Salado, TX (11-09-14)

Salado  is a very small town in the state of TX but it has two things going for it as far as we are concerned.



  First is that they have an annual Scottish Festival with Highland Games, and second, our friends Mike and Julie agreed to meet us there.

We haven’t seen Mike and Julie since February, so we had a lot to catch up on. The biggest thing (literally) was their new rig, which is the sister ship to our Mobile Suites.  Its the same floor plan, but with the many changes and upgrades that come with a model 3 years newer.

Its a gorgeous home and we've already shared several meals at the kitchen table!

We all arrived just in time for the festival, which started with a parade, complete, of course with pipe and drum bands.

Once lunch was out of the way ( A very tasty Shepherd’s Pie), we were free to watch the games and listen to the music.

One of the more traditional games is the Caber Toss.  The contestant runs with the pole…















and tosses it in the air.  It has to flip over, end over end, in order to count.












It makes no difference how far he tosses it, only that it flips and how straight it lands.

The final event was a Tattoo- a sampling of music from the day.  By that time it was getting dark and we were ready to call it a night.

Once the festival was over, we decided to move over to San Antonio for a few days.

On a housekeeping note, the small projects continue:

Paul has replaced the door knobs on the bedroom and bathroom doors.  The innards were starting to rattle and he was afraid that one day soon we would get locked in.  He also shortened the shades to one of the windows. He sure does like to be busy!

A Busy Day in Kansas (09-19-13)

   We woke up in the morning, all set to head out and move towards Oklahoma, when I said to Paul “Ya know, the New Horizons factory is pretty close by” and he replied “Yeah, and the Eisenhower Presidential Library is, too”.

So just like that we decided to stay another day and do more exploring.  It means knocking off one of our stops on the way to El Paso, so I guess we’ll see Comanche National Grassland some other time.

  For anyone not familiar with 5h wheels, New Horizons produces one of the best quality 5th wheels on the market- also one of the most expensive ones.  New Horizons is known for  highly customizing their 5th wheels to whatever the customer wants.  There were several reasons why we didn’t look at them when we ordered our Mobile Suites, and that’s one of the reasons.  I honestly didn’t want to think that hard figuring out what we wanted. 

Their location was another reason we didn’t consider them.  We wouldn’t have ordered without seeing them being built, and the factory is way over here in Kansas.  The third reason we passed them over is the price.  We couldn’t justify spending $150,000 on a rig. All that being said, we were still curious about them, since we’d never been in one, and so we drove over to take the factory tour.





Our guide was Drew, the owner’s son, and he spent most of the morning showing us around the place.  New Horizons is so customized, they only build one a week.  So, after a great tour, did we see anything that made us want to run out and buy a New Horizons? Nope! We’re still happy with our DRV product, and after all, it was semi-custom built for us, and in fact there wasn’t anything that we wanted that DRV couldn’t do for us. 


“If we don’t defend ourselves on the Rhine, we’ll have to defend ourselves in New York” –Dwight D. Eisenhower

After grabbing a quick lunch, we went to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Museum and Library.  I must be easily annoyed because within a few minutes, after seeing rows and rows of huge plaques that were loaded with verbiage, I was complaining that if I had wanted to read a book, I would have saved my money and gotten one from the library.

Dwight Eisenhower’s life can essentially be divided into three parts- his childhood, his military career, and his presidency. 

  His childhood was spent in a small home with his parents and 5 brothers, all of whom were particularly successful. In fact, when asked, soon after D-Day, if she was proud of her son, Dwight’s mother replied “ Of course.  Which one?”

He never forgot the small town of Abilene Kansas, where he grew up, claiming that the thing he was most proud of in his life, was his upbringing in his hometown in Kansas.

He attended West Point Academy and graduated with a group of men who would become extremely important and influential. In fact, his graduating class had more Generals than any other graduating class in West Point history.  Out of 164 cadets, 64 eventually became Generals.  Of course, Eisenhower was among those 64.  During World War II he was promoted to Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, overseeing not just the United States war effort, but all the Allied Forces.  He played a major role in the successful invasion of France and Germany.

Convinced to run for the presidency, Dwight easily won the election in 1952, and again in 1956. His terms in office took place during a relatively calm time in our history, although the cold war was “heating up.”

Once we’d had our fill of Dwight, we headed back home, but we’d heard about Mushroom Rock State Park, and since it was on the way, we decided to stop and see it. Yup, it looks like a mushroom.

Iowa- don’t Blink (09-12-13)

Before leaving for Iowa, we spent one incredibly hot afternoon in Shipshewana (or Shopshewanna, as my friend says).  As many times as we have been to this area, we've never made it to the huge flea market. We finally remedied that, but with record high temperatures, we didn't walk the whole thing.  After all, we don’t buy much anyway.

We took two days to drive across Indiana and Illinois, into Iowa. This is the view we were greeted with when we arrived:

Acres and acres….and acres….of corn fields.  Mile after mile.  Of course, there were some acres of soybeans in there too, but farming is clearly  the main business in Iowa. I searched the internet looking for something to stop and see that wouldn't be too far out of our way as we crossed the state.  I found “The Kellogg Museum” nearby and thought it would be pretty cool to see where Corn Pops are made.  But when I looked further, I realized that this Kellogg had nothing to do with the cereal.  Oh well.  We skipped the museum.


We decided to spend a couple of nights at the Core of Engineers  Park on Lake Red Rock, near the small town of Pella. 




Our interest in Pella was a sports bar-the Sports Page- that was showing the Patriots football game on Thursday night.  We used it as an excuse to go out for dinner, and watch the football game.  Dinner was actually really good, but we were the only customers left by the time half time arrived.  We left a little while before the end of the game and listened to the last bit on the truck radio on the way home.








The next day we took off on the nearby bike trail. We had a pleasant 12 mile ride, and saw a fair amount of wildlife along the way. At least the weather has cooled off and it was only in the mid 70s.



This deer is barely visible in the picture, but he carefully watched us as we stopped to take his picture.  Before I could get a clear shot, he decided he’d had enough and took off.

Along the shores of the lake we saw pelicans, great blue Herons, and a young bald eagle.

  

And, last but not least, the Monarch butterfly migrates through this area on the way to Mexico.

One of the things I've really enjoyed since we left Michigan is the price of the RV parks we've been staying in.  Paying $35-$55 a night for a spot for the trailer gets pricey after a while.  It feels great to pay $12-$20 !!

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library (04-05-13)

“We’ve fought fire with fire, never thinking that fire is better quenched with water.” – Jimmy Carter

This is my first visit to a presidential library.  I was in high school when President Carter was in office, so he’s the first president that I was aware of in any detail.

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Carter grew up in a time of racial turmoil. His father was a segregationist but his mother firmly believed skin color shouldn't make any difference in how someone is treated.  Living in a small town with only 2 white families, all of his childhood friends were black.

Before his political life,  he was in the Navy, and had expected to make it his career.  When his father died and he went back to Plains Georgia, he was astonished to hear story after story detailing how his father, a local business man, had helped someone when they needed it.  After hearing how many lives his father had helped change, he told his wife Rosalyn that he felt he could make more of a difference in Plains GA than he could in the navy, so he left the navy and moved back home.

It wasn't long before he entered the political arena, first as a state senator, and eventually as the governor of Georgia.  He jumped into the run for governor after finding out that the leading democrat was campaigning on a Segregationist platform.  Although Jimmy lost that race, he spent the next few years introducing himself to the people of Georgia, and his next run was successful.
Two of the characteristics Jimmy carter is known for are honesty and integrity. After dealing with the disasters of Richard Nixon, those are the characteristics that this country was looking for in when Jimmy Carter ran for President.


Most of Jimmy's post White House income comes from books he has written



He wasn't well known when he started campaigning, so he published an autobiography to introduce himself to the American people.  He also relied on his "Peanut Brigade" - a group of close friends and family who chartered a plane and flew all over the country to campaign for Jimmy.  Before the New Hampshire primary, they had met more than half the population of the state. 

His campaign manager, Hamilton Jordan, used a  strategy that is commonplace now, but was innovative when he used it.  He capitalized on each primary win to build momentum and keep the spotlight on Jimmy Carter, starting with his win in New Hampshire.
The strategy was successful and Jimmy Carter became the  39th president of the United States.






Highlights of his presidency include:

The Red Phone- a direct line to the Kremlin

• Creation of the Department of Education
• Stabilization of relations with China 
• Camp David Accords- during a 13 day period at Camp David, Jimmy Carter negotiated peace between Anwar Sadat of Egypt and  Menachem Begin of Israel.
• Iran hostages released- on his last day in office.

  He was defeated in his bid for re-election, losing to Ronald Reagan, and was forced into “involuntary retirement”, as he put it. But, one of the things that impresses me about him the most is all that he has accomplished after his presidency.  Of course, at 56, he was the youngest ex-president in history, so he had plenty of time to do “stuff”. 

Still, he created the Carter Center, a sort of Think Tank that has helped improve the quality of life of people in more than 70s countries.

He has been active with Habitat for Humanity, and by his involvement (he builds houses one week a year) has brought awareness of that organization’s mission.

He won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album.

In 1999, President Clinton awarded both Rosalyn and Jimmy the Medal of Freedom, the highest Civilian honor in our country, for having done “more things, for more people, in more places, than any other couple on the face of the earth.”

And, last but certainly not least, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, in part for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts”.

Circling Atlanta (04-01-13)

  Moving from one side of Atlanta to the other, we found a spot in a COE campground on  Allatoona Lake. In theory, we had quite a few more things we wanted to see in the Atlanta area, before heading a little further north.  Once again, the weather is not cooperating, with rain and temperatures in the 30s at night.  Usually by afternoon it warms up, but only for a couple of hours.  Add to that the fact that the Final Four arrived, and Atlanta became a zoo and we really didn’t want to venture into the city very much.

One of the major reasons we made the swing over this way was so we could see my cousin Brian and his family.  Brian and I grew up near each other and I babysat him when he was young.  It used to make his mother laugh that I would let him cook dinner for me at the age of 10, and I would clean up behind him.  He has always wanted to be a chef.  To say he succeeded would be an understatement.  He is the managing partner in a company that owns, among other things, some of the best restaurants in Atlanta.  He asked us which restaurant we wanted to visit, and I chose Der Biergarten because I had heard so much about it.  We were not disappointed!  The food was great and we were treated like royalty. 



Paul practices being a grandpa with Harrison



We made plans to have dinner at Brian’s house the following night.  He warned us that the “Final 4” coming to Atlanta meant that as of Thursday, he would no longer be available to socialize, so we took advantage while we could. 

Once again I took very few pictures. It’s so frustrating that I forget to snap them when people are around! I did take a few with my phone, while we were hanging around playing with his two sons, and I took one of the dinner table. I sure am glad he likes to cook! 

We had salad, quail, lamb, duck, steak, and paella. Amazingly good food and of course, Margaritas made from fresh squeezed limes.









While researching things we might want to do while in Atlanta, we discovered that the most visited historic battlefield, Kennesaw Battlefield, is here.  It is visited 50% more than Gettysburg, which I am guessing has something to do with its proximity to a major city.  Since we could combine history with hiking, off we went to Kennesaw.  To get our exercise, we hiked a very pretty 6 mile loop through the woods (Cheatham Hill).  At the Visitor’s Center, while reading about the Battle for Atlanta, I began to wonder why, in particular, was this battle significant?

So here’s the short version of what I found out.  First, the battle itself:

Kennesaw is a small mountain outside of Atlanta that in 1864 was held by the Confederacy.  General Sherman, of the Union Army, was ordered to take Atlanta, and Kennesaw was the last “hill” in his way.

  In June of 1864 he set up his men at the base of the mountain, and prepared to storm up the hill. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way he wanted, and a significant number of his troops were slaughtered as they tried to make their way up the hill. At one point, a fire broke out in the land between the two armies.  There were many wounded men still on the battlefield and the two sides agreed to a brief ceasefire while they rescued the injured from the flames. 




Realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to plow through the Confederate troops, Sherman made an important decision.  He went around the Kennesaw Mountain, and marched right into Atlanta.
So, why was the battle for Atlanta important? It’s importance was mostly political, not military.  When the Union entered into the Civil War, it was assumed the conflict would last about 3 months, after which time, the southern states would be assimilated back into the Union. 3 years later, there seemed to be no end in sight.  The war was costing the taxpayers a back breaking 2.5 million dollars a day.  Election time was fast approaching, and Abraham Lincoln’s political opponent was making noises about a compromise with the southern states.  In order for Lincoln to win the election, the tide needed to turn.  The north needed some decisive victories to show that the war was winnable.  The taking of Atlanta was one of those victories, and Lincoln was re-elected by a large margin.

The Siege of Vicksburg (11-28-12)

41% of the continental United States drains through the mighty Mississippi River. It has long been a major conduit for trade goods and raw materials, and continues to be one today.  During the Civil War of the 1860s, it was also used by the Confederate army to move munitions and troop supplies.  Abraham Lincoln knew that he needed to split the confederate army apart by gaining control of the Mississippi River.  By the end of 1862 he had gained control of most of the major towns along the river- except for Vicksburg, Mississippi, a very difficult town to conquer.

   

   In addition to the benefit of being on the river, Vicksburg has the advantage of resembling a natural fortress. It sits high on a bluff surrounded by deep trenches, making any enemy approach, whether by land or water, virtually impossible.
Abraham Lincoln sent General Ulysses S.Grant to take Vicksburg, telling him that “Vicksburg is the key.  The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket.”
For months, Grant tried multiple approaches to capture Vicksburg and all were reasonably easily rebuffed.  He tried a full frontal assault, a multi-pronged assault, and even dug tunnels, loading them with explosives to blow up the confederates and clear the way for his men.  Nothing worked.  What DID work was patience.  Grant eventually surrounded the city and waited.  Within 6 weeks, the soldiers and the townspeople faced severe illness and starvation. On July 3, Grant met with General Pemberton, commander of the Confederate side, to discuss surrender terms. After much negotiation, Pemberton surrendered on July 4, when Grant met his terms of parole for the confederate soldiers in Vicksburg.
Upset with the timing of the agreement, for many years the citizens of Vicksburg did not celebrate the 4th of July.  The date of surrender was not a coincidence, however.  Pemberton chose that time frame because he felt he would secure better terms for his men on Independence Day.
The battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg occured at almost the same time, and both had significant impact on the outcome of the Civil War.  

  We took an auto tour of the battlefield, with many stops along the way where we could dial a number on our cell phone and hear a short blurb about why that spot was significant.  I liked it when we  got to each spot where  an actual battle took place because I could visualize it. The blue plaques represent the position of Union soldiers and the red ones (at the top of the hill) represent the confederate army.

Its scary how close together they were.

One thing we noticed were all the trees there were in some areas. Where there were rolling grassy hills, it was easy to imagine the past, but in the areas with trees, we wondered if they had been there at that time or not.  It sure would have made things more challenging for everyone!

It turns out the trees were not there.  They were planted years later by the CCC to help with erosion problems. 

In recent years they have started the process of returning the land back to what it was.

Once we’d had our fill of the Civil War. we headed to the Lower Mississippi River Museum, which teaches about life in and around the Mississippi River. This is a brand new museum whose main attraction is “The Mississippi IV”, a retired Army Corp of Engineers work boat.

There will be a lot of interactive displays once the museum is finished, including a simulator, aboard the Mississippi IV.

I love the parking signs around town!

Zilker Park, Austin TX (11-22-12)

I think it will take about a dozen trips to Austin for us to see it all, at the rate we're going.  With this visit we learned that yes, Thanksgiving IS a holiday and we should have made a reservation.  On the plus side, we ended up staying at a COE park, (Army Corp of Engineers), right on Lake Georgetown. Corp parks are pretty nice, with huge sites, usually on the water. This one had the bonus of a 24 mile hiking trail and non-specific site reservation, which meant as long as they aren't completely booked, we can add days at the last minute if we want to do so. The negative is that the gate locks at 10 pm, so we weren't able to sample the Austin  night life.

the last time we were here I wanted to visit the Umlauf Sculpture Garden. Umlauf was well known art teacher at the University of Texas, and the garden sounded intriguing. Unfortunately it rained the last time we were here, so we missed it. 

This time I discovered that it was part of the huge metropolitan park called Zilker Park, so we decided to take a day and explore the whole thing.

  I have to say that for me, the Umlauf sculptures were a let down. Not that they weren't interesting- they were, but we had to pay for the privilege of viewing them, and since we are not the type to sit on the little benches and contemplate each statue for an hour or so, we were done with the garden in about 20 minutes.

My favorite part of the park was the Barton Springs Pool. The pool is fed by Barton Spring, at the rate of 32 million gallons a day, and the water temperature is a constant 72 degrees.  If we had had our suits, we would have gone for a swim for sure!

We took the walking trail around the perimeter of the park, amazed at how many people were out, enjoying the great weather at this park, in the middle of a large city.

Bypassing the "leash-free" portion of the park,  we soon came upon the botanical garden,  where they once again wanted our money. This time we forked over $2 each with less reluctance, hoping, that with the multitudes of "sub-gardens", we'd get our money's worth. I do love Japanese Tea Gardens!  This one was a little overgrown and would have been better in season, but it was still a nice walk.

The Butterfly garden was the best, and reminded me of the days when I would sit in our backyard at our house in Michigan, camera in hand, waiting for the butterflies and hummingbirds to show up.

These pictures are ones that I took in our backyard in Michigan:

 

We decided at the last minute to change our minds and buy a turkey
to cook for Thanksgiving. And yes, our oven fits an 18 lb turkey.  We hiked in the morning, feasted on turkey and pie  in the afternoon, and watched the Patriots demolish the Jets in the evening.  

                                                         All in all, a great day.