That moment you realize this seventy year old station wagon is cooler than anything will ever drive. No offense to my White Lightening but this Chevy Beauville is fabulous.
I saw her cruising in the wild in Frankenmuth, Michigan a couple of years ago and it was quite the treat.
You can’t talk about Cincinnati history or the city’s history museum without discussing the Crosley automobile. The Crosley Corporation produced a series of subcompact cars that are as cute as can be. They didn’t operate for a long time (1939-1952 with a break during the war years) but they certainly left their mark on the automobile industry.
They made the first mass produced automobile with an overhead camshaft engine that was affordable to the masses. They made a sports car, a truck, a convertible and station wagon like the one on display at the Ohio History center.
This 1951 Super Station Wagon is part of the permanent collection at the Cincinnati History Museum. It got an impressive 30- 50 miles per gallon at a top speed of around sixty miles per hour. According to the signage with the vehicle, the 1951 and 1952 models of this car came with this nifty little propeller on the front of the car.
Crosley Corporation and company founder Powell Crosley gave us the Shelvador refrigerator, a first to offer shelves inside the door. Powell owned the Cincinnati Reds for a while, broadcasting the games on his powerful WLW AM radio station which broadcast to homes across the Midwest on inexpensive radios he manufactured and sold to households nationwide.
The pictured vehicle was donated to the museum in honor of Jean and Houston Crosley. Houston was the grandson of Powell Crosley, Jr. Incidentally, they are buried at Spring Grove Cemetery along with many other members of the Crosley family.
Read about Spring Grove Cemetery here.
I don’t know who needs to hear this but car show season will soon be upon us. With it will come tail fins, hood ornaments and opportunities to make new friends who are excited to talk about their classic cars. Not to mention all the photo ops!
Sit tight friends. It will be here soon.
Meanwhile, here’s a beaut I photographed in Boyne City, Michigan last year. We were on our way somewhere else but you can bet I slammed on the brakes at the sight of a park full of cars.
The fact it all took place on a lake was even better. Atmosphere counts for a lot! Here’s another shot with the water.
Phew!! It has been a long week but we finally made it to Friday. Here’s another picture from Frankenmuth, Michigan to brighten your day. Tomorrow, we will move on from Frankenmuth to another destination from my journey through Michigan.
Have a fantastic and fabulous Friday!
A week ago today, I was winding down vacation and exploring Frankenmuth, Michigan. We went for Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland and for the Little Bavaria appeal of the town but were pleasantly surprised to find classic cars everywhere we looked.
That’s because the town was preparing for an enormous weekend long auto show set to start on Friday. Many car owners arrived on Thursday and spent the evening cruising the block.
Remember cruising?
That’s when carloads of (usually) teenagers went out driving along a popular route in town, often socializing with riders in other cars. If you’re not familiar, see the movie “American Graffiti.”
Most American towns have cracked down on this activity for the last several decades and you just don’t see it done much. However, Frankenmuth welcomed these drivers to cruise the block and even challenge each other at times.
The cops were miraculously absentee while we stood and watched all those beautiful old cars go by. By the way, those drivers were all ages – from teenagers to elderly – and all seemed to be having a blast.
They were expecting thousands of cars for the weekend and I hated to leave without seeing them all. I’m thinking it would be fun to go back next year and check out all the fun they have planned.
As much as I enjoy planning a trip, there’s something special about rolling into town and encountering the unexpected. This is one of the reasons we travel and one of the things that make adventuring amazing.
Today I head home after a week of gallivanting and adventuring with my cousin Sherrie. Her brother called us the modern day Thelma and Louise.
For months we had planned a trip to Savannah but got spooked by possible storm damage and flooding caused by the hurricane. So, I consulted my handy list of endless possibilities for a trip and we agreed on something fun that we were able to throw together literally overnight.
We ended up heading north instead of south and spent the week poking around Michigan in the Petoskey area. We strolled around Mackinaw Island, watched the sun set from Sleeping Bear Dunes, got our feet wet in Lake Michigan, admired barns, churches and lighthouses and swooned over classic cars cruising the main drag in Frankenmuth after shopping at the town’s world famous Christmas shop.
There was good food, thrifting, rainbows and buckets full of rain. When the weather turned sour, we redirected and did something different than we wanted and had a fabulous time anyway.
We also met some fascinating people along the way including a gas station philosopher I’ll tell you about some day.
That’s the thing about this journey called life. Sometimes it goes as planned. Sometimes, a hurricane throws you off path. Sometimes that alternate route is better than you imagined possible.
Cancel the plans and do something better. Take the detour. Accept a stranger’s recommendation. Go look for the thing that everyone else passes by, and once in a while, follow the crowd. Maybe there’s a crowd gathered for a great reason.
I ate way too many rich foods this trip and look forward to getting back into some healthier eating habits. We were awake early and out late so a better sleep routine is welcome too. I look forward to seeing that little black cat of mine as well.
Isn’t it wonderful to go out on grand adventures and yet be glad to go home? It is true. Even if you are Thelma and Louise – there’s no place like home!