As we were still waiting for our Michigan number plate – we decided to go to Detroit for the weekend in our hire car.  Armed with loads of ideas from Babs and Marty we headed off along the I94 and three hours later we were in the Motor City.

First stop was the Henry Ford museum.  It was vast and the lady on the desk would not allow us to go on the factory tour and visit the museum, and despite being rather irritated by this – we soon realised why as after four hours we had hardly made an impression on any of it!

The museum was very interesting – tracing his factory from the start in his backyard – to the creation of all the cars that we know of – Model T, Model A, V8, Mustang, etc. through to the F150 pick up truck which is what they now make in Dearborn at the Rouge plant.

The cars looked amazing – and a clever display as it explained what they cost not just in price terms but in relation to average earnings. It completely explained why cars became so popular as within a decade they were less than a years wages for most people.

There was also quite a funny bit we thought at the start where it was clear that early cars could possibly have been electric or gas, but petrol won. At that moment we looked at ourselves and thought perhaps Ford had become the villain of the piece – but it all got glossed over!

Ford collected all sorts of other things too, which are in the museum. For instance presidential limousines are there – the one that Kennedy was shot in, a Reagan one – going all the way back to a horse and carriage for Teddy Roosevelt.

Also inside the museum was the bus that Rosa Parks declined to give her seat up on.  The standard of exhibits in this museum and the Lincoln one we have also seen are so imaginatively done.  You could sit on the bus and hear her interviewed which was very moving.  There was then a segment about segregated waiting rooms and I instinctively sat in the non white one – as I was already feeling uncomfortable and keen to atone for the sins of my race!

We went downtown to our hotel which was in a very cool old building with a view directly into the Tigers baseball stadium.  Trendy dinner – more sharing plates and micro brewery beers – Ray would be in her element… All good.  One slight mishap is that the roads are in very poor condition in Detroit. The city is bankrupt and they also have the most extreme weather – baking in summer and freezing in winter – so Matt sadly fell over into a pot hole on the way to a bar – but at least he has got out of running this week. (We also made it to the bar!!)

Compared to Chicago two weeks before –  Detroit was  such a contrast.  It was noticeably poorer and harder.  So many people in poverty it is hard to believe that you are in the richest country on the planet.  On Saturday morning we were a bit more up for it and urbanised again (after all we are from Elephant and Castle!!) so we headed off to Eastern Market which is like Borough. Great food. colourful stalls,  a few buskers and a great vibe – all ages and colours, happily together.

We went back to Ford in the afternoon to complete the amazing tour of the plant – The Rouge.  It was mind blowing and everyone must do it if they come to Detroit. We thought so much of Matt’s uncle John and our pal Martin, both Ford lifers… It was so amazing to see the ingenuity of man -the robots putting in the windscreens and the moving line that the people stand on and move with the cars.  Everyone working to make 1200 cars a day.

The scale is vast. The only down side is that you are not allowed to take pictures in case you sell them to Honda or General Motors.  Anyway it was the highlight of my trip… so thank you to the lady on Friday telling us not to rush it all!

On our way back into town on Saturday we did a brief drive by of some dilapidated neighbourhoods.  There is a thing called the Heidelberg Project which is an art installation in a block that will shortly be demolished.  It was a bit voyeuristic to see the run down bits of Detroit – but it is the history of the Twentieth Century -boom and bust before your eyes  All very pertinent because of the election.  A million miles away from the other side of Michigan – clapperboard houses, green lawns, big cars and modest affluence.  Also a million miles away from the buzz  and riches of Chicago.  There is not much buzz in Detroit – it is gritty – but we are going to go back next year as the Motown museum was sold out.

Sunday we had a trip to the Institute of Art – great collection including some Native American artefacts. Terrible that the local tribes from Michigan were relocated much further south and west… but I expect we will learn more about this as we go on.

Never mind all this culture vulture stuff – we need to get that 30ft truck ready for the road…!