Their route included a side-trip to New Orleans, which makes little sense to me when studying the map, but retirees have a different sense of time and distance.  They enjoyed meeting the habitués of Bourbon Street, they said, and the drive included an unplanned stay in Jackson, MS, after the air conditioner compressor on the Supreme’s beloved Coupe de Ville gave up the ghost after multiple 90-degree days.  A half-day later, lighter in wallet but heavier in fried chicken, they resumed their March to the Sea, crowned with a visit with the New Grandson, perhaps the most photographed child south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

 

And while I may remain earth-bound for the time being, that is definitely not the case for other denizens of the Great White North, where, this year, sun-bathers lolled on the ice floes on the rim of the Inland Sea well into June.

 

My old friend Bill had developed a severe case of Yooper-Mania after a brutal year of manning the county snowplows through another episode of “Worst Winter Ever,” which is apparently going to be a series.  He and his wife, Linda, decided it was time to pay a visit to the kids’, just to see what is was like to go outdoors without wearing a parka.

 

Number Two son lives in the Twin Cities, so that one is no problem, but they were determined to go just a bit farther afield this time.  And so, it was into the car and down to the airport in Minneapolis to begin the first leg of their journey, which took them to Los Angeles, and across the Pacific Ocean and finally, many hours later, to Guam, where Number 3 son operates armed patrol boats at the behest of the U.S. Navy, in which he is enlisted.

 

I know for a fact that Bill is as comfortable in any aircraft as I and most Yoopers are which is: “Not Very.”  Though we embrace the advice of a Chinese friend of mine (If the aircraft wheel is not taller than you, don’t get on it.), taking any airplane from L.A. to Tokyo is just too much time in the air, over too much water, thank you very much. 

 

Our friends arrived on Guam shortly after the “Swimming Truck” episode, in which #3 had dismounted from his prized Ford F-150 to push his personal fishing boat off of his trailer and into the water, not recognizing the danger the algae-encrusted ramp posed.  As he stood helplessly by, truck, trailer and boat slid into the warm waters of the Pacific, “up to the dashboard,” he reported, after which the boat simply floated away.  The insurance company dealt with the truck, (total loss), and the boat was recovered by another fisherman, and subsequently sold by the still-peeved owner.

 

After a delightful visit with son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, it was into the air again, this time bound for Hawaii, where Son Number 1 is an officer in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Hickam Field.  Having a Major as your tour guide is a big plus in such a heavily-militarized environment, Bill reported, though it was little help in getting ticketed to the U.S.S. Arizona memorial, where lines of eager tourists stretch out of sight when the facility opens at 7 a.m.  By arriving at 6 a.m., however, the crafty Yoopers managed to get an early visit to the site, a powerfully emotional experience at any time.  Oil still leaks from the ship, he said, and the ship remains the final resting place for many sailors killed in the 1941 Japanese attack.

 

His military connection also gave him access to the U.S.S. Utah Memorial located nearby, which is not open to members of the general public.  The area abounds in museums dedicated to the December 7 attack, with aircraft and ships on display in many areas, including the “Mighty Mo.”

The U.S.S. Missouri is the U.S. Navy battleship on which the Japanese signed the WW II surrender terms before representatives of the Allied armed forces led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur.  It is preserved in excellent condition, and could go to war if called on with minimal mechanical refurbishment.  A second tour embedded in the program is called “The Heart of the Mighty Mo,” and includes the chance to get well below decks and see the inside of the great ship.

 

Being a heavy-equipment guy at heart, the massive 15-inch guns and incredible power plant of the ship were a definite highlight of the visit, though a family visit to a luau was also frequently mentioned (see photo), where lithe wahinis presented leis of fresh flowers to each arriving guest, before the poi and roasted pork made an appearance and the hula dancers did their number.

 

The trip from Hawaii to L.A. to Minneapolis was old hat by then, though, in true Yooper fashion, the couple immediately got into the car and drove the five and one-half hours back to the GWN.  

 

Doubtless, they craved the cooling breezes issuing from Lake Superior after the heat and humidity of their island adventure.

Welcome home.