© J. Patrick Bernard  All Rights Reserved                                               Colorado Springs, CO USA                                                            jpatrickbernard@gmail.com

Road Trip 2017

Day 1

Today was the first day on the road. We had a great first day with our first stop being an old school building that was long out of service.  Since it was on private property and posted, we did not cross on to the property.  It was very interesting the pictures have you looking back into the past.  

Our second stop what at the Sand Creek Massacre Nation Historic Site (https://www.nps.gov/sand/index.htm).  It is a very sobering site. This is one of those times in history that needs to be remembered so that we do not repeat the events again.  We spent two hours here.  The rangers are very knowledgeable and do a good job of presenting the facts as they occurred, telling both sides of the story.  One thing that I found reassuring is that, after three separate investigations into the events at Sand Creek, the Government found that this was a Massacre and took responsibility.  The site is very much worth the time to visit and it is near Lamar, CO

Day 3

Today we left Austin and drove to Houston to visit the National Museum of Funeral History (http://nmfh.org ) .  This was a very interesting place and they have a lot of hearses from different periods, horse drawn and motor coaches.  The artistry of the early hearses was gorgeous and detailed. I also liked the section on the history of preparation for burial and embalming. The two exhibits on the burial process for the Pope and the President was interesting and informative.  The staff of the museum was friendly and talkative.  This museum was well done and not at all “weird”.  The rest of the day we drove toward New Orleans, stopping short in Lafayette.

We stopped in Lake Charles, LA for a stretch and watched schools of fish feeding and jumping at the same time. The water surface would just erupt with activity as the school ate from the surface.  It was just a crazy sight to see.   Tomorrow we are off to New Orleans.

Day 2

Today we started out from Amarillo TX, first by visiting the Cadillac Ranch. This is an interesting art installation with ten 1949 – 1963 Cadillacs buried nose in the ground.  The cars are graffitied up and must have several inches of paint on them.   The idea is interesting but I was more struck by the amount of trash around the cars; the used spray cans are just thrown around and cluttering up the area. Some have taken to spraying the “art” in the dirt, making a further mess of the area.  

Our next stop was an RV museum at Jack Sisemore Traveland and RV museum (http://www.rvmuseum.net/).  This was a very nice collection of recreational vehicles.  From the Model T bases touring wagon to movie props to stuff from the 80’s.  What a great collection.  This was worth the stop and, since this was at a RV dealership, after looking at the history of RVs, looking around at the new versions made for a great contrast of time periods.  For the rest of the day, we drove with purpose to Austin, TX to visit my niece, who is spending some time working on a residency with a Chiropractor.  We ate some really good BBQ at Terry Blacks BBQ.Jack Sisemore Traveland and RV museum

Day 4

Today we started off for New Orleans. First we stopped at the Laura Plantation (https://www.lauraplantation.com/) near Baton Rouge.  This was a sugar cane plantation. The tour guides did a great job explaining the history of the plantation and Creole culture.  They did not shy away from talking about slavery.  The lifestyle on the plantation was all business. People slept and worked out of the house for 9 months of the year and then the family moved to New Orleans for 3 months around Mardi Gras.  

After the plantation we drove to New Orleans and started off at Café DeMonde (http://www.cafedumonde.com/) for beignets and coffee.  What a nice start to the day.  We then walked around the French Quarter, looking at the art and listening to music.  We finished up with a horse drawn carriage ride around the quarter.

Off to Florida.

Day 5

Today was mostly a travel day, since we needed to get to southern Florida to meet up with my brother in Naples.  We did stop in Sarasota to walk on the beach and get something to eat.  We finished up at a small, locally owned motel called the Sea Shell in Naples.  This was a nice place and the staff was very friendly even after a little mix up with our reservations.

Day 6

Today we met up with my brother and went on an air boat ride through the everglades.  We were able to see some crocodiles and other wild things. After that, we went on a swamp buggy ride.  The guide did a good job talking about the ecology of the area.  We then made our way toward my brother’s house stopping at the ranger station.  We finished the day on Hollywood Beach watchin’ the sun go down.

Day 7

Today we went to Key Largo to do some snorkeling.  We stopped off at The Theater of the Sea (https://theaterofthesea.com/) for a dolphin and sea lion show and to learn how snorkel.  Then we went out to swim both in the gulf and Atlantic Ocean.  This was a great day even though we did see someone lose it on the highway and hit the median wall after another car cut him off and he lost control, sliding across 6 lanes of traffic without taking anyone out.

Sorry No pics today, it was all play.

Day 8

Travel day to Cocoa Beach, this was a nice drive and the girls got some beach time.

Day 9

Today we stayed in Cocoa Beach and went to Kennedy Space Center.  This was an awesome day!  The Space center is not something you can do in one day and see all of the exhibits.  This was so much of a great time and very inspirational.  Afterward, we went to Ron Jon’s Surf Shop, just for the kicks..

Day 10

Today we drove to St. Augustine for a quick visit; there are so many options to see.  We decided to take a trolley tour and see a couple of small museums, the St Johns County jail, town museum, the oldest store and some quick walking around.  This really was not enough time to absorb much, so this will go on our list of places to come back to since we are already planning a return trip to see a launch from KSC/Canaveral.  The rest of the day was driving and making it to Georgia before stopping.

Day 11

Jonesboro, Georgia, our first cool stop was the Stately Oaks (http://www.historicaljonesboro.org/). This was the house that inspired Gone with the Wind and was visited by Margret Mitchell, the author, when she was a young girl and researching for the novel.  Today the house has been moved a few miles down the road to a preservation site.  They have done a great job creating a site which includes other buildings that represent the area around the time of the civil war.  We also stopped at the cemetery where soldiers were re-interned after the battle of Jonesboro on Aug. 31 – Sep 1, 1864.  Many of the graves were unlabeled headstones since there was not a way to identify the soldier.

 already planning a return trip to see a launch from KSC/Canaveral.  The rest of the day was driving and making it to Georgia before stopping.

Birmingham, Alabama. We stopped to see the 16th Street Baptist Church, one of the places that the civil rights movement started. This was a serendipitous happening.  We parked across from the church and got out of the truck. Walking toward the church, we started talking to a Black gentleman who started telling us the story of the area.  He did a great job, setting stage and telling us what the area looked like back in the day and where people were at the time the church was bombed. He told us where the key players were and that he thought that a black person placed the bomb since this was a black neighborhood. If a white guy had been in the area, he would have been noticed, and there is no record of that happening.  He then guided us around and seemed to be very knowledgeable.  I am sure that we were being hustled a little but it was worth it for the information and to listen to his stories of the area.  There’s nothing like a local’s point of view. This stop did put a face to the period of time.  Birmingham is revitalizing the area and many of the neighborhood houses from era that are long gone.

Day 12

Today we stopped in Memphis, TN and walked on Beale St. as the girls sang.  We visited the Blues and Soul Museum (https://www.memphisrocknsoul.org/).  This was a great trip though the history of Blues, Soul, and country music.  The museum told the story of how music helped to desegregate the south, with excellent soundtracks for each period of time.

We also stopped at the Northern Ohio School in Parkins, Arkansas (https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/14000247.htm). This is a one room school house built for the logging community that worked here.  This is also a part of a state archeological park (https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parkinarcheological/)that has found artifacts dating to the Spanish exploration of America.

Day 13

Today we left Oklahoma planning to drive all the way home.  We did stop in Dodge City and visited the Stone House Museum (http://www.kansashistory.us/fordco/house.html ).  This is a nice little house that was built in the heyday of Dodge City and was owned by only 2 families before it was turned over to become a museum.  It is great example of how the upper class lived in the wild west. The docents are very friendly and enjoyed telling the history of the house, the town, and life in Dodge City.