Vicksburg National Military Park and Cemetery

Yesterday we visited Vicksburg, Mississippi where a major battle of the Civil War was fought. Over 20,000 people lost their lives in 1863 during the siege and defense. We've visited several Civil War National Battlefields and Military Parks on this trip. There are very many in the South.

After viewing the movie in the Visitor Center, I wondered what these soldiers would think about our country today. It seems we are very divided as a country, which is what many of them were fighting against. Made me feel sad.

Vicksburg is located on the Yazoo River near the Mississippi River and was an important port for the Confederate Army. The Confederate soldiers were positioned on the top of the hills surrounding the city, and the Union Army was pushed back again and again. Eventually, the Union surrounded the city and cut off their supplies. The South ended up surrendering as they were starving and dying of disease. The occupation of Vicksburg cut off a major supply route for the South.

There is a driving route through the park where over 1,340 monuments can be seen. Many are stone markers honoring the different infantry divisions, placed near where they fought. There are also quite a few bronze busts and statues honoring the officers. Many of the states erected large monuments honoring the soldiers from those states. There is a beautiful arch leading into the park.

Throughout the park are hundreds of stone markers like the one below honoring the infantry groups from each state. The Union states that fought here were mostly from the Midwest, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Indiana. We saw markers for Missouri on both sides as that state was divided during the Civil War.

The park was established in 1899 and many surviving soldier's groups began erecting the monuments where they fought. States commissioned artists and sculptors to create memorials, and the first state memorial was erected in 1903. Over 95 percent of the monuments were erected by 1917. The largest, shown below, is from the state of Illinois.

Shirley House is the only surviving wartime structure in the park. During the siege it served as the Illinois 45th Infantry headquarters. It has been restored to its 1863 appearance. I loved the roses still blooming along the path.

Wisconsin had a very nice state monument.

During the Civil War, ironclad steam ships were constructed. One of them hit mines on the Yazoo River north of Vicksburg on December 12, 1862. It sank in twelve minutes with no loss of life. In 1956 it was discovered resting at the bottom of the river encased in silt and mud. Extensive salvage operations allowed it to be recovered from the bottom of the river in the 1960s. It is the only remaining ironclad of its time and is now on display at Vicksburg National Military Park.  It was amazing how over 100 years later, the silt had preserved so much of the ship and the artifacts lost by the sailors. There was a small museum displaying many of those artifacts.

Vicksburg National Cemetery is the second largest national cemetery and covers over 116 acres inside of Vicksburg National Military Park. Over 17,000 Civil War Union soldiers are buried here. The Confederate soldiers are buried at a different cemetery in Vicksburg. When National Cemeteries were first established, only Union solders were buried there. There are also soldiers buried here from other wars. Burials were stopped in 1961.

Most of the soldiers are unknown. About 5,000 were identified. As you can see from the picture below, some graves have larger stones with names on them, but most of them are just small concrete posts marking an unknown grave. So many lives tragically cut short.

Many southern states did not have money after the war to erect state monuments, so some of those were erected quite a bit later than the northern ones. Their style was definitely more modern looking. Alabama erected theirs in 1951. The female figure represents the State of Alabama inspiring her Confederate defenders of Vicksburg.

After finishing at the park, we drove to downtown Vicksburg. They have a levee wall along the Yazoo River with murals painted along it. We drove past, but didn't find a parking place, so didn't stop. It reminded me of the wall in Paducah, Kentucky.

Downtown Vicksburg is the home to the Biedenharn Coca-Cola Museum. The restored 1890 building is where Coca-Cola was first bottled in 1894.

We've seen an interesting tree in the south with maple like leaves and spiny balls hanging from its branches. I found out its the sweet gum tree. The balls protect its seeds. Very interesting!

Whenever we travel to a new area for us, I try to remember to look at the Roadside America website for unusual or quirky things to see. One of them is a cell tower shaped like the Washington Monument along I-55 in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Tupelo and Natchez Trace Parkway

We've been at Natchez Trace RV Park near Tupelo, Mississippi for the past week. We've experienced some beautiful weather and had some time to relax, as there doesn't seem to be much to do in Mississippi. Our original plan was to arrive at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama on December 1st, and explore as we slowly made our way south. We've actually reserved our site in Gulf Shores beginning on November 11th because there just wasn't that much we were interested in exploring on our way there.

Tupelo's claim to fame is that Elvis Presley was born here on January 8, 1935 in a house his father built, pictured below. I didn't know that he had a twin who was still born. The Presleys lived in Tupelo until Elvis was 13 years old when they moved to Memphis to try to make a better life, as they were quite poor in Tupelo.

There is a nice park near downtown dedicated to Elvis. A museum, memorial chapel, birth house, childhood church, statues and fountains are all in the park. You can pay to get a tour and see the museum, or you can just wander around for free. We are not super big Elvis fans, so we just wandered around a bit.

We did go into the gift shop and found out we could watch the movie about his life in Tupelo for free. This picture of Elvis as a boy was on the wall.

This statue represents Elvis at age 13 when the family moved away.

His childhood church was moved from a block away to the museum grounds. Elvis enjoyed singing and often sang in church.

For his 11th birthday, Elvis really wanted a rifle or bicycle. His mother took him to Tupelo Hardware to pick out his present, but she wouldn't let him get the gun or bike as she thought he would hurt himself with either of them. A store clerk showed him a guitar, and although he really didn't want it,  his mother bought it for him for $7.75. As they say, the rest is history! The hardware store opened in 1926 and is still in business being run by the fourth generation of the Booth family.

While we were here, we also visited the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center. I had heard of this parkway, but really didn't know much about it. It's a 440 mile scenic road that goes from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. Commercial vehicles are not allowed, but recreational vehicles are.

We discovered that the route was used by Indians many years ago. Traders from the north would bring their goods down the Mississippi River on flatboats to sell in the south. Since they couldn't take their boats back upriver, they would sell the boats as well and use the Natchez trail to walk back home. It became a popular route and was used heavily until steam ships were invented. The trail was becoming overgrown when the Daughters of the American Revolution members lobbied the government to have it paved and preserve the roadway for its natural and cultural heritage.

One of the brochures I picked up about Tupelo suggested eating at the Neon Pig Cafe. They have a burger called the Smash Burger that was voted as the best burger in America in 2015 by Thrillist.com (which I've never  heard of). The cafe is a farm to table establishment and also a butcher shop and market. The burger is made of a mix of ground steaks and has a hearty smokey flavor. We each ordered one, but neither one of us were too impressed. It was actually too smokey for my taste, and we both ended up with indigestion to boot. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Tomorrow we're heading to Jackson, Mississippi for a few days. We'll see what we can find to explore there.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Chickamauga National Military Park

Late yesterday morning we visited the Chickamauga National Military Park in Georgia, about fifteen miles from the RV Park. There are two National Military Parks in the Chattanooga area where two significant battles were fought during the civil war in 1863. We visited the other one at Point Park on Lookout Mountain on Friday.

We started our visit by looking at the exhibits inside and then watching a movie that explained both battles fought here in this area in the fall of 1863.

The Battle of Chickamauga took place over a three day period in September. Both battles were about the control of Chattanooga, the gateway to the South.  The Confederates were victorious at Chickamauga, causing the Union Army to retreat to the Lookout Mountain area in Chattanooga. The problem was the Union still controlled Chattanooga, so in November the Confederate Army attacked again. This time the Union was victorious, and was able to cut off an important supply route to the South.

In 1890 the battlefields of Chickamauga and Chattanooga became the nation's first national military park, five years before Gettysburg. Civil War veterans spearheaded the legislation through Congress. There is an auto tour route where you can see many of the memorials that were erected by different organizations.

This one is from a Florida regiment.

Another beautiful monument.

And, of course, lots of cannons. Thousands of soldiers lost their lives in this beautiful scenic area. So sad!

Here's a site you don't see too often. This rig was on the interstate in front of us a few days ago. Some people really like their toys. There was a motorcycle on a lift, the car on a tow dolly, two bikes on a hitch on the car and two kayaks on top of the car. Wow!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Rock City

Yesterday we visited Rock City, the last of the three attractions on Lookout Mountain. It's an unusual place mixing natural beauty with touristy type traps. They describe themselves as a geological and botanical wonder.

It began in the 1920s when Garnet and Frieda Carter began to develop a large walk-through garden on their private estate. They marked paths through the huge rock formations. Frieda gathered over 400 varieties of plant life to form gardens. In 1932 they opened their Rock City Gardens to the public.

We wandered through the maze of paths until we got to the highest lookout point. Along the way there were interesting rock formations and some tight squeezes through the rock walls. Here is a view of Lover's Leap. There is a waterfall coming down from the top into a pool. Legend has it that two Indians from warring tribes fell in love and eloped. When their families caught up to them, they threw the groom off the cliff. His distraught bride jumped after him. Gruesome story!!

Seven states are supposedly visible from atop. It was a bit hazy, so I have no idea if we actually saw all seven of them, but I'm going with it.

Flags from each of the states are also on display at the top.

Views from the top were spectacular. This corn maze was visible; a different perspective than you usually get of a corn maze.

Frieda collected statues and gnomes which are on display throughout the gardens. I particularly liked this eagle statue with the fall leaves behind it.

Each weekend in October they are celebrating "Rocktoberfest". We sat and enjoyed listening to a German band while Kevin tried their Octoberfest beer. One of the band members played a song using cow bells. Pretty awesome.

They also have a raptor show three times a day. I think this was the best part of the place. Several raptor birds were brought out and the presenters told us about them. A few of them even flew over the heads of the audience. All of the birds are not able to live in the wild for various reasons mostly having to do with human imprinting.

This is a barred owl.

Next is a barn owl. The circular disk around their face acts like a satellite dish and makes them hear super well.

This eagle was shot when it was quite young, and its left wing had to be amputated. His handler is an avid hang glider and has fashioned a sling so the eagle "flies" with him. How cool is that. He's even written a book about their adventures.

Of the three Lookout Mountain attractions, I think Rock City was my least favorite. It is a pretty area and the path through the rocks was pretty cool, but that was about it. Having the German band there made it more interesting, as well as the raptor show.

As you continue to follow the path towards the exit, you go through Fairyland Caverns. Inside are scenes depicting different fairy tales using figures and black light. I'm sure kids enjoy it.

The Carters were certainly ambitious and entrepreneurial. Garnet invented the first miniature golf course called Tom Thumb which became a franchise. He also started a unique promotional campaign to bring tourists to his gardens. At its peak the phrase "See Rock City" was painted on over 900 barns along highways leading into Chattanooga. It's amazing to me that this somewhat hokey attraction still draws huge crowds, including us :)

Aside from the attractions, Lookout Mountain has many grand and stately homes on top as well as some Bed and Breakfast hotels and even a Starbucks. It's a pretty place, but the road going to the top is very narrow and windy.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

Since 1980, we've driven from Wisconsin to Florida five times to vacation. We've always been in a hurry to get there, so didn't stop much along the way. Each time I'd see the many billboards for Lookout Mountain and Rock City in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Now that we travel at a much more relaxed pace, I decided it was time to stop and explore. I did some research and purchased a triple pass for Rock City, Incline Railway and Ruby Falls.

Yesterday we started the day at the Incline Railway. With a grade of 72.7 percent, it is the world's steepest passenger railway known as "America's Most Amazing Mile"; and has been designated a National Historical and National Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

Here's the view from the bottom. The track runs through that narrow gap in the trees to the building at the top.

At the top is a building with some observations towers, a gift shop and an exhibit about the building and mechanics of the railway. It was originally built in 1895 and powered by steam engines. In 1911 it was converted to electrical power. Today, two 120 horsepower, electric engines power the trains. Huge wheels with cables move the train cars like a pulley system along the single track system.

One car is going up while another is going down. Near the middle at the switch, the track splits into two to allow the trains to pass each other, and then goes back to a single track.

At the top, we walked a few blocks to Point Park, a National Military Park. Here the "Battle Above the Clouds" was fought in November of 1863. Chattanooga was considered the gateway to the Confederacy because of the Tennessee River and railroads that carried supplies. The Union army was victorious and this battle was later considered the death knell of the Confederacy.

Inside the Visitor Center is a huge mural depicting "The Battle of Lookout Mountain". It measures 13 feet tall, 30 feet wide and weighs 700 pounds.

Here's a view of a train heading back down the track.

The fall color is not that great in this area. Many of the trees are still green. Chattanooga is on track for the driest year in history; October will be the driest on record. There are burn bans and a drought; so far 18 inches below average rainfall. Of the five days we will be here, three of them will set record warm temperatures. Strange weather all over the country.

Our next stop was Ruby Falls. Several of my Facebook friends had recommended we do this tour, and I'm glad we did. Ruby Falls is America's tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public. You descend 260 feet by elevator and then walk about one-half mile into the mountain. The waterfall is 1,120 feet below the top of Lookout Mountain.

Along the way our tour guide pointed out many interesting formations and shared how they are formed. We've been to several caves, so that part was okay, but nothing new for us.

In 1928 Leo Lambert and some fellow explorers had blasted a shaft into Lookout Mountain looking for a cave. They spent 17 hours on their hands and knees exploring the cavern they discovered. They were awestruck by the waterfall they found at the deepest point. Leo later named the falls in honor of his wife, Ruby.

The pool at the bottom has lights which create different colors. Ruby Falls is 145 feet tall. It was a spectacular sight. You can hear the water as you get closer. As you arrive, it is dark until the guide turns on the lights, to give you the full effect of the amazing experience.

The visitor center building at the top is modeled after a 15th century Irish castle and was constructed from the limestone reclaimed from the elevator excavation in the 1920s. Ruby Falls is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The views from the top of the tower of Chattanooga were great, although it was a bit hazy.

We are staying at Holiday Travel Park in Georgia, just across the border of Tennessee. The park is built on land that was a battlefield in 1863. There is a monument to the 84th Indiana Volunteer Regiment that was placed here after the Civil War by some of the men of that regiment. The date is September 19, 1863.

We saw another tiny house; that makes three so far since we left Wisconsin. It seems the tiny house movement is really catching on! It had a plaque on it for the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. I did a little research on them. Their factory is located in Colorado. Makes you wonder how this tiny house ended up at a campground in Chattanooga.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Bush's Visitor Center

While researching things to do in this area, I came across Bush's Visitor Center in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee. Yesterday we drove through some very windy roads to get there.

Bush Brothers and Company makes those famous Bush's Beans. Their company is located in a rural area in the foothills of eastern Tennessee where the family has been doing business for four generations. They started in the late 1800s as a small canning company and have grown into a huge corporation.

There are several plants. This is a photo of the plant in their original location.

We watched a very informative movie of the history of the company and family, and also how the beans are processed. We then walked through a museum area. I didn't know the company has a connection to Wisconsin. In 1962 they purchased a canning company in Augusta, Wisconsin. Condon Bush was sent there to run it. The plant wasn't doing well, and Condon needed something to improve operations. He came up with Bush's Original Baked Beans from a secret old family recipe.  The rest, as they say, is history. The company went from a canning company of all kinds of vegetables to a baked bean company. It sure was a profitable decision.

At the end of the museum area, they take your picture with the famous dog Duke from the commercials. (It's a backdrop, Duke isn't really there.) All of this is free of charge.

Outside is this truck, which is also seen in the commercials.

There was a general store with all kinds of items for sale. There is also a cafe on the grounds with lots of bean dishes on the menu. One of the items they suggested trying was pinto bean pie.  I got a piece to go and tried it later. It tastes kind of like pecan pie, but you can definitely taste the beans. It was okay, but I doubt I would eat it again.

There were lots of people at the visitor center. I guess I'm not the only one who enjoys these quirky kind of touristy things. The rest of the day we spent wandering. We stopped at a quilt shop in Sevierville, but I didn't find anything. We also stopped at an Amish craft market, Bass Pro and a few other shops. Eagle Springs Winery offered free tasting, so we had a few samples. Their wine is made with grapes grown in Tennessee. Some of them have honey in them. Their Pride of the South was very tasty, so I bought a bottle for my mom.

Today we move further south to Chattanooga for the weekend. The weather has been fantastic since we left Wisconsin. It's actually supposed to be in the 80s for the next few days.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Great Smoky Mountain National Park

We arrived at the Dumplin Valley Farm RV Park in Kodak, Tennessee on Monday afternoon. The drive from Frankfort, Kentucky had some amazing scenery. This RV park is a large field with sites, but it is perfect for our needs. Full hook-up, level, lots of room and quiet. I'm so glad I didn't choose an RV park closer to the national park. It would have been super stressful to tow our big fifth wheel through the horrible traffic to get to those parks.

When I planned our trip from Wisconsin to Florida, I intentionally routed us through Kentucky and Tennessee thinking we would see some great fall colors. Apparently, everyone else had the same idea. Yesterday we drove the 25 miles from Kodak to Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It took us 1.25 hours to get into the park.

Traffic in Pigeon Forge was very heavy, and Christmas sure has come early.

It was bumper to bumper all the way through Gatlinburg and to the entrance of the national park. We sat in stop and go traffic for over 30 minutes. Luckily, the scenery was outstanding. We were passing through tunnels of trees in full fall color.

We finally made it to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and were lucky to get a parking space as someone was just pulling out. The place was packed. I finally got up to the counter and a nice woman gave me a map and showed me a few places we might like to hike. I told her we had been to the park in July, 2000 and it was crowded then, but nothing compared to now. She informed me that this is their busiest time of the year, with July being the second busiest. I guess I need training in trip planning! Before heading out we watched an interesting and informative movie.

I'd heard of the Trail of Tears and knew it had something to do with Oklahoma. I didn't realize that Cherokee Native Americans were marched by our government from Tennessee to Oklahoma. Many died on the way. Those who hid reestablished themselves and were eventually given a small section of land on the southeast corner of the national park as a reservation. Sometimes, when I learn about the history of our country, there are sure shameful events that occurred.

We drove the 20 miles on Newfound Gap Road to Clingmans Dome. So did a million other people. We sat in stop and go traffic for 30 minutes to get to the parking area for the dome. We were again lucky to snag a parking spot at the end of the lot. For a while I thought we would just have to leave without stopping because the parking lot was a mob scene.

We hiked the half mile trail up to the 45 foot dome tower which was built in 1960. It's a nice paved trail, but its a very steep incline for the entire half mile. The altitude is 6,643 feet at the top, the highest point in Tennessee. We had to stop a few times to catch our breath. We're not used to the quick change in altitude. I forgot to take a picture of the dome, so here's one from the web. The half mile trail is before you get to this point.

The views from the top were majestic. We have been very fortunate to visit many national parks. The beauty at some of the locations is indescribable. Yesterday was another one of those days when my spirit was so moved. I feel so close to God when I witness the amazing nature he created. These experiences are far more spiritual for me than any man made structure provides. I love this life!!

The view below is of the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Part of the Appalachian Trail is down there.

It was certainly worth the trek up to the top of the dome for the breathtaking views.

I don't know what type of trees had these berries, but it was so pretty. The leaves were all gone, and just the berries were left. Gorgeous.

It was sad to see a lot of dead Fraser fir trees, victims of a European insect. Another threat comes from acid precipitation. The average acidity of rain here is 5 to 10 times higher than normal. Pollution is also the cause of the haze even though we were here on a very clear day. You should be able to see 100 miles; but because of the pollution, you can usually only see about 20 miles. Sad!

We stopped at a few pullouts on the way back down to admire the scenery. This was another one of those days where pictures just don't capture the beauty of what we were seeing.

Our next stop was the Laurel Falls Trail. The parking area was totally full, so we parked at another spot a half mile away. We hiked the 1.3 miles to the waterfalls. This area has been suffering from a drought all summer. The waterfall was pretty, but I'm guessing it would have been even better if the water level was higher. Our entire hike here was 4 miles plus the 1 plus mile we did earlier. A good workout.

One more picture of pretty leaves. The sun was shining through and really made the colors pop.

We stopped in Pigeon Forge to visit the largest Christmas store in the south, or so their sign said. Nothing out of the ordinary and rather disappointing, I thought. Dinner was at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. Kevin said the beers he sampled were good. It was Pizza Tuesday, so all pizzas were 50% off. The food and beverages were very good, and the price was right.

Even though the crowds and traffic were the worst we have ever experienced at a national park, I'm still glad we went. The scenery was worth it!! If anyone is planning a fall trip to this area, I would recommend getting a very early start to the day or going late in the afternoon. We left home at 10 am and seemed to be in the worst of the traffic all day.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!