The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI

Today was our first day at the Henry Ford  Museum. Since it was raining the choice was easy to stay inside the museum and out of the rain. We decided to take the Insider's Tour and got a great overview of the museum. The museum is huge as Henry Ford loved to collect items related to American innovation and especially items related to the intersection of agriculture and industry. Some of my favorites included seeing all of the Ford cars including the original 1896 Quadracycle Ford first invented to the concept cars of the future. The museum also had a number of one-of-a-kind items such as the Lincoln chair, (where Lincoln was shot), the Rosa's Park bus (I sat in her seat.), many presidential limousines, including the one President Kennedy was killed in, and the prototype for Buckminster Fuller's Dyamaxion House, which we were able to tour.  It was a delightful surprise to find that the museum was hosting a Star Trek exhibit. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, was a pilot during World War II and he successfully completed over 30 missions and earned the Distinquished Flying Cross. After the war, he created the Star Trek series, which was given the go ahead by Lucille Ball's, of I Love Lucy fame, production company. Star Trek has always been one of my favorites as it challenged stereotypes and expanded people's ideas of what was possible as it boldly went, "where no one has gone before." It's amazing to see how some of the gadgets dreamed up in Star Trek back in the 1960s are coming true today. Examples include the cell phone and body scanners. The exhibit was filled with props and costumes used in the series so it was neat to see them in person! Overall, I admire Ford's collection and the museum's focus on innovation and American inventions. 

National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio

Today we headed to the Air Force Museum outside of Dayton, Ohio. This is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world. It is right near the area wherethe Wright Brothers flew some of their planes. The museum is huge so we decided to focus on the World War II and Presidential hangers.  There were so many amazing planes and displays. Of note was the B-17F Memphis Belle, an iconic symbol of the air attacks made over Europe, memorialized by one of my favorite WWII movies by the same name.  As I  looked at the plane, I thought of my friend Bob Keatley who was a radio operator on a B-17.  I thought about his 30 successful missions and of all those who did not return.  Another amazing moment was having the opportunity to see Bocks Car, the B-29 Superfotress that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan  ending WWII. On July 9,1945, Bockscar, piloted  by Major Charles L. Sweeney, dropped Fat Man, a plutonium based bomb on Nagasaki killing approximately 35,000 people and injuring over 60,000. As I looked at the plane and  the replica of the Fat Man bomb, I thought of my friend Gerry Jones, Marines First Division, who was on Okinawa preparing for the invasion of the Japanese homeland. The devestation of the atomic bombs was terrible, and I pray that we never need to use atomic weapons again in this way, but I am grateful that those who served like Gerry, and my friends Jim, Sol, and Herman who were in the Pacific because the end of the war meant they could come home. 

Finally, I was able to see a Catalina. This year I was honored to meet WAVE Carolyn Scott. Carolyn became an aviation gunnery instructor at Pensacola Naval Air Station. Carolyn was one of over 80,000 women who joined the WAVES in World War  II. She taught sailors how to shoot and as I looked at the .50-caliber machine gun mounted on the side of the plane I thought about Carolyn muscling the 84 pound gun as she taught sailors how to hit a target towed behind a plane with her paint tipped bullets, prooving her accuracy when the target was checked back on the ground. Those sailors learned from the best! 

Our last stop was the presidential hangerwhich houses planes that carried FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy.  I was able to board the plane that carried Kennedy's body back to D.C. after he was assassinated. Such a sad moment in our country's history. JFK is a personal hero so I was honored to be on this plane and touch this part of our history. 

I am thankful to my World War II friends and all those who served and continue to serve. So happy that this trip took me in this direction. 

Pecos National Historical Park in Pecos, New Mexico

On the way back home, we stopped at one final national park and got to learn some ancient history. The Pecos Pueblo, Cicuye, was first established around 1350 up in the high desert north of present day Santa Fe. It grew into one of the most powerful Pueblos with a population of approximately 2,000 people and structures four to five stories high. The Pueblo was located on a busy trade route between the Plains Indians to the east and the farming people to the west. Both groups met  and traded often at the Pueblo. In 1541 Spain  sought to colonize the land and soon after Franciscan friars arrived with the goal of converting the native people to Catholicism. Over the next one hundred years, four huge mission churches were built on the site of the Pueblo. Some converted while others continued to practice their religion in secret as the people experienced cruel treatment if they did not follow what the Spaniards wanted. Resentment grew and by 1680 Po'pay, a Pueblo religious leader, secretly organized surrounding Pueblos and the Pueblos revolted and drove the Spaniards out and the churches were destroyed. Comanche and Apache raids and lack of rain effected the health of the Pueblo and by the late 1700s the region's population decreased. Today the people of Jemez Pueblo consider the Pecos Pueblo people to be their ancestors. There is nothing I love better than walking through an ancient ruin and looking for pottery shards. I know that those pieces were once made by a strong people whose ancestors survive today. I am happy to be back in the Southwest and glad to learn the story of the Pecos Pueblo. 

Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library Abilene, Kansas

This morning we visited President Eisenhower's Presidential Library. We came through Kansas so we could stop here and I'm glad we stopped. The museum is almost through with a major renovation, but the temporary exhibits were great and the tour of Eisenhower's boyhood home, which is on the property, was excellent as it illustrated his humble beginnings and the positive influence of his parents, brothers, and the Abilene community. During World War II, Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and a five star general. He was also the thirty-fourth president of the United States. Elisenhower's road to the presidency was facinating. After high school, Ike was hoping for an appointment to the Naval Academy but instead he ended up at West Point. A good student and athlete he demonstrated his desire to lead. After graduation he married his wife Maime Dodd. As World War I broke out Eisenhower wanted to go to war but instead he stayed in the US and trained tank crews. He and George Patton actually met during this training and developed a life long friendship. During World War II, Eisenhower's ability to organize and bring people together resulted in the success of the D-Day invasion and ultimately the end of the war in Europe. After the war, Eisenhower served as the President of Columbia University before he was called back to military service by George Marshall to become the Supreme Commander of NATO. As the 1952 presidential race came about Eisenhower was approached by both the republicans and the democrats, eventually he ran and won for the republicans. During Eisenhower's two terms he had to deal with issues related to the Korean War, the start of the space race, the implementation of Brown v. Board of Education, and the McCarthy anticommunist hearings. Through it all Eisenhower used the West Point motto of, "Duty, Honor, Country" to guide his decisions. Highlights of his administration include the establishment of the interstate highway system, the establishment of NASA, the expansion of social security, and he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957. He expressed his concern about the massive amount of spending related to military readiness at the expense of domestic programs. "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."

I admire Eisenhower's dedication to the country, the soldiers under his command, his love of family, and his leadership style. On his desk in the Oval Office he kept a plate in Latin that translated to, "Gently in  manner, strongly in deed." President Eisenhower lived a life that demonstrated this. May we all learn from his leadership. 

Mark Twain's Boyhood Home, Hannibal, Missouri

A happy surprise today was going through Hannibal, Missouri because that meant we got to stop at Samuel Clemens' boyhood home. Clemens eventually became known as Mark Twain, an American writer, humorist, lecturer, and entrepreneur. Twain adopted his pen name after he became a river boat captain on the Mississippi. A mark twain is a measurement of two fathoms, which is 12 feet, or the depth of water that a riverboat needs so it does not run aground. Many of the characters in Twain's beloved novels Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are based on people Twain knew and grew up with in Hannibal. The town is right along the banks of the Mississippi River and the Main Street area is dedicated to his memory. Twain achieved great success in his lifetime and made a living off his writing and lecturing, but he also lost a great deal of money in failed business ventures, and he even had to declare bankruptcy at one time. Through all of his trials, Twain kept writing and success followed him. He was also a prolific traveler and lived all over the United States, including in Hawaii for a time. His travels also took him to Europe, the South Pacific Islands,  and India. As Twain said, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness." These travels also influenced his writings, including his travel books and his book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Slavery was allowed in Hannibal when Twain grew up and he interacted with enslaved people in his everyday life. These interactions also influenced his writing. Twain was criticized in his life time for using dialect and introducing "low" characters. Today The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often censored from high school reading lists because of its repeated use of the N word when Huck refers to Tom, a runaway slave on the river with him.  This book, as well as many others by Twain, is a scathing satire on entrenched attitudes of the time including rampant racism. As Huck Finn says in the story, "Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and a body ain't got no business doing wrong when he ain't ignorant and knows better." In addition to an amazing collection of  Twain artifacts, the museum held 14 original Norman Rockwell paintings relating to the novels. Rockwell is one of my favorites so I'm happy I got to see these.  Twain was born shortly after the appearance of Halley's Comet and he felt he would die with its return. He passed away the day after its return at the age of 74. I admire Twain's writing style, sense of adventure, and willingness to take on social issues through satire and humor. As Twain said, "Troubles are only mental; it is the mind that manufactures them, and the mind can gorge them, banish them, abolish them." So happy this unexpected stop took us to Twain's boyhood home! 

Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan

Greenfield Village is a living history museum that is a part of the Henry Ford Museum. It contains over one hundred historic  buildings that have been moved to the property and reassembled. There are craft buildings where visitors can pull glass and run metal lathes. I enjoyed making a brass candlestick on a lathe. I also enjoyed    touring Thomas Edison's Menlo Park lab. This is where he perfected the incandescent bulb. It was fun to listen to an actor portraying Edison talk about his inventions. When Mr. Ford had the lab rebuilt,  Mr. Edison actually visited to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the incandescent bulb. The chair he sat in is still in the building!  As Mr. Edison said, "Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." I also got to visit the reassembled Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop, and I heard two actors portray the brothers and talk about their first flights. So cool! This type of museum is fun because I was able to live history through riding a carousel, playing lawn games, eating food based on historic recipes, and walk through homes and shops people would have once used. My absolutely favorite part was getting to ride around the village in two different Model T Fords. One was a classic from 1914 and the other was a Woody from 1923 that had been used as a cab to carry passengers  and luggage from the train to hotels. We spent the whole day at the village and had such a great time and learned some amazing living history. 

Niagara Falls, New York

Today I was able to explore Niagara Falls. There are actually three falls that make up Niagara Falls: Horeshoe Falls, American Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls. We started the day at The Cave of the Winds tour, where I was able to get within ten feet of the Bridal Veil Falls. Whew! I got soaked,  but it was worth it! We took an elevator down to the water and walked on a wooden walkway over to the base of the falls.As a part of the tour, I learned that the area around the falls was largely used for industry during the 1800s. In fact, it became difficult for everyday people to see the falls much less gain access to them. A devoted group of people formed the Free Niagara Movement which lead to the first state park in the United States and eventually to the idea of national parks. I love that those progressives had the foresight to preserve this area. After a walk across the park. we boarded the Maid of the Mist and took a huge ferry boat right into the mouth of Horeshoe Falls! It was amazing to feel the power of this waterfall and have it enclosed in all around us. I am thankful to the many people who protected this park back then and still do today! 

Women's Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls, New York

Today we stopped at the birthplace of the women's rights movement. With these words, "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men and women are created equal," Elizabeth Cady Stanton began the First Women's Rights Convention on July 19, 1848, with the Declaration of Sentiments. The document expressed the desire to have equal rights in the areas of the right to vote, speak in public, hold office, attend college, earn a living, sue in court, divorce her husband, gain custody of her children, and own property. The women's rights movement and abolitionist movement were closely tied. In this part of western New York Quakers worked to end slavery and for Quaker women such as Lucretia Mott, Jane Hunt, and  Mary Ann McClintock the next logical step was fighting for women's rights. This convention lit a fire that is still burning today. I  admirethe brave women who drafted the Declaration of Sentiments and the women and men who signed the Declaration. Their courage started the road to equal rights for all and the eventual passage of the Ninteenth Amendment. As an additional note, President Obama visited the museum  on August 22, 2013, to present a copy of the  Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act to the Museum. This legisislation fulfilled one of the sentiments in the Declaration which called for,  "securing for women an equal participation to men in the various trades, professions, and commerce." Happy to see this display and recognition of the ongoing work related to the First Women's Rights Convention.  This was an unplanned but wonderful stop! Read the Declaration of Sentiments and hear the eloquence and power of the words. Declaration of Sentiments

Val-Kill: Eleanor Roosevelt's home in Hyde Park, NY

Today I was able to visit Eleanor Roosevelt's home. Of all of the stops on the trip I was most looking forward to visiting here, and it did not disappoint. Roosevelt both lived at Val-Kill and used it as a retreat from the mid-twenties on. It was at this home that Eleanor welcomed world leaders, tested progressive ideas, lobbied for civil rights, wrote her My Day column, hosted family members and world leaders including Churchill, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth, and completed thousands of letters to the American people and others. It is on this spot that she and two dear friends Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman established Val-Kill Industries where unemployed locals learned how build furniture, weave, and make crafts to sell. Val-Kill is also the place where Eleanor hosted organizational meetings related to her work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for the United Nations. The home was warm and welcoming and filled with family pictures. I loved the intimacy of the home and the beauty of the grounds. I found myself thinking of my Grandmother  Cotton today as  she introduced me to  Eleanor, and she would have loved this tour! I was actually standing right by Eleanor's favorite chair by the fire where she liked to knit and read. Eleanor's legacy is great and visiting her home made me appreciate her even more. I very much admire her dedication to human rights, her fun-loving nature, and her work ethic. She was an amazing woman with a legacy that still lives on today. 

FDR's Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, NY

After a lunch break, we headed down the road and visited FDR's boyhood home right along the Hudson River. Franklin loved to sail on the Hudson and go on daily horseback rides on the grounds. After marrying Eleanor, Franklin and Eleanor lived at the house and raised their children. FDR contracted polio in 1921 and he was paralyzed from the waist down. Eleanor cared for FDR as he recovered in the home until he was able to make his return to politics in 1928 by being elected governor of New York.  FDR was elected president during the worst year of the Great Depression, 1932. For the next 12 years, he led the US through the economic recovery of the New Deal and World War II. Roosevelt often returned to his home for rest, relaxation, and to have strategy meetings where he discussed plans with his advisors about the best way to move forward in helping the country.  I was honored to be able to visit Roosevelt's home  and see the room he had as a boy. The museum was filled with amazing displays and an excellent collection of letters and items. I loved reading some of the actual letters written to the Roosevelts, seeing Roosevelt's heavy leg braces, reading letters between Churchill and Roosevelt, and seeing the graves of Eleanor, FDR, and their Scottie, Fala. My favorite part was taking a walk down the tree-lined walkway that FDR used as his track to regain his strength after polio. It was a long walkway, and I can only imagine the determination it took for him to regain his strength and partial mobility. He did so with a positive attitude and optimism that carried him through the pain. The lessons learned through his personal trials allowed him to lead our country through two of the biggest challenges of the twentieth century. I admire his grit, care for others and the everyday man, and ability to maintain an optimistic attitude in the face of incredible obstacles. We can all learn from his example. 

Chocolateworld, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Today's stop was all about chocolate, but who knew that I would learn so much from visiting this tasty town. I have always enjoyed Hershey's chocolate bars and Reese's Peanutbutter cups in particular. We went on the free Chocolatetown Tour and learned how the cacao was processed and mixed with milk, sugar, and vanilla to make Hershey's bars. Milton S. Hershey, the founder of the company,  perfected the recipe and created the company in 1894. Hershey believed that strong worker morale resulted in happy workers and better profits so he created the company town of Hershey for his workers and their families. This philosophy was still evident in the town today as the town was beautifully maintained and had many parks and facilities for its residents. Milton Hershey and his wife Kitty were unable to have children so they established an industrial school for orphan boys. Today that school is known as the Milton S. Hershey School and as Hershey left his fortune and a controlling interest in the business today to the school,  it is the largest boarding school for needy students in the US. The Hershey company was also tasked with creating a chocolate bar to be included in the rations for World War II soldiers. The company earned five Army-Navy E Production awards and is known for creating a chocolate bar that can withstand higher temperatures. Lots more history here on chocolate and the war. You can explore it on your own. chocolate and the war

Overall, I loved my visit to Chocolateworld and the tasty Reese's milkshake I drank! 

Kansas City, Missouri

Today started with a short trip to Independence, Missouri to visit the Harry S Truman Presidential Library. President Truman was the first president to establish a library and while he was still living, he used the location to greet dignitaries and give school tours to encourage people to understand the role of the president and how government works. I was so impressed by Truman's dedication to his job and appreciated reading his letters as he dealt with the decision to drop the atomic bombs, World War II demobilization, the Cold War, Civil Rights challenges, and the Korean War. He tackled each problem head on and he was willing to make hard decisions always keeping in mind, "The buck stops here." 

The second stop of the day was the National World War I Museum. This monument and museum were so well done and the number of artifacts was staggering. I loved going to the top of Liberty Tower on the elevator and watching all the films about the war. It made me thankful that we have an United Nations today so that hopefully we will never have to have a world war again. The collection of trench art, weapons, and uniforms was overwhelming and well done. 

Finally, we ended the day in the Westport area meeting up with friends and eating burnt ends bar-b-que. Yum! Westport is the location where the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails all crossed during the time of Manifest Destiny. I'm glad I got to see this historic area. I'll be back as I have more to see here. 

Route 66 Museum and a WPA find!

One stop I was looking forward to was the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma. It did not disappoint. The museum wasfilled with information, music, cars, and memorabilia related to the road, also known as the Will Rogers Highway and the Mother Road. In addition to listening to music from the twenties to the Beatles, I loved looking at all of the cars, including the jalopy that would have carried refugees of the Dust Bowl to California. After a great chicken fried steak dinner, the pups needed a walk and we headed into town and discovered the McLain Rogers Park. This green 15 acre park was a popular Route 66 stop as the 400 seat outdoor amphitheater is a great location for plays and music in the summer months. Built by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, this is one of manyNew Deal programs that gave much needed jobs and infrastructure improvements to economically depressed areas. I love finding these old WPA signs and it's a hobby of mine to locate them while traveling. These two stops made my day! 

75th Anniversary of D-Day

As we are driving through New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma today, I find myself thinking about the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the turning point for the war in Europe. Through my association with Arizona Honor Flight I have gotten to know so many members of "the Greatest  Generation." They are great role models for all of us in terms of what it means to serve and love our country. As the skies open up today with rain while I travel through this beautiful country, I am thankful for their service and sacrifice. 

More on D-Day

Traveling on Route 66

Today is all about heading east on I-40. This road parallels and sometimes follows Route 66. Part of my family followed this road during the Great Depression as they  fled the Dust Bowl that hit Oklahoma and Texas in the twenties and thirties. Nicknamed the Mother Road, Route 66 was a part of the US Highway System and was first established in 1926. The road originally started in Chicago, Illinois and ran through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California before ending in Santa, Monica near the ocean. It runs a total of 2,448 miles. Today we went by Meteor Crater and stopped at a rest stop near the Painted Desert where I got the picture with the poodles. Route 66 is known for its curio shops and roadside attractions. Nothing like driving down the Mother Route and appreciating the beauty of our country. Looking forward to some Mexican food in Albuquerque tonight.   

Summer Adventure 2019

Tomorrow I will embark on this summer'sadventure. The plan is to head east to Brandford, Connecticut stopping at American history sites along the way and then work our way back to Arizona via other famous sites. Some highlights I'm looking forward to are the World War I museum, many presidential libraries, Eleanor Roosevelt's Hyde Park home,  Niagara Falls, and the Henry Ford Museum. I'll use this site as a way to document the trip. Come along for the ride!