(35) "Foamers"

27 June, 2017
"Foamers"

On Original Brick pavement between East Canton, Ohio and Robertsville Ohio

My neighbor, Liz, once worked at the California Railroad Museum. When she heard how much I like trains, she asked if I was a "Foamer". According to Liz, a "Foamer" is a train

Lincoln Highway

Sign showing 1915

Alighnment

enthusiast who spends much of his time chasing trains, particularly steam trains, from crossing to crossing and taking pictures. The phrase comes from the fact the train enthusiasts become so excited they practically foam at the mouth. I don't think of myself as a "Foamer" when it comes to trains, but today Linda and I
became "Foamers" in chasing old alignments and old bits of pavement of the early Lincoln Highway.







Blue Lakes, Indiana

Just before breaking camp.

 Today we awoke to a bright beautiful morning in Blue Lakes, Indiana. Then we began our routine of breaking camp. Although having the tent trailer makes things easier than camping out of the trunk of one's car, the small size of our tent trailer means that there is a place for everything and that

Morning Jigsaw  puzzle

everything must go in its place. It's like assembling a puzzle every morning before getting on the road.

Before heading into Fort Wayne we stopped for breakfast and I took some pictures of an old drive in. Then, we hit the road. and headed for Fort Wayne.





Fort Wayne

An airport, we must be in the big city.

I'm glad our trailer isn't any bigger.

Fort Wayne is a bigger city than I thought it would be. In addition, there was lots of construction. We maneuvered around the construction and found our way to the Harrison Street bridge which dates from 1915 and was part of the Lincoln Highway.

Bridge Plaque

View of downtown from Harrison Street Bridge

We took a few pictures of the bridge and of buildings in the downtown core. Then we started east. Today we saw a number of old commercial signs which added a lot of interest to our road trip.

Van Wert, Ohio



Soon we crossed into Ohio and said farewell to Indiana. Our first stop in Ohio was the city of Van Wert. Van Wert is a beautifully restored Lincoln Highway city. The postcard below mentions sleeping in the Nash the night before. Nash automobiles had seats that fully reclined to make into a bed. For this reason, a Nash was a favorite amongst travelling salesmen and travelers. It also explains why fathers of the 1950's would not let their daughters date a boy who drove a Nash!

Postcard for Tourotel near Van Wert, note on the back

mentions sleeping in the Nash the night before.

Although it was a little early, we stopped for a root beer float at the B and K drive in. Brianna and Shirley took care of us. They answered questions about the diner and told us that it had been in business for sixty-two years.

Briana and Shirley, our B&K Root Beer Hostesses

Welcome sign for Van Wert, Ohio

        

B&K Root Beer sign

in Van Wert

In downtown Van Wert we admired some of the buildings including Balyeat's diner, which is now the Bistro 133 and the Marsh Hotel. Van Wert had great signage and was very well restored. There is a lot of Lincoln Highway pride showing in this city.

Hotel Marsh in Downtown Van Wert

Courthouse in Van Wert

Signs of the past on

the Marsh Hotel

Chasing the Lincoln

Lincoln Highway, East of Van Wert

Chasing the Lincoln between East Canton and Robertsville

We spent much of the rest of the day chasing the remnants of old alignments of the Lincoln Highway. Between East Canton and Robertsville we hunted for sections of brick pavement and other loops of old alignment. We were able to do this because through much of Ohio we were able to drive quickly on new Highway 30.

Massillon Ohio

Robertsville, an all American town, is ready for the 4th of July.

Lisbon, Ohio

First gas Station in Lisbon Ohio

After Robertsville we entered the city of Lisbon, Ohio. We had dinner at the Steel Trolley Diner

The clock says it's "Time to Eat" at the Steel Trolley Diner

where Felicia waited on us and Melissa fixed us an award-winning Bourbon Bayou hamburger.

Melissa (Cook) and Felicia (waitress)

at the Steel Trolley  Diner 

It is one of the best hamburgers we have ever had. I also enjoyed the French fries with vinegar which Felicia informed me was the way French fries are served in many parts of Ohio.

Interior of the Steel Trolley Diner

The Steel Trolley Diner was built in 1954 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It stood for many years in Salem Ohio from where it was moved to Lisbon. Lisbon is the oldest city in Ohio. It was founded in 1803. We played a couple of songs on the jukebox, including "New York, New York" and "It All Depends on Linda". The latter song seems particularly appropriate for our trip, as Linda spends so much of her day checking and rechecking our course and answering my questions about how far we've traveled and how far it is to the next town. My questions are a variation on the question children ask: "Are we there yet?" Thank you Linda!

Historical Marker, Lisbon, Ohio

We quickly left Lisbon and found the campsite at Beaver Creek State Park. It is another beautiful State Park. The ground was a little uneven, but our little tent trailer is able to adjust to that and we will sleep on level beds.

Finishing tomorrow's journal entry at Beaver Creek State Park

Tomorrow we will leave here and assuming we can find our way back from this wilderness and winding back roads to The Lincoln Highway, we will head for Pennsylvania.