<– Day 38 – Mon. June 10th: Trains and Planes | Trip Overview | Day 40 – Wed. June 12th: A Collection Worthy of a Kaiser –>

My partner-in-crime had a migraine in the morning, so I had to photograph myself. I came, I saw, I photographed!

On Tuesday we did a short tour of Butler then drove to Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

Tuesday June 11th’s drive from Butler to Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

On Tuesday morning, we woke up at the crack of 9am and were out the door by 10. Our breakfast stop was the CHOP SHOP. If you are in Butler, I can highly recommend the place (check out the menu). My prime rib wrap was great. Ann’s Lamb wrap (very thinly sliced lamb with feta and more) was especially good, but couldn’t eat it all, so she shared half her wrap with me … yum!

After breakfast, Ann came down with a migraine, so I took her back to the motel room to rest. Meanwhile, I took care of a personal task:  locate and photograph the Bantam Factory Marker, one of those holy jeep grail items I can now tick off my list. The marker is at 662 Hansen Ave, Butler, PA and you can see the sign using Google’s street view.

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<– Day 37 – Sun. June 9th: Defecting to Canada | Trip Overview | Day 39 – Tues. June 11th: Checking Out Butler –>

So many cool things in this one-of-a-kind toy store!

After our failure to defect in Canada on Sunday, we decided to head south on Monday toward the jeep-mecca-that-is-Bantam: Butler, Pennsylvania.

On Monday June 10th we drove from Niagara Falls, New York, to Butler, Pennsylvania.

Though we’d spurned Canada, the country seemed to haunt us. I guess we were there long enough to look Canadian. For example, when we stopped by a Niagara Starbucks Monday morning, we were told by a cashier that we could go online and get Starbucks Cash (or points or something) for completing a survey. He then announced the cash (or points) were good in Canada, too. Ann and I looked at each other wondering why he thought we were Canadian. Then I realized I was wearing a “Canada” shirt.

From Buffalo, New York, we drove south through rain until we got bored of the Interstate. I spotted a town called North East, PA. Thinking that was an odd name, especially since it was in northwestern Pennsylvania, we decided to explore it. It was a strange town. For example, they grow plants over their parking meters.

After lunch at Lacasa De Pizza in downtown North East, we tried to visit their nearby railroad museum, but no one was home. There weren’t any hours posted on the door either. They did have lots of trains and a train station as well.

I never did learn why the town was called ‘North East’

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<– Day 36 – Sat. June 8th: Escape to the Movies | Trip Overview | Day 38 – Mon. June 10th: Trains and Planes –>

On Sunday we drove from Buffalo to Niagara Falls.

We are standing on the Rainbow Bridge. The trek to our new country wore on us, but we continued marching!

On Tuesday June 09 we drove from Buffalo to Niagara Falls,

For our entire stay in Buffalo, the weather has been wet in varying degrees. So, on Sunday June 9th we decided to defect to Canada.

As if Ulysses-like Sirens were wooing us, the closer we got to Canada, the better the weather became. We took it as a sure sign we were doing the right thing. Once Ann and I located a parking spot (free even!) on the American side of the border, we abandoned our car and our American lives to embark on a future as Canadians.

It turns out it’s easy to leave the US on foot. We just passed through a simple turnstile and we were home free! Like a couple of refugees, we packed light, carrying only the bare essentials (cameras and cash) on our forced march across Rainbow Bridge (we couldn’t bring the jeep across — it was too new and the bank that holds the loan wouldn’t give us permission).

Look at that great view!

Behind us is a Canadian playground awaiting our arrival. We left behind the sunny the rainy skies of Buffalo for the beautiful blue of Canada.

By the time we were halfway across the bridge, the sun was shining bright. The mist from the falls saluted our decision, welcoming us in a very friendly manner into the Canadian fold.

“OH CANADA” we bellowed as we approached the passport office. Behind the desk at the office was a pretty blond who greeted us (Canada was looking pretty good by that point!) — No wonder Canadian Dave loves his country so much!

The Canadian’s appear to be very neat and tidy. I wonder if all their lawns look like this?

After sizing up Canada’s two newest citizens, the immigration official let us in. We couldn’t wait to breathe the Canadian air, eat the best of Canadian food, and see the world through their eyes.

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<– Day 35 – Fri. June 7th: An Old Building and New Cars  | Trip Overview | Day 37 – Sun. June 9th: Defecting to Canada –>

No pics for today …

On Saturday Ann and I were asked to be special hosts at the Farny Wurlitzer house as part of a local house-tour event (multiple houses in multiple locations) to raise money for a local organization. Joining us at the Wurlitzer house was our new friend Jeff, who we’d gotten to know over the past couple of days (he was visiting North Tonawanda from Chicago).

A long story short, after about a half hour of greeting a few people, the three of us realized that nobody cared who we were or why we were there. Visitors just wanted to look at the house. Unfortunately for Jeff, he had no access to transportation, so was stuck there. It didn’t take use long to decide that we were totally wasting our time, so we all agreed it was time to bail this event (none of us had made specific promises as to how long we would be there — frankly, the event was poorly organized).

After a quick discussion, we decided to get some lunch and go watch a movie, as Jeff’s return flight didn’t take off until late Saturday night.

Our lunch stop was a highly rated Polish plate called K Sisters: Authenic Pierogi. It was delicious!

After lunch, we found a nearby theatre showing Star Trek Into Darkness. Jeff, a very busy guy, seemed to greatly appreciate the break. He said it had been quite a while since he’d seen a movie in a theatre. We equally enjoyed the time to decompress.

After the movie, we dropped Jeff off at his hotel. We hit it off so well that he offered to show us around his Wurlitzer restoration facility in Chicago on our way back home. We readily accepted the offer.

Tomorrow, we hit the road once again, bound to cross the border and interact with our Canadian brethren.

 <– Day 35 – Fri. June 7th: An Old Building and New Cars  | Trip Overview | Day 37 – Sun. June 9th: Defecting to Canada –>

<– Day 34 – Thurs. June 6th: Carousels and Awards | Trip Overview | Day 36 – Sat. June 8th: Escape to the Movies –>

Forrest Gump was right: Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get. When I began this trip I never expected to be on the front page of a town’s newspaper. As I mentioned yesterday, I feel fortunate it was a slow news day! I did note there were a few quotes attributed to me worded in a way that I’d never do, but that’s the good/bad of being interviewed.

On Friday morning Ann and I were scheduled to visit the Wurlitzer Building in North Tonawanda and enjoy a brief tour by the president of the company that owns and operates it. The building is huge (I can’t remember the exact size), but at one point it employed over 3000 people. You can read a fuller history of the Wurlitzer Company in North Tonawanda from 1892 to 1942 here.

While many square feet have been turned into office space that’s leased to companies, thousands of square feet remain empty, awaiting a reason to transform back into something leasable.

Below are a few photos:

This is only part 1/5 (?) of the Wurlitzer building in North Tonawanda, NY. It’s the entrance.

Here is organ restoration specialist Jeff Weiler and I in front of the entrance. Ann and I plan to meet up with Jeff and see his restoration shop in Chicago during our trip back home.

This is President of The Wurlitzer Building Tom Austen, who showed us around a portion of the building.

This is one wing of the 3rd floor that is empty (except for some file storage).

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<– Day 32 & 33 – Tues. June 4th & Wed. June 5th: Rudeness at the Parkside Diner!  | Trip Overview | Day 35 – Fri. June 7th: An Old Building and New Cars –>

My presentation of the Wurlitzer Plaque to the North Tonawanda History Museum Trustees.

I’d like to share with you all the wonderful things I did on my birthday — of parties, food, and lavish gifts — but the present I truly longed for was sleep. So, that’s pretty much all we did. We slept. A lot.

By Thursday June 6th we were ready for a busy day. Our first stop was at my great uncle Farny Wurlitzer’s former house in North Tonawanda, New York. It was a beautiful place that was recently purchased by new owners. I won’t bore you with the pictures, but it was fun for us.

After the house visit, as official representatives of the Rudolph Wurlitzer family (I’m his great great grandson), Ann and I were invited on guided tour of the Herschel Carousel Museum in North Tonawanda.

The front of the Herschel Museum (on a very wet day).

Doug, Jeff and I are examining a Wurlitzer Carousel Organ that plays while the carousel rotates.

Who doesn’t feel like a kid riding a carousel??

Of course, we even found a jeep-like ride at the museum!

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<– Day 31 – Mon. June 3rd: Through Russia With Love | Trip Overview | Day 34 – Thurs. June 6th: Carousels and Awards –>

No, the sign isn’t referencing the Beatles; it’s explaining an earlier invasion by Brits playing musical muskets.

On Tuesday June 4th: we drove from Pulaski, New York, to Buffalo, New York.

On Tuesday June 4th we drove from Pulaski, New York, to Buffalo, New York.

Last night I got a “really good deal” on a motel room in Pulaski, New York. Strangely, no one else showed up at the motel. We had the entire place to ourselves. To make it odder, the supposed two-star place was only of one-star quality. The whole place had an odd vibe. We had no desire to stay any longer than need-be, so we departed early in the morning.

Our first stop today was the beach at Oswego, NY, near Fort Ontario. There, we looked out onto the fourth Great Lake of our trip: Lake Ontario. The warm temperatures of the past few days turned to a bone chilling 67 degrees …  Brrr. We almost had to put on jackets!

Henry taking a well deserved rest at Lake Ontario.

From there we drove to the State University of New York at Oswego. We met with a reference librarian in the hope she could find more information on Dorothy Rogers, the author of Jeopardy and a Jeep and Highways Across the Horizons. The librarian provided some reference material that led to additional biographical information, but it didn’t prove useful.

After our library trip, our next stop was in Seabreeze, NY, where we found a diner near a park called, not surprisingly, the Parkside Diner. Our food was very good.

Somehow we didn’t get a picture of this place. So, here’s one from Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kewing/7778492628/in/set-72157624608428385

The strange part about our experience was that as we waited for the check, Ann and I started to hear some strange sounds from the booth in back of us. It sounded like a little kids TV show that seemed, intellectually, one step above Teletubbies. The sounds were loud enough that the grating voice would have disturbed us if we were still eating.

Fortunately, moments later our bill arrived. We dropped the money on the table. I stood and turned to see what was making the racket. I discovered a couple behind us had placed a phone on a table so they could watch a television show. They seemed completely unaware (or uncaring) that the obnoxious show might disturb anyone else. Ann exited the restaurant asking, “Really? Who does that? Who plays a TV loud enough to disturb other people in a restaurant??”

Just before we left, I took a picture of the offending couple. If you see these two ‘kids’, beware that they have no awareness for others around them. The red colored phone is propped up against the white container of sugar.

We arrived in Northeast Buffalo soon after our lunch. We napped, then I worked. Wednesday June 5th is my birthday, so there won’t be any updates and we have no plans, other than to rest and find some good food. We’ll be here through Saturday.

Wednesday June 5th: Day off 🙂

On Thursday, we have a variety of plans in North Tonawanda, New York.

<– Day 31 – Mon. June 3rd: Through Russia With Love | Trip Overview | Day 34 – Thurs. June 6th: Carousels and Awards –>

<– Day 29 – Fri. June 1: Acadia National Park | Trip Overview | Day 31 – Mon. June 3rd: Through Russia With Love –>

Upon stepping foot onto the last of the lower 49 states I hadn’t visited, I gave the welcome sign a hug. Truth be told, the grass was too wet for me to venture into it.

On Monday we drove from Bangor, Maine, to Burlington, Vermont.

Monday’s drive took us from Bangor, Maine, to Burlington, Vermont.

We started out the day with Ann sneezing. It ended with her sneezing. In the middle, there was lots of sneezing. Either she has a cold or she’s got some terrible allergies (the grass pollen is particularly high she says). Poor thing!

In between the sneezes we navigated down I-95 from Bangor, Maine, to Hollis Center, Maine, where Brendan, the operator of This-Old-Jeep, lives. He and I have exchanged many emails over the past few years. Because we both run websites using WordPress about old jeeps, we have plenty to talk about. So, it was great to finally meet him in person. We also met his wife Melissa and their two boys, Walter and Bryon. Water even drew me a picture of a jeep, which is downstairs in our jeep, so posting that will have to wait.

Brendan and Melissa fixed us a nice lunch, which included Brendan’s freshly made bread. We both throughly enjoyed the home cooked meal and greatly appreciated it!

After lunch we headed out to check out Brendan’s CJ-3B project. As we were discussing his recently disassembled transmission, Byron decided to distract my camera person: He’s a bit of a ham 🙂  Many thanks to the entire family for making our visit enjoyable!

Not too long after we left Brendan’s place, we crossed into New Hampshire. Soon, we stumbled upon the cute town of Conway. As we entered town, a Bavarian Chocolate Shop cast a spell over us,  forcing us to pull over and enter into the shop. We had no choice. Twenty dollars and two pairs of chocolatey hands later, the spell finally lifted.

The dark chocolate hazelnuts were awesome!

As we drove away from Conway, all hell broke loose.

An enormous gust of wind blew past the jeep. Branches began falling, rain was pouring, and cats and dogs were dropping from the sky. There was thunder. There was lightening. We began to wonder if we’d committed some sin for giving into our chocolate lust . . .

But, no, we later learned the storm was a left over ripple from a storm that hit Oklahoma. Given the enormity of the ripple, I’d hated to have been in the middle of the central splash! Speaking of Oklahoma, Karson’s on his way there with FEMA to help coordinate the relief effort.

After the storm hit in Conway, we drove under and ran over multiple downed power lines. The power was out through the remainder of our drive through New Hampshire and into Vermont. Trees were down, branches covered the road, and rain continued to fall.

This was along the road. The tree fell onto a building, narrowly missing the house. In other locations, people were cleaning up the mess as we drove by. Unfortunately, most of our pictures of the storm came out blurry.

This tree landed on this shack.

More debris.

Speaking of Vermont, passing into it meant I’ve visited all of the ‘lower’ US states. All that’s left is Alaska (ed. note: which I later checked off in 2017).

Once the storm passed, the lack of electricity from New Hampshire through a good chunk of Vermont meant that there wasn’t much to photograph, as there were few places to stop. Fortunately, by the time we reached the capital of Vermont, Montpelier, the clouds had mostly vanished, the sun reappeared, and the electricity returned.

We were pleasantly surprised by Vermont’s quaint Capital. The town’s capital building was welcoming.

Montpelier hummed with activity as families and individuals toured its streets. We eventually made our way to the local Hungry Mountain Coop, which was a first class treat. Lots of great breads and interesting foods!

PHOTO CREDIT: Hungry Mountain Coop

After Montpelier, we made our way to Burlington, which was another beautiful city. We plan to explore some before we leave on Monday for Oswego. Here’s a view from our hotel (another great Priceline find at $51).

That’s the view looking west over Lake Champlain.

On Monday we head to New York State.

<– Day 29 – Fri. June 1: Acadia National Park | Trip Overview | Day 31 – Mon. June 3rd: Through Russia With Love –>