Ken Steinhoff, Author at Cape Girardeau History and Photos

November 25, 2012

Monteagle Pass Surprises

I’ve hinted that my 2000 Honda Odyssey is getting a bit long in the tooth. When I was in Cape the summer of 2011, I had to have a rebuilt transmission dropped into the van by LeGrand Bros. Transmissions for $3,498.34. This trip home, I felt an unusual vibration in the front end. Plaza Tire was enriched by $700 to replace the left front axle (I sort of like the idea of my front wheels staying on at 75 mph), new struts and an alignment. It sure made the car ride much better.

About 10 miles south of Manchester, Tenn., on the Friday I headed back to Florida, my Check Engine light came on. That didn’t scare me because my catalytic converter is overdue for replacement. Then the TCS (Traction Control System) light came on. That’s not what you want to see if you are going to have to go over the Eastern Continental Divide, but the car was running fine and I soldiered on to the peak of Monteagle Pass in Tennessee (elevation 1,923 feet).

I pulled into the parking lot of one of my favorite stores, Mountain Outfitters, and called LeGrand for advice (I have an extended warranty). They suggested I take it to one of the shops in their nationwide network. Unfortunately, they didn’t show any in my next big town, Chattanooga. They said it would be a good idea to see if anyone could read the computer error codes that turned the light on to see if the problem was serious. (You can click on the photos to make them larger.)

Monteagle Tire & Auto Service

Fortunately, right across the street was Monteagle Tire and Auto Service. I had stopped in there on an earlier trip when the van was mysteriously blowing fuses that would cause the car not to shift out of park, would keep the cruise control from working and would black out the brake lights.

I walked up to the counter and asked if somebody could read my error codes. A nice guy pulled my car into the bay, hooked up a gizmo under the dash and promptly reported that the only code showing was for the converter. He reset the warning lights and backed the car out. With some trepidation, I asked, “How much do I owe you>”

Let’s put this in perspective. If I had pulled into a Honda dealership, that three-minute process would have cost me $95 plus tax (based on experience). Here I am, on a mountain in Tennessee, miles from a big city and in a vehicle with Florida tags. If that’s not a license to steal, I don’t know what is.

Nice Guy shrugged his shoulders and said, “Have a Happy Thanksgiving.” I slipped him a twenty and felt fortunate.

Looking for lunch

With the car problem out of the way (I hoped), I poked around the Mountain Outfitters. If I lived where it was cold, I’d have walked out with lots of cool stuff, but temptation was averted. I asked the cashier if there was a good place to eat other than the Smoke House, which used to be good but had been disappointing the past couple of stops.

He recommended Dave’s Modern Tavern, just east of the Interstate by about a mile. He liked their fried green tomato BLT, which would have pleased Wife Lila, but isn’t my thing. His second choice was the Oink Moo Burger, a Hereford patty topped with pulled pork, caramelized onions and Gorgonzola cheese. Huge homemade potato chips came as a side. Instead of drenching the pulled pork with BBQ sauce, it was served as a side. The sandwich was WONDERFUL. Juicy without being sloppy. When I’m hungry, I’m more interested in eating than pictures, so I made do with this semi-fuzzy shot with my cellphone.

I ordered a cup of lobster bisque for an appetizer. It’s described as having a “hint” of brandy. If I had ordered a bowl, I’d have probably blown over the legal limit if I’d have been pulled over.

Donna Smith of Monteagle Tire

On the way out of town, I stopped back at Monteagle Tire to tell owner Donna Smith how much I appreciated their great service. She said that she and her husband moved to Monteagle in 1987 and opened the service shop about 10 years ago. When he died, she stopped providing wrecker service, but the store is spotless, well-stocked and her employees are friendly and helpful.

All of the delays cut into the time I would usually have spent stopping at Larry’s Army / Navy at the next exit down. There are plenty of excuses to pull your car over to let it cool down after the long climb through the Pass.

November 23, 2012November 23, 2012

Dew Drop Inn

On my pilgrimage south on U.S. 61 (Highway 25 to the real oldtimers), I passed the Dew Drop Inn at the intersection of Hwy 61 and Hwy Y in Bloomsdale. It was the kind of thing that made me do a quick U-turn. I’ve heard of Dew Drop Inns, but have never been inside one. You can click on the photos to make them larger.

A quick Google search turned up less than a handful of reviews, including, “Good bar food. Tried the patty melt and would order it again. Drinks are reasonably priced with a nice pour.” This didn’t have a thumbs up or a thumbs down, so I’m not sure how to interpret it: “Hicksville. If you have more tattoos than teeth this is the place for you, don’t forget your shotgun and sister!”

This one was clearly favorable: “I was there for the first time last week. It was brilliant! Definitely a hole-in-the-wall…but I mean that in the BEST way. The bartender and cook (owners?) were really really nice, the clientelle all knew each other, and we all watched some kind of “Dumbest 100 Disasters on Wheels” on the TV together. I didn’t eat, but the pizza looked great. The appetizers were cheap (curley fries!!! $1.50 and Fried Pickles too!) and the decor was…quaint. Walls decorated with posters, signed photos, and what looked like gifts from the patrons. Milwaukee Best cans $1.50, Budweiser bottles $2.00. I want to live in this place. It felt like the home I never had.”

Lots of Dew Drop Inns

That Google search popped up lots of Dew Drops. Here are just a few towns:

Forks, Washington
Honolulu, Hawaii
Mobile, Alabama
Miller, South Dakota
New Orleans, Louisiana
Alpena, Michigan
New York, New York
Moline, Illinois
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Shopping reminder

Here’s another reminder to support your local merchants, but, if you are going to turn to Amazon for your online purchases, click on the button and it’ll take you straight there.

I get a percentage of whatever you spend and it doesn’t cost you anything extra. It’s a painless way to show your support for this site and it helps me pay the cost of keeping it going. Thanks.

November 22, 2012September 23, 2015

Sharing with Dad

I’m blessed this Thanksgiving season that I have a great family, including Mother, who turned 91 in October and still has a zest for life.

I never come to Cape without making at least one swing through New Lorimier Cemetery where Dad is buried. One thing I’ve missed over the years is the opportunity to share with him some of the stories I’ve covered and the fascinating people I’ve met. I never went into much detail, but it was nice to know that there was someone out there who wanted to live vicariously through my war stories.

A few trips back, I decided to keep sharing what I’m doing in what might sound like an unusual way. After I shot the train squishing coins on the tracks in Wittenberg, I left a railroad spike and a smashed quarter on his tombstone. The spike is now driven into the dirt at the base of it, and I retrieved the quarter to give to Brother Mark.

The blue tile came from Cairo

This time I left behind a blue piece of tile that used to be the floor of a building in Cairo. If I don’t come up with something more interesting, on my next trip back home I’ll leave some stone slivers I found on the ground at the base of a wall around the Fourche a du Clos Valley Roadside Park near Bloomsdale.

It’s not very conventional, but it works for me. And, I have a pretty good idea that it works for him, too.

In case you were wondering

In case you were wondering what those three objects are in the circles on his stone, Dad was active in Boy Scouting and Order of the Arrow. The carving on the lower left represents the Silver Beaver, “the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council. The Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service. It is given to those who do not actively seek it.”

The object on the right is the Order of the Arrow’s Vigil Honor, “the highest honor that the Order of the Arrow can bestow upon its members for service to lodge, council, and Scouting.” They meant a great deal to him.

You can click on the photos to make them larger.

November 21, 2012

Looking for Presents?

Wife Lila was honored at a retirement party Sunday night. She is part owner with Son Adam of DedicatedIT, and has been working in the company for the past nine years.

She was given a plaque recognizing her service: In Appreciation of Nine Years of Service and Corporate Mothering… Invoices processed: 5,799; Bills Entered: 4,154; Trips to the Bank: 1,854; Countless Errands; Being a Second Mom to All of Us; Nice as Pie at All Times.

The photo shows her holding her retirement package.

Click Here

Son Matt explained yesterday how clicking on this button to do your Amazon shopping will put a little money in my pocket (in case Lila’s Lotto ticket doesn’t pay off) without adding to your cost. I hate to sound like a PBS fund drive, but this site costs a bunch of money to maintain.

I burn more than $500 bucks in gas for each trip to Cape; that doesn’t include lodging on the road and meals. If Mother didn’t put me up at home, I couldn’t afford to spend a month or more at a time in town. My Nikon film scanner cost $1,800. Last month I had to replace a $500+ drive array and populate it with another $600 worth of drives. My desktop computer needed upgrading about 18 months ago and one of my two monitors died recently. I don’t mind donating my time, but it hurts to reach for the old checkbook to pay out real money for hardware, supplies, travel and services. The only solace I can take is that it’s cheaper than being owned by a boat.

Looking for photo equipment?

If you come to this site, you’re probably coming to look at photographs. Here are some links to equipment I’ve used to produce the contemporary photos, plus some less expensive cameras.

Nikon D40 – my first digital single lens reflex camera. I shot close to 40,000 photos with it before trading it to Son Adam.
Nikon D3100 – Adam bought this on eBay and thought it was more camera than he needed, so he traded it to me for my D40. It’s a better camera than the D40 and it’s actually cheaper.
Fujifilm FinePix JX500 Digital Camera – The battery compartment on the Kodak digital camera I bought for Mother a few years ago was broken, so I went looking for the easiest no-frills camera I could find. It takes good pictures for way under $100.
Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera – Grandson Malcolm has one of these. I sure wish I had one when I was covering hurricanes. It’s waterproof, shockproof and takes great pictures.
Hoya Super Multicoated Ultrathin circular polarizing filter – There’s probably no accessory that will make your photographs more dramatic. I keep it on the lens to protect the front element and to remove reflections and to darken skies. Make sure you pick on that fits your lens. (My Nikon lens takes a 52mm.)
Domke PhoTOGS Vest – I used fishing vests to hold film and gear for years. A professional newspaper photographer named Domke developed a camera bag in 1976 that became the industry standard. I like working from a vest, so I was glad to see him design one with the right kinds of pockets and made of heavy cotton.

Finding your way

Mother and I like to say the day’s not complete until we’ve found a road we’ve never been on before. Sometimes, it’s nice to know where you are and how you’re going to get back home. I’ve had several flavors of Garmin GPS units on my bike and car.

Here’s the one I’ve found does a good job in my van – the Garmin Nuvi 760. It’s large enough to read, is generally accurate and has been dependable. Its beanbag mount rides very comfortably on my steering column.

Electronic Toys

About 10 years ago, we hooked Mother up with WebTV, a klugy way to connect with the Internet using a keyboard and her TV. It was a slow dial-up connection that used an obsolete browser. One of the guys at work won one of the first iPads and sold it to me for a fair price. We gave it to Mother for her Birthday Season three or four years ago, not sure she would adapt to it. Now, I think she’d give up her TV before she gave up her iPad. It’s been a great way for her to keep up with her extended family. If you have an elderly relative, open up a new world for them. They may adapt to the digital world faster than you think.

This is the latest flavor of iPad.

Wife Lila wanted a new, lighter, faster laptop to take on her cruise to Alaska. After consulting with The Boys, I ordered a Toshiba Satellite P775-S7368 17.3-Inch LED Laptop, which was a really sweet machine.

When it came in, though, she thought the 17.3″ screen made it too large for her to carry easily. Adam sold it to a client, and I ordered a Toshiba Satellite P775-S7368 17.3-Inch LED Laptop to replace it. I liked the bigger screen of the other laptop, but I borrowed this to take back to Cape to power my presentations. It was a lot faster than my 4-year-old computer and had an HDMI port.

I always hate to rely on equipment provided by others, so I bought an Epson EX7210 Projector. It was easy to set up, light and performed flawlessly. If you have to do formal presentations, I recommend this highly.

Very few of you need as much redundant data storage as I do, but I’ve been very impressed by my Drobo S 5-Bay Storage Array. If you look at the price, you can see why I’m hoping you click on the Amazon link for your shopping.