queenslegs
XS650 Addict
Ya Em would describe how I felt starring up at it.
NIce, TZ !View attachment 121260 View attachment 121259 Ok, this is technically a collision repair place, and I’m not sure if the pump actually functions or not, but it looks really cool and I believe it IS a legit old gas station. Located in the New Bohemian district in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Nice digging, Pete !Well my friends, today is my country’s 151st birthday and in honour of Canada Day I went for a nice long ride on the recently resurrected Lucille. I met some buddies from the local CVMG (vintage M/C group) for breakfast in the little town of Colchester which is right down on the shore of Lake Erie on Canada’s sunny southern coast.
While toodling along with my recalcitrant red ride, I passed over two big mysterious markings on the road. Puzzled, I stopped to see why there were two big number “42s” painted on the road. It turns out that the 42nd parallel of latitude runs right across the southern end of Essex County and there is even a snazzy historical placque to mark the location (plus provide a small infomercial on the area).
View attachment 121262
View attachment 121263
I continued my ride into the old historic town of Amherstburg which is a picturesque haven of flowers, nice little shops and a fantastic ice cream store. It is also the location of Fort Malden and an old Royal Naval Dockyard which were prominent in the War of 1812. Fortunately, all of the military/security stuff between us and our neighbours is in the past (we won), and Hans Ben replaced by tariffs (which, on our side, came into force today) on cheese and ketchup (really).
After departing Amherstburg, Lucille and I burbled along the LaSalle Parkway which runs beside the Detroit River through the town of LaSalle. The town is named after French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle who was in the area in the late 1600s. In fact, LaSalle is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement west of Quebec. The French heritage is reflected in the very large number of francophone family names in Essex County and the fact that many of the streets that run back from the Detroit River also have French names such as Drouillard, Ouellette, Pilette, Pierre (which, oddly, is pronounced “peery” locally). The streets were named for the farm families who owned that particular piece of land. This 17th century urban planning format was called the seigneurrial system. The idea of the long strips of farmland running back from the river was to ensure that each family had a piece of riverfront for commerce and escape in case of attack. Interestingly, many of the cross-streets in the area have either indigenous or English names (Giles, Erie, Tuscarora) because they were laid out after the period of French rule ended. These street naming conventions are not universal, but are very clearly evident on old maps of the area - on both sides of there Canada-USA border.
A couple of miles east of LaSalle, Lucille and I turned off the LaSalle Parkway onto the Ojibway Parkway where we went past the big Nemak Aluminium casting plant where a wide range of engine blocks and cylinder heads are made for automakers such as Ford, GM, FiatChrysler and others. Nemak is based in Monterrey, Mexico but has casting plants (and employees) all over the world. Virtually all of Nemak’s products are shipped to the US where they join parts from Japan, Germany, China and of course, America, to produce cars and trucks that are shipped throughout North and South America and abroad.
A short distance east of the Nemak plant, I encountered an abandoned OLCO gas station (I knew that I had to get a gas station in here somehow) - it says “full service”, but I don’t think they mean it.
View attachment 121265
and then a few hundred meters further east, I entered historic Sandwich Towne which was named after the Earl of Sandwich (the same chap for whom the Hawaiian Islands were originally named). There, I discovered an authentic old fashioned vehicle service garage (plus, it was also a gas station - you can see the concrete pad for the old pumps). It’s called Bosch Auto, but I have my doubts about it being THAT Bosch.
View attachment 121266
A few hundred meters more and I entered the City of Windsor and passed under the famous Ambassador Bridge - the busiest border crossing in North America. Each day, more than 15,000 trucks cross that rusty old bridge carrying 24% of Canada’s trade with its largest trading partner in the world (which interestingly is the US). It is worth noting that the US has Canada as its largest trading partner in the world. Another interesting factoid is that more than 8500 Americans and Canadians drive back and forth across the Bridge each day to work in the OTHER country. Crossing the border for people who live in Windsor/Detroit is as routine as heading across town to your favourite food store. I NEVER leave home without US cash and my passport in my pocket.
When I crossed into Windsor, Sandwich St. became Riverside Dr. (imaginative name, eh?) and our ride along the Detroit River continued. Did you know that Detroit is a French word that means “the river narrows” - and sure enough, the river is narrower there. Detroit is the home of much of the leadership of world’s motor vehicle industry and so it is a fun place to be an engineer. A little further along and I encountered a nice view that is (IMO) symbolic of friendship, trade and all the good things shared by Americans and Canadians. This final photo was taken in front of the Windsor station of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) and it shows the Detroit River with Windsor riverfront park and a big Canadian flag in the foreground and the Renaissance Center headquarters of General Motors Corp. in the background.
View attachment 121273
The day is REALLY hot - well over 100 deg. F and humid, but Lucille and I had a great ride this morning and we wish you all a happy Canada Day and in a couple of days, a happy 4th of July!
Pete
Good!! Let's get that thing flushed out...Man at this rate I'm gonna have to do another oil change in a day or two.
Been by this garage before, but never noticed it till Dudes game....lol.