Cuba--So Worth the Trip!

Cruising Havana in 1952 Chevy style!

We have visited 37 countries since 1972, all but five of them together.  And we’ve visited some of them multiple times, like Nepal, India, Mexico, Thailand, Spain, and Indonesia.  But among all of them, Cuba ranks as one of our most favorite.

Why?  We’re not sure.  Perhaps because it’s the most recent.  Most likely, it is a combination of uniqueness, warm and friendly people, music and art everywhere, history, architecture, beautiful landscapes, a living vintage auto museum, its racial diversity, and a part of American and Spanish history.  That’s quite a blend, but it comes together nicely.  The Lonely Planet quote in my last blog nailed it: “Timeworn but magnificent, dilapidated but dignified, fun yet maddeningly frustrating—Cuba is a country of indefinable magic.”  More observations and a link to photos follow the brief chronology below. Also included below is a separate link for nothing but vehicle photos, and another one for short music clips.

Havana

A side street near our first hotel, constructed in 1920.
We felt perfectly safe wandering the streets late at night.

After 18 hours of travel, we started off with three full days in Havana.  It wasn’t enough, but fortunately, we had a couple more days there later.  Our definition of hell is a capital city, border crossing, or 3^rd class train ride in a 3^rd world country.  But that was not the case in Havana.  It was downright pleasant.  Havana is a mix of old, new, under construction, clean, dirty, and dilapidated.  Above all, it’s a city of energy and color, with lots of history—and propaganda.

Moka, Vinales, and Soroa

During a walk in the Vinales countryside

We then traveled to Moka (a self-sustaining eco-village from a replanted coffee plantation) then to the beautiful area of Vinales where we biked, hiked, and enjoyed fun music in the town square. We took a walking tour in the countryside to visit a coffee farm and a tobacco farm, where we learned about the 90/20 percentages- 90% of all production goes to the government, and 20% is kept by the farmers for “personal use” and sales.  Somehow this math works!  From there we spent a night Soroa, in a beautiful forest waterfall region.  The wind was so strong at night that rain blew in through the window cracks of the restored 1943 mansion.  Our place lost its water pump, but the staff cheerfully brought us buckets of pool water to flush the toilet.

 We returned to Havana and walked two miles in the dark and rain to the Fabrica de Arte Cubana. (http://www.fac.cu/) which showcased Cuban art, music, dance and food in an old factory amid numerous bars. Exciting, and it seemed like we were the only non-Cubans there.  Our ride back in a belching old Russian taxi was quite an adventure.

Road Trip to Bay of Pigs, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad

Reinaldo, our guide and
driver for five days

Cienfuegos from our historic hotel

Reinaldo, our guide and driver for the next five days, made the last part so fun.  A former government lawyer making only $44 per month, he’s now a guide living the dream.  (Coincidentally, Gretel—a former teacher and our first guide in Havana--is his girlfriend). Like her, Reinaldo gave us the back story on what it’s like to be Cuban. I can’t begin to condense five days of extended conversations in this blog, but we got insights we rarely get in our other travels.  The second half of the photos in our photo link pretty much describe the beauty of these areas.  Trinidad, at over 515 years old, is the oldest colonial city in the Americas.

Go if you can! 

It is still possible to travel to Cuba, just not on cruise ships or large “people-to-people” tour groups. It’s cheap and easy enough to travel independently—much cheaper than a similar time period at a Hawaiian or Mexican resort. And other than Japan, we have never felt safer--more so than here at home.  We'd go again in a heartbeat--but only after we learn more Spanish.  And we'd use Cuba Travel Network again.

 

Our last hotel, built in 1930.  A mafia HQ and casino
until 1959.  Saw a lot photos of  dead and alive celebrities.

Photos and videos

Here are three highly curated photo links, best enjoyed on something larger than a smartphone.  Sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy!

Cuba summary and our best shots, mostly in the order of the above chronology:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/yfB52w2A5XkvQ3fn6

Cuba cars and other vehicles (something that makes Cuba extra fun!) https://photos.app.goo.gl/6vdKAaEEEy1KpY9p8

Music—just a few short clips of some of the abundant and fun music we were privileged to enjoy.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/sEqEs5HvQEq35kJt6

"What We Can, While We Can!"

Odds and Ends

Here are but a few random thoughts and observations.

Marketing—Cuba is mostly devoid of advertising. The only billboards we saw were political, highlighting the revolution 60 years ago.  The country seems stuck in its past, but paradoxically wanting to be a player in the modern world.

Cubans (and this chika)
love their cocktails!

Alcohol—Bars are everywhere!  The cocktail lists are often longer than the menus. It’s hard to find more than the two national beers, and they are seldom on tap.  People can walk around with a drink, but not guns—just the opposite of the States.

Food—We found it very bland, and condiments were in short supply. Quantities, however, were too huge for us.  Unlike other countries we have visited, the markets were sparse and lacked variety.

 

Actually this was one of our
better meals

Toilet paper and soap—we were advised to bring our own, but it wasn’t necessary, except in just a couple of instances in public bathrooms. We never got sick, and we used water purification tablets and/or our Steripen. The ice in our mojitos and whiskey sours was fine.

Staffing—most businesses, especially the restaurants and hotels, were way overstaffed.  However, where it mattered the most for essential services like banking, internet, phone, ration card shops, bus tickets, etc., they were woefully understaffed.  And speaking of banking, it took over two hours to change money at a bank.  After that, we used hotels for almost the same rate, plus they would change US dollars.

Noise—We heard no wailing sirens like we constantly hear at home. We saw, but didn’t hear, many electric motorcycles.  But the ancient autos and gas motorbikes seem unmuffled with screeching brakes. Vendors with push carts had unbelievably loud voices.  Just about every street had the sounds of hundreds of voices echoing off the concrete walls through open windows. This continues through much of the night, supplemented by the sounds of night clubs and an occasional rooster.

Empty tables everywhere
with the new restrictions

Sanctions—have really crippled the economy over the past 60 years, especially since 1990 when the Soviet Union collapsed and could no longer afford to support Cuba.  That’s when Cuba stuck its toe in the water with tourism and allowed small mom and pop businesses to start.  And that sparked much-needed renovation to its aging buildings as people started remodeling for B&Bs.  Unfortunately, the June sanctions imposed by the Trump administration are crippling the tourist economy—especially those in the private sector.  Cubans we talked to said visitors are a fraction of what they were a year ago.  The irony is that Americans can freely travel to other authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Russia, Turkey, and China which have less in common with us than does Cuba.  Our misguided policies that pander to the anti-Castro lobby in Florida are forcing Cuba to turn to countries like China for support and infrastructure capital.

Tips—Cubans in the tourist industry depend upon tips.  Most government employees--and thus most Cubans--work for less than $40 per month.  They get by with monthly ration cards and side hustles (Remember the 90-20% split mentioned above?) Those that can, try to get into the tourist industry where than can earn many times more just from tips alone. One of our largest expenditures beyond airfare and accommodations, were tips.  These directly support the Cuban people, whether their employer is a private or a government hotel, restaurant, guide, or taxi.

One of our scratch-off wifi cards

Communications--Like everywhere else in the world, it seems like everyone had a cell phone.  We purchased one-hour blocks of wifi time at our hotels and from a tourist office.  They cost about $1 per hour.  We didn't buy a local chip, so we relied on What's App, could send and receive emails, download the morning newspapers, and post on social media.  Hotels and some restaurants had wifi, and we could always find a strong signal in public squares (using our VPN, of course!) Unlike Hong Kong, nothing was blocked or censored. We could also see uncensored live CNN and BBC if our room had a TV.

Cuba's capitol building is modeled after the US in Wash DC

History and Culture--We found them  particularly interesting when compared to other places.  Part of that is because it is intertwined with ours, especially over the past 120 years. Hemingway, the Mob, music, our vintage autos, the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban missile crisis are all part of the mix.  It was interesting to hear Cuba's side of the story.  We don't believe all of it, and we found the propaganda in the museums a little wearing.  However, it reminded us that revolutions happen for a reason--often huge inequality and oppression, and the US has sometimes found itself on the wrong side of history by supporting Baptista and the Shah of Iran, among others.

Cubans—We loved them, and they love Americans.  Although their markets are sparse and they don’t have a lot of material goods (except cell phones), Cubans are warm and friendly.  They seem joyful with their abundant music and open affection with one another.  Very few we met said they wanted to move to the USA if they had the chance.  What struck us the most upon arrival and throughout our two weeks was the ethnic diversity and apparent harmony.  Descendants of black slaves, blue-eyed Spaniards, and Hispanics socialize, work, and intermarry as one society.  The music videos in the link above illustrate this diversity. It seemed like women were empowered. Many of the Cubans we met were divorced but in a new relationship.  One clerk at a hotel had three wedding bands on her finger.  When I asked her about them she said, "I was married three times--to the same man!"

Cuba Beckons

We're looking forward to riding in cars like these!

“Timeworn but magnificent, dilapidated but dignified, fun yet maddeningly frustrating—Cuba is a country of indefinable magic.”—Brendan Sainsbury, Lonely Planet Writer.

We leave for Cuba on Wednesday. This will be our second try.  The first one in November 2016 was aborted when I had surgery for a twisted bowel followed by 12 days of hospitalization just a week before a bicycle tour there.  This time, despite an emergency root canal four days ago and regulatory issues, it looks like we’ll make it.

We purchased our airline tickets last June, just one week before the Trump Administration posted new rules that basically shut down cruises and most travel by Americans.  Although we’re grandfathered in, we are playing it safe by traveling independently under the “support of the Cuban people” exception.

We'll mostly be on the western half of the island

What does that mean?  We cannot stay in hotels or patronize businesses or that are owned by the Cuban government or members of the military.  Thus, we’ll be staying at mom-and-pop B&Bs and patronizing local businesses.  No problem, that’s how we roll.  We also cannot lie around on beaches for two weeks because we’re expected to interact with locals and document full days of doing so.  We’re fine with that because we aren’t beach people and this gives an opportunity to practice our bad Spanish. 

We engaged a local firm—Cuba Travel Network—to keep us in compliance with our accommodations and activities, such as architectural and historical walking tours, visiting farms, bicycling, going to national parks, museums, artist colonies, etc.

They have also advised us to bring our own toilet paper, soap, shampoo, and water purification tablets, as there is a scarcity of these things in some of the areas we’re visiting.  We're bringing only Canadian dollars and Euros.  ATMs won't work for US credit card companies.  Don’t expect updates to this blog until after the 27^th, as connectivity and bandwidth are a big problem in many areas.  If I get a secure connection and good bandwidth, I’ll try to make a couple of Facebook and Instagram posts (@kelemenron), with a copy to our retirement adventures blog on Tumblr.

We wish you a good—and relatively nonfattening—holiday season.  We’ll be celebrating our Christmas in Havana.

"What We Can, While We Can!"

Ellie, our seasonal doorman
getting ready
for Thanksgiving

Ellie getting ready for Christmas

An early Christmas dinner of fondue with Kathy's
almost 95-year old mother, Doris.

Meanwhile, here are a few photos from our few days in Denver for Thanksgiving.  Despite the 18 inches of snow, the trip exceeded our expectations.  My late mom and dad would be very proud of how the five of us sibs get along and occasionally try to get together.  We stayed in the Crawford Hotel, which is in the former railroad administrative offices of Denver’s 1914 Union Station.  Remodeled and rescued from demolition in 2014, it was magnificent.  We loved hanging out in the lobby, billed as “Denver’s Living Room.” 

 

Most of 'The Fam'

Denver Union Station

Denver's Living Room, where travelers, hotel guests, locals,
and the homeless intermingle

My 'little' bros--Neal and Mark

From the Tanzanian Bush to the Portuguese Camino

Lisbon, Portugal

What do Tanzania and Portugal have in common?  Not much, other than the fact that we visited them back to back over seven weeks, walked at lot in each place, and had pretty much the same wardrobe.  So for the many readers of this blog who don't do social media and for those that followed us, here's a brief recap with links at the end to some of our best photos.

Tanzania is below the equator on the east coast of Africa, just south of Kenya.  After three days in forgettable Dar Es Salaam, we camped in the remote bush country of Ruaha and Selous National Parks.  Gratitude and awe are only two of many words I could use to describe our nine days there. Our first part was a mobile camp 50 miles from a dusty airstrip in Ruaha National Park where we mostly did walking safaris every day. The second half was a remote tent camp on Lake Mainz in Selous Game Reserve where elephants, giraffes, impalas, baboons, and hippos visited us daily. In both places, the wildlife, vistas, plants, guides, and camp staff were amazing. Traveling with our good friends Ron and Barb and meeting other travelers made the experience even more fun and memorable. 

Our three places in Tanzania

Our next stop was Portugal.  Very interesting, tourist friendly, beautiful, and extremely crowded with tourists in late August-early September.  We played tourist in Lisbon, Sintra, Tomar, amd Porto for a few days.  The highlight of Porto was hanging out with daughter Shanti and her husband Alan from London for her 35th birthday. 

20-mile bike ride to and along the coast from Porto

Our main reason to visit Portugal was to walk the one of the Portuguese routes of the Camino de Santiago into Spain to Santiago de Compostela.  (One year ago today we arrived in Santiago after six weeks and 500 miles across northern Spain on the Camino Frances, the route used by thousands.)  Looking at the weather, we decided to take the coastal route, which took two weeks and was only 175 miles.  It was somewhat disappointing at first, and you can see why by reading our September 3, Day 1 post on the Tumblr link below.  This year, no stomach or shin splint problems, but we did get a few blisters and very aching feet. We averaged about 13 miles per day, with the shortest at two and the longest (the last day) at 20.

However, unlike last year we were joyous upon arrival into Santiago. We aren’t sure why. Perhaps it is because we felt better physically, with the time and our overall distance being less than one third of last year’s walk. The Camino Frances last year is truly unique in the world. It was such a special experience in our lives, so we probably shouldn’t compare them. This route of the Coastal Portuguese Camino felt more like a two week cross-cultural backpacking trip, often along a beautiful coast. We had a wonderful–sometimes challenging–time. We met interesting people, saw beautiful scenery, and enjoyed the lifestyle. It was a great experience! 

We arrived in Santiago sooner than we had anticipated and decided not to walk back to Porto along a different route.  So that left us time to go to Finisterre (the End of the Earth), and the fascinating historic city of Coimbra, and spend an extra day in Lisbon.

It was a very diverse trip, and a good one.  We especially enjoyed our time together and all the people we met along the way.  That said, it's always good to be home.

"What We Can, While We Can!"

NOTE:  The photos below are best viewed in anything larger than a cell phone. The Tanzania photos were taken mostly with a pocket-sized Sony Cybershot. The Portugal/Spain photos were with my Samsung and Kathy's iPhone.

Link to our Best Shots of Tanzania Photos

Link to our Best shots of Portugal photos.  (Doesn't include those from the Camino)

Link to our Camino Summary, somewhat in chronological order.  It pairs well with the daily narrative at our Tumblr site.   (This site also has about 10 photos for each day, which puts the narrative into context. It's also a duplicate of my Facebook and Instagram posts.)

For our Camino nerds that want to see the full photo folder of our Camino adventures, please send me an email, and I'll send you the link.  Same with more specific photo folders for Ruaha and Selous.

Off on Another Adventure

After three very delightful weeks in Salem following our 8800-mile road trip across Canada and the US, we're off again.  No Airstream this time, as we're traveling much lighter and farther.

Traveling much lighter this time!

We leave for Tanzania on Friday.  We're going to meet up with our good friends from Spokane, Ron (Tall Ron--I'm Short Ron) and Barb.  We met them in 2006 on a bicycle trip from Vienna to Venice.  We've stayed in touch ever since and have done three bike trips with them including Vietnam and France.

It will take 19 hours from Boston
to Dar es Salaam

After three days of jet-lag recovery and a city tour of Dar es Salaam, were going for five nights to Ruaha National Park.  Kathy and I loved our hosts and their very remote camp last year and are looking forward to a longer stay with walking photo safaris and even more remote mobile camps on three of the nights.

Then we fly to the Selous National Game Reserve, to a tent camp on the shores of Lake Manze for four nights.

Starting and ending in Dar es Salaam by bush planes and
dirt roads to our camps

We say goodbye to Tall Ron and Barb, then head off on our own to Lisbon Portugal.  We will work our way north to Porto where our London daughter Shanti and husband Alan  will join us for three days. Then on September 2, with our 14-pound packs, we plan to start walking part of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago into NW Spain. We probably won't go all the way to Santiago  but may do a loop by returning along the coastal route.  It should be about 300 miles, but we'll see.  It depends upon the weather, and how our bodies and time are holding up.  My back is still a little 'iffy,' but much better than three weeks ago.

Now here's the important part: We're not taking ipads or computers, just our phones.  So I won't be able to continue with this format and the email notifications.  Therefore, if you want follow our adventures, you can do it three ways:

1) Follow us on Facebook.  This will have the best photo layout and photo captions (Send me a friend request if you don't follow me)

2) Follow me on Instagram @kelemenron (Unfortunately, most of the photos will be square, missing the big panoramas and vistas.)

3)  Don't want to bother with social media?  That's fine.  Simply go on the internet periodically to www.RonKathyRetirementAdventures.Tumblr.com.  

We'll be back in late September.  Enjoy!

What we can, While we can!"

Six Weeks and 8800 Miles--Back in Eden

Lunch in lovely Quebec

We’re home, back in Eden, the beautiful land of gas station attendants, good wine, and coffee kiosks everywhere.  Like many trips, it seems like we left a lifetime ago, yet it seems like we just left last week.  And like nearly every trip, it’s exciting to leave and nice to be home.  We logged over 8,800 miles, and only 500 of them were without the trailer. 

One mile at a time, one day at a time

This cross-continent trip was even better than our 2016 trip.  We’re now fully retired without a lot of emails, payroll, and other business issues to worry about.  We got to experience the Canadian Rockies and the Trans Canada Highway (in all its boring beauty through the prairie) and we took new routes and mostly avoided the Interstates, taking two-lane country roads. We got to see some amazing scenery and historic sites.  Above all, we enjoyed our time together and a week in the Berkshires of western MA with daughters Skyler and Feruza and their constellation of friends.

We traveled in a universe different from living in our downtown six-story condo where we walk and bicycle nearly everywhere.  We were in a world of truck stops, semis, gigantic RVs, other people on vacation, cross country motorcycles and bicyclists, small towns, large cities, and campgrounds.  Behind the windshield, we were in an air-conditioned cocoon of Sirius Radio and audio books, but always mindful of the changing scenery, wind, potholes, trucks, route changes, hills, and sometimes intense traffic.  Happy hour took on a whole new meaning once we arrived and set up camp.  (It was often the happy hour for mosquitoes, too!)

Wind River Basin near the Tetons

Our Airstream friends will want to know about technical and towing issues, as well as good camping spots.  Other than some spilled sesame oil smelling of skunk, some leaking lighter fluid that wreaked of an impending explosion, a refrigerator that would only work on propane, and a grey water valve that wouldn’t completely close, we had no problems.  The Jeep performed like a champ, but we avoided the long 10% grades of Teton Pass, outside Jackson, WY.  We were wary of tailwinds throughout the trip with passing trucks and especially after a frightening fishtailing episode in the Columbia Gorge our first day. 

As viewers of our Facebook posts could tell, we had some pretty amazing camping spots mostly in wineries and national, county, city, and provincial parks. But we also had some forgettable ones in places where RV parks are the permanent homes of many in sad-looking ‘Cousin Eddie’ Winnebagos, gigantic motorhomes and 5^th wheels.

Our last campground--Sisters City Park in Oregon.  

Wind River mountains, WY

Once we hit Wyoming, we felt almost home—it wasn’t flat and humid anymore.  But it was arid, rocky, littered, and populated with drilling rigs, coal trains, and mine tailings.  We liked the silos and combines of Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska better.  Southern Idaho still retains our award for the most boring and ugly stretch of road in the US.  We took the back road US 20 from Ontario to Burns and Bend.  Very desolate, but beautiful.

A beautiful ocean of foam-colored sagebrush between
Burns and Bend, OR.  150 miles of beautiful desolation.

North America, east to west, is huge, varied, and beautiful.  We come back with more appreciation for this great land, the First Nation tribes that initially lived in it, the pioneers who settled it, and the people who inhabit it today.  No matter where we were, people (except for the East-Coast and ‘Mass-hole’ drivers) were friendly, especially the Canadians.

It’s good to be home in an expansive kitchen, queen bed, and fast internet.  I tweaked my back the morning of our last day and have trouble walking upright without occasional spasms.  But as Kathy says, “Even when we are unlucky, we are lucky.”  This could have happened days or weeks ago. We’re optimistic that I’ll be back to normal before we leave on August 9 for our walking safaris in Tanzania, followed by our 300-mile walk along the Camino de Santiago in Portugal. 

Here's a LINK to our best shots that summarize the trip.  Enjoy!

At Snake River overlook, Grand Teton National Park, WY

"WHAT WE CAN, WHILE WE CAN!"

The Vast Midwest

A relaxing and hot bike ride along the Cedar River
before starting another long day on the road

Political commentators sometimes refer to the Midwest as ‘flyover country,’ a vast prairie between major US cities on each coast.  We felt that way on our 2016 road trip with our Airstream going from Oregon to MA and back, viewing it as ‘something to get through.’ 

Somewhere in western NB

This time we feel differently.  Yes, we still have to get through it, but we are approaching it with a different attitude and a different route.  The Interstate highways of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and some of Indiana drove us crazy and dinged us with tolls every few miles.  So we opted for the two-lane back roads, which were often predecessors of the Interstates. 

Indiana, near IL border

The Westcott Home in Springfield OH, part
of our inadvertent  Frank Lloyd Wright Tour

This opened up opportunities for detours and stops that were never part of our itinerary.  One was a walk through 'Millionaires Row' and another Frank Lloyd Wright home (the Westcott home) in Springfield, OH, followed by a lunch stop at a western revolutionary war battlefield and a historical site for Tecumseh, the great Indian leader.

And following a night at a delightful Indiana campground far from the freeway, we landed in another Springfield, the Illinois state capitol and the home of Lincoln.  

Lincoln's Home, complete with many original
furnishings.  It was an eerie to touch the same
handrail he did as we ascended the stairs. 

It was never on our itinerary, but we are so grateful we saw Lincoln’s home, museum/library, offices, and more.  Up until now, we knew about slavery in an abstract sense, the kind taught to us in elementary school.  The museum made it real for us.  

Outside the Lincoln Museum
and library

As a bonus the next morning, we visited yet another Frank Lloyd Wright home, (the Dana Home) circa 1904.  It was one of Wright’s first major commissions. His benefactor had no budget constraints, and the home was huge, complete with a bowling alley and barrel ceilings in two rooms.

The Dana Home

From there, we proceeded on leisurely back roads to La Porte City, IA to visit Kathy’s college friend and one who was indirectly responsible for Kathy and me meeting 44 years ago.

The last two days have been the most relaxing drives of our five+ weeks so far, following Highway 20 through the Midwest.  (Highway 20 goes from Boston MA to Newport, OR.) Although the extreme heat, humidity, and mosquitoes are oppressive, we are fascinated by how the countryside changes (and grateful for an air conditioned vehicle).  It’s a very subtle transition from the hills and forests of the Allegheny Mountains; to the cornfields of Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa; to the rolling prairie wheat fields of western Nebraska; to the rocky buttes and grasslands of Wyoming.  But it happens.  And now that we’re in Wyoming, we feel almost back home--in the West--our comfort zone.

Wetlands in northern IA

It’s also fascinating to us how we can drive for miles and miles through vast nothingness, then come upon small towns with museums, public swimming pools, skate parks, and free camping (often with hookups) in their city parks or fairgrounds.  This free camping seems to be part of the Midwest hospitality ethos, and compared to the East, everyone is so nice.

No more cornfields as we approach WY

Every tiny town seems to have an historical museum and library.  Indeed, we’ve passed more museums in the past three days than McDonald’s, and certainly no Starbucks.

We often wonder, ‘Why do people live here?’  It’s certainly not where we would live, with its heat, humidity, brutal winters, flatness, and mosquitoes, lack of mountains and oceans, and big city amenities. But then, we didn’t grow up here and haven’t the connections to the land or its people.

Our free campground in the Douglas, WY city park on
the banks of the North Platte River

"WHAT WE CAN, WHILE WE CAN!"

To Fallingwater and Beyond!

Looking upstream to Fallingwater

We enjoyed a fun week in the Berkshires at a mountain cottage we co-own with our daughter, Skyler.  What made it so nice was all of her guests coming and going.  We realized just how much we miss being in the company of young people.  We swam and paddle boarded on the lake, rode bikes, played with our ‘granddogs,’ sat around the campfire, and listened to John Williams and the Boston Pops at the Tanglewood Festival.  Above all, we ate, and ate, and ate.  Skyler, Spencer, and Feruza are such good cooks.

Cruising the lake at Sunset, July 4 with
Skyler's friends and coworkers

Sunset on Big Robin Lake

Waiting for John Williams to conduct his
greatest hits at the Tanglewood Festival

We left Monday toward Pittsburgh, to see the famous Fallingwater home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is listed in the Smithsonian’s “Life List of 28 places to visit before you die.”  And just this month, UNESCO listed Fallingwater as a world heritage site.  Together, we’ve seen about 12 of his homes, and several non-residential buildings. They were all interesting and nice to look at, but we wouldn’t want to live in one.   But we could happily live in Fallingwater.  It’s stunningly beautiful and practical at the same time. 

Falling Water, looking downstream

The home was commissioned in 1932 by Edgar and Liliane Kauffman who owned a huge department store in Pittsburgh.  The budget was $35,000, but in true Frank Lloyd Wright style, it the total cost was $155,000—about $2.8 million in today’s dollars, not counting the land.  (The Conservancy’s budget for needed restorations is over $11 million.)  That included furnishings, servants’ quarters, and carport.

The Kauffman’s wanted the home to look across the river to the waterfalls.  Frank instead designed the waterfall to be a part of the home.  You can see more photos of it HERE, as well as a second FLW home we toured nearby called Kentuck Knob. (Unfortunately photos inside were prohibited). While on the Kntuck Knob tour, we were privileged to meet its owner, Lord Peter Palumbo, a British philanthropist who buys and preserves historic properties.  He showed up in his vintage 1982 Buick Roadmaster station wagon to get some wine out of the cellar.

View from the Kentuck Knob property

As luck would have it both nights out of Becket, we stayed at wineries as members of Harvest Host.  The wines weren’t so good, but the ambiance and quiet were.  Although they are free to members, we purchased a bottle of wine at each place.

Our Harvest Host campsite Tuesday night

It seems like we’ve spent more money on tolls than on gas since we left Becket,  barely getting out of 4th  gear before another booth.  One toll was over $34!  It would have been even more if our trailer had two axles.  But the roads were good, fast, stressful, loaded with trucks, and yet boring! 

A refurbished historic mile make

At a rest stop we noticed some historical markers.  The toll roads were I-70, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. He got the idea for our interstate highway system in 1919, as he led a 62-day convoy from Washington DC to San Francisco.  He signed the enabling legislation in 1956.  With the Cold War anxieties in mind, it was sold as the National Defense Highway System.  (In a similar vein in 1957 when the Soviet Sputnik satellite was launched, Congress passed the National Defense Student Loan Program, of which Kathy and I, and many baby boomers used for low-cost student loans.)

But what really caught our eye was the Historic Highway 40 interpretive sign.  Commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1806, it originally connected the Atlantic Ocean with the Ohio River.  In 1926 it became the original coast-to-coast US highway.  It parallels I-70 and in some places I-70 is US 40. We decided to get off the three-lane I-70 and take US 40 through several quaint eastern and Midwest towns.  Some of these towns looked prosperous, others were rundown with many shuttered stores and factories.  Later on, as we approached Columbus, it was lined with strip malls. 

Tomorrow (Thursday), we’re going to spend the morning in nearby Springfield, OH.  Any guesses what we’ll be doing?  Kathy wants to tour yet another FLW home and walk the historical neighborhoods in the 90 degree heat and 85% humidity.  Over our 42 years of marriage, I have grown to enjoy her passion for architecture, as she has for my passions of symphonic music and cooking.

Then off towards another Springfield—Lincoln’s home town.

Fallingwater in background

 "WHAT WE CAN, WHILE WE CAN!"