Still in Woodstock

Still here in Saugerties and Woodstock. Enjoying the sunny days when they arrive and working hard when the rain shows up.

We have enjoyed exploring this area rich with history and diversity. Woodstock is a delight to visit since every time is a different experience. The crowds change over from tourists on weekends to the locals coming out during the week.

The woods are thick with vegetation since it seems the moisture is always being squeezed from the mountains surrounding us.

This interesting looking moth was sitting on a building waiting for evening to arrive. About the size of my hand it was amazing to look at. With its leading edge on the wing a bright red color. Its antenna was yellow and looked like a couple of feather dusters.

We are here for another 6 days until we continue north. For now we are enjoying our adventures here.

Built FORD Tough

Entering the Catskill Mountains of New York State and winding around tight roads we arrive in Saugerties. Tucked back deep into the woods is our next stop for the next two weeks. Another little piece of paradise to explore. Just up the road, about 15 minutes, is the hallowed ground of Woodstock. Still today you can see some "hippie's" strolling the downtown area wishing or thinking they were still back in 1969. The place of the historic transformation of Rock n Roll actually happened another 20 minutes up the road in another small town called Bethel. Max Yasgur's 600 acre dairy farm was home to 320,000 people who made history that weekend.
Setting up Road Hazard for our stay I was excited about being in this area and already enjoying the beautiful backdrop. What I didn't see coming around the corner would literally take me off my feet.
The next morning I awoke early to get a start on my next assignment but something was wrong. My throat felt like I had swallowed a puffer fish. With its spinney little body pushing against the back of my throat and its fat puffy body making it difficult to swallow. I felt cold even though there were plenty of blankets on me. Oh no, I'm sick. I'll just sleep it off until noon and then go out. Nope. The day was spent exchanging positions from the couch to the bedroom. My eyes were closed more this day than they would be open. Liquids being pumped into me like I was on fire and a rarity, I even was taking aspirin to ease the pain and cool the fever. The next day, which is now Wednesday, I woke up feeling a little better but walking around like I was in a daze. That feeling of your body moving at a normal speed but your brain lags behind just a few seconds. I'm OK. I'll still go out and try to work some. After arriving at my first stop I gathered everything I thought I would need and got out of the car and started walking towards the building. The brain, still a few seconds behind, finally speaks up and asks if anyone has the car keys. What? What? Pressing my nose against the glass I could see the keys still hanging from the ignition. The doors locked, windows closed and no way to get in. Okay, can this get any better? Still in a haze the mind is now trying to get in gear and think MacGyver style. One coat hanger, duct tape, pliers, and a small stick of C4 plastic explosives. No, wait...wrong episode. What I will need for this adventure would be one coat hanger and a stick of chewing gum. I entered the Post Office while casually scanning the "Wanted" posters hoping they haven't caught up to me yet, I explained my dilemma and requested a First Class Coat Hanger. With my tool in hand I next took out a piece of chewing gum. Now I was ready to unlock the Pick Up. Bending the coat hanger and shoving the hooked piece through the back window I was able to finally pry open the window and reach in to unlock the door. And the chewing gum you might be wondering? It was used to help keep my mind focused and clear as I felt the surge of sugar hit my bloodstream. OK New York, what's next?
Friday, the weather is gloomy but I am feeling much better and looking forward to another good day working. Pulling through the intersection after having stopped for the red light the cars ahead of me slowed down once again. Then, that sound that when someone hears it instinctively makes the shoulders rise and their eyes slam shut waiting for the the next sound. The sound tires make when they protest the burden they're put under to hold a 3,000 lb car. The next sound was a loud pop followed by metal crunching up like a beer can on a frat boys forehead. The only problem was that this was followed by my head slamming into the headrest of my seat and my eyes darting up to the mirror. Like two deer's in headlights our eyes met for that brief moment right after impact. My eyes were yelling "What the hell are you doing?" and her young eyes saying "Oh shit, what just happened?" The skies, as if on cue, turned on the sprinklers and showered us as we found the shoulder of the road to examine our carriages. Right away the young girl started to apologize as she shuddered with the realization of what had just happened. The pick up had a 2 inch sliver of rubber ripped on the bumper. Other than that it was just dirty from the dirt and pollen. Her car didn't come out as well. The bumper was still intact but the paint had spidered as the bumper absorbed the impact. The hood, which found its way under my bumper was pushed in and smashed her grill. 45 minutes later the police arrived to fill out the necessary paperwork. While I waited, I started to think that if the events of the last few days would have happened at another time in my life I probably would have been really really pissed off. I'm sitting here mesmerized by the windshield wipers occasionally cleaning the fresh rain drops off the glass thinking that in my life today I am thankful. Not for everything that has happened but for what I have. I realized that this journey has changed the way I see things. Who cares about the small little problems that popped up. We worked through them. This little rip added to the pick up? who cares. Life is too good to worry about the small obstacles. Life is a postcard and we are living in it. Don't worry about the delivery.

Mufflehead

Once in awhile you stumble onto something and it turns out to be a great experience. This is our visit to Sandusky, Ohio. How and why did we pick this place to stop? It was close to Cleveland and it was close to water. What we discovered were two things. First, the Muffleheads (more on that later) and second Put-In-Bay.

To get to this island off the coast of Sandusky one has to take about a 25 minute Jet Boat ferry ride. Once the Captain has cleared the dock and opens the throttles up the boat seems to climb on top of the water and gently skims the waves. With a light sway and an occasional spray of water you are quickly taken to a calm and peaceful place. The scenery before you is hard to believe. You are on Lake Erie but it could be the ocean. This is all fresh water around you.

We are greeted to Put-In-Bay by a tall monument erected back in the early 1900's. Established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, during the war of 1812, but in equal part it is here to celebrate the long-lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the U.S. Situated only 5 miles from the longest undefended boarder in the world.

The island is only about 4 miles long. There are two main modes of transportation. Golf carts and bikes. We took our bicycles and explored almost every corner. There are many summer homes with only a small population that live here year long. Every side of this island presents new views of Lake Erie and the surrounding islands. The downtown strip consists of two roads that intersect each other. Lined with restaurants, bars, brewery's and gift shops. After peddling around the entire island it was time to hit the restaurants and bars. We visited 4 bars and one restaurant. Needless to say we were quite happy by the time we boarded the ferry for the return trip. The island is a popular destination for all types but today it seemed like the bridal parties were in control. Nothing like seeing a bunch of squealing drunk women running around and driving golf carts.
Now, being next to Lake Erie has its disadvantages. We discovered these things on our arrival to the Park. As I walked in the grass it seemed that it became alive. Thousands and thousands of these feather duster antenna, winged insects came out. It looked like I was walking in a snow globe but instead of snow it was these mosquito looking things swarming around. Thankfully, we discovered later, that they don't bite. They just annoy you by flying into your mouth or landing on your face.

We met this couple at a local restaurant and after having talked in length about RV'ing I finally remembered to ask what this plague is called. Mufflehead was his response. Wait, did he just call me a "Mufflehead"? No, that's what they call this insect. I don't know how it got the name but we did learn that they live in the mud at the bottom of Lake Erie. People around here are excited to see these winged nuisance because it lets them know that the lake is healthy. They come out once a year, grow some wings and go off to mate. They only live for a couple of weeks before their empty carcass crunches underfoot. They can live for a couple of years in the mud as larva. When you go outside everything is covered in these bugs. It looks like a shaggy living blanket. Of course when we were packing to leave we had bugs get inside the RV. We have been killing these things by the handful. Mufflehead. Another interesting fact about this country that we didn't know existed. Oh, we never did make it to Cleveland. We had to much fun around here.

Tonight we are parked in another Flying J Truck stop, en route to our next job. Thank God for the satellite to pass the time tonight.

Pudding Bay?

Our journey around the lake brought with it big gray clouds that threatened to show its furry at any moment. Winds were hitting Road Hazard hard but inside it was warm and dry. Just sitting back and watching the world go by.

Yesterday was our day to go out and explore Sandusky, Ohio. This little town sits right against Lake Erie and is a sleepy little town until summer, when families call this place vacation. There is a large amusement park nearby but the attraction for us are the two islands off shore. Just a short ferry ride will take you there.

The downtown area of Sandusky takes you back in time when main streets were wide and filled with stores and big windows displaying their wares. Today, however, this town has many vacant buildings. The few businesses that are around are scattered about the downtown area. It seems the only traffic here is for the ferry.

Today, being May 29th, is also Reta's birthday. This gave us a moment of reflection as we remembered where we were last year for her birthday. It was Palo Duro, Texas. We've traveled a long way since then along with plenty of exciting stories.

Today will be our last full day here and we will be taking our Mountain Bikes to explore one of the islands, Put-In-Bay. I swear that when we first got here I heard people talk about this place called Pudding Bay. With their slight accents, I guess, that's how I heard it. I now know it is called Put-In-Bay. Too bad, I was hoping to see Bill Cosby standing with his multicolored sweater somewhere near Pudding Bay.

Downtown Detroit

The city is busy with cars and people everywhere. Tall buildings loom overhead and block out the direct warmth of the sun as we walked around downtown. Our first stop was to head down to the river. It's a newly developed area with fountains and sculptures. Across the river sits Canada which you can get to by bridge or tunnel.

This area on weekends and holidays is filled with people and activity. Today, the pigeons are enjoying the peace and quiet.

We finally made it over to our new business that we now own 70%. The GM building is the tallest in the city and sits on the bank of the river. It is also home to the Marriott and is the tallest Hotel Building in the Western Hampshire. We decided to walk around inside the building, since we now own it. The lobby greets you with brand new GM Cars all polished and on display. The guards just smile at you when you walk in. We made our way deep inside and discovered a circular open area that displays more GM products. On the outer ring, facing the cars are a bunch of fast food joints. Some important suit is sitting in front of a electric blue car doing an interview. He doesn't look too happy and we assume they were talking about the bankruptcy. A few employees are milling around with a deer in headlight look. Not a good feeling.

Our last stop was to head over to the stadiums. Home of the Lions and Tigers. These two stadiums sit right next to each other. The Detroit Tigers have a game this evening and the PA system was being tested and music was blaring as we walked around. The cool thing is you can see the playing field when you walk on the sidewalk outside of the stadium. I'm sure that when there is a game you can't see anything because of all the people in your way.

Today we are packing up and moving out. Still a few days before our next assignment in Woodstock, New York, so we are going to explore Cleveland, Ohio before we get there.

Hive of Activity

The evening brought with it many friends that arrived via small wings and long proboscises. Waiting patiently for their moment to feed on my red cool aid pumping beneath my skin. It was worth the several bites to sit out and enjoy a fire in the cool Michigan evening. My wife, the closet pyromaniac, was at her best stoking the fire and rearranging the logs to get the maximum heat and flame.

This morning we went off to Dearborn and home of the Ford Automotive Plant. The tour started at the Ford Museum. After boarding the bus we went of to the Rouge Plant. The oldest Automotive Plant that still is in use today.

We watched the workers on the assembly line as they completed their tasks in 60 seconds only to repeat it again when the next truck moved into their area. For 10 hours a day these workers screw, pound and secure the same pieces. Day after day they go through the same motions. It must be like living in "Ground Hog Day". I'm sure your mind just goes numb after doing the same thing over and over. That's why you see almost everyone wearing some sort of MP3 player, IPod or Radio. Something to take your mind far away.

It is amazing to see how these cars are put together and the most amazing thing for me was to see how many people are required. Even with all the technology around today they still need humans to perform these tasks.

I wish we were allowed to take pictures in the plant but they were very strict with people always watching you. As we walked around the catwalk the factory below looked like a hive with workers in their own sections busily grabbing parts and inserting them into the new car. One interesting fact I learned today is that every car being built is already paid for. They only build a car when a dealer or private individual has ordered and paid for the car. There is no surplus or warehouse sitting with cars to be sold.

Tomorrow we are headed off to explore the downtown area of Detroit.

The South Beach of the North

Today we left behind our new friends and last Resort that we worked. The Road Hazard is rolling east with its destination set for Detroit, Michigan. What we take with us from South Haven, Michigan is a couple of mosquito bites and plenty of good memories. The seasonal city is home to Chicagoians who make this their summer retreat. This Memorial Day weekend kicked off the city coming to life. It was nice because we got to enjoy it before the crowds and then enjoy the crowds.

One of the things that we really knew to look out for was the weather. Here it can change pretty quick. With the winds coming off that big body of water anything can happen. One of our first days here the wind was kicking hard. We decided to check out the lake and were surprised to see these huge waves crashing on the sandy shore.

I couldn't get any closer because it felt like I was being sand blasted as the wind kicked up the loose sand. But, from where I stood the waves looked pretty big. Remember, this is a LAKE!!!

One evening we decided to explore the local area and were delighted to stumble into this place. They really had to convince us to go inside and try this homemade style Ice Cream. The cost for all this was just as sweet. We only paid $5 for these two items in the picture above. One can get pretty fat living around here with these prices.

The big draw to this city is the beach. They have two. Very original names for them. This one is South Beach and there is another on the other side of the lighthouse / channel called, you probably guessed it, North Beach. The water is very clean and clear but you do have to watch for the occasional ice berg that floats by. Okay, maybe not but it sure does feel like it.

By the time we left the beach this day I felt like I knew so many people as all I heard most of the time was: "Arron, put that down. It isn't yours." or "Gabrielle, don't put sand in your mouth!" As I closed my heavy eyelids to usher in that much thought about nap on the beach it was often interrupted by some kid up to no good. Hey, at least they had fun. As for Gabrielle, I don't want to be around when that diaper needs changing.

South Haven is a great place to visit. The people are very friendly. The downtown area is great for walking, shopping and eating.

Now, we'll spend the next couple of days exploring Detroit and seeing where all this Stimulus Money is going. Maybe I can get a piece of that action.