The Martin's Blog

March 1 – AA from Belize City to Miami, arrived at 5:30pm, again stayed at the Marriott in Miami Lakes

March 2 – Drove to Orlando to start an 8-night package I had purchased, that included a 3-hr condo sales pitch. I thought it was a reasonable deal just to keep us “South” for the first part of March before slowly working our way back home. But, it wasn’t. We arrived too late to do anything in the area today.

 

March 3 – Orlando sales pitch all morning. That left the afternoon and evening. However, the cost for a half day ticket to Disneyworld, Epcot, or Universal Studios was over $100 . . . just wasn’t worth it. The good news was that we could go to an AT&T store. I had to replace my phone that went swimming in Belize and Helen got an iPad Mini that was on sale.

 

March 4 – Drove to Palm Beach (No, we did not see Trump) to take a Blue Star Cruise to Grand Bahama Island. Boarded at noon, relaxed and enjoyed the served dinner despite the rough seas – the show was canceled. We were one of the few couples who tried dancing. We were rocking and rolling without even trying!

 

March 5 – dawn arrival in Freeport

After breakfast, we disembarked and were transported by van to the Pelican Bay Resort in Lucaya. Both our days here were moderate but windy, therefore, SCUBA and snorkeling were not possible. Food was not covered for our two days here, whereas it was for the other 7-days of our package. The good part was that it gave us the opportunity to choose our own restaurants – more seafood! I believe we ate more seafood on this trip than any other we have ever taken. We had Conch fritters for lunch today – purchased from a local who had a kiosk at the marina.

March 6 – We spent much of the day at the Grand Lucayan Resort across the road. Technically, we were not supposed to be able to use the grounds because we were not staying there. However, Helen met two women on the boat who were staying there and she hung out with them while I walked the beach. Dance class and lighthouse tower.

Helen was also able to get in a swim at the lap pool

I had to be satisfied with the sights on the beach

However, I did do a manly thing by wading out in the heavy surf to retrieve some balloons. I presented them to Helen for coming in first at the pool.

 

March 7 – Took the free ferry to Taino Beach this morning.

Again, it was too windy to swim but we did enjoy our walk and sun bathing on the beach

We were on board the Grand Celebration by mid-afternoon. I knocked myself out of the Corn Hole tournament by continuing to pitch my bean bags in the hole (3 pts) causing me to go over 11 and having to start again from 0. Played Farkle with a competitive Canadian couple we had met – they did not like losing. We chose the served dinner again this evening; the meals were good. We saw the comedian and show this evening, both were entertaining. After purchasing our allotment of duty free liquor, we ended the evening with the performance of a Tina Turner impersonator.

 

March 8 – docked in Palm Beach in the morning and then drove to the Hilton Double Tree in Deerfield FL for the last two nights of our package. This was the best accommodation we had as part of our package. Relaxed by the pool and had a tasty dinner in the restaurant.

March 9 – that’s what you call a good breakfast. Pretend you don’t notice the pills.

Had a very nice day at the Deerfield Beach

 

Hillsboro Inlet Light Station (1906) – 147 feet high

 

March 10 – a 1.5-hour drive brought us to the Dante Fascell Visitor Center for Biscayne Bay National Park. We toured the grounds and then entered the Visitor Center when it opened at 9am.

Establishment of National Park

The Visitor Center is named for Dante Fascell

Lion Fish have been introduced into the Bay (probably from SE Asia) and there is now a bounty on them because they are damaging the ecosystem.

Other displays in the Visitor Center

Mike and Bev arrived about 9:15 and we prepared for our days outing. We had four of six slots on an Island Dreamer sailing excursion. This is the only sailing concession in the park. Our boat is the one at the end of the dock – the Adventure.

Motoring out into the bay

Maggie, the captain (she sailed the boat all by herself!) and our friends Mike and Bev

We were supposed to go to Boca Chita Key but Maggie said the wind was not strong enough and it would take too long. So, we docked at Adams Key.

Lunch time – we had to bring our own snacks, drinks and lunch. Check-out the sign, precursors of our current day Somali pirates

We brought our snorkel gear and were instructed where we might find some good snorkeling along the inlet. Our vehicle to get there was a paddle board. This is the first time I had tried one and found it more difficult than I thought it would be. If I were younger it would have been fine but I have lost a good deal of my balance skills. I got up a couple of times but decided to paddle the board like a kayak.

Leaving the dock

The best part of the paddle was when we passed through a shallow area among the mangroves and saw some small sting rays. There were some small fish on route and one sea turtle but the snorkeling was not good.

Picture taken at Visitor Center

Return to dock

Return across Biscayne Bay in a slight wind – note jib sail

We then followed Mike and Bev to their home in Ft Myers

March 11 and 12 – relaxing, shopping (second hand stores) and playing games with Mike and Bev

March 13 – It was a long day driving today – 10 hrs. Our first stop was Tallahassee, to take a look at the FL state capital. Our next stop was Britton Hill the Highpoint of Florida. At 345 feet, it is the lowest highpoint of the 50 states. There are buildings in Miami that are taller!

This was Helen’s 30^th state highpoint – as you can see, she was ecstatic!

We arrived in Fort Walton Beach just east of Pensacola FL at 7:30pm; it was cold and rainy

 

March 14 – when we left this morning, we drove over the bridge to Destin. Peter and Heather have recommended Destin for its beach, sun and fun. I like the fact that it is right next to the FL part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. I hope to get to the MS part on another trip.

Cold and windy, not what we wanted for our “Winter Escape”

Sign with map of the Santa Rosa Beach area

Drove west past Pensacola Beach to Fort Pickens on the western tip of Santa Rosa Island

Before the age of nuclear weapons, Homeland Security meant “harbor security.” During the War of 1812, the British took Point Comfort (current location of Fort Monroe National Monument) at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay and then moved up the Potomac River to sack Washington DC and burn the White house. After the war, the U.S. built over 40 coastal forts to protect its harbors. Fort Pickens, a state of the art brick and masonry fort, was completed in 1834.

 

 

Built by slaves

 

On November 22-23, 1861 the Confederates, who occupied Fort McRee and Fort Barrancas on the opposite side of the Pensacola Inlet, had a massive artillery duel with the Union force at Fort Pickens. The Confederates abandoned their forts in May 1862 to use their troops elsewhere.

The fate of the Apache Indians is directly tied to Fort Pickens. In 1886, 16 Apache men including Geronimo and Naiche, the youngest son of Cochise and hereditary chief of the Chiricahua Indians, were taken off a train in Pensacola and taken here by boat. Their families continued to Fort Marion in St. Augustine FL where they were imprisoned. Leaders in Pensacola had petitioned the government to bring the Apaches to Fort Pickens as tourist attractions. President Cleveland only approved the petition for these 16 men, thus separating them from their families. After Apache petitions, their families joined them in 1887. In 1888, they were all moved to Mount Vernon Barracks north of Mobile AL and in 1894 they were moved a final time to a reservation at Fort Sill OK. At that time, Naiche chose to move to the Mescalero Reservation in NM.

After the Civil War, Fort Pickens was regularly upgraded with the latest defensive armaments – rifled cannon, underwater mines, searchlights, huge guns in concrete, rapid-firing artillery (for fast motor boats), anti-aircraft batteries, etc. As you can see in the photos, this Rodman Gun (circa 1868) holds a prominent position in the fort.

 

The fort today

 

Our next stop was the Naval Live Oaks area visitor center on the other side of Santa Rosa Sound.

This area was the first tree farm in the U.S. (1828). About 1000 live oaks were used to build one wooden vessel. It is called a “live oak” because it both drops and keeps leaves year-round. The limbs and trunks were used to provide specific shapes for various parts of the boat. President John Adams considered the Navy the first line of defense from foreign invasion. The U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides) gained fame when cannon balls bounced off its live oak walls. It is still a Navy ship. When it is in port in Boston, it is part of the Boston Freedom Trail and can be toured free of charge.

We hiked the Nature Trail along the Sound

It took almost an hour to drive through Pensacola to the back entrance of Naval Air Station Pensacola. The Pensacola Navy Yard was built here in 1826 and in 1914 it became Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Navy, Marine and Coast Guard aviators are trained here and it is the home of the Blue Angels

The 2nd German Air Force Training Squadron is also located here

Some parts of the base are open to the public including the National Naval Aviation Museum, Fort Barrancas (administered by NPS), Barrancas National Cemetery and the Pensacola Lighthouse. The current lighthouse was built in 1858 and is 150 feet tall.

Fort Barrancas, on the west side of the Pensacola Inlet, was completed in 1844. As stated, it took about an hour to get here by car but Fort Barrancas is less than two miles across the inlet from Fort Pickens.

Fort Barrancas is considered an area of Gulf Islands National Seashore

The Advanced Redoubt of Fort Barrancas is interesting because it protected both the fort and the Navy Yard from a land attack

It took about 3hrs to get to Montgomery AL where we spent the night

 

March 15 – we arrived at Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site AL at 8am and walked the campus until someone was available at the Visitor Center. Lewis Adams, a former slave, organized black support for a white politician who in turn pushed through legislation establishing a “Normal School for Colored Teachers at Tuskegee” in 1881.

Booker T. Washington was born a biracial slave in 1856 in Virginia. His mother moved to West Virginia after the Civil War and married a freedman named Washington Ferguson. Booker took the first name of his step father as his last name. He learned to read and write with the support of his mother and the mistress of a home where he worked as a houseboy. In 1872, he walked 500 miles to Hampton Normal Agricultural Institute. He convinced administrators to allow him to attend and worked as a janitor to help pay his tuition. He graduated in 1875 and started teaching at the school. In 1881, he was recruited to start the School in Tuskegee Alabama.

Washington expanded the original mandate to train teachers with his belief that the lives of African Americans could be improved by emphasizing practical job skills. He hired instructors who could teach bricklaying, carpentry, printing and other trades. Washington emphasized challenging work and self-discipline. He wanted Tuskegee graduates “. . . to return to plantation districts and show the people there how to put new energy and innovative ideas into farming as well as into the intellectual and moral and religious life of the people.” In 1896, he hired George Washington Carver to head the newly created Agriculture Department.

Students wore uniforms, attended church daily and learned social graces. The school emphasized self-sufficiency with students and faculty growing their own food, making bricks, furniture and constructing buildings designed by faculty architects. The school slogan is “Do Common Things Uncommonly Well . . .”

In 1882, he married his first wife Fannie and they had a daughter. Fannie passed away shortly after in 1884. He married Olivia in 1886 and they had two sons but she died in 1889. In 1893, he married his third and last wife Margaret. They continued to raise the first three children but had none of their own. In 1899 the faculty and students of Tuskegee built “The Oaks” as a residence for the family.

Washington taught that economic success for African Americans would take time, and that subordination to whites was a necessary evil until African Americans could prove they were worthy of full economic and political rights. He believed that if African Americans worked hard and obtained financial independence and cultural advancement, they would eventually win acceptance and respect from the white community. In 1895, he stated in a speech that African Americans should accept disenfranchisement and social segregation as long as whites allow them economic progress, educational opportunity and justice in the courts. W.E.B. Du Bois deplored Washington’s philosophy and criticized him for not demanding equality. The Oaks library –

Washington was an adviser to Presidents and perhaps the best known “black” man in the world at that time. He died in 1915. As word spread of the school’s success, it received support from benefactors like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. The statue “Lifting the Veil of Ignorance” was unveiled in 1922.

Grey Columns, just east of campus, was built in the 1850’s as the center piece of a plantation. It now serves as the Presidents home.

President FDR visited in 1939 resulting in the location of a Civilian Pilot Training Program at the Institute. In 1941, Tuskegee became the training base for the all African American 99^th Pursuit Squadron. Primary flight training took place at the Institute with flight training at nearby Tuskegee Army Airfield. Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site was established in 1998 and is a mere 15 min drive from Tuskegee Institute.

World War II Segregation

Hangar 1 – Life and Training of Tuskegee Airmen

Hangar 2 – Museum and Contributions of Tuskegee Airmen

P-51 Red Tail Mustang

 

One hour north, also in AL, is Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend was the last battle of the Creek Indian War 1813-14. On March 27, 1814, more Native Americans were killed in this battle than any other in the history of our country

In the late 1700’s the Creek Nation had a loose confederacy with those living NW of the Chattahoochee River considered the Upper Creeks and those SE of the river the Lower Creeks. The confederacy signed a treaty with the U.S. in 1790 defining land boundaries. As more white settlers moved into the area the Lower Creeks were said to become “more civilized” as they had closer contact with their GA neighbors. However, the Upper Creeks in AL had regular conflicts with white squatters and became “nationalistic.” At the same time, the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh was trying to unite Indian nations to drive the “white man” from Indian lands. Many of the Upper Creeks agreed with this approach and became known as “Red Sticks,” because they painted their war clubs red. After a series of battles the Red Sticks set up a fortified defensive position on a 180-degree bend in the Tallapoosa River.

There was a temporary Indian village on the bend of the river that was called Tohopeka and Chief Menawa directed the fortification of the peninsula with a 5 to 8-foot-high log breastwork.

The white poles mark the location of the 400-yard breastwork

General Andrew Jackson had a force of 2,000 infantry, 700 mounted infantry and 600 Cherokee and Lower Creek allies. The Red Sticks numbered about 1,000 men with about 400 women and children in the village. At 6:30am, Jackson sent 1300 of his force, including his Cherokee allies, across the river to surround the peninsula and prevent escape. At 10:30am he opened a two-cannon artillery barrage that had negligible effect on the breastwork. At 12:30pm he received word that the Cherokee Indians had unexpectedly crossed the river and attacked the village. He then ordered a frontal attack. Lt. Sam Houston was one of the first over the barricade.

Futile escape

Over 800 of Chief Menawa’s 1,000 Red Sticks were killed. The women and children were taken prisoner by the Cherokee. Jackson suffered about 200 casualties, 50 killed and 150 wounded. The Treaty of Fort Jackson followed, 23 million acres of Creek land were added to the southeastern U.S. – three-fifths of AL and one-fifth of GA.

Nine months later, Jackson defeated the British in the “Battle of New Orleans,” the last major battle in the War of 1812. In 1828, he was elected President and signed the Indian Removal Bill requiring southeastern tribes, including his Cherokee allies at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, to move to Oklahoma – “The Trail of Tears.”

Andrew Jackson was a slaveholder, a populist and has been described as an emotionally volatile man; he fought in about 100 duels. President Trump, 5/1/17, described Jackson as “an amazing figure in American history—very unique [in] so many ways.” He hung a portrait of Jackson in the Oval Office.

It took about 1.5-hrs to get to Cheaha State Park. Cheaha Mountain, at 2,405 feet, is the highpoint of AL.  It was Helen’s 31^st state highpoint.

Lookout Tower

View of top of stone tower and communications tower from the west

We stayed in the SP Lodge atop the mountain. We order an unhealthy Nacho and Cheese appetizer. It was SO BIG that we did not order dinner!

Enjoyed a beautiful sunset, note the antler chandelier reflection in the window

 

 

March 16 – the electricity was out at the Lodge when we exited at 7am. We packed up, brushed teeth, etc. with our head lamps and then drove down Cheaha Mountain. Got gas and a carry out breakfast and arrived at the new Freedom Riders National Monument site in Anniston AL at eight. President Obama declared it a National Monument on January 12, 2017 along with Birmingham Civil Rights NM and Reconstruction Era NM in Beaufort SC – all honoring the American Civil Rights Movement.

The monument tells the tale of black and white (integrated) civil rights advocates who, on May 4, 1961, boarded a Greyhound bus in Washington D.C. with the objective of riding it through states that had segregation laws to New Orleans. They were called the “Freedom Riders.” They were testing the 1960 Supreme Court ruling that prohibited segregation in depot restaurants and restrooms serving the interstate system. Read On – to learn more about what happened when the bus reached Anniston AL on May 14^th.

There are two parts to the monument. The first is the former Greyhound Bus Station in Anniston

The second part of the monument is the Bus Burning Site on State Route 202 (Old Birmingham Highway) six miles west of Anniston. It was a little hard to find and not much there at this time.

 

We continued west on SR 202 to Birmingham AL and the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. As stated, this is another new NM; it covers approximately 4 square blocks in downtown Birmingham. Our first stop was the 16^th Street Baptist Church.

We were fortunate to be able to take a church tour that was starting at that time. We were told the story of four young black girls who were killed and 22 others injured by a bomb placed at the church on Sunday September 15, 1963. MLK stated that it was “. . . “one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity.” Note the girls picture projected on the wall.

Some think it a miracle that only the face of Christ was blown out of this stained-glass window

Caty corner from the church is Kelly Ingram Park. Peaceful protesters were brutally attacked here by police with their batons, dogs and water cannon.

Even black children’s marches were violently disrupted. This act of domestic violence became a galvanizing force for the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

 

 

This statue depicts three ministers kneeling in prayer during a non-violent demonstration – John Thomas Porter, Nelson H. Smith and A. D. King.

 

Who would have guessed that there is a white-water canyon with serious kayaking and rock climbing in Alabama?  Well, there is.  It is Little River Canyon National Preserve in NE Alabama.

Confederate Gen. John B. Hood Headquarters on Oct 19, 1864 on his retreat with 40,000 troops from Atlanta

We drove the entire Canyon Rim Drive from south to north stopping at various sites along the way

The southern part of the road is gravel and very windy

Grace High Falls Overlook

This is a kayaker who had dragged his kayak up from the canyon after about a six-mile paddle. We agreed to drive him back to his truck. He then had to drive back to get his kayak which he stashed at the side of the road.

He was obviously an expert paddler and was an excellent guide as we continued to stop at overlooks. Here he points out some Class IV rapids

Mushroom Rock

Little River Falls

Little River Falls up close

We hiked the loop, first the Little River Falls Trail, then the Martha’s Falls Trail and then returned along the road (Hwy 35)

Some signs along the way

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After some fast food in Fort Payne AL, we drove to Peter and Heather’s house in Franklin TN

 

March 17 – St Patty’s Day! Lunch and cards with JoAnn and Larry; green beer with Peter and Heather

 

March 18 – Peter and Heather took us to Nashville for the day. We started with a walk in Centennial Park. Votes for Women –

Peter looking for the Parthenon.

We found it!

Peter and Heather

The Parthenon was built with temporary materials for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. It housed the art exhibit. Because of both of its crumbling structure and popularity, it was rebuilt in 1920 with more permanent materials. It continues to have an art collection and visiting art shows.

The 42 foot Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, statue was unveiled in 1990 and is gilded with 8 pounds of 23.75 carat gold. She holds a 6’ 4” Nike (Victory) in her right hand. That’s how tall Peter is –

Went downtown to see the Music Row area

Look close – it’s a mini-bar you pedal

Peter and Heather surprised us with tickets to the Johnny Cash Museum

Bridge over the Cumberland River

It was a good thing we did a lot of walking because they then treated us to a rib dinner at Martin’s BBQ Joint.

It is supposed to be one of the best in town.

Had to have a Goo Goo Bar for desert!

 

March 19 – it was a 3-hr drive to Mammoth Cave National Park (KY) from Franklin

It is billed as the longest cave system in the world with over 400 miles of passages

Check-out the yellow lines, representing, caves on the map

Cave exploration and measurement with lasers

When I was here the first time in 1966 they offered the Echo River Tour, partially with boat – see poster. Unfortunately, they no long offer that tour. They do offer the River Styx Cave Tour, as a specialty tour.

I had gotten tickets two months earlier for the first Domes and Dripstones tour at 10am. You start by being bused 10 min to what is called the new cave entrance.

Entering Cave

Starting a 280 stair descent

I believe this is called Grand Avenue, too many people

I tried to stay at the end so I could get some pics

A little lecture and “lights out”

It was a 2-hr tour over a 0.75-mile route, with 500 total stairs and had a Moderate Difficulty rating

Stalactites coming down stalagmites growing up, when they meet, it is a column

Frozen Niagara

Near end of tour

We had lunch in the restaurant next to the Visitor Center and then parted ways. We were back home in Springfield at 6pm.

February 15 – Our first stop, after visiting Irmi and Harold in SC, was Stone Mountain GA just east of Atlanta. I have wanted to see the mountain side sculpture for a long time. Now I can say that I have done that and there is no need to return. It is not a national park unit.  I believe it is privately owned and there is a fee to enter the area.  I was very disappointed with the commercial approach to this site. There are amusements and they have a laser light and sound show during the season.

Gutzon Borglum started working in 1923 and the plan was to sculpt seven figures and an army of thousands. He completed Lee’s head on the general’s birthday in 1924. There were then funding disputes and Borglum abandoned the project. Borglum is best known for his later work at Mount Rushmore in SD. Another sculptor was hired (1925) and produced a new design. The design required that Lee’s head be blasted from the mountain. In 1928, the land owner refused to renew the lease and the project stagnated until 1958 when the state of GA purchased the site. Walter Hancock was hired as the new sculptor in 1963 and he continued working with some modifications of the previous design. Vice President Spiro Agnew dedicated the sculpture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson in 1970.

The sculpture measures 90 x 190 feet, surrounded by a carved surface that is over 300 feet wide making it the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world.  It is about 400 feet up the rock face.

Hancock also did two bronze statues named Sacrifice & Valor which were installed by the reflection pool

 

We then drove to the Hewlett Lodge Visitor Center in the Island Ford Unit of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (NRA) north of Atlanta

Did a nice 2-mile hike along the Chattahoochee River

Then drove to the East Palisades Unit where we did a mile loop hike to an overlook of the Devils Race Course Shoals of the river

The NRA is a series of parklands along a 48-mile stretch of the Chattahoochee River. The river was the site for the paddling events for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.  I did another mile hike in this area off Powers Ferry Road

 

February 16 – we stayed in Marietta GA last night and this morning were in Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park at 8:30am when the Mountain Road opened. Marietta is at the foot of Kennesaw Mountain.

The fighting in this area took place Spring/Summer of 1864 as part of the Western campaign. Both sides were, for the most part, still fighting with Linear Tactics.

It was a brisk morning, we drove to the top of Big Kennesaw Mountain and then did the trail over the top toward Little Kennesaw and back.

Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman had started his march to the sea.  Gen. Joseph Johnston’s Confederates entrenched themselves along the ridgetops of Big and Little Kennesaw Mountain to block the Union’s advance on Atlanta.

As can be seen from the photos, the Confederates and their artillery had an excellent defensive position

Atlanta is in the center of this photo from Big Kennesaw Mountain

On June 27, 1864, Sherman feinted a direct attack on Kennesaw Mountain but sent most of his force against the Confederate flank at Pigeon Hill and Cheatham Hill. The unsuccessful attacks resulted in 800 Confederate and 1,800 Union casualties.

This is the Cheatham Hill salient (protruding angle in line) where most casualties occurred. It came to be known as the “Dead Angle.”

We did a loop trail here passing the Illinois monument

And the grave of an Unknown US Soldier

Johnson again retreated south to protect Atlanta.

Sherman advanced and laid siege to Atlanta cutting its rail links. The city fell on September 2, 1864.

 

After a short 30-min ride we were at Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site near downtown Atlanta. We started at the Visitor Center.

As usual, we watched the video and toured the Visitor Center

 

Wagon that was used for MLK funeral

Last year, 2016, was the 100^th anniversary of the formation of the National Park Service. This is a list of the National Park Units added by President Carter including many large national parks in Alaska.

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church

Current Ebenezer Baptist Church across the street

Visitor Center in background

The King Center, eternal flame and tombs

Reflecting pool surrounding the tombs of Dr. and Mrs. MLK

Close-up eternal flame, Ebenezer Baptist Church and Park Visitor Center in background

MLK was born here on January 15, 1929

 

February 17 – First stop Andersonville National Historic Site. There are three parts. First, the Andersonville Prison site, which was a Confederate Civil War prison. It was originally called Camp Sumter Military Prison and opened in February 1864. It was intended to hold 10,000. By August, the number exceeded 32,000 Union prisoners.

In the 14 months the prison existed, 45,000 soldiers were confined here – over 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition and/or exposure.

The prison pen covered 26.5 acres. A steam through the center provided most of the water and served as a sewer.

The stockade was 1,620 feet long and 779 feet wide. There were sentry boxes every 90 feet along the top.

There was a “deadline” inside the stockade wall that was 19 feet wide. Anyone entering this area could be shot. “Shebangs” – prisoners had to provide their own shelter!

Helen walking among the prison camp monuments

The second part of the site is the Andersonville National Cemetery. It was established in July 1865 as a resting place for deceased veterans. The first to be buried here were prisoners who died at the camp in February 1864. In August 1865, Clara Barton, the “Angel of the Battlefield” came here and took on the task of marking grave and notifying families of the death of their loved ones.

 

 

 

The third part of the site is the National Prisoner of War Museum

What is a POW?   The answer is not simple.

POWs by other names

About how many US POWs have there been?       > 500,000

World War II

Vietnam

 

Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (NHS) Plains GA – The NHS has four parts, 1) Plains HS, 2) Carter Boyhood Farm and Home, 3) Plains Depot and 4) Current Carter Home, not open to public. We started at the Visitor Center in the old Plains HS that Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn attended.

James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. was born October 1, 1924 in Plains GA. In 1928, his family moved to a 360-acre farm outside of town. At that time, the house did not have electricity or plumbing. His father Earl liked tennis and built a clay court next to the house. Jimmy lived here for 14 years and was responsible for regular farm chores.

The family also had a Commissary near their home where they sold seeds and supplies to farmworkers and neighbors.

One of the Carter family crops was peanuts – this one is located a little north of Plains

Jimmy graduated from the Naval Academy in 1946 and married Rosalynn that same year

He was a state senator 1963-1966, GA Governor 1971-75, and elected the 39^th President of the U.S. in 1977. The local Plains Depot (railroad station) was his campaign headquarters.

President Carter is now 92 and lives in the Carter Home on the edge of town. He was born and will die in the same place, unusual for a U.S. President. He has been very active during retirement. He is known for his work with Habitat for Humanity and in 2002 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” In 1980, he signed the Alaska Lands National Interest Conservation Act, protecting over 100 million acres of federal land.

Overall I believe that Carter was one of our better Presidents. However, I must state that the U.S. foreign policy in relation to Iran at that time was misguided.  My view is based on my experiences in Iran as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Teheran before and during the Iranian Revolution.  For example, on December 31, 1977, at a New Year’s Eve celebration in Teheran, President Carter stated that “Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world.”

We stayed the night outside of Jacksonville FL

 

February 18 – had a leisurely drive to Miami Lakes FL where we stayed in a Marriott and had dinner at a Puerto Rican restaurant

 

February 19 – flew AA from Miami to Belize and arrived at 11am. Rented a Jeep Patriot (with certification to drive to Guatemala) and then drove from Belize City to Hopkins in the southern part of the country, population 1,800. I chose Hopkins because it was small, on the Caribbean, close to Salt Water Caye Marine Reserve, and still had a Garifuna vibe – that is, relatively untouched by large commercial enterprises. We stayed at the Buttonwood Guesthouse, which is owned by the Coconut Row Guesthouse. Shortly after checking in, we received our fresh coconut with straw and rum added! Our room was on the third floor, highest room in Hopkins! It can be seen in the background of this pic.

Views from roof

 

February 20 – this was our first full day in Hopkins. We started by walking the beach in the morning. Helen thought this would be a good “fixer upper” – hurricane remnant

In the afternoon, we explored the village on bikes, houses across our dirt street

 

Police Station

Church of God of the Prophecy

OK, I underestimated the length of the ride, thought it would be 4 to 5 miles. It turned out to be 12 – because we had to ride to the end of the road!

 

February 21 – This turned out to be a big day for us. Our first stop was St Herman’s Blue Hole National Park. I had planned to just hike to the cave and then take a dip in the Blue Hole. However, after speaking with the ranger, we decided to also do the Cave Tubing. A guide is required ($50 each) for this 2-hr underground adventure. We donned our helmets, head lamps and PFDs and hiked to the cave entrance.

It was a real adventure for us “old folks” as it was slippery and many of the cave passages small.

Descending to the underground river

I was unable to open the Zip Lock bag that contained my camera due to the tight, moving and ever changing conditions. So, I don’t have any photos of us tubing. It was a bumpy and exciting ride! Here we are finishing and climbing out of the cave.

Park sign

We next hiked the Hummingbird Loop trail through the jungle near the Blue Hole

We then headed for a dip with the fishes in the Blue Hole

 

As mentioned, I hadn’t planned to do cave tubing in the morning. However, I had planned and made an internet reservation to do the Cave Tubing at the Nohoch Che’en Caves in the Cave Branch Archaeological Reserve another one hour drive toward Belize City. We arrived at 3pm and were delighted to be the only people on the river. This is a tour spot for Cruise Ships, so I had planned to be on the last possible tour of the day after the “tourists” left. Again, guide required, another $100 (cash).

Ready to go – this was a “cake float” compared to the morning ride. The Cave Branch River was wide with plenty of head clearance.

Also, the tubes were first class with supportive backs and handles. There is an opening with small waterfall about mid-way along on the float. The 2-hr hike and float was well done and relaxing but no match for the morning excitement.

 

February 22 – again, started our day with a delicious Mexican breakfast at Thong’s street side restaurant. It was then a short drive to Mayflower Bocawina National Park.

We decided to do the strenuous Antelope Falls Trail (center top of map)

Start of trail

Many sections required rope assists

According to our Lonely Planet book, the trail/climb is 3.5-miles round trip

More ropes

Cascade along trail

Jungle panorama from top of falls

Wow, beautiful pool at base of Antelope Falls. Sweaty from climb, perfect for a nice cool dip! Took off backpack, put on water shoes, emptied right pocket, emptied left pocket, took off shirt – forgot phone in back pocket!!! All phone photos lost –

 

Met a small group with climbing guides as we started our descent, they were surprised to see us up here

 

We also did another mile hike to Lower Bocawina Falls

Helen returning from base of falls, another rope ascent

Trail returning to Jeep

Celebrated our “big day” with a barracuda dinner over the water – delicious! This shack is only open when the locals catch fish.

 

February 23 – hired Ash, a local guide, to take us out for some fishing at the reef. We also snorkeled at Salt Water Caye Marine Reserve but there are no pictures because I left my camera in the boat.

Helen’s first fish – yellow snapper

Helen’s second fish, fishing technique – line with a spark plug on the end for weight and a single hook about 6 inches up from the bottom with bait on it. Get weight on bottom, feel for pull and jerk up. It worked! Helen caught eight fish and I caught five

Ash’s assistant Mathew on his day off. He worked for the Coconut Row Guesthouse

I think this is a maceral

Going home

We asked Mathew to grill two of the fish for us. He started by borrowing the grill and then we bought the coals and other ingredients at a local store. Almost every little food store we saw in this area was run by Chinese.

He also grilled two more for himself and his cousin. The rest of the fish were donated to his extended family.

In the evening, we walked down the beach to experience some of the local drumming

 

February 24 – Drive to Guatemala, our first Mayan Ruins stop was in Belize close to the Guatemala border. To get to the Xunantunich archaeological site we had to take a hand cranked ferry across the Mopan River.

Visitor Center

Stela 8

 

Though probably inhabited as early as 2000 BC, the current complex of ruins dates back to the 7^th century

The Museum describes two major periods

Interesting display

Archaeologists have used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) laser scans to map the area

This is believed to have been a structure for an important family unit

The dominant structure is El Castillo, thought to be the ruling family’s ancestral shrine and burial location

The original structure would have been built with an elaborate plaster frieze. What we see now are some replicas built over the originals.

Chac, the rain god, is the central figure on this side (east)

Climbing to the top

The structure is 130 feet tall with a pretty 360^o view from the top

Praying to the Sun God

Crossing the border into Guatemala was a nightmare. First, a hefty exit fee to leave Belize. Then the car fumigation. Then the car entrance fee into Guatemala. Then the lengthy line to get passports checked and pay visa fee. Then the actual border crossing. All with essentially no Spanish language skills and numerous people wanting to “help” for a fee. After about an hour drive, we arrived at the Park entrance and had to exchange dollars to Quetzals (1$ = 7.5 GTQ) to pay the entrance fee.

It was then an additional 20 mins to reach the ruins and the Tikal Inn. Arrived in the early evening and settled into our Ranchon ($97.60 for 2 nights) – a thatched roof cabin in the forest.

We decided to pay a per deum for breakfast and dinner in the dining room. It was a good decision, reasonably priced and good local food. This is a mural near the dining room.

February 25 – We were at the dining room when it opened at 7am and started our self-tour of this large UNESCO World Heritage site at eight. The site is 222 square miles and it is estimated that only 7% of the original buildings have been excavated. Archeologists have estimated Tikal to be about the same size and population of Rome at that time. I believe this to be a Ceiba tree.

We started by walking about half a mile to Templo VI SE if the Gran Plaza. It is called the Templo de las Inscripciones.

There is a long inscription on the 12m-high roofcomb – hence the name. The Stele and Altar date from 736.

We walked for six hours around most of the perimeter of the site. Here are some of the more notable sites along the way. Palacio de las Acanaladuras – a complex of residential buildings.

Excavation is ongoing at Acropolis del Sur (South Acropolis), note Temple in background

 

This complex includes Templo V

It is 190 feet high

Plaza de los Siete Templos – Plaza of the Seven Temples

I believe this is the Templo de las Calaveras – Temple of the Skulls

Gran Piramide – the main structure of what is called the “Lost World.” Its square top was an astronomical platform during the Preclassic Period (300 BC)

Templo del Talud-Tablero – Temple of the Three Rooms

 

Templo IV – at 210 feet, it is the highest building at Tikal

Wooden steps and ladders take you to the top for a panoramic view of the jungle. The tops of the Temples that are seen in this photo are around the Gran Plaza

Complejo de Piramides Gemelas N – this complex is thought to have been constructed by King Moon Double Comb to mark the end of the 14^th katun of Baktun 9. That is, 144,000 days or about 394 years. You may recall that some were predicting the end of the world on 12/21/2012, the end of the last katun. The king is portrayed on this stelae (stone shaft).

I believe this is Temple III (181 feet high) that is currently being excavated – Temple of the Jaguar Priest

 

Approaching the Gran Plaza

Gran Plaza, Temple II – Temple of Masks on right

 

 

View from Acropolis del Norte toward north side of Temple II

Temple I – Temple of the Great Jaguar on the left

View of Temple I from south side of Gran Plaza. Lord Chocolate (King Moon Double Comb) was buried here along with 16-lbs of jewelry, 180 jade objects and 90 bits of bone carved with hieroglyphs.

Note the wooden viewing platform on Temple I

View of frieze on top of Temple I from viewing platform

Carvings at platform level

View of Gran Plaza and Temple II from viewing platform

Looking west, tops of Temple III (left) and Temple IV (right) – you can get some sense of the distance we walked

Walking to Complex R

Complex R

View back toward Temple III from top of a pyramid in Complex R

In realty, how the Pyramids were really made

Some wildlife as we hiked back to the Inn – a red headed woodpecker

I have a nice video/audio of the Howler Monkeys who were in this area

Turkey

In trouble, again! I don’t know why she looks so happy?

We got back to the Inn at 2pm, after waling six hours. Rehydrated and took an hour rest before going back at 3pm, this time with a guide, for a three hour “sunset” tour.

We asked that he take us to Group H and Complexes M and P because those were ones that we had not yet seen.

It was a good way to end the day because the guide slowed us down. Or, did we slow him down?

Anyway, we ended at the Gran Plaza and climbed back up to the viewing platform on Temple I for the sunset. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy evening. To be honest, this guide was not very good. Eighty-five percent of what he covered, I already knew from my readings and guidebook. I’m sure others are better but if I were to do it again I would not hire a guide. We were “pooped” by the time we got back at 6:30 for dinner. We walked and climbed pyramids for 9.5 hours today. Here is some Mayan art from the Tikal Inn.

 

February 26 – here are some Guatemala road signs returning to Belize. I decided too late to start this project because I didn’t stop for the snake, jaguar, monkey, etc. signs driving to Tikal.

When leaving Tikal, I couldn’t find my sunglasses, we searched everywhere. As we approached the entrance I thought I would check the last possible place I might have left them – at the ticket booth. I stopped and asked and sure enough a worker had found them. Here is the honest fellow – a reward was in order.

It took about an hour to drive to Flores Guatemala, a small (3,000) island in Lago de Peten Itza. Here is a picture of a taxi (Tuk Tuk) and boats you can hire to tour the lake.

As we parked we heard a band playing and followed the sound – it was a children’s parade that they do on the Sunday before Lent. For us it seemed like a Halloween parade. The all-male adult horn/drum band was in the back.

Some very good costumes

The children cueing up and then entering the school gate

We visited the cathedral, which is located across from Parque Central.

They were preparing the church for Ash Wednesday

A local hero in need of restoration

Our real objective was the market in Santa Elena (25,000), Flores sister city, which is just across the causeway.

Some typical market views

 

 

Helen bought some table linens

My sandals didn’t need to be polished

Guatemala Air Force

We couldn’t find the kind of local crafts we were looking for in the market, so we stopped in El Remate which is near the junction of the road to Tikal. Bought a couple of small wood carvings from a special needs man near the lake and then presents for family from the Cahui restaurant/gift shop. It was lunch time, so we thought we would try some local flavor with grilled ribs from two women set up near the lake. Yummy, two big lunches and drinks for $4!

Roadside scene

Rio Mopan near Guatemala-Belize border

Our border crossing basically involved the same procedure as before, however, it being Sunday there was not as much traffic and it took under half an hour. We returned the same route passing through Belmopan (capital of Belize) and then took the Hummingbird Highway toward Hopkins. We traveled this road six times and I did not mind at all given the natural beauty in this part of the country. When I left Springfield, I brought with me 6 T-shirts, 2 polo shirts, 2 long sleeve shirts and a pair of swimming trunks to give away. I looked for individuals who looked like they could use a donation. The woman in this picture at a roadside fruit/vegetable stand was the mother of an El Salvador refuge family. If you look close, she is wearing a Springfield News-Sun Perfect Service shirt. This was our regular banana stop and we would also give the kids Double-Bubble Gum!

We stopped in this area simply because it was scenic and I wanted to take a couple of pictures. On the top of a hill I met an expat from MN and his wife who had lived in the area for about 30 years. They purchased this property about 5 years ago. They were doing subsistence farming and basically living off the land. They were very friendly but did not want their picture taken. We had earlier purchased a papaya that was not yet ripe; they traded us for one that was perfect. We added it to our pineapple, mango and bananas for our fruit salad that evening.

Note their Belize flag

I believe this is another Ceiba tree

 

February 27 – After 8 busy days, we decided to “chill-out” and spend two days relaxing in Hopkins. Helen did consider SCUBA diving at the reef but it was too windy. Here are a few more pictures from town.

We had three delicious seafood meals at this little place (Luba La Ruga) on the beach next to the little pier

However, you need patience. He started from scratch, did one order at a time and was the bartender – have another beer!

You are looking at the restroom (outhouse)

“Don’t Worry – Be Happy!”

Sunset on the roof

 

February 28 – Sunrise, last day of February

We walked the beach on another windy day

We met James early in our stay in Hopkins. We would see him all over town. Always outgoing, friendly, talkative and positive about Hopkins – it was the greatest place in the world! Well, this morning he admired the T-shirt I had on. So, I took it off and gave it to him. It was the Pan Ohio T-shirt I had on last night at sunset (see pic). So, he invited us for coffee in a house nearby where some of his relatives lived. Everybody here is related!   I don’t have a picture of James but here are two of his relatives.

No, he is not disabled, he just finds the seat comfortable.

As I stated, a windy day

Monuments in the center of town – both to women

Baba’s Lane – how we walked to our room, almost all dirt roads

Local urchins

Tina’s (she is behind counter), another favorite eatery

March 1 – AA from Belize City to Miami, arrived 5:30pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

10/17 – Drove to Catawba Island on the South Shore of Lake Erie to catch the Miller Ferry to Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island.  The leaves had already started to change and it was “bridge” season on the island.  That is, very few tourists and many businesses already closed.

We had purchased a “Deal” on Travelzoo and shared a room at the Put-In-Bay Resort with our good friends Dick and Jan for $159, including a hot breakfast, $50 of bar credit and a free golf cart, for each of two days.  Since the bar had closed for the season, they gave us some options for drinks.  We ended up getting a liter of Captain Morgan’s spiced rum with six mixers and six craft beers for our $100.  We “shared the spoils” and each returned home with over half of our potables!  After settling in our room, we walked into town and visited the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial.

This Visitor Center tells the story of Perry’s Victory, the “Battle of Lake Erie” on September 10, 1813 over a more powerful British squadron during the War of 1812.  The victory gave the U.S. control of Lake Erie and enabled the U.S. to win the Battle of the Thames River (east of Detroit in Canada) over the British and their Indian allies led by Tecumseh.  Tecumseh was killed during that battle.

Perry’s flagship the U.S. Brig Lawrence was so disabled after the first two hours of fighting that he abandoned it and was rowed a half-mile to board its sister ship the Niagara.  He took with him his battle flag “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP” and had it raised on the Niagara.

With a change in wind, the two largest British ships (Detroit and Queen Charlotte) collided and gave Perry an opportunity to sail between them and open fire in both directions.  In the end, the British surrendered and the entire squadron was captured.  Perry then sent his famous message to Maj. Gen. William Henry Harrison, written on the back of an envelope – “We have met the enemy and they are ours . . .”

This is a scale model of the U.S. Lawrence followed by a cross section view of the ship

Perry statue with Memorial in background

The International Peace Memorial was built (1912-1915) to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the War of 1812 and the lasting peace between the nations at war – the U.S., Great Britain and Canada.  Note the three flags as we walked to the Memorial.

The British suffered 41 killed and 94 wounded while the Americans had 27 killed and 96 wounded.  The remains of three British and three Americans officers are buried under the rotunda of the Memorial.

The granite Memorial is 352 feet high and the observation level offers great views of Put-In-Bay and surrounding islands.  Note the U.S.-Canadian border in Lake Erie.

Afterward, we walked downtown for a Walleye sandwich at Mossbacks and then picked up our golf cart to tour the island.  Did a short walk at Stove Cove Beach in South Bass Island State Park and then did the Jane Coate’s Wildflower Trail.

“Birds of a Feather Flock Together”

Returned to the Resort and played Dominos, Farkle and Aces to Kings into the evening.

 

10/18 – We were blessed with outstanding weather for our two days on the island.  We had clear skies and highs of about 80, which is 15 degrees above average.  After breakfast, we “drove” to Scheef Nature Preserve on the east end of the island and hiked about a half-mile through the Preserve and along the shore.

Afterward, did another relaxing half-mile hike to a cliff area on the northeast shore of the island

We then proceeded to the Village of Put-In-Bay where I walked through Perry and Derivera Parks along the Harbor while the ladies did a little shopping.  Had some chowder at Pasquale’s Café and then did a short trip to the Heineman Winery where we sampled some grape juice.

Do you tend to put on weight when you go on vacation?

That afternoon, I talked the other three into playing National Park Monopoly, thinking that we would talk about the various National Park Units.  Wrong, the competitive juices kicked in; camping sites and ranger stations (houses and hotels) were added and mortgaged while “trades” were argued with passion.  The “short game” ended after about 1.5 hours.

It was then time for dinner; we each had a Perch Salad at Mossbacks and then returned to the Resort for more “games.”

 

10/19 – caught the 10am ferry back to Catawba Island – it only takes about 20 minutes.  We parted company with Jan and Dick and started the drive home.  We didn’t get far before a Goodwill store emerged on the horizon.  The next hour resulted in the purchase of clothes, toys, glassware, golf balls and three attractive water color paintings by M. Tjeltweed.  A 1970s painter of scenes in the Southwest, e.g. Indian Pueblos.

 

 

 

Stopped in Marion OH to tour the home (1890) of Warren G. Harding, our 29^th President.  Like President James A. Garfield an earlier President from Ohio, Harding conducted much of his 1920 election campaign from his front porch.  In a three-month period, 600,000 people traveled to Marion and Harding’s home to hear him speak.  The Ohio Historical Society now oversees the home and are planning a major renovation for 2020.

This is a “Traveling Poling Wagon” that went from town to town so people could vote

Harding and his wife Florence are buried in the Harding Memorial about 1.5 miles from the Harding home.  Harding became President and only served 29 months in office.  He died of vascular disease on August 2, 1923 in San Francisco while on a western speaking tour and his Vice-President Calvin Coolidge became our 30^th President.  He stated that he wanted to be buried under the sky and under a tree –

9/10/2016 – Ebey’s Landing on Whidbey Island WA became our nation’s first National Historical Reserve in 1978.  After ten years of contentious battles, the community elected to preserve itself.  The local population and government partnered to preserve this rural farming community. Our friends Pat and Ron looking over some of the heritage farmland.

 Jacob Ebey was one of the first white settlers in the 1850s.  His house is now the Visitor Center for the Reserve.  Note the blockhouse that was used for defense.  In fact, Jacob’s son Isaac was killed by the Skagit Indians in retaliation for killing one of the tribal members.

The Reserve grew out of a community effort to oppose a development that would have prevented access to a popular beach.  This is the beach; we hiked the Prairie Ridge Trail and part of the Bluff Trail.

Seagull and Helen overlooking Admiralty Inlet and the Olympic Peninsula

Beach in Ebey’s Landing State Park, which is part of the Reserve.

Ferry approaching Admiralty Head and Fort Casey State Park

Fort Casey State Park is also part of the Reserve.  The fort was built in the late 1890s to protect the entrance to Puget Sound.

This is the second Admiralty Head Lighthouse.  It was in operation from 1903 to 1927.

Penn Cove mussels for lunch in historic Coupeville!

 

9/11 – Drove the Cascade River Road into North Cascades NP

The road continued into the park for about 5 more miles

Glacier coming off Glacier Peak near trailhead

Starting on the Cascade Pass trail in a light rain

The rain and rising mist made for interesting scenery while at the same time teasing us and increasing our excitement for a full view of the mountains

Approaching Cascade Pass

See YouTube Video at – https://youtu.be/d95ZRAxsPlw

and YouTube Video at – https://youtu.be/pDOxD80MugE

Cascade Pass 5392 ft

Helen decided to return the 3.7 miles to the car while I continued up a steep trail, about a mile with a 1,000 ft elevation gain, to reach the ridge north of Cascade Pass.  The weather cleared and I was treated to spectacular views of the mountains, glaciers, lakes and valleys.

Met some backpackers coming back from the Sahale Glacier camp, asked one to take my picture

Doubtful Lake

Black bear

Videos, first looking south and then looking north

See looking South You Tube Video at https://youtu.be/2xkAv5Ww04c

See looking North You Tube Video (including black bear) at https://youtu.be/pqlYGO6anW8

Descending trail

Johannesburg Mtn (8,200 ft)

Heading for the Newhalem North Cascades National Park Visitor Center on Rt 20

Interesting sign depicting the North Cascade Mountains

Views from the Washington Pass Overlook on the North Cascades Highway, east of the park; first Kangaroo Ridge (8,182 ft)

Valley view and road looking SE

Early Winter Spires (7,807 ft)

9/12 – Stayed in Lake Pateros WA last night and will be there again tonight.  It was a half-hour drive from there to Chelan WA where we boarded the The Lady Express for a 2.5 hour boat ride to Stehekin in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.

The only way to reach Stehekin is by boat or float plane

We only had a three-hour window to fit in all of our activities, so we decided to rent an ATV

Our first stop, about 10 miles away, was High Bridge where the Pacific Coast Trail crosses from North Cascades National Park to Lake Chelan National Recreation area or vice versa.

We drove to the end of the gravel road at the Stehekin River and then returned picking up some back packers and stopping at Rainbow Falls

We also stopped at the Stehekin Pastry Company for a quick take-out lunch and then the Golden West Visitor Center before boarding the Lady of the Lake II for a 4 hour boat ride back to Chelan (the SLOW boat!).

9/13 – Rocks deposited by massive prehistoric floods through the Columbia River Basin

As we approached the Grand Coulee Dam, we found firefighters wrapping up their work putting out grass fires on the west side of the Dam.  The fire had “jumped” the Colombia River and was now burning on Indian lands on the east side of the Dam.

Save that deer!

Grand Coulee Dam, which is now the second largest concrete structure in the world.  The Three Rivers Dam in China has ten-times more concrete!

“B” Street – greatest Boom Town street ever

Stopped at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center to view exhibits and make arrangements for the 10am tour

The Pacific Northwest power grid system is the only one in the U.S. that is not in distress at this time.  That is the result of the Federal Colombia River Power System.

On our tour, we were able to see a set of the older turbines and drive across the dam with a guide.  Interestingly, the first priority of the dam is irrigation and second production of electricity.

You will see some red and blue lights in the center of this photo, which are used for the 10pm Laser Show.  Unfortunately, I did not know about the show and had not worked it into our travel schedule.  Also, in the top center of the photo is the overlook where I took a picture of Helen and the dam at about 8am.

View of the Dam from the east

We stopped at the Visitor Center for the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in the town of Coulee Dam but it was closed.  I’m not sure why, because it should have been open.

The NRA extends 129 miles behind the dam to a point 13 miles from the U.S.-Canadian border.  This is a view from about the 40-mile mark.

Fort Spokane, which is part of the Lake Roosevelt NRA, was established in 1880 at the confluence of the Colombia and Spokane Rivers.

It was meant to not only protect the settlers on the south side of the river from the Indians but also to protect the Indians (several tribes) who were re-settled north of the river, from the settlers.  It later became an Indian boarding school and then an Indian hospital before it was closed in 1929.  There are only a couple of buildings there and we were disappointed the Visitor Center was closed for the season.

We next drove, Helen states “like a bat out of hell,” to the Hanford Reach area just north of the Tri-Cities of Richland, Pasco and Kennewick WA.  This is where the Yakima River flows into the Colombia River.  It was difficult finding information about “The Reach” online, though there is a Visitor Center in Richland.  I discovered that there is one National Park unit there – the Manhattan Project National Historical Park (2015) and also – the Hanford Reach National Monument administered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS). 

The Manhattan Project NHP has three units – Hanford Reach WA, Los Alamos NM and Oak Ridge TN.  The NHP has tours (4 hours with advanced reservation) it does of the Reactor B complex April through September using transportation provided by the Department of Energy (DOE), which administers the site.  The DOA also has its own tours.  The B Reactor is where the plutonium was produced for the “Fat Man” atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki Japan in August 1945.

We attempted to enter the DOA site but were nicely told we could only do so on an official tour.  Doesn’t the guard look like a nice guy!

The Hanford Reach National Monument has several units, some restricted and some not.  We drove through the Wahluke, Saddle Mountain and McGee Ranch-Riverlands Units.  I also followed the No Trespassing arrow (below) to find out where I was not supposed to go and to set foot in the NM .  That’s our black Jeep Compass rental.  I generally do not like Jeep products but it performed well on our trip.  This area is the Fitzner/Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve Unit.

9/14 – it took an hour to drive from Richland to the Whitman Mission National Historic Site.  We arrived at 8am and the Visitor Center opened at 9am, so we had an hour to take the trails in the park.

Whitman Memorial overlooking the Mission Site

Millpond and Mission House site from the Memorial

Memorial on hill taken from the Millpond

Put your back into it Bro!

Covered wagon is on the historic route of the Oregon Trail

Mission House Site, mission was founded in 1836 by Marcus and Narcissa Whitman

Watched the video and toured the Visitor Center, Waiilatpu means “place of the people of the rye grass”

This Mission and station on the Oregon Trail is memorialized by the massacre that took place here.  A group of Cayuse Indians killed the Whitmans and twelve others on November 29, 1847.

The rest of the story – a measles outbreak had killed half the Cayuse tribe.  Marcus Whitman, who was a Methodist minister and doctor, administered to the white settlers and Cayuse Indians.  Whitman’s medicine helped white children but did not help the Cayuse who had no resistance to the disease.  A group of Cayuse believed they were being poisoned to make room for emigrants.  The mass grave is for the 14 that were killed.  Another 50 were taken captive but then protected by friendly Nez Perce.  They were later ransomed by Peter Skene Ogden of the Hudson’s Bay Company.

A short drive took us to Frenchtown Historic Site, located 12 miles west of Walla Walla on Old Highway 12

Frenchtown –

The log cabin just to the left of the monument is thought to be the oldest cabin in WA.  Built in 1837 by employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company for a Cayuse Indian man called “The Prince.”

Jane Silcott (1842-1895) grave above Confluence of Snake and Clearwater Rivers – Lewiston ID

A Nez Perce Indian tale tells how Coyote was fishing in the Clearwater River and Black Bear happened to come by and angered him.  So, he took his fishnet up on the hill on the south side of the river and flung Black Bear up on the north side and turned him into stone  –

We arrived at the Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center in Spalding ID near Lapwai on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation at about 1pm.

Roll of men and women

The sign states that “The Land Defines the Nez Perce Way”

We then walked the roads and trails on the Spalding site, which is located on the Clearwater River.  Lewis and Clark traveled through here in 1805.  Fur trappers followed and then missionaries.  Reverend Henry Spalding and his wife Eliza built the first Nez Perce mission here in 1838.

It was the site of the old Nez Perce Indian Agency from 1855 until 1884 – note the Indian teepees.

After the Whitman massacre in 1847 the Spaldings left Lapwai.  Spalding returned in 1862 and again in 1871 to start efforts to build a Presbyterian Church; he died in 1874.  Sue and Kate McBeth continued his work and the first services were held in the church in 1876.  The church was faced with brick in 1905 and that is what we see today.  It is still and active church.

Spalding died in 1874 at the age of 69

We visited several of the sites related to the Nez Perce NHS.  The next one was Canoe Camp on the Clearwater River.  It was the site of the Nez Perce Village of Ahsakha.

This is where Lewis and Clark learned to make canoes for their journey to the Pacific Ocean.

It is the place where the North Fork of the Clearwater River meets the Clearwater River.  Note the dam on the North Fork – in the middle of the picture.

Our next stop was the “Heart of the Monster” just north of Kooskia ID

A Nez Perce tale tells how Coyote killed the Monster and his heart fell in this place and turned to stone

Helen is listening to an audio of the tale

This is the valley where the White Bird Battlefield is located

This sign describes the battle.  It was a Nez Perce victory but triggered a War against the tribe.

We also drove to the Battlefield site on Old Highway 95

9/15 – Stayed the night at the Killgore Motel outside of White Bird ID.  We were up at 7am to do the one-hour scenic drive (17-miles on a windy gravel road between the Salmon and Snake Rivers) to Pittsburg Landing on the Snake River in Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, which is administered by the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

We did a short side trip about a half mile away to see some Indian Petroglyphs

Our Killgore Adventures Jet Boat 65-mile Wild River Hells Canyon Tour started upriver at 9am

Our first stop was the Kirkwood Historic Ranch

Long Horn Sheep spotted along the river, notice that he is tagged

He must have been looking for –       Females have horns as well

Calm before the rapids

Starting through a Class II rapid and next pic looking back at the rapid

Video of Jet boat going through a Class II-III rapid.  We sat in the open area at the back of the boat so I could take unobstructed pictures.  It resulted in a few drenchings!

Jet boating sequence going through a Class III-IV rapid

Hells Canyon Creek (Dam) Visitor Center

View downriver from Visitor Center

Another jet boat coming through the Class II rapid below the Visitor Center

The same boat heading toward the dam

Hells Canyon is considered the deepest Gorge in the U.S.  It is just under 8,000 ft deep

Eagle – left side of picture

On the return trip downriver, the captain purposely went into a hole and I got drenched.  My favorite cap was blow off and lost in the river!  Drying out at Sheep Creek Cabin.

Returning to boat

Some pictures of rafters enjoying the river –

We returned at about 3:30 and then did a 4-hour drive to Nampa (outside Boise)

9/16 – Left Nampa and about a half-hour later crossed the Snake River into OR on US 26.  Giant covered wagon – travelers first saw the Blue Mountains from here indicating that their trip was nearing its end.  Approximately 450 miles to go!

Mescall Overlook in the Sheep Rock Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument OR.  This is a view of the Mascall and Rattlesnake formations.

Also from the Overlook, this is the view looking North toward Picture Gorge – Tootsie Pop snack!

Picture Gorge is noted for Indian pictographs painted on the steep basalt walls

Sheep Rock (3360 ft), named for the sheep that were raised below its summit

Map of Sheep Rock Unit

Two views of Cathedral Rock – a colorful greenish outcrop of the John Day Formation, capped with reddish ignimbrite.  The John Day River can be seen in the second pic.

We took two short trails in the Foree Area of the park.  The first was called the Story of Stone Trail where erosion has exposed several colorful badland outcrops.

The second was the Flood of Fire Trail.  It gave us several colorful views of cliffs and the John Day River valley.

John Day has a town, river, valley, fossils, etc. and this national monument named after him.  So who was he?  You would think he was a prominent person – explorer, scientist, politician, etc.  Well, he was a member of an 1812 overland expedition to the new Pacific Fur Company Post in Astoria OR.  An average guy who was camping with his friend Ramsay Cooks at the point where the Mah-hah River meets the Colombia River.  They were robbed of ALL their belongings, including their clothes!  Fortunately, a group of trappers going to Astoria rescued them.  John Day worked at the post in Astoria for many years.  So, when travelers passed the spot where Day was robbed, they would tell Day’s story.  The Mah-hah River became known as the John Day River and many locations in eastern OR would subsequently be named after him.  John Day never came to this location.  Thomas Condon, a prominent self-trained scientist and minister, who was stationed in The Dalles, explored this area.  He named it the John Day Fossil Beds after the river that passes through here.  Condon became a professor at the U of Oregon and was also named Oregon’s first state geologist.  The National Monument Visitor Center is named the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center.  This is a North American rhino skull at the entrance.

Research continues today adding hundreds of fossil specimens each year to the collection.  Some pictures from the center follow –

The Paleontology Center has eight “assemblages” of ecosystems from different geological layers on display.  Here are three examples – First, the Hancock Mammal Quarry recreates a warm, humid forest.  A mudflow (lahar) covered this region.  There were huge rhino like animals, tapirs and small four-toes horses.

Second, the Turtle Cove Assemblage recreates a cool and dry climate with hardwood forests that were inundated with ash and pumice from volcanic eruptions.  There were three-toed horses, saber toothed cat like animals and giant pigs as tall as bison.

Third, the Rattlesnake Assemblage recreates a relatively cool, semi-arid climate dominated by grasslands.  There were one-toed horses, elephants, camels and ground sloths.

After touring the Visitor Center, we drove to the tiny town of Mitchell OR for a soup lunch

The Painted Hills Unit of John Day Fossil Beds NM is a short drive west of Mitchell.  We started by doing the Painted Hills Overlook Trail, which provided some great views.

We then did the Painted Cove Trail.  I took some close-ups to show the interesting textures as well as colors.

The Red Scar Knoll/Red Hill Trail was next on our agenda; it is the newest trail in the Painted Hills.  The Red Scar Knoll is a strikingly bisected hill of tan and red claystone.

“End of Trail”

Not really, we drove another two-hours to the Clarno Palisades Unit of John Day Fossil Beds NM.  Here are a couple of pics taken along the way –

Clarno Palisades from the east

Clarno Palisades from the south

We first did the Trail of Fossils loop trail.  Picture is from park pamphlet

Friendly little lizard

Leaf fossil in center of pic

Another leaf fossil in center of pic

This is the fossilized end of a large tree limb

Tree root fossil

I then did the Arch Trail; perhaps you can see my orange shirt just below the cliffs

Fossilized logs (T) near the end of the trail

Looking up at the Arch

View south from the cliffs in the direction of the volcano that produced this landscape.  The ranch has been abandoned and is now part of the park.

Telephoto shot – Can you hear me now?  I think we both need hearing aids!

Drove from here to The Dalles on the Colombia River and then on to Portland the next day for our flight back to Dayton.  This time, we actually flew together (on frequent flyer miles)!

8/5/2016 – drove to Gettysburg National Military Park in PA in order to catch the tour to the Eisenhower National Historic Site, which is a short bus ride away.

Anybody home?

The farm was purchased in 1950 when Ike was the first supreme commander of NATO.  He was elected the 34^th President of the United States in 1952 and served two terms.

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie retired to Gettysburg as John F. Kennedy took office in 1960

From farm boy to Five Star General (in charge or WW II Normandy Landing) to President.  He entertained several important dignitaries while in retirement.

Walking through the garden toward “Farm 2”

After returning to the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center we toured the museum and experienced (light and sound show) the “Cyclorama,” which is a 360^o painting of the Battle of Gettysburg.  This is one small view of battle; Little Round Top is in background.

 

8/6/2016 – First State National Monument was designated by President Obama in 2013 and was later re-designated as First State National Historical Park by Congress.  There are currently three official parts (1) Dover Green, (2) Old New Castle Courthouse, Green and Sheriff’s House and (3) Woodlawn on the DE and PA border along Brandywine Creek.  This is a picture of the new state capital in Dover.

This is the Old State House on “The Green.”  Delaware became known as the First State because it was the first state to ratify the Constitution in 1787.  RI is the smallest state by size (area) and DE second.

Houses surrounding “The Green”

Next, drove to New Castle DE and started our tour at the Old New Castle Court House.  It was the Colonial Capital and DE’s first State House (1776).  It is where the Delaware State was created when it separated from PA

View as you walk up from the Delaware River.  The Sheriff’s House is to the right and connected to the Court House.  It will become the First State National Historical Park Visitor Center.

New Castle Common, also known as the Green; statue of William Penn

William Penn’s first landing and a model of the fort that existed here.  Note the Dutch, Swedish and English flags.  All were important settlers here.

Amstel House (1730), we both liked the history and quaintness of Old New Castle

It was a short half hour drive to the site of Fort Christina in Wilmington DE

 This was the site where Swedes landed in 1638 to establish a colony in the “New World.”  This site along with the nearby Old Swedes Church are future authorized sites as parts of the First State National Historical Park.

This monument was a gift from Sweden and was dedicated in 1938.  It is topped by the Tall Ship Kalmar Nyckel, one of the two ships that brought Swedes and Finns to this settlement.

This model is in the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation Museum next to the Fort Christina site

A replica of the Kalmar Nyckel was not in port, however, we were shown the indoor training center for operation of the ship

The ship is available for tours

Philadelphia was next, first stop Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial.  “Hero of two continents,” was born in Poland in 1746 and in 1776 was in Philadelphia offering his services as an engineer.  His two most notable accomplishments were the fortifications at Saratoga and West Point.  In 1780 he was assigned to the Southern Army under General Nathanael Greene and continued to serve until the end of the war.  In 1783 Congress promoted him to Brigadier General.  In 1784 Kosciuszko returned to Poland and in the 1790’s was a leader in the Polish resistance to Czarist Russia’s domination.  He was seriously wounded in battle and imprisoned in Russia.  In 1796 he was freed from prison on the condition that he never return to Poland.  In 1797 he returned to a hero’s welcome in Philadelphia.  This is the house where he rented a room for about half a year before he returned to Europe.

Best and Neatest Draughtsman – General Horatio Gates

When he returned to the U.S. in 1797, he was given $19,000 and 500 acres in Ohio for his service during the war.  When he left the U.S. again in 1798 he wrote a will in which he stated “. . . I hereby authorize my friend Thomas Jefferson . . . in purchasing Negroes from among his own or any others and giving them Liberty in my name, in giving them an education . . .” He died in Switzerland in 1817.  Thomas Jefferson said of Kosciuszko, “. . . as pure a son of Liberty as I have ever known.”

Second stop in Philadelphia, Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site.  The house is currently going through a renovation.

Who was Poe? – read the opening panel.

“The Raven” is one of the poems I memorized while in high school

Poe authored “Morella” (death and terrifying rebirth of a beautiful woman), “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Imp of the Perverse,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Black Cat” and many others.

Inspired by Poe, I wrote a story about “Our Family Cat” for an English class in high school.  I described our cute little cat, etc., etc. and how at the end I mutilated it and stuffed it down a sewer in the basement.  The last line was; “To this day, no one knows what happened to our cute little pussy cat.”  It was well written and grammatically excellent.

An angry and extremely upset teacher met me at the door as I walked into class the next day.  “How could you do something like that,” she cried!  I was immediately sent to the office and expelled until my parents met with the principal!  Well, we never even had a cat!  Perhaps this is a good example of the “power of the pen.”

Bust of Poe and mural on a nearby building

Third stop in Philadelphia was the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in the atrium of the Franklin Institute Science Museum.  The plane is called “The Pioneer.”  It was the first stainless steel airplane and was built in 1931.

The Benjamin Franklin statue is very impressive – 20-foot tall on a pedestal of white marble.  It is the focal point of Memorial Hall, which was modeled after the Roman Pantheon.

We then walked to Logan Circle.  William Penn can be seen on top of City Hall in the distance.  It is 548 feet from the street to the top of statue.  By comparison, the Washington Monument in DC is 555 feet tall.

The fountain offered a nice opportunity to cool-off on a hot/humid day!

8/7/2016 – Boating with Dave and Carol on English Creek in NJ.  It is a tributary of the Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River.  Dave and I kayaked from Lake Lenape up the Great Egg Harbor River the next day.

8/9/2016 – Fred and Liz’s river house on Oyster Creek

Getting ready for crabbing!

On our way out –

Using Bunker fish for bait

Returning to port

“Sad” task of ripping off backs and gills (which kills them!) and then cleaning them out with a hose

“Happy” task of eating them!

8/10/2016 – took the Garden State Parkway to Sandy Hook NJ, which is at the entrance to the waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to New York Harbor.  It is a unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area.

The “New York Light House,” now known as the Sandy Hook Lighthouse (103 ft) was lighted for the first time in 1764.  It is the nation’s oldest lighthouse.

It first used whale oil lanterns.  A Fresnel lens was added in 1857.  Kerosene was introduced in the late 1870’s and electricity around the turn of the century.

The lighthouse was 500 feet from the tip of Sandy Hook when it was constructed.  Now, it is 1.5 miles from the tip as the result of ocean currents depositing sand through the years.  This Observation Deck provides a view of the tip as well as the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in the distance, left of the tree in the middle of photo.  To the right of the tree is Brooklyn.

The U.S. Army first fortified Sandy Hook during the War of 1812 to guard the entrance to New York Harbor

The Rodman Gun was the largest muzzle loading gun of the Civil War era

Fort Hancock was established here in 1895.  Additional gun batteries were built and later anti-aircraft guns.  Nike surface-to-air missiles were added in the 1950’s.  The fort was deactivated in 1974.

 

It took about an hour to drive from Sandy Hook to Fort Wadsworth, which is located under the south end of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge on Staten Island.  It is another unit of Gateway National Recreation Area.

The first defenses were built here in 1779 by the British.  This enabled them to control the narrows and New York City throughout the Revolutionary War.

The U.S.built its first fort here in 1814 and named it Fort Tompkins.  It was rebuilt in 1859 before the Civil War.  This is a Civil War era cannon in front of the Visitor Center.

The upper fort was used primarily for housing soldiers and munitions.  We were able to catch the 11am ranger tour.  Here is a picture of our tour group inside the parade ground followed by a picture of an infantry inspection there about 1920.

Tunnel and munitions storage area

Fort Tompkins was renamed Fort Wadsworth in 1902.  This is an aerial view of Fort Wadsworth about 1920.

Battery Weed of Fort Wadsworth is located on the water.  The Manhattan skyline is on the left and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge on the right.  Note the lighthouse on the water side.

This is one of the few guns remaining at the site; it was manufactured in 1898

 

 

Thomas Edison National Historical Park is located in West Orange NJ.  Edison was born in Milan, OH (1847). His statue is one of two from Ohio that was selected to be placed in the U.S. Capital in Washington DC.  Edison is famous for his many inventions.  He built his first major laboratory at Menlo Park NJ in 1876.  After his first wife died, Edison married Mina Miller in 1886 and moved to West Orange where he also opened a new laboratory complex in 1887.  This is a view of the entrance.

He built his phonograph works here – this was an explanation/demonstration of his phonograph

One of his machine shops

One of the chemistry labs

Edison’s library, where he did much of his work

We obtained a pass and toured his nearby Glenmont Estate where he and his wife are buried

 

Morristown National Historical Park – Most Americans know that Valley Forge was a winter encampment of the Continental Army (1777-1778).  However, few know that there were six other sites that were used as winter encampments, one of which was Morristown NJ – early 1777, 1779, 1780, 1781 and 1782.  The Revolutionary War lasted 6 years!

As usual, we started at the Visitor Center.  Example of soldier’s winter cabin.

Afterward, we had a personal ranger tour of the Wick House

During the 1779-80 encampment, Gen. Arthur St. Clair made his headquarters here

Recreated solder’s huts in Jockey Hollow

Officer’s hut

Washington made his headquarter in the Ford Mansion in Morristown about four miles from Jockey Hollow

 

Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park is located in an inner city area of Paterson NJ.

The Falls are about 300 feet wide and 77 feet high.  They are the second most powerful waterfalls east of the Mississippi (Niagara Falls are first).

Alexander Hamilton founded the city of Paterson in 1792, 15 miles west of New York City, when he was Secretary of the Treasury.

It was the Falls of the Passaic River that powered the mills, factories and city.  Paterson became the first planned “industrial” city in the nation

We did the Mill Mile Walking Tour to the Mary Ellen Kramer Park and back

Drove I80 over the Delaware Gap and stayed in Stroudsburg PA

8/11/2016 – Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area – 40 miles of the Delaware River valley, that is located on the northeast border of PA and the northwest border of NJ

Did a short hike around the Park Headquarters Visitor Center before it opened at 8am

Tom “experiencing” the Delaware Scenic River at the Eshback Paddling Access

Did (light rain) the half mile hike to Dingmans Falls, the stairs to the top of the Falls and then the Visitor Center on our return

Camera battery depleted, so I had to switch to cell phone pictures

Silver Thread Falls

The ranger recommended we also do the 1.4 mile waterfalls loop at Childs Park

Factory Falls

Fulmer Falls

Deer Leap Falls

Brook Woolen Mill Ruins

Of course we also had to see the highest falls in the Delaware Water Gap – Raymondskill Falls.  The falls have a 178 foot descent.

We hiked to the top of the Middle Falls – rock outcrop looks like a Tyrannosaurus Rex head!

View of the Middle Falls

We were unable to hike to Raymondskill Creek because that trail was closed

 

While driving through Milford PA on our way out of the park we saw small signs for Grey Towers National Historic Site.  I had not heard of this site, so we decided to take a look.  We were thrilled with what we discovered!  Grey Towers was completed in 1887 as the summer home for the Pinchot family.  The French chateau-style mansion was given to the United States Forest Service (USFS) in 1963 to honor the Pinchot family’s conservation legacy.  This is the ONLY National Historic Site administered by the USFS.  Entrance –

 

James Pinchot was a successful businessman and philanthropist.  He was disturbed by the destructive logging practices then prevalent in the country and encouraged his eldest son Gifford to consider a career in forestry, when no such profession existed in America.  Gifford took all the related courses he could while at Yale (graduated 1889).  Fluent in French, he decided to study forestry in France.  After returning to the U.S., his family supported his work on scientific forestry and natural resource conservation.

 

He became head of the Division of Forestry in 1898 and was appointed the first chief of the newly created United States Forest Service, by his good friend President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1905.  He was an advocate of conservation of the Nation’s forests through planned use and renewal.  This at times put him at odds with those supporting national parks and wilderness preservation and protection.  At the beginning of my presentations on National Parks, I explain that the National Park Service is under the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service is under the Department of Agriculture.

We happened to be there on Gifford’s 151^st birthday.  So, not only was admission free but there was a cadre of at least 20 USFS employees and volunteers to provide immediate information on all aspects of the house, property and Pinchot family – and we received cookies and USFS fans to boot!

North side of Great Hall – great Persian carpets!

South side of Great Hall

Parlor

This is a painting (not a mural) brought from France in pieces.  It shows ships flying Dutch flags – the guide stated that they were French flags.  Though the same colors, the French flag has vertical stripes.

Gifford Pinchot was a member of the Bull Moose Party!

Partial view of office in front tower

Partial view of bedroom in back tower

Drawers with different wood (tree) samples

Protected outdoor eating area where food was passed from person to person on floating food “barges”

Children’s “Playhouse”

A view of my world

It took about an hour to drive to Steamtown National Historic Site.  It occupies about 40 acres of the Scranton Railroad Yard of the Delaware, Lackawana and Western Railroad.

Steamtown preserves and interprets the legacy of steam-era railroading

Backs of trains were often used for political speeches

Simple description of a Steam Locomotive

Railroads used glamourous marketing to increase riders to cities and from cities to “Natural Wonders.”

The Roundhouse contains several steam engines.  You can see “steam” rising from this one

A Grand Trunk Western locomotive – there was a large Grand Trunk Western Railyard at the end of my street in Chicago.  I became very familiar with it in the 1950s, walking the tracks, trespassing inside the yard, climbing on railcars and huge buildings and hopping trains.

There was also a Turntable at about 50^th and Kedzie where we would watch the engines being placed in the Roundhouse

Locomotive outside History Museum

“All A-Board” – we took a half-hour train ride to the edge of the Railyard and back

Lackawana diesel engine that pulled-pushed our train

Pictures from the Railyard

Hard and relatively clean-burning anthracite coal spurred growth and expansion of railroads

Pictures of locomotives in front of entrance – the first is a Reading steam locomotive

 

Reading double diesel engine – recall that Reading is one of the four railroads on the game of Monopoly

Union Pacific steam locomotive called the “Big Boy” was manufactured in 1941

We got home at midnight – it was a long day!

 

8/28/2016 – Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

This is a relatively new (2013) National Monument and there are still not regular hours for viewing “Youngsholm.”  Which is the name Charles Young gave his home when he was a professor at Wilberforce College.  It is the closest national park unit to our home in Springfield OH.  It took only a half-hour to drive there.

This roadside sign gives a good summary of Charles Young’s career

In 1866 Congress established six all-black regiments.  One assignment was the western frontier during the “Indian Wars.”  The Indians called the black cavalry troops “buffalo soldiers” because their dark, curly hair resembled a buffalo’s mane and they had a fighting spirit like the buffalo.

I called and made a 1:30 appointment to view the inside of the house.  We watched a ten minute video and then a nice young lady, a student at Wilberforce College, gave us a tour of the house.  There was a limited amount of information there, mainly some posters with pictures but the displays did a nice job of reviewing Charles Young’s life.

 

The house and barn are on 60 acres of the original homestead and there are tentative plans for re-creating the farm and home to a semblance of what it was around 1900.  I believe the cost is estimated to be 5 million.

 

 

June 27, 2016 – Navy Pier Chicago – Cathie and Jim joined us for a tour of Navy Pier and a ride on the Centennial Wheel – the date on the picture is wrong!

We then took a walk downtown

 Followed by a trip to the Lincoln Park Conservatory

 

June 28, 2016 – Pullman National Monument, Chicago – The town of Pullman was a planned manufacturing and residential community created by George M. Pullman (1831-1897) for building luxury railroad cars – “Pullman Palace Car Company.”  The expensive cars were typically rented out to railroads with trained employees.  It was a “Model” Town with all the latest amenities but was controlled by the company.  Administration building and north factory wing

Florence Hotel, named after Pullman’s favorite daughter

The Arcade, one of the first “indoor malls” was completed in 1882.  The map shows the extent of the Pullman complex.

Pullman flourished from 1880 until the financial panic of 1893.  At that time, in order to remain profitable, the company laid off or reduced workers’ salaries but not their rents.  The workers (4,000) presented their grievances – rigid paternalistic control of workers, excessive water and gas rates and inability of workers to buy and own their own homes to the company but to no avail.  In May 1894 the Pullman Strike began and was supported by the American Railways Union, which called a nationwide boycott affecting any train that moved a Pullman car.  At its peak, the boycott involved 250,000 workers in 27 midwest and western states.  Trains came to a halt (affecting mail service) and President Grover Cleveland called up Federal troops to get the trains moving (break the strike).  There was much violence across the country and thirty people were killed.  In an effort to conciliate organized labor after the strike, President Cleveland and Congress designated Labor Day (1894) as a federal holiday.  Legislation for the holiday was pushed through Congress six days after the strike ended.

Pullman workers returned to their jobs on condition that they would never again join a union.  After Pullman’s death in 1897, the IL Supreme Court declared the company ownership of non-manufacturing structures in the town of Pullman as illegal.  Within 10 years all the residential buildings were made available for private ownership.  The company recovered with peak production occurring in the mid 1920s when the company fleet grew to 9,800 cars.  This site ceased operation in 1969 and the last Pullman car was made for Amtrak in 1981.

Pullman started his enterprise by building sleeping cars and expanded into luxurious accommodations with outstanding customer service.

Many of the company’s first service workers, such as porters and waiters, were former house slaves who relocated to train hubs around the country.  Job opportunities for African Americans were created by the company where few had existed.  Pullman porters formed the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1937 and became the first African-American labor union, which later significantly impacted the Civil Rights Movement.

A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum is located near the north boundary of the monument

Some of the 1,300 housing units, most of which were Pullman row houses

The Pullman Wheelworks is across the street from the Museum, now public housing

On February 16, 2015 President Obama declared Pullman a National Monument

We walked about a mile through the south row house district admiring the rehabilitation efforts on the houses.  We saw a woman exiting one of the nicer three story row houses and Helen immediately started a conversation.  She said she had lived there 56 years and ran the restaurant in the Florence Hotel for 16 years.  She gave us a tour of the first floor (ten doors on the first floor!) and stated that the house was originally occupied by a Pullman relative.  We then continued exploring the neighborhood and ate lunch at the Pullman Café across from the Greenstone Church.

We then drove to Toledo, had dinner at the Beirut restaurant and settled in to our room at the Marriott Fairfield Inn just north of the city.

 

June 29 (my birthday!) – drove the short distance to Monroe MI and the River Raisin National Battlefield Park.

This park commemorates and describes the two battles at “Frenchtown,” on the Raisin River (west end or Lake Erie), during the War of 1812.  It was the site of the largest engagement of the war.  The U.S. declared war on Britain in 1812.  However, the British defeated three attempts by the U.S. to invade Canada.

In August, General Hull surrendered Detroit and the Michigan Territory.  A campaign was then begun to retake Detroit.  On January 18, 1813 the Americans attacked and routed a British garrison force at Frenchtown.  About 1,000 Kentucky militia and 100 local militia now defended the settlement.  On January 22^nd a British force of 1,200 including British regulars, Upper Canada militia and about 600 Indians under the command of Chiefs Roundhead and Walk-in-the Water surprised the Americans.

Tecumseh had allied his Indian Confederation with the British in hopes of maintaining Indian control of the western frontier, however, he was absent from this battle.  Native forces included warriors from the Shawnee, Potawatomi, Ottawa, Chippewa, Delaware, Miami, Winnebago, Creek, Sauk and Fox tribes.  Only 33 men escaped, 387 were killed and 500 taken prisoner.  This was a major victory for the British and their Indian allies.

On January 23^rd, the day after the battle, Indians again descended on the encampment killing and scalping 30 to 60 wounded American prisoners.  The Indians would not allow the bodies from the battle to be removed and they were left there over the winter months.  When General Harrison lead a campaign north later in 1813, the rallying cry was “Remember the Raisin.”  On October 5^th the U.S. defeated the British and their Native allies in the Battle of Thames and Tecumseh was killed.

These three men were involved in the construction of the attractive National Park sign.

We hiked the 17^th Infantry Loop Trail and then explored downtown Monroe MI

General George A. Custer was born in Ohio in 1839 but spent most of his childhood living in Monroe with his half-sister.  He died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn with his two younger brothers in 1876.

The War of 1812 resulted in the current boundaries between the U.S. and Canada.

 

April 14 – drove from Las Vegas to Beatty NV and then west on Rt 374 to the “Ghost Town” of Rhyolite

Gold was discovered in 1904 and by 1908 the populations was estimated at 8,000

Cook Bank Building – erected in 1908 at a cost of $90,000; it had electric lights, steam heating and marble floors

Tom Kelley Bottle House

Cabooses were required on every freight train until the 1980s, this one was used as a gas station

Did I say that this is a Ghost Town?

This is titled “The Last Super” – Belgian Artist

We then took the Titus Canyon Road into CA and Death Valley

We were lucky to find that the eastern slope of the Grapevine Mountains were still covered with wild flowers

91% of Death Valley is designated Wilderness

One lane, one-way, 27 mile long, gravel/dirt road requiring high clearance and perhaps 4WD vehicle

Red Pass (5,250 ft)

Leadfield, another “Ghost Town” – “Many of the mines are open but enter at your own risk.  Loose rocks, rotten timbers, unexpected vertical shafts, and animals seeking shelter are potential hazards.”

Entering Titus Canyon – narrowest point 20ft wide

Canyon exit to Death Valley, 3 hours to cover 27 miles

Heading down to Badwater, lowest point in North America

Harmony Borax Works

Famous 20 Mule Team wagons for hauling borax

Furnace Creek Visitor Center

Badwater

Start of Golden Canyon Trail Hike

One mile to Red Cathedral Trail

The Red Cathedral spur trail was one mile round-trip – “hikers will have to squeeze between and crawl over or under large boulders in order to reach the base of the vertically fluted walls beneath the famous amphitheater.”

Exiting a slot canyon, in all we hiked about 3 miles

Arrived at the Mesquite Flat Dunes at sunset for some good pictures then checked into our room in Stovepipe Wells

April 15 – Woke early to do the Mosaic Canyon hike before it got too hot.  Room was covered in sand/dust.  A strong wind was blowing in around the tiny openings between the door and its frame.  Hiking up Mosaic Canyon wash

Why they call it Mosaic Canyon – this is called Mosaic Canyon Breccia

First set of narrows

Dolomite marble

Beautiful hike

Boulder jam

Climbing up to second set of uniquely carved narrows

Climbing up to third set of narrows – slippery marble

Getting a little help starting the 25 ft dryfall two miles in

Returning to car

Leaving Death Valley National Park

Death Valley from the Inyo Mountains (west)

The Padre of the Desert

Sand storm

Manzanar National Historic Site

World War II Japanese internment camp

In 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Executive Order to remove “any or all persons” (of Japanese Ancestry), over 70,000 U.S. citizens, from the West Coast

Over 10,000 Japanese Americans and immigrants were put into this camp

Located on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Cemetery Monument – “In the 1980s, a congressionally authorized commission concluded “race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership” led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.  It recommended a presidential apology and individual payments of $20,000.”

Lone Pine CA McDonald’s with view of Mt Whitney!

Mt Whitney (14,496 ft) is the highpoint of CA and the 48 contiguous states.  I climbed it in one day in 1967 with my friend Jay and in three days with Peter and Chad in 1999.

April 16 – Spent the weekend with Kate

Movie from roof of Griffith Park Observatory

Huntington Beach – Dog friendly part

Breakfast at Millie’s

Kate preparing for Morocco trip

April 18 – Palos Verdes CA, hiked from Del Cerro Park down Portuguese Canyon to the Pacific Ocean with Peter and Heather

Watch your step – slippery, and don’t step on the wildlife!

We then hiked the beach at Abalone Cove Shoreline Park to check out the tidal zone at low tide

April 19 – Peter’s birthday, two mile walk to Redondo Beach Pier

Plastic bags to cover tar on feet from walking beach

Perfect temperature

April 20 – 34 mile bike ride from Redondo Beach to Venice Beach CA

Returning to Redondo Beach

Riding past LAX

Helen, Melissa, Tony, Peter, Megan, Heather, Bailey

April 22 – Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area is about two hours from Los Angeles.  It may or may not now be part of the new San Gabriel Mountains National Monument – it is located within the Angeles National Forest

Good view from near the start of the loop trail

We hiked the Pinion Pathway Nature Trail and then the Devil’s Punch bowl loop trail – about 1.5 miles

The Punchbowl was formed by the crush between the San Andreas Fault and the related Punchbowl Fault

Nice hike through sandstone formations

Couple at bottom of rock face near center of photo – about 300 ft below

50 mph wind gusts

Delicate beauty near end of trail

It took four hours to get to Las Vegas – got slowed down by another sand storm.  Walked the strip between the Mandalay and the Bellagio (about 4 miles).  Unfortunately, the fountain show at the Bellagio was canceled because of strong wind.  Lost $1 at a penny slot machine.  Boarded the 12:30am “red-eye” to Chicago, then flew to Washington DC and on to Dayton – 16 hours of travel time!  We flew over our house twice, that’s what we get for using frequent flyer miles.

 

 

March 14, 2016 – Andrew Johnson National Historic Site is in Greeneville TN.  Johnson became the 17^th President of the United States when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865.

He was born in Raleigh NC but settled in Greeneville TN where he established a tailor shop.  The shop is now preserved in the Visitor Center.  He was a self-made man with no formal schooling.

He was an Alderman, Mayor, TN State Legislature, TN Senator, U.S. Representative, TN Governor, U.S. Senator, Military Governor of TN, Vice President and then President of the U.S.  A man of political experience!  This was his house during the 1830s and 40s.  It is across the street from the Visitors Center

In 1851 his family moved to a larger house – The Homestead

Johnson was pro-Union and had to move to Nashville when Confederates controlled East Tennessee and confiscated his house.  He did not return until after his Presidential term in 1869.  While President, he sought to restore the Union, opposed radical Reconstruction, signed the purchase of Alaska and in 1867 was impeached.  Impeachment failed by one vote in the Senate!  In 1868 he proclaimed general amnesty for secessionists.  By request he was buried on a prominent hill on his property.  A very beautiful and scenic location.

 

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park – is actually in three states, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.  During the mid-18^th century the route through the “Gap” provided a path through the Appalachian Mountains for the first great wave of migration from the eastern seaboard to the Ohio Valley.  It followed well-worn bison and Indian trails.  In 1775, Daniel Boone was commissioned to blaze a road through the gap.  Boone’s Trace eventually became known as the Wilderness Road.  There are many trails in the park; because of time and weather, I choose to hike the Wilderness Road from the Iron Furnace in the town of Cumberland Gap on the east side to the Thomas Walker parking area on the west side – about 1.3 miles.

I started on the Tennessee Road Trail, which leads up to the Wilderness Road Trail

Before European settlement of America, the “Warriors’ Path” passed through the Gap.  It connected Cherokee country in the south to Shawnee country in the north.

It was an arduous trip for the 200,000 to 300,000 settlers who crossed Cumberland Gap between 1776 and 1810

This was at least the third time I had passed through the Gap.  The first two times were by road.  In 1996 a tunnel for US 25E was completed bypassing the Gap.  The road was eliminated allowing for the current trail system.  Helen and I had hiked to Tri-State Peak (1990 ft) and the Tri-State monument before we had children.  This point on the trail is at the highpoint of the Cumberland Gap.

Indian Rock – it had started to rain at this point

End of the Trail!

Helen picked me up and we went to the Visitor Center where I could change clothes and dry off before driving to Springfield – 5 hours

 

March 10 – It was about a 7.5 hour drive from Springfield to Gastonia NC, which is just west of Charlotte.  We stopped in Gallipolis OH on the Ohio River to eat our pre-made lunch and check out a pawn shop and their Goodwill.  We learned that Gallipolis, “Galli for Gaul or France and the Greek ‘polis’ for city,” was settled by the French in 1790 – after the Revolutionary War.

March 11 – Started our day at the Waffle House in Gastonia and then had a short drive to Kings Mountain National Military Park, SC.  We arrived at 8am an hour before the Visitor Center opened and were able to hike the 1.5 mile self-guiding Battlefield Trail by ourselves on a beautiful SC morning.

Background – Not many Americans realize the importance of the Revolutionary War battles fought in the South.  The Revolutionary War, begun in 1775, had been fought to a stalemate in the North and England turned its strategy to the South.  They took Charleston (America’s fourth largest city) in 1780 – it was the worst patriot defeat of the war!   General Lord Cornwallis was then put in charge and directed to re-establish English control of the South. He was to move north and join loyalist troops at the Chesapeake Bay thereby closing the eastern seaboard.

There were many loyalists who joined the British forces and together they had early successes in the campaign.  As Cornwallis moved further inland, he put Maj. Patrick Ferguson, reputed to be the best marksman in the British Army, in charge of his left flank and Col. Banastre Tarleton in charge of his right flank.  Tarleton attacked a column of about 400 Virginia patriots on May 29 near Waxhaws SC.  Overpowered, they surrendered, however the loyalists continued the attack and slaughtered over 200 and captured 53.  This enraged the patriots and the call went out over the mountains in the summer to gather at Sycamore Shoals TN.  On September 26^th patriots from TN, KY and VA started their march over the mountains (330 miles) and on route were joined by local militias.  The path they took is now designated as the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.

As Ferguson moved west, he sent out a message to the “backwater men” that if they did not desist from their opposition, “he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders and lay waste with fire and sword.”  This proved to be a strategic blunder as it forced these independent “over-mountain men” to surrender to British rule or fight.  By October a group of about 2,000 mostly mounted patriots were pursuing Ferguson.  He knew they were coming and was confident that the high ground on Kings Mountain would allow him to defeat the rebels.

The patriots (Tories) picked 900 of their best riflemen and surrounded the ridge.  About 1,100 loyalists (Twigs) rained down musket fire.  There were few uniforms of any sort so the patriots wore white paper in their hats while the loyalists wore twigs so each could determine the enemy.  The guerrilla tactics of the frontiersmen allowed them to move up the mountain despite two bayonet charges by the loyalists.

Markers related to the Chronicle regiment’s attack from the Northeast

Ferguson had two horses shot out from under him and was on a third when he was hit by musket fire at this spot

He fell and his men dragged him to this point and propped him against a tree where he died

Ferguson’s grave

The rest of the story – Recall that Ferguson was reputed to be the best marksman in the British Army.  Ferguson had fought at Brandywine PA in 1777, and as the story goes, he was a scout and had George Washington in his sites.  He did not know who the officer on the horse was, but choose not to fire because his back was to him.  Would Washington’s death have changed the outcome of the war?

As the patriots took the mountain the remaining loyalists attempted to surrender but the enraged frontiersmen continued their revenge killing for several minutes until their commander’s regained control.  In about an hour Cornwallis’s left flank was entirely eliminated and the patriots took control of cannon, arms and supplies.  Many historians mark this battle as “The Turning Point of the American Revolutionary War.”

The 83 ft U.S. Monument was dedicated in 1909

The Centennial Monument was dedicated on October 7, 1930 by President Hoover – the 150th year anniversary of the Battle of Kings Mountain

 

Cowpens National Battlefield – it took less than an hour to drive here from Kings Mountain NMP.  “Cow Pens” was a place where farmers brought their cows to fatten them up before driving them to Charleston.

This map shows British (Cornwallis – red) and American line (blue) marches and battles from the May 12, 1980 taking of Charleston to the British surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781

Recall that Cornwallis had split his forces and put Col. Banastre Tarleton in charge of his right flank.  Also, Tarleton was in command at the slaughter of over 200 continentals at Waxhaws SC.  After that battle he was nicknamed “Bloody Ban.”

General Nathanael Greene was placed in charge of the Southern Campaign in 1780 by George Washington.  He in turn put General Daniel Morgan in charge of his light troops.  On January 17, 1781, Morgan led his army (970) of Continentals and backwoods militia to a decisive victory over Tarleton’s force of regulars (1050).  About ninety percent of Tarleton’s force was destroyed.  The Martin Militia –

U.S. Memorial Monument was erected in 1932

As usual, nice displays and good video in the Visitors Center

Washington Light Infantry Monument erected in 1856

Robert Scruggs House – was built on the eastern end of the battlefield around 1828 and is now a historic component of Cowpens National Battlefield

 

Ninety Six National Historic Site – Our third Revolutionary battle site of the day!  Historians believe that this crossroads got its name because it was on the Cherokee Path from Charleston to the Cherokee Town of Keowee near present day Clemson SC – a distance of about 96 miles.

The Logan House

One Mile Walking Tour

Ninety Six was a critical crossroads in the SC backcountry.  In 1780 Lt. Col. John Cruger was put in command of 550 American loyalists.  He proceeded to reinforce the walls of the town’s stockade and build a Star Fort.

The Star Fort was a formidable defense when Gen. Nathanael Greene laid siege with about 1000 men on May 22, 1781

The Continentals proceeded to dig trenches and a rifle tower in preparation for an attack

However, before preparations were complete, Greene received word that a relief column of 2,000 British regulars were on their way.  As a result, he ordered Col. “Light-horse Harry” Lee (father of the Civil War’s General Robert E. Lee) to attack the Stockade Fort and 50 volunteers to move out of the trenches and cut through the sharpened stakes of the Star Fort to prepare for an assault by the main army.

 

Lee captured the Stockade Fort west of the Star Fort but when Cruger ordered his troops into the ditch surrounding the Star Fort, fierce hand-to-hand fighting resulted in a stalemate with heavy losses on both sides.

Greene did not have enough time to organize another assault and slipped away the morning of June 20^th before the relief column arrived.  Though Greene did not win the siege, the British decided to retreat nearer the coast and leave the backcountry to the patriots.

 

 

January 30 – Left Panama City at 7am, had a layover in Miami and arrived in San Juan Puerto Rico at 4pm.  Rented a car from AVIS and learned that we were required to pay a $3.95/day fee for a car EZPass and would be charged for whatever tolls we incurred.  I must admit it was convenient, however I did not like being told I did not have an option.

We started driving east and arrived at the Yunque Mar Beach Hotel at about 6:30.  Got settled and then did the short drive over to Playa Luquilllo to check out the beach.  I can’t recall seeing a sun umbrella in the water before.

The beach is noted for its more than 50 beachfront “friquitines” or food kiosks

It was a tough choice, so we decided to have a Pina Colada (in a whole pineapple) to improve brain function

We settled on Chicken Mofongo.  Mofongo is a fried plantain-based dish (mashed bananas) that is prepared with a variety of ingredients.

Bacardi rum is made in Puerto Rico, here we have a street vending machine for anybody that has $3, no matter age or condition

January 31 – Had an early breakfast and headed for El Yunque National Forest.  It is the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. Forest Service System

La Coca Falls – 85 ft

For our morning exercise we hiked the La Mina Trail – 1.5 miles roundtrip.  It is the most popular trail in the park.

La Mina Falls (35 ft) with its great soaking pool

Yokahu Observation Tower

Los Picachos – 3,175 ft

Tropical Rainforest

View toward Luquillo and Atlantic Ocean

This was one of the most unique National Forest Service Visitor Centers I’ve visited

A frame construction was quite beautiful

Excellent displays, video, etc.

Made it to Reserve Natural de las Cabezas San Juan at 1:30 for our tour in English.  It is located on the northeast tip of the island.

Though relatively small (316 acres), it contains seven ecological zones.  This is a Ceiba tree at the entrance

We had three stops as we were taken by tram through the reserve.  The first was a wetlands area where we followed a boardwalk.  Notice the tip of the lighthouse in the background.

Birds in marsh area

Fiddle crab and vertical growths of the beginning of mangrove trees

 Millipede

Termite nest

The second stop was a beach area where our guide described corals and shells

The last stop was El Faro de las Cabezas de San Juan, which is Puerto Rico’s oldest lighthouse (1882)

Inside was a small museum and a dark room where the guide demonstrated the glow of bioluminescent algae in water filled plastic bags

This is the Lagunda Grande or bioluminescent bay.  It is one of three in Puerto Rico.  We were told that the bioluminescent micro-organisms are at a level of about 20% of what they were five years ago.  A hurricane is thought to be at least partially responsible for the decline.

This is a view of the rainforest and the area where the Atlantic Ocean meets Vieques Sound

The tour lasted about two hours.  It was Sunday and people had brought at least a hundred horses to this area for a parade and riding through the streets – Spanish Style, that is, rider perfectly straight (vertical, no movement) and horse with a very short and quick gate.

We went to the La Estacion restaurant/bar for dinner.  Had a couple glasses of Sangria Red and then shared a Red Snapper

This was our shared desert – ice cream with dried banana and banana turnover – yum!

Unfortunately, I got sick and spent a couple of hours that night on the bathroom floor!

 

February 1 – dropped off the rental car in Ceiba and took a ten minute Vieques Air Link flight to the island of Vieques for a two week stay.

We spent the first four and last three days of our stay at Casa de Amistad in Isabel Segunda (Isabel II), the town where the ferry docks.  It is a great guesthouse run by Owen and Dan who are super friendly and helpful.  It has nine rooms, comfortable indoor and outdoor gathering places, a small pool and an open kitchen.  You can also borrow ice packs, coolers and chairs for the beach.

Helen delighted everyone by making scones, brownies and iced coffees – each twice and all on different days!  They even put this picture of her on their web page.

 

February 2 – we started our island visit by walking to the lighthouse, fort and exploring the town.  The lighthouse – “El Faro de Punta Mulas” is located on Mulas Point.  It was built in 1896 and restored in 1992.

View of town and ferry dock from lighthouse

View of town and lighthouse from fort

The Fort – “Fortin Conde de Mirasol” is located on a small hill above the town.  It was the last fort built by the Spanish in the Americas (1840)

It contains a small museum including some history on the US Navy control of more than two-thirds of the island and its use as a bombardment range.  In fact there was a staged amphibious attack by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines on La Chiva beach in 1950.  In 2003 the Navy land (70% of Vieques) was declared a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge.  However a large part of this land is still restricted due to the danger of unexploded ordinance.  The Navy is slowly clearing these areas and opening them to the public.  This X-Ray tent display is meant to highlight medical problems (e.g. cancer) supposedly incurred by the locals as a result of the Navy’s explosions.

Picked up the rental Jeep from Avis and started our quest of visiting every major beach on Vieques!  Our first stop was Playa El Gallito or Gringo Beach.  Helen with some fan coral.

We relaxed, got some sun and then swam out to the point to snorkel.  We brought our own snorkel equipment with us and used it many times.

Continuing along the north coast, we stopped to see a Ceiba tree that is estimated to be around 400 years old.  We also encountered our first collection of free range horses!  We discovered that they are all over the island!

Our next stop was Blaydin or Starfish Beach.  Again, walked the beach and snorkeled

Starfish, sea cucumber and sea anemone

I found this live conch, of course I put him back

February 3 – Started the day by driving to the west end of the island and hiking through the ruins of the Playa Grande Sugar Plantation

We then drove through the remains of the Navy’s administrative and storage facilities on the west end – now part of the Wildlife Refuge.  The area is loaded with bunkers where the Navy stored armaments.  Earth covered barrel-arched bunkers were called “igloo magazines.”

More free-range horses

Mangrove swamp

Wildlife Refuge plaque

Kiori Lagoon with Mt Pirata (984 ft) in background – it is the highpoint of Vieques.  I hope to come back next year and hike to the top

Punta Arenas, also known as Green Beach – we spent the rest of the day here sunbathing, walking and snorkeling

Ready for snorkeling

Good spot –

 

February 4 – The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Visitor Center provided a good orientation to their sites on the island

Why we rented a jeep

Playa Grande is located on the southwest corner of the island – walked the beach and collected treasures for about two hours, not another person there!

Swimming is not recommended here because of a quick drop off, surf and dangerous currents

I took a great movie of the pelicans diving for fish

This beach is a turtle nesting site from April to June

 

February 5 – Started the day with a short hike through a stream bed (arroyo) to Playa Negra or Black Beach.  The black sand, which is magnetic, comes from magma pushed up from the surface around Mt Pirata and is then washed down the arroyo.  We were a bit disappointed because there wasn’t much black sand on a large area of the beach, perhaps because of lack of rain?

This end of the beach was what we expected

Picked a nice mango on our hike through the arroyo

It is recommended that you not swim at this beach but we did enjoy walking and collecting more shells

We checked into the Malecon hotel in Esperanza where we had four different rooms over seven days.  Even though I booked in November, I wasn’t able to claim the same room for seven nights – a popular place!  Esperanza is a “resort like” area with several hotels and restaurants on the south side of the island.  It has a nice seaside promenade with a harbor and small dock.  Nice sunset –

February 6 – started the day by walking the promenade to the Esperanza Sugar Pier and Playa Esperanza.  Horses on the beach – you can see the Esperanza Sugar Pier in the background.  It was built in 1927 for the export of sugarcane – Puerto Rico’s largest cash crop during the 20^th century.

We then hiked across the land bridge to Cayo de Tierra.  We did the trail out to the southwest viewpoint.

Lots of lizards

Another termite nest

View back toward harbor with Esperanza in the background.  Cayo de Afuera (island) is on the left.

Had our first of four days of Fish Tacos for lunch at Bananas in Esperanza.  Lunch special of 2 delicious Fish Tacos for $9 – we each ate one.  It was cloudy in the afternoon, so we checked out the hacienda Tamarindo as a possible place to stay in the future.  This is the view from their pool, a nice pastoral scene, and beach.  Cayo de Tierra can be seen in the middle and Cayo de Afuera on the right.

This may be an Annona Glabra Tree (also known as a Pond Apple).  Note how large the fruit are; they can be up to 6 inches in diameter.  I sent a text to our children stating it was a Watermelon Tree – no one argued?!

Found this iguana outside our room!

View from our balcony at the Malecon

Walked the promenade before dinner.  Helen thought we should buy this sailboat and fix it up!

The beaches on Vieques are generally pristine.  However, the shore and beach area across the street from the restaurants along the promenade suffer from litter.

This is Tradewinds Beach, which was directly across the street from our hotel

 

February 7 – This is the road to Navio Beach, the worst one we experienced on our trip – yeh jeep!

Navio is noted for its wind, waves and boogie board/body surfing.  Helen enjoying a wind break

Helen enjoying a real break

Next beach – Media Luna or Half Moon Beach, a good one for kids because it is shallow 50 yards out

Sea Urchin shells

Sunday at Sunbay (mile long) – do you believe we relaxed at this beach?!  Did a little swimming, reading, Helen stitched, I walked into town and brought back fish tacos for lunch.  The Malecon hotel did not have any TVs, so early evening we drove across the island to watch the Super Bowl at Casa de Amistad.  Vieques is 5 miles wide and about 21 miles long.

 

February 8 – arrived at Caracas Beach early enough to claim a gazebo.  We discovered you have to watch out for the sand burs here.

Mid-morning Helen drove me to the Vereda Cerro Playuela Trail System where I started at Tres Palmitas, hiked all the trails and met her back at the beach (2.5 miles).

Notice lizard on sign

This is Playa Corcho Beach on Puerto Ferro Bay (also known as Barracuda Bay).  You can only get here by hiking or kayak and it has some bioluminescence.  I hope to come back here to kayak and/or snorkel

Hiking out to the point

Lots of pineapple-like bromeliads and clattering thatch palms

Termite tunnel across path and termite nest

Looking east from point

Caracas Beach in distance

I hiked across Playuela Beach, translation “Little Beach” on my way back to Caracas to meet Helen.  I would not recommend this beach as it gets a lot of wind and waves bringing debris and trash up on the beach.  Late afternoon we drove back to our hotel to get ready for our tour of Puerto Mosquito Cano Hondo, better known as the Biobay.  Guinness Book of World Records states that this is the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world!  We choose to do our tour with JAK Water Sports because they have glass bottom kayaks.

Though I tried with many settings on my camera, I was unable to get a picture of the phosphorescent dinoflagellates activity.  The following is the only picture in this blog that I scanned in from a magazine.  It is a very good representation of what we experienced when we moved our hands through the water.

It was an amazing experience, I made the reservation for the one day in February when there would be no moon.  The stars were brilliant and we could see the Milky Way and beyond.  Also, as we paddled we could see what appeared to be a myriad of stars passing under our glass bottom kayak.  Fish scurrying here and there were leaving bright sparkling trails in the water and our paddles produced splashes of sparkles that trailed off behind us.

 

February 9 – started the day by driving out to the Puerto Ferro Lighthouse.  Note the restricted areas on the sign.

Begun under Spanish rule in 1896, the lighthouse construction was stopped during the Spanish-American War.  When Puerto Rico was taken over by the U.S., the lighthouse was completed and became operational in 1899.

In 1925 and earthquake damaged the building and it was not reopened.  Only recently did the lighthouse become accessible by the public

View northeast from the lighthouse

Our next stop was Pata Prieta, translation “black leg or foot”

It is a protected U-shaped cove and was our favorite beach on Vieques

There is some decent snorkeling off the point to the east

Watch out for the sea urchins!

We found that locals had found several conchs, cut them out of their shells and then dumped the shells in about eight feet of water off the point. There were about fifteen there and we each dove and brought one up for Helen’s yard collection.

Helen did a trail ride with Esperanza Riding Company in the afternoon

Kim, who was also staying at the Malecon, joined her

Starting on the trail, Helen said it was a great ride and that they even got to ride across Playa Negra (Black Beach)

 

February 10 – We drove out to the very end of the dirt road going east through the Wildlife Refuge to La Plata or Silver Beach.  There we met Jorje (George) of Little Boat Sailing who was taking us and two other couples on a half day sailing/snorkeling tour.

We sailed across Ensenada Hondo bay on the southeast coast of the island

Our fist snorkel was in shallow water around the mangroves at Punta Carenero.  Ensenada Honda has the largest mangrove forest on the island and is also the largest protected body of water on Vieques.  Only the shoreline is open, the rest of the east side of the island is still restricted by the Navy.  This is a sea cucumber –

Sea anemone

Our second snorkel was over a reef at the entrance to the bay.  Jorje emailed us all of these underwater pictures.

Staghorn coral – endangered

Wonderful snorkeling

It was a fun day and we celebrated with dinner at the Tin Box

 

February 11 – Started the day by swimming from the Esperanza Sugar Pier through the harbor to Cayo de Afuera

Snorkeled the north and west sides of the island

Barracuda

Again, had fish tacos for lunch and then drove to Bahia de la Chiva, which was called Blue Beach by the Navy.  There are 23 different access points to the bay!  Today we choose to explore and enjoy the east side.  More sea shells anyone?

Our beach spot

Helen on the rocks

Interesting ruins on the east side of Esperanza, probably related to the sugar industry

 

 

February 12 – we went back to La Chiva Beach this morning.  This time we set up on the west side of the bay.

We swam out to the island you see in the picture, Cayo La Chiva, for some good snorkeling

Some rocks that separate east and west La Chiva beaches – this morning there were only about two dozen people covering 1.5 miles of beautiful beach

Drove back to the north side of the island this afternoon for our final three night stay at Casa de Amistad.  I wish I had this stone in my yard!

Good variety of fruits and vegetables

After getting settled in Casa de Amistad, we drove to Rompeolas, also known as Mosquito Pier, for more snorkeling.    It is a sea wall that juts out 1.1 miles into the Atlantic Ocean.  Pelicans with sea wall in background –

Pier at end of sea wall, easy access stairs on left for snorkeling or SCUBA

Good visibility today

Puffer fish

Turtles under pier

 

February 13 – This was our last day with the jeep; so we drove back to the south side of Vieques and our favorite beach Playa Pata Prieta.  Sign shows location of beach.

Another sign warns of unexploded ordinance – don’t touch and report!

We snorkeled in the morning and then a group of 12 young Puerto Ricans showed up for a beach party.  They came over to Vieques for the weekend with their chairs, coolers, grill, electronic speakers, balls, etc.  They were having a great time and then one of the group started teaching the salsa and they invited us to join them.

The young man in the stripped swimming suit was acting as the instructor

Helen, the dance instructor, had to add her two cents

Practicing – check out the video https://youtu.be/gVMu81I3SPg

Video #2 – https://youtu.be/YqFd-TeJX-o

Group photo – how did the white guy get in there?  They offered us drinks, which we accepted and hamburgers!

Leaving Wildlife Refuge

 

February 14 – Valentine’s Day – our last day on Vieques.  This is the Isabel Segunda cemetery, notice how the graves are above ground.

This is Sea Glass Beach – guess what Helen found?

Ferry dock – this is the boat (center left) that we caught the next morning

We continued walking to La Chata Beach in the Santa Marta area.  More shells!!!

I just checked – we enjoyed 16 different beaches on Vieques and snorkeled 12 times!  It is an amazing place and we will likely return next year.

Bareback rider in town, lots of people own the free range horses.  We were told they can just grab the closest horse, ride it wherever they like and leave it!

 

February 15 – We were up at 4:30am to catch the 6am ferry to Fajardo on the main island.  Notice the green suitcase that we paid $3 for at a thrift shop.  Well, it was packed with 48.6 lbs. of sea shells and sea glass!!!  Under 50 lbs., so we could take it as free baggage when we flew home.  Of course we had to carry it with us for 4 more days!

The public ferry is a bargain at $2 each and takes about 1.5 hrs to get to Fajardo.  We arrived to a light rain and had Enterprise Car Rental pick us up at the ferry terminal.

Drove to the Manatee Eco Resort on Salinas Bay.  It is located on the south coast of Puerto Rico.  We rented kayaks and paddled out through the mangroves into the bay.

We paddled in and out of showers for 2.5 hours looking for manatee

Alas, none were to be found.  Actually, we think their presence is a myth and it is just a marketing ploy to try to draw tourists!

Returning to port

 

February 16 – Drove north through the mountains on very narrow/windy roads to Jayuya, which is located in a beautiful valley in the center of the island

Nearby waterfall

In 1950 a local lawyer and nationalistic hero, Blanca Canales, led a revolt against U.S. occupation known as the “Jayuya Uprising.”  Rebels took over a police station and declared a Puerto Rican republic from the town square.  Three days later the U.S. bombed the town causing much destruction.   How many of you out there knew or remembered that?  Canales’s home is now a museum that tells the story of the revolt and preserves the house much like it was in the 1950s.

Blanca Canales

Nearby is the Cemi Museum (1989) that is devoted to the Taino Indian culture.  A Cemi is a god, spirit or ancestor and the museum shape is a representation of a god.

A short drive away is a nice boardwalk that leads to river rocks that have Taino petroglyphs.

It was so relaxing sitting by the river in this beautiful valley, breathing the wonderfully clear air and observing both wildlife and the symbols of the indigenous culture

Don’t miss the bird at water level on the right of the rock

Petroglyphs

The next stop was the Hacienda San Pedro coffee plantation and plant

The coffee is truly “mountain grown.”  Three of Puerto Rico’s highest peaks surround the valley – Cerro de Punta, Cerro los Tres Picachos and Cerro Maravilla.  New coffee trees are planted every five years.

The beans here are picked in the last few months of the year, so they were just finishing up with the mediocre coffee beans that had already been picked.  The gourmet beans are the first to be processed.  This is one of three employees who volunteered to give us a tour showing Helen a coffee tree.

Grinder processing the last of the mediocre coffee beans

Old grinder on left, coffee bar and restaurant

Roberto (owner in hat), reporter doing a story on the plantation, employee, Helen and another friendly employee/guide

We had delicious iced coffees and bought five bags of their best beans!  By law, the beans must be organic and free-trade.

We discovered that Hacienda Gripinas was open and drove there to see if we could get a room.  It is a coffee hacienda built in 1858, restored by the government in 1975 and now run as a hotel.  The coffee from this plantation won the gold medal at the Louisiana Exposition in St Louis in 1904.  It is the best place to stay in the area.  I had tried for months to email and call them for a reservation; I also searched the internet for any current contact information – there was nothing.  I was surprised to find they were open.  It seems they mad a name change that resulted in the communication problems.

We were able to get a nice first floor room with balcony overlooking the pool, including breakfast, for $65 – local’s cost

After settling in, Helen choose to stay in the Hacienda and stitch while I went off to do the highpoint of Puerto Rico – Cerro de Punta, highest mountain in this distance shot from the north

As with the hotel, I found very little current/detailed information on getting to and climbing the mountain.  I drove a circular route from Jayuya, Rt 144 east, Rt 149 south, and Rt 143 west to highpoint.  After completing the hike I continued on Rt 143 west, Rt 140 north and then Rt 143 east back to Jayuya.  My phone GPS did not work in the mountains.  These picnic facilities are in Toro Negro State Park on Rt 143.  Cerro Jayuya (4,265 ft) is in the background.

View south toward Ponce

Picture from top of Cerro Jayuya looking west toward Cerro de Punta and its communication towers.  Both peaks are in the Cordillera Central mountain range that runs east-west down the center of the island.

One lane road on north side of Rt 143 leading to the top of Cerro de Punta (4,390 ft), the Highpoint of Puerto Rico.  The peak is located in the western part of the Toro Negro Forest Reserve.  Note that Rt 143 is well marked and the turn-off is at kilometer marker 17.3

I choose to hike up the road instead of drive.  For the exercise but also because I thought it would be difficult to back the car down if I encountered another vehicle coming down the road.  It was steep and there were few pull-outs where two cars could pass.  As it was, I found no one else on the mountain.

Near the top, the road continues up a bit more from this point, then there are 53 steps up to a concrete viewing platform

Blurry self-photo on top; it was cloudy with on and off drizzle.  It took me 20 minutes to hike up.

View looking east toward Cerro Jayuya and its communication towers.  Ruta Panoramica (Rt 143), which runs down the middle of the island, can be seen in the picture.

View of summit road while descending, about the first one-third of the road going down is concrete and the last two-thirds asphalt

 

February 17 – last full day in Puerto Rico.  Drove down the mountains to the coast and on to San Juan.  We arrived at the Andalucia Guest House in Ocean Park (east of San Jose) in the afternoon and went right to the beach.  Vieques beaches are so much better!

We drove into Old San Juan for the evening.  We were excited to go back to some of the same places we experienced on our honeymoon in 1968!  This is Parque de las Palomas or Pigeon Park.

Plaza del Quinto Centenario was built in 1992 for the 500-year anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage.  The totem pole “El Totem Telurico” was constructed with clay from across the Americas to signify the origins of the people of the Americas.

Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan National Historic Site – fortification was started by Spain in 1539.  Puerto Rico means “Rich Port” and it was the first major island with water, shelter, supplies and a safe harbor for ships sailing to the Americas from Europe by way of West Africa.

Approaching walkway over dry moat

Entrance – 2016 and 1968

Ramp leading down from the main plaza on level 5

Ramp ends at the main firing battery, level 4 – late afternoon 2016 and morning 1968

“El Morro” was attacked by England three times 1595, 1598 and 1797 and once by the Dutch 1625

View east toward Castillo San Cristobal and Rainbow!  At the end of the Spanish-American War (1898), Puerto Rico became a U.S. Territory; Helen 1968

Tom 1968  and 2016 – hardly any change

Some of the walls are 15 feet thick, the lighthouse has been operating since 1846

Dry moat and sentry box, San Juan National Historic Site was established in 1949

1968

El Morro was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983

Walked through Old San Juan to El Jibarito, a crowded/fun Puerto Rican restaurant, for dinner.  Afterward, walked some more through the Old City and its many plazas.

 

February 18 – paid the piper (American Airlines $150) to change our reservation so we could get to Dayton late afternoon instead of 11:30 at night!

 

Helen and I both agree that this was one of our best “vacations.”