Vol. 22 No. 5 - 31 July, 2018

Driving from the north west to Florida, Sunday 1 July we travelled from Green River, Utah to Tucumcari, New Mexico.  On US Highway 191 in Utah is Hole N" The Rock.  It began as a modest cave where cowboys camped in the early 20^th century. It is privately owned, and in 1945, it was expanded and the Hole N” The Rock Diner was opened.

After changing owners a few times, it is now a tourist attraction with a gift shop, trading post, general store, petting zoo, a 12-minute tour of the 14 room house with fireplace and 65 ft chimney carved in the rock.

A beautiful drive through some of the canyonlands of Utah, even though it was early and the first part was in the dark.

Wilson Arch is on the eastern side of US Hwy 191, 24 miles south of Moab, Utah and visible from the highway.  It is natural sandstone, span is 91 feet (28 m) and height is 46 feet (14 m), elevation is 6,150 feet (1,870 m).

Early morning in Monticello, Utah.

Jim checked the map for a more interesting route to Florida, going via Utah and Colorado was a good alternative that only added about 70 miles, and experience some new highways.  After Monticello, Utah, travelled US Hwy 160 into southern Colorado, through Dove Creek, Cortez, Durango, into the San Juan National Forest.  There was nowhere for trucks to stop along the way, so first chance we stopped in the town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado and visited The Lift Coffee House. Nice people and great coffee!  The front outdoor seating were chair lifts.

Saw this carving on a tree trunk in Pasgosa Springs.

Pagosa Springs, a stop before heading into the mountains.

Internet:  Wolf Creek Pass is a high mountain on the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Elevation 10,857 feet / 3309 metres.  The Pass is significantly steep on either side – 6.8% maximum grade and very dangerous in winter.  There are two runaway truck ramps on the westbound side for truckers that lose control of their brakes.

“Wolf Creek Pass” is sung by C. W. McCall from 1975 – it describes it as “37 miles o’ hell – which is up on the Great Divide”.  In the song, two truckers drive an out of control 1948 Peterbilt westbound on US 160 to Pagosa Springs – a 5,000 foot (1500 metre) drop in elevation.

From 2011 to 2015 - 49 trucks have crashed on the west side of the Pass, most occur on the switchback curve near the overlook.

The first tine we have driven on this highway.  We were not loaded heavy, but still a slow drive in a semi.  Lots of motorcycles and bicycles were on it, and it was warm weather.  Fantastic scenery!

The highway we just drove up!

The summit of Wolf Creek Pass.

Stopped for lunch in Monte Vista, Colorado.

There had been a couple of emergency highway signs stating La Veta Pass was closed due to limited visibility caused by smoke from two wildfires burning in the area.  We had hoped it would be reopened by the time we got there, but no...  (It was closed for over a week, made the national news.)

Highway closed because of smoke from wildfires.

From Alamosa, Colorado we detoured south to Santa Fe, New Mexico, the extra miles added two hours to the day.  Got as far as Tucumcari, New Mexico that night, then into Amarillo, Texas the next morning for fuel.

Found a new barbeque restaurant with easy access truck parking on the I 20 frontage road - Soulman's Barbeque in Van, Texas.  Soulman's are in about 20 locations in Texas, mostly in the Dallas Fort Worth area.  We had a great early dinner there!

Interstate highway 10 near the Alabama / Florida line, highway entrance and exit ramps are over water.

“Queen Snake” is a southbound rest area near Gainesville, Florida.  It features a snake-shaped elevated overlook over Payne’s Prairie, which was once a lake.  Steamboats in the late 1800s used it to transport citrus from groves around Micanopy to railheads in Gainesville.  A sink hole drained the lake, now it is wetlands.  The ‘queen snake’ is not poisonous, but will bite if harassed and smear their attacker with foul smelling secretions if grabbed.

Note:  There are four venomous snakes found in Central Florida: the eastern coral, the Florida cottonmouth (also known as water moccasin), the dusky pygmy rattlesnake, and the eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

Florida concrete with shells.

On 5 July, we delivered the PODS to a warehouse in Orlando, Florida then went to Daytona Beach.  Always things to keep us busy for the first few days at the house. 
Saturday afternoon, we took the Moto Guzzi Bassa for a ride to the Beachside Brew Pub, it was the Second Anniversary of their opening.  There was a party atmosphere, with two food trucks and additional outside seating.  Some storm clouds in the west, but it did not rain.

Sunday afternoon, we spent with Lis and Harvey in De Leon Springs.  A nice relaxing catch up, and Lis treated us to her fabulous cooking!

Early on Tuesday morning, 10 July, Jim and I went in the car to Lehigh Acres, east of Fort Myers in southwest Florida.  Friends from Australia were visiting their relatives there.  We met them at a Perkins Restaurant and Bakery for a great lunch (great food there!).  So good to see Jim and Darlene in our neck of the woods, we had a great visit with them!

It was a 4 ½ hour drive for us – but definitely worth it, and we planned a two day ‘getaway’ with it.

An hour north of Lehigh Acres, is the small town of Lake Placid. Located in Highlands County, is an area of rolling hills (that is unusual in Florida), with many lakes and is north west of Lake Okeechobee.

In 2013 Reader's Digest held a readers survey and Lake Placid, Florida was voted "The Most Interesting Town in America".

The town has two nicknames Town of Murals, and The Caladium Capital of the World.
Lake Placid has 49 murals painted on buildings throughout the town; and 95% of the world's caladium bulbs are grown in the area.
They host an annual Caladium Festival held on the last weekend of July - the town was gearing up for that a couple of weeks from when we were there.

History:  Lake Placid has seen its share of prominent and influential people.  Dr. Melvil Dewey, the creator of the Dewey Decimal System (the Library Catalog Method) is the most famous.  In 1895 Mr. Dewey built a summer resort for his affluent friends at Lake Placid, New York.  About 35 years later, Dewey discovered a perfect place for a winter resort for the same exclusive group of friends - in Lake Steams, Florida.  He loved all 29 freshwater lakes, the citrus groves, the wildlife, the rolling hills, and the mild winter weather.  But he didn't like the name, so in 1927 he persuaded the Florida Legislature to change it to Lake Placid.  Mr. Dewey built the Lake Placid Club to mirror the one at Lake Placid, New York.

After checking into a motel, Jim and I went for a drive around the town.  Found happy hour at Jaxon's on the Lake, then had dinner at Dock 633.  Then a drive around Lake Placid in the evening.

I took some photos of the murals Tuesday evening: -
The murals on the side of buildings around Lake Placid tell the story of historical events and people of Lake Placid.

Mural and caladiums in the main street of Lake Placid, Florida - mural is titlesd Lake Placid Country Fair.

Mural title: Richard Archbold & Archbold Biological Station.

Richard Archbold (1907- 1976) , explorer, aviator, and patron of science. In 1941, he founded Archbold Biological Station 8 miles south of Lake Placid.  He was founding member of (1945) of Glades Electric Co-operative.

American Clown Museum & School.

The Art Of Clown School.  The mural depicts  what clowns do to entertain and bring smiles , love and laughter.

The Turpentine Industry. A chipper removes bark and cuts a pattern called a "cat face" and inserts a metal strip.  The gum drains into a seamless clay Herty pot and is collected and taken to the distillery.  Consolidated Naval Stores owned more than two million acres of Florida pine forest.

Note:  Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin from live trees, mainly pines.  It is mainly used as a solvent.

The motel was south of the town - a couple of interesting things on the way - a dead tree that had a large nest; and an old tourist attraction advertising pineapple juice.

Along US Highway 27 the abandoned pineapple plantation and Plantation Paradise gift shop and fruit stand.  Its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s when the highway bought many tourists past it.  Obviously been closed for several years.

The motel was lovely, old style Florida.

Wednesday morning, 11 July - after a continental breakfast at the motel, we spent the morning in Lake Placid.
Another photo of the old pineapple - there is moss and a birds nest in the 'crown'.

There are at least 47+ murals in the downtown area of Lake Placid.  We walked for an hour or so, waiting for the Visitor Centre to open.  We bought a book to explain each mural; its significance to Lake Placid and/or Florida.

Above: Titled: Istokpoga.  It means "many men died here".  Two Seminole Indians, each in a different century of dress, are hunting the gigantic alligator.  Behind the great blue heron, a thunderstorm is approaching making the lake dangerous.

Saw several of these clown seats - great photo spots!  This is "Mumbles", a local.

Stuck In Time.  In 1927 Swain Bowers opened Lake Placid Motor Co.  Around this time, three men were travelling Highland County and got their Model T stuck in sand, and Swain Bowers rescued them.  Later he found out they were: Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone.

Interesting bicycle rack.

There are many painted and decorated trash bins in the town.  This one of a truck is my favourite!

Hometown News - Lake Placid Journal 1960.  Linotype was often called the 8th wonder of the world.  The printing press was designed to print two pages at a time.

Toby's Clown School - Lake Placid boasts more clowns per capita than any other town in Florida.  These three clowns live in Lake Placid, graduates of Toby's Clown School.  Clown styles are Auguste (German), White Face (English), and Hobo (American).

There are three main kinds of clowns that come via European and American tradition. Auguste, on the right, originated in Germany; with wild hair, oversized shoes, and wild clothing.  The White Face clown is common in English history.  On the left is the American Hobo clown.

Rare Resident Florida Panther. There are approximately 100 panthers alive in the wild, an endangered species in Florida.

Train Depot.  The railroad was important to Lake Placid, it bought both freight and tourists.  The new train depot was built in 1927.
There is also a train museum nearby.

This must be a new mural - it was not in the book.

Tropical State Bank Robbery.  Ten year old Grady Parrish was instrumental in foiling an attempted bank robbery at Tropical State Bank in September 9131.  The mural is painted on the spot where the Tropical State Bank was located.

Lake Placid County Fair.  The Fair is held on the first full weekend in February each year.  There are over 200 arts and crafts booths and plenty of food and entertainment.

The pie eating and watermelon eating competition, quilt display - part of the Fair.

Sandhill Cranes - Dawn Patrol.  Sandhill cranes reside in the area all year round.  They nest in and around water.  They are easily identified by their cap of red feathers.

Watching From The Past.  The last know sighting of the red wolf in the Lake Placid area was in 1917, and they were gone from Florida in the 1920's; now 250 are in captivity and some in the wild.  A breeding program started with 14 red wolves and saved them from extinction.

Our Citrus Heritage.  Early Spanish explorers bought oranges to Florida in the early 1500s.  By the late 1800s, small groves were being planted by homesteaders in the area that would become Highlands County with nearly 10 million trees in the ground.  Most years, Highland County is Florida's second largest citrus producing county, accounting for roughly 14 percent of a 9 billion dollar industry for Florida.  This mural depicts some of the history of this incredible Florida industry.

Part of Our Citrus Heritage mural.

Close ups of Our Citrus History - Spanish explorers bringing oranges to Florida.

There are more than 27 freshwater lakes in Highland County.  All the lakes are connected with the famous Florida aquifer, and also connect by rivers, creeks and ditches.  Bass tournament weigh-ins regularly measure fish over 18 inches long and 6 to 9 pounds are not uncommon.

Bassin'.  3D effect, the bass seems to be leaping out of the wall.

The Visitor Information Centre was lovely.  There is a gallery of photographs of all the murals.

Outside the Visitor Centre - trash bin and caladiums.

The gallery at the Visitor Centre.

Two weeks until the Annual Caladium Festival - boxes of t-shirts and hats.

The mural below is on the side of the Visitor Centre.

Town Of Murals - How It All Began.  Bob and Harriet Porter, founders of Lake Placid Mural Society.  Tourism has increased over the past 20+ years, impacting the local economy.

In this mural, Bob and Harriet look back on 20 years of the Society's history.

In 2013, Lake Placid won the title of "America's Most Interesting Town," in a nation-wide search by Reader's Digest Magazine.  This mural is intended to represent all murals and artists past and future.  To convey this theme, some existing murals, paint cans, paint brush, and an unfinished portion are incorporated in the mural.

The Scrub Jay's World.  Florida scrub jays are on the Federal endangered list and live only in the scrub oak.

Tea At Southwinds. This is the first mural in Lake Placid, dedicated May, 1993.  These were the glory days of Lake Placid when the rich and famous came to play.

Another one of The Turpentine Industry.

"Captain" T.W. Webb.  Captain Theodore Webb was the first caladium growers in Lake Placid in the 1930s.  He owned the first and only service station between Sebring and West Palm Beach (1924).  He sponsored the Golden Gloves Boxing Club and built a boxing ring adjacent to the service station.
He had the first certified Red Cross station in the area and instructed Red Cross first aid, and water safety.  He was also the town's first Boy Scout scoutmaster.

 Layers Of Time.  This mural takes us back in time 10,000 years when mastodons roamed the area.  There are Indian mounds dating back 10,000 years.

Celebrate Lake Placid - Americas Most Interesting Town. This mural is a collage of several parts of the murals of Lake Placid.  It embodies much of what Lake Placid is all about and what makes it so interesting.  The lakes, the citrus, the caladiums, the endangered species of wildlife, the cowmen, the Indians, and Dr. Melvil Dewey.
The town is one and a half miles square and has approximately 1800 residents. Nestled in the centre of the State in the rolling hills of Highlands County.

Sculpture of a native Florida black bear and cub in Stuart Park.  The mural The Lost Bear Cub is on the building beside the park.  Lake Placid was once the best bear hunting territory in the country.  The territory around Lake Istokpoga and along the edge of the sandhills was rich with palmetto berries and acorns, filled with yellow jacket and bumblebee nests along with bay galls, and acres of huckleberry and blueberries meant that bears had plenty to eat and grow fat.  When settlers moved into the area they bought cattle and razorback hogs.  Unfortunately the bears liked beef and fresh pork.  Out of necessity these settlers became bear hunters.

Caladium Fields.  The caladium is not native to Florida, the first bulbs were bought from the Amazon River Valley on South America and planted near Lake Placid more than 50 years ago.

Birding.  Florida has the third greatest number of bird species of the states. Thirty-six species are listed as endangered.  In December volunteers gather to take an annual Christmas bird count in Highlands County.  On the state birding trail, the county offers sanctuary to more than 300 winged species watched by thousands of birders.
There is a lovely Rotary Park between the Birding murals.

 Airboat. Airboats use airplane or car engines. and "fly" across the water.  Fish and game officials routinely use airboats to reach remote or inaccessible lake areas. The first airboat was built in 1920 and by 1933 they were on the market. With nothing below the waterline except the smooth underside of the hull, these craft are environmentally friendly.

This one is not in the book.

One place we definitely wanted to visit was Toby's Clown School and Museum.  It started in 1980 with Toby's desire to spread smiles, love and laughter.  The positive effect it had on the community was amazing.  Soon hospitals and organisations began requesting his special talent.  The demand was far greater than one man could fulfill - hence Toby's Clown School was born.  Toby's brand of "clown medicine" can be seen coast to coast, and the 1,600 + graduates range from 8 to 96 years of age!
Lake Placid, today has more clowns per capita than any other town in the world!

Toby's First Clown Class.  Toby started teaching the art of clowning in 1991, at Florida Hospital, Lake Placid.  As the number of clowns increased, Toby's Clown Alley was formed.  Clown students come from all over the USA and Canada to learn to become a clown.  In 2017, over 2,500 clowns had graduated, ages 8 to 96 years of age.

In 2010, this building became The American Clown Museum and School.

The Art Of The Clown.  The mural depicts what clowns do to entertain and bring smiles, love and laughter. Many clowns make their own costumes and must design their own faces. After graduation, the new clowns are ready to clown in hospitals, assisted living, and children's parties.  As depicted in the mural, there are so many ways to entertain. During January to April, five or more clowns walk the streets to greet visitors.

It is one room for the museum/school, and a small gift shop.  Many clown collectibles, paintings, costumes, gimmicks, etc.  We both enjoyed it.

Many of the ceiling panels had paintings of local clowns.

Some one of a kind items of famous clowns - Red Skelton, Emmett Kelly Sr., Charlie Chaplin, and others.

The Clown School Library.

Interesting to find clown murals in unusual places in the town of Lake Placid,  This one is in a small gap between two buildings. There are 27 Clown cutouts in the town.

Many clown cut outs on the fence of the Lake Placid school.

Some of the interesting artistic trash containers, there are 17 unique ones.

 Cracker Trail Cattle Drive.  The largest mural, over 170 feel long, I took several photos of it to see the details.  This mural has audio with moos and yips.
Cracker Trail drives travelled just north of Lake Placid on their way to market.  At that time there were no roads.  Cattle would lose 200 to 300 pounds on a drive - they were lean. The drive took 3 to 3 weeks. The life of the Florida cowmen was not easy as they battled the heat, insects and storms. The name "cracker" comes from the cracking of the whips the cowmen carried to keep the herd together. Registered brands on the cattle belong to Highland County cattlemen. Highlands County produces a lot of beef cattle

(Checking through the magazine of murals in Lake Placid when I was writing this Blog, I decided I missed taking photos of about 20 of them!!)

Birds Around Town.  Brightly painted bird plaques, all indigenous to Lake Placid, are all over the business section of town.  Over four dozen of these circular paintings.

Some of the stores were gearing up the decorating prior to the Caladium Festival.

Really great coffee at Good News Juice and Smoothie Cafe on N. Main Avenue. Prior to ordering coffee, we had to select a coffee cup off the rack.  Great coffee and a very interesting place.

There were two fabulous lights at Good News Cafe.

The town is home to the Lake Placid Tower, a closed observation tower that is 240 feet (73 m).

We left Lake Placid mid afternoon and headed back to Daytona Beach. This is the landscape we travelled through.

We stopped in the town of Okeechobee.

Note:  The town of Okeechobee is located on the northern edge of Lake Okeechobee (Florida’s “inland sea”.)

In the main street is Hamrick Butterfly Garden.  A four sectioned garden with red, white, blue, and yellow flowering plants.  Low maintenance plants adapted to the Okeechobee area were chosen to attract butterflies.  Nine butterfly sculptures were added last month, so this is a new attraction.  The butterflies were designed and painted by local artists, Okeechobee High School students and residents at an assisted living facility.

Stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at Cowboys BBQ & Steak Co. in Okeechobee.  We wanted a local restaurant - this was a great find!  Great decor, the meal was excellent as well.

Website:  The rustic décor features photos and paintings of local ranches and ranch families.  Each table is named and decorated with their individual brands.  It doesn’t get any more down-home and downright delicious than this!  Cowboys serves great food, provides fantastic Southern-style hospitality, and showcases old Florida’s colourful cowboy heritage.  Cowboys also features the Whiskey River Saloon.

Research:  Cattle have been an important part of Okeechobee’s economy since the first settlers arrived in the Big Lake area over 100 years ago.  Modern Okeechobee County is still cattle country.  It is listed as one of the top three counties in Florida with the most cattle, and among the Top 10 in the country.

Florida Cracker Trail is a 120-mile long cattle path that passes through Okeechobee County.  The trail is now designated by signs to remind locals and visitors that historical state-wide drives once took place along the route.
Saturday afternoon 7 July, our neighbour/friend, Diane and I walked to the Bandshell and the Boardwalk for the summer concert - a Journey tribute band.  It was crowded.

Every day was hot and humid - with storms most afternoons.  Driving east over Granada Blvd. bridge in Ormond Beach just after a storm..

The Tomoka Brewery has been open now for 5 years and we had not been there for a long time. Great beer and food.  Discovered that they have a Bartenders School in the back.

We had dinner at Lulu's Oceanside Grill has been in Ormond Beach since 1959, casual dining.  Nice place!

Before Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, speed trials and racing were on the hard-packed sands of Ormond Beach. Here, drivers were free to race with the speed-like winds that rolled off the ocean shores. As they raced, a bevy of young beautiful girls waved flags and cheered the drivers to victory. Among these girls one bikini-clad beauty stood out. Her name was LuLu. With her long legs and wind swept hair she embodied the spirit of early racing and its adrenaline-fueled exhilaration. Enjoy a refreshing cold drink and a delicious meal made with seasonal fresh ingredients as you sit back and relax in our atmosphere that celebrates the early days of Ormond Beach. 

It was interesting to have 'motor' decor in Lulu's.

Driving east across Main Street, photo of International Speedway Boulevard Bridge.

We stayed two weeks in Florida - replaced the garage roof, Jim worked on the truck several days - new shock absorbers and other things.  We stayed busy - and also some relaxing.

Back to work on Thursday, 19th - left Daytona beach early to load a forklift and a skidsteer at JCB in Pooler, Georgia.

Pooler, Georgia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Rochester, New York.

A quick trip north to deliver Friday afternoon in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which allowed us most of the weekend off in northern Pennsylvania, so a visit to relatives was arranged!
Jim's niece, Karen and family live near Loyalsock, Pennsylvania.  Her husband, Matt arranged for us to park the whole rig at the local school.  It was summer vacation, and the parking lot was empty.

Matt picked us up and we spent the afternoon and night with them.  Our first visit to their new house, lots of room for visitors!  Rain was forecast all weekend. .We thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Their three children were home, and we also met Matt's parents.
Saturday evening dinner, we were treated to a local restaurant, the Crippled Bear Inn.  A fabulous place! Deer heads and bear skins on the walls.  Antler lights.  Great food and very enjoyable.

Matt, Karen and family had plans for the Sunday, Jim and I left mid morning and got to Rochester, New York mid afternoon and Teri and Stephen picked us up at the truckstop.  This truckstop was close to the city, and we had to be parked early before it filled up.

Jim and I had not been to downtown Rochester, so it was all new and interesting.

The Genesee Brew House opened in 2012, is part of the 100 year old Genesee Brewery building.  2018 is the 140^th year of brewing Genesee Beer.  A big celebration all year long!

The Brew House features interactive exhibits, memorabilia, gift shop, pilot brewery and pub-style restaurant - on three levels!  So much history displayed for one of the largest and oldest continually operating breweries in America.

LtoR: Lesley, Jim, Teri, and Stephen.

In the downstairs pilot brewery, the flight of four of their beers was first on the agenda.  From that we chose a beer to have with our lunch.

After lunch, we required a walk.  The Genesee Brewery is beside the Genesee River and High Falls.

High Falls (96 feet, 29 metres) are one of three voluminous waterfalls on the Genesee River, that flow through the city of Rochester, New York. 
The High Falls area was the site of much of Rochester’s early industrial development, where industry was powered by falling water.

Brown’s Race diverts water from above the falls and was used to feed various flour mills and industries (like Genesee Brewery).  Today the water is used to produce hydroelectric power.  Great views of the high Falls and the gorge can be seen from the bridge.

19^th century Pont De Rennes pedestrian bridge spans the Genesee River. It was a lovely walk across it to the historic district of Rochester.  The district comprises 19^th century industrial buildings built of brick and stone and ranging from one to six stories.  Also, in the district is the mill race.

Back to the truck for us, that was a fun visit, we didn't give Stephen and Teri much notice that we had some spare time in Rochest.  Luckily, they could fit us in for an adventure!

An early start Monday to deliver the forklift to United Rentals in Rochester, then to Endicott, NY to load pipe at National Pipe and Plastics Inc.

Endicott, New York to Lebanon, Tennessee.

Always interesting photos in a pipe yard!

The delivery in Lebanon, Tennessee stopped receiving at 2pm, so we laid over Tuesday night 24 July, at a small truckstop about a half hour away.  Had to park beside the railway tracks!  Good thing there were no high speed trains running during the night!

The blue pipe delivered to Perma-Pipe in Lebanon, Tennessee (outside Nashville). They put insulation around the outside of it, then resell it.

South to Trinity, Alabama to load Thursday.  Waiting outside Jemison Metal, two groups of Canada Geese wandered down the road. They started grazing on the green grass.

Website:  Jemison Metals is a leading supplier of carbon flat-rolled products.
Loaded some flat steel that had to be tarped.  Very sharp edges and corners tear the tarp, so we cover them with old carpet and use edge protectors so the straps don't get cut.  A bit of work, but easier than patching tarps and throwing staps away!

Sunrise north of Columbus, Ohio on the way north - foggy as well.

Trinity, Alabama to Erie, Pennsylvania.

Friday just after lunch, the flat steel delivered to GE Transportation in Erie, PA.  They make train engines.  Then deadhead to Buffalo for the weekend.  Caught up with friends at Varysburg Hotel for a Western NY Friday Fish Fry.

A busy weekend in Buffalo.  It was Jim's high school, Maryvale's All Class Picnic on the Saturday.  We stayed a couple of hours there and caught up with lots of people.  We were on the moto guzzi le mans, and the weather was unstable - storms forecast.  On the way back to Joe and Michele's we stopped at Windy Brew, then to Bennington Lanes for chicken wings and met up with Joe and Michele there.

Sunday was the Alden Car Show - Bob was there with his 1957 Ford retractable.  Always an interesting couple of hours spent there, it had been a few years since we had attended.  Fabulous cars on display.

Found out later that this 1987 Camaro is a friend's husbands and he won a prie!

The Swap Meet area has interesting car, motorcycle items - the pair of chairs made of deer antlers was different!

A big variety of cars.  Weather was still stormy, but we met with Bob and Janice at 5 pm and went to Ebeneezers Ale House for a fabulous dinner and lots of laughs. Got back with out getting wet the whole weekend!

We left Joe and Michele's Monday morning to load in Niagara Falls, New York.  It was a wide load - over 12 inches both sides - two barge sections from Sevenson Environmental, we had loaded there before.  Some state permits were taking longer than usual to be issued, so after we loaded we left the trailer at Sevenson and got a motel room for the night.  Permits were in Tuesday morning, so we could leave early.

All the signage, flags, etc for an oversize load.

Headed south, over the Niagara River and Grand Island bridge.  Saw the mist from Niagara Falls as we crossed the bridge.