Day 3 - Dover, TN - Golconda, IL

2013 Epic Vacation - Day 3

At the Sunset Motel I met Will, a retired soldier from Fort Campbell, KY. Turns out his parents own the motel. He noticed the bike on the back of the truck and we started chatting. Well, an hour and a half later, I was finally able to get in the truck and begin my day.

 

Today, once I finally left the motel, was a relatively short day, although I did spend an inordinate amount of time at Fort Donelson National Battlefield.

 

 

 

 

 

Fort Donelson is famous as the place were GEN Ulysses S. Grant uttered the words, "unconditional surrender" to his classmate from the US Military Academy at the Dover Hotel.

 

After that, I took a leisurely drive through the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area. I had been to this area before in 2011 during our cross country bicycle ride. This is the area were Sue V. took a fall on the tandem led by her husband Merle and ended up being air-evaced to Paducah, KY with a concussion and a huge 'football-shaped' contusion on her hip. There was a 'Picker Festival' going on and the music was just wonderful. Also when I stopped at the south entrance to find a restroom, there was a very nice lady handing out homemade apple honey cake which was absolutely delicious. After checking out the bison viewing area I then decided it was time to head to Golconda to tag up with Marnie, Nancy and Al.

 

So, I put the address into the GPS in the car and off I went. I arrived safely in Golconda, but I must say that the GPS sent me over hill and dale, up and down twisty, windy roads. Never did get on an Interstate....but I finally made it to Al & Nancy's and was greeted by all of the dogs:  Keeper, Laurie, Gus, Turner, Molly, Ida, Tubby, Sonny, and Sam...Yes, they are all dogs and they are all cuddle hounds! I am in my heaven! and yes, they are all inside dogs....If you haven't figured it out, Al & Nancy live on a farm. They have chickens, horses, cows.....one of the cows had a baby today too! Awesome...but I can definitely do without the gnats, chiggers, and ticks!

Marnie took me over to San Damiano Retreat House. Wow, it is right on the banks of the Ohio River, and the guest cabins are nice. There was a wedding there today so I couldn't see inside of the main building, but the grounds are gorgeous. Have to talk to Rich about maybe having the cross country bike group staying there. Then Marnie decides we need to go see the Civil War Cemetery which is on the grounds. So we walked into forest and found the cemetery and we also found ticks and chiggers and gnats! When we got home Marnie had several hitchhikers (ticks) on her shirt, so I had to go take a shower cuz I had the heebee jeebees and creepy crawly feeling...

Then it was time for dinner. Nancy and Al made pork chops, corn casserole, cowboy beans and my favorite---creamed spinach. Boy, it was a great meal; I am soo full, but I am content.

 

Tomorrow Marnie and I are off to continue the adventure.

 

Day 2 - Atlanta, GA - Dover, TN

Day 2 - Atlanta, GA - Dover, TN

 

 

I got another early start today thinking I would be able to get to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site when it opened. That was not to be. It seems that Atlanta suffers from traffic that is even worse than that in Washington, DC. I didn't think it was possible, but alas, I was wrong. So, after sitting in traffic for about an hour and only moving forward about a half a mile, I got off the highway and decided that I would save this site for another day. I then headed to the Chattahoochie River National Recreation Area which is right in the heart of Atlanta. The Chattahoochie River flows freely and its banks are wild and undeveloped. It is held in place by the Brevard Fault which is the dividing line between the Appalachian and Piedmont regions. The 48-mile stretch of river is carefully managed as a source of drinking water for Atlanta residents, however, this is a constant battle to keep it free from pollutants from agriculture and industry. The 540-mile Chattahoochie River flows southwesterly from the North Georgia mountains to its confluence at Lake Seminole.

The area was beautiful and the trails were well maintained. I am glad that I stopped here.

Then it was off to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park to learn some more Civil War history. I thought it was quite appropo since it is Flag Day and the Army Birthday!

For 2 pivotal weeks in June and July 1864, Major General William T. Sherman led 100,000 Union troops against General Joseph E. Johnston's 65,000-man Confederate army in a battle for access to Atlanta. Despite greater manpower, Sherman struggled to get through the Confederates' entrenched lines on Kennesaw Mountain. His efforts initially failed, as did a concerted frontal attack. When he achieved some success with a diversionary tactic, he switched to a maneuvering strategy over combat, finally outflanking Johnston's army on July 2, 1864. Two months later, after heavy fighting on a series of fronts, the Union took Atlanta on September 2, 1864.
The drive up to the top of Kennesaw Mountain definitely showed that it was adventageous to hold the mountain as a strategic position. The park was very busy with tourists and a bunch of crazy runners who ran up to the top of the mountain and back (700 ft gain in 1.5 miles) just walking it tuckered me out!

Next stop on the day's agenda was Little River Canyon National Preserve. The Little River flows along the top of Lookout Mountain on a plateau that was formed by an erosion-resistant layer of sandstone. The river plunges down into Weiss Lake with such force that over time it has made one of the longest and deepest canyons in the eastern states.Just looking at the river below and the rapids definitely highlight the power of the river.

Russell Cave National Monument was the next stop of the day. Here, archeologist have uncovered artifacts from prehistoric tribes that inhabited the area more than 9,000 years ago. Russell Cave, a naturally formed shelter served as housing for these people. Artifacts uncovered in the cave fill the displays in the visitors center and include pottery, weapons, tools, and jewelry. One of the neatest weapons is the Atlatl. It is an improvement on the basic spear. The weighted handle was hooked into a socket piece at the base of the spear which added leverage to the throwing arm, thus increasing speed and power of the throw.

 

My final stop of the day was Stones River National Battlefield. Here a small part of the original battlefield has been preserved. There was a driving tour that was very interesting.

After the Confederate army defeated the Union at Fredericksburg, morale fell throughout the North - and with the approach of the Emancipation Proclamation's effective date of January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln needed a triumph -- fast! He charged General William Rosencrans's army in Tennessee with providing a win that would boost the Unions morale  and turn the war back in their favor.
Rosencrans split his army into 3 branches and marched to find General Braxton Bragg's rebel troops. The attack came on December 31, 1862 and continued for 3 days. Before it ended  23,500 men were dead or wounded, including 1,800 Confederate soldiers who encountered 57 Union cannons on the west bank of the Stones River. General Bragg retreated as the Union marched triumphantly into Murfreesboro.

Well, it was a full day of history and ecology and archeology and I am just tuckered out. My brain is overloaded so I called it a day when I passed the Sunset Motor Inn in Dover, TN.
Tomorrow is another day, but it will be a lot shorter than the past two days. Only 2 stops on the agenda before heading to pick up Marnie R.

 

Day 1 - St. Augustine, FL to Atlanta, GA

2013 Epic Road Trip
June 13, 2013

Today I got an early start and was able to begin my vacation with visits to several very interesting sites.

First stop was the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, GA.

 

 

Things have changed since I was last here in 1978! The town still looks the same, but the National Park Service has taken over the High School and it is now the Visitors Center. I didn't find any 'Billy Beer', but I did learned that few U.S. presidents have had such close ties with where they were born and raised. The Carters farmed cotton in southwest Georgia before the Civil War and have remained for five generations.

 

The museum was very interesting. They had a bronze Nobel Peace Prize that was one of three that was bestowed upon President Carter. He has the other bronze one and the gold one is in Atlanta. Some of President Carter's artwork was on display and a section of the museum was devoted to Mrs. Carter's Butterflys and the Butterfly Trail. There was also a replica of the his desk from the Oval Office. Although the building is called the Plains High School, it housed grades 1-11 (at that time, the state of Georgia only required 11th grade to graduate).

 

President Carter was in residence, but I did not see him wandering around town. If I had stayed on until Sunday, I could have sat in on his Sunday School Class which he still teaches. According to the Park Ranger, it is a quite popular event for tourists.

 

I had a wonderful time wandering around town looking at all the quaint things, and even stoped and had lunch in town. It was great. Then of course I had to go by and get a picture of the 'Big Peanut' which sits outside the home of President Carter's Campaign Manager.

Then it was off to Andersonville National Historic Site & the National Prisoner of War Museum.

 

 

Andersonville, or Camp Sumter as it was officially known, was one of the largest of many Confederate military prisons established during the Civil War. It was built early in 1864 after Confederate officials decided to move the large number of federal prisoners kept in and around Richmond, VA, to a place of greater security and with a more abundant food supply. During the 14 months that the prison existed, more than 45,000 Union soldiers were confined here. About 13,000 died from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, or exposure.

 

When the Civil War began, neither side expected a long conflict. Although there was no formal exchange system at the beginning of the war, both armies paroled prisoners. Captured men were conditionally released on their oath of honor not to return to battle. This allowed them to return to camps of instruction as noncombatants. It also meant that neither side had to provide for the prisoners' needs. An exchange system set up in 1862 lasted less than a year. The North and the South found themselves with thousands of POWs.

 

In the South, captured Union soldiers were first housed in old warehouses and barns. As the number of prisoners increased, camps were built specifically as prisons in Florence, South Carolina, Millen and Andersonville, Georgia, as well as many other locations.

 

The end of the war saved hundreds of prisoners from death by overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate food. But for many the war's end came too late. Of the almost 195,000 Union soldiers held in Confederate prison camps, some 30,000 died while captive. Union forces held about 220,000 Confederate prisoners, of which, nearly 26,000 died in captivity.

 

Andersonville National Historic Site is the only National Park System area to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Its purpose it to provide an understanding of the overall prisoner of war story and its impact on history.

 

The National Prisoner of War Museum opened in 1998 in Andersonville and is dedicated to the men and women of this country who suffered captivity. It is a story of sacrifice and courage.

 

After walking around the site and reading all of the information in the museum, I have to say while what our POWs have gone through is awful, I am glad that we have made a memorial to tell their story so that all can know the horrors our brave men and women have gone through. This museum really made an impression on me.

 

Then I was off to the Ocmulgee National Monument, just outside of Macon, GA.

 

 

Ocmulgee National Monument was beautiful and very interesting. On my way there, I thought I would just run in, look at a few things, and then head off on my adventure. That didn't happen. It was amazing to learn about the Great Temple Mound, which rises 55 feet high and all of the other archeological finds here.

The site includes the Earthlodge, a ceremonial building that was probably a meeting place for the town's political and religious leaders. The original clay floor is about 1,000 years old. There is the village site, which during Mississippian times (900-1100) probably held many other structures, flat-topped mounds, a burial mound and homes.

The Cornfield Mound was originally about 8 feet high. Beneath it archeologists found signs of a cultivated field, which is puzzling, because Mississippian agricultural fields usually were in the bottomlands.

There are Prehistoric Trenches, a Trading Post Site, Great and Lesser Temple Mounds and a Funeral Mound.

Learning about what the archeologist and the CCC did in the 1930s was very interesting. Of course, when the railroad came through in the early part of the 1900s it did destroy some of the site, but much has been preserved.

I thought I would only be here for about 20 minutes and ended up staying almost 3 hours. Thanks goodness I had sunscreen, the temperature was above 97 degrees and the sun was shining!

 

Once I finally left Ocmulgee, I headed north in search of a motel. I thought I would head into downtown Atlanta, since tomorrow's schedule has a few stops in town before heading northwest into Tennessee. Then all of a sudden [OK, I am being dramatic] but the skies got dark, lightning began flashing, rumbling got louder, traffic was just absolutely awful, so instead of staying on the highway in the traffic jam, I exited and just as the skies opened up with torrential rains, I found a LaQuinta and a place for the night. Once safely out of the rain [I still got soaked because I had to get my bicycle off the back of the truck] I figured I would download my photos and update my blog before getting a good night's sleep....didn't happen...power went out, internet went down, you get the drift. Oh, well, it is really is an adventure.

So to pass the time I played games on my iPad until it ran out of power, talked on the phone til it ran out of power, and then I just said good night and called it a day.

 

Tomorrow should be interesting!