Tuesday August 26th, Denver

Greetings!

On Tuesday, Pat and I left our RV Park on the Denver Municipal Bus System (seven routes) to visit the Denver Botanical Gardens and the streets of downtown Denver. While a bit too hot at times, the buses were an energy-efficient means of travel. Their passengers were thoroughly entertaining, and the drivers were helpful and talented. We'll remember the rides.

The Gardens were also being used by the Maryland Democratic Party to host a convention luncheon, so we were joined on our walks with many who were there to select a candidate. The pathway designs, and the layout of the botanical venues, made it easy for us to get lost in the beauty and fragrance.

It was late in the afternoon when we finally got to walk the pedestrain 16th Street, and settle onto a bench in Capitol Park. The energy of the demonstrators, and the enthusiasm of those displaying their campaign materials, was impressive. The city is excited to host the DNC, and seems to have done well so far.

Today, we drove north up into Nebraska, and pulled into Lincoln about 6pm. Tomorrow's drive (Thursday) will take us into South Dakota and Minnesota, arriving finally in the vicinity of St Paul, Minnesota.

Our plan is to find a central place to park Matilda, and then use some day trips for the next week to visit my cousins, and the locations of my family. If any are reading this, know that I'm low on the email, phone, and address info - having left key document at home. Some info is on my laptop emails, so I'll be working with what I have. But feel free to comment to this post, and help us stop by while we're here if you're so inclined.

To view all of the photographs for the day, click on: Tuesday, August 26th, Denver Botantical Gardens & Downtown Convention Activities

Monday August 25th Red Rocks Colorado

Greetings!

We made it to an RV park just west of Denver, Colorado. After disconnecting Matilda, we drove a scenic route through Red Rocks and Golden, where we had a great light (scallops and risotto appetizer, potato and leek soup, and spinach salad) dinner sitting alongside the river.

Tomorrow, we're planning on spending some time in downtown Denver. We'll probably take the bus in from our RV park, as the city expects major transit route to be chaotic, and parking to be next-to-impossible. We're thinking of staying an extra day here, but it will depend on how much fun we have in the crowds.

To view all of the photographs for the day, click on: Monday, August 25th, Red Rocks, Colorado

Gregory, Pat, and Matilda Go East

Greetings!

I'm typing this while sitting at the dinner table in Matilda, our Airstream RV, in the Angels Lake RV Park in Wells, Nevada. Pat is making pasta with pesto, and salad, at the sink and stove next to me. We're watching the final minutes of the Men's Marathon at the Olympics on the flat screen TV swiveled around from the entrance to the bedroom.

Yesterday, we had a wonderful afternoon and evening visiting my father and his second wife, and my brother and his wife, in Pollock Pines, California. Sharing some family genealogy information I had recently come upon, as well as returning to my father a drawing he made of Gregory Peck when I was born, were especially rewarding to me. Getting a commitment out of my brother and his wife to come over to our house soon was a close second in satisfaction.

This morning, we got up early and headed here. Nevada is never as flat as I think it is when I'm driving across it. Craggy mountains and steep grades surrounded us through most of the way, and our gas mileage barely crept above 11 miles per gallon.

Tomorrow, we're going to sprint to Rawlins, Wyoming. Utah is even flatter in my memory than Nevada, and we'll see if I'm wrong again. I did note that Rawlings altitude is 6,750 feet, so some part of the trip will be going up.

An Adventure Long-Awaited

Greetings!

Yesterday, I put my 9'6" Hobie surfboard (made in 1964, and ridden a few times by the guy I bought it from in a garage sale) into my new Toureg SUV (it fit inside), and drove out to North Salmon Creek Beach on the Sonoma Coast. My mission was to: 1) scout out the surfers to see what wetsuits they were wearing, so I could go to the local surf shop and buy one; and 2) don the wetsuit, wax up the board, and begin again to enjoy the surfing life I spent most of my childhood loving.

Watching from the beach as surfers entered and exited the waves, I noticed they all had full wetsuits with hoods and booties. Wetsuits were never worn where I grew up (La Jolla), and looking like a scuba diver is a new experience. I spoke to one guy my age, and asked him about his. Wearing a familiar brand, he advocated the complete kit, including the 8mm thickness of the material. "I can paddle out and surf for an hour before I really get any water in it", he said. He clued me into the local surf shop scenes, advocating for one of the two locals. "It's the distributor of this brand, and they give great service."

Arriving at the shop, I looked around for a few minutes before approaching the kid behind the counter. On the walls were memorabilia of an era of surfing I knew well. Classic surf photos seemed familiar, and there was a surfboard high up near the ceiling which was younger than the one I had in the car outside. It, too, was a Hobie, but it had a decal made long after I had stopped surfing. "How old is that?", I asked. The kid climbed up on a ladder, and told me he thought it was the 1970's. I was out of college by then, and lived in Northern California.

Retrieving two wetsuits from the upper level rack, he described the differences. The one with thicker material was less flexible. The thin one was a bit harder to put on, due to its design. After 30 minutes in the dressing room, which included putting one of them on backwards, I chose the one with thicker material. The water out there was cold, and I would sacrifice flexibility. For a while, I expected to be fighting off the thirty pounds of fat I've accumulated. Wrestling against the wetsuit itself, I thought I'd rather be a little warmer and stiffer than colder and more flexible.

I drove back to the beach, found a parking place near the stairs, and began a ritual I knew would become second nature. I was glad the SUV trunk opens to a broad, flat bumper to sit on while putting the suit on. I was also glad to see a guy my age coming back to his car with his board about the time I needed help with the last zipper and velcro on the back of my neck.

Soon, there was nothing but stairs and sand between me and my dream. Waxing the board at the water's edge, I asked a couple near the tide line to watch over the extra wax. Next time bring less wax. This new stuff adhers well to the board.

I have a hard time calling what I did next surfing. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun. And it will lead to plenty of surfing for the rest of my life. For a while, I'm going to be spending lots of time in what we used to call the soup (whitewater after the wave breaks) getting this 60-year-old body to be strong enough to paddle well, lift itself from prone to knees, and knees to feet. It's a good thing I've matured into a confident adult. That 16-year-old who used to tear up the waves all over Southern California would never be seen with they kook he has become. Patience, and a pure and deep love of the waves, will bring me back to the adventure. I'm really glad that it's begun.

Another Family Adventure - to meet my Norwegian Cousins in the U.S.

Greetings!

This August, Pat and I will drive our Airstream north, and then East, to visit my cousins on my father's mother's side of the family. They are the great, grand-children of Norwegians who emmigrated in the 1840-1870s to the upper Mississippi and Missouri River valleys.

In order to maximize the chances of seeing them, I thought that I would use the travel blog to describe the journey, and who I have found so far to visit. That might help improve my chances of seeing them. It might also help me make better arrangements to visit them, and share the research of last Fall's visit to Norway. They know best where everyone is, and who might be willing in the late summer to chat with a new relative.

Starting with my father (who lives in the high California Sierras), I'll then head north to Pendleton, Oregon. My great-uncle Homer and Rosanna's family lives in Pendleton, Oregon and in the areas around Puyallup, Salem, and Auburn, Washington. His father, Julius Mikkelson Leen, died there in 1954, and is buried in the Auburn Cemetery. We'll try to visit with the Leen, Finney, Elton, and Pepper families living there.

While there's really no one living between there and North Dakota, we'll take a few days to enjoy the ride up through Glacier National Park to Ray, North Dakota. Equality Township (now Ray) was the home of many a cousin, and my grandfather was the Police Chief in the 1920's. We'll visit the Soine families living there, and travel to Williston, Bismark, Rugby, Fargo, Bagley, and Minot to visit the Holland, Pepper, Kirby, Soine, Skogman, Finney, Johnson, and other families.

Minnesota is where most of my cousins have lived for the past 150 years. Moorhead, Renville, Benson, Wilmar, Burnsville, Warsaw, Rice Lake, Prior Lake, Waverly, Eden Prairie, Coon Rapids, Maynard, Menomonee Falls, and Hennepin. There are at least 40 cousins in the Soine, Skare, Wasson, Glessner, Peterson, Larson, Sanders, Paulson, Miller, Elton, and Blomer famiies, and lots of places of interest, in Minnesota.

One person I would like to visit with is Shirley Manning in Moorhead, Minnesota. Without her, the information in my family tree would heve been very confusing. Terri Soine was extra helpful. As one familiar with both the Washington and Minnesota sides of the family, I'm hoping to connect with her to make this adventure even more successful.

I'd like to visit the cemeteries in the towns where most of our family lived in the late 1800's. Their names are familiar to me, now that I've been to Norway and seen the farms they came from. I'd like to see where they spent their lives, and meet those still celebrating them. I'd especially like to visit the grave of my grandfather in Waverly, Minnesota.

The families of my great Aunt Eloise are also special to me. She wrote me many times in the late 1990's, and her notes always revealed new insights into the family details. I believe they are living in Benson and Burnsville.

We may get to Wisconsin, depending on the pace of travel, but will probably then turn south and west to head back. We've always loved the stretch of country through New Mexico and Arizona, and want to spend some time there. We'd also like to visit Traci Crowell in Tucson. We'll enter California east of Los Angeles, and head up the central valley before we head out to the San Francisco Bay area and home.

When will we be traveling? That really depends on the arrangements we can make to meet people. I'll be sending emails to those I can find, and snailmail to others, to get their reactions. August is not the best month to be traveling, but it's probably a good guess for when it will happen. Assuming that we leave about August 10th, we should reach Washington by the 16th, North Dakota by the 20th, and Minesota by August 24th.

I'm sure that I have left out many cousins who might help our family visit to the Mid-West be successful. If you'd like to help, and especially if you might be interested in our stopping by for a chat, please let us know. the email is: gfearon@sonic.net.

Thanks much, and here's hoping we see you.

Gregory Fearon
Pat Kuta

More Turkey Travel Photos

Greetings!

Brian Whitney, a traveling friend if ever there was one, has posted his photos from his recent travels with our Grand Turkey Tour group. Brian appears in many of my photos, as he always seemed to be positioned in the perfect place while he sought to take his photos. Climbing to the very top of Mount Nemrud, the image of him will stay in my memory forever. For those of you looking through my shots, he's the guy skipping stones near the Ataturk Dam, standing at the top of the Amphitheater at Perge, or knealing at the cemetery at Anzac Beach.

To see the photos we was taking, visit his website at: Brian's Photos

Turkish Gullet Travels

Greetings!

One of our boatmates, Anka Ritter, sent us some photos she took on our cruise. They wonderfully show the beauty of the sea and the coastline, even capturing a wild goat being fed by our captain. The ruins are at Olympos. She promises more, and I'm hoping that our other boatmates will forward some of their photos.