Whoopers!

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Phoenix 2552

January 28-31, 2019

Whoopers (and little egret photo bombing our shot – the shot before this has just his head peeking to see if we were taking a photo)

Whoopers… aka Whooping Cranes. These are the largest birds in North America. They are on the Federal Endangered list. At one point only 15 birds were located at their southern migration point at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Now there are over 500 and we got to see some. Holding out for a campsite at Goose Island State Park worked out perfectly. You can see Whoopers right at the park or near its borders.

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Remember Goliad!

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Phoenix 2552

January 25-27, 2019

Blue Elbow Swamp at Texas Welcome Center

We finally made it into Texas on I-10 and were shocked when we saw mile marker 880… as in 880 miles on I-10 to cross Texas. We had planned stops at several National Parks but the government shutdown was still in full swing so we were getting a bit depressed about the length of time it was going to take to cross the state with only a few of our planned stops available to us. We swung straight into the really cool Texas Welcome Center and started browsing brochures and pamphlets. Once we had a good stack of those, we thoroughly enjoyed walking the boardwalk through their marshlands before crawling back into the rig and starting the countdown to “1” (880 miles to go, 880 miles…)

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World War II Museum – New Orleans, LA

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Phoenix 2552

January 17-19 & 23, 2019

World War II Museum

The World War II Museum is one of the best museums I have visited. There is so much to see, hear, and do that one day would never be enough. In fact I spent four full days, opening to closing, and barely finished.

We camped at Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego, an easy drive to the museum. So easy I drove there and back on my own without getting lost! We parked in the museum’s parking garage. Parking fees are a bit steep; if you stay all day it will cost you $18. Still, given the cost of other parking options, that’s really not too bad.

The museum covers everything that had to do with the American war effort, and I mean everything. There are five buildings on their “campus,” several restaurants, and multiple gift shops.

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New Orleans… Again

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Phoenix 2552

January 14-23, 2019

Rental Cabins at Bayou Segnette

For our second visit to New Orleans we stayed at Bayou Segnette State Park. This is a very nice park in Westwego, which is south of New Orleans. They honor the NPS Senior Pass so our camping fees were half price. The park is right on the highway that takes you over the bridge and into New Orleans. In fact, it was 20 minutes from our campsite to the parking garage at the World War II Museum. Turn right out of the campground, go until you cross the bridge, get off at the second exit and you are THERE. Even John didn’t get lost. John has a full post on the museum that should show right after this one. When we weren’t at the museum, we were exploring the world around us.

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Trials and Tribulations

Posted on December 17, 2018 by Phoenix 2552

December 17, 2018

Ah, “the best laid plans…”

We thought we had a GOOD PLAN for the return to Maryland for the holidays. Our first general plan was to store the rig somewhere in New Orleans and fly from there to one of the airports in the DC area. We would fly in a week or more before Christmas and back out several days after New Year’s to avoid the main holiday rush. Then we checked airlines a full six weeks in advance. HOLY COW! Those people are crazy! Continue reading →

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Little River Canyon National Preserve

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Phoenix 2552

December 13, 2018

Little River Canyon Visitor Center

We did a quick stop at Little River Canyon on our way up to our planned storage spot in Tennessee. They had a lot of rain recently so the falls were flowing nicely. There is a nice visitor center where you can watch a video about the canyon, check out their cool 3D map and shop for some really unique items in their gift store. The rangers/hosts were extremely helpful and gave us all kinds of great things to do in the area but unfortunately it was only a two night stop so we didn’t have time for more than a quick look. Plus all that rain made the trails down that canyon wall a little dicey. Continue reading →

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Montgomery, Alabama

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Phoenix 2552

December 12, 2018, January 11-12, 2019

So much history!

I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s so much of what I’ve been learning wasn’t taught when I was in school. That’s because the fight for civil rights wasn’t history yet, it was the day’s news.

Much of what I knew was a mere snapshot of a much larger panorama. The more I learned, the more I have come to appreciate the sacrifices people made to create a better life for everyone.

Visiting these sites was a sobering experience.

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Tuskegee Airmen

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Phoenix 2552

December 12, 2018

“They said we didn’t have the intelligence, demeanor, the courage to be combat pilots. They learned different. All we needed was a chance and training.”
Col. Charles E. McGee, Pilot, c. 2005

The “Tuskegee Experiment” was meant to fail. The US government specifically stated the blacks were NOT mentally and physically capable of flying airplanes. I don’t know why they did the “experiment” at all but boy were they proved wrong. Young black men volunteered to do whatever needed to be done to get them into an airplane. They trained longer and harder and had stricter pass/fail requirements than their white counterparts. They did not train together with white pilots but had their own hangers and field away from the white airbase. Their book learning was at Tuskegee Institute (a black college) but their “basic” pilot training was at Moton Field. The National Park Service has two hangers with excellent interpretive exhibits about the Tuskegee Airman. Their video is inspiring and many stations in the museum allow you to hear the voices of the actual airmen (some are still alive… seriously “mature” but alive). The video recordings are great. They tell about the hardships and racism that they encountered but they also let you see the pilots’ eyes light up when they talk about what it meant to fly and defend their country. These were fly boys. Black or white didn’t matter to them. They loved what they did and their excitement and pride comes through. At some point they painted the tails of their planes red and earned the nickname “Red Tails”. The “Red Tails” became known for their ability to safely bring the bombers home and were requested by many squadrons to provide escort duty for them.

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Selma, Alabama

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Phoenix 2552

December 11, 2018

Selma Interpretive Center

The Selma Interpretive Center and the National Park Service Interpretive Center tell the story of those who nonviolently fought for the right to vote. These events occurred 100 years after the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution banished slavery, provided equal protection under the law, and guaranteed the right to vote.

The Selma interpretive Center chronicles the events leading up to Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965 and the Selma to Montgomery March later that month.

Downtown Selma today

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George Washington Carver Museum & Tuskegee Institute

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Phoenix 2552

December 10, 2018

“No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.”
George Washington Carver

This was an amazing man. Born a slave; Small in size; Frail and sickly; Black when it wasn’t good to be black with all the added hurdles and hardships that came with it. And yet, he left behind an astounding number of “distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through” this world. Continue reading →

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