Roller Coasters, Gavels and Trains

As indicated yesterday we gave up looking for Leap-The-Dips roller coaster, but as commonly said Today is a New Day. I went seeking for it again today. We went back to the spot and there I saw a white wooden structure poking up thru the skyline. Ah ha...found it. Drive into the parking lot and have a picture perfect view of the roller coaster. Hmmm why does the name on it say Skyliner. MeAsWe pulls up the Leap-The_Dips picture and this one doesn't look like the one in the picture. The picture has a canopy like top and this one...oh oh over to the left, there it is hidden behind the Tilt O'Whirl some Tobbogin ride and Ferris Wheel. Well at least we are in the right spot. Grabbed a pic, however this one is not going to be good enough for Waymarking. Even the 200mm lens is not going to make the stuff in the way disappear.





With that done we head for the next destination, but I see on the GPS a waymark on the way and said we might as well pick this up while we are here. It is Roadside America hit and I have in my head about a Viet Nam Memorial site. We drive to the spot, see nothing, make a turn to head back around the block to see if I can find it this time. We even stop to ask a kid and his father where it was, but they looked perplexed and I figure how dumb, they live here and don't even know about it. Shhh !! I check the GPS and what I was looking for was the Oldest Gas Station in the Country and not a memorial.

I wish to take this opportunity to say I am sorry to the son and father, who I dissed above. My bad. We needed gas so why not fill up at the oldest gas station. Reighard's has been in continuous operation since 1909 and now part of the Martin Oil Company.



The location was originally established as a blacksmith shop. In the late 1800's it was run by Mr. George Hinkle, who probably included kerosene, then sold as lamp oil, in his offerings. In 1909, Mr. Hinkle, seeing the appearance of horseless carriages, began selling gasoline at the location.

The whole reason for stopping in Altoona, other than it was late, was to visit Horse Shoe Curve. A National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, it is simply a big curve so that trains could make it up over the mountains in this section of Pennsylvania. The place was not open until 12, fenced off and I could not or did not feel like breaking in so I could traverse the huge stairway to see the rails. Another time.



In Lilly, PA, a town of 968, has a small memorial near the train tracks that commemorates the day in 1924 that the people of Lilly kicked out the Klan.

We have visited the Johnstown Flood National Memorial during our National Park Tour days, but today we are headed for the Cambria Iron Company, a Landmark. Founded in 1852, the works were established to supply iron rails for the railroad networks. By 1878 it was the largest iron works in the country.





Due to the flood in 1889, the town devastated and people had no escape route, The Johnstown Inclined Plane was built in 1891. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is billed as the "world's steepest vehicular inclined plane", as it is capable of carrying automobiles, in addition to passengers, up or down a slope with a grade of 70.9 percent. (Wikipedia)



Headed due south for 2 related sites. This will be the 3rd time we have been to the Flight 93 Memorial and if you get a chance one should visit to remember those folks that died here. There is a huge visitor center under construction that is suppose to open on September 11th. We will come back to see if the fence with the hats, buttons, ribbons has been set up that made quite an impact on the both of us. The new memorial is nice, but nothing like the old simple post and fence.



In Shanksville we found a local memorial for Flight 93 called the Seedpod Memorial. From Roadside America.

Lost in the media glare surrounding the nearby Flight 93 National Memorial is this oddity, unveiled only eight months after the crash in front of Shanksville-Stoneycreek School. It's a 7.5-foot-tall cluster of metal seedpods-on-stalks that have human hands bulging out of them -- a pleasing blend of Alien and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Making our way further west, we stopped in Monongahela to visit Edward at his home. This was where Ed invented carborundum used as an abrasive.



Across the street, where we parked, was the Red Boot Antiques. Neat name, sign and stuff on the porch.

We skipped the Meadowcroft Rockshelter since I was not in the mood for hiking and picked up the Campbell Mansion just over the border of West Virginia. I love driving in WV, but it can be a bit exhausting. There are no straight roads in this state. Alexander Campbell was the founder of Bethany College and one of the early leaders in the Restoration Movement. This was a Christian movement to form a single Christian church for all Christians. When it comes to religion I find these kind of momvements kind of scary, thinking ISIS right now.





On the way to the next stop we passed this small back woods home.



Bethany College was founded in 1840 by Campbell above and is the oldest higher educational school in WV. Old Main, pictured, is a National Historic Landmark.



We quickly passed out of WV into Ohio stopping at the S Bridge on National Road (Old US 40). This waa built in 1828 and was still in use sometime in the last 5 years. The S came from building the roads parallel to the stream banks, building the bridge at right angles to the river, thus having to curve the road to the bridge crossing.







Since it was getting late in the afternoon, have 160 miles to go before we get to where we are going, I skipped the Hopalong Cassidy Museum and Newark Earthworks. I am sure they are not going any place and we can pick them up on another road trip.

In Whitehall, which just east of Columbus, OH we stopped at this Lustron house. These were prefabricated enameled steel houses developed in the post-World War II era in response to the shortage of houses for returning GIs. The low-maintenance, extremely durable, baked-on porcelain enamel finish was expected to attract modern families who might not have the time or interest in repairing and painting conventional wood and plaster houses. There were about 2,400 homes built and as you can see the low maintenance objective was achieved.





As a sidebar, we passed thru a neighbor hood where there were a ton of kids, ranging for 5 to young teens out playing, riding bikes, running around, skipping rope and just having a great time. It was a jump back to the 50's, and I have not seen something like this in a long time. Perfect setting for the Lustron Home.

Making our way into Columbus a brief stop at Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker House. Eddie, who at various times in his life was a flying ace, Medal of Honor recipient, race car driver and a pioneer in air transportation. A National Historic Landmark.



Caught this person coming home from work. She looks tired.

In Columbus grabbed the Ohio Theater and Ohio Statehouse, both Landmarks. Drove down to the water and grabbed the world's largest gavel.







With some 50 miles to go, losing light, we made headway to Yellow Springs for a night in jail. When searching for a hotel last night in the Dayton area I came across the Jailhouse Suite, advertised as a jail used up until the 1929. I couldn't resist.