Summer 2021, Day 64: First Ladies NHS, Steamtown NHS, Upper Delaware SRR

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Ben

Looks like I won’t be flying this morning:

First stop of the day was First Ladies National Historic Site. The site preserves the home of Ida Saxton, wife of President McKinley:

The visitor center is next door:

The site serves to preserve artifacts and research materials relating to American first ladies:

I continued east into Pennsylvania to visit Steamtown National Historic Site:

The site preserves America’s railroad history:

I continued east into New Jersey to visit the Corwin Farm unit of Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River:

It happens that adjacent to the National Park site is Camp Tel Yehudah, where I spent a week in the late 80s for a Young Judea National Convention:

Before returning home, I stopped at Walmart for DEF:

That’s it for the Summer 2021 trip. See you next summer!

Summer 2021, Day 63: RV Hall of Fame

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Ben

This morning I met fellow pilot Shane for a flight. There was no wind and the grass was wet, and my wing, uncooperative under the best of circumstances, was impossible to get off the ground. After breaking a prop in a launch attempt, Shane let me try his APCO Hybrid wing. It was much more accommodating, and I had a nice Flight 137, my first in Indiana:

The field where I flew was a few hundred yards from the RV Hall of Fame, which surprisingly has so far eluded us:

View from the balcony:

The RV archives:

The hall of fame:

So much good stuff here:

A model of the proposed SkyeRise Terrace:

If you know, you know:

The world’s first travel trailer, the 1913 “Earl”, towed there by a Ford Model “T”:

1954 Spartan Imperial Mansion:

1937 Hunt Housecar:

Model of an RV assembly Plant:

No shortage of RV-themed material in the gift shop:

I then continued east into Ohio to overnight at Galion Municipal Airport in hopes of a flight tomorrow morning:

See the trip map for today’s drive.

Summer 2021, Day 62: Pullman National Monument

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Ben

After a nice weeklong family reunion and Shabbos in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, I continued east into Wisconsin:

A sample of the wonderful town names of Wisconsin:

I continued east into Illinois, fighting my way through Chicago traffic:

I drove to a Chicago suburb to visit Pullman National Monument:

The Monument preserves America’s first planned industrial community, built in the 1880s to support production of Pullman sleeping cars. I checked out the visitor center:

I then walked the community. The houses are now privately owned:

I continued east into Indiana to roller skate at Sk8 World in Portage:

I continued on to Elkhart Indiana to overnight at a field where a PPG pilot will meet me for a morning flight. See the trip map for today’s drive.

Summer 2021, Days 53 through 60: Family time in Minneapolis

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Ben

This morning I woke up at a PPG pilot’s house to find that the weather wasn’t flyable:

I drove into Minneapolis and spent some time visiting with my parents and my brother and his family. After spending Shabbos in St. Louis Park, I picked up Trish and the kids at the airport. We spent the week at a hotel near by brother’s house.

Most mornings we went for walks around the lakes near my brother’s house: