Tom's Last Deal

Tom's love of travel included pressing his senior citizen status to the limit. Free cup of coffee, 10% discount, Grampa's rate into a ballgame - he was like a kid getting away with something!    When he turned 62, 11 years ago, he purchased a Golden Age Passport -  Lifetime Admission Permit  to the National Park system.  I think it cost around $40.  He just loved it!  We visited and sometimes camped in the Parks many times over the next 6 or 7 years.

Sometime during those years he decided he would like to have his ashes scattered at Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes National Lakeshore.  We tent camped in the area in August 2006, 2007 and 2008  - Tom pushed his evermore fragile body into Lake Michigan no matter how frigid and usually was able to coax me in too.  Pete and Luanne went in the summer they camped with us, but I think they prefer the tropics.

So Sleeping Bear was his long term wish, then only a few days before he died, he asked me if I would see if it was possible distribute his ashes at Albion College.  Albion's president, Donna Randall, said they were honored and we found a perfect spot near the football field to honor Tom and lay him to rest. Photos of Tom at the Lakeshore and at Albion will help you understand his love for both.

But the story everybody says "write down!" is this:

Shelley and Peter and I drove our rented car from the Detroit airport to Glen Arbor, Michigan on Thursday night  so that we would be close to the park the next day and have plenty of time there before continuing on to Albion.  We planned to leave ashes in both places. We had a nice breakfast, then set out for the park.  There was a Ranger station at the entrance and a $10 admission.  Peter was driving and I leaned over him to flash Tom's Golden Age Passport at the lady Ranger.  She smiled sweetly, said "You're good!", and waved us through. We drove on into the parking lot, chortling.  Don't you know Tom is proud??

So we climbed the dunes as far as I would agree to go - still one big dune between us and the lake - took some photos, talked about being here before with Tom, then got back in the car to find a place to fulfill our mission. A little further south, there is a Scenic Drive into the dunes.  You turn off the highway onto it and there is another Ranger station.  Another $10.

This Ranger was eager to be good at his job.  He asked to actually see the pass I was waving at him. He looked at it then leaned out the window to peer at us.

"Whose pass is this?" he asked, 

I said "Oh, he's with us, you see......"

"I don't see him," he interrupted. Obviously there was no senior citizen Tom Gutherie in the car. 

I told him why we were there and why we felt it appropriate that we be able to use the pass.  He looked at me blankly - long enough for Peter to start to bring out his wallet.  Then he handed Peter back the pass and waved us on.

"Thanks," we all said.

"You know you can't do this again, now, don't you?" the young man said as we pulled away.

Grin

Photos of our trip to honor Tom are here

Thanks for asking!  Next time I'll tell about all the things Tom built - power plant, shipping port, croquet court..... Tom the Builder.