"Path Between The Seas" is a book written by David McCullough. It is a 698 page book about the digging of the Panama Canal. I have just finished reading this book. It was of special interest since in a couple of weeks, Lord willing, Ann and I will be on a cruise which includes a trip through the Big Ditch.
We are the blessed recipients of a 15 day cruise that originates in Fort Lauderdale and ends in San Diego! James Duprie (son-in-law) and family are going. His sister and her husband the Routh family of Austin are our hosts. It is a trip of a lifetime. We will stop in Cartagena, Colombia; Puerto Limon in Costa Rica; Huatulco, Mexico; Acapulco; Puerto Vallarta; and Cabo San Lucas. All our nights will be aboard ship, The Celebrity Constellation.
I have been on one other cruise. It was aboard the USS Butner. We sailed from New York to Bremerhaven, Germany. There were over 6,000 happy travelers. A train awaited our arrival at Bremerhaven, which took us to the ancient city of Mainz, Germany. There we would be guests of the US Government for eighteen months as a part of the final Army of Occupation, following World War II. This was in 1955-1956.I am hopeful our accommodations and travel comfort will have improved a bit! We fly out of Dallas December 17 and board ship December 18. Scheduled to arrive at San Diego, January 2.
A word about the canal: The French first tackled this project. After a venture lasting more than a decade they threw in the towel and quit,estimating it had cost 287 million dollars and more than 20,000 lives, mostly from yellow fever and malaria. They left a huge gash in the land and many millions of dollars of rusting equipment. Teddy Roosevelt saw a way the US could do the job. In 1913 the work was completed. Through those years yellow fever and malaria were brought under control. It remains virtually the same today, perhaps the greatest engineering project ever. I am hopeful to see it Christmas Eve.
