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Retiree celebrates 75th touring Mediterranean island

By Scott Richardson
srichardson@pantagraph.com

CALTAGIRONE, Sicily -- May 13, 2008, was a special date for Bill Vaughn of the Twin Cities.

He turned 75 that day. He ended a bike tour of Sicily with wife, Jane, and in-laws Arnie and Barb Lizakowski of Bloomington. And, Mount Etna, Sicily's volcano, picked that day to erupt.

The birthday fireworks were the kind of event Vaughn has sought during his active retirement after he finished a career at State Farm Insurance Cos. in the late 1990s. He's shunned the easy chair to travel places both near and far.

"All told, a little more than 50 countries," he said. "I'm not sure I could pinpoint a reason. I'd have to say it's curiosity."

Vaughn likes to do volunteer work on some of the get-aways. He's helped restore ghost towns in Arizona and gone with archeologists from his alma mater, the University of Alabama, to unearth American Indian artifacts. On other adventures, he's white-water rafted in the Grand Canyon, a trip documented not long ago in the Sunday GO! section.

He likes the intimacy of traveling by bike. In the United States, he pedaled on the eastern seaboard, the Black Hills of South Dakota, his native Alabama and northern Florida, among other places. Overseas, he's biked in Denmark and elsewhere.

"I find it much more pleasurable," he said. "You have people who want to stop and talk to you. On a bike, you can stop and get the photograph you want. ...It's a different feel. If you were on a bus tour, you wouldn't get that."

The bike tour was a first for Arnie and Barb Lizakowski, who are also retirees from State Farm along with Barb's sister, Jane, who is Vaughn's wife. It won't be their last.

"You get off the beaten path," Arnie Lizakowski said.

Vaughn trusts arrangements to Elderhostel, a travel agency geared toward older clients. Elderhostel arranged for Connecticut-based International Bicycle Tours to lead the adventure to Sicily, a place he's wanted to see for some time.

"I was fascinated by it. It was one of those kind of mythical things you have in the back of your mind. You think, 'That ought to be beautiful.' And, it was," Vaughn said.

Edlerhostel promised a study of the Italian island's agriculture, history and archeology.

"And, that's what we did - on the bike," Vaughn said.

The bicycles were hybrids - comfort machines designed for folks who may or may not have ridden much before they arrived.

Day trips averaged about 25 miles. A leader rode at the head of the column of 24 cyclists, who ranged from 55 to somewhere in their 80s. One couple celebrated a 60th wedding anniversary this year.

When it came time to make a turn, the leader asked one of the riders to be the "corner" who stayed put to direct other riders on the right route. Each morning, a "sweep" was chosen to ride at the very end of the group. No one was allowed to fall behind the sweep, who was in contact with the leader by cell phone. A van carried extra bikes, supplies and tired cyclists.

Sicilian motorists treated them with courtesy.

"They were exceedingly polite. They would signal for us to go even when they had the right-of-way," Vaughn said.

In a country where bike travel is common, Italian laws give equal status to vehicles and the two-wheelers. The International Bicycle Tour group met as many as 18 other bicycle tours along the way, including some from Canada and Germany.

They rode public roads. Their only problems were occasional rain and wind that could be brisk.

"My wife said it was the only time she ever had to pedal downhill at a 45 degree angle," Vaughn joked.

Some meals were planned. At other times, the group fanned out in a town to find places to eat off the beaten path. Most restaurants were not crowded, lending a sense of private dining. One note - a custom in Sicily is to list food in no particular order on a single check even for groups. Figuring out who owed what when no one speaks or reads the language led to some comical scenes when it came time to pay, Vaughn said.

Nights were spent in comfortable hotels. The van driver usually had everyone checked in and was waiting with keys when the group pedaled up to the entrance.

The group was sometimes bussed to see sights like ancient ruins on mountain tops where bicycles were not allowed or the going was too tough.

According to bestofsicily.com, the island is the largest in the Mediterranean. Much of it is mountainous or hilly. Mount Etna is its highest peak and Europe's largest active volcano. Scientists think the island was once part of the mainland.

Bestofsicily.com calls the country the "perfect choice" to learn about the history and culture of Western civilization in a single place. Sicily features everything from Phoenician ruins to ancient Greek temples and amphitheaters, Roman settlements and Norman-Arab churches and palaces. Among other stops, the group visited Siracusa, where town records date to 263 B.C.

"We think they weren't so advanced artistically, architecturally," Vaughn said. "Then you see that and say, 'my God.' You get a sense of how they lived. I look out across the way standing in a ruin and see the valleys and the mountains and wonder what was it like back then. It's beautiful now. It couldn't have changed that much. It must have been gorgeous."

Vaughn's favorite was the sea.

"I love the Mediterranean," he said as he described a visit to a fish auction. "Every kind of fresh seafood was lined up."

Open for tours, the catacombs of Palermo featured open burials. Vaughn, who worked in his brother's funeral home during his college years, was fascinated by the good condition of the mummified remains.

He also enjoyed a visit to one of the island's many modern greenhouse farms where automated systems grow vegetables indoors. The one the group toured produced 23 million plants annually. The facility is a major supplier of seeds to the U.S., Canada and Holland.

Arnie Lizakowski said he was impressed by the Valley of the Temples.

"I was really in awe of the Roman ruins (at Agrigento)...I didn't realize the Romans, the Greeks were so involved in Sicily, the Carthaginians, the Normans," he said.

Lectures along the way included an overview of the role of the Mafia in Sicilian history.

"It was very insightful to how the people accept, even to this day, in Italy and Sicily the role of mafia played. It was fully recognized, yeah, they are still there," Lizakowski said.

Other stops included a convent, churches, a nature preserve and the Neapolis Archeological Park, where huge caves were once used as prisons and bomb shelters during WW II.

At the end of the bike tour, the Vaughns and Lizakowskis rented a car and drove to Mount Etna, where the volcanic subsoil was hot to the touch. Though cars take precaution to insure cyclists are safe, Lizakowski said the same apparently is not true when it comes to motorists worried about other motorists. Cars cram on ancient narrow streets and park helter skelter. As a former businessman in the insurance industry, he was aware of significant damage apparent on many cars.

"The man from Avis (where they rented an auto) said they replace their cars every six months," he said.

Another word of caution; Vaughn said road signage is rare in Sicily. Route signs are limited to towns.

"If you're on the wrong road, you are on the wrong road a while. It's just another adventure, just another adventure in life," Vaughn said.

If you go

Elderhostel: Visit www.elderhostel.org for information on trips worldwide. Destinations are classed by places and/or activities.

International Bicycle Tours: Since 1976, IBT has specialized in bike and barge tours for mature travelers who prefer active vacations. Phone (860) 767-7005 or visit www.international-bicycletours.com

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Cyclists ride along the Gulf of Gela en route to Marina. (For the Pantagraph/Bill Vaughn)

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