Road Trip to the South

Richard and Brenda Road Trip, April to June 2013

Overview

Our goal for this trip was to go to places we had never been. We drove hard for 3 days to get thru California, Arizona and New Mexico. We decided to do a southern trip, so the drive took us along I-40 (old 66) corridor before turning sharply south down through the Texas Panhandle, then east to Austin, Houston and New Orleans and into the deep south. Another goal was to stay off the Interstate freeway system as much as possible because you miss so much of the real thing. The interstate busy with trucks and lined with endless, ugly chains: McD, Arby, Waffle House, taco Bell and on and on. I'd guess about 2/3rds of the driving was on state highways and rural roads. We wanted to hike and walk, see little towns and rural America, state and national parks, visit intriguing cities, and listen to traditional music.

Statistics

Departed April 27th, returned June 16th. 51 days

8060 miles

18 states

Camped in 14 State Parks, 4 National Parks and one private campground

Took accommodations 10 times.

The route and the road

Barstow, Gallup, Amarillo, Austin, Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, across Florida, Savannah, Charslton, Asheville NC, Smokey My NP, Mundsfordville Ky, Mammoth Cave NP, Mountain View Ark, across Kansas, Rocky Mountains NP, Colorado Nat. Mon., across Utah and Nevada.

We took an obscure back road from Palo Duro, near amarillo Tx, highway 70, for 200 miles, right down thru the heart of the Texas panhandle and the plains. We passed a dozen small farm towns, the little main streets lined with brick building, all closed down. You might remember a movie called The Last Picture Show. Texas also offered up the Hill country, a limestone area of rolling hills and rivers. The southern low country offered miles of swamps, rivers and pine tree plantations. The Carolina coast was all barrier Islands and overdevelopment (think Hilton Head with a bunch of golf courses), except for the wonderful Hunter Is. where we camped.. Then into the Appalachian country, beautiful Kentucky, the Ozarks in Arkansas, across Kansas, over the Rockies, and across Utah and Nevada to get home.

Don't know why, but roads in the south, even the obscure country roads, are smooth and well maintained, unlike the potholed mess in Calif. Southern states must put a lot of money into roads.

The weather highlights

Hot, hot, hot and muggy in the south. But the weather was clear except for the two exceptional events described below.

We were treated to a fantastic 3 hour thunder and lightening show at San Angelo SP in Tx. It rained a bit but the campsite had a roof over the table, so we had front row seats. It was a treat watching the storm develop, lightening thunder every few seconds, and then fade out.  

At Brazos Bend SP near Houston we got caught in a short, severe storm as we walked a mile out from the van. It turned dark, almost like night, very quickly as we saw dark clouds rolling in. It was the heaviest rain, wind, lightening we ever experienced. We had no choice but to surrender to the storm, so we made our way back to the van, both scared and exhilarated, soaked to the skin. 

Kentucky Story

I inherited a small sum from a person I didn't know existed, living in Kentucky. The story is that my mothers father, John Hatcher was married in Ky and had three kids (who would be half aunts or uncles), then left them and went to Tx where he meant my mothers mother. They moved to Ca. Meanwhile only one of the three Ky siblings had kids, two daughters, my half cousins. Emily Walton died in 2008 and left a small estate, half of which went to her mothers side. Her best friend Donna Seymour (related to me by marriage, maybe a 2nd half cousin)  decided to see if the father (my grandpa, following this?) had any family. My sister, my cousin and I were the only  ones left, so we got the inheritance. The reason Brenda and I went to Kentucky was to meet Donna and the others involved in finding us.

We found Donna and Randy Seymour in the countryside outside Mundsfordville, Ky at their native seed farm. I'd imagined a little mom and pop wildflower seed farm, but found that they lived on 2000 acres, half in production and half in conservation, full of wildlife. When I asked Randy Seymour if they sold seed in pound or maybe 10 lb. bags, he said "how about 10,000 lbs". So they do sell wildflower mixes in small amounts, but also grass seed in huge amounts.

Check out the website at roundstoneseed.com

They put us up in their beautiful home in a hardwood forest for two nights and showed us around the farm. It is finely picturesque and interesting. The land has native American tool making sites, old homestead sites, a trout creek, a 2 mile long limestone cave. Both Donna and Randy were raised in the area, and we found them to be quite liberal in a 70% red state, and quite broad in their interests. Donna is in charge of the Civil War site in Mundsfordville (The Battle for the Bridge), and in fact they own the farm that is the location of the battle. They have opened the land for public access, with a trail, a farmhouse, and interpretive signs. Donna also makes lovely dolls. Meanwhile Randy is an avid botanist, collects spear points and arrowheads, and makes fine traditional baskets out of white oak slats, as well as running the farm with his son. They had a dinner for us with the team that dealt with the estate, the lawyer JD Craddock and Elizabeth Micthum, who did the research.

And finally, Donna took us to Hiseville, a tiny hamlet, where she was raised and where my great grandparents William Penn and Elizabeth Hatcher lived and are buried, and where my Grandfather was born.

These wonderful people not only took the time to find us, but to treat us generously like family. We will always be grateful.

The people

We had some great times meeting people. The southern folks are very friendly and hospitable. Some of the exchanges were sweet, such as the little 5 year old Taylor camped next to us in the Rockies, who chatted us up. We wanted to take her home. We had a lively but friendly talk with some hospital workers who hated the new health care law and a brief exchange with a little girl in Alabama who said "Am a gonna go get ma fishin po", in the sweetest little drawl ever.

A young woman at a visitor center in Ala, directed to cross the "breege" (as in we) to find a park. When I asked her to say "bridge" again in my flat Ca dialect, she said "bridge?"

Speaking of people, or maybe ancient history, we visited one of my oldest friends from about 1963, George Baker, and his wife Mary, and son Liam, in Houston.

We went to the museum and saw the dino exhibit, and got a look at Houston, which is HUGE.

Cities and Towns

We visited Fredericksberg Tx, Luckenbach Tx, Johnson City Tx (that Johnson) Austin, Houston, New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston, Asheville NC,  Mundsfordville, Horse Cave, and Hiseville Ky, Mountain View and Eureka Springs, Ark. 

Parks and hikes

We hiked every chance possible, hiking at least once in every park we camped at. Here are a few highlights: 

As we crossed Texas, we kept running into State Parks, so we kept stopping to camp and hike. Palo Duro SP, a canyon carved out of the panhandle, offered a wonderful hike to a formation called the lighthouse. In the Texas Hill Country we camped at Perdanales Falls SP, quite nice with some good hiking along the river and in the rolling hills. 

Our stay at Hunter Is. SP, a barrier Island in S Carolina, was exceptional. We walked a wonderful beach, a forest of pines, palms, oaks and palmetto. The heat, humidity, and bugs were formidable.

In Smokey Mts NP we climbed to the highest peak in the park, Mt La Conte. On top sits a lodge only reachable by hiking. it was built in the 20's to bring Washington VIP's there so they would create the park. At Cades Cove, we checked out the historic old cabins and churches, all built in the 1820's. All other farmland was taken so settlers moved into the mountain valleys. By around 1930 the post office closed and the cove became part of the park.

In Rocky MT NP we did three hikes, one of which was a 13 miler to a waterfall, a lake, and a long haul back to camp. Trail ridge Road tops out at 12.5K in the tundra.

The last hike before heading home was at Colorado NM among red sandstone spires and cliffs.

Music

One of the goals was to find traditional music. In the big cities billing themselves as music town (Austin, New Orleans) it was hard to get past the tourist hype and overamped stuff to find the real thing. But we did here and there. The highlights were:

Good street music in NO and Asheville NC.

A wonderful down home folk fest at the Carl Sandberg historic site in Flat Rock, NC. All Six of the performers were into it because they loved the music and they were excellent. Old timey, blues, bluegrass, an old fashioned "radio show"' and Celtic fiddle. We spent the entire day, and it was FREE. 

Ozark Mountains music in Mountain View, Arkansas. Traditional fiddle, banjo, bass and guitar. Teens and geezers played together in the little park on Sat. night at least six groups were jamming, plus a free concert on the courthouse steps. It was magic. Next to town sits the Ozark Folk Center State Park, where craftspeople make thing in the traditional way, and music concerts play at night. We bought a fine handmade "parlor broom."

Outside Fredericksberg Tx we visited Luckenbach, made famous by Waylon Jennings. It is a funky little place with a classic old bar w cheap beer, and well known as a music venue where good country music is played, (not the glitzy version) where people like Bob Wills are revered. We sat in as a group of locals played a bunch of old country favorites.

food

Best shrimp ever along the Carolina coast in a funky little local restaurant. Fried food and BBQ in abundance, which we stopped eating because R was gaining weight. We mostly made our own food. Lots of salad. We had an excellent meal in NO at Eat in the Quarter.

History

We didn't do a lot of history stuff, but we were at two civil war sites at Blakeley SP. Ala   http://www.blakeleypark.com,  and Mundsfordville Ky at the Battle for the Bridge   http://www.battleforthebridge.org/

We also visited the LBJ ranch, which is still a working cattle ranch as well as a Historic Site, and the ancestral home of the Johnson family in Johnson City. 

In Ky we went to the Lincoln birthplace. The duplicate log cabin sits on the original location at Sinking Spring Farm at Hodgenville Ky and is enclosed is a formal granite memorial building. The spring next to the house still runs, where it sinks into a deep hole.

The downside

The only real complaint we have about the whole trip is that so much tourism, of which we are course are a part, has turned so many places into tourist traps full of souvenir shops and hustle. Places such as Bourbon Street in NO  is now not much more than blocks of bars with loud music and expensive drinks. A town on the border of Smokey Mt NP (the most visited NP in the country) named Pigeon Ford (renamed Pigeon Droppings by me) had a strip of hotels, motels, restaurants, fast food joints, amusement parks, and souvenir shops, that was at least 10 miles long. Ah, the joys of opportunistic capitalism.

Summery

Overall, it was a fine trip. We had few problems and many excellent experiences. And the new van ran strong. Tops for me was meeting my distant relatives (by marraige) Donna and Randy in Ky., hearing about my half cousin Emily, and seeing where they live and what they do, as well finding the ancestral hamlet of Hiseville and graveyard. We enjoyed the traditional music we found, the state and national parks were all terrific. We reached our goal of seeing new places. We'll do it again, going to new places, but six weeks out will be enough, we were exhausted at the end of week seven.

Photo Album

https://picasaweb.google.com/104783751352140268986/NewAlbum61913612PM?noredirect=1

 Europe/2011

A note: everywhere we visited has lots of information online, if you want more details.

After years of putting off visiting mainland Europe, Brenda and I committed ourselves to a 7 1/2 week journey to explore Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, with a stopover at the beginning and end of the trip to visit Brenda's family in Dublin, Ireland. 

First is the story at the end of the trip, our last two days in Italy visiting Rome. After traveling for weeks we were getting tired. We'd been to Lake Como, Bolzano and the Dolomites, Venice, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Cinqua Terra, back to Como, then to Trieste, Ljubljana (capitol city of Slovenia) , Pletvice National Park, Split, and Dubrovnik, all in Croatia. 

So we are now in Dubrovnik, very travel weary after over six weeks on the road. We'd thought to fly from Dubrovnik to Dublin, giving us a few extra days in Croatia to visit some other places, but the flight was sold out. The only alternative was to take the ferry for 7 hours to Italy, then take the midnight train for 6 hours to Rome. That is what we did, all the while lamenting that we were tired and would have little energy for Rome. We got a room early in the morning and slept for 3 hours, giving 1 1/2 days to explore. As soon as we hit the pavement that morning we realized that we were in legendary Rome, the place where much of western thought and politics originated. When we saw the colosseum, the Forum and Palatine Hill, we were completely taken by it all. This was ground zero for over 1000 years of the Roman Empire. 

The next day we were determined to get to the Vatican early to beat the crowds into Saint Peters Basilica. We are not Catholics, but still, the Vatican is ground zero for 1.1 billion. We wanted to see what all the fuss is about. When we entered the huge St. Peters Square fronting the cathedral, we were taken aback to see the place half full with perhaps 150,000 people already in the Square. We asked what was going on and was astounded to find out we had come upon a full blown mass to canonize, or give sainthood, to three deceased people, two Italians, and a nun from Spain. The person giving the mass was none other than the secular and religious leader of those 1.1 Catholics, Pope Benedict. Brenda was raised a Catholic, and neither of us have much good to say about the church, but we found the mass and the 300,000+ people attending to be quite moving in all its grand ceremony. People came to cheer for their favorite saint, wearing hats, waving flags, AND we got seats! When the mass commenced, with a brass band, several choirs, and several hundred bishops and others on the stage, the square became completely silent. 

We managed to get into the line for the Basilica with not much of a wait. This Renaissance and Baroque monster is astounding. It covers six acres, and has the tallest dome in the world at 448 feet, and can hold 60,000 standing people. Inside the ornate decoration and art overwhelm, and holds one of the great sculptures ever, Michaelangelo's Pieta.

We visited a small church where the bones of 4000 friars are lines up and on display in six crypts, all the bones laid out in decorative arrangements.

There is something about Rome. It is crowded and fast, but it is special. Can't really describe it, but we want to go back.

The Cities

The cities feature the "old town" where a multitude of tourist flock. The old towns are surrounded by modern, unattractive sprawl on a massive scale. Venice is the exception, an island slowly sinking into the marsh upon which it was built.  Everyone knows about Venice, the canals and the twisting narrow streets, and St Mark's Square and Cathedral. We found Venice a delightful place to get lost in, just meandering the streets, crossing over canals, and being surprised by a new view at every turn. We visited St Marks, and the Doge's (the governor of Venice) palace. Not to downplay Pisa, but more than one Venice clock tower is leaning. One day we wandered and found three interesting modern art shows. One show featured marble sculptures by a French artist named Fabre. The centerpiece of this fantastic show was a modern Pieta fashioned after the Michealangelo. (see the slide show). 

Venice is crammed with tourists. In one out of the way bar, the server told us that 7 cruise ships a day discharge 40,000 people into the town. But just by walking a bit, we lost the crowds.

Florence features the huge Duomo cathedral and art by the greats of Renaissance art, including Michealangelo David, and the Boticelli painting, The Birth of Venus. We managed to get into both the Academia, full of sculpture including the David, and the Uffize, full of master works by Renaissance artists. (the Venus). As is usual for us, we walked all over old Florence, and had a room just a five minute walk from the Duomo.

We spent half a day in Milan. The immense Cathedral, the 4th largest in Europe, was built to impress. Its like a Gothic wedding cake, numerous spires with statues on top, 2000 statues inside, and 52 mammoth marble pillars holding the whole affair up.

Ljubljana, the capitol city of Slovenia, is the smallest capitol city in Europe of a brand new nation, only forming in 1990 after breaking away from Yugoslavia with only a few minor military skirmishes. The old city along the river is a wonderful place to people watch over a coffee or wine,  a vibrant city full of young people. We took a day trip to Lake Bled from here (see the Nature section)

Split, on the Croatian coast, boasts an old town built right into the mammoth Diocletian's Palace (190 by 160 meters), built in the forth Century as a retirement home for the last Pagan Roman Emperor.

Dubrovnik, also on the coast, is a wonderful walled city full of narrow lanes and Medieval buildings, no cars and full of atmosphere (and tourists).

The massive mile long wall is a wonderful place to walk and see the city and coastline. As Croatia broke from Dubrovnik, the Yugoslavs shelled the city for 8 months, but the city resisted, and finally Croatia became a nation. All the buildings have been repaired and the city is thriving. 

Nature

We enjoyed mixing city explorations with visits to more natural areas. We were invited to stay at the old Castelli villa by our friends the Laura and Emilio of Sebastopol. The place has been in the Castelli family for generations and the two villas on the property, right on Lake Como, were built in the early 1800.

Lake Como is surrounded by villages and towns. Our little village, Bellano, is off the tourist map, but nearby the famous Bellagio sits on a point. Lake Como is a glacial lake, formed by glaciers flowing out of the Alps, and it is surrounded by ridges and mountains. The ridges all around the lake are terraced for farming, grapes and olive mostly, cultivated for centuries, but most of the terraces are now overgrown and the many stone farmhouses are abandoned. The region is laced with ancient stone pathways connecting villages and farmsteads. The park above Bellano boasts 7000 kilometers of stone walls and many miles of stone paths. We were overjoyed to be able to walk these paths. Many of them have small Catholic shrines along the trail.

We walk in a wonderful region called the Alpe di Siuse, the largest alpine meadow region in Europe, in the Dolomite Mountains. We stayed in the small city of Bolzano, which has a strong German influence, because it was part of the Austrian empire until WW 1, when Austria had to cede the region to Italy. We took a tram high into the Dolomites only to be greeted by 6 inches of fresh snow, but the locals were on it, clearing the trails with a plow so the hikers could hike. After a great lunch at a hut along the trail, we made our way back to the tram and returned to Bolzano.

Cinqua Terra is a special place. The national park comprises 5 small villages along a stunning 7 miles of coastline. The villages are car free but connected by trains tunneled through the mountainside. Old trails, much like those at Lake Como, connect the villages and trails wind up the ridges past small villages and farmsteads. Many of the terraces are still cultivated in the stony dry soil for wine grapes. It was a joy to walk these old paths with stunning vistas of a wild coastline. Every evening in Vernazza, the custom is to take a bottle of wine to the harbor (2 minute walk from our room) and watch the sunset, accompanied by applause as the sun sank below the Mediterranean.

It took a long bus ride to get to Pletvice (PLEET-veet-seh) National Park in Croatia, and it was worth the ride. The main feature is a series of 16 lakes connected by many waterfalls. The lakes and waterfalls have been formed over the last 10,000 years by flowing through travertine deposits and building dikes and ledges. Our 12 mile hike through the valley was stunning. 

Some interesting encounters

We got lost on trails on more than one occasion which led us to asked a local for directions. On one walk we got lost three time. In the two tiny villages someone managed to help up find our way without any english. The trail followed a clear path which ended at a farm. With no sign we were unsure of which path to take. We soon ran into the sheepherder who lived in the farmhouse. He seemed to be from another era with a ragged hat and red beard herding his sheep along the path. He took us to the right path, and indicted by picking a stone that we simply had to follow the stone path.

On a walking tour of Diocethians palace in Split, between stops the very informative guide told me privately that he was an out of work history teacher because he was a leftist and the Croatian government had turned very conservative.

We rented a room outside the walls of Dubrovnik from an older couple who recounted to us the shelling, the terror, lack of water and electricity and the 22 explosions occurring near their house in 1990, when the Yugoslavian army led by Serbs laid siege to the city. 

A few Brenda comments

We very much enjoyed the fresh fish and produce markets in Slovenia, Croatia and Bellano. In Slovenia, you could buy fresh fish of all kinds from at least a dozen vendors. In these three locations, we had an apartment to stay in and could  cook our own food which was a welcome change from eating three meals a day in restaurants.

The day we arrived in  Vernazza (Cinqua Terra) a couple were getting married and we quickly learned that the custom is for the couple to go to a balcony in the town and toss down pounds of candy for the crowd to catch, this went on for about  15 minutes. On the same day we came across an art opening with lots of food and wine, and the fishermen were celebrating their careers as fishermen in the evening by walking through the village from restaurant to restaurant where food and drink were provided to everyone who came along with them, it was a very festive day.

Boston June and July 2011

picasa photos
https://picasaweb.google.com/richardnichols22/BostonJuneJuly2011

We were offered a house at Chestnut Hill near Boston College by our good friend Hanni Myers, who is the mother of our next door neighbor and friend Michael. We had two weeks to explore Boston and surroundings and we took full advantage of the opportunity, not stopping even one day for a rest. We explored Boston, walked hut to hut for 4 days in the White Mountains of NH, and took several excursions to places surrounding Boston.

Here are some of the highlights.
Walking Boston

Boston is called American's walking city for good reason. Its compact size, distinct, interesting districts and history going back to 1630 makes it a fascinating place to explore on foot. It reminded us in many was of San Francisco. It is old (for the US) history embedded in a thriving modern city.  The aptly named Freedom Trail (see footnotes) was first on our agenda. The 2.5 mile route meanders past historic sites from the Revolutionary era such as the Old State House where the British opened fire on protesters in 1771, fanning the desire for self rule. The trail passes the Paul Revere house, a cemetary where Revere, Sam Adams, John Hancock and others are buried, and ends at Bunker Hill in Charleston, the site of the first major revolutionary battle.

We did the Beacon Hill Walk (footnotes), a place with magnificent old brick mansions, including the Nichols House Museum (1804). The Backbay at the base of Beacon Hill is another place filled with stately mansions for the 1800's, and the North End is primarily the Italian district, full of winding streets, brick flats and restaurants. We had a great and expensive Sicilian style fish dinner in the Daily Catch, a funky and basic place with only 18 seats, but what a meal.

Another highlight was a walk in the Emerald necklace, a connected chain of parks running for 6 or 7 miles through Boston, designed by Olmstead (GG Park and Central park)
www.emeraldnecklace.org/

Wonderfully, a trolley terminal was just a few minutes away from our house, and we never once used a car to get into Boston. The subway and trolly system (the T) is great. On one of our rides we engaged in a conversation with a group of charming and intelligent Turkish high school students here to learn more English.

We head for the White Mountains
www.fs.fed.us/r9/white/

We booked 3 nights in the historic Appalachian Mountain Club huts in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Whites are old, forming when the African continent collided with North America. They may have been more Like the Sierra Nevada at one time, but weather and glaciers have round them off to a vast (700,000 acres) series of 4000 foot mountains and ridges. We chose a 20 mile stretch called the Franconia Ridge. We stood atop four of the 40 mountain tops over 4000 feet. One of the goals of New England hikers is to climb all 40 peaks. Although our route seems short with days of 3,7,7 and 3 miles, we were completely flummoxed by the difficulty of some of the "trails". When the Appalachian Trail was laid out years ago contouring and switchbacks were out. The trail takes direct routes straight up the mountains and straight down! We were told that the seven miles from Galehead to Greenleaf huts was tough but we had no idea how difficult. The AT has few improvements such as steps, but instead passes over jumbled boulder fields. Our seven miles took 8 solid hours including one treacherous 1/2 mile that took an hour.
However, it was a wonderful hike, the rolling wooded mountains were beautiful the food was great in the huts and we met some great people, including several AT (2300 miles) thru hikers.

Excursion highlights

If you go to Boston, do not miss the JFK Library, easily reachable by subway. We also visited the JFK birthplace in Brookline, now a National Park on one city lot.
http://www.jfklibrary.org/
Birthplace
http://www.nps.gov/jofi/index.htm

Minute Man National Historic Park
http://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm

In April 1775 The British sent 700 trained soldiers to Concord to confiscate the suspected store of arms the  Colonial militias hid in barns. The first skirmish of the Revolutionary War happened at the old North Bridge, when the militia confronted soldiers guarding the bridge. The British did seize some weapons, but they had a major problem. They had a 20 miles march back to Boston. The Historic Park preserves a 5 mile piece of the road and some of the houses and a tavern that lined the road. The militias came from villages all over the region and ambushed the British all the way back to Boston. The walk along the road is well worth the visit.

from Paul Revere's Ride

You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,---
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.

-Longfellow


The Coast

We spent some time along the Maine, NH and Mass coast, and found some nice places.
Much of the coast is developed with  extravagant mansions and private but we found some gems.
Glouchester was the first US port, and was a major fishing port. With the collapse of the fishery, with perhaps 100,000 fisherfolk out of work, many the old New England coast towns have turned to tourism, so that much of the old fishing port sense is gone. One great little find was a tiny "dive museum" run by one old guy who was a diver and has a great collection of diving equipment. He took donations, but really just wanted people to see his collection.

 http://www.capeannhistoricalmuseum.org/history/gloucester_hist.htm

Maine
On the way back from the White Mts. We drove on back roads through south Maine. Very peaceful little villages with absolutely nothing going on. In the Coast we visited the Wells National Marine Sanctuary where we explored coastal forest, estuaries and the beach, as well as the Landholm farm buildings. Lotsa bugs, but very pretty.
http://www.mltn.org/trust_detail.php?t=1224

Also visited Halibut Point SP (Maine) and got a little insight into granite quarrying. The pit is full of water now, and the little museum tells the story.
www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/halb.htm

Let Freedom Ring (kinda)

Brenda and I braced ourselves to attend the Boston Pops Fireworks Spactacular, along with 700,998 other people. The music was great, the fireworks were by far the best we had ever witnessed, and the crowds were well mannered. It was a little over the top militaristic and patriotic for our taste, and the program was laced with advertising. That's where the "kinda" comes from. Let Freedom Ring To advertise, in other words. We both felt it tainted somewhat what should be celebrated: our personal liberties, our peacemaking, our generosity and the sacrifices many have made. And the flag waving, OMG!



FOOTNOTES

From the Freedom Trail Foundation
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that leads you to 16 nationally significant historic sites, every one an authentic American treasure. Preserved and dedicated by the citizens of Boston in 1958, when the wrecking ball threatened, the Freedom Trail today is a unique collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond.

We
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HISTORY OF THE NICHOLS HOUSE MUSEUM
The Nichols House Museum occupies one of four connected townhouses constructed in 1804 for Jonathan Mason, successful businessman, real estate developer, and Massachusetts State senator. Historians suggest Mason built the townhouses to the east of his own mansion for his four daughters and their families. The houses' designs have been attributed to Charles Bulfinch by his biographer, Harold Kirker. Located at 55 Mount Vernon Street, the Nichols House is a fine example of a four-story Federal Period brick townhouse. The service wing (rear ell) and wood shed survive as rare examples of a mid-nineteenth century service area.
During the first quarter of the nineteenth century Jonathan Mason's daughter Elizabeth Mason Parker and her husband Samuel occupied the house. In 1885 it became the home of Dr. Arthur Nichols and his wife Elizabeth. Their daughter Rose Standish Nichols, noted landscape designer, author and one of the founders of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, became the sole heir of the property after her parents' deaths. Miss Nichols owned and cared for the house from 1934 until her death in 1960. She bequeathed her estate as a memorial to her parents. As specified in her will, the Nichols House has been open to the public as a museum since 1961. The house is a contributing resource to the Beacon Hill Historic District, listed in 1966 as a National Historical Landmark.

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History of Beacon Hill
Before the Revolution, Beacon Hill was pasture land with a few notable exceptions, including John Hancock's country estate, which was demolished to make room for the western addition to the Massachusetts State House.

The South Slope was developed in the 1790's by the Mt. Vernon Proprietors for Boston's richest families, who by the late 1800's were being called Brahmins. South Slope streets were spacious and carefully laid out.

One of the proprietors, who also designed several Beacon Hill houses, was Charles Bulfinch. For a time, he was immortalized at 84 Beacon Street in the Bull & Finch Pub, which was the prototype for the television show, Cheers. The bar is now just called Cheers.

The North Slope developed more organically than the South Slope did. It grew up and down alleys and into nooks and crannies. Its residents were former slaves, sailors, poets -- people who were, as one wag put it, the morally emancipated. In the late 19th century, the North Slope became home to immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe and many of the homes were remade into tenements.

The Flat of the Hill originally was part of the Charles River. After it was filled, it became home to blacksmiths, shoemakers, stables and later, garages of the homes on the South Slope. Now almost all these buildings have been renovated into living quarters.

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Back Bay

is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts famous for its rows of Victorian brownstone homes, which are considered one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century urban design in the United States, as well as numerous architecturally significant individual buildings and important cultural institutions such as the Boston Public Library. It is also a fashionable shopping destination, and home to some of Boston's tallest office buildings, the Hynes Convention Center, and numerous major hotels.
Prior to a monumental 19th-century filling project, the Back Bay was an actual bay. Today, along with neighboring Beacon Hill, it is one of Boston's two most expensive residential neighborhoods.

Mexico January, Febuary 2010

Brenda and I spent a month in central Mexico.

Photos, see more at     http://picasaweb.google.com/nichols70/MexicoJanFeb2010#
sunset at Malahque
temple in San Miguel de Allenda
temple buried in lava
copper worker
A pissed off Hidalgo, father of the insurrection against the Spanish

HIGHLIGHTS

Everything went very well. The bus system works, the food is delicious, rooms are inexpensive ($23 to 45) and clean, the people friendly, the colonial town a treat to visit, and we loved the authentic artesian crafts,  and this part of Mexico is safe, as is most everywhere. We also met some interesting people. We were walking on a country road where a  young woman with a baby gave us directions to a lake, and then later invited us into her house for a chat. Patricia is a sweet and kind person who was raised on the family farm, and she kept giving us things including a hand embroidered cloth for wrapping tortillas, (which she also offered). In Patzcuaro we ran into a retired Catholic priest from San Francisco, who entertained us with his hysterical critical views of the church and the pope. For several days we hung out with French Canadian Ellen, having dinner, and traveling to see the buried in lava 17th century church. The mask maker Philipe Horta plyed us with tequila, and shared his home and mask making for an hour. Also, in Santa Clara del Cobre, a copper working family invited us into the work area behind their home and shop, where they hand made beaten copperware.

First stop was Guadalajara (pop. 4 million) and after 3 days of checking out the colonial center of this huge city, seeing the temples, old civic building and the wonderful Orozco murals, we moved on to the small town of Tapalpa, high on a mountain range, in a big valley,  surrounded by pine trees. Very relaxed after the busy city. Then it was on the hot humid coast. Manzanillo is a big port city, very busy, but we stayed in an old colonial hotel in the heart of the old town, and enjoyed fresh fish dinners and a walk on a long beach. We walked through the grounds of a luxury golf resort, and a had a good laugh at the fake beach and swim up bar.

We spent several days in Malahque, where the main thing to do seemed to be hanging out on the beach and drinking, mostly sun baked Canadians populated the place.

After a brief visit to Puerto Vallarta, which we found to be a bit to touristy, we moved on the coastal village of Sayulita, where old friend Coral, has a house. This laid back surfer town was very mellow and fun, and we had a good visit. Coral's house is in the jungle, and she and Jon have made a very cozy place to live. A walk on a nearby beach took us by mangrove swamps with crocks, and a big destroyed hotel, victim of a quake in the 90's.

From the coast we went inland to Guanahuato, a colonial era silver mining town, a colorful and interesting town to be in. One evening we went to the regional symphony orchestra and playing the music of Elgar, Puccini, and others, plus a great piece by a Mexican composer. We took a bus on dirt roads to view the geographical center of Mexico, Christo Rey, on a mountain top, where an 80 foot statue of Jesus sits over a temple. It was impressive, the faithful were there in droves.

Several days in San Miguel de Allende, the famous American ex-pat community, found us wandering around the old colonial town for several days, checking out temples and enjoying the botanical garden on the edge of town.

Next stop was Patzcuaro in the Michoacan highland.                                                                        

We planned to stay only a few days, but liked the town so much that we finished our trip there. This colonial town has a vibrant indigenous culture. The Purepeche people have been in the region for centuries, and inhabit villages all around the big Lake Patzcuaro. In the 17th century a benevolent priest helped them recover from Spanish conquest by establishing communal farming and developing crafts. To this day each village has a specialty, mask making, beaten copper utensils, weaving, enamel ware. and many other colorful items. Around the lake I counted 2 dozen extinct volcanic domes. The current hotspot is 70 miles away, where a dome started in 1943, and buried several villages and a church, before going quiet in the 50's.

We left Patzcuaro for home. On the 20 hour journey we used in order: taxi, bus, bus, taxi, airplane, airplane, BART, and our car.

Joshua Tree

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Brenda I and I had a wonderful time at Joshua Tree National Park in mid December. We stayed at the classic funky, comfortable 1950 era motel in 29 Palms right outside the park, and every day we walked about 10 or 12 miles for 5 days. The weather was superb, warm by day, cold at night, with clear blue skies to greet us every morning. We did a combination of new and old hikes and enjoyed every step. Our friends Max and Jean from the area took us on a nice hike on property owned by the Wildlands Conservancy, who are working hard at saving 100's of thousands of acres of desert land. The population is rapidly growing in the southern deserts, and they want to conserve as much as possible. The area around Victorville and Apple Valley, only a few years ago was nothing but mesquite flats, now filled with endless malls and housing tracts, and this in a place with little of its own water and temps in the 100's all summer.

But Joshua tree NP is a wonder of a desert. I invite you to look at pictures from a few years ago during the spring bloom and pics of our recent trip.

Dec 09 album
http://picasaweb.google.com/nichols70/JoshuaTreeDec09123009738PM#

Spring trip 08 includes J Tree, Tucson, New Mexico and Texas deserts.
http://picasaweb.google.com/nichols70/DesertSpring08#

IRELAND 2009

Ireland October 2009

Find an album of photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/nichols70/Ireland2009#

Brenda and I spent three enjoyable weeks in Ireland being with family, walking the Wicklow Way, walking around Dublin City, and visiting Belfast and the Giants Causeway.

The Family       (left: in the Dalton kitchen)

We were offered a loft bedroom by the Dalton family, Brendas niece Bernadette and Niel and four kids. We had a blast participating in the hectic life of a family on the go, the twin boys Jeff and James in College, the twin 10 year old girls Julie and Nicole going off to school, and Niel playing housedad (after 30 years with the phone company), and doing DJ gigs for charity and for pay.

Bernadette is a working mom training personnel at a  bank. It was a hurricane that we greatly enjoyed. We helped with girls homework, and played games with them and  stayed up late chatting.

Singing pubs are an old tradition in Ireland, with many people getting up to sing a favorite tune. We went with brother Eamonn and partner Eileen. Brenda sang and Eamonn played harmonica and sang, and I drank a lot of Guinness, which should only be consumed when in Ireland. The singing pubs are dying out because only older folks seem to go.

left: Brenda and Eamonn dancing

Flanagans is a lively old place on historic O'Connell Street close to the General Post Office (scene of the 1916 uprising). We meant sisters Lori and Phyllis, and Eamonn, and sister in laws Bridgett and Ina for lunch one day. The three hour lunch was filled with funny recollections of times past, and lots of gentle teasing.

Brendas old friend Mary and her husband Jerry, from the teenage years, invited us over for dinner and some good crack about the old days.

Our last night was spent at niece Ann and Andys place out in the country.  We got a look at a 12th century ruins, had a lovely dinner, and a chat. Next day Ann took us to the airport, where she asked her Air Lingus co-workers to take care of us on the plane, so we got roomy bulkhead seating and free wine. Thanks Anne.

Glendalough

The Wicklow Way

Our Wicklow Mountain walking trip took us from the edge of Dublin to Shillelagh, about 80 miles total, in six days. The going was easy, walking over ridges, into river valleys, through moorlands and past historic places like the 12th century monastic city of Glendalough. We got drenched one day, but it was dry otherwise. The welcoming B&Bs and hostels treated very well. At the Woodstock B&B in Roundwood Village the owner sat us down to tea, soup and bread and talked with us for an hour nonstop. Warm, friendly and talkative sums up the Irish character. When a group get going in conversation it's called "good crack".

It's Not the Pants, It's the People, or how I lost expensive rain pants, and the pants found me.

After a 15 mile day of hiking, we checked out 17th century Glenmalure Lodge and decided to hitch to the next hamlet of Greenan and get a B&B. The driver overshot the place and we got dropped about a mile past, so we started walking back along a pleasant country lane. At the intersection, after not liking the BB, we thumbed to the nearby town of Rathdrum. Our angel, Ann Marie, dropped us right at the hostel. She told us she had walked all over the Wicklow Mtns. so understood what we were doing. She agreed to take us back to Glenmalure in the morning. In the hostel I discovered I'd lost my good rain pants. The kind proprietor helped me find phone numbers of several places I might have left them, and let me use his cell. But no luck.

Ann Marie picked us up in the morning and we had a very nice chat. So off we went walking to Moyne, 15 miles away. We found the last room available in the area at the Kyle Farmhouse B&B. It was really a nice, comfortable place and a working dairy farm at that. At dinner, served by the owner, she asked if we were Richard and Brenda, because if so we had a phone call. This was a mystery, because no one could know where we were. On the phone was Ann Marie , and she asked if we found my rain pants, because she had just found a pair. Astounded, they were indeed my pants. Their dog had brought them into the house. She then told us that her husband

saw us the day before in Greenan in front of their house, looking confused. We must have stopped there, where I dropped the pants. So Marie Ann, we discovered, had come to our rescue. To finish off this act of kindness, she brought the pants to us at Kyle that very night.

The moral to this tale is simple: the pants were not important, but the caring people were, so thank you Ann Marie for your simple act of kindness.

Bobby Sand Mural, The Falls

Belfast, Northern Ireland

A three hour bus ride took us to Belfast where we stayed at the home of Brendas niece Norma (Eamonns daughter), while she was away. We spent a day walking around Belfast City center, and then walked out to the nearby districts of Falls Road (the Falls) and Shankill Road (the Shankill). These two roads, separated by only 1/4 miles near the city center, is ground zero for what became known as The Troubles, the urban and rural widespread battle between Catholics (who wanted union with Ireland and equal rights) and protestants, who wanted to remain in the UK and keep the catholics at bay. Into the middle of the war the British army made things worse. This war between the Unionist Irish Republican Army and loyalist Ulster Defense Association and various splinter groups, and the British army went on for 40 years, only winding down through hard negotiating in around 2000. Down the middle of the two areas the British constructed a massive fence to keep the combatants apart. The place is peaceful now, but the murals depicting the troubles abound.

The Giants Causeway

This World Heritage Site is an impressive formation of basalt columns rising out of the sea and along the cliffs for two miles. We spent several hours walking around before getting the bus back to Belfast. The pictures tell the story.

Howth Head (as in hoe)

Our last walk was the 9 mile loop around the head. The train drops you off at the trailhead and the loop brings you back. The rainbow we chased was a highlight, as was the atmospheric weather and pretty scenery.

Brenda chasing the rainbow

Ireland

Brenda and I return from Ireland in a few days and look forward to posting a narrative of the trip.
Highlights include visits with Brendas family, walking in Dublin City, a six day walk in the Wicklow Mtns, a visit to Belfast and the wonderful Giants Causeway, as well  as a walk in the areas of Belfast that were at the center of the 40 year old The Troubles between Catholics and Protestants, recently ended.

see you, R&B

Lava Beds and Lassen NP

We recently returned from a trip to see our dear friends in Ashland Ore, and on the way back camped and hiked at Lava Beds National Monument and Lassen National Park. I lost my camera on the trip so borrowed a few generic photos off the internet. In 3 days we hiked 30 miles: 10 in the sweltering heat at Lava Beds, a 10 miler to the top of Brokeoff Mountain (it is what it says, a fragment of a huge volcano that blew out long ago), and a meandering set of hikes that added up to 10 miles. The Lassen Peak trail was closed because of a tragic accident in which a young boy was killed by a rockslide. I also explored a few lava tube caves.

Photos: Brokeoff Mtn, Lassen Peak, Lava Beds