Vermont Route 65

Those who know me know I like highways.  Their architecture, design, and scenery fascinates me.  Whenever the current project is finished, one involving highway history is likely what I'll work on next.  Recently, I travelled to Vermont for the second time this summer for what ended up being a very fortunate research-related conversation.  I camped at Allis State Park in the town of Brookfield, south of Montpelier.  Allis State Park is located along Route 65, which has to be one of the most unique highways I've ever travelled.  For most of its 5.2 mile/8.4 kilometre distance, it is gravel.  There are numerous curves, steep hills, hidden drives, and quirky alignments.  Allis State Park itself is unique, situated atop a small mountain called Bear Hill.  It was established as Vermont's second state park in 1928 and facilities were built in 1932 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a federal agency that provided work to thousands of young American men during the worst of the Great Depression building outdoor recreation areas.  The park is also home to an old forest fire lookout tower which is still accessible to the public and provides an absolutely amazing view of mountains in all directions.  As a switch from the usual politically-charged commentary on this blog, I decided to share photos of the park and route 65.

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Looking east on the floating bridge over Sunset Lake in Brookfield.  It appears to be a popular place for swimming and fishing.  This is the newest version of the bridge which opened earlier this year.

Looking west on the floating bridge.  

West from the fire tower at Allis State Park.  The White Mountains, including Mount Washington in New Hampshire are off in the distance.

Looking south 

South view

Looking west in the late day sun

Looking north, Mount Mansfield (Vermont's highest peak), and Camel's Hump are visible.

Allis State Park.  Stone wall was built in 1932 by the Civilian Conservation Corps

Campsite 4.  My tent is on the right.  Friends from Ottawa joined me for one night and their tent is on the left.

Park entrance sign on Route 65.  As you can see, this is an extremely busy and major state highway.

Campsite 4.  Note the stone fireplace, built in 1932.  My friend Tim, who is much more talented at open fire cooking than I am showed up with a pork roast and corn on the cob which turned out great.

Looking east on Route 65 from the barnyard where it begins at the junction with Route 12 at Baker Pond.

Route 65's western terminus in a barnyard where it meets Route 12 at Baker Pond.  An old farmer was sitting on the porch of the house (on the right) one of the times I drove by.

Un pique-nique sans djihadistes et un candidat se marie.

Anniversaire de l'enfant à l'abri des terroristes.

Stephen Harper voudrait vous faire croire qu'il y a un terroriste djihadiste cachette mal dans chaque ruelle ou derrière chaque buisson, prêt à attaquer. Je pensais de cette peur fausse, erronée, et légèrement raciste aujourd'hui, quand je assisté à un pique-nique dans l'un des parcs les plus populaires d'Ottawa. Il était la première célébration de l'anniversaire de la fille de certains de mes amis. La petite fille était incroyablement doux, toujours souriant, disant "Yayyy," et soigneusement de marcher sur l'herbe. Je regardai autour du parc occupé et vu de nombreux pique-niques composés des familles et des groupes de tous les amis de toutes les religions et les races. Je pensais à quel point il était de voir tant de gens avoir du plaisir et de détente dans le même endroit. Je pensais aussi de la façon dont il est honteux pour notre Premier ministre et son parti pour centrer sur des groupes particuliers et suggèrent qu’ils se cachent dans nos communautés, en attendant le moment de prendre le relais. Malheureusement, il y a beaucoup de Canadiens qui croient aussi. Harper et les conservateurs profitent de cela.

Il est indéniable et regrettable qu’il y a des gens avec des idées et des motifs extrémistes mêmes au Canada. Nous nous leurrons si nous ne reconnaissons pas, cependant, que ces extrémistes ne sont pas seulement islamiques! Il y a des chrétiens au Canada qui ont des points de vue tout aussi intolérants et extrémistes. L'extrémisme juif est beaucoup moins entendu d'ici, mais il y a quelque chose qui a reçu une attention accrue ces derniers temps après extrémistes juifs en Israël ont commis plusieurs actes de violence qui a amené le gouvernement à prendre des mesures sévères il pour faire face à de tels individus. Il a également été l'attention des médias donnée au cours des années à des tensions au sein des communautés sikhs et hindous dans les régions de Toronto et de Vancouver. Remarquez comment Harper n'a pas de mentionner ces préoccupations, mais semble obsédé par la menace perçue "djihadiste". Quand je suis assis dans ce parc en compagnie d'amis cet après-midi, je ne l'ai pas vu ou entendu quelqu'un qui ressemblait qu'ils prévoyaient une insurrection armée. Je souvent entendu des rires et sentait le charbon de bois pour barbecue.

Je ne veux pas politiser cette ouvertement, mais il y avait la campagne de mariage aujourd'hui à Stratford, en Ontario. Ethan Rabidoux, le candidat néo-démocrate sincère de Perth-Wellington a épousé sa fiancée Tracey. Malheureusement, je doute que le couple va avoir beaucoup d'une lune de miel tout de suite comme un retour à la campagne électorale sera probablement fait lundi. Je souhaite ce couple le meilleur et nous espérons sincèrement que le soir du 19 Octobre, ils ont encore plus de raisons de célébrer.

Mariés candidats

Ethan Rabidoux mérite de gagner Perth-Wellington. Il est travailleur, intelligent, éthique, et se connecte bien avec les gens. Il possède également une expérience de la vie réelle qui reflète le mieux les citoyens de Perth-Wellington. Il était une nouvelle radio diffuseur et chroniqueur de journal local. Il a servi dans l'Armée canadienne pendant quelques années et est un membre de l'Armée, la Marine et la Force aérienne Association des anciens combattants. Il a également écrit un roman qui touche à des thèmes militaires. La créativité, le talent, le service et l'expérience de la vie réelle de Rabidoux meilleur reflètent la créativité, le service communautaire, et une forte éthique de travail qui incarnent la région de Perth-Wellington. À cet égard Rabidoux surpasse son libéral et concurrents conservateurs qui sont beaucoup trop identifiable avec les machines politiques des deux parties.

A jihadi-free picnic and a candidate gets married.

CHILD'S BIRTHDAY SAFE FROM TERRORISTS

Stephen Harper would have you believe that there is an evil jihadi terrorist hiding in every alley or behind every shrub, ready to attack.  I thought of this false, misguided, and slightly racist fear today when I attended a picnic in one of Ottawa’s most popular parks.  It was the first birthday celebration for the daughter of some friends of mine.  The little girl was incredibly sweet, always smiling, saying “yayyy,” and carefully walking on the grass.  I looked around the busy park and saw numerous picnics composed of families and groups of all friends of all faiths and races.  I thought of how great it was to see so many people having fun and relaxing in the same place.  I also thought of how shameful it is for our Prime Minister and his party to centre out particular groups and suggest they’re lurking in our communities, waiting for the moment to take over.  Sadly, there are many Canadians who believe this too.  Harper and the Conservatives are taking advantage of that. 

It is undeniable and unfortunate that there are people with very extremist ideas and motives in Canada.  We are fooling ourselves if we do not acknowledge however that these extremists are not only Islamic!  There are Christians in Canada who have equally intolerant and extremist views.  Jewish extremism is much less heard of here, but it is something which has received increased attention lately after Jewish extremists in Israel have committed several acts of violence which has led to the government there taking severe measures to deal with such individuals.  There has also been media attention given over the years to tension within Sikh and Hindu communities in the Toronto and Vancouver regions.  Notice how Harper is not mentioning these concerns but seems obsessed with the perceived “jihadi” threat.  When I was sitting in that park in the company of friends this afternoon, I did not see or hear anyone who looked like they were planning an armed insurrection.  I mostly heard laughter and smelled barbecue charcoal.

CANDIDATE WEDS

I don’t want to politicize this overtly, but there was campaign wedding today in Stratford, Ontario.  Ethan Rabidoux, the earnest NDP candidate for Perth-Wellington married his fiancée Tracey.  Unfortunately, I doubt the couple will be having much of a honeymoon vacation right away as a return to the campaign trail will likely be made on Monday.  I wish this couple the very best and sincerely hope that on the evening of October 19 they have even more reasons to celebrate.

Ethan Rabidoux deserves to win Perth-Wellington.  He’s hard-working, intelligent, ethical, and connects well with people.  He also has real life experience that best reflects the citizens of Perth-Wellington.  He was a local radio news broadcaster and newspaper columnist.  He served in the Canadian Army for a few years and is a member of the Army, Navy, and Air Force Veterans Association.  He’s also written a novel that touches on military themes.  Rabidoux’s creativity, talent, service, and real-life experience best reflect the creativity, community service, and strong work ethic that embody the Perth-Wellington area.  In this respect Rabidoux outdoes his Liberal and Conservative competitors who are far too identifiable with the political machines of both parties.

The debate; I'm glad it's over.

I’m glad that debate is over.  It’s the first time in two or three elections (federal and provincial) that I’ve actually bothered to watch one start to finish.  Honestly, I find them to be rather pointless, and I cannot stand the posturing by partisan pundits and media personalities about who won or who lost.  There is no winner in a debate, and the only race here anyone is concerned about winning or losing is an election.  Personally, I enjoyed watching it online and sharing irreverent comments on Facebook as it progressed with friends and family members across the country. 

Tonight’s event did more to get discussion about issues facing this country started than it did to offer any solutions from a party or its leader for them.  The long campaign is just beginning.  I live in a major metropolitan area and I’ve only seen one campaign sign in the five full days since it began.  Yes, some of the leaders performed better than others, but there was no clear victor.  Harper’s vulnerabilities on the economy, security, and democracy were apparent.  Trudeau was aggressive to the point of annoyance, giving off the image associated with a private school debating club.  Mulcair kept it calm, sounding optimistic, showing a statesmanlike decency that portrayed someone who can indeed lead a government.  This strength however could also be his greatest weakness.  A little bit of that old “Angry Tom” may have been a good thing.  May was articulate and informed—maybe too much for her own good.  She comes across as kind of a well-meaning know-it-all. 

The debate honestly lacked force on some of the topics.  I really thought income inequality could have been much more strongly addressed.  The sections on the environment and security were probably the best two with Harper looking weak on the environment and Trudeau looking weak when he couldn’t give a decent answer about why the Liberals supported C-51.  And did anyone notice what was missing from the debate?  There was no discussion of aboriginal people, young people, or poverty!  Where were the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations?  What about that desperately needed inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women?  How about homelessness?  How about ensuring there are meaningful professions for university graduates that do not involve deep fryers or coffee beans?

There is no clear indication of if there will again be an English—or French language debate involving these four leaders again during the campaign.  The old system of having debates coordinated by the television and radio networks has fallen apart, instead leading to a patchwork of debates with varying levels of leader attendance held by other media outlets or other institutions.  Tonight’s debate was presented by Maclean’s Magazine and the Toronto-based CITY-TV station, owned by Rogers which also broadcasted it on its OMNI station.  While Maclean’s has been a mainstay of quality journalism in Canada for decades, many of us can remember a time when CITY-TV was known for unconventional and even raunchy programming.  The Toronto-based OMNI has always provided programming in various languages to serve the diverse cultural communities of southern Ontario since its early days as CFMT-Channel 47, Cable 4.  The broadcasting scene in Canada has changed significantly from when debates were a stodgy CBC-CTV coproduction.  As for the certainty of another debate as comprehensive as tonight’s, does it even matter?  Citizens are more likely to make their decisions based on their own contemplation or conversations held in cafes, bars, and around campfires than from two hours of television.  The only people who pay attention to formal debates are those of us with some level of political engagement.  Personally, I’d be quite satisfied if there was no other major debate after this one, if anything just to spare us from the punditry and sensationalized analysis. 

A Canadian tourist seeks out Bernie Sanders.

Recently I spent a couple of days in Vermont.  Of the seven US states I have visited, Vermont is my favourite.  It is mostly rural, the people are friendly and progressive, the land is beautiful, there's so much history, and the food is good too.  I've done a considerable amount of research on Vermont, particularly involving its purchases of electricity from Quebec.  I met with a former state official about that topic when I was there recently.  After the business portion of my day in Burlington was complete, I headed downtown to Church Street, that wonderful pedestrian mall where the Vermont vibe is inescapable.  My mission there was to find the campaign headquarters of Senator Bernie Sanders, who is running for the Democratic Presidential nomination.  After looking around and asking a couple of people, I managed to find the headquarters on the third floor of an old office building above some stores.

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Building directory at 1 Church Street in Burlington, location of Senator Bernie Sanders local State Office.

Entrance to Bernie Sanders Presidential Campaign Headquarters, 131 Church Street, 3rd floor, Burlington.  

My Bernie for President sign looks great on the wall above my desk at home in Gatineau with my Tom Mulcair NDP sign.  The sign in the middle was a great gift from a pair of Conservative friends!