Travels in 2001
I got a slow start with my travels in 2001. I had my mail forwarded to Panama City via Express Mail, and the US Postal Service really let me down by losing it for a couple of weeks. I spent the time in Pensacola, FL and Mobile, AL visiting various attractions. I enjoyed the tour of the USS Alabama, a WWII Battleship 680 ft long with a beam of 108 ft. Her crew earned 12 Battle Stars during WWII. I also visited the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola Naval Air Station. I would highly recommend both places for visits if you are in the area.
I headed west on I-10 and visited Biloxi and visited the Jefferson Davis Library & Museum and Beauvoir, The Jefferson Davis Home where he spent his last years, then continued on to New Orleans. I spent a week in New Orleans touring and enjoying myself. If you get there be sure to stop at the D-Day Museum, also a tour of the city is a lot of fun. I continued west on I-10 and stopped in Houston for a few days. I spent time in the Zoo and at Museums and visited flea markets and antique shops. From there I headed south on I-45, stopping at the Johnson Space Center and then on to Galveston. There is a very nice Aquarium at Moody Gardens that I enjoyed. After a few days I headed back up I-45 to the beltway around Houston and then caught US-59, US-77 and I-35 to Corpus Christi. I checked in to the RV Park at the Naval Air Station for a week and proceeded to take care of camping chores and tour the surrounding area. The Art Museum of South Texas had an awesome display of the works of Texas Artist Louis Jimenez. The USS Lexington is on permanent display at Corpus Christi and I enjoyed the tour. I traveled to Brownsville and then went back to Corpus Christi to pick up my mail and then went on to San Antonio via US-59 to Laredo and then I-35 north.
From San Antonio I headed west on I-35 and when I got to Fort Stockton I took a detour north on US-285 to Carlsbad and Roswell, NM. I then retraced my tracks a bit on US-285 to TX-180 to El Paso. I had had enough of West Texas so I continued on I-10 to Deming, NM stopping a couple of days. The Deming Luna Mimbres Museum located in the old Deming Armory is the best City/County Museum that I have seen in my travels across the country. If you are in the area, make a special trip to visit. It has much local support and a memorial to the soldiers of the 200/515th Anti-aircraft Battalion who were on Bataan when the Japanese captured it. Members of this Battalion were from Deming, NM and many died during the Bataan Death March. I also took a side trip to Silver City, NM and toured the small but excellent museum there.
After having the truck serviced I drove west again on I-10 until exit 302 and took AZ-90 south to Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista, AZ. I stayed there a week to relax and tour the area. I visited Tombstone, it was hot and a big tourist trap and not at all what I had expected. I spent a week in the area and headed back up AZ-90 and then I-10 on February 22nd. I took I-17 north to Phoenix at Casa Grande and then US-60 out to Apache Junction where I got a campsite at the KOA Kampground. I spent the next week or so looking at attractions in the Phoenix area, visiting friends and relaxing. I then headed west again on I-10 turning north at Quartzsite and traveling AZ-95 to Lake Havasu City visiting a cousin there. After a few days I retraced my steps on AZ-95 to US-95 to Yuma and west on I-8 into California.
I spent some time in El Centro at the Naval Air Station and then continued on to San Diego. I headed north on I-15, I-215, then west on CA-138, CA-14, CA-128 and finally got on US-101 north of Los Angeles completely by-passing that great big urban sprawl. As I traveled north along the coast I used CA-1 and US-101 looking at old missions and just sightseeing. If you take this route be sure to stop at the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument and take one or more of the tours. I spent a week in Monterey visiting local attractions. I would recommend the Aquarium there as the best that I have seen in the country. I continued up the coast and visited with my sister in Oakland and was a tourist there and in San Francisco. In April I continued north on US-101 into the Redwood Forest area around Crescent City and then on into Oregon. You can tell that spring is starting as the trees are green and the flowers are blooming. This is a fabulous drive at this time of year. North of Pacific City, OR you will find Cape Kiwanda where I stopped for a couple of days just to wander around the beach.
I headed toward Beaverton where I visited some of my friends from the time I worked in Valdez, AK on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and then headed north again on US-26 until I returned to US-101. From there I continued up the Olympic Peninsula finally reaching the furthest North West Point, Cape Flattery. I then continued along the east side of the Olympic Peninsula on various Washington roads and stopped at Fort Lewis for a week. I visited with old friends and my son John. I continued to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island and then to Whidbey Island and then Bellingham visiting friends along the way.
I stayed in an RV Park in Bellingham for a couple of days and then headed north on WA-539, then WA-526, then WA-9 and crossed the Canadian Border at Sumas on May 8th, 2001.
If you are going to travel in
Northwest Canada and Alaska I highly recommend THE MILEPOST. It is a travel
guide that covers all of the roads mile by mile. You can reach them at:
http://www.themilepost.com/
As I drove north into British Columbia on CN-1 on May
8th it was sunny and they were already cutting grass to bale along the road.
The road follows the Fraser River Valley and the scenery is spectacular,
there are few towns along the way and very little traffic. The 4-lane
highway lasted about 50 miles until I got to Hope, where I went north on
CN-97 (Cariboo Hwy), from this point north the roads are good two lane for
the most part. The further north I traveled, the colder it got and by the
time I arrived in Prince George the nights were decidedly cold.
At Prince George I headed west on CN-16 (Yellowhead Hwy)
to the junction of CN-37 (Cassiar Hwy). 1
It is 298 miles from Prince George to here and 448 miles to the junction of
the Alaska Highway. The Cassiar Hwy is paved for 110 miles but it is narrow,
curvy and bumpy. After the pavement ends it is gravel all the way to the
Alaska Highway. It rained with a bit of snow mixed in just about the whole
way and my unit was covered with mud. Campgrounds along the way were not yet
open and I had to dry camp one night. I stopped at Watson Lake on the Alaska
Highway, spent the night and washed my unit and headed north.
The road was good all the way to Haines Junction, I passed through before the construction season started. The lakes were all frozen and most of the rivers were just starting to break up.
South Central Alaska Alaska's North Slope
August 19, 2001, I stopped at the Yukon Territory border and took a picture of the welcoming sign, then continued on to Beaver Creek where I cleared Canadian Customs with no problems. There was major construction work that had just been completed or was ongoing for about 250 miles from the Alaskan border past Haines Junction. The road south of Whitehorse, YT was good and I made fairly good time. I stopped at Watson Lake and took a picture of the Sigh Post Forest where people from all over the world drop off signs.
I had rain, sometimes heavy from Watson Lake to Dawson Creek, the only good picture that I got was the one of the sheep at Muncho Lake. From Dawson Creek I traveled on CN-43 to Edmonton, Alberta and then picked up CN-16 (Yellowhead Hwy). On August 23rd I stopped at the Elk's Park in Vegreville, Alberta, the home of the worlds largest Pysanka. This is a monument dedicated to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police symbolizing the peace and security that the Mounties had offered the area's pioneers and their descendants. I also got a great sunset picture down the tracks.
I continued on the Yellowhead Hwy across Saskatchewan and into Manitoba and switched to CN-1 at Winnipeg. I really enjoyed the drive across the plains in Canada, nothing but wide open spaces and fields of various types of crops. In some places the road was good in others less than that. At Kenora, Ontario I headed south on 71, a curvy two lane road that runs through the Lake Of The Woods area, some very beautifully country. I crossed back into the United States at International Falls on August 26 and continued south and stopped at a Wal-Mart parking lot just north of Duluth, MN. Once in Wisconsin I traveled on US-53 to I-94 just south of Eau Claire and then continued south until I picked up I-90 and continued south to exit 119 and headed east on WI-60 to Jackson and then US-45 to West Bend.
I spent time visiting my sisters and
other relatives, and also spent time scanning old pictures for my genealogy
data base, and attended the Jacklin Family Reunion on September 9th. I spent
September 11th glued to the TV like most of the people in the country.
"For evil to triumph, Good people must do nothing." I
support the actions that President Bush has taken, and thank God that
neither Slick Willie nor Al Gore was the President when this evil deed was
done.
I left West Bend, WI on September
17th, west on WI-33 to US-41 then north into Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Once on the UP I took various roads to Sault Ste. Marie. When I got to Sault
St. Marie, MI I stopped at the Valley Camp, an old Lake Superior Bulk Cargo
Carrier that has been turned into a museum. The exhibits were good and there
was an exhibit of the Edmund Fitzgerald the carrier that sank in 1975. I
took a picture of the painting that depicts her fighting the storm before
she sank.
I continued on across the border into Ontario and then
thru Quebec. I had planned to stop in Montreal to look at museums and other
sights, but the traffic was terrible and there was a conspicuous lack of
signs in English. If I can't understand what the directions are, I really
don't need to spend my money there.
You can tell that fall is here, nights are starting to get
chilly and the leaves are changing colors. I continued east on NB-2
traveling along the St. John River. I stopped at Hartland to get a picture
of the world's longest covered bridge.
I drove to Prince Edward Island today
on the Confederation Bridge, drove to Charlottetown, did some sightseeing
and then drove back across the bridge and into Nova Scotia. Charlottetown is
the eastern most point that I drove on my trip. I toured the Mining Museum
in Springhill, NS and went down into one of the mines that is now part of
the museum. All of the mines in this area were closed down after the
disasters in 1956 & 1958.
I decided to head back into the United States and crossed
the border east of Houlton, Maine and started traveling down I-95. Once I
got to Bangor, ME I visited the Cole Land Transportation Museum. They have
all sorts of exhibits on trucks, snowplows, trains, bicycles, sleds and
anything else used for land transport. The museum is also home to the Maine
WWII Memorial, a bronzed jeep and soldier.
From Bangor I headed east on US-1A
and then a few smaller roads to Arcadia National Park and then took back
roads toward Augusta. As I was driving over the Penobscot River bridge I saw
a large stone structure flying the US Flag. Once I got down the road a bit
there was a sign for "Fort Knox State Park". I turned off and went to the
park. It is a fort that had two fixed artillery batteries to guard the river
against the British incursion into Maine. Work was started in the early
1800s and finally finished and the last of the 12 inch guns finally
installed during the Civil War. The fort has been partially restored.
The Maine State Museum at Augusta has a lot of exhibits
depicting the life in colonial days and after. The exhibit on glass is
excellent as was the stained glass window.
I traveled on US-302 from New Hampshire to Vermont and then took I-89 west stopping in Shelburne at the Museum. I would definitely recommend a stop here if you are interested in early history of the United States. They have transplanted buildings and artifacts from the entire state and have an excellent tour.
I traveled south on I-89, then I-91 and then headed west on VT-9 and visited with a friend in Wilmington while I had work done on the front end of my truck. One evening we stopped at a small reservoir and relaxed for a few hours. I continued my travels on I-91, then MA-2 to I-495 around Boston, then to I-95 and I-295 around Providence, RI, then back on I-95 again. I stopped and looked at various attractions on the way and then stopped at Mystic Seaport, CT, at The Museum of America and the Sea. They had tall ships and displays that were very interesting including a shipyard where they build and restore ships as was done when America was young.
I traveled from Mystic Seaport to New York, I had
wanted to stop at West Point to see the museum, but there was a football
game being played there that day and the museum was closed. I
continued south and west and camped outside Gettysburg, PA and spent most of
the next day touring the battlefield. I left
Gettysburg and headed east again on US-30 & I-76 bypassing Philadelphia on
I-276, then I-95 and then I-185 and settled down for a couple of days near
Fort Dix, New Jersey. I made contact with a friend in Philadelphia and I
drove into the city and played tourist for a day.
Across the river in New Jersey was a ship that I had
forgotten had been retired from service, the USS New Jersey - BB 62, She has
been turned into a museum and will be open for tours this weekend. I am
leaving tomorrow so I will take a tour the next time I come through. I
remember her fondly from Vietnam where she provided navel gunfire support in
DaNang when we needed it.
I got back on I-95, passing through
Delaware and Maryland & West Virginia on various interstate highways,
stopping to look at sights on the way. I decided to skip Washington, DC at
this point and continued into Virginia. I drove around Richmond and stopped
at Fort Lee to do some shopping. I then went to the Quartermaster Museum and
on the way in I took pictures of the 1st Logistical Command Memorial just
across the street. I was stationed with the 34th S&S Battalion, a separate
Battalion assigned to the 1st Logistical Command in 1968-1969. This memorial
is dedicated to my comrades that I served with, and who died in VietNam.
I visited the home of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.
Thomas Jefferson was a self taught architect who designed his house and many
other buildings. He was a rich man for his times and inherited land from his
father and his father in law. He was active in both local and national
politics, I found his exploits very interesting. The gardens and what he did
with them were fascinating, he was a slave owner who hated slavery. I
enjoyed the time spent there very much.
I continued south on I-95 through
North and South Carolina and into Georgia.
Just into Georgia before the Savannah exit is the Mighty
8th Air Force Heritage Museum. Last fall I stopped here but didn't go out
into the Memorial Garden so I stopped again and did that. This museum should
be a definite stop for anyone who is interested in the history of WWII and
the Air War in Europe.
I continued through Georgia and into Florida on I-95 and
just north of Jacksonville I got off the interstate highway system and
picked up US-301 south to US-27 and continued to Avon Park, FL arriving on
October 16th. I purchased a vintage mobile home and spent some time working
on it and having my household goods shipped from Washington and getting them
unpacked. This will be my winter home and Alaska will be my summer home.
In November I drove down to Key West
and completed the round trip that I started in November 2000 and covered
32,310 miles during the trip. Last year when I was here I didn't get a
picture of the monument dedicated to the "Wreckers", the people who rescued
shipwrecked sailors and salvaged the cargos of the ships that ran aground on
the reef around Key West.
I have been making short trips around Florida including a
couple to Cypress Gardens. Right now I am waiting for spring so that I can
get back on the road to Alaska.
Last updated: 12/17/2006