Downtown Mobile

We spent the day in downtown Mobile.  It was a foggy day (the picture was taken in the afternoon) but otherwise fine. 

I had to laugh at the Welcome Center.  They pushed using a shuttle instead of using our personnel car for a driving tour.  After we looked at the map, we realized it wasn’t that long.  So we ended up walking the 2 mile route.  Much easier so we didn’t have to worry about parking or waiting for a shuttle (we never actually saw a shuttle), we got to see more details in architecture, and we got exercise.  Worth it!

Fort Conde has been occupied by the French, British, Spanish, and Americans.  I thought the fort was well preserved until I found out it was a replica of the original fort and was built in 1976!  The museum has many artifacts found while building the new fort that include older pieces like this cool pipe bowls with faces up to semi-modern bottle caps (semi-modern since now we use aluminum cans or plastic bottles).

 

The Church Street Cemetery reminded me of New Orleans.  The graves are raised and iron fences are frequently used.  One of the graves was for Old Joe Cain.  He was the man who renewed the Mardi Gras parades after the Civil War, a tradition that the occupying Northerner troops weren’t familar with.  His grave is covered with Mardi Gras beads and coins.

 

The Phoenix Fire Museum is small but full of equipment and Mobile history.

 

We enjoyed the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  An organist was practicing Christmas music on the large organ while we were there.  Very nice!

 

Fun Stuff near Mobile

It can’t all be historical.  We stopped at this Greek Byzantine church.  While it said it was supposed to be open, it was closed.  Still, the outside is gorgeous!

At a sports academy there were scrap metal sculptures in the yard.  I loved the balance beam the best, but they were all amusing.

Last Battle of the Civil War

Ironically, there is a battle as to what was the last battle (or major battle) of the Civil War.  It might be Bentonville, NC or Palmito Ranch, TX, or Columbus, GA.  But since we’re in Alabama, we’re going to say it was at Fort Blakeley.  It was fought on the same day that General Lee surrendered at Appomattox but without cell phones or the internet the news didn’t get to Alabama quick enough to stop the battle!

 

The site has a dirt and wood redoubt (a fort system outside the main fort) for both the Union and the Confederates. 

The park also has this large oak tree.  The legend is that Confederate soldiers hid here after the battle.

The part I found amusing was the write up we received to describe the battle.  Everything was about how brave the Confederates were but that the North just had too many soldiers.  About the Confederates, “…southern troops were on continuous duty with little rest, fighting all day and repairing the damaged works at night….First Missouri Brigade, a unit famous since the Vicksburg Campaign…veteran cannoneers….Though most of the efforts failed, favorable results were obtained by making the Yankees overly cautious…Rebels in the woods rallied and continued firing…”  About the North, “…the guns in this position were silenced by the superior shell fire of Confederate Artillery… began taking casualties…they immediately drew fire from the Rebel rifle pits…”

It’s all about your point of view!

Blakeley Ghost Town

 

We’re visiting Mobile for a few days as our holiday trip.  The campgrounds is near the highway, but in the delta area and has boardwalks with signs not to “harass” the alligators!

Back in the 1820’s, Blakely with a population of 4,000 was bigger than Mobile Alabama.  The town had 3 hotels, several stores, a bank, and a newspaper.  For some reason the town is called “the South’s loveliest ghost town.”  Little of the town is left.  Only the foundation of the courthouse still exists. 

 

Near the courthouse is a very large oak called the hanging tree.  This is supposed to be where someone was hung after the first court case at Blakeley.

However, yellow fever killed many Blakely residents in 1822, 1826, and 1828, while land speculation made land prices too high for new people to buy land.  By the time of the civil war, only 100 people lived here.

 

The town is supposed to be haunted.  While we heard something in the trees near the cemetery, it was probably acorns and not a ghost.

For the holidays

CNN Reporter

I play a game by asking people who is the most famous person you’ve just happened to see.  For instance, I was walking in New York years ago and saw a guy with a video camera (when video cameras were expensive) and he was laughing.  It looked like he was filming some joke he pulled on friends.  It was Herve Villechaize (you know, the little guy who said “Da plane, da plane” on Fantasy Island.

Today on my flight to Spokane Washington I sat beside a CNN reporter (Emmy award winning Victor Blackwell).  I didn’t recognize him, so our conversation started more general until we got to the “what do you do” question.  It was the most fascinating conversation I’ve ever had on a plane (the next was the paleobotanist (http://tandtrv.blogspot.com/2012/08/paleobotany-at-30000-feet.html).

We discussed how Jon Stewart makes fun of CNN.  Victor hadn’t had a specific segment done on him, but had been included on some montages.  I realized that Jon Stewart is on for 30 minutes four days a week while CNN is on 24 hours 7 days a week.  It’s pretty likely he’s going to find mistakes during all the time they are reporting.  I really like Jon Stewart, but now I know how dedicated CNN reporters are too.

I was amazed with the knowledge and professionalism of Victor Blackwell.  He’s been working since he was 15 starting on a radio show!  As a reporter, he spends much of his free time reading so he can keep up with local, national, and international news plus he reads history to understand the background or historical parallels to stories.  He has to be ready at any time to travel on a story.  He mentioned that he can’t buy fresh vegetables unless it’s a single serving since he might need to leave quickly and it would go rotten in the refrigerator.

Besides the background knowledge, a reporter has to talk on subjects they don’t really know about or while information is still coming in.  He covered the cruise ship coming into Mobile (http://tandtrv.blogspot.com/2013/03/on-way-to-conference.html) that was moving very, very slowly.  He has to have all types of contacts. While he was covering the ship, he was communicating with people on the ship and people on land while he was in a boat alongside the cruise ship.

Besides all of that, reporters have to have thick skins.  Yes, Jon Stewart makes fun.  Besides all the news knowledge, reporters have to know what clothes look good for different stories.  They also see the tweets from people complaining about what they are wearing or what their hair looks like or if they’ve gained weight.  They may have their bosses tell them when to lose weight or to dye their hair.   There’s a lot of pressure in looking good while you’re telling an important story.

We talked for 1-1/2 hours on this flight and he was friendly and open the entire time.  I’m sorry about being a “Chatty Cathy”, Victor, but it was all very interesting.  I’m now a Victor Blackwell fan!

Bear Sighting! And The Curse

 

As we were traveling in Georgia, we saw a small bear (bigger than a cub but not full grown) crossing the road in front of us.  Luckily John was able to slow down so we didn’t hit him as he crossed safely to the other side.  In the excitement, I forgot to get the camera, so no picture.  Instead, I have a picture of five turkeys at our campsite (no, it’s not the same).

We decided the trip has been cursed.  It started with the air conditioner breaking which we had repaired in Tennessee.  Then the TV blew so we got a new flat screen.  Later, the camera failed. the Kindle screen went bad, and the grill just wore out.  All were replaced.  The windshield on the car was hit.  We’ve been watching the crack grow and plan to get it replaced when we get home.  Now, John’s crown fell out.  I called to get an appointment at the dentist at home.  Oh, and I washed John’s phone!  We’ll be glad when the curse is over!

 

Today’s hike was Amicalola Falls.  While the gorge yesterday was difficult, this was worse.  This hike included 600 steps.  However, the falls were amazing.  It’s said to be the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi.  The park is also known for being the start of the Appalachian Trail starting at Springer Mountain.   

 

Georgia Hiking

We left North Carolina for Georgia.  We’ve been enjoying the autumn colors.  As we’re driving through the Smoky Mountains we got to see clouds in the mountains and sometimes drive through the clouds.  Is it considered to be raining if you are inside the cloud?

 

Our first stop is Tallulah Gorge State Park.  It’s a very deep gorge (1000 feet in places) with several waterfalls below.  The hike around the gorge isn’t strenuous, but the hike down 356 steps and back up 310 steps certainly is.  It’s the equivalent of approximately 20 stories.

 

One of the interesting things here were towers left over when 65-year old Karl Wallenda (of the Great Wallenda family) crossed the gorge on a high wire back in 1970.  He walked 1000’ across the gorge to celebrate his 50^th anniversary. He died eight years later crossing a high wire in Puerto Rico.

Andy Griffith

We stopped in Mount Airy, North Carolina.  This is the town where Andy Griffith was born and is said to be the inspiration for Mayberry.  The Andy Griffith Museum was full of memorabilia from the Andy Griffith Show, Matlock, and movies he was in like “No Time for Sergeants”.

The bad part of the museum is that no pictures are allowed.  I’d love to show you the Barney Fife suit (remember how proud he was when dressing up in a ‘fancy’ suit and going on a date with Thelma Lou?) and a suit from Matlock.  I instantly could see Matlock in court with that light colored suit.  Instead, I can show you a Mayberry sheriff car and the Andy & Opie sculpture.

On the Road Again

We’ve spent the last week or so in West Virginia working on John’s parents’ home.  It’s been for sale for a few years, but with the house market it hasn’t sold.  We worked on sprucing it up.  We painted several areas and then sanded and refinished the wood floor in the living room and dining room.  It was a busy week with multiple trips to Lowe’s and the garbage dump (oh yes, the transfer station).  To top it off, John helped to build a porch for his niece.
 

We’re on the road going south.  Over the last month, we’ve seen autumn at all stages.  The leaves were just starting to change in Maine.  In West Virginia it is a bit past peak with the leaves off some of the trees.  Today we traveled through peak areas but in Virginia leaves are just starting to change.

The picture of the leaves is blurry since we spent the day driving!

Washington Traffic

 

In case you haven’t realized, I really hate crowds.  We stayed north of Washington DC to see one of my brothers.  The hope was we’d miss most of the traffic by being outside DC, but that didn’t happen.  I guess I can only be in awe of my brother for surviving this.

Our first stop was the National Cryptologic Museum.  It’s right beside the NSA (National Security Agency).  The part I liked best was how it described history that we’ve recently visited but adding in the story of the codes that were involved.  For instance, signals were used at Gettysburg at Little Round Top and Benedict Arnold sent information to the British using code.  I also didn’t realize how old the science of cryptology was.  There was a book written in 1518 at the museum.  From historical examples to the current state of encryption, it was fascinating and a bit scary.

Sometimes I list stops that sound good on paper but are just disappointing. The church at a Franciscan monastery was nice enough but the garden had recreations of holy places from around the world.  Are fake holy places really holy?  This is a recreation of Lourdes.  Pretty, but why?

 

The Basilica National Shrine made me think of just one thing…holy sh..!  It’s big.  It’s the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States.

 

 

The Washington National Cathedral is a very large Episcopal church.  I loved the space window to commemorate Apollo 11.  A moon rock is included in the window.

Our next few days had to be cancelled.  We planned to visit two national park type stops that are now closed.  RV life means going with the flow.

Gettysburg Crowds

(written before the shut-down post)

This year is the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Between visiting on a weekend, during an anniversary year, and the fact that 3,000 Boy Scouts were visiting the park (you can see them at the visitors center and walking the paths), the place was incredibly busy.  That made it difficult to find parking and just walk around.  But a highlight was seeing this snake in a tree.  OK, this shouldn’t be a highlight but it was cool.

 

 

I could show all these very historical things, but I thought this was funny.  The poor guy’s nose is shiny with all the people rubbing his nose when they walk past.

The view from Little Round Top where the battle was on the 2^nd of 3 days (July 1-3, 1863).  There were more casualties in this battle than another other battle within the United States.

 

Monument for Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.  The cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863.  After the first speaker spoke for two hours, President Lincoln gave this address and took just two minutes.  A speaker I would enjoy!