Over the last three years and eight months, I’ve posted a Karl Chronicle every Saturday at 9:00 am Atlantic Time—well, almost every Saturday. Time zones have occasionally thrown a wrench in my routine. Still, with a determination as strong as Karl Creelman’s, I’ve documented my journey as I follow in his footsteps around the world.
Last week marked an extra-special milestone: the Bicentennial Chronicle! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who RSVP’d and shared their dream dining companions for the exclusive supper at the Explorers Club.
Today, Dear Reader, I’m thrilled to present a full summary of highlights from the last 200 chronicles. Consider this your ultimate recap of Karl’s—and my—adventures.
For this 200th Chornicle, let me catch you up. Here’s our story to date in 200 highlights, but if you are new to our adventure, start here are 150 Highlights from 150 Chronicles
201. Louise shared her personal experience describing her Indian massage escapade in Munnar, an odyssey through cold marble floors, impromptu origami artistry, and the lingering fragrance of mysterious oils.
202. Then we left India and Karl and I headed to Egypt. Kar on the SS Warrington Hall up the Suez Canal, which had opened thirty years earlier. Its strategic importance was facilitating quicker trade routes between Europe and Asia, eliminating the need for circumnavigating Africa.
203. Our journey started in the bustling metropolis of Cairo. When Karl arrived, it was the considered the capital of modern Egypt with a population of 250,000 people. When Louise arrived the population was estimated to be about 10 million.
204. Karl ventured to the top of the Citadel of Saladin first on a tram and then on the back of a donkey. Louise opted to take a taxi. Both travellers marvelled at the views of Cairo and Loise relished listening to the call to prayer in the "City of 1,000 Mosques".
205. The “new” Egyptian museum wasn’t ready for Karl or Louise. Karl's visit 122 years ago, where he explored an older museum in Giza just ahead of the inauguration of the brand-new museum in Cairo. Louise got to see that museum but really wanted to the the “new” museum which was delayed.
206. Although the Grand Egyptian Museum wasn’t ready during Louise’s visit, there was undoubtedly a renewed focus on "repatriation" efforts.
207. After Karl left Egypt, the tomb of King Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922. Louise ventured out to the Valley of the Kings with its dense limestone caves and tunnels serving as the final resting place for Ancient Egyptian pharaohs and nobility. Oh, and she saw Tut’s toes!
208. Seeing King Tut led to a deep dive into mummification, and upon learning that the Egyptians mummified animals, Louise visited the Crocodile Museum in Kom Ombo, where 22 crocodile mummies are displayed.
209. Is there any monument more quintessential to Egypt than the pyramids? But before venturing to the “Great Pyramids of Giza”, the first stop was to the Step Pyramid or Saqqara Pyramid - the first of the pyramids, constructed over 4500 years ago.
210. Louise and Karl both stood in the shadows of the Great Pyramids of Giza—some of the most magnificent structures of history. The pyramids are royal tombs built for three different pharaohs.
211. After seeing the pyramids, Karl hopped on the back of a camel and rode the 100 yars to the Sphinx. Karl couldn’t see much of the details back in 1901 as the shifting sands had buried the Sphinx up to its shoulders. highlighted the shifting sands, burying the Sphinx up to its shoulders for millennia. The efforts led by Egyptian archaeologist Selim Hassan in the late 1930s successfully freed the statue from its sandy shroud, so Louise was glad to see it when she did.
212. Karl travelled from Cairo to Alexandria, while Louise travelled to Aswan, then headed back north, up the Nile River from Aswan to Luxor visiting various Egyptian temples.
213. In Luxor, Louise visited the Karnak Temple and the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
214. While Louise was taking a thousand photos of temples, Karl had biked up to Alexandria. Named after Alexander the Great when he conquered ancient Egypt in 332 BC, Alexandria was, for hundreds of years, Egypt's capital and the site of the Pharos (lighthouse), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
215. Karl visited some catacombs and had this to say: “The Catacombs were interesting to see, and makes one feel creepy as he travels underneath the ground, along old vile smelling corridors and into burial vaults where people were buried thousands of years ago.” So with that endorsement, Louise entered the 65-foot deep shaft leading to the Catacombs of Kom el-Shaqafa in Alexandria.
216. The Library of Alexandria was already destroyed by the time Karl arrived, but he was too early for the new Library –– the Bibliotheca Alexandrina ––unveiled in 2002, paying homage to its ancient predecessor.
217. In this chronicle summarizing what we saw along the way in Egypt, Karl departed on a working vessel to England and Louise boarded a flight.
218. On route to England, Karl’s boat docked in Malta, so Louise shared some photographs of the main island of Malta and the capital city of Valetta.
219. When Karl arrived in England, London was the capital of the British Empire. The city during Karl’s visit was a melting pot of contrasts, where the grandeur of landmarks constructed under Queen Victoria’s reign — Ben Ben, Houses of Parliament, Royal Albert Hall, and Tower Bridge coexisted with the grit of crowded streets and the daily chore of cleaning up after 300,000 horses! But Louise was more nostalgic remembering her first trip to London at age, eight, when she had a pink sweater-wearing monkey on my shoulder.
220. Karl only had a limited amount of time to explore London, or should we say, he didn’t have enough Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
221. Louise was surprised as she arrived on Karl’s trail in Cardiff; the TARDIS materialized, and she explored the city with Dr. Who!
222. The Inn Keeper wrote a message for Karl in his autograph book saying: “Y mae hyn brawf y bod Mr. Carl M. Creelman wedi aros gyd a mi yn jaerdydd ar eu jylchdaith on Byd ar en Jeffye harn yu y New Sea Lock Hotel, yu jymny”. So Louise offered a brief tutorial on how to speak and read welsh as a welcome to Wales, or Croeso i Gymru.
223. Karl's trip started in Cardiff and ended in Chester, England. Instead, Louise opted for a clockwise journey, making stops in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Aberystwyth, Snowdonia, Portmeirion, Caernarfon, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch*, Conwy, and then to Chester sharing some facts and tips to inspire more travellers to Wales.
224. In Liverpool, Karl boarded a cargo steamer called the SS Mantinea to head across the Atlantic Ocean back to Canada. But Louise had yet to explore Karl’s travels to the northeast of England so she set out to Hull.
225. There was an “interesting interview” in Liverpool, and we learned at this juncture, Karl had cycled up to date 11,000 miles, with 1,300 miles on foot, and 31,000 miles by sea. He was wearing his third suit of clothes and ninth pair of boots, wearing out three sets of tires.
226. Retracing Karl's journey to the northeast of England was a walk down memory lane for Louise, as this is where she was born and spent her childhood. It warmed her heart to know Karl travelled through her hometown and wrote to the Truro news saying: “I like the people of Newcastle first class made a lot of friends there and have invitations to go back but do not expect to go.”
227. Then Karl and Louise spent the day at Alnwick Castle - Karl was captivated by the seven figures in medieval armour adorning the castle's battlements while Louise instead watched visitors taking daily broomstick training sessions recreating Harry Potter's iconic flying lessons filmed at this castle.
228. Before crossing the northern border to Scotland, Louise sidetracked to visit Bamburgh Castle and Holy Island. Then Karl shared: “I crossed the river Tweed on the 8th of May, and arrived at Berwick, which is neither in England nor Scotland, so the people about there told me. Geographically it is in Scotland, but politically in England.”
229. Karl’s arrival in England kickstarted a trio of visits to England during his global adventure. There were some lovely messages written to Karl in his autograph book and unique stamps from the postmasters he met along his journey.
230. Because Louise isn’t following Karl’s journey in the exact chronology, we left England to return to North America, specifically picking up the trail in Crownest, British Columbia.
231. West of Fernie, Karl encountered many immigrants seeking new lives as ranchers or miners, but he also encountered an early arrival of snow and sleet and had to walk his bicycle for miles. Louise found old photographs of William Fernie, the prospector who founded the Crowsnest Pass Coal Company and town namesake.
232. The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) had just opened stations in Elko and Cranbrook in preparation to start exporting those minerals being mined. Louise visited the Leitch Colliery, now a historical site, one of Canada's major coal-producing areas at the turn of the twentieth century.
233. Karl wrote a letter to his younger sister Mattie from Moyelle (now Moyie), British Columbia. He used telegram paper from the Canadian Pacific Railway.
234. Karl arrived in the “Mild West” because before his travels, the North-West Mounted Police, aka the “Mounties”, was established by the Canadian Government to ensure the new frontier of Canada’s west was safe.
235. In 1899, the mines in British Columbia were full of lead, silver, copper and gold. Karl prophesied it would not be long until British Columbia became the “greatest mining country in the world.”
236. During this time, the prospectors were flocking to Rossland with the lure of gold from Red Mountain. Louise could step back in time at the Rossland Museum, built on the Black Bear/Le Roi Mine site. The museum offered a great opportunity to learn more about the region through its excellent permanent exhibits on the Rossland Mine, Ross Thompson, geology, crimes, prohibition, brothels, and skiing history.
237. Mining wasn’t only lucrative, it was also risky for the health and safety of miners. Long hours, low pay, and the constant threat of injury or death were the norm in the mines. This was true during Karl’s time and even today, mining remains one of the most dangerous industries.
238. While in Rossland, Karl wrote a letter on the stationary of the Knights of Pythias a fascinating organization with deep roots, established in Washington, DC, in 1864.
239. Two railway lines connected Rossland, Canada, to Spokane, Washington. Karl crossed the border into America at Sheep Creek. Louise crossed at the same location but it was renamed Paterson.
240. Karl was featured in an article in The Spokane Chronicle on October 23, 1899. Louise wasn’t featured in the news but visited the “Review Building” which houses the offices of the Spokane’s principal newspaper.
241. Karl and Louise travelled to Ellensburg from Spokane. Then Louise ventured on to Leavenworth a town transformed in the 1960s into a Bavarian-themed village to attract visitors - it worked!
242. Before the mid-1890s, there were fewer than 25 bicycles in Seattle. But by 1899, the biking craze that led Karl to travel the world was evident in America, too, with approximately 10,000 bicyclists in Seattle.
243. Karl arrived in Seattle six months after the great fire of June 1889. Although there was an immediate commitment to rebuild the city after the destruction, it was far from being the vibrant city it is today. Much of what we associate Seattle, including the iconic Space Needle arrived after the World Fair in 1962.
244. After leaving Seattle, Karl cycled northbound to Vancouver. Louise reflected on the contributions of Captain George Vancouver and his accomplishments in navigating the islands off the coast of Washington and British Columbia.
245. Louise took a detour through Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island, two of the islands of Puget Sound, easily accessible from Seattle, so Louise took her time.
246. Exploring Whatcom County and retracing Karl’s 1899 bike journey was a dive into rich history! While Karl found the muddy streets memorable, Louise found much more in Bellingham, Blaine, and Fairhaven.
247. On November 13, 1899, the Vancouver World published the following article titled: A Talk with Creelman, which included a photograph of Karl and his Red Bird. Louise was able to locate the address of the photography studio, but today, the store sells perfume.
248. Karl stayed in Vancouver for the month of November and stayed at the Oriental Hotel, which was owned and operated by a fellow Nova Scotian from Halifax.
249. Karl got an invitation to visit some fellow Nova Scotians in Port Moody, located about 13 miles east of Vancouver. In 1881, Parliament decided Port Moody would be the Western Terminus of the CPR. Although the original station was demolished, a second railway station was built, and today, it has been transformed into a Museum.
250. And here we are, Dear Reader, at the Bicentennial Karl Chronicle—a monumental milestone in this journey around the world following Karl Creelman. Last week, I extended an exclusive invitation to one lucky subscriber to join me and a host of legendary explorers for a supper at the historic Explorers Club in New York City.
After much deliberation—and great delight in reading your thoughtful RSVPs and the fascinating reasons behind your chosen seatmate—I’m thrilled to share some exciting news. Instead of limiting our dinner to 12 guests, we’ve arranged another table to accommodate our loyal Karl subscribers.
Congratulations and thank you to Gina, Deborah, Trevor, Naveed, and Wim for responding! I think you’ll love who you’re sitting beside. Your seat awaits at this unforgettable gathering of adventurers, storytellers, and trailblazers.
As a token of appreciation, I’d also like to send you a special edition 200th Karl Chronicle print. Please email your mailing address to: louisetrotterphoto@gmail.com to claim your exclusive memento. (See the print here)
For everyone else, thank you for being a part of this journey. Your enthusiasm fuels the chronicles, and I’m so grateful for every comment, share, and words of encouragement along the way. Stay tuned for what comes next as I’m nearing the end of this journey and setting out to follow Karl in Australia and Sri Lanka!
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The Karl Journey is now registered as an official expedition with the Royal Geographical Society