Above is the trip map tracked using my Trimble Outdoors Navigator iPhone app.
Click the link above for a bigger map.
We started out the day by heading into Mt. Clemens for breakfast at Louie’s Ham & Corned Beef with Thomas and Becky Repp, owners of American Road Magazine.
After a very filling meal, we said our goodbyes and Pat and I headed into Detroit to start our westward trek on US 12, the Heritage Trail. I’m not a big fan of unfamiliar urban environments, because the area’s quality and safety can shift from one street to the next, so with our route plan firmly in place, we followed it precisely and didn’t make any stops until were were out of Detroit.
My Roadside America app alerted us to the presence of a statue paying homage to “Dearborn’s Jaunty Racist Mayor.” Interesting.
Always on the alert for old signs, my eye caught sight of this one in nearby Inkster:
We also saw this one in Wayne, but unfortunately, the diner is closed:
The Chick Inn Drive-in is in Ypsilanti:
We then made a stop at the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum. Pat had always wanted to go there, explaining that it has become known as the unofficial Corvair museum, due to the connection of Yspilanti to the Corvair, and also to Hudson, Tucker, Kaiser Frazer, and also Apex Motors and Hydramatic transmissions. These are the companies with a direct connection to Ypsilanti, though the museum’s collection also contains items relating to other manufacturers. It’s very a interesting place for general automotive history, and for the specific manufacturers I mentioned. They have several models of each car they feature and plenty of other memorabilia and documentation as well. I am posting a few photos below highlighting the collection, but for all the photos from the museum, please see the slideshow, below or click it to go to my Flickr page where you can see all of the photos from the museum (and this trip).
The Fabulous Hudson Hornet
Allen’s Root Beer Drive-in is in Coldwater:
Thomas Repp gave us a tip that we would be passing by an abandoned dinosaur/prehistoric theme park, so we were on the lookout!
This funky 70’s 7-Up-sponsored sign for the Knights of Columbus was in Bronson:
Unfortunately, lodging in the area of Michigan we stayed was sparse (or a bit past our budget), so we stayed in Elkhart, Indiana.
Pat & Jennifer
Today’s Photographs
Below is a slideshow of all of today’s photos.
Click any photo to stop the slideshow and view the photos on my Flickr site.
[flickrslideshow acct_name=”roadtripmemories” id=”72157634732633826″ width=”600″]
