Friday 10-4 Dayton Aviation Heritage Center

Awesome Day

We had to move on today because Buck Creek State Park was full for the weekend, in fact all the states parks in the area are full for the weekends.

After I crawled out of bed I made breakfast. Then I went over to take a shower, Larry had done so earlier. When I got back we got the Minnie ready to leave. We weren't in any hurry considering were just 38 miles from Dayton. Dayton has the Dayton Aviation Heritage Center. The center is run by the National Parks. There is not an admission fee but they do accept donations which we are more that happy to give. The lady, who greeted us was very friendly and knowledgeable of the center. The center is about the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville and had great displays on their history. They also had displays on Paul Laurence Dunbar, he was a famous and beloved poet from Dayton. The Wright brothers started out with a print shop and then when the bicycle craze started they opened a bicycle shop where they eventually manufactured their own bicycles. Next door to the center is one of the original Wright Brothers Bicycle Shops. A park ranger took us on a tour through the bicycle shop and talked about the history of the shop. Orville liked to race and his bike was on display. Wilbur's bicycle was also on display. It was a very nice tour. When we got back to the center we watched a half hour movie about the Wright brothers. Then we walked around the center. On the second floor there were displays on Paul Laurence Dunbar, he had worked with the Wright Brothers on starting one of their newspapers. The second floor also contained an area about parachutes. The Dayton Aviation Heritage Center was very nice.

The Wright Cycle Co.

The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park

The Wright Brothers 1902 Glider

Frank B. Hale Groceries a local merchant

A display on bicycle parts that the Wright brothers use on their aeroplanes

Orville Wright bicycle

Wilbur Wright's bicycle

Display about Paul Laurence Dunbar

After finishing the tour we went back to the Minnie. We had parked it in a parking lot that was for RVs. When we got back we had lunch. Then we went to Hollywood Gaming, which is a Casino and Racetrack. The racetrack is for harness racing. It has live racing in the evening. There were 14 races but we only stayed for 6 of them. It was fun betting and watching the races. I didn't do too good but we had fun. The races are a mile long race but the track is only 7/10 of a mile so the horses had to start about halfway on the far side of the track. The gate was cool because it was on the back of a truck. A driver drives the gate around the track. As he drives he pushes a switch that lowers the gates arm. Then the horses have to run to get into the gate. It's really hard considering the truck is moving down the track. Once they're at the starting place the arms raise and the truck pulls away. The races were very close which made it very exciting. I spent a few hours in the casino gambling. I had a super time playing the slots.

The gate for the race

The lady that leads the horses onto the track

The horses are all lined up at the gate

A close finish

Look how far back the jockey leans

I had a great day touring the Dayton Aviation Heritage Center, betting on the horses and playing the slots.       

Thursday 10-3 A Relaxing Day

Not feeling well

I have been fighting a head cold for the last five days. I gave it to Larry and today he felt terrible so we decided to just hang around the campground. We spent the day reading. I did my monthly financial reports. Actually Larry spent a good part of the day sleeping. I did go outside to barbecue some pork sausage patties for dinner.

About 3:00 people started to show up for the weekend. It was a constant flow of RVs for a few hours. By the weekend the park will be full. We'll be moving on tomorrow. 

It's been great having power for the A/C. For most of the last week there has been record setting heat , daytime temperatures have been in the mid 90s, the normal high for this time of year is 69. Starting tomorrow the temperatures are suppose to be dropping into the 70s during the day and 50s at night. We hope that the forecast is correct because we're not going to have power for the next few days.

  

It's hot

 

Wednesday 10-2 The Bicycle Museum of America

Just having fun

Larry and I slept in. Larry got up at 7:00 and I crawled out of bed at 8:30. We weren't in any hurry considering we were only going 7 miles down the road. We had breakfast and then got the Minnie ready to go.

On the way to our destination we stopped at a True Value Hardware Store and got propane in the Minnie. We hadn't got propane since we were in Wisconsin. The gentleman was very friendly and asked what brought us all the way from Texas to Ohio. We explained that we do a two month Fall trip each year. He suggested we go to The Bicycle Museum of America. We told him that is where we're headed next.

The Bicycle Museum of America is located in New Bremen, about a mile from the True Value Hardware Store. We parked the Minnie next to the Museum. There was a cool park right next door so we walked around the park. We saw one of the locks that The Miami and Erie Canal used when it was in use. I don't know if I explained the canal system or not but here's a little information about it. Between 1825-1845 a canal system was used to transport passengers and freight between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Then the railroad came along and it wasn't used any more. The park has a nice statue called Partners, which pays tribute to the local boys and their mules that pulled the boats through the locks. There was also a Lockkeeper house. There also was a statue thanking all the volunteer firemen in New Bremen. The park has a great playground for the kids and a splash pad. After walking around the park we went to the museum.

The Partners Statue

The lock and lockkeeper's house

The firemen memorial

A family of lions welcoming you to the park

At the museum we were greeted by a very nice gentleman. He told us some of the history behind the museum and showed us a movie about the history of bicycles. The museum has three levels, they own about 900 bicycles but can only display 230. As with most museums they rotate their displays to keep things fresh and bring people back. The museum started as a Schwinn Bicycle collection in Chicago. In 1997 Jim Dicke II purchased the collection of bicycles and memorabilia from the Schwinn family and moved it to New Bremen. The bicycles currently on display start with one of the first bicycles ever built, an 1816 Draisine and go all the way to today. The Draisine 1816 didn't have any pedals so the rider had to straddle the beam, lean forward and push with his feet. When bicycling became popular they developed bike suited for women and their skirts, family, couples and kids. As we walked around we saw how the bicycle had changed because of the demand and to make them safer. They had a display where you can get on a highwheeler. We had a great time exploring the Bicycle Museum of America. 

First bicycle built 1816 Draisine

1880 Otto Bicycle

Riding on a highwheeler

One of Robin Williams bicycles on display

1960s Schwinn Typhoon used for tight ropes 

Pee Wee Herman bicycle

Before leaving New Bremen we stopped by a laundromat to do laundry. While the clothes were washing we had lunch. It was hot so we had to run our generator in order to run our air conditioner.

After doing laundry we drove another 60 miles to get to Buck Creek State Park. We stopped at the front entrance of the park to get a site. No problem but the campground was 3 miles farther down the road. Buck Creek State Park is a beautiful park on C.J. Brown Reservoir, which is run by the Army Corps of Engineers. The campground has 86 electric sites 22 non-electric sites. It has bathrooms and showers. There are 25 cabins available to rent. There are hiking trails and boat trailer parking. 

Once we setup the Minnie we had dinner. After dinner we walked around the campground. It's fall in Ohio and the state parks have great decorations around the parks to celebrate the season. Buck Creek State Park went all out, it had the Pirates of the Caribbean, witches, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and just seasonal decorations. Some of the campers decorated their sites. 

Welcoming in the Fall Season

    

Backside of the Pirates of the Caribbean

Frontside of the Pirates of the Caribbean

Getting on picture on a welcome sign

The campground office all decorated for the Fall season

Tuesday 10-1 Touring the Honda Plant

Another awesome day

We had an awesome day. We spent the night at the Airstream Plant. 

Last night when I went to bed our plan was to go about 20 miles west to visit another site we thought would be interesting but when I got up this morning Larry had found something to the east. When we were on the Airstream tour the gentleman giving the tour said Airstream had lost some workers to Honda when they built a new assembly plant not far away. This morning Larry found that the Honda Car Manufacturing plant in Marysville offers free tours of their Heritage Center and a manufacturing site. He registered for us for the 12:15 tour. The Honda Heritage Center was only 35 miles from where we were so we waited until about 11 to leave. The lady coordinating the tour said the plant tour would be at the East Liberty Plant which was 5 miles away. We had time to walk around the Heritage Center. The center was very nice and had displays explaining the history of Honda in the area and the vehicles they produced in the United States. One display gave you the opportunity to drive a race car, it was cool but I failed to keep the car on the track. There were displays of the first car that was built in the U.S.A., which was the 1970 N600. Then in 1975 they introduced the Civic. They had a great display on the first engine they built in the United States, which was the GL1200 in 1985. After touring the Heritage Center I walked outside and watched a Honda robot mowing the lawn, this was so cool and it did a great job. 

Larry checking out a 1982 Aspencade

1970 N600 first Honda Automobile made in the United States

2009 Gold Wing

Larry checking out his racing skills

Larry hanging out with his new friend

A display that shows how a robot works

A robotic lawn mower

When everyone was finished touring the Heritage Center a security guard led all of us to the East Liberty Plant. The guided tour was an hour and a half long. We were greeted at the entrance by four retired employees who took us on the tour. We split into two groups. We had a group of new associates, who went with two ladies and the rest of us went with the other two ladies. Before leaving the room we were given safety glasses to wear and a radio with ear buds. We weren't allowed to take pictures during the tour. The tour took us through the beginning of the process to the ending. The plant was automated with robots. We saw the robots welding, assembling auto parts, installing engines, doors, etc... and the robots put the auto parts on conveyors so they can go to the next operation. This site is setup to produce 900 vehicles a day. It was very interesting to see a car built from the bottom up. The ladies did a super job. With all the automation you might think they don't need that many employees, well the East Liberty site is huge and has 2800 employees. In total Honda employs 31,000 people in the US. This was a really good tour, it did require a lot of walking and we had to use some stairs.

Our tour group walking to the entrance to the East Liberty Plant

After the tour we headed towards our next destination, which was Lake Loramie State Park.

Lake Loramie State Park is 407 acres with 1,655 acres of water. The canal goes around the whole park. Lake Loramie was originally constructed in 1824-25 as storage reservoir to supply water to the Miami-Erie Canal. It's a beautiful park with a beach, hiking trails, camping, playground, horseshoe pits, volleyball courts and picnic area. The campground has sites with electric or non-electric. Some of the sites are on the water. They have bathrooms with running water and the showers are separate. They have bridges that go over the canal. I walked around the campground.

Bridge over the canal

Canal that goes around the park

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

Camping at Lake Loramie State Park

          

Monday 9-30 Airstream Tour

Airstream Tour

We had a wonderful day. Since we were going to be in Ohio for a few weeks Larry has been looking for things to see and do. He found that the Airstream Manufacturing Plant is in Jackson City and they offer free guided tours. They do one tour a day at 2:00 Monday through Friday. Airstream is only 35 miles from where we have been staying. We hung around the campground until 11:30.

As we were leaving the park we filled the Minnie with water and dumped the tanks. We didn't go directly to Jackson City, on our way we stopped at Walmart and Aldi to do a little grocery shopping.

We arrived a little after 1:00, we didn't know where to go so we stopped at the guard gate and asked. He told us it was the building behind us. Larry turned around and headed over to the building. Airstream has RV parking in the back of the lot for customers to stay while they get their Airstream worked on. The sites have full hookups, they are free for the customers that are having service done and other RVs can stay for $10.00. Larry stopped in the office and asked about a site, they told him just to choose a site that wasn't taken and come back and pay for it. We are the only RV that wasn't an Airstream. The cool thing about the RV parking and service is that when it's time for your appointment they will come and pickup your Airstream and take it over for service. When they're finished they return it to your site. At the end of the day if they have not finished they will still return you trailer so you can use it overnight and they will pick it up again the next morning.

After setting up the Minnie we walked over to the lobby, we paid for our camping spot and signed in for the tour. There were 22 people for the tour. The tour guide was an employee and he had another employee hold his speaker. The tour took two hours. One and a half hours was a tour of the manufacturing floor for the Airstreams. The last half hour was on the Mercedes Airstream manufacturing floor. You couldn't take pictures while walking through the manufacturing floor but there were Airstreams in the parking lot. The employees work from 6:00 am until 3:30 pm Monday through Thursday and on Friday they work four hours. They produce 20 Airstreams a day, 90 per week. On the Mercedes Airstreams they manufacture five a week. Currently if you want an Airstream you have to wait six months. The tour was good but it didn't flow from the beginning to the end product. We skipped around. The facility was very clean. There was hardly any automation, the only automation was a machine to cut some of the holes. In the lobby are there is a store where you can buy lots of parts for your Airstream along with tee shirts, hats and other souvenirs. We had fun learning about the manufacturing process of building an Airstream.

The least expensive Airstream trailer is only 16 feet long, pricing starts at about 40k. Their largest trailer is 33 feet long and is more than 160k. Their van based campers start at 160k and go to about 240k.

Airstream can't keep up, they are 6 months behind on production and they are in the process of building a brand new 330,000 sq. ft. facility a couple of miles down the road.

Camping with the Airstream RVs

An Airstream Nest

Airstream 345 model

Bambi Airstream

An old Airstream

A Mercedes Airstream waiting to be serviced

It is record setting hot, the average high for this date is 70, by the time we got back to the Minnie it was 96 degrees, we were so glad we had power to run the A/C. We hung around the Minnie for the rest of the day reading.