Page 8 August 1988 Cassiar Courier A VISTA FOR TOURISTS Gerry Kamlah enjoys conversation with an old friend Len Werner. The majestic beauty of Cassiar Country is well known throughout the tourist industry. One of the unique qualities of this part of a tourist’s journey is the style of our “tourist spots”. One of these is Mighty Moes. Located on the Cottonwood Lake where the water from the Dease churns with the water from the lake, it is a picturesque and restful place. The attitude is relaxed and the con- versation is easy. Many a visitor visits Moe’s during the summer months. Thumbing through his guest book | was interest- ed to see/ the home bases of some of his recent guests. Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tasmania, France, Australia, New Zealand, Holland, West Germany and Texas are‘ a few. The majority of tourists are on their , to or from Alaska. This area is a stop, not a destination. All of the visitors I spoke with agreed that this was magnificent country. Carol Ramsey of Minnesota said, “I feel insig- nificant when faced with the grandness that is your natural environment!” The Ramsey’s (George, Carol, son Brian and daughter, Chris Grave) left Minnesota on June 24th. They have visited the “Top of the World’, Anchorage, Fairbanks and every place in between. “It’s been beauti- ful and something we will never forget!” adds Carol. Moe has a few motto’s. “Come as a stranger, leave as a friend’, or “We are all brothers and sisters down at Mighty Moes’’, as well as “If you haven’t been to Mighty Moes you haven’t seen the North!” Sometimes past residents of the area end up ’ traveling these northern roads again. Jan and Len Werner were guests while I was out doing my interviews. Len used to work in Cassiar in the days of Bill Plumb, and Jan taught school at Cassiar Elementary and Home Ec at the secondary level in 1971. Marge and Joe Werner accompanied their son and daughter-in-law on the north- ern holiday, which included a trip to Alaska. Joining the caravan were Alma and Ski Swiderski of New Mexico. “The scenery has been’ fantastic,’’ -said Marge, a SUMMER 1988 IN CASSIAR COUNTR . AT HOME FUN “when you could see it.” It seems the group encountered some poor weather along the way! Tourists who travel the north hear about Mighty Moes by word of mouth. It is a place noted for its hospi- tality, as well as its service. Robert and Meg Harlow of Oregon together with Earl Biurstron of Minnesota were camped at Moes. They were headed towards Jasper, then to Vancouver, having already travelled to Alaska and the Yukon. “Dawson City was great,” says Meg. “We really enjoyed it there, a highlight!!” Earl and Robert enjoyed some fishing, but accord- ing to Earl, “I stop fishing when I catch a meal!” Moe plans events throughout the week to enter- tain his guests. This year an outdoor stage has been added to his mountain home. He and others perform and a good time is guaranteed. This was my first visit to Mighty Moes. It was refreshing. After speaking with the guests of the road I drove back to Cassiar actually observing this country. The sky was pale blue, the clouds tinged with pink, cast a warm glow over snow tipped mountains. The green of a northern summer seemed really green and the streams flowed with more vigour than I had previously noticed. The lakes gave way to chilly ripples, beckoning one to drink of their cold waters, or fish in their depths. Truly a vista, not only for tourists but one to be enjoyed by all! R and R, just what any doctor would order. The Canadian and American flags symbolize the unique friendship shared between the countries. Cassiar plays host to many a summer visitor. However, one particular family ended up stranded in Cassiar after their 1947 bus lost its transmission. Bob and Tilly, their children, three dogs, one cat, and all their earthly possessions sat at the Cassiar Swimming Pool for many days. Bob tried (with the assistance of George Johnson) to fix the old bus, but to no avail. He then sent word out to friends in U.S.A. that he needed a transmission. One was located in Texas, and as of this writing the family awaits its arrival. Tilly is a crafts person. She makes the most lovable bears out of upholstery material. I bought one, and so have a few other Cassiarites. In fact plans are in the works to distribute ‘Tilly Bears” in Cassiar. Bob says he is amazed at the helpfulness of this community and if it was possible for them to live and work here he’d sure consider it! However, life for this family is in Alaska. They are only seventeen hours away from home, but it might as well be a million. Cheerful and optimistic, the family looks toward the future. One thing for sure, after travel- ling all the way from Colorado, they say Cassiar is the friendliest place to have broken down! Cassiar Courier August 1988 Page 9 by Lorraine Lanteigne Susan Bornoski, Brandon Kellar, Brendon Connolly, Gavin Kenny and Bobby Simonovic enjoy their swimming lesson. Tricia Liddle displays her talent with a rake! A SUMMER REMEMBERED Mud pies, tricycle riding, frog catching and frying an egg on the road! These were part of my summers experience in the days of my pre-school life. I swam at a place called MILL LAKE. A place where my teenage sisters would meet “the boys” and where ice cold revels and caramel licks were part of the treat that was a day at the lake! Thunder and lightning storms were current events. Thirty years later I can still remember the “feel for the storm” as my mother referred to it. That oppressive, ominous roll in my stomach, the slow tightening of the chest muscles, creating a “heart pressure”, the expect- ant quality of what was to be. The storm began slowly, almost as a whisper in the willow tree outside our farm house. The breeze would gain momentum breaking the held breath silence that had been the world. I lived those summer storms watching from my window seat in the front room. They were memorable! One of my favorite memories of summer concern- ed a snake. This hapless creature had slithered out from the ditch onto the road. It then got squished by a car. My cousin, Gordie, (while riding from his farm to mine on his trike) discovered it by the “cow crossing ahead” sign. I remember how excited he was as he rode into my yard. “The snake guts are still there Lorraine, come on you gotta see this.” We road over that snake with our tricycles so many times that hot summer day. I lost count. The first couple of times there was snake slime on our wheels, it was thrilling. Soon the snake was ground into the seal- coat of the country road. Although we had not killed the snake we had conquered it! Gordie and I caught lots of frogs. We would turn, them into the cow trough and watch them swim. That was fun. My dad could never figured why his troughs always had frogs in them! We were a pair Gordie and I. Only six months separated our ages and he was my first earth friend. We were game and gullible for any- thing. Gordie’s uncle Charlie told us one fine hot summer day, that it was hot enough out to fry an egg on the road, We like the idea. We stole the eggs from Jaskot’s chicken coup and experimented. The eggs didn’t fry but our bottoms did when our mothers found out. Jaskot was really mad too. (I told Gordie not to smash the rest of the eggs on Jaskot’s garage!) I made the best mud pies on our road. With the right mixture of ditch clay, garden dirt, water and grasses (chopped up), my mud pies were great! A host of farm cats and my dog, Judy, were guests at my out- door “‘tea parties”. (They were never really interested in my mud pies though!) Summer, it holds us all in a spell. Whether it be in dreams of the past experiences or the present, or plans for a future summer, it is the gift of the seasons. A time of year when I remember mud pies, snakes and frying eggs. CASSIAR Bits & Pieces Ducky Dave, exactly where are your hearts running to? Debbie, how old did you think Sheila really was? Pink Flamingos have now become a part of Cassiar’s history. Just ask Amy, Andrew and Jeffery! Nobody argues with a grizzly, especially when it is a bear that can catch and kill a ram while in a full run. The goat’s buried so be warned the grizzly will return! What were Carla and Laura doing hiding behind a fuel tank while dressed to go out for a night on the town? Looking for a cabin? Phone Gord Kamlah, he'll show you one, if he can find it!! Overhzard at the bar on Toga Night, “Donna what are you wearing under that toga?” , “Well,” answered Donna, “once I was fined because it was illegal to wear clothes under a toga, needless to say this time I won't get fined!” These ravens are Gille’s friends! * s x. Ses Sit with these guys and you'll get an earful! Summer laughs at their best. We hear Gary Stratton’s daughter was in town. Just like him, she enjoyed watching the Blue Jay’s get beat while drinking “Wild Turkey Bourbon”. He also showed how to address the golf ball properly — Helloooo Ball. What does K.B. have that we don’t? She has them fight- ing in the streets! Chico, how high were you flying when you hit that raven? Who was the couple who went to Watson Lake for the night, and came home sporting ice packs? ‘she Courier would like to extend our apologies to David Andrews and Robert Rudkowsky for the printer’s error on “The Class of 1988” page in the last issue. Our thanks to the Cassiar community. Special thanks to Gary P., George J., Mike J. and everyone who made our stay a pleasant and bearable one. Your neighbors in Alaska, Bob, Tilly and Kids As we are about to open a new chapter of our lives in our new home in Devon, Alberta, we must first - close the last chapter in Cassiar. That can only be done by us thanking our many wonderful friends for all you’ve ever done to convey your kindness. It’s you, the majestic mountains, and the beautiful lakes that we'll miss the most and will always cherish in our memories. The pain of bidding farewell to the many friends who have departed Cassiar before us is now replaced by a mixture of emotions: sorrow as we say goodbye to the friends that we leave behind, yet joy as. we set out to build our future in our new home. To our dear friends - you know who you are - we wish you all of life’s best always and we look forward to your visits when you travel to “Sunny Alberta”. As ever, The Travniks Danny, Shristel & Tyson