travels with ruth

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MY TRAVELS WITH RUTH

CHAPTER I: Travels Through 1959

I, Edgar, grew up on the western edge of the Sacramento Valley of California. From the time I

was a “babe in arms” I was accustomed to taking a camping trip with the rest of the family almost

annually. Usually, we went into the high Sierra Mountains in mid-September so that Dad could hunt

deer in an area that he had become acquainted with while working for a mining company for two years

prior to 1909. We looked forward to these trips, and once in a while Mother would prevail in her desires

to go somewhere else for a change. That was a part of our life, and we all enjoyed those outings.

Ruth grew up in Denver, and aside from an occasional Sunday ride to the nearby mountains, one

train trip to visit relatives in Salida, and a few days in a church camp, had spent her life up to our

meeting right there in Denver.

Shortly after we started dating, on a Sunday afternoon, Ruth’s mother having the keys to Ruth’s

eldest brothers car while he was out of town, asked me to drive her, Ruth’s youngest brother, Ruth anda girl friend of hers to the lower mountains. That was my first trip up Boulder Canyon. Of course, we

stopped at Boulder Falls, then continued through Nederland and back to Denver via Coal Creek Canyon.

Fast forward to after we were married and had a few short months together in Columbia, South

Carolina. In the midst of Pre-Combat training, my brother Marvin, having just returned from India

where he flew as a B-24 Flight Engineer, and his new bride, Vaudis, had reported for duty at the airbase

in Orlando, Florida, and I got a few days off from training to visit that brother who had had such an

impact on my life. Ruth and I traveled by bus to Orlando and return.

Shortly after that, Ruth and I were parted as I left for assignment, followed by a year in the

South Pacific. Ruth had made her way to California and was living and working in Oakland, so was thereawaiting my return. The day following that return, we went over to San Francisco and purchased a used

1940 Pontiac Club Coupe. Gas was strictly rationed in those days, and according to the fuel gage there

was about a quarter tank of fuel, which we calculated to be enough to get us to my home northwest of

Vacaville. By the time we got away from the city it was about dusk (December 12) and I chose to take

the route around the west side of San Francisco Bay since Ruth had gone up the other side several times

by bus. This road was a bare two lane road, with hardly any place to get off the pavement in an

emergency. The night turned very dark during that ride, and we arrived at my home at near mid-night.

Aroused Mom and Dad just long enough to let them know I had returned from combat unscathed, then

got a few hours sleep. Next morning when we went to show off our sleek car, the engine wouldn’t start

–out of gas. Fortunately, Dad had some fuel there for his farm equipment, and after he had examined

me thoroughly to make sure I had not been injured in combat, we made our way back to Oakland sothat Ruth could terminate her job, gather her few belongings—and, go to the ration board to get

coupons for gas.

After a few days back at the ranch, and having learned that Ruth’s mother was ill with cancer,

we traveled to Denver by Greyhound bus, spending Christmas there. Upon our return to California, we

soon had to leave for Santa Monica where I went through a thorough military physical and awaited

reassignment orders. I don’t remember anything about our drive down there, so it must have been



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uneventful. We spent about ten days there, mostly enjoying walking the beach, taking free tours of the

movie stars area, and other points of interest, including a meal at the famous Brown Derby.

Finally, having been declared fit for further military duty, I received orders to report to Turner

Field, Albany, Georgia. Now we were undertaking a real trip. We traveled mostly on US-90, and

intentionally went to San Antonio, Texas to visit Marvin and Vaudis. Marvin was now in Aviation Cadet

training at Lackland Field there. Our stay was quite brief, as Vaudis’ landlord had very strict rules about

having visitors. I was very happy to see Marvin, who possessed a Private Pilots license prior to enlisting

four years earlier, finally training for his lifetime dream. Driving across the bayous of Louisiana, many

turtles were crossing the roads. Years earlier when we lived near the Suisun Bay, the tide waters would

back up in a creek that ran through our ranch, and my older brothers would take off their shoes and

wade about trying to locate turtles with their bare feet. These we knew as harmless mud turtles. Well,

seeing all these turtles I suddenly stopped to pick one up to give Ruth a close up view. Much to my

surprise, this one didn’t pull its head into its shell—instead, it thrust its head out at me hissing and

snapping. Yes, my first encounter with a snapping turtle. Other memories of the trip were the “not so

good” motels along the way, and one traffic stop. Yes, I was speeding, but just got a warning.

While at Albany, most of my gas ration was consumed in driving to and from Turner Field where

I was a flight instructor on B-25 aircraft. At one point between cadet classes, I took a short leave, and

Ruth and I drove to Valdosta where a New Guinea tent mate was now flight instructing. We had a visit

of a few days with he and his family. We did do a bit of local driving as I started teaching Ruth to drive.

In late July, I was transferred to Williams Field, Arizona, and we decided to make a swing up to

Denver to visit Ruth’s father (Her mother had passed away in January. Ruth had made a trip by train

back to Denver in time to bid her mother goodbye, while I entrained to San Antonio to attend Flight

Instructors school.) This trip had several events of note—Ruth was driving as we entered Birmingham,

Alabama, and the road made a sudden 90 degree downhill turn with no slope to aid the turn. I would

swear we made that turn on two wheels. Crossing Arkansas on a paved concrete highway, that had the

sections of pavement very uneven, our loaded down Pontiac broke a leaf of rear spring—however, that

did not deter us. In later travels, we avoided Arkansas for years because of that one experience. We

were surprised to find the highway across Kansas to be very hilly. The highway was in good condition

but it was up hill then down repeatedly in a straight line. We made a stop in Rocky Ford Colorado where

we found Ruth’s brother and sister-in-law visiting her relatives, along with Ruth’s father. We then

followed them back to Denver. After a one night stay, we headed for Arizona taking the scenic route

through Colorado’s South Park, Salida, Wolf Creek Pass, Durango and to Mesa Verde where we took a

cabin for the night. After a quick tour of that most interesting area of ancient Indian dwellings we were

on our way again. When traveling across New Mexico, we kept seeing road signs, reading: Caution: Dip

Ahead. These dips just broke up the monotony of the straight road ahead, and we didn’t even slow

down for them getting a bit of a thrill as we traversed each one. Ruth happened to be driving at thistime, and we entered a dip and it had rushing water traveling 90 degrees to our path. There was a

thunderstorm in the distance to the west. Another driving lesson under our belt. Made it through

alright, but mud encrusted the whole car. Made a short visit to the Petrified Forest as we traveled

through the Painted Desert. We had just passed through Globe, Arizona, when one of our tires blew

out, and we didn’t want to proceed without a spare as all of the tires were white walls, with comparable

mileage on them. It was a weekend day, and we had to wait for the ration board to open Monday in

order to get a new one. One white wall tire replaced.



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Arriving in Mesa, Arizona late Monday, we took a room in a motel planning to stay until finding

permanent housing. Next morning I took the liberty of washing the mud off the car, only to be

confronted by the proprietor who hostilely ordered us to be out by the next day. Another lesson. That

area didn’t have the water resources for such frivolous use. Our stay in the area was thankfully short, as

the war suddenly came to an end, and I received orders to proceed to Camp Beale, California for release

from the service. Thus, another experience.

I got my orders late in the afternoon, called Ruth to get ready for our departure, and when I

reached our living quarters, we quickly loaded what little we had removed from the car for our stay

there, and we were on our way. We had decided that since neither of us had been to the Grand Canyon

and may never have another convenient opportunity, and since this was the end of August and I was on

Leave Time until reporting to Camp Beale on October 2, that we would swing up there on our way.

Actually, we did want to get to Vacaville for the Labor Day weekend, so didn’t have a lot of time to

spare. It was dark as we entered the east end of the park, and at about 11:30 we saw a roadside picnic

table and decided to stop there until daylight. Ruth slept on the front seat of the car—the back seat was

full of our belongings—and, I took a blanket and slept on the picnic table. Imagine my surprise to

awaken to find that table to be within four feet of the drop off into the Canyon—no guard rail in thosedays. That day we drove to the end of the road, with a few observation stops along the way, then

returned to US-40 to Kingman, then on toward Las Vegas where we intended to spend the night. We

had a short delay at Boulder(now Hoover) Dam, as they were waiting for a sizeable number of cars to

form before escorting them across the dam. No stopping on the dam was allowed—and, an armed

guard rode in the lead car and in the last of the convoy—we were the last car in that particular convoy,

so had a guard squeezed in that front seat with us. Since Las Vegas was not of any interest to us, we

had planned to stay in a motel in the north west area of the city only to find No Vacancy signs on all the

motels (That was the area near the very active Air Base), so we continued on our way. Upon reaching

Beatty, Nevada, we needed to fill up with gas and the attendant (in those days attendants filled the gas

tank, checked the oil, radiator and tires) called our attention to a large air bubble on the left front tire.

We thought we were in trouble, but he had seen that before and used an ice pick to puncture that

bubble (This car had white wall tires on it when we purchased it, and by this time the white wall was

separating from the black tread.) We drove on to Tonopah, Nevada that night, where we got a room in

an old Gold Rush hotel. Neither of us slept well that night imagining we were being eaten by bed bugs.

Next morning, after breakfast, we drove on north for a distance planning to take a paved road on the

north side of Mono Lake westward into California. Must have turned too soon, and ended up on the

sand of the north shore of the lake. Didn’t dare to stop, as we would just dig in trying to get rolling

again. When we finally got to the pavement near Bridgeport, CA, the tread on one of the rear tires had

separated and was flapping on the highway. It was now Saturday of the Labor Day weekend and the

ration boards were closed, and we were without a spare tire, with an unknown (to us) pass to cross. The

local service station didn’t have any used tires that were in any better condition than ours, so wedecided to “go for it”. If we had had any idea of what the pass was going to be like, we would have

parked for the weekend, but ignorance is bliss. The pass was Sonora Pass, and on the east side of the

mountains it was only one car wide with turns so sharp that we had to stop and back up a bit to

complete the turn as we zigzagged up the mountain. What a drive that was!!! About four miles down

the west side we got to where work had been cut short by the war, and had a most enjoyable, scenic

drive to wide open San Joaquin Valley. WE MADE IT HOME!!! The day following Labor Day, we went to



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the local Ration Board, and were issued ration cards for three new tires, and promptly got those other

three white wall tires replaced.

In mid-September, deer season was due to open in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and in

preparation, we went to a surplus store and purchased some camping equipment—two two pound

reclaimed cotton sleeping bags, a 12’ X 16’ canvas tarp, a Coleman gas stove, and gas lantern for use on

that camping trip. I wondered how Ruth would take to camping. She took to it very well! We camped

by Wabena Creek for nine days, and I bagged a deer. On the last night, we loaned our tarp to Marvin

and Vaudis who had joined us, and with Vaudis very pregnant and rain forecast for the night they

needed protection from the elements. We thought our sleeping bags would suffice for us. By morning

we were drenched—but, so what? We were returning to Vacaville anyway.

A few days later I had gone to Oakland to interview for a job with JH Heinz Company—as a

bookkeeper. The interview seemed to be going very well, until the Interviewer asked if I would likely

leave to take a flying job if one became available. With my affirmative answer the interview was over.

Upon returning home, our camping equipment was all piled there on the porch to be loaded—A cousin

had gotten word to Ruth that if we wanted to join them for a hunt in Modoc County, to meet them at a

certain gas station in Dixon at 9PM, and it was now nearly 8. A quick change out of my suit, and the car

hurriedly loaded, and we were on the way—for another eight day outing. Upon breaking camp up

there, Ruth and I decided to head west to the coast and drive down the Red Wood Highway. It was here

that camping in the dark seemed to get in my blood. I had assumed that there would be numerous

spots to camp along the way, however, it got darker and darker without our finding one. Finally there

was a fairly level spot just off the pavement and we pulled in there next to one of those trees. Had

planned to put the tarp over a rope with one end tied to a door handle of the car, and the other end

around the tree. However, we didn’t have rope enough to girdle that tree, so drove a nail in the tree to

tie the rope to. Upon awakening we were mesmerized by that tree which reached high into the sky, and

must have been about forty feet around. What a beautiful area! It had been many years since we had

taken our one and only trip up there when I was about ten years old. Yes, Ruth enjoyed our motor trips,and our camping trips!!! Wonderful!

As planned, we stayed with my parents through the remainder of the year, and attending one

last dance in Vallejo with cousin Hazel and her husband, Chuck Pooler. New Years Day, 1946, we

departed for Denver in our Pontiac. A year earlier as we crossed Donner Pass by bus, snow was eves

deep on all the buildings near the pass but, thankfully, on this crossing it was not nearly as deep and our

trip was uneventful. We arrived in Denver on January 3.

That experience of camping in the dark seemed to have set a pattern that we found hard to

break. In late August 1946, I had three days off in my schedule and we decided to go to Grand Junction

to buy a couple of baskets of peaches fresh off the trees—and, to do a bit of sightseeing along the way.

Another habit we seemed to have become accustomed to was getting a late start when going on these

trips. On this trip, it was at least mid-afternoon when we finally got the camping gear loaded, and we

took off on highways we had never traveled before—went southwest to Colorado’s South Park, and by

the time we got to Fairplay dusk was upon us. Our good old Conoco road map showed a campground a

few miles northwest of that town, so we went there. Found conditions not very desirable since a

sheepherder had very recently(like the night before) used that campground to overnight his flock. Ruth

again utilized the front car seat for a bed, and I rolled out in one of those sleeping bags. Next day we



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continued down to the Salida area, and over Monarch Pass, and U.S.-50 through Gunnison and

Montrose, and though the map showed the highway more or less paralleling the Gunnison River to the

north of Montrose, it did not indicate there were any campgrounds. I thought that there had to be

some place where we could get off the road and set up camp. That place did not appear, and in mid-

afternoon we arrived in Grand Junction and refueled. Feeling very sure that we could find a suitable

place to camp along the Colorado River to the west of that city, we drove on and about two miles out oftown, a metal object fell from the truck we were following and it punctured(tore a hole) in one of our

tires. So, back to the service station we went, where a “boot” was installed in the tire. Now evening

was falling and we hadn’t found that camping spot. We turned up Mesa Creek road feeling sure we

would find that spot. It was dark as we got to the town of Mesa, and seeing a light in the General Store I

went in to inquire as to where we could camp. The proprietor said that if we would continue up the

road for about fifteen miles there would be many places to set up camp. So, on we went up an unpaved

and winding road. Finally seeing a Forest Service Campground sign, we turned and went to where the

road made a loop. Here in pitch darkness we tied that rope to the car door handle and the other end

around a tree, threw the tarp over it and laid out our sleeping bags and got a good nights sleep. Upon

awakening we found that we were camped in one of Colorado’s most beautiful areas. We were

surrounded by three lakes with fish jumping in all of them. Our only problem was that we didn’t have

time to explore further, as we had to get our peaches and get back to Denver that night. That visit lit up

the “must return” sign in our head.

The next summer, after examining our map more thoroughly, we decided to go again to what

we had discovered to be the Grand Mesa, only this time we would enter from the east side, the map

showing a road departing US-6 at the town of Silt. Again, our start was late and we planned to stop in

daylight short of the top of the mesa. This road was a well graded dirt road, however, before we got far

on it, a very threatening thunderstorm was closing in. We did get set up before dark, and just in time—

that storm produced some very heavy rain. The road on up to the top of the mesa was very muddy and

slick, but we knew where that beautiful campsite was located and we were to arrive in early afternoon.

That turned out to be just a dream, as we were flagged down by a woman whose son had just fallen out

of a tree and had a compound fracture of his arm. Two couples with their children had come out from

Joplin, MO—the women and children to enjoy that beautiful place, while the men folks worked in the

peach orchards. The men were down in the orchards, so we took the boy with the hopes that we could

find a Ranger to take him to a doctor. We got to our planned area which had several campgrounds, and

some cabins, and a store—but, no doctor. We were told that the best doctor on that side of the Rockies

was located in Colbran, which was located a few miles east of Mesa. So, down the mountain we went.

At this small hospital, I assisted the doctor in setting the arm of this brave boy, but the doctor

advised us to leave the boy for the night, so they could monitor him. Now it was dark, and we had to

drive back up to where the family was camped to let them know where their son was, then back to our

planned campsite. At least, this time we had a couple of days or more to explore the Grand Mesa a bit

more, and have since visited there a number of times. Eventually, I took up fishing and managed to

provide a few trout dinners on following trips.

In 1949, I came home from flying the Berlin Airlift in Germany, and was granted a ten day leave

before traveling to my new Air Force duty station. We had to apply some paint to our house to get it

ready for rental, but having three or four days to spare, we decided to explore another area of our

beautiful state. I made a stop at the Lowry AFB Post Exchange and purchased a fly fishing outfit, and we



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went down to Gunnison, and north to Taylor Park, where we rented a rough-it cabin for two or three

nights. We much enjoyed the beauty of the area, and though the fishing didn’t produce(the line I was

sold was not the right kind), we enjoyed our visit to that area and would eventually return several times.

Then, it was off to Vance AFB, Enid, OK. There we made a few trips to some of the lakes for

fishing, and to a small town with a Congregational Church about 25 miles to the west. And, we made

two or three trips back to Denver for short visits—usually, after having spent the day flight instructing,

and not wanting to “waste” and Leave Time, I would sign out at the Base right after midnight of that first

day of Leave, and we would hit the road. Ruth would try to be rested for the trip, and I would sleep on

the rear seat until rested enough to relieve her. On one of these trips, I awakened to a somewhat rough

ride, sat up to look forward, and found that Ruth had made an unintentional turn—but, still going the

right direction—and, I was astounded that the speedometer was sitting right on 85 MPH. I sat

dumbfounded for a bit, then asked if she always drove that fast—a speed I considered quite a bit too

fast for that type surface. These trips usually took us about 12 hours. About a year after arriving in Enid,

we made a trip to the local hospital for the birth of Janet, our first offspring.

A few months later, in February 1951 we were off to a new duty station, Scott AFB, IL, near

Bellville—and, a few miles east of St. Louis, MO. In 1952, we took our vacation to travel to the north.

Stopped in Chicago to visit the Museum of Industry, then on to Duluth, MN, and into the edge of

Canada. Had reservations at Snowbank Beach Resort in MN, but only stayed two or three days as that

beach was made up of rather large rocks. Did go out on the lake and caught a couple of northern pike,

but also got a bit of a scare when the wind came up and drifted us against some of those rocks where I

managed to break the pin that held the propeller of the motor drive shaft. After some worrisome

moments, I managed to carve a piece of wood that did the trick and got us back to our resort area.

Leaving there, we went south and whiled away another couple of days at Round Lake, north of

Minneapolis, and spent another night at Wisconsin Dells in Wisconsin.

In late March of 1953, I got my release from the Air Force—four years after having entered it for

a supposed three year assignment in Europe. So, now we drove back to our Denver home, and back to

my piloting position with United Air Lines.

When we were at Taylor Park Resort three and a half years earlier the proprietor told us that

they were trying to get a road built that would cross the Collegiate Mountains from the Arkansas River

side directly(as mountain roads go) to Taylor Park, thus eliminating the need to travel around through

the Gunnison Valley. The new Conoco road map showed such a road from Nathrop. So, the first time I

had four days scheduled off, we had the car loaded in advance and when I got home from a flight at

3AM, Ruth and I, Janet, Ruth’s father and the little fox terrier that Ruth’s father had given Janet, started

our journey to our new found playground. It was just breaking daylight when we left the main road at

Lathrop, and we drove west to the base of the mountains to an old mining town which appeared

abandoned except for smoke rising from a single chimney. It was impossible to determine what

road(trail) might be the one leading over the mountains, and we waited around for about an hour

hoping someone would appear to give us directions. Since our wait was in vain, we chose the most

likely looking track, and started up this very rough and rutted path. We didn’t get far until those ruts

had the oil pan scraping on the rocks, the dog got sick, and we finally gave up. Eight o’clock, three hours

after leaving Nathrop, found us back near that town cooking our breakfast by the roadside. We ended

up having to drive to Gunnison an up the river to our destination.



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Ah, some fly fishing at last! However, even though I saw many fish rise to my fly, I was unable to

hook them, and thought they just looked at my flies without striking them. When I finally gave up and

started to leave the stream, an old man who had been sitting watching me fish said, “Young man, you

are never going to catch any fish using that line(the PX clerk had sold me monofilament line, and over

that three and a half years it had become quite rigid coming off the spool in curls). Those fish were

taking your hook, but by the time you pulled the curls out of the line, the fish had long since spit thehook out.” He asked where I lived, and upon telling him I was from Denver he said, “Watch the Dave

Cook or Gart Brothers adds in the paper, and when they advertise tapered fly lines for sale go buy one

and you will start catching those fish—better yet, he advised, buy a double tapered line and reverse it

from year to year”.

Later in the summer when I had another four day stretch off, we packed up and headed for

south-west Colorado, this time we drove to Montrose, then south over the “million dollar” highway,

camping that first night along Mineral Creek near Silverton. Had planned to camp for two or three

nights along Vallecito Reservoir to the northeast of Durango, however on arrival we found the

campground full, with a long line of campers waiting for a spot(this was a very popular spot for Texans).

So, we drove on eastward through Pagosa Springs and over Wolf Creek Pass to the highways junctionwith the Arkansas River. There we followed the river upstream to Creede without finding a spot to

camp. It was now approaching dusk as we headed on to what I recall the road map as labeled 44 Mile

Campground. Another night of setting up camp in the dark, though this time we had a rented tent. We

were right on Squaw Creek, and I got up at daybreak and tried my luck fishing. Lots of trout were visible

in the stream, but I couldn’t get them to take my hook. Frustrated I returned to camp to get Ruth and

Janet up and eat breakfast. While eating a couple of boys from an adjacent camp came over to see if I

had a tire pump they could borrow to inflate a trailer tire that had gone flat. Their family was from

Woodward, Oklahoma, and they had been camped here for a week or two—their yearly camping spot.

On finishing breakfast, I visited their camp(to make sure I was going to get the tire pump back—

these were pretty much required equipment when traveling in those days). In the course of theconversation I asked if they had done any fishing. The answer was affirmative and the man of the camp

took me over to their car trunk, opened it, and before me was the largest car ice box I had ever seen.

When he opened the lid, it was full of trout stacked in like cordwood. A bit later I was chopping

firewood when the woman and children of that camp walked by on the way to a small store located a

short distance away, in the meantime, the man came over and sat on a log by me. I told him about my

morning experience, and asked for any clues he could give me. In a few minutes he gave me a thorough

lesson in trout fishing with many clues that I have used to this day—that is, until I had to give up the

sport because of physical limitations. From then on, as long as I was able, I had some great fishing

experiences. A year later we took my parents from California fishing there.

Another trip in 1954 was to California. My schedule gave me two days off prior to my vacation,and, along with Ruth’s dad we were to drive to California. We planned to start our trip on the first of

those two days when the plan was interrupted by me being scheduled for one of the first sessions in the

new Convair Flight Simulator. We decided that Ruth and her Dad could start the trip as planned, and

after my session, Janet and I would fly to Salt Lake City and join them there. That worked out very well,

and the connections were made without a hitch. Since Ruth and I had traveled the main route(now I-80)

by bus and by auto, we decided to alter our route west of Wendover(on the Utah-Nevada border) and

swing down to Ely and travel US-50 the rest of the way. This worked out really well and we enjoyed the



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change of scenery. Overnighted in Austin, Nevada on the way. On this route, the highway is continually

cresting one mountain range after another, then a long straight stretch prior to the next range.—The

mountain ranges have been likened to a lot of caterpillars crawling north or south across the entire

state. We found that to be much more interesting than the more heavily traveled US-40(I-80) route.

We spent that vacation with my parents. Janet was now old enough to enjoy her first horseback rides.

I had done quite a bit of flying into the Pacific Northwest, and Seattle had become my favorite

layover city. I was seriously considering bidding to that city. However, Ruth was pretty skeptical about

living with the reputed overcast skies. I bid a July vacation that year and we flew up on July 4, rented a

car at the airport, and headed west to Hoquiam. It rained on us along the way, but we had a sunny day

on the beach next day even though being rained on going to and from the beach. Drove north along the

Peninsula’s west side, admiring the enormous trees, and moss, and on the north side we drove a few

miles south to spend two or three days at Olympic Hot Springs Park. The hot spring pool was great,

however, it rained on us for the entire stay—and any part of the body protruding above water level was

being pelleted by cold rain drops.

Leaving there, we drove on around the Peninsula to Bremerton and took the ferry boat over to

Seattle. I had traveled back and forth to Seattle on the ferry several times, and it had been a most

scenic and enjoyable trip, however, the rains continued and the clouds were right on the deck and we

couldn’t see 100 feet off the boat. On arrival in Seattle we drove across the city and across the floating

bridge and around Mercer Island—I had walked across there in the past. It continued to rain, and Ruth

had had enough by now. She said, “Let’s get a motel by the airport and fly to California tomorrow

where the sun is shining”). Thus ended my dreams of moving to that beautiful part of our nation.

In 1956 we decided to visit brother Marvin and family in West Palm Beach, Florida. Marvin was

teaching C-124 electrical systems to classes of Air Force Pilots at the local Air Force Base. On the way to

Florida, we stopped in Atlanta and visited Ann and Jay Jones—he was a dentist at Scott AFB, IL when I

was stationed there and they made over Janet, and we became close friends spending many happy

times together. Jay passed away several years ago, but to this day we still correspond with Ann. Did my

first snorkeling with Marvin on that trip. He was also running a flying club, and took me on a lengthy

flight to several air fields in search of some parts for one of their aircraft that was damaged landing in

one of the swamps. Marvin had a small motor scooter that he rode to work, and I took a spin around

the block on it. We also drove down the Florida Keys for some time on a beach, stopping at the Green

Turtle Inn for dinner on the way back. Had the best meal(and the only one I ever had) of turtle meat

topped off with Key Lime pie—the best ever. I still have memories of the many water birds and

alligators as we crossed the lower Florida Peninsula. Stopped at the Shell Factory in Fort Myers(never

dreaming that we would spend many future months in that area), and Ruth acquired quite a supply of

miniature sea shells, many of which she still has. She has made quite a few trinkets with them—but

there will still be a lot left after she is gone. We also visited several other Florida attractions along theway. I also remember that my first flight off that vacation was the roughest of my flying career—I was

copilot for Howard Reed and we flew through a thunderstorm. Every loose item in that cockpit was in

the air. At the end of the flight, we found the log book back in the cargo compartment.

In 1957 we took a short unplanned trip to Yellowstone. Again, I had a short four days off in my

schedule, and decided to take a quick trip—influenced by the fact that our next door neighbors were

taking what was really their first real vacation and touring Yellowstone and Glacier. We had not



9

discussed with them the possibility of meeting up somewhere. And, we were again off to a late start

and after crossing Rabbit Ears Pass in Colorado, we made camp in the first designated campground on

the west side of the pass. The following day we got to Grand Teton NP, and camped by Jenny Lake. Saw

many tempting places to float a dry fly, but passed them up wanting to get to Fishing Bridge in

Yellowstone. There we took a rough it cabin by the lodge, and I got up early in the morning to try fishing

elbow to elbow with the mass of humanity on the bridge. While folks seemed to be catching quite a fewfish, I couldn’t see how to avoid tangled lines so left the bridge and waited patiently for reasonable

spacing along the river above the bridge. The limit was three fish, and when someone limited out and

departed, I stepped to the streams edge. Three casts and I had my limit. Returned to the cabin and we

ate breakfast. On the trip up, Janet called my attention to every likely fishing spot so I wanted her to

have the opportunity to try her luck, but not wanting her to get entangled with the network of lines on

the bridge, or trying from the bank of the rushing river, I drove across the bridge to the boat dock and

rented a boat. I rowed across the stream then told her to start letting out line. In only a few minutes

she had her limit, too. We had packed our car before going over there, so were now crossing the bridge

for the long days drive home. As we passed the lodge store, we saw our neighbors’ car parked there

and their son was sitting in it. Stopping to say hello and inquire where the family was, he informed us

that his mother and sisters were in the store and his dad was fishing from the bridge. While Ruth and

Janet went in the store, I found his frustrated father on the bridge. His first words were, Ed, tell me

what I am doing wrong—this was his first fishing experience, and he had borrowed equipment from

another of our neighbors. Just moments earlier a woman had stepped in beside him and quickly filled

her limit, and he hadn’t had a bite. It took a little convincing to get him to agree to go to the boat dock

with me along with his son, but finally he agreed. I rowed them across the river, and in just a few short

minutes, they each had their limits. I must mention that all these fish were what were known as

Yellowstone Cutthroat trout, and were in the 15 to 17 inch range. When we returned, our families

traveled a few miles east together and enjoyed a picnic, before we headed home. That neighbor

became an avid fisherman after that experience.

In 1958, we took our vacation in the spring. Had purchased a new Chevy station wagon a few

months earlier, so drove it to California via the southern route—that is, down to Gallup, New Mexico,

then via what is now Interstate 80 to Barstow, California. Traveling across that interesting area, we

called many scenes to Janet’s attention, and she would quickly look up from her book and just as quickly

have her nose back in the book—she was not enjoying the scenery. Little did we know that she just

wasn’t seeing it. (Shortly thereafter, her teacher informed us that Janet could not read the writing on

the school blackboard). Eye glasses solved the problem. In California, we took the road from Barstow

over Tehachapi Pass to Bakersfield, then up the San Joaquin Valley to Lodi, and planned to go west from

there to cross the Sacramento River at Rio Vista. It had been an unusually wet spring that year, and we

found the highway to be submerged in places, and the road was closed on our planned route, so we had

to go up to Sacramento, and then to Vacaville. I think we returned via the same general route due toheavy snows in both the Sierra-Nevada Mountains and the Rockies.

Here, I must inject the fact that from the mid-fifties until the mid-seventies when we didn’t drive

to California during the girls’ spring vacations, we usually flew out for a week to enjoy the ranch hillsides

in full bloom, and to ride the horses around those interesting hills.



10

Chapter II: 1960-69

I drew a vacation of the first two weeks of January 1960. We left Janet and Joyce(9 mo. old)

with our neighbors, and Ruth and drove to Mexico. It was quite cold all the way down into Mexico with

snow as far south as Nogales. We stayed at a resort in Guaymas. The week wasn’t quite as hoped for,as the Mexican government was giving the American owner a bad time, and she was forced to cut some

of the services. For one thing, the lovely swimming pool did not get heated. We only had a couple of

really good days while there—on one such we went out on a fishing boat, and our catch was cooked for

dinner that night. The meal service did not suffer from service cut, and we ate very well. It rained

torrents most days, and the wind had the palm trees laying nearly prone. The trip back to the border

was driven with great caution, as the rains had washed out portions of the highway, and these remained

unmarked. Overnighting in Alamos, the temperature dropped to 32 degrees below zero, and we had to

have the proprietor hook up his charging system to our vehicle to get it started in the morning. Brrr!!!

In 1961, one of our trips of a few short days was to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. On the way

back we paid a visit to Taos where we visited the Pueblo Indian village. Now that we had more than oneyoung one, tent camping lost its attraction to Ruth. Once in a while I would take the older ones out on

an overnight or two—usually in Rocky Mountain National Park. When old enough to hold a fishing pole,

that became part of the fun.

1962 brought us plans for our first Hawaiian vacation. Fortunately, we decided to purchase a

United Air Lines tour which took us to all the major islands. I highly recommend such a tour for first

time visitors to the islands, as it presents an overall picture as to what the islands have to offer. Janet

accompanied us on this trip, while the younger two stayed with my California relatives. We had a most

enjoyable time, with great guides on each island. And, we met some new relatives—Dads cousin, who

had left California at the tender age of nineteen to teach school on an Oahu sugar plantation, had

married the widowed plantations doctor—who had a daughter just three years younger. She stayed onin Hawaii and gave birth to two sons. The doctor had passed away prior to our visit. We were received

with open arms, and introduced to the top attractions of that island. The ocean, the beaches, the

mountains and deep heavily forested canyons, the waterfalls, not to mention pineapple picked and cut

right by the road. What a paradise!!! A few short years later, we took my parents over for a two week

tour—this time we did the driving. It was such fun to see Dad with his trousers and long handle

underwear rolled up above his knees enjoying the shallower water of the beach in Waikiki. Then, for a

few years we made almost yearly trips over there with the younger girls.

1963 caught us with plans for a trip to and beyond Yellowstone. Now we had three in tow, so

we rented a 13 foot Red Dale trailer to tow behind our Chevy, and took off on a three week plus trip

spending time in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, and on to Banff and Jasper, Alberta, Canada.We pretty well covered Yellowstone on this trip, visiting all the popular areas. We crossed the “Going to

the Sun” highway in Glacier, and Janet and I took a horseback trip one day—in the meantime, a bear

tried to break into the trailer with Ruth and the other girls inside, only to be chased away by other

campers beating on pots and pans. In the Banff area we witnessed an Indian gathering with their tribal

dances, and also witnessed an eclipse of the sun. We left the trailer in a campground in Banff National

Park for a couple of days while we drove to Jasper where we stayed in a large cabin. Along the highway,

we took a walking tour on the Columbia Ice Fields(I believe that was what they were called). That was a



11

great trip enjoyed by all even though we were quite crowded in that small trailer. We were now spoiled

with this new form of camping, and that trip ended our tent camping, though I recall taking the girls tent

camping the following summer. That year they asked me many times, “Daddy, when are we going to

rent another trailer and go camping?” That came to pass the following spring when Ruth and I attended

the final day of the Denver Travel Show, and we bought one of the display trailers—a 17 foot Red Dale.

Wow!!! Four extra feet of room!!! What luxury!!!

In 1964 we had purchased a 1961 pink Cadillac deVille, and the summer of 1965 found us with

that trailer in tow on a month long trip to California. We decided to do a lot of sightseeing along the

way, so headed for southwest Colorado where we visited Mesa Verde. At Durango, Jean awoke very sick

and we thought our trip was going to be very short, however, after consulting a doctor who did not

think it was anything serious, we continued our journey out across the Navajo and Hopi indian lands.

Crossed the Colorado River above the Grand Canyon, the visited the north rim of that canyon. Then on

to Cedar City Utah, where we headed west across southern Nevada, to enter California to the east of

Bridgeport. On going through the State Inspection Station we asked the attendant what the Sonora Pass

highway was like(this being 20 years after that hairy crossing earlier). He said, “Oh, it is great. That is

our favorite route for our travels over to the valley areas.”

Since we were planning on doing some fishing with a cousin while in California, we stopped in

Bridgeport and purchased fishing licenses. It is about fifteen miles from that small town to where the

road starts to climb over that mountain range, and when we reached that point, a huge sign advised

trailers over a certain size not recommended. Ours fit the limit, so we continued on. As we climbed that

mountain it became a touch and go situation as to whether or not that Cadillac was capable of pulling

the trailer to the summit. There were lots of places where the stream alongside looked very fishable,

and it seemed when that vehicle was lugging the hardest to keep rolling, Jean would tap me on the

shoulder and say. “Daddy, that looks like a good place to fish.” The road certainly had been improved in

those twenty years, with no necessity of backing up to negotiate the switchbacks. And, though the

descent on the west side was at a much less grade, there were still a few obstructions one of which heldus up for a considerable time. This was an overhanging boulder. It would clear the Cadillac, but not the

trailer—and, a new Pontiac had a vapor lock in the lane directly across from the overhanging

obstruction. Since this was on a rather steep slope, with almost a clifflike drop on his right, there was no

way the driver was about to release the brakes to roll back a few feet so we would have room to get by.

We probably waited close to two hours for a tow vehicle to arrive to alleviate the vapor lock

problem. (On our continued descent we came upon two more new Pontiacs with the same problem.—

They were not the only GM products that were having such problems. I later had such a problem with

that Chevy, but eventually learned that placing a cut grapefruit—or, an ice pack, over the carburetor for

a couple of minutes would take care of the problem.

On the trip back to Colorado, we stopped at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah, then on

entering Colorado we parked our trailer by the entrance gate to that south entrance and drove the

rugged road northward to the junction of the Green and Yampa Rivers, and to see the petroglyphs in the

canyon bottom. We dragged bottom on some of the dry creek crossings, and decided that if we were

going to drive such roads in the future we would need a four wheel drive vehicle.



12

Janet graduated from High School in 1968, and we decided to take her to Germany. We flew to

Frankfurt, where I contacted my cadet roommate from preflight training days—1942. He had stayed in

the Air Corps-Air Force to retirement, staying in Germany to teach management classes to Germans. He

took us out for a great ripchen(sp?) pork rib dinner, and offered to guide us in the vicinity as we came

back through. We rented a car and hit the highways. First we drove to Heidelberg where we visited our

old friend and neighbor, Marilyn Millikan, who had a new baby, and lived there with her Army husband.And, we stopped for a tour of the medieval city of Rothenberg. With no reservations anywhere, we

stayed in fremdenzimmers (sp?, again)—a room for rent in a private residence with breakfast. This

worked out very well in nearly all cases. (In one such, close to Munich where we planned to stay for

three nights, the arrangement was not satisfactory and we found ourselves searching for a change next

day.) From Munich, the scenery was even more impressive as we drove to Salzburg, Austria. Many

points of interest along the way. Arrived in Salzburg during the lunch hour and since it was starting to

rain—and, me without a raincoat—I went into a store to purchase one, and got shoved around by the

predominantly female consumers who I thought were very rude. That is, until I realized that they were

taking their lunch hour to purchase the necessities of life. That night we stayed in a hotel, and found a

place where chamber music was performed. A very pleasant evening. From there we traveled into

Switzerland, and stayed in a Gasthous in a small village near Appenzell for three days.

There were trails from this village to the top of the mountains up through pasture with turnstile

gates, stairways over fences, etc. There was also an aerial tram to a lodge and restaurant on top of the

ridge. Janet had become ill as we arrived in that area, so Ruth and she stayed in our room while I hiked

the mountains. What a dream world! From on top of the ridge I could look down on the tiny nation of

Liechtenstein, which we had visited a couple of days earlier, and I also looked down on several chamois.

The wind was blowing a gale up there and I found a shallow hollow to laze in while enjoying the sheer

beauty of the wild flower covered mountain top. Suddenly, I started hearing music. I thought someone

must be nearby playing a radio. Then, around the hump came a herd of cows with their bells ringing—

that was the icing on the cake. On our last afternoon there, we took the tram to the top to have dinner.

Being an old “hay baler”, I was intrigued with the different methods of curing hay as we traveled

Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland—some stacked almost vertically, some on posts with several arms, and

outside the window of that hotel, Ruth and Janet watched the family across the street turning the hay at

least daily—and, it seemed more often. First the man would be out there with his pitch fork, to be

joined by his wife when she finished her house chores, and they were joined by the children as they

returned from school.

On our return to Frankfurt, Janet was anxious to get back home to her boyfriend, so we passed

up the guided boat tour on the Rhine.

1969 took us on a couple of trailering trips—one to a gathering of our church congregation in

southwestern Colorado, and another into Utah and Arizona. We hooked up our trailer and Ruth and I,

with Joyce, Jean and their cousin Linda, took off for a few days gathering with other members of our

church on a ranch near Dolores. I remember pulling off to the side of the road somewhere west of

Gunnison for a better view of the reservoir or other point of interest, and with no paved shoulder on the

highway, the drop off was a bit much for the trailer letting the axle come to rest on the edge of the

pavement. Took a bit of work to prop things up and get going again. The farm was owned by the



13

parents of one of our members, and we camped by the edge of the forest. We fished the streams on

the ranch and took some scenic drives. On one such drive, several of us drove down to Mesa Verde

National Park. This trip must have taken place in May—near Ruths’ birthday—as I purchased her a very

pretty pin with lots of turquoise.(Not long after that she was wearing it when putting some of our guests

on an outbound flight at the Denver airport, and when she got home it was missing never to turn up

again.

When the long weekend was over, we went on to Durango and rode the train to Silverton.

Another memory of that trip was stopping for lunch in a small roadside Rest Stop. Our vehicle was

immediately covered by a large species of Mayflies, so while Ruth prepared a picnic, I took my fishing

rod to the stream where the brown trout were on a feeding frenzy and in no time had my limit.

The other trip that summer took us west into Utah, where we visited several of the National

Parks. First was Arches, and on the recommendation of neighbors who had been there, we took an

evening trip on the other side of the highway to Dead Horse Point, a state park. The view across the

Colorado River canyon was an unforgettable experience. Thence, down to Capital Reef, where we

camped in a Cherry orchard—yummy ripe cherries. Our journey then took us on to Bryce Canyon with

its myriad red rock formations. Then, we took off on a questionable track as a short cut to the vicinity of

the dam that backs up the Colorado River forming Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon National Recreation

Area. It was a rough unpaved track through the desert like terrain, but we traversed it safely. Camping

near the west end of the dam was a hot experience—the temperatures didn’t seem to cool a degree at

night. Here we took a boat tour up the lake pulling into some interesting coves, in one of which we

were allowed to swim. At the northern most point we walked a short distance to Rainbow Bridge—my

first time to view it from below, though I had viewed it from the air on several occasions. On our return

journey, we visited Hovenweep National Monument—similar to Mesa Verde in construction, though

these structures are located on relatively flat ground. While we were away, Boulder had suffered one of

its damaging wind storms, and a window in our basement had blown out.



14

CHAPTER III. 1970-75

In 1970 we planned a trip to the Pacific Northwest. Ruth’s brother, Rich, was attending summer

school in Oregon and was due to finish his session, so we were to take his wife, Lila and their two

children to that western Oregon area so they could return with him. The evening before we left(July 31,

I believe) we had a really heavy rain storm at home which flooded the sunken patio and seeped into the

basement, so in addition to packing our Travelall and trailer we spent quite a bit of time clearing water

out of the basement. Lila and the children stayed with us that night so we could get a reasonably early

start next morning. Also, my cousin Margie had called and informed us that they would be traveling

through on their way to Kansas City to visit Leo’s family. Since our travel days conflicted, we had made

plans to meet them at the end of our first day of travel at a Forest Service campground in the high Uinta

Mountains of Utah.

We were doing alright on time over Berthoud Pass of the Rockies, but as we approached Granby

we came upon a Chevy pickup pulling a house trailer that was swaying badly. I slowed to follow in the

hopes that they would stop in the town, or, at least drive on one side of the street so that we could pass.

That didn’t happen, and the next hope was that they would turn toward Grand Lake. Then, there was

one more hope that they would turn toward North Park. They were swaying so bad that I didn’t dare try

to pass, and they had picked up speed to where I didn’t dare try. Now we were entering a canyon area

where the road wound alongside the Colorado River, so I just slowed to allow a lot of room between our

vehicles. As we came around one of those bends, there was a cloud of dust—a sedan sat to the left of

the road with its engine compartment smoking, or steaming and people in both front and back seats.

And, a hundred yards or so ahead on the right side sat the Chevy and the trailer platform with no wheels

or any sign of the house. I came to a halt, and Ruth said, “why are we stopping, we can’t do anything”.

But, as I jumped out with fire extinguisher in hand, she flew into action and ran over and starting getting

the rear seat passengers out and treating them for shock. The cloud coming from the engine

compartment luckily turned out to be steam, as the driver, and front seat passengers were pinned in by

the collapsed dash board. Another passing motorist went on to Granby to notify the emergency people.

There wasn’t a piece of that trailer a foot square to be seen—it just totally disintegrated—but

the highway was covered with screws. It was hard to imagine that many screws had been used in its

construction. The axle and wheels from under it were further up the road against the hill slope. We

never did see the folks from that pickup emerge, I am sorry to say, and when we finished clearing the

road, and with those back seat passengers resting easily—and, with assurance that the emergency crew

would soon be there, we continued on our way.

We had never been to that area of the Unintas, but had no difficulty finding the planned

camping area, and had a fast, fun filled evening with Margie and Leo. The next day we crossed the pass

over that range and headed west skirting Bear Lake on the Utah-Idaho border, and on to the vicinity of

Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. After a tour of that area, we went on to Boise, then

across Oregon to Burns, and Redmond where we visited a cousin whom I hadn’t seen since I was a small

child—she was one of my regular correspondents during my service of WWII. Our next stop was in a

campground on the west slope of the Cascade mountains. Still thinking that it would be a day or two

before Rich was through with his session, we had planned to relax there a day or two, however, Lila

called him to let him know where we were and he came right up. I think our paths parted after a day or

two, and we continued over to the Oregon coast, and eventually to a campground in Mt. Rainier



15

National park. The weather was perfect for this trip. As I recall, we had some small malfunction of the

Travelall, and drove to a dealership in the Seattle area. There we got to see the city in all its splendor,

and we took that beautiful Bremerton Ferry trip.

(Here I am waiting for a refresher of my mind, as to our routing—did we go on up around the

Olympic Peninsula—and, to Vancover Island and Butchart’s Gardens? What routing did we follow onour return to Colorado)??????

In 1972, our pilots’ contract gave us 42 days of vacation time, and by very careful bidding of my

lines of flying, I managed to run that to 50 days. Perfect for a trip to Alaska! On our planned day of

departure, we ran very late in getting all set for the trip, and decided it would be best to wait for the

following morning—but, Joyce and Jean were all steamed up and begging to get started, so after 10PM

we started that trip. We didn’t quite reach the Wyoming border before pulling off in a roadside rest

area to get some sleep. Before starting that trip, I took myself aside and decided not to prod my girls

into getting early starts. That was a lost cause. I decided that with that much time, I would just wait

until they were in the car seated, and then we would start the days travel. That was a very smart move,

and worked out especially well along the Alaska(Alcan) Highway. By the time we would start our days

travel, many of the early starters were stopping for lunch. We would stop in mid-afternoon and Ruth

would fix our main meal of the day, and I would take a nap. By the time we were back on the road, the

early travelers were stopping for the night. Since it didn’t get dark at night, we would drive until about

10:30, have a snack and the girls would go out and unwind. About midnight we would call them in and

get to bed.

I had had the Travelall thoroughly checked out before the trip, however, as we traveled north

into Canada it just didn’t seem to have the power it should have had. So, in Edmonton, Canada, we

stopped at a dealership to have it readjusted—and, to have shields put over the radiator and headlights

to protect from flying gravel on the unpaved highway we were about to encounter. Didn’t mind taking

time to do that since heavy rains had closed the highway, and it was expected to be closed for three

days. But, when the vehicle was ready, a radio announcement informed us that the road had been

reopened. We had one more night camping before getting to that unpaved area.

Next afternoon we encountered the unpaved road—it was hard packed dirt that sloped from

the center to the edge of the road so that water would not stand on it but be immediately drained. We

kept seeing little red flags, and it took a while to realize that they were markers indicating a soft spot.

We had driven about 95 miles of that before stopping for the night. I was quite sore in the left side and

wondered why—until I really thought about how we were not level on the road—sloping to the right,

and I was trying to stay rigid behind the wheel. After parking for the night and getting set up, I took a

walk to see if I could relieve the soreness, and while out walking I saw another Red Dale trailer pull in. It

was at least twice the length of ours and the occupants were a couple of women.

Hey! It was another Red Dale and that makes us relatives, more or less. I went over and

introduced myself to these fearless women who were braving this backcountry on their own. It turned

out that they were school teachers from Oregon, and they had driven this road pulling that trailer each

summer for the past several years. In the next few minutes they had given me a good briefing on how

to drive that road without shaking off pieces of our vehicles(yes, we witnessed many auto parts of



16

various descriptions along that road—mainly the result of driving too fast for the conditions). That

briefing really paid off, and was of tremendous help. Another great help for the trip was a guide book

for the highway, which gave the location of the sparse gas stations and other facilities.

Prior to our departure for Alaska, one of the owners of the Red Dale Trailer factory had told me

of his trip to that area, and a recommendation of his was to be sure to carry spare tires, as in some

places you would have encountered some very long waits to have tires delivered, and some of the roads

were very rough where we planned to travel—especially the Denali Highway. So, we had two spare

wheels and tires for the Travelall and one spare for the two wheel trailer.

After that first day, with the information we had been given we were able to relax and really

enjoy our adventure. Though the road was unpaved, work crews were stationed every so far and they

kept the road surface in excellent condition by constantly working their section. We learned to stop

when approached by oncoming trucks, as they cut visibility to zero as they rushed past in a swirl of dust.

Yes, it was dusty in many spots even though the road crews kept the roadbed wet and hard packed. Of

course, one had to forget trying to keep their vehicles clean. For the most part, the campgrounds were

mostly open areas, where you just backed your rig into a spot with plenty of room, and none seemed to

be crowded.

At one of our stops for gasoline, we had to leave the main road for about a quarter of a mile via

a rather rough road, and when we got back on the “highway” we had a flat tire on our tow vehicle—it

had a huge spike in it, and made us wonder if that road had been deliberately littered with these huge

nails to make more business for the proprietors. We just put on a spare and continued out drive. When

we arrived in Whitehorse in the Yukon, we did wash the vehicles, and took the time to tour this city of

the Alaskan Gold Rush days. We were camped by a lake, and I did try my luck at fishing. Hooked a good

size grayling, large enough that I didn’t try to lift it from the water with my rod and line. Joyce ran and

got a landing net, but in trying to net it it shook the hook.

From Whitehorse, we departed the Alaska Highway, and traveled northwesterly along the upperYukon River. Somewhere along the way, I finally discovered where Klondike was. When I was a small

boy I remember that many times when something did not go right for Grandpa Samuels, he would say,

“I should have gone to Klondike.” I always assumed that it must have been somewhere in northern

California that would have been the answer to his dreams. Of course, Klondike was where a big gold

strike was made during the late 1800’s Gold Rush to that area.

We stayed at least a couple of nights at the old mining town of Dawson City. We were there on

the night that the midnight sun was to be visible from the top of a nearby mountain that we could drive

to the top of, so, of course, we drove up there. On stepping out of the car we were immediately

covered by mosquitoes. Needless to say, we made a super fast entrance back into the car, and looked at

the midnight sun through the windows. At Dawson City, we also attended an old fashion stage play, anda recital another evening of a famous authors work. Departing there, we crossed the Yukon River and

entered Alaska via the Taylor Highway. The first town we encountered in Alaska was Chicken, and we

stopped there for the treat of the best pie our pallets had ever tasted. At some rest point along the

way, I tried fishing a stream—without results—however, I met another fisherman who was doing quite

well and was fishing with barbless hooks. I think that was when I became aware that not all fishermen

kept all the fish they caught, some folks fished just for the fun of landing a fish and releasing it as gently

as possible.



17

After several days of traveling dirt and rocky roads, we rejoined the Alaska Highway at Tetlin

Junction. Hey! Paved highway! Whoopee! At last we can drive faster than 35 miles an hour! Whoa!

Not so fast there buddy. We soon found out that speed was an illusion as those concrete joints

between slabs could be horribly off kilter due to the constant freezing and thawing. As we approached

Delta Junction we had had a reasonable stretch of smooth pavement, and my attention was diverted to

a crowd of firemen lunching(fires seemed to be burning all along the way, but this was the first place wehad seen a group of firefighters), and I hit one of those offset paving slabs at about 50mph. That night

we had arrived at Fairbanks and found a site in a camp ground there. When up and about next morning

I noticed one of the Travelall tires was nearly flat. Now we had two tires needing repair. Prior to the

start of our trip I had had installed a set of new tires and tubes(Yes, we used to have rubber tubes within

our tires—on being punctured, the tube would be removed and patched and then reinserted into the

tire), and these new tubes were subject to separating enough at a seam to allow air to escape.

Apparently that had happened when we hit that offset slab of concrete. While in Fairbanks

area, we visited a museum, took a ferry ride down river to a native village, saw our first musk ox, and

parked our rig for a couple of days while we flew to Barrow on the north tip of Alaska. I think it was at

this point that our girls finally started really enjoying our long trip. Living with the eskimo people for a

full two days, seeing what their lives and living conditions were really like, seeing small children out

playing in the middle of the night which never got dark, the seals laying dead on the beach—having

been killed by a native hunter sometime during the night, and awaiting the woman of the home to

butcher it(no danger of the meat spoiling in those temperatures). We took a short trip out into the

boonies where we saw snowy owls, and other animals of the area—and, lots of empty oil drums, some

of which had lain there since World War II or earlier, with no sign of rusting away. And, of course, the

natives put on a show for us to teach us a bit about their culture. On the flight back to Fairbanks, we

made a stop at Prudhoe Bay.

While the highway from Fairbanks to Denali(Mt. McKinley) was nearing completion, it had not

yet opened for traffic. We could have traveled by train between the two places, but having heard about

the interesting Denali Highway, I wanted to drive it. This required us to return down to Delta Junction,

then , down the Richardson Highway to Paxson where we turned west on the Denali Highway. We had

to drive that road pretty cautiously, but it was also very interesting. When we stopped for our mid-

afternoon meal, there was a small lake not far down the slope and I took the time to fish it for a few

minutes and caught a couple of nice Arctic char, like our brook trout. We were able to find a spot in a

campground about 35 miles within Mt. McKinley(Denali) National Park. In early morning before clouds

began to form over that mountain, we could see it from the campground. We took the bus ride to the

Visitors Center at the foot of the mountain, but by the time we got there the mountain was pretty well

concealed by clouds—as time passed, the clouds would break enough that we could see a bit of the

north or the south peak of that tantalizing mountain. Of course, on the bus ride up we had stopped to

observe grizzly bear, mountain sheep, caribou, moose, wolves and assorted small animals. Another day,we drove up past the mountain and picnicked at Wonder Lake—we ate fast, and retreated in order

avoid being eaten ourselves by the swarms of mosquitoes we attracted. While in Barrow we had met a

doctor from Florida, who with his family of seven, had spent a week at Denali Lodge, and never once

actually got to see the mountain due to clouds and smoke from a forest fire. After our girls got to see

the mountain they had real sympathy for that family for not being able to view that attraction.

Although, a highway was under construction from there to the Anchorage area, it was not yet

open for traffic either, so here we did board our rig on a train, and we settled into a passenger seat for a



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leisurely trip to that city. It was while on the train that we really got to see the whole of Mt. McKinley.

It was a totally clear morning, and the train made a photo stop with the mountain in full view. We spent

several days in Anchorage visiting Ruth’s niece, Barbara and family, and taking trips into the surrounding

area to visit glaciers, etc. Then, Barbara had a free day and we all went down the Kenia Peninsula to

Homer where many fishing boats and tours were available. We didn’t go out, but a friend of Barbara’s

who was a fishing guide just docked with a record halibut, and we got photos of it. We had camped in acampground further up the peninsula. The next morning I got up early to get out of the way for the

others to get moving about, and while a short distance away from our site, a carload of rowdy men

came through the campground stealing whatever they could get their hands on. They took our ice box,

no doubt thinking there was likely some liquor in it, and took some fishing gear from a nearby campsite.

That is the only time in all of our camping experiences that we have had anything stolen. On the return

drive to Anchorage, on a nicely paved highway, the tire of a passing car picked up a rock which it ended

up throwing into our windshield for our only rock damage of the trip. Didn’t get that repaired until back

home.

Upon departing the Anchorage area, we drove a few miles south where our rig was loaded on a

train for Whittier. There it was loaded on a ferry boat that took us across to Valdez, which is thesouthern terminus of the oil pipeline from Prudhoe Bay. This area is all very scenic as was our drive to

Tok Junction and down through the southwest corner of Yukon and on to Haines, Alaska. At Haines we

were to take the Inland ferry down to Prince Rupert in British Columbia, having made reservations about

a year in advance. As we arrived in the shipping campground at Haines several other campers quickly

gathered to greet us and help us park. These greeting folks anxiously asked if we planned to take the

ferry, and on being answered in the affirmative, asked when we were to depart. On being told we were

leaving in two days, they became a bit annoyed, and asked, “How do you know you are leaving on the

named date”. We told them we had made reservations months ago. Upon hearing this, they

evaporated—some had been waiting for weeks for an opening to board the ferry, and they found it

quite upsetting that we could come in and board on a given day.

I had also planned ahead of time for our two days in Haines and had our Denver crew desk send

the next months schedules to me there General Delivery so I could bid my flying for August. This

worked out very well.

The trip down the Inland Passage is breathtaking, and it was difficult to take time to sleep in fear

of missing some outstanding scenery. Short stops were made at Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg and

Ketchikan before reaching Prince Rupert. At that entry port to Canada, I had the vehicles serviced while

Ruth and the girls took a tour of a fish cannery. Then became the roughest leg of our trip. The

“Highway” from Prince Rupert to Prince Georgia was in the process of being completely reconstructed.

It had been a bulldozed track through the wilderness to move army tanks through to that shipping port

during World War II, with only slight improvement in the intervening years. Now they were building afoundation of rocks(boulders) over which we traveled. For miles, we eased along trying to avoid

damage to our rig—and here we encountered mosquitoes so large that one broke through our trailer

rear window. That is, it was trying to escape whatever Joyce was using to swat it, and that swatter

broke the window. When we finally got to where the road was improved it was like going into heaven.

That portion of the trip pulled the upper portion of our trailer loose from the lower part at the seam

about half way up, but we were able to complete the trip before having it put back together.



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From Prince George on we had a delightful trip and could actually enjoy the scenery rather than

watching for the safest way across the next boulder. We drove in close proximity to Mt. Robson, the

highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, and one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, and

entered Alberta just to the west of Jasper. Camped a few miles south of that city that night, and were

invited by fellow campers to a popcorn—apple fest after dinner. This was a combination new to us, and

one we have indulged in many times since—popcorn and sliced apples. Yum!!! A few miles southeastof Lake Louise, we recrossed the Continental Divide and drove south through Kootenay National Park,

eventually entering Idaho in the vicinity of Creston. We then proceeded south to intersect Interstate 90,

and while eastbound on that very nice highway the rig started to sway—an indication of a low tire. Yes

the left rear tire was losing air through another pulled seam in the tube, for a total of three flats for our

entire trip. The schedule I had bid in Haines gave us a few more days to get home, so we relaxed for a

few days in Yellowstone on the way home. On our last night on the road, we had reached Steamboat

Springs, Colorado, and looking for a place to camp by a stream we drove a few miles northwest along

the Elk River. Not finding a campground within a reasonable distance we settled for a wide spot just off

the highway that gave us room enough to park the vehicles. Come morning, I found the stream to be

tempting so floated a few flies. To my surprise the fish I was hooking were not the expected trout, but

whitefish. I found these tricky to land, due to their tender mouths. Had to be much more gentle in

setting the hook, and in retrieving them. That was my first and only experience in fishing whitefish.

Later that day we arrived home after a most fabulous vacation!!!

In 1973 we decided to take one last vacation trip in our patched up Red Dale trailer. One last

trip because we had just an ice box rather than a refrigerator in it, and it was getting a bit difficult to

obtain ice when needed. This trip took us through the southwest to just north of the Mexican border

city of Tijuana. We did cross the border, but not with our vehicles. We then worked our way up the

west coast of California as far as Santa Cruz. We had prearranged to meet cousin Marge and husband,

Leo Jackson in the Sierra Mountains at a beautiful location on a lake on the highway to Sonora Pass, sowent directly to that location from Santa Cruz. Marge and Leo had temporarily lost their trailer on the

trip up—it had someway disconnected itself and they had traveled a short distance before realizing it

had parted ways. Fortunately, they found it undamaged. After a weekend with them, we went to

Vacaville to visit my parents. They had sold their ranch earlier that year and had purchased a home in

town. Dad still had the horses in a rented pasture, so the girls were able to ride as much as they wanted

to, though it was not as much fun as when they could ride around the hills of the ranch.

Their cousin, Linda, accompanied us on our return trip via Interstate 80 which had recently

opened, but had a short distance if bypass around Grantsville, Utah that hadn’t opened yet. In driving

through Grantsville on U.S. 40(a four lane highway) a woman in a new Volkswagon Bug ran a stop sign

and crossed three lanes of highway to bash us in the side—initial contact was on the left rear wheel ofthe Travelall, and this spun the VW around into the side of the trailer. By the time this accident had

been investigated by the local Gendarmes it was too late to get it checked out for damage to the gas

lines, so we spent the night there, and had it checked next morning. After a bit of metal straightening so

the tires could roll unhindered, we traveled on to Salt Lake City where we went to an agent of our

insurance company. He referred us to a repair place where it could be properly inspected, and with

some minor repairs we were able to complete out trip back to Colorado.



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Soon thereafter, when I had a day off, we set out to visit several trailer sales yards. Before we

started, I said, “We are not going to buy a trailer today. We are just going to look at what is out there”.

The second one we got two on our planned list of four, was the Airstream dealer. Neither Ruth nor I

was a fan of Airstream, but thought we should check them out and confirm our dislike. We entered a

couple of them and were completely turned off by their interior colors. It just so happened that on that

lot they had a couple of the new on the market Argosy trailers. After sitting through a screened salesfilm demonstrating the advantages of the Airstream and learning that the Argosy had all these features,

we decided to take a look inside one of them. It was love at first sight. The interiors were done in light

colors, the front window area was constructed of steel rather than aluminum with wrap around

windows, and several other features were obvious. And, upon asking the dealer if they had another like

it that hadn’t been trampled by prospective buyers, he took us into the locked yard and opened the

door to another like it—we stuck our head in for a quick look, then told him to lock the door and don’t

let anyone else in. And, yes, we instantly became owners of a new 23 foot Argosy Trailer. I’m quite sure

we took at least a couple of mountain trips in our new luxury vehicle.

In 1974, with a 31 day vacation in the middle of the summer, and with Joyce scheduled for a

week of summer camp in the Florida Keys, we decided to take our vacation in that direction and drop

her off at the start of camp. We traveled down to the vicinity of Dallas, Texas, where we had our first

experience of retrieving our awning when a sudden wind storm hit. A good learning experience, luckily

no damage was done. Traveling across those southern states was very interesting to our girls—Joyce

and Jean—as they saw many unfamiliar birds and other wildlife such as turtles along the diked

highways, alligators and armadillo, many as road kill. In Florida we went to the tourist attractions such

as Disney World newly opened, Cypress Gardens and others. Our new trailer was great in many ways,

but had no air conditioning and the weather was hot and humid. It didn’t take us long to find a fan that

at least circulated the air.

On leaving that entertainment area, we went to Fort Myers in the hopes of visiting our old

friend Alena McVey who worked as a nurse at Lee Memorial Hospital. However, Alena was away on

vacation so we didn’t make contact. We decided to spend a few days in that area and got a spot in the

only campground on the beach south of the Sarasota area. This happened to be at Fort Myers Beach.

There were many open spaces since this was about as far out of season for the area as one could get.

The manager had us unhitch the trailer and with a tractor pulled the trailer tongue right to high water

line. What a perfect site—just open the door and step out on that beautiful beach that had a multitude

of sea shells. We visited a few of the local attractions, and drove over the rather new bridge to Sanibel

Island, the shellers paradise. Found a beach there that was literally covered with cockle shells. We left

the area quite impressed with it, and I said at the time, “This might be a good place to retire to”.(We

returned ten years later, and wintered there for 25 years).

Then, it was an interesting trip across southern Florida through the Everglades on US-41, which

was the only highway across south Florida at the time. We stopped at a couple of the native Indian

villages along the way to get a bit of education on their way of life, and along the way the wildlife was

very plentiful. Then, it was on down the Keys. Found a nice campground on one of the Keys short of

Key West, and, of course, we spent some time in Key West. Where we were camped we could fish off

the sea wall, and caught quite a few fish—and, when we went to the cleaning area to clean them it was



21

had to do so without the pelicans stealing them from us. While there a great white heron seemed to

come around every day and try to pick a fight with its reflection in the sliding glass window of the home

next to us.

The day came when we were to drop Joyce off at Sea Camp, and after so doing with still a

couple of weeks of vacation to go, we made the return journey up the Keys and camped for the nights at

various campgrounds along the Florida east coast. Made one stop to visit a friend of Jean’s who had

moved to Florida. As I recall, we drove the east coast at least as far north as Myrtle Beach before

turning westward. (One morning while walking the beach in Fort Myers, I struck up a conversation with

another stroller. It just so happened he resided in Belleville, Illinois. Ruth, Janet and I had spent 25

months in Belleville in the early ‘50’s. I asked him if he knew Art Ingal, our landlord during our stay

there. He got a rather shocked look on his face, and, said, “You know Art is dead, don’t you”. It turned

out that he had worked in the machine shop with Art, and that Art had just recently passed away. That

information laid the groundwork for our return trip—to include a couple of days to visit his family on our

way back to Colorado).

I have forgotten our exact routing westerly, but we did pass through Charleston and Huntington,

West Virginia—in Milton we visited the Blenko Glass Factory(a church friend of Ruth’s had told her much

about this famous glass works, so that was a MUST stop. Another thing that has stuck in my memory

was camping in a forested area along the way. There had been rain showers during the day, and with

darkness the air seemed filled with fireflies.

We paid our respects to Art’s family, and visited our old neighbor there, Leila Dee Padgett. In

fact, we ended up bringing Leila Dee home with us. She had lost her husband some time earlier.

In 1975, we planned a trip to what was reputed to be the best trout stream on the North

American Continent—the Dean River located in west central British Columbia. Leila Dee volunteered to

come stay with our girls while we took this trip. We were to be joined in Spokane, Washington on July 3

by Ruth’s cousin Fred, and wife, Ona who would fly to Spokane from Denver after they got off work.

Ruth and I got our usual “early” start, departing home at 3:55 pm on June 29 th, (I have Ruth’s diary of

the trip here to refresh me) stopped in Lafayette and checked the tire inflation; missed turn at Fort

Collins—drove on to Owl Canyon road that took us to US-285—nice drive(dirt road). Pretty sights—wild

flowers were blooming—orange ones, blue larkspur and prickly poppies. Started seeing antelope once

we got into Wyoming. There were fields of iris, blue and white lupines, an interesting whitish-green

flower similar to miners candle, and mixed varieties of yellow blooms. The scenery was spectacular

through the mountains on I-80 to Rawlins where we ate dinner at the Holiday Inn and decided to camp

here for the night—it was now 10 PM/gas is 62.9.(Since Ruth wrote that in her trip diary, I am assuming

that that price was noticeably above or below what we were used to paying).

June 30. Had a “neat” surprise in the cupboard—Ketchup bottle had jumped the shelf and

broke so we had a mess to clean up before breakfast. Got under way at 9:25 and saw many antelope,

some with babies, and in a most unlikely spot there stood a moose leisurely eating. Stopped an hour

and a half for lunch and nap, then on to the Tetons—they were fabulous with not a cloud in the sky, and

a heavy coat of snow. Headed for Yellowstone and got there about 4:45. It took about an hour to drive

the lake route from Entrance to Fishing Bridge, but since fishing season doesn’t open until July 15 we



22

kept driving north, stopping in a picnic area to eat dinner. We saw a great variety and large numbers of

animals along the way. Since there wasn’t a campground spot available in the north part of the park we

ended up leaving the park and camping in Gardiner, Montana. Our campsite overlooked the

Yellowstone River(and, she notes that there were three other Argosy trailers in the campground. Near

Tower Falls in the park we had passed through an area where the snow was piled higher than our

vehicles along the road).

July 1. Drove from Gardiner to Livingston, where we had our brakes checked, then on to

through the Little Belt Mountains which were very interesting, rugged and colorful. Wildflowers

everywhere! Arrived at St. Mary’s entrance to Glacier National Park, and were advised that we would

not be permitted to tow our trailer over the “Going to the Sun” highway over the mountains, so we took

a spot in the St. Mary’s campground—it was 7 PM, then went to dinner in a family style restaurant. At

the Visitors Center we viewed a film of the Park. July 2. Got up at six and ate a quick snack, then sans

the trailer drove the “Sun” highway to the top of the pass and a few miles down the west side. Took

many lovely photos. There was much snow and high snowbanks beside the highway. Waterfalls were

fabulous, with heavy flows of water. After a breathtaking couple of hours, we returned to the trailer

and ate breakfast, then took the highway around the south edge of the Park. That, too, was a veryscenic drive even though the highway was damaged in places due to flooding the past week. We drove

to Kalispell where we visited Jim and Kathy Eff, and boys. Had an alternator problem fixed in Kalispell

then drove to a campground near Troy.

July 3. Had a leisurely drive to Spokane, found a car wash and cleaned our rigs then had lunch at

an A&W before going to the Riverside Campground where we had a nice spot by the river. After a short

nap we got cleaned up and did some sightseeing in Spokane. Found a laundry near the airport, and

while Ruth did our laundry, I got the car greased and oil changed. Fred and Ona arrived and we went to

the Longhorn for a delicious rib dinner, and got back to the campground about midnight.

July 4. Slept in and finally got started on our days drive about 10 AM. Not far west of Spokane

we found a fresh fruit stand, and purchased several kinds. The bing cherries were at their best and we

had eaten them all by the time we stopped for lunch. We stopped for a tour of the Grand Coulee Dam,

then drove on to Omak for lunch—it was a hot 99 degrees there. We were now in the Okanagan

Valley—a fresh fruit paradise, and since bringing produce

across the border was illegal, we parked by the Entrance Station and finished off the mornings

purchases before entering Canada. Soon thereafter, we restocked our fruit and vegetable supply.

Found the Okanagan Valley to be a fertile fruit growing area, with some of the best fruit we had ever

eaten. (A year or so after our travel through there, those trees were hit by a deep freeze which almost

wiped them out—seemingly the orchard that were best tilled seemed to have suffered the worst).

Stopped for the night in the Bromley Rock Campground near Princeton—a favorite swimming spot for

Canadians though the water was too cold for us. The heat of the day started to subside about 7:30.

July 5. We drove northerly to Kamloops, thence to Cache Creek, and north again to Williams

Lake. Once north of Cache Creek on a very hot day we drove a great distance in barren country(made us

wonder what we were getting into), but the scenery got better as we approached Williams Lake. Here

we took a campsite on Scott Island on the beach of Williams Lake, and due to the heat, ate dinner in a

Travelodge restaurant. After dinner, as the evening began to cool, we drove north about 10 miles to a

museum(as I recall, it was a remains of an old mining town) which was quite interesting with its many



23

displays of the 1800’s, with some modern Indian crafts. July 6. Headed west to find our Dean River.

After eighteen miles the pavement ended and we were on a rough dirt road with enough gravel that we

got four holes (pits) in our windshield. For the passengers it was a very boring ride—but, believe me, it

kept the driver occupied dodging rocks and holes. The speedometer cable broke, so we had no way of

keeping track of mileage. We fellows spotted a fishing hole, so we stopped for one and a half hour

lunch break. Driving on, we came upon another two hour hole(as Ruth wrote in her diary), and finallystopped for the day at Stewart Resort on Nimpo Lake. Another 9 PM dinner. “We showered and went

to bed. Everything is dirty. Screws came loose everywhere. The night was extremely quiet except for

the loons, coyotes and airplanes. Nimpo Lake is a beautiful spot.”

July 7—Our 32nd Wedding Anniversary. Got to the town of Anahim Lake. Were out of bread,

but the store was also out of bread with the next delivery the following Tuesday. Gas was 89.9 per

gallon. We finally found our destination location at Anahim Lake Resort and camped alongside the lake.

We guys rented a boat and went fishing—the Dean River flows through the lake, and we went

downstream from the lake a ways to fish. Ruth and Ona did their “fancy work” (knitting and

embroidery), and prepared T-bone steak for our dinner with a bottle of wine to celebrate our

Anniversary. We boys had caught nine nice fat rainbow trout that day. July 8. Took the girls out on theboat with us but it soon became boring for them as we guys were fishing. When we came back in for

lunch, the girls had had enough. And, we guys had caught nothing but air. Fred and I went back out in

the afternoon, and returned with twelve. We are now try to save up 40 to smoke, so will be saving our

catch for a few days.

July 9. Decided to do a day of sightseeing so headed west over the Rainbow Range to Bella

Coola. The road was rough, but beautifl through Tweedsmuir Park on the west slope of the range. The

grade on that west side was at least 8 degrees, and a marvel to have been constructed at that grade all

the way from sea level to the top of the pass. Ruth notes—On the west side, the mountains were much

like the California mountains with huge cedar and pine trees, high snow and glacier covered mountains.

Though Bella Coola has an interesting history, we found it a bit boring, and one of our purposes of goingover there was to go out on a salmon fishing boat. Either they were all booked up for the next day, or,

none were planned the next day, and we couldn’t find a place to stay overnight—so, we did our laundry,

bought some bread and headed back. The trip west had taken over three hours. On the way back it

took a bit more, as we stopped by a lake and fished for an hour—no luck—and stopped at a small place

and had dinner.

According to Ruth, July 10 was a boring day, as we boys got a boat and went out fishing using

gang spinners. The girls just talked and read. Boys came in about 2 with 5 big fish. We ate a sirloin

steak dinner and the boys went out again. The girls went into the village and bought some supplies,

then drove toward Bella Coola to “get pictures of the paintbrush we missed yesterday”. The boys didn’t

get back until 10:30—but it was still daylight. They had gone down the Dean River. {What Ruth didn’twrite in her diary was that the boys went a little too far down the river and broke the propeller pin

trying to return through a shallow rapids area. Since my experience in Snowbank Lake in 1952, I carried

a couple of propeller pins in my fishing gear—however, it took a bit of time to accomplish the

replacement and we began to think the mosquitoes would eat us alive before getting the repair made.

July 11. Ruth and I went out in the boat this morning for about four hours. Had fish for dinner,

though cooked pork chops for Fred. Then Fred and I went out and got a few more fish, so put 35 in the



24

smoker and they will be ready by tomorrow night. Ruth notes that we played pinochle with the boys

winning two out of three games, and that the power is getting low and the pottie close to full.

July 12The girls went flower hunting to get some to identify and press, while the boys went

fishing. Filleted and froze that catch. Ruth and I were to go out in the boat again, but the water was too

rough for Ruth, so Fred and I went down the Dean River to try out some fancy flies that Fred had tied.

We caught numerous fish(his flies seemed to work much better for me than for him), but released our

catch. Yes, the Dean had lived up to its reputation as far as we were concerned. Some guys got off of a

float plane with some very big fish.

All good things must come to an end, so on July 13 we departed Anahim Lake at about 10 AM.

The road wasn’t any better going out, and upon stopping for lunch we found a mess in the refrigerator—

the jar of pickles had flipped their lid, and a jar of tea had upset. What a mess! About 30 minutes of

washing, wiping, and mopping. The boys found a fishing hole to keep them entertained while the girls

cleaned up the mess. Got to Williams Lake at about 6 PM, then drove ten miles north to Wildwood

Campground where we had electric hookups—sheer luxury! Trailer is filthy! Gave the girls a treat with

an A & W dinner.

July 14. Had electric toast(the electric toaster worked. Ona did the laundry, and Fred and Ruth

cleaned the trailer, while Edgar having found the problem with the Travelall, searched Williams Lake

unsuccessfully for parts. Bought some cherries and went grocery shopping in Quesnel—a ;pretty town

with petunias planted down the streets. We camped at Lowhee CG, and had spaghetti dinner and “dirty

water”. Then toured Barkersville, and will go again tomorrow. July 15. It had rained a fury during the

night and through early morning. Slept in until 8:45. After breakfast, we boys went to get tickets for the

shows at Barkersville. Left for there about 11. After visiting the interesting museum we came out to

find it raining again, so donned our rain gear and wandered the town. After the show, it was still raining

so we drove back to the trailer and had dinner, played pinochle and read. Ruth finished her book, Bella

Coola.

July 16. Got an early start thisday, with the rain continuing all morning. Got to Prince George

about noon, and being unable to find the needed auto part we headed on east without doing a tour of

that town. Stopped in McBride to mail a letter and film. Ruth notes, “Father was intrigued by a girl

carrying groceries, so we gassed up and returned to where the girl had been to get ice(Quote Fred).

Stopped at Rearguard Falls on the Fraser River. Got to Mt Robson(that outstanding mountain

mentioned in our return trip from Alaska) to find it “socked in”. Camped at Robson River campground

hoping to have a view of the mountain next morning as the rain continued that evening.

July 17. Up early again as we had only one more day in Canada. Took the Yellowhead South

Highway which took us over the Columbia Mountains. It was a beautiful days trip. Had lunch in a nice

park in Kamloops, did the only shopping (other than grocery) that we have done on the trip, and weboys got our hair cut. Bought some delicious Canadian jam, and I finally found the part I needed to get

our speedometer working again. Got to Vernon Provincial campground about 7PM to find it full,

however, the Ranger let us stay in the Rangers yard. Too late for us guys to fish. Darn! Ruth notes, “We

had BBQ and the last of the “dirty ‘’water”. July 18. Today we followed the shores of Lake Okanogan

and drove through the beautiful valley of fruit orchards, stopping to purchase cherries, candy and

honey. At Osoyoos, we found the fruit stand where we had purchased the good cherries on the way

north and renewed our stock of cherries, peaches, apricots—and, potatoes. Drove Huighway 3 whichj



25

was a delight to all, crossing the border at Cascade and the Columbia River at Kettle Falls. Got camped

at Spokane West Sunset Park at about 7, and went to the Longhorn restaurant for dinner.

July 19. Got up at 8 AM, and got busy with the laundry—six loads. Edgar took the car

for service. Fred and Ona got packed for their flight back to Denver, and we dropped them at the

airport. Edgar got his papers??? Must have been my flight schedule. We called home. After stopping

for groceries, I took a wrong turn and ended up on another dirt road—came out OK. Have a funny noise

from the car—a worry. (Actually, on our trip from Anahim to Bella Coola we heard this strange clatter a

couple of times when hitting a harsh bump, and hit such on US-195 south of Spokane where a tree root

had expanded under the pavement. More on that later). Drove to Emerald Creek campground(six miles

of dirt road. Edgar got his fishing license at St. Marie, so he is set to do a bit of fishing the next couple of

days.

July 20. We drove the Emerald Creek area, and learned of a garnet gathering area and thought

about “buying in”, however, decided that we had better go to the International Harvester garage in

Lewiston, Idaho, and get our “clatter” taken care of. Along the way, Edgar tried fishing a small lake that

turned out to be a swimming hole. When he returned we cooked dinner then to the KOA campground

about 12 miles north of Lewiston on the Clearwater River. Nice grassy sites, but no trees. It is a hot 95

degrees. Unhitched the trailer and went in to locate the IH garage—drove right to it. Took a drive to

see the surroundings, crossing the Snake River where it joins the Clearwater—or vice versa. July 21. We

are in a nice KOA campground alongside the Clearwater River—nice grass, but no shade. Edgar went

early to get the car repaired and was back by noon. (The expert mechanics analysis was that when

hitting those rough areas, the metal floor board was rattled by the shaking four-wheel drive shift lever,

so he cut some of that floorboard away from the lever—this later proved not to be a fix). We hooked up

and pulled out of that campground and went into Idaho. Set up camp at Castle Creek campground on

the South Fork of the Clearwater River. Next morning, Edgar caught two fish before we took to the road

again. This was a beautiful location and we hated to depart, but was time to get home to relieve Leila

Dee.

July 22. Ready to leave at 9:45 only to find the right rear tire flat, so had to put on the spare.

Stopped in Grangeville and got the tire repaired, bought some ice and propane. The drive today was

beautiful and varied—forested mountains and valleys of farm land. South of McCall we took a road that

turned out to be 27 miles of dirt under construction, but upon turning on to Highway 21 at Banks it was

all paved. Got to Stanley about 8:30 and had splurged for steak dinner then drove to a campground

about ten miles east to spend the night. Campground was full and we were fortunate to find an open

spot. July 23. Got started about 10 AM driving the beautiful canyon along the Upper Salmon River.

About 11:15 heard the most Godawful noise coming from our vehicle, and pulled over to the side of the

road(not enough room to really clear the road. Now we found the real source of that noise was that

had plagued us for the past two weeks—the engine mounts had broken, and it was letting the fanclatter against the frame(thankfully, no damage to the radiator). I hitched a ride to a service station

store a mile or so down the road, and was informed that there was a good mechanic about ten miles

back toward Stanley, and the fellow who had given me the ride kindly drove me back there. Well, the

good mechanic was away on a trip, but his 17 year old son said he had a date that afternoon(Saurday)

but would see what he could do to help. We got in his pickup and sped to the car, towed car and trailer

to a wider spot, unhitched it and left Ruth in the trailer there by the river, had to tow me a couple of

miles further down the road to find a place wide enough to turn around, then we really scampered back



26

up the road to his shop. He was able to lift the engine with a hydraulic jack, and replace those engine

mounts, just in time for him to make his date in Challis. We were very lucky to find the right person to

do the repair—and, he only charged us $25. Back on the road at 2:30. The scenery has been very

unusual and colorful rock formations, then a petrified wood area and Little Grand Canyon—very

spectacular. Got to Lava Hot Springs(?) that evening camping in a KOA facility and enjoying a refreshing

dip in the beautiful pool.

July 24. Traveled through the south west corner of Wyoming, and stopped for lunch at Little

America. It was interesting and crowded. We had a short wait then consumed a turkey dinner. Drove

south along Flaming Gorge reservoir enjoying the colorful scenery, broken by heavy forest. Couldn’t find

a place to camp as many campgrounds were closed due to lack of State(Utah) funds, and those that

were open were crowded—it was a Utah holiday weekend. We were eventually permitted to enter an

overflow campground near the dam. So, we got to view the dam—people were fishing everywhere.

Ruth notes that it had been pretty hot all day—and, that we fished for extra covers at about 5:30 AM.

July 25. Stopped at a fruit stand in the Vernal area and stocked up on cherries, then finally

crossed back into Colorado. Hadn’t seen enough scenery to quench our thirst, so took a road new to

us—drove down to Rangely and south over Douglas Pass—a very scenic drive. Finally, understood why

my California relatives traveled yearly to hunt big game in that area. Other than the highway having a

scenic designation on the map, it appears to be a very desolate area. How wrong that impression is! At

Loma we got on I-70 and drove it to Glenwood Springs. Campgrounds were mostly full, but found a

barely acceptable spot in the brush on the south side of town. Went into town and did the laundry,

washed the car and bought some groceries. Back in the rig, had dinner. About that time a big

thunderstorm struck, so we didn’t go to that great pool to swim. Instead, went to bed early and read.

Ruth notes, “It was good to relax and read. We bought six pounds of cherries at Vernal, and had already

consumed two pounds of them before lunch”.

July 26. Got up and cleaned the trailer a bit, then went to the pool at about 11:30 to meet the

girls--Janet and Jean and Lelia Dee. Had a grand swim—about three hours, then back to the trailer

where we cooked pork chops on the Hibachi. Played Trice and had a ball—talk, talk, talk, catching up on

all the news. July 27. We had buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, then slowly made our way to the pool.

We are all sunburned from yesterday and added to it today. Went back to the trailer for dinner and

Janet misstepped off the trailer step turning her ankle. We decided that Ruth would have to drive her

home, so home we all went arriving about 10. Joyce was really surprised to see Ruth and I(The plan had

been for Lelia Dee to have joined us in Glenwood Springs to travel with us for a few more days). July 28.

Took Janet to the doctor. Bad sprain and bruised bone. We decided to leave manana for a few more

days.

July 29. Before leaving for our extended trip, we took Jean to the doctor for a shot. Got away

about noon and headed for the Rio Grande River. When we got to Alamosa there appeared to be a bad

storm up the Rio Grande, so decided to go on south to the Conejos River. Camped in the dark after

having dinner in Alamosa, in the Aspen Glen campground. A lovely spot(with jet action toilets, Ruth

notes). July 30. We moved on up the river to Elk Creek campground. It was nice and we had humming

birds. Edgar and Lelia Dee went fishing after lunch while Ruth napped. (No fish). We had gone to

Antonito to ride the train to Chama, but it only runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.



27

July 31. We took a ride up the Conejos and Edgar tried fishing in several spots. It is really

beautiful country—something we hadn’t really expected to see in that part of the State. Watched a

family of marmots for a while, and since it had started to rain, we drove up to Platoro Reservoir to the

inlet of the Conejos. It was all lovely sightseeing. Edgar caught a 13 inch rainbow, several browns and

another smaller rainbow, so we had fish for dinner about 8 PM. Our hummingbirds gave us great

entertainment.

August 1. We drove over LaManga and Cumbres Passes to Chama where we saw the narrow

guage train parked with the steam engine fired up as the railroad mechanics worked on it. Drove a short

distance in New Mexico then up to Pagosa Springs, Colorado where we consumed a milk shake, then

headed for East Fork campground on the San Juan River. It is a nice place. Had dinner, then up the road

we went until the river was too high to cross. Edgar fished further back with no luck. Ruth notes, that

“We came home and had popcorn”. That was the end of her diary account of our trip. I assume that

she meant that we returned to camp to have popcorn, as it would have taken a fairly full day to return

to our residence. Wow!!! Another fantastic trip! We are so fortunate!



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CHAPTER III. 1976-1980

1976. Wow!!! What a year! Seems like one continuous vacation! I was now the Senior DC-8

Captain in Denver—the only time in my airline career that I was the senior Captain. So, I supposedly had

my choice of vacation periods. Janet was now in the Peace Corps in Santiago, Chile so our vacation was

planned around that. We bought in to an Interline Travel Plan that would provide a tour from Santiago

through Bolivia and Peru for Ruth and I, and daughters, Joyce and Jean, with plans to fly a few days

before the tour started to Santiago to spend a few days with Janet.

That was the plan for our main vacation. Of course, during school spring vacation we had taken

out usual week with my folks in Vacaville, California. Then, I was awarded a DC-10 bid in Denver with

the training to be completed just prior to our planned trip to South America. Much to our

consternation, my flying was activated in the DC-10 immediately on completing training. Now, I was

Junior again and that vacation went out the window. I didn’t go to South America, however, Ruth and

the girls did. And, I am sure there trip was much better for the fact that I wasn’t there. Janet was able

to travel in my place on the Interline Tour, and with her ability to speak the language it made the trip

much more interesting for them all. They had some pretty “hairy” experiences along the way with those

countries on the verge of revolution, and being able to understand what was going on proved to be an

asset.

The day after their return I started a four day break between my schedules so hustled Ruth off in

the trailer for four days alone in the mountains. There was to be a Flight Operation Meeting with the

President of United Airlines in attendance the last two of those four days and we were expected to

attend the meeting on one of those two days, so Ruth and I returned so that I could attend. We were

each handed a raffle ticket on entering the meeting hall. As the meeting was drawing to a close, the

President drew out a ticket that provided the winner with a round trip for two to Hong Kong on Pan

American Airways. You guessed it—I held the winning stub. I called Ruth and said, “Honey, how would

you like to vacation in Hong Kong?” Of course, there was quite a hesitation while she tried to wrap her

mind around that. When we had time to think about it, I was now due to have my vacation in October

or November, and we had our missionary friends in India who had been encouraging us to come for a

visit. Then, we also remembered the Japanese school teacher who had shared our home a few years

earlier, and decided a stop in Japan would be nice. Upon contacting the Denver Supervisor of the Pan

Am office, he said we could break the tickets down any way we wanted. With several months to do

some planning, we bought in to another Interline Tour of Japan and planned to fly over three or four

days before the tour started to do our own exploring of Tokyo. Was unable to obtain hotel reservations

for those early days, so sent telegram to the afore mentioned teacher. Received a reply from him in the

knick of time saying he had arranged accommodations for us, and that he would meet our planned

inbound flight. We had our tickets broken down as follows: San Francisco-Tokyo; Tokyo-Hong Kong;

Hong Kong-Honolulu; Honolulu-San Francisco.

On the flight from San Francisco to Tokyo there was a Pan Am Magazine in which hotels in

Calcutta were listed. We picked out the one that claimed to be the most Westernized hotel in the city,

then wrote a letter to the Henry’s (our missionary friends in India) to inform them of our planned visit,

and to have directions sent to the selected hotel informing us of how to get to Bissam-Cuttack from

Calcutta. On arrival in Tokyo it took some time for all the baggage to be made available, and to our

consternation, our baggage was not there. Making out the missing baggage claim or report took quite a



29

long time, and then as we stepped out into the passenger lobby packed with Japanese people, we

wondered how we would ever recognize our school teacher. Fortunately, just as we entered that area

he had returned from checking as to whether or not we were actually aboard the flight, and having been

assured we were he returned at just the right time to see us emerging from the baggage area and came

to us. He had arranged accommodations in a nice hotel, took us there and after we had time to freshen

up a bit, took us out to dinner. On our return, he said he would bring his niece, who had attendedcollege in Pasadena, California, with him next day and take us on a tour of the city. On that tour, one of

the interesting places was the art museum—I was particularly interested in seeing their native arts. The

niece had to work on the following two days, but was able to convey instructions to us of how to get to

the several points of interest—and, the Kabuki Show, and one of those nights we went to a fancy

restaurant for dinner with the teachers family.

Then, our Interline tour took over which included accommodations. We checked out of the first

hotel, and were instantly accosted by an envoy sent by the teacher who informed us that the teacher

felt that he should pay for the room. By declining, I sincerely hope it didn’t lead to his hari-kari. On the

Interline tour, we traveled into the mountain area which was in full fall color—and, just like the

paintings depicted it. Flew Japan Airlines to Osaka and toured to Kyoto and out to one of the pearlgathering areas. If my memory is correct, we rode the Bullet Train back to Tokyo. This was a week long

tour, and was really great.

Back on Pan Am, we flew to Hong Kong, spending three days there prior to going on to India.

Had a neat summer outfit tailored that was just the right thing for wear in India. (I had outgrown the

trousers, and just gave the jacket away when downsizing to move into Balfour Assisted Living). We did

enjoy the sights of Hong Kong and dinning in a floating restaurant, etc., but after three days, we headed

for India aboard India Airlines. And, I believe the captain of the flight was the son of India’s ruler of the

time and later became the leader. That was a rather lengthy flight since there was a lot of territory that

they were not allowed to fly over, and we made a stop in Bangkok, Thailand. I was also invited into the

cockpit along the way. Though I had read as much as possible about India during the flights, I reallywasn’t prepared for what we encountered at Calcutta. Fortunately, Ruth had been through all that in

South America and remained calm while I worried about what was going on. One thing the books told

me was to keep an eye on your baggage at all times. So, while awaiting our baggage I became aware of

these porters who were really dressed in rags, grabbing bags and disappearing with them. Finally, our

bags came in and were grabbed by one of these ragged fellows, so we quickly followed him out the door

keeping him in sight—in the meantime, we passed up the bank where we should have exchanged a few

dollars for rupees. Outside it was like a jungle of taxi cabs and people. The taxi driver quickly shuttled

us in the cab, and I had to let the bags out of sight. Then, he sped away with us—with another mystery

man seated in beside him. Shortly after leaving the airport, he quickly turned out of the main traffic

lanes into an unlighted stretch of highway, and, being a little shook up about turning on this dark road, I

said, “Where are you taking us?” He said, “Oh, this is a new highway and the shortest route to your

hotel. The road really isn’t open to traffic yet.” Well, it was probably the best road we travelled in

India—a divided highway with lights all the way into the city(which would be turned on at night when

construction was completed). Along the way, we witnessed how the railroad maintenance was done—

by lantern light in the middle of the night. Arriving at our preplanned hotel, we had to ask the driver to

wait while we went in and exchanged sufficient dollars to rupees to pay him.



30

We asked the hotel receptionist if there were any messages for us and was told there were not,

however, after being assigned a room, they discovered the message(s) that the Henry’s had sent with

instructions of how to get to their location. The Henry’s had sent three separate messages, since it was

quite common for some to be lost—or, discarded. We had planned our itinerary around a three day

sightseeing stay in Calcutta. However, after a night in that horribly swaybacked bed, under a ceiling fan

and then walking the streets in a very sick city with a shoe shine boy following every step of the way, wedecided we had seen enough in just a few hours. Actually, we were in a better part of the city with a lot

of new construction. However, the new construction looked as aged as the ancient part—that, may

have been the way it was planned to be.

The Henry’s, in their messages, had told us that when we were ready to travel to hire an agent

to arrange train transportation. So, we called one and an hour later when he knocked on our door, we

opened the door to find another ragged individual there to collect the money to purchase us the

necessary tickets. Out of sheer faith, I handed him the money not knowing whether to really expect to

see him again. We had our bags ready to go, and went to the hotel dining room to eat, not knowing

whether any food would be available during that long train ride. Before we had finished our meal, the

hotel clerk came in with the message that we would be picked up in a few minutes to be taken to thetrain station. Now we went through some pretty trashy areas on the way with piles of garbage in the

streets with some Holy cows nibbling at them, but were met there with our tickets—which involved two

trains. We were to ride an electric train for about three or four hours to Jamshedpur. There, we were

to change to a steam train for the lengthy trip to Rayagada, on which leg of the trip we were to have a

private compartment. That portion of the trip on the electric railway was very pleasant in relatively

comfort and apparently new equipment. While waiting for departure, many beggars, who saw white

faces through the windows, begged for alms—or, whatever. We soon realized why there were bars on

the windows. At Jamshedpur, we were told there was no compartment available. However, a ten dollar

bill suddenly secured one. Now these cars were old and the leather covering the seats(beds) were hard

and uncomfortable. These trains rode much more smoothly than any train we had ridden in the United

States. There was no “click-clacking”, no jerky starts or stops—it was almost unbelievable to us that

steam rail travel could be so smooth. In the morning, a porter would come around with hot tea, which

was dispensed through a little trap door in the entrance door, and the train would make scheduled stops

long enough for passengers to purchase a meal from merchants with stalls by the tracks. On our trip

down, we were very cautious and ate nothing but fresh fruit that we could peel. Most of the passengers

went out and purchased a meal of dhal(also spelled dahl or dal according to Wikipedia) which in most

stations was served in rolled up banana or similar leaves. Dhal is a lentil soup, that was much too spicy

for our taste. These railway stations all had a community fountain, and we watched the servers take the

used utensils, glasses, plates, etc., and swish them through the running water of the fountains then

return them to be used by the next customer. Also, we saw many women with huge water vessels filling

them then placing them on their heads to take to their abodes miles away. The toilet facilities on thetrains were just an opening in the floor(guess that waste is what made the ride so smooth).

We didn’t know how to get a message to the Henry’s(who had planned quite a ceremony for our

arrival) to let them know we would be arriving two days prior to our original plan. However, in the

instructions they sent to the hotel in Calcutta, they gave us the name of a man to contact in the railroad

town just in case they were not there to meet us. So, on leaving the train, we mentioned that name and

were immediately taken to his residence. He was a bit under the weather, having just been under Dr.



31

Henry’s knife a few days earlier. He turned out to be the towns head man, or, mayor. He shortly had his

underlings round up a couple of jeeps, and took us the rest of the way to the Christian Hospital at

Bissam-Cuttack. The only transportation in that area seemed to be beat up jeeps or trucks that looked

immense alongside the men around them—the beds of the trucks all seemed to be higher off the

ground than the height of the men. The head man had sent a messenger ahead to notify the hospital of

our arrival, and the whole staff came out to greet us. Here we were quartered in the Doctors home—their three children were all away in boarding school. Their cook prepared special meals for us—meals

that were not as spicy as their regular diet.

I think we spent thirteen days there, and what an education we got. This hospital is located in a

tribal area. It had been started by a Danish woman doctor who traveled by foot from village to village in

that area administering to the ill. A native carrier would lug her supplies. She had met Dr. Henry early in

his career and was very impressed by him, and it is said that when he went off to surgical school, she

obtained the funds to start this hospital and prayed every day that when he completed his studies, he

would come and take over the hospital. This had been a hard decision for the Henry’s since there were

no real educational facilities in the area for their three children. Finally, the boys were given

scholarships in Kodicanal, an accredited school throughout the Western World, in South Central India,and our dear blind Anjali was awarded a scholarship to Perkins School for the Blind here in the United

States. With those arrangements having been made, the Henry’s went to Bissam-Cuttack in 1975.

Mentioned above was the lack of educational facilities—boys did get a few years of schooling,

but girls got none. The caste system was very much a part of life there, however the Henry’s made

headway in eliminating that, inasmuch, as they declared the hospital well available to all. The hospital

had a constant line of people awaiting its services, and most of the patients were carried to the hospital

by human carriers on upside down beds—ropes were tied to the legs of the bed and slung over a pole

which two or more men carried on their shoulders. With the patient on the bed were all the family

belongings—food, cooking supplies, etc., and with the entire family accompanying them, they traipsed

to the hospital from as much as a hundred miles away. The families would camp out under the trees,and cook theirs, as well as their patients meals—the hospital being responsible for the patient’s medical

care. I was invited to witness the gall bladder operation of one man. Chloroform was applied as an

anesthetic, and Dr. Henry performed the surgery(one of perhaps 20 or more surgeries that day) with

perfection. It was similar to watching an artist painting that perfect picture. This surgery was on one of

the more well-off patients, so he was charged an amount equal to $25 U.S. The odor of the chloroform

was so strong that I soon found a viewing spot by an open window. The surgery was performed under

very undependable lighting, as the power was often turned off without prior notification. I could spend

days writing more on this subject, but that is getting away from the original purpose of this writing.

The hospital Administrator showed us around the area. We saw many women beating their

laundry clean on the rocks of the stream, and boys washing their water buffalo in that same stream inseemingly close proximity. We visited the weekly market where the sellers laid out their wares on a pad

on the dirt, the barber set about his work just outside the circle, and the Holy cows and water buffalo

sales were going on alongside. He took us to a couple of the native villages where the residences were

constructed of cow dung and straw, and were swept clean by a leafy branch. Nearly all cooking took

place in a clay(or cow dung) oven outside the home. The village outhouse was the shrubbery of the

nearby hill—women carried a small bowl of water to sanitize the hand used to wipe(and, the men must

have just wiped their hand on their briefs). In India you never offered your left hand in greeting for this



32

reason. And, yes, we had the luxury of indoor plumbing at the Henry’s house. Everywhere we went,

the boys would surround me, drawn by those strange things in my ears—my hearing aids. The girls

were very shy, and just peeked at us from around the door jams.

On the Henry’s visit to us in 1968, Dr. Viru (Virendra) let me know that he liked to hunt big

game, and that he was taking a good supply of ammunition with him back to India. So, on our visit he

felt he had to take me hunting. We set out with the hospitals two jeeps after dark and sought out game

by car light. After giving me the chance to shoot a wild hog just after passing through a tribal village(I

thought it was the village hog that cleaned up everyones waste), he later shot a spotted deer that was in

midair when he fired. It seems it was in another district, and we had to smuggle it across the district

line—so, he got a construction crew out of bed, had a drink with the foreman who had his men load the

deer onto one of the huge trucks and drive it across that line, where we again loaded it on a Jeep for the

trip back.

Then, Viru and Nancy decided to take us to Khariar, the Congregational Mission Hospital where

the two had met. We took the hospital Jeep that was in poor condition in order to have the Khariar

mechanic, who Viru thought very highly of, repair it. The front suspension was bad, and whenever the

speed fell below 35MPH it would severely shimmy. Now, this made for a pretty wild ride in that

direction with all the human and animal traffic walking the narrow roads, Viru was on his horn

continually, and, amazingly people would step aside at the last moment avoiding contact. We saw wild

monkeys along the way, and had district lines to cross where we had to pay off the caretaker to open

the gate, and came to a couple of modern bridges crossing major rivers—but with no approach to them.

(They had been constructed by a prior administration, and the new administration failed to fund the

completion). We saw many men breaking rocks with hand tools to make gravel for roadways. And, yes,

we forded the streams that had the incomplete bridges. We especially appreciated our visit to the

Khariar hospital, as we had been familiar with it as one of our mission hospitals for years. We stayed

there for a couple of nights. And, yes, the Jeep did get repaired which made for a much more relaxed

and enjoyable trip back. The countryside in that area was relatively level farm land, with numerous hillsresembling oversized ant hills making up the landscape. We witnessed some pretty primitive means of

irrigation, and, of course, all the tilling and harvesting was done by hand with water buffalo pulling any

farm equipment.

Prior to our departure, we had the privilege of participating in the Hospital annual picnic. We

took what appeared to be the entire hospital staff, on trailers behind the Jeeps and traversed some

pretty rough terrain getting to the picnic spot that was located on a pretty little stream with some small

waterfalls. Following a great feast, we played many games. A great time was had by all. Our train ride

back to Calcutta was a bit more relaxed—though the seats were still just as uncomfortable. I think we

spent another night at the hotel there, then took a British Airways Comet flight back to Hong Kong.

After a night there—and, a haircut for me—we boarded a Pan Am 747, making stops in Manila andGuam on the way to Hawaii. About the time we left Hong Kong I started suffering a severe pain in my

right ear. It didn’t get better en route, and I hoped for some help in Hawaii. However, we arrived there

on a Friday night, and no pharmacy was willing to sell me medication without a doctor’s prescription.

This being the case, we flew down to Maui where I swam at our favorite beach in hope that the salt

water would offer some relief. After five days, the pain went away. I don’t recall whether we returned

to San Francisco via Pan Am or United. At any rate, that had been a vacation to remember.



33

However, it was not the last of our vacationing that year. Joyce, our middle daughter, who

played in the Fairview High School Band was to march with her band in the Pasadena Rose Parade. And,

since a portion of my 1977 vacation was scheduled for the first few days of January, my boss allowed me

to be displaced from a scheduled trip during Christmas Week and Ruth and I left Denver on December

26 for the Los Angeles area by auto. (Joyce flew down along with the Band). We much enjoyed the

parade, and were amazed at how far the participants had to march. After enjoying some sightseeing inthe area, we drove up to Vacaville for a few days visit with my Dad, brothers and other family, before

driving back to Colorado.

1977. Joyce graduated from High School that year, so during the late summer I took my main

vacation and we took her to Europe. The Henry’s were visiting relatives in the area, so we planned our

arrival in New York to allow us a couple of hours to visit with them between flights a John F. Kennedy

International Airport. We met in an airport restaurant for that brief wisit with Nancy, Viru and the two

boys, Anil and Ajit(Anjali was in school at Perkins). Out of New York, we flew on Swiss Air to Zurich. We

spent three days visiting points of interest in that beautiful city, then rented a car for the rest of our

trip(The rental company cautioned us to always park in a secured place to avoid having the car stolen).

Traveled through that fantastically scenic country southwest to Geneva, witnessed the roughest ice

fields we had ever seen in the vicinity of Chamoix, then through the long tunnel under the Alps near

Mont Blanc into Italy. Spent a night or two in Milan, but really didn’t do it justice—we were more

interested at the time in getting to Venice. Traveling east from Milan, we were amazed at the number

of couples speeding along the highway on motor scooters. Spotted a walled city just off the main

highway, so detoured through it. It was like something out of a story book. Arriving in the Venice area,

we took a room on the mainland in Mestre with a safe place to leave the car, and spent two or three

days visiting that most interesting island complex—of course, we took the gondola rides, visited the

museums and ate in the Grand Plaza.

Upon leaving the Venice area, we traveled northeast passing near the border of Slavonia, and

stayed in a small village in southeast Austria—these accommodations were marginal and none of us got

much rest. Arriving the next afternoon in Vienna, we stopped at a Visitors Information Center for

directions and to arrange for accommodations in that city. They found quarters for us in a hotel near

the center of the city, and on entering our room, Ruth and Joyce immediately conked out in deep sleep.

On the other hand, I just couldn’t pass up the afternoon activities in such a beautiful city, so I went for a

walk; watched a marching band with all brass instruments using levers to key notes, vice the valve

instruments that I was accustomed to. Followed it to the entrance of a museum, but arrived there just

at closing time. Took a roundabout route back to the hotel and happened to pass a place where tickets

were being sold for the nights’ opera. Was successful in getting three tickets, but had to hurry back to

the room and get the girls moving hoping we would have time to grab a bite to eat on the way to theopera. The girls were lethargic, so we had to forgo the bite to eat(hadn’t eaten since breakfast, other

than some light snacks we carried in the car with us). We all greatly enjoyed the opera, though in a

foreign language. (On our flight back to the States, this opera played in English on the airplane

entertainment system, so I was able to fill in the spots that I couldn’t follow at the opera house). After

the opera, we found an outdoor dining area with its own musical entertainment to finish off a perfect

evening.



34

We took a couple of tours of the city and surrounding area the next two days, including a visit to

Mozart’s home, then headed west through Salzburg. Before I forget to mention it, this trip was made

much easier by the fact that Joyce had had a native female Austrian teaching her German studies in High

School, and Joyce was able to converse readily with those along the way who spoke German.

We visited Munich for a couple of days, and then headed for Switzerland. I recall stopping at a

famous church—I think it was in St. Gallen—both Ruth and Joyce were churched out, so I toured it

alone. While I was in the church a bus load of Germans parked alongside our car, and the men rushed

out and drained their “radiators” right there in plain sight. Continuing south, we visited the village near

Appenzell where we had spent three days nine years earlier. The methods of curing hay had changed

enormously since our visit nine years earlier—most seemed to be mowed and loaded on trucks and

hauled to barns with a ventilating system that cured the hay without spoilage. This time, we had a low

over cast, but, in spite of that, we rode the aerial tram to the restaurant on top of the mountain, for a

great view and dinner.

In Zurich, we returned our rental car and boarded a Swiss Air flight back to the States. Another

great trip.

1978. Europe again. This year we decided to see some of Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

On June 7 we flew to rainy New York, where we first had to wait for tickets beyond, and then via devious

means get our baggage over to the International Terminal(in dashing around getting things in order at

home, I had acquired a hiatus hernia and was unable to do any lifting) for our flight to Amsterdam,

Netherlands. The KLM flight departed 3 ½ hours late and was 6 ½ hours in duration, arriving at 11:30

Local Time, June 8. Took the Airline bus to the downtown railroad station and a taxi to the Toledo Hotel

where we checked in then went out for a small snack before going to bed to get our interior clocks

adjusted. Awoke at 8PM and went out for dinner and a stroll, returning to the hotel at midnight. The

weather was sunny and warm on our arrival, but cooled rapidly in the evening, so flew to Copenhagen,Netherlands. Spent a few days exploring this most interesting city—including the Museum that housed

a great selection of Rembrant paintings, the canals and surrounding areas.

June 9. Ate breakfast in the hotel then walked across the park and rose garden to the Budget

Car Rental to reserve a car for our planned trip, we then then rode a streetcar downtown where we took

care of a few chores before taking a boat trip through the cities canal network. That was a very

interesting tour. We then rode several street cars to the ends of the line and back for a really good idea

of the life in that city. Back in our room for a short nap before strolling more of that interesting city

before and after dinner.

June 10. Awoke to a cloudy, cool and breezy day. Shopped for some items for our road trip,

then rode another streetcar to the end of its route and back. We then spent several hours in the

National Gallery where we saw a great collection of Rembrandt paintings along with those of other

noted artists. Followed this with a ride on another streetcar to lines end and back, dinner in a Chinese

restaurant and an invigorating walk in the neighborhood.

Having recently read the WWII story, A Bridge Too Far, I wanted to retrace the route of that

rather tragic mission in which the Allies were trying to advance quickly from Eindhoven to Arnhem to



35

save the important bridge located there. The tanks and heavy artillery were making their way up the

dyke between the two cities, and being saturated with rain they were confined to single file. All the

enemy had to do was to disable the tank in the lead, and the others couldn’t get by on the narrow

pavement. In the meantime, many paratroops were dropped near Arnhem and for some mysterious

reason their radios became inoperative and they couldn’t organize their units for the attack.

June 11. With this in mind, wepicked up our rental we rented a car and went south along the

coast to Leiden, The Hague, Delft and Rotterdam(the worlds largest seaport, crossed the Rhine and

Maas Rivers through Breda, thence across to Eindhoven. The weather had been cloudy along the coast,

but was clear and warm inland. The countryside is beautiful with a variety of trees, bulb fields, hay,

grain, potato and many, many dairy cows—some Holstein, but mostly a white and orange breed—many

very sleek horses, some sheep and a few very large hogs. Saw lots of bicycles and riders. Everything

very lush and green. We , and followed the route of this military misadventure.

June 12. Spent a night in Arnhem, before continuing our journey to those northern areas. I

remember, that in trying to follow the road signs in Arnhem to get out of the city, I ended up where I

started, so relied on my own sense of direction and finally cleared that city. My next goal was to show

Ruth the airbase that I flew the Berlin Airlift from—Fassberg. We traveled the Autobahn to Hanover,

then found our way through Celle(where we took time to walk and photograph some of that beautiful

city) to Fassberg. On driving up to the entrance gate to the Air Base, we were stopped short by armed

German soldiers—just short of the point where I could have seen the barracks in which I was housed.

This was now a German military establishment, and the guards were not about to let me on the base.

We could see my old barracks and Officers Club from where we were stopped. Continued our trip north

intending to spend the night in Hamberg. However, didn’t find a hotel along our route so spent the

night in Bad Bramstedt. Had a good dinner in the hotel while it rained outside.

June 13. Continued on toward but in Flensburg, Germanyour trip north, stopping for the streets

were blocked off by night in the police and we were rerouted via a circuitous route through that

town(We think the way was blocked in preparationvicinity of a visiting dignitary). EnteredHamburg,

then on into Denmark, and continued to Vejle where we walked through the shopping area and lunched

by a canal. Made another stop in Billund, then as. As that day turned to midafternoon, we saw a road

sign pointing to Legoland. WeWe hadn’t stopped for lunch yet, so thought we would make a short visit

there in hopes of getting a bite to eat. We got our bite to eat, alright, but became so intrigued with the

exhibits there, that the afternoon got away from us. I don’t recall whether or not there were any

accommodations for an overnight stay there, but we felt that we should go a bit farther north before

stopping for the night. This entertainment center was some distance off the main highway, and the map

showed a small road leading to the next major city, so we took that shortcut. That “small” road turned

out to be just one car width wide and took us through many cultivated fields and I don’t recall meeting

another vehicle. As darkness started to enclose us, we came to a small village of Bryrup with a Kro(guesthouse)Gasthaus and decided to take a room there for the night. It turned out that it was officially closed

for remodeling—however, the proprietor decided to rent us a room for the night. In asking if there was

a restaurant anywhere in the vicinity, he said, “Our kitchen is shut down for the remodel, but I’ll see if

my wife can put something together for you”. Well, she fixed us the best meal we had on the whole

trip. This was a very old house with planking floor that had well- worn grooves in it, and the odor of

stain was strong, but we had a good night’s sleep.



36

June 14. Departing at about 9:30, we drove to Himmelbjerget Lake and walked a bit before

driving on to Aarhus.Next day we made a stop in Aarhus. In walking around a block or two there a

bakery grabbed our attention—it had human shaped cookies hanging in the window that had all the

human natural equipment on them. Ah yes! Drove around Arhus Bay where we visited the “Old Town”

with buildings datingon north to the 1500’s. It is now a resort. Ate lunch at the waterfront. All of

Denmark that we have seen so far is very lush and green, with very healthy crops everywhere. Allhomes very neat with flower and vegetable gardens. We continued our drive to Aalborg.

June 15. Slept late, then did laundry, and I got my hair cut, then we went to the downtown

Information Bureau for information on our trip on north. They directed us to a Travel Agency where we

obtained tickets for the ferry trip to Norway. We walked the Old Town area and shopped a bit(I bought

a pair of shoes), mailed some cards and letters, then drove to thesteamer port area. Ruth napped in the

car as she was not feeling well, while I lunched and explored. Saw thousands of jellyfish and crabs. At

dinner time we drove downtown looking for a restaurant, but not finding one to our liking we returned

to the waterfront and took a ferry boat to Egholm Island where we dined in Kronberg Restaurant

overlooking the water and observing many boats passing.

June 16. Departed Aalborg about 9 AM, and visited the Vorstad Castle grounds to the northeast,

then went to the beach area. Beautiful sandy beach with more shells than on any beach I had visited

previously visited. Some folks on the beach were nude, and many women were bare breasted. I put on

swimming trunks and gathered sea shells—with, no doubt, an occasional glance at the other scenery.

We pulled in next to the pier at Albeak and had lunch, then on to at Hirtshals to await our ship. We

watched fish being unloaded from fishing boats in the meantime. Here we , where we boarded the

largest ferry boat(ship) we had ever seen and had a dourfor that several hour(80 mile) ride trip across

the BalticNorth Sea to Kristiansand, Norway. Drove a few miles northeast to a Fjord and found a

campground with rental cabins, and took one for thenight.

June 17. After a restless night on an extremely hard bed, we ate breakfast in the beach café and

then went to the Tourist Information Center, where they advised that we take the highway north

through Valle. Denmark had been flat and beautiful with all the foliage in full green, and the field crops

looking very healthy, but the countryside of Norway was stunning with all the mountains, glaciers, lakes,

waterfalls with a few spots level enough for crops of some kind—seemingly, mostly strawberries which

were delicious. There were many sheer cliffs, and we saw several herds of goats and flocks of sheep.

Saw many singing birds. There was no traffic until after the intersection at Edlund, We stopped for the

night not too far from the entry port—this was June, and we were surprised to see so many cars on the

roads with skis on top, but the snow was there in places near the road. Saw some mountains nearly

solidly covered with snow, and we drove through several long tunnels and some snow sheds. Got a nice

room in a motel near Odda, and dined in their dining room, before taking a short walk and bedding

downThe next day, we arrived at our planned destination of Bergen. This is a most interesting city andsea port. We enjoyed several days here just touring this beautiful area, the people, the open market by

the water, the home of composer, Edvard Grieg, the cog railroad to the top of one of its mountains.

One day we took the mail, passenger fast ferry up the Sognefjord, the longest Fjord in the world. What

a beautiful trip in a fantasy land. Made many momentary stops to drop and pick up mail and

passengers. The scenery was breathtaking with homes and barns built on the steep slopes, waterfalls

beyond the imagination and endless mountains. The end destination was at Flam where we stopped



37

long enough to dine, then took the winding Flam Railroad up out of the Fjord to the top of the ridge

where we boarded the mainline railroad from Oslo to Bergen.

June 18. A fabulous day full of scenic wonders! Shortly after leaving the motel we passed an

outstanding waterfall. Bought a postcard to send to Fred and Ona. We took a narrow road on the west

side of Sorfjorden through orchard and garden area. Saw many waterfalls—57 of them on one sheer

mountain wall on five separate streams(?). Bought some really sweet strawberries from a girl at a road

side stand. Cherries were almost ripe.At Utne we waited for over two hours for a ferry boat to cross the

Fjord. The whole days trip was fabulously beautiful, and we arrived in Bergen about 4:30. Went

immediately to the ticket office and purchased tickets for the next days boat and train trip to and from

Flam. Got a room in the Hordaheimen(sp.?) Hotel and had dinner in their cafeteria, then walked quite a

distance through that very interesting city, and up to the Johannes Church for an Agape Choir program.

It was excellent with some great singers.

June 19. Breakfast in the hotel at 7 AM, then drove to the all day parking area by the pier

where we boarded the express “Steamer” for Flam. This is a very fast boat that makes deliveries up the

Sognefjorden. We made three(flying) stops at ports along the way, and mated with two ferry boats in

mid-Fjord. Spent nearly six hours on this very fast hydrofoil, the first part of the trip along the coast was

rather boring, but once in the Fjord it became very interesting. The day had started out cloudy, but the

sun came out for the last two hours of the boat ride. Again, the scenery was fabulous. Saw quite a few

homes and barns situated on “impossible” slopes, and postage stamp openings. From Flam to Myrdal

we rode the train on a spectacularly steep, winding few miles—if my recollection is accurate, they claim

the greatest gain in altitude in that distance of any railroad in the world. At Myrdal we connected with

the Oslo—Bergen mainline train for our return to Bergen where we arrived at 6:30 PM. Walked to the

hotel and then to a restaurant in “Old Town” where we enjoyed a delicious steak dinner.

June 20. Bergen is a most interesting city and sea port. After breakfast we went down to the

open fish market by the waterfront—great variety of seafood, berries, and fresh picked vegetables. Did

a bit of shopping, then joined a tour. The tour took us to the home of composer Edvard Grieg on a rise

overlooking a Fjord, to a stave church, then to an overlook of Bergen and through the interesting

sections of town. A short in time, but very interesting tour. Back at 1 PM, we lunched in the hotel

cafeteria(which was a good inexpensive dining experience, then shopped for a sweater and token

spoon. Napped a bit before going on the afternoon Fana Folklore Tour which took us to the 800 year old

Fana Church for an organ and old hymn recital and then to the Fana Farm for dinner(typical Norwegian

festive meal) and folk dancing typifying a wedding celebration. We returned to the hotel at 10:30.

June 21. After those fabulous days in Bergen, we hit the road again to cross that nation to Oslo.

We left our Bergen hotel at 8 AM stopping to do our laundry before leaving town. On our way again by

10, driving to Koanndel where we ferried to Kinsarvick after a half hour wait for the ferry. East of there

we were delayed about 40 minutes for road construction. Now we were going through the mountains,

rather than following valleys. By through, I mean we actually went through many of them in tunnels.

Learned quickly to approach them cautiously, as large semi -trailers were using them too, and usually

there was a sharp turn to get into the entrance, and these trailers used most of both lanes in making

that turn. Though we saw many images of, or replicas, we never managed catch sight of any of their

famous elves, but it was interesting to watch for them. Saw many waterfalls including Voringsfossen

Falls with their 600 foot drop—Beautiful!!! Crossed the Hardangervidda(a high plateau of tundra, rocks



38

and lakes—lots of them, some of which were quite large. From the plateau we could see huge glaciers

to the north. As we reached the eastern edge of the plateau we started seeing summer homes, some of

which were on the tundra, and many down the east slope. Drove through Hol, and stopped for the night

in Gol. A most interesting days travel with never a dull moment. Had cloudy skies with some light rainIn

Oslo, we visited their ship museum which housed some of the craft that were used in their early

exploration of the North Atlantic to Iceland, Norway and the shores of the North American continent.Another interesting place was their park of statues and artistic carvings. It must have been a Friday

when we left Oslo and crossed the border into Sweden. Stopped in the first town at the Visitor Center—

just in time to get a foot in the door before it was locked for the weekend. It was their May Day

Celebration, or, some such. At any rate, everything shut down for a long weekend, except for some

small kiosks, some motels(fortunately), and places of entertainment. We drove down the coastal road

of the western side of the country to see revelers everywhere, with some greenery decorating their cars

and other means of transportation. As I recall, we had bought some lunch supplies there at a kiosk as we

entered the country that ended up being our main meal of the day, as even the restaurants seemed to

be closed. Really didn’t see much of that country, as we did not have the time to wait out the weekend.

Stayed in a motel somewhere along the highway, and next day crossed the long, long bridge across to

Denmark.

June 22. Left Gol at 8:10 AM for another beautiful drive along clear streams and lakes, farms

and meadows having stopped by a lake for breakfast just outside of Gol, and arrived in Oslo at noon.

We parked downtown and took a room in the Hotel Scandinavia—Room 601, and the nicest

accommodations of the trip. We had seen some large ships in harbor on arrival, and we drove down to

the Thor Hyerdahl Kon Tiki Museum and to the Viking Museum. We then strolled through the park of

nude statues—the Vigeland Sculptures. Had dinner at Engebret’s Café of seafood. After returning our

car to the hotel, we walked to and from the city center.

June 23. After a leisurely breakfast, we departed Oslo about 10:30 on our way to the Swedish

lake country, arriving at the firsttown in Sweden right at noon—just as they were closing everythingdown for the First Day of Summer holiday. I managed to get the toe of my shoe in the door of the local

store before they could lock up for the long weekend celebration, and was able to get some snack food

for the next two days. Driving south from there among many lakes we encountered numerous autos

decked out for this celebration with green tree branches attached to the radiator area, and everyone

seemed to be celebrating. There were some very old canals connecting some of the lakes. Stopped at

Vanner Lake where a group of people were preparing for a dance to celebrate the arrival of summer—

girls werewearing floral hair pieces, etc. We cut the day short by stopping at an Esso motel we found to

be open, and since nearly everything else was closed for the weekend, we had dinner in the motel

cafeteria.



39

Copenhagen had been one of the main points of interest that I was anxious to introduce Ruth

to, since I had spent several days there when in Germany flying the Berlin Airlift. However, I was coming

down with some sort of bug when we arrived there which limited out enjoyment of that interesting city.

As I recall, I spent one full day in bed. One day we took a city tour, which took us to the main points of

interest. That tour took us to a Lutheran Church which Ruth was very impressed with, and that she felt

should be a model for all churches—it was very plain, but left one feeling the call to worship. Either wedidn’t feel well enough, or, weren’t there at a time when Tivoli Gardens was open so didn’t get to enjoy

that interesting theme park.

On leaving that area, we traveled southwest and boarded a ferry in Rodbyhavn for the crossing

to Fehmarm, Germany. Our routing then took us through the Hamburg area, Bremen, Groningen,

Netherlands and Highway A7 to Copenhagen. Then the flight home, to find that our daughters had

scheduled a surprise 35th Wedding Anniversary for us that week. Another great trip under our belts.

1979 took us in another direction—we decided to see what New Zealand had to offer. On

October 28, I had started out from New York having flown a trip in my flight schedule to that city a dayearlier. While in New York that morning, I had checked with Pan Am’s main office about the flight

schedules from Honolulu to New Zealand, and with November schedule change they would be flying

more often between those two destinations, rather than just two or three a week. Upon arriving in

Denver, Ruth and Janet met me with our traveling baggage, and I quickly changed from my uniform to

my travel gear and Ruth and I took the same flight on to Los Angeles, and another United flight on to

Honolulu, where we spent three days visiting Jean who was attending the University of Hawaii. In

“Standing By” for our flight on Pan Am out of Honolulu, they informed us that they had the New Zealand

Rugby teams and all their gear aboard which presented a weight problem, so it was unlikely that we

would be able to be accommodated on that flight. However, at departure time they told all of us “stand

by’s” that if we would hurry to the departure gate they would board as many as they could, but certainly

our checked luggage would not be boarded, and they may possibly take our carry on bags away from us

at the gate. We dashed out and were boarded along with our small carry on’s (we each had a small bag

with toilet supplies and a clean set of underwear). Finally airborne at 1:30 AM Honolulu time October

31(Nov. 1 New Zealand).

On arriving in Aukland at 1:10 PM after a crowded flight in uncomfortable seats, we were

informed that it would be three days before their next flight from Honolulu. I questioned that since I

had the information from the New York office that daily flights would be starting that day, but they were

adamant that the next flight wouldn’t arrive for three days.(They just hadn’t got the word on the new

schedule). Our plans called for renting a car in Aukland and to travel south from there, however since

we arrived there in the lightweight Hawaiian wear, we didn’t want to travel to a colder area, so after

renting the car, we spent the night in Motel Harbor Lights in the One Tree area. There we were

introduced to the motels of New Zealand—not a speck of dust, or cobwebs anywhere; a great reception

on every stop; a quart of fresh milk waiting in the refrig. No fault could be found in any of those we

stayed in over that two weeks of travel. Got a good nights sleep, and I went out in the morning and

bought some breakfast and lunch supplies—we had purchased some fresh strawberries near the car

rental the day before—and, were on our way by 9:30. We had awakened that morning to the song of

the birds as they seemed to be outdoing themselves.



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We drove to Paihia on the coast of the Bay of Islands, where we found a three hour cruise that

took us to where the first white men had landed on their discovery journey and other historic coves and

caves, and, actually through one of them, and other points of interest. Then went to a Travel Center to

book a tour for the next day. Found the Beachcomber, a Flag Inn for our two night stay, and a seafood

restaurant for a great meal of locally caught fish. Since gas was in short supply we had to fill up before

7PM, as no gas would be available through the weekend. Called Pan Am, and our bags had arrived theday after we did. So, told them we would pick them up Sunday. Got up early on Nov. 3, as our eleven

hour tour was scheduled to start at 7:30. Went out for breakfast and were introduced to a new form of

scrambled eggs—containing a multitude of tiny fish. Delicious! Boarded the bus for a trip to the

northern tip of the North Island, stopping for coffee and to visit a museum of old time implements,

traveled through pasture lands where the ducks and geese seemed to be fenced in as were the cattle,

sheep and horses. That northern tip of the island is Cape Regina, where we had a fantastic view in all

directions. Then Ruth got the thrill of her life as the bus went down a creek bed with running water in it

to the beach, and cruised along on the sand for nearly the full length of Ninety Mile Beach(actually it is

about 90 kilometers in length). Travelled back through a forest of ancient, giant trees, making a stop at

a bus washing facility to wash all the salt off the vehicle. Had dinner of wiener schnitzel, and

boysenberry dessert.

Nov. 4. Had a beautiful day to drive back to Aukland, and though we took a back road that was

gravel and a bit difficult to navigate, the scenery was delightful. Needless to say, that three day

waiting period ended up being a delightful experience. On picking up our checked

luggage(which had been there for two days), we now headed south to Waitomo, where we and

one other couple were the only occupants of the motel. We had a bit of difficulty finding our

way out of Aukland, and stopped at a fruit stand and purchased some more of those delicious

strawberries which we ate like candy(Ruth notes).

At Hamilton we visited the most beautiful rose garden we had ever seen. And, along the

way we took the boat ride through the Glow Worm Cave. (Ruth is claustrophobic, but this placethrilled her—as well as me) . Spent a couple of days at Rotorua where we enjoyed the hot water

pool and tubs, ate dinner next to a picture window and watched the geysers erupt, then

attended a Maori program put on by the locals and was very good. Next day we toured the

surrounding area, and visited a sheep shearing demonstration. That area is much like

Yellowstone, though more concentrated. They have harnessed the steam to produce electric

power, etc. During our travels we are seeing many birds that are new to us, and some animals

that are native only to that area.

Nov. 6. Next destination was Taupo where I had hoped to do some stream fishing for the

fantastic trout native to the area. However, it was not the right time of year for stream fishing, so I went

out on a guided fishing trip on Taupo Lake. We went quite a distance out in the lake, then the guidestarted letting out a lot of weighted line, and handed me the rod. Not long afterword, I saw this large

fish jumping some distance behind the boat, and remarked about it. Then, I realized that there was

additional weight on my line. Managed to reel in the largest trout I had ever hooked up until then. Next

time I let the line out, it had no more than reached the bottom before I thought it was hooked on a log

or something. However, it turned out to be an even larger trout. After catching and releasing a few

more, we called it a day and came back to port. I kept one, and gave the other to the guide. I had to cut

it in pieces to fit it in our motel refrigerator. Our motel here was facing out onto the lake—open the



41

sliding glass doors and we were at water’s edge with lots of ducks and geese swimming by, and a nearby

palm tree for effect. Had dinner in a nice restaurant next door, did laundry before retiring.

Nov. 7. Took a drive around the south end of Lake Taupo to view the nearby Mt. Ruapehu,

however, it poured rain and we could see snow up the slopes, but were unable to see the mountain top.

I checked out a few fishing spots along the way for future reference(in my next life maybe?), stopped

and bought a few groceries to go with that trout that we will have for dinner. Dinner was delicious! We

packed our bags in preparation for our flight out next morning.

Nov. 8. We turned in our rental car for our flights to Christchurch on the South Island, with a

stops en route at Whanganui and Wellington. The flight to Wellington was on an F-27, and after an hour

wait we boarded a B-737 for the 45 minute flight to Christchurch (Ruth notes that her bag handle had

come off—a bother). We rented a car there and headed southwest. Stopped and bought some fish and

chips to eat along the way, but it was a long drive before we finally found a side road where we could

stop to eat. This drive took us through farm and grazing lands, and across wide rivers. Turned inland at

Geraldine, and stopped for groceries at Fairle, but were unable to find bread or meat Finally stopped at

a combination Garden and Grocery store—and, purchased their last loaf of “heavy” bread. From here,

we were driving under low clouds for some distance until topping a ridge to break out into clear weather

and gorgeous scenery—surrounded by snowcapped peaks and a turquoise Lake—Tepako, where we

stayed the night. Had no cooking facilities there, so enjoyed dinner, as well as the next mornings

breakfast at the lodge. We walked to a stone church on the lake, and to the statue of a sheep dog,

done by a local woman.

Nov. 9. Drove to, and north along the shore of Lake Pukaki to Hermitage, and the base of Mt.

Cook. Here we visited the Visitors’ Center, then drove around the base of a glacier taking pictures while

waiting for the clouds to break that shrouded that beautiful mountain. Ruth notes that the weather

was cold, and, that a rabbit ran the length of the bridge we were crossing. By the time we got back to

the main highway, the clouds finally broke for a peek at the top of the mountain. From here, we

traveled south through the McKenzie Basin, for miles of very arid country very similar to southeastern

Colorado. After crossing Lind’s Pass, we started getting to more hospitable country, and eventually to

the fruit growing area—apricots, pears, apples, peaches, plums and cherries(the cherry orchards were

enshrouded in netting to resist the birds. Spent the night in Alexandra, and ate dinner in Conroys, a

restaurant that had been in existence since 1864. Alexandra was an interesting town. I remember

looking in the window of a Ford Agency, and seeing a small Ford with a $13,000.00 price tag on it. (It

was about like the little four door Dodge Sedan that I had recently purchased for $3,300).

Nov. 10. We followed the Klutha River(one of the few rivers on the east side of the “Alps” that

drain to the east that run deep and wide), to Rae’s Junction, and then southwest to Gore, Invercargill,

and Bluff(the very southern tip of the South Island). Ruth notes that Bluff “seems like a small port, and

everything was in bloom. From there, we turned northwest to Lumsden, then on to TeAnau where we

found a nice motel on the shores of the lake of that name. Ate dinner at the Colonial Restaurant, where

Edgar enjoyed a crayfish(lobster) dinner. When you have one of them for dinner it will fill a hungry

person—they are huge, but do not have large claws. Rutn notes that following dinner, we drove around

to the spillway of the lake—it is a natural lake, but water is diverted to generate electricity. In the Te

Anau area there are several game farms where they raise Asian deer for the market. Te Anau is located

in the Fjordland area, and even the land bound lakes are very similar to Fjords.



42

Nov. ll. This day we drove north from there, and over the southern end of their Alps to Milford

Sound, for a boat ride on that fjord like body of water. The boat pulled in behind the waterfalls coming

down those sheer cliffs—yes, we got a bit of spray from them. The boat took us right out to the Tasmin

Sea, and back. The boat was quite large with a capacity of over 400 passengers, and lunch was served

cafeteria style aboard. We ate on deck and it was quite windy—it blew the rain hat I had procured in

Germany, and Ruth bread overboard. On the way to Milford Sound, we became familiar with the nativeKea bird. Coming out of a tunnel of about a miles length we stopped to take a picture of the fabulous

scenery, two of these birds landed on the car and immediately started chewing the rubber seals out

around the windows and windshield. They took out large chunks. Another breathtakingly enjoyable

day!

Nov. 12. On leaving Te Anau, we backtracked a bit to Mossburn, then to Five Rivers. Along the

way, we saw an operation going on with a large flock of lambs—Ruth notes, Edgar stood closeby hwile

they cut the ears, and chopped the tails off, rubbered the boys and soaked the lambs in a solution to kill

the ticks. I had participated in such when a boy, but Ruth had not witnessed such a scene before, so we

went in and watched the process. Ended the day at Queenstown, located on Lake Wakatipu after

driving along the eastern shore of that lake for two hours—Wow! What a setting. There is a steam shipplying the lake, a shopping center is located here and this modern city is built on a rather steep slope, so

that everyone living there has a great view of the lake. Our motel is set on the slope, and our fourth

floor room is at street level in back. There is a gondola to the Mt. top just back of us. Ate dinner at

Packer Arms, a place out of town that was quite fancy. It had been in existence since the 1890’s.

Nov.13. Got up early to drive over to the Shotover River where we had reserved a place on a

boat departing at 9 AM to “shoot” that river. It was an exciting hour and a half trip in a jet boat racing

toward overhanging boulders and swerving away at the last split second, spraying water over everyone,

and, speeding through rapids. Fortunately, we had boarded in the front seat, so got very little of the

spray that soaked most everyone. What great fun! --And, came away with a T-shirt proclaiming, “I

SHOT THE SHOTOVER”. Returned to our room and did the laundry, and prepared a lunch to eat in thepark. The wind had begun to blow, so we ate fast. Then drove to the Deer Park on the mountain across

the lake from the city. Quite a view from there, and we saw several breeds of deer, ilk, chamois, and a

variety of odd sheep. The wind was blowing a gale making it difficult to enjoy. That evening, we rode

the gondola to the top of the mountain in back of the motel, and had dinner enjoying the view from that

angle—thankfully, the wind had died down. Back in our room about 9 PM after another very interesting

day.

Nov. 14. Our vacation was drawing to a close, so we had to drive quite a distance—it was

through some of the most interesting scenery of our trip, but we didn’t really have time to stop for each

breathtaking scene. This drive took us up Provincial Highway 89, and National State Highway 6 which

took us between Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, and over the Alps via Haast Pass. Then up the west

coast(more or less) to Fox Glacier, where we spent the night at the western foot of Mt. Cook. The

proprietor of the motel told us that the clouds stopping Mt. Cook would soon break up, so we hurried

out to watch the unveiling of that beautiful mountain—the clouds turned a beautiful shad of pink as

they retreated.



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Nov. 15. Had a good clear view of Mt. Cook, the surrounding mountains and glaciers, but by

8:30 it was clouding up again. Another hard day of driving through lush forest and along glaciers.

Crossed a multitude of bridges—Ruth notes, at least a 100. Some had lots of water, and some, none,

but all were rocky. Turning east on Provincial Highway 73, we crossed those Alps again via Arthur’s Pass

and arrived in Christchurch at 3PM. Had a fish dinner at Fail’s Fish Restaurant—the food was good but

the atmosphere rather dull, then walked a few blocks of the city enjoying the English architecture.

Nov. 16. Edgar’s 59th Birthday! Awakened to a fine day. We consumed most of the food we

had left in our car ice box then drove to the Botanic Gardens. Here we saw some HUGE trees,

rhododendruns, azaleas, horse chestnut, and several other plants and trees in full bloom. The rose

garden was just coming into bloom. Turned in our rental car and took a taxi to the airport where we

were “Stand By” for the flight to Aukland on Air New Zealand. It was a DC-8 flight with plenty of seats,

and the flight took about 55 minutes during which we were served a snack. Took our bags via “ wheels”

to the International Terminal and checked them in for our flight to Hololulu. Got a room in the airport

hotel, and took a nap. Got up and ate my Birthday Dinner enjoying the entertainment—with a couple

playing guitar and electric piano and singing. It was a very pleasant evening. Back to the terminal for

the flight , and, Ruth notes, spent our last $2 and some cents, and were given our boarding pass.

Another Great Vacation coming to a close! Our flight back to Honolulu was via Pan Am, and we

were separated for the flight—I had the most uncomfortable seat that I have ever experienced on an

airplane, so was ready for a rest break in Hawaii.

AFTER A DAY OR TWO REST IN HAWAII, OUR LIVES ENTERED A RATHER CHAOTIC TWO AND A

HALF MONTHS. Edgar had been awarded a 747 bid for flying out of Los Angeles, and had to make a two

day stop-over in San Francisco for Overwater Training—an afternoon of navigation, etc., and had to

demonstrate an ability to swim. In the meantime, Ruth had to get back to Denver so that Janet could

pick her up since Janet was flying out the next evening. So, Edgar departed Honolulu on a flight to SanFrancisco, and Ruth took a flight through Los Angeles to Denver. Fortunately, Ruth’s flight was in a 747,

as on arrival at Denver there was a heavy snowstorm in progress with very restricted visibility, and the

747 was the only United aircraft at the time that was certified to land in the existing conditions. Janet

was there to pick Ruth up in our four wheel drive International Travelall, but when they got to our home

they could barely get the vehicle out of the street and into the driveway because of the snow depth.

The next day, Janet drove the Travelall to the airport to catch her flight, and left it for me to get

home in. Edgar arrived home at about 10:30PM, and had to be back at Stapleton Field to start 747

Ground School at 8AM next morning. Some time during the next week, he managed to get the driveway

pretty well cleared. We had decided to pull our Argosy trailer to Los Angeles, and live in it through the

Spring vacation—the plan was to have Joyce and Jean come down for that vacation to visit the sites ofinterest in the area. Realizing we had had several problems with the trailer that needed repair before

leaving Denver, at the first opportunity Edgar took it to the repair shop. (In the meantime, we had been

giving a good deal of thought to our retirement years with hopes of spending a lot of time traveling with

a trailer, and decided it would be much nicer if we had a trailer with a bedroom separate from the living

area). So, having dropped the trailer at a dealership and making out a repair order, Edgar strolled

through the area of new trailers and found this new Argosy (which had seen service as a demonstrator)

that fit our dreams. Having obtained a trade in price which sounded reasonable, he obtained the



44

Manual for that new rig and took it home for Ruth’s evaluation. Ruth was in full agreement that this is

what we desired, so we drove back to Denver that evening and closed the deal. This was just about the

end of December, and Edgar’s training came to a conclusion. Edgar had one more trip in his DC-10

Schedule out of Denver, so we had to dash down to the dealership, and switch our various

accumulations from one trailer to the other, and pull the new one home—leave it to Ruth to get it ready

for a trip to California, and Edgar had to leave immediately to fly his remaining trip. On return, he had toleave immediately for California to fly his first line trip in the 747 next day from Los Angeles to New York.

Edgar had to stay out there and fly a second flight(these first flights in a new aircraft were made with a

Flight Manager in the Jump seat observing the new pilots performance). Finally, about mid-January

Edgar had four days off, flew home and together, Ruth and Edgar pulled the trailer that Ruth had

provisioned to Los Angeles. We spent the first night in Taos, New Mexico, and the next one in Flagstaff,

Arizona. May have spent another short of our destination. We had hoped to find a space in a RV Park

near the ocean, however, there was no space available in the only one that would be near enough to the

airport. On one of those flights in to New York, Edgar met up with an ex-Denver pilot who had flown out

of Los Angeles for a period of time and he referred us to a park in Anaheim—near Knott’s Berry Farm.

That turned out to be our base of operations for the next fifteen months.

Upon getting Edgar settled in the new area and giving the area a quick look to locate the

shopping areas, Ruth flew back to Denver to see that the girls got off to college in good order for their

next semester. That accomplished, Edgar returned during his next four day off period, and together we

drove our other car down. On this trip we had time to deviate south a bit—to Mesa, Arizona for a two

day visit with Ruth’s cousin, Fred and his wife, Ona.(They later volunteered to come care for our home

and lawn during that summer in our absence).

CHAPTER IV. 1980-90

Now, we are into 1980. The purpose of having the trailer with us there was so that on my days

off we could explore Southern California, and see if it might be a suitable area in which to retire to. We

had tentatively agreed that we would stay in that nice RV park until after the girls returned to school,



45

and then, we would find an apartment. However, when that time came, Ruth said, “I could not live in an

apartment.” Upon asking her how she could live in that trailer, but not an apartment, she responded

with. “Look! When I want to go outside, I just open the door and step out. If we were in an apartment,

I’d have to go through a series of security locks just to get some fresh air”. End of discussion.

We did do some searching on those days off, including a trip back to Denver with the Travellall

to replace it with a new Chevrolet Suburban. And, the next time I had three or four days off, we took a

trip up to Sequoia National Park to observe those BIG TREES. Another outing took us to Death Valley,

and, another to the Imperial Valley, and, several trips to spots along the Pacific Coast. Then, after Edgar

retired in mid-November in Honolulu, we spent eight days in Hawaii before returning to take the trailer

on a rather lengthy California tour. We spent Thanksgiving with friends in Barstow, and travelled to

Carson City for a wedding, a visit to Vacaville (Edgar’s home town), back to near San Jose for the

eightieth birthday of Harold Thomas. A visit with niece, Linda, who was attending college in San Louis

Obispo, then down the coast to our camp site in Anaheim.

1981. We remained in our California campsite until sometime in April, then took a leisurely tripback to Colorado, enjoying the desert blooms on the way. Took a few trips to the mountains during the

summer while planning an extensive trip to New England to view the fall colors. Finally, in September

we started on a dual purpose trip—Joyce and Jim traveled with us to Galesburg, Illinois where Joyce

served in the wedding party of one of her college friends. From there, we swung up to the Detroit area,

to visit one of Ruth’s father’s cousins. Crossing in to Canada, we traversed Ontario to the area of

Niagara Falls. Departing Buffalo, New York, we crossed that state skirting Lake Ontario to Waterton,

then eventually entering Canada again to visit Montreal and Quebec. Leaving Quebec, we traveled

south into Maine, and on to Bangor and Acadia National Park where we stayed for a couple of days.

Prior to our Boulder departure, Marvin and Vaudis, traveling with another couple in this couples

motorhome and towing Marvin and Vaudis small car had stopped with us for a couple of days. Theywere also on their way to see the fall colors of New England and explore the country en route. We had

agreed to meet somewhere back there so that I could act as their guide in the big cities since I had spent

many layovers back there during my flying days. We contacted them by phone from Acadia, and

arranged to meet at a campground in New Jersey across the Hudson River from New York City a few

days later(Also learned in that phone call that brother Raymond had died of a gunshot wound—never

determined as to whether it was self-inflicted or murder).

Ruth and I continued our sight-seeing across New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts finding

the most colorful area in Connecticut, and on to our rendezvous. Met the group as planned, and spent

two or three days enjoying the sights and flavors of New York City and surroundings. Then we

proceeded down through the Pennsylvania Dutch country where se spent some time in the rural areasto the east of Lancaster. Saw several mail boxes with the name Riehl on them, and, some of them had

our first names on them also. Enjoyed some meals of the traditional foods of the area before

proceeding on to the Washington, D.C. area. After three days in that area, we continued our own

planned journeys.

At the time of our departure from Boulder, Jean had decided that her studies at Colorado State

University were not taking her in the direction she wanted to go, so had enrolled in a Travel and



46

Transportation course in a school in Westminster, Colorado. As we headed west, we stopped for a day

or two in Nashville—time to check in with Jean to see how things were going. She had completed that

course and was searching for a job in that line, however, travel was in a slump at the time and most

transportation companies were laying off workers, so she had taken a job as a maid at Copper Mountain

Ski Resort. We had called from an outdoor phone, and I thought Ruth was going to sink right out of sight

in the ground upon receiving that message. I finally convinced her that it wasn’t the end of the world,and that a job was a job—don’t knock it!

As our 48 day trip was coming to an end, I remarked that I guess I was having fun during that

year of carefree living, but something was missing—I wasn’t accomplishing anything to benefit the

human race. Arriving home, I enrolled in several courses taught by University of Colorado instructors—a

course in economics, a course in simple automobile maintenance, three others that I have lost memory

of, and one in ballroom dancing that Ruth could accompany me to. Shortly thereafter Ruth was reading

a weekly publication that came with our Daily Camera newspaper when she turned to me and said, “You

said you wanted to do something that would benefit people, here is that chance”. It was an article that

told of the Red Cross calling for volunteers to learn to transcribe publications into Braille. I think she

was being facetious, however, I quickly thought of our blind friend, Anjeli, and the fact that it wassomething I could do as we traveled with our trailer during the winter. In January, I met with a group of

about a dozen volunteers(all women), and two women who were to teach the course. I found the

indoctrination extremely interesting, but wondered how I could fit it into my schedule with the other

classes I had enrolled in. We were given some basic equipment and instruction manual, and a schedule

of one class day a week for about eight months—or, however long it took one to complete the course

and be certified by the Library of Congress. Being stuck with eight months of classes—which meant we

would have to sacrifice that year of roaming—was the stickler. When I started playing with the tools to

make braille, Ruth became very interested and in spite of having many volunteer activities going,

decided to join me in the classes. Everything went well for me, and by late summer I had completed all

the instruction period, and went to work on my manuscript for certification, which I sent in to the

Library of Congress in October. Ruth and I flew to Anchorage, Alaska for the Thanksgiving holidays with

her niece, Barbara Clausen, and family, and on my return that certification awaited me in the mail(I was

the first of that class to be certified).

We had planned to spend a long vacation in Australia that fall, however, because they seemed

to be having a lot of fires and we weren’t really sure as to the best time of year to go, we decided to

read up on the subject and put the trip off for the year. Instead, we pulled the trailer to southern

California spending some time with Ruth’s brother Ray, whose wife, Lil, had passed away earlier in the

year. While out there, we took Ray over the mountains for a few days in the Imperial Valley. They had

had a few days of unusually cold weather in the valley, and the Salto Sea had the temperature drop

below 58 degrees which caused the death of millions of tilapia.—Their respiratory system fails at that

temperature. Was able to catch and fill our small freezer with them—catching them while they were

still breathing they were delectable.

1983. We had studied up on Australia, and decided we would go in September which would be

Spring time there. Wrote to several RV rental services there, but all wanted payment in full three

months ahead of time, with no refund if cancelled within 30 days of planned pickup. At least I heard



47

back from six of them, but decided if it was another fire year we might want to cancel on short notice.

Did make and pay for a three day, two night tour of Kakadu National Park in Northern Australia. So, on

September 9 we flew to Honolulu and spent the night in the Reef Hotel. Next day we visited Mrs.

Hawksworth(Ruth Andrade’s mother, did some shopping and while I walked the beach, Ruth took a dip

in the hotel pool. Went to dinner with Helena, Helen and Walter Buffet to a Japanese restaurant, then

after more visiting with them we returned to the hotel, packed our bags, took a short nap and headed tothe airport for an Air New Zealand flight to Sydney

September 12. Arrived in Sydney after a good but tiring flight. It was a clear, beautiful day, but

we took a taxi to our hotel in King’s Cross and went to bed about 3PM.

September 13. Arose at 6 AM, well rested, and after a full breakfast we took a taxi to Circular

Quay where we started on a full day tour with Australian Pacific. Crossed the Harbor Bridge to visit the

north suburbs and beaches. Beautiful scenery everywhere. Tea at Manly Beach Hotel, and back to

Circular Quay for a luncheon cruise of the harbor area. Followed this with a tour of the east and

southeast suburbs and beaches. Beautiful day. Beautiful scenery. Beautiful City. Back a Circular Quay,

we dined nearby and bussed back to the bawdy neighborhood where our hotel was located.

September 14. After breakfast we rode a bus downtown, visited the Ansett Airline office, then

strolled the “Rock s” area where Sydney was born. Walked up to Observatory Point for a view of North

Sydney and the many bays, then through downtown for a close view of the Tower. Walked through

Jones Department store with its colorful display of false azalias. Lunched in Hyde Park enjoying the real

azalias , lilies and wisteria among many other beautiful blooms. Watched many men playing chess, one

chess set was so large that men lugged the individual pieces from square to square. After lunch, we

went to the Australian Museum of Natural History. Were particularly impressed by the bird displays—

Australia species, numbering approximately 700 are a distinctly varied throng, many being restricted to

this country. We were a bit disappointed with the animal displays, and skipped the Chinese dinosaur

display. Dinner at Barclay Hotel—service a bit strange, however, the food was good and reasonably

priced. Rain fell as we returned to our hotel.

September 15. Had planned to fly to Darwin this day, however, flying Space Available, were

unable to get on the flight. It had rained all night and occasional showers were still present, so after

breakfast which was a joy since we were seated with a couple of congenial women from New Zealand,

we got caught up on our laundry(one less chore to do on arrival Darwin), we rode the bus to Circular

Quay, bought sandwiches to eat on the ferry to the zoo. Even though it was a rather showery, windy

and coolish day, we enjoyed that tour of the zoo. The live bird displays were very entertaining—lots of

parrots, parrakeets and cockatoos, among others. Watched a real kangaroo fight. Much new

construction was in progress. Rode a small ferry back to the Rocks area and had a seafood dinner then

took the bus back to our hotel in Kings Cross.

September 16. Checked out of our hotel at 7 AM, and took a taxi to the airport where we

departed on Ansett Flight 250 in a stretch Boeing 727—with stereo headphones and pleasant music

playing. Our flight took us by way of Adelaide, the first half of the flight was like flying across the

Midwestern United States, then like the Great Plains, then as we approached Adelaide the countryside

reminded me of the area between Sacramento and Auburn, California. The surface was very green on

that leg of the flight. Ruth and I had First Class seating on the flight, but had to split up. I sat next to a

Merchant Seaman who let me sit by the window, and he filled me in with much information that was



48

helpful in our travel there. In Adelaide, we changed to flight 232 and were seated together on the right

side of the aircraft. We passed over the north end of Spencer Gulf, across Lakes Torrens, and Eyre(both

dry lakes), just west of Coober Pedy and Alice Springs(which we couldn’t see from our side of the

airplane). For nearly two hours of the flight the surface reminded me of Wyoming’s Red Desert, then it

resembled Nevada(without the mountain ranges). Expected jungle area around Darwin, but it was quite

different—scattered scrubby trees and much open land, jade green rivers and flowering tropical flowersmuch like Hawaii, wit with quite a few new that were completely new to us. Ansett treated us very well,

with seats assigned an hour ahead of flight time, comfortable seating and the food was great! On

boarding in Sydney, we were served orange juice. Shortly after takeoff we were served a bowl of fruit,

casserole of omelet, sausage and bacon, choice of rolls, beverages, etc. An hour out of Adelaide the

lunch started with pu pu’s, then a tray of cold cuts including shrimp, lobster and fruit sections, breads

and rolls. After concluding that this great meal was complete, th main course came with roasted stuffed

lamb potatoes and beans—and, more rolls, then a choice of fabulous layered cakes. Wow!!! As the

present saying goes, “that was the day!” Has anyone experienced that aboard a flight recently? Arrived

in Darwin at 2:15 PM, and took a taxi to our motel—the Darwin Phoenix. Temperature was in the 90’s,

so we just relaxed in our air conditioned room for a while before taking a dip in the pool—which was

right outside our door. Had the pool to ourselves, but it was like swimming in bath water, with a slightly

salty feel or flavor.

September 17. Steak and eggs for breakfast in the motel, then bussed downtown for a city tour.

The city has quite a history with settlements attempted several times before it caught on. It was then

devastated during WWII with 64 Japanese bombing attacks. To add insult to injury, it was destroyed by

fire on Christmas Eve 1974. It has rebuilt and as of the time of our visit is was rated the fastest growing

area of Australia. Finishing the tour, we lunched downtown and returned to the motel to relax around

the pool. Awakening from a nap on the pool chaise, I looked down to see a three foot monitor lizard

emerging from the shade under me. Retrieved my camera for a few feet of film of its meanderings. We

rode a bus to the Beagle restaurant, but couldn’t get seating. We found that in several Australian

locations one had to make reservations ahead of time in order to be served. Walked from there to the

Botanical Gardens to observe a beautiful sunset, following which we did find a restaurant where I was

served buffalo, and Ruth had barramundi, then returned to the motel in a taxi.

September 18. Rented a Moke(a half size Jeep) and went to the Uniting Church where the

church school performed the story of Jesus. Returned to the motel and did a load of wash(we traveled

light on this trip, so had to launder often), the headed for the beach area. On our first stop, we found

the beach too hot, and not very interesting, though some folks were snorkeling near a rocky area.

Found another beautiful, long beach with lots of shells—predominantly sand dollars. By this time the

temperature had cooled enough that a walk on the beach was enjoyable. Returned to the motel and

barbequed some steaks by the pool, then drove to the Reserve to watch kangaroos and wallabys as they

came out in the cool of the evening. We also saw our first brush turkeys(saw many of them in our later

travels).

September 19. Had an early breakfast as we were to be picked up at 7:50 for that three day

tour of Kakadu National Park. We were picked up by a twenty passenger Toyota bus, and before we

could board, a passenger by the name of Bill McDonald and his female travelmate got off and

introduced themselves, then leading us aboard, introduced us to each of the other passenger and the

driver. There were just eight passengers, and from the start it was just like traveling with one big happy



49

family with everyone enjoying all that was in store for us.(Bill was a wine distributor and lived in Sydney.

He and his mate told us of many things to see during our trip in Australia, and he hosted us in Sydney—

more on that later). So, we were off to the wilds of Kakadu Adventure—three breathtaking days of

interesting forest, fauna, wildlife, ancient rock paintings, etc. Stopped at the Bark Hut for refreshments,

then entered the park. Early on we saw an eight foot water python crossing a bridge over the Mary

River {Ruth wrote in her diary that it had just eaten a rather large animal since it had one area of bodyabout three feet in circumference }(saw its remains on our return on the 23rd). Saw many water

buffalo, wild horses and skinny cattle. A short distance into the Park our guide drove off the road and

across the wilds as he knew just where to take us for the best sights.

Here I must interject that it was really the end of the tourist season in that area, as we were far

enough into the dry season that many of the sources of water had dried up, and, of course, one had to

find a billabong with water to get a full appreciation of the bird and animal life of the area. So, we did a

lot of off road driving through the park. June through the middle of September are the recommended

season to visit the area).

At one of the off road billabongs, we saw red tailed cockatoos, parrots, honeysuckers, king

fishers, pygmy geese and many others. Stopping at another for lunch we were introduced to our first

double barred finch. At our lunch spot we were joined by a group of buffalo cowboys who were on a

round up. They round up these animals for shipment to Asia, Indonesia, the Philipines as work

animals(more on that later in our travels). These cowboys are capturing the animals with a yoke

attached to arms on a Jeep type vehicle, and then loaded on trucks by pushing them with a sort of

bulldozer attachment on the front of a jeep. Took side trips to many interesting places including

Norlangie Rock where native paintings are up to 30,000 years old. Spent the night inb Covinda on South

Alligator River. Took a refreshing swim in the pool and feasted on delicious buffalo.

September 20. Breakfast over, we took a two hour boat ride on the Yellow Water Lagoon where

we viewed an amazing number and variety of water birds, crocodiles, monitor lizards(one of which was

at least eight feet long with a bery large body and head). Also, many shore and land birds. Saw the

jabiru(stork), and brolga(rather like a dark blue crane with red markings on the sides of its head), many

types of ducks, geese, hawks, sea eagles, etc. A most interesting trip. Stopped for refreshments at

Cooinda Inn then eastward making many stops at points of interest. Lunched beside a waterway where

we could see fish of different types in the clear water(slick banks), and a variety of beautiful birds.

Visited Park Headquarters before taking a thirty minute flight over the western edge of Arnhem

Land(this area is reserved for the native population with whites excluded), along East Alligator River, and

the wet lands of Kakadu. (Ruth notes in her diary—It was a thrill to see the billabongs from the air and

we saw hundreds of buffalo and egrets. Got to see the mountains—their shapes in places were like ribs

or long walls built a few feet apart. Ruth also notes that we saw thousands of magpie Geese).Very

interesting! We toured Jabaru East, a town built for the uranium miners and families, then to SouthAlligator Inn for the night. Had a refreshing swim and barramundi dinner.

September 21. Breakfast, then on to the east past Jabiru and on to Obiri where there are many

very good Rock Paintings, then to a high point overlooking the wetlands and into Arnhem Land. Drove

onto th crossing of the E. Alligator River where fish were jumping up over the abutment and crossing.

Lunched at a wetland pond before heading back toward Darwin. All along the way we saw ant hills of

many sizes up to 15 feet in height, threes of various varieties—mostly eucalyptus, and some kapok. The



50

birds, both land and water were major attractions, as were the buffalo and crocodiles. That was an

excellent tour, and we really got our money’s worth. On arriving back in Darwin, we rented a Moke and

went to dinner at the Beagle, where we had been turned away a few evenings earlier. Ended up

disappointed in that meal. Finished off the day by driving to the Reserve and observing the kangaroos

and wallabys.

September 22. Drove to downtown for breakfast. Stopped at the Ansett Office, and were

advised to not try to get a flight out until Sunday as all flights were booked full while their nations

football playoffs were in progress, so got a room in the Poinciana, and move from the Phoenix. We then

rode the ferry to Mandura which we didn’t find very interesting except for a couple of conversations.

After returning to the mainland, we found another beach at the end of Trower Road. Walking about a

mile up the beach we happened on to a “free” beach(Later in our travels we found there were many

“free” beaches—meaning one was free to appear dressed--or, undressed, as they desired. Not many

shells on this beach, and these northern beaches had already been posted as “Swimming Prohibited”

due to the infestation of box jellyfish. (The prominent shell we found on beaches in this area was

cuttlefish. Brought back memories of my childhood when my mother used to buy sacks of cuttlefish

bone for our chickens to digest to make the egg shells firmer). In this area, the ocean water was warmas bath water—and, didn’t seem as salty as the beach of a few days earlier. Dinner was at Peppi’s

adjacent to the motel.

September 23. Went to the New Museum which had very good displays of artifacts from

aboriginal lands in Australia, New Guinea and surrounding islands; a history of the white advancements,

art gallery, some sea life and animal displays, and some outrigger boats used by various groups including

Javanese. Lunched there, then relaxed at the Botanical Gardens. Later in the afternoon, we returned to

the “free” beach where I started my all over tan, and Ruth walked a couple of miles of beach collecting

shells. Went to the shopping center and purchases some Chinese food for an evening picnic on the

beach where we stayed until dark.

September 24. Slept in, then breakfast on the Mall. Listed for next days flight to Brisbane, then

off to Nightcliff to do our laundry. Relaxed today reading, napping and watching football playoff’s, a

women’s cricket match broadcast from England. Went out about five and got some steak and salad

which we consumed in a park overlooking the harbor.

September 25. Ate breakfast in our room, then packed and checked out. Attended services at

the Uniting Church. Parked at the Botanical Gardens until time to leave for the airport. Departed

Darwin on Ansett flight 61 to Mt. Isa and Brisbane. It was cloudy over Kakadu, but saw enough of area

in and out of Mt. Isa to feel confident that we didn’t miss much by not driving that leg. This 727 was

configured a bit differently than any other we had flown, but the seating was fine. Were served dinner

out of Mt. Isa—the service not as gracious as on other flights.

September 26. After breakfast in our room, we took the bus to the Queensland Tourist Bureau,

Royal Motor Club and Parks Department. Each loaded us with material. Ruth window shopped and

listened to street entertainment while I returned to our motel for papers. After calling Janet to make

sure everything at home was in order, we went to Sunseeker RV Rental to arrange for a vehicle for a

couple of days later. Arrangements completed, the proprietor drove us back to the motel to get dressed

and ready to attend the stage play “Evita”. Then returned to the Mall and had dinner before the show.

Enjoyed the show in that fine old theater(though we had to evacuate during intermissions because of a



51

back stage fire). Fire out, we returned for the remainder of the evenings performance. We rode the bus

back to our motel which was in the suburb of Hamilton, stopped for a raspberry sorbet before going to

bed. Incidentally, the movie Evita was on TV that night. From our window we can view some very large

trees--banana trees with bananas on them, and butterfly trees(I think) covered with lavender blooms.

Poinsettia trees and hibiscus in full bloom—breathtaking. The city itself is most intriguing blending the

old with the new. They have done a great job of preserving the beautiful old buildings and architecture,with the modern. Jacaranda are starting to bloom—we will see many of them when in full bloom about

a month later in our trip.

September 27. Australia II won! Shout the newspeople. They had just won the great sailing

race. Much todo about it on TV and in newspapers. Breakfast in room, then off on a full day tour

starting at 10AM. Traveled through the edge of the city to an overlook where we could view the entire

city. Thence, past racecourses to the airport where we visited the Southern Cross—the first airplane to

make the crossing from California to Australia. We then toured the Golden Circle pineapple cannery

where they also can beets, carrots, citrus, and strawberries. Ruth’s diary mentions that we watched

them processing pineapple, and that they also bottle several varieties of juice making their own cans

and boxes. A very interesting operation. After lunch, we saw more of the downtown area then went tothe Lone Pine Koala sanctuary where we saw lots of them(Ruth learning by experience that they are not

as cuddly as they appear, as they have long sharp claws for climbing those gum trees), plus kangaroos,

wallabys, deer, Tasmanian devils, opposums, and lots of cockatoos, and smaller parrot like birds of

different kinds. Being springtime, much mating was in progress—right there in front of God and all of us

inquisitive visitors. Our tour was topped off with visits to the botanical gardens, and the new Art

Museum which had a special showing of historical newspapers. Another day well spent in a beautiful

city with flowers and blooming trees beyond the imagination!

September 28. Breakfast in our room again, then took our belongings on a taxi to Sunseeker

Motor Home Rentals. While they finished preparing our vehicle, they gave us a great briefing on the

operation thereof, and on what we might encounter in our travels—as well as much helpful informationto make our sightseeing more productive—sights to be sure to visit, etc. Finally left there at 1 PM, and

made a stop at Scientific Instrument Repair in Kelvin Grove to have my field glasses repaired—broken

arm replaced and prism correction($15). Made another stop in the outskirts of town to stock up our

larder. Now we were on our wonderful adventure. Drove northward through pine forests—man

planted in rows—through pineapple country that covered a large area. Saw the Glass Mountains in the

distance, and before travelling much further, plan to drive into them to test the abilities of this Toyota

Motor Home, then on to Caloundra where we were able to get a spot in an RV park across the street

from the beach. It was dark on our arrival so the morning view will be a surprise. Now it took a while

to get our stuff stored, and to figure out how to best utilize our space. We decided to sleep on the fold

out beds in the dining area rather than climb to the rather snug one over the cab—will use that area to

store our luggage, etc. So far, everyone has been extremely nice and helpful to us in all our

relationships. What a pleasant bunch of people! (Afraid we will be spoiled by it and not have much

patience with our fellow countrymen on returning home. First impression is that Australians seem a bit

aloof—that is, until you speak to them first, and then it’s as if you put your money in the Nickelodeon).

September 29. The sun was already high in the sky when we arose at 6:30. We walked through

downtown Caloundra and back along the beach. It was a bit cool and not many sunbathers out yet,

though there were quite a few fishermen. After about a four mile walk we stopped and bought a dozen



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eggs($1.77 for a dozen medium! Wow! No wonder they eat steaks and chops for breakfast here).

Cooked up our first home made meal of the trip, and decided to leave that trailer park since though the

view was great, it was not as close to the water as we first thought. After stopping at another shopping

center to obtain more of our wants we drove up in the mountains(mainly to salve my concern as to this

little Toyota having enough power to take us where I hoped to go—it passed the test with flying colors).

At this point I want to fill you in on what it is like driving in this nation. Our rig came equipped with aROO Bar—we soon realized the need of such if one was to drive at night, as the many dead kangaroo

along the roadside left no question in ones mind. We also had shields over the headlights, and across

the windshield. That screen was very annoying to me in driving, but, on that days drive I fully realized

why it was a necessity, as even the paved roads are only paved one lane width down the center, and

when meeting another vehicle each has to give way to the left(they drive on the left downunder), and

rocks fly, so the evidence of broken windshields was very much in view throughout our travels. Again,

that screen caused quite a strain on the eyes, but eventually we got used to it. Even the best of paved

highways are quite rough compared to our Highways in the U.S., though I’m sure they improved them a

lot prior to hosting the Olympics in recent years. Our test drive complete, we enjoyed fantastic views of

the Glass House Mountains, the coast and surrounding terrain, then traveled through banana, and citrus

groves, pineapple and sugar plantations, and pasture lands with horses, cattle and goats. Fabulous

flower gardens with azalias almost tree size, all the flowers and flowering trees of Hawaii and lots more.

Lantana was everywhere growing wild along the roads, showing its many shades of color. Drove the

crest of the ridge northward with continuous views to either side. Saw some areas of dense jungle, and

hiked through one such to Kondalilla Falls in the National Park of that name. That was a beautiful walk.

Drove through Nambour, Yandina and through cane fields to Coolum Beach, then north along the beach

to Sunshine Beach where we had an excellent site overlooking on of the prettiest, fines sand beaches in

world.—But, it was too windy this afternoon to enjoy it. Plan to spend another day here, then head on

for warmer climes. Another good home cooked dinner topped off with apricot pie and ice cream.

Finally brought out the cards tonight—Ruth beat me two out of three games of rummy.

September 30. Buttermilk pancakes for breadfast—Whoopee! After chores, we took a long

walk up the beach and back(a bit too long, as we both ended up with some sun burn). Not many shells,

but quite a few people. A number of shemales with exposed uppers—and, a few completely exposed.

The sand is really nice(I was told that this type of beach extends for two hundred miles). Ruth laundered

and I read and wrote most of the afternoon. We saw several sail boats going b well off shore. Saw a

beautiful large hawk type bird along the beach below our house on wheels with brilliant red wings and

white head. This being school Spring Break, there are many children here—it will be back to school

come Monday. Closed out this relaxing day with a dinner of hamburger, potatoes and fruit salad. A

very noisy thunderstorm passed over at about 10 PM, and some rain fell.

October 1. Today we traveled north along the Bruce Highway, passing through Cooray to

Gympie where we did some shopping before going to Rainbow Beach. The drive was through rolling

hills –some covered with dense forest, and some pastoral with many dairy cows—mostly Holstein and

Jersey type. Leaving Gympie we were mostly in slash pine forest that had been planted in 1959.

Stopped in Tin Can Bay to purchase fresh shrimp and flounder, the continued on to our planned

destination of the day—Rainbow Beach Caravan Park(In Australia, trailers and motor homes are called

Caravans). We are parked overlooking the ocean, but due to the steep cliffs to the beach it is not visible

from our location. Rainbow Beach is named for the rainbow colors in the cliffs to the south—



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reminiscent of the colors in Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. These can be seen from the beach below us.

Purchased tours for tomorrow which will take us to Fraser Island leaving at 8 AM. Edgar walked on the

beach and swam in the Pacific Ocean—it was quite like our favorite Maui beach. Had shrimp for lunch

and flounder for dinner. We had also purchased some paw paws. They are good, but not as good as

hawaiis papaya. We took a half mile walk along the street here and saw several parrots—predominantly

red and green. (From Ruth’s diary—at 8 PM, we took a two hour Sun Safari tour along the beach in afour-wheel drive vehicle). Edgar walked up the hill while Ruth started dinner where he saw a

squeaker—a bird about pigeon size that is very vocal(we had heard some of them in Darwin).

October 2. After an early breakfast we started on our tour. Tour was in a 4-wheel drive Toyota

with Sue as guide and driver. Drove up the beach eight miles and ferried across to Frazer Island—the

world’s largest sand island. There were hundreds of jellyfish alongside the ferry on that crossing. In the

past, the island was mined of sand which contained titanium that the U.S. bought to use in the

construction of Appolo space ships, and timbering was once thriving business but was now being fazed

out, with it now becoming a Forest Preserve. There are still some very large trees there with some

standing 150 feet tall. The island has wild horses, wallabies, and we saw two dingoes. Drove several

miles along the beach seeing many surf fishermen and dead jellyfish, crossed several fresh waterstreams and viewed lots of terns and oystercatchers before stopping at a motel in Eurong where we

sipped a cup of tea, then turned inland to beautiful Lake McKenzie. It has a silicon sand breach and very

blue water. It is a natural pit with rainfall its source of water. We took a dip in the dream location—a

bit cool, but very refreshing. We then walked a jungle trail with foliage and hanging vines like seen in

the old Tarzan movies. The vines don’t climb, but attach to a young tree and grow with the tree. Came

upon a spring with water clear as glass. She led us to a fern type plant that existed 50 million years ago

and only grows in two places on earth. She then spread before us a barbeque dinner, several salads,

fresh pineapple and Billy tea. Had a female dingo hanging around and she later took off with a shoe.

As we drove, I spotted a lace monitor about 2 ½ feet long making its way up a tree. The roads are all

soft sand, so a 4-wheel drive is necessary. Sue told us the story of how the island was named for the

Frazier family who survived a shipwreck. She told how the timber cutters always worked in pairs

because of the poisonous snakes—if one got bit on an extremity, that digit, or whatever, had to be

severed immediately to prevent death. As we returned to the beach, we found that the tide had come

in and we could not drive the beach, so went inland a bit to an old logging road. Drove through areas

where the sand had been mined for titanium, aluminum, etc. On our return to our RV Park several hang

gliders were circling about. Our companions on the tour were the Walker family from Brisbane, and as

many others we met on our trip, they invited us to visit them on our planned return through the area.

October 3. An early breakfast, took pictures of the Rainbow Beach cliffs, and we were on the

road again. Drove many miles through planted pine forests, sugar cane fields and eucalyptus forested

area, with occasional grazing land interspersed. Stopped in Maryborough where I got the worst haircut I

ever had—the shears were dull and seemed to pull more hair out than they cut—and in the middle of

the cut, the barber had to take about twenty minutes time out to inject some fluid in his arm. I thought

he was under the influence of drugs, but having met people since then who have severe diabetes, I

guess he was injecting insulin. In the meantime, Ruth did some shopping and got us some folding chairs

so we could sit out in the open air comfortably. Gassed up in Gin Gin—seemed to be getting 6.14 KM

per liter(14 1/2 miles per gallon at $1.66/gal. Had stopped for lunch in a rest earlier where the song of

the many birds came in very cheerfully. Ruth saw some parrot type birds, but I only saw one rather



54

large cream colored bird that walked the tree trunks head down(like our nuthatches). In one area, ten

or twelve kangaroo and wallaby carcasses lined the highway in a stretch of about ten miles. Stopped for

the night at Tanner Sands Caravan Park near Gladstone. Saw a lace monitor on the road as we

approached there.

October 4. Awoke to the singing of the birds. One seemed to have the song of the meadowlark,

but was larger than a robin with greenish coloring and a large red area from beak to around its eyes.

After breakfast, we took a short walk on the beach, then headed north through cane fields. Stopped in

Rockhampton for a bit, admiring the wide streets with flowers and trees planted down the middle. It

was an interesting city that resembled what American towns looked like in the late 1800’s, with

overhangs from the buildings protruding out and shading the sidewalks( it was there that I found I had

to be careful with my angle parking at the curb, or the overhang was at the level of our overcab

compartment in the motor home). Hope to spend more time here on the back. Then for 200KM

through cattle country(through Marlborough Country). Saw cattle of many shapes and colors, but most

seemed to be part Brahman than anything else. Suddenly we were back in cane country, where we

spent the night in Mackay(Queensland’s Sugar City) . Approaching there we saw parrots in pairs flying

across the road in front of us. Reminded us of the doves at home during mating season. We had seenlots of kangaroo and wallaby carcasses along the way. Nothing seems to feed on them—there doesn’t

appear to be any carrion eaters other than crows, and they seem to feed only on snakes and small

animals. This day we detoured lots of road construction and many kilometers on lousy roads. On the

bright side, it was a beautiful day with a pretty strong crosswind all day, so it took some effort to keep

that motor home on the pavement.

October 5. Departed Mackay at 8:30 for a drive of many more miles through cane country. Saw

lots of trams that run on rails through the fields. We found that they harvest the cane somewhat

differently than we had seen in Hawaii, in that they have harvesters similar to corn harvester that cut

the cane high—just below the leafy part—then cut it low and into about foot long sections which then

go up a belt and into a basket of the following truck. We pretty much paralleled the main railroad(probably the line I was on in 1943 when being moved from Ipswitch to Charters Towers. Shopped

a bit in Prosperine. There was a large acreage of tomatoes raised there(they seem to pick them green,

as green tomatoes are all one can find in the markets). Around Bowen there were lots of mango

orchards and we stopped for lunch on the beach there and took a short swim. Had a real surprise when

we saw two camels feeding in a pasture. Saw a huge flock of Brolgas (cranes) alongside a freshly

burned cane field, and saw our first live kangaroo in the wild since starting our motor trip just a few

miles outside of Townsville. We have driven by many burned and burning areas in our travels, and think

they are “controlled burns” since we haven’t seen any fire equipment involved or anyone fighting those

fires. We have found all these towns and villages to be very interesting. Makes us wonder why we in

the U.S. destroyed such beautiful architecture, and replaced it with the so-called modern. Here, that

architecture is preserved and maintained. Spending the night in Townsville.

October 6. We departed Townsville without really seeing the city, but with intentions of taking

time to do so when we head back south. Today our destination is Mission Beach where we plan to make

our first boat trip out to the reef the next day. Again, drove through miles of sugar cane, but at times

we had mountains alongside that resembled the brushy Blue Mountains near Edgar’s home town of

Vacaville, California. Had occasional views of the ocean. Stopped in Ingham for petrol, another

beautiful town of old turn of the century buildings—main street divided with lawns, trees, shrubs and



55

parking area. Approaching Mission Beach we passed through many banana groves. Saw a new

roadside warning sign today: Caution: Cassowaries Crossing. Saw those signs regularly for the next 10

KM. We had seen many such signs previously warning of kangaroo and water buffalo crossings. Arriving

in Mission Beach we purchased our tickets for the Great Barrier Reef trip tomorrow, then walked the

broad beach with the tide out. Tried snorkeling near a breakwater, but saw nothing but rocks covered

with seaweed and sand. Took a swim in the motel pool, and sat outside until 9PM enjoying the pleasantevening.

October 7. Missed our 6:30 alarm and suddenly flew into action at 7:20 to be ready for the

8:30 departure of the “Friendship” to the Great Barrier Reef. Whew! Made it with minutes to spare. It

took two hours and fifteen minutes to Beaver Reef, but anything but boring as the Captain was a

treasure trove of information not only of the reef, but of a good part of Australia(Besides that, he had

assembled his own ultralight airplane which he flies from that beach). He told us how the reef is

disappearing and being killed by a type of star fish—and, humans. The depletion of fish , game, orchids,

kangaroo, etc. Laws to protect them were regularly change at political whim, and not enforced. The

sand cay we were headed for was reached at about 10:45, and the glass bottom boat launched

immediately. The captain knew this Cay like the palm of his hand—moving that glass bottom boat a fewfeet, and saying, “Now, over here is this giant oyster, over here is where this large grouper hangs out.

Etc., etc., etc. We were in the first boatload to the sandy beach seeing many types of coral, giant clams,

anenomies, sea slugs, etc. After landing on the reef, we snorkeled over the coral areas returning to the

ship. I later went on the glass bottom boat again for a more interesting and technical explanations of

this fabulous area. After all were back on the ship, we went few KM back to the west and dropped

hooks and bait over the rail. A few fish were caught, and one family gave us one—a coral cod--for our

dinner. It was delicious! A really fun and informative day!

October 8. Today we took the “Friendship” to Dunk Island. It was on this trip that the Captain

told me about his ultralight. He had received the kit one day, assembled the plane the next day, and

flew it on the third. It is powered by a 12 HP snowmobile engine. At Dunk Island, we left our bag ofgear at the foot of the hiking trail and hiked to the top of 900 foot Mt. Koo-ta-loo, a 4 km hike each way

through the rain forest, crossing a swinging bridge along the way. Had a great view of the harbor and all

the surrounding area from this overlook. Saw the burrowing of echidnas, a wild pig rooting, a monitor

scratching and a brush turkey. On return to the beach we lunched on jaffles(scrambled eggs, chopped

ham and bacon cooked between two slices of bread in a hot iron—similar to a waffle iron). We then

took a walk along the beach and watched people attempt to surfsail. This was new to us, but we saw

many more people involved in that sport in the next two months. We spent quite a lot of time just

relaxing on the beach. Saw quite a fes small sea shells. On the return trip, we had a good conversation

with a couple from Bowen—he works for a coal company. Spent the evening sitting outside listening to

the nice music of our era on the radio.

October 9. Ruth scrubbed the floor, and we did the laundry in the evening. Otherwise, we

spent this day just relaxing, reading and I walked a few miles on the beach. Had planned to attend

church services, but found they were cancelled. We tried to call Joyce and Jim, but got no answer.

October 10. On the road by 8:30 driving through banana plantations—but finding none for sale.

Then, extensive sugar plantations most of the way to Cairns. Saw a dead rock wallaby by the road

shortly into our drive. Stopped in Babinda for prawns, and were in Cairns by 11 AM. Went right to a



56

large shopping center where I exchanged our battery lantern for one that work, and each of us

purchased some clothing. Bought a TV antenna, some TV tables and some odds and ends, and

restocked our larder. Drove through town to the Green Island boat pier and to the railroad station to

check schedules and rates. Rented a spot in the Golden Key Caravan Park, and had a nice swim in the

pool and watched the birds in the overhead tree which was just coming into leaf, but already had

several birds nest installed. Ruth had just remarked that she was glad we were so far off the highway—when the first cane train rumbled by and blew its whistle. While we were in the shopping center we had

a full meal--$4.00 each, then called Janet and were filled in with the news that Jean had stopped by with

her car—being transferred by Western Airlines from Honolulu to Omaha. Jean had also spent a night in

Vacaville with her Uncle Marvin and Aunt Vaudis, and learned that cousin Linda is to be married in April.

Everything O.K. on the home front. I taped up the broken TV antenna on the MH and it worked fine,

however, I went ahead and installed the new one—It, too, worked fine and we get two channels here.

Finished off the evening feasting on watermelon.

October 11. Took the 7:20 bus downtown and walked to the pier for the hour and thirty minute

boat ride to Green Island on The Big Cat, a catamaran. Once on the Island, we spent quite a lotoftime in

the underwater observatory. There, we saw hundreds(if not thousands) of fish feeding on bread thatwas enclosed in baskets. Saw lots of coral of different types and anenomes, etc. A very interesting stop,

though smaller than I expected. We visited it again before departing the island and saw fish of other

descriptions. We then went snorkeling along the reef nearby, then on around the island. Snorkeling

was best near the observatory. The view above water was also interesting—with a few well tanned

beauties displayed on the sand. Had a dinner of fish and tropical salad before retuning to the mainland

where we took a taxi back to the RV Park.

October 12. We have now been in Australia for a month. Up early again to ride the bus to the

railroad station for a 9 AM departure of the Tourist Train to Kuranda. It was an interesting trip up the

Barron River valley and climbing over a thousand feet, as we passed several waterfalls, traversed fifteen

tunnels(each way), crossing several trestles. Kuranda was an interesting place with a multitude ofhanging baskets with a wide variety of plants. We lunched on meat pie and ice cream. From up there,

we could see Green Island. On our return we did our laundry, and I burned my lamb chops and Ruth’s

veal cutlet on the park BBQ. We watched an interesting documentary on Thailand, and an American

movie, Soldier Blue, starring Candice Bergen.

October 13. Continued our journey taking our time and enjoying the drive through cane country

to our left and the beautiful beaches of the Coral Sea to the right. On arrival in Port Douglas, we

purchased tickets for the next days trip to St Crispin Reef, loafed around the dock for awhile, then

lowered our anchor in Pandanus Caravan Park. After getting set up and having lunch, I walked the

“track” through the jungle—about 300 meters to the beach and hiked to one end of it and back. I then

came and got Ruth and we returned to the beach. The water was warm as bath water and I swam a bit,then we walked to the other end of that four mile beach and back(making about eight miles of beach

walking for me that day). Our campground was full of birds of various descriptions including many noisy

lorikeets, sarrots and parakeets—a constant bird song in progress. Took a refreshing swim in the pool

and enjoyed dinner outdoors on those new TV tables.

October 14. A near perfect day—buttermilk pancakes for breakfast at a leisurely pace, then

boarded the MV Quicksilver high speed catamaran for a 10:30 departure and a 90 minute cruise to the



57

Outer Reef. Were served morning tea right after departure on a fast, smooth ride up the coast past

Cape Kimberly and Schnaper Island. After passing the western tip of Undine Reef we turned to the east

to St. Crispin Reef. Ruth and I were in the first group to board the glass bottom boat that was moored

on the reef for a 40 minute tour of the reef. Back on the Quicksilver, we relaxed while consuming a

delicious tropical lunch—a smorgy. We then spent an hour and a half snorkeling in that paradise. There

were large numbers of many different types of fish, fifteen large giant clams as well as many smallerones, numerous blue star fish—some of varying designs, and some solid blue. Saw some “Crown of

Thorns”stars—the culprit of the coral reef. Saw a large eel that swished through the water with a

rhythm rather like a belly dancers skirts or veil. And, of course, we saw many varieties of coral. A large

Maori wrasse was near the cruise boat. It was hard to quit snorkeling for the 3 PM departure back to

port. On the way back we saw several flocks of Torres Strait Pigeons which migrate to this area for

nesting on the offshore islands. On the way back, I had a chat with the Captain about having served in

New Guinea during WWII, and he informed me that there is still a landing trip at Nadzab, the base at

which I spent about seven and a half months at in 1944, and that that strip is now an International

Airport. Another smooth, fast trip back—that is travelling in luxury. While watching TV that evening,

there was a news story about a new excursion via fast catamaran out of Townsville to the outer reef,

where people could board a semi-sub for a tour along the outer reef. We hadn’t had near enough of the

reef experience, so hoped that we could be accommodated on that excursion on our return to

Townsville.

October 15. Departed Port Douglas at 9 AM, and went north to Mossman. We decided against

proceeding further to the north on the Cape York Peninsula as the road were unpaved, and populated

areas very sparse. So, after replenishing our food supply, we turned inland and started our ascent of the

escarpment to the inland Tablelands. On that drive we had some spectacular views of Mossman, the

valleys and the Coral Sea. Passed through Mareeba and wondered what supported a town of that size in

a setting like that—the grass seemed all dried up, and there was not much in the way of farming visible.

Guess cattle and mining is the economic base. A few miles south and we were in rather lush green

pasture and farm land—with maize, peanuts and dairy products sustaining the area. Turned southeast

at Tolga, and went to Tinaroo(where I had rather expected to spend the night). However, it was only

noon and hot outside our air-conditioned vehicle, so we paid a visit to the Orchid Gardens—where we

saw a great variety of orchids, then to the spillway and on to the park above the dam where we

picnicked. Then, it was on to Lake Eacham National Park. The lake is a volcanic crater with no streams

entering or leaving. Water level varies four feet between wet and dry seasons. A pretty lake almost

completely surrounded by rain forest. On through Malanda—the dairy center, and Ravenshoe(Raven’s

Hoe). Stopped for petrol in Mt. Garnet then another 160 KM without a house in sight along the way—

there was one makeshift shelter, and, a bulldozed water hole at which seven kangaroo were watering.

We stopped and walked back a bit to photograph them, but were immediately covered with flies. It was

open range and we did see quite a few good looking cattle with most of them seemingly crossing theroad in front of us and many anthills of many shapes and sizes—some looking like elephants and rhinos,

and as evening started to cool things, there were many pairs of parrots and parakeets feeding along the

roads. We finally found our Oasis at lynd Junction. Not many luxuries in that RV park, but after driving

all that distance of unpopulated area, and only seeing a couple of motor vehicles in that 160 KM’s, it was

appropriately named--Oasis Caravan Park.



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October 16. Topped off the fuel tank and departed Oasis at Lynd Junction at 8:55. A few miles

down the road a bustard walked across the road in front of us. I think I captured it on movie film.

Traveled many KM’s through wooded pasture land with many cattle and ant hills—stopped for a photo

of a group of red soil ones, then half mile down the road they were white. Saw several dead ‘roos along

the way. Arrived in Charters Towers about 12:30, and went directly to a phone to call Jean and Joyce.

Had an excellent connection to Jean, but the one to Joyce faded out frequently. We then picnicked inthe park where a dog show was in progress. In December of 1943, I was stationed at the Air Base at

Charters Towers for about three weeks for additional training that is where I finally got check out in the

B-25, after having flown it as copilot for three months of training prior to leaving the U.S .prior to

entering combat in New Guinea, and I had really intended that we stop over here for a day or two to see

the town—which I hadn’t seen during that 1943 stay. The houses were seemingly all in great condition

and painted in pastel colors, but the heat was too much for us so we went on to Townsville. On arrival

there, we went right to the ticket office of that excursion company and obtained tickets for the next

days trip to the semi-sub. We then settled in at the Rowes Bay Caravan Park where we had stayed eight

days earlier, had a chicken dinner, did some laundry and watched TV.

October 17. A new day—a new adventure. Departed Townsville Harbor at 9:30 aboard a realluxurious fast catamaran, Reef Links Pty, Ltd., with air conditioned upper deck and airline type seating.

Made a stop at Magnetic Island for more passengers, then on to the outer reef where we boarded the

new Semi-Submarine for underwater viewing of the reef. The sub was very plush with carpeted

“bleacher” type seating, and large rectangular windows so that everyone had a full view of reef as we

cruised along beside it. Fantastic!!! It really makes the glass bottom boat seem obsolete. We had lunch

on the catamaran, and then snorkeled. I had gone out around a section of the reef that I found

exceptionally interesting, then went back to lead Ruth out there. About the time we were ready to head

back to the boat the tide changed—it was coming in rapidly. Suddenly, Ruth was losing ground and I

was unable to help her(she was the one who had had all the swimming and life saving lessons). Finally,

we had to signal the catamaran to send out a boat to pick her up. So, she was brought in none the

worse for wear—but, with a healthy respect for that tide that changed so suddenly. That was a really

enjoyable trip, and when the operation smooths out(remember, this was their first week of operation)

will be fantastic. They have high candlepower lights installed on the Sub, and will soon be taking night

trips.—That should be Super Fantastic!!! We topped the evening off by indulging in a sea food dinner on

the Barge Inn—a ferry boat moored at the pier. I had “bugs” and Ruth had “sweet lips”—Excellent. A

real gourmet dinner. On return to the Caravan Park, I called Ruth Andrade’s friends, Beth and Mal

Heron.

October 18. We drove into downtown Townsville to take photos of the beautiful old buildings

and made stops at the bank to withdraw funds, and the Post Office. Then, retraced our northward

track—in the opposite direction—we headed south. Saw two freshly killed kangaroos along the road,

and a large flock of Brolga in the field where we had seen them on the way north. Stopped in Ayr for

some shopping, and drove to Queen’s Beach at Bowen for lunch. After driving around Bowen and to

the various beaches in the area, we went on to Arlie Beach to make arrangements for our final trip to

the Outer Reef—We would fly out to the reef in a small amphibian and spend two nights on the

“Sandra”—a small ship anchored there. Then drove to the Island Gateway Caravan Park checking in just

as lorikeet feeding began. About fifty loikeets came down to eat out of plates that people held in their

hands. The birds landed on peoples heads, hands and arms. After dinner, June and Roger Carter, who



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we met at Sunseeker in Brisbane came over and we compared notes on our travels in those rental units.

As I recall, they, too, were from the Denver metropolitan area—Golden, I think. They had rented a van

and planned to travel extensively in the “outback”.

October 19. It was really tempting to consider spending the week in the area and taking that

evening cruise to the Reef, however, a firm date had not been set for the start of that event, so decided

to travel on. Left the RV Park at about 9:30 for the drive to the airport. Learned that our flight to Hardy

Reef wouldn’t leave until 1 PM, so drove over to Shute Harbor and parked on a point overlooking the

area and watched barges come and go to South Molle, Hamilton and Hook Islands. Returning to the

airport, we met fellow passenger Tom Gailes(the three of us plus the pilot filed the four seats in the

plane). Had a beautiful flight out to the reef flying at fifteen hundred feet until near the reef when we

finished the flight for some distance at 300 feet before a very smooth landing. We were picked up by a

flat bottom boat and followed the reef for a short distance, then rode the rapids through where the

swift tide was running into the channel outside the reef. Soon we boarded the Reef Encounter

“Sandra” where we met Captain Allan and Hostess Joan. We were quickly shown to our quarters—

Compartment #1, and after making a quick change were taken to the reef for a guided reef walk. Were

given instructions on minimizing damage to the reef, what to avoid, etc. Then we snorkeled for awhile.Had many “territory” fish make passes at us, and one such actually broke the skin of Tom’s arm. At 4:15

we were picked up and returned to the Sandra. A storm was reported to be brewing, so as a precaution,

the Sandra moved to the outside of the reef where it could be more securely anchored. Had a good

dinner and chat with Tom(from New York), and Enid(from Sydney. At her invitation we visited her and

family a month or so later). Enjoyed sitting out on the deck under a bright moon.

October 20. Up at 7 for breakfast, and fished from the ships deck. Then Sandra moved back

inside the reef and we took a boat off deck and fished until 11:30. A numbder of fish were daught and I

caught a Government Bream. T’was a fun morning, and after lunch we were taken to the reef for more

snorkeling. What a fabulous place—many, many corals and fishes. Shortly after return to Sandra some

of the passengers left by flatboat for the airplane to return to the mainland. We had been scheduled tofly back next day, but, earlier the Captain had contacted us and said Sandra was going to have to return

to dock for supplies, and if it was OK by us, we could stay aboard for that return and upon docking our

air fare would be refunded. We were to start inward shortly but spend one more night aboard, so we

were happy for that arrangement. Shortly thereafter we started toward Shute Harbor with Sandra. As

darkness started to descend, we anchored in a cove of Whitsunday Island. That was a dream setting—

here we were somewhat sheltered with the island enshrouded with dense forest, and almost white with

cockatoos, and a broad white sand beach on two sides; the sun was setting to our west, while full moon

was rising in the east. Talk about a romantic setting!!! Never again saw anything to compare with that.

Dinner consisted of the fish caught earlier plus amenities. Finishing dinner at about nine, a number of us

rode to the beach in a motor boat for skinny dipping until 10:30. It was absolutely beautiful—the white

sand beach and sparkling bay under a bright full moon.

October 21. Ruth and I dove into that bay at 7:30 AM and swam to the beach for a morning

walk there. Were soon picked up by a boat and returned for breakfast—they had to get breakfast out of

the way and everything stowed for the trip on into harbor. Saw a sea eagle, and many sulphur crested

cockatoos on the island, and some large butterfly type fish were swimming around the Sandra. A sea

turtle was spotted a couple of times. While the ship was being stowed, we were again taken to that

fabulous beach for swimming, snorkeling lounging, etc. Returning to the ship about 10:30 we continued



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our journey between Whitsunday, Hamilton and Dent Islands, arriving in port at noon. Captain Allan’s

wife drove us to the airport to get out motor home. After lunch in Arlie Beach, we drove on to

Prosperine where we replenished our larder and Edgar got his hair cut. Then we drove inland a bit to

Eungella National Park where we saw several platypus, some turtles, and heard some bird songs that

were new to us. We camped in the Park at 2600 feet above sea level—our first night without hookups.

It was a beautiful, steep drive up there with fantastic views, through rain forests that included manypalms including Fern Palms.

October 22. A delightful day of relaxation! Got up about 6:30 to check the stream for platypus,

but hadn’t seen any by 7:15 so went back to bed for awhile. After a leisurely breakfast I wrote some

letters. We then strolled down to the swimming hole in the stream. There were a lot of people in the

picnic area, but no one swimming. It looked like a nice place to swim with a plank diving board, and a

crossbar swing to dive from—very much like the swimming areas of Putah Creek in California that we

enjoyed all through my growing years. After lunch in the MH we hiked a 4 KM trail through beautiful

rain forest. At the far end of the trail was Platypus Lake and at about 2:20 those animals started making

their appearances—we saw several of those interesting creatures in the hour we sat there. Also, we

saw lots of pretty birds and butterflies. Along the trail a snake about six feet long, slender and of darkcolor and lime green stripes come swishing up the hill directly toward us. I was searching desperately

for a dried up tree limb or something to fend it off, however, it went right on by. There were some very

large trees in the surrounding forest. Saw another brush turkey—we often discovered these birds by

seeing leaves, grass and other ground covering flying through the air—these birds kick up huge mounds

in which they lay their eggs and let the heat of the moldering mass incubate them—and, we got with

seven feet of it as it went about the task. There was a friendly kangaroo in the picnic area on our

return—too friendly for Ruth, as it clawed her leg trying to get a bite of her Hawaiian Delight. Later it

crossed the campground and lounged around our campsite for a spell. After dinner, I went to the bridge

and observed a lot of platypus activity until dark. Played scrabble until bed time.

October 23. We departed Eungella at about 8:45 for that drive down the steep winding road tothe valley floor. Gassed up in Mirani, then south for 18 miles until reaching a main road that we drove

for another 19 miles. We were in a wide valley with another mountain range between us and the ocean.

We then took a 26 mile dirt road over to the Marlborough Highway—That was a most interesting drive,

and that dirt road was better driving than most of the paved roads that we had driven so far into our

trip, though the motor home did take in a bit of dust. Arrived in Rockhampton at 4:30 and got a site in

Southside Caravan Park a block from the Tropic of Capricorn Spire. After dinner and laundry we

watched TV—they have really great programs here.

October 24. On our way at 8:30, but stopped for a photo of the Spire, then down the inland

Highway 17(the Burnett and Bunya Highways) to Biloela, Kingaroy, Murgon. On leaving Biloela we came

into sunflower fields, followed by grain fields—with harvest in progress. Because of rain this morning,the combines were sitting idle. There were fields of alfalfa—some in growth and some baled. When we

would cross a ridge, the landscape would change. The hills would be green with grass, or heavily

forested. Stopped in Monto and called Janet. All OK at home. The countryside became deeper green as

we traveledtaveled south—except for the ripening grain. Now saw quite a few corn and maize fields,

and along the way, I saw my first sheep of the trip—Ruth had seen a couple of them two days earlier.

Now we saw a lot more cattle, and after two or three days without ant hills we came into an area with a

different type—round tops and only a couple of feet high. At 4:45 we saw a group of six kangaroo



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bouncing along about a hundred yard from the road. There had been quite a few freshly killed wallaby

and kangaroo along this stretch of road. . Stopped in Monto and called Janet and had lunch in the town

park. Our route took us through citrus country near Gayndah, then through forest and farmland to

Murgon where we got a site in the city’s Shire Caravan park as rain began to fall again. We had a real

thunderbuster while eating dinner, and hoped the stream nest to our site doesn’t flood. Had planned to

go out for dinner, but ate in our MH instead. Our dinner consisted of lamb chops($1.50 Per Pound),broccoli, salad and rolls.

October 25. Shopped for birthday cards for several of the family and got them in the mail

before leaving Murgon, then continued on our way down that valley to Kingaroy where we topped off

the gas tank. At Kumbra we took the steep winding climb up the Bunya Mountains to the Bunya

Mountain National Park. Soon entered the rain forest and drove for several miles in a virtual tunnel of

jungle—with some vines hanging down and brushing the top of the motor home. Stopped at Cherry

Plain Picnic Area to reconnoiter. The songs of the birds were continuous. We decided to go on to the

Park Information Centre at Dandabah. On arrival there we found a flock of parrots swarming around

over the people—King parrots and others. A brush turkey was lurking nearby and eating some of the

food that was dropped. After snapping a few pictures we took a self-guided tour nearby. Saw lots ofthee ferns and Bunya Pine, learning a bit about them as well as the other flora and fauna. Ate our lunch

in the pretty picnic area and watched a brush turkey sweeping leaves from under a tree to form her

nesting mound. Saw several other brush turkeys. Had considered spending the night up there, but it

got pretty cool when the broken clouds shut out the sun light, and at 3500 feet, Ruth was sure she

would be cold during the night(she was already in mid-day), so we decided to travel on. There were a

number of hiking trails in the area. A couple of miles down the road from the park, we saw three

wallabys sunning themselves just off the road and a bit further down there were three more close to

some houses, and just beyond that one bounced across the road in front of us. We then had about

20KM of unpaved road and forded a stream several times. The park ranger had told us that Koalas were

common in the eucalyptus trees along the road, but we failed to spot any. Prior to starting down the

mountain, we stopped at the crest of a ridge and could see the whole area known as Darling Downs—

one of the richest farming areas of Queensland. Our drive took us through Jondaryan where they have

a “living museum” of the sheep and wool history in Australia, then through that “rich” farm country past

horse and cattle stud farms to Toowoomba where we took the city scenic drive with many overlooks

toward the coast and Brisbane. We took a site for the night in Garden City Caravan Park. We had been

treated like royalty by all we came in contact with, but the people here were even more helpful—they

just couldn’t do enough to make our stay more enjoyable(all for $6). After getting settled in, I

barbequed pork steak for our dinner and we spent the evening watching TV—I finally got to watch the

final episode of Thornbirds.

October 26. Started out about 9:30 and drove around the park and botanical gardens in

Toowooba before dropping off the mountains(these mountains that I have been referring to are a part

of Australias Great Dividing Range) and across the fertile valley of grain and truck gardens. Stopped at a

fresh fruit stand for bananas and pineapples(three for a dollar). Drove into Ipswich(I had been stationed

there for a few short days on arrival in Australia in 1943, but never did see the town itself) and drove

through the historical downtown area. After visiting a bank and converting some funds we bought some

fresh shrimp and we ate them for lunch in Queen’s Park. We then strolled past their bird cages in which

we probably saw every type of parrot, cockatoo, cockatiel, and gahlah that exist in that amazing country,



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and past enclosures of emu, kangaroo and koalas. I found a packet with a hearing aid which I turned in

at the kiosk. We then continued on to Brisbane and got a spot in Monte Carlo Caravan Park. Ruth did

some laundry and we went to a nearby shopping center and browsed before having dinner in a Chinese

restaurant—excellent food. IT HAD BEEN 28 DAYS SINCE WE STARTED OUR MOTOR HOME EXCURSION,

AND WE WERE BACK TO WHERE WE HAD COMMENCED THAT ADVENTURE—WE ARE NOT HERE TO

TERMINATE IT, BUT TO HAVE THE UNIT SERVICED AND A FEW MINOR REPAIRS MADE. Ruth was nothappy with the shower that only put out a dribble, and even though all these Caravan Parks had very

clean facilities, she desired her own private one.

RUTH’S DIARY NOTES ENDED AT TOOWOOMBA, AND AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS I HAVE

BEEN UNABLE TO FIND A CONTINUATION OF SUCH—THOUGH I FOUND NOTE OF A MUCH BRIEFER

DESCRIPTION ONA LONG STRIP OF CALCULATOR TAPE. IN ADDITION, I HAVE FOUND FIVE PAGES OF

LARGE NOTEBOOK PAPER WITH HER IMPRESSIONS OF THE TRIP. THEREFORE, AT THIS POINT I AM

TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THOSE IMPRESSIONS IN HERE BEFORE PROCEEDING ON OUR OTHER

SIX WEEKS OF THIS UNFORGETABLE ADVENTURE.

According to Ruth: Australia was in our travel plans for many years, but due to a shortage of

time it was put off until retirement. As we researched the size(as large as the United States) and

distances involved we decided a minimum of three months was needed to see and learn what we

wanted to know about the country. The Australian Tourist Bureau was our best resource for maps and a

list of things to do. We also used Fodors Australian Trave Guide. We figured the best time for such

travel would be September-December. The weather varies greatly and we had planned to be around in

the warmer(but, not unbearably warm) times.

There are eight states/territories: Queensland New South Wales, South Australia, West

Australia, Northern Territories, Tasmania, Victoria and Canberra(similar in politics as our D.C.

We had written several RV rental businesses and settled on SunSeeker Rentals in Brisbane

where we rented a motorhome with toilet and shower.

The Caravan Parks(as they are labeled there) are numerous and we found them to be extremely

clean and well managed. The amenities were above reproach and were large enough in each park.

Once or twice we were a long way from main stream traffic where we found the parks maintained by

the town. Some had as few as twelve spaces and they had electric hookups. Sewers were few and far

between, and we were told to dump our sewers in the “bush”. Most had a place to dump the “grey”

water if we drained it from the unit into a bucket, and thence to the sewer hookup. (This was over thirty

years ago, and by now we are confident that sewer hookups have been installed in most, if not all).

There are many people living in Caravan Parks since it is less expensive. We paid from $4 to $9

with an average charge being about $6. The parks also have trailers for rent furnished with everything

other than bedding for from $15-$25 a night. Many families on the dole(welfare) are housed in these

facilities, and school buses stop at them to pick up the children. We had no trouble finding spots to

spend the night because of the time of year—when schools get out for their summer vacation in

December, it would be a different situation since they too like to roam. We were told that from early

December until February spaces are not readily available unless reserved in advance—especially at

popular beach and tourist areas. In the Northern Territories travel is best from mid-June through

September when roads are not flooded and temperatures are below 100 degrees.



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Using the local Tourist Bureau proved to be a wise move. They are anxious to be of help and

have the most up to date information. We did wish for better maps—often the road Department and

the cartographers must have passed in the night, failing to communicate vital information. In many

instances we went by instinct because road signs weren’t to be found. One day we drove for ove 100

miles and never saw a mileage or direction sign. (You might consider carrying a compass—we wished

for one several times.

The Auto Clubs—RACQ, etc., provide good road service and mechanical help and are very

reliable. The Rental Companies all belong to them so you feel as if help is available if necessary.

However, you are not covered if you wander too far into the outback. Tourist Bureaus do bookings for

almost all sights and tours and ar efficient and helpful. The roads are a story in themselves—in

Queensland we met our first trials(or is that trails?) The road are not well constructed and tend to

havde holes and bumps where least expected. We were driving a brand new highway that was

“completed” except for the striping and we hit some holes that made amusement park rides seem like

Kiddie land. There is a mandatory seat belt law, and for that we were greateful, for on some roads we

would have been tossed around like popcorn in a hot skillet. Another surprise is the road that is paved

in the middle. You drive the pavement until meeting a vehicle going in the opposite direction, then giveway to the left(British rules) so that each of the vehicles has its left wheels in the dirt or gravel. A friend

had clued us in on that ahead of time and we were very grateful to him. There are many

“Sidetracks”(detours) and these can be from a few feet to several miles long. Some are smooth and

others are rocky and a real hazard to windshields and headlights. Road signs and markings are hidden in

some interesting places, like nailed to trees, or the corner of someones house or fence. In some places

you just follow the yellow brick road and hope it is leading you to where you want to go.

The country is interesting to see with a change in scenery about every two hours of travel.

There are areas of heavy forest and then sparse plains. The towns and cities are well designed, clean

easy to navigate. There are rigid shopping hours and that took some planning. Stores were generally

open from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. After hours there are kiosks with minimal supplies in some places. Wefound groceries to be about the same price as in the U.S. Lamb was the main meat product and cheap.

Beef is not up to U.S. standards, but about half the cost. Their bacon and ham are not as tasty as we are

used to and the prices are high. Vegetables and fruits were plentiful and reasonably priced. They still

had produce, meat and poultry markets separate from Super Markets, even though all these products

were still available in those Super Markets. The poultry was not as well dressed as we are used to. Eggs

are expensive and not really fresh. They have an egg marketing center and all farm eggs go through the

middle man.

Restaurant meals are reasonable. The hours are much different than in the U.S. Most

restaurants opened at 6:30 PM and required reservations, and they serve only one setup per evening.

People tend to spend the entire evening dining—we often went at 6:30 but were ignored until after 7.

Nighttime driving is hazardous because of the animals who wander about at night. We saw

thousands of dead kangaroo along the roads in Northern Queensland. Many smaller animals were lying

along the highways all over Australia.

Do plan to go to Australia. Go without fear of the food and water. People are friendly and

helpful when asked. They are interested in the Yanks and have a great deal to share.Most Australians

are either involved in or support some type of sport. They are fierce competitors and we felt like the



enemy as the Yacht Races were being held in the U.S. and Australia II beat the Americans. Saturday and

Sunday TV time was mostly filled with sports broadcasts, and during the week they play reruns of past

sporting events and seem to relive each play, run and score .

We traveled over 7000 miles in the RV’s, and we flew 8000 miles across the country to Darwin

and to West Australia and we feel that we have barely scratched the surface. There is so much to see

and do in Australia. Make some time and GO! You won’t regret it! SO SAYS MY LIFELONG TRAVEL

COMPANION AND BUDDY—RUTH.

travels with ruth

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