I'm much farther east now , in Rapid City, South Dakota, after "blowing through" Yellowstone just one day too early to catch some snow, unfortunately. two half-day drives later (stopping briefly at Devils Tower yesterday morning and MT Rushmore this morning) I plan to visit a "Geology Museum" this afternoon in Rapid City and some stops in Wall along Hwy 90 a bit east of here then look for a place to overnight around the Badlands, which I hope to spend some time in tomorrow. I've been snowed on about an inch or so each of the past two nights and expecting a third night of light snow tonight, but supposedly it will clear up tomorrow so hope for some good light in the badlands.
I may then spend another night in the area in order to have a full day's drive (about 10hrs) all the way to the National Forest lands between Lk Superior and Lk Michigan. I may spend a day or two driving along south shore of Lk Superior & Lk Huron, before heading south to visit Sandy's sister Karen in Manchester, Michigan. May spend a day or so there maybe, then head to Cleveland and onwards eastward along the lakes I think. So I might be in Ct as soon as end of third week of October?
Gary
3PM 10/5/2012
Hello everyone.
I just added money to my AT&T phone. depending on how I make the call, it may appear to be from my Google#... (I will normally try to call this way) or, directly from the AT&T#...
Gary
8PM 10/5/2012
Hi Gary,
I got my cell phone fixed so it's ...; haven't gotten a voice mail greeting yet or put any numbers into it. ...
Be safe in the cold, wind and snow. Don't freeze to death in your sleep! I'm not sure if the fall color is through in Michigan, but my sister said they were going to get a frost tonight. Lake Superior wind and weather can be furocious! I'm glad you got out of the mountains in time. I've been to the Badlands but not to Devil's Tower or Mt. Rushmore -- send me a photo of Crazy Horse, ok!
Hey, while you are in northern Michigan (the mitten) look up my mom, Gloria and John ... I'll send her an email telling her you might stop in if it's ok.
They live on the south side of Higgins Lake (which is north of the largest inland lake, Houghton Lake), a short distance on a dirt road with other homes on it in the pines.
She will want to give you a hot meal, I'm sure. I'll give her your phone numbers, too. From their house, it's about a 4-5 hour drive down to Karen and Michael's. Stop in and say hi to Bob - Karen will tell you how to get there; it's a short walk up from her driveway. Watch out for hunters this time of year in MI.
Please keep this information! ...
Sandy
2PM 10/5/2012
Thanks for the update. Now I know approx when to expect you. Are you visiting Maine and NH and VT?
Liz
7PM 10/5/2012
Hi,
When you are in Cleveland, you can look up Mom's grave at the cemetery. Ann went once on a day the office was open and they helped her find the location. I have the info somewhere but have no idea where I put it. If you email Ann, she may have it handy. I remember the grave is in an area where a tall brick or stone wall marks the boundary of the cemetery. Maybe you can google for info???
We also found the house, the street is still brick! and the house is still there, also the Lutheran/ German church up the street. The neighborhood has changed to mostly black people but much of it is the same, except more tired and run down. Even Grovewood? swimming pool is still there, but it looks sooooo small! Everything seems small. The Paul Bellamy Elementary School is now a community center, almost like a salvation army center. The pedestrian bridge across the highway with the spiral access is also there, but it looks pretty dirty. Oh, and we stopped at the hospital too. I did not remember this, but the lawn (where we used to play while waiting for Dad to visit Mom), comes right up to the the sea wall at the edge of Lake Erie. I have no memory of that...weird.
We also found the beach we used to go to, that still looks pretty much the same, lots of parking and the tall narrow trees. We also went to the river area, ?Squaw Rock? Park closer to Shaker Heights??? I vaguely remembered certain things, like the cliffs.
I'm sure you will remember more things because you were older. Have fun exploring.
Liz
7AM 10/10/2012
Hi Gary,
Got your phone message yesterday.
I sent this last week, maybe you missed it...has suggestions on what to do in Cleveland.
If you go to our old beach on Lake Erie, please bring me back a few small pretty pebbles. Thanks,
ps This is from an email I sent to you on Oct 5th:
just googled Lake View Cemetery. They have all the info you need on-line, incl a map, so just google the name of the cemetery. I searched the record and Mom is buried in Section 51, lot 1-88. Good luck,
I remember when we looked for her grave it was in a smaller lot which butted up to a tall stone or brick wall separating the cemetery from a side street. Her grave stone is very small and was a bit overgrown w/ grass. Dad had put on a Bible verse from Thessalonians: "The dead in Christ shall be rising first" . You should be able to find it. It's a very pretty cemetery with lots of trees and curvy roadways.
See you real soon,
Liz
noon 10/11/2012
Hi Liz,
I'm now in Ohio a bit west of Cleveland and have been catching up on email and studying the maps for the cemetery etc. I'll probably pass through Cleveland today, but hope to find a spot to camp nearby to maybe have another go wandering around tomorrow.
Leaves around here look a bit early, so my guess is in upper-NY Adirondacks may still be close to prime, so I may swing up that way. But I may decide to save some gas and time and take a more direct route. I'll let you know within a day or so. Sorry I'm still so bifurcated on that. I may just be eager to catch the leaves around CT?
Gary
6AM 10/12/2012
Have fun in Cleveland. Don't pass up the highland beach park, because I think you will enjoy hanging out there for a while. Hope the weather is nice.
I recommend you come home through the Adirondacks because the roads thru the park are very nice and the trees should be very pretty now. You can then come down the main highway south of the park, switch to the Mass Pike and then take rte 8 south into CT. Bethany is close to Rte 8. If you come as early as Sunday btw 10:00am and 5:00pm, stop in Litchfield, CT. I am exhibiting with a group of artists at the firehouse. I'll forward the invitation. Otherwise, enjoy yourself and I'll see you whenever,
Liz
7AM 10/12/2012
Got to my old home on Nottingham Rd in East-Cleveland/Euclid in the early-evening after a long accident-caused traffic on the highway through the downtown area. Took some drive-by snaps of the old house & neighborhood, (nicely maintained neighborhood tucked away inside an otherwise very run-down area of town.) Drove past OH Perry Jr High school - I recall going to school there with a bunch of rude punk kids, taking the bus thru an "ugly" commercial street to get there - it is indeed ugly and now very run-down with mostly abandoned businesses. I drove along Lakeshore Drive to the hospital on the shore where mom had stayed, then drove via Euclid Ave through an extremely run-down area with mostly boarded-up store-fronts (stopping at an auto-parts store to replace my again-burnt-out headlamp) to Lakeview Cemetery which is at the edge of the up-scale "museum district" of downtown (I remember going to concerts in Severance Hall there with my dad - I had been taking violin lessons from someone who played viola with the Cleveland Orchestra.) Unfortunately the cemetery gate was closed with tall impenetrable fence all around, so I decided to try to find somewhere to camp around the town of Mentor near Headland Beach that we used to frequent in the summertime. Ran across a small town park after dark with a bunch of very tame deer and overnighted there. This morning I made it to Headland Beach before dawn and took a few pre-dawn atmospheric picts of the beach in bone-chilling-cold wind and picked up a few pebbles. Now I'm working my way back up the coast to have another chance at mom's grave.
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