Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day Twelve

The call of the open road was answered big time on the second day of our return to New Jersey. The route took us from the Joliet hotel to Interstate 355 to Interstate 80 on which we stayed for the duration of the day. since the driving was uneventful, this gives me opportunity to reflect on some of the related pieces of auto travel.


First, I commend Holiday Inn Express lodgings. I've found them to be clean, comfortable, no-frills places to stay, do business, sleep, eat a simple breakfast and move on. The lodgings are usually close to a range of restaurant choices for the evening meal and even provide some vetted recommendations. The high-speed Internet access is always free (unlike some of the more expensive places which charge for getting online). Breakfast is included -- sort of a modified continental buffet style with entrees such as biscuits and gravy or omlettes with sausage or bacon. Some have the new pancake maker wherein you push a button and out rolls pancakes baked on the heated conveyer belt. Juice, toast, bagels, cinnamon rolls, yougurt and cereals with coffee and juice are also available. My only regret is that the coffee is universally not very good.

Not every Holiday Inn Express is perfect. Some seem to have hand-me-down furnishings, which, though comfortable, look a little tired. We found the Joliet place to be woefully short of electrical outlets, so we had to unplug some of the lamps in order to plug in the computers. However, some of the newest lodgings are outstanding. On this trip, the Austinville, OH and the Du Bois, PA hotels were great; Roseville, MN and DeForest, WI were okay.

Second, I commend the Verizon MiFi portable hotspot. This little gadget makes it possible to take care of urgent business even while on the road or in locations where wireless broad band or even dialup is not available. I was able to handle two requests for website updates in the car on Interstate 80 while Jan did the driving. While at the fishing lake I was able to take care of several requests and post to this blog with no landline or wireless available. My next car is going to have a 120 volt AC outlet so that I can keep my laptop charged while on the road, extending the range of my "office" even farther afield.

And third, I commend Starbucks. I know some people rave about Dunkin Donuts' coffee, but there is no comparision in my book. It is such a pleasure to sip a grande cappuccino anytime during the day, as a pick-me-up when the driving gets tedious. The only regret for this trip is that Interstate 80 through Pennsylvania is a Starbucks desert. Some enterprising folk need to recognize a great business opportunity there.

Having given my commendations, this will be the last chapter of the Minnesota Trip 2011. I'm writing this at home, having made the last dash from Du Bois, PA to High Bridge in some heavy rains left by Tropical Storm Lee. we are safe and looking for more travels ahead. And I will keep you posted.

Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day Eleven

Our return to New Jersey started with waffles and good conversation with my sister and brother-in-law. Politics and religion are supposed to be topics to avoid in polite company, but within the our family circle they are respected subjects that bring us closer to understanding where each is coming from. We saw eye-to-eye about Minnesota presidential hopefuls and agreed to disagree about same-sex marriages.


On the road again, we took the Great River Road along the Mississippi River from Red Wing, MN to La Crosse, WI. It was a gorgeous day with cool temperatures prompting fog to rise from the valleys and warm waters of the river especially where it broadens into Lake Pepin. The river flows through a wide valley formed eons ago when a pre-historic glacier melted and sent water coursing toward the Gulf of Mexico. In the Minnesota section, hills were carved into bluffs facing the river -- which make great vantage points from which to do sight-seeing.

Along the river road are too many points of interest to be seen in one trip. Previously we've looked at the Lock and Dam #5, one of the structures built by the Army Corps of Engineers to make the Mississippi navigable for commerce and leisure. One of the intriguing places I'd like to see next time is the Bunnell House, located just below Winona, MN. Built by a fur-trader named Willard Bunnell on property granted by his friend Chief Wapasha, the house is a pristine example of Rural Gothic Architecture from the 19th century.

From the Mississippi Valley we crossed the fertile farmlands of Wisconsin and entered Illinois. We decided to stay further to the south in Joliet, IL, to avoid the heavy traffic around Chicago. And tomorrow we continue heading to New Jersey.

Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day Seven

Attending the great Minnesota State Fair is akin to making a pilgrimage. I have been going to the Fair on a regular basis since the mid-50's. It is an annual "fix" for all things Minnesotan, minus the ice and snow.

The family started attending the Fair regularly when my brother and I took place at the local county 4-H demonstrations events. Our demonstration was a visual presentation of a home's electrical wiring system and the dangers of using the wrong sized fuses or (worse) putting a penny behind a blown fuse. (You can guess that this was before circuit breakers came into general use.) Having won the county competition, you were entitled to enter the 4-H state competition at the Minnesota State Fair. We won several years in a row, hence I got hooked on going to the Fair.

We left Hammal lake as the sky was clearing from an overnight thunderstorm which lasted well into the morning. We found our lodging place and Jan did laundry while I caught up on some computer work. Then we set out for our first day at the Fair.

The folks who run the Fair have come up with a way to handle the problem of parking all the cars of those who want to visit the Fair. They have set up a host of park and ride locations, with motor coaches that make a regular circuit to pick up and deliver pilgrims like me to the Fair gates. So getting there was a whole lot easier than was the previous experiences.

Once inside the fairgrounds, the familar smells and sights greeted us as old friends. There was the Culligan booth with free water to keep one hydrated. We found a booth selling non-alcoholic pina coladas served in a hollowed-out pineapple. There was the smell of roasting corn competing with the corn dogs on a stick. And that was within the first ten minutes.

Tomorrow we return for a full day at the Fair and a grandstand show in the evening. I'll keep you posted...

Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day Six

The lake holds some wonderful surprises.

Visually, it is an ever-changing panorama. Often there are blue skies with fleecy clouds reflected off the water. Then the skies can turn dull gray and the water looks greenish-brown. There are three loons on the lake this year and they play hide-and-seek no matter the weather. The eagle seems to have lost its nest in a strong windstorm but can still be seen standing guard, perched where the nest used to be.

From the fisherman's point of view, there are similar surprises. Often the lures that are trolled through the water catch more weeds than fish. When something strikes and takes the bait, often it is a small pike which are tossed back immediately. But once in a while a bass will take the bait, and they give a spirited resistance before being hauled in. And once in a very great while, a very big pike will take the bait, testing the strength of the fishing line as it is pulled closer to the boat. In either case, the prize fish are admired, unhooked and returned to the water.

Today, both Jan and my sister, Louise, caught good-sized pike. Louise's fish measured about 30 inches in length. To compare, Louise is about 50 inches tall, so when photographed, the fish comes chest high on her.

While these don't really qualify as monsters of the deep, they are wonderful suprises when caught. And this is what makes coming back to the family lake such a joy. Soon it ends, as the focus shifts tomorrow to the Minnesota State Fair. And I'll keep you posted...

Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day Five

Beside reunions and revisiting familiar locales, a major part of this vacation getaway is to do some fishing. This is a family sport that has engaged the Rollins family at this particular lake since the 1950's. And the pleasure the lake gives seems never to disappoint.

Today, Jan, my brother Leonard, my sisters Barbara and Louise and I climbed aboard the pontoon boat kept at the landing to do some serious fishing. We had good luck. In just about 90 minutes we had caught more than a dozen pike and one bass. Contrary to our usual custom, we kept three of the larger pike to provide a supper meal.

Fishing is more than a sport; it can be a communal activity, especially when siblings get together. From catching up on what all the children and grandchildren are doing to discussing the state of American politics, the conversations never cease. The only interruption comes when there is another bite on the lure and all eyes turn to see how large (or small) is the next one to be reeled in.

Tomorrow we return to the lake for a reprise of today's adventures. Will we catch that big one that is said to be lurking in the weeds? I'll keep you posted...

Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day Four

It seems appropriate that as I get closer to my vacation destination the speed limits on the roads approaching get slower and slower. It seems that all systems are saying "time to slow down".
Today we drove from the 70 mph Interstate through the busy Twin Cities and on northward toward the family lake home where the speed limit is about 50 mph or less. The weather is beautiful which helps make the slowing down much easier to take.


We stopped in the Twin Cities area to have lunch with my daughter at the restaurant at which she works, a place called the Buffalo Tap. It was a great time and good food.
We arrived at the family lake in the afternoon. And it is the same peaceful place I remember. We did some fishing as soon as we could get the pontoon lauched, and found the fish willing to be caught!

In the evening, my two sisters joined us, so that the Rollins siblings are having a great reunion. The conversation is going on as I write, so this entry will be short. Tomorrow -- more fishing, and more relaxing. And I will keep you posted...

Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day Three

"You can't go home again." In many ways that old saw remains a truism. The house in which I was born and raised is now abandoned. The farm on which it stands still belongs to my brother, sisters and me, but no one is living there. All of us have moved on to other lives and homes.

But visiting the old homestead is a wonderful part of the annual trip. Today we made that pilgrimage and found the place to have the same emotional grip as it always has -- memories of childhood, happy times and ones not so, and a feeling that this little piece of land is a place of belonging.

We also went from there to visit my aunt who will turn 99 in September. She is my father's only sibling and is still plucky and independent. We had a good chat, viewed the pictures of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and went for a short ride to see the Veterans Monument erected by my grand nephew as his Eagle Scout project.

The day was capped with dinner with my brother, his wife, and my nephew, niece and their spouses and children. For a short time, we could celebrate this branch of my extended family. It wasn't celebrated around the old home's dining table as we used to, but it was a sense of being "home" once more.

Tomorrow we head for the family fishing lake for more reunions. And I'll keep you posted...

Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day Two

The "call of the open road" is a somewhat trite phrase, yet it does describe one of the appealing aspects of auto travel in these United States. To be able to get in the car, head down the highways in whatever direction one chooses and know there will be something new to be seen is thrilling.

On this second day of this trip we left Austintown, OH a little after 7:45 a.m. and arrived in DeForest, WI a little after 4:15 p.m. Our route took us on the Ohio Turnpike, the Indiana and Illinois Tollroads, and Interstate #90 in Wisconsin. The roads were again not too crowded, the sky was alternately clear blue or scudded with the fleecy fair-weather clouds and our conversation ranged from concern about Hurricane Irene to the deplorable state of the Yankees pitching.

After arriving in DeForest we headed for the Dane County Token Creek Park for a leisurely walk on the nature trail there -- a locale we had discovered on a previous version of the annual pilgimage. With the sunshine on our backs we strolled the little boardwalk to see goldfinches and Monarch butterflies amid the wildflowers.

I'm wondering what will happen to this call of the open road when our oil supplies run out. Long-range travel in electric vehicles might become an impossiblity given the shorter life of batteries. Or maybe someone will find another source of energy for internal combustion motors and extended-range batteries. Maybe the Holiday Inn Expresses will provide outlets for overnight battery charging while you enjoy their hospitality.

Meanwhile, I'm glad to be able to answer the call of the open road. Tomorrow we arrive in Minnesota to begin the next phase of this adventure. I'll keep you posted...

Minnesota Trip 2011 - Day One

What a beautiful country is our United States, and traveling by car is just the best way to see it! Today Jan and I traveled from the rolling hills of Hunterdon County through the green fields and sun-dappled mountains of Pennsylvania into the slightly industrial zone of Ohio. The day was clear and bright, the highways were not crowded and Hurricane Irene was safely distant.

We're heading to Minnesota for our annual visit to my family's fishing lake and the awesome Minnesota State Fair. Making the trip by car adds four days to the enterprise, but the chance to take in what is the amazing variety of this country at ground level is worth it. Travel by air is okay when longer distances are involved or time is of the essence, but when I can, I like the car.

Key to the ease of travel is the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System, so named because it was an idea championed by Dwight Eisenhower during his presidency. He had been impressed by the German Autobahn while serving in World War II and saw the creation of a similar network in the US not only as a means of moving troops rapidly in the event of an invasion, but also as an aid to interstate commerce. And it makes our annual trip so much better!

(I wish our present Congress and administration could envision another bold plan such as the interstate highways that would both create jobs and make this country proud of something again.)

Tomorrow we head through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois before stopping for the night in Wisconsin. More time on the Interstates and more beautiful country to see...

Rhine River Cruise - Day 7

Our wonderful vacation is coming to an end. Today the Viking Sun docked at a German border town -- Breisach --where we boarded buses for a trip to a portion of the Black Forest. It was very picturesque despite the fog and rain because we traveled through an agricultural area with vineyards, corn fields and many fields of vegetables before winding up a mountain road to the town of St. Maerget. It was a typical Black Forest town, complete with a baroque church perched right next to a cow pasture. The photo shows us standing next to the village road waiting to re-board the bus.

From there we headed to a narrow drive back down the mountain, stopping at a tourist attraction selling the famous Black Forest cuckoo clocks. There was a demonstration of how the clocks were made (the carving is done by local farmers during the winter months) with the pieces assembled at a nearby factory.

After lunch aboard the ship we took a bus to the French town of Colmar, famed for its half-timbered houses. After a walking tour of the city, Jan and I checked out a museum where the famous "Madonna in the Rose Garden" was displayed.

We returned to the ship for the captain's farewell toast and dinner, the only dress-up event of the week. Soon we will be packing for an early departure to Basel for the flight back home.

After we get back we will upload our photos to either Picasa or Kodak and send information about how to access them. There are lots...

Rhine River Cruise - Day 6

Strasbourg was our destination today. It's a city with a split personality -- in the last 80 years, it has been either French or German four different times. Since WWII, it has remained French and now is the location of the European Union legislative assembly.

The Viking Sun, our floating hotel, docked in Kehl, on the German side of the river and we took buses across the river to Strasbourg. After a guided bus tour of the city, we visited the Strassbourg cathedral with it's unique "astronomical clock", and did a walking tour of the city center including "petit France" -- the section of the city that has the most "French look". The photo is of me in that area, in front of a covered bridge.

After lunch, Jan and I went back to Strasbourg for more sight-seeing. Then, a highlight upon our return was a tour of the Viking Sun's galley -- the relatively small kitchen area where six chefs turn out all of our meals, under the guidance of a German head chef.

After dinner, a lecturer from Freiburg University gave a talk on the future of the European Union, especially timely given the concern over the economic crisis and the bail-out of Greece.

Our last day includes a bus tour of a portion of the Black Forest, a tour of the French village of Colmar, and the captain's farewell dinner. More to come...

Rhine River Cruise - Day 4

This was the day that Jan has been waiting for ever since she was in college doing a second major in German: to see the Lorelei cliff and the castles along the Rhine. And it did not disappoint!

After breakfast we boarded buses to the Marburg Castle -- reportedly the only castle never to be conquered over the centuries. One could see why -- first because it was on a cliff high above the river, and four levels of gate security, some sections traversing rough-hewn stones that it was hard to walk on even in modern hiking shoes. There was the obligatory moat, plus passages so narrow that a soldier in armor could not have gotten through. The the castle is seen above us in the picture.

We returned to the ship and began the section where all the castles had been built. Steep hills and cliffs were on both sides of the river, with the castles perched on the tops. We went above to the outside sun deck to take pictures as we passed. We'll post these on a Picasa or Kodak site once we get back. Needless to say, even though it was cloudy, we enjoyed the passing scenes.

After another great dinner, we took a brief stroll through the village of Ruedesheim, a touristy place on a more level section above the valleys.

Tomorrow, we're on to the university town of Heidelburg, for another castle tour and some free time. More to come...

Rhine River Cruise - Day 1

This is a terrific experience.

We arrived in Amsterdam after a trip to Atlanta to pick up the trans-Atlantic flight to Amsterdam. A four-hour delay caused us to arrive late, and our plans to check out museums there fell through.

After arriving at the Viking Sun, our cruise ship, we unpacked and walked from the dock to the central rail terminal in the heart of downtown Amsterdam. We walked up one of the main streets for a ways, but our impression of the city was damaged by the fact they are facing a sanitation workers' strike, so trash was every where. The photo is of Jan in front of the train station.

The first evening on the ship included a great dinner following the obligatory safety lectures. We met some great folks from Australia, Maine, Michigan and, of course, Minnesota. The Minnesotan is a cardiologist working at the Mayo Clinic.

Today, Monday, we head for an World Heritage Site featuring Dutch windmills. More later...

Vacation 2009 - Part II

After two uneventful travel days from New Jersey to Minnesota, we headed north to our place on Hammal Lake in Aitkin County. With us were my brother, Leonard, and his wife, Jolene, and my daughter, Alissa, and her husband, Allen Streitz. (Pictured above on my brother's pontoon boat is Leonard, Jan, and Allen in the back seat) We spent 2 1/2 days fishing, feasting and just relaxing.

Fishing from a pontoon boat is luxurious. It is stable, so one can stand, walk around, or sit without any threat of it tipping. One can bring extra gear, tackle and clothing without feeling crowded. The general modus operendi was to troll -- moving slowly by motor around the lake with fishing lines attached to lures and trailing behind. As a fish takes the lure, one reels it in, shows it off, removes it from the lure and returns it to the lake. This "catch and release" method maximizes the fun and minimizes the work.

Jan and I had great success. We caught and released at least 30 fish each during the 2 1/2 day period. Most were pickerel, but I caught one bass and Jan caught one perch. My biggest thrill was hooking a small pickerel and discovering, as I reeled it in, that a much larger pickerel had grabbed it. Just as I was to lift both into the boat, the smaller one shed the hook and dropped back into the lake, still firmly in the jaws of the larger one.

That part of the vacation is complete. Tomorrow -- the Minnesota State Fair!

End of a great vacation

The past two days have been spent in Yellowstone National Park. It is even more beautiful than I remember. We managed to pack the two days with a whirlwind of sights, sounds and, yes, smells.

Wednesday was largely devoted to the geysers and other volcanic-action sites -- Old Faithful, of course, but also hot springs, bubbling mud pots and vents emitting the rotten-egg smell that is a hallmark of the park. We stayed at the Canyon Lodge and joined an evening presentation in the outdoor amphitheater by a National Park ranger.

Thursday was devoted to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the amazing waterfalls, the northern Tower Fall and several trails up and down the falls areas, giving us better views of the falls action. The evening was spent on a three-hour Yellowstone bus tour watching and finding some of the wildlife that inhabit the park.

Friday is home travel. (This is the first time I am able to add to the blog. I did have Internet connection in the park using my Verizon MiFi. The speed was slow, so I devoted the time to business matters.)

After some time to organize the photos, I'll publish a link to a gallery of the trip. Stay tuned!

A Wedding Meditation

Becca and Jake, it is a wonderful and special privilege to share your wedding day with you. I believe that I can speak for all of us to say that we are so glad that you found each other and are sealing that relationship today in this ceremony where we are all witnesses.

The lesson that you chose to have Sarah read [Ecclesiastes 4:9-12] says a lot about how you value each other. “Two are better than one… one will lift up the other.” The writer of Ecclesiastes was something of a pessimist – he is most remembered for writing that all is vanity and chasing the wind – there is nothing new under the sun.” Yet even he was able to see the value of a mutual relationship such as you have – that indeed, two are better than one.

My wish for you today is that you will always value that mutual relationship. The wedding ceremony that we are using has something of an odd construct: I didn’t ask “Do you take this man… do you take this woman…” Instead, I asked “Will you take this man to be your husband… will you take this woman to be your wife”. “Do” can imply a sort of passive, go-with-the-flow attitude; “will” implies a determination from within to value each other in your mutual relationship. That’s the attitude which will go a long way for making a strong marriage.

Becca, in your blog “Longhorn Lucy”, you wrote: “I am excited that I found a great man to marry, and I'm excited to see all of our hard work and planning all put together.” Jake, I would bet that you have a similar feeling about Becca. May it always be so, that your mutual hard work, that your mutual lifting each other up, that your mutual caring for each other, will always prove that “two are better than one.”

Fort Snelling: A 19th Century Frontier Outpost

We spent Friday doing some sight-seeing. Our first stop was the Fort Snelling State Park, which includes the historic fort which stood on the bluff overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The lower-level park has some beautiful walking and biking trails and a modern interpretive center/gift shop/comfort station. From there we hiked up the steep trail to the fort.

Built around 1820 the fort served as peace-keeper, commerce center and Indian affairs monitor. The restored area is well preserved and, when open, features an enthusiastic corps of docents in historical dress, many of whom address visitors in the vernacular of the period. We saw soldiers, officers, wheelwrights, blacksmiths, cooks and one schoolmarm who gave us to know why the fort was important for the settlement of the Northwest Territory. The picture shows Jan atop the round tower overlooking the parade grounds and post buildings.

Later we shifted to the 21st century for lunch at Johnny Rocket's counter at the Mall of America. We even helped the economy a bit in several of the mall stores before heading back to the hotel for a swim. The trip to Red Wing for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner completed a great day.

Quitting Time

For the last three days, we've had an intense stretch of work on the re-design of the Diocese of Oregon web site. With Director of Communication, Deirdre Steinberg, we've met a diocesan headquarters to review everything about the present site, and with the help of diocesan staffers, have discovered where most of the out-of-date material exists.

After working seven hours at the office, we've come back to the hotel to do more work, as well and keeping up with the requests of other clients. Only on Tuesday was Jan able to check out the city of Portland, and late that afternoon brought me back to see the amazing Rose Garden. The accompanying photo is just a tiny sample of the hundreds of varieties raised there.

But now it's quitting time. We've completed the planned three days of work and tomorrow we head for Seaside, OR, on the Pacific coast, to sight-see and relax. So far the weather has been very cooperative, and we hope that will continue.

More will come...

Minnesota Trip - Day Ten and Home

(High Bridge, NJ - July 5, 2008) The final two days of the Minnesota trip were spent on the highways. The long trip wasn't difficult with two drivers -- Jan and I drove two-hour shifts. The weather was fine throughout, with only a few sprinkles on Saturday.

The Fourth of July was celebrated by watching three different televised fireworks displays -- from Washington, DC to New York to Boston. It amazed me to see the variation in the different locales, as though each region had its own theory as to what was an appropriate display.

The trip as a whole resulted in some good images which can be seen by clicking here. The pictures are fairly large, so be patient as they download.

This will complete the chronicle of this journey, but likely there will be occasional posts in the future.

Minnesota Trip - Day Nine

(LaPorte, IN - July 3, 2008) The journey home began this morning in Eagan, MN and ended tonight in LaPorte, IN where fireworks are being set off outside our hotel as I write.

Until we got to Chicago, the travel was fun and easy. We traveled through rolling countryside with crops growing and livestock dotting the fields. The trip around Chicago was grueling, partly because it was rush hour and the start of a long weekend, and partly because the Illinois Division of Highways conspired to create several long stretches of detours around construction.

We're grateful for a good night's rest and an Independence Day to celebrate tomorrow.

More to come....