"The Enterprise" Comes Home (& Ford Museums)

[SnowStorm]

After 95,000 miles of travel The Enterprise made it back home!

 

 

A recent vacation to Michigan allowed a quick stop at the "MAP" in Wayne, MI - where all our cars are born.  (Anyone else been there?)  The Enterprise didn't say much - may have been just a little too choked up.  But then, I don't think it likes it when I get metamorphic about it!

 

Also visited the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village - absolutely amazing places.  Will add some observations later.

[raadsel]

Perhaps your car was too upset that they aren't going to be producing the C-Max there much longer -- kind of like a kid whose parents are getting a divorce.  ;)

[markd]

A place that I have always wanted to see but never made it. Lucky you.

[mtb9153]

Perhaps your car was too upset that they aren't going to be producing the C-Max there much longer -- kind of like a kid whose parents are getting a divorce.   ;)

I thought production had already moved to Mexico?  Very sad decision on Ford's part if I do say so.

[scottwood2]

I live close to there and drive by every once in a while.  It is sad to see the production go but they are not closing the plant, only changing what is made there.  That is a good thing to see.  I think the change happens in 2018? 

[SnowStorm]

So, a bit more about the museums - the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village - places that bring to mind the quote "People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like."  If you like history, technology, innovation or all three at once, then you should find the rather pricey tickets well worth it - I did.  Just make sure you have a full day (two would have been better).

Greenfield Village  Henry Ford dedicated this place in 1929 with Thomas Edison present as well.  You can see Henry's boyhood home, a reconstruction of the Bagley Avenue Workshop where he built his first car (then had to knock out the wall to get it out!), the "Fifteen Millionth Ford", Edison's Menlo Park machine shop (world's first electric generating plant complete with a dynamometer to measure mechanical power into the dynamos - so you could calculate efficiency - they were 80%), replica of Edison's Menlo Park laboratory (walls lined with chemical bottles, the best scientific instruments, even a pipe organ!), the Farris Windmill (said to be oldest in US - [should have been the last!]), Noah Webster's home, birthplace of William Holmes McGuffey (adorable log cabin), Henry's school - it goes on and on.

Then you have a scaled down version of the Edison Illuminating Company's Station A with "Jumbo Number 9", a "National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark" and a real operational steam engine roundhouse - kids can help rotate the turntable for a "hands on" experience with inertia.  Henry Ford once owned a coal mine (to supply his factories) but hated paying the middleman to bring the coal so he bought the railroad!  Now he had real trains to play with!  They had a couple of his engines there (one was his favorite).  He got that one to 65 mph and another to 100 mph!  ("You can tell the men from the boys by the price of the toys!")  I got to see them bring one of the engines in, onto the turntable, around it goes, and into the roundhouse!  Cool stuff.  There's lots more - and I didn't see it all.

(Stay tune for more about the Henry Ford Museum.)

[MaxHeadroom]

After 95,000 miles of travel The Enterprise made it back home!

 

A recent vacation to Michigan allowed a quick stop at the "MAP" in Wayne, MI - where all our cars are born.  (Anyone else been there?)  The Enterprise didn't say much - may have been just a little too choked up.  But then, I don't think it likes it when I get metamorphic about it!

 

Also visited the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village - absolutely amazing places.  Will add some observations later.

Interesting.  Do they let you see much in the Wayne plant?  I remember Boeing (Seattle) had a lot of catwalks tour groups could walk on to get great looks at the jet construction operations.  Car plants may be more vertically-challenged though.  

I've got to get up to MI one of these days.

I guess maybe advice to avoid downtown Detroit at all costs would be good(?????).  Heard too much about that cesspool.  I imagine it's like E. St. Louis, Compton, Chicago, etc.  

[JAZ]

If you're getting your info on Detroit from TV, radio or large newspapers you're getting propaganda.  That pertains to most everything in those media.

[kostby]

The Michigan Assembly Plant is not open for public tours as far as I know.

 

Ford has the Rouge Factory tours in Dearborn: 

https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour

 

I've been through the Rouge Factory twice, once in October 1962 when they were building Ford Fairlanes (I was 10), and right before the Rotunda caught fire, and again in July 2004 while they were assembling F150's, shortly after public tours began again.

[scottwood2]

 

I've got to get up to MI one of these days.

I guess maybe advice to avoid downtown Detroit at all costs would be good(?????).  Heard too much about that cesspool.  I imagine it's like E. St. Louis, Compton, Chicago, etc.  

I agree with Jaz that Detroit is a whipping boy when it comes to bad news.   I go to Detroit a lot and enjoy the many things it offers.  Our river walk is awesome.  Downtown is nice and growing a lot.   Midtown is an area with a wait list for housing and not uncommon for a wait to get into many restaurants.  I avoid this area some because of the long waits.  Belle isle park is a gem and a lot of money has been put into this recently.   We just held a Grand Prix race there.  I also really like Dearborn which borders Detroit.   When we have guests in town we take them to many places to see the city including Dearborn.   The Middle Eastern food in Dearborn is incredible.   Many of our guests keep talking about this food long after they leave and want this to be the first stop when they come back.   Detroit also has a great zoo and the Detroit Institute of Arts is a world class museum.  

 

Don't get me wrong, Detroit has bad areas and it does have a long way to go to catch up to other cities but recent years have brought on a big change for the city.   But in general every city has bad areas.  You just need to know where to go. 

[MaxHeadroom]

The Michigan Assembly Plant is not open for public tours as far as I know.

 

Ford has the Rouge Factory tours in Dearborn: 

https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour

 

I've been through the Rouge Factory twice, once in October 1962 when they were building Ford Fairlanes (I was 10), and right before the Rotunda caught fire, and again in July 2004 while they were assembling F150's, shortly after public tours began again.

 

Way cool.  We've got the Coors plant tour here, actually quite decent, and free fresh beer at the end (match THAT, Moulin Rouge factory tour!)  Ah yes, a monument to drinking it is.  The Rouge plant is a monument to soberly getting-r-done.

 

They make the 25% aluminum F-150 at Rouge.    Imagine if our C-Max had 25% by weight aluminum.  Especially for the roof, upper areas, just as strong but lighter, better MPG.  In the middle of the night, when no one is looking, transfer some Rouge aluminum to the Wayne plant and stamp them out for our C-Max.

.  But in general every city has bad areas.  You just need to know where to go. 

Yep.  I know I'm NOT on Kamau Bell's side (CNN "United Shades") when he says he hates it when downtowns become livable ("gentrification" term he uses).  Weird of Bell to oppose it, but I guess the dude likes crime better.

[SnowStorm]

Interesting.  Do they let you see much in the Wayne plant?  I remember Boeing (Seattle) had a lot of catwalks tour groups could walk on to get great looks at the jet construction operations.  Car plants may be more vertically-challenged though.  

I've got to get up to MI one of these days.

I guess maybe advice to avoid downtown Detroit at all costs would be good(?????).  Heard too much about that cesspool.  I imagine iDetroit Institute of Artst's like E. St. Louis, Compton, Chicago, etc.  

I see others have answered your questions (been "off-line" for a week).  While I went to the museums, my wife and daughter went to the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House (wonderful they said) and the Detroit Institute of Arts.  They had no trouble but did witness a fist fight in a parking lot!

[mtb9153]

I thought production had already moved to Mexico?  Very sad decision on Ford's part if I do say so.

I stand corrected, thanks to Mr Trump the big four all decided to forget Mexico.