Ooh, What a Lucky Man
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Day 8: June 26, 2026 Ooh, What a Lucky Man Comment via blog |
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The hotel is just a block away from Continental Square, where, among other
things, the courthouse once stood where the Continental Congress met in
1777-1778. I walked through the square on the way to the Valencia Ballroom
on Monday, but had not looked it over. I did that this morning before the
final sessions.
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Up first in the hotel ballroom was James Dobson, author of The Road
that Made America on the Great Wagon Road.
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After a break that was extended to allow folks to checkout of the hotel,
Cece Otto performed Good Roads, Great Songs. Cece displayed lyrics,
some of which were her own, so people could sing along. I did not, but
may have hummed softly a time or two. I found the fact that one young
couple acknowledged never hearing "Get Out and Get Under (to Fix Up His
Automobile)" before to be encouraging. That they hadn't heard it was not
all that surprising as the tune was published in 1913. What was
encouraging was people of their age being interested in the Lincoln
Highway.
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I immediately hit the road at the end of Cece's performance. I left York
on US-30 and didn't stop until I reached Gettysburg. I recalled an
Appalachian Brewery there an sort of planned a stop. But when I searched
online for breweries, I discovered one just off US-30/Lincoln Highway in
the heart of Gettysburg. I had one beer at
Michaux Brewing.
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I was aware that stopping by a Corvair show had originally been planned
for Tuesday's Gettysburg tour but had been dropped due to time. Because of
that, I immediately knew why these beauties were parked around downtown.
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And I made a return visit to "Return
Visit".
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West of town the Lincoln Highway passes through the battle field.
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Of course I had to stop at Mister Ed's Elephant Museum & Candy Emporium, fill a
bag with candy for the trivia team, and say hello to Miss Ellie Funt (Who
used to live just up the road from me at King's Island.) on the way out.
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The visit with Miss Funt brought me luck. I loosely planned on sticking
with US-30 to near Greensburg, where I had picked it up east bound, then
returning home via the same path that got me there last Friday. But Garmin
suggested heading south on I-81, and I was very much in a why-not frame of
mind. The first bit of luck involved was being routed to Cumberland, MD.
Some may recall that I inexplicably missed the big National Road Zero Mile Marker when I drove the National Old Trails Road in 2024. The middle picture is one I could have taken in 2024 if I'd just pointed my camera a smidgen to the left. I can't go back and fix the oversight, but in my mind I've at least made up for it a little bit. |
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Being given an opportunity to visit the overlooked mark was certainly
fortunate, but now the Luck of Funt really kicked in. I needed a place to
spend the night and I realized that one of my favorites was just up ahead.
In Grantsville, chairs lined up by the street provided a pretty dependable
clue that a parade was about to pass by. The parking lot at the
Casselman Inn was
nearly full, and I prepared myself to be turned away. There was just one
room left, I was told. Then, in a slightly apologetic tone, the clerk
added that it was in the historic section. I assume the tone was due to
rooms in the modern motel being a bit cheaper but it was, of course,
exactly what I wanted. It's here with a
shared shower just down the hall.
Yes, a parade would begin a bit later. This was Grantsville Days weekend and the parade would essentially end right at the inn. Yes, I would probably have time for dinner before the parade arrived, and because it was Friday, a buffet was available if desired. I was handed an extra slip of paper with my room receipt. Rooms in the historic section come with free breakfast. A lucky man indeed. |
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The dining room staff was beyond friendly and the buffet was quite good. I
understand that the parade stepped off on the other side of town around
6:45. It reached the inn a little before 7:00. I was well fed long before
then.
The parade had it all. Shriners, clowns, lots of fire trucks, lots of semi tractors, and a marching band. It was just past 8:00 when the last unit turned the corner. Rain had fallen off and on throughout the day, but turned itself off for the parade. Could Miss Ellie Funt's luck have been a factor? |
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