Saturday, May 5, 2012

The Ozark Folk Center State Park

This is a craft village just outside of Mountain View, reflecting the arts of years ago - soap-making (we bought lye soap), candles, leather, lithograph printing, and on and on.  The people here were like retired educators who come for the summer and educate.The buildings were log cabin style and laid out on the hillside.

A highlight was listening to a legitimate bluegrass band playing.  I swear these guys were college professors.  It was a nice way to end the trip.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Mountain View, AR - a real kick!

We finally arrived in Mountain View, Arkansas, and this really topped off the trip.  The motel clerk said some folks would be playing music in the park that night, and they certainly were.  Six or eight different groups gathered here and there, with four to six players in each.  Fiddles, banjos, guitars, bass players, all sitting in circles playing to each other, all bluegrass.  We were amazed, and enjoyed it thoroughly.  We should go back.

This is just one of the groups playing.  When the video starts you can hear Lonna talking to a fellow we sat next to.  He is a car dealer from Louisiana, as I recall, a real nice fellow who was "coming back for more" of this entertainment.  What you don't learn . . .

the Clinton Presidential Library

Next stop - the William J Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR.  We've gone through several now, starting with the Gerald Ford Library in Grand Rapids, MI, and found each to be memorable in its own way.  My favorite continues to be, surprisingly, the Ford Library.

In any event, since we were already in Arkansas it made sense for us to stop here, and wander around reading, looking, and taking photos.  As we peered into the mock Oval Office, the security guard told us that Clinton often just "shows up" and will sit down to visit with people . . . but he wasn't there on this day.  The other presidential libraries we have visited seemed respectful of the times of the president, and quietly horrific of the responsibilities.  The Clinton Library leaves me cold.  Maybe it would improve with the passage of time but this seems clearly to be an honorarium to Clinton without much acknowledgment of the roles that others may have played.

In the photo here, Lonna is looking at one of the center displays and on the left, stack after stack of files, and to the left of them, documentation regarding specific events or themes during the time of his presidency.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Vicksburg National Military Battlefield

Today was the tour I'd been pointing towards for most of this trip, visiting the site of the Civil War battle memorialized in numerous books including April, 1865 by Jan Vinik.  Recommended reading.

The tour of the Field includes the option to view over 1300 monuments, and battles and locations marked 150 years ago by Veterans of the war.  A "Blue and Grey" Association was formed post-war, so those who had fought could climb specific hills to document exactly how the Illinois 5th Regiment had advanced, for example, or the exact dip where another regiment attempted to break the Grey line but was turned back.

We bought a CD to accompany us on the tour of several hours but often go too far ahead or behind of the instruction.  I don't even know where the CD is as of this writing and I'm not sure I'll ever listen to it again, but the information was extensively laid out.

The cannon in the photo at right shows the placement above the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi, enabling the South to control the flow of goods along the river - until Grant's troops won the battle.  There is a reason for the large and small headstones in the cemetery view but I don't recall what it is.

It was just a remarkable experience.  An orientation film and battlefield review in the visitor center were helpful.  Towards the end a museum which houses and "is" the actual USS Cairo, an iron-clad ship sunk by a mine, was an impressive tour.  It is believed to be the first ship ever sunk by a "mine" although the mechanics for doing so included a ropeline extended to soldiers hidden behind bushes on an island.

It was raised from the bottom of the Yazoo in the '60s, after being "located" by the efforts of Edwin Bearss, a civil war historian providing much of the information for the PBS series we watched while in Florida.  It was a laborious task given the deterioration of much of the ship.  The artifacts raised with it were numerous and revealing.  The ship's "doctor", for example, was a butcher from Pennsylvania.

This photo shows the ship is covered by a canopy to protect it from the sun's rays.  It deserves protection given it is in the best condition of the three remaining ironclads from the Civil War.

At the end of the day we ate at the Walnut Hill Restaurant, some fine food in another antebellum home.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

the Natchez Trace

Meriwether Lewis Monument near Grinder's Inn

Before we left for the vacation in Florida I had read Undaunted Courage, the story by Stephen Ambrose of the trip engineered and executed by Lewis & Clark.  I found the story to be fascinating, and learned that Meriwether Lewis died near Grinder's Inn on the Natchez Trace.

My thought was to visit Grinder's Inn on the way to Florida, and view the marker pictured here, but timing and distance got in the way.  Little did we know that my good friend and HS classmate Chuck Helgeland is now living in Franklin, TN, very near the Trace, so we missed out on two opportunities.

The photo is from a postcard, which says on the back The broken shaft design of this monument symbolizes a life ended in its prime.  Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame, died under mysterious circumstances at Grinder's Inn, 300 yards south of here on the night of October 11,1809.  Lewis was Governor of Louisiana at the time of his death at age 35.

Perhaps because of all the remedies taken by Lewis during his trip to the West coast he eventually became incapable, and apparently some type of struggle occurred at Grinder's Inn, and the jury is still out as to whether he killed himself or was murdered by some assailant.  That debate continues today and we may never know.

Click the photo for a larger view
While in Natchez we gathered more information and found the Trace was originally an Indian Trail from Natchez to Nashville, and as boating on the Mississippi pre-steamboat became a source for transfer of goods, the boatsmen would travel from as far as Nashville, perhaps by way of the Cumberland River, and on down to New Orleans.

Once there they used the Trace for their return trip home.  Along much of the Trace the soil is loess, which is very silty, and in many places the horses and wagons actually carved out ditches as they followed the path.

We drove the Trace for 20 or 30 miles out of Natchez, just a small portion of the total 444 miles.  There are no services directly on the Trace but numerous historic sites including the Lewis Monument, further north in Tennessee.  The drive is more like a parkway, winding and speed-restricted, so you can't want to get somewhere in a hurry.  Along the way we stopped at a cabin used 200 years ago and visited with the docent who, with his wife, are at the service of the National Park Service, traveling the country and recounting the history at each location where they stop.

I have a goal to stand at Grinder's Inn at some point, but moreso I want to stand on the trail of Lewis & Clark, for as Ambrose wrote, one really needs to stand on the trail they followed at least once in a life to feel the trip that they took.  It's on my bucket list.

Natchez, MS - multiple antebellum mansions

I'm happy we chose to return home through Mississippi, and to take our time to hit a few of the sights.  On this day we toured the Melrose House on that plantation.  We learned much, and this video captures some highlights.  (The videographer is very much into details so you don't get a big picture view of very much. The narration by the docent begins about 25 seconds in. The tour is about one hour and the video about 5 minutes, so the story is fragmented.)


Ceilings in the home were 15 feet high, and the house was designed to give slaves access by way of "side entires" so as not to interface with owners and guests.  The slave homes were 20 x 20 for 5 or 6 slaves, including a fireplace for cooking.  You'll notice what looks like a paddle hanging over the dining table in the video.  As I recall, that acted as a fan for the guests, driven by a rope tied to the top and pulled by a slave.

Music was a major source of solace and entertainment, especially in a "call and response" style.  "Go Down, Moses" was a favorite since it was a parallel to their own fight for freedom.  Any historical accuracy as to slave treatment is questionable since owners had their prejudice, slaves would not likely speak out for the record, and slaves had been prevented from learning to read or write, so there are no journals to access or review.

Natchez has numerous antebellum homes and an excellent Visitor Center.  A highlight was lunch at Fat Mama's Tamales, where I enjoyed a Po'Boy and Lonna the Gringo, tamales smothered with chili, cheese, onions and jalapenos.

A memorable day.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Destin, FL to Natchez, MS

We left Destin at 8 AM, driving west on the coastal barrier islands to Gulf Stream.  Amazing high rise towers are scattered throughout the area, awaiting hurricanes, I suppose.  By accident we discovered a National Park, the Gulf Islands National Sea Shore, and used our lifetime pass (for seniors) to visit.  For free.

At the visitor centr we learned about the live oak tree, with its natural habitat along the gulf coast with its salt, warmth, and water.  The live oak is exceptionally dense so it was perfect for use in warships since cannonballs would bounce right off it.  It should also make beautiful furniture.

On to Pensacola and Gulf Shores. Another vacation area, especially for retired military.  We went west to Mississippi - Biloxi, et al - and stopped at the John Stenis Visitor Center where a lunar module used for training was on display.  The module was procured through the efforts of John Haise, a native of Biloxi and the Lunar Module Commander for the ill-fated Apollo 13 moon mission.

We didn't go into the Stenis Center but instead visited the ante-bellum style museum that was more the travel center.  But we knew we were in Mississippi.

We were 30 miles from New Orleans when we headed west across Louisiana to Natchez Mississippi, our destination so we could follow the Natchez Trace.

Today meant two unplanned but VERY interesting stops.