{"id":23945,"date":"2023-05-02T13:25:40","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T17:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=23945"},"modified":"2023-05-02T13:36:48","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T17:36:48","slug":"episode-811-personal-farewell-to-gordon-lightfoot-in-the-early-morning-rain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=23945","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 811 PERSONAL FAREWELL TO GORDON LIGHTFOOT…IN THE EARLY MORNING RAIN"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 811   PERSONAL FAREWELL TO GORDON LIGHTFOOT<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
may 2, 2023<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In 1960 I was a prospector in search of magnetic anomalies in he Yukon Territory,   Three months growth of beard that was reddish<\/div>\n
as my fathers.  In mid September I was heading home and \u2018missed my loved one so\u2019.  Gordon Lightfoot captured my feelings<\/div>\n
that lonely day when I sat on the ground at the mountain fringed airport in Juneau, Alaska.  Yes, it was an \u2018EARLY MORNING RAIN\u2019 <\/div>\n
that day.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cBig 707 set to go, but I\u2019m stuck here on the ground with no place to go\u201d  Gordon Lighffoots’ song titled<\/div>\n
\u2018In the early Morning Rain\u2019 is pressed indelibly in my brain .  So firmly that total recall brings back<\/div>\n
the images of mid September 1960 when I was standing behind the chain link fence of the airport<\/div>\n
at Juneau, Alaska.   Yes, I do believe it was even raining that memorable day in my life as Iwatched<\/div>\n
‘Big 707\u2019s\u2019 takeoff and land.  The landing and takeoff strip was short as Jneau was hemmed in by<\/div>\n
mountains so jet planes had to use extra power each time.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
For the past three months I had been conducting elector-magnetic mining surveys for Huntech<\/div>\n
at various sites in he Yukon Territory for $400 a month, money destined to pay my U. of T fees <\/div>\n
in my graduating year.  Marjorie and I were engaged to be married but had been separated for the<\/div>\n
duration of the Yukon job.  I longed to get home but at the same time I wanted to get the fulll<\/div>\n
experience of the magical Yukon gold rush days of the 1890\u2019s.   So my exit from the Yukon<\/div>\n
was an indirect route from Mayo Landing to Whitehorse to Skagway to Juneau to Seattle to<\/div>\n
Vanouver to Toronto.    The adventure plan.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
I was alone.  Travelling alone.  Loneliness.  My budget?  Scraping the bottom of barrel as I planned <\/div>\n
to cover the costs by cashing in my direct flight return to Toronto from Whitehorse which was<\/div>\n
covered by Huntech.  Meals were to be cold pork and beans direct from the cans.  Lodging<\/div>\n
was flop house kind.  Transport by bus to Whitehorse and the magical White Pass Railway to<\/div>\n
the dead end at Skagway then whatever I could find to travel by boat to Juneau.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
All the way serenaded by my memory edition of Gordon lightfoot\u2019s Early Morning Rain.   Memory<\/div>\n
became reality at that chain link fence as big  Boeing 707\u2019s laboured to clear the mountains.<\/div>\n
I was booked on one of those flights that day.  No extra money for hotel or food or transport.<\/div>\n
I had get out.  No money left.  \u201cSo I sat there on the ground\u2019 with no back up plan.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\"498<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Juneau<\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
\"Mt.<\/div>\n
LYRICS:  IN THE EARLY MORNING RAIN (Gordon Lightfoot)<\/font><\/div>\n
In the early morning rain with a dollar in my hand<\/span>
With an aching in my heart and my pockets full of sand<\/span>
I’m a long way from home, Lord, I miss my loved ones so<\/span>
In the early morning rain with no place to go<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
Out on runway number nine a big 707 set to go<\/span>
And, I’m stuck here in the grass where the pavement never grows<\/span>
Now, the liquor tasted good and the women all were fast<\/span>
Well, there she goes, my friend, she’ll be rolling down at last<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
Hear the mighty engines roar, see the silver wing on high<\/span>
She’s away and westward bound, far above the clouds she’ll fly<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
There the morning rain don’t fall and the sun always shines<\/span>
She’ll be flying over my home in about three hours time<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
This old airport’s got me down, it’s no earthly good to me<\/span>
And I’m stuck here on the ground as cold and drunk as I can be<\/span>
You can’t jump a jet plane like you can a freight train<\/span>
So, I’d best be on my way in the early morning rain<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
You can’t jump a jet plane like you can a freight train<\/span>
So, I’d best be on my way in the early morning rain<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/div>\n
Gordon Lightfoot<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
So the song and the setting came together in the Long Term <\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
storage part of my brain.<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
With each word of Gordon\u2019s lyrics images of that Juneau airport on a rain<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n
swept morning with a Big Boeing 707 set to go.  I would soon be on my<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
way alone and eastward bound but at that magical moment I was<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
\u2018along way from home, Lord, and missed my loved ones so in the<\/font><\/div>\n
early morning ran with no place to go.\u2019  <\/font><\/div>\n

<\/font><\/div>\n
‘So, I\u2019 best be on my way in the early morning rain.\u2019<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/font><\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/font><\/div>\n

<\/font><\/div>\n
P>S>  Just getting to Whitehorse had been an adventure.  Mayo Landing is<\/font><\/div>\n
a tiny community on the Stewar River.  The only way out was by bus sometime<\/font><\/div>\n
around mid night.  The bus driver did not show up with his bus.  Had to be<\/font><\/div>\n
awakened but his cabin was surrounded by sled dogs.  How was i to get <\/font><\/div>\n
out in time to reach Pelly Crossing and the bus to Whitehorse?  \u201cJust take the<\/font><\/div>\n
bus, keys are usually in the ignition\u201d, suggested one of my mining associates<\/font><\/div>\n
\u2026\u201dhappens all the time\u201d.  <\/font><\/div>\n

<\/font><\/div>\n
So I did.  Never drove a bus before in my life but door was open, key in ignition.<\/font><\/div>\n
\u2018 Vrroom \u2018, I was on my way in the blackness of a Yukon night.  I even picked<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
up a few passengers at the Hotel and then threaded my way carefully on the <\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
near empty highway to the Yukon River junction point.  Parked the bus and<\/font><\/div>\n
as the sun rose boarded the southbound bus to Whitehorse.<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/div>\n
   I was on my way.I  Gordon Lightfoot seems to have felt as I  did when he<\/font><\/div>\n
wrote Early Morning Rain.<\/font><\/div>\n

<\/font><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Marjorie, mom and dad were there to greet me.  Later, mom and Marjorie pinned me to the ground and cut off my red beard. I was home.<\/font><\/div>\n

<\/font><\/div>\n
alan<\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 811   PERSONAL FAREWELL TO GORDON LIGHTFOOT alan skeoch may 2, 2023 In 1960 I was a prospector in search of magnetic anomalies in he Yukon Territory,   Three months growth of beard that was reddish as my fathers.  In mid September I was heading home and \u2018missed my loved one so\u2019.  Gordon Lightfoot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23945\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}