The Martin's Blog

The following describes a 6,400 mile National Park Unit road trip to sites in OH, KY, MO, NM, CO, UT, and NE

6/11 Tu – William Howard Taft National Historic Site. Helen and I did the house tour on one of our trips to Cincy, however, I did not have any photos. So, I felt I had to return.

27^th U.S. President, 1909-1913

He was the only President to have also served as chief justice of the Supreme Court (1921-1930)

 

3hrs to Mill Spring Battlefield National Monument KY. This was the site of the Union’s first decisive Civil War victory on January 19,1862; 4,400 Union troops turned back about 5,900 Confederates. It became a National Monument in 2019.

I began my tour by walking through the adjacent National Cemetery. Union casualties amounted to 40 killed, 207 wounded, and 15 missing; Confederate losses were 125 killed, 309 wounded, and 95 missing.

Overview

I did auto tour stops 1-8 (15mi) driving from the Visitors Center south to the Cumberland River

There was an interesting 0.5mi trail at Zollicoffer Park where the fiercest fighting took place

Confederate Cemetery

Zollicoffer monument

Ferry Landing on Cumberland River

 

4.5hrs to Parker’s Cross Roads National Battlefield Park TN (Affiliated Park Unit).

In late 1862, Confederate Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest’s cavalry campaign (1800 men) in Western TN had been successful in harassing Union forces, destroying railroads, and disrupting communications. When Forest reached Parker’s Cross Roads on December 31^st, a part of Brig. Gen Jeremiah C. Sullivan’s (3000 men) Union forces under Col. Cyrus Dunham tried to cut Forest off from retreating back across the Tennessee River. Forest successfully attacked Dunham and demanded an unconditional surrender, Dunham refused.

Forest was then attacked from the north by the other part of Sullivan’s forces under Col. John Fuller. Forest ordered attacks on both fronts and then retreated across the Tennessee River to Lexington TN.

The Confederates had about 500 casualties and the Union 237. Because Forest had been successful in his Western TN campaign up to this point, and was able to escape, Confederates called this a victory. However, Union forcess claimed victory as well. A Confederate bias can be noted in this description.

In April 1864, troops under Forrest’s command massacred Union troops who had surrendered, most of them black soldiers along with some white fighting for the Union, at the Battle of Fort Pillow. Forest joined the Ku Klux Klan in 1867 and was elected its first Grand Wizard.

Drove to Dyersburg TN where I had soup and salad at a Chick-Fil-A. Afterward, the Sequoia would not start. I tried to jump the battery; that didn’t work. Then I replaced the battery (Advance Auto Parts) and it still would not start! Slept in Chick-Fil-A parking lot. Bright lights, but I had the foresight to bring eye blinders; so, I didn’t have a problem sleeping.

 

6/12 W – had Sequoia towed to Toyota dealer. A part in the shifting column had broken and they could not get it until the next day. I walked downtown, toured the county courthouse, and had lunch (5mi round-trip). Note the Confederate Monument.

I picked up about 35 aluminum cans for recycling on my way back to the dealership. They pushed the Toyota to the outside parking lot so I could sleep in it that night.

 

6/13 Th – Unlucky 13? – parts came in but no new bolts. I told them to put it together anyway. I learned how I could start the vehicle manually, even if the gear connection broke again. I was on the road by noon.

7hrs to George Washington Carver National Monument MO. We had visited here in 1982 on our way to HI.

Though closed, I was able to do the 1-mile loop trail

This was the first park to honor an African American scientist, educator, and humanitarian. He is perhaps most famous for his discovery of various ways to use peanuts.

The “Boy Carver” (tripod moved when shutter clicked)

Moses Carver Home

I stayed in a Fairfield Inn (free with points) in Oklahoma City. We have always had good experiences with them but this one was a dive.

 

I had planned to return to Fort Smith NHS AR and Chickasaw NRA OK (formerly Platt NP) for pictures but had to cancel this part of my trip due to the loss of 1.5 days

 

6/14 F – 8hrs to Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque NM. This stop was not in my plans but added when I was able to get here before the Visitor Center closed. Chad and I did the NM in 1998 on his 15-year old Road Trip.

Let’s see, at 1 park a day – that would only be 50 days; a nice two-month vacation!

Those who value National Parks –

After touring the Visitor Center, I drove a few miles north and hiked the Mesa Point Trail in Boca Negra Canyon

Those who do not value National Parks –

 

It took 1.5hrs to drive to the El Malpais NM Vis Ctr off of I40. The black areas are lava flows.

This was my third time visiting the monument. Today I concentrated on the National Conservation and Wilderness areas and started by visiting the BLM Ranger Station.

Sandstone Bluffs Overlook – where sharp lava meets smooth sandstone, elevation 6000-7000 ft

Did the hike to La Ventana Natural Arch

1hr to Airbnb in Cochiti Lake, NM; I traveled 870 miles today!

 

6/15 Sat – I was the first one at the entrance gate to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument (BLM) at 7am. There is limited parking in the monument. Only 96 vehicles are allowed in at a time. After that, you must wait for someone to leave before you can get in. Wait times may range from 30 to 90 minutes.

The hikes here were some of the best of my trip

Formation of Tent Rocks

I started with the 3mi rt Slot Canyon Trail, gain 630ft

 

Hiking through the slot canyon was great fun

More here than rocks

Start of climb to overlook

Overlook

Descending to the 1.2mi Cave Loop Trail

 

1.5hrs to Bandelier National Monument – As I was passing Santa Fe, I saw signs for Bandelier NM, which was right on my route. So, I decided to go. This was my second visit; first visit was 1982. I discovered I had to take a 20min shuttle into the monument from White Rock. Well, I just missed one, so had to wait 20min for the next one. As soon as I arrived at the Visitor Center, I picked up the monument brochure and stamped it with today’s date.

Frijoles Canyon

Because of limited time, I only did the 1.2mi Main Cliff Dwellings and Long House ruins trails.

Oval shaped Tyuonyi Ruins

1982 photo

 

Close-up of kiva

 

We were told there would be a shuttle returning at 2:30, so I hustled to make it and was there on time. However, there was no shuttle until 2:50. This snafu put me an hour behind and I was afraid I would not get to Valles Caldera National Preserve before it closed.

 

I took Rt4 W from White Rock and arrived at the Valles Caldera Visitor Contact Station at 4pm.

That gave me 1hr to enjoy the Preserve. About 1.25 million years ago, a spectacular volcanic eruption created the 13-mile wide circular depression now known as the Valles Caldera. The preserve is known for its huge mountain meadows, abundant wildlife, and meandering streams. The area also preserves the homeland of ancestral native peoples and embraces a rich ranching history.

There were hundreds of Elk but the herds could only be seen with binoculars

I got directions from the volunteer ranger to my next stop – Chaco Culture NHP. I took back roads and 4WD tracts that had recently opened after enough snow melt. I took a 4WD Rd off Rt 126 into the Santa Fe National Forest and slept in the SUV.

 

6/16 Sun – It went down to 31 degrees! I got up at 4am (full moon) and made it to a 24/7 truck stop to get warm!  It was Father’s Day; every member of the family called at some point (when I had cell service)

3.5hrs to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Rt7950 that enters the park from the NE and is poorly maintained. It is a terrible “washboard” road; so, you bump your way into the park!  Canyon was central to thousands of people between 850 and 1250 A.D.  It was good to tour in the morning before it got too hot.

This location was the Center of Chacoan Culture for the entire region

It is a World Heritage Site

I hiked to several of the “Great Houses”

My first hike was to Una Vida, the “Great House”

My next hike was to Chetro Ketl – right center

Then it was on to Pueblo Bonito, the largest great house

Pueblo Bonito had at least four stories, 600 rooms, and 40 kivas

 

I had a good time walking to and through the ruins

Next up was a walk to the Wetherill Cemetery

Pueblo del Arroyo is located at the end of the park road into Chaco Canyon

I stopped at the Casa Rinconada Community ruins a little further on along the park loop road

It was a short walk to the Great Kiva – the largest excavated kiva in the park. I found a young man there who was doing his PhD dissertation on the roads that led into the canyon and the Great Kiva. He stated that, from 800 to 1100, many well-constructed major roads extended hundreds of miles from this religious center. He pointed out how, on the summer equinox, the sun shines through a specific window of this kiva casting light on a specific alcove on the inside wall. The square formed by the four large columns that held up the roof are constructed precisely so it has north, south, east, and west sides.

I should have recorded his name; he can be seen in this photo

Fajada Butte

A 2hr drive N took me to Aztec Ruins National Monument, home of pioneering archeologist Earl Morris. These structures were not built by the Aztec Indians of central Mexico. Early explorers were inspired by histories about Cortez’s conquest of Mexico and mis-named this place Aztec.  Aztec NM advertises itself as the “Gateway to Over 300 Sandstone Arches…and counting!”

This site preserves a 900-year old ancestral Pueblo Great House of over 400 masonry rooms

Present day American Indians with ties to Aztec NM include Navajo, Hopi, Ute, Acoma, Tewa, Zia, Zuni, and others. The 15-min video explained the immigration story for many SW tribes – how their people emerged from the center of the earth (represented by the Si Pa Poo, which is a hole in the floor of every kiva) and first populated Mesa Verde, then Chaco Canyon, then Aztec Ruins, and then areas and pueblos further south.

Aztec Ruins NM has the only reconstructed kiva of the 19 SW Indian National Park Units

Photo taken through entrance

Interior, note the brick, mortar, and wood construction of the columns

 

View from opposite entrance

A walk through the ruins

I liked this embedded United States Department of Interior (USDI) plaque, elevation 5642.6

Aztec was a stop on the Old Spanish Trail

When I was leaving, I showed the ranger my 1968 Aztec brochure. She was quite excited to see it, made a copy, and had her intern take pictures of me to post on their NP website. I camped (parked) in the Pinon Loop of Navajo Lake State Park about 18mi away. They had a hot water shower! Yeah!

 

6/17 M – After a 1.5hr drive, I arrived at Chimney Rock National Monument (USFS) in southwest CO at 8am. It opened at nine, so I took a few pictures and had my standard breakfast of Honey-Nut Cheerios and an orange.

There were two nice displays at the entrance gate. Designated in 2012 by President Barack Obama, making it the seventh national monument managed by the USDA Forest Service. The Chimney Rock National Monument encompasses 4,726 acres of the San Juan National Forest between Durango and Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Chimney Rock represents one of the largest Pueblo II (900-1150 AD) communities in southwestern Colorado and is considered a Chacoan cultural “outlier.” The Chaco phenomenon was a complex system of dispersed communities bound by economic, political and religious interdependence centered in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico.   The pinnacles that give Chimney Rock its name frame multiple astronomical alignments. The Ancestral Puebloans incorporated their knowledge of astronomy into the design of their community. Today Chimney Rock is one of the best recognized archaeo-astronomical resources in North America, with alignments with the northern lunar standstill, summer solstice, equinoxes and Crab Nebula. Chimney Rock preserves 200 ancient homes and ceremonial buildings, some of which have been excavated for viewing and exploration: a Great Kiva, a Pit House, a Multi-Family Dwelling, and a Chacoan-style Great House Pueblo. Chimney Rock is the highest in elevation of all the Chacoan sites, at about 7,400 feet above sea level.

You are not allowed to go to the Great House Pueblo near the chimney rock without a guide. So, I worked out an arrangement where I would follow the shuttle to the end of the road, do the Mesa Village Trail with the guide, and then do the Great Pueblo Trail on my own when the guide started that part of the tour. That saved me at least an hour. The guide was well informed and did a good job.

Great Kiva Trail, also called the Mesa Village Trail – 0.33mi

Great House Pueblo Trail

It was about 1mi roundtrip with a gain of 200ft. The chimney rock itself is 315ft tall

 

I ate my lunch of Triscuits, Monterey Jack cheese, and beef jerky while the Sequoia was serviced in Pagosa Springs CO. I then continued through some beautiful but sparsely populated land (Rt84 S, Rt64 E, and Rt285 S) to Rio Grande del Norte National Monument (BLM). I entered the NM at the Orilla Verde overlook.

A very steep gravel road with hairpin turns drops you into the canyon

Crossing the Rio Grande del Norte on the Taos Junction Bridge, campground on west side

An Indian family enjoying the river, boys jumping from the bridge

Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center

I did a section of the Las Minas trail by the Visitor Center in a light rain

I then drove N for over an hour to the Wild Rivers Campground. This is a large (242,455 acre), relatively new (2013), NM. I took a picture of this poster to show how the Rio Grande cuts through the Taos Plateau. I believe the mountain in the distance is Ute Mountain at 10,093ft.

Map of the NM indicating the location of the campground

The Visitor Contact Station was closed but I was able to get a photo of today’s weather and river flow posting through the gate

I did the Rio Bravo Nature Trail as the day was ending

The trail takes you to the La Junta Overlook, with a view of the confluence of the Red and Rio Grande Rivers

Rio Grande Gorge, slept in Sequoia at the Montoso Campground on the rim of the gorge

 

6/18 Tu – 5:30am 37 degrees, 2hrs to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

I arrived before the Visitor Center opened, so I hiked the Mosca Pass Trail into the National Preserve part of the park, which is a separate National Park Unit!

I hiked for about a mile and then turned around and returned to the Visitor Center

Signs around the outside of the Visitor Center

The ranger inside was excited to see my 1967 park brochure. She copied it and took my card for documentation.

Medano Creek – must cross to get to sand dunes

I visited here in 1966 while on a Road Trip with my mother and brothers Joe, Mike, and Pat, when the park was a National Monument

I visited again the next year on a 1967 Road Trip with Jay Kearney – hiking through the dunes

Climbing the Star Dune (750ft), tallest in the park

Playing – jumping off the Star Dune

It states – HI Tom and Jay

I drove the 4WD Medano Pass Road but turned around before I reached the washout point

 

I gave $10 and my can of Pringles potato chips to a homeless man on my way (2hrs) to Hecla Junction Recreation site, which is now part of Browns Canyon National Monument (BLM) in CO

The Arkansas River runs through the monument and there were many rafters and kayakers enjoying the white water. The river was up and running swiftly; note the sign – in the water

I continued N to the Fisherman’s Bridge Recreation Site, which is a popular put-in spot for rafters.

There are more rafters on the Arkansas River than any other in the U.S. Stacy and I drove through here on her 1986 15yr old road trip; unfortunately, she did not want to raft the river.

 

From here, I drove into the Ruby Mountain Recreation Site and hiked part of the Turret Trail

I didn’t realize that part of the trail was a scree slope. I had worn the wrong shoes. When I got to this point (0.5mi), I decided to return to the trailhead.

Unlike National Park Service Monuments, ATVs, Jeeps, etc. are permitted in many BLM Monuments

 

Two more hours of driving took me to Curecanti National Recreation Area

I had planned to hike the Neversink Trail in the eastern part of the NRA (right), however, it was under water!

I stopped at the Elk Creek Visitor Center and stayed longer than usual due to a strong micro-storm

Afterward, I hiked part of the Dillon Pinnacles Trail

View of the Dillon Pinnacles from across Blue Mesa Reservoir

Continuing west, I stopped at the Blue Mesa Dam Overlook

Gunnison River downstream from Dam

I continued on Rt50 to Cimarron, where the Visitor Center highlights the importance of the railroad to the area

The reconstructed Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive #278, railcars, and supporting structure were impressive

 

The sun was setting as I drove west and then into Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

My first stop was Tomichi Point Overlook

I then walked past the Visitor Center (closed) to Gunnison Point

Gunnison River, over 1,800 feet below; cutting through rock with water, weather, and time

In 1987, Stacy and I drove the entire park road stopping at many of the Overlooks/Lookouts/Views when Black Canyon of the Gunnison was a National Monument.  It became a National Park in 1999.

Painted Wall View

We hiked to Warner Point at the end of the road

I had made a lot of progress today and was ahead of my schedule, wo I decided to drive all the way to Cortez CO in order to be one full day ahead. I bought a burger in Montrose and started heading south on Rt550 at 8pm. As I drove into the mountains, I saw one of the best double rainbows I have seen in my life. It was raining but I still stopped several times for photos and even took a video.

As it turned dark, it started to storm and continued for over two hours as I drove south through the San Juan Mountains of SW CO.

1. There is a 2000ft gain in elevation from Montrose (5,807ft) to Ouray (7,792ft)
2. From Ouray to Silverton (9,320) you cross Red Mountain Pass (11,075ft)
3. From Silverton to Durango (6,512ft) you cross Molas Pass (10,910ft) and then Coal Bank Hill Pass (10,640ft)

The section from Ouray to Silverton is called the “Million Dollar Highway.” It is said that it cost one million dollars per mile to build in the 1920s. This is a difficult drive during the day in good weather. I drove it at night during a storm – torrential rain, snow/sleet, wind, fog, etc.! I encountered deer, rocks, standing water, and trees on the road. Water was crashing off the cliffs and running across the road. It was horrible driving necessitating 5-10mph on numerous blind hairpin turns. According to Wikipedia, “. . . the route is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains. Travel north from Silverton to Ouray allows drivers to hug the inside of curves; travel south from Ouray to Silverton perches drivers on the vertiginous outside edge of the highway.”

It cleared by the time I got to Durango and then it was a straight shot to Cortez on Rt160. I arrived at my Super 8 Motel after midnight for a two-night stay.

 

6/19 W – I rearranged my schedule while eating a 6am breakfast. It was a short drive to Yucca House National Monument, about 11mi S of Cortez, CO. Yucca House National Monument preserves one of the largest archeological sites in SW Colorado. The unexcavated nature of the site preserves its integrity for future generations of scientists and visitors. However, it is not a place you would likely go to as a tourist.

I came upon a mule deer while on my early morning hike around the unexcavated ruins

 

I then made a unplanned stop at the Mesa Verde National Park Visitor Center east of Cortez

This was my third visit to the park

I did both ranger tours and hikes with Jay in 1967 and Stacy in 1987

Square Tower House 1967

Cliff Palace 1967 and 1987

Kiva and Upper Level Painting

Balcony House 1987

 

The BLM Anasazi Heritage Center 10 miles N of Cortez serves as the Visitor Center for Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. It is excellent, even compared to National Park visitor centers, which are typically outstanding. It interprets the history and culture of the Four Corners region. Anasazi refers to Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the area between 1 and 1300 AD.

Many displays and interesting photos

Relative?

I did the trail to Escalante Pueblo ruins on a hill behind and above the museum

Escalante Pueblo

 

Then drove (0.5hr) to Lowry Pueblo; road hazard on County road CC

Lowry Pueblo is the only developed site in Canyons of the Ancients NM

As you can see, there is a protective roof over part of the ruins

I did the short trails in and around the Lowry Pueblo

There were 8 kivas in this Pueblo, but this was “The Great Kiva”

 

 

After touring Lowry Pueblo, I took Rt10 to Hovenweep National Monument, across the state border in UT. First stop, Visitor Center to organize my hike.

The start of my 2mi loop hike, note the Twin Towers across the canyon

I had been here in 1967 with Jay when we were on our BIG (10,000mi) “Western Road Trip.” The NM was undeveloped back then and there was no Visitor Center or established/marked/signed trails. It would not be acceptable to climb on the ruins today! Jay on top of the Twin Towers, looking back across the canyon to where I was standing in the previous picture.

Pic taken from Hovenweep Castle – Square Tower and Hovenweep House on other side of the canyon 2019

Pic taken from Hovenweep House – Square Tower and Jay leaning against Hovenweep Castle on other side of canyon 1967

Looking east at Sleeping Ute Mountain in CO

 

2hrs of backroad driving took me to Bears Ears National Monument

Now, in this photo, the rock outcrops really look like “Bear’s Ears”! It looks like the top of the bear’s head is on the other side of the ridge.

Turning on to 4WD road that ascends to the pass between the “ears.” Bears Ears NM is the 12th NM managed by the USFS; it is the fifth to be managed jointly by the USFS and the BLM.

President Obama designated Bears Ears in southeast UT as a National Monument in 2016. President Trump cut the area of the monument by 85 percent in 2017. That executive decision is being litigated. Currently the monument has a south and a north unit. Today I visited the Shash Jaa or South Unit. It is the unit that contains the “Bear’s Ears.”

As you can see, one ear is higher than the other

North of the ears, some of the amazing landscape that the Trump administration has cut from the monument

Descending from the “ears”

 

1.5hrs (including 0.5hr construction delay near entrance) to Natural Bridges National Monument. Water is available in the visitor center and the water spigot in the visitor center parking lot. Visitors are limited to 5 gallons (19L) of water per person per day. Natural Bridges has made protecting its dark sky a priority; so that people can enjoy the stunning river of light formed by the Milky Way rising over Owachomo Bridge. I thought I would be camping here but, as mentioned earlier, changed my schedule. Some have wondered how I get pictures of myself on these trips. Answer, a tripod. However, sometimes it takes a few tries!  Ten seconds is the maximum delay. I thought I would form a bridge with my legs. However, I am really forming an arch.

First stop, Visitor Center, I was blessed with wonderful weather on this trip

What is the difference between a bridge, arch, and window?

This is the Bridge View of the first of three major bridges – Sipapu Bridge

 

Horse Collar Ruin Overlook view of Sipapu Bridge

 

Bridge View of Kachina Bridge

Bridge View of Owachomo Bridge – a little above the middle of this pic

In 1967, Jay and I hiked to the bottom of the Owachomo Bridge

 

We then climbed to the top. I am standing on his shoulders in this photo.  A friend of the other man took the photo

 

On my way back to Cortez at the end of the day, I stopped on County road G and did part of the Sand Canyon Trail in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument

 

6/20 Th– 2hrs from Cortez to the Indian Creek Unit (i.e. what remains of the north unit) of Bears Ears National Monument. My first stop was at Newspaper Rock

Rt211 is the only paved road in and out of The Needles, or south section, of Canyonlands National Park. It goes right through the Bridger Jack Mesa in Bears Ears NM.  A beautiful drive –

 

The Canyonlands National Park Needles are named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone

Wooden Shoe Arch

My first hike was the 0.6mi Pothole Loop Trail

Which led to a nice view of “The Needles”

The next hike was the 2.4mi Slickrock Trail, that provided a 360-degree view of the park

Follow the cairns – Little Spring Overlook

Big Spring Canyon Overlook

View of Elephant Hill

0.6mi Cave Spring Loop Trail

Trail took you to a historic Cowboy Camp, under an overhang

And to Cave Spring, it provided a nice respite from the sun – watch your head!

Going Up

The last part of the trail crossed the top of a rock outcrop

 

It took 2.5hrs to drive Rt211 back to Rt191 N to Moab, and then on to Rt 313, which is the access road to the Island in the Sky (northern) part of Canyonlands National Park. Shafer Canyon Overlook, opposite the Visitor Center.

My first hike here was to the second overlook on the Upheaval Dome Trail, 1.8mi roundtrip

 

Looking back to the first overlook

Upheaval Dome, cloud cover muted the colors

A Mystery – ranger told me he thought it was caused by a meteor

Green River Overlook

Grand View Point Overlook

Start of 2mi roundtrip hike along Mesa to Grand View Point

I climbed a rock outcrop at the end of the trail to get a good pic of Junction Butte

Orange Cliffs

Last hike for the day – Mesa Arch, 0.5mi roundtrip. It is recommended you come here at daybreak to see the sun rise under the arch

8 miles of “official” trail hiking today, plus lots of other walking

Primitive BLM Cowboy Campground outside of Canyonlands, no facilities, no people, perfect!

Sunset from my bed – the wind rocked the Sequoia and me to sleep

 

6/21 F – Sunrise from my bed, next task, empty my pee bottle. Then, shift boxes so I can sit in the back seat and eat my dry Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast

4hr drive to Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry and the new (2019) Jurassic National Monument (BLM) in the northern part of the San Rafael Swell in east-central UT, 32mi S of Price UT. It is currently only open 10-5 on Fri and Sat. So, I had to organize my schedule to be there on one of those days. It has the first ever BLM Visitor Center – built in 1968. Be careful, the unpaved roads are hazardous when wet.

Many layers and many fossils

Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry contains the densest concentration of Jurassic-aged dinosaur bones ever found

The word Dinosaur means “terrible lizard.” However, they were not all terrible and none were lizards!

How big was Camarasaurus?

Quarry buildings

Start of the 1.5mi Rock Walk Trail

Partial rib of a sauropod

This boulder is part of the Cedar Mountain formation at the top of the cliff, it fell off and was washed down to this point

The orange-brown limestone layer in the distance is from the late Jurassic Era

 

4.5hrs to Cedar Breaks National Monument, I made it just in time before it closed at 6pm

I started with the Sunset Trail and the Point Supreme Overlook. Notice the snow – the monument was closed one week ago!

Next stop, Chessmen Ridge Overlook

North View Overlook, the sun was finally starting to come out as it was setting. I hiked out to the point behind me

Views from the point, south, west, and north (the video is better)

Olympic National Park WA – 1969

Cedar Breaks National Monument UT – 2019    WOW, even the snow looks older!

See the snowball?

I stopped for a Ribeye steak dinner and beer at Rocking V Café in Kanab UT and then slept in a campground in Glen Canyon NRA

 

6/22 Sat – 1.5hrs to Navajo National Monument in northeast AZ

Sweathouse 2019 and 1987

1.3mi round-trip Sandal Trail to Betatakin dwelling overlook

Photo in Visitor Center

Entertainment on the trail

Canyon View Trail 0.8mi round trip

Historic Ranger Station short distance from Betatakin Canyon

 

 

Beauty of the desert canyon – Red, White, and Blue + Yellow!

 

2hrs to Four Corners (AZ, NM, UT, CO), Welcome to ?

I did not enter, because I had been here before and did not want to pay the $5 admission

Stacy and I were here in 1987 – did a handstand in ALL four states at the same time!

 

The weather was turning bad, so, I bought new wiper blades in Pagosa Springs CO before going over Wolf Creek Pass

Wolf Creek Pass – 1967

6 more hours driving brought me back to Browns Canyon NM CO, where I camped for the night

 

6/23 Sun – 1.5hrs to Florissant National Monument

1800s Hornbeck Homestead

Interesting Visitor Center

Monitoring deterioration of petrified wood to assist in conservation

Hiked (2.5mi) the Geologic, Petrified Forest Loop, and Ponderosa Trails

The Big Stump

Redwoods in Colorado?

Making the Monument

2hrs to Arvada CO, visit with Nick, Linda, Cathy, and Lisa

 

6/24 M – 3.5hrs Denver to Fort Laramie National Historic Site WY, located in a bend of the Laramie River; access obstacle

Visitor Center in former Commissary Storehouse (1884)

Crossroads, notice native American tepees

Left to right, Post Surgeon’s Quarters (1875), Lt. Colonel’s Quarters (Burt house 1884), Post Trader’s Store (1849), and Stone Monument

View from Guardhouse

New Guardhouse (1876)

Story of Mormon Handcarts

Cavalry Barracks (1874)

Officers Row (1881)

Window view of Guardhouse on far side of Infantry Barracks Foundation

 

I was fairly close (~1hr), so I did an unplanned stop at Scotts Bluff National Monument in NE. This was my third time at this NM. Chimney Rock National Historic Site just east of Scotts Bluff 1968

Sentinel Rock on left Eagle Rock on right – Oregon Trail goes through Mitchell Pass at Scotts Bluff

Between 1841 and 1869, over 350,000 people traveled west past Scotts Bluff

View from the South Overlook – 1967

Helen in a notch on the bluff – 1968

 

1hr drive N to Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, I started on the west end with a hike on the Daemonelix Trail

One of the highlights of this one-mile loop trail are two Daemonelix or Devil’s Corkscrews – magnify to read text

The spiral burrows were made by dry land beavers (Paleocastors)

These dry land beavers lived in colonies much like present-day prairie dogs. Their spiral homes have become petrified over time

 

Rock Records

 

Ancient Dunes

The NM land was previously owned and ranched by James Cook of Agate Springs Ranch and neighboring ranchers. It is vast, open tablelands that form the northern terminus of the High Plains east of the Rocky Mountains.  While riding across the prairie, Cook spotted old bones sticking out of the ground. Years later, paleontologists unearthed the giant ferocious-looking head of a Dinohyus.  The animal died during a drought 20 million years ago during the Miocene Epoch.

Visitor Center – PBS was filming a documentary on the identification, protection, and preservation of fossils by the National Park Service

History lesson

James Cook (Agate Springs Ranch) was on very good terms with the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) and had an extensive collection of their artifacts that he donated for the museum at the Visitor Center

Fossil/Education Road Show

4hrs to Valentine NE and a drive across the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge (FWS) before dark

Views from Cornell Bridge over Niobrara National Scenic River, first east, and then west at sunset

Scouting the river

Camped at and rented my kayak from Dryland Aquatics in Sparks NE

 

6/25 Tu – 8:30am start at Cornell Bridge in Fort Niobrara NWR. The 76 miles of the Niobrara National Scenic River winds through dramatic bluffs, incredible wildlife diversity, gorgeous waterfalls, and world-class fossil resources.

Paddled 12-miles. Water is public; land (shore), outside of parks, is private

River was flowing at about 5mph.  I did not see another boat or person for my entire paddle.

Smith Falls State Park landing

Smith Falls (63ft), Nebraska’s highest waterfall

Take-out at Nichols landing in Smith Falls SP

Overlook of Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge

Niobrara NSR Visitor Center in Valentine – paddling the Niobrara River is nothing new

 

Had an oil change in Valentine, then drove 4hrs to Niobrara NE and then across the Chief Standing Bear Bridge into SD. It is the eastern end of the 39-Mile District of the Missouri National Recreational River. The Missouri River is sometimes referred to as “The Original Highway West.”

The Chief Standing Bear (in a landmark court case he proved that Indians were “persons” under the law, free to enjoy the rights of any other person in the land) Bridge Overlook provides some interesting Missouri River history. Note the river flooding, several of the roads I wanted to take were damaged – and Google Maps had NOT made any adjustments! Once I figured that out, I was OK, because I have no problem using printed maps – old technology!

Because of road closures, I had to take a long detour to get to the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center, on the western end of the of the 59-Mile District of the Missouri National Recreational River at the Gavins Point Dam. That resulted in me getting there after the Visitor Center had closed. Bummer, thanks Google Maps!

The Visitor Center overlooks the Gavins Point Dam

I drove across the dam into SD and the Chief White Crane Recreation Area on the opposite side. From there I climbed up the north side of the spillway for this photo back toward the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center in NE.

Bluffs on the south side (NE) of the Missouri River

I drove a section of the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway (Rt12) east to get to Mulberry Bend on the Missouri River

First Overlook, called the Village Vista

Second Overlook, called the River Bend Vista

I then hiked the Mulberry Bend Trail loop as well as all of the spur trails (0.75mi) – bur oak, cedar, ash, and other native trees

Oak Overlook

Bluff Overlook

Sign along Rt12

Slept at a truck stop just north of Cedar Rapids IA

 

6/26 W – 8.5hrs to Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site is about 10 miles south of St Louis. Helen and I had toured the house in 1997, followed by a Budweiser Brewery tour across the street. However, I did not take any photos. Thus, the return today.

Lobby of Visitor Center

As expected, displays describe Grant’s attributes and accomplishments

They also provide information related to criticism of Grant. They attempt to answer the following questions; Butcher? Incompetent? Failure? Prejudiced? Sphinx? and Drunkard?

I did the self-guided walk around the historic trace – White Haven

Hiram Ulysses Grant (1822-1885) was born in Point Pleasant Ohio. Julia Boggs Dent was born in 1826 and grew up at White Haven. She married Grant in 1848 after the Mexican-American War and they had four children. Grant’s abolitionist father Jesse, who disapproved of the Dents owning slaves, refused to attend their wedding, which took place without either of Grant’s parents. However, Julia was warmly received by Grant’s family in Bethel Ohio a month after their wedding. Grant continued in the Army with a variety of assignments but had long separations from his family. He resigned his position in the Army in 1854 after he was found “under the influence.” He had a previous episode of drunkenness and had told his commander that, if it happened again, he would resign. The Grants had received 80 acres across the road from White Haven as a wedding present from Julia’s father. Ulysses returned to White Haven, managed the estate and farmed his land across the road. He built a log cabin on the property (1855-56). They called it “Hardscrabble.” He tried many jobs/businesses in addition to farming but was not successful. In 1860, he took a position in his father’s leather goods business in Galena IL and in a few months paid off all his debts. Grant rejoined the Army in 1861 shortly after the start of the Civil War. In 1866, after the war, Congress promoted him to the newly created rank of General of the Army of the United States. Grant worked under President Andrew Johnson, who took office after Lincoln was assassinated, but was a political opponent. Grant accepted the nomination for President of the U.S. in 1866 and served for two terms (1869-1877).

Ulysses and Julia

Ice House and Chicken House

Signs along the walking tour

After my tour, I drove to a side gate of the Anheuser-Busch property across the street

In order to get a picture of Grant’s “Hardscrabble” log cabin (home), which is now part of the brewery outside tour

 

1hr south to Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park MO (Authorized 2019) – Bienvenue! The village of Sainte Genevieve was founded in 1735 by French Canadian colonists and settlers from east of the river (now IL). It was the first organized European settlement west of the Mississippi River (present-day MO). It was the capital of French Louisiana. In 1763 France ceded “Louisiana” to Spain, making it the capital of Spanish Louisiana. In 1801, Spain ceded it back to France who, within a few weeks, sold it to the U.S. as the Louisiana Purchase.

The new NPS Historical Park is separate from but works closely with the city Welcome Center (#1), which provided this map

Much of historic Ste. Genevieve’s charm and ambiance is due to the remarkable preservation of its original vertical log structures. Its narrow streets and fenced gardens surround some of the most significant eighteenth-century architecture in the nation, offering visitors an unparalleled glimpse into its colonial past. “Poteaux-en-terre” construction, which means posts in the earth – vertical logs built directly on the ground. This model is in the Welcome Center. Another style was “Poteaux-sur-sol” or posts on a sill.

The NPS also works closely with the Centre for French Colonial Life (#2). The center has its own museum (opened in 2018)

 

And administers five nearby historic “Houses.”

After touring the museum, I had an individual tour of the Louis Bolduc House, built in the late 1780’s with an addition made in 1792.  Note the French and Spanish flags.

The NPS also cooperates with the MO DNR, which administers the Felix Valle House State Historic Site (#5)

This Federal-style limestone building was constructed in 1818. It represents the American period after the Louisiana Purchase. It has been authentically restocked as a mercantile store of the trading firm Menard & Valle. Unfortunately, most items were packed in plastic crates and ready to move because of the possibility of increased flooding of the Mississippi River!

The Bauvais-Amoureux House (Missouri State historic Site) is now the NP Visitor Center. The location can be seen near the bottom of the Welcome map (#3). It was constructed in 1792.

Since I was the only one there, I received a personalized Ranger tour!

Here are a few more photos of some of the many historic buildings, first the nearby, privately owned, Bequette-Ribault House

Janis House – Green Tree Tavern (ca. 1790)

Bolduc LeMeilleur House (1816), another of the Centre for French Colonial Life “Houses”

Dr. Benjamin Shaw House (1819), visitor center for the Missouri State Historic Site

 

7hrs to Springfield, the first two hours were horrendous, driving through a major thunderstorm with lots of lightening.  The wipers were on full speed when I hit standing water on the Interstate going through St Louis and started hydroplaning.  It was like I was driving through a river!  I could not see for at least 3 seconds (it seemed like 10) in heavy traffic.  Fortunately, I was able to keep the Sequoia relatively straight.  I arrived home at 11pm, one day early.

6/5 W – left Springfield before 6am, stopped at the Flight 93 N Mem in PA for an hour. Chad and I had been here in October 2011 but I wanted to introduce Helen to the site, take a few more pics, and hear the new Tower of Voices. There are to be 40 wind chimes representing the 40 men and women who tried to re-take the plane from the terrorists at the entrance to the Memorial.

Unfortunately, the electronic wind chimes, one for each victim, were not working. They had only installed 8 thus far and were still testing them.

We then went to the Visitor Center

Then to the Overlook of the crash site and finally to the crash site itself before we left

We spent the night with Fred and Liz in Egg Harbor NJ, their granddaughters made the sign for us

 

6/6 Th – I dropped Helen off at Carol and Dave’s house in Mays Landing and then drove to Glen Burnie MD to visit my brother Joe. I arrived about noon. He is no longer able to drive (glioblastoma), so I took him shopping for food, clothes, an ice cream, and we ran errands. He bought pants and underwear and stated that this was the first time in 3 years he was able to shop for himself.

 

6/7 F – “Field Trip Day,” we spoke to Frankie on the phone as we were driving to Manassas National Battlefield Park in VA. He was on his way to the airport to fly to Taiwan for his brother Anthony’s graduation from university.  The Union suffered two defeats here (Bull Run) during the first two years of the Civil War (1861 and 1962)

The location of the first Battle of Bull Run centered around the Henry Hill Visitor Center area

I finally found a Civil War site where they had a sword like mine on display! Note the top sword – it is a non-commissioned officer’s sword. An identical sword was given to me by my father’s friend when I was 13 years old. My sword was made in Trenton NJ in 1863.

The hero of both battles, Confederate Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, earned his nick name here – see engraving below his statue.

Henry House and the “Bull Run” monument constructed by Union soldiers in 1865 to honor those who died in the first battle

We then toured the Brawner Farm area, where the second battle of Bull Run (1862) took place

Then drove to and hiked to the Deep Cut battlefield area and the Groveton Monument to the Union soldiers who died in the second battle of Bull Run

We stopped at the Stone Bridge before departing for Glen Echo Park and the Clara Barton NHS in MD just west of DC

 

Bought some subs for lunch and ate them in Glen Echo Park MD, which is administered by the George Washington Memorial Parkway

Glen Echo Amusement Park was state of the art when it opened in 1891, with various attractions added through the years; roller coasters, bumper cars, Hall of Mirrors, Spanish Ballroom, the Dentzel Carousel (1921), Crystal Pool (1931), and Arcade (1939)

From the beginning there was a strictly enforced segregation policy. In 1960 a group of students from Howard University came to Glen Echo with a message of equal access. Protestors were arrested but in 1961, with the help of Robert Kennedy, the park was open to any patron regardless of their skin color. It is now run by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture.

 

Clara Barton National Historic Site is across the parking lot

This was her home, later becoming the administrative offices of the American Red Cross, which she established in 1881. Born in 1821 she aided wounded soldiers at Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. She worked with the International Red Cross during 1870-71 and from that experience decided to work toward an American Red Cross (ARC). At that time, the International Red Cross (IRC) only provided assistance during wars. When Barton started the ARC, she expanded the concept to include natural disasters. Later, the IRC also started serving during natural disasters.

The house had been closed for renovation and is now open for tours. However, we were told it will take some time before items can be placed back in rooms. For now, they offer photos in each room as to how they will look when complete.

Departing after an excellent tour. Note the two Red Crosses in the upper middle windows. They are back-lit so they can be easily seen at night.

 

6/8 Sat – I stopped at the Old Swedes Church Historic Site in Wilmington DE on my way to NJ. It is part of the First State National Historical Park. It was established as a National Monument by President Obama in 2013 and changed to a NHP in 2014. It is the first National Park Unit in the state of Delaware. The Visitor Center for the church is in the Hendrickson House.

Holy Trinity Church was founded by Swedish colonists in 1698; making it one of the oldest active congregations in the U.S.

Note the 1698 date

The pulpit is made from black walnut, the stained-glass windows are exquisite

Jesus, Joseph, and Mary – Jesus as a carpenter’s apprentice

Interesting gravestones (over 2000 here)

 

I also stopped at the Weymouth Furnace in NJ. It is part of the Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River NP Unit. I kayaked part of the river last year.

Good map Great Egg Harbor SSR

Remains of Weymouth Furnace

I drove through the NJ Pinelands National Reserve, which is an Affiliated NP Unit, on my way to Mays Landing.  Fred and I canoed the Mullica River through the Pinelands back in about 1980.

Cleaned-up and joined Helen, Carol, and Dave at their step granddaughter Kayle’s wedding to Kyle. It was also our 51^st wedding anniversary! Unfortunately, Helen’s hip problem prevented her from rocking and rolling all night!

 

6/9 Sun – first stop was the Pry House Field Hospital Museum at Antietam National Battlefield in MD. It was McClellan’s Headquarters during the battle and is a unit of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

We were fortunate to be there when volunteers were available to share information on the field hospital

Explanation of the use of leaches

Amputations were common, still, there were more deaths from disease during the war than battle

Tom assisting with an ankle injury in the hospital (Pry House), lots of experience with that –

We stopped by the Antietam National Cemetery

And then toured the Battlefield Visitor Center

Union burial detail

Just west of the Visitor Center, Maryland Monument in center (dome).  As a border state, Maryland contributed men to both Union and Confederate forces at Antietam, and as such, the Maryland Monument is the only one on Antietam battlefield dedicated to the soldiers on both sides of the conflict. The New York Monument is on the right.

Dunker Church

The 11 stop self-guided 8.5-mile auto tour starts at the Dunker Church

The following are a few of the stops we made on the auto tour – first the “Bloody Cornfield”

Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) – Observation Tower at end

View from Observation Tower

Burnside Bridge

Final Attack

Ohio Monuments along ridge

After this attack, Lee’s forces retreated back across the Potomac River into VA. Lincoln was upset with McClellan for not pursuing Lee and destroying his forces.

 

Stopped at Fort Necessity National Battlefield in PA for some additional photos. In January 1754, the Governor of VA sent a small force of VA soldiers under Col. Joshua Fry to build a fort at the forks of the Ohio (Pittsburgh), confront the French, and tell them to withdraw from the upper Ohio River Valley. Before it was finished, the French drove the Virginians off and built Fort Duquesne. In April, Lt. Col. George Washington was sent by the Governor to build a road to Redstone Creek on the Monongahela River and then support the fort on the Ohio. However, when he reached Great Meadows, he learned the Virginians had been defeated and that the French had built Fort Duquesne. He and his 40 VA frontiersmen heard of a small encampment of French nearby and successfully attacked them killing 10 men including their commander. When Col. Fry was killed at Wills Creek on May 31, Washington was promoted to Col. and placed in charge of the unit. Fearing a major French assault, Washington and his men built a circular palisaded fort in five days. When the remainder of Fry’s forces joined Washington, his command had 293 officers and men as well as 9 swivel guns. One hundred reinforcements arrived a few days later.

The “Battle of Fort Necessity” took place on July 3, 1754. The French attacked with 600 soldiers and 100 Indians. Both sides suffered casualties. After negotiations between the two forces, Washington surrendered and was allowed to withdraw “with honors,” but without his 9 swivel guns. The French burned the fort and returned to Fort Duquesne. This early battle foreshadowed the start of the French and Indian War, known as the Seven Year War in Europe (1756-1763).

In 1755, General Edward Braddock was sent with nearly 2,400 men to widen and extend the road Washington has constructed and take Fort Duquesne. He thought his troops were moving too slowly, so he moved ahead with 1,300 picked men and left the others to catch up as soon as they could. Six hundred French and Indians attacked the column 8 miles from Fort Duquesne. Two-thirds of the British troops were killed or wounded. Braddock was mortally wounded and died during the retreat. Fort Duquesne survived until 1758, when the French destroyed it as the British army approached.

The National Road

Mount Washington Tavern

 

Arrived home about 9pm

4/25/2019 – visited Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site in Washington DC.

The House is part of the Logan Circle Historic District

She was born a slave in 1875, during the Reconstruction Era in SC. She became an educator, presidential advisor, and political activist.

In 1943, she founded and became first President of the National Council of Negro Women. She bought this house and made it the Council headquarters and started the National Archives for Black Women’s History.

The NHS continues to serve as a research center and archive to preserve African American women’s heritage and recognize their accomplishments.

 

We drove from the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS in DC to Fort Washington Park (Other NP Unit) in MD

Originally, the Digges family estate – Warburton Manor

Fort Warburton was constructed here in 1808

Map of park

Wall model showing location of Fort Washington on point between Swan Creek and Piscataway Creek where they enter the Potomac River

Left to Right

Fort Washington (flag), Battery Decatur Commander Station, Visitor Center, and Battery Decatur

Overlooking entrance to fort

Drawbridge and Gatehouse

Potomac River side of fort

Overlooking Battery White near river, note lighthouse

View west from east side fort

Early history of fort

View of Fort Washington from west

Lighthouse was originally a fog bell tower when built in 1882 it is now Light 80 and serves as a channel marker operated by the USCG – Light 80

It is also a site along the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

 

It was a 15min drive from Fort Washington Park east to Fort Foote Park. It is administered by the National Capital Parks East Unit of the NPS. I was here in 2018 but was not able to hike to the cannons.

Fort Foote, built in 1863, was one of 68 forts built around the Nation’s Capital during the Civil War. Before the Civil War, only Fort Washington protected the Capital.

It was a short walk to the fort

The trail goes through the fort parapets.  The fort was 6-miles from the Capital, built on Rozier’s Bluff (MD), 100 feet above the Potomac River, with cannon able to shoot across the river into VA.

The fort was abandoned in 1878, except for two 15-inch Rodman Cannons.  This is the first one I came upon.

This is the second one; the Potomac River can be seen in the background

These cannons could shoot a 440-pound cannon ball three miles!

The date 1863 can be seen on the front of the cannon

 

4/28/2019 – The drive from Glen Burnie MD to Valley Forge National Historical Park in southeast PA took 2.5hrs. I had visited here twice previously but could not find any pictures or records of those visits.

The Valley Forge Revolutionary 5-mile Run was taking place in the park when we arrived. So, we started our tour at the Washington Memorial Chapel and Carillon.

The Justice Bell was used in PA 1915-1920 to gain support for woman suffrage. It is a replica of the Liberty Bell with the addition of “ESTABLISH JUSTICE” on the bell. It was not rung until 1920, when women received the right to vote.

Monument to Nathanael Greene west of Chapel. He was the Quartermaster General at Valley Forge, Major General Continental Forces, and Commander of the Southern Army

Soldiers Monument with Maurice Stephens House in background

Our next stop was the Valley Forge Railway Station where we walked the Washington’s Headquarters area

Washington’s Headquarters

Rooms are furnished with period items

Washington’s Elite Guards resided nearby

Why Valley Forge?

We drove both the Inner Line Dr and the Outer Line Drive stopping at many locations. Soldiers of New Jersey Monument

Artillery Park

Monuments mark the location of various divisions, brigades, etc. Note the redoubt in the background as well as the cyclist. Bikes are a great way to tour the park.

Winter Encampment 1777-1778

National Memorial Arch from east

National Memorial Arch from west, note inscription

Entrance to Wayne’s Woods

Anthony Wayne, Brig. General Continental Army. He earned the nickname “Mad Anthony” because of his fiery personality. On August 20, 1794, he commanded the forces that defeated the Indian tribes at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, during the Northwest Territory Indian War (1785-1795). The site is located outside of Toledo OH and is an affiliated NP Unit.

Too bad this place was not open; we were ready for some Fresh Pork and a Small Beer

Sign as we were leaving the Village of Valley Forge

 

0.75hr on back roads took us to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

Our first stop was Bethesda Church

Mule Barn and Church House at Rt 345 and Hopewell Road

Hopewell Furnace is in the Schuylkill River Heritage Area

Pictures depicting Hopewell Furnace

Ironmaster’s Mansion – built 1770-1780, note Helen on left side of mansion

Barn, which sheltered 36 draft animals and a year’s worth of feed, and Office Store where workers made purchases charged against their work.

Cast House surrounding the Furnace. Note cannon and pig iron by door. From 1775 to 1778 Hopewell made iron cannon, shot and shell for the Revolutionary War.

Moulders also cast iron into stove plates and other products

A Waterwheel provided power to run the billows for the furnace. A blast or air was needed to raise the heat in the furnace above 2800 degrees Fahrenheit for iron production. Iron ore (3 mines in the area), Limestone (plentiful), and Charcoal (lots of trees were needed to make it) were needed to produce the iron.

Blacksmith Shop, Tenant Houses and Boarding House in distance

Looking back toward main buildings

Iron products displayed in Visitor Center

 

7.5hrs from Hopewell Furnace NHS to Springfield

 

2/1 F – 7hr drive to Karen’s house in Beaumont SC, arrived 5pm, a short-rib dinner was waiting with a beautiful view of high tide on the Beaufort River (Intercoastal Waterway)

2/2 Sat – Karen drove us to the Camp Saxton unit of the Reconstruction Era National Monument in Port Royal SC, but we were not permitted on the grounds of the Naval Hospital without a military ID. So, we went to the nearby Port Royal Farm Market where we bought, She-Crab Soup, Crab Cakes, and Crab Mac and Cheese for dinner. Karen also recruited Bob, a retired marine, to accompany us back to the Naval Hospital grounds where we were then able to gain access to the site of Camp Saxton! Our first stop was near the site of the “Emancipation Oak.”

Camp Saxton was located here during the Civil War

 

Fenced-off at the edge of the Beaufort River is Fort Frederick Heritage Preserve

Fort Prince Frederick was a tabby fort built by the British (1730-36) to defend against possible attack from the Spanish at St Augustine FL

Tabby is a type of concrete made by burning oyster shells to create lime, and then mixing it with water, sand, ash, and broken oyster shells. Fort Frederick is on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Our next stop was downtown Beaufort and the Old Beaufort Firehouse, which will become the Visitor Center for Reconstruction Era National Monument. According to the NPS, the Reconstruction Era, as represented in this monument, was 1861-1898. The period when the U.S. grappled with how to integrate millions of newly freed African Americans into social, political, economic, and labor systems. The people, places, and events in Beaufort County, SC, reflect on the most important issues of this tumultuous time period.

“Reconstruction began when the first United States soldiers arrived in slaveholding territories and enslaved people escaped from plantations and farms; some of them fled into free states, and others found safety with U.S. forces. During the period, Congress passed three constitutional amendments that permanently abolished slavery, defined birthright citizenship and guaranteed due process and equal protection under the law and granted all males the ability to vote by prohibiting voter discrimination based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments). Congress also passed a series of Reconstruction Acts that divided the former Confederacy into five military districts and laid out requirements for re-admittance to the Union (except Tennessee). The experience of Reconstruction, and the rebuilding of the Union following the Civil War, played out across America and resulted in changes that fundamentally altered the meaning of citizenship and the relationship between Federal and state governments. Central to this drama was the former Confederacy where social, economic, and political changes dramatically transformed the region and where major activities of and resistance to Reconstruction took place. African Americans – across America – faced steep obstacles as they attempted to claim their newly won rights. Ultimately, the unmet promises of Reconstruction led to the modern civil rights movement 100 years later.”

Abraham Lincoln started planning for the reconstruction of the South during the Civil War as Union soldiers occupied huge areas of the South. According to Wikipedia, there were three visions for Reconstruction: the reconciliation vision, which was rooted in coping with the death and devastation the war had brought; the white supremacist vision, which included terror and violence; and the emancipationist vision, which sought full freedom, citizenship, and Constitutional equality for African Americans.

The Beaufort History Museum in the Arsenal (1852) is located across the street

 

We then drove to St Helena Island and the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District, Darrah Hall and the Brick Baptist Church are located here and are both part of the Reconstruction Era National Monument.

We started at the Welcome Center ($6 adults)

And then saw the film and examined the exhibits in the adjacent Cope Museum

We then walked to Darrah Hall. The original was built in 1882 but burned in 1893 after “The Great Hurricane.” This building was constructed in 1903 and is the oldest building on campus.

Sign along Martin Luther King Highway (Rt 45). MLK stayed at the Gantt Cottage on campus in the 1960s. The Penn Center was one of the few places in the South where bi-racial groups could meet.

The first school for freed slaves in the South was established here in 1862. Classes were first held in the Brick Church, which was built by slaves in 1855 and is now part of the Reconstruction Era National Monument.

 

Just down the road from the Penn Center is the Chapel of Ease – built around 1740, before the Revolutionary War!

 

We then drove about 25 miles NE to the scenic Old Sheldon Church Ruins. This Episcopal Church was also built before the Revolutionary War (1751-57). It was named Sheldon after Gov. William Bull I’s plantation, as he paid for most of the construction.

Governor Bull is buried in the church

 

Another interesting grave stone

Guess what was waiting at Karen’s?       A “Crab” dinner!

 

2/3 Sun – It was a 3hr drive to Historic Camden, a SC Revolutionary War Site which is an Affiliated National Park Unit. This fortified town was occupied by British General Cornwallis’ men from 1780-81. In 1780, Camden was the oldest and largest city in the Carolina backcountry.

Reconstructed Craven and Bradley houses; they contain interesting historical displays

McCaa’s Tavern 1794

Blacksmith Shed

Cornwallis built a palisade wall and six redoubts to protect the town site. He also took over the Kershaw house just east of town as his headquarters. It can be seen in the distance.

The tents, etc. when we visited were related to a reenactment of the Treaty of Ghent. It was signed in Ghent Netherlands on December 24, 1814 ending the War of 1812 between the US and Great Britain. It took a month for the news to reach the US, during which American forces under Andrew Jackson won the Battle of New Orleans (1/8/1815).

Bubble model of Kershaw-Cornwallis House and its’ separate palisade wall

Reconstructed Kershaw-Cornwallis House

Scribes – when letters/documents were written!

Lady Kershaw – as you can see, she was in morning

Interacting with actors and merchants

The Treaty reenactment was very interesting but IS NOT what the Camden Historic Site is noted for – namely the Revolutionary War Battles that took place nearby in 1780 and 1781. The first battle of Camden took place on August 16, 1780 nine miles north of town. General Horatio Gates was in charge of the American forces and historians blame him for a significant loss to the British. With fewer troops, the British under Lt. General Lord Cornwallis won the battle with far fewer casualties. Captured Patriots were held, and some were executed, at the fortified town of Camden. The location is called Camden Battlefield and Longleaf Pine Preserve and is a National Historic Landmark.

Death of German born Major General Johann de Kalb, second in command of the American forces

de Kalb is buried in the Bethesda Presbyterian church in Camden

The second Battle of Camden took place April 25, 1781. General Nathanael Greene had been put in charge of the Southern Continental Army after Gates’ disastrous defeat the previous year. He had a good battle plan – enticing the British to attack him on Hobkirk’s Hill just north of the fortified town of Camden.

By all accounts this was a fierce battle with similar casualties on both sides; however, the British prevailed. Hobkirk’s Hill is now an upscale part of north Camden.

Thaddeus Kosciusko (Polish military engineer) was with Greene and made this map of the fortifications after the battle. Thaddeus Kosciusko National Memorial is the smallest National Park Unit and is located in Philadelphia (see this Blog August 2016).

Greene lost the battle; however, his efforts were successful in that the battle forced the depleted British forces to withdraw to Charleston leaving the “backcountry” in American control.

 

2/4 M – It was a 6hr drive to Camp Nelson National Monument outside of Nicholasville KY. At this time, it is the newest (#418) National Park Unit. It was designated in 2018.

The Oliver Perry “White House” is the only existing Civil War Structure on the property – it is a restored antebellum house that served as officers’ quarters

 

Interesting water pump

Eight earthen “Fort” batteries were built to protect the 4,000-acre camp. The camp, which was organized around an 800-acre core, included more than 300 buildings and tents that housed a quartermaster commissary depot, ordnance depot, recruitment center, prison, and a hospital. Our first hike was on the 0.5-mile Fort Jackson trail.

We then did the 0.5-mile Depot trail, which passes by the locations of the prison, bakery, warehouses, government shops, and the commercial district, including the Post Sutler store. Camp Nelson’s location on the Kentucky River made it a major supply depot during the Civil War.

The trail also passed the Officer’s Spring

View back toward the White House and Visitor Center

We then examined a re-creation of a barracks building

Read the signs to learn about the enlistment of African-Americans and the 13^th Amendment. Camp Nelson was one of the Army’s largest enlistment centers for African-American soldiers as well as a refugee camp for African-American civilians. It has been named part of the National Underground Railroad Network.

It was raining, so Helen decided to go to the car while I did the Fort Putnam trail

Numerous civilian refugees are buried nearby (Graveyard #1). Soldiers that were buried here were re-interned in the adjacent Camp Nelson National Cemetery on the west side of Camp Nelson.

 

 

There was more rain as we drove 3hrs to Springfield, arriving at 5pm

 

 

12/31/2018 M – New Year’s Eve! Four hours of driving through heavy rain brought us to Hodgenville KY and Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park.

A President Trump imposed partial government shutdown again, just like last January, prevented us from going inside the Memorial and Visitor Center

However, we were able to tour the park. The “First Lincoln Memorial” was dedicated by President William Howard Taft on 11/9/1911.

A wood cabin, originally thought to be the home of the Lincoln family, is inside the Memorial. Abraham Lincoln was born on 2/12/1809 in a log cabin here at Sinking Springs Farm.

Sinking Springs is located just to the left of the steps leading up to the Memorial

Hiked the Boundary Oak Trail to the Visitor Center

We then drove 10 miles north to the Lincoln Knob Creek Farm where Abe lived from age 2 to 7.

The Lincoln Tavern was built as a tourist destination in 1933

Recreated Lincoln family log cabin (1811-1816)

The Lincoln family then moved again in 1816 crossing the Ohio River into IN. The Lincoln Boyhood Home National Memorial tells the story of Lincoln’s life from age 7 until 21 (1830), when the family moved to IL.

An additional 3hrs driving took us to Peter and Heather’s home in Franklin TN. We ate home-made chili and watched the ball drop in NYC on TV (ET). Then these two old folks went to bed at 11pm CT!!!

 

1/1/2019 Tu – Happy New Year! Walked the dogs with Peter, watched football (e.g. Ohio State 28, Washington 23, in the Rose Bowl), had BBQ ribs, and P & H did a Pre-Birthday Birthday celebration for Helen (cake, presents, etc.).

 

1/2 W – Long drive to Money MS and Bryant’s Grocery – the dilapidated building center-right

The Story of the torture and killing of Emmett Till

The children of unrepentant juror Ray Tribble own it and obtained a MS state historic-preservation grant for civil rights-related projects but used the money instead to restore a 1950s service station next door, which was basically empty during our visit.

One-hour north is Sumner MS and the Tallahatchie County Courthouse where the 1955 trial of Emmett Till’s killers took place – note the Confederate monument

Hopefully, this site will become part of a NPS Civil Rights National Historic Park

Across the street from the Courthouse is the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, which was not open during our visit

Inside the window was a bullet riddled sign that had recently been removed from the spot on the Tallahatchie River where Till’s body was found. The new sign outside of Glendora MS already has bullet holes in it!

 

We then drove into Jackson MS to the newly authorized Medgar Evers National Monument. Medgar Evers’s home, the site of his assassination in 1963, is owned by Tougaloo College. It is in the process of being transferred to the NPS.

Medgar Evers Bio

Window and signs under carport

“Site of Tragedy”

National Historic Landmark

I called a few weeks in advance and arranged for a personal 1.5hr tour from Minnie Watson who oversees the house museum

The assassination bullet went through Evers body, the front window, and inside wall (this photo), ricocheted off the refrigerator and ended up in a watermelon that was sitting on the kitchen counter

One room of the house is devoted to the life of Medgar Evers

The side window in the children’s room was purposely raised and beds were kept on the floor to guard against a drive by shooting

Evers statue at library a few blocks away

It continued raining and was dark when we arrived in Selma AL. We then continued to Montgomery AL along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

 

1/3 Th – We arrived at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, also known as the National Lynching Memorial, just after it opened at 9am. This is a memorial to the more than 4400 African American men, women, and children who were hanged, burned alive, shot, drowned, and beaten to death by white mobs between 1877 and 1950. Mind you, there were many, many, more – these are the ones that have been documented! AND the number does not include those killed since 1950.

“The Raw Truth” – which, in general, has not been recognized

The structure contains over 800 steel monuments, one for each county in the U.S. where one or more racially related killings took place. The name(s) of the victim(s) is/are “engraved,” i.e. cut-through the steel. As you enter, the first side of the rectangle has the steel monuments hanging with the bottom just off the floor.

Proceeding down the next side of the rectangle (width) you descend an incline and now the hanging monuments become more representative of lynchings

The descent continues down the third side of the rectangle and now the state and county names engraved under the monuments become more obvious

Here are just a few of the many short statements that are found along the walls

There is no hint of retribution in this memorial. This history, these facts, are to educate and move the observer to consider his/her moral compass. This is a slice of American History – America, the “Home of the Free and the Brave.”

Water cascades down the outside wall of the last side of the rectangle, while the steel monuments seem to be lifted toward the sky

There is an opening at the end leading into the center courtyard of the memorial

Just outside the memorial are duplicate steel monuments that can be taken and erected in the states/counties where these tragedies occurred.

OHIO – Richard Dixon, third name from the bottom, was lynched in Clark County OH on March 7, 1904 – that is where we live!

There is a generic monument to the thousands of victims whose names will never be known. In a way, it is like the monument to the Unknown Soldier(s) in Arlington Cemetery VA

Importance of black women during the initial phases of the Civil Rights Movement –

“Hands Up – Don’t Shot”

A Peace and Justice Memorial Center across the street from the Memorial is near completion and will open in early 2019

We walked 0.7mi into downtown Montgomery passing the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University

Court Square Fountain, state capitol in background center at the end of Dexter Ave, one of several locations in Montgomery where thousands of slaves were bought and sold

Frank, a 55-year-old diabetic ex-marine, said he wanted to work but couldn’t find a job. He selected chicken wings, a salad, and hot tea for lunch.

The Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March (54 miles) took place March 21-25, 1965. It began at Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma and ended at the AL State Capitol. The first March attempt took place on March 7^th and became known as “Bloody Sunday.” When the marchers reached the end of the Edmund Pettus bridge over the Alabama River in Selma, they were met by a wall of state troopers blocking US 80. The marchers stopped and asked to speak to their leader. They were given two minutes to return to their homes or church. When they did not move, troopers advanced with nightsticks, horses, tear gas, whips, and rubber tubes driving the marchers back through the streets of Selma. Enraged onlookers called for retaliation – the principle of nonviolence was being tested. Leaders convinced them that retaliation would only hurt the movement. US and international news outlets showed the troopers attacking and beating unresisting marchers blinded and gagging from the tear gas.

The Legacy Museum is in downtown Montgomery midway between a slave market and the river dock and train station where tens of thousands of enslaved people were trafficked during our Domestic Slave Trade. It utilizes the latest technology in telling the story of racial injustice in the US. A combined senior ticket for the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the Legacy Museum is $7.

Montgomery was the capitol of the Confederate States of America from 2/4 to 5/29/1861 before it was moved to Richmond VA

 

Had a bowl of Cream of Crab Soup at Wintzell’s Oyster House and headed to Tallahassee FL for the night

 

1/4/19 F – It took about 2hrs to get to Crystal River State Park on the Gulf Coast. We happened upon a Friends of Crystal River State Park 10am pontoon boat tour at the Visitor Center and signed up.

This is Temple Mound the biggest of six pre-Columbian burial mounds in Crystal River Archaeological State Park

Crystal River is one of the world’s rare spring-fed estuaries

We powered out to the Gulf of Mexico with our volunteer guide pointing out various birds along the way

Kayakers fishing on Shell Island

Manatees are one of the big draws to Crystal River, however, they were still out in the Gulf of Mexico. They come into shore as the Gulf cools in the winter.

Another 2hrs got us to our River Strand condo in Bradenton FL – our home away from home for four weeks. Our friend Nancy allowed us to use her condo for the month of January.

Our brakes were grinding and getting progressively worse to the point that I felt I should not drive the Sequoia. The good news was that there was a Toyota dealer 1.5-miles from our condo. The bad news was that I couldn’t get an appointment until Monday. That meant we were “stranded” for our first weekend. But it was OK because it was only a 3-mile roundtrip walk to Walmart, which allowed us to get provisions for our stay!

 

1/5 Sat – 1/6 Sun – explored the River Strand condo complex, which is on the Manatee River. It is big, about 1 x 2 miles. There are three nine-hole golf courses, club house, two fitness centers, many tennis/pickle ball courts, two large pools as well as our own heated local pool a short walk away. There is a concrete golf cart path that also provides for miles of comfortable/scenic walking around the complex. Our condo is at ground level overlooking one of numerous large ponds. Lots of wildlife out there, a variety of birds, jumping fish and a family of small furry animals we have not yet identified.

 

1/7 M – Serbian Christmas, got our wheels back ($500 for rear brakes)! Did further shopping so we could prepare our own meals in the condo. Relaxing at the condo –

Don’t go in the pond!

 

1/8 Tu – It took about 45min to drive to Bean Point on the northern tip of Anna Maria Island. Walked for 1.5hrs on the beach with Helen collecting shells as usual.

This place is for the birds! Actually, we really liked it. There were relatively few people and it was a laid-back atmosphere. Had a good fish lunch on the Rod and Reel Pier and bought some veggies at the Farmers Market at the Anna Maria City Pier. We will return –

 

1/9 W – Checked out Cortez Beach, too many people; then drove a short distance to Coquina Beach for a 1.5mi walk and more shells. We browsed the tent craft market that is there every Wednesday.

Drove Rt 789 down the length of Longboat Key (east side of Sarasota Bay) to Lido Key and then returned home

 

1/10 Th – Condo day, walking, swimming, and fitness center

 

1/11 F – 44 degrees this morning! Drove a half-hour to De Soto National Memorial, which was closed due to the government shutdown. However, we were able to walk through the grounds and hike about a mile on the trails around the memorial and along the Manatee River. We came prepared to pick up trash, but others had already done a good job. I toured this National Park Unit in 2009 but this was Helen’s first visit. The following pics tell the story –

 

1/12 Sat – First stop Red Barn Flea Mkt in Bradenton. Next stop Siesta Key.

This guy is for the birds –

Bay Watch meets Golden Girls

 

1/13 Sun – 9am mass at St Joseph’s, changed and did the Riverwalk in Bradenton

Nice 3mi round-trip walk, thus far, these are the only manatees we have seen

Bradenton is the Spring training site for the Pittsburgh Pirates

Then drove to Emerson Point Preserve on the north side of the Manatee River where we hiked over the Point Replica Mound and then along the beach/mangroves for another mile – trail obstacle

 

1/14 M – Drove back to Emerson Point Preserve to hike the 1mi Portavant Temple Mound Trail.

Description of early inhabitants

We then did part of the North Restoration Trail, the Observation Tower Trail, part of the Terra Ceia Trail, and the South Restoration Trail for an additional 2mi

 

1/15 Tu – Spent the day at the John and Mable Ringling Art and Circus Museums, Gardens, and Ca’D’Zan (Ringling home).

We started our visit by doing a self-tour of the first floor of Ca’D’Zan (House of John), the home on Sarasota Bay

Circus Museum – the Ringling and Barnum and Bailey Circuses developed separately and later joined

“Oddities” Billboards

Human Cannon Ball Truck

“Greatest Show on Earth” Mural – 42 x 22 feet, 45 specific performers, 45 animals, and 7 banners

Tibbals Learning Center contains a “HUGE” re-creation of a circus set-up in Knoxville TN – a 42,000-piece circus model, the world’s largest.  This is a partial view from the second floor –

We rushed through the Art Museum,

in order to get back and meet Jan and Dick at the Walmart near our condo

 

1/16 W – Went back to Emerson Point Preserve with Dick and Jan

Hiked about 2 miles

Osprey

Hanging out in the preserve

 

1/17 Th – Lots of thrift stores today. It was a little cool, so Helen bought a coat

Returned to De Soto National Memorial to do the mile hike with Dick and Jan

Then did a short hike to the 40’ observation tower in Robinson Preserve and stopped by the Palma Sola Botanical Park before going to the Rod & Real Pier near Bean Point on Anna Marie Island for lunch

 

1/18 F – 10am kayaking with I Kayak; launched on South Lido Key and did the Mangrove Tunnel guided 2.5hr tour in Sarasota Bay

Helen launching kayak

Cormorants

Jan

Dick entering mangrove tunnel

Jan and Helen

Kayaks allow you to get close to wild life, however, I got water on my lens

Walked around Armand’s Circle, checked out Lido Beach and then searched for sea shells at Turtle Beach on Siesta Key

Jimmy Buffet Condo?

 

 

1/19 Sat – Jan and Helen walked the condo complex and I walked 3 miles in nearby Tom Bennett Manatee County Park. The park along I75 and the Manatee River is quite large and has many ponds. I liked the walk around one of the ponds that had about 15 signs with pages from a children’s book that told the story of bees. Also, I saw a few additional types of birds –

Went to Bayfront Park in Sarasota – there was an interesting project illustrated by a series of large signs

Had dinner at Owen’s Fish Camp

 

1/20 Sun – Church at St. Joseph’s, breakfast at Theresa’s; hung-out at the condo and played games

 

1/21 M – It took a half hour to drive to the north entrance to Myakka River State Park. The river flows through park wetlands, prairies, hammocks, pinelands, and two shallow lakes.  Note alligator on right

The Myakka Outpost, which is in the middle of the park, is a great place for viewing wildlife. You can also rent canoes there. We saw many birds and some alligators. We saw a flock of rosette spoonbills land and two egrets doing a mating dance, but they were too far away to get good photos. Hiked the Boylston Nature Trail through a hammock along the Myakka River.

Then climbed the Canopy Towers (the taller of the two is 74 feet high)

And did the walkway between them

 

1/22 Tu – Dick and Jan left this morning and we stayed at the condo for a nice relaxing day

 

1/23 W – a little food shopping, camera questions answered, sunbathing, walking, . . .

 

1/24 Th – Bev and Mike arrived about 9:30am, brought apple pie and Champaign!  We played Skip-Bo and Farkle, Helen prepared a salmon salad for lunch, did the Bradenton Riverwalk, aces to kings, Scallop dinner at the condo, they left for home at 6:30

 

1/25 F – food shopping and thrift shops

 

1/26 Sat – Helen’s Birthday (74), she did her laps in the heated pool, Tom walked and fitness center, dinner at Edelweiss German restaurant, and “A Star is Born” at the movies

 

1/27 Sun – church, Theresa’s for breakfast.  It rained all day.  We had hors d’oeuvres at Howard (Nancy’s brother) and Linda’s home, then dinner at the “Old Florida” Linger Lodge – alligator, frog legs, fried green tomatoes for appetizer; blackened catfish and crab cake sandwich for dinner.

 

1/28 M – Lake Manatee State Park (not worth it); OK hiking at Rye Preserve, Red and Yellow trail about 2 miles; checked out Fort Hamer Park, it is as launch site on the Manatee River.

 

1/29 Tu – rented a canoe from Ray’s Canoe Hideaway on the Manatee River and paddled upstream for about 5 miles to the dam

We were the only ones on the river today

About 54 degrees when we started at 11:30am and 64 degrees when we returned at 3pm

Lunch stop (Moussaka, baguette, and a coke) on a pristine sand bar – on our 5 mile trip back to the canoe livery

 

1/30 W – President Trump temporarily ended his Government Shutdown for 3 weeks – so, we returned to De Soto National Memorial.  We were now able to go through the Visitor Center and watch the documentary film of De Soto’s 4,000-mile exploration through what is now the Southeastern US.  Helen said I was a “metal head” – go figure

De Soto arrived at this location from Cuba in 1539 with 622 soldiers, 200 horses, a large herd of pigs, and fierce war dogs. He left 100 men at this location (Camp Ucita) and started on his trail of destruction looking for gold.

He died in 1542 and was buried in the Mississippi River. Sixteen months later his second in command was able to get to a Spanish settlement at the Panuco River in Mexico with only half his original men and no animals. De Soto was ruthless and typical of celebrated conquistadores.

Drove to Perico Island Preserve just W of Bradenton for a nice 1.5-mile hike in 57-degree weather

We then did the 0.5-mile hike and tower in the Neal Preserve on the south side of the island across Manatee Ave

I like the contrast of bird, tree, and sky

I saw what I think was an osprey fly in with its catch of the day.  This pic shows it eating it’s lunch!

Helen swam, I exercised in the Fitness Ctr and helped Nathan (15) with his exercise program. He is a bus boy at Theresa’s Restaurant on Sat and Sun. He served our table each of the last three Sundays for breakfast – surprised him with a $50 tip last Sunday.

 

1/31 Th – last day of January, packing day (including Thrift Shop treasures), cleaning condo, and shells!  Also, last day for pool and Fitness Ctr.

11/20 Tu –Lunch with Mike, Cathie, and Jim in Downers Grove IL, arrived in Milwaukee in time for Drago, Lena, and Seamus swim lessons

11/21 W – I did Physics Labs with Drago, played catch with Seamus, and read/played with Lena. Helen and I also took the children to Kops Park for kickball and playground activities. Lena, Seamus, and Drago relaxing after a hard day at the park.

 

11/22 Th – Thanksgiving, Mimosas and pre-event snacks

Andy (bartender), who had arrived from Chicago by train, mixed some additional specialty drinks; Sidecar, Brandy Sour, to get us ready for the feast.

The Feast!

Dessert – that’s whipping cream on a huge piece of pumpkin pie

 

11/23 F – Drove Andy to the train station; Chad showed me U of WI/Milwaukee, his office, classrooms, labs, and reviewed his thesis project. In the afternoon, he and Liz decorated the house for Christmas.

 

11/24 Sat – Breakfast at Maxwell’s, Dollar Tree with 3 grandchildren, and 1.5hr drive to Madison, where I was able to watch most of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game (OSU 61-39) with Vera and Bill. Continued for another 3hrs to Cedar Rapids, IA

 

11/25 Sun – 0.5hr to Herbert Hoover National Historic Site; we arrived earlier than originally planned, 7:45am, because a severe Winter Storm had started to blow in.

The site is in West Branch IA, just east of Iowa City

We walked by the restored homes on Downey Street, the blacksmith shop, and schoolhouse

To the birthplace cottage

Hoover was the first U.S. President to be born west of the Mississippi River

We drove to the President Herbert Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover gravesite. We would have normally walked. However, the storm was becoming more severe by the minute.

Herbert and Lou had much in common: roots in IA, love of the outdoor, a sense of adventure, and degrees in Geology from Stanford. Hoover was, by profession, a mining engineer. He was a millionaire by age 40. After serving as Secretary of Commerce for 7 years, he was elected the 31^st President of the U.S. He served from 1929 to 1933. The stock market crashed in October 1929 and The Great Depression became the central issue of his presidency. FDR promised a “New Deal” and won by a landslide in 1932. I found it interesting that there was no mention of The Great Depression in the NP brochure for this site.

We did not wait for the Visitor Center to open at 9am because of the storm. After three hours of driving east at 70+mph, we were able to get out in front of the rain/sleet. The remainder of the drive went well; we arrived home at 5pm. It was a 1300-mile trip.

 

Oct 18 Th – left Springfield at 6am and arrived at the Natural Bridge State Park visitor center in VA (an Affiliated NP Unit), at 1pm.

George Washington participated in the survey of this area and Thomas Jefferson once owned the land (1774). It is now a VA State Park with a charge of $8 to walk to and through the Natural Bridge.

Starting on the trail

The Natural Bridge, created by Cedar Creek

We hiked through the bridge and stopped at the recreated Monacan Indian Village on our way to Lace Falls (30′ cascade). We had cool but beautiful weather for the 1.8mi hike.

 

It took 2hrs to drive to Patrick Henry’s Red Hill National Memorial VA (another Affiliated NP Unit) – this was his last home/tobacco plantation outside of Brookneal VA.

We toured the Visitor Center, 15min video and 15min docent presentation in museum ($6 senior), and then walked to the reconstructed house. Note the “State Champion” Osage Orange tree on the left.

Back view of house and Slave Cabin

Patrick Henry has been called the “Orator of Liberty.” In 1765 in the VA House of Burgesses he stated (in opposing the infamous Stamp Act) “If this is treason, make the most of it.” In 1775 he made the clarion call of the American Revolution “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” This was his Law Office, very near the house.

Patrick died in 1799 at the age of 63 and is buried beside his second wife, Dorothea Dandridge Henry, who died in 1831. He had 6 children with his first wife Sarah Shelton, who died in 1775 at the age of 21!  He and Dorothea had 11 children!

We stayed the night in Lynchburg VA

 

Oct 19 F – 0.5hr to Appomattox Court House National Historic Park VA. There have been many changes/improvements since our first visit in 1969 when we stopped on our way from U of MD to Mexico.

After the surrender of Petersburg VA on April 3, 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant’s Union forces pursued General Robert E. Lee’s Confederates to the Village of Appomattox Court House

The Confederate railroad supply line escape route was cut on April 8^th and Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865 ending the four-year long (1861-1865) Civil War.

The reconstructed Appomattox County Court House now serves as the NHP Visitor Center; NONE of the surrender events took place here.

The surrender took place in the parlor of the nearby McLean House

Some other rooms in the McClean house – the McCleans were Confederates who had downsized here after having to leave Manassas VA when the War began

Indoor Winter Kitchen

Back of McClean house, Slave Cabin to left, Outdoor Kitchen to right

Slave Cabin

Outdoor Summer Kitchen

The Clover Hill Tavern (1819) is the oldest building in the village

Parole passes were printed here so that Confederate troops could return home

Tavern Guesthouse (Horsetel)

Isbell House

Left to right, Meeks Store, Court House, Clover Tavern, Appomattox County Jail, and back of Isbell House

Meeks Store

Peers House – last artillery shot of the Civil War

The Surrender Ceremony

Appomattox County Jail (1867)

 

A 2hr drive took us to Green Springs National Historic Landmark District (an Affiliated NP Unit) in VA’s Piedmont area east of Charlottesville. It is a 14,000 acre “Tapestry of Rural Landscapes and Architecture.” Most farm/plantation buildings and farmsteads predate the Civil War and some the Revolutionary War. We drove the narrow gravel roads searching for ones we could see and photograph. The area is preserved today through easements. The Green Springs Plantation (1772)

St. John’s Chapel (1888)

Ionia Plantation (1770)

Maddox County Store (1900)

Prospect Hill Plantation (1730) – now The Virginia Plantation Inn

Boswells Tavern (1735) – In 1781, while trying to keep British troops from seizing the colonial storehouses in Charlottesville, General Lafayette stayed here with 4000 of his troops camped outside.

 

2hrs to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (Other NP Unit) in northern VA, 16mi from Washington DC

From May through September, multiple amphitheaters in the park present performances such as musicals, dance, opera, jazz, popular, and country music

We did the Wolf Trap TRACK Trail, 1.5mi winding through the woods and over Wolf Trap Run

We passed the Theatre-In-The-Woods, also called the Children’s Theatre

And hiked around Turtle Pond

 

What should have been a 0.5hr drive to Lillian’s condo in Rockville MD took 1.5hrs because of rush hour traffic on the I495 Bridge over the Potomac River!

 

Oct 20 Sa – Helen and Lillian spent the day together. They drove to Annapolis and had lunch with Lois another of the 1967-68 U of MD female graduate assistants. Meanwhile, I was up and out early arriving at Greenbelt Park MD (Other NP Unit) at 7:45am.

I had planned to do the Azalea Trail, which Helen and I did in 1968, however the Sweetgum parking area was closed until 8am. So, I continued to the Dogwood Trail where parking was available along the Park Central Road.

It was a pleasantly cool morning and an enjoyable 1.4mi loop hike

I then drove to the end of the road where there was a visitor center at the campground check-in and several deer in the nearby woods

 

It only took 20min to drive to Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, which is located on the Anacostia River and is a part of the National Capital Parks-East

As in Greenbelt Park, I was the only one on the trails. I started by hiking around the The Ponds where Water Lilies and Lotuses are planted each year.

The season was over but there were some still blooming behind the Visitor Center

I then did the Boardwalk Trail that takes you into the Kenilworth Marsh. It is a freshwater flood plain of the Anacostia River but is also affected by the tides from the Atlantic Ocean.

Birds of the marsh

 

My next stop was Fort Dupont, another part of National Capital Parks-East. It is one of the many forts that circled Washington DC during the Civil War.  It was named for Flag Officer Samuel F. Dupont, who commanded the naval victory at Port Royal, SC, in November 1861.

The Park Road was closed so I parked on the perimeter and did a 1.6mi loop hike to the Earthwork Remains of the fort

 

I arrived at Frederick Douglas National Historic Site in East Washington DC for my scheduled 12:15 tour

In 1877 he purchased this notable home in a “whites only” area on Cedar Hill

We had an excellent 1.25hr home/history tour with a park ranger. The front porch provides a great view west to downtown Washington DC.

Frederick Douglas (1818-1895) was the preeminent black personage of the second half of the 19^th century. He was born a slave of a black mother and white father. In 1838 he escaped to NY and took the surname Douglass. He married Anna Murray and became active in the abolition movement. In 1845 he published an autobiography which named his owner. This was a mistake as he had to escape again, this time to England. English supporters paid for his freedom and he returned to America in 1847. He served as a Lincoln advisor and issued a “Men of Color, to Arms” proclamation urging free blacks to join the Army. He was an outstanding orator and later in his life became an advocate for women’s rights. Anna and Frederick had five children. She died in 1882 and two years later he married Helen Pitts who was white. The racially mixed marriage sparked much debate to put it mildly. He denounced the government after the Civil War for abandoning African-Americans and spoke out strongly against segregation.

Portrait of Douglas reflected in mirror

Douglass quotes –

Here are some photos from the inside of the Douglass home –

 

I went searching for Oxon Run Parkway administered by National Capital Parks-East. The 126 acres of wetlands and deciduous forest is located in the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is meant to demonstrate how a relatively small wooded and pristine environment can be preserved within a city setting. Before the establishment of the parkway, the parkland was contained within the Camp Simms military installation.

I then drove to Anacostia Park for another view of DC from the East. The administrative offices for the National Capital Parks-East are located here.

I then took the Suitland Parkway, a unit of National Capital Parks-East, to Andrews Air Force Base where I saw one of the two Air Force Ones (President’s 747s) on the very end of a runway close to the Potomac River.

It was then a short distance to Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm, another unit of National Capital Parks-East

Opened in 1967, Oxon Hill Farm is a working farm that represents the time when horsepower still came directly from horses.

Dairy Farm

Visitor Center and Farm Museum,

Ranger waiting for me, I arrived just before closing

The park is on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

 

My next stop was Fort Foote, another of the Civil War “Circle Forts” administered by National Capital Parks-East. It was constructed in 1863 atop Rozier’s Bluff to strengthen the ring of fortifications that encircled Washington, D.C. Two 15-inch Rodman Cannons protected the Potomac River approach to Washington. DC.

 

Proceeding 10min further down the Potomac River (south), I came to Harmony Hall MD. The 18th century Harmony Hall mansion is located on a 62.5-acre open pasture land estate along the Potomac River.

It was built in 1769 by the wealthy landowner and tobacco merchant Enoch Magruder – front of mansion. Harmony Hall is currently closed and undergoing renovation.

A canal, which still exists, was built from here to a tobacco warehouse as well as several weighing stations on the river. This was the place where all tobacco shipped to England was taxed. The canal may be the earliest man-made canal built in the colonies – back of mansion.

 

Busy day, I traveled 25min further down the Potomac to Piscataway Park (Other NP Unit)

They have created a National Colonial Farm (replica) here – front

Back and garden

 

The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail includes this part of the Potomac River

This land/park was developed to protect the view FROM Mt Vernon across the Potomac River

 

Not done yet, drove to the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Memorial Grove along the Potomac River in VA across from the Washington Monument. Parked along Boundary Dr and crossed the bridge into the Memorial.

Approaching memorial

Great location but the Memorial did not seem complete to me. Perhaps because of lack of signs/information, a statue, etc.

There were quotes etched in marble around the stone, however the rose color of the stones made them very hard to read

 

Now I had just enough time to get to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial before sunset

Some of the 184 that died –

There are 184 illuminated benches, arranged according to the victim’s ages (3-71).

The benches representing the victims that were inside the Pentagon are arranged so those reading the names will face the Pentagon’s south facade, where the plane hit; benches dedicated to victims aboard the plane are arranged so that those reading the engraved name will be facing skyward along the path the plane traveled.  The Air Force Memorial can be seen in the distance.

Each bench is engraved with the name of a victim. A shallow lighted pool of flowing water is positioned under each memorial bench.

 

I drove most of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (NP Unit) today and now took it to the I495 bridge on my way to Lillian’s in Rockville MD.  Again, much traffic and stop and go crossing the bridge.

 

Oct 21 Su –I planned the two tours and opera today (Sunday) to minimize driving time and parking problems. Helen, Lillian, and I arrived at the African American Civil War Memorial on Vermont Ave in DC at 8:30am. African American men wanted to enlist and fight at the start of the Civil War, however, Lincoln was firm; it was a war of Union preservation not abolition. The exception was the Navy where almost 29,000 African Americans served. As the war progressed with neither side clearly winning, Lincoln took the radical step of issuing the Emancipation Proclamation on 1/1/1863. This officially allowed the creation of the US Colored Troops (USCT). From 1863-1865, 180,000 African Americans enlisted in the Army.  Camp Nelson National Monument in KY (NP Unit #418) was created this month to tell the story of the training of these black troops; it opened in 1863.

This is a little known but impressive sculpture across from the African-American Civil War Museum. There are three sides to the sculpture –

“Who would be free themselves must strike the blow. Better even die free than to live slaves.” – Frederick Douglass 1863

The “Spirit of Freedom.”

 

We stopped at a street Farmer’s Market for a cheese Danish on our half mile drive to the Carter G. Woodson National Historical Site. It was a cold morning with high winds and the homeless had taken shelter where they could find it. A regular location for them is sleeping on cardboard around the Carter G. Woodson statue set in a small triangular park around the corner from the Woodson home.

One man had found refuge in a doorway in front of the home. We wanted to get him some hot coffee but there was not a source nearby, so I gave him some money for breakfast whenever he was ready to move.

We arrived before our scheduled 9am tour and waited for the building to open. As 9:30 approached, I started calling various offices of the National Park Service. Finally, I made a connection at the Frederick Douglass NHS and they assured me that they would look into the matter. A short time later the door opened. We were told by the two female rangers that they did not open the door at 9am because of the homeless man in front of the building and had called the police to have him removed. They did not explain why they had not informed us of this action while we waited out in the cold. To our dismay, the police arrived and took the man away.

We requested our tour and were shown the home, which is in the process of acquiring period furnishing. Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) lived in this three-story Victorian rowhouse from 1920 until his death in 1950. He managed the operations of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, published the Negro History Bulletin and the Journal of Negro History. Dr. Woodson established Negro History Week here in 1926, which we celebrate today as Black History Month.

 

We arrived at the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument in time for our 11am guided tour. It is in a strategic location near the U.S. Capital, Supreme Court, and Hart Senate Office Building.

The first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls NY in 1848 (see Women’s Rights National Historic Park – this Blog August 2014). Alice Paul, a Quaker born in NY in 1885, became involved in the Women’s Movement in England in 1907. When she returned to the U.S. she was instrumental in promoting women’s suffrage. She was an organizer of the Suffrage Parade held in DC the day before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration in 1913. The National Women’s Party (NWP) was formed in Chicago in 1916 as the “world’s first women’s political party.” In 1917, they began picketing the White House. President Wilson had many arrested. Many of the women were abused in prison – read the following sign:

Helen in The Origins Gallery

After a public outcry, President Wilson asked Congress to pass a suffrage amendment. In 1920, the 19^th Amendment granting women the right to vote was signed into law.

In 1923, the NWP drafted an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) that was introduced in Congress.

Six years later, Alva Vanderbilt Belmont helped purchase this building on Capitol Hill for the National Women’s Party. The Hall of Portraits – women who contributed to the ongoing struggle for equality.

It was not until 1972 that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) passed Congress. An Amendment to the Constitution requires the ratification of 38 of the 50 states. Congress set a 1979 deadline for ratification of the ERA. Only 35 states voted to ratify the ERA by this deadline, therefore, it was not ratified. There was a ratification extension granted until 1982, however, no additional states voted for ratification.

WE STILL DO NOT HAVE AN EQUAL RIGHTS AMMENDMENT

There has been on-going debate concerning ratification. In fact, after Phyllis Schlafly, a Right to Life advocate, mobilized conservative women in opposition, five state legislatures (ID, KY, NE, TN, and SD) voted to revoke their ERA ratifications. Schlafly argued that the ERA would disadvantage housewives and cause women to be drafted into the military. It remains a legal question as to whether a state can revoke its ratification of a federal constitutional amendment. At the same time, there continue to be efforts for ratification. In 2017, NV voted for ratification. In 2018, IL voted for ratification.

President Obama designated the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument in 2016. This building NWP stills serves as the NWP home today.  It continues to be the epicenter in the struggle for women’s rights. This was a sign on a trash receptacle across the street from the building.

 

I have wanted to attend a performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ever since it opened in 1971 (the year we moved from U of MD to NY) – today was the day! Authorized by the 1958 National Cultural Center Act of Congress, it is the United States National Cultural Center. It is located on the Potomac River adjacent to the Watergate complex. The Act required that programming be sustained through private funds. So, the Kennedy Center is an ongoing public-private partnership.

Some Kennedy quotes on the River Terrace

 

We had lunch in the KC Café and then enjoyed a wonderful matinee performance of Verdi’s La traviata.  We sat in the nose bleed Tier 2 section but first row seats and binoculars brought us up front and personal. Venera Gimadieva was exceptional as Violetta.

This bronze of Poseidon (Gift from Greece) reminded me of Peter and Chad

Bought a dozen jumbo crabs (he gave us 15 for $38!) at Jessie Taylor Seafood on the Wharf in DC, then drove back to Rockville to gorge ourselves on our “catch.”  I could only eat 2 – Helen ate 4!  She stated that she could eat more because she grew-up near the ocean!

 

Oct 22 M – Metro/Subway from Rockville to Metro Station DC, we then walked a couple of blocks to Freedom Plaza, which is two blocks east of the White House

The Plaza, which is composed mostly of stone, is inlaid with dark and light marble. Quotes about the city are carved into the marble surface.

There are brass outlines of the Capitol and White House

The Plaza also contains a metallic plaque of the Great Seal of the United. The Plaza is one of the settings in Dan Brown’s novel The Lost Symbol (2009).

Reverse side of the Great Seal

The plaza is a popular place for civic events and political protests (e.g. “Occupy DC” in 2011)

A bronze statue of Brigadier General, Casimir Pulaski (1741-1779) is located on the east side of the plaza. He was a hero of the Revolutionary War but is shown in the uniform of a Polish Cavalry Commander. He died in the Battle of Savannah in 1779 at the age of 31.

Across 14^th St to the west is Pershing Park. It is in the process of being developed as a World War I Memorial. The main monument is a statue of John J. Pershing, General of the Armies in World War I.

Memorial walls and benches describe Pershing’s accomplishments

Workers were in the process of gilding the letters and figures on the monuments.  The Armistice ending World War I was signed on November 11, 1918.  It was specified that it go into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.  In 1938, Congress officially designated November 11^th Armistice Day, a legal holiday to honor ALL those who have served their country in the Armed Services.  In 1954 it was renamed Veterans Day.  This year is the 100th year anniversary and citizens are asked to ring bells at 11am to commemorate the ending of the “War to End All Wars.”

Veterans Day should not be confused with Memorial Day, which honors those who have died serving our country or Armed Forces Day that honors those who are now serving in the U.S. military.

 

The Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site (NP Unit) runs from the White House to the Peace Monument at the Capitol. Many government buildings, monuments, and memorials are located along this route. As we walked from Freedom Plaza toward the Capitol, our first stop was the Old Post Office, which is now the Trump International Hotel. The government renovated it in 1983 adding a food court, retail space, and roof skylight in the central atrium. At that time, it became known as the Old Post Office Pavilion. The government gave a Trump holding company a 60-year lease on the building in 2013. The Trump hotel opened in 2016.

Statue of Benjamin Franklin was dedicated in 1889 and moved to this location in 1980

Lillian, who is anti-Trump, refused to enter the building. We could not enter the hotel, however, we were able to go to the top of the clock tower, which is run by the National Park Service. There are a series of displays as you walk to the elevator.  This photo shows the Capitol under construction at the end of Pennsylvania Ave

 

Old Post Office – Trump International Hotel

 

At 315 feet, it is the third-tallest building in Washington DC. The Clock Tower houses the “Bells of Congress” and offers panoramic views of the city.

A two-block walk took us to the United States Navy Memorial with towering masts and signal flags – to “Honor, Recognize and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services” (Navy and Coast Guard).

The Plaza has one of the largest maps of the world, called the “Granite Sea,”

with the iconic Lone Sailor Statue. A matching bronze can be found off the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge (see this blog – March 2013)

There are 22 bronze sculptures depicting Navy history

 

The General Winfield Scott Hancock (1824-1886) Statue is adjacent to the plaza and is one of the many Civil War Monuments of Washington DC. He served in the Mexican-American War and was a Union General in the Civil War. He was regarded as a “Hero” at the Battle of Gettysburg. He ran for President in 1880 but was defeated by Garfield. This is one of the monuments that is featured in the opening of the Netflix series “House of Cards.”

The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial is located across the street at the corner of PA Ave and 7^th St. The memorial honors Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, founder of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization for Union Veterans. Dedicated in 1909 by President William Howard Taft, the memorial is one of 18 Civil War monuments in Washington, D.C.  It is a three-sided monument with bronze reliefs on each side depicting the motto of the GAR, “Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty.” Front of the memorial – “Fraternity”

“Charity” is on the NE side of the memorial

“Loyalty” is on the SE side of the memorial

A few steps north is the Temperance Fountain. It was donated to the city in 1882 by Henry D. Cogswell, a dentist from San Francisco, who was a crusader in the Temperance Movement. This fountain was one of a series of temperance fountains he designed and commissioned in a belief that easy access to cool drinking water (ice was used) would keep people from consuming alcoholic beverages! Canopy sides are inscribed with the words “Faith,” “Hope,” “Charity,” and “Temperance.”

 

The Andrew W. Mellon (1855-1937) Fountain – holds a prominent position at the corner of Pennsylvania Ave and Constitution Ave – apex of the Federal Triangle. A financier/industrialist, Mellon was Secretary of the Treasury 1921-1932, Ambassador to Great Britain 1932-1933, and Founder of the National Gallery of Art (1937), which is across the street. Three small-to-large nested bronze basins empty into a 38-foot diameter granite basin. I especially like the 360-degree laminar flow of water over the three lips (requires perfect leveling).

The 12 zodiac symbols surround the base of the fountain. The Aries symbol faces directly east with the Libra symbol facing west and the Virgo symbol arranged along Pennsylvania Avenue, leading to some believing that Masonic influences were essential in the architecture. On the vernal equinox (Spring) the sun directly hits Aries, which then faces the rising sun a month later.

Can you see the Aquarius symbol? – that is Helen’s

The Newseum is across PA Ave from the Mellon fountain. Its mission is to increase public understanding of the importance of a free press and the First Amendment – freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

Each day the Newseum displays online the front pages of more than 2,000 newspapers worldwide. These pages are in their original, unedited form. The Newseum states that “some may contain material that is deemed objectionable to some visitors. Discretion is advised.” Every day, around 800 front pages are put on display. A front page from a paper in each state is posted outside so it can be read from the sidewalk. I have now placed the Newseum on my bucket list for further exploration.

 

We continued past the Canadian Embassy to John Marshall Park. John James Marshall (1755-1835) remains the longest-serving chief justice of the Supreme Court in history. Appointed by President John Adams, he served for 34 years (1801-1835). The D.C. Court can be seen in the background.

Just east of the park is the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. District Court, which has been very active lately! The Meade Memorial to Major General George Gordon Meade sits in front of the courthouse. Meade is best known for defeating General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg. This is another of the 18 Civil War monuments in Washington D.C.

There is an interesting bronze statue at the SE corner of the U.S. District Court – that of Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780). “Blackstone, considered to be the Father of English Law, was the author of Commentaries on the Laws of England in 1769 – a foundation of English law. His Commentaries became a basis for American and English legal systems.” This statue of Blackstone was never intended to be placed in Washington, D.C. let alone America. In the 1920s the statue was commissioned by members of the American Bar Association (ABA) as a gift to the English Bar Association, but it was too tall to be placed in the Royal Courts of Justice in London. It was cast in Europe and in 1943 was presented back to the U.S. for placement in D.C., partly because of the bombing of London during World War II. Blackstone is shown in judicial robes, with a ceremonial wig, holding his Commentaries.

Pennsylvania Ave ends at the Peace Monument – also known as the Naval Monument or Civil War Sailors Monument, it stands on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol in Peace Circle. The 44-foot high white marble memorial was erected from 1877-1878 to commemorate the naval deaths at sea during the Civil War.

Ulysses S. Grant Memorial – Grant (18^th President) on horseback faces west, overlooking the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The Grant and Lincoln memorials define the eastern and western ends, respectively, of the National Mall, a NP Unit. It is the second-largest equestrian statue in the US and the fourth-largest in the world.

Grant’s statue rests on a pedestal decorated with bronze reliefs of the infantry; flanking pedestals hold statues of protective lions

There is a bronze representation of the Union cavalry on the north side of the Grant statue

1968 – 50 years ago – young and stupid, who would ride a horse in sweater and tie?

Union artillery on the south side – Grant served as President from 1869-1877. Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19^th US President

It was a beautiful Fall day

1968 – 50 years ago!

James A. Garfield Monument – 20^th President, he narrowly defeated General Winfield Scott Hancock in 1870 but was assassinated in 1871 after only 4 months in office. Chester A. Arthur became President. The monument includes three allegorical figures spread around the base representing three significant periods in Garfield’s life. The first is the Student, reminding us of his time as an educator, the next is the Warrior, commemorating his service during the Civil War and the third is the Statesman, pointing to his career as a public servant.

Bartholdi Fountain – Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904) is best known for creating the Statue of Liberty. Bartholdi created this cast-iron “Fountain of Light and Water” for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The fountain stands 30 feet high and has caryatid figures 11 feet in height. The fountain was purchased by the U.S. Congress for $6,000 at the suggestion of Frederick Law Olmsted, the famous landscape architect who designed the Capitol Grounds. It was moved to Washington, D.C., in 1877. The Department of HHS can be seen in the background.

The gas lamps made the fountain a popular destination in the 1880s as one of the first attractions in the nation’s capital to be brightly illuminated at night. Electric lights replaced the gas lamps in 1915. The Botanic Garden is in background.

To really appreciate the Bartholdi Fountain, you need to see it illuminated at night with the Capitol as a backdrop –

 

The American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, across Washington Ave from the Bartholdi Fountain, is an “unknown” gem.

George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower quotes

There are several glass panels with quotes, figures, etc.

Star shaped fountain with insignia of five military services at points of star

 

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial (Authorized NP Unit), is being built in front of the Department of Education facing Independence Ave; it is scheduled to be dedicated in 2020

Lillian took the Metro back home from here and we walked through the Air and Space Museum to get to a nice sunny place on the Mall to eat our packed lunch

Mall demonstration – “Thousands of Falun Gong Practitioners Have Been Killed for Their Organs in China”

The new (2016) National Museum of African American History & Culture – we will return in a year or two when it is less crowded

The Washington Monument, at 555 feet, was the tallest building in the world when it was completed in 1884.  The Great Pyramid Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or Pyramid of Cheops) in Egypt was 481 feet.  In 1967, I ran up the stairs inside the monument (you are no longer allowed on the stairs) and remember my wobbling legs just barely allowing me to remain standing at the top!

The John Paul Jones (1747-1792) Memorial is located SW of the Washington Monument. He was America’s first naval war hero and is considered the “Father of the U.S. Navy.” In a vicious 1779 battle off the British coast, the captain of the H.M.S. Serapis asked Jones to surrender. He is noted for the quote “Sir, I have not yet begun to fight!” After ordering his crew to lash his ship, the Bonhomme Richard, to the more powerful Serapis, he was able to capture it. Though the Bonhomme Richard sank after the battle, the outcome was one of the factors that convinced King Louis XVI of France to back the colonies in their fight to become independent from Britain.

 

This was my first time to the World War II Memorial (NP Unit), which was dedicated in 2004. This view is toward the west and the Lincoln Memorial. The twin pavilions, Pacific on the left and Atlantic on the right, symbolize a war fought across two oceans.

More than 400,000 Americans died during World War II

Each of the 56 U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia have a pillar, representing the common cause

Wreaths of oak and wheat on each pillar symbolize the nation’s industrial and agricultural strength, both important to the war effort

Pacific pavilion and pillars

Atlantic pavilion and pillars

View toward the sky from the middle of the Atlantic pavilion

Each person who served in World War II received a Victory Medal, a representation is on the center of the floor in each pavilion

View east toward the Washington Monument and Capitol, indeed an impressive memorial

 

Constitution Gardens (NP Unit) are located a short walk NW of the World War II Memorial

Constitution Gardens is a living legacy to the founding of the republic as well as an oasis in the midst of a city landscape.

The Gardens were dedicated in 1976 as an American Revolution Bicentennial tribute.

In 1984, the Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence was dedicated on the small island in the lake.

Note that the signatures of the Declaration of Independence are presented by state

We carefully crossed Constitution Ave where it intersects with Virginia Ave and came to the statue of Jose Gervasio Artigas (1764-1850) – “Champion of Uruguay.” It is also known as the “Gaucho Statue.”

Proceeding one block NW on Virginia, we came to the statue of Simon Bolivar (1783-1830) – “The Great Liberator,” in front of the Department of the Interior. Bolivar devoted his life to the independence of South America from the Spanish. The Artigas and Bolivar statues are two stops on a “Statues of the Liberators Walking Tour” that progresses NE on Virginia Ave. Few people are aware of these “Hispanic Heroes in Our Nation’s Capital.” The other 5 stops in order are as follows: 3) Organization of American States Building, 4) Jose de San Martin (Hero of Argentina), 5) Bernardo de Galvez, he was the Spanish Governor of Louisiana during the American Revolution and supported the fight by forcing the British out of FL, 6) Pan American World Health Organization Headquarters, and 7) Benito Juarez (1806-1872) – “Father of Modern Mexico.”

I had to show ID and go through security to enter the Department of the Interior

There is a small museum inside. I also discussed some NP brochure improvement suggestions with an employee

 

This was our third or fourth visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (NP Unit). View from the east

Each visit has been somber as we remember those we knew who died. There are electronic “books” there where you can look up individuals by name. It is common to find people taking etchings of names on the monument.

 Vietnam Women’s Memorial

The Three Servicemen Memorial, also called “The Faces of Honor”

There is an area to the west, across Henry Beacon Dr, that will be the future home of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center. Also, the National Desert Storm/Desert Shield Memorial (Authorized) will be constructed nearby.

 

Lincoln Memorial (NP Unit) – one of our favorites

View east toward Washington Monument and Capitol from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Just south of the Lincoln Memorial is the John Ericsson Memorial – a great trivia question would be “Who was John Ericsson?

Well, he was the man who revolutionized naval history with his invention of the screw propeller. The Swedish engineer was also the designer of the USS Monitor, the ship that ensured Union naval supremacy during the Civil War.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial (NP Unit) is located just SE of the Lincoln Memorial

On June 25, 1950, the communist government of North Korean launched an attack into South Korea. The war raged for 3 years.

A negotiated settlement (Armistice of July 27, 1953) established a new boundary near the original one at the 38^th parallel. As we know, the tensions continue until this day.

The D.C. War Memorial can be found east of the Korean Memorial– completed in 1931, it is a circular, open-air, Doric structure with an overall height of 47 feet and a diameter of 44 feet, large enough to accommodate the entire U.S. Marine Band. The memorial stands on a four feet high circular marble platform around which are inscribed the names of 499 Washington residents who died in service during World War I. The names were inscribed on the face of the platform in alphabetical order with no distinction made to rank, race, or gender. The D.C. War memorial is the only District memorial on the National Mall. It symbolizes the unique distinction of Washington, D.C. as a local entity even though it is the nation’s capital.

 

Across Independence Ave is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

Entering the Memorial through the “Mountain of Despair”

Note how the stone with King’s likeness symbolically comes out of the Mountain of Despair. The words “Out of the Mountain of Despair, A Stone of Hope” are engraved on the MLK stone.  That is a quote from his “I Have a Dream” speech. The Memorial opened in 2011.

Several other MLK quotes are inscribed around the memorial

 

Proceeding south around the Tidal Basin, we came to the impressive Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (NP Unit) – dedicated (1997) to the memory of FDR (1882-1945) and to the era he represents. The monument is big, spread over 7.5 acres. It traces 12 years of U.S. history through a sequence of four outdoor “rooms,” one for each of FDR’s terms of office.

A Prologue “Room” begins the journey at the NW corner of the Memorial by the Visitor Station. There is a statue of Roosevelt in a wheelchair. It depicts the physical disability that defined his character and inspired his leadership.

A sculpture of the presidential seal is mounted by the entryway.

Room One, First Term 1933-1937, highlights the “New Deal” that FDR enacted to address the worst economic crisis of the century

Room Two, Second Term 1937-1941, depicts the on-going depression, sculpture of a breadline

Sculpture of a man listening to a fireside chat

Wonderful positive, progressive and socially powerful quotes, unlike current President Trump

Room Three, Third Term 1941-1945, World War II

Sculptures present the 32^nd President with his dog Fala

“I Have Seen War”

A bronze statue of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt standing before the United Nations emblem honors her dedication to the UN. She was also a champion of human rights. It is the only presidential memorial to depict a First Lady.

Room Four, Fourth Term 1945

 

FDR passed away on April 12, 1945 in Warm Springs GA, age 63; Allied forces victorious by August – sculptured relief of Roosevelt’s funeral cortege

Japanese Pagoda on the Tidal Basin – just S of FDR Memorial

 

We continued our walk around the Tidal Basin, across the Inlet Bridge, to the George Mason Memorial

George Mason (1725-1692) was the author of America’s first Bill of Rights – the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which served as an inspiration to Thomas Jefferson while drafting the Declaration of Independence.

Mason later served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. Perhaps Masons’ greatest act was withholding his signature from the United States Constitution because it did not abolish the slave trade and lacked necessary protection for the individual from the Federal Government.

 

A few steps to the north is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial – my favorite D.C. memorial

We have visited here more than ten times. Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the 3^rd President of the United States (1801-1809).

Jefferson (1743-1826) was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase – doubling the size of the U.S.! He also gained Congressional support for the Lewis and Clark expedition.

He and John Adams had been good friends in the first decades of their political careers, serving together in the Continental Congress in the 1770s and in Europe in the 1780s. The Federalist/Republican split of the 1790s divided them. The two men did not communicate directly for more than a decade after Jefferson succeeded Adams as president. After a reconciliation starting in 1812, the former presidents exchanged 158 letters discussing their political differences, justifying their respective roles in events, and debating the revolution’s importance to the world. When Adams died, his last words were: “Thomas Jefferson survives”, unaware that Jefferson had died several hours before, both on July 4, 1826!

Rather than take the bus, we decided to walk one more mile to Metro Center to take the Red Line train back to Rockville – that made 9.5 miles for the day. We passed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, both of which we had visited previously, on our way to the station.

 

Oct 23 Tu – Lillian treated us to a “Diner” breakfast; we then drove about 45min to the President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers Home National Monument, located on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (formerly the Soldiers’ Home) in Washington D.C. We arrived at 9:30, toured the Visitor Center and started on our guided tour ($16 each) at 10am.

Pavilion opposite the Main Entrance (Eagle Gate)

Four presidents of the U.S. escaped the heat and humidity of summer in Washington, DC at The Old Soldiers’ Home on a hill three miles from the White House.  President Lincoln his wife and family occupied the 34-room Gothic Revival “cottage” between June and November in 1862, 1863, and 1864.

Each summer the White House staff transported some 19 cartloads of the Lincoln family’s belongings to the cottage, though there is no record of exactly what they brought.  Located on one of the highest hills in the District of Columbia, the grounds offered solitude and respite from the swampy heat and wartime congestion of the capital.  In July 1862, Mary Lincoln wrote a friend, “We are truly delighted with this retreat . . . the drives and walks around here are delightful.”

Lincoln did not escape the Civil War and his burden of leadership.  Every morning he rode his horse 4 miles to the White House to carry out official business, returning to the Old Soldiers’ Home every evening.  The cavalry units that accompanied him with drawn swords and the hospitals, cemeteries, and camps for former slaves he passed on his route served as constant reminders of the war.

When Confederate General Jubal Early attacked Fort Stevens, on July 12, 1864, Lincoln brashly went to observe the battle, even though his family had been evacuated from the Old Soldiers’ Home (about one mile from the battle) to the White House for the four days of the battle.  He became the only president ever to come under hostile fire while in office.  That same summer, one of John Wilkes Booth’s plots proposed kidnapping Lincoln along his commute, and a sniper attempted to assassinate him on his way to the cottage.

After our high-tech and guided tour of the cottage (no pics allowed inside), we walked around to the back of the cottage

The Soldiers’ Home, now called the Washington Unit of the Armed Forces Retirement Home (1,200 residents), is the nation’s only retirement community for Regular Army and Air Force enlisted personnel, warrant officers, and disabled soldiers and airmen. The President Lincoln’s Cottage opened to the public for the first time on President’s Day in 2008.

 

Next stop Fort Reno (Point Reno) Highpoint of Washington D.C. Fort Reno was one of the Circle Forts surrounding DC during the Civil War.

Nothing remains of the fort. Fort Reno is the location of the only Civil War battle to take place in the District of Columbia, at the Battle of Fort Stevens. The battle was fought July 11–12, 1864. Although Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early caused consternation in the Union government, reinforcements and the strong defenses of Fort Stevens minimized the military threat and Early withdrew after two days of skirmishing without attempting any serious assaults. The battle is noted for the personal presence of President Abraham Lincoln observing the fighting.

Helen standing on Highpoint

At 409 ft., Fort Reno is high above most of Washington, DC, which is mostly around 20 ft. above sea level

 

We drove through Rock Creek Park on our way to Glen Burnie MD to visit Joe and Linda.  On day one, Joe prepared a delicious roasted chicken dinner and day two spaghetti.

 

Oct 24 W – My next youngest brother Joe (68) has been undergoing radiation and chemo therapy for glioblastoma. The same brain cancer that John McCain, Bo Biden, and Ted Kennedy had. Today he wanted to hike – he had chosen a trail in Howard County MD about a half hour from his home.

It was a nice hike along the Little Patuxent River

I call these the Tom and Helen trees. The oak me, the beach Helen – together

Joe was determined to get to the Pratt Through-Truss Bridge, 2.5 miles one-way

Any resemblance?

Wooly Bear Caterpillar – Winter is Coming!

No Fun!!!

After our 5-mile hike, we walked through the Historic Savage Mill, which has been converted into a high-end shopping mall.

 

 

8/23 Th – Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site is in South Philadelphia only a few blocks from the Walt Whitman Bridge. We were on our way to NJ for Helen’s 55^th HS Reunion.

It is also known as the Old Swedes’ Church. It was built 1678-1700 in an area that was known as New Sweden along the Delaware River

It began as a Lutheran Church, but the colony was brought under Dutch and then British control. In 1845 it became part of the Episcopal Church

Interesting early 1700’s grave stones

Flag and plaque identify the grave of a Revolutionary War soldier

Gloria Dei is the oldest church in PA

The Swedish colonists arrived in 1643 on two ships, the Fogel Grip and the Kalmar Nyckel. It was the second voyage for the Kalmar Nyckel, which landed in what is now Wilmington DE in 1638. Models of these ships hang from the ceiling.

The angel Gabriel, common in Swedish churches, also hangs from the ceiling

Rear of church, Gloria Dei may have been the first church in America where an organ was used ~1703

Betsy Ross was married in this church in 1777

 

8/24 F – started the day preparing for a boat ride on the Great Egg Harbor River in Mays Landing NJ. Alex, Helen’s brother, visited for a couple of hours in the morning.

Unfortunately, Carol dislocated her ankle stepping into the boat. I was able to reset it and we got ice on it right away, however, the injury put her out of commission for the weekend.   We went to lunch with Tom and Loretta at the Tuckahoe Inn while Carol went for X-Rays.

 

8/25 Sat – spent the day with Carol and Dave and then attended Helen’s 55^th HS Reunion.  Cheerleaders doing the HS Fight Song with potato chip bags for pom poms.

 

8/26 Sun – visited Diane and Pete in Ocean Grove NJ and then drove to West Orange NJ to visit Helen’s cousin Alisa, who prepared a great dinner for us.

 

8/27 M – Alisa drove us to the Harrison station for the PATH train that takes you into the Oculus below the World Trade Center in NYC. The Oculus is a glass and steel structure designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrave to look like a dove in flight.

We walked around the impressive 9/11 Twin Towers Memorial

One World Observatory (1WTC), also known as “Freedom Tower,” is America’s tallest building (1,776 feet). It was opened in 2015 and is the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, and the sixth tallest in the world.

Walking down Broadway –

Walked about a mile to the African Burial Mound National Monument

Unfortunately, it was not open on Mondays. So, we were only able to tour the outside memorial. Also, as you can see, it was under renovation.

 

Our next stop was Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, and Federal Hall National Memorial. I had been here three times before but never inside. Note Helen under George’s right hand.

New Amsterdam’s first City Hall was built by the Dutch in the 17^th century. The second City Hall opened in 1703 on Wall and Nassau Streets and housed the British royal governor’s council and the assembly of New York. It was also the New York City Hall.

The building was renamed Federal Hall when New York became the first official capital of the U.S. after the Revolutionary War. It was the meeting place for the Congress of the Confederation. In 1788, the building was enlarged and remodeled. It was renamed Federal Hall when it became the first Capitol of the newly created United States in 1789 and hosted the 1^st United States Congress. It was demolished in 1812.

George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States on the balcony of this building on April 30, 1789

The current building was built as a Customs House in 1842

 

Good summary of this site as well as some early history of the U.S.

 

We had to hustle to the tip of Manhattan to catch the noon ferry to Governors Island National Monument. It can be seen in the distance. The orange ferry is on its’ way to Staten Island.

Part of the current New York Harbor security force

The Battle of Brooklyn in 1776 was the first and the largest battle of the Revolutionary War. It was a British victory and they held New York for the remainder of the War. After the War, it was determined that New York Harbor needed to be fortified for future defense. The first fort built was Fort Jay on Governors Island in 1794.

Over the next fifteen years four additional forts were built to protect New York Harbor, Fort Gibson on Ellis Island, Castle Williams on Governors Island, Castle Clinton on Manhattan, and Fort Wood on Liberty Island, which became the base for the Statue of Liberty.  These forts prevented the British from taking New York in the War of 1812.

Castle Williams can be seen in the left center of this photo on Governors Island.

Leaving the Battery Maritime Ferry Building, Brooklyn Bridge on right – $1 round trip for seniors!

Governors Island

Fort Jay

Castle Williams

History of Castle Williams – “change is constant”

Returning to Manhattan

 

Bought a grilled chicken Gyro from a street vender as we walked the short distance from the ferry terminal to Battery Park and Castle Clinton National Monument. Also bought some water, the first vender we saw wanted $2 a bottle, I told him no way! The second vender, 25 feet away, charged us $1 a bottle!

The next three photos show how the city has grown around Castle Clinton

More walking, this time from Castle Clinton, through Battery Park, to the Subway. This is a World War II Memorial.

This is a Korean War Memorial. It states that 54,246 Americans and 58,127 South Koreans were killed from 1950-1953.  That is way different than the 33,686 battle and 2,830 non-battle U.S. deaths stated on Wikipedia.  Also, Wikipedia states that South Korea suffered 137,899 military deaths and 373,599 civilian deaths!

Serbian immigrant at Immigrant Statue

Another view of “Freedom Tower”

 

Took the Subway (Red Line) to Stonewall National Monument

This is the first National Park Unit (2016) devoted to the story of the LGBTQ community and its efforts for civil rights

The monument commemorates the Gay Uprising of June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn and in Christopher Park across the street. In the 1960’s, NYC laws, rules, and policies were anti-homosexual. A police raid on the Stonewall Inn precipitated a “riot” where people fought back. It led to several nights of demonstrations in Christopher Park and was a pivotal point for social change across America. Each year on this date there is a Christopher Street Gay Liberation March that begins in Christopher Park and ends in Central Park.

 

The next 1.6-mile walk was work – the heat index was >100 degrees! Helen cooling off in Washington Square Park as we walked through Greenwich Village

We had to rush to get to our 4:15 tour at the Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site. This is an Affiliated National Park Unit, which includes a small museum.

There are 7 apartment tours, each telling a different immigrant story. There is also a recreated German beer saloon and several neighborhood tours. We chose the “Irish Outsiders” ($20 seniors) tour on the fourth floor of the tenement – no elevator or AC but they did give us hand fans! The outhouses and water pump (only source of water) was in a small courtyard. So, there were many up and down trips every day.

The tour guide did an excellent job describing the lives of an Irish family who lived here in 1869. Photos were not permitted inside.

Afterward, we watched a 20 min video in the museum and then took the J Train to the Fulton St station and walked to the World Trade Center to catch the PATH train back to NJ.

This was a big day for us in NYC with lots of walking. I had planned to do these National Park Units and other NYC sites over a two-day period. This morning we decided to try and do them all in one day and we did!

 

8/28 Tu – Visited the graves of Helen’s paternal grandparents (Alexa and Jelena) in Fairmount Cemetery in Newark and some of her other relatives in Hollywood Memorial Park in Union NJ. Went to Panevino Ristorante in Livingston NJ to celebrate Alisa’s birthday.

 

8/29 W – Drove into NYC and parked near 135^th St and Nicholas Ave in Harlem where Helen’s grandparents lived in 1909. We walked through Saint Nicholas Park to the Hamilton Grange National Memorial at 141st St and arrived at 8:30 to be sure that we were first in line for the 10am tour that is limited to ten people.

This was Alexander Hamilton’s home from 1802 until he was killed by Aaron Burr in a duel in 1804 at the age of 46. He called his 13-acre estate the Grange. The house was moved in 1889 and again in 2008 to its present location.

We toured the visitor center and watched a video from 9am until the start of our tour.

Prominent events in the life of Alexander Hamilton

The Constitution

The Duel

Tour of the second floor of the home

 

Walked 1.3 miles to the General Grant National Memorial on Riverside Dr above the Hudson River

General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, Commanding General of the U.S. Army, at Appomattox Court House Virginia in 1865 ending the Civil War. Grant was elected the 18^th President of the U.S. in 1868 and served for two terms during “Reconstruction.” He died in 1885 at the age of 63 and is entombed here with his wife Julia.

This is the largest mausoleum in North America and the second largest in the Western Hemisphere. It was the most popular tourist attraction in NYC until World War I.

The Visitor Center is located across West Riverside Dr

Groucho Marx is often noted for the question “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?” During his hosting of the TV quiz show “You Bet Your Life” during the 1940s and 50s, he would sometimes ask an easy question so that a contestant could win some money or a prize. Technically, some people argue that no one is buried there because both Grant and his wife are above ground – like this guy.

 

It was another scorcher of a day, so I walked back for the car while Helen waited in the Visitor Center.  I picked her up at 2pm and we were able to make the 3:30 tour of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site on Long Island. Flag at half-staff for the death of Senator John McCain.

Sagamore Hill was the home of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, from 1885 until his death in 1919. Our tour guide was outstanding. Unfortunately, no photos were permitted in the house.

Some information from signage on the grounds

Roosevelt’s son Ted Jr built a home on the property in 1937. It now serves as the Theodore Roosevelt Museum at Old Orchard.

TR is noted for his statement “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

He is also one of my favorite Presidents because of his support and protection of the natural environment

Had lobster and fried clams at a marina in Bayville and then drove to the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale where we stayed for two nights

 

8/30 Th – 45min to the Queensborough Public Library Archives in Jamaica Queens Long Island to search for information on Helen’s grandfather who owned the American Tire Repair Co in Far Rockaway, (Queens) NY from about 1910 until 1920. In 1920 he returned to Serbia with his family to open the first Ford dealership in Yugoslavia. We were unable to find any new information. We also drove to Far Rockaway and went to the addresses of two houses where he lived as well as his business address. All had been razed and new buildings were at these sites.

After lunch, we drove to the Fire Island National Seashore Lighthouse and Visitor Center

Though hot, it was a nice 1-mile hike (round trip) on a boardwalk to the lighthouse

Fire Island Light Station, Fresnel Lens Building

Lighthouse and Museum

Lighthouse and Life Saving Stations on Long Island

I climbed the 182 steps to the top of the lighthouse

View East, Atlantic Ocean on right, Great South Bay on left

View West toward Robert Moses State Park and Causeway

Humpback whale bones

We drove another hour East to the Fire Island Wilderness Visitor Center. I dropped Helen off and went looking for parking. The only free parking I found was a half mile away.

On my walk back to the Visitor Center, I stopped at the TWA Memorial at Smith Point Beach

Fire Island National Seashore – magnify map for a better view

We expected to do a 3-mile hike on the beach, however, the flies and mosquitoes were SO BAD that I just walked briefly on the beach and then walked back to get the car to then pick-up Helen and head back to the Long Island Marriott.

 

8/31 F – left at 7am and arrived at Saint Paul’s Church National Historic Site in Mount Vernon north of NYC at eight. That gave us an hour to tour the cemetery before the Visitor Center opened.

Here Lays the Body Cap’ Will Pinkney, Deceased 11^th day of March 1751, Aged about 75 Years

Caleb Morgan grave 1803 Aged 84 – “Oh mortal man as you pass by, Are you one now so once was I, Your glass has run and still is running, Remember death and judgements coming.”

Abigail Morgan grave – The wife of Caleb Morgan who departed this Life the 17^th day of August in the year of our Lord 1782 Aged 54 Year 9 Months and 25 Days. Cherub on stone represents the soul in heaven

Jeremiah Fowler died in 1724. The farm community of Eastchester was so small that only his initials JF appear on the tombstone

Fowler family tomb, the son fought for the Patriots, whereas the father, a judge, fled to Nova Scotia during the Revolution because he was a Loyalist

American Revolutionary Soldiers

“This marks the site of the sand pit in which are buried those Hessian Soldiers who died in the Church when used as a hospital 1776”

Model of church when used as hospital

“In Memory of Thomas, a Servant of Philip and Deborah Rhinelander, who departed this Life, September 2^nd 1819, Aged 21 Years – Well done thou good and faithful Servant; enter thou into the Joy of My Reward”

Entering St. Paul’s Church

My congregation of one –

Ten Commandments +

Back of church

Visitor Center adjacent to church, 15min video

Election of 1733 on Eastchester’s Village Green, that raised the issues of freedom of religion and the origins of an independent press

Washington reading the Declaration of Independence to troops on the Village Common NYC – July 9, 1776

We were to stop and see friends in NY and OH on the way home, however, Helen came down with a cold. As a result, we drove home arriving at 9:30pm.

 

Jun 27 W – drove to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Oak Ridge TN on a rainy day.

Should FDR approve development of the Atomic Bomb?

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park consists of 3 principal locations, Oak Ridge TN, Hanford WA, and Los Alamos NM. We visited Hanford WA in September 2016 and Los Alamos NM in February 2018 – see blog for those dates

Oak Ridge 1942-1945

Should President Truman drop the Atomic Bomb?

Oak Ridge Journal

Leaving the West side of Oak Ridge. This is the Turnpike Gatehouse on Route 95 to control access to K-25

 

Jun 28 Th – Peter and Heather’s home, Franklin TN

Celebrated my birthday (75)

Jun 29 F – My real birthday.  Also, Peter and Heather’s 16^th Wedding Anniversary!  They had plans, so we drove back to Springfield.

May 24 Th – did a Story Corp recording session in Chicago titled “Iran 2 – Untold Reason for the Taking of the U.S. Embassy in Teheran on November 4, 1979 and the Hostage Crisis.” On our walk to Pizzeria Uno with Mike, we stopped at the corner of Wacker Dr and Michigan Ave to view the historical information at the Fort Dearborn Chicago Landmark.

Fort Dearborn was built in 1803 on the Chicago River to protect the “Chicago Portage.” It was destroyed during the War of 1812.

This engraving describes how regulars, women and children were massacred (by Potawatomi Indians) while attempting to evacuate the fort

Stayed with Cathie and Jim for two nights

 

May 25 F – Jim and I visited the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, it is administered by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.

Impressive sculpture representing Fr. Marquette and Joliet passing through here on their discovery (1673) of this Native American connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River System

Sign describing this gateway for exploration and pioneer expansion. Many frontiersmen, missionaries, soldiers, and traders passed through this portage.

We walked the trails around the site

Think about it – one could travel by boat from the Atlantic Ocean, down the St Lawrence Seaway, through the Great Lakes to this site, portage (or paddle through a 7.5-mile marsh at high water) to the Mississippi River System, and continue by boat down the river, through the Gulf of Mexico, and back to the Atlantic Ocean! In 1848 the Illinois and Michigan Canal was completed eliminating the need to portage. This is the reason Chicago grew and prospered at this location. The next series of photos describes the history of this location.

Connections Through Time

 

May 26 Sa – 2hrs to Milwaukee and visit with Chad, Liz, Drago, Seamus, and Lena. They surprised us by preparing a display and dinner for Helen’s Slava. A Slava is a Serbian family Saint’s Day – Helen’s is Saint George.

 

May 27 Su – Lighting candles for deceased relatives

Breakfast at North Ave Grill

 

May 28 M – Memorial Day, 5.5hrs to our Airbnb apt in Minneapolis

 

May 29 Tu – American College of Sports Medicine Convention, gave a presentation titled ”Exercise is Medicine: Rx Your National Parks”

Also, had a chance to have a brief visit with Stacy

And visit the Walker Art Center and Sculpture Garden

 

May 30 W – Started the day with a drive to Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, which is part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

Walked across the dam in a light rain and then returned to go through the Visitors Center

Drove River Rd back into Minneapolis to Saint Anthony Falls

Did the short trail around Hennepin Island

Horseshoe Falls

Saint Anthony Falls looking south across the Mississippi River

Took West River Pkwy to Lock and Dam #1, where there was a nice observation deck

Continued to Minnehaha Regional Park where we walked around Minnehaha Falls

Toured the Stevens House and had some excellent clam chowder at the Sea Salt Eatery in the Park

Continued downstream two miles to Fort Snelling State Park

This is where the Minnesota River enter the Mississippi

Fort Snelling was established here in 1820 to protect the fur trade

Enslaved people were held at the fort until after the Civil War, including Dred Scott of the famous “Dred Scott Decision.” Scott was a slave who had been taken to this territory by his owner in 1857. He sued for his freedom. The Supreme Court ruled that “a negro, whose ancestors were imported into [the U.S.], and sold as slaves”, whether enslaved or free, could not be an American citizen and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court; and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired after the creation of the United States. In so doing, it ruled that an Act of Congress was unconstitutional. This is considered by many to be the worst Supreme Court decision in American history! It was one of many events that led to the Civil War. It was functionally superseded by the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and by the 14^th Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1868, which gave African Americans full citizenship.

Another black mark on the U.S. was the U.S. – Dakota War of 1862

Our next stop was the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Visitor Center in St Paul. It is located in the Science Museum of Minnesota

It was small but very well done – note the map on the floor

Carver’s Cave

Indian Mounds Park

 

May 31 Th – It took an hour to drive to the St Croix National Scenic River Vis Ctr in St. Croix Falls WI

Put-in point

Pointing to the point on the river where we will put in our canoe below the dam. The take-out was at Osceola Landing after the bridge in the lower right of the photo

We rented our canoe from Eric’s just south of St. Croix Falls and were told that the 6-mile trip would take 3 hours, more if we chose to paddle through the lakes adjacent to the river

We did paddle through Peaslee Lake and Lower Lake – it took us 1.5 hours to complete the trip

We rewarded ourselves with an “old-fashion” Root Beer Floats at the 1950’s Taylors Falls Drive-In Diner. They still have car-hops, though we sat at an “old-fashion” table for oldies! Afterward, we hiked the Pothole Trail in the Wisconsin Interstate State Park just south of St. Croix Falls. This is Wisconsin’s oldest State Park (1900).

The Ice Age National Scenic Reserve is an Affiliated National Park Unit.  It was established along the entire length of the moraines marking the edge of the last glacier in WI and has nine sites. We hiked at the Devil’s Lake State Park site several years ago.

The Pothole Trail

It leads to the Northern Terminus of the 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail, that links together six of the Ice Age National Scenic Reserve’s nine sites

Toured the Wisconsin Interstate State Park Interpretive Center after our hike. It was then a scenic 3.5hr drive through north central WI to Lucy’s Place B & B in Bayfield WI. There we met my old friend Clark from my first year of graduate school at the U of Maryland and his wife Donna. We went to the Bayfield Inn for dinner.

 

June 1 F – we were expecting to do a morning cruise through the Apostle Islands, however, there were small craft warnings and the cruise was canceled. So, we started at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Vis Ctr in Bayfield.

There are 8 lighthouses on the various islands to provide for safe boat traffic in the area

Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day

Map – we couldn’t get to the islands, so we decided to do the Lakeshore Trail that starts at Meyers Beach

Starting on the trail

We hiked 5 miles round-trip

Be Careful!

Some Cliff Views

The steep cliff walls of sandstone bedrock can rise over 50 feet above Lake Superior

One of the few caves we could see from the top of the cliffs. I hope to come back here, kayak along the cliffs and into the caves and also get out to some of the islands.

Donna and Clark

Had lunch at Little Nicki’s in Cornucopia and then stopped for a Treasure Search just north of Bayfield

We bought “Wine Bread” and a homemade pie for Vera and Bill, said our good-byes and drove 5.5hrs to Madison WI

 

June 2 Sa – day with Vera and Bill

 

June 3 Su – 7.5hrs to Springfield, also lost an hour going from the Central time zone to Eastern time zone

Helen’s cross-stitch project completed during our trip