Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html
On Saturday, March 9, 1985 we left from the Santa Cruz, California area where we'd stayed for three nights at the home of mushroom friends Don and Donna Richardson.
See post below.
Me standing in front of the then Sheraton Harbor Island East Hotel.
Now it is called Sheraton San Diego Hotel And Marina...
We stayed in room 408 and checked in for our 5-night stay for the 5th North American Mushroom Conference where Pieter would be a speaker on the 12th.
View from our room...
We did walk around and then enjoyed a Mexican dinner.
Wearing my hand knitted, hand embroidered cardigan—see link below post.
On Sunday, March 10 we had breakfast at 8:00 and by 10:00 we met with Pieter's Dutch friend Chris van Zon and walked together.
In the distance you see San Diego
A card from the San Diego skyline
Chris captured both of us next to this boat for sale...
Pieter leaning against a tree...
Chris van Zon and me before we decided to drive to Tijuana around noon till 18:00
See below post about that trip—our first to México...
Both, Pieter and I had a lot to deal with those old fashioned calling cards for making a phone call...
Do you recall any of those?
This MULTIFON was one that we used in México for calling and also for getting on the Internet with our laptop!
A confidential number needed to get 'scratched off', see below on the right of that red arrow.
Any way you used it—phone calls or on the Internet—you had to be FAST as it also did click away FAST... 📞 💻
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We also have used for years a special AT&T calling card for which you had to use different numbers in different countries—before dialing the number you wanted to reach. That way it got billed to our personal AT&T account here in the USA.
Mom often used to say—our phone bill was not any higher than usual when using their phone...
Of course not—we paid for it!
And then in 2003 came this...
Calling the 1010 987 prior to the number you had to call!
ONLY for 3 US Dollar cents a minute all day, every day!
For the U.S., to Canada and to Western Europe!!!
That was quite a break through.
This was still way before we had our first Blackberry at the time Pieter had his open heart surgery done.
We've also made phone calls using our AmericanExpress card—very expensive rate but in case of an emergency we have done so.
Calling our sweet Sister–In–Love in The Netherlands from Mexico on our American Express card for a rip off of US $ 49.00—while on vacation in Acapulco, México.
We just had to call her—as she was going home from the hospital to be comfortable in her own surroundings during her final weeks with pancreatic cancer...
Over the years we have used our phone a lot and paid our share for communication with Parents and loved ones.
HOW things have changed since!
Now we can do video calls for free from one smart phone to another.
Guess there are at present no hotels that don't offer Free WiFi...
WISH we'd had that when we were first immigrants—for being able to talk with Mom more than our limited calls on Birthdays and special holidays.
It was the weekly letter writing that we kept up.
And oh, how I always saved those Dutch guilders for pushing into the slot for making phone calls at Schiphol airport... calling Mom especially and Pieter his brothers and some more.
On our lay–over on the way to India or Indonesia...
Long before the Internet or GPS, on July 16 of 1988 we both went to Cherokee, North Carolina and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Just to show my Pieter the breathtaking views I'd seen when taking Mom & Dad up there in 1987.
Campbell Soup forced us to move within a couple of months—so we took our CHANCE.
Picture taken from Pieter on July 16, 1988 near Gatlinburg, along highway 441...
BUT back then there was no location indicated on our photos or slides.
AND there were hardly any signs at the locations...
But, I did find this old postcard on the Internet with the mention of Chimney Tops Overlook near Gatlinburg, Tennessee!
Complete with the huge rocks we were standing on...
We at that time did NOT know about Chimney Tops and it was rather hazy when we visited as you see from our photos.
But now we knew where we were heading towards and on Sunday morning, October 30 around 9:15 AM we started our journey up north—hoping for nice autumn colors as well.
A Rest Stop at Sanders Knob, North Carolina.
It looked rather cloudy but in the end it would turn out to be a perfect day.
We even started out with drizzle rain in the morning...
Once we'd crossed the state line from Georgia, going into North Carolina it was so beautiful.
I'd passed this old Water Mill and I turend quickly to come back for making a photo.
This was in Cherokee, North Carolina alongside the Oconaluftee River.
We spotted a restaurant, across from this water mill, so we drove there and after parking the car we walked a bit.
Lots of gift shops but no other restaurants on that side.
Now we view from the other side across the Oconaluftee River.
We had a good lunch and not even salty—at El Cajelito Mexican Restaurant on 1681 Acquoni Rd, Cherokee, NC 28719.
A much needed break for me as well!
We continued and saw the sign Elk viewing...
WOW what a very special BONUS was that!
The elk is the largest mammal in the Great Smoky Mountains!
They had become nearly extinct and got reintroduced.
Male elk or 'bulls' weigh around 600–700 pounds and the female or 'cows' weigh average 500 pounds.
Those trees had shed already lots of leaves during a week of rain, before we went there.
Yes, not far from the Oconaluftee River on Highway 441.
Then all of a sudden I was driving IN THE CLOUDS...
Made me feel sad as for having come that far in vain—with no view.
BUT that was only at the highest points!
Towards Gatlinburg Tennessee on the Newfound Gap Rd, I told Pieter, wow, this road almost makes me dizzy.
Pieter replied that we'd made a full circle!
You can see that here above!
Chimney Tops Trail starts to the left...
This is LOOP–OVER base of Chimney Tops as seen on this old postcard.
You see that there is a small tunnel going underneath the LOOP-OVER!
Image got taken from the jagged peaks of the Chimney Tops—giving you this bird's–eye view of the Loop–Over on the spectacular Tennessee side of the Newfound Gap Highway — which crosses the center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Around 16:00 o'cock I'd parked the car and we arrived with the most glorious light at Chimney Tops Overlook!
Pieter standing here in front of a tree with glorious autumn leaves... 🍂🍁
Turning to the other side—Chimney Tops is visible to the left!
Now you can find this huge information board—none was there in 1988...
Chimney Tops
Can you imagine smoke wafting from the chimney–like formations on this ridge? Nearly vertical holes in the tops of these jutting rocks make them look like natural chimney flues, and mountain people named them so—Chimney Tops. The Cherokees called the mountain Duniskwalguni, meaning 'forked antlers.'
The half–billion–year–old Chimney Tops, made of slates, schists, and phyllites, sit atop even older rock (Anakeesta Formtion) is softer than the sandstone, allowing rain, hail, and ice—over hundreds of millions of years—to fashion its chimney–shaped likeness.
Giving you an oversight of this beautiful Overlook...
It was rather crowded on Sunday—guess due to the weather.
But at a higher altitude the trees are already bare...!
Again an old picture postcard showing the rock formation on the other side of the road...
Those big rocks on the right were no longer there!
So I captured that side of the road as well.
SO happy for having reached our goal for the day and with perfect autumn leaves still visible and sunshine! 🌞
Pieter captured me standing behind the car.
Couldn't get enough of the light + autumn leaves...
We still had to drive a short distance to our Hyatt Place in Downtown Knoxville, TN
Enjoy short Relive Video below:
That was still a long drive of 493.8 km or 306.8 mi and a total of 6.5 hours solo behind the wheel...
But now I could REST for one day!
Related links:
SO Proud of my NONAGENARIAN | previous post by me when we climbed Clingmans Dome—the highest point on April 03, 2019
We went to the next place that we wanted to explore in Montréal.
Driving our rental car towards Mount Royal and parked on one of its parking areas then walking up.
Jacques Cartier was there way before us, on October 2, 1535...
The park is 200 hectare.
The view of the Chalet we show on the video and also the Belvédère Kondiaronk lookout over the entire city.
It was incredible, even though the weather was heavy overcast that day but luckily no rain; our Burberry umbrella kept it at bay!
It was 15:30 o'clock when we reached the lookout area.
Beautiful gardens too; with Pieter's favorite Verbena hybrida Lanai 'Upright Red with Eye'.
Guess the climate there is just perfect.
Jacques Cartier came here only 43 years after Columbus...
Both had NO GPS; neither cell phones!
We also visit the World's Largest Shrine; Canada's Largest Church (Saint Joseph's Oratory) ←click for informative video and at 1:30 min. you see how this little 9–year old André Bessette lost his Dad when a huge tree fell upon him. After staying with his mother for two years, she also died...
This shrine is so overwhelming and no wonder it attracts over 2,000,000 visitors annually!
At the gift shop of Saint Joseph's Oratory we bought this little wall hanging.
It was a very lovely and interesting day spend in Montréal!
One final night at the Novotel and we would leave...
Oui Montréal c'est toi ma ville! or in English: Yes, Montréal you are my city!
The exhibition that was going on was about 50 years of human rights.
Look at the exceptional Fleur de Lys ornaments in the garden design on our video!!!
Also a huge planter filled with herbs, me smelling them...
Incredible garden!
This French culture, including the language, made us feel so much home!
~
Then in the very end in the video, I walk towards a linden tree for seeing its seeds...
Thoughts of Dad came flashing back!
Fond memories of me, in the front seat of his bike, as a toddler as Dad took me to a pilgrimage place in Ommel, North Brabant/The Netherlands. There was a huge linden tree.
I let my tiny hands run through them and Dad did pick some for bringing home from that shrine...
