TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 - TRAVEL

 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 - TRAVEL

(OKAY, PERSONAL PRIVILEGE) 

Six days, 2690 miles, parts of eight states. Two events, one major reunion.

(Next week, I‘m going to look at infrastructure, and this will lead to that discussion)

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Travel.

Sometimes when I think of travel,  I think of the changes in travel.  For example, when I lived in Connecticut,  I lived on Hartford Turnpike.  My assumption is that at one point in time there was an Indian trail there.  When white settlers arrived they made a road from New Haven to Hartford using the trail that was already there.  Horses and people could use the trail.  When wagons and carriages wanted to make that trip, an entrepreneur made the trail wider by cutting logs and making the road a real road (a turn-pike).  A few blocks from our house there was an old house that somebody described as the “toll house” (not from the cookies of that name), where a person would pay a toll to take that road. Eventually, wood bits were laid down, then gravel, then paving, and a “real” road.  

George Washington was a surveyor and surveyed roads in the colonies. As America expanded to the west, roads were laid out.  By the time the midwestern and plain states were settled, roads were generally in a grid  - one mile between roads horizontally, and one mile vertically.  But, not every road could be laid out that way - with hills, mountains, rivers, and streams - that limited how and where roads could go.  

Rivers were problems - in the early days' ferries took people and wagons across the water.  Eventually, engineers built bridges (and tunnels, and other roads) that made transportation easier.  

So, to my trip last weekend.  There were roads that followed early.  The road to Mount Magazine (so I guess) followed some early trails - with switchbacks, curves.  There were very few bridges on that road as bridges cost more to build.  I parked fairly close (about ¾ of a mile and hiked to the highpoint of Arkansas.  

In Cedar Rapids, Iowa,  drive by my old house and my grandparent’s old house - and along my old paper route.  (many of the houses were new when  I delivered the newspaper and now are 55 to 60 years old). It seemed run down and not as I remembered it. 

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In Dubuque, Iowa, another form of transportation was used - an inclined elevator (cable car/ski lift/funicular).  Started at the top and went to the bottom and then back to the top. (see picture) 

Then I found the high point of  Illinois. I've been to four high points - Connecticut, Rhode Island, Iowa, and South Dakota (and now Arkansas and Illinois). (Rhode Island and Iowa are not really very significant!!)

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On to the reunion. 

I taught at this school for two years - my first two years after college.   I Was the high school math teacher and assistant basketball coach and head baseball coach.  The previous math teacher had the same assignments, so a little chutzpah (gutsy) on my art!!!  There were several baseball players there, including our ace pitcher.  I was worried that some people might avoid me - the transgender woman - and some did. But,  generally, all were cordial and friendly!!!   We (for the most part) have had operations, heartaches, and the things that happen to people over 50 years!!!  We dId converse and got along well.  (I even bought a few beers) 

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There is an expression - “You can’t go home again”.  Things have changed.  IT wasn’t like it was 50 years ago, and also very different than 50 years ago - all of us were!!. 

Memories can be arbitrary - we remember some things very accurately, and other things not at all.  

The most important thought to me was to be positive!!!  God is good, Love WINS!!!

KAREN