corporations to modify eight Boeing C-135 Stratolifter cargo aircraft into Apollo/Range Instrumentation Aircraft. Equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish in its distinctive “Droop Snoot” or “Snoopy Nose,” the EC-135N A/RIA became operational in January 1968. The Air Force Eastern Test Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., maintained and operated the A/RIA until the end of the Apollo program in 1972 when the USAF renamed it the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft.
Transferred to the 4950th Test Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in December 1975 as part of an overall consolidation of large test and evaluation aircraft, the ARIA fleet underwent numerous conversions.
In 1994 the ARIA fleet relocated to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., as part of the 412th Test Wing; however, taskings for the ARIA dwindled because of high costs and improved satellite technology, and the USAF transferred the aircraft to other programs such as J-STARS (Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System).
On Nov. 3, 2000, a flight crew from the Air Force Flight Test Center delivered the last EC-135E (serial number 60-374, nicknamed “The Bird of Prey”) to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Over its 32-year career, the ARIA supported the U.S. space program, gathered telemetry, verified international treaties and supported cruise missile and ballistic missile defense tests.
This was a FULL day of INPUT!
See you along the way,
Prairie Schooners
Sunday, November 2, 2008
St. Cloud, MN
A short run to St. Cloud, MN would put us in the area where my brother and my parents live. A visit before the snow falls would be nice. One unit on the website to St. Cloud so we packed our bags and took off on a beautiful fall day.
We avoided the Minneapolis traffic by taking state Highway 15 north from the Iowa border all the way to the dealership. This is farming country with acres and acres of fields harvested, being harvested or waiting to be harvested! A wind farm, an ethanol plant, small towns and small lakes begging us to stop and fish.
We were "culverized" with a lunch at Culvers in Hutchison, MN. Their "Butter Burgers" are tasty as is the pot-roast sandwich.
About 30 miles from St. Cloud we started seeing the bluffs that extend to the Mississippi River. Most of the leaves have dropped so color is minimal.
Mora
After delivery a call to my brother to make plans to meet for supper at Freddie's Restaurant in Mora, near their home. Freddie's specialty is Barbque Ribs and Broasted Chicken. Good service, good food and a good visit.
Mora is famous for its twenty-five foot replica of the Dalacarlia Horse which is carved in several Swedish villages. It is a symbol of Mora's sister city relationship with the city of Mora in Sweden. The Dala Horse is visible through out the community on signs, in business places and home decorations.
Another symbol of this relationship is the brightly colored Mora Klocka. The twenty foot clock is located in the center of Mora.
The Vasaloppet Cross Country Ski Race takes place every winter in February starting and ending in Mora. There is a thirty nine foot tall Bell Tower sitting on the shore of Lake Mora. It has a 200 pound bell that announces the skiers as they cross the lake.
Packing up the car in the morning after a stay at the AmericaInn was interesting. One person drove off and left a suitcase in the parking place beside her car. Another needed us to jump start her car!
Rush City
A short drive east to Rush City along Interstate 35 in the morning sunshine of a great fall day brings us to the Golden Living Center. After a good morning of visiting with my parents we head south on the Interstate for Iowa and our home on the Prairie.
See you "along the way!"
Prairie Schooners
We avoided the Minneapolis traffic by taking state Highway 15 north from the Iowa border all the way to the dealership. This is farming country with acres and acres of fields harvested, being harvested or waiting to be harvested! A wind farm, an ethanol plant, small towns and small lakes begging us to stop and fish.
We were "culverized" with a lunch at Culvers in Hutchison, MN. Their "Butter Burgers" are tasty as is the pot-roast sandwich.
About 30 miles from St. Cloud we started seeing the bluffs that extend to the Mississippi River. Most of the leaves have dropped so color is minimal.
Mora
After delivery a call to my brother to make plans to meet for supper at Freddie's Restaurant in Mora, near their home. Freddie's specialty is Barbque Ribs and Broasted Chicken. Good service, good food and a good visit.
Mora is famous for its twenty-five foot replica of the Dalacarlia Horse which is carved in several Swedish villages. It is a symbol of Mora's sister city relationship with the city of Mora in Sweden. The Dala Horse is visible through out the community on signs, in business places and home decorations.
Another symbol of this relationship is the brightly colored Mora Klocka. The twenty foot clock is located in the center of Mora.
The Vasaloppet Cross Country Ski Race takes place every winter in February starting and ending in Mora. There is a thirty nine foot tall Bell Tower sitting on the shore of Lake Mora. It has a 200 pound bell that announces the skiers as they cross the lake.
Packing up the car in the morning after a stay at the AmericaInn was interesting. One person drove off and left a suitcase in the parking place beside her car. Another needed us to jump start her car!
Rush City
A short drive east to Rush City along Interstate 35 in the morning sunshine of a great fall day brings us to the Golden Living Center. After a good morning of visiting with my parents we head south on the Interstate for Iowa and our home on the Prairie.
See you "along the way!"
Prairie Schooners
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Cincinnati, Ohio
This is our week to look for a unit to deliver. Checking website late afternoon on Monday, only 1 to pick-up in
Black walnuts are all shucked, washed & caged for storing. Garden produce is packed away or can wait for processing. Can we get packed in 3 hours?? Let’s Do It!
A stop at Seven Stars Family Restaurant in
As the sun appeared on the horizon we could see that the 28˚ made the combined bean fields white with frost! Drove into Bennett’s lot--- only 1 unit waiting to be delivered and 3 drivers waiting for a unit. A result of the slowing economy.
After hooking up the Saturn & checking out the $100,000 View, we filled up with 24 gallons diesel at the local station and headed East! Acres of beans combined, acres of corn & beans still to be combined and many combines in the fields.
Clouds and rain are chasing us, but right now the sun is reflecting all the colors of fall---making the browns look like polished bronze, the yellow golds, and the reds & oranges glow. Even the grey/white of the harvested bean fields and the rust-colored tall grass in the ditches seem to glow! The occasional bright green pasture makes a brilliant accent to the quilt-like scenes.
What is new on the Iowa/Illinois landscape? Lines of windmills on Wind Farms, steam rising from the tall pipes of the ethanol plants and a dentist chair sitting on the bank of a small fishing pond waiting to make a fisherman comfortable!
Home for the night is a parking place at Love’s Truck Stop in
After an Arby's breakfast we were on the road watching the sky color change from the rays of the rising sun. It is a challenge to keep enough gas in the tank, but no more than needed in order to save us some $$. A real world math problem!
Early afternoon on Wednesday we were on the dealer’s parking lot, unhooking, unloading & waiting for signed paperwork after his inspection. Thanking the Lord for another successful and safe delivery. Let’s go explore South West Ohio!
Prairie Schooners
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.png){kind=small}
