tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286024922024-03-13T00:24:03.958-04:00Third Age TravelerAt home and abroad, the world is a fascinating place, a beautiful and exciting place, and I share my wonder and pleasure in travel on my blog--through experiences, photos, and books. Wendy, a Blithe Spirithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02461346486700517678noreply@blogger.comBlogger575125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-23244432460106067792018-09-06T10:25:00.000-04:002018-09-06T10:25:07.886-04:00OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL AT HUEY'S IN MEBANE<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6fN-1MEoa0wsg5YAx6tPYy15cagUABFo_2sE7VvTtSWa3HyRQFX12EHtBagZmvMJOqB3RJB7LvVpnJSBw2gS9scRFrsGKc29wzk4VP1RGvvDJBb8Ffgo4fX4v0YLWR9213VO/s1600/0829181948a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6fN-1MEoa0wsg5YAx6tPYy15cagUABFo_2sE7VvTtSWa3HyRQFX12EHtBagZmvMJOqB3RJB7LvVpnJSBw2gS9scRFrsGKc29wzk4VP1RGvvDJBb8Ffgo4fX4v0YLWR9213VO/s400/0829181948a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Knowing our penchant for oysters on the half shell, we’ve
been looking for a local spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We keep
passing <a href="http://www.hueysoysterbar.com/"><b><span style="color: blue;">Huey’s Oyster Bar</span></b></a> in <st1:place><st1:city>Mebane</st1:city>,
<st1:state>NC</st1:state></st1:place>, but somehow this restaurant remained a
to-go place until the other night, when Huey’s made the YES list.</div>
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<br /></div>
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For transplanted New Yorkers, a restaurant that opens its
door at <st1:time hour="16" minute="0">4:00 PM</st1:time> is something new, but
when we pulled into the parking lot, we were challenged to find an empty
space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huey’s was filled up. People
around like it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The building is unpresupposing, a plain brick ranch
structure with just a few windows facing the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are two entrances to Huey’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One,
toward the middle of the building is to the restaurant, a very big, quiet
setting with booths and tables of all sizes, and take-out window in the
vestibule before you enter the dining room. The other entrance leads to the
sports bar and an entirely different atmosphere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s music, big screen TV, and a bar,
tables and booths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go with your mood at
Huey’s because the menu works on both sides of this establishment. I like that
idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like that it’s a local place and
not a chain.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_bXznnCxFLSNZL2pCVbzpdRQH6n_KUU2siS9Jg31rxOgEeEqLPv4j4EXIoV_VpyP5bZp2exVdhLS5iLp7DlnLp4nKYXUiwg3ImEz-wDSRAoZlFw4zu4EkQKgCJMK9HCyVZeO/s1600/0829181948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_bXznnCxFLSNZL2pCVbzpdRQH6n_KUU2siS9Jg31rxOgEeEqLPv4j4EXIoV_VpyP5bZp2exVdhLS5iLp7DlnLp4nKYXUiwg3ImEz-wDSRAoZlFw4zu4EkQKgCJMK9HCyVZeO/s640/0829181948.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>By the time we left, things were slowing down.<br />No parking in front as the restaurant is right off the road.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Our waitress is friendly and speaks with that soft southern
voice that is totally appealing. Her
uniform is a Huey’s tshirt and a Huey’s baseball cap. Perfect.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
She immediately brings a basket of warm hush puppies and
some honey/butter spread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are
excellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hush puppies are unique to
each establishment—different taste always, and often a different shape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huey’s’ gets thumbs up.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We look at the menu, decide to split a dozen oysters on the
half shell, sip some vodka, and then order dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When our waitress brings our waters, she is
quick to suggest that we might order from the children’s menu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very generous suggestion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have basically the same choices and this
means no boxes to take home. I won't mention what it suggests about our ages.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Our waitress does not know the kinds of vodka available, but
she quickly checks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also checks to
see if they have olives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps she is
new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At any rate, she is obliging, and
for us, that’s most important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We end up
with Smirnoff, not our first choice but all right on the rocks.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The oysters are scrumptious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t even bother to ask what kind, but they are very sweet and
slightly briny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may live in the <st1:place>Piedmont</st1:place>,
but for a little while at Huey’s we are right at the shore with fresh oysters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are cold, though not iced (which would
be better) but served with plenty of cocktail sauce and horseradish (which we
added to the cocktail sauce), and melted butter which we did not use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plenty of crackers as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As far as we’ve been able to determine,
Huey’s is the only restaurant in the area where we can get fresh oysters, </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The fish choices for dinner are varied and either fried or
broiled. Rob’s fried scallops are delicately breaded on the outside, plump and
juicy on the inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very tasty and
seasoned nicely. They are accompanied by two sides of his choice: fried okra
and black-eyed peas and corn, a new combination for him and one he enjoyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d say that’s Southern.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I, a lover of fried clams, enjoy the light coating and the
fact that the clams are not dried out strips of jerky but light and
delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I, too, have the fried okra
but I choose the traditional baked potato.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
On a side note—if you live where fried okra is not an
option, think about finding some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
nice and crunchy, tasty, and a bit different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Years ago on a road trip, we first tried fried okra at Cracker Barrel, a
place where Southern is the norm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
waitress suggested it, incredulous that we had never tasted it, and when she
brought our plates, she asked if we wanted malt vinegar with it because that’s
how her family ate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried it with
the malt vinegar, tried it “straight,” and we tried some other suggested
condiments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rob likes them with malt
vinegar, but I tend toward just plain straight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a side in many restaurants in the South, almost always really good,
and as Mikey used to say, “Try it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’ll like it.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
No room for dessert at Huey’s, even with the children’s
menu’s platter, but we will be back when that urge for oysters on the half
shell becomes intolerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huey’s is
down home, friendly, and a good place for an every-day kind of dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not expensive either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And one very important addition--you will
feel welcome.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-64798965510178985312018-07-30T21:43:00.001-04:002018-07-31T08:13:51.580-04:00BERLIN--AN EMOTIONAL ENCOUNTER WITH HISTORY<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitetI5EvnPRxBAAj0tTb0Sh4A915RLiZ-PmtXarusNdyZmuKLblWU_XeIcyv7tkEImHJaPewNB6H6eLoEPuYpgG-DstVdjY1jp5BqLAiD-NcnydnydBg9pcCc0szGYeaz8Kugh/s1600/P1020617_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitetI5EvnPRxBAAj0tTb0Sh4A915RLiZ-PmtXarusNdyZmuKLblWU_XeIcyv7tkEImHJaPewNB6H6eLoEPuYpgG-DstVdjY1jp5BqLAiD-NcnydnydBg9pcCc0szGYeaz8Kugh/s400/P1020617_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Our first view of the Berlin Wall</b></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> has so
much history, some of which happened in my lifetime, and some that recalls
incredible horror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traveling there was
very emotional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember President
Kennedy’s ich bin ein Berliner speech, given in 1963 just a few months before his
assassination, and I remember President Reagan telling Gorbachev to tear down
this wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That speech was at the
beautiful Brandenburg Gate, and that is one of the destinations on this
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When the Berlin wall came down, a friend from England sent me a piece of
it, and I've seen blocks of it displayed in Washington DC’s Newseum where there is a
Berlin Gallery in which one sees eight 12 foot high sections of the original
wall and a German guard tower near Checkpoint Charlie. Both the remainder of the Berlin Wall and the
site of Checkpoint Charlie are important sites included in our tour of <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>. All I can say is that nothing compares to the real thing—up close
and personal. It's horrible.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The events occurring in <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>,
whether in my lifetime or not, are part of my psyche—education gained in and out of school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it is impossible for me to divorce <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>
as Hitler’s headquarters and all the unspeakable damage he inflicted to
millions of people from the Berlin of today--at least not in the few hours afforded us on this tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That may be an impossible shortcoming.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nevertheless, I wanted to see <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>
as a modern city far removed from its sad history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that was only partly possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> purposefully keeps some of this history alive so we should learn from it. But as we drove through and had some stops at the end of our tour, we caught brief glimpses of a different Berlin.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnO2PqFYi74Ew-cDL9A_xzK7vW6O9PKjSJC7C8dfFvkl-vRz0klStvVcBeCs4TwwL7nuzdD5u5HDQjZcb2Mnh0_7S5mVFUfaaHbbpkQWGI0eZJDO9NXwn4Ev91w46L5h-owD2U/s1600/P1020647_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnO2PqFYi74Ew-cDL9A_xzK7vW6O9PKjSJC7C8dfFvkl-vRz0klStvVcBeCs4TwwL7nuzdD5u5HDQjZcb2Mnh0_7S5mVFUfaaHbbpkQWGI0eZJDO9NXwn4Ev91w46L5h-owD2U/s640/P1020647_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The Berlin Concert Hall.<br />What a grand building befitting grand music of the German masters.<br />It is located on the Gendarmenmarket square</b></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDV3FDIjzC4CZavkW8n9Tw0BrqeZ6QMW1YZHTGdE14tvrJrBLEfYOkz52jqvXKvTqILvQdlDawbyhGOV23V-krD8T2efc_VW_CGcWCNI9fDtJNiLz0VPCT2_IJGRJZrqiIpcAp/s1600/P1020649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDV3FDIjzC4CZavkW8n9Tw0BrqeZ6QMW1YZHTGdE14tvrJrBLEfYOkz52jqvXKvTqILvQdlDawbyhGOV23V-krD8T2efc_VW_CGcWCNI9fDtJNiLz0VPCT2_IJGRJZrqiIpcAp/s640/P1020649.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>This is the French Cathedral, built by French religious refugees,<br />the Hugenots, between 1701 and 1705. Bombed in 1944,<br />it was reconstructed and dedicated in 1987.<br />It sits on a beautiful square, Gendarmenmarket.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We took a train from the port to <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>,
so our time in the city was limited.
However, the tour aimed at showing us the history and some of the drama
of the city.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I think everyone on our tour bus was most anxious to see the
remains of the Berlin Wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even being
there, it was difficult to imagine the insatiable urge to escape government
oppression and to live in freedom that motivated hundreds to risk their lives
and many to lose theirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the graffiti
on the walls tells a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On one side,
there is order and art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other
side is bedlam and ugliness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want
to keep it that way. Our guide tells us of all the building still occurring in
what was <st1:place>East Berlin</st1:place> because in East Germany, workmanship was shoddy and ugly. Building replacements is going on everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1He55O8G7Bqtp0WeEdWkRKWJayQfGuhjPM6huTmn7zHXdfyireW_7MdexAaGacyisjgn4nPd_4Im4MNPxb3UjRhfOZ26XVc0Q8m4J86lHpGNKJ7ai-LQ8XcQZqaBORcXVa2T/s1600/P1020616_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1He55O8G7Bqtp0WeEdWkRKWJayQfGuhjPM6huTmn7zHXdfyireW_7MdexAaGacyisjgn4nPd_4Im4MNPxb3UjRhfOZ26XVc0Q8m4J86lHpGNKJ7ai-LQ8XcQZqaBORcXVa2T/s640/P1020616_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Parts of the wall are painted neatly and cleanly</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEuYuQ0-YnM7cUnMUY_8xK56oLNm4ZSJniOjGytI1O92mS_uif9JWkx-Tt10kGrBfztGoi8ucselq5469sd0MpwZwNtpMNWXcrNnLGaqhCKWWluXAKgAdY9hAGpqShymtOlEj/s1600/P1040578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEuYuQ0-YnM7cUnMUY_8xK56oLNm4ZSJniOjGytI1O92mS_uif9JWkx-Tt10kGrBfztGoi8ucselq5469sd0MpwZwNtpMNWXcrNnLGaqhCKWWluXAKgAdY9hAGpqShymtOlEj/s640/P1040578.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The eastern side of the wall is left ugly and unrecovered.<br />It is a constant reminder of what was.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He said that apartment buildings, for instance, were
basically concrete blocks manufactured elsewhere and stacked. Those that remain are ugly and being
replaced, but that seems like an almost never-ending process. Berliners want a beautiful city, and they’re
working on it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Our stop at the Brandenburg Gate was another eye
opener.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the only gate remaining of
the 14 original gates in the wall around the entire city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wall was not for defense, and the gates
simply made it easier to levy taxes on people entering the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Brandenburg Gate is one of the most
attractive because it was erected in an area where wealthier people lived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is merely a beautiful reminder of an
earlier time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It became an important, decision-making setting when President Reagan delivered his address there telling Gorbachev to tear down the wall.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMByh-w1goSLV5s0DqKywfEtbmAVOOtq9APStiQyGtI54p1OB9fxsfFEAGpM82TbQ7WNzzORTwlClLrdacHpHvdhCsPPnd8_quhg6SaNmGoTekJnKWIAJMqu-BOkh45QuGUNY/s1600/P1020637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMByh-w1goSLV5s0DqKywfEtbmAVOOtq9APStiQyGtI54p1OB9fxsfFEAGpM82TbQ7WNzzORTwlClLrdacHpHvdhCsPPnd8_quhg6SaNmGoTekJnKWIAJMqu-BOkh45QuGUNY/s640/P1020637.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The spectacular setting of the Brandenburg Gate.<br />It's truly magnificent and stately.<br />The entire Pariser Platz is impressive but cold.</b></span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Pariser Platz on which it stands is a big open space, filled,
during our visit, with many people, probably tourists like us, standing on the site of history.
Along one side of the square is the U.S. Embassy with benches in front of grass and
flower beds. A little further away and
around a corner is the British Embassy.
There are stanchions cordoning off that street from vehicular traffic,
erected, according to our guide, because of threats. Disturbing. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBOcE11AmNSE8eaFFUoq61AIQw_3v0WgRyzLkDCYfh4SRGJrA15X_7mYSQsiYURx2_hyrv9Kogp5Q4Y-h87ZE2nMvqwYlQP70BXURuaEkPd4lZAR23VD4kjgNIoAaieaxY_G0/s1600/P1020642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBOcE11AmNSE8eaFFUoq61AIQw_3v0WgRyzLkDCYfh4SRGJrA15X_7mYSQsiYURx2_hyrv9Kogp5Q4Y-h87ZE2nMvqwYlQP70BXURuaEkPd4lZAR23VD4kjgNIoAaieaxY_G0/s640/P1020642.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The American Embassy in early spring.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFPqCHxb9CdiWG2Dij3Kxkd0vZUEtzDkyZOEhJZbQP-5h0OzMNaNxslSnqcQWNxFjxfErC43kYUikR3vEdbLdUd1PQmAGIxbgMmZ2ojSuhvCGyHj9TAmpagQsRg0m0ddnaDSW/s1600/P1020645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFPqCHxb9CdiWG2Dij3Kxkd0vZUEtzDkyZOEhJZbQP-5h0OzMNaNxslSnqcQWNxFjxfErC43kYUikR3vEdbLdUd1PQmAGIxbgMmZ2ojSuhvCGyHj9TAmpagQsRg0m0ddnaDSW/s640/P1020645.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The British Embassy, just off Pariser Platz</b></span></td></tr>
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But all in all, it’s a beautiful area, very neat. But the atmosphere,
with the grey buildings and blocks, is very cold. That’s not the feeling we’ve gotten at all in
different areas of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany we've visited on other trips</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
so for us, this severity is almost uncomfortable.</div>
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Checkpoint Charlie. This iconic site draws crowds, but
anyone with historical knowledge knows that this is the best known crossing
point of three between East and <st1:place>West Berlin</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sturdy building was never constructed on
this site because our president felt it was a symbol that the Berlin Wall, constructed in 1961,
was temporary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjai1BMeRjIng_tDUoW-cO9ejyRdjeMzVHLGXeIJaUptQMXeP5nmq64C50SsycZ-WIC9nEZzWVe7G26xuD_xC9NjCpzQNKsgto3n775iSur-gxdML7GvGT5wfVcFOsDhzZYnfYj/s1600/P1040625_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjai1BMeRjIng_tDUoW-cO9ejyRdjeMzVHLGXeIJaUptQMXeP5nmq64C50SsycZ-WIC9nEZzWVe7G26xuD_xC9NjCpzQNKsgto3n775iSur-gxdML7GvGT5wfVcFOsDhzZYnfYj/s640/P1040625_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Checkpoint Charlie is that little shed-like building in the middle of the street.<br />The picture is of a United States soldier, Jeff Harper.<br />On the other side is a photo of a Russian soldier, but to be honest, I never looked<br />up at it. I went straight to the Checkpoint Charlie.</b></span></td></tr>
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Checkpoint Charlie,
maintained by the <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
military, was the only way military personnel, diplomats, and foreign tourists
were allowed to enter <st1:place>East Berlin</st1:place>. The original guardhouse is now in the Allied
Museum. Would you believe that this spot
is one of <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>’s most popular
tourist attractions with over 900,000 visitors a year. (<a href="https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-should-know-about-checkpoint-charlie"><span style="color: blue;"><b>https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-should-know-about-checkpoint-charlie</b></span></a>)</div>
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Our last major stop was another eye opener—the Allied
Museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this rush visit to <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>,
we really didn’t have much time at this museum, and that’s a shame because it chronicled
the Allied involvement in <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>
between 1945 and 1994.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
information on how <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>
created a “little America” so servicepeople and their families would have a
taste of home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQz20AqUw-XJGhSFseYd0pxmy0gKwUnc-M82jmrhPMJU_IB4TL14I3s2Icusq8TVFW_E9qQeojBRKiNM56D7AIlwDBbqaYDPp9NMFxWXw9wXRjVIJ96kCkWyWeJg4dTQHqrbf/s1600/P1020677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQz20AqUw-XJGhSFseYd0pxmy0gKwUnc-M82jmrhPMJU_IB4TL14I3s2Icusq8TVFW_E9qQeojBRKiNM56D7AIlwDBbqaYDPp9NMFxWXw9wXRjVIJ96kCkWyWeJg4dTQHqrbf/s640/P1020677.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It also houses the
original <st1:country-region><st1:place>East Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>
guard tower that loomed over <st1:place><st1:placename>Check</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Point</st1:placetype>
<st1:placename>Charlie</st1:placename></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaMY0C7XCSUped2ENIb9H29cJt05Uck2Zy-sdYkhzCTsod5gbF0-wyeczKB_A8vYvgI9VOgs5sJMY6McnGhky8sa4EQj3V3Dgb2LD31QZbU5vebUpJpE8VOgCOZrlSbUBTo6V/s1600/P1040650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaMY0C7XCSUped2ENIb9H29cJt05Uck2Zy-sdYkhzCTsod5gbF0-wyeczKB_A8vYvgI9VOgs5sJMY6McnGhky8sa4EQj3V3Dgb2LD31QZbU5vebUpJpE8VOgCOZrlSbUBTo6V/s640/P1040650.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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A plane on exhibit is one used for the German Airlift—from <st1:date day="26" month="6" year="1948">June 26, 1948</st1:date> until <st1:date day="12" month="5" year="1949">May 12, 1949</st1:date>—when the Soviets blocked
all land and rail traffic into <st1:place>West Berlin</st1:place>, an island
sitting in the Soviet Bloc of Germany and inhabited by two million people who
needed food, water, medical supplies, clothing and other necessities of
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was President Harry Truman’s brilliant and peaceful answer to the Soviet demand to have more say in the future of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-gJkiS51dKx7B8ilL8c4ocnlByzwUT-dbvRHJldqu3V2qJxS1e892BTA682BamwtEAyBm4s3uWYoXkwZ5Xo-5-DP8waeDkTMxAWf7wcgAFxZgsUxqwVn0aR2kzhXsimUBVtq/s1600/P1020669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-gJkiS51dKx7B8ilL8c4ocnlByzwUT-dbvRHJldqu3V2qJxS1e892BTA682BamwtEAyBm4s3uWYoXkwZ5Xo-5-DP8waeDkTMxAWf7wcgAFxZgsUxqwVn0aR2kzhXsimUBVtq/s640/P1020669.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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There is so much to see at the museum and so much to
learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But time was short.</div>
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I’m probably not being fair to <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>
in this post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So let me leave you with a
few pictures of another side of the city that we did not really have enough
time to see and enjoy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVufaD-51Oc_hAD0a_E4lLIAhM6YRkfs2mPJgynsWMRnuwTsj-QtNKtcWF6ejvjW9QfxVBd7b0oCaeiNBzVUrPc7sN0yiov4VXu80YPfY0CaEHJ_dmbeQPWa4paSG5bdyOb0-m/s1600/P1020681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVufaD-51Oc_hAD0a_E4lLIAhM6YRkfs2mPJgynsWMRnuwTsj-QtNKtcWF6ejvjW9QfxVBd7b0oCaeiNBzVUrPc7sN0yiov4VXu80YPfY0CaEHJ_dmbeQPWa4paSG5bdyOb0-m/s640/P1020681.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Restaurants and sidewalk cafes abound</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBrYYwNwrnf5JQRsxMfCpWknumgm1MhxMKf-yj4kKvrXFJE04PVNL-r0IYKDDX7a50RLyPv1dGECcpRBBxNemA5HdTCrZuy_eHpuNb-sKIH8ZVI6wK52qIFCXObKGxEKVqVUT/s1600/P1020680_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCBrYYwNwrnf5JQRsxMfCpWknumgm1MhxMKf-yj4kKvrXFJE04PVNL-r0IYKDDX7a50RLyPv1dGECcpRBBxNemA5HdTCrZuy_eHpuNb-sKIH8ZVI6wK52qIFCXObKGxEKVqVUT/s640/P1020680_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Plenty of people out enjoying early spring weather</b></span></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Berlin, Germany52.520006599999988 13.40495399999997552.21073109999999 12.759506999999974 52.829282099999986 14.050400999999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-51689132831329895202018-07-24T14:25:00.001-04:002018-07-24T14:25:56.215-04:00OSLO--WISH WE HAD MORE TIME PT. II<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHNhGTuZDHG9EoC9D2CfvZjOxFm082uEtz5hXd31FAxCmGhK5NsLFTEcgn47hqx0Gn_EbHxNo7HXUH0P78SvPQt7J4iNZfhP9hg-LcGQKV0h9hOPHY9RdGv6o_XqRMSpAF_Z8/s1600/P1020601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHNhGTuZDHG9EoC9D2CfvZjOxFm082uEtz5hXd31FAxCmGhK5NsLFTEcgn47hqx0Gn_EbHxNo7HXUH0P78SvPQt7J4iNZfhP9hg-LcGQKV0h9hOPHY9RdGv6o_XqRMSpAF_Z8/s400/P1020601.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Just loved this!</b></span></td></tr>
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Our next stop is the <st1:place><a href="https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b><st1:placename>Viking Ship </st1:placename><st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></b></span></a></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, there’s nothing like Kirk Douglas here,
but it is an incredibly interesting and intriguing place that triggers your
imagination and makes you picture how these people lived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These brave sea-faring warriors roamed the
world in wooden boats that look small and fragile in today’s mind, but many diverse places felt their influence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
remember when visiting <st1:country-region><st1:place>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>
that the Vikings were there too.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINeNf1TI-GkQ_i-f1oaln0WExhVHXsnYkqSHS9NV-bwKsx4gkjNKchThmrQPHqzNT0NXgW5uqveKDn_SNXVXJJukcZBHMqdCfGt3aoTAg2irtyJ_g-tZJN7sZnVrzasgzazyc/s1600/P1020571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINeNf1TI-GkQ_i-f1oaln0WExhVHXsnYkqSHS9NV-bwKsx4gkjNKchThmrQPHqzNT0NXgW5uqveKDn_SNXVXJJukcZBHMqdCfGt3aoTAg2irtyJ_g-tZJN7sZnVrzasgzazyc/s640/P1020571.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Just follow those lines. They certainly got around!</b></span></td></tr>
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This grand museum houses more than just tales and maps. The Vikings, brave beyond my comprehension,
also were religious, and because the afterlife was a voyage to <st1:place>Valhalla</st1:place>,
they wanted to be prepared. Buried with
them was the ship to carry them to <st1:place>Valhalla</st1:place>, filled with
the afterlife’s necessities, decoratively intricate wood carvings, and
practical items like wagons. Archeologists
discovered this as they researched sites in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnFst36yA2pbnuWoGxPzfibAbIe0gbLIimyRSjJ_qKzEZAet3mF8YHNyYGDKLYZOr5IYzEoFtGYRf2hntE3Sh-712vvykqRhI0VHjsL8Q_LDFcJ6u8h7-W8shLoylGyYsl3sm/s1600/P1020584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQnFst36yA2pbnuWoGxPzfibAbIe0gbLIimyRSjJ_qKzEZAet3mF8YHNyYGDKLYZOr5IYzEoFtGYRf2hntE3Sh-712vvykqRhI0VHjsL8Q_LDFcJ6u8h7-W8shLoylGyYsl3sm/s640/P1020584.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Just beautiful. So intricate. </b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbnDDR0nvESPj8vY65IEUrcoRO1cwgW2qNLvDwDcTZiyylqZGH53zXBbyrv5xBXo6D_1JcXrKQrABDllEkynMOtDH5wJqhJNqOWajSsjw8PC0XUYZAoypEX2_AzTK4MZ99kGF/s1600/P1020585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbnDDR0nvESPj8vY65IEUrcoRO1cwgW2qNLvDwDcTZiyylqZGH53zXBbyrv5xBXo6D_1JcXrKQrABDllEkynMOtDH5wJqhJNqOWajSsjw8PC0XUYZAoypEX2_AzTK4MZ99kGF/s640/P1020585.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Beautiful designs. <br />Wouldn't it be wonderful to learn if some of those patterns had<br />special meaning?</b></span></td></tr>
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Two of those original Viking ships are on display at the
museum. They are long and graceful, but
the thought of crossing oceans in them seems almost beyond belief. Once again, it is one thing to read about
these voyages throughout the ages, but quite another actually to see a
ship. </div>
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Overall an incredible experience.</div>
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As if the <st1:place><st1:placename>Viking</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place>
weren’t enough, we moved on to the FRAM museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Norwegians were very active in polar exploration, and Roald Amendsen
was chief among them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the first
explorer to reach the South Pole, a feat he achieved in 1911.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His ship, the Fram, is on display in the museum. It is the strongest wooden ship ever built and still holds the record from sailing farthest north and farthest south. (<a href="https://www.visitoslo.com/en/product/?TLp=181473"><span style="color: blue;"><b>https://www.visitoslo.com/en/product/?TLp=181473</b></span></a>)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The ORIGINAL ship! Imagine!</b></span></td></tr>
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Once again, the fact that it was THIS SHIP that made THAT
TRIP puts your mind in a different place and time. I walk the deck with a fevered imagination
trying to conjure up what it must have been like to sail. Not that I can imagine myself ever really
going. Haha</div>
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Amendsen was determined to reach the North Pole as well, and in
1918 while sailing parts of the <st1:place>Arctic Ocean</st1:place>, his ship
spent two years frozen in the ice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually,
in 1926, he did fly over the North Pole.</div>
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In 1928, while flying a rescue mission over the <st1:place>Arctic,</st1:place>
his plane disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and the crew
were lost. Nothing was ever found.</div>
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Our next stop was another WOW moment in a day of Oslo
WOWS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove to the ski jump built for
the 1952 Olympics and which is still used today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve ever been to the top of Lake
Placid’s or Germany’s Garmisch-Partenkirchen, built in 1923 and used in the
1936 Olympics, you know breathtaking amazement at the real-time sight of what
ski jumpers actually face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You gasp, and
if you are like me, you make sure you’re on terra firma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My imagination is ablaze, but I would no
sooner get into that sport than….</div>
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Our guide was very proud of <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
Olympians, particularly of a famous figure skater, Sonja Henie, a three-time Olympic Gold Medal winner
in women’s singles, a ten-time World Champion, and a six-time European
Champion. She became a movie star, and
as an old-movie-fan, I have seen her in the movies. She lived in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but when she was dying, our guide
told us, she longed to return to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Sadly, she passed away on the plane home.</div>
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I wish we had more time in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be wonderful to return. No time for
sorrow. As we are on a cruise, the WOW moments of <st1:city><st1:place>Oslo</st1:place></st1:city>
get me well prepared for an evening in Bellinis bar on the Regal Princess and
some comforting cocktails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next stop—<st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Oslo, Norway59.9138688 10.75224539999999359.658993300000006 10.106798399999992 60.1687443 11.397692399999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-51719054400993061452018-07-06T17:05:00.002-04:002018-07-06T17:05:51.512-04:00FRIDAY'S FOTO--Kitty Hawk NC<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulYjecJI7zWjBS8UXmKTTk9vSdr-DyWxYAf9692HkCnMTkBNmoGFhV4GnltBaNMNbz3roUkmMkDqFiUO9DoDskSg9sO6q8jSoHSmY22HDkePBhCEmZi4TjOg1YASEEbuGAe_5/s1600/0601181309c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulYjecJI7zWjBS8UXmKTTk9vSdr-DyWxYAf9692HkCnMTkBNmoGFhV4GnltBaNMNbz3roUkmMkDqFiUO9DoDskSg9sO6q8jSoHSmY22HDkePBhCEmZi4TjOg1YASEEbuGAe_5/s640/0601181309c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Spent a lovely week on North Carolina's Outer Banks.<br />Here's the view from where we sat in Kitty Hawk.<br />So much to do and so much to see and<br />so much delicious, fresh seafood.</b></span></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Kitty Hawk, NC 27949, USA36.0646102 -75.70573460000002835.961933699999996 -75.867096100000026 36.1672867 -75.54437310000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-91336354906019378742018-07-04T14:42:00.000-04:002018-07-04T14:42:05.448-04:00Oslo--Wish We Had More Time Part I<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqyn1jKWC-5WG8fRVjBeA2DmTy3CalE-pv9t1G_70raWxI1Ecdllj5WKaC99rIEKKGUyl6bAH9zVCjDh1Nkh90XEli7uMsSKjJBDpDaET9YC5gstu_6XpLbpgQEQ4Ouyhba0C/s1600/P1020501_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqyn1jKWC-5WG8fRVjBeA2DmTy3CalE-pv9t1G_70raWxI1Ecdllj5WKaC99rIEKKGUyl6bAH9zVCjDh1Nkh90XEli7uMsSKjJBDpDaET9YC5gstu_6XpLbpgQEQ4Ouyhba0C/s400/P1020501_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The Regal Princess passing huddled homes along the coast<br />as we sail into Oslo, Norway</b></span></td></tr>
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Our next stop is <st1:city><st1:place>Oslo</st1:place></st1:city>,
and it is a wonderful drive through the city as our guide explains that much of
<st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
history involves learning how to deal with the extremely harsh climate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>When <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>
began to modernize, it looked to German design for insight, and we can see that
influence along our route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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However, as
time passed and the Norwegians developed their own style, we can see the
changes as <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>
came into its own.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkCH99zsZ6vpAe7l65od8HCdT748KsHjYeJuh4-2wqxu0DQc76g9GL3UG5Q7RjBTLMBXTc_OrSWFLiNco9X63kgVUQEKvg8JoqGXvOifndyvVkt7-sDYQD0hKXE-V_woYqXi4/s1600/P1020507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkCH99zsZ6vpAe7l65od8HCdT748KsHjYeJuh4-2wqxu0DQc76g9GL3UG5Q7RjBTLMBXTc_OrSWFLiNco9X63kgVUQEKvg8JoqGXvOifndyvVkt7-sDYQD0hKXE-V_woYqXi4/s640/P1020507.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Colorful and attractive. It was a pretty ride through the city.</b></span></td></tr>
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The trouble with cruising as opposed to a land journey is there is limited time in each port,
and we would have loved to spend more time in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, Princess’ “The Best of Oslo”
tour was jam packed with goodies.</div>
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On this lovely Spring day, the highlight for me was the <st1:place><st1:placename>Vigeland</st1:placename>
<st1:placename>Sculpture</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
an amazing collection of 212 bronze and granite sculptures created by Gustav
Vigeland over a period of 30 years, depicting the life of man and set in the
gorgeous natural setting of a park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The
theme of the sculptures is the circle of life, and all stages are represented
by single groups of sculptures, a wheel of life, fountains, and a monolith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
most visited tourist attraction, and it does not disappoint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the sculptures are set along a long
axis, and you just have to look at the WOW expressions on visitors’ faces to
see how impressive the park is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I really enjoyed the family sculptures the most. The joy in them was almost palpable.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_odB4gRRY5gPwhyJNdzB_Js0YaORrbiCFLhNMvD6IhSWJ6t93yZXkXW6WpHU1Z5OMiT9e5dkm_ogCHlS4vfHCRz_4Ta6mwB1aFl4b_0-7rxQp5hxFze2avGcYKio26NUV4Vt/s1600/P1020531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_odB4gRRY5gPwhyJNdzB_Js0YaORrbiCFLhNMvD6IhSWJ6t93yZXkXW6WpHU1Z5OMiT9e5dkm_ogCHlS4vfHCRz_4Ta6mwB1aFl4b_0-7rxQp5hxFze2avGcYKio26NUV4Vt/s640/P1020531.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We could have spent the day at Vigland, but our next stop was also amazing--the Cultural <st1:place><st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype>
of <st1:placename>Norway</st1:placename></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love this type of museum, particularly when
they have some of the original buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I recently posted on the cultural museum we visited and then joined here in <st1:state><st1:place>North
Carolina</st1:place></st1:state>, Old Salem, and Rob and I have visited
others that are memorable, particularly one in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At any rate, this was quite an eye-opening
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://thirdagetraveler.blogspot.com/search?q=old+salem" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">https://thirdagetraveler.blogspot.com/search?q=old+salem</span></b></a></span></div>
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Once again, <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
harsh climate made the number one challenge that of survival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> B</span>uildings were clustered, and animals were carefully sheltered in the severe winter months, often right with the
family, Our guide explained that some misinterpret the living arrangements as
primitive, but it was necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Animals must be kept alive. </span>The
sauna was important too, and in this museum, there is one built as it was in
those early times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEB4FCnU1JAfNx9qmqcI8snB1S6NIeUy9rL-rf-Kq6qbz5XwQ7ZlwJG14G3POQrzyjYIY0tzqzw4yHXvS4F4ZWLZk78jZD8PV9OlyvA-na2kCkPQkdTdjTJrIdah8pYlvAXyH/s1600/P1020567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEB4FCnU1JAfNx9qmqcI8snB1S6NIeUy9rL-rf-Kq6qbz5XwQ7ZlwJG14G3POQrzyjYIY0tzqzw4yHXvS4F4ZWLZk78jZD8PV9OlyvA-na2kCkPQkdTdjTJrIdah8pYlvAXyH/s640/P1020567.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Houses were sturdy, close together, and the barns and animals were kept close by.</b></span></td></tr>
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<o:p> </o:p>The Norwegians also used grass on their rooves as an
insulator as well as a sustainable fixture.
Once the roof was completed, the grass grew but was of a type that did
not need cutting. It also offered food
for birds and climbing animals. Our
guide explains that a roof as we see demonstrated might last 50 years. In fact, as we drive through <st1:country-region><st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
countryside, we see that these rooves are still in existence. They’re quite beautiful.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm34OUefiYAVPqFhQKpdrGiJVCeC8uIChRiaRHu74y79q1eV60o1XrcFQNWcWnODWxabYG5kmih0lTylvxS60YpW3zunA-ekuUCE_NXh4FJ0H_8o_6_e9L2K-ndAC9kU5I8CmA/s1600/P1020565_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm34OUefiYAVPqFhQKpdrGiJVCeC8uIChRiaRHu74y79q1eV60o1XrcFQNWcWnODWxabYG5kmih0lTylvxS60YpW3zunA-ekuUCE_NXh4FJ0H_8o_6_e9L2K-ndAC9kU5I8CmA/s640/P1020565_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>This is actually a schoolhouse for the village.<br />Notice the grass roof.</b></span></td></tr>
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There was a schoolhouse in the village as well. </div>
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The most stunning building was the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No seats inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No windows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Quite dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The building is beautiful.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWizNSE0yfb9SFwJYTeHMdbvjBiCtg0s-NjjfpTIVIF8WM5AIRGcF-iBNO57gGQlDsgsc6iYDaJtqBmuwBw4nEnR3PJxs1t17GOpCCNByrqzbXZJMAL8QTISRFMwC1rlNG5g3Q/s1600/P1040489_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWizNSE0yfb9SFwJYTeHMdbvjBiCtg0s-NjjfpTIVIF8WM5AIRGcF-iBNO57gGQlDsgsc6iYDaJtqBmuwBw4nEnR3PJxs1t17GOpCCNByrqzbXZJMAL8QTISRFMwC1rlNG5g3Q/s640/P1040489_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>A beautiful and impressive building.<br />It sits on the top of a hill and can be seen almost anywhere in the village.</b></span></td></tr>
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Once again, I am going to post an Oslo Part II because the rest of the day was excitingly compelling and fascinating. So much to share with you.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Oslo, Norway59.9138688 10.75224539999999359.658993300000006 10.106798399999992 60.1687443 11.397692399999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-34833300646257551652018-06-24T08:22:00.001-04:002018-06-24T08:25:27.966-04:00A RIDE THROUGH TIVOLI GARDENS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nighttime in Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world,entertaining folks of all ages since 1843, was an absolute delight. Located smack dab in the middle of the city, there are always bicycles lining the busy boulevard, locked haphazardly or not at all. The city's tourist center is diagonally across the street, and there are restaurants everywhere. </div>
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Inside Tivoli Gardens, which you can go as a season or day or partial day passholder including or excluding the rides themselves, are rides, restaurants, serpentine pathways that make the most of this relatively small area, and all kinds of seating to just enjoy the lake, the happy people or the atmosphere that somehow makes the entire setting a little magic.</div>
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To us, Tivoli Gardens was more like a comfortable, old-time amusement park with bumper cars and games alongside a loopy roller-coaster and some pretty awesome and fast whips.</div>
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We were a few days too early in the season to catch the regular fireworks show, but we were treated to a super, colorful, music accompanied laser light show that was delightful and original. </div>
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We left after the light show, but the place was still filled with people. It must be the place to spend weekend evenings if you want a good time.</div>
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Make sure you click on the video to get full-screen. Don't miss the charm of this iconic park.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwhcUZpF4UBNQjRvZdnCvzPQr_i8ryNWWOfY5THMYiWckuPbsM8Wm0o-Dp-e1GdqGlNLtzQJYkmXC0' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Copenhagen, Denmark55.6760968 12.56833719999997455.532822800000005 12.245613699999973 55.8193708 12.891060699999974tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-54551956377171547152018-06-15T22:34:00.000-04:002018-06-15T22:34:02.224-04:00FRIDAY'S FOTO<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0XvcZow4K-retfany9d-89D2qXulgE9qqYfg2OazwE4bBw-mfokRi8wTHc6zd37GDZGrQI2CnSZ4QahPhvxXGGTJb1GS03_bb72gJNZmpXYLsvJpdPW6l1jWbzmoph0j2tmh/s1600/P1020269+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0XvcZow4K-retfany9d-89D2qXulgE9qqYfg2OazwE4bBw-mfokRi8wTHc6zd37GDZGrQI2CnSZ4QahPhvxXGGTJb1GS03_bb72gJNZmpXYLsvJpdPW6l1jWbzmoph0j2tmh/s640/P1020269+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">These are the three sisters of Glencoe Valley<br />Does it remind you, somewhat, of Brigadoon?</span></b></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Glencoe, Ballachulish PH49, UK56.682559899999987 -5.10227129999998456.673837899999988 -5.1224412999999842 56.691281899999986 -5.0821012999999837tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-81786618429026446382018-06-14T15:17:00.000-04:002018-06-14T15:17:34.435-04:00EATING AND DRINKING IN COPENHAGENCopenhagen is a cosmopolitan city. Everyone speaks English. Most visitors do too although they are not all from English-speaking countries. Signage is in English more than it is in Danish. On the one hand, any English speaker can feel comfortable, but on the other hand, if you are trying to get a feel for all things Danish, you might have a tough time--especially when it comes to food, once a sure way to get a taste of another culture.<br />
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For advice, we head to the hotel concierge. We are lucky that our concierge is honest with us even though his honesty brings sadness. Most heartbreaking to me is the fact that Hans Christian Anderson is not the beloved figure in his native land that he is in the United States. We do take a photo with him right outside the Town Hall, there is a ride for him in Tivoli Gardens, and the Little Mermaid watches over the harbor, but, alas, that is all except for a skipped something or other in the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fmf9Ma0DaJpxf28xoUk4d80sgzx-yAw27yPuMsjT4RKoSoaukxeNtyQjzsXNnex7xUMVz3pzZbi7LET4IONvNSnFNyJfaMluFO1Yunt_O32EUdi5ny3EFGUMEjNzOvToh0Ar/s1600/P1020410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fmf9Ma0DaJpxf28xoUk4d80sgzx-yAw27yPuMsjT4RKoSoaukxeNtyQjzsXNnex7xUMVz3pzZbi7LET4IONvNSnFNyJfaMluFO1Yunt_O32EUdi5ny3EFGUMEjNzOvToh0Ar/s640/P1020410.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anyway, the concierge tells us that trying to find traditional Danish food is tough. He knows of only one restaurant, Axelborg Bodega. This restaurant becomes our destination. Danish food here we come, and Axelborg Bodega is just a short walk from our hotel, Raddison Blu.<br />
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It is still too chilly to sit outside, but the restaurant's interior is perfect. Wood-paneled walls, heavy tables and chairs, and a wonderfully warm staff, who,despite the descriptive Danish/English menu, wants to help us make the right choices.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTvE538563xqgvVB2i3QQSNJCcxuPzv1kptyhPCEJht8c-g7tGeQDolR9rEC9JqsoFUTc5gCY3vVZ8ob5dZGJnOoPNScXQDMf8noE7Q79_YGO2l8dosRNTiofzxyU9mJxyLVS/s1600/P1020351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTvE538563xqgvVB2i3QQSNJCcxuPzv1kptyhPCEJht8c-g7tGeQDolR9rEC9JqsoFUTc5gCY3vVZ8ob5dZGJnOoPNScXQDMf8noE7Q79_YGO2l8dosRNTiofzxyU9mJxyLVS/s640/P1020351.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Axelborg Bodega is not very crowded, but judging that Danish is the language of choice and people are meeting each other in small groups, the other patrons did not appear to be tourists. We are on the right track.<br />
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What is Danish cuisine? It's heavy on pork, fish, and vegetables. Rob, always more adventurous than I, orders two home-breaded filets of plaice served with a remoulade. Little did he know until the platter arrived that there was a lot more--two kinds of shrimp, vegetables, and other pieces of fish. It is essentially a fish sampler to which he gives two thumbs up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANZnmmA_Mk8OIjy017N5MMhJOCit2qBMmbhN1XR8rdU4Lux-HYj5w_yN13G2XCPR9D0TuJ-fZxwBwEH-WrfsxieSrO5l55cnyjfIXUMBr24bCiYDfA87DxtL7ih9oaisIWoMT/s1600/P1020360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANZnmmA_Mk8OIjy017N5MMhJOCit2qBMmbhN1XR8rdU4Lux-HYj5w_yN13G2XCPR9D0TuJ-fZxwBwEH-WrfsxieSrO5l55cnyjfIXUMBr24bCiYDfA87DxtL7ih9oaisIWoMT/s640/P1020360.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I order roast pork with home pickled red cabbage (delish) and cucumber salad (delish) and rye bread. When that arrives, there are scrumptious potatoes too. There is enough pork to split three ways. Incredibly ample serving. Absolutely perfectly done, and the vegetables are exceptional. The edges of the pork are crackling, but the interior is soft enough to forego using a knife.<br />
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And Danish beer, of course.<br />
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We leave Axelborg Bodega with renewed hopes for more exploration of Danish cuisine. <br />
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The next day we are up and early to explore Copenhagen. Breakfast in the hotel is delicious with a buffet offering all kinds of cheeses and fish, fruits, different yogurt combinations, eggs, etc. There are quite a few Asian guests, and there are many offerings to satisfy that palate. That is an unexpected treat.<br />
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We have a walking map and feel sure that when lunchtime comes, we will be able to find a second restaurant specializing in Danish cuisine.<br />
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We are so wrong! The plazas are full of people picnicking on take-out acquired from one of the many shops along the plaza or sitting at outdoor tables eating hamburgers. Hero sandwiches, salads, hamburgers and other fast foods familiar at home. As far as restaurants--if you are interested in Italian, Chinese, or Indian, your wish would be granted. We pass an English pub, a Scottish pub, and several French restaurants. Among the restaurants listed in our guide book, none in our area seems to specialize in native Danish cuisine. We find it quite sad, and while we sit in one of the large plazas enjoying the spring weather with the other people, literally surrounded by eateries of all kinds, there isn't one that satisfies our quest.<br />
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Know what we do?<br />
<br />
We walk back to Axelborg Bodega, stopping along the way to investigate other restaurants but coming up empty. We enter Axelborg Bodega for a second, but different, delicious Danish food experience. And it is just as good as the first.<br />
<br />
This time I order smoked salmon served with home-baked bread, asparagus and a creamy, scrumptious herb sauce. It is a platter big enough for three, and every delicious bite is a reward for our return.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cnIK4kWaR88KgJNi7UD4_elWvLC8bsGBZtBHilMdBy7QXyB-g1OQj_JIbf9WAifVrEmr7aPYzU2tqXscH2VBGra06xG-wmFX9d7zVhhynl7X_xYMmSoHSGRrv-5daj7BXpFN/s1600/P1020430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cnIK4kWaR88KgJNi7UD4_elWvLC8bsGBZtBHilMdBy7QXyB-g1OQj_JIbf9WAifVrEmr7aPYzU2tqXscH2VBGra06xG-wmFX9d7zVhhynl7X_xYMmSoHSGRrv-5daj7BXpFN/s640/P1020430.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Rob, knowing it is now or never, tries a sampler--traditional open face sandwiches (smorrebord), chef's choice, each one presented beautifully and touching every tastebud in his mouth.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPlDJEsIDqRl5NRODzIsOfIg9mYANkF7HfrmAfcWZ5zkovJ-N7NdfaR7Ue8PTdDdxvZ6TqEIC0wj4dFFJlcu9_Kc5S8Ds1HlUWWIPFUcKB-Sv08KEtiQJoYuyUYT0c0owvFpP/s1600/P1040363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPlDJEsIDqRl5NRODzIsOfIg9mYANkF7HfrmAfcWZ5zkovJ-N7NdfaR7Ue8PTdDdxvZ6TqEIC0wj4dFFJlcu9_Kc5S8Ds1HlUWWIPFUcKB-Sv08KEtiQJoYuyUYT0c0owvFpP/s640/P1040363.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
In no way do we feel we've missed anything by not going to another restaurant. Each visit is unique and special on its merit. My advice is that if you're looking for Danish cuisine in central Copenhagen, visit asap.<br />
<br />
SKAL<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineIdnPBBhwbzSEXxAa6d7OeSY32B33IXx2_tSgOY7zWBHVypQg_r22e9Ti0MECSAJNvFRKXzsyeUenC8JkVj_tberMkb9TMRu7p2uP3A9lv8P1qTWAhgfuqns3Qbqpcug_mQz/s1600/P1020426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEineIdnPBBhwbzSEXxAa6d7OeSY32B33IXx2_tSgOY7zWBHVypQg_r22e9Ti0MECSAJNvFRKXzsyeUenC8JkVj_tberMkb9TMRu7p2uP3A9lv8P1qTWAhgfuqns3Qbqpcug_mQz/s640/P1020426.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Copenhagen, Denmark55.6760968 12.56833719999997455.532822800000005 12.245613699999973 55.8193708 12.891060699999974tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-70558632479112030122018-06-09T08:31:00.002-04:002018-06-09T08:31:09.899-04:00FRIDAY'S FOTO--KILAUEA CALDERA<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtmeX89YvXsAb_-_NY9UdaOt7aY_4WhUwJ052viO4dYMQfytrYZsF2U32HYX44ImzfagnphsecRz8di9tklGHrwencqnuIohsqde2S71jifja5PcVWmLj3WPxhEZFTgumfeV7/s1600/P1030893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtmeX89YvXsAb_-_NY9UdaOt7aY_4WhUwJ052viO4dYMQfytrYZsF2U32HYX44ImzfagnphsecRz8di9tklGHrwencqnuIohsqde2S71jifja5PcVWmLj3WPxhEZFTgumfeV7/s640/P1030893.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>With Kilauea on a rampage these days, I keep going back to look at our photos of a more peaceful time in this part of the world. We helicoptered over the area, and this is the amazing, steaming caldera. </b><br /><b>Kilauea is between 300,000 to 600,000 years old.</b><br /><b>In my blog's search box, type in Hawaii to see other photos of this extraordinary place.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718, USA19.4193697 -155.28849690000004-6.1026647999999994 163.40290909999996 44.9414042 -113.97990290000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-18313635994906772202018-06-09T07:22:00.000-04:002018-06-09T07:22:06.694-04:00LIVING HISTORY IN NORTH CAROLINA --PART II<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxGOGl9uz6gvygiieL1sC7nqk94OPbIdE4s4InHsDp4OkxzNZjJvxmABXBiJlZIwUlq37pyih3WpQdzDGazfY5kuC5GNh7vs8mARnaP6IgcMLoqlMRhorkO-WsRKtyUrfTmdp/s1600/P1020309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxGOGl9uz6gvygiieL1sC7nqk94OPbIdE4s4InHsDp4OkxzNZjJvxmABXBiJlZIwUlq37pyih3WpQdzDGazfY5kuC5GNh7vs8mARnaP6IgcMLoqlMRhorkO-WsRKtyUrfTmdp/s400/P1020309.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The Tavern Museum was the original Tavern in Salem.<br />So much to learn inside!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Visiting Old Salem is stepping back in time, but as we walk
the main thoroughfare, many of the houses are not open to visitors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are private residences, and the people
who live there maintain their homes according to the rules of an historic
district.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not always easy, but it
is necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the homes,
however, have plaques giving the name of the original owner as well as the
date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later in the afternoon, a docent
told us that probably no more than two of these houses are owned by Moravians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, they are owned by people who want to
live in the city of <st1:city><st1:place>Winston-Salem</st1:place></st1:city>
but without the hustle and bustle of city life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We walked up the main street to the Tavern area. The Tavern
seems to be a dividing line between the earliest homes and the later
development of the community. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originally
it was set on the outskirts of the town, a location that would prevent mingling
with “Strangers” from outside the community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No town residents other than the carefully vetted tavern keeper were
allowed inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As <st1:city><st1:place>Salem</st1:place></st1:city>
grew, the Tavern found its way toward the middle of town when buildings on the
other side were erected. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today the complex
includes a huge wooden barn, dating back to 1835 and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>relocated in 1961 from <st1:place><st1:city>Bethania</st1:city>,
<st1:state>North Carolina</st1:state></st1:place> where another Moravian
community existed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIFQUI5TIuZsm2GXIhusC4H9PEK2cqEp2DLM3PmxUqhQeFsEexK4Yllq0smcJzlW4Y3Il9uEOH1dOYyDtbe2IdHvwAJRGYCrBlvbyRVi3Ag9oGGov_CHe6p_d0sflk5uwZsY7/s1600/P1020303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIFQUI5TIuZsm2GXIhusC4H9PEK2cqEp2DLM3PmxUqhQeFsEexK4Yllq0smcJzlW4Y3Il9uEOH1dOYyDtbe2IdHvwAJRGYCrBlvbyRVi3Ag9oGGov_CHe6p_d0sflk5uwZsY7/s640/P1020303.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Pretty big barn</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSn5Ymucr25BYYbU_rLXX82-pNjk460Djz_27kVGYE1qFrHBoodrk5HVAdwSSEAIjW7VwtOUsJScJPaXg1iSjBVS3hGMMu00tgR_w4A92ZrI9fJ78-Vf_GcWiPLKTqwAGfmfq/s1600/P1020301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSn5Ymucr25BYYbU_rLXX82-pNjk460Djz_27kVGYE1qFrHBoodrk5HVAdwSSEAIjW7VwtOUsJScJPaXg1iSjBVS3hGMMu00tgR_w4A92ZrI9fJ78-Vf_GcWiPLKTqwAGfmfq/s640/P1020301.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Inside we get a view of the construction as well as the hay in the loft.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Next door is the <st1:place><st1:placename>Tavern</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place> where much is original
including the floorboards on which we walk.
This building, actually, was the original Tavern. The sign below includes a diary excerpt that is disturbing but authentic and a saddening lesson in history.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUB4GT_mFPmj2lIkr17wSbnuOxNJztemznwORJAijYWCKZhOdwiUCxJXgZpPLNXc1DmNcdUyXj3mOLWqFa1n-4pVFAtMmnrd9Gykhz7hyGUnba6D3TESts11s_P2sIauNbxrq/s1600/P1020308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUB4GT_mFPmj2lIkr17wSbnuOxNJztemznwORJAijYWCKZhOdwiUCxJXgZpPLNXc1DmNcdUyXj3mOLWqFa1n-4pVFAtMmnrd9Gykhz7hyGUnba6D3TESts11s_P2sIauNbxrq/s640/P1020308.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Difficult as this is to internalize, I applaud that there is no attempt to hide or to erase history.<br />Rather, there is an attempt to reveal and to learn from it.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
George Washington, in 1791, spoke to the residents from the
front porch. While possible, it was not
believed that he actually slept here, not because he was a Stranger but because
the best bedroom was on the first floor.
Other bedrooms were upstairs, and his six bodyguards would have been
forced to be upstairs, unable to do their jobs should that be necessary. In 1791, there were still Loyalists around. It is not known where the President slept
that night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Residents’ diary entries say <st1:state><st1:place>Washington</st1:place></st1:state>
addressed the people from the front porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The people were in a field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today
there are buildings dating from the 1800s across the street, further evidence
that as the town grew, the Tavern became part of the center.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Moravians are not teetotalers, and there was the public
room within the tavern where drinks were served.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “bar” as we know it today did not exist
back then, but it’s interesting to learn that the word “bar” originated because
the liquors and beer were kept in a room with bars to prevent theft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The word became associated with drinking, and
it was kept.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKCv2Di1PapkulHqT_YYZwBW0E0AY2mzHZ74YphvdF_6dtbbSqrjsEUPe1pi3v5E7xjMG7wBBFWQa89j8zFNvP4jEGBHwHgiTNH_WNa2uVN_VGhh2DalzX8_cFhbECAWBOQ1P/s1600/P1040267+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKCv2Di1PapkulHqT_YYZwBW0E0AY2mzHZ74YphvdF_6dtbbSqrjsEUPe1pi3v5E7xjMG7wBBFWQa89j8zFNvP4jEGBHwHgiTNH_WNa2uVN_VGhh2DalzX8_cFhbECAWBOQ1P/s640/P1040267+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>In the Tavern Museum, you can see how liquor was locked up behind the bar.<br />Is that costumed docent standing guard?</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p> </o:p>The dining room of the Tavern was on the second floor. Food was laid out buffet style and remained
on the table for several hours. The
second floor location meant people could not just run in off the street, grab
some food, and run out again. The
location was meant to prevent thievery.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The kitchen, however, was down some stairs and out the back. It seems very well stocked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5UQwxlL7A5QXvcBNUpH1wH2wu0VzFzyGVI461TmiOagUZITApg9wApYnAq_tFMRX0e52gYM-J8O51qLLr9JOgNNprz3SpRFLtsOsLmy7omETKXodNJGU01VFDqukVouQy5GK/s1600/P1020317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5UQwxlL7A5QXvcBNUpH1wH2wu0VzFzyGVI461TmiOagUZITApg9wApYnAq_tFMRX0e52gYM-J8O51qLLr9JOgNNprz3SpRFLtsOsLmy7omETKXodNJGU01VFDqukVouQy5GK/s640/P1020317.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Perhaps the most astonishing building we visit this day is
the Single Brothers’ House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Single
Sisters had their own house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Residents
in the Single Brothers’ House ranged from about age 14 into the 70s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whites and African Americans lived together,
and as the docent informed us, that did not change until segregation became the
law.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOli_OVp01sa4sRfIdrwhIYlLjVKpOSZoeta2O_EHR4aMBNrOGsIkKRKrXbg1jMgjP-FMArAYToJxzD74hb4fEgJv8dgjttDMPGZ7AIh_RJpYBhHP8U_8wm3uMAMWqyi-YEvJV/s1600/P1040292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOli_OVp01sa4sRfIdrwhIYlLjVKpOSZoeta2O_EHR4aMBNrOGsIkKRKrXbg1jMgjP-FMArAYToJxzD74hb4fEgJv8dgjttDMPGZ7AIh_RJpYBhHP8U_8wm3uMAMWqyi-YEvJV/s640/P1040292.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Notice the two sections of the Single Brothers' House.<br />The first was built in 1769.<br />As the town grew, the addition was built in 1789.<br />The entire building was restored in 1969.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Among the Moravians, marriage was arranged by lot. Should a man want to marry, he would present
his case, and lots were picked. There
were three lots: yes, no, and
neutral. Yes, he was allowed to marry
but the prospective bride had the right to refuse. No, he was not allowed to
marry. If the neutral lot was chosen, it
was interpreted as a “not sure” (so no) or “not at the right time” (so no). Seems to me, the odds were not in the man’s
favor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Music was a great part of the Moravian life and religion,
and the people were divided into choirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Choirs were the social divisions in the community, and people basically
lived and died within their choirs. In the cemetery, God’s Acre, which we will
visit when we return, the people were even buried according to their choirs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~dbuzzitch/Gold_Family/gold_family_014.htm">http://home.earthlink.net/~dbuzzitch/Gold_Family/gold_family_014.htm</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The docent in the Single Brothers’ House who also
masterfully played the organ for us, explained the lot system and the choir
system to us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Don’t underestimate the importance of music in their
ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Moravian Music Foundation
has 10,000 early manuscripts, sacred and secular. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.oldsalem.org/learn/research/history-of-music-and-moravians/">http://www.oldsalem.org/learn/research/history-of-music-and-moravians/</a><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The organs are spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The organ crafted in 1799-1800 by David Tannenberg for the <st1:place><st1:placetype>Home</st1:placetype>
<st1:placename>Moravian</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Church</st1:placetype></st1:place>
has been fully restored and has been lent to Old Salem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It resides in the <st1:place><st1:placename>Visitor</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> and there are free recitals,
last year in December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PBS even did a
documentary of the restoration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>I'd love to come back for an organ recital in this hall.<br />What a magnificent , and huge, organ!</b></span></td></tr>
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The organ in the Single Brothers’ House has also been
restored, in 2007, but it dates back to 1798.
For more incredible information, take this link: <b><a href="http://davidtannenberg.com/Tannenberg_1798_Old_Salem.htm">http://davidtannenberg.com/Tannenberg_1798_Old_Salem.htm</a></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA4m10Sz97KIfxdnGwu8HVfvk1eSCH-QI1mqG_Jsa-OQi-pj2ad5V9fbsnLafJ3clVfXIaqTc7IuUwoswE__-oTliA94umVA3nGFKRx2KtZ9IRbtRICigdpKKgMdWQc3A-TNK/s1600/P1040290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSA4m10Sz97KIfxdnGwu8HVfvk1eSCH-QI1mqG_Jsa-OQi-pj2ad5V9fbsnLafJ3clVfXIaqTc7IuUwoswE__-oTliA94umVA3nGFKRx2KtZ9IRbtRICigdpKKgMdWQc3A-TNK/s640/P1040290.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>This beautiful organ, played by the informative docent in the Single Brothers' House, dates back to 1798.<br />It was totally restored.<br />Originally, someone had to pump the bellows to allow it to work. Not easy work.</b></span></td></tr>
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I’ll talk about our lunch at the Tavern in a separate post,
but before I get to the last stop of the day, I want to post an example of what
the organization is trying to do. In
several places on the street and in buildings were signs similar to this one
but about various subjects. It will be
interesting, now that we are members, to come back and learn more about the
Hidden town within the town.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQK7SYYIvhBjXFQyp1Yrdj4xxoOOqBr95CYF9tbTsGRC4uJMhOR2K9a3j6RGntbox0YbW_6f9nuj3ma5ouSn12uySJDRDTVQUS08bcW3KV0NsdMhEd4jN1wRm5PVexJqyszmp/s1600/P1020340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQK7SYYIvhBjXFQyp1Yrdj4xxoOOqBr95CYF9tbTsGRC4uJMhOR2K9a3j6RGntbox0YbW_6f9nuj3ma5ouSn12uySJDRDTVQUS08bcW3KV0NsdMhEd4jN1wRm5PVexJqyszmp/s640/P1020340.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>This aspect of Salem is something that should interest everyone.<br />It's good that in recreating another era and bringing it to light that the bad is recognized as well as the good.<br />In the years to come, I think there will be even more to learn here.</b></span></td></tr>
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<o:p> </o:p>Our last stop of the day was, as you would have guessed, C,
Winkler Bakery built in 1800 with an addition in 1818. Moravian sugar cookies are sold here, and
they are available all over <st1:state><st1:place>North Carolina</st1:place></st1:state>. Wafer thin and delicious. There are artisan breads, pastries, etc., and
there are demonstrations of the old ways of baking, the way Mr. C. Winkler did
it. I would love to end with a picture
of what we bought, but….uh oh, it somehow disappeared shortly after we left the
shop. So I will leave you with a photo
of the handle of the front door to the Single Brothers’ House. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtftPDJb0ghDmnhXYB4MezmLgjFVAlzffvi_YPGh3-vRHSO29MMU2TN7STFDr1-JW9sv8nOkD_V3EpKs6wC1GfPPfEpC7xlGnDhUHrYj_OzocrLlvbkSPSALHT9CTdw3rKi5w/s1600/P1040283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtftPDJb0ghDmnhXYB4MezmLgjFVAlzffvi_YPGh3-vRHSO29MMU2TN7STFDr1-JW9sv8nOkD_V3EpKs6wC1GfPPfEpC7xlGnDhUHrYj_OzocrLlvbkSPSALHT9CTdw3rKi5w/s640/P1040283.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Nothing was plain and simple in the artistry of Salem. </b></span></td></tr>
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There’s so much more in Old Salem, but time just didn’t allow. As I said, we became members, and we will be back, I guarantee that you will
hear more about this remarkable place.
If you get an opportunity, please visit.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0600 S Main St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA36.087143 -80.24249299999996810.565108499999997 -121.55108699999997 61.6091775 -38.933898999999968tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-43665537946283956952018-04-23T15:23:00.001-04:002018-04-23T15:23:38.751-04:00LIVING HISTORY IN OLD SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA--PART I<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZ3rez6SEI8FmNiC6tjTbwF_eomNVncCsaS245ZxF_MholmW7wL7A8AxlIAJpkguoC3cGaLBFP-bhZnXAo_jkJXWSrwDVGaVF05EJqoyM53WY6cQ_7oRN-TY44yn_DAAsV7V9/s1600/P1020313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZ3rez6SEI8FmNiC6tjTbwF_eomNVncCsaS245ZxF_MholmW7wL7A8AxlIAJpkguoC3cGaLBFP-bhZnXAo_jkJXWSrwDVGaVF05EJqoyM53WY6cQ_7oRN-TY44yn_DAAsV7V9/s640/P1020313.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Old <st1:city><st1:place>Salem</st1:place></st1:city> has
got to rank toward the top of the many terrific places to visit in <st1:state><st1:place>North
Carolina</st1:place></st1:state>. Old <st1:city><st1:place>Salem</st1:place></st1:city>
offers a treasure trove of knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Its development as living history, a place where you can visit the
original sites and see many of the original buildings recreated BASED ON ACTUAL
RECORDS just makes you burst with conversation and questions—many of which can
be answered by the knowledgeable docents and staff.</div>
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We lucked out. Got there on a beautiful Spring day just made for exploring.</div>
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Located
in <st1:place><st1:city>Winton-Salem</st1:city>, <st1:state>North Carolina</st1:state></st1:place>, Old Salem is an historical district, a community founded in 1766 by Moravians, German-speaking
Protestants whose church bought 100,000 acres and set up several separate
religious communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Old <st1:city><st1:place>Salem</st1:place></st1:city>
was established specifically as a Trade Community, and only Moravian
tradespeople were allowed to live there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Moravian farmers, for instance, might come to buy things, but they were
not permitted to reside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Non-Moravians could also come to do business, and if they needed to
remain overnight, there was a tavern in which they could rent a room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moravians, other than the carefully vetted
tavern keepers, were not permitted in the tavern although they were not teetotalers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Facts like these REALLY pique our interest
and raise many questions.</div>
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Visiting this craftsman’s village, today’s visitor is in for a
lot of surprises and some very beautiful workmanship on display. There’s beauty
in every building, inside and out.. </div>
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From the informative <st1:place><st1:placename>Visitor</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>, we crossed the covered
bridge to the village, walking under the Moravian Star, a universally
recognizable Advent symbol I’m sure most of us have seen even if we didn’t know
its origin. <b><a href="http://www.oldsalem.org/learn/town-of-salem/people-and-culture/about-the-moravian-star/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.oldsalem.org/learn/town-of-salem/people-and-culture/about-the-moravian-star/</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The 110 point star probably originated as a geometry lesson<br />at a boys' school in Germany in the 1830s</b></span></td></tr>
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At the other end of the covered bridge, we enter another
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The docents are dressed in period
costume as is the staff at the Salem Tavern where we have lunch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our visit begins at the <st1:placename>Frank</st1:placename>
<st1:placename>L.</st1:placename> Horton Museum Center (where photography is
encouraged), a significant collection of work not only by the craftspeople of
Old Salem which is assembled in one gallery but also, in another gallery, a
collection of work coming from seven other Southern states, exhibiting the
beauty and skill of early American society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Additionally, if one is intent on research, the center contains over
85,000 craftsman files and 20,000 object files.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Moravians were organized and careful record keepers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent a lot of time at the museum, talking
to docents, asking questions and leaving the building with a lot to think
about. <span style="color: blue;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.oldsalem.org/visit/mesda/" target="_blank">www.oldsalem.org/visit/mesda/</a></span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><b><br /></b></span>
The Salem gallery is divided into sections by trade. The names of the chief tradesmen or women are listed. Meticulously kept records give this information. The work was beautiful. I'd like to share some of it with you. It's merely a small sampling. We spent quite a bit of time there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTsdlvGYtj6PKXqZAf6vMWbTpushuIyxDiUTyo-SUIWBnMbG2kXo8nrkQTKyhXbUkjtlr7NWeTNe3vMAYXibRvRu8ft69y3OM332ZX5ssn1-o-rgvgDLgehNPAwEWok_b2SZJ/s1600/P1020255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilTsdlvGYtj6PKXqZAf6vMWbTpushuIyxDiUTyo-SUIWBnMbG2kXo8nrkQTKyhXbUkjtlr7NWeTNe3vMAYXibRvRu8ft69y3OM332ZX5ssn1-o-rgvgDLgehNPAwEWok_b2SZJ/s640/P1020255.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Music plays a huge part in the lives of the community.<br />Music was part of the religious services. There were brass bands, organs, other instruments and choirs.<br />Several of the finest organs were crafted by Moravians, and two pipe organs were in Salem.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4s1Co61STdvdkuna2jCghP_-zhAYNdJisoYUVTlgspbwgKUtpIAmTNoz0VB_BHVHhPe5h3kyR2Z3aeGveweaXcD65XPoEgX7Qoxqow152UMRH3rB7PCjXxN0HvcDVV2JiDj3/s1600/P1020260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4s1Co61STdvdkuna2jCghP_-zhAYNdJisoYUVTlgspbwgKUtpIAmTNoz0VB_BHVHhPe5h3kyR2Z3aeGveweaXcD65XPoEgX7Qoxqow152UMRH3rB7PCjXxN0HvcDVV2JiDj3/s640/P1020260.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Look at the beauty of this work<br />Intricate patterns on silverware, serving pieces, and decorative pieces. </b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Weaving, sewing, all manner of needlework.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Not woodworking 101.<br />Wouldn't you love a secretary as beautiful as this one?</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">This watercolor and ink on paper dating to 1775 is one of very few pieces with a religious theme.</span><br /><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">The leaves represent all the Moravian congregations around the world at that time.</span><br /><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">They hang on branches of a grapevine nourished by Christ's blood.</span><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Our first period stop was the reconstructed
African Moravian Log Church from 1823 and its next door neighbor the original St. Philips African American Moravian Church from 1861 with an 1890 addition. Nearby is the African American and Strangers' Graveyard (1772-1859. Non-Moravians were known as Strangers in this closed community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtkMsA3G6RMXfux4SENLJ2Eg_g56nRUu_6W8Gz50F3PTRqGaCd2iA0q7rj2kZyfMON6iG5dqfHBpRU9WCCiBAmDQMWR22rAdmTY4oyFkpO93JQIzuKBju5kNfbqUyqfPvGgpK/s1600/P1040235+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtkMsA3G6RMXfux4SENLJ2Eg_g56nRUu_6W8Gz50F3PTRqGaCd2iA0q7rj2kZyfMON6iG5dqfHBpRU9WCCiBAmDQMWR22rAdmTY4oyFkpO93JQIzuKBju5kNfbqUyqfPvGgpK/s640/P1040235+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>African American Log Church</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4b-JFbfiJ1ygOo3AdDLBIXpH9LoUHxnXuz0qxHsTkDxp7xjOqNw7R6XKrXVKkifFy8yPEP7Dvbul5x9l1o0f_OfRLmBCjezJVuC7m40gnTPQ5h87CzwqpFhUGXoh1bQlJSnm/s1600/P1040239+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4b-JFbfiJ1ygOo3AdDLBIXpH9LoUHxnXuz0qxHsTkDxp7xjOqNw7R6XKrXVKkifFy8yPEP7Dvbul5x9l1o0f_OfRLmBCjezJVuC7m40gnTPQ5h87CzwqpFhUGXoh1bQlJSnm/s640/P1040239+-+Copy.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>St. Philips African American Moravian Church</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The history of African Americans among the Moravians is
perplexing to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both free and enslaved
people lived with the Moravians, were addressed as “Brother” and “Sister” as
the Moravians addressed each other, spoke German as the Moravians did, often
were educated as the Moravians were, sometimes were baptized as Moravians, but
still retained their positions as enslaved or hired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
There was concern about slavery among the Moravians, so it was the Church
that actually owned the slaves and then leased them to the tradesmen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, you read that right, and then, as the
Moravian community began to absorb the racial prejudices of the South, they
began to separate the races more and more by not worshipping together and by
not being buried together, etc. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
docent in the Single Brothers House, however, said that black and white men
shared rooms there but that as segregation laws from outside the community were enacted, the Moravians followed them and separated the black
and white men. <a href="http://www.oldsalem.org/learn/research/african-american-history/"><span style="color: blue;"><b>http://www.oldsalem.org/learn/research/african-american-history/</b></span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Today, in reconstructing Old Salem as it stood in history, archeologists
and researchers try to learn more about how the enslaved people were treated,
for whom they labored, where they lived, and how they worshipped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the town are signs about these
people as well as written accounts by enslaved people of different eras in an
effort to make the depiction honest and true history and to educate those who
visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>History is not being erased; it
is being revealed and taught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Rob and I need to return to take the guided tour of both
churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, they were
closed for lunch, and we never got to see the interiors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thought we’d return later in the day, but
we had no idea how comprehensive Old Salem is and how much there was to see
and do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did become members and
supporters of Old Salem, and we will be back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One day is not enough to see it all.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We did get to tour the T. Vogler Gunsmith Shop, and this was
quite an exciting experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met
Blake Stevenson, the Assistant Director of Historic Trades at Old Salem and the
Manager of the Gunsmith shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and
another gunsmith were actually making guns there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqceTHm34f7Igq2ekaNIHSiXpT5yw7OhUCHV5UMIuPN6wiepKQi8t5tKMhvO1cBLds8lbUcZSK4yrEBhpFEHQugDg7y1PwA0_yvchFgvsp65ImJwE-d08s5LJEn7EaPZDwYDG/s1600/P1020282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqceTHm34f7Igq2ekaNIHSiXpT5yw7OhUCHV5UMIuPN6wiepKQi8t5tKMhvO1cBLds8lbUcZSK4yrEBhpFEHQugDg7y1PwA0_yvchFgvsp65ImJwE-d08s5LJEn7EaPZDwYDG/s640/P1020282.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Timothy Vogler Gunsmith Shop 1831</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydL2S9tl_Pl0jvOqdXs88DBkamLPxAW-0RpJxbfrhfsuGThnWsmpmeX9NFg8BMIUWm-BaapZkdFoqXxNcJbrNa6NOnHMQt6wITnXi12xaunQerbcZd6olUcc9G_hvfBpgabMY/s1600/P1020285+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydL2S9tl_Pl0jvOqdXs88DBkamLPxAW-0RpJxbfrhfsuGThnWsmpmeX9NFg8BMIUWm-BaapZkdFoqXxNcJbrNa6NOnHMQt6wITnXi12xaunQerbcZd6olUcc9G_hvfBpgabMY/s640/P1020285+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The craftsmanship is amazing. Watching these men is being in the company of artists.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A new visual experience for me, I was awed by
the workmanship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The long rifles were
works of art, and Mr. Stevenson showed me how he was able to bring the beauty
of the wood to the surface.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I saw
the raw wood of the rifle’s stock, I thought he had created the marks, but that
was part of the wood itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the
different oils and varnishes he applies, he is able to bring out the natural
beauty of the wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsdYxwktdVJnOyqrIHl8vfKTKZpfm7AyBFuZ7c4d1w5kVeuW0WwVGL_3_jwCYboXvUb0t83B7_DCSGex8-i1V57_rb-v87wt0bv8G7FjponMfFsu3ZJbpLCnLMI79Fel-T_wn/s1600/P1020288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsdYxwktdVJnOyqrIHl8vfKTKZpfm7AyBFuZ7c4d1w5kVeuW0WwVGL_3_jwCYboXvUb0t83B7_DCSGex8-i1V57_rb-v87wt0bv8G7FjponMfFsu3ZJbpLCnLMI79Fel-T_wn/s640/P1020288.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Look at the beauty of the wood</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSETVONoW72MKQIysuUMk82dHyXff0J4Oa2wbXnHy_JtYx5WKt3M87eKxR2OC9jUIByNuYvKyx4AUqlQC5H7Q4n0Cz6fa5R35FdZ9VhPBCg7uXVwsr5E7Gs_fcf0HHvxBerScZ/s1600/P1020290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSETVONoW72MKQIysuUMk82dHyXff0J4Oa2wbXnHy_JtYx5WKt3M87eKxR2OC9jUIByNuYvKyx4AUqlQC5H7Q4n0Cz6fa5R35FdZ9VhPBCg7uXVwsr5E7Gs_fcf0HHvxBerScZ/s640/P1020290.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Mr. Stevenson point out how he will work with this wood to create the finished product</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_vzaYClslGm9GOEmSd7y7Qk9T43sm2tS-TvwEl9zFrpp5WArg_BhgZAvZs8ffT22EFMsKoKpT79zQmacxu4x4l_xpBFtU8s6Yw5IMp3x53aPOO6ghQfbvlhGSWd-RyjextdJ/s1600/P1020289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_vzaYClslGm9GOEmSd7y7Qk9T43sm2tS-TvwEl9zFrpp5WArg_BhgZAvZs8ffT22EFMsKoKpT79zQmacxu4x4l_xpBFtU8s6Yw5IMp3x53aPOO6ghQfbvlhGSWd-RyjextdJ/s640/P1020289.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Mr. Stevenson shows us a work in progress.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was also fascinating to hear Mr. Stevenson talk to the
children who came in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their wonder and
attention was marvelous to see, his explanations and questions mesmerizing his
young audience.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In a separate room, we saw the forge and other tools used to
create these and other metal objects for the community. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
At least part of the amazement, once again, is that art is
incorporated into all these objects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s nothing rustic or back-woods about Old Salem.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Despite the fact that Old Salem existed as a closed,
religious community, apparently there was enough of a problem with raucousness
that this sign was pinned to a board in the gunshop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a touch ironic, I’d say.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW2ia4OmrCGl7Up6PxPMU4EiDT3-Fg_1o719zuKDdqBeMJlXC5QGZr1bMpXUFJF7SNo3nX5ymk9Bl8hPhmSuBBjTwcpHCXV4WzMoGPw9atGoxiLLfOAqvdpHx2NjJj2nIr9jS/s1600/P1020287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiW2ia4OmrCGl7Up6PxPMU4EiDT3-Fg_1o719zuKDdqBeMJlXC5QGZr1bMpXUFJF7SNo3nX5ymk9Bl8hPhmSuBBjTwcpHCXV4WzMoGPw9atGoxiLLfOAqvdpHx2NjJj2nIr9jS/s640/P1020287.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Read this and shake your head.<br />There must have been a lot of jollity in order for this to be put in place.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There’s so much to see that one day is not enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place is fascinating, and each stop at a
home, shop, or Moravian building gave us ideas to discuss and questions to ask.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have yet to visit, for instance, <st1:place><st1:placename>Salem</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>College</st1:placetype></st1:place>, the oldest private college
for women in this country, God’s Acre, the <st1:place><st1:placename>Moravian</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Cemetery</st1:placetype></st1:place> where people were not
buried with family, but according to the “choir” to which they belonged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, what I mean?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still a lot of interesting questions to
answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">More on Old Salem in Part II.</span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Winston-Salem, NC, USA36.099859599999988 -80.24421635.894594599999991 -80.566939499999989 36.305124599999985 -79.9214925tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-17057977169659674282018-04-19T17:00:00.000-04:002018-04-19T17:00:39.814-04:00FRIDAY'S FOTO<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdn_M_Tkhw8Vq21x4zG39WSnYNFUBhZhD9YY1GlDefJeChno_xjnPgvhDu-j5nPCQcJV05n315njHYcCIUx7IAYilGH-KZthPshDDFpzw1Mw31Fj32vK2TYAUDAZRuZK9mfh6/s1600/P1080061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdn_M_Tkhw8Vq21x4zG39WSnYNFUBhZhD9YY1GlDefJeChno_xjnPgvhDu-j5nPCQcJV05n315njHYcCIUx7IAYilGH-KZthPshDDFpzw1Mw31Fj32vK2TYAUDAZRuZK9mfh6/s640/P1080061.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">This is a memorial in Budapest entitled<br />Shoes on the Danube Promenade<br />It is a monument in honor of the Hungarian Jews<br />who were shot on the banks of the Danube in the winter of 1944-45.<br />As you quietly walk along the promenade, you notice how other<br />visitors are silent. It is striking and heart-wrenching<br />but a site one must visit.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Budapest, Hungary47.497912 19.04023499999993947.154509499999996 18.394787999999938 47.8413145 19.68568199999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-63808438399167753922018-04-13T11:16:00.000-04:002018-04-13T11:48:52.691-04:00WASHINGTON DC AND SPRING EQUALS CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbAwsb2SwBVYrhXkjZ_dxHPECG4pSDjjie1ETvGQuN7pWOuY9PQm3-Vt6Sk1QPq6lqHjHUMHIK5H2YnWtmCgMQek_HUattXpsukp_9rzqMtYUnVsCsXQBmaYVLyQtTr7yTvtv/s1600/P1020172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbAwsb2SwBVYrhXkjZ_dxHPECG4pSDjjie1ETvGQuN7pWOuY9PQm3-Vt6Sk1QPq6lqHjHUMHIK5H2YnWtmCgMQek_HUattXpsukp_9rzqMtYUnVsCsXQBmaYVLyQtTr7yTvtv/s400/P1020172.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Spring is beautiful anywhere, but<br />in Washington DC, there's<br />The Cherry Blossoms.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Unless you live nearby, It’s probably too late to get down
to <st1:place><st1:city>Washington</st1:city>, <st1:state>DC</st1:state></st1:place>
to see this year’s cherry blossoms in full bloom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a magnificent sight made even more
memorable by the history of these Cherry Blossoms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Encircling the <st1:place><st1:placename>Tidal</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Basin</st1:placetype></st1:place> are pink blossoms so thick
that visitors use them as backdrops to their photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the day is calm, the trees and monuments
reflect in the water, and you are surrounded by beauty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a wonderful experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
The history of this special DC times begins in 1912 when the Mayor of Tokyo gifted the city of <st1:city>Washington</st1:city> DC with 3,000 cherry trees. Imagine. The gift was to signify the closeness between our two countries. Despite some initial setbacks, then First Lady Helen Taft and the wife of the Japanese ambassador planted the first two trees at the north end of the <st1:place><st1:placename>Tidal</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Basin</st1:placetype></st1:place> in <st1:place><st1:placename>West</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Potomac</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>. (<a href="https://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/history/">https://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/history/</a>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">Every year when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, there is the Cherry Blossom Festival.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The festivities this year are over this weekend when the blossoms have reached their glorious peak.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">I wish we could go back.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">The tidal basin is always a must-see venue in </span><st1:place style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city>Washington</st1:city>
<st1:state>DC</st1:state></st1:place><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span><span style="text-align: justify;">
</span><span style="text-align: justify;">The </span><st1:place style="text-align: justify;"><st1:placename>Franklin</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Delano</st1:placename>
<st1:placename>Roosevelt</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Monument</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="text-align: justify;">,
the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument, and the Jefferson Memorial are all
located there.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Within your sight is also
the Washington Monument, and, if you know, you also see the Curtis-Lee Mansion,
Arlington House, across the river at Arlington Cemetery.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5642drtbmjM_1p1DnBa-usQaFmPDyBty3zZfK5rdtNwqbcLDxgiXF8AcVztJw_5H96jZIfoFBs9M8So_HEulbfdjYyJGP6pa5XIRV1NaZP19d1u5bQDke51SOT-7zOA0BWWUj/s1600/P1020178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5642drtbmjM_1p1DnBa-usQaFmPDyBty3zZfK5rdtNwqbcLDxgiXF8AcVztJw_5H96jZIfoFBs9M8So_HEulbfdjYyJGP6pa5XIRV1NaZP19d1u5bQDke51SOT-7zOA0BWWUj/s640/P1020178.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The beautiful Washington Monument </b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_D2hdEKBOoPnkuJ85K1gwjB23YGZ-SeBaqnhf67uQtKNPlE22LY9afZDUo0oQ73leqGJXjM_gRjRNjM-ECy-ZIOWx2zKmpV_Ab-6TSCssZPfETN3sf8HTIXRFz_A5ZHk8CWK/s1600/P1020202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_D2hdEKBOoPnkuJ85K1gwjB23YGZ-SeBaqnhf67uQtKNPlE22LY9afZDUo0oQ73leqGJXjM_gRjRNjM-ECy-ZIOWx2zKmpV_Ab-6TSCssZPfETN3sf8HTIXRFz_A5ZHk8CWK/s640/P1020202.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>A bit too early for full bloom<br />but gorgeous and enticing anyway</b></span></td></tr>
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We were in <st1:place><st1:city>Washington</st1:city>, <st1:state>DC</st1:state></st1:place>
the last weekend in March and spent a good part of a beautiful day, March 31<sup>st</sup>,
walking the 2.5 miles around the <st1:place><st1:placename>Tidal</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Basin</st1:placetype></st1:place>, admiring the
not-quite-at-their-peak beauty, revisiting some monuments and seeing another
for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a calm day,
and definitely not one where you want to be rushed. Plenty of people but plenty of smiles.</div>
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We actually lucked out and found parking along the river,
right across from <st1:place><st1:placename>Arlington</st1:placename> <st1:placename>National</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Cemetery</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the distance we could see Arlington House,
the <st1:place><st1:placename>Custis-Lee</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Mansion</st1:placetype></st1:place>
high up on the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kayakers were on
the river as well as tour boats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
perfect spring day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6cVxcIW9GrN_C6pWh3ugHWwfrZN27D52kuwoY6PEXRsBBnAEhEShcIX5ds0sBE8TulzoKm1_2D52mrwrwEhXiAsuBiIGs-ZXdFw4hoHEOumYQMQH2pjxJ96SB06IcFSr0fYM/s1600/P1020175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6cVxcIW9GrN_C6pWh3ugHWwfrZN27D52kuwoY6PEXRsBBnAEhEShcIX5ds0sBE8TulzoKm1_2D52mrwrwEhXiAsuBiIGs-ZXdFw4hoHEOumYQMQH2pjxJ96SB06IcFSr0fYM/s640/P1020175.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>That's Arlington House (Custis-Lee Mansion) high up on the hill.<br />Those tombstones on the side are part of Arlington National Cemetery.</b></span></td></tr>
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Taking the path that first headed toward the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt Memorial, we stopped so many times to take photographs—as did almost
everyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is so beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People in paddleboats were out on the water,
and around us were the sounds of many languages as visitors commented to each
other.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3sm4pkJ7TqA6KGKI-wpKpJv8n2OEzLTG0nSZ77Bnx7OxVVJDvk4fTqILE_yjNALUWVoLtZoDg_m2jzlwQBeT4UGo6-SCd4ycjYX4pGnU6rf0Lu_DglwhfMRZ6EneywuTEQe_/s1600/P1020205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3sm4pkJ7TqA6KGKI-wpKpJv8n2OEzLTG0nSZ77Bnx7OxVVJDvk4fTqILE_yjNALUWVoLtZoDg_m2jzlwQBeT4UGo6-SCd4ycjYX4pGnU6rf0Lu_DglwhfMRZ6EneywuTEQe_/s640/P1020205.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The FDR Memorial consists of many structures. Waterfalls.<br />Quotations that remind us of our duty to our country and of our country to<br />its citizens.<br />Each quotation gives one pause to stop and to think.</b></span></td></tr>
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At the southern end of the FDR Memorial stands a gift, a pagoda dating back to the 1600s and weighing 3,800 pounds! It, as the cherry trees, was a gift from Japan, from the Mayor of Yokohama, commemorating a peace treaty between our countries signed in 1854. It has been in place since 1957. There's a sign giving The Pagoda's history as well as an explanation of its symbolism. </div>
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What I liked about it was its modest size set among the giant monuments yet demanding in a humble way, for visitors to stop, to read, and to think about the symbolism of the layers. Apparently I was not the only one who felt this way, as I had to wait to get close to the sign.</div>
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Our next stop was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. We'd never seen this monument before as the last time we were up at Cherry Blossom time, this monument had not been built. </div>
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It is magnificent. Strong, with Dr. King's quotations on the walls. As I stood looking upward to gaze at his profile, the Washington Monument rose in the distance, and I was struck by the importance of this place, of the importance of both men in founding something for this country and then working tirelessly to make their dreams become reality. </div>
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This area was as crowded with people as the FDR Memorial had been. Both men were persuasive and important speakers who inspired citizens to get through the rough times and strive to make lives better for all. The connections, if one knows American history, were phenomenal.</div>
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Continuing our walk past groups of tourists, food trucks, and even people posing for wedding pictures, we rounded our way along the Tidal Basin until we reached what I would say is the hallmark of the monuments--The Jefferson Memorial. There it stands, looking over the water, a noble and mighty structure beautifully designed. The pink of the cherry trees and the curve of the path accented the whiteness of the building. </div>
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From some angles, a visitor can look across the water and see the figure of Jefferson, tall and stalwart, looking out over the land. Impressive. Awesome.</div>
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If you cannot make this year's Cherry Blossom Festival, plan ahead and see if you can get
down to <st1:place><st1:city>Washington</st1:city> <st1:state>DC</st1:state></st1:place>
next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re in for a big Spring treat.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Washington, DC, USA38.9071923 -77.03687070000000938.7094553 -77.3595942 39.104929299999995 -76.714147200000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-26220433508339867152018-04-05T08:09:00.001-04:002018-04-05T08:11:53.060-04:00SUNRISE OVER THE GRAND TETONS--RAFTING ON THE SNAKE RIVER--WHAT A DAY!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbwQebMfSRzf_cYPP5QOKY-z1C0-ZGC4NOMBH2hnN0Tzrw5UeGbSj7I1a1BIm2tCM2yZ4lcj982Rm1JlSjsecyrzD19Fv36XaDXhk5FFM4ZCdj_87f470JbaQB_WWTG0pIC2S/s1600/P1020759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbwQebMfSRzf_cYPP5QOKY-z1C0-ZGC4NOMBH2hnN0Tzrw5UeGbSj7I1a1BIm2tCM2yZ4lcj982Rm1JlSjsecyrzD19Fv36XaDXhk5FFM4ZCdj_87f470JbaQB_WWTG0pIC2S/s400/P1020759.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Rafting on the Snake River</b></span></td></tr>
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Tauck Tours really knows how to arrange a grand finale, and
that’s exactly what happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed
in the Jackson Lake Lodge in a beautiful room looking out over the flats to the
Tetons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The view was inspiring and
magnificent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d heard, however, that
there is nothing compared to watching the sun come up.</div>
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I’m not a sunrise person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But what choice did I have? </span>This was my one chance, and I was not going to blow it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stood on the deck at the back of the
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The sun, rising from the east, is behind us, not behind the
Tetons which we face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot see the
sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it rises, it slowly sends its
rays toward the mountains in front of us, gradually, hitting the peaks first,
spreading downward, crossing the valley and eventually to where we stand, a
slow, beautiful turning of the earth to coral and pink and then lighting the
awakening world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Okfi30a9sO3Yfc-Nmakux3Cuwe-_i2OEP6YN075_-bdLdCvEJconXpqvw9yNBoPrWY1al_svyBNWYqGCUoLGUc26cyR2jC-XT8zUH-QS0OOjlhwc5sLLHc4Ld8mUQBHJDq2y/s1600/P1020543p.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Okfi30a9sO3Yfc-Nmakux3Cuwe-_i2OEP6YN075_-bdLdCvEJconXpqvw9yNBoPrWY1al_svyBNWYqGCUoLGUc26cyR2jC-XT8zUH-QS0OOjlhwc5sLLHc4Ld8mUQBHJDq2y/s640/P1020543p.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>At the beginning there is just the sun's pink coloring behind the mountains</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNU8DxnmTLs3p8V7hOoZjofcTBXjlcsHDtABpeQTM0LI6GRIqSu7dpEjTXh4FBP8w69l2JaDHe_VV2z3Ky2PSmkwUBiirfWzIAUJp8BCMSaBcjjRCbt6Q18SpFCktua4F8sK7/s1600/P1020587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNU8DxnmTLs3p8V7hOoZjofcTBXjlcsHDtABpeQTM0LI6GRIqSu7dpEjTXh4FBP8w69l2JaDHe_VV2z3Ky2PSmkwUBiirfWzIAUJp8BCMSaBcjjRCbt6Q18SpFCktua4F8sK7/s640/P1020587.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>As the sun ascends, the mountains capture the pinks and corals of day, and the light<br />spreads across the dark valley bringing color to it as well.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I’ve never seen anything so magnificent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The experience makes us feel very happy to be up and alive and able to enjoy the glorious morning.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB53qKRGL2w2aj-1TH_5QyH4FYK6emihyWGGFTygVFyDFexO0R1dYjs75PruKc_wm03iJCt23GdmirLNcYaefjkQtxMNyhMAU60OiZ7158lO1mbNhWITGF7eLZWfbeFpqSEPI/s1600/P1010295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB53qKRGL2w2aj-1TH_5QyH4FYK6emihyWGGFTygVFyDFexO0R1dYjs75PruKc_wm03iJCt23GdmirLNcYaefjkQtxMNyhMAU60OiZ7158lO1mbNhWITGF7eLZWfbeFpqSEPI/s640/P1010295.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Not to be outdone, the <st1:place>Snake River</st1:place>
offered up its view of the Tetons as we went rafting later the same morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our guide told us stories, pointed out the
importance of sights along the river, and answered a myriad of questions as we
all tried to get answers before leaving for home.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwj998TBWglMpCWTcwkF1yQ_Nbjf-YWwwyT5Igiv5nDdFvhW6DRoFW1Cku6HjBGjAQAOC7H-gAnbeI4bv0raRqQ3b1GJn7gGNHPF_BhNRKu6NDAJZYmxnyFrXfqiEkI38AfAX/s1600/P1010315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwj998TBWglMpCWTcwkF1yQ_Nbjf-YWwwyT5Igiv5nDdFvhW6DRoFW1Cku6HjBGjAQAOC7H-gAnbeI4bv0raRqQ3b1GJn7gGNHPF_BhNRKu6NDAJZYmxnyFrXfqiEkI38AfAX/s640/P1010315.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Magnificent!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBmgdYzzRbcK7AiWA0T1KW-rFLYaPMRVV7qSDmYBEGmW14omD17r69kOfEm4baZwqLl2dCCUI7BTJGy-sL4eUnIqSiqqxUcZiWiaJYFLcfczsuAdbdQMqj2fo0mz76ipEGdW9/s1600/P1010337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBmgdYzzRbcK7AiWA0T1KW-rFLYaPMRVV7qSDmYBEGmW14omD17r69kOfEm4baZwqLl2dCCUI7BTJGy-sL4eUnIqSiqqxUcZiWiaJYFLcfczsuAdbdQMqj2fo0mz76ipEGdW9/s640/P1010337.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5oGMlVR1U_Q_ROmqfyEYDXfQbicvtuSnG56uofY0JME1YVFx0rIp3zvphx47-RYHn0KIAac_RYK9oRxccvinZvqa6ohmTrG81OAoOKXnO8iE79y4N_M4i83Fp8xyUvxkSH2N/s1600/P1020699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5oGMlVR1U_Q_ROmqfyEYDXfQbicvtuSnG56uofY0JME1YVFx0rIp3zvphx47-RYHn0KIAac_RYK9oRxccvinZvqa6ohmTrG81OAoOKXnO8iE79y4N_M4i83Fp8xyUvxkSH2N/s640/P1020699.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Notice how those same peaks are always with us. Just glorious.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The afternoon was ours to enjoy independently, and Rob and I
took the Lunch Tree Hill Loop Trail beginning behind the Jackson Lake Lodge and
rising up to a ridge overlooking the valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The top became a favorite of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who
visited it in 1926.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The view is
splendid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The site serene</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhLo6HJwPkMyqCzqf8FeVx0Xp1X13C-aKCbSWz9dn3hj_aUhmSPIsvpf7E_zEDEc9SEtcoQrU3H1-OZr9ZKOxLXQ6SJ5ZL28b7TsbjL5jc9ULuZwdlEkqCsGrmGe8VBJE8ieI/s1600/P1020823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJhLo6HJwPkMyqCzqf8FeVx0Xp1X13C-aKCbSWz9dn3hj_aUhmSPIsvpf7E_zEDEc9SEtcoQrU3H1-OZr9ZKOxLXQ6SJ5ZL28b7TsbjL5jc9ULuZwdlEkqCsGrmGe8VBJE8ieI/s640/P1020823.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>We're actually on a hilltop, high above the Lodge. Magnificent.<br />Don't see views like this one in the East.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVR-LvLweXPuz411OkjFDWP2NmEyPLj0kIJXBVYD3Yu3lxS54zpnsUYHry7q0wymRHQPceki-1IXDl8zMg4UZrKidsYa1c9_cTlHwiM3A4QHaxWf-CXNKOmtrstGpMZKzSxuv/s1600/P1010436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVR-LvLweXPuz411OkjFDWP2NmEyPLj0kIJXBVYD3Yu3lxS54zpnsUYHry7q0wymRHQPceki-1IXDl8zMg4UZrKidsYa1c9_cTlHwiM3A4QHaxWf-CXNKOmtrstGpMZKzSxuv/s640/P1010436.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Interesting history. Can you imagine being out here as a trapper?</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju04TNa1OK9uJ15e8wrSUjUSLzRqD2gPibZShAJtpTAxrhGetrliGIHUICaK5MD2NLZWtcztULwZitDmRCZn-GaMjhSHdMmx8XI2ZSvhjCVLT8g3GcUdKO6D9Zd9re1kT-6qVy/s1600/P1010442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1600" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju04TNa1OK9uJ15e8wrSUjUSLzRqD2gPibZShAJtpTAxrhGetrliGIHUICaK5MD2NLZWtcztULwZitDmRCZn-GaMjhSHdMmx8XI2ZSvhjCVLT8g3GcUdKO6D9Zd9re1kT-6qVy/s640/P1010442.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Here's another view from the top of the trail.<br />You can see the roof of the Lodge off to the left.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That evening we had a farewell dinner for our small group,
and we sang “Happy Trails to You” to our friends from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Great
Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You remember the one who, as a boy, went to the Roy Rogers Riding Club
every Saturday morning to watch the TV show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a beautiful ending to this trip.</div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I add that we’ve booked another Tauck Tour—The Canadian
Rockies and <st1:place><st1:placename>Glacier</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>National
Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Jackson, WY, USA43.4799291 -110.7624281999999943.4338376 -110.84310919999999 43.5260206 -110.68174719999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-17992974958844954132018-03-28T16:20:00.002-04:002018-03-28T16:20:50.882-04:00FROM YELLOWSTONE TO GRAND TETON AND ON TO JACKSON HOLE -- THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2DVBCUAwETJtmvvu2l959ylXgFfTxtDsnB9VZfk6LdrZtxeLrnS1LC4UiiRNcvEgpw7uqtCX8RXYhX7aF1_K3CsYa-6jKY4YdkbF74t3VAWbJFUeTuOO0kyYVglm5Zt5T52o/s1600/P1010161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2DVBCUAwETJtmvvu2l959ylXgFfTxtDsnB9VZfk6LdrZtxeLrnS1LC4UiiRNcvEgpw7uqtCX8RXYhX7aF1_K3CsYa-6jKY4YdkbF74t3VAWbJFUeTuOO0kyYVglm5Zt5T52o/s400/P1010161.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>One last early morning look at Old Faithful <br />before we head out of Yellowstone</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Traveling with <a href="http://tauck.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Tauck Tours</b></span></a>, this Legends of the
American West adventure meant waking each morning with excited
anticipation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this day, leaving <st1:place><st1:placename>Yellowstone</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> meant arriving at <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Grand </b></span><st1:place><span style="color: blue;"><b>Teton National Park</b></span></st1:place></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We followed the <st1:place>Snake River</st1:place>,
began to hear about the majestic mountains, and got an inkling of the
vastness of the grasslands and the kinds of people who saw the ruggedness of <st1:state><st1:place>Wyoming</st1:place></st1:state>
as a welcoming factor--enough to call it home.<br />
<br />
Here's our first bit of amazement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Imagine an imaginary line beginning in <st1:state><st1:place>Alaska</st1:place></st1:state>,
running through western Canada, crossing the continental <st1:country-region><st1:place>United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> and continuing to <st1:country-region><st1:place>Mexico. That imaginary line is called </st1:place></st1:country-region>the Continental Divide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
not the halfway mark between the <st1:place>Atlantic</st1:place> and Pacific
oceans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the winding line separating
the waters that flow into the <st1:place>Pacific Ocean</st1:place> from the waters
that flow into the <st1:place>Atlantic Ocean</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiXlBZYOwvVE2dXjItP6HPc0sfk-xC_5Y1zwGn5vmD7IgwAiJNcS_x_hHGRYvgBqBPHp_Cmkun3xcbFXAoqYu4NUdOlY3_iPNMFwE1DiuXvmaxEspqRlpQ6z26qSncS_wCDuf/s1600/P1010174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiXlBZYOwvVE2dXjItP6HPc0sfk-xC_5Y1zwGn5vmD7IgwAiJNcS_x_hHGRYvgBqBPHp_Cmkun3xcbFXAoqYu4NUdOlY3_iPNMFwE1DiuXvmaxEspqRlpQ6z26qSncS_wCDuf/s640/P1010174.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Incredible to think that such an imaginary line can exist,
but that’s not all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Where we crossed the Continental Divide in <st1:state><st1:place>Wyoming</st1:place></st1:state>
is a lake named <st1:place><st1:placename>ISA</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>LAKE</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiksBRL9O57L6TsD3xNQCMfqbHE16rF6_W0-r6KLC4jt7fgimNMA0PQxjUf1HXA-6NfrS35RtManCRSHr2gzNdqx8quBhg58ebz84GcZ3sCG6TgHGT_Mn9liHaHcxRqOmTEssT/s1600/P1020377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiksBRL9O57L6TsD3xNQCMfqbHE16rF6_W0-r6KLC4jt7fgimNMA0PQxjUf1HXA-6NfrS35RtManCRSHr2gzNdqx8quBhg58ebz84GcZ3sCG6TgHGT_Mn9liHaHcxRqOmTEssT/s640/P1020377.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">Don't try to work out the pronunciation. It really Is A Lake.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
How did <st1:place><st1:placename>Isa</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place>
get its name?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one could decide if
this body of water was a lake or a river, so someone finally stomped a foot and
proclaimed it “IS A LAKE.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(true story
or legend of the old West?)<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGPDvpwrwgWbY6tJBYyLnFXlh-A97a9-yw02JzDc7h9D0KgHTYysMHsg4aSS9ntkO4Jn1PJTXRG6stkeifdHIiO-PRPChb4oztibfDxXgrw_1YHp7sUhRj1iFETIYqJByjC7u/s1600/P1020387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDGPDvpwrwgWbY6tJBYyLnFXlh-A97a9-yw02JzDc7h9D0KgHTYysMHsg4aSS9ntkO4Jn1PJTXRG6stkeifdHIiO-PRPChb4oztibfDxXgrw_1YHp7sUhRj1iFETIYqJByjC7u/s640/P1020387.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">Lovely and Peaceful and Unusual</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
What is so special about <st1:place><st1:placename>Isa</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Lake</st1:placetype></st1:place>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It empties into both the <st1:place>Atlantic</st1:place>
and the Pacific, and it does so BACKWARDS; that is the eastern part drains into
the Pacific while the western section drains into the <st1:place>Atlantic</st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might want to read that sentence again
and shake your head in wonder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
not a legend; this is true.</div>
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Our first stop in Grand <st1:place><st1:placename>Teton</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> is the <st1:place><a href="https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/cbvc.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>Colter Bay Visitor Center</b></span></a></st1:place>,
and there we have our first views of the majesty of the Tetons towering 7,000
feet above the valley floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
massive presence, steel grey with spots of glacial ice, dwarfs the trees,
grasslands, and lakes that lie below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am stunned by the magnificence of nature and of creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely this valley is one of the most
beautiful places on earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BPFsRT-MgnMn25x2mpWcMfYp6fh4_EWW42CxcJ0cskiC0DyUEfzlJwDup6h7x0A1p59VwxJtgHXxWP3vCXC9VYfSRW_MCAqMBlve8sxGR_REYALFsxH7dJS4oFGtDZAuH49X/s1600/P1010184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BPFsRT-MgnMn25x2mpWcMfYp6fh4_EWW42CxcJ0cskiC0DyUEfzlJwDup6h7x0A1p59VwxJtgHXxWP3vCXC9VYfSRW_MCAqMBlve8sxGR_REYALFsxH7dJS4oFGtDZAuH49X/s640/P1010184.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We also learned that the mountain have names, Please remember these names for the next post I write because these peaks are with us throughout the rest of our trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WUeHvoEHsziHr40EkhtZJfCY6ue7WEdZLOfmGh9lBQSvr3m6TwEbOf1RuSOmLPzamYQDE5dOu2cPqnZ9tBpbFcjsF4Bj_JKneLnptdael1ULcHAoGIXVTGbZFeP88GHlIC8V/s1600/mountains+named.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WUeHvoEHsziHr40EkhtZJfCY6ue7WEdZLOfmGh9lBQSvr3m6TwEbOf1RuSOmLPzamYQDE5dOu2cPqnZ9tBpbFcjsF4Bj_JKneLnptdael1ULcHAoGIXVTGbZFeP88GHlIC8V/s640/mountains+named.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Photos cannot begin to show the enormity of these peaks, </span><br /><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">but this scene was with us for the rest of our journey.</span><br /><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">It was nice to be on a name basis.</span><br /><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Later, when we talked about glaciers, it was easy to identify the different kinds on these mountains.</span><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Next stop--Jackson Hole.</span></div>
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<st1:place><span style="color: blue;"><b><a href="https://www.travelwyoming.com/cities/jackson?utm_source=google&gclid=CjwKCAjwnLjVBRAdEiwAKSGPIwsLctuakOAOEsZztn4wPG8G7S7vk4pCJKcIqvNmmU0WoEMz3BS3hxoCWrcQAvD_BwE" target="_blank"><st1:city>Jackson Hole</st1:city>, <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state></a></b></span></st1:place>
earns it fame in many ways, but driving in to the city is quite an
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t look like the
typical town, and in the center, the square is anchored by arches made of elk
antlers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re worried about the source of these
antlers, put that aside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing <st1:place>Jackson
Hole</st1:place> is famous for is its cold and its skiing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It gets so cold in the Tetons that animals
cannot survive, and the elk migrate down out of the mountains and come into the
valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do not have the natural
coats of the buffalo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, there is
a <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/national_elk_refuge/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><b>National Elk Refuge</b></span></a> established in 1912 to offer a winter home to some of the
largest elk herds in the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
refuge is home to approximately 7,000 elk each winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As bulls shed their antlers, a program began
to allow Boy Scouts to collect and sell them at auction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is where the antlers for the arches
originate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKbJ8xh1Gz63ohzD1ni5gj-q2nSPKpA6UK8FbDro_VOCuIj3zxQBABThT3OYCZXz0_wgeyMQzZmYZfgRHLdukQPYlKiYlPfJPpHvCBIXOdbj5pWqV80BFkmoIle4HpHrwjb71/s1600/P1020481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKbJ8xh1Gz63ohzD1ni5gj-q2nSPKpA6UK8FbDro_VOCuIj3zxQBABThT3OYCZXz0_wgeyMQzZmYZfgRHLdukQPYlKiYlPfJPpHvCBIXOdbj5pWqV80BFkmoIle4HpHrwjb71/s640/P1020481.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Beautiful. Amazing. Jackson Hole's unique signature. Four arches entering the town's park.</b></span></td></tr>
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Even in summer, <st1:place>Jackson Hole</st1:place> is a
tourist’s dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Restaurants, art shops,
mercantiles and western stores are everywhere, and it’s a great place to roam
when you’re not out enjoying all that nature has to offer in the mountains,
lakes, rivers, and in the valley. You might even spot some very famous people. I did.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivv9CcGidQ7Sxrjn5cX3vTelCjD4yZWWkvX5EsgVNKJwljwitjwJoIGMZPkcdG5-iweLy60YmhChzUZB1iDNXxbkbf5_ueFG9IL5tbz_Sr8CmM9NC8MRCOQS3i_DQYUniXsxMH/s1600/P1010219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivv9CcGidQ7Sxrjn5cX3vTelCjD4yZWWkvX5EsgVNKJwljwitjwJoIGMZPkcdG5-iweLy60YmhChzUZB1iDNXxbkbf5_ueFG9IL5tbz_Sr8CmM9NC8MRCOQS3i_DQYUniXsxMH/s400/P1010219.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">Interesting town. Look at those magnificent ski runs up the mountains.</span></b></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2RLD4W0W1ZdQSer4Q7QUGXlddNFa4UfAjcyLGIGZv8o0lP34O3t2HNYezu3MFF-rHVFhjtcMiqknRzjuw2dPvJlS91YEY1kuW8DNP6AqAfUbIjysbgYJIhvyeAbK4WLseG5x/s1600/P1010243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2RLD4W0W1ZdQSer4Q7QUGXlddNFa4UfAjcyLGIGZv8o0lP34O3t2HNYezu3MFF-rHVFhjtcMiqknRzjuw2dPvJlS91YEY1kuW8DNP6AqAfUbIjysbgYJIhvyeAbK4WLseG5x/s400/P1010243.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>One of the great store, the Mercantile, with a moose out front.<br />We had lots of fun inside too, and emerged with some "souvenirs."</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU504hP_cpGmrIieWLLswVzwBCgrjOox01HX_T6ghw_Kx6TH3ExFkWHdjE7Jtf8gkpxNvTqErKUS-uURMy69WXMug2zL2a3sLKEJMoPpMezeJCRtuyDkEACWt4xU0-aokTTyMM/s1600/P1010218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU504hP_cpGmrIieWLLswVzwBCgrjOox01HX_T6ghw_Kx6TH3ExFkWHdjE7Jtf8gkpxNvTqErKUS-uURMy69WXMug2zL2a3sLKEJMoPpMezeJCRtuyDkEACWt4xU0-aokTTyMM/s400/P1010218.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>There really is an atmosphere of the untamed west.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilquhz-_yp44TxkNIbYulhkGxznrKZQfBlLGuV7AIzf1Brr6OL2u6OxJx-VZlkdTAf7jHlsLCgu2sSk7rBKnt63VGlI6SjEU9jo9Q_G-j2MeYl9y7Mgo5ahbN65Tax6fdc-2-/s1600/P1010220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilquhz-_yp44TxkNIbYulhkGxznrKZQfBlLGuV7AIzf1Brr6OL2u6OxJx-VZlkdTAf7jHlsLCgu2sSk7rBKnt63VGlI6SjEU9jo9Q_G-j2MeYl9y7Mgo5ahbN65Tax6fdc-2-/s400/P1010220.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Right in the middle of town--Lewis and Clark exploring the continent.</b></span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9XiQUlTseZbYD24uWNVD1Mo4TxK1heALBsfJng2BvyFCQW_98vztkVsFiuXEbWovkeVzT0DKCT0pi0QM7zSHO089pzaZfNYxQOrWSvcaOhtceeJzLZg7LPMviheJCMY6Aigd/s1600/P1010223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9XiQUlTseZbYD24uWNVD1Mo4TxK1heALBsfJng2BvyFCQW_98vztkVsFiuXEbWovkeVzT0DKCT0pi0QM7zSHO089pzaZfNYxQOrWSvcaOhtceeJzLZg7LPMviheJCMY6Aigd/s400/P1010223.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">Who should I meet but Mark Twain and his young friends Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher</span></b></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufR6irD0LCURKhLhw0lz7HspKd0hI4NCp35f_vwQdItEqMn8n9T3QJ-YaYM4TcEkgIc3Ty8Lz7J3y4O4JERcnJe5wzCjsSLZmT_9zD8qsSzPGicqDQtdx507Pk7MFdF9KxNpx/s1600/P1010227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufR6irD0LCURKhLhw0lz7HspKd0hI4NCp35f_vwQdItEqMn8n9T3QJ-YaYM4TcEkgIc3Ty8Lz7J3y4O4JERcnJe5wzCjsSLZmT_9zD8qsSzPGicqDQtdx507Pk7MFdF9KxNpx/s640/P1010227.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Here's a chance to pose with those famous Ohioans <br />who flew for the first time in North Carolina<br />Wilbur and Orville Wright</b></span></td></tr>
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It truly was a wonderful day, and I highly recommend visiting any of these places, any time of year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Jackson, WY, USA43.4799291 -110.7624281999999943.4338376 -110.84310919999999 43.5260206 -110.68174719999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-34246852390877439082018-03-23T16:24:00.001-04:002018-03-23T16:24:50.055-04:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghN_jf3PVx1zcnY4Xf-3OpIBirIHBd27jyvYech-K_Un4YPaozEdcI7K_cSyeeqkpmUZz5yxjdKUyZtdW-tNfgujQGUd9IynOYZMqjJGHy9xrP89IInYSC1r1A1i6o_GIWZ_ke/s1600/KSnoqualmieFalls7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghN_jf3PVx1zcnY4Xf-3OpIBirIHBd27jyvYech-K_Un4YPaozEdcI7K_cSyeeqkpmUZz5yxjdKUyZtdW-tNfgujQGUd9IynOYZMqjJGHy9xrP89IInYSC1r1A1i6o_GIWZ_ke/s640/KSnoqualmieFalls7.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>I took this photo a few years ago in Washington State.<br />It is Snoqualmie Falls, a 269 foot drop.<br />Caught that rainbow!!!!<br /></b></span></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, WA 98024, USA47.5417209 -121.8377019000000122.0196864 -163.1462959 73.0637554 -80.529107900000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-1406558379326426302018-03-16T20:01:00.000-04:002018-03-16T20:01:32.043-04:00JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING--THERE'S OLD FAITHFUL<br />
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Just when we think we’ve seen everything amazing, we leave
Yellowstone Lake Hotel and head toward some of the most famous geysers in <st1:place><st1:placename>Yellowstone</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> on our way to the Old
Faithful Inn.</div>
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What an education!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The park keeps revealing its wonders, and we are practically stupefied
by what we see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yesterday’s introduction
to the thermal activities in the park was merely a prologue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today is the real story.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3Ep_sJ0RRyH4sAh23Hw3-R5jCbqPYOy8Z1StlIBIgyDIG5Xud-GwvO6zx2iypuU63LwId_LZe82gaulk7qwbLtYVTGcuwrwhsMch2Z2Iax-ZZqMQ75vSwTmijAcXY2EAKRGu/s1600/P1010063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3Ep_sJ0RRyH4sAh23Hw3-R5jCbqPYOy8Z1StlIBIgyDIG5Xud-GwvO6zx2iypuU63LwId_LZe82gaulk7qwbLtYVTGcuwrwhsMch2Z2Iax-ZZqMQ75vSwTmijAcXY2EAKRGu/s640/P1010063.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It begins simply enough as steam rising to the sky emanates
from the ground, but as we come closer, we see what surrounds these pools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The trees are bare, dead stalks, a skeletal reminder of what
once was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around the bases are white
rings known as “bobby socks.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The acids
in the water and land kill what is living, and what we see is all that is
left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks so incredibly desolate;
it looks as if we’ve wandered into a wasteland, and in some ways we have.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSzSfiDtnWXiQhZH6-D__xov8AtF5IVq1F3AYCce21-ChLcmCRG8hKLB6pLJq-Emi3KMfvo-3pN_dz2hUVF4K7tU0vR7dEd1yeE62K_X6jwpM3xmkIeGT31Vl4_45m9qqyF9E/s1600/P1010039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSzSfiDtnWXiQhZH6-D__xov8AtF5IVq1F3AYCce21-ChLcmCRG8hKLB6pLJq-Emi3KMfvo-3pN_dz2hUVF4K7tU0vR7dEd1yeE62K_X6jwpM3xmkIeGT31Vl4_45m9qqyF9E/s640/P1010039.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The treeS, absorbing the acids in the water, die, but their bases turn white and are called Bobby Socks,<br />just like the ones girls used to wear.</b></span></td></tr>
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When we leave the bus, we’re warned of the dangers around us
although there is probably no need. It's pretty obvious.</div>
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The beautiful, colorful pools, steam rising prettily, belie
the reality of boiling temperatures and the dangerously thin crust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The colors of the earth are caused by
microorganisms thriving in the heat. Strands of colorful bacteria are what we
see.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWIxsXOfPDyGEgSA8au4F3fcmA89BpEEEleF82w5-SvfRvarLnm1xnCKZhhzXveHWvTT7kdiln7GzMMrCLomFXunDCh_NgATDE79oPPz4s1IJIujZPePJpzvpucp3DBgyLd3x/s1600/P1010041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWIxsXOfPDyGEgSA8au4F3fcmA89BpEEEleF82w5-SvfRvarLnm1xnCKZhhzXveHWvTT7kdiln7GzMMrCLomFXunDCh_NgATDE79oPPz4s1IJIujZPePJpzvpucp3DBgyLd3x/s640/P1010041.JPG" width="640" /></a>Mudpots bubble away. I’m flabbergasted by this lone
evergreen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What gives it the ability to
survive in this parched, acidic earth?</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGR0c5MKdtdFOpuBhl_FJCyurDg5y0loIgsIMv0UdboGDOtNaeLN06q3r9BrPOE63KxbCo6dnn3OgOSyJTschWEYwxAgPDqdw8rxbYrcuuEf-ePwm3r4-xlBHOqrllEpthTXyv/s1600/P1010052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGR0c5MKdtdFOpuBhl_FJCyurDg5y0loIgsIMv0UdboGDOtNaeLN06q3r9BrPOE63KxbCo6dnn3OgOSyJTschWEYwxAgPDqdw8rxbYrcuuEf-ePwm3r4-xlBHOqrllEpthTXyv/s640/P1010052.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I’ve seen pictures, but nothing compares with seeing these
up close and hearing some of the stories that accompany them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Red Spouter was formed by the 1959 earthquake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day it did not exist, and the next day it
did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the spring with a lot of water,
it is a splashing, muddy bubbly pool, but as the water level drops, it becomes
a fumarole, a steam vent.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzFWMY4sHDcn1zP5pj7EV8B9rudqhuSGhVUrGdGhi6pXWMD4hHXsobLEWxlS0YhVlJGuHT6EJKVc17V5TcV6kiPB91CnXVhsPGM7Qu5VQun2bKKNFQT3ko0eRRwqE1a-LkvvF/s1600/P1020204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzFWMY4sHDcn1zP5pj7EV8B9rudqhuSGhVUrGdGhi6pXWMD4hHXsobLEWxlS0YhVlJGuHT6EJKVc17V5TcV6kiPB91CnXVhsPGM7Qu5VQun2bKKNFQT3ko0eRRwqE1a-LkvvF/s640/P1020204.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Imagine coming to work on morning and seeing Red Spouter for the first time!</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: justify;">Look at the colors in the Turquoise Pool.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigWdAsu3HY1t3xNeX__rA5SghQqDDtuyi-o-d91bEjfiHU7hj5uY0SE_9fkbTFzXCXJXDNfCIxCe32axN6tWSuX2x4Mkzw6KEAShygAos3Y7YC_meBAekfakQ0TYCvaBomVHf/s1600/P1020167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigWdAsu3HY1t3xNeX__rA5SghQqDDtuyi-o-d91bEjfiHU7hj5uY0SE_9fkbTFzXCXJXDNfCIxCe32axN6tWSuX2x4Mkzw6KEAShygAos3Y7YC_meBAekfakQ0TYCvaBomVHf/s640/P1020167.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The most beautiful of all the geysers in this part of the
park is the Grand Prismatic Spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is the largest hot spring coming in at a whopping 160°. Magma from an active
volcano heats water that rises through fissures in the rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Microorganisms contribute the color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is beautiful and treacherous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And did you catch the words “active volcano”?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteiof0u_YEZ1LtCo-Ttw9TLKCYg7Lhpiy1PhaPKf_I3A-2A7vw5zsOhIhGSORKqnLzRoecii9IQGIYOCigvu-ReW7ZRaFRL4bgp3e2Cboj4OTD2MXqS0qB6g3adp7vw82TvAG/s1600/P1020265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjteiof0u_YEZ1LtCo-Ttw9TLKCYg7Lhpiy1PhaPKf_I3A-2A7vw5zsOhIhGSORKqnLzRoecii9IQGIYOCigvu-ReW7ZRaFRL4bgp3e2Cboj4OTD2MXqS0qB6g3adp7vw82TvAG/s640/P1020265.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Difficult to believe that the Grand Prismatic Spring's magnificent colors<br />are caused by microorganisms in the water. <br />It's all wonderful, beautiful, and extraordinary. Almost beyond belief.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p> </o:p>You might be concerned by my oftentimes reminder of the
danger of these areas. Honestly, I was a
little uncomfortable in many of these areas because, believe it or not, some of
the boardwalks do not have railing; they’re just flat, a bit above the
ground. That is true on the entire path
to and round the Grand Prismatic Spring. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But uncomfortable or not, I was not going to miss this grand
opportunity to see some totally outstanding sights.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It wasn’t over yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We headed for our next hotel, the National Landmark designated <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.usparklodging.com/yellowstone/old_faithful_inn.php">Old
Faithful Inn</a></b>, which opened in 1904 and is constructed out of local
materials to recreate a forest inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To see it is to understand the outstanding tribute it pays to the
environment surrounding it in <st1:place><st1:placename>Yellowstone</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</div>
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I add that we met a couple from <st1:country-region><st1:place>Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>
who made their reservations here more than 15 months before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want a room at this inn, plan far in
advance.</div>
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Wonderful as this is, we were there to witness the eruption
of the most famous geyser in <st1:place>Yellowstone</st1:place>—<st1:place>Old
Faithful</st1:place>.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKzQN9XIaaVZuME-TteToXjUiowJ-sw3sosOCUOCI28DYc-TPOlhXDAeHonapk-VnTjFte5otHuR-bxDpeK85CwRMQGzz3XF246lexBzl5nnUESbcBAmLW6NWcpSwI3Fsj2cp/s1600/P1010123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKzQN9XIaaVZuME-TteToXjUiowJ-sw3sosOCUOCI28DYc-TPOlhXDAeHonapk-VnTjFte5otHuR-bxDpeK85CwRMQGzz3XF246lexBzl5nnUESbcBAmLW6NWcpSwI3Fsj2cp/s640/P1010123.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">We've all heard the name, but to see Old Faithful<br />up close and personal<br />is the experience of a lifetime.</span></b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Discovered in 1870, <st1:place>Old Faithful</st1:place> is
so named because it erupts on a regular basis, anywhere between 60 and 110
minutes, and its eruptions are predicted on charts inside the inn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since <st1:place>Yellowstone</st1:place>
became the world’s first national park in 1872, <st1:place>Old Faithful</st1:place>
has erupted more than 1 million times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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The geyser is incredibly beautiful to watch because it
begins with bubbles and slowly but continuously increases its height and the
force of the steam. Visitors sitting on benches around the perimeter of the
area are treated to this breathtaking spectacle and sit in awe of Nature’s
wonder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not to disappoint its audience, <st1:place>Old
Faithful</st1:place> rises to 100-180 feet at each performance, averaging
between 130 and 140 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s quite a
show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it reaches its height, it
slowly slackens and lowers itself back into the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Performance over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Audience wide-eyed and slack-jawed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WOW!</div>
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<br /></div>
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By the way, during an eruption, <st1:place>Old Faithful</st1:place>’s
temperature at the vent has been measured at 204° and the steam above 350°.</div>
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Here we witness just a touch of Nature’s incredible power,
and we are awed.</div>
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What more is there to say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Yellowstone National Park, United States44.427963 -110.5884550000000118.905928499999998 -151.897049 69.9499975 -69.279861000000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-58748020399164607662017-11-11T07:32:00.000-05:002017-11-11T07:39:01.852-05:00FRIDAY'S FOTO<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMTxdAkzzLZIHsS9KbBmYMfDEWB-wa0-LfD8_L2ncv-Ma4rrX0jAxnNWnBYba6jcBk6cypaiJoZmhyphenhyphen6TQ-E3-vOGEaAM7yvJel-2ppjgntCbhuDwLuJvRa8aEc_QVV7saQQ3U/s1600/P1130874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMTxdAkzzLZIHsS9KbBmYMfDEWB-wa0-LfD8_L2ncv-Ma4rrX0jAxnNWnBYba6jcBk6cypaiJoZmhyphenhyphen6TQ-E3-vOGEaAM7yvJel-2ppjgntCbhuDwLuJvRa8aEc_QVV7saQQ3U/s640/P1130874.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>One of the most amazing places in the world is PETRA,<br />an ancient site located in Jordan<br />and dating back to 300 BCE.<br />The rose color of this building, known as The Treasury, is one of many carved into the sandstone along with figures, and tombs, and other incredible carvings.<br />Visitors enter and leave through a slotted canyon named El Siq. I walked down and rode back on a donkey. </b></span></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Jordan30.3284544 35.444362230.1075104 35.1216387 30.549398399999998 35.7670857tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-3889193168780861012017-11-07T11:55:00.000-05:002017-11-07T11:55:36.592-05:00FROM CODY, WY. TO YELLOWSTONE AND THE SIGHTS IN BETWEEN. SUPER!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZkqMUYTgI-LXEZjIDrm_DU4t1NZELMCr9oJYY2QA2FhexZMPmb20sRAtcrv7iLFBbrfMrmhAb4bJQfctDE5h9lSFeW7g0LOZIe6wJQjcbNOI8c51ZZCvZ-y5iv5Eg3wUen2M/s1600/P1000922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZkqMUYTgI-LXEZjIDrm_DU4t1NZELMCr9oJYY2QA2FhexZMPmb20sRAtcrv7iLFBbrfMrmhAb4bJQfctDE5h9lSFeW7g0LOZIe6wJQjcbNOI8c51ZZCvZ-y5iv5Eg3wUen2M/s400/P1000922.JPG" width="400" /></a>Leaving <st1:place><st1:city>Cody</st1:city>, <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state></st1:place>
we are treated to another eye-full drive. We roll along
part of the 146 mile shoreline of the reservoir formed by the Buffalo Bill
Dam. Like spider threads thrown off the
water are irrigation canals for agriculture.
It makes the area bloom.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We don’t leave Buffalo Bill behind easily. We make a stop at Pahaska Tepee, Cody’s
hunting lodge, and it’s beautiful. It’s
the original building and so are many of the furnishings. This is no rustic cabin. In the 1920s in one
of the eight bedrooms upstairs, the Prince of Monaco slept. I’m glad we didn’t miss this. It's such a reflection of the man who built it.<br />
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdre7yXUmIrvWtSkBhV2C1Xdnv8xTT4rYA1wmDR_NhmK7wJBCsoU7bS477DGnO4UeetGNEDLwkhxHJ5MGT-oP8EqPPZwp-QzOICRqgGlZFaES_YPHptRULBcDvwNFgnauLaru/s1600/P1000912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdre7yXUmIrvWtSkBhV2C1Xdnv8xTT4rYA1wmDR_NhmK7wJBCsoU7bS477DGnO4UeetGNEDLwkhxHJ5MGT-oP8EqPPZwp-QzOICRqgGlZFaES_YPHptRULBcDvwNFgnauLaru/s640/P1000912.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>This is the main room of Pahaska Tepee, Buffalo Bill Cody's hunting lodge. <br />It's very comfortable with leather chairs and a huge, stone fireplace.<br />I got a kick out of the fact that Bill's own portrait hangs above the fireplace.<br />No visiting upstairs because of the wood stairs that they say is a safety risk, but the back room is a long dining room, almost like a banquet room.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Along the road to Yellowstone National Park is the strangest structure, The Pagoda.<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zd8DWzESr3kz4Kwl4i_3ho030kdQ2Jxvp9QNuEsfONaFSLbHSmqDQ7XQtFuqG91BzJzZCUzthFM5k4cVzuj_mLhtShhZOti3_YW83nwr-olmOBaqz7wwvWXYxsGHGe2XBnhF/s1600/P1010874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zd8DWzESr3kz4Kwl4i_3ho030kdQ2Jxvp9QNuEsfONaFSLbHSmqDQ7XQtFuqG91BzJzZCUzthFM5k4cVzuj_mLhtShhZOti3_YW83nwr-olmOBaqz7wwvWXYxsGHGe2XBnhF/s640/P1010874.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>This is known as The Pagoda.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>It was started as a "weekend project" in the 1950s</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>and for one reason of another, the builder gave up at this stage.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Here is stands for all this length of time.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS2IzUrtnOTo_ZXicbnwxjRasgEWJXPQ4C2gfSuUwQgHWHjqsckUCFF9TrhV20EW-NkOMfwK20pGVMarudn2R1fLd2UZR-U21s6spCtD5TkSzKGbYEW7eBa0km0NeCFlsCxjv/s1600/P1000899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqS2IzUrtnOTo_ZXicbnwxjRasgEWJXPQ4C2gfSuUwQgHWHjqsckUCFF9TrhV20EW-NkOMfwK20pGVMarudn2R1fLd2UZR-U21s6spCtD5TkSzKGbYEW7eBa0km0NeCFlsCxjv/s640/P1000899.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>As we drive through the valley, we see Nature's sculpting ability<br />in the formations rising high above us.<br />Do you see the bear, the lion, and the blacksmith?<br />What else do you see?</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: justify;">The land is so beautiful.
In the far distance, the mountains don’t look real; they appear as a
painted landscape. There is an other
worldly aspect to their beauty, and we are anxious to reach them as we drive
through the </span><st1:place style="text-align: justify;"><st1:placename>Shoshone</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>National
Forest</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPwEZPTW7t1RYs6wD7a3XcgOqvVM29y4bi7r3XVYLwSxBddLGRkV46yx5wilY-suyCGe-GhNg1rbX3O7UHxddE4bNRFozQGB300EAfsmpPQOV3q2lbKLYHKVkwbzf4WrUuwwy/s1600/P1000877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPwEZPTW7t1RYs6wD7a3XcgOqvVM29y4bi7r3XVYLwSxBddLGRkV46yx5wilY-suyCGe-GhNg1rbX3O7UHxddE4bNRFozQGB300EAfsmpPQOV3q2lbKLYHKVkwbzf4WrUuwwy/s640/P1000877.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Beautiful, isn't it?<br />It's so rugged, and it looks like a painting as we speed past.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Our destination is <st1:place><st1:placename>Yellowstone</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>, a place with more
geysers than <st1:country-region>New Zealand</st1:country-region>
or <st1:country-region>Iceland</st1:country-region>,
countries known for their geysers. The <st1:place>Yellowstone</st1:place>
we visit was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions so huge that the central
part of the park is actually a 35 by 45 mile caldera. If you have ever been to <st1:place><st1:placename>Volcano</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> in <st1:state>Hawaii</st1:state>
and flown above to see the caldera of <st1:place>Kilauea</st1:place> or have
climbed to the caldera of Diamondhead, you will literally suck in your breath
when you think of the eruption that produced <st1:place>Yellowstone</st1:place>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The geysers, mud volcanoes, fumaroles, <st1:city>hot
springs</st1:city> and other thermal phenomena are caused by the
still-active magmatic forces bubbling just below the surface. You are above seismic activity. If it should blow….<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8N7abwji-LMsF-83OoYkA7RxaFqd6ijO6dQ-7jda2yfCmi1kFGARL8lTxa3Y2bImxivmminBKCzD90eus4TVkKNRTF7h7pnFWeCAihRQhYJQNA130m8oQoF60xhak_qDq82-F/s1600/P1010018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8N7abwji-LMsF-83OoYkA7RxaFqd6ijO6dQ-7jda2yfCmi1kFGARL8lTxa3Y2bImxivmminBKCzD90eus4TVkKNRTF7h7pnFWeCAihRQhYJQNA130m8oQoF60xhak_qDq82-F/s640/P1010018.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Just one of the many thermal wonders spouting the steam created<br />by the activity below the earth's surface.<br />Makes you really wonder about the earth on which we stand.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
These thermal wonders as well as the magnificent wildlife,
the beautiful trees and rugged mountains are what we see during our three days
in <b><a href="http://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm"><span style="color: blue;">Yellowstone National Park</span></a></b>, and
our excitement is practically palpable.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Actually, traffic moved pretty well along the park roads,
one reason that we looked for a late season visit there, but one occurrence
consistently stopped everyone dead in their tracks—the appearance of
wildlife. Here you can see what
constantly happens when bison decide to cross the road!!!! I don’t believe anyone minds however; the
thrill of seeing them never fades.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9gQAhmc8Bk6puM2NlM126mB8iglFvLcbwjeHzI28n1ixBaBkzaNoYTz4RezFADtyDY3LMGrvMWBQ3iQqQ-wZ9ovAYaW7lNtee5HJQCEycN5XfxYvVF1vuPj0co-9C6K2_W-f/s1600/P1000966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9gQAhmc8Bk6puM2NlM126mB8iglFvLcbwjeHzI28n1ixBaBkzaNoYTz4RezFADtyDY3LMGrvMWBQ3iQqQ-wZ9ovAYaW7lNtee5HJQCEycN5XfxYvVF1vuPj0co-9C6K2_W-f/s640/P1000966.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Bison are incredible.<br />But it really isn't wise to get too close.<br />People really do get hurt.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
All the traffic in the world doesn’t matter when you take
the time to explore <st1:place>Yellowstone</st1:place>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The gorge that is <b><a href="http://www.gov/yell/learn/nature/grand-canyon.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone</span></a></b> is magnificent: the layered rock strata of
blacks and browns dotted here and there with tenacious pine and worn away by
the constant forces of rushing water cascading down the crevice creating rising
mists at the base before it hits another drop and becomes a waterfall again.
The sound of the roaring water does not lessen the beauty of the browns,
blacks, greens and whites against a blue sky.
It is spell-binding.<br />
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojKaDyO100JQAOrIaQJvFtML1oHQ95TNlGKzzD_Cqy0ahqGodxUUZJU8Bhq8AwT7OGHRbana9P0qdF7LbmX-G8I7FuGqqE1ehzA3yY5URuthwUSF868Hk4MmwqRjNhKFy2YbQ/s1600/P1000971p.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojKaDyO100JQAOrIaQJvFtML1oHQ95TNlGKzzD_Cqy0ahqGodxUUZJU8Bhq8AwT7OGHRbana9P0qdF7LbmX-G8I7FuGqqE1ehzA3yY5URuthwUSF868Hk4MmwqRjNhKFy2YbQ/s640/P1000971p.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone<br />Spellbinding<br />Please follow the link in blue for a description of how this incredible canyon was formed.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRGRRhjUt3Vuy6Huz3FZKVn_S696eJIsThPSDDYwitp5Qt4N9Y03hXKn6Q4nmXe_KanA_UaG7FQ9GaRJAsvu1Kf1EIGKWuQGBSNAl0wM9VwLvKPopOmvKDCY-Xtp9il8876_i/s1600/P1020084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRGRRhjUt3Vuy6Huz3FZKVn_S696eJIsThPSDDYwitp5Qt4N9Y03hXKn6Q4nmXe_KanA_UaG7FQ9GaRJAsvu1Kf1EIGKWuQGBSNAl0wM9VwLvKPopOmvKDCY-Xtp9il8876_i/s640/P1020084.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
This is only the beginning.
On to some of the great thermal sights in the park. One thing to keep constantly in mind are the
warnings about nature’s display. It’s
dangerous and tricky.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujSkQO-FaJG88O_MA_E14vERNxAgDEi8ReYKTd8WrU-fVoYzT3WXvG0KomMySl4XKHkFZrFhKJJGCVO5BQGkt1czvtlyriVAv-qvj0vgh7NBIfSnQa__WehxXUcffcn5uHMs7/s1600/P1020116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujSkQO-FaJG88O_MA_E14vERNxAgDEi8ReYKTd8WrU-fVoYzT3WXvG0KomMySl4XKHkFZrFhKJJGCVO5BQGkt1czvtlyriVAv-qvj0vgh7NBIfSnQa__WehxXUcffcn5uHMs7/s640/P1020116.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Other signs gave some of the numbers of people injured and burned.<br />Sometimes people are so strange. We saw teenagers testing with their feet, and we saw, in another area, adults letting their children romp off the designated paths.<br />Wonders never cease.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<br />
We began touring the mud volcanoes, highly acidic and
accompanied by pungent sulfuric odors.
The path is a boardwalk, and the different mud volcanoes bubble and
spurt steam and gasses, rumbling at you as you walk by. There’s nothing inviting here, but you cannot
resist a fascination with the bubbly mud and the steam emanating and rising
into the sky.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe-ORaabJmQcBoXlJH3ToTCINfusPU1P2XTucxrwh3_y2Qm5bG29shlpBjnn-HxfixRjDafWt9D5UysVMwMLU2vaBfWsuwhfWqbW2NyDPRItZkHiuXX5GjjyOqwAF4Isyrt-i/s1600/P1010012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe-ORaabJmQcBoXlJH3ToTCINfusPU1P2XTucxrwh3_y2Qm5bG29shlpBjnn-HxfixRjDafWt9D5UysVMwMLU2vaBfWsuwhfWqbW2NyDPRItZkHiuXX5GjjyOqwAF4Isyrt-i/s640/P1010012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: red; font-size: medium;">It's impossible to forget what is going on under your feet.<br />I wonder what possesses people to test the acidity and to disregard the warnings on the signs.<br />This is an incredible walk, and I wonder what happened to people prior to the boardwalk.</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mud volcanoes change.
In 1870, explorers were amazed at a volcano spewing steam and mud into
the treetops and shaking the ground; two years later, the volcano had blown
itself apart and became the muddy, bubbling sight that greeted us. Some mud volcanoes, on the other hand, appear
overnight. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj453QCJ9cr0kRtg9vcy60akGAtJRYyZX3pD-2Uz9XBUpo0fz0cwGdbsri-W6wXDaH7Mf4fR9LOGA1kUhT_w1bgzOduAdrizi1x4Nj-GxlULOaQZJGIrnP3iCRSOU7oUmcqMPaA/s1600/P1020109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj453QCJ9cr0kRtg9vcy60akGAtJRYyZX3pD-2Uz9XBUpo0fz0cwGdbsri-W6wXDaH7Mf4fR9LOGA1kUhT_w1bgzOduAdrizi1x4Nj-GxlULOaQZJGIrnP3iCRSOU7oUmcqMPaA/s640/P1020109.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Some areas are quite beautiful, but we soon learned that the
colors are caused, for the most part, by bacteria. That sort of takes the edge off, so we just
shake our heads in amazement at nature’s artistry.<br />
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIdsjBcwC8mHmBiKslGantYl_E5MpzjoFAHepm55On8D90Owx9Q4AtYv5GfNiHsvz44fiB9XRycfYQm3uGEtyD0cId1-cQaXHll6iykEhYO-51UGwVlEH9JAxmaMqe4B47kI4/s1600/P1020121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIdsjBcwC8mHmBiKslGantYl_E5MpzjoFAHepm55On8D90Owx9Q4AtYv5GfNiHsvz44fiB9XRycfYQm3uGEtyD0cId1-cQaXHll6iykEhYO-51UGwVlEH9JAxmaMqe4B47kI4/s640/P1020121.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Steam and boardwalks and vibrant colors.<br />It's almost difficult to believe that this is how it has "always" been.<br />It's also hard to believe that the vivid colors are caused by bacteria.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I’m glad we stayed in at the <b><a href="http://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/lodging/cabins/lake-yellowstone-hotel-cabins/"><span style="color: blue;">Yellowstone
Lake Hotel</span></a></b> in the park because as the clock gets closer to dinner time,
there is a mass exodus of park visitors. Those are the real lines of
traffic. Hotels outside the park are
quite a distance. But there are other
reasons that this hotel is so exciting. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOlVjY5vq19W7aRHCvUjVmcrpVufQ-8rVTqA3v54hNKsq6NaO-rJMEV3gFLsO9mWzL44fNoa_5BDqxCXYBc4dBrSNmBmplt94LcbSTi-KKgq_oJX_NgB1-W49JcN2jY-8WvLZ/s1600/P1000944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="1600" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOlVjY5vq19W7aRHCvUjVmcrpVufQ-8rVTqA3v54hNKsq6NaO-rJMEV3gFLsO9mWzL44fNoa_5BDqxCXYBc4dBrSNmBmplt94LcbSTi-KKgq_oJX_NgB1-W49JcN2jY-8WvLZ/s640/P1000944.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The beautiful Yellowstone Lake Hotel.<br />Travelers rode two days into the park to reach this hotel.<br />It is simple and grand at the same time.<br />Its atmosphere reflects the calm beauty of its enviornment.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is 175 years old, and yes, it has been remodeled, the
last time in 2014. As a member of
Historic Hotels of <st1:country-region>America</st1:country-region>,
it is not allowed to install wifi although wired internet is in each room. Nor are there televisions. Board games are available if one desires, and
there is a real attempt to preserve the atmosphere as it once was. The original 300 rooms are now shrunk to 157
as bathrooms (thank goodness) ate up a great deal of space, so the Yellowstone
Lake Hotel has a glamour of its own that makes a stay here utterly charming.</div>
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<br />
We walked down to the gorgeous lake and just reveled in its beauty.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviUXwj1WnoZhvrlN-ebPbaQ_4buEqpmTUPgFfyfT8WdrrAjMmx7v5JgEm4ZxeVREq39ovsCiccDRJ_UsOPGPhcChjJ2oMt3Nc6VzpojjQdKd1QHUsZJBJiWvZAn4aKg2xo3P2/s1600/P1020050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="1600" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviUXwj1WnoZhvrlN-ebPbaQ_4buEqpmTUPgFfyfT8WdrrAjMmx7v5JgEm4ZxeVREq39ovsCiccDRJ_UsOPGPhcChjJ2oMt3Nc6VzpojjQdKd1QHUsZJBJiWvZAn4aKg2xo3P2/s640/P1020050.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Quiet and peaceful.<br />There is an overwhelming sense of calm down by the lake where some people sit, some stand, but all stare, overcome with awe.</b></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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Another magnificent day.
Awaiting to see what is in store tomorrow.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Yellowstone National Park, United States44.427963 -110.5884550000000138.357742 -120.9156035 50.498183999999995 -100.26130650000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-65142378532374342322017-11-04T07:14:00.000-04:002017-11-04T07:14:49.274-04:00FRIDAY'S FOTO<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWOEqlvd5Y78ERnu6RkqNnyTUj4qr5o7dfcZtj0OXvjNupJ9Whg0xU3yNQUUKpz_FpobXql3JM7zLTMqDm5iuPVloECtZvAz0R9gwRPUS7Gbp7-FuLR00e-0Tlt-ifE_C80H9/s1600/P1050662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWOEqlvd5Y78ERnu6RkqNnyTUj4qr5o7dfcZtj0OXvjNupJ9Whg0xU3yNQUUKpz_FpobXql3JM7zLTMqDm5iuPVloECtZvAz0R9gwRPUS7Gbp7-FuLR00e-0Tlt-ifE_C80H9/s640/P1050662.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Traveling through that engineering wonder, the Panama Canal.<br />Looking closely, you can see how little space is left on either side of a ship moving goods<br />and/or people from one ocean side to another.<br />Cruise ships like our Coral Princess must be smaller to go through.<br />We went on a repositioning cruise as the Coral Princess moved from its winter Caribbean itinerary to its summer Alaskan itinerary. Most cruises do not go all the way through from one ocean to the other.<br />The three steps of the Gatun Locks, via gravity, each lower ships 28 feet to the level of the Atlantic Ocean. You can see that how much lower the cargo ship is in front of us.<br />A great book about the Panama Canal is David McCullough's<i> The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal</i></b></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Panama Canal, Panama9.1438034 -79.7285160999999798.6421488999999987 -80.373963099999983 9.6454579 -79.083069099999975tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-33781270505869960552017-10-31T12:12:00.001-04:002017-10-31T12:12:42.113-04:00WOW! A WALTON'S MOUNTAIN MUSEUM IN VIRGINIA'S BLUE RIDGE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcvsbUB6MQWsoHIPTASgeoy-4i9b77rZKBMy3aPwI6cu_2j4IVO-N7VNynwP7g1Z3EXEwUqG604EvdIWKoN_9vOc-jZuIsCPa6UTkT-7HhVKUo6ByT6q2uFcyrpTsT4V1LuG9/s1600/P1010794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcvsbUB6MQWsoHIPTASgeoy-4i9b77rZKBMy3aPwI6cu_2j4IVO-N7VNynwP7g1Z3EXEwUqG604EvdIWKoN_9vOc-jZuIsCPa6UTkT-7HhVKUo6ByT6q2uFcyrpTsT4V1LuG9/s400/P1010794.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes, Virginia, there is a <a href="http://www.waltonmuseum.org/" target="_blank"><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Walton’s Mountain Museum</span></b></a>, and if
you were a fan of that television show, it is definitely worth the visit to
Schuyler, Virginia not far from Lynchburg or Charlottesville, Virginia.</div>
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More than two years ago while driving down to North
Carolina, Rob and I passed a sign advertising the Walton’s Mountain Museum, and
I’ve been anxious to go ever since. We
were passing through the <st1:place><st1:placename>Rockfish</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place>
at the time, part of the <st1:place><st1:placename>Walton</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Mountain</st1:placetype></st1:place>’s
locale. It was kind of exciting that we
finally did visit the museum.</div>
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I’ll be honest and say that I thought this would be a quick
visit simply to satisfy my curiosity. I
loved that TV show. But we spent two
good hours in the museum throughout which time people constantly came and
went. It’s a busy place. It is a good museum. I’ll also add that Richard Thomas, the actor
who played John Boy, the oldest son, was coming the following weekend to
celebrate the 25<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the museum. Events were scheduled, and I bet it was going
to be nice.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>So many discussions took place in the Walton living room where people entered directly through the doorway</b></span></td></tr>
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Walton’s Mountain ran from 1971-1981. We viewers watched
this <st1:place><st1:placename>Blue Ridge</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Mountain</st1:placetype></st1:place>
country family make it through the depression and through part of WWII. The children grew up, got their educations,
married, and followed their dreams. We viewers were all part of it. New characters were added, and some departed. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Decisions were often made around the family's kitchen table</b></span></td></tr>
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Grandpa Zeb passed away when the actor Will Greer died, and
Ellen Corby who played Grandma had a stroke and was out of the show for a while
recuperating, unable to walk and barely able to speak. </div>
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I learned at the museum that Ellen Corby really wanted to
return to the show. She was the
long-time actress you might remember in <b style="font-style: italic;">It’s a Wonderful Life </b>as the woman
in the Savings and Loan whom George Bailey kissed when she asked for only a
small amount of money. </div>
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On The Walton’s, one of the most meaningful episodes for the
writers as well as for the cast was when Grandma returns home from the hospital
after her stroke, barely able to speak.
The family hustles about to do everything for her, continually asking
her what she needs. Finally Grandma says
two words, “Need me.” That says it all,
doesn’t it? Thematically it fits right
into the series’ aim.</div>
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A visit to the museum begins with a video about the series. It includes interviews with the cast members
and their feelings about the show as well as their special memories. We also get to see them as they were when the
video was made, and it’s always nice to get the “Where are they now?”
viewpoint. Then there’s time for
visitors to tour the museum.</div>
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That’s when I learned that Kami Cotler, who played the
youngest Walton, Elizabeth, was so impressed by the locale (although filming
was done in California) that she became a teacher and went to the Blue Ridge to
teach for a number of years. She then
went back to <st1:state>California</st1:state> and
opened a <st1:place><st1:placename>Charter</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>School</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</div>
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<st1:place><st1:city><br /></st1:city></st1:place></div>
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<st1:place><st1:city>Schuyler</st1:city>, <st1:state>Virginia</st1:state></st1:place>
is actually a pretty little town where the show’s creator, Earl Hamner, Jr. grew up. His voice is the show’s narrator, ostensibly
an adult John Boy. The Walton family is
based on Hamner’s own. In the museum’s photographic
displays, we see that the actors actually resemble their real-life
counterparts. Some of the locations for the
show are still there in Schuyler, a tiny town of about 2,000 tucked away in a
beautiful section of Virgina.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The picturesque Rockfish River runs alongside Schuyler, Virginia</b></span></td></tr>
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The road to Schuyler is only a bit more than six miles off
Rt. 29, but it is slow going. It follows
the twists and turns of the <st1:place><st1:placename>Rockfish</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>River</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
and though it is barely wide enough for two cars, the speed limit is
55mph. As Rob rarely broke 35 because of
the twists, turns, and narrowness, we joked that if a person really drove the
speed limit, it would be a one time drive.
It was a pretty road, though, as it came into the town of <st1:city>Schuyler</st1:city>
with its general store, homes, and churches.
“Country—After All These Years.” (Chet Atkins)</div>
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The museum is housed in Schuyler’s former elementary
school. The former classrooms are
decorated to replicate the series’ sets, so a visitor enters the Walton’s house
and sees that famous kitchen and living room, visits John Boy’s room, Ike and
Cora Godsey’s store and post office, and even has an opportunity to visit the Baldwin
sisters’ living room and see a still where bottles of “the recipe” fill the
shelves. The still used in the museum is
actually one “confiscated” but not working.
However, diagrams teach how one could put it back in action. It just
makes me smile even to think back on it now.
It’s all there; no imagination needed.
An absolutely pleasant visit. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Here are the delightful Baldwin sisters, those lovely Southern ladies who just loved to make "Papa's recipe."</b></span></td></tr>
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There is a gift shop, of course, and I couldn’t resist
sending a few post cards and taking a picture with Ike and Cora at the Post
Office. And I could not resist buying a
t shirt. It was a good day. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>I couldn't resist taking a picture with Ike and irrepressible Cora Godsy right in their store that doubled as the post office.</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Schuyler was proud of its native son, and it honored Earl Hamner, Jr.</b></span></td></tr>
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And with this final photo of my tshirt, I will give a Walton's line that every fan memorized: </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>GOOD NIGHT, JOHN BOY</b></span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Schuyler, VA 22969, USA37.7923645 -78.69835009999997112.270329999999998 -120.00694409999997 63.314398999999995 -37.389756099999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-83291412431739544402017-10-20T22:16:00.004-04:002017-10-20T22:16:56.980-04:00VIRGINIA'S NATURAL BRIDGE--AH, HOW BEAUTIFUL THE MARRIAGE OF NATURE AND TIME<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>This is Virginia's Natural Bridge<br />It is 215 feet high, 55 feet higher than Niagara Falls<br />It is 40 feet thick and 100 feet wide.<br />Look at the people walking beneath to get some perspective of size.<br />It was created over time by the small Cedar Creek flowing toward the ocean<br />It belonged to Lord Fairfax who, in 1750, hired George Washington to survey. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Washingtonscaled 23 feet to carve his initials in the stone. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b> Those initials can still be seen today.<br />Thomas Jefferson purchased Natural Bridge and surrounding lands on July 5, 1774.<br />The Monocan Indian Nation called it "The Bridge of God."<br />It has been mentioned in books such as <u>Moby Dick</u>, and it is the subject of many paintings by American artists.<br />Heading down Route 81 or Route 15? Spend time here and its environs. </b></span></td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Natural Bridge State Park, 6477 S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge, VA 24578, USA37.6330653 -79.54302989999996512.111030799999998 -120.85162389999996 63.1550998 -38.234435899999966tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-67284783026885048902017-10-16T08:52:00.001-04:002017-10-16T08:52:18.739-04:00OF CATTLE, THE BIGHORNS, WILD MUSTANGS AND RODEOS<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Sometimes life ain't easy</b></span></td></tr>
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Our Tauck group walked into the <st1:place><st1:city>Sheridan</st1:city>,
<st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state></st1:place> <st1:place>Holiday</st1:place> <st1:place>Inn</st1:place>
after a day crossing part of <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state>,
having a great time at the TA Ranch, and enjoying every moment of the day. </div>
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Despite the entertainment possibilities of
the hotel which was quite inviting, I think most of us called it an early
night. It was not until breakfast the following morning that we had the
great surprise of being able to catch a bit of a cattle auction in progress right
in the hotel and attended by ranchers and others not only from Wyoming but also
from all over the west. Cowboy hats and
boots and a thick, printed catalogue were the order of the day for them, and we
noticed immediately. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjKsNh3ivfI2kF2DXFUsXMJBDifHxTWDqQ6cl0AyT0lQ9E-eynhnjwvUYmt32T0YmU5i7KmvgKuP0B0scbvmjGFL8eDzmfUInuKyvly16ejpQKkEBi05N-AwnTQ7As2MkPfDx/s1600/0824170811a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjKsNh3ivfI2kF2DXFUsXMJBDifHxTWDqQ6cl0AyT0lQ9E-eynhnjwvUYmt32T0YmU5i7KmvgKuP0B0scbvmjGFL8eDzmfUInuKyvly16ejpQKkEBi05N-AwnTQ7As2MkPfDx/s640/0824170811a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Lots of advertising, quite unlike what any of us were accustomed to seeing</b></span></td></tr>
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As each of us found out we were welcome in the huge room
with big screens where the auction was televised, we let others know, and most of
us eventually went to see what was going on. Haha
No cattle in the hotel; we saw men and women leafing through their auction
books, and we heard the real life sounds of the auction bidding occurring before
our eyes. It was barely 8:00 AM. As we were all from the
Eastern Seaboard, <st1:city>Chicago</st1:city>, or <st1:state>California</st1:state>, this truly was a first for us all.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUsjcgEODHVxp9N2I0XfVtm4naSchxe_hptSbt4KpgKWtVeMzjmyoY2RkYfiYsoRlr31bRJDmNY_NbUPW4WXMnEuEA54oRYHGvfNoj3z_rZaNiVTBVsr1_ucNcLzDKwO4mnx8/s1600/0824170813a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXUsjcgEODHVxp9N2I0XfVtm4naSchxe_hptSbt4KpgKWtVeMzjmyoY2RkYfiYsoRlr31bRJDmNY_NbUPW4WXMnEuEA54oRYHGvfNoj3z_rZaNiVTBVsr1_ucNcLzDKwO4mnx8/s640/0824170813a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The auction was pretty exciting, and people kept drifting in and out of the room</b></span></td></tr>
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We were definitely acting like tourists taking in everything, and the
people running product sales tables outside the auction room were friendly as
can be and gave us hats, pens, pot holders, and all kinds of souvenirs. Those hats became chapeau de jour for a large
part of the remainder of the trip. </div>
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After breakfast, however, we were off to cross our first
mountain range. We climbed the majestic <st1:place>Bighorn Mountains</st1:place>
on our way to <st1:place><st1:city>Cody</st1:city>, <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state></st1:place>. We crossed the peaks at 9,300 ft. What a view we had from Cutler Hill at
8,347 feet. Then we passed through towns like
<st1:place><st1:city>Greybull</st1:city>, <st1:state>WY</st1:state></st1:place>
with a population of 1,837, and Shell, WY with a 2010 census count of 83. Ten miles outside of Cody there were wild
mustangs running on the flats. Exciting to see
them gallop across the range.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AhME7hyuy3ziGTdaU58qPOPAD3ieHxSCgKUiabgKT5Mj88bMQJA2RYCjlwG2IHiDsfpyGIiMFqz398jknSH98pAlxVuXFcvdA5F9B-haSA5zBC0GePKqvuBWPgYIGhwLjvU9/s1600/P1000610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-AhME7hyuy3ziGTdaU58qPOPAD3ieHxSCgKUiabgKT5Mj88bMQJA2RYCjlwG2IHiDsfpyGIiMFqz398jknSH98pAlxVuXFcvdA5F9B-haSA5zBC0GePKqvuBWPgYIGhwLjvU9/s640/P1000610.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Pretty magnificent, wouldn't you say?</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5OofOoynyMw1iNeERS205MTZ4mbit7Jp-vanA1SPvDskuD46NTAQECJgMhZTeOwmbRMjANmyNUpmQE5nE1AM6vIbN5vw6MUDJYabJLMmUxEI3so32v6nYMcY50XqWTXi9OvJ/s1600/P1000633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5OofOoynyMw1iNeERS205MTZ4mbit7Jp-vanA1SPvDskuD46NTAQECJgMhZTeOwmbRMjANmyNUpmQE5nE1AM6vIbN5vw6MUDJYabJLMmUxEI3so32v6nYMcY50XqWTXi9OvJ/s640/P1000633.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>I wanted to share this picture of a house by the side of the road.<br />Somehow I don't think this would be the plot of land I'd buy for my home.</b></span></td></tr>
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In Cody in time for lunch, we also had free time to wander
downtown, and do some shopping before heading to <b><a href="http://www.centerof%20the%20west.org/">the Buffalo Bill Center
of the West</a></b>, a fascinating museum and a real treasure trove of
information and artifacts about Buffalo Bill, the West and the tribes that
live there. The Center is really five
excellent museums in one, but we did not have time to take it all in. Most online travel sites, not surprisingly,
suggest a 2-day pass to see it all.</div>
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One museum is specifically about William F. Cody’s life, not quite what we’ve been led
to believe, but fascinating nevertheless.
What a showman he was! The museum
has many of his personal items but also posters, books, and history. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvolbDgE-zlKSNraTEepsE5RHGGlx_dnIqk606bukxpNwZXWLJ7I3yPpR26qEdO_zvq7TVx82S7-Dt_Zrdn6orj2O87V8-aOSqiFgw_SssOJ3JYlyrGMxM0KHAxnzxOLJ7B63-/s1600/P1000660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvolbDgE-zlKSNraTEepsE5RHGGlx_dnIqk606bukxpNwZXWLJ7I3yPpR26qEdO_zvq7TVx82S7-Dt_Zrdn6orj2O87V8-aOSqiFgw_SssOJ3JYlyrGMxM0KHAxnzxOLJ7B63-/s640/P1000660.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>This is a representation of the kind of sets used during the shows.<br />Cody not only brought his Wild West Show around the United States<br />but also spent several years touring Europe and becoming the<br />toast of the continent.</b></span></td></tr>
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The <st1:place><st1:placename>Whitney</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Western</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Art Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place> highlights the scope of
western-inspired art in sculpture, paintings, and prints, and it, too, is a
treasure. If you visit the museum site,
you will be able to view their online collection.</div>
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We didn’t have a chance to visit the Draper Natural History
Museum, but it might have been good to add to our knowledge before we entered <st1:place><st1:placename>Yellowstone</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>National Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>.</div>
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There’s the fascinating and informative Plains Indian
Museum. This is more than a collection
of artifacts and art. Rather it is a
history of the people, their culture, and today a study of the movement of the
Plains Indians over the course of 250 years is underway. Additionally, the people are seen in the
context of their life today. It is an
impressive place to visit, and there is a lot to learn.</div>
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The <st1:place><st1:placename>Cody</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Firearms</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Museum</st1:placetype></st1:place> is reputed to be the most
comprehensive in the world. Rob liked that one.</div>
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It was at the Museum, too, where we had a private show (yes,
just for the 16 of us) by the Dan Miller Trio, a band specializing in country,
bluegrass, <st1:city>Americana</st1:city>, gospel. They were terrific. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-aNSHJLRZz3vWLTXxDP0nBtyNeYyx7frqvx_wglpsnCWcdsT_1qFbTl4PSy7GdbSluCdxWPgVN0FyarendSbawuTiSgU51Xidhvc9ofJzB1WAT3Pq0ak1BRLULQum2taOtLq/s1600/P1000661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-aNSHJLRZz3vWLTXxDP0nBtyNeYyx7frqvx_wglpsnCWcdsT_1qFbTl4PSy7GdbSluCdxWPgVN0FyarendSbawuTiSgU51Xidhvc9ofJzB1WAT3Pq0ak1BRLULQum2taOtLq/s640/P1000661.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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On a personal note—Because I need hearing assistive devices,
the Tauck director brought along what we’d successfully been using on the tour,
but Dan had his own equipment as his sister is deaf, and he wanted to share his
music with everyone. We used his equipment; before the
show began, he made sure I could hear, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!!! Never forget how nice people can be.</div>
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Dan also played “Happy Trails to You,” and, of course, we all knew it and sang along. Our travel companion, Maurice, related a story. As a small boy in <st1:country-region>Northern
Ireland</st1:country-region>, he belonged to the Roy Rogers
Riding Club. Every Saturday morning,
they met to watch the Roy Rogers Show on TV. We loved that. On the last evening and dinner together on the tour, we all sang that
song to him. That’s the kind of group it
was.</div>
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The day was not nearly over.
We checked in to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Best</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Western
Premier</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Ivy</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Hotel</st1:placename></st1:place>,
and after dinner headed to the Cody Stampede for the rodeo. <st1:place><st1:city>Cody</st1:city>, <st1:state>WY</st1:state></st1:place>
is no ordinary town. It bills itself as
the Rodeo Capital of the World, and, incredibly, there is a rodeo EVERY
NIGHT throughout the summer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmi1sBofEQUGbnowwjUKb_AGak859kjr7ZTWiZwQh0eb9RIXO9KstFHAlBZpw-CQufAly00uQ634zD0z4TyFPDm6HxsztAxB5g1a7Xx9p_2LHIYZiRFyT-C2hKYQreFyJMOdGz/s1600/P1000668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmi1sBofEQUGbnowwjUKb_AGak859kjr7ZTWiZwQh0eb9RIXO9KstFHAlBZpw-CQufAly00uQ634zD0z4TyFPDm6HxsztAxB5g1a7Xx9p_2LHIYZiRFyT-C2hKYQreFyJMOdGz/s640/P1000668.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Great time at the rodeo.
Dangerous and adrenaline producing.
I like the team calf roping and the barrel racing best. I cannot believe the angles at which those
horses round the barrels. There was
plenty of see, plenty of oohs, and plenty of pictures.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI9_o219nY2nYDoxd-rrT-CSKaUbRtdJGOLp9jd4oSjfej1sSldHMrhXC7y1YWkDPteniaTqu6CImSFi9HrJLO051q79nGv4FDkmksC_o6bVfB5tYV0L8t8nQk8bbspVvivWm/s1600/P1000682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI9_o219nY2nYDoxd-rrT-CSKaUbRtdJGOLp9jd4oSjfej1sSldHMrhXC7y1YWkDPteniaTqu6CImSFi9HrJLO051q79nGv4FDkmksC_o6bVfB5tYV0L8t8nQk8bbspVvivWm/s640/P1000682.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>The Rodeo opens with a display of beautifully executed synchronized horsewomanship and flags<br />and recognition of the many sponsors.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSxhtCQzExRlL0REIdcvxP2-xmcLrZ0Le1BgDjFGDhMbmhdbuOdmmQ46yIRFGTVcJ0t3KQHJuuA1ac-9MIWVyisWFIyQkt9m6xgPJb21Y0siX0uOFkttUdwIadQH-QRYGvz1F/s1600/P1000860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSxhtCQzExRlL0REIdcvxP2-xmcLrZ0Le1BgDjFGDhMbmhdbuOdmmQ46yIRFGTVcJ0t3KQHJuuA1ac-9MIWVyisWFIyQkt9m6xgPJb21Y0siX0uOFkttUdwIadQH-QRYGvz1F/s640/P1000860.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Bull riding is as dangerous as it looks</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSAdlcFWXQnKReRwHuvQl5AmD5KtbeKUv7WyXbynnr9rj2X9LQ9WMnJRQxKTJ20GcuIxMdvb36FroxT5688b2k10on28uwpZLZDbkr6OvMbhOSspS9ppWw-Tc5KSkuhuyBV9d/s1600/P1000786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSAdlcFWXQnKReRwHuvQl5AmD5KtbeKUv7WyXbynnr9rj2X9LQ9WMnJRQxKTJ20GcuIxMdvb36FroxT5688b2k10on28uwpZLZDbkr6OvMbhOSspS9ppWw-Tc5KSkuhuyBV9d/s640/P1000786.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>My favorite is the barrel racing.<br />I am wowed at the angles at which the horses move around the barrels<br />running as fast as the riders can handle<br />and as close to the barrels as a rider can get<br />so she can cut time off her ride.<br />True team spirit and ability.</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">Just look at that horse's legs.</span><br /><span style="color: red; font-weight: bold;">That may be close to 1,000 pounds rounding that barrel.</span><br /><br />By the time we finished the rodeo, it was time to head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.Yellowstone was coming up next.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Cody, WY 82414, USA44.526342199999988 -109.0565308000000244.435768199999991 -109.21789230000002 44.616916199999984 -108.89516930000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-2111338056500643772017-10-06T21:00:00.001-04:002017-10-06T21:05:25.853-04:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5ukINRFuenl-B99G_1bKHz2pHzqMChOjVSDeUhVr1JYLqxjNfeyDS-X8orZbOGisHV-9uV1lpfc0YoEA5NofVtSBLAEk0yk80rPaYpxhNSeUYncelBl37Qhh7YKxNcvrZqGW/s1600/Luray4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5ukINRFuenl-B99G_1bKHz2pHzqMChOjVSDeUhVr1JYLqxjNfeyDS-X8orZbOGisHV-9uV1lpfc0YoEA5NofVtSBLAEk0yk80rPaYpxhNSeUYncelBl37Qhh7YKxNcvrZqGW/s640/Luray4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">There's a thrill going into caverns. Whether it's Carlsbad, Meramec, Luray, </span><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"> Ausable </span><span style="color: red; font-size: small;">or</span><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><br />any other of the many caverns that can be visited, you will be amazed.<br />Nor does it matter how many times you go. It's always different.<br />It's always amazing. It's always something that makes you shake your head in wonder.<br />This picture was taken in Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley's Luray Caverns, one of the many we've visited.</span></b></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0101 Cave Hill Rd, Luray, VA 22835, USA38.6640991 -78.48378300000001713.142064600000001 -119.79237700000002 64.1861336 -37.175189000000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28602492.post-37596694800017375282017-10-04T07:34:00.000-04:002017-10-04T07:52:38.905-04:00WYOMING'S TA RANCH--JOHNSON COUNTY WAR, HORSES, CATTLE RANCHING AND MORE!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">South Dakota with its natural and man-made wonders gives me
quite a few awe-inspiring moments but does not seem to daunt Tauck Tours. They are ready to WOW us again. Leaving <st1:state>South Dakota</st1:state>
for <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state>, we are ready for another
incredible day as we head to <st1:place><st1:city>Buffalo</st1:city>, <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state></st1:place>
and the TA Ranch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sv-zLYhLlxiFGzD24mFJBX9BCslYjWzB_4RRvj4CsjXXFKDVcqCqD0CK5QCF4GyfRRkP317OtRJv_-cPO2WQwTS2klFngCf2cpndIwiAYUFEsaQLZNXyX41-CvWPHBWhmzAO/s1600/Wyoming+country.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9sv-zLYhLlxiFGzD24mFJBX9BCslYjWzB_4RRvj4CsjXXFKDVcqCqD0CK5QCF4GyfRRkP317OtRJv_-cPO2WQwTS2klFngCf2cpndIwiAYUFEsaQLZNXyX41-CvWPHBWhmzAO/s640/Wyoming+country.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Wide open prairie--so different from what I'm used to</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Here we are in the Great Plains.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state> is
unique. It ranks 50<sup>th</sup> in
population with a 2016 population of only 585, 501 people. Crossing the state, we pass through towns
with double digit and even single digit populations. Once a car leaves the main highway, it is
more than likely to do the rest of its travels on unpaved roads that traverse
open prairies and hills. Yet <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state>
is not bleak; it’s beautiful. Along the
road I see large quantities of shrubbery, and it hits me that this is
sagebrush. The word conjures up all the
cowboy movies and shows I’ve seen, and it reminds me of Rob’s and my cross
country drive years ago when we saw signs out west that read, “Do not drive
into smoke.” Sagebrush fires. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Because we pass through towns near major tourist
attractions, the towns are geared to satisfy the whims of
out-of-staters—restaurants, gift shops, local attractions, tours, etc. There is a tawdry atmosphere, but that’s not
unusual around any tourist attractions.
It just is a bit shocking as we drive through open country that must
look similar to the way it looked 100 years ago and then pass a few blocks of
charmless tourist lures. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Visitors come to <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state>
for great and beautiful reasons. Most of <st1:place><st1:placename>Yellowstone</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> is in <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state>,
and in 2014, 10.1 million visitors came to <st1:state>Wyoming</st1:state>. That’s probably the biggest reason. This
year, with the solar eclipse, that alone was predicted to double the state’s population. The ranches, mountains, rivers, rodeos, and
peacefulness are all part of the allure. As I said—unique.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This day we head to <st1:place><st1:placename>Johnson</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>County</st1:placetype></st1:place> and the city of<span style="background: white;"> <a href="https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/johnson-county-war-1892-invasion-northern-wyoming"><b><span style="color: blue;">Buffalo, Wyoming</span></b></a></span> ,
once considered <span style="background: white;"> <b>“a rogue society in which rustlers controlled everything— politics,
courts and juries.”</b> If you’re a
movie fan, you know about the Johnson County War that might be the biggest
piece of </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="background: white;">Wyoming</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="background: white;"> history. You know it from <b><u>Shane</u></b> and <b><u>The
Virginian</u></b>. The biggest event of
this war occurred right where we head, <a href="https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/johnson-county-war-1892-invasion-northern-wyoming"><b><span style="color: blue;">The
TA Ranch</span></b></a>. We think we are going to
have a great day at the ranch, riding, seeing some exhibitions of horse
mastery, and cowboy cattle work, but as has been the way of this Tauck tour, it
goes beyond expectations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">We arrive just in time for a
buffet lunch, and I ask if anything is local.
That’s what I choose—beef—right from their ranch, I think. This is a
working cattle ranch. Since everything
is locally sourced, that’s exactly what I want.
And it’s delicious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">Then surprisingly we are
treated by Barbara, who runs the ranch with her daughter Kristen Giles, to a
brief but intriguing introduction to the TA Ranch and its history, including
tales of the </span><st1:place><st1:placename><span style="background: white;">Johnson</span></st1:placename><span style="background: white;"> </span><st1:placetype><span style="background: white;">County</span></st1:placetype><span style="background: white;"> </span><st1:placename><span style="background: white;">War.</span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="background: white;"> This is the
ranch which the cattle barons occupied for three days and where the shoot out
occurred. It’s an exciting story. Barbara even offered books about this part of
</span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="background: white;">Wyoming</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="background: white;"> history, including this one.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBHs_hjdv8mbn5wdC1cg10k_VMQjsdlatiD5btcyJMk9Q6FymlcrZbQnt1SHH60wTEUUp3JO3lHf6o7rgG9zSoAhzHiOHcBPOEG2eQ0KssUc6Dj1OGzjl0X-Wwqu-bwhnFeKH/s1600/P1010415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBHs_hjdv8mbn5wdC1cg10k_VMQjsdlatiD5btcyJMk9Q6FymlcrZbQnt1SHH60wTEUUp3JO3lHf6o7rgG9zSoAhzHiOHcBPOEG2eQ0KssUc6Dj1OGzjl0X-Wwqu-bwhnFeKH/s320/P1010415.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I will list other books at
the end of this post. It's a very interesting piece of western history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">Then off to take a trail
ride. I love horses, and though this is a slow, easy ride, it is wonderful to ride and happily breathe in the
beautiful scent of the horse against the clean, distinctive, hot aroma of the
prairie. Riding further gives us the
sense of the land's openness as well as views of the hay bales that are part of the necessary preparations </span><span style="background-color: white;">on a working cattle ranch </span><span style="background: white;">for the brutal Wyoming winter. I feel a further amazed appreciation for the
individuality and perseverance of the homesteaders who crossed much of the county to come out here and make </span><st1:state><st1:place><span style="background: white;">Wyoming</span></st1:place></st1:state><span style="background: white;"> their home.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFNYA7M9UIS_GDua-qWgDYLtROcSTs5FwAaTECDMaKeM-5vNawZaGBDqBBIHgqzkJtb8MtIqcr21hhZFIJH2PSBjC1QxfPluNkmyiimnLPGwuAgT_JZ1Y7jfoozdvD9nqawUY/s1600/P1000398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFNYA7M9UIS_GDua-qWgDYLtROcSTs5FwAaTECDMaKeM-5vNawZaGBDqBBIHgqzkJtb8MtIqcr21hhZFIJH2PSBjC1QxfPluNkmyiimnLPGwuAgT_JZ1Y7jfoozdvD9nqawUY/s640/P1000398.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b>This is my horse, Hercules. But looking out at the landscape is spectacular.</b></span></td></tr>
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<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEaKPJgvBkLhaGgGkOWxqMBJdUlcJMPsYVMIl3E4jL3yaECKzXyMVGhP_THB6C5LuWiy9MHNLNavHRsi_eqbfubo-hlPjmGbGitS_tIluKzkdGPRwmvW0ysVudzZmBX1e2yPX/s1600/P1000411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEaKPJgvBkLhaGgGkOWxqMBJdUlcJMPsYVMIl3E4jL3yaECKzXyMVGhP_THB6C5LuWiy9MHNLNavHRsi_eqbfubo-hlPjmGbGitS_tIluKzkdGPRwmvW0ysVudzZmBX1e2yPX/s640/P1000411.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b>Taking a selfie on Hercules was a challenge, but fun. Rob is wearing the blue cap.<br />But look at that landscape.</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB14fpbuBUSf7V9Iw13tBEhmNJiR4tOnnRtS5OShnkasnlmJY3s6g7h-GefF-wR7a35z_QlfrCu8VtqDbkNXy-vzbp9Z6XEJj9ClZDDeBaEZVG5nZrvn1_zn97y6ezGJqzymQJ/s1600/P1000408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB14fpbuBUSf7V9Iw13tBEhmNJiR4tOnnRtS5OShnkasnlmJY3s6g7h-GefF-wR7a35z_QlfrCu8VtqDbkNXy-vzbp9Z6XEJj9ClZDDeBaEZVG5nZrvn1_zn97y6ezGJqzymQJ/s640/P1000408.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Preparations for the harsh winter are well under way.<br />Cattle must be fed.</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; text-align: justify;">When we finish our ride, off
we go to a corral where we meet a horse whisperer, a trainer who works with the
horses and teaches them to obey commands she signals without even touching
them. Her demonstration is quite
interesting. She rides her own beautiful
brown horse with the loveliest lines and neck while a black horse with a
dashing white streak down his face walks, trots, canters, and reverses, all by
her direction but not by her touching in any way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xbX1fEDonFlF0VUQZoGaH3qLC7wjk63JeMalFHjgwlmccmcXap_FSrD0PxN3EKQAHwdfFXtMadnmvqYSKCLoGE18I3frn59dRj42MuDl5W8WE0OfflfJmlX7uIEMBYl2371Z/s1600/P1000449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xbX1fEDonFlF0VUQZoGaH3qLC7wjk63JeMalFHjgwlmccmcXap_FSrD0PxN3EKQAHwdfFXtMadnmvqYSKCLoGE18I3frn59dRj42MuDl5W8WE0OfflfJmlX7uIEMBYl2371Z/s640/P1000449.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b>Isn't her horse beautiful?</b></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7ywE4jO7TZrKG0k_YD88Yr8VAZQ71e2KG4mO2LAE1ashWv1PPkM1_K0P5LBXGnFGptmqJzKksZQ7LVP6_nsGpjp-4CHnBdfWBNwFHPpG6oplwH_7TE0sUpTpW8QcCSfM3S31/s1600/P1000467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7ywE4jO7TZrKG0k_YD88Yr8VAZQ71e2KG4mO2LAE1ashWv1PPkM1_K0P5LBXGnFGptmqJzKksZQ7LVP6_nsGpjp-4CHnBdfWBNwFHPpG6oplwH_7TE0sUpTpW8QcCSfM3S31/s640/P1000467.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b>They never got closer than this!</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Our demonstration is cut
short because it is so brutally hot, and Barbara transports us over to another
corral where we are treated to a demonstration of cowboys separating cattle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Four cowpokes (two men and two
women) demonstrate cutting one, then two, then three and then four cattle from
a group and bringing them to the far side of the corral. Their horses follow their directions. No words are spoken. They act as one unit.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJTfaDsYMYF62O2cZZcmdK9eOUINaMFaV_wplIav-r_rnKdUG6kkOA_6Bq_Zpunjw5rmUcB0ZkzgNocynrVzfqHNSJU2siuzhE9o3aJPRakpWp9AieF8hzuPlUT-g6R7A7jMG/s1600/W1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVJTfaDsYMYF62O2cZZcmdK9eOUINaMFaV_wplIav-r_rnKdUG6kkOA_6Bq_Zpunjw5rmUcB0ZkzgNocynrVzfqHNSJU2siuzhE9o3aJPRakpWp9AieF8hzuPlUT-g6R7A7jMG/s640/W1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Because I love horses, I am
fascinated by one cowboy whose horse’s bridle does not have a bit. He trained his horse, and all the horse
has is a bitless noseband. Yet he follows
all directions and the horse and cowboy act as one. It is thrilling to see. In fact, the entire display of control and unity
between horse and rider is thrilling to see.
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There is time to spend
sitting in the shade of the porch before going in for drinks and a fine dinner,
once again locally sourced. Rob and I
both choose the Wyoming Lamb Chop—pan seared topped with cherry balsamic
chutney/creamy scalloped potatoes/grilled asparagus. Salad and dessert, of course. Not exactly what you picture as “ranch
food.” Well, the TA Ranch isn’t an
ordinary place, and if you ever get a chance to come here, go for it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background: white;">We move on after dinner,
heading for </span><st1:place><st1:city><span style="background: white;">Sheridan</span></st1:city><span style="background: white;">, </span><st1:state><span style="background: white;">Wyoming</span></st1:state></st1:place><span style="background: white;"> to spend the night in a beautiful Holiday Inn. We are in for a great surprise the next
morning.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="background: white;">Here are some books Barbara suggested about the Johnson County War: <i><b>Banditti of the Plains</b></i> by Asa Mercer (1893), <i><b>War on Powder River</b></i> by Helene Hunlington Smith (1950), <b><i>The Cattlemen</i></b> by Mari Sandog (1950), and <b><i>Johnson County War</i></b> by Bill O'Neal (2005)</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Buffalo, WY 82834, USA44.3483072 -106.698937544.3028847 -106.7796185 44.3937297 -106.6182565