Day 1 - US 10 at DennyGibson.com

Day 1: July 27, 2025
Rock All Night. Eat All Day.
Comment via blog

Prev

Next

Although I consider July 27 the trip's first day, the pictures in this panel are from Saturday the 26th. I bought my ticket back in April when this was the first date announced for a Patrick Sweany release tour for a new CD. A couple of earlier dates were subsequently added but I had my ticket and the date became the front end boundary for this trip. The venue, Rumba Cafe, was right on my path to the east end of US-10.

What a show! This was the best Sweany outing I've seen in quite a while. I most recently saw Patrick in Nashville with the Tiger Beats. He delivered a solid performance but the Tiger Beats do covers and are sort of a pickup band. Even the last time I saw him doing originals, the normal Patrick Sweany spirit and energy weren't quite there. Tonight the material was all his and he was on fire. So was the tight backing band. I bought the new CD, "Baby It's Late", but my car has no CD player so I won't get to hear it all until I get home. Good thing he played some of the new tunes tonight.

I actually had motels booked for the second and third nights of the trip booked before I grabbed a room for Saturday. I was rather pleased with myself for finding a conveniently located independent with good reviews. As I checked in to the Pacer Inn, said something like "Welcome back. It's been a while."

Turns out I stayed here in 2016 and posted a picture similar to the one at left.

US-23 was my route north. It passes right by the Rumba Cafe and within a block or so of the Pacer Inn. The Delaware Diner sits on US-23 about two miles north of the Pacer Inn so it was a natural for breakfast. I believe I've been here before, and I should know what brand of diner it is but I don't and could find nothing online. I asked my very friendly waitress but she didn't know. She had earlier pointed out the owner standing a few feet away and I was able to say hi before she turned and walked away. When I asked the waitress about the building, she sought out the owner but the owner didn't want to talk with me. I don't know whether that was because she was busy, just did not like me, or some other reason.

ADDENDUM: Jul 31, 2025 - Thanks to a friend and a diner guru, I now know that the "The Delaware Diner was built by Starlite in 2000, but has been heavily renovated, both inside and out." That comes from diner expert Richard Gutman after my friend, Dave Reese, made him aware of my ignorance.

US-23 may have once gone through Waldo, OH, but the current alignment misses the town by just a bit. Even though I knew the G & R Tavern, with its famous bologna sandwich, was closed on Sunday, I slipped into Waldo to take a picture.

The Comet Classic Diner and Creamery is a couple of miles off of the current US-23 in Birch Run, MI. It was part of a dilemma I faced. I generally eat just two meals a day. Before I learned of the Comet, I had planned on having the second meal at a promising sounding drive-in near the day's destination. Once I knew of the Comet, I also knew I was going to have to chose between the two because of their nearness to each other. By the time I pulled into the Comet, I'd decided I would have a piece of pie here and a burger at the drive-in. Once inside, that plan crumbled and I went for a delightfully gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

Although I was never a real fan, I was definitely aware of the Bay City Rollers and their extraordinary popularity in the 1970s. When I realized that US-10 now originated in Bay City, MI, and that I would be starting the main part of my trip from there, I wondered if there was any connection. As I'm sure many people know, the answer is yes. The band from Edinburgh, Scotland, chose part of their name by throwing a dart at a map and hitting the Michigan city. They never performed here but did visit in 1977. They were given keys to the city and murals were painted. Those murals are now gone but the band is still honored with an exhibit in the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame which is inside the Historical Museum of Bay County which is closed on Sundays.

Since the slice of pie planned for the Comet turned into a sandwich, it became necessary to turn the sandwich planned for the Mussell Beach Drive In into a coconut flurry.

[Prev] [Site Home] [Trip Home] [Next]