Day 4 - Detroit and Ford Museum

For day 3 of the trip Ryan and I found ourselves in Detroit. Both Ryan and I decided to sleep in till 9am because we were pretty tired from touring and traveling the day before. Since we were in Michigan and we knew that Tim Horton’s was close by, we had to stop there for breakfast. For all of you who don’t know what a Tim Horton’s is it’s kinda like Dunkin Donuts but better. Ryan and I got 20 Tim Bits, which are like munchkins at DD, and they were awesome. From Tim Horton’s we made our way to the Henry Ford Museum. Once we arrived we purchased tickets for the Ford Rouge Plant Tour and Ford Museum. Ryan really wanted to do the factory tour so we opted to do that first. So we made our way to the Rouge Factory Tour and it was probably one of the coolest tours I have ever been on. You actually get to go into the plant and watch the workers assemble Ford F-150’s. It is really impressive to see all of the parts get put into place. As you walk along the tour they explain how each part is put together to make the truck. I think Ryan was in heaven being in this plant and watching the F-150’s get produced. I am pretty sure he is going to move here and interview for a job to move the cars from off the assembly line onto trucks to be shipped all across the world. After we walked along the factory tour (sorry no pictures cuz again, can’t take pictures of anything) we watched a 30 minute movie about the rise of the Ford and evolution of the Automobile. The video really made me feel proud to be an American and now I really understand where we get out American spirit from. In addition, I finally wrapped my head around how one man, Henry Ford, changed a city (Detroit), a nation (the USA), and even the world. Fords model-T and the whole idea of bringing the work to the worker revolutionized how things were mass produced. Ford also introduced the idea of vertical integration. This whole idea was that only raw materials would be brought to the plant and everything would be produced and assembled in one place. Also, found out that during WWII the Ford Rouge plant mass produced jeeps, guns, and airplanes for the troops. This ultimately led to us winning the war!!

Another cool thing about the Ford Rouge plant is that they have the largest green roof in the world (circa the 2004 Guinness book world records). There are many benefits of this green roof which include solar panels to heat water for the plant. There is also the moss that makes up the roof which lasts 65 years and does not need any maintenance. The moss helps to capture rain water for plant and watering use not to mention it keeps the building warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. WOW!!!

So after the Plant tour Ryan and I went to the actual Ford Museum where they have all sorts of exhibits from railroads, old cars, new cars, civil rights, generation-x, and rock and roll cars. Ryan and I took some pictures with cars from many different Rock and Roll artists including Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, and Otis Reading. Ryan and I also sat on the bus and in the seat that Rosa Parks had her infamous protest. We played with Lincoln Logs in the generation-x exhibit and found that the internet used to come in a box. Haha, see the photo album from today and you will understand. Finally, Ryan and I checked out the cool Alleghany Steam Engine that was in the train exhibit. At this point we were pretty hungry because it was like 2:30, so we went over to the Wiener café and had some hot dogs. We also took some photos with the Wiener mobile. I would definitely recommend going to the Ford Museum and the Rouge Plant tour to anyone. It’s pretty cool even if you’re not a huge car fanatic.

After the Ford Plant we decided to take a little Detour and visit Ashley’s old house in West Bloomfield (Northwest of Detroit and South of Pontiac). We took a few pictures just before a huge rain storm hit. Currently, we are headed back to Sandusky Ohio for some Roller Coaster excitement at Cedar Point tomorrow. Check back tomorrow for a rundown on all of the Coasters at Cedar Point!!!