The Thin Blue Ride - Part 3 Day 23 - Weedsport, NY to Ashtabula, OH

Tuesday, October 1st, 2019

Drive Report: 254 Miles / 3:55

Hello, and welcome to today’s edition of The Thin Blue Ride - coming to you directly from Ashtabula, Ohio and nearby Lake Erie.  We are, officially, back in the Midwest.  And for the first time I can say that it feels good to be on the way home.  Susan and I have already begun making plans for things that will be happening in the not to distant future, and those plans involve things that will happen in MHK.  I’m ready - we’re ready.  But of course, we have to get there first - and the getting is sometimes as enjoyable as the getting away.  Today being an excellent example.  Most of what you’re about to see was OTR (Over The Road - some Teamster lingo there) action, but there’s still some unusual stuff to see...

In the middle of nowhere, New York we ran across this...piece of art...I guess?  It's an eagle landing on a branch.  I bet wingtip to wingtip this thing was 20 feet.  It was impressive.

Shortly thereafter we were passed by this rig.  He was hauling an entire load of antique tractors.  We ran into him again later and I got to talk to the driver.

OK - these vegetables have gone too far.  The carrot stick driving this thing passed us and loitered there.  "Love your veggies" - BAH!  And who eats a whole tomato with a fork - nobody, that's who.  Listen, if there's gonna be something red on the end of my fork, it'll be a rare piece of prime rib - with maybe a little bit of horseradish on it.  That's how I eat my vegetables - with prime rib.  Susan says this company only hires vegan Teamsters to drive their rigs.

Luck has been with us for the entire trip when it comes to traffic.  When the good state of New York decided to repair the opposite lanes of I-90 this is what happened.  The traffic was backed up for almost 5 miles.  we sailed right on by.

We were driving beside Lake Erie for a good while today, and finally got a glimpse.  I was driving The Rig at the time and Susan was in the passenger seat crankin off shots like a machine gunner on D-Day.  From our vantage point I think she did well, even tho it's not the best view of the lake.  I felt like when I glanced over I could see the curve of the horizon on the water - it was weird.

OK - prepare for "Old Tractor 101".  When we pulled in at the Pennsylvania Welcome Center to eat lunch and trade drivers, I saw the rig that had passed us earlier carrying all those old tractors.  Naturally I grabbed my phone and went over to chat up the driver and get some pics.  The conversation with the driver was quite interesting.  When he rolled the window down he said, "Do you speak French?"  Given that I was standing two footed on US soil I thought this an odd inquiry.  So I retaliated, " No. Do you speak English?"  (Given my cop background I thought maybe he had mistaken me for Inspector Clouseau.)  Driver, "No."  It was then that I noticed his rig bore door markings (In English, BTW) from Quebec, Canada - where French is all the rage.  After some gesticulating and grunting on both our parts (old world languages always involve grunting, it seems), it was clear that I was welcome to take some pics.  So I did just that...

This would be a Ford 851 Diesel tractor  - built between 1957 and 1961.  It's a direct descendant of the Ford 8n - which the reader may see later... 

This is a Cockshutt model 30, produced in Brantford, Ontario, Canada commencing in 1946.  Cockshutts were also sold in the US as "Co-Op" brand tractors.  This one isn't quite as sharp as some of the others, but is still a rare find.  I don't know what Cockshutt means in French...

This would be the venerable Ford 8n  - built between 1947 and 1952.  At its youngest, this baby is 67 years old.  I should look that good at 67...

This is a Massey Harris model 23 "Mustang".  I find that an interesting name for a tractor.  Does it look sporty?  Did Lee Iacocca design it?  Do ya buy it to go out and race the other tractors of the day?  It replaced the model 22, which I've heard was a fastback.  

And the final tractor on the load, a McCormick Farmall 350.  With a production run from only 1956-1958, there can't be many of these out there.

This was sitting beside the Interstate in a cemetery.  Seeing as how it's an old jet fighter, I surmise that it may have been a military cemetery, but am uncertain.  To me it looks like an old Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, but I may be mistaken.  Regardless, it was kinda cool.

We finally made it to Ohio.  I was distressed to know that I had lost it, but relieved to know that the good folks in Ohio knew where it was.  Now I just have to solicit Ohio to give it back.

And we hadn't ventured far into Ohio when we made it to our stop for the night.  That's right boys and girls, Wally World once again.  The reader should note that the blue in the Walmart sign is identical to that of The Rig.  Rumor has it that Walmart will soon change its name to "Therig" in deference to our many nights sleeping on their vast expanse of "free for the night" pavement.

We went inside for a couple of minor things and Susan observed, "They feel the same everywhere."  There is something both comforting and disquieting about this truism.  

We're up and at 'em again early tomorrow.  However, it will be a short travel day as we need time to do laundry.  So, we're gonna call it at about 145 miles tomorrow and stay at a KOA (they always have laundry facilities) in Butler, OH.

Till next time.