Thursday, June 1, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 60271.4; @ End of Day: 60300.7
I called Mary Berg Terry and found that she operated a beauty salon in Logansport's Southside. She invited me to come by for a visit. When I arrived she had called a cousin, John Werich, to come too, so I met two cousins with that visit. They are both descendants of Christian Berg. She gave me so many names of family members it became confusing, but I tried to write it all down to digest later. Christian Berg was the older brother of my great grandfather Berg. Mary had a book that had been written about the church and the town which told much of the area's history. It had pictures of my grandfather Berg and great grandfather Jox in it. I borrowed the book long enough to Xerox all 82 pages. Mary insisted that I go with her to meet another cousin, Loretta Berg Lybrook, and showed me many of the old houses where the family lived in the area now called Southside. I was told the following story.
Christian Berg came to America from Prussia in 1846 aboard a sailing ship that took five weeks to make the crossing. He had enough money to afford a first class cabin, which was not the case with most of Germans who came in that period. There was another Berg family already in Logansport, also from the same village in Prussia. They had sailed over two years earlier, but had not had such good accommodations. They had no cabin and were quartered in the poor section of the boat where cattle also were kept. Despite the fact that they were cousins, Christian fell in love with one of the Berg girls from this other family, and he and Louisa, were married in 1852. They had two children who survived to adulthood, Christian and Henry. Christian, Jr. was the best man in the wedding of Fred Berg and Augusta Jox in 1879. He and Caroline Dorsch were married later the same year and had two children, Carl and Lizzie. It was Henry Berg, however, who is the ancestor to the Bergs that are still in Logansport.
Christian's brother, Carl Siegfried Berg, my great grandfather, sailed over later in 1854. He and his future wife, Tiene Busse, were aboard the same vessel. They were married upon their arrival here. His son, Frederick, my grandfather, became a Lutheran minister, and married Augusta Jox, the daughter of Rev. J.H. Jox, the pastor of St.James, also my great grandfather. Carl Siegfried Berg, however, died after only three years in this country.
Back at the church, I found a newspaper article and a picture of Rev. Jox that I had not seen before. He was the pastor of St.James for 28 years, from 1865 to 1893 when he died.
Friday, June 2, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 60300.7; @ End of Day: 60380.5
Back to the church for some more digging, then to the library for some more. I have found a wealth of information about the Bergs of Logansport. It's going to take a while to sort out my notes.
Ann and I played golf this afternoon at Logansport Country Club. It was not a very good course, but the weather was nice for a change and it was good to get outside. I'm a bit bleary eyed from looking at records. It has rained for two days before today. It has also warmed up considerably. Logansport is located where the Eel River and the Wabash River come together, and both rivers are very close to flood stage. No one is complaining about rain up here - just the reverse!
Saturday, June 3, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 60380.5; @ End of Day: 60390.5
And the rains came! Thought things were going to clear up after such pretty weather yesterday, but not so. It is raining hard and looks like it is set in forever. Ann took a load of clothes into the launderette in town, and I've caught up on some reading.
Sunday, June 4, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 60390.5; @ End of Day: 60410.9
We attended church this morning at St.James Lutheran in Logansport. It was quite a thrill when the pastor introduced me as the great grandson of Rev. Jox. The church has been maintained well, and in most respects is the same as when Rev. Jox pastored here. We sat with Mary Berg Terry and after the service saw John Werich again and met his family. Mary had asked her nephew, Walter Berg, from Westfield, Ind. (suburb of Indianapolis) to come up. He arrived just as we were leaving. He works for a seed company. His father is William Berg, a retired two-star Air Force general, now
living in Alexandria, Virginia. We share a common ancestor about 5 steps back. We had a good visit with him over lunch.
Mary arranged for us to meet another cousin, Bertha Strahle, at her home in the afternoon. Bertha is 84 years old and still very sharp. She is a retired clothes buyer for the local department store. She seemed genuinely pleased to see us and remembered a trip that she had made in 1929 to Tampa to visit the Bergs. She gave me pictures of Martin, Albert, Lydia and Madge, and Bucky, at the beach and at our old home on Frierson Ave, taken on that 1929 trip. Bertha and I have a common great grandmother, Tiene Busse Berg Grovemeier. She also gave me an oval framed picture of Tiene Grovemeier with her two children, Augusta Grovemeier and Frederick Berg, taken about 1868. She also spoke of other cousins: Bertha Hollingshead and Jeanne Lyon who now lives in Bradenton, Florida.
The weather cleared again today, but the rivers are really high. We are camped right on the bank of the Wabash and have been watching it rise steadily. A row of trees that are normally well up the bank on dry land are now about 10 feet out into the river. At this point the river is about 100 yards across. It is very muddy and has tons of debris floating downstream at a pretty good pace.
This completes week 5 of the trip. All systems are still on go.
WEEK 6: Monday, June 5, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 60410.9; @ End of Day: 60660.8
We left Logansport with warm feelings about the new friends we met there. In five days we came to know a great deal about the history of the city, St.James Church, and the Berg and Jox families. Logansport would make a great setting for a new novel. Betty, take note! They've had RR strikes, floods, riots, intrigue, good times and bad, and there are people around that remember the past and are willing to tell the stories. They've got a good library, too.
The next stop was Saugatuck, Michigan, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Saugatuck is a quaint little waterfront village which has become something of a resort town. It is about 7 miles south of Holland, also an interesting place. Holland was settled by Dutch immigrants in the middle of the last century. It is best known now for the tulips that they grow. We were about two weeks late for the tulips, but the pictures around indicate that they are really something from mid-April for about 4 weeks. We visited a Dutch Village theme park and a wooden shoe factory.
Tuesday, June 6, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 60660.8; @ End of Day: 60708.8
There is a place in Holland, Michigan called Windmill Island that is especially worthwhile seeing. In 1964, an authentic windmill from The Netherlands, built in the 1700's, was dismantled and transported to Holland, Michigan where it was reconstructed on Windmill Island. This serves as the focal point in what is still being developed as a traditional Dutch community. During the Tulip season over 180,000 people visited the place. The windmill, called "de Szwaan", is an engineering marvel, particularly so when considering that it was built at a time when there were no modern tools or equipment. It is designed where one man, the miller, can grind 4,000 lbs of wheat per hour using wind power. A second millstone can be engaged, requiring another miller, that will increase the capacity of the mill to 8,000 lbs per hour. Both millstones were disengaged when we were there, but the windmill and the main drive shaft were quietly turning. The mill is a huge structure, the equivalent of a 12 story building in overall height.
We attended a movie which explained the complex negotiations that went on with The Netherlands government to allow the windmill to be moved. The structures are considered national treasures in The Netherlands. This is the only authentic Dutch windmill in the United States, and is the last one to be allowed to leave The Netherlands.
Other authentic things are being brought in or constructed to make things as authentic as possible here. There is a faithful reproduction of an old drawbridge, an exact replica of a centuries old Posthouse, an authentic carousel, a scale model village, and many newly built, but in the old style, buildings where Dutch crafts are being done. We watched the making of elaborate candles, wooden shoes, and "delft" pottery.
The time to come to Holland is during the tulip season. Everyone else has the same idea though, so it is probably packed with people then. They have a festival, with street dances, parades, etc., and enjoy wearing the old Dutch costumes. Many of the shopkeepers wear such costumes every day, including the wooden shoes.
Back in Saugatuck, we took a cruise on the Kalamazoo River aboard a sternwheeler tour boat. The ride lasted about 1 1/2 hours, with the captain giving a running commentary as we toured the harbor and went out as far as the mouth of the river where it empties into Lake Michigan.
Wednesday, June 7, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 60708.8; @ End of Day: 60966.6
We are now camped in the Holiday Airstream Park near Traverse City, Michigan - probably the nicest, best equipped campground yet. We have a lakefront site on a small island.
Traverse City is the center of the cherry industry in Michigan. The landscape around here is checkered with cherry orchards. The region produces nearly 100 million pounds of cherries annually, approximately one-third of the world's production.
The city is also in a spot that should make it a boater and water sports paradise. It is located at the south end of Grand Traverse Bay, a large protected body of water which connects at its northern end with Lake Michigan. The water is crystal clear, with many shades of green and blue, much like in the Bahamas, but it is all fresh water. Imagine living on the Gulf of Mexico without the salt spray. They have a short season, however, with bitterly cold winters.
We drove about 30 miles west to the Lake Michigan shore this afternoon, going through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. At this point the shore of the lake is lined with huge sand dunes. The largest dune rises 400 feet above the water in a steep wall of sand. We climbed to the top on a boardwalk for a grand view of the lake and shoreline.
After touring the dunes, we went to the small fishing village of Leeland where they call the waterfront "Fishtown." Charter boats were bringing in large catches of salmon. On the trip to Leeland, we crossed the 45th parallel, i.e. the line which is halfway between the north pole and equator.
Thursday, June 8, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 60966.6; @ End of Day: 61035.8
We drove out to the end of Old Mission peninsula this morning. At the tip is an old light house built in the 1800's. The lighthouse sits on the 45th parallel. The fog and threatening rain brought back memories of Campobello Island, Maine. The weather cleared as we drove back by the Old Mission itself. A small log structure with a mission bell on top marks the spot where Presbyterian missionaries landed in the early 1800's. All along the peninsula are more cherry orchards, many with large old trees. The cherries are green and about the size of small marbles now. The road passed through several "tunnels" of large old maple trees that must be spectacular in the fall.
Back in Traverse City, we had some Michigan bean soup for lunch, then strolled down the main street of town, while the Firestone store mounted a new set of tires on the Suburban. The old ones still had a few miles left in them, but thought it might not be as easy to find them as we get farther west. After 61,000 miles, they didn't owe us much. The new ones surely ride smooth.
This area does not have the spectacular scenery of the West, but the hilly countrysides next to wide expanses of extraordinarily clear fresh water make it very attractive. This water doesn't rise and fall with the tides, nor does man change the level by artificially manipulating a dam somewhere. Neither is there any salt spray to corrode everything.
The weather cleared during the afternoon. The temperature was in the low 80's, falling to high 50's at night.
There was a caravan of Michigan Airstreamers leaving for Bozeman, Montana on Sunday. They are rallying at the fairgrounds in Traverse City over the weekend. Maybe we will meet up with them somewhere along the way.
Friday, June 9, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 61035.8; @ End of Day: 61180.1
The drive from Traverse City to Mackinaw City, along the lakeshore, would be beautiful during good weather. We didn't have that privilege, however, because it rained and rained and rained. The longest suspension bridge in the world spans the Mackinac Straits, connecting the upper Michigan peninsula with the lower. We crossed it in dense fog so didn't see much. The straits are the connecting link between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. We are camped at a KOA just west of St.Ignace to the north of the straits and plan to stay put until the weather clears. The area holds promise.
Saturday, June 10, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 61180.1 @ End of Day: 61200.0
What a difference a day makes! Yesterday nothing but rain; today, beautiful clear skies. We spent the day on Mackinac Island, Michigan, and it is something to see! Surrounded by the beautiful clear water of Lake Huron, and protected by ordinance from the noise and pollution of motor vehicles, the island is something of a paradise. About 80% of the island is a State Park. There are some 600 year 'round residents that live in a secluded village called Harrisonville. There is an old fort, a magnificent old hotel, two golf courses, and many old buildings that date back to the 1800's. This is the area that has become the vacationer's paradise.
The Grand Hotel was built in 1887, and lives up to its name in grandeur and elegance. Room rates range from $250 to $450 per night, and hamburgers cost $8.00. The front porch is the length of two football fields. Just to walk through costs $5.00 per person, and there were plenty of takers. We splurged and had an elegant buffet lunch there.
With all of that, the most startling thing on the island, however, was the horses. Horses provide the only heavy method of transportation, and there are hundreds of them. There were horsedrawn taxis, baggage wagons, freight wagons, garbage wagons, and tour wagons. We saw individually owned buggies and elegant wagons pulled by matched pairs of show horses. Many people were going about on horseback. Except for the hundreds of bicycles that were also everywhere, it was like being beamed back into an 1800's time frame. All of the things necessary to maintain horses were there too, of course, such as stables, blacksmith shops, liveries, leather shops, etc. There were also many people
whose job it was to walk around with a scoop and wheelbarrow to clean up the streets. They probably weren't there in the old days.
We took and hour and a half carriage ride through town and through a part of the park. For the park portion of the tour we changed from a two horse carriage to a three horse carriage, because of some steep hills in the park that needed the extra horsepower. At one point on the tour we stopped at an unusual natural bridge called Arch Rock overlooking the lakeshore. Wildflowers were everywhere and in abundance. Tulips were still in bloom at the Grand Hotel, and lilac bushes were in full bloom all over town. In fact, next week begins their lilac festival.
We did not tour the fort, but understand that it also is an interesting thing to see. Something, however, had to be saved for another trip. This is one place that I would like to come back to.
There are several ferry boats that shuttle people back and to every 30 minutes or so. These are hydroplanes that make the 2 1/2 mile trip in about 18 minutes. They, of course, only run during season. In the winter, the lakes freeze over, and the hardy people who live on Mackinac then go back and forth with snowmobiles. The average snowfall is over 200 inches a year. That must be a sight! Mackinac, incidentally, is pronouced - "mack'-i-naw".
It was a perfect day for taking pictures, so I took advantage. It is so easy to take a lot of footage with the video camera. The tough part will come when it is time to edit. At every turn there was something else to shoot.
Sunday, June 11, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 61200.0 @ End of Day: 61240.8
On Mary Love's recommendation, we detoured from our route enough to go by Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and take a tour boat through the Soo Locks. The locks are a good example of man's inventiveness when faced with a need. Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes, but is 21 feet higher than Lake Michigan and Lake Huron . The natural connecting link is a cascading series of rapids, impossible to navigate. The locks bypass the rapids and provide a means for 1,000 foot long ocean liners to enter and leave Lake Superior. It takes about 12 minutes to lift a 65,000 ton freighter 21 feet. Lake Superior is the highest body of water on the continent that is navigable by ocean going ships. Downstream from here there are 15 other sets of locks which allow a total descent of 600 feet to the Atlantic Ocean.
Sault Ste. Marie is on the Canadian border at the northern end of I-75. It is the oldest city in Michigan. There are a number of interesting buildings around.
The good weather has held for today. It is about 75 degrees and sunny. After noon we drove up to Tahquamenon Falls State Park and checked into the campground for the evening. The upper falls are the most picturesque. The river at this point is about 200 feet wide, and the water falls about 50 feet. About 4 miles downstream is the Lower Falls, which are really more like extreme rapids. We walked the footpaths to both. To get to the bottom of the Upper Falls required the negotiation of 194 steps down and up.
This is a beautiful forested area. The only negative thing was that the mosquitoes were pretty bad. A spray can of 6-12 seemed to work fairly well on them though.
Six weeks into the trip, and we were still having a great time. Mackinac Island has to be the high point so far.
WEEK 7: Monday, June 12, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 61240.8; @ End of Day: 61450.3
By the shore of Gitchee Gumee, by the shining Big-Sea-Water, camped the Bergs this rainy evening. This is the land of Hiawatha on the southern shore of Lake Superior, at Marquette, Michigan. From Tahquamenon Falls State Park, we drove 90 miles west to Munising Harbor where we boarded a tour boat for a 30 minute trip to the Pictured Rocks of Lake Superior. What a sight! Colorful rock formations of all sorts of shapes, some of them 200 feet in height above the water, create a breathtaking scene. The rocks extend for about 20 miles along the southern shoreline of the lake.
The good weather of the last two days had deteriorated again into a light rain. The pictured rocks would have been even more dramatic in the sunshine, but we got a bonus in the fact that the lake was glassy smooth. The boat was therefore able to go right up to the rock cliffs, something that is very rarely done. The whole trip took about 3 hours.
Lake Superior is the largest, deepest, cleanest, coldest, highest, and most northern of the Great Lakes. It is the Gitchee Gumee of Longfellow's Hiawatha, and is 400 miles long and 160 miles wide at its widest point. It is 1330 feet deep at its deepest point, and is about 600 feet above sea level. It is also crystal clear, and a beautiful green color. The water temperature when we were there was about 45 degrees.
Tuesday, June 13, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 61450.3; @ End of Day: 61520.0
Nothing but rain today. And cold. The temperature at noon was 45 degrees. We drove into Marquette to look around at what we could see, given the weather. Marquette is right on Lake Superior with two loading points for iron ore. Trains come in with the ore and load it onto huge ore ships. The wind has picked up too, making the lake very rough.
Wednesday, June 14, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 61520.0; @ End of Day: 61820.4
It was still raining and cold when we got up, but we decided to hook up and proceed west anyway. The weather remained bad until we got to Duluth, Minnesota, then cleared. We're camped about 15 miles west of Duluth.
Thursday, June 15, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 61820.4; @ End of Day: 62080.1
We crossed the Mississippi River at Brainard, Minnesota, settling for the night in Fargo, North Dakota. The weather turned nice again. We're were in a City Park in town on the Red River. We will remember Fargo by this beautiful park by the river and its two mile river walk which we did round trip. It is an extremely well used park with softball, Little League, volley ball, bike trails, campgrounds, all as a memorial to Roger Maris and apparently sponsored by the American Legion.
Friday, June 16, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 62080.1; @ End of Day: 62420.0
Not far out of Fargo the scenery changed to the flat open countryside reminiscent of Kansas and stayed that way for 300 miles. About the most exciting thing we saw was occasional tumbleweeds crossing the highway and the fact that I-94 is a concrete road that rides like a wild bronco.
After 6 hours of driving we arrived at Medora, North Dakota, a little town at the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The town is full of Old West type shops manned by college kids for the summer. We saw a movie and a slide show which told the story of how Teddy Roosevelt came to Medora in 1883 to hunt buffalo and liked the area. He bought an interest in a local ranch called the Maltese Cross, then developed another ranch, the Elkhorn, and eventually owned over 8,000 head of cattle here. It was his stay in North Dakota that shaped his thinking about conservation of the land and later influenced his presidency. In his words, he would never have become president had it not been for his life in North Dakota, then just the Dakota Territory. We visited the humble log cabin that was Roosevelt's home while here. He ultimately sold his property here in 1898, but never lost his desire to come here.
Roosevelt was often a guest of another interesting individual who played a part in the history of the area, the Marquis de Mores. De Mores was a wealthy Frenchman who grew bored with his life in France and came to America in 1883 seeking change and challenge. He had an idea to process beef on the range and ship the meat in refrigerated railcars to the eastern markets. He lost a fortune trying to make his idea work, but was too far ahead of his time. He and his wife built a chateau on a hill near Medora (the town is named for her) that was an imposing structure for its time. They staffed the chateau with many servants and amenities that were out of place for this area. After his failure in the meat venture, he abandoned the chateau. It is maintained today, with all his original furnishings, by the State of North Dakota Historical Society, and is open to the public.
The landscape around here is startlingly different. It is called the badlands, but is not nearly as desolate looking as the badlands of South Dakota. It looks like the land was tortured into its present conformation by some powerful force centuries ago. There are mountains and valleys, gorges and gullies, petrified trees, colorful rocks, cottonwood trees, and green grass in the flatter areas. The Little Missouri River passes through the park. We planned to stay another day to see the inside of the park.
The weather turned warm - 85 degrees today. This is the second campground that we've been in which provided live country music in the evening, with pretty good entertainers. The other was the KOA at Columbus, Indiana. They have a different group every night.
Saturday, June 17, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 62420.0; @ End of Day: 62470.3
It rained during the night, but cleared to beautiful skies before morning. We spent the morning in the park driving the 36 mile loop road and walking several nature trails. This part of North Dakota is uniquely beautiful and well deserving of being designated a national park. It is easy to see why Teddy Roosevelt liked it so much. It is harder to see why he left to get back into politics.
Wildflowers of many colors were pretty. The prickly pear cactus with its yellow flower was especially pretty. There were juniper trees, cottonwood trees, and plenty of sagebrush all over the convoluted landscape. There is a buffalo herd in the park, but they were not to be seen today. We did see a couple of deer and three prairie dog towns. I took a video picture of one little fellow while he lectured me about disturbing his peace. Their bark is more like the cheep of a bird.
There is absolutely no smog or haze in the air. From on top of the buttes, the views are spectacular in all directions. In South Dakota the name, badlands, is appropriate, but here I think the area is misnamed.
Back in Medora, we had a buffalo burger for lunch at the Cowboy Cafe, and then bought tickets to a musical production at an outdoor amphitheater on the outskirts of town for the evening. On the way to the amphitheater we saw a herd of elk.
The musical turned out to be a pageant in celebration of North Dakota's 100 years of statehood, with particular attention to the history of Medora and Teddy Roosevelt. There were 10 young people called the Burning Hills Singers, a comedian named Jerry O'Connor, a poodle dog act, horseback riders on the hills, and a master of ceremonies and singer, Bob Bergland. The setting for the amphitheater was in a box canyon with the seating placed at the end of the canyon overlooking the badland hills. Nature provided a bonus. As the sun set behind us, and the shadows gradually spread across the hills, a full moon rose in front and provided a beautiful backdrop for the stage.
Our experience at Medora has been another high point of the trip, and we will have some special memories of North Dakota and its place in American history.
Sunday, June 18, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 62470.3; @ End of Day: 62763.8
Westward through eastern Montana I-94 goes through miles and miles of open rolling plain. We saw a few deer and antelope along the way. About 10 miles out of Billings we got a glimpse in the distance of the snowcapped rockies. The air is so clear, they are visible even though probably 100 miles away. We decided to spend the night in Billings and get some help in the morning on a refrigerator problem.
We were at a KOA with an unusual wrinkle. There was a chuck wagon set up where steak, fish, or BBQ chicken, with corn on the cob, baked beans, lemonade, and icecream, were cooked to order and delivered to your trailer door at a prearranged time. It was very good. Always good to see novel ideas put into action. A combination chuckwagon supper and country music group would really draw a crowd. There are a number of Airstreamers here working their way to the rally in Bozeman.
This winds up our 7th week on the road. We're doing fine, seeing a lot of interesting things, and looking forward to the road ahead.
WEEK 8: Monday, June 19, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 62763.9; @ End of Day: 62934.7
We spent the morning in an RV service shop in Billings, Montana, trying to get our refrigerator working, but to no avail. This model functions via a printed circuit board that controls everything. Corrosion has apparently shorted out the board. The refrigerator is supposed to work of either 120v ac, or 12v dc, or gas, choosing the source in that order according to availability. Real neat when it works. It saves switching back and to from gas to electric, etc. It also has an automatic igniter that eliminates having to manually light a gas pilot light. But without the circuit board nothing functions. The shop installed a new board only to find that it too was defective, and it seems there is not another one to be had in Montana. So we drove on to Bozeman.
Bozeman is located in a relatively flat area completely surrounded by snow capped mountains. Airstreamers were gathering here by the hundreds in preparation for their annual international rally. There were already 440 units on the campus grounds of Montana State University, and there were still 10 days to go before the rally started. Others were parked at the fairgrounds and surrounding campgrounds waiting for things to begin. They had spread miles of PVC pipe along the ground to provide water to some 4,000 trailers. We looked for Buddy and Millie Ransone, who are supposed to be here helping with the preparations, but could not find them. They were not on the locator board which was posted at rally headquarters.
Tuesday, June 20, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 62934.7; @ End of Day: 62982.0
An RV repair shop next door to the campground in Bozeman was willing to try to repair our refrigerator with a circuit board borrowed from another job. They worked all day and still no success, so we are camped in the service shop parking lot tonight. They will try again tomorrow. Meanwhile, the weather has deteriorated again. Yesterday at 2:00pm the temperature was 93 degrees; today at 2:00pm the temperature was 38 degrees, and snow is predicted. BRRR!
Still no sign of the Ransones. We drove around Bozeman all day listening to Wally Byam Control on CB Channel 14. There were 624 trailers on the campus now, and they were all complaining. Promised electricity is not yet connected in some places. In others, electric service had failed because people are overloading the circuits. Water was another problem. Pumping out holding tanks was another. Some folks were getting sick and calling for doctors. And many had lost their friends and couldn't find where they were parked. we wondered what it would be like when all 4,000 trailers get on site.
We visited the Museum of the Rockies where there were a lot of well displayed Indian artifacts, things used by the pioneers to the rockies, and even animated dinosaurs.
We received our mail today and were pleased to hear from many of our family and friends. We even had a letter from the people who had wrecked their Airstream back in Kentucky thanking us for stopping. Mail addressed to our address in Valrico was forwarded to my office in Brandon where LaVonya bundled it up and sent it to us at designated mail stops. That was also the way I kept my bills paid.
Wednesday, June 21, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 62982.0; @ End of Day: 63145.7
What a way to begin the summer! Snow! The rain turned into snow during the night and covered the mountains with a fresh layer. The forecast for today is for clearing with the temperature ranging from 38 to 63 degrees. While waiting on our refrigerator repair, we drove about 65 miles south to Virginia City. This old western town was started back in 1863 when gold was discovered in Alder Creek. At one time it had a population of 10,000, but today has more like 200 people living there. The old buildings are remarkably preserved, even to the extent that the items on the store shelves are 100 years old. The gold rush lasted about 3 years, but some gold production continued and still exists in a small way. The town has been continuously occupied, so it is not a ghost town, but has only in recent years become a tourist attraction. Virginia City was the first incorporated city in Montana, and served as the capital of the Montana Territory until 1876. It is still a county seat.
Down the road a couple of miles is Nevada City, which did become a ghost town after the gold rush ended. It has been restored to some extent and old buildings from other spots in Montana have been brought in to try to restore it to what it was in the boom days. It was also interesting, but not as authentic as Virginia City. One building, The Music Hall, contained a collection of music making machines and instruments that dated from the 1860's. These were many old player pianos and other devices. At the Nevada City depot was an old train with other old railroad gear.
The drive down there was absolutely gorgeous. The road wound through a wide valley with tall snowcapped mountains on both sides. The valley was maybe fifty miles wide, and when the road topped a rise, we could see for great distances in all directions. The air was exceptionally clear, which makes it great for seeing and breathing. For part of the way, the road ran alongside the Gallatin River where there were many fly fishermen at "work." The return trip was just as nice, maybe better, since we were seeing the views from a different angle. There were some antelope along the road, along with many horses and cows, to add to the interest.
Back in Bozeman, we tried again in vain to find the Ransones. There were probably 800 Airstreams in town now. Most of them were at the rally site, but they had suspended parking there for two days because of the weather. They were using the fairgrounds a couple of miles away for a "bull pen", or waiting area. There must have been a lot of electric blankets turned on last night. This morning the CB was reporting many electrical outages. There were welcome signs up all over town for the "Wally Byamers."
The refrigerator problem turned out to be a major one, but it was finally resolved. We went to the grocery store this afternoon to restock.
Thursday, June 22, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63145.7; @ End of Day: 63243.0
Today, we drove up (south) the Gallatin Valley to Big Sky, Montana. This was a nice drive along the Gallatin River for most of the way through a narrow canyon. The mountains here are mostly covered with dense forests of fir and pine. The river offers an excellent white water rafting opportunity. Big Sky is a town which is part of a development promoted by the former newsman for NBC, Chet Huntley. It is high in the mountains at the foot of "Lone Peak," which was completely covered with snow. There was snow on most of the rooftops in the village.
Upon returning to Bozeman we checked again at the Airstream rally. There were now about 900 trailers in town. 664 of them were at the rally grounds, with another 200 or so waiting in the "bull pen." There were probably 75 to 100 more in various campgrounds around town. Better weather has resulted in fewer complaints on the CB.
Friday, June 23, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63243.0; @ End of Day: 63270.9
Buddy and Millie Ransone made it to town today. We had a good visit with them, comparing notes on where we each had been. They were parked at the rally site on campus. There were probably 750 trailers there now, with 250 - 300 at the fairgrounds.
I spent most of the day editing video tape, compressing 4 hours worth down to one, while Ann did some laundry.
It remains cool, with temperature ranging between 40 and 65 degrees. It rained a little today, but not enough to cause a problem. Electric blankets feel good at night.
Saturday, June 24, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63270.0; @ End of Day: 63300.2
With the help of Buddy, I wound up with a job on the Parking Committee, which in turn gave us the "privilege" of parking at the rally site early. We were to be without electricity then for 9 days. No more electric blankets, no more microwave oven, no more television. The hot new item being pushed at the rally is solar panels installed on the trailer roof. One trailerite said that with his, he had not been hooked up to outside power since January 1st, and that he had freely used all of the above 120 volt items.
There were about 1,000 Airstreams there now, with 3,000 more expected by next Wednesday. Some of the vendors were in business under the bleachers at the stadium. Airstream has a booth, as does Zip Dee, Dometic, Reese, and a few others. It was a good chance to stock up on spare parts, etc.
The weather was good today. No rain. Temperature between 50 and 70 degrees. The time is a bit hard to get used to. We are on Mountain time which is 2 hours behind Eastern Standard. Even so, we watch the sunsets around 9:30pm, which is 11:30pm Brandon time.
We played spades with Buddy and Millie tonight, and had a chance to review some more experiences we each have had since leaving Florida. It sounds like they have had a very good time also.
WEEK 9: Sunday, June 25, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63300.2; @ End of Day: 63322.3
At the rally, church services were held in the open air in the football stadium. It is not often that you can get sunburned while attending church. The speaker was a lay minister who did a very good job of teaching from Ephesians. There was some good singing as well. After church I moved our trailer to the rally grounds, then spent the rest of the day parking newcomers. All told, over 1,000 trailers were parked today. Caravans were really rolling in.
We ate dinner at JB's Steak House with the Ransones, then came back to our trailer for a game of Pinochle.
This weather was very peculiar, changing from minute to minute. This morning it was very warm out in the sun. Then it got cloudy and cool. Then it sprinkled rain and got very cold. Then the sun came out and it got warm again.
Monday, June 26, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63322.3; @ End of Day: 63337.4
I went to work this morning at 7:45am to get ready for parking to start at 8:00. At 8:00 it was like a dam breaking with Airstreams coming in from all directions. We must have parked 400 in the first hour. We kept busy until after 10:00, then it was spasmodic until noon. Then the mad rush started again. My shift ended at 12:30, so was able to relax for awhile, but the afternoon crew must have had to work hard all evening. The trailers were still lined up at 6:00pm. There were at least 3,000 on the grounds now, and such a variety of rigs, both old and new! People with dogs were all in one section, those with generators were in another, and there was a special lot for handicapped persons. The logistics of running a rally like this are enormous. It had become an overnight city. Rather exciting!
The equipment on display is also very impressive. I've invested in some solar cells which will be installed this week. We will really be self-contained now if they work as well as is claimed. There are a dozen or more new Airstreams on display along with one of the new Airstream vans (for $37,000).
We met the president of the Tampa Bay unit, James Humphreys, who seems to be a very likable man. We bought tickets to the unit luncheon on Friday at the Holiday Inn. I was going to sign up for the golf tournament but the sheet was filled before I reached it. There are all sorts of other things going on. We may even try to square dance again. Tomorrow there is an orientation seminar for first timers like us. In the evening, the entertainment should be good. Frankie Laine is scheduled for one night, and Joanne Cassel (formerly with Lawrence Welk) will perform another night.
Played Pinochle with the Ransones again after supper. This was obviously Buddy's game. He and Ann were consistent winners.
The weather has been fairly warm today - hot in the sun, but it is still cool at night.
Tuesday, June 27, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63337.4; @ End of Day: 63339.0
We attended a First Timers Orientation presentation today, but weren't too impressed. Perhaps because we had already been told most everything to expect anyway. We did get to see and hear the President of WBCCI, Robert Laliberte. He announced that there were 1032 first timers at the rally, the most in many years. One other note of interest from his speech was the announcement that all meetings of the officers, directors, trustees, etc. were open to anyone who was interested in attending. Government in the sunshine, I guess.
There weren't very many new arrivals today, but all parking areas appeared to be full. I had to work on the parking committee one more day, but didn't have much to do.
We spent a lazy afternoon reading, then played Pinochle again with Buddy and Millie. Millie and I finally won a game.
Wednesday, June 28, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63339.0; @ End of Day: 63375.8
Opening ceremonies in the arena were something impressive! As the band played marching music, all of the officials marched in, then the 12 Region Presidents, and then the 174 Unit Presidents, each carrying the flag of their unit. Montana's U.S. Senator was there, noting that today, Airstreamers constituted 10 percent of Montana's population. The Mayor of Bozeman had a few welcoming remarks, and President Laliberte made the official declaration that the 32nd International Rally of the Wally Byam Caravan Club in session.
Out of curiosity, Buddy and I went to a Region 3 Caucus this afternoon and heard campaign oratory by two men who are campaigning to be next year's First Vice President. The winner will serve a year in that position and then move up to President.
The theme of the evening entertainment was "Montana Night." There were several acts, none of which were too good. Nonetheless, it was interesting. The best of the acts was a group of teenagers from Billings, Montana, playing steel drums fabricated from 55 gallon oil cans. The music they achieved was unusual.
Thursday, June 29, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63375.8; @ End of Day: 63397.5
We attended an Airstream seminar this morning in which representatives of the companies that supply components to the trailer discussed operation and maintenance of the equipment. Represented were Dometic (refrigerators), Atwood (water heaters), Sea Land (toilets), Suburban (furnaces), Magic Chef (range & oven), and a dealer for TV antennae and electric jacks. I picked up a few useful tips.
During the afternoon we attended a class at the University on geology of the Western mountains, taught by a retired professor. He was very knowledgeable and did a good job of presenting the material so we could understand it.
The evening entertainment was a piano performance by Jo Ann Kassels, formerly with the Lawrence Welk show. She played well, but spoiled her act by constantly complaining about the heat and tugging at her clothes. What she really needs is to join the Diet Center and lose some weight.
Friday, June 30, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63397.5; @ End of Day: 63403.2
We had some ZipDee window awnings installed by the Airstream service crew this morning. They make a big difference in the heat when the sun comes from the back of the trailer. The incentive to purchase was provided by a rally discount and the fact that Montana has no sales tax.
The Tampa Bay Florida Unit of WBCCI had a luncheon today at the Holiday Inn. We had an opportunity to meet a few more of the people in our unit. There were about 100 in attendance.
The main attraction in the evening entertainment was the singing of Frankie Laine. His voice has lost nothing over the years. He belted out a number of old and new songs, including Rawhide, High Noon, Jezebel, I Believe, Mule Train, Jambalaya, and many others.
We'd been on the road for two full months now. Time really does go faster when you are having fun.
Saturday, July 1, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63403.2; @ End of Day: 63553.2
What a day this turned out to be!! I'm not so sure that I can adequately describe it. We'd all been getting a little antsy sitting at the rally, so the Bergs and the Ransones decided to go to Yellowstone National Park for the weekend. We set out at 7:30am for the 2 1/2 hour drive, entering the park at the West Yellowstone entrance. Since the Ransones had never been there, we proceeded directly to Old Faithful. At the Inn we made reservations for the last two rooms available in the park at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, then went out to watch the next eruption. It turned out to be one of the prettiest eruptions we had ever seen. The sky was a clear blue, which made a perfect backdrop to contrast the white steam and hot water of the geyser. It lasted about 3 minutes. By the time it finished, it was time for lunch, so we walked over to Old Faithful Lodge and ate in the cafeteria. Our plan was to drive on down to Coulter Bay to see the Teton mountains, then back to Yellowstone Lake for a relaxing evening at the hotel. But that was not to be.
About 20 miles south of Old Faithful, the Suburban's transmission died again. Upon checking the dip stick, I found no fluid. I had 4 quarts in reserve, so put that in, and that was enough to get to a nearby service station at Grant Village. We left a trail of oil on the road though. The young mechanic there tried to help but he had neither the expertise nor parts to work with. He tried by phone to find help for us in the adjacent towns but none was available because of the holiday weekend. So our only choice was to be towed back to Bozeman. The park concessioner towed us by wrecker to Gardiner, then a private towing service took us the rest of the way home.
The 75 mile ride through the park drew some double takes. Here were the four of us riding along sightseeing from the Suburban, while the wrecker worked his way through the heavy traffic to Gardiner. He even stopped a couple of times so we could take pictures of buffalo and elk. It was quite an experience to ride along behind the steering wheel with absolutely no control over where we were going. Even in Bozeman there was no help until Wednesday, because of the Fourth of July holiday. So, I had another wrecker bill, getting from the rally site to the Chevy dealer. Luckily, we were able to get refunds for our hotel rooms. We got back to Bozeman about 11:00pm. not too much the worse for wear except in the pocket book. We were towed 150 miles total at $3 per mile. I was sorry that Millie and Buddy did not get to see all of the sights, but they were good sports.
We did get to see some pretty and some depressing scenery. The fires of 1988 really did some major damage in a lot of areas of the park. The burned trees were mostly still standing and the forest floor was black, but there were signs of greenery coming back. Some areas showed no damage at all.
Sunday, July 2, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63553.2; @ End of Day: 63553.2
We slept in this morning resting up from yesterday's ordeal, then did nothing all day until after supper. Then Millie and Buddy came over for pinochle.
Some trailers left today to beat the rush. The WBCCI business meeting resulted in a amendment to the constitution limiting membership to owners of the classic Airstream. Voting was 2:1 in favor of the amendment. The Airstream company insists that they have to use the name on other products to survive.
No one can quite agree on how many trailers were at the rally, but I don't think that it quite reached 3500. Business was excellent for vendors. There were always lines at the Airstream parts booth. Dealers sold 50 new trailers; ZipDee sold out of most of the sizes of awnings that they brought; Solarmetrics sold out of their solar panels and inverters; and local merchants all had smiles on. I wished for my camera at the local propane gas dealer. At one point the line was so long, there was a two hour wait. They were selling gas for $3 a bottle to WBCCI members.
Bozeman is a nice little city. People are friendly and courteous everywhere, and it is located in a beautiful area. The snow had melted off the surrounding mountains, but they were still pretty.
WEEK 10: Monday, July 3, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63553.2; @ End of Day: 63553.2
We were stuck without wheels until the long weekend was over. The service people at the shop removed the transmission this morning, but couldn't get repair parts until Wednesday. The problem was related to the incident back in Murphy - all because I failed to have the filter changed. A bushing on the torque converter shaft seized and had scored the shaft pretty bad. The bushing must have been riding up against the front seal and eventually caused it to fail. Several people told me that the transmission filter should be changed every 12000 miles, but I did not know that. It has been an expensive lesson - probably $1,000, counting the 150 mile towing bill out of Yellowstone at $3 per mile.
We got our mail today and were pleased to hear from the DeGuenthers. They had been in Ohio, Indiana, and Niagara Falls, and were having a good trip. They were playing a lot of golf. We also had letters from Mary Love and Ease. It was nice to hear from home.
Tuesday, July 4, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63553.2; @ End of Day: 63553.2
The Fourth of July! Where has time gone? We had been at the rally now for 9 days. It had been a good experience but we were more than ready to move on. Our new solar panels were installed today and seem to be working fine. Actually, we'd gotten along pretty well now without electricity. Each of the 4 panels is rated at 50 watts of power. The power is stored in 2- 12V deep cycle batteries, then converted to 120V AC through a 2000 watt inverter.
The WBCCI parade wound its way through the rally grounds this morning, celebrating not only the birthday of the nation, but also the birthday of our Airstream founder, Wally Byam. We took our folding chairs down to a good spot along the route and watched it all with Millie and Buddy. There were many unique floats and costumes - all in tune with the "pioneer" theme - designed to salute Montana for its 100th anniversary as a state.
The president of Airstream, Inc. spoke to the group in the afternoon, expressing his disappointment over the club's decision to limit membership to owners of the "classic" Airstream trailer and motorhome. He stated, however, that the company was committed to expansion and that they intended to use the Airstream name on many new products, including tents, fishing gear, less expensive trailers, etc.
The evening entertainment was the best yet. The All- American Boy's Chorus from Orange County, California sang old and new songs with much animation, finishing with a medley of patriotic music commemorating the Fourth. Their leader was a wiry little man of 65, who danced and jumped around with enormous energy while directing the boys. Following this there was a preview of the 1990 rally to be held at Notre Dame U. in South Bend, Indiana. Then the closing ceremonies with unit presidents carrying out their flags wrapped it up.
After dark, (9:30pm), there was a fireworks display closing the day.
Wednesday, July 5, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63553.2; @ End of Day: 63560.8
Millie and Buddy left early today, heading for Canada and the Calgary Stampede. We planned to meet them again in Olympia, Washington. The mass exodus from the rally now began in earnest. I was up at 5:30am and the trailers were already rolling out then. By noon, the majority were gone. We watched everybody leave, but we had to wait for our car repairs. Four hours later, all plumbing and wiring was removed and stored in a semitruck headed for South Bend. I was amazed at the organization in place to set up the rally and then dismantle it so quickly and efficiently.
The suburban was finally ready about 5:30pm. By then it was too late to start out, so we just stayed put for the night.
Thursday, July 6, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63560.8; @ End of Day: 63872.2
The wind really picked up last night and gave us quite a scare. The trailer rocked for several hours. In the morning everything was still in tact, so we left early, heading west on I-90 through Butte and Missoula, Montana, stopping for the night at St. Regis, near the Idaho border.
Friday, July 7, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 63872.2; @ End of Day: 64322.0
This was the longest travelling day we'd had - 7 hours - but we made it to Seattle. The road through Idaho was a beautiful drive through fairly low mountains. The road skirted a large lake at Couer d' Alene, Idaho, with mountains all around. We then passed through Spokane, Washington and about 150 miles of desolate country in eastern Washington, before reaching the Cascade mountains. The prettiest spot on the route was the approach to Snoqualmie Pass. Lakes and streams against a backdrop of snowtopped mountains make a beautiful picture. The mountains also look quite impassable from here. The early pioneers must have wondered how they could ever get through such rugged country. The approach to Seattle was also nice, but traffic was heavy. Seattle is located between a fresh water lake, Lake Washington, and Puget Sound, an extension of the Pacific Ocean. The road crossed the lake on a pontoon floating bridge. We found a campground (really a trailer park) on the outskirts of town in a suburb called Shoreline.
Saturday, July 8, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 64322.0; @ End of Day: 64380.0
We drove into the city early and found the Space Needle. This has become the symbol of Seattle. It is 605 feet tall with outside elevators that rise to a restaurant at the 500 foot level, and an observation deck at 520 feet. The needle was erected in 1962 as a part of the Seattle World's Fair. We rode to the top and enjoyed a panoramic view of the city and surrounding area. The Olympic mountains across Puget Sound and the Cascades back to the east were clearly visible.
My computer died and was much missed. We had to leave it at a Zenith Service Center about 6 blocks from the Space Needle, hopefully to be repaired within a reasonable time.
We took the monorail for a speedy trip into the downtown area. This was a busy place even on Saturday morning. At Pike Place Market, along with several thousand other people, we watched farmers and fishermen displaying and selling their goods. There were all sorts of fruits and vegetables, including some "Rainier" cherries which we sampled and bought, and many varieties of seafood - shrimp, salmon, crab, mussels, clams, lobsters, etc. The market takes up 3 or 4 blocks along the waterfront. Some of the people were pretty rough looking characters. There were Orientals, Blacks, Mexicans, hippy types, and others. That tended to taint an otherwise good impression of the city. We also drove through the Pioneer Square Historic District, an older part of town that dates to the 1890's.
Gasoline was the cheapest here of anyplace since Atlanta - 93.9 cents per gallon. The weather was nice, a little on the cool side. It was warm in the afternoons, but blanket weather at night. Today was the first in 10 days or so that the sky was cloudy.
Sunday, July 9, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 64380.0; @ End of Day: 64507.2
We boarded a ferry boat this morning at Edmond, Wash., and rode across Puget Sound to Kingston on the Olympia peninsular. We then drove to Port Angeles, where we entered Olympic National Park and found a beautiful spot to camp amid huge, towering cedar trees. The campground is called Heart of the Hills, and is about 5 miles into the park at about 3,000 feet above sealevel.
After getting settled, we drove up to Hurricane Ridge at 5700 feet elevation. This is a gorgeous spot! On top of the ridge there are scattered clumps of fir and cedar trees around a grassy meadow. The view across to the higher craggy mountains is magnificent. There were several spots were snow was still on the ground. Children were making snow balls. The tamest deer I have ever seen were all around. The heights here appear higher than they are because the mountains rise so abruptly from the ocean. Mount Olympus is the highest peak at 7965 feet, but appears much higher. It being Sunday afternoon, there were many people out picnicking.
Back in Port Angeles, we checked on the ferry to Victoria, B.C. and found people already lined up in their cars for the next morning's departure. After seeing that we decided to leave the car in a parking lot and ride over as pedestrians. We purchased tickets and then had a delicious seafood dinner at The Greenery of fresh salmon and halibut.
WEEK 11: Monday, July 10, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 64507.2; @ End of Day: 64517.0
We spent an exhausting day as tourists today - first, an hour and a half ferry ride from Port Angeles, Washington to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; then an hour and a half
tour of the city on a double decker bus; then a three hour guided tour of Butchart Gardens; then a 3 hour wait for another hour and a half ferry ride back to Port Angeles. It was well worth it though. Apparently, hundreds of other agree judging from the crowds of people about us doing the same thing.
The ferry held 80 - 100 vehicles plus 1000 walkon passengers, and it was full for four round trips every day. Victoria is an enchanting city. It is clean, neat and full of flowers. The trademark of the city is the 5 globe lamp post. Each of some 1100 such posts has two swinging baskets of flowers, some 9 varieties in each. It must be quite a job keeping those watered every day. The double decker buses used to transport tourists around are the same as those we saw in London. By taking tours we had no problem being on foot. The first building of note is the Empress Hotel, built around the turn of the century. It faces the harbor and is very elegant. To the right of the harbor as one disembarks is the Parliament Building with its expansive lawn. Then a very modern museum which is claimed to rank next to the Smithsonian in content. The tour took us through the downtown section then through the older residential section. We ate lunch at Sam's Deli which is noted for their huge sandwiches.
Another double decker bus took us to Butchart Gardens. There, the profusion of flowers in a magnificent setting is impossible to describe. The gardens were begun three
generations ago by the wife of a wealthy industrialist. They began as a project to reclaim and beautify a mined out rock quarry. The gardens are still owned by a grandson of the
originators, Mr. Ian Ross, whom we saw directing traffic in the parking lot. He is now in his 70's and plans to leave the property to his grandson, Barnabas Ross. There are 50
acres of gardens and 50 acres more of greenhouses, roadways and parking lots. The Butchart home has been turned into gift shops. It was truly a remarkable accomplishment and shows how splendidly ugliness can be turned into beauty with a litte effort. The gardens now employ 45 full time gardeners, and employ a total of 450 people during the peak tourist season for the entire operation.
We arrived back in town about 4:30pm, too late to catch the 3rd ferry, so we had 3 hours to kill. We spent it wandering about town, in and out of the shops. Even though this is a very pretty place, I couldn't help but wonder why it is such a tourist attraction. We decided that it must have something to do with the mystique of leaving the U.S., crossing a body of water to get here, dealing with foreign currency, etc., and still being able to get back home the same day. The ferry arrived back in Port Angeles just as the sun was setting. The last light on the mountains was spectacular. From an approach from the sea, the mountains
really appear mammoth. We were glad to get back to our home in the woods.
Tuesday, July 11, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 64517.0; @ End of Day: 64607.0
Olympic National Park is so peaceful and quiet, we decided to stay another day. The air is clean and the scenery is out of this world. I have never seen trees so tall and straight. We drove down to Lake Crescent, a large glacial lake along Highway 101. The water is a clear green, varying in hues according to depth. The lake is about 10 miles long and a mile or so wide. At one point we stopped and walked a 1 1/2 mile trail up to a waterfall called Marymere Falls. Along the way we passed huge trees which we learned were giant firs. I just can't imagine what the California redwoods will be like if they are grander than this. These firs must be 200 feet tall, and 5 to 6 feet in diameter at the base.
We ate lunch at Lake Crescent Lodge at the western end of the lake in an especially pretty spot. There was a lone boat pulling a skier, otherwise there was absolute quiet.
The Olympic mountains are fairly inaccessible. There are only a few roads penetrating the park, and not too many marked trails. The topo map shows it to be extremely rugged.
Again, these mountains appear to be much taller than they are. I believe they are more imposing even than the Tetons because of the abrupt heights. It's almost like standing at
sea level and looking straight up 6,000 feet.
The mountains outside the park are being logged heavily. There was a steady stream of logging trucks on the highway, some of the logs so large that only 4 or 5 could be carried
on one truck. Unfortunately, it does not appear that much restraint is being imposed on the lumbermen. Many mountain sides have been stripped bare.
While we were in Wales, G.B., 2 years ago, we saw an artist calligrapher working on a speech made by Indian Chief Seattle comparing the Indian's love of the land with the
white man's disrespect for it. Seeing the bare streaks throughout the mountains where they have been mined or logged reminded me of that. I found a copy of that speech at the
library in Port Angeles and reread it. I am proud of the National Park system for preserving at least some of America's natural beauty.
Wednesday, July 12, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 64607.0; @ End of Day: 64757.2
With some reluctance, we left the Olympic peninsular today, driving south to the Olympia-Lacey area, where we had heard of an Airstream RV park called Washington Land Yacht Harbor. It is a retirement community made up exclusively of Airstreamers, being the Washington Unit of WBCCI. The park is similar in some regards to Travelers Rest in Florida. About 2/3 of the area is developed into home sites, where the residents have modular homes. All have a spot beside their home for their Airstream, some quite unique. The other 1/3 of the area is set up as a campground for overnight visitors and caravanners. They have room for about 100 trailers with full hookups, and charge only $6 per night. This is the home of the Potlatch and Salmon Derby Rally. It is located about 7 miles from downtown Olympia and the capitol of Washington state. We got in about noon and selected our site. By evening, they were almost full.
Thursday, July 13, 1989
Mileage @ Start: 64757.2; @ End of Day: 64908.1
We drove up to Seattle today to pickup my computer. I now had a new motherboard, and was thankful to get it back. On the way, we stopped at an Airstream dealer who claimed to be the oldest dealer in the U.S. When we arrived back, the Ransones had arrived and were parked in the site next door to us. We were happy to see them and to hear all about the Calgary Stampede and the other things they had been doing in the last week. Buddy is having some engine trouble and has an appointment in Olympia for service on Monday. They are hoping to fly to Alaska from here. We resumed our cardplaying with them this evening.
