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