Pieter's Solo Trip to Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia in Colombia...

On Sunday, September 26 in 1993, we both got up early at 6:00 AM as I had to drop Pieter off at the Atlanta airport for his flight to Medellin, Colombia.

Sunday night spent at Hotel Inter Continental in Medellin, Colombia
Now it is spelled: INTERCONTINENTAL just click it.
On Monday morning the 27th, Pieter arrived at Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia which was about 2 hours north of Medellin.

The road through the Andes Mountains took Pieter to Yarumal where the SETAS mushroom farm was being built.
The reason Pieter got asked to go there, was for assessing the situation for a USA importer of mushrooms, Fred Giorgio for Giorgio Foods.

The mushroom farm was being designed by Gerard Derks and built by an Italian company.
Here it is coming into sight...

Coming closer for getting a better overview...

And still closer...

There it is...

Pieter had to evaluate its layout and technical functionality and write a report later.

Pieter stayed at the hotel near this Cathedral.

Catedral - Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquirá Santa Rosa de Osos, Antioquia, Colombia. click for info
The hotel Pieter slept for one night (luckily!) was a kind of a prison room. A hatch with bars in the door and no windows. That's what they called a hotel?!
The shower was with a kind of submersible element, which hung from a wire under the water that came out of a curved pipe.
Because the water ran over the element, it got a little warm. Of course, you had to watch out for not touching that wire, it could have shocked you...

Quite an experience, the mushroom farm was also heavily guarded... Pieter got to see lots of guns!
Like entering a military camp.
The layout did show several shortcomings, technical errors but in the end, they got it sorted out and at present they seem to have a good operational business.
You can view a short video here: Setas Colombianas SA click it for seeing the actual finished mushroom farm.

On Tuesday night Pieter was back at the Inter Continental Hotel in Medellin and on Wednesday, I picked him up at the Atlanta Airport.

Happy to be home, that was quite an adventure and one for not repeating...

Pieter Giving Seminars at Various Campbell Farms

Such visits across the Atlantic were always very hectic for my Pieter!

They used his time for having him do several Seminars at their Mushroom farms in the area.

That is typical for the USA, using huge billboards and welcoming the staff members from Camsco Mushroom Co (then Campbell Soup's Mushroom Division).

Pieter standing next to it makes him dwarf...

Michigan

Indeed the Great Lake State.

Whenever you were on such a job, you had to cover a huge distance, either by flight and/or lots by driving!

Delaware, The First State...

Being at the Napoleon Ohio Research Laboratory, Pieter also visited the Rotary Club's meeting!
They even had him published in the local newspaper.

Here Pieter is seen checking out the former Blue Mountain mushrooms farm in Pennsylvania...
Carrying the famous flash light for having pure white light inside the often dark mushroom growing rooms.
Analyzing problems...
This was a typical American Double, rather high rooms with two layers for standing/walking/harvesting.

Related post:
My Pieter is SO LUCKY for having viewed Mt. St. Helen Before its BIG Eruption | previous post about the very same trip

My Pieter is SO LUCKY for having viewed Mt. St. Helen Before its BIG Eruption

Pieter always told me the story about how Campbell Soup invited him to fly to the USA and for evaluating a mushroom farm in Washington...

So, Pieter agreed, to flying across the Atlantic on Good Friday, April 4, 1980.

Little did he know that Washington was the STATE Washington, all the way to the West!

So upon arriving in Philadelphia, he next flew there early April in the Campbell Company Jet...

Due to some eruption on March 27, 1980 the pilot had to fly around it, avoiding being over it and sucking up some of the volcanic particles still in the air.

Here is the once majestic Mount Saint Helen with its peak still at 9,677 feet or 2,449 meter.

In the back to the left you can see Mount Rainier with its 14,410 feet or 4,392 m, the highest in the Cascade Mountain Range.

Both are a Stratovolcano, just as we know them from Indonesia.

On May 18, 1980 it caused one of the greatest volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America...

Some 57 people lost their lives.

Campbell Soup always has had a company jet for being able to reach its approx. 90 plants across the entire USA.
Here Pieter stands with Campbell colleague Ben Penturelli in Minneapolis/St. Paul where they made a stop.

Aron Kinrus also flew with Pieter...

Yep, from Philadelphia all the way to Seattle, in the State Washington.

It was quite fascinating for seeing all those circles where huge crop irrigation sprinklers turn around.

Entering the Cascade Mountain Range...

Fascinating to always see the snow covered peaks.

More and more rugged upon nearing Seattle...

Quite a thrill on such a private jet!
The pilots circled around Mount Saint Helen due to its activity since March 27, see first photo for its view.

Overview of a residential area of San Francisco, California

A view of the Monterrey Royal Oaks Mushroom Farm in California...
Pacific Ocean seen at top left.

This is a Google Maps view of the same Mushroom Farm. Royal Oaks how it looks many years later!

That mushroom farm is not far from the Pacific coast

Upon descending into Philadelphia again, the Delaware River with its Ben Franklin Bridge connecting Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Campbell Soup Headquarters are very near the bridge, in Camden, NJ.

 Hope you enjoyed this historic flight experience!
Thanks for your visit.


A good video of 6 minutes lets you see the initial peak and eruption: Mt. St. Helens Eruption May 18, 1980 just click it.
Mount St. Helens Eruption of 1980 with Photos & Video: click link