So, after Frankenmuth we headed to Detroit. It rained, Texas-style, on the way in... tough driving! We made it to The Henry Ford. This is a museum with items collected by Henry Ford. We had heard that it was great - WOW! It was awesome!
A small sampling:
An advert for car-pooling I thought was funny!
This is the bus that Rosa Parks was on when she refused to give up her seat in Montgomery, AL on December 1, 1955.
A small sample of vintage cars on display. There were cars from the 1900s all the way to current and future ...
Our home planet - LOL
The highlight of the day was a tour of the Ford Rouge Factory! We could not take pictures inside, if we had you would have seen a
giddy Carsten watching the assembly of the trucks! This factory was originally completed in 1928 and was the largest integrated factory in the world. Not only were the cars assembled there, they also manufactured the components from raw materials (Iron Ore from the Great Lakes, etc). Henry Ford and his cronies famously clashed with the Autoworkers Union before finally coming to terms. This factory at one point employed over 100,000 workers.
The factory was completely redone in 2016, modernizing the building, campus and assembly line. I thought it was going to be all robots assembling the trucks but we were watching men and women building Ford F-150s. Watching the conveyors and workers was super interesting.
So, after THF we had dinner - Yemeni food, then headed to the downtown hotel. It was a Hilton Garden Inn. That night there was a big storm! We woke up to NO electricity or water. Bummer! On the 10th floor, we waited a while before heading down to find out what was happening. They had 5 inches of rain and the city was a mess! We spent the morning walking all over downtown Detroit (mostly looking for a bathroom). We visited the Eastern Market - this is a Farmers' market type place that has been around for 150+ years. Fresh produce, flowers, etc. There were many murals on the buildings, I captured a few. Some pics from our wanderings...
GM Headquarters:
Stevie Wonder mural -
The Astros were in town so we went to watch them play the Tigers. We had good seats, under cover in case of rain.
Astros won!
Up early to head to see Linda and Kirk Miller (from Phillips 66) in Union City, MI. Carsten and Linda worked together for several years, keeping each other sane! We had a lovely visit at their lake house, interrupting their planning for a huge 4th of July party - next time we will plan to make the party!
We stayed at The Victorian Villa Inn, built in 1876. Furnishings were true to period. Our room was once the servants quarters. It was nice.
After Union City, MI we headed to Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ohio loves its toll roads. We are looking into a discount due to all the lane closures for construction. However, Michigan has the monopoly on orange construction barrels.
The Rock and Roll HOF was super! Here are some highlights:
For his own amusement, Tommy Schmidt from the Eagles collected these hotel room keys while on tour with the Eagles.
This is the outfit Prince wore at his 2007 Superbowl performance, considered by many to be the best Superbowl halftime performance. In case you don't recall, it was pouring down raining!
An exhibit of The Who -
Original song lyrics from Billy Joel's "My Life" -
Part of Pink Floyd's
The Wall stage props -
The Wall was written by Roger Waters, as their fame increased they played larger venues. Roger felt there was a wall between the band and their fans. This was also reflective of things he was struggling with in his life.
We highly recommend the R&R HOF if you are in Cleveland!
As we headed south we stopped for a short visit at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This area, between Akron and Cleveland, was established as a National Park in 1976 as part of a "People to Parks" initiative. The park service wanted National parks to be more than just a once-in-a-lifetime destination, but instead making parks accessible and part of the urban experience.
This is the Everett Road Covered Bridge. Ohio at one point, had more covered bridges than any other state. The bridges were covered to help them last longer. An uncovered wooden bridge would last, on average, 20 years, while a covered bridge could last up to 100 years.
That's all we got for now.
Take care,
Sheri & Carsten
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