Bob - Havre-Aubert, Magdalen Islands, Quebec, Canada
September 2023
| Important - 2nd Notice! Please note an important change to my phone and email address. My land line is history, so if you call the old number 638-xxxx or use the old email address xxx@centurytel, etc, you won't reach me. Here are the new numbers - please make the changes: Phone: 425 418 - 3321 email:
N93143@outlook.com |
Another
year in our Logbooks. They fly by. It was a very busy year
for me personally, with some important things accomplished. My
health has been a concerning item, with Mother Nature reminding me that
in March, my odometer makes another big roll-over. But, why
anticipate when I can remain a "youthful 79". I have significant
arthritis in many joints - shoulders, hips, knees - some of which may
need to be addressed in the coming year. My ears are demanding use
of my hearing aids more and more of the time. I don't like
them. And, most importantly, my eyes are the critical
tentpole. I have wet macular degeneration in one eye (which now
has little useful vision) and dry mac in the other. I have 7 or 8
ophthalmologists and had two eye surgeries this year. They did little to
restore my vision to what it once was. My eye doctors have
switched from talking about "improvements" to using the word
"stabilize." Loss of vision in my
"good" eye would mean being functionally blind - not a happy
prospect. It has grounded me from flying - a severe blow. It
has also made reading difficult to sometimes near impossible.
But, I can still see well
enough to drive! So, drive I did. A 10,000 mile odyssey to
Dot's home in the Magdalen Islands and back - all solo. That story
will occupy most of this year's Newsletter.
A detailed version of the Trip and the activities leading up to it can be found in a five or six page web photo essay which you can find by clicking here to start.
In the summer of 2022, Dot's brother Louis-Philippe passed, the last of 10 siblings and the last of her generation. I covered it in last year's newsletter. Nephew Louis-Armand sent me some pictures and a video of the funeral. They touched me deeply and I decided Dot needed to be buried back there -- in the Magdalen Islands -- with her Family and friends. Some cemetery rules and closing of the border due to covid prevented that from happening when Dot died.
I decided to make it happen and spent the next year working the details - her exhumation, transport to her home, and reburial. It was a (very) big job, working with 8 funeral homes, U.S. and Canadian Customs at multiple ports of entry, airlines and trucking companies, and occupying me full time. (I was plowing new ground with the cemeteries, with some things they had never done before.) In the end, I had it all arranged down to the last tiny detail, with only the condition of her casket on disinterment being out of my control. I started with the airlines and trucking companies, but their myriad regulations and requirements slowly pushed them out of the picture. If I was going to get Dot back home, then I was going to have to drive her there myself. So, the Plan devolved down into my driving her in a rented Penske truck, a pretty ambitious undertaking. I had a lot of support from friends. I had a volunteer co-pilot for the trip, and two sets of back-up co-pilots. Even more in the wings if needed. I have wonderful friends. Wonderful.
Monday, August 28 was D-Day to start the ball rolling. Sadly, the only detail I could not control was the one which did me in. When we dug down to her grave, we found her casket had badly deteriorated and fallen to pieces. So, we re-closed the grave and gave up on The Plan, cancelling all the hard-worked arrangements. It was a truly devastating, and unexpected morning.
To say I was gut-punched as we re-closed her grave would be a great understatement.
I felt all the blood drain from my body and sat on "our" bench watching the grave-diggers.
It all happened so fast; it just took a glance to realize the Plan was not to be.
The grave-diggers were finished and gone before the funeral home van even arrived.
In the next few days, since I was all packed and had a load of heirloom furniture and other items all stacked ready to be loaded in the Penske truck along with the casket, I decided to just load them in my pickup truck and drive back there anyway. Which is what I did. I had promised Dot, and it was a promise I intended to keep. (Five days prior to departure, I blew out my left knee, which made it look like even this idea would go bust), but a cortisone shot got me mobile again. Sunday, Sept 10, I loaded up, hobbled out into my truck, and headed East on the 5000 mile journey to the Magdalen Islands. I left a few days early so as not to get cold feet, and to keep my friends from dissuading me. Besides, I was champing at the bit.
My objective was this house, a long ways from Hansville, Washington....
A small house in a remote place.
The house was built by Dot's father and completed 100 years ago in 1923.
Dot was born in this house.
After her Mother's passing in 1971, the house passed to Dot.
Eventually, Dot sold the house and it now belongs to her nephew Louis-Armand Cormier.
It was located on these islands in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence
I told my co-pilots that when they finished this trip, they'd know they had "been somewhere!"
The "Trip"
The following is a "brief" synopsis. See here for the details, if you want. I took over 2000 photos, so the ones you see here have been culled down to a smaller number.
I pulsed my friends before starting out and received much encouragement, but also some very sane advice about my age, health, and the rigors of this proposed journey. You can read all their comments in my Detailed Pages. In the end, after my knee became functional again, I decided to make the trip. I knew I was stubborn - and dumb - but figured I wasn't stupid. (No comments, please.) It was a trip I felt I HAD to make - and make it NOW. Next year would be too late. I'm sure I was right on all counts.
It would be my second round trip from Hansville to the Islands - the last being in September 2003 - exactly, almost to the day, 20 years earlier. (Story here.) I knew precisely what an arduous trip it would be - and it was! Basically, 500 miles/day for 10 days ought to get me there. Actually, it took me 12 days, but I did some major re-routes along the way and stood down for one day in Pittsfield, Mass. But the weather was good and I had no mechanical issues like I did during the previous trip.
My separate Detailed Trip webpages describe the issues with changing routes, weather (a hurricane), fires, Customs clearances, and myriad other issues. I re-routed enroute several times, including switching from Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, to Buffalo, Boston, Bangor. But, as I said the last time, it's amazing what you can do if you jump in your car and keep hitting those filling stations!
The East-bound route(s).
I wound up crossing 8 Time Zones, 24 State Lines, and 6 Canadian Provinces
Entering Maine from New Brunswick at St. Croix
The Magdalen Islands are on Atlantic Time - 4 hours from Seattle.
It's actually only 3 hours time difference to London vs 4 hours to Seattle.
That's how far it is!
Loading heirlooms into my Honda Ridgeline at the front door in Hansville.
I had a major maintenance check done before leaving and it performed flawlessly.
Driving myself gave me a lot of "think time". Which I needed.
It also allowed me to load up on clothes, supplies, and gear - that would be impossible flying.
A big cooler for food and drinks.
A 200-300 year old spinning wheel from her Great or Great-Great Grandmother.
Also, my whole music collection - including a lot of sad songs.
I sang and cried along with them for the next month.
I stopped on the way out of town to visit Dot and tell her of my (our) Grand Adventure.
Her grave had lost its grass from the recent exhumation attempt, but has since come back nicely.
"Heading for the Maggies, Dot."
"You'll be riding with me all the way, in spirit - if not in person."
Crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge enroute Ellensburg.
I had planned on taking Hwy 2, but the Ferry system went belly-up and forced me onto I-90.
I'm not a big fan of the Interstates.
I left a day or two early to confuse my pals who might have blocked my driveway to prevent my leaving!
First of 24 such signs in the U.S.
I had re-routed numerous times beforehand due to extensive forest fires along my planned routes.
Now, I had a new weather challenge!
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A potent hurricane named Lee was moving across the Caribbean aiming for the Canadian Maritimes.
Eventually, the Eye of the storm passed right over the Magdalen Islands.
I had been shooting for 500 miles/day, but decided to slow down a bit and let the storm pass by.
Challenges
My challenges on this trip (aside from forest fires and hurricanes) were:
1) Health. My eyes and my knee (couldn't see and couldn't walk - but - I could DRIVE!)
I brought crutches and a walker just in case - plus my cane.
My traveling pharmacy (Old Guys need a lot of pills to keep going) and my nightly charging set-up
2 Cell phones, 2 iPads, Macbook Pro laptop computer, Hearing aids, and Apple watch. A few more.....
2) Finding motels (I had a lot of "stuff" and had to look hard for "old-fashioned" motels where you could park outside the room door.)
I began to question whether I was going to be robust enough for this endeavor. My truck is performing flawlessly and is the one bright spot so far.
"Bates Motel" dumps are getting hard to find - I was glad to find some of them. There were a few nice ones.
My original co-pilots knew we might have to share a few rooms - and even beds.....
The chains have taken over everywhere with Hotels (sans hotel services - like valets and luggage trolleys) replacing motels. I'm not cheap; I'm looking for places where I can park in front of the door. I have a lot of stuff to load and unload at every stop, and hauling them in from the back 40 parking lot, over multiple trips, and up steps and down long halls, is no fun!!!! Like Ashland Wisconsin and St. John, NB for example.
3) Semi's (18 wheelers) that own (and block) the Interstates.
"Knights" of the Open Road......
5 miles at 50 mph in an 80 mph zone - or 50 miles of bumper to bumper near Chicago
The morning I left Billings, I considered turning around and returning to Hansville.
I thought maybe my pals were right after all and I had bitten off way more than I could chew.
This was a BIG endeavor - and I was only out a couple of days.
I sat at a traffic light by the freeway entrance. The signs said left to Seattle or right to Minneapolis.
This was my "Moment of Truth."
Give Up, or Plow On?
The light turned green ----- and I turned right and headed East.
Alea iacta est, as Caesar said crossing the Rubicon (10 January 49 B.C.)
The Die is Cast
As I promised my co-pilots - Lots of Scenery
West of Cody, Wyoming
Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Dakota
Duluth, Minnesota (after an R.O.N. in Jamestown, ND)
Every day, I was up in the dark, ready to hit the road at first light (I don't drive at night.)
Eastbound, I kept losing an hour's drive time every time I crossed another Time Zone.
In order to drive 5000 miles, you need to drive 500 miles/day for 10 days. Easy!???
In order to drive 500 miles/day, you need to average (not easy to do with gas, meal, rest stops) 60 mph for 12 hours to get in 10 hours of actual driving.
Which gives you 10 hours at 50 mph.
I wondered about being able to actually hit 500 miles, but quite a few days came in at 600-700 miles. Not bad for an old fogey!
I punched in my destination at start-up and watched the miles slowly click off.
Here's a day aiming for over 600 miles.
My truck drove well, got good gas mileage (often well over 25 mpg), and liked
to drive fast (hit over 3 digits a few times.)
Hey, when the speed limit is 80 and everyone is driving 90, you have to give her the gas to get around them!
A lot of two-lane road driving and road signs needing scrutiny after passing Fargo. They are a lot tougher than the freeways. My eyes have trouble with road signs. I decided I would be unable to drive back alone, another 5000 miles, and needed help. Fortunately, another friend volunteered to act as co-pilot for the return. They would fly out and we would link-up after I left the Magdalen Islands. Unfortunately, in the end, they were unable.
My next RON (Remain Over Night) was in Ashland, Wisconsin.
The island just north in Lake superior was Madeline Island - a good Omen?
Here's Marquette, Michigan - also on Lake Superior
and nearby Ishpeming HS in the Michigan Upper Peninsula ("the Yupper").
Ishpeming is where my hero - Kelly Johnson - was born and raised.
This High School was built about 1930, after he had already left the area.
Exactly 20 years earlier, we had traversed the Yupper - in cold and snowy weather.
This time nice, warm, Fall-like weather
I began closely tracking Hurricane Lee so as to not arrive when it hit the Islands, and also so as not to arrive in the area too soon after its passage, when a lot of damage and repair and flooding work might be underway.
In 1991, we had a roller-coaster ride on the ferry out to the islands just after another hurricane had passed - it was Hurricane "Bob"!
This time, me (Bob) and Hurricane (Lee) were heading for the same spot at the same time, each having traveled thousands of miles across very different landscapes. Amazing.
I changed my ferry reservations about 5 times.
Spent the night in Sault Ste. Marie (American side) where we had spent the night 20 years before.
Ate at the same Antlers Restaurant.
Had a big carnivore dinner.
Soo Locks
I visited the Soo Locks where ships pass from Lake Huron into Lake Superior.
Transiting the Locks was the Arthur M. Anderson. Amazing!
I immediately recognized her as the vessel escorting the Edmund Fitzgerald, the giant iron-ore carrier that was lost on a stormy night in 1975 with all 29 hands.
The sinking was only 17 miles north of where I was standing watching the Anderson.
The "Fitz" was the largest ship on the Great Lakes -- and is the largest ship to have sunk in the Great Lakes.
Almost 50 years later, and the Anderson is still in service.
Actually, she was built in 1952, and so has been in service for 72 years!
It was a stroke of luck to have caught a big ore carrier transiting the Locks,
and especially so, for it to have been the Arthur Anderson.
The Anderson reported the disappearance to the Coast Guard, and, despite having reached a safe harbor, turned around and returned to the scene searching for survivors.
It was dark, it was cold, and a hellacious storm was raging.
At the time, the wind was measured at a steady 58 knots with gusts to 70 knots, and seas of 18 to 25 feet.
Click here for the detailed story.
I had studied this accident in detail.
The Fitzgerald had trouble with her radar and the Anderson, following closely behind, was providing her with navigation guidance until the awful moment....
....when the Fitz suddenly "disappeared from her radar screen."
My Journey Continues
The next morning I crossed the border into Canada. It was early - I was the only car.
The Customs Officer asked "the purpose of my trip?"
I said "To bury my wife." He waved me through.
Although not precisely correct, it was more than true metaphorically.
I was on a 500 mile leg to Ottawa across Ontario. Next day was to be Montreal, Quebec City, and onwards.
My eyes were usually best in the morning and slowly deteriorated during the day.
On this day, they were bad from the get-go. I wondered if I could even make it to the Magdalen Islands.
I stopped half-way to Ottawa in Sudbury, Ontario and phoned my volunteer co-pilot for the return trip and asked if they could meet me early as I was having a lot of difficulty driving. Since they had no Passport, I re-worked the routing to arrange a meet-up - first in Buffalo, later in Boston, and finally in Bangor, Maine. You don't need a Passport to DRIVE across the border. But you DO if you fly (out of the U.S.) Circumstances intervened and a meet-up became impossible, so I soldiered on to the Islands alone. Eventually, I returned alone.
But, -- I was now committed to the new routing so instead of
Ottawa - Montreal - Quebec City - Fredericton,
I changed to Toronto - Buffalo - Boston - Bangor - St. John.
That meant I had to cross the border 4 times instead of twice, but I had no problem with any of the crossings, either way.
Re-entering the USA at Buffalo. Took an hour even though the lines were short..
That forced a very long 14 hour day. I couldn't find a motel on the Buffalo side and it got dark. A lot of No Vacancy signs. Been there, done that. My last chance motel wound up as a real dump with one room left (with just one bed) and I was damn glad to get it! Hitchcock could have used this one for his movie Psycho. I actually thought the desk clerk was gonna be Norman Bates. 14 hours - a bit much for a geezer ready to turn 80. Who can't see or hear. Or walk. But I think like a 20 year old, and as my friend Lisa always says: "One day at a time."
V1. Rotate! Positive Rate of Climb! Gear Up.....
I skipped dinner that night. Actually, I skipped dinner many nights. Just too tired to search out an eatery. Especially in the dark.
I lost 14 lbs on the trip.
Amazing where you can go if you just keep driving.....
Crossed New York State West to East on I-90 (with detours)
Since I would be passing Syracuse, I decided to call Sue Lacey on impulse, widow of my Bro Kevin Lacey.
Kevin was Lead on repairing our Super Constellation in Rome, NY, and had ridden his Harley out to visit us in Hansville and see his beautiful airplane one more time.
Kevin sadly passed in 2017. His complete story can be found by clicking here.
Despite almost no notice, (remember, I was going nowhere near Syracuse), we arranged a meet-up at Sue's home, where she served me a lunch and we talked about Kev and the good days in our past.
Ever wonder what happens to a motor home if it rolls over in the median?
It EXPLODES!
And causes a 50 mile traffic jam (on the Massachusetts Turnpike.)
Boston to Calais, Maine
Calais, Maine to Charlottetown, PEI (Prince Edward Island)
I crossed the border into Canada (again) at Calais, Maine (St. Stephen, New Brunswick)
....and RON'd in St. John, NB - before pushing on to PEI.
My "dinner" that night consisted of two slices of 3 day old pizza with 3 Oreo cookies for desert. Pretty typical.
My Final Destination
Driving from Seattle to Boston might seem like a long trip.
But.... when you get to Boston, you have another 3-4 days to get to the Magdalen Islands.
On arrival in Charlottetown, I spent the evening with good friend Labeeb Rashed.
A career professional chef and restaurateur, he prepared an outstanding Lebanese chicken dinner.
Labeeb's wife Jean was like a sister to Dot, and called every few days while Dot was sick and after she passed.
Very sadly, Jean suffered a stroke and died a few months later. Now I was calling Labeeb to console him in his bereavement.
Labeeb just turned 90 - God Bless him.
About 50 miles from Charlottetown was the Port of Souris - the jumping off point for the Magdalen Islands.
An emotional moment.....
I had just driven 5000 miles over 12 days from Hansville to reach this sign.
More emotional moments awaited me in the hours and days to come.
.... and, here's the ship. Madeleine II. She's a big one! (Capacity 450 cars.) Details here.
My job leaving Hansville was to arrive on this dock at 11:00 AM on a certain day.
... and here I was!
The wind was blowing hard, and it was chilly
Quite fancy - more like a Cruise Ship
The trip out to the Magdalen Islands takes 5-7 hours depending on the weather.
Today's crossing was "routine" with moderate seas and cascades of white foam pounding up and over the bow and across the windows.
After 5 hours out of sight of land, it was time for "Land Ho!"
The Magdalen Islands rose out of the misty horizon.
This remote archipelago in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A place I had never heard of before our marriage.
A place most people have never heard of. Period.
But, a place with a huge place in my life - and in my heart.
It was a very emotional moment. Very.
I figured this might be my last trip - ever - to the Islands.
And I was bringing Dot back home - sort of. I could feel her Spirit beside me as we approached her Homeland.
I knew I had done all I could to truly bring her Home. And I knew she was happy.
I was making this trip FOR her.
I now knew for sure that making this trip was the Right thing to do. For ME.
My first visit to "the House" and the Islands was in November 1970
The drive to Havre-Aubert took about half hour, mostly in the dark.
When I arrived "Home" - the wind was blowing so hard (normal!), that I had to move my truck in order to open the driver's door! No kidding.
Nephew Louis-Armand and wife Jocelyne met me, and we unloaded my bags, leaving the main load for the next day.
The house had been extensively remodeled (and moved away from the bank) and looked sensational.
House Cormier - built 1923
Built by her Father, Augustin, the ancestral home was marking its 100th Anniversary.
With Dot - the little blond-headed girl - in the lower foreground in front of "the house" - about 1941
Home to 12 people.
Although I had given up drinking about 12 years ago, Jocelyne broke out a bottle of Scotch and we hoisted a stiff one - to my trip - to all of us - to Dot.
Louis Armand in his office
Louis is a retired lawyer and Judge
Jocelyne is a retired medical Pathologist
A fine office!
The view - not unlike our similar view in Hansville
YES! I was really here!
Hansville, Washington -- to -- Havre-Aubert, Magdalen Islands, Quebec, Canada
5000 miles and 12 days
An epic journey to "the House."
From the hill behind the house - I had beautiful weather for six days in a beautiful place.
An Enchanted Place
This is the cemetery where I had planned to lay Dot to Rest for a second time...
...with her Family.
.... and, eventually - me too.
I brought many boxes of Dot's papers and genealogy materials.
Here - on the left - Louis and Jocelyne are admiring one of Dot's many photo albums.
On the right, they are reviewing the very same album with Dot in our dining room in Hansville (March 11, 2016.).
We had many visitors. This is Louis's brother Yvan (I hope).
That makes him MY nephew too, I guess.
Madelinots (Magdalen Islanders) are animated people!
...and another of Louis's brothers - this one is Robert (I hope).
He's my nephew also.
Dot had 37 nieces and nephews.
So I guess I have 37 nieces and nephews (on her side) as well.
With their spouses and kids, forgive me if I don't get them all straight.
This is niece (Dot's - and mine) Lucie.
She and husband J.P. had me over to their place for lunch.
Their place is very rustic in the woods - Yes! there are woods on the Magdalen Islands.
They used to live in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, but returned to the Maggies some years ago.
We drove around the area quite a bit.
One place we visited was the Museum of the Sea.
See the middle Church?
Louis is very active in the Museum and is a Board Member.
I plan to make a substantial donation to the Museum - in Dot's name.
Well, here's the same Church!
It was built by Dot's Father - Augustin.
Note the name of the street - Sullivan.
Dot's maternal Grandfather, William Sullivan, originally came to the Islands from PEI under a contract to build a church.
After he had built the church, he met a Maggie girl and wound up staying in the Islands.
That made Dot half French and half Irish. What a combo!
Dot's father built anything and everything of wood - from houses to churches, caskets to fishing boats.A detailed version of the Trip and the activities leading up to it can be found in a five or six page web photo essay which you can find by clicking here to start.
In the summer of 2022, Dot's brother Louis-Philippe passed, the last of 10 siblings and the last of her generation. I covered it in last year's newsletter. Nephew Louis-Armand sent me some pictures and a video of the funeral. They touched me deeply and I decided Dot needed to be buried back there -- in the Magdalen Islands -- with her Family and friends. Some cemetery rules and closing of the border due to covid prevented that from happening when Dot died.
Brother Louis-Philippe's funeral in the Magdalen Islands
It convinced me that's where Dot should be too.....
It convinced me that's where Dot should be too.....
I decided to make it happen and spent the next year working the details - her exhumation, transport to her home, and reburial. It was a (very) big job, working with 8 funeral homes, U.S. and Canadian Customs at multiple ports of entry, airlines and trucking companies, and occupying me full time. (I was plowing new ground with the cemeteries, with some things they had never done before.) In the end, I had it all arranged down to the last tiny detail, with only the condition of her casket on disinterment being out of my control. I started with the airlines and trucking companies, but their myriad regulations and requirements slowly pushed them out of the picture. If I was going to get Dot back home, then I was going to have to drive her there myself. So, the Plan devolved down into my driving her in a rented Penske truck, a pretty ambitious undertaking. I had a lot of support from friends. I had a volunteer co-pilot for the trip, and two sets of back-up co-pilots. Even more in the wings if needed. I have wonderful friends. Wonderful.
Monday, August 28 was D-Day to start the ball rolling. Sadly, the only detail I could not control was the one which did me in. When we dug down to her grave, we found her casket had badly deteriorated and fallen to pieces. So, we re-closed the grave and gave up on The Plan, cancelling all the hard-worked arrangements. It was a truly devastating, and unexpected morning.
To say I was gut-punched as we re-closed her grave would be a great understatement.
I felt all the blood drain from my body and sat on "our" bench watching the grave-diggers.
It all happened so fast; it just took a glance to realize the Plan was not to be.
The grave-diggers were finished and gone before the funeral home van even arrived.
I sat there alone, dazed; my head was swimming, the world was spinning.
In the next few days, since I was all packed and had a load of heirloom furniture and other items all stacked ready to be loaded in the Penske truck along with the casket, I decided to just load them in my pickup truck and drive back there anyway. Which is what I did. I had promised Dot, and it was a promise I intended to keep. (Five days prior to departure, I blew out my left knee, which made it look like even this idea would go bust), but a cortisone shot got me mobile again. Sunday, Sept 10, I loaded up, hobbled out into my truck, and headed East on the 5000 mile journey to the Magdalen Islands. I left a few days early so as not to get cold feet, and to keep my friends from dissuading me. Besides, I was champing at the bit.
My objective was this house, a long ways from Hansville, Washington....
A small house in a remote place.
The house was built by Dot's father and completed 100 years ago in 1923.
Dot was born in this house.
After her Mother's passing in 1971, the house passed to Dot.
Eventually, Dot sold the house and it now belongs to her nephew Louis-Armand Cormier.
It was located on these islands in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence
I told my co-pilots that when they finished this trip, they'd know they had "been somewhere!"
The "Trip"
The following is a "brief" synopsis. See here for the details, if you want. I took over 2000 photos, so the ones you see here have been culled down to a smaller number.
I pulsed my friends before starting out and received much encouragement, but also some very sane advice about my age, health, and the rigors of this proposed journey. You can read all their comments in my Detailed Pages. In the end, after my knee became functional again, I decided to make the trip. I knew I was stubborn - and dumb - but figured I wasn't stupid. (No comments, please.) It was a trip I felt I HAD to make - and make it NOW. Next year would be too late. I'm sure I was right on all counts.
It would be my second round trip from Hansville to the Islands - the last being in September 2003 - exactly, almost to the day, 20 years earlier. (Story here.) I knew precisely what an arduous trip it would be - and it was! Basically, 500 miles/day for 10 days ought to get me there. Actually, it took me 12 days, but I did some major re-routes along the way and stood down for one day in Pittsfield, Mass. But the weather was good and I had no mechanical issues like I did during the previous trip.
My separate Detailed Trip webpages describe the issues with changing routes, weather (a hurricane), fires, Customs clearances, and myriad other issues. I re-routed enroute several times, including switching from Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, to Buffalo, Boston, Bangor. But, as I said the last time, it's amazing what you can do if you jump in your car and keep hitting those filling stations!
The East-bound route(s).
I wound up crossing 8 Time Zones, 24 State Lines, and 6 Canadian Provinces
Entering Maine from New Brunswick at St. Croix
The Magdalen Islands are on Atlantic Time - 4 hours from Seattle.
It's actually only 3 hours time difference to London vs 4 hours to Seattle.
That's how far it is!
Loading heirlooms into my Honda Ridgeline at the front door in Hansville.
I had a major maintenance check done before leaving and it performed flawlessly.
Driving myself gave me a lot of "think time". Which I needed.
It also allowed me to load up on clothes, supplies, and gear - that would be impossible flying.
A big cooler for food and drinks.
A 200-300 year old spinning wheel from her Great or Great-Great Grandmother.
Also, my whole music collection - including a lot of sad songs.
I sang and cried along with them for the next month.
Pulled
the chocks, pushed out, and departed for the Narrows Bridge about 2 PM,
a day early - after first stopping at the cemetery to give Dot a full
pre-flight briefing. Trip to Ellensburg was uneventful.
Bedded down in my first of many Bates Motels. They're getting
harder and harder to find. The chains have taken over everywhere
with Hotels (in name only - sans hotel services) replacing motels (no
valets, bellmen, luggage trolleys.) I'm not cheap; I'm looking for
places where I can park in front of the door. I have a lot of
stuff to load and unload at every stop, and hauling them in from the
back 40 parking lot, over multiple trips, and up steps, and down long
hallways, with bad knees and hips is no fun!!!!
I stopped on the way out of town to visit Dot and tell her of my (our) Grand Adventure.
Her grave had lost its grass from the recent exhumation attempt, but has since come back nicely.
"Heading for the Maggies, Dot."
"You'll be riding with me all the way, in spirit - if not in person."
Crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge enroute Ellensburg.
I had planned on taking Hwy 2, but the Ferry system went belly-up and forced me onto I-90.
I'm not a big fan of the Interstates.
I left a day or two early to confuse my pals who might have blocked my driveway to prevent my leaving!
First of 24 such signs in the U.S.
I had re-routed numerous times beforehand due to extensive forest fires along my planned routes.
Now, I had a new weather challenge!
A potent hurricane named Lee was moving across the Caribbean aiming for the Canadian Maritimes.
Eventually, the Eye of the storm passed right over the Magdalen Islands.
I had been shooting for 500 miles/day, but decided to slow down a bit and let the storm pass by.
I was aiming for Missoula, but got there early and pushed on to Butte. Got there early too, so I
wound up in a dump motel in Bozeman that charged sky-high rates, and
glad to find a room. That
was a mistake. Bozeman is one of the main Entry points for Yellowstone
National Park and it was a zoo -
$200-400 for a Bates motel special. It was bend-over time, and I took
my enema as required (lugging my heavy 3 loads up flights of stairs with
two bad hips and a bad knee.) I was surprised - most all of the visitors were
tourists from Europe.
I then burned a day for the hurricane and detoured from Bozeman, Montana through Yellowstone National Park, then to Cody, Wyoming and back up to Billings, Montana. Dot and I had long planned to visit Yellowstone, but were scared off by reports of crowds. In fact, my Honda Ridgeline was purchased for just such a trip. Now I would visit Yellowstone - with the truck, but without Dot. She didn't miss much - the reports were accurate. Despite being after Labor Day and High Season, the Park was jammed. Long lines just to get in. The parking lots were all full, and the "Overflow Parking Lots" were all full as well. And the roads were 5 mph bumper to bumper - it reminded me of a Costco parking lot experience. Sad.
I then burned a day for the hurricane and detoured from Bozeman, Montana through Yellowstone National Park, then to Cody, Wyoming and back up to Billings, Montana. Dot and I had long planned to visit Yellowstone, but were scared off by reports of crowds. In fact, my Honda Ridgeline was purchased for just such a trip. Now I would visit Yellowstone - with the truck, but without Dot. She didn't miss much - the reports were accurate. Despite being after Labor Day and High Season, the Park was jammed. Long lines just to get in. The parking lots were all full, and the "Overflow Parking Lots" were all full as well. And the roads were 5 mph bumper to bumper - it reminded me of a Costco parking lot experience. Sad.
Saw some beautiful scenery, but hard to enjoy it
cruising by with the throngs. And saw nary a
wild critter - no bears, deer, moose, elk, sheep or
bison, despite driving around most of the day. See lots more wildlife in my yard in Hansville (no Bison.) I did
see a lot of super dumb tourists doing a lot of
super-dumb things.
Definitely Bear country
My closest to a hot spring/geyser - a slow cruise past among lines of cars.
Definitely Bear country
My closest to a hot spring/geyser - a slow cruise past among lines of cars.
Challenges
My challenges on this trip (aside from forest fires and hurricanes) were:
1) Health. My eyes and my knee (couldn't see and couldn't walk - but - I could DRIVE!)
I brought crutches and a walker just in case - plus my cane.
My traveling pharmacy (Old Guys need a lot of pills to keep going) and my nightly charging set-up
2 Cell phones, 2 iPads, Macbook Pro laptop computer, Hearing aids, and Apple watch. A few more.....
2) Finding motels (I had a lot of "stuff" and had to look hard for "old-fashioned" motels where you could park outside the room door.)
I began to question whether I was going to be robust enough for this endeavor. My truck is performing flawlessly and is the one bright spot so far.
"Bates Motel" dumps are getting hard to find - I was glad to find some of them. There were a few nice ones.
My original co-pilots knew we might have to share a few rooms - and even beds.....
The chains have taken over everywhere with Hotels (sans hotel services - like valets and luggage trolleys) replacing motels. I'm not cheap; I'm looking for places where I can park in front of the door. I have a lot of stuff to load and unload at every stop, and hauling them in from the back 40 parking lot, over multiple trips, and up steps and down long halls, is no fun!!!! Like Ashland Wisconsin and St. John, NB for example.
3) Semi's (18 wheelers) that own (and block) the Interstates.
"Knights" of the Open Road......
5 miles at 50 mph in an 80 mph zone - or 50 miles of bumper to bumper near Chicago
The morning I left Billings, I considered turning around and returning to Hansville.
I thought maybe my pals were right after all and I had bitten off way more than I could chew.
This was a BIG endeavor - and I was only out a couple of days.
I sat at a traffic light by the freeway entrance. The signs said left to Seattle or right to Minneapolis.
This was my "Moment of Truth."
Give Up, or Plow On?
The light turned green ----- and I turned right and headed East.
Alea iacta est, as Caesar said crossing the Rubicon (10 January 49 B.C.)
The Die is Cast
As I promised my co-pilots - Lots of Scenery
West of Cody, Wyoming
Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Dakota
Duluth, Minnesota (after an R.O.N. in Jamestown, ND)
Every day, I was up in the dark, ready to hit the road at first light (I don't drive at night.)
Eastbound, I kept losing an hour's drive time every time I crossed another Time Zone.
In order to drive 5000 miles, you need to drive 500 miles/day for 10 days. Easy!???
In order to drive 500 miles/day, you need to average (not easy to do with gas, meal, rest stops) 60 mph for 12 hours to get in 10 hours of actual driving.
Which gives you 10 hours at 50 mph.
I wondered about being able to actually hit 500 miles, but quite a few days came in at 600-700 miles. Not bad for an old fogey!
I punched in my destination at start-up and watched the miles slowly click off.
Here's a day aiming for over 600 miles.
My truck drove well, got good gas mileage (often well over 25 mpg), and liked
to drive fast (hit over 3 digits a few times.)
Hey, when the speed limit is 80 and everyone is driving 90, you have to give her the gas to get around them!
A lot of two-lane road driving and road signs needing scrutiny after passing Fargo. They are a lot tougher than the freeways. My eyes have trouble with road signs. I decided I would be unable to drive back alone, another 5000 miles, and needed help. Fortunately, another friend volunteered to act as co-pilot for the return. They would fly out and we would link-up after I left the Magdalen Islands. Unfortunately, in the end, they were unable.
|
Some Navigation Advice
I depended a lot on my electronic navigation aids. My truck has one - picture above. I've tried and used a dozen map apps extensively. I used mostly Google Maps whose verbal guidance is the best (although their visual maps are only poor to fair, IMO.) The Google Map Lady has gotten me through many complex situations. I also use Mapy.cz that has great visual maps. I've also worked with Mapquest, Waze, and about every other Nav program out there. One I've used extensively and would put at the bottom of my list is Apple Maps - beyond terrible IMHO (despite my having the complete suite of Apple products.) The first problem is Apple Maps is ONLY functional when you have an internet connection (either WiFi or Cellular) AND does not allow you to download maps onto your device. My niece and her husband coming down from Vancouver Island a few months ago got lost for 4 hours when they got off the ferry in Port Angeles and lost their internet signal. You absolutely NEED to be able to download your maps to your device (phone or tablet.) Second (since I had Apple and Google running in parallel for 10,000 miles, plus my truck) is Apple gives TERRIBLE Nav guidance. For example, driving east on I-90 towards Boston, heading for Portland, Maine, ALL of my Nav Apps had me taking one (of two) Ring roads around Boston - primarily I-495 (or less favorable I-95). Apple had me staying on I-90 right into the heart of Boston and then sending me North on I-93. Geez! Gimme a break!!! I have many more examples. Also, Apple likes to keep talking to you even when there's nothing to say. This can get very distracting when all they're saying is stay on the road you're on. Google will say something like: "Get on I-80 Westbound for 495 miles" and you won't hear from them again until you need to exit in 495 miles. I'm not a fan of Google, but at least they assume you have some modicum of intelligence and can stay on a major marked route.  |
My next RON (Remain Over Night) was in Ashland, Wisconsin.
The island just north in Lake superior was Madeline Island - a good Omen?
Here's Marquette, Michigan - also on Lake Superior
and nearby Ishpeming HS in the Michigan Upper Peninsula ("the Yupper").
Ishpeming is where my hero - Kelly Johnson - was born and raised.
This High School was built about 1930, after he had already left the area.
Exactly 20 years earlier, we had traversed the Yupper - in cold and snowy weather.
This time nice, warm, Fall-like weather
I began closely tracking Hurricane Lee so as to not arrive when it hit the Islands, and also so as not to arrive in the area too soon after its passage, when a lot of damage and repair and flooding work might be underway.
In 1991, we had a roller-coaster ride on the ferry out to the islands just after another hurricane had passed - it was Hurricane "Bob"!
This time, me (Bob) and Hurricane (Lee) were heading for the same spot at the same time, each having traveled thousands of miles across very different landscapes. Amazing.
I changed my ferry reservations about 5 times.
Spent the night in Sault Ste. Marie (American side) where we had spent the night 20 years before.
Ate at the same Antlers Restaurant.
Had a big carnivore dinner.
Soo Locks
I visited the Soo Locks where ships pass from Lake Huron into Lake Superior.
Transiting the Locks was the Arthur M. Anderson. Amazing!
I immediately recognized her as the vessel escorting the Edmund Fitzgerald, the giant iron-ore carrier that was lost on a stormy night in 1975 with all 29 hands.
The sinking was only 17 miles north of where I was standing watching the Anderson.
The "Fitz" was the largest ship on the Great Lakes -- and is the largest ship to have sunk in the Great Lakes.
Almost 50 years later, and the Anderson is still in service.
Actually, she was built in 1952, and so has been in service for 72 years!
It was a stroke of luck to have caught a big ore carrier transiting the Locks,
and especially so, for it to have been the Arthur Anderson.
The Anderson reported the disappearance to the Coast Guard, and, despite having reached a safe harbor, turned around and returned to the scene searching for survivors.
It was dark, it was cold, and a hellacious storm was raging.
At the time, the wind was measured at a steady 58 knots with gusts to 70 knots, and seas of 18 to 25 feet.
Click here for the detailed story.
I had studied this accident in detail.
The Fitzgerald had trouble with her radar and the Anderson, following closely behind, was providing her with navigation guidance until the awful moment....
....when the Fitz suddenly "disappeared from her radar screen."
My Journey Continues
The next morning I crossed the border into Canada. It was early - I was the only car.
The Customs Officer asked "the purpose of my trip?"
I said "To bury my wife." He waved me through.
Although not precisely correct, it was more than true metaphorically.
I was on a 500 mile leg to Ottawa across Ontario. Next day was to be Montreal, Quebec City, and onwards.
My eyes were usually best in the morning and slowly deteriorated during the day.
On this day, they were bad from the get-go. I wondered if I could even make it to the Magdalen Islands.
I stopped half-way to Ottawa in Sudbury, Ontario and phoned my volunteer co-pilot for the return trip and asked if they could meet me early as I was having a lot of difficulty driving. Since they had no Passport, I re-worked the routing to arrange a meet-up - first in Buffalo, later in Boston, and finally in Bangor, Maine. You don't need a Passport to DRIVE across the border. But you DO if you fly (out of the U.S.) Circumstances intervened and a meet-up became impossible, so I soldiered on to the Islands alone. Eventually, I returned alone.
But, -- I was now committed to the new routing so instead of
Ottawa - Montreal - Quebec City - Fredericton,
I changed to Toronto - Buffalo - Boston - Bangor - St. John.
That meant I had to cross the border 4 times instead of twice, but I had no problem with any of the crossings, either way.
Re-entering the USA at Buffalo. Took an hour even though the lines were short..
That forced a very long 14 hour day. I couldn't find a motel on the Buffalo side and it got dark. A lot of No Vacancy signs. Been there, done that. My last chance motel wound up as a real dump with one room left (with just one bed) and I was damn glad to get it! Hitchcock could have used this one for his movie Psycho. I actually thought the desk clerk was gonna be Norman Bates. 14 hours - a bit much for a geezer ready to turn 80. Who can't see or hear. Or walk. But I think like a 20 year old, and as my friend Lisa always says: "One day at a time."
V1. Rotate! Positive Rate of Climb! Gear Up.....
I skipped dinner that night. Actually, I skipped dinner many nights. Just too tired to search out an eatery. Especially in the dark.
I lost 14 lbs on the trip.
Amazing where you can go if you just keep driving.....
Crossed New York State West to East on I-90 (with detours)
Since I would be passing Syracuse, I decided to call Sue Lacey on impulse, widow of my Bro Kevin Lacey.
Kevin was Lead on repairing our Super Constellation in Rome, NY, and had ridden his Harley out to visit us in Hansville and see his beautiful airplane one more time.
Kevin sadly passed in 2017. His complete story can be found by clicking here.
Despite almost no notice, (remember, I was going nowhere near Syracuse), we arranged a meet-up at Sue's home, where she served me a lunch and we talked about Kev and the good days in our past.
Ever wonder what happens to a motor home if it rolls over in the median?
It EXPLODES!
And causes a 50 mile traffic jam (on the Massachusetts Turnpike.)
Boston to Calais, Maine
Calais, Maine to Charlottetown, PEI (Prince Edward Island)
I crossed the border into Canada (again) at Calais, Maine (St. Stephen, New Brunswick)
....and RON'd in St. John, NB - before pushing on to PEI.
My "dinner" that night consisted of two slices of 3 day old pizza with 3 Oreo cookies for desert. Pretty typical.
My Final Destination
Driving from Seattle to Boston might seem like a long trip.
But.... when you get to Boston, you have another 3-4 days to get to the Magdalen Islands.
On arrival in Charlottetown, I spent the evening with good friend Labeeb Rashed.
A career professional chef and restaurateur, he prepared an outstanding Lebanese chicken dinner.
Labeeb's wife Jean was like a sister to Dot, and called every few days while Dot was sick and after she passed.
Very sadly, Jean suffered a stroke and died a few months later. Now I was calling Labeeb to console him in his bereavement.
Labeeb just turned 90 - God Bless him.
About 50 miles from Charlottetown was the Port of Souris - the jumping off point for the Magdalen Islands.
An emotional moment.....
I had just driven 5000 miles over 12 days from Hansville to reach this sign.
More emotional moments awaited me in the hours and days to come.
.... and, here's the ship. Madeleine II. She's a big one! (Capacity 450 cars.) Details here.
My job leaving Hansville was to arrive on this dock at 11:00 AM on a certain day.
... and here I was!
The wind was blowing hard, and it was chilly
Quite fancy - more like a Cruise Ship
The trip out to the Magdalen Islands takes 5-7 hours depending on the weather.
Today's crossing was "routine" with moderate seas and cascades of white foam pounding up and over the bow and across the windows.
After 5 hours out of sight of land, it was time for "Land Ho!"
The Magdalen Islands rose out of the misty horizon.
This remote archipelago in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A place I had never heard of before our marriage.
A place most people have never heard of. Period.
But, a place with a huge place in my life - and in my heart.
It was a very emotional moment. Very.
I figured this might be my last trip - ever - to the Islands.
And I was bringing Dot back home - sort of. I could feel her Spirit beside me as we approached her Homeland.
I knew I had done all I could to truly bring her Home. And I knew she was happy.
I was making this trip FOR her.
I now knew for sure that making this trip was the Right thing to do. For ME.
My first visit to "the House" and the Islands was in November 1970
The drive to Havre-Aubert took about half hour, mostly in the dark.
When I arrived "Home" - the wind was blowing so hard (normal!), that I had to move my truck in order to open the driver's door! No kidding.
Nephew Louis-Armand and wife Jocelyne met me, and we unloaded my bags, leaving the main load for the next day.
The house had been extensively remodeled (and moved away from the bank) and looked sensational.
House Cormier - built 1923
Built by her Father, Augustin, the ancestral home was marking its 100th Anniversary.
With Dot - the little blond-headed girl - in the lower foreground in front of "the house" - about 1941
Home to 12 people.
Although I had given up drinking about 12 years ago, Jocelyne broke out a bottle of Scotch and we hoisted a stiff one - to my trip - to all of us - to Dot.
Louis Armand in his office
Louis is a retired lawyer and Judge
Jocelyne is a retired medical Pathologist
A fine office!
The view - not unlike our similar view in Hansville
YES! I was really here!
Hansville, Washington -- to -- Havre-Aubert, Magdalen Islands, Quebec, Canada
5000 miles and 12 days
An epic journey to "the House."
From the hill behind the house - I had beautiful weather for six days in a beautiful place.
An Enchanted Place
This is the cemetery where I had planned to lay Dot to Rest for a second time...
...with her Family.
.... and, eventually - me too.
Alas - it was not to be. But I ordered stones that will be placed there - with her Mother's grave.
Visiting brother-in-law Louis-Philippe's grave
From Havre-Aubert - to Snohomish - to Hansville - to Havre-Aubert
Back where they came from. Back where they belong.
Rocker, spinning wheel, pictures, lamps, items made by her Father and Mother.
Wood planes that belonged to Grandfather William Sullivan and used to build the house.
My collection of about a dozen will join others on display in the house.
I estimate they are 200-300 years old.
Some of the items I brought - one of two quilts Dot made, along with two others made by her Mother - in that very house.
Visiting brother-in-law Louis-Philippe's grave
From Havre-Aubert - to Snohomish - to Hansville - to Havre-Aubert
Back where they came from. Back where they belong.
Rocker, spinning wheel, pictures, lamps, items made by her Father and Mother.
Wood planes that belonged to Grandfather William Sullivan and used to build the house.
My collection of about a dozen will join others on display in the house.
I estimate they are 200-300 years old.
Some of the items I brought - one of two quilts Dot made, along with two others made by her Mother - in that very house.
I brought many boxes of Dot's papers and genealogy materials.
Here - on the left - Louis and Jocelyne are admiring one of Dot's many photo albums.
On the right, they are reviewing the very same album with Dot in our dining room in Hansville (March 11, 2016.).
We had many visitors. This is Louis's brother Yvan (I hope).
That makes him MY nephew too, I guess.
Madelinots (Magdalen Islanders) are animated people!
...and another of Louis's brothers - this one is Robert (I hope).
He's my nephew also.
Dot had 37 nieces and nephews.
So I guess I have 37 nieces and nephews (on her side) as well.
With their spouses and kids, forgive me if I don't get them all straight.
This is niece (Dot's - and mine) Lucie.
She and husband J.P. had me over to their place for lunch.
Their place is very rustic in the woods - Yes! there are woods on the Magdalen Islands.
They used to live in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, but returned to the Maggies some years ago.
We drove around the area quite a bit.
One place we visited was the Museum of the Sea.
See the middle Church?
Louis is very active in the Museum and is a Board Member.
I plan to make a substantial donation to the Museum - in Dot's name.
Well, here's the same Church!
It was built by Dot's Father - Augustin.
Note the name of the street - Sullivan.
Dot's maternal Grandfather, William Sullivan, originally came to the Islands from PEI under a contract to build a church.
After he had built the church, he met a Maggie girl and wound up staying in the Islands.
That made Dot half French and half Irish. What a combo!
Speaking of which, there are quite a few in the Islands!
Return to Hansville
After six days, my time in Les Isles had run out and it was time for me to try and make a run for returning to Hansville.
I had great weather and great hospitality and great food - Merci Beaucoup to all!
It was sad leaving - knowing I likely would never return.
But Dot's Spirit remained.
I loaded my truck and headed for the ferry dock about 5 AM.
A smooth voyage.
Back again on PEI for two more days. A great place!
PEI - a Charmed Place
That night, I had dinner with Paula MacKenzie.
Paula was Dot's cousin, and (I think) also worked for Maritime Central Airways.
Paula looked G R E A T !!!
The next morning I drove up to North Rustico on the northern coast of PEI and had lunch with Lorna and Maurice St. Jules - long time friends.
Lorna was one of 2 roommates Dot had while she was single living in Montreal before we met and married.
The view from their house.
From there, it was back across the Confederation Bridge to Fredericton, New Brunswick
Here's an "Aviation Place".
What? You don't recognize it? Shame on you, my so-called "Aviation Friends."
Shediac was an Historic place in Aviation History.
It was selected by Charles Lindbergh as a trans-Atlantic Clipper stop for the Boeing 314 route to England.
In 1931 and 1933, Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh embarked on two lengthy trips over vast expanses of water and uncharted, unpopulated territory, exploring possible overseas airline routes during the pioneering days of international air travel. The 1933 flight arose from international interest in developing commercial air routes. As Pan American’s technical advisor, Charles Lindbergh was sent to survey a route from Newfoundland to Europe.
They flew in this Lockheed Sirius 30,000 miles as far as Moscow, and then down through Africa and S. America.
The Clipper Route that resulted left New York LaGuardia Marine Air Terminal and stopped in Shediac, Botswood (Newfoundland, near present Gander), Foynes, Ireland and on to the Southampton in the U.K.
Pan Am slipped crews in Shediac and I made a good friend - Everett McQuinn (now dec.) - who grew up in Shediac and told me numerous stories of watching the Clippers come and go when he was a boy. And sent great pictures. Like these two never published home photos.
1939
He told me that the current occupant was the SBYC - Shediac Bay Yacht Club and the pier was still called the "Pan Am Dock".
So.... next time I ask you guys about Shediac, you better have the "right answer"!
Back into and across the USA
I had no fewer than a dozen friends and relatives that I could have visited on my return - in Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Wyoming and more. But, I was approaching a month on the road, was very tired of strange beds and searching for motels and fighting the semi's - and I had developed a bad case of Get-Home-Itis. So I passed apologies and put the pedal to the metal. In two days, I went from Boston to the middle of Iowa - over 1200 miles!
I'd had a number of Lobster Rolls on my trip, and decided I needed one more, so I detoured down the (always great) Maine coast to find a "joint." Might have been "a joint" but their prices were Waldorf Astoria. I knew I was getting Taken, but bit my lip and passed the Man my credit card.
At least I knew the lobster was fresh as I watched them unload the fishing boat right there.
$42 bucks is a bit much for a hot dog bun, some lobster and some fries.
And,.... I've had much better lobster rolls!
Well, I wasn't coming back any time soon, so it was time to let some moths fly out of my wallet.
O beautiful for spacious skies
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
As some of you may already know, I'm not a fan of the windmills sprouting up everywhere in the name of "Renewable Energy." I'll skip boring you with all the engineering and environmental downsides of those contraptions and just talk about their impact on the scenic vistas in this country (and the world.)
I'm a photographer. Primarily a Landscape photographer. Long drives used to be bonanzas for my landscape photography. But, no more. I have to look long and hard to get what I consider to be a decent view that I might attempt to capture in a photograph. Without windmills. Wind turbines, aka windmills, have taken over the landscape. Everywhere. Mountain vistas, bucolic farms, endless corn and wheat fields are all fair game.
What used to be this.... has become this
Even among the bucolic rolling dairy farms in the New York Finger Lake district.
Some Eye Candy
Fortunately, I was able to find and capture some landscapes suitable for saving with my camera.
Saved before the next crop of windmills sprouts on the landscape.
Back on the Road Again
Bath Iron Works - where the U.S. Navy has many ships built
Piscataqua River Bridge - Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Hartford, Connecticut
Crossing the Hudson River -- and West Point
Guess where! Scranton, PA.
I-80 and I-90 are joined across Ohio
Here's a new one for me. Move over handicap parking; Hello Electric cars!
Crossing the Mississippi
My only really bad weather for the entire trip was a few hours traversing a squall line near Omaha.
I was able to track it in real time on my iPad aviation app right on my knee.
My next RON after Williamsburg, Iowa, was North Platte, Nebraska
North Platte is famous (sort of) for having the Bailey Yard of Union Pacific - the largest rail yard in the world.
It was also famous for hosting G.I.'s on troop trains during World War II.
Troop trains would stop there all day and all night and the locals created a canteen that welcomed the soldiers with food and music and good old American hospitality.
This book was written about the experiences.
Bailey Yard has two enormous "Hump Yards" and locomotive servicing facilities etc spread over 2850 acres.
There is a Tour Center with a Tower where visitors can pay and observe the operations.
Unfortunately, it didn't open until 10 AM - I would be long gone by then.
I was also cheap.
So, I took my own tour. Better than the paid admission observation tower.
I drove all around the locomotive shops and saw the Humps in action up close.
The Yard was festooned with dozens (if not hundreds) of signs reading:
"Union Pacific Private Property. No Trespassing."
But, I used the Woody Guthrie system from one of his songs:
"The sign said No Trespassing. But, on the back it didn't say nuthing."
Worked for me. I had a great self-tour. Up close and personal.
Then, I headed for Wyoming.
Cheyenne - State Capital
Wyoming - Wide Open Spaces!
Home, Home on the Range
Where the deer and the antelope (and the windmills) play!
Westbound on I-80
Laramie, Wyoming
My next RON - Kemmerer, Wyoming. Temp 25 deg F in the morning; truck covered with ice and frost.
Guess what!
Arrived early in Baker City, so continued on and RON'd in La Grande.
Columbia River Bridge - on the far side is Washington - my 24th State Line crossing.
Back home again!
Familiar place names
I decided to get off the freeway and take Highway 410 over Chinook Pass to Tacoma.
I had done the same in 2009 when driving from Orlando, Florida.
Highway 410 has nice scenery and Fall colors.
But..... cresting Chinook Pass -- THIS is what I was after.
First came here in 1963 - 60 years ago. Never disappoints. Never.
After a month on the road, some familiar signs and places.
Crossing the Narrows Bridge again - this time Westbound.
Stopping at the Hansville Cemetery to visit Dot and give her a full Report.
Back home again in Hansville
To sleep again in my own bed!
A month on the road and 10,000 miles under our belt.
We had accomplished what we set out to do.
There's a 100 year old house. On a piece of land. On a small island.
Far, Far Away.
We somehow determined to get there - encouraged by some, discouraged by others.
Against many, many odds and obstacles.
But, we did it anyway.
And.... I'm so glad we did.
Savor each day and love one another, for our time here is
brief.
Wishing you Happy
Days and a better New Year,
Peace,
Bob B.
Bob B.
Passings
Jay MattJay was a life long good
friend We grew up close to each other (but never knew each
other.) I grew up in New Rochelle, and he grew up in nearby Port
Chester. We first met at Boeing, where we learned of our close
upbringing and common interests. Private pilot, rifle team,- there
were many parallels. We were both avid hikers and spent many
weekends hiking all over the Northwest. We especially liked going
out to Cape Alava on the Washington Coast. We'd drive Friday night
to the parking area at the trailhead at Lake Ozette, and then hiked
into the beach at first light. In those days, razor clams were
numerous and unregulated and we spent the weekend digging and eating
razors.
Both of us wound up going into Commercial Field Service, working for Andy Jones, and located in the NW corner of the 10-85 building in Renton. Jay went into the Field first, going to JFK Airport in New York. Coincidentally, or amazingly, I joined him there about 6 months later. After nearly a year, I went on to Montreal, and Jay went on to other assignments - first to Varig in Brazil if memory serves me. After retirement, he and Susan moved to Hawaii (one of my many Field Service stops.) We corresponded frequently via email until he suffered a stroke and wound up in an assisted living facility in Hawaii, eventually returning to the Seattle area.
Obit
Both of us wound up going into Commercial Field Service, working for Andy Jones, and located in the NW corner of the 10-85 building in Renton. Jay went into the Field first, going to JFK Airport in New York. Coincidentally, or amazingly, I joined him there about 6 months later. After nearly a year, I went on to Montreal, and Jay went on to other assignments - first to Varig in Brazil if memory serves me. After retirement, he and Susan moved to Hawaii (one of my many Field Service stops.) We corresponded frequently via email until he suffered a stroke and wound up in an assisted living facility in Hawaii, eventually returning to the Seattle area.
Obit
Jay
Elliot Matt passed away on December 26, 2023 at the Caroline Kline
Galland Home following a long battle with Lewy body dementia. Born
August 18, 1942 in Port Chester, New York to Thelma and Irving Matt, he
was the older brother to Sona. He grew up in Port Chester, spending
winters in Florida with his mother and sister, and graduated from Port
Chester High School where he was captain of the rifle team, and going on
to Penn State University, where he earned a BS degree in Engineering.
He spent a short time in the Peace Corps, learning Swahili and teaching
in a New York inner city school before deciding he did not want to
teach. After a year at Pratt & Whitney he was recruited by the
Boeing Airplane Company in 1965. Airplanes were his first love and he
was a private pilot at a young age.
Jay married Susan Nathanson in 1972, and four children followed through
the years between 1973 and 1987. Jay's career with the Boeing Company
took the family to a variety of places around the world, including
Brazil and Japan where they lived, and countries around the Far East. In
1989, the family returned to the United States, where they spent the
rest of Jay's life mostly in the Seattle area. During that time, Jay's
last position with Boeing was Senior Manager in the Commercial Airplane
Customer Services Division until he retired in 2002. He volunteered on
the Cemetery Committee of Herzl Memorial Park for eight years. He
enjoyed camping, cruising, and investing, but his favorite times were
spent with his family on a beach, whether in New York, Washington,
Hawaii, Tahiti, or any other place in the world.
Jay left behind his wife Susan; four children, Brian, Jesse, Elisabeth
and Ilana; grandchildren, Pearl, Isaac, Solvei, Sarah and Connor; Aunt
Jacqueline; and his sister, Sona; along with multiple nieces, nephews,
grandnieces and grandnephews. He was buried next to his parents in Herzl
Memorial Park on December 29, 2023.