Ravenna, OH to Monroe, MI
September 6 - 23, 2021
On Tuesday, September 7 we left Ravenna, OH and drove to Lima, OH. We stayed the night at the Ottawa Metro Park campground. It's $25 a night for full hookups but is first come first served. Since we came in on a Tuesday it was no problem to get a site. We would return!
On Wednesday, September 8 we drove to Goshen, IN for the Montana Fall Rally. We were there for a week and had a great time. There were lots of classes to attend, and several sponsors provided a meal for us. There was a class on how to get out of your RV quickly in case of fire and it was really interesting. They had the fire department there with an RV filled with smoke, a demonstration of how to properly use a fire extinguisher, we got to see a fire truck, and there was a vendor with fire extinguishers that explained what different types of extinguishers would put out and how long they would last. We bought one that was larger and would last longer (and hope we never have to use it).
Our site for the week was a little tight, but that's the way it is sometimes.
One night we went to The Carriage House for an Amish dinner. As usual it was delicious. I think it's one of the highlights of the rally.
On Thursday, September 16 we drove to Monroe, MI and are staying at the William C. Sterling State Park for a week. The park is on Lake Erie and actually not to far from the Canadian border on the lake.
We are using the park as home base while we visited The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. This has been on our bucket list since we started watching Innovation Nation on TV. We knew we would need a week and we were right. We saw Greenfield Village on Friday and Saturday.
We started on the left side and did areas 1-5 on the first day. It may not look like much but I got over 6,500 steps that day. On the second day we did areas 6-7. By the time we went in all the buildings and walked the streets I had over 6,500 steps that day too. We also rode the horse drawn carriage, a Model T, and the train.
If you click on the signs you can find out if the buildings are reproductions or actual original buildings that have been moved to the Village.
Henry Firestone's home, barn and farm.
The roundhouse for the train.
The horse drawn carriage we rode in.
The Model T we rode in.
Here is the actual 15,000,000th Model T that Henry Ford produced.
The Orville and Wilbur Wright family home.
That was the first day. The second day we did more of the houses section rather than the business section.
I asked if this is all the brighter the bulbs were and they said that they keep them turned down so they don't burn out.
Makes you appreciate our modern homes and conveniences.
Sunday we started on The Henry Ford Museum and saw the right side of the museum.
This engine was huge!
I would have liked to see this plow in action.
Who remembers these?
On Monday we toured the Ford Rouge plant where they make the Ford F-150. Between the plant tour, the movies, and the view of the top of the plant it took us a couple of hours. They plant a grass on top of the factory to keep it cooler in summer and warmer in winter. We weren't allowed to take any pictures of the factory tour.
After we got back to the museum we started on the left side of the museum where the farm machinery is.
Remember these?
Then we looked at the Dymaxion House. An idea that never caught on. If you're interested in learning more here's a little about it - https://exhibits.stanford.edu/bucky/feature/what-is-a-dymaxion-house.
John's great-grand uncle Willard L. Bundy was a jeweler and watch maker. He made one of the first time clocks. The Bundy Time Clock Company was purchased by International Business Machines (IBM).
How a Model T was made.
If you ever watch Innovation Nation this is where Mo stands with his not so real screen.
We saw some huge pieces of machinery that John understands but me not so much. Very interesting though.
I remember using computers even older than this!
We saw the Rosa Parks bus. Notice the picture of the restoration before and after.
I think at this point we have seen it all, and if we missed anything it wasn't intentional. Everything in the museum was spotless, no dust to be seen anywhere. Time to say goodbye to the museum. It was a busy but so interesting 4-1/2 days. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
The weather for our visit was in the low 80s and high 70s, until today. Now it's in the high 50s, raining and windy. A good day to stay inside and relax!
Roving on...
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth".
Genesis 1:1
