Rail and Road Trip II

Updated 16 April

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

-J.R.R TOLKIEN THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING

I once told the tale, in my vague stumbling way about traveling west along the highways of the USA from North Dakota to California to visit my little girl, and now, almost 17 years later, like the late great Johnny Cash, singing someone else's' song, ‘it seems that I have indeed been everywhere:

I was totin' my pack along the dusty Winnemucca road,

When along came a semi with a high and canvas-covered load.

"If you're goin' to Winnemucca, Mack, with me you can ride."

And so I climbed into the cab and then I settled down inside.

He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand.

And I said, "Listen, I've traveled every road in this here land!"

I've been everywhere, man.

I've been everywhere, man.

Crossed the desert's bare, man.

I've breathed the mountain air, man.

Of travel I've a-had my share, man.

I've been everywhere.

I've been to

Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota,

Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota,

Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma,

Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma,

Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo,

Tocopilla, Barranquilla, and Padilla, I'm a killer.

I've been everywhere, man.

I've been everywhere, man.

Crossed the desert's bare, man.

I've breathed the mountain air, man.

Of travel I've a-had my share, man.

I've been everywhere.

I've been to

Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana,

Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana,

Monterey, Faraday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa,

Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa,

Tennessee to Hennessey, Chicopee, Spirit Lake,

Grand Lake, Devil's Lake, Crater Lake, for Pete's sake.

I've been everywhere, man.

I've been everywhere, man.

Crossed the desert's bare, man.

I've breathed the mountain air, man.

Of travel I've a-had my share, man.

I've been everywhere.

I've been to

Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika,

Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica,

Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport,

Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport,

Idaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina,

Pasadena, Catalina, see what I mean-a.

I've been everywhere, man.

I've been everywhere, man.

Crossed the desert's bare, man.

I've breathed the mountain air, man.

Of travel I've a-had my share, man.

I've been everywhere.

I've been to

Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelbourg, Colorado,

Ellensburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, El Dorado,

Larimore, Admore, Haverstraw, Chatanika,

Chaska, Nebraska, Alaska, Opelika,

Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City,

Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, what a pity.

I've been everywhere, man.

I've been everywhere, man.

Crossed the desert's bare, man.

I've breathed the mountain air, man.

Of travel I've a-had my share, man.

I've been everywhere.

I've been everywhere.

---------------------------ONE---------------------------------------------------

I had not been on a serious vacation since I retired from the military in 2011, and my wishes to wander were keeping me contemplating what was down the road, and fearing the road less traveled was going somewhere that I needed to be. I was feeling landlocked on the same patch of dirt, or actually, a second floor walk up apartment in my hometown of Rumford, Maine, where after knocking around parts of the world, and our great country, my roots seem to have embedded me.

Roots, giant sized roots embedded in the granite and rock of Maine soil are hard to pull and sometimes resist many attempts with the power and reality of bad luck that comes from decisions based on the faith that ‘life is okay,’ or ‘life will get better.’

Remember when you were a kid? I have asked it before and I am sure I will ask it again, especially as those days slip further and further into the rearview mirror. Although my last travel log held a rearview mirror that was attached to a brand new Dodge Stratus and today belongs to a 1996 Dodge minivan, I pose the question along with; “did you want to travel, and if you did, where did you want to go?” I don’t remember hungering for any specific destination, or great adventure when I was a kid. Maybe dreams were too big and unattainable when I was a child so I just had to stay content and ignorant about the world at large. Thankfully the military sent me here and there, around the U.S., and world, and being stationed in the middle of the country, I flew and drove many miles across the continent, but it had been a few years since I put many miles of asphalt under my wheels and in fact, had my daughter not moved to Milwaukee from southern california, and demanded my tangible presence in her adult life, I may have sunk deeper into the comfort of my well worn futon and day-to-day existence. Having reached the age of twenty-one and recently moved from her childhood home in the high hills of southern California to Wisconsin, in what was a rather eventful journey in and of itself, my daughter invited me for a visit to check out her new environment. Logistics and planning, normally overplanning have always been my forte, and after having criss-crossed the country many times in automobiles and on airplanes, I had no great desire to drive or fly, so I sent Emily the money and left it up to her to secure my tickets and mode of conveyance. I was going to wander half-way across the width of this continent on the back of the big gray dog. Yes, Greyhound Bus departure from the station on Congress Street in Portland, Maine, and arrival at the mammoth downtown station in Chicago, Illinois. ----------------------------------------------TWO------------------------------- As with everything else in my life that I seriously want to learn right, I have developed what to me is a “sure fire way not to forget anything while I am packing; checklist! About two weeks from my planned departure date, I began serious vacation planning. I googled the expected weather for Milwaukee, then I googled, “packing for a summer vacation,” and created a splendid word document with such headings and required items as: Pack For Summer:, Temps:, Trip duration: Events:, 2 pair jeans, 2 pair khaki, 1 dress pants ...etc, the list always seem to go on and on, but this time I packed all two plus weeks of life into a green military issue “A Bag,” and a backpack/computer bag/camera bag and got ready to sally forth. The overfilled “military luggage” bag full of shorts, socks, and underwear, seemed to somehow be missing a shaving kit, but I didn’t need to worry about tanks of gas, four bald tires, travel maps and thermoses full of rugged black coffee. I also had 200 bucks cash, folded into my worn wallet with a beat up ATM card. ----------------------------------------------THREE------------------------------- Bus tickets in hand, or in my case, both on my phone and with a printed out version from the Rumford Public Library’s computer, stuffed in my new backpack, I started my journey by heading to my friends’ house to have them drive me to the bus terminal. It was only about a 10 mile drive to Rumford Center from my apartment in-town, Rumford and I knew the coffee would be hot, and we would have some time to relax and chat before we drove 80 miles to the Bus Depot in Portland, Maine. Pulling my backpack out of my van, I broke one of the shoulder straps, which I would not be able to repair until the vacation was over, so that was a minor inconvenience, but no matter now, I was ready to embark upon an adventure! After cups of coffee, we decided that we would drive down to the Greyhound depot in Portland in my van, so my friends’ Alfred and Kristi would have the van to drive while I was gone, in lieu of their pickup truck that needed a little maintenance. I had to load my overstuffed bags back into the van. I decided since they were going to keep the van, and Alfred, having been a truck driver down in southern Maine in and around the busier parts of Portland would drive there. “Pick Greyhound, and when you can always leave the driving to someone else” would be a great motto. It was a quick ride down the interstate on a bright sunny July morning, and soon enough I was dropped off at the station. I had never ridden on a Greyhound or any other large bus, except for one time in the military when my squadron chartered a bus between Albuquece and Rosewell, New Mexico. I went inside the terminal to check in and wait the 45 or so minutes for the scheduled bus departure time. The less than cheery driver looked at my ticket and pointed to the open luggage bin, and I stowed my burden and entered the shiny new motorcoach’s door, already seeing a better than anticipated mode of transport. I chose a vacant seat about ¾ of the way down the aisle from the front, which did not have anyone else in it, with only one person in front of me and no one in the row behind. Having entered the well air conditioned bus, and finding the seats comfortable and spacious, I assumed the 26-hour ride would be smooth sailing and I would nap and snack my way across the eastern half of the country in joy, but that was until I found out that there would be approximately 26 stops on the way, from picturesque small town kiosks to grimy and scary inner city hovels. As a sample, the first stop was about 30 miles in Wells, Maine. We took Congress Street to Maine-22 West and Portland Road to US-202 West, then got on I-295 South, which quickly took us to I-95 South and Exit 19 into Wells. Soon we were rolling, however improbable back along US-202 West, where we took Washington St to NH-9 W, to US-202 W and US-20 W to NY-5 W to Howard St in Hanover, New Hampshire. I struck up a conversation with the young gentleman in the seat in front of me. Derrek was an Army veteran who had a few issues while in uniform and was now a civilian. He was originally from Minnesota, but had tried his luck on the east coast, and was now headed back to his home state. Knowing he was a little anxious about the trip, I ended up helping him find different check in places and bus numbers through our journey, because as it turned out we were on the same routes from the time I boarded in Portland, until I disembarked in Chicago. Somehow in the 125 or so miles from Hanover, New Hampshire to Boston, Massachusetts, we ran into and were slowed and stopped by every kind of traffic delay conceivable, and ended up being two hours behind schedule pulling into the station, which was evident by every kind of complaint imaginable by my fellow passengers, but my schedule was not affected, and I knew I would be on time into Chicago, which was still many, many hours and miles away. Somewhere in between New Hampshire and Boston, Derrek and I became seatmates as the bus had gained more passengers and neither of us wanted to sit next to a complete stranger, as sometimes traveling by bus can attract unsavory types. Another jaunt had our faithful diesel follow NY-5 West and Pennsylvania 5 West, which shall be noted is also East Lake Road back onto US-20 West with a short stop in West Springfield. Our next road adventure had us take Elm Street and Garden Streets, (though I saw neither trees nor gardens) to US-5 South and Riverdale Street, known for the lack of a river and onto Interstate 91 S and Connecticut 15 South and West 56th Street, often at a walking or slower pace in Manhattan, New York., then we took 11th Avenue and West 38th Street to 8th Avenue and stopped at the huge Port Authority of New York City. The young lady who sat in the seat across the aisle from us was born and raised in New York, though she regularly took the bus or train between NYC and Boston to work. She gave us a “windshield” tour of the city as we inched through traffic and pointed out some very beautiful buildings and places, as well as giving us detailed instructions on how to get to The Freedom Tower at One World Trade Center, though with our arrival and departure so close together, we did not have time to do any sightseeing. Further along down the trail, we took Ohio 7 South and US-6 W to OH-528 South and a brief stop in Montville, Ohio. What happens in these small towns. People wander off the bus to smoke and stretch their legs, depending on the duration of the stop. Some passengers retrieve their luggage from under the bus and head into the station, and a handful of new travelers board the transport. One or two souls decided to use the bathroom, which I was delighted to discover was far cleaner and more pleasant to use than the one on the train that I returned home on. The next leg of our journey had us continuing on Ohio-528 South to OH-303 West and then back onto US-20 West in Wakeman Township, which if I remember correctly was a stop at an all night convenience store, which had a Krispy Kreme donut shelf, where I filled up on the first food that was not in my snack bag, and bought my first coffee of the trip, which necessitated checking out the rolling potty more than once before the next stop. After the 45 minute rest in Wakeman, Ohio, we resumed driving on US-20 West then OH-113 West and US-6 West to West Melton Rd to East 47th Street in Chicago. We then took the 47th Street exit from South Lake Shore Drive onto South Lake Park Ave, South Indiana Ave and South Michigan Avenue and onto South Federal Street, where the mammoth greyhound bus station was my final stop, after what seemed like a million miles glued to a bus seat. Unlike air travel, where you depart the aircraft, and wander through various gates, then find a sign that directs you where to (hopefully) retrieve your luggage, a gentleman in a Greyhound uniform opened the baggage bins on the side of the bus where I had stowed my green duffle, when I boarded this particular motor coach, and there it was! Tired, but glad to have finally reached the final stop on the first part of this odyssey I carried and dragged my bag up the staircase and into the bus terminal, where to my relief, my daughter Emily was waiting for me. Thankfully, she had found a close parking spot, which is not the norm in a city the size of Chicago. After a short discussion while walking to her car, we decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings to eat, and discuss what we were doing for the remainder of the afternoon and evening, since it was around 2 pm, on a warm summer day. Emily punched in the directions to the nearest restaurant, then gave me the first of many great surprises. “Dad, I made you a playlist!” As musical tastes often differ, even though I listen to many genres of music, both popular and not, I was not sure what the music would be, but the first song was a country “golden oldie,” called “Saginaw, Michigan,” by Lefty Frizell, one I had often heard when I listened to the radio with my mom. I had often played it while road tripping with Emily, years before. From there, the drive to BWW, and proceeding to her apartment in Milwaukee was full of songs and memories I had shared in my childhood, and her childhood too. We arrived at the restaurant and found that it is far easier to park in a parking garage than to try to find a place on the street. I do not remember much about dinner, besides a friendly smiling waitress and the eatery not being too busy, because the rigors of riding for so long on a bus and sleeping so little were catching up to me in a hurry. We decided we would postpone sightseeing in the city of Chicago for another time and just head for my daughter’s apartment in Milwaukee. However, after 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get the machine to take our parking ticket, and exit gate to work, an attendant told me I had to go back to the restaurant to get the ticket validated, so back out of the garage and around the corner I went. The hostess confirmed the coupon electronically and we proceeded up the highway toward Wisconsin. ----------------------------------------------FOUR------------------------------- Both Emily and I had hand-written itineraries of things we wanted to experience and share during my brief vacation, and though we didn’t hit everything on both lists, we did do a lot of family and touristy things that were mostly fun experiences. I am not one hundred percent sure of the sequence, or what we actually did on any given day, but the first thing we decided to check out was Bastille Days at Cathedral Square Park in Milwaukee; embracing our French heritage. The 2019 theme was "Milwaukee Mon Amour.” It was the 38th year in a row the celebration had been hosted in the city. We got to the park around 9:30 am, before everything was opened, and walked around to see what kind of foods were offered and what the different vendors and booths offered. During the day we saw performances by Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, which reminded me of an amped up Louisiana Zydeco band, and later, “Ceux Qui Marchent Debout.” At lunch time, we went to a mini “Cafe Du Monde,” where I got benets and a hot cup of chicory coffee, after a mid morning snack of a sugary cinnamon doughnut. Emily, not being as partial to bitter drinks and sweet, messy baked goods opted for a slice of pizza. We shopped in the various kiosks, and talked to amazing people from many french speaking locations around the United States and the world. Emily bought me a serenity prayer wall hanging that is in my bedroom here in Maine now. ----------------------------------------------FIVE------------------------------- As will probably be discovered, many of the places Emily and I visited during my trip will be somewhat ‘nerdy,’ and maybe a bit boring for most, but, since I am a museum and history lover, and bestowed a love of learning and stories on her, we have many dovetailing interests. One of our early visits brought us to the Milwaukee Public Museum, where I was like a child in a candy store. The museum atrium has the amazing Hebior Mammoth overhead, which is astounding and indescribable. The beautiful hall of shells was just one part of the awesome Living Ocean exhibit. We saw many cool things in the public floors of the museum, though I wonder at all of the magic hidden in areas available only to museum staff and curators. One of my favorite sections of the Museum's is the different exhibits and displays depicting life and sections of Africa, Asia, Europe, the Arctic, South and Middle America, the Pacific Islands and a Costa Rican Rainforest, where the animals and displays, along with the sights and sounds seem real! Emily, my camera and I wandered through authentic depictions of turn-of-the-century Streets of “Old Milwaukee” and European Villages and through dioramas of ancient Mediterranean civilizations. The History Department of the museum overdid themselves (in my mind) with their European-American history displays and technology collections and their emphasis on midwest and Milwaukee history and culture really helped me to envision and understand a part of this country that I did not know as much about. The museum has a huge display of American military history, which added to my already vast stores of ‘gee wiz’ information. As with many museums I have visited, The Milwaukee Public Museum has a large combined display of American decorative art and American textile history, mostly dedicated to Wisconsin and the local area. I was so impressed with the Hebior Mammoth that I conned Emily into going to The Third Planet exhibit to see the world's largest-known dinosaur skull and a life-sized replica of Tyrannosaurus Rex. In turn, I joined her in a stroll amid the free-flying butterflies from around the world in The Puelicher Butterfly Wing before we went along our way. ----------------------------------------------SIX------------------------------- Though I have been to many museums both here in the United States and at various points I have visited around the globe, The Harley Davidson Museum on Lake Michigan is my favorite thus far. I am not a Harley rider, or even a “Motorcycle Guy,” but I honestly believe that a walk through the museum is a walk through the motorized history of America in the 20th century and beyond. No where else is there as huge of a collection of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and memorabilia, from the first bike that was built, to several that have been in major movies. It was an astounding sight to see hundreds of beautiful ‘fresh from the assembly line motorcycles, from the initial run, through the 2019 models, in many different configurations. We saw some pretty amazing stories of people, history, and the Harley-Davidson culture and even got to go down to the basement and look at, but not touch archives, and motorcycles being readied for display. The museum building is situated on a big park-like campus, with huge parking lots so you don’t have to drive and walk forever to get in. On the day we visited, there were races outside in one of the side lots which we could watch for free, in between walks on the tree lined paths on the Milwaukee riverfront, where we could check out the city skyline. Emily was pretty much a whizz at listening to different engine sounds on a headset and guessing what motor/engine they belonged to, while I was pretty good at “loud,” “louder,” and “too loud.” Right down the hall from that was the “Try a Bike Experience Gallery,” where we sat on different models from brand new to vintage and took touristy pictures while I complained about having short arms and legs. Emily and I also wandered into the Harley-Davidson Museum Shop, so she could look for a gift for her mom and step dad, who do ride. While she asked questions and looked at various sizes in a serious attempt to spend money, I looked at the price tags and wondered why people would pay such large sums for memorabilia! It was an amazing adventure, and I would return to Milwaukee just to hear the roar of engines, and see the glistening chrome and paint again! ----------------------------------------------SEVEN------------------------------- Being a Christian, I have certain beliefs that my daughter does not share, but one thing we do share is a love for all, so we went to church twice. It was not a church that I would have picked on my own, but I was willing to go with her to both Sunday worship at the Zao MKE Church, and an event called Holy Spirits At The Bar, a rather informal group discussion at a local art club and bar. Here are a few things from Zao MKE’s page: We root our community in the life, person, and teaching of Jesus Christ as represented by the Christian Bible: a radical brown Palestinian peasant, the God who is with us, preaching love, justice, and resistance. We look to Jesus to speak truth into our present circumstances through both the historical context of the bible and the universal truths of Jesus’ teaching. The Gospel of Jesus Christ leads us directly into the work of justice – the active and engaged struggle for all to be free, both spiritually and physically. We stand with Jesus, who always stands with the oppressed and marginalized, against those powers and principalities of injustice. The call for justice issued by the gospel of Jesus Christ is for the purpose of reconciling all things into wholeness with God. To that end, we seek to build a radically inclusive community and world, wherein all people are valued in the fullness of who God has made them to be – affirmed, celebrated, and loved. We explicitly affirm the life, value, and worth of LGBTQIA people, and the Movement for Black Lives. So, though they did not use ‘my favorite version of The Holy Bible, the King James Version, and though they were not the diehard Baptists I was used to worshipping with, I used my love of Jesus, and tried to use His examples to love all the worshippers, instead of trying to be a better Chrsitian by showing why I was different than all of them, because that is what my daughter does, and that is what my Jesus does. Love all! ----------------------------------------------EIGHT------------------------------- After church on Sunday we hustled across town to be in time for the Coffee Geek Tour at Stone Creek Coffee. Let me say, I love black coffee, pretty strong, undiluted or polluted by milk, cream, creamer, sugar, or any other kind of sweetener, and a nice big donut, although many of the places I love have changed their recipes, prices, and portion sizes, I do not mind trying a new (to me) place now and then, which led to me drinking two huge as could be hot strong coffee at a Starbucks in Honolulu Airport while waiting for Emily on a vacation we shared in 2011, but back to the present! On the first full day of my vacation, Emily and I stopped at Stone Creek Coffee there in Milwaukee and since the atmosphere and baristas were amazing, we decided to sign up for the tour. From the initial greeting of the intelligent young man who was very gifted at both history and ‘official script,’ and storytelling and joking, to the end, we were very impressed with the presentation. We learned about Stone Creek’s history, the Farm-to-Cup coffee journey, and how the coffee beans were grown,including soils, and seasons, bean selection, and how the farmers were paid. Some of the behind-the-scenes looks we got were from the different kinds of huge bags of beans in the basement to watching the roasting process, to the cafe where different kinds of foods offered for sale were created and baked, all the way to a ‘science lab,’ where new products, including beverages were made. Emily and I were pretty thoroughly educated, and had a fun time. Stone Creek Coffee is definitely a place I would go back to for more coffee, but also would work if I lived nearby! ----------------------------------------------NINE------------------------------- Having driven and walked by a beautiful brick three story building, looking a little out of place, set back on a beautiful green lawn with plenty of space amid a few high rises and Lucy stores in the middle of Milwaukee, I was curious about a mansion, and having read the historical marker, Emily and I took an afternoon to photograph and visit the Captain Frederick and Maria Pabst Mansion. Not being much of a drinker, or man who encourages indulgence and over indulgence in others, I am always a fan of history, americana, and architecture, so this was another fun way to feed my inner nerd! The tour started and ended in the museum gift shop, but I was a little worried about the portability of the various nicknacks offered, and the extra space in my luggage, so the only souvenirs I have from the museum are a large amount of digital images captured on my old road warrior Canon. I did soak up some amazing facts, such as construction of this museum on Grand Avenue lasted for two years and was completed in July of 1892 at a cost of just over $254,000, which included the house, furnishings and artwork. Captain and Mrs. Pabst were big art collectors, filling their mansion with priceless treasures. During the years of the Pabst family’s ownership, the house was the scene of huge parties, a family wedding and both Captain and Mrs. Pabst’s funerals. The Pabsts’ children sold the house in 1908 to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee who owned it until 1975, selling it to a hotel that was going to tear it down to make room for a parking lot, however, a three-year crusade began and it was spared demolition. The Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 1975, and much renovation and work to return it to its original glory was and is ongoing. The museum was opened to the public in 1978. We drank no beer, and although the Mansion was the home of a family founded on the blue ribbon of American beers, the tour was mostly about showing an elegant structure with some very innovative structural designs, many beautiful rooms and artistic features that are only found in a 128 year old rich families' home. ----------------------------------------------TEN------------------------------- One Wednesday evening, Emily and I went to Cathedral Park to see a Blues Concert by the band, “Leroy Airmaster,” which was a lively and vibrant combo that is well known in the music scene in southern Wisconsin. Though they covered some classic blues, they also did a ton of their own music. I bought a CD of Steve Cohen, the singer and harmonica player’s songs called “Looking Back.” Some other band members are Bill Stone on guitar, Marc Wilson on drums, and Dave Kasik on bass. The band played some of their originals songs, as well as classic blues by artists like Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, B.B. King, Freddie King, Jimmy Reed, and many others. They also play a few rocking songs by Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Professor Longhair. The jazzy blues feel was amazing on a warm evening, and Emily and I lay on the grass and relaxed, while the sun painted the glass skyscrapers across the river in brilliant colors. Another fun and amazing outing! ----------------------------------------------ELEVEN----------------------------- ----------------------------------------------ELEVEN------------------------------- Of all the places in and around Milwaukee that I had on my “to-do and see list,” the one that I knew would mean the most to me, and maybe take the most emotional toll was The War Memorial Center. Wisconsin’s memorial to all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Services. Their mission is to: “Honor the Dead. Serve the Living.” The War Memorial Center, which was dedicated on Memorial Day 1957 was designed by the Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, whose work also included the St. Louis Gateway Arch, New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. Saarinen’s design and the memorials throughout the facility stand as a lasting testament to those who lost their lives defending the freedoms that we all cherish. In addition to paying tribute to all the brave Americans who have given their lives to this great country The War Memorial Center honors the 3,481 men and women from Milwaukee County who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. An eternal flame illuminates a black-granite Honor Roll listing Milwaukee County’s 3,481 war dead since World War II, the wars in Korean and Vietnam and those related to the Global War on Terrorism. The black-granite ring in the center of Veterans Courtyard represents the never-ending commitment of our men and women in the military. The Ring of Honor lists all the Department of Defense-recognized conflicts American troops have fought in since World War I. As a tribute to the servicemen and women who have been awarded this honor, a committee was formed in 2007 with the goal of erecting a Purple Heart Memorial on the grounds of the War Memorial Center. Privately funded by the Runzheimer Foundation, the Operation Iraqi Freedom Monument is dedicated to the Marines of Fox Company, who were killed in action during the Iraq War. The most amazing statue of Abraham Lincoln I have ever seen is on the West side of the War Memorial Center. It was dedicated in 1934.This 10’6″ bronze statue was sculpted by American artist Gaetano Cecere and he was paid to do the work with pennies collected by area school children. For me, the most striking and heart rending part of the entire WMC was The 9/11 Memorial. September 11, 1991, is my Pearl Harbor, and I will always think of those lost and my brothers in arms. The WMC 9/11 Memorial features a World Trade Center I-beam recovered from Ground Zero. The 1,566 pound artifact will always remain a reminder of that tragic day. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that killed 2,996 people and wounded many more bodies, hearts, and minds. I am very thankful for Emily, being the daughter, stepdaughter, niece and grand child of veteran’s, who understands our need to commemorate our heroes, no matter the political ideology and reasons for wars and conflicts. ---------------------------------------------TWELVE------------------------------- One afternoon, after visiting the Mitchell Domes with Emily, I sent my “foster family,” Brian and Diane Mitchell a postcard that said, “here is a place with your name all over it.” The Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, also known as “The Domes” is located at the pretty Mitchell Park in Milwaukee, overlooking the Milwaukee River. The three domes display a huge and amazing variety of plant life; a desert oasis, a tropical jungle and floral gardens. Our first stop in The Domes, after a cool courtyard with some fun sculptures and a huge human sundial was the floral dome, which seemed the most teeming with life, probably owing to all the brilliant and lively flower types and displays and many small pools and mini waterfalls. I assume the many hours I have spent at the flower shop here in my hometown, and my trip to Hawaii in 2011 helped me identify many kinds of flowers. In the next dome, Emily and I saw and discovered many cacti, succulents, shrubs and desert palms. She was familiar with quite a few more of the plants than I was, due to her living in the high desert of Southern California for most of her life. Emily also collected a few samples of hot peppers while I chased the resident pigeons around the paths. The available literature and brochures indicated that there were over 1,200 species of tropical plants, including chocolate, banana and vanilla plants in the third and final section we visited, the tropical dome, but I quickly lost count. I was however favorably impressed by the huge coy pond in the middle of the displays, and overall workmanship that it took to make a jungle experience in this dome versus the other two. ---------------------------------------------THIRTEEN------------------------------- Found on a listing of things to do in Milwaukee in July of 2019, the item “riverwalk” to me seemed pretty mundane, maybe a little section of the river was prettied up and I could say, “yes I did the riverwalk,” much like I did in San Antonio, Texas almost 30 years ago when I was cut loose for a day from Air Force boot came. The Milwaukee River Walk is twenty blocks long according to the Visit Milwaukee website, which in my country speak means, “pretty far, but not forever.” Because of construction and closed parking areas, Emily and I had to park a short distance away from the actual riverwalk, and wander on foot, but one of the things I immediately noticed was a statue of a duck, part of an outdoor art gallery called RiverSculpture that follows along the river. The 20 or so Sculptures range from small works such as Gertie, and a few other ducks, to large, eye catching abstract works, representing national, regional, and local artists. Along the walk we saw but didn’t visit quite a few galleries and art studios, including the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, which has sculptures and bright painting on its facade. Part, or most of my reason for wanting to go check out the Riverwalk and number one on my list of places and things I really wanted to see in Milwaukee was the Bronze Fonz, a depiction of actor Henry Winkler as he appeared in his role as Arthur ”Fonzie” Fonzarelli from the 1970’s television show Happy Days, The statue is just south of Wells Street, behind closed Chinese restaurant. The Fonz is wearing a leather jacket and jeans, and gives a two-handed thumbs up gesture, as he often did in Happy Days. Visit Milwaukee, a non-profit group, raised $85,000 to commission the statue. Although Emily and I did classic tourist selfies with the statue, I was pretty under-whelmed by the visit. I did not know that Henry Winkler is only 5’6” tall, assuming he must be nearly as big as The Fonz seemed on television, so on a small pedestal, his statue was barely taller than Emily and I. Also, the statue is not in a very picturesque part of the riverwalk, suffice it to say that time with Emily made up for me not being 100 percent impressed with meeting Fonzie! ---------------------------------------------FOURTEEN------------------------------- One warm overcast morning we took a two hour drive out of the city to the Waukesha County Fair in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. I would say we got to the fairgrounds a little early, because regular parking was not open, nor were the gates thrown wide. Unbeknownst to Emily and I, we parked in free vendor parking, and because I had to find a restroom rather quickly, we entered through a 4-H area and gained free admittance. The Waukesha is the oldest county fair in Wisconsin, and the largest event in Waukesha County, but before you are in awe that Emily and I scored entrance into such a magnificent edifice, keep in mind the size and nature of said fair, and that I am a little jaded, having made the rounds of agricultural fairs in my home state for a few summers when I was a teenager. I am also partial to ‘my own’ Fryeburg Fair, so I wasn’t overly impressed, but it is not a bad little fair. When we started down the midway we were met by a sky full of dark clouds and sprinkles that rapidly became a downpour! Emily and I walked and looked at a few things until we were soaking wet, then grabbed coffees and ducked into a dining tent where we waited until the deluge was back to sprinkles and showers again. The Waukesha County Fair had many barns with barnyard animals, and tents and exhibition halls with various crafts, foods, and farm displays. Emiy had a great time chatting with some of the 4-H kids and let me take her picture petting cows while I wandered with my camera and snapped away. As with any fair, we also sampled various tasty foods. Our favorite was a recreation of what I call “the great turkey leg incident.” Many years ago, back in 2008 or 2009, my squadron in the Air Force deep fried turkey legs for Northern Neighbors Day, an airshow at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota where we were stationed. Emily, then age 11 or 12 bought a turkey leg almost as big as her head and proceeded to devour it. Now here we were in the wilds of Wisconsin with the same item on the menu at one of the food shacks! Excellent food and a fun trip down memory lane! Though we did not ride on any rides and the sun never really came out, we had an excellent time wandering the midways and looking at different exhibits. ---------------------------------------------FIFTEEN------------------------------- Here in Maine, the month of July 2019 started out with some pretty warm and humid days, but I didn’t really see ‘hot’ weather until I got to Milwaukee. After a couple of days with heat indexes over 100 degrees, which taxed the apartment air conditioner, we decided to flee the city and brave the crowds at Bradford Beach right off North Lincoln Drive, and easy to find, (just aim for the big lake and stop before your car gets wet). It only took Emily and I about a half hour to drive to the beach, but that was mostly due to traffic and finding a parking space, and not distance. Bradford is rated as one of the top urban beaches in the nation, and I think everyone in the city had the same idea of escaping the heat that we did on a sweltering summer day. Although one of the busiest public beaches I have been to in a long time, it was clean, and had great views of the blue waters of Lake Michigan, though I stayed out of the water, after dipping my toes in, because I was pretty sure there were icebergs pretty close by! I ran to the large, concession place to buy food, and noticed they had a huge menu, so I got a cheeseburger, a hotdog, and two waters for myself, and instead of eating at the tables, went back to the sand to bring Emily water and snacks. Though I am not a swimmer, I enjoyed sunbathing, people watching, and a quick splash in the water to cool off. Another successful wander in Milwaukee! ---------------------------------------------SIXTEEN------------------------------- Before Emily and I booked travel tickets or we started planning what to do in Milwaukee, we looked at dates for my vacation. August was the initial plan, so we could celebrate my birthday together, but other things intruded. No big deal, since time together is far more important than the calendar blocks, and I can take or leave gifts, but Emily, being the amazing daughter that she is, bought me a birthday gift and gave it to me about half way through our time together. This particular gift is a gray book, about 5 inches by 8 inches, with gilded embossing, entitled, “The Story of My Life (If A STORY IS IN YOU It has to come out.) Obviously there are many stories in me, slowly coming out onto the pages of this little journal. Some of the stories fly from the tip of my number 2 and fill the lined pages, and some are more reluctant to leave the confines of my mind and body. When I first opened the book, I leafed through it and read some of the prompts, trying to decide what tales I would tell, and how I would lay them out, and skipped around, writing a few pages here and there when a prompt really caught my eye or sparked particular creativity, then I went back to the beginning to tell the tales in a somewhat sequential order. Although this book has a title, it will always be “The Emily Book,” to me, and sometimes, “The Birthday Book.” It is a special gift from a special young lady. ---------------------------------------------SEVENTEEN------------------------------- One mid morning found us wandering and looking for St. John the Baptist Armenian Orthodox Church on West Layton Avenue in Milwaukee, where Emily and I wanted to try Armenian cuisine and learn about the distinctive culture of the small nation. Even though the day was overcast and sprinkles dotted the windshield, the website promised the festival would be held rain or shine and the menu would include chicken and beef kabob, cheese and spinach burek, lahmajoun, humus, tabouleh salad, choreg, vegetarian and meat sarma, baklava and other traditional pastries. Since I knew what about half of those foods were and was hungry, I couldn’t wait for a big helping, washed down with Armenian wine. My inner nerd promised to be fed by a cultural booth selling books and artifacts relating to Armenia, a nation that already existed at the time of the Mesopotamians and that has outlasted many of its larger neighbors. We did not receive the warm welcome Armenians are noted for, but neutral to hostile glances from the time we first pulled into the parking lot, so Emily and I drove two blocks, where I was introduced to Kopp’s Frozen Custard. “Kopp’s Frozen Custard,” was the name of the large bustling restaurant, and as I was to find out after dining on a colossal double cheeseburger and fries, I barely had space for the custard flavor of the day, which was black raspberry. We joined a long queue to order and brought our lunch to the outdoor dining area, which was a small, shaded alcove with two man made waterfalls, an oasis of tasty picnicking, in the middle of the city. Two blocks the other way from the St. John’s Church and cancelled Armenian excursion was a medium sized shopping mall where Emily spent the afternoon trying various types of makeup and doing a little browsing and window shopping. On the way back to Emily’s apartment we stopped at another strip mall, and found a large new and used book store, which was far more interesting to me than makeup displays. However, after seeing around 20 authors and titles that I was familiar with, I decided not to purchase any because I feared I would spend the rest of my rapidly dwindling vacation days sequestered in the guest room reading and ignoring Emily and the greater Milwaukee area, and further load my stressed luggage with extra weight. ---------------------------------------------EIGHTEEN------------------------------- It is always an amazing thing to me, since I believe I could and should have been a far better dad, when my daughter does truly selfless things, and even more so when these things are just for my benefit. Though I claim not to be an ‘airplane guy,’ and oftentimes say that I wish many of the old US military planes would just retire and fade away, airplanes will always have a special place in my heart and mind. One day, Emily said, “We don’t always have to stick to a schedule of events while you are here, but we have to go to EAA on the 25th!” Well, sometimes you ask questions, and sometimes you just play along. I had no idea what EAA was, so I said, “That sounds great,” then I jumped on my laptop… “For 51 weeks a year, EAA is an international community of more than 200,000 members that nurtures the spirit of flight through a worldwide network of chapters, outreach programs, and other events. But for one week each summer, EAA members and aviation enthusiasts totaling more than 500,000 from 80 countries attend EAA AirVenture at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where they rekindle friendships and celebrate the past, present, and future in the world of flight. The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration has it all when it comes to aircraft. Warbirds. Vintage. Homebuilts. Ultralights. Some you would normally find in a hangar at your local airport, others so unique they are the only one of their kind. You name it, there's likely an example of it at Oshkosh. For many, arriving at Oshkosh is a rite of passage that can only be satisfied by being one of the more than 10,000 aircraft flying in, landing at what becomes the busiest airport in the world. Whether you're an aviation enthusiast or an aviation novice, AirVenture has something for you. No matter what your age, you'll be entertained, informed, and thrilled by the countless activities available that reflect "The Spirit of Aviation" all around. Daily air shows. Aerobatics and pyrotechnics. Feature films at the Fly-In Theater. Forums, workshops, and demonstrations. KidVenture. Special programming at Theater in the Woods. All of this, plus much, much more is included with your daily admission. Add in the crowd-thrilling, show-stopping Night Air Show on Wednesday and Saturday night, and you have affordable fun for the entire family every day from sunup to well past sundown. There is uniqueness to each AirVenture that keeps lifelong attendees coming back for more. You need to experience it to understand.” 2019 Statistics: Attendance: 642,000. 6.8 percent above 2018’s record total Total aircraft: More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, there were 16,807 aircraft operations in the 11-day period from July 19-29,which is an average of approximately 127 takeoffs/landings per hour. Total showplanes: 2,758 including 1,057 homebuilt aircraft (including a record 592 homebuilt aircraft campsites), 939 vintage airplanes, 400 warbirds (6 percent increase), 188 ultralights and light-sport aircraft, 105 seaplanes (40 percent increase), 62 aerobatic aircraft, and 7 in other categories. To add to the magic of airplanes was another of my favorite things, a live outdoor band! Emily and I had not been to an outdoor rock concert since “The Plain White T’s’ at Pearl Harbor, on the Fourth of July, 2011. I must confess that I am not really up on the music scene, and I assume that music a 22 year old female likes may not be my thing, but the opening band, Animal Years, out of New York were pretty amazing, but nothing like, The Fray, a band that was pretty hugely popular a few years ago, but really rocked the place that evening! ---------------------------------------------NINETEEN------------------------------- What do you do when you love coffee and your daughter does too? You drink coffee at home, and you drink coffee whenever you roam! But instead of turning this narrative into a silly poem, let me tell you about one of the best places we stopped while we were wandering through the city of Milwaukee; the Stone Creek Coffee Factory Cafe on 5th Street. I don’t consider myself much of a coffee connoisseur and certainly not a coffee snob, so I can get as much enjoyment out of a $1.99 container of hot brew as I can for an $8.00 cup as long as it is strong and black. I can take or leave the coffee culture as much as I can forego cream and sugar. Give me caffeine, and sometimes a tasty little snack; that is all my coffee experience requires, most of the time… In three weeks, we drove the seven minutes (with traffic) to the coffee shop three times including one morning’s rush from church service in time to get an amazing indepth ‘full bean tour’ of the factory and coffee making process from bean to brew. The Factory Cafe is located inside of the Stone Creek Coffee headquarters, which is also home to the production facility, corporate offices and Stone Creek Bakery. The Factory also houses the barista training center and coffee quality lab. In addition to training they also offer a series of public classes and the tour tour we took to learn even more about the intricacies of coffee. ---------------------------------------------TWENTY------------------------------- Where do you go to eat in a city of 150 restaurants? You go to the St. Paul’s Fish Market thrice! At St. Paul Fish Company they say it’s all about the fish, and since I took people at their word the first time we visited that it is one of the best places in Milwaukee to eat, and they proved correct, I also have to believe this assertion, although I didn’t get many fish plates. In no particular order, with Emily for an amazing dinner date, this is what I got on my visits: Catfish Po’Boy, Clam Digger Po’Boy, Blackened Tilapia Po’Boy. Don’t just take my word for it though! Here is what others said about the market: “Pretty fun place!! With some great fresh seafood! Stopped in here for a quick bite after landing for business. It was so good I came back for lunch on my way back!” “I am dreaming of the day we can go back to St. Paul Fish Company and enjoy the lobster, the oysters, the atmosphere!” “Located inside the Milwaukee Public Market, St Paul's deserves recognition on its own. SPFC is the best fish you can find in Milwaukee for a great price!” ---------------------------------------------TWENTY-ONE------------------------------- As any vacation inevitably does, my visit with Emily, and the Milwaukee and Wisconsin areas came to an end, so Emily and I drove to Chicago in the morning, so I could board an afternoon train and head back east. Besides eating, here are some places we did not visit in Chicago: The Marina (State to Dearborn): Here, docking boaters and strollers find a bevy of restaurants, as well as great spots to view the Chicago River. The cove was named for Marina City, which overlooks the Riverwalk. This is the perfect spot to take pics of the “twin corn cobs,” a Chicago architectural icon. The Cove (Dearborn to Clark): Stop for a snack or rent a kayak right along the waterfront. The River Theater (Clark to LaSalle): This tree-shaded urban oasis offers a unique respite for city explorers. The Water Plaza (LaSalle to Wells): This sunny cove is great for families. Adults can relax around a fountain, while the little ones romp in its sprays. The Jetty (Wells to Franklin): See floating wetland gardens, learn all about river ecology — and do a little fishing and bird watching while you’re there. The Boardwalk (Franklin to Lake): The Boardwalk offers stunning views of the Chicago River’s three branches. ---------------------------------------------TWENTY-TWO------------------------------- After Emily and I spent the morning and early afternoon looking at a few sights in Chicago, she dropped me off at the massive Union Station for the start of the 26 or so hour train ride back across the eastern half of the country. Way back before the start of this vacation Emily and I had made a deal that if I sent the money she would book my travel both ways, and I would accept the reservations with no complaints! I assumed riding the rails would be a little more joy and bliss than the bus ride to Chicago had been. But, that was until I found out that there would be approximately 26 stops on the way, from picturesque small town kiosks to grimy and scary inner city hovels. I have been a lifelong railroad fan, I would say for roughly ¼ of my adult years I have had some kind of train collection, or 1:87 scale layout (HO Scale) in various places I have lived, but up until I boarded the Amtrak in Chicago, I had never been on board an actual operating train. Getting booked in and ‘train ready at Union Station on Canal Street was pretty easy, compared to many of my recent airport excursions, so I followed the directions and signs down to the huge waiting area with signs that said, ‘this way to trains.’ I love visits and vacations, but I was glad to take step one towards home, so, while saying a quick prayer for Emily’s return trip to Milwaukee, I carried and dragged my bag over to a mostly empty bench and sat down to wait for boarding calls. Here again, train travel is unlike air travel, where you drop off your bags, get tickets etc, and then go to a boarding area to await loading and departure of the aircraft. After 45 minutes or so, a lady in an Amtrak uniform pointed us toward a line where I shuffled along with my green duffle, only to join another line and trudged along still further and deeper into the bowels of the huge station, and eventually down a long loading platform alongside a multi car gray train. There were no open baggage bins on the side of the railcars, to stow luggage, so I had to horse the beastly thing up the stairs and down the aisles to my seat. So began a long journey from the middle of this great country up and down tracks and through small and large towns back to the east coast. Most of our exit of Chicago seemed pretty slow and it took awhile to get out from what I considered underground, and I really couldn’t tell the difference between railroad tracks and 47th Street or cross ties from South Lake Shore or South Michigan Avenue, but somewhere in there we passed by Wakeman, Ohio, but soon after that we ran into our first mechanical delay ******** Another jaunt had our faithful diesel follow NY-5 West and Pennsylvania 5 West, which shall be noted is also East Lake Road back onto US-20 West with a short stop in West Springfield. The next leg of our journey had us continuing on Ohio-528 South to OH-303 West and then back onto US-20 West in Wakeman Township, which if I remember correctly was a stop at an all night convenience store, which had a Krispy Kreme donut shelf, where I filled up on the first food that was not in my snack bag, and bought my first coffee of the trip, which necessitated checking out the rolling potty more than once before the next stop. Further along down the trail, we took Ohio 7 South and US-6 W to OH-528 South and a brief stop in Montville, Ohio. What happens in these small towns. People wander off the bus to smoke and stretch their legs, depending on the duration of the stop. Some passengers retrieve their luggage from under the bus and head into the station, and a handful of new travelers board the transport. One or two souls decide to use the bathroom, which I was delighted to discover was far cleaner and more pleasant to use than the one on the train that I returned home on. The young lady who sat in the seat across the aisle from us was born and raised in New York, though she regularly took the bus or train between NYC and Boston to work. She gave us a “windshield” tour of the city as we inched through traffic and pointed out some very beautiful buildings and places, as well as giving us detailed instructions on how to get to The Freedom Tower at One World Trade Center, though with our arrival and departure so close together, we did not have time to do any sightseeing. Our next road adventure had us take Elm Street and Garden Streets, (though I saw neither trees nor gardens) to US-5 South and Riverdale Street, known for the lack of a river and onto Interstate 91 S and Connecticut 15 South and West 56th Street, often at a walking or slower pace in Manhattan, New York., then we took 11th Avenue and West 38th Street to 8th Avenue and stopped at the huge Port Authority of New York City. 6:40 PM Union Station Capitol Limited 30 Washington Union Station 9 h 25 min (9 stops) 5:05 AM Pittsburgh Union Station Walk About 1 min 6:35 AM Pittsburgh GreyhoundNew York 5 h 45 min (2 stops) 12:20 PM Philadelphia Bus Station Walk About 2 min 12:31 PM Jefferson Station 12:40 PM Media/Elwyn Line 9343 Media/Elwyn 9 min (2 stops) 1:32 PM Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 30th Street Station Acela Express 2164 Boston South Station 5 h 8 min (7 stops) 6:40 PM Back Bay 6:40 PM Back Bay 145 Dartmouth St, Boston, MA 02116 “Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story.” -J.R.R TOLKIEN THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING ------------------------------------------------------------------ It's been rough and rocky travelin', But I'm finally standin' upright on the ground. After takin' several readings, I'm surprised to find my mind's still fairly sound. ****Lyrics for Ira Hayes Written by Peter LaFarge Recorded by Johnny Cash on 3/5/64 Copyrite. Lyrics for I've Been Everywhere Written by Geoff Mack Recorded by Johnny Cash Copyright 1962. Lyrics for Me and Paul Written by Townes Van Zandt Recorded by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard Copyrite.****