Back On The Road Again
August 27, 2009
We are back on the road again. We left the Rochester area last Tuesday and have gotten into West Virginia. Erma and I both have the feeling that there is no place in this state that is not either going up hill or down hill. So far we have not seen a single place that was flat except for some of the parking lots and not all those are flat. Do not misunderstand and think that all the hills are steep. It really is rather pleasant. Yesterday, just because of the route we took staying on Interstates and the shape of states we were in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and then back into West Virginia. We have nicked the corner of some states and been in three different ones in a single day before. I think one time we crossed the corner of one for about ten miles. But I think this is the first time we have been in one state twice in one day without making a U-turn.
We often ask the people at the camp where we stay what we should see while in the area. There was a lady in Mercer, PA that said, "I don't think there is anything around here to see. People just come here to be in the country." In our next camp in West Virginia the lady said, "You have to go see the Blenko Glass Factory." We decided we would go and it was a right decision. The observation area we could see was a small part of the factory of course but they were making items for sale in the gift shop and some for commercial orders. In another part of the shop they make sheet glass for stained glass windows and architectural glass. It is amazing to see the workers take a molten glob of glass and submerge it bucket of water. They also will stuff a ball of glass into a wet wooden mold and turn it to shape it into the shape of the mold. The glass they make is very beautiful. William J. Blenko, the founder of the company tried three times to establish a company before he came to Milton, WV. At one time there were over 500 glass plants in West Virginia. Today there are only a few more than a dozen still operating. There are two glass manufacturers in Milton.
A WORKER BLOWING A BALL OF GLASS TO BE FORMED IN A MOLD
We did not know where we were going to try to camp until we were close to Milton and made the decision of how far I wanted to drive so we did not do any research into what was worth seeing in the area. As we approached the Blenko plant I saw that we were on "Covered Bridge Road". About a mile from the plant was Pumpkin Festival Grounds which had an 1876 covered bridge. The bridge originally was called the Mud River Bridge or the Milton Covered Bridge. The bridge is 208 foot long and 14 foot wide. It was moved to its current location in 1997 and then totally restored in 2001. Because there was not a river or stream for the bridge to cross a pond was redesigned for it to cross. The pond was also rehabilitated as a safe habitat for fish, with an island in the middle as a sanctuary for birds. It is one of the prettiest locations that we have seen for a covered bridge and it is all artificial.
MILTON COVERED BRIDGE ON THE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL GROUNDS
I received an e-mail that the children of a friend of ours was having a special surprise party for him. We were asked to come if we were close enough to make the trip. We got the invite just barely in time to be able to make the necessary schedule. I guess that I would have to say this is why we decided to live the full time RVing lifestyle, to be able to do things at the spur of the moment. So suddenly we are rerouting to go through Illinois on our way to the Smoky Mountains. We were able to add a stop into the trip and see one of Erma's aunts in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a short visit but we put as much activity into the time as we could.
In the years past we have been in Cincinnati, Ohio and across the river in Newport, Kentucky for the Tall Stacks Festival two times. During those times there were thousands of extra people that came in to see the river boats. It was difficult to see anything unless it was on the river. And even then there was a whole bunch of people sharing the area trying to see exactly what we were trying to see. It was great to be seeing the river boats going up and down the river in spite of the crowds. However it turns out that I missed taking a close look at the World Peace Bell up close. To be honest it would have been hard to get a close and clear look at it during those times. The World Peace Bell is the largest free swinging bell in the world. Most bells of its size are fixed and there is a striker that causes the bell to ring. This bell swings for special occasions and every day five minutes before noon to ring. It is rung at that time so that it does not interfere with the bell in the nearby courthouse which rings exactly at noon. It also has a striker so that it can be rung without being swung. The bell is 12 ft tall and 12 ft wide. It weighs 66,000 pound and was cast at a ship propeller foundry at Nantes, France under the supervision of the Verdin Bell Company of Cincinnati. The clapper alone weighs 6,878 pounds. It was cast from 80% copper and 20% tin. The striker was locally cast from a special iron which will not damage the bell. The bell was dedicated on December 31, 1999, and rang for the first time at midnight January 1, 2000 when it rang 12 times and was heard 25 miles away. We did not get to see the bell being rung and it was too late in the day to visit the museum so I guess that we have a reason to go back another time. It is worth visiting any time to see the steam boats that have their home port there.
THE WORLD PEACE BELL AND MUSEUM IN NEWPORT, KENTUCKY
We are now in Nashville seeing things that I did not even know existed. From here we will go on to see some of the sights in the Great Smoky Mountains. This last ten days has been very active for us and I think we will take it a little bit slower for a few days and try to catch up on a few of the things that we have let go. We seem to be busy all the time and this week has been more filled with activities than normal. It is time for a bit of relaxation for a change.
Till Later This Is Doug Of
Peace On The Road
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