pilgrimage Archives - Carol Fletcher Photography

November 10: Nampa, Idaho to Rosyln, Washington. Starting mileage: 35,946.

We trekked across the northeastern corner of Oregon and north into Washington in a misty fog and rainy snow. We passed Christmas tree farms, wind turbines, signs warning of “Severe Sidewinds Ahead”, and so many trucks carrying logs. This is the Great Pacific Northwest or Cascadia–an area known for environmentalism, coffee drinking, grunge music, and weather-induced depression.

We were headed for a mythical town: Cicely, Alaska from Northern Exposure.

In real life, the town is called Roslyn, Washington and it is where the TV series, Northern Exposure, was filmed from 1990-1995. The program was quirky, intelligent, kind, funny, full of special people with astute observations, and had so many wise and magical moments. There was Chris Stevens broadcasting from KBHR, Holling Vincouer and Shelly Tambo at the Brick, Indian filmmaker Ed Chigliak, out-of-place New Yorker Dr. Joel Fleishmann, pilot Maggie O’Connell, retired astronaut Maurice Minnifield, quiet Marilyn Whirlwind, level-headed Ruth-Anne Miller, bombastic Adam and Eve, mysterious One-Who-Waits, Chris’ twin Bernard, The Brick’s Dave, Ruth-Anne’s Walt… These people, their town, and their eccentric ways enchanted us. It was as if we knew them, spent an hour in Cicely with them every week. Even today, putting in a Northern Exposure DVD is like sitting down with dear, old friends. What a profound, exceptional, and beautiful place literally and figuratively. The town of Roslyn was Cicely. And the town exists.

Roslyn Cafe in Roslyn Washington. Northern Exposure's Cicely, AK. — *Roslyn Cafe in Roslyn, Washington, more often known as Northern Exposure’s Cicely, AK. Cue the music and the moose.*

Dr. Joel Fleischman's Office in Roslyn, WA Northern Exposure Cicely AK Northwestern Mining Co. — *Dr. Joel Fleischman’s office in Cicely, AK (Rosyln, WA).*

Evening on Roslyn's Main Street, Washington. Northern Exposure Cicely AK — *Mama Lucy heading down the hill into Roslyn’s Main Street.*

Pilgrimage

We arrived in the late afternoon and checked in to the Huckleberry House on the hill. It was a no frills room–in a no TV, no internet, no breakfast “Bed and Breakfast”. But there was a shared coffee maker and refrigerator and it was just a 3-minute walk to great breakfasts at Rosyln Cafe. We spent our time there walking around the buildings featured in the show. We had meals in the Brick and at Village Pizza. Mama Lucy wasn’t a Northern Exposure viewer and missed having a TV and the internet in the evenings. Regardless, we enjoyed the time to walk, reflect, and get some of that fresh mountain air.

*I expected to see Holling Vincoeur and Shelly Tambo behind the bar in the Brick. Rosyln, WA aka Cicely, AK.*

Ruth-Anne Miller's Grocery Store. Rosyln, WA aka Northern Exposure's Cicely, AK. — *Ruth-Anne Miller’s Grocery Store. Rosyln, WA aka Northern Exposure’s Cicely, AK.*

Playing Trivial Pursuit at Village Pizza on a Saturday night in Roslyn WA, aka Northern Exposure's Cicely, AK. — *Playing Trivial Pursuit at Village Pizza on a Saturday night in Roslyn WA, aka Northern Exposure’s Cicely, AK.*

Let go of that cow, and fling something

As I walked around Cicely/Roslyn, I imagined seeing Chris sitting in the KBHR booth, or that I’d see Shelly running across the street to Ruth-Anne’s, or maybe Ed would come around the corner with a smile. And I fell in love with the cozy colorful homes, with the plumes of smoke coming from chimneys over tin roofs. I imagined tucking in to a sweet little house with books and a dog or two. Maybe things would be different here. More creatively stimulating. More thoughtful. More there in the moment. Maybe just more life.
It’s been such a strange few years. We’ve felt a little lost. And while some changes may be good for us, some changes just suck. There is no map to figure it out, to see how long the bad roads will last, or which way to go to smooth it out. We wander around until we wander out. Or maybe I just need to fling something.

The Fling…From the episode “Burning Down the House”

Chris: “I’ve been here now for some days, groping my way along, trying to realize my vision here. I started concentrating so hard on my vision that I lost sight. I’ve come to find out that it’s not the vision, it’s not the vision at all. It’s the groping. It’s the groping, it’s the yearning, it’s the moving forward. I was so fixated on that flying cow that when Ed told me Monty Python already painted that picture, I thought I was through. I had to let go of that cow so I could see all the other possibilities.

Anyway, I want to thank Maurice for helping me to let go of that cow. Thank you Maurice for playing Apollo to my Dionysus in art’s Cartesian dialectic. And thanks to you, Ed, cause the truth shall set us free! And Maggie, thank you for sharing in the destruction of your house so that today we could have something to fling.

I think Kierkegaard said it oh so well, ‘The self is only that which it’s in the process of becoming.’ Art? Same thing. James Joyce had something to say about it too. ‘Welcome, Oh Life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience, and to forge in the smythe of my soul the uncreated conscious of my race.’

We’re here today to fling something that bubbled up from the collective unconsciousness of our community. Ed, you about ready? The thing I learned folks, this is absolutely key: It’s not the thing you fling. It’s the fling itself. Let’s fling something, Cicely! ”

Northern Exposure's KBHR radio station. Rosyln, WA. AKA Cicely, AK — *Northern Exposure’s KBHR radio station. Cicely, AK (Rosyln, WA).*

Cicely AK Northern Exposure Totem Pole in Roslyn, WA — *The Totem Pole in Roslyn, WA*

"Explosives", church, and horses. Roslyn WA. — *“Explosives”, church, and horses. Roslyn WA.*

If you are a Northern Exposure fan, you’ll probably like these links.

First, put on some music. Because of music rights issues, the original tunes didn’t always make it to the DVDs. But some good soul has pulled together a lot of the music into a Spotify Playlist.

Read more about each episode at Moosechick. Really, a fantastic resource.

Also, there’s recent news that a return to Cicely is in the works. Will they really reboot it? Will it be great, like the original?

Northern Exposure Cicely Alaska little pink shotgun house in Roslyn, Washington. — *A little pink shotgun house in Roslyn, Washington.*

*Fall in Cascadia. A house in Rosyln, WA.*

*Green House, Red Tin Roof, Picket Fence. Rosyln, WA.*

*Pink House, Red Trim, Lace Curtains. Roslyn, WA*

Chimney smoke, red tin roof, porch lights November cozy in Roslyn, WA. — *November cozy in Roslyn, WA.*

*November cozy in the mustard yellow house with chimney smoke, Roslyn WA.*

*Snow on the roof and a wooden fence. Rosyln WA.*

Huckleberries on the ground at Huckleberry House in Roslyn WA, aka Northern Exposure's Cicely AK. — *Huckleberries on the ground at Huckleberry House in Roslyn WA, aka Northern Exposure’s Cicely AK.*

Elk or deer seen from the road on the drive out of Roslyn Washington. — *Seen from the road on the drive out of Roslyn Washington.*

Finally, you can see more of our travels on my blog. And some select photos are available on my Etsy site.
Thanks for reading!

Bon hiver y’all! 🙂

October 25: Autumn drive across New York to Niagara Falls. Starting mileage: 31,117.

You have to wonder about a weekday that starts with a drive through Manhattan at 8:00 a.m. But we were following Siri to Niagara Falls, and that’s what she said we should do.

We eased out of the skinny Best Western parking spot and hit the streets of New York. Our hotel was in Long Island City, Queens, and we could see the crowns of the Queensboro Bridge from our room. Thankfully though, Siri guided us to the hidden foothills of the bridge. We passed over the East River with a herd of food trucks and entered Manhattan at the Silver Cup Studio sign. As we drove north on FDR Drive, through Harlem and the Bronx, and past Yankee Stadium, Siri told us about detours and the lanes we needed to be in. Eventually, we crossed over the Hudson and into New Jersey on the George Washington Bridge.

The Palisades

We drove north with the Hudson to our right. The trees were in full autumn blaze and we stopped for a stroll in the Palisades Scenic Overlook. The wide Hudson River shined below, and Yonkers looked so far away across the water. We walked separately, and together–basking in the fresh air and the flaming reds and oranges of the trees. It was a surprisingly peaceful place for being so close to the chaos of the city.

Autumn trees and a stone fence in the Palisades Interstate Park. — *Autumn trees and a stone fence in the Palisades Interstate Park, New Jersey.*

*Fall colors on trees along the winding road in the Palisades Interstate Park, New Jersey. Steep cliffs down to the Hudson River are just to the left of the road.*

Pilgrimage: Finding Mark Twain in Elmira

Somewhere along the way, we entered New York again and were now headed northwest across the state. As we skirted past the colorful Catskills, we stopped for lunch at the Roscoe Diner. Lesson #6 of our trip…whenever possible, eat at a local diner. For the next couple of hours, we rode near the Pennsylvania border, passing in and out of New York until we curved north towards Elmira.

*Yellow tree in a rest area in Hancock NY, at the Pennsylvania border.*

Back when we were plotting the trip, I realized we would pass through Elmira, a little town that was so special to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain. And since he’s special to me, we paused there to find traces of the man who dreamed up Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Mark Twain’s Study

First, we found his study on the campus of Elmira College. His in-laws built this cozy room for him on their Quarry Farm hill overlooking Elmira in 1874. Samuel and Olivia and their girls came to visit her sister here every summer and this was where Twain went to write. I’ve seen pictures of him at the window of this study when it was covered in summer vines. Now, here it was–alone in the midst of a busy campus.

I believe he would have mocked the “progress” that necessitated moving his study here among young adults, today with noses glued to cell phones. I smiled, imagining what sardonic thing he’d say about cell phones. The building was closed, so I just held the door knob and peeked in at the small room. A stone fireplace, wooden floor, and walls of windows surrounded a round table. I tried to imagine him sitting and writing, but instead a fleeting image of him pacing and pipe puffing crossed my mind.

In 1874, Mark Twain's in-laws built a study for him to write at Quarry Farm. The octagon-shaped room sat on the top of a knoll overlooking Elmira and is where he wrote major pieces including Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The study was moved to this spot at Elmira College in 1952. — In 1874, Mark Twain’s in-laws built a study for him to write at Quarry Farm. The octagon-shaped room sat on the top of a knoll overlooking Elmira and is where he wrote major pieces including Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The study was moved to this spot at Elmira College in 1952.

The door knob to Mark Twain's study. — *The door knob to Mark Twain’s study.*

Mark Twain’s Grave

Within fifteen minutes of touching his study’s doorknob, I was standing at Samuel Clemens’ grave in Woodlawn Cemetery. Mama walked with me as I read and made photographs of each grave, and then she returned to the car for a rest.

Meanwhile, I sat down on the cold stone stoop at Mark Twain’s headstone. I thanked him for writing by hand the stories that mean so much and for taking the time to find the right word to give us lightning and not a lightning bug. You know that game about who you’d have at an imaginary dinner party? After family, he’s always my first invitation. I told him that too.

Mark Twain's grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira NY. Someone put autumn mums on his grave, but no one has added an epitaph to his stone. — *Mark Twain’s grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, Elmira NY. Someone put autumn mums on his grave, but no one has added an epitaph to his stone.*

An old dime laid on his grave among acorn bits and leaves and twigs. I picked up a maple’s “helicopter” to keep. I thought of his sarcastic tales of souvenir seekers in The Innocents Abroad and how many bits of “the one true cross” there must be. Of course, he would have laughed at me. And I would have hugged him.

On Mark Twain's grave: an old dime and leaves. — *On Mark Twain’s grave: an old dime and leaves.*

October 25-26: Niagara Falls

We drove into the rain and the dark. As we neared the town of Niagara, Siri rerouted us because of an accident. We checked in to the Quality Hotel well after sunset, not realizing just how close we were to Niagara Falls.

A lot of people have described Niagara Falls. I should have been prepared. I was not. Mama Lucy and I were shocked and wowed by Niagara Falls…by the scale of it, the mighty sound, the urgent rushing river, the new clouds, the soaking mist, so many rainbows, precarious islands, and those massive falls that drop the river down, down, down. We spent the day there, walking and sitting–taking photos, getting soaked in mist, and admiring the rainbows.

A bird watches us at the Niagara River before the Falls. — *From Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, the Niagara River races to the Falls.*

*Three waterfalls at Niagara Falls, NY.*

*The mighty Niagara Falls as seen from the Observation Tower.*

*Niagara Falls on a sunny day means rainbows over rainbows!*

From an island in Niagara River, at the falls. — *From an island in the Niagara River, at the falls. The Observation Tower in the top right, and the Rainbow Bridge to Canada in the background.*

*Niagara Falls creates mist and its own clouds.*

Walking up the path puts you beside and below the thundering, misting Niagara Falls. — *Walking up the path puts you beside (and below!) the thundering, misting Niagara Falls.*

*The Observation Tower above Niagara Falls.*

*Mama Lucy photographing Niagara Falls from the Observation Tower.*

*Watching the Maid of the Mist approach Niagara Falls for a shower.*

Finally, it was on this day that we began making souvenir pennies. Let’s just call that the 7th lesson of the trip: Always stop at the penny press machine!

Mama Lucy pressing the first souvenir penny at Niagara Falls. — *Mama Lucy pressing the first of our souvenir pennies at Niagara Falls.*

Mama Lucy surprised me climbing up into this giant chair after our comfort-food dinner at Niagara Falls. What a day of surprises. — Mama Lucy surprised me climbing up into this giant chair after our comfort-food dinner at Niagara Falls. What a day of surprises!

Mama Lucy with rainbow and sunshine at Niagara Falls. — *Mama Lucy with rainbow and sunshine at Niagara Falls on a brisk Autumn day.*

Our route from NYC to Niagara Falls

Map of route from Long Island City Queens through Manhattan and north along the Hudson. — *Our route from Long Island City Queens through Manhattan and north along the Hudson.*

*Map of our route from NYC around the Catskills in NY.*

The map of our route across New York state to Elmira and Niagara. — *Our route across New York state to Elmira and Niagara.*

You can read more about our decision to take this trip here. Select photos will be available on Etsy soon.

Thanks for reading!

Traveler, dog lover, photographer, writer

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