The Great American Road Trip

We took a detour from our plans for the day and drove two hours north from Concord for a fun deviation. We drove to Waterbury, Vermont where the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory is located. The company is a beloved and fabled business here in Vermont, and, well, ice cream is ice cream.

To start with, Vermont is one of the prettiest states, if not the prettiest, since we left Oregon. In fact, the boys and I agree that if we didn’t know better, we would think we were in Oregon. Rolling hills, tree as far as the eye can see. Crossing bridges, you could look out your window and winding rivers, some with fishermen in hip waders casting their flies from the center of the flowing water. I could almost picture myself living here if it were not for the signs with snowmobiles on them warning of them possibly crossing the road. That’s right, I remind myself, it snows here. A lot.

Another difference between here and Oregon: Instead of “Deer X-ing” signs, there are “Moose Crossing” signs. The boys were hoping to see one, while I was thinking how I really don’t want to hit one!

Ben & Jerry’s headquarters is located in Burlington, which is about 20 miles north of their factory tour. We drove to Waterbury for the tour. All in all, the place was as cool as you would think. We signed up for a tour (which leave the front desk every 30 minutes), and we headed over to the “Scoop Shop”. There, we got waffle cones, choosing from about 30 different flavors of B&J’s ice cream.

The tour itself was interesting. We started with a short video about the beginnings of the company. It really is a great American success story. Ben and Jerry met in middle school and have been friends ever since. Their company has always been industry leaders in environmental and equality issues within the business industry.

Next, we toured the factory. No photos were allowed in the actual plant because they didn’t want to divulge their secrets to Haagen-Daz spies (at least that was the half tongue-in-cheek explanation the tour guide gave). They were producing “Half Baked” pints while we were there. Found out that that is the current #1 best seller. It used to be “Cherry Garcia” until the last couple of years. It was pretty cool. They said that they will produce 300,000 to 400,000 pints in a day. Within the same factory room they will mix, freeze, churn and fill the ice cream into the pint containers, six at a time. Literally, cool stuff!

At the end of the tour, we tried free samples of “Americone Dream”, which of course was delicious. After the tour, we traveled outside to the Ben & Jerry’s “graveyard” for “dearly departed” flavors. It was fun to see the flavors which are no longer available. Some had been retired after 10 years, while others didn’t last longer than a year.

We left Ben & Jerry’s sadly and headed south to Bennington, Vermont. There, I wanted to make a special trip to a small graveyard to visit what I think will be the last of our famous authors graves. Robert Frost, who to me signifies the northeastern vibe and spirit with his poetry, is buried in Old Bennington. By now, the boys are used to stopping at a graveyard in the middle of nowhere to then start searching for a particular grave. Often, it’s been like looking for a needle in a haystack. Here, thankfully, it was made easier for us. Signs directed us quickly to where Frost lay, and so we quickly were able to pay our respects before hitting the road once more.

We spent the night just outside of Albany, New York, and we will continue west tomorrow. We plan to be in Buffalo by nightfall. Until then, some pictures…

Some final thoughts:

• When driving for hours and hours and hours, conversations can sometime result in some weird directions. For example, Nathan asked me how many countries I could name with the ending “-stan” in their name. I came up with Kazahkstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. He then wondered why they ended with “-stan”. “Where does the ‘stan’ come from?” he asked. I said, “Well, it’s named after a famous person.” “Oh, I thought so,” he said. I decided to push it further. “It comes from the famous explorer, Stan Johnson.” “Oh, yeah, I think I heard of him,” said Nathan. Emboldened, I continued. “Yeah, Stan Johnson is credited with discovering much of northern Asia. He once was found coming down the Ural mountains, barefoot, pulled on his sled by a couple of yaks.” For some reason, this is where Nathan began to have some doubts. “Wait a minute, that’s night right,” he said. “You’re lying.” “Would I lie to you?” I asked. “Yes, yes you would dad. I don’t think he had yaks.” “No, son, you’re right. I made that part up.” The conversation ended there, until a few minutes later when he said, “You made the whole thing up. There is no Stan Johnson.” Here, I could hold back no longer, and I laughed out loud and confessed that I had made the whole thing up. Surprisingly, he began laughing too. Then we were both laughing out loud, driving down some Vermont highway surrounded by beautiful forest scenery. Nolan, in the meantime, was obliviously watching a movie in the back seat. Such is life on the road!

Well, that’s it. This time I’m posting the morning after, not because of technical difficulties, but just because I was tired last night after all that driving and the ice cream. Today we are headed to Cooperstown (another unscheduled visit) before continuing on to Buffalo. Have a great day!

It took us nineteen days, but we are finally headed west again.

Looking back, it doesn’t seem like we’ve been on the road this long. Or, at least I look back and think that it was just yesterday that we were in Atlanta sweating our asses off. But then, I think about the Kennedy Space Center, and it seems like months ago. Even the Mutter Museum, which was just a few days ago, seems like it has been weeks. Today I got up, and I had no idea whatsoever if it was a Monday or a Friday, or that today was the 23rd. Time has been seriously messed up on this trip.

We somehow managed to stay just ahead of some nasty weather. I saw on the news today how parts of Boston was flooded, and how Camden, New Jersey, was flooded by torrential rains. Last night rained a bit, with some lightning and thunder, but this morning, it was just a drizzle. Then, as we got to our first stop of the day, the skies opened up a bit more, and we seriously thought about skipping our next couple of stops and just driving on. But then I thought, heck no, we’re from Oregon. If we let a little rain stop us in Oregon, we’d be stuck in our homes for 8-9 months of the year!

Our first stop of the day was in Concord, Massachusetts. We visited the Minuteman National Historical Park. Here, on the Old North Bridge, colonial militia exchanged gunfire on April 19, 1775. Earlier in the day, there had been a skirmish in Lexington, not too far away (more on that below). Paul Revere had done his ride down in Boston, and word spread quickly that the shit was about to hit the fan.

The one nice thing about the rain was that there was absolutely nobody there except us and six or seven park rangers. Everywhere we went, rangers were just sitting around, drinking coffee and shooting the breeze. They were so happy to see SOMEONE come traipsing down the lane! We basically got a private tour of the park, and even got some tips on where to stop next on our cross-country trip.

The last time I was here was a couple of years ago with Nolan. I had brought him along on my school’s east coast trip. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve chaperoned this trip a few times over the years, and Nolan joined us that one time. Of course, the weather wasn’t good then either. It was late March, and it snowed several inches that day. I guess I might be bad luck in that each time I’ve come here, I’ve brought bad weather. Or…It’s Nolan’s fault! Either way, Nathan had never been here, so we had to stop – rain or not.

It is a very interesting place, and the rangers did a good job of setting the scene for us. I recommend that you always visit a national park or such while in a downpour.

Next, since we were already in Concord, we visited the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Yes, that is the name. Why would they name it after a scary old story? Well it might be because it reminds you of that Washington Irving story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, or, it might be because it is a creepy-ass name to give to a cemetery, which is a creepy-ass place to begin with. At the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, there is a section called “Author’s Ridge”. It’s a very apt name because none other than Ralph Waldo Emerson (“Self-Reliance”, “The Concord Hymn”, and Transcendentalism), Henry David Thoreau (“Walden” and “Civil Disobedience”), Louisa May Alcott (“Little Women”), and Nathaniel Hawthorne (“The Scarlet Letter”, and others) are all buried here. That right there is worth the price of admission (it was free, so…). We got out, climbed the ridge to the graves. All of the authors had writing utensils laid upon their graves. I kind of liked that as a tribute.

We then traveled up the road to Lexington and made a brief stop at the Lexington Green. It’s basically a nice park that just so happened to have the very first battle of the American Revolution take place there. It was earlier in the morning of April 19th, 1775. The very first shots were fired here. There were several other skirmishes that day, and in the days that followed. It had stopped raining momentarily, so we got out and walked around the park and took a few pictures. We passed a tour group of what looked like Japanese high school students. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Every single one of them had their own umbrella, which looked kind of funny. They all matched. My boys and I had left our umbrellas in the truck, so, there’s that.

Next, we headed east (for the last time), and pulled in to Salem, Massachusetts. Here we visited the Salem Witch Museum, had lunch, and then visited the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. If you’re not familiar with the story, in 1692, the town of Salem was the site of a mass-hysteria situation, started by the accusations of some bored young girls, which ended in the deaths of 20 citizens (and one dog). All of them accused of being witches or warlocks. The hysteria spread throughout New England that year, but Salem had the fever bad.

First of all, I think the town of Salem gets a bad rap. It is a very lovely town. The streets are all cobble-stone, the streets are lined by trees, and the people seemed very friendly. The only thing about it is that every 20 feet is an establishment whose existence stems from the fact that those 20 people were killed here. There are at least a half-dozen museums dedicated to the incident. People offering “ghost tours”, or “seances”, or “palm readings” seemed to be on every street corner. All over town, men and women dressed in 17th century clothing were leading groups of tourists around town, basically telling the same story. If I were a local, I would say, “I get it, but it happened over 300 years ago. Let it go!”

The memorial was the cooler of the things we saw in Salem. Dedicated to the innocent lives lost, it was tucked away next to a very old cemetery, and it seemed like the most decent thing the people of Salem could do. The “Museum” we visited was very touristy. It wasn’t really a museum at all. We watched a pretty hokey presentation involving wax figures, with a recorded voice-over telling the story of what happened. If you’ve ever read “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller (or seen the most recent of films starring Daniel Day-Lewis), then you’ve pretty much got the gist of what happened. Otherwise, I think the boys were entertained, and I guess I didn’t mind it too much.

We then left Massachusetts and drove north, through New Hampshire, and into Maine. We stopped at a town called Kittery (recommended by a bored park ranger at the Minuteman NHP) for a break, and then drove back into New Hampshire – headed west for the first time on our trip. We’re spending the night in Concord, New Hampshire. Tomorrow, I’m not sure what we’ll do. We’re supposed to be in Buffalo, NY by nightfall, but we still have an extra day to play with due to skipping New Orleans. I’m thinking we might use that extra day and drive north a little more, to a little town called Burlington, where I hear they have a certain ice cream factory…

A few quick notes:

• Giles Corey was a cantankerous old man who was one of the 20 innocent citizens of Salem who were executed for being a witch. Technically, Corey was never charged. The local authorities tortured him to confess, and he refused to answer. They used a medieval type of torture process called “pressing”. Pressing involved strapping the individual down, placing a board on top of the prone victim, and slowly placing heavy stones upon the board. Periodically, the torturers would stop and ask for a confession. They would do this until either the victim confessed, or they died. Giles Corey refused to say anything. The only phrase he ever uttered was, “more weight.”
• The reason why Corey would not confess (besides the fact that he was innocent) was that he was a vigilant and furious protector of his property and his wealth. He was well known in town for suing fellow townspeople whenever he felt he was slighted. He often won his suits, and this may also explain why they tortured him. Corey, ever protective of his wealth, knew that if he confessed, his estate and all his property would revert to local government, and his heirs would get nothing. If he could hold out, his heirs would get everything. Tough old bird was Giles Corey.
• While walking in Salem, a lady on a park bench started yelling “Hey Mars! Mars! Beam me up!” I realized that I was wearing a shirt that I purchased back at the Kennedy Space Center. I replied, “yeah, Mars!” She said, “Beam me up! We already messed up this planet. Might as well go to Mars!” Except, in her New England accent, she said “Mahhs.” I love how people just yell stuff at you when you wear something funny or different.

Well, gotta go. Second time now that I have had technical difficulties with my photos – which is why I’m finally posting this this morning. Today we go through Vermont and into upstate New York. See ya later!

Today we came in to Boston to spend the day. After the trouble I had navigating Baltimore, and especially Philadelphia, in the truck, I decided to park her somewhere and purchase some Hop On/Hop Off tickets. A few years ago we used this mode of transportation for Washington, DC, and found that it could be a convenient way to get around a city for a day.

The trolley has 14 stops around Boston, all near some key tourist spots. You can get off at any of the stops, check things out, and then catch the next available trolley. The driver is also the tour guide, and if you wanted to, you could stay on the trolley and never get off – just go round and round the city, taking in the sights and the people.

Boston is a city that is old and full of history. This is a city built upon the battle for independence. Revolutionaries hatched the plan to overthrow the British rule, and then later saw itself as an early capitol for a new country. Patriots like Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere, paved the way for the birth of this country. All three men are prominent in most parts of historical Boston.

Paul Revere, especially surprised me. We all know about the “One if by land, two if by sea” story, but Revere was a man for all seasons. Blacksmith, goldsmith, silversmith, revolutionary, messenger man. Heck, he even was Boston’s first health inspector. He kind of reminds me of what Ben Franklin was to Philadelphia. He had his hands in all of the history in this region. Same with the other two. It would be fitting that they would all be buried in the same cemetery.

Boston was not only the site of the Boston Tea Party, but also the Boston Massacre in 1770. Not far away, the “shot heard ’round the world” would be fired in 1775, starting the Revolutionary War.

We took in as much as we could, and even endured some rain this afternoon. I guess when there isn’t a heat wave, then there are nasty, wet storms to deal with. Thunder and lightning today, as well as torrential rain. Might have more of the same tomorrow. We stopped at the oldest ship in the US Navy that is still operational: The USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”), the Old Granary Burying Ground, the Old State House, Boston Common, Faneuil Hall, and Quincy Market (for lunch). Lot’s to see here. So much history.

Here are some pics from our travels today:

A couple of parting shots…

• I wore my “Make America Read Again” shirt today. Several people stopped me on the street to comment on it. All of them loved it. A couple of them asked me where I got it (the internet). And every single one of them was a…teacher.
• The statue of Poe is a relatively new one. The funny thing is, Boston only grudgingly acknowledges their connection to Poe. First, Poe was born in Boston in 1809. His mother, Eliza, was an actress here. His dad left when he was born, and when he was just two years old, his mother died of tuberculosis. Poe returned to Boston a few times, lived here briefly, but hated it. He famously called out the Boston elite on a few occasions, publicly, and told many people of how Boston was distasteful to him. He loathed this town. In return, the big-wigs in Boston referred to him as a hack and a loser. One of the biggest slights he could give Boston was when he claimed that Henry Wordsworth Longfellow (a big deal in Boston) was a plagiarist. The feud between Poe and Boston left a bitter taste in people’s mouths here, and it wasn’t until 2014 that they acknowledged that Poe was actually a big deal, and they erected this statue. No word yet on what Poe thinks of it.
• A disturbed man at a bus stop we walked by was singing, very loudly, the song “La cucaracha”. He sang, “La cucaracha, la cucaracha,” then he stopped, and I immediately picked up the tune and finished it. “Ya no puede caminar.” The dude just looked at me funny, and Nathan told me to knock it off. I think it made him, and the disturbed man, a little uncomfortable. Sometimes I just can’t help myself.
• I think that people who deal with the public should not speak badly of the public while the public is still standing there. Case in point: We come up to the entrance to the USS Constitution. I follow another group into a security line. Apparently you have to go through security before you can board the historic ship. Just before I entered the building, the people who went in before us were coming back out. Thinking nothing of it, I push the door open and enter the security room. There are two security personnel there. “The ship is closed to the public today sir,” says the woman seated at the X-Ray machine. The male officer stands next to her, looking at me and my boys. I say, “It’s closed today?” She says, “Yes. It’s Monday.” I say, “Oh, it’s closed on Mondays?” She says “Yes, it says it right there on the sign on the door.” I turn and look at the door I just came through, and notice a little 3×5 card saying “Closed Mondays”. “Oh, okay,” I say. She looks at her partner standing next to her and says, “I don’t know why these tourists can’t read a simple sign. They just walk in here like they’re going somewhere today.” She said these things as if I wasn’t still standing there. I had a few choice words to say to her, but kept them in my mouth for once. Seriously, if they were closed, then what the hell were they doing there today?

Tomorrow we may end up in either New Hampshire or Vermont, after briefly visiting Maine. Then our east coast part of our trip will be done. I can’t say that it has been the best part of our trip, what with the incredible heat, crowded streets, and frenzied pace. But, the last few days have been packed with some very interesting things. We’ve turned the corner on this trip, and tomorrow, we will be pointing ourselves in the opposite direction for the first time in over two weeks. Oregon, here we come!

Talk to you tomorrow.

Today was kind of a weird day that turned out to be mostly good. We left Philadelphia and headed across the Delaware River into New Jersey. Our hotel didn’t have a continental breakfast (first one on this trip), so our first mission was to find somewhere to eat. Downtown Philly was just too stressful – narrow streets, one-way streets, construction and road repairs, etc. Turns out, it is damn hard to find someplace where everyone can eat what they want – i.e. a Denny’s or IHOP. Finally settled for Dunkin’ Donuts (which are everywhere here in the East), and no, we didn’t have donuts. They do breakfast sandwiches now I guess.

After breakfast, we drove to Harleigh Cemetery where one of my idols is buried. Walt Whitman, who lived mostly in New York, Washington, DC, and Camden, New Jersey, has a family tomb here. We didn’t have a map of the cemetery, so it took us a while to find him. Eventually we did, and we paid our respects. It might sound weird, but I thanked him for his poetry. He is always one of my favorites to teach, and although he was out there – “a Bohemian” he liked to call himself – inside, he was a true American original. His early poems dealt with the self – mind and body – and of his love of this great country, which was growing larger and stronger during his lifetime. He is also one who, like many Americans, was devastated by the effects of the Civil War, and his later poetry reflected his fears, his despair, and ultimately, his hope for America’s future.

Next, I told the boys we were going someplace different – and it was a surprise. They were intrigued, but that was all. That’s okay because I knew they would like it. After looking at several things lately which mostly only interested me, I researched our route from Philly to Providence, looking for something that would be a good change of pace. I found it last night, in Orange, Connecticut. There, is the location of the PEZ factory and visitor center. I loved (and still love) PEZ candy, and I knew the boys would find it interesting. Unfortunately, the factory is only in operation Monday-Friday, and since today was Sunday, only the museum and store was open. That was totally okay because it actually turned out to be a cool stop. Not a huge place, it was packed with just about every PEZ dispenser ever made (which was a lot!). For $5 each, you get $2 back on any items in the store. You also get a cool lanyard, and a PEZ dispenser. We used our $2 vouchers to buy a bunch of PEZ candy to go into our new dispensers. Before we knew it, we had spent an hour and a half there!

From Connecticut, we continued on to Providence, Rhode Island. Besides crossing Rhode Island off the boy’s state list, I got to visit yet one more grave of my favorite authors. Providence is the final resting place for Howard Phillip (H.P.) Lovecraft. I got into his writing many years ago when I was a teenager, and I read an article in which Stephen King (I guy I read a lot as a teenager) said that “H.P. Lovecraft stories scared the shit out of me!”. Well, I just had to read some of his stories! Lovecraft is very much a bridge between the gothic horror of Edgar Allan Poe, and the macabre modern day creations of Stephen King. He also gave rise to the Cthulhu stories, which have been very influential, including to this very day. He’s not very well known, unless you’re into this kind of writing. Nolan has read some of his stuff, and is a fan. Nathan had no idea who he was, except that dad liked him.

The graveyard, Swan County Graveyard, is a very large place. Again, we didn’t have any sort of map, so it took us a while to locate his grave. We got out, took our pictures, and got back in since it was getting kind of late. I don’t know what it is about the graves of famous people, but I have always been fascinated by the idea that I am right next to these famous people. Yes, I know they are dead and not (probably) aware that I’m standing next to them, but in a way, I feel closer to them, and to me, they almost feel more real – and just a little bit alive. I know, weird, but these won’t be the final graves of famous people that I will visit on this trip.

Well, that’s it for today. Tomorrow we go to Boston, and there is a lot to see and do there. Not sure what we can fit in to one day, but I know it will be a lot! The boys have been real troopers so far.

One last thought:

• Again with the road tolls. Maybe someone can explain to me why they exist. If they pay for the roads, well, I have yet to see any city where the roads are even somewhat good. Today we came across two different tolls while driving from Philadelphia to the New York/Connecticut border. The first toll, on the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) cost $11.25! To drive on a road! Then, to cross the George Washington Bridge, from New Jersey into the Bronx, New York, it cost us $15.00! FIFTEEN DOLLARS to cross the bridge into New York. $26 to drive, not very far, on a road. I suppose I could have taken alternate routes, but that would’ve added up to anywhere from 30 – 60 minutes more to our drive. Also, not being familiar with the area, I’m leery getting off any of the main freeways. It has really been pissing me off on this trip, and the $26 from today just took the cake.
• One more thought (or rant, I guess): The traffic, even on a Sunday, was horrible. From Philadelphia to Providence was bumper to bumper for much of the way. No accidents or stalled vehicles, just lots and lots of people. It took way longer than I anticipated to get to where I wanted to today. We pulled in over one hour later than I had planned (and I plan things very well). Hopefully, the farther north we go, the less traffic we will encounter. Tomorrow, in Boston, I plan on parking somewhere and taking a trolley bus to get around town to all the sights. We’ll see how that works.

Good night from the East Coast! Take care and see you tomorrow!

Today may be day sixteen, but it is also day fourteen of crappy weather. As in heat. I knew what I had signed up for when I planned this trip in the dead of summer, but this is ridiculous. The heat index in Philly today was 107 degrees. Combine that with a city that is made up of one way streets, and half of those streets are closed for repaving, and the GPS in your truck not understanding that I CANNOT go that way, and last but not least, having to pay $16 in tolls just to drive from Baltimore to Philadelphia, and it all adds up to a somewhat crappy day. To top it off, we stopped at a McDonald’s (not my first choice, but seriously, this city has no parking anywhere), only to find out that they RAN OUT OF KETCHUP! No ketchup for my fries. What the HELL is this world coming to?

It wasn’t all bad, but it was pretty close. We drove to Philly (and paid our $16 in toll fees), and our first stop was the Mutter Museum. Now, you have to understand that today was my day. We were seeing things that I had always had an interest in seeing, but never was able to. All three of us had been to Philadelphia before. We have already seen Independence Hall (awesome) and the Liberty Bell (ho-hum). So, since we’re in Philly, I decided to check out some off-the-beaten-path stuff today.

If you don’t know, the Mutter Museum is dedicated to medical oddities. Strange stuff. Some might say, gross stuff. I had first heard of this place from a show the boys and I used to watch called “Mysteries of the Museum” (or something like that). I noticed that often, some of the items discussed on the show were on display at some place called the “Mutter” (pronounced moo-ter). I studied up on the place, and found that I was fascinated at the strange things they kept there. This was our first stop.

The Mutter is a depository of birth defects, catastrophic injuries, and other abnormalities of science. Doctors from around the world still come here to study and learn about the rarest of rare conditions, ailments, and injuries. To prove this, a couple of items usually on display were unavailable because they were being studied.

Now, unfortunately, pictures are not allowed through most of the museum. Here are some of the things we got to see, but that I don’t have pictures of:

• The skeleton of a 7′ 6″ man standing next to a three and 1/2 foot dwarf
• The “Soap Lady” – a woman whose body had not decomposed due to the perfect concoction of soil, bacteria, and weather, and whose body was now preserved as some sort of cheese like consistency. Sounds gross but it was fascinating to me
• A body cast of the original “Siamese Twins”, Chang and Eng Bunker.
• Slices of Albert Einstein’s brain, preserved on microscope slides
• The colon of a man who had a serious case of constipation (it was the size of a medium sized dog – the man died from it)
• A 74 pound ovarian cyst removed from a woman in 1865
• A two-headed baby preserved in a jar
• A case containing 139 skulls from all over the world
• A shrunken head from a tribe in South America

The museum was hot and crowded. This being Saturday, and during a heatwave, it made sense. Nonetheless, I could’ve stayed longer, but Nathan had had enough. “Too weird and gross,” he said. “I’m ready to go.” Poor guy, tried to indulge dad, but got grossed out. I sent him out to the lobby while I perused a couple more items, but I could’ve stayed much longer. If you are fascinated by medicine and the evolution of it, then this is the place for you!

The next odd stop for us was the Eastern State Penitentiary, located right in the heart of Philadelphia. First opening in 1829, it was the largest, most expensive structure in the United States at that time. Among it’s most notorious residents was one Mr. Alphonse “Al” Capone.

Outside the prison, it looks like a castle. The brick walls rise 30 feet into the air. There are crenelated parapet battlements which look like archers should be stationed at, aiming down at the enemy. It is quite an imposing sight. And then, right across the street, a pizzeria.

The prison was unique in its design. From a central hub, prison blocks protruded like spokes on a wagon wheel. Inmates were confined to their own cells. The main focus was on reform rather than punishment (it didn’t always work that way).

The heat today made it a test of endurance to go through the entire prison. Free water was given out, and there were a couple of exhibits which were in air conditioned rooms. This helped a lot. Fans were also present at certain places. Still, everyone was wet with sweat (not just the fat people like me).

It was an audio tour (narrated by actor Steve Buscemi), and the voices of actual inmates (some are still alive – the place didn’t shut down until 1971) made the tour very memorable. They really made it so that you could see what they were talking about.

The prison fell into disarray after it closed, and it wasn’t until after 2003 that visitors didn’t have to wear hard hats to tour the facilities. Nathan found this place “much better than the other one,” and I have to say that I really enjoyed this stop.

Well, that’s it or today. Tomorrow we travel from Philly to Providence, Rhode Island. Our focus will be on visiting a couple of famous authors, and hopefully a trip to the candy store…you’ll have to come back tomorrow to find out more! Until then, stay safe. And to my peeps in Hawai’i – keep up the good fight! Just say “No” to the TMT!

Today we made the drive from Richmond, Virginia to Charles Town, West Virginia, and then on to Baltimore, Maryland. It was a lovely drive through the countryside. Mountains (finally!) and great rivers in the area. The confluence of two rivers, the Shenandoah and the Potomac, makes for majestic scenery.

Just being honest here, but the only reason we took our scenic route was so that we could say that we were in West Virginia. I’ve actually been to this area before when chaperoning my school’s east coast history trip. Years ago, we used to come to West Virginia to visit Harper’s Ferry. This was the site where abolitionist, John Brown, led a raid on the Federal armory at Harper’s Ferry. There, they held up until overcome by U.S. forces (led by future Confederate General Robert E. Lee – see how everything is connected?). John Brown would be tried and convicted for treason, and hung. We would also stop in Charles Town, where in their town museum, you can see the wagon which carried Brown to the gallows. But, we skipped all this, mostly because it would cost us at least half a day. I would rather spend that time at other places.

In Baltimore, we first went to Fort McHenry National Monument. Much like Fort Sumter in South Carolina, this fort has a very important part in U.S. history. Unlike Fort Sumter, which “starred” in the Civil War, this fort was the site of a famous victory by U.S. forces over the British during the war of 1812. The Brits and the Americans had been at war for two years when, in September of 1814, the British came. They had just embarrassed the young country by marching into Washington, D.C., and burning down the White House. Baltimoreans knew they were next, so they fortified the harbor, and in particular, the fort at the mouth of the harbor: McHenry.

Fort McHenry’s defense was led by General George Armistead, whose nephew, Lewis Armistead would later be killed during Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg (more connections!). But, of course, the reason the fort is so famous today is that a young lawyer by the name of Francis Scott Key, was being detained by the British on a ship in the harbor. They refused to release him until the battle was over. As the rockets and bombs fell on the fort, he worried that the fort would fall. When, in the morning, he awoke to see the U.S. flag still flying, he knew that the British had failed. He was so inspired, he scribbled down the first few lines of a poem which would later become a sensation across the country. Known as “The Star-Spangled Banner”, it would be put to music, and in 1931, officially became our national anthem.

Today, much of the fort is accessible to the public. From the battlements, you can see where the British ships fired on the fort. You also notice why this fort was so important in the battle. If the fort were to be destroyed, British ships could easily enter the harbor and invade Baltimore.

I know I’ve been complaining about the heat through most of this trip, but today at the fort was one of the worst! 98 degrees, humid, a heat wave has been hitting the entire east coast. It was so hot, I made sure the boys and I drank lots of water. The park rangers were polite and helpful, and I definitely recommend watching the movie in the Visitor’s Center before entering the fort. They do a good job setting the scene for you.

Next, we headed towards the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore. At the corner of N. Greene St. and W. Fayette St. is the Westminster Burying Grounds. This is a cemetery in which there are several graves of very important people in Baltimore’s history. But, their claim to fame, the most famous person buried here is none other than Edgar Allan Poe. I’ve been here a few times, and as an English teacher, I must admit that this is one of my favorite places in the U.S. One of the high points in my teaching career is chaperoning kids from the school I teach at here, and giving a lesson on the life of Poe, while in the shadow of his grave. I’ve read the poem, “The Raven” to the students while standing right next to the author of the poem. I don’t know. Something about that always gives me goosebumps.

Edgar Allan Poe lived in Baltimore for a while, but he’s buried here because this is where he died under mysterious circumstances. Poe was on his way from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia to check on a job offer. He stopped in Baltimore along the way…and then disappeared. He turns up on the evening of October 3, 1849, in the gutter outside of a pub (and voting station), unconscious. Dragged into the bar, he is recognized, and attempts are made to find relatives of his (he had a couple of cousins who lived here at the time). He came to, but was delirious. A cab was sent for, and he was transported to a nearby hospital. There, he went in and out of consciousness. When awake, he was sometimes lucid, sometimes delirious. He would ask for water, but then not drink. Poe was never coherent enough to explain what had happened to him. At one point, he kept yelling out the name “Reynolds”, but nobody knows what this was in reference to. Finally, early on the morning of October 7th, Poe succumbed and died. The next day, his cousins arranged for him to be buried at the burying grounds. Only seven people attended his funeral. His headstone was a simple cement block with a number. It wouldn’t be until years later, after he had become famous, that the church decided to move him to a more prominent part of the graveyard. The teachers and children of Baltimore held fund raisers so that he could have a proper marker (the marble marker which stands there today). Poe’s life, and death, are stories fraught with sadness and despair.

Today, we visit on a very hot day. The cemetery is in a weird area, an old, old church and graveyard, surrounded by the immense city of Baltimore. On all sides, the graveyard is in the shadows of tall buildings. The University of Maryland hospital is right across the street. The graveyard is mostly empty of living people. The three of us were the only ones there for at least 15-20 minutes. There is a marker where Poe’s first grave was located. It’s in the back of the graveyard. The newer marble monument is located right at the entrance. Often, I have found that people leave all sorts of things at his tomb. Today, a single bell sat on top. I imagine it is in recognition of his famous poem, “The Bells”. I’m not sure.

We paid our respects, and took a few pictures. The boys marveled at the old graves here. Some veterans of the Revolutionary War are buried here. The McHenry of Fort McHenry fame is buried here. But the star of the show was the one who only had 7 people attend his funeral. Amazing.

Tomorrow we will travel to Philadelphia, another town which Poe lived in. Oh yeah, it’s also where the Declaration of Independence was signed. And there is some bell with a crack in it there as well. Should be interesting…

Ok, now for some Poe trivia:

• It is true that Poe married his 13 year old cousin, Virginia. What was scandalous in his day was not that he married his 1st cousin, but that she was 13. Their marriage license lists her as 18 when they married
• It is also true that to most people who knew him, Poe’s happiest years were the ones when he was married to Virginia.
• Poe was paid only $15 for his most famous poem, “The Raven”. He made much more money on the speaking circuit, reciting the poem for adoring crowds.
• Poe was born in 1809, the same year as Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin.
• Poe’s wife, Virginia, died of “consumption”, today known as tuberculosis. It is the same disease that his mother, Eliza, died from. Both died at the age of 24.
• Poe certainly wrote stories of horror, but he is also known for inventing the modern detective story. Today, the Edgar Award is given to the best writing in this genre.
• Poe not only got kicked out of the University of Virginia, but also from West Point.
• At Poe’s second burial in 1875 (when the marble monument was erected, and his body was relocated), several prominent poets were invited. The only one who actually attended was Walt Whitman. Alfred, Lord Tennyson did not attend, but he wrote a poem for the occasion, which was recited at the ceremony.

I could go on, but it’s getting late. We’re about at the halfway point of this road trip, and looking back, we’ve covered a LOT of ground! It sometimes seems like it was just yesterday when we left our house in Oregon, and sometimes it seems like it’s been months. Thanks for coming along on this journey with us!

Hey, keeping it really short this time. Had technical difficulties (probably due to bad WiFi, but not sure), so I’m posting this in the morning. Sorry for the delay!

Started out by visiting the Appomattox Court House National Historic Park. Here, in the McClean house (family who lived there), in April of 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant, thus ending the Civil War. In Charleston, S.C., we saw the beginning at Fort Sumter. Beautiful countryside out here. The displays were informational and this was a pretty good stop.

Next, we headed to the city. Richmond, Virginia to be exact. It’s really just a stop for the night as myself and the boys have been to Richmond before. My main stop here was to visit the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. Poe grew up in Richmond, and often returned throughout his life. The museum is small, but there are a lot of cool things here. I would definitely recommend it if you are a Poe buff, but I would say that there is something for everyone here.

That’s it, gotta go. Here’s the pictures:

That’s it for now. More about Poe later!

Greetings from North Carolina! Today we drove from Charleston to my wife’s brother’s house in Summerfield. The drive was fairly uneventful, and we stopped only for gas and bathroom breaks. I think I needed a day where we didn’t really do anything. I’ve been feeling worn down and tired, and so it was nice to come here and slow down a bit. I’m pretty good about pulling over when I get drowsy, and today we pulled over more than normal.

Sister-in-law Amanda was very gracious to allow us to hole up for the night. They live out in the country, and we have been marveling at the tremendous noise the bugs make at night! The sound is deafening. We’ve been looking for lightning bugs (fireflies), but so far have been unsuccessful.

Summerfield is near Greensboro, and I briefly entertained the idea of stopping there to visit the Woolworth’s store where black students sat in protest at the lunch counter. They were not welcome there, and things got very dangerous. But, it was yet another step in the long process of destroying the Jim Crow laws so prevalent in the southern states. We skipped it though so that we would have more time to rest.

At Dave and Amanda’s house, the boys got to play X-Box, and my younger son and I played a best-of-three on their air hockey table (I beat him 2 games to 1 – and I only gloated a little!). Dinner was tacos. We also each have our own rooms tonight. Last night I had to sleep with Nathan. I say had to because he is HORRIBLE to sleep with! Normally I only get kicked and punched by my wife (kidding!), but last night felt like an MMA battle. I am also noticing that we have all been getting tired of being on top of each other for the past two weeks. I think we really needed this stop!

Tomorrow, we head to Richmond, Virginia. We might stop at the Appomattox Court House where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, thus ending the Civil War. In Richmond, one of the places I’m looking forward to is the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. Poe spent many years in Richmond, and considered it home.

Since I’ve started this trend, I have to keep it going – Here are some random thoughts for today:

• The other day, I mentioned that I had a lovely conversation with a family from Ireland. It reminded me of something a person from Great Britain said once – that Americans use the word “awesome” way too much. “Everything can’t be awesome,” he said. “It diminishes the meaning of the word.” Well, this Irish family reminded me of something I remember from the Harry Potter books. They say the word “brilliant” way too much. Now, I know I’m fairly intelligent, but this family from Ireland called me “brilliant” several times when discussing our cross-country trip. “Well, that is a brilliant idea. Absolutely brilliant! That’s the way to do it proper. Brilliant…” So, I say, we can continue saying “awesome”, and they can continue saying “brilliant”, or we both have to drop those words from our vocabulary.
• Nathan mentioned this the other day, and it actually has been bothering me. In all this time that we’ve been in the south, we just haven’t heard very many people with the stereotypical southern accents. Almost none! There was the lady at the front desk at our motel in Oklahoma City. There was the lady who took our order at the Cracker Barrel in Mississippi, and that’s it. I really thought I would hear more twang. Instead, I’ve only heard…normal. Very disappointing!
• So sometimes I send things to my wife which do not make it onto my blog. Often they are either inside jokes, proof-of-life photos of the boys, or stuff that is just not appropriate (I guess) for the general public. One example of this was a photo I sent to her yesterday. I guess you could say that this is the price of being married to me:

Anywho, I’m checking out for the night. Tomorrow Richmond. The Eastern Seaboard is coming up next!

I’m keeping it short and sweet tonight because my wife says I need to get more sleep. This is me agreeing with her. 🙂

This morning we left Jacksonville, Florida (where we had been staying), and drove roughly 4 hours to Charleston, South Carolina. It was another warm day, where there is no breeze, and the humidity feels like someone put a warm wet blanket on you – and it’s 90+ degrees.

The only thing on our agenda today was to take a ferry out to Fort Sumter, which lies on a man-made island in Charleston’s harbor. If you know your Civil War history, this is where the Civil War started. A military buildup at the Union-held fort, heavy talk of secession throughout the south…all was needed was a spark. One thing led to another, and shots were fired. There is no doubt the South fired first. There is some question as to whether both parties involved knew what they were getting into. Some did. William Tecumseh Sherman, teaching at a military college in New Orleans, got into a heated debate in 1860, and declared that the South was going to lose any future war, and would regret starting one. Sherman would return, of course, as a Union general, and make good on his prediction.

We boarded a National Park Service ferry at the Liberty Square region of the harbor. The ride out was pleasant enough. We saw more dolphins surfacing in the water along the ship. Birds followed us out to the island. First thing which stood out was the size of the island. It was smaller than I thought. Then, I noticed that part of the fort was painted black. Strange, especially in this heat! I later heard something about black tar being used back in the day…yada, yada, yada. I will say one thing. The Park Service speaker was outstanding! He really had a flair for the dramatic, and set up our visit very well. I can’t remember his name, but if you get him, you’ll know what I mean. He was dynamite!

Below are some pictures of our visit to the fort. Like I said, keeping it short. I will say that the boys and I agree that this place was better than we thought it would be. Six thumbs up!

Some interesting things from today’s tour:

• A “fire eating” secessionist from Virginia, Edmund Ruffin, who had come down to South Carolina to urge the South Carolinians to “strike first”, ended up being the first person to fire a cannon at the fort, thus starting the battle, and the war.
• After 34 hours of constant bombardment, the Union soldiers surrendered the fort. No one on either side had been killed.
• An hour before the bombardment began, Confederate officers approached the fort and informed the Union officers that they were going to commence bombing in one hour. The Union officer in charge thanked them for the heads-up, and shook their hands. One hour later, it started. Things sure have changed.
• Most people in South Carolina were in favor of secession, and starting with the bombing on April 11, 1861, the people of Charleston congregated at the buildings on the shore, and they toasted the beginning of hostilities.
• The Union second in command was a man by the name of Abner Doubleday. He served at Fort Sumter, and would see action throughout the war, including at Gettysburg in 1863. Yet, he is most remembered as the person credited with inventing the sport of baseball, in Elihu Phinney’s cow pasture in Cooperstown, NY, in 1839.
• Although the United States flag came down on April 13, 1861, Union soldiers vowed it would be raised again. Fatefully, it would be raised, just days after the end of the war, on April 14, 1865, mere hours before President Abraham Lincoln would be shot and killed.

Well, that’s it for tonight. Tomorrow we visit Deborah’s brother’s house in North Carolina for a rest day. Not really expecting much to happen tomorrow, but I will regale you with something from the road. Until then, aloha!

Friday, July 20th is the 50th anniversary of man landing on the moon. There was just no way we were going to be in the area and miss the fun!

We arrived at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) just after it opened at 9:00 AM. I had gone online to purchase tour tickets. You can get a bus tour for free when you pay admission, but I signed us up for the Explore Tour (!) which took you to some off-limits places the regular folk don’t get to see. Boy was I glad I did that! Our tour started at 10:00 AM, and when we got to the tour bus terminal, the line was out the door and almost around the corner of the building! After finding and checking with an employee, we found that because we had the “special” tour, we didn’t have to stand in line – we could just go to the front and get in to our Explore Tour (!). I was so glad about this because, I don’t know if you’ve read my other blogs, but the heat sucks out here!

In the south, a large man like myself, begins to sweat the moment I get out of bed, until the moment I can stand in front of the air conditioner in our hotel in the evening. I’m going to use a disgusting word here so be ready: I am frequently moist. Like, all day long. It’s not like Hawai’i (where at least there are trade winds), but no wind, 90+ degrees, 90+% humidity. It was like my trip to Japan all over again.

On our bus tour, we were taken the 8 miles out from the Visitor Center to the various launch pads which are there. We saw the VAB building (Vehicle Assembly Building). This is the iconic building in which the space shuttles were assembled, then wheeled out on giant “crawlers”, and taken to the launch pad. It is a huge building. NASA is still using the building – it has been reconfigured for the next mission: Orion.

We were taken to some bleachers, about 3.5 miles from the main launch pad. This is where people are allowed to watch live launches. When the Apollo program was active, they used the Saturn-V rocket, which at the time was the largest object ever sent into space. Filled with liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen, if the rocket were to ever explode, it contained the force of an atomic bomb. Engineers figured that 3 miles would be a safe distance, but just for good measure, they added a little more.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I was a space shuttle fanatic. In Hawai’i, I had to get up at like 3:00 in the morning to see the first ever launch live in 1981. I had a huge poster in my room of a space shuttle launch. I got up early to watch the space shuttle Challenger take off live on TV in 1986, and remember my grandmother asking me, “Is it supposed to do that?”, and me, looking at the TV set dumbfounded saying, “No grandma. It just exploded.” Needless to say, this was a profound moment as I got to tour these amazing buildings where history was made. I was surprised to find out that just about every NASA launch, from Apollo to the final space shuttle launch (Atlantis in 2011) took off from one of two launch pads here. Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to be Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins as they went to bed the night before their launch. Just can’t do it.

In my classes, we often talk about heroes, and I’m reminded of a passage in Tom Wolfe’s book “The Right Stuff”, where the test pilots are making fun of the new Gemini astronauts, saying that a monkey could go into space (monkeys and dogs!), and Chuck Yeager of all people informing them that a monkey doesn’t know that he’s sitting on a bomb. Each of the astronauts tend to have the same “right stuff”: smarts, dedication, courage, and a sense of exploration and adventure. Heck yeah, these people are heroes. We were told that we are sending people to Mars in the next 20-30 years. I believe them.

A few random things:

• There was a place where you could put on a space suit and stand in front of a green screen and pretend you’re in space or on the moon. Nathan immediately said, “That’s how they faked the moon landing.” Indeed, the boy is smarter than he looks.

• Startling fact for the day: The Saturn-V rocket, the very first official mission of the Apollo Project, was launched on November 9th, 1967 – the very day I was born.
• Second startling fact for the day: Famed astronomer, Carl Sagan, was also born on November 9th. Coincidence? I think not.
• At the food court, we sat next to some people who were clearly not from around here. Nope, they weren’t aliens. They were Irish! A family of about 5 or 6 were sitting there and I thought they would make great conversation. They did! They told me that they just completed week 2 of a 5 week trip to the USA! And they haven’t even been out of Florida yet! I asked them…why? They said that they’re huge football (soccer) fans, and have seen several Orlando MSL games. They had a few other places to go, but they were pretty much basing their trip on watching American soccer. The dad was also very excited to tell me that they are big American Football fans. I said, “You see those games in Ireland?” And he says, “Oh yes. We watch as many as we can. The only problem is that the games start at 3:00 AM, but we get up and watch them!” I asked him if he had a favorite team. He told me his team was the Kansas City Chiefs. Couldn’t explain why. Neither could I.
• Today we saw our first alligator. He was in a water-filled ditch that we drove by while on the tour bus. On the way in to KSC, in the morning, we saw dolphins swimming and surfacing, just yards from the shore! There was also a gecko outside our motel room this morning, and I’ve also seen several dead armadillos on the side of the road – in case you’re keeping track of animals I have seen on this trip, dead or alive.
• One last thing. We really did land on the moon. I was just joking. The following photograph proves it…Have a great day, and we’ll talk tomorrow.