Author: ramblingsofawanderingman

I’m now at home, working on getting back to normal life.  So, what is the final tally for the trip?  I traveled 10,590 miles in 6 weeks.  I traveled through or visited 22 states, 8 of them new to me.  I visited battlefields from 3 different wars, and saw vehicles or technology involved in the rest of our wars.  I saw homes of 5 presidents (6 if you count Jefferson Davis) and 1 King (of Rock and Roll).  I even squeezed in a MLB game.  And I paid my respects to a few of my historic heroes, by visiting where they are buried.  This was a fun trip, one that will be a good memory.

So, what does this have to do with you?  Why have I been sharing this with all of you?  I primarily wanted to give a little inspiration to you to look for those things out there that you want to see.  It won’t be the same things that I have seen, but that’s a good thing.  Whatever your passion is, there is something out there for you to see.  Go and find it!

Happy Road-Tripping!

Today, I went to the zoo.  The St. Louis Zoo is free, but is very enjoyable.  It is well done, and does a lot of work to make the enclosures as real and accurate as possible.  They are also a leader in the conservation efforts to not only protect animals in the wild, but to try and repopulate the species that are critically endangered.  So that was fun.

Tonight, in case you can’t guess, I will be going to see the St. Louis Cardinals play.  I have never seen a Major Leagues game, so this should be fun.  I’ll be sure to “root, root, root for the home team!”

Finally, I probably won’t make an entry tomorrow, and my next entry on this trip will be my final one.  I will be doing a wrap-up from home, and I’ll let you know the numbers, as I have them.  This has been a fun trip, and I kinda wish I could keep going, but it is time to return home, and back to work.  Happy Road-Tripping!

Today was a bit of a mixed bag.  I knew I would be traveling to St. Louis to spend some time with my sister and her family.  But I wanted to see at least one more thing before I left Memphis.  I originally planned to go to the Civil Rights Museum.  But as I was looking to find out what time it opened, I found out instead that it is closed on Tuesdays.  That’s a little random, but ok, whatever.  I instead decided to go to the Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum.

So I drive to the museum, and first, it’s not well marked, and it was hard to figure out where the entrance is.  When I get in to the lobby, the (apparently) 1 employee leaves a tour group to come help me.  The entrance fee is $10, but when I started to pull out my card to pay, she asked if I had cash, and explained that their card reader uses a dial-up connection and it was down, and so they couldn’t take my card.  She told me that I would need to go and get the $10 and come back.  As I thought about this, I saw an understaffed, run-down, out-of-date museum, that may not be worth $10, and certainly wasn’t worth the time it would take to find a store to get the money, especially considering a nearly 5 hour drive to St. Louis.  So I just left.  I don’t know if I plan to try again if I ever get to Memphis.

Anyway, after a disappointing last day in Memphis, I drove to St. Louis.  I got to my sisters house and was able to cuddle with my great-niece (grand-niece?) for a while.  We then went, and my sister was having family pictures done (no, I didn’t get in any of them) and then we went to Dewey’s for dinner.  It was good pizza.  However, it’s late, so off to bed, and see what adventures are in store for tomorrow.  Happy Road-Tripping!

I bet you can tell where I went today.  This is definitely a tourist trap, but still worth it for the Elvis Fan.  You can tour the house, see his cars, motorcycles, and his planes.  You can see a lot of his stage outfits, some of his regular clothing, and personal items.  You can view his awards and other memorabilia.

I saw the racquetball court that he built towards the end of his life, after his doctor told him he needed to exercise more.  He actually played early in the morning, the day he died, then after playing, he sat at a piano and played and sang two songs: “Blue eyes cryin’ in the Rain,” and “Unchained Melody.”

Upper left is Graceland.  Upper right is the family graveyard.  The Presley family received permission to bury Elvis and the rest here, in order to prevent attempts (there was at least one while Elvis was buried in the city cemetery) at stealing the body.  It’s a nice garden off the south end of the house.  Lower right is the car from “Blue Hawaii” that Elvis was able to convince the studio to let him keep.  The middle picture is the Pink Cadillac that he bought his mother.  Lower Left, it’s hard to see, but I am holding the microphone that he used in his concerts.  (It cost me a lot for that privilege, but it was worth it.  It was a fun, though long tour, about 3 hours long.  But it was fun to see another side of the King.  Happy Road-Tripping!

I visited the Mud Island River Park.  The Mississippi River Museum is a history of the river, from pre-Columbian times to now.  It has a gallery about the Civil War, it talks about the music of the river (Jazz, R&B, Rock) and was very good.  You can also follow a “River Walk” that is essentially the river between Cairo, Illinois and the mouth of the river.  It’s about 5 blocks long, and is very detailed. I don’t have any pictures of it, How do you capture something like that in a photo.  You just have to see it.  I did get a few pictures of the Mississippi River.

It’s an impressive river, certainly worthy of the name “Father of Waters.”

Just an easy day today.  It was nice to take it easy today.  You have to do this sometimes on a road trip.  Happy Road-Tripping!

Shiloh: the place of peace.  This peace was shattered at about 5 am on April 6th, 1862.  That was when the first shots were fired in what would become the bloodiest battle in American history to that point.  24,000 casualties, more than all previous U.S. wars combined.  It would be a battle fought over two days, The Confederates seeming to win the first day, the Union the second day and the battle.  It also has the distinction of having the highest ranking American officer killed in battle:  Albert Sydney Johnston, 4-Star General, killed on the first day of the battle, after a bullet cut the artery behind his right knee.

The Tennessee river, at Pittsburgh Landing; Reconstruction of Shiloh Church, that was at the center of the fighting; Indian Burial Mounds that are found in the park, and are protected.  The mounds are Pre-Columbian, if I read the signs right, and you can take a short hike to see them.  I was short on time, but wanted to show that they were there.

Shiloh was a very interesting battlefield to visit, as it is very well preserved.  The entire battlefield is almost the same as it would have been all those years ago, and if those soldiers were to come back, they would probably recognize it immediately.  If you go, make sure to watch the movie at the Visitor’s Center, it was well worth the time.

It is very peaceful there now, I saw some deer, geese, and a lot of wild turkeys (the bird, for those who might think I meant something else).  Other than Shiloh, it was a lot of driving today.  I saw an amazing sunrise this morning (I was on the road shortly after 5 this morning) but was unable to stop for a picture.  Oh, well.  Happy Road-Tripping!

Nashville is frequently called “Music City,” and for good cause.  Country and Bluegrass call it home, and many artists from all genres of music consider it to be a Mecca, if you will, for them as well.  The heart of this reputation is the Ryman Auditorium.  This is where Bluegrass was born.  The “Grand Ole Opry” may not have started here, but this is where it truly found it’s voice.  Many artists have perfomed here, such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, ZZ Top, and many more.  And we almost lost it.  The building was built long before the amenities that performers want were though of.  No dressing rooms, no lounge/waiting areas, no A/C.  The Grand Ole Opry moved to a new location, and the Ryman Auditorium began to decay.  They were going to tear it down, until the artists themselves began to fight for the Ryman.  They helped make it relevant again, it was renovated to add the amenities, and is now once again being used for performances.

I drove in to Nashville, and parked in a garage.  I found a Bus Tour ticket booth where I could get tickets for a bus, plus any venues that I wanted for a discount (a small one, but every little bit counts, right?).  This company has a route they follow through downtown Nashville with 15 stops.  They give a little history and local culture (and color) and make it enjoyable.  You can get on and off as you please all day long, just hang on to your ticket. It’s a lot easier than walking, or trying to drive, around the narrow streets.  Nashville is basically the country version of Vegas, with all the casinos being replaced by country bars.  No, I didn’t go in any, they are too loud for me.  There are lots of museums, I went to the Johnny Cash museum.  I would have liked to do more, but time is short, and I am getting a little worn out by this point in the trip, so I just went back to my hotel.  I am heading to Memphis tomorrow, with a stop at Shiloh on the way.  This means an early start for me, so I need some sleep.  A few pics of the Ryman:

The stage, made famous by the Grand Ole Opry; a few concert posters, and the exterior of the Ryman Auditorium.  Happy Road-Tripping!

Put yourself in February 1862.  The Union armies have seen little success.  The North’s primary army, the Army of the Potomac, has not moved from its camps since July.  The people are desperate for hope that the country will survive the war.  Then, a general from Illinois, who had been a store clerk before the war, a failure at everything he had tried, takes it upon himself to do something.

The Confederates have fortified a line from the Appalachians, through Kentucky, to Columbus on the Mississippi.  This general sees a weakness in the middle, at two forts, one on the Tennessee river, the other on the Cumberland river.  He decides to attack them.  He attacks Fort Henry, on the Tennessee, first.  This fort is poorly designed and placed.  In fact, with the river at flood stage, many guns are underwater.  Fort Henry would surrender to the boat squadron working with the general, before his army even got there.  He then went to Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland.  This was a different story, the fort was much stronger and better planned.  But after a few days of fighting, the commander of the fort, General Simon Bolivar Buckner, would send a note asking for terms of surrender.  General Grant would reply, “No terms but unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.  I propose to move immediately upon your works.”  Buckner was insulted by this, but had no choice.  Thus Ulysses S. “Unconditional Surrender” Grant entered into the national awareness with a much needed victory.

A few pictures:

This is the Cumberland river from the fort.  The building is a hotel that had served riverboat traffic, and then as the Confederate Headquarters.  This is where the decision was made to surrender.  This is a very brief overview of the campaign, but I think it gives you a little hint of what I saw today.  Happy Road-Tripping!

Ok, I’m not really sure that this is really what it means, but supposedly, Chickamauga means “river of death” in Cherokee.  Seems to me to be a fun story, that is told of many places.  In this case, however, it was appropriate.  I will have to give some history (sorry) but I will try to keep it short.  The Union Army of the Cumberland, under General Rosecrans, was working to drive the Confederate Army of Tennessee, under General Bragg, out of, well, Tennessee.  The goal was Chattanooga, a major crossroads.  Rosecrans managed to do this by maneuver, scoring an almost bloodless victory.  However, instead of stopping at Chattanooga, he kept going.  Bragg, waiting by a little creek called Chickamauga, was waiting for reinforcements, primarily 2 divisions of veterans from Lee’s army, under James Longstreet.  The armies would skirmish on the 18th of September, 1863.  There would be much fighting on the 19th, with no resolution.  That night, Longstreet would arrive on the field.  The next day (the 20th) fighting was supposed to begin at dawn, but didn’t start for about 3 hours after that.  When it began, pressure was very great on the Union left.  Rosecrans, who hadn’t slept in 3 days, was carefully moving units to the left from his right.  A staff officer, riding the lines, reported a gap in the lines.  Rosecrans, without bothering to check, ordered a division to move and fill the gap.  There had been no gap, but now there was.  About a half hour later, purely by chance, Longstreet sent his men charging through the gap.  The Union right collapsed, and fled the field, along with Rosecrans.  The Union left, under General Thomas, stood strong and prevented the destruction of the Union army.  For this, Thomas would earn the nickname, “The Rock of Chickamauga.”

The Confederates came out of the woods, around the cabin, and across the field, charging through the gap, which was about where I was standing.

Side note, sorry about the pictures, I forgot my camera this morning, and was using my cell phone to take the pictures.  Back to the history

The Union Army was besieged in Chattanooga.  Confederate forces were on Lookout Mountain and Seminary Ridge.

The first two pics are from the top of Lookout Mountain looking down at Chattanooga, and across at Seminary Ridge.  The last picture is Lookout Mountain from a place called Orchard Knob.  Rosecrans was sacked at this point, Thomas put in command, and Grant put in charge of all Union armies between the Appalachians and the Mississippi.  Two corps, commanded by Hooker, were brought in from the Army of the Potomac, as well as Grant’s Army of the Tennessee, now Sherman’s.  Grant sent Hooker to take Lookout Mountain.  I don’t know how they managed it, but they chased the Confederates off.

Then the attack moved to Seminary Ridge.  Sherman attacked from the north, Hooker from the south.  Thomas’ army was just supposed to sit and be rescued.  The attacks weren’t going well, so Grant ordered Thomas to take the rifle pits at the base of Seminary Ridge.  Thomas’ men, tired of being mocked by the other armies, not only took the rifle pits, but charged up the hill, and drove Bragg’s army away, chanting, “Chickamauga!” and earning redemption for themselves.

Seminary Ridge from Orchard Knob.

Anyway, sorry about the long history lesson, but I think this one is a cool story.  Let me know if you agree, or if I just bored you to tears with this one.  Happy Road-Tripping!

I drove to the Cumberland Gap today.  If you’re not sure what that is, Google Daniel Boone.  He was not the first white man to pass through the gap, but he was one of the first, and helped lead other Americans out into Kentucky and Tennessee.  It is very pretty up there, they have moved the road into a tunnel and restored much of the gap to what it was like (more or less) when Daniel Boone led settlers through it.

I am standing on Pinnacle peak, which is in Virginia, the pic on the left is Tennessee, and the pic on the left, has Tennessee to the left, and Kentucky to the right.  The hill in the middle is where the three states come together.  You can hike to it, but I didn’t do it this time.  Like I said, gorgeous views from up here.

I then drove to Murfreesboro, crossing into the Central Time Zone as I did so.  I visited the Stones River National Battlefield.  Something I have been asked, and what some of you may wonder, is how I explore the battlefields.  At Vicksburg, I hired a guide.  While this was interesting, it was difficult to really have a one-on-one discussion at times, while still learning from them.  Not something I’m good at.  At a few of the parks, I have bought a CD guided tour that I could just put in my CD player and have it guide me around.  This was a good way to do it, because you could pause it, stop and spend time at different sites when you felt the need, and if you were out of time, or needed to move on, you could stop it at anytime.  It also cost less than the bus tours, or hiring a guide.  Some of the places had a tour that was free that would take groups around all or part of the park, either on a walking tour, or with everyone driving to the different stops.  This is probably my favorite alternative, because it got others involved, I had a guide, and I could learn from not just the guide, but also the others on the tour.

A few pictures of the Union cemetery.  Most of the graves are from the Civil War, some are from later wars.  The tall headstones are where the soldier was identified, the short ones are unknown.  Yes, the third one is me by one of the monuments in the cemetery.  I know I haven’t had any pictures of me so far on here, so here you go.  Please, if you have any questions about anything I write, ask me, and I’ll try to answer.  Happy Road-Tripping!