We left the city and took the Ohio Byway Drive that followed the curves of the Ohio River as it forms the boundary between Indiana and Kentucky. It was a warm sunny day with a blue sky. The leaves were falling making a colorful carpet around the trees. Several places we could see tugboats pushing barges up or down the river. There are several lock and dams to make navigation possible. Several power plants in the area. They are coal fired using coat that is brought in by the barges, unloaded on the bank of the river. One plant was inland and used a covered conveyor to move the coal from the riverbank over the highway and to the plant. Coal will be seen going both ways on the river because the high sulphur eastern coal is mixed with the coal from Wyoming in order to meet EPA emission standards.
One of the groups of barges of coal had smoke coming out of a couple of places, like the coal was smoldering??? Another group of barges were loaded with cranes and heavy equipment. It must be interesting to live along the banks and see all the different loads going up and down the river.
Derby, IN
Derby, Indiana has a park along the riverbank where the packet boats used to stop in the days of the steamboat. This was a place where immigrants from the eastern United States would stop and purchase land and settle, or stop to pick up supplies on their way further west. The local farmers could ship their produce back east for sale and mail was sent and received. This area saw battles in the Civil War.
Oil Wells, Farming, Hunters
The flat areas along the river banks has large fields of corn and soybeans. Oil wells dot this area, too. In the local paper the price per barrel of Indiana Oil is quoted along with the price of cattle and hogs. Hunting season was in full swing and each area of trees had a pick-up sitting and you could see the orange vests of the hunters headed out.
Rivers
We crossed the Wabash River at the Indiana- Illinois border. Later we crossed the Mississippi River at the Illinois-Missouri border and the Missouri River in St. Louis. The Wabash flows into the OhioRiver in eastern Illinois. The Illinois & Missouri River flow into the Mississippi river near St. Louis, MO and the Ohio River flows into the Mississippi River at the tip of Illinois. What happens on one of the rivers affects all of them!!
Back in Iowa
Found some interesting sites to visit on another trip as we read the Brown Signs along the Interstate. A few days stay at family in Southern Iowa and then back to the Prairie before the snow that was predicted.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave comments and suggestions!
Prairie Schooners
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville, IN
Jeffersonville, IN
The
Restaurant Review
On Spring Street are many small shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at Ann's. It is a cafeteria. The deep fried cod was crisp. The corn bread was tasty, made in the shape of a thick pancake. We did not try the barbecue ribs or roast turkey. Salad was crispy. Portions were generous and reasonably priced. Side dishes were mediocre. Would give them a 2 spoon rating!
Jeffboat
Jeffboat manufacturing plant is located along the Ohio River. It is 1 1/4 miles, covering 68 acres of specialized cranes, buildings and open air assembly used to manufacture barges and special order ships/boats. It is the largest American inland boat manufacturers. They give tours on a limited basis. We could see the welders working as we drove by.
One of the Human Resource employees told us that they have about 1200 employees. Some of the jobs are very specialized. A launch of a new barge/boat is very impressive. Originally the Howard Family started the boat building manufacturing in 1834. When there were no more sons or brothers to keep it going they sold it to the Navy in 1941. They built LST ships. The TANK LANDING SHIP (LST) proved to be much more rugged and versatile than her planners ever dreamed of producing. They were used for the transport of tanks , general cargo, locomotives, casualties, railroad cars, prisoners and numerous other purposes during World War II. The sailors said the LST stood for Large Slow Target! Jeffboat purchased the shipyards from the Navy.
Howard Steamboat Museum
This 22 room Romanesque Revival Style Mansion is built across the road from the shipyards. James Howard built it in 1892 using the craftsman he had hired at the shipyards. It looks like a brick castle. One corner has a three-story rounded tower covered with a metal cone shaped roof. You will see gingerbread woodwork, a grand staircase similar to what was on the riverboats, many different kinds of wood with intricate carving, a large collection of photographs showing how the early boats were manufactured, a collection of ship building tools, documents and blueprints, and full ship models from the Steamboat era.
The brass chandeliers in each room were lighted with both electricity and gas. Mr. Howard had a generator that he would run in the evenings. The 19 fireplaces were all gas logs and each unique. They each exhibited a feature from a steamboat, like smokestack shapes carved on the sides. The stained glass windows all pictured something from steamboating, also. One had an example of every know that a sailor knew how to tie in the border around the window! The enamel sinks had been painted with flowers and fired like ceramics, then set into a marble counter. One canopy bed was made from bronze with elaborate cut-work around the canopy, head & foot board. This was a design that was used in the steamboats, also.
This house had withstood three major floods, a cyclone and one fire over the years. There was still evidence in some of the rooms of the fire, but most of the damage was cleaned up. The oak floors were all set at a diagonal for strength. One of the ends of the huge hand rail going up the main staircase had to be redone because of fire damage. For such a large home the family had only one maid. We've toured many historic homes, but this is my favorite so far. It has a lot of wood, but many large windows to keep it light.
The steamboats that were manufactured by the Howards had an 18 inch draft to make them able to navigate the rivers. He was asked to go to Alaska and built boats during the Gold Rush. Since he really did not want to do that he gave them a bid that was 20 times what he usually received for a boat, thinking they would not accept it. But they did! He went and built several boats used to move people in and out of the gold fields.
It was interesting to see a model of a wooden flatboat that was used before the steam boats to move produce down the rivers to southern ports. It would float and they had long-handled oars to guide it. Since it had no motor it could not be taken back upriver. They would dismantle it and sell the wood. The wood used in the building of the steamboats was tree trunks floated down the river.
S & D Reflector
Before we left we were given a back copy of the S & D Reflector. This magazine was established in 1964 as the official publication of the Sons and Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen. It contains stories and events that happened on the rivers as they were related by Rivermen and passed on to their families.
Our Reflections
We were awed by the way these people could make so many items with the hand tools. We think we are so intelligent and knowledgeable because we have so many power-driven and computer run tools that do the work for us. Again, Solomon was right, "there is nothing new under the sun". We just adapt!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Louisville, Kentucky
Another windy day for driving a motor home!! Going east, we had a great tail wind, but the south miles were hard! We actually got 13 mpg with this unit. It uses only Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel and no Biodiesel.
In Illinois there were a few fields of corn to be combined, but when we got to Indiana everything was harvested and tilled. The elevators have piles of corn stacked and most are covered.
As we crossed into Indiana the tall oak trees were colorful with their rust colored leaves and further on the yellow/orange maple leaves made an eyecatching accent to the oak leaves. Near the Kentucky border is the town of Floyd Knob. It is named for the local terrain of steep hills rising 400' to 500'. They are supposedly the remains of rock and dirt from the southernmost point of glaciers. They were tree covered showing shades of rust with the yellow accents when the sun shone on it. We were back into clouds after a few hours of sunshine.
Thanks to Map Quest we had good directions to get to the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center. It was well organized and we were directed to the Winnebago section, checked in and on our way in a half hour. We saw the line-up of Winnebago's included their new unit, called ERA, which is built on a van chassis. The show will not be until after Thanksgiving so the young man checking in the units is at Louisville until December 1 and he has all the units checked back out to drivers to deliver to dealers! He does have help to wash and set up the units in the giant arena. The huge parking lot was divided up between all the different RV companies.
We headed back north on I-65 and over the Ohio River into Indiana. There was a tug boat and many barges along the bank of the river.
Did you know?
The Frazier International History Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory with the world's largest bat which is a replica of Babe Ruth's bat and weighs 34 tons, Belle of Louisville Steamboat, Falls on the Ohio State Park, and Church Hill Downs race track where the Kentucky Derby has been run on the first Saturday in May since 1875 are just a few of the interesting places to visit.
The original "Happy Birthday" song was written in 1893 by two kindergarten teachers, Mildred J. Hill and her sister Patty Smith Hill, who lived in Louisville.
Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken was born just north of Louisville in Henryville, IN. Thomas Edison once lived in Louisville.
We chose to stop at a Steamboat Museum across the river in Jeffersonville, IN. Tomorrow we plan to find it!
Again we are so thankful for the opportunity to see the USA together, for the ability to flex in all circumstances and for traveling mercies as we dealt with traffic, finding gas stations, wind, and finding our destination!
Prairie Schooners
In Illinois there were a few fields of corn to be combined, but when we got to Indiana everything was harvested and tilled. The elevators have piles of corn stacked and most are covered.
As we crossed into Indiana the tall oak trees were colorful with their rust colored leaves and further on the yellow/orange maple leaves made an eyecatching accent to the oak leaves. Near the Kentucky border is the town of Floyd Knob. It is named for the local terrain of steep hills rising 400' to 500'. They are supposedly the remains of rock and dirt from the southernmost point of glaciers. They were tree covered showing shades of rust with the yellow accents when the sun shone on it. We were back into clouds after a few hours of sunshine.
Thanks to Map Quest we had good directions to get to the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center. It was well organized and we were directed to the Winnebago section, checked in and on our way in a half hour. We saw the line-up of Winnebago's included their new unit, called ERA, which is built on a van chassis. The show will not be until after Thanksgiving so the young man checking in the units is at Louisville until December 1 and he has all the units checked back out to drivers to deliver to dealers! He does have help to wash and set up the units in the giant arena. The huge parking lot was divided up between all the different RV companies.
We headed back north on I-65 and over the Ohio River into Indiana. There was a tug boat and many barges along the bank of the river.
Did you know?
The Frazier International History Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory with the world's largest bat which is a replica of Babe Ruth's bat and weighs 34 tons, Belle of Louisville Steamboat, Falls on the Ohio State Park, and Church Hill Downs race track where the Kentucky Derby has been run on the first Saturday in May since 1875 are just a few of the interesting places to visit.
The original "Happy Birthday" song was written in 1893 by two kindergarten teachers, Mildred J. Hill and her sister Patty Smith Hill, who lived in Louisville.
Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken was born just north of Louisville in Henryville, IN. Thomas Edison once lived in Louisville.
We chose to stop at a Steamboat Museum across the river in Jeffersonville, IN. Tomorrow we plan to find it!
Again we are so thankful for the opportunity to see the USA together, for the ability to flex in all circumstances and for traveling mercies as we dealt with traffic, finding gas stations, wind, and finding our destination!
Prairie Schooners
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Louisville, Kentucky delivery
Galesburg, Illinois
We got our "call" that the unit we were to deliver to the RV show in Louisville, KY was on the lot and ready to go! We hooked up on the lot at Forest City, which is always hot or cold or windy!! Needed some extra time to get the electrical connections revamped to fit this chassis.
It is a Navion with a Mercedes diesel engine on a Sprinter chassis painted a bronzemist color with the Winnebago decals in dark brown, white and gold. It is rather attractive and compact. The interior color scheme is rhubarb/raspberry with cherry cabinets. One bed is over the cab so it is tall and did "sway" with the wind today when we were not headed east. Then we had a tail wind to help with the gas mileage!
We are in Galesburg, Illinois tonite. Carl Sandburg, the author, was born here in 1878. There is a birthplace cottage and museum downtown that commemorates the life of this Pulitzer Prize-wining poet and Lincoln biographer.
Only a Micky D and Hardees within walking distance so that will be supper tonite.
We are thanking the Lord for a warm, safe place to sleep tonite!
Talk to you "along the way"!
We got our "call" that the unit we were to deliver to the RV show in Louisville, KY was on the lot and ready to go! We hooked up on the lot at Forest City, which is always hot or cold or windy!! Needed some extra time to get the electrical connections revamped to fit this chassis.
It is a Navion with a Mercedes diesel engine on a Sprinter chassis painted a bronzemist color with the Winnebago decals in dark brown, white and gold. It is rather attractive and compact. The interior color scheme is rhubarb/raspberry with cherry cabinets. One bed is over the cab so it is tall and did "sway" with the wind today when we were not headed east. Then we had a tail wind to help with the gas mileage!
We are in Galesburg, Illinois tonite. Carl Sandburg, the author, was born here in 1878. There is a birthplace cottage and museum downtown that commemorates the life of this Pulitzer Prize-wining poet and Lincoln biographer.
Only a Micky D and Hardees within walking distance so that will be supper tonite.
We are thanking the Lord for a warm, safe place to sleep tonite!
Talk to you "along the way"!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Branchville, New Jersey/ Sioux Falls, South Dakota/South Sioux City, Nebraska
We got on the road on Nov 6 after the high winds of the day before. This put us behind our schedule of delivery and then being back west to Sioux Falls, SD for a wedding on Saturday afternoon the 10th!
This unit was a 35 ft long white Sightseer. It did not have very many windows in the living area. It's unique feature were the 2 bunk beds on the wall opposite the bathroom. Each of them had its own DVD and pull down screen in the ceiling of the bed!
If you take the Atlas and follow Interstate 80 from Iowa City, IA across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania to Exit 2 in New Jersey and go north that was our route. We took basically the same route on our last trip to Rhode Island, but this time the trees had dropped their pretty leaves, except for an area in Eastern Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. It looked like "the party was over and only pieces of the decorations were still hanging!" But the oaks were colored in shades of rusts, browns and yellows that were pretty when the sun shone.
We drove in and out of snow flurries. In that area they call it "lake effect" snow! Not a lot of accumulation and it melted on the road just making it wet. The white snow did accent the tree trunks and the carpet of colored leaves on the ground in the forest.
In the farming areas the farmers were harvesting the last few fields of corn & beans, applying fertilizer, chopping and baling corn stalks and chisel plowing.
Branchville, New Jersey is on the east side of the Delaware River in the area called the Delaware Gap Water Recreational Area. We explored that same area on the west side of the river on our way home from the Rhode Island delivery.
We can recommend eating at Rockne's Restaurant in Streetsboro, Ohio! It is located beside the Super 8 and across the road from several other motels. The dark wood booths, completely separate lounge, and good service make a good atmosphere for relaxing over a meal. Their black bean soup was hot and tasty. The side salad was a minature chef salad, crispy and fresh. The chicken quesadillas were warm and crispy with a generous, well-seasoned filling and served with sour cream and salsa.
While we were on the road we received a call that there was a unit available for us to deliver to Louisville, KY RV show and we could pick it up on Monday. But had a message later that it would not be ready then and we should wait for a call since there were 8 units to be manufactured to go to the show and no one knew which would be done first.
Home on Friday night and on the road north and west to South Dakota on Saturday. What a contrast to the mountain driving the days before and now the wide open spaces of south western Minnesota! A beautiful day for a fall wedding.
It was a short Sunday morning drive south to our Sioux City family where we spent the day and helped our granddaughter eat her birthday cake! It was good to catch up on their activities and family news, see their projects, "walk", and introduce the neighbor girls to the game of Pit!
On Monday morning they are headed to school and work and we are headed back to Iowa.
The unit we were to pick up at Forest City to deliver to a RV show in Louisville, KY was still not ready so we could not pick it up on our way home.
Today our suitcase is packed, the hitch equipment is in Saturn and we are working on various projects here at home while we wait for "the call" that the unit is done. Actually they are waiting for 6 units to be "made" and ready to go so we might not get ours for another day!!
We are thanking the Lord for His traveling mercies and provision for all the circumstances on "the road"!
Thank-you for taking the time to read our blog!
Prairie Schooners
This unit was a 35 ft long white Sightseer. It did not have very many windows in the living area. It's unique feature were the 2 bunk beds on the wall opposite the bathroom. Each of them had its own DVD and pull down screen in the ceiling of the bed!
If you take the Atlas and follow Interstate 80 from Iowa City, IA across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania to Exit 2 in New Jersey and go north that was our route. We took basically the same route on our last trip to Rhode Island, but this time the trees had dropped their pretty leaves, except for an area in Eastern Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains. It looked like "the party was over and only pieces of the decorations were still hanging!" But the oaks were colored in shades of rusts, browns and yellows that were pretty when the sun shone.
We drove in and out of snow flurries. In that area they call it "lake effect" snow! Not a lot of accumulation and it melted on the road just making it wet. The white snow did accent the tree trunks and the carpet of colored leaves on the ground in the forest.
In the farming areas the farmers were harvesting the last few fields of corn & beans, applying fertilizer, chopping and baling corn stalks and chisel plowing.
Branchville, New Jersey is on the east side of the Delaware River in the area called the Delaware Gap Water Recreational Area. We explored that same area on the west side of the river on our way home from the Rhode Island delivery.
We can recommend eating at Rockne's Restaurant in Streetsboro, Ohio! It is located beside the Super 8 and across the road from several other motels. The dark wood booths, completely separate lounge, and good service make a good atmosphere for relaxing over a meal. Their black bean soup was hot and tasty. The side salad was a minature chef salad, crispy and fresh. The chicken quesadillas were warm and crispy with a generous, well-seasoned filling and served with sour cream and salsa.
While we were on the road we received a call that there was a unit available for us to deliver to Louisville, KY RV show and we could pick it up on Monday. But had a message later that it would not be ready then and we should wait for a call since there were 8 units to be manufactured to go to the show and no one knew which would be done first.
Home on Friday night and on the road north and west to South Dakota on Saturday. What a contrast to the mountain driving the days before and now the wide open spaces of south western Minnesota! A beautiful day for a fall wedding.
It was a short Sunday morning drive south to our Sioux City family where we spent the day and helped our granddaughter eat her birthday cake! It was good to catch up on their activities and family news, see their projects, "walk", and introduce the neighbor girls to the game of Pit!
On Monday morning they are headed to school and work and we are headed back to Iowa.
The unit we were to pick up at Forest City to deliver to a RV show in Louisville, KY was still not ready so we could not pick it up on our way home.
Today our suitcase is packed, the hitch equipment is in Saturn and we are working on various projects here at home while we wait for "the call" that the unit is done. Actually they are waiting for 6 units to be "made" and ready to go so we might not get ours for another day!!
We are thanking the Lord for His traveling mercies and provision for all the circumstances on "the road"!
Thank-you for taking the time to read our blog!
Prairie Schooners
Monday, November 5, 2007
Bumped and Winded!
We were bumped from the Louisville, KY show because Winnebago decided to drop 3 of the models they had planned to send.
We did find a short delivery to fit our schedule, but today the wind is gusting to 40+ mph and it is dangerous to be on the road with a high profile vehicle. We are waiting it out at home and will take off for Branchville, NJ tomorrow early AM following the wind instead of driving in it!!
We did find a short delivery to fit our schedule, but today the wind is gusting to 40+ mph and it is dangerous to be on the road with a high profile vehicle. We are waiting it out at home and will take off for Branchville, NJ tomorrow early AM following the wind instead of driving in it!!
Friday, October 26, 2007
East Greenwich, Rhode Island
We are home from our delivery of a 30 ft white Sightseer Winnebago motor home to Rhode Island. It was a gas model. The interior was decorated with cherry wood cabinets, furnishings in moss green/linen and the driver and passenger seat were upholstered in a brown soft suede leather (very comfy)!
The directions to the dealership were clear and was easy to find so delivery went fast and smoothly. Then we took off for some state highways and spent some time turning around to find unmarked corners to take us where we wanted to go!!!
An exclamation point for the ending of a colorful trip was the complete rainbow over the highway as it was raining for a few miles in southern Iowa!
Across Illinois & Indiana
A cloudy start early morning, but then the sun comes out. Sunglasses needed! We have had so many cloudy rainy days our eyes are not used to the sun! Many corn and a few bean fields waiting for harvest. Combines in fields. As we crossed rivers they were all running bank full from the recent rains. Flocks of birds collected in the fields. Leaves on the trees are shades of yellow and orange with some red and many still green.
Dark clouds make a contrasting background to the sunlight shining on the landscape. This was an optical reminder of how our lives in relationship with Father God through belief in Jesus is the "sun" shining on people and circumstances in a dark world culture.
As we drove by resorts along the lake shore the boats were on trailers and covered. Ready for winter? Areas with deer and wild turkeys grazing in the harvested fields.
We parked at a Travel Plaza on the turnpike for the night and learned that all are not the same! This one did not have a fast food restaurant like others, but did find a hot supper--pizza to go! It had rained before we arrived and was foggy.
We paid $3.20 a gal for gas in Indiana on way home, which was the highest price we saw on the trip.
Through Ohio
On the Ohio Turnpike in the fog and haze coming from Lake Erie. Coming back it was sunny and we enjoyed the opportunity to see the colored leaves. This area has barns that look like 2 of them were built together at right angles to each other. Each barn has 3 ends with gable roofs. They are very large! Am wondering about the reason for the shape?
Pennsylvania Wilds
Light fog and misty rain again in the morning, but later the sun came through a partly cloudy sky on the way out. On the way back home it was sunny, again giving us the opportunity to see what we missed.
We are driving over and around tree covered low mountains leading into the Appalachian Mountains. Over the Allegheny river which reflected the colors of the trees lining its shore. The leaves are neon bright yellow to orange with shades of red and purple. The green leaves of the oaks are a contrast to the color. The highway curves through this colored forest for many miles.
There is a bat factory at Exit 86 on Interstate 80 that we are going to stop and tour someday!
We drive past open pit coal mines. All along the valleys are dairy farms. We drove over the highest point east of the Mississippi River about 11 miles west of Clearfield.
Project: Evade NYC
Our printed route from the company took us through New York City, over the Hudson River on the George Washington bridge, through the Bronx and onto Interstate 95 and up the coast to Rhode Island. Didn't sound like too much fun for us so we did an "evade NYC" route. Definitely more scenic plus we ended up with only 60 additional miles on the unit, which was within our limits.
We drove north through Wilkes-Barre & Scranton, a 20 mile long city laid in the valley. The skyline is interesting with modern high-rise office buildings and tall old church steeples. Turning east we crossed into New York State at Port Jarvis, which is on the Delaware River.
The color continues----corridors of color plus colorful vistas when overlooking valleys and a wall of color on the sides of the mountains.
Delaware Gap National Recreation Area
On our way back west we took a scenic drive along the Delaware River south of Port Jarvis and through the town of Milford, PA on highway 209. It was bumper to bumper traffic in and around the small towns because of all the activities with the fall festivals, but a beautiful drive.
40 miles of the middle Delaware River passes between the forested Pocono Mountains where barely a house is in sight. Then the river cuts through the mountain ridge to form a "water gap" in the valley. As the river exits the park, it runs 200 miles more to Delaware Bay in the Atlantic Ocean. There are 27 miles of the Appalachian Trail in the park.
Near Milford is Grey Towers, the ancestral home of Gifford Pinchot, who was the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service and twice governor of PA. The L-shaped mansion is anchored on three corners by towers that give the mansion its name. The house originally contained 43 rooms and was built as a summer home. It is open for tours as a historical landmark.
The most unique feature of the home is the Finger Bowl. The Finger Bowl connects to the mansion's dining room through the Mosaic Terrace and is a unique outdoor dining table in the form of a raised pool surrounded by a flat ledge of sufficient width to accommodate a place setting. Chairs were pulled up to the pool and food was passed in wooden bowls floated on the water. Over the Finger Bowl, a wisteria covered oval, domed, wooden arbor rests on an open structure of twelve stone piers. Numerous meals were served under the wisteria canopy.
We passed many small corn fields among the trees beside the river that were not harvested, but had pick-ups with hunters and dogs. One of the hunters told us that they were hunting pheasant that had been released the week before in the area. He also told us that their deer were very small compared to the ones we have in Iowa!!
Raymondskill Falls
We turned off the scenic route to follow a road with a sign to the Raymondskill Falls. Up and around and arrived at a trail head for several trails. We could hear the falls as soon as we stepped out of the car. We took our camera and started down the trail of stepping stones bordered by a wooden pole fence. We were at the top of a large falls with a view of at least 3 more small ones above it. Another couple offered to take our picture!
Another path led down to near the bottom of the large falls with another smaller one falling beside it. These falls are 180 feet total. The are formed by a stream that literally tumbles off the Pocono Mountain plateau and rushes through dark hemlock forests to the Delaware River.
New York State
More color! Across the Hudson River on the toll bridge near Newburgh. Traffic is increasing. Not many miles across the state.
Connecticut
Highway 9 is a scenic four-lane road connecting Hartford to Interstate 95. It follows the Connecticut River. Many historical buildings and events happened in this area. In the town of Haddam is a schoolhouse where Nathan Hale taught. The Goodspeed Opera House is known for the musicals that are performed in that area.
Interstate 95 follows the Long Island Sound coast line until the Rhode Island border. We had to choose what we would spend time seeing. The Mystic Aquarium would be a great place to visit, too.
Nautilus/Submarine Force Library & Museum in Groton, CT
We spent several hours going through the museum and touring the Nautilus Submarine. It is easy to find by following the signs and admission is free.
The museum shows the history of submarines from the Bushnell Turtle through the Polaris Missile. We used the working periscope to see the surrounding area, but no submarines arriving at base that day. The authentic submarine control room made us aware of the knowledge needed to man this ship!
Bushnell Turtle
In 1775 an Irishman named David Bushnell, who had much hatred toward the British, began designing and building a submarine in Saybrook, Connecticut.
Bushnell's submarine was peach shaped and 7 ft. long by 4 ft. wide. There was just enough room for one person to sit inside it. The inside of the boat was made of wood that glowed in the dark. He called his submarine the American Turtle.
On the night of July 7, 1776 Bushnell put his submarine to work in New York harbor against British Admiral Howe's flagship, HMS Eagle. It was armed with one gunpowder torpedo, which could be attached to the hull of a ship using a drill.
Even though there was a change in the tide the turtle maneuvered up to the Eagle successfully and undetected. The gunpowder torpedo did not attach correctly and only disturbed the Eagle. However, most of the British ships left New York harbor and decided not to investigate what occurred.
Bushnell took the Turtle up to Fort Lee, where Washington's army was quartered. There, Bushnell's Turtle made another unsuccessful attempt to sink a British frigate. Another boat spotted the Turtle. The torpedo was released but did not cause any damage.
Nautilus Submarine
Did you know that the Nautilus is the common name of any marine creatures of the cephalopod family, Nautilidae. It is also the name of the first nuclear powered submarine. This submarine reached the geographic North pole in 1958. She made a record 300,000 miles underway during the time she was in service. She was involved in a variety of developmental testing programs while continuing to serve alongside many of the more modern nuclear powered submarines built later. Now she is designated a National Historic Landmark and is the only nuclear powered submarine on display in the world.
You are given a recorded tour to carry as you walk through the ship. It is amazing how much they can pack into the space, how many controls needed, sleeping bunks appear small, but are 6 ft in length, there is a kitchen complete with a dishwasher, and it felt a little like crawling through a cave when you went from one section to the next.
Mystic Seaport
This is a "must see" for this area. In Iowa we have the Living History Farms, Mystic Seaport is a living history of the early shipbuilding coastal area. It is well marked with Interstate exit and also in town signs. We spent a half day here with rain off and on. (If you get your ticket validated you can come back for free the next day.) The food is reasonably priced and ample servings. There are 52 buildings and exhibits located at the entrance to the Mystic River along the Long Island Sound Coast. There are "tall ships" or ships with tall masts. The Charles W. Morgan is moored there and open for touring. It was the last wooden whaleship in the world.
Whale Fishing
Whale fishing was interesting and dangerous. The whale was brought in by several fisher men in small boats. Then with pulleys they attached it to the side of the ship. With a cutter they cut the midsection of the whale rotating it to get a long piece of skin and blubber. The ship had a furnace on board where they cooked the blubber to get the oil. The oil was put in wooden kegs to transport back to shore and sell.
Ship Building
One of the exhibits showed the process of rebuilding wooden ships. They are always working on one. There are piles of lumber sitting under roofs drying for use in the building. Oak is preferred because the branches have a natural curve. There is a oak that was brought in from Louisiana that shows how massive the trunks of the trees are. One exhibit shows how a ship is put together.
Did you know that Ship Worms are in the water and eat through the wood on the ships. They are actually mollusks. Also a crustacean called a Gribble eats wood in ships. Christopher Columbus lost 2 of his 4 ships on his 4th voyage in 1502 because of Ship Worms! Eventually they used copper plates and anti-fouling paint to keep them from eating the ships. But even today, every 3 years they pull the wooden ships out of the water onto a dry dock and check for the worms!
Mystic Clipper Ships
The Mystic area was near major ports, the river was deep and protected from storms, there was a supply of quality lumber in the forests making it an ideal place for 5 ship building companies in 1853. The ships built here were called "clipper ships" and advertised as Mystic Clipper. They were known for their shape which gave a practical carrying capacity and impressive speed and were purchased for moving immigrants across the ocean, for use in the Gold Rush and for moving cotton.
LA Dunton, tall mast fishing ship
We went on board the LA Dunton. The captain and officer quarters under deck in the front were spacious and included their bunks , a woodburning stove, and their own dining area. The hold in the center was large bins separated with wood where the fish were stored until they went back to shore. They could use ice because that part was under water level. It would hold about 100 ton of fish and they were usually out for 2 weeks. The fisherman quarters under deck in the back of the boat were crowded. Probably 20 hands in bunks that looked like boxes piled on each other. Suppose to be 6 ft in length. Their kitchen and dining area was also located beside the bunks. The ship would have 10 dories, or small boats, which would be sent out with 2 fishermen in each to catch fish and bring them back to the ship. This was in the early 1900's.
Newspaper office
We stopped in the newspaper office and was shown how the printer had all the type set in boxes or cases. Since he had to be efficient he put the cases with the small letter type of the alphabet on the lower shelf where they were easy to reach. The cases with the capital letter type were put on the upper shelf. This is why we have the expression upper case and lower case letters!
When a printer set type each line had a screw beside the form that was turned to hold the letters in while he worked on the next line. The expression "turn a phrase" came from this action!
This is only a small portion of what they show. We were fascinated!
Rhode Island
We drove local highway # 1 that went along the coastline. It was a pretty drive. Leaves were colorful. We drove past little bays that were called ponds with blue water reflecting the colors on the shore. We noticed many rock fences marking boundaries of fields and lawns.
Goodard Memorial State Park
This is a park in the city with many walking trails, horses to ride, and a beach. We drove to the boat ramp and did a tail-gate lunch looking out into the Narragansett Bay. Sail boats and fishing boats were moored all along the inlet.
Narragansett Towers
The town of Narragansett has a large beach on the Atlantic Ocean. We walked for awhile and watched the waves roll in. The beach was pretty clean. The tide was coming in and there were fishermen on the wall that was built along the edge of town on what is called the Ocean Road. We drove through the Narragansett Tower that is built over the street beside the beach. It is a large brick building with towers and a reminder of the "guilded age"! The turn of the century was an opulent period when this area rivaled Newport in terms of sumptuousness and prestige. Today you can rent it for weddings, parties, etc.
You could rent beach cabanas during the summer season. Large, tall homes and apartment buildings all along the road.
Once again we've had the opportunity to see how the Lord gives men strength, courage, knowledge and wisdom to deal with the circumstances of their lives in a different time and place.
Thank-you for taking the time to travel with us on this colorful trip to the East Coast!
Lord willing our next trip will be to Louisville, KY in November where we will deliver a motor home to a RV show!
Prairie Schooners
The directions to the dealership were clear and was easy to find so delivery went fast and smoothly. Then we took off for some state highways and spent some time turning around to find unmarked corners to take us where we wanted to go!!!
An exclamation point for the ending of a colorful trip was the complete rainbow over the highway as it was raining for a few miles in southern Iowa!
Across Illinois & Indiana
A cloudy start early morning, but then the sun comes out. Sunglasses needed! We have had so many cloudy rainy days our eyes are not used to the sun! Many corn and a few bean fields waiting for harvest. Combines in fields. As we crossed rivers they were all running bank full from the recent rains. Flocks of birds collected in the fields. Leaves on the trees are shades of yellow and orange with some red and many still green.
Dark clouds make a contrasting background to the sunlight shining on the landscape. This was an optical reminder of how our lives in relationship with Father God through belief in Jesus is the "sun" shining on people and circumstances in a dark world culture.
As we drove by resorts along the lake shore the boats were on trailers and covered. Ready for winter? Areas with deer and wild turkeys grazing in the harvested fields.
We parked at a Travel Plaza on the turnpike for the night and learned that all are not the same! This one did not have a fast food restaurant like others, but did find a hot supper--pizza to go! It had rained before we arrived and was foggy.
We paid $3.20 a gal for gas in Indiana on way home, which was the highest price we saw on the trip.
Through Ohio
On the Ohio Turnpike in the fog and haze coming from Lake Erie. Coming back it was sunny and we enjoyed the opportunity to see the colored leaves. This area has barns that look like 2 of them were built together at right angles to each other. Each barn has 3 ends with gable roofs. They are very large! Am wondering about the reason for the shape?
Pennsylvania Wilds
Light fog and misty rain again in the morning, but later the sun came through a partly cloudy sky on the way out. On the way back home it was sunny, again giving us the opportunity to see what we missed.
We are driving over and around tree covered low mountains leading into the Appalachian Mountains. Over the Allegheny river which reflected the colors of the trees lining its shore. The leaves are neon bright yellow to orange with shades of red and purple. The green leaves of the oaks are a contrast to the color. The highway curves through this colored forest for many miles.
There is a bat factory at Exit 86 on Interstate 80 that we are going to stop and tour someday!
We drive past open pit coal mines. All along the valleys are dairy farms. We drove over the highest point east of the Mississippi River about 11 miles west of Clearfield.
Project: Evade NYC
Our printed route from the company took us through New York City, over the Hudson River on the George Washington bridge, through the Bronx and onto Interstate 95 and up the coast to Rhode Island. Didn't sound like too much fun for us so we did an "evade NYC" route. Definitely more scenic plus we ended up with only 60 additional miles on the unit, which was within our limits.
We drove north through Wilkes-Barre & Scranton, a 20 mile long city laid in the valley. The skyline is interesting with modern high-rise office buildings and tall old church steeples. Turning east we crossed into New York State at Port Jarvis, which is on the Delaware River.
The color continues----corridors of color plus colorful vistas when overlooking valleys and a wall of color on the sides of the mountains.
Delaware Gap National Recreation Area
On our way back west we took a scenic drive along the Delaware River south of Port Jarvis and through the town of Milford, PA on highway 209. It was bumper to bumper traffic in and around the small towns because of all the activities with the fall festivals, but a beautiful drive.
40 miles of the middle Delaware River passes between the forested Pocono Mountains where barely a house is in sight. Then the river cuts through the mountain ridge to form a "water gap" in the valley. As the river exits the park, it runs 200 miles more to Delaware Bay in the Atlantic Ocean. There are 27 miles of the Appalachian Trail in the park.
Near Milford is Grey Towers, the ancestral home of Gifford Pinchot, who was the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service and twice governor of PA. The L-shaped mansion is anchored on three corners by towers that give the mansion its name. The house originally contained 43 rooms and was built as a summer home. It is open for tours as a historical landmark.
The most unique feature of the home is the Finger Bowl. The Finger Bowl connects to the mansion's dining room through the Mosaic Terrace and is a unique outdoor dining table in the form of a raised pool surrounded by a flat ledge of sufficient width to accommodate a place setting. Chairs were pulled up to the pool and food was passed in wooden bowls floated on the water. Over the Finger Bowl, a wisteria covered oval, domed, wooden arbor rests on an open structure of twelve stone piers. Numerous meals were served under the wisteria canopy.
We passed many small corn fields among the trees beside the river that were not harvested, but had pick-ups with hunters and dogs. One of the hunters told us that they were hunting pheasant that had been released the week before in the area. He also told us that their deer were very small compared to the ones we have in Iowa!!
Raymondskill Falls
We turned off the scenic route to follow a road with a sign to the Raymondskill Falls. Up and around and arrived at a trail head for several trails. We could hear the falls as soon as we stepped out of the car. We took our camera and started down the trail of stepping stones bordered by a wooden pole fence. We were at the top of a large falls with a view of at least 3 more small ones above it. Another couple offered to take our picture!
Another path led down to near the bottom of the large falls with another smaller one falling beside it. These falls are 180 feet total. The are formed by a stream that literally tumbles off the Pocono Mountain plateau and rushes through dark hemlock forests to the Delaware River.
New York State
More color! Across the Hudson River on the toll bridge near Newburgh. Traffic is increasing. Not many miles across the state.
Connecticut
Highway 9 is a scenic four-lane road connecting Hartford to Interstate 95. It follows the Connecticut River. Many historical buildings and events happened in this area. In the town of Haddam is a schoolhouse where Nathan Hale taught. The Goodspeed Opera House is known for the musicals that are performed in that area.
Interstate 95 follows the Long Island Sound coast line until the Rhode Island border. We had to choose what we would spend time seeing. The Mystic Aquarium would be a great place to visit, too.
Nautilus/Submarine Force Library & Museum in Groton, CT
We spent several hours going through the museum and touring the Nautilus Submarine. It is easy to find by following the signs and admission is free.
The museum shows the history of submarines from the Bushnell Turtle through the Polaris Missile. We used the working periscope to see the surrounding area, but no submarines arriving at base that day. The authentic submarine control room made us aware of the knowledge needed to man this ship!
Bushnell Turtle
In 1775 an Irishman named David Bushnell, who had much hatred toward the British, began designing and building a submarine in Saybrook, Connecticut.
Bushnell's submarine was peach shaped and 7 ft. long by 4 ft. wide. There was just enough room for one person to sit inside it. The inside of the boat was made of wood that glowed in the dark. He called his submarine the American Turtle.
On the night of July 7, 1776 Bushnell put his submarine to work in New York harbor against British Admiral Howe's flagship, HMS Eagle. It was armed with one gunpowder torpedo, which could be attached to the hull of a ship using a drill.
Even though there was a change in the tide the turtle maneuvered up to the Eagle successfully and undetected. The gunpowder torpedo did not attach correctly and only disturbed the Eagle. However, most of the British ships left New York harbor and decided not to investigate what occurred.
Bushnell took the Turtle up to Fort Lee, where Washington's army was quartered. There, Bushnell's Turtle made another unsuccessful attempt to sink a British frigate. Another boat spotted the Turtle. The torpedo was released but did not cause any damage.
Nautilus Submarine
Did you know that the Nautilus is the common name of any marine creatures of the cephalopod family, Nautilidae. It is also the name of the first nuclear powered submarine. This submarine reached the geographic North pole in 1958. She made a record 300,000 miles underway during the time she was in service. She was involved in a variety of developmental testing programs while continuing to serve alongside many of the more modern nuclear powered submarines built later. Now she is designated a National Historic Landmark and is the only nuclear powered submarine on display in the world.
You are given a recorded tour to carry as you walk through the ship. It is amazing how much they can pack into the space, how many controls needed, sleeping bunks appear small, but are 6 ft in length, there is a kitchen complete with a dishwasher, and it felt a little like crawling through a cave when you went from one section to the next.
Mystic Seaport
This is a "must see" for this area. In Iowa we have the Living History Farms, Mystic Seaport is a living history of the early shipbuilding coastal area. It is well marked with Interstate exit and also in town signs. We spent a half day here with rain off and on. (If you get your ticket validated you can come back for free the next day.) The food is reasonably priced and ample servings. There are 52 buildings and exhibits located at the entrance to the Mystic River along the Long Island Sound Coast. There are "tall ships" or ships with tall masts. The Charles W. Morgan is moored there and open for touring. It was the last wooden whaleship in the world.
Whale Fishing
Whale fishing was interesting and dangerous. The whale was brought in by several fisher men in small boats. Then with pulleys they attached it to the side of the ship. With a cutter they cut the midsection of the whale rotating it to get a long piece of skin and blubber. The ship had a furnace on board where they cooked the blubber to get the oil. The oil was put in wooden kegs to transport back to shore and sell.
Ship Building
One of the exhibits showed the process of rebuilding wooden ships. They are always working on one. There are piles of lumber sitting under roofs drying for use in the building. Oak is preferred because the branches have a natural curve. There is a oak that was brought in from Louisiana that shows how massive the trunks of the trees are. One exhibit shows how a ship is put together.
Did you know that Ship Worms are in the water and eat through the wood on the ships. They are actually mollusks. Also a crustacean called a Gribble eats wood in ships. Christopher Columbus lost 2 of his 4 ships on his 4th voyage in 1502 because of Ship Worms! Eventually they used copper plates and anti-fouling paint to keep them from eating the ships. But even today, every 3 years they pull the wooden ships out of the water onto a dry dock and check for the worms!
Mystic Clipper Ships
The Mystic area was near major ports, the river was deep and protected from storms, there was a supply of quality lumber in the forests making it an ideal place for 5 ship building companies in 1853. The ships built here were called "clipper ships" and advertised as Mystic Clipper. They were known for their shape which gave a practical carrying capacity and impressive speed and were purchased for moving immigrants across the ocean, for use in the Gold Rush and for moving cotton.
LA Dunton, tall mast fishing ship
We went on board the LA Dunton. The captain and officer quarters under deck in the front were spacious and included their bunks , a woodburning stove, and their own dining area. The hold in the center was large bins separated with wood where the fish were stored until they went back to shore. They could use ice because that part was under water level. It would hold about 100 ton of fish and they were usually out for 2 weeks. The fisherman quarters under deck in the back of the boat were crowded. Probably 20 hands in bunks that looked like boxes piled on each other. Suppose to be 6 ft in length. Their kitchen and dining area was also located beside the bunks. The ship would have 10 dories, or small boats, which would be sent out with 2 fishermen in each to catch fish and bring them back to the ship. This was in the early 1900's.
Newspaper office
We stopped in the newspaper office and was shown how the printer had all the type set in boxes or cases. Since he had to be efficient he put the cases with the small letter type of the alphabet on the lower shelf where they were easy to reach. The cases with the capital letter type were put on the upper shelf. This is why we have the expression upper case and lower case letters!
When a printer set type each line had a screw beside the form that was turned to hold the letters in while he worked on the next line. The expression "turn a phrase" came from this action!
This is only a small portion of what they show. We were fascinated!
Rhode Island
We drove local highway # 1 that went along the coastline. It was a pretty drive. Leaves were colorful. We drove past little bays that were called ponds with blue water reflecting the colors on the shore. We noticed many rock fences marking boundaries of fields and lawns.
Goodard Memorial State Park
This is a park in the city with many walking trails, horses to ride, and a beach. We drove to the boat ramp and did a tail-gate lunch looking out into the Narragansett Bay. Sail boats and fishing boats were moored all along the inlet.
Narragansett Towers
The town of Narragansett has a large beach on the Atlantic Ocean. We walked for awhile and watched the waves roll in. The beach was pretty clean. The tide was coming in and there were fishermen on the wall that was built along the edge of town on what is called the Ocean Road. We drove through the Narragansett Tower that is built over the street beside the beach. It is a large brick building with towers and a reminder of the "guilded age"! The turn of the century was an opulent period when this area rivaled Newport in terms of sumptuousness and prestige. Today you can rent it for weddings, parties, etc.
You could rent beach cabanas during the summer season. Large, tall homes and apartment buildings all along the road.
Once again we've had the opportunity to see how the Lord gives men strength, courage, knowledge and wisdom to deal with the circumstances of their lives in a different time and place.
Thank-you for taking the time to travel with us on this colorful trip to the East Coast!
Lord willing our next trip will be to Louisville, KY in November where we will deliver a motor home to a RV show!
Prairie Schooners
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.png){kind=small}
