Day Fifteen

We left the hotel this morning at 7:00 am.  Paul Stutzman led the morning meditation, sharing a little more about his river journey.

We sang a few songs and then turned to some intense visiting with the first party of travelers who will be leaving us in Illinois.  Floyd, Sarah, Ken and Carol had a ride waiting, a friend at a truck stop along our route.  There were lots of good-byes, hugs, and even some tears with the parting.  Amazing how quickly kindred spirits can develop friendships; many of these people had never met until two weeks ago.

The next to leave us were Cal and Shirl.  We stopped for lunch in Elkhart, Indiana and their daughter and granddaughter arrived to pick them up.  They have another thirty minutes to their home in Michigan. More hugs and goodbyes.  But we are planning our first get-together already.  As long as we have something to look forward to, life is good.

We drove into the Pioneer Trails office in Fryburg around 6:30 pm after traveling 5,702 miles.  Even though I’m sure we were all tired and ready to be home, still some of us could hardly finish our good-byes and tear ourselves away.  With promises to stay in touch and plans 

underway for a reunion, we loaded our bags in our vehicles and went our separate ways. I’m glad my sisters, brother, and sister-in-law will be spending the night with us before heading home to VA and WV.  Better for me to ease out of vacation mode gradually than go cold turkey.

I have around a thousand photos on my computer of this adventure.  Some of them I took, some were taken by others.  I figure I have plenty for the next family get-together.  If I make a slide show of them it will only take four or five hours to show them all.  If I give a detailed explanation on each one I can stretch it out a little longer yet.

Day Fourteen

                                                                                                                                        

We pulled out of the hotel parking lot around 7:30 this morning.  Ken Miller led the meditation time this morning.

Only minutes away we stopped at Amnicon Falls, a beautiful site with both upper and lower falls.  They were not as large as some of the others we’ve seen but just as beautiful.  A stand of birch trees provided the perfect backdrop for pictures.  A sheer drop-off of approximately fifty feet border the river on one both sides.  The more adventurous among us found a steep footpath down to the water.  Actually, I think Larry Lamp is the only one who had the fortitude to do that.  A covered bridge, rugged and beautiful covered the ravine, another great photo spot.

We stopped for lunch at the Pizza Ranch.  A sumptuous buffet was enjoyed by all courtesy of Green Country Tours.  The pizza strudels were especially delectable.  When we were heading across the parking lot we witnessed a fender-bender.  Let’s just say, if you plan to back into another vehicle and then leave without reporting it you’d better hope there’s no Pioneer bus nearby. The man’s license plate is probably the most photographed in the state right now.  And Miss Verna promptly positioned herself between the car and the escape route.  Needless to say the driver meekly got out and went in to the restaurant to find the owner of the van he had just plowed into.  We waited to make sure he found him.

We spent some time at the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Museum in Eau Claire, WI.  It was very interesting to hear about the raw grit, determination, and total disregard for personal hygiene the loggers displayed during their time in the camp.  Supposedly, their attempts to discourage lice included turning their underwear inside-out at night because it kept the little critters busy trying to decipher which way was in to the skin.  Our tour guide, a young little blonde, embellished the facts somewhat, or just made them up as she went.  According to her, each logger ate 20-30,000 calories every day, or the equivalent of 150 Big Macs.  Somewhat skeptical, someone looked it up and it was actually 8,000 calories, a still very impressive number.  She also claimed they slept as many as four in a bed.  I’m really hoping that’s not true.  What IS true is that they felled huge trees using only axes, crosscut saws, and blood, sweat, and tears. And there were many more deaths from being crushed by trees than by disease.

Paul Stutzman, who joined our party yesterday, spent a little time sharing about his time on the Mississippi.  It’s a story of grueling hardship and danger and I’m sure he will be speaking more about it as time goes on.  We are so glad to have him with us and are thankful for God’s protection and provision that was surely evident in how our paths crossed on our separate journeys.

Several games on the bus confirmed there are no geniuses among us.  As the scriptures say, I am among “the least of these.”  Ok, I’m mangling the context but you know what I mean.  Here’s a sample question which I actually got right: “What is it that occurs once in a month, once in a second, once in a century, but never in a week or a year?”  I’m ashamed to say I totally bombed the question on the Ohio state bird and flower.  Paul, who is Canadian born, got both of those right.

Our next stop was at the Humbird Cheese Mart in Tomah, WI.  Wisconsin, like Holmes Co. Ohio, is well-known for its cheese production and this store was not unlike many of those at home.  After chomping down all the cheese, beef sticks, crackers and ice-cream we all bought I doubt anyone will be too hungry for supper. It’s like one of the ladies said last night: she’s looking forward to being hungry again.

The hotel had a big bin of Root Beers on ice for us when we arrived.  Cal dropped two and then did all the cleaning up as well.  He only lost the mop head once.  And then got it stuck in the elevator door.  Otherwise it was a smooth procedure.

The lobby was kind of full tonight, of our group.  I think everyone was reluctant to go to bed knowing it is the last night we'll be together.  A big golf game by the ladies, a couple of Rook games by the men, another group editing photos and trying to load them online so we can all access them at will.  I'm going to miss these people.  But I think I can count on seeing them again.

Day Thirteen

Sarah gave an inspiring meditation this morning about the faithfulness of God and knowing what we have in Him. 

We traveled pretty much straight east until almost noon when we stopped at the Mississippi headwaters.  The Mississippi is either the third or fourth longest river in the world; there seems to be some debate about which.  Whatever, it is an impressive body of water and most of us on the bus can now say we have crossed it without canoe, raft, or boat of any kind.

Paul Stutzman, our friend, and a brother to three of the ladies traveling with us, began a quest to kayak that most frustrating and difficult waterway, over a week ago.  We took pictures of the “bulrushes” he mentioned as being especially challenging to pass through.  If you’d like to follow the blog about his adventures go to Paul Stutzman and click on Mississippi Blog.

After lunch at various fast food places in a little town along the way we turned toward Duluth, MN where we will be spending the night.  Along the way we picked up a surprise addition to our number.  We were glad to see him and I think he was glad to see us as well.  It’s pretty cool how God works things out.  What are the odds that we would all be at the same place at the same time – right when we needed to be?!

We got to our hotel at around 5PM.  The hotel had a sign up to welcome us and cookies waiting.  Green Country Tours treated everyone to supper tonight at a nearby buffet.  If you’re going to tour, this is the way to do it and the people to do it with.  Just make sure you bring some stretchy pants.  Or a Muumuu.

Some of us gathered in the dining room to play cards tonight.  We are all feeling the nearing of the end of our time together, at least for this trip.  So we have to spend whatever time we have left cramming in more memories.  The games are secondary to the visiting and laughing that take place. I'm traveling with some great people.

Day Twelve

We left Saskatchewan this morning.  The wheat fields gradually gave way to rolling hills and patches of trees as we drove further into Manitoba.  Dairy farms replaced wheat farms and the herds speckling the fields had more brown than black among them. 

We stopped for the inevitable bathroom break at a sign that proclaimed itself a roadside rest.  Had it not been for the genuine needs among us all to visit said bathrooms we would have passed it by when we saw what counted as facilities.  Since nothing else was likely to be available we decided to consider it all an adventure and took pictures of the place instead. (The men decided it was time for a hike in the woods.)

More story-telling took place and plenty of visiting.  Some of us also learned some interesting facts about treating burns from Edna, whose brother has suffered through them following an accident.  BNW salve applied to the burned area, then covered with burdock leaves that have been properly prepared, has been shown to work miracles in his and many other burn cases.  I plan to keep some on hand when I get home.

Dave announced the winner of the scavenger hunt.  It seems Christ Wengerd handed in his completed list a week ago.  But Dave was having too much fun watching the rest of us scavenging and hunting to tell us until today.  Congrats to Christ!  There still seems to be some question of proof on his sighting of a black cat.  All in fun of course.

Shortly after noon we stopped in Brandon for lunch.  Paul ate at KFC and I ran to Five Guys with Irene.  Ok. We walked fast.  Well, fast for us.  While we were off the bus someone left a gift bag for Marge and Karen.  Sunglasses and Beano.  No one will claim responsibility.

Next stop: Boissevain, Manatoba to see the wildlife museum.  The ladies breezed through fairly fast. The men were pretty impressed with all the animals on display, stuffed, that is. Actually, I was impressed too.  A buffalo is pretty intimidating close-up, even a dead one.  They had a polar bear or two, an elk, and many, many more wildlife specimens placed with the scenery appropriate to their habitat.

Then it was off to the International Peace Garden on the border separating Canada and the United States.  The gardens straddle the border with half in one country and half on the other.  The boundaries between these two countries is the largest unfortified border in the world.    At almost 2400 acres, the botanical gardens are dedicated to world peace with the board which oversees the non-profit effort comprised equally of US and Canadian citizens.

We saw a memorial from the Trade Towers,  pieces of steel beams that were shredded apart like cardboard.  Sobering to say the least.

 

The four peace towers are 120 feet high.  The number of towers is symbolic of the four corners of the earth coming together and the height signifies the soaring ambitions of immigrants to the two countries. 

We gathered in the Peace Chapel and someone started singing How Great Thou Art.  Shirl spontaneously began directing and with the great acoustics in the room, our effort was not half-bad.  Four part harmony and enthusiasm mixed with some inspiration.  Our tour guide said she had goose bumps.  She wasn't the only one.

We crossed the boarder back into the states with minimal hassle.  We did all have to get off the bus and file past the stern looking guards who scanned our passports as though their lives depended on it.  Then we filed into a garage-type building and waited a few minutes while they checked out the inside of the bus.  Then we were allowed to leave.  I'm glad they guard the boarders, but really?  I'll admit I'm all for profiling. And we don't fit the profile.  Unless they're looking for a bunch of over-fed (me) seniors packing cameras with zealous fervor.

I spent the rest of our journey to the hotel at the back of the bus.  Sometimes there's a party back there.  Sometimes it's serious talk.  Always it's a good time. 

Our hotel is in Devil's Lake, ND and it's a nice one.  And clean. And there are plenty of wall outlets, in easy-to-reach places. We walked to a nearby restaurant that was basically empty until a bunch of us showed up.  It was surprisingly good food, served hot and fast.  And cheap.  Well, at least compared to the meals north of the border.  It's good to be back in the motherland.

Day Eleven

Warmth and sunshine greeted us as we continued eastward across the prairies after breakfast at our hotel in Medicine Hat.  Aden Miller gave the meditation this morning, encouraging us to remember we should reflect our spiritual parentage, just as our genetics reflect our earthly heritage.   

What followed was almost two hours of singing by anyone on the bus willing to make a joyful noise.  Someone looked at the sky and saw a cross.  It might have been clouds, it might have been air streams.  Either way it was inspiring.

The occasional farmhouses, surrounded by a few trees, were separated from each other by miles of wheat fields, stretching from horizon to horizon, broken only by the dark ribbon of roadway upon which we traveled.  We passed mammoth grain silos and, every once in a while, herds of cows dotted the countryside like black dots on a green canvas.

We stopped in Swift Current for lunch and shopping at Walmart. Paul and I made believers out of everyone on the bus regarding the superiority of Cadbury’s Canadian offerings so we cleaned out several of the store’s candy bar selections. 

Next stop:  Moose Jaw.  Debate as to where the name originated yielded few believable answers.  Was an actual moose jaw involved or was it a very homely man with an enlarged mandible?  Tom read a brochure he found which said there are several official theories.  One is that it may come from a Cree word I can neither pronounce nor spell that essentially means “warm place by the river.”  Another says it’s from the Cree words moose gaw which mean warm breezes.  Still another says the shape of the Moose Jaw river as it runs through the town is in the shape of, you guessed it, a moose jaw.

The town has little claim to fame other than the beautiful murals scattered around on the otherwise, nondescript and architecturally-challenged buildings.  There are around forty quite beautiful paintings all depicting notable events in the area’s history.

We made an early stop tonight so I’m sure the evening will be filled with socializing, eating, games, eating, walking around town, eating and maybe even some eating.  We are staying in Regina, Saskatchewan.  It’s not pronounced the way you might think.  The “i” is long.  Not kidding.