I read the articles, etc. and here am presenting my speculations.
It is understandable that Paul’s children described his drive that day as “out of character.” Families naturally view a loved one through the lens of their most recent routines. Practical. Yet adult children cannot always know every memory or impulse that may guide a parent’s choices—especially after the loss of a spouse. Paul’s wife Dorothy, whom
he was said to love deeply, passed away August 7, 2019.
By the August 18, 2021, when Paul went missing, he was approaching
the second anniversary of that loss. This can be a time when many people find themselves reflecting, revisiting familiar places, or taking quiet drives connected to earlier years of life. (This makes me sad pondering such.)
Could he and Dorothy Marie have had favourite roads they used to travel? Picnic spots? Might they have gone blueberry picking in that area as a couple in their younger days? Did they frequent McKay’s Wild Blueberries in Pennfield as a couple? Did he ever hunt, fish, or work in that area decades ago? Could he simply have decided to explore a new road out of curiosity? Sometimes these trips are spontaneous or nostalgic.
His son
James said, "He "sounded a little bit off. That was the last time we heard from him." He was likely grieving IMO.
In this context, several possibilities come to mind. (speculations only)
- Paul may simply have planned to stop at a favourite place as above.
- Paul may have taken a wrong turn leaving the blueberry stand and ended up on a logging track.
- He may have been curious about where the berries were grown and driven toward the fields. Had he asked someone in the store where photographers take good photos? Did he have a phone or camera of his own?
- What was on this paper he was carrying? Instructions to a location? Paper to write a note on?
- It is highly likely that once his vehicle became stuck, he set out on foot hoping to reach help.
None of these ideas suggest anything certain—they are only attempts to understand how an otherwise ordinary outing might have led him deep into the forested logging roads north of Pennfield. Sometimes what appears “out of character” is simply a moment guided by memory, curiosity, or circumstance that no one else happened to witness.
He may have pulled off to pause quietly somewhere to grieve, and drove in too far.
