Day 59 - Home!

[Kalon]  We arrived back home evening of July 27th, just about two months from the start of the trip.  For those interested in statistics, we drove 11,290 miles and averaged (with our Prius) 48.4 mpg.
We went to 31 states and 4 Canadian provinces.

I've been asked what were the highlights of the trip, and for me (excluding our visits with some precious friends all of which we enjoyed greatly) the highlights would be the traverse of the Grand Canyon, and the explorations at Gettysburg.  Karen would have her own list.

But here's a picture of the best motel/hotel on the trip:

Yes, our house.   I think after our Minneapolis visit with Karen's niece and family our balloon started leaking energy.  We had thought of traveling north to Western Canada and then travel down from BC to Washington and home, but in spite of Karen's wanderlust, the lure of home was a bit stronger and prevailed.

So thanks for joining us on our vacation, and this blog is now part of our family history.

[Karen] Well, it was a pretty crazy idea for two 70 somethings (and at the latter end of that decade) to take on such a large endeavor but there were things and people we wanted to see.  Those people welcomed us with great hospitality. Thanks especially to Erica and Adriana Christensen who let Kalon and I use their bedrooms for three nights... we broke our promise that we would not stay with anyone and stayed with Karen and Paul Christensen (my niece and her husband) and were royally treated (thanks, Paul, for the great coffee every morning and thanks, Karen, for the great and delicious meals as well as taking us to beautiful spots to walk). Chris and Liane also took us in, in spite of Liane having her leg in a brace after breaking her patella in a fall.

 Liane's leg brace

Their new home in the aerie heights of Berkeley is awesome but challenging for someone like me who is acrophobic.



Aaugh! Give me something to hold onto!

It would be hard to identify a favorite part of the trip but the historical significance of the westward migration from the 13 colonies westward to the Mississippi River and how it affected the development of the U.S. as well as the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mtns and Smokies has me choose the Natchez Trace as ranking high in the list. But then, thinking of the days driving across the grasslands of S.Dakota almost in the wheel ruts of the Oregon Trail also is up there. And Lobster!!! How can I discount overstuffing myself on lobster in Gloucester and PEI? or the amazing water park in downtown Dallas? Sorry. I can't choose a favorite. It was simply awesome from beginning to end!

Go do it yourself and you will see what I mean. (Skip Pierre, S Dakota though, is my advice). And maybe next time, we will go in a limousine with driver so Kalon can enjoy the scenery!

Ciao! And many thanks to all of you who cheered us on and gave us succor along the way!

Days 57-58 Berkeley, CA

[Kalon]  From Ashland we drove to Berkeley where Christopher and Liane have just bought a new home that is closer to work for both of them than their previous home in Sacramento (Liane's commission meets in San Francisco, and Christopher's office is in Palo Alto).  Their spacious house is on a steep hillside in the Berkeley Hills.

[Karen] Liane found a gem. The house is amazing although I have to admit to fluttering in the tummy as we drove up from the flats and that I refuse to look down when out on the deck... the railings of which are above the deck in  the picture above. The deck is on the bottom floor of the house which contains three bedroom - a master bedroom and a bedroom for each of the boys. There is also a bedroom with bath on the second floor which Chris uses as an office and which also has a pull out bed where I am staying. At street level is a garage with a walkway to the front door and entry. From the entry one walks down a stairway to the main level where the living room-dining area, kitchen and guest bedroom-office and a powder room are situated.  Each level has a deck with views across the canyon and out toward the bay.  Morning coffee or evening wine - each accompanied by absolutely stunning views! Fabulous choice, Liane! I have not yet descended to the good sized back garden at the lowest level from which the picture was taken,

View from back porch of Berkeley and San Francisco Bay

The nearby school ("College Preparatory")  where Seth will be entering 9th grade

Enjoying Sunday lunch on the terrace.

L to R: Seth, Liane, Karen, Christopher, and Jack.

Sunday Christopher and I walked down the hill to town, and then later in the day went bike riding for a while (I still can't ;keep up with my son when climbing hills!)

At a regional park trailhead.

Tomorrow we head back to Santa Barbara and our road trip will be over.  One more blog to come with some statistics and general thoughts. 




Days 53-56 Ashland, Oregon

[Kalon] After leaving the Grand Teton National Park we drove to Boise, Idaho, and then the next day to Bend, Oregon.  We had a very comfortable stay in Boise in a hotel that had a glassed-in laundry room right on the main floor.  I could feel the tug on Karen to come in each time we passed by.

As we drove through Oregon to Bend we passed by various negatively-named features (e.g., Stinking Water Pass, and Malheurs (bad something or other), but the ride was pleasant with little traffic.  Eventually the three sisters came into view as we approached Bend (these mountains were important to Paul Willis in his fictional stories).  Several  people we know from the SB  area have moved to Bend, and but after decades of growth it no longer feels like this neat recreational community in the mountains.

From Bend we headed to Ashland, Oregon, rather a short days drive.  We chose to override KIA and head to Klamath Falls and then over the mountains to Ashland.  When we chose to disregard KIA's instructions to drive past Crater Lake she went into a deep funk and wouldn't speak to us for quite a long time (in fact, I think she had a bit of a mental breakdown in that the display came flashing every few seconds "recomputing" but nothing came of it.)  Eventually she swallowed her pride and resumed talking to us and giving us directions.

The route across the mountains passed by a tiny place called Lincoln where the Oregon Extension program of Trinity College is based.  Many years ago we stayed there for a few days helping George Blount (retired Westmont Prof) with the construction of his cabin. We stopped at a small restaurant nearby where we had lunch.  The restaurant offers free pie to through-hikers (someone who attempts to hike from Mexico to Canada in one season) on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) that is close by.

 

After checking in our motel in Ashland we went to our friend Rosie's house.  Rosie was the wife of Bob, my climbing/adventure buddy who tragically died in Yosemite last year.  We had a precious visit with Rosie and then, later, her sister Suzie.

 

Karen, Suzie, and Rosie

[Karen] In Boise we had a wonderful stay in a Hilton Garden Inn and Suites Kalon asked for a first floor room as his wife walked with a cane and had a bit of trouble with stairs. He kindly put us in a suite for a disabled person so I had grab bars in the shower and bathroom which I greatly appreciated. The first decent shower I had since Minnesota - which I am sure was much appreciated by Kalon!  Kalon is delighting in giving me a hard time about my day spent in Jackson Hole catching up on the laundry because I had no more clean clothes. Since then he insists on pointing out each Guest Laundry in every motel in which we stay each time we pass its door as though that were my only passion! The country we passed through on the way to Bend was especially interesting to see as this is the country wagon trains on the Oregon Trail passed through here and signs continuously pointed to the route they took.  We stopped for lunch at a small café where the pies were home made and came in every flavor under the sun. Everyone seemed to know each other and it was fascinating to experience the small community spirit. The Snake River accompanied us through to Drinkwater Pass and then left us. We also were accompanied by continual road work. We were reminded of Anne Studholme's comment about there being two seasons in Michigan, winter and road repair. We enjoyed the trip from Klamath Falls to Ashland on hwy 66 thru Lincoln as well as a stop for lunch which also included home made pie, After a great pastrami sandwich, I ordered rhubarb pie to go. Unfortunately, I left both half a sandwich and the pie in last night's motel refrigerator! WAAAAAH!

 

We pulled into Ashland about 3PM and had a lovely visit with Rosie and her sister who we enjoyed meeting and then had a great dinner with both of them as well as a tour of Ashland.

Days 50-52 Grand Teton National Park

[Kalon]  Leaving Mt. Rushmore we drove to Grand Teton National Park.  This has been - possibly second only to our beloved Sierra Nevada - a favorite spot.  This trip is our 4th to the park, and the memories of trips from long ago flood back.  There is the infamous "Mommy's crying rock" where we were hiking up Paintbrush Canyon and left the trail and started scrambling up to a peak.  When after a while we got to a somewhat exposed climb across a rock Karen said, through tears, that she could not get across but with Kalon providing support behind her and Lonnie cheering her on she made it.  Another trip was with the boys when they climbed Mt. Woodring (their first real mountain climb) and were rewarded with climbing pins from their proud parents.  On that trip I, my brother Ken, and friend Jack climbed (in two days) the Grand Teton, definitely one of my more memorable climbs.  And more recently we had a lovely family backpack/canoe with both boys and families on Leigh Lake.  So we love this place.


The Grand Teton (center) with top in clouds.

We stayed in Teton Village and not Jackson Lake Lodge as there was nothing available there.



Our lodge in Teton Village.

The next day Karen and I drove to Jackson Lake Lodge and had lunch there with the Teton Range a majestic backdrop.

 

 

This day was very nostalgic for both of us.  It was probably about 40 years ago that I climbed the Grand Teton.

 

Grand Teton from the east.




The next day after a leisurely morning I went off for a hike of Phelps Lake. 


Trail to Phelps Lake

Phelps Lake





This lake has three designated campsites (like Leigh Lake some years before) and would be a nice family destination.

After a very relaxing and memory-filled several days, we leave tomorrow for a couple of days drive to Ashland, Oregon.

[Karen]  Teton Village is a new explosion of lodges and private condos and it was quite filled as was Jackson Lake Lodge area  As every bit of the U.S. which has any beauty or interest to recommend it, it was chocabloc with Americans, Europeans and Asians. We stayed in a resort area called Snake River Lodge and Spa. I was about out of clean clothes so Kalon and I laid out a strategy of getting to the laundry room early.  I had sorted the clothes and bagged them before breakfast and Kalon and I sprinted to the laundry room and loaded all three washing machines and started them up. Washing and drying five loads of dirty clothes ate up the morning but Kalon caught up on our blog. Once the laundry was done I felt I could turn to other pursuits. I think I have stocked enough clean clothes to last the rest of the journey home but Kalon teases me by pointing out the guest laundry in every place we stay.  I was happy Kalon could get up into the mountains although he did not do as long a hike as he would have liked.

As we drove around in Jackson Hole we and everyone else had their eye out for wild life. We did see bison and deer but never a moose which we were hoping to see. I think the moose are not so anxious to see people. There were lots of wood cut outs depicting moose in order to slow traffic down and even a traffic sign flashing that there was a mother bear with two cubs in the area so slow down! Lots and lots of dead deer who had been hit usually with their back legs cut off. I think Karen Christensen clued me in that quite possibly this was the work of off season poachers rather than real accidents.

Kalon and I  talked about perhaps another three family vacation in the area staying in perhaps a rental cabin or in a lodge like the Snake River Lodge where we can get meals. Spending time with our family is always our idea of heaven.

Days 48-49 Mt. Rushmore

[Kalon] From Karen and Paul's in Minneapolis, we drove to Pierre the capital of South Dakota.  Then the next day on to Mt. Rushmore.  As we drove that day we passed some trails (Deadwood Trail and Rosebud Trail) that had historical markers.  I tried in vain to see the original wagon tracks but the vegetation made that impossible.

 



 

 

More ubiquitous than the historic trail markers were roadside signs for Walls Drugs.  These advertising signs started a hundred miles or more before the city of Wall and became increasingly frequent as we came closer.  Their content was all over the place (5 cent coffee, 6 foot tall rabbits, etc.) and so of course we had to stop and see what it was all about.  It was clever marketing for tourist schlock.

On to Mount Rushmore (neither Karen nor I had been here before).  Our first view of the memorial was underwhelming: both of us had expected it to be more "grand".  But as we parked our car and walked down the promenade it grew in stature.

It was an interesting story (told by displays and some video) of how this was created.  I was particularly interested in the triangulation process where they created some large scale models and then made measurements from those that they then rescaled to the actual carving itself and used that to determine how a dangling construction worker (with jackhammer and dynamite) should work the granite rock.

The model in the workshop using for measuring.

I hiked up the "Presidential Trail" that gave one a different perspective of the monument.

And the view from the amphitheater was probably the best one to put the memorialization of Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln in perspective.

Leaving the memorial we drove to Caspar, Wyoming through an at times heavy rainstorm.

[Karen] I'm not sure when the idea to head for Mt Rushmore came to us. It was hard to leave Karen and Paul Christensen's where we had been showered with hospitality and as we left we were showered with more rain. Miss Know It All as our GPS device is called - the one with the pleasant voice and her alter ego, Ms Pronounciation, the one who is sure to garble every road name we encounter - seems to like super highways best. She spends most of her time trying to send us in the direction of one no matter what we do. She quickly put us on highway 35 and then west on 90.

Grasslands and hills of South Dakota

The next day we did manage to make our way onto highway 14 in the  direction of  Wall. It was a beautiful drive through the grasslands of the plains of the Midwest. Yes, there were all those signs talking up Wall and as our route went in that direction we stopped at Wall which I commemorated by buying a pin for my travel hat which says "Wall Drugs". 

I was surprised by the number of tourists at Mt Rushmore. It never had registered in my mind as a highly ranked U.S. Park but it was teeming with cars and people. The presidents depicted by G are Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln. The reasons they were chosen are interesting - Washington because he is the President considered the "Father of our Country". Jefferson because he was the Father of our Constitution. Theodore Roosevelt because he represents  U.S. expansion and Lincoln because he represents the ideal of Liberty and Justice for all.

Inside cafeteria at Mt Rushmore where tourists were stuffing themselves with large ice cream cones

I do not know how we came to know of it - perhaps it was reviewed in the Wall Street Journal or LA Times - but Kalon acquired an audio reading of a book about the Four Fathers of the U.S. Constitution. We have been listening to this as we have traveled. It lists the four as George Washington, John Jay, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. It has been an interesting history which I have never heard before. I would highly recommend it if you are interested in an in depth historical view of how the U.S. became a large Republic rather than a Confederation of states which it started out being. It is primarily because these four had a belief that a strong central government was the only thing which would keep the thirteen colonies from being overrun by England, France and Spain and reclaimed as colonies and even then these men had a view that the colonies should expand east at least to the Mississippi and south to Georgia. They even discussed how this expansion should occur and set up a plan for regulated population expansion to ensure it did not occur so rapidly that the settlers would be exposed to threats from Indians by being to  widely separated. A fascinating book . Listening to this book as we drove across the great grasslands was especially meaningful. One could wish that more people would read or hear this story.

Interspersed with all this intelligent historical discussion was the nonsense engendered by that great self involved ego that is Donald Trump!

Days 46-47 A visit with Karen and Paul in Egan, MN

[Kalon] From Wheaton we drove to the  Minneapolis area (Eagan in particular) and to Karen's niece's home.  We have seen Karen (named after her aunt, my wife) and her husband Paul from time to time, but never at their home in Minneapolis.

The two Karens

I headed off to a nearby park for some hiking while the Karen's talked.  It was a lovely park with multiple lakes and trails for hikers, skiers, bikers and a beach for swimming.

 

 

Then a nice dinner with Karen and Paul and their middle daughter Jillian.  The next day we drove to a more urban lake/park and walked around the lake.

And the day and our visit ended with an Italian dinner with Karen and Paul's oldest daughter Erica.

[Karen] It was like coming home to arrive at Paul and Karen Christensen's. We arrived mid-afternoon and Karen welcomed us into her house and gave each of us a room. I chose Erica's bedroom (nearest to the bathroom) and left Adriana's for Kalon as I was somewhat intimidated by negotiating a hallway with quite aerial views. Their house is two stories with a master suite, and three bedrooms and a bath on the second floor and a large modern kitchen with eating area overlooking a large green garden area as well as several decks. As you enter the house you have a good sized parlor which Karen uses for her quilting, sewing and office. Across from that is a dining room and you pass a powder room as you head into the kitchen. Between the kitchen and Karen's office and sewing area is a large comfortable living room with a high ceiling reaching up to the 2nd floor. I know that Paul also has an office somewhere in there but can't quite remember how it fits in. He does love to sit in a hanging swing chair outside on the front porch and work on his computer when weather permits. Karen was cooking dinner and baking bread as we unpacked and I joined her and probably was a big nuisance with all my questions. Jillian was home when we arrived but had to leave for work that evening. She handles  costuming for a local theater - making sure everything is clean and in good repair. She also designs costumes. We had wonderful pork boneless chops with home made rhubarb sauce. YUMMY! I have not had rhubarb in years... and intend to remedy that! It was great to catch up with their lives. I love it when Karen comes to Santa Barbara and is able to stay with us. I often remark that she is the daughter I never had and I am grateful that my sister Marie doesn't mind when I steal a little time with her. Karen and Paul are active members in their church with Paul serving on the board of elders and Karen working with young  mothers and children. She always has a new baby quilt in the works in bright colors sure to end up well loved into toddlerhood. It was good to spend time with Erica and Jillian and see how these two have blossomed into wonderful young women. We have seen  a little of Adriana as she has been attending a college on Arizona and came to Westmont College up the road from us for a soccer match. We hated to leave the Christensen's but had to continue the trek west in order to reach home which is increasingly sounding like heaven! Has my itchy foot actually stopped itching???!!!

Day 45 - Wheaton College and Rebecca

[Kalon]  We had thought originally of taking the car ferry across Lake Michigan but decided instead to drive around the lower end of the lake to Wheaton so that we could visit a Santa Barbara friend of ours (Rebecca Gist) who we have known for several years through our church. 

Rebecca is doing advanced study at Wheaton as well as serving as an advisor to students.  She is a lovely young woman whose love for God is precious.

After lunch with Rebecca we traveled further to Madison, Wisconsin to spend the night.

[Karen] The reason I look so worried above is that while Kalon and Rebecca walked to the restaurant from her apartment I followed the written directions she had done for me as it was about a mile walk so I was to drive to the restaurant while Kalon walked with Rebecca. The directions were quite simple but I got lost again! I had seen the restaurant and had to circle a block or so to find a parking place within walking distance but when I got out of the car I could not orient myself to where I had last seen the restaurant. I did remind myself to remember where I parked - in front of the insurance company - but wandered around for awhile trying to find the restaurant. At last I did locate it, just as Kalon was looking for me and wondering if he would ever be reunited with his wife. Had a lovely lunch - pumpkin cranberry pancakes with four slices of bacon!!! Wheaton is a lovely town and very picturesque. The drive from Holland MI to Chicago was truck heavy but the views of the Chicago skyline were spectacular as we rounded the lower end of Lake Michigan and drove toward Chicago.



Chicago skyline



Brownstones along freeway toward Wheaton

We had an uneventful bucolic (mostly) drive toward Madison and ended the day with another heavy rainstorm. This is getting to be a pattern - Kalon gathers the luggage in our room in the am and pushes the trolley to the car and it starts to rain heavily as he goes to the car. We arrive - he goes into the motel to get the room key and the luggage trolley and as he pushes it to the car, it starts raining heavily! The Midwest does not like Californians! I am exaggerating - it actually did not start raining tonight until he walked across the street to get KFC for dinner and then it poured on him! I mean, look at that sky in the picture above, does it look like rain is in the forecast??!!!

Days 43-44 Holland Michigan and another reunion

[Kalon]  From Cleveland we drove to Holland, Michigan area where another college friend of Karen's (Anne) lives.  For whatever reason it was difficult to get accommodation in Holland, so we are staying in the Grand Rapids area about 25 miles away.  After checking in, Karen took the car off to go to the store and got hopelessly lost.  She wasn't able to turn to KIA for advice and so was, apparently, driving around a bit aimlessly, finally recognizing some landmarks and returning to our hotel, rather shaken by the experience.  We then drove to Holland to connect with Anne who had prepared an elegant dinner.

From Ann's back porch with her lake behind.

The next morning Karen drove to Ann's with our laundry in tow: I had decided to bicycle there.  I had Google Maps prepare a detailed biking route (about 30 miles) between our hotel and Anne's.  I had not used Google for bike routes before and was rather impressed at the route it chose, incorporating some named bike trails.  So I started off and within the first two miles had gotten lost for the first of numerous times today.  Why?  Well, it helps to understand bike routes in the area.  Biking is actually a high priority here, and many bike paths exist, these being somewhat wider sidewalks for walking and biking.

Typical "bike path" with the street to the right

There were, however, two problems.  First, Google had a weird way of directing one to one of these bike paths.  Assume you're traveling on Street X and need to turn left on Street Y with a bike path on the right side.  Google - in its turn-by-turn directions - would have you turn left on Y for something like 25 feet, then turn right onto the bike trail.  I found this, initially, very confusing until I adjusted and recognized that any segment of 25 to 40 feet was simply a way of getting one off the road onto an adjacent bike path.

The 2nd problem was more serious.  Most of these bike paths weren't named, but some were.  For those that were Google would direct you to turn onto bike path X.  But the path's weren't identified on the ground with signs.  So instead of saying go for a mile and a half to street X and turn left onto the bike path there, the directions would simply say to turn onto bike path "Joe Schmoe" and one would have no way of knowing if it was this or that bike path (mileage of course helped, but my bike computer battery died after a while :). 

Anyway, when the directions worked I really enjoyed the ride (good bike paths, little traffic), but when they didn't I would get badly lost with lots of backtracking, trying to find my way on some maps Anne had provided), and it took a long time.  (I did a lot more than 30 miles because of my ineptitude.)  But eventually I got to Anne's house, a really lovely home on a small lake (she has a canoe you can take out and fish if you want!)  Later Anne took us off to dinner at a pleasant restaurant about 20 minutes away in Douglas.

[Karen] Again we were well spoiled by our hostess who had prepared whole Cornish game hens stuffed with rice as well as wonderful vegetables. She gave me some recipes because the cold Dill and Cucumber Buttermilk Soup she prepared was so delicious I could hardly keep myself from raiding her refrigerator for the rest which she actually was saving for a neighbor's party. Anyone coming to 149 Rametto will certainly taste this in the future! Because I was so shaken by my experience of getting so lost the day before, Anne drove me to her favorite Laundromat and waited for me to wash our clothes and then brought me home to dry them in her dryer. We were accompanied by her elderly small Airedale who is very cute and very attentive lest any bit of dropped food get unnoticed by himself - even though his attentiveness often means he ends up at the vets because of his food allergies! I wish I had taken a picture of Hixie as he has a very droll expressive look to his grin... much as though saying 'aren't I sitting in the cat bird seat?!!' (Check out Thurber's short story 'Sitting in the Cat Bird Seat' for the reference). He definitely runs Anne's life!



Days 41-42 Cleveland, Ohio and a reunion

[Kalon]  After leaving Niagara Falls we drove to Cleveland, Ohio where Karen's freshman roommate and family live.  Karen and Peggy have kept in touch over the years and both delight in getting together.

 

 

We had a lovely supper in Peggy's and Phil's home, and as a special treat several of their children joined us.

 

Top - Katie between her husband and her brother, David (right)
Peggy is as vibrant and active as ever and Phil is as low key with a wonderful sense of humor - a good match

 

The next day I took our car to have the tires replaced and then we went with Peggy and Phil to a Jewish delicatessen (and I learned some Yiddish words from the translations on the wall: am I a schlemiel? (one who spills his soup).  And after lunch we went to a Jewish museum (special exhibit on Jewish baseball players!) -- as you can see, Peggy and Phil are proud of their heritage.  Then back to the hotel for a short rest and off to another museum and an elegant dinner. 

 

Then, perhaps recognizing how relatively uncultured I am, Peggy arranged for all of us to attend the Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra that included an amazing piano concerto with orchestra by a 29 year old!

 

picture taken before the performance as the orchestra tuned up

 

Too soon it was time to say goodnight and goodbye and sleep before driving to Holland, Michigan tomorrow.



[Karen] Peggy and Phil are great hosts who are proud of their city as well as their heritage and those who have made Cleveland into a great city. We had a great time seeing David and Katie and her husband as well as a number of museums. Wish you could have heard the pianist - fantastic musician.
I now possess a tee shirt with 'Cleveland' in Yiddish across the bosom!

Days 39-40 Niagara Falls, Canada

[Kalon] After Gilmanton we drove the next day to Saratoga Springs.  I had hoped to do a little historical sightseeing (this being the area some say was the pivotal moment in our Revolutionary War history that signaled the eventual defeat of the British), but the area wasn't actually in Saratoga Springs and it was rather wet so did not. 


Taken in Saratoga Springs from our hotel terrace



And then literally two minutes later it was pouring!

The next day we drove to Buffalo, New York and then crossed into Canada and headed for Niagara on the Lake where we were staying.  A nice B&B (our first, actually, of the trip).  And then after a visit with the other couple staying there, we headed off to see the falls.



The American Falls in back

The larger Horseshoe Falls with sightseeing boar at its base.

The lady who refused to try the barrel ride that I was offering.

I had been to the falls once before, 59 years ago!  Hadn't changed much.  In some ways no more impressive than a much taller falls we saw in New Zealand.  For Karen it was all new.

A few words about our car.  First, deep appreciation to Kia!  When we left Niagara this morning it was pouring, and the mere thought of Karen puzzling out a map while I tried to drive the car and read street names was too much.  True, I don't always appreciate Kia (in fact, the day before she had blundered twice so that I started accusing her of being overtired from our long trip), but in general being able to key in a destination and then mindlessly follow directions is pretty nice.

And second, yesterday for the first time our Prius registered that after 7100 miles we had averaged precisely 50.0 mpg (we had been flirting with this for the first part of the trip but the milestone wasn't reached until yesterday).

And, thirdly, how will we know when it's time to end our road trip?  For me, I think it will be when the inside of our car achieves perfect entropy.  Increasingly with our little car (and bicycle inside) our "stuff" is getting cluttered and disorganized, and when we get to the point (fast approaching) where any pretense of organization is gone ("sweetie, just throw it in the back seat: we can't sort things out with it raining now") it will be time to head home.

Today the destination is Cleveland, Ohio and meeting up with Karen's college roommate.

[Karen] Niagara Falls was an amazing sight. Because it was after 5pm the number of tourists had dwindled to a manageable number and practically all tour busses had gone so we were able to find a parking spot within a reasonable walking distance. And we could find room along the railed wall to look and to take pictures. Then of course I had to find a pin for my hat! Conveniently there was parking at the tourist souvenir stand and then I had to make up my mind as to which pin was the most interesting or different or colorful - instead of none or one I had a choice of about 12 different pins. To explain, when we were on the Natchez Trace I bought a hat to replace my 'otter' hat which I had left in a Dallas restaurant. The replacement hat has a picture of a man on horseback and says 'Natchez Trace'. Well, I can't buy a hat for every place we visit so I started collecting pins that reflect the places we visit along with the name of the place - in Gloucester, I found a lobster pin that says Gloucester, on Prince Edward Island - a lovely lily; my idea was that my four grandchildren might enjoy the pins later. Little did I know that Grace and Lucas would be having a wonderful new experience of traveling and living in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. I am so excited for them and also proud of them for studying and speaking German as much as possible.  Way to go, Grace and Lucas! I also am happy Seth and Jack were able to cruise with Liane in the Caribbean and now I am hoping they are learning to be good and helpful nursing staff for their mother who fell and broke the patella on her knee. Our good friend and Kalon's riding buddy did that too and we know recovery is long and irksome, so take good care of your mom!

A long day of travel in pelting rain yesterday. And I mean rain coming down so hard and furiously fast that the windshield wipers can't keep up and you wonder if the car is going to float off the road. We were like drowned rats when we finally pulled up to our motel in Cleveland. It is a Staybridge Suites so we have a kitchen living room and bedroom and bath so clothes are everywhere to dry out. Peggy had assembled much of her family to have dinner with us and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with steak barbecued by Katie's husband - the rain had cleared by then - and Caesar's salad, and a number of appetizers beforehand. Peggy has arranged for Kalon and I to attend the Cleveland Orchestra concert tonight with her and Philip so we will be well fed and well educated by the time we move on toward Grand Rapids tomorrow!

Day 38 - Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire

[Kalon]  Today we drove to Gilmanton Iron Works in New Hampshire, a bit of an ancestral home.  About fifty years ago my father was doing some family research and discovered where his grandparents (and before) had a farm in Gilmanton.  After some legwork he ended up purchasing this 8.2 acre parcel, and Karen and I are now its custodians.  We have visited this homestead on several occasions (starting about fifty years ago, but apart from trees growing little has changed.)

We have one immediate neighbor (Dan Docking) who has lived there almost as long as we have owned our property.

Above is his house on the private road that services his and our lot.

There is a ruined foundation of the early Kelley home on the property )now rather filled in with leaves and detritus but still clearly a house foundation. 

And not far from the foundation is an old well (now covered with a cap rock).

The old rock walls - while the worse for wear - still define the boundaries of the property.

The last time Karen and I were here was in 1996 (100th running of the Boston Marathon), so almost twenty years ago.  Our neighbor (Dan Docking) is still farming his property and as friendly as ever (although at age 72 he admits to not being able to do everything he used to do on the farm.)

When I first saw this property (over 50 years ago), it was still largely cleared land with some taller trees on it: now it's filled with scrub trees and that it was once a farm isn't apparent at all.

Time to answer the burning question from our last blog: what is that thing in the fence?  Karen and I think it is a moose gate: when a moose enters the freeway (through an access road or jumping over the fence) he/she is rather trapped.  This gate is designed to be a one-way gate to allow moose to push through (and exit the freeway corridor), but not to provide access in the other direction.  (Note: this is not a vetted answer: just our thoughts.)

[Karen] Awakened feeling a little better but still coughing. (remember the old jokes which went on and on and then usually a very punny punch line? I remember one about a guy being chased by an empty coffin... until he pulled out his Smith Bros cough drops and the coffin stopped! Kalon first wanted to check on possibility of building regs for the Gilmanton lot so we hunted up the town clerks office which had been moved out of Gilmanton Iron Works to Gilmanton Corners - as we peered up at the old building it was immediately clear that the old building was falling apart! We drove off to Gilmanton Corners about 8 miles from G Iron Works and were helped out by a clerk who was off to visit her son and daughter-in-law in LA area in Sept. We discovered the lot is actually 8.2 acres not 6.2 as we always thought. It was a worthwhile visit and we were provided with info about value, etc. Also were able to pay the taxes while we were there. They have risen from $6 in 1960 to $388 today. There are quite a few more houses in the area. We have always appreciated our neighbor Docking and he has asked to have first buying privileges if we decide to sell our acreage as he hunts on the property and appreciates having neighbors who are virtually never there. He enjoyed talking to us about all the wildlife in the area - he is basically a hunter and loves to see an increase in the wildlife while his wife is the farmer and keeps the farm going with hay sales and enjoys riding her horse in the area altho it sounds as if the traffic on Middle Rd has increased so that she no longer can use that road to ride on. After the visit with Dan (we have yet to ever meet his wife) we continued on to Concord where we had a lovely dinner in a restaurant called 'The Common Man'. Had a nice email from Tony who reported on the 4th fireworks from the apartment terrace and the 2nd bunny caught and eaten by Jack the Hunter!

Days 36-37 - Mt Katahdin, New Hampshire

[Kalon]  Leaving PEI (Prince Edward Island) we had to cross a rather lengthy bridge to get to New Brunswick.

 

 

As we progressed further south we noticed that the freeway was fenced in and, periodically, there was something like the following structure in the middle of the fence.

 

 

 

After discussing this, we think we have an explanation for what this is.  If you have an insight into this, feel free to share with a comment here, and we'll describe what we think is happening in our next blog.

 

We drove to Millinokent, Maine, which is near  Baxter State Park, home of Mt. Katahdin, the official finish of the AT (Appalachian Trail) that starts more than 2000 miles earlier in Georgia.  Each year hundreds of aspiring hikers start the hike and head to Mt. Katahdin: not all finish.  I wanted to see what the finish to their epic hike looked like.

 

The next morning I rose early and drove to the State Park.  From the ranger station one could see Mt. Katahdin.  

Not as impressive as some of our Sierra peaks.

A falls about a mile from where I started hiking.



And now a digression about trail construction.  I have learned a lot about trail construction from my mentor, Ray Ford.  Appropriate grade, switchbacks on steeper hillsides, water bars and off-slopes for drainage, etc.  Time to forget all of that.

 

First thing to realize is that the ground is, typically, much rockier here in the east.  As a result any trail design that involved significant changes to the topography of the ground would be a substantial undertaking.  So don't do it.  Instead, find the longest outcropping of rocks coming down a slope and, voila, you have your trail.  Yes, you might have some vegetation to cut back and maybe some rocks to move to make it possible to navigate your outcropping, but apart from that AND A FEW WHITE DABS OF PAINT TO MARK THE ROUTE, you have your "trail".  Switchbacks??  Not a word with any meaning here.

 

 

The above is a typical example of  a trail so "constructed".  Actually this is more benign than most of them.  The end result is that these "trails" are relatively easy to design and maintain, but much harder to hike on.

 

Anyway, after several hours of "hiking" (more  scrambling than hiking) here is the view of the summit.  See any trails ahead?  I didn't think so.

 

 

Getting closer there are relatively  easy tablelands where the route is marked with cairns.

 

 

And this is the sign at the summit that the trail hikers have worked so many months to reach.  And here is a view from the summit.

 

 

Time to turn around and head back down.  This 11 mile round trip took all day  and it wasn't easy.  I'm grateful for our Western trail builders!

 

[Karen]  Cough, cough, cough.   Blow, blow, blow.  Hack, hack, hack.  - two days worth.  Am sick in bed today with a bad cold!