From the Deck of the Colonel James M. Schoonmaker

On Memorial Day, I decided to head down to Toledo because I saw that the Alpena was heading down there.  Since I got a membership, I decided that I was going to watch her from the deck of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker.

 I was last on her deck when she was known as the Willis Boyer and was a little further down the river.  If you look in this picture, you can see the towers of the Anthony Wayne Bridge and that is where she was.  A few years ago, they decided to move her to her current spot and built a museum nearby.  This is looking back towards her engine room.  I didn't tour that this time because I was hoping to catch the Alpena on her deck.

 Looking up at her pilothouse.

 Looking from inside the pilothouse.

The decks below the pilothouse were used to entertain guests of the ship.  Typically, they were shareholders or other influential people.

 A view of the pilothouse.  She was the only ship on the lakes to have two wheels.  I think one of the wheels was added when they improved her steering and other things.  They kept the second wheel as a backup.

 Her radio direction finder.  In the days prior to GPS, they had radio stations around the lakes.  Ships could get directions to them and triangulate their position.  If I remember correctly, it was fairly accurate.

 Her radar.

 Her compass.

Looking out from the pilothouse.  I think if you look just below the suspension bridge, you can see the Alpena peeking around the corner.

The Tug Ohio and Col. James M. Schoonmaker

As I was waiting for the Toledo, I decided to get a couple pictures of the two museum vessels.

 The museum just acquired the tug Ohio from Great Lakes Towing.  They are currently giving before tours and will open her up sometime next year.  The Ohio was built in 1903 as a fireboat for the city of Milwaukee.  She was converted to a tug in 1953.  Since she is larger than many of the other Great Lakes tugs, she was used to tow ships for longer distances.  Sadly, she is getting too long in the tooth but will make a good museum piece.

And an attempt at a shot of the Schoonmaker.

Stopping at the Schoonmaker

On Sunday I decided to go down to Toledo with a friend.  As we were crossing the I-280 bridge, I saw that the Craig Bridge was open.  I figured that it was open for a ship and as I looked I saw the USS Niagara making her way down the Maumee River.  I was hoping we could catch her.  We stopped at the park near the Col. James Schoonmaker but we missed the Niagara.

 I figured that since I was there, I might as well get some pictures of the Schoonmaker.  She's a pretty nice looking boat.

 As I was wandering by her, I noticed a plaque and I started to read the plaque.  It said that it took a 25 year effort to save her from the scrapyard.  After she was retired, the city of Toledo owned her but they couldn't afford to keep her.  In order to save her, funds were raised.

 Funds were also raised to paint her and I'll have to admit that she looks pretty good.

And the sun was just about perfect for her.

A Stern Shot of the Schoonmaker

Since I was in a spot for it...

I'll decide to end this series of posts with the end of the Colonel James M. Schoonmaker.

Have a nice night.

One of Those Days

Every so often I have one of those days where I don't really catch anything.   I was watching the river traffic on AIS and I saw what I though was a couple of ships heading upbound.  Well, two of them ended up stopping in Detroit for fuel, so I didn't want to go up to Port Huron for one ship.  There were also a couple of ships heading downbound but I got too late of a start for them.

So then I thought I would head down to Deshler to catch some trains.  In the time I was there, I didn't see any trains but of course I saw a few as I headed back to I-75.  Then I thought I would catch the Saginaw as she was heading down the Maumee River.  She only went as far as the Nabisco Dock, so I didn't get pictures of her.

So as a consolation prize, here's a picture of the Col. James M. Schoonmaker.  Enjoy.

A Stop at the Col. James M. Schoonmaker

Yesterday I ended up taking a ride on the Nickel Plate 765 as it rode on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Rails as part of the Steam of the Valley program.  Since I was passing by, I decided to make a stop by the Great Lakes Museum in Toledo.

 I will have to say that she's a pretty nice looking ship, especially in the right light.

 I'll have to make a special trip so that I can take a tour of her again.  Especially since I went and got the membership.

 I loved the way that the colors of her hull was reflected in the water.

Looking up at the pilothouse.

Passing Through Ohio

On Saturday I decided to head over to Washington DC.  I saw that the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and I've been meaning to head over there for that.  So that meant going through Ohio.

 I decided to take the more scenic route through Ohio.  It meant a longer trip out here but I pretty much figured that I wouldn't be in DC until later anyway.  I wanted to give myself plenty of time though, so that gave me an opportunity to get some sunrise shots of the Schoonmaker.

 There are a few people that don't like this scheme.  I think it's fine and it looks nice in the light of the sunrise. 

 As I was taking a shot of the Schoonmaker, a helicopter decided to fly overhead.  I don't think I had quite enough light though.

 Toledo looked pretty good in the sunrise too.

 It's no Mackinac Bridge, but it will do.

 The scenic route involved me taking Ohio Route 2.  This of course meant a stop at Marblehead and I think this is the best light I've caught it in.

 The requisite shot of Cedar Point.

 A nice blue sky.  One of these days, I'm going to have to get a neutral density filter to get some moving clouds in this.

 Lake Erie looking like a lake.

 One more shot of Marblehead before moving on.

 As I was heading into town, I saw that the Manitowoc was unloading  Of course had to find a place for a picture.

 The Adam Cornelius still in layup.  I have a feeling that she is going to be here for a while.

I can probably say the same thing for the John J. Boland.

Wandering to Cleveland...Stopping in Toledo

I decided to head over to Cleveland yesterday because I heard that the Alpena would be leaving there at some point in the day.  After a couple months of just seeing ships in layup, I was happy to get the chance to get a ship doing ship things.  I was even happier to catch a ship coming out of Cleveland because that's a pretty nice boatwatching spot.

 Prior to continuing on to Cleveland, I had to make a stop in Toledo.  I kind of like the pictures that I can get from the museum there.  This is the propeller from one of the ships, but I don't remember which one.  It's kind of amazing to stand next to one of these because it gives you an idea of the scale of ships.

 And of course, I couldn't pass on the opportunity to take pictures of the Schoonmaker.  I can't wait until I get the opportunity to go on her again.

 A more full view of the ship.  You can almost see the stack in the background.  One of these days, I'm going to have to figure out a spot on the other side of the river to get a shot from there.

 I do like the lower end of my small lens but I don't like the distortions that it causes.

 Looking up at the pilothouse.

 A shot of the Craig Bridge and the I-280 Bridge.  I kind of wanted a shot of the ship in it but I'm not sure I like this one that much.

 Another angle of the Schoonmaker.

 A shot of the Toledo skyline.  I think I would have been happier without the power lines in the shot.

 A shot of one of the Schoonmaker's lifeboats.

 And her stack.

Funny thing, I never noticed this map of the Great Lakes on the grounds.  I kind of like it because it reminds me of a view I'd see from space or something.

Heading to Cleveland..First Stop Toledo

On Thursday I decided to head over to Cleveland in order to catch Eastern Michigan take on the Toledo Men's Basketball Team.  I wasn't expecting Eastern to get that far but since it happened, I headed over there.  I decided to take the more scenic route over to Cleveland because I wanted to catch a couple ships in layup and Marblehead Lighthouse.

 My first stop was the Great Lakes Museum, I was thinking about getting over to the bridge in order to catch a picture of the Algorail but I got kind of a late start.  First I had to stop at Eastern to get my ticket for the game (I'm not sure if they needed the ticket sales but I'd rather buy it through them) and then I found that my GPS had failed.  So after a quick stop at Best Buy, I was on the road.

I figured a shot of the Schoonmaker was a good thing, especially with the light I had.

 Another angle of the Schoonmaker, I can't wait for spring when she opens.  I picked up a membership at the museum, so I will be able to wander around her decks.

 An almost side shot of her pilothouse and bow.

 The lighting was close to perfect for me, so I decided to get a shot of the Toledo skyline.

 Since it was lunchtime, I decided to head over to Tony Packo's.  It has been a while since I've been to the one that is actually in Toledo.  It's in a formerly Hungarian neighborhood and parts of the menu reflect that.

 A shot of the neon sign in the front of the door.

 I of course opted for the hot dogs.  I love the chili they make. 

 I believe this is the Hungarian shield.

 Looking up at the spire's of Saint Stephen's Church.  The parish itself was established in 1898 and the first mass was said at a wooden church in September of that year.  In 1908, the church caught fire and the parish moved to a temporary church.  In 1914, the current structure was built.

 The church was established by Hungarian immigrants. 

The statue is of St. Stephen who was considered as the first King of Hungary.  He encouraged the spread of Christianity throughout Hungary.

After these pictures, my journey continued on.