Crossing the Border and 2nd Night on the Road

From Ridgetown, I was about 1 hour from the border.  I crossed at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor.  Thankfully there wasn't much traffic, I only had to wait for about 3 vehicles to clear the booth reserved for RV's ahead of me.  The gentleman in the booth asked the usual questions and although I declared that I was carrying some meat, fruit and vegetable items, the ones I mentioned didn't cause any issue.  He was going to go in the trailer to have a look and requested both the keys to the trailer and somewhat surprisingly, the truck too.  I suppose someone who still had their truck keys in the ignition drove off with the customs official still in their trailer.  It would have been quite a ride, so I understand him taking the precaution.  He wasn't back there long and when he came back he handed back the keys and wished me a good trip. 

From the border I had a pretty big drive ahead of me to get to my evenings stop in preparation for a big weekend in Chicago.  At this time of year all the campgrounds in the Chicago area are closed, because of the cool weather.  For my first stop I found the Air Classics Museum of Aviation, a member of Harvest Hosts.  I arrived around 4:00, central time and was met by the curator, who I had arranged the visit with.  I was able to tour the planes outdoors before it got dark (I am hating these short days), and then the indoor displays.  It seemed especially pertinent that I had selected this stopping place on November 11th, Remembrance Day, given that my father had served in the Canadian Air Force during WWII.  I believe that an example of just about every iconic military plane was
there on display, most notably for me a "HUEY" helicopter like in the show M.A.S.H.  I watched so many episodes that to this day the sound of a chopper overhead triggers thoughts of tragic consequences.

Inside there were metal airplane models, like one of my former work colleagues collects, and plastic models similar to the ones I "helped" my brothers build.  There were samples of many of the small airplane parts, including rivets the women who were called in to aid in the war effort installed.  Another section was dedicated to famous female pilots including Amelia Earhart and Evelyn Sharp, who shares her last name to a strong Ontario golf family, not sure if there is a genealogical connection there. 

This museum runs on a small budget, so the displays aren't all glitzy but the artifacts and notes about them are very interesting for airplane and military enthusiasts.  Although I don't really fit into those categories I enjoyed my couple of hours looking around and learned some things.  It was well worth the $5 admission.  Camping out front was fine and conveniently there was a sports bar and grill across the street I was able to walk to for a bite to eat.  The food and service were great, however some of the other patrons were rather loud and obnoxious, perhaps the result of being over served. 

The toll road around Chicago cost about $30 for my rig to travel on and seemed unavoidable.