June 23, 2016 Rock 'n' Roll, Lake Erie

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Heavy rain and lightning much of the night, but it cooled things down.  65 degrees at 7 AM.

We first find Monro Muffler/Brake in Stow, where we get the oil changed, tires checked etc.  Charles, the manager, tells us the traffic to Cleveland shouldn't be too bad since it is close to 9 when we head out.  Yesterday, Cleveland celebrated their NBA Championship with a huge parade.  Population of Cleveland: 390,000.  Parade-goers: 1.3 million!  Charles beams and says he is proud of "my boys".

When we get to Cleveland the only remains, other than a few signs, is confetti along some streets and street cleaners.  We drive to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame which is on Lake Erie and park next to this submarine.

The Hall of Fame was formed in 1983 and folks are elected yearly.  2016's class includes: Chicago. Bert Berns, Deep Purple, Steve Miller, NWA and Cheap Trick.  Performers are eligible 25 years after their first recording.  Songwriters, producers, dj's, and musicians out of the spotlight (backups) are eligible as well.

The stage and tent in front are from the parade.

The first part of the Hall is early influences, like Muddy Waters, Les Paul (built first solid body electric guitar in 1941), Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and others in blues, rockabilly and other genres.

 Many displays include audio and video as well as instruments, costumes, album covers, etc.  This is Rick Nielsen's (Cheap Trick) 5 neck guitar.

And here is Ringo Starr's drum kit.

Elvis 1964 suit

 There is a display about Music Videos as well...

Remember Max Headroom ?

 If you can think of a well known group or individual performer you will probably find him/her here.  As a young teen, my favorite was Herman's Hermits. Amazing how many of these "old farts" are still performing.

Bruce Springsteen, Simon and Garfunkel, ZZ Top, Rolling Stones, The Who, Animals, Metallica, Derek Trucks, The Hollies, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Bob Dylan, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Prince, Stevie Nicks, Kiss and many many more.

There was a special Film entitled Louder than Words, which touted music's universal appeal and the many concerts held as benefits - George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh, Africa Aid, Farm Aid, Amnesty Int'l, Sandy Relief, etc.   Also a display on political campaign songs.

 There was also a display and write-up on Pink Floyd's The Wall.   I never knew it was a film as well as a song.

The Wall

Greg wondered out loud what today's teenagers would think of this place.  There was some representation of rap music but not a lot.

 I suppose in 25 years it will look quite different.

From Cleveland we head west to Sandusky's Merry-Go-Round Museum. Apparently Sandusky's "thing" is painted lighthouses, as there are several in the area. Quite a few real ones around Lake Erie. Add this to our list of painted: bears, dolphins, horses, cows, groundhogs, eggs (Egg Harbor), whales, catfish and more.

Great old post office building from 1920.

 Gale, a volunteer, and Bonnie showed us around.  Greg mentioned that we did a blog and that seemed to spur them to show us more, like this musical Military Band Organ built in 1920 and once part of a Merry-Go-Round.

Quite a collection of animals, some of which were featured on US Postage Stamps.

This reindeer, with real antlers, was part of a  recent White House Christmas display.

We even get to go for a ride!

Driving further west, Greg comments that if he had to describe Ohio roads in one word, it would be "patched".  Quite different from the smooth South.

 Gale told us about Toft's, Ohio's oldest dairy with the BEST ice cream, so we stopped there.

 These were SMALL servings!!  Very tasty but couldn't eat it all!

We cross the Thomas Edison Bridge to the peninsula and Marblehead Lighthouse State Park.  Beautiful little park with a lighthouse built in 1821, keeper's house and picnic area.

 The waves from Lake Erie are pretty rough!

 We search all the literature and signs and don't see anything that says no overnight parking, so we chill here for the evening. A few folks come and go as the sun sets.

Cedar Point Amusement Park across the water.

About 1:30AM - a first! -we get a knock on the door and are informed that we can't park here overnight. Pleasant but firm local policeman.  So, we say goodbye to the trees, waves and blinking lighthouse, and drive on down the road to a Walmart in Fremont.  The only sign there said no semi's, so we spent the rest of the night in peace.


                 

NFL Hall of Fame, Canton, Cuyahoga Nat'l Park, June 22, 2016

Wednesday, June 22

A delightful 62 degrees this morning at 7:15.  We head to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, about an hour drive, with a quick stop at a McD’s for coffee and a breakfast sandwich.  We arrive just a few minutes before the 9:00 opening time.

There is a camp for youngsters going on at an adjacent field and we learn that this is a popular thing during the Summer.  We buy tickets here which include the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame - the discount for buying both is taken up by a $10 parking fee added to your ticket price! 

The Canton Bulldogs, with Jim Thorpe, were one of the first teams  in the NFL, which was born in 1892. The American Football League began in Canton in 1920. In the first decade teams came and went – 35 folded! The idea for a Hall of Fame was proposed in the Canton Repository newspaper in 1959 and it became reality in 1963. 

The museum has a time line and many photos and memorabilia from the early years.  It wasn’t until 1933 that the forward pass was legalized.  And in the early years the scoring was quite different.

 The draft was begun in 1936 and the first televised game was in 1939.  In 1943 helmets became mandatory.

During WWII nearly 1,000 players joined the armed forces.  Teams were temporarily merged (the Eagles and Steelers were the Steagles) in order to have a season.  The game continued to evolve, the AFL and NFL merge… Monday Night Football is credited with a huge increase in popularity, free agency began in 1993, and instant replay came into play 1999.  They had a nice display on instant replay where you got to review several plays from different tv angles and see whether you made the correct call. Several other interactive displays, like this one, and many videos.

The Hall with each year’s inductees' bronze busts is impressive.  The first player elected was Sammy Baugh,  Redskin quarterback from 1937-1952.  

There is also a display of all the Superbowl Rings, which get bigger and flashier each year – the 1st Super Bowl ring had a .5 carat diamond.  The latest Patriots ring had 4.85 carats (205 diamonds). BLING!

There are displays on “dynasties”:  Green Bay, Pittsburgh,  San Francisco, New England and the Dolphins' perfect year, of course.  A bit about referees especially Ed Hockley; equipment, each Commissioner, and many uniforms, balls, shoes and other player equipment.

Some discussion of various formations introduced over the years. A display on record holders is one of the few places Houston is mentioned, 1st as  loser in the biggest comeback (31 points in one quarter) with the Buffalo Bills - Sadly we remember this embarrassment.  Secondly, JJ Watt joins an elite 4 players to score from a reception, a recovered fumble and an interception all in one game

This one's for you, Mom.

Not much is mentioned about player  safety or injuries – only that recent commissioners addressed issues of player safety.  A little bit about Players’ Association and Collective Bargaining.   A film on the Superbowl 50 made it seem a lot more exciting than we remember.

From Canton, we drive north to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which  protects the wooded area along the old Ohio & Erie Canal and the Ohio River.  It is rather unique in its proximity to large population areas (Cleveland, Akron and surrounding areas).  It was first developed as a National Recreation Area in 1974, and became a National Park under President Ford in 2000. (Not sure of the complete story, but politics was surely involved.)  The park is largely day use, with miles of biking and hiking trails.  We watched a film and talked with a knowledgeable park volunteer named Larry Hahn.  Then we visited 60’ Brandywine Falls,

and an area called The Ledges.  Both quite beautiful and unique.

The cicadas were incredibly noisy in this area and flying all over.
We traveled a few miles east to Silver Springs Campground, a municipal park in the city of Stow.  Nicely kept, nice sites, though we had an issue with the electrical connection and in the end just disconnected and dry camped. 

Not far away, over a large hill, there was a large baseball complex with 3 games going on. We heard an occasional “ring” of the bat – no Louisville sluggers here!  Beautiful Summer evening.

Ohio June 21, covered bridges and hopewell culture

 Tuesday, June 21

73 degrees this morning, though we had some rain and last night was comfortable.

Beth was able to get some specific locations for the covered bridges, so we head there this morning, taking little back roads and enjoying the farmland and woodlands.   At one point in the 1800’s Ohio had nearly 1000 covered bridges.  Many today have been refurbished or replaced.  Stephenson Road Bridge was built in 1877 and restored in 2015.

Charleton Mill was refurbished in 2013. 

The last, Clifton Mill was originally built in 1802.  A replica bridge was built in the 1990’s but the old mill building and waterwheel still operate .

From here we head to Beaver Creek for a workout  and shower at LA Fitness.  We have breakfast in the Trek and then head east toward  Chillicothe and Hopewell Culture National Historic Park.  The Hopewell Culture flourished in this area about 2,000 years ago (roughly 300BC to 600AD), leaving large geometrically patterned burial mounds, some of which can be connected to astronomical data.  The large circular mounds will fit exactly inside large squares found adjacent.  Scientists estimate that 1,000s of tons of earth were moved.  We watched a film, then walked around several mounds.

The mounds preserved here are only a part of a much more widespread grouping. Many mounds were lost to cultivation and building, including military Camp Sherman, but in the 1840’s archeologists took notice and began some excavations.  Many burial sites were found, along with artifacts made from copper, mica, stone and bone.

Some items found, like obsidian from Colorado and shells from the Gulf, show that this culture traveled and traded.  We have visited other mound sites, like Effigy in Iowa, and one across the river from St. Louis.  The ranger we spoke with was very knowledgeable and explained that those mound-builders came about 1000 years later than Hopewell. There are a few older than Hopewell, in nearby Adena and in Poverty Point in LA.

There were some lovely and very fragrant Oak Leaf Hydrangeas outside the Visitor Center.

From here we travel through rolling countryside with many corn and soybean fields. We pass through Lancaster, Ohio and the terrain is similar to Lancaster, PA. 

  We travel to Newark (not at all like its Jersey namesake) where we stop to take a gander at the Longaberger Headquarters building, shaped like a huge basket. It is 7 stories high and has a huge open atrium at the center.  Quite an unusual building!

Longaberger is a well known high-quality basket-maker that has been operational since the late 1800’s.  We travel a little further to their Homestead – a complex that includes their factory, the original family homestead and workshop,

and a large shop with baskets, ceramics and other housewares.  The baskets are quite beautiful and all are made by hand. They feel like they will last forever, very sturdy, and are priced accordingly with the smallest 4"x6" about $75.

 A museum area showcases many baskets from simple to quite complex.

We talk with three workers , Cindy, Lisa and  Andrew and watch as they make baskets and tag them.  They are making baskets that will be given as awards at a car show this weekend. 

This apple basket is 20’ tall and a replica of the first baskets made for orchards by J.W. Longaberger.

We travel north and east and go through a very Amish area.  Some is commercialized like Lancaster PA: “Tour an Amish home,”  “Ride in a real Amish buggy”, and “Eat at  Der Dutchman”.   We stop at Walnut Creek Cheese and Grocery store.  Beth has been craving watermelon and peaches and we find some of both here.  Really reasonable groceries too.  There are several buggies parked outside and we note a “Yoder Transportation” van which apparently brings Amish here to shop.

Note the blinders. They travel on roads with other traffic.

We dive into the watermelon – delicious! – then continue on to Massillon which will leave a short drive to Canton tomorrow.

Greg notes the large yards in the area – “people must like to mow”!