Another
balmy Autumn day – we’ve been very fortunate to have such good weather – I was
speaking to a fellow at a McDonald’s fast food joint today and he told me that
some areas of the mid west (ie Wyoming/Montana) had already experienced the first snow falls !
Anyway, we
departed Youngstown
at around 9.00am and headed across country to wards the Stutzman Wheel Shop in
Baltic OH. We wouldn’t have made it
without the GPS – or at least we would have had much more trouble getting
there. The old way of stopping at a
garage or shop and asking directions, is no longer necessary if you’ve got the
technology and when seeking a place like Stutzman’s – out beyond the black
stump – the GPS is essential.
Drove on a
gravel road today, which surely must be the only one in America. We were in the heart of the Amish country and
had just motored past a few Amish schools spaced not that far from each other,
but I guess when you consider their mode of transport is limited to a horse, it
makes sense.
Back to the point – the
gravel didn’t extend far and soon transitioned into a very narrow bitumen road
but it was there !
We passed a
few Amish carriages with the family in them plodding along in the same single
lane as the cars, which I would think is quite hazardous. Particularly at
might, though these conveyances are required to have a reflective triangle on
the rear in the daytime and I think, a red light at night.
Nonetheless, I’ll bet there are some
spectacular accidents on occasion as there are numerous blind corners, steepish
crests and careless drivers.
Saw several
Amish houses near to the road with mountains of washing on the line, presumably
hand washed.
Arrived at
Stutzmans just after midday...
...and was a little concerned about the time of day,
but people seemed to be working and we were greeted by the old man,
Melvin. He gave me my finished spokes
which were very well made and at my request showed me over the production
line. He was a little hard to talk to,
maybe he was deaf, but he was happy to explain all that I asked about.
He showed me
several jobs they are working on ATM, including a couple of very large wheels
for a fellow in Arizona
and some wooden rims made out of a single piece of
timber, often oak – which is steam bent into a circle.
Tremendous pressure is required to do this and
it can only be done with the smaller pieces.
The larger rims (he had one there measuring about 3” square) need to be
fabricated in two pieces.
Here's a wagon hub that needs a little more work...
and these are some of the pattern spokes that he uses to copy more...
Lots of road kill on the roads we drove today, mainly smaller stuff like squirrels and skunks, but also some deer, which would make a mess of a car - though I've yet to see anything like a roo bar.
One other thing that puzzled us, was the numerous big black stars on private dwellings, and a quick search on Google revealed these American tin barn stars are generally a patriotic sign. We've seen these stars much more frequently in Ohio - so I guess they're more patriotic ?
Drove across the Ohio/Kentucky border and overnighted at Grayson in Kentucky, which gives us about 180 miles to do tomorrow into Elizabethtown. We'll meet some old US Army friends from Fort Benning there and stay for a couple of days.
