tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36950761189436392142024-02-07T18:26:34.290-07:00Simple Family, Complex LifeTravel -- Hiking -- Camping. A blog about my adventures -- and what could be yours...Adventure awaits!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-1020705931297103822018-01-02T07:53:00.001-07:002018-01-02T07:53:49.600-07:002017 Adventure Year in Review: A Bucket List UpdateI love these year-end Bucket List updates because I'm amazed at all the adventure I managed to cram into just a single year! This year was no different. In fact, I surpassed even last year! And, when I looked back on my 2018 goals I set last year, I knocked off most of those. Here are the stats:<br />
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25 new NPS sites visited<br />
3 other Bucket List completions<br />
2 new states visited<br />
8/13 adventure goals for 2018 <br />
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Unfortunately, I failed miserably on releasing a new blog article for each of these, so I'll just summarize each below (with some pictures thrown in to whet your own adventure appetite!).<br />
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<u>Skiing</u><br />
OK, so skiing isn't that adventurous, but since I live in Colorado now, it had to be on the bucket list, right? I covered that in a <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2017/01/skiing-bucket-list-completion.html" target="_blank">separate blog article</a> already (before my year got crazy), but I've since been several more times. Oh, and I also attempted <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2017/04/winter-adventures-part-2-ice-climbing.html" target="_blank">ice climbing</a>, <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2017/03/winter-adventures-part-1-backcountry.html" target="_blank">backcountry skiing</a>, and a <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2017/12/winter-adventures-part-3-hut-trip.html" target="_blank">hut trip</a>.<br />
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<u>Nicodemus National Historic Site, KS</u><br />
Nicodemus NHS tells the story of black Americans in the late 1800s who left behind oppression and poor job opportunities in the east during Reconstruction for the promise of more opportunity and better lives on the plains of Kansas. They formed an all-black town in 1877 (which actually was about 25% white at its height) and thrived for about 15 years until the promised railroad bypassed the town several miles to the south. Today, Nicodemus is a ghost town, but as you walk the streets, you can see those ghosts as they lived the American Dream and you can hear their stories.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-WJuzOVGLtKhDjA2klmS9HSZdrlGY0cU5dO7xICMA5GE6q0nW_pG4hQn9NLPagbPoXslFyAlRoZ12t68uEa8oKNtOyfJmK8fhxV09gPAWR3H7LUF1nE0XmXPY998kXu9-EVan4WkM61w/s1600/IMG_1761.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/AVvXsEj-WJuzOVGLtKhDjA2klmS9HSZdrlGY0cU5dO7xICMA5GE6q0nW_pG4hQn9NLPagbPoXslFyAlRoZ12t68uEa8oKNtOyfJmK8fhxV09gPAWR3H7LUF1nE0XmXPY998kXu9-EVan4WkM61w/s640/IMG_1761.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Francis Hotel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DNEeBeUHu6ZJRE_o6EOnt5Dj4tgzMA6lNGjDSz9WXCUKfui08s52XGW2_eoXi38CJi88LIgljUvqkIFvqWudA2zaZiLU8KmlrssdS6K8R0bTrtpKpzUtCgdTUhOS1d6eO3F_LYY6elY/s1600/IMG_1764.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/AVvXsEh4DNEeBeUHu6ZJRE_o6EOnt5Dj4tgzMA6lNGjDSz9WXCUKfui08s52XGW2_eoXi38CJi88LIgljUvqkIFvqWudA2zaZiLU8KmlrssdS6K8R0bTrtpKpzUtCgdTUhOS1d6eO3F_LYY6elY/s640/IMG_1764.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicodemus AME Church</td></tr>
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<u>Chimney Rock National Historic Site, NE</u><br />
As westward pioneers traveled along the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails, they would travel for days with little changing in the scenery. Naturally, then, they would look forward to prominent landmarks along the way that measured their progress. The landmark mentioned and depicted the most in their journals was Chimney Rock, a tall spire thrusting out of a mound beside the trail in what is the modern-day panhandle of Nebraska. It could be seen for miles. Imagine their joy after trudging across the plains for weeks to finally see one of those amazing western geologic formation!<br />
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<u>Star Wars Costume Exhibit</u><br />
As I was going through pictures for this post, I found our pictures from when we attended the Star Wars costume exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. There were just too many good pictures to post here, so I made a <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2018/01/star-wars-power-of-costume.html" target="_blank">separate blog article</a>.<br />
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<u>Martin Luther King, Jr National Memorial, DC</u><br />
This imposing memorial honors the life and contributions of arguably our country's most influential civil rights advocate. It's amazing that I never saw this memorial despite all of my sightseeing during the five years of living in the National Capital Region.<br />
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<u>National Capital Parks-East, DC</u><br />
This site is actually a collection of 13 smaller parks within DC, although some of them are also counted as separate NPS sites in their own right. Among those included, I've seen Anacostia Park, Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Carter G. Woodson Home NHS, and Fredrick Douglass NHS, and several others are on my still-to-see list.<br />
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<u>Carter G. Woodson Home NHS, DC</u><br />
Considered the Father of African American History, Carter G. Woodson set out to document the life and history of black people because there was very little of it documented up to the mid-20th century. He worked out of his house in DC, researching and documenting, along with other notable figures such as Langston Hughes, Mary McCleod Bethune, and W.E.B. Du Bois. I had a unique opportunity to tour his house. Up to this point, it had been completely closed to the public as the NPS renovated it. I just happened to be in DC for National Parks Week, and they were offering tours in anticipation of opening it up to the public a few months later. I wound up getting to be one of the first to tour the house since the NPS obtained the property!<br />
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<u>Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument, DC</u><br />
Belmont-Paul Women's Equality was upgraded to a National Monument from an Affiliated Site in 2016. The house was built in 1820 by Robert Sewell, a prominent Maryland resident, but was bought by the National Women's Party in 1929 to serve as their headquarters. The tour of the house brings alive those stories of Alice Paul, Alva Belmont, and others in their struggle -- sometimes miltantly -- for suffrage and equal treatment, eventually winning the Equal Rights constitutional amendment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main hall of the house, taken from right inside the front door.</td></tr>
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<u>Fredrick Douglass National Historic Site, DC</u><br />
Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland but gained his freedom in 1838 when he escaped to freedom in New York City. He was taught to read by one of his owners and thirsted for knowledge. Douglass spent much of his adult life speaking out against the evils of slavery and was a trusted advisor to Abraham Lincoln. He purchased the house on a high hill with a beautiful view of the capital below in 1877, breaking a "whites-only" covenant. As I toured the house, I wondered what it must have been like as a prominent black person during such a turbulent time, what he thought about every time he looked across that hill to the capital below, whether that which he fought for would ever be realized.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Cedar Hill. It would have been better if it hadn't been raining, but you can still see the Capitol and Washington Monument in the distance.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fredrick Douglass's study.</td></tr>
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<u>Monocacy National Battlefield, MD</u><br />
In 1864, while Lee was hemmed in on every side at Petersburg by Grant's siege, he sent General Jubal Early north up the Shenandoah Valley. His intent: To make an attack on Washington that would force Grant to divert troops and remove enough pressure on Petersburg to allow him to break out and restart the fight on his terms. Union General Wallace was alerted to their presence, however, and, unsure whether they were headed toward Baltimore or Washington, established a battle line at Monocacy Junction, where they slowed the confederates just enough to allow Union reinforcements to arrive, saving the capital and the siege in Petersburg.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fhWfGOVnOFXVBLfe-lt7Hk0eeoaMC2MkhyqP8OeVIm9OshapbQOdiLASyGzct5hUcm9APn4WyCwMCi1SSCm_ErIMpg2yLayJvTgZaNx5oBX1f9Tt-mV70hGfiARdddojBbI8ilqHS6Y/s1600/IMG_5518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fhWfGOVnOFXVBLfe-lt7Hk0eeoaMC2MkhyqP8OeVIm9OshapbQOdiLASyGzct5hUcm9APn4WyCwMCi1SSCm_ErIMpg2yLayJvTgZaNx5oBX1f9Tt-mV70hGfiARdddojBbI8ilqHS6Y/s640/IMG_5518.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bridge over Monocacy Junction (rebuilt as this steel bridge) where the fighting started</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Worthington House, where the middle of the battle took place.</td></tr>
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<u>Fort Smith National Historic Site, AR</u><br />
Following the Louisiana Purchase, Fort Smith was established to ensure the peace on the frontier between native tribes in the area and those forcibly relocated from farther east. Following the Civil War, however, and as more settlers moved west, a new fort was built, and it served as a mediator between whites and Indians via the federal court at Fort Smith with Judge Isaac Parker presiding. Remembered as "the hanging judge", he heard over 13,000 cases with 344 for capital crimes, while only 79 faced the gallows. Moreover, he fought to rehabilitate convicts and reform the justice system, believing that if the court did not protect the Indians, no one would. You can still see the foundations of the first fort along the Arkansas River, as well as the courthouse, jail, gallows, and several other buildings of the newer fort.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOTslTIIUX4-aB3thH_RnB_Y30W42UtXI-Klfri3LSu5Lck9U_sZ1OpDYYs7MDxiecMwZm9ZHUBK-XgSU9vsW3G4Ucongmnu2xen_RVFDzfQkPYGdWan50GbDuFnWzIz64cPoNyt0lJs/s1600/IMG_5566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEOTslTIIUX4-aB3thH_RnB_Y30W42UtXI-Klfri3LSu5Lck9U_sZ1OpDYYs7MDxiecMwZm9ZHUBK-XgSU9vsW3G4Ucongmnu2xen_RVFDzfQkPYGdWan50GbDuFnWzIz64cPoNyt0lJs/s640/IMG_5566.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Courthouse and Jail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNyyL7qZhoVPyw2gRi6ihx1z0Wo2DEMmuZ1LuV33pJJq_LGWMUVO3qVd6rD9eShLoWQV0YD_u7JDehQ2tmMy9QcP-ZuLE5lllPxNB7nE9WoGB5d5INF59zLlaFC-W40TGoqRVzY4IIew/s1600/IMG_5552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNyyL7qZhoVPyw2gRi6ihx1z0Wo2DEMmuZ1LuV33pJJq_LGWMUVO3qVd6rD9eShLoWQV0YD_u7JDehQ2tmMy9QcP-ZuLE5lllPxNB7nE9WoGB5d5INF59zLlaFC-W40TGoqRVzY4IIew/s640/IMG_5552.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gallows. The nooses have since been removed!</td></tr>
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<u>Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, MO</u><br />
After the start of the Civil War in April 1861, both governments were keenly interested in securing Missouri's allegiance. Following much political and military maneuvering, by August 1861, the stage was set for a clash between Union forces at Springfield and Confederate forces a short way away at Wilson's Creek. The Confederates won this battle, but still convinced of Missouri's strategic value, the Union sent more troops, eventually leading to the Confederate defeat at Pea Ridge less than a year later.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZZHxTPBl0GVjOMch-3MTphUiWMbmsDCjuHmmnOnXu5PgNN-E2qm6V-pZB3tWDFK9u8PsPlkLL2asb_3gbdTIgVKAP1Wss1luJTSu6Ve7NOjDu7gKYQPzTiCqVFiWpoYJNg9lyHTY3FI/s1600/IMG_5580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZZHxTPBl0GVjOMch-3MTphUiWMbmsDCjuHmmnOnXu5PgNN-E2qm6V-pZB3tWDFK9u8PsPlkLL2asb_3gbdTIgVKAP1Wss1luJTSu6Ve7NOjDu7gKYQPzTiCqVFiWpoYJNg9lyHTY3FI/s640/IMG_5580.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was my lucky day! I got to see a cannon demonstration!</td></tr>
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<u>George Washington Carver National Monument, MO</u><br />
George Washington Carver was born a slave on this farm in southwest Missouri. Kidnapped as an infant, he was eventually found and returned, but his mother was never found. As George grew up, he grew to love the flora on the farm, creating a garden that eventually earned him the nickname, "The Plant Doctor" and starting him on his journey of research and education that defined his life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Carver farm house</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCXnQHa6VM-HeTdnrDaWvNryr7jdsRhFlf6DlKkRH5DB9c9HjjeeJt2bEXh4qYPI1FhYJA3WaWPa6ISADmhOo02dhlVymELkJPl0O4ygw1nC1NLckIX6DS4ko8orgxaB6-J5DMp7Hfvw/s1600/IMG_5600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCXnQHa6VM-HeTdnrDaWvNryr7jdsRhFlf6DlKkRH5DB9c9HjjeeJt2bEXh4qYPI1FhYJA3WaWPa6ISADmhOo02dhlVymELkJPl0O4ygw1nC1NLckIX6DS4ko8orgxaB6-J5DMp7Hfvw/s640/IMG_5600.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue commemorating the boy George Washington Carver and his love for plants and animals</td></tr>
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<u>Catoctin Mountain Park, MD</u><br />
This park was created in the 1930s by the Works Project Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps to encourage people to reconnect with nature. It's a beautiful forested park with rolling hills, streams, lots of hiking trails, and camping. It's also the home of the Presidential retreat, Camp David. Alas, that's not open for tours! Our family actually camped in the adjoining Cunningham Falls State Park several years ago but never made it to this park. On a work trip, I hurried over with a friend to do a quick hike through the park that evening and got so caught up in the hiking that I completely forgot to take a picture! Here's a picture of Cunningham Falls from several years ago that's right on the border of the park, though. It should still count, though, because my friend and I hiked to Cunningham Falls on this trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTh_cTSGJxMCjTyor-g1BBSz212nUARmnpTlMlaPL7TfzL_PEFG2i58-cbaAvxXpzO_OjuVyWGeoJQ9n9iPFTsOj6kkQS3aespJv77r3h38q0yYwZDKEOOiVlCDTwG6VM5HzOR_wS27GM/s1600/DSC00519.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/AVvXsEjTh_cTSGJxMCjTyor-g1BBSz212nUARmnpTlMlaPL7TfzL_PEFG2i58-cbaAvxXpzO_OjuVyWGeoJQ9n9iPFTsOj6kkQS3aespJv77r3h38q0yYwZDKEOOiVlCDTwG6VM5HzOR_wS27GM/s640/DSC00519.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those are my kids up next to the water!</td></tr>
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<u>Fort Union National Monument, NM</u><br />
At the confluence of the Mountain and Cimarron routes of the Santa Fe Trail laid Fort Union, the largest military fort in the southwest in the 1800s. For nearly 40 years, this fort offered westward settlers protection from raiding Indian tribes, a respite from the rigors of trail life, and an opportunity to repair equipment at the sutler's shop. In addition to its military mission, the fort was also the supply hub for the entire southwest region with vast warehouses for storage and a large hospital. Today the fort lies in ruins from the harsh desert weather, but enough remnants remain, including Santa Fe Trail ruts, to tell the story of that frontier life.<br />
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<u>Pecos National Historical Park, NM</u><br />
The desert southwest holds a lot of history -- the native Indian tribes, the Spanish exploration, domination, and Christian conversion of the Indians, and western settlers. At Pecos NHP, the stories of these peoples and the cultural clashes between them come alive. Walk the grounds of an ancient Pueblo fortress and imagine their life as the dominant force in the area. See next to it, the ruins of a huge Spanish church, symbolizing the often-forced conversion of the Pueblo to Christianity. Picture the Franciscan friars who participated willingly in the imperial Spanish plan for domination and conversion and those that saw the Pueblo as peaceful and became caught in the middle. See the results of the inevitable revolt against the Spanish as the church was burned down and later rebuilt under a much more conciliatory cast of Spaniards before other warring tribes, disease, and migration thrust the Pueblo into sharp decline. Then imagine what those westward settlers must have thought as they passed by these ruins on the Santa Fe Trail 100 years later.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ruins of the second Spanish church</td></tr>
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<u>Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, TX</u><br />
In the Canadian River Valley of the Texas panhandle lies a multitude of Alibates Flint that has been mined for millennia. Known for the way it breaks predictably into thin slices that can be easily fashioned into arrowheads and other tools, it has served local Indians for generations in trade. In fact, this flint and the tools it was fashioned into was apparently extremely popular because the arrowheads have been found in animal skeletons hundreds of miles away. Today, you can tour the quarries only via a guided ranger tour -- one that I found well worth my time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many quarries at the site</td></tr>
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<u>Eisenhower National Historic Site, PA</u><br />
Eisenhower purchased the farm that sits on the edge of the Gettysburg battlefield in 1950 in the intervening time between WWII and becoming president in 1952. During his presidency, he often used the home as a retreat, entertaining a plethora of world leaders there, including Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. The Eisenhowers then retired to their farm in 1961. I've toured many famous homes before, but most were significantly older. As I toured Eisenhower's, I was struck much more by the similarities they would have shared with my grandparents, almost as if you could imagine the Eisenhowers going about their daily lives, like it wasn't too awfully different from going to my grandparents' house.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glassed-in porch, where the Eisenhowers enjoyed spending most of their time.</td></tr>
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<u>Curecanti National Recreation Area, CO</u><br />
Set in rugged south-central Colorado where mountains meet desert, Curecanti NRA was created by a series of dams along the Gunnison River to provide irrigation and hydroelectric power. This created a series of huge reservoirs that today are a haven for fishing and boating. Prior to that, a narrow-gauge railroad wound through the canyon, carrying ores and cattle to points further west. We camped right beside the water for a couple of days exploring the park via the Morrow Point boat tour, as well as the neighboring Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.<br />
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<u>Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO</u><br />
Named for its towering canyon walls that appear black against the landscape because of the sunlight-inhibiting narrowness of the gorge, it was formed by the immense power of the Gunnison River rushing through the canyon as it dropped 480 feet in just a two-mile stretch and an average of 96 feet per mile overall. By way of comparison, the Gunnison River drops more traveling through the 48-mile gorge than the entire 1500-mile Mississippi River! The result is a quickly formed gorge that is nearly 2800 feet deep at its highest point and narrower than any other canyon in the US.<br />
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<u>Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, NE</u><br />
This site was perhaps the most pleasantly surprising of all those I visited this year. I didn't expect much as the NPS site boasts little, but the story here is intriguing, and there actually is some neat stuff to see. In the early 1900s, around two adjacent hills in the panhandle of Nebraska, an endless treasure trove of fossils was discovered. Over the years, scientists have surmised that the entire area was once covered by water over hundreds of square miles, but that water began receding until there were only a few small watering holes for animals to drink from. Eventually, even those small watering holes dried up with the animals congregated around it, eventually becoming too weak to wander away. The result is an abundance of animal remains in a concentrated location. One of these animals was the paleocastor, a type of ancient beaver-prairie dog. These animals burrowed into the ground creating spiral burrows known as daemonelixes. You can see several of these fossilized spiral burrows along the mile-long loop trail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The diorama in the Visitor Center, depicting the animals discovered at the site</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A preserved paleocastor spiral burrow along the Daemonelix Trail</td></tr>
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<u>Scotts Bluff National Monument, NE</u><br />
Rising out of the plains of Nebraska along the banks of the North Platte River and what used to be the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails lies the second-most recorded landmark in westward settlers' journals: Scotts Bluff. Scotts Bluff is actually two massive sandstone buttes that straddle the trails. Today, a road takes you to the top of the north bluff through three tunnels. From the top, you can take in the endless plains and even Chimney Rock only 22 miles to the southeast. As you stand at the top, consider what those settlers must have thought after trudging countless miles and finally seeing landmarks they had heard so much about as they approached -- landmarks that marked the completion of about one-third of their journey.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scotts Bluff was my 100th NPS site!</td></tr>
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<u>Mount Rushmore National Memorial, SD</u><br />
After retiring from the Air Force after 21 years, my family, including my parents, planned a trip to the Black Hills. We had much on our itinerary, but Mount Rushmore was at the top of our must-see list. What impressed me most was just how photogenic the iconic mountain is for mere mortals. The positions for amazing, artistic shots are almost endless. In addition, I highly recommend taking the Iron Mountain Road near Custer State Park to get to Mount Rushmore. On top of a beautiful, winding mountain road, three "tunnels" are cut through the rock that perfectly frames Mount Rushmore in the distance as you drive through.<br />
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<u>Jewel Cave National Monument, SD</u><br />
Jewel Cave initially hit the cutting room floor when building our itinerary for the Black Hills due to a shortage of time. One of the days, we finished with our morning stop significantly earlier than we anticipated, so we tried to squeeze it in ahead of our afternoon at Wind Cave National Park. (Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Wind Cave in time, so we'll have to go back.) Named for its calcite crystals that appear jewel-like and line extensive portions of the cave, Jewel Cave is the third longest cave in the world. There are currently 192 mapped miles, and it is believed that is only a fraction of what it holds!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look for the pig's head and ham!</td></tr>
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<u>Badlands National Park, SD</u><br />
The day we visited Badlands NP, the weather was depressing. It was cold. It was windy. It was rainy. Even so, the grassy plains worn away from the harsh weather and erosion revealing an entire world below of rich, vibrant hues was breathtaking. As we drove the park road, it seemed every overlook produced still another view incomprehensibly better than the last, creating a canvas that used every color of the artist's palette. The park teems with wildlife, too. On our drive, we saw buffalo, prairie dogs, pronghorn, and bighorn sheep. Even my mother, who abhors the cold, wind, and rain as evil itself, enjoyed Badlands more than any other stop on our trip.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the patches of grassy plains atop some of the badlands.</td></tr>
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<u>Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, SD</u><br />
One of the most unique sites in the NPS system, Minuteman Missile NHS tells the story of the Cold War through a decommissioned Air Force Launch Control Facility, a Minuteman III nuclear missile silo, and a brand new orientation film. It tells the story of that ever-present angst of nuclear annihilation, arms races, civil defense organizations, and duck-and-cover drills. It tells the story of the residents and farmers of the area that played host to the countless missile silos scattered across the plains, those that would have surely been targeted in any Soviet mass raid. This is the NPS at its best, an exceptionally well-done site.<br />
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<u>Carhenge </u><br />
When I was doing some preliminary planning for a trip to the northern Great Plains, I came across one of those weird Roadside America attractions: Carhenge. Think of it like a cross between Stonehenge and Cadillac Ranch. It was constructed to the same specifications as the iconic and mysterious Stonehenge in Great Britain but with cars. Despite being in an extremely rural part of western Nebraska, it actually sees a respectable number of visitors each year because if you're headed to the Black Hills from the south, it's not far out of your way.<br />
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<u>Denver Broncos Game </u><br />
In October, Lauren's friend from
summer camp's dad called me asking if she and I wanted to go see the
Broncos play. We certainly couldn't refuse that offer! They have
season tickets in Club Level, so after grabbing something to eat in the
Club Level dining, we headed to our seats. Mile High Stadium is known
for its excessive noise level that wreaks havoc on the opposing team's
play calling, and I can certainly validate that claim. That is the
loudest sporting event I have ever been at with the decibel level
hovering around 118 dB for the entire game! We had a great time, and,
even though the Broncos have had a disappointing season, that day was
not a disappointment. The Broncos delivered a solid victory against the
Raiders.<br />
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<u>Boston African American NHS, MA</u><br />
When most people think of Boston, images of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere and the Old North Church, and Bunker Hill come to mind, all accessible by the Freedom Trail within Boston National Historical Park. But there's another piece of Boston's storied history: the story of 19th century free Black Bostonians that led the fight against slavery in the US and struggled to gain suitable education and housing for their families and children. The Black Heritage Trail leads across Beacon Hill, adjacent to Boston Common and the Public Garden and includes such sites as the African Meeting House -- the oldest surviving black church in the US which served as the center of black religion, politics, and education -- and the Abiel Smith School, which replaced the African Meeting House as the primary school.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">African Meeting House</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBTJboXLQiukmA-2VotOx12aiTCIDVKh1Un2NqqJnSSok9Ux9534K_2Ex6dYZeKMc0kOwxwxGhPKDpunko2Q4ZlJCdaOaf9wx_xggtL1OBy5fw0N_w1jNZH1VTfIfpIVqWKPbTo_02fjc/s1600/IMG_2319.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/AVvXsEiBTJboXLQiukmA-2VotOx12aiTCIDVKh1Un2NqqJnSSok9Ux9534K_2Ex6dYZeKMc0kOwxwxGhPKDpunko2Q4ZlJCdaOaf9wx_xggtL1OBy5fw0N_w1jNZH1VTfIfpIVqWKPbTo_02fjc/s640/IMG_2319.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Abiel Smith School. Sadly, it was trash day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And here's how the NPS map wound up at the close of the year:<br />
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So with all of that done, what's left for next year? Well, with starting a new job, I'm less ambitious for 2019, but here are a few things I'd like to work on:<br />
<br />
- Backpacking on the Colorado and Continental Divide Trails<br />
<br />
- Climb a Fourteener<br />
<br />
- Fall Leaf Tour in the Mountains<br />
<br />
- Whitewater Raft through Royal Gorge <br />
<br />
- Visit one of the NPS sites in Oklahoma -- Washita Battlefield or Chickasaw National Recreation Area<br />
<br />
- Visit a new stateTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-62735906124814250552018-01-01T10:09:00.000-07:002018-01-02T07:57:00.791-07:00Star Wars: The Power of CostumeAs I was looking back through photos of 2017 for pictures for the <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2018/01/2017-adventure-year-in-review-bucket.html" target="_blank">2017 Adventure Year in Review</a>, I came across our photos from the "Star Wars: The Power of Costume" exhibit in April at the Denver Art Museum. There were so many good photos from that exhibit I couldn't narrow it down to just a couple for that blog post, so I decided to do a separate, if tardy, post.<br />
<br />
Getting to see the many costumes from the first seven movies in an up-close-and-personal intimate setting was amazing. The detail and the creativity that went into each costume for a seemingly infinite character set was mind-blowing and just one small indicator of what makes the Star Wars franchise the best of all time. Unfortunately, these pictures don't do them complete justice, but hopefully your imagination will get you partway there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0rg7bCWBAUL-iPvmpgFjvntnxlca8VdThg6bI9G6wHgC1-IHg9C7dtBckyQU6_cTqax_gJDGMv7QBU_dXsz3qpxdy6DChKlMAG0urlSxQykQOslS1EW0dbP4ipyLwcU9hyphenhyphenLY6UXvdRE/s1600/IMG_5155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0rg7bCWBAUL-iPvmpgFjvntnxlca8VdThg6bI9G6wHgC1-IHg9C7dtBckyQU6_cTqax_gJDGMv7QBU_dXsz3qpxdy6DChKlMAG0urlSxQykQOslS1EW0dbP4ipyLwcU9hyphenhyphenLY6UXvdRE/s640/IMG_5155.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bulbs at the bottom are actually lights. Natalie Portman actually had to walk with a battery under her skirt.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palpatine's many outfits</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK, so I couldn't resist a picture of Leia's bikini.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Episode VII Stormtrooper (left) vs Episode IV Stormtrooper</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a placard that listed the specific steps David Prowse had to go through to get dressed each time he put on the suit. I think it said it took about half an hour, maybe more.</td></tr>
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<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-58761669958724975692017-12-09T19:45:00.000-07:002017-12-09T19:45:03.106-07:00Winter Adventures Part 3: Hut Trip***OK, so this post is unacceptably late -- you've been holding your
breath since I announced it, right? -- but life got in the way. But,
hey! It's kinda winter here, so talking about snow is still
appropriate, right?*** <br />
<br />
In the <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2017/04/winter-adventures-part-2-ice-climbing.html" target="_blank">previous post</a> in this
three-part series, I told the story of Brennan's and my ice
climbing adventures -- climbing up near-vertical walls of ice using ice
axes and crampons that didn't take much effort to provide a solid hold.<br />
<br />
In
<a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2017/03/winter-adventures-part-1-backcountry.html" target="_blank">Part 1</a>, I told of how Brennan and I tried backcountry
skiing -- uphill climbing/hiking on skis, followed by downhills on
untested and ungroomed slopes. We were hoping to backcountry ski on a
hut trip with several guys from our church, but neither of us were quite
prepared for that much adventure! So we opted to snowshoe instead.<br />
<br />
By
this time, if you're not from around here, you may be wondering what a
"hut trip" is! In the Rocky Mountains, there are several cabins that
aren't road-accessible in wintertime. The only way to get there is to
hike in through the snowy wilderness. On this trip, we went to
Francie's Cabin. It's located only about 5 miles south of Breckenridge,
and about 2-3 miles from the trailhead, so it was an easy hike up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1VMpK3yPm6WO2ew3slq4E6vFU869xYL32701OQcQmptDyDKRW1pO1JSqF5-cAJalj2oT4I8vQ54TsyFI6k2C_qzavJkO-1AViJ_-QUtephH72_iecWOKO__gR6mX9T0a8OZkPXHY1kU/s1600/IMG_1782.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1VMpK3yPm6WO2ew3slq4E6vFU869xYL32701OQcQmptDyDKRW1pO1JSqF5-cAJalj2oT4I8vQ54TsyFI6k2C_qzavJkO-1AViJ_-QUtephH72_iecWOKO__gR6mX9T0a8OZkPXHY1kU/s640/IMG_1782.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We
arrived at the cabin around lunchtime. After some chow and a little
rest, a few of us decided to get busy exploring. We had heard there was
an alpine lake not far from the cabin, so several of us geared up and
headed out in search of it. How cool would that be to see a lake in the
middle of this snow everywhere? The cabin was located at the base of a
valley, with mountains surrounding the valley on three sides. As we
hiked up the valley toward the peak at the end, we could see a bowl at
the peak's base as we approached. We assumed this was the lake.<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/AVvXsEhIDUz2dTf1iiqnfnIQFnIYaHqNgrwg1A9Exscuv8YqMIKqfVQ3yLq3yofWtND6X02E85np9m9peM0cs6EQh1CLs5sURoPIMi7ccGjltLlK1iZM5c6zfnLpjjbUbSzxvq5Y_gMt5hNceVY/s1600/IMG_1789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="1600" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDUz2dTf1iiqnfnIQFnIYaHqNgrwg1A9Exscuv8YqMIKqfVQ3yLq3yofWtND6X02E85np9m9peM0cs6EQh1CLs5sURoPIMi7ccGjltLlK1iZM5c6zfnLpjjbUbSzxvq5Y_gMt5hNceVY/s640/IMG_1789.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The valley hemmed in by mountains</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/AVvXsEjSQM26ImMXCn0k1nzMWtNzPL6G-H9ZkUEuKuh39tB2XNBP9oMrMNngCJA5rnQ8hMXYv4ArSpo6EXoYDcyMXMwv7FCnqk9AzOXYaH4tVHBBpA0W77yCBd6hvSyDpapc1OHgMnxGIaiNSBE/s1600/IMG_1788.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/AVvXsEjSQM26ImMXCn0k1nzMWtNzPL6G-H9ZkUEuKuh39tB2XNBP9oMrMNngCJA5rnQ8hMXYv4ArSpo6EXoYDcyMXMwv7FCnqk9AzOXYaH4tVHBBpA0W77yCBd6hvSyDpapc1OHgMnxGIaiNSBE/s640/IMG_1788.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the bowl at the base of the mountain in front of us.</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/AVvXsEiwRPRIp0m7SIe6kfaAtbaClryjVRkcXoOysxW6MvnqDZoB3RQJfQtOWAZVF8_rzRU1cBrif78kP0HnXdP9VFanL7UusZeCwpJ3Zd63whlaQJ2a3R3D8y2OHMOpyTG1-kgk-xAvQXk2Z6A/s1600/IMG_1809.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/AVvXsEiwRPRIp0m7SIe6kfaAtbaClryjVRkcXoOysxW6MvnqDZoB3RQJfQtOWAZVF8_rzRU1cBrif78kP0HnXdP9VFanL7UusZeCwpJ3Zd63whlaQJ2a3R3D8y2OHMOpyTG1-kgk-xAvQXk2Z6A/s640/IMG_1809.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We ran across this little guy as we were exploring!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
No
such luck, though. There was definitely a large bowl, but no lake.
Instead of a lake, we did find the remnants of a miner's cabin. (It
turns out, that really was the lake, just frozen and snowed over. Call
me a newbie at winter trekking!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQnp67_N6zebIwgSnLyJJKd2mDJwCDm2gxKUdFo9SWNAYPav8x7Sk-ZT8DfeMLhivR1kEDyRiTEEWi6vjofZvETWAdEebVA-KPpbM6vlRkF19sntr6U2sS8iZ6co9dcR7m1zun3LT5ag/s1600/IMG_1791.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQnp67_N6zebIwgSnLyJJKd2mDJwCDm2gxKUdFo9SWNAYPav8x7Sk-ZT8DfeMLhivR1kEDyRiTEEWi6vjofZvETWAdEebVA-KPpbM6vlRkF19sntr6U2sS8iZ6co9dcR7m1zun3LT5ag/s640/IMG_1791.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
So,
having not found (we thought) that which we sought, we looked for more
adventure and found a trail heading up one of the ridges toward the peak
at the end of the valley. We knew we wouldn't summit the peak that
afternoon, but we thought we might get some nice views.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKscgAKjPKki1NukUDz_VbCGktZVa7txDV0KG0jew3kfc76Kx6e0qxKU9eD79FR3qq6ifcTEmz8VQAfSRGkxkfOJ-oElo6yjK4Dl8bmYnUp-U5WZGVlq0iuRFUs-RbghzcHoNVFbyCSCE/s1600/IMG_1798.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/AVvXsEhKscgAKjPKki1NukUDz_VbCGktZVa7txDV0KG0jew3kfc76Kx6e0qxKU9eD79FR3qq6ifcTEmz8VQAfSRGkxkfOJ-oElo6yjK4Dl8bmYnUp-U5WZGVlq0iuRFUs-RbghzcHoNVFbyCSCE/s640/IMG_1798.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The picture from the trail we climbed up to. You can see the steep slope and the horrible terrain (and the frozen lake below).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It
was definitely an adventure! The trail we saw along the ridge didn't
seem to connect to the valley floor, so we had to just hike straight up
the base of the ridge to get to it. Turns out it was farther than it
looked, and the terrain was tough. In places there was no snow, just
exposed rock. Between the rocks was scree -- gravel-sized rock chips
that just lay on top of the steep-sloped ridge. Climbing up was tough!
Imagine trying to climb up the side of a mountain that moves with large
boats on your feet! When we finally did reach the trail, we ditched
our snowshoes and headed up. In some places, the trail was completely
snowed over. Aware that nature is not a theme park, we looked up the
side of the ridge to check the snow up-slope, and there didn't seem to
be that much that would be an avalanche danger, so we pressed on.
Still, the snow was wet and over knee-deep in some places, and progress
was slow. We thought we might make it to the corner of this rectangular
mountain wall that surrounded the valley and see what lay beyond, but
the sun started sinking before we made it that far, and we didn't want
to be finding our way back to the cabin in the dark.<br />
<br />
Once
we reached the place we left our snowshoes, we were left with a
decision: How best to get back down the side of the ridge? As we
discussed it, there seemed to be three options: 1) Back down the way
we came -- but it was steep and heading down the scree might be
dangerous; 2) We could travel farther down the trail to a place where
there was snow all the way down the ridge and switchback our way down
the ridge to the valley floor; 3) Brennan jokingly said we could just
butt-sled all the way down. I quickly dismissed that option. Brennan
did not. Eddie, my partner, seemed willing to try it, but I was afraid we would
tumble, get covered with snow, and get cold. Thus, Eddie and I decided
to switchback our way down the ridge. After a while, we seemed to not
be making progress, and we were having trouble keeping good footing on
the steep, snow-covered ridge. Eddie asked again: What do you think
about butt-sledding? I finally relented. I took my snowshoes off, sat
down, and kicked off, using my snowshoes held in my hands to steer. And
it was fun! It was thrilling! I was a kid again!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUShI00t1IdEGMhomS1fyeRagRi2739Nbp1JLPJRmk_Mq85tYC4ToEkF9RhPGFzFaVuvWuCYxVNm9bLnHf8IZ89YlVeKN6cWhSuamMKSau-HZ4R1Hprqe4z6uBTiUErWWoXgoC4Q_lSt4/s1600/IMG_1816.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUShI00t1IdEGMhomS1fyeRagRi2739Nbp1JLPJRmk_Mq85tYC4ToEkF9RhPGFzFaVuvWuCYxVNm9bLnHf8IZ89YlVeKN6cWhSuamMKSau-HZ4R1Hprqe4z6uBTiUErWWoXgoC4Q_lSt4/s640/IMG_1816.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Upon
returning to the cabin and bragging about all of our exploits, our
leader informed us that we plowed through prime avalanche terrain --
without the proper equipment. Oops! Guess we've got more to learn
about winter outdoor adventuring! Note to self: Sign up for avalanche
safety class!<br />
<br />
Our fajita feast that evening could not
have been better after the workout we had that afternoon. We sat around
the wood-burning stove and swapped stories, the fellowship of fellow
outdoor enthusiasts completing the adventure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgzyiZAxJ2S8H3a_HNTY_tRZ9qL7gsEF86JSTI6l35sTH7iSweeTLKjSRyaktAc-umMuQQZPFHvVnEPA3RMHfguOlRfwO074zhv7n9ggoaADjAA1W3oNV_xP1KIlY4DMNFPbNiJz6zY8/s1600/IMG_1799.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgzyiZAxJ2S8H3a_HNTY_tRZ9qL7gsEF86JSTI6l35sTH7iSweeTLKjSRyaktAc-umMuQQZPFHvVnEPA3RMHfguOlRfwO074zhv7n9ggoaADjAA1W3oNV_xP1KIlY4DMNFPbNiJz6zY8/s640/IMG_1799.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The
next day, we headed out for another half-day adventure, this time
exploring the opposite ridge before heading home with our stories. My
first non-skiing winter adventure had me hooked! Can't wait for this year's adventure at Janet's Cabin!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjePcCFakXikkRxVSAyEJVZtCsfgv1DnlOx7JsgyWxyOgOaCKOE3GPD5x_iqcu0d16JiNoqNWY5f-vmIlPKNEkHYubgjvwTgOxmZc9mnRrasTjxZZDEsNZEza6ygpi69IMO_fk74X9TE/s1600/IMG_1785.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkjePcCFakXikkRxVSAyEJVZtCsfgv1DnlOx7JsgyWxyOgOaCKOE3GPD5x_iqcu0d16JiNoqNWY5f-vmIlPKNEkHYubgjvwTgOxmZc9mnRrasTjxZZDEsNZEza6ygpi69IMO_fk74X9TE/s640/IMG_1785.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-60210371447897450562017-04-01T07:53:00.000-06:002017-04-01T07:53:21.998-06:00Winter Adventures, Part 2: Ice ClimbingIn <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2017/03/winter-adventures-part-1-backcountry.html" target="_blank">Part 1 of this series</a>, I chronicled my adventure of backcountry skiing, which wound up to be more adventure than I could handle. I wasn't very good at it at all! A couple of weeks after that trip, Brennan and I signed up for ice climbing at the Boy
Scout camp. The wall was mostly artificially created, but it was over an
immense vertical rock face, so it looked natural. It was a cold day in
the mountains, not quite up to freezing even with the sun high in the sky. We strapped on a climbing
harness and some crampons, grabbed a couple of ice axes, and away we
went. The first ascent was on a slope. Brennan went first and made it look easy, getting to the top in about five minutes. It was much rougher for me. I got less than halfway up, and
my fingers were completely numb and I was completely worn out. I
didn't think I was going to be able to make it, but I pressed on and
finally reached the top after what seemed like an eternity!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_vO9_I6ySL48SvcuRPXj0rV0zjYJCbhpqZNCBC_TYVmMI8PvRSmwA5IEVpTo_LHUtzw_RkIYZkR-WYxJszEpdawpeIW5WvdtBymztZn0umlCcv0NzgJpg-MkwCFzaWi0N7s8eKcBtbU/s1600/IMG_1973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_vO9_I6ySL48SvcuRPXj0rV0zjYJCbhpqZNCBC_TYVmMI8PvRSmwA5IEVpTo_LHUtzw_RkIYZkR-WYxJszEpdawpeIW5WvdtBymztZn0umlCcv0NzgJpg-MkwCFzaWi0N7s8eKcBtbU/s640/IMG_1973.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can almost see me at the top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When
I got back down, the climbing instructor explained that if I gripped
the ice axe for dear life, I was actually squeezing the blood out of my
fingers, creating the numbness. If I just relaxed and held on to the
axe with as little pressure as necessary, both swinging and climbing,
that it would be much less work and my hands wouldn't get so cold. Sure
enough, we both thought the next run was much easier, and my hands stayed
warm! We were really amazed at how well the ice axes held in the ice -- even if the axe went less than an inch into the ice!<br />
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<br />
For our last climb, we wanted to try the
completely vertical face. The instructor explained that even though it
looked harder than the others, it really wasn't because of the way the
ice formed with plenty of places for footholds and ice axe holds. Sure
enough, that held true. Brennan and I both thought the climb was pretty
easy until we got about 2/3 of the way up. At that point, there were
plenty of footholds, but they were really more like holes in the ice wall. We put the
ice axes in the holes, and they did okay, but were not as secure as
creating your own hold. At one point, one of my axes came loose, and
the other started to slip. Using my crampons and digging the one axe
in, I was able to prevent a fall, secure myself again, and finish the ascent. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCC6X8oAjP-Rzjaf2CPPDyVoPqKe2PLrzfcxuj6A_-APcBE-yCslZ5brlRIFvjiDdm96ucqLbnSm4_cydl_BdwImOYk4bJPtoZ71poZnRpNSEmg_K2YqwjeIhoB5BNR_gF40XC8IlgZU/s1600/IMG_1966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCC6X8oAjP-Rzjaf2CPPDyVoPqKe2PLrzfcxuj6A_-APcBE-yCslZ5brlRIFvjiDdm96ucqLbnSm4_cydl_BdwImOYk4bJPtoZ71poZnRpNSEmg_K2YqwjeIhoB5BNR_gF40XC8IlgZU/s640/IMG_1966.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the holes in the ice in this picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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If you ever have the opportunity to try ice climbing, I highly recommend it. There are some absolutely beautiful places in this country to do it. But do it on a warmer day!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-86755310604940537812017-03-25T09:47:00.004-06:002017-03-25T09:47:50.791-06:00Winter Adventures, Part 1: Backcountry SkiingBrennan and I had the opportunity over the last couple of months to try out a few new adventures, including backcountry skiing and ice climbing. Then, just a few weeks later, we went on a hut trip -- an overnight trip that involves hiking up to a remote cabin not accessible by road in wintertime. All three turned out to be quite the adventure! I'll post about each of those in a 3-part Winter Adventures series with this post covering the backcountry skiing trip.<br />
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In preparation for the hut trip, Brennan and I went backcountry skiing with a friend. We had never been before and were intrigued when he said he preferred backcountry skiing to snowshoeing because you could go all the same places you could on snowshoes only faster. Faster is always better, right? Backcountry skiing is similar to cross-country skiing except you use high-performance skis that are designed for all-terrain use: uphill climbs, rolling terrain, and standard downhill (on groomed or natural slopes). We met up at Monarch Pass, put our skis and skins on (skins are a rough material that attach to your skis to give you traction going uphill), and set out along a trail that skirted the outer limit of the Monarch Ski Area. It was overcast that day, so the picture below doesn't do it justice, but from our perspective at the top of the world, it was absolutely beautiful out there! <br />
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We stopped for a picture on the Continental Divide at 12,000 feet. Wow, it was windy!<br />
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Our initial plan was to loop around a couple of mountains and wind up back down where we started, but our options appeared limited at the pass. Once we got up there and looked at it, the terrain showed too many avalanche indicators, so we decided to ski down the hill we had just climbed up and spend some time exploring the valley below. That hill turned out to be more than I bargained for, though: It was steep and had lots of powder that I wasn't used to skiing in. Let's just say it took me a while to get down. Unfortunately, by the time I made it down into the valley, I was beat. Brennan climbed up another hill and skied another run, but he was tired by that time, too. As we traveled home, we decided that, whether we weren't cut out for backcountry skiing or just needed more practice at this expensive sport, it was more adventure than we expected! We decided that we would just snowshoe on the hut trip!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-68347808626048951112017-01-16T09:41:00.003-07:002017-01-16T09:46:55.561-07:00Skiing: A Bucket List CompletionOkay, I know that skiing isn't a unique adventure that is going to draw the masses to my blog like a siren song. I mean, no one has ever been to Colorado skiing, right? But, it does cross yet another item off a <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-bucket-list.html" target="_blank">Bucket List</a> aimed at experiencing as many different adventures and as much of God's beautiful scenery as possible. And I got to enjoy a day with my kids.<br />
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Addison decided on <a href="http://www.skimonarch.com/" target="_blank">Monarch</a> in south-central Colorado because a friend gave her a BOGO coupon, and I could get a great military rate. Monarch is a great resort for first-time skiers or families. The Green runs are challenging for novices and fun for those that just enjoy skiing recreationally, and the Blue runs are respectable. </div>
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The weather was supposed to be horrible! The forecast called for a high of 15 with winds 30-50 mph all day long. I think it scared most people off because it really wasn't crowded (and it was a week day). It was cold that day, but we stayed warm in our layers, and the promised wind wound up being relatively calm with the exception of the occasional large gust. It turned out to be a great day!</div>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-10009583775209466682016-12-30T07:14:00.000-07:002016-12-30T07:14:12.045-07:002016 Adventure Year in Review: A Bucket List Update2016 was a bit of a stressful year -- nothing major, but a lot of little stuff that added up along the way: medical issues, a job position I didn't really like, uncertainty about my future, a daughter going off to college...Oh, and that whole election season. Yes, I'm looking forward to leaving 2016 behind. On the up side, though, 2016 was a great year for the Bucket List! This year, I visited 20 NPS sites and knocked 5 additional items off my <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-bucket-list.html" target="_blank">Bucket List</a>! Wow! I'd say that's a lot of adventure! Look back with me over 2016 to see my favorite adventure photos from this year.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLpRc0AIYsbQmKLR7oIhkjcgvzCTDW2jrLANiNwgAf31jHORspb_z4Wr2HcJJROeqDVGEotMigRK8OwseeFeaoYaN9oLSX-TuCt3pbzhZIJBeKRmFuVfIAdznWuYwwFsw54u8M3iRmY0/s1600/blogger-image-744800838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLpRc0AIYsbQmKLR7oIhkjcgvzCTDW2jrLANiNwgAf31jHORspb_z4Wr2HcJJROeqDVGEotMigRK8OwseeFeaoYaN9oLSX-TuCt3pbzhZIJBeKRmFuVfIAdznWuYwwFsw54u8M3iRmY0/s640/blogger-image-744800838.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/01/snowshoeing-bucket-list-completion.html" target="_blank">Snowshoeing</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1K6KCTjz_xjG6uZnumZ9cBtFyGeXSeRsiQDnsIhu4vjsy0OVVrG_1jRz0dZkGCPMDHwcZoOYfMmfzW_FChBHuta5Vki424rFNaTKonkyxtPHn_H66cIK94c4csQ9ZkNeuJ2auGSFF1g/s1600/IMG_3224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1K6KCTjz_xjG6uZnumZ9cBtFyGeXSeRsiQDnsIhu4vjsy0OVVrG_1jRz0dZkGCPMDHwcZoOYfMmfzW_FChBHuta5Vki424rFNaTKonkyxtPHn_H66cIK94c4csQ9ZkNeuJ2auGSFF1g/s640/IMG_3224.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/02/bent-old-fort-nhs.html" target="_blank">Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, CO</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47D-72Q5FbeeKxdbTDtUQsEr2GocMG0zZLLRs9JPMAx7KZ66Ux05ABa7P3q6c_aDUveHqonit5BWs8MOLzXAU2-WxmfGC3dI7cvzcNOGa_ZfN0yjhkdmpySbmmeIgMo5U0GLWd7mwMLg/s1600/IMG_3339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47D-72Q5FbeeKxdbTDtUQsEr2GocMG0zZLLRs9JPMAx7KZ66Ux05ABa7P3q6c_aDUveHqonit5BWs8MOLzXAU2-WxmfGC3dI7cvzcNOGa_ZfN0yjhkdmpySbmmeIgMo5U0GLWd7mwMLg/s640/IMG_3339.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/03/capulin-volcano-nm.html" target="_blank">Capulin Volcano National Monument, NM</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2w_H3-5c48JXHDDiiHVNORPc0FtkCp0vPJIFAikjV0AsoVRzt_w7X5Szx3sfHPPeXF2iVzbIi64x1ZDgAduC5O_7lR55umhdCk37pIsYVr87UR7NOkhz2jUP4mzC8aDZEp0ypDDDZ0w/s1600/IMG_0960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2w_H3-5c48JXHDDiiHVNORPc0FtkCp0vPJIFAikjV0AsoVRzt_w7X5Szx3sfHPPeXF2iVzbIi64x1ZDgAduC5O_7lR55umhdCk37pIsYVr87UR7NOkhz2jUP4mzC8aDZEp0ypDDDZ0w/s640/IMG_0960.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/03/florissant-fossil-beds-nm.html" target="_blank">Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, CO</a>. Redwoods in Colorado!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqTa0SpiLAg72mfQwL1oGvRwIsKNZiRoZKTMp7KOe00ElHtvALfjPwu55_ap78V8jc5rwcVj6R6HJmLRcLQ9h39rjOPcGfMXiuZQHGHWr8ECXiaH9vuDoi2HVfg6kHaUwo3rYvRz_Xbs/s1600/blogger-image-1352065410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqTa0SpiLAg72mfQwL1oGvRwIsKNZiRoZKTMp7KOe00ElHtvALfjPwu55_ap78V8jc5rwcVj6R6HJmLRcLQ9h39rjOPcGfMXiuZQHGHWr8ECXiaH9vuDoi2HVfg6kHaUwo3rYvRz_Xbs/s640/blogger-image-1352065410.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/05/sky-sox-baseball-bucket-list-completion.html" target="_blank">Colorado Springs Sky Sox Baseball Game</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_MHbvg67SHai9lkznfNPGp1ZYv7jaPyIZeQ4CNK0KFfpmdw5NXNPV6j92sl0pNhSVPhc5RY7V8c4MZhCBLdn3BV1LD8Efn-dvSNhXPOcLe1BbXUFY2SeB0ULsAreqntu7C-xB18d4pQ/s1600/blogger-image--1146464027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_MHbvg67SHai9lkznfNPGp1ZYv7jaPyIZeQ4CNK0KFfpmdw5NXNPV6j92sl0pNhSVPhc5RY7V8c4MZhCBLdn3BV1LD8Efn-dvSNhXPOcLe1BbXUFY2SeB0ULsAreqntu7C-xB18d4pQ/s640/blogger-image--1146464027.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cristi and I <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/05/conquering-incline-bucket-list.html" target="_blank">conquering the Incline</a> -- A Morning of Pure Torture. We're thinking about going again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2R5764BsrXjdJEWTJj8FW4ZhxZMJEe1GC-LQvUrxM94nF3IAXcFX7J02DTyjPq27OMoB67atsbx6xyNZmC1NY0KVjixJZ6swbk9c9DhTtcNdWcuwy_8-C3P3ukzc6CkQXtMUfnOUAZo/s1600/IMG_3781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2R5764BsrXjdJEWTJj8FW4ZhxZMJEe1GC-LQvUrxM94nF3IAXcFX7J02DTyjPq27OMoB67atsbx6xyNZmC1NY0KVjixJZ6swbk9c9DhTtcNdWcuwy_8-C3P3ukzc6CkQXtMUfnOUAZo/s640/IMG_3781.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/05/great-sand-dunes-national-park-and.html" target="_blank">Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrONp6tD3S6HBiFReyr-iYiFEL0jklA1KI2oBuoSn7zhmvUpbWo0IAgqq3cOnIgkoLuTRv7tNqHc2Bi1NS4y08pUtDoSlzNb61rTsUPGfgYM5rAlTZwsae6sAgCceumB0soKxFUn1mgX0/s1600/IMG_3942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrONp6tD3S6HBiFReyr-iYiFEL0jklA1KI2oBuoSn7zhmvUpbWo0IAgqq3cOnIgkoLuTRv7tNqHc2Bi1NS4y08pUtDoSlzNb61rTsUPGfgYM5rAlTZwsae6sAgCceumB0soKxFUn1mgX0/s640/IMG_3942.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-paint-mines-bucket-list-completion.html" target="_blank">The Paint Mines, CO</a></td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEjCc31x7r1NFVf4q1R2O0xVd7LMPI0MISfmLNs1SNt2aTFc4ym8gmFymvy4H6eoSwT7m5eqRPazut3iZFzZVaLP_JowBF5SUtIK3o8KrWM7xH9LgfbCTKrFoTLNjA9Jj4aHN-AL0SmFwYc/s1600/IMG_4344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCc31x7r1NFVf4q1R2O0xVd7LMPI0MISfmLNs1SNt2aTFc4ym8gmFymvy4H6eoSwT7m5eqRPazut3iZFzZVaLP_JowBF5SUtIK3o8KrWM7xH9LgfbCTKrFoTLNjA9Jj4aHN-AL0SmFwYc/s640/IMG_4344.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/07/tuskegee-airmen-nhs-trip-report.html" target="_blank">Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, AL</a></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/AVvXsEjYWS-WapVcFX6yTXoEz2JmmlaMSE_-hBuP7C8GOafW1uZ65y5JI74RZnncrF1wg5OGQVO7LAz0fMOVAi3d27Jpd4KYVL59lDM8Ifwk_k3cKV2EnqdHvpK671u5o3gfKJLnizA3sLw26UQ/s1600/IMG_4346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWS-WapVcFX6yTXoEz2JmmlaMSE_-hBuP7C8GOafW1uZ65y5JI74RZnncrF1wg5OGQVO7LAz0fMOVAi3d27Jpd4KYVL59lDM8Ifwk_k3cKV2EnqdHvpK671u5o3gfKJLnizA3sLw26UQ/s640/IMG_4346.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, AL</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/AVvXsEjdudi1e7htkUX5gFFYJWzaoDPd-uOJ7TUclM6ylwmFPzQz8NkK4V0-6dRehpyYTUVFbTiIN3W4z_eiJxe5xYhhlbkmfhcSLhS63WyAEWGtfaR40jBYku-I0AbY6eQMaVnbWDoVhMQXs68/s1600/IMG_4436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdudi1e7htkUX5gFFYJWzaoDPd-uOJ7TUclM6ylwmFPzQz8NkK4V0-6dRehpyYTUVFbTiIN3W4z_eiJxe5xYhhlbkmfhcSLhS63WyAEWGtfaR40jBYku-I0AbY6eQMaVnbWDoVhMQXs68/s640/IMG_4436.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/08/historic-coastal-florida-forts.html" target="_blank">Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, FL</a></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/AVvXsEix5lSZtwI36n2vlTkgqSsbLE48P3h-HSYZSMaAZ_W4MGrM-cJGfof91l-JkMeusoV0-LqKrjUpyFCVCfSAlIDqhJcoFLMpOa3rFVjQe56tsiH1Qhh9pMJ8Jl7JJw0Zgj_J9T83ECzk6AE/s1600/IMG_4462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5lSZtwI36n2vlTkgqSsbLE48P3h-HSYZSMaAZ_W4MGrM-cJGfof91l-JkMeusoV0-LqKrjUpyFCVCfSAlIDqhJcoFLMpOa3rFVjQe56tsiH1Qhh9pMJ8Jl7JJw0Zgj_J9T83ECzk6AE/s640/IMG_4462.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/08/historic-coastal-florida-forts.html" target="_blank">Fort Matanzas National Monument, FL</a></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/AVvXsEjtBXTZLwszcairy5t36ex1k7nzK1UjfWs9JOUzkqr_RO8W1xqZTaO7ybFNLilgfb4Ny2r288rAfrEWx_bMxPWjHqdyDTKSzfRbD2fi4EFQdyhDutdUaLGq7uh7nA9KnPKU1yAEBQDWviE/s1600/IMG_4499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBXTZLwszcairy5t36ex1k7nzK1UjfWs9JOUzkqr_RO8W1xqZTaO7ybFNLilgfb4Ny2r288rAfrEWx_bMxPWjHqdyDTKSzfRbD2fi4EFQdyhDutdUaLGq7uh7nA9KnPKU1yAEBQDWviE/s640/IMG_4499.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/08/historic-coastal-florida-forts.html" target="_blank">Fort Caroline National Memorial, FL</a></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/AVvXsEjZvkNNBeeFOgurHvBzIPD33zmjpcLIZXdxNacGp1JakCpvVqYY0LrFL_fnujXIN-P7AxbZQaDrMnR8DDiph1FgMteFq9sqralRd5hjVAJLcs0mgKb8lSuYywrN54YKWPg4th4mW7nGkXs/s1600/IMG_4502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvkNNBeeFOgurHvBzIPD33zmjpcLIZXdxNacGp1JakCpvVqYY0LrFL_fnujXIN-P7AxbZQaDrMnR8DDiph1FgMteFq9sqralRd5hjVAJLcs0mgKb8lSuYywrN54YKWPg4th4mW7nGkXs/s640/IMG_4502.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/08/kingsley-plantation-at-timucuan.html" target="_blank">Kingsley Plantation at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, FL</a></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/AVvXsEj2YXI9n_xG3mTgzh9FybBvTiF8upo9Xmb98OLVlVslc-qmN0X0nAt3kdUGom7gMOMQDrV2jXcc_mlH8AjiG1C2S27hqjK1XE059yQkWgiVFktJdc19YRSgJ2940COx5lHmHulfwwCWGXk/s1600/IMG_4522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YXI9n_xG3mTgzh9FybBvTiF8upo9Xmb98OLVlVslc-qmN0X0nAt3kdUGom7gMOMQDrV2jXcc_mlH8AjiG1C2S27hqjK1XE059yQkWgiVFktJdc19YRSgJ2940COx5lHmHulfwwCWGXk/s640/IMG_4522.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/09/chickamauga-chattanooga-national.html" target="_blank">Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, GA/TN</a></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/AVvXsEhL_raJP9lx2OifNFPP7Dc5dpbd-Fb1siq0wMpvFaiMdjnBZaMROPiHzs-BkSssRnulTjglQV9chEIR2RwkFdh9eSfiBGcvgd3rrWiUL2MqjoEEI85BrZx4sdU3G4cg1cVxkMe5VEDAgjc/s1600/IMG_4527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_raJP9lx2OifNFPP7Dc5dpbd-Fb1siq0wMpvFaiMdjnBZaMROPiHzs-BkSssRnulTjglQV9chEIR2RwkFdh9eSfiBGcvgd3rrWiUL2MqjoEEI85BrZx4sdU3G4cg1cVxkMe5VEDAgjc/s640/IMG_4527.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/09/stones-river-national-battlefield.html" target="_blank">Stones River National Battlefield, TN</a></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/AVvXsEgFBIH-V7oruhIfQkB8vm5Sv-x8cuOJhAYGwGnheoI47mrTuto6rQ1alNXI9iJF89tFUT-AFpenIIorg1N3EdY07Segq3GLzxKGLy1mScvCTc3HPyguORgt0z0uM_lPeKJ49D0VHaxyAiE/s1600/IMG_4610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBIH-V7oruhIfQkB8vm5Sv-x8cuOJhAYGwGnheoI47mrTuto6rQ1alNXI9iJF89tFUT-AFpenIIorg1N3EdY07Segq3GLzxKGLy1mScvCTc3HPyguORgt0z0uM_lPeKJ49D0VHaxyAiE/s640/IMG_4610.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/11/brown-v-board-of-education-nhs.html" target="_blank">Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site, KS</a></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/AVvXsEi5vbsjij4a54CTYlJhCijEbLLqjGalzEdz4HHh3pXnrbHn5kaD90Vs1OZf6AaxV0CluHNhPlgNYY-8vhLW6X8z1mhvBck2fVLzaxBbTFDdxdnLuZimSpBFwYWRh9h0yH2CgcHxxaCyxFI/s1600/IMG_4623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vbsjij4a54CTYlJhCijEbLLqjGalzEdz4HHh3pXnrbHn5kaD90Vs1OZf6AaxV0CluHNhPlgNYY-8vhLW6X8z1mhvBck2fVLzaxBbTFDdxdnLuZimSpBFwYWRh9h0yH2CgcHxxaCyxFI/s640/IMG_4623.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/lake-meredith-nra.html" target="_blank">Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, TX</a></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/AVvXsEixVll3zKyWbsgdF0vWpv04hTzXFkGlMJuSdSJTkk8bXJAXQvP8Oy8-6bnxES9VBYXardM2IRyx4kG1T1YUBIKKlVkiezojWJHrvfYs7UH8EtysPfPFhVFb-HfLRI6dc5J_gJPah8Lo6mE/s1600/IMG_4629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVll3zKyWbsgdF0vWpv04hTzXFkGlMJuSdSJTkk8bXJAXQvP8Oy8-6bnxES9VBYXardM2IRyx4kG1T1YUBIKKlVkiezojWJHrvfYs7UH8EtysPfPFhVFb-HfLRI6dc5J_gJPah8Lo6mE/s640/IMG_4629.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/fort-larned-nhs.html" target="_blank">Fort Larned National Historic Site, KS</a></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/AVvXsEjf_VovoQvy20f65VezVrWl3dkU5FPG8d0065mkXsrVaclilUC7spGrMbeJLYiJWYU1NqaJZ7KWeMUlSH5lBKyUyxiWzByWad-NgE5VLC-HkEJRgZ2yfMXD_ZiiCCnRNtJ-1e4-OCOEwx8/s1600/IMG_4659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_VovoQvy20f65VezVrWl3dkU5FPG8d0065mkXsrVaclilUC7spGrMbeJLYiJWYU1NqaJZ7KWeMUlSH5lBKyUyxiWzByWad-NgE5VLC-HkEJRgZ2yfMXD_ZiiCCnRNtJ-1e4-OCOEwx8/s640/IMG_4659.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/sand-creek-massacre-nhs.html" target="_blank">Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, CO</a> </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/AVvXsEh8jiHSUxYi1Y5pWVI1hU3XM0QJd7ymZCJnYon2xmKRYNy7s1XILFZxD2FXaXPl4t6acxVUIaqitkISmyqJW219hE7PoxRQQ_VQhwC_2XJBT0kZJ6l4vZA5R_RNq2S1Z_Oa_S_N3I8LIEo/s1600/IMG_4766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jiHSUxYi1Y5pWVI1hU3XM0QJd7ymZCJnYon2xmKRYNy7s1XILFZxD2FXaXPl4t6acxVUIaqitkISmyqJW219hE7PoxRQQ_VQhwC_2XJBT0kZJ6l4vZA5R_RNq2S1Z_Oa_S_N3I8LIEo/s640/IMG_4766.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocky Mountain National Park, CO (Again)</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/AVvXsEjKd2tN04k-yVJkOxfNniHzlA28V4keK0HEZk05xHBo5CKdx_lOiY8OU5clXRnCuoZl_hybXXFH97CJAlmggaeCdEVJJ9RO9YjOUrX5S6fFJTKH866ht1PdT7cHaCmlxr-lAsFcdA6tLzI/s1600/DSC_0044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKd2tN04k-yVJkOxfNniHzlA28V4keK0HEZk05xHBo5CKdx_lOiY8OU5clXRnCuoZl_hybXXFH97CJAlmggaeCdEVJJ9RO9YjOUrX5S6fFJTKH866ht1PdT7cHaCmlxr-lAsFcdA6tLzI/s640/DSC_0044.jpg" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US Olympic Training Center</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/AVvXsEjouBIy1fllxJz5NedWEvXFKfBgUUukEzu7WDzaRgKA5kor-WRNDUjlsapiaKXqyDAtRAPgafuNC1RLPoJ4Wn-ykbHERuInd1bhsh-Nv9r8Jnw9iF3HtolczfHZrkFYk46L9AQx1V9G3OQ/s640/blogger-image--666962012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjouBIy1fllxJz5NedWEvXFKfBgUUukEzu7WDzaRgKA5kor-WRNDUjlsapiaKXqyDAtRAPgafuNC1RLPoJ4Wn-ykbHERuInd1bhsh-Nv9r8Jnw9iF3HtolczfHZrkFYk46L9AQx1V9G3OQ/s640/blogger-image--666962012.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palo Duro Canyon State Park, TX</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/AVvXsEhpPxT3hII6XPBQkVmm7OeyzpfApUGPgNw_FZU2yQ5mPqWOUn3cMPB31QRskeLF06hc9_f2QUwkD3kj3mA4tpAC3ITQrOirdUAhw7wvLK3BX-WoLZOfSsgKlhd5j9VwVVXdjJ9vEHvTFKU/s1600/blogger-image-1610412115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPxT3hII6XPBQkVmm7OeyzpfApUGPgNw_FZU2yQ5mPqWOUn3cMPB31QRskeLF06hc9_f2QUwkD3kj3mA4tpAC3ITQrOirdUAhw7wvLK3BX-WoLZOfSsgKlhd5j9VwVVXdjJ9vEHvTFKU/s640/blogger-image-1610412115.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/air-force-academy-football-bucket-list.html" target="_blank">Air Force Academy Football Game</a></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/AVvXsEgJ5jmAgHgYZbRs5-pTqpWeTf9zoThPsdAiLdt8b1kHl2f65VLCr1A-8v1i58mmr5uQOhXTuGq8qr5y3A6FcsTaCM5XdjpvMsDohwMjzNs50uvP75cf4ZLKFgrxa1Mwnn6sx-mFpKbVtXk/s1600/IMG_4862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5jmAgHgYZbRs5-pTqpWeTf9zoThPsdAiLdt8b1kHl2f65VLCr1A-8v1i58mmr5uQOhXTuGq8qr5y3A6FcsTaCM5XdjpvMsDohwMjzNs50uvP75cf4ZLKFgrxa1Mwnn6sx-mFpKbVtXk/s640/IMG_4862.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/san-francisco-maritime-nhp.html" target="_blank">San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, CA</a></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/AVvXsEj1whwE41kKVexZScGB0ZNXMEDtcI6XvCjKeh_bUIEDVilhgwuImOqRUyxIuCFR83G4TJDvFhj3GNwA-vw-fpl2q3NLcUlfAlzgtc7Jzd3BlcJqyJIMc2QnP3TGd3JowEurKxmsT8_MOH8/s1600/IMG_4905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1whwE41kKVexZScGB0ZNXMEDtcI6XvCjKeh_bUIEDVilhgwuImOqRUyxIuCFR83G4TJDvFhj3GNwA-vw-fpl2q3NLcUlfAlzgtc7Jzd3BlcJqyJIMc2QnP3TGd3JowEurKxmsT8_MOH8/s640/IMG_4905.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/fort-point-nhs.html" target="_blank">Fort Point National Historic Site, CA</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2TcQ-SfeGF4GkOCAzHWvwpEdxG2kXMXycpDSpiLom63DA067nLIrHmcCBWHc5Qj1DEGrxEEgNWGBwQYMndmfmwdbqpPO0IFP0wqSWnE5xmhA5dSIfMIlpPs335v9lvZuV6UP0YsnEVU/s1600/IMG_4953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2TcQ-SfeGF4GkOCAzHWvwpEdxG2kXMXycpDSpiLom63DA067nLIrHmcCBWHc5Qj1DEGrxEEgNWGBwQYMndmfmwdbqpPO0IFP0wqSWnE5xmhA5dSIfMIlpPs335v9lvZuV6UP0YsnEVU/s640/IMG_4953.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/golden-gate-nra-alcatraz-edition.html" target="_blank">Golden Gate National Recreation Area -- Alcatraz, CA</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM50jlvl9XZqGZby_ndFiHQZXR1234QkB8OUO18Z8N1T6nWmqNYJ2GPHzRk3DCNgiBU7TerVs-SPGzxjsXecD-oYV7NQKpGaApHnnLYm0IKhmwm4DurVUC4HFlFSge8hEgac7nXvG-NdA/s640/blogger-image--1944619195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM50jlvl9XZqGZby_ndFiHQZXR1234QkB8OUO18Z8N1T6nWmqNYJ2GPHzRk3DCNgiBU7TerVs-SPGzxjsXecD-oYV7NQKpGaApHnnLYm0IKhmwm4DurVUC4HFlFSge8hEgac7nXvG-NdA/s640/blogger-image--1944619195.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The NPS Map at the end of the year.</td></tr>
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So what's next year? Here's a breakdown of Bucket List items I'd like to hit for next year.<br />
<div>
<br />
- Skiing -- Right after New Years <br />
<br />
- Camping in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area. I didn't get here last year, so I'd like to make it this year.<br />
<br />
- I'm hoping to finally get up to the Black Hills, where I can knock out the following sites:<br />
<ul>
<li>Mount Rushmore National Memorial</li>
<li>Badlands National Park</li>
<li>Minuteman Missile National Historic Site</li>
<li>Wind Cave National Park</li>
<li>Jewel Cave National Monument</li>
<li>Scotts Bluff National Monument</li>
<li>Carhenge (think Stonehenge...but with cars -- one of those Weird America things)</li>
<li>Fort Laramie National Historic Site (possibly)</li>
</ul>
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</div>
<br />
- With our now-periodic trips to Oklahoma, I'd like to hit at least one of the two remaining sites there: Washita Battlefield National Historic Site or Chickasaw National Recreation Area<br />
<br />
- Backpacking trip on the Colorado Trail and/or Continental Divide Trail (they run concurrent for a section in Colorado)<br />
<br />
- Climb a Fourteener<br />
<br />
I'm sure like this year, not all my desires will plan out, but I'm equally sure that other targets of opportunity will pop up. Even if next year only hits half as many sites, that will still be a full year of adventure!</div>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-9957350524747951352016-12-22T06:31:00.000-07:002016-12-22T06:31:10.847-07:00Golden Gate NRA -- Alcatraz Edition<a href="https://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm" target="_blank">Golden Gate NRA</a> encompasses about 20 different sites around the Golden Gate area, providing activities from military history to camping to nature viewing. During my short stay in San Francisco, I had the opportunity to visit four of those sites. I decided to walk from <a href="https://www.nps.gov/safr/index.htm" target="_blank">San Francisco Maritime NHP</a> downtown to <a href="https://www.nps.gov/fopo/index.htm" target="_blank">Fort Point NHS</a>, what I thought was only about a 2-mile trip. It turned out to be a 3.5-mile trek (7 miles round trip), but if you're up to it, I highly recommend it. I walked up the steep rise to the upper green of Fort Mason, then down the stairs into the heart of the historic Army post. From there, a little farther down Marina Ave on my way to Fort Point, I traversed Crissy Field, an expansive open space for beautiful beach views or just relaxing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9IhOhlk0YTN8CLPI_3qFSUB_4UPc8fp2DF1-nQwldOeAFXg7nUKoSOBsA0tNO5Wm1D-EtyhfHFUf5QFptOUJcXgzt3i6mf69lH3biZfAJZQ_vR5Dafshw8mbb6rDhb66QpWP7BI9uyc/s1600/IMG_4902.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9IhOhlk0YTN8CLPI_3qFSUB_4UPc8fp2DF1-nQwldOeAFXg7nUKoSOBsA0tNO5Wm1D-EtyhfHFUf5QFptOUJcXgzt3i6mf69lH3biZfAJZQ_vR5Dafshw8mbb6rDhb66QpWP7BI9uyc/s640/IMG_4902.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Besides taking in spectacular views of its namesake, however, the most popular attraction within Golden Gate NRA is Alcatraz. I have always had a bit of a fascination with the place -- a prison we sent the most hardened criminals to and one that was said to be unbreakable, despite many inmates' best efforts. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yD66JZkyp7a5LLi-kQAkCY2VCLDLA2Zcx2VIEnrqYoa6mdeW38BO1QND5sk_kdWpcAsrcQhjnBMxwjj7yhiKKjNioM_YByM4lIGG8kpvPwnNC_M7UNeBkXrGDso_o43KJptWIDen6cQ/s1600/IMG_4939.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yD66JZkyp7a5LLi-kQAkCY2VCLDLA2Zcx2VIEnrqYoa6mdeW38BO1QND5sk_kdWpcAsrcQhjnBMxwjj7yhiKKjNioM_YByM4lIGG8kpvPwnNC_M7UNeBkXrGDso_o43KJptWIDen6cQ/s640/IMG_4939.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWiQaV3-4-y_j6lOnsf081Z41sG-aYrvFP7C9AWZshEBH5zPTWUEW-m3fU3kjcranPcg61A0jPaop1gSBNs4oXlDfg7mmnx9E7L1e5bgDXnVJwJnTvhyphenhyphenhrfTii01If-lIj6nzzkW1QAc/s1600/IMG_4981.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWiQaV3-4-y_j6lOnsf081Z41sG-aYrvFP7C9AWZshEBH5zPTWUEW-m3fU3kjcranPcg61A0jPaop1gSBNs4oXlDfg7mmnx9E7L1e5bgDXnVJwJnTvhyphenhyphenhrfTii01If-lIj6nzzkW1QAc/s640/IMG_4981.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cell House from halfway up from the dock. The Cell House sits about 300 feet above the water.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdm2RTAw2c4MvrUBkduFB2a5qqbEsdhq-Q5whpB3dAHGz6gF2tcpDU4bkJddwfiLoSqEoXRJZllA147z4zsOmJKD09WX2l1PucYSPFdZw70N5QMsFGKzmIr3XV-sJCWqHme8KEch7q4w/s1600/IMG_5001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdm2RTAw2c4MvrUBkduFB2a5qqbEsdhq-Q5whpB3dAHGz6gF2tcpDU4bkJddwfiLoSqEoXRJZllA147z4zsOmJKD09WX2l1PucYSPFdZw70N5QMsFGKzmIr3XV-sJCWqHme8KEch7q4w/s640/IMG_5001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scale model of what Alcatraz looked like when operational</td></tr>
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I recall, as a kid, watching several Alcatraz movies and thinking how cool it would be to visit. By far my favorite Alcatraz movie was <i>Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story</i>. It told the story of an 18-year-old kid, named Clarence Carnes, who was sent to prison for murder -- the youngest person ever sent to Alcatraz. While in Alcatraz, he took part in two organized escape attempts, including the 1962 escape attempt, where three inmates made it off the island but were never heard from again (they're presumed drowned). Though Carnes took part in both escape attempts, he himself did not attempt to escape. As it turned out, the audio tour of the site highlighted both of those escape attempts! I was fulfilling my dream as I walked the cell block and recalled the names of those convicts and how the story unfolded! The below pictures give a bit of a glimpse into what life was like on The Rock and how those two escape attempts unfolded.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAyN-KwCUeZmPGHLjXIwUmz5b8y7wzVrFG45ZCCF3u24PQ2U_wtsjuGIYk0zDwwckKn5b9IEOMqrde3RjTVKT-f1R6KJsasE6-8IoXc96uKazJyoTc-quBz7MwgqzWjm1PwAM1jerEks/s1600/IMG_4948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAyN-KwCUeZmPGHLjXIwUmz5b8y7wzVrFG45ZCCF3u24PQ2U_wtsjuGIYk0zDwwckKn5b9IEOMqrde3RjTVKT-f1R6KJsasE6-8IoXc96uKazJyoTc-quBz7MwgqzWjm1PwAM1jerEks/s640/IMG_4948.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My tour began the same place it did for those prisoners. Those are showers in this picture. New arrivals were ordered to strip down and shower then make the long walk in their birthday suit down the first cell block to the hoots and hollers from those they passed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5cUx2ecuywRFCb8cYCss_kvCbz6dZR1JvwQUfFQWNGQlEH5iM0yg62hAG5W6gaQjUUtFRSnc3WRz2LLGpRmRdAXUF9xw8TX7eNxdQu9F4rw_pQZAkKJrkFuL6cvWWIVLBT-SdY0dnSM/s1600/IMG_4953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5cUx2ecuywRFCb8cYCss_kvCbz6dZR1JvwQUfFQWNGQlEH5iM0yg62hAG5W6gaQjUUtFRSnc3WRz2LLGpRmRdAXUF9xw8TX7eNxdQu9F4rw_pQZAkKJrkFuL6cvWWIVLBT-SdY0dnSM/s640/IMG_4953.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hallway between Cell Blocks B and C</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCcnBxvycCBlAEauqIjORog_S0gnRpy7fajMR9TxsKMPPm5INiezSfuY8MgxBDw9bqdrTl7nA1RUn2tOsym_rkn0vbsh1FjkZoWcdy7X8lP0ey_ROGpMJ8_FIxY2n0Kb8HCH3JABbNAs/s1600/IMG_4957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCcnBxvycCBlAEauqIjORog_S0gnRpy7fajMR9TxsKMPPm5INiezSfuY8MgxBDw9bqdrTl7nA1RUn2tOsym_rkn0vbsh1FjkZoWcdy7X8lP0ey_ROGpMJ8_FIxY2n0Kb8HCH3JABbNAs/s640/IMG_4957.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D Block. This is where those that couldn't play by the rules were sent. Those that still refused to adjust were sent to solitary confinement cells for a period of time: those with the solid doors in the lower right corner. There were no lights in there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMtm5-E7zLaMe9ORwbVPip9DEt4bp-nVJx0yYQOs2PGriORO0JA-V9BBn753EG9Q0tV6ETXQ3fXqY2CUCRPTDJF_ZJ75MvZLzSyNfduBAirh9dovmOt4qrd_YORa-YXGpqBq0enkneRE/s1600/IMG_4977.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMtm5-E7zLaMe9ORwbVPip9DEt4bp-nVJx0yYQOs2PGriORO0JA-V9BBn753EG9Q0tV6ETXQ3fXqY2CUCRPTDJF_ZJ75MvZLzSyNfduBAirh9dovmOt4qrd_YORa-YXGpqBq0enkneRE/s640/IMG_4977.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every prisoner had a job. Some worked in the kitchen preparing the food. Notice the silhouettes in the knife cabinet. This made it easy to tell at a glance if one was missing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBv3U8agEtf_iI7bnJhaYNw15k0dUcrAJFxUe7YvEc8soIBrAA3lXhTnpZiCe80i-bFFmfE1mDPF1uAxGPnpw26D48B0Rkb0S5bBQ7afSyRRmdn_HFXYSlui7OR7v_DxhiCKPSy39JP8/s1600/IMG_4969.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBv3U8agEtf_iI7bnJhaYNw15k0dUcrAJFxUe7YvEc8soIBrAA3lXhTnpZiCe80i-bFFmfE1mDPF1uAxGPnpw26D48B0Rkb0S5bBQ7afSyRRmdn_HFXYSlui7OR7v_DxhiCKPSy39JP8/s640/IMG_4969.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Control Room. There were no closed-circuit cameras or radios to each officer here -- just a few phones scattered throughout that called here and the ability to dispatch other officers to locations around the compound as necessary.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1d5xp3msJ5CXB2_Qhq4_kTTIc2iC2yMSwBp0qjdYE-q5t9BFUhoA_tFqXkod8TrTQYZN56Ui9wYCdkTpyWUUaFXQWd7DBQxG3VMqqq3yQ0Y2GdSvWwjNwLMMnEWIq7S7f3xuDFsExvo/s1600/IMG_4960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1d5xp3msJ5CXB2_Qhq4_kTTIc2iC2yMSwBp0qjdYE-q5t9BFUhoA_tFqXkod8TrTQYZN56Ui9wYCdkTpyWUUaFXQWd7DBQxG3VMqqq3yQ0Y2GdSvWwjNwLMMnEWIq7S7f3xuDFsExvo/s640/IMG_4960.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That barred-in area above is the Gun Gallery -- the only place in Alcatraz that had armed officers. In the 1946 escape attempt, Bernie Coy created a bar spreader using a bolt and a piece of pipe from the Machine Shop. He starved himself to make himself as skinny as possible and greased himself up to slip between the spread bars in the Gun Gallery, where he surprised the officer on duty there, who had stepped away for a few minutes. Coy and his cohorts later took several officers hostage in the cells near where the people are standing in this picture. One of the officers ultimately prevented the escape by hiding the key on his person even though it was against regulations for the officers to keep cell keys on them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Zg6Dgz5RTkOJej77MXJv-C2LizNiI-uZdqiApGhyphenhyphenSmS3spc3go6WQcGkaIAWrcl8IIkKE5SBUrdECgFwk1EV8bpf2j9xSLdzc_dCe4k6h2MWWbEImPx16o36KntO1sBX5rOOzj8ZMSo/s1600/IMG_4972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Zg6Dgz5RTkOJej77MXJv-C2LizNiI-uZdqiApGhyphenhyphenSmS3spc3go6WQcGkaIAWrcl8IIkKE5SBUrdECgFwk1EV8bpf2j9xSLdzc_dCe4k6h2MWWbEImPx16o36KntO1sBX5rOOzj8ZMSo/s640/IMG_4972.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the 1962 escape attempt, three prisoners pulled off the most sophisticated escape attempt ever tried at Alcatraz. The short version is they used spoons from the kitchen to dig out around the vents in their cells, patching it up every night with paper, cardboard, and paint (notice the dug-out vent hole in the cell). They also created dummy heads with a modified papier-mache and glued hair to them (notice the recreation in the picture). The
cells pictured above belonged to the Anglin brothers, two of the escapees.
The discovery of their ease in digging through the cement walls led to
the shutdown of Alcatraz the next year.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PhvBy2RRWXkvNiI_9rYpEUbtgN70WElTs7BHLVA7_wQ8BP4sNiwIICAfs5jN7ZmUf8J8FJYluX3RBptV8ZNftX15s43ZmY94ISndnZS7qX30gRD9OdopfrWcbrDT1PibDvHYU1zxDLQ/s1600/IMG_4973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PhvBy2RRWXkvNiI_9rYpEUbtgN70WElTs7BHLVA7_wQ8BP4sNiwIICAfs5jN7ZmUf8J8FJYluX3RBptV8ZNftX15s43ZmY94ISndnZS7qX30gRD9OdopfrWcbrDT1PibDvHYU1zxDLQ/s640/IMG_4973.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a great picture, but this is the utility corridor that the three escapees climbed into from their cells the night they escaped. The corridor is open up to the roof, so they climbed the pipes up the three stories and out onto the roof, down a pipe and down to
the water where they got in a raft made of raincoats. They weren't
discovered until the morning, and they were never heard from again. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLsfjrMAUXJ7MV5cgmu0f_NXXfsBuZyvqy1egHK0pEr_tXI7KJ9x0JB3QnAHCTh3c9w52_TegiFgjGEUMWpSQaNyeFmwVJKSH71Xmg3SiSgHzuJc47Cx4RKxsF5mOo_Y_1lX7FPIK6S8/s1600/IMG_4984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLsfjrMAUXJ7MV5cgmu0f_NXXfsBuZyvqy1egHK0pEr_tXI7KJ9x0JB3QnAHCTh3c9w52_TegiFgjGEUMWpSQaNyeFmwVJKSH71Xmg3SiSgHzuJc47Cx4RKxsF5mOo_Y_1lX7FPIK6S8/s640/IMG_4984.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge are from Alcatraz.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKKcpHQAbLSVbHVUA5XB16o9v4WvduzoFXTcr57bfctkBTHINm-CocAuQtWGHmlOhZtjesEN0xUDhmgW1trzyo0C24SeA36nI2F8I0UZemGFinTI71koLTJ94LoQ0cpHb4q-8B18Bxuw/s1600/IMG_4985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBKKcpHQAbLSVbHVUA5XB16o9v4WvduzoFXTcr57bfctkBTHINm-CocAuQtWGHmlOhZtjesEN0xUDhmgW1trzyo0C24SeA36nI2F8I0UZemGFinTI71koLTJ94LoQ0cpHb4q-8B18Bxuw/s640/IMG_4985.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fort Point can clearly be seen sitting under the Golden Gate Bridge and dwarfed by the immense structure.</td></tr>
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Sadly, Alcatraz is falling apart. In fact, that is exactly what allowed Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers to escape in 1962. Thankfully, the Park Service continues to do restoration (at great cost) to preserve such a well-known and unique landmark for tourism. <br />
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Outside of Alcatraz and the other areas I saw, there are still a few areas of Golden Gate NRA that I would like to explore. While researching this site, I saw a picture of a tent at Marin Headlands, near the water, just a stone's throw from the Golden Gate Bridge. How cool of a camping spot would that be!? The views from Lands End on the western edge of the southern peninsula look stunning as well. Finally, it would be hard to pass up a little history lesson at a Nike Missile Site that protected the west coast from Soviet bombers or the turn-of-the-century Fort Baker Army post, tucked in a beautiful spot beside the Golden Gate Bridge. Then, of course, there are so many other sites in San Francisco to see. I think on my next trip, I should plan to stay a while!</div>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-47646218568480135712016-12-18T06:46:00.000-07:002016-12-28T09:03:30.842-07:00San Francisco Maritime NHPThe San Francisco peninsula is literally ringed by piers. The northern edge of the city is aptly named Fisherman's Wharf. San Francisco was forged by maritime industry (shipping, fishing, whaling, and the like). Indeed, San Francisco and the Bay Area is still deeply rooted in the maritime industry. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/safr/index.htm" target="_blank">San Francisco Maritime NHP</a> chronicles that history, bringing its history alive.<br />
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The Visitor Center walks guests through the history of San Francisco seafaring from the earliest settlers until today, with a special exhibit on shipwrecks around the bay. There is also a Maritime Museum with rotating exhibits on maritime history. By far, the crown jewel of the park, however, is Hyde Street Pier with four century-old ships to tour.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Ghirardelli Square from Hyde Street Pier</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">California Sea Lions in their natural habitat!</td></tr>
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Of note, US Highway 101, which runs the length of California, used to run through Hyde St Pier via a ferry service before the Golden Gate Bridge was constructed. The <i>Eureka</i> is one of those turn-of-the-century ferries. The lower deck held cars (note the classic cars on display), while the upper deck had seating in a style reminiscent of church pews.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US Route 101 used to run directly under the Hyde Street Pier sign and onto the waiting ferry.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recreation of what the car hold must have looked like on a typical day in the early 1900s</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The passenger area</td></tr>
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It may be hard to believe, but the 150-foot <i>C.A. Thayer</i> was a cargo ship. Built in 1895 with an eight-man crew, it carried logs in the hold below-decks from the Washington coast down to San Francisco. Those logs, in turn, were used to build California's cities when they were growing in the early 1900s. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hold, below-decks, that was filled with logs as it traversed the Pacific coast line</td></tr>
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The <i>Balclutha</i> was also a cargo ship, but it was built in Scotland in 1886 to carry wheat from California to Europe. In the days before the Panama Canal, that meant making each journey in the unpredictable waters around Cape Horn at the tip of South America. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <i>Balclutha</i>'s cargo hold</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Captain's suite</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The enlisted berths. They got to sleep with the anchor wench.</td></tr>
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The <i>Hercules</i> was perhaps the biggest workhorse of the four, though as you would expect, as a tugboat, not as sexy. It had a diverse portfolio of ferrying railroad car barges across the Bay, tugging ships out to sea, and ferrying lock materials down to the site of the Panama Canal.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The towing machinery</td></tr>
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As I've said many times before, one of the things I love most about visiting NPS sites is the diversity of things to do, learn, and explore. San Francisco NHP explores an area of history that I, personally, have had little exposure to. I found the park a great way to spend a few hours exploring some of America's maritime history in a hands-on way and in a beautiful setting, learning about an industry that made this part of America.</div>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-31459166199565202482016-12-16T16:13:00.000-07:002016-12-16T16:13:18.819-07:00Fort Point NHSOn the very northern edge of land, guarding the entrance to San Francisco Bay, lies <a href="https://www.nps.gov/fopo/index.htm" target="_blank">Fort Point NHS</a>. The US built it in 1853 to protect the Pacific coast. Then, when the Civil War broke out, it protected the bay from a potential Confederate attack, manned by 500 soldiers. That attack never came, though.<br />
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The fort was constructed in the same style as most other Civil War-era forts: of brick, multiple stories high. Thankfully, it never did come under attack, however, because its construction was obsolete almost as soon as it was constructed since rifled cannon could considerably damage the brick fortifications. Thus it was largely abandoned after the Civil War and then completely unused by the Army by the early 1900s.</div>
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In addition to its role as guardian of San Francisco Bay, its lighthouse also protected friendly mariners entering and exiting. </div>
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Most striking, today, is that the fort sits directly beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, now dwarfing what must have then been an impressive structure. In fact, it was the bridge's completion in 1964 that forced discontinued use of the lighthouse. </div>
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Tours of the three-story fort are self-guided, allowing you to explore nearly every nook and cranny. The officer and enlisted quarters have been recreated, and Rangers were on duty to answer questions when I was there. Be sure to take one of the spiral staircases in one of the towers up to the roof, where spectacular views await. As you can tell from the pictures, I spent most of my time here! Second only to the views from the fort's roof are the vistas along the peninsula's coast as you make your way to the fort. I snapped the one below less than a mile away.<br />
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-5710041421318047732016-12-10T20:38:00.001-07:002016-12-10T20:38:13.724-07:00Sand Creek Massacre NHSOn a trip back from Oklahoma, I convinced the family to travel lonely two-lane backroads through the seemingly endless plains of western Kansas and eastern Colorado to see a couple of NPS sites. The first was <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/12/fort-larned-nhs.html" target="_blank">Fort Larned NHS</a> -- a military fort protecting Santa Fe trail commerce during a time when clashes with the Indians were becoming more common and more violent. The second was the site of one of America's darkest days and one that most of us have never even heard of, much less studied: <a href="https://www.nps.gov/sand/index.htm" target="_blank">Sand Creek Massacre NHS</a>. <br />
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This site is one of the NPS's newest and is still being developed. Yet in spite of its primitiveness (little more than a few storyboards and an overlook) and remote location (you have to travel down a couple of dirt roads to get there), the story comes alive vividly even in the site's solemnity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KPIfQ4sykn1CgiVFgAcTU8cEaSkI5seZKYpnj89cvRD8GVG-5bgRNwluJhI1j95r9WKUP-L2mKNB99Bjjwg6KnbVr9zB6nqUfcx2Zp0JzD4EnbX3oW1KD0NSFlOQiMXxBPd_FH1qRVM/s1600/IMG_4655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KPIfQ4sykn1CgiVFgAcTU8cEaSkI5seZKYpnj89cvRD8GVG-5bgRNwluJhI1j95r9WKUP-L2mKNB99Bjjwg6KnbVr9zB6nqUfcx2Zp0JzD4EnbX3oW1KD0NSFlOQiMXxBPd_FH1qRVM/s640/IMG_4655.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the site of the massacre, which occurred just beyond the trees</td></tr>
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In 1851, several Plains tribes signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie, establishing Indian land from the North Platte River in southern Nebraska and Wyoming, south to the Arkansas River in southern Colorado and Kansas. In 1860, however, the Indians were pressured to sign an updated treaty, downsizing their land by 85%. Black Kettle was one of the few Chiefs that signed this new treaty, and many Cheyenne refused to acknowledge the new boundaries, hunting and living on the old lands.<br />
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Then, early on the morning of November 29, 1864, Col John Chivington left Fort Lyon on a mission of his own devising with 850 men, headed toward the nearby Cheyenne and Arapaho village at Sand Creek. As the riders approached, Chief Black Kettle raised both an American flag and a white flag. Black Kettle and three other Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs approached the soldiers asking for a conference. In response, Col Chivington ordered his men to fire both rifles and cannon then charge into the village, indiscriminately killing every Indian they could see, including the village's predominantly women and children population even as they all ran from the village seeking safety. At the end of the massacre, nearly 200 Cheyenne and Arapaho were killed with another 200 wounded. Many of those that surrendered were executed, and two-thirds of those killed were women, children, or elderly. As if that were not enough, many soldiers mutilated the bodies, carrying back body parts as trophies.<br />
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Two young officers, Capt Soule and Lt Cramer withheld their units, however, and refused to allow them to fire. Upon return to Fort Lyon, the two wrote letters to their commander, which led to two congressional hearings and an Army inquiry over the tragedy, where they testified against Col Chivington. Sadly, though a congressional committee condemned the attack, no one was ever tried or convicted for the massacre. Instead just a few weeks after he testified against Col Chivington, Capt Soule was gunned down in cold blood in the streets of Denver.<br />
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The site is considered sacred ground for the Cheyenne and Arapaho to this day. Consequently, there is an overlook toward the area of the massacre, but it is not possible to walk the ground as many enjoy doing at Revolutionary and Civil War battlefields. Still, armed with the tragic story in your mind, the silence at the overlook is profound and moving. Back at the Visitor Center, there is a storyboard detailing the heroics of Capt Soule and Lt Cramer. Their letters to their commander just surfaced in 2000, directly leading to a congressional act preserving this sacred site while educating those that visit of a horrific act that never should have occurred.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-232002334590529412016-12-10T08:42:00.000-07:002016-12-10T08:42:22.585-07:00Fort Larned NHSOn the plains of south-central Kansas, lies <a href="https://www.nps.gov/fols/index.htm" target="_blank">Fort Larned NHS</a>, a restored mid-1800s Army fort. In its time, it sat along the Santa Fe Trail, serving as protector for those that traveled it.<br />
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Initially, a handful of American adventurers moved west to trap for furs or trade with the Indians for goods to send back east. As I explained in my post about <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/02/bent-old-fort-nhs.html" target="_blank">Bent's Old Fort</a>, at that time, there was a healthy, symbiotic trade relationship between those early pioneers and the Indians. As more Americans moved westward via the Santa Fe Trail, however, competition for land and resources between the native Indians and the newcomer Americans escalated, with attacks and treaty violations occurring on both sides. Several forts, including Fort Larned, were established along the Trail to protect the commerce transiting it. A detachment of the Indian Bureau was also based at the fort, charged with finding peaceful solutions to conflicts between the whites and Indians.<br />
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The restored fort is remarkably similar to military bases today, albeit on a much smaller scale. At the site, you can tour the supply warehouse, officer and enlisted quarters, blacksmith shop, infirmary, and school/training room. Each area has been restored to exactly how it would have been in the mid-1860s. In fact, it's so well done, it sometimes feels as if you've gone back in time!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The standard supply warehouse of food, tools, and other supplies you would expect at any 1800s Army fort</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5TkQ2wxSdcHD7lAiQ_D8XXAunD0mVdpbiOYQ24OOPMExlOI5y7H-vG2mhDZ3TBNA0Msw6FnUAwm2kCvPR3ggFPZwTlxWUPZ8UtoqXgnN2TVbl3S37m6CvgXpSilZzjG9gDaDgMiV6c4/s1600/IMG_4648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5TkQ2wxSdcHD7lAiQ_D8XXAunD0mVdpbiOYQ24OOPMExlOI5y7H-vG2mhDZ3TBNA0Msw6FnUAwm2kCvPR3ggFPZwTlxWUPZ8UtoqXgnN2TVbl3S37m6CvgXpSilZzjG9gDaDgMiV6c4/s640/IMG_4648.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition to the standard supplies, the fort also issued uniforms to the troops.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rivn-QKcqvDG9HPF_m-lNU2JMQhX9kvpQ3BNJ8ESluKV3njHCqqWgsZK16P0ePP4MHZAliDC7h8kKtruVrSG3xIlVCih-5vfSbee4GJTqBXN0wF92zMaggxLRWT9QFLFD6R8X1H1Lx4/s1600/IMG_4638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Rivn-QKcqvDG9HPF_m-lNU2JMQhX9kvpQ3BNJ8ESluKV3njHCqqWgsZK16P0ePP4MHZAliDC7h8kKtruVrSG3xIlVCih-5vfSbee4GJTqBXN0wF92zMaggxLRWT9QFLFD6R8X1H1Lx4/s640/IMG_4638.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Army issues orders for everything. They even issue official orders for how to make the bread.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX_mpKiUXqltDinmyQOINdG_xu6Upbnl5d1wUxrxhB9aQVM5aJNpBVQhNGLCuVy1bv6s1aKup1wa1BNag2OoOGCGre7cwRdUpiCU2AyuBBokfyI7osvcI0EN54P8PqbXrwrWl2pTWSfY/s1600/IMG_4629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX_mpKiUXqltDinmyQOINdG_xu6Upbnl5d1wUxrxhB9aQVM5aJNpBVQhNGLCuVy1bv6s1aKup1wa1BNag2OoOGCGre7cwRdUpiCU2AyuBBokfyI7osvcI0EN54P8PqbXrwrWl2pTWSfY/s640/IMG_4629.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enlisted quarters: I believe they packed about 40 soldiers into this room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgV58eH7WQJWKTVnXKimXtgwgnE5devzTOv25bFFhFUa4G3U_U6znRwTVgxG8_owxjqIxJ4duMil4Bav6VSTUMlPw0NUUf4LiodNOncyJnv9yp2lPE_2KuqoDiJI_EpT-GWCMJVDbFXw/s1600/IMG_4650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgV58eH7WQJWKTVnXKimXtgwgnE5devzTOv25bFFhFUa4G3U_U6znRwTVgxG8_owxjqIxJ4duMil4Bav6VSTUMlPw0NUUf4LiodNOncyJnv9yp2lPE_2KuqoDiJI_EpT-GWCMJVDbFXw/s640/IMG_4650.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Officer quarters: Interestingly, officers were only allocated a specified amount of space. For instance, Lieutenants and Captains were authorized one bedroom with an additional living/sitting room. If they wanted their wives/family with them, they had to fit in that same amount of space.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The doctor's office and infirmary. No privacy there! And those beds looked awfully rickety.</td></tr>
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<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-83777214762862201682016-12-03T10:24:00.001-07:002016-12-03T10:24:53.290-07:00Lake Meredith NRAWho knew there was stunning natural beauty in the panhandle of Texas? Thanks to my quest to visit every NPS site, we seized a target of opportunity to stop at <a href="https://www.nps.gov/lamr/index.htm" target="_blank">Lake Meredith NRA</a> on a trip to Oklahoma. That trip offers precious few areas to stop, so we usually pack a picnic lunch, and we just happened to be in the area about that time.<br />
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Lake Meredith is tucked away off the beaten path, but just a short drive north of Amarillo. As with most lakes, the main activities are boating and fishing. We obviously didn't have time for that, but there's a picnic and camping area right beside the lake. You couldn't ask for a better view for lunch!<br />
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Driving in is fun, too. As I mentioned, the lake is somewhat remote. Driving along FM 1319, it's the standard flat West Texas fare until you round a bend and emerge onto a dam, with the lake and its beautiful, rust-colored cliffs surrounding it.<br />
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If you happen to be in the Amarillo area and have an hour to spare, Lake Meredith NRA is an oasis for a relaxing picnic lunch and some great pictures!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-64101319825377670812016-12-01T17:54:00.000-07:002016-12-01T17:54:13.351-07:00Air Force Academy Football: A Bucket List CompletionThere's something fun and exciting about going to sporting events. It's easy to get caught up in the emotion of rooting for your team with thousands of fans surrounding you, isn't it? That's why I knew when we moved to Colorado that we just had to knock an Air Force Academy game off our <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-bucket-list.html" target="_blank">bucket list</a> -- especially as a 20-year Air Force veteran.<br />
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True to our habit of not planning too far ahead of time, we waited way late in the season to pick a game, and by then, we only had one to choose from that fit our schedule: the last one. The last week in November. In Colorado. So we bundled up and headed out.<br />
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Fortunately, it was a beautiful day for so late in the year -- a balmy 50 degrees and sunny. Our seats were on the home side on about the 35-yard line -- absolutely perfect! All Academy football games start with a flyover of some kind. This one included a two-ship of fighters, loud with the sound of freedom, as well as three members of the parachute team jumping out of a C-130 and into the stadium. What other college football team can you get that kind of pre-game show?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One landing with the Army and Navy Flags and one headed in with the Marine Corps and AF flags</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final parachutist landing</td></tr>
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I thought we'd at least have the entire first half of sunlight, but, alas, by the end of the first quarter, the sun was hidden behind the massive wall of the stadium, leaving us to start adding layers. By the end of the game, we were cold, but it never got as cold as I feared, even sitting on those aluminum bleachers.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were starting to get cold. Oh, and notice the obviously absent AF fan gear!</td></tr>
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The Academy was playing Boise State, and it was a great game! We really got our money's worth! Just when we thought AF was about to lock it up, Boise State would come back again. In the end, AF won it 27-20 -- a doubly-sweet finish, not only to see AF win, but also, as an Oklahoma fan, to see Boise State lose (yes, I'm still bitter over the 2007 Fiesta Bowl game). Our family looks forward to heading back to another Air Force Academy game next year, although perhaps a bit earlier in the season. Oh, and if we're going to stay in Colorado, we might should invest in some Air Force Academy gear to wear to the ball games!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-39753389289012266162016-11-29T06:36:00.001-07:002016-12-01T17:22:27.971-07:00Brown v Board of Education NHSImagine having a school just a few blocks -- within a short walk -- from your house but being told you couldn't go there. Instead, you have to go to a school several miles away. That was the case in Topeka, KS for local minister Oliver Brown's daughter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monroe Elementary School</td></tr>
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Contrary to popular belief, however, this case did not begin with a defiant black family boldly marching their daughter to the white school and demanding she be registered. Instead, it was part of a systematic and deliberate yet peaceful effort to dismantle segregation by the NAACP. The landmark Supreme Court case was actually comprised of cases from four states plus DC. In Topeka, 20 children from 13 families -- 13 families made up of ordinary people that were teachers, welders, secretaries, ministers, and the like -- were convinced to attempt to enroll in the all-white school closest to their house. They were all denied. Despite the ruling, however, the US District Court stated that having separate facilities was detrimental to the negro children, paving the way for a more far-reaching Supreme Court ruling. Finally, in the Fall of 1953, the Supreme Court did rule that separate-but-equal school facilities were unconstitutional.<br />
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<a href="https://www.nps.gov/brvb/index.htm" target="_blank">Brown v Board of Education NHS</a> is housed in Monroe Elementary School, the school Linda Brown attended prior to attempting to enroll in the all-white school closer to her house. It is remarkably well-preserved, although most of the classrooms have been converted into exhibit halls that tell the story of the civil rights struggle.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kindergarten Classroom Restored</td></tr>
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The kindergarten classroom has been restored to it's original appearance and offers a window into what school was like. Toys line the walls as you would expect in any kindergarten classroom whether today or sixty years ago. A piano lets kids express their creativity while also giving them a chance to learn music. A fireplace was placed in the classroom to downplay the sterility and provide kids a sense of comfort and hominess. And portraits of American heroes line one wall, giving teachers conversation starters about people important to their history -- George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Civil Rights Exhibits</td></tr>
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The civil rights exhibits really make this site. It was so well done, that, for me, it's one of my favorite NPS sites to date. They of course tell the story of the historic court case, but it provides timelines and important milestones in ways kids can easily comprehend. For adults, there are pictures, video clips, and sound bites that poignantly depict what it must have been like for those that bravely dared to challenge the status quo or even for those that didn't and found themselves thrust in the middle of a movement that frequently saw raw emotions on both sides. I couldn't help but walk out of there with a new appreciation for what it must have felt like to live that life every day and a renewed commitment to treat every human being with dignity and respect -- to seek first to understand before judging -- kinda like the Golden Rule.</div>
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Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-51845039485054861512016-09-23T08:15:00.000-06:002016-09-24T11:47:24.201-06:00Stones River National BattlefieldTucked away outside of Murfreesboro, TN, an hour outside of Nashville, is <a href="https://www.nps.gov/stri/index.htm" target="_blank">Stones River National Battlefield</a>. On New Year's Day, 1863, Union troops tenaciously refused to leave the field of battle, despite being pummeled by the Confederate army all day long. As a result, in the Western Theater, the Confederates were forced to continue the retreat that began in Kentucky two months earlier and continued throughout the remainder of the Civil War.<br />
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As with many battlefields, visiting requires imagining. Imagine still being groggy from just waking up. You haven't had your coffee yet, and you're in the middle of fixing breakfast, perhaps thinking that the new year could bring an end to this war, when the enemy suddenly comes rushing out of the adjacent woods with a rebel yell loud enough to send you into a panic. That's how the battle of Stones River started.<br />
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The surprised Union troops dug in inside a thickly overgrown thicket with large boulders and shallow gullies. Ordinarily such a place would be perfect to fend off attackers, but the Confederates thundered into the thicket in force with a shower of lead. The scared Union soldiers began retreating through the woods. The boulders and gullies that would have been their defense instead turned into obstacles that severely hampered their retreat rather than helping it. As a result, the thicket turned into a slaughter pen.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Slaughter Pen</td></tr>
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As the battle raged on for the next four hours, the Confederates continued to roll up the Union line, pushing them back 3 miles, capturing 3000 prisoners, and defeating them in detail.<br />
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The only part of the Union line that held that first day was in what came to be known as "Hell's Half-Acre". Hazen's Brigade fought off attack after attack until bodies littered the field in front of them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Site of Hazen's Stand: Hell's Half-Acre</td></tr>
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Despite their certain defeat, the Union army refused to leave the field. Gen Rosecrans even ordered his left flank to move further left to reinforce the heights to the east of Stones River. The next day, Gen Bragg ordered an assault on the Union left flank, but his troops were decimated by enfilading fire (shooting into their side) from 58 cannons. The Union seized the initiative with a counter-attack, pushing Bragg's army back to where it started from. Union reinforcements arrived that evening, and Bragg, realizing he was out-numbered retreated farther south toward Chattanooga. <br />
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Stones River is not one of the more famous battlefields, but the Park Service has done a good job with it (as always, viewing a simulation, such as from <a href="http://historyanimated.com/" target="_blank">historyanimated</a>, of the battle beforehand is very helpful). The auto tour takes you around to the various parts of the battlefield in chronological order to help preserve the story, and the cell phone tour does an adequate job of describing the action at each part. There is a short trail through the Slaughter Pen (the overgrown thicket) that gives a great appreciation for what fighting must have been like on that morning as Confederates rushed in and Union troops tried to escape. Metal silhouettes placed around the battlefield help with visualizing the opposing lines. The highlight of the tour was the monument to Hazen's Brigade. Established mere months after the battle, it was the first battlefield monument constructed. It sits right beside the railroad tracks, so troops being moved along those tracks later in the Civil War would have seen it, producing undoubtedly sober reminders of the realities of war.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13NR3g1OtaL2m1ZVWySAVKRGKHyjafO0kFBm584Xa9DVSstPThIVCw_piBbh0wDZwETjjGxBLhIhOhPnmQPHranQTJK8ZjK66brN81qp_VaCoQ01pzxXhOIprz40-crazzxVIPooeAb8/s1600/IMG_4532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13NR3g1OtaL2m1ZVWySAVKRGKHyjafO0kFBm584Xa9DVSstPThIVCw_piBbh0wDZwETjjGxBLhIhOhPnmQPHranQTJK8ZjK66brN81qp_VaCoQ01pzxXhOIprz40-crazzxVIPooeAb8/s640/IMG_4532.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazen's Brigade Monument</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The only disappointment was traveling to the heights where the Confederates were destroyed by cannon fire. Directions to the area aren't great, there are no storyboards to orient you, and I'm relatively certain the cannons placed up there are facing the wrong direction. Touring the battlefield only takes a couple of hours and provides yet another sobering reminder of the sacrifice required to preserve freedom.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-58990443050273570842016-09-01T22:00:00.002-06:002016-09-01T22:00:49.522-06:00Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military ParkMost people with a basic knowledge of the Civil War are most familiar with the eastern theater -- famous battles like Gettysburg, Antietam, and Bull Run. The western theater by contrast is much less well known, except for the fall of Vicksburg, along the Mississippi River. Just as in our history books, during the war itself, the South also placed much less emphasis on the western theater than the eastern theater, in terms of the generals, units, and resources they sent there. And, perhaps, that ultimately led to their final undoing in the months following the devastating defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July of 1863.<br />
<br />
In September of 1863, always afraid his army was out-manned and out-gunned, Confederate General Braxton Bragg began retreating through Tennessee. After stopping briefly in Chattanooga, only to be out-flanked by the larger Union army, Bragg begins retreating again into northern Georgia. Union General William Rosecrans believes that Bragg would continue to retreat and spreads his army to maneuver Bragg's army by force. Instead, for the first time in 6 months, Bragg finally decides to make a stand around Chickamauga Creek.<br />
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This time Rosecrans gets spooked and makes plans to pull his army back north to the safety of Chattanooga by conducting a series of leapfrog maneuvers with different parts alternately defending against the Confederates and then maneuvering north. In the confusion of the battle, Rosecrans believes his left flank needs reinforcement against Confederate strikes and mistakenly moves part of his army from the middle to reinforce his flank. That opens up a hole in the middle of his line right at the time the Confederates charge that part of the line. Seeing their good fortune, the Confederates charge through the gaping hole near the Brotherton farm cabin, abandoned the day before when the Union troops arrived.<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/AVvXsEhsbDC6-gyb9VEtsgrjvMaQgOhW3k3XWNXdzCyDyScPjxK-4ePIRzt6gQLp9AvjHXFoZ8ZWdW7i6OkcTx7M5L-hf9TelVRXSoDVS27v-LvoHFuSw8Wb4BbdIJ7LvRnEemkxAJHAfyGHmcA/s1600/IMG_4509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbDC6-gyb9VEtsgrjvMaQgOhW3k3XWNXdzCyDyScPjxK-4ePIRzt6gQLp9AvjHXFoZ8ZWdW7i6OkcTx7M5L-hf9TelVRXSoDVS27v-LvoHFuSw8Wb4BbdIJ7LvRnEemkxAJHAfyGHmcA/s640/IMG_4509.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Brotherton Cabin. Confederate troops exploited the inadvertent gap in the Union line flanking Union troops from left to right in this picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Despite repeated Confederate assaults along the Union line, the Union army tenaciously holds on, refusing to cede control of the field. As darkness falls, however, the Union troops withdraw back to Chattanooga. There, just a few miles up the road, the story continues...<br />
<br />
The Union army dug in at Chattanooga. This time, the Confederates have the advantage, setting up a siege line around the city, anchored at the Tennessee River on both sides of the city with strong positions on Lookout Mountain and east onto Missionary Ridge. Angry at the embarrassing loss at Chickamauga and the choking siege in Chattanooga, Lincoln fires Rosecrans and brings Grant east to take control.<br />
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Grant made quick work. He broke the Confederate line at the Tennessee River on the west side by silently crossing the Tennessee at night, right under the noses of the sleepy Confederate pickets guarding it, and opening a supply line to the west. Right on the heels of that, he orders Gen Sherman to attack the Confederate right flank with Gen Thomas and Gen Hooker making a noisy demonstration on the Confederate center and left. Gen Hooker finds that Lookout Mountain has been abandoned and continues charging up the ridge as the Confederates retreat up and over Missionary Ridge just to the east, reinforcing to counter Sherman's attack on their right. Sherman attacks piecemeal, squandering his advantage, and the Confederates hold off the assault at Missionary Ridge, but Gen Bragg once again gets cold feet and once again retreats back down through Georgia, leaving the high ground and the vital Tennessee River and railways to the Union army.<br />
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The battlefield on Lookout Mountain bears little resemblance today to how it must have looked in late 1863. Rather it affords a spectacular view of the Confederate position as they besieged the Union army down in the city. <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/AVvXsEgLQiqhaPSmAKdNPZdHe71842FphZwEcx5tKSAfNbly5X4TEea1UN_0hLmVcaV2-u8MJhASSUqgl9QUg6lpxRuvcdArPnztPx6PCDP_hF3hdSHne2Ex7cWy-m8x4OvPdyKnzDwEuC6JWug/s1600/IMG_4522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQiqhaPSmAKdNPZdHe71842FphZwEcx5tKSAfNbly5X4TEea1UN_0hLmVcaV2-u8MJhASSUqgl9QUg6lpxRuvcdArPnztPx6PCDP_hF3hdSHne2Ex7cWy-m8x4OvPdyKnzDwEuC6JWug/s640/IMG_4522.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chattanooga and the Tennessee River from the Edge of Lookout Mountain</td></tr>
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While taking in the view, imagine being a Confederate on the line here with the commanding view over the Union army holed up down below. Imagine cannon behind you, ready to fire at the first massed movement, slowly choking out the Union army. Then turn east and south, imagining giving up this perfect position because the General feared being overrun and began retreating back to where you had just whupped some Union bootie, leaving your army nothing to show for it. Thus, Chattanooga was really another defining moment. By this point in the war, the Confederates were truly whipped in the west and on their heels fighting a defensive war in the east. It was only a matter of time...Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-10425304820120945692016-08-25T21:22:00.001-06:002016-08-25T21:22:21.011-06:00Kingsley Plantation at Timucuan Ecological and Historic PreserveWithin the National Park system, there are many intriguing sites preserved. One such site is embedded within Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in Jacksonville, FL: A cotton plantation called Kingsley Plantation. Now, you might think that there are any number of southern plantations preserved for touring or that they're simply monuments heralding a time in our history we would like to forget ever happened. But, as you would expect from the National Park Service, there are several things that make this site unique.<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/AVvXsEjJPxPxF8yOvXPHX5DkiNDuK8O8emnW5PuXnpVFQ91VwwxTYJcv4frl1h9jLLb0ls7tzlXrbNX90HSuU4TjkkGbYvQBpnRWJP83Y0JZjE119lLksSCisH0ak19p2wgRSyn_RIgDb-eEsFo/s1600/IMG_4506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPxPxF8yOvXPHX5DkiNDuK8O8emnW5PuXnpVFQ91VwwxTYJcv4frl1h9jLLb0ls7tzlXrbNX90HSuU4TjkkGbYvQBpnRWJP83Y0JZjE119lLksSCisH0ak19p2wgRSyn_RIgDb-eEsFo/s640/IMG_4506.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The House in the Background with the Kitchen Building in Front</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEgymB1uMOslwNnW2MLF7gJgwttLQkpwwkea8dZUgxb8Vgv3jM5MMJLHsqZi-s2WYkL87HjUzNnM1mpsGNXtKa_gG9scECHcFNNkBbdI6Oc9GvzukMRFuAOfWRWbdKetbdTFfrI5HkqsT1Q/s1600/IMG_4500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymB1uMOslwNnW2MLF7gJgwttLQkpwwkea8dZUgxb8Vgv3jM5MMJLHsqZi-s2WYkL87HjUzNnM1mpsGNXtKa_gG9scECHcFNNkBbdI6Oc9GvzukMRFuAOfWRWbdKetbdTFfrI5HkqsT1Q/s640/IMG_4500.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The View from the Plantation House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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First, the owner, Zephaniah Kingsley purchased a slave from Senegal, named Anna, whom he later freed and married. In 1814, when they moved to Fort George Island, where they built their plantation, she, in turn, became Zephaniah's business partner, taking an active role in managing the plantation slaves despite being a slave herself only a few years before.<br />
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Second, the 1000-acre plantation grew a variety of crops, including sugar cane, corn, beans, and potatoes, but the primary cash crop was Sea Island cotton. Cotton plantations certainly weren't unique for the time period, but Sea Island cotton was considered the cashmere of cotton because its fibers were long and silky. Importantly, though, the seeds could not be removed from the bolls using a cotton gin because the fibers were too long and fragile and would thus mutilate the cotton. As a result, slaves were required to remove the seeds by hand. The more seeds remaining in the cotton, or the more mutilated the cotton, or the less cotton processed at the end of the day, the more the slaves were punished. Let me restate that a more direct way: A slave's reward for turning out enough perfectly seeded cotton by hand was no punishment.<br />
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Slaves were given a specific task requirement for each day. For example, the field hands might be given one or more quarter-acre plots of cotton to pick or to produce five pounds of seed-free cotton. Obviously, the tasks were designed to take the vast majority of each day. Once complete, only then could the slaves complete their own personal tasks, like tending to their personal garden, hunting/fishing, cooking their own meals, or doing their own laundry. Slave quarters were generally two-room houses: One room with a fireplace for cooking, and a room for the entire family to sleep in. Most were tiny with dirt floors. A few were bigger, but they were reserved for the Driver (head slave) and his family or skilled slave craftsmen as a show of status.<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/AVvXsEgZ2kiNc-ge6_gtPEkIslR5xsx-h0XKdUywEQ5X7Ae5UL4xNaaeO0bgI_U_pJiIq7PzOWL-Y_CTUv4HsaSIRbGdgY-5Fr348StJozjVuL59lLw78MBH4oCyQmwi6lEGZMKb_jSYSzjqetc/s1600/IMG_4502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2kiNc-ge6_gtPEkIslR5xsx-h0XKdUywEQ5X7Ae5UL4xNaaeO0bgI_U_pJiIq7PzOWL-Y_CTUv4HsaSIRbGdgY-5Fr348StJozjVuL59lLw78MBH4oCyQmwi6lEGZMKb_jSYSzjqetc/s640/IMG_4502.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slave Cabin Ruins</td></tr>
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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/AVvXsEgSnLHPMa6RZitqo-2BmLBsGtwNo2m48nwFKCrSfPvBI1RrxyovQni5dCgcW3gJwNuHr6OIHbktCZi3yffopU2RLAF1Ljw1ZidYdKjsmE4gnEJKkYKphmonALqKErIblt624x3etgOJyaE/s1600/IMG_4503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnLHPMa6RZitqo-2BmLBsGtwNo2m48nwFKCrSfPvBI1RrxyovQni5dCgcW3gJwNuHr6OIHbktCZi3yffopU2RLAF1Ljw1ZidYdKjsmE4gnEJKkYKphmonALqKErIblt624x3etgOJyaE/s640/IMG_4503.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Driver's House (i.e., the Largest One)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As I walked through the slave quarters and stood inside them, I pondered
what that life must have felt like: To produce perfect results and not
get an attaboy but just to be thankful for a day without punishment; to
work from early morning to late evening only then to realize I still
had to take care of my personal chores; to realize that no matter what I did, I could never really be trusted. It was in that moment that I realized how horrible of an institution slavery was. We can't undo that today. We can't go back in time and remove that part of our history. As much as we might like to, we can't wish it away either -- and perhaps that's not even a smart move; that's called denial. Conversely, neither should we be overly harsh on the slaveholders, for they were born into an economic system and a values system that seemed impossible to see past even to those that might have wanted to (just as we <i>tend</i> to approach the world similarly to our parents without even realizing it and wonder why the rest of the world can't see the obvious truths that we see). Instead, what we can do is to put ourselves in the shoes of those slaves and imagine how we would feel to live a life of thankless servitude and then let that shape our interactions with our fellow man.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-27031021396452648802016-08-21T21:44:00.001-06:002016-08-23T08:46:05.321-06:00Historic Coastal Florida FortsAlong the coast of northeast Florida lie three forts that make up part of America's rich history, yet a part that is little told or understood.<br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The History </b></span></u><br />
Following Ponce de Leon's discovery of Florida in 1513, Spain claimed it as its own and it became a crucial link for ferrying gold and other treasure plundered from the Caribbean islands, along with trade goods, back to Spain from the New World.<br />
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At the same time, Britain and France were also vying for control of the New
World because of the promise of vast riches and resources. In 1564,
then, France established Fort Caroline just north of what is now Jacksonville. Viewing this as a clear and
present danger to their territory, Spain attempted attack on the French
but failed, retreating a few miles south to what is now St. Augustine. The French, in turn, attempted a counter-attack, but severe weather at sea blew them several miles south and shipwrecked them. Spain, seizing the opportunity, attacked the nearly defenseless Fort Caroline, wiping the remaining soldiers out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsryjYM3sgiBSV42ZiV7cvdWuC9dJKo7rtetB_kASTGXXSS0mtde4oGg4Bgyy0s-xnbsXIrtcPwKfczfo4U0SGJPUU2DRPu7eJhF3DaCHQ5Z6GtNC-90LtNaW4QmuDEhvTGTR6wIM3nE4/s1600/IMG_4498.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsryjYM3sgiBSV42ZiV7cvdWuC9dJKo7rtetB_kASTGXXSS0mtde4oGg4Bgyy0s-xnbsXIrtcPwKfczfo4U0SGJPUU2DRPu7eJhF3DaCHQ5Z6GtNC-90LtNaW4QmuDEhvTGTR6wIM3nE4/s640/IMG_4498.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Following their decisive victory over the French, Spain began establishing forts over the next two centuries all along the eastern coast of Florida from Jacksonville down to the Keys to protect its transit route.<br />
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Two of those forts protect the approaches to St. Augustine, the oldest enduring city in America. Castillo de San Marcos sits right on the bay at the north edge of the city's historic district. Constructed in the shape of a four-pointed star, it was made out of an innovative and easily-fabricated material called coquina -- a kind of cement comprised of sand and seashells. Coquina was revolutionary in that it absorbed cannon blasts rather than crumbling, making it difficult to penetrate by attacking ships.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWS3yVuckr8H4cTG0tDc1rOrIHn4VW4sxhdGrNBgSgR1eAuYjskaDa_lL1NNBDUuvjtxpTf0O9lD0ZhtwsdSs56L7NWctLECLZHI5NKayjbbAojQ31mbl6GLOJemZF33Fv0MxyVEmEq8/s1600/IMG_4440.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWS3yVuckr8H4cTG0tDc1rOrIHn4VW4sxhdGrNBgSgR1eAuYjskaDa_lL1NNBDUuvjtxpTf0O9lD0ZhtwsdSs56L7NWctLECLZHI5NKayjbbAojQ31mbl6GLOJemZF33Fv0MxyVEmEq8/s640/IMG_4440.jpg" width="640" /></a></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/AVvXsEjZTP5DWpm6uJHioQDKTLaQDId6i56Myp89SQMZfrtcFtNGAAmDIyO3eKHRJyIkcCZUQ0hKO34S9Mtjpk5O_-CJ3UV9NTy5x_oIGcKv8TpctJ_6Kpy_yam2cnyc0Fcr6E7JJzEAFimacIo/s1600/IMG_4442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTP5DWpm6uJHioQDKTLaQDId6i56Myp89SQMZfrtcFtNGAAmDIyO3eKHRJyIkcCZUQ0hKO34S9Mtjpk5O_-CJ3UV9NTy5x_oIGcKv8TpctJ_6Kpy_yam2cnyc0Fcr6E7JJzEAFimacIo/s640/IMG_4442.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Large Courtyard of the Castillo</td></tr>
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The Spanish used Castillo de San Marcos as a large base not only for protection of St. Augustine itself but also as a major supply and logistics base supporting the rest of the forts down the coast along Spain's trade and treasure route. An imposing structure, Castillo de San Marcos guarded the entrance to Matanzas Bay and the approach to St Augustine from invaders wishing to interdict treasure ships. Its four-pointed design allowed it to set up a brutal, overlapping crossfire from adjacent corners to destroy any ships within range. <br />
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As Spain increased its presence and control in the region, other European powers, including Britain, continued to challenge them. Britain discovered that while St. Augustine itself was heavily guarded, a back channel existed 14 miles south at Matanzas Inlet that led straight to the back door of the city and out of range of Castillo de San Marcos's guns. After narrowly escaping a prolonged British siege of the city in 1740, Spain began construction on a second fort at Matanzas Inlet -- Fort Matanzas. Like Castillo de San Marcos, it was also constructed of the resilient coquina.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Chahhs888oOVVPaxGCPyICxaw18NbCdbHgKKyOKcDWkdX4atEbBxEH4Ez8F5_Y-7Xn_LrSZtvJRAxyuQY5MnyLBq5poklzTwy8QNAQqwf2onFjz2SgIF7ILfgX6xVMyfCZQyjqw3A24/s1600/IMG_4462.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Chahhs888oOVVPaxGCPyICxaw18NbCdbHgKKyOKcDWkdX4atEbBxEH4Ez8F5_Y-7Xn_LrSZtvJRAxyuQY5MnyLBq5poklzTwy8QNAQqwf2onFjz2SgIF7ILfgX6xVMyfCZQyjqw3A24/s640/IMG_4462.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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With the fort under construction, Britain tried once again to navigate up Matanzas Inlet to reach St. Augustine, but the fort's guns were already in place and several cannon blasts forced the British ship to turn around. That encounter was the last challenge to Spanish sovereignty in the area. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Seeing the Forts</b></u></span><br />
Even in the height of summer, it is quite easy to see all three forts in the space of two days, and I highly recommend seeing them as a group to best grasp the interconnected story behind them. <br />
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The <a href="https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/foca.htm" target="_blank">Fort Caroline National Memorial</a> is located within the larger <a href="https://www.nps.gov/timu/index.htm" target="_blank">Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve</a> on St. John's Bay northeast of Jacksonville. While much is known about what happened here, little is known of the actual fort itself. Even so, the scarce information available
was used to partially reconstruct a replica. Consequently, there is little to see at this
site, but the opportunity to visualize the beginning of this oft-untold
story makes the trip worth it. In addition, there is a boat dock on site from which you might get a glimpse of dolphins swimming by.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrK1gKPs1t_aXSYZa9-Bzxm0bnHZdf9gBUVH_IM7uaje9f5QZH3ecbtZ5NJ8uIIUv6e3VKb5Q5Xo_I-Y8rrT8upElHjgkH18wNbjiGvGdn8lc0aoOdOWO9urAhnKhZmMD4G1UIfPRMKY/s1600/IMG_4499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrK1gKPs1t_aXSYZa9-Bzxm0bnHZdf9gBUVH_IM7uaje9f5QZH3ecbtZ5NJ8uIIUv6e3VKb5Q5Xo_I-Y8rrT8upElHjgkH18wNbjiGvGdn8lc0aoOdOWO9urAhnKhZmMD4G1UIfPRMKY/s640/IMG_4499.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sign describing many of the mysteries surrounding the fort and the French colony here.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm" target="_blank">Castillo de San Marcos National Monument</a> has a self-guided tour that takes about an hour, give or take. Exhibits in the many rooms tell the fort's story through both Spanish and, later, British control. On display are the original main doors to the fort, tools used to prep the cannons for firing, sleeping quarters for British troops stationed there, and the chapel. The view of Matanzas Bay from the top is quite impressive. From there, it is easy to visualize sentries keeping watch for approaching attackers and readying the devastating cannon cross-fire against them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_8LtyEJPmrg9dueU1-QcVAz2dZN8lZff_COhTUj6wdNJb8OR_XDcZKI61cus-4Pv7gwneQZ_IE9nOuymHuGJfyDCYrNpiDZo11oQ5iKYaLepa50B-1IRWLu2mwrvurX-1vvzkA37F7I/s1600/IMG_4429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_8LtyEJPmrg9dueU1-QcVAz2dZN8lZff_COhTUj6wdNJb8OR_XDcZKI61cus-4Pv7gwneQZ_IE9nOuymHuGJfyDCYrNpiDZo11oQ5iKYaLepa50B-1IRWLu2mwrvurX-1vvzkA37F7I/s640/IMG_4429.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recreation of Sleeping Quarters During British Occupation</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzx3TlR7Uvuhr9YSvdvQn90Yhx0Q3NQHEsLr6uP5QFEafOS6fYvf9y2esFvsXStqUNUoWcZCNRBL9tDfzYtUxE74siKUHxzpz151E3rcFOetEI2LpHU4rus7MqKzSR8RGERO97q525b18/s1600/IMG_4436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzx3TlR7Uvuhr9YSvdvQn90Yhx0Q3NQHEsLr6uP5QFEafOS6fYvf9y2esFvsXStqUNUoWcZCNRBL9tDfzYtUxE74siKUHxzpz151E3rcFOetEI2LpHU4rus7MqKzSR8RGERO97q525b18/s640/IMG_4436.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Imposing View from the Top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuKv6QoiJeULLxzNZ0Me8r8BlHa3ZjYwOWi9OmWNgB6gHRmAAqohvf1V8s5xkHJfjrmggn_5sN0pUS53F2XuQv7dc8WuC3p3rTxwBk_1dJO3uDSdmmVOt4IQ09PWMjMw1be8ztD4CRb0/s1600/IMG_4434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuKv6QoiJeULLxzNZ0Me8r8BlHa3ZjYwOWi9OmWNgB6gHRmAAqohvf1V8s5xkHJfjrmggn_5sN0pUS53F2XuQv7dc8WuC3p3rTxwBk_1dJO3uDSdmmVOt4IQ09PWMjMw1be8ztD4CRb0/s640/IMG_4434.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lookout Tower Facing the Entrance to the Bay</td></tr>
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The <a href="https://www.nps.gov/foma/index.htm" target="_blank">Fort Matanzas National Monument</a> Visitor Center sits in a beautiful grove of massive Live Oaks on the edge of Matanzas Inlet. We ate a picnic lunch there and climbed along the massive low-slung branches. <br />
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Getting to Fort Matanzas itself requires a free boat ride just to the other side of the inlet a few hundred yards away. As you can see from the picture above (and below), the fort is small (understandably so since it was only needed to prevent enemy ships from traversing the channel). The ranger provides a short history and orientation on the boat ride and then you're free to explore the fort and grounds for about 30 minutes before the boat returns, which is plenty of time. Like at Castillo de San Marcos, it is easy to imagine from the top how cannons perched there would be a strong deterrent to ships trying to navigate the narrow waterway. While on top, we also spied some marine life: A very large manatee and a crab the size of a dinner plate!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXdZKF8EmdcTZnnpHnb8Z6cxFCU_5GE5LKJj0TAcXCC1w4dmvnFy-1Ke3O5IGN8weh0pXjE__LEe8VO7PChg9hxPRQLdCuOAtZacklHnrTeFptA50HLr7QyanmJnDxGC3RRlNUs1U350/s1600/IMG_4471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXdZKF8EmdcTZnnpHnb8Z6cxFCU_5GE5LKJj0TAcXCC1w4dmvnFy-1Ke3O5IGN8weh0pXjE__LEe8VO7PChg9hxPRQLdCuOAtZacklHnrTeFptA50HLr7QyanmJnDxGC3RRlNUs1U350/s640/IMG_4471.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manatee Swimming Along the Rocks</td></tr>
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Our family enjoyed seeing these three forts and all agreed that seeing them in quick succession helped to paint a more complete canvas of the oft-forgotten history of Spanish colonization in the New World. Indeed this grouping of parks is a representation of what I love about the historical subset of the NPS sites -- telling a more complete history of this nation and the people and stories that shaped it into the world we know today.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-11297211516898580872016-07-26T06:23:00.000-06:002016-07-26T06:23:37.303-06:00Tuskegee Airmen NHS Trip Report<style>
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</style>Tucked away in a small town in central Alabama is Tuskegee -- home of the
historic Tuskegee Institute and also to Moton airfield, where the famed
Tuskegee Airmen and support staff trained during World War II. <a href="https://www.nps.gov/tuai/index.htm" target="_blank">Tuskegee AirmenNational Historic Site</a> preserves the legacy of those courageous men and
women. The site is simple with museums inside the two historic hangars
explaining the training and commemorating their achievements.
Unfortunately, the site is closed on Sunday (the day we visited), but several storyboards
outside the site told the story more than effectively.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A little bit of imagination, prompted by the storyboards, made this site
powerful! The Tuskegee Airmen program was conceived as an experiment to
see if black people could be taught to fly, fight, and maintain
airplanes. They studied at nearby Tuskegee Institute and then were bused to the airfield for their flight training. That concept seems so foreign to us now, but I wonder how
those first Tuskegee Airmen must have felt knowing they were part of an "experiment". Were they excited? Were they scared? Were they frustrated that they were considered an "experiment"? Were they eager to prove that they were equal to white people? Perhaps some of all of that... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From a preservation perspective, I also found it interesting that, while some of the buildings had been torn down, the National Park Service wanted to reconstruct what the site looked like back in the 1940s. Unfortunately, all they had were a couple of photographs showing what the outside looked like. When reconstructing structures, the NPS strives for accuracy. Therefore, in absence of information, rather than guessing, they chose to construct ghost structures<span style="font-family: inherit;"> (<span style="font-family: inherit;">metal frames showing the l<span style="font-family: inherit;">ocation of windows and doors) </span></span></span>to provide an idea of the size of the buildings and their proximity to the other structures around them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This site doesn't take long to see, and you can still get a lot out of it even if it's unexpectedly closed on the day you visit. It serves as a powerful reminder of what some brave people chose to take on 75 years ago despite what others around them may have thought and gives us the opportunity to "walk a mile in their shoes". The <a href="https://www.nps.gov/tuin/index.htm" target="_blank">Tuskegee Institute NHS</a> is less than 10 minutes away and provides a similar experience looking back at the vision, perseverance, and accomplishments of Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver as they set out to create a first-class university for still-segregated blacks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span>Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-72974167543893274532016-06-12T19:27:00.003-06:002016-06-12T19:33:52.533-06:00Oklahoma City National Memorial Trip ReportApril 19, 1995. A massive explosion rocked downtown Oklahoma City at the Murrah Federal Building, the work of two domestic terrorists. By the end of the day, 168 people were dead and more than 680 injured. It was the worst attack on domestic soil up until 9/11.<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>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken two days after the bombing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cristi and I were in Oklahoma City that day, in our respective college classes. In fact, Cristi was supposed to have been downtown volunteering at the Journal Records Building right across the street (what is now the Memorial's museum), but at the last minute chose to stay on campus that day. It was a defining moment for us. In the aftermath, our college group at church went downtown to help organize supplies needed for the search, relief, and cleanup effort. We weren't allowed on-site, but being even on the periphery of the blast zone was surreal. I couldn't understand how anyone could do something so evil. Funny (not funny, actually) how Americans see the world much differently now in our post-9/11 world. In those days that passed, though, I could not have been prouder of my state. The out-pouring of compassion and assistance to the families was eye-watering. Absolutely <u><i><b>no</b></i></u> looting took place downtown. My favorite radio station, Rock-100.5 The KATT, interleaved news reports into two then-popular songs -- Live's <i>Lightning Crashes</i> and Eric Clapton's <i>Tears in Heaven</i> -- and played them over and over, bringing tears to my eyes as I recalled the horror of that day.<br />
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Cristi and I left Oklahoma City a year later and could never make it back to see the memorial once constructed and dedicated. Finally, last summer, we made it. And it was worth it! The <a href="https://www.nps.gov/okci/index.htm" target="_blank">Oklahoma City National Memorial</a> and Museum is extremely well done and a must-see for anyone that feels connected to those events on that fateful day, whether because you experienced it first-hand or you remember watching in horror as the scene burned into your TV screen.<br />
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As I mentioned, the Journal Records Building is now the Memorial's museum. We started there, though only briefly. Coming around the backside of the museum was like stepping into another world. Unlike a busy downtown city block, it was serene. There is a reflecting pool with "time gates" on either side. One gate is inscribed with 9:01, symbolizing our innocence before the attack and the other with 9:03, symbolizing the time we were forever changed after the bombing. The reflecting pool now lies in place of the street that separated the Journal Records Building from the Murrah Federal Building.<br />
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On the other side of the reflecting pool is a lawn of scattered chairs -- 168 of them, representing each individual that lost their life that day. The chairs are organized in rows and columns, but the rows aren't all the same: It's the same pattern as the massive hole in the building juxtaposed with where the individuals were killed in the building. It's a powerful and symbolic reminder of the tragedy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Journal Records Building (Museum) is in the bottom of the photo. The chairs are where the hole is, and the reflecting pool is where the street is.</td></tr>
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We were there for only an hour or so, but the memorial drew us in. We strolled through every piece of it, reconstructing, remembering, imagining, contemplating. It was powerful.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-79522840949583428002016-05-31T15:04:00.000-06:002016-05-31T15:04:01.304-06:00The Paint Mines: A Bucket List CompletionWe have been to the <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2016/02/p-is-for-petrified-forest-national-park.html" target="_blank">Painted Desert</a> and thought the color in the badland formations there was incredibly beautiful. When we moved to Colorado Springs, however, we were told of a similar park right in our own backyard: The <a href="http://adm.elpasoco.com/CommunityServices/ParkOperations/Pages/PaintMinesInterpretivePark.aspx" target="_blank">Paint Mines</a>, located in Calhan, just a few miles east of the Springs. This week, with my parents visiting, we went to check it out, and we were impressed.<br />
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The park has several sandy cliff formations, colored by the gypsum in the sediment. Centuries ago, the Native Americans mined the colorful sand to decorate their pottery. Much more recently, adobe houses in the area were colored from the "paint" from these formations. <br />
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There are several miles of trails, but most of the formations are concentrated in the southwest portion of the park. We took a nice, leisurely 3-mile hike through the park, and after being awed by the formations, were awed with the wide open spaces out on the plains and even a beautiful view of Pikes Peak, some 45 miles distant.<br />
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If you're in the area and looking for a new adventure, the Paint Mines provides a great half-day family outing exploring more beauty in the majesty of the great outdoors!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-35501458126805470272016-05-28T21:54:00.001-06:002016-05-28T21:54:17.257-06:00Great Sand Dunes National Park and PreserveImagine Tatooine or, for you newer Star Wars fans, Jakku, with massive sand dunes as far as the eye can see. Now picture having to cross a wide, shallow stream fed by snow-melt from the high mountain range surrounding the dune field. That's <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm" target="_blank">Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve</a> in south-central Colorado. <br />
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My family traveled there a week ago and had an awesome time! My son dubbed it "the most fun national park we've been to." With it being late spring, we expected Medano Creek to be flowing. What we didn't expect was that, because there's no actual stream bed, the water flows across an area that's probably a couple of hundred yards wide, with sand bars interspersed among little sections of "rapids" several inches deep. With the stream so wide and its "bed" pure sand, it was more like a beach. And people treated it that way, too. It looked just like a traditional beach with people setting up chairs, kids splashing around in bathing suits with rafts. One family even set up a pup tent. There were a host of school groups there, too. It was a Friday, and our initial impression was that we were in for a huge crowd. Most stuck close to the near side of the creek, however, and the other side a few hundred yards away was much less crowded (and had much deeper water).<br />
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The water was cold when we crossed, though, and we had rented sand sleds, so we passed up the alluring creek and kept on trekking toward the dunes. Because the prevailing winds continually shape the dunes, there are no trails, and you can hike wherever you want. It's only about a mile-and-a-half to High Dune, which is not the tallest dune in the park (that one is an additional mile-and-a-half away), but it is over 600 feet tall. Several people made the journey out there to summit it, and even without a trail, they seemed to create "ant trails" up the dunes. We were ready to sled, though.<br />
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We rented both a sand sled and a sandboard (think snowboard but different). The first dunes we came to were about 100 feet high, and we figured that would be a good place to try out our (lack of) skills. We tried the leeward side first, but the slope was too gentle. Even with wax on the sled and board, we really didn't get anywhere. The windward side was much steeper. Brennan and I steeled our courage at what looked to be a greater than 45-degree angle and headed down -- me on the sled and him on the board. It wasn't pretty, but it was a rush!<br />
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Over the course of the day, we sledded and slid and lost our balance <span id="goog_648285357"></span><span id="goog_648285358"></span>and fell and rolled...<br />
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<br />
...All except for Brennan. He looked like a rock star from the beginning even though he has never even snowboarded before! (I must say, however, that while Brennan could board circles around me, he couldn't get the hang of the sled at all because it kept trying to angle down the mountain and then topple due to the shape of the dunes. I mastered preventing that catastrophe much faster, so I guess we were even!)<br />
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By the end of the day, we had managed a rudimentary skill level, and we declared victory!<br />
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And, of course, since this was a National Park site, Lauren also completed the Junior Ranger program.<br />
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We had so much fun sledding and boarding that we didn't really even bother playing in the water and didn't do any hiking (I know -- odd for me, right?). After several hours, we were tired but had had an absolutely phenomenal time riding the dunes. This place is synonymous with the National Park descriptor of "America's playgrounds"!<br />
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<br />Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-46128886743017799192016-05-21T16:24:00.000-06:002016-05-21T16:24:50.685-06:00Grand Canyon Trip PlanningThe Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular places in the entire
world -- a site everyone should see in their lifetime! It is somewhat
remote, but it's the second most-visited National Park, so it sees a lot
of traffic. The sheer size of the canyon itself is enough to take your
breath away, but the vibrant colors of the many rock layers make it a
picture far more beautiful than any human artist could create.<br />
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You
can see the Grand Canyon from either the South Rim or the North Rim.
If you've never been before, I recommend going to
the South Rim because the views of the canyon are better. If you really
prefer to view the canyon in a more peaceful, serene setting, away from
the hoards of people, I recommend the North Rim. Of course, if you
have time, I highly recommend seeing it from both sides! Regardless of
which side you choose, refer to the NPS's <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/" target="_blank">Grand Canyon National Park site</a>
extensively, as it has additional detail beyond what I provide below.
Note that the site is so extensive, however, that it can sometimes be
hard to find the information you're looking for. I'll try to help you
out in the sections below.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">South Rim</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">General Orientation</span><br />
The South Rim is located about an hour and a
half northwest of Flagstaff, AZ and about an hour north of Williams,
AZ. Williams is on the historic Route 66 trail, so if the timing is
right, stop in for a burger or shake at one of the town diners.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Route 66 Diner in Williams</td></tr>
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The
South Rim sees the majority of park visitors, and over the years has
grown to adequately accommodate them. In fact, there is an entire Grand
Canyon Village that is much like a small town! In addition to the Visitor
Center and bookstore/souvenir shop you would find at any national park,
the village also contains eateries (including a pizza pub that makes
homemade brickoven pizza), a bank, post office, urgent care clinic,
library, auto repair shop, dog kennel, and a general store that has
groceries, a deli, gear, gear rental, and souvenirs. Wifi is also
available at several of those locations. There are plenty of signs, but
the Village is large and spread out across the South Rim, so be sure to
ask for a map at the entrance station.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Things to Do</span><br />
The Grand Canyon is best seen by backpacking down
into the canyon, but there is still plenty to see for those that choose
not to strap their worldly belongings onto their back and walk off into
the wilderness. For those remaining top-side or day-hiking, plan to spend at least a
full day at the park. A second day would provide time to do a longer
day hike down into the canyon and back out. (For those wishing to
backpack, see my Backpacking section below.)<br />
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<br />
For
starters, there are some good views right around Kolb Studio where the
Bright Angel Trail begins. Start there. Then, take the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/desert-view-drive.htm" target="_blank">25-mile drive</a>
down Desert View Drive toward the east end of the park. There are six
viewpoints with spectacular views along the way, but the real attraction
is the Desert View Watchtower at the end, a 70-foot stone tower
constructed in the style of the ancient Anasazi watchtowers. Climb to
the top for magnificent views of the canyon. Next, from the Village Route
shuttle transfer station, catch the free shuttle bus for the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/hermit-road.htm" target="_blank">Hermit Road scenic drive</a> (this road does not allow cars except in winter). The
tour stops at nine different points along the way and ends at Hermit's
Rest, near the Hermit Trailhead.<br />
<br />
If you would like to
take a day hike down into the canyon -- which I highly recommend -- the
two most popular trails are the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/BrightAngelTrail.pdf" target="_blank">Bright Angel Trail</a> (near Kolb Studio)
and the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/SouthKaibabTrail.pdf" target="_blank">South Kaibab Trail</a>. Both have excellent views, but the South
Kaibab Trail has no water until you get to the Colorado River and the
only toilets are 1.5 miles down the trail. The Bright Angel Trail on
the other hand has both water and toilets at the 1.5-mile and 3-mile marks,
as well as Indian Garden campground at 4.5 miles, giving several options
for out-and-back day hikes.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">North Rim</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">General Orientation</span><br />
The North Rim is much more remote. From Flagstaff, it's another 2-3 hours past the South Rim, and there is nothing but even more wilderness to the north. That certainly explains why the North Rim only sees 10% of the visitors the South Rim does. For that reason and because it is a thousand feet higher elevation, it closes for 6-7 months of the year because of the snow. The plateau in general is much prettier on the north side, though -- much greener. There are fewer services on the North Rim, too -- no Grand Canyon Village here! Beyond the Visitor Center, there is only a general store and a gas station. On the up side, however, because it's more remote, it is much easier to appreciate the nature surrounding you, and you're more likely to see wildlife like deer or buffalo.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the North Kaibab Trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNJFRVeLN94e3cjrEu3Awj8obk9cD_FCLNpslESyhgekQMVzx08GDSMwH6nVEcJ5ncIzjfYqt4dlil1h3ZNIuW6iuUjRJIElil-9Ob76pRV7GLAdBFuYsCSuIG0RdpkZ24_G9mrL8mMU/s1600/IMG_5024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNJFRVeLN94e3cjrEu3Awj8obk9cD_FCLNpslESyhgekQMVzx08GDSMwH6nVEcJ5ncIzjfYqt4dlil1h3ZNIuW6iuUjRJIElil-9Ob76pRV7GLAdBFuYsCSuIG0RdpkZ24_G9mrL8mMU/s640/IMG_5024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not far inside the North Rim Entrance Station</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Things to Do</span><br />
Unfortunately, there is little to see around the Visitor Center. After getting information from the park rangers and shopping for souvenirs, head off on the scenic <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm#CP_JUMP_1907689" target="_blank">driving tour to Point Imperial and Cape Royal</a>. The road initially heads to both locations but then splits partway there. Making it to both locations will take you about a half-day. These roads offer several pullouts with stunning views of the canyon. For views of the Colorado River, however, be sure to go all the way to Cape Royal, and, of course, the best time of day is either sunrise or sunset because it further exaggerates the color differences in the rock layers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHINDKxKNxVo2d3eLheg2_0siq4qDi97d9UsoIUBNA42b1-IqurRBFNnPZBRfvJ041nlkztbDUvRPZQ-ZEkKFZsh1Vwyomc137bOhpGlxwa6_C6AVT0f_F6HVF2Kk3NgJmarN1cHkyL7I/s1600/IMG_5000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHINDKxKNxVo2d3eLheg2_0siq4qDi97d9UsoIUBNA42b1-IqurRBFNnPZBRfvJ041nlkztbDUvRPZQ-ZEkKFZsh1Vwyomc137bOhpGlxwa6_C6AVT0f_F6HVF2Kk3NgJmarN1cHkyL7I/s640/IMG_5000.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A View of the Canyon from Cape Royal on the North Rim</td></tr>
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If you want to hike down into the canyon on a day hike, I suggest the North Kaibab Trail (click <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/day-hiking.htm#CP_JUMP_1904239" target="_blank">here</a> for day hike info on all North Rim trails). It's well-marked and beautiful. At 1.8 miles, you reach the Supai Tunnel (a small doorway in the trail through the rock formation), which has water available for most of the North Rim's season. For an extended day hike, you can take the 4.7-mile (one-way) hike down to Roaring Springs, a majestic waterfall down the canyon wall. An alternative day hike is the Bill Hall/Thunder River Trail. It's an unmaintained trail in fairly good condition, but there is no water availability until you get to Thunder Creek at 9.5 miles, too long for a day hike in all but the mildest seasons and only for those in extremely good shape.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvpyYgiViLpZe_AJIPEBKoB0733toATJgoejFi2hRjjjwGGIj9kBc5gMIHmN_Th-MFN1DI-Dah958yApDONKPQtJgW7SgTA9LsHWIWSKs0AjXiL4i72rCnN-xLx5cmJ5zVgysKo2jQbc/s1600/IMG_0552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVvpyYgiViLpZe_AJIPEBKoB0733toATJgoejFi2hRjjjwGGIj9kBc5gMIHmN_Th-MFN1DI-Dah958yApDONKPQtJgW7SgTA9LsHWIWSKs0AjXiL4i72rCnN-xLx5cmJ5zVgysKo2jQbc/s640/IMG_0552.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roaring Springs</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Backpacking</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Trip Planning and Permits</span><br />
Planning a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon is kind of like playing Bridge: All the hard work is done on the front end. There are way more people that want to backpack it than they have permits, and it takes some planning to navigate the permit process successfully. Be advised that camping inside the canyon without a permit is <u><i><b>strictly not allowed</b></i></u>.<br />
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There is a lot of information on the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/backcountry.htm" target="_blank">Backcountry Hiking</a> page of the Grand Canyon National Park website, but this is one of those areas, where it's almost too much information in too many places with all of the sub-pages, and you'll likely find yourself trying to find a specific piece of information and can't remember which page it's on. Start with familiarizing yourself with the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/permit-request.pdf" target="_blank">permit application</a> itself, as well as the park's <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/backcountry-permit.htm" target="_blank">Backcountry Permit</a> page. That will get you started on a list of things you need to plan for and will likely generate more questions you need to research: Which trail(s) are you going to hike? What is water availability like on those trails? Does that impact how long you hike each day or which campsites you want to camp at? Are you hiking rim-to-rim? If so, how will you get from one rim to the other once you exit the canyon?<br />
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Navigating the permit process is an adventure in itself. Here are a few tips:<br />
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1) Permits cannot be requested any farther than the first of the month 4 months prior to your hike month. For example, if you want to hike any time in April, your permit cannot be submitted any earlier than December 1st. On the flip side, if you want a permit, I highly recommend submitting it on the 1st since they will begin assigning permits the next day. It's not first-come, first-served, but they will do a lottery from all permit applications received on the 1st, so if it arrives on the 2nd, you will only get a permit if the campsites you request weren't filled up by those submitting on the 1st.<br />
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2) Permits ultimately are for scheduling campsites, not trails. For all intents and purposes, the Park Service doesn't care which trail you hike -- only where you sleep each night of your trip.<br />
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3) Grab your DeLorean and head back to the 90s because your best option is to fax in your permit application (you can also mail it in, but I have low confidence in it getting there within the window that the Park Service accepts them).<br />
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4) Campsites are designated at each of the campgrounds as either small (1-6 people) or large (7-11 people). Note that there are very few large campsites, however, and they are all at the Corridor campgrounds (Bright Angel, Cottonwood, and Indian Garden). Even the "at large" camping areas in the remoter areas of the canyon are limited on the number of people that can camp there.<br />
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5) Plan your itinerary carefully. Once you get your permit dictating the campsite you will be at each night, your only option is to get there. Switching campsites or camping outside of an established camping area is not allowed.<br />
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6) Related, do your research first and anticipate your limits, erring on the conservative side. Water is fairly abundant on the Corridor trails, but elsewhere it can be dicey, especially outside of early-to-mid-Spring when snowmelt replenishes streams. Also realize that if you plan to go all the way to the Colorado River, you will have covered a total elevation change of approximately 5,000 feet (or 1 mile)! After hearing all the warnings, I was actually pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as difficult as I expected. <u><i><b>BUT</b></i></u>...Many people each year fail to admit to their own limits, especially when coupled with the high temperatures inside the canyon and a potential lack of water, and they wind up in a dangerous situation.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Trail Options</span><br />
If you have never backpacked the Grand Canyon before, consider planning a trip on the Corridor trails (North/South Kaibab and/or Bright Angel Trails). A rim-to-rim hike spread out over a few days provides beautiful scenery, ample opportunity for water, and several opportunities for side trips, such as Plateau Point just down from Indian Garden off the Bright Angel Trail or the Clear Creek Trail just north of the Colorado River off the North Kaibab Trail. Just remember to account for transportation between the North and South Rims. There is a shuttle that runs between the two, but it takes the better part of the day to transit, so be sure to research departure times.<br />
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As an alternative, or if you have hiked the Canyon before, consider going down the Hermit Trail to the Hermit Creek campsite, then traversing out to the Hermit Creek Rapids and/or the Boucher campsite. Yet another option is to make the long loop starting down the Hermit Trail and across the Tonto Trail to the Bright Angel Trail. Be aware, however, that water on the eastern portion of the Tonto Trail is not considered safe to drink due to radioactive contamination. Therefore, plan to fill up with water either at Monument Creek or Granite Rapids or, seasonally, at Cedar Creek and make it all the way to Indian Garden.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Where to Stay</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">South Rim</span><br />
If roughing it really isn't your thing, the South Rim has <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/lodging.htm" target="_blank">six different hotels</a>, with rooms ranging from no-frills shared-bathroom rooms to suites to rustic (and expensive) cabins, from nestled in the ponderosa pine forest to overlooking the Canyon itself. Price varies considerably, too, from around $100/night to well over $400/night. There are also several more traditional options located just a few miles away in Tusayan. Be sure to make reservations early because rooms fill up quick!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaLD55qyttXRrxJ1F2hhFHaxaGzPFvBn1OwwafsrmQEyM-Hx6aYfDKAg8NvFEFXG4oPe0z3KYLgzffs_ry79-Lxf32pE-ga7STKV_hIH_M9lg5evdTBOUPfyvqImeN6GuMu95zHgbGgw/s1600/IMG_0465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKaLD55qyttXRrxJ1F2hhFHaxaGzPFvBn1OwwafsrmQEyM-Hx6aYfDKAg8NvFEFXG4oPe0z3KYLgzffs_ry79-Lxf32pE-ga7STKV_hIH_M9lg5evdTBOUPfyvqImeN6GuMu95zHgbGgw/s640/IMG_0465.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The El Tovar Hotel</td></tr>
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If you like to camp, there are <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/cg-sr.htm#CP_JUMP_1954266" target="_blank">several options</a>. Mather campground is huge and offers over 300 campsites for RVs (less than 30 feet and no hookups) or tents. The tent sites are nice allowing a modicum of seclusion between sites. The campground also has running water and restrooms throughout the campground and shower and laundry facilities on site. If you need hookups or a site for a larger RV, Trailer Village RV Park is adjacent to Mather. Farther afield is Desert View Campground, out by the Desert View Watchtower. It has 50 sites that are first-come, first-served, and there are restrooms and water spigots available at the campground.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZ3PyJJHdxu43uECTcBk55ZS4K9Udia02dUUAn-IGz4PB_sZkh67DnaBy2tO5iWY6PSzhm29NtNkKibEUVVHRQE3Qmen9xJoA61SmckVlO-F1XmLSZ7nEuzzD3J43xs_xr7-vOWtvtyw/s1600/IMG_0460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwZ3PyJJHdxu43uECTcBk55ZS4K9Udia02dUUAn-IGz4PB_sZkh67DnaBy2tO5iWY6PSzhm29NtNkKibEUVVHRQE3Qmen9xJoA61SmckVlO-F1XmLSZ7nEuzzD3J43xs_xr7-vOWtvtyw/s640/IMG_0460.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our campsite at Mather Campground</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">North Rim</span><br />
As with activities and services, lodging options are also limited at the North Rim. The <a href="http://www.grandcanyonforever.com/lodging/" target="_blank">Grand Canyon Lodge</a> has both hotel rooms in a historic lodge and rustic cabins, all with private baths. The cabins sleep anywhere from 3 to 6 people. Just outside the park is the <a href="http://www.jacoblake.com/grand-canyon-north-rim-lodging/" target="_blank">Jacob Lake Inn</a>. Similar to the Grand Canyon Lodge, they have a range of options from modern hotel rooms with TV, phone, and air conditioning, to more primitive hotel rooms without those amenities, to quaint and cozy cabins with a rustic feel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBc7uu0P5MctLayxuBwHOSWttVJ81ecQmPwtOxoDTn0zfzinigLEFtuStC09qwaCFJByP0OOLilHDRa7BoJRO1HttzuYQQH4E3hcbPLlHU3VxOo4RzqfTIMhKnT0pif5hVNN0u80ZwRvU/s1600/IMG_4966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBc7uu0P5MctLayxuBwHOSWttVJ81ecQmPwtOxoDTn0zfzinigLEFtuStC09qwaCFJByP0OOLilHDRa7BoJRO1HttzuYQQH4E3hcbPLlHU3VxOo4RzqfTIMhKnT0pif5hVNN0u80ZwRvU/s640/IMG_4966.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabin at Jacob Lake Inn. This one held seven people.</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.recreation.gov/camping/north-rim-campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70970" target="_blank">North Rim Campground</a> inside the park is similar to Mather Campground but smaller. It has less than 100 sites but has restrooms, drinking water, showers, and laundry facilities (but no RV hookups). <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTJw8jAwjQL8h2VAQAzHJMsQ!!/?ss=110307&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003705&navid=110130000000000&pnavid=110000000000000&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&recid=11699&actid=29&ttype=recarea&pname=Kaibab%20National%20Forest%20-%20DeMotte%20Campground" target="_blank">DeMotte Campground</a> and <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTJw8jAwjQL8h2VAQAzHJMsQ!!/?ss=110307&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003705&navid=110130000000000&pnavid=110000000000000&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&recid=11702&actid=29&ttype=recarea&pname=Kaibab%20National%20Forest%20-%20Jacob%20Lake%20Campground" target="_blank">Jacob Lake Campground</a> are run by the Forest Service and are just a few miles north of the North Rim entrance station. The campgrounds have 38 and 51 sites, respectively, with drinking water and vault toilets on site. <br />
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A trip to the Grand Canyon is sure to be a memorable one. There is no way I can cover every possibility because it would take too long and your interests may vary widely from mine. With some quality time planning up front, though, you're certain to have a memorable experience at one of the world's most amazing natural landmarks! If you do have questions, feel free to post a comment, and I'll try to answer it or point you in the right direction. Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695076118943639214.post-66025600315908130352016-05-17T18:25:00.002-06:002016-05-17T18:25:43.394-06:00Conquering the Incline: A Bucket List CompletionThe Manitou Springs Incline: Originally the track bed for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway until 1990 when a rock slide destroyed the tracks, resulting in its relocation. Today, the rail bed has been restored for those hikers and fitness nuts wishing to conquer the Incline.<br />
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When Cristi and I first moved here and heard about the Incline, we of course added it to our <a href="http://simplefamilycomplexlife.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-bucket-list.html" target="_blank">bucket list</a>. We were up for a challenge. We quietly chuckled to ourselves when folks told of how hard it was, or attempting it and quitting partway up. I mean, how hard could it be? It's not even a mile long! OK, sure, it does start at 6600 feet and gain 2000 feet of elevation in that mile length, but still. We're in shape!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the cut in the mountain above the cloud. That was our destination.</td></tr>
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This week, we finally got around to doing it. And, let me tell you, it can be really, <i>really</i> hard! At one point, the "stairs" are two railroad ties high, making each step up about kneecap high. That's only about a 68% grade. We started off fine -- for about the first 100 yards when we realized this would be perhaps "a bit" difficult after all. It wasn't long, though, before we huffed. And we puffed. And we counted steps until the next break: First it was 200 steps. Then it was 150. Then it was 75. Then it was 50. We seriously contemplated bailing out. Except that we both knew that if we bailed, it wouldn't count, and neither of us wanted to go through this again! On one of our many breaks, I snapped this picture looking back down. </div>
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At about the point that I thought all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air, I looked up and realized we were only about 200 steps from the top. We did it! We conquered the Incline! It "only" took us an hour and 10 min! I reached for my phone to commemorate the occasion only to realize that the sun had finally burst through the fog and would not cooperate for a good picture. Below is the best I could do, and then we settled for a selfie in the shade.</div>
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Not wanting any part of going back down that staircase as fatigued as we were (the ties were also wet after rain the night before), we chose to take the Barr Trail down. Even that trail was steep with the grade and our tired legs forcing us into an almost-jog down the mountain. We commemorated again at the bottom, and I have to say, there's not anyone else I would have wanted to do this with other than my favorite running partner. In fact, in full disclosure, while we were both huffing and puffing, I think Cristi was waiting on me more than I was waiting on her. I don't know if I would have made it without her encouragement (which took the form of her standing next to me going, "So are you ready to go on yet?" "Yep. Of course! That is, if you are...but we can rest longer if you're not!")</div>
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It wasn't 12 hours later that we agreed that we would do it again. Does that make us crazy?</div>
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02048528536046488226noreply@blogger.com2