Welcome to RemarkableJourneys.net
A voyage of inspiration and observationsThese are my travel stories. Journeys you might say. Incidents that make travel more than just memorable, remarkable is my word. ~ Bill Ahearn
Charlie’s Café—comfort food, good-humored service in the best tradition of American breakfast places.
A newcomer comes through the door and calls: “Hey, Charlie.” “Nope. The name’s Ted,” Ted smiles. “Charlie’s not here anymore”. It is a sparkling clear Sunday morning, the sky so blue it could freeze in place. No matter cold or hot, rain or shine, spring or fall, Sunday morning at Charlie’s Cafe in Norfolk, Virginia is a ritual, perhaps even a religion. The vittles are the definition of comfort food. The service is top deck, and the hands are a mixed bag of interesting characters all wearing the black “T’s” with the inscription,...
We do all live in a yellow submarine!
Adventure. Fantasy. Wonderment. Sense of Discovery. Camaraderie. Tolerance. Ingredients, all inclusive, when the Beatles ran up the flag on the song "Yellow Submarine." As a statement, a philosophy, it spoke to our sense of playfulness. It was written purposefully as a child’s song, a memorable human ditty. “Yellow Submarine” symbolizes disparate ideals. Adventure seems to be at the forefront: Peter Pan, Swiss Family Robinson, The Castaway, Edward Abbey, John Muir, Eliot Porter, Ansel Adams; multitudes of life stories represent...
A cautionary tale: cape flattery, washington; dark night, kind stranger
The walkway steps were made of coarse, rickety, irregular shaped, unevenly spaced spruce planks. Hand-bumping knots and dips decorated rustic pole handrails crafted from young, strong saplings. As if in a Harry Potter movie, the winding stairs seemed to lead down and down to a magical, mysterious place. The forest darkened, the evening sun setting orange-purple through the trees. As the forest closed around us we quickened our step. descending anxiously to reach the sea. Though we love and appreciate the beauty nature places before...
Like Heaven’s Gate, Archangel Valley, Hatcher Pass Alaska
Archangel Valley is richly decorated with extraordinary low-to-the-ground, colored vegetation, intermittent with tough green bushes on a stony landscape. This encapsulated mountain environment is remarkable for its unique plant variety, rich texture and vibrant earth tones (not a misnomer, earth tones can be bright!) Located in Hatcher Pass, Alaska not far from Anchorage near Wasilla, this valley is luxurious in its mountain plant growth and exhilarating panoramic scenic vistas. Tumble down boulders line the valley hillsides,...
Just for the HALIBUT…. or perhaps for two King Salmon.
. It’s all about the fishing. Alaska is THE fishing ground of the Northwest. The warm months bring fishermen from the northwest true, but really from everywhere: Florida, Ohio, Vermont, Minnesota, Colorado, and even Germany. RV Camping is the lodging of choice, and there are grand RV palaces, trailers, pick-up caps, and tents; I even saw a guy sleeping on a picnic bench with his gear in his hand. Daylight is practically all day in the land of the midnight sun and never really gets dark in the summer months, just less light. . The...
The Mysterious Missing Mama Moose
Most everyone knows a wild animal with her young, even a small bird, can be a fierce protector. While driving along the Kenai Peninsula Highway toward our campground, I spied a little, brownish red moose calf standing on a dirt driveway. I stopped. The driveway was surrounded by tall brush, tall grass and plenty of deadwood lying about. A 4-foot high chain link property-boundary fence was set perpendicular to the highway, deep in fire weeds and tall grass. My mind was focused on the cow moose, she couldn't be far off. Praying the...
“I been working on the railroad, all the live-long day…”
Settin’ astride the tracks in Palmer, Alaska is the ol’ Engine 3006. In Alaska, as in so much of rural America, the railroad is a powerful presence. Throughout this journey trains have rattled not far off, whistled so close, made themselves known to any who would listen: from Charleston to Chattanooga, from Kansas City to Rapid City, from Calgary to Anchorage the railroad clickety-clacks its rhythm, toots its music, howls its whistle through day and night. As is true of the lower 48 states, trains of Alaska move goods and people,...
Alberta, Canada: Riding the wide open range, with 282 horses
Alberta, Canada is a huge producer of beef. Farms stretch mile upon mile in great green expanses with an occasional fence dividing properties containing the herds. The rolling plains that are the farms are dotted with little pump houses that very quietly make Alberta the largest oil and natural gas producer in the Northern Hemisphere. Cow pies punctuate knee high prairie grasses growing unevenly as far as the eye can see. As the late afternoon sun sinks low on the horizon, wonderful purple shadows are cast upon the land by hills...
Kathryn Wood Joins Remarkable Journeys
I am pleased to introduce Kathryn Louise Wood as a full-time member of the Remarkable Journeys team. (In June of 2010, Kate became Remarkable Journeys’ long distance content editor, based in Virginia Beach, VA.) She is an award-winning photographer and long-time artistic colleague of mine. She has a BS Degree in Education (Old Dominion University) and is nationally board-certified as a massage therapist. Kate is also a professional writer/editor. Her current novel, SEA SNOW—the gentle haunting of a 19th century lighthouse, is...
Lakota Sioux Culture: Sacred Buffalo Symbol of the Divine and the Medicine Wheel
Since being a small boy (Cub Scout,) I have enjoyed Native American legends and stories. Our Cub Pack was once visited by a “real” Indian Chief in full Indian dress. This chief demonstrated dances and words; then told a story of Indian boys struggling to become strong braves and warriors. I was so impressed, as young minds can be, that I convinced myself I was from Irish-Indian heritage. It opened my eyes to the rich culture of Native Americans. On my bookshelf I have a small collection, which I treasure, of antique, authentic...
The Corn Palace, a town tradition in the spirit of county fairs, not so corny as one might think.
One might imagine that the Corn Palace is “corny”—but in reality its magic gathers the townspeople of Mitchell together in a most unique way. Mitchell, South Dakota is the farm country home of the original Corn Palace. The people of the town are enthusiastic, as well they might be, because the real show is the endless heart and pride the community contributes to their own one-of-a-kind attraction. AND it is FREE for everyone to see. Traveling along the byway, it’s mighty easy as the billboards pass by, to judge the “Corn Palace” as...
Tennessee Tornadoes: Whence cometh the wind?
At 10:30 p.m. Larry approaches my camper door saying, “We are moving into the pavilion for safety. The weather reports a tornado warning for towns of Chuckey and Greeneville in a path that could easily lead to us.” My experience with tornadoes is nil, while Larry Whitney as the owner of the Pebble Mtn Campground, knows his responsibility to offer shelter from the approaching storm, as he is able. The four of us move quickly to the shelter of the concrete block store room inside the camp pavilion, Larry Whitney, Marie his wife,...
The Storm of a Lifetime—April 4, 2011 Talladega National Forest, Alabama
"Batten down the hatches, Matey!" as the old saying goes. All the signs and predictions called for a sodbuster of a lightning-thunder storm, slated to begin its performance about 9 p.m. central time on Monday, April 4, 2011. In the Talladega National Forest, the only Internet/wireless reception I could find was high up on a hill across Coleman lake, roughly 20 miles from Heflin, Alabama. As I set up my portable Internet station at 6:00 p.m. that night, clouds raced by me in an easterly direction, aglow with sunset colors reminiscent...
HEAR YE! HEAR YE! HEAR YE!
“Hey Bill! Hear those birds?” “Uh-huh…did you say, ‘Hail! Fearsome words?’ ” Not everyone has hearing issues but most of us like a good story. This is the story of Flo Innes who was born with a hearing deficiency and struggled through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, learning to hear, employing hearing technology available at the time. When Flo began school, she was often banished to the class coatroom for not paying attention. Some thought she was mentally retarded, some thought her un-attentive, and some didn’t want to be...
How often do you watch the sun set?
How many times have you watched the sun set? Not just noticed it setting: I mean really enjoyed it. Something folks on vacation often do, but otherwise we are mostly just too busy. Sunrises, moon rises and sunsets are always affected by external forces. The beauty can be in clouds, lovers, locations, occasions, but one thing always happens at a sunset—the sun sinks below the horizon and another day is gone. I love it when the sun begins sinking in earnest, the sky hues changing before our eyes from yellows to orange to violets....
Gold! GOLD! A treasure for pleasurable eating.
John Rowland and Tommy Thompson, young entrepreneurs, have a vision of the great orange. They hope one day they will get a business going. For now they are aficionados introducing great southeastern oranges to people wherever they meet them. Today they were in Darien, GA with a pickup bed of American Honeybell and Pineapple-Oranges hand-picked in Haines City, Florida. Personally, after a taste test, I decided that I like Pineapple-Oranges. Sweet, pure tasting, juicy... take a bite. But believe it: Honeybells are also a juicy...
Meet Cocoa, a RagDoll cat from Orlando, Florida (and Virginia)
Cocoa is a fabulous RagDoll cat who lives at home in Virginia and sometimes on the road with Charles Messer and his wife as they migrate to and fro from western Virginia to Orlando, Florida each year following the warm weather. Cocoa is bigger than Minna, my Shih Tzu, in appearance anyway probably out weighs her by 5 lbs. Her fluffy coat is a thing to behold. Cocoa loves to travel especially in the family RV where she sits up on the dashboard taking in the view and the warm rays of the sun. As I understand it, Cocoa is four years of...
An Interesting Pipe Flange? Found at Hunting Island, SC
When I arrived at Hunting Island State Park I was treated most kindly by old friend, Ranger Michael Ray. Michael is a South Carolina Park Ranger I met last year at Edisto Beach. He is a neat guy, always ready to lend a helping hand. South Carolina Park Rangers, like Rangers all over America, have jobs that young folks and adults envy and often aim for during their education. These envious people do not, however, recognize the “disadvantages” of the occupation such as keeping visitors on the straight and narrow and the constant...
Miracles Happen
I met a new friend last week at Alaska’s Seward Harbor. I saw his boat name and had to ask, “So what was the miracle?” Dave replied, “Me. I am Dave Miracle and miracles do happen!” I laughed, “Guess that’s true. What we need is a miracle in Washington! “
Daniel from Quebec
Daniel from Quebec passed through my life yesterday. It is sad that circumstances steal opportunities to know people whom you find interesting. This pleasant Canadian had a way that was sincere, honest and compelling… Click “See all Observations from the Road here” button below to read more.
Mike Berkey
Michael Berkey is a forest fire fighter. The sort of man you are certain could repair any break, ford any stream, pitch a tent in a windstorm, and keep you up ’til all hours telling adventure stories. Click “See all Observations from the Road here” button below to read more.
