Vol. 18 No. 6 - 31 August, 2014

Steel rods from Wexford, PA to Muscatine, Iowa. 

1 August we delivered the steel rods to a stamping plant in Muscatine, Iowa.Situated beside the Mississippi River, an old river town, with lots of industry.

Wikipedia:  Muscatine is located on a series of bluffs and hills at a major west-south bend in the Mississippi River.  The river-bend gives the city roughly 260 degrees of riverfront.  In 1884 a German immigrant founded a pearl button company.  He produced buttons that looked like pearls by machine-punching them out of freshwater mussel shells harvested from the Mississippi River.  Muscatine’s slogan, “Pearl of the Mississippi”, refers to the days when pearl button manufacturing by the McKee Button Company was a significant economic contributor.  Muscatine is nearly as well known as the “Watermelon Capital of the World”. {Though I could not find any statistics that confirmed this claim – and at least half a dozen other cities in the USA claim this position!}

Friday afternoon we parked the rig at a nearby truckstop and unloaded the motorbike.  Packed clothes for a couple days away.  The Wisconsin Moto Guzzi Club’s rally was on the weekend and 130 miles north-east of Muscatine.  The lemans does not hold much luggage and we do not carry camping gear with us in the truck.  When we knew about the load to Muscatine, we lined up with Wisconsin Moto Guzzi Club Representatives, Chris and Judi Collins to bring camping gear for us.

After orientating ourselves with Muscatine, a ride around the historic downtown, we followed the Mississippi River north along the western bank in Iowa.  Lovely small towns – found a Buffalo, Iowa! 

Buffalo, Iowa.

Stopped in Davenport, one of the Quad Cities - the Quad Cities are actually five cities: Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in Illinois. In 1948 Alcoa opened a plant in Bettendorf and it became larger than East Moline, but “Quad Cities” was already established and “Quint Cities” didn't catch on.

The first railroad bridge built across the Mississippi River connected Davenport and Rock Island in 1856, it was built by the Rock Island Railroad Company.

(The Johnny Cash song – Rock Island Line!!)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRmdS76oXw4

Trivia: In 1848, John Deere moved his plough business to Moline and incorporated as Deere and Company in 1868 and today is the largest employer in the Quad Cities.

Over the last couple of decades, many industries have left the Quad Cities – International Harvester, CAT, and the area declined.  Revitalization in progress now, with Art Festivals, restaurants and a couple of breweries.  We found Great River Brewery and stopped for a refreshment.

When we pulled up out the front I could hear Johnny Cash’s “Big River” playing, so it was obviously the place to stop!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S34hOJE-DpU

The outdoor water feature was unique.

Thirst quenchers.

Had ride around the historic downtown of Davenport, near the Mississippi River.

In Dubuque, Iowa we crossed the Mississippi River from Iowa to Wisconsin at 5pm and arrived at Camp Joy near Belmont, Wisconsin about 6pm in time for dinner.  Lots of people there we knew and some we saw at the Iowa rally last month.

Chris and Judi had the tent up for us when we got there, with great big air mattress and sleeping bags!

Welcome to Lake Joy Campground, Belmont, Wisconsin.

Home Sweet Home for us was the green tent to the right - it was very spacious, we were spoiled! (twice the size of the truck cab!)

Saturday, Jim and I went for a ride.  Discovered Monroe, Wisconsin: “The Swiss Cheese Capital of USA”.

We had great coffee at Chocolate Temptations, I had raspberry almond and a crème d’menthe chocolate frog.

I loved Green County court house!  Richardsonian Romanesque style located on the Square, was built in 1891. The town has European style architecture.

Green County Court House in Monroe, Wisconsin.

Farmer's Market in Monroe.

My purchase - an Amish handmade sunflower potholder, unique and lovely!

Monroe buildings.

Monroe, WI buildings.

Next stop was New Glarus Brewery.  We have been enjoying New Glarus beer for several years, discovered at previous visits to Wisconsin.

The New Glarus Brewery is a small independently owned craft brewery founded in 1993.  They brew a variety of beers, Spotted Cow being the most popular. 

Internet:  Spotted Cow uses 100% natural ingredients.  No high fructose corn syrup or any additives are used in the brewing process.  It has a light amber colour and a slightly cloudy appearance.  Spotted Cow is one of New Glarus’ unfiltered brews, meaning the brewer’s yeast is still in it.

The Brewery began in an abandoned warehouse with used brewing equipment.  In May 2006, they started on a new $21 million facility on a hilltop on the south edge of the village of New Glarus.  It is designed to look like a Bavarian village and has become a destination for tourists.

The motorcycle parking at New Glarus Brewery.

A bit different for tasting: $3.50 get you a 4 oz glass, fitted with a wrist band that has three “taste” tabs.  Order at the bar, the bar attendant snaps off a tab, to make sure you only get three.  Then you keep the glass.  We tried their other regular and seasonal brews.  All good.

We stopped in the village of New Glarus for a late lunch.  New Glarus is known as “America’s Little Switzerland”, an original Swiss settlement since 1845, and has retained its Swiss charm in everything from the Alpine-styled architecture, the colourful flower-filled window boxes, to the gourmet food.

Ate at Puempel’s Olde Tavern:

Website:  American Heritage magazine featured Puempel’s as an example of a rare authentic tavern, a modern relic profiled as a “most impressive historic survivor”.  The comforts, charm, and atmosphere that appealed to settlers and travelers back in 1893 has been infused with the energy and integrity of over a century of patrons from all walks of life.

There are large murals on the walls, dating back to 1893 and 1895 - beautiful.

We were on some great roads with rolling hills in south-central Wisconsin; past quilt barns, dairy farms, and corn fields.

Quilt Barn.

Corn field.

The county roads are 'lettered' instead of numbered, can be confusing!

Saturday evening back at the Rally for barbeque dinner – the beer truck had several Wisconsin beer on tap, and there was lots of Wisconsin cheese trays for sampling.  A very well organized and entertaining rally, 210 people attended.

The weekend weather had been perfect for a camping and the rally – clear, sunny, and hot days and cooler nights.

Sunday morning, after packing up we had a leisurely ride south, this time on the east bank of the Mississippi River.

Stopped in Galena, Illinois – another River town.  The town of Galena is divided by the Galena River which runs into the Mississippi River a few miles west.

There is an earth levee around the historical down town of Galena, Illinois - these are flood gates.

Galena, Illinois - an old and interesting town.

Even though it is a tourist trap and way too many people in a small area - it is charming, unique and a lot of history.  I noticed the levee bank and flood gates to the historic downtown.

Galena was the residence of Ulysses S Grant and eight other Civil War generals, therefore very patriotic.

In the early 19^th Century it thrived because lead ore was found and mined nearby, then it became a small, rural farming community.  Two decades ago, the downtown buildings were abandoned, boarded up and crumbling.  Now they are thriving stores and the streets are filled with tourists.

We had ‘mean bean roasters’, a local coffee.  Sat and watched the people, then wandered through some stores, many featuring local and national sauces, olive oils, sauces, etc. and many specialty fashion and crafty stores.

Stopped in Rock Island at Great Bend Brewery – had some excellent beer there!  It was very quiet in the downtown area on a Sunday afternoon.  This Brewery is across the Mississippi River from the one we stopped at on our trip north.

Further south we found Ducky’s Lagoon – a restaurant beside the Mississippi River where we ate a late lunch/early dinner.

Crossed the Mississippi River back into Muscatine, Iowa and had another look around the city.  I had seen a few watermelon items I wanted to photograph.

Before loading the motorbike, we went to a local grocery store to get supplies for the truck.  

Really wanted a ‘Muscatine Melon’, there were some rockmelons (cantalopes) but too large for us on the truck.  There were several varieties of melons we had not seen before, and selected a Lemondrop Melon.  

This is not a locally grown melon, though - the “Kandy” farm is in Arizona.

Internet:  its flavours are filled with the overt signature sweet tartness of lemon, subtle hints of honeydew and watermelon and due to its low sugar content, it displays no candied syrup qualities within its juices.

Ate it for a snack the next day – we both liked it.

Monday morning we loaded at Farmland Foods in Monmouth, Illinois.   Ugh - at a pork meat processing plant.  A continuous line of truckloads of live pigs, very smelly!  It is a big place, employing 1500 people. (website: 2.7 million pigs slaughtered annually!)

A truckload of live pigs.

Monmouth, Illinois to Smithfield, Virginia.

We picked up a snow generator out the back.  Dry ice goes into the machine and makes snow.  I didn't ask any other questions.

Easy load, just one crate, very light and they paid for exclusive use of the trailer, so we boogied to Smithfield, Virginia (north of Norfolk).

Delivered it to another meat processing plant with pigs on Wednesday morning.  Then to Richmond, Virginia to load 17 empty containers at DuPont, but they had not been cleaned, so had residue of hazardous liquid in them.  Therefore had to be placarded.

HAZMAT from Richmond, Virginia to Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. 

Delivered to Nalco Inc. in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania – north of Pittsburgh.  It is beginning to take longer to go through security at plants now.

Over to Coshocton, Ohio and loaded pipe at Clow Water Systems.

Website:  After more than 90 years, Clow Water Systems is one of the United States’ premier manufacturers of iron pipe and fittings for the waterworks industry.

Water pipe from Coshocton, Ohio to Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

Delivered Friday morning, 8 August to a new housing development in Oconomowoc.  (Not sure if it is harder to say or to type!)

Oconomowoc in the news a week later to celebrate 75 years since they held the world premier of The Wizard of OZ.

Over to Milwaukee to load one large crate, it was ‘hot’ - had to be at Miami International Airport before 10 am on Monday to make a flight to Santiago, Chili.

There was time to Jim to drive it legally, but the traffic in several big cities en route could have been a problem.  But it was better than we anticipated even with two and a half hours to drive about 80 kms through Chicago on Friday afternoon, an accident in Nashville, but managed to get through without hold ups.

Scenes from the windscreen!

Delivered to a DHL warehouse near the Miami International Airport at 5pm on Sunday afternoon. Then to the house in Daytona Beach Monday morning.

Hot and humid with storms and downpours the whole time we were in Daytona Beach.  Truck in the shop because the air conditioner didn't work after the repair in Buffalo early July.

Near the Boardwalk, Daytona beach.

Main Street Pier, Daytona Beach.

Daytona Beach.

Jimmy was in Daytona Beach for the week, spent time with him out and about.

Jim and Jimmy at Oasis Tiki Bar, Daytona Beach.

The beach in front of the Tiki Bar.

Oasis Tiki Bar after a storm.

Jim and Jimmy went on a half day fishing charter with Critter Fleet and caught some fish!  Unloaded the lemans and put a new rear tyre on it.

Caught up with Ron and Regina at Peanuts in New Smyrna Beach on Friday evening and out to Lis and Harvey’s Saturday evening.

Sunday morning, 17 August we loaded the bike back on the truck and left late afternoon going north to Brunswick, Georgia.

Monday morning we loaded at the Georgia Port Authority, Vehicle Processing Centre:  two John Deere tractors - imported from Germany!

Brunswick Georgia Port to Tennessee.

Delivered one tractor to Tennessee Tractor Inc. yards in Jackson, Tennessee and one to Martin, Tennessee.

Over to Paragould in Arkansas and loaded axles for railroad cars.  Delivered them the next morning in Corsicana, Texas.  The axles are made in one place, the wheels somewhere else, then assembled at Greenbrier Rail Services, Wheel Division.

Railroad axles for Paragould, Arkansas to Corsicana, Texas.

Greenbrier Railroad Services - Wheel Division.

To Waco, Texas and loaded at Manitou Americas Inc. - two Manitou machines with forklifts and buckets.  These are ‘assembled’ in Waco, parts and components are made in other areas or countries and put together in Waco.  A heavy load going north.

Waco, Texas to Sandusky, Michigan.

We travelled some back roads in Texas and i liked the garden ornament stores and displays beside the road.

Friday afternoon, 22 August we delivered the two forklifts in Sandusky, Michigan to Tri County Equipment.

Tourist brochure.

There were no loads that interested us – they either didn't pay enough or were going to areas we didn't want to go.

Found ourselves with the weekend off in the ‘Thumb’ of Michigan.  The lower part of the State of Michigan resembles a mitten, and the ‘thumb’ sticks out into Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay.

Wikipedia: The Thumb region is very flat with fertile soil, the reason for its historical role as a chief agricultural area.  Major agricultural products include sugar beets, navy beans, corn, fruits, and fish from Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. 
Manufacturing, particularly concerning the automotive industry - is also prevalent.

Found a small truckstop west of Sandusky and north of Marlette, parked the truck and unloaded the motorbike. 

Service station/convenience store/truckstop we stayed at for the weekend in Michigan.

There was parking for about ten trucks, but we were the only people ‘staying’ there for the weekend.  The service station was a convenience store that covered most travellers needs; the sign reads: showers, fresh subs, tools, fresh coffee, lotto, hunting and fishing licenses, ammo, hand dipped ice-cream, beer, fresh donuts.  It was a busy place!

Took an evening run east to Port Sanilac and wandered around the harbour and ate at the Blue Water Bar overlooking the harbour.

Back to the truck just on dark. 

There thick fog the next morning, so we stayed busy catching up on a few things around the truck and got on the bike about 10am.  

First stop was to check out the town of Bad Axe, because we liked the name:

Wikipedia:  The city’s unusual name dates to the time of its settlement.  While surveying the first state road through the Huron County wilderness in 1861, a camp was made at the future site of the city.  The surveyors found a much-used and badly damaged axe.  In the survey report, the name “Bad Axe Camp” was used as a sign placed along the main trail.

Headed west to the shore of Saginaw Bay and followed the shore north to Caseville.  It had a small brewery, called Thumb Brewery.

Website:  Thumb Brewery is nestled in an 1800’s historic home in Caseville where the charm and character of the home spills into an open air patio providing the perfect place to sit back, relax and enjoy some of life’s simple pleasures.

The glasses were cool!

For it being a late summer weekend, we expected crowds of people, but were surprised that there was very little traffic or crowds anywhere we went.

Next stop was the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse.  “Point aux Barques” means ‘Point of Little Boats’, a description of the shallow shoals and reefs that lurk beneath the waves, presenting a hazard to boats as they round Michigan’s Thumb.  It is where Lake Huron meets Saginaw Bay.  This conical white brick tower was built in 1857, with the lighthouse keeper’s house next to it.

Mid-afternoon we stopped at Forester’s Inn and had a late lunch, early dinner of Lake Perch.  We wanted to eat something that came out of Lake Huron – very nice, light flavoured fish, only available battered and deep fried, though.

Along the Lake shore to Port Sanilac, then back to the truck.

Sunday morning was foggy again, but we headed south to Port Huron for a look around.

In 1857, Port Huron became an incorporated city.  The population grew rapidly after the 1850’s due in part to a successful shipbuilding and lumber trade.

We rode through the historic down town, found Raven Cafe – that is an interesting old building.  It was built about 1860’s, the building was purchased in 1993 as a humble, sadly neglected structure.  The rehabilitation lasted until October 2002.  It is very beautiful.

Inside Raven Cafe - photo stolen from their Facebook page.

We had coffees, then continued exploring the city.

We have often been on Blue Water Bridge, the international bridge that connects Sarnia, Ontario, Canada and Michigan, USA. It was interesting to see Port Huron close up.

Blue Water Bridge connects Michigan, USA to Ontario, Canada.

We are usually 'on' the bridge!

Stopped at Fort Gratiot Lighthouse at entrance from Lake Huron to St Clair River that separates Canada, and goes south to Detroit to St Clair Lake, then Detroit River, and into Lake Erie.

Wesite:  The Fort Gratiot Lighthouse was built in 1829 to replace a tower destroyed by a storm.  In the 1860’s workers extended the tower to its present height of 84 feet (26 metres).  The light, automated in 1933, continues to guide shipping on Lake Huron into the narrow and swift-flowing St Clair River.  It was the first lighthouse established in the State of Michigan.

I went to the lake shore to take some photos of the lighthouse, and noticed a Great Lakes freighter heading towards the river. I took many photos of its progress, it was American Century.

Website:  This Great Lakes self-unloading bulk carrier was built by Bay Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and was launched as Columbia Star on November 8, 1980. She is powered by 4 V-20 cylinder 3,560 horsepower GM diesel engines driving through a gear reduction box to 2 controllable pitch propellers giving her a rated service speed of 15 knots.  She is equipped with both bow and stern thrusters.  It has 37 hatches, feeding into 7 holds where she is capable of carrying 78,850 tons.  He rstern mounted 260 foot self-unloading boom can be swung 92 degrees to port or starboard and can discharge at a rate of up to 10,000 tons per hour.  It is 1,000 feet long! (304 metres!)

In June, 2006, Columbia Star and five of her fleet mates were sold to American Steamship Co for $120 million, and her name changed to American Century.

Shows how close it was to the lake shore.

One more stop in Port Huron was at Thumb Coast Brewing.  Very nice location – on Quay Street and the rear patio overlooks the Black River.  We sat on the river side patio to watch the pleasure crafts up and down the river and the drawbridge operating.

The Brewery is to the right of the boats, and a park beside the river.

We had their flight sampler of six signature beers, and selected a glass each. Also a snack.

The park beside river.

Saw another freighter heading downriver.

Continued north again along the lake shore, and stopped at Lexington to another brewery and winery.
The building was a fire station.

A great jazz band was playing and we relaxed and listen for an hour.

There was something we had not seen before – a small basket of magnifying glasses!  For the patrons with poor eyesight, that didn't have their glasses with them.  They said they were used often.




We had seen the Cadillac House on the way in and decided on going there for dinner.  It is a very old building and has a resident ghost, George!  I ordered Lake Perch – again!

Back to the truck, load the motorbike and get ready for the next work week.

A couple of Michigan trucks:

Monday morning we loaded in Pontiac, Michigan, just north of Detroit – we were the last truck to be loaded, so luckily only had a partial load, and not near gross weight, so that was a bonus. An equipment move from Lee Contracting.

Pontiac, Michigan to Meridian, Mississippi.

An easy run south to Meridian, Mississippi with a small forklift, a large tool box and a cage of equipment.  Delivered late on Tuesday afternoon.  Lee Contracting are machinery movers and were moving their own equipment to do the job at Tower Automotive.

Over to Mathiston, Mississippi the next morning and loaded platforms and air filter parts – a light load.

Mathison, Mississippi to Panama City, Florida.

Delivered the next morning – our first time at the Panama City Ports in the Florida Panhandle next to the Gulf of Mexico.  It was easy, no hassles. Our contact come to the gate and we followed him to where we unloaded.  A small port is much nicer to go to, than the large ones.

We loaded flat steel at Cargill Steel nearby in Panama City, then tarp it.  Delivered it the next morning, Friday in Augusta, Georgia.

Panama City, Florida to Augusta, Georgia.

The loaded at Sly Inc. in Athens, Georgia for the Buffalo, New York area.  These were rolls of cloth matting.  This matting is used for dust collection and pollution control in industry and construction sites.

Athens, Georgia to Barker, New York.

It was the Labor Day long weekend (Monday the holiday), we had a ‘no pressure’ drive north. 

Saturday was foggy in the mountains of North Carolina.

Stopped and got the truck washed in Fort Chiswell, Virginia on Saturday morning.  The truck gets washed once a month – unless something has happened – insects, mud, etc.

Arrived at Joe and Michele’s on Sunday morning, 31 August.