Colin’s Birthday: November 7, 2009
November 7, 2009
The Start of a Strange Birthday
The Day’s
From the hotel room I phoned Monica, so she could wish me a happy birthday. I knew this was going to be one of the stranger birthdays of my life.
By
By 10.15 am I was heading out of Iron Mountain and spotted a Subway sandwich shop. I knew there wasn’t much between here and Florence, Wisconsin and so… at 10:15 am, it was time for lunch. In the Subway I was served by a young man called Aaron and two young women. They asked where I was walking and were amazed when I said I had walked 1400 miles from New York.
Saying goodbye to the Subway staff I walked on out of
A small collection of houses and a saloon marked the unincorporated town of Spread Eagle. Just beyond this town I stood on a hillside and phoned my Dad and step mum, so they could wish me a happy birthday. I got their answer machine, but left a message to say that all was well.
Dinner with the Northstar Hospice Staff
Walking out of
As dark came a van pulled off the road just ahead of me and Dee and Chuck climbed out to greet me. I was glad to see them and quickly stowed my pack in the van. They whisked me off to
Tina Waite, the hospice director, was there with her husband. There were Dee and Chuck, Bob and Sandra Battye, Jeanne Miluu, the hospice social worker, and Dr. Han, the medical director of Northstar hospice, with his wife.
The restaurant had been told it was my birthday by the Northstar Hospice folks and brought out a cake with frosting and a candle on it. I blew out the candle and thanked the people around me. Just after this, as if on cue, my phone rang. It was John and Connie from Cheboygan. As I answered the phone they began to sing ‘Happy Birthday’. It made me smile. I thanked them and told them to take care, explaining I was surrounded by a bunch of hospice people in a restaurant in
Once dinner was done I was taken off to the Station Bar, for drinks. It was an old building. Originally it had been a railway station, with sides that could open to let trains drive through it. As we entered there was a live band singing Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Proud Mary’… with ‘big wheels keep on turning, Proud Mary keeps on burning… rolling, rolling, rolling on the river….’.
Bob Battye asked the bartender what was the strongest beer they had’
“Widowmaker” came the reply. In no time a pint of Widowmaker was in front of me. Curiously no-one else in the bar was drinking this beer. It was actually good… but one pint of it had my head swimming.
All in all it was a good night. Chuck had to leave and I decided to leave with him, rather than drink any more Widowmaker. I said my goodbyes to Tina, Bob and Dee and headed off in Chuck’s van to get to the AmericInn, in Iron River.
The AmericInn had arranged a room for me, free of charge, and as we drove up there was a sign outside the motel saying ‘Welcome Dr. Skinner’. I smiled.
I thanked Chuck and checked in for the night.
