Canine Connection #1a

I forgot to include a picture I took for my cousin Christina.  She and her husband Chris have a new daughter Maddie, who has begun to crawl.  She needs a pink leash now.

Great Lakes Shipping

The fishing boats are built for weather

Himself is in his glory.  The combination of marine, mechanical and industrial causes his pulse to quicken.  Entering Duluth, Minn.,  heading to Superior WI,  is the first chance to see the mighty Superior Lake.  We know days could be spent here but the schedule forces us to move on to the UP (Upper Peninsula).  Those Wisconsin folk think the UP should be theirs, as would anyone looking at the map.  The story we heard was that the Michigan people were whining about losing some land to Ohio, so the Feds gave them the UP.    UP jokes resemble the now politically incorrect Polish jokes of years ago.  Nevertheless, the UP is a treasure and Michigan made out.  The Maritime history is extensive.

A model of the structure used to empty rail cars and load ships

The first stop is Marquette, where the Maritime Museum and Lighthouse introduced us to the lake's shipping history.  A cute town, with a heavy industrial past.  A massive structure extends into the water and was used by the rail cars carrying iron ore.  They dumped their load, which was then slid down into the holds of Great Lakes bulk freighters.







The next stop was the Tahquamenon Falls State Park, which provided a nice change from the industrial  scene.  A hike to the falls was a highlight, with much needed exercise after so much time on the road.  Despite the amount of water everywhere, we have had almost no mosquito problem.







The next treat was the well done Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point-the area where upbound traffic coming from the Soo (Sault Ste. Marie) Locks leave the lee of the point to face 200 miles of unobstructed weather.  The point has the largest concentration of shipwrecks, with the overall total in the Lakes being 6000 since Europeans came to the area.

There is a very moving video of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  The Fitz was downbound in 1975 when she radioed the freighter Anderson that she lost radar and was taking on a list.  The Anderson was 10 miles behind and asked if the Fitz had her pumps going, to which the Fitz answered in the affirmative.  The Anderson then provided radar positioning aid to the Fitz.  The winds were 90+ mph and the waves at 30'.  A snow squall hit the Anderson, interrupting radar.  When radar again operated, the Fitz was gone.  The Anderson alerted the Coast Guard, whose subsequent search revealed debris.  The ship was later located in 500'+ of water, a mere 15 miles from Whitefish Point, where she would have entered more protected waters.  All 29 hands were lost.  I downloaded the Gorden Lightfoot song and it now has a new meaning to me.

The Newtsuit used to dive the wreck and retrieve the bell

Twenty-five years after the disaster, the Canadian Coastguard, the National Geographic and the Shipwreck Museum arranged to remove the Fitz's bell from the wreck and replace it with one on which all 29 names were inscribed.  The original bell was carefully restored and now serves as a memorial at the museum.  The ceremony dedicating it was very moving as family members rang the bell for each lost sailor.

The freighters are provisioned while underway

The next treat for himself was in "Soo."  It is one of the busiest locks in the world with about 100 million tons of cargo passing through each year.  The U.S. operated the two commercial locks and the Canadians operate the small pleasure boat channel.  We scored a campground with a clear view of the channel just south of the locks.  While there are a few ocean going vessels, most are Great Lakes bulk carriers.  The Soo locks boat trip was a treat.  We cruised the commercial lock, saw the Canadian Soo including a steel mill and returned through the pleasure boat canal.  Even though it is summer, we experienced high winds and and a thunderstorm, but the sun returned in the afternoon.

 I took the afternoon off and himself visited yet another museum in the Valley Camp, built in 1917, 735' long and in operation until the 70's.  After his visit to the museum I was informed that it was unique in having one of the last "triple expansion steam engines."

That's pretty much it for our Great Lakes experience.  I did just learn that my brother John spent his first summer in the Naval Academy on a destroyer which made the Navy's maiden voyage into the Great Lakes.  It was 1959 and Ike and the Queen dedicated the St. Lawrence Seaway's opening.  He told me that at each stop the crew would get shore leave.  The local WWII vets would buy the sailors more drinks than they could handle to honor the occasion.  John still remembers his first boilermaker.

North Dakota Boom

We crossed the state line into North Dakota, reset our clocks to central time and noticed a complete change in the landscape.  Eastern Montana had a good bit of reservation land on our route and there was little evidence of prosperity.  Williston, ND on the other hand was booming.  Highway 2 was clogged with hundreds of big rigs, cement trucks, "belly dumps." and tankers.  Buildings were under construction and 5th wheels were parked all over for housing.  Portable buildings were lined up in long rows, used as worker dorms.  The signs on the vehicles provided the clue that the activity was related to gas and oil and Google answered the question.

The Bakken shale rock formation stretches from ND, through eastern Montana and Saskatchewan.   Production is already at 1/4 of a million barrels a day and the estimate is that by 2020, they will be taking 1 million barrels a day.  That is about 10% of current U.S. oil production and 5% of current consumption.  Employment in the sector has increased 6x and will be 20x by 2020.

Fracking is controversial, with the material disposal and potential ground water pollution being significant concerns, but clearly SD is full steam ahead.  The boom continued to be in evidence as we traveled to Minot, ND, but now the spring storms and flooding added further complication.  There were 11,000 people who lost their homes.  This housing problem was aggravated by the employment boom and the local Walmart looked like a hobo camp.  RV's were all over and many were in substantial disrepair.  Some were unhooked from their tow vehicle and had generators chained to them.  Obviously these were not transient RV'ers stopping for the night.

The next contrast was entry into Minnesota.  The rowdy west was left in favor of those tidy Swedes and Norwegians.  The rest stop was well appointed and order was seen in the traffic and public facilities.  Landscaping was groomed and the grass was much enjoyed by the canines in the party.  Boogs even went for a run.

Canine Corner#1

This post is out of order as Mom is way behind.  Long travel days and lack of Internet service have caused her so back up so I am going out of order.  We crossed into Canada three days ago and made great time on the way to the Maritimes, stopping off a bit to practice our French in Quebec.  We made it past Quebec City last night and found a delightful park right on the St. Lawrence Seaway.  The plan was to head out to the Gaspe peninsula but watching the news of the hurricane, we decided to stay put.  The course is a bit uncertain and we may in fact be in a wind tunnel, but it is civilized, paved and includes a restaurant and nice facilities.  All the dogs speak a strange version of french  but they smell the same as at home.  Since Boogs can't see or hear he has no clue that we are in a somewhat exotic province.  The park puts those Minnesota Scandinavians to shame.  It is groomed and in perfect order.

Boogs and I were disappointed at the border crossing.  We had our rabies certificates and Dr. Dana's statement that we were cootie free but the agent didn't look at us.  We were even sporting chili pepper scarves.

Boogs has pulled his usual tricks on the trip.  He finds edibles everywhere and even jumped out of the camper-over 3 feet high-and was spotted 20' from the camper.  Talk about not knowing your limits-115 years old, blind and deaf.  Go for it Boogs!

I, on the other hand, have been the "good dog."  I'll admit that I try to take advantage of his disability but Mom is pretty sharp eyed and usually calls me on it.  We have met all kinds of dogs on the trip-from Yorkies to English Mastiffs.  My favorite were the chocolate labs who lounged on the dashboard of the large motorhome.  A great vantage point for guarding the camper and spotting potential canine friends.  I suggested that we could use a larger RV, something with a nice couch to lounge on.  Right now we are either on the floor or on the bed and travel in the back seat of the truck while underway.

One highlight was in Minnesota where the rest stop included a large grassy area.  Mom broke into a run and Boogs and I followed suit.  It was great to see the old, blind guy running like a pup.  He seems to have complete faith in his "service team."

Ragamuffin

Looking Back

The next highlight was crossing the continental divide at 5200', then only 30 minutes later, seeing the high plains. Talk about contrast.

The plains hold a special interest for me as I remember my mother talking about homesteading in Montana.  With the help of my Minnesota based cousin, Judy Rys, and long ago notes from talks with Mom, I realized that we would travel through Havre, Devils Lake and Grand Forks, where my Mom lived at various times.

Judy, a retired librarian, had just the book for background.  The Bad Land, by Jonathon Raban, chronicles the times of the homesteaders in Montana in the teens, twenties and thirties.  We had already selected Highway 2, which would allow us to cross the top of the US on an uncrowded highway.  Coincidentally, this route parallels the Great Northern Railroad that played such a role in the homesteading of Montana.  It is an area known as the Hi Line of Montana.  The rail route was the vision of James Hill, who worked to secure passage of the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909.   Most good land west of the Mississippi was in private hands, so in order to develop the "dry land farming"  area on the rail route, Congress was encouraged to pass laws enlarging homesteads from 160 to 320 acres. The economics of the railroad depended upon development, so much lobbying took place.  Once the Act passed,  brochures aggressively recruited people to come west and homestead the land.  Most who came knew little about farming and less about the pitfalls of Montana dry land farming.

When we arrived in Havre, the largest town on the Hi Line, I knew from Judy that my grandfather Herbert Erickson had left Minneapolis with his wife Ellen, twin boys and two girls (one my mother Verna, and all born within 3 years of one another) in 1914.  Ellen had inherited some money the year before from a relative in Sweden, which may have provided the grubstake.   They took out a homestead near Havre.

We decided to spend a day in Havre and took the wonderful Underground Tour, which represented the early 1900's.  The brothels, bars and opium dens were underground as were the more legitimate business after the town burned to the ground.  The tour is better than the famous Seattle Underground Tour.

Where you would go if you selected "girl" # 15

I then decided to head to the local courthouse to see if there was any information about the reports of two Montana homesteads.  The story was that my grandfather Herbert took out a homestead in 1914 but lost it the following year when he pledged it as collateral for a loan to sponsor a rodeo.  The rodeo was rained out and he lost everything.  His father, Frank, who immigrated from Sweden with the trade of shoe making, then took out a homestead so the family would have some land.  He was late in the process and only two were left.  They were on the Canadian border, near Simpson, Mt. and were "bad land."  Well, the ladies at the courthouse were gems and I got the record of Frank's homestead, "proved up" in 1920 and then lost in 1923 in a Sheriff's sale.  The normal process is that you "take out" a homestead, live on and improve the land and then after 5 years when the homestead is "proved up," get title or a "patent."  There are exceptions to the time and it is sometimes shorter according to the courthouse ladies.  They also located Herbert's "patent" dated 1916.  There are certainly questions regarding timing since the family stories suggest he took out the homestead in 1914.  We then took a ride out to Simpson, MT, which is no longer marked in any way.  We found the general area and it looks pretty sparse.

Land near Simpson, MT

It seems the promises of viable farming held true in the early teens.  The rule of thumb was that 15 inches of rain was a break even point and those years were good.  Property values increased and the banks were handing out money (isn't this a novel idea).  Homesteaders took on debt in the expectation that mechanization would further increase their yield.    Then came 1917-1919 when there was less that 12 inches of rain and the winter of 1919 saw months where the temperatures were in the -20's and -30's.  By 1922 there was a deserted homestead for each occupied one.  Herbert lost his property due to a bad gamble;  Frank, who had "bad land," lost his during the bitter times.  Looking back it seems clear that the homestead hype was a cruel hoax.  Those who succeed now have significantly larger farms.  I think the characterization of Frank's land should be changed from bad land (which most was) to very bad land.

I never expected my Maritime trip to include such a rich experience along the way.  I just wish I could ask Mom some more questions about this time in her life.  She would have been between 5 and 10 years old.  I can really appreciate how comforting it was to her to be married to a school teacher who was financially conservative throughout his life.  Her father disappeared in 1918 during the Great Flu, when she was 9, and her mother died when she was 17.  Those were hard times for sure.

Underway

With much too much last minute activity, we finally caught the 5pm ferry on August 15, and, despite some traffic, made it to the Wenatchee National Forest for our first night out.  Although we have lived in the Northwest for 6 years now, this is the first time we have been in this area.  Our Golden Age Pass (one of the few benefits from the Federal Government these days), allowed us to enjoy a campsite only a couple of hundred yards from a river for $8.50.  With no electricity, the next morning we headed on to the quaint, touristy town of Leavenworth for our coffee.  Then on to the prosperous farming area around Wenatchee, with Sand Point Idaho in our sights for the second night out.  Sucked in by the term resort, we headed for the Best Western resort campground in the center of the city.  If you like parking lots this is a real winner, but at $40 a night, one of the worst bargains around.  The town is cute but it was late and only bars were open.  The Coldwater Creek mothership is buttoned up, as are the independent shops.  The many trains passing but a few yards away were a preview of the Great Northern route we would follow for the next several hundreds of miles.  As we passed Bonners Ferry, we were disappointed that we did not see any evidence of either the polygamous sect relocated from Canada nor the survivalists said to populate the area.

Getting Ready

This is the first post for the new blog, commissioned for the 10,000 mile trip to the Maritimes and the East Coast.  There will be three contributors, Joan, Raggamuffin (Raggie) and Boogerman (Boogs), who will dictate his thoughts to Joan or Raggie.  The 4th traveler, Himself wishes to maintain cyber anonymity.  No pictures of him, so no facial recognition trolling.
 Raggie and Boogs have been prodded, injected and in Boogs case, dilated.  Both vets have pronounce them good to go and there is an endless supply of Boogs' eye meds from Myra, his pharmacist.  They ask me why those pesky Canadians require them to have a health certificate when rarely does a traveling dog transmit illness.  They pointed out that runny nosed kids are far more likely to inflict damage, as are sneezing adults.  I have no answer.
Myra has also encouraged the packing of yarn for the trip so that I do not run of of things for busy little hands.  She advocated a spinning wheel but there is NO room.  Many books are loaded on the iPhone/iPad and others are in the camper.  The hand wringing process of packing clothes for 3 months and wide ranging weather possibilities has been accomplished with the help of some pressure bags.  Himself has endless tee shirts and after much encouragement, a collared shirt or two.
The new small pod coffee maker with it proprietary coffee is packed as is more food that can be imagined.  Somehow I can't believe that you can procure adequate nourishment in some of those far flung states and provinces.  Part of the commentary will be the local foodstuffs and tradition.  Also, fiber shops.  Included in the larder is the just canned pickled okra and beans (think Bloody Mary) as well as Pikes Market sausages and home canned sauerkraut, thanks to Myra.
Soon the house will be winterized and all vehicles and equipment remaining behind put to bed for the duration.  We are almost ready to go-the next blog will be "from the road."