Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri

Another stop today on our way home. We are staying in the small town of St Robert, Missouri, which is adjacent to Ft. Leonard Wood. Why, a reader might ask, would we ever want to come here?

The answer is in Gary's father's and family history. Gary's dad worked for a construction company in Des Moines just prior to World War II (he worked in that company for his entire career). In the late 1930's and early 1940's it became apparent that the US would probably not be able to avoid being in the war, and military bases were built around the country to handle the many soldiers being inducted into service. Ft Leonard Wood was one of those, and for whatever reason (we are not sure) Neumann Brothers Construction, an Iowa company, was one of the companies working to build Ft Leonard Wood in Missouri. 

Gary says that his dad and a crew of Neumann guys would drive down here, work all week, maybe 2 weeks, and then drive back to Des Moines for a weekend. This went on for quite a while. Gary's dad talked about what it was like here at that time. There wasn't much here - mostly mud, crude roads, and the start of the wood buildings that would be the barracks, mess halls, churches, officers quarters, commissary, supply depot, etc. I believe there are photos in a Specker family album somewhere that show what it was like then.

Additionally, Gary's dad's first cousin is remembered here. He was in the Army Corps of Engineers (based here), apparently in a fighting battalion of engineers. Joseph Specker (Joe) was eventually deployed to Europe, was killed in The Battle of Mount Porchia, and was declared a hero for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously. There is a residential street and a gymnasium named for him on the base. Photos below.

This base incorporates the headquarters of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Chemical Engineers, and the Military Police. It is a beautiful base with very new buildings of red brick. Nothing remains of the wooden structures that Gary's dad helped to build, except for those that have been saved as part of the wonderful Museum. The other thing near here is the Missouri University of Science and Technology, located in Rolla, Missouri, about 20 miles to the east. We drove there last night for dinner and to drive around. Very nice campus, hilly, reminded me of the Colorado School of Mines located in Golden, CO (this school was also formerly a School of Mines).

Our day today began with a 1 ½ hour wait at the Fort Visitor Center where we had to be screened and get clearance to go on the base. There were only two guards on duty and so it was a very slow process, but once we had clearance, we could go where we wanted. Here are some of the photos I took on the base.

A view of the old fort buildings now clustered together as a museum

Congressional Medal of Honor description of the act of bravery of Joe C. Specker. Hard to read here.

Also hard to read.

We had lunch at the Burger King on the base and saw everything we wanted to see including the indoor exhibits of the Army Corps of Engineers. Very illuminating. I have huge respect for the bravery, skill, resourcefulness and intelligence of those soldiers whose task it was to erect bridges, build roads, figure out enemy tunnel systems and go in to learn anything they could before setting up explosives, etc. They were key to the victory in World War II, and played very important roles in other wars as well. 

As the last part of our day, we did a run along Historic Route 66, which goes right by the RV park where we are staying. For a little piece of it, it reminded me of our run along the Alaska Highway near Liard River Hot Springs in British Columbia - nobody on the road, very quiet and scenic. It looked to us like the road surface was original!

Little Rock, Arkansas

We arrived in Little Rock, AR, yesterday and have been enjoying this city since. We are in an RV park right next to an old railroad bridge which has been permanently lifted in the center, and converted into a Bikeway/Pedestrian trail. It spans the Arkansas River which runs through Little Rock. The William J Clinton Presidential Center and Park is a short walk across the bridge, and the Park is adjacent to the old section of downtown Little Rock which has undergone a revival that looks a lot like the warehouse district of Minneapolis - same type of old buildings re-purposed into restaurants, shops, etc. Some new condos and apartments are being built.

Yesterday we walked across the bridge and walked on a short portion of the 15 mile Bikeway (partially a boardwalk) that runs along the river. Good views of the river, the Presidential Center and the bridge are to be had by taking this walk.

RV park. Our RV is right on the river.

Walkway on the bridge

The old railroad bridge, now renamed the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge.

The Park and a portion of the boardwalk

The William J Clinton Presidential Center

Today we toured the Presidential Center and very much enjoyed it. The reproduction Oval Office of Clinton's time is very well done, and they let visitors walk right in and around it.

Apparently this Chihuly glass sculpture was used at the first Inauguration, and then was donated to the Center.

The President's bike, used around the White House.

The President's collection of saxophones.

There was much else including exhibits that explained, pictured, organized and categorized most of the Clinton Presidency. Very well done. Gary wished there had been a little more that revealed the decision-making process, like we saw at the Johnson and Kennedy libraries - i.e., documents from the era that show a little of the inside talks, of how agonizingly difficult it is to be a POTUS. But all in all, this is a place well worth a visit.

Earlier in the day we drove around Little Rock a bit. Saw the State Capitol Building. No place to park except one not-good viewpoint, but here is a photo (we are illegally parked in the foreground - the Legislature is in session).

Then we drove to see Little Rock Central High School, scene of much disturbance in the 1960's. It is a truly beautiful building and in top notch condition.

Little Rock looks to be a city doing the right things to be a livable city. The Arkansas Legislature is not 100% on the progressive side of social issues, but they are currently trying to expand Medicaid eligibility which apparently is part of an overall budget bill. So it appears that the Bill Clinton era as governor of Arkansas for 5 terms (4 of them consecutive) does still have some progressive influence. In the Center gift shop was a tee shirt I almost bought: Said on the back, "I Miss Bill". I almost bought it.......

Atlanta: Martin Luther King, Jr. Grounds, and Atlanta Botanical Garden

We left Florida on 4/8 and drove to Atlanta to visit the Carter Library which, as we belatedly remembered, we had already toured in 2007! Should have checked my log first. Gary was looking at logistics for where to park, etc., and happened to mention that the grounds looked like they were really beautiful. All of a sudden that triggered a memory in me that we had, indeed, already been there. My review of it in my log, at the time, was that it had some good individual exhibits but overall we gave it only an OK in comparison to other presidential libraries we have visited. So no repeat visit.

We changed plans and drove to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park which is walking distance from the Carter Library. (This was, I am sure, not an accident in the planning of the location of the Carter Library.) The King Park was a wonderful visit in all ways.

Run by the National Park Service, the 4-6 block area contains many of the very important aspects of Dr. King's life - the home of his birth and boyhood, his boyhood neighborhood of which much remains exactly as it was, the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, The King Center (a library), the National Park Service Visitors Center, and Historic Fire Station No. 6.

Inside the Visitors Center are exhibits which progress from Dr. King's early years to his historic speeches, his impact, his family and church life, his nobility of character, and finally his death in 1968 which, by coincidence, was 48 years ago on April 9, one day before our visit.

This the caisson which carried his body to his final resting place.

A depiction of those who peacefully marched for equality and justice during the 50's and 60's civil rights strife.

The actual jail cell where Dr. King spent some time in the 1950's.

Then across the street from the Visitors Center is the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. It is now operated by the National Park Service and is open to the public. A new church has been built right next to the Visitors Center that is used by today's church members. Stepping into this historic sanctuary was, for me, the highlight of the visit. It was a very moving experience, to think about all the wonderful sermons he preached there, and what that church has meant to the African American community through the years, and indeed, to America. King's father and maternal grandfather before him were also ministers in that church.

Here is the new Ebenezer Baptist Church. Because it was Sunday, we did not go inside.

Across the street from the Visitors Center and adjacent to the historic church is the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. The reflecting pool is long and narrow and is reminiscent of the one in Washington DC. In the center are the tombs of Dr and Mrs King. She died in 2006 at the age of 78. 

 And across from the tombs is the Eternal Flame which represents the Kings' undying commitment to their beloved community.

Just down the street is the King birth and boyhood home. 

They were a successful middle class family and the house reflects that. Here is a row of houses that is different.

Then, adjacent to these row houses is Historic Fire Station No. 6, restored to its 30's and 40's appearance. In the 1960's it became Atlanta's first racially integrated firehouse, closing in 1991. A sign I read said Dr. King played around the fire house and it was a place where news was obtained and where kids congregated.

We moved on to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. This lovely place has some features that are unique, and some features that are shared by other botanical gardens. There is a lovely orchid conservatory.

Lovely grounds but not too much in bloom. This is the very impressive canopy walk on the 600-ft long suspension walkway that is up to 40 feet in the air above the natural part of the garden.

You will notice that, at the top of the steps pictured above is a tower with some blue-tarp covered boxes behind it. This will be one of the lit-at-night glass sculptures of the upcoming Chihuly in the Gardens exhibit, running from the end of April to October here in Atlanta. It was very fun to see a Chihuly exhibit as it was being installed. We saw the finished exhibit in the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden last year and it was spectacular. 

Here are a couple of photos of the installation. There were hundreds of cardboard boxes delivered to various areas of the gardens, all carefully labeled, and at lease 20 installation workers putting together the glass elements of each sculpture. Each sculpture must be assembled from the individual pieces. We noted that the colors that appear to be dominant in this exhibit are green, yellow and blue. In Arizona it was more reds, oranges and yellows, as I recall. So that means that each exhibit is different - either slightly or a lot different - I don't know which.

Boxes are protected from possible rain until their contents can be installed.

Conclusion of this post: If I had one wish granted for what we saw today, it would be that the National Park Service have more funds available to maintain and improve our wonderful parks. The King Park will be in need very soon of some major maintenance projects and perhaps updates to the museum in the Visitors Center. With a few exceptions, we see this status in park after park across our country. Contributions from the public help, to the National Park Foundation. More funding from Congress would also help!!

Final Days in Florida: Great Time with Grandkids

Our final week in Florida. In fact, tonight is our last night as we leave tomorrow morning and start to make our way home. 

Two of our grandkids, Chip and Penelope, were here with us for this past week. We crammed in a lot during that week, and I will summarize here with a few photos.

Right after we picked them up at the airport, we headed directly to Hammond Stadium for a baseball game - Twins vs Blue Jays. It was a perfect afternoon, and the Twins won 4-3.

We had so much fun on an airboat ride. Saw three alligators swimming - usually we see them lying in the sun on a river bank, but this time three of them were very active in the water. The airboat ride itself was great - very fast, very noisy. Just what we wanted. Only photo, taken in front of the sign at the entrance:

Our first day at the beach was at Lover's Key, where the sand is white and perfect, and the weather couldn't have been better. Lots of people there. 

We all got a little sunburned. Chip and Penelope spent lots of time in the water.

We toured the Edison/Ford Winter Estates - very hot and muggy that day, but an always interesting place to visit. The banyon tree in the background here covers a large area with the above ground rooting system with the tendrils hanging down and attaching to the ground, but it is a single tree!

A Thunderbird rally on the grounds that day.

Edison's laboratory where he was researching sources for domestic rubber in the 1920's.

We drove out to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and walked the boardwalk. (We had done this previously, just the two of us.) This place is worth more than one visit. We saw about a dozen racer snakes - must have been a nest, a 'possum, raccoons, the usual alligator, a painted bunting at the bird feeder. It is a wonderful place.

We went kayaking one day at Oscar Scherer State Park where we rented two kayaks for them, and spent part of an afternoon paddling on the river that runs through the park. The waters are dark and quiet. We didn't see much wildlife, but it was a fun experience.

Afterwards, we stopped at a rookery in Venice that we knew about, to see all the herons and egrets nesting and roosting on a very small island in a small park right in town that is financed and protected by the local Audubon Society. Here is a photo of Chip taking a photo of a very cooperative heron.

Our last day of activity was another beach day - the best. We drove out to Sanibel Island to a beach at the north end of the island and spent the afternoon. Chip and Penelope were able to rendezvous with a friend from their school also vacationing in Florida. We all agreed it was a great day.

They returned to Minneapolis and their family and school very early Wednesday morning. We got up at 4:30am, got dressed and left for the airport, expecting long security lines, but it wasn't bad at all. Back to reality!