Day 25: Cleveland, OH
Nau mai
Yesterday we played in the jewel of the Midwest, Cleveland, Ohio.
My day began in a large parking lot next to Lake Erie. The Ghost Whale was laid up in this concrete wasteland a few blocks from our venue, the Cleveland Rock and Roll hall of fame, due to the lack of onsite bus parking.
I made a breakfast that began with two slices of toasted sourdough and finished with two raw plums. On top of the sourdough I added salted avocado and salted and peppered tomato.
We spend the middle part of our day on the water enjoying a cruise up the Cuyahoga River. This waterway begins 100 miles south of Cleveland and eventually winds its way along the western edges of the city’s downtown before emptying into Lake Erie. It is famous of course for the environmental catastrophes like dumping, sewage, and industrial pollution which led to the river catching fire at least thirteen times, and for the incredible cleanup effort over the last fifty years which means that you can now safely catch and eat a fish.
This was our vessel, the Goodtime III, the spiritual successor to the famed 1920s lake steamer Goodtime which services cities all around Lake Erie. It was a comfortable ship with four decks, a cafeteria, and a very loud ship’s horn. We made the mistake of sitting on the top deck next to the ship’s horn and soon corrected this mistake when we were blasted out of our seats.
Reportedly the Goodtime III is certified to carry 1000 passengers. We were glad to have only a couple of hundred souls aboard for our voyage.
This cruise is a very good excuse for me to drop some cold, hard bridge facts.
The Flats Industrial Railroad Bridge, a through truss vertical lift bridge constructed in 1953. Note the narrow towers carrying the lifting gear and the heavy girders across the top of the structure to add stability.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Bridge #463, constructed 1956, (now abandoned), a rare heel-trunnion bascule bridge with a main span of 70.4 metres.
The dramatic closure of the Center Street Bridge (sped up), a unique remaining example of a Bobtail swing bridge that dates back to 1901. We then passed under the 190 metre main span of the Detroit Superior Bridge with its extremely handsome steel truss arch and concrete arch approach spans.
Members of The Beths enjoy this double-bridge-banger curve in the Cuyahoga River. Behind them is the Columbus Road Bridge and the Cuyahoga Viaduct.
Nathan Holt at historicbridges.org has written a scathing review of the 2013 restoration of the Columbus Road Bridge, expressing his frustration at the desecration of this historic artefact using large red text and successive sentences finishing with explanation points. This vertical lift through truss bridge was constructed in 1940 and has main span of 67.1 metres and a roadway 12.8 metres wide. It was heavily refurbished in 2013 and sadly the modern truss and beam designs used have rendered this bridge NON-HISTORIC!
The Cuyahoga Viaduct is a rivet-connected Pennsylvania Through Truss bridge with a main span of 82.6 metres. This span carries two tracks of Cleveland’s rapid transit light rail system south across the Cuyahoga River.
The two eighteen metre spans of the North Coast Harbour Pedestrian Bridge, a bascule bridge completed in 2021 that is a vital link in the Cleveland Downtown walking loop. Behind this very cute and small drawbridge we see the striking geometric shapes that make up the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The first couple of pages of the score for Live and Let Die, seen at the Paul McCartney exhibit and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Soundchecking on our outdoor stage. We were happy to play with such a great view of Cleveland’s beautiful skyline.
This is one of the better outriggers I’ve ever carved. Sadly it wasn’t a great tasting pineapple.
Gabe sits on the engine at the front of the pack train, satisfied after a good day’s work.
Our bus arrived at the venue for load-out and was greeted by huge applause.
When we got back to the bus we found that there was a car meet happening just outside our parking lot (and inside our parking lot at times). Here are my top four drifts from this Cleveland car meet.
4.
This white car may look cool but the driver can’t get it to properly skid. Instead he drives an exciting fast tight circle and lets his decorative lights do the work.
3.
This vehicle is similar car to No.4 but has actually figured out how to do proper doughnuts. No need for decorative lighting when you have decorative passengers hanging out your windows.
2.
This vehicle couldn’t figure out how to skid the back wheels but both side wings are deployed in a reckless challenge to aerodynamic efficiency.
1.
Best attitude award. Turns up to a car meet in a Chevy Volt and then pushes it to the limit, tearing around the carpark in ever tightening turns. Clearly loves driving his car. Completed the most circles out of any car that attended the meet.
