After a five-week hiatus, we’re on the road again for our longest duration trip yet in RoVer Too – 10 days! During our break, we decided to have some work done to the trailer – a suspension upgrade that helps reduce the “bounce” when we’re driving. We had been planning to have it done in September, but the dealer had time to work on it and this way, we can enjoy the benefits for our last couple trips of 2023. It all went smoothly until we went to pick it up after they finished the work, and realized they had lost our keys. What?!?!? I was dumbfounded. They take people’s RVs in all the time, including their keys, so they can do repairs and maintenance, but somehow they don’t have a good system for tracking those keys? They insisted it was the first time it’s ever happened. Great, we’re honored to be the first. The shop manager ultimately handled it well, replacing our door locks and reimbursing us for a replacement lock for the battery box and a new key for the hitch lock, but he was horrible about communicating…Mark had to keep calling to get updates. We’ll likely go back to them if we need other work done, thanks to them being really convenient and seemingly competent for the actual work…but we may not trust them with any keys (technically, for a trailer, if it’s exterior work, they shouldn’t need keys…was more of a ‘just in case’ scenario).

Anyway, we did notice a slight improvement from the upgrade, although it was difficult to tell on some of the concrete roads in Indiana and Michigan…SO bumpy! We figure it’ll be more evident on a windy day and on smoother roads. Mark also purchased and installed a rear-view camera on the back of the trailer. We now have a screen in the truck with a great 180-degree view of what’s happening behind the trailer, making it much easier to tell if we are clear to change lanes. It’s a huge help with driving and definitely a good investment!

So we headed East this trip, through Indiana and into Michigan…first destination: Indian Creek Campground in Tecumseh, Michigan – it’s in the southeast part of the state (or the “mitten”), about an hour from Detroit. We were a little surprised by how close together the sites are…we’re used to that at KOA campgrounds, but it’s less typical at private campgrounds, and not something that came up in the reviews I read. It’s working out fine, but definitely not our preference.

Tuesday was all about Henry Ford. We drove into Dearborn (just outside of Detroit) to The Henry Ford. The complex includes a “Museum of American Innovation”, “Greenfield Village”, and The Ford Rouge Factory Tour. We’re not over-achievers, so we opted for just two of these and skipped Greenfield Village. Honestly, there’s no way you can do all three in one day – you need at least two or three days to see & do everything. The Museum is a fascinating collection of artifacts from all aspects of American life. Of course, there are many automobiles, but they are not all Fords. There are planes and trains, too. And farm equipment. And furniture. And a few oddball things like a McDonalds sign and a 1952 Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.

There are a few incredible artifacts that have massive historical significance and are here in Dearborn and not at the Smithsonian as one might expect….

• JFK’s limousine…the actual one he was riding in when he was assassinated in Dallas.
• The chair that Abraham Lincoln was sitting in at Ford’s Theatre when he was assassinated.
• The actual bus that Rosa Parks rode on when she refused to give up her seat.

The entire museum was so impressive – very well done and full of interesting items that tell the American story. Mark was a little annoyed by how many items from his lifetime are now memorialized in a museum…I guess it made him feel kinda old or something.

One of my favorite areas of the museum was a small gallery that housed over 7,000 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments produced between 1973 and 2009. My jaw dropped when I walked in! Gobsmacked might be a good word for it! I found several that hang on our Christmas tree, too. Definitely a wonderful example of Americana and fun to see so many of them all in one place.

There was a temporary exhibit about Julia Child that was very interesting, telling her life story and how she started the ‘cooking show’ trend that continues today.

After several hours at the museum, we departed for the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. They bus you to the plant about 15 minutes away, and the tour includes the actual facility where Ford F-150 trucks are assembled. It was all very appropriate, given that Mark drives a Ford F-150 that was indeed assembled in Dearborn at the Rouge Factory. I wish we could have taken pictures inside the factory, but completely understand why we couldn’t. It was fascinating to see the trucks at all stages…from when it’s just the shell of the crew cab (before the bed is attached…definitely odd-looking!) to when it’s going through final inspection and testing. The factory produces 1200 trucks each day…pretty astonishing to think about annual production. If they work 365 days a year, that’s 438,000 trucks. Wow! Side note, the factory’s name comes from the French…when they arrived in the area and saw the nearby river, it had a reddish tint, so they called it the Rouge River (rouge is French for red)…and the factory took the same name.

After the factory tour, we finished up a few more exhibits at the museum; a quick stop for dinner in Ypsilanti (I had to work that in somewhere since it’s such an odd city name! Turns out it’s from a Greek war hero.) and back to the campground. Another one of those days where we were entertained and we learned a lot…so it was a good day!

Wednesday started out at Hitsville USA…also known as the home of Motown! We toured their museum and the original house where it all started…Berry Gordy’s apartment and Studio A. Our tour group included people from France and the Netherlands, which speaks to how much the music of the Motor City (Motor Town…Motown) has had a worldwide impact. The tour ended with our tour guide leading our group of about 20 people doing the Temptations “sway” and singing “My Girl”. Fun! It was cool to think about the artists who got their start in that house…Diana Ross. Marvin Gaye. Gladys Knight. Stevie Wonder. The museum is starting a large expansion project that will expand beyond two houses – should be pretty impressive when it’s done!

After a lunch break, we visited the Fisher Building, known as “Detroit’s largest art object”. It’s a 26-story art deco tower, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. It was built for the Fisher Body Corporation which became the supplier of all closed-body frames to auto companies like Cadillac, Buick, and Oldsmobile. Absolutely gorgeous inside with marble, mosaics, and massive arches.

From there, it was time for more Ford…this time at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant…birthplace of the Model T. It was in this building that Henry Ford and his team developed the Model T, so the building is recognized as one of the most significant automotive heritage sites in the world. The first 12,000 Model Ts were assembled here…they could produce 100 per day (compare that to the 1200 F-150s at the Rouge Factory each day). Interestingly, after Ford vacated the facility in 1911, Studebaker moved in and used it for auto production for 22 years. It was another fascinating tour, and the sheer volume of early Ford vehicles they have there is amazing. Did you know that Ford also made models B, C, F, K, N, R, and S? All were also manufactured in this facility at one time. Vehicles with the other letters were developed but never produced. The Model T is most well-known because it’s considered the first mass-affordable automobile, making cars available to middle-class Americans….Henry Ford’s top priority! 15 million of them were sold between 1908 and 1927. If you like cars, this is definitely worth a visit, and interesting to contrast with the Rouge Factory.

Not sure what this photo says about Michiganders, but we were amused by how many indicators there are for which way to turn…

Still lots more to come in Michigan…stay tuned!