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Alaska – with Chad, Drago, and Seamus

August 31, 2025

8/8/2025 F – met Chad, Drago, and Seamus at the Crown Plaza O’Hare Chicago. Paid for long-term parking for the days we would be away. Drago selfie, start of trip –

8/9/2025 Sa – up at 4:15am, Uber to airport for 6am Alaska Air flight to Seattle (SEA). I had ordered breakfast on the plane, but they did not have a record of the order, so we had to buy some snacks during our flights. Arrived SEA at 8:37am, left 9:55am for Juneau (JNU) and arrived at 11:26am.

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The Frontier Suites Shuttle picked us up and drove us to the hotel in a light rain. Had lunch at the Valley Restaurant next door. Drago and Seamus ate the first of many burgers during our trip. It is owned and run by a Filipino family – every worker was a member of the family. At 2pm I went back to the airport to pick up a “Mystery Car” from Budget Car Rental – it turned out to be a Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid.

When I got back, we went out for a tour of Juneau. Our first stop was the Alaska State Capital. It is the only U.S. State Capital that is not accessible by road.

In 1867 William Henry Seward negotiated a price of 7.2 million for the purchase of Alaska from Russia.

We stopped by St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church on our way to the waterfront.

We were impressed with the size of the Coral Princess and in fact saw it the next day on Glacier Bay.

There is a Memorial to the USS Juneau on the waterfront walk. It was a Navy ship that was sunk by the Japanese during the Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. All but ten of her crew of 700 perished – including the five Sullivan brothers.

That evening we reviewed our plans.

8/10 Su – Had a big breakfast at the Valley Restaurant, then drove 10-min to the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in the Tongass National Forest. It has been proposed that part of this National Forest become a National Park.

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It was not yet open, so we did the Photo Point Trail (0.33mi) in a light rain.

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Then continued on the Nugget Falls Trail (2-mi rt).

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When we returned to the Visitor Center it was open and provided a panoramic view of Mendenhall Lake, Mendenhall Glacier, and Nugget Falls. Note, the fog/rain/clouds obscure the upper glacier and mountains.

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At 4pm we took the half-hour Alaska Air flight from Juneau to Gustavus, followed by a 10-mi shuttle ride to the Glacier Bay NP Lodge/Visitor Center.

Toured the small NP Vis. Ctr. on the second floor of the Lodge

Then did the Tlingit Trail along Bartlett Cove. The Huna Tlingit still inhabit this area.

Healing Totem Pole

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Traditional Dugout Canoe

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Humpback Whales travel here from Mexico and Hawaii for the summer.

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Tlingit Tribal House and construction of Totems

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Hiked the Forest Trail outside the Lodge ~1-mi round trip (rt).

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Hawk?

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Blackwater Pond Viewing Deck

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Landscaping with Ice

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Dinner at the Lodge, the boys shared a bed, and Chad (top) and I (bottom) a bunk bed. We tested the top to be sure it would support his 265 lbs. and I would not be crushed during the night!

8/11 M – We were up at 5:30am to board the Baranof Wind for our eight-hour tour of Glacier Bay NP.

Raining – donuts for breakfast

We very much enjoyed the tour with our park ranger regularly describing the history, sites, and wildlife. However, the weather detracted from the full visual experience we were hoping for.

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Marble Islands – sea lions, seals, sea otters, birds (e.g., tufted puffin, oyster catchers, marbled murrlets, etc.), and a couple of whales in the distance.

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Sea Otters – this is the largest Sea Otter Colony in the world!

Onboard entertainment – ranger review of the desire for sea otter fur due to its warmth and comfort.

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Mountain Sheep

The highlight of the tour was the Margerie Glacier, almost one mile across.

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Seals on ice island in foreground

Everyone cheered when we saw a section of ice crash (calve) into the water. I wondered, should we be cheering for Global Warming!

Leaving the Margerie Glacier

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The Margerie and most glaciers in the park have retreated significantly since Helen and I were here in July 2011 – see Blog for that month and year.

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We got back to Bartlet Cove at 3:30pm, the boys skipped stones for 20 minutes, and then we boarded the shuttle for the Gustavus airport. We heard our 5:35pm plane to JNU pass overhead. But, it could not land because of weather conditions. I immediately ran over to the Alaska Seaplane office hoping to catch their 6pm flight to JNU. I was able to get all four of us on that plane. So, I ran back to the Alaska Air office and canceled our re-scheduled flight for 5:35pm the next day.

We carried our luggage to the Alaska Seaplane office to wait for the 6pm flight. It also flew over but could not land. They said another plane was on its way. But that flight was canceled as well. So, I booked us on a 6am flight the next morning to JNU, with a 7:45am connecting flight to Skagway, and we returned to the Glacier Bay Lodge. There was one room left with a single Queen bed. A returning German couple also wanted the room. After a long discussion we were able to get the room and the boys slept on the floor. I now had Wi-Fi, so I could cancel our hotel in Juneau but could not cancel the Ferry we were supposed to take the next day from JNU because the office was only open 7am to 3:30pm M-F!

8/12 Tu – Was a day of Persistence, Flexibility and Patience. – Up at 4:30am to catch the 5am shuttle to the Alaska Seaplane office in Gustavus. That flight was cancelled; so, we booked the 10:25am flight. That flight was also cancelled due to weather conditions.

That meant there was no way we could get to Skagway. My phone did not work in Gustavus, so I had to borrow phones to search for information, cancel, and make new reservations. First, I canceled the Alaska Marine Ferry reservation for a weather-related refund. Next, I was able to convince my car rental in Skagway to change my car reservation to Sunday 8/17, the day we were all supposed to land in Chicago.

We decided that Chad and the boys would return to Chicago as scheduled. I, on the other hand, canceled my Delta reservation and made a new reservation to return to Chicago on 8/17 on Alaska Air from Juneau. That way I could make arrangements to fly to Skagway. I then made a reservation on Alaska Air to fly to Juneau on 8/16. In addition, I made reservations to fly from JNU to Skagway in the morning and return from Skagway to JNU in the late afternoon on 8/17 with Alaska Seaplanes.

So, we had to spend most of the day in the Alaska Seaplanes office in Gustavus. Thankfully, they had snack food and drinks that we could add to the beef jerky, potato chips, and oatmeal/raisin cookies I had brought from OH.

Our 2pm flight was put on hold; then two Alaska Seaplanes arrived at 3pm and we were able to takeoff for Juneau at 4pm. This was the first small plane ride for Drago and Seamus on our first partly sunny afternoon in Alaska!

Gustavus Power Plant

Flight over the Chilkat Mountains

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Landing in Juneau – view of Mendenhall Glacier, Mendenhall Lake, and Nugget Falls

Chad ordered an Uber to return to the Juneau waterfront and take the Goldbelt Tram up Mount Roberts

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Nice views of the Gastineau Channel, Cruise Ships, and Juneau

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We did the Totem and Alpine Trails on the slopes of Mount Roberts

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Bald Eagle Wingspan

Celebratory dinner at The Hangar on the Wharf Restaurant as the Cruise Ship “Anthem of the Seas” left port

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8/13 W – Up at 5:15am, 6am Shuttle to airport to catch 7:34am Alaska Air JNU to ANC flight – flight canceled (Fog)!  Re-booked for later in the morning – flight canceled (Fog/Rain)! Re-booked for Alaska Air leaving at 2pm, flying to Yakutat, then to Cordova, and then to Anchorage. It was clear on much of the route but was cloudy when we arrived at 5pm.

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I picked up our Nissan Sentra from Avis, then pulled out of the garage into rain. Our first stop was Earthquake Park; it commemorates the 1964 earthquake that devastated Southcentral Alaska.

Our next stop was Resolution Point and the Captain Cook monument overlooking the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet.

We continued on to the Alaskan RR Depot –

Then walked up to the Alaska 49th State Monument –

It was then a short drive to the Salmon Viewing Area on Ship Creek.

When we arrived at the Fairfield Inn & Suites to check in, they refused to give us the room because the reservation was in Helen’s name using her reward points, and she was not there! I argued that the room was book with her reward points AND my money, which I had paid by credit card. That was still not acceptable. Finally, I produced Helen’s passport for the Manager, and they allowed us to take the room.

Went to the Bear Paw Bar & Grill for Fish & Chips for the Big Boys and Burgers for the Little Boys.

8/14 Th – 6am breakfast at the Fairfield Inn and then started driving in the rain to Talkeetna. We arrived about 10am and were told that our Flightseeing Grand Denali NP Glacier Landing Flight was canceled due to weather. We then stopped by the Denali Climbing Cemetery on our way back to Talkeetna and visited the memorial for those who have died attempting to climb Denali (Mount McKinley).

Six climbers had already died on the mountain when our group started our attempt in 1995.

We then visited the Denali NP Climbing Visitor Center where you register to climb the mountain. The Ranger taught Drago and Seamus how to tie a couple of knots.

On the way back to Rt-3, we stopped for Birch Ice Cream at the Kahiltna Birchworks

We now implemented Plan B – driving into Denali NP. We first stopped at Denali Viewpoint South on Rt-3.

The first photo is what we saw and the second is the same view on a good day!

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We also did the short hike to a viewpoint looking across the Chulitna River toward the Ruth Glacier and the “Greatest Gorge.” The gorge is about 9,000ft deep, deeper than the Grand Canyon and perhaps the deepest gorge in the world, but it is at least half full of ice!

Had lunch at the Denali Doghouse in Denali Nation AK, got gas, and then entered Denali NP.

Our first stop was the Visitor Center off Rt-3

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Building a Moose

Our first stop on the Park Road was the Mountain Vista picnic area. This was once a tourist camp for visiting the park.

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We then continued in the rain, as far as we could by car, to the Savage River (15mi) – saw a Moose along the way

When you reach the Savage River, you must take a bus to proceed further into the park.

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We did the 2-mile Savage River Loop Trail in a light rain.

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Explorer Seamus

Nice hike and interesting rocks along the way –

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Bridge is the half-way point on the Savage River Trail

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Rain increased on the way back

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On the way to Fairbanks, we stopped at the Fly Denali office in Healy to see if they would have a Denali Glacier Landing flight on the morning of 8/16, the day we were to return to Anchorage for our flights home. The answer was yes, weather permitting (it was raining)! We signed up, thinking the probability was low. The cost was double our previous reservation in Talkeetna, so part of me was hoping we would again be “rained out.”

Ate at a fast-food dinner in Fairbanks, bought lunch items at a Fred Meyer store, then moved into our VRBO duplex, home for the next two nights. I was now sleeping regularly with Drago and Seamus with Chad.

 8/15 F – had an early breakfast at the A W Restaurant in Fairbanks, so we could be at the BLM office when it opened at 7:45am. This map shows our seven stops for the day. Our main objective was to see a herd of caribou in the Steese National Conservation Area (NCA).

2025 is the 25th year anniversary of the National Conservation Lands Program.

Our first stop was the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS).

TAPS spans about 800-miles, from Prudhoe Bay and feeder pipelines on the North Slope to Valdez AK, where it is picked-up and transported by ships.

Our next stop was the Davidson Ditch. It is a 90-mile system of inverted siphons and ditches (1929) that carries water from the Chantanika River to Fairbanks to power gold mining operations.

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As we gained altitude on the Steese Highway, we came upon a female caribou (they have horns) and calf along the road. Drago took this photo, and Chad did a good video of them moving along the road and up into the forest.

Our third stop was at the Twelvemile Summit Wayside. The first photo indicates the weather conditions – cold (mid 40s), windy, cloudy/foggy, and raining.

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We all “layered up” for our ~1+ mile hike on the Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail to the Steese NCA North Unit.

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In the Clouds

Caribou Mirage

First part of trail – boardwalk

Second part of trail – tundra

Reaching the Steese NCA North Unit

Steese Highway

Upper Birch Creek Wayside in the Steese NCA South Unit.

Birch Creek – National Wild River

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Fun skipping stones

Trunk lunch after Drago drove a car for the first time – across the parking lot!

Next stop and furthest point we traveled on the Steese Highway – the tundra of the Eagle Summit Wayside. As you can see, we were now back in the clouds.

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We did a couple of short hikes into the clouds – including the east end of the Pinnell Mountain NST.

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The clouds lifted a bit as we headed down the trail. It was an opportunity to take photos of tundra wildflowers.

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We were now able to see the road continuing toward its end in Circle AK.

Caribou bones and footprint found nearby –

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As we drove back toward Fairbanks, we made a stop in the White Mountains National Recreation Area.

There was some daylight left, so we headed downtown to The Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center and a sculpture titled – “A Hand Up.”

We then walked through the park areas along the Chena River.

Golden Heart Plaza

Lend Lease Monument – commemorating our support of Russia during World War II. Our women pilots would fly planes to MT, our men pilots would fly them to Fairbanks where Russian pilots would pick them up, fly across the Bearing Sea, and eventually to the Eastern Front where the Russians were fighting the Germans.

It was a short drive to Creamer’s Field and the Migratory Waterfowl Refuge where we saw Sandhill Cranes and a number of other birds.

Ate dinner back at the A W Restaurant, a local restaurant, not the Root Beer chain. Then we returned to our VRBO duplex and packed for our early morning trip back to Anchorage for our flight home.

8/16 Sat – up at 4:30am to pack, donuts and juice for breakfast, then drove 2hrs to Healy AK to see if our Denali Glacier Flight was a go.  It was raining when we arrived but the weather report from Denali indicated we could do the flight. So, plans were reviewed, we put on our glacier booties and took off in a slight drizzle.

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Our plane flew Southwest over the Alaskan Range

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Reaching higher elevations

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Chad and I were on the left side of the plane and Drago was on the right side, so we were getting different views going to and returning from our glacier landing.

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Beautiful alpine scenery

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Note landing location

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View of Denali (Mount McKinley)

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Icefall

Circling for landing

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Note the lenticular clouds indicating high winds on the mountain

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Approaching landing on the Ruth Glacier

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Landing

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On finger of Ruth Glacier

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Denali above Chad’s Right Shoulder. It was calm, clear, quiet, comfortable, and Beautiful!

Interesting Story – Don Sheldon was a bush pilot who started the first glacier landings on Denali. He owned and ran the Talkeetna Air Service. In 1953, before Denali NP existed, he used the Homestead Act to acquire 5 acres on the mountain and proceeded to build a “retreat” on rocky terrain just above the Ruth Glacier. He and his family improved the facilities, and it is now known as the Sheldon Chalet. The rental cost starts at $32,000/night, with a three-night minimum stay. A specific package, the Ultimate Mountain Adventure, is priced at $57,000 per person for a 4-day, 3-night stay, which includes transportation to and from Anchorage, and is available for 2026!

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The following photos were taken while returning to the Healy airport –

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Glacier detail

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Denali

We had some air turbulence on the return flight

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Follow the Glacier

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The Home Stretch

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This Denali Glacier Landing Flight was the Highpoint of our Alaska Trip!

See Blog for September 2020 to view photos taken by Peter and Kate during their flight from Talkeetna and landing on the Kahiltna Glacier on the south side of Denali.

Filled the gas tank, then Chad drove 5hrs to the Anchorage Airport as we ate snacks in the car. Arrived about 4pm and Chad, Drago, and Seamus checked in for their 5:15pm flight to SEA, followed by an11:55pm flight to MPL, a 7am flight to ORD (Chicago O’Hare), a Crown Plaza hotel shuttle to their car, and a drive home to Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, I gassed-up the rental car, returned it, and checked in for my newly booked 7:48pm Alaska Air flight to Juneau. I was on a mission to do a segment of the Chilkoot National Historic Trail outside of Skagway AK. There are a total of 27 National Scenic and Historic Trails. After doing a hike on the Chilkoot Trail, I would be able to state that I had experienced all of them.

I took the Frontier Suites Shuttle to the hotel and checked in for the night.

8/17 Sun – I was up at 5:30am to catch the 6am shuttle to the airport for my 7:45am flight with Alaska Seaplanes to Skagway. There was a weather cancelation at 8am and I rebooked for an 11am flight. That flight was canceled. So, I tried to book the 3pm flight but it was full. That left me with the last possible flight to Skagway at 6:30pm. Leaving Juneau –

Since I had planned to return to Juneau today at 5pm to catch Alaska Air flights to Chicago, I had to cancel Alaska Seaplanes and Alaska Air reservations. In addition, I had to book an Alaska Seaplanes flight to Juneau the following afternoon, and re-book my flights to Anchorage and Chicago on Alaska Air. Nothing accomplished today, except getting to Skagway!

I arrived in Skagway at 7:30pm and had to find a place to stay. As I started to walk into town, I met John who was trying to get to Canada to meet his hunting guide (Air Canada was on strike). He and his brother own a roofing company in Lubbock TX. He had recently made a reservation at the Skagway Inn and was told there was one room left. He called and confirmed the reservation for me. We then walked about a half mile to the hotel carrying our backpacks and dragging our bags through a light rain.

I was assigned the “Essie Room,” the smallest room in the former brothel. It was clean, comfortable, and decorated with vintage items. The bed just about filled the room with the restroom down the hall. John and I met in the restaurant for dinner right before they closed. My Shrimp Caesar Salad was reasonably priced and excellent.

8/18 Mon – I went for breakfast when it opened at 7am and was surprised to have a served full breakfast as part of the room cost of $139.32; omelet, hashbrowns, fruit, juice, and coffee – I Highly Recommend the Historic Skagway Inn!

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I hired a taxi to drive me to the Historic Dyea Townsite, which was/is the start of the Chilkoot National Historic Trail. He picked me up at 8am for the 10-mile drive, in a light rain, to the townsite.  

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In 1895, Dyea was a small Tlingit village and fishing camp. It was also the staging area for Native trade to and from the interior over the Chilkoot Pass. That all changed in 1896 when gold was discovered in the Klondike area outside of Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada. That prompted the 1896-1898 Klondike Gold Rush when Dyea grew to 5,000-8,000 people. Almost as quickly as it rose, the Boomtown fell to 3 inhabitants by 1903 when the railroad was completed from Skagway through the White Pass to Whitehorse Canada.

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“Glacial Rebound,” the result of “Ground Rebound,” has resulted in the land here rising 7-feet since 1890, affecting access to the Taiya River, Taiya Inlet, and Pacific Ocean.

It is about a 0.5-mile walk to the Dyea Cemetery, which is also called the “Slide Cemetery” because it is the resting place of about seventy “stampeders” who failed to head the warnings and died in a series of snow slides (avalanches) across the Chilkoot Trail on Palm Sunday, April 3, 1898.

It is another 0.5 mile walk to the start of the Chilkoot National Historic Trail – a 33-mile international trail that starts at Dyea and ends at Bennett, BC, Canada. There are nine campgrounds along the trail, which has an elevation gain of about 3500 feet. The Chilkoot Pass is roughly the halfway point and is the international border between the U.S. and Canada.

The first part of the trail follows the Taiya River.

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A permit is required from the Chilkoot Trail Center (NPS) in Skagway for overnight stays on the trail.

The trail has been called the “World’s Longest Museum” because of artifacts left along the trail. The trail has gone from a Tlingit trade route, to a gold rush highway, to a recreational trail.

I did a mile hike, as I had to get back to catch my plane to Juneau.

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Registration Box –

Returning to trailhead

“Golden Stairs” – top part of the Chilkoot Trail to Chilkoot Pass (1898).

I went straight to the airport to check on my noon flight – it was canceled due to weather! I had a choice. I could re-book for 4pm and risk that flight being canceled and having to spend one or more night(s) in Skagway, or I could take the Alaska Marine ferry at 2:15pm, requiring me to cancel my Alaska Air flight home that night and re-booking the flight for the following day. In addition, I would have to get a hotel in Juneau for this evening. I opted for the latter, since there was no guarantee that I could fly to Juneau the next day. So, I canceled my flight to Juneau and flight to Chicago, booked the ferry to Juneau, booked a hotel in Juneau, and booked another flight to Chicago. This has been the story of the entire trip – changes due to Bad Weather!

I now had 1.5-hours before boarding the ferry. I started by going to the Klondike Gold Rush NHP Visitor Center

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“Steepest Climb”

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The NHP opened the Mascot Saloon Museum (1898) sometime after my 2011 visit.

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I treated myself to a gourmet lunch of Halibut Puff Pastry, Fish Chowder, Salad, and Beer at Olivia’s Bistro in the Historic Skagway Inn, then headed for the ferry.

 Alaska Marine Vehicle (Ferry) “MV Columbia” arriving in Skagway (late)

Sailing the Taiya Inlet and enjoying a salmon dinner. I discovered that state employees working on ferries cannot accept tips.

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The Ferry left Skagway late, arrived in and left Haines late, and arrived in Juneau at 11:30pm, about two hours late. The hotel shuttle was no longer running. So, I hitched a ride in a van to the airport and then walked a half mile to the Frontier Suites hotel – this was my fourth night in Juneau.

The Aurora Borealis Season is September to April. However, NOAA had reported activity last night and stated that tonight the conditions would be good. So, I went out from 12:30am to 2am looking for the Northern Lights. Alas, I could not find a dark/clear place to look north. I only saw a light glow above the trees. However, I did have some excitement as I returned to the motel. As I arrived, I heard three gunshots close by and thought I may have been the target. I ran into the lobby. The desk clerk had also heard the shots. He locked down the hotel and called the police. In the end, we thought the shots came from a homeless camp across the highway. Goodnight Tom.

8/19 Tu – Day of waiting and best weather day of trip. I had breakfast at the Valley restaurant and lunch at the Juneau airport. Took an Alaska Air flight to Anchorage at 6pm and then a “red-eye” flight to Chicago arriving 8/20 W at 5:40am. Took the Crown Plaza shuttle to the hotel and then drove home arriving at 5pm.

FYI – Helen and I visited Juneau, climbed Mt Roberts, paddled Mendenhall Lake, did the boat tour of Glacier Bay NP, ferried to/from Skagway, and visited the Klondike Goldrush National Historical Park in July 2011 – see Blog for additional photos and commentary.

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Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School NM – PA and Lake Erie Bluffs – OH

April 16, 2025

4/14/2025 M – it was a 1.5hr drive from Alex and Brett’s house to the U.S. Army Barracks in Carlisle PA just west of Harrisburg.  

Carlisle was the jumping off place for traders and settlers heading over the Allegheny Mountains in the mid-1700s. In 1757, British Colonel John Stanwix built a fort here that was operational during the French and Indian War. The 1777 Hessian Powder Magazine was used during the Revolutionary War. It now serves as the Hessian Guardhouse Museum.

After the Revolutionary War, Carlisle continued as an Army Base and was active during the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion. Washington Hall –

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In 1838 the Army established the US School of Cavalry Practice and trained a horse mounted force of U.S. Dragoons. In 1863, Confederate troops took the base and prepared for the Battle of Gettysburg. After the Civil War ended, the barracks returned to its pre-war mission of receiving, training, and forwarding cavalry recruits destined for the Indian wars on the western frontier.

This statue of Frederick II of Prussia was given to the US in 1902. “Frederick the Great,” King of Prussia, is credited with transforming Prussia into an eighteenth-century European power. He was known for his military prowess. The statue was at the U.S. Army War College in Washington DC but was taken down before World War I.  After the War College was moved to Carlisle in 1951, it was decided to place “Freddy” “in a position overlooking the Parade Ground.

This is a Monument to graduates of the U.S. Army War College. It is still operational, and trains selected officers for high command positions. Some notable graduates include John J. Pershing (1905), Dwight D. Eisenhower (1927), and Omar N. Bradley (1934).

In 1879, the War Department transferred control of the post to the Department of the Interior to be used for the first off-reservation Indian boarding school for the education of Native American children. The purpose was to assimilate and integrate the children by teaching them English, trades, and Christianity. Also, the children could be used as political hostages to prevent uprisings from the Indian bands from which they were taken. The Carlisle Indian Industrial School operated until 1918. The base was then returned to the U.S. Army.

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So, there is a long history of various U.S. Army missions at this base. However, my focus for this trip was the Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School NM established last December by President Biden. Several of the buildings on campus were used and/or built by the 7,800 Indian students, from more than 140 Tribes, that lived here from 1879 to 1918.

Sioux students in uniform at Carlisle Indian Industrial School, circa 1880 –

Carlisle is considered the first Federal Indian Boarding School. It was founded by Richard Henry Pratt, a military officer famous for his philosophy of “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.” The school forced Indian children to change their clothing, language, and worked at changing their beliefs. Males had their hair cut and wore uniforms. Females had to wear long confining Victorian dresses. All Indian clothing and possessions were confiscated (e.g., moccasins, medicine bags, jewelry, and ceremonial rattles). Before (Indian dress) and after (Western dress) photos were taken of each child to demonstrate the dramatic change produced by the school.  It was an attempt to “civilize” the America Indian. The school promoted athletics and produced several outstanding athletes.  For example, the athletic stadium is named for Frank Mt Pleasant, of the Tuscarora Nation, who participated in the 1908 London Olympics.

Perhaps the most famous graduate was Wa-Tho-Huk of the Sac and Fox Nation in Oklahoma; he was renamed James “Jim” Thorpe.

The Thorpe Hall Gym is named for him –

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There is a small collection of memorabilia in the Gym –

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The most poignant reminder of the excesses of the Carlisle Indian School is the Indian Cemetery.

More than 180 Indian children died at Carlisle – note the different tribes represented in the cemetery.

A seven-year U.S. Army disinterment project has been identifying remains and returning them to their tribal descendants. As of the creation of this sign, about forty have been “Respectfully Returned to Their Families.”

Lake Erie Bluffs Hike

4/30/2025 – We have the East Coast on the Atlantic Ocean, the West Coast on the Pacific Ocean, and the “North Coast” in northern Ohio on Lake Erie! We did a very enjoyable two-mile loop hike along the “North Coast” in Lake Erie Bluffs (Lake Metroparks east of Cleveland) OH. It was a cold, crisp, and clear day.

Started with a view from the Observation Tower – Jan and Helen

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Lake Erie is the shallowest of the five Great Lakes (210ft at deepest point) but provides more fish for human consumption than the other four lakes put together. It is known as the “Walleye Capital of the World.” It is also the warmest of the Great Lakes with an average August water temperature of 75-degrees. There was lots of interesting driftwood along the beach part of the hike.

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Ancestral Footprints of Grand Canyon NM and Yuma Crossing NHA in AZ, Chuckwalla NM in CA, and Castner Mountains NM in TX

February 25, 2025

2/11/25 Tu – Drove north 4hrs from Scottsdale AZ to the Tusayan Ranger Station for Kaibab National Forest where I picked up information and a vey helpful map of the USFS Tusayan Ranger District.  I then proceeded 6 miles to the South Rim of Grand Canyon NP.  Despite some sun, the temperature in the low 40s with a strong wind, made for a cold day.  Photos are from Mather Point.

Drove east about six miles to Grandview Point on the South Rim and then, after about two miles, turned south into Kaibab National Forest.

My first stop was the USFS Grandview Tower in Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon NM.

I held on tight as I climbed the 80-foot 1930s steel tower in high winds.  This photo was taken looking north toward the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

President Biden designated this National Monument in 2023 after a request from the 13 tribes of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition. There are large sections of the NM both south and north of Grand Canyon NP.

I then did a short hike on the Arizona National Scenic Trail, which starts on the AZ-UT border, passes through the Grand Canyon, and continues south for over 800 miles to the Mexican border.

The 1880s Hull cabin, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is 2-miles from the tower and can be rented from the USFS.  William Hull raised sheep and was one of the first to take tourists to the Grand Canyon.

I then drove Forest Service roads to a gate and water tank about a half mile from the Old Grand Canyon Airport.

My last stop was the start of the Red Butte Trail.

The 2.4-mile rt trail leads to the Red Butte USFS Fire Tower and the top of Red Butte (7,326ft). The trail gains about 1,000ft in elevation.

Red Butte is sacred to the Havasupai Indian Tribe that live in the Grand Canyon.  I met Bobby, an Indian from the Four-Corners area at the trailhead.  Among other things, he is a photographer and had just finished flying his drone around the top of Red Butte. 

One frame of his drone footage of me –

Departing the NM –

Returned to the Holiday Inn Express in Scottsdale AZ

2/12 W – Spent the day in the Phoenix area. Drove around Camelback Mountain looking for the location from which George Bickerstaff may have painted the landscape oil that we have in our living room. Bickerstaff was an early nineteenth-century American Expressionist painter.

This is the view from the porch of the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn on Lincoln Dr.  This photo was taken looking South.  The real location may be NW from here in the Paradise Area, OR, it is not a painting of Camelback Mountain!

Camelback Mountain from the airport train when I arrived (view looking North) –

Another view looking North, from the South side of Camelback Mountain – this looks more like the painting.

View from Arizona Falls, which are man-made, on the Arizona Canal that runs through Phoenix. There is a small hydroelectric plant there.

I then visited Papago Park next to the Phoenix Zoo.

Did the short hike to “Hole in the Rock,” a red rock butte.

Only a half mile round trip.

Looking East toward Zoo through “Hole in the Rock”

2/13 Th – 4hrs (212mi) from Scottsdale AZ to Corn Springs CA in Chuckwalla National Monument (BLM). See Chuckwalla MTNS Area south of I-10. Gravel Road to Corn Springs Campground and Corn Springs Mining Area.

The new NM is in the Colorado Desert of Southern CA that protects 624,270 acres of desert habitat in Riverside and Imperial counties from development.  The monument spans several mountain ranges between Joshua Tree National Park and the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, designated a NM on 1/14/2025, shortly before President Biden left office. Corn Springs Palm Oasis and Campground.

0.5 Mile Interpretive Trail – it was a cloudy day with the temperature getting up to about 55 degrees. Also, there was scattered rain, which is very unusual in this desert location.

Petroglyphs – some said to be over 10,000 years old, others grafitti.

Edward Wodetzki’s Miner’s Cabin and remains of a mill.

Corn Springs Mining Area – sign on building states “Active Mining Claim.”

It took about an hour to return to I-10, drive to the Desert Center Exit, and then drive a short distance to the location of Desert Steve’s Cabin and his plaque at the base of Alligator Rock, which is within the new Chuckwalla NM.

There is another plaque there as well – Mack, “He Did Well His Job.”

I hiked to the top of the alligator’s head and looked down his spine.  Alligator Rock has spiritual and cultural significance for local tribes.

I-10 from the top of the alligator’s head –

It took about 15-minutes to drive to the Edmund C Jaeger Nature Sanctuary, which is also within the new NM.

Some nice balanced rocks there –

2.5hrs (135mi) from Edmund C. Jaeger Nature Sanctuary to Yuma AZ.

2/14 F – Valentines Day – I arrived at West Wetlands Park, which is on the Colorado River in Yuma AZ, at about 8am. It was my first stop in Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area (NHA).  Yuma is close to both the CA and Mexican borders.

There was an interesting Mormon Battalion Monument – “Army of the West” in the park just past this trail bridge. The battalion marched 2,100 miles from Iowa to Southern California establishing the first wagon route to the Pacific Coast – watch out for Rattlesnakes!

The statue is of Philemon Merrill who led the battalion (~500 enlisted and volunteer men). The Battalion was operational from 1846-1847 during the Mexican American War.

This map shows some of the major sites in the Yuma Crossing NHA that are east of West Wetlands Park.

In 1775-76, Spain sent the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition 1,000 miles from Sonora Mexico to Alta CA to establish a route to settle the port of San Francisco. The local Quechan tribe assisted the expedition in crossing the Colorado River at present-day Yuma.  Yuma is one of the sites along the NPS Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.

I stopped by the Old Yuma City Hall to pick up some literature from the office of Yuma Crossing NHA. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Yuma AZ is the “Sunniest City on Earth!”

My next stop was the Colorado River State Historic Park.

This was the location of the Southwest Army Quartermaster Depot 1865-1883.

In the late 1800s, steamboats delivered Army supplies up the Colorado River to Yuma for storage and disbursement to Indian War forts. Note the steamboat on the Colorado River.

There are period displays in the former Officer Quarters –

The Bureau of Reclamation Building presents the history of Colorado River development in Yuma.

A short distance away is the Pivot Point Bridge, “Ocean to Ocean Bridge,” crossing the Colorado River – location where the first train entered the Arizona Territory in 1877. This is a 1907 Southern Pacific Baldwin steam locomotive. A Southern Pacific Hotel was located here from 1881 to 1926.

The Historic Sanguinetti House Museum & Gardens is nearby.  E. F. Sanguinetti (1867-1945) built the house, which is considered a “Jewel of Historic Yuma.”  E. F. Sanguinetti (1867-1945), an Italian Immigrant, built the adobe house in 1882.  As a result of his many businesses, he became known as the “Merchant Prince of Yuma.”

The Yuma Territorial Prison overlooks the Colorado River.

A reconstructed Guard Tower for the Prison is located here.

Sally Port into Prison –

The Prison Museum was very interesting presenting the history of the location as well as the male and female inmates.  Model of the Yuma Territorial Prison (1876-1909).

Gatling rapid fire gun –

One example of a woman prisoner –

Hanging display –

Crimes –

Cell Block –

Iron Bunkbeds –

Examples of prisoner crimes –

As of my visit to Yuma Crossing NHA, I have now visited all 62 National Heritage Areas.

3.5hrs (230mi) to Tucson (I-8 runs along Juan Bautista de Anza NHT), and the west unit of Saguaro NP. Quick stop to pickup a new NP brochure and do a short walk in the Saguaro cactus forest.

Saguaro cactus forest –

Overnight at a Holiday Inn Express.

2/15/25 Sa – 5hrs from Tucson to Castner Range NM (2023), just North of El Paso TX.  

First stop was Smugglers pass on Woodrow Bean Trans Mountain Road in Franklin Mountains SP.

Castner Range NM is located just east of the pass. It is a part of Fort Bliss and is administered by the U.S. Army.

Cattle/Horse Thieves (Wrestlers) and Fusselman Canyon –

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology is located at Wilderness Park.

It has a Nature Trail that is within Castner Range National Monument and is the only part of the NM that is currently open to the public. Again, be alert for snakes.

Fort Bliss was a weapons test site 1926-1966 and the remainder of the NM is closed as the Army acts to remove unexploded ordinance.  Peligro – Danger

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology presents the human history of the area.

The Museum placed this photo on their Facebook page.

I then stopped by the National Border Patrol Museum, which is next door. My brother Joe worked as a Border Patrol agent in El Paso early in his career.

Celebrated the end of my trip with a Vietnamese dinner and continued reading of “Winter of the World” by Ken Follett. It is book two of the Century Trilogy. Use reward points for my stay at Towne Place Suites El Paso North.

2/16/25 Su – Up at 4:30am for my 6:30am flight from El Paso to Denver, then flight to Columbus OH where I had to clear snow and ice off our car before driving home.  Helen had a nice hot meal ready for me at 5pm. It was a 14-hour travel day.

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Cancun Mexico – Helen’s 80th

January 31, 2025

1/24/2025 F – arrival 9pm, transport to Club Med and dinner in the Hacienda (main dining room). Helen wanted a beach vacation, NO tours.

1/25 Sat – cold, cloudy, windy day.  Toured the facilities, checked out the pools and beaches, played Farkle, and Bocce Ball.  Unfortunately, pulled my right calf (injured in August) while walking in the Bocce Ball court.

Drinks and Mexican Dinner at Taco Arte while watching the sunset –

1/26 Sun – Helen’s 80th Birthday! temperature a bit warmer – 71, but still windy, making it feel cold. Took the tram to the far beach area by the Aguamarina Family Pool and did some wading and sun-bathing.

Returned to the main pool for more sun-bathing, a crepe, and a BQ rib lunch by the Saluna Bar.  We played a game of Skip-Bo near the registration area and then got ready for our dinner. It was a short walk to The Estancia Argentinian Steak House and our ocean front terrace table. I started with a birthday toast.

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We finished with a Happy Birthday song and Fireworks!

There was dancing each evening and performances in the Theater or by the outside Kiosque. We were surprised that the majority of guests here were French.

1/27 Mon – the temperature went up to 73 today and the wind dropped a bit, so Helen ventured into the pool for some laps. We had hoped to sail, snorkel, and kayak but alas my leg pain prevented me from participating and Helen would not go without me. More sun-bathing, games, and then another Mexican family style dinner at Taco Arte.

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1/29 Tu – our last and best day. The temperature climbed to 79 with reduced wind making it very comfortable. Morning view from our room.

More wading in the “Gulf of America” and sun-bathing before an outside seafood lunch with live entertainment.  Overdid it a bit on calamari, shrimp, mussels, salmon, numerous extras, and mojitos!

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It was a great way to finish our Birthday Trip!  Our plane left at 5:30pm, quick stop over in Atlanta, and then Dayton with snow on the ground and back home at 1am.

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Abraham Lincoln NHA, Springfield 1908 Race Riot NM, Fort Pickens TN, Charleston NCS, Mississippi Gulf Coast NHA, Gulf Islands NS, and Muscle Shoals NHA

October 28, 2024

10/14 – Indigenous People Day (Columbus Day) – a cold front was coming in as I drove west to the Springfield IL Visitor Center for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area (NHA). The Lincoln Home NHS is part of the NHA – see Blog for November 2022.

Re-creation of Lincoln-Herndon Law Office 1844-1852

The Old State Capitol is across the street.  U.S. IL Senator Barak Obama announced his campaign for President from the south steps in 2007.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Lincoln Statue in Union Square

“Acts of Intolerance” sculptures in Union Square, Old Illinois Central Railroad Station in background

“Two charred chimneys rising from the smoldering rubble of burned-out buildings—these stark images from an old photograph were the inspiration for this unique sculpture by acclaimed artist Preston Jackson. The sculpture commemorates the centennial of the brutal Springfield Race Riot of 1908.” Enlarge sign to read about the Riot.

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A few blocks away is the location of our newest (August 2024) National Park Unit – Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument (NM). “The riot was widely covered by the local and national press. Springfield captured national attention because it took place in Abraham Lincoln’s hometown. It highlighted how little progress had been made in race relations a century after Lincoln’s birth. The riot also caught the attention of prominent civil rights activists like William English Walling, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Mary White Ovington. It was a catalyst for the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.”  There is very little there. 

There are two banners and a sign on the fence on the east side of the parking lot of HSHS St John’s Hospital Women & Children’s Clinic. 

I do not believe this should have become an official NM until the site was at least somewhat developed.

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4-hours to Shawnee National Forest (NF) – located in Southern IL between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. It has been proposed that parts of this 289,000-acre NF be designated a National Park Unit.

There are a lot of excellent hikes in the NF.  I decided to concentrate on the Garden of the Gods Wilderness Area

I started with the 0.25-mile Observation Trail, which seems much longer as you wind your way through and around many beautiful sandstone formations.

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There were great views from the top of the bluffs.

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Afterward, I drove a short distance and hiked the 1.6-mile (rt) Indian Point Trail

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I arrived at Indian Point right after sunset.  Fortunately, a near full moon helped me find my way back through the forest.

Slept in the SUV outside of Paducah KY

10/15 Tu – 3-hrs to Fort Pillow State Park on the Mississippi River in Western TN.  Fort Pillow was built by the Confederates in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War.  It is one of many notable Civil War sites that are not National Park Units.

The Mississippi River has changed course and is now further from this point than it was during the Civil War.

I started at the Visitor Center Museum.  Enlarge this sign to read the story of Fort Pillow.

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Was it a “Massacre?”

I then hiked the trail to the restored fortification.

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I did not know that West TN was a cotton producing area before this trip.

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5.5hrs to Charleston National Commemorative Site – Charleston High School in Western Arkansas, just SE of Fort Smith. It is one of three NPS National Commemorative Sites (NCS). The other two are the Kennedy-King NCS in Indianapolis (Blog August 2022) and the Quindaro NHS in Kansas City KS (Blog June 2023).  All three are related to African American History.

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Charleston HS was the first in the 11 Southern states to voluntarily integrate – after the Brown vs Topeka KS Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1954. That decision determined that school systems based on “Separate but Equal” were in fact not equal.

I knew from online research that there was a Historical Marker related to this site, but I did not know where it was.  I showed several people around the school a picture of Barbara Williams, standing in front of the marker, and asked if they knew where it was – no one did.

 I then showed the photo to a group of Middle School students outside the library and asked.  One Black girl said yes, she was related to the woman in the photo and gave me rough direction to the site.  Using Google Maps, I found W Eucal Rd about 4-miles east of the library off SR-22.  I followed it about a mile to the marker, which is located on the Williams homestead – The Williams house is in the background of the first photo.

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I took my photos and left.  A short time later, as I approached SR-22, a car came up behind me and blew the horn.  Long story short, it was Mildred Williams Jones, Barbara Williams sister.  We returned to the site for a photo and conversation.

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I gave her the materials I had printed out related to the site and then started driving toward the MS Gulf Coast.

Slept in the Sequoia somewhere around Pine Bluff AR.

10/16 W – 7-hr drive to Gulfport MS and the Mississippi Gulf Coast NHA. Right after this photo was taken, my tripod blew over and damaged my camera. This was the second time this had happened on one of my trips! I then started using my iPhone for photos.  After working on my camera lens, I was able to get it to work by manually moving the protective shutter on the outside of the lens. Over the next two days I took photos with both, to be sure I had something recorded.

The first thing I did on arrival in Gulfport MS was confirm that the Ship Island Excursions ferry was running the next day.  It had not operated for a few days because of wind/waves. Further, Fort Massachusetts (on the island) had not been open, because of flooding, since Hurricane Helene.

Photos at Gulfport Lighthouse

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Union raid by “Men of Color” on Gulfport during the Civil War (1863).

My next stop was the Davis Bayou Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore (NS). The Mississippi NS areas and sites are part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast NHA.

Toured the William M. Comer Visitor Center

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Bayou Viewing Area

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Walked to the Fishing Pier and then hiked the Nature’s Way Trail

Ended my visit by walking the CCC Spur Trail

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I then drove to the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.

It was late and the Visitor Center had closed. However, I found some Sandhill Cranes foraging in the grass.

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I had just enough daylight left to do the C. L. Dees Wildlife Trail.

No wildlife, other than birds, but lots of nice views

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Carnivorous Plants!

I had spotted the Killer Crab Restaurant when driving here and returned to enjoy the Snow Crab – Shrimp Special, plus beer for $18!  There were so many shrimps, I could not finish them all!

I slept the night outside the White House Hotel (built in 1890) in Biloxi MS.

10/17 – I awoke at 6am to the sound of a bugle blowing revelry at the Keesler Navy Base behind the hotel! Got myself together, had breakfast at a surprisingly nice Waffle House, and stopped at Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis’s home (President of the Confederacy) on US-90 overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

Boarded the ferry ($39 for W-F) and was off to West Ship Island at 9am.

West Ship Island is one of the many islands in the Gulf Islands NS. The NS includes thirteen unique areas from MS through the panhandle of FL. It is 160 miles from east to west – the largest NS in the country.  Approaching West Ship Island –

Landing dock, Fort Massachusetts in background.

During the War of 1812, Ship Island was the British staging area for the Battle of New Orleans.  They retreated here after their defeat by Andrew Jackson’s forces.

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Fort Massachusetts was built by the Army between 1857 and 1866.  Confederate troops took the island in 1861 but abandoned it nine months later because the men were needed “up north.” Federal forces moved in and used the fort for the remainder of the Civil War.  Raids were made from the fort to various locations along the Gulf Coast. The island was also used for Confederate soldier prisoners of war.

A NP volunteer came out on the ferry with us and did an excellent tour of the fort.

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15-inch Rodman Cannon

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A guardroom by the Sally Port contained a detailed history of the fort.

View from the fort looking east across the island.

Marker describing the changing shape of the island –

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In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the island and submerged Fort Massachusetts with a 25-foot storm surge of water!

There is a beach area on the south (Gulf) side of the island.

I took a relaxing stroll along the beach looking for shells. Only found a few common ones to add to Helen’s collection.

The ferry departed at 2:30pm, landed in Gulfport at 3:30pm (12-miles), and I started my drive to Muscle Shoals NHA in AL. I stopped for the night in Hamilton MS.

10/18 F – Multigrain Cheerios and an Ensure for breakfast, followed by a 2-hour drive to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia AL. My first site in the Muscle Shoals NHA, managed by the University of North Alabama.

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My next stop was Ivy Green, Birthplace and Home of Helen Keller, owned and operated by the Lions of Alabama.

“The homestead was the site of the pivotal experiences which led to Keller’s emergence in the forefront of the effort to provide better methods and facilities to educate people with disabilities.“

Fountain and Bust

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“With the aid of her teacher and constant companion, Anne Sullivan (Macy), the blind and deaf Keller learned to communicate with the world outside of Ivy Green. Through the use of a finger language, created by Samuel Gridley Howe of the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston, various self-developed techniques and much patience and dedication, Sullivan taught Keller to read, write, and speak at Ivy Green.” The water pump was the site of a communication breakthrough for Helen Adams Keller.

My third stop was Tuscumbia Landing on the south side of the Tennessee River. 

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to the forced relocation of over 100,000 Indians, from their homes in the Eastern U.S. to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). The Cherokee removal of 1838-39 became known as the Trail of Tears. 

Cherokee were brought to this point by railroad. They were then loaded on boats and floated down river to Indian Territory. 

My fourth stop was the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. It is located in Sheffield AL, which is considered the “Center of the Shoals” because it is centrally located between Florence, Muscle Shoals, and Tuscumbia AL.

The studio recorded many famous artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Mick Jagger, and Cher. The studio was pictured on the cover of Cher’s 3614 Jackson Highway album. 

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My fifth stop was the Florence Mound built 1700 years ago along the banks of the Tennessee River. “Used as a gathering space for ceremonies, the mound has withstood centuries of floods, storms, and human destruction. It stands today as a testament to the Indigenous people who lived in the Shoals for nearly 10,000 years.

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A Museum and Markers at the base of the Florence Indian Mound

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My sixth and final stop in Muscle Shoals NHA was Frank Lloyd Wright’s only AL building – the Rosenbaum House.

The house was finished in 1940 and has been called the purest example of “Wright’s Usonian design.”

Note the windows and the cantilevered roof extensions that are characteristic of the Usonian design.

Finished the day with an 8-hour, 500-mile, drive to Springfield

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Oil Region, Last Green Valley, and Delaware & Lehigh NHAs; also New England National Scenic Trail

September 30, 2024

9/27 F – 4.5hrs to Oil City PA, our first stop in the Oil Region National Heritage Area – Oil City on Oil Creek.

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Oil City is where Oil Creek enters the Allegheny River – it was a major center for transportation of oil.

Three miles N is McClintock Well #1 on the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail

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It was one of the hundreds of wells drilled along Oil Creek during the frenzy that followed the success of the Drake Well. Drilling in 1861. McClintock Well #1 initially produced 175 barrels of oil a day but was down to half a barrel a day in 1920. It is advertised as the longest producing well in the U.S (now >155-years). However, they only pump it once per year and the oil revenue is not sufficient to cover the cost of pumping – they just want to retain the record!

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The Drake Well Museum and Park is only 20-min away just east of Titusville PA.

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The 1859 Drake Well launched the modern petroleum industry. This replica engine house was built in 1945.

Oil Transportation Building on left, Engine House on right, and standard steel drilling rig (1920) in background.

Horse and Wagon Transport

Truck Drilling and Transport

Railroad Transport

Model and recreation of early drilling

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Museum

How many barrels of oil?

Quaker State Oil Company Truck

A 15-min ride on Rt 227 took us to this sign. The first oil pipeline (1865) was 5-miles in length and ran from Pithole City to the railroad in Miller Farm PA.

The site of Pithole City was a couple of miles off Rt-227 and 10 mins away. Now, there is only the Pithole City Visitor Center and descriptive signs.

Pithole City was at the base of this hill.

The following weekend they were going to have a lantern tour of the town footprint at the base of the hill.

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Spent the night in Wilkes-Barre PA.

9/28 Sa – 4hrs to Old Sturbridge Village MA, arrived 11:30am.  Paid our senior admission, $14 each (half-price today) and decided on our route through the village.

“Old Sturbridge Village is a living museum which recreates life in rural New England during the 1790s through 1830s. It is the largest living museum in New England, covering more than 200 acres. The Village includes 59 antique buildings, three water-powered mills, and a working farm. Third-person costumed interpreters demonstrate and interpret 19th-century arts, crafts, and agricultural work. The museum is popular among tourists and for educational field trips.” [Wikipedia]

We had an enjoyable, leisurely, afternoon on a beautiful Fall Day.

Costumed historians were located throughout the village – this one described life on a small farm.

Photo of the Village Center

The Tin Shop

Shared Chicken Pot Pie and Shepherd’s Pie and a local beer at the Bullard Tavern and then toured the large “Salem Towne House” (1796). It was moved here from Charlton MA. A Federal Style house built for a prosperous farm family that were leaders in their community.

View from the garden

Village Well

Tour Wagon in front of Minor Grant Store

Thompson Bank

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Fitch Barn and Garden

Weaving demonstration

VT Covered Bridge linking village to rural buildings and displays.

Village Blacksmiths

Cooper shop – barrels and buckets

Dinner recreation on the Freeman Farm

Freeman Barn with corn and hay

Pottery Kiln

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Kiln products

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Going to Center (Friends) Meetinghouse (Church) for a Singing Performance by the Old Sturbridge Village Singers. 

They sang period songs, some accompanied by a bagpipe, and were excellent.

Had an hour of “antiquing” in Sturbridge before a nice dinner at Sturbridge Seafood. Stayed in the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham.

9/29 Su – Old Sturbridge Village was our first stop in the Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor (NHC), which runs from Eastern CT to North Central MA.  The Last Green Valley is green by day and dark by night. With 84% forest and farm, it is the last swath of dark night sky in the coastal sprawl between Boston and Washington DC.  We drove the Rt-169 National Scenic Byway past historic sites and buildings, stone walls, mature trees, colonial village centers, industrial-era mill villages, and farmsteads to experience the landscape and culture of southern New England.

Our first stop today was Woodstock, CT.

Roseland Cottage was the summer home of Henry and Lucy Bowen and their young family. It was built in 1846 in the newly fashionable Gothic Revival style, The house is instantly recognizable by its unusual color (rose?).

The landscape includes original boxwood-edged parterre gardens planted in the 1850s. The estate also includes an icehouse, aviary, and carriage barn.

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Unfortunately, Roseland Cottage was not open. It is known for its colorful interior, featuring elaborate wall coverings, heavily patterned carpets, stained glass (Victorian Era), and the nation’s oldest surviving indoor bowling alley. Henry Bowen used Roseland Cottage as a place to entertain friends and political connections, including four U.S. presidents. The house is a National Historic Landmark. Photos taken through windows.

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One hour south on Rt-169 is the Norwichtown Green.

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Norwichtown was settled in 1659 around this Green. “The Benedict Arnold Trail” which focuses on Norwich during the Colonial era and the Revolutionary War, begins at the Green. Benedict Arnold, one of America’s most notorious Revolutionary War traitors, called Norwich home. A two-mile trail passes the family homestead, Leffingwell Inn, and Olmstead-Lathrop Manor (1600s).

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Huntington House (1765) decorated for Halloween. 

The Dr. Daniel Lathrop Brick Schoolhouse (1783) now serves as the Norwich Heritage & Regional Visitors’ Center.

Norwich was celebrating (2024) the Bicentennial of Marquis de Lafayette’s tour.  In 1824, Lafayette returned to the U.S. to revisit places he served with General George Washington in the Revolutionary War. Helen’s celebration included a trip to “Millionaire’s Triangle” in Norwich for an Estate Sale.

Continuing south, we drove to Cockaponset CT State Forest and the Timberland Preserve.

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We did a 2.1-mile loop hike in the Preserve, which included about 1.5-miles on the New England National Scenic Trail (NST). The New England NST stretches 235-miles from Long Island Sound in CT to the MA-NH border.

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The New England NST follows the Menunkatuck Trail through this area.

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The New England National Scenic Trail became a National Park Service Unit in 2023.

Note New England National Scenic Trail sign

Trail and Markers

Upper Guilford Lake

3.5hrs (180mi) from NE NST to Easton PA, where the Lehigh River enters the Delaware River. The Delaware and Lehigh (D & L) National Heritage Corridor Visitor Ctr is in Hugh Moore Park, which is on an island in the Lehigh River. The 165-mile D & L Trail Goes from Wilkes-Barre PA (Anthracite Coal Region), through the Lehigh Valley Region, and down the Delaware Canal to Bristol PA.  The D & L Canal was built in stages from 1817-1845 to bring coal from the Anthracite Region to the population centers on the eastern seaboard.

Entrance Arch

Map of Island

This was the last day of the year for Canal Boat Rides

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Canallers would trade coal for services at towns and locks along the canal.

National Canal Museum

Hiked the towpath to Lock House #8 – do you see the Mule?

Mules and Men

Mules and a Woman

Locktender’s House, Lock, and upriver Gate on Lehigh River

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The Lehigh and Susquehanna RR, as well as floods, led to the canal closing in 1942.

Stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Easton PA.

9/30 M – continued driving through the Delaware and Lehigh NHC to the Delaware Canal State Park office in Upper Black Eddy PA. Picked up information and continued down the Delaware River to New Hope PA.

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The 59-mile Delaware Canal is the only remaining continuously intact canal of the early 1800s towpath canal-building era. Beginning in 1832, mules towed boats loaded with coal and other cargo along the canal, which ran parallel and used the water of the Delaware River.

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Locktender’s House at Lock 11 on the Delaware Canal in New Hope

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Locktender’s House and Museum

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Aquetong Creek

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New Hope Mills – now converted to the Bucks County Playhouse

Parry Mansion Museum, the first of five generations of Parrys moved into the mansion in 1787. The New Hope Historical Society purchased it in 1966.

It is the location of the Indian Logan weathervane (on Ferry Street).

Coryell’s Ferry

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Civil War Cannon located across Ferry Street from the Parry Mansion.

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The Mansion Inn

Former Stables in downtown New Hope

A ten-minute drive south on River Road (Rt-32) took us to Washington Crossing Historic Park.

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Washington Monument and Visitor Center

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December 25, 1776 – Christmas.  Washington crosses the icy Delaware River with 2,400 troops, 18 cannons, supplies, and about 65 horses.

McConkey’s Ferry was on the west side of the Delaware River in PA, and Johnson’s Ferry was on the east side in NJ. This stone marks the general crossing area.

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Map of the march to attack Trenton. The Hessians stationed there were German mercenaries hired by the British. Magnify the photo to read about the battle.

Hibbs House (1829) built 48 years after Washington’s Crossing.

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Durham Boat Barn, this is where boats and cannon are stored for the crossing reenactment that takes place each Christmas Day.

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Monument donated by the people of IN for the Bicentennial of Washington’s Crossing (1976).

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9hr (540mi) drive, from Washington Crossing to Springfield OH, through rain and wind from Hurricane Helene.

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OR to OH – Nez Perce NHP, Little Bighorn Battlefield NM, Highpoint of ND, Theodore Roosevelt NP, Voyageurs NP, Isle Royale NP, Grand Portage NM

August 29, 2024

8/5/2024 – dropped Helen off at the Portland Airport at 5:45am.  Her flight flew east over Ohio to Washington DC’s Dulles Airport (in Virginia).  After a three-hour layover, she flew back west to Dayton OH – that’s what happens when you use Reward Pts!

Meanwhile, I drove to Spalding ID and the Nez Perce National Historical Park. – see Blog entry for September 2016 for first visit.

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Slept in the Sequoia in the parking lot of a Courtyard Marriott in Bozeman MT

8/6 Tu – 3hr drive to Little Bighorn Battlefield NM and “Custer’s Last Stand.” Our first visit here was in 1969; I have included some of those photos below.  The rangers let us camp on the grass outside the visitor center overnight (not possible today!) – 2024

The Army was there to force the Indians back on their reservation. On June 25, 1876, there were about 7,000 Indians camped along the Little Bighorn River including 1500-2000 braves. Led by Sitting Bull.  Blue represents movements of the Army and red Indian movements.

The battle began when Custer ordered Reno’s battalion to attack the encampment.  They were routed and retreated to these bluffs.  Reno was joined by Benteen’s battalion, and they were able to make a determined stand until the next afternoon, when the Indians withdrew.  We walked the Entrenchment Trail in 1969.

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When we were there in 1969, a filming crew had recreated the Indian encampment and were filming the movie “Little Big Man” with Dustin Hoffman.

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Custer continued north trying to locate the lower end of the encampment.  There were skirmishes with Indians all the way to Last Stand Hill.  National Cemetery with the 7th Cavalry Memorial (1881) on the hill in the middle of the photo.

Red granite markers were placed on the battlefield in 1999 to indicate where Indians fell. This marker is for “White Black Man” a Lakota warrior.

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Last Stand Hill

Looking downhill toward the Little Bighorn River.  It is estimated that about 210 of Custer’s men were killed.  An additional 53 of Reno-Benteen’s men were killed on the hilltop one mile south.

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Lt. Col George A. Custer died and was buried here but in 1877 Custer’s remains were reinterred at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point NY.

7th Cavalry Memorial 2024

Horse Cemetery – many horses were also killed during the battle.  Custer’s last horses were purposely killed and used for a breastwork against the attacking Indians.

Sunset 1969

A large memorial to the Indians killed (60-100) in the battle was completed in 1999.

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One of several monuments to the Indian tribes who were involved in the Little Bighorn Battle.

Peace Through Unity

My next stop was the Painted Canyon Visitor Center in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt NP.  See Blog dated September 2019 for my visit to the North Unit.

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My main objective this afternoon was to measure the trail distance from the parking lot to the top of White Butte (3,506ft), North Dakota’s highest point.

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The trail has been significantly improved since my last visit.  It starts at this gate. Note the measuring wheel to determine how far it is from there to the top.

The top, with cairn, USGS marker, and registration box.  One-way distance – 4,591ft.  Gain in elevation – about 400ft.

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LONG – 400mi drive to Detroit Lakes MN –

8/7 W – 3.5hrs to Kabetogama Visitor Center in Voyageurs NP

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The Visitor Center overlooked Lake Kabetogama

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History

The park is noted for its river and lakes system that provided passage for “Voyageurs” – French-Canadian canoe men, who moved beaver and other pelts from the Canadian Northwest to Montreal and trade goods in the opposite direction.  The fur trade peaked during the late 1700s and early 1800s.  Note the categories of NP Units that are on the top of this photo.

Peter and I plied some of these same waters in 1989 on a three-day canoe adventure.  This was one activity on Peter’s 15-yr-old bonding road trip with Dad.  We paddled from Ash River to Crane Lake camping on islands between the U.S. (Minnesota) and Canada.  Our stops (short red lines) and campsites (circled) are marked on this map.

Ash River – start.   Owner of Corcoran’s Pine Point Lodge on Crane Lake drove us and our rental canoe 65-miles to get to this put-in. Charged us $15 for three-day canoe rental, $30 for 3hrs of travel time, $13.09 for 11 gallons of gas, and $6.70 for a pizza and 2 drinks!

Stop on McManus Island

Island Campers

Wolf Pack Island Camp – Day 1

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Morning Haze

Break Time

Rest Stop – Pike Bay

My Island Camp – Day 2. A bear destroyed a campsite here the night before.  All food, toiletries, etc. were supposed to be placed in metal lockers.  The campers neglected to do that!

These islands are in Canada – one of them is called “Your Island.”

Sunrise

Large Voyageur Canoes

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14-mile paddle to Crane Lake on Day 3 – returned canoe here

2018 MN National Park quarter

It took 4.5hrs to drive to Grand Portage MN on the western shore of Lake Superior. In 1989, Peter and I took the ferry Wenonah (3hrs) to Isle Royale NP.

We passed the Rock of Ages Lighthouse as we approached the island.

Sailing through the North Gap

Entering Washington Harbor

Landing at Windigo

Shipwrecks around Isle Royale

We hiked the loop trail to Huginnin Cove in a light drizzle.  On the way back to the Visitor Center, we passed the Wendigo Mines.  The trail presented us with the greatest array of green colors that I have experienced in my life.

Wenonah waiting for departure –

This is a photo of the North West Company’s Headquarters, in Grand Portage Bay, taken from the ferry as we returned.

We arrived back in time for a visit to Grand Portage NM. It was the first NP Unit to be co-managed with a Tribal Nation – the Lake Superior and Minnesota bands of the Chippewa Tribe.

The North Men (Winterers) and Montreal Men (Pork Eaters) met at the Grand Portage for trading.  The North West Company ran the largest fur trading depot in the heart of the continent.

Fur trading took place here in the early 1700s. In 1722, the Grand Portage became the standard route to bypass rapids on the lower Pigeon River. The North West Company built its headquarters here in 1784. In 1803, they relocated north to Fort William (now Canada) to avoid complications of citizenship, licensing, and import duties. To avoid paying taxes!

In 1989, the Visitor Center was in the Stockade.

Inside the Great Hall 1989

2024 – 35 years later

This was my first visit to the “new” Heritage Center.

The voyageurs had to carry all their trade goods, about 90lb packs, over an 8.5-mile portage between Fort Charlotte and the Stockade on Lake Superior.  That way they were able to avoid the waterfalls and rapids on the last 20-miles of the Pigeon River.  Voyageurs is a French word meaning “travelers.”

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Ojibwe Village – Gichi Onigamiing – The Great Carrying Place

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Canoe Warehouse

Kitchen left and Great Hall right

Reenactors in Kitchen

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Approaching Canoe Brigades

Ready to tour the Great Hall – interior circa 1797.

Most trading took place during the Rendezvous in July of each year.

Dock, stockade, and sailboat Paul LaPlante. Boats like this Mackinaw boat were the “pickup trucks” of the Lakes and also served the fishing industry in the mid-1800s.

Boat named for Paul LaPlante; a local French-Canadian/Ojibwe who lived in Grand Portage.  He was a well- known skilled boat builder. Numerous descendants of his still live on the Reservation here.

Lake Superior Maritime Highway

Start of Grand Portage Trail (17- miles round trip). I did a short walk!

Drove through Deluth MN in a pouring rain, then onto US-53, and then I-94 stopping outside of Eau Claire WI.

8/8 – 4hrs to Chad, Liz, Drago, Seamus, and Lena in Milwaukee. I enjoyed telling/showing the grandkids the route of my travel and the NP Units I visited.

Drove through Chicago so I could take my brother Mike to lunch and then continued to Springfield arriving about 8pm. Trip mileage was 6,246-miles.

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OH to OR – Devils Tower NM, Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP, Craters of the Moon NM, Lewis and Clark NHP

July 31, 2024

7/18/24 – 12hr drive to Fairmont MN.  We were pulling a 5 x 8 U-Haul trailer with items for Kate’s house in Portland OR.  We were surprised to see a herd of Texas Longhorns as we took an after-dinner stroll from our motel.

7/19 – stopped in Mitchell SD to tour The World’s Only Corn Palace.  The first one was built in Sioux City in 1887, and then each year until 1891 when the city flooded.  In 1892 Mitchel SD built it’s first Corn Palace and the tradition has continued every year.  Each year the “palace” is stripped and redecorated with new corn and grains.

Of course, we had to have some popcorn before we left –

Made it to Rapid City SD in time to attend my first meeting at the Highpointers Club Convention

7/20 – we took advantage of the Convention bus trip to the Gordon Stockade in Custer State Park for the traditional watermelon feast and pizza.

1868 – Fort Laramie Treaty establishing the Great Sioux Reservation

Story of the Gordon Stockade

Black Hills of SD

In the evening, gave a slide presentation at the Annual Club Banquet, reviewed club history and encouraged members to participate in the Buy-A-Brick program to support the HPC Display at Campbell Hill, the highpoint of OH.

7/21 – 2hr drive to Devils Tower NM

We visited here in 1969 when we were moving from Seattle back to the U of MD to continue our graduate work. I then visited with Stacy in 1993. 

2024

1,000ft across at base

How Devils Tower was created –

Again, did the 1.5-mile loop trail around the 867ft monolith.

The top is 180ft x 300ft and was featured in the 1977 movie classic “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” by Steven Spielberg.

I wanted to climb Devils Tower but could never fit it into our schedule.  Climbers and standard routes –

Climbing history and some climbers on route –

A sacred place for Native Americans –

Prairie Dog Town – 1969

Continued West on I-90 until we blew a tire on the U-Haul trailer by Crazy Woman Creek in the “middle of nowhere.”

Fortunately, we had cell phone service and were able to call the U-Haul emergency number.  A new tire was pre-mounted on a rim and brought to us from over 40-miles away.  BUT, that made us late driving through Yellowstone NP.  

West Thumb Geyser Basin and Yellowstone Lake

Crossing the Continental Divide

South Entrance

This was my sixth visit and Helen’s second, but this is my first entry on Yellowstone NP in this Blog.  So, here is an overview of our first National Park (1872). According to Ken Burns, National Parks are “America’s Best Idea.” I have included some pics from each visit.

Yellowstone NP is in the Northwest corner of WY but also includes areas in the bordering states of MT and ID.  It is a large NP and has four major areas: the #1 Geyser Basin, #2 Yellowstone Lake, #3 Mammoth Hot Springs, and #4 Grand Canyon and Falls of the Yellowstone River. 

#1 – the Geyser Basin is roughly a 30- by 45-mile oval that is the result of a collapsed volcano.  Someday I would like to stay at the famous Old Faithful Lodge (1991).

Lunch in Old Faithful Lodge 2007

There are more geysers in this basin than anywhere else in the world.  Geyser Hill 2007

Heat from deep underground magma powers the geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mudpots.  

Old Faithful is the world’s best-known geyser with regular eruptions varying between 40 and 126 minutes (1967). 

It is great fun to walk through the geyser fields and see, hear, smell, and feel the activity. Grotto Geyser 2007

1991

Grand Prismatic Spring 1967

Morning Glory Pool 1991

Firehole River 1991

Riverside Geyser 1991

#2 – Yellowstone Lake is noted for fishing, underwater hydrothermal vents, and a great variety of birds.  It is America’s largest high-altitude lake (7,733ft).  

The forested slopes provide habitat for many large animals – Elk 1991 –

Note the buffalo eyeing the trout fisherman (1991). 

There have been large forest fires in the NP, but the land has made a surprisingly swift recovery.

In the 1960s we saw bears all over the place, on the roads, and even in our camp – one knocked over our cooler, opened it, and ran off with a pound of bacon!  In 2007, we did not see any.  1967 –

Twin Cubs

Feed Me!

Times and conservation practices have changed.  Now, buffalo are more dangerous for tourists than bears!  Buffalo Herd – I did not see any buffalo here in the 1960s.

Do Not Approach Buffalo (1993)!

Bison = Buffalo 2007

Elk 2007

#3 – Mammoth Hot Springs are in the NW part Yellowstone NP.  The springs have produced colorful travertine terraces of calcium carbonate -1967.

There are boardwalks to take you through the formations (2007). 

In October 2007, we awoke to snow.

Liberty Cap

#4 – Grand Canyon and Falls of the Yellowstone are in the north central part of the park.  The canyon is 20 miles long and 800ft to 1,200ft deep. Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River in the distance – 1991.

There are spectacular views and excellent trails in this area. Inspiration Point 2007 –

In 1967 when I was young and foolish, I received a ticket for rock climbing there.  My friend Jay and I had tied off our rope at Inspiration Point and rappelled into the canyon. 

No seat harnesses back then, you worked the rope through your groin and over your shoulder – Yellowstone River below.

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Upper Falls – 1967

Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River 308ft – 1991

Stacy at Lookout Point Lower Falls – 1993

More Waterfalls! – Tower Falls (132ft) 1967

Stacy at base of Tower Falls in 1993

Gibbon Falls (82ft) – 2007

Lewis Falls near South Entrance – 1963

Artists Paintpots – which are different color mudpots.

America the Beautiful 2010 WY State Quarter

In 1972 Congress dedicated a 24,000-acre parcel of land as John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway to recognize his generosity and foresight. Congress also named the highway from the south boundary of Grand Teton to West Thumb in Yellowstone in honor of Rockefeller. The parkway provides a natural link between the two national parks and contains features characteristic of both areas. Not only that, but wildlife can freely move between Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs.  We stopped briefly at the Flagg Ranch Info Station along the PKWY.

Then entered Grand Teton NP about 9pm.

Lots of traffic on the Memorial Parkway as we drove to our Super 8 motel in Jackson Hole WY.

Jackson Hole has become extremely expensive with wealthy people buying up land and property. This basic old motel cost $325.86 for one night!  See this Blog for June 2017 to see our 49th wedding anniversary activities and pics, including two days hiking in Grand Teton NP.

The following are pics from previous visits to Grand Teton NP.

I have visited Grand Teton NP seven times – note the year on each photo.  The first is from 1963 – it is blurry because it was taken out the window of the car.

In 1966, I took my mother and three brothers on a road trip “Out West.”  I have included one page of my mother’s diary from that trip.

Here is a “Hero” shot of me with an ice axe and manila rope from 1967.  My friend Jay and I did a lot of climbing on a 10,000-mile road trip through the western states and Canada.

Stacy and I stopped in the park in 1993.

Helen and I did a 7-mile hike to Taggart and Bradley Lakes, a 7-mile trail around Jenny Lake, as well as other trails in October 2007. 

View from Signal Mountain

8-mile hike to Jenny Lake, Hidden Falls, and String Lake

Jenny Lake

Hidden Falls

In 2007, we were invited to the National Geographic International Film Festival at the Jackson Lake Lodge by a friend who was displaying her work at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. A special treat was dinner on an Elk Ranch along the Snake River.

Elk Horns, Jackson City Square

7/22 – 4hrs to Craters of the Moon NM Visitor Center in ID.  I visited in 1966 and have my mom’s diary entry, but did not have any photos from that visit. I visited Craters of the Moon National Preserve (a separate NP Unit) in May 2018 – see Blog.  So, my objective on this trip was to fill the gap in my photo records.

Brochure

Monument Map showing 7-mile loop road.

Entrance

Our first stop was the Visitor Center to get a free cave permit.

We then did the North Crater Flow Boardwalk Trail (0.3-mile), the first of several short hikes.

Cinder Cone Fragments

Cinder Garden with dwarf buckwheat

We then hiked up Inferno Cone (0.4-mile rt) with an elevation gain of 164ft.

View from top, including Big Cinder Butte, one of the world’s largest basaltic cinder cones.

Return

We then did short walks to two Spatter Cones

One was called a “Snow Cone” because of the snow/ice in the bottom.  In 1966 we were able to hike into an “Ice Cave,” which provided a wonderful respite from the 95-degree temperature that day.

Second Spatter Cone

Only two lava tube caves were open (with permit), along the Caves Trail (2-miles rt).  

Dewdrop Cave

And Indian Tunnel

Lava Flow

Helen wanted to find out what was rattling in there –

Again, stopped at the Visitor Center

Followed by a 3hr drive to Boise ID, where it was 105-degrees!

7/23 – we awoke to a hot hazy day.  Wildfires were burning along our route.  After about 2hrs of driving on Interstate-84, we came to a location where it had just been closed, which resulted in a long detour on back roads.  After returning to I-84 we saw a sign for “Blue Mountain Crossing Interpretive Park” and took the exit. It was a stop on the Oregon National Historic Trail.

There was a nice loop trail with excellent pictorial markers.

From the late 1830s until the 1860s, thousands of emigrants followed the trail to the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon.  The trail then became a stagecoach line.

A “Parade of Survivors”

“On This Ridge” –    

Arrived at Kate’s house, settled in, and walked to the food trucks for dinner.  She was in TX on a business trip.

7/24 – 7/27 worked outside weeding, cutting, and cleaning.  

7/28 – Sunday Mass at the Chapel of Mary at the Grotto.  It is set in a beautiful park area with high cliffs and trails, including one featuring the stations of the cross. 

Returned home, changed, packed, dropped Bennie and Greta off at doggy care and drove to Astoria OR.  Our first stop was at Young’s River Falls Park, a location on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.  The Corp of Discovery spent the winter of 1804-1805 nearby at Fort Clatsop.

Continued into Astoria and drove up to the impressive Astoria Column dedicated in 1926.  

Vincent Astor, son of John Jacob Astor, and the Great Northern Railroad paid for the land and construction.  The city (10K population today), named for Astor’s fur trading company, built the access road.  The column is 125ft high with 164 steps. The painted relief scrolling up the column covers Astoria’s history from 1792 until the arrival of the railroad in 1818.  A fun tradition is to fly a small wooden glider plane off the top of the column. They sell them at the Visitor Center for $1.

Kate wanted to see two more sites.  First the house from the 1985 movie “Goonies.”

And the John Jacob Astor Elementary School, which was the setting for the 1990 movie Kindergarten Cop with Arnold Schwarzenegger, which was only three blocks from the Goonies house.

Fish & Chips at the Rogue Pier 39 Public House, put bags in our room at the Holiday Inn Express, and then walked along the waterfront.  Coast Guard ship passing under the bridge to WA – going out to the Pacific Ocean.

7/29 – Our first stop was the Oregon Film Museum, which is in the former city jail.

It was used in the Goonies movie and has several Goonie movie displays.

Made a short video clip

The next stop was the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

See Blog entry for October 2022 for description of previous visit to Lewis and Clark NHP.

Sacajawea and son Pompey – Helen and daughter Kate.

Ranger Program – Native American description of life at Fort Clatsop

It was a short drive to Fort Stevens SP to see what is left of the Peter Iredale Shipwreck –

Next, a beach walk at Cannon Beach – Haystack Rock

Continued south down the coast highway (101) to Short Sand Beach

Returning to car –

Stayed in a VRBO apartment, with a fifties musical theme, in Rockaway Beach

7/30 – bought coffee and scones near our VRBO apartment and then did a stroll on the beach.

Twin Rocks

Returning to car

Outside of town, did a short hike to a large old growth Western Red Cedar in the Rockway Big Tree Conservation Area, which was paid for by a transient lodging tax in Rockaway Beach.

Continued on to Tillamook OR and the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  In the early 1900s local dairy farmers formed a cooperative and built a ship, the “Morning Star,” to carry their products to Portland.

In 2018, the Tillamook County Creamery Association opened a new factory where they make a wide variety of cheese products.  We did the self-guided factory tour and then ate lunch – Tillamook Classic Cheddar, Double Cheddar Grilled Cheese, and Summer Blues Salad. It took about 1.5hrs to get back to Portland and pick up the dogs.

7/31 – 8/4 – continued work on the house and grounds, including painting the basement, which had incurred water damage earlier in the year.  Next door neighbors Izak, Rachel, and son James had us over for a delicious grilled dinner.

8/5 M – dropped Helen off at the Portland Airport at 5:45am.  Her flight flew east over Ohio to Washington DC’s Dulles Airport (in Virginia).  After a three-hour layover, she flew back west to Dayton OH – that’s what happens when you use Reward Pts!

Meanwhile, I drove to Spalding ID and the Nez Perce National Historical Park.

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Serbian Feast Day Springfield and Wedding in Serbia

May 25, 2024

5/6 – Slava (Serbian Saint’s Day), St George is the patron saint for Helen’s family.  A Kolach (sweet bread cake) is made and decorated with four apples on perimeter holding scripture passages, center one reads “Christ is Risen” in Cyrillic.  Grapes and Barrel of Wine for blood of Christ, bird of peace, and cherries for health.

Candles are lit for those who have passed as well as the living.

Serbian Tort for dessert!

Serbian Trip to attend Wedding

5/15-5/25

Belgrade Market – Helen bought and traded for carpets and purchased other crafts.

Gypsy band looking for tips

Newly restored St Sava Orthodox Cathedral

St Sava is the patron saint of Serbia

We discovered that Helen’s grandmother’s and mother’s gravestone and base had collapsed.  We arranged for it to be rebuilt and paid the cemetery for one hundred more years of “rent.”  If plots are not paid for, the remains will be removed to a mass grade and the plot sold.

Three-day wedding of Helen’s cousin Zoran’s son in Velika Plana.  First day, dinner/drinks/dancing at groom’s family restaurant and event center on the Green Morava River – Dragan, Biljana, Nikola, Ivana, Kate, Damir, and Helen.

5/18 Sa – Wedding events started at the events center, more food, drinks, music, socializing.

Local band

The groom (Nikolas) was then taken to pay the dowery to his fiancé’s family and pick up the bride.

Arriving to bands playing (hired and Gypsy)

Serbian Orthodox Church

1.5hr wedding

Men and women standing on opposite sides

Hands bound by linen and crowns placed on heads.

Celebrants

Eight-hour reception (~300 people) with constant food, drinks, music, and dancing. Helen with parents Zoran and Dalfina

Kate and Helen

Cutting the cake, accompanied by fireworks –

Day after wedding, more food, drinks, music at family events center. Family members – Ivana, Kate, Daniele, Noah, Nikolas, Sonja, Zoran, Zoki, Dalfina, Ana, Ljsa, Helen, and Tom

Trip to family (Helen’s mother’s grandmother’s) cemetery in Veliko Selo.  Cleaned plot (1800s) and lit candles.

Trip to family (Helen’s father’s father’s) estate in Ub.  It was taken by communists after WW II, split up, with the house and surrounding land turned into an agricultural school.  The house is now in shambles.

Many of the farm buildings were sold and are still operational.

Some of the land was purchased and is a pheasant farm with lodge, dog breeding kennels, and elite clients.

Lodge interior

Serbian lunch before returning to Belgrade.

Farewell dinner on the Sava River with Maja who helped and entertained us while in Belgrade.

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Aviation National Heritage Area – OH #2

March 25, 2024

3/17 Su – St Patrick’s Day!  Early afternoon took back roads (1.5hrs), drove by debris from a tornado that hit Logan County a few days earlier, to Wapakoneta OH and the Armstrong Air & Space Museum (just off I-75).  It is a site in the National Aviation Heritage Area, as well as a site on the Aviation Trail.  I had been here in August 2019, see the end of the Blog entry for that month.  However, I was too late to tour the museum.  Today, we did that –

There have been 26 astronauts from Ohio, making it the fourth-largest producer of astronauts in the U.S.

Neil Armstrong was a Navy Fighter Pilot during the Korean War.

Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962 and made his first spaceflight in 1966 as command pilot of Gemini VIII.  On this mission, they made the world’s first docking with another satellite in orbit.  This is the Gemini VIII space capsule –

The 36-story Saturn Rocket was used to put Apollo 8 and all following moon missions into lunar orbit.

On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Apollo 11 Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin became the first people to land on the Moon!  The next day they spent two and a half hours outside the Lunar Module Eagle, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia.  The Plan –

When stepping onto the Moon, Armstrong said “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Lunar “Rock”

Neil Armstrong’s boyhood home in Wapakoneta OH is a half mile from the museum.

3/18 M – Drove to downtown Dayton OH and Sinclair Community College to visit the National UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Training and Certification Center, which is a site on the Aviation Trail.

Sinclair has extensive UAS “Drone” facilities to enable advanced training and support of applied research activities.

They also have manned aviation programs to support the growing UAS industry.

One example is the LIFT prototype vehicle for individual vertical takeoff flight. Electric Vertical Take-Off Ride Sharing Aerial Vehicles (Taxis) will be built by Joby Aviation in a production facility at the Dayton Airport.  Joby received Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate, which allows Joby to operate a commercial air taxi service, in 2022.  It has partnerships with the USAF, Uber, and Delta.

Building 18, is the only UAS Indoor Flying Pavilion in the country.  It has 3,200 sq ft of flying space and is 40 ft high.

I returned to Sinclair CC on April 17, 2024, for a tour of the Flying Pavilion with Tech Sam.

The World’s First Custom Built UAS Indoor Flying Pavilion

Sam also gave me a demonstration of the wind tunnel used for testing drone components.

We finished with a tour of the laboratory/teaching facilities.

3/23 Sa – picked up John at 8am and headed for the ‘Wright “B” Flyer’ located at the Dayton Wright Brothers Airport in Miamisburg OH, just south of Dayton.  It is a historic site in the National Aviation Heritage Area and is also on the Aviation Trail.

The Wright “B” Flyer, on the left, is a look-alike of the world’s first mass-produced airplanes (1910-1911) made in the Wright Company factory in Dayton OH.  The “Flyer” on the right is one that is used for scenic flights.  The Wright “B” Flyer is also flyable, but insurance costs are a barrier to using it for that purpose at this time.

This float is used in parades to promote the ‘Wright ”B” Flyer’ and the National Aviation Heritage Area.

Model – note the Aviation Trail sign.

An hours’ drive took us to Batavia OH, on the east side of Cincinnati, and the Tri-State Warbird Museum, which is another site on the Aviation Trail. 

Their mission is to preserve the aircraft of World War II.  It has nine significant WW II aircraft and plans to add more.  John at entrance with mural of Curtis P-40M Kittyhawk III.

P-40s were important fighters during the early stages of WW II.

The museum is well-funded and staffed, immaculate, and all planes are flyable and used in air shows around the country. Note the yellow North American AT-6D Texan in the center of Hangar #1.

Fock-Wulf FW 190 F8/R1, was one of Germany’s two main fighters during WW II.

North American P-51 Mustang, they served in every combat zone during WW II.

General Motors TBM-3 Avenger Navy torpedo bomber, note the foldable wings to reduce the space needed for storage on aircraft carriers –

Hangar #2 has a B-25 Mitchell, the plane that was used in the famous “Doolittle Raid” on Tokyo (April 18, 1942), four months after Pearl Harbor.  Sixteen B-25Bs took off from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the Pacific Ocean (which they were not designed to do), and bombed Tokyo providing a large boost in American morale.

Our last stop was the Middletown OH Regional Airport, the location of Butler County Warbirds Inc., my 17th and final Aviation Trail site.

They have a 1943 Fairchild PT-19, this was the primary trainer for the Army Air Corps during World War II. The plane is used for scenic flights.

There is a WW II Era Airport Beacon located next to the hangar.

Inside of Hangar –

Door surrounded by sandbags leads to displays of World War II items and memorabilia.

Home at 4pm

4/17/2024 – After doing a second tour of the UAS facilities at Sinclair CC, I drove to the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport (SGH).  In 2006 the Ohio Air National Guard base lost its F-16 training mission there but was assigned an intelligence mission flying MQ-1 Predator drones.  The Predators are flown remotely and controlled from SGH. 

Starting in 2019, a National, State, Local, Air Force, and Industry effort led to the establishment of the National Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Center for Excellence at the airport.

Lobby – has the Kittyhawk electric plane owned by Larry Page co-founder of Google.

SGH – “An Innovative Aerospace Technology Hub”

Hangar currently houses experimental aircraft owned by private industry companies such as Joby.  They also have a flight simulator housed in a semi-trailer truck.

A “Sky Vision Bus” provides radar to control unmanned aircraft in a designated 225-square-mile airspace above the airport. 

Joby Flight Simulator –

“Entities Using the Airfield for Testing & Flights include: BETA; Joby; Kittyhawk; LIFT Aircraft; Air Force Research Labs; OH Dept. of Transportation; Ohio UAS Center; SelectTech GeoSpatial; local & state universities, multiple UAS companies & start-ups; multiple eVTOL companies & start-ups; equipment manufacturers & suppliers related to UAS & eVTOL markets.”  A vertical take-off and landing platform has been constructed for the experimental aircraft as well as an electric charging station. 

This is currently one of only two aircraft electric charging stations in Ohio.

SGH Terminal –

First there were piston aircraft, then there was jet propulsion, and now an electric aircraft phase has begun. 2002 Ohio State Quarter –

2002 50 State Quarters Coin Ohio Uncirculated Reverse

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