Monday, November 24, 2008

Clabber Girl Museum

My Old Kentucky Home

Leaving Ft. Knox we drove on state and county highways heading to Evansville to find a motel. It is called the Kentucky Scenic By Way and parallels the Ohio River.

Stephen Foster was born and grew up in this area of Kentucky. Kentucky hills, horse and cattle ranches with lots of white fences, tobacco processing plant, acres of farm land,and some manufacturing. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in one of the small towns. We have quilt blocks on our barns in areas of Iowa, but in this area of Kentucky they have a whole quilt painted on their barns!
A sign advertising "soda blasting" indicates that they use baking soda instead of sand to clean surfaces. It leaves a coating on the metal that prevents immediate rust from forming. This gives more time to put a finish on the metal.
We drove through snow flurries for the last few hours of our trip that day.

Indiana

A sunny, cold and windy day to drive north on Highway 41 through the Indiana countryside. We filled up with the cheapest gas on the trip--$1.569! In and out of Eastern Standard Time as we drive along the Wabash River valley.

North of Vincennes is an area with orchards and acres of melons and vegetables. Fields are harvested and all the Wholesale & Retail Farmers Markets are closed for the season.

We did see signs of the season---truckloads of Christmas trees!

Terra Haute

The Clabber Girl Museum was easy to find. Follow Highway 40 which went around their huge County Court House and into Wabash Avenue. On the corner was the tall building housing the Museum, corporate offices, gift shop and a restaurant.
Later as we drove off we could see that the warehouses for this company took up a couple of blocks. Inside the building is finished in a beautiful wood paneling with exhibits of kitchens from different eras and personal memorabilia and information of the owners, the Hulman Family. They were German immigrants involved in general merchandise & grocery business expanding to include almost anything that could be sold.

Some of the products they manufactured were Hulman & Co spices & coffee, catsup, jams, peanut butter and apple butter. Canned goods were packed fresh across the country for shipment. Their brands were Dauntless, Farmers Pride, Crystal, Rex Coffee & Tea and Hulco Brand.


This pneumatic tube system was designed to send orders to every floor of the building complex. It was used until 2002 when a centralized computer system connected the buildings!



The Baking Powder War

In the 1850's ashes from the wood burning kitchen stoves were used to make lye soap and pearlash. Pearlash mixed with an acid like sour or clabbored milk worked as a leavenor for baked goods like bisuits, cakes and quick breads.

Baking Powder was invented in 1859. The chemical leavenor was a big hit with housewives. Manufacturers fought for distribution rights. At least 100 brands were available. One company that used a cream of tarter base spread wild accusiations regarding the safe use of the ingredients and health issues. They printed "official" looking scientific articles to sway the consumers. There were many closed factories and buy-outs. This was called The Baking Powder War!

Clabber Brand was one of the brands that survived along with Rumford. Both were manufactured by Hulman Company. The name was changed to Clabber Girl to make it consistant with the Food & Drug Act in 1906. It stated that the label be consistant with the contents. There was no clabbered or milk products in the product so Brand was dropped and Girl was added to the label.






This was an unusual antique electric mixer on display.
It looked like 2 egg beaters with an electric motor attatched!






Racing Family

Herman Hulman raced bicycles in 100 mile races in the 1800's! They were the ones with the large front wheel and very small back wheel. In fact, they had bicycle racing clubs and we think the Tour de France is so great!!

Tony Hulman, Jr bought the Indianapolis Raceway after WWII from Eddie Rickenbacker, the WWI flying ace. It was run down, but he brought it back to where it is today. The family still owns it!

Back on the Road headed West

Had lunch in another small town cafe on way to the Interstate. Then it was through Illinois farmland for a stay at the Super 8 at Galesburg.

We heard about snow in Southern Iowa, but only saw the accumulation on the side of the road and in the fields until after we were home and unpacked! Then we had our snow flurries!

Thanking the Lord for the adventure of another safe road trip!
Prairie Schooners

Friday, November 21, 2008

General George Patton Museum

We were greeted with a display of military tanks on the grounds of the General George Patton Museum. My experience with tanks has been limited to watching war movies with Papa Jim so it was an educational experience seeing all of the different "models." It seems that the changes made were to better utilize the need for which they were used or forced by the enemy's actions!

Inside we were greeted with an army Harley Davidson! They were manufactured for wartime use for the cavalry. Horses were on the way out! The cavalry was being mechanized!

The museum gives incidents leading up to and reasons for why the different wars were fought along with the results. The battles are told from the infantry and armored divisions point of view. You can see how the armored force developed from WWI through the present Iraq War.


Trenches & Barbed Wire

The American ranchers began using barbed wire in the 1870's to control livestock and mark property lines. In WWI it was used to slow the movement of soldiers. Trenches were covered with it. Soldiers called it "death rope". When they stopped to cut is they became targets of the enemy. Barbed wire entanglements often extended to a depth of several hundred yards and were taller than a man!

A display showed a German heavy machine gun that was unique for the time. It had a roller type feed capable of firing 450 rounds per minute.

Tanks were developed to take trenches and overcome the trenched machine guns.

The first tank used the American Holt Caterpillar but was not successful. Automotive development over the years offered improvements.

The first experience in battle with tanks and infantry together was not good! The infantry commanders "did not seem to grasp the concept of tanks cooperating with infantry."

How did they get their name? They were transported by train and had to be covered in canvas with a false deposition. For secrecy on the Rail Road packing slip it was labeled large water tank. Thus the workers would call them "tanks" and the name stuck!

Because the British Royal Navy built the first tank many names of the parts came from the Navy: turret, hatch, bulkhead & deck.

Bits & Pieces of Information found at the Museum

A letter sent from the German Foreign Minister to Mexico in 1917 proposing that Mexico join with them to make war on United States was intercepted by the British. In return for joining them Germany would give Mexico back the lands they lost in 1848 from U.S. This letter helped U.S. decide to join the allies in the war.

How did the Soldiers eat? The army had a "rolling kitchen" that went to the battle fields. French families sometimes offered meals. They ate food captured from the Germans. Sometimes went hungry if the fighting stopped the food from reaching them.

Fake Dirt: A mixture of paint, glue, water and chipped foam is used to make fake dirt in the museum diorama.

Foreign Tanks: Tanks from other countries are included in the displays. Some were captured. Some were used to find out new technology.

Restoration: Many of the tanks are restored to operational condition. Because of space the tanks on display are changed periodically in order to have all seen by public at some time. We saw the tracks in the outdoor display showing that it was changed.

"The Tanks are Coming!"

The movie, "The Tanks are Coming!" was filmed at Ft. Knox and released by Warner Brothers on October 4, 1941. It was nominated for an Oscar in 1942. It is a combination patriotic and recruiting vehicle for the U.S. Army.

In the Korean War animal faces were painted on the tanks intending to frighten superstitious Chinese soldiers.

How much does a tank weigh? We saw weights listed from 20 tons up to a German Tiger Tank that weighed 68 tons! In the Vietnam War one model of tank was made with an aluminum hull and was light enough to be air dropped at 17 tons.

Landing Ship Tank (LST):
A ship to move tanks was proposed by the British. A problem with ventilation had to be dealt with. A model was built at Ft. Knox because they had a lot of tanks available. The problem was solved and the model was used to train officers of the Armor School how to load and unload tanks. To move tanks it was flat bottomed and slow. The crews nicknamed it LST for Large, Slow Target!

General George Patton

The museum has a large display of General Patton's personal items. Of interest was the abandoned WWII small arms repair van that he turned into his rolling field office. It was complete with a generator for electric lights, water tank above a sink, desk, and a cot for sleeping. An antique Winnebago!

He lived an interesting life! The museum uses words from his journals and letters to describe pictures and items. This gives a personal "feel" to the pictures and memorabilia plus a look into the way he thought.He left reams of written material for biographers to use.

The theater in the museum shows a visual biography of his life. A good place to sit and rest your feet after walking through the displays!

Talk to you later "along the way"!
Prairie Schooners

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Ft. Knox, Kentucky

Ft. Knox Military Reservation south and west of Louisville is the site of the United States Bullion Depository. No, we did not get to visit! Absolutely no visitors are permitted!

The Building

The Depository building is a two story basement and attic building constructed of granite, steel and concrete. Inside is a two level steel and concrete vault that is divided into compartments. The vault door weighs more than 20 tons! The building is equipped with the latest and most modern protective devices along with security people.

The Gold

Gold is stored in the form of standard mint bars of almost pure gold or coin gold bars resulting from melting gold coins. They are about the size of an ordinary building brick. Each bar contains approximately 400 troy oz of gold worth $16,888. This amount is based on the statutory price of $42.22 per oz. There is 147.3 million ounces of gold stored there now. The most stored in the last century was 649.6 million ounces on December 31, 1941.

Additional Articles Stored

Other valuable articles have been stored in the Depository at different times. The Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, and three volumes of the Gutenberg Bible.

Other countries have stored items, also. This included the Magna Carta. The crown, sword, scepter, orb & cape of St. Stephen, King of Hungary was stored until returned to the government in 1978.

Goldfinger

The model of the Bullion Depository that was used to brief the henchmen on the attack on the building in the James Bond movie, Goldfinger, is displayed in the Patton Military Museum. That is our next stop!

Thanks for "traveling" with us!
Prairie Schooners

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Louisville, Kentucky continued

Delivery Day

Thanking the Lord for a great night's sleep and a continental breakfast to get us going on this sunny day!

On the road headed east, but not enjoying the 20 mph south wind hitting us from the side! Papa is not just steering, he is "hanging on to the steering wheel! We are rocking and rolling down the interstate.

Acres and acres of farm land being tilled, having fertilizer applied and some still being harvested. Nearing Indianapolis and into rolling hills with areas of trees. Leaves have all fallen making trunks & branches grey & brown against the blue sky with a carpet of green grass. Getting cloudy.

As we get near Kentucky we see horse ranches. We have left the clouds behind and can feel the warmth of the sun.

Into Louisville on Interstate 65, across the Ohio River, remembering last years visit to Jeffersonville's Steamboat Museum and following the Ohio back east! (check last years blog)

Through the main gate of Kentucky State Fair & Expo Center and to the Winnebago staging area. Not the first and not the last of the 45 units to arrive. Unpack, unhook, check-in, paperwork signed, short visit with show hosts & back on I-65 south headed for Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Some leaves are still on the trees making shades of brown & tan on the hillsides. Curves! It has been a "straight" route until we started into these low mountains. The interstate is "cut" through the mountain leaving steep rock sides. Looks like shale with a very thin layer of top soil on top.

Super 8 is our "home" for the night. Cracker Barrel down the road served a great roast beef supper. We like the fried okra and hot cornmeal muffins. We have had some interesting experiences in the past at the restaurant chain, but tonight they did a super job!

Thanking the Lord for another safe delivery!
Check in as we share what we are seeing along the way!
Prairie Schooners

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

2008 Louisville, Kentucky

Pick-Up Day

Call came late in PM telling us a 37 ft Winnebago Sightseer was on the lot and ready to pick-up.

Early AM in the cold & dark heading north, watching the pinks of the sunrise over the frosty harvested fields.

What a change from the last units we have had. This is "BIG" and a beautiful bronze, blue & dark cherry color scheme inside & out with cherry cabinets. Two slide outs on each side, full length leather sofa, 3 TV sets connected to a satellite system, a fire place & a $147,000 price tag! This would have been great for sleeping. (Because the RV show is inside we cannot have any LP to run a heater, but will get reimbursed for our motel room.)

With the 75 gal tank we only had to do one partial fill to complete the 680 mile trip. Great to see lower gas prices with the 6 mpg!

Great day of traveling. Papa is liking to be back driving a "BIG" one even if it is not a diesel pusher! I'm lovin' the large flat desk-like dash for maps! Happy Campers!

Combines finishing harvest. Fragrance of freshly turned soil as they till the harvested fields. Windmills on wind farms silhouetted on the horizon. Steam rising in huge clouds from ethanol plants.

Found a parking place(last one available for us) for the "elephant" at the Days Inn in Morton, Illinois. Comfortable room.

A thumbs down for Hardee's new Mexican menu! Pictures look great, but the grilled chicken burrito was cold and dry with very little filling. Dab of beans & rice was also cold & dry. We'll eat our Mexican at our local Honk & Holler in Hampton!

How about some old Clint Eastwood movies for entertainment tonite!

Check in and we'll talk to you along the way!
Prairie Schooners

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Greenville, Ohio --Continued!


The Garst Museum is several museums under one roof plus a geneology library.

The Lowell Thomas Birthplace was closed the day we were there.

The
Lower Floor is filled with a variety of items used in the past. It includes a display of sewing machines made over the last 200 years, early laundry equipment, a surrey with a fringe on top, farm equipment, and the "Iddings Special. This car was built in Greenville & raced at Indianapolis by a local driver, winning in 1948
.

This is a picture of an antique cash register. Wires were strung throughout the store connecting each check-our area with the store's business office. Money/checks received at the check-out area were put into the metal container and it was sent to the office. Change or a receipt was put into the container and sent back to the check-out for the customer! Yes, it was used at a JC Penney near us, but also in a small-town store in our community when I was growing up. It was fun to watch the little metal container travel all over the store!!

A machine from the Corning Company showed the molds used to make glass ware for cars.They manufactured the covers for headlights as well as pyrex ware.

The Annie Oakley Center

Annie Oakley,born in a log cabin near Greenville, was named Phoebe Ann, but her sisters called her Annie. Her father died when she was young. She learned to use her father's 40-inch cap and ball Kentucky rifle to hunt game to sell during her teen years.

As her reputation grew she was pitted against Frank Butler, a champion marksman whom she beat and eventually married. She took the name Annie Oakley. They went on the road to entertain eventually joining the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show.

One of her acts was to ride into the arena on a bicycle while shooting targets thrown in the air.

She taught women to shoot a gun for sport and to protect themselves.
She and Frank literally lived out of a trunk, coming back to Greenville to visit family whenever possible.
They carried an Armstrong Table Stove for cooking. It was a portable electric toaster and egg cooker. No McDonalds so had to make their own egg McMuffin!

Her motto: "Aim high at a high mark and you will hit it.
No, not the first time, nor the second, and maybe not the third.
But keep on aiming and keep on shooting.
For only practice will make you perfect.
Finally you'll hit the bull's eye of Success."

The Village's Wing

Nineteen rooms set up as stores as seen in late 1800's thru the early 1900's including a telephone office, apothecary shop(drug store), Doctor & Dentist office, Post Office, Barber Shop and Beauty Shop.

Wm. A. Lohmann was a wagon maker whose sons studied astronomy & optics (science of light). Two years after his son, Ed, graduated from High School he started a business of making telescopes in his dad's shop. In 1895 he built his first telescope. During the next 40 years, Ed helped build some of the most famous telescopes still in use today in US & European capitols.
The biggest lens he built was shipped from Greenville on a flat car and is part of Mt. Wilson Observatory Telescope in Los Angeles, CA.

Military History

This exhibit contains military uniforms from Army, Navy, marines, Air Force, & Coast Guard along with memorabilia from every war since the War of 1812, with the exception of the Mexican American War.

The exhibit of Lt. Commander Zachary Lansdowne, Captain of the USS Shenandoah, a Navy dirigible shows pictures of the crash. The USS Shenandoah was on a promotional flight to the midwest which included flyover of 40 cities and visits to State Fairs.

Commander Lansddowne, a native of Greenville, had protested the flight because of the violent weather conditions that were common in Ohio in late summer. His pleas for cancellation only led to postponement because his superiors were anxious to publicize airship technology and justify the huge cost of the airship to the taxpayer.

While passing through an area of thunderstorm and turbulence over Ohio early in the morning on September 3, 1925 the airship was torn apart and crashed in several pieces. The Commander and 13 others were killed. Twenty-nine survivors succeeded in riding 3 sections of the airship to the ground. It is believed that because the airship contained helium, which does not react chemically with air, it did not burn.

Indian History Section

Darke County, Ohio has an active archaeological dig. Artifacts from as early as the 1700's are in the exhibits.

The Indians planted the 3 Sisters, corn, beans & squash, together. The corn stalk became a support for the bean plant and the squash would cover the ground to keep the weeds from growing! Let's try that next spring in our garden!

Greenville was home to the Great Indian leader, Tecumseh, for several years. He was a Shawnee chief, a commanding speaker who tried to organize a mighty Indian confederation against the English. He did not sign the Treaty fo GreeneVille in 1795.

In the Ohio and Great Lakes region the Indians lived in very much he same manner as did the first white pioneers who settled in the west. The Indians in the Nothwest Territory, however, were basically nomads. They had a simple hunting and agriculture economy because of being on the move. This and the conflicts between tribes contributed to a limited population.

American History Section

Do you remember the Treaty of Greene Ville from history class?

As the frontier of settlement along the Atlantic Ocean filled in, the pressure of increasing population pushed some people westward. The mountains were a barrier until the American Revolution. As the white people moved west into the home lands and hunting grounds of the Indian tribes it was inevitable that there would be conflict. When the Americans began to enter the Ohio Valley, the Indians felt pressed to defend themselves.

Forts will built in the area and recruiting began for the start of an army for the United States.
In 1790,President George Washington sent an army against the Indians. Finally in 1794, General Anthony Wayne defeated the Indians. He built several forts in the area and recruited men to build up an army for the United States.

General Wayne invited the Indian tribes to Fort Greene Ville to a peace conference. From January to July, 1795, tribal representatives came into the headquarters camp. General Wayne was responsible for providing for the soldiers & their families as well as about 1100 Indians that came for the peace negotiations.

After smoking the Calumet, or Pipe of Peace, the treaty was signed on August 3, 1795. This opened up settlement into what was called the Old Northwest Territory.


Another page in our country's history.
Again we felt "overload" from all that we had seen and read.
The "home magnet" was pulling as we headed west for the Interstate to take us back to our Prairie Home!

Thanking the Lord for another adventure,

Prairie Schooners

















Greenville, Ohio

Just looking at the map you would never know the history that we found in Greenville, OH just an hour drive north of Dayton. From the information we picked up at the Welcome Center we chose the KitchenAid plant tour and the Garst Museum. It was a rainy day making "inside" activities a good choice!

KitchenAid Stand Mixer Factory Tour

This hour tour was conducted by one of the "production associates" (workers) after we put on our walkman(to hear over the factory noise) and safety glasses furnished by the company.

The first mixer was displayed in their heritage exhibit showing the improvements over the years. All of the attachments old and new fit all of the mixers old or new. What a concept--leaving that part of the mixer unchanged! So if you can find attachments in a thrift store they will fit your mixer no matter what year you purchased it. The same goes for the bowls--any age bowl will fit any age mixer. They are making glass ones again making it possible to use them in the microwave.

The first KitchenAid stand mixer was produced for commercial bakers in 1908. A husband made a smaller version for his wife in 1919. It weighed 68 pounds. It took him 4 days to make one mixer. The housewives would sell them door-to-door for $189. Part of there selling point was that it was a great kitchen aid, this became their name!

Today, they make hundreds of mixers every day in at least 50 different colors! The motors on the stand mixers are assembled at the plant.
Drop-in motors are used in the hand mixers and blenders.
The gear is made from kevlar. The same material used in bullet-proof vests.
A mixer is pulled off the line, taken apart and checked. If something is wrong all the mixers made from that time are taken off and checked. Quality control seems very evident.
You can call the 800 number listed on the band around your mixer and get any information you might need. There is a real person to talk to you!
Any mixer that leaves a store has to be returned to the factory and be completely taken apart and reassembled before it can be resold. It is labeled refurbished. This includes the wedding gift that is returned unopened.
This is true for their other appliances, also.
Buying a refurbished mixer/appliance can be a good deal!
We were impressed with how clean and neat the factory appeared with all the activity that goes with manufacturing!



Of course we were encouraged to drive uptown and visit their store!
Drool! Drool! What a variety of fun "kitchen aids" in a rainbow of colors!
We did purchase a mesh permanent filter to put in our coffee pot, hopefully no more coffee grounds in cup because that paper filter folded up!

A short drive to the Museum.
See you there!

Prairie Schooners





Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Dayton, Ohio

There is much to see in the Dayton area. What a decision! The Aviation Trail has more than 30 sites open to the public to show the areas unique aviation heritage.
If you are going to the area check out aviationtrailinc.org on line.


National Museum of the United States Air Force


This is an awesome place. It is huge! It is free! It is full of history! We were there all day and did not even see three of the 5 buildings and one of them we practically ran through! It is located next to Wright-Patterson AFB. Easy to get to and plenty of parking space. There is no way we can tell you everything we saw so will give you some highlights and unusual items we discovered.

Imax Theatre:
There is a charge to see any of the four films shown daily. We watched Space Station. Seven Space Shuttle crews and two resident station crews transform the International Space Station into a permanently inhabited scientific research station. What views of earth! What challenges!

Early Years Gallery:
This section starts with the earliest days of military aviation, starting with the Wright Brothers and continuing through the Mexican Punitive Expedition, World War I, research and development in the l930's and the the US preparation for World War II.

The first airplane, built by Wright Brothers, actually used bicycle like chain and sprockets powered by a motor.

The first monoplane pilots were put in a plane with "clipped" wings, it could not actually "take off". They had to learn to control the rudder by bouncing across the air field. Once they could do a straight course they were given a plane with wings that could fly!

Editorial cartoons were criticizing Congress for not spending money on airplanes. One of them had a picture of an eagle without any wing feathers!

The pilots in the first high altitude flights of 4,167 feet were exposed to extreme cold. One newspaper article stated that it "was strength of will that saved the aviator from being dashed to earth. He steps into the rank of experts and adds to his days total of 12 flights."

WWI airplanes were built in Dayton, Ohio.

Because of lack of combat airplanes, American flying cadets had only primary flight instruction in the US & Canada. They were flown or shipped to England to get advanced instruction before flying in combat.

To meet the overwhelming expansion schedule for the aviation sector in WWI, 27,000 officers and men were assigned to Spruce Division. They worked in forests and lumber mills to supply sufficient wood for building planes. Castor Oil was needed for lubrication. 100,000 acres in southern US was planted with Castor beans.

The pilots flew in open cockpits. To provide them with sufficient protective clothes 450,000 Nuchwang dog skins were purchased from China.

Planes from other countries are also displayed! A Fokker D.VII German Fighter plane like the real Red Baron, Baron Monfred von Richthofen, flew was hanging above us. It actually had superior flying performance over the Allied fighter planes.

Original Google Earth----airplanes with holes cut in bottom and cameras mounted inside. First camera used one vertical and four oblique lenses to take surveillance pictures. To take night pictures a magnesium bomb was dropped with the camera synchronized to take a picture when it flashed! Because that was too dangerous in WWII they switched to strobe lights.

Presidential Gallery

We took a bus ride into the old Wright Field flight line on the AFB to walk through the hanger with the collection of 9 Presidential aircraft and the Research/Development experimental aircraft collection.

The picture was taken on President Eisenhower's,VC-121E, named Columbine III. Note the size of the hangar. You can walk around and under the planes, too!
The planes are set up for you to

enter the front door behind the cockpit
and walk through the plane viewing it from the aisle and exit at the rear of the plane. Each one has a communication center for the President, areas for the press, seats at the front and back door for secret service and a private area for the President.

President Roosevelt's, C-54C, called "Sacred Cow", had an elevator in the rear to accommodate his wheel chair.

"Air Force One", a VC-137C, known as SAM(Special Air Mission)2600 is the Boeing 707 that flew President Kennedy's body back to Washington D.C. from Dallas. It was the site of President Lyndon Johnson's swearing in. It also served every president from Kennedy to Clinton.

President Truman's, "Independence" is also in this hangar.

The Research/Development/Flight Test Gallery



The Tacit Blue was built in 1996 to demonstrate that a low observable surveillance aircraft with low probability of intercept by radar could operate close to the forward line of battle. This was the beginning of the stealth technology advances.




The Chance Vought XC-142A built in 1964 looked like a helicopter with wings. It could hoover or pivot the wings to take off vertically!

Air Power Gallery

All the heroism and drama of World War II air power is in this hangar's exhibits and memorabilia. Planes from other countries are a part of this exhibit.

Walt Disney Studio Artists drew insignias for WWII military units. Walt Disney said,"The insigna meant a lot to the men who were flying. I had to do it.....I owed it to them."

The Dutch acquired more land by pumping the water from various sections of the Zuider Zee, a former shallow inlet of the North Sea. After pumping a sector dry, they often discover the remains of aircraft which crashed into water during WWII.These artifacts were donated to the USAF by the Royal Netherland AF.

In September l942, Glenn Miller, one of America's greatest dance band leaders of the period, disbanded his orchestra so he could join the Army Air Force. Within a year he organized and perfected a group of dance band musicians into the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band! Next to letters from home the band was a great morale builder for the troops as it made appearances anywhere that US servicemen were stationed as well as doing radio broadcasts.

Bob Hope had an area displaying his visits to the troops, also.

Prejudice and Memory/A Holocaust Exhibit

A hallway between the buildings contained a replica of a ghetto with pictures and stories of what took place during the Nazi persecution. Even some US military personnel were confined to POW camps and sent to concentration camps. Stories of how the survivors have lived their lives is inspiring. Could I have experienced those horrors and learned to live a purposeful life? That is what the Lord can do when we put our trust in Him!

One wall has a time-line from 1900 to 1950 showing events in the world during that time. It was interesting to see that Germany was going through an economic depression in the 1930's at the same time that it was experienced in America. This was the time that Hitler started to rise in power. (A lesson for today???) During the time of the holocaust black people in America were suffering from lack of civil rights.

B-36J Bomber

After an announcement that the museum would close in an hour Papa Jim went to the information desk to find out where the B-36 Bomber was located. They graciously gave us a map with directions so we could walk directly to it.


He remembers hearing this plane fly over their farm when he was young. It was the first intercontinental bomber. Began flying in 1947 and continued through the 1950's. It is no wonder he could hear it! It is powered by six 3,800 HP Pratt & Whitney radial piston engines and four 5,200# thrust General Electric turbojets. It has a maximum speed of 411 mph at 36,400 ft!




World War II Tower/Nissen Hut/Air Park

After the Museum closed we drove to an area that had several planes parked outside beside a reproduction of a WWII Control Tower that was used by the USAF in England.
A simple brick & tin structure called a Nissen Hut was used by the USAF to house the pilots in England. Despite being muddy, leaky & cold they were cheap and wuickly built as well as versitile. It was closed, but we could look at the planes.

One of them was a German Fokker tri-plane that looked like it was made out of corrugated metal!

Snoopy Nose


During the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense needed a mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations. In a joint project, NASA and the Do
During the early 1960s, NASA and the Department of Defense needed a mobile tracking and telemetry platform to support the Apollo space program and other unmanned space flight operations. In a joint project, NASA and the DoD contracted with the McDonnell Douglas and the Bendix Corporations to modify eight Boeing C-135 Stratolifter cargo aircraft into Apollo/Range Instrumentation Aircraft. Equipped with a steerable seven-foot antenna dish in its distinctive “Droop Snoot” or “Snoopy Nose,” the EC-135N A/RIA became operational in January 1968. The Air Force Eastern Test Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., maintained and operated the A/RIA until the end of the Apollo program in 1972 when the USAF renamed it the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft.

Transferred to the 4950th Test Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in December 1975 as part of an overall consolidation of large test and evaluation aircraft, the ARIA fleet underwent numerous conversions.


In 1994 the ARIA fleet relocated to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., as part of the 412th Test Wing; however, taskings for the ARIA dwindled because of high costs and improved satellite technology, and the USAF transferred the aircraft to other programs such as J-STARS (Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System).

On Nov. 3, 2000, a flight crew from the Air Force Flight Test Center delivered the last EC-135E (serial number 60-374, nicknamed “The Bird of Prey”) to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Over its 32-year career, the ARIA supported the U.S. space program, gathered telemetry, verified international treaties and supported cruise missile and ballistic missile defense tests.


This was a FULL day of INPUT!

See you along the way,
Prairie Schooners























Sunday, November 2, 2008

St. Cloud, MN

A short run to St. Cloud, MN would put us in the area where my brother and my parents live. A visit before the snow falls would be nice. One unit on the website to St. Cloud so we packed our bags and took off on a beautiful fall day.

We avoided the Minneapolis traffic by taking state Highway 15 north from the Iowa border all the way to the dealership. This is farming country with acres and acres of fields harvested, being harvested or waiting to be harvested! A wind farm, an ethanol plant, small towns and small lakes begging us to stop and fish.

We were "culverized" with a lunch at Culvers in Hutchison, MN. Their "Butter Burgers" are tasty as is the pot-roast sandwich.

About 30 miles from St. Cloud we started seeing the bluffs that extend to the Mississippi River. Most of the leaves have dropped so color is minimal.

Mora

After delivery a call to my brother to make plans to meet for supper at Freddie's Restaurant in Mora, near their home. Freddie's specialty is Barbque Ribs and Broasted Chicken. Good service, good food and a good visit.

Mora is famous for its twenty-five foot replica of the Dalacarlia Horse which is carved in several Swedish villages. It is a symbol of Mora's sister city relationship with the city of Mora in Sweden. The Dala Horse is visible through out the community on signs, in business places and home decorations.

Another symbol of this relationship is the brightly colored Mora Klocka. The twenty foot clock is located in the center of Mora.

The Vasaloppet Cross Country Ski Race takes place every winter in February starting and ending in Mora. There is a thirty nine foot tall Bell Tower sitting on the shore of Lake Mora. It has a 200 pound bell that announces the skiers as they cross the lake.

Packing up the car in the morning after a stay at the AmericaInn was interesting. One person drove off and left a suitcase in the parking place beside her car. Another needed us to jump start her car!

Rush City

A short drive east to Rush City along Interstate 35 in the morning sunshine of a great fall day brings us to the Golden Living Center. After a good morning of visiting with my parents we head south on the Interstate for Iowa and our home on the Prairie.

See you "along the way!"
Prairie Schooners





Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Cincinnati, Ohio


This is our week to look for a unit to deliver. Checking website late afternoon on Monday, only 1 to pick-up in Forest City, to be delivered to Cincinnati, OH a total of 664 miles.


Black walnuts are all shucked, washed & caged for storing. Garden produce is packed away or can wait for processing. Can we get packed in 3 hours?? Let’s Do It!


A stop at Seven Stars Family Restaurant in Hampton early Tuesday AM for our favorite omelets. Only the men working on the Wind Farm were there before us. There will be 350 total workers over a years time to install and make it operational!


As the sun appeared on the horizon we could see that the 28˚ made the combined bean fields white with frost! Drove into Bennett’s lot--- only 1 unit waiting to be delivered and 3 drivers waiting for a unit. A result of the slowing economy.


After hooking up the Saturn & checking out the $100,000 View, we filled up with 24 gallons diesel at the local station and headed East! Acres of beans combined, acres of corn & beans still to be combined and many combines in the fields.


Clouds and rain are chasing us, but right now the sun is reflecting all the colors of fall---making the browns look like polished bronze, the yellow golds, and the reds & oranges glow. Even the grey/white of the harvested bean fields and the rust-colored tall grass in the ditches seem to glow! The occasional bright green pasture makes a brilliant accent to the quilt-like scenes.


What is new on the Iowa/Illinois landscape? Lines of windmills on Wind Farms, steam rising from the tall pipes of the ethanol plants and a dentist chair sitting on the bank of a small fishing pond waiting to make a fisherman comfortable!


Home for the night is a parking place at Love’s Truck Stop in LeRoy, Illinois. Do we sleep on the couch, or the folded down dinette or in the loft above the cab????


After an Arby's breakfast we were on the road watching the sky color change from the rays of the rising sun. It is a challenge to keep enough gas in the tank, but no more than needed in order to save us some $$. A real world math problem!


Early afternoon on Wednesday we were on the dealer’s parking lot, unhooking, unloading & waiting for signed paperwork after his inspection. Thanking the Lord for another successful and safe delivery. Let’s go explore South West Ohio!


Prairie Schooners

Friday, October 3, 2008

Lakewood, NJ

Finally after many days of phone calling there was a Winnebago that needed to be delivered. (Sales are still down making the drivers compete to get one to deliver) Since Papa is teaching a weekly Bible Walk-thru we needed to be able to pick up on Tuesday, deliver and get back to the Prairie by the next Monday. Another driver was picking up an identical unit to go to another dealer in Lakewood and gave us some traveling tips!


Navion iQ Features:

This is a Navion iQ. One of the smaller units with a diesel engine that gets about 14 mpg when you tow a car. Steel grey with black accents on the outside. Inside is an attractive khaki color scheme with cherry wood. Very comfortable leather adjustable seats. There is a bed across the back of the unit. It will be comfortable when you put the slide out. (something we are not allowed to do when we are transporting). So it has been like climbing into a cupboard for me. Papa’s feet extend over the edge supported by pillows on the floor as we lay crosswise! An adventure for 2 nights!


Another interesting feature in this one are clear covers for the kitchen sink and 2 burner stove, making some worktable space. The sink has faucets that fold down to accommodate the cover. The bathroom has a 8 inch round sink in a shelf behind the stool with shower opposite. You would have to remember to back in and walk out! No couch, just 2 short bench seats, one with a built-in table. Very compact! Price-$110,000.


On the Road:

It was a drizzly day hooking up, checking the unit and driving southeast through farm land and past small communities headed for I-80. The corn and bean fields were various shades of green & brown Some areas still showing the effects of all the flooding this spring. Near Davenport, Iowa we spotted the first combine in a bean field. Several more across Illinois. Trucks were hauling ears of seed corn to the seed processing plant.


Chicago is always a challenge, but seemed almost too easy today. Turning off at Gary, Indiana planning to stay at the Flying J we saw water over an intersection and sand bags. The restaurants in the area were closed due to flooding from Hurricane Ike. We drove on to the Toll Road Travel Plaza at Portage to stay. On the way we saw stacks of sandbags & cement dividers plus the detour signs. Talking to another driver we found out that the traffic on I-80/90 was detoured to Highway 30 and it took him over 5 hours to get through that area last week after the 8 inches or rain fell one night.


Driving through northwestern Ohio we saw fields of soybeans, corn & vegetables (cabbage, pumpkin, & squash) ready to be harvested. Some crops had been harvested and the fields were already tilled. Large grain elevators on the horizon. Turkey buzzards floating on the air currents reminded us of our little Prairie! We have had over two dozen floating above and around our home for the last month. Will they still be there when we get back??


Listening to audio books help make the miles go faster when we are not in “new” territory. This trip we let our minds travel out West with a couple of stories by Louis L’Amour. It was interesting to listen to the news about our economical crises and then listen to David McCullough’s book Truman. The author gives a balanced view of the history during that era. I wonder if we will ever learn from past lessons! It was interesting that Mr. Truman wrote so many letters through out his life with his thoughts and daily experiences. Now our thoughts and daily experiences are shared via cell phone or email. How do we preserve those for the next generation?


Fall Color!


Into the mountains in eastern Ohio and the Pennsylvania Wilds. I enjoy the graceful overpass bridges. Straight on top for the highway, but a graceful arched supporting curve with ends resting on high rock ledges! A warm sunny day with a treat for us! Color! Large areas of goldenrod with accents of purple & white asters and wine red sumac bushes in the ditches and on the hillside meadows! Leaves are changing to their autumn colors. As you look across the mountains you see them covered with a dense thick fleece quilt of shades of green, red, and gold. What a spectacular show God gives us to enjoy!


An email from our granddaughter gives a "life lesson" from the fall colors:

I know you are on your way out east right now, and maybe just in time for some good fall leaves to enjoy? Fall always makes me want to travel too, to go see all the sights and colors and activities before the winter kills it all. That's the kind of funny things about the outdoors during the Fall. You don't stand around looking at nature in the spring and summer -- it just seems the perfect vibrant backdrop to the hundreds of run-around activities which we rush to and fro with, trying to squish it all in before the weather changes. The weather and the colors and the plants are all energetic and growing and all that, but you don't sit and notice it, or maybe I should say that at least I don't. But then, during the Fall, you just want to stand there, and look at the trees as they subtly change, or at the fields as they mature and ripen for harvest. And you just want to sit there and soak it all up. Enjoy it. Like what I am doing right now in the campus library, seated comfortably by the huge wall of picture windows, and close enough to some of the huge trees on campus to see some of the subtle changes in leaf coloring. And it gets me thinking about how subtle God's changes in us are, little bitty ones that slowly make our lives, our produce, our leaves, more beautiful and more vibrant -- showing off more and more of Him in us.


Oops, looks like we are going to miss a tour of the baseball bat factory at Exit 86, again! But we did drive over the highest point east of the Mississippi River on I-80 (2,250') and entered the Cheaspeake Bay watershed. Wind is getting stronger as we drive into the edge of the storm off the coast. Weather band stated that the coast was having 40mph winds and the waves were dangerously high in the inlets. Color fades as we go South to find a bridge over the Delaware River & a highway into Lakewood.


Lakewood, NJ


From their website:

Lakewood, New Jersey Brief History:

In 1814, way before this area was known as “Lakewood”, the town was named “Washington’s Furnace” by Jesse Richards & William Irwin, who moved here from Washington Township. They set up an iron company, which began to fail in 1832. A local investor by the name of Joseph W. Brick purchased the company and was successful in its revitalization. When Mr. Brick eventually passed away, the town was renamed “Bricksburg”.


During the 1860’s, five and ten acre tracts of land were advertised in various papers throughout New York. The streets of the village were laid out, and many large homes were constructed. One of the grander homes, the Laurel House, hosted such families as the Vanderbilt’s, Rockefellers and Astor’s.
In 1880, the town’s name was changed to “Lakewood”. The town’s promoters did not find “Bricksburg” to be a favorable name. The following decade saw the construction of many large hotels. One of the larger hotels was “The Lakewood Hotel”, which stayed open long after the tourist season to enable President Cleveland to spend his final days as peacefully as possible.
Just ten miles from the beach, today Lakewood boasts 1,200 acres of parks, 2 golf courses with a third on the way, as well as The Lakewood Blue Claws baseball team.

The city was interesting to drive through as we looked for the dealership. We drove through a large Jewish community with schools, banks & businesses. Past a Russian Orthodox Church and a city park beside a small lake which gave us a place for a picnic lunch. No left turns are permitted. If you had to turn left you would look for the corner on the right that permitted you to turn off and circle back to the left!

We stopped at a Wawa Market to get gas. I had to "google" that unusual name! It is a chain of convenience stores in the mid-Atlantic region. The name comes from the site of the first milk plant & the corporate headquarters in Wawa, PA. The name of the town is derived from the Ojibewe Indian word for Canadian goose. An imaage of goose in flight is corporate logo.

Because the dealer told us that their area was predicted to receive 4 inches of rain that evening along with 40 mph winds we decided to not try and do any sightseeing in the area. (Maybe we will find something in PA or OH) We headed north & west to get away from the storm.
What an experience on the New Jersey Turnpike as we got closer to New York! Drivers speed, cut in and out close & sharply, honk their horns and in one area they separate the cars from the trucks, each having 3 lanes going parallel to each other!!

Pocono Mountains

We found a Days Inn in Tannersville, PA, which is in the Pocono Mtns. The main road was the valley and any road branching from it went "up"! The motel was on one of those "up" side roads. Each of the sections was a little higher than the other. It was comfortable, clean, and quiet. It is near the Pocono International Speedway which was having a classic car show that week-end. We had our own show at the motel. What fun to walk past all of the "classics" sitting in front of their rooms when we did our "evening stroll"!

There was a restaurant featuring Indian cusine, we were going to try, but the fragrance of the spices was overwhelming when we walked in. We decided we would experiment with those spices at home in our kitchen first to see if we wanted to pay the price for a whole meal at a restaurant. (We found a Friendly's and enjoyed clam chowder, a chicken salad and their great ice cream.)


It was raining in the morning, drizzle off and on most of the day as we traveled west on I-80. Heard that there was some flooding in NJ without the 4 " of rain. We followed a little classic sport car that did not have any fenders and wide tires. In the rain it made water spouts on each side of the vehicle! The colored leaves on the trees are brilliant red and gold even in the rain. Low clouds cover some of the mountain tops. We are resigned to not doing side road trips. Most are scenic drives that would be hard to enjoy in the rain, but I do have an itinerary for next time, Lord willing, we are driving through this area.

Travel Tip: Get the State Tourist Guide and a State Road map at the Welcome Center or order on line of each state you are traveling through. It will show the areas of the state, the attractions for that area, and motels, campgrounds, etc. It is easy to carry. You can "google" for additional information, hours open, admission & etc.

Signs warned of Fair traffic as we neared Bloomsburg, PA. They average 60,000 people at their 8 day fair. It started in 1855 as a one day county agriculture fair and grew to 8 days in 1989. It covers several acres and has stage shows as well as displays and contests. Perhaps next time it won't be raining when we are in the area and we can check it out!

Cherry Springs Sky Preserve

A sky preserve was a new concept to us. Cherry Springs Sky Preserve is a 48 acre park in rural Potter County Pennsylvania surrounded by 200,000 acres of the Susquehannock State Forest. It is located far from cities on a plateau allowing a spectacular view of the night sky for observation and photogaphy. One observer said, " When the sky is clear and the seeing is good then people can actually see their shadow cast on the ground from the starlight alone." This will be added to our "to do & see" list for next time!

Elk Run Scenic Drive

A four hour scenic drive through the Pennsylvania Wilds makes a loop between I-80 exit #111 and exit #147. If the weather cooperates this will be part of our next road trip to this area. The elk poplulation was decimated until the early 1900's when 100 elk were brought into the area from the Rock Mountains. Now a herd of 600 roam the area along with other wildlife. Did you know that an elk can run for 30 miles and trot for much longer? I know we have elk just over the fence, here on the Prairie. We enjoy their bugle in the fall and their graceful movements across the pasture, but seeing them in the wild plus the beauty of the mountains would be a great experience.

Another Life Lesson on the Road:

I'll have to confess to some whining & complaining about the weather preventing some "scenic drives", seeing some historic places, & doing our usual "exploring" the area until I remembered Romans 8:28."All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose" & Philippians 2:14--"Do all things without complaining...." & Philippians 4:11-- Paul states.....I have learned, in whatever state I am, in this to be content."

It looks like we will have time to stop at the Baseball Bat Factory at exit 86 today! It is inside & we had to take I-80 back because of the weather. What other blessings will the Lord have for us along the road ahead? Actually, because we got home earlier we could enjoy a visit on the week-end from some special people.

BWP Bats

Take exit#86 off I-80 near Brookville, PA and follow the signs through the country to the BWP Bat factory. Brookville Wood Products has been in business for over 40 years producing furniture squares, stair parts and flooring parts for manufacturers as well as billets for baseball bat manufacturing. They are located in the hardwood capitol of the world.

To expand their area of production they researched manufacturing their own baseball bats and started their company BWP Bats. They still sell over 30,000 billets to other bat manufacturers each year besides the 40,000 bats that they manufacture themselves.

What is a billet? It is a piece of square hard wood about 37 inches long and 4 inches wide that is the base for making a bat. This billet is marked on the bottom with its weight. It is made from hard maple, ash or red oak. It is inspected to be sure it is free of defects.

The billet is placed in a special lathe and the specifications for the bat is programed in. The bat is cut. Each of the major, minor & independent league players (presently over 100 professional players) that purchase their bats from BWP have their own specifications in the computer. Or they can send in a bat and it can be copied on the lathe. As it is cut on the lathe a rough sanding is also done. 4 pounds will be removed from the billet as it is made into a bat!

Sanding is done on several machines with careful examination at each one for defects. The last sander smooths the bat to a "glass finish", preparing it to be painted or stained.

Bats are dipped to paint or stain and hung to dry. They are dipped 3 times in a clear finish and then dried before going to the pad printer. This machine applies the logo on the less strong side of the bat, helping the player to know which side of the bat NOT to hit the ball with.

The next step is hand painting the decorative lines on the bat. It is then ready to be placed on a shelf as stock. When purchased it is engraved with the model number or customized according to the buyers specifications which can include a saying or a name/and or date! They sell bats to schools, little leagues and individuals besides professional players.

If requested the bat will be cupped. This is when the end of the barrel of the bat is cupped out (a little cupped space is taken out of the end). This lightens the weight of the bat by about 1 ounce. It also strengthens the "sweet spot" and adds balance to the bat.

They give tours 6 days a week from 8 - 4. They are busy from January through the spring & summer with 12 employees. Do you know what the "sweet spot" is?

Back to the Prairie

We drove out of the cloudy drizzle into sunshine across Ohio. A night stay at the Comfort Inn at Fremont, Ohio. A long drive across Indiana & Illinois. Finally back in WHO wave length so we could hear the Hawk's get beat. Then through Hawk fan traffic and north. We enjoy "going" and we enjoy getting back "home"! Is that contentment?!

Thanks for joining us "along the way"!

Prairie Schooners

Monday, August 4, 2008

Newport News, Virginia

On the Road Again!

With the high cost of gas/diesel motor home sales have slowed making fewer available for delivery and more competition for the drivers! We had a choice of 3 units the day we called. Our choice was an Itasca Navion that was sold to a dealer in
Newport News, Virginia.

The afternoon before we left another thunderstorm went through our area. The clouds and sun created this contrasting view of the Prairie.
The next afternoon in the Indianapolis area we drove through another thunderstorm or the same one??

Speaking of weather it was encouraging to see all the rebuilding being done in the Parkersburg, IA area after the tornado that hit early this spring. Most all of the debris has been removed and it resembles a housing development. It was more difficult to see the flood damage in Cedar Rapids from the Interstate.




Driving along the Interstate in Iowa/Illinois & Indiana we felt like we were traveling through a sea of various shades of green highlighted with the gold tassels just coming out in the fields of corn and a contrasting golden wheat/oats field. The ditches are filled with yellow blossoms of black-eyed susan, blue of chicory, delicate white of queen Anne's lace, pink of the crown vetch and the purple of clover. The sky overhead is a brilliant blue with a line of cottony thunderheads to the south. We listen to the song, "How Great Thou Art" and Thank the Lord, for giving us this colorful Cathedral of Creation!


Across Ohio and into the Appalachian Mtns of West Virginia and Virginia. It is dry out here and a contrast to the green in the plains. In Dayton, Ohio we took Highway # 35 which goes Southeast into Charleston, WV. It is a good road. A pretty drive!

Along the Interstate we noticed new semi tractors being transported "piggy-back" with 2 or 3 to a "load". One day we counted up to 50 loads headed west!

It seemed that the traffic was not nearly as heavy as on our past trips even though it was summer vacation.

Found the dealer, unhooked and washed unit. For those who are interested: This was a diesel unit which averaged 13-14 mpg. The average price for diesel was $4.70/gal. Our Saturn averaged 30-36 mpg while sightseeing and driving back. Gas was under $3.80 to $3.97/gal.

So many choices of interesting places to visit!!

We had made reservations at a motel in Williamsburg, VA for the night knowing that we would spend time someplace near there the afternoon after our delivery. We choose to go to Yorktown and stopped at the Watermen's Museum on Water Street. A trolley goes by every 20 minutes on its circuit of the city stopping at stores and museums. It sits on the shore of the York River and there is a public beach on either side.

The museum is in a four-room building that was the J.W. Hornsby Co office, but originally was brought by barge across the York river to this site in 1987. One of the rooms is paneled in burled long leaf pine. The grain of the wood has an interesting pattern. The long leaf pine tree grows along the Atlantic coastal plain from Virginia to Texas. The trees with the burled grain were over 400 years old when cut for lumber. Only about 1% of the trees were burled and they were all harvested years ago. Today the burled wood comes from old buildings and warehouses that were built during the Industrial Revolution.

The fishermen who worked along England's Thames River called themselves, Watermen. This title was retained by the Virginia colonists who worked the water and continues to today. During the Revolutionary War, the Watermen were used as pilots of ships.

The Watermen had the Chesapeake Bay to work. The Algonquian Indians, who lived along the bay called it the "great shellfish bay". It is 2500 sq miles, largest bay in the US. Today it produces 200 million pounds of seafood. It's distinctive geological features include a gently a sloping shoreline believed to have been shaped by glaciers as they receded. It is relatively shallow, averaging 21 feet, which allows sunlight to nurture sea plants and other organisms that form the basis of the Bay's all important food chain.

The first items exported from the colonies was the meat and the roe of the sturgeon from Chesapeake Bay. The museum displays tell the story of fin fishing for croaker, spot, flounder, menhaden and shell fishing for crabs, clams, scallops and oysters. Today, with aquaculture, the Watermen are growing clams and oysters in beds in the river & bay. It is the 3rd largest industry in Virginia. You can even grow clams and oysters off your own dock!


A table had shells from snails, scallops, oysters, snails, a string of whelk egg cases (the long round items) and the black item in the back is a skate egg case. The whelk is a large snail. Their shells are the large spiral ones. It is sometimes mistakenly called a conch. In the summer there will be stings of pale, disc-shaped egg cases on the shore. The skate fish or ray is a flat kite-shaped fish.

Clams are important food for waterfowl, especially gulls. Gulls collect clams at low tide. By dropping them while flying over hard surfaces such as docks, highways and even roofs of houses and cars these clever birds break open the shells so they can eat the meat!

Yorktown Victory Center

We missed the trolley so drove along the river to the Yorktown Victory Center. This is a living-history museum that brings the American Revolution to life. Along the walk-way to the museum is a fence that traces the timeline and world events that led to the American Revolution. Following are some interesting tidbits of history we discovered:

Taxation was the final straw! England was needing money to pay for its Seven-year war with France so taxed everything that came into the colonists. The York River was deep making Yorktown a good site for wharves, warehouses and commerce in the 18th century. In sympathy with other colonies York County had a Virginia version of the Boston "Tea Party" in November of 1774!

Macaronies were a group of fashionable young Englishmen who adapted the latest European foods and clothing. In the song, Yankee Doodle Dandy, the verse about putting a feather in your hat and calling it macaroni refers to these men. The colonists could stick a feather in their hat and be "fashionable"!

Many of the colonists feared declaring independence, since it guaranteed open war and the Americans had no foreign allies. Even France, though a enemy of the British, might try to recapture her lost American colonies rather than support a new republic. (The British had just defeated the French.)

After the Declaration of Independence was signed people celebrated with displays of bonfires, bell-ringing and the destruction of the British Royal Symbols that were standing in the towns. A group of soldiers & tradesmen vented their pent-up anger at the King by pulling down a 2000# statue of him on a horse and cutting it up. It was melted and made into ammunition to use in the war. ("The British troops had melted majesty fired at them!")

The French did help Americans at the Battle of Yorktown against Cornwallis. This was the last major battle of the Revolution. After a week of sending over 6,000 rounds of artillery Cornwallis tried to transfer troops from Yorktown across the river to Gloucester. He failed because of violent storms. Washington and Rochambeau set out with 12,000 American & French soldiers from the New York on a 400 mile march to Yorktown to fight Cornwallis. Meanwhile the French Navy turned back a British fleet & seized control of Chesapeake Bay.

A large percentage of the British Army fighting in the Revolutionary War were Scots, Irish & Germans, called Hessions. As the war proceeded many deserted and chose to stay in America. The Continental Forces were from many ethnic backgrounds drawn from all 13 states, Canada and the French Army. One gallery in the museum gives the stories of 10 individuals whose lives were affected by the war.

The British scuttled or sank some of their ships when they first arrived to make a barrier to protect them from assault from the River while in Yorktown. After their defeat they scuttled the rest of the ships to prevent their capture and use by the Americans. 200 years later underwater archaeologists excavated one of the ships, the brig Betsy. There is an exhibit showing all they found in the ship. To scuttle the ship a rectangular opening is chiseled through the hull below the waterline allowing the ship to fill with water and sink. Did you know that shipwrights, a person that builds a ship, often placed a coin at the base of the mast to ensure good winds?



Part of the Yorktown Victory Center is a recreated Continental Army Encampment showing a soldier's life during the siege of Yorktown. We watched as soldiers directed children from the crowd load and fire a cannon.

The Encampment had rows of small white tents. Each was to hold 6 soldiers. There was a tent for the Army doctor, larger tents for the General and other officers. Also an area for doing laundry. Some wives traveled with their husbands and did laundry and cooked for the soldiers.




The kitchen/cooking area was interesting. A trench was dug heaping the dirt to make a dome. Holes or caves were dug in the side of the trench under the dome. Here the fire was built. A small hole was dug from the top down to the fire hole to let the heat come up to the pans/pails sat on top. If they would have fresh meat they would bend the metal rings from an empty barrel to form a grate to "grill" the meat. Mostly their diet was salted fish and hard tack ( a hard biscuit made with flour, baking soda, salt & water) The fish and hard tack were boiled in water to get salt from the fish and to soften the hard tack. The pails were taken to their tents to be eaten. Building the fire inside of the little caves behind a trench prevented fire from escaping into the camp and burning the tents.

We finished our day by driving the Colonial National Historical Parkway, a 30 mile road which connects Yorktown and Jamestown. The York River is deep and used by today's Navy as well as commercial ships. As you drive the Parkway there are areas marked for their history. We passed the site of a farm where the colonists tried to raise silkworms. It was particularly interesting to me because I'd just finished reading The Silk House Series by Linda Chaikin. She writes about the silk growers in southern France and in the book indicates that they wanted to start a farm in Virginia. She also gives a vivid history of the Huguenots and the oppression they experienced during that time.

A good night's sleep in Williamsburg and ready to continue South.

Willamsburg is a whole day or two of sights to see, but we chose to save that for another time!

Back to the Colonial National Historical Parkway which is a quiet, scenic drive across this portion of Virginia connecting the York River and the James River. Creeks and small rivers have channels with tide markings. We stopped ad walked a beach along the James River where the first settlers stopped, but voted to go on to what became Jamestown.

Again, there are historical areas marked with signs and places to drive-out and park. One of the areas was a 100 acre tract of land that was set aside for the benefit of the Jamestown Parish Church and Minister. It is called Glebe Land.

Historic Jamestown is an archaeological site on the original location of the settlement which includes a museum facility featuring the artifacts excavated and a place where you can stand exactly where America began. Again we had to make a choice and chose to go to the living history museum of 17th century Virginia called Jamestown Settlement which brings history to life. Many new features have been added because it is the 400th Anniversary of Jamestown!

A film is shown that chronicles the convergence of cultures in Virginia. The Galleries have artifacts, dioramas and full-scale structures based on historical documents and archeology of the 3 cultures, English, Indian & African, that met here! There are hands-on exhibits and demonstrations everywhere!



On the James River are the 3 recreated ships, The Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery, that carried the settlers to the settlement. You can climb aboard and below deck and see the accommodations experienced on their four-and-a-half month journey from England. The crews lived and worked on the main deck while the passengers remained below deck with the cargo. These ships were the life-line to the settlers after they arrived. 104 English men and boys sponsored by the Virginia Company of London came in search of profits and resources 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth.


When they arrived in 1607 they found the Powhatan Indians. It is believed that they are from Asian descent having walked across the bridge formed between the continents during the Ice Age. These people had a political system, religion and a complex society of tribes. It was interesting to note that the Indians valued copper and traded for that valuable metal with the tribes that mined it. The Powhatan Indians had 5 seasons. There 5th season was eating of green corn! In other words they ate some of their corn crop before it was fully mature. It would have been similar to our sweet corn. They also discovered that the stalk had a sweet juice. (and we thought we discovered corn sweetener!) You can explore a recreated Powhatan Indian Village.


A triangular-shaped fort was built for defense in 1610 and was home to the earliest colonists. It included wattle-and-daub houses with thatched roofs, a store house, a court of guard and a church.
A wattle-and-daub house was made by using a framework of poles intertwined with branches and vines, wattle, and covered with daub, or a sticky substance like mud & clay.

They used a clay oven to bake bread. The rounded object is the oven made of clay. A fire is built inside and when the oven is hot enough the ashes are scraped out. The loaf of bread is put on a wooden board and slid into the oven. A lid is used to close the front of the oven and the bread bakes!

This is the inside of their church. Note the thatched roof--made of long pieces of dried straw or reeds. It is formed with a peak so that the water will run off.
Also note the pews. They are a board to sit on and a board across your shoulder blade with a decorative post to hold them together. See how the pulpit is raised and to the right of the center aisle. Candle holders are mounted above on the beam for light.
The ammunition was kept in a separate stone building. It was reinforced with thicker wall at the bottom so in case of fire all of the force of the explosion would be channeled up and not out to cause damage. Their guns were fired with powder that was set off by a small charge of powder and a piece of burning hemp. They would wear small wooden tubes connected to a leather strap each holding just enough powder for one shot to insure that the right amount was used.

Throughout the area are people dressed in 17th century clothes. Long skirts, head covered with scarves, long sleeves, etc. When asked if they were hot (it was 90 degrees!) they said the long skirt was loose so when walking it made a breeze. Clothes were made of linen and loose fitting to allow air circulation. They would cover their skin to protect from the sun while we uncover and expose!

The third culture that was introduced to this area was African. The English brought in Africans to work as slaves for them as they cleared land and started producing crops, making ships and other products to trade with the British. The gallery exhibits show what and how this culture changed and added to the beginnings of this country.

We rode the free ferry across the James River to Surry County, Virginia. This quiet agriculture area is interspersed with forests and historical plantations that can be visited. Some areas of road are lined with trees. We saw fields of soybeans, wheat, corn and peanuts. The area appeared to be very dry. Interesting signs set along residences like political signs stated NO OLF. The citizens are protesting against the Navy building an Outlying Landing Field in the area. On Highway #60 we found a locally owned Star Motel at Dillwyn, VA. Quaint, clean and quiet. Supper at a local Italian Restaurant which served excellent pizza.

Driving to Appomattox via Farnville took us through low mountains watching the fog lift and past fruit & vegetable stands selling tree ripened peaches. Also saw a sign at a local drug store that advertised Poison Ivy Pills for $11.98!

The Appomattox Court House National Historical Park has a mile of trails. One is a History Trail following the areas that General Grant traveled to bypass Confederate troops as he rode to met General Lee and discuss surrender terms. One is a forestry trail with markers to identify trees. Heavy rain can cause floods on one and the other had sections that are uneven and rocky. We bypassed walking because of the extreme heat. We did stop at a small confederate cemetery that contained one Northern soldier, all were killed on the day before the surrender. The union soldier had enlisted and fought over 1400 days before he was killed 24 hours before the surrender. There was a huge Oak tree that stood on this site!

At the Visitor Center we were given a guide who took us out and pointed out the areas around the town and how the surrender played out in the lives of the people involved. The village was chosen as the county seat and a courthouse was built, thus it is called Appomattox Court House.
Some of the interesting facts we learned:

The Confederate troops were starving as they camped near Appomattox. The Union had captured all of the Railroads and food supplies. The James River was flooded so they could not escape to the East.

General Lee & General Grant met in the parlor of the McLean House to discuss and sign the surrender papers. Their signatures are not on any one document. The terms of surrender were written in pencil by Grant, agreed to by Lee and then written in ink by an aide to Grant. Lee wrote his letter of surrender and signed it. Grant signed the terms of surrender.

There were no grandstands or theatrics. Just 2 commanders agreeing to quit fighting. They discussed there experiences fighting together in the Mexican War while they were meeting.

General Lee was impeccable in clean uniform and gloves because he had his camp set up and knew when and where they were to meet. General Grant had been busy setting up his headquarters and getting ready to fight when he got word from the Confederate messenger when and where to meet. The area was muddy from all the rains because the hilly land had been cleared for planting crops and was eroded.

One of the terms was that the Confederate army would surrender all guns, ammunition, and insignia flags because they were used against the Union. This symbolized the end of the battle. These items were stacked along the street that ran thru the town.

Most of the Confederate Calvary owned their horses. Feed was scarce. General Grant had the Calvary surrender first so that they could get feed for the horses. Then the artillery and last the infantry marched thru the town and stacked their weapons. Because the Union had the extra food that they had captured Grant agreed to feed the Confederate Soldiers before they left for home.

Printing presses were carried with the armies for printing out orders. Between the 2 armies the presses were set up in the tavern and 28,000 parole slips were printed during the night. The names were filled in by the regiment leaders. The Parole pass stated the date and name of the bearer and his company. It stated that he was a paroled prisoner of the Army of Northern Virginia and has permission to go to his home and there remain undisturbed. This pass would enable him to get free food and safe transportation through the country. He was also allowed to take his own horse.

Because it took awhile to get the news out of the surrender there were still battles after the
April 9, 1865 surrender. Todd Lincoln was with Gen. Grant at Appomattox and rode with him to Washington DC arriving the day his Father was shot.

Mr. McLean had fought in the first battle in the Civil War and moved his family and his business so he would not have to fight again! No one else was in town because all had fled to friends or relatives when news of the soldiers arriving in the area. The house is set up with kitchen/dining room in the walk-out(back of the house) basement. The parlor on the main floor and the bedrooms upstairs. The Court House was only open one day a month and the tavern did not have large enough private room.

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We stopped at the National D-Day Memorial at Bedford, VA. It is an impressive outdoor facility open year around and established as a memorial to the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of the Allied Forces that took part in the landing at Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. There are Bronze tablets with names of all who took part, flags of the 12 nations of the Allied Expeditionary Force, and a beach tableau with sculptures showing a landing craft with troops moving off the tidal flat. This was accented with alternating water spouts sounding like shells landing in the water!

This Piper Cub was called a grasshopper. It was easy to maneuver and covered with a cloth that let the bullets go right through and kept flying.

Whenever you take out your roll of Reynolds Wrap you can remember that Mr. Reynolds had a big role in the war. When he was in Europe at the start of the war he noticed that Germany was buying large amounts of aluminum from France. Mr. Reynolds tried to persuade France to quit selling it, but they would not listen. He knew it was going to make airplanes for the Luftwafte.
Back in America he tried to persuade the government to stockpile aluminum knowing that eventually they would need it for equipment for the war. The government refused so he used his own money and invested in stockpiling it. When America entered the war he had the aluminum necessary to make the planes needed.

We have experienced the first colony in America, the Birth of the Nation, the rebirth at the end of the Civil War and a huge battle in the last World War!

Back to the Interstate and headed west through the mountains of West Virginia, rolling hills of Ohio, into Indiania and back into the corn country of Illinois and Iowa! Ragbrai was just finishing at the Mississippi River and traffic was lined up for 5 miles on the other side of the Interstate and on the side roads leading in and out of LeClaire to pick-up the cyclists.

See you along the way,
Prairie Schooners