6 Sep - At Camp Perry, Port Clinton OH

6 Sep

We departed Willow Lake Campground at 9:25 this morning and arrived at 11:45 after a bit of a mis-step due to our GPS.  It tried to take us in a gate here that had closed after 9/11.  It ended up being a dead-end and no place for us to turn around.  So, I ended up backing the RV up about 1/4 mile and that was no fun whatsoever!!  But, we finally arrived and got parked.

Their policy on "no dogs allowed" has changed but they had not yet changed their sign.

Once we arrived we decided to extend our stay by a day to give us the opportunity to see more of the local sights.  

Plenty off room, nice paved spots with plenty of grass.  Old Glory and the Air Force Flag flying high and proud.

No competitions or training going on right now so we basically own the place.  40 camp spots and only 4 occupied.

Camp Perry is a National Guard training facility, but in addition it also hosts the largest outdoor rifle range in the world. In addition to the Army National Guard training, it also hosts an Ohio Air National Guard "Red Horse" Squadron.

The original land for Camp Perry was purchased in 1906, and it was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, an American naval commander who won the Battle of Put-in-Bay during the War of 1812.  It has been the site of national marksmanship matches before WWI and served as a training center for Army officers and marksmanship instructors.

During WWII, Camp Perry served as a POW camp for German and Italian prisoners. Since then it has developed into the host site for the Civilian Marksmanship Program and the NRA-sponsored  National Rifle Matches since 1907.  The National Matches, considered America's "World Series of the Shooting Sports", attracts shooting sports competitors from all across the world.

Shooters Memorial Plaza

All's quiet on the range!

The beach and pier at Camp Perry.  Sea gulls chillin on the beach this evening,.

It is strange to see a facility like this so empty!  It reminds me of our stay at Camp Atterbury, south of Indianapolis. 

Tomorrow we will  see some lighthouses and maybe take a ferry ride to Put-in-Bay.

5 Sep - A Couple More Lighthouses and Packing it up at Willow Lake Campground

5 Sep
This morning Ernie headed back to the Columbus area and we headed up the coast to visit a couple more lighthouses.  The first one we saw was the Ashtabula Lighthouse.  This one in inaccessible as it is located on a breakwater, but you can see it here in the distance.

 

The next one we visited was the Conneaut Lighthouse.  This one is also inaccessible, located on a breakwater

So back to the campground to pack up and prepare to depart in the morning.  Tomorrow we travel to Camp Perry, an Army National Guard campground near Port Clinton OH.  It should be a short day as the drive is only about 3 hours.

4 Sep - Cleveland Indians Game with Ernie Reid

4 Sep
While Doreen was working around the RV this morning I headed for the local car wash and grocery store.  The truck needed a bath and we needed a few grocery items since we will have a guest with us tonight.  Ernie Reid served with me on active duty at Loring Air Force Base and is driving up from near Columbus OH to attend a Cleveland Indians game.

Ernie arrived around 1:30 hrs and about 2:00 we headed for Cleveland.  On the way Doreen caught a glimpse of one of the lighthouses we attempted to see yesterday, the Vermilion Lighthouse.  Unfortunately the picture was taken while on the move and is very blurry.

We arrived and parked in one of the local lots, and after a short walk we arrived at Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians.  This is our 8th  Major League ballpark to visit this summer.

The Indians are of particular interest to me as my father played minor league baseball for the Cleveland Indians Class "D" farm team prior to World War II breaking out.  From what I understand, Class "D" is similar to the current day "AAA" team, just under the Majors.  Pearl Harbor was bombed, he and his brother joined the Marine Corps, and except for pitching a few games for the Marine Corps, that was the end of his baseball career.  He started playing in Urbana Iowa and was an all star high school left-handed pitcher, hence the nickname "Lefty".

He played on several Midwest teams including the Cedar Rapids Raiders, the Superior (WI) Blues, and finally the Appleton (WI) Papermakers, the Indians farm team.  Who knows what would have happened if his baseball career had not been derailed by World War II!!  Well, Ernie surprised me with a really nice Indians jersey with "Lefty" on the back!  I wore it with pride!

We processed the line to get into Progressive Field and while waiting I sneeked over and took a couple pictures of a memorial for one of the Indian's greats and Iowa native Bob Feller.

We were also treated with the aerobatics of the Navy's Blue Angels performing overhead.  I was not quick enough on the draw to snap a picture of the diamond formation that came right over the field.

Well, we had a great time at the "ol' ball game".  Fantastic weather and great seats.

Feller's number retired.

Progressive Field is very nice, modern and  clean.

Cheers, Lefty.  Having a cold one for you!

Our Colors flying high!

Nearly a full house.

We had to bug out in the seventh inning as our dog clock was running out.  The Indians would go on to beat the Marlins.  We got back to the campground and lit a campfire.  Ernie stayed with us as it is about three hours to the Columbus area from here.  So we reviewed many of our Loring photos, enjoyed a cold beer around the campfire and called it a night fairly early.

3 Sep - Cleveland, Fairport OH Lighthouses

3 Sep
We decided to head to Cleveland this morning and take in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum first and then return via the coast and see a couple lighthouses.  Well, the whole Cleveland thing did not go as planned!  Someone decided to have an airshow today and the traffic was gridlock trying to get in there.  The Cleveland National Airshow is 3,4,5 September and it promises to draw quite a crowd!  http://www.clevelandairshow.com/  Unfortunately the same streets are used to access the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We made a couple attempts and then decided to pull the plug on that for today and head back towards the lighthouses.

Two of the lighthouses between Cleveland and our campground are located in Fairport OH.  The first one we visited was the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Lighthouse.  It is located on a rock breakwater that helps to control the waves on Fairport harbor.  It was originally built in 1911 and like many of the other lighthouses was overcome by technology, sold several times and most recently sold to a lady in Virginia in 2011.  She planned to create "the ultimate summer home".  She planned to incorporate a self-contained and environmentally friendly water and waste water system with a solar or wind power system with a backup generator.  There is no direct access to it, so we parked in a nearby park and hiked along the beach to the breakwater where we took a few pictures and then I climbed part way out on the breakwater rocks to get a closer shot.

A view from the beach

Beautiful lighthouse, picture taken from the breakwater rocks

Boat traffic, from the beach

Taken from the Fairport Lighthouse.  The breakwater is visible.

After that we drove into town and found the Fairport Lighthouse and Museum.  The lighthouse is showing it's age, but the museum is really nice and full of marine artifacts.  Doreen got her lighthouse passport stamped, we toured the museum and then climbed the 60 steps to the top of the lighthouse.

A painting of the lighhouse and the keepers residence

The lighthouse today.  The wear and tear of it's exterior is showing

The keepers house

Erosion on the exterior

The oil house

Inside the museum.  Ship's engine room instrument panel

Old Navy Mark V dive helmet and weighted boots

Salt from the nearby Morton salt mine.  Here salt is mined 2000 ft below lake Erie.  It is used for street application and died blue so that it shows where it has been applied.

The Morton Salt Mine, picture from atop the lighthouse.

The bridge from the USS Frontenac is part of the museum.  

A view from inside the bridge

Ship's compass

USS Frontenac communications device

The museum also contained some items from the Edmund Fitzgerald

Some of the sailors on the Fitzgerald were from this area.

The Fresnel lens from the lighthouse

This view shows the torch inside

Atop the lighthouse

Doreen taking a picture of the other lighthouse from up here.

Her knee held out for another climb

A lifesaving boat on display.  Many lighthouses also has a Coast Guard life saving station nearby

 

Selfie with the breakwater and lighthouse in the background

Even thought the day did not start so great we made the best of it.  We can reattack the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday.  Tomorrow we attend a Cleveland Indians baseball game!