OLA: Rediscovering Virginia

the only president the Confederacy ever had, Jefefrson Davis,
at the Davis Circle in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia

In 2008 and 2010 we made short trips to Virginia; the latter one with our current RV, M’A ‘turn. We thought we had covered the state well. This 2012 trip was supposed to be just a stop for our observance of Holy Week on our way to Nova Scotia for summer. Our Visita Iglesia (visit of churches during Lent) in Richmond, Gloucester, and Williamsburg was spiritually satisfying but this visit surprised us with historic sites we did not even know were there!

the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond, Virginia

Our 2012 Virginia Visita Iglesia

The capital of Virginia is Richmond, an hour away from our campground, Thousand Trail’s Chesapeake Bay. So on Maundy Thursday, we went to the Sacred Heart Cathedral, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond. It was begun in 1903, completed in 1905, and consecrated in 1906. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places. What a beautiful place of worship and rest at the center of this metropolis of 1.2M!

Church of St. Therese, Gloucester, Va

On Good Friday we visited the Church of St. Therese in Gloucester about twenty minutes from the Chesapeake Bay resort: population, 35,000. What a very charming place for parishioners to gather for bingo, a dance, a dinner fund-raiser, etc! Though very charming, the chapel was quite small so we decided to celebrate Easter Mass in Williamsburg, 45 minutes away, at the chapel of the College of William and Mary, the second oldest educational institution of higher education (1693) in the US  (Harvard is the oldest, 1636). The University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines was founded in 1611!

inside St. Bede Catholic Church, Williamsburg, Va

The Chapel, constructed for the college community in 1932, is now called the St. Bede Catholic Church.  In early Georgian in design, the chapel’s brick was handmade from local clay according to 18th century methods.  The memorial pathway, to the left of the main entrance, is lined with marker stones from different states and foreign countries. The mass was celebrated at the Parish Center (too many parishioners attended) but the chapel is extra beautiful with its spring flowers blooming!

   

The White House of the Confederacy

The Seat of Confederate Governance and Education

But, as usual, we hustled around to see some historic sights after visiting each church. Richmond, after all was the seat of the Confederacy. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to find the White House of the Confederacy, the main building in the Museum of the Confederacy. It was a house loaned to President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis for four years, 1861 to 1865 when the Civil War was raging, so he could govern the confederacy better. What an educational discovery…how truly deep the division of America was during the Civil War.

  

Presidnt James Monroe's tomb at the Presidents' Circle
Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va

Memorial to the Confederacy, Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond Va

Nearby is Hollywood Cemetery, named after the holly bushes that dotted the property. Overlooking the James River, it is the resting place of two United States Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler, as well as the only Confederate States President, Jefferson Davis. It is also the resting place of 25 Confederate generals and 18,000 soldiers, more than any other cemetery in the country. So, 20 years after it opened, a 90-foot granite pyramid was built as the Confederates’ memorial in 1869. What an intriguing discovery…the pride of the confederacy even if it lost!

President John Tyler's tomb at the Presidents'A Circle
Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va

The College of Willliam and Mary, founded 1693

The College of William & Mary (current student population, 8,000) educated U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler as well as U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, Speaker of the House Henry Clay, and 16 signers of the Declaration of Independence. The Wren Building is the oldest college building in the United States. Its Wren Chapel can be used exclusively for functions of members. What an interesting discovery…this community of scholars in such a historic and pretty campus!

Wren Buiilding, College of William and Mary
Williamsburg, Va

Six discoveries, three churches and three historic sites in three Virginia cities, make us ponder: ‘Should we spend more time in each place to make such discoveries or try to cover as many different places as possible given that we are already sexygenarians?’ We should have started the cruising lifestyle earlier! We are just glad that more than tourists, we can also be pilgrims!

OLA: Being Blown Away by the Outer Banks!

the outer banks, off the coast of North Carolina

Literally and figuratively! Barely the start of the tourist season (April 1-3), we braved those more than 25 mph winds that made it seem colder than the 59 degree high (we had to dig out our winter wear). The Outer Banks jut out as barrier islands 26 miles from the US continental shores off North Carolina (about 200 miles). I had always wanted to see how people live there. The proper winds, the lights that guide, the shifting sands of time, and the three postscripts are what blew us away in North Carolina's Outer Banks in just three days!

The Proper Winds

This kind of constant wind what the Wright Brothers lacked in their Dayton, Ohio home. So they selected the winds in Kitty Hawk at the Outer Banks to make history. The Brothers succeeded in making four flights  there on Dec. 17, 1903. With winds just a bit stronger than those we felt, on the fourth try they flew their plane for 852 feet in just 1 sec.short of a minute! It was exhilarating to walk those grounds!

grand memorial to the Wright Brothers
the conquest of space
Kitty Hawk, Outer Banks, NC

Memorial to the Century of Flight, Nag's Head, Outer Banks, NC

And so it is fitting that a grand memorial is there on 90-foot high Big Kill Devil Hill from where they attempted a launch, even preserving the cottages from where they lived and engineered the dream. It is even more fitting that a Memorial to a Century of Flight was erected commemorating 100 years of aviation achievement since the Wright’s conquest of air space. There is a monument to each decade laid out as a circle with a 120-ft. circumference. The Memorial holds a time capsule, to be opened in 2103, by the heroes of the next century of achievements. Who knows what and who those might be? 

The Lights that Guide

Bodie Lighthouse
Bodie, Outer Banks, NC

tallest brick beacon
Currituck Lighthouse
Corolla, Outer Banks NC

These barrier islands are so important to maritime history. The very first colony was braved on Roanoke Island by about 115 white settlers led by John White in 1585. Though historical distrust between two races, leadership crises among the settlers or succumbing to natural diseases may have stricken those left behind when White returned to England to ask for more resources. They were all gone when he returned 3 years later. This preceded the Jamestown Colony in Virginia in 1607 and the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. However, it didn’t survive like the other two! It is now fondly called The Lost Colony. Interesting to know!

Ocracoke Light
Ocracoke, Outer Banks, NC

American Lioghthouse
Hatteras, Outer Banks, NC

This bit of history highlights the geographical significance of the Outer Banks. In the 19^th century, four lighthouses were built to aid maritime commerce: the Ocracoke Lighthouse built in 1823 and still operating, the Bodie Lighthouse built in 1846 supposedly named after bodies washed ashore from shipwrecks, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, also known as the American Lighthouse,  built in 1870 and the tallest (160 ft.) brick beacon in the world, and the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, privately owned and built in 1875. The four make for a beautiful collage of important history. Sad to note, however, that so many shipwrecks still happened in the waters there such that it was called the Graveyard of the Atlantic and a museum so called stands at Ocracoke.

The Sands of Time

Jockey's Ridge State Park, Nag's Head, Outer Banks, NC

rows of fences are used to stabilize the sand dunes
that separate Hwy 12 from the Atlantic

The 2-lane Highway 12 that connects the islands of  Outer Banks is separated from the ocean in large stretches by sand dunes. But at the 426-acre Jockey’s Ridge State Park, the highest active sand dune (estimated 30 million tons) in the East Coast of Nor
th America lives. It is called a medano—a massive, asymmetrical, shifting hill of sand which the notorious winds cause to continually shift, making the dunes move about one to six feet to the southwest each year. Thus, hang gliding, hiking, and kite flying are great to do there. Bill loved capturing the artistry of the sands on his D5000! I got scared, though...don't know why!

the Inn at Rodanthe, featured in the movie 'Nights at Rodanthe', Outer Banks, NC

The Three Postscripts

Our Lady of the Seas at Buxton, Outer Banks, NC

Three other moments on this short trip are memorable: 1) hearing a Spanish Mass at the Our Lady of the Seas Catholic Church right at the edge of the Sound for Palm Sunday, 2) finding the Inn at Rodanthe where Richard Gere and Diane Lane created for all of us their memorable but tragic love story, and 3) choosing to dine at Carolina Seafood just because it was named after me! There we found Sandra who guided us to a reasonably-priced Carolina Seafood Platter (what else?) the only condition for which was to eat at the bar. What luck! She is the paragon of a gracious host and best of story-tellers in the Outer Banks!

Sandra's Carolina Seafood Sampler at Nag's Head, Outer Banks, NC

kiteboarding right on Jenette's Pier, Nag's Head, Outer Banks, NC

In three short days we truly got blown away by the Outer Banks of North Carolina, literally and figuratively,...its proper winds, the lights that guide, the sands of time, and the three postscripts! Wish we had more and actually had time to do some of the activities the unique environment had to offer!   

OLA:Riding Kentucky's Unbridled Spirit Part 3

the Thrilla in Manila!

Famous Kentuckians!

Kentucky’s Unbridled Spirit is kept very much alive by famous Kentuckians such as Muhammad Ali, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Collins Foster, Duncan Hines, and as covered in the last post, Colonel Sanders.

Muhammad Ali center in downtown Louisville

Everyone must remember the thundering applause that always greeted the man as he walked into the ring introduced as ‘Muhammad Ali…from Louisville, Kentucky’!  Ali is probably the greatest fighter that ever lived, a three-time world heavyweight champion in 15 years, interrupted only by his conviction for draft evasion. Although now I am proud to say Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino, is also making a lot of buzz.  I had goose pumps watching the film Thrilla in Manila (which I watched live at the time it was held!), the third in the Frazier-Ali duel, at the Muhammad Ali Center right in the middle of Louisville. Many thought he should have retired after that fight. The Center features his core values on respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, charity, and spirituality. What inspiration!

Lincoln's Memorial in Hodgenville, Kentucky

We were also surprised to find out that Abraham Lincoln, 16^thpresident of the US who led the nation on the brink of dissolution by the American Civil War and signed the Emancipation Proclamation that effectively abolished slavery, was actually born in Hodgenville, Kentucky south of Louisville. His wife, Mary Todd was from Kentucky, too.   His family moved to Springfield, Illinois when he was a young boy.   Lincoln is ranked the best president the US ever had in almost all surveys. The memorial, erected at his birthplace with 59 steps representing the 59 years of his life, bears only one thing inside…the simple one-room log cabin where this great man was born. 

My Ol' Kentucky Home

Stephen Collins Foster is known as the "father of American music". He was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century. Songs like Oh! Susanna, Swanee River, and Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair remain popular even after 150 years. Another composition, My Old Kentucky Home, became the Kentucky state song. It was allegedly written after Foster’s stay at the 19^th century mansion still standing at the State Park that bears the same name as the song title.

Duncan Hines Marker

Lesser known internationally is Duncan Hines of Bowling Green, Kentucky. He became well-known to many American travelers because he authored and popularized the first restaurant and lodge rating system in the country. He also invented cake mixes and the Duncan Hines cake mix is still popular today.  Last week, we already talked about another Kentucky hero, Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky!

This spirit has its roots in the state’s history. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth (also Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts).  Constitutionally, there is absolutely no difference between a commonwealth and a state. Traditionally, however, the three states, hotbeds of the American Revolution, proudly stuck to the moniker that means ‘a nation or body governed by the people, not some king or tyrant’. (England was called a commonwealth during the time Cromwell and Parliament ruled instead of a king.)  Kentucky kept the name when it was carved out of Virginia in 1792.

 

Spa Tables at the Resort!

Loads of Fun!

But, after all the seriousness of these musings, I should also write about the loads of fun we had from our own Kentucky home, the Diamond Caverns Golf and RV Resort. First of all, we had 5 spa tables and a complete exercise room! Too bad the hot tub and sauna were out of order! One Saturday we went with some camping friends Margaret and Walt and Agnes and Cecil to the ‘My Old Kentucky Barn Karaoke’ off a dirt road in Park City, Kentucky. It was packed with cowboys and cowgirls and I sang Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight and Buck Owens’ Act Naturally with much gusto! That was a good night.

My Ol' Barn Karaoke in Park City, Kentucky

M'A getting TLC

Remember our flat tire? We discovered that the headquarters of Camping World is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky!  They referred us to S&R Tire Center which became our home for three nights as they took care of our tire problems! But we also found a great breast cancer awareness sculpture there!

breast cancer awareness...Bustin' Out!

red penguins at the performing arts center in Louisville

We also found this funky performing arts center in Louisville, Kentucky that is adorned with red penguins! On the sidewalk in front of the building is a car body propped up by tens of feet! I was trying to look for miniature tea sets for some of my friends at the dozens of antique stores that dotted the scenic byways. So during our last weekend when 300 miles of these byways was converted into the Annual Roller-Coaster Yard Sale, I was ecstatic!

We were sad to leave Kentucky, really, but winter can no longer be postponed! As a matter of fact, fall has already brought temps down in the 40’s Fahrenheit, quite cold for my small tropical body. So our trek to Florida must continue…through Tennessee then Georgia!

OLA: Digging into Ohio's History

Santa Maria, the ship Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492 to land on American shores

Staying three weeks in one place affords us some time to get to know it. We could have gone on to visit many historical sites but we also had to take care as Bill was just recuperating from his arthroscopic surgery. So we did a little digging (not the archaeological kind) of the state's history, especially about the two historical contests she has found herself in.

First, there have only been 44 presidents in the US and 8 came from Ohio! William Henry Harrison, his grandson Benjamin Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren Harding all made Ohio their home or were born there. We enjoy visiting presidents’ homes. Walking where great men walked is one thing; to be where they lived is quite another! So we visited both the Harrison homes.

home of William Howard Taft on Auburn Hill

It also happens that the home of William Howard Taft is right in front of The Christ Hospital.  Taft was the first Governor-General of the Philippines, laying the foundation of the country’s public systems and infrastructure. With a background that is deep into the US judicial system, this gave him the administrative experience for the presidency. And his strong judicial background gave him the unique opportunity to be the only president who later served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

home of Benjamin Harrison in Indiana

But it is a different state which is dubbed the “Mother of Presidents’. 8 US presidents, most of them soon after the 1776 Revolution, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson, either made Virginia their home or were born there. Two years ago, we visited Washington’s Mt. Vernon, Jefferson’s Monticello and Poplar Forest (his summer home), Madison’s Montpelier, and Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland.

William Henry Harrison's Tomb in Ohio

Thus the title that is given Ohio is ‘The Mother of Modern Presidents’. It is interesting to point out that William Henry Harrison is in both lists. He moved to Ohio from Virginia (his grandson Benjamin moved later to Indiana) and his grand tomb rests there. He served the shortest presidential term ever, dying of pneumonia just a month after his inauguration.

Second, Dayton, Ohio is the birthplace of Orville and Wilbur Wright but it was in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where the brothers succeeded in first flying a plane (a glider).  Thus North Carolina is called ‘The Birthplace of Aviation’. Ohio, on the other hand, carries the title, ‘The Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers’ and it is well deserved! Huffman Field, where the Wright Brothers tested and launched the first practical plane, is called the First Airport in the World.   And John Glenn and Neil Armstrong, pioneer astronauts, were born in Ohio!

Huffman Field, World's First Airport, where the Wright Brothers launched the first practical plane

Ohio's Pride!!!

Because of the tremendous contribution of the Wright Brothers to aviation, the outstanding National Air Force Museum is in Dayton, Ohio, the best flight museum in the country. It boasts of the most comprehensive exhibit of military aircraft (about 300 planes) used in all the wars the US has been involved, from WWI to the Cold War. I was especially moved by the early dirigible, the bomber Bockscar which delivered the 2nd atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki (Enola Gay that bombed Hiroshima is in the Smithsonian), and the collection of missile heads. Bill loved the bombers, fighter jets, and stealths.

Lucius Quinctus Cincinnatus with Big Mac Bridge behind

Third, this is the uncontested part! Ohio has inspired many great works of men (for a time, the state had the highest inventions per capita) and many great men have also inspired the state! Cincinnati is proud to be named after the Roman general, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. He was forced to work on his own small farm after his son was convicted in absentia and condemned to death. In 458 BC, Rome called on him to quell an invasion by rival tribes as its dictator, an office he immediately resigned after achieving victory.

This has been an oft-cited model (Washington’s?) of outstanding leadership, service to the greater good, civic virtue, and modesty. But Cincinnati is not the capital of Ohio. It is Columbus and there we found the most authentic replica of the Santa Maria, the ship Columbus sailed from Spain in August of 1492, arriving on American soil two months after, changing the world forever. A giant statue of him stands in front of the City Hall, a gift from Genoa, Italy, the town from whence he came.

Voice of America Relay Station

Fourth, this is the coolest part! Taft was not the only connection to the Philippines. En route to the Cincinnati Tennis Open we also chanced upon the National Voice of America Museum in West Church, Ohio. It was the relay station of the significant radio of the WWII.  VOA became quite prominent in the Philippines even after the war because it became the country’s most reliable source of foreign news. These little connections to Philippine history were particularly heartwarming for me.

Next Stop: Flying to Las Vegas 

Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, Part 3 (Peaks of Otter, Poplar Forest, Natural Bridge, Stonewall Jackson’s Home, and Virginia Military Institute)

Day Two of our Virginia drive was as lovely as Day One.  First we went to the Peaks of Otter: Sharp Top, Flat Top, and .  These peaks are . They were a short drive from Roanoke.  However, we were terribly disappointed that we could not hike up Sharp Top!  It would have taken around 3 hours.  So we satisfied ourselves with nice pictures from the Peaks of Otter Lodge.  Besides, Bill’s real interest for the day was the next stop, Poplar Forest, also a short drive from the Peaks on VA 43. 

Bill especially wanted so much to complete his picture of the great man, Thomas Jefferson.  We had seen Monticello two years before when we visited my sister Julie and niece Erika in Falls Church.  We are both in awe of the man’s genius.  It was in the gift shop there where Bill found a special silver ring for me, a replica of what the British ambassador gave Jefferson’s daughter when he was Minister to France.  The ring reads, ‘J’aime et j’espere’…I love and I hope. 

The Forest is the retreat home for Jefferson.  He designed it from the Italian villa influences he got from his European sojourn.  It was inherited by his wife from her parents and by him when she died from the birth of their second child.  He finished building it during his second presidency after which he retired to it.  It is octagonal in shape and completely balanced in design.  And, as he often said, that was where he found peace in his writings and his thoughts. Like Monticello, it is a delight to behold!

(Here is a view of the Peaks of Otter as Jefferson saw them, minus the highway)

Natural Bridge, on the other hand, is not mad-made, it is a natural wonder.  For the last 500 million years, it has been a continuing work of art by Cedar Rapids.  The bridge was carved out from the giant rocks as the stream flowed through. US 11 sits on top of the natural bridge so we can now say, ‘We drove on top of the Natural Bridge’.

Furthermore, the letters ‘GW’ are inscribed on the rocks about 23 feet from the stream’s surface at the middle below the bridge. It is said that Washington and other presidents marveled at it and Jefferson purchased it from the British. Finally, all around the grounds are 1,600 year-old trees that have died and are in the process of becoming petrified. It was worth the hefty price we paid for entry.

 The owners of the attraction have so commercialized the place, it is unbelievable!  The fee included a tour through an old and low quality wax museum and factory and a practically empty Toy Museum. The unusually large gift shop and the two restaurants were also practically empty.  But just like paying for a buffet, we tried to get more than our money’s worth. So we went through every single one of them.

Because of this we arrived in Lexington, Virginia way past 5 PM.  We missed the open hours of the only home Stonewall Jackson owned.  He was the Confederate general who was accidentally killed by one of his men. They say that had he not died, the Confederacy would have won! I do not know whether the origin of the word ‘stonewalling’ can be found from his military tactics and strategy.

We were so disappointed that we could not get in but, as we walked around, we found an alley to the back and we were able to take some decent photos.  Then we decided to look for the Virginia Military Institute which Jackson was supposed to have founded.  Sure enough, just a few miles away, stands the venerable institution with his statue in front of the main building.  The architecture of the buildings is unlike any we have seen of colleges and universities.  They stood proudly like a militarily sound castle.

When we finished, it was already past 6 PM and our GPS said we would be back at the Green Mountain RV Park in four hours!  It was a tiring, long day but definitely very enjoyable.   The next morning I couldn’t help but take pictures of the campsite we have come to call home for the past three weeks.  We had a big patio for entertaining and the park had a 9-hole golf course.  It was the first time we had one so we bought our very own golf clubs! The park also had a golf cart parade and a great big shindig during Memorial Day.

And Lenoir, North Carolina was also a great host for us.  The Caldwell County Public Library let us borrow all the books, magazines, and DVDs we wanted.  And the city of Lenoir, North Carolina allowed us to use the Aquatic and Fitness Center! Every Friday evening we also got to dance at the free Concert at the Park.  Finally, we will always remember it as the home from which we made six days of discovery driving through the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway!  You have to plan to make this trip, too!

Next Stops: Great Smoky Mountain Natinal Park, Cherokee, North Carolina, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Knoxville, Tennessee