LOOKING BACK AND MOVING ON

As 2017 draws to a close, I though it would be fun to look back on the 12-months that made up this past year. It's been a busy year and there is no way to recap everything, but here are a few highlights.

JANUARY:  I celebrated the start of 2017 just as I have in years past, sitting at home watching the Ball drop in Time Square.  Being a season ticket holder at Virginia Tech, I spent many a night at Cassell Coliseum watching the Hokies begin ACC Play.  No longer are the Hokies the door mats of the Conference and during the first month of the Conference Season I saw them defeat both Duke and Syracuse before packed houses at the Cassell. 

FEBRUARY:  The second month of 2017 saw the Hokies defeat their in state rival the Virginia Cavaliers at home 80-78 in double overtime.  Also in February my long time friend and co-worker Chuck Shinall and I ventured down to the historic Earle Theater in Mount Airy, North Carolina to see the Earls of Leicester.  What a wonderful night it was listening to the bluegrass music made famous by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs and their Foggy Mountain Boys.  

MARCH: The third month brought the madness that is the NCAA Basketball Tournament. And just as I have for the past 17 years I attended the first and second rounds of the Tournament. This year I ventured down to Greenville, South Carolina. Following the tournament I continued my vacation South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. During my two week NCAA Vacation I visited the Site of the Andersonville Civil War Prison, The Air Force Museum at Warner Robins, Georgia, The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Historic Montgomery, Alabama and the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center. 

APRIL: Baseball took over for Basketball and I found time to take in a few of the Hokie Games at English Field.  I also ventured down to Stuart, Virginia and visited with some old friends who were participating in the annual Jonathan Bowling Memorial Ride.  Jonathan Bowling was the son of my good friend and co-worker Darrell Bowling.  Jonathan was serving in the Marine Corps when he was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005.  Each year hundreds of motorcycle riders gather for a memorial ride that raise money for the Jonathan Bowling Scholarship Fund.  This year a bunch of current and retired friends were participating in the ride and I enjoyed visiting with them before they headed out on the memorial ride.

MAY: In May I traveled down to Virginia Beach to the APCO Spring Convention. It was an honor to watch Dispatcher Jami Hicks receive the award for her action during a critical incident which occurred at the Martinsville Speedway during the fall NASCAR Race. Jami is a wonderful person and an outstanding dispatcher. It was wonderful seeing her recognized on a statewide level.  Many of you know that I love trains, especially historic trains. Well you don't get any more historic than the Norfolk and Western 611 Locomotive. In May, Chuck Shinall and I fulfilled one the things on my bucket list when we road the 611 excursion from Lynchburg to Petersburg and back. After our excursion, the next weekend I managed to capture and photograph the Queen of Steam as she traveled from Roanoke to Radford and back.  It was a great month for me and the 611.

JUNE: As I reached the mid-point of 2017, the month of June saw me and my sister hit the road for a couple of piddlin' trips.  First we ventured over to Lynchburg and toured Thomas Jefferson's retreat at Poplar Forest.  From there we made our way to the Blue Ridge Parkway and a quick stop at the Peaks of Otter.

JULY: I celebrated our Independence by watching fireworks at the High School from my back deck.  The heat of summer kept me close to home and I stayed busy taking photos around the area and trying to catch some of the Norfolk-Southern Heritage Units as they passed through the area.  I was successful only once when I caught the Conrail Unit as it headed west past the Cambria Depot.

AUGUST:  The first of August saw me "Steppin' Out" in Blackburg.  Steppin Out is an annual arts festival where local artist and entertainer display their wares and talents during the first weekend in August.  I enjoy attending even though I don't buy much.  The end of August saw College Football return and I made my way down the mountain to Wake Forest for the first game of the season. I have been a Football Season Ticket Holder at Wake Since 2005 and it's always good to see my friends in the Forest.

SEPTEMBER: I kept the road hot traveling back and forth from home to Wake Forest for football at BB&T Field.  I have had the same seats in Section 2 for the last 8-years and it is like a football family reunion when the Deacs are playing at home. 

OCTOBER:  The first of October saw me travel to Richmond and officially submit my retirement papers, and on October 12, I worked my last scheduled day in the office. Having almost 10-weeks of leave that I would lose if not taken by the end of the year, I would not have to work another scheduled day before I officially retire on December 31. I spent my Birthday with my sister in Washington, D.C. We had a great weekend touring our nations capitol.  The last weekend in October was Race weekend at Matinsville. For the past 20-year I had worked the radio command post at the Race. This would be my last race as Jami Hicks and Noelle Perkinson will be handling the duties in the future.

NOVEMBER: College Basketball began its March toward the Madness in November.  During the summer a couple of Hurricane's damaged the Virgin Islands.  With the recovery still on going, it was decided to move the Annual Paradise Jam Basketball Tournament from the Virgin Islands to the campus of Liberty University.  When I heard that the tournament had been moved I ordered Tickets and spend the weekend in Lynchburg.  I got to see 12 games over a three day period including three games involving the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

DECEMBER: So here we are in December. A quick trip to my moms in Hickory North Carolina and trip over to Pigeon Forge to take advantage of a free hotel night brings me to the end of 2017. Two of my friends and co-workers, Georgia Eva and Brittany Nelson traveled with me down to the Bristol Motor Speedway to take in the Annual Speedway Christmas Lights. As usual we had a grand time. The year is winding down and so is my career.  With the end of 2017 also come the end of my 43-year career. I will be officially retired on December 31.  When the clock strikes mid-night and 2018 arrives I will begin a new chapter in my life. While I am looking forward too it, I am also somewhat sad because I will no longer see some of the people who have been a big part of my life. I will sincerely miss the daily interaction with the dispatcher that I have come to call not only my co-workers but my friends. The people who work in the Division VI Radio Room are a special group of people. They are the best at what they do and they are even better people. I will truly miss them.

2018: I know that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow, but I am looking forward to 2018 and seeing what is around the bend.  I hope that I will have the opportunity to Travel, to visit old friends and to make new ones.  In March I am planning on traveling to Dallas, Texas for the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. For the better part of the month of March I hope to be motoring around the Lone Star State.

In October I hope to ride Amtrak's Texas Eagle out to Phoenix, Arizona and join Chuck and Sharon Shinall for a weeks vacation in the Valley of the Sun.  Then it all goes well I will be heading over to Los Angeles for a couple of week before heading back home on Amtrak's Southwest Chief or the California Zephyr.

So as 2017 comes to an end, I am also ending another chapter of my book of life and preparing to begin writing another.  I am remind of a saying that my step-father once told me...."You should look back every once in a while  just to see how far you've come."  

CHRISTMAS IN THE SMOKIES

As we move closer to the end of the year, I found myself needing to take one last short trip. The reason that I Needed to take a trip (as if I need a reason) was two fold, first is I had a free hotel night that would expire at the end of the year and two, I needed one more night to level up and maintain my exclusive status for my preferred hotel chain. Maintaining my exclusive status is important as it allows me a longer reservations window and there is absolutely NO blackout dates. It also
affords me a large number of bonus points for each stay in 2018 which in turn allow me to accumulate free nights faster. With several trips planned in 2018, free nights are important.

So with a free hotel, I decided to head down and spend a couple of days in the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee area. It was a great time to visit as the entire area was decked out for Christmas. Plus being just a few days before Christmas, it wasn't that crowded.



I got into town early, I considered visiting the Titanic Museum but with an adult ticket at close to $30, I chose to pass and look something a little less expensive.  Eventually, I ended up at the Hollywood Wax Museum. Why would anyone pay $20 to walk through a bunch of Wax figures who don't take or do anything except just stand there. Well, I thought it was just corny enough to be fun.

After buying my ticket I am escorted to a spot in front of King King where an employee takes my photo and they will try and sell it too me later. After the photo I begin my my walk-thru with some of the biggest stars of Hollywood, including Elvis, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and of course Dolly Parton.

It took me a little over an hour to walk through the museum, stopping along the way of course to take some selfies with the stars.

After finishing up at the Wax Museum it was time to check into my hotel and get ready for dinner and show at The Dixie Stampede.  Everybody told me that if I ever get to Pigeon Forge, "you just have to do the Dixie Stampede."  So when I first planned this little unexpected trip the first thing I did was buy my ticket online.

My ticket was for the 8:30 show and my hotel was almost directly across the street so I had plenty of time to refresh and relax. Rather than driving I opted to walk the short distance and was promptly admitted and seated.  All I can say is WOW!  Everything was outstanding. The servers were wonderful, the food was out of this world and the Christmas Show was amazing. I opted to leave the camera at home and just enjoy the experience without feeling like I had to take photos. I concur with everyone else, if you are ever in the area the Dixie Stampede is a must.

After a great show and a good nights sleep I made a quick trip up to Gatlinburg and spent an hour or so walking around some to the tourist spots on the main drag. I also made a quick stop at the Sugarland Visitors Center at the entrance to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.  I wanted to buy my National Park Senior Pass but it is not sold here, so I walked around the small museum before heading back to Pigeon Forge and start the trek toward home.

As I was having breakfast at the hotel, I was talking with a couple of other guests, and they suggested that I visit the Alcatraz East Museum. So on the way out of town I decided to make a quick stop at The Alcatraz East Crime Museum.

Regular Admission was $24.95 but with my "Senior Discount" and an additional discount for being affiliated with law enforcement I was able to get in for just over $15.00.

Again before entering the museum, an employee will take "your mugshot" and will try and sell it too you about midway through the tour.  There are two kinds of tours, a more expensive audio tour or the regular self guided tour.  I opted for the regular self guided tour.

The O. J. Simpson Bronco

Old Smokey
Tennessee Electric Chair

The museum has a mixture of authentic crime and punishment artifacts along with several historic artifact such as one of John Dillinger's death mask, a bullet taken from the body of "Pretty Boy" Floyd when he was killed in 1934 and probably the most popular artifact, 1992 White Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowling in the O. J. Simpson Slow Speed Chase in 1994.

There is a lot to take in here and if you are a reader you can easily spend several hours here. I ended up spending a little over two hours here and really enjoyed the tour. I am glad the people I talked too at breakfast told me about it as I would have never considered it.

After finishing my tour of Alcatraz East it was time to start heading toward home but as I made my way up Interstate 81, I decided to take one final detour over to Greeneville, Tennessee and visit the Andrew Johnson National Historical Site. 

Andrew Johnson became the 17th President of the United States when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.  President Johnson was born near Raleigh, North Carolina, but ran away as a youth and after several years he made his way to Tennessee where he became a tailor and eventually settle in the small town of Greeneville.

Here in Greeneville he operated a tailor shop and became involved in local politics.  His original tailor shop is the centerpiece of the of the National Park Service Visitors Center. The visitors center is directly across the street from the visitor's center is the Johnson's early home. It was in this house that Johnson and his wife Eliza lived from about 1830 until 1851 when they moved to their new homestead several blocks away.

The Johnson Homestead served as his home for about 24-years. He lived here both before and after his presidency and three generations of Johnson's lived here until they turned it over to the National Park Service who maintains the site today.

President Andrew Johnson was traveling in 1875 and stopped to visit is daughter Mary at her farm near Elizabethton, Tennessee. Another of his daughters, Martha was also visiting and by all accounts the family visit was an enjoyable one.  During the evening of July 28, 1875, President Johnson suffered a stroke. While receiving medical treatment he suffered a second stroke on July 30 and died early the next morning. His funeral was held on August 3, 1875 in Greeneville. His body was wrapped in an American Flag and a copy of the United States Greeneville's Signal Hill and members of his family rest beside him. This site as dedicated as the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery in 1906.
Constitution was place under his head. He was buried atop

This was my third visit to the Andrew Johnson National Historical Site. The first time I visited was back in the 1990's when CSPAN was here filming their American Presidents - Life Portraits Series. I came back several years later and spent much of the day touring the site and walking around Greeneville.

Today's visit was a quick one, as I got my National Park Passport Book stamped and visited the museum and walked up town to the Homestead which was closed for renovations.  My final stop was at the monument which marks the final resting place of our 17th President a top Signal Hill.

It was late in the day and darkness comes early this time of year and it was time to make my way up home, ending this little unexpected Holiday Vacation.

THE SEASON OF LIGHTS

For the past several years the Bristol Motor Speedway has been deck out for the holiday season with a magnificent drive-thru light show. This years light show opened on November 17, 2017 and runs through January 5, 2018. More than 2-million lights make up this years display. The cost is $15 per car during the week and $20 per car on weekends. All proceeds go to benefit the Speedway Children's Charities.

I had heard about the Speedway Light Show for a few years and decided to finally decided to see them for myself.  So on Monday Night, December 11, two co-workers and friends, Georgia Eva and Brittany Nelson headed south on Interstate 81 for the two and a half hour drive to Bristol.

We arrive shortly after the 6 p.m. opening and there were about 30-cars in front of us at the ticket booth.  It took us about 15 minutes to reach the ticket booth and by the time we paid and started out 4.5 mile tour, the line had grown to more than 200 cars.

The route begins at the Bristol Dragway and takes you down the drag strip before you turn and go up the hill and start down through the parking lots between the the drag strip and the speedway.  As you wind your way through the parking lots you are treated to a wide variety of light in motion.

After winding our way through the parking lots, we made our way up the hill and proceed under the east grandstand before heading around the outside of turn thee and four.  From there we made our way under the grandstand and through the crossover gate and onto the speedway itself. 

Once inside the speedway we drove around the lower grove of the banking of turns 3 and 4. The grandstands were decked in light that ran from top to bottom. The infield featured Santa's Village where the kids could meet Santa and buy keepsakes along with taking a ride on a carousel and a couple of other holiday themed rides.

After exiting the speedway we reached the end of the tour. The entire route is about 4.5 miles and took us right at an hour to complete the route. All of us found the route to be very entertaining well worth the drive.

Here is a short video of our Speedway in Lights Tour

PARADISE JAM

Where does the time go? Now that I am almost fully retired having worked my last scheduled day way back on October 12, I thought I would have an abundance of time but so far that has been far from the truth.  I fully intended to have this post up on Monday or at the very latest Tuesday of last week but as you can see that didn't happen. But better late than never as they say.

Earlier this year a series of hurricanes passed through the Atlantic Ocean devastating Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  Recovery has been ongoing and as a result the annual Paradise Jam College Basketball Tournament scheduled each year for the Virgin Islands had to be relocated to the mainland United States.  Tournament Officials decided that the 8-team tournament would be held at the 9,000 seat Vines Center on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Jordan Strawberry

When I found out that the tournament would be played basically in my back yard I decided that it would be a great opportunity to see my Wake Forest Demon Deacons play along with 7-other teams. I called the morning that tickets went on sale and reserved my seat for the 3-day, 12-game event.


The team that I saw play has no desire to play defense and have trouble guarding their own shadow. The offense is ragged and unorganized. The only thing this team does consistent was run down the court and jack up shots from the out side. To me it is ridicules that a team with at least two 7-footers doesn't make any effort to get the ball inside to them. 

Former ESPN Basketball Analyst Andy Katz was assigned to do the streaming video broadcast and said several time during the weekend that Wake Forest was capable of righting the ship and making the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. But with every lose the hole gets deeper and that opportunity is less likely.

Houston Head Coach
Kelvin Sampson

When all was said and done, the Deacs  dug a deeper hole and lost two of the three games they played, loosing to Drake and Houston, while winning against Quinnipiac. We are not even out of November yet and this basketball season is already in the crapper for Wake Forest.  As much as I want too I can not  make myself like anything about this team. I really think that this teams will struggle to win a single game in the Conference this year. It's going to be a long winter in Winston-Salem.

While I was not impressed with any aspect of the Wake Forest Team, I was impressed with both Colorado and Mercer who just happened to play for the Championship on Sunday.  Both teams are extremely well coached and fundamentally sound in all aspect of the game.  I really like the fact that both teams move the ball well and can score both in the paint and from the outside. Neither were the tallest team in the tournament but they both ran plays designed to get the ball to their big men who had the opportunity to score in the paint.  By demonstrating the ability to score inside their guards opened up and was able to score from the outside. 

While I don't think either Mercer or Colorado will make it to San Antonio, I do think both will probably make the Big Dance and neither is a team that I would want to see in my bracket come March.

THE TOMBSTONE TOURIST - CALVARY CEMETERY, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

In 2010, while traveling to the NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City, I took a day to visit some of the historic cemeteries of the St. Louis, Missouri area.  Earlier in day I visited Bellefontaine Cemetery, and then moved to the adjacent Calvary Cemetery.

Calvary Cemetery is a Roman Catholic Cemetery that is operated by the Archdiocese of St, Louis. It is about 470 acres and is the final resting place of more than 300,000 people.

In 1849 a cholera epidemic struck St. Louis and more than 4,000 people died. The fear of another epidemic prompted the City of St. Louis to pass an ordinance which banned the creation of any new cemeteries. During this time, most of the cemeteries within in the city of St. Louis were either full or nearing capacity.  As a result, the Archdiocese of St. Louis purchased Senator Henry Clay's "Old Orchard Farm" which was originally located a few miles north of the city. The farm became the site of Calvary Cemetery, which opened for burials in 1854.

My first stop in Calvary Cemetery was at the grave of General William Tecumseh Sherman.  General Sherman was one of the most notorious generals of the Civil War and is know for his "March to the Sea," where is basically practiced a scorched earth policy of burning and destroying every thing in his path. In the days following General Lee's surrender at Appomattox, General Sherman pressed the last remaining Confederate Army under the command of General Joseph E. Johnston through North Carolina.  The final battles of the Civil War occurred near Durham, North Carolina. In late April 1865, Sherman and Johnston met at Bennett's Farm near Durham, North Carolina to discuss the terms of surrender.  After agreeing to terms, General Sherman accepted the surrender of more than 60,000 Confederate Soldiers, more than at Appomattox and the largest of the War.

William Tecumseh Sherman

  In the years that followed,Sherman and Johnston became close friends, and when General Sherman died in 1891, Johnston served as a pallbearer at Sherman's funeral which was held in New York City.

Following the Civil War, Sherman continued his military service and was appointed to the rank of General of Army. He moved his command to St. Louis so that he could direct the American campaign again the Indians on the western frontier. On November 1, 1883, Sherman stepped down as commanding General of the Army and retired from military service on February 8, 1884 and moved to New York City where he lived the rest of his life. General William Tecumseh Sherman died of Pneumonia on February 14, 1891. Following a funeral in New York City, his body was transported to St. Louis where he was laid to rest here in Calvary Cemetery.

Powhatan Clark

Calvary Cemetery is also the final resting place of Medal of Honor recipient  Powhatan Clark, who graduated from West Point in 1884. Clarke was a Second Lieutenant in the Buffalo Soldiers, 10th Calvary stations at Fort Davis, Texas when on May 3, 1886 he and his fellow soldiers came under attack from the Apaches at Pinito Mountains. During the attack, Lieutenant Clarke rescued Corporal Edward Scott who was wounded and lay in open ground. For his actions, Lieutenant Clarke was awarded the Medal of Honor.  His Medal of Honor citation simple reads:

"Rushed forward to the rescue of a soldier who was severely wounded and lay, disabled, exposed to the enemy's fire, and carried him to a place of safety."


One of the more interesting monument in Calvary Cemetery is dedicated to the four Nez Perce warriors who traveled to St. Louis in 1831.  During the Lewis and Clark expedition, the explorers relied on assistance that they received from the Nez Perce. As a result of the friendship the explorers established with the Nez Perce people, four of their warriors traveled more than 2,000 miles to visit Leggins, No Horns On His Head, Black Eagle and Speaking Eagle met with William Clark a few days after they arrived in the city.  Shortly after their meeting with Clark, the warriors became ill and Black Eagle and Speaking Eagle died in the city, while No Horns On His Head and Rabbit Skin Leggins left the city and are though to have died on the way back to their home in the Pacific Northwest. Black Eagle and Speaking Eagle were buried in St. Louis. In 2000 their graves were found and in 2003 this monument was erected at their grave site here in Calvary Cemetery.
St. Louis. Upon arrival the warriors found it impossible to communicated
and had to rely on hand gestures to communicate, so no one really knows the purpose of their visit. The four warriors, Rabbit Skin

Dred Scott

Another of the more notable graves in Calvary Cemetery is that of Dred Scott who was the subject of the famed Dred Scott Decision in 1857. Scott and his wife Harriett were slaves, owned first by the Peter Blow who later sold the Scott's to Dr. John Emerson who was a surgeon in the Army. Emerson's army service require them to relocate quite often. The finally settled in Missouri, near Jefferson Barracks and in 1846, Dred and Harriett attempted unsuccessfully to purchase their freedom. I was then that the Scott's began exploring legal means to obtain their freedom, which eventually lead them to sue the United States.  The case made its way all the way to the United States Supreme Court which ruled in a 7-2 decision written by Chief Justice Roger Taney, that negro, whose ancestors were imported into the United States, and sold as slaves" whether enslaved or free, could not be an American citizen and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court, and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired after the creation of the United States. Following the Supreme Court Decision, Dred and Harriett were eventually sold to Taylor Blow, the son of their original owner, Peter Blow. Taylor Blow granted the Scott's their freedom on May 26, 1857. After obtaining his freedom Dred Scott worked as a porter in a St. Louis Hotel, until he fell ill in early 1858.  Dred Scott died on September 17, 1858 from the effects of tuberculosis. 

Tennessee Williams

My final stop in Calvary Cemetery is at the grave site of Tennessee Williams.  Thomas Lanier Williams was born on March 26 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi.  After graduating from college he moved to New Orleans where he would become one of the most notable playwrights of the 20th century.   While in New Orleans, he changed his name to Tennessee Williams, simply because that is where his father was from. On March 31, 1945, his play "The Glass Menagerie," opened on Broadway and two years later "A Streetcar Named Desire," earned him his first Pulitzer Prize. In 1955, Williams won his second Pulitzer Prize for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Tennessee Williams died on February 25, 1983.

The rain and cold hampered my visit and I decided to cut it short and head out and find some lunch and hope that in the afternoon the skies would clear and the temps would climb.  Here is a short video of my visit to Calvary Cemetery.

PLANNING AHEAD

While I really like being spontaneous and just traveling to see what is around the bend. But sometimes you really have to have a plan and today the planning for my 2018 NCAA Tournament Vacation started coming together.

Every year since 2001 I have attend the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament as various locations throughout the country. Some years I have stayed close to home, traveling to places like Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina. Other years I venture a little farther to places like Dayton, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee and Greenville, South Carolina. 

Every year has been a new adventure. He is a list of the tournament sites that I have visited over the years:

2001 - Greensboro, North Carolina                                    2010 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2002 - Greenville, South Carolina                                      2011 - Charlotte, North Carolina
2003 - Birmingham, Alabama                                            2012 - Greensboro, North Carolina
2004 - Orlando, Florida                                                      2013 - Kansas City, Missouri
2005 - Nashville, Tennessee                                               2014 - Raleigh, North Carolina
2006 - Dallas, Texas                                                           2015 - Charlotte, North Carolina
2007 - Winston-Salem, North Carolina                             2016 - Raleigh, North Carolina
2008 - Birmingham, Alabama                                           2017 - Greenville, South Carolina
2009- Greensboro, North Carolina

As you can see for the past 4-years I have been staying close to home. So in 2018 it will be time to hit the road and head west. When I first looked at the 2018 Tournament sites, one location immediately jumped out at me. So in March 2018 I will be hitting the road and heading to Dallas Texas.

Up until today, it had kind of been up in the air as to where I would be going for March Madness, as in the past, I had pick a tournament site only to have that site come up with very limited or no tickets available for public sale. Most years I have received and early buy access code for the NCAA which allows me to buy tickets before they go on sale to the General Public.

I received my early buy access code this morning an was able to log into the American Airlines Arena - Ticketmaster website and about about 20-minute I was able to select and purchase my 2018 Tournament Tickets.

After purchasing my tournament tickets, I went ahead and reserved my hotel room. As I said before, I am a fan of hotel reward programs and my preferred hotel is the Choice Hotel Brand (Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn and Quality Inn). In the past it has really paid off to make my hotel reservations early before they raise their rate based on a special event. 

When making hotel reservations I always go through the CHOICE HOTELS WEBSITE where I can check the rates and reviews. Before making a final choice and confirming my reservation I also check the reviews on Trip Advisor. If the hotel get excellent or exceptional reviews on both sites then I go ahead and finalize my reservations. 

One thing about travel reviews. If a review is too good then I tend to throw it out as it is more than likely written by the hotel or a friend of the hotel management. I also tend to throw out extremely bad reviews because they are written by someone who has an ax to grind or is basically just a totally unreasonable guest and wants to make matters worse than they actually were.  I do contribute reviews to both sites and I never write a review while I am angry or upset. I always wait until I calm down so that I can be reasonably objective.

The hotel that I selected for my Dallas Tournament Stay is located about 5-miles away from the American Airlines Arena, for less than $100 a night.  The one thing that I don't like about this years tournament in Dallas is the Games are Thursday - Saturday which means my off day is Friday and I will have to deal with Dallas Traffic when exploring. But it does give me an extra day on Sunday to explore the downtown area around Dealey Plaza where I want to return to The Sixth Floor Museum and visit the sites associated with the Assassination of President Kennedy.

Another reason that I wanted to go to Dallas is that the Final Four is also in San Antonio and while I don't have Final Four Tickets I can attend some of the fan events around the area that are associated with the Final Four.

My plan is to spend about 3-4 weeks touring around Texas. This will be my first major trip since I retired and I don't plan on having much of a schedule. The only place that I have to be is in Dallas for the Tournament in Mid-March. The rest of the time we will just see what is around the bend.

A HAUNTING EVENING

Over the last several years a bunch of haunted houses have popped up in the area around Halloween. Each year there seems to be more and more. Each claiming to be bigger and better than their competition. 

One of the first in the area was the Major Graham Haunted Mansion near Fort Chiswell in Wythe County. The mansion was the home of Major David Graham who fought for the 51st Virginia Infantry during the Civil War.  The mansion was the center piece of the 6000 acres plantation owned by the Graham Family. 

Legend has it that Confederate officers held secret meetings in one of the rooms in the attic, which is known as "The Confederate Room."  The mansion has a dark history that that includes murdered slaves, imprisoned servants and ghost stories. 

One of the ghost stories centers around a man who were murdered by slaves on the Graham property. Before the the Graham Mansion stood on this site, a cabin belonging to Joseph Baker stood here. In 1786 Baker was murdered by two of his slaves. A few days later the slaves known as Bob and Sam were hung from a hickory tree that still over looks the mansion property. Legend has it that Bob and Sam still roam the property today and may have been seen inside the mansion. The completer story of  The Murder of Joseph Baker can be found here.

The haunted legend of the Graham Mansion is known far and wide and in 2012 "Ghost Hunters"

visited the site and officially declared the Mansion and surrounding area as "Haunted."

For the past several years the Haunted Graham Mansion has been one of the areas most popular Halloween attractions.  The 45-minute tour features props and live actors who set about to scare visitors as they make their way through the mansion and adjacent buildings.

Every Friday and Saturday Night in October more than 2,000 people a night pay $20 a person to take the scary tour through the Major David Graham Mansion. This year a couple of friends an myself were among the visitors. 

THE ROAD TO RETIREMENT - PART 2

Well, things are moving along toward my impending retirement and the day is getting closer that retirement will become a reality.  I have worked for the Commonwealth of Virginia for 43-years, beginning my employment with the state directly our of high school in 1974. This has been the only full time job that I have ever had, so it is only natural that second thoughts about this decisions have surfaced.

When something has been apart of ones life for such a long period of time, it is hard to just walk away from the stability of a regular pay check. But there were a few other thing that I considered other than the regular hours with a pay check. The first thing that I know that I am going to really miss is the people that I work with. Since 2008 I have been the supervisor of communications and I have been really lucky to work with a great group of people. I am truly going to miss the daily interaction with these people who I genuinely respect, like and enjoy being around.  These folks have become friends and I am going to miss seeing them on on a regular basis. I am not going to sugar coat things, this is my number one concern and the thing I anticipate missing the most.

The second thing that is giving me second thought is boredom. What am I going to do with all the extra time. Not having the structure of having to drive to the office ever day is going to be a tremendous adjustment. I have never been one to sit around and do nothing. I have to be active and have to be doing something.  I am fortunate to have a variety of interest; photography, hiking, rail-fanning and travel are just a few things that I enjoy. 

I am also very fortunate to enjoy my on company and have no problem being able to amuse myself. Photography is something that I have enjoyed for a number of years and have been lucky enough to sell and have some of my photos published.

I am very lucky to live in the State of Virginia, which is one of the most history areas of the United States.  I love history and I love to travel.  I am not going to sit hat home day in and day out. Day trips along the back roads of Virginia with just a picnic lunch and a camera will most likely take the place of the daily trips to the office.

Several years ago my doctor suggested that I lose some weight. It seemed that years of a less than healthy diet and sitting behind a desk had taken its toll and my weight had swelled to an unhealthy state. Lifting weights and the added cost of a gym membership did not appeal to me. But I knew that I had to get active and drop some weight. 

It was at that time that I discovered the joys of walking. It's a free form of exercise and something that I could do most anywhere. So I began walking for exercise, starting out with only a mile or two a day for about 30-minutes. But I soon found that I actually enjoy walking and increased my pace, and stamina.

I found that I looked forward to my daily walks. I am lucky to live in an area that features a number of places like the Huckleberry Trail, Bisset Park, and Pandapas Pond where I can get get in my daily walks without it becoming bored.  I have come to enjoy walking so much that I usually take my camera long, which allows me to combine two loves.

Also I am very lucky that residents of the Town of Christiansburg enjoy free access to the Recreation Center. So on days that the weather prevents me from walking outside, I can get my daily steps in there. The rec centers features and 8th of a mile track and a few pieces of fitness equipment. So spending an hours or two at the rec centers breaks up the boredom of a rainy day. Finally, I live close enough to the Blue Ridge Parkway that on days I am feeling particularly adventurous I can tackle one of the many hiking trails.

Finally, a few years ago the Roanoke Transportation Museum brought a historic steam locomotive back to life.  After sitting in a museum for more than 20-years the J-611, Spirit of Roanoke roared back to life. On the day that she returned to Roanoke under her own steam, I drove to Danville and photographed the ole girl at several locations as she made here way back to the Star City after undergoing extensive repairs at the Spencer Shops.

I manage to "chase" her from Danville to Bedford grabbing some great photos along the way.  During this "Chase" I met some great folks who introduced me to something known as "railfanning."  Over the past few years I have developed an interest in photographing trains, especially the Norfolk-Southern Heritage Units.  Living in an area rich with rail heritage, I have found that I enjoy visiting such popular railfanning locations as the Historic Montgomery Tunnel, The Christiansburg Grade in Shawsville and the coaling tower at Vicker Switch. For whatever reason, I find it quite relaxing to sit at one of these location with a good book waiting for a passing train to come by. Like I say it doesn't take much to amuse me.

I will be able to occupy my time once retirement set in. So those second thought have been push to the side.

So where do I stand as I continue marching down the Road to Retirement.

On September 12, 2017, I drove to Richmond and met with my Personnel Office and officially completed and submitted my retirement papers to be effective January 1, 2018.  Due to the unique way the State of Virginia does it pay periods, my last official day of employment will be December 24, 2017. Quiet a Christmas present that I am giving myself.

On October 10, 2017, I submitted my application for Social Security Benefits. I have decided to draw my Social Security Benefits in order to supplement State Retirement Income, which will allow me to NOT draw on my personal investments, allowing them to hopefully continue to grow.

Finally, The State will only pay me for a small amount of my leave. I will be loosing a large amount of sick leave as the state will only pay me $5000, but I am not one to use sick leave when I am not sick. Even though I am losing a large amount of sick leave, I am not going to lose my vacation. So in order to get my leave down to where I can get paid for the maximum, I found that I had about two and a half month of leave that I will need to take before December 24, 2017.

So on October 12, 2017, I worked my last scheduled shift.  Over the next two and a half months, I will only have 6-days that I can work without losing any leave.During those 6-days, I plan on wrapping up some pending projects and turning my duties over to the other two supervisors.

Over the next several weeks, I will be adjusting to the leisurely pace of retirement while still drawing a full pay check.

The march toward retirement continues....

DID THE FBI JUST BLOW UP COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Yesterdays arrests of four college basketball coaches by the FBI have sent shockwaves through the NCAA and its member schools. And from all indications this is just the beginning.  In their announcement the federal prosecutor and F.B.I. stated very clearly that “we have you playbook,” and we are coming for you. 

 

The four coaches, Chuck Person from Auburn, LaMont Evans from Oklahoma State, “Book” Richardson from Arizona and USC’s Tony Bland have all been implicated by the FBI of using money supplied by shoe company Adidas to steer prominent high school recruits toward specific universities, and sports agents.

In addition the Louisville Men’s Basketball program has been implicated in receiving payments of approximately $100,000 which was funneled to the family of recruit Brian Bowen who committed to Louisville early this summer.  In the FBI Statement they indicated that they have phone records to support the alleged criminal behavior by the Louisville staff.

Rick Pitino couldn't talk or deny his way out of the latest allegations

This is but the latest and probably most serious allegations against Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino who has left a trail of NCAA violations at every school he has been at. This is more than NCAA Violations, this is a criminal investigation being conducted by the FBI and all of those involved could be looking a significant jail time.

Pitino ranks up there with disgraced coach Dave Bliss as being one of the most disreputable people in sports. In 2010 he was involved in a federal extortion investigation involving Karen Syphers who served time in prison after attempting to get money from the coach in exchange for keeping quiet.

Then in 2015 members of his staff was basically running a whore house for prospective recruits. And now this federal fraud investigation is probably the final nail in Pitino’s coffin.  Over the years including the 2015 whore house investigation and again yesterday when the latest allegations came to the surface, Pitino claimed he didn’t know and is shocked by the information.  It's your program and if you didn't know, you should have. Your statements and plausible denial just don't hold water.

When you look at everything that is going on under the banner of the NCAA, it appears that the organization has lost total control of its so called member institutions. Recent NCAA investigation at marquee programs like North Carolina, Syracuse and again at Louisville which takes years to complete makes the entire NCAA irrelevant. In short the FBI is doing something the NCAA either refused to do or couldn’t do.  When you get right down to the brass tacks, the NCAA is not capable of managing the vast expanse that is college athletics.

What came out yesterday is just the tip of the iceberg. There will be more schools named and there will be more high profile coaches not only lose their job but become the subjects of criminal investigations.

Louisville announced that Pitino has been placed on unpaid administrative leave which is probably a politically correct way of saying he will be fired in the very near future. Which leave me to ask what about Sean Miller at Arizona, or Bruce Pearl at Auburn, Andy Enfield at USC and Mike Boynton at Oklahoma State, how well are they sleeping at night and how safe are their jobs.

Is this FBI Criminal Investigation a good thing? I think so. This is more about losing scholarships, tournament bans or probations.  This is about significant jail time for the corrupt individuals. Did the  FBI just blow up College Basketball? I think so and I am not at all convinced that it is a bad thing.  The corruption that goes on at major programs needs to be exposed and dealt with, which is again something the NCAA couldn’t or more likely wouldn’t do.

THE TOMBSTONE TOURIST VISITS: BELLEFONTAINE CEMETERY

I first visited St. Louis in March of 2010 hen I was on the way to the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Oklahoma City. In 2013 my NCAA Tournament Vacation took me to Kansas City and I once again stopped in St. Louis.  When I first started researching things to see and do in St. Louis, the first thing that I wanted to do was visit the famous Gateway Arch, and many of the downtown attractions. But also high on my list was a visit to some of the area's historic cemeteries, including St. Peter's, Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Calvary and Bellefontaine.

During my 2010 visit I spent the better part of an entire day visiting Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries. These two cemeteries are located on Florissant Avenue, north of downtown St. Louis.shortly after  The surrounding area is not the best and I was a little apprehensive as I got closer to the the cemetery.

Bellefontaine Cemetery is a very large cemetery consisting of more than 300-acres and is the final resting place of close to 100,000 people. The cemetery was founded in 1849 and some of the first burials were a result of the area's worst cholera epidemic. In the years that followed some of our nations most notable citizens were buried here.

I arrived at Bellefontaine Cemetery shortly after 9 a.m. and stopped at the office where I picked up a driving tour map and a small booklet that details the history of many of the historic figures that are buried here.

BUSCH MAUSOLEUM: As a young man Adolphus Busch  delivered supplies to local breweries and met and married the daughter of Eberhardt Anheuser. After the Civil War Adolphus joined his father-in-law in the brewery business.  Together the two grew their locally brewery into Anheuser-Busch, which is today the world's largest brewery company, featuring 12-brewery's in the United States and is also one of the worlds largest theme park operators.

SAMUEL HAWKEN: In the early 1800's, brothers Jacob and Samuel Hawken opened a gun shop in St. Louis. Their Hawken Rifle quickly became a favorite of the the mountain men, replacing the Kentucky Long Rifle. Jacob died in 1849 and Samuel continued the business until the late 1850's when he sold his business to J. P. Gemmer who continued the tradition until 1915 when the shop finally closed.  Samuel Hawken died on May 9, 2884 at the age of 92.

GENERAL STERLING PRICE: General Price was a veteran of the Mexican War and governor of Missouri from 1853 to 1857. He originally tried to keep Missouri in the Union but later joined the Confederacy and rose to the rank of Major General. When it became apparent that the South would lose the war, Price and a few of his loyal followers fled to Mexico to serve in the army of Emperor Maximilian.  He returned to St. Louis late in life and died here on September 29, 1867.  Evidently the actor John Wayne was fond of General Price as Rock Hudson's Character in the Movie "The Undefeated" was loosely based on the Civil War life of General Price.  Finally Rooster Cogburn's Cat in the the John Wayne Movie "True Grit" was named - General Sterling Price.

GENERAL WILLIAM CLARK: General Clark along with Meriwether Lewis led the expedition that explored the upper Louisiana Territory all the way to the Pacific ocean.  Lewis and Clark, lead the Corp of Discovery on the expedition that departed St. Louis in 1804 and returned in 1806. Following their return, Lewis was either murdered or committed suicide while traveling on the Natchez Trace south of Columbia, Tennessee. General Clark Married Julia Hancock in 1808. In addition to caring for his own family General Clark cared for the children of Sacagawea after she died in 1812. He also later served as Governor of the Missouri  Territory for 7-years, and when Missouri became a state, he ran for Governor of the State but lost the election. After loosing the election Clark continued his work in Indian Affairs and was respected for his ethical and fair treatment of Native Americans. William Clark remained in St. Louis and died here on September 1, 1838.  General Clark

THOMAS HART BENTON: When Missouri became a state in 1821, Benton became it's first United States Senator. He was a defender of the Union and lobbied for Missouri to remain loyal to the Union during the Civil War. Benton was also a staunch supporter of expansion and was responsible for the eastern portions of the Missouri Pacific Railroad starting in St. Louis, resulting in the City becoming the  industrial and business center of the Midwest. Benton also was featured in a notorious part of local history when he and lawyer Charles Lucas fought a duel on Bloody Island in the Mississippi River. Lucas was wounded but survived the first duel, but was mortally wounded during the second one.  Senator Thomas Hart Benton died on April 10, 1858, in Washington, D. C.






I spent more than 4-hours touring Bellefontaine during my 2010 Visit and returned in 2013 and spend another 3-hours here. Once again, Bellefontaine is a very large and historic cemetery and the management embraces their history. Throughout the cemetery, visitors will see different colored line painted down the center of the road. These colors of the lines represent the different tours available, one tour highlights a Civil War Tours that takes you to notable graves of Civil War figures. Another tour is basically the historical tour which is the longest tour and highlights many of the historical figures that are buried here.

Whether you are pushed for time or have all day to spend in the Cemetery, I encourage you to stop at the office and pickup a driving tour map. It will help and enlighten as you make you way around Historic Bellefontaine Cemetery.

Here is a short Video highlighting my two visits to Bellefontaine Cemetery.

THE TOMBSTONE TOURIST VISITS - CROWN HILL MEMORIAL PARK

CROWN HILL CHAPEL

In March of 2013, while on the way to the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Kansas City, I stopped off in Indianapolis and spent some time at Crown Hill Memorial Park.  At over 500- acres, Crown Hill is Indiana's largest cemetery and the third largest non-government cemetery in the United States.  Before arriving I downloaded and print a cemetery map, but it was still very difficult to located particular graves. There are three United States Vice Presidents resting at Crown Hill, but I was able to locate on the grave of Charles Fairbanks, who served as Vice President under Teddy Roosevelt.

Vice President Charles Fairbanks

Fairbanks was elected as the 26th Vice President in 1904 and was the first vice president to serve an entire 4-year term without be called upon to case any tie-breaking votes as President of the Senate. Fairbanks also was an opponent of President Roosevelt's "Square Deal" and did not perform any significant role in the Administration and chose not to seek reelection. After leaving office in 1909, he returned to Indianapolis where he practiced law until he fell victim to ill-health. Charles Fairbanks died at his home on June 4, 1918

President Benjamin Harrison

Probably the most famous grave in Crown Hill is that of Benjamin Harrison, who served as the 23rd President of the United State. Harrison served as President from 1889-1893. He was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison and the great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, who signed the Declaration of Independence and succeeded Thomas Jefferson as Governor of Virginia. Following his term as president, he returned to his home in Indianapolis where he died on March 13, 1901 at the age of 67.

Robert Irsay

Just a short distance from the rave of President Harrison is the grave of Robert Irsay, who was the owner of Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts.  Irsay remains the most hated man in Baltimore because of his decision to move the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis. During the early morning hours of March 29, 1984, Irsay loaded of the teams property into 15 Mayflower Moving Vans and left Baltimore for Indianapolis. The City of Baltimore never forgot and to this day many residents curse his memory.

James Whitcomb Riley

At the top of the hill above the Irsay grave is probably the largest grave monument in the Cemetery, which marks the grave of James Whitcomb Riley, who is best known as the creator of "Little Orphan Annie."  Riley's grave is located at the highest point in Crown Hill and afford visitors a grand view of the Indianapolis skyline.

Cannonball Baker

I actually stumbled on the grave of  Erwin "Cannonball" Baker while looking for the grave of gangster John Dillinger.  "Cannonball" Baker made 143 separate cross-country motorcycle speed runs across the United States and set a number of record including riding coast to coast in 1914 on an Indian Motorcycle in 11-days. His cross country runs are thought to have totaled more the 550,000 miles. "Cannonball Baker" died of a heart attack on May 10, 1960 at the age of 78.

My final stop in Crown Hill Cemetery was at the grave of John Herbert Dillinger.  Located in Section 44, the Dillinger grave is probably one of the most visited graves in the cemetery.  John Dillinger was one of the most well known of the depression era gangsters, that included the likes of Bonnie and Clyde, "Pretty Boy" Floyd and "Machine Gun" Kelly. During the years of the Great Depression The Dillinger Gang was accused of robbing 24-banks and he was known to have escaped jail twice. Throughout his criminal career, Dillinger was never convicted of murder.

John Dillinger

John Dillinger's career came to a violent end on July 22, 1934 when he and his escort Ana Sage (the famed lady in red) attended a movie at the Biograph in Chicago. Unknown to Dillinger, Sage had tipped off the FBI that she and Dillinger would be attending the movie. The two were seen entering the theater at about 8:30 p.m. and FBI Agents lead by Melvin Purvis waited outside for the gangster and his escort to exit.

Ignoring commands to surrender, Dillinger chose to shoot it out with the agents and died of gun shot wounds in a nearby alley.  Dillinger's body was taken to the Cook County Morgue and put on public display.  As many as 15,000 people are believed to have viewed the gangsters body.  John Dillinger was eventually buried here in Crown Hill Cemetery.  His gravestone has been replaced several times because vandals and souvenirs hunters.

Over all I spent about two and a half hours and managed to visit only a few of the more notable graves. If I am ever back in Indianapolis I plan to return to Crown Hill but for now I must move on.
Here is a short video that  I shot during my visit to Crown Hill Memorial Park.