Canadian Maritimes, Part 2
Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island, or PEI as they tend to say around these parts.
One-hundred-forty miles long, by 40 miles at its widest point, the gently rolling landmass is
home to 140,000 people. With a metro population of around 60,000, Charlottetown, the capital,
feels more like a town the size of Davis, CA, but with history and a waterfront.
Speaker of the House, Provincial House, PEI Anne's room in the Anne of Green Gables "house"
View of downtown Charlottetown, PEI Beaconsfield House, PEI
It seemed everything about PEI came at a smaller scale and in a lower key. One morning we
wandered into the Provincial Parliament and explored the modest historic building without
apparent security save for a single Parks Canada Ranger. As we checked out the legislative
chambers we practically bumped into a woman in black robes and tri-corner hat who greeted us
graciously. She explained that she’s the Speaker of the House and was here today to meet a
school group.
Regrettably, the cool, gusty and rainy weather detracted from and ultimately shortened our PEI
sojourn. We managed a rain-dampened tour of a unit of PEI National Park–it’s the farmstead
that served as inspiration for Anne of Green Gables. Another day we did a self-guided walking
tour of Charlottetown (where we met the Parliament Speaker), toured the 1877 Beaconsfield
House, a 25-room, 8-fireplace, period gem, and met our companions for Janet’s delayed birthday
lunch of famous PEI mussels.
We departed PEI via ferry from Wood Islands to Pictou, Nova Scotia, headed for our second
island stay. Aiming for Cape Breton Island, we first made a stop in Antigonish to search for
records of Janet’s RYAN ancestors, then continued on toward Baddeck and our campground
near the center of the island. While Cape Breton’s population is about the same as PEI, its
geography, history and economy are very different. Twice the size, more rugged, less pastoral,
especially in the Highlands to the north, resource-based activity like mining, timber and fishing,
even industry, have traditionally dominated Cape Breton’s economy.
Ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia Fishing harbor, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Baddeck, Cape Breton Island Stu with a lobster, Cape Breton Island
Scenery, history and seafood pulled us here. A large contingent of Highland Scots settled here in
the 18th and 19th centuries and even today Cape Breton clings to its Gaelic heritage. We visited
the Highland Village Museum and Cultural Center in Iona, overlooking Bras d’Or Lake, where
we learned the story of the Highlanders and Islanders as they were “cleared” from their homes in
Scotland, often encouraged to emigrate to the new world, and how many settled in Cape Breton
bringing their traditional ways. We saw replica and relocated structures, costumed docents and
craft demonstrations. Quite a few locals still speak Gaelic. There’s even a Gaelic college in
Cape Breton–the only one outside of Scotland. A recommendation for lunch yielded a truly
memorable meal. Little more than a cottage–attached to a nursery of all things–and remarkably
slow service in the busy place. But we enjoyed maybe the best seafood chowder ever!
Next day we hired Andrew to drive the six of us along the Cabot Trail around the northern
highlands and Cape Breton National Park in his comfortable van. We could do the sightseeing
while Andrew could keep his eyes on the steep and windy road and narrate what we were seeing.
It was more than worth the $40/person as we stopped for photo ops at overlooks, fishing docks
as the lobsters were coming in, toured the spectacularly situated and stately Celtic Lodge, part of
the National Park. We enjoyed a pleasant lunch break, reveled in more wild scenery, and visited
for a while in Cheticamp, an Acadian settlement on the west coast where the locals still converse
among themselves in the peculiarly Acadian version of Old French.
Stu, Dick and Tom plan the day's route Cape Breton Island Sunset
Even though we could have spent another day or two here profitably, given the other sights we
wanted to see and our available time, we headed for the Nova Scotia mainland, including a little
more ancestor research.
Happy Travels, Janet and Stu
Canadian Maritimes, Part 1
On a comfortable, calm evening sitting around a driftwood fire on the beach, we roasted
marshmallows and made s’mores with our traveling companions. Gazing across water labeled St.
Lawrence River on the map, the opposite shore 40 miles distant, was unlike any river we had
seen. We’re in a campground in Ste-Anne-des-Monts, on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula. Our RVs’
bumpers literally hang over the sandy beach. It’s the end of day four of our Canadian Maritimes
trip.
Campfire on Canada's Gaspe Peninsula
For our first stop, Quebec City, we camped across the river in Levis and rode the ferry across the
powerfully flowing water where it’s a mere half-mile-wide. Samuel de Champlain established this
first permanent French settlement in North America here in 1608, one year after the English
established Jamestown, and 16 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. We found Quebec a
modern, Francophone city where everyone we dealt with graciously spoke English more or less
flawlessly. Our favorite part was Vieux Quebec, within the ramparts of the only surviving walled
city in the New World north of Mexico. We toured the provincial parliament building, and on
another day took a guided walking tour of the old city. We shopped, ate, wandered the streets
and got Stu’s eyeglasses repaired.
Quebec City from the ferry Old Quebec City transportation
When traveling, some days just don’t go as planned. The day after our beach bonfire, our friend
Dick Whippie made a sharp turn in a very tight space in Forillon National Park in Quebec’s Gaspe
Peninsula towing his Subaru Baja with his 31 foot motorhome. The Baja’s front wheels struck a
curb and jack-knifed, resulting in a bent strut! The Baja is now not driveable and even towing it is
problematic. The same day, Tom Coomb’s truck and 35-foot trailer got stuck on a campground’s
steep gravel road unable to get traction. We cheered after four French Canadians, a tractor and a
Dodge SUV finally towed him up the hill! Notwithstanding these setbacks, on this trip the highs
have far outweighed a few mishaps.
A couple of days after the aforementioned misadventures we spent a couple of hours walking
around the Acadian Heritage Center in Caraquet, New Brunswick, with restored (and
transported) 18th and 19th century buildings, and skilled, costumed docents demonstrating
everything from cooking and baking on open hearths, to making linen from flax grown on the
premises, to fashioning nails in a blacksmith’s forge. That evening in Shediac we bought two
fresh-cooked lobsters for $9 and savored a delicious dinner.
An Acadian Village blacksmith Church at the Acadian Village
We’re traveling with our friends Dick and Marion Whippie from New Hampshire, and Shirley and
Tom Coombs from Kentucky on a three-week RV road trip in the Canadian Maritimes. They
each have their own RVs. We, on the other hand, flew to Boston and rented a 25-foot class C
motorhome for the trip. Our itinerary is New Hampshire to Quebec City, then east and around the
Gaspe Peninsula, southeast to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, then to Nova Scotia
returning to Boston via more New Brunswick and the Maine coast. We’ll cover P.E.I. and Nova
Scotia in the next installment.
Happy Travels, Janet and Stu
Postcard -- Southern California Lighthouses, Part 2
Even though we walked gingerly along the path and kept moving, the birds squawked at us and sometimes tried to dive bomb our heads. Dave Begun, our National Park Service ranger, suggested we raise our hands over our heads to discourage them. These seagull couples nest in the same location year after year, their brown speckled eggs sometimes lying within inches of the trail.
For this second leg of our lighthouse trip, we moved north of Malibu where we initially camped, to a Ventura RV Park. Nestled next to the freeway, quiet it was not. Stu even had to sign a form saying that he knew it was noisy and agreed to stay the five nights we had reserved! With our trailer parked, we headed out to see our last two lighthouses, Pt. Hueneme and Anacapa.
We planned our trip around Island Packer's online boat schedule for Anacapa Island. Part of the Channel Islands National Park, Anacapa is made up of three small islands just 12 miles off the coast. Of the Channel Islands, it is the smallest and closest to the California coast. And it has a lighthouse.
Anacapa Lighthouse Island Packer's Anacapa Boat Seagulls on their nests
Most people come for the day, but there is a rustic campsite for those who wish to stay longer.
Unexpectedly, our trip to the island with 43 elementary school kids on board, was itself one of the highlights. Marine wildlife surrounded us. Whales spouted off the bow, black and white Orcas hunted for their next meal just off the port side, and schools of dolphins chased our boat.
May is nesting time on the island for brown pelicans and the above mentioned seagulls.
But we were here for the lighthouse. The National Park Service manages the island, but the Coast Guard still maintains the light, an aid to navigation. Currently not open to the public, visitors may walk up the trail toward the lighthouse and get into photo-shooting range. On the island are remnants of the old Lighthouse Station including the still operational fog building, and another sheltering two huge redwood water tanks. Because we were writing a story about the lighthouse and had arranged with the NPS ahead of time, Dave escorted us through the 39-foot cylindrical lighthouse tower.
Built in 1930, the tower design resembles Pt. Vicente, but it's 27 feet shorter. In 1989, the third-order Fresnel lens was removed and replaced by a beacon. Today, the lens is on display in the tiny visitor's center. However, as one of the old keepers said, "A static display of a lighthouse lens in a museum...is similar to viewing an animal in a zoo." He has a point.
A few days later we headed for Pt. Hueneme Light (pronounced why-nee-me). When originally built in 1874 the building resembled the Victorian Pt. Fermin. But in 1941 that lighthouse was replaced with a square, 48‑foot‑tall, art moderne-style concrete tower. Unlikely as it seems, a fourth-order Fresnel lens still rotates at the top of the tower.
Pt. Hueneme Lighthouse Stairs to the tower
Stu at the top of Pt. Hueneme Light Pt. Hueneme Lighthouse Tower
Like Pt. Vicente, the Coast Guard Auxiliary opens this lighthouse once a month. This one on the third Saturday, February through October. Also like Pt. Vicente, the people in charge are named Castrobran. Here it's Kim and Rose, son and daughter-in-law of Commander Eric of Pt. Vicente. Kim and Rose tour visitors up to the tower via some steep stairs and they tell stories of it's history and answer questions. Downstairs a small museum provides more information about the light.
Rose and Kim, like Commander Castrobran at Pt. Vicente, are committed to keeping the Fresnel lens lit at Pt. Hueneme.
For more information on lighthouses, including these five, check out the excellent: www.lighthousefriends.com website.
Postcard -- Southern California Lighthouses, Part 1
We've just returned from a 10-day RV road trip along the southern California coast to capture five South Coast lighthouses in text and images, a rather more complex challenge than you might imagine. One lighthouse is inaccessible, but may be viewed from a nearby breakwater. Another is open most afternoons, while two are open only one day a month, and another requires boat passage only available on specified days.
This Fresnel Lens operates in Pt. Vicente Lighthouse A view of Pt. Vicente Light
Yes, Fresnel lenses go with lighthouses. Invented by a Frenchman August Fresnel (pronounced fray-nell) in1822, his glass prisms and lenses were constructed to focus a lighthouse lamp beam for 20 miles and more. Built in several "orders" or sizes, the "first" orders being the largest, these glass lenses look like a giant beehive with a light at the center. Today, more often than not we find modern beacons in lighthouses, because they require less maintenance than these "multifaceted crystal lenses, bound in polished brass." (A quote from James Baker, a lighthouse keeper at Anacapa in the 1950s). As history buffs, we love finding lighthouses with original Fresnel lenses still operating as aids to navigation.
Eric Castrobran loves lighthouses too. He has managed to keep Pt. Vicente's third-order lens operating for the past 20 years. One of the most interesting people we've met while researching lighthouse stories, at age 80 he serves as a Commander in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. In this role, he helped automate and remotely monitor thousands of aids-to-navigation including buoys, fog signals and lights. As long as he's around, he says, the Fresnel lens will be here too.
Pt. Vicente Lighthouse occupies a bluff at the northwest end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula within a Coast Guard facility. In 1793, Captain George Vancouver named this point for his friend Friar Vicente of San Buenaventura Mission. While the government knew they needed a light here in 1914, the 55-foot cylindrical tower was not built until 1926. Open only on the second Saturday each month, we arrived early to climb the steep spiral stairs to the lantern room. While the lens made its slow rotation, we marveled at the construction and how such a small light bulb could be seen so far out to sea.
Pt. Fermin Lighthouse Lightkeeper's Uniform and Fresnel Lens on display
On another day we visited nearby Pt. Fermin Light. Vancouver named this point for Friar Fermin who replaced Father Serra as head of the California missions. The 1874 Victorian-stick style building looks like a neat old house with a lookout tower. Open for tours Tuesday through Sunday afternoons, it is owned by the City of Los Angeles and is surrounded by a city park. A nonprofit volunteer group keeps the garden beautiful with blooming flowers, provides tours and is working to fill the house with period artifacts to better tell this lighthouse's story.
With the decommissioning of the light in WWII, the lens was removed from the tower that remains empty today. However, the original fourth-order Fresnel lens, once lost, was recovered through the diligence of volunteers and is now prominently displayed downstairs.
Pt. Fermin sits smack between Pt. Vicente and Los Angeles Harbor Lighthouse, also known as Angel's Gate.
Los Angeles Harbor Light aka Angel's Gate, San Pedro
Not open to the public, Angel's Gate perches on the tip of a breakwater jutting into LA Harbor. On a very windy afternoon we walked from Cabrillo Park near Pt. Fermin to the end of the local pier to photograph this 1913 Romanesque-style tower. We snapped a picture just as a gigantic container ship passed behind it. No Fresnel lens here now, but the Los Angeles Maritime Museum displays it's fourth-order lens at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.
Happy Travels, Janet and Stu
Postcard -- Hidden History in Locke, California
You might drive right by the small
town without noticing it. Built below
the
It=s
the only town in
Housed in the old buildings are shops, museums and restaurants, including Al=s Place, known affectionately to one and all, with no disrespect, as Al the Wop=s. We=ve browsed the art galleries, perused the Dai Loy Gambling Hall and Joe Shoong School museums and enjoyed the beer and steak sandwiches at Al=s Place. But, only recently did we capture a more intimate portrait of the town and it=s history.
One Sunday afternoon we met Connie, a long-time resident and activist, sometimes called Athe Locke Lady.@ Connie, whose energy and enthusiasm belie her 80 something years, moved to Locke from her hometown of Courtland, eight miles upriver, sixty years ago when she married Locke native Tommy King. She has lived in the same white frame bungalow ever since, working almost continuously to get title to the land beneath it.
Chinese immigrants started arriving in
After a fire leveled nearby Walnut
Grove=s
After World War II, Locke declined
as younger, better educated residents moved to the cities for job opportunities
and, after a 1952 court ruling overturning
In 2004
In front of Connie=s home a whimsical garden, where old toilets serve as planters, generates visitor curiosity. Connie uses it as a chance to tell her stories. She told us that an unusual corner urinal had come from a former brothel. When she helped broker the building=s sale, the urinal was her commission.
As Connie toured us through the
At the
We ended our visit with Connie at
the little memorial park on
Postscript January 2010 -- This story was originally published in 2008. Our friend, Connie King, died in September 2009. We're posting this to our blog as our tribute to and remembrance of this remarkable woman.
For more information: www.locketown.com
; California Delta Chambers & Visitor=s
Bureau, www.californiadelta.org
Postcard #3 -- Slice of the Midwest - Wisconsin
Out our second floor window we watched the storm=s heavy rain blowing sideways and the foreboding dark clouds suggested we=d be enduring it awhile longer. After driving 300 miles to see the Apostle Islands, we're asking each other, "Will the weather clear up in time for our boat tour tomorrow?"
The sun was shining when we left Boscobel, Wisconsin heading north to the town of Baraboo, thence to Wisconsin=s northernmost point to Bayfield, on Lake Superior. Here we planned to see the Apostle Islands and then drive southeast to Door County near Green Bay, head south along Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, before flying home from Chicago .
Home to the Circus Museum, Baraboo provided a welcome break for a short tour and a sunny picnic lunch on our way north. Ringling Brothers began here in 1884 and this site served as their winter headquarters. Painted wagons and rare circus posters were fun to photograph, but next time we=d try to be there during the summer performance season when the place is full of life.
Ashland=s Black Cat Coffee House delivered healthy food and good coffee lattes as we continued north, but the weather deteriorated as we approached Bayfield. On our first afternoon under threatening skies, we explored around the Bayfield Peninsula and tiny villages like Cornucopia where we found a Russian Orthodox Church and the historic Ehlers Store. Janet and Gail=s great grandmother was Anna Ehlers so they just had to ask about the family name and ended up sharing family history with a grandson of the original owner. Though not closely related, that didn=t stop Janet from buying up Ehlers labeled merchandise.
Gateway to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore along Lake Superior, the tiny town of Bayfield, population about 600, includes a harbor, pleasant lodgings, restaurants and specialty shops in an isolated setting. Unknown to us until we arrived, the local Apple Festival was scheduled for the weekend, causing scarce and thus expensive rooms like the one we stayed in at the funky Civil War-era Greunke=s Inn. The weather did not clear up the next day either, causing cancellation of our much anticipated Apostle Islands boat tour. The whole reason we came herein the first place was to see the islands. And so after two nights in expensive rainy Bayfield, we moved on southeast from here to Door County.
Just east of Green Bay, historic Door County peninsula adorned with ten lighthouses, juts into Lake Michigan. State parks, small towns, and country roads made it an enjoyable place to spend a few days. We happily explored Cana Island Lighthouse, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse at Peninsula State Park, the Baileys Harbor lights, and many small towns. In a charming shop in the white-washed village of Fish Creek, Gail bought an apple green sweater for her daughter.
The hugely popular Wilson=s in Ephraim called to us because of it=s name and reputation for delicious ice cream cones. Who cared it was cold and rainy! While peak fall color had yet to arrive, we enjoyed photographing the old barns and scenery along the narrow country roads. And for the second time we ate dinner in a bowling alley! This time in Sister Bay.
Door County images: A view of Ephraim and the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse above; Stu, Cana Island
Lighthouse, and Janet and Stu at Wilson's, below.
The well-done Milwaukee Riverwalk was deserted on a midweek October morning, but it seemed like it would be crowded with diners and strollers on a summer evening. I guess we=ll have to come back!
Milwaukee Images: Along the Riverwalk, interior view of the Calatrava-designed Art Museum, and Milwaukee's
City Hall tower above; Exterior view of the art museum and Riverwalk sign below.
Along the walk,we detoured into the tallest building in America circa 1895, the triangular-shaped City Hall. Our noses found the aroma-infused spice shop on AOld World 3rd Street@and we later drove through some of the classic older neighborhoods. On another rainy night (it rains in Wisconsin!) we walked to The Knick restaurant near our hotel and for a really inventive delicious dinner. Half-priced wine, the Tuesday night special at the Astor=s grill restaurant, provided another cheap thrill the next evening.
On our last day we battled stop and go traffic through Cicero and Chicago suburbs to Midway Airport for our flight home. The 45-minute line through TSA security, the cramped Frontier flight and the flight delay reminded us why we traveled by train to Chicago. Next time maybe we=ll go both ways by train.
Happy Travels, Janet and Stu
Postcard #2 -- Slice of the Midwest
We stood on the trail our backs to the lake comparing the 1924 photograph with what we
saw in front of us. Stu pointed out the roof line similarity and compared the window
placements, and the three of us looked carefully at the glassed-in porch. Was it the same as the
open porch in our photograph?
Postcard 2 on our Midwest adventure brings us to Wisconsin, called America’s
Dairyland, and known for Harley-Davidsons, Green Bay Packers, beer, badgers and our
ancestors. For several days we explored southern Wisconsin taking a northwesterly drive from
Chicago to Lake Geneva, Madison and Boscobel.
Our photograph pictured Janet and Gail’s Dad with his parents on the porch of his
grandfather’s summer house. The Lake Geneva Visitors Center helped us find it with the one
clue we had, the “Chicago Club.” Large houses and estates hug the perimeter of the lake, but
most roads from the highway to the shore are private. A public shoreline trail, originally an
Indian path, encircles Lake Geneva and thanks to our map, we found the best access point to
begin our house hunting. We walked past beautiful homes with large expanses of lawn down to
the water’s edge, exclusive boat slips, panoramic views across the water to the old observatory,
and even a wedding reception. After two miles down the trail, and a little house analysis, we
knew we’d found it, surprisingly little changed.
photo that helped them identify it.
In addition to ancestors, we collect state capitols, so a Madison stop was next. Our very
knowledgeable tour guide taught us badger state history while showing us through the capitol’s
supreme court, senate and assembly chambers amid 43 varieties of stone.
Since two of Stu’s great aunts graduated in the early 1900s from Madison’s University of
Wisconsin campus, we had roots here too. One night we ate good burgers and drank local brews
at the noisy student-filled Great Dane Brew Pub downtown. The next day we toured on our own
the nearby lakefront Monona Terrace, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Convention Center.
The fabulous and free (another cheap thrill) sixteen-acre Olbrich Botanical Gardens
offered winding paths, butterflies, blooming flowers, a rose garden, beautiful planting
arrangements showing off blood-red hibiscus, and the golden Thai Pavilion. A volunteer
gardener for the City of Davis, Gail loved all the ideas she was bringing home from these
gorgeous gardens.
Wisconsin, home to the Gideon Bible. We drove there via Mineral Point and Darlington, two
still small towns where he also once lived. Now an “artist’s colony,” Mineral Point houses many
cool shops in its 19th century buildings and a small state park showcases its early Cornish history.
With only 3,000 population, Boscobel isn’t much larger and than it was when John
moved here in the late 1860's. The local Bowling Alley offered the best food in town–fresh fried
potato chips served warm with a sour cream dip, a good regional beer called Leinenkugel, and
delicious handmade pizza.
At the local history museum Stu talked with some of the docents about the town’s history
and after lunch we visited the library for more information. We found the city cemetery on a hill
in the southeast corner of town and located numerous Wilson and Meyer family grave markers
and monuments in Gate 6, section 4. Among them, Gustav Meyer his great great grandfather,
John and Hattie (Meyer) Wilson, his great grandparents plus numerous great aunts and uncles
and more. After cleaning some of the markers, Stu laid a flower at each marked grave.
The old Wilson House in Boscobel. Stu at Boscobel Cemetery and the family plot.
driving around the small town we found John and Hattie Wilson’s old home at 307 East Oak
Street and the Meyer home at 300 Superior Street.
Searching for our ancestors enriches our travel and not difficult to do. Before we left, we
interviewed Janet’s dad, researched cemeteries from death records, enlisted Janet’s cousin
Christine to help find some old addresses, sorted through old family photographs, and made
numerous Google maps. For us, no matter what we eventually find, we gain a sense of personal
connection to the places we visit.
Happy Travels, Janet and Stu
Postcard #1 -- Slice of the Midwest
What is Chicago’s newest icon? Here’s a clue: it’s a place of reflection and resembles a
vegetable. Still not sure? Well, read on, we’ll get back to this question before long.
We’re on a three-week trip to the Midwest. We arrived in Chicago via Amtrak’s
California Zephyr, then spent six nights in the Windy City’s Near North/Gold Coast neighborhood
before decamping to suburban Elmhurst for a couple of days. Our journey will continue with a
couple of weeks touring Wisconsin, but we’ll leave that part of the trip for the next Postcard. This
trip, shared with Janet’s sister Gail, works out as part sightseeing vacation, part family history
exploration, with a dash of travel writer research.
We love the romance of the rails so we booked two roomettes–with emphasis on the
“ettes” for our 52-hour train ride from Sacramento, California to Chicago, Illinois. Roomettes are
tiny and the person who sleeps on the top bunk must be agile. Highlights of the Zephyr included
herds of bison and antelope crossing Wyoming and a three-hour layover in Denver that allowed
plenty of time to shop, walk around downtown and enjoy free beers at a local brew pub, one of
our “cheap thrills.” We have some suggestions for how Amtrak might improve, mostly involving
food service and greening-up their operations.
Our accommodations at Chicago’s Whitehall Hotel were comfortable, reasonably priced
(through Expedia) and perfectly located just one block off the Miracle Mile shopping street on Michigan
Avenue. The hotel’s concierge, Denise, proved very helpful, full of detailed, practical information
very useful to out-of-towners like us. We became breakfast regulars at Einstein Bros. Bagels
a block from our place, thanks to Denise, and she helped us make restaurant and tour
arrangements, and tutored us on use of Chicago’s public transit. The hop-on, hop-off,
open air city bus tour got us get oriented our first day as we visited Millennium Park, the
Field Museum of Natural History and Navy Pier, and rode past many other sights.
Family history and architecture became interwoven themes for our Chicago visit. Between
the three of us we have parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents who lived or were born in
Chicago plus a couple of architects in Gail and Janet’s ancestry. We interspersed searches for
family places with architectural tours, enjoying local cuisine and general sightseeing.
A boat cruising the Chicago River proved a perfect vantage point for a guided tour of
Chicago architecture, where our docent Judith expounded on modernism, prairie, Beaux Arts, art
deco and post-modernism all the while pointing to exquisite examples of each style. She opined
that the 1871 Great Fire created a blank canvas, virtually inviting architects to strut their stuff.
Another day we rode the Metra commuter train to Hyde Park, walking to the University
of Chicago campus to tour the Robie House, considered the complete expression of Frank Lloyd
Wright’s Prairie Style. Lunch at Barak Obama’s favorite neighborhood restaurant preceded a
walk through Hyde Park where we located the church (rebuilt after a fire) where Janet and Gail’s
father and aunt were christened, and an apartment where their grandmother Dorothy lived with
her sister Beatrice and father John Fowler in 1920. Nearby, we located the house where Janet and
Gail’s father lived the first decade of his life.
We loved the impressionists paintings and American Gothic at the Art Institute, a must-
see. However, we missed our chance to see the Museum of Science and Industry–too late–but for
another cheap thrill we enjoyed a free museum lobby tour of the Burlington Zephyr, a gleaming,
streamlined 1930s diesel-electric passenger train that reached speeds of 120 mph! Has railroad
technology in the U.S. only gone backward since?
On another day, we took the CTA Red Line north and walked about a mile to get to
Rosehill Cemetery, where we located Great Grandfather John Fowler’s crypt in the enormous
mausoleum. Who’s Who of Chicago is buried in this historic (1859) and expansive (350 acres),
including hundreds of Civil War soldiers, Governors, a U.S. Vice-President, countless mayors,
and business leaders such as Montgomery Ward, Richard Sears, Oscar Mayer and Charles
Schwab. The cemetery’s sculptures, head stones and mausoleum are impressive and unusual.
Next time we’ll plan to take the tour they give weekly.
Public transportation in Chicago is not straightforward. Walking out the backside of the
cemetery, we tried busing it back to Wrigley Field, but found ourselves on a bus that didn’t go as
far as we needed. To compound the problem, buses don’t give transfers and do not make change.
We got bailed out of our predicament by a very sympathetic bus driver, who not only provided us
“emergency” transfers, but ran across the street to make sure we understood we could use the
transfers twice (which would get us to Wrigley Field). Our opinion of Chicago’s transit system
was redeemed and our general impression of Chicagoans elevated by the kindness of this stranger.
Burgers, brats, Chicago-style dogs and deep-dish pizza threatened to add to our
waistlines, but we also partook of more upscale fare, highlighted by Gail’s Birthday lunch at Rick
Bayless’ Topolobampo. From the trio of ceviche starter through gazpacho, rock hen with tiny
sweet corn tamales, trout filet in black bean sauce to house-made ice cream, the meal completely
satisfied all of our senses, most especially taste. One of our most memorable meals.
One evening we enjoyed a cocktail and the twilight view from the 96th floor of the
Hancock Tower. Another, we took in an uneven, but generally funny performance at Second
City, the company that brought us some great Saturday Night Live performers.
Our move to the suburbs occurred by way of the Orange Line to Midway Airport, car
rental, and drive to Elmhurst where we checked into Spring Hill Suites, new, spacious, fully-
equipped and inexpensive compared to downtown Chicago. Why Elmhurst? Well, Janet and
Gail’s father attended York High School and Elmhurst College there in the late 1930's and early
1940s. Two students lead us on our own private Elmhurst campus tour and we found buildings
and old photos dating from that era.
In Forest Home Cemetery in nearby Forest Park, we located the (unmarked) grave of
Anna Reifel, Stu’s great grandmother who died in 1906. A little farther on in Oak Park we
located an apartment where Hattie Wilson, another of Stu’s great grandmothers lived in 1910.
Later we toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio and walked the surrounding
neighborhood dotted with his designs.
We finally drove out of Chicago heading for Wisconsin, but still in search of family
connections in Lake Geneva, Madison and beyond, but more on that later. Oh, we almost forgot
about that new Chicago Icon. It’s the “Bean” of course, a highly polished sculpture said to be in
the shape of a Lima Bean, its curving surface reflecting an ever changing image of the viewer
moving about and of Chicago’s famous skyline. It’s incredibly popular and a lot of fun–much like
the city it symbolizes.
Happy Travels, Janet and Stu
Postcard #2 -- On the Road in Idaho
The view from the top justified the effort, though for much of the hike we doubted that
was possible. The climb was only steep for the last quarter mile or so, but for nearly half the 2+
miles, melting snow covered the trail while icy rivulets flooded much of the rest. Yet the
expansive views into three states and British Columbia from the 7,000 foot summit made it feel
like the top of the world. It was worth it.
story there first.
One day while our trailer remained parked at Coeur d’Alene in Idaho’s Panhandle, we spent part of
a day exploring Farragut State Park on Lake Pend Oreille, less than 30 miles north. With extensive
shoreline along the southwest corner of Lake Pend Oreille, the 4,000 acre, former WWII-era Navy
training base provides camping, picnicking, swimming boat launching, hiking and equestrian trails,
and more. We enjoyed a picnic by the lake, a shoreline hike, and a visit to the Museum of the Brig,
located--you guessed it--in the Base’s former Brig. Here we learned that nearly 300,000 sailors were
trained at Farragut (named after the Navy’s first Admiral) between 1942 and 1946, and that in 1944 this
was the largest city in Idaho with 50,000 people!
The next day, relocating from a Coeur d’Alene RV Park allowed a pleasant sojourn in
Sandpoint, on Lake Pend Oreille. Sandpoint deserved more time than we were able to spare,
though we browsed shops and walked around the well-preserved downtown before enjoying the
lake view at lunch from the terrace of Trinity at City Beach.
After lunch we drove up the Priest River to remote Priest Lake only about 20 miles from
the Canadian border. Priest Lake is more remote, less developed and less crowded than the other
lakes and in a beautiful wilderness setting. We loved Priest Lake State Park’s Indian Creek
campground on the eastern shore and rate it one of our most pleasant campground experiences:
A view and a short walk to the beach amid towering pines in a spacious campsite with full hook-
ups and maybe 30 yards to the hot showers. Who could ask for more?
One day we hiked several miles to the top of a twin-peaked mountain called The
Wigwams in the Selkirk Range, the trailhead maybe ten miles from our campsite up a rough dirt
road. From here we enjoyed the fantastic views we mentioned at the beginning.
Another day we rented a tandem kayak from Crown Jewel Water Sports who graciously
loaned us a trailer to haul it and life jackets. We put-in at the north end of the lake and paddled
across the lake and up “The Thorofare” to Upper Priest Lake. Yes, we saw a moose! After eating
our picnic lunch on shore we spotted a moose wading knee-deep as we paddled nearby.
The entire time we camped at Priest Lake the weather was perfect. And, we found a tasty
IPA brewed by Laughing Dog Brewery in nearby Sandpoint at the 1906 Leonard Paul general
store in Coolin.
From here we followed a circuitous route home, traveling first to Missoula, Montana,
then Walla Walla, Washington before rolling down U.S. 395 to Susanville and home to
Sacramento. On the drive to Missoula we stopped at the Old Mission at Cataldo, said to be the
oldest surviving building in Idaho, dating from the 1850s. Missoula seems a smaller version of
Boise with, we’re told, rather colder winters. The University of Montana campus sits just across
the river from the historic, well-preserved and lively downtown. The river serves as a trail-laced
parkway through town. Our best Missoula experience involved food. One night we ate dinner at
Red Bird, a small restaurant and wine bar in an historic hotel turned office building. It proved
one of our best restaurant meals ever.
The drive from Missoula to Walla Walla down U.S. Highway 12 closely followed the
route of Lewis and Clark in 1804. We stopped at a Montana State Historic Park at a place the
explorers dubbed Travelers Rest, where the Corps of Discovery indeed rested for several days on
both their outbound and return journeys. This is one of those rare campsites confirmed not just
by journals but by archeological evidence. This road over Lolo Pass and down the Lochsa River
passes through such remote and rugged country that the highway was not completed until the
1960s.
We spent a couple of nights in Walla Walla, one of our favorite small towns, where we
shopped the farmers’ market, tasted wine at small local wineries, and checked out a concourse
of vintage cars at the town’s 4th of July Picnic.
We took two days to get home through the Outback Country in eastern Oregon
and northeastern California, with an overnight near Lakeview, Oregon. Beautiful in its own
right, the landscape provided a counterpoint to the forested mountains and clear lakes of
northern Idaho.
Happy Travels, Janet and Stu
Postcard 1 -- On the Road in Idaho
Unexpected. Surprising. Idahoans seem to take the outdoors seriously. We were
surprised to find a river-front biking and hiking trail along the Boise River through the city that’s
as long as our own American River Parkway in Sacramento. Even more surprising–a 72-mile,
rails to trails conversion in Northern Idaho, from Mullan to Plummer across Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Famous Potatoes notwithstanding, Idaho must be the fittest state in the U.S.
With perfect weather so far, we are on a 10-day Idaho RV trip visiting Boise before
heading north to Lakes Coeur d’Alene, Pend Oreille and Priest in the Panhandle. Also on our
plan--two days in Missoula, Montana and two more in Walla Walla, Washington on our way
home.
Idaho’s capital city, Boise, population 185,000, by far the largest city in a state of small
towns, proved more cosmopolitan than we expected. On a Wednesday evening we strolled
downtown, where many restored historic buildings serve as restaurants and pubs. Live music
pulsed from doorways, balconies and Grove Plaza, filled mostly with families and young people.
We camped at River Walk RV Park, about five miles west of downtown, and the bike path
ran maybe 30 yards from our trailer.
One morning as we sought vantage points for photography we stumbled across another
Boise surprise–the tree-shaded, historic neighborhood of Hyde Park.
We also visited Idaho’s territorial prison, now a state park. It served as the state
penitentiary until a prisoner riot in the 1970's led to the closure of this grim facility. Another day
we toured Boise’s Basque Block where we enjoyed lunch at Gernika Pub and visited the Basque
museum. Our only disappointment in Boise? The state capitol is closed for renovation.
A day trip out of Boise yielded one our most scenic drives ever along Highways 21 and 75
into the Sawtooth Mountains. Our first stop, the old historic mining town of Idaho City, offered
old historic buildings and a great cemetery to photograph. Later at the junction with Highway 75,
we found a base for whitewater expeditions at Stanley, a somewhat ramshackle settlement sitting
in an impossibly beautiful valley at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains along the Salmon River.
Heading south, we drove up the Salmon Valley, beneath the jagged, aptly-named Sawtooth Range
and over 9,000 foot Galen Summit to Ketchum/SunValley, here because of skiing of course and
because of money–about as different from Stanley as imaginable, except for the backdrop.
The drive from Boise to the Panhandle took us up Idaho 55 and the Payette River Valley
beside the constantly foaming Payette River, before joining U.S. 95 on to Coeur d’Alene. The
town, the lake and the river of this name are all namesakes of the tribe, whose name we were told
was bestowed by French-Canadian fur traders. The name translates as “Heart of the Awl,”
supposedly characterizing the tribe’s sharp and hard bargaining. The town is a pleasant place at
the northern tip of the 25-mile long lake, created when Ice Age glaciers dammed a river valley.
One morning we absorbed the lake’s beauty by hiking up Tubb’s Hill in town. Later we
cruised the lake on a tour boat, hopped a float-plane for an aerial sightseeing tour, and
circumnavigated the lake in our Yukon (on roads). The drive led us to the tiny town of Harrison
on the east shore with its city park embracing a marina, RV park, play area and picnic tables.
Here we discovered the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, the 72-mile former railroad that passes
through Harrison as it cuts its way across most of Northern Idaho. We’d love to come back one
day with our bikes and ride at least part of this trail.
The lake cruise took us past some beautiful lakefront homes on a stretch of shore just
across from town, but inaccessible by road. The flight gave us a birds-eye view of a house built
atop a rock, and of Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course’s infamous floating green, where the
distance changes periodically as the green is towed closer or farther from shore!
Stu as co-pilot in float plane Coeur d'Alene from the float plane
We also found the best espresso/breakfast place downtown called Java on Sherman,
enjoyed dinner in a floating restaurant and strolled and window-shopped Coeur d’Alene’s small
town Main Street..
We’ll leave Lakes Pend Oreille, and Priest and the rest of our trip for the next Postcard.
Happy Travels, Janet and Stu
