Hop on Board with Thebeerchaser – Halifax

Posted on July 28, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos at the end of the post and so the narrative isn’t clipped. (External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

Our cruise from Montreal to Boston on Holland America’s Volendam continued and the sixth day we made port at Halifax, Nova Scotia – a delightful and picturesque city – with a current population of 441,000 – the capital and most populous municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. (Wikipedia)

Halifax has the social, cultural and economic features of a major urban center, but rugged natural beauty nearby within its boundaries:

” …famed for its massive natural port, which is one of the world’s largest and greatest of its sort. Halifax was created in 1749, and the Halifax Harbor has given significant benefits throughout the years.” (Port of Halifax)

Given the early date in the season, we were the only cruise ship in port, however, that was an anomaly. Besides being an international marine shipping and cargo center:

” In 2019, the Port of Halifax had 179 cruise vessel calls with over 323,000 passengers aboard. It is estimated that cruise passengers alone contribute about $172 million to Halifax’s economy every year.” (#2 – #3)

Nearby Natural Beauty

While I was most enthused to visit a thriving brewery very close to our pier (see below), we first visited a beautiful natural area reached by a twenty-seven mile scenic bus ride to Peggy’s Cove:

“Peggy’s Cove is a small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay in the Halifax Regional Municipality, which is the site of Peggys Cove Lighthouse (established 1868.)”

Although it was cloudy with light rain, the destination and the history made it worth seeing. The surrounding community also appeared to be a close-knit group bound by braving harsh Atlantic weather and their occupations as can be evidenced below.

“On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed into St. Margaret’s Bay approximately eight kilometres (five miles) southwest of Peggy’s Cove with the loss of all 229 aboard. The cove became one of the staging areas for first responders that were involved in the search-and-rescue response, crash recovery operation, and investigation of the crash.

Many of the CCGA volunteers that were first to approach the crash site were privately owned fishing boats that were operating out of Peggy’s Cove and surrounding harbours.”

The memorial below is a tribute to the crew and passengers on that ill-fated flight. (#4)

Let’s not forget about Beerchasing…!

We hadn’t had a beer at a brewery for two days when we had enjoyed a pint in Charlottetown at the Gahan Brewery. The selection of beer on the ship was dismal although they had great martinis, but I was ready to hit this brewery on the south waterfront.

And it has a good story spurred by its motto “Art, Science and Good ‘ol Hard Work.” Garrison Brewing originally opened in 1971 and has expanded. Located in a wonderful historic building, it evidently has had one of its brewpubs in this location since 2006.

They had a decent selection of beers on tap, but we were delighted with our selection – Janet had a Tall Ship East Coast Ale:

“Brewed with adventure, craft, pride & independence, this beer delivers on true refreshment with an easy-going style. Drop anchor & hoist a glass.” I also loved the fact that it’s made with Willamette (Oregon) hops.

I’m a big fan of red ales and Garrison’s Irish Red Ale was wonderful and the initial beer brewed when Garrison opened:

“Ruby red with a smooth malt base, Irish Red Ale is where it all began. Taste the beer that launched a brewery.“ (#5 – #6)

Photo May 09 2024, 12 14 32 PM

And Garrison Brewing had a great atmosphere ranging from our friendly bartender, Wilken, to the pet-friendly environment evidenced by the poster in the photo below. We were sorry that we would not be able to visit their other location.

From some quick research, it appeared that Halifax has a significant number of quality craft breweries which may merit a return visit, but our ship was ready to weigh anchor and head to Bar Harbor, Maine, our next port-of-call.

And this day meant some travel in the Atlantic Ocean which I was anticipating. The map below is in reverse order and doesn’t include our port of origin, Montreal, but it will give you an idea of the two remaining days of the cruise. (#7)

The People

One of the unexpected joys of this trip was the people we met besides our long-time friends and cruise companions – Jeff and Susan Nopper, I have mentioned in previous posts. There was Brad and Tammy from Colorado Springs.

Brad, when he found out about my Beerchasing hobby, gave an immediate invitation to visit his city and hit the numerous quality breweries. I could attest to this based on a previous Colorado road trip and reminded him that I had seen Colorado Springs labeled “The Napa Valley of Beer.”

He was especially enthused about Red Leg Brewing and Janet and I will visit it on a September road trip. (#8 – #9)

Then there was Sonny – one of the most energetic eighty-seven year old guys I’ve seen who is still working as an electrician in Florida. We ate dinner with him and his wife (whose name escapes me) – a few years younger and who still works as a teacher.

I can’t forget JD and Jennifer, a very friendly couple from Houston, who we met at the bar one night. Both a few years from retirement – he works as a petroleum consultant and she in the legal field.

They had just returned from riding their Harleys to Sturgis for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the Black Hills of South Dakota – a ten-day event attended by over 500,000. What an interesting couple! (#10)

But the most interesting and engaging person we met was at a breakfast on the ship when an attractive woman came up and asked if she could join us as there was a vacant two-person table adjacent to ours.

Anne Cochran introduced herself and told us that her husband was playing Texas Holdem – one of the daily activities on the ship – and she was grabbing a late breakfast. (#11)

We started exchanging information and I gave her my Beerchasing card which she said her husband – a trial lawyer, would love.

She’s from Cleveland and related that she met him after serving on a jury in a trial that he won. Anne was very personable and I asked her what she did for a living. She modestly stated, “Well, I don’t know if you know of Jim Brickman, but I do vocal accompaniment for him.”

I replied that I certainly did know of Jim Brickman. He’s one of the most well-known solo pianists in the nation and a multiple Grammy winner. I have a bunch of his numbers on my iTunes.

“The hit-making songwriter is the best-selling solo pianist of our time, earning 22 Number One albums and 32 Top 20 Radio Singles.

He’s garnered two Grammy nominations, Gospel Music’s Dove Award, two SESAC Songwriter of the Year Awards, a Canadian Country Music Award, and is a member of Pandora’s ‘2 Billion Streams’ Club.” (https://www.jimbrickman.com/bio/) (#12 – #13)

Of course, I was curious and after breakfast checked out the Web. I first came across a clip from a 2010 CBS Good Morning Show where the duo performed “Never Alone” released in 2006.

Anne has a captivating background which has led to a long and impressive vocal career.

“Anne Cochran began her career as a teenage, lead vocalist in Cleveland Ohio…while earning her degree in Theater and Voice at Case Western Reserve University by day.

When Anne and her young friend, (the soon-to-become ‘Piano Romance Man’) Jim Brickman, entered and won a ‘You Light Up My Life’ radio contest, they began a stellar twenty-year stage and studio collaboration that has gone on to produce many hits, 4 PBS Specials and countless sold out shows throughout the world.” Story – Anne Cochran

To get another idea of the quality of her voice, check out this Youtube link to the number she recorded in 2008 entitled “Face of Your Heart.” (#14)

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=8wSuy1dTNkc

We saw Anne and her husband a night later in the lounge and had a nice conversation. They were both very enjoyable people and one of the highlights of the cruise.

Stay tuned for our final stop before ending the cruise in Boston. Bar Harbor was a wonderful stop for several reasons I will cover in my next post.

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (2022-08-15 01 Wide angle view of Halifax skyline, Nova Scotia, Canada 1801 Hollis crop – File:2022-08-15 01 Wide angle view of Halifax skyline, Nova Scotia, Canada.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) By Gordon Leggett – File:2022-08- Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. – 15 August 2022.

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Enchantment of the Seas Halifax 2011 (cropped).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: ctgreybeard – 27 September 2011.

#3. Port of Halifax – Stories from Our Port | One Port City (oneportcityhfx.ca))

#4. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Swissair 111 Memorial near Peggys Cove – Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia – Wikipedia) By Own work, Public Domain – 22 September 2006 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61550912). This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Josephbrophy. This applies worldwide.

#5. Garrison Brewing ((Beer/Soda | Garrison (garrisonbrewing.com)

#6. Garrison Brewing (Beer/Soda | Garrison (garrisonbrewing.com)

#7. Holland America Website (Best Canada and New England Cruises | Holland America)

#8 – #9. Red Leg Brewing Facebook Page (Red Leg Brewing Company | Facebook).

#10. Wikimedia Commons (Main Street Sturgis South Dakota Bike Week – Sturgis Motorcycle Rally – Wikipedia) By I, Cumulus Clouds, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2346862. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. 11 Aug 2006.

#11. Anne Cochran YouTube 2008 (YouTube Music).

#12. Anne Cochran Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=507554744709650&set=a.507554711376320)

#13. Anne Cochran Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jimbrickman/photos/a.166961617144/10153808359072145/?type=3)

#14. YouTube (Face of Your Heart – YouTube Music)

Hop Aboard with Thebeerchaser – Shipshape or Shape of Ships?

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos at the end of the post and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

The distance between the Port of Sydney on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia and Halifax, the destination on the sixth day of our Holland America cruise from Montreal to Boston was 277 nautical miles.

This meant the MS Volendam sailed most of the late afternoon and the night in the Atlantic Ocean allowing us to arrive the next morning in Halifax. (#2)

While the Volendam was refreshingly smaller than the two prior Holland America ships on which we cruised, it’s still a very large vessel. Its maiden voyage was in 1999. Maximum speed is 23 knots.

With a total of ten decks, it has capacity of 1,432 passengers and complement of 647crew members. We could work off the excellent food by walking around the third deck – 3.5 rounds made a mile.

Gross Tonnage *1 60,906

Length 778 feet – 237 meters

Beam *2 106 feet – 32.3 meters

*1. Gross Tonnage is not a reference to the weight of a cargo ship. It refers to the capacity of a ship’s cargo. Tonnage is more of a metric for the government to levy taxes, fees, etc. The displacement tonnage of a ship (see below) is the ship’s weight.

*2. The beam is the width at the widest point.

The weather was better which meant some time to view the scenery as well as the nautical traffic. The latter fascinates me and brought back some memories of the two ships I was on during my brief service in the Navy which I’ll mention below.

For example, we passed the freighter – Algoscotia (shown below) – launched in 2004 and one of seven vessels owned by Algoma Tankers Ltd. – a subsidiary of Canada’s largest inland shipping company.

The ship is a chemical/oil tanker and according to one vessel-finder website, was sailing to Portugal. It’s currently docked in New York Habor.

Maritime Sidenote – I had a recent conversation with my former Schwabe law firm Managing Partner, Dave Bartz – not only an outstanding environmental lawyer, but also an expert in admiralty law.

I mentioned the cargo ship, MV Dali collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March. Dave, in his continuing efforts to educate me, pointed out that it was actually an “allision.”

“In a collision, two moving objects strike each other; for example, two passing ships. An allision, however, involves an accident where only one of the objects is moving.

For instance, this maritime term can refer to an accident where a moving boat runs into a stationary bridge fender.” (Arnold and Itkin law firm)

(I subsequently used that fact in numerous conversations trying to show my erudition and now you know too.) (#3 – #4)

The Dali and the Francis Scott Key Bridge

For comparison purposes and to better understand the damage caused to the bridge, the Dali is a larger vessel than the Volendam with a gross tonnage of 95,000 vs. 61,000, a length of 984 feet vs. 778 feet and a beam of 158 feet vs.106 feet.

Digression — A Bit of Maritime Nerdery

Seeing the Algoscotia piqued my interest in light some of the similar freighters we saw on our 2017 Panama Canal cruise and the infamous Ever Given – involved in the 2021 Suez Canal obstruction.

It also harkened back memories of the USS John R. Craig – DD885 and the USS Bradley DE1041 – in the Navy destroyer and destroyer escort I spent some time on during NROTC midshipman summer training cruises in college.

For example, take a look at the statistics for the Algoscotia:

Gross Tonnage: 13,352

Length: 489 feet -149 meters

Beam: 24 meters

Now, the freighter is a big ship up close, but the Volendam dwarfed her – 1.6 times longer and a heck of a lot more volume or carrying capacity – close to five times – 61 tons compared to just over 13.

The USS John R. Craig

The John R. Craig, commissioned in 1945, was an old destroyer when I spent the summer of 1967 as a 3/c midshipman – a lot of it in the engine room and boiler room. Maximum speed was 34 knots.

This great ship had its ultimate demise twelve years later when it was decommissioned on 27 July 1979 and then sunk as a target off California on 6 June 1980. (#5)

USS John R. Craig – DD885

The John R. Craig had a total complement of 336 officers and crew. Now as a naive college NROTC guy, I thought it was a pretty big ship – over the length of a football field at 390 feet long – but you can see from the structural data below the Volendam was almost twice as long.

Displacement 3,460 tons

Length 390 feet – 119 meter

Beam 41 feet – 12.5 meters

The USS Bradley (#6)

USS Bradley – DE1041

I spent over three months on the Bradley, the summer of 1970, on a 1/c midshipman cruise. I was fortunate because I was the only 1/c midshipman on that vessel and the Executive Officer told me that I would replace the lieutenant in charge of the Deck Division when he went on leave in two weeks until he returned.

The Bradley was a much newer ship – launched in 1965, twenty years after the John R. Craig – with a total complement of 247 of which sixteen were officers. Maximum speed was 27 knots.

The Bradley had a less ignominious ending than the Craig. In September 1989, she was leased to Brazil and became the destroyer Pernambuco (D 30). She remained active in the Brazilian Navy into her 39th year afloat. The eventual auction and dismantling by a private company is fascinating.

Displacement 2,624 tons

Length 414 feet – 126 meters

Beam 44 feet – 13.4 meters

I became friends with the officers on the Bradley – it had a squared-away crew and commendable morale. I extended my time on the cruise until the officer returned from leave because of this.

The Captain had requested that I return to the ship upon my commissioning in March,1971 and I had orders to the Bradley. Unfortunately, skull injuries from a serious auto accident in January,1971 essentially ended my Navy service before that occurred.

How Big is Too Big??

Now, I was amazed at the size of the Liberian container ship MSC Arushi when she passed us in the Panama Canal in 2017. Her gross tonnage is 44,803 tons and length overall 921 feet (more than three football fields) with a container capacity of 4112.

The Suez Canal obstruction by the cargo ship Ever Given in 2021 raises the question as to whether there should there be limits to the size of vessels for a number of practical reasons.

“…. the Suez Canal was blocked for six days by the Ever Given, a container ship that had run aground in the canal. The 400-metre-long (1,300 ft), 224,000-ton, vessel was buffeted by strong winds on the morning of 23 March and ended up wedged across the waterway with its bow and stern stuck on opposite canal banks, blocking all traffic until it could be freed.” (Wikipedia) (#7 – #8)

The Suez Obstruction from the US Space Station

The Arushi, mentioned above, looked massive, but compared to the Ever Given almost seems like a yacht. The Ever Given – one of the largest ships ever built – is more than the length of four football fields and 400 feet longer than the Arushi. She can hold five times as many containers, or 20,124.

Keep in mind these facts for a standard 20-foot container:

“The standard dimensions are 20 feet long and eight feet wide. They weigh 5,200 pounds when empty and 62,000 pounds when fully loaded. The internal volume is the equivalent of 200 standard mattresses, two compact cars, or 9,600 wine bottles.” (Boxhub.com). (#9 – #10)

Whoa Baby!

Okay hypothetically, let’s say that you’re the Officer of the Deck of a large cargo ship and your radar operator reports a large “skunk” – (the common label used for unknown surface radar contacts – readyayeready.com) dead ahead on the horizon.

Now bear with me, so to speak, because the scenario may not be very probable, but it will help demonstrate my point below. You want to be cautious, so you order the helmsman who relays it to the ship engineer, “All engines stop – rudder amidship.”

How long does it take the vessel to stop? (#11)

Who are those guys anyway??

The answer is “More time (and distance) thank you think.”

“The stopping distance for a cargo ship depends on factors such as displacement, trim, speed, and type of machinery. Most vessels will travel approximately 5 to 12 times their own length before coming to rest from full ahead, taking 4 to 10 minutes to do so.

Large ships may require up to 5 miles to stop when in full reverse. (emphasis supplied – (https://knowledgeofsea.com/emergency-stop-manoeuvre/).

Rethinking Configurations

You have to pardon me for this long detour on maritime stuff and will have to wait for the next post to hear about Halifax and a great brewery there, but I couldn’t help myself although real naval experts can probably eviscerate some of my assumptions and statistics.

During World War II and to a certain extent to the current time, the large Navy ships such as aircraft carriers, battleships and cruisers have been the mainline weapons of the Navy along with submarines.

Take a look at these older vintage Navy ships. (Clockwise left to right: the battleship USS Arizona (BB39), the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV6), the cruiser USS North Carolina (ACR12) and the Destroyer USS Wallace (DD703) (#12 – #15)

Compare these with the modern versions of battleships, aircraft carriers and cruisers. Even destroyers, known for the agility and maneuverability are a far cry from the USS John R. Craig as can be seen by the photo of the Zumwalt Class Destroyer.

Clockwise from left: Guided Missile Cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG58), Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R Ford (CVN78), Littoral Combat Ship USS Tulsa (LCS16) and Guided Missile Destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG1000) (#16 – #19)

The Future

Navy admirals will always push for more ships with more firepower – usually larger and more expensive. But is that the best overall strategy?

Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840 – 1914) – naval officer and historian and author of one of the most significant and influential naval books in history, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660–1783 might turn over in his grave if he read the following article:

Big U.S. Navy Warships: Did Drones and Missiles Just Make Them Obsolete?

“The warship is not categorically out of date, and the world’s most important militaries are still investing heavily in warships. But current trends suggest the large warship will become increasingly contested, and perhaps less effective as a result…

Deploying an anti-ship missile (or drone) is a relatively cheap way to counter a warship that can cost billions of dollars and can carry several thousand sailors. Missiles have the potential to create parity between disparately situated nations… (#20 – #21)

At the moment, nations like the U.S., China, and NATO member-states are still investing in warships, suggesting that the world’s top war planners continue to believe in the viability of the warship.

But recent events have raised questions about survivability at sea. And as the history of warfare indicates, no system is untouchable, suggesting that even the mighty warship may one day become fully obsolete.”

Fortunately…..

I don’t have to worry about these issues and as we sailed into Halifax, I was focused on hitting a great brewery that was only three blocks from our pier and I’ll tell you about in the next post.

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (File:2022-08-15 02 Wikivoyage banner image of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Gordon Leggett -15 August 2022.

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:2024-06-10 01 MS VOLENDAM – IMO 9156515 – Halifax NS CAN.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Author: Gordon Leggett – 10 June 2024.

#3. Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt website (https://www.schwabe.com/professional/david-bartz-jr/).

4. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Aerial view of the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, in Baltimore – 240329-G-G0211-1001.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain. Author: Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles – 29 March 2024.

#5. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:USS John R. Craig (DD-885) underway off Hawaii in 1967.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States. Author: PH2 Butler, USN – January 1967.

#6. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:USS Bradley (FF-1041) underway at sea near San Clemente Island on 8 July 1976.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States. Author: PH3 Burgess, USN — 8 July 1976.

#7. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Ever Given in Suez Canal viewed from ISS (cropped) 3 to 2 – 2021 Suez Canal obstruction – Wikipedia) By NASA JSC ISS image library – https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/photo.pl?mission=ISS064&roll=E&frame=48480, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129747075- 27 March 2021.

#8. Wikimedia Commons (IMO 9811000 EVER GIVEN (09) – Ever Given – Wikipedia) By © S.J. de Waard / CC-BY-SA-4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=107989305 – 29 July 2021.

#9. Boxhub.com (file:///C:/Users/DWill/OneDrive/Documents/Pictures/2024%20Vacations/Cruise/Cruise%202/Halifax/assets_779e69b8bed04a8b81c09417c4f456d8_d8c122c0258847b3b15e3e1a215a403f.webp).

#10. Wikimedia Commons (Container 【 22G1 】 WTPU 010097(1)—No,1 【 Pictures taken in Japan – Twenty-foot equivalent unit – Wikipedia) By Gazouya-japan, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38052679. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. 10 November 2012.

#11. Wikimedia Commons (File:Cargo Ship Puerto Cortes.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author:
Luis Alfredo Romero – 7 January 2023.

#12. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:The battleship Arizona makes its way through the heaving seas of the Pacific. This photo was taken as the battleship steamed (79c61ee6-1dd8-b71b-0be4-1d4c5b920a28).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This image or media file contains material based on a work of a National Park Service employee…..As a work of the U.S. federal government, such work is in the public domain in the United States. Author: NPGallery 20 June 2006..

#13. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:USS Enterprise (CV-6) underway c1939.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States. Author: CDR William H. Balden, USNR-circa 1938-9.

#14. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:USS North Carolina cropped Navy – Ships – Cruisers (165-WW-335D-4) – DPLA – bc4a2bb98571ecc905ebc7fc0aa53caa.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This media file is in the public domain in the United States. Creator: War Department – 12 October 1912.

#15. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (USS Wallace L. Lind (DD-703) underway in April 1970 (NH 107164) – USS Wallace L. Lind – Wikipedia) By PH1 D.M. Dreher, U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy photo NH 107164, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42294064. 27 April 1970.

#16. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:US Navy 050719-N-5526M-019 The guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58 conducts Surface Action Group operations during exercise Nautical Union.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Author: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st class Robert R. McRill – 19 July 2005.

#17. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) departs Bath (Maine) on 7 September 2016.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States. Author: US Navy – 7 September 2016.

#18. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) underway in the Atlantic Ocean on 9 October 2022 (221009-N-TL968-1248).JPG – Wikimedia Commons) As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States. Author: U.S. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins – 9 October 2022.

#19. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons USS Tulsa (LCS-16) in acceptance trials – List of current ships of the United States Navy – Wikipedia As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States. Author: U.S. Navy/Austal USA 8 March 2018.

#20. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) launches from an Air Force B-1B Lancer.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States.Author: DARPA photo 5 September 2013.

#21. Wikimedia Commons (File:Iranian drone exercise in 2022 – Day 2 (52).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Author: Tasnim News Agency – 24 August 2022.

Hop Aboard with Thebeerchaser – Part III – Sydney

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

After leaving Charlottetown on our cruise from Montreal to Boston, the fifth and sixth days saw us docking in two cities in Nova Scotia – first Sydney on Cape Breton Island and then Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia.

The map above shows Sydney on the northeast coast. (External photo attribution at the end of the post #1)

So, for the first time we left the watery “confines,” if you will, of the St. Lawrence River and ventured forth into more expansive nautical territory including the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Cabot Strait (between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) and then the Atlantic Ocean.

I should add that due to a bit of inclement weather during much of the first part of the cruise, I hadn’t been able to sit outside our stateroom and just take in the marine scenery.

To remedy that while we were sailing the Gulf of St. Lawrence, I bundled up in several layers and “capped” it off with a stocking cap and then my favorite Benedictine Brewery hat on top of that. (By the way, that’s coffee in my cup and not beer.) #2

It harkened back memories of days on both a Navy destroyer and destroyer escort, so I decided even though there were winds and swells, to look over the rail of the ship – for a better view.

To my chagrin and without warning, a big gust hit and my brewery cap, sailed off my head and disappeared over the starboard side of the Volendam – into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

My first inclination was to shout, “Monk overboard!” but I figured the captain was not going to issue the command, “Full speed astern,” to recover my headgear. (A new one is on my to-do list when I again visit the Mount Angel Abbey.) #3

“Monk Overboard!”

Nova Scotia – Fascinating History

I could devote several posts just to the history, culture and geography of Nova Scotia, but will summarize. It was first visited by outsiders when the French landed in the early 1600’s.

“In 1605, Acadia – France’s first New France colony—was founded with the creation of Acadia’s capital, Port Royal.” (Wikipedia)

Since that time Nova Scotia has been directly or peripherally involved in military conflicts with groups including the English, Scottish, Dutch, French, Americans and the original inhabitants – the Mi’kMaq.

The conflicts ranged from the American Revolution, the French and Indian War, the War of 1812 and the American Civil War.

“Nova Scotia is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada, with an estimated population of over 1 million as of 2024; it is also the second-most densely populated province in Canada, and second-smallest province by area.”

Cape Breton Island, a large island to the northeast of the Nova Scotia mainland, is also part of the province, as is Sable Island, a small island notorious for being the site of offshore shipwrecks. (I was thankful that our captain avoided Sable Island and didn’t try to use the navigation chart below.) #4

A_map_of_Sable_Island_showing_the_location_of_the_known_wrecks_upon_the_island_LCCN2003668269 (1)

Map showing location of shipwrecks along Sable Island

Port Royal was the first permanent European settlement in what would become Canada. The settlement was in the Mi’kmaw district of Kespukwitk and was the founding settlement of what would become Acadia.

The French and Acadians lived in Nova Scotia and during the early years, nine significant military clashes took place as the English and Scottish, Dutch French, and Mi’kmaq fought for possession of the area. (#5)

The treatment of the Arcadians by the British is a sad chapter in Western Civilization:

“The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain.

It included the modern Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, along with part of the US state of Maine.” (Wikipedia)

The history is complex, but the British finally and reluctantly acknowledged the grave error of their actions although it took until the 20th century for some of this to transpire.

“Some 233,000 people whose mother tongue is French—the great majority of whom are Acadians—represent one third of the province’s (New Brunswick) population.” (The Canadian Encylopedia)

The Arcadians have made great strides which led me when I saw the hat below to state that I was glad that they were taking a more assertive position until Janet chastised me for misinterpreting the acronym. (I quickly recanted.) (#6)

No, Don. That’s not Arcadians!

Sydney

But I digress…when we docked at Sydney – founded in 1785 by the British and incorporated as a city in 1904 – with a current population of just over 31,000, we were greeted by two interesting scenes on the pier:

Purportedly, the largest fiddle in the world, the instrument and bow reach a height of 60 feet – it’s made of solid steel and …“was dubbed the ‘Big Fiddle of the Ceilidh’. Ceilidh is a Gaelic word which translates into ‘visit’.” (Atlas Obscura.com)

I was a bit disappointed not to hear a soundtrack of Alabama’s hit – “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band.” (But perhaps not one that big…although given the Texas mentality, one never knows.)

Although having a rich history, Sydney was definitely not as impressive as Quebec City and Charlottetown in its presentation of that legacy, but our eight-hour bus tour that day along a major portion of The Cabot Trail made up for that. A large portion of the economy in Sydney depends on the cruise industry. (#7)

“This 298 km (186 mi) highway weaves through The Cape Breton Highlands National Park, rewarding travelers with spectacular valley and coastal views all along the way.” (www.novascotia.com)

It reminded me of the amazing Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park although the Cabot has breathtaking views of the sea as well as the rugged mountains.

In fact, Cape Breton Highlands National Park is described as:

“One of Nova Scotia’s most enchanting places, where the mountains meet the sea. Discover 950 square kilometres of rugged wilderness, travel along the world-famous Cabot Trail and marvel at lush, forested river canyons carved into an ancient plateau.” (https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ns/cbreton)

We had a great bus ride – other than a tour guide who thought she was a stand-up comedian performing at the front of the bus as we made our journey. (Unfortunately spurred on by repeated guffaws from a small minority of our fellow riders….).

It included a wonderful buffet lunch with the best clam chowder I’ve had in years at a small restaurant in the fishing village of Ingonish, halfway through the trip.

Not to be parochial, but giving a shout-out to our Oregon, we found that while the scenery – both along the Cabot Trail and on a tour through Acadia National Park at our final port – Bar Harbor – were outstanding, they certainly did not surpass what we sometimes take for granted along the beautiful Oregon Coast and the mountains in Central and Eastern Oregon – two to four hours respectively from our home.

And as seen below from our 2023 trip to Steens Mountain in Eastern Oregon, you probably won’t encounter cattle along your highway on the way.

Stay tuned for our next port – Halifax, Nova Scotia, which included a trip to an outstanding brewery.

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (Cape Breton Island – Cape Breton Island – Wikipedia) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. Author: Klaus M. – 3 January 2007.

#2. Benedictine Brewery (Benedictine Brewery Black Cap – Mount Angel Abbey).

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Portrait_of_a_Monk_in_Prayer_MET_DP345572.jpg (2777×3882) (wikimedia.org) This file is made available under the Creative Commons CCO 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The work of art itself is in the public domain . George Craiguthor – 1893 painting, depicting an event in 1755.

#4. Wikimedia Commons (File:A map of Sable Island showing the location of the known wrecks upon the island LCCN2003668269.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This image is available from the United States Library of Congress‘s Prints and Photographs division
under the digital ID cph.3c32776. Author: McCurdy, Arthur W. (Arthur Williams), 1856-, photographer – 1898.

#5. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Deportation Grand-Pré – Expulsion of the Acadians – Wikipedia). This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. The work of art itself is in the public domain…..Author: George Craig – 1893 painting, depicting an event in 1755.

#6. Ebay (Donald Trump MAGA Hat Red Strapback OSFM | eBay).

#7. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabot_Trail#/media/File:Cabot_trail_2009k.JPG). By chensiyuan – chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. 19 September 2009.

Hop on Board with Thebeerchaser – Part III Charlottetown

Posted on June 15, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Charlottetown

Since it was 682 nautical miles from Quebec City to Charlottetown, we spent the second day of the trip – a Monday – just cruising which I really enjoyed – and the weather was much better:

Photo May 06 2024, 7 11 34 PM

Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island – one of thirteen Canadian provinces or territories – the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated.

The city has a population of just 40,500 and was incorporated in 1855. Since it was pretty compact, we decided to just walk on our own and there was a nice boardwalk along the pier and harbor.

When we docked and left the ship, I expected to see a bevy of Canadian realtors waiting for appointments with those on the cruise who were hedging their bets based on the result of the forthcoming November US General Election. But I guess that’s another story…..

While it was filled with historic houses and buildings, the highlight was two wonderful churches. St. Dunstan’s Cathedral Basilica – built from 1897 to 1907 – it reminded us of the ornate trappings of similar structures in Europe.

Photo May 07 2024, 11 14 58 AM

And only several blocks away was the smaller, but still impressive St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral founded in 1869:

“St. Peter’s has superb choral music, beautiful liturgy, strong orthodox Christian teaching and preaching, a friendly congregation, and a tradition of service to the community.”

Remember, however, this is a blog primarily about bars and breweries…..

Now, we hadn’t been to a brewery since Montreal, so after viewing the cathedrals, we set out in search of suds. Gahan Brewing came to the rescue. And consistent with the heritage of other structures throughout town, The Gahan House embodied history:

“Gahan is a name unknown in Prince Edward Island today, but in the middle of the 19th century, John Gahan was a prominent merchant, an importer of teas, wines, and family groceries. His place of business was on the corner of Queen and Sydney Streets in Charlottetown; now known as The Gahan House.”

Photo May 07 2024, 10 31 37 AM

The brew pub was a very attractive mix of brick and dark wood and they had an excellent selection of beers. Gahan Brewing also has a good story and it was nice to see an independent brewery thriving:

“The Gahan Brewery (formerly Murphy’s Brewing Co.) was established in March 1997 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The beer quickly became a local favorite and the brewery relocated to its current location on the corner of Queen & Sydney Streets in Downtown Charlottetown, thus doubling its production capacity and giving it a permanent home in Old Charlottetown.”

“With a total of six locations across Atlantic Canada, The Gahan House has become an East Coast tradition dedicated to creating memorable experiences.”

And their Island Red Ale was one of the best I’ve drunk. I’m also sorry that I didn’t get to try the Big Don Coffee Belgian Blonde Ale before Gahan stopped brewing it. One reviewer on Untapped characterized it as follows:…”

“So deliciously weird, wouldn’t want to drink more than one, but that one is a great treat.”

This prompted Janet to remark, “That account might be similar to your personality, Don…..”

The pub also had a great menu and there was a thriving take-out business during the noon hour, but we had lunch back at the ship.

And since we still had twelve (of the fifteen “free” daily drinks) waiting for us at the ship that day, we didn’t partake at the Olde Dublin Pub – right across the street. It looked like a watering hole, however, that deserved additional research!

“….we’re Charlottetown’s original Irish pub! Here, since 1983, Islanders and visitors alike have been tipping back Guinness, enjoying Irish and East Coast dishes with an ODP twist, and raising a cheer for some of the best traditional and contemporary music to grace the province”

I guess that that will have to wait for our return trip!

Cheers and stay tuned for Sydney – our next port.

Cheers!

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vote_sign_democracy.jpg) File is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law.

Hop on Board with Thebeerchaser – Part II – Quebec City

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

In the last post, I told you about our recent Holland America cruise from Montreal to Boston with our good friends the Noppers. https://thebeerchaser.com/2024/05/29/hop-on-board-with-thebeerchaser-part-i/

We had a night and a morning in Montreal before we embarked on the Volendam (on Saturday May 4th – my birthday) so on Friday, we took a ninety-minute bus tour of the city and then walked around to see historic buildings and, of course, bars and breweries.

I might add that we stayed at the La Centre Sheraton – right downtown – which had a wonderful looking bar itself. The concierge recommended a couple of good places for beer.

Th Sheraton bar

Our first watering hole where we had some excellent beer was 3 Brasseurs. (That’s “brewers” in English). Evidently, it is a chain with establishments thoughout France and four locations in Canada – Montreal, Quebec, Toronto.

Photo May 03 2024, 4 29 45 PM

“Welcome to our brand with 30 years of experience in beer making, design and service of authentic and generous local dishes, for the greatest satisfaction of our customers.”

The bar had a great atmosphere inside with a long, attractive bar, but given the beautiful day, we sat outside on the expansive patio – right on the street which made it more interesting.

And we sat next to a young and very friendly couple – the first of many great people we met on our trip – who were visiting from the Western part of Canada. We only had beer and they even offered to share their food with us since the servings were so generous.

Photo May 03 2024, 4 08 04 PM (1)

We declined and ate that night in an Italian restaurant – a mistake – we should have ordered a burger and fries at 3 Brasseurs.

I left the others for five minutes while they were waiting for our beers, to check out the other recommendation from the concierge – Brutopia – kind of an interesting name and I was sorry we didn’t have time to check it out. It looked very interesting:

“Brutopia Brewpub is the premiere brewpub in downtown Montreal. Since we opened our doors early in 1997, our attentive, friendly staff has been serving full flavoured beers, freshly brewed on our premises.” (# – External photo attribution at end of post #1)

It looked like the brewpub had great food, but we still had places to see and instead ate that night in an Italian restaurant – a mistake – but I guess I already said that above.

The ship left the next day at about 5:00 PM and we had some beautiful views of Montreal – by the way, the city is actually on an island….And shortly after we left the pier, I saw another brewery I would have liked to hit – I guess when we return.

It brought back memories of two of Molson’s slogans from the past:

“We’ll drink to that.” (2005)

“Molson’s makes it golden..” (1986) (#2)

Molson and Coors merged in 2005 and at that time, Molson Coors was rated the third largest producer of beer in the United States, and the second largest brewer in the United Kingdom.

It has continued to expand and in 2016, “per the agreement with the regulators, SABMiller sold to Molson Coors full ownership of the Miller Brewing Company brand portfolio.” Wikipedia

Shipboard Life and Port Adventures

We quickly acclimated to life on the cruise. The only issue which disappointed me was that with the exception of the second day, we sailed from port to port in either the late afternoon or after sunset into the morning hours and I didn’t get to see that much of the beautiful countryside and towns along the St. Lawrence.

Every day, we could either sign up for tours (excursions) ranging from walking tours, to tours of museums, historic homes to long bus tours e.g. an eight-hour ride (including lunch) which we took on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia to see the beautiful coast and mountains.

Historic and beautiful Quebec City (#3)

We sailed Saturday evening from Montreal to historic Quebec City. Before debarking the ship for the tour, we had our typical breakfast at the Volendam’s Lido Market Place – a buffet that had an amazing assortment from pastries to traditional faire to lox.

The first morning, I had lox and onions with my scrambled eggs, even though some would scoff at this combination.

We then took a two-hour guided walking tour of the city of 549,459 settled originally in 1633. To get from the pier to the upper level and most of the attractions, we took the Old Quebec Funicular (1879).

At the top was a great view and an abundance of history.

The tour was very interesting, albeit wet, as a steady rain came down. It didn’t dampen the experience of seeing the:

Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac (“An iconic historic hotel in Quebec City known for its castle-like architecture and stunning views of the St. Lawrence River.”) (1893) (#4)

Notre-Dame de-Quebec Basilica Cathedral (“An historic and iconic basilica-cathedral, known for its stunning architecture and religious significance.”). (1633 – original) (#5)

Since our excursion of Quebec City was over by lunch, we spent the rest of the day exploring the ship.

The activities were an eclectic bunch of pursuits – keeping in mind that given the median passenger age, there could probably be an animated discussion of the Nixon vs Kennedy debate.

There were team sports or competitions from bingo to trivia to soccer goal scoring to cornhole to poker to pickleball to bridge, but these were not for us as was the case with “Origami Folding – Paper-bomb” or “The Art of Flower Arranging” to “Coloring for Adults” (not hair…) or “Adventures with Water Colors – Jellyfish….” (#6 – #7))

However, there were no offerings such as “The Colorful History of Pabst Blue Ribbon,” or “Hop Gardening,” although I have to admit given the median age of the passengers, I was surprised to see one actually entitled “Pampering the Ladies…”

One that piqued my interest was “Make Your Own Mug” until I found it that it pertained to coffee rather than beer and I blanched about spending 90-minutes in a session – “Make Your Own Flower Vase.”

And these were just on the first two days so I thought with five more days left on the cruise, they might consider “Make Your Own Titanic” or “Make Your Own Submarine,” but Janet told me not to go anywhere near the Cruise Director with these suggestions.

We decided that we would enjoy walking the deck and then reading and viewing beautiful Quebec City from a higher deck – this while consuming one or two of our fifteen “free” drinks per day (unbelievably – part of the cruise package).

It made me think seriously about the assertion of Aloysius Archer, the protagonist in the Baldacci novel I was reading:

“If you’re going to drink all day, you have to start in the morning.”

While walking the deck, my mind was still at work wondering:

“Do they really need the warning message on the bulkhead shown in the following photo?”

Is that warning really necessary?

And while my initial “Make Your Own” suggestions were not viable, given the robust supply of cooking material on board, why not “Make Your Own Life Ring?” (#8)

On a more serious note, I thought Holland America missed a good opportunity by not mimicking Portland’s Breakside Brewery which recently advertised:

“Make Your Own IPA Ice Cream, 11 a.m.-noon Saturday, June 15: Join Malek and Breakside head brewer Ben Edmunds – churn your very own beer-infused ice cream.”

Photo May 10 2024, 8 37 34 PM

The selections in the dining room for the evening meal were splendid as was the presentation and quality. We typically had two meals each day (along with an occasional cookie or ice cream cone in the evening.)

Given the expansive and plentiful availability of both food and alcohol, it made me wonder if any medical research had been conducted on the correlation between heart attacks and post cruise living.

I decided to banish that morbid thought the next morning when I had my breakfast which included lox and a bagel. (#9)

Stay tuned for our next port, Charlottetown – 721 nautical miles from Quebec City – so we had one full day of just sailing, before we docked at this next city – another one with a rich and interesting history.

External Photo Attribution

#1. Brutopia Brew Pub Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=903734435093709&set=a.485131863620637.

#2. Molson Canadian Facebook Page by Samuel Hurd Photography (https://www.facebook.com/samuelhurdphotography/photos/t.100064389773443/373652893053044/?type=3).

#3. Wikimedia Commons (Château Frontenac city at night – Quebec City – Wikipedia) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Wilfredo Rafael Rodriguez Hernandez – 27 September 2018.

#4. Wikimedia Commons (2016-11 Château Frontenac 06 – Château Frontenac – Wikipedia) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: 0x010C – 8 November 2016.

#5. Wikimedia Commons (File:Basilique-cathédrale de Notre-Dame-de-Québec.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Sylvainbrousseau 16 September 2012.

#6. Wikimedia Commons (File:Adult Coloring program.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author:
Jenn Gaylor – 22 September 2015.

#7. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Jelly fish in watercolour.png – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Author: Midjourney AI prompted by Netha Hussain – 21 January 2023.

#8. Wikimedia Commons (File:Onion Ring (48075744183).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Ryan Dickey – 16 June 20219.

#9. Wikimedia Commons (File:Lox-and-bagel-02.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Kristina D.C. Hoeppner – 25 July 2012.

Hop on Board with Thebeerchaser – Part I

Posted on May 29, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Janet and I recently completed a seven-day Holland America cruise on the Volendam – from Montreal to Boston. We were accompanied by our long-time friends Jeff and Susan Nopper. (External photo attribution at end of the post #1 – 2.)

Our travel history included two prior HA cruises – the first from Anchorage, Alaska to Vancouver, BC in 2014. It included a side trip to Denali National Park before the cruise started and the journey by ship was wonderful way to see Glacier Bay; whales and wildlife; and the Alaska coastline that would be a challenge on another mode of transport.

In 2018, we took a second cruise – this one with the Noppers to the Panama Canal from Fort Lauderdale, Florida – not a full transit – through the canal from east to west – but just through the locks. After a cruise around Lake Gatun we went back through the canal to the Atlantic Ocean and explored the Caribbean.

A massive cargo ship going through the canal

I’ll give more info in a future post, but on the first two cruises, both of our ships accommodated 2,700 passengers and 1,000 crew members. The vessel for the recent trip up the St. Lawrence Seaway and around Nova Scotia was about half that size – 1,432 passengers and 647 crew.

Although we enjoyed the first two cruises, we definitely preferred the smaller ship which still had great amenities – pool, great gym and workout facility, pickleball court, casino, theater and, of course, multiple bars and restaurants.

And I’ll have to state that my wife, Janet, is not the biggest fan of cruises – partly because of a tendency for motion sickness. She gave me this cruise for my birthday although it was much better than she expected and she did not get seasick.

Janet was prepared with patches and medication but did not have to use them – the biggest swells were about three feet around Halifax.

This was a good thing because our cruise package provided fifteen “free” drinks each day. Her pharmacist told her to avoid mixing pills or patches with alcohol….

I might add that if you plan a trip, take Susan Nopper with you. Janet is an excellent planner, but Susan is the epitome of a well-prepared and informed journeyer. She always knew when, where, how what, and why……

I bemoaned the fact that I did not have my college bota bag with me given the drink quota, but there was no way we could consume that much booze. Coffee drinks also counted and one day I had to work off a caffeine high by walking the deck several miles after having four espressos.

And I have to admit that I supplemented my typical martini or microbrew with some new cocktails including a “Smokey Boulevardier.”

It was indeed smokey and one of the ship’s officers jokingly came over to the bartender and asked if he needed to alert the ship about an on-board fire as smoke was wafting over the bar as he prepared my cocktail.

The ingredients in the Boulevardier – credited to Harry McElhone, the founder, and proprietor of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris – include:

1 1/2 ounces bourbon whiskey
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Apéritif
Orange twist, for garnish

But I have to admit, my favorite drink on the ship was their beautiful Bloody Mary. I also coaxed Jeff Nopper into having his first martini – gin, up with olives.

The food was also superb with multiple eateries – formal and informal available at all times of the day. For example, take a look at the late night menu available at the Lido Cafe below.

It reminded me of my Navy destroyer when we had “Midrats from 8:00 PM to midnight:

“Midrats has been a Naval tradition dating back to 1902, when the Navy decide to make changes to Sailors’ diet by introducing a new meal to the fleet. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the 1902 Navy Ration Act that included a section for additional rations specifically for Sailors who worked the night shift.

Nowadays, Sailors can choose from breakfast items such as eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, and French toast; or dinner items like pork chops, ribs, mashed potatoes,
green beans, steak, and grilled chicken.”

The difference between the Navy and the HA cruise, was after the midnight snack, I didn’t have a watch on the bridge of the ship from midnight to 3:00 AM.

Not to get totally preoccupied with food, but the selection was amazing and and the quality very good from appetizers to desserts as you can see from the selection of cupcakes one evening and decorated cakes the next.

Fortunately, we were disciplined in our walks around the 1/3 of a mile deck just a step away from our stateroom. Surprisingly, we didn’t gain any weight.

Montreal – The City of Mary

We had a night and a morning in Montreal before the ship departed and it is a wonderful city in which one could spend days if not weeks touring this metropolis of 1.8 million people.

Since our time was limited, we took a 90-minute bus tour to see Mount Royal, the underground and the historic buildings:

“Some of the city’s earliest still-standing buildings date back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Although most are clustered around the Old Montreal area, such as the Sulpician Seminary adjacent to Notre Dame Basilica that dates back to 1687.” Wikipedia

Of course, even though we were limited to one evening in the city, we set out to find a watering hole or two to quench our thirsts – possibly to build up to the routine on the ship. I will fill you in on the next post, but have to leave you with this one unforgettable memory of Montreal.

We were walking in the late afternoon in the downtown area and came across a middle-aged guy with a baby carriage in which a live rabbit was contentedly riding. He offered to let the rabbit get out and run around.

Of course, I wanted to make a comment that this was not the kind of hops I was seeking for my the Beerchaser blog, but the others told me to hold my tongue and he rolled his cargo away when the light changed.

Not the kind of hops Thebeerchaser was seeking….

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1 – #2. Holland America Website (Cruises Search Award-Winning Cruises – Find Deals & Packages (hollandamerica.com).

May Musings

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

After doing recent posts on two wonderful Portland bars – the historic Huber’s and the iconic Sandy Jug, I’m going to skip around and cover a few miscellaneous topics after a farewell to a Portland landmark for years. (#1.)

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos at the end of the post and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. External photo attribution at the end of the post.(#1)

Farewell to Quintessential Dive – The Jolly Roger

I visited this Portland eastside landmark in January, 2023 with my friend, Hillary Barbour, knowing that it would be both the first and last time I would raise a mug in this watering hole which has been a prominent feature on the block for about the last sixty years:

The Jolly Roger Will Become Affordable Housing

“After much speculation about what would become of Buckman dive bar the Jolly Roger, WW has confirmed it will become an affordable housing complex helmed by recovery and low-income housing nonprofit Central City Concern. The property was bulldozed this fall and is currently an empty lot.” (Willamette Week – 1/16/2024)

Although there was a smidgeon of hope for a reprieve in 2023, one year later, it was razed and the irreplaceable sign visible for blocks is now relegated to the scrap heap:

“Of the landmark sign—which WW once called ‘a majestic freestanding pylon sign shaped like a ship’s mast at a height no longer sanctioned’ ….it was trashed.

‘It was too large to be used in the building or anywhere else, she says…Efforts were made to see if any signage, restoration companies or collectors were interested in it, to no avail.'”

Farewell to a long and prosperous voyage!

An Informed Perspective

I had lunch recently with a friend of the conservative bent who was bemoaning the current US policy on climate change and energy. He had witnessed the 2017 total solar eclipse when he was at the Oregon coast and took in the same event again on April 8th this year.

Although Oregon was not in the path of totality. His comment:

“Don, this provides additional evidence of the lack of dependability of solar power as a future energy source….” (#2 – #3)

Another Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter Update

The last update was in February when I related the recent award of Portland environmental attorney, Jay Waldron (Rugger, Rafter and Rider and Lawyer).

Well, one of Jay’s Portland lawyerly colleagues – who is also in the esteemed ranks of Beerchasers-of-the-Quarter, Jim Westwood – was involved in another significant victory, although this wasn’t as one of the premier players in the Oregon Appellate Courts.

westwood bow tie 2

Jim, who has accompanied me on more Beerchasing events than either one of us would want to admit in the last thirteen years, is also a fellow Oregon City High School graduate (although several years ahead of me).

As I have stated previously as evidence of my longevity, his mother Catherine, was my Latin teacher for two years in the mid-sixties. The photo gallery below provides evidence of Jim’s affirmation of Beerchasing as a venture although it should be noted that both of us also have an affinity for single malt beverages.

Clockwise: The Tanker Bar – 2013, The Yard House – 2016, The Independent Sports Bar – 2017, The Standard – 2018, The Sandy Jug – 2024, Howell’s Tavern – 2022, Yur’s Bar – 2020, Rose City Book Pub – 2019, TC O”Leary’s Irish Pub – 2017 and Kelly’s Olympian 2015 and The Goose Hollow Inn – 2012.

(You will recognize his mug – so-to-speak – in each of the photos below:

Beerchasing at the Goose Hollow Inn in 2012 with the late Portland Mayor Bud Clark and John Terry of The Oregonian

Below is an excerpt from my 2013 post when I named him as a Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter. I mentioned his extensive civic activities including coaching high school Constitutional teams:

“Jim has volunteered for 11 years as a coach for ‘We the People’ high school Constitutional law teams for Grant High and De la Salle North Catholic High School.

Marilyn Cover, Executive Director of the Classroom Law Project (CLP), stated, ‘He’s a great teacher, a great coach and a great model citizen.’ He was honored last year as the 2012 Legal Citizen of the Year by the CLP.”

The historical figure he most admires is George Washington and when he received an annual award from the Multnomah Bar Association in 2013, they gave him the caricature shown in the photo below.

The Grant High team won the National Championship in the Washington DC competition in 2013 and then repeated in 2015. Westwood fulfilled his promise to get a tattoo if they achieved that victory.

The picture below shows the George Washington theme continued as 1783 was the year Washington bade farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern and resigned as Commander-in-Chief.

They won in 2018 and his second tattoo followed although at time of publication I could not ascertain where it’s located or the content. He retired from being a full-time coach in 2019, but as Jim, with his characteristic modesty, stated this month:

“I intended to fade into nothingness, but as has happened with other retiring coaches, Grant Con team is the Hotel California. You can never leave. The best description of me is ‘involved volunteer.”‘

My involvement varies, in 2024 I was involved about twice as much as last year….This year, for the first time since retiring, I went to DC with the team and the coaches. although it was more of a vacation for me than it was for the others.”

He thus shared in the incredible accomplishment of 2024 Grant High’s Constitutional Team when they again won the National Championship in April. As reported by the Center for Civic Education on April 16th:

“Students from Grant High School of Portland, Oregon, placed first in the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals, an annual competition that brings together high school students from across the nation to answer difficult questions about the U.S. Constitution...

More than 1,000 students participated….The competition results were announced at an awards ceremony Monday evening before an in-person and online audience of more than 3,400 people…A total of 48 high school teams from 28 states and the District of Columbia participated in this year’s events.”. (#4 – #5)

2015 Winners – Westwood in back row with bowtie

In a time where civics is almost a forgotten course offering in high schools across the United States, teacher advisor, David Lickey; coaches including Andrea Short, Tim Volpert, Shelley Larkins and Westwood (many of whom are lawyers) and the parental volunteers deserve accolades for their commitment to preserving democratic institutions.

When I asked about a third inking, he responded:

“I’ve been in contact with Ximena, my personal tattoo artist, about the tattoo for this year’s win. The ink will flow later this month.”

There’s speculation whether it will be a cherry tree, the words “Valley Forge” or “1791” – the year when the Bill of Rights was ratified which Washington called for in his first inaugural address. Stay tuned…..

There’s a Crisis, However.

Even back in 2021, an article in Harvard Magazine showed evidence of the Crisis in Civic Education:

“…..The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s survey on civic knowledge found that barely half of American adults can name all three branches of government, and 20 percent cannot name any rights protected by the First Amendment.

This state of affairs follows prolonged disinvestment in the fields of history and civics: today, a new report reveals, federal spending per pupil in these subjects averages $0.05, whereas STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) per pupil averages $50—a thousandfold difference in funding allocation.” (#6)

A document needing more attention

But Have Some Moderation…!

While efforts to enhance civic education are to be encouraged and applauded, one Oregon Circuit Court Judge in Clackamas County – just south of Portland – went a step too far when in a criminal trial for hit-and-run (State v. Varvara) last week:

“….(she) decided to give a hands-on civics lesson to a class of visiting second graders, inviting eight of them to serve as jurors in a hit-and-run trial, swearing them in, allowing them to sit in the jury box and giving them supplies to take notes.”

Now this was a bench trial – meaning the judge, not a jury – makes the final decision. The Presiding Judge, however, was evidently not impressed with the judgment of Circuit Judge Ulanda Watkins. He intervened and the second-graders were ushered out of the courtroom.

Judge Watkins was appointed to the bench in 2017. She is, at least up until this point, running unopposed in the 2024 Oregon Primary Election. (#7)

“In the end, Watkins delivered an acquittal without consulting the students — the 7- and 8-year-olds left before the trial concluded. But the judge’s off-the-cuff overture to the school children became the talk of the courthouse in downtown Oregon City.” (#8 – #9)

The Clackamas County Courthouse in Oregon City.

There have been no reports on whether the eight second graders selected for the jury have requested the $10 daily juror pay or whether the school district has submitted the 20 cents per mile reimbursement for the school bus.

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Sandy Jug Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=122100957092143158&set=pb.61554294744173.-2207520000&type=3).

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Christmas Eve Sun (31460091150).png – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Paul Stewart from Timaru, New Zealand – 24 December 2016.

#3. Wikimedia Commons (File:Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, from Hot Springs, Arkansas.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. Author: Kevin Payravi – 8 April 2024.

#4. Oregon Live (Grant High’s U.S. Constitution Team represents Oregon in national tournament – oregonlive.com).

#5. Center for Civic Education (Release: Portland’s Grant High School Places First in Center for Civic Education’s Nationwide Competition on the Constitution – civiced.org).

#6. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:United States Constitution Bicentenial Commemorative Dollar Obverse.jpg – Wikimedia Commons. This image is a work of the United States Department of the Treasury, taken or made as part of an employee’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain in the United States.Source: US Mint 19 May 2022.

#7. Oregon State Bar (Judge Ulanda Watkins (osbar.org).

#8. Wikimedia Commons (File:Scale of justice 2 new.jpeg – Wikimedia Commons). This work is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or any later version. Source: Scale_of_justice_2.svg: DTR – 28 July 2009.

#9. Wikimedia Commons (File:Clackamas County Courthouse, Oregon City – DPLA – 13cd2d986b77594222b11d38c0491c08.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by Oregon State Archives as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America, via its partner Northwest Digital Heritage. Source: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives – 6 August 2013.

Brawlers and Mockers – The Distinction

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

A Terminology Issue – Was it the Beer?

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos at the end of the post and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post. #1)

In a recent entry in my daily devotional, the author illustrated his point by quoting Proverbs 20:1:

“Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.”

Reading this led me on one of my typical internet research projects which my wife says occupy far too much of my free time, although it was prompted by a recent NBC.com article entitled:

” Morgan Wallen arrested after throwing chair from rooftop of Nashville bar, police say.” (#2)

Is an encounter with a chair, a brawl?

And while this incident was not a brawl per se’, it was not his first encounter with police because of scuffles with others:

“Wallen was arrested around 11 p.m. Sunday night outside Chief’s on Broadway, a Nashville honky-tonk bar that his fellow country musician Eric Church opened in March.

Per a police report, officers were standing outside the bar when a chair landed intact on the ground several feet from them. Staff members reportedly told the officers Wallen had thrown the chair from six stories above…” (emphasis added)

Since it involved a bar, I obviously was curious. Chief’s on Broadway, opened just in April, evidently celebrates the career of Eirc Church and has about 4,000 posters from his country-western singing career.

It may well be the tallest bar in the United States:

“Chief’s is a six-story bar, restaurant, event space, and live music venue designed to celebrate Eric Church’s ever-expanding musical legacy.

Located in historic downtown Nashville, Chief’s will feature a ticketed music venue, inspirational interiors, and a thoughtful focus on unique live performances, offering fans an unparalleled entertainment experience in Music City.” MusicCity.com (#3 – #4)

Given the short duration since opening, there are only three Yelp reviews so far, but it’s obvious, the rooftop incident will play for some time:

“Super nice bar and good drinks. Almost gave it 4 stars (rather than five) because the chairs are so light and tossable.” Yelp – April 8, 2024

Before leaving this thread, a few more comments on the distinction between beer and wine as illustrated by quotes:

“Beer is made by men, wine by God.” – Martin Luther

“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” – Benjamin Franklin

And my favorite which is unattributed except I located it in an ad on the website of the Sherlock Holmes British Pub in Dubai, United Arab Emirates:

“Beer, because one doesn’t solve the world’s problems over white wine.”

Of course, we shouldn’t give short shrift to whiskey and Irish playwright and critic George Bernard Shaw, no stranger to controversy, who opined: (#5)

“Whisky is liquid sunshine.”

Who better than an Irishman to know….

Not many dives I’ve been to have served wine. If it were available and could lead to “mocking” as the scripture asserts, it might result in a brawl with those consuming quantities of beer. (#6)

Here’s to Solving World Problems

I was also struck that an internet search reveals a number of athletic teams named “Brawlers.” I assume that their post-game libation is beer.

The Boston Brawlers – a football team based in Harvard Stadium – a charter member of the Fall Experimental Football League (FXFL) – a professional football minor league that played just two seasons in 2014 and 2015.

The Bricktown Brawlers – a professional indoor football team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They were a member of the Lonestar Division of the Intense Conference in the Indoor Football League (IFL).

And one I don’t really understand:

The Philadelphia Brawlers a team that plays in Division III of Blitz: The League II – an American football video game. (#7)

In contrast, I didn’t find any athletic team named “Mockers” – only two bands – one a pop band from New Zealand that performed from 1979 to 1988 and Los Mockers – a 1960 rock band from Uruguay.

The latter, pictured below, do not look like they could hold their own in a brawl… (#8)

I won’t mention The Mocker – comic book character

Moving on to Another Legendary Country Singer

I have rather eclectic taste in the music I listen to – ranging from Big Band, Classical (especially with beautiful oboe solos, Christian instrumental, 1960’s rock-n-roll and last but not least, old-time country western.

This is not the contemporary western pop, but renowned vocalists like the four shown clockwise below:

George Jones, Alan Jackson, Hank Williams and Don Williams. (And no, I can’t sing a decent version of either Amanda or Tulsa Time.…) (#9- #12)

Well, one of these crooners recently passed away. The legendary Toby Keith died in February 2024 of stomach cancer. Although not an ardent fan of his songs, I was captivated by his songs, “Beer for My Horses” as well as the 2003 single “I Love This Bar” – it reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks.

Keith released nineteen studio albums, two Christmas albums, and five compilation albums, totaling worldwide sales of over forty-million albums.

He charted sixty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including twenty number-one hits and twenty-two additional Top-Ten hits. (Wikipedia) (#13)

Country Music Hall of Fame

I love this bar
It’s my kind of place
Just walkin’ through the front door
Puts a big smile on my face
It ain’t too far
Come as you are
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love this bar

The song captures perfectly the sentiments I felt when I decided to start my Beerchasing hobby in 2011, as stated in an article entitled:

“The Meaning Behind The Song: I Love This Bar,” in the blog Oldtimemusic.com (#14)

“Just walking through the front door puts a big smile on my face.”

“The song is about finding a sense of belonging and comfort in a local bar. Keith sings about all the different types of people that frequent the bar, from bikers to college kids, and how they all come together to have a good time.

The chorus of the song proclaims Keith’s love for the bar, stating that it has everything he needs, from cold beer to good company. The lyrics paint a picture of a place where everyone can let loose and forget about their troubles.

I became more interested after I started a data base on bar articles. It caught my attention that Toby Keith’s bars were having some problems other than what might be caused by unruly patrons.

I kept seeing headlines such as those below:

Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar abruptly closes Bring Me The News – June 25, 2015

Rascal Flatts restaurants failed nationwide. Did a Mafia soldier pull the strings? The Republic March 13, 2029

Former crime boss, owner of defunct Toby Keith restaurant in Foxboro pleads guilty to fraud Arizona Sun Chronicle – August 13, 2021

Toby Keith’s Restaurant Chain Was Once Involved in a Wire Fraud Scheme by an Ex-Crime Boss Distractify – MSN 2024 (#15 – #16)

Fans of the late singer will be happy to know that Keith was not the owner. Rather his song was the inspiration for the bar and his name licensed by Boomtown Entertainment. Toby Keith evidently did make surprise visits to franchises, where he performed and socialized with fans. (Wikiepedia)

The ownership by Boomtown was under the control of one Frank Capri. (see below).

The story is too complex to convey here, but you might check out the links above and it can be summarized by stating that after his death and a series of closures and scads of lawsuits, only two locations of “I Love this Bar” remain open – both in Oklahoma and neither of which is now owned by Boomtown Entertainment.

“Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill offered mall owners a special recipe. Equal parts eatery, roadhouse and concert hall, it promised steady foot traffic during the day and an after-hours bonanza of drinking and dancing. It proved to be a recipe for financial disaster.

Combined, four Arizona developers won $13.1 million in judgments against Capri and his companies. Greenville joined a list of 19 other cities from coast to coast where Boomtown said it would build Toby Keith restaurants that never opened.

Those cities included Anaheim, Colorado Springs, Jacksonville, Boise, New Orleans, Lansing, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Antonio and Portland, Oregon.” Greenville News – 11/1/2027 (#17)

Toby_Keith's_in_Las_Vegas

“Capri’s Phoenix companies built 20 Toby Keith restaurants beginning in 2009 and announced plans to build 20 more that never opened. By 2015, all but one had closed. Allegations of fraud and theft followed.

In lawsuits, developers claimed he stiffed contractors, broke lease agreements and took millions of dollars meant to pay for construction.” (Arizona Republic – 3/13/2019)

As has happened many times when celebrities collaborate with entrepreneurs (and mobsters…) the result is not positive.

The story essentially ends as reported March 2022 in City Beat – a Cincinnati publication:

“Frank Capri, a former mobster turned government witness turned developer who scammed The Banks with a Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill-branded restaurant, was sentenced last week to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax evasion.”

I guess as one of the verses in the song goes, a lot of investors and contractors came out on the short end:

We got winners
We got losers
Chain-smokers and boozers
We got yuppies
We got bikers
We got thirsty hitchhikers
And the girls next door dress up like movie stars
Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love this bar (#18)

“We got losers….

Cheers

Internal Photo Attribution

#1. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Aaron Burden 2016-05-02 (Unsplash 1EbsMYrAu-s).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Author: Aaron Burden aaronburden – 2 May 2016.

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Morgan Wallen Concert November 13 landscape.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Paul to my Linda – 13 November 2021

#3. Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083809501460).

#4. Music City.com (Chief’s on Broadway | Visit Nashville TN (visitmusiccity.com).

#5. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Bernard_Shaw_1936.jpg) This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired and its author is anonymous. Author: Anonymous – 1936.

#6. Image courtesy of Pam Williams

#7. Flickr’s Common (File:Brawl.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This image was taken from Flickr‘s The Commons. The uploading organization may have various reasons for determining that no known copyright restrictions exist. Author: British Library 7 December 2013.

#8. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Los Mockers by Olga Masa, 1965 – Los Mockers – Wikipedia) This image is in the public domain because the copyright of this photograph, registered in Argentina, has expired. Author: Olga Masa – 1965.

#9. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:George Jones.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Secisek at English Wikipedia. This applies worldwide. Author: Secisek at English Wikipedia – June 2002.

#10. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Alan jackson at pentagon.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This image is a work of a U.S. military or Department of Defense employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain in the United States.

#11. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Hank Williams publicity.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1929 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice. Author: MGM Records – 1952

#12. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (By DJParker39 at English Wikipedia. – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14549573) DJParker39 at English Wikipedia – 5 November 2006.

#13. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Toby Keith in concert.jpg – Wikimedia Commons). This file is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States. Author: Lenny Francioni – 31 August 2005.

#14. Wikimedia Commons (File:Saloon San Francisco 2014 (15278844981).jpg – Wikimedia Commons). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license). Author: Mobilus In Mobili – 14 May 2014.

#15. Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar – Bricktown Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/TobyKeithsBar).

#16. Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar – Bricktown Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/LowerBricktown/photos/t.100064824877178/10156417149528039/?type=3).

#17. Wikimedia Commons (File:Toby Keith’s in Las Vegas.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: David Shane – 11 July 2018.

#18. Wikimedia Commons – Public Domain (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michigan-exterior-toby.JPG) The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted. Author: ArizonaLincoln – 3 March 2010.

March Gladness

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos at the end of the post and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. External photo attribution at the end of the post.

Since I periodically swerve from this blog’s main focus – review of a particular bar or brewery – you might expect a few comments about both the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Four Basketball spectacle, but that’s not the case except for a minor observation or two below.

No, my title is because notwithstanding many regional, national and international concerns and challenges which are vexing and depressing, I’m going to end the month chiefly focusing on the positive.

A primary factor is that on March 29th, I celebrate our 44th anniversary with my wonderful spouse, Janet. From the time I first laid eyes on her at a 1979 meeting of the Oregon City Planning Commission. I chaired that body, she served as the City’s Neighborhood Involvement Coordinator, and ever since, I’ve been blessed by her companionship, patience and affection.

Busier than a Urologist in March

A slight alternation of the term for the annual March tournament was coined several years ago. “Vas Madness” refers to the demand for appointments for vasectomies right before the Final Four so the male patient can cite doctor’s orders that:

“During the (recovery period) patients are under strict medical orders to rest and avoid strenuous activity while periodically icing the groin area. With all that free time to lounge around, men are likely to want to have something planned.”

It’s explained very well in a USA Today article “Vasectomies and March Madness: How marketing led the ‘vas madness’ myth to become reality.” And it’s fascinating to do a Google search on “vas madness.” Numerous urological clinics cheerfully (and aggressively) advertise. Look at this one by the Central Indiana Urological Group:

“Ready for some exciting basketball? We’ve got your assist: Vas Madness”

And the Oregon Urology Institute, in my own state, helpfully offers:

“5 Reasons to Plan Your Vasectomy During March Madness”

The most gripping – “Score a free T-shirt” – with a slogan “Lower your seed…Snip City 2024” (#1 – #2)

Permanent birth control is a slam dunk…..

If you are a Bloody Mary fan, you might also want to stock up on ice as it becomes a “groin concern” and might be in limited supply.

And Just in Case

Those who might need it, but understandably are somewhat reluctant to have the procedure, could well take the admonition of this sign recently posted on the wonderful Facebook page of the group American Saloons, Bars & Taverns: (#3)

Reaffirming Optimism in Portland’s Old Town

In my last blog post entitled Optimism in Old Town, I enthusiastically set forth the positive steps that owner, Adam Milne has recently taken to demonstrate his commitment to a Portland recovery.

His “Believe in Portland” campaign has gained traction and there are more indications that Portland businesses and leaders are working to regain the City’s reputation as a wonderful place to both live and visit.

I was therefore glad (remember the theme of this post) to see a headline in yesterday’s local news: “$2 million to go to transforming Portland’s Old Town vacant buildings into fashion manufacturing facility.” KGW.com

“If approved by the governor, the money will go to the Old Town Community Association, part of a group that wants to bring manufacturing, housing, and office and retail space to the district on the northern edge of downtown.” Oregon Live (#4 – #6)

There are multiple issues for Portland to overcome, however, as an article just today, in the Oregonian reports:

“Portland’s central city had the highest office vacancy rate of the 50 largest downtown office markets in the country by the end of last year, according to a report by real estate firm Colliers.” (#7)

The Pacwest Center where I spent twenty-five years.

And the homeless quandary seems staggering although Portland voters and the various levels of government have approved substantial financial resources to address the problem.

Why Can’t We Just Get Along and Get Something Done??

The City of Portland, after a successful ballot measure, is restructuring its governing and management organization. It’s a massive transition that would be a challenge for any entity, but the efforts have not been smooth to date.

And notwithstanding the available funds, the homeless plight continues with improvements at what many consider to be a glacial pace.

We watch the City of Portland and the Multnomah County fighting over policy and jurisdiction with a multitude of non-profits gumming up the works and adding to the acrimony. (#8 – #9)

Voters have approved money and changes to restore Portland, but that sinking feeling of despair returns when reviewing the recent announcement of the Joint City of Portland – Multnomah Homeless Response Action Plan – chronicled as a major step forward.

An Astute Reaction

Jack Bogdanski, is a professor of tax law at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland. He graduated from Stanford Law School as a member of the distinguished Order of the Coif.

“He is a five-time winner of Lewis & Clark’s Leo Levenson Award for excellence in law teaching. He supervises the school’s tax moot court team, which has won national honors, and he founded and runs a volunteer clinic to assist international students with U.S. tax issues.” (#10)

Now taxation may sound rather boring, but the erstwhile academician is also an inveterate blogger and one of the most prolific and entertaining in the Northwest.

Check out the insightful excerpt from his post “It’s Hopeless,” below and you’ll understand why the announcement from the City/County group should be met with disdain.

“I see that the lame duck mayor of Portland and the queen of the Multnomah County commission held another one of their bizarre press conferences about the city’s street crisis yesterday. They’re very big on the media photo ops. They had an almost identical one in December.

At that point, they were bragging about a framework for a draft of a plan for some programs. Yesterday they had moved from the framework to the draft. So now we’ve made it all the way to the draft of the plan for some programs. It took only three months. You wonder how many junkies, and small businesses, died in that span of time.

And if you think the wait was bad, you probably don’t want to look at what we were waiting for. Forty-seven pages of bureaucratic word salad. The content is so bad, it’s almost a parody. Turn any page and you find stuff like: (#11)

“Word Salad” is too genteel to describe this BS….

‘The Homelessness Response Action Plan creates new governance and accountability structures to allow decision-makers to set goals, objectives and the budgets needed to achieve outcomes. It creates a co-governance model in the Steering and Oversight Committee to identify responsibilities, coordination and goals.

Under that committee, it calls for an Implementation Sub-Committee to track progress, identify challenges, collaborate and hold one another accountable to solutions.

And it assembles a robust Community Advisory Sub-Committee to elevate the issues of those across the spectrum of providers, partners and impacted stakeholders to offer their input on goals and solutions and other kinds of feedback…..”

Edwin Newman and Schu Would be Appalled.

The last two years of my seven-year tenure for Clackamas County, I was an Administrative Analyst for the three-member County Commission. My job was to write memos, press releases and various missives as well as financial analysis.

And the late Commissioner Robert Schumacher, as Chair of the Commission, was my primary boss. Schu, went out on a political limb to hire two young guys to help formulate budgets and perform a variety of organizational tasks for a county that was sorely lacking in best practices.

Mike Bateson and I promptly became known as “The Whiz Kids” – I like to think with a certain amount of bemused affection from our colleagues in County Counsel and various Departments.

Bob “Schu” Schumacher graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School and had a better grasp of the Oregon land-use system implemented in 1973 with passage of Senate Bill 100, than almost any elected official in Oregon. Having served several terms as Clackamas County Clerk, he was also an expert at Oregon Election Law.

Besides that, Schu had a remarkable and acerbic sense of humor that helped mitigate the stress of local government work. He was a superb and gifted elected official.

Although he was my boss, we became good friends and he served as an usher in our 1980 wedding. After several terms on the Commission, he left to work on the Oregon Governor’s staff. He passed away far too young.

Now before you think I’m straying too far afield, the preceding narrative is appropriate because consistent with the theme of this post, I will be forever glad that I spent two years working for this consummate elected official.

Schu was also a student of the language and we used to have shots of bourbon in his office after hours and laugh at the brilliant books of Edwin Newman, American newscaster, journalist, and author. He wrote both Strictly Speaking: Will America be the Death of English? and a Civil Tongue. (#12)

Journalist, author and newscaster

I still remember during budget hearings averting my gaze from Schu to avoid laughing when a Department Head would use a redundancy such as “free gratis” or state in a subdued tone, “Just between you and I,” use the term “hopefully” or end a sentence with a preposition.

And Newman would go nuts if he saw the quote from the Homeless Action Plan release above. As he once asked rhetorically:

“Is the design and implementation of pragmatic interfaces’ something we want to happen? I’m not sure.” Washington Post

(I should note that I’m leaving myself as a target, because I’m sure I’ve committed some linguistic or grammatical gaffes in this post. My friend, lawyer and legal consultant, R.W.(Hap) Ziegler, who scrutinizes (nitpicks?) each one for errors and will e-mail me within ten minutes after it is published. Since I don’t want to be a hypocrite, I also welcome his inspection.)

And Finally – Don’t Forget Dr. Harry Frankfurt

I have written several posts including “BS Revisited – If Only I had Known in 2012!” about the brilliant book On Bullshit by the late Harry Frankfurt, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Princeton University. (#13)

The good professor would use the “BS” label to describe both the written and the spoken word and this excerpt seems fitting to describe the author of the above press release:

“When we characterize talk as hot air, we mean that what comes out of the speaker’s mouth is only that. It is mere vapor. His speech is empty, without substance or content. His use of language accordingly does not contribute to the purpose it purports to serve.

No more information is communicated than if the speaker had merely exhaled. There are similarities between hot air and excrement, incidentally, which make hot air seem an especially suitable equivalent for bullshit.

Just as hot air is speech that has been emptied of all informative content, so excrement is matter from which everything nutritive has been removed.”

Enough said!

Farewell Malachy McCourt

I wrote about Malachy’s Bar in New York City in my February post “Don’t Jump When You Can Dive – Part III”. I had also recently featured former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, Jay Waldron who after he saw the post commented:

“Was Malachy’s named after Malachy McCourt? He was a full-of-shit Irishman who played rugby and drank with me in NYC in the late 60’s and I also had a pint with his more famous author/brother Frank in McSorleys , my then favorite NYC bar. Jay”

The answer to Jay’s question was affirmative. McCourt was, indeed, a rugby player who owned Malachy’s Irish Pub on West 72nd Street. (#14 – #15)

Well, thirty-one days after I wrote about McCourt and Malachy’s Irish Pub, Jay sent me this link to the Washington Post obituaries:

“Malachy McCourt, raconteur of the Irish experience in America, dies at 92”

Cheers! (#16)

Pam 13

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (File:Kansas Jayhawks Open Practice at the 2016 March Madness Opening Rounds (25817826036).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Phil Roeder from Des Moines, IA – 16 March 2016.

#2. Wikimedia Commons (File:Rtu.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: Ramonduran – 28 June 2001.

#3. Facebook Page of Amercian Saloon, Bars and Taverns (https://www.facebook.com/groups/AmericanSaloons).

$4 #5. Old Town Brewing Web Site (https://www.otbrewing.com/shop)

#6. Wikimedia Commons (File:Portland, Oregon sign + Old Town tower, 2012.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Another_Believer – 8 January 2012.

#7. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons – PacWest Center (icensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: Cacophony 18 June 2006.

#8. Wikimedia Commons (File:Ted Speech.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Hcraddock – 5 December 2015.

#9. Wikimedia Commons (File:Jessica Vega Pederson.png – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: MetroEast Community Media – 30 October 2017.

#10. Lewis and Clark Law School Website (https://law.lclark.edu/live/profiles/295-john-bogdanski).

#11. City of Portland Website (Portland, Multnomah County announce Homelessness Response Action Plan | Portland.gov).

#12. Wikimedia Commons (File:Edwin Newman in 1975.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1929 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice. Author: NBC -12 December 1975.

#13. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harry_Frankfurt_at_2017_ACLS_Annual_Meeting.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) 20 October 2018.

#14. Wikimedia Commons (Malachy_McCourt_3_by_David_Shankbone.jpg (2265×1913) (wikimedia.org) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: David Shankbone – 30 March 2007.

#15. Malachy Irish Pub Website Photo Gallery (https://www.malachysirishpub.com/gallery).

#16. Illustration courtesy of Pam Williams.

Did We Really Do That — Take a Hike?

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and the video at the end of the post and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution # at the end of the post.)

Note: One of the primary topics of this blog is reviews of bars and breweries. Although I’ve frequently wondered from that during the pandemic and in the last few months with a residential move, I’ve got a number of great bars to catch up on at the first of the year – The Wildwood Saloon, Von Ebert Brewery, Old Town Pizza and Grand Fir Brewery. Stay tuned.

Sixty-three years ago on January 2nd. That’s when my dad – FDW as we affectionately called him – and I started an unexpected nine-hour wilderness trek at 5:10 in the afternoon in the snowy Mt. Hood National Forest.

The newspaper account by one Vera Luby Criteser in the Oregon City Enterprise Courier is shown below, but first a little background. (The paper stopped publishing in 1990.)

In previous posts, I’ve mentioned that both of my parents – FDW and Frannie our mom, were saints. They demonstrated love for their kids, patience and faith continually, as well as having the courage to take bold steps while we were growing up to improve our lives. – including a move across the country without FDW having a job in Oregon, our new home.

This couple, who met in 1942 while both were working for American Airlines in New York City, married the next year. They were role models for parenting (and living) for my siblings and me.

I’m named after my Dad’s best friend and SAE fraternity brother at George Washington University (Don Wilburn) – a US Army aviator, who was killed while piloting a military flight.

In, several blog posts I’ve chronicled FDW’s traits – focusing on his willingness to take risks and his affinity for the “Spirit of High Adventure” – especially after we moved to Oregon from Ohio in 1960. https://thebeerchaser.com/2021/10/21/fdw-beerchaser-of-the-quarter-part-i/

I’ve retyped the newspaper article dated 1/17/61 – about two weeks after we safely returned from the trip. The group below participated in the adventure (except for our dog, Candy and our cat, Buffy). We were fortunate, given the circumstances and the weather, and learned a few lessons that stood us in good stead for many future wilderness adventures.

Family Christmas about eight years after the trip up the Clackamas

It should be noted that along with the six of us on that trip was a new friend I had met in my seventh grade class. Ellwood Cushman joined us (I’m sure to his parents’ dismay when he failed to return home until the next morning).

Ellwood went on to become 1966 valedictorian at Oregon City High School, graduate from University of Oregon and have an outstanding career in law enforcement, becoming a police lieutenant for the City of Eugene before retiring. (#1 – #2)

From the Oregon City Enterprise Courier January 17, 1961

“What Would You Have Done?”

“The Duane Williams family, newcomers to Oregon City, had an experience the day after New Year’s they would not care to repeat but which has not affected their enthusiasm for a future trips to the mountains. If they had panicked, something tragic could have happened.

As you remember, the day was still and clear and a holiday, a wonderful opportunity to drive up to the snow country and frolic. Williams decided to take the Clackamas River Road above the city of Estacada and the Estacada Ranger Station and come to snow in the upper reaches.

He told his wife, Fran, to put in a change of clothes for the children so they wouldn’t have to ride back with wet feet and legs. (#3- #5)

The children are daughter, Lynne, 14; Donald, 12; Garry, 10, Ricky, 8 and a friend, Ellwood Cushman, Don’s new friend, who went along.

Williams, himself, since he was caught in a big blizzard and deep snow in New York City in 1948, always kept snow-boots, extra mittens and a sterno-stove in their car although he had never needed them since that time until this day.

They drove out before noon, planning to be home by 6 PM – 7 at the latest. The trip up the river was not new them because they had hiked into Bagby Hot Springs with the Harry Gehrings and Ed Millers. They were thrilled with the big trees, primitive nature and the mountain air with room to stretch their legs.

The road was good Monday, January 2 and the VW bus performed excellently.

They passed the Colowash River Road Junction and Austin Hot Springs and sped on through the light snowfall to find a deep covering where the children could play. (#6)

Olympic_National_Forest_-_November_2017_-_4

They decided to stay just until 4 PM and start home. Seventeen miles above Austin Hot Springs they stopped – a big tree lay across the road. (#7)

Fallen_tree_blocking_forest_road_on_Main_Rig_near_Mollin_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4058392

No snow in this photo, but you get the idea!

Someone ahead of them had also been stopped and turned and the track was plain so Williams swung the car around in tracks but somehow swung too wide and hit a soft shoulder. The car slipped and with each try to pull it out, it slipped farther. No amount of pushing and throwing rocks and limbs did any good.

They worked over an hour and finally gave up. The car was lodged at a 45 degree angle and seemingly safe from further slippage. By this time it was 5:10 and the map in the car showed the nearest assistance would be at Ripplebrook Ranger Station as they learned later, well over 20 miles away.

Williams and Donald left the others in the car, unheated because at the angle it was sitting, no gas could reach the carburetor to start the engine. He took one of the flashlights and began their hike for help. (#8)

Sterno Stove – Not much heat, but psychologically helpful…

The moon came up – full and brought out their diamond-studded path, almost as bright as day. The miles stretched longer and longer as they tramped back. Donald had hiked as a Scout and needed another 10-mile hike to earn his merit badge. He earned it well that night.

At first, when they became tired, they sat to rest, but when Williams began to get stiff, they leaned against trees for a few breaths.

Finally about 2:15 AM, they came to Colowash Junction and saw a piece of road equipment sitting by the way. Williams decided to risk using government equipment to save their lives. Hunting around the cab, they found the key although nothing was marked, so it took some time see where it fitted and some experimenting to which levers worked.

At last it roared like a plane and began to move. He maneuvered it around and headed back down the road.

Revisiting our “ride” for the last eight miles the next Spring

Eight miles farther on they saw the welcome Ripplebrook Station, which was closed, but they saw a light burning in the Ranger’s house about a half-mile above. So they took to their feet again.

A few pounds on the door brought out the Ranger and his wife followed. Donald was soon bedded down on a couch and Williams headed back with thermos bottles of coffee and cocoa and the rangers were speeding back to the car.

A welcome sight after hiking 21 miles and 8 miles in a Caterpillar

Frances in the meantime had her hands full with four cold, hungry children. If the hours went slowly on the long hike, time crawled in the stalled car.

They sang, played guessing games, the younger ones huddled together and napped – hard to do at such an angle. When they became too cold, she lighted the sterno-stove for the psychological effect of something burning.

Williams gives his wife most of the credit for the safety of the group. Two years ago, they drove to Oregon from Cincinnati, Ohio to look over the West with the idea of locating here and camped along the way.

The experience came in handy last summer when Frances, a New York City girl and the children moved to Oregon alone with a trailer on the back of their car – camping along the way.

Frannie – our wonderful Mom was the real hero

Duane had come to Oregon first and couldn’t return with them for the drive West. The family had experience with hazards the year before when they were caught in the great Yellowstone Park Earthquake of 1959.

Williams has one piece of advice to people who go up to the mountain – get maps from the rangers to show the country in detail – they can be vital.” (#9)

This gives an overview, but one needs Forest Service detailed maps.

A Few Observations After Years of Additional Perspective

As mentioned in the article, the real hero during this escapade was Frannie. This New York City gal – new to the West – wondering whether there were bears and wildlife outside the car when they had to go to the bathroom (There were!) and how long, and if, the two rescue hikers would make it back as well as keeping up the sprits of four young kids in a cold vehicle for almost eleven hours, showed incredible courage.

At first, I was thrilled with the excitement and being the oldest son – the one to hike out for help – but after six hours, the novelty wore off. We had walked about six hours and at an 11 PM rest with Dad starting to stiffen up (he was not in great shape for a 21-mile trek) he said to me:

“Don, if I can’t finish this hike to Ripplebrook, you are going to have to do it and I know that you can.”

Right after we resumed walking on that clear night, one of the brightest meteors I’ve ever seen, flew overhead. I don’t remember if I thought that this was a divine sign, but it re-energized me physically and mentally. (#10)

The Time in the Car

My brother, Garry, passed away in 1989, but in the last three days, I’ve talked to Lynne, Rick and Ellwood about their memories of the eleven hours in the car before rescue.

Ellwood said that he was not scared and alluded to Frannie’s confident spirit that all would be okay. He remembered it being cold and them ripping up the rather flimsy seat covers to provide warmth as a covering. (Since we remained friends, his parents evidently didn’t forbid him to see the kid who got him into the mess.)

Rick (age 8) reiterated not being scared:

“Because Mom said everything would be fine. She lit the Sterno-stove and said it would warm us up and even though now I know that it couldn’t, it seemed like it did.”

Lynne, at 12, as the oldest child left in the car, said that although she was not frightened, she became very concerned especially after the hours continued to drag and no one had come.

“I don’t know how Frannie did it. We sang songs including ’99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall’ many times, played guessing games and when we had to go out, she was right there with us, reassuring us.

When I saw the bright light from the Ranger’s truck through the thick ice that had formed on the back window of the VW, I thought it was the angels coming to get us because it was too late!”

Now whether Lynne assisting in managing the other kids that night, helped her when she became a very successful teacher and school principal or Garry to develop the patience and discipline he needed to graduate from West Point, we don’t know.

But I’m sure it helped them in some ways just like being confined in that cold-tight space helped Rick when he commanded a 20,000-foot record deep submergence vehicle dive in 1985 and surfaced up through the ice at the North Pole when he was the skipper of the nuclear submarine USS Spadefish (SSN 668). (https://thebeerchaser.com/2023/07/06/dirt-and-dust/)

The Army vs. Navy Rivalry during college years

The Advantage of Lessons Learned

FDW was a very smart guy and realized the trip could have ended tragically and he learned from those mistakes. From that day forward, he had survival supplies from clothes and energy snacks to flares to two sleeping bags and a GI shovel in the ample storage compartment of the FDW-VW.

He had an extensive sales territory in Eastern Oregon and it came in handy when I went with him in the summer after my senior year in high school and traveled over a Forest Service road in the Mount Emily Wilderness in Union County.

He had a sales call in John Day and we decided to take a roundabout way to get to Pendleton – part of which would be a gravel unimproved road that would take us by the summit of Mount Emily. We had a good Forest Service Map but late in the afternoon came to an unmarked junction and decided to take what looked like the more improved road.

After about a half-mile, we went down a steep grade and saw bulldozers and road construction equipment, but there was no room to turn around and the grade was too steep for the approximately 70 horsepower bus to back up.

So we put the seats down, had a snack, broke out two sleeping bags and slept soundly that night. I still remember being “rudely awakened” about 6:15 the next morning by a loud knocking on my window. I rolled over, looked up and saw a guy with a hardhat smoking a cigar who shouted, “How in the hell, did you guys get down here?” (#11 – #12)

He pulled us up the grade backward with his bulldozer and we were on our merry way to a good breakfast in Pendleton commenting about how nice it was nice not to have to walk out this time. It would have been a lot longer than 21 miles!

Well, the Clackamas River Trip was a definite bonding experience which we talked about at family gatherings for years to come.

family2

The original article in the Enterprise Courier

Cheers and Happy New Year

External Photo Attribution

#1. Pioneer Log – Junior High Yearbook – Thora B. Gardiner Jr. High.

#2. The Hesperian – 1966 Oregon City High School Yearbook.

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clackamas_Wild_and_Scenic_River_(27727585360).jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Bureau of Land Management Oregon and Washington – 14 October 2005. This image is a work of a Bureau of Land Management* employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain in the United States.

#4. Estacada News (https://www.estacadanews.com/news/clackamas-river-ranger-district-office-will-move-from-estacada/article_ce8cf036-75a9-5485-a32c-3d958f9a0cd3.html

#5. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clackamas_Wild_and_Scenic_River_(27905348422).jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. This image is a work of a Bureau of Land Management* employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain in the United States.

#6. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Olympic National Forest – November 2017 – 4.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This image is a work of the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. Author: https://twitter.com/olympicforest/status/928396680512225281 – 8 November 2017

#7. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fallen_tree_blocking_forest_road_on_Main_Rig_near_Mollin_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4058392.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: https://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/27184 5 July 2014.

#8. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Kochstelle mit Gamelle.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide.
I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. Author: TheBernFiles – 27 October 2005.

#9. (https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/stelprdb5192432.jpg)

#10. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leonid_Meteor.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: Navicore 17 November, 2009.

#11. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mt_emily_wilderness_4_reesman_odfw_(14997983254).jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. Author: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife – 27 September 2011.

#12. Image courtesy of Pam Williams.

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