“MASTER CELEBRATOR”
November-December 1962
We left the Port of Honolulu headed for the Port of the Oakland Army Terminal in Oakland, California. The ship was filled with soldiers coming from Korea and they picked up remainder of load in Hawaii. It was a very happy occasion; some were going back for reassignment and a bunch like me for discharge.
When we arrived at Oakland they sent us in different directions, we the “D”s were taken to the processing center. There were two or more lines, if I remember correctly, those who had medical claims, other issues and there was the direct line out the door. I had broken my ankle a couple of years before, it had healed fine, I just wanted that very valuable piece of paper so I passed up the medical line and expedited. They paid us up to date, leave time, hadn’t taken leave time in 18 months, had 45 days coming, monthly pay etc., so I did have a chunk of change in my pocket.
Off the post and to San Francisco International Airport, along with a couple buddies of mine to make flight arrangements headed home.
We were so happy; we were from Co A 33rd Transportation Battalion (Truck) 25th Infantry Division (Tropic Lightning) stationed at Schofield Barracks. At that time the 25th was Part of, if my memory serves me right, they called it STRAC, 4th Inf Div Ft Lewis, 1st Armored Div Ft Hood, 101st Airborne Div Ft Campbell, and 82nd Airborne Div Ft Bragg. Needless to say there was a lot of soldiering going on the island of Oahu. I served 29 months with Co A.
One dream I always thought about; it sure would be nice not to be a wealthy, but a well to do tourist over here, just relax and have some fun. We had times of relaxation, parties out on the beaches, lots of fun but you always had the commitment over your head as to why you were really there.
Everyone is busy making flight arrangements. After they were made we found a lounge and began talking about going home. My drink of choice at the time, either CC or VO & Seven, was above the beer; that was for the GIs. Today I prefer water & ice so I can enjoy the whiskey flavor. We were having a good time, there were some long waits, so like they say today, it was “Miller Time”.
We were sitting around and as the party continued, on the spur of the moment I said to them, I think I am going on vacation back to Hawaii. They looked at me and said, “you are crazy”!
That’s all they had to tell me.
I left the table and went back to discuss changing my ticket to Michigan and return to Hawaii. Evidently at that time it was no big deal to do this, so in a short time I had a one way ticket to Hawaii. I didn’t have enough change to make it a return to Michigan; I could figure that one out later. When I showed them the ticket, they could not believe it.
In all my life I don’t think there was or will be a drug created on this earth that would have given me a better high than I was experiencing. I was excited, elated, discharge in my pocket with three years’ service to my country and I was on fire. Good byes were made as we slowly departed the terminal.
I imagine my folks were kind of excited also as I was planning to return around this time, no set date of arrival, but an estimate was given to them earlier that month. I had not been back to Schaffer for the past 18 months.
I arrived in Honolulu with the royal welcome, the Hula-hula Dancers, dancing and singing in their grass skirts and their “Leis”. They give each one of us passengers one as we departed the aircraft, was I in. Immediately I rented a car at Hertz. I picked up a brand new Bright Red Pontiac Bonneville two door hardtop. As they say, Man was I cool.
First thing I did is take a ride down to Waikiki and cruise the strip for a while; I was on Cloud “9”. Looked for a place and decided to get a room at the Coca Palms Hotel, back off the Beach a few blocks. It was not a Royal Hawaiian but a very decent quiet place off the beaten path and the price was quite right. Got everything set up at the room, walked around the Beach, etc., a few celebratory drinks, just having fun after three years of soldering, on vacation in Hawaii at last.
Hung around Waikiki a couple days, and then I decided to take a ride out to Schofield Barracks and see the troops. When I pulled up in the Company “A” Area, (we lived in a quad, and you could drive right up to the orderly room), the living area was right there. The common question; What the Hell! Are you doing here? “I am on vacation, not leave, having a terrific time”.
I also had a Sgt. Friend who was shacked up with a lady who had been deserted by a military husband, couple small kids, originally from Ankara, Turkey. She was quite attractive, and worked as a bartender. She was a good woman with a bad break. I was practically raised in a tavern so we shared something in common. She was a lot of fun, especially with her brogue. I would go visit, take her and the kids for a ride, buy them some treats at the drive-in. Over the next few weeks or two, I also took them down town Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, etc. We had a good time; she was a character, never got close to her, just a good friend. I also was spending time in the clubs at Waikiki, eating good, but also sipping on my favorite cocktail. One time I heard they were having a big Luau at the Elks Club. I found the lodge located on the beach just south of Waikiki, a beautiful place. I went there, introduced myself and mentioned my dad was an Elk for many years, they invited me in and I got to participate in the Luau. Wow! It was royal extravagance and hospitality. One day while bumming around Waikiki, I met a young lady. She was very beautiful, my age, told me she was of French Chinese descent. She worked at this mfg company but at the time they were on strike. We visited for a while and she said she had to go walk the picket line. Later on that day I went over to where the strike was going on and talked with her and the others about their issues and volunteered to carry one of the pickets if someone wanted to take a break. They said sure. They also had sandwiches and beverages there. So a couple times over the next few days, for a little entertainment I would go carry the pickets and yell along with them when the company officials came around. It was fun and they really liked me. After a couple times as I left, I thought, if I keep this up I may get in some kind of trouble, as I wasn’t even an employee. So I made an exit I thought sometimes there is a limit. I toured the island a couple times, traveled every highway that existed there. The southeast there is beautiful scenery. The mountains are too steep to develop. Especially early in the morning when the sun is shining and the dew is rising, tranquility at its best. There are a number of beautiful beaches opposite of the mountains on the ocean.
The trucking outfit I was in covered the whole island of Oahu either on the roadways or the most ungodly goat trails that existed in the Koolau Mountain Range. My MOS was a truck driver, but after 5 or 6 months I was asked to serve as company dispatcher, (assistant truck master) which I grabbed. We had 80 trucks and trailers in Co “A”.
Needless to say over the long haul I was very familiar with every trail or road on Oahu. *1 2000 visit.
Commercial interests had just built a very large store, (they call them boxes today) just out of Honolulu towards Pearl Harbor. It targeted military and local customers (can’t remember the name), but it was huge and prices were right on everything. They also advertised the use of credit cards.*2 I always wanted a good portable stereo system. I thought why not take advantage of the credit card opportunity, something new to me. So I applied and got one almost immediately. I purchased a brand new stereo system along with a variety of LPs. I did not have to listen to the radio at the hotel room. I also updated my clothing line. Life was good. A couple days later I bought a Model 88 Winchester 308 hunting rifle, which at that time was a revolutionary lever action rifle. One feature is that 7.65 ammo could be used in the rifle. I was really proud. A couple days later I bought a Ruger 357 Magnum Pistol.
After a week or so my funds began to dwindle. It is not cheap to vacation in Hawaii, now or back then. I called my parents who owned a tavern in Michigan, told them I was on vacation in Hawaii and I needed a small loan. I also told them that I had a friend that may come to Michigan, she had a couple kids, but she was a good bartender, if they needed one. That didn’t go over very well. They sent me a Loan and I was back in business. I couldn’t afford the Pontiac anymore so I had to scale down. I went and paid Hertz up to date with the loan and acquired a Chevy II, small and economical, exactly what I needed. By this time I was beginning to wear out my visits at Company “A”. I could sense they were not thrilled with my nonsense anymore, so I quit going out there, probably becoming a pest or they were just jealous. I like to think the last.
One day I met this GI, NCO in a bar in Wahiawa, the GI town next to Schofield Barracks. We were talking about the local customs. He told me he knew of a place where they lived like they did many years ago in huts, etc. All the while I was there I never heard of a place like this, so he guided me out there. We drove North towards Haleiwa and somewhere around there, the place was, just off the beach. These locals were living like they did a thousand years ago in those grass huts, the place was probably off limits to military but this GI new them, and he was there before. These people partied too, so he told me that we would have to bring some beverages out there of which we did. We had quite a time with these people, it was a little strange but interesting.
I had over drank and was in bad condition; should not have been driving; I left the GI off at Schofield and headed for Waikiki. On my way I could feel myself going to sleep, so I pulled off the highway and took a snooze. I was awakened later by the State Police. They were giving me a bad time so I tried to set them straight. They arrested me for disorderly conduct and I spent the night in the Honolulu City Klink. It was a tough night, I was scared. Next morning, they took me to court, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct*3, had a few bucks, paid the fine and hitchhiked back to get my Chevy. I was back on vacation, I began to do some serious thinking that day, possibility I could get in trouble. I needed more cash, behind on the hotel bill, so I put my stereo or rifle or pistol in the pawn shop. I also thought maybe I should get a job. I wanted to stay, so I would just arrive home before Christmas. I looked at the paper and there was a company named Oahu Floors who needed tile layer trainees. Kaiser had built a huge development and Oahu Floors had the contract to tile all these little boxes. I was hired right away. Now I was on a working vacation. The pay was good, my boss was very fast at showing me how to lay this stuff. I was keeping up but he was well experienced, something to do with the lengths and widths of the rooms. They were not all square, so one would have to measure and compensate so if they were far from square you had cut angles on both sides to make tile look uniform on bth walls. It was slightly complicated because of the stupid carpenter who did not build the rooms square, this fellow would do it quick. I was having troubles with that part, otherwise the glue and tile went down fine. Needless to say after 7 days, one day the tile did not come out on the wall proper and the room was really out of square, the tile was glued and laid. I was screwed. You might as well say the trainee was fired. Immediately after I had taken this job, I found a cheap one room apt, bailed out of the Hotel; I was behind on the rent at the hotel. Experiencing some financial difficulties, I made a couple small loans by telephone*4, from Schaffer during this time of employment as I had to wait for my work pay, with pleas from my dad to get back to Schaffer. A day or two after the firing, I was beginning to think, maybe I better get serious and begin figuring out a way to get back home. I wasn’t night clubbing anymore; it was expensive eating in the restaurants etc. One day I was driving on the Waikiki strip and a plain automobile and fellow with a suit pulled alongside of me and he signaled me to pull over. I thought what the hell now? This guy did not have a uniform on but was well dressed in a suit and meant business. I am thinking, FBI , State or City Detective, wondering what did I do wrong now. Did not have a clue, but he was official looking. He turned out to be a Private Detective chasing down overdue rental automobile among other things. I was in big trouble. He told me to leave auto parked there and he escorted me to Hertz Headquarters in Honolulu. There he took me to the owner of the agency. I told him about my vacation. There was quite a bill due for the auto, no money in my pocket to pay it. I told him that I had the etc. at the pawn shop and it was worth way more than I had loaned on it. The net would cover part of the bill. I guess he thought I wasn’t for real, it was funny but he took interest in me which I am very grateful today. He brought me over to the pawn shop and we removed all the items, he paid for them. Anyway, I told him my vacation was over, I was going to call for a loan in Schaffer and obtain an airline ticket and return for Christmas. I called from his office and a few hours later I had the money to shop for an airline ticket. He agreed to keep the collateral and he signed an agreement with me that after I paid him, he would send items to Michigan.
I had found a special cheap one way-ticket no-name airliner to San Francisco. He even helped me and my stuff get to the airport, maybe he was relieved to see me leave.
I landed in Oakland late afternoon. I called my uncle who was a teacher at San Leandro, not far from airport. I thought, thinking I would visit him for the day and start heading East the next day. I told him I did not have much money and if he cared to come and pick me up, he said it was too bad that I did not have enough money and he was not able to pick me up, what a great welcome, Thanks Uncle! You are the greatest.
I planned to hitch hike back East, dressed in jeans and field jacket, put the thumb out and began the journey. Almost immediately, a strange man picked me up and began verbally sexually assaulting me, I refused and very shortly I asked him to let me off. I was shocked I never in my life had been confronted like this. I got a few more rides out of the city and was headed for Reno, Nevada and points east. The first one was not the only one the 2nd or 3rd ride or whatever another strange man surfaced asking me the same things I was wondering what the hell I was getting into now, and I go out of his car too, it was beginning to be like a never ending nightmare, very strange to say the least, both of them were so persistent. I was beginning to think, maybe I should buy a bus ticket, no I couldn’t give in like that, keep heading East boy. Very fortunately I was picked up by an air force officer who was traveling to Reno. It was dark as we traveled thru the mountains, but the headlights illuminated the snow, and certain places it was really snowing, it looked beautiful; it was the first time I saw any amount of snow in three years, except I did see snow at a distance on the peaks of Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea on the Big Island (Hawaii); it was Christmas in a week or so and I was on the road heading home. The further we went, the more snow, Mother nature must have been welcoming me back, There were many winding roads thru those mountains, my chauffer drove very carefully and there was not that much traffic, many years later I found out there were many steep cliffs right alongside that mountainous highway too*5, we talked about many things, he was very good company. He dropped me off downtown Reno, I thanked him very much; he never knew how much I appreciated him rescuing me, from those perverted dysfunctionals. What a sight in the middle of the night, I never had been around big-time casinos in my life. It was after midnight on a Sunday. This early Monday morning, the places were buzzing just like back home on New Year’s Eve, I toured the various casinos in total awe. The excited customers, leather, chrome, extravagance, people everywhere; the neon lights Lit the outside like daylight, its early Monday AM , what a place. $ 100.00 bills used like $ 1.00 bills back home, no money problems here. Did gamble a little, funds were tight, just to see how the machines worked, maybe I would luck out, no such luck. I bummed around for a few hours, no drinking, ate a good breakfast and said gee I might as well stay here for a rest. I found a very cheap hotel, lucky it did not burn down, slept to around noon, cleaned up and headed East. That day it was rough thumbing, got as far as Winnemucca, Nevada, arrived around four or so, I was hitchhiking for a hour or so, no luck, my duffle bag and I were stranded. Not much traffic and it seemed it was almost a losing proposition, a fellow I would guess around 18 or so approached me and asked where I was headed, told him, chatted with him for a while, friendly kid, said he was looking for work, said if I didn’t get a ride I was welcome to stay at his one room apt not far away from where I was hitchhiking. I told him that was nice but I was headed East and was bound to get a ride. I was there for quite a while, no rides, just before dark he came back said you are sure persistent, I wanted to get going. He then said, the traffic is really going to get slow here at night, you might as well come and rest at my place. I was getting tired, so I said to myself, Oh Well I’ll take the chance. I was leery about maybe a setup, maybe get robbed of what little I had, the kid seemed so sincere. It was not a very long walk it was dark already; the place turned out to be a rooming house. We go to his room, a small one, double bed, I was tired so got into bed, he was still up doing something, I fell asleep right away. Sometime in the middle of night he began fondling my private parts, I woke up, why you little bastard, get your hands off of me, I came here to rest and if you ever touch me again, I will throw you right out of your own room. He sure moved back quick. I laid there for a while tried to rest, pissed off, finally fell asleep got up at dawn cleaned up, never said a word to him, I don’t know if he was sleeping or faking, just left. It was very difficult to accept what had happened; I thought he was a good kid until he assaulted me.
I just put the thumb out and a new pick-up pulled over. The driver turned out to be a mining engineer and he was headed for Elko, it was interesting talking to him about his work, and of course he wanted to know all about me too. That was a good ride, kind of made up for the bad night. When I left Reno I had made a large cardboard sign that said “Chicago”, so of course I would put this out along with my thumb. I got a number of rides to Salt Lake City, near the city I also got a ride with another fellow who was quite friendly and offered to take me down town Salt Lake, I told him to leave me off now, another one. It was beginning to get dark and some teenagers stopped. Hey soldier our tailpipe is dragging, they asked me if I would wire it up for them, if I did they would give me a lift to Evanston, Wyoming. They were pulled off the highway, it was safe and I wired the stupid pipe up for them, they were happy. They were full of fun, it turned out that they were making a beer and liquor run to Evanston. They explained that one could not buy alcohol in Salt Lake City, it was against the law. They were getting a supply for the holidays. They were good kids, enjoyed their company. I was thumbing for only a short time in Evanston and a semi pulled over to pick me up. It turned out to be a big break for me, turned out he was headed for Kansas City.
We visited all thru the night, he was quite a character, lived in Houston, Texas, I snoozed off a couple times, but he liked to talk, of course he also wanted to know all about me. He was married and had a family. It was an International Tractor, his old “Corn Binder”. I took his name and address tried to contact him years later, no luck. At Kansas City I lucked out again, shortly after he dropped me off a furniture salesman headed for Chicago picked me up, he was also a very swell person, he wanted to talk and the same questions; who I was, where are you coming from, where are you going in Chicago etc.? My “adopted chauffeurs” were always really surprised when I told them I started out in Hawaii.
We got to Chicago and he said you must be tired, he offered to take me downtown I’ll treat you to dinner, help you find a cheap place to stay and you could get a rest before you continue your journey. I said I had another plan, my uncle lived at Downers Grove and I plan to stay there for the night. I said thanks very much. I had my Uncle’s address and the road that you turned off the express way. He knew where the road was, that’s where we bid each other good bye and lots of thanks on my part. Made my way off the expressway down to the road, put my thumb out and it seemed the first auto that came stopped to pick me up. I remember the lady saying where are you going soldier? I told her, she said get in, and away we went. It turned out it was a mother and her daughter who were chauffeuring me. Of course, they wanted to know all about me.
They said we will give you a ride to Downers Grove, what is the address you are going to? I told them, she said, we are just out for a ride and we will bring you there, that was unbelievable. Very sweet lady, drove me right to the door of my Uncle and Aunt’s place, life doesn’t get any better than that. Had a beautiful visit with them, of course they were quite surprised to see me, for I had not cautioned them beforehand that I was in town, they did not have clue where I was, they always kept in touch with my folks. Their son lived not far away. We had a very good productive visit, got a much-needed good night’s rest, some of Aunt’s good meals and I was ready to hit the road. I called my friends in Milwaukee who told me they were planning on leaving that night after work for Schaffer. Their son, my cousin, offered to give me a ride to Milwaukee to hitch up with my friend there; great. We left late that afternoon and a short time on the expressway a vehicle just ahead of us read Bracket Chevrolet- Escanaba and it was Michigan plates, the man was by his self so I told my cousin to pull alongside of him and I would yell at him that I was headed for Escanaba too. I did yell at him, “I am heading for Escanaba and I am hitchhiking can I have a ride?” Miraculously he pulled off the side of the expressway and stopped, my cousin behind him. I introduced myself and he said sure, I could have a ride, bid my cousin good bye grabbed my duffle bag and was once more I was on my way, North this time.
I asked him if I could do two things when we got close to Milwaukee, if he could stop and let me call my friends*6 and let them know that I already had a ride. I still had a few bucks and I wanted to get a few new civilian clothes for the holidays so I wanted to stop at a Robert Hall to do so. They had up to date clothes at very reasonable prices He said sure and I did both without too much delay. It turned out that he was a bachelor, worked construction; things were slow in the U.P. so he was finding plenty of work around Chicago. He was also going home for Christmas. He knew about my folk’s business. Turned out he lived in Cornell which was 15 miles from Schaffer, so when we got close to Escanaba he turned in towards Schaffer dropped me off on the steps of my folks tavern, I invited him to come and have a meal on me, but he said thanks, of course I thanked him a great deal, and off he went. He sure was a wonderful gentleman; in French they would say he was a “bon homme.”
Had a wonderful Christmas, my sister and her husband and their 8-month-old baby boy, my two brothers and my folks. Our tradition was to go to midnight Mass, after Mass, open gifts and have a large meal, meat pies, beans, potato sausage, fruit cake of course all homemade, a real feast. It lasted usually until around 3:00 AM
My dad put me to work immediately, I assisted at the tavern, and we also had a small cedar operation on my dad’s Whitney Property a few miles away from Schaffer. I went over my finances and showed my folks my dilemma. My dad knew I would make it good. I made some small payments to show them I was sincere, they were happy, in about six months they and my dad were paid in full. We received a large check for the cedar we had harvested. Shortly after I paid Hertz he sent me all the stuff to Schaffer. What a relief, I always knew I could do that.
*1. 2002 visit In 2002 my wife and I went to Oahu to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I could not believe the high rises at Waikiki and Honolulu, oh how it had been developed. Traffic, I never imagined there could be so much traffic on that island, everywhere we went there was traffic, the housing developments up the sides of the mountains, wow! how such a beautiful place it once was, could be so ruined by mankind and his progress. I also looked forward to renting one of those jeep looking vehicles with the fringe hanging around all four corners of the roof that you would see tourists using. Because of the increase in traffic and numerous accidents that resulted, they were banned them from the roadways. How 40 years could make such a change.
The road from Honolulu to Schofield was always a decent drive; it was a two-lane highway, now it is a busy expressway. We did enjoy our stay, also toured Schofield Barracks, showed Rose the quads we used for Barracks, they began building them in 1909, all masonry construction. One place on the island that is still not developed is the west side of Kolekole Pass. While I was stationed there, we use to have to pull guard duty at the pass, it was a very secure area; ammunition dumps are buried all over inside the mountain. Once in a while one would encounter a VIP who obtained a pass to drive thru the pass, maybe a politician, retired military, relative, friend of a high-ranking officer, etc. When we planned our vacation, I called the provost marshal and inquired as to how I could obtain a pass. I explained I had been stationed there for 29 months, they asked if I was retired military, answer no, then asked I if I was a federal employee, I mentioned I was a United States Postmaster, He told me when I arrived to go to their office and they would issue me a pass. It was an absolutely beautiful drive over to Waianae It was untouched, my wife was impressed.
We also toured the Big Island, it was much more relaxed and if we ever go back, we plan to spend lots of time on the Big Island, the other islands may be more floral and beautiful, but there are so many interesting items on the Big Island.
*2. Credit card When I applied for the credit card, they asked for a relative’s name and address for contact just in case one moved with no forwarding order or whatever. Anyway when the credit card bills came, I must have moved, forgot, no forwarding order, so they sent a package of bills to my cousin, he was very conscious of his credit standings, was he pissed off, he was not happy when he forwarded the bills to me, but I knew in a worst case scenario, the bills would eventually get to me if I put his address. I told him don’t worry be happy, he nagged me about it for years until I asked him to lay off. It really did not have any effect on him, I was the delinquent, but he was pissed anyway.
I used the rifle for a couple of years, shot a Moose in Alaska with it, the Moose almost got away, my friend nailed it with a 7mm Magnum, put it down immediately, so when I returned from Alaska, I put it up for sale, had to buy a 7mm Magnum too, and one of my dad’s bartenders bought it, he really liked it and now his grandson uses it and its one of their family’s treasures now.
*3. Disorderly Conduct In 1995 I was hired out as a United States Postmaster. When I filled out the very long application it asked if you ever had been arrested for a felony. I immediately checked no and continued the questions. I overlooked an item in parenthesis that said also serious misdemeanors or something like that, included in that felony question. After serving as the Postmaster of this small rural post office a few months, everything is going well, plenty of assistance from neighboring PMs, I was becoming a real Postmaster. I was somewhat proud I caught on so quickly. One day I received a call from my local Supervisor and he stated that the big boss from Green Bay was coming into town and they had an item to discuss with me, I thought I may be getting promoted or something. It turned out that there was great concern that I lied on my application and possibly could be fired for this; great news. The Postal Inspectors who go over their personnel with a fine-tooth comb discovered that I had been arrested for disorderly conduct in Hawaii1962, 33 years ago. I was super surprised that they kept the records that long; one would think items of that nature were trashed. The postal service considered this a serious misdemeanor; according to USPS this was a very serious infraction on my part. I had to write a letter of explanation to the District Manager in Milwaukee describing my dilemma, he did approve of my explanation and I was pardoned.
*4. Telephone Calls They had party lines in those days and the people who lived across the street would get the tavern’s ring, well with the time difference sometimes when I called it would be 1, 2, 3, or 4, am, sometimes it would ring and ring especially if my dad was real busy or he was somewhere else in the building, or sometimes he already went to the house. I didn’t know, I was only 5,000 miles away. And I knew better than calling the house. And at that time, I really did not know the time difference or cared. Not many calls came in that time of the night normally. So her husband was a customer and he would ask my dad who in the hell is calling you at that time of the night, the phone rings and rings, my dad would tell him who he thought it might be. After I returned back home, he and his queen used to kid me about waking them up with my telephone calls in the dead of night, Thank You Buckshot.
*5. 40 years later I would find out all about the steep cliffs we drove thru on the way to Reno that night. My daughter moved to Truckee, CA and one of the first sights she showed me is driving up the old way to Donner Pass, I could not believe how steep it really was, wow.
*6. Fond du Lac My friends in Milwaukee who I was to ride back to Schaffer with, began drinking beer as they left Milwaukee, on their way to Schaffer. They were stopped near Fond du Lac, not that far from Milwaukee, they still had 160 miles to go, by the Wisconsin State Police, anyway I can’t remember what happened but they had to spend the night in jail and pay a fine in the morning.
As I look back, I did not strike it rich in Reno, but I have thought about the whole episode many times in my life and I can conclude that it was a very interesting experience and I was very lucky, so much more than if I would have won 50 grand in Reno.
I am sure I had a” Guardian Angel” watching over me on that vacation-adventure and I am very grateful of that.
PS
I thought about this experience many times, but I wanted to wait until my children grew to adults before I would write the entire escapade., they heard bits & pieces over the years, but not the detail, I thank the good lord for permitting me to live all these years.
Our son Marcel did out-do me; he and other classmates hitchhiked from central Honduras and eventually by himself, he traveled by thumb to the Canadian border North of Montana and to the TransCanadian to travel East by thumb. He traveled to 90 klicks south of Quebec City, to St Georges- Beauce, Quebec, where his future bride was waiting for him, a distance of approximately 8500 miles.
Bark River, MI
May 25. 1991
Dear Bill,
I am answering your request for experiences along the Al Can. A couple of high school friends and I traveled the highway headed for Alaska in January and returned in December of 1964. It has to be one of the most scenic, rugged, interesting routes in the world. I was with two of my friends and we stopped for a break early morning in a local restaurant in Dawson Creek. We were sitting there relaxing, when a couple locals walked in. One of them went over to the juke box and played Saginaw, Michigan, they must have seen the plates on the car. we left shortly.
I enjoy unblemished windshields; I dislike when a bug which sometimes splats right in the center of my line of sight. It was quite a few miles before we first hit the 900 miles of gravel road just North of St John when a Volkswagen heading towards Dawson kicked up a large stone and it put a 3 way star the size of a dime you guessed it, dead center in my favorite spot, an instant souvenir of the Al Can, My friends got quite a laugh.
The signs warning of roaming horses stirred our interest, added to the excitement, only to find out we never saw any.
As we began to get into mountain driving, one item that got our immediate attention was the white crosses that indicated the number of the travelers killed and the date the accident occurred at various dangerous curves. The lettering was in Red. The more dangerous the curve the more white crosses. Some curves looked like miniature cemeteries and it was quite scary or morbid at times. as there were many curves.
Over the years I would run into someone who traveled the highway in recent years and I would mention the crosses and they stated they never saw any. Is it possible with straitening of those curves. travelers avoided the accidents and in the improvement of the highway they were no longer needed. It would be interesting to see one of those group of crosses at a dangerous curve. Just for discussion. Seems to me they should still honor those victims. I wonder after the opening of the highway how many travelers lost their lives, year by year to see the trend.
We saw a moose, lynx and eagles on the way.
In the roadhouses along the way, most of them we stopped in had wanted posters posted for missing persons who mysteriously disappeared along the highway over the years. Rewards were offered for any information leading to their whereabouts. We wondered if these were legitimate or were to give the wary travelers something to think about.
Somewhere in Alaska either before Tok or shortly after heading towards Anchorage we came upon a roadhouse with quite a few older cars and pick-ups parked in the parking lot. It was Sunday afternoon and curiosity caused us to go in and see what was going on.
As we entered, we never saw so many various types of furs laid out everywhere. The trappers were waiting for the fur buyers to arrive, it was a big day in town. What a motley crowd.
In December as I traveled back to Michigan a 3600-mile venture, a misfortune to a gas station operator occurred, which I was indirectly involved. At Whitehorse, Yukon in the early hours of December 20. Temperature 20 plus below 0. There was no wind and in the lights of the town you could see the chimney smoke rising straight up in the air. I stopped to gas up, paid for the gas, returned to the 55 Chev, as I tried to start it, battery was dead, battery was not that old.
I went back into the station, which was located on the corner of the street that headed to downtown Whitehorse. I told the attendant my dilemma and he said he would give me a jump. His service truck was located outside plugged in, he started and began to drive towards my car, I jumped in car and tried again and it started right up. I waved him on, he kind of turned around quick and was headed to where he had it parked in front of the garage door. Evidently his brakes froze or something happened, he drove the pick up thru the garage door up to the windshield, the white vapor was pouring out of the cracks he created. One hell of a mess. He left it there, I went in and told him how sorry I was and thanked him for coming out trying to give me a jump. I asked him if there was anything I could do, he said no, he had to call his boss it was 2:00 am ish. I left headed for Dawson Creek.
I had picked up a hitchhiker at around Eureka. He stated he was a mechanic, was originally from Southern California and was headed to visit friends in Edmonton for the holidays. I departed Anchorage at 5:20 am on the 19th, was driving for about 17 hours when I left Whitehorse. The hitchhiker had volunteered to drive but I was excited to head home and I liked to do it myself.
I have to go back a few hours and comment on the scenery as we left Tok. Between accumulation of hoarfrost, snow, low son, everything was so white, the tundra, bushes, trees and mountains all snow white. I never thought of taking pictures. maybe too excited to get home after being gone for a year.
After the excitement of Whitehorse wore off, a few hours or so I became very tired, 20 some hours of driving. I gave in and left the hitchhiker drive. for some reason I was wary about him driving. Eventually I dozed off. A couple times I woke up and cautioned him about driving too fast on the hard packed snow on most of the roads in the mountains. Once I told him I had everything I owned, including two large insulated boxes of the best cuts of a frozen moose in this car and I did not want to wreck or lose it. All he had was a duffle bag. Shortly after daybreak I woke up to what I thought, being in a car that was sliding sideways around a mountainous curve. It was not a nightmare; we were backwards in the ditch in the middle of nowhere in between Whitehorse and Watson Lake. One rear tire was over the edge and the car was sitting on the frame in front of that tire. The car would not budge. It was very cold to say the least. I got my cold weather clothes on and went outside and attempted to jack up that side of the car and push it forward off jack, no luck. It was at daybreak and no traffic. Over an hour past and I was about to build a fire, for the car was not keeping us warm. I was outside looking the situation over when in the distance I heard the welcome sound of a large truck lumbering its way thru the mountains. It turned out to be a tractor trailer rig headed North towards Whitehorse. It was like a mirage. As soon as he saw our dilemma, he brought the big rig to a halt. I talked to him a short time. He hooked up one of his chains to the Chev and rescued us. He was” The HERO of the YUKON” that day. I attempted to pay him, he would not accept anything. I thanked him greatly. Needless to say I took over driving.
I drove all that day, stopped at Fort Nelson for a couple hours, had car checked out, ate a good meal and continued driving thru the night and arrived in Dawson Creek at 9:00 AM Sunday the 21st. I was so charged up about heading home. I never let the hitchhiker drive after the incident. An hour or so out of Dawson the highway began to roll up in front of me. I needed him to drive, of course he said yes and I cautioned him about driving the car too fast. He drove to the city limits of Edmonton. I took over. During that stretch I woke up a couple times and yelled at him, he was driving the 55 Chev loaded 70 mph. I told him it was only a 6 cylinder and I still had to drive it a couple thousand miles yet. I drove into the residential district right to the place where his friends lived. We parted ways, I regret I never took his name.
Just before I picked him up at Eureka, I stopped at the lodge for a break. Fish and Game people were there, they were monitoring a herd of 20,000 to 30,000 Caribou in the wilds behind the lodge migrating to their winter range. Just out of Glenallen headed towards Tok a couple Woodland Caribou jumped into the middle of the highway and ran down the middle for a short distance and eventually disappeared into the Bush.
After leaving Edmonton around Sunday afternoon I really pushed and made it in to Saskatoon, Sunday night 12-21. I got a motel room and got some real rest, woke up around 9:00 am. Continued heading east and after crossing the North Dakota/Minnesota Line I got a room at a small downtown hotel. 12-22. My engine was acting up, it was late at night, got a hotel room, needed more rest. I got the engine checked by a local mechanic, he could not find anything wrong, he thought I must have gotten some bad gas somewhere. Left mid- morning and crossed the Mississippi River On US 2 where it was about three feet wide, if that. Around Duluth it began snowing lightly and I drove thru that snow sometimes a little heavy to Schaffer arriving 2:00 AM 12-24. I sure felt super happy as I pulled into my parent’s yard that night, my dad had just closed the tavern and was putting the money away in the safe. My Ma had woke up when she heard the commotion along with my two brothers and they all wanted to know about my year in Alaska. They liked my 55 Chev with the large moose rack strapped on to the trunk. FR 19, SA 20, SU 21, MO 22, TU 23, 3600 miles Anchorage – Schaffer
‘SPRING BREAK-UP IN THE FAR NORTH’
It was an overcast, mild, dismal day; it seemed natural for a Good Friday Afternoon. Coming from a family who always participated in services throughout the Lenten Season, Holy Week being the culmination of the 7 week long Season, Good Friday was the solemn climax. Traditionally in a small French-Canadian Catholic Community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I from came, virtually everything came to a halt; stores, tavern, even post office, and farmers closed their operation and participated in the sacred observance of Christ’s Crucifixion.
In Anchorage it seemed like another day, everybody going about their business. I was making arrangements to fly home for Easter and then assisting a friend from Stevens Point, Wisconsin who I had successfully booked for a summer long engagement at an Anchorage Night Club. We had agreed that if I flew home for Easter, I would assist her in driving to Anchorage, and she was to pay for a portion of my airfare. I purchased a ticket and was planning on flying out Saturday morning. I had failed to inquire about Good Friday services that day, but inside I had a funny feeling about not observing this day more religiously.
About two months prior, two friends and I had driven all 4,000 miles from Michigan to Milwaukee to
Anchorage and arrived the first week of February 1964. We were planning on working at a sawmill near Talkeetna but when we arrived, we found out they went bankrupt. We had picked up small jobs, cleaning contractors were always looking for part time help, but we found out that nothing moves too much during the frozen season. Short of money I had put my stereo set in the Golden Nugget Pawn Shop for security on a small loan. I had a few dollars left after I purchased my plane ticket so I went over to the pawn shop to settle the loan.
As I walked in the Shop the clerk behind the counter greeted me. We became casual acquaintances because I stopped in there once in a while to visit and look at all the items for sale. I told her that I was paying off the loan to get my stereo set. As I handed her the ticket, the building vibrated a little. I asked, what is that? She stated it must be a small tremor. In my mind in a split second I was about to ask her what is a tremor? Then the building began to shake much more vigorously. I grabbed my ticket off the counter and the place began to really move, bouncing and twisting. The owner was next door and he came running in right after the first tremor. He went behind the counter to rescue the clerk who was panicking, at the time I did not know what to do. I fell down once but managed to get back up. At about the same time the owner yelled at me to open the door and get out. In the building the various items imaginable were flying off the shelves, some breaking as they hit the floor, various string instruments suspended from the ceiling for sale were wildly clanging around, and the items falling off shelves, were creating noise difficult to describe. The building felt as it was beginning to tilt to one side at the same time as it was bouncing and twisting. I tried to open the door but in all the building movement, the aluminum/steel frame heavy plate glass door was jammed in its frame. The owner yelled to brake open the door and as I looked for something to hit the glass, the building twisted so much the door broke off its hinges and fell out of its frame across the sidewalk. At that instant I ran outside and several people were lying on the sidewalk, but the power lines were whipping and snapping off, and I thought I better get off this side of the street before I get electrocuted; not knowing at the time that the power went off at 5:36, the time of the first strong tremor.
Quickly I remembered a parking lot on the other side of 4th Ave and I thought I would be safe there from the power lines and any buildings falling down. When I ran across 4th Avenue, I had to run a little West because where it was separating down the middle of the street it was too steep to jump over. Where I crossed it was just a short jump to get over, but quite scary. I finally got to the parking lot; it seemed like eternity; still very confused as to what was going on, said many prayers in that short time. Many things flew thru my mind in those seconds: end of the world? a very large explosion? a bomb? There were quite a few people in the parking lot already. As the shaking, twisting, waves in the earth, like the earth was water, it all continued to get worse, we began falling down and shortly spread eagled on the ground hanging on to the earth. It lasted one, two minutes, I don’t know how long, could have been five minutes, but we were at the mercy of the earth. People were panicking, screaming for help, windows breaking, metal squeaking, bricks, blocks grinding, buildings loudly creaking, As I laid spread eagled on the ground I asked an old fellow lying by me, what the hell is going on?, he said calmly we’re having an earthquake and added it looks like it is going to be worse than the one in Frisco, did not know what he meant by that statement but years later, as time passed I wondered if he had been there.
Finally, it began to slacken up, once again we were on our feet, but the earth was still swaying, like you were on a boat in slow mild waves, strange, eerie sensation, probably lasted five minutes or so, than it became very still. Sirens could be heard from all directions, people still screaming for help, some panicking, and most of us walking around very puzzled.
The parking lot I was in was bordered by a picket fence from the sidewalk, evidently a building was there at one time and a parking lot was made out of the empty lot and was entered and exited by way of the alley. The fence had an opening on each end to enter the sidewalk. I had used the parking lot a number of times and I remembered as you exited your auto you could see the top of the buildings over the top of the fence on the other side of the avenue. As I got back on my feet and glanced over the fence where I came from, I could not see the tops of the buildings, immediately I went to the closest exit and all the buildings had sunk many feet. I was looking down at the buildings from the sidewalk, what a mess. Looking to the East the buildings were down for a long way, the crevasse followed the center line. Lots of things were going thru my mind, what had taken place? what a disaster? I am so lucky I am still walking. Than I thought of my 4 door ’55 Chevrolet, what happened to it?
I walked towards my car and as I got close to the corner, I still could not see it. I had parked it on “C” Street heading North right off 4th Avenue. It was the second auto parked from the corner of 4th & C. As I moved closer to the corner I saw where it had vibrated down the street almost to the alley where a crevasse had opened up and caught the rear tires and prevented it from going any further, otherwise it would have nosedived into a very large crevasse immediately in front of it. As I got closer to the car, the smell of city gas became very strong, evidently the city gas line had opened up in the large crevasse in front of the car, so I turned around and left things be.
I decided to go back to the 5th Avenue Hotel where I was staying and see how my friend Bill was. As I walked towards the hotel, I passed the 1st Federal Savings and Loan Building, recently constructed, a very modern structure of steel and glass, all the large heavy glass panels were strewn allover the street, shaken right out of their steel frames. When one walked by in the daytime you could observe the office people sitting at their desks, on all two or three floors during work hours. Now it was one huge mess. At the hotel I inquired about Bill but no one there had seen him. The owner who claimed she was an atheist was out of control, swearing at God for wrecking her hotel. I got scared myself from her rants, I exited quick. I went back to my car, looked it over, it appeared there was no damage to it, but it was stranded big time, perched on a black topped chunk of earth. There was wholesale looting going on, I could not believe my eyes that people would take advantage of a catastrophic situation like this, one would think that everyone would assist any one in need during a situation like this, not so here. Next to my car a partially exposed basement wall had fallen out of the building, apparently it was a store room for a bar or store, cases of beer were strewn all over, fellows were filling their arms with everything they could and carrying it away. After seeing what was going on I decided to walk towards Gimble Street (Seward Highway) and hitchhike towards 14th Street where I had some friends who lived there. There were no lights anywhere, sirens still could be heard, many people middling around, traffic at a standstill, etc. Needless to say I had to walk to 14th, when I arrived no one was there, so I sat on the porch outside and tried to relax thinking about what had just happened and how lucky that I was not injured, an unbelievable happening and not knowing if this was to continue or what? I sat there for a while and decided I should have a drink. Down the street was a liquor store, made my way there, the place was a mess broken liquor bottles broken scattered all over, an awful sickening stench. The owner was high steeping his way around the place, picking out the unbroken bottles. That odor of all the mixed liquors must have soaked into his floor, on occasion I stopped there and the smell was always in there. I purchased a pint of vodka, I must have been his first customer, and I sensed he was not the most thrilled that I wanted to buy that pint. I think he would have felt better if he did not see anybody that night as he was trying to clean up that mess. Why I ordered vodka, I did not know, I never liked the stuff it smelled like medicine, oh that’s maybe why I ordered it.
I returned to the apartment to wait for my friends. Had a drink or two, they arrived around 8 or 9, they were at a bowling alley at Spenard, they were bowling at 5:36 when the quake occurred. Even though Spenard was only a few miles away, they had a very difficult time returning, traffic jams because of the crevasses everywhere, resulting in many detours, causing a multitude of delays.
The kitchen in the apartment was a disaster, honey, syrup in jars were shaken out of their cupboards, jars broke as they hit the floor, flour, etc had landed in the mixture, it took a couple of days of scrapping and scrubbing to remedy the situation. There was no electricity, water, sewer, heat or telephone for a number of days. That night we sat around a candle, talking about our experiences and puzzled at the whole thing. Sirens could be heard all thru the night, the apartment was on the second floor and it had a small view of the city, seemed strange to look over it and practically see no lights. We had a small battery-operated transistor radio. An emergency station was set up at public safety downtown and was broadcasting emergency messages, also reports of damages in other areas of the state were beginning to filter in, found out later it was accomplished by ham operators. It was reported that the Airport was broken up pretty bad, the control tower had toppled to the ground and one of the controllers possibly was killed. Plans of flying home were scrapped. We stayed up until the wee hours listening to the reports but could not sleep very well.
Bill never showed up at the apartment, so early Saturday morning we went to Public safety and asked them to broadcast for Bill to contact us at the apartment, he knew of the apartment as we had helped a friend move in a week prior. The message was aired every hour for 24 hours. After leaving public safety building, we walked towards my car, but were stopped about three blocks from it by US Army Troops from Fort Richardson, there had been so much widespread looting they called them in to secure the area. Marshall Law (still quite a controversy about this, years later) was declared and my car was in the middle of the area. I explained that I had personal items in my auto and I wanted to get them out. They sent me back to public safety to obtain a permit. I received it and returned. The area looked much worse than the day before, of course last evening after the quake occurred, it began to get dark. I got my camera out and took a few pictures. On Sunday (Easter) it sure did not feel like it, we still had not heard from Bill. It turned out right after the quake happened, he met some other friends and they heard the
Salvation Army was asking for volunteers and he went along with them. The Salvation Army had provided a place for them to stay while they assisted the homeless. Bill said he was in our room when the quake occurred, made his way down the hallway and down the stairs in the rear of the hotel and by the time he got outside it had settled. When he went around to the front of hotel, then into the lobby the manager who claimed she was an atheist was swearing at the almighty for wrecking her hotel, Bill got scared and left. Also Sunday afternoon Western Union set up an emergency station whereby one could send telegrams free of charge to relatives, I stood in line quite a while but managed to get a message out to my parents.
The headlines in our local paper March 28, 1964 in Escanaba, Michigan read “EARTHQUAKE IN ALSAKA WRECKS ANCHORAGE” Headline Article “Death Toll May Be in Hundreds; Buildings Fall” Needless to say my parents were concerned, they knew I planned to fly out Saturday Morning, but after the radio and paper reports, they assumed I was stranded there, hopefully praying I was safe. It was Monday before they received my call.
On Monday Radio reports stated that telephone service was restored at Palmer where friends from my hometown in Michigan lived, I borrowed a friend’s auto, a Cadillac at that and drove there. There had been a number of major landslides on the way to Palmer. At the big landslide many bulldozers were tearing the mangled twisted trees, brush which reinforced the super hard packed snow apart. At times single lane traffic was permitted. Much of that mess had to be dynamited before the dozers could work with it. Visited with Palmer people, described my experience, made my call to my parents and returned to Anchorage late Monday.
I would check on my auto daily and either Thursday or Friday a city of Anchorage Crane picked my car off its perch and set it down on 3rd Avenue. The only damage was the wing window which was broken to open door. We had been in Alaska since first of February seeking employment, but our experience taught us not too much was happening in Alaska until the first big thaw. It was about time for spring to arrive, but did not think such an announcement would come by that giant earthquake. Employment opened all over. Bill and I went to work on the Alaska Railroad at Portage where a 5-6 mile portion of the track was removed by the tidal wave. Had to start from bottom, build a bed, lay ties and finally rails. This section of track was a portion of the main line which ran from Seward to Fairbanks and it had to be restored quickly. We would go to work at 6:00 am and work until the foreman felt it was time, the days were getting longer and sometimes we were working 15-16 hours a day, good money. We stayed in old rail cars, had decent meals, but after a few days I decided to quit. I had to walk 6 or 7 miles to my car because Seward Highway was so broken up you could not drive on it. I returned to Anchorage and a few days later found employment with Alaska Spring & Supply located at Tudor Road and Seward Highway.
The company manufactured and installed all types of mostly leaf springs. Ray the owner had an inventory of every type of flat steel imaginable. He had giant shears, punch presses, two small blast furnaces, full set of air tools, and a special anvil for shaping leaves. It was the only shop of this type in Alaska. Anyone with a spring problem whether it be a small boat trailer or a large heavy truck had a choice order one from a supply house or similar shop in Seattle and hopefully get it in a week or so or order it from him and you would have your spring the next day and even installed if need be. I saw tourists with card board boxes of broken springs from various small trailers who were sent to our shop to be rescued. They were amazed at what service we would provide. Ray was also a avid hunter and he would buy on occasion a lot of surplus Army Weasels. They had a 6-cylinder Studebaker engine and most of the problems with them were the suspension, their springs would eventually lose their tension and throw tracks. Out of 3 or 4 Weasels he would end up rebuilding at least two good ones. We would pull one in when business was slack and rebuild them. There was a good market for them once they were rebuilt. We always had one for hunting Moose. I really enjoyed that year and I was supposed to return to work at the shop in January of 1965. Shortly after I returned one of my dad’s long-time very valuable bartenders resigned to work at her son’s new business, so I began working for my dad. I didn’t find any gold but I did return with many interesting experiences along with some choice cuts of Moose Meat.
Misc 1964 Notes
On Tuesday or Wednesday after the quake the radio requested male volunteers to go assist home owners in the Turnagain Area to move their belongings. It was coordinated by the Kiwanis. A friend of mine and I met at a gathering point in Anchorage, they transported us in open flatbed trucks to the housing area. There were large exclusive houses, tipped in all different angles, destroyed, another unbelievable mess. We were assigned to different homeowners and went with them to helped move their stuff out of the houses to a point where it could be hauled away. They were very appreciative and thankful for our assistance.
Either Saturday or Sunday a correspondent from the Seattle Post Intelligence approached me as I was drawing water out of a U S Army emergency water transport trailer. He wanted to know where I was when the earthquake occurred, where I was from and what was I doing in Anchorage? He also asked me to pose for a picture of me taking the water out of the transport. A few weeks later my folks in a letter to me said that Ed Moore who was a News Director at Channel 6 in Marquette called them a few days after the quake and told them to watch the News that night for I was going to be on it. Ed was married to a good friend of mine’s sister. Anyway, on the news was a picture of me at the water point and a short description of the picture and stating that I was from Schaffer.
Ray the owner of the shop was a couple years older than I and he always talked about eventually selling the business and becoming a commercial fisherman. I kept in touch over the years and eventually he sold the business and began fishing out of Homer. He and his wife did quite well and eventually they bought a small ranch in Oregon where he was originally from and they would winter there and fish in the summer. They were really enjoying life when he was diagnosed with Leukemia, after fighting it for some time, even a spinal transplant he succumbed to it. He was such a hard worker and enjoyed the outdoors so much, it was a tragedy. One of his sons took over the business. I lost track of his wife Judy.
Another story goes along with the fishing boat Ray had bought. The neighbor at Ray’s shop had an old fishing boat he claimed he was restoring to eventually fish with it. It had been up on supports for some time and according to Ray not too much progress was being made on the restoration. During the earthquake the boat fell off it supports and crashed enough that the neighbor claimed it was wrecked beyond repair. He filed for a disaster loan, 1 % interest and long term pay schedule, to purchase a new fishing boat. This application and everything that goes along with it lasted all summer and fall. Ray kept saying he is going nowhere with this, it’s a lost cause. About a week before I left he came to the shop with all the paper work to go to Yatsamotto(sp?) Ship Builders in Vancouver to discuss the plans for this quite extravagant fishing boat. It was going to be a first-class fishing boat. He had successfully obtained the loan and was going to buy the boat. I never found out if he actually fished or he hired someone to do it for him and that’s what I guessed what happened, but a few years later Ray ended up buying this fishing vessel.
About 7 or 8 miles from where I lived in Michigan the U S Geological Survey has a well they monitor, it’s called the Schemmel Well , near Pine Ridge, it is 600 feet deep. Many local residents complained their water was cloudy shortly after the quake in Alaska, not knowing any relationship. The U S Geological team checked their recorder at the Schemmel Well and the recorder indicated a violent reaction at 10:36 Eastern Time on March 27th. The water level fluctuated 2.2 feet. Seismic waves in the earth’s crust travel many thousand miles which cause this activity.
The Great Alaskan Earthquake registered 8.6 on the Richter Scale. Years later a number of geologists examined the damage very closely and theorized that the earthquake had to be much stronger than 8.6. After the study of damage, the geologists estimated it should have been 9.2 and that number is used today as the official measurement of the earthquake. It is the most powerful earthquake recorded in North America and the 2nd most powerful recorded in the world.
One day while Bill Longtine and I were staying at the 5th Avenue Hotel the lady owner asked if we would drive a construction worker to his home towards Talketna. it turned out, his family lived in a very rural area. He had been on a job out in the booneys and spent a couple days around Anchorage before going home and was staying at the hotel. The next evening he was ready to go, he was to pay us for the gas +.The other item was we were to bring a hind quarter of moose back with us for the lady at the hotel. We got to this large tarpaper house and his kids and his wife were there. He asked if there was any moose meat left and his wife said they were out. She told him there was a cow moose hanging out in the back. I will go see if she is still around. He grabs a 22 and heads out, a little while later he comes back in and said he shot the cow. He asked his 12 or 13 year old boy to go out and give him a hand to butcher the cow. He told Bill and I just to stay in house we were not dressed for the outdoors. The house was a couple notches above a shack, pretty rough sledding as they would say. They were real pioneers. A half hour later he came back with the meat. The lady at the hotel was very happy when we returned with the moose meat. This was in early March, we never thought of it at the time but that moose story was totally illegal. We would laugh about it later.
Return to Alaska
In 2018, Rose and I made a trip to Alaska. We drove the AlCan, saw lots of wildlife, points of interest, witnessed the rugged scenic beauty of B.C., Yukon and Alaska on the way to Anchorage. We took advantage of Laird Hot Springs and later the Chena Hot Springs. Also stayed at Buckshot Betty’s Resort in the Yukon. Took an ocean tour out of Seward, glaciers, whales, sea lions etc. A 6 & ½ hour tour, it was a great day for it. We also visited with Paul and Jeannie (Derocher) Campbell in Wasilla. Had a very nice visit with them. The last time I saw Paul was 54 years ago. I have seen Jeannie on occasion over the years, class reunions, funerals and weddings etc. At Palmer we visited Jim Peltier and Neil Folcik both formerly of Bark River. Anchorage was very different since I was there. The population in 1964 was approx. 45,000; today it’s 390,000. It was quite overwhelming. The area where I was during the earthquake is rebuilt. I only recognized one business on the side of the street where I rode the quake out, the Army Surplus Store. I talked to a number of people about my experience, showing them my books and souvenirs, which the owner of the Army Surplus Store was really interested The business I worked for, Alaska Spring and Supply, was still in business under a different name; Alaska Spring and Performance. They were at a different location, still in the spring business. When I told them I worked for Alaska Spring & Supply 54 years ago they took interest in me. After much discussion, they gave me a tour of their shop and some of the tools we used to build leaf springs from scratch 54 years ago were still in use. In Fairbanks we visited with our daughter Lynette’s boyfriend, Evan Kane who was on business at the University of Alaska. We attended the 113 Annual Midnight Sun Baseball game on June 21 in Fairbanks. It started at 10:00 PM and ended at 12:45 AM, even though it was overcast no lights were needed. Rose was on edge at the end of the 9th inning; a tied game could go on for hours. It was tied at the bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, batter had a full count and bam he hits a home run. The Alaska Gold Panners beat the Orange County Surfs from So. California 5-4. Also visited with John Martin who grew up in Schaffer while in Fairbanks. On our return we drove the Cassiar Highway out of Watson Lake, ran across an interesting very remote settlement named Jade City. The highway reminded me of the old AlCan; gravel, lots of hills and curves no guard rails or reminder signs of danger. It was like that for a few hours, then it began to be civilized. On our return we also visited Jasper, Banff, & Glacier (BC) Incredible National Parks. We made our way to Prineville, OR to visit Marcel’s Family and then to Truckee, CA (Lk Tahoe Area) to visit Jenelle’s Family. Jenelle wanted us to camp in Donner State Park for a few days. Of all the campgrounds we stayed in, with the bear warning signs, that is where we experienced a bear incident in the middle of the night. Arrived back in Bark River nearly two months and 11,500 miles later. By the way we camped in a Tent in various provincial parks in Canada and state parks in Alaska and California. Spent 1/3 of the time in tent and 2/3 of time in hotels, which was the opposite of our plan; rain and potential rain reversed our plan. 🙂 Also had a screen tent with cooking utensils. It turned out to be a great adventure.
“BUMPS”
Lynette and I arrived in Detroit in the afternoon off a Transatlantic Flight from Berlin, Germany. We had transported two 6 week old Pomeranian Puppies from Bark River to Berlin. Lynette was a senior at University of Michigan at the time. At Detroit Lynette went on her way to Ann Arbor, a close family friend Betty LaFleur arranged transportation for her. I approached my Marquette connection and they needed volunteers; great, I volunteered. There were six or seven of us. I was the first one to pick up my bump, food coupons, and instructions. We were to be transported to Green Bay, WI and then ground transported to our destinations. I had not slept the night before in Berlin, had to send out postcards to quite a few I had promised before we left. The flight was 10+ hours, too excited to get any rest. When I was given the gate for Green Bay I understood A-4, so I went there, just before the gate was a restaurant and I was hungry, so I had time, so ordered a sandwich and a beer. Entered into a conversation with a fellow customer, and evidently time passed too fast. I went to the gate and no one there. I saw an airline person and inquired about the situation, she checked and the flight to Green Bay was boarding at A-40. I ran wide open with my carry on which had two liters of Beefeaters Gin + other items, when I arrived, sweating profusely, the agent told me they just closed the door.
She told me to go to customer service and describe my dilemma. I did and they issued me another ticket for the morning plane to Marquette, what a relief.
I went to the gate where the flight was to depart in the am and fell asleep. Around nine ish an airline attendant woke me up and told me the night flight to Marquette was cancelled because of fog, oh great I thought may be another bump, fell back asleep.
Rose was in Florida at a school conference and I was supposed to be back in Bark River earlier this evening. She called of course, no one there. I was awaked by a loud pa system stating anyone in the area I was in would be ticked for loitering, I was kind of dizzy, stood up, no one around, place is vacant.
No venders anywhere, I did not realize that this giant terminal closed down at night. I hiked quite a ways toward nowhere I thought, no one around. I ran into a janitor, he told me to continue further ahead and that area should be finished for cleaning. I could find a place to sit. Just before I got to that area I ran into an airline person, when I told her the story she told me to go to the rear of the stations where the attendants conduct their business and there will be a couple blankets and she further explained to go to this particular area and the lights would be low so I could get some good rest. I thanked her and got some much needed rest, at about 5:00 am the activity began. Went to the rest room shaved washed up and headed to the other end of the terminal. When I got there got a cup of coffee and a bagel and watched the news, for it was a while before my flight departed. When time came for the counter to open, knowing the night flight was cancelled, if I volunteered again, would a red flag go up, then knowing I had missed my scheduled flight and was issued another ticket, I pondered it a while and said oh well I might as well go for it. As soon as the counter opened I approached it and sure enough they needed volunteers, so she put me on the list. I am in.
When they called for boarding, I went to the counter to check that everything was ok with my second bump, as I approached, I noticed the other bumps who had boarded the plane to Green Bay, what are you doing here? I was not hallucinating; this was real, they were there.
They had boarded plane for Green Bay when they arrived, there was too much fog to land, returned to Detroit and were put up in a fancy hotel and were fed breakfast. And I slept in the terminal, paid for my own coffee and bagel.
They also volunteered and we did the same plan, later on in the day boarded the flight to Green Bay and were ground transported to our destinations.
A day late and two BUMPS.
Can’t get any better than that.
Bob Dorzweiller
One day I had to go to Green Bay to pick up Rose who had been in the Southwest for the school at a conference. I had an Army buddy who lived in Appleton all his life. We were always supposed to get together, so this day I was to pick up Rose in late afternoon, I left early and drove to his place in Appleton. Very nice welcome with real German Brats for lunch. Had not seen each other in over 50 years. Shortly after I was assigned to the Co A Truck Company of 33rd BN at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii I was asked to head up a pilot project, namely a tire shop and assist drivers in issuing new tires, assisting them in changing them etc. We had 80 trucks and trailers in Co A. Bob Dorzweiler was his name. After visiting with him for a while, he told me, over the years several times, he told the story about his experience about the 1st day at the Co A Motor Pool which involved you. (me) The Motor Sergeant assigned him a truck and trailer. He told Bob to report to me and go over tire management. I looked up his truck and trailer and a note was in the file that all 12 tires on the truck and trailer had to be changed. I don’t remember that but he said he spent his first day and half changing tires. Welcome to Hawaii. ☺
As I left Appleton heading to Green Bay, I get a call that the plane from Chicago to Green Bay was broke down, I turned around and headed to O’Hare. I picked up Rose at O’Hare and returned to Bark River that evening. long day.
Schaffer Quips 