On Wednesday 13 August 2008, Joan Thomas and I commenced our road trip from Peachtree City to Colorado, via Niagara Falls and Canada. Joan, a recent newcomer to Peachtree City was introduced to me by my daughter Deidre. She is a few years younger than me, and also unattached. She owns a Buick 1995, and she does not mind driving long distances. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and has lived in a number of towns, which include Jackson, Mississippi, and Burlington, Iowa. If you know the movie, “The Bucket List”, you will understand when I say that she had a visit to Niagara Falls and a visit to Mackinaw Island, as well as Maine, on her List, while Maine and a road trip in the USA in general, were on mine. Although I have visited quite a few cities in the USA, I have always arrived by air, so have not really seen the surrounding country, or the rest of the various states in which they are located. During a conversation, when we were discussing where we had been and not been, the decision to do a trip was made. We originally thought of going to Maine and the Falls, but if a trip was to be made in August and I was to get to Colorado in time for the arrival of Cally’s second baby, then it would not be feasible. Joan had not been to Aspen before so she was happy to change destinations, and drive herself back to Peachtree City, after visiting her sister in Denver. The Denver to Peachtree segment she had done before.
Not letting this opportunity slip by, I immediately started compiling a tentative itinerary. Joan had a friend in a town called Oquawka, which is near Burlington on the Iowa/Illinois border, and Deidre had told me that her school friend Sharon was now living in Chicago, so I included those places on the itinerary. I must say that using Yahoo maps is a great help. I was able to determine the distances between various towns and cities, and the driving times. Every time Joan and I met to discuss routes, I was able to amend the itinerary. We were able to determine how long the trip would take us, roughly how many miles we would be traveling, and how many nights we would be spending in hotels. This enabled us to budget for the trip.
Before I left South Africa I had renewed my Automobile Association membership, and I was given the contact details of the AAA here in the USA. I phoned a branch in Atlanta and received no joy, as they wanted to see my membership card. So I emailed the contact address in Florida and received an email back as well as a phone call. A very friendly woman listened to what I needed and promptly agreed to send me some Tour Books for four of the states through which we would be driving. She also let me have a list of the AAA offices in the USA, by state and town, as well as some maps. It was a very heavy parcel that I received a few days later, and the information was to be invaluable. We were able to see which hotels were available in the towns in which we eventually stayed over, as well as points of interest in the towns through which we drove. So between Yahoo maps and driving directions, and the AAA books, our trip was a wonderful experience. Not to mention that when we checked into hotels we were able to ask for the AAA discount, which saved us about 10% on the bill. Only one hotel gave us a bigger discount on our AARP cards (American Association of Retired Persons). Usually the discount was the same. I did not try to use the AAA card for meals at restaurants- simply forgot about it, stupid me! At several of the hotels I was able to have an evening swim in their heated pool, and with one exception, I was able to use their wireless connection in my room to download emails. Most evenings I also downloaded my pictures from my camera to make space for the next day’s pictures. But time was limited so I was not able to reply to emails.
When we left at 7 am on the 13th it was raining, but with rain sorely needed in Georgia, we did not complain.By late morning the bad weather was behind us.
In the middle of Kentucky we stopped at an Artisan Centre outside a town called Berea. We sat on a lawn and finished the sandwiches I had made, and then went in to look at the artwork on display. We bought some coffee and headed for Cincinnati on the Kentucky/Ohio border. The Ohio River forms the border between the two towns and they could be one city. I was keen to cross the bridges and see the skyline, especially after having been a fan of the old TV series WKRP in Cincinnati!all those years ago! Below is a picture of two bridges.
There was a lovely old pedestrian bridge (see picture above) that we walked across after walking through a Barnes and Noble in a riverside mall. One can sit and drink coffee and browse books with the wonderful view outside. The area called Newport on the Kentucky side has a lovely historic section with beautiful old homes. We left Cincinnati in rush hour traffic, but this gave us an opportunity to see the neighbourhoods as we passed through them, Rush hour traffic is actually a misnomer as the traffic moves at a snail's pace.
We then arrived in Columbus, the capital of Ohio. We had a walk next to the river where a most accuratereplica of the Santa Maria was berthed. We could only view it from outside, but it made one sympathize with the crew who had to endure sailing in such cramped conditions.
The AAA book listed Kingwood Centre, as a place of interest, so Joan and I decided to find the place and take a look. This little detour proved to be well worth the effort as the 45-acre garden was magnificent. The colour and the landscaping kept me busy with my camera. It was delightful walking in the beautiful gardens so early in the morning, with dew still on the lawns and plants. Below is a selection of scenes.
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| An espaliered apple tree |
After spending an hour walking around we reluctantly returned to the car and headed further north towards Cleveland on Lake Erie. This town proved to be a disappointment. Perhaps we did not spend enough time there to find the attractive areas, but what we did see of the neighbourhoods near the lakeside, made us think that a little more effort and planning could have made better use of the lakeside.
Then we continued on the last lap to Buffalo and Niagara. After finding a parking space we walked to the Falls and saw the Falls from all the available view sites on the American side. Being such a major tourist attraction there were many visitors. But the view sites were not over-crowded.
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| View of Niagara Falls from the USA side. The Skylon on the Canadian side can be seen in the distance |
The pictures below were taken from the Canadian side.
We spent the night (14th August) on the American side after finding a reasonable hotel in the business district not too far from the Falls. Early the next morning we drove across Rainbow Bridge into Canada to see the view from that other side. We had planned to have lunch in the buffet dining room at the top of the Skylon Tower so that we could also go to the observation deck to see the view from on high. Well, we were not disappointed; the view from up there is spectacular. The Niagara River flows from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, with the falls nearer to Lake Ontario, which we could see in the distance from the top of the tower.
After the Niagara experience, we hit the road heading for Toronto, eighty miles away, on Lake Ontario. We planned a lightening visit and managed to see some of the lakeside areas as well as a few suburbs before we left. We were caught once again in rush hour traffic, this time Friday afternoon traffic. It was very much like Pretoria-Johannesburg traffic at 4 pm.
We needed to fill up with petrol and after paying anything from $3.90 to $4.20 per gallon, Joan had seen petrol stations advertising petrol for $1.30 or thereabouts, and she commented on the cheap price. I did not give it much thought, but when she stopped to fill up, it suddenly dawned on me that it was $1.20 per litre! I was back in a country that was metricated. So I was one up on her here! I had to do some conversions to determine the price per gallon, which turned out to be more expensive than in the USA.
We eventually reached a town called Barrie, which is situated on the West bank of Lake Simcoe. Once again, thanks to the AAA Tour Guide, we were able to easily locate a hotel. After checking in we drove into the town and found a friendly little Italian restaurant where we had a large meal and our first wine since leaving Peachtree City! The waitress explained to us that the “cottage people” caused the large volume of traffic. It turns out that iall the people from the city who own cottages in the country travel up to spend weekends in there. We also took a walk along the lakeside, and that was where I first set eyes on a mobile ATM. I simply had to take pictures as I thought why don’t we make life easier for all our ATM bombers? Simply let them hitch the ATMs to their cars, and drive them away!
The next morning we drove into a small town, Parry Sound, on the banks of Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron. According to the AAA book there was a Fire Lookout Tower, with 15 flights of stairs. Joan and I thought we needed some exercise after spending hours and days in the car, so we climbed the stairs and the panoramic view was worth the effort.
We had planned to do the trip to Mackinaw City, which is at the northernmost tip of Michigan, by driving around Lake Huron through Canada, instead of getting there via the USA side of Lake Huron. We drove most of the day until we arrived in Sault Ste Marie. While Joan was driving I was consulting my Yahoo map and when we passed the town of Sudbury, I freaked when I saw a signpost that read 285 to Sault Ste Marie. According to my map and directions, it was 198 miles! After much puzzling and worrying about how much longer it would take, and how could I make such a mistake, I realized Canadian distances were in kilometres! But they don’t state 285 km, merely 285, on their direction boards!
Sault Ste Marie is on the border and again there is a Canadian Saint Ste Marie and an American one. We wanderedaround the Canadian side, which was rather quiet and depressing for a Saturday afternoon. From the town we could see the massive bridge, which connects the two countries. When crossing the bridge from north to south, Lake Michigan is on the right and Lake Huron on the left. After enjoying a snack in a coffee bar in the local mall we paid the toll fee and left Canada.
Unfortunately I did not have a Michigan Tour Guide, but we easily found a decent hotel and spent the night back in the USA in Sault Ste Marie.
Sunday morning was a big day for Joan, as she would finally be visiting Mackinaw Island. Mackinaw or Mackinac is the same place and it is pronounced with the w even when spelt with a c. So to make life easier it is mostly written with the w. No motor traffic is allowed on the island, only horse drawn vehicles and bicycles. The island is only inhabited during the summer season. It is accessible from the mainland by ferry only, either from Mackinaw City or St Ignace, both in Michigan. After a half hour ferry ride we landed on the Island. There is a long history to the island going back to the 1700’s, when the fort was built. We had a short walk around the town, had lunch on the terrace inside the Fort, and then went back to the town to hire a bicycle each. These are hired out by the hour, and we cycled the eight- mile circumference of the island. It was an easy ride with lovely views of the lake. The lake water is so clear and a beautiful turquoise in colour.
At 4 pm we took a ferry back to the mainland and left Mackinaw City for Chicago. A young girl at the tourist office suggested that we spend the night in a town called Cadillac, which we did, as it was getting too dark to travel any further. We checked into the Cadillac Lodging Inn ($96.23) for the night.
At 4 pm we took a ferry back to the mainland and left Mackinaw City for Chicago. A young girl at the tourist office suggested that we spend the night in a town called Cadillac, which we did, as it was getting too dark to travel any further. We checked into the Cadillac Lodging Inn ($96.23) for the night.
I made contact with Sharon, a school friend of my daughter's, who had previously given me her address in Chicago. The receptionist at the hotel we were staying in, kindly searched and printed out MapQuest directions for us to get to Sharon’s house, so that made it very easy for us to find our way through Chicago to our destination. The one and only street that did not have a signpost was the one we should have taken. However a quick call to Sharon helped us arrive at her house a few minutes later. Sharon was looking after the three-year old son of a client, but Parson was a very quiet well-behaved little boy. Sharon drove us all to a Starbucks for coffee. Although Sharon had been in Chicago for about six months, and also had spent short spells in Chicago, she had never used the El train, Chicago’s equivalent of the Subway, or Underground or Metro. There was a nearby station, so with a little persuasion on my part, Sharon, who has an aversion to travelling on subways and outdoor lifts, agreed to try it. The section we travelled on is an above–the-road section (elevated hence El train). So clutching a little boy, a folded stroller, and bags, we bought tickets, climbed the stairs to the platform and boarded a train. We disembarked at a downtown station as Sharon had an appointment at the School of Clinical Psychology where she will be doing a Master’s course. After the appointment we walked next to the Chicago River to Millennium Park, and then took the El train back to where her car was parked.
That evening we went to have real Chicago-style pizza at a pizza place a few blocks away from the house. It was delicious and lived up to expectations.
The next morning Sharon, who had Pearson to look after again, drove us on a lightening tour of the lakeside. She also had a few errands to run so Joan and I were able to help by sitting in the car with Pearson strapped in his car seat, while Sharon popped into the various shops. For us it was also a sightseeing opportunity. Sharon is really enthusiastic about Chicago. She has lived in Los Angeles and Seattle, and she thinks Chicago is the greatest (same as Frank Sinatra!).
We left Chicago at lunch time on Tuesday19th August and headed south west to a little (a very little) town called Oquawka, close to the Illinois/Iowa border, Nearby is a larger town called Galesburg where we stopped for coffee. Much to my surprise the place we entered was in fact a coffee place and a grocery store specialising in organic foods. There were some great vegetarian salads containing all my favourite ingredients. We bought a selection to take with us, and I bought a pound of wheat berries, also known as wheat hearts in South Africa. I had been searching for it in grocery stores in Georgia. The coffee they served was also delicious. What a find in rural Illinois!
Joan has a friend, Sherrie, in Oquawka. Sherrie has a cabin and she keeps horses, as well as two dogs and two cats. Sherrie’s mother is ninety years old and lives on her own on a farm. The farmhouse is very close to the road. I was told that her mother (when I asked what her name was, I was told everyone calls her Babe!) owned a young skunk which she had nursed since it was a very tiny baby, I could not wait to go and see it. It was a great moment for me when I eventually cradled it in my arms. Its name is Baboon, and Baboon and the cat are great playmates, so entertaining to watch the two in action.
Sherrie, her partner Jim, and Babe took us into Burlington, a town just across the border, in Iowa. The Mississippi River flows between Iowa and Illinois, and we were shown the damage that had occurred earlier this year when the Mississippi flooded. Some fields were still waterlogged, and houses are abandoned. The high water marks, level with windowsills, and in some cases above, are clearly visible.
After two nights of enjoying Sherrie’s hospitality we hit the road again and headed south west through Iowa into Missouri. We made a brief stop in St Louis to have a quick look at the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch located within an easy walk to the Missouri River. There is much of historical interest in this town and hopefully I will be able to return one day and see more of its attractions. We continued driving west through Missouri and Kansas where we stopped for gas in Junction City. This small town was established in 1857 on the confluence of the the Smoky Hill River and the Republican River. We finally arrived in Colby where we spent the night in the local Quality Inn. Colby has a population of 5300 and is a small town providing services to the surrounding farming community.
Our ultimate destination was my daughter’s house in El Jebel in Colorado where she was due to give birth in early September. On the last day of our trip we made a fuel stop in Limon, Colorado, and then took a short walk around downtown Colorado Springs, where we took advantage of the middle-eastern cuisine being offered by a small restaurant. Finding a place where vegetarian options are to be found is not always easy when travelling outside larger cities, so passing up on opportunities is not advised. The friendly owner told us that he was from Lebanon.
After eating our falafel and salad we paid a visit to the well-known tourist spot, the “Garden of the Gods”, an approximately 1300-acre city park at the base of Pikes Peak, and famous for its tall red sandstone formations. We then negotiated Pikes Peak Highway (Pikes Peak is 14110 feet high) over and into the magnificent Rocky Mountains. But before we left the Colorado Springs vicinity, the road took us through a small town by the name of Manitou Springs. This spa resort was named by American Indians for the Great Spirit Manitou. For Joan and me this town is memorable for its poor and baffling road signs. We nearly went down the left hand section of a road with an island down the middle. Immediately ahead of us was an elderly couple, looking very bewildered while standing next to their vehicle. Their vehicle was perched on the island going in the same direction as us, and this suggested to us that they, too, had been misled by confusing road signs! We never did get to write the letter to the powers-that-be in the town pointing out that they should review their road signs for the sake of tourist safety.
After a few hours of breath-taking scenery, we arrived in El Jebel. Joan spent the night with my family and proceeded on to Denver to visit her sister while I remained to spend time with my family.
On 5th September I was home with my daughter when she went into labour with her second baby. She had planned to give birth at home with a midwife in attendance, and the events that followed are another story altogether…..
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