The Midnight Run
I have not felt this way in a long, long time. I vaguely remember all-nighters from decades ago, but I forgot the specific feelings of disorientation and other ill effects of sleep deprivation. It has all come back to me now.
After tying up several loose ends at work Saturday morning, I headed home to pack. But first the carwash, the swing by the ATM and finally the gas station. Crap, the air machine at the Shell station was broken. I’ll deal with that later. Maybe it isn’t so important to have the tire pressure exactly 40 psi. At home, I hadn’t even started packing yet. The RainX needed to be applied on the windshield, music chosen for long hours on the road, and the wondering about what I’ve forgotten to think of since it’s now the last minutes before leaving town. Hopefully the wife and daughters were done packing and ready to squeeze what could be squeezed into the Camaro for the ride straight through to Maine.
Ok, almost everything is in the car, except enough room for all the passengers to be comfy. So the first stop is Caledonia to drop off garment and travel bags for Roger & Lisa to haul out for us. Thanks guys! Phew, breathing room now. Then Roger offered his compressed air to top off the tire pressure. That should pay off handsomely in miles per gallon. Off toward Port Huron for the Bluewater Bridge passage to Canada, and then on to Niagara Falls. Finding absolutely NO WAIT at either border was a pleasant surprise. We thought dinner in Niagara Falls would be a good idea. After wandering a bit with the benefit of Breanne’s GPS, carefully avoiding a really drunk driver who plowed down a stop sign in front of us, we decided to give up on Niagara Falls.
We hit I-90 shortly after a dinner stop in Tonawanda. The toll road traffic was light to start with and gradually became almost non-existant after midnight. By 2 AM Sunday, it was rare to see another vehicle either in front or behind us. Breanne took a shift at the wheel until the sleepies hit her. At some point I piloted again.
Mass Pike. I made the decision not to take the I-495 bypass around Boston. Instead, with Britni navigating, we headed straight in toward Boston and made the cut north closer to the coast. We had all kinds of time and found ourselves driving through Cambrisge & Arlington on surface streets at 4:30 AM looking for a way to connect on Route 1 north. Zero traffic in metro Boston. New experience! I also learned that GPS isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Heading north (eventually on I-95, not Route 1), we decided to attempt a breakfast stop in Portsmouth, NH. Too early I guess. Nothing seemed open before 6 AM. Got back on I-95 and broke our fasting at the first service area in Maine with some BK fast food delicacies.
Breanne drove the rest of the way to BH. Arrival was sometime around 10:30 AM I guess. I don’t remember clearly. My brain was quite feeble, sick and weary at this point.
Priceless
A Burrito/Fajita Dinner for two at El Sombrero – $14.00
Purchasing an El Sombrero Blazoned Shirt for a Friend – $12.95
2,400 mile round trip shirt delivery to Bar Harbor – $340.00 in gas
Watching a Friend get arrested by Federal Agents at an “illegal” Speakeasy – Free
Showing the photographs to his mother – Priceless
June 5 – Homeward Bound
We woke to a northern Ohio rainstorm. The agenda today called for a visit to the James A. Garfield Museum, indoors mostly, so it would work out fine. Besides, the Red Wings had Stanley! How could it be a bad day?
In March, I got an email from someone asking for information about Thomas Garfield of Jamestown Township in Ottawa county, (Mich). Turns out I have lots of information about him because of the years of research I’ve done in Jamestown on Mindy’s ancestors who were among the founding families in 1847. Thomas Garfield was the brother of President James A. Garfield. The person asking the question was a first person historian preparing for an upcoming presentation in Greenville. Debbie Weinkamer portrays Mrs. Lucretia (RUDOLPH) GARFIELD, wife of the President. She worked as a volunteer at the Garfield Museum for many years and learned her stuff real well! Mindy, her mother and I went to the presentation in April. It was very good.
Debbie and Ed Haney (portrayer of James A. Garfield) told us about the museum in Mentor so we made it a point to visit. If you ever get through the area (about 30 miles east of Cleveland) check it out. Garfield was the last president born in a log cabin. He was an educator, minister, military officer, lawyer, state senator, 9-term US Representative and US Senator and is still considered one of the best suited men for the job of President in history. Garfield was the first presidential candidate to campaign directly to the voters (Front Porch campaign); it was his idea to give government jobs only to those who were well qualified instead of the usual practice of Job for Favors as was past US political habit. Mrs. Garfield built what was to become the first Presidential Library.
And, my dad is a third cousin of James A. Garfield and seventh cousin of Lucretia Rudolph. Mindy’s mom is sixth cousin of James and seventh cousin of Lucretia. Boggles the mind doesn’t it?
That was our last stop before getting home to Michigan.
June 4 – Wings Win Wednesday
The trip west through Pennsylvania was noteworthy. I can’t remember exactly why. Probably because I was getting closer and closer to Pittsburg, home of the nefarious Penguins. What would I do if I were to meet one of them?
We were headed to Akron, Ohio to visit the third and final cemetery of this particular vacation trip. Remember John and Susan (CHAPMAN) EVANS in Niagara county (earlier post)? John’s parents, Lewis and Mary EVANS came to Tallmadge Township, Summit County, Ohio probably before 1840 with John’s sister Mary and her new husband, Philip H. SMITH. One of John and Susan’s daughters also came to the area mid-1860s and another followed sometime in the 1870s.
The family plots are in Ellet Cemetery (Springfield Township) in suburban Akron. I had found the information that they were buried there on the internet along with a transcription of every headstone – row by row. I parked the car near the gravestone of someone named Hazel Bryant (not related), thinking that would be a good place to start. With transcriptions printed out and in hand, I looked for row #20. Counting off, I was soon on the opposite side of the cemetery to find out I had counted off from the west border instead of the east. Backtracking, I found myself back at the car and there was Hazel Bryant again at the end of row #20.
Having met that challenge, I soon found the EVANS and SMITH plot and all the gravestones I came for.
I did better than some other headstone hunters we saw there. They were in the wrong cemetery.
We next headed north to Mentor, Ohio. The James A. Garfield Museum is located there and we might be able to make it before it closed. Not so lucky, though. We ended up finding a Red Roof and saw the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup on a cheap motel room TV. Did I say we saw them WIN? 
June 3 – Tuesday Travelers
We left Bar Harbor at 10am. We got to our destination in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania at 9pm. Bloomsburg is an interesting historic town. We spent some time in Bloomsburg a couple years ago. Since we got there so late and had to leave early in the morning, we saw none of it this year. That’s all I have to say about that.
