LOOKING BACK AT 2024 - PART 3

 

I LOVE LUCY AND SOME PRESIDENTS

JULY 10 – 15, 2024

July saw me hit the road for the longest adventure of 2024 which saw me travel1,289 miles through 5-states.

The first day out I traveled back to Pittsburgh where I overnighted at the Drury Inn near Pittsburgh Airport.  Along the way I stopped in Charleston, West Virginia and spend a couple of Hours touring the West Virginia State Capitol, Before heading up to Steubenville, Ohio to visit the final resting place of Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. I spent the night at the Drury Inn near the Airport in Pittsburgh.

After spending the night in Pittsburgh, I made my way up to Jamestown, New York, which was the home of Comedy Actress Lucille Ball. Jamestown has really embraced their Lucy Connection.

Jamestown is home to the National Comedy Center which is a great interactive museum that pays tribute to all of the comedy greats. From Abbott and Costello and Laurel and Hardy to Don Rickles, Johnny Carson and everybody in between. The National Comedy Center doesn’t leave anyone out.

Admission to the National Comedy Center also includes admission to the Lucille Ball – Desi Arnaz Museum. This is a wonderful Museum that has a treasure trove of artifact relating to everything Lucy and Desi. It also has a number of props from the Long running TV Show “I Love Lucy,” including a full size replica of the New York Apartment and the Hollywood Hotel Suite featured in the Show.

I also drove out to the Lucille Ball Memorial Park where two very different statues of Lucy are located. One is a horrible statue that has been dubbed the “scary” Lucy statue. It was so bad that in 2016 a new statue was commissioned and dedicated. Original plans was for the scary Lucy to be scrapped but it had such a cult following that it was save and today stands about 100 yards or so from the pretty Lucy Statue.

Of course, I had to visit Lakeview Cemetery where Lucy’s cremains are interred in the family plot. Just a short walk from Lucy’s final resting place is the grave of B. F. Goodrich. Yes the same B. F. Goodrich that is famous for tires today.

After ending my time in Jamestown, I made my way down to the Cleveland Ohio area.  The next few days I spend traveling around Ohio visiting several of Ohio’s Presidential sites. I started off with a stop at the James Garfield Presidential Site in Mentor, Ohio.  This was the home of our 20^th President, who was one of two Ohio Presidents to be assassinated.

I also spend a good amount of time visiting Cleveland’s Lakeview Cemetery. It is here that President Garfield is resting in the impressive James Garfield Memorial.  This is unique because the caskets containing the remains of the President and Mrs. Garfield at resting in the lower rotunda of the memorial. This is unique in the fact that the caskets are on open display and have never been Buried.

While at Lakeview Cemetery I also visited the graves of some other notable people including, John D. Rockefeller, Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond and Major League Baseball Player Ray Chapman who was the only Major League Player to die directly from an injury received during a major league game. I also visited the Memorial to noted F. B. I. agent Elliot Ness whose ashes were scattered in a nearby lake.

Also, while in the Cleveland Area I visited several other cemeteries and paid my respects to such notable people as Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Feller, Baseball Umpire Billy Evans and Dr. Sam Sheppard who was convicted of the 1954 murder of his wife. His conviction was later overturned. His case is largely thought to be the basis for the TV Show and Movie “The Fugitive.”

From Cleveland I moved down to the Canton, Area where I visited the William McKinley Memorial which the final resting place of President William McKinley who along with President Garfield was assassinated.  Before leaving Canton I drove out to the Sunset Hills Burial Park to visit the Grave the great New York Yankee Captain, Thurman Munson.

I have been travelling for more than 50-years and have made 100’s of hotel reservations. On this trip I made what could have been a major mistake.  When I was making my hotel reservation I thought I had reserved a room at the Holiday Inn in Massillon, Ohio when in reality I had mistakenly made my reservation for the Holiday Inn in Millersburg, Ohio.

I discovered my mistake when the directions popped up in my google maps. This could have been a major mistake. But instead of having a 10-mile drive to the Hotel, I ended up having to drive about 40 miles to Millersburg.

The hotel mistake wasn’t bad. The Hotel itself was great and in the heart of the Amish Country. It also allowed me to make the drive over to Marion, Ohio where I visited the Home of President Warren G. Harding and his adjacent Presidential Museum.  Before leaving Marion, I stopped at the Harding Memorial which is the final resting place of President Harding and his wife.

I had a few more places that I had wanted to visit here in Ohio but like I said, these shorter trips are more structured and scheduled and while here in Marion I realized that I need to start heading back toward home. So, I made my way toward Columbus where I spent my final night of this trip.

Before Leaving Columbus, I made a quick stop at Union Cemetery. I had wanted to visit the graves of Legendary Ohio State Football Coach Woody Hayes but heavy rain made that impossible so I made a quick stop at the Mausoleum to visit the tomb of Dave Thomas who founded the Wendy’s Hamburger Chain.

On the way back home I stopped in Circleville, Ohio and visited the grave of my favorite character on the TV Show “Two and a Half Men.” Here in Forest Cemetery is the final resting place of Conchata Ferrell who played the housekeeper Berta on the popular show.

My last stop of this trip was in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. I spent a little more than an hours visiting the Ohio River Front where the flood wall is painted with historic murals.  Also in downtown Point Pleasant is the Mothman Statue and Museum.

My final stop was at Battle Monument Park. Here stands the huge monument dedicated to the 1774 Battle of Point Pleasant. Also, within the confines of the park is the grave of folk figure, Indian Scout and spy Mad Ann Bailey. Just a short distance from Mad Ann’s grave is the grave of Chief Cornstalk, who led his warriors again colonialist under the command of General Andrew Lewis in 1774 during Lord Dunmore’s war.

From Point Pleasant it was an easy drive home ending what turned out to be my biggest trip of 2024.

LOOKING BACK AT 2024 - PART 2

 

MIDDLE & EAST TENNESSEE

MAY 30 - JUNE 2, 2024

April and May were busy months for me as I stayed busy getting ready for my Nieces High School Graduation. I didn’t want to travel over Memorial Day weekend, so I waited until after the holiday to hit the road for another little weekend trip.

This time I headed down to Franklin Tennessee where I visited the graves of a number of Country Music Stars that are buried in the Franklin Area. Williamson Memorial Park is the final resting place of several Grand Ole Opry stars including of Longtime Grand Ole Opry Announcer Grant Turner, Brothers Sam and Kirk McGee, and Skeeter Davis.

Anytime I come to Franklin, I have to stop by Mount Hope Cemetery and visit the grave of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, who is better known as Cousin Minnie Pearl.

While in Franklin I made the 30-mile drive down to Columbia Tennessee where I spent the day visiting the Home of President James K. Polk and visiting the National Confederate Museum.

I enjoyed a personal tour of the only surviving home of President James K. Polk. I was the only visitor and enjoyed the informal nature of the tour.

Just outside of Columbia is the National Confederate Museum. It’s a very interesting museum that has a large number of unique artifacts relating to the Confederacy, including a number of battle flags.

The Museum is also the Final resting place of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. General

Forest was originally buried in Forrest Park in downtown Memphis Tennessee, But in 2020 the body of the General and his wife were disinterred from their Memphis grave and taken to a secure location while a permanent gravesite could be located and prepared. On September 18, 2021 General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his wife Ann were reinterred on the Grounds of the National Confederate Museum at Elms Springs.

Back in Franklin, I had planned on spending the evening and the next day in downtown Nashville. But heavy rain and severe storms were forecast throughout most of Middle Tennessee. So, the next morning I decided to cut my visit to Nashville short and head back east and try and get in front of the weather.

I was for the Most part successful as by the time I arrived at Buc-ees in Cookeville, Tennessee the weather had cleared up enough that I was able to make my way up to the Historic Brushy Mountain Prison.

This was a really interesting place as I spent a little more than two hours taking the self-guided tour of the old prison that once housed James Earl Ray, the Man convicted of kill Martin Luther King, Jr.

I spent the night in Oak Ridge Tennessee before driving home and ending a short but enjoyable weekend trip.

ZOO FUN

JUNE 24-26, 2024

In June, My Niece, Jalynn, her Friend Gracie and I headed down to the Greensboro Area of North Carolina for a little three-day two night vacation. This was a really short but great trip right in our backyard.

On the way down we stopped at the Greensboro Science Center. None of us knew what to expect so our expectations were low. To say we were amazed would be an understatement.  The Science Center is so much more than “science.” It is part science center, part aquarium and part zoo. We had only planned to spend a couple of hours here but ended up spending most of the afternoon.

We spent the night in Asheboro, North and was up early the next morning and arrived at the North Carolina Zoo just a few minutes after it opened. This is a very large natural habitat zoo. When I say it requires a lot of walking, I am not joking.

Being that we were there in Late June the Temperature was in the 90’s which added to the challenge. We spent about 4 hours there and by the time we finished my Fitbit indicated that we had walked over 6-miles.

The girls spent the rest of the afternoon at the hotel pool and I spent it nursing my old knees in my cool hotel room. After a good night’s sleep, we drove home the next day.

LOOKING BACK AT 2024 - PART 1

Well, as we come to the end of another year I’s time to look back on what happened in 2024 and look forward to 2025. In 2023 I manage to take an epic15-day adventure with Sunshine Tours visiting New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah. 

This year, while I didn’t take a long mega adventure, I did manage to take a number of shorter trips and stayed a little closer to home. This was by plan as I look at hitting the road for another mega adventure in 2025 (maybe). More about that a little later. 

The one thing about these shorter trips is they are a lot more scheduled and structured than the long adventures where I drive myself. In my longer trips, while I have a lose itinerary and schedule, I usually play it by ear, especially when it comes to making hotel reservations. 

Being that these shorter trips require a greater degree of scheduling, I tend to make my hotel reservation for the entire trip before leaving home. That was the case for my first trip of 2024.

COLONIAL VIRGINIA 

FEBRUARY 2-4, 2024

I managed to get an early start this year as I hit the road in early February for a short weekend trip to Colonial Virginia. I left home on Friday, February 2, 2024, and traveled down Williamsburg, Virginia.

I spend the morning of the next day touring the Jamestown Festival Park and Historic Jamestown, site of the first permanent English Settlement in the New World. I had visited the festival park a few years back, but it had been over 50-years since I had been to the site of the Original Fort, that was site of the 1607 settlement. 

The afternoon saw me visit the Yorktown Battlefield, the site where British General Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington on September 28, 1781, ending the Revolutionary War. Before leaving the Colonial Area,

I made the short 20-minute drive down to the Hampton Memorial Gardens. He I was able to pay my respects to Donald Bexley who played Fred Sanford’s best friend “Bubba” Bexley on the popular TV Series Sanford and Son. Donald was born in Jamestown, Virginia on March 10, 1910. He was a longtime friend of Redd Foxx, and Redd saw that Don had a reoccurring role as Bubba on on "Sanford and Son" from 1972 to 1977.

I spent the Night at the Hampton Inn in Ashland Virginia before heading North to take the driving tour of the Chancellorsville Civil War Battlefield. The highlights of the tour was visiting the site where General Stonewall Jackson was shot by his own men which resulted in his death some 10-days late.

I also Visited Ellwood Plantation when medics under the direction of Dr. Hunter Holmes McGuire amputated his left arm. While the manor house was closed, I visited the family cemetery where General Jackson amputated left arm is buried. 

My final stop on this short weekend trip was at Fairview Cemetery in Culpeper, Virginia. Here I visited the Recently relocated grave of Confederate General A, P. Hill. 

Until Recently, General Hill had rested beneath a large monument in the medial of a busy street in Richmond. Like most of the Confederate Monuments, The Hill Statue was removed as part of Richmond’s attempt to hide from its history. As a result, General Hills Remains were disinterred and move to Fairview Cemetery in his hometown of Culpeper.

From Culpeper I made my way home. This little quick weekend trip was a great way to start my 2024 travel season.

NCAA PITTSBURG 

MARCH 20 – 26, 2024 

My second trip of the year was my annual trip to the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. I have attended the First and Second Rounds of the Tournament every years since 2001 with the exception of the Covid year in 2020 when the entire tournament was cancelled, and the closed tournament held in Indianapolis in 2021.

This year I decided to head north to the PPG Paints Arena in the Steel City. While I have been to Pittsburgh several times for Pirate Baseball at PNC Park, this would be my first visit for Basketball at the PPG Paints Arena. 

Sometimes when I come to Pittsburgh for Pirate Baseball I stay at the Holiday Inn – North Shore which is on Federal Street right across the street from PNC Park. I have always enjoyed my stays at the Holiday Inn North Shore, so I decided to stay there for the NCAA Tournament. The Holiday Inn is only about a mile from the PPG Paints Arena and walking to the arena would not be out of the question, depending on the weather. The rate was a little bit higher but when you consider I don’t have to pay for event parking, I might actually save a little money. 

My games were set for Thursday and Saturday, so I left home and traveled to Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Upon arriving on the Banks of the Three Rivers, I soon realized that walking to and from the Arena would not be an option. When I left home it was 52 degrees and upon arriving at the Holiday Inn I was greeted with subfreezing temperatures and snow showers.

So rather than walking I left my car parked in the Holiday Inn Lot and took a Uber/Lyft to the Arena. The cost of the ride ranged from $11.56 to $18.12 including a $5.00 tip for each ride. Still cheaper than the $40 parking fees for the lots and parking garages throughout the downtown area. 

My Pittsburgh Bracket included opening round game between: Kentucky vs Oakland Texas Tech vs NC State, South Carolina vs Oregon, and Creighton vs Akron.  

NC State began its run to the Final Four here in Pittsburgh with an 80-67 win over the Red Raiders. Oregon sent South Carolina Packing 80-73 and Creighton defeated Akron 77-60. But the upset of the tournament saw the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 80-76.

I was sitting among a number of Kentucky Fan who needless to say were not happy. One guy was so upset he told his friend that they should fire Coach John Calipari on the spot and not even let him back on the plane. Little did I realize that this would indeed be the last game the John Calipari would Coach at Kentucky. Just a few weeks later, Coach Calipari would resign as the Kentucky coach and take the Head Coaching Job at SEC Rival Arkansas.

Friday was an off day for games in Pittsburgh and I spent the day walking around, visiting the statues around PNC Park visiting the sites along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, It was a really cold day but there were several coffee shops and cafes that enabled me to get way and enjoy a hot cup of coffee on the way to visit Heinz Field, the Mr. Rogers Memorial and several other monuments that are along the banks of the Three Rivers. 

No trip to Pittsburgh would be complete without a visit to Primanti Brothers. While there was a modern Primanti Brother right across the Roberto Clemente Bridge, I decided to walk a little bit further and have a late lunch at the Original Primanti Brothers on the Strip. 

Games resumed at the PPG Paints Arena on Saturday and our two games were scheduled for 7 and 9:30 p.m. It was a cold rainy day in Pittsburgh, and I spent most of the day in my room. I did take a walk across the street and had a nice lunch at SoHo Tavern. They had TV’s and I enjoyed watching some tournament games from other venues while having lunch. Since I would be taking a Uber/Lyft to the Arena later today, I had had a couple of beers while watching the games. It was an enjoyable way to spend a cold, rainy afternoon. 

Both of my games at the PPG Paints arena went to overtime. It took Overtime for N.C. State to defeat Oakland 79-73 in the first game of the night. The final game of the evening saw Creighton, needing double overtime to defeat Oregon 86-73. This would end my basketball season for the year.

Sunday I checked out of the Holiday Inn and rather than heading home, I decided to extend my trip a couple of more day and explore Pennsylvania. Before leaving Pittsburgh I stopped at the Christ our Redeemer Catholic Cemetery just a few Miles North of Downtown Pittsburgh. Here I visited the graves of the father and son owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Art and Dan Rooney, along with Legendary Professional Wrestler Bruno Sammartino and Long time Steeler Coach Chuck Noll. 

Next to Christ Our Redeemer Cemetery is Westview Cemetery where I stopped and visited the grave of Barney Dreyfuss, who was the original owner of the Pittsburg Pirates, and the man that built Forbes Field. 

Leaving the Pittsburgh are I headed east and made a stop at the Unity Cemetery Near Latrobe, Pennsylvania and stopped at the final resting place of Fred Rogers, who hosted the popular Children's TV Show “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood from 1968 to 2000. 

Next up was a stop at the Flight 93 National Memorial. I have been here a few times in the past, but I always feel the need to stop here when I am in the area just to pause and remember what happened on that horrible day and to pay my respects to the heroes of Flight 93. 

In Altoona, Pennsylvania I made a quick stop at Rose Hill Cemetery where I visited the grave of and actress and journalist that not many people these days will know or remember. Despite her 23-year career that encompassed over one hundred and twenty motion picture appearances and chorus girl roles from the Broadway theatre stage to motion pictures, Hedda Harper is best remembered for her newspaper column and radio show that focused exclusively on Hollywood gossip, a subject she was able to tell more about to her audience due to her Hollywood insider status. I remember Hedda Harper from her appearance on shows like “I Love Lucy,” “What’s My Line,” and “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

From Altoona, I made my way up to the College Town of State College, Pennsylvania, which is home to Penn State University. I made a quick Photo stop at Beaver Stadium, home of Nittany Lion Football and the Bryce-Jordan Center home to Nittany Lion Basketball. Then is was over to the Spring Creek Presbyterian Cemetery to visit the grave of long time Penn State Football Coach, Joe Paterno.

On Monday, I started making my way back toward home and Made a quick stop in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania which is home to Bucknell University. At the Lewisburg Cemetery I paid my respects to Baseball Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. During a 17 years career he recorded 2,502 strikeouts, 373 wins and 79 shutouts with an earned run average of 2.13. He pitched three shutouts in the 1905 World Series, a record that still stands today and will probably never be broken. He died at the age of 45 on October 7, 1925, from the complication of Tuberculosis.

The rest of the day was spend just piddling a long, just seeing what I could find. I ended up in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia and made a stop at Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. 

Here I visited the grave of Notable railroad photographer O. Winston Link and John Holliman. John Holliman was one of three CNN Reporter who reported live from the Al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad in 1991 during the Allied attack on the Iraqi Capital during the Gulf War. Holliman, Peter Arnet and Bernard Shaw was dubbed “The Baghdad Boys. 

Tuesday was the final day of this trip. This would be a cemetery day as I would travel about the graves of several notable people. First stop was at the grave of Radio and Television Personality Arthur Godfrey in Leesburg, Virginia. Then I was off to Trrinity Episcopal Church Cemetery to visit the grave of Jack Kent Cooke, who was the Longtime Owner of the Washington Redskins. The last stop was at thee Leeds Community Cemetery in Hume, Virginia to visit the grave of “America’s Weatherman,” Willard Scott. And with that my 2024 NCAA Basketball Adventure came to an end.

HISTORIC PIDDLIN' IN A CORNFIELD

 

Many of you know that I have a propensity for piddlin. One of the thing I like about Piddlin’ is you never know what you might find around the bend. A few days ago, when I was out piddlin in Virginia’s Northern Neck I visited a Historical Site that not many people even know it exist.  Now, I had previously visited the more well-known historical site here, places like Stratford Hall the Birthplace of Robert E. Lee, and George Washington’s Birthplace on Pope’s Creek. 

Well, on this particular day, I didn’t really have a plan. I was just driving around looking for Brown Signs and seeing what I could find. While I was having lunch at one of the local café’s I was chatting with a couple of gentlemen sitting at a nearby table. I told them I was looking for history and they told me about a couple of local museums in Warsaw in King George. Then one fellow said, “You might want to check out the Burnt House Field. It’s off the beaten path but if you like history you might find it interesting.”

After they left, I did a little research and quickly realized that I had to check it out. So, away I went and a little over an hour later, I found myself in the middle of a cornfield. Here in this cornfield is a small graveyard protected by a brick wall and an iron gate. 

What is so special about this small cemetery in the middle of a 100-acre cornfield? Well, let me tell you. This was the site of Mount Pleasant, the ancestral home of one of Virginia’s Most prominent and historic Families. The Lee Family of Virginia. 

GRAVE OF RICHARD "THE SCHOLAR"

Mount Pleasant was built in the late 1600’s and was the home of Colonel Richard Lee and his wife Laetitia Corbin Lee. Laetitia died in 1706 while Richard Lived until 1714. Richard had one of the largest libraries in the Colony of Virginia, and he spent his entire life reading studying and writing in Greek, Hebrew, or Latin. It was because of this that he was known as "Richard the scholar" Richard and Laetitia were laid to rest here in what was the garden of their Mount Pleasant Home.

 

GRAVE OF THOMAS LEE

Their son Thomas Lee inherited Mount Pleasant and when it burnt to the ground in 1726, Thomas began construction of Stratford Hall a few miles away.  It was at Stratford Hall that Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee were born and a generation or two later General Robert E. Lee was also born there. 

These two brothers, Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot, would be leading voices in the colonies’ fight for independence. It was Richard Henry Lee, as a representative in the Continental Congress, that put forth the motion that declared our independence from Great Britain. His motion read in part, “Be it resolved, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”  A few years later when it came time to sign the Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee and his brother Francis Lightfoot Lee were

GRAVE OF RICHARD HENRY LEE

the only bothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. Richard Henry Lee went on to be elected the 6^th president of Congress under the Articles of Confederation, serving from January 11, 1785, until November 23, 1785. Richard Henry Lee died on June 19, 1794, and is buried here with his parents, Colonel Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Lee. Also buried here is George Lee and his first with Judith and his second wife Anne. who was the widow of Lawrence Washington, the ½ Brother of George Washington. Now one more question that you are bound to ask. Why the name “Burnt House Field.”  Well, you see after the original house burned in 1726, people began referring to this small graveyard as “The Graveyard in the Burnt House Field.” Today resting here in what was once the gardens at Mount Pleasant are several members of the Lee Family resting here including: 

Richard Lee and his wife & Laetitia Lee (Grandparents of Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee)

Colonel Thomas Lee and his wife Hannah (builder of Stratford Hall)

Richard Henry Lee (Signer of the Declaration of Independence)

George Lee, His first wife Judith and his second wife Anne (widow of Lawrence Washington) 

Wow, what a day this was. Sometimes piddlin’ really pays off and today was one of those days. Who would have ever thought that I would find so much History in the Middle of a cornfield in rural Westmoreland County Virginia.

LOCKED OUT AGAIN

 

Well, It happened again. I got locked out of my Blogger account again. I don’t know why this keeps happening, but after several weeks of trying I was able to get a secure link, that allowed me to change my password and log back in. So here I am.

Before I get too happy about being back, I am going to post this little update on what has been going on this summer. If this goes well with this update, I plan on completing my March Madness Adventure in the next few days.

While I have been traveling some this summer, most of my trips have been about a week in length with no long mega adventures taken or planned. I have already started looking at taking one or maybe even two long adventures next year.

I am really looking at taking another Long-Distance Amtrak Vacation. Back in 2018 I traveled from Roanoke to Phoenix, Arizona on Amtrak and enjoyed it tremendously. Since then, we have dealt with the fallout and changes brought about by COVID.

One of the major changes that was implemented by Amtrak was they discontinued the traditional dining on most of their east coast routes, including the Capitol Limited, the Cardinal and the two silver routes to Florida.

Instead of Tradition dining they have implemented something they call the Flexible dining menu, which is basically microwave airplane meals. My experience with Amtrak is the Traditional Dining is exceptionally good while the Flexible Menu is average at best.

However, Amtrak recently announced a major change to its east coast service. Currently Both of the Silver Service trains, The Silver Star and the Silver Meteor originate in New York and Travels through Washington, D. C and on down to Miami Florida. These trains operate on a daily basis in both directions.

The Capitol Limited also originates in New York and travels through Washington, D. C. and then on to Chicago.  It also operates daily in both directions.

Effective November 9, 2024, the Capitol Limited and the Silver Star will be merging into a single train and renamed “The Floridian Both the Capitol Limited and The Silver Star names will be retired.

As I said, the Floridian will be daily service, and it will not feature an observation car, but it will feature the return of Traditional Dining. For the time being It will be the only direct daily train service from Chicago to Miami and South Florida.

That could change as there is talk of a new route from Chicago to South Florida through Indianapolis, Nashville, Atlanta and into Florida either terminating in Tampa or continuing to Miami. But that new route may be years away.

There are two Amtrak Trips that I am contemplating for 2025. One is to take the New Floridian (Old Capitol Limited) from Washington to Chicago and then all the way to the San Francisco Area on the California Zephyr. This is Amtrak’s most scenic route as it travels through both the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.

My second option is riding the Cresent from Washington down to New Orleans. I would then rent a car and spend several days in New Orleans, South Louisiana and Mississippi. I would then take the “City of New Orleans” from New Orleans up to Chicago.  Once in Chicago I can spend a few days running around Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois before taking “The Cardinal” back to Washington and then home.

In addition to Amtrak, I am also looking a taking another bus trip in 2025.  However, if I do travel by bus, I think that I will be giving Abbott Tours a try. While I have enjoyed my previous trips on Sunshine Tours, their prices have become a little outrageous.

The Canyonlands Trip that I took with Sunshine in 2023 was priced about $5,600. Basically, that same trip with Abbott would have cost me about $4,200 traveling as a single.

One of the Abbott Tours that I am looking at is a 12-day (11 night) trip to New Mexico and the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. The 2024 cost for a single is just a little over $2,900.

Another Abbott adventure that I am looking at is a 19-day (18 night) trip through Wyoming, Utah, Las Vegas, Arizona and New Mexico. This 18-night adventure is priced in 2024 for just over $4,600.

Those are just a couple of adventures that are on the table for 2025. If I am allowed to post this to my EBlogger site and not get locked out again, I will finish up my March Madness Trip and move on to my other 2024 Summer Adventures.

 

PITTSBURGH SPORTS LEGENDS OF THE PAST

 

SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2024: It was a cold and windy day in Pittsburgh, with off and on snow and rain showers. With the two games here in Pittsburgh scheduled for the evening, I ended up spending much of the day hunkered down in my Room at the Holiday Inn – North Shore.

I did walk about a half of a mile down North Shore Drive to a place called Burgatory for a late lunch. It is sort of like an upscale version of Red Robin. The food was good, but I have to say it was overpriced.

I spent the rest of the afternoon back at the Holiday Inn. With my first game scheduled to tip at 7:10 p.m. I decided to order my Lyft Ride at 5:30 p.m.  While I was waiting for the Lyft in the Lobby, I was able to talk to some of the few Kentucky Fans that were still in town.  Needless to say, the sting of their first-round loss to Oakland hadn’t worn off. They were still upset and wanted Coach Calipari Fired.

It took my Lyft about 20 minutes to arrive and the short drive up to the PPG Paints arena took a little over 20 minutes due to heavy traffic around the Arena. It was 6:20 p.m. when my driver left me out at the Main entrance.

On the way to my seat, I stopped at the Primanti Brothers concession booth and grabbed myself a sandwich and a drink to take with me to my seat. I have to say the concession sandwich was nothing to write home about.  While I have always enjoyed the Primanti Brothers Restaurant Sandwiches, the sandwiches at the concession stand were soggy and really not very good.

The first game between North Carlina State and Oakland, tipped right at 7:10. The game was back and forth all the way and ended up being tied at the end of regulation.  I must say that just about the entire arena, including myself, was pulling for Oakland. In overtime, the game remained close, but N. C. State pulled out the victory 79-73.

The final game of the evening was between Creighton and Oregon. It would have to go some to beat the excitement of the first game but danged if it didn’t. It was a close, back and forth game, and it too was tied at the end of regulation.  In overtime Oregon grabbed a quick 5-point lead and it looked like they would come out on top. But a late 3-pointer by Creighton followed by a turnover that led to two points with less than 5 seconds to go tied the score again at the end of the first overtime.

The second overtime was all Creighton as they stopped Oregon at every turn and ended up winning the game 86-73. Two Overtime Games was a great way to end my in-person basketball season.

Ot was really cold as I waited for my Lyft back to the Hotel. Thank goodness he was close by, and I only had to wait about 5 minutes. The ride back to the Hotel took only about 10 minutes and by 12:20 a.m. I was back in my room.

And with that, my in person basketball season has come to and end.

SUNDAY, MARCH 24, 2024: With the games over, my time here in Pittsburgh is also over,and it’s time for me to move on. I didn’t get back to the hotel until well after midnight last night, so I slept in and didn’t get down to the hotel breakfast until 8:30. By the time I finished breakfast and checking out of the hotel it was a little after 9 a.m.

There were a couple of cemeteries that I wanted to visit that were only about 5-miles north of here. So, my first stop of the day was at the Christ Our Redeemer Catholic Cemetery.

Christ Our Redeemer is also known as North Side Catholic Cemetery. It dates back to about 1888 when the Redemptorist Fathers and St. Philomena Parish established the cemetery as its parish cemetery.  Today the large cemetery covers about 165 acres and is the final resting place of the area’s most prominent citizens.

If you are a football fan, especially a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, you will recognize the name Rooney.  Here buried just a short distance from the mausoleum, are the graves of Art and Dan Rooney.

Art Rooney was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He served as the team’s president and chairman from 1933 unit his death in 1988.  While he retained the titles of President and Chairman, he stepped away from the day-to-day management of the team following the Steeler’s victory in Super Bowl IX. He turned the operation and management of the Steelers over to Dan.

During Dan’s tenure as the head of the Steelers, the team won 15-division Championships, 8 AFC championships and a record 6-Super Bowls.  Dan Rooney also served as the United States Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012. He joined his father, Art, in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

It is just a short walk from the Rooney Graves back to the Mausoleum. Here in the Chapel Mausoleum, we find the crypt of perhaps the greatest Pittsburgh Steeler Head Coach of all time. Pro Football Hall of Famer, Chuck Noll.

Chuck Noll accepted the Steelers Head Coaching Position in 1969. It would be his only Head Coaching job. For 23 years, from 1969 until 1991, Coach Noll led the Steeler to an overall record of 209-156-1.

He coached such legendary players as Jack Lambert, “Mean Joe” Greene, L. C. Greenwood, Franco Harris, Rocky Bieier, Terry Bradshaw, John Stallworth and Lynn Swan. He also led the Steelers to four Super Bowl Championships. Coach Noll passed away at the age of 82 on June 13, 2013, from the complication of Alzheimer's.

There is another well-known personality resting on the second floor in the mausoleum of the Good Shepherd.  Here we find the crypt of legendary professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.

Bruno Sammartino was born in Italy and during World War II his family were forced to hide from the

Nazi’s. After the way Bruno and his family fled to America and settled in Pittsburgh where he attended high school. He took up weightlifting and was discovered by a local wrestling Promoter in 1959 which led to his long association with the Worldwide Wrestling Federation where he won the WWWF championship in 1963. 

He captured the championship in Madison Square Gardens, from “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers in a match that lasted less than 2-minutes. He would hold the title until 1971 when he dropped the championship to “The Russian Bear” Ivan Kolor. Later in 1973 he regained the Title and would hold on to it for another 4-years, Injuries began to take their toll on Bruno and he lost the title to “Superstar” Billy Graham and he was never able to win the title back.

In 1981 he announced his retirement. In retirement his health improved, and his body healed. He felt good enough to return to the ring in 1984 and remained active until 1988 when he retired for the final time.

Being retired from the ring, Bruno became an outspoken critic of Vince McMahon and the direction he was taking the WWE.  Despite his criticism he was inducted into the WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.

Bruno Sammartino passed away at the age of 82 here in Pittsburgh on April 18, 2018.

My final stop before leaving the Pittsburgh Area was at West View Cemetery, next door to Christ Our Redeemer Cemetery. He we find the grave of Baseball Hall of Famer Barney Dreyfuss.

Barney was born in Germany on February 23, 1865, and came to America in 1881 where he became a baseball Fan. In 1899 he became the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates and from 1900-1932 he was the team’s president and general Manager.

During his 32-years as the Team’s owner he built Forbes Field in 1909. It was the first modern steel
frame stadium.  His Pirates finished first in their division 26 times, winning the National League Pennant 6-times. The Pirates were World Series Champions in 1909 and 1925.

Barney Dreyfuss passed away at the age of 66 on February 5, 1932. He was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

After wrapping up my visit to West View Cemetery, it was time to say goodbye to Pittsburgh. Where am I going? Well, I have a couple of Options. I am just not sure which one I am going to take. Stay tuned to find out.

POP'S, ROBERTO, MR. ROGER'S AND PRIMANTI BROTHERS

 

After a very long and enjoyable first day of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday, I had an off day on Friday. There were no games scheduled here in Pittsburgh on Friday, so I used the day to explore Pittsburgh.

While I have been here to the Steel City several times in the past, it has always been for Pirate games and the North Shore Area has always been crowded. So, even though it was really, really cold and there was a threat of rain, I decided to bundle up and walk around PNC Park and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

Just across Federal Street from my hotel is Third Base and Left field side of PNC Park. As I make my way up Federal Street, I come to the statue of My Favorite Pirate, Willie “Pops” Stargell.  Willie was a member of the “We Are Family” Pirates that won the 1979 World Series.

I got to meet Willie one time when I was attending a Triple A Ballgame at the old Diamond Ballpark in Richmond, Virginia. Willie had retired from playing and was town scouting. My seats were located next to the Press Box, where I noticed Willie was sitting.

After the game I waited for him to leave the press box and asked him to sign my game program. Even though it was late in the evening, he was so gracious and ended up spending about 10 minutes visiting with me.

Continuing my walk-up Federal Street, I come to the statue of another Pirate Hall of Famer, The Great Roberto Clemente. Many Pirate Fans regard Roberto as the Greats Pirate of All Time. Roberto died at the height of his career when a plane carrying Earthquake Relief Supplies to Nicaragua crashed off the coast of Puerto Rico on December 31, 1972.

The Statue of Hall of Famer Honus Wagner stands outside of the Home Plate Entrance. Honus began his career in 1897 with the Louisville Colonels who were one of four teams eliminated following the 1899 season.  He began his long association with the Pirates in 1900 when Barney Dreyfuss took Honus and several former Colonels to Pittsburgh.

He remained with the Pirates as a player, manager, and coach until 1951.  He was a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1936, joining Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, and Babe Ruth.

His T206 Baseball card is one of the rarest and most expensive cards. Only 57 of them are known to exist and the last time one came up for sale in 2022, it sold for $7.25 million.

The last statue is located appropriately at the end of Bill Mazeroski Way. It’s the statue of Hall of Famer and hero of the 1960 World Series, Bill Mazeroski.

The Pirates represented the National League against the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. During the World Series Mazerowski forged a legacy that is still remembered by Pirate fans today. What is often forgotten about Bill’s performance during that World Series is that he actually hit a pair of game winning home runs, but it is best known for the second one which occurred in game seven.

In the bottom of the 9^th inning, Mazeroski faced Yankee reliever Ralph Terry. With the Count 1-0, Bill
smashed a high fast ball over the 406 marker in left-center at old Forbes Field. This was the only home run to end a World Series until 1993 when Joe Carter hit a walk off home run to give the series win to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Just behind the Mazeroski Statue is a section of the Wall taken from Forbes Field which has been demolished. Today the site of the Old Ballpark is on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. All that remains is a lager part of the Outfield wall. The home plate from old Forbes Field is actually encased in glass in Posvar Hall. In a previous trip to Pittsburgh, I was able to visit the site of the old stadium and was able to get in to see home plate.

From the Mazeroski Statue, I walked down the Step to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail that runs along the banks of the Alleghany River. Her directly behind the ballpark, are large baseballs dedicated to the members of the Baseball Hall of Fame who played for the Pirates, the Homestead Grays, and the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

I continued my walk along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, which gave me a great view of the Pittsburgh Skyline and Mount Washington. Just a short walk down the trail from PNC Park is Heinz Field, which is the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As I walked around the stadium, I came up a historical marker that stands where Three Rivers Stadium once stood.  Three Rivers Stadium was not only the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was also the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was here that Franco Harris made his “immaculate Reception” in 1972 and where Roberto Clemente got his 3000^th hit also in 1972.

Three Rivers Stadium was demolished in 2001 to make way for Heinz Field. The Pirates moved just a short distance up the river to PNC Park.

Just outside of Heinz Field is a pretty cool statue of Art Rooney who was the founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers and served as the teams Chairman and President from 1933 until 1988. You can actually take your photo sitting next to Mr. Rooney, so I did just that.

Just across from Heinz Field is the very impressive statue of Fred Rogers who was better known simply as Mr. Rogers. He was actually an ordained Presbyterian Minister that went on to host the long running Childrens TV Show, “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood,” which ran from 1968 until 2001.

Mr. Rogers was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania but for much of his life he lived her in the Pittsburgh Area. He passed away on February 27, 2003, and is resting in the Unity Cemetery near Latrobe.

One of the good things about staying downtown is that almost everything you need is in walking distance. So, I continue my walk by making my way across the Roberto Clemente Bridge into the actual downtown area. 

Now no trip to Pittsburgh would be complete without a visit to Primanti Brothers. Not there are several Primanti Brothers located all around the Pittsburgh Area including one in Market Square. The Market Square location is the closest one to where I am staying but I decided to walk down to the Strip District and have lunch at the original Primanti Brothers Restaurant.

It wasn’t a bad walk. Not too cold and only a little over a mile walk. even though it was almost 1:30 in the Afternoon it was still crowded, and I didn’t want to take up an entire table for just one person, so I opted to sit at the bar.

Primanti Brothers never disappoints, and the food is always good and its always a great atmosphere, especially here at the Original restaurant.

By the time I walked back to the Holiday Inn, the rain clouds were moving in. According to my Fitbit I have walked a little over 5 miles. So, I am going to give my knees a rest and just kick back and relax until time for dinner.

A steady drizzle has set in and I opt to just walk across the street and have supper at a restaurant called SoHo. It was a good choice. The food was prepared to order and served hot.

While having supper, I check the NCAA app on my phone and discovered that our two game on Saturday were going to be late. The first game between Oakland and N. C. State is scheduled to tip at 7:10 p.m. and the Nightcap between Creighton and Oregon will tip about 9:40 p.m.

Looks like tomorrow will be another late night.

EVERY VILLAGE HAS AN IDIOT

There was once a popular say “That it takes a Village.”  But I like to say, “Every Village has an Idiot,” and to prove it, you have to look no further than the Village of Dolton, Illinois. For the past few weeks, I have been following the ongoing turmoil between the village administration and the elected Mayor. Believe me when I tell you that Hollywood could not come close to coming up with something like what is going on there.

I am not really sure how the local or state government functions in Illinois. From what I have been following there is a place just south of Chicago call Thornton Township which has its own form of government.

Within this township there are a number of small villages that also have an elected governing body that is responsible for the administration of the Village. Things like business licenses, utilities, and even police protection within the Village fall und the Village Administration.

The Village of Dolton is one of the Villages within Thornton Township.

Now, the village administration is made up of a group of elected trustees (kind of like town councilmen) and an elected mayor.  There is also a Village Administrator appointed by the Mayor that is responsible for the day to day operation of the village, including paying bill that have been approved by the Trustees. 

There is also a Village Attorney that is responsible for advising the mayor and trustee on all legal issues that the village faces.

The Mayor of Village of Dolton is a person named Tiffany A. Henyard, the self-proclaimed “Super Mayor.”  The “Super Mayor” is also a supervisor in Thornton Township. So, in effect she is double dipping and gets a salary from both the Township and the Village.

Over the past several months, the “Super Mayor” has taken over every aspect of the Village Administration.  She has round the clock police detail that chauffeurs her around and surrounds her everywhere she goes.

She has taken over the administration of the Village finances and cut out the trustees. She evidently reviews all license applications and if she likes the person their application is approved. But if she doesn’t like you, she stalls the application or flat out denies it.

Now, the way that I understand it, for the village to pay its bills, the invoice has to be approved by the trustees and then the treasurer and the village administrator will issue and sign the check. It takes two signatures.

When I first started following the crap show back last October, there was an ongoing feud between the trustees and the mayor over checks that had been issued without proper authorization. Sever of the checks seem to include overtime for the police officers that provide round the clock protection for the “Super Mayor.” One officer racked up a whooping amount of over $13,000 in overtime in just one month.

There were checks issued to cover the cost of the “Super Mayors” trip to Las Vegas along with two of her allies on the board of Trustees. This also included a number of Police officers who accompanied the “Super Mayor” on the trip.  There were a few other people including village employees and assistants to the mayor on this trip.

A few weeks back, one to the assistants who accompanied the Dolton Delegation to Las Vegas, filed a complaint or Lawsuit claiming that she was sexually assaulted by one of the Trustees and had reported the assault to the “Super Mayor,” who attempted to cover it up and eventually fired the person who was making the allegation.

Over the past few months, the feud between the Trustees and the “Super Mayor” has intensified, making it almost impossible for the Village of Dolton to conduct any business.  This was evident back in Late February or Early March when the leasing company who provided the police vehicles for the Village threatened to repossess the police cars because they hadn’t been paid since October.

For several months, the Trustee have been attempting to obtain financial records relating to the village. Record that they are fully entitled to. However, the “Super Mayor” and her handpicked Village administrator have refused to produce any records. According to some of the Trustees, the village is more than $7 Million in debt. The majority encountered by the uncontrolled spending of the “Super Mayor.”

This resulted in the Trustee requesting a special council to name to conduct a full and impartial investigation. The person chosen was the former mayor of Chicago Lori “Beetle Juice” Lightfoot. Come on now, really?

A week or so after “Beetle Juice” was appointed, it was announced that the Illinois Attorney General’s Office had opened an investigation into the sexual assault allegation that took place in Las Vegas.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, it was announced that the Federal Government was opening an investigation into what was going on in the Village of Dolton. Shortly thereafter the Village Administrator a man by the name of Keith Freeman was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge of Bankruptcy fraud. Freeman is a close friend and ally of the “Super Mayor.”

Then last week, federal agents showed up at the Dolton Village Hall with search warrants for “Court authorized records” from the Village offices including the office of the “Super Mayor.” Many people including a couple of the village trustees think (or hope) that the first domino to fall was the indictment of Keith Freeman. They are hoping that his indictment will be followed closely by indictments for the “Super Mayor” and her associates.

And finally, just a couple of days ago, the Village Attorney, resigned. It appears that he hasn’t been paid either. Every Village does have an idiot and the Village of Dolton, Illinois has more than their share.