<– Day 41- Thurs. June 13th: Heinz History Museum | Trip Overview | Day 43 – Sat. June 15th: The Crowds Arrive; As Does a Storm –>

Not everyone was happy to see me. Henry claimed I made a comment that it was too bad someone painted his surrey brown. I couldn’t find any evidence that I said that though. His modified surrey is beautiful!! The windshield is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen. The backside was filled in and the front has been scalloped perfectly.

On Friday morning we had a quick one-hour drive to the Bantam Festival at Coopers Lake, Pennsylvania.

Friday’s drive from Canton, Ohio, to Coopers Lake, Pennsylvania.

Our first task was to set up camp. Much of that duty fell on Ann, as I needed to find out where I’d be giving Friday’s presentation. It was her idea to add the sign marking out encampment. Thankfully, the rains that had fallen all week stopped in time for the festive and we were able to find a dry patch of grass to call home.

Soon, it was time for me to give my presentation. The crowd was light everywhere on Friday and only seven people attended my presentation.

After the presentation, I met folks and handed out some free posters.

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<– Day 40 – Wed. June 12th: A Collection Worthy of a Kaiser | Trip Overview | Day 42 – Fri. June 14th: At the Bantam Festival –>

Ann thought this was a good idea. Gotta humor her sometimes.

On Thursday June 13th we drove to Pittsburgh, then on to Canton, Ohio, for the night.

On June 13th we drove from Monroeville, Pennsylvania, to Canton, Ohio.

On Thursday, our main goal was to visit the Senator John Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh. But, of course, our drive wouldn’t have been complete without a run-in with my iPhone’s SIRI. At a critical juncture, SIRI highlighted two competing exits. Unsure which one to take, we guessed wrong and had to drive an extra fifteen minutes. That SIRI is one tricky ‘helper’!

When we finally arrived we couldn’t find any parking. Fortunately, my wife is broken, so we have a handicap pass. Otherwise, we’d have driven away.

The museum specializes in Western Pennsylvania history. Gerald had recommended we visit and mentioned there was a jeep. So, I wasn’t surprised when we walked into the lobby and spotted a jeep right away on a first floor display. It turned out to be #1007 BRC-60. That means it was likely the 8th jeep ever built. It was donated to the museum in 1944 and looks in great shape.

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<– Day 39 – Tues. June 11th: Checking Out Butler | Trip Overview | Day 41- Thurs. June 13th: Heinz History Museum –>

A beautiful Kaiser Darrin. Arrived knowing little about Kaiser Frazer cars, but left far more knowledgable thanks to Dave.

On Wednesday June 12th we drove from Monroeville to Somerset and back.

On Wednesday the 12th we drove from Monroeville to Somerset, Pennsylvania.

We awoke Wednesday morning in Monroeville’s Extended Stay Motel. With access to our first kitchen since we’d hit the road, I made my lovely bride some breakfast in bed. It is always good to keep one’s wife happy while jeep hunting.

After breakfast, our big stop of the day was a visit with Dave Antram. He invited Ann and I over to check out some of the barns on his family’s 150 acre farm in Pennsylvania.

Dave said to look for this sign. That way we’d know we were at the right place.

His family’s been in the area a couple generations. Over time they’ve enjoyed building several different types of collections, including jeeps. As Dave welcomed us and we began our walk he noted there was a lot to show us. He even thought about contacting American Pickers to come visit. But, then he admitted it would be hard for him to sell anything at ‘picker’ prices.

One of the early vehicles they started collection were tractors. One unusual tractor in their collection employs an aftermarket kit from Sears and Roebuck to transform a 1920’s model A into a tractor. The parts painted red are the aftermarket pieces. The ones painted black are the Ford Model T parts.

Model T with a tractor kit from Sears and Roebuck attached.

Above the tractor collection is a model T that was purchased by the family brand new. It was in bad shape for decades until Dave’s father fulfilled a goal to restore it during the 1990s. These days they use it in parades.

Dave’s father next to the Model T he restored.

I don’t know the finer points of a stock Model T, but the quality of the restoration looked good.

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<– Day 38 – Mon. June 10th: Trains and Planes | Trip Overview | Day 40 – Wed. June 12th: A Collection Worthy of a Kaiser –>

My partner-in-crime had a migraine in the morning, so I had to photograph myself. I came, I saw, I photographed!

On Tuesday we did a short tour of Butler then drove to Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

Tuesday June 11th’s drive from Butler to Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

On Tuesday morning, we woke up at the crack of 9am and were out the door by 10. Our breakfast stop was the CHOP SHOP. If you are in Butler, I can highly recommend the place (check out the menu). My prime rib wrap was great. Ann’s Lamb wrap (very thinly sliced lamb with feta and more) was especially good, but couldn’t eat it all, so she shared half her wrap with me … yum!

After breakfast, Ann came down with a migraine, so I took her back to the motel room to rest. Meanwhile, I took care of a personal task:  locate and photograph the Bantam Factory Marker, one of those holy jeep grail items I can now tick off my list. The marker is at 662 Hansen Ave, Butler, PA and you can see the sign using Google’s street view.

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<– Day 37 – Sun. June 9th: Defecting to Canada | Trip Overview | Day 39 – Tues. June 11th: Checking Out Butler –>

So many cool things in this one-of-a-kind toy store!

After our failure to defect in Canada on Sunday, we decided to head south on Monday toward the jeep-mecca-that-is-Bantam: Butler, Pennsylvania.

On Monday June 10th we drove from Niagara Falls, New York, to Butler, Pennsylvania.

Though we’d spurned Canada, the country seemed to haunt us. I guess we were there long enough to look Canadian. For example, when we stopped by a Niagara Starbucks Monday morning, we were told by a cashier that we could go online and get Starbucks Cash (or points or something) for completing a survey. He then announced the cash (or points) were good in Canada, too. Ann and I looked at each other wondering why he thought we were Canadian. Then I realized I was wearing a “Canada” shirt.

From Buffalo, New York, we drove south through rain until we got bored of the Interstate. I spotted a town called North East, PA. Thinking that was an odd name, especially since it was in northwestern Pennsylvania, we decided to explore it. It was a strange town. For example, they grow plants over their parking meters.

After lunch at Lacasa De Pizza in downtown North East, we tried to visit their nearby railroad museum, but no one was home. There weren’t any hours posted on the door either. They did have lots of trains and a train station as well.

I never did learn why the town was called ‘North East’

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<– Day 36 – Sat. June 8th: Escape to the Movies | Trip Overview | Day 38 – Mon. June 10th: Trains and Planes –>

On Sunday we drove from Buffalo to Niagara Falls.

We are standing on the Rainbow Bridge. The trek to our new country wore on us, but we continued marching!

On Tuesday June 09 we drove from Buffalo to Niagara Falls,

For our entire stay in Buffalo, the weather has been wet in varying degrees. So, on Sunday June 9th we decided to defect to Canada.

As if Ulysses-like Sirens were wooing us, the closer we got to Canada, the better the weather became. We took it as a sure sign we were doing the right thing. Once Ann and I located a parking spot (free even!) on the American side of the border, we abandoned our car and our American lives to embark on a future as Canadians.

It turns out it’s easy to leave the US on foot. We just passed through a simple turnstile and we were home free! Like a couple of refugees, we packed light, carrying only the bare essentials (cameras and cash) on our forced march across Rainbow Bridge (we couldn’t bring the jeep across — it was too new and the bank that holds the loan wouldn’t give us permission).

Look at that great view!

Behind us is a Canadian playground awaiting our arrival. We left behind the sunny the rainy skies of Buffalo for the beautiful blue of Canada.

By the time we were halfway across the bridge, the sun was shining bright. The mist from the falls saluted our decision, welcoming us in a very friendly manner into the Canadian fold.

“OH CANADA” we bellowed as we approached the passport office. Behind the desk at the office was a pretty blond who greeted us (Canada was looking pretty good by that point!) — No wonder Canadian Dave loves his country so much!

The Canadian’s appear to be very neat and tidy. I wonder if all their lawns look like this?

After sizing up Canada’s two newest citizens, the immigration official let us in. We couldn’t wait to breathe the Canadian air, eat the best of Canadian food, and see the world through their eyes.

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<– Day 35 – Fri. June 7th: An Old Building and New Cars  | Trip Overview | Day 37 – Sun. June 9th: Defecting to Canada –>

No pics for today …

On Saturday Ann and I were asked to be special hosts at the Farny Wurlitzer house as part of a local house-tour event (multiple houses in multiple locations) to raise money for a local organization. Joining us at the Wurlitzer house was our new friend Jeff, who we’d gotten to know over the past couple of days (he was visiting North Tonawanda from Chicago).

A long story short, after about a half hour of greeting a few people, the three of us realized that nobody cared who we were or why we were there. Visitors just wanted to look at the house. Unfortunately for Jeff, he had no access to transportation, so was stuck there. It didn’t take use long to decide that we were totally wasting our time, so we all agreed it was time to bail this event (none of us had made specific promises as to how long we would be there — frankly, the event was poorly organized).

After a quick discussion, we decided to get some lunch and go watch a movie, as Jeff’s return flight didn’t take off until late Saturday night.

Our lunch stop was a highly rated Polish plate called K Sisters: Authenic Pierogi. It was delicious!

After lunch, we found a nearby theatre showing Star Trek Into Darkness. Jeff, a very busy guy, seemed to greatly appreciate the break. He said it had been quite a while since he’d seen a movie in a theatre. We equally enjoyed the time to decompress.

After the movie, we dropped Jeff off at his hotel. We hit it off so well that he offered to show us around his Wurlitzer restoration facility in Chicago on our way back home. We readily accepted the offer.

Tomorrow, we hit the road once again, bound to cross the border and interact with our Canadian brethren.

 <– Day 35 – Fri. June 7th: An Old Building and New Cars  | Trip Overview | Day 37 – Sun. June 9th: Defecting to Canada –>

<– Day 34 – Thurs. June 6th: Carousels and Awards | Trip Overview | Day 36 – Sat. June 8th: Escape to the Movies –>

Forrest Gump was right: Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get. When I began this trip I never expected to be on the front page of a town’s newspaper. As I mentioned yesterday, I feel fortunate it was a slow news day! I did note there were a few quotes attributed to me worded in a way that I’d never do, but that’s the good/bad of being interviewed.

On Friday morning Ann and I were scheduled to visit the Wurlitzer Building in North Tonawanda and enjoy a brief tour by the president of the company that owns and operates it. The building is huge (I can’t remember the exact size), but at one point it employed over 3000 people. You can read a fuller history of the Wurlitzer Company in North Tonawanda from 1892 to 1942 here.

While many square feet have been turned into office space that’s leased to companies, thousands of square feet remain empty, awaiting a reason to transform back into something leasable.

Below are a few photos:

This is only part 1/5 (?) of the Wurlitzer building in North Tonawanda, NY. It’s the entrance.

Here is organ restoration specialist Jeff Weiler and I in front of the entrance. Ann and I plan to meet up with Jeff and see his restoration shop in Chicago during our trip back home.

This is President of The Wurlitzer Building Tom Austen, who showed us around a portion of the building.

This is one wing of the 3rd floor that is empty (except for some file storage).

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<– Day 32 & 33 – Tues. June 4th & Wed. June 5th: Rudeness at the Parkside Diner!  | Trip Overview | Day 35 – Fri. June 7th: An Old Building and New Cars –>

My presentation of the Wurlitzer Plaque to the North Tonawanda History Museum Trustees.

I’d like to share with you all the wonderful things I did on my birthday — of parties, food, and lavish gifts — but the present I truly longed for was sleep. So, that’s pretty much all we did. We slept. A lot.

By Thursday June 6th we were ready for a busy day. Our first stop was at my great uncle Farny Wurlitzer’s former house in North Tonawanda, New York. It was a beautiful place that was recently purchased by new owners. I won’t bore you with the pictures, but it was fun for us.

After the house visit, as official representatives of the Rudolph Wurlitzer family (I’m his great great grandson), Ann and I were invited on guided tour of the Herschel Carousel Museum in North Tonawanda.

The front of the Herschel Museum (on a very wet day).

Doug, Jeff and I are examining a Wurlitzer Carousel Organ that plays while the carousel rotates.

Who doesn’t feel like a kid riding a carousel??

Of course, we even found a jeep-like ride at the museum!

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<– Day 31 – Mon. June 3rd: Through Russia With Love | Trip Overview | Day 34 – Thurs. June 6th: Carousels and Awards –>

No, the sign isn’t referencing the Beatles; it’s explaining an earlier invasion by Brits playing musical muskets.

On Tuesday June 4th: we drove from Pulaski, New York, to Buffalo, New York.

On Tuesday June 4th we drove from Pulaski, New York, to Buffalo, New York.

Last night I got a “really good deal” on a motel room in Pulaski, New York. Strangely, no one else showed up at the motel. We had the entire place to ourselves. To make it odder, the supposed two-star place was only of one-star quality. The whole place had an odd vibe. We had no desire to stay any longer than need-be, so we departed early in the morning.

Our first stop today was the beach at Oswego, NY, near Fort Ontario. There, we looked out onto the fourth Great Lake of our trip: Lake Ontario. The warm temperatures of the past few days turned to a bone chilling 67 degrees …  Brrr. We almost had to put on jackets!

Henry taking a well deserved rest at Lake Ontario.

From there we drove to the State University of New York at Oswego. We met with a reference librarian in the hope she could find more information on Dorothy Rogers, the author of Jeopardy and a Jeep and Highways Across the Horizons. The librarian provided some reference material that led to additional biographical information, but it didn’t prove useful.

After our library trip, our next stop was in Seabreeze, NY, where we found a diner near a park called, not surprisingly, the Parkside Diner. Our food was very good.

Somehow we didn’t get a picture of this place. So, here’s one from Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kewing/7778492628/in/set-72157624608428385

The strange part about our experience was that as we waited for the check, Ann and I started to hear some strange sounds from the booth in back of us. It sounded like a little kids TV show that seemed, intellectually, one step above Teletubbies. The sounds were loud enough that the grating voice would have disturbed us if we were still eating.

Fortunately, moments later our bill arrived. We dropped the money on the table. I stood and turned to see what was making the racket. I discovered a couple behind us had placed a phone on a table so they could watch a television show. They seemed completely unaware (or uncaring) that the obnoxious show might disturb anyone else. Ann exited the restaurant asking, “Really? Who does that? Who plays a TV loud enough to disturb other people in a restaurant??”

Just before we left, I took a picture of the offending couple. If you see these two ‘kids’, beware that they have no awareness for others around them. The red colored phone is propped up against the white container of sugar.

We arrived in Northeast Buffalo soon after our lunch. We napped, then I worked. Wednesday June 5th is my birthday, so there won’t be any updates and we have no plans, other than to rest and find some good food. We’ll be here through Saturday.

Wednesday June 5th: Day off 🙂

On Thursday, we have a variety of plans in North Tonawanda, New York.

<– Day 31 – Mon. June 3rd: Through Russia With Love | Trip Overview | Day 34 – Thurs. June 6th: Carousels and Awards –>