On our way to Nashville we stopped off at Fort Knox to see General Patton’s museum. While we drive along the Colors are happening in the trees and the farmers are busy.

At the visitors center it was a wait to get a visitors pass. But once we got it we were on to the museum.

Throughout the museum there were many quotes from Patton on leadership what it is and how to perform it. From a young age he had purpose and that was being a leader and in the Army. He truly believed he had lived before as a Roman legionnaire, part of a 14th century army and also in  Napoleon’s army.

One thing he did not do is mince words. The cross and what they call a “Fumsup” was given to Patton by his wife, Beatrice. The Fumsup was popular during the late 19th century and early 20th and was usually given to soldiers. Usually a baby or small person. The head was wood (for touching wood is luck) with a metal body. The name came from “thumbs up” the traditional sign for good luck. Patton wore his in World War l and WW ll.

Anyone who has read or seen anything on Patton knows his dog, Willie. Willie was his right hand dog. A Bull Terrier.He even had an official dog tag with the rank of Private. When Patton died from an auto accident Willie mourned his passing. The photo shows him with some of Patton’s belongings.

Leaving the museum up on the hill is Fort Knox. We didn’t stop, we found out they weren’t giving out samples.

On to Tennessee. We went to this resturant called Cock of the Walk. Their specialty was good home cooking. The Columbia River back in the day was bustling with river traffic. All forms of boats traveled the river and the men on the boats were pretty tough and trying to out barter each other. The toughest man on each boat was known as the “COCK OF THE WALK.” To signify their rank they wore  a red turkey feather in their hat. From there on, one Red Feather would meet another and the challenge was on to see who was the real Cock Of The Walk.

On our way to Fayetteville we went by Toad Suck Park. We had to find out why it was called Toad Suck. There are a lot of stories on how the name came about. The most consistent was from a popular drinking location for boaters on the Arkansas River. While they refreshed themselves  the locals said ” They would Suck on the bottle ’till they swell up like toads.” A poll conducted went viral and Toad Suck was voted the most unfortunate town name in America.

In Fayetteville we met up with Rob Sandusky. Rob raced for us as a Junior. It was so much fun to watch him race and do so well. His Mom, Dad and brother, Henry have all been active in racing, even now.We hopped on our electric bikes. Rob was on his mountain bike. We had to climb a really steep hill. It was especially fun for me. I was able to pass him so easy on the electric bike. Believe me this was the only time I would pass him

Rob took us on a tour of the Campus. Riding down the road he saw Kelsee Smith, Woody’s daughter. We turned around to say Hi! She was on her way to the sorority she is pledging. She was with her friend Cara. What a great chance to see her.

We went to dinner with Mike Schmedieke and Tammy the night before. I just realized I didn’t get their photo, bummer.  Tammy went to UA and gave us a tour of the campus in the car. She told us that each graduating class has their names etched in sidewalk. I asked Rob to take us to where the names of the first graduating class is. It is in front of the building known as Old Main. Completed in 1875 and the first graduating class was 1876. Eleven members of the class are there and unfortunately they are almost illegible. It would be cool if they could refresh them before they  are worn away. All through the campus graduating classes are on the sidewalks. What a great tradition.

On to visit Jay and Kay Lewis. They have a lovely home tucked away on 7 acres full of trees and rolling hills.

The next morning we met up with them and and their niece, Savannah and her fiancé, Phillip. We are off to ride a round a lake right down the road from their place. We stopped at a coffee shop named Arsaga’s. The bike path goes right by it. We met Cary Arsaga while we sipped our coffee.Phillip works at the shop part time. Great place.

This is Joseph, aka JoJo. He is a Polydactyl. Cat’s got 6 Toes!  Plus he is part Manx so what he lacks in tail he makes up in toes. He is a very chatty cat, very good for conversation. Kay taught him to come by whistle instead of the traditional, “Here Kitty, Kitty!”

The next day we went to an art museum called Crystal Bridges. Built by Alice Walton it is really a beautiful place. The building itself is a marvelous work of art.

William Trost Richards painting at the top was one that caught my eye. This photo doesn’t do it justice. The detail even down to the leaves was most interesting. Sculptures always get my attention.

This spider has a relative in Ottawa, Ontario in front of the National Gallery’s plaza.  There are four others. One in Bilbao, Spain at the Guggenheim Museum, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Samsung Museum in South Korea and the Hermitage in St.Petersburg, Russia.

Outside there are many walking trails with many pieces of art to catch your attention. The Vaquero, by Luis Jimenez  is 16 feet tall.

We went on to Bentonville. Home of the Walton 5&10. Sam Walton’s first store. It is now a history museum of his life and accomplishments and especially his philosophies of business with Wal-Mart. His store front was originally a Ben Franklin store. They moved his office to the museum, also his 1979 Ford F-150. Sam said, “What I’m suppose to haul my dogs around in a Rolls-Royce!” The barber chairs are the chairs Sam and his brother, Bud would get their $5.00 hair cuts in.

Being a cyclist one of the most enjoyable things about riding is going into small towns. Wal-Mart has impacted many down town areas around the country. Considering where his story begins I found it interesting how his vision change the very place where his roots are.  Visiting the museum though it is amazing what he has and still with his legacy is accomplishing today.

Oh My Gosh, Pat got his bat! GO CUBS!  We are in the middles of the series. Pat is 87 and has been a  CFF-CUBS FAN FOREVER!

We’re home. It’s been quite an adventure.  A lot of time with family, friends and all those we have met along the way. The memories flow as we are with family and friends back home. The stories of all that we have done and experienced along the way keep us smiling. As Willie says, “Can’t wait to get on the road again.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided today to go to Louisville just to check out the city. We parked, looked up and by golly there was the factory for The Louisville Slugger! All along Main Street is the walk of fame. Had to get a photo of Babe Ruth’s plaque.

The factory tour was fun. They would not allow photos. The museum was full of memorable pieces like Babe Ruth’s bat he used in 1927 to make 60 home runs!  There are notches Babe carved over the oval to mark the homeruns. In the store we had a surprise made for our brother-in-law who has been a Forever Cubs Fan. It is on the way, Pat.

Outside walking the streets was interesting. A lot of picture worthy sights and information. This looks like a regular manhole, but in fact it covers a coal chute. Some go back as far as 1855. Some of the ornate covers along Main St. date back to 1855.

First historical marker that said over (read the other side) that I have ever seen. Evan Williams opened the first distillery for whiskey in Kentucky in 1783. As they say, the rest is history.

This David has quite a history. A Turkish sculptor Serkan  Ozkaya sculpted David. He is twice the size of the original. The 21Museum acquired this one in 2011. It is made of Foam.  The horses were the result of Gallopalooza, an organization that raises funds for the beautification and preservation of Louisville. They have added Mint Julips to the street sculptures.

This limo is covered in those little glass beads used in flower arrangements. We had to smile at the license plate. It has persimmons! It reminded us of a persimmon pudding that Cam, our nephew makes that is really tasty.

Everyone kept telling us to go by the Falls. Well, the falls weren’t falling today. I was excited to see the statue of Lewis and Clark. They met here and like the plaque says, “When they shook hands, the Lewis and Clark Expedition began.” Having cycled much of the Lewis and Clark Trail out west,(which is awesome), it  was special to find this monument.

Back to Clarksville, we have dinner with the kids one more time, at a colorful Mexican resturant.  Masey made the red,white and blue bracelet for Jim. He wears it with his “Kegel Strong” bracelet everyday.

On to Nashville, TN and Fayetteville, Ark.

 

There it  is…THE ARK. I had read about it back in May. It wasn’t open yet so by the time we would get to Kentucky in September it would be.  The ARK Encounter was founded by Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis. The ARK was built at a cost of $100 million. It is 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high. It is claimed that it is the largest timber frame structure in the world. We called Phil and Robin Shope  and invited them to join us. Picking them up early in the morning we were on our way.

The ARK is built to the specifications a described in the Bible. To see it even from the distance the first thing you say is “WOW!”

We’re ready for the encounter!  But wait not only will we see the ARK, Jim bought tickets to zip line. We zip off at 1:00.

The craftsmanship in the construction is really beautiful.

The pens for the animals and the methods for feeding and keeping things clean in real life. The little terra pots were for water. The funnel at the top allowed grain to go into the troughs in each pin below.

The Casiod kind         The  Istiodactyllid kind   The Bear kind

The Sloth kind                The Hog  kind                 The  Deer kind

To put the Ark and it’s story in perspective what surprised me is as long as I have read, seen movies, pictures about the ARK there were always animals two by two of lions, tigers, bears, camels, elephants, birds and on and on. The interpretation here are of prehistoric creatures that evolved into animals as we know today as well as those that are extinct now.

This model is a cutaway of the ARK. It looks like a pretty cool cruise ship.

Throughout the ARK explanations of how they handled the issue of fresh water, waste, feeding themselves and all of the animals.

All the while there are illustrations that tell the story of creation of man, his fall from grace and why the flood happened. Also explaining the biblical story as opposed to the scientific story of man’s evolution.

Entering at the front of the ARK eventually you will leave at the back. It was an impressive journey. I asked someone who worked there could the ARK  actually float.    The answer in no, there are huge concrete building on th backside of it that houses the many of the facilities for the ARK to function. I was really disappointed.

Mr. Jimmy is ready to zip. Cheyenne and Mat were our guides. Oh, the view from way up there is great. On to the zip line. I don’t know how many of you have done this I’m glad it is off my list. Especially since I didn’t know it was on it. After some serious silent panic it was easier to do. The actual zipping along the line was ok. Getting up the scaffolding and hooking up on those small platforms in the wind was a lot of work. So 7 zips later we were back on solid ground. Whew.

Headed back to Louisville.Phil and Robin decided on Ramses Cafe for dinner. Across from the resturant was this billboards for Hunter Thompson and I thought the front of this building was interesting. It use to be a police station.

At dinner Phil and Robin told us about this guy’s house that would be fun to see. He is a hoarder of sorts.

OMG, his name is Jerry Lotz. He happened to be up on the roof patio when we arrived. He introduced himself and told us that when he was 8 years old his mom said to him, “Jerry, lets go junking!” Jerry at 76 still goes junking and has everything he has found. He told us no one comes in the house and he has 4 more houses full of stuff.

He told us to be sure and see the Statue of Liberty that he made. It had Nixon’s face and his famous “V” hand sign.

A little more junk. Phil asked if the American Pickers had been by. Oh yes, he just heard from them. They were going to be through once again. He says they come by for the show.

What a fun day! Phil and Robin, thank you so much for joining us.

Out to dinner with Jen, Cam, Madison and Masey at Famous Dave’s BBQ. We had to agree the BBQ here was pretty darn tasty. We planned our trip to the                   Louisville Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular for the next evening. Definitely go when it’s dark.

Winding through Louisville we finally get to Iroquois Park. Lots of people have come to see the pumpkins. This pumpkin was huge, but wait till you see what comes next.

The theme for this years spectacular is America the Beautiful! Over 5,000 pumpkins are here. Above is some of the amazing carved pumpkins we saw.

These are some of the States. This event goes for 3 weekends. Pumpkins will be replaced as they start to fall apart.

All around the featured pumpkins. There were jack-o-lanterns everywhere. Up the trees,  in the bushes,  every pumpkin seem to have a different expression.

Just a few more. We walked looking at pumpkins for 2 hours🎃! What a fun evening that was

Today is Fall Festival Day in New Washington and Bethlehem. “New Wash” as the locals call it is a small little town. Everyone knows everyone here.

The best part of the day was spending it with Debbie Franklin. We met her at lunch and she mentioned she was going to Bethlehem. Jennifer and Cam said, “Shoot, just come along with us.”  She grew up out in the country. When we passed the farm where she grew up, she talked  of memories of walking down the long lane to the road to catch the school bus…no matter what the weather. She also talked about harvesting the tobacco her family raised.I was full of questions and she had the answers. Tobacco is a very hands on crop. They would cut it,  tie it and hang it in the barns, which looked like they were missing boards however that was to let the air flow through and let the leaves cure.

Back to Jen and Cam’s home. They live on quite a bit of land with hills and creek beds and lots and lots of trees. Cam took me in the gator to get a picture of Jerry and Fred up in the hayloft of the little barn.  On top of the barn is a weather vane Cam and Masey resurrected. They made a goose whirligig for the top. On the side of the barn is a “barn quilt”  Cam makes them. As we drove around we saw quite a few he has made. I thought one would be cool on the side of our garage?!

After a trip to the barn what else do you do in a gator? Head for the woods and down into the creek. All the while Frankie the Boxer his nipping at the wheels and swimming in the creek.

Monday and the kids can’t play with us anymore. They are back to work and school. We decided to walk the bridge. Along the way to the bridge there were bike and sculptures.

The bridge is called the Big Four Bridge. The name came from Cleveland, Cincinnati,  Chicago, St.Louis Railway. Construction started in 1888. Completed in 1895 it had some disasters with portions of it collapsing. Of all the histories I have read this bridge had some troubles. By 1969 the bridge became known as the Bridge to Nowhere. Now a multi use. Walking across the bridge you could tell the it’s is happy with its new job of getting people out an about.

where we are camping there is several acres with a pond to let the pups run. Today Doogie decided to swim in one end of the pond where all the sludge of the creek backs up. He was one muddy puppy.

Tomorrow we pick up Phil (Jim’s Vietnam buddy) and Robin Shope. We traveling to THE ARK  outside of Williamstown, KY.

 

 

 

Back on the farm and another sunrise.

We met up with Pat, Shari, Tim and Susan for a Wednesday at the Channel Marker. This probably will the the last ski day for Tim. Boomer and Doogie  are good buddies and enjoy the breeze on the front of the boat.

The evening finds us at the West Main Tavern in Syracuse. It was a wonderful meal and if you find yourself in Syracuse Indiana definitely stop by.

A ride today let us stop by to say Hi! to Mom and Dad. They are in a small cemetery out in the country. It is a peaceful place to be. The large concrete cornerstone was used for many years to mark property lines. They are slowly disappearing from the landscape. Many of the farmers have even taken down fences so they can plant more crops just a few feet from the road. Lots of barns around here. The wood barns are slowly deteriorating. As the barns fall metal pole barns replace them. It makes me sad, when I see them. All the lives and stories that have passed through their doors. I will miss the wooden barns.

The farm is always a welcome site. A great way to end a bike ride.

It’s Friday night football in Indiana. It’s a perfect chilly evening. Mike is a linesman and right there in the action. Tippecanoe Valley beat Wabash 21 to 12! Mike taught and coached at Tippy.

Octogiving was Shari’s idea. Since the immediate family would all be in town it would be great to have Thanksgiving in October. What a perfect day.

Group photos, Jennifer, Cam, Massey and Madison. Pat, Shari, Tim and Susan. In the truck Denise, Jeff Amaya and Owen. See everybody later love you all.

Back at the lake Diggity is oblivious to the antics of Boomer and Doogie. We went to Chubbie’s Bowling Alley for “two buck burger night.” The place was packed. So sorry no photos were taken of this gourmet delight.

Tomorrow we head for southern Indiana to visit with Jennifer,Cameron, Madison and Macey.

 

 

Flying to Hershey, PA. for a reunion of some of the guys Jim served with in Vietnam Nam. Dale VonStein, Jim’s Sargent and his wife, Paula have put this together. They arranged it 4 years ago and decided to do a repeat. Jim is excited. Some of the guys who didn’t make it before will be there.

The morning finds us on the way to the State Capital. Here are the boys on the steps of the imperial staircase inside the capital. These are tiles hand-crafted by Henry Chapman. He made 377 mosaics from the history of Pennsylvania.

These beautiful stain glass windows are featured around the House Chamber. There are 14 circular windows in the house and  10 windows in the Senate. The window with the cross is the only place a cros is featured in the capital.

The capital is the seat of the government of Pennsylvania but is also a masterpiece of art and architecture. Above is a painting by Violet Oakley found in the Harrisburg Chamber of the Supreme Court along with 15 others. Above it called “Divine Law- The Keynote” letters and images spell out the words, Love, Law and Wisdom.

Our tour guide of the capital, Debbie and Mike, the driver of our bus. We went on to a civil war museum and headed back to the house.

Paula was incredible  she had lunch and dinners prepared and made it appear so easy. Everyone enjoyed themselves.

The next morning the guys spend their time reminiscing and reconnecting their timelines and where they are now.

The women went to the Hershey Hotel for a little bit of shopping. Opened in May of 1933, it was built around Spanish and Italian influence. The Historic Hotel it is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Back at the VonStein’s house we gave Paula this platter that we found at the hotel. She was so surprised, it made us smile.

Above is Frisbee and Maria, Lenny and Ebbie, Tom and Jan.

Sal and Luba, Bill and Linda , Phil and Robin

John Rauseo and Ken Sollman

These are C-rations that Sarge had.  The C-Rations packet contains matches,chewing gum, toilet paper, instant-coffee, cream substupitute, sugar and salt.

Sunday Paula, Sarge, John, Jim and I went to a sports bar to watch the Cowboys win again, YAY!  These guys are great, John seemed larger than life. John, Jim and many of the others had been wounded in Vietnam Nam. John suffered some serious wounds and a well as a few of the others. Amazing they moved on with their lives. Like the cake said.        Thank you for your service!

One last shot of 3 buddies, a friendship that happened years ago and continues on as if it was yesterday.

In the VonStein’s front yard it this Dogwood Tree. I had never seen such a large Dogwood.  Driving to the airport we spotted the towers of 3 Mile Island. A great time spent with memorable friends.

 

 

We decided to alter plans and head to Milwaukee after talking with Amelia. She informs us that the cancer Chris has involves his liver. It is a bile duct/ bladder cancer with a tumor that has attached itself to his liver. The devastating news… No one has survived this type of cancer. The surgery performed put stints into his liver to jump start it to function again. The positive here is 20% of his liver is functioning again.

Out of New Hampshire and on into New York we cross over the Hudson River.

Driving west we chased the sunset for over an hour and watched the color show happen. Once that was over we finally stopped for the evening.  We have driven far enough that it would get us into Milwaukee by tomorrow afternoon.

The change in the landscape during our summer travels have been amazing. Those are apple trees out there. Also a picture worthy barn.

A day and a half and 1,300 miles we have set up camp again at the State Fair of Wisconsin Fairgrounds RV Park. Arriving at St. Mary’s Hospital in Mequon. Chris is in lounge with several people visiting.

That evening at the Kegel’s Inn we meet Betty who started working there when she was 17 with her mom who was the chef. Now she runs the kitchen. Stephanie and Julian now own the Inn and are glad to have her still cooking away.

Spending the day with Chris again. So many people are coming by to visit with him. Many are flying in to give support. It makes my heart smile to see all of the freindships Chris has gathered and touched, influenced, guided, inspired and nurtured. We feel that he is our “Chris”. Watching everyone you realize he belongs to all of us.

With Chris tucked in for the evening we are off to dinner with the kids. Jim with Julian. Amelia, Stephanie and Tessa, three beautiful ladies.

A meeting on Tuesday with JB, T and Mark from Trek Bicycle set in motion for Sunday to have a “Slow Roll” to celebrate Chris for all he has done for bicycling locally and nationally.  The slow roll would gather at the fairgrounds and ride the Hank Aaron Trail 12 miles to downtown to the Lake Point. The on to Kegel’s Inn for Beer,Brats and Pretzels.

Another evening ended at Kegel’s. It is such a facinating place the artwork is beautiful and throughout the resturant. The English hunting scenes were painted during World War II. Being a German resturant they wanted to show their loyalties to the U.S. and the Allies.

Proclamations from Ozaukee County,  West Allis, Wi. And the Govenor of Wisconsin has proclaimed October 3rd, “Chris Kegel Day!”

Aaron a long time friend of Chris’ from the Juvenile Diabetes organization coordinated much of the event. Amelia with friends and Mr. jimmy on my Trek Lift electric bike.

Sunday morning  were walked out of our trailer and it was all quite. Slowly the people started coming. First to set up then the people. Speculation thought that maybe 500 to 1,000 would show. Above all of the people who road across the States in 2013 that were from Milwaukee stopped for a photo op.

Noel, Amelia, Tessa and Julian up on the van to let everyone know how much they appreciated everyone coming for the slow roll. 1,000 tees shirts were handed out and they ran out. Over 2,000 people were ready to roll.

Slow rolling Julian and along the way people were posted for photos of everyone riding.

At the Lake Point they had huge posters for people to sign. JB  and T with her awesome bike. Paul and Laura with Trek making it to the Point. People still coming in.

At Kegel’s the party ramps up. Chris between Amelia and Julian. Jim and Chris relaxing. Mary and Chris cuddling up.

Jim owned the Inn for many years and early this spring has sold it to Julian and Stephanie.  It was fun to see him relaxed. The only time we have seen him he has always been in a white shirt and tie working in the Inn as the Matre de.

As the beer flowed and the Brats  and Pretzels got eaten, everyone watched the packers win against the     on the big screen that Trek supplied. All the while a drone roamed and filmed the festivities.

Mary and John gave wonderful heartfelt thoughts and great moments.

Julian and Steph, Tim Blumenthal and Tom Schular not missing a word.

Chris with his grandson and another photo op the the Milwaukee crew that rode across the States in 2013. We brought our chairs from our trailer for Chris to relax in. Those chairs went in and out of the Inn. Jim was the hall monitor when Chris needed to relax for a moment.

A lady that worked for Chris now makes cakes and created and interesting cake for Chris. Like the weather man forcasted the rain would be in at 4:00. We made it home and back to the resturant to pick up chairs and make sure Chris got home. It was an awesome day.  Thank you  JB, T , Mark and others from Trek who made this happen. Thank you to all who came and rode and for all the love for Chris.  He is a special person in our lives and we are so thankful to have him in our lives.

In our travels around Milwaukee we pass this building. It once was a gas station for Wadham’s Oil and Grease Company of Milwaukee. Built in 1927  Harger W. Dodge thought of a convenient way for customers to fill their automobiles, by offering off-street filling stations. With underground tanks and electric pumps to dispense gas, it was a hit. By the way Wadham’s was bought by Vaccum Oil Co. In 1930. Vacuum was bought by Socony, which becam Mobil. The Pagoda was the result of the original building being quite ugly. Neighbors complained. An architect, Eschweiler inspired by the Japanese culture designed the pagoda that became Wadham’s gas station.  Over 100 were built. Unfortunately few remain.

We are headed to Indiana and back to Jim’s brother’s farm. Going through Chicago we Spotted othis flat bed, it had a trike strapped in the middle of it. That was some expensivefreight!

Traveling down the lane everything seems to calm down and relax. The corn has now gone full circle from when we arrived back in May. Now it is waiting for harvest. The trailer is all settled in and Doogie is ready to roam the farm.

Leaving St. Andrews we noticed we could see the Minister’s Island from our campsite. Out on the point is Van Horne’s bath house and on the hill is his home.

Ah, the good ole U.S.A. Border. We learned a few years ago you don’t take pictures at the gates. It was good to be back in the Home. We have traveled 10 different states and 4 provinces of Canada. More states to add as we make our way home.

Traveling across the country there are some fun roadside attractions. Those are tractors seats on the trailer. Farther down the road we pass a high rise birdhouse pole. Being cyclist, signs with the percent of the hill always gets our attention.

The road into Maine does not have a shortage of trees and the roads were wonderfully smooth. They use a lot of “H’s” in this part of the country.

Jim and I were in the trailer when a neighbor knocked on our door. “Come out”‘she said. “There is a rainbow.” Where we were located it was impossible to get the whole thing.  What was really amazing was the contrast in color. The sky behind us was blazing with orange and gold.

Just inside our campground was this wooden sculpture. Reading the plaque, Peter Toth was the artist. From Hungary, Peter has a collection of sculptures called.” Trails of the Whispering Giants.” There are 74. At least one in each of the 50 states. Also in Ontario, Manitoba and Hungary. The first was placed is in La Jolla, Ca. in 1972. All of his statues in the states pay tribute to the indigenous people of North America. The World is his plan for the future.

If your not careful you might not see the mailbox mounted on this elaborate post. We found out that this resturant was filled with photos of Jack Russell’s. We did not take time to go see them or dine there. Maybe next time.

We went into Bar Harbor, it was quite busy. We found out that the cruise ships were in. Our table was right at an open window. It was a great people watching spot. Especially watching Mr. Jimmy and his buddy Mistah Lobstah!

Arcadia National Forest offered majestic views and tree covered roads. Established in 1916 it was first called Sieur de Monts National Monument. 1919 brought a name change, Lafayette National Park who supported the American Revolution. Finally  in 1929 became Acadia in honor of a French Colony that included Maine.

The one photo there are huge granite rocks lining the road. These stones are known as “Rockefeller’s Teeth”. These roads started out as carriage trails. A network of 50 miles was fully developed by John D. Rockefeller. With 17 granite bridges, and 2 gate lodges. These are still being used today.

Morning Walks with the pups has advantages. This morning the clouds covered the bay with Nova Scotia popping out above them in the distance.

Because of the lack of rain it is being said that the colors of fall may be short. Much of it may go to brown. The optimist that Jim and I are lets us enjoy the patches that we find as we travel down the road. The river this bridge crosses is the Piscataqua.

Heading to Nashua to visit our good friend Brad Hill. Owner of Goodale’s bike shop which has been around since 1919. He started there in 1966 and in 1971 convincing his parents it was a good investment Brad owned a bike shop! In 2002 it has landed on Broad Street and he added two more stores since.

We stayed at the bike shop for quite a while. Following Brad out to his cottage on Franklin Pearce Lake. It gets really dark out here. The moon out his back door. The lake is out there somewhere.

Morning and the first sighting of the lake.

Boat ride! Top photo is Brad and Lucy’s cottage from the water. The big rock island is just out from their dock. The little building is part of the power plant. I could not resist the bright red color of this house and it’s surroundings. The bottom photo is the house and barn of the original owners of the land the lake is now on.

Ivy with boy friend Anthony.                Holly with boy friend Justin

Diggity training for Olympic sleeping.   Randy and Doogie recharging.

This is a huge pile of sawdust that was started back in 1929 when the woods were cleared for the lake. Now some has been added when tress have fallen.  But that’s a lot of sawdust!

Riding around the lake past the dam and this house. Here when they add on to their homes they actually jack the house up and build under it and lower the house back down.

On the boat we have friends Nancy and Tim, who live down the Lake. That is their house up top. Next you have Brad and Lucy. Then Holly and Justin and of course, Mr. Jimmy! Randy, Sam and Doogie, the Sea Dogs, like this boat riding.

The sign is appropriate it is a hill up and down to their cottage. After a marvelous meal we sit down by a huge fire that Anthony nurtured. Lucy and Brad Comfortable, Holly and Justin cozied up together. What a relaxing day this has been.

A few days ago we got word that Chris in Milwaukee has become very ill. Sunday morning after conversations with his daughter Amelia, we have decided to make a change of plans and we are headed back to Milwaukee. See you soon Chris…love you!

 

 

It’s going to be a long drive today. We knew the chance for rain had passed, but fog? Wow, it got really thick. Down the valleys clear,up the hills foggy. Stewiacke is on the 45th parallel. That is exactly between the North Pole and the equator.

Goodbye Nova Scotia. Hello New Brunswick.

The Kiwanis club owns the Camp Grounds in St.Andrew. It is a lovely campground right on the water. These  beautiful marble fish at the two entrances to the campground. It’s interesting, St. Andrew is located on the Bay Of Fundy as well. The tides are high here as well. Where we were the tides would come in at about 25 feet.

Going into St. Andrews to check out whale watching tours we found the road straight to the pier. In our travels we have found many beautiful murals painted on the sides of buildings. We stopped at the Harbour Front Restuant to relax. The wheel in their main lobby was used to haul kegs and spirits into the warehouse. In the 1840’s it was an importing house. Ah…and the tide keeps coming and going. Out there is the Bay of Fundy. Here it only boasted a 23 foot tide today. It will be coming in around 10 to 7.

From the back of our campsite this was our view. Awesome cloud.

On the pier is where all the tour companies are. All the bright colors make you smile.

Off to see the whales. The campground where we are staying is over there. There are many ways to get out to the whales. The slower way is by tall ship. That ship was sailed here from New Zealand by the late Marc Watteveen in 1989. Now she shows people the world of whales.

These are our neighbors in the campground., Robin and Scott. Getting to know them we found out they have known each other since they were 12 years old. Now 26, they married last year and this is finally their honeymoon. We invited them to join us whale watching as our wedding gift to them.

First thing you learn to look for is the spray from the whales blow hole. About 3 to 4 then by golly you will watch it surface and flip it’s tail.

Allison, a marine biologist was on board to tell interesting facts about whales and all creatures out there. The boat out there had people out on the bow and up in the top. Allison told us they were counting  whales, humpbacks and finbacks. What were seeing were finbacks.

Aye, it’s Captain Matt. Looking for whales🐋

We saw a lot of whales in the distance and on the way back in this one cruised around then next thing we knew…Going,Going,flip of the tail, GONE!

Headed back into port we passed the eagle perched on the post. Honest that’s an eagle. Harbor seals in the water. Great Day for whale watching.

Back at the Harbor House resturant for the sunset. Evening finds us around the fire. Today again was the best day ever.

In front of one of the seasonal trailers this interesting statue. Never did find out about it. The Celtic cross is dedicated to the Irish who did not did not survive the potato famin. In the 1840’s over 84,000 immigrants came to Canada, 70% percent Irish.

Walking the beach we found Scott and Robin’s initials.

When the tide is out you can drive across the Passamaquoddy Bay (say that fast 3 times) to the Ministers Island. Be sure to get back across before the tide heads back in.

Sir William Van Horne was the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway and built what  started as a modest cottage he envisioned became a 50 room mansion on 500 acres. The island was self sufficient with a working farm with dairy, windmill, a huge gas powered generator.

This is his bath house. The picture at the top shows Van Horne standing at the end of his pool he dug. The tide would come in and fill it. Over the years it did fill in with sand. The bath house has this wonderful vista of the bay.

Best sunrise ever in St.Andrews

Robin and Scott heading out to Nova Scotia. Their trailer is a 1977 vintage they got from Scott’s uncle. Their truck is 1979 Ford with over 391,000 miles. Have a marvelous honeymoon and happy life together.

All packed up up and ready to roll we are going back to the USA. We will land in          Bar Harbor Maine. We arrived in Canada on August 3 and we are leaving September 11th. Canada you have been a great adventure. Bye to all our friends we visited and all of the friends we met along the way.

 

When Angie realized we would be going to the Bay of Fundy she told us we had to go to Oak Island! Ok,what’s with Oak Island. Watching the programs on the History Channel we said, “Ok, gonna go there! We’ll get you a T-shirt!

Have I told you how hilly it is in this part of the world? Boy Howdy, kiss your gas mileage goodbye. Haven’t seen wind turbines in a long time. They were on the top of a hill, of course.

Set up camp in Woodhaven RV park. It is very cozy here with trees between each site. This lobster claw is and example of how big those fellas can get.

The next morning we set out on a reconnaissance of the area. There are many coves along the coast line. Stopping by the memorial for SwissAir flight 111 that went down off the coast on September 2, 1998. All 229 men, women and children were lost. The communities of Peggy’s Cove and Blandford were instrumental in recovery of the crash. The cool cloudy coastline  caused reflection while looking out at the Bay and how quickly life happens.

These guys always make me smile🙂

Peggy’s Cove looks like a setting for a movie. Little houses dot the rocks, boats bobbing in the water, lots of lobster traps. Also many tourist walking all directions. Fortunately, we really like being tourist. Peggy’s Cove has several stories about how it got it’s name.

The bright colors brighten up this cloudy,windy day.

This is another jaw bone of a fin back whale. It was just sitting outside a souvenir shop. Nancy takes photographs with you in the picture with the lighthouse in the background. Then you can buy them as postcards to send to friends and family. The arrows point to all kinds points of interest in and around Peggy’s Cove.

The lighthouse built in 1914 is 44 feet tall. It has become the symbol of St.Margaret’s Bay. It is said it is the most photographed lighthouse in the world.This one is not the first lighthouse. The first was built in 1868. A kerosene oil lamp provided it’s light. It was torn down in 1954 after being badly damaged by hurricane Edna. It was also a radio station for the Canadian Navy during World War II. Since 1965 it also is  the community post office.

Ok, here we go. Checking online I was so surprised when I found out this was the last weekend for tours on Oak Island. Also they had been sold out since February. Today is Friday and we thought we’ll just ride out and see what happens. First off we went right pass the road. Drove back and found it. There was a little cause way with all kinds of signs pretty much telling you not to cross the road. We didn’t cross the road. That is Oak Island off in the distance.

Stopping for lunch, Jim goes in and orders while I walk the pups. He talks with a lady who tells us to go to the visitors center and we may get tickets. There we meet Angela who volunteers at the center and Danny Henninger who volunteers at a little museum about Oak Island. Angela says the best thing to do is just go out and try at the island for tickets. We say our goodbyes and head back home.

We get there at 8:50 Several cars on this side of the causeway. We just drive across realizing it was 8:50 and your not suppose to go across till 9:00. We are the first ones in. Oh well,  we get there and Rick stops us. He ask,” Do you have tickets?” we said no and he said go inside and get some. Yahoo! We’re in! Above is the War Room where they go over all that happens on the program that airs on the history channel.

The causeway looks friendlier today. Cars are pulling in. There are about 70 people here for the tour. We just mill around and go through the little museum they have.

This is the foundation of the McGinnis family home. Daniel McGinnis in 1795 found a saucer like depression in the ground in a field under a lone oak tree. That site became known as the Money Pit.

Starting down a beautiful covered lane leads us to more theories and tales. The stone pillars lead down to the original money pit.

This is the base of a huge cross that was found on the island. There again is speculation how and why it is there.

Charles who was our guide lives on the island and is associated with the people who are currently involved in the search for the treasure. The stone above he explained is an scophagus. In his long story about it, it seemed to be pointing somewhere, possibly the treasure. The fact again like the cross above the stone is not native to the island.

Here is another find. This stone with these symbols. With all kinds of theories the one translation that stands out is, “Ten feet below are two million pounds buried.” This stone was part of a chimney and was used in a bookbindey to pound out leather. During it’s travels it eventually was lost. Just another mystery.

There have been many bore holes or pits dug trying to find the treasure. This one you can see water standing in it. Charles poured water and a few seconds later you could here it hit the pool of water in the bottom at 43 feet.

There is a curse that seven must die before the mystery of Oak Island will be solved. With booby traps and all things spooky it is fun to get caught up in it… For the moment

There are so many theories from Captain Kid’s treasure, Spainish treasure, Marie Antoinette’s jewels and even the Knights Templar treasures may be here. Not to mention famous people who invested in the Oak Island treasure hunt. Such as  Errol Flynn, John Wayne, Vincent Astor, of the Astor family and Admiral Byrd. Even FDR was curious to the goings on there.

As the tour ended we were told that Dan Blankenship would be back at the museum to sign autographs and chat. At 93 he really enjoys talking with people. After reading an article in  Readers Digest in 1965 he and his wife came from Florida to Oak Island to find this treasure. As he says, ” It is way too late to turn back now.” A nice man and he does go to Florida to visit a grandson every now and then.

Not to let any secrets out of the bag, but these two cranes, one is a 100 pound crane and the other a 300 pound crane will be involved in next seasons show. Hmmmm.

We smiled all the way to Halifax for lunch, because we had so much fun on Oak Island. We happen to discover this cool resturant. Out side on their patio the meal was great, service awesome and the people watching was great!

On the news this morning they mentioned the Greenpeace ship was in the harbor for the weekend. It would be interesting to see it in ” real life!” This was a fun day, thank you Angie without you letting us in on Oak Island we might have missed this day. Tomorrow we are headed to St. Andrew New Brunswick. A couple we talked with on Oak Island thought we would enjoy St. Andrew and go whale watching.