Dot Homecoming

Dot - Operation Homecoming - 2	Bob Bogash

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This is an Update of my Status in moving my wife Dot back to her home in the Magdalen Islands. It hopefully covers the many questions for those who have been sending inquiries. Right now, we're only five weeks out, so my preps are in high gear!

For those of you who skipped the First Installment, it can be found by clicking here:

https://rbogash.com/Dot-YGR-Trip/MI-Trip.html

The above webpage detailed the reasons for moving her, and ended leaving the decision about whether to proceed, or not proceed, somewhat up in the air. Because of problems with shipping her remains by airline or trucking company, my only option was to drive her there myself. As many of you may have surmised, or guessed, I decided to proceed with this endeavor. Half my friends thought I was crazy (Guilty as charged) and the other half thought I was performing a righteous act. They are probably both right.

Some more info:

First, on going through my papers, I left out an important fact. I stated that moving her back to be with Family was important, and the reason for not doing so right after her death was because the cemetery in Havre-Aubert didn't allow reserving spots in advance. Being buried with her was of prime importance to me and so that eliminated a move at that time. Actually, in my papers, I found there was a much more definitive reason which I had forgotten - due to the Pandemic, the Border was Closed at the time and funerals and mass gatherings were prohibited. Moving her then was a non-starter.

Since then, the Border has re-opened, and I have received Havre-Aubert cemetery permission for a double burial in one grave. So, this is just a delayed action for what might have taken place earlier. A lot was going on during her final year and my brains were scrambled (still are...)

One of the reasons I created the first webpage was to throw a fly on the water and see if any fish came up and took the bait. Driving a rented truck 5000 miles (actually about 6500) at my age and with some of my medical issues was a risky undertaking - as some of my friends made abundantly clear. I have many good friends it turns out (don't know why) and 9 volunteers stepped forward to act as co-pilot. Some were even more advanced geezers than me, and so their volunteerism was more honorary than real. But, some were genuine candidates.

In the end, my good friend Jeff Vella volunteered to go the whole way. Jeff is a lot younger, much more physically fit (retired Marine and Border Protection Officer) and a helluva lot smarter than I am (although volunteering for this might call that into question....)

Two other friends have committed to be partial-trip back-ups, one taking me as far as Winnipeg, and the other from Winnipeg to Montreal. As Delta pilots, they have Pass privileges that will get them to the Canadian locations, which all are Delta stations.

On June 4th, the train got side-tracked for a while. Another Jeff, my good friend Jeff Akridge in Moses Lake, offered me use of his twin-engine Piper Seneca II. It had a large cargo door and floor and was used as an air ambulance. Two weeks of diligent flight planning showed it would reduce the 10 day trip to 2 or 3 days - a very enticing change.

I found six more friends (geez, I have a lot of friends - and a lot of them are pilots!) - who could fly the airplane, with me acting as co-pilot. I made preliminary arrangements with the Magdalen Island airport. We were excited. To ensure no last minute (bad) surprises, we decided to build a casket mock-up to ensure it would fit, but after careful measuring, we found the airplane was 8 inches too short. Drats.

I then went on a 2 month hunt for a bigger plane. Although a few possibilities surfaced, this has been basically a dry hole, so I am moving full bore ahead with detailed planning for the drive.

I've turned on the grave-diggers (at both ends). I have reserved the truck, physically checked it out, bought the tickets for the Magdalen Islands boat, as well as return air tickets from Boston (where I will drop the truck) back to Seattle. The shrink wrap man is standing by (I plan to shrink wrap the casket after exhumation.)

I've also added 8 days to the sked to provide cushion for contingencies. Now, Dot will be disinterred 8 days earlier and driven to Vancouver where a funeral home has agreed to store the casket for a week until we load and depart across Canada. Jeff and I will load the truck (some heirloom furniture is also going back to her home) and depart Hansville the following week, RON at the border the night before, and then load the casket and depart for the East. The earlier sked had a zillion things all happening in just 2 or 3 days, with lots of opportunities for mis-steps, like at the border, etc. Now, we will have time to work out any kinks.

I've continued working, refining, and honing all the details about stops enroute, motels, road conditions, etc. Forest fires, smoke conditions, road closures have all entered into the mix and I have alternates all researched as well. Still, having driven from Hansville to Havre-Aubert (and back) in a truck once before, I'm well aware about how weather and mechanical breakdowns can impact even the best laid plans. This isn't my first rodeo.

Click here for my story of our last trip.

Current Canada Wildfires

As currently planned, the exhumation will take placed the week of August 28, and our departure about Tuesday Sept 5, the day after Labor Day. Arrival in the Magdalen Islands Saturday Sept. 16, and Re-interment Monday Sept. 18. Arrival back in Seattle, Sunday, Sept. 24. Almost a month - start to finish.

As noted before, several show-stoppers are still out there. Primary is condition of the casket on exhumation. If deteriorated, the whole operation ends right there and we both will spend Eternity in Hansville. Could be worse.

Another issue remains my health, especially my vision. I now have had two eye surgeries and receive regular exams and treatments, but my eyes still remain a big problem. If, as we get closer, they become too big an obstacle, I will shut down the operation. As I told the Museum of Flight when I flew the first 727 on its last flight, I'm not gonna do anything stupid. We'll proceed only if all the stars align. (That's for PMM.)

I plan to release another update about the end of August after the exhumation, advising whether we are go for Lift-off, or not. Once we depart, depending on facilities and driver's fatigue etc, I hope to send out a daily How-Goz-It report - or at least one every few days.

July 29 is our 53rd Anniversary; she Passed 2 years ago on August 8, and August 17 is the two year mark since she has been in the ground. As Houston radioed "God Speed to the crew of Apollo 11", I say

God Speed Dot on your journey Home.

Click Here for Installment #3