Adventures of the Third Lost Expedition: Epilogue – Lost in Space.

Adventures of the Third Lost Expedition:

Epilogue – Lost in Space.

CAPTAIN’S LOG, SUPPLEMENTAL: After 21 installments, the Third Lost Expedition disappeared without a trace.

There was no explanation of this radio silence in The Buffalo News. The Nightlife page of Gusto kept steadily spotlighting the bar of the week with no mention of the sipping safari. It was simply gone.

Truth be told, the expedition was scrubbed on orders from high command. The irascible Chief of Mission Control, managing editor Murray Light, pulled the plug in June 1986, declaring that this epic exploration was promoting alcoholism. Friction between the Captain and the Chief over the Captain’s outside activities also was suspected of playing a role.

Before it vanished, however, the Third Lost Expedition chalked up some significant achievements.

During its 21 sorties, it covered almost 32 miles of fabled federal Route 62 from the west side of Niagara Falls to the southern edge of Blasdell, south of Buffalo.

It visited 109 licensed establishments, usually five of them a night. They included at least four bowling alleys and four Pizza Huts, which in the opinion of some of the crew members was three Pizza Huts too many.

Size of the exploring parties varied from a mere four brave souls who took the first venture onto Route 62 in Niagara Falls on a sweltering Friday night in August 1984 to an overwhelming 21 on one of the last missions. And the Captain is happy to note that every crew member succeeded in leaving orbit and shuttling back to Earth safely.