Bicycle Museum of America

After visiting the Miami-Erie Canal system we made the very short walk around the corner to the bicycle museum. With over 150 bicycles on display and 800 in their collection, the Bicycle Museum of America located in New Bremen, Ohio is a must see if your into bikes. And even if you're not you will walk away with the history and knowledge of the first and newest bicycles ever made.

The museum is located in a 3 story building and cost us $2 each (senior rate of course lol). Allow at least 1-2 hours to see all the exhibits. There is a fully stocked gift shop at the end of the self guided tour just in case you want to purchase a keepsake.

One of the very first exhibits is the Laufmachine or Draisine built in 1816 by Karl Drais a German land surveyor and landowner. He built this machine in response to an environment catastrophe. In April 1815 Mt Tambora in Indonesia erupted spewing enough ash into the atmosphere to cause a dramatic dip in the global temperature. A drop in temperature and limited sunlight created the largest famine in the 19th century. With limited resources and starving livestock Drais was forced to find another means of transportation. The Draisine was publicly ridden for the first time in 1817 a distance of 8.6 miles in one hour. For propulsion Drais sat atop the saddle and used his feet to push along the road to gain speed. 

Having fun at the bicycle museum is what it is all about. Here I'm sitting on top of an 1875 Ariel. The Highwheeler began in the 1870's with James Starley making a light weight, hollow steel frame, and rubber tire bicycle. The large front wheel acted as a gear ratio. The larger front wheel meant more ground was covered with each rotation of the pedals. The pedals were still attached directly to the wheel which provided a much smoother ride than its predecessor. Sudden stops often resulted in a head-first dismount. The Highwheeler was also called the Pennyfarthing or the Ordinary.

It was fun but very very hard on the butt

The Shawmut racing safety bicycle (1913) below is in it's original condition and has never been uncrated. This is how most bikes were shipped during the early 20th century.

In the 1940 Benjamin Bowden designed a futuristic looking lightweight aluminum bicycle he called "the Classic". It initially created substantial public interest however British bicycle manufacturers were reluctant to invest due to the high degree of retooling needed to produce it.

In an attempt to make the bicycle a year mode of transportation in 1901 a kit was designed to convert the front wheel to a sled runner. The rear wheel was drilled to accommodate large studs. Today there are bikes with larger studded tires that allow riding on ice and snow. 

The military first introduced bicycles in their infantry in the late 19th century. The expensive breeding of horses for the cavalry became burdensome. The bicycles offered an inexpensive, yet silent movement on the battlefield. 

The Maxim Machine Gun Tandem Tricycle was developed by Hiram Maxim in 1901. Due to their heavy weight moving the guns were not an easy task. The tricycle was developed with two Maxim machine guns and tripods for stability when firing. This was impressive but impractical due to the shear weight of both guns...374 lbs. This made it extremely difficult to move uphill or across rouged terrain. Consequently, the bicycle was rarely used. 

With many, many bikes on display I couldn't blog on them all but one particular bicycle did catch my eye. The banana seat high-rise handle bar bike was first developed by Schwinn of Chicago Illinois in the 1960s. Yes, I had one as a kid, I love it, and rode it until it fell apart.

We spent about 1-1/2 hours looking at bicycles and could have spent another hour or so. We had to call it only because we had a tour of the Airsteam factory to get to just down the road.

New Breman, Ohio

During my research of the area I found New Bremen, Ohio to be teaming with local history and interesting museums. The first stop is the Miami-Erie Canal. In 1795 Native Americans were removed from Ohio by the Treaty of Greenville. This allowed Europeans who sought an opportunity to flee the political unrest to make a new start. Ohio became a state in 1803. The town of New Bremen was founded in 1832 by German immigrants.   

In 1825 the Ohio Legislature approved the construction of an Ohio Canal system. It took more than 20 years(1825-1845) to complete the Miami-Erie Canal. The workers consisted of Irish, German, and French and made 30 cents a day, food, whiskey, and shelter.

The Miami-Erie Canal had 105 locks to raise and lower canal boats a distance of 250 miles. The canal was dug by hand with pick and shovels with the occasional team of horses used to pull wagons. The average canal boat was 78 feet long, 14 feet wide and cost $2,100.

The peak year of the canal, 1851 would see over 400 boats moving freight and passengers. With the increase use of the railroad the commercial use of the canal diminished. The Great flood of 1913 which destroyed portions of the canal was the final blow.

The original Lock One North was completed in 1845. The present concrete structure was rebuilt in 2006. It's appearance is like the original wooden lock.

The Miami-Erie Canal connected the Ohio River to Lake Erie. This allowed towns like New Bremen to prosper. Local farm boys would use their family mules to pull cargo boats along the towpath for several miles then switching off to another farm boy. These young boys were called "hoggees".

The Lockkeeper's House was the residence of the lockkeeper and his family. He would be on duty 7 days a week 24 hours a day and was responsible for operating the lock as needed.

Constructed in 1864 this bridge is the oldest cast iron bowstring girder in the state of Ohio. In 1984 the bridge was brought to New Bremen to span the Miami Erie Canal.

                               The local park beside the historic Miami Erie Canal had some fun sculptures for all ages.

Indian Lake State Park

Located in west-central Ohio, Indian Lake State Park was the first stop on our journey south. This 800 acre park offers a variety of activities from camping to fishing and many more. The campsites have power with some having full service. The 5,100 acre man-made lake offers a variety of water related sporting activities.

The region around Indian Lake was a cluster of natural lakes on the Great Miami River. As the glaciers left Ohio back in the ice age chucks of ice broke free, melted and formed water-filled depressions called kettle lakes resulting in shallow marshy natural lakes.

Because of it's close proximity to the Miami River, Indian Lake became part of the trade route from the Ohio River to Lake Erie.

After a long drive and an hour plus wait on the Bluewater Bridge in Sarnia the two day stopover is welcomed. My intent is to explore the New Bremen area with a tour of the Airstream Factory.

Off we go

Well, yesterday was the day of departure from our summer home at N.E.T Campground in Vineland Ontario. This time of year there are only 4 people left in the park. The owner has graciously allowed us snowbirds to stay longer even though the water has been turned off. Our friends Bill & Cheryl will be leaving today.

People always get freaked out when they get close to the US border. I've heard the horror stories. However, our experiences with crossing have been nothing short of wonderful. We decided to leave earlier to avoid the long line ups and it worked. Waiting in line, one away from talking to the US border guy, Lulu decides to have a seizure. Shes had them before but not in the back seat waiting to cross the border. It didn't last long and by the time we got to talk to the guard all is well. Shes fine but I'm sure people watching us must of thought strange things. Five questions from the US guard along with a "have fun" and we were off into the sunset, or so to speak.

Even though the rig is bigger than the last one it pulls just as well. Precious (my truck) does just fine going up and down those hills. On the flats you can't tell the rig is even attached.

We have been down this same route many times, the only difference this time was the amount of police on the roads. One occasion worth mentioning was the police pulled over a van which had just flew by us earlier. The driver was out of the van on the roadside trying to walk. He was sooooo intoxicated he almost fell into oncoming traffic. Very scary.

After a few rest stops we got to our first destination Cross Creek Campground just north of Columbus, Ohio. I've blogged on this campground before so I won't bore you again. Setting up is always fun because you never know what few out of the cupboards during the trip. This time was no different. I opened the rig door and all I could smell was vinegar. Yes, the fridge doors flew open and a jar of pickles had spewed all over the kitchen floor along with half the freezer. Luckily, no damage was done. Finally, the new rig is christened!

So if that wasn't enough I plugged my surge protector into the shoreline and it made a terrible popping noise. The park maintenance man checked the lines and they were fine but my surge protector was fried. When we get to Nashville there's a Camping World beside the campground, I will get a new one there.

Tomorrow is another travel day so stay tuned for more adventurous tails.

RV Parks Scoop - Cross Creek Camping Resort (Delaware, Ohio)

Our plans to try and connect with friends at Lexington Horse Park just didn’t come together. For one there was a large event (The Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event) going on in the park consequently, the campground was full. Also, it was between campgrounds in which we were going to stop for the night. Therefore it would have meant we had one very short days drive and one very, very long days drive.  As we left Renfro Valley we thought maybe we will surprise them and just show up. Well, it was our surprise when we got 2 miles from the exit and traffic was backed up waiting to get into the horse park to see the day’s events. Sorry Nancy and Betsy maybe next time. We honked as we went by. Did you hear us!!!!

We have made Cross Creek Campground one of our planned stops for many years. The first year we stopped we met our good friends Don and Sandy here and the rest is history. The campground is about 6 miles off I-71 in Delaware which is just north of Columbus, Ohio.

The entrance road to the campground is paved with rumble strips so slow going is the name of the game. All interior roads and sites are gravel with grass between them. Most sites have 30/50 amp service with water and sewer. When we connected to the power source there was no 50 amp service. So having a 75 foot power cord comes in handy, I just connected to another site. I called to let them know, someone was there to fix it in no time. There’s no cable TV at this park but we were able to get at least 20 over-the-air stations maybe more. Wi-fi is available for free throughout the park but we could not get on. The park staff is very friendly as are the permanents. We have found this consistently with each visit that's why we keep coming back.

The whole days drive and even setting up was done in the pouring rain. Yes, I am still in my shorts and t-shirts and loving this cool weather (48 degrees). Tonight it’s suppose to go down into the 30’s. Halleluiah!