7/20 Ford Truck Plant Tour

I  am back in Detroit, so I decided to do some sightseeing.  I missed a few of the places I wanted to see, but I did have a long lunch with some friends I made at Ford before I started out traveling 12 years ago, and I also drove to Dearborn and took the tour of the Ford Rouge Truck Assembly plant that is offered through the Henry Ford Museum.  (Good parking for big vehicles at the museum, by the way.)   You have to purchase your tickets in the museum and a bus takes you to the plant.  There are two short videos and then you can walk a high catwalk through the final assembly of the vehicles at your own speed. 

Anyway, it is well worth the time and money, especially if you have never seen an assembly plant.  As part of my job working on training programs, I saw a lot of General Motors plants in the 90s, but things have gotten much more automated since then. 

Unfortunately, they do not allow photos to be taken of the actual assembly line, but at least I can show you part of the tour and describe the line.

First, here are the buses that take you to the plant. 

The Rouge Complex was begun by Henry Ford in 1917, and contained a foundry, assembly plant, and a lot of other Ford facilities.  The steel foundry where my grandfather worked was sold a few years ago and no longer makes steel, but it does produce stamped parts.  Here is a history of this complex:  https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour/history-and-timeline/  

The Rouge has undergone a lot of changes over the years, and this truck plant is relatively new and uses the most modern methods Ford uses. 

This is the roof of the plant.  It is covered in grass and other plants to reduce heat and pollution.  Here is a good description of it:  https://theindexproject.org/post/ford-plant-green-roof

The tour follows the assembly of a truck from bare frame to adding the truck bed and cab parts.  At the end of the tour, you can see completed vehicles being tested and driven off the line.  

What I found interesting was the platforms that each vehicle rested on and how the workers grabbed parts and attached them to the vehicle as it continued to move.  At a couple of points, the platforms even raised the vehicles so the undersides could be comfortable worked on and tires could be attached.  

This is a display at the end of the tour.   The tour will take you from 2-3 hours, depending on how much time you watched the workers building the vehicles.

7/13 Dog Sitting

My son and his family went out of town for a week, so I agreed to watch the dog while I was staying at Punderson State Park.  I had watched her before for a few days, and she is mostly a pretty good dog. 

First thing I did was put a rug on my sofa to protect the cover that is hiding the fact that the vinyl on it is disintegrating.  Also, the cover is stretchy, and I figured she would paw at it. It is where she usually stands or sits to watch people and other dogs who are walking past. Dog seems comfortable. 

 

However, she spent the first hour or so trying to decide where she wanted to sleep, and seemed uncomfortable on the sofa, so I added a beach towel to act as a pillow and a cushion on the floor.  I think mostly she felt restless because she missed her owners.  

 

However, since it was hot outside, she often liked to stretch out on the bare floor in the kitchen, so I put the cushion back on the dinette where it belongs. 

 

The biggest problem was that she is used to sleeping in a real bed at night with her owners.  However, I really don't like sharing a bed with a dog, so I closed my bedroom door.  She pathetically kept sleeping on the floor outside my bedroom, and it was cold, so I tossed the beach towel on her, thinking that it might make her sleep longer in the morning, as I am not fond of early morning dog walking.  

Eventually, she gave up trying to make me let her into my bed and slept most nights on the rug on the sofa.  

 

 

There are not a lot of people in my son's neighborhood walking around during the day, so she really enjoyed dog and people watching.  

 

 

All campgrounds require that dogs be on 6' leashes when they are outside, so I had to take her for a walk several times a day.  She really wanted to just run free.  On weekdays, the place is pretty empty, so lots fewer distractions for her. 

However, one distraction was this fat ground hog.  The day before, it had waddled across the campground roadway and went into the drainpipe.  Dog went nuts and stuck her entire head and neck into pipe after the groundhog. If the drainpipe had been a couple of inches wider, I am sure she would have got at least her shoulders inside and might have gotten stuck. 

On this day, I noticed the groundhog hiding in another section of the drain pipe.  However, since doggy was bird watching, she did not notice it right away.  This gave me time to take some photos. 

 

 

It took her a few seconds to notice it, but I was able to get this closeup.  The delay also gave me time to tighten up on the leash, so when she tried to go after it this time, I was able to stop her.  

And to end this posting, this is what a dog looks like when it wants out and knows that looking pathetic is the only way to convince you!

7/1 Traverse City Cherry Festival

I had originally just planned to come to Traverse City, Michigan, to attend a high school graduation party, but after discovering that this was the start of the annual Cherry Festival, I decided to stay an extra couple of days.  

In case you don't know about this part of Michigan, it grows about 70% of the tart cherries grown in the U.S.   This is because it is located on the northwestern part of the state, very close to Lake Michigan.  The milder weather that results from being close to the lake and the two very large bays along the lake, also means it is a major wine producing area. 

While I spent the first three nights here camping in the nearby fairgrounds, I decided to spend a couple of nights in the state park along the bottom of the east end of the Grand Traverse Bay.  The reason I usually avoid this state park is that it is older and spots are small and tight to get into.  Also, sites have electric hookups, but are missing water on sites, and the heavy woods also means I cannot get satellite TV here. 

Roadways are one way and narrow.  The following two photos were taken during the day, and since a lot of people had taken cars and trucks out sightseeing for the day, it does not look crowded.  

 

 

However, when I first arrived, there were cars and trucks on both sides of the roadway, plus a couple of big trees just across the road.  All of meant I did not have enough space to back in to my site as usual, hence I headed in forward.   

 

 

 

This was a big, paved site because it was a handicap site.  The electric hookup was on the other side, but I carry a 25' 30 amp extension cord, so I could plug in easily.  It just felt a bit awkward to be staring through my front window into someone else's site.  And I did need a bit of help getting out at the end of my stay. 

The biggest reason I chose to stay here was that there is a shuttle route to downtown from the state park, and the stop is just across the highway.  There is a nice pedestrian bridge to get across and the shuttle runs every 15 minutes this time of year. I knew for sure that I would NOT be able to park my big vehicle in downtown Traverse City, and I do not tow a car. 

Nice view from the bridge.  I met my niece and her mother downtown at the festival, and really enjoyed the day. 

 

 

We chose a french fry with vinegar lunch!  

 

 

It was a pleasant, not too hot day, with a nice breeze off the bay.  

 

 

This is one of the touristy cherry shops where you can buy everything imaginable made from cherries!!

Spent about three hours wandering around.  Bought a zip-up fleece hoodie and some chocolate covered cherries.  Took shuttle back and rested my legs and feet.