Three Score and Ten, What Then?

by Peggy Mary E. Smith

  It was about that time when we decided to change homes with James. His family was growing and their house was pretty small. James was at the store all the time anyway, so it just made sense. Logan said it was just another step to distance himself from the business. It also gave James and Jacob the comfort in knowing it was their store to run. With both the boys working at Ashton’s General Store, Logan was thinking on retirement. That would give us even more time to enjoy our days together.

  The little house suited us just fine, and it took no time at all for us to settle in. By summer’s end that year, Logan told the boys he was going to retire and turned the store over to them. It seems we were busier than ever after that. We didn’t spend too many days sitting idle. We always had something on the go. Guess busy people just like to be busy. We seemed to be out and about all the time.

  One of the biggest highlights I remember was the day Logan and I made the trip to see H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth II and her husband, The Duke of Edinburgh. That was back on October 29th, 1951. We travelled to North Bay and met up with Charity and Janice and their families. Jackie had closed up her shop so she come with us. What an air of excitement there was in the whole city. That was just one of those times you get to enjoy and savour the moment for your lifetime.”

  “I’m glad that you and Grandpa got to enjoy some good times together, Gran. You both had to work hard. Life sure wasn’t easy for you.”

  “No, dear, it wasn’t, but retirement really worked out well for us. Everything just seemed to fall into place. I guess that is just how life really is. We never consider it at the time, but looking back you can see how things work out. Anyway, with the children all grown and Logan being retired, we sure enjoyed our free time together. That empty nest syndrome they talk about today didn’t seem to affect us at all. Logan and I just tried to enjoy each day as it came, and we always found a way to fill it.”

  cape breton bound

  “In 1955, the year Logan turned sixty, we decided that it was about time to take a long holiday. We got to thinking it would be an adventure to go east to visit with John and his family. We had never seen his home or taken the opportunity to see the eastern provinces of Canada, and we had heard John talk about all its grandeur for years. It was time to check it out for ourselves.

  We had bought a new Chevrolet car that spring. It was Logan’s and my first brand new automobile. It cost us a little over two thousand dollars, as I recall. That was a lot of cash to part with back then. It still is in my books, but a car would cost over ten times that much now, I suppose. We figured there would be no better way to test it out than to go on a road trip.

  We were like two newlyweds talking about heading off on our honeymoon. We had never gone so far afield before. The thought of seeing the Atlantic Ocean was exciting. We had seen Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Georgian Bay, and Lake Huron, of course, during our visits south. Those had been such exhilarating experiences, but to actually get to see the ocean and walk along its shores sounded absolutely thrilling. I broke out in a sweat just thinking about it!

  We headed off in early July. We wanted to celebrate Canada Day with our family first. It had become a tradition for all the children to come home that weekend to celebrate and have a reunion. It was a highlight of the summer seeing the grandchildren. Murray and Mary Beth always came north for the parade in town. Jackie, Charity, and Janice joined us. Of course, James and Jake, along with all their families, were in tow as well. As usual, we had a wonderful celebration together.

  The children had a little farewell party for us the night before we headed out. They had put their funds together and purchased us a new set of luggage. Inside the one bag, they had tucked a new-fangled two piece bathing suit for me and a camera for their dad. They said they wanted a picture of me swimming in the ocean. What a hoot! Crazy kids.

  The first leg of our journey was pretty uneventful. We headed south, then east through Algonquin Park to Ottawa. Then we crossed into Hull, Quebec, and traveled on to Montreal and Quebec City. Being country folk, we were always looking at the landscape, but we did stop briefly to visit various attractions in some of the bigger centers.

  In Ottawa we visited the Parliament Buildings and Rideau Hall. We toured by Laurier House and the Chateau Laurier Hotel. I remember thinking how lavish the architecture was. So much of Canada’s history had transpired right there.

  We spent a whole day in Montreal, the old part that is. We strolled through the narrow streets stopping at some of the little boutiques. The city was so rich with culture and history. One couldn’t help being in awe while touring the Notre-Dame Basilica. We couldn’t speak a lick of French, but we always found someone who could talk enough English so we could understand each other.

  The biggest highlight of Quebec City was seeing the Chateau Frontenac. How magnificent it was. Of course, we didn’t spend the night there. It was out of our price range. We drove across the bridge to a small town up the Saint Lawrence and took a bed there.

  We continued to travel along the shoreline of the Saint Lawrence River around the Gaspe Peninsula. The closer we got to the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence, the steeper and craggier the shoreline was. I remember the big ships we saw out on the river. Logan commented that they were a might lot bigger than the boats we had around home.

  About two-hundred and fifty miles a day was all we put in. Then Logan would find a spot for us to stop for the night. Those seemed like long days. You have to keep in mind that roads weren’t what they are today, mostly single lane highways. Cars weren’t up to snuff like they are nowadays, either.

  It took us five days to get to Percé Rock. We had put over a thousand miles between us and home. It was there that I thought I’d brave my dignity and have Logan get a picture of me in that skimpy outfit our children called a swimsuit. I figured that since nobody there knew us if anyone thought I was being a spectacle, it wouldn’t matter. We’d never see them again anyhow. I waded out into the water a piece and took a quick dip, but swimming was out of the question for this old gal. The water was icy cold. We collected shells along the shore instead. Some of the locals told us later that technically that was still the Gulf of the Saint Lawrence, not the Atlantic Ocean.

  Two days later we arrived at John’s in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We were thrilled to see him and his family. All his children and grandchildren were there. What a beehive of excitement. We were so thrilled to finally get there. It had been years since we’d seen some of the grandchildren. They were all growed up, and a couple had gotten married.

  We stayed over a week at John’s. A lot of the time we just spent visiting and catching up, but John took us to see all the highlights of Halifax. The city was full of history with lots to take in. We went to the harbour and watched all the ships. I recall looking out into the horizon and realizing that the blue in the sky blended with the blue of the ocean, and I could not make out where one started and the other ended. I was in awe!

  Of course, Pier 21 was on the agenda. That’s where my grandparents had landed when they came to Canada over a century before. I couldn’t help but think how they would have felt about finally coming ashore after months at sea and wondered what their thoughts were of this unfamiliar place. This was a whole new world to them and their new home, this beautiful country of Canada.

  We said our good-byes to John and his family and headed off on our own to explore more of the eastern provinces. We took a few days and ventured all around Nova Scotia, visiting Peggy’s Cove, the Bay of Fundy, and Cape Breton. The air was salty and the scenery was breath-taking. We even saw some whales. Now that was something to behold.

  As we traveled around the coast, we stopped at little road-side stands to get a bite to eat. I tempted my pallet with every kind of seafood I’d ever heard of. Logan wasn’t quite so adventurous. He kept to hamburgers and hotdogs, and other familiar eats. Bottled soda pop was becoming very popular by then, and we sure drank our fill of it.

  We took the ferry across to Prince Ed
ward Island to take in the sights, as well. That was the first big boat ride we’d ever been on. Logan faired out fine, but I got a little green. I couldn’t go down below at all. I had to stand at the railing the whole time or I’d a lost my breakfast. Logan got a chuckle out of that.

  Today folks can drive over on the Confederation Bridge crossing those eight miles. Imagine that! Not in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought anything like that could have been done. It’s been open for five years now I guess. They finished it in 1997. Anyway, we took the ferry back then to cross.

  We spent a few days on the island driving around. We pulled into a potato farm and just took to chatting with the owner. We told him where we had come from, and he was excited to meet us and took us for a tour of his operation. Country folk are the same no matter where they live. They are just down-home and hospitable. They had us stay on for supper and the night. Wouldn’t hear tell of us looking for a room elsewhere. Really nice folks.

  In the morning we headed off. They gave us directions to a beach, and we went down there and walked on the red sand beach. I remember it staining our shoes. We reminisced about that for years later. Not another soul was there, just us two honeymooners walking barefooted, hand in hand with the ocean rippling over our feet.

  On our way back to meet the ferry, we stopped at a small fishing town and came across a lobster factory at the dock. We were intrigued with the process, and after getting to chatting with a couple of the workers, they gave us a tour. They were such friendly people.

  Once we were back on high ground, Logan faced the car west, and we started on our homeward trek. We had put a lot of miles behind us since we had departed from our home. We were both getting somewhat homesick, and tired of restaurant food.

  We ventured through New Brunswick, taking in a few highlights. Outside Moncton we stopped at the famous “Magnetic Hill”. In Saint John we watched the tidal change at the “Reversing Falls”. In Fredericton we drove through the historical “Garrison District”, which is now an historical site. It was all very remarkable for us to take in.

  Of course, the Appalachian Mountains that run through New Brunswick are magnificent to see all on their own. We had passed through them going around the Gaspé Peninsula into New Brunswick, and we went through them on the other side heading toward Quebec. It was very picturesque scenery. Logan and I certainly appreciated it. Nature’s beauty should never be taken for granted. We should savour it.

  As we entered Quebec on our homeward trek, we had one thing on our mind. That was to get home. We stopped for the night to rest, then carried on back into Ontario the next day.

  We had been gone for over three weeks when we finally pulled into our own driveway, back here in the beautiful outback of the “Near North” of Ontario. What a welcoming sight, the green, green grass of home. Logan looked at the odometer and commented that we’d ventured over thirty-six hundred miles. What a remarkable road trip. Our new “Chevy” was broken in!”

  westward ho!

  “One of the most amazing adventures that Logan and I shared together was our road trip out west. We had talked about going out that way for a long time. After our trek eastward to John’s and our tour of Canada’s Atlantic coastline, we had a hankering to see the Rockies. So the year Logan turned sixty-five, we thought we should go on that long trek westward.

  That was in 1960. We still had the 1955 Chevy, and it was still in fine condition. If I recollect properly, there wasn’t more than twenty thousand miles on the old girl. People just didn’t do the traveling that folks do today. Outside of visiting the children, going to church on Sundays, and driving into town for supplies once in a while, we didn’t take to the roads that often. Besides, James and Jacob still ran the general store next door. We bought most everything that we needed from them. No car required to go there.

  Time was passing by, and we weren’t getting any younger. We knew that if we wanted to see the western side of this great country, we needed to head west. We had already lost some of our closest friends and family. It was hitting home that life was for the living, and we had to keep doing just that.

  Ma and Pa and Newt had all died within a few years. Logan had lost his oldest brother just before that. It made us realize that we had best get doing the things we’d been thinking on. We didn’t want to leave it too late and leave our bucket list uncompleted.

  We’d talked to quite a few people who had been west. Some of them had family there, mostly brothers that had ventured out to the prairies in the depression years to get work in the harvest. They all described how picturesque the mountains and foothills were, and how the prairies reached out for endless miles in front of you. Some had seen grizzly bears, big horned sheep, and elk. We were intrigued by all the marvelous tales they had to tell.

  We still had the luggage the children had given us before heading east, so we packed what we figured on needing, loaded up that old Chevy, and headed west. It was mid-August by then. We figured on being gone a month. Of course, we had no set schedule. We wanted to be able to take in all the sights we came across and not be worried about having to be any particular place at any set time. Just fly by the seat of our pants, so to speak.

  We took highway 11 out of North Bay and got as far as Kapuskasing that first night. It was a long day. Of course, we stopped several times for gas and eats and stuff. Day two took us as far as Port Arthur, which is called Thunder Bay now after amalgamating with Fort William in 1970. That was our longest day of driving as we travelled through the small northern towns of Hearst, Longlac, Geraldton, and Nipigon. I remember there were long stretches of nothing but nature. The boreal forest is a barren terrain. It was nice to see more hard woods around Thunder Bay.

  We spent the next day visiting the area. We had to see the “Sleeping Giant”, toured Silver Islet, and walked along the harbour front. The huge grain elevators merged with the horizon as they lined the waterfront. It was like looking out into the ocean as we watched freighters on Lake Superior. Of course, me being such a history buff, I was enthralled to see it all. So many of Canada’s great beginnings had transpired along that shore line. It was the gateway to the prairies.

  The next day we headed off again and got as far as Kenora. It was another long day of driving, and we still hadn’t gotten out of Ontario. What a vast and awe-inspiring province we live in!

  On day four we finally got to Manitoba. It was quite a surreal moment. One minute we were driving through rock cuts with hills and boulders, and next thing we knew, we were on roads straight and flat with the “Welcome to Manitoba” sign greeting us. Just like that, it was like hitting a switch. For the first half hour, there were just poplars and evergreens to see. Then the view opened up into vast stretches of cropland. It was quite similar to the flat lands of southwestern Ontario in the Windsor and Chatham areas. We drove through Winnipeg and finally got a bed in Brandon. We had made it into the prairies. We had left behind us the hardwoods and boreal forests and were into grasslands.

  As we drove on the next day into Saskatchewan, we were charmed with the vastness of the endless prairies. Wheat fields started to stretch out before us. There were great wide expanses of golden grain, rippling in the prairie wind. They were starting to harvest in places. The large pieces of equipment the farmers used were intriguing to us. We’d never seen the like. We’d heard tell of the big combine harvesters, but there was nothing back home like that.

  The prairies are not totally flat with just wheat fields to see. There are plateaus and valleys with gullies and scrub trees growing. We saw grain elevators appear in the horizon as we approached the towns. There were clusters of trees, houses, and businesses in the midst of open terrain. There was so much to take notice of and appreciate.

  We were fascinated with our first sight of mule deer and antelope. We giggled at the mule deer with their jackrabbit-style gait as they would bound off into the distance. The antelope grazed in herds, and the dust would fly up as they ran out across the prairie. P
rairie dogs were cute little creatures to see. They are very similar to our ground hogs. Of course, I tried to get pictures of everything as we travelled along. Sometimes Logan got a little impatient with my excitement of it all.

  We passed through Regina and decided to spend the night in Moosejaw. It had been another seven hour day. We were starting to feel tired with all the driving. Logan and I were working people. We weren’t used to sitting for such long spells. We were looking forward to getting into Alberta, and seeing the foothills.

  As we headed out on day seven, the weather was beautiful once again with blue skies and sunshine. After about an hour’s drive, we came to a saltine lake, Chaplin Lake. How very interesting that was. We had no idea there were salt lakes in Canada. It was quite large and covered about twenty acres. There were salt accumulations along the shoreline. We could view the whole body of water from the road driving by due to the lack of trees. What a sight to see.

  After passing through Swift Current, we noticed the land was very flat. There was hardly a tree to be seen. The wheat fields stretched out to meet the sky. The road was very straight and flat. You could see cars for miles ahead. What an intriguing phenomenon. The vastness was so compelling. As we drove closer to the border of Alberta, we came to the Cypress Hills. How pretty. They welcomed us into Alberta. Then we were back into flat grasslands once more. We stopped at Medicine Hat. There were no mountains to see yet, but we were tired and called it a day.

  Logan found us a nice place to spend the night. He got talking to some local folks and they mentioned some of the sights around town to visit. We headed out the next day and visited a few. At Drumheller I recall Dinosaur Provincial Park as a highlight. They refer to that area of Alberta as the badlands. It was a real vision to see and one of the highlights of our trip. One minute we were driving on the flat prairies; the next we were going down a steep winding road into the Red Deer River valley and the town site. The Hoodoos were everywhere. They are truly an interesting sight.