Moving On :: Leaving Alaska

Saturday, August 28th - - My stay in Juneau was at an end. The ferry didn't leave until 3 pm but, since I had a vehicle, I had to check in by one o'clock. There would have been time to take another tour I suppose, but after yesterday's adventure I really didn't see much point in it – I don't think anything could have topped it. For the first time in a long time sleep didn't come easily last night. My mind wouldn't let go of the excitement of the day and I kept reliving the events over and over.

But even with lingering in bed a little longer there was plenty of time to get around in the morning and to run a few errands (stock up on groceries and a few other items and fill up the gas tank). I then found a turnout along the highway and whiled away the remaining bit of time by doing absolutely nothing – sittin' and thinkin' and watchin' the clouds go by... (and more of the same once I got in the queue for the ferry!)

The ferry ride was mostly uneventful, the hours passed by quickly. However, at about five o'clock someone yelled out “Whale on the left.” Fortunately, that just happened to be the side where I was sitting... it was rather far off and moving away from us but we watched that lone humpback whale breach (jump out of the water) five times! It was yet another of those “WOW” moments, for that is all that it lasted, just a few brief moments, but it was a wondrous sight to see.

Clouds filled the sky as we got close to Haines. We docked at 7:30 and then there was a stopover of an hour to let people and vehicles disembark, then it was another hour to Skagway.

Pulling into the ferry dock at Skagway at 9:30 pm. It was interesting to me that the Captain used two spotlights, one on either side of the ferry, to guide it into the docking area. A few minutes later I drove off and into Skagway. For some reason, it surprised me that it was dark already when I got there. And it was warm. Not hot, but much warmer than it had been for many weeks. There were two RV Park[ing lot]s in Skagway but I had noticed some RVs pulling into the ferry terminal parking lot and decided to join them there for the night. If you think about it - with its lighted lot and security patrols - it was as safe (if not safer) as any campground.

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Sunday, August 29th - - It was raining lightly when I left the ferry terminal parking lot at eight o'clock. I drove down several streets in the nearly vacant town. Few people were out and about and stores were not yet open. There were, however, three cruise ships in the harbor that had pulled in during the night, filled with people about to fill the town.

Ready to move on, I found the main highway and drove north out of town. Less than an hour later I was out of Alaska and back in Canada. A part of me wanted to return to Alaska to do some of the things that I hadn't done (because of time, money, or the weather – or a combination of all three) but deep down I knew it was time to leave. Perhaps one day I will return. But if I don't, that's okay because I've been there and had some amazing and wonderful experiences that will be with me for a long time to come.

The South Klondike Highway heads north out of Skagway following the Klondike River. On the other side of the river was the White Pass & Yukon Route railway, which was one of the last narrow-gauge railroads built in North America. Began in May 1898, more than 2,000 workers labored with hand tools for 18 months to build the railroad. It claimed 35 lives. The highway that I was driving on was only 30 years old (began in 1978 and dedicated in 1981) and certainly wasn't constructed with hand tools!

A portion of the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad, with train, no less!
The train passing over Pitchfork Falls.
The unusual William Moore suspension bridge spans a 110-foot-wide gorge over Moore Creek, which is 180 feet below.

Natures Rock Garden.
Just north of the U.S. Border is an area referred to as the moonscape.
The trees are small and shaped by the wind and snow.
If I hadn't missed the turnoff to Carcross Road I would not have seen beautiful Emerald Lake (also known as Rainbow Lake).

The long and winding road, typical of the Carcross Highway, which goes from the town of Carcross to Watson Lake. The town was originally named Caribou Cross because herds of caribou used to cross there. I guess it is fitting that cars cross through Carcross now.

The first time (on August 3rd) I passed through Watson Lake, home of the Sign Post Forest, crowds (well, maybe not crowds, but more than a few people) filled the streets. Today, I saw two people. You can tell it is getting close to the end of the summer and the end of the tourist season. The streets, and campgrounds in Yukon Territory, are nearly empty.

Gentleman Farmer

1921. Thagrus Burns.
Relationship: My 1st cousin twice removed.
Thag was the son of Harlow and Hazlette Wise Burns. Hazlette was the sister of my great grandmother, Maude Wise Brubaker. Thag was named after his grandfather, William Pythagrus Wise.

Big Cottonwood Tree

Lee is standing under a big cottonwood tree that looks like someone tried to chop it down once. But the tree is still alive. On the other side there was a really odd branch that started high up then dropped all the way to the ground and then shot up again. I couldn't get a photo of the whole branch as their was a small evergreen that hid the branch right where it was almost on the ground. So I tried from the other side and there were larger evergreens that hid the tree instead of the branch.

I Love Clouds

Out of all the things there are to love about living in Florida, from the time we first moved here at the top of my list right under: Ocean/Beaches and then: Warm Weather are: The Clouds.



I don't know what it is about the clouds that capture my heart so much but they just do.



We will be driving along, looking at many beautiful things and I will say over and over again, look at the clouds. Aren't they incredible? The look like cotton candy fluffs that you could just reach up and grab. Like I'm five years old or something.



Then I get home and I am editing pictures and again, all I can see is clouds. And I fall in love again.



If I had a theme song, it would not be Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It would be something along the lines of Somewhere In the Clouds. Because it just seems to me that is a peaceful place to be.



I guess it is the same reason we lie on our backs as children and try to figure out what objects they most resemble. It is somehow where heaven and earth meet each other in our minds. Whatever the reason, they are lovely to look at and I'm grateful we have them here almost every single day.



Living the life in sunny Florida!

William P. Wise and Sophia Dunfee

William Pythagrus Wise, my Great-Great Grandfather, was the oldest child of seven children born to Jacob and Malissa Ann (Stem) Wise. According to my grandmother's notes, they were living in Miami County, Indiana on January 1, 1852 when William was born. William grew up on the family farm in the northern part of Thorncreek Township, Whitley County, Indiana near the Noble County line and near Malissa's parents, Conrad and Indiana (Sisley) Stem.

On October 5, 1864 Jacob Wise was drafted into the Army, just a little over a month after his son Sylvester (not quite two years old) had died and two weeks before the birth of his daughter Rosilla. William had probably been responsible for doing chores around the farm prior to his father being drafted, and I can imagine the talk that his father gave to him before departing. After all, he was the oldest child and his mother would be giving birth again soon, not to mention the death of little Sylvester.

A little over seven months later, on May 17, 1865 Jacob died of chronic diarrhea at an army hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. So it was that William became the "man of the house" when he was a little over 13 years old. His mother would remarry, but not until 1876, when the children were older.

On October 9, 1873 William P. Wise was married to Sophia Elizabeth Dunfee. She was the daughter of Catherine Jones and William Hamilton Dunfee and was born September 18, 1850 in Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana. The notice of their marriage appeared in the Whitley County Commercial on October 16th. "Married. Wise-Dunfee. By the Rev. John Miller, on Oct. 9th, 1873, William Wise, of Thorncreek, and Miss Sophia Dunfee, of Columbia City."

They soon purchased a farm in Troy Township, north of Columbia City and a few miles west of his mother's farm. This is where they would live out their lives and raise a family of four children.

• Harry H. Wise was born August 10, 1874. He would move to Lorain County, Ohio in the late 1890s, living near his aunt, Rosilla Wise Zinsmeister, and her family. He married Emma Klieman and they had four children.
• Maude Catherine Wise was born December 9, 1877. Maude is my Great-Grandmother. She married Charles Romain Brubaker on February 7, 1897 and they had four children.
• Maurice James Wise, twin brother of Maude, was born December 9, 1877. Maurice never married. He owned and ran a restaurant in Sturgis, Michigan and was killed in an auto-truck accident in July 1943.
• Hazlette Ann Wise was born October 10, 1885. She married Harlo Asher Burns on October 10, 1911. They lived on a farm in Troy Township, Whitley County and had two children.

Harry, Sophia, Maude, William, and Maurice. Hazlette, seated in front.
Sophia Dunfee Wise died on December 6, 1916; her obituary was published in the Columbia City Post on December 8, 1916:

Mrs. William Wise, of Troy township passed away Wednesday at 1:30 o'clock from blood clots on the brain and paralysis. She has been confined to her bed for the past two weeks and although her condition varied at times, she seemingly grew weaker and the end was not altogether unexpected by members of the family who were familiar with the ailments of the patient.

Mrs. Wise was a daughter of William and Catherine Dunfee and was born in this city September 18, 1850; she being aged 66 years, 2 months and 18 days at her death. She spent her childhood days in this city and received her education here. On October 9, 1873, she was united in marriage to William Wise, who survives. To this union four children were born; Harry Wise of Lorane, Ohio; Morris J. Wise, of Elkhart; Mrs. Maude Brubaker, of North Webster, and Mrs. Harlow Burns, of Troy township.

Mr. and Mrs. Wise took up their residence on a farm northwest of this city following their marriage and have resided there ever since. Mr. Wise was a successful farmer and was greatly assisted by his devoted wife who was constantly caring for her children and their home. She was loved and respected by her many friends. Mrs. Wise was a member of the Thorncreek township Christian church and was a faithful worker in the cause of the Master.

Besides her husband and children, she is survived by one brother, William Dunfee, of Columbia township, and one sister, Miss Rebecca Dunfee, of Troy township.

William would live for nearly 20 more years, passing away on October 12, 1935. His obituary was published in the Columbia City Post two days later:

William P. Wise, past 83 years old, well-known Whitley county farmer, died Saturday night at 8:45 o'clock at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Harlo Burns, in Troy Township. He had been in declining health for the past year but for the past two weeks his condition, due to a complication of diseases, had grown steadily worse until death ensued.

Born in Allen county on January 1, 1852, William P. Wise was a son of Jacob and Malissa Stemm Wise, and had reached the age of 83 years, 9 months and 11 days. He resided all his life except one year in Whitley county, for when but a year old his parents brought him to Thorncreek township where he grew to manhood.

On October 7, 1873, William P. Wise was united in marriage to Sophia Dunfee, who preceded him in death in 1916. Since her death Mr. Wise made his home with his daughter in north Troy township. In addition to Mrs. Wise, the deceased was preceded in death by two brothers and three sisters.

Surviving are two sons and two daughters, namely, Harry H. of Lorain, Ohio; Maurice, formerly of Elkhart and now of Troy township, who is a twin brother of Mrs. Joseph Yontz, of Columbia City, and Mrs. Harlo Burns. Two sisters; Mrs. David Anspaugh, of Ray, Ind., and Mrs. Rosie Zintz, of Lorain, Ohio, eight grand children and sixteen great-grandchildren also survive Mr. Wise.

Early in life Mr. Wise united with the Thorncreek Christian church east of Cresco and though this church has been long since abandoned he never changed his membership. William P. Wise was a farmer by occupation all his life and was regarded as an upright and honest Christian character and a fair dealer with all his neighbors, each of whom characterized Mr. Wise as one of the finest neighbors a person could have and one who never spoke anything but kind words of everyone with whom he was acquainted.

The body was brought to the DeMoney Funeral Home in Columbia City and was removed from there to the Harlo Burns home Sunday. Funeral services will be held Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the Burns home. Dr. E. C. Lindsay, of Goshen, will conduct the services and burial will be in Scott cemetery.

The notice of his funeral was published on October 16th in the Columbia City Post. My mother says she vaguely remembers attending the funeral; she would have been seven years old at the time. Her brother, Billy, was only five.

Funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon from the Harlo Burns home in Troy Township, for the late William Wise, Dr. E. C. Lindsay, of Goshen, officiating. Ray Estlick and Mrs. Fern Marker sang the hymns.

The pallbearers were Charles Yontz, William Brubaker, Charles Anspaugh, Victor Phend, William Anspaugh, and Charles Jacobs. The flower bearers were Patsy, Phyllis, Virginia and Billy Phend, great-grandchildren of Mr. Wise. Interment took place in the Scott cemetery.

Those attending the funeral rites from a distance were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Wise, Lorain, Ohio; Mrs. Rosa Zintsmeister and daughter, Lorain, Ohio; Mr. and Mrs. David Anspaugh, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Anspaugh and Mr. and Mrs. William Anspaugh, Ray, Ind., Mr. and Mrs. William Brubaker, Elkhart.

Wise Family - Index to Posts

Inflight Entertainment

Leaving for Austria again, I bought the new Bike Snob book to read on the plane in hopes of distracting myself from my terror of flying. I like the BikeSnobNYC blog, but what made me buy the book was Grant Petersen's review on Rivendell's website. I have to admit that I am a sucker for Grant Petersen's writing and find myself reading all sorts of things he wrote that I have no interest in, just for the narration. If he wrote a 2-page description of bathroom tiles, I'd probably read it. His enticing endorsement of the book put me over the edge.

And if this isn't proof of the existence of the Collective Unconscious, I don't know what is: No sooner did I stuff Bike Snob into my carry-on, then mention of me appeared on his blog. Scroll down to the bit about the Boston Globe story on sweat stains and fabrics with patterns. Right...

Bike Snob proved useful during my flight, as I was seated between two mothers with babies on their laps. The babies not only wailed for the duration of the flight, but now and again would reach out to pull my hair, poke my eye, or chew on my jacket. Noticing this, the mothers would smile at me generously - as if to say: "As a female of childbearing age, surely you must be delighted at the opportunity to interact with babies!" Trying not to start wailing myself, I took deep breaths and concentrated on Bike Snob.

If I had to use one word to describe the book it would be "heartwarming". It is gently humorous, and reading it feels like wrapping yourself in a warm and fuzzy sweater with cute little patterns of bicycles all over it. Though Bike Snob argues that there is no such thing as "bike culture," he contradicts himself by creating a sense of one - to the extent of even referring to cyclists as a distinct breed of people. He also contradicts himself by railing against the fetishisation of the cycling experience, only to go on and fetishise the heck out of it himself in later chapters. I am pretty certain that these contradictions are intentional, meant to illustrate his own hopeless love for bicycles and to demonstrate that he too is susceptible to the very things he mocks.

As for the contents, they are surprisingly straightforward. The chapters address such topics as bicycle history, bicycle ownership, bicycle maintenance, and road rules. There is also a part on "Velo-Taxonomy" where he categorises cyclists into various types and explains the differences in detail. According to his taxonomy, I would be a hybrid between the "Retrogrouch", the "Lone Wolf", and the "Beautiful Godzilla" (though the only thing in common I have with the latter is the type of bicycle I ride).

The Bike Snob book is generously illustrated, in a manner that evokes Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. The design and layout make the pages almost seem edible. In a way, the presentation can be described as having a pre-packaged "cult status feel." Whether the book will actually attain cult status, only time will determine.

In other velo-news I can report from my travels, I saw these neat bicycles during my layover in Frankfurt Airport. These bikes have fenders, dynamo hub lighting, a the double-legged kickstand, a bell, a Basil front basket, a Pletscher rear rack, Schwalbe tires, and what appear to be license plates. From what I could tell, they are for the airport employees and not for flight passengers. Too bad, I would have liked to ride one around the airport!

Sapsucker holes

Sapsucker holes in cedar

Edited to say:
Here's what a yellow-bellied sapsucker looks like. One of these days I might get lucky and get a good bird picture... but not today.

According to most sources, a sapsucker's drilling usually does not harm trees.