I’ve been visiting the William Lindesay family in China for two weeks as they’ve taken me to points all along the entire Great Wall. You can read the backstory at my website or here on my blog along with all my posts while in China.

Rocky River, Ohio USA
Monday, September 28, 2026
5:50 PM

We’re home! Exhausted but happy. A good tired.

This has been a great journey on so many levels it will take some time to unfold and examine the layers of meaning and importance. I’ll share this with you, however this will be the last daily post in this series. I will post periodic follow-ups for some to come. I still have tons of pictures, video and stories I’ve not yet posted here,

Our Flight Home

Back in Beijing William and Qi got David and me to the Beijing Capital International Airport and walked us through the process until we reached a security point beyond which they couldn’t pass. It was a big help as the airport is huge and busy. Their ability to talk with airport personnel in native Chinese was an invaluable assist, of course.

The flight from Beijing to New York’s JFK Airport was uneventful though arduous. We flew what Air China calls “Economy Premium” Class which allowed excellent legroom, but the seats were still narrow and squeezed. Any flight lasting 15 hours is going to be taxing, but we’ve decided we’ll never fly internationally again in less than Business Class. It costs more, but will be worth it!

Flying Past Presque Isle, Michigan

We discovered a fun fact watching the monitor display our route heading home. Air China flys far north from Beijing, then heads east crossing Canada into the U.S. 

The route passes very near Presque Isle, Michigan, which is located just a 20-minute drive north of Alena (shown on this map). Presque Isle is where my brother John lived and where William Lindesay found the long lost Geil archive.

Then farther south, we flew just west of Rochester, New York, where my sister, nephew and his wife live. 

Being back home will be an adjustment. People won’t be clamoring for my autograph. Journalists won’t be asking for interviews. Still photographers or TV crews won’t be following me around. Alas, my 15 minutes of fame has passed. 🙂

I’m still Geil’s grandson, but it’s not a big deal here in the U.S. — not yet. 

One Wall, Two Williams, Three Nations

I know from this trip that I want to help make my grandfather a big deal in America. I need some rest and have family responsibilities that require my attention, but in concert with William Lindesay in China I hope to devote time to promoting the Great Wall story here in the land where William Edgar Geil came from. 

The Great Wall is more than a structure, huge and magnificent though it is. If I hadn’t grasped it before, I came to understand through a quote from my grandfather that I first heard on this trip in China:

“
The power that built the Great Wall believed that it was better to lay stones than to throw them.

To me that’s everything. The Wall is about humanity. It aligns with my life values and work going back to high school if not before, and here I find that my grandfather and I have more in common than I knew.

William Lindesay has talked about “wall fever,” and the Lindesays half humorously and half seriously call themselves “wallnuts.” Well, I’ve contracted that fever and am becoming a wallnut too. 

Unfinished Business 

I don’t know if I’ll ever return to China and the Great Wall or not. It’s a serious distance to travel, but I’d like to. We made it to the western terminus of the Wall, but not to the eastern terminus called the Dragon’s Head where the Wall meets the sea. I thought we were going to on this trip, so this leaves some unfinished business. Visiting the Great Wall still remains on my bucket list.

Another reason to return are the exhibitions that William Lindesay hopes to present across China. I should love to attend one. (Of course William also hopes for exhibitions in Great Britain, and the United States as well. And beyond.)

Thanks & Gratitude

Whatever the future holds, it’s time for me to bring this present trip to a close. This Great Wall Journey has been a profound experience of a lifetime. I am so grateful and appreciative to William Lindesay, Qi and Tommy for a magnificent two weeks. They took David and me under their wings, looking after our safety and comfort. And they opened our eyes to a world we could not have experienced without them. Lots of people go to the Great Wall, but not many get to see China deep in its heartland or stand on the rugged “Wild Wall” away from the tourist areas.

The moment I first set foot on the Great Wall was magical. There are not words to fully convey the feeling in that moment.

Stay Tuned

I’m going to take a break for a few days but will return with a series up periodic supplements to this series of blog posts. There are things to share which I couldn’t fit within the space and time available. Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks as I circle back. Everything can always be found by going to the category Great Wall of China here in Just Sayin’ Now.