Old Wolf Express - the Last Leg
Oct. 29th, 2009 10:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
theoldwolfI thought I'd take the opportunity to post a few more pictures of what transpired after I attended my family reunion.
Beautiful farm in upstate New York
My cousin's home
My cousin in his Shop From Hell. Not only is it amazingly equipped - and this is just a fraction of what he has - you'll notice how clean it is.
Continuing northwest, I spent a few pleasant hours in Palmyra, New York, central to the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you're not into Mormon theology, just look at the pretty pictures. For me, this was all sacred ground.
First stop was the Hill Cumorah, beautifully dressed in its fall colors
A view from the top of the hill, looking out over what General Moroni must have seen as he contemplated the destruction of his Nephite nation.
The monument to Moroni
The visitor's center had just received a new display of sculptures depicting scenes from the life of Christ. I don't much about these, other than the artist is not a professional sculptor but a musician, who discovered a hidden gift. These are now being produced in heroic proportions (the statue of Christ on the water is about 7 feet tall) and will reside, if I'm not mistaken, at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah.
The Savior in Gethsemane
Christ on the Waters
Replica of the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated.
From Cumorah, I took the time to visit the Joseph Smith farm, behind which was the sacred grove (the location of his first vision) and the Smith Log Cabin where Joseph experienced the visitation of the Angel Moroni, who instructed Joseph over a period of four years before he was given the plates to translate.
The Smith kitchen
The "Wife Saver", which allowed a housewife to cook without setting her skirts on fire...
Upstairs, where Joseph saw Moroni for the first time.
The home that Alvin Smith, the oldest brother who passed away from an intestinal blockage, built for his parents. The elder Smiths resided in the home for a number of years, but due to extreme financial hardships and the skullduggery of an opponent were never able to own the property.
The kitchen and dining area
Mother Smith's kitchen sink, which (pinnacle of luxury) drained outside.
The barn and cooper shed of Joseph Smith, Sr.
Two miles down the road from the farm lies the town of Palmyra. the town is dominated by an intersection upon which are found four churches: Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopalian and Baptist.
Gazing at these buildings, I heard Smith's story, told in his own words, echoing in my mind:
"There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, 'Lo, here!' and others, 'Lo, there!' Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.'
It was intriguing to see these monuments to the religious fervor which gripped the area in 1820 and which resulted in the establishment of the Latter-day Saint movement.
Two blocks down the road was the Grandin press building, where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was published.
The Grandin Press Building
16-page press used for printing the Book of Mormon signatures
The typesetting area, showing "Upper Case" and "Lower Case" letters
The building was restored based on historical record - aside from a few tiny pieces of type found in cracks, and one inking ball, nothing of the original equipment remains - but the historians have done a good job making it look like it probably did.
Suffice it to say that this part of my journey, for me, was akin to a pilgrimage for a Catholic to Rome, or for an Israelite to Jerusalem. I left feeling refreshed and uplifted.
From Palmyra I drove up to Welland, Ontario, where my friend Alberto Capecchi and his good wife Kathryn live. As a navy man on the USS Cascade (AD-16), Alberto came to the United Seamen's Service club in Naples, Italy in 1970 (even though I didn't know him then). We hooked up through the USS Cascasde website years ago, and he's been begging me to come visit ever since. I finally made it.
Alberto and I went and visited the Candadian side of Niagara Falls (slowly I turn!), which I had never seen.
That's a lot of power. The boat actually got quite close to the falls, and you could see the engine straining to keep it in place. Notice all the people wearing raincoats - fat lot of good it did them. I'm sure they were all drenched.
Alberto, one of the nicest people you could ever hope to know, and his wife is not a whit behind him.
Mé féin
Later we drove to the Cham Shan Buddhist Temple, or the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. The huge 7-story stupa was closed, but we were able to visit the main worship area for a few minutes before they closed for their lunch hour. Unfortunately, photography inside the temple is not permitted as it is a sacred site, but the walls are lined with - like they say, 10,000 small gold statues of Buddha, each about 8 inches tall. At the center of the temple is a large altar, and when we arrived a monk was chanting, striking a bell and a drum, and an acolyte or apprentice monk was carrying something around to various points in the shrine in a worship ritual. Wish I had another lifetime to learn about Buddhism...
The Stupa
Temple Gateway
Temple Drum
Stone Lion. This bad boy was very virile. Let's just say I took this photo from a specific angle for a good reason...
Standing Buddha. The sign on the pole to the left said something like "This is a sacred temple, not Hollywood. Show some respect!"
Wall of Stone Buddhas
Leaving Alberto back in Welland, I took a 6-hour jaunt to Wyandotte, Michigan, passing some pretty scenery along the way. Most of highway 402 is on the plain inbetween lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron, and most of it is farmland - I don't know much about the geology of the region, but my guess is that the land in that area is supremely fertile. At Hamilton I took a shot of the West end of Lake Ontario. Toronto was visible across the lake behind the tree to the left, but was too small to get into the photo.
In Wyandotte, I spent an evening and a morning with my dear friends the Stanleys, who fêted me beyond my deserts and then thanked me for the privilege, as previously mentioned. Here is Angela under some gorgeous fall color:
After leaving Detroit, I headed West, getting through the Chicago area at about 10:30 at night - a good time to avoid the traffic. Parked in the vicinity of Elgin for the night, and woke up to rain, which had dissipated by the time I hit Madison, and continued up I-94, stopping to photograph more fall colors on the way wherever I happened to encounter it.
A rest stop along the freeway
Overlooking the Black River Falls fire area. In April of 1977, the dense pine forest of this area was completely consumed, but is rapidly being reclaimed by oak and aspen.
Remnants of burned pine in a growing oak and aspen forest
Some things are just wrong
Silo Sunset 1, vicinity of Jamestown, North Dakota
Silo Sunset 2, vicinity of Jamestown, North Dakota
North Dakota Sunset
Spent the night somewhere off the road under a blazing heaven, seeing the stars like I never can at home because of the light pollution. I tried to take some shots of Orion, (I'm using a dinky little Pentax Optio) and was disappointed when the pictures came out pitch black. However, upon tweaking the brightness, I got much more than I had bargained for.
Brightness adjusted upward (no color correction) we can see that my little chip caught the sequence colors of Betelgeuse (upper left) and Rigel (lower right) perfectly - they are, respectively, red and blue supergiants. Red Aldebaran, the bull's eye of Taurus, is visible in the upper right.
Tweaked up just a bit more, Bellatrix and Saiph are visible, along with Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka - the background stars also come out nicely. It absolutely flabbergasted me that my little cheapo was able to capture so much detail with a night exposure.
The next day I drove into Richardton, North Dakota, and stopped at Assumption Abbey to see Father Boniface, whom I knew from his participation on an online forum. I was honored to accompany him to noon prayer in the beautiful church, and then break bread with him in a refectory that overlooked the breathtaking Dakota plains. Hot scones, borscht, salads, tapioca pudding - urp groan belch groan - simple and filling. The peace and beauty of the Abbey once again filled my soul as the nourishing food filled my body.
Assumption Abbey
Running fountain of holy water in the sanctuary
Part of the abbey farm - mostly a cattle operation
The refectory, with a 40-mile view of God's country
The town of Richardton left me with a sense of wistfulness. How many places like this is our country dotted with, fading memories of a mighty agrarian powerhouse, now abandoned to all but the most tenacious of sodbusters...
Main Street Richardton
Go Raiders
Once upon a time...
Town motel
Occident Grinding
Grocery Store and Truck Stop
Tatanka kiye blielo!
Bowman, ND. 54° this afternoon, at the end of October.
Belle Fourche, SD. End of the line.
Dakota Grain, Belle Fourche, SD
Butte County Courthouse, Belle Fourche, SD
By the time I had driven to Devil's Tower, the sun was down and the formation was barely visible. A long exposure brought out the last light of the setting sun.
I had dinner at Fort Devil's tower - a nice gardenburger with huge potato wedges, and spent virtually hours chatting with Rick Nelson, the proprietor and self-styled shaman. One of the most interesting people I've met in a dog's age.
Burp
Rick Nelson
Rick let me park Molly behind his compound, so in the morning I had a spectacular view of the rising sun shining on Devil's Tower:
This was the last light of the rising sun shining on the keyhole, as it were, because seconds after that, the light snapped out and the rest of the morning was off-again on-again drizzle and rain. After some hot chocolate and more craic with Rick, I took the morning to visit the monument and walk around the Tower Trail.
Tower Approach
Tower Closeup
Prayer bundles. Sacred to many native tribes, ceremonies are held with prayer bundles and flags representing the colors of the four cardinal directions as well as Mother Earth and Father Sky.
This was my last stop. From here, I had my little escapade with an empty tank between Buffalo and Casper - which also took place during a sleety downpour, making it even more nerve-wracking - arriving in Salt Lake at 1:00 AM on Sunday morning.
It was a wonderful trip, and I arrived home broke, but safe and happy, and with many memories and much good accomplished.
Beautiful farm in upstate New York
My cousin's home
My cousin in his Shop From Hell. Not only is it amazingly equipped - and this is just a fraction of what he has - you'll notice how clean it is.
Continuing northwest, I spent a few pleasant hours in Palmyra, New York, central to the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you're not into Mormon theology, just look at the pretty pictures. For me, this was all sacred ground.
First stop was the Hill Cumorah, beautifully dressed in its fall colors
A view from the top of the hill, looking out over what General Moroni must have seen as he contemplated the destruction of his Nephite nation.
The monument to Moroni
The visitor's center had just received a new display of sculptures depicting scenes from the life of Christ. I don't much about these, other than the artist is not a professional sculptor but a musician, who discovered a hidden gift. These are now being produced in heroic proportions (the statue of Christ on the water is about 7 feet tall) and will reside, if I'm not mistaken, at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah.
The Savior in Gethsemane
Christ on the Waters
Replica of the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated.
From Cumorah, I took the time to visit the Joseph Smith farm, behind which was the sacred grove (the location of his first vision) and the Smith Log Cabin where Joseph experienced the visitation of the Angel Moroni, who instructed Joseph over a period of four years before he was given the plates to translate.
The Smith kitchen
The "Wife Saver", which allowed a housewife to cook without setting her skirts on fire...
Upstairs, where Joseph saw Moroni for the first time.
The home that Alvin Smith, the oldest brother who passed away from an intestinal blockage, built for his parents. The elder Smiths resided in the home for a number of years, but due to extreme financial hardships and the skullduggery of an opponent were never able to own the property.
The kitchen and dining area
Mother Smith's kitchen sink, which (pinnacle of luxury) drained outside.
The barn and cooper shed of Joseph Smith, Sr.
Two miles down the road from the farm lies the town of Palmyra. the town is dominated by an intersection upon which are found four churches: Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopalian and Baptist.
Gazing at these buildings, I heard Smith's story, told in his own words, echoing in my mind:
"There was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, 'Lo, here!' and others, 'Lo, there!' Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.'
It was intriguing to see these monuments to the religious fervor which gripped the area in 1820 and which resulted in the establishment of the Latter-day Saint movement.
Two blocks down the road was the Grandin press building, where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was published.
The Grandin Press Building
16-page press used for printing the Book of Mormon signatures
The typesetting area, showing "Upper Case" and "Lower Case" letters
The building was restored based on historical record - aside from a few tiny pieces of type found in cracks, and one inking ball, nothing of the original equipment remains - but the historians have done a good job making it look like it probably did.
Suffice it to say that this part of my journey, for me, was akin to a pilgrimage for a Catholic to Rome, or for an Israelite to Jerusalem. I left feeling refreshed and uplifted.
From Palmyra I drove up to Welland, Ontario, where my friend Alberto Capecchi and his good wife Kathryn live. As a navy man on the USS Cascade (AD-16), Alberto came to the United Seamen's Service club in Naples, Italy in 1970 (even though I didn't know him then). We hooked up through the USS Cascasde website years ago, and he's been begging me to come visit ever since. I finally made it.
Alberto and I went and visited the Candadian side of Niagara Falls (slowly I turn!), which I had never seen.
That's a lot of power. The boat actually got quite close to the falls, and you could see the engine straining to keep it in place. Notice all the people wearing raincoats - fat lot of good it did them. I'm sure they were all drenched.
Alberto, one of the nicest people you could ever hope to know, and his wife is not a whit behind him.
Mé féin
Later we drove to the Cham Shan Buddhist Temple, or the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. The huge 7-story stupa was closed, but we were able to visit the main worship area for a few minutes before they closed for their lunch hour. Unfortunately, photography inside the temple is not permitted as it is a sacred site, but the walls are lined with - like they say, 10,000 small gold statues of Buddha, each about 8 inches tall. At the center of the temple is a large altar, and when we arrived a monk was chanting, striking a bell and a drum, and an acolyte or apprentice monk was carrying something around to various points in the shrine in a worship ritual. Wish I had another lifetime to learn about Buddhism...
The Stupa
Temple Gateway
Temple Drum
Stone Lion. This bad boy was very virile. Let's just say I took this photo from a specific angle for a good reason...
Standing Buddha. The sign on the pole to the left said something like "This is a sacred temple, not Hollywood. Show some respect!"
Wall of Stone Buddhas
Leaving Alberto back in Welland, I took a 6-hour jaunt to Wyandotte, Michigan, passing some pretty scenery along the way. Most of highway 402 is on the plain inbetween lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron, and most of it is farmland - I don't know much about the geology of the region, but my guess is that the land in that area is supremely fertile. At Hamilton I took a shot of the West end of Lake Ontario. Toronto was visible across the lake behind the tree to the left, but was too small to get into the photo.
In Wyandotte, I spent an evening and a morning with my dear friends the Stanleys, who fêted me beyond my deserts and then thanked me for the privilege, as previously mentioned. Here is Angela under some gorgeous fall color:
After leaving Detroit, I headed West, getting through the Chicago area at about 10:30 at night - a good time to avoid the traffic. Parked in the vicinity of Elgin for the night, and woke up to rain, which had dissipated by the time I hit Madison, and continued up I-94, stopping to photograph more fall colors on the way wherever I happened to encounter it.
A rest stop along the freeway
Overlooking the Black River Falls fire area. In April of 1977, the dense pine forest of this area was completely consumed, but is rapidly being reclaimed by oak and aspen.
Remnants of burned pine in a growing oak and aspen forest
Some things are just wrong
Silo Sunset 1, vicinity of Jamestown, North Dakota
Silo Sunset 2, vicinity of Jamestown, North Dakota
North Dakota Sunset
Spent the night somewhere off the road under a blazing heaven, seeing the stars like I never can at home because of the light pollution. I tried to take some shots of Orion, (I'm using a dinky little Pentax Optio) and was disappointed when the pictures came out pitch black. However, upon tweaking the brightness, I got much more than I had bargained for.
Brightness adjusted upward (no color correction) we can see that my little chip caught the sequence colors of Betelgeuse (upper left) and Rigel (lower right) perfectly - they are, respectively, red and blue supergiants. Red Aldebaran, the bull's eye of Taurus, is visible in the upper right.
Tweaked up just a bit more, Bellatrix and Saiph are visible, along with Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka - the background stars also come out nicely. It absolutely flabbergasted me that my little cheapo was able to capture so much detail with a night exposure.
The next day I drove into Richardton, North Dakota, and stopped at Assumption Abbey to see Father Boniface, whom I knew from his participation on an online forum. I was honored to accompany him to noon prayer in the beautiful church, and then break bread with him in a refectory that overlooked the breathtaking Dakota plains. Hot scones, borscht, salads, tapioca pudding - urp groan belch groan - simple and filling. The peace and beauty of the Abbey once again filled my soul as the nourishing food filled my body.
Assumption Abbey
Running fountain of holy water in the sanctuary
Part of the abbey farm - mostly a cattle operation
The refectory, with a 40-mile view of God's country
The town of Richardton left me with a sense of wistfulness. How many places like this is our country dotted with, fading memories of a mighty agrarian powerhouse, now abandoned to all but the most tenacious of sodbusters...
Main Street Richardton
Go Raiders
Once upon a time...
Town motel
Occident Grinding
Grocery Store and Truck Stop
Tatanka kiye blielo!
Bowman, ND. 54° this afternoon, at the end of October.
Belle Fourche, SD. End of the line.
Dakota Grain, Belle Fourche, SD
Butte County Courthouse, Belle Fourche, SD
By the time I had driven to Devil's Tower, the sun was down and the formation was barely visible. A long exposure brought out the last light of the setting sun.
I had dinner at Fort Devil's tower - a nice gardenburger with huge potato wedges, and spent virtually hours chatting with Rick Nelson, the proprietor and self-styled shaman. One of the most interesting people I've met in a dog's age.
Burp
Rick Nelson
Rick let me park Molly behind his compound, so in the morning I had a spectacular view of the rising sun shining on Devil's Tower:
This was the last light of the rising sun shining on the keyhole, as it were, because seconds after that, the light snapped out and the rest of the morning was off-again on-again drizzle and rain. After some hot chocolate and more craic with Rick, I took the morning to visit the monument and walk around the Tower Trail.
Tower Approach
Tower Closeup
Prayer bundles. Sacred to many native tribes, ceremonies are held with prayer bundles and flags representing the colors of the four cardinal directions as well as Mother Earth and Father Sky.
This was my last stop. From here, I had my little escapade with an empty tank between Buffalo and Casper - which also took place during a sleety downpour, making it even more nerve-wracking - arriving in Salt Lake at 1:00 AM on Sunday morning.
It was a wonderful trip, and I arrived home broke, but safe and happy, and with many memories and much good accomplished.
