Destination: Longmont, CO

Pick up the Unit

Arriving on the lot in Forest City is so different since the economic slowdown. Only 5 units sitting in the "pick-up" area compared to 20+!

Ours is a View, one of the smaller units with a diesel motor that averages 13 to 19 mpg. It looks like a small truck with an overhead compartment over the cab. The wind is always blowing across this lot. Today, with the moisture in the air it feels colder than the temp records!

Paperwork, hooking up the Saturn, moving bags to unit, checking out the unit, looking for scratches, etc & a stop for fuel before we head out. Nice interior colors & storage arrangement. This unit has an overhead bunk and a sofa that makes into a bed & a recliner. Should make for an interesting night's sleep for us because we are not allowed to extend the slide out to make the sofa into the bed!!

On the Road

A strong east wind makes for a rough ride until we get to I-80. This compact unit is quiet. We can see some combines in the bean fields accented with the colored leaves on the trees in the area!

Part of our job description delivering new motor homes seems to be PR! Whenever we stop someone asks about the unit & we graciously show it and answer questions.

Heading west on I-80 with wind behind us under partly cloudy skies through rolling countryside with some combines busy harvesting. Past the exit to Springbrook State Park bringing back memories of happy family times at past annual get-togethers.

There is a certain beauty to the fields ready for harvest. Rows & rows standing at attention stripped of leaves & holding the ripened grain in readiness for the combine! The shades of white-yellow remind me of the Bible verse telling us that the fields (of people) are white for harvest. We are studying Daniel & Revelation and see the signs pointing to the time of God's judgment of the world coming nearer. Do I have a heart to labor in His fields offering opportunities for other to make the choice to believe & trust in Jesus shed blood and be a part of God's harvest of believers!

Into Nebraska with rain, road construction & singing along with a gospel music CD!

Views through the windshield:

• Pumpkin farms with activities waiting for kids on the week-end including a pumpkin thrower!

• Large cement storage elevators stand like silent sentinels along the railroad tracks waiting for the loads of harvested grain.

• Rows of windmills turning out electricity are silhouetted along the high ridges in the distance.

• The curved shape of irrigation rigs are scattered across the horizon.

• The Platte River meanders through the countryside.
  

• Patches of snow left from the earlier snow fall that was pushed in piles.

• Several flocks of wild turkeys scratching for a meal in the fields.

• Haystacks frosted with snow.

• Signs indicating that we are on the "Oregon Trail Auto Tour" route.

• Welcome to Colorado State sign.

• Blue skies and sunshine!

• "Beef-It's what's for Supper!" Large cattle lots.

• "Got Milk!" Super large dairy operations with many stacks of hay & white plastic covered silage piles. One had 11 of the big blue harvester silos!

• Bright green winter wheat fields are a contrast to the shades of white/yellow/brown corn fields accented with the rust-red grasses of the ditch & pastures.

• Scattered oil wells in the pastures.

• A field of sunflowers ready for harvest.

• Prairie Dog mounds of brown sand scattered through the pastures.

• Highest peaks of the mountain range covered in snow are on the distant horizon!

Delivery

As we listen to Focus on the Family Readers Theater version of a Father Gilbert Mystery we count off the miles to the Truck Wash! Thankful for the time change giving us an extra hour to make delivery that afternoon instead of having to wait until the next morning! Oh!Oh! Reality does not match our instructions! A frontage road is partially closed. A stop to ask for directions and we found the dealership! Unhook, repack into Saturn, wait for inspection to be completed, sign papers, find a motel, do our bookwork, thank the Lord for another safe delivery, supper & make plans for the next few days.

Thanks for riding along!
Prairie Schooners

Northern Minnesota Fishing Adventure

Anticipation

Three years ago we purchased an older 14 ft. aluminum fishing boat & trailer that had been left with our son by a neighbor who had moved. Owning a boat has been a dream of hubby for many years. What fun to go to nearby lakes & fish anytime rather than waiting for our once-a-year to a rented MN cabin with a boat on a lake! Over the years he has been gathering all the "stuff" you need to outfit a fishing boat including a used Mercury 6 motor, a trolling motor, a fish finder, poles & a full tackle box and even a pick-up for transporting!

After checking out what works best for other fishermen he worked in his spare time to make the boat & trailer ready for the road & lake fishing. It seemed that each time something was fixed there was always one more item that needed done.

Finally, it was ready! After waiting for good weather we did a short afternoon of fishing at nearby Beed's Lake. We launched it, fished from it and retrieved it successfully. A shared smile & "high five" and ready to make final plans to go North!

September is good for us because the "recreational" boaters are off the lakes. It is cool & comfortable. Usually the leaves are starting to turn colors making a spectacular background. After checking on availability of cabin,downloading the "how to's" while staying at the cabin, making a list, packing, stopping the mail, and checking Google Earth we were headed North!

Road Trip

Actually driving the Dodge Dakota pick-up with a boat trailer was pretty simple compared with the 40 ft motor homes we deliver! Gas stops were more frequent, but checking mileage proved that we were getting 20 mpg. It was foggy & raining off & on most of the 350 miles into Duluth. At a stop at WalMart in Cloquet we purchased our Minnesota fishing license.

Duluth

It was easy to drive through Duluth on I-35 and pick up Highway 6l. You drive past the harbor and commercial docks with ships loading and unloading. Past large homes on the lakeshore including the Glensheen Mansion,a 39 room Jacobean Revival built in 1908 by a business man on 7.5 acres that include formal gardens. It is open for tours. Something to think about next time. Perhaps the train museum,too! A variety of other places to visit,too.



Destination
It was raining off and on as we headed NW on a scenic highway into northern Minnesota so our view was limited to the tree-lined curves & hills of the highway. Watch for Moose signs were dotted along the way. Later on in the week we drove back for gas & groceries on a sunny day. What a beautiful view with low mountains in the background. The leaves are starting to display their fall colors!

Our log cabin is tucked into a forest area in the Minnesota north woods. Calm & quiet even when the wind blows. The tall cathedral spires of the fir trees form a frame for the blue sky and big white puffy marshmallow-like clouds that seem to form in the afternoons. Plenty of windows offer views in all directions. Comfy & home-like providing for our needs. Unusual uses of furniture and space make for lots of character in this log cabin! Fragrant phlox beside front entrance, purple asters brighten the edge of the woods and bright orange hawk weed for accents.

Laurention Divide

This is the area of the Laurention Divide, the state's major continental divide that separates streams that flow to opposite sides of the continent.

About 16,000 years ago, most of Minnesota was covers by a large sheet of ice called the Wisconsin Glacier. A great mountain range in this area was eroded when the glacier melted, leaving behind the curving range of hills called the Laurentian Divide.

On one side, the divide directs the water northward to empty into Hudson Bay to the Arctic Ocean. On the other side, water flows southward into the Mississippi River and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. In other words, two drops of rain, each one falling to opposite sides, will end up on opposite sides of the North American continent.

Lake Gegoka has a public access, but no dock! Yes, kids, we did launch the boat & by doing a tricky "board walk" on the trailer even kept my feet dry! (I believe that rubber boots for me will be on our next packing list!) One other couple were fishing on the lake that day in a canoe making for a very quiet peaceful morning under a partly cloudy blue sky!

Our excitement was catching many small Northern, we call them "hammer handles" because that is about the same size! We'll be back when they grow up!

Also located on this lake is the National Forest Lodge. A retreat with cabins that can be used year around because they are near the Minnesota trail system.

We found the public access with a dock for Lake McDougal on an afternoon of exploring Highway 1! An Eastern Grey Wolf was jogging along the edge of the highway. St. Croix logging camps are and have been located all along this highway. Another Minnesota trail system connects with the Lake McDougal campground. In fact, everywhere you go there are trails to explore.

Blue partly cloudy sky with a little breeze made for two perfect days of fishing on this lake. Dock also helped with launching the boat! Catching was good, too! Along with the hammer handles we released to grow, we caught a few fish suppers! Spotted a bald eagle flying overhead. Along one bank of the lake was a summer campground complex for kids. Wild rice grows along the edges of the lakes.

Another warm and partly cloudy day of fishing on Dumbell Lake, yes, that is the name! We are getting better at finding lakes with docks! This lake featured deep drop-offs and huge rocks. Lots of boats fishing, but not much "catching"! The wind had changed from south to the North. Hubby said there was an old saying about catching fish and the wind, he only remembered the part that says, "Wind from the South, lure floats into the fish's mouth..." After a "boat lunch" we did a scenic tour of the lake.

Ely

One day we parked the boat & trailer and took off for a road trip to Ely. We had heard about the International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center, but were pleasantly surprised with the Fall Harvest Moon Festival in the park. It was an interesting hour of so of strolling past vendors displaying and selling crafts & food items. Beautiful cabin furniture, wild life prints, fishing lures, a musical group, and many ways of using rocks! A unique lawn & yard decoration was made using a large rock for a body with wrought iron bent in the shape of legs, neck & head for water birds! (Puts pink flamingos in an entirely different class!)

One end of the park had bleachers available for watching the American Lumberjack Show. Two lumberjacks participated in chain-saw contest, ax throwing contest, chain sawing carving & of course, log rolling in a huge tank. No we did not get chosen to participate!

We passed up all the "fast food" for the local Kiwanis barbecue sandwiches & homemade blueberry pie!

Driving through the town you got the feeling that canoes were definitely "in"! To rent, to buy, and on top or behind every size & shape of vehicle!

North American Bear Center

This is a great place. There is an admission charge. It is adding displays & information as money is available. Dozens of videos replace displays with a lot of reading making it user friendly for all ages.

Three live black bears actually live behind the center. Large windows offer inside viewing and an outside overhead deck is available in good weather. The bears are hand fed during the day bringing them in close to the center. They have dens for hibernation during the winter. Rangers are on hand to answer questions and presentations.

Some interesting facts we learned:

• Lynn Rogers has never heard a bear growl in the 34 years of black bear research, but most people say they have! If a person is afraid of bear, any utterance they make is likely to be interpreted as a growl.
• Bears do huff, meow, gargle, click tongues, blow & clack, cry, grunt & coo.
• Only Grizzly bears kill defending their cubs. Black & brown bears do "bluff charging."
• How do movies makers get shots of bears roaring? They dub the sound on a bear that is trained to open its mouth for a food reward!
• What do they feed the bears in captivity? dried cranberries, fresh fruit & veggies, low fat dog food & sunflower seed.
• The "bear nests" in tops of trees are not for rest! They are clusters of broken branches that are made by a bear sitting in the crotch of the tree & pulling branches closer to eat catkins, buds, leaves, fruit or nuts!

We'll check out the Wolf Center next time!

As with all vacations, they do have to end. The ride back to the Prairie was sunny & clear highlighting the changing colors of the leaves, the expanse of Lake Superior and the familiar fields of corn & beans waiting for harvest.

God is indeed an awesome Creator!

Thanks for traveling with us,
Prairie Schooners

National Museum of the United States Air Force

Last year we stopped at this same Museum, but in one day only were able to see a small portion of it. (July 2008 blog to Newport Beach, VA) The museum and parking are free. It is located on the edge of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The Imax theater is fun, too. There is a charge for the shows. There are picnic tables outside if you want to bring a lunch or a cafeteria on the top floor with reasonably priced food. Come along as I print a few tidbits of the interesting information that is presented in the exhibits!

National Aviation Hall of Fame

Air Mail:

We started our day with this section.
The U.S. Signal Corp purchased the 1909 Wright Military Flyer for $30,000. It is the world's first heavier than air military craft. It met the following specifications: carry 2 people, fly for at least an hour, take-off & land from same spot, fly at speed of 40 mph.

In 1918 the USPS takes over air mail service from Army Signal Corps using newly hired Civilian pilots, surplus post-war "Jennies." The USPS discovered that flying mail was hazardous to your health. Air Mail pilots had life expectancy of 900 flight hours. They had to fly in all weather with no radios or navigational aids.

By 1927 all air mail was via commercial contractor. Two of the routes went to Henry Ford, auto manufacturer, and his fledgling air craft company. He later manufactured bombers for WWII.

Want to be an inventor???

Time tested scientific method:
Observe
Develop theory to explain what you have observed.
Use theory to make a prediction.
Perform experimental test of the predictions.

Cabbage Patch Rocket:

During 1920's Robert Goddard, pioneer in the development of rocketry, conducted experiments in propulsion. He launched his liquid fueled rocket in 1926 from a cabbage patch at his Aunt Effies' home in Massachusetts!

Modern Flight Gallery

Korea and southeast Asia Conflicts are the time frame for the planes in this section:


The underside of this plane shows that it is carrying cameras to take reconnaissance photos for the military. In the 1950's two cameras(K-22) with 40" focal length telephoto lens were used. Each camera could take 200 exposures on its 9" X 9" format. A K-17 camera was also available. It was fitted with telephoto lens up to 24".

Photos that have been classified for 45 years are on exhibit. They were taken of airfields, submarine pens & factories in Soviet Union, North Korea and China.

By using 2 photos taken with slightly different perspective a stereoscope created the mental expression of a 3-dimensional model. Now we have Google Earth!


Korean Conflict:

The B-29 Bomber was used to destroy major military and industrial targets important to enemy forces. We could walk through the body of this bomber. There was a large round tube for the personnel to slide through to get over the wing structure and into the tail of the bomber to load the bombs.

The first large-scale use of the helicopter for aerial evacuation of wounded personnel and rescue from behind the enemy lines

Battle Hymn:

This book by Dean Hess is his personal story. It was made into a motion picture starring Rock Hudson. Dean Hess was an ordained minister of Christian Church, who enlisted during WWII. He was called back to duty, stationed in Korea to train Korean pilots. While there he started an unofficial program for giving food and shelter to the real victims of war--the children who had lost their parents and homes.

In the midst of an offensive he requested help to evacuate hundreds of children from the area of fighting to an island. It was called Operation Kiddy car.

POW:

The exhibit shows the horrible conditions the POW had to endure. To maintain strength and a sense of community they found ways to communicate. One way was by tapping walls with a message using a code. Abbreviations were common. An example would look like your text message!

They showed ingenuity in making articles from soap, toothpaste, bread, charcoal and whatever they could get their hands on.

Auro Car

In the early 1950's an experimental flying saucer shaped aircraft was produced. Nicknamed "Star Wars!" It did not make it! If it flew more than 3 feet above ground it was uncontrollable!

Missile & Space Gallery:

Hey, VR's! We found the missiles that are stored underground in South Dakota!!!!
The picture shows the rockets that launched missiles and satellites from underground silos.

Did you know that our cordless tools were experiments used in space?

One not successful experiment was a spring-powered shaver with an attached bag to collect whiskers. Common brushless shaving cream did the job without any development!

Food for eating in space was an interesting exhibit. The first food was dehydrated. A peanut butter sandwich was shrunk down to a 1 inch square! Water would have to be added to the bags and allowed to soak into the food before being eaten.



This "Stargazer" gondola was used with a helium balloon for testing high altitude flights in 1959-1962. Joseph Kittinger, Jr did high altitude jumps from balloons to test the affects of high-altitude bail outs on pilots. He joined astronomer, William C. White and rose to 82,200 feet, hovered for 18 1/2 hours checking variations in the brightness of star images caused by the atmosphere.

Cold War Gallery:

We took a picture from the balcony in the Missile & Space Gallery to give you a feel for what the museum looks like. This is just a very small part of the Cold War Gallery hangars!

This is the B-36! Papa Jim remembers hearing them and seeing them fly over their farm when he was growing up. It was the largest mass produced piston engined aircraft ever made. Had the largest wing span in a combat air craft ever built. had 6 engines each driving an immense 3 bladed propeller. Was the first operational bomber with an intercontinental range.

So much history under one roof!
What can we learn from it?
To see stories about real people dealing with the situations during their lives and using what was available or inventing what was needed to adjust to them, makes me aware of my responsibility to use what God has given me to accomplish His purpose for my life in the time He allows me in this world!

Wright Brothers Museums in Dayton, Ohio

The Wright-Dunbar Interpretive Center in downtown Dayton, Ohio highlights the life of the Wright Brothers, a section on balloons & parachutes and an area about the life of Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Paul Dunbar

Paul Dunbar's life and works show. the dilemma of "twoness" facing 19th century African Americans. He was an American and a Negro. He is known by his books and his poetry. He was a high school friend with whom Orville Wright often walked home. Later the Wright Brothers printed the newspaper he published as well as tickets and handbills for Dunbar's public readings.

Parachute Museum

The first free fall parachute canopies were made of silk and continued until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 which cut off the supply of silk.

A synthetic material called nylon was a replacement for silk. It had an advantage over silk because it was resistant to attacks by insects, mold and other organisms.

Modern material is a zero porosity fabric that lets no air through it! It allows for inflation of aerodynamic cells, making parachutes behave much like a glider wing
In 1903 the first parachute jumpers put on exhibitions for the public.

Parachutes were used in WWI, but got caught on parts of the plane as it was being pulled out of the plane. It had to be pulled out of the door by the jumper.

Floyd Smith, a former circus acrobat and test pilot worked on a new concept with race car driver, Guy Ball. Have the parachute worn by the aviator!

Now parachutes are even used in space. They are constructed of two durable lightweight fabrics, polyester and nylon. A triple bridle is made of zylon similar to material used in bullet-proof vests.

The Ejection Seat----

As WW II drove air speeds higher and higher it became clear that jumping from aircraft would no longer work. Enter the Ejection Seat!

The pilot using the first one blasted through the roof of the plane traveling 300 mph at 6,000 feet above Patterson Air Field. He went into a vertical speed of 40 mph straight up, missing the tail of the plane on his way down by 20 feet! Once clear he and the seat went separate ways and his chute opened automatically!

Wright Brothers

As an official of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Orville & Wilbur Wright's dad did a lot of traveling. He and their mother encouraged the children to try new things, explore ideas and to read. On one of his trips he purchased a toy helicopter toy for the boys. Their mother would make toys to be put into Breakfast food as a prize.

Dayton, Ohio was an innovator, leading the nation in patents per capita by 1890. It was a nurturing environment for the curious and creative brothers. From childhood they tinkered, built and showed an entrepreneurial bent.

Orville & Wilbur built their first printing press. It was built mostly out of wood. Orville said, "It was not "repaired with wood, pieces of string & wood"---it was originally built that way!" They started by printing material for their father's church related business. By the age of 17 they were running their own weekly newspaper, operating printing shops from 1887 to 1899.

Next was a bicycle business. Bicycles were becoming popular. Friends would bring their bicycles to them for repairs. They decided to make their own. It was interesting to see that they had wooden rims on some of their models. "The Wright Special will contain nothing but high grade material through out. We shall put it on the market at the exceedingly low price of $60." At that time that was a good amount of money, but they were selling quality!

At the end of the 1800's technology had changed the world in unfathomable ways. Everything seemed possible--everything but controlled flight. These 2 bicycle men from Dayton quietly decided they might be able to do the impossible.

The brothers studied information from other experiments in flying. In 1899 they wrote to the Smithsonian Institute requesting information on aviation. The reply provided them with more information to study.

A quote from Wilbur Wright--"It is the complexity of the flying problem that makes it so difficult. It is not to be solved by stumbling upon a secret but by the patient accumulation of information-----That is why we think a quick solution is impossible."

Their systemic study was methodical and meticulous with charts, notebooks with notes and even the construction of a wind tunnel.

Kitty Hawk was chosen for the first flight based on information from the U.S. Weather Bureau. It had plenty of sand and 13.4 mph wind average.

The first flight was in a glider constructed of wood and cotton sateen fabric. It proved the effectiveness of the brothers wind warping system, but had difficulty lifting the weight of man.

After spending time camping at Kitty Hawk they looked for a place closer to home to experiment. They found a "cow pasture," Huffman Field,owned by the local banker that was near a trolley stop. They used a catapult system to put the plane in flight. (Today a catapult system is used on air craft carriers.) In 1904 in the cow pasture near Dayton, Ohio the Wright Brothers flew their first circle.

Another frustration was their inexperience as pilots! Landings were not routine. At first they could not stay in the air long enough for the necessary practice!

By 1905 they had a practical airplane, The 1905 Wright Flyer III. In 1907 and 1908 they built new flyers with pilot and passenger seats and redesigned controls for demonstation flights in France and Fort Meyer, VA. With a U.S. Army contract in hand, they established the Wright Company in 1909!

The Museum has a film showing a reenactment of those first flights. The townspeople would come out to the "cow pasture" to see what was going on. You can imagine the awe and excitement when the airplane stayed in the air!!

For us the next stop is the National Museum of the United States Air Force to see the result of the Wright Brothers experiments!

See you there---
Prairie Schooners

Berkeley Plantation

Virginia Highway #5 takes you past several of the James River Plantations. These plantations were set by as the Berkeley 100. Each plantation had to have enough land to sustain 100 families. These are working plantations. Today members of the family have living quarters upstairs in this house.

We chose to stop at Berkeley Plantation, proclaimed as the most historical. (But next time we will tour the Shirley Plantation on the James River!) Following signs we arrived at a narrow tree-lined gravel road. Later we found out that it was kept the same as the original buggy road. We could see fields of corn and hay and modern farm equipment on the way to the quiet parking area in front of the large brick Georgian Mansion.

Walking the grounds in the cool of the early morning we found formal gardens, a large vegetable garden, a view of the James River with barge traffic, a cool breeze blowing up from the river, the hand dug grass covered terraces between the river and the house, and 10 acres of formal boxwood gardens extending a quarter-mile from the front door to the James River!

Trees in this area are very tall! Interesting to see
ivy growing on the trunks of the trees.
Huge magnolia trees with their pineapple shaped
seed pods. The heavy scent of boxwood shrubs(spiders love to spin their webs across the path between these shrubs!) used as borders for buildings and formal gardens.The beautiful pink, lilac, and white blossoms onthe crepe myrtle tree accented all the green. The dogwood is considered the plantation flower.

We did not see the Berkeley Sheep ( Because of my past problem with the breeds of sheep, I will not say any more about these!)

First Thanksgiving in America

Capt. John Woodlife led a group of 38 settlers on the ship, Margaret, from England. After a 10 week ocean voyage they landed here on December 4, 1619, nearly two years before the first colonists arrived in Massachusetts, proclaimed:
"Impr wee ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantaeon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perputally kept holy as a day of Thanksgiving to almighty God"
(Old English spelling is in original proclamation!)

Origin of Taps

During the Civil War in 1862 the Army of the Potomac, McClellan's Union Army was using this Plantation as its Headquarters & Supply Base. Brigadier General Daniel Butterfiled summoned Private Oliver Wilcox Norton, his bugler, to his tent. He whistled a new tune and asked the bugler to sound it for him. After repeated trials and changing time of some of the notes which were scribbled on the back of an envelope, the calls was arranged. It was used the first time that night. From that time it bacame the official call for "taps" and remains so.

Presidents

Benjamin Harrison, son of the builder of Berkeley, and its second owner, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and three times Governor of Virginia.

William Henry Harrison, Benjamin's third son, born at Berkeley, was the famous Indian fighter known as "Tippecanoe," who later became the ninth President of the United States , in 1841. His campaign was the first to use a slogan, "Tippecanoe & Tyler too!" and the first to have a campaign banner or scarf (about the size of a very large handkerchief), which was the forerunner of the campaign buttons. John Tyler grew up on a Plantation near Richmond, Virginia. At the time Harrison & he were running for office Harrison was living at a fort in Indiana.

Benjamin Harrison, grandson of William Henry Harrison, was the 23rd President of the United States.

In 1862 President Lincoln visited Berkely and reviewed Gen. McClellan's Army of 140,000 Union Soldiers that were headquartered there. They used the Harrison Landing on the James River to receive supplies from ships.

George Washington, and later the succeeding nine Presidents of the United States, enjoyed the famous hospitality of Berkeley in the dining room with its view of the James River.

Thomas Jefferson directed the installation of the Adam woodwork and double aarches oof the Great Rooms in the mansion that were installed by Benjamin Harrison VI in 1790.

Berkeley History

A dock was built and called Harrison Landing.

One of the first Ship Yards in the New World was located near the Landing. 18 Gun Man-of-War Ships were constructed here for the Revolutionary War.

The original house was burned by Indians. The land changed hands several times in 70 years. In 1691 Harrison acquired the land and built the buildings. This house, too, was destroyed by fire.

The date, 1726, and the initials of the owners, Benjamin Harrison IV and his wife Anne are on a datestone over the side door of the present building. It is said to be the oldest 3-story brick house in Virginai that can prove its date and the first with a pediment roof. (has gables)

There is a cannonball embedded in the wall of one of the buildings from Jeb Stuart's cannon. He was a General with the Confederate Army.

The first bourbon whiskey in America was distilled at this plantation.

Tobacco was being grown year after year, depleteting the soil of its fertility. Harrison switched to other crops.

The Seven Days Battle, June 25-July 1, 1862 in the Richmond area was the first time that a balloon was used in warfare. A Scottish Professor, Lowe rented his to the Northern Army. Here in 1862 count Von Zeppelon, who had permission from Lincoln to come to Harrison's landing as a military observer, made his first ascent. He later said, "I have never been higher than a ship's mast before!"

In 1907 John Jamieson, a drummer boy for McClellan's army in 1862, purchased the rundown plantation and began to restore it. There are 100 acres of agriculture land being farmed.


Wow! So much history! We are thankful for the early colonists, for King James wanting to spread the Protestant faith to the New World and for the liberty to worship God, to work at a job, to make a living and raise our family in America.

Time to head west through the Appalachian mountains.

A view from a turn out on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia

Papa Jim has always wanted to drive the entire 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is our second time on a small section of it. It winds through the mountains connecting the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in North Carolina. No commercial vehicles. It crosses the Appalachian Trail several times. Forests, mountain vistas, meadows, old farmsteads, camping areas, picnic areas and exits to main roads and towns.

See you in Ohio next!

Prairie Schooners

Historic Jamestown

Traveling the Colonial Parkway is scenic and quiet (no commercial vehicles) with "pull-over" areas to view historic markers. (Every square inch of this area is "historic"!) The Parkway connects Yorktown, NW of Willamsburg with Jamestown, SE of Willamsburg making exits available to all the local roads & highways. When checking the website the night before we visited to find fees charged, we found that there was a detour on the Parkway because of repairs on the Powhatan Creek Bridge. A boating accident severely damaged a support on the bridge. Our pass to National Parks, a gift from our daughter & family, allowed us a free pass. The nominal fee is well-worth a visit to the area.

The Jamestown National Historic Park includes a 15 minute film at the visitor's center, a walking tour of the area, a museum showing the articles that have been found, working archeologists digging in the area and a driving tour of the island. A Glasshouse is just inside the entrance to the park. Artisans demonstrate the 17th century glassblowing. Glassblowing was one of Virginia's first industries, started in 1608 by German and Polish craftsman. The glass was not made for the colony's windows, but was to be shipped back to England because of a glass shortage.

It was very hot & muggy the day we toured, but there was a great breeze blowing off the James River. We saw barges and ships traveling the river and the local ferry making it's trip! An awesome feeling to know that 400 years ago the grassy area where we were standing was a busy port and town with industry that included blacksmith, fishermen, iron smelters, tanners, tile makers, apothecary, potters, brick kilns and a brewery!

The first ship with 104 colonists anchor on the James River on May 13, 1607. They establish the colony of Virginia, with Jamestown as capital, under a charter granted by James I to the Virgina Company of London. England was dealing with an economic depression.

England had an inheritance system that allowed only the eldest son to inherit the family estate. This made land ownership in England a vain hope for the majority of the population whether rich or poor. Many of the Virginia colonists were younger sons who longed to own land! About half of the colonists sent were considered "gentlemen"! The Virginia frontier challenged the traditional roles and expectations of these colonists. The laborers and craftsman expected the gentlemen to help them. The gentlemen did provide military protection. Later one ship carried 9 women to help the colonists.

An Active Dig inside the Jamestown Fort

Examples of Finds:

The archeologists studying the rings on the bald cypress trees in the area discovered that the colonists arrived at the start of a long drought in the area which would explain some of the problems they encountered in the early years.

Jellons were essential for commercial transactions for over 50 years. They were a brass coin-like object that was moved over the lines and spaces of a counting board with 4 horizontal lines denoting units of 1's,10's,100's & 1000's. This was similar to an abacus. This is the origin of our saying about purchasing "over the counter"!

Coins with edges cut off. They had pieces cut off to provide small change to customers. The piece cut off was worth its weight.

Only spoons were found because forks were not used in that time period.

Old wells were full of various items because they were used as a "dump" after the water was not drinkable.

Even bones & skeletons from graves were found. The archeologists work like the CSI to discover the identity of the person.

Brick foundations uncovered are mapped and recovered with earth to preserve the original brick. They make bricks and stack them on top of the earth to show what was discovered.

There was a time that tobacco was grown in the streets of the town!
Each family was asked to grow several mulberry trees for silk worms and 20 vines for grapes to make wine.

The working archeologists had their wheel barrows lined up under a shade tree along the edge of a bank on the James River. They had screens on top to shake dirt through to expose the artifacts. The wheelbarrow of discarded dirt was dumped into the river and the artifacts collected, cataloged, treated to preserve them and added to the museum.

Old Jamestown Church

This church built in 1907 is attached to the brick tower that was erected in 1690. It is the only surviving 17th century structure at Jamestown and one of the oldest English-built edifices standing in the U.S.

Over the 400 years there were at least 6 different churches built on this site in the fort. Each was built to replace the one that was burned or destroyed during war.

John Smith in the General History of Virginia, 1624, writes a description of Rev. Robert Hunt, the first minister at Jamestown. "With the water of patience, and his godly exhortations, but chiefly by his devoted examples, quenched those flames of envy and dissension."

America's first legislative assembly convened in July 1619 in the church in Jamestown. During the 6 day meeting the General Assembly levied a tax to pay for the service of its members, passed laws covering trade with the Virginia Company, laws on church attendance and for personal punishment for misconduct and agricultural diversification statutes.

A view of the inside of the old Jamestown Church. How would you like to sit for an hour or so on these benches? Perhaps that is why they had to make laws concerning church attendance!


Check last-years blogs on Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown. The settlement is a living history museum offering a full-scale re-creation of the fort and a Powhatan Indian Village, but the actual Settlement has a different feel. Both are worth the time to visit!

After a good night's sleep we start up the highway to find the James River Plantations!

Thanks for following our adventure!

Prairie Schooners

We Got One!!!!!

The economic situation plus high gas prices last fall put motor home sales in a gigantic slump! It has been difficult for drivers to get units to deliver. You would just keep calling until there was one available that a driver sitting in the dispatch office did not want! Because we had 2 weeks in between commitments we decided to start calling for one.

First phone call in the AM, surprised to have one available, pick it up early PM, pack, take off early next AM for Virginia Beach, VA! Would we remember how after all those months?

Print off our Packing List, contact postman to hold our mail, family email stating that Prairie Schooners were on the road again, Mapquest of destination & possible sightseeing in the area, make sandwiches, roll underwear(our slang for packing the suitcase because I roll everything!), hook up the Saturn, eat a "casserole" supper to clean out the fridge, and off to bed for a good nite's rest!

Early morning fog greets us as we cruise down the highway in this 37 foot, $245,000 Winnebago Journey. A "diesel pusher", Papa Jim's name for his favorite units! A quiet one, too, without a lot of noisy vibrating stuff! A camera on each side shows what he is turning into when the turning signal is on & what is behind when signals are not on. Always been black & white pictures, but this one has color! Watching the $$$$ roll up as you fill the 90 gallon tank with diesel is frightening, but we were pleasantly surprised to average 9.5 mpg even driving thru the mountains!


Under DOT rules he can be driving for 11 hours each day with a stop every 3 hours. What do you do for those hours on the Interstate??

• We watch license plates trying to get one from every state.
• We have a "train game" with points for the first one to spot a train!
• Playing radio roulette.
  
• Audio books from our local library make the miles fly by. This trip we listened to and can recommend "The Good Husband of Zebra Drive" by Alexander McCall Smith, one of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency Series. Also "The Shepherd of the Hills" by Harold Bell Wright, a gift from granddaughters, and "Mornings on Horseback" by David McCullough, a biography of Theodore Roosevelt.
  
• A sermon from the Daniel series that we missed last week.
• Sing-a-long with our favorite music CD's & cassettes
  

Road Construction Season was evident the entire way! It is always interesting to watch the changing scenery as we roll across the states. The flat fields of Iowa, Illinois & Indiana change into rolling hills of Ohio, into mountains of West Virginia and into the coastal plains of Virginia! The wildflowers in the ditches are beautiful this time of the year! Each of the cities we drive through or around has its own personality. Charlestown, WV is built in a valley along the Kanawha River offering 3 bridges to cross with large amounts of industry along the navigable river. But its gold domed capitol building stands out against the mountain backdrop! Wonder what it is like to live in a valley and only be able to see mountains all around you! Plainsman like us might have claustrophobia!!!

Weather is another hazard on long trips. The unit has a "weather band" radio to help us be informed. We drove through some heavy rain in the mountains in West VA going and coming home. The rain caused many mini-waterfalls along the side of mountains! We had to pull off the road during a storm near Peoria, IL on the way home. Near Sandstone, WV a hazmat team was setting up a detour around a trailer that had rolled with a tank that contained radio-active material. The town was being evacuated. Later we found out that that there had been no leaks in the tank! We drove over & through the Hampton Roads Bridge &Tunnel beside the Chesapeake Bay. Later we drove across a draw-bridge over the James River.

Delivery! Unload, unhook, deal with inspection and paperwork! This unit was sold. Meeting the buyer was a new experience for us! They were appreciative of our delivering it, excited to see all the bells & whistles and made us feel like we were an important part of this purchase! While waiting at the dealership we had the opportunity to do some Winnebago PR with 2 other customers that were waiting to talk to a salesman. Another young couple from England purchased an older small motor home to use while touring the states.

Job finished! We climb into the Saturn and take off for our sightseeing adventure!

Prairie Schooners