bmwrd0
Well-known member
OK, technical issues have been mostly solved at this point, so, here goes:
BMWRD0's trip recap
On an early morning I sipped out of the house, procured coffee and headed north. Driving through Oregon, Washington and staying in Idaho, I steadily made my way across this great land of ours. Why, you might ask? Well, I like driving, I like road trips, and my health is not what it used to be and I am afraid I might not have too many more trips like this in me. But, I was heading out with a great purpose, which, surprisingly, was not tools, books and furniture (although I was keeping an eye out). But I moved slowly across the great plains, through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan's Upper Peninsula. And it was the last part were my leisurely pace took a turn.
Coming through that beautiful country, still snowy and cold, I planned to take the Mackinac Bridge across the east end of Lake Superior. But, when I got there the bridge was shut down due to falling ice, chunks big enough to wreck cars! After waiting a few hours to see if this delay would clear, no time was given for opening the road. So, I back tracked, headed down the eastern side of Wisconsin, and loosing a day. Not the biggest issue, as I had set aside extra time before my first appointment; a meeting with Sargent Lugnutz, or as he put it, a meeting between past hosts. And while there were extra adventures in the vicinity of Lugz' favorite swaps (or so he told me) such as my bargain hotel, a price point that had served me so well in the past mind you, got me a room in a hotel that was favored by "ladies of the night" so to speak. And after seeing the rather large men who escorted them around, not to mention the furtive looks of the men who perused their services, I needed to find another hotel rather quick! But that bit of adventure paled in comparison to meeting Lugz, doing some rather freezing picking with him at a partially deserted flea marked (seriously, it was like 27* and windy) so we went to breakfast, and Lugz followed it with a nice little tour around his hometown. So, once again, thank you!
After which, I spent a week in NY city, Brooklyn and Long Island. Which was the point of the trip.
And as I left the area, like a dog to its vomit, I went straight back to that flea market! I tried to hit up Quakertown, but I got there just too late, as the last vendors were packing up. Oh, well, I can see why LesserSon goes there all the time. Sadly, I did not get to meet him, as my schedule was too much in flux. But after that I wondered down the length of Pennsylvania, into West Virginia, were I did find a roadside antique dealer, and into Kentucky. There used to be good swaps in both Lexington and Louisville, but both are getting back on their feet after the last few years events, and I didn't find any goodies.
At this point, I was starting to get anxious to see my wife and sleep in my own bed, so I picked up the pace. Instead of going only on backroads, I split my time between the interstate and local routes, but when I crossed Missouri, I made a point to stop at Garage Journal favorite Harry Epstein's. And I wholeheartedly give the recommendation for every tool collector, old and new, to make this journey. Four floors of tools, and while most of them are listed on the website, there are literally tons of older tools that are not. I found buckets of WWII Snap-on sockets in the basement, spied vintage Williams boxes on top of cabinets, spotted shelf after shelf of old wooden planes, and the best part was they let me roam around unsupervised, only taking the time to show me how the old elevator worked and were the light switches were. Great people, but very busy.
After that, Kansas, Colorado (where Surplus Tools and Supplies was closed for the day, dangit), Wyoming with 70+ mph winds, back to Idaho and home to Oregon, my wonderful home, and beautiful wife.
BMWRD0's trip recap
On an early morning I sipped out of the house, procured coffee and headed north. Driving through Oregon, Washington and staying in Idaho, I steadily made my way across this great land of ours. Why, you might ask? Well, I like driving, I like road trips, and my health is not what it used to be and I am afraid I might not have too many more trips like this in me. But, I was heading out with a great purpose, which, surprisingly, was not tools, books and furniture (although I was keeping an eye out). But I moved slowly across the great plains, through Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan's Upper Peninsula. And it was the last part were my leisurely pace took a turn.
Coming through that beautiful country, still snowy and cold, I planned to take the Mackinac Bridge across the east end of Lake Superior. But, when I got there the bridge was shut down due to falling ice, chunks big enough to wreck cars! After waiting a few hours to see if this delay would clear, no time was given for opening the road. So, I back tracked, headed down the eastern side of Wisconsin, and loosing a day. Not the biggest issue, as I had set aside extra time before my first appointment; a meeting with Sargent Lugnutz, or as he put it, a meeting between past hosts. And while there were extra adventures in the vicinity of Lugz' favorite swaps (or so he told me) such as my bargain hotel, a price point that had served me so well in the past mind you, got me a room in a hotel that was favored by "ladies of the night" so to speak. And after seeing the rather large men who escorted them around, not to mention the furtive looks of the men who perused their services, I needed to find another hotel rather quick! But that bit of adventure paled in comparison to meeting Lugz, doing some rather freezing picking with him at a partially deserted flea marked (seriously, it was like 27* and windy) so we went to breakfast, and Lugz followed it with a nice little tour around his hometown. So, once again, thank you!
After which, I spent a week in NY city, Brooklyn and Long Island. Which was the point of the trip.
And as I left the area, like a dog to its vomit, I went straight back to that flea market! I tried to hit up Quakertown, but I got there just too late, as the last vendors were packing up. Oh, well, I can see why LesserSon goes there all the time. Sadly, I did not get to meet him, as my schedule was too much in flux. But after that I wondered down the length of Pennsylvania, into West Virginia, were I did find a roadside antique dealer, and into Kentucky. There used to be good swaps in both Lexington and Louisville, but both are getting back on their feet after the last few years events, and I didn't find any goodies.
At this point, I was starting to get anxious to see my wife and sleep in my own bed, so I picked up the pace. Instead of going only on backroads, I split my time between the interstate and local routes, but when I crossed Missouri, I made a point to stop at Garage Journal favorite Harry Epstein's. And I wholeheartedly give the recommendation for every tool collector, old and new, to make this journey. Four floors of tools, and while most of them are listed on the website, there are literally tons of older tools that are not. I found buckets of WWII Snap-on sockets in the basement, spied vintage Williams boxes on top of cabinets, spotted shelf after shelf of old wooden planes, and the best part was they let me roam around unsupervised, only taking the time to show me how the old elevator worked and were the light switches were. Great people, but very busy.
After that, Kansas, Colorado (where Surplus Tools and Supplies was closed for the day, dangit), Wyoming with 70+ mph winds, back to Idaho and home to Oregon, my wonderful home, and beautiful wife.
. More to follow as I get them cleaned up and posted in the respective threads
