I was up at a little before six, and was out the door for breakfast by 6:15. I didn’t sit down to eat until just after 7:00 because the line was so long. Everyone is on the same schedule now, and we all need to be to our areas by 8:00. Fortunately, someone has arranged for a special bus to run directly from Wilcox to Tech Quest, leaving at 7:30. The speed limit on the base has moved to 10 miles per hour now that all the scouts are here, so we were a little bit late arriving. At least I had company.
I forgot to mention that I got my work assignment yesterday a little bit before we stopped work for the day. I get to work in the DNA lab, which is one of those rare areas where there is no outside, sponsor-led instruction. Everyone in that group is part of the Jamboree staff, like me. Due to my vast experience in theater (three years of drama in high school and two years teaching Shakespeare), I got to play the part of the corpse.
We’d gather all the scouts we could fit in one group into their seats and I would give them all a warm Boy Scout handshake, welcome them to the Jamboree, and start explaining what we would be doing for the next twenty minutes. Somewhere along there, I would collapse to the ground.
Mark would rush up shouting, “What happened? What did you do?” Various statements of denial would be mumbled back. Jason would lean down and check my pulse. “He’s dead, Jim.” Tom would find a nasty-looking wound on my hand courtesy of green and purple Crayola markers. “Look at this. He’s been poisoned!”
They would collect a sample of DNA from the wound, and then drag me outside to wait for the coroner to pick me up while they helped each of the scouts collect their own DNA, amplify it using a lysis buffer solution and isopropyl alcohol, and then “compare” it to the sample from the corpse. Each of the scouts got to take home their sample, where you could see the strings of DNA with the naked eye.
I had a lot of fun with the role, introducing myself as James Boddie, Heinrich Von Corpse, and Humberto Muerto. The novelty wore off for us long before the day was done, though, so I think we may find a different opening act for tomorrow. Too many complaints about my weight, too. They got progressively less and less gentle in throwing out the dead man.
29 July, 2010
Day Seventeen: Monday, 26 July, 2010
Today, we put the finishing touches on all the different areas that we are responsible for while all 40,000+ scouts arrived and set up their own campsites. There wasn’t really that much that needed doing. Most of the areas were sponsored by one company or another, and most provided their own staff to setup and work the area, just using us as backup and assistants. The Quonset hut we put together on my first day and part of the second is run by a company called iHigh, and they had six people there. Rockwell Collins had the front of the hut next door, and I don’t think they let any of us help them set up their $420,000 flight simulator, though I can’t imagine why not. Other corporate or private sponsors include: NASA, The Franklin Institute, DeVry University, X-Prize, Lego Robotics (Mindstorm), Michigan Tech, The International Spy Museum, National Geographic, and a few others I can’t recall right now.
Right behind our area is a giant temporary building that says “Mystereum Compass” on it and blasts eclectic music all day long. It looks and sounds like one of those sideshows you see at state fairs. Most of the songs are ones that I like, so it makes working a little easier. Next to that are the two 40-foot-tall inflatable water slides, and next to that is the custom-built, jamboree-sized swimming pool. I wish they’d let me test it out for them… Ah, well.
After work and dinner, I was able to locate Brian and his buddy. We hiked around a bit looking at things, and I bought them both ice cream sandwiches before I headed back to my billet for a shower and then to bed. Lights out at 10:30, so that’s all I have time for tonight.
Right behind our area is a giant temporary building that says “Mystereum Compass” on it and blasts eclectic music all day long. It looks and sounds like one of those sideshows you see at state fairs. Most of the songs are ones that I like, so it makes working a little easier. Next to that are the two 40-foot-tall inflatable water slides, and next to that is the custom-built, jamboree-sized swimming pool. I wish they’d let me test it out for them… Ah, well.
After work and dinner, I was able to locate Brian and his buddy. We hiked around a bit looking at things, and I bought them both ice cream sandwiches before I headed back to my billet for a shower and then to bed. Lights out at 10:30, so that’s all I have time for tonight.
Day Sixteen: Sunday, 25 July, 2010
Today I wore my class-A uniform for the first time here and went to church services after breakfast. The speakers were a young lady, whose name escapes my recall, who is the president of the National Venturing Organization; Larry Cook (I hope I remember his name right), who was the scoutmaster of the Jamboree troop in 2005 that lost two scouts and several adults when they raised a tent pole too near high-voltage power lines; and Larry Gibbons, from the Presiding Bishopric.
It was an uncommon sacrament meeting, to be sure. Shade was scarce, and disappeared quickly as the meeting went on. Larry Cook, as he was retelling what happened at the last Jamboree, pointed to the spot where they had been camping, about 120 feet from where he stood at the podium. He had been helping to raise the pole at the time the electricity had arced across to it. His son was right there and managed to knock him away from the pole without hurting himself too much. He took a long time to heal.
When the meeting ended, I went back to the barracks to change clothes and then headed back to my work area. It was slightly cooler, probably under 100 degrees, but just as humid and sticky. I was glad when it was time to call it a day and head back for a meal, a shower, and bunk time.
It was an uncommon sacrament meeting, to be sure. Shade was scarce, and disappeared quickly as the meeting went on. Larry Cook, as he was retelling what happened at the last Jamboree, pointed to the spot where they had been camping, about 120 feet from where he stood at the podium. He had been helping to raise the pole at the time the electricity had arced across to it. His son was right there and managed to knock him away from the pole without hurting himself too much. He took a long time to heal.
When the meeting ended, I went back to the barracks to change clothes and then headed back to my work area. It was slightly cooler, probably under 100 degrees, but just as humid and sticky. I was glad when it was time to call it a day and head back for a meal, a shower, and bunk time.
Day Fifteen: Saturday, 24 July, 2010
Today was a long driving day for Pam and Company, all the way from Richmond, VA to Huntsville, AL. They passed back into CDT somewhere around Chattanooga, TN. More than half of me wishes I had gone with them, for more than one reason. Of course, I miss my family, but I also missed air conditioning. Today was a scorcher! It wasn’t as humid and muggy as it was in Nauvoo, but it was hotter.
At the Jamboree, I am working in the Technology Quest area, which has a lot of great high tech stuff for the scouts to play with. Or will have once we’re done setting up. Today I worked inside a metal shed about 50 yards long and maybe 20 wide at the base. When I started working, I thought of it as a hangar, but others called it a Quonset hut. To me, it looked like a giant soup can split in half lengthwise, a concept strengthened by the fact that there was an identical building sitting right next to it.
In our building, we were constructing an oversized aluminum framework from enormous erector set pieces. We spent all day working on it, and had all of the metal pieces up where they belonged by the end of the day. We had started putting up the vinyl and fabric hangings in the open spaces, too, which made the building into a temporary giant informational display. We also got to unpack the Apollo-11 spacesuit, the life-sized and detailed Predator and Alien mannequins, the imitation Mars landscape and NASA Mars rover, and lots of other things. We’ll finish setting up tomorrow.
Every twenty minutes they called a water break, and every break I drank a half liter of water. It wasn’t overdoing it at all, since I was thirsty again by the time we stopped. It was about 5:30 when they decided to call it a day and put us back on busses to get us to our barracks. I’m staying in Wilcox camp, which is to the east, outside of the normal Jamboree area. The Technology Quest area is to the far west side of the Jamboree site. I don’t mind the commute, since those staying over on the west end are sleeping in tents and the barracks building has some a/c, though it can’t keep up. Still, I was lucky to be put there. Most everyone else in the building is assigned to work on the merit badge midway.
At the Jamboree, I am working in the Technology Quest area, which has a lot of great high tech stuff for the scouts to play with. Or will have once we’re done setting up. Today I worked inside a metal shed about 50 yards long and maybe 20 wide at the base. When I started working, I thought of it as a hangar, but others called it a Quonset hut. To me, it looked like a giant soup can split in half lengthwise, a concept strengthened by the fact that there was an identical building sitting right next to it.
In our building, we were constructing an oversized aluminum framework from enormous erector set pieces. We spent all day working on it, and had all of the metal pieces up where they belonged by the end of the day. We had started putting up the vinyl and fabric hangings in the open spaces, too, which made the building into a temporary giant informational display. We also got to unpack the Apollo-11 spacesuit, the life-sized and detailed Predator and Alien mannequins, the imitation Mars landscape and NASA Mars rover, and lots of other things. We’ll finish setting up tomorrow.
Every twenty minutes they called a water break, and every break I drank a half liter of water. It wasn’t overdoing it at all, since I was thirsty again by the time we stopped. It was about 5:30 when they decided to call it a day and put us back on busses to get us to our barracks. I’m staying in Wilcox camp, which is to the east, outside of the normal Jamboree area. The Technology Quest area is to the far west side of the Jamboree site. I don’t mind the commute, since those staying over on the west end are sleeping in tents and the barracks building has some a/c, though it can’t keep up. Still, I was lucky to be put there. Most everyone else in the building is assigned to work on the merit badge midway.
Day Fourteen: Friday, 23 July, 2010
Today, we toured Colonial Williamsburg, once the capital of Virginia. One day was not enough to see everything. After lunch we split into three groups, we all went and saw different things and we still didn’t cover everything.
The first thing we saw was the old capitol building. The man giving the tour stayed in character throughout, and behaved as if it were June of 1776. Virginia had just declared itself to be independent of England and was urging the other colonies to do the same. A government was still found to be necessary for administering various needs, the people were gathering to create a separate commonwealth. As we walked out, there were actors portraying scenes that might have occurred at that time. A woman found some old friends after walking all the way from Charlotte, SC. Her husband had been captured by the British, and might or might not be incarcerated in a prison ship in Charlotte Harbor. Several men spoke out in favor of asking the French to join our fight against the British. And later, General Benedict Arnold tried to persuade the people to lay down their arms and accept King George’s letter stating that he would no longer tax the American Colonies without representation.
We had a great lunch, in a period-authentic restaurant, and more actors came in playing contemporary roles. When we split up, Pam and Delia went to the drama workshop for Delia to participate in. Mica and I went to the museum, watched a short play about the three women in George Washington’s life: his wife, his sister, and his mother. Pam’s dad saw a number of things, including the smithy and some of the military fortification. We all met together to hear Thomas Jefferson give a speech. The actor who portrayed him deserves an award. He was amazing! He spoke for 45 minutes or so, with no notes. I recognized enough quotes of Jefferson’s to realize the speech was entirely composed of Jefferson’s words. And after he was done, he took questions from the audience, and responded exactly the way you would expect Jefferson to have done; evincing his attitudes, speaking plainly and directly, and with the greatest eloquence. We were floored at how great it was.
Following that, we went to see the army assembled and General Lafayette addressed the troops. There were fifes and drums, marching and martial displays, and they fired off cannons and muskets.
After that, we had to head back the way we had driven the day before, all the way to Bowling Green, VA. That is where Fort A. P. Hill is located, and that is the site for the 2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree. It was past dark when we arrived, but we found our way and I was able to get checked in and settled into my barracks bunk.
Pam, et. al., apparently got lost getting back off base, but eventually made it down to Richmond, where they stopped for the night.
The first thing we saw was the old capitol building. The man giving the tour stayed in character throughout, and behaved as if it were June of 1776. Virginia had just declared itself to be independent of England and was urging the other colonies to do the same. A government was still found to be necessary for administering various needs, the people were gathering to create a separate commonwealth. As we walked out, there were actors portraying scenes that might have occurred at that time. A woman found some old friends after walking all the way from Charlotte, SC. Her husband had been captured by the British, and might or might not be incarcerated in a prison ship in Charlotte Harbor. Several men spoke out in favor of asking the French to join our fight against the British. And later, General Benedict Arnold tried to persuade the people to lay down their arms and accept King George’s letter stating that he would no longer tax the American Colonies without representation.
We had a great lunch, in a period-authentic restaurant, and more actors came in playing contemporary roles. When we split up, Pam and Delia went to the drama workshop for Delia to participate in. Mica and I went to the museum, watched a short play about the three women in George Washington’s life: his wife, his sister, and his mother. Pam’s dad saw a number of things, including the smithy and some of the military fortification. We all met together to hear Thomas Jefferson give a speech. The actor who portrayed him deserves an award. He was amazing! He spoke for 45 minutes or so, with no notes. I recognized enough quotes of Jefferson’s to realize the speech was entirely composed of Jefferson’s words. And after he was done, he took questions from the audience, and responded exactly the way you would expect Jefferson to have done; evincing his attitudes, speaking plainly and directly, and with the greatest eloquence. We were floored at how great it was.
Following that, we went to see the army assembled and General Lafayette addressed the troops. There were fifes and drums, marching and martial displays, and they fired off cannons and muskets.
After that, we had to head back the way we had driven the day before, all the way to Bowling Green, VA. That is where Fort A. P. Hill is located, and that is the site for the 2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree. It was past dark when we arrived, but we found our way and I was able to get checked in and settled into my barracks bunk.
Pam, et. al., apparently got lost getting back off base, but eventually made it down to Richmond, where they stopped for the night.
28 July, 2010
Day Thirteen: Thursday, 22 July, 2010
Today we toured George Washington’s home at Mt. Vernon. It was a fabulous tour, and very informative. Pam was particularly impressed with the working farm and all the work and planning that Washington had put into it. We were able to see the original Arnold Friberg painting of Washington Praying at Valley Forge. There was again more to see than we could fit in, so we grudgingly headed off.
It wasn’t a very long drive from DC to Mt. Vernon, but we were in the car a bit longer before we made it to our next stop, Jamestown, where we learned that Disney films are not entirely historically accurate. I was shocked to learn this. Right. So Pocahontas, at the time the ships arrived, would have been a bare-skinned ten-year-old covered in bear grease. And Grandmother Willow doesn’t talk. At least not anymore.
We did get to board and explore replicas of the three ships that carried the first settlers in Jamestown, saw how dugout canoes were fashioned, and saw examples of daub and wattle constructions. I also learned that daub has the same Latin ancestry as adobe.
We had German food for dinner, and then checked into our hotel. Tonight was laundry night once again. That will allow me to start at the Jamboree with everything clean. Today was also another really hot day. We haven’t really had anything else since we got to the east coast.
Also, Jamestown put us just a smidge short of actually seeing the Atlantic once again. C’est la vie.
It wasn’t a very long drive from DC to Mt. Vernon, but we were in the car a bit longer before we made it to our next stop, Jamestown, where we learned that Disney films are not entirely historically accurate. I was shocked to learn this. Right. So Pocahontas, at the time the ships arrived, would have been a bare-skinned ten-year-old covered in bear grease. And Grandmother Willow doesn’t talk. At least not anymore.
We did get to board and explore replicas of the three ships that carried the first settlers in Jamestown, saw how dugout canoes were fashioned, and saw examples of daub and wattle constructions. I also learned that daub has the same Latin ancestry as adobe.
We had German food for dinner, and then checked into our hotel. Tonight was laundry night once again. That will allow me to start at the Jamboree with everything clean. Today was also another really hot day. We haven’t really had anything else since we got to the east coast.
Also, Jamestown put us just a smidge short of actually seeing the Atlantic once again. C’est la vie.
Day Twelve: Wednesday, 21 July, 2010
We started today’s touring at the Folger Shakespeare Library, an amazing place to see. They have 17 copies of the first folio in their collection. This site was particularly interesting to Pam, Mica, and me, since we’ve put so much time and effort into two years of teaching Shakespeare at the commonwealth school.
Our time there was too short (sound familiar?) but then we moved onto the Library of Congress. I had no idea the building was so ornate! We got to see copies of the Guttenberg Bible, and also the Bible of Mainz, which Gustavus Adolphus claimed as a trophy after the battle of Mainz in 1631. The octagonal reading room was stunning, and full of art to depict all areas of human learning. It was a beautiful place to see. This period of European history is much more familiar to me now, after getting caught up in Eric Flint's 1632 series.
After that, we headed over to the U. S. Capitol Building for a guided tour. We had been told to expect a one hour tour, and after three hours we opted not to go see the Senate floor from the observation balcony. We did get to see most everything worth seeing, though. I was glad to have seen the Apotheosis of Washington, as well as the LoC reading room, after they played such prominent roles in The Lost Symbol, which I read earlier this year.
We had to get moving, though, because this evening was our one and only chance to see Brian. We hadn’t seen him for a week before we left because he had gone to scout camp all week and arrived home Saturday afternoon, when we had left that morning. We did have time to grab a quick dinner in between the Metro station and the Lincoln Memorial, where we wound up crossing paths with Brian’s troop. They had just flown in that afternoon, and the memorials were the first things they went to see. We have to leave Washington tomorrow, so I am glad that we were able to catch him.
We also visited the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials. I found that there are four men named Cheney who appear on the roles of the Vietnam Memorial stone. This was another place that was very special for Pam’s dad, and we spent a long time there. Mica and Delia were very tired and overheated by the time we got back to our hotel, where they showered and then collapsed into bed.
Our time there was too short (sound familiar?) but then we moved onto the Library of Congress. I had no idea the building was so ornate! We got to see copies of the Guttenberg Bible, and also the Bible of Mainz, which Gustavus Adolphus claimed as a trophy after the battle of Mainz in 1631. The octagonal reading room was stunning, and full of art to depict all areas of human learning. It was a beautiful place to see. This period of European history is much more familiar to me now, after getting caught up in Eric Flint's 1632 series.
After that, we headed over to the U. S. Capitol Building for a guided tour. We had been told to expect a one hour tour, and after three hours we opted not to go see the Senate floor from the observation balcony. We did get to see most everything worth seeing, though. I was glad to have seen the Apotheosis of Washington, as well as the LoC reading room, after they played such prominent roles in The Lost Symbol, which I read earlier this year.
We had to get moving, though, because this evening was our one and only chance to see Brian. We hadn’t seen him for a week before we left because he had gone to scout camp all week and arrived home Saturday afternoon, when we had left that morning. We did have time to grab a quick dinner in between the Metro station and the Lincoln Memorial, where we wound up crossing paths with Brian’s troop. They had just flown in that afternoon, and the memorials were the first things they went to see. We have to leave Washington tomorrow, so I am glad that we were able to catch him.
We also visited the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials. I found that there are four men named Cheney who appear on the roles of the Vietnam Memorial stone. This was another place that was very special for Pam’s dad, and we spent a long time there. Mica and Delia were very tired and overheated by the time we got back to our hotel, where they showered and then collapsed into bed.
Day Eleven: Tuesday, 20 July, 2010
Today, Pam got up early and went to the grocery store while the rest of us (eventually) got out of bed and got ready for the day. We had breakfast in our hotel room, packed a snack, and then headed out. Our first destination was into town for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. There was a limit on our stay there because our next stop at the Pentagon was a scheduled tour. The Air and Space Museum had an entire room dedicated to the Wright brothers, one for WWI fighters, another for WWII airmen and planes, one for WWII aircraft carriers and their battles. Plus lots of planes suspended from the ceiling, as well as three space modules. One of them was John Glenn’s. In short there was too much to see and not enough time to see it all.
Had Brian gone with us, we never would have pried him out of there. Pam noted how much Brian would enjoy it if we gave him money for lunch, dropped him off at the door when it opened and picked him up when it closed in the evening. I’m sure he would have loved it, and asked to do it again the next day. Brian has decided that he wants to be a pilot for his career, and that seems to be the primary motivating force for him. I mention that mostly because finding things that motivate Brian has occasionally been challenging.
The Pentagon tour was great. Lots of walking, of course, and we did not see more than a small fraction of the building. We did see the two memorials for those who died on 9/11, one inside, in the rebuilt section that was destroyed, and one outside that is accessible to the public.
After the Pentagon, We all went back to the hotel for lunch. Her dad and I went to Arlington National Cemetery right after that, and the girls joined us there later on. We were able to see the Kennedy graves, as well as the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The Lee Mansion/Arlington House was closed before we got that far in the tour. Some other well-known people whose graves I saw were William Jennings Bryant, John Foster Dulles, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Omar Bradley, and Thurgood Marshall. I tried to follow the guide’s waved hand to see Audie Murphy’s headstone too, but I was not able to locate it.
While we were walking through the cemetery, Pam heard about a Marine Corps parade at the Iwo Jima/Marine Corps Monument every Tuesday night. It was a bit of a hike to get there, and it had started before we arrived. It didn’t finish, either. High winds, rain and the possibility of lighting caused the cancellation of the end. We did get to hear the Fife and Drum Corps and watch the silent rifle drill, both of which were amazing.
When the parade ended, we braved the weather to spend a good bit of time at the monument. This was one place that Pam’s dad had wanted to visit for a long time, and we wanted to allow him time to process the moment.
When we finished there, we walked north to the nearest subway station, and stopped for dinner at Baja Fresh on the way. They were in the process of closing up because the restaurant was empty, but we stayed and ate there at their insistence. There was still a half hour before closing time when we arrived.
By then we decided it was too late to go back into DC to look at monuments, so we headed for the comfortable beds of the Radisson.
Had Brian gone with us, we never would have pried him out of there. Pam noted how much Brian would enjoy it if we gave him money for lunch, dropped him off at the door when it opened and picked him up when it closed in the evening. I’m sure he would have loved it, and asked to do it again the next day. Brian has decided that he wants to be a pilot for his career, and that seems to be the primary motivating force for him. I mention that mostly because finding things that motivate Brian has occasionally been challenging.
The Pentagon tour was great. Lots of walking, of course, and we did not see more than a small fraction of the building. We did see the two memorials for those who died on 9/11, one inside, in the rebuilt section that was destroyed, and one outside that is accessible to the public.
After the Pentagon, We all went back to the hotel for lunch. Her dad and I went to Arlington National Cemetery right after that, and the girls joined us there later on. We were able to see the Kennedy graves, as well as the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The Lee Mansion/Arlington House was closed before we got that far in the tour. Some other well-known people whose graves I saw were William Jennings Bryant, John Foster Dulles, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Omar Bradley, and Thurgood Marshall. I tried to follow the guide’s waved hand to see Audie Murphy’s headstone too, but I was not able to locate it.
While we were walking through the cemetery, Pam heard about a Marine Corps parade at the Iwo Jima/Marine Corps Monument every Tuesday night. It was a bit of a hike to get there, and it had started before we arrived. It didn’t finish, either. High winds, rain and the possibility of lighting caused the cancellation of the end. We did get to hear the Fife and Drum Corps and watch the silent rifle drill, both of which were amazing.
When the parade ended, we braved the weather to spend a good bit of time at the monument. This was one place that Pam’s dad had wanted to visit for a long time, and we wanted to allow him time to process the moment.
When we finished there, we walked north to the nearest subway station, and stopped for dinner at Baja Fresh on the way. They were in the process of closing up because the restaurant was empty, but we stayed and ate there at their insistence. There was still a half hour before closing time when we arrived.
By then we decided it was too late to go back into DC to look at monuments, so we headed for the comfortable beds of the Radisson.
Day Ten: Monday, 19 July, 2010
Today was another of those days where we knew we could not be late. We needed to be at the Baltimore Airport by 9:15 to pick up Pam’s dad. He’s going to tour Washington, DC with us and then drive back with Pam after she drops me off at the National Boy Scout Jamboree.
There was a little bit of a hiccup picking him up, which involved a policeman flashing his lights at me and telling me to keep moving, but we did manage to catch up to him and shoehorn him into the Sentra. We jetted south to DC, because we had another appointment for a tour of the National Archives. We had to stand in line to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We didn’t have time to see much more than that before we had to head out for our appointment at Ford’s Theater. There, we got to see pretty much everything they had to offer.
From there, everyone was going to go through the Holocaust Museum while I took our things and checked into our hotel on the other side of the Potomac. The plan was for me to take the subway back and meet them at the Museum of American History.
Unfortunately, the navigation system on Pam’s phone kept telling me to make illegal turns, and got me well and truly lost before its battery died. At which point, I had no way of knowing how to get anywhere, nor to let Pam know what was going on. Eventually, I did make it to the hotel, I charged up Pam’s phone, and I took the subway into the city. Of course, by the time I managed all that, they had all left the museum because it was closing time.
After dinner, we were too tired to do any more sightseeing, so we subwayed back to the hotel and went to bed.
There was a little bit of a hiccup picking him up, which involved a policeman flashing his lights at me and telling me to keep moving, but we did manage to catch up to him and shoehorn him into the Sentra. We jetted south to DC, because we had another appointment for a tour of the National Archives. We had to stand in line to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We didn’t have time to see much more than that before we had to head out for our appointment at Ford’s Theater. There, we got to see pretty much everything they had to offer.
From there, everyone was going to go through the Holocaust Museum while I took our things and checked into our hotel on the other side of the Potomac. The plan was for me to take the subway back and meet them at the Museum of American History.
Unfortunately, the navigation system on Pam’s phone kept telling me to make illegal turns, and got me well and truly lost before its battery died. At which point, I had no way of knowing how to get anywhere, nor to let Pam know what was going on. Eventually, I did make it to the hotel, I charged up Pam’s phone, and I took the subway into the city. Of course, by the time I managed all that, they had all left the museum because it was closing time.
After dinner, we were too tired to do any more sightseeing, so we subwayed back to the hotel and went to bed.
Day Nine: Sunday, 18 July, 2010
We went to church with our friends this morning, then came home and had a great home-cooked dinner after. It was a wonderful visit, and we wished we could have stayed all day. Alas, there just isn’t ever enough time.
When we left Leesburg in the afternoon, we headed northeast around the beltway and stopped to go through the visitor’s center for the Washington, DC Temple. It’s a very big temple!
From there we continued up to Baltimore and toured around Fort McHenry. I was excited for a minute or two, thinking that I had finally gotten a look at the Atlantic Ocean. My mistake, though, since only the Chesapeake Bay was within sight.
Today was also a very hot and muggy day, and Mica and Delia had reached their limits much sooner than either Pam or I appreciated. They finally went back to the air conditioned visitor’s center while we finished up. Because we were there when the fort was closing for the night, I got to help fold the 30- x 42-foot replica Star-Spangled Banner, which my daughters missed out on.
Apparently, they only fly the big flag when the winds are between 5 and 12 miles per hour. If it is less than five, the flag won’t billow and flap. And if it is over twelve, it is likely to snap the flagpole. Since no one is there at night to keep an eye on the winds, they put up a smaller flag every evening.
After that, it was Mexican for dinner, and then off to our hotel.
When we left Leesburg in the afternoon, we headed northeast around the beltway and stopped to go through the visitor’s center for the Washington, DC Temple. It’s a very big temple!
From there we continued up to Baltimore and toured around Fort McHenry. I was excited for a minute or two, thinking that I had finally gotten a look at the Atlantic Ocean. My mistake, though, since only the Chesapeake Bay was within sight.
Today was also a very hot and muggy day, and Mica and Delia had reached their limits much sooner than either Pam or I appreciated. They finally went back to the air conditioned visitor’s center while we finished up. Because we were there when the fort was closing for the night, I got to help fold the 30- x 42-foot replica Star-Spangled Banner, which my daughters missed out on.
Apparently, they only fly the big flag when the winds are between 5 and 12 miles per hour. If it is less than five, the flag won’t billow and flap. And if it is over twelve, it is likely to snap the flagpole. Since no one is there at night to keep an eye on the winds, they put up a smaller flag every evening.
After that, it was Mexican for dinner, and then off to our hotel.
Dead Reckoning (Book One) - Chapter Nine
Lieutenant Leonard Ward, M. D.
From his memoirs, "There and Back Again".
28-29 June, 2787
I was awakened from a deep sleep, after a long rotation in the medical bay, rather abruptly. Unfortunately, I was not very lucid at the time, and it took me a moment to register that there were two men standing over me who were trying to rouse me. Apparently, my continued slumber caused them some consternation, for one of them proceeded to fling me bodily out of bed. In fact, I believe he threw the whole bed with me in it, for when I came to myself I could see that it too was upside down and out of place.
I certainly was not used to being handled in this fashion, and came immediately to my feet to demand what they thought they were doing, treating me in this manner. I could see that my protestations caused them some degree of amusement, which was not at all the reaction I had expected or desired.
I recognized both of the men, obviously; our ship's complement was not all that large. De Saumserez and Danis were their names. The latter I had treated the week previous for a minor burn. Clearly he was an ungrateful sort at heart, because he was the one which had overturned my bed, and then grabbed me by the arm and marched me out into the passageway.
At this time, I must admit, I began to fear for my own safety. I had no inkling of events in other parts of the ship, and my trepidations were completely for myself at this point. Both of the men who were frog-marching me aft outmassed me by 40 or 50 kilos, myself being of a relatively slighter stature. My fears were generally ungrounded, as I arrived in the launch bay with nothing worse than a slight bruise on my left arm.
Ours was not the first such party to arrive, nor the last. Several officers and a few of the crew, apparently the bridge watch, since Captain Brighton and two others were secluded in one corner, and they were being watched by armed men. I was taken to a different group containing about a dozen people. All of them were silent and had a look of astonishment on their faces, to one degree or another.
As quietly as I could, I asked Fujinami, the exobotonist of our excursion and a close friend, what was transpiring. He responded that the executive officer, along with others, had conspired to steal Pathfinder.
A thousand questions flooded my mind, but I had no time to ask them. Teach, the executive officer, had entered the bay. He looked over at our group and then sent one of the crewmen to fetch me to him.
"Ward," he said, "this ship is now under my command. You no longer have to fear severe treatment from Brighton. It is my intention to put everyone off of this ship who will not follow me. There is a planet near here that is capable of supporting life, where they will have a good chance of surviving indefinitely. Will you join me, or will you take your chances with them?"
The bluntness of his proposition caught me off guard, and his steely gaze did not make it any easier to think just then. I was tempted to stay on the ship; it seemed the easier course of action. Life on a maiden planet was hard, and we scarcely had the numbers and diversity of skills needed to begin a new colony.
However, I realized, Teach was committing an act of piracy, even if it was an "inside job", as the media like to call it. The penalty for that crime, if caught, was death. Once the ship was reported missing, the Warner fleet would begin searching for it. It was almost certain that the stranded crew on the nearby planet would be rescued, and equally sure that the thieves would be caught, eventually. With that in mind, I thought my chances better with the party to be stranded, even if that hadn't been my natural inclination.
Perhaps ten seconds had passed while I considered, then I replied that I would take my chances with the others. He inhaled sharply, as if I had offered him some offense, then turned his back on me and addressed Crewman Chin.
"Take him back to the medical bay. Let him take the portable medkit, and any other small items Dr. Johnson says we can spare. Then let him gather some of his belongings from his quarters. No more than he can carry himself. And let him change clothes. I am not putting anyone off this ship in their pajamas."
Chin did not say a word to me all the way back to the med bay, simply following behind me as I made my way there. Meghan was not at her duty station, as I had expected her to be, since I had not passed her going aft on my way forward. After a moment's confusion, though, I saw her through the window in the operating room.
She glanced up as I approached, but went straight back to her work. I could see that the patient was Jill Burton, and that she had taken a blaster pulse to the right side of her torso. The breast and much of the skin on that side were gone, and it would be a miracle if she retained the use of that arm. As I watched, Meghan was struggling to bypass the melted and charred portions of the brachial artery and anterior humeral circumflex artery with a synthetic replacement. Without the replacements to restore blood flow, and quickly, the entire arm would be irrecoverable.
I vacillated as to what to do, but only for a moment. There was a patient who needed help, and that was my first and foremost responsibility, even if it meant numbering myself amongst the mutineers. Chin looked into the room for a second and went straight to the sink to vomit.
I punched the button to call into the sealed room. "Meghan, hit the unlock tab and let me come scrub in."
She didn't look up, didn't stop her feverish efforts to repair the mangled body on the table before her. "What's going on out there, Leon?" she asked instead.
I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to organize my thoughts into a coherent summary for her. "Commander Teach and some of the officers and crew are taking over the ship. I don't know how many he has with him, but he plans to put everyone else off the ship."
"I thought that's how it was," she responded wearily, all the while moving quickly and skillfully about her task. "You'd best not come in, Leon. I can handle Jill's injuries as well as both of us could, for the most part. If you scrub in, you'll be stuck on Pathfinder with the rest of the traitors."
Simon Chin had put himself back together enough to find a seat, but he had deliberately not come back over to the window. He was close enough to hear, though, and he flinched at the word 'traitor'. I didn't much care if his sensibilities were offended.
"Besides," she continued, head still down over her work, "we're responsible for the entire crew. Wherever the others wind up, they're also going to need a medical officer."
She was right about all of it, except for her not needing help with Burton's operation. I could see that the marine's vitals were stabilized, so she was going to live, but saving her arm was a matter of minutes, and four hands would speed the time to completion.
Dr. Johnson looked up then, for a moment, as she sensed my hesitation. "Go, Leon. I'll make it an order if I need to."
"You might have to," I said stubbornly. "You might not save her arm without help."
"Yes I will!" she said fiercely. She softened her tone immediately. "Now go, and stop distracting me. This is not the easiest thing I have ever done."
She was right again. This was not the easiest thing she had ever done, but she was showing as much surgical skill as I had ever witnessed. While I had stood there, she had restored the blood supply to the arm and was beginning to work on repairing the tissue damage. Rather than the speed necessary for the former, she now needed accuracy and patience. And no distractions.
"Goodbye, Meghan. I hope I see you again sometime."
"I hope so, too, Leon. Godspeed."
I turned then, and went to collect the medical kit I had been promised. I kept myself turned away from Chin, so that he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes.
Since Chin was not about to go ask Meghan for what could be spared, as he had been instructed, I decided that I would simply load up what I could carry until he tried to stop me. He never did. I walked out with more of our medical stores than I had thought I would. The medkit Teach had specifically allowed me contained a wide variety of instruments and supplies.
In addition to the medkit, I carried a considerable amount of medicines; antiradiation, antibiotic, pain, quickmend, etc. I was also foresighted enough to gather items to aid in assisting us in surviving on an unknown planet until help could arrive. Two large sealable containers were loaded with sheets and blankets, plus air splints, monotubing, and bandages. I finally decided that I had everything that might be useful within my ability to carry.
At that point, I nodded to Chin and left, the two containers strapped over my shoulders and my arms full of the other things. I never said anything to Meghan, not trusting my voice to remain steady if I made the attempt. I would see to it that Brighton was aware of the sacrifice she had made to do her duty.
My quarters were just around a bend from the med bay, which had been convenient in going on and off duty. Meghan and I shared the space therein, which had worked out amicably thus far in the voyage, as one of the two of us was always on duty, so we had all the privacy we needed; always crossing paths, but never really together except to relieve each other at our station.
In gathering up things there, I was tempted to take everything I owned, but realized immediately that that was not practical. I spent a few minutes gathering my personal effects and locking them all in my foot locker, and then tried to forget about them, trusting to fate to bring them back into my possession someday. Meghan would look after them for me, I was sure.
To my bundle, I added only two pairs of pants, my extra shoes, socks, briefs, and my two readers - one with all of my medical reference texts, and the other with recent medical journals and other light reading I had planned to catch up during the lengthy exploration. When I changed out of my sleepwear and into my uniform, I took four scrub shirts and put them all on. I collected my load and made to leave, then returned and kicked the bed back onto its legs and threw the blanket over my shoulder.
Chin had remained silent throughout, and I did not even spare him a glance as I left and headed back to the launch bay, though I could hear him following right behind me. Just before we reentered the launch bay, where I would have to rejoin the rest, Chin stopped me by finally addressing me.
"Ward…" I paused, and turned to look at him, but he continued to say nothing for a few seconds, as if he had used up his allotment of words. Or perhaps it was the glare I bestowed upon him that caused him to be unable to continue. Just as I was about to turn back to the hatch, he said, "Good luck, Ward."
My estimation of Simon Chin changed drastically then. Previously, I had thought of him as I would a bully forcing his will upon me which I had no power to overcome. He had been a hated enemy, and a symbol of the betrayal of trust to which I had been subjected. As I looked upward into his eyes, though, I saw that he was almost as trapped by circumstances as I was. He had chosen to support the opposite party in this situation, but he clearly was not happy about the consequences of his choice, or what he was forced to do because of it.
All hostility toward him drained out of me, and I said simply, "Thank you, Simon." I looked at him for a moment more, then went through the hatch.
When I entered the launch bay, my detained shipmates were not in the same corner they once were. The group had been moved next to the launch's access hatch, and they were in the process of climbing down into the access corridor.
Captain Brighton was now among them, and he seemed tensed and ready to spring into action, should there be the slightest opportunity. His eyes scanned from side to side, taking in all about him. The crewmen who were aiding Teach in his treachery kept a close eye on all of us, though, especially the captain, Lieutenant Johnson, the helm officer, and Major Chowdhury, the head security officer.
Several of the men also derided and shouted epithets at us, particularly the captain. For his part, Captain Brighton remain silent and aloof, though it was clear to all that he was exerting every effort to control his mounting rage.
The survey launch into which they were loading us had two seats in the forward area, intended for the pilot and copilot, and seats for ten others in the main area. It was into this area that we were sent, one after another, until nearly two dozen of us were stuffed inside. I had to quickly stow the supplies I had brought aboard to make room for more shipmates to be packed in.
Sheli Chowdhury approached me while I was about this task. Her hands were cuffed behind her back. "Have you seen Burton, Ward?"
"Yes, Major. She's going to pull through, and I think she will be able to keep the arm. Dr. Johnson was confident that she would."
She thanked me, and moved off to convey the news to Sgt. Aichele, the other member of her security team.
When all were aboard, Teach appeared at the airlock hatch. He repeated his earlier offer to all of us, asking if any would prefer to stay aboard Pathfinder rather than be exiled to Antoc-A3. I presumed at the time that he was referring to the habitable planet on which he planned to strand us, though I had not heard the name before. To my great surprise, three individuals arose and exited the craft, including Eric Aichele. He seemed ashamed of himself, and well he should, I thought. Fujinami told me later that six others of the crew had accepted Teach's generosity while they were held in the launch bay.
Before Teach could disappear and seal the hatch, Lt. Johnson asked about getting some food to take with us. Teach answered that the galley had not been stocked, but the emergency rations were still aboard, and that we would have to make do with those.
Chowdhury, perhaps emboldened by Johnson's request, asked about getting weapons to defend ourselves on the planet. How had she gotten out of those handcuffs, I wondered. Teach considered for a moment, then nodded and disappeared from my view. When he returned, he tossed four handguns into the launch. Chowdhury grabbed one immediately, but just as quickly discovered that the power cell had been removed. Teach laughed, then sealed the inner airlock hatch and, I learned later, left the cells in the lock before sealing the outer hatch.
No more than thirty seconds passed from the time Teach sealed the outer door before I felt the launch being pushed out of the bay. Captain Brighton stood behind the two pilot's seats and watched as the ship which had, until a short time ago, been his to command slowly receded from our view.
Mackey, who was in the copilot's seat, made contact with Pathfinder via vocom, but his entreaties produced no positive response; quite the opposite, in fact. Whoever was manning the vocom equipment, and I did not recognize the voice, seemed to be happy to threaten, yell, upbraid, and deride us in response to Mackey's pleas. Long, Johnson, and Smith all became very angry and yelled right back. Ultimately, the entreaties we sent had no effect on them, and Pathfinder, our home for the past nine months, powered itself away like a mother abandoning an unwanted child.
Captain Brighton remained motionless the entire time Pathfinder was still discernible. He stood behind the pilot's seats with his hands clasped behind him and stared at the diminishing shine of her engines. This was perhaps a total of ten minutes, though it seemed far longer. Within a minute, all conversation on the little launch had ceased. Everyone waited expectantly for the captain to direct us, to tell us what to do or what to expect. For his part, he seemed to be unaware of the heightened attention we were giving him, as if the firefly glow of Pathfinder's running lights had him mesmerized and oblivious to all else.
It was easy for me to understand the captain becoming melancholy over the loss of his ship. Clearly, being put out of the ship was a great shock to me, but it must have been many times worse for the captain. He not only found himself in the same dire straits as the rest of us, but he must surely be blaming himself, undeservedly of course, for it as well. It was no wonder that he should find himself emotionally cast adrift in exact parallel to our physical circumstances.
Much as I felt I should offer the captain some comfort at that time, I could not bring myself to do so. Firstly, I felt myself to be just as needful of comforting; I do not mind admitting that I was quite anxious, and more than a little frightened at our current state. Secondly, if I had tried to commiserate or bolster the captain's spirits, it would have diminished him in the eyes of the others. The morale of our group was a very fragile thing indeed just then, and the only thing, I felt, that could hold us together would be to keep confidence in the captain's ability to guide us and direct our efforts. Lastly, I did not have a relationship with the captain that would have allowed such intimacy. Though he and I had dined at the same table perhaps a hundred times, still there was an invisible barrier between him and everyone around him. The only ones I believe that were close enough to him to have attempted such would have been Teach, Chowdhury, and Johnson; of which one had just betrayed him.
I cannot, to this day, imagine how Captain Brighton must have felt. Just that day, he had accomplished a singularly notable feat; successfully guiding the first full-sized ship to make use of a jump gate powered only by the ship itself. Yet within twenty hours of that great achievement, he had lost his ship, the majority of his command, and one of his best friends, or so he had thought. To be brought to such abysmal depths after such soaring heights would be enough to crush a lesser man's spirits.
It was not a dejected or discouraged man which turned away from the viewport, however. As he turned, his eyes displayed the fire of anger and determination for all to see.
"Ms. Johnson," he said crisply.
"Yes, sir?"
"They haven't taken to a new heading yet, and I don't expect they will. Just in case, though, set up a scan to follow Pathfinder for as long as we can range her. Make sure all our data gets dumped to the log."
"Aye, sir."
"Mr. Le Vesconte?" The captain addressed himself now to the quartermaster.
"Yes, sir."
"I need an accurate inventory of everything aboard this launch, especially food and fuel. Have the ensigns assist you."
"Aye-aye, sir."
"Ms. Williams," he said, turning next to the attractive young helmswoman, barely older than the ensigns herself. "As your captain, I would appreciate it if you could see your way clear to set course for Antoc-A3, bearing 267.11, same plane, from our current location. We have a lot of v to counter, so we will need to pile on the acceleration for several hours."
"Aye-aye, Captain. Course laid in," she replied with the undercurrent of some private joke.
"Mr. Long, I want you to take O'Neill and Alcaraz and see what access we have to the internal power lines from within the cabin. I already know what lines are accessible from various panels, but I need to know what else we can make accessible given the resources we have available to us."
"Aye, sir. I'll get right on it."
The Captain then looked around the cabin at the remnants of his staff and crew. "The rest of you are going to need to be accommodating to those with assignments. I know we are crowded in here, but do your best to stay out of their way."
"Dr. Ward." I started at being addressed, as I thought he had concluded handing out duties to be performed.
"Yes, sir?"
"I see that you were able to bring a fair amount of supplies with you. Could you itemize them for Mr. Le Vesconte? I'm sure that will help him complete his assignment."
"Certainly, Captain," I replied.
I moved to obey, and Le Vesconte directed me to provide the information to Ensign Roberts, who was collating all the information the other two ensigns and Drew himself read off to her. It took me no more than a few minutes to provide Jherri the requested information. I had long ago committed to memory the items in the medkit, and the other things I had collected were still fresh in my mind. Since I was not required to physically go through the items in question in order to list them, I completed my portion without interruption while the others waited for their turns to add what they had found in various compartments and bins.
I returned then to my seat, which was not actually a seat, as those available were already occupied before I was put aboard, but was a section of the floor that I considered "mine" by the expedient of having sat there prior to getting up. My assignment having been completed, I took a look around the cabin and realized that the feeling of anxiety and gloom which had hung over our party had dispelled to a large degree, to be replaced with energy and determination.
The reason for this change was not hard to understand. Previously, all of us had felt cast adrift, no pun intended, by the events of that day. All of our regular duties and routines were taken from us, and replaced with unknown and unknowable dangers and difficulties. When Captain Brighton began directing us it acted as an emotional anchor. We could again feel that someone had control of the situation. By trusting in the captain, we could convince ourselves that he would take care of us and see us safely through whatever came. Perhaps, logically, that does not make a lot of sense; but emotionally it did not need to make any sense at all. The results were what mattered.
Drew Le Vesconte did not take long to make his report to the captain. They were near the front of the cabin while I was at the rear, so I did not hear everything the report contained. Captain Brighton listened attentively to the complete list. At one point he asked, "That's all? You're sure?", which I do not believe he meant to say loud enough for all to hear, but otherwise he remained silent. When Le Vesconte concluded, the captain said something to him which I did not hear, then dismissed him.
He turned then to Ms. Williams, and gave her some order that was below my hearing.
Drew's "seat", or perhaps "spot" would be more accurate, was next to mine. As he seated himself, I asked him what had caused the captain such consternation. He responded that it was not, as he expected, the food supply which had caused his response, but the amount of battery power.
"Look," he said to me, "the launch has an emergency supply of arbars, (by which he meant the ration bars that would provide everything needed for one meal of a 2000 Kcalorie/day diet) enough for four weeks. But the supply is calculated on an 8-man crew, which is all a survey shuttle this size is supposed to carry. It won't last the 19 of us near that long."
"And the batteries?" I prompted.
"Well, if the emergency rations are just as they ought to be, the batteries are not. It's clear they intended us to go to the nearest planet and nowhere else, because there's not power to go any farther than that. It looks like they pulled most of the battery packs out of their connections before they even loaded us onboard. Once we get to A3, I doubt we'll have any way to get back off of it on our own."
At the time, I did not know why this information should distress the captain, but I quickly put it out of my mind. I, like Le Vesconte, was more concerned with our ability to feed ourselves until help arrived. I knew nothing whatsoever about our destined exile planet, save the name only, with which I had become acquainted a scant half hour previous. Teach had said that those stranded would have "a good chance of surviving indefinitely", but I was less than inclined to accept his opinion on anything just then. I would likely have disputed that water was wet, had he made the claim.
I stewed about the problem for some time, then realized that there really was nothing I could do about it until we reached our destination and saw what was available for food. This, of course, lead me to the further realization that there was precious little I could do about it one way or another even then; either there would be food available in some form, or there would not. I would just have to trust the captain to deal with whatever problems were to arise.
I just as quickly ignored my own sage advice and went back to worrying about the food situation.
I next went through the calculations in my head which indicated that we had less than 12 days' rations for all of us on which to survive. I was about to go forward to ask the captain if he knew anything about the planet to which we were headed, and if we would be able to find anything edible there. When I looked up at him, though, I decided to stay in my place. Captain Brighton was deep in thought; he always tapped his jaw with one finger that way when he was trying to analyze something. Every now and then he would pull out his notepad and search for some datum, then return to his previous percussive rhythm.
After perhaps a half hour of this, the captain stood from the seat he was in and walked to the front of the main cabin, turning to face everyone except Williams and Johnson in the two pilot's positions. Instantly, the muffled conversations going on about the ship ceased and all eyes turned to Captain Brighton.
It seemed that he was about to ask everyone for their attention when he saw that he already had it, and he paused for a moment before continuing. After running his fingers through his red hair, he started again.
"I am sure that all of you are aware of our general situation. Teach expected to leave us no options but to go to Antoc-A3 by leaving us in proximity to that planet, and restricting the amount of food and battery power available to us. I do not mean to do as Teach expects, now or ever again. To that end, I am rationing our food and our use of the batteries, effective immediately. I have already instructed Warrant Williams to replot our course toward the planet, taking more time, but using less power. I have not discussed it yet with Lieutenant Johnson, but it is in my mind that we can land on the planet without using our gravitic engines at all, and thus conserve even more power.
"I do not have a complete plan yet, but Ms. Johnson and I will discuss the particulars and make you aware of them when it is finalized. In the meantime, we must take every opportunity to conserve four things: food, water, fuel, and power. Water is not normally a problem, because the launch is equipped to recycle it with only minimal loss. However, the recyclers use power from the batteries, and the batteries cannot be recharged with the means currently available.
"What I am asking each of you to do is to submit yourselves to my authority in rationing our resources, and that you will do so without complaint or dissent."
He again paused while the import of his words sank into our minds and souls. Clearly, he already had the authority to issue whatever orders he chose. In fact, given what I had previously heard others saying about him, that is precisely what I would have expected him to do. Perhaps the betrayal, both personal and professional, that he had suffered caused him to be reticent in exercising his authority. Whatever the reason, I think that the very fact that he asked all of us to follow him, to trust him, unified our group to a single purpose as a dictatorial commandment could not have.
There seemed to be no dissent among us, but that was not sufficient for the tall captain. He stood before us and called each of us by name, starting with Ms. Chowdhury and proceeding from most senior to most junior. He asked each of us if we would submit to his authority, and in each case the response was a quick and ready, "yes, sir!" Ensign Hayes even stood and saluted when he was called on, and everyone thereafter did as well.
"Thank you all for the confidence you have placed in me," he said then. "If you will follow my instructions, if you will bear up under the struggles we will certainly face, I promise you that I will do everything in my power to see you all safely home again." His eyes burned and he held a clenched fist before him as he continued. "And I will find Ed Teach and the rest of those traitors and I will see justice done upon them, if I have to move the universe itself to see it done!"
I can attest, without the slightest fear of equivocation, that no one among us doubted the captain's word. I heard Derrick Mackey, the ship's purser, say "Amen", as if to add both his agreement and prayer to Captain Brighton's oath with a single word.
That discussion ended, Brighton took over Williams' seat and sent her back to the main cabin. I could see that Johnson and the captain were discussing what he had in mind. Captain Brighton was doing most of the talking, though they were speaking softly enough I don't believe that anyone could overhear them; I certainly couldn't from my spot against the aft bulkhead. I did see the lieutenant give him one or two looks of disbelief, however.
The journey to Antoc-A3, from the time our launch left the Pathfinder to the time we could see the planet unaided, took over 28 hours. Apart from dividing three ration bars 19 ways for three meals, Brighton and Johnson were deep in discussions the entire time.
Orbit was achieved by means of the reaction mass thrusters, without engaging the gravitic engines. Brighton began immediately to scan the planet for a suitable location to land. He seemed to be having some difficulty in getting readings, and I wondered if he was trying to keep from using battery power with the scanners also. I must have said something aloud without intending to, for Clémence Queneau, the survey cartographer, explained that the sensor package on the launch was very powerful and accurate, but only for the things for which it was intended to be used. It was designed to be extremely sensitive to fluctuations in gravity fields, and detecting mass in the vast emptiness that comprised almost the entirety of space. Being able to "see" through the interference of atmosphere to get a clear picture of the ground was not one of its primary tasks, and so the system's designers had given it a low priority. With the result being a delay to us to make sure we could see where we were going to land.
After the breakfast "meal" was distributed, around 0830, Captain Brighton ordered us all to get some rest. He and Johnson would spend the next few hours finding our landing site and calculating our landing course. I pulled out the blankets and sheets that I had packed and distributed them. There were not enough to go around, so I settled down without one. I didn't seem cold in the least, even though the ambient air was not being heated in order to conserve power, and I had to chuckle to myself.
With all the anxiety and tension I had been through since our enforced exile, it was the first time I had noticed that I was still wearing four shirts.
21 July, 2010
Day Eight: Saturday, 17 July, 2010
First on the agenda was our second college campus tour of this trip. We’ve tried to make it a tradition to tour a college whenever we have opportunity to do so on our family vacations. We’ve only done so twice before this trip, but that’s because of both a lack of vacations and that the tradition is relatively new. Pam always tells people we do this because they’re free, but it’s also inspiring for the kids, I believe.
We went out of our way to see Hillsdale because of their history, and also because they do not accept federal money to operate their school, and therefore do not have to acquiesce to government oversight of how they choose to teach. Quite admirable, in my opinion.
We had to get back on the road after that, and again road construction and detours interfered. We didn’t make very good time for the first couple of hours, but we did get to see the character of rural Michigan and Ohio until we made it past Toledo. We didn’t stick around to find out if the John Denver song was accurate. They may have rolled up the sidewalks precisely at ten, but we were miles away by then.
Lunch was pizza at a travel center. The travel center is interesting, or at least different enough from what I am used to to mention here. Imagine, if you will, a cross between a giant truck stop and a rest area; that’s what it is. While you’re there, you can get gas, a meal, souvenirs, auto repair supplies, postage, road snacks, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and then hop back on the tollway. There is no other option for egress, so you don’t have to take care of your toll as part of getting off the highway.
Back on the road and across the top of Ohio, around the outskirts of Cleveland, and then we turned south. As we passed Chicago, Toledo, and Cleveland, we were oh so very close to seeing the Great Lakes, but we didn’t catch sight of them from the turnpike, and there was no slack in the schedule to go see them. So Salt Lake is still the only Great Lake I’ve seen.
We cut across the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, which was beautiful country. We drove through a tunnel that had to have been a mile long as we passed through the Appalachians. We stopped for dinner just after we crossed into Maryland, and ended the day at a friend’s house in Leesburg, Virginia. She was actually Mica and Delia’s clogging teacher before she moved out of Oregon, so it was one the the trip’s highlights for the two of them.
We went out of our way to see Hillsdale because of their history, and also because they do not accept federal money to operate their school, and therefore do not have to acquiesce to government oversight of how they choose to teach. Quite admirable, in my opinion.
We had to get back on the road after that, and again road construction and detours interfered. We didn’t make very good time for the first couple of hours, but we did get to see the character of rural Michigan and Ohio until we made it past Toledo. We didn’t stick around to find out if the John Denver song was accurate. They may have rolled up the sidewalks precisely at ten, but we were miles away by then.
Lunch was pizza at a travel center. The travel center is interesting, or at least different enough from what I am used to to mention here. Imagine, if you will, a cross between a giant truck stop and a rest area; that’s what it is. While you’re there, you can get gas, a meal, souvenirs, auto repair supplies, postage, road snacks, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and then hop back on the tollway. There is no other option for egress, so you don’t have to take care of your toll as part of getting off the highway.
Back on the road and across the top of Ohio, around the outskirts of Cleveland, and then we turned south. As we passed Chicago, Toledo, and Cleveland, we were oh so very close to seeing the Great Lakes, but we didn’t catch sight of them from the turnpike, and there was no slack in the schedule to go see them. So Salt Lake is still the only Great Lake I’ve seen.
We cut across the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, which was beautiful country. We drove through a tunnel that had to have been a mile long as we passed through the Appalachians. We stopped for dinner just after we crossed into Maryland, and ended the day at a friend’s house in Leesburg, Virginia. She was actually Mica and Delia’s clogging teacher before she moved out of Oregon, so it was one the the trip’s highlights for the two of them.
Day Seven: Friday, 16 July, 2010
Happy Birthday, Delia!
All were up on time, down for breakfast on time, and driving away only ten minutes late this morning. We had an appointment for a tour of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana at 3:00, after losing another hour heading east, so we really had to move things along.
Looking at the number of miles involved, we should have been there with an hour to spare, but, even though we didn’t actually go into Chicago, we still had plenty of traffic issues to deal with there, plus road construction, plus sitting in a mile-long line just to pay a toll of $0.60. Annoying, to say the least, and I will apply the term to all of the toll roads of the trip here and drop the subject. We arrived five minutes late, and had to sprint to catch up to our group.
I soaked up lots of interesting trivia on the University of Notre Dame tour. I had heard of “Touchdown Jesus” before, but I was unaware that the campus also had statues of “Touchdown Moses” and “Fair Catch Corby.” Lots of amazing old buildings and art to look at.
After the tour, we had a great dinner at a Greek restaurant called Alexander’s Grill. If you’re ever in South Bend, I highly recommend it! They even came and sang happy birthday to Delia.
Then it was back on the road, crossing into Michigan not long after. Mica and Delia were involved in their own worlds, so Pam and I listed to a new audiobook about Arlington National Cemetery. The whole long history of the property was covered, with lots of great stories. The name of the book is On Hallowed Ground by Robert M. Poole.
We pulled into Hillsdale before sunset, by design. Tonight was laundry night. I made two discoveries tonight, neither of them pleasant. First, I found that I had left a stick of gum in the pocket of my white shirt, leading to its untimely demise. Second, I recalled that I had not collected the garment bag from the closet at the bed & breakfast before we left. To compound the magnitude of the error, there was money in the jacket pocket because I had yielded to Pam’s advice to not keep it all in one place.
Fortunately, the hostesses of the house are both honest as well as accommodating above and beyond the normal call of duty. They have agreed to put the items in a box and ship them to our hotel in DC. Let me herein also give a plug for The Nauvoo Grand. Nicest people, great breakfasts; they take care of anything you need.
The laundry is folded, the showers are taken, and it’s off to bed for the lot of us.
All were up on time, down for breakfast on time, and driving away only ten minutes late this morning. We had an appointment for a tour of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana at 3:00, after losing another hour heading east, so we really had to move things along.
Looking at the number of miles involved, we should have been there with an hour to spare, but, even though we didn’t actually go into Chicago, we still had plenty of traffic issues to deal with there, plus road construction, plus sitting in a mile-long line just to pay a toll of $0.60. Annoying, to say the least, and I will apply the term to all of the toll roads of the trip here and drop the subject. We arrived five minutes late, and had to sprint to catch up to our group.
I soaked up lots of interesting trivia on the University of Notre Dame tour. I had heard of “Touchdown Jesus” before, but I was unaware that the campus also had statues of “Touchdown Moses” and “Fair Catch Corby.” Lots of amazing old buildings and art to look at.
After the tour, we had a great dinner at a Greek restaurant called Alexander’s Grill. If you’re ever in South Bend, I highly recommend it! They even came and sang happy birthday to Delia.
Then it was back on the road, crossing into Michigan not long after. Mica and Delia were involved in their own worlds, so Pam and I listed to a new audiobook about Arlington National Cemetery. The whole long history of the property was covered, with lots of great stories. The name of the book is On Hallowed Ground by Robert M. Poole.
We pulled into Hillsdale before sunset, by design. Tonight was laundry night. I made two discoveries tonight, neither of them pleasant. First, I found that I had left a stick of gum in the pocket of my white shirt, leading to its untimely demise. Second, I recalled that I had not collected the garment bag from the closet at the bed & breakfast before we left. To compound the magnitude of the error, there was money in the jacket pocket because I had yielded to Pam’s advice to not keep it all in one place.
Fortunately, the hostesses of the house are both honest as well as accommodating above and beyond the normal call of duty. They have agreed to put the items in a box and ship them to our hotel in DC. Let me herein also give a plug for The Nauvoo Grand. Nicest people, great breakfasts; they take care of anything you need.
The laundry is folded, the showers are taken, and it’s off to bed for the lot of us.
20 July, 2010
Day Six: Thursday, 15 July, 2010
We were all up on time because Pam had something urgent to accomplish early and the girls wanted to be there too. We went first to the visitor’s center. All of the shows in Nauvoo are free, but the tickets are first come first served, so we wanted to be there as soon as they opened in the morning. After picking up tickets, we went to a dramatized retelling of some of the stories associated with the Mormons leaving Nauvoo called “The Trail of Hope.” It was poignant as well as informative.
Next, we divided up to attend separate things. Mica and Delia went to see a show called “Just Plain Anna Amanda.” I have no idea what it was about, but Mica thought it was great and of course Delia couldn’t help but be enraptured. That girl has drama oozing out her pores. Her new dream is to come back next year to be one of the volunteer performers in the Nauvoo Pageant. They also got to take a wagon ride around town. The wagon rides, carriage rides, and oxen rides were all canceled yesterday because of the heat, which is somewhat validating that it wasn’t just me being a wimp about how hot it was. I was told that it was the only day all year that they’d had to cancel those rides.
Meanwhile, Pam and I got to go through the Nauvoo Temple, which has been rebuilt using the same pattern from the original building and, as much as possible, materials constructed using the same processes as those available at the time the original building was built. You can see minor imperfections and bubbles in the glass of the windows, for example. One of our dear friends from Aloha works there now, and he took us on a tour of the whole building, which was great.
We met up with the kids for lunch and then had a quick nap. Too much energy expended the day before, added to too many late nights already, meant we really needed it. We were back downtown by 3:00 for another show called “High Hopes and Riverboats.” It was a romantic comedy/musical set in old Nauvoo. It was a lot of fun, and, as expected, Delia gushed about it for the rest of the day, throwing out exact quotes of all her favorite parts. When you see her next, ask her to tell you the jackknife in the pocket quote. It’s very entertaining.
We also ran into some friends from my Ricks and OSU days. What a small world.
After the show, we drove the half hour to Carthage, IL, to tour the original county jail from the 1840’s. For those who don’t know, that was the location where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were shot and killed by a mob.
When we got back to Nauvoo, Delia wanted to go see the pageant performance again. I was shocked. Just kidding. Pam acquiesced and took her, while Mica and I stayed at the B&B and started getting things ready for the early departure tomorrow, where it’s on the road again…
Next, we divided up to attend separate things. Mica and Delia went to see a show called “Just Plain Anna Amanda.” I have no idea what it was about, but Mica thought it was great and of course Delia couldn’t help but be enraptured. That girl has drama oozing out her pores. Her new dream is to come back next year to be one of the volunteer performers in the Nauvoo Pageant. They also got to take a wagon ride around town. The wagon rides, carriage rides, and oxen rides were all canceled yesterday because of the heat, which is somewhat validating that it wasn’t just me being a wimp about how hot it was. I was told that it was the only day all year that they’d had to cancel those rides.
Meanwhile, Pam and I got to go through the Nauvoo Temple, which has been rebuilt using the same pattern from the original building and, as much as possible, materials constructed using the same processes as those available at the time the original building was built. You can see minor imperfections and bubbles in the glass of the windows, for example. One of our dear friends from Aloha works there now, and he took us on a tour of the whole building, which was great.
We met up with the kids for lunch and then had a quick nap. Too much energy expended the day before, added to too many late nights already, meant we really needed it. We were back downtown by 3:00 for another show called “High Hopes and Riverboats.” It was a romantic comedy/musical set in old Nauvoo. It was a lot of fun, and, as expected, Delia gushed about it for the rest of the day, throwing out exact quotes of all her favorite parts. When you see her next, ask her to tell you the jackknife in the pocket quote. It’s very entertaining.
We also ran into some friends from my Ricks and OSU days. What a small world.
After the show, we drove the half hour to Carthage, IL, to tour the original county jail from the 1840’s. For those who don’t know, that was the location where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were shot and killed by a mob.
When we got back to Nauvoo, Delia wanted to go see the pageant performance again. I was shocked. Just kidding. Pam acquiesced and took her, while Mica and I stayed at the B&B and started getting things ready for the early departure tomorrow, where it’s on the road again…
15 July, 2010
Day Five: Wednesday, 14 July, 2010
We had just a short drive (relatively) scheduled for today, so I wasn’t too cranky about getting on the road late. From Cedar Rapids, it’s only a couple of hours to Nauvoo, Illinois, our next stop, and we arrived there in time for lunch. We crossed the Mississippi River at Ft. Madison on what appeared to be a World War I-era bridge. I didn’t mind paying the toll if it meant they would keep the bridge from collapsing while I was on it.
It was hot today. And sticky. The term sweltering comes to mind. I lived in the Phoenix area for a couple of years, so I know what hot is, but it has been a long time since I felt something like this. In Phoenix, when you walked outside it was like stepping into a wall of heat, like what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must have felt. In this case, however, the humidity was the worst part of it. Anytime we left our air-conditioned car or any building, I would have to wait a minute or so to see because my glasses would fog up. I didn’t know this until after we came in for the night, but the high for the day was 111 degrees with 85% humidity.
We’re still alive, though.
All the heat sapped our strength to the point that we checked into our bed & breakfast in the afternoon, and opted for a nap before heading back out again. After dinner we headed down to the main field, where there was a country fair going on. Delia tried most everything offered: walking on stilts, handcart pulling, period dancing, playing graces, stick pulling, what have you.
When the sun went down, the Nauvoo Pageant began. It was a great show! Great performances by all. The song and dance numbers were perfectly executed, the stories were soul-stirring, and the finale, where they turn on the lights to the temple on the bluff behind the stage, was jaw-droppingly dramatic.
More to come from Nauvoo tomorrow, and here’s hoping the weatherman is right and it will be cooler.
It was hot today. And sticky. The term sweltering comes to mind. I lived in the Phoenix area for a couple of years, so I know what hot is, but it has been a long time since I felt something like this. In Phoenix, when you walked outside it was like stepping into a wall of heat, like what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego must have felt. In this case, however, the humidity was the worst part of it. Anytime we left our air-conditioned car or any building, I would have to wait a minute or so to see because my glasses would fog up. I didn’t know this until after we came in for the night, but the high for the day was 111 degrees with 85% humidity.
We’re still alive, though.
All the heat sapped our strength to the point that we checked into our bed & breakfast in the afternoon, and opted for a nap before heading back out again. After dinner we headed down to the main field, where there was a country fair going on. Delia tried most everything offered: walking on stilts, handcart pulling, period dancing, playing graces, stick pulling, what have you.
When the sun went down, the Nauvoo Pageant began. It was a great show! Great performances by all. The song and dance numbers were perfectly executed, the stories were soul-stirring, and the finale, where they turn on the lights to the temple on the bluff behind the stage, was jaw-droppingly dramatic.
More to come from Nauvoo tomorrow, and here’s hoping the weatherman is right and it will be cooler.
Day Four: Tuesday, 13 July, 2010
Today we got to see South Dakota in the daylight again. The flatness that everyone talks about, due to the lack of mountains in the distance was not so noticeable to me, since I was doing the driving and more focused on my immediate surroundings.
We headed north off the interstate right after we crossed into Minnesota. This was a better chance to get a feel for the area and take a better look at the scenery. It was clear that the main enterprise was agriculture; there were fields everywhere we looked, primarily corn and soybeans. We had to slow down unexpectedly and pass a few tractors moving between fields or hauling giant cylindrical hay bales. We also found that Holland is filled with windmills. Who could have guessed that? I found it to be very fitting, anyway. They were not the traditional Dutch levee pumpers, either, but the gargantuan tri-blades I described earlier in our travels.
Walnut Grove, when we arrived, was a small little town of less than 400 population. We had lunch at Nellie’s Café, which had excellent food even though Delia was extremely and vocally disappointed that the building was not painted yellow. It just wasn’t right, in her mind. See was also distraught that Dean Butler, who played Almonzo Wilder in the NBC Little House series, would be in town this coming Saturday, and Allison Arngrim, who had the role of Nellie, would be there the week after, but we wouldn’t be able to stay that long. Not the first nor last time on this trip that we would not see something we would have liked to had we unlimited time.
We did wander through the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, and I learned many things I hadn’t known before. For instance, there was a minimized pedigree chart shoeing how Laura was related to the royal house of England. Most surprising was that I saw a common ancestor, William de Warenne, on her line, so I guess I am related to her as well. I knew that Laura’s daughter was also a well-known writer, but I did not know that she was their only child.
After the museum, we drove out of town to see what was left of the dugout home on the banks of Plum Creek. What was left amounted to a discernible indentation a few yards from the water. While there, Pam noticed some plantin growing there, which we used to remove the itchiness from yesterday’s mosquito bites. It works wonders! Mica had it the worst, of course. She’s such a sweet girl that the bugs just can’t leave her alone, whereas I am such a sourpuss that I didn’t get a single poke.
I believe I can live with that.
After that, we hit the road again, plotting our course through Sleepy Eye, just so we could say we’ve been there. As it was in Laura’s day, Sleepy Eye is a bigger town than Walnut Grove, but not exciting enough that we thought it would be worth going to Mankato as well. Instead we headed south and a little east to get to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, our stopping point for the night. We took longer than planned in Walnut Grove by a little bit, and we started late, of course, after not getting to bed last night until nearly 2:00. Tonight we are all turning in by midnight, so hopefully we will get back on track after this.
We headed north off the interstate right after we crossed into Minnesota. This was a better chance to get a feel for the area and take a better look at the scenery. It was clear that the main enterprise was agriculture; there were fields everywhere we looked, primarily corn and soybeans. We had to slow down unexpectedly and pass a few tractors moving between fields or hauling giant cylindrical hay bales. We also found that Holland is filled with windmills. Who could have guessed that? I found it to be very fitting, anyway. They were not the traditional Dutch levee pumpers, either, but the gargantuan tri-blades I described earlier in our travels.
Walnut Grove, when we arrived, was a small little town of less than 400 population. We had lunch at Nellie’s Café, which had excellent food even though Delia was extremely and vocally disappointed that the building was not painted yellow. It just wasn’t right, in her mind. See was also distraught that Dean Butler, who played Almonzo Wilder in the NBC Little House series, would be in town this coming Saturday, and Allison Arngrim, who had the role of Nellie, would be there the week after, but we wouldn’t be able to stay that long. Not the first nor last time on this trip that we would not see something we would have liked to had we unlimited time.
We did wander through the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, and I learned many things I hadn’t known before. For instance, there was a minimized pedigree chart shoeing how Laura was related to the royal house of England. Most surprising was that I saw a common ancestor, William de Warenne, on her line, so I guess I am related to her as well. I knew that Laura’s daughter was also a well-known writer, but I did not know that she was their only child.
After the museum, we drove out of town to see what was left of the dugout home on the banks of Plum Creek. What was left amounted to a discernible indentation a few yards from the water. While there, Pam noticed some plantin growing there, which we used to remove the itchiness from yesterday’s mosquito bites. It works wonders! Mica had it the worst, of course. She’s such a sweet girl that the bugs just can’t leave her alone, whereas I am such a sourpuss that I didn’t get a single poke.
I believe I can live with that.
After that, we hit the road again, plotting our course through Sleepy Eye, just so we could say we’ve been there. As it was in Laura’s day, Sleepy Eye is a bigger town than Walnut Grove, but not exciting enough that we thought it would be worth going to Mankato as well. Instead we headed south and a little east to get to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, our stopping point for the night. We took longer than planned in Walnut Grove by a little bit, and we started late, of course, after not getting to bed last night until nearly 2:00. Tonight we are all turning in by midnight, so hopefully we will get back on track after this.
13 July, 2010
Day Three: Monday, 12 July, 2010
Today was the longest scheduled drive so far, which took us from western Montana through northeastern Wyoming and all the way to eastern South Dakota. It’s not often that you get to use all four directions in the same sentence. Maybe I should blog about it…
So, due to the lateness of our arrival in Bozeman, we allowed an extra half hour of sleep more than the plan called for. That meant that we were two and a half hours late leaving town. Don’t ask me how that works. Maybe the problem is that I made the schedule, without considering how long it takes three girls to shower, dress, get made up and eat breakfast. Especially if they’re cranky from not getting enough sleep. If we ever make it out on the road on schedule on this trip, THAT will be worth blogging about.
Delia wanted to swim in the pool before we left, so she raced out first thing this morning. That still left her needing a shower afterward. By then Mica was up, so they had to fight over who was first. Hmm. I wonder if I threw them both in the pool, then in the car, if that would be sufficient. It would make it more likely that we stayed on schedule, at least.
The first major attraction of the day was in Livingston, just fifteen miles from our starting point. A friend of mine that lives in Montana said that the scenery in Livingston was breathtaking, but I really wasn’t seeing it. I mean, it was pretty. In fact, it was very similar in appearance to some of my favorite places in Oregon. Rolling hills, green fields, sprinkler pipe spraying rotating arcs yards across, occasional horses and cattle; all great, but none of it out of the ordinary for me. That was, until we actually got to Livingston.
We came around a bend and there was a blue-black wall of mountains, sharp white caps portraying how they got their name. The Beartooth Mountains. And wow, did they ever live up to their billing, truly breathtaking.
Originally, our plan had been to turn south there and go to Yellowstone Park.
Alas, there just isn’t enough time to see everything you might want to. We would have only had about six hours in the park, and that really isn’t sufficient to do it justice. Besides, YP is close enough to home that we may have a chance to visit there in the future and give it a whole week. We’re giving as much time as we can to sights in the east, which we will definitely never see again.
We stopped in Billings for a short (very short) visit with a college buddy and lunch to go. From there, I-90 turns south and heads toward Wyoming. Before we left Montana, we passed another place I would have enjoyed seeing; the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn. I also saw a town with the oddest name. I don’t know how it’s pronounced, since I didn’t have time to stop and ask the natives. I don’t know, maybe Baauxuwaashe is said just like box-wash. And I thought Racetrack and Opportunity were unique names when I saw them yesterday.
One of the notions that Pam and I were keen on for this trip was discovering those things that are so commonplace to the people that live in a place, yet completely foreign to outsiders. For instance, a number of years ago we took our family vacation in Fairbanks, AK in June. Two things that we discovered in that category were shutters to completely cover windows because it was never getting dark at night, and twenty foot chain link fences around stores and parking lots to keep moose out. I also heard that in Fairbanks they never celebrate Independence Day with fireworks because it’s not dark, but I didn’t stay long enough to verify this firsthand.
Anyway, we discovered a couple of those things today in Montana and Wyoming. I had not previously known that there were several petroleum refineries in this area, nor that I would find small, medium and large oil rigs bobbing up and down and drawing “Texas tea” out of the fields.
Another startling discovering I have made is that, while summer is the generally accepted time for long vacation, it also happens to be the prime season for road construction projects. Both yesterday and today, such projects contributed to our delinquency. Especially today, when it took us nearly two hours to travel fifty miles on our way to Mt. Rushmore. We did eventually make it, and I have the pictures to prove it, but we wound up having to leave before very long and continue our trek.
We stopped for dinner in Rapid City, another grab and dash event. It was dark by then, so we missed out on all of the scenery of the badlands. We crossed into the Central Time Zone about 11, which instantly transformed it into day four. There still remained an hour and a half of driving before we got to our reserved hotel. We’ll see how that affects tomorrow. I mean later today.
We also had bad luck with animals today. The park in Billings where my friend and his family met us was inhabited by 42,000 geese, who believed that we were put on the earth just to provide them a meal, as well at 42 billion mosquitoes which were of the same opinion. Then driving down an all but deserted I-90 tonight, we hit two small animals, species undetermined. Thankfully small, else I’d be writing this from the hospital.
More later.
So, due to the lateness of our arrival in Bozeman, we allowed an extra half hour of sleep more than the plan called for. That meant that we were two and a half hours late leaving town. Don’t ask me how that works. Maybe the problem is that I made the schedule, without considering how long it takes three girls to shower, dress, get made up and eat breakfast. Especially if they’re cranky from not getting enough sleep. If we ever make it out on the road on schedule on this trip, THAT will be worth blogging about.
Delia wanted to swim in the pool before we left, so she raced out first thing this morning. That still left her needing a shower afterward. By then Mica was up, so they had to fight over who was first. Hmm. I wonder if I threw them both in the pool, then in the car, if that would be sufficient. It would make it more likely that we stayed on schedule, at least.
The first major attraction of the day was in Livingston, just fifteen miles from our starting point. A friend of mine that lives in Montana said that the scenery in Livingston was breathtaking, but I really wasn’t seeing it. I mean, it was pretty. In fact, it was very similar in appearance to some of my favorite places in Oregon. Rolling hills, green fields, sprinkler pipe spraying rotating arcs yards across, occasional horses and cattle; all great, but none of it out of the ordinary for me. That was, until we actually got to Livingston.
We came around a bend and there was a blue-black wall of mountains, sharp white caps portraying how they got their name. The Beartooth Mountains. And wow, did they ever live up to their billing, truly breathtaking.
Originally, our plan had been to turn south there and go to Yellowstone Park.
Alas, there just isn’t enough time to see everything you might want to. We would have only had about six hours in the park, and that really isn’t sufficient to do it justice. Besides, YP is close enough to home that we may have a chance to visit there in the future and give it a whole week. We’re giving as much time as we can to sights in the east, which we will definitely never see again.
We stopped in Billings for a short (very short) visit with a college buddy and lunch to go. From there, I-90 turns south and heads toward Wyoming. Before we left Montana, we passed another place I would have enjoyed seeing; the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn. I also saw a town with the oddest name. I don’t know how it’s pronounced, since I didn’t have time to stop and ask the natives. I don’t know, maybe Baauxuwaashe is said just like box-wash. And I thought Racetrack and Opportunity were unique names when I saw them yesterday.
One of the notions that Pam and I were keen on for this trip was discovering those things that are so commonplace to the people that live in a place, yet completely foreign to outsiders. For instance, a number of years ago we took our family vacation in Fairbanks, AK in June. Two things that we discovered in that category were shutters to completely cover windows because it was never getting dark at night, and twenty foot chain link fences around stores and parking lots to keep moose out. I also heard that in Fairbanks they never celebrate Independence Day with fireworks because it’s not dark, but I didn’t stay long enough to verify this firsthand.
Anyway, we discovered a couple of those things today in Montana and Wyoming. I had not previously known that there were several petroleum refineries in this area, nor that I would find small, medium and large oil rigs bobbing up and down and drawing “Texas tea” out of the fields.
Another startling discovering I have made is that, while summer is the generally accepted time for long vacation, it also happens to be the prime season for road construction projects. Both yesterday and today, such projects contributed to our delinquency. Especially today, when it took us nearly two hours to travel fifty miles on our way to Mt. Rushmore. We did eventually make it, and I have the pictures to prove it, but we wound up having to leave before very long and continue our trek.
We stopped for dinner in Rapid City, another grab and dash event. It was dark by then, so we missed out on all of the scenery of the badlands. We crossed into the Central Time Zone about 11, which instantly transformed it into day four. There still remained an hour and a half of driving before we got to our reserved hotel. We’ll see how that affects tomorrow. I mean later today.
We also had bad luck with animals today. The park in Billings where my friend and his family met us was inhabited by 42,000 geese, who believed that we were put on the earth just to provide them a meal, as well at 42 billion mosquitoes which were of the same opinion. Then driving down an all but deserted I-90 tonight, we hit two small animals, species undetermined. Thankfully small, else I’d be writing this from the hospital.
More later.
12 July, 2010
Day Two: Sunday, 11 July, 2010
Today we had a chance to visit with Pam’s grandmother, who lives with Pam’s aunt and uncle. There was lots of catching up to do. Pam’s cousin also had lots of stories to tell as well. She has the family history bug, and has clearly spent thousands of hours collecting stories and pictures of hundreds of relatives. She’s put together family history albums that are fascinating.
We had so much fun there that, once again, we were late leaving. But we know how to stay flexible. Semper Gumby!
Pam has a friend from high school that lives in Missoula, so we stopped there and ate taco salad at her house. Pam had a good visit and her friend’s daughter hit it off immediately with Delia. They jumped on the trampoline and gossiped like little girls. Wait. Nevermind.
From Missoula, we jumped back on I-90 and crossed Clark Fork yet again. We had seen signs announcing it at bridges seven times prior to Missoula. It was 11:30 when we crossed over the continental divide, just past Butte, but it was still almost another hour before we got to our beds in Bozeman. Which would, I suppose, make it day three…
We had so much fun there that, once again, we were late leaving. But we know how to stay flexible. Semper Gumby!
Pam has a friend from high school that lives in Missoula, so we stopped there and ate taco salad at her house. Pam had a good visit and her friend’s daughter hit it off immediately with Delia. They jumped on the trampoline and gossiped like little girls. Wait. Nevermind.
From Missoula, we jumped back on I-90 and crossed Clark Fork yet again. We had seen signs announcing it at bridges seven times prior to Missoula. It was 11:30 when we crossed over the continental divide, just past Butte, but it was still almost another hour before we got to our beds in Bozeman. Which would, I suppose, make it day three…
Day One: Saturday, 10 July, 2010
The first day of our trip across the country did not start out quite as expected. We’d spent literally months working on our itinerary, yet item number three, “Hit the Road”, didn’t happen until three and a half hours late. And because of all the work we put into preparing for the trip, we had purchased discounted gift certificates for specific restaurants along the way. So the late start meant also that lunch was not until 3:00.
I know, “Wah, wah, wah.” You don’t want to hear about the little hiccups. I’m done now.
We left home about 11:30 am. Fortunately, this wasn’t supposed to be one of our longer days of driving, so even with the late start we made it to our destination before the sun had gone down. Well, okay, at least before full dark.
We headed east out of Portland on I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge. Pam is usually not fond of this drive because it always seems to be rainy and/or windy there. In contrast, today was sunny and quite warm. We listened to music our daughters didn’t like and had a grand old time singing along and clicking off the miles. Mica and Delia did their best to ignore us, made all the easier with Mica’s new iPod Touch and convenient headphone splitters. I’m not going to insist that they participate with the rest of us while we’re driving. There will be plenty of shared experiences at all of our stops along the way.
Speaking of new technology, Pam also got a new toy, one of the new Droid phones. At one point she told me that she is hooked now, and will never be able to not have one. This was while looking for a particular address in Spokane. Her phone allowed her to plug the address in and bring up a map with directions. Yes, nothing new about that if you have a navigation system in your car, but handy enough for those of us without, plus the phone and looking things up on the internet. More on that later.
I drove as far as Umatilla, but then I was ready for Pam to take over. I had been up late arranging things that I was leaving behind, and I had been feeling drowsy after eating. Unfortunately, Mica wound up taking the wheel, and since I wanted to nap, Pam needed to be in the passenger seat. So I folded my 6’ 3” into the back seat. It actually wasn’t that bad, even in a Sentra. Pam scooted the seat up and all was well. It certainly was comfortable enough to begin sawing logs shortly after entering Washington.
Much of the drive today was filled with large farms and hills empty of anything but grass, fence lines, and occasional small cattle herds. There have been some changes to the gorge since the last time I went through. I saw at least a hundred of the giant three-bladed windmills harvesting wind energy.
We ended our drive north of Coeur d’Alene in a small town called Careywood. Aunt Carol Ann, at whose house we stayed, described it as nothing more than a post office, but she was exaggerating. They have a fire department too. She greeted us with pie, we visited for a while, then we all headed to bed.
Delia’s addition:
We rolled out about 11:30. Then we played mad libs in the car. We were running pretty late, so we had a late lunch at The Desert River Inn and Restaurant in Umatilla, Oregon. Then we went and took pictures at the Spokane, Washington Temple. Then we drove to Uncle Chuck and Aunt Carol Ann’s. We got there around 9:15. Then we ate yummy peach, cherry, or apple pie. Then we talked and updated and then I had a shower and we all headed for bed. The end!!!
I know, “Wah, wah, wah.” You don’t want to hear about the little hiccups. I’m done now.
We left home about 11:30 am. Fortunately, this wasn’t supposed to be one of our longer days of driving, so even with the late start we made it to our destination before the sun had gone down. Well, okay, at least before full dark.
We headed east out of Portland on I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge. Pam is usually not fond of this drive because it always seems to be rainy and/or windy there. In contrast, today was sunny and quite warm. We listened to music our daughters didn’t like and had a grand old time singing along and clicking off the miles. Mica and Delia did their best to ignore us, made all the easier with Mica’s new iPod Touch and convenient headphone splitters. I’m not going to insist that they participate with the rest of us while we’re driving. There will be plenty of shared experiences at all of our stops along the way.
Speaking of new technology, Pam also got a new toy, one of the new Droid phones. At one point she told me that she is hooked now, and will never be able to not have one. This was while looking for a particular address in Spokane. Her phone allowed her to plug the address in and bring up a map with directions. Yes, nothing new about that if you have a navigation system in your car, but handy enough for those of us without, plus the phone and looking things up on the internet. More on that later.
I drove as far as Umatilla, but then I was ready for Pam to take over. I had been up late arranging things that I was leaving behind, and I had been feeling drowsy after eating. Unfortunately, Mica wound up taking the wheel, and since I wanted to nap, Pam needed to be in the passenger seat. So I folded my 6’ 3” into the back seat. It actually wasn’t that bad, even in a Sentra. Pam scooted the seat up and all was well. It certainly was comfortable enough to begin sawing logs shortly after entering Washington.
Much of the drive today was filled with large farms and hills empty of anything but grass, fence lines, and occasional small cattle herds. There have been some changes to the gorge since the last time I went through. I saw at least a hundred of the giant three-bladed windmills harvesting wind energy.
We ended our drive north of Coeur d’Alene in a small town called Careywood. Aunt Carol Ann, at whose house we stayed, described it as nothing more than a post office, but she was exaggerating. They have a fire department too. She greeted us with pie, we visited for a while, then we all headed to bed.
Delia’s addition:
We rolled out about 11:30. Then we played mad libs in the car. We were running pretty late, so we had a late lunch at The Desert River Inn and Restaurant in Umatilla, Oregon. Then we went and took pictures at the Spokane, Washington Temple. Then we drove to Uncle Chuck and Aunt Carol Ann’s. We got there around 9:15. Then we ate yummy peach, cherry, or apple pie. Then we talked and updated and then I had a shower and we all headed for bed. The end!!!
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