ON THE ROAD AND CHASING THE BUCKET LIST.

Well, here I am On The Road. Unlike some of the trips that I have taken over the years, I actually have a plan for this one. In fact I have been planning and saving for this trip for several months. This is actually a 60^th birthday gift to myself and it will allow me to cross a few things off of my bucket list.    

So at 7:00 a.m. I pull out of my driveway it is partly cloudy and Hannah Honda tell me it is 47 degrees as I pull onto Interstate 81 and head north.  Unlike yesterday, when it was pouring rain, today is a much better day for traveling.

Today, like most first day of my vacations, was all about miles; very few stops and plenty of miles. I make good time as traffic is relatively light on the interstate. As I make my way past mile marker 283 near Mount Jackson, Virginia I am reminded that today is Veterans Day. A lone veteran is standing on an overpass, holding an American Flag and waving at the motorist passing below.  I am not the only one who blows their horn and waves as we pass under the bridge.  It is because of men and women like the one standing on this over pass that I am able to travel freely and without restriction. It is because of our veterans that FREEDOM CONTINUES TO RING all across America.  Thank You to all of our veterans, God Bless you.

Some three hours and 55-minutes, I leave Virginia and cross into West Virginia.  In less 30-minutes I travel through 4-states. Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Like, I said, today is all about miles and at 12:30 I put 300-miles in my rear view mirror as I pass through Carlisle, Pennsylvania. A quick stop at Sheetz for gas and it back on the road. With over 136,000 miles on her, little Hannah Honda is still going strong and I got over 48-miles to the gallon on this tank of gas. I was able to fill the tank for under $20.00.

A short time later I cross the Susquehanna River a Harrisburg.  Looking to the south, I see the dome of the Pennsylvania State Capitol.  It doesn’t take any time at all to motor around Pennsylvania’s Capital City.  Shortly after making my way around Harrisburg I start making my way up the mountains of  central Pennsylvania. 

There is little to see between Harrisburg and Wilkes Barre and there are numerous areas of construction which slows my pace just a little.  The Waze’s App on my cell phone alerts me that traffic is at a dead stop going up the mountain south of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, and reroutes me off of the interstate onto some county roads.  After about 15-miles, of winding my way through the back roads I am back on Interstate 81 at exit 131. Off to the west is a large windmill farm stretching for several miles across the top of the mountains.

After a couple of hours of basically nothing, I drop down into Wilkes Barre and continue making good time passing through neighboring Scranton and 450-miles are down.

The last 50 miles or so click off quickly and I finally cross over into the Empire State just north of Halstead, Pennsylvania.  One of the bad things about traveling in November is I am back on Standard Time and it is dark a little after 5 p.m. So when I pull into the Comfort Inn in Binghamton, New York a little after 5 p.m. it is almost totally dark.

I find a Friendly’s Restaurant nearby and after a quick dinner I made my way back to the Motel and hit the treadmill for an hour. Both the treadmill and my FITBIT says I hit 4-miles and a little over 8,000 steps. As I post this it’s overcast and drizzling rain. Tomorrow, I will make my way to the Village of Cooperstown, and walk with the legends at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I SAW IT ON THE RADIO

It’s Hall of Fame Sunday in Major League Baseball. It is a day that the newest members are enshrined in the hallowed hall of Cooperstown. Most of the attention will be geared toward the players who will join the greatest of the greats. But there another ceremony that many people over look during this weekend that holds special memories for those of us who grew up in the rural parts of this great country. Those of us wo grew up far removed from the Major League Parks.

More so than any other sport, Baseball is a game made especially for radio.  More so than any other sport Baseball has some of the greatest Voices of the Game. And more so than any other sport, Baseball honors those great voices.

Each year the Hall of Fame honors one of its great voice with the Ford C. Frick Award for Broadcasting. This year recipient is the long time voice of the California (yes I’m old school) Angels and more recently of the San Diego Padres, Dick Enberg.

Today, Dick Enberg join the likes of Mel Allen whose words painted those wonderful pictures from the House that Ruth built. The great Red Barber who sat in the Catbird Seat in that Little Ballpark on Bedford Avenue – Ebbets Field.

Growing in in rural Virginia I got to see a lot of baseball through the eyes of these great voices. I was able to see Hammerin’ Hank hit historic home run 715 through the eye of Milo Hamilton. Marty Brennaman introduced me to the Big Red Machine. I was able to watch Al Kaline through the eyes of Ernie Harwell, and, “Hey, Hey,” Jack Brickhouse introduced me to Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, and to Ron Santo, Billy Williams. 

I got to see the grace and power of Michael Jack Schmidt through the eyes of Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn, and enjoy the antics of the Earl of Baltimore and the magic of Brooks Robinson through the eyes of Chuck Thompson. Jack Buck made me realize there really was a “Wizard of Oz.”

I got to see Maz, Roberto and Pops, through the eyes of Bob Prince, and Vin Scully introduced me the Boys of Summer, with the names like Pee Wee, Preacher, Jackie and The Duke.

Oh what great pictures they painted with those magnificent voices. So today as Dick Enberg joins the Great Voices of the Game in the Hallowed Halls of Cooperstown, all I can say is “OH MY,”  I saw it on the Radio.

BRIDGES PAST AND PRESENT AND A FEW THINGS IN BETWEEN

When I left home this morning, I had absolutely no idea where I was going, but I knew I was going to have a good day. Any day that I can spend traveling the back roads with my camera is a good day.  About an hour and a half after leaving home I ended up in Paint Bank, Virginia. Now you don’t just drop by Paint Bank, Virginia, you have to make an effort to get there. By the time you make the hour long trek from Salem, across two mountains you are ready for a break when you pull into the Paint Bank General Store.  The unassuming store on the side of Route 311 is also home to the Swinging Bride Restaurant. I had left home before breakfast and I was hungry so I decided to have breakfast.  If you want good ole down home southern cooking, then the Swing Bridge Restaurant the place to go. Any meal is a treat at the Swinging Bridge but I am partial to their breakfast.  A meal at the Swinging Bridge is well worth the effort it takes to get here.

If you want to stay and enjoy the scenery then you can stay at the Depot Lodge located right across the street from the General Store.  Housed in the old Norfolk and Western Depot that was built in 1909 along the railroads Potts Valley Branch, the Depot Lodge features 4-guest rooms for travelers who want to enjoy the peace and solitude of Pott Valley.  For those that want to enjoy a longer stay, the Section Foreman’s Cottage which was built in 1910 is located right next door.  It features two bedrooms, gas fireplace, living room, dining room and full kitchen.

After having a great breakfast it was time to continue my journey across Potts Mountain and into West Virginia and to the Valley of the Sweet Springs.

The Old Sweet Springs Inn in Sweet Springs, West Virginia open as a resort in 1839. Built to take advantage of the natural mineral springs of the area, the 110,000 square foot hotel has  5-presidents, George Washington, James Madison, Franklin Pierce, Martin Van Buren and Millard Fillmore along with the Marquis de Lafayette, Queen Victoria Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.  The Resort closed in the 1930’s and the elegant hotel was turned into a tuberculosis sanitarium in 1941 and finally was a home of the aged from 1945 until it closed for good in 1993.  As I walk around I wonder what it would have been like to stroll the grounds back in the day when presidents were enjoying the elegance of this historic resort.  Today the stately old hotel still stands proudly beside of Route 311, abandoned and unattended.

From Sweet Springs it was back on Route 311 to the tine resort town of White Sulphur Springs.  Unlike the abandoned Sweet Spring Resort, The historic Greenbrier Resort is thriving. With its elegant accommodations, casino for the guests and world class golf course, the famed White Lady is a jewel of the Greenbrier Valley.  I did make a quick stop at the Greenbrier and it was already obvious that plans were well underway for the upcoming stop on the PGA tour, The “Greenbrier Classic.”

Staying off of the interstate I decided to stay on Route 60 and just piddle along and I am glad that I did as just west of Lewisburg I saw a sign for the Herns Mill Covered Bridge.  I am a sucker for history and these old covered bridge are getting rare and people these days seems to be satisfied to let them pass into history.  About a mile and a half down a narrow country road I found the bridge which was built in 1884.  While I was walking around taking some photos, a local farmer came by on his tractor and stopped to talk with me and a couple from Connecticut who had followed me down the road off of Route 60.

 

For the next 30-minutes we passed the time talking to our new farmer friend about the history of the bridge.  He explained that it was a Queen post truss and was about 10 and a half feet wide and 53-feet long. The bridge gets its name from S. S .Herns Mill that once operated nearby.  The bridge was built to provide access to the mill for locale residents. The bridge has been reinforced and is still handling vehicle traffic today. 

A few miles after returning to Route 60, I stumbled on another “sign” from the past. An old Mail Pouch Barn, sits off the road proclaiming “Chew Mail Pouch.” Mail Pouch Barns first appeared on the landscape in the 1890’s. Many of the barns were painted by Harley Warrick who traveled about with the paint in the back of his pickup truck, taking an average of 6-hours to paint each barn.  Harley said that he always started with the letter “E” in chew and would work from there.  Harley once told Charles Kuralt that he every once in a while he would misspell a word on purpose just to see if folks would actually pay attention. A common misspelling he said would be an extra “B” in tobacco. Harley Warrick died in 2000 and with him died the advertising art of “Chew Mail Pouch.”

After stopping on the side of Route 60 for a few Mail Pouch Photos, I continued west on 60 through the towns of Rupert and Rainelle before arriving at the New River Gorge Bridge. The 3,030 foot long steel arch bridge spans the New River Gorge in Fayette County, West Virginia. For many years it was the longest steel arch bridge in the world, and is the third highest bridge in the world. The Bridge opened in 1977 and each October it is closed to vehicle traffic for the annual Bridge Day, where base jumpers from around the world come and jump off the bridge parachuting into the river 876 feet below.

After spending about an hour and a half at the New River Gorge Bridge the sun was getting low in the western sky and it was time to head home. Opting to expedite my departure I picked up the West Virginia Turnpike in Beckley and 90-minutes later I arrived back home. Another enjoyable day trip has come to an end.

THE CROOKED ROAD LEADS TO TEXAS

After being cooped up all winter, spring has finally arrived and I have some time off from work so I decided to hit the back roads and see what’s around the bend.  One of my favorite drives has been and always will be the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it is right in my back yard. It is a place I can go to unwind, to enjoy the ever changing view, and to meet people who have for one reason of the other found themselves traveling the treasure of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

FLOYD COUNTRY STORE

So on this sunny Saturday Morning I headed south on Route 8 for a quick stop in the Town of Floyd. Floyd is one of the jewels of the “Crooked Road Music Trail.”  Every Friday night the sounds of bluegrass music can be heard the historic Floyd Country Store. Every Friday Night local pickers gather at the Store and the street come alive with people “Flat-Footin” and dancing in the streets.  Spending a Friday night at the Old Country Store remind minds me of the Saturday nights on long ago at the “Frog Level Service Station” in my home town of Tazewell, Virginia; just on a larger scale.  There is nothing like “Pickin’ & Grinnin’ and dancing in the streets.

This Saturday morning the streets of Floyd was relatively quiet, with locals spending time at the farmers market and visiting with friends and neighbors.  Before head up to the Parkway, I decided to

have breakfast at the Blue Ridge Restaurant on Main Street.  The Blue Ridge Restaurant is a throwback to what many of us call a simpler time.  You still get a menus and a waitress still takes your order and after a few minutes you think you are a regular. I had eggs, bacon, grits (yes I like grits), homemade cathead biscuits and coffee, for slight more than $5.00 no including tip. The food is good and the servings plentiful. 

Have finished breakfast I was ready to continue my journey, joining the Parkway at Adney Gap, and a few miles later I arrived at the most photographed place on the Parkway; Mabry Mill.  It was too early in the year for the Mill to be open, but the beauty of this pristine spot is free and I joined a few other travelers in snapping a few photo.  Beginning in May and extending through October, the mill, gift shop and restaurant are open, but today the parking lot was largely empty.  During the summer the restaurant is a great place to eat, however it is rather small and sometimes the wait is long, but from past experience the food is very good and worth the wait.

Mabry Mill was built about 1905 by Ed and Lizzie Mabry. The Mill, waterwheel and flume was all built by hand. In 1908 the grist mill was doing a substantial business and Ed decided to expand his business and built a saw mill.  For several years the Marby’s operated their business with Lizzie operating the grist mill and Ed’s working the saw mill. The Mabry’s operated the grist mill, saw mill and blacksmith shop until the late 1930’s when Ed Mabry died and Lizzie moved away.  The property was obtained by the National Park Service in 1938 and the property was completely restored for the first time in 1942 and has become the most photographed place on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

After snapping a few photos at the mill, it was time to continue my journey south. A few miles south of the community of Meadows of Dan, I arrive at a hidden gem, the Mabry Trading Post. It is truly a throwback to the “good ole days.” I always stop here when I am traveling the Parkway just because it reminds me to slow down and enjoy the moment, and it is one of the few places that I can still get a cold peach pop.

Just a ¼ mile up is the Beautiful Mayberry Presbyterian Church. This is one of the original 6-rock churches built by Robert “Bob” Childress. Reverend Childress preached at Mayberry from 1924-1956 during which time he wrote his

popular book, “Man Who Moved a Mountain.”  I first read this book many years ago while in high school and read it again last year. Over the years I have visited and photograph all of them. They are all beautiful in their own right but in my opinion Mayberry is the most beautiful.

Today, I hit it lucky and a couple members of the congregation were preparing the church for Sunday Service.  I spent the next hour talking to them and was surprised that they had relocated a few to rural Patrick County from Chicago where the attended a huge mega church. As members of the small congregation my hosts surprised me with their knowledge of the area and the history of Reverend Childress and all of the rock churches.  The allowed me to take a few photo inside the small country church which a pleasant surprise.

By the time I finished my church visit, and arrived at Groundhog Mountain it was lunch time.  Before leaving home I had pack a few sandwiches, chips and drinks and decided to enjoy lunch at the Groundhog Mountain Overlook.  While having lunch I met a family from Kansas who was spending the next two month exploring the historic sites of the east. Their two children ages 12 and 14 are home schooled and the history of Virginia is going to be a treat for them. They were traveling in a 38-foot motor home and was planning on traveling the parkway all the way to Afton Mountain but after talking to me they changed their plans and planned to leave the parkway in Roanoke and head up to Natural Bridge where they would overnight before hitting Natural Bridge and the Historic sites of Lexington the next day. While it wasn’t on their original agenda I think I convinced them to stop off in Staunton and Visit the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Museum before heading across the mountain for tours of Monticello, Ashlawn-Higlands and Montpelier. 

After visiting with my new Kansas friends it was time to continue my trek south to Fancy Gap where I decided to leave the parkway and head up to Hillsville on old Route 52 where I ended up in the tiny community of Austinville.

Austinville is located on the banks of the New River in Wythe County. The community is named for Stephen F. Austin, who was born here on November 13, 1793. Shortly after his birth, the Austin Family moved to Missouri where Stephen spent his youth.  In 1825 Stephen migrated with 300 families and settled in Texas.  Stephen F. Austin along with Sam Houston, who was also born in Virginia near Lexington, are two of the most important figures Texas History.  I guess you could say, “Texas was born in Virginia.”

Located on the banks of the New River is a small park near where Austin was born. The actual site has long ago been reclaimed by nature, but there is a monument here that will forever commemorate the birth here of The Father of Texas.

By the time I was ready to leave Austinville the sun was getting low in the western sky so it was time to head home bringing an end to a most enjoyable day.

OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE....

SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 2015
Well, right on schedule, the rain moved in over night and it looks like it will last all day. So I opted to find something to do indoors, which can mean only one thing, Find a museum.  Being the weekend, and traffic would hopefully be light, I decided to head into Norfolk and see what I can find. My trek takes me east on Interstate 64, through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, (not to be confused with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel), and right on que there is a broken down vehicle in the eastbound tube, and it take me about 25-minutes to make it through the tunnel and across the bridge.

Once across the bridge the rain let up long enough for me to make a quick stop at Forest Lawn Cemetery where I was able to quickly locate the grave of one of the early stars of NASCAR, Little Joe Weatherly. Little Joe was known as the Clown Prince of Racing because of he light hearted personality, but once inside a race car he was one of the sports toughest competitors.

Joe Weatherly died on January 19, 19464, when his car crashed into a retaining wall at the Riverside Raceway in Riverside, California. Being a native of Norfolk, Virginia, he was laid to rest in the Forest Lawn Cemetery with many of his competitors in attendance.

Also buried here in Forest Lawn is George Dewey Hay, know to country music fans as "The Solemn Old Judge," and founder of the Grand Ole Opry, which was originally known as the WSM Barn Dance which followed NBC's Music Appreciation Hour that featured classical and grand opra.  ONe night in 1927 Judge Hay took to the air and stated "For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opra. Now we present the Grand Ole Opry." And as they say the rest is history.  The Grand Ole Opry is still broadcast every Saturday Night over WSM.   Late in life and following his retirement he moved to the Tidewater area of Virginia where he died in 1968.

Just as I was leaving the cemetery the rain returned and I made my way into downtown and found a parking garage right across the street from the MacArthur Memorial. I had visited the MacArthur Memorial, many, many, many years ago when I had been on a Junior High school trip. So I would say that thing have changed some in the last 45 years.

The MacArthur Memorial is housed in what was once the Norfolk City Hall, which was built in 1847 and housed the city offices until 1918. After the city offices moved into a newer building the building was used as a courthouse until 1960, when the city official suggested that the old building be turned into a memorial for one of the country's best known military officer, General Douglas MacArthur. Having received approval from the General the interior of the building was totally reconstructed and housed the Generals artifacts and paper.

On April 5, 1964, General MacArthur died at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D. C. After a full State Funeral, his remains were brought to Norfolk where a final funeral service was held in St. Paul Church. Following the simple service, General Douglas MacArthur was laid to rest in the rotunda of the MacArthur Memorial.

I spent the better part of 3-hours touring the memorial, largely because I am a reader. I like to read the plaques and take in the information that is being presented. And there were a large number of veterans visiting the memorial and I enjoyed talking and visiting with them.  Over the years, I have found that a simple "Thank You for your service," is a great conversation starter and goes a long way toward making new friends. I spent a good bit of time talking with these old soldiers before "the just fade away."

THE BEGINNING AND AN END

FRIDAY - MARCH 13, 2015

After spending the night in Richmond, I made my way down Virginia Route 5, also know as the John Tyler Highway with the intention of visiting the James River Plantations; Berkeley, Shirley and Sherwood Forest. Berkley was the home of the Harrison's of Virginia and it was at Berkeley that the William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States was born on February 9, 1773.  William Henry Harrison was the first president to die in office and his Vice President John Tyler, who was born just a few miles away at Sherwood Forest became the first Vice President to ascend to the presidency.

Evidently, the recent snows and rainy weather had a bigger impact that I thought, because I arrived only to find Berkley, closed and not available for Tours.  I drove on down to Sherwood Forest to also find the gate locked. 

With the plantations closed I drove on down Route 5, eventually ending where it all began, Jamestown.  I should start off by saying that there are two completely different historical attraction here with two completely separate admissions.  

I cost me $16.75 to enter the Jamestown Festival Park which is a recreated attraction, about a mile from the original Jamestown Settlement. The Festival Park features a recreated Indian Village, Replica Fort and full size replicas of the three ships that brought the first settlers to the new world. 

After taking in the exhibits in the Visitors Center, I made my way down a paved path coming first to the Indian Village, which featured costumed characters demonstrating the Indian way of life back in the early 1600's. I particularly enjoyed the cooking demonstration. 

On down the path is the replica fort with full size replica building and more costumed actors. There were a very large number of elementary school groups visiting and it was very difficult to get into most of the building and the Indian Huts.

After briefly visiting the fort, I made my way down to the water front where I found full sized replicas of the Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery.  These were the three ships captained by Christopher Newport that brought 104 men and boys to establish the Virginia Colony.  

The Susan Constant was the largest of the three ships, while the Discovery was the smallest of the three ships at only 66-feet long and carried only 12 passengers and a crew of 9.

After spending a couple of hours at the Jamestown Festival Park, I opted forgo a visit to the Historic Area, which cost another $14.00

I decided to have lunch in the Park Cafe before heading over to Yorktown. While most everything else is over price, I found the food prices while inflated, was reasonable compared to other similar attractions.  Burger, Fries and a Drink set me back at total of $7.87, including tax. 

After a quick lunch, I made my way across the Colonial Parkway to historic Yorktown. It was here at Yorktown, 174-years after those 104 men and boys first set foot on Virginia soil establishing the first English colony in the New World, that the Revolutionary War ended.

While I enjoy my tour of the battlefield and surrender site, I think I enjoyed my visit to the Town Of Yorktown more.  The historic town has been preserved and many of the original building still stand along Main Street adjacent to the water front.  

As I made my way from the Yorktown Visitors Center, I first come to the Yorktown Victory Monument.  The Victory Monument was first authorized by Congress on October 29, 1781, however it wasn't until 1881 that actual construction of the monument began.  The Victory Monument is the tallest structure in the area, standing 98-feet tall including the 14-foot statue of Liberty at the top. 

After leaving the Victory Monument I made my way down main street passing several historic homes including the Dudley Diggs House (circa 1760); the Cole Diggs House (circa 1730); and Grace Church (circa 1697).

It was certainly a beautiful day and I really enjoyed my leisurely walk around historic Yorktown. 

By the time I made it back to the car the clouds were moving in from the west and it looks like the forecast of rain for tomorrow was going to come true. Tomorrow may be a good day for museums, I will just have to see what I can find.

MR. MADISON AND STONEWALL

Day one of my 2015 March Madness Vacation begins with a visit to Montpelier, the home of our 4th President. Located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Rural Orange County, Montpelier has been carefully restored to looks as it did when James Madison crafted the Constitution of the United States in the second floor library. 

Montpelier

I last visited Montpelier in 1995, and looked very different than it does today.  In fact back in 1995 President Madison would not have recognized his stately home.  After the Presidents death, Dolly continued to live here with her son Payne Todd, who had a problem with strong drink and gambling and over the years he found himself deep in debt.  Dolly, in her final years was living in poverty while Payne sold off most of the Madison personal possessions.  Following, Dolly's death in 1849, Payne found himself deep in debt and having already sold off almost everything of value left Montpelier and died 3-years later in Washington, D. C.  During the next 50-years or so Montpelier endured several different owners before being purchased by William and Ann duPont in 1901. Over the years the duPonts added to the original house including covering the brick with an ugly pink stucco.  

When I visited Montpelier in 1995, I felt that I was visiting the duP aont home and not the historic home of our 4th President.  So, today I was very pleasantly surprised to discover the duPont home was gone and thanks to a $24 million restoration project, Montpelier had been returned to its original state. 

Graves of James & Dolly Madison

In fact much of Montpelier interior has been furnished with several of the Madison's original artifacts and furniture.  Over the years the curator's have managed to track down and secure several pieces of the Madison original furniture that was sold by Payne Todd.  

During My visit I was truly amazed at how different the house appeared today as opposed to my last visit in 1995. 

The restoration of the main house is not the only thing going on on the property. There is currently an archaeological dig adjacent to the main house and period out buildings are being recreated.  

Located just a short half-mile walk from the main house is the Madison Family Cemetery where President Madison and Dolly are buried.  One would think that Payne Todd would also be buried here but he died in Washington, D. C and is buried in Congressional Cemetery.

After completing my visit to Montpelier I made my way out Route 20 to the Wilderness/Chancellorsville Battlefields. It was during the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863 that General Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson was mistakenly shot by his own men.  After being shot, General Jackson was taken to the nearby Wilderness Tavern where his left arm was amputated.

Jackson's Arm at Ellwood Manor

Later in the morning, General Jackson was visited by his chaplain, the Rev. Lacy Tucker. As Reverend Tucker was leaving the Tavern he saw the amputated left arm lying outside the door. Reverend Tucker picked up the bloody limb and carefully carried across the field to Ellwood Manor, which was the home of his brother Horace.  A short time later, Reverend Tucker carried the left arm of General Jackson to the family cemetery and buried it.

In 1903, the Reverend James Smith, erected a small marker over the spot where the arm was buried. Reverend Smith has served on General Jackson Staff during the war and later married Agnes Lacy who was Horace Lacy's daughter.

After General Jackson arm was amputated he was transported by field ambulance to the Chandler Farm at Guinea Station, some 25-miles away.  Jackson and his troops had camped at the Chandler Farm a year earlier and General Jackson recalled that the Chandler's has treated him and his staff well.

The building where Jackson Died

General Jackson's ambulance arrived at the Chandler Farm on the afternoon of May 4, 1863, two days after being wounded.  Opting for privacy, General Jackson and his staff turned down the Chandlers offer for them to use the main house. General Jackson was carried into the small farm office and place on a bed in the southwest corner of the building.

Six days after arriving at the Chandler Farm, General Stonewall Jackson died of pneumonia. Upon learning of Jackson's death, General Robert E. Lee said, "He may have lost his left arm, but I have lost my right arm."

Many people think that when Jackson died, so did the Confederacy.

MARCH MADNESS VACATION - YEAR 15

This is the 15th year that I have taken much of the month of March off to enjoy what has become my annual March Madness Vacation.  Fifteen years I have managed to use the NCAA Basketball as an excuse to travel to places near and far. So before I starts this years edition of my March Madness vacation, I thought it might me nice to look back on the previous 14.

It all started back in 2001, when on a whim I decided to try and get tickets for the first and second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament, which was being held at the Greensboro Coliseum.  If there is a better venue for tournament basketball, I haven't found it.  The Greensboro Coliseum has hosted more ACC Tournaments than any other location for a reason. They simple embrace the event and do it right. The ACC Tournament has an identity in Greensboro and it should be its permanent home. Greensboro is known as Tournament Town for a reason. But I will save that for another rant, and another time.

After attending that first Tournament and seeing and feeling the excitement of March Madness, I was hooked.  The next year I selected Greenville, South Carolina as my tournament venue. The Tournament was held at the Bi-Lo Center in downtown Greenville. The one thing that I remember most about Greenville is the protests that were held around the arena.  As we arrived at the arena we were greeted by a large group protesting the fact that South Carolina was still flying the Confederate Flag on the grounds of the state capitol in Columbia.  Another group was standing nearby silently waving the Stars and Bars, while still a third group, obviously the Ku Klux Klan had assemble in a near by parking lot and was waving the Confederate Flag and preaching their doctrine of segregation. Both days of the tournament saw peaceful protests.  After the tournament, the NCAA announced that they would not hold any further NCAA Championship events in the State Of South Carolina until the Confederate Flag was removed from the capitol ground.  The flag is still flying and the NCAA hasn't been back.

In 2003, I hit the road for my first real March Madness Vacation and traveled to Birmingham, Alabama. Before arriving in Birmingham I stopped in the small town of Lynchburg, Tennessee and spent some time learning how Mr. Jack made some of the best know Bourbon in the world.  The highlight  of the trip was a stop at the United States Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville. Space flight has always fascinated me and I spent much of the day touring the facility.

I selected Orlando as my 2004 Tournament site on the day between round, drove over to the Space Coast and spent the entire day touring the Kennedy Space Center and all of the space related attractions.

Music City, Nashville Tennessee was my 2005 tournament site. But rather than heading straight to Nashville, I took a side trip up to Dayton, Ohio for the Opening Round Games on Tuesday Night. While in Dayton I also had the opportunity to visit the United State Air Force Museum at Wright - Patterson Air Force Base.  Man what an outstanding museum! From an original Wright Flyer to a B-52 Bomber and everything in between, they have it here. But the highlight of my tour was a visit to the Presidential Hanger. It is here that a number of Presidential Aircraft's are on display, including FDR's Sacred Cow, Truman's Independence, Ike's Columbine III, and perhaps the most famous if all presidential planes, SAM-26000. This was the plan that President Kennedy used to fly to Dallas in 1963 and was where President Lyndon Johnson took the Oath of Office following the assassination of President Kennedy in downtown Dallas.

Dallas, Texas was my destination in 2006. I was able to visit the Texas School Book Depository and to stand where Abraham Zapruder recorded the assassination of a President on that fateful in 1963.  I even ventured over to Rose Hill Cemetery in Fort Worth and found the grave of the alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.  But what I will remember the most about this trip is, THE RAIN.  It started raining on Friday night and rained all day Saturday.  By the time we got to the arena on Sunday there was some local street flooding. But it really got real when they made an announcement between games that wide spread flooding was occurring. We were staying about 4-miles from the arena and when the last game ended we found out it was virtually impossible for us to get back to our hotel.  We made it to a nearby IHOP restaurant where we met a few other fans who were staying in the same hotel. We exchanged phone number and agreed to call each other if we were able to find a way back to our hotel.  Over the next 4-hours we tried street after street only to find them blocked by high water. Finally about 10:30 p.m. we received a call from one of our new IHOP friends telling us that they had made it and gave us great directions and we were soon back at our hotel. I will always remember the Dallas Flood of 2006.

I stayed close to home in 2007 as the first and second rounds were held at the Joel in Winston-Salem. I will always remember this tournament because I was able to got get autographs from three of the games greatest coaches, Tom Izzo, John Thompson, Jr., and Bobby Knight. Yes, that Bobby Knight, he was coaching at Texas Tech and I must have caught him on a good day when he was standing in the tunnel watching his team warm up.  All I did was politely ask him to sign my ticket and to my surprise he did. You never know until you ask.  Also at that tournament I was able to get autographs from, Magic Johnson, Jud Heathcote and John Thompson III.

In 2008 it was back to Birmingham, followed by returning to Greensboro in 2009. In 2010 I made it to Oklahoma City, which is one of my favorite tournament cities. Lodging is great and reasonable, restaurants are great and there is a lot to see. Plus the people that I met are just down right nice.


In 2011 and 2012, I again stayed close to home attending the tournament in Charlotte and Greensboro. I will always remember the 2012 Greensboro Game where little ole LeHigh managed to send might Duke packing. It's always a good tournament when Duke goes home early.

In 2013 I hit the road for my longest trip (14 days) ending up in Kansas City for the tournament at the Sprint Center.Just as I remember my 2006 Dallas trip for the wide spread flooding, I will remember Kansas City in 2013 for the snow that blanked the area on Saturday Night. It started snowing mid-afternoon on Saturday and snowed most of the night. When I got up Sunday Morning there was 8-12-inches in the Kansas City Area. The one thing going for us was the Kansas City Games were scheduled for late afternoon and early evening starts. By the time it was time for me to head to the arena MODOT had Interstate 70 virtually clear and the City of Kansas City had busted their butts to clear the downtown parking lots and the games went off without a hitch.

Last year (2014) it was off to Raleigh, where the highlight of the tournament was getting to see the Mercer Bears bounce the Mighty Duke Blue Devils from the Tournament right in their own backyard.  I am never sad to see Duke leave early.

This year its off to Charlotte, but before I get there I will be touring some of the historic site of my home state of Virginia before moving on to the Carolina's. We will see what I can find and where I end up. The Madness has begun.

KARL HESS - MY TWO CENTS WORTH

A lot has been written about the ACC and longtime referee Karl Hess parting company. Since the story first broke earlier today I have read some pretty cruel and personal things written about Karl, and my personal opinion is none of the personal insult are or ever will be justified. As someone who was a high school referee for the better part of 20-years I always drew the line at personal attacks. Tell me it was a horse crap call but don’t tell me I am horse crap, because frankly you don’t know me, and most of you don’t know Karl Hess. I have had the opportunity of interact with Karl during the course of a game. Yes, I was very vocal, some have even said I was LOUD and Annoying. I was not bashful about letting him know that I though his call was horrible, but I never personally attacked him. Sometime he would look at me and simply shake his head and on a rare occasion he would respond during a media time out. I have also had the opportunity to meet Karl off the court, in airports, and in other public and semi-public settings. On a couple of occasions he recognized me and initiated a conversation by asking me “What, you can’t speak to me unless you are yelling.” We both, enjoyed a good laugh and on more than few occasions he gave me some new material that he had picked up from other fans during his travels. Are Karl and I personal friends, No, Not by any means, but he is an acquaintance, someone that I have met and enjoy passing the time with. The point that I trying to make is it was never personal and neither of us took it personal. Did I agree with his calls? No. Could I do a better job NO! I don’t expect you to agree with his calls on the floor, yell about them, Goodness knows I have. But don’t attack the man personally, because you don’t know him.