Carlsbad, NM

Carlsbad, NM

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Day 10, Tuesday, July 8

We're back home - the only stop today was at a battlefield in Murfreesboro, Tennesseee. It was the Battle of Stones River and was a major victory for the Union and was a good visit and a free one for us.

So our trip covered over 2000 miles and had some of these highlights that we all agreed on:
Lambeau Field in Green Bay, our cheese store stop in Wisconsin that spontaneously changed into an hour long party, Chicken Man blue grass concert that we stumbled upon in Tennessee, Pee Wee and Jimmy's visit to a fireman water fight in the U.P., the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, the May 4 Kent State Memorial, and peaceful drives through America's farmlands.

We did pretty well with the good deeds. Our favorite ones were becoming church greeters at a church in Racine, Wisconsin, Danny's gift to a boy with cerebral palsy, and getting gas for a couple in a dangerous area in Indiana.

Here is the full list - if you would like to donate, please send a check to:

Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministry, Inc.
176 Church Street
Lawrenceville, GA 30046

1. Helped a vet holding a sign in Tennessee with food and money.
2. Cleaned up the Norris Dam landscaping.
3. Put up 100 or so shopping carts at a Walmart and K-Mart in Corbin, Kentucky.
4. Big Boy chocolate shake for hotel manager in Lancaster, Ohio.
5. Water for construction workers in Kentucky.
6. Danny giving wrestling T-shirt to boy with cerebral palsy at hotel in Kent, Ohio.
7. Danny and I helping load furniture at a Salvation Army in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
8. Jimmy helping the horse poop scooper on Mackinac Island.
9. Pee Wee and Jimmy organizing trash pick up at fire station water fights in the U.P.
10. Helped the hotel cleaning people in Ishpeming, Michigan.
11. Representing Georgia well and starting a party at Simon's Cheese Store in Wisconsin.
12. Church greeters for the 10:00 service at Grace Church in Racine, Wisconsin.
13. Dinner for the hotel manager in Watseka, Illinois.
14. Gas rescue for a couple out of gas in Indiana.
15. And today - moved refrigerator for our gracious hosts Mike and Kelly in Murfreesboro.


Monday, July 7, 2014

Day 9, Monday, July 7

We drove down Illinois Highway 1 for several hours - much more great heart of America scenery. Stopped in the Cornjerker land - it's on the billboard picture. While there we took a photo of the children of the corn - see if you can recognize them.
Then on Highway 50 near Vincennes, Indiana we jumped to action for one of our better good deeds. Both cars pulled over when we saw a young couple walking with a gas can in front of their car. Jimmy jogged back to them first - it was a four lane road and traffic was whizzing by. He gave them two good deed doer cards and grabbed their gas can, then told them we would drive up to the next exit, get gas and return. When we returned, Pee Wee and Jimmy flagged approaching cars to move over a lane, Danny helped with the gas, and I explained what we do and asked them to pay it forward.

Our next stop was in the tiny town of Buckskin, Indiana for probably the most bizarre tour we've encountered. It was at Hennegar's Memorabilia and Nostalgia Museum. He had multitudes of old movie star pictures, records, singers, and many more American memorabilia. That part wasn't bad, but it was the way he presented it. We felt like we were being held hostage - he wanted the tour to last hours - we wanted 15 minutes. He claimed he's Elizabeth Taylor's cousin, has developed a woodworking technique that nobody else in the country has, has the largest indoor cactus plant in the world, has the only Army medic uniform that "wasn't turned in," and many more superlatives. He also showed us sketches to build a 100 million dollar facility to honor veterans and has a goal to honor all 43 million past and present service men and women by posting their names in the new facility. His current facility is similar to a two story garage and at the moment he isn't able to afford air conditioning. He also averages five to ten visitors per month. So the 100 million dollar facility may be as likely as me dunking a basketball. The only picture from the museum is of Pee Wee with his hero Pee Wee Herman.

We're spending the night tonight in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Danny's nephew and wife - Mike and Kelly were gracious enough to put us up for the night. We might look for one quick stop in Tennessee tomorrow and then dart back home. I'll put a final tally of good deeds done tomorrow for those who would like to donate to the Co-op. Good night, and if you're one of the 43 million service men or women, stay tuned.





Sunday, July 6, 2014

Sunday, Day 8, July 6

Today is Sunday and we were able to spend time worshiping and serving in different ways. We attended the 8:30 service at Grace Church in Racine, Wisconsin this morning.  Then after the service we asked some people if we could serve in any way and so the good deed doers became greeters for the service at 10:00 a.m. All four of us left our inhibitions in Georgia a week ago so I doubt that Grace Church has ever had as enthusiastic greeters! I think Jimmy was the best greeter - he's a natural and has great technique.
Then we made it to Schaumberg, Illinois just in time for the 1:00 p.m. first pitch of the Frontier League game between the Schaumberg Boomers and the Normal Cornbelters. The Four Tenors (us) linked arms and belted out the National Anthem so loudly that we actually received applause. I've never been clapped for before when singing. Frontier League means the players are not much above high school level, but they have the same goals as any other minor leaguer. And the two or three hundred fans love their Boomers. We agreed to root for opposing teams, Danny and I had the Boomers and Pee Wee and Jimmy were to root for the Cornbelters. But when the Boomers went ahead 7-0 after three innings, Pee Wee and Jimmy switched teams and "GO BOOMERS!!" became their battle cry. Fickle fans yes, but our trip to the Boomer game was pure Americana and we loved it.
After four innings we made our exit and ended up at Wheaton College. Wheaton is where Jimmy's sons Jeremy and Joseph played their college football, so we visited the stadium for a while, but the main attraction was the Billy Graham Center. This awesome evangelist is still alive at 96 and the center does an amazing job of relating what an immense impact he has had all over the world.
Then Pee Wee and Jimmy took the interstate and Danny and I took the back roads to Watseka, Illinois where we're staying at a Super 8 (should be Below Average 8). The lady at the desk works two jobs and didn't have time for dinner. So good deed doer Pee Wee bought a dinner to go after eating tonight and now the lady is full and happy.
Speaking of Americana, that's all Danny and I saw during our two hour trip. Cornfields as far as you can see, farm houses with barns and silos, tiny white churches next to old cemeteries, and so on. We stopped at an area baseball complex that consisted of one field and was hosting a teenage girl softball game. There were men and boys in overalls or in jeans with no shirt. Dads in t-shirts umpired. Young mamas held their babies and threatened other children with a whoopin'.  Grandmas and grandpas sat in lawn chairs. With the sun setting we agreed that you can't get much more Americana than that.
That's it for Day Eight - one more full day tomorrow and then back home sometime Tuesday where we'll display our best greeting skills.

 
 




Saturday, July 5, 2014

Day 7 - Saturday, July 5

The fireworks last night were real good for a while ... then some kind of technical difficulty occurred and it ended early. The thousands of people at the show on Lake Superior didn't get irate or even that upset. I guess Yoopers are a pretty patient people.
We started the morning off with a repeat good deed from another year. We stripped all the sheets in our hotel room and gathered all the towels and put them in a pile. Then we emptied the trash and took all the trash out. Next we emptied all of our loose change and placed it on the TV stand next to a good deed doers card. We hope the cleaning people appreciated a little less work from our room.
By 10:00 a.m. Central Time we were in Green Bay at Lambeau Field for a one hour stadium tour. We all loved it - we even got to walk out of the players' tunnel accompanied by the same music the players hear.
The next stop was what makes this trip so special sometimes. We stopped at Simon's Specialty Cheese Store in Kaukauna, Wisconsin because when in Wisconsin one must do something with cheese. Pee Wee had been in Wisconsin once as a child but none of us other three had ever been here. We stayed over an hour and before we had left I think we can say that we represented Georgia well. All the ladies giving free samples were nice and seemed to generally like the Georgia boys. It seemed like it was a good deed - we feel like we brought some good will and cheer to the workers and other customers. We had never met any of them before, but before we left we were all laughing together, trading numbers, taking photos, showing our good deed cards, etc. Several people we met heard about our journey and then eagerly gave us suggestions for things to do in Wisconsin. We tried way more than our fair share of free samples and the patient ladies kept providing. Cheddar, gouda, 7 year cheddar, spreads, pickled mushrooms, cheese fudge, caramel candy, more cheese, and more cheese - all this after a lunch at Moe's. None of us are feeling that great, but the visit was one of the best. This country is full of nice people and we found a bunch of them today at a cheese store in Wisconsin. This is why I started this journey six years ago with Pee Wee - visit places off the beaten path and meet strangers who don't stay strangers for long. Jan, Rob, Kittie Kat, and Ed certainly aren't strangers anymore.
We're staying in Milwaukee tonight - we made The Turn earlier today. The Turn is the point where we're headed back in the direction of Georgia. This trip has been as great as always but home always sounds great too. The selfie taken with Jimmy's long arm was taken at The Turn. I think you can figure out the others. Say Cheese!




Friday, July 4, 2014

Friday - Fourth of July

Dusk up here in the Upper Peninsula goes on until 10:00 p.m. and dawn begins around 5:30 - we're much closer to the north pole and days are longer right now. So we had a short night and then Danny and I began the new day with a chilly run with Lake Huron in our sights. We even ran on the runway for the small airport near our hotel - if we had gotten in trouble our alibi was going to be - it's a RUNway...
By 10:00 a.m. we were at Whitefish Point on the U.P. north shore on Lake Superior where we began with some rock skipping.  The Edmund Fitzgerald ship went down with 29 men in 1975 that prompted the song by Gordon Lightfoot. Hundreds of other ships sank to their watery graves before the Edmund, which gives the Whitefish Point area the name of The Graveyard of the Great Lakes. While there we met a tour guide who was very difficult to understand with her Yooper dialect, but we could understand enough to know that she was a little partial to Jimmy.
There are about 1500 residents in the area now but it dwindles to 300 in the winter months - the winters are just too harsh for non-Yoopers.
A little before noon we were at the lower Tahquamenon Water Falls and 30 minutes later we were at the upper falls of the same name. The lower falls were just a little more than some large rapids on major rivers, but the upper falls were majestic. Today was good because we saw more of God's creation - the sunrise photo taken by Jimmy, views of the Great Lakes, waterfalls, etc. Up to now we've had a great time but most of what we've seen has been manmade.
I bought a Yooper baseball hat with "You Betcha" on it, but will probably only wear it back home. These Yooper people are a very proud people and are a little different - I think most of them don't even include themselves as part of Michigan. You would think that they would be Detroit Lion fans, but they are all huge Green Bay Packer fans. The U.P. is connected to Wisconsin and is not connected to lower Michigan. We stopped at "Da Yooper Tourist Trap" in Ishpeming, Michigan and they even had an exhibit paying homage to St. Vincent of Lombardi with a small area of turf from Lambeau Field. The tourist trap has some bizarre exhibits - I'll add one to show what I mean.
Danny and I were together today and Pee Wee and Jimmy rode together. We've pretty much driven together for most of the trip - our original plan of separating went out the window when we saw we were having much more fun staying together. But we got separated today and that was a good thing for the Jimmy and Pee Wee car. They stumbled on a July 4th treat in Munising, Michigan - hundreds of people came out for the Fire Department water fights. They turn on their hoses full blast and try to knock each other over. Then they turn the hoses on the crowd. Jimmy and Pee Wee noticed that the trash cans were overflowing so the good deed doers found empty trash bags and with the help of some children went around and did a Georgia good deed clean up. They met a lot of people and received a lot of thanks.
We're not done looking for good deeds today - I'm writing this early because we're driving 15 miles to Marquette, Michigan for a fireworks display over Lake Superior. This is going to be a very late night - they have to wait for total darkness like anywhere else but that won't happen here until close to 11:30! So the finish to this day's blog will have to come sometime tomorrow.
 But "you betcha" I'll finish it.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Day Five - Thursday

We started with a two hour drive to Mackinaw City, Michigan where we took a ferry to Mackinac Island. I tasted the MOAD hot dog again as I experienced a little sea sickness on the 15 minute ferry ride. But the people we met on the boat ride made things more pleasant and helped us with things to do when we arrived. You can see them in the picture.
Mackinac Island pretty much took up most of our day, but it's another part of our American history lesson we can check off. It's the last part of Michigan before the state's upper peninsula.
Things learned: It's almost chilly up here - highs are in the 65 degree range. There are two Great Lakes that can be seen from the area - Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, which was pretty amazing considering most of us had never seen either one. The bridge from the main part of Michigan to the upper peninsula is 5 miles - one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. People from Michigan are called Michiganders and those on the UP (upper peninsula) are called UPers or Yoopers. Mackinac Island is a great place to visit. No cars on the island - the most common forms of transportation are bicycling, horse back riding, and walking. You would think it would be safe with no cars, but it's common to see accidents from bicycle wrecks. LOTS of money on the island. Houses usually selling for several million dollars. The Grand Hotel is too grand for us -it's huge, it's famous, those attending dinner must wear formal evening gowns and suit and tie ... not for us.
We took a carriage ride with several other tourists and learned a lot of the history of the island. Things like the John Jacob Aster Fur Trading Company being started there. We also learned to not sit near the front of the carriage due to severe gaseous emissions from the horses. Memories of Rusty from Seinfeld came floating back.
We stayed until about 6:00 and finished with a second rousing rendition of Amazing Grace at the Little Stone Church - it's a little over 100 years old and is a little stone church. This time all four tenors rocked the house.
We're staying in St. Ignace just barely into the upper peninsula. So we're Yoopers. We went from a five star room last night to a one star tonight. I can't even remember the name of the hotel. Plus we had to change rooms. The manager gave us the honeymoon suite. One king sized bed next to a heart shaped tub with mirrors all around. This actually happened to Pee Wee and me during our first journey, but why she would think FOUR men wanted the honeymoon suite is beyond me. We had fun taking a couple pictures before switching.
Jimmy was the only one to carry out a good deed today. With horses being constant travelers on the streets of Mackinac Island, horse poop is a common sight, and horse poop sweeper men are employed. Showing that he isn't beyond serving in any manor, Jimmy held the shovel for the pooper sweeper for a while so he had a place to sweep the horse poop.
That's it for today - these Yoopers are heading deep into the Michigan UP tomorrow. We're getting a little fatigued now. You know ... that heart shaped tub would have hit the spot.



 

 

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Day Four - July 2

Danny started us up with a great good deed before we even left the hotel in Kent, Ohio. While eating breakfast he struck up a conversation with an 8 year old boy with cerebral palsy and his mother. The boy loves professional wrestling and even though our style of wrestling is about as opposite as can be, Danny went to his suitcase and found an FCA wrestling shirt to give to the boy. The boy's face lit up and the mother's did as well - she really liked seeing the big smile on her son's face. Good one Danny.
I thought Danny was worthy of a major award, so we journeyed to Cleveland and found the house that made "major award" a common phrase among old Christmas film fans. The house from "A Christmas Story" is a museum now and is a big time tourist attraction. They get 2500 visitors per day during the Christmas season and there is a 2 and a half hour wait to get in the house for the tour during that time of year. It wasn't that crowded today so nobody put my eye out with a Red Ryder BB Gun while trying to get in front of us. You can see the leg lamp in the window if you look closely, but ... you should see it from the street!
Next came President Rutherford B. Hayes mansion and museum in Fremont, Ohio. Not the most exciting stop we've had but we learned a few things here and there and I took a pretty good photo of my three buddies pointing at the entrance sign.
Then to Toledo, Ohio and to carry out a suggestion from my sister Kathy. First though I took a picture of the Toledo Mudhen's Minor League stadium. Then Kathy's suggestion. She thought we would enjoy "Tony Packo's" restaurant and she was right. For M*A*S*H* fans you might remember that Corporal Klinger - played by Jamie Farr often talked about Tony Packo's Restaurant back home in Toledo. So now the restaurant is famous and has been visited by hundreds of stars and other well known people. The walls are adorned with hot dog buns in cases that have been autographed by various stars. But the real treat at Tony Packo's is the chili dogs. Jimmy and Pee Wee got the special - two chili dogs and a side dish. Danny and I went for the Hail Mary and tackled the M.O.A.D. This stands for Mother of All Dogs and I can see why. It's a full foot long hot dog but the meat isn't your normal hot dog. It's sausage and it's three times as thick. Then throw in peppers, cheese, and copious amounts of rot gut chili and there it is. And eight hours later, there it still is. I had to finish it because Pee Wee bet me that I couldn't do it. The first 90% of the giant hot dog went pretty well, then I hit the wall. I made it through the remaining 10 percent, but I paid dearly for my victorious bet over the next couple of hours. Danny was driving and he knew to be on alert to pull over at any moment. At 10:30 p.m. I'm still suffering a little. Danny has fared better then me - he's out eating with the other two, but I'm thinking about never eating again until sometime next week. I feel like someone let Chicken Man loose in my bowels. So yes, I won the bet from Pee Wee, but I think he won the war.
At 4:00 p.m. we entered the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor and walked around the outside of the stadium and got a few pictures. Then at 8:00 p.m. we were near Lansing and did the same thing at the Michigan State stadium. This time we walked through a construction gate and were just about to walk in the stadium when we were stopped by some kind of official. We put our tails between our legs and headed to the Staybridge Suites in Okemos where we're spending the night.
In between the two stadiums Danny and I carried out a better than average good deed. We saw a Salvation Army Store, pulled in, walked around a while and looked for an opportunity to help. We saw a lady with three young girls purchase a table and chair. When she walked out to pull her mini van up we didn't give her a chance. We carried the table and chair to her mini van in the parking lot, loaded them up, gave her two good deed doer cards, asked her to pay it forward, and then went on our way.
Pee Wee got us a room at these Staybridge Suites through Priceline for under $80, but when we checked in it was a room with only one queen bed. For some reason the lady at the front desk liked us - maybe she heard about Jimmy's recent induction in the Football Hall of Fame, I don't know, but she upgraded us to a $400 suite. We thought about just staying here for 5 more days and making up stories for the blog, but that would be a bad deed.
Tomorrow we're probably heading up north until we run out of America. Tonight I'm probably not sleeping until I run out of chili. Good night.




 

 

 
 

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Day Three - July 1

This morning Pee Wee and Danny drove up from Cincinnati and Jimmy and I drove on more Ohio scenic routes. Jimmy and I really enjoyed seeing the tidy little Ohio towns and different landscapes than what we're used to seeing. It may be boring to some, but this was one of the purposes of the trip - to get out and see the heart of America and we really liked it. We stopped in a couple of towns, read a little history here and there, stopped at the Tri Valley High School football stadium (a lot of the high schools have artificial turf around here). We meandered and explored until we rendezvoused with our other travelling companions in Charm, Ohio in the middle of Amish territory.
We visited the Keim Lumber Company - kind of famous for its Amish made furniture. It had hundreds of types of lumber from hundreds of types of trees. Coffee table tops ranged from $400 to over $5000. We left empty handed.
We ate at Grandma's in Charm - Danny was amazed by the Amish servers - their simple appearance, their bonnets, their dialect, so he talked one of them into a group picture. It is pretty amazing to see the happy Amish people immersed in their daily life - so much different than ours - horse and buggies, untrimmed beards, etc.
From there it was time to get to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Pee Wee and I visited the baseball version in Cooperstown three years ago and we enjoyed this one just as much. We even managed to get my favorite football coach inducted today. Yes - Jimmy Chupp is now in the Football Hall of Fame. I wrote his name on a small piece of paper and was barely able to slide it between an exhibit and the wall in an area where it will never be found. So Jimmy Football is now in the Football Hall of Fame. Congratulations Jimmy - Johnny Football has nothing on you.
From Canton we drove 30 minutes to Kent, Ohio and found our way to the May 4 Memorial. At Kent State on May 4, 1970, four students were killed and nine others wounded by the Ohio National Guard while they were protesting the Viet Nam War. I remember the incident very well - hundreds of colleges and high schools across the nation protested with "sit-ins" over the next few days. I can vaguely remember being a part of that at McCluer High School my junior year. The Memorial is very well done and interesting to follow and to read about. But like other places we've visited - Columbine, VA Tech, and Aurora, Colorado, it also just plain sad.
Good deeds were hard to come by today - we tried and we asked but good deed doing was slow. We handed out another water bottle to a "Slow - Go" sign guy at a construction site. He had the Go side out when he should have had the Slow, and he had the Slow side out when he should have had the Go, but we still felt he was deserving of a good deed water bottle so he received one along with a Good Deed Doers card.
We're staying the night in a Comfort Inn in Kent. I'm working on the blog while my three buddies are playing in the pool, as if they were eight year-olds. There's a water slide and other things for kids. I think I'll end this for tonight ... so I can get in the pool, like an eight year old.