Just a quick note to let all of you know that we are back traveling again! Kevin, Louise and Floyd.
My dad, Floyd, and I started off on the new travels on November 1st, with Louise joining us via the airport in Kansas City a few days later, after a month long visit with her mom and dad in Southern California. On our way out to Kansas City, dad and I stopped over at a friends house just outside of Lawrence Kansas. We had a delightful overnight visit with this former fellow worker gaining an invite to check in with "family" if we are ever back in the area. Cool. Then with a hop, skip and a jump we were in Kansas City, Lees Summit, and Grain Valley. I have a cousin and her husband that live just east of Kansas City which we all wanted to see and get further acquainted. And, we did, very much so with their warm hospitality. We thought it would be a visit over a long weekend, but instead, life happened. My dad became quite ill, pneumonia, requiring hospitalization for almost a week and a half, nine days to be exact. Our three or four day visit in the area became 16 days! Fortunate for all of us, especially my dad, he recovered quite quickly and well, just a little weak still. About a week after discharge a follow-up visit with a doctor indicated that he was pneumonia free, didn't need the extra oxygen any longer and was still able to travel. Whoa, that was a close one for him and for us. We had determined that if we had needed to we would have turned around and went back to Denver for the winter, closer to his primary care and his in-state medical coverage. But, as he was getting better, so did his interest regain to continue to travel. I am happy to report that there is no problem with memory this morning when his eyes popped open with an exclamation question expecting a positive response, "So, this is the day we hit the road?"
As I fast forward 30 years when I will be his current age, I wonder if I will be as full of life as he is, even as the brain and body slows down and capacities diminish. In the midst of confusion at times, he is still noticing the unique rock formations and striations in the bank side of the road cutouts and the fallen fall leaves and their color and texture, to name two items of continue interests.
Although his daily care is now quite consuming, he remains a pleasant gentleman with a more-than-confident peace with quiet faith in Christ, rolling with the flow of life, even if it meant he needs to stay in a hospital room not remembering how long he in for, or for what ailment. A week after this most recent stay, he didn't even remember he was in the hospital. The rest of us that have a more solid memory can learn from him to let go, live in the present moment, continue to trust others and look for the best in them, and, yes, tend to one's own faith and keep your sense of humor and use it often, which by the way, he does.
In the next blog, I will share with you some of the places we have visited this past month, namely the Eisenhower home and museum in Abilene Kansas, the Truman home, museum in Independence MO, and his farm house in Grandview MO. Also, did you know that there is a large, world-class museum honoring the fallen soldiers of World War I, in downtown Kansas City? Pictures are coming as soon as I download them from my camera, so stay tuned! Oh, I almost forgot to let you know about our transportation woes, which are just as much of the whole story of our travels. As dad and I traveled to Kansas City the truck started shifting rough. A check of the fluids showed a quart and a half low, and a check of our trailer showed signs of spray. Yes, you already guessed it. We needed to invest in a fully rebuild transmission. I still love my Ford XLT F-250, but that love costs me dearly, now requiring us to scrutinize our spending in ways I may not have done in the past. Perhaps that is good. Well, I am told that Ford made design and manufacture improvements in the parts including a double clutch and beefed up parts, so the good heavy duty Metric transmission is now even better, designed for heavy towing, to assist us in our future journeys. Now I am done for tonight. Good night.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Yes, Teddy Roosevelt! The three of us have never ventured into North Dakota -- until now. We really did not know what to expect. The route we took down through Saskatchewan took us into the northeast corner of Montana first and then into North Dakota, the state that has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. The first town we traveled through was Williston, unemployment rate 1.1%. It felt like a boom town with new building construction, sewer and water lines being laid, RV towns on hillsides and large semi trucks of every sort hauling material and good, mostly associated with the oil boom fueling this onslaught of population, growth and jobs. I never had experience such a place, something of a throwback to an earlier time in Oklahoma and Texas. When one doesn't know what to expect you rest on impressions and imaginations. Looking for a job? Average annual wage in Williston is $57,314, yes, average.
A short distance south, lay the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a park divided into two locations both lying along the northwest part of the state. The North Dakota badlands are much unlike its neighbor to the south. These badlands also have grassy rolling hills filling in around the stark bluffs and jutting rocks and formations. The town of Medera is situated just outside the main park entrance and is a unique town since much of it is owned by a non-profit to preserve the town and to welcome guests to Teddy Roosevelt's town, albeit he lived several miles south and, that only for a total of about two years. But, the impression this land made on President Roosevelt was lasting, a place he could heal from the lost of his wife and his mother, both dying on the same day and for altogether different reasons. He "checked out" for a couple of years from his promising political life and bought a cattle ranch. Here, at the park entrance and the visitor's center one can walk into the relocated ranch house he once lived in. In the center there was a life-size wooden statue of Teddy on his horse built with strips of wood, not carved. It was a humble log cabin, humble by anyone's standard.
We stayed in the national park for two night, the first of which I attended a ranger campfire talk on the cosmos. The ranger was a professor from Rhode Island where he taught Astronomy, enjoying a different kind of summer break, yet still teaching. The walk back from the firepit to the trailer was challenging, guided only by a small flashlight in the Pitch Black. Never mind the wild Bison I saw walking the same area just a couple of hours before. Enjoy the pictures.
The second evening, Louise, my dad, and I took a short road trip on a paved loop through the park perhaps 20 or 30 miles in length where we experienced some the best of the area's scenery! The light and shadows played its music in the ravines, gullies and hillsides. It was a magnificent evening, almost perfect in every respect. We were surprised through each turn with the occasional cascading vista views or a sighting of majestic racked elk, rough and large plains bison, and even wild horses. One of these horses was a paint with one albino eye, unsettling to look at. I will share a few pictures of this evening trip once I find them, temporarily misplaced somewhere on my computer or elsewhere!
This ends the first leg of our trip ending the third week of August 2011, just under seven months on the road. Upon arrival we stayed at an quaint RV park in a suburb of south Denver for two and a half months tending to the many items of regular life, e.g., catching up with visits to the doctor, dentist, eye doctors, etc. We enjoyed spending time with our family, our church family and friends. On November 1st we started on the next leg of our Grand Adventure heading east with plans for several more months of travel. If you think we are immune to life's challenges, we are not, but that will be another blog entry soon. I hope you continue to enjoy the entries as I practice on you all with my fledgling writing skills. -Kevin
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Commitment to Community
What eastern Alberta and Saskatchewan lacks in mountain vistas, it makes up in its people, its beauty more like the rolling sublime yellow blooming fields we often experienced as we traveled through this immense region. Highlighting two situations we experienced during our truck and trailer trek through this region highlights this commitment to community; The first, externally it looks like a quite, beautiful and sublime RV park next to a small almost dried up lake close to the small town of Innisfree, but with a closer look through an after-hours evening conversation with a couple in their 80s who volunteer their time, it is much more. Commitment exampled through dedication and sacrifice, a giving back to the community that nurtured their lives, speaks volumes about the individuals' and community's hope for better times on this remote eastern plains town of Alberta, still-ever dependent on nature's beneficence and bane of fury, an attempt to lure new business through wayfarers like ourselves, to temper nature's harsh truth of farming without irrigation during the ever-present threats of drought, torrential rain, or the rise and fall of commodity prices on the world market, all well beyond any of their control or influence. More to be said on this later.
The second example of commitment to community was exampled by our "happenstance" acquaintance on a bright sunny Sunday morning, a small Anglican congregation of eight or ten folk committed to each others' lives, committed to their historic church presence in their town of Kenaston, a "bustling" population of 259, a community with hope for the future and a satisfaction in the ever-present "today." The congregants of Saint Columba Anglican Church loved having surprise visitors from afar making us feel at home immediately, and after the service we were more than invited to join them for coffee at the local restaurant, one of two places open in town for business, the other being a antique shop. The non-ordained, lay leaders, three in all, were studying via the internet under the auspices of the regional Anglican office, to be ordained as deacons. The church polity requires ordained deacons to administer communion, thus it was relegated from a weekly event to a month event when a traveling priest would make his rounds. The one leading the service that early August morning was a homemaker, determined with her fellow distance-learning students to provide for the continuance of the church's presence in the life of their community, honoring the 99 year history. As I observed, their numbers are small, but their love for each other and the community that cradles them is great.
Back to the community RV park of Innesfree. As with many plains towns, whether north of the border or south, Innesfree is fighting for its life, having just lost its one and only grocery store. Full of pride this town, I have learned, is actively stuggling for its remaining importance in a string of many towns along Provincial Highway 16 east of Edmonton and northwest of Saskatoon. Its answer is to try to slow down the passerby to stay in an affordable camp area replete with beautiful facilities, clean restrooms and competitive ball fields to attract regional events. Through the modest fees collected and a passel of community volunteers to manage and maintain the way-stop, this RV park/town park is the pride of the community. The older couple I mentioned earlier, long-retired from a life farming, now resides in a modest seniors apartment complex in town while working the front office about half-time, sharing their load together. They were a delightful couple with deep roots, the kind of stock you would want for neighbors, friends and representative of the best type of family. Age made no difference in our conversation that went well beyond an hour past closing time, their insistence, not mine. I thought they would be tired, as I was, but they were so full of life and so motivated by what their work means to the future of their small town.
No far outside of this town, we experienced the field of hay, land so fertile that it is hard to imagine its production, other than to see it in the round haystacks.
The last picture is typical of many of the old farm houses, abandoned over time to give way to larger spreads as a way of economic survival in the mechanized era.
Next stop, the famous President and the not-so-famous national park named after him. North Dakota here we come! Hint, who was known as the first conservation President who also became his own taxidermist and started his own personal natural history museum when he was but a youth? Further hint for those who need more help, where did Teddy bears get their name?
As I wind down this segment, I came across a picture I took from the highway, a curious sight seen miles away, a man-made hill on top of a small bluff, a ski run on the plains of Saskatchewan! I learned later that it was built and had run for some years as a training ski jump for local competitors to prepare for competitions elsewhere. The owners could not keep it cash flowing to keep up with the bills and repairs, thus the reluctant closure. This hill may be the best representation of the region's tenacity and creativity to work against odds, or rather to work with the land and its resources. Who would have thought to see a ski run here?
I am having too nice a time this morning, enjoying the time to write, reliving the recent trip and thinking of my young grandchildren, five in all. Let me share with you this ode to grand-parenting, found proudly displayed in the front yard in the little town of Ceylon Saskatchewan, a place we informally stopped and camped at for overnight. Perhaps some day we will once again settle down and plant our own grand-kid garden to welcome those precious loved ones to grandma's and grandpa's place.
The second example of commitment to community was exampled by our "happenstance" acquaintance on a bright sunny Sunday morning, a small Anglican congregation of eight or ten folk committed to each others' lives, committed to their historic church presence in their town of Kenaston, a "bustling" population of 259, a community with hope for the future and a satisfaction in the ever-present "today." The congregants of Saint Columba Anglican Church loved having surprise visitors from afar making us feel at home immediately, and after the service we were more than invited to join them for coffee at the local restaurant, one of two places open in town for business, the other being a antique shop. The non-ordained, lay leaders, three in all, were studying via the internet under the auspices of the regional Anglican office, to be ordained as deacons. The church polity requires ordained deacons to administer communion, thus it was relegated from a weekly event to a month event when a traveling priest would make his rounds. The one leading the service that early August morning was a homemaker, determined with her fellow distance-learning students to provide for the continuance of the church's presence in the life of their community, honoring the 99 year history. As I observed, their numbers are small, but their love for each other and the community that cradles them is great.
Back to the community RV park of Innesfree. As with many plains towns, whether north of the border or south, Innesfree is fighting for its life, having just lost its one and only grocery store. Full of pride this town, I have learned, is actively stuggling for its remaining importance in a string of many towns along Provincial Highway 16 east of Edmonton and northwest of Saskatoon. Its answer is to try to slow down the passerby to stay in an affordable camp area replete with beautiful facilities, clean restrooms and competitive ball fields to attract regional events. Through the modest fees collected and a passel of community volunteers to manage and maintain the way-stop, this RV park/town park is the pride of the community. The older couple I mentioned earlier, long-retired from a life farming, now resides in a modest seniors apartment complex in town while working the front office about half-time, sharing their load together. They were a delightful couple with deep roots, the kind of stock you would want for neighbors, friends and representative of the best type of family. Age made no difference in our conversation that went well beyond an hour past closing time, their insistence, not mine. I thought they would be tired, as I was, but they were so full of life and so motivated by what their work means to the future of their small town.
No far outside of this town, we experienced the field of hay, land so fertile that it is hard to imagine its production, other than to see it in the round haystacks.
The last picture is typical of many of the old farm houses, abandoned over time to give way to larger spreads as a way of economic survival in the mechanized era.
Next stop, the famous President and the not-so-famous national park named after him. North Dakota here we come! Hint, who was known as the first conservation President who also became his own taxidermist and started his own personal natural history museum when he was but a youth? Further hint for those who need more help, where did Teddy bears get their name?
As I wind down this segment, I came across a picture I took from the highway, a curious sight seen miles away, a man-made hill on top of a small bluff, a ski run on the plains of Saskatchewan! I learned later that it was built and had run for some years as a training ski jump for local competitors to prepare for competitions elsewhere. The owners could not keep it cash flowing to keep up with the bills and repairs, thus the reluctant closure. This hill may be the best representation of the region's tenacity and creativity to work against odds, or rather to work with the land and its resources. Who would have thought to see a ski run here?
I am having too nice a time this morning, enjoying the time to write, reliving the recent trip and thinking of my young grandchildren, five in all. Let me share with you this ode to grand-parenting, found proudly displayed in the front yard in the little town of Ceylon Saskatchewan, a place we informally stopped and camped at for overnight. Perhaps some day we will once again settle down and plant our own grand-kid garden to welcome those precious loved ones to grandma's and grandpa's place.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Saskatchewan
We stopped for a night at Elk Island National Park east of Edmonton, Alberta. It was a pricey stop for essentially a place to park dry camping for a night. But, I tried to make the best of it, soaking up the scenery and the wildlife. Further east into Saskatchewan we were met by yellow blooming fields, beautiful small towns and warm, friendly people.
Some More From the Ukrainian Village
For those not so interested in religious scenes or themes, sorry. I just love the architectural look of these Russian and Serbian Catholic Orthodox churches and their artwork inside. The chandelier is made of wood, not brass, since they could not afford such a luxury when building these community churches.
Two Favorites in Saskatchewan and North Dakota?
I venture to say that most of my readers have not traveled to Saskatchewan, Canada, for that matter many, if not most, have not been in North Dakota. The Province and the State would not be the first choices for vacation spots, when neighboring Alberta or Montana attracts so much attention. But, what we have found in this first year of our travels, the three of us, is that the most unlikely areas holds gems of discovery!
But before I speak of these, I want to share with you about a wonderful day we all had in the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Center, an open air museum depicting the pioneer life of eastern Alberta's early Ukrainian settlers from 1892 to 1930. Over thirty historic structures have been relocated to this outdoor museum, restored and furnished to a pre-1930 period, staffed by costumed role-players who re-enact the historic routines and activities associated with that household, institution or business. We visited the train depot, the grain mill, an hotel, various living structures from "burdai" (sod) to lath and plaster homes, and most interesting two of three Eastern Byzantine Rite churches of early years. There was even a one room school house complete with an elementary school teacher, an old grocery and Albeta's oldest functioning blacksmith works. When we got tired of walking between the many structures, we were picked up in a horse drawn carriage and shuttled past the "farmer" who was plowing the fields with his horse drawn apparatus while hearing stories of old. I learned so much on that one day in mid-August and enjoyed stepping back in time, it was a true treat gaining a sense of culture and the sacrifices that these immigrants made to have a future hope and to own some land. There were some period actors that only spoke Ukrainian, with a little bit of English mixed, just enough to keep you interested in what was being shared. Here are some pictures from this walk back in time.
An old barn and a typical burdai sod home. The immigrants has ten years to clear their 160 acres as part of their homestead requirements to own the land.
The lands were all forested at that time. Also, check out this link for a nice movie that gives an overview of the village: http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Stories.aspx?pd=2434
But before I speak of these, I want to share with you about a wonderful day we all had in the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Center, an open air museum depicting the pioneer life of eastern Alberta's early Ukrainian settlers from 1892 to 1930. Over thirty historic structures have been relocated to this outdoor museum, restored and furnished to a pre-1930 period, staffed by costumed role-players who re-enact the historic routines and activities associated with that household, institution or business. We visited the train depot, the grain mill, an hotel, various living structures from "burdai" (sod) to lath and plaster homes, and most interesting two of three Eastern Byzantine Rite churches of early years. There was even a one room school house complete with an elementary school teacher, an old grocery and Albeta's oldest functioning blacksmith works. When we got tired of walking between the many structures, we were picked up in a horse drawn carriage and shuttled past the "farmer" who was plowing the fields with his horse drawn apparatus while hearing stories of old. I learned so much on that one day in mid-August and enjoyed stepping back in time, it was a true treat gaining a sense of culture and the sacrifices that these immigrants made to have a future hope and to own some land. There were some period actors that only spoke Ukrainian, with a little bit of English mixed, just enough to keep you interested in what was being shared. Here are some pictures from this walk back in time.
An old barn and a typical burdai sod home. The immigrants has ten years to clear their 160 acres as part of their homestead requirements to own the land.
The lands were all forested at that time. Also, check out this link for a nice movie that gives an overview of the village: http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Stories.aspx?pd=2434
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Mt. Robson and Beyond
When we turned inland from Prince Rupert and started heading back to home base, there was a bit of sadness I felt, since on this months long journey we hugged the coast for thousands of miles, walk tens of miles of beaches and spent as many days as we could camping close to the water's edge. The numerous bald eagles, sea gulls and pelicans were in some way our friends. We shared the same area and respected each other's ground. But, I also knew there lay ahead of us other somewhat different scenes of splendor. One such spot was Mt. Robson, known as the most prominent mountain in North America's Rocky Mountain range and also the second tallest of the Canadian mountains, all of 12,972 feet high. What makes Robson different of its neighbors to the south is the elevation difference when standing on the valley floor before it. It is not like the Colorado Rockies where you stand at 5,000 or 7,000, or in Leadville, 10,000 ft. looking up at fourteeners. Many of the Canadians valley two or three thousand feet. The contrast in height of ten or eleven thousand feet is startling.
This was my second time visiting Mt. Robson; the first was with kids along and that meant a shorter visit and less viewing as we kept on eye on them. So, this was a treat, particularly since I possessed a nice digital camera (a Kodak) and the clouds, sun and shadows were all cooperating. Let me share with you a few of these photos.
(A reminder- to see the pictures in a large format, double left click on your mouse, right click and select open in new window and then left click once. Many of the pictures may fill your screen)
That afternoon we continued to head south and east to Jasper, Alberta. For some reason I didn't take any pictures of this quaint, tourist-oriented town, nestled just north of the spectacular Columbia Ice fields. If you do not intend to travel widely in Canada, please don't skip a trip to the Columbia Ice Fields with their glaciers you can tour on, soaking in the sights of milky torquoise-colored lakes and just overall great scenery. Anxious to head home and also to see new territory, we turned north and then east from Jasper heading to Edmonton Alterta, the Devonian Botanical gardens and the Ukranian Village east of Edmonton.
Here are a few more pictures you may enjoy along our way...
The Elk I took as I drove past it along the highway. Traffic was stopping en mass both directions. The picture is not my best, but it may be one of the best looking racks I have ever seen at such a close distance.
The Devonian Botanical Gardens south of Edmonton, a city much like Denver in size and looks
Resting tired but happy feet and legs at the gardens, Louise and Floyd, my constant companions
My next entry I will talk about the Ukrainian Village east of Edmonton, a thoroughly interesting place to visit with a lot of history and interesting original buildings including places of worship. Stay tuned!
This was my second time visiting Mt. Robson; the first was with kids along and that meant a shorter visit and less viewing as we kept on eye on them. So, this was a treat, particularly since I possessed a nice digital camera (a Kodak) and the clouds, sun and shadows were all cooperating. Let me share with you a few of these photos.
(A reminder- to see the pictures in a large format, double left click on your mouse, right click and select open in new window and then left click once. Many of the pictures may fill your screen)
That afternoon we continued to head south and east to Jasper, Alberta. For some reason I didn't take any pictures of this quaint, tourist-oriented town, nestled just north of the spectacular Columbia Ice fields. If you do not intend to travel widely in Canada, please don't skip a trip to the Columbia Ice Fields with their glaciers you can tour on, soaking in the sights of milky torquoise-colored lakes and just overall great scenery. Anxious to head home and also to see new territory, we turned north and then east from Jasper heading to Edmonton Alterta, the Devonian Botanical gardens and the Ukranian Village east of Edmonton.
Here are a few more pictures you may enjoy along our way...
The Elk I took as I drove past it along the highway. Traffic was stopping en mass both directions. The picture is not my best, but it may be one of the best looking racks I have ever seen at such a close distance.
The Devonian Botanical Gardens south of Edmonton, a city much like Denver in size and looks
Resting tired but happy feet and legs at the gardens, Louise and Floyd, my constant companions
My next entry I will talk about the Ukrainian Village east of Edmonton, a thoroughly interesting place to visit with a lot of history and interesting original buildings including places of worship. Stay tuned!
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