A Big State of Big Changes

Today I took the 40-mile trip to Ohio. I arrived via Telegraph. I headed east on Alexis and passed over the AARR/CSX/NS lines and Stickney. I came up to Benore and there I saw a Menard's [[I never saw a Menard's here in Michigan so that was a first for me) and stopped at a Meijer.

The biggest headache, we had to backtrack through Monroe because I-75 south was a parking lot! Saw men working on the BP sign at exit 15. Around the I-275 interchange Meijer has a distribution center with an old sign! Because of the congestion we had to take M-125 until Samaria Road, turned west to enter Telegraph.

We passed three Pilot TC's. Again we drove by the North Monroe Exxon.

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Originally Posted by mtburb

Today I took the 40-mile trip to Ohio. I arrived via Telegraph. I headed east on Alexis and passed over the AARR/CSX/NS lines and Stickney. I came up to Benore and there I saw a Menard's [[I never saw a Menard's here in Michigan so that was a first for me) and stopped at a Meijer.

The biggest headache, we had to backtrack through Monroe because I-75 south was a parking lot! Saw men working on the BP sign at exit 15. Around the I-275 interchange Meijer has a distribution center with an old sign! Because of the congestion we had to take M-125 until Samaria Road, turned west to enter Telegraph.

We passed three Pilot TC's. Again we drove by the North Monroe Exxon.

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Is your Twitter account not working? :D

Welcome to DetroitYes, sounds like an interesting drive. Did you go into Menard's?

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Originally Posted by mtburb

Today I took the 40-mile trip to Ohio. I arrived via Telegraph. I headed east on Alexis and passed over the AARR/CSX/NS lines and Stickney. I came up to Benore and there I saw a Menard's [[I never saw a Menard's here in Michigan so that was a first for me) and stopped at a Meijer.

The biggest headache, we had to backtrack through Monroe because I-75 south was a parking lot! Saw men working on the BP sign at exit 15. Around the I-275 interchange Meijer has a distribution center with an old sign! Because of the congestion we had to take M-125 until Samaria Road, turned west to enter Telegraph.

We passed three Pilot TC's. Again we drove by the North Monroe Exxon.

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You went to Ohio? You should thank your lucky stars that you came back earlier. I hear that them Ohioans aren't in the best of moods right about now.

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Originally Posted by gazhekwe

Welcome to DetroitYes, sounds like an interesting drive. Did you go into Menard's?

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menard's rocks! apparently, they were headed into the metro detroit market but were delayed by the major lowe's/hd expansions and the poop economy of the last 5 years or so. from what i hear, they will eventually get here, if only in the exurbs.

Detroit area doesn't have Menards? They are more common than Home Depot in the Flint / Tri-Cities area.

I have heard about Menards, On my trip north the Mother in Law asked if we went to Menards. No. I took Telegraph home from Toledo back in the summer, Having not taken that stretch very often I can't really tell.Cept that empty mall was still standing last I knew, Just south of the border.

That Menards is in Toledo, not Michigan. On Alexis Rd. It's a damn good store and would give Lowes/HD a run for their money.

Stromberg2

We have 2 Menard's stores in the greater Kalamazoo area; also 2 Home Depots and 2 Lowe's. Half sit within Kalamazoo city limits and half are in close-by/adjacent communities. I've been in probably each of the stores and they are all pretty busy places. Menard's has the most diverse product selection and I can always find something cool/innovative/worthwhile there.

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Originally Posted by Johnnny5

Is your Twitter account not working? :D

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LOL... Johnny 5 I laughed so hard after reading your post, that I almost spit pop all over my keyboard.... I'm also still trying to figure out what significance BP and Exxon play in all this... :confused:

The Toledo Strip blong Michigan.

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Originally Posted by skyl4rk

The Toledo Strip blong Michigan.

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Couldn't have said it any more poetically....:D

.... and [[grunt) we keep UP....

Lowell ... Please move to non-Detroit. In fact, please create a non-Relevant queue and move it there.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9...elcomem125.jpg

This is a new Michigan welcome sign. This is at the southern terminus of M-125.

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/154/monroeexxon.jpg

This is the North Monroe Exxon. Click http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie...52.91,,0,-1.92; this was a Sunoco.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6195/newkroger.jpg

That is a fairly new Kroger on M-125 and Jones at the border of Monroe city and charter township.

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8494/samariaus24.jpg

Waiting at the red light... This was at Luna Pier [[Samaria) Road at Telegraph in Erie Township, at the CSX crossing.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/912...ithmenards.jpg

That is a TARTA Gillig BRT passing the Meijer gas island on Alexis in Toledo. The Menard's is visible in the background.

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5...rtashelter.jpg

A TARTA bus shelter, also on Alexis.

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/9233/tasignfix.jpg

This was the BP sign at exit 15 being fixed.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6...distcenter.jpg

The Meijer distribution center at the I-275 interchange. Also visible, a power pole. Between Vreeland and south of exit 15, there are a string of two power poles next to each other next to I-75.

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6614/letbus.jpg

One of the Lake Erie Transit paratransit buses we saw in Monroe.

Please leave a reply about one [[or all) of these photos!