Day .5 Travel to Cleveland

May 6, 2023

Where I travel in the most smelly and rickety UHaul ever

I messaged my wife that I have never driven a worse vehicle in my life than todays U-Haul. Rickety, hot, loud, and OMG it smelled like someone died in the back cargo area. I hope that smell doesn’t linger on my bike. But adventure over and I made it to Cleveland and rode about 2 miles in Cincinnati to the vehicle pickup and 2 miles from the drop off to the hotel. Tomorrow I start my official trip. So far it’s felt like driving and more driving interspersed with a small bike ride and city walking.

“With the record selection and the mirror’s reflection I’m (riding) with myself”. Apologies to Billy Idol

Once I got to the hotel I stashed the bike and walked downtown to the one place I wanted to visit - the William Mather lake freighter. In the late 70’s I heard Gordon Lightfoots’ rendition of “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” on a 45 and this was my chance to step aboard a lake freighter and see exactly what it looked like on the inside where “the cook said,’fellas it’s too rough to feed ya”

How to prove I live this life? Just ask my wife

“The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee…

The ship was the pride of the American side coming back from some mill in Wisconsin

With a load of iron ore 26 thousand tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty

When supper time came the old cook came on deck saying “Fellas it’s too rough to feed ya”

At 7 pm a main hatchway caved in he said “fellas it’s been good to know ya!”

By no means am I making light of the tragedy that was the Edmund Fitzgerald. I was merely trying to show the areas of a lake freighter ship relating to lyrics in the song. I cannot imagine the terror and fear those sailors felt as they faced the storm, and then just experienced a catastrophic event that took the ship down. Very, very sobering. I have a 28’ cabin cruiser and I can’t imagine being in the seas they were in. “Does anyone know where the love of God goes?” indeed. Even now, almost 40-some years later, it’s still very sad. Being on the freighter today I cannot imagine how something THAT massive just broke up and ceased to exist in a matter of minutes (or seconds).

Right next store I had to stroll to the hall of fame of rock and roll

Closed for a private event but I wasn’t afraid to sneak in to get this shot of the Cleveland arcade

Not a Banksy that I can tell but the alley displayed urban art so well

Oh, the people you meet walking through the crowd on 4th street

Today's ride: 4 miles (6 km)
Total: 18 miles (29 km)

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