"Fall Colors" - October 4 & 5 2013 - and "The End"!

     It was cool and crisp when Jim walked the dogs in the big open field.  It was their kind of place, and they weren’t real anxious to get in the RV and get going!  It was pretty much a driving day.  I78 into NJ is a very familiar – and boring – route to us, but after getting off the highway we were able to enjoy some of the fall colors.  After a brief stop in Montgomery Township and lunch at our favorite Chinese restaurant, “Ya Ya Noodles”, we went back on the I295 and connected with the New York Thruway.  The ride was quite pretty, as the reds, yellows and browns were interspersed throughout the forests all the way north.

     Our big accomplishment for the day was finishing our audio book, “The Sinner”, and it was quite engrossing and enjoyable.  We look forward to listening to more!

    The Newburgh/New York City North KOA is one of our favorites.  It’s expensive, compared to most KOA’s, but it’s an excellent facility with beautiful large wooded lots and a great deal of privacy.   

Saturday October 5 

      They knew something was in the air!  The dogs, that is!  It’s funny how they seem to be able to sense when something affecting them – or us – is about to happen.  We got off about 8:30am after pancakes and bacon (we usually had cereal!), and headed for the New York Thruway north towards Albany.  Away from the cities, New York State has some beautiful vistas, and today didn’t disappoint with all the foliage changing.  Riding along we spotted a strange looking vehicle, so Becky got out the camera and snapped these two photos. 

Interestingly, the license plate said “ECO”, and there were actually two people in the vehicle.  The lady in the “back” seat was bent over leaning forward, and had to be severely uncomfortable.  It was having no problem keeping up with traffic, though. 

     We headed east on I90, which becomes the Massachusetts Turnpike.  Driving through the Berkshires was most pleasant, as the there were many sugar maples among the hardwood forests on both sides of the highway and they turn a brilliant red in Autumn.   Passing Sturbridge, where I84 from Connecticut intersects the MassPike, put us on a route we could almost drive blindfolded all the way home.  That used to be our ½ way point from Princeton to Southport, and we knew we had a little over 200 miles and 4 hours to go.   

     The next event was crossing the bridge from Portsmouth NH to Kittery, and we were greeted shortly after with the “WELCOME TO MAINE – THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE” sign.  Two hours to go!

     For those who aren’t familiar with our constant companion, “Randy”, here is his picture. 

 

 For years we used a Garmin GPS to help us navigate in strange places, something we had purchased prior to owning RV’s.  Over the years it finally suffered what all digital devices die from – the infernal “this device is no longer supported”.  We made the decision to purchase a Rand McNally GPS, specifically designed for RV’s.  We affectionately nicknamed it “Randi”, and selected a female voice for getting our instructions.  Alas, we decided to change to the male voice mode, so henceforth it will “it” will be named “Randy.” 

     It was close to 4:30 when we crossed the Southport bridge.  We knew we were home when we came over the Towns End hill in Boothbay Harbor and saw the “bridge open” lights flashing.  As we headed down the slope towards the bridge, the lights went off, traffic started moving, and we were back in Southport.  

     From the time we left, we put 6,511 miles on the odometer, and for those who care about such things, we averaged 16.4 mpg on our turbo-diesel engine. 

     The dogs were thrilled to race into their own yard again, and we were happy to have finished driving 386 miles.  It was a wonderful trip, and we’ll look forward to our next adventure in February 2014 as we head south to Florida.

 

                                                            THE END !!

 

    

 

October 2 & 3 - VMI and the Battle of New Market

 

     It was a beautiful but chilly morning as we transited the 12 miles into Lexington.  Driving through the charming little town, we passed by Washington & Lee University and VMI. As we were at the end of town, the choice was reverse direction or drive around the north end of VMI, which we did.  Unfortunately, we ran into a choice of 2 dead ends, driving our 12-ton RV on a bridge rated for 10 tons, or reversing direction.  Choice was easy, and soon we entered the main gate for Washington & Lee University.  The few buildings we passed were beautiful, but then we found we were on the VMI campus which adjoins it.   

     VMI is a starkly beautiful campus, where all 1600 students were uniforms 24/7, and live in the barracks.  We planned on visiting the George C. Marshall research library and museum, but it didn’t open till 1100am.  As it was only 10, we walked around the parade deck and past the 3 dormitories to the VMI Museum.  A note on the three dorms and their respective arches (the entrances) – they are named, respectively, after George Washington, George Marshall, and Stonewall Jackson.  As we were by the Jackson Statue when some “Rats” came out (that’s what they call their freshmen), they all saluted the Statue.

     The Museum was quite nice, and the very helpful lady on the desk gave us all kinds of information on the University and its rivalry with Washington & Lee (they can’t stand each other!).  There are two floors in the Museum, both below street level.  The street level contains the school chapel, built with funds from the Federal Government that were reparations for the destruction of the school during the Civil War.

     One of the first displays we saw was a typical VMI dorm - both then and now!  Hasn't changed all that much since the school was founded, other than modernizing.  Becky noted that Jim could never have gone there.  Note the neat orderly way in which the uniforms are hung (and are always visible!) and even the books are lined up tallest to shortest.  Way too neat!!

     There are numerous displays about VMI and its history, with special emphasis on the Battle of New Market in 1864 in the Civil War.  New Market lies about 30 miles north of Lexington.  When the “Federals”, 10,000 strong under the command of Maj Gen Franz Sigel invaded the Shenandoah Valley, Confederate General John C. Breckinridge pulled together some 4500 troops to stop them.  As the battle was about to commence, he requested VMI send its Corps of Cadets and its artillery battery, 257 strong, to assist them.  What happened at the Battle is a major focus of the museum, and we’ll discuss more about the battle later in this Blog post. 

     There are many artifacts and stories about famous VMI graduates and some famous military men that did not graduate.  Among these are Gen George Patton, who followed 2 previous generations of his family to VMI but quit after his freshman year and transferred to West Point!  Chesty Puller, the most decorated U.S. Marine in history, completed his freshman year and quit to join the Marines so he could get into the fight in WW I. 

 

     Half of one floor is dedicated to an antique firearms collection of 400 rare specimens  donated by Henry Stewart.  The mounted hide of Stonewall Jackson’s horse, Little Sorrel, is also found in the museum.

     Walking around the campus was particularly interesting for Becky, as she was saluted and called “Ma’am” by countless Cadets.  We think they were “Rats”, as not everybody did it.   The Cadets were very impressive in their bearing and appearance, and the training and education they receive (choice of 16 majors) should prepare them well for life after college.  While all 1600 cadets are enrolled in ROTC (Army, Air Force or Navy <which also includes a Marine option>, only about 50% these days enter the armed forces.

 

     We came close to having a disaster with the dogs after leaving the museum.  Jim took them for a short walk after leaving the Museum, and they were walking on a narrow berm on top of a 40-foot steep hill with lots of brush and trees.  The dogs spotted a squirrel that ran by, and Jim was able to hold the dogs in place.  Then another squirrel got daring and ran by, racing straight down the hill.  This time Dudley charged after it and tried to follow straight down.   Rosie angled off to the right, and Jim got pulled off his feet as Dudley slid about 8 feet down the hill and couldn’t move.  Fortunately Becky was within earshot, rescued Rosie and assisted Jim in getting Dudley standing up again.  He couldn’t go up the steep hill, so Jim had to take him down; a few minutes later he started charging down the hill, and made it the last  20 feet on his own going full bore!  Both he and Jim will feel it tomorrow morning! 

    The George C. Marshall Museum and Research Library is quite impressive.  It contains both the personal history of this extraordinary citizen-soldier, and his papers covering the events during his 52 years of service after graduating from VMI in 1901.  A visit starts with a short introductory video of his life, utilizing primarily television news footage. 

 

There is a very interesting display giving the timeline history of World War II.  It is done by way of a huge National Geographic Map of the world, with a narrator discussing all the major events from the first invasions by Hitler to the dropping of the Atomic Bombs.  Lights on the map guide the viewer’s understanding of where each event took place.

     As we went to depart the VMI parking lot, signs directed all over sized vehicles down a certain road, so we of course followed the road.  Turns out the road was the one that prohibited vehicles over 10 tons that we had previously avoided!  We held our breath as we drove over the small bridge, and since we're posting this blog you can tell it didn't collapse!

 

     The next stop on our trip was the Virginia Museum of the Civil War and the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park in New Market.  It’s a beautiful facility with very friendly and helpful staff.  The visit started with a 45-minute film recounting the battle of New Market, utilizing re-enactors to play the roles of many of the participants on both the Union and Confederate sides.  It devotes a good portion of the film to the story of the VMI cadets and how it affected many of them.  The one day battle saw the 4500 Rebels decisively defeat the 10,000 Union soldiers, primarily because of a number of blunders by MajGen Franz Sigel.  The 257 VMI cadets, mostly 15-17 years old, served valiantly.  10 were killed during the battle or died of wounds, and an additional 47 were wounded.  Their heroism is honored every year in May in the town of New Market with a Ceremony and Parade by the Corps of Cadets, and is a very proud part of the College’s heritage.

     The museum “in the round” has a timeline showing all the battles and other activities that took place in Virginia during the war.  It’s very nicely done.

     The battle took place primarily at the site of the museum, in an adjoining field that was a farm owned by the Jacob Bushong family.  They hid in their basement during the battle, and their home and farm buildings have been preserved and are open as part of the Museum admission.  The field where the battle was fought is known as the “Field of Lost Shoes”, as it had been raining for over a day and the field was a muddy quagmire.  It earned the nickname because of all the shoes and boots that came off the soldiers feet during the battle.

     Our evening stay was the KOA Harrisonburg/Shenandoah Valley.  It’s a beautiful wooded campground far away from the highway, and the dogs loved being able to roam off leash in the woods. 

    Thursday October 3^rd 

      It was a crisp and cool morning when the dogs held reveille at 5:45am, and after letting them run free again Jim stayed up and read his Tom Clancy novel.  It was sad for him to hear yesterday that Clancy had died at age 66, as he really enjoys Tom's writing.

     This was basically a travel day, mostly on I81.  Within 90 miles we traveled from Virginia, thru West Virginia and Maryland, and into Pennsylvania.  Must have been a million trucks on the road!  We are staying at a KOA northeast of Harrisburg, and since we were in no big rush we detoured onto US 30 and drove through our alma mater, Gettysburg College.  We’re pretty well “Civil War’d" out, and have been to G-Burg  enough in the past few years that we just drove through the campus and went on.

     While driving on I81 parallel to the Skyline Drive, we felt sorry for the folks who had driven to Virginia to ride through this National Park Road – it’s been closed because of the current Government B.S. shutdown.  We then wondered if the Presidential Libraries were also shut down, as in most cases they are a joint operation between the Park Service and an outside contractor.  Saturday was to be our day to visit Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Museum in Hyde Park, so Becky called them. Yes, it too is closed.  Bummer!  As that was the last “tourism” stop we had planned, we’ll now head home Saturday instead of Sunday.

     As we’ll now be doing a lot of driving over the next few days, we decided to start another audio book.  Having enjoyed a “Rizzoli and Isles” mystery novel earlier on the trip, we choose to start “The Sinner” by Tess Gerritson.  We’re now an 2 hours into it, and already enjoying the story.

     The Jonestown KOA that we’re in tonight is new to their network, and is very nice.  Large, open RV spots, and a huge field nearby that Dudley and Rosie are enjoying.  Internet seems good, so we’re looking forward to a quiet evening catching up on-line and reading.

Tuesday October 1 - "Bunker Mentality"

     On this beautiful Fall day, the first day of the government shutdown, we visited "The Bunker" at the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.  The morning had been spent doing wash, cleaning up, and giving the dogs a breather from driving.  We headed off about noon for the short 30 mile drive to the Greenbrier, where we had to park at the railway station as they didn't want RV's at the hotel!

     The Greenbrier is a luxury resort hotel, and had been owned by the C & O Railroad in  1955 when Dwight Eisenhower was President.  It was the height of the cold war, and there was genuine concern about a nuclear holocaust that would decimate Washington DC and eliminate the ability of the government to function.  He made the decision to create an underground "bunker" away from DC for Congress to operate, and in 1958 a secret facility was built adjoining and then incorporated into the Greenbrier Hotel.  It was completed in 1962, just in time for the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Fortunately, it wasn't needed.  A Washington Post reporter "outed" the bunker in 1992, and in 1995 it was closed down and returned to the control of the Greenbrier.  The owners at that time, the railroad now named "CSX", converted the bunker into (a) an integral part of the hotel's convention business, (b) an exceptionally secure and safe digital storage facility, and (c) a moneymaking facility giving 90 minute tours ($30/ticket, reservations only!).
     We were really curious to see this former government secret, so we included it in our revised trip plan after a friend told us it was a "don't miss".  We're glad we did.
     Basically, the architects of the facility had a hill behind the Greenbrier hollowed out, and built a 2 story bunker buried 720 feet into the hillside under the West Virginia wing of the building.  It is surrounded and covered by 3 to 5 feet of reinforced concrete, and then covered with up to 60 feel of dirt.  3 steel doors provide the entrances into the facility - this is a photo of the one we entered, which was disguised with patterned wall paper to keep it hidden from ordinary folks.
     During the walking tour, we saw the work areas for staff, and the two large rooms set up for the Senate and House of Representatives (school desks for each member, similar to what we had in grammar school!).  There were double deck bunks for all the members of Congress, except for the 4 elite members (Senate Majority and Minority leaders, House Speaker and his minority counterpart).  There was a bizarre looking dining room designed to make people uncomfortable eating there, in order to hurry them up as it only held 400 people and they had to plan for 3 sittings at each meal.  Jim thought the best feature about it was what they would have to eat.  Provisions were made to be able to feed 3 meals per day for 60 days to all 1200 people in the bunker.  C-Rations!!  We think Eisenhower had a wicked sense of humor!

    The Greenbrier prohibits cameras and cell phones in the bunker, but they give out postcards at the end of the tour as souvenirs. These two scans of the postcards show the bunker under construction, and how it was situated under the West Virginia wing. 
     What is most amazing about the whole idea of a bunker was that only the 4 leaders of Congress knew about it, and it was such a secret from the world.  Even the employees of the Greenbrier were in the dark, as a security management firm "ran" the facility and supplied the employees.  They all had "cover" jobs, such as electricians or plumbers, and entered through disguised "offices".
     Among other "features" of the facility were the showers that incoming residents would have to go through naked after a nuclear attack, to wash off the radioactive particles.  Their clothes were taken from them and burned.  As our guide said, this would probably be the only place you'd find a member of Congress giving someone the "naked truth."
     Given what has happened in the past 24 hours with our Congress, perhaps it would be a good idea for the government to buy back the bunker, lock Congress inside it with C-rations, and not let them come out until they reach some agreements that don't feature built in crises a few months downline!
     We drove over to Lexington after the tour, and are looking forward to touring here tomorrow!
    


  

September 29 & 30 - Bluegrass country and into the mountains!

     We left the Louisville KOA and headed east on the interstates, through Bluegrass country and along the Kentucky Whiskey Trail, as it's called.  One could tour from Distillery to Distillery just by following the signs, should one choose to do so.  It's very pretty through northern Kentucky, with rolling hills, neat and well kept ranches, and lots of trees.  At one point on the journey traffic slowed to a halt.  On the other side of the road, an 18-wheeler carrying cattle had overturned and it was lying across the highway.  Every kind of emergency vehicle one can imagine was there, supplemented by 2 small cattle trailers pulled by trucks, and a temporary cattle pen had been set up on the median for the stray cattle who hadn't been hurt.  Fortunately it was a grassy, 100-foot wide median at that point.  Traffic was backed up for miles, and the State Police were detouring vehicles off the road some 10 miles back.  We only had a short delay as they moved our traffic into one lane going by it.

     Near the Ohio river, we drove north on highway 23.  Part of the journey was up into the hills, where it appeared to have been mined in the past.  Both sides of the road were covered with off-road vehicle tracks, obviously a popular sport there.  Down along the river we went through a number of sleepy towns.  One had a Veteran's monument featuring a tank, a landing craft, and an F-84 fighter!  After crossing the river into Ohio, we had a short journey to Holiday Point Marina in Franklin Furnace, where Becky's cousin Wendy Hickman and her husband Carl have an Airstream they are living in for the time being.

     Carl works for SunCoke, and is one of their senior safety experts.  Their home is in Fernandina Beach, Florida but his job is now based out of Ohio, 5 minutes from their campground. With the Florida housing market being what it is, they were unable to sell their place and they tried the "commuter" routine for a while.  That got old, so they bought an Airstream, Wendy moved north, and they go back to Florida every few months or so.  Not a long term situation, but they're doing a great job of making lemonade out of lemons.
   
That being said, we spent a wonderful afternoon and evening with them, and were able to camp in the same RV park about 100 yards away.  Wendy cooked a delicious stew, and the weather couldn't have been nicer.  A Marina is also part of the campground, and we walked with their 3-pound Chihuahua Chula down to it.  They also have a German Shepard and a cat with them!   Wendy cooked, and we sat around the campfire till 10:30pm talking about every subject imaginable.

 

          Monday morning saw us off to West Virginia, and we again decided to do much of it cross country.  We drove down US 52 to Huntington, WV and got on US 60.  Though neither of us had heard of the Kanawha River, it is obviously a major waterway for the coal and chemical industries.  We passed numerous plants, and coal processing facilities.  The area is not particularly prosperous, and the homes are very typical of mining and industrial locations.

     We also passed a number of Hydroelectic dams and plants, each with large electrical facilities.  Not a particularly attractive part of the country, but then we passed through a number of more scenic areas.  It was quite a mixed bag going down the Kanawha to Charleston, the Capital.  The one thing that stood out to us in that city was the gold dome on the State House.  It looked disproportionately tall, and had some very intricate designs on it.

     Something that really surprised us was the proliferation of Kudzu, that out-of-control scourge so prominent in the Southeast US.  We didn't think it grew in the north, but it surely does and is all over the Kanawha river area.  In some places it has devoured trees and turned them into grotesque green statues!

     The intermediate destination was the New River Gorge, an area of natural beauty and home to the New River Bridge.  The bridge, built in 1977 is America's second highest bridge, and it the world's longest single arch steel span bridge.  The U.S. Park Service runs the surrounding park, and we were lucky to be there on September 30 with the government closing down on October 1st!  The other notable feature, for those in good physical condition, is the viewing platform.  It is 175 steps to get down to it.  Then you get to hike another 175 steps back up.  Yes, we did it!  From this point on we descended back down to the river.  We had done enough sightseeing for the day, so we got on the interstate, went by Beckley, and finished the day near Lewisburg. 
     The Greenbriar River Campground is primarily a fishing and river activities kind of place, not much of a transient facility.  We're here for one night, then on to the Greenbriar Resort and the famous Underground Bunker!

 

Saturday September 28 - "and they're off.........!!!

     Off to Churchill Downs, that is!  Though Becky and Jim are not big horse race fans, what would a visit to Kentucky be without visiting the iconic Churchill Downs?  The answer is, don't miss it!  One of the most informative, interesting and fun stops on the whole trip! 

     Didn't start that way, as we drove the short 15 miles to the Museum entrance, and were told we had to park the RV over a mile away on the far side of the stadium.  It was 10 in the morning, and there were thousands of empty spaces as the races didn't start till 6pm.  The attendant at that location couldn't figure out why we were sent there, and sent us back closer.  We ended up parking about 1/4 mile away (no charge!), and it was a pleasant walk in 70 degree weather along the face of the stadium.

     The façade is impressive, and at the entrance there is a statue of Barbaro, the 2006 winner and potential triple crown contender who shattered his leg 3 weeks later at the Preakness.  Inside the entrance, one is immediately struck with the aura of championship racing - photos, movies, racing togs; a display of the "Fascinators" hats that women wear on this dressiest of days.
     There are numerous interactive activities for "children" of all ages.  One of the first is “placing your bet”, where up to 3 players can pick their “win-place-show” horses.  The players then move to another alcove, and a simulated race is run—then the results show  how much you would have won had you placed a $2 bet.
       Next exhibit, very popular, is the race simulator.  Here Becky demonstrates how you ride your mount, and a race is then run against other horses.  Each rider sees hers/his progress for the 2 minute race.  Becky won!

     We went through the gift shop killing time before the start of the movie about the Derby.  It runs 18”, and is superb.  The audience is seated on small white stools that look like pawns in an oversized chess game, probably 40 spectators at a time.  The room is an oval, about 100’ long and 40’ wide, with continuous movie screens about 10’ high circulating the entire 360 degrees.  Most of us have seen 3 or 4-screen multi-media shows, but not circling an entire room!  The movie basically follows a race day, with movies/photos on anywhere from 1 screen to the whole room at once.  It shows the events of the day that happen, then the race itself with film pretty and surround sound enveloping the audience.  It’s a pretty awesome show!

     A 30-minute guided tour is included with the $18pp charge (that’s the senior rate), and we had an excellent guide who took us into the paddock that is filled with 10,000+ people on race day!  On the walk to the Paddock, the guide pointed out the names of each year's winner-they are listed with individual plaques along the balconies.

 

 

 The whole racetrack draws about 130,000, a very substantial number to be sure!  From the Paddock we went through the tunnel to a spot near the finish line, where we learned about “millionaires row", box seats and how you get them (by lottery!), and a host of other information.  It is impressive to look up at the "special seats", and the balcony where Queen Elizabeth and other notables have waved to the crowds.  Looking down the track, and across at the center spot where the winner is crowned with the garland of roses, gives one a feeling that you can "see" what happens there.

     The last stop on the tour is by the corral of a retired derby winner and his companion, a miniature pony named ‘Winston”.  The retired horse was “Risen Warrior”, but it stayed in it's stall while we were there.

       We finished that tour, and went to lunch in their cafeteria, and that was a most enjoyable experience in itself.  They have their own specialties, such as a Benedictine sandwich that is essentially cream cheese with green coloring and some other ingredients.  Our waiter, “Jim” was a real droll character and a fountain of information.  He’s been working there 20 years, and is a former Braniff International pilot!  The Derby pie was very goodl  We are even bringing one home to enjoy at a future date!

     After that filling lunch, we RV’d  some 30 miles to Fort Knox, the Army Armor school and home to the General George S. Patton Leadership Museum.  Jim had been especially eager to see this, and we were both very disappointed.  Apparently it had been closed for some time, and just recently reopened.  The visitor is greeted in the lobby by two active duty soldiers, and there, is no admission charge. The carved statue of Patton on the right was made from one piece of wood, except for the accessories.

    The Museum is trying to come into the computer age, and you can download an app at the beginning of the "tour" by scanning with your cell phone, and then use it again at about 5 of the exhibits to get further information.  It worked fine with the Staff Car he was riding in when he was mortally injured in a crash.

      But then you wander through many rooms of exhibits (self guided) and there is a major problem – most of the exhibits lack any identification, so you have no clue what you’re looking at!  There were tanks that Jim didn’t recognize, including one desert camouflage tank destroyer that might have been WW II German, but more likely was from the Iraq war.  Even the two soldiers had no clue (“we’re not tankers !”).  They had a damaged fire truck, obviously from 9/11, but it wasn’t identified other than by a photo of a burning truck near the Pentagon.  We knew it was from there, as Becky had found it on line.  It was also quite surprising that they had no gift shop!  Kind of capped the whole visit.  Outside Becky took the photo of Jim with a Vietnam-era APC that his cousin George Baldwin spent his tour in before being wounded.

     As we were leaving the Fort Knox area, Becky wanted to see where all our money, and yours, was being stored.  The Gold that is backing our money, anyway.  So yes, there really is a gold depository at Fort Knox, and here's a photo of it.  We didn't try and go in - after the movie Goldfinger so many years ago, we think they have the security air-tight now.  Yes, pun intended!

     We drove from there back to our campsite, and had a leisurely evening with the dogs.

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