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Home Page Collage

01 - My Dad and Lila  (Bellingham, Wash.)

02 - My Dad and My Sister  (Bellingham, Wash.)

03 - Moving Day  (Bellingham, Wash.)

04 - California Highway 1  (Lucia, California)

05 - Troy and his Family  (San Diego, California)

06 - Next Stop, Vegas  (Mojave Desert, California)

07 - The Burr Trail  (Utah)

08 - Highway 95  (Utah)

09 - Joan, Ace and Julie with Their New Grill  (Austin)

10 - Egret in Calcasieu Swamp  (Louisiana)

11 - Biedenharn Candy Store  (Vicksburg, Miss.)

12 - My Great-Great-Grandfather, Ransom Myers

13 - Tommie Lee  (Corinth, Miss.)

14 - Storm at Cades Cove  (Tennessee)

15 - Monticello  (Charlottesville, Virginia)

16 - The Real "Waltons" House  (Schuyler, Virginia)

17 - An Old Friend  (Boston, Mass.)

18 - Where My Ancestors Landed in 1634  (Mass.)

19 - Don and Debbie  (Manlius, New York)

20 - Sunset on Interstate 90  (Wisconsin)

21 - Mark and Jayne  (Minneapolis, Minn.)

22 - Svang Gravestone  (Webster, S.D.)

23 - The Vinegar Man  (Roslyn, S.D.)

24 - Cavalry Charge  (Fort Lincoln, N.D.)

25 - My Mother and Grandmother in 1926  (N.D.)

26 - My Grandmother's Pupil in 2001  (Wing, N.D.)

27 - My Grandmother's Pupil in 1921  (Regan, N.D.)

28 - North Dakota Prairie  (Fessenden, N.D.)

29 - My Mom and Dad in 1943  (Dickinson, N.D.)

30 - Ticket to Ride  (Bellingham, Wash.)

31 - Arriving in Raro at 5 a.m.  (Cook Islands)

32 - School Kids  (Aitutaki, Cook Islands)

33 - The Lagoon Cruise  (Aitutaki Cook Islands)

34 - Rapota Motu  (Aitutaki, Cook Islands)

35 - Volcanic White Island  (New Zealand)

36 - Poppies  (Blenheim, New Zealand)

37 - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Christchurch, N.Z.)

38 - Lyttleton Harbor  (Christchurch, New Zealand)

39 - Column  (Oamaru, New Zealand)

40 - Want a Lift?  (Milford Sound, New Zealand)

41 - Highway 80  (Mt. Cook, New Zealand)

42 - Fern  (Makarora, New Zealand)

43 - Smile  (Haast, New Zealand)

44 - Highway 6  (Hokitika, New Zealand)

45 - Cape Maria van Diemen  (New Zealand)

56 - Northernmost Point  (Cape Reinga, N.Z.)

47 - Parliament Building  (Canberra, Australia)

48 - Train Station  (Marysborough, Australia)

49 - Kangaroo  (Grampians Nat'l Park, Australia)

50 - The 12 Apostles  (Port Campbell, Australia)

51 - The Happy Wanderer  (Flinders N.P., Australia)

52 - The Stuart Highway  (Port Augusta, Australia)

53 - Road Train  (Marla, Australia)

54 - Kangaroo Crossing  (Ayers Rock, Australia)

55 - Crocodile Dundee's Pub  (McKinlay, Australia)

56 - One-Lane Highway  (Winton, Australia)

57 - Four-Mile Beach  (Port Douglas, Australia)

58 - Vegemite  (Port Douglas Australia)

59 - Updating My Website  (Brisbane, Australia)

60 - Saltwater Crocodile  (Brisbane, Australia)

61 - Friends Across the Sea  (Newcastle, Australia)

62 - Sydney Harbor  (Sydney, Australia)

63 - Lawrence Elk  (Olympic Nat'l Park, Washington)

64 - Hauling Out  (Port Orford, Oregon)

65 - Lassen Peak (Lassen National Park, California)

66 - The Loneliest Highway in America  (Nevada)

67 - BLM Rangers  (Lake City, Colorado)

68 - Dueling Warships (Anacortes, Washington)

69 - Donald Leu, 1923-2002  (Bellingham, Wash.)

70 - Bill Leu, 1922-2003  (Washington)

Latest News

Previous News

April 5, 2001  (Bellingham, Washington)

April 19, 2001  (Bellingham, Washington)

April 30, 2001  (Hillsboro, Oregon)

May 19, 2001  (Hillsboro, Oregon)

June 2, 2001  (Bellingham, Washington)

June 11, 2001  (San Jose, California)

June 14, 2001  (San Diego, California)

June 15, 2001 - Part 1  (Zion Nat'l Park, Utah)

June 15, 2001 - Part 2  (Zion Nat'l Park, Utah)

June 18, 2001  (Clay Canyon, Utah)

June 20, 2001  (Canyon de Chelly, Arizona)

June 24, 2001  (Austin, Texas)

June 27, 2001  (Natchez, Mississippi)

June 29, 2001  (Corinth, Mississippi)

June 30, 2001  (Hohenwald, Tennessee)

July 5, 2001  (Manchester, Tennessee)

July 8, 2001  (Fontana Lake, North Carolina)

July 9, 2001  (Sevierville, Tennessee)

July 14, 2001  (Roanoke, Virginia)

July 16, 2001  (Cumberland, Virginia)

July 18, 2001  (Denton, Maryland)

July 20, 2001  (Pomfret, Connecticut)

July 22, 2001  (Boston, Massachusetts)

July 23, 2001  (Middleton, Massachusetts)

Aug. 6, 2001  (Manlius, New York)

Aug. 8, 2001  (12 Days in Syracuse: Part 1)

Aug. 8, 2001  (12 Days in Syracuse: Part 2)

Aug. 10, 2001 (Battle Creek, Michigan)

Aug. 14, 2001  (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Aug. 17, 2001  (Walnut Grove, Minnesota)

Aug. 18, 2001  (Watertown, South Dakota)

Aug. 30, 2001  (Webster, South Dakota)

Sept. 15, 2001  (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Sept. 30, 2001 - Part 1  (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Sept. 30, 2001 - Part 2  (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Oct. 6, 2001 (Fort Lincoln State Park, North Dakota)

Oct. 18, 2001 - Part 1  (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Oct. 18, 2001 - Part 2  (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Oct. 18, 2001 - Part 3  (Bismarck, North Dakota)

Dec. 3, 2001 - Part 1  (Bellingham, Washington)

Dec. 3, 2001 - Part 2  (Bellingham, Washington)

Dec. 10, 2001  (Rarotonga, Cook Islands)

Dec. 14, 2001  (Aitutaki, Cook Islands)

Dec. 16, 2001  (Auckland, New Zealand)

Dec. 20, 2001  (Auckland, New Zealand)

Dec. 24, 2001  (Wellington, New Zealand)

Jan. 1, 2002 - Part 1  (Christchurch, New Zealand)

Jan. 1, 2002 - Part 2  (Christchurch, New Zealand)

Jan. 12, 2002 - Part 1  (Dunedin, New Zealand)

Jan. 12, 2002 - Part 2  (Dunedin, New Zealand)

Jan. 16, 2002  (Te Anau, New Zealand)

Jan. 20, 2002  (Geraldine, New Zealand)

Jan. 25, 2002  (Hokitika, New Zealand)

Feb. 2, 2002 - Part 1  (Taupo, New Zealand)

Feb. 2, 2002 - Part 2  (Taupo, New Zealand)

Feb. 7, 2002  (Auckland, New Zealand)

Feb. 18, 2002  (Bega, Australia)

March 1, 2002 - Part 1  (Robe, Australia)

March 1, 2002 - Part 2  (Robe, Australia)

March 5, 2002  (Port Augusta, Australia)

March 8, 2002  (Coober Pedy, Australia)

March 11, 2002  (Ayers Rock, Australia)

March 13, 2002  (Alice Springs, Australia)

March 16, 2002  (Winton, Australia)

March 25, 2002  (Port Douglas, Australia)

March 28, 2002  (Airlie Beach, Australia)

April 1, 2002  (Hervey Bay, Australia)

April 4, 2002  (Coffs Harbour, Australia)

April 7, 2002  (Sydney, Australia)

May 22, 2002  (Bellingham, Washington)

June 18, 2002 - Part 1  (Port Orford, Oregon)

June 18, 2002 - Part 2  (Port Orford, Oregon)

July 1, 2002  (Looking Glass Rock, Utah)

July 4, 2002 - Life as a Ranger, Part 1  (Lake City, Colorado)

July 4, 2002 - Life as a Ranger, Part 2  (Lake City, Colorado)

July 12, 2002  (Lake City, Colorado)

July 24, 2002  (Princess Louisa Inlet, B.C.)

October 30, 2002  (Bellingham, Wash.)

March 28, 2003 - My Father  (Bellingham, Wash.)

December 7, 2003 - The Greatest Generation (Bellingham, Wash.)

June 25, 2004 - Life in Bellingham (Bellingham, Wash.)

August 7, 2005 - Back to Work (Redmond, Wash.)

My Travels (2001-02)

U.S. Trip  (June - Dec., 2001)

New Zealand Trip  (Dec. 2001 - Feb. 2002)

Australia Trip  (Feb. - April 2002)

Trip Summary and Story Index

List of Travel Stories

U.S. Stories

Traveling Down The Oregon Coast Highway

Uncle Henry's Bridge  (Big Sur, Calif.)

What I Really Think of Las Vegas

Utah: A Great Place to Visit, But...

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (Utah)

Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

"Picture Perfect" Kodachrome Basin St. Pk (Utah)

Calf Creek Falls (Utah)

Back on the Burr Trail (Utah)

Camping Tips for Southern Utah

Canyon de Chelly: Beautiful but Beware (Ariz.)

Getting My Kicks on Route 66 (Tucumcari, Ariz.)

Intolerance in a Tolerant City  (Austin, Texas)

Down on the Bayou (Louisiana)

The Natchez Trace Parkway (Miss.)

The Siege of Vicksburg (Miss.)

Elvis Presley's Boyhood Home  (Tupelo, Miss.)

Tommy's Civil War Tour of Corinth and Shiloh

Meriwether Lewis' Last Evening (Tenn.)

The Karaoke Man (Nashville, Tenn.

The Ryman Auditorium  (Nashville, Tenn.)

Chattanooga (and its Choo-Choo)

The Scopes Monkey Trial  (Dayton, Tenn.)

The Wonderful City of Knoxville (Tenn.)

Greeneville, Tenn.: Home of Andrew Johnson AND Davy Crockett

The True Story of Tom Dooley (N.C.)

Great (and Crowded) Smoky Mountains Nat'l Park

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area (Va.)

Road Rage in Roanoke (Va.)

The Blue Ridge Parkway (Va.)

Magnificent Monticello (Charlottesville, Va.)

The REAL Walton's Mountain  (Schuyler, Va.)

The Siege of Petersburg (Va.)

Jamestown: Where it All Began (Va.)

The World Turned Upside Down  (Yorktown, Va.)

Julie's Tour of Boston (Mass.)

Beware of Lonely Rangers: The Hawthorne & Alcott Houses  (Concord, Mass.)

Thoreau's Walden Pond  (Concord, Mass.)

Digging Up My Ancestors  (Ipswich and Rowley, Mass.)

The Volleyball Hall of Fame (Holyoke) and the Springfield Armory  (Springfield, Mass.)

Old Friends, Bloody Sheets and The World's Only Leuville  (Syracuse, NY)

Hill Cumorah, Where Mormonism Began  (Palmyra, NY)

Niagara Falls?  What Falls?

Completing the Circle With Ransom Myers  (Mayville, Mich.)

Returning to MadCity  (Madison, Wisc.)

An Old Friend in Minnesoooda

The Mall of America  (Bloomington, Minn.)

The 1862 Dakota Uprising  (New Ulm, Minn.)

The McCone Sod Houses  (Sanborn, Minn.)

Laura Ingalls' Little House (er, Cave) on the Prairie  (Walnut Grove, Minn.)

Farming 101 (or, the Difference Between Hay and Straw)

My Travels (2001-02)  (cont.)

Fort Sisseton State Park  (Lake City, S.D.)

The International Vinegar Museum  (Roslyn, S.D.)

Storybook Land  (Aberdeen, S.D.)

Lawrence Welk's Birthplace  (Strasburg, N.D.)

The North Dakota Exodus

Bismarck: My Mom's Hometown (N.D.)

My Opinion of North Dakota

Fort Lincoln State Park: Custer's Last Home (N.D.)

My Grandmother's Photo Album: Clues to the Past

Meeting My Grandmother's 1921 Pupil  (Wing, N.D.)

Where My Mom Met My Dad  (Dickinson, N.D.)

Close Encounters at Devil's Tower (Wyo.)

New Zealand and Cook Islands Stories

Kicking Back in Rarotonga

Aitutaki: Just Your Average Tropical Paradise

Hoofing It Around Aitutaki

The Lagoon Cruise

My Impressions of the Cook Islands

From Raro to Auckland

New Zealand: Where Driving Left Is Right

A Taste of Auckland

New Zealand's Geography and History in a Nutshell

Kiwi Fruit Country  (Te Puke)

Amazing White Island

My Impressions of New Zealand

Across the Cook Strait to South Island

Taking Refuge in Christchurch

Wright Brothers, Step Aside?  (Timaru)

The Peen-guins of Oamaru

A Wee Bit o' Scotland  (Dunedin)

Invercargill: Green Acres, New Zealand Style

The Doubtful Sound of Silence

Cruising on Milford Sound

The Southern Alps and Mt. Cook

My Last Days on South Island

The Super Bowl (?) in New Zealand

Dashing Through the Northland

Why New Zealand is a Great Country

Australia Stories

Arriving in Sydney

It's CAN-bra, not Can-BERRA

Hertz So Bad  (Sydney)

Ned Kelly: Hero or Outlaw?  (Beechworth)

Going Down?  A Working Mine in Bendigo

Attack of the Killer Kangaroos  (Grampians N.P.)

Surviving the Streets of Melbourne

The 12 Apostles and the Great Ocean Road

The Winter Olympics, in Summer?

Beautiful Adelaide

Flinders Ranges National Park

Beware of Killer Gum Trees

Woomera: A Modern Day Ghost Town

The Cave Men of Coober Pedy

John's 400-Mile Outback Mail Run  (Coober Pedy)

The Stuart Highway: Road Trains, Roos, & Roadhouses

Ayers Rock

A Town Called Alice  (Alice Springs)

The Alice Springs Telegraph Station

The Flying Doctors  (Alice Springs)

Australia's "School of the Air"  (Alice Springs)

The Aborigines

Crocodile Dundee's Pub  (McKinlay)

Waltzing Matilda: Exposed

The Amazing Little Town of Winton

Warning: This Continent May Be Hazardous to Your Health

The GREAT Great Barrier Reef  (Port Douglas)

Easter Weekend in Airlie Beach

Cruising Through The Whitsunday Islands

Fraser Island

Brisbane (Oops, I Mean Brizbun)

The Crocodile Hunter's Australia Zoo

My Impressions of Australian Music

Thoughts of a Solo Traveler

Friends Across The Sea  (Newcastle)

Completing the Loop in Sydney

Homeward Bound

My Impressions of Australia

A Much-Too-Brief Summary of My Trip Overseas

Previous Roadtrips

Road Trips: 1980 - 1984

Road Trips: 1985 - 1989

Road Trips: 1990 - 1994

Road Trips: 1995 - 1999

Close Ups

My 10 Favorite National Park "Hidden Jewels" 

My 10 Favorite State Parks in the U.S. 

My 20 Favorite Drives in the U.S. 

Highway 101 Travel Tips:  Northern California, Oregon, and Washington 

Highway 101 Camping Tips:  Northern California, Oregon, and Washington  

Utah:  Mormons and Polygamy

Traveling Through Southern Utah 

Weather in the Midwest

The 1862 Homestead Act

North Dakota's One-Room Country Schools

The Comanche Mystery Solved

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (Florida)

The Best and Worst of the 50 States

The Best and Worst of My Trip, So Far

Ace's Great Spaghetti Sauce 

My Award-winning Three-Alarm Chili

My Brother's French Bread Monterey

Krispy Kreme Donuts

Lutefisk

My Toyota Truck

My Not-So-Profound Observations on America

The Most and Least Expensive Gas Stations in America

What's "Survivor"?

Camping in the U.S.

My Home Page on "The Waltons"

The Story of The Waltons

The Waltons Cast

The Waltons Episode List

The Waltons Introductions

Introduction: First Season

Introduction: Second Season

Introduction: Third Season

My Visits to Schuyler, VA  (1985 & 2001)

The Rockfish Post Office Dogs

My Favorite "Waltons" Episodes

"The Conflict" (#51-52)

Waltons Trivia

Earl Hamner's Acting Debut (#26)

The Story of Martha Corinne (#51-52)

That Beguiling Darlene Carr (#68)

The Waltons' Screen Doors

The Rockfish Post Office

The Rockfish Post Office Dogs

Waltons Links and Other Info

Family History

Summary of My Family's History

My Father's Ancestors:  Map and Photo Essay 

Ransom Myers (Civil War Sergeant) 

The Family Tree

My Mother's Ancestors:  Map and Photo Essay 

Henry and Carolina Reinhard  (Minnesota Homesteaders in the 1870s)

Ole and Birgit Svang  (South Dakota Homesteaders in the 1880s)

The Svang Homestead (Webster, South Dakota)

More Photos of the Webster, South Dakota Area 

The Swang Mystery

Helga Swang (My Grandmother) 

Anna Swang (My Great-Grandmother) 

U.S.S. Neosho (AO-23)

Specifications of the U.S.S. Neosho

The Four U.S.S. Neoshos

Photo Gallery of the U.S.S. Neosho

The Pearl Harbor Attack (Dec. 7, 1941)

Prelude to War:  Conflict in the Far East

Bill Leu's Early Years

The U.S.S. Neosho at Pearl Harbor

Interview with Bill Leu: Pearl Harbor Attack

U.S. Navy Action Report: U.S.S. Neosho

The Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942)

The Battle of the Coral Sea:  Summary

Battle Action:  April 30 - May 4, 1942

Battle Action:  May 5 - May 7, 1942

Battle Action:  May 8, 1942

The U.S.S. Neosho at Coral Sea

May 7, 1942:  The Attack

May 8, 1942:  Waiting For Rescue

May 9, 1942:  Fading Hope

May 10, 1942:  Neosho Sighted

May 11, 1942:  Rescue

List of Survivors & Casualties

Interview with Bill Leu:  Battle of the Coral Sea

U.S. Navy Action Reports:  Coral Sea

Action Report of the U.S.S. Neosho

Action Report of the U.S.S. Sims

U.S.S. Helm Report

Other Ships at Coral Sea

The U.S.S. Sims  (Neosho's Escort)

The U.S.S. Henley  (Neosho's Rescuer)

The U.S.S. Helm  (Rescuer of Life Raft)

Coral Sea Scrapbook

S.F. Examiner Article, July 10, 1942

Aftermath

President Bush's Speech at Pearl Harbor

Seattle Times Article:  Bill Leu at Pearl Harbor

Obituary of Captain John S. Phillips

Further Information & Sources

SACO:  The Sino-American Cooperative Organization

SACO Veteran's Forum

Bill Leu

Earl Couse

Henry Tucker

Humor

Funny Photos - America 

Funny Photos - New Zealand

Funny Photos - Australia

In Memorium

Amy (Eggertsen) Bruce 

About This Site

Update Maps

United States Update Map

New Zealand Update Map

Australia Update Map

Privacy

My Biases and Preferences

Why I'm Responsible for the Current Recession

My Thanks

Site Statistics

RAQ  (Rarely-Asked Questions)

Who Am I?

Site Map

Music

My 10 Favorite Albums

Music Help 

Links

Contact Me