Packard Museum

After we had completed our required eight sites to get our teddy bears, we opted for some non-aviation related things to do. 

America's Packard Museum had been recommended by a neighboring camper. Located in an original Packard dealership building built in 1917, the building features Packards from 1903 to 1956. We spent an hour wandering through the Packards. We didn't get a photo, but I liked the reversible seat cushions - leather on one side and fabric on the other. Could use that option on some of these extreme temperature days.

Packard Dealer - now a museum

1951 Club Sedan - still being actively raced

1934 Super Eight Sport Phaeton - 16 year old daughter didn't like the color or the way it drove

Where Are We Going Next? 

Carillon Historic Park

One of the sites on the Aviation Trail is the Carillon Historical Park. In addition to Dayton history, such as the 1913 flood, it highlights some of the innovations that originated in the Dayton, OH, area - beyond Orville and Wilbur's notable contributions.  To be sure the park includes the Wright Brothers National Museum where the 1905 Wright Flyer III is housed. Orville himself helped determine how to the display the flyer though he died before the park was opened.

Wright Flyer III

Ever heard of Delco (Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co)? You can thank them each time you start your car. Delco invented the electrical start for automobiles. No more crank starting!

NCR (National Cash Register) has its headquarters in Dayton. We enjoyed the cash register display room. They were so ornate and just beautiful. 

Reproduction of the Ritty Dial - first practical cash register 1879

Remember McCall's patterns? Well, McCall Publishing was in Dayton.

Of course steam played a role in all of the manufacturing, particularly at NCR.

Corliss Steam

The Rubicon - a steam tank

And let's not forget Huffy bicycles. 

Check out the built-in radio

We climbed the Brethen Tower with the Callahan Building Clock for a view of Dayton.

120 Steps

Clock Tower View

The carillon bell tower within the park's boundary is perhaps one of the better known sites of Dayton.

There was a lot to see in the park. We did take a mid-day break with lunch at the on-site brewery, which was also part of the exhibits. We plan to visit again when the Carillon Park Rail and Steam Society is operating. 

Where Are We Going Next?

National Museum of the Air Force

While staying at the Family Campground on Wright Patterson Air Force Base I spent three days poking around the National Museum of the Air Force.

The museum is in four buildings and has approximately 1 million square feet of exhibit space to display their collection of over 360 air and spacecraft!!!!!

Early Years Gallery 

A B52 indoors!!! Wingspan 185 feet.

Apollo 15 Command Module

Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Car

North American F-86H Sabre showing the guts of a fighter plane.

ITS A KITE!!! Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Sandpiper

There are nine Presidential aircraft including Columbine III.  Way back in ______ while in Bridgewater, Virginia we toured Columbine II which is owned by Dynamic Aviation and is the only presidential aircraft ever sold to a private party!!!!!!!

Columbine III

As a recap Columbine II is a Lockheed VC-121A-LO Constellation and was the first aircraft that used the Air Force One callsign and the   

Columbine II was the first plane to bear the call sign Air Force One. This designation for the U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the incumbent president was established after an incident in 1953, when Eastern Air Lines 8610, a commercial flight, crossed paths with Air Force 8610, which was carrying President Eisenhower.

Where Are We Going Next?

Dayton Aviation Trail

I wanted the teddy bear. The Aviation Trail around Dayton, OH, offers a "Wilbear Wright" aviator teddy bear if you visit eight of the seventeen sites in the area. Never mind that I live in an RV and have no need whatsoever for a stuffed animal that takes up precious space. I wanted that bear. He was too adorable. Plus, we had a month at Wright-Patterson AFB Famcamp. We had plenty of time to visit the various sites.

One of the must-see sites is the National Museum of the Air Force. We took two days to visit the four hangars and the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Harold may elaborate more in a separate post since my version would be simple - we saw lots and lots of planes and a kite. 

The kite at the Air Force Museum

We stopped at Huffman Prairie Flying Field and the Wright Brothers Memorial, which only counted as one stop toward the bear. 

Watch out for the cows!

We spent the better portion of a day at the Carillon Historical Park. We'll probably do a separate entry for that. Despite the original 1905 Wright Flyer III being onsite, I found myself in awe of the cash register display. Wait 'til we show you the photos!

One rainy day we drove north to the Waco Air Museum. They offer biplane rides. Oh, and that's Waco, rhymes with taco, not Jayco.

Want to ride?

With Harold's Dad's history with Apollo, we couldn't miss the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. 

Armstrong's Apollo suit

We finished our aviation tour at the Aviation Trail Visitor Center and the Paul Laurence Dunbar House in the historic downtown Dayton area. I confess I was fascinated by all the wallpapers in the Dunbar House. The visitor center complex included the Wright Cycle Company and the Parachute Museum. At the Parachute Museum we learned of the Caterpillar Club. We pray we never have the opportunity to join!

Dunbar's "office" while recuperating

Such an ornate wheel stand

Good enough for me

The earned bears

We're not entirely sure what we'll do with our bears. We have a couple of ideas though!

Where Are We Going Next?

Check Engine!

When you live in your RV full-time, the fear that something will happen to your home is never far from your mind. At least, it isn't in mine. So the day the dashboard started dinging with an ominous check engine light - emissions, my heart jumped to my throat. The Internet abounds with stories of DEF sensor issues and subsequent engine derates. Compound the issue with unavailable parts or shipping delays, and we're talking months here, not days. 

The stuff of nightmares

We were less than an hour to our destination, traveling along the crowded Cincinnati beltway when the ominous dash message appeared. However, we didn't dare risk ignoring the dash message. Taking a deep breath, I looked up to see a blue sign indicating a rest area only two miles ahead. Yes! Thank you Lord!

We pulled into the rest area and started making phone calls. Harold quickly reached Cummins Sales and Service of West Chester, OH. Not only did they answer the phone, they said to stop by and that they'd diagnose the codes. We plugged in the address to discover that they were only fifteen minutes away. Thank you Lord! Not only were they close, they were a true Cummins shop as opposed to a Cummins authorized facility. Yes!

It was an agonizingly long fifteen minutes where we prayed the engine wouldn't derate. A derated engine means that you'd be crawling along the interstate at a whopping 5 mph because the engine's computers protect the engine by limiting output and speed. 

After checking in at the service counter at Cummins, the customer care advisor checked the codes and contacted the shop foreman for a plan of action. Knowing that we were full-timers who were physically there at the facility, the foreman said to pull the coach into a just-emptied bay. Immediately after their lunch, the technicians started their testing. Yes! Thank you Lord!

We sat in the customer lounge, thankful for the prompt attention. The testing procedures took a little longer than expected, but they kept us apprized the whole time. Ultimately the testing did not show any system or part failures. They then cleared the codes, chalking it up to an abnormality. Yeah, no parts needed for now.

It was around 8:30 at night when they finished (Cummins was open until midnight). We opted to drive to our campground since it was only about an hour away. 

The day's events reminded us why we like to keep our travel days to four hours or less and why we like to travel on weekdays as opposed to weekends. We were so thankful that God provided for us. I did not need to fear or worry. The stuff of nightmares was a reminder that God is indeed Jehovah Jireh! 

Where Are We Going Next?

Heading North in February

We had an appointment in early March for warranty work at Spartan RV Chassis. So while most people were still hanging around the southern part of the US, we were heading north. Our first stop was Colleton State Park where we learned about the SC snowbird program. A select few SC state parks have a monthly rate during the winter months. We're tucking that information away for future use. 

Then we made it to Lake Powhatan Campground in Asheville, NC. While we were happy to have full hookups in a national forest campground, often the roads to said campgrounds keep you on your toes. This one was no exception with an S turn, no shoulders, and a few low hanging branches. What's fun on a motorcycle is not so fun in a motorhome.

Smokey!

We had dinner at a great little Italian restaurant in Asheville with friends George and Gina. They live just under an hour away and agreed to meet us for dinner. We had met George and Gina at the Newmar Kountry Klub Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Rally this past October. We so enjoyed their company and getting to know them better.  

George & Gina and us

Then it was off to an overnight at Renfro Valley KOA in Kentucky before arriving at Wright-Patterson AFB Famcamp.  We had booked a month at Wright-Patterson. Open, full hookup campgrounds are a bit challenging to find in early spring. Most don't open until sometime in April. So, once we found one and looking at our future travel plans, we opted to stay put for a bit.

Break!

Where Are We Going Next?

Mostly Rural Tennessee

Editors' Note: We published this one out of sequence for those following our travels. Oops!

After leaving Frankfort, KY, we caught up with our friends, Bill and Bitsy, who live near Nashville, Tennessee. We stayed at Cedars of Lebanon State Park, not too far from their home. The park is pretty with a couple of on-site caves. Both caves require permits. I found it interesting to see the rushing water coming from Jackson Cave one day and absolutely no water the next day.

Jackson Cave Entrance

Jackson Cave the next day

On the trails

We managed a trip into Nashville for lunch at Arnold's Country Kitchen, a Triple D restaurant. We followed lunch with a brief stop at the GooGoo Cluster, America's first combination candy bar. You can make your own concoction if you want. The noise from the downtown bars and the traffic convinced us that we didn't need to spend anymore time downtown. 

On another outing, we visited the Sam Davis Home. Once more, as I did at the Dunbar House in Dayton, OH, I found myself pondering the wallpaper.

Sam Davis House 

Bill & Bitsy and us

Leaving Cedars of Lebanon, we moved over to  Salt Lick Creek Campground. It's a COE campground, part of the Cordell Hull Dam area. Though we had full hookups at our campsite, we sorely missed cell reception. 

Overlook - and cell reception

We met up with Bill and Bitsy again a few days later in Granville. Tennessee's self-proclaimed Mayberry. The Sutton General Store, where they have live music every Saturday night, was the starting point for a mostly self-guided tour through the town's historic points of interest, museums and gift shops. We were quite curious about the Granville Whiskey Decanter Museum. A couple, who live in a dry county and have never drunk whiskey, collected over 1800 Jim Beam whiskey decanters. Go figure. You'll have to excuse the glare on the photos. All of the decanters were behind glass.

Sutton General Store - upper level

Bowling pin decanters

Space shuttle decanter

Chainsaw decanter

Mt St. Helens decanter

Where Are We Going Next?