Vol 17 No 5 - 31 July, 2013

On 29 June our way south to Florida we parked the truck at a truckstop near Jackson, Georgia Saturday afternoon and took the bike off the truck. We had not had the opportunity to visit our friends – Diane and Gary Barber for a few years.  We go through Atlanta but usually have no spare time.  An overnight visit and catch up with Gary, Diane, Kathy, Ian and Lennon was very enjoyable.  Back to the truck by noon Sunday.

Delivered at GAF Materials in Tampa, Florida on Monday morning 1 July then to Daytona Beach.

It was the lead up to the Fourth of July celebrations - a busy time.  Jim worked on the exhaust system on the truck – there was a leak, and the generator was not charging, he spent one day plus three mornings working on the truck.

Wednesday evening 3 July was the annual BBQ, Blues and Brews on Main Street.  We walked down for a look.  The staging for the Budweiser Brewery Clydesdales was on the way.  They are spectacular, a crowd pleaser and get a lot of attention. 

Budweiser Clydesdale rigs in Daytona Beach.

Budweiser Clydesdale's on Main Street.

 Main Street was closed to vehicular traffic, it was lined with food and drink vendors.  The Pig Stand BBQ restaurant had a truck and trailer that looked like a barbeque grill – that was fun. Lots of old cars on display.  Live bands at Froggy's, Full Moon Saloon and Main Street Station.

A good crowd of people attended, great food to choose from and dancing in the street.

Thursday was 4 July at Bob and Wendy Stantons for a traditional American celebratory cook-out. Always a fun time with them and their friends (and their pool).

That evening we walked to the Bandshell for a free concert by the Alter-Eagles, an Eagles tribute band – good music and spectacular Fourth of July fireworks off the Pier.

Alter Eagles Concert and fireworks at the Bandshell.

Friday we met Tim and Helena, Derek and Cindy and Mark in New Smyrna Beach and rode the bikes down to the Cocoa Beach Brewery for some new beer brews.  Cocoa Beach is 130 kms (80 miles) south from Daytona Beach.

Back north to Cape Canaveral for lunch at Grills Seafood and Tiki Bar - great food and atmosphere.  It was funny to hear the horn of a cruise ship and look out the window as Enchantment of the Seas cruised by.

Wikipedia: Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port.  It is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world.  As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic.  Common cargo includes cement, petroleum and aggregate.  The channel is about 13 m (44 feet) deep.   The channel leading to the port is 120 m (400 feet) wide and 5.6 km (3.5 miles) long.  Carnival, Disney, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean International are some of the cruise lines which dock at the six cruise terminals.  Ten ships on average, enter the port each day.

Photo of Tim and Helena’s moto guzzi converts – our shiftless friends!  Tim has given the Silver Bullet a paint job and got all the lights working.

Tim and Helena's moto guzzi converts.

Back in Daytona Beach Saturday evening we headed back to the Bandshell for the Caribbean Chillers concert.

Website: The Caribbean Chillers show is an “authentic” recreation of what you’ll see, hear, and experience at a Jimmy Buffet Concert.  One of the best Tropical Rockin’ Party Bands in the business. An Orlando, Florida based band.

Caribbean Chillers at the Bandshell.

They were loads of fun – and yes. authentic Jimmy Buffet music!  Bob, Wendy and some of their friends were there also.  And more fireworks!!

Because businesses closed for the holiday weekend, we stayed for Monday, to tend to business and Jim could finish working on the truck.  We left Daytona Beach very early on Tuesday morning to load at Georgia Port Authority Garden City Terminal (Savannah): is the fourth largest container port in the United States.

We had one heavy duty military transporter truck and delivered it to the Red River Army Depot just west of Texarkana, Texas on Thursday morning and reloaded two army humvees at the same place.  That was nice – 0 deadhead!  This facility has acres of military vehicles.

Red River Army Depot repairs, rebuilds, overhauls, and converts the Army’s light tracked combat vehicle fleet. The facility has over 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2) of storage capacity.  RRAD was activated in 1941 to create an ammunition storage facility.

Military vehicle from Georgia Ports to Red River, Texas.

Red River, Texas to Arden Hills, Minnesota - humvees.

It was an easy drive to Minnesota and we could not deliver until Monday morning.  We parked at a truckstop in Rogers, north west of Minneapolis on Saturday morning and unloaded the motorbike.  There had been heavy rain during the night and morning but had cleared.  Saturday afternoon we did some exploring, it was a new area for us.

Doing a few bits of business locally - Jim needed new work boots, there were a few places nearby to look at.  Eventually found a suitable pair at Cabela’s.  There are 40 Cabela’s Stores in the US and Canada. (41 with the newest one under construction in Buffalo, NY.)

Internet: Cabela’s Incorporated is a direct marketer and specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise. Cabela’s had a distinctive look to their retail operations, a look which turns them into tourist attractions as well as retail stores.  The stores are more like cavernous showrooms, bringing the outdoors inside.  They feature museum quality displays of taxidermied wildlife, large aquariums, indoor mountains, and archery ranges.  Also a restaurant and travel agency.

Each store is similar, but some have different features.  It is a great place to take foreign visitors to see North American wildlife!

Afterwards we went for a ride with no destination in mind for the afternoon.

South Central Minnesota in farming land, corn mostly, with many rivers and waterways that run into the Minnesota River.  It is a tributary of the Mississippi River approximately 534 km (332 miles) long.  The river valley is notable as the origin and centre of the canning industry in Minnesota.

Bar in Elk River, Minnesota.

Many interesting old towns, a whole lot of antique shops.  Stopped in Delano, a city situated along the South Fork of the Crow River.  Had lunch and beers at Dave’s Town Club.  Then north to the city of Elk River, situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Elk Rivers.

Had dinner in Rogers at Minnie’s Diner and I had their famous Minneapple Pie: individual deep fried apple pie with cinnamon ice cream.  Yes, it was good.

Jim had seen a liquor store near the truckstop, so on our way back we stopped to check it out.  A ‘Dan Murphy’ sized store, it was interesting to see the Minnesota beer and wine available.  Jim settled on a 12 pack of Grain Belt, a Minnesota brew.

Wikipedia:  Grain Belt beer was originally produced by the Minneapolis Brewing Company in 1891, it quickly became the company’s flagship product.  The name refers to the “Grain Belt” of the American Midwest where much of the world’s supply of barley, corn, soybeans and other grains are produced.

New and popular Cupcake Wine display.

Sunday morning we started much earlier, we had a destination - New Ulm about 130 kms (80 miles) south west.  All back roads that required several map stops.  Through the town of Buffalo, Minnesota beside Lake Buffalo.  We rode around it and I took some photos of some of the painted buffalo statues we saw. They were lovely to see and a town promotion.  It is an old resort town and we were interested because of Jim’s hometown of Buffalo, New York.  On Wikipedia I found:

The town of Buffalo is actually named after the carp-like fish that were once abundant in this region.

I wasn’t expecting that!!  (Why were there bison statues and not fish statues in the town???)

Hmmm: Ictiobus also known as buffalo fish, is a genus of freshwater fish common in the United States, but also found in Canada, Mexico and Guatemala.

And:

The bigmouth buffalo, the largest of the sucker family lives in lakes and rivers in most of Minnesota except the Lake Superior watershed.

There you go - interesting, eh?  :-)

Our first stop in New Ulm was the Schells Brewery and we arrived about 12 noon.  The brewery tours on a Sunday did not start until 1pm and were one hour duration.  We didn’t have the couple of hours to spare, so we looked through the museum and gift shop then went back to the town of New Ulm.

Another German town!

Tourist Brochure:  New Ulm was founded by two groups of German immigrants beginning in 1854, both looking to create ‘a utopian German community in the American wilderness’.  They sited their town on the natural terraces that occurred near the confluence of the Minnesota and Cottonwood Rivers.

In 1860 German immigrant August Schell paved the way for a 153 year old family tradition – the August Schell Brewing Company.  The oldest brewery in Minnesota and the second oldest family owned brewery in the nation. (Yuengling in Pennsylvania first).  Schell still specializes in brewing German style lagers.  In addition to the 18 craft beers that Schell produces, since 2002 they have adopted ‘Grain Belt’.

Seen on a t-shirt: ”In a town with 14,000 thirsty Germans, your beer had better be good.”

The city of New Ulm is beautiful, with many buildings restored and historic landmarks.  We rode around the central business district and through Goosetown - the official name for the area beside the river where early settlers had many domesticated geese that roamed the area.

Found a bar the Pub and Patio on Minnesota Street in New Ulm and did several samplings of Schells beer there.

Old Post Office, now Museum in New Ulm, Minnesota.

A very interesting place and we want to come back another time.

On the way back to the truck we stopped in Hutchison Main Street Sports Bar for lunch, then in Delano at Dave’s Town Club again.

340 miles on the bike for the day and a half in Minnesota.

Delivered the two humvees on Monday to the Arden Hills Army Training Site:

Internet: AHATS is a military training area under the control of the Minnesota National Guard.  Formally known as the Twin Cities Army Ammunitions Plant, the facility produced over 16.5 billion rounds of small-arms ammunition for World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam conflict.  AHATS is utilized for small unit military training.

From there 95 miles to Hewitt Boat Lifts and Docks in Nicollet and loaded modular dock parts.  Took four hours to load it.  Lots of small parts and we had three deliveries so they had to be together as much as possible and still be loaded correctly and safely.

Because lakes, rivers, ponds and waterways freeze in the northern part of the continent, docks and boats have to be taken out of the water otherwise they bend and break as the water freezes and expands around them.  The jetties and docks are pulled out before winter and replaced when the ice has thawed in Spring.  Many docks are aluminum and on pontoons and plastic wheels that ‘roll in’ for easy placement and removal.

The first delivery was in East Canton, Ohio on Wednesday morning, we got the next two off in Auburn, New York and Richfield Springs, New York on Thursday.  Didn't have too many problems, the plastic pontoons and decks started to squash and the load moved a little, but Jim put more straps on and a  brace, and it required constant checking.  We were pleased when all was delivered without mishap!

There was no loads that interested us in central New York, so we deadheaded about 300kms (200 miles) to St Catherine’s in Ontario, Canada.  Loaded empty auto parts racks on Friday and delivered them near Detroit at General Motors that afternoon.  

We wanted to work the weekend, but lined up to load on Sunday and sat Saturday in Perry, Michigan.  On a previous trip we discovered a small truckstop there and Café Sports bar and grill across the street.

Jim worked on the truck Saturday morning, then we walked into the town of Perry for a look in the afternoon.  Central Michigan is often referred to as the ‘palm of’ Michigan because the state of Michigan is shaped like a right hand mitten, so regions are relative to that.

Central Michigan’s economy is primarily agricultural and some automobile manufacturing.  Major crops include corn, sugar beets, and soy beans.

Early Sunday morning we headed north to Alma, Michigan and loaded pipe and delivered it the next morning in Freeborn, Minnesota at a place that builds grain hoppers and storage silos.

Pipe from Perry, Michigan to Freeborn, Minnesota.

There were no decent paying loads in the area, so we ended up sitting at a truckstop for two days.  Spent most of the time either Jim or I watching the load boards on the Internet.  So we did not take the bike off, because we would never have found a load if we were not searching for a load. Had to be on the phone seconds after a load was posted as we could see nine other empty stepdecks just in the truckstop we were in – all looking for loads.

One came up Wednesday about noon, so we hurried up to Sartell, Minnesota and loaded six pumps.  The Verso Paper Mill had closed.  In August 2012 there was a fatal explosion and fire and the plant was heavily damaged.  The Mill had been struggling for several years and required millions of dollars to rebuild it, so a hard decision was made to close it and put 260 people out work in the small city.  The equipment had been auctioned and we delivered the pumps to a company in Westlake, near Cleveland, Ohio where they will be refurbished.

Pumps from Minnesota to Ohio.

 Friday late morning we loaded at JLG Equipment in Orrville, Ohio.  A lovely town – headquarters of The Smucker Company.  Loaded two new telehandlers going to Buffalo, New York.

Orrville, Ohio to Buffalo, New York.

Arrived at Joe and Michele’s Friday evening, caught up with Bob Walters for a fish fry dinner.  Saturday was visiting, and also Jims High School Reunion picnic.  Maryvale High has an 'all class reunion' the last Saturday of July each year.  Classes that have a specific reunion have a separate dinner or get together the same weekend, so people can attend both functions.  The 'all classes' is great because people know others from sports, band, extra-curricular activities or the nearby neighbourhoods.  Jim has attended three years in a row, but this was my second picnic.  They have hot dogs and salads, etc. It was a nice afternoon, we went on the motorbike, just a few light showers of rain.

Jim Kostelney (ex-Maryvale High) his wife, Jan with Jim and I at reunion picnic.

Sunday was the Alden Car Show – the first year it was held there, 800 cars registered!  Rather huge and very impressive antique / historic cars.  Bob Walters had his 1957 Ford hard top convertible in the show.  

Bob Walters 1957 Ford.

Met other friends there as well – Rick and Marta Gorenflo.  Bob's car got a trophy, but now sure what category as we had to leave to have a cook-out with Jim’s family.

Lola in her cage.

I met my first real live Chinchilla!  Lola was a guest at the Casey house while we were there.  She belongs to Tyler's girlfriend, Lisa.  She is very high on the cute factor.  To me she looks like a cross between a squirrel, a rabbit and a rat….?? With short front legs like a T-Rex and big ears.  A small animal, it would fit in two hands.

She was fast and I didn't want to use the flash, but I got some photos, and stole one from Wikipedia.

Wikipedia: Chinchillas are crepuscular rodents, slightly larger and more robust that ground squirrels, native to the Andes Mountains in South America.  Today colonies in the wild remain only in Peru and Chile.  

The animal is named after the Chincha people of the Andes, who once wore its dense, velvet-like fur.

Most chinchillas currently used by the fur industry for clothing and accessories are farm-raised.

Chinchillas are popular pets but require special attention:

They require extensive exercise.  Their teeth need to be worn down as they grow continuously and can prevent them from eating if they become overgrown.

Chinchillas lack the ability to sweat, therefore, if temperatures get above 25 degrees C (80 degrees F), they could get overheated and may suffer from heat stroke. Chinchillas dissipate heat by routing blood to their large ears, so red ears signal overheating.

Photo stolen from Wikipedia, but looks a lot like Lola except for darker tail.

(This is why Lola was a guest - the recent heat wave resulted in Lola feinting from the heat where Lisa was living.) 

Chinchillas can be found in a variety of colours.  The only colour found in nature is standard grey.  The most common other colours are white, black velvet, beige, ebony, violet, and sapphire, and blends of these.

The animals instinctively clean their fur by taking dust baths, in which they roll around in special dust made of fine pumice. The dust gets into their fur and absorbs oil and dirt.  These baths are needed a few times a week.  Chinchillas do not bathe in water because the dense fur prevents air-drying, retaining moisture close to the skin, which can cause fungus growth or fur rot.  The thick fur resists parasites, such as fleas, and reduces dander, making chinchillas hypoallergenic.

Chinchillas eat and drink in very small amounts. In the wild, they eat and digest desert grasses, so cannot efficiently process fatty or high protein foods, or too many green plants.  A high quality, hay-based pellet and a constant supply of loose timothy hay will meet all of their dietary needs.

Lola was very entertaining, she has a large cage with lots of exercise equipment and a shoebox sized ‘bath’ of special dust bought from the pet shop her to roll around in.  Comical as she flipped and fluffed in it.

Monday morning we delivered the telehandlers to Skyworks Equipment Rental, Sales & Service in Buffalo.  

No loads lined up, so we sat the truckstop watching the internet load boards.  Joe and Michele were in the city and picked us up for lunch at Mighty Taco.  Tuesday we loaded wire baskets used for transporting auto parts.  These ones had been repaired and we took them to Karmax Heavy Stamping in Milton, Ontario.  Delivered, then reloaded damaged ones and took them back to the same place in Buffalo to be repaired.  That filled in the day and they paid well.

Wednesday morning back across the border to General Motors and loaded the empty automotive racks, the same type we loaded earlier in the month, and took them to GM in Romulus, Michigan again.