The Fenians were Irish republican revolutionaries that sought to achieve the independence of Ireland from the British Empire in the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. In 1867, they attempted a rising in Ireland which was co-ordinated with raids into Canada from the United States. Although the rising failed, the IRB continued in existence and played a central part in the establishment of the Irish Free State. The British imprisoned many Fenians after the rising, many taken on the convict ship Hougoumont to Fremantle, Western Australia in 1868. From 1869-1871, many of the imprisoned Fenians were pardoned, but a a small group of "military" Fenians remained in Western Australia's penal system. In 1874, prisoner James Wilson secretly sent a letter to New York City journalist John Devoy, who worked to organize a rescue. Using donations collected by Devoy from Irish-Americans, Fremantle escapee John Boyle O'Reilly, then living in Boston, purchased a merchant ship, Catalpa, and sailed her to international waters off Rockingham, Western Australia. On this date in 1876, Wilson and five other Fenians working outside the prison walls boarded a whaleboat O'Reilly had dispatched, were taken aboard Catalpa, and escaped to New York, arriving August 19. As always, Wikipedia has lots more detail and intrigue! Credit: https://w.wiki/LVTm Lithograph: E. N. Russell, Public Domain https://w.wiki/LVUV Today I needed to go to Campbell to pick up my '67 Beetle from the shopt, to take it tor the VW show in San Jose Sunday. Last month, I rode back from Campbell after dropping the Beetle, and I wanted to ride back to pick it up. I had a blast! The weather was perfect, sunny and cool. I don't remember how long it was since I rode up Mountain Charlie, but I had forgotten how hard it is! There are a few really steep bits in the middle. But I just slowed down on those bits, and it felt fine. The descent from Summit Road also was a lot more work than I remembered! Steep, windy descent. I had to wait for a flag crew for about ten minutes. Totally worth it, as they were repairing the asphalt surface, always a good thing. Once I got past the dam, I rode Los Gatos Creek Trail literally all the way to the VW shop. It's a very nice trail, gravel for a bit, but mostly paved. In Los Gatos, I took care to cross Highway 17 at Old Town in Los Gatos on the pedestrian bridge. When I rode the route last month, RideWithGPS routed me away from that bridge, for some reason. It's one of my favorite memories, so I didn't want to miss it again! I first found that pedestrian bridge so fascinating when I was about ten years old. My family often visited the potters, artists, and theater at Old Town, and I would wander around on my own. Eventually I found the bridge and wandered out to the middle, marveling at the cars whizzing by just below. Hah! I'll bet Highway 17 was just two lanes, undivided, in the 1960s. The bridge is still there, unchanged, more than 50 years later. (Old Town is no more, alas.) But how did I never discover the Forbes Flour Mill (https://w.wiki/LVgF) at the east end of the bridge until today? I took some pictures. The sign said it was open, but I tried the door, and it didn't open.