Historical Perspectives

We are delighted that our travels are taking us to towns with buildings and cemetery markers from the 1600’s. We awoke on the outskirts of the 400-year-old town of Lewisburg, West Virginia, festooned with banners claiming their 2011 designation as “America’s Coolest Small Town.” After a stroll around down town (it is very cool), we got back in Lilypad and crossed over into Virginia just in time to catch the historic walking tour of Lexington. Our native-born guide showed us old buildings and told us great stories about early leveling of the downtown streets (similar to the Denny Regrade in Seattle), reconstruction, and the history of the two universities in town: Washington Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. VMI cadets, sporting their grey livery, were all over town, many with proud parents and families, celebrating the annual event of the juniors ceremoniously receiving class rings.

Lexington is also the town where Robert E. Lee retired after the Civil War. Here he became the president of the college that now bears his name. He is encrypted along with his wife and children, under Lee Chapel, on the grounds of the University. (And his horse, Traveler is buried next to this building.) Lee is much revered here, as is evident by the life-size recumbent statue of him (seemingly dead, but actually sleeping on a battlefield) on the altar of the chapel. The chapel is not used for religious services, but is the largest gathering place on campus and is used for many important gatherings of the student body. There is a street in town, and much else, including an active Episcopal Church that also bears Lee’s name. 

Then we hopped on the last few miles of the Blue RidgeParkway and visited the birthplace of Cyrus McCormick, famous agriculturalist and inventor of improved farming equipment, most notably the reaper. Alas the museum was closed up for the winter but we so enjoyed the walk around the grounds, seeing the farm and buildings in which he worked, and the commemorative markers.

Since we were in the area, Monticello, famous home of Thomas Jefferson, was a must-see. Besides being the drafter of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson served Virginia as senator and governor and of course, he was the third US President, ambassador to France and Vice-President . He eventually retired here with his family, including his slaves, and died here on the very bed that we walked by during our house tour.

The house was much-loved by Jefferson, and he worked 40 years in its completion. It was restored and is still operated by The Thomas Jefferson Foundation. One sees many incredible innovations such as water catchment, subterranean work and living spaces, skylights, and acres of gardens where Jefferson experimented with growing flowers and vegetables. Included throughout the house are objects of his many interests: books, fossils, Native American artifacts, paintings, rocks, his own inventions, and much more, portraying Jefferson as a man of curiosity, good taste, brilliance, and of course a strong sense of justice.

Much of the work on the building and maintenance of the house was done by enslaved people, which makes for an interesting theme since there is significant evidence he fathered six children by his slave, Sally Hemming. The only part of the grounds still in the control of the Jefferson family is the cemetery. These white descendants appear to be in conflict with the multiracial descendants, as many of the latter hope to join Jefferson and his white family in the cemetery. To date none have been invited. Jefferson wrote a significant amount against the institution of slavery in his early years, but didn’t think that white and black people could live under the same government. It would be interesting to learn more about these beliefs and his relationship with Sally who appears to be his only love after the early death of his wife (she died 19 years before he became president.) Jefferson himself left detailed records of names and occupations for everyone who worked and lived at Monticello. Historical perspective shifts when folks build with bricks, leave artifacts, and record what happens.

Coal, Music and History in Eastern Kentucky

Coal is still king in Eastern Kentucky

After a week with the family in Georgetown, we headed towards Eastern Kentucky, a very different country than the horse pastures and affluence of the central part of the state. The hills are gray with early winter, making the narrow hollows where folks live look very dark and dreary. Everything is either on a hillside, or on the ledges cut by road building and coal mining operations, and many of the houses seemed barely livable. People we talked to were very concerned with the future of their area, given the “attitude of the current administration” toward coal. We saw big billboards sponsored by the Friends of Coal that proclaimed, “Coal Keeps the Lights on in Eastern Kentucky.”  We visited several coal museums and found the sentiments of many people summed up in the words of a young woman whose work (pictured on the right) was featured at the Mountain Arts Center near Prestonsburg. Above a lovely sculpture of hands holding a lump of coal, she wrote: “Our Black Diamond of the Mountains. It is our precious jewel, our livelihood, our future...Many live for it. Many have died for it.”

Loretta Lynn, age 81 just appeared in Vancouver last month

As can be imagined, we take every opportunity to take designated Scenic Byways. We were not happy however, to discover the Red River Gorge National Scenic Byway has a historic tunnel that has only 12 feet of clearance. Since Lily stands at 11’ 6” we decided to forgo exploring that particular road. We did stumble upon US 23, The Country Music Highway that links six counties in Eastern Kentucky that have contributed more than their fair share to our heritage of country musicians. These artists all come from that area: Loretta Lynn and her sister Crystal Gayle, Wynona and Naomi Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tom T. Hall, Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Dwight Yoakam, Gary Stewart, Patty Loveless and more. Every Thursday evening at the US 23 Country Music Highway Museum folks gather to play bluegrass, country and songs of old Appalachia. We were sorry we were traveling through on a Tuesday.

We also tried to visit Loretta Lynn’s “homeplace” in ButcherHoller but found the narrow Kentucky roads were not conducive to RVs, and had to turn around when we realized she wasn’t going to make it through. But Highway 23 took us to Paintsville where we found “Miss Christy” a local librarian who enthusiastically keeps alive the ancient history of the area with a presentation about the 2000-year-old Adena culture, people who were discovered through burial mounds in the area which are now completely destroyed. And it took us to Pikeville where Everett, the curator of the Big Sandy Heritage Center, knows everything about the area from early religion to the Civil War to “the PikevilleCut-through Project” (which totally changed the geography surrounding the town,) to the feuds of those famous locals, the Hatfields and the McCoys.

As for us, we are enthusiastic learners and listeners. We are also, we think, the only tourists in the area. Tonight is our third night in a row, third campground, where we are the only campers.

The Sights and Sounds of Nashville

Ah, Nashville, city of music where people come to find fame, fortune and construction jobs. Don’t get us started on how difficult it is to maneuver an RV down the narrow streets and under those impassable railroad trestles. We headed for the Nashville Farmers Market and the Bicentennial Park where parking abounds and the free city bus stops frequently.

It’s always good to thank the farmer that grows good organic food and we weren’t disappointed in the offerings of fall root crops and cruciferous veggies. And lots of mushrooms!  Nashville hosts a year-round market in a huge barnlike structure that also includes a food court and flea market. Since we’ve been sorely missing our Bakery San Juan pizza we headed straight for the wood-fired pulled pork with apple butter and arugula pizza place…yum!  Then we went outside and rented a pair of bicycles and circled the impressive Bicentennial Park. The history of Tennessee in quotes and happenings is captured on a shining black granite wall and makes for tricky maneuvering if you’re trying to read it from a bike. There’s also an interesting WWII memorial which consists of a large rotating onyx globe suspended in a fountain.

 

Then we stowed our stuff and hopped on the free bus and headed to the downtown honkytonks and country music scene. Nashville is the only place where we haven’t found ourselves nearly alone! Crowds of people moved along the sidewalk and walked through the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was fun to get caught up in the excitement. Here are pictures of one of the many pedal-powered taverns on the Nashville streets, and a few pictures from the overwhelming Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. 

Dixie Chicks Safety Pin Outfits

The Roots of Country Western Music

Nashvillians seem to be proud of their commitment to sustainability. For the first time in ten states there was recycling available in our RV campground, and the huge new performing arts complex downtown sported its green features in a huge banner. What also struck us was the multi-culturality of the farmers market and the city in general and the predominate whiteness of the country music scene. Obviously everyone benefits from the draw of the music, but we were hard pressed to find a face of color, or more than a few outstanding women for that matter, in the Hall of Fame.

A Trace of Natchez Trace

A pair of mules graze along the modern Natchez Trace

If you don’t know about the Natchez Trace Parkway, imagine driving through a park that is 444 miles long. Imagine a trail that has been used for hundreds of years first by animals, then by people walking and riding horses, then carts and wagons pulled by mules, and now, by private motorists and bicyclists. Commercial signs and even commercial vehicles are nowhere in sight. The view is only the fall foliage, an occasional animal or bird, and the narrow two-lane road that carries few other travelers. 

Markers interpret historic portions of the Trace

The Trace was the preferred route for American bison migrations and a shared trading trail for the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations. Meriwether Lewis died on the Trace on his way to turn over his journals to President Jefferson in 1810. The trail was improved during the War of 1812 to give postal riders a quick way to communicate; it served as a return trail for the Kaintuck boatmen who floated wood, furs, and grain down the Tennessee River and walked back home again. In the 1930’s bits of the historic Trace that could be acquired were surveyed and dedicated as a memorial under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service and the building of the road began. It was finally finished in 2005 and now stretches all the way from Natchez Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee.

More bicyclists than cars passed us as we enjoyed the 50-mph speed limit and the quiet of the drive. We pulled off several times to explore nature trails built alongside the road. We slept one night in Kosciusko, Mississippi, the birthplace of Oprah Winfrey, and another at Pickwick Landing State Park in Tennessee.  Along the way we explored cypress swamps, examined Native American burial mounds and watched wild turkeys on the roadside. The historical and cultural aspects of this National Scenic Byway and All American Road are surpassed only by its natural, archeological and recreational attributes!

Finally we had to leave the Trace to find civilization: a grocery store, an RV park with showers and internet, and the highway north to Kentucky.  We will miss the Trace. We wish there were more roads like this one. We loved it.

These Places Matter

We so appreciate the people across America who mobilize with others to share a sense of place and history. We are camped this morning near the site of the Siege of Vicksburg, now commemorated by the Vicksburg National Military Park. Yesterday after we toured the charming historic village of Vicksburg we drove slowly through the Park, marveling at the statuary and the rugged terrain that challenged the men that fought there. We were the only vehicle in the Park, all the other visitors were joggers, bicyclists and walkers, presumably locals, who used the 16-mile rolling roadway as a safe place to exercise.

Photo credit: Huffington Post

Earlier in the day we visited the Jerome-Rohwer Interpretive and Visitor Center in McGehee, Arkansas. Sited in a delightfully restored historic railroad station, this small museum reflects the experience of the Japanese-Americans who were incarcerated in two near-by Arkansas camps during World War II. The visit was made more poignant by the arrival of a Japanese-American couple from Puyallup who had lived there. She shared her sorrow at the age of eleven of having to sell her new bike before boarding the train to Arkansas. He had a different experience: having grown up on an isolated California farm, he was relatively happy to suddenly be surrounded by peers and activities. One of the people involved in this museum was George Takei, also a former resident. Read his poignant comments about the dedication earlier this year in the Huffington Post Blog.

The morning of November 2^nd found us in the beautiful Great Plains State Park near Snyder, Oklahoma. Heading east, we stopped at The Museum of the Great Plains in Lawton. The most memorable part of this architecturally intriguing museum was not an intentional display: we were fascinated with the prairie dogs living all over the museum grounds….not something we would see at home on San Juan Island. 

A little ways down the road we stopped at the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, where we learned all one would ever want to know about the famous Chisholm Trail, a cattle-driving route that stretched from Texas to Kansas. This excellent museum was funded with oil money and featured a Western art gallery as well as many very well done interactive displays. We thought of our friend Emily Reed, consummate cowgirl, as we toured the museum.

The third museum of that day was the Chicksaw Cultural Center in Sulphur, OK. This was by far the best museum of the day, but we arrived after a multi-tribe celebration and shortly before closing time. We did wander briefly into the exhibit hall. There was obviously a great amount of cultural pride that went into developing the campus and exhibits. Wish we had more time there. 

Then we drove to Hot Springs Arkansas and toured the Hot Springs National Park facilities. In fact we got so interactive with those exhibits we took historic baths at Buckstaff Bath House.

Hot and Cold and Just Right in Taos

October 29th landed us in Taos, NM, for a long-planned visit with Liz’s childhood friend, Sally Margolin, who generously cleared her schedule to spend time showing us around. Except for the cold air covering us in rain and wind and snow, it was a hoot. Sally and Liz had not seen each other for about 45 years. There was a lot to talk about. Here is Sally coming to fetch us in her trusty 1960 Beetle, “Black Bart”. 

The amazing part of the visit was seeing Sally’s home, an “earthship,” one of several near the world headquarters of the sustainable biotecture community made famous by Michael Reynolds. Rising out of the sage brush of the high mesa are these bizarre and strangely beautiful creations of earth, aluminum cans, bottles, old tires and other recycled materials. Facing into the dessert sun the thick u-shaped walls capture the heat during the day and radiate it back during the cold nights. All the heating, water and electrical systems are self-contained within the structures. Water catchment is filtered for drinking water; gray water is filtered for watering gardens and flushing toilets; human waste is either composted or treated in on-site septic systems. The walls are made of cans, bottles, and/or old tires packed with earth, and all of this is covered over with gracefully stained stucco.  

Sally’s house is beautiful. High up off the ground, she showers in the sun, using water that was caught from the last rainfall. Above is a newer earthship structure, under development at the Center for Sustainable Biotecture.




In Taos we encountered the first precipitation in the form of rain, then snow, since leaving Western Washington.  Yikes!

After two nights of sub-freezing weather we hightailed it southward, stopping long enough to “take the waters” at the world famous hot springs of Ojo Caliente. This place was highly recommended by both Janet Thomas and Liz’ sister Maliki Tara…and we concur! Here's Janna in the "arsenic pool" enjoying the warm water and the sun.

Headed east!!