Our goal this year for paranormal investigations is to stay local, with a few exceptions, and focus on getting to know our area. By local I mean a 2-3 hour window; some place that we can drive to, spend a few hours, and return in around 10-12 hours. We started with Maple Hill Cemetery and the Haunted Children's Playground in Huntsville, Alabama.
Maple Hill started as a two acre cemetery in 1822 when LeRoy Pope sold the property to the city on September 14. Over the next 100 years as Huntsville grew so did the cemetery. Today it is over 100 acres and the burial site of many notable Alabama politicians.
Adjacent to it is a small playground surrounded by limestone cliffs. The playground has been called one of the most haunted places in Alabama. The ghosts of children have been seen and heard here, swings are said to move by themselves, and glowing lights have also been seen. Some theories say the children are the young victims from the 1918 Spanish Flu, which hit Huntsville particularly hard. I have also seen references to kidnapped children in the 60s or 70s but have been unable to verify that.
We wanted to visit the cemetery during the day so we knew that our night investigation would not go very late but at only a two hour drive we will easily return for more night investigating later, probably during warmer months. Even in Alabama January is cold.
We arrived in Huntsville around 3pm and drove to the cemetery. I had a list of notable graves which included a baseball player and several rocket scientists. However when we arrived there were two funerals taking place so we didn't look too hard for the graves and we decided to just drive around and see what we found.
Our main investigative tools were one voice recorder (normally we would each have one but the battery didn't hold its charge on one), one night vision trap camera, and our S-Box. During daylight hours we drove around the large cemetery with the S-Box and also at times getting out and walking around with just the recorder.
We then went to our true destination, the adjoining playground, to look around, read a story, and get some photos.
We left to warm up and grab dinner at Below the Radar Brewpub, before returning a bit after sunset which is a time known as "the gloaming" which is an awesome word and I have asked Meg if we can write a horror script titled The Gloaming.
This video starts with a very clear EVP, I think one of our best. I actually pulled it out to make it its own video. I'm trying to figure out how to drive more people to my youtube videos and while I like keeping the compilation videos I feel a series of short videos will help get more views as people will see it as less of a commitment.
I also have some of our best interactions with the S-Box as we used the Estes Method. The Method gets its name from Estes Colorado, specifically the Stanley Hotel when Karl Pfeiffer, Michelle Tate, and Connor Randall performed the experiment in several sessions in 2016 and since then it has been used by many groups including some on tv. The idea of using the blind experiment was made popular by them but they were not the first. In 2013 Daniel Morgan and Shawn Taylor published The Double-Blind Ghost Box: Scientific Methods, Examples and Transcripts. The way it works is one person listens to the Spirit Box on head phones so that they are unaware of what questions are being asked. They then say what words they hear. Since they can't hear the questions they won't be biased to trying to make sense of the words in a way that will give answers to the questions. Basically it removes any bias, towards making sense of the sounds, that the investigator may have.
The following video will repeat the EVP and then continue into the SBox session. At the end is video from our trap camera that for some reason continued to upload with no sound. I finally got it to work and will post that in a separate video.
Now our video from the Trap Camera with sound. I set it up looking at the swings because it is reported that they move on their own. While I did not record the swings moving we did get a strange moment where after recording for over 5 minutes my camera moves. Then we had a strange sound that we heard but could not identify.
My final video is just a little fun. We had left the car during the day and I forgot my recorder in the car. At some point we hear the door open like some one is getting in but then silence. A few moments later you hear the two of us return and both car doors open and close.
If you enjoy this and want to see more I will post our past investigations down below. Please consider following my youtube and this blog page. It won't always be paranormal stuff but I promise I try and keep it interesting :-)
While on a road trip through parts of Kentucky we had detoured because of a sign about a 'Devious Well.' Then that detour led us to see signs for 'Historic and Haunted Octagon Hall.' We tried to stop by the hall but it was closed and so we decided to try again another time. Then the Tennessee Wraith Chasers did a live special from Octagon Hall and we knew we had to get out there. We signed up for a novice paranormal investigation and began researching the home to give ourselves a game plan for the night. We also saw on their website that a reputable paranormal investigation group can rent the Hall with a minimum of six people. So hopefully with a few investigations under our belt as a resume we can do that in the near future.
The hall is located in Simpson county Kentucky along 31W which, back in stage coach days, was the Nashville Road. The home was built by Andrew Jackson Caldwell in a style that was rising in popularity. A book published in 1848 by Orson Squire Fowler "The Octagon House" explaining the benefits in terms of space, lighting, and air flow may have been inspiration for Caldwell and others. All the bricks used in the home were made on the property. Caldwell finished his home shortly before the start of the Civil War and it played a large part in Kentucky's history. After a defeat at Bowling Green the Confederate army retreated back down the Nashville road toward TN. They found a friend in Caldwell and a resting place on his property during the retreat. The Orphan Brigade, as they were called, retreated and rested at his home in February. Shortly after they left the Union Army came and occupied the area and, knowing Caldwell was loyal to the Confederacy, would regularly search his home for soldiers who may have been hiding. The family did hide soldiers in the home sometimes in a hidden crawlspace under the front stairs and other times in the cupola/attic.
The Caldwell family also suffered personal loss in the home. Mary Elizabeth Caldwell, Andrew's young daughter, was killed in 1854 in the downstairs winter kitchen when her dress caught fire. And Andrew Jackson passed away in 1866. His wife Harriet continued in the home until 1918 when she sold it to a Doctor from Nashville, Miles Williams, who passed away there and left it to heirs who used it as a rental property until Billy Byrd and the Octagon Hall Foundation purchased it in 2001 in order to preserve it and its place in Kentucky's history.
We arrived early and each gave a $5 donation to walk around the museum. This way we could build up some pictures of the place and get a feel for the location and layout. It worked out well because the hall is truly a museum filled with information and artifacts from the Civil War. The paranormal and haunted aspect is cool but there is a lot to see for history buffs as well.
During our visit before the investigation we spokewith some of the caretakers and members of the paranormal investigation group called the Nightstalkers. They warned us that the spirits of Octagon Hall are very used to being investigated and will play with you. We experienced that by having cameras and batteries malfunction and one funny interaction where Meghan denied knowing what a piece of equipment did and we got a response of " I doubt that." By the way, Meghan truly did not know what that piece of equipment was.
Since we plan on returning I will focus on the history at that time. Today's post will be just a short one about the results from our evidence review.
Our main tools for investigating were the voice recorders that we carried on our arms and our S-Box. I had set up trap cameras in several rooms but did not capture much with them. I created three videos that will have all the interactions we had but I pulled out several clips specifically to show the two types of hauntings we believe we encountered.
Intelligent Haunting: An intelligent haunting is going to mean that the spirits in the location can and will respond and interact with you. This is really the type of haunting we are looking for when asking questions such as "how many are in the room," as can be seen in this clip:
The next clip is also another example of an intelligent haunting. Since our aim is to learn about who is there and why we often ask questions looking for information about whom we may be contacting:
Residual Haunting: A residual haunting is the repetition of sounds and actions that happened in the past. I think of it a lot as 'place memories.' In this video we are about to head outside during our visit before the investigation:
And now the next clip is from the upstairs bedroom of Mary Elizabeth. Meg sat down and began reading stories out of a children's book. We had first done this in Waverly on the fourth floor where the children's play area was located. Our hope is to provide spirits with some entertainment instead of just asking them questions. We had success in Waverly and we had success here. It is certainly something we will continue in future investigations.
Next is a video I have from down in the winter kitchen. My video camera battery kept draining despite being fully charged so I used a portable backup to keep it charged. There are a few reasons why I decided to upload this clip. First at 1:04 and again at 3:47 I think I see an orb/light anomaly which could be a bug or dust but because I had been filming and not seen a lot of dust or bugs and the way it moved slowly made me think it was not dust. Also I like some things that we did as a good example of what a paranormal investigation is like. At one point I introduce myself and the others in the room do the same. This helps me have examples of everyone's voices on the recorder so that if I did have an EVP I could compare it and make sure it wasn't someone whispering. Also it gives me a good count as to how many people are there. Finally it is a solid example that this requires patience because so much of what we are doing is hoping for something in evidence review. I ask at one point if Mary Elizabeth, if she is there, could move the pot. There are stories of it moving on its own. However actually getting that on film would be mind blowing and very rare:
The next three videos are compilations of all the recordings whether EVP or S-Box that we had through out the night. Because it was a public investigation and there were so many people many of our recordings were unusable however what we did get makes me certain we want to return on a night when there are less people to set us up for clearer results.
Part 1
This is all from our visit before the investigation.
Part 2:
In this clip we have several examples of what I believe are residual EVPs. Also at the 4 minute mark I start a clip from the barn when we were using one of the other investigator's spirit box. Instead of searching radio stations it can be manipulated by spirits to speak words. In this clip the investigator asks if the spirits want someone to leave. While I want to be respectful of spirits I must admit this is a question I try very hard not to ask for this very amusing reason.
Part 3:
My final video is mostly from the upstairs of the Caldwell home in Mary Elizabeth's room and a room that was used as a hospital. We have several S-Box interactions including one clip at 6:30 when Meg is saying she doesn't know what the device in front of us does (again she didn't lie it wasn't ours) and a spirit answers, "I don't believe that." Remember we had already been told that they are very aware of being investigated and questioned.
Another good thing to come from this investigation was that it was after this that Meg and I really decided we like this and want to continue. We had been speaking to a couple there who formed their own group and they inspired us to do the same. So we are making our own group which is really just us but will have a name and a symbol. I am going to continue using this blog and my youtube account to upload and share evidence. I don't know if we will get to the point where it is worth creating social media for just paranormal investigations. But we can cross that bridge if we come to it. The group name is Travelers and we are working on getting an official design though we do have a drawing Meg created as a start.
We used symbolism and signs of luck from both our Italian and Irish sides. The round drawing features an Ash tree at the center, Yggdrasil the tree of life, with Pulcinella, an Italian trickster figure. He carries a red pepper in one hand, to ward off the evil eye, and a four leaf clover, faith, hope, love, and luck, in his other. At his feet is a hedgehog, Irish symbol of good luck. In the bark of the tree are three numbers 42, 48, and 85. In La Smorfia Napoletena 48 stands for the dead who speak, 85 stands for the souls of purgatory, and 42 means coffee... ok we chose 42 because of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but coffee works well too.
So far this year we have visited a cemetery/haunted playground in Alabama. We also have booked an investigation at the Vaile Mansion in February and will be returning to the Crescent Hotel in March. Other than those two we are hoping to keep things local this year with a return to Waverly and new locations like the Thomas House and South Pittsburg Hospital. I also want to go to local cemeteries and learn about the areas local legend: the Bell Witch.
Here are links to my other blogs about paranormal investigations:
Oh my God this was our last trip! Sweet sixteen and just four states left. This trip had the fewest stops of all the trips and consequently the most driving between stops.
State 45: Oklahoma.
My stop in Oklahoma was in Edmund where there is a statue called "Leaping into History". The statue was sculpted by Mary Lou Gresham and it honors Nannita R.H. "Kentucky" Daisey. She was born in PA in 1855 and moved around from Missouri to Kentucky. As the story goes Nannita like many others headed west during the land rush in 1889 to try and make a claim. She convinced the train operator to let her ride on the cowcatcher, I never knew that is what it was called. Nannita jumped off the train and staked her land in what is today Edmund. She wasn't the only woman to claim land in the land rush but she has become one of the most famous especially with the story of riding the train. The statue was unveiled on July 4th, 2007.
The area with the statue was really nice and seemed like a great hang out area with restaurants and bars. Unfortunately it was also super crowded and there were lots of other dogs so we didn't stay there. Instead we decided to try Whataburger for the first time and then go to a different brewery to have dinner before checking into a hotel. Whataburger ended up being a terrible choice. A lot of people rave over it which is why we went there. We pulled up to the drive through and sat and sat and sat. Maybe they were short staffed maybe there was something else going on. We sat in the drive through line for over an hour. Now the other big maybe is that I should have just pulled away and gone somewhere else- I'll give you that one. Sometimes I am stubborn in all the wrong ways. So we sat and sat and sat until finally it was our turn. We ordered and then got our food and left for our brewery Broke Brewing Co. The brewery had a nice setup with a small patio and a couple of tables. It was a little chilly but comfortable enough. I went inside to get a flight, which came with a bag of pretzels, and on a whim order their dreamsicle orange seltzer. Now I'm usually not a big fan of seltzers but this was so good we bought a six pack to bring home. While I was cashing out the bartender asked what brought me to Oklahoma and I explained about the road trip and told him about the statue of Nanitta. Him and another fellow inside knew of the location but had never noticed the statue before. Hopefully they took a moment to check it out by now.
For a lot of this trip we followed Route 66 and in El Reno, OK we stopped at one of the many Route 66 signs that are set up for Travelers to take selfies/ photos with.
State 46: Texas
This stop was a lunch stop that had been recommended to my Mom. Now it was a little before noon and Sunday so we were unable to order a beer from the brewery. I figured that would be ok because we may have been there long enough to get a beer at the end of the meal or we could always just pick one and get a growler for the hotel that night. The restaurant is The Big Texan and it is home to the 72 ounce steak. The story goes that Bob Lee was the original owner of The Big Texan, known for its Texas sized steaks. Anyway lots of cowboys were coming in and eating the large steaks and other customers were watching as they did that. Bob got an idea and one day in 1962 he pulled a bunch of tables together to have an eating contest. For $5.00 anyone could enter and the winner, who ever ate the most, would keep all the entry money.
The eventual winner ate 72 ounces of steak, a salad, a shrimp cocktail, a baked potato, and bread roll. And the 72 ounce dinner was born. As we were driving Meg was trying to figure out if she thought she could do the challenge. Her dislike of shrimp and the required shrimp cocktail was an obvious problem. By the time we got there Meg decided she would pass on the 72 ounce challenge, a decision that seemed like the right one. There was no outdoor seating but it was early and the large restaurant was empty. I requested a seat at a window because we were going to have to leave Gypsy and Domino in the car while we ate and I wanted to be able to see them. Now the Big Texan is way more than a restaurant. It is connected to a hotel, a gift shop, a brewery, a small arcade/Wild West shooting gallery and so much more.
When we pulled up we walked around outside for a little bit looking around so the pups got to stretch their legs before we went inside. Then we ordered normal sized steak meals.
After eating I went back outside to walk Gypsy Rover again before exploring the gift shop. We took a moment to take the wonderful picture of her imaging what a 72 ounce steak would taste like.
I also left behind a painted rock of an armadillo by a giant crocodile advertising for the Big Texan. And then not thinking anything of it I went back in to the gift shop. I was checking out some Route 66 "The Mother Road" long sleeve shirts when I overheard a conversation between two women. One of them had found my rock, it had only been about 15 minutes since I put it down. She was very excited about it and said she was going to look up what was written on the back (#drivethe48 and this blog url). It made me super happy to hear her excitement at finding the rock. I hope she did look it up and enjoyed some of the photos!
State 47: New Mexico
I love New Mexico! From the moment we entered it I thought the state was beautiful. I never fully appreciated the adobe/pueblo architectural style until I saw it in New Mexico. The buildings, landscape, and sky just worked perfectly together. The state slogan is "Land of Enchantment" and I felt that. We started our visit in Santa Fe at The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis Assisi. Unfortunately the doors were locked because the Bishop had closed all churches to visitors/parishioners due to Covid 19. That was definitely frustrating. It is times like these when people are struggling and the world is crazy that I would think we need Churches more. I would think just asking people to be mindful of social distancing and even putting a limit like stores have. I would certainly be ok with looking in and counting how many people to see if I could enter and then waiting my turn if it meant keeping the doors open.
The first church in that location was built in 1610. The current Basilica was built in 1886. It was elevated to a Basilica in 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI. Inside is the La Conquistadora statue a wooden statue of Mary holding baby Jesus. The statue is dated between the 15-17 century and was brought by the Spanish to America. Unfortunately since the Church was closed we could not see it. The Cathedral stands out because of its Romanesque Architecture style featuring round arches and Corinthian columns. It also has a large rose window featuring the 12 Apostles.
After walking around the outside of the Cathedral we checked in to our hotel and then went to pick up dinner. For dinner we stopped at Tomasita's. I ordered and then waited outside for them to bring the food to the car. The food was fantastic especially the Tortilla Soup.
The next morning we got breakfast from Craft Donuts and Coffee, a food truck with fresh made donuts as you order them.
Next we took a little detour out of Santa Fe because it was too early for our planned locations, they didn't open until 10 and instead of sleeping late and relaxing we hopped in the car and drove to El Santuario de Chimayo. The building is adobe with bell towers on either side. Inside were pews on either side and an altar. Just before the altar on the left wall is a doorway that leads back to a hole with dirt in it. The site draws over 300,000 pilgrims a year because of the legend of healing dirt. One long room had crutches and testimonials of people who were healed after visiting the shrine. Through a small doorway there was another room with the well. The gift shop sold religious items, books, and small plastic containers to hold dirt.
We turned back to Santa Fe but first we had to stop at a fun roadside attraction: camel rock. It's always neat when nature makes its own silly roadside attractions. This one is a good one. As we were driving down the highway we saw signs saying "Camel Rock" next exit. We all looked around and then we saw it right off the highway and yeah... it looks like a camel. I left a painted rock of the New Mexico state flag at the picnic area near the rock.
Once back in Santa Fe we went to San Miguel, the oldest church in the 48 contiguous states. The mission was originally built in 1610 but it has seen a lot of change. In 1640 the Governor and the Franciscan friars at the Church had a falling out. The Friars were forced out of the city and part of the church was dismantled. In 1641 however the Governor was arrested and the Franciscans returned and rebuilt. In 1680 during the Pueblo Revolt when indigenous people rose up against the ruling Spanish, the mission was damaged. It was repaired but only temporarily. In 1710 a larger refurbishing was completed using the original foundation but changing the shape of the apse. In the1830s the bell tower was added but then the church fell into disrepair. In 1881 the church was sold to the Christian Brothers of De La Salle who ran a nearby school. In 1887 the bell tower was repaired, a new metal roof completed, and buttresses were added and support the walls were finished. The last remodeling was completed in 1955. The apse maintained the trapezoidal shape and the church is small at 24 feet wide and 70 feet long. Unfortunately it was also closed like the Cathedral so we could not see the original bell or the reredos, large decorated pieces behind the altar, dating back to the 1700s.
Next we travelled a few minutes away to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Stair. The chapel was commissioned in 1873 as an addition to the school owned by the Sisters of Loretto. Connecting the chapel to the choir loft is a spiral staircase that has become the chapel's most striking feature. Apparently as construction was on going there was a lot of questions about how one would reach the choir loft. The small size of the chapel meant that a traditional staircase would take up a large portion of the chapel. Legend tells that the Sisters began praying a Novena, nine days of prayer, to St. Joseph for help with the question of reaching the choir loft. At the end of their prayer a mysterious stranger appeared with simple wood working tools and he set to work at building the staircase. There are several mysteries surrounding the staircase:
1. Who was the mysterious stranger?
2. How is it supported with no center pole like many spiral stairs?
3. What kind of wood was used and how was it held together?
Now the most miraculous version of the story of the stairs says that St. Joseph, the patron Saint of carpenters on the ninth day of the novena came and in one night he built the staircase and then disappeared before his identity could be revealed and without requesting any payment.
Because the archdiocese had sold the chapel to a private company which now holds events in the space it was open for viewing despite the Bishops call to close due to Covid 19. Standing inside and looking at the staircase is truly a splendid sight. The stairs are 20 feet and completely twist around twice. An iron rail and a support to a column were added after the stair case was built. The wood used is some kind of spruce but is not native to New Mexico. One thing that stands out when you closely examine the stairs is that there are no signs of nails. The stairs are held together by glue and wooden pegs rather than nails it creates a beautiful solid finish. Most spiral staircases also have a pole at the center to support the weight of the staircase. Instead on this staircase the weight is supported by the seven interior stringers that are interlocked and glued together. The spiral is so tight it gives similar support to a straight stringer. That leaves the question of who was the carpenter? Who ever he was his work is masterful. Carpenters with todays modern tools at their hands have looked at the staircase and shook their heads at the work. In her 2002 work historian Mary Jean Cook may have found the identity of the carpenter. Francois-Jean Rochas had travelled to New Mexico to work as a rancher in the 1870s. The Sisters had an entry in their 1881 ledger paying him $150 for wood and in an article about his death in 1895 it is mentioned that he was considered an expert carpenter and had built a staircase in Santa Fe.
So was Rochas the mysterious stranger who built the stairs? Maybe does that make it no longer a miraculous staircase, I don't think so. The craftsmanship and design leaves todays modern carpenters with more precise tools in awe. Francois was the answer to the Sister' s prayers and his work still stands today giving visitors a beautiful work of art to admire.
Before leaving Santa Fe my Mom wanted to stop at a store she had seen the day before. She had seen the sign advertising "Russian Art Gallery" and noticed a beautiful Matryoshka doll in the window as we had driven by. I parked nearby and left Meg with the dogs and the car as my Mom and I walked a few blocks to the store. As we went in the store was filled a variety of different types of styles of art. There were oil paintings, matryoshka dolls, painted eggs, and lacquer boxes. When we entered Jiri, one of the owners, quickly greeted us. The store had originated in north Carolina but him and Olga, co-owner, had decided to change locations and moved to Santa Fe several years ago. Sadly Covid and raising rent was hurting his business and like many other small businesses he was faced with changing his way of doing business. My Mom and I were looking at an impressive set of nesting dolls and I was counting the dolls up. I said "oh wow nineteen pieces." "How many did you say?" Questioned Jiri. "Nineteen" I repeated a little unsure. "Count again." He said with a smile. I turned and this time I saw it almost right away. The tiniest Matryoshka doll I had ever seen.
Up above I have the link to their website. They are also on Facebook. The hardest part for a store like this about switching online is that no two items are the same so each item would need individual listings. If you are a collector or enjoy Russian/Eastern European art check out one of those links for beautiful authentic pieces of art.
Next up was a long drive to stand on a corner..... in Winslow, Arizona! When I had been looking up information to plan a drive down Rte 66 I had found that there was a photo up street sign, traveling guitar player statue, and a flat bed Ford.
Winslow had been a thriving town until around the 1970s when a bypass for I-40 was built. The traffic no longer had to pass through Winslow and a lot of jobs, tourism, and businesses were lost. In 1997 La Posada, an original Harvey House- string of hotels opened along the rail road lines, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This proved the first step Winslow needed. The Standin' on the Corner Foundation was formed and in 1999 Standin' On the Corner Park was opened to the public. The goal was to use the popular song to help revitalize Winslow.
Jackson Brown had begun work on Take it Easy planning to use it on his own album but he found himself stuck. He had the line "Well I'm standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona" but had nothing to finish it with. He reached out to Glenn Frey who added "Such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at me." Just like the verse is a joint project between the two singers the story behind it is a joint story between two towns. Jackson Browne had been on his way to Sedona when his car broke down resulting in him spending the entire day in Winslow. At another time Browne had told a story to Glenn Frey about a time when he was in Flagstaff and a young blond woman in a Toyota had slowed down to check him out. A few minor changes and it was that story that inspired the end of the verse.
Originally I had looked at staying at La Posada but the timing didn't work out and we continued to Flagstaff where we planned to spend the night. And it was a good thing that we wanted to stop there because with a light snow falling and temperatures dropping the roads were becoming pretty slick. We dropped my Mom and the pups at the hotel and then went to Flagstaff Brewing Company to order to go and bring back dinner to the hotel. Flagstaff Brewing was located in a brick building with a welcoming decor. The bar had a beer and wine tap as well as a large variety of liquors. The decor around the brewery very much had an outdoor/active feel to it. We enjoyed a flight while we waited and then picked a beer to bring back with us. Right before we went to bed I took Gypsy out for a walk and she got to play in the snow!
The next morning we began our drive to another bucket list location, we reached so many throughout these trips. About three hours after leaving Flagstaff we reached the Grand Canyon!
Everything about it was breath taking the light covering of snow juxtaposed against the red and orange colors of the canyon rock, the bright blue of the sky with periodic clouds casting shadows on the canyon below, and the sheer enormity of it. The canyon is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and its depth is 6,093 feet.
The first inhabitants of the Grand Canyon where the Ancestral Puebloans around 1200 BC. The grand Canyon was also home to members of the Cohonina, Yuman, Havasupai, Hualapai, and Hopi cultures with the latter few still calling the surrounding area home. The area is considered sacred by many and looking out at the deep Canyon formed by the Colorado River it is easy to see why.
We also got to see several of the different wildlife species in the park including apparently the reclusive javelina described by American author and environmentalist Edward Abbey as:
"My favorite desert animal, I think, after such obvious choices as coyote, vulture, cougar, ring-tailed cat, gila monster and gopher snake, is the whimsical, cockeyed, half-mad, always eccentric, more or less loveable Pecari angulatus sonoriensis, otherwise known as the javelina or peccary."
Sadly I have no picture of them but as we drove the rim we saw two of these cute fellows walking along in the woods. Speaking of animals we also saw a man walking his cat on a leash in the snow at the Grand Canyon. This made Meghan's day.
We spent the night near the Grand Canyon and then left early the next morning for our next destination. It was November 11th, Veterans Day, and our next stop was the entire reason why we had to take this trip at this particular time. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 World War One officially ended. The day was originally celebrated as Armistice Day to celebrate the Veterans of World War One. In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to celebrate all who had served in the military and had been discharged honorably. The spelling of the name sometimes has an apostrophe making it possessive however that is incorrect. The day does not belong to Veterans instead Veterans is attributive- describing the person who is honored.
So we drove south from the Grand Canyon to Anthem, AZ to see the Veterans Memorial. The Memorial was designed by Renee Palmer Jones and was dedicated in 2011. It features five white pillars with a circular opening in them representing each of the branches of the military. The red of the bricks, white pillars, and blue sky combine to represent the United States Flag. The names of servicemen and woman are written on the bricks. At 11:11 the circular openings line up with the sun and illuminate the great seal of the United States. Normally there is a large celebration that attracts thousands of people. I knew that the celebration was cancelled because they did not want to attract the crowd but the sun would still be shining. We arrived there early and the first entrance we came to was blocked off. My heart dropped a little bit. I became concerned that they may have closed the park off to really keep away a crowd. That was not the case though and we were able to turn into the next entrance. We parked and walked past a playground and miniature train tracks complete with train that kids could ride. There were several members of law enforcement including a canine unit. We walked around the memorial it was a little before nine and there were already a few people gathered around. The memorial was roped off to keep people back. I settled by the barricade a little bit to the left of the seal. Gypsy Rover had made it past the officers canine and three other dogs really successfully but then she saw a medium sized dog a little shorter than her and she started getting super excited. With the amount of dogs that were there and the amount of time we had to wait Meg decided to hang out at the car with the dogs.
My Mom had started a conversation with one of the sheriffs about several things including what brought him to Anthem. My Mom also told him about our hope to see a roadrunner in person. As time went on the crowd began to grow. We met a group of three woman. One was a local and the other two were friends of hers who had come to town to see the Memorial. One of them was traveling to every state capitol. We discussed Nashville for a bit before settling back to waiting. My Mom at one point had wandered off and I was holding our spot when the sheriff came over to me through the crowd and asked me to come with him. At first I was worried about losing my spot that I had been guarding now for awhile but the people around me promised they would hold my spot. I went with him and there by a little pond he pointed at a bird.... a roadrunner! I thanked the Sheriff and then I snapped a few pictures right before the little fellow ran a bit to the side. He didn't go far and I went back to my spot where most of the people who had been around me kept their word and did not take my spot. One set of people had moved forward but not to the barrier so I went back to where I had been and just had less room than before. My Mom had also returned while I was gone and the others had told her the Sheriff had come to get me. I told her about the roadrunner and pointed her in the direction. She was able to see it just before it ran off. She returned and we settled back to waiting.
The sun was already beginning to move across the Seal and as 11:11 approached it became more and more illuminated.
With the moment finally here the crowd cheered and then slowly began to disperse. I looked around the park and left a painted rock by a tree on it I had painted a poppy, a symbol of remembrance for Veterans. I know that shortly after I left the rock it was found by a child because the parent reached out to me. They moved it elsewhere in the park. So far several people have reached out to me about finding the rocks. I think one or two of them kept them. Others re-hid them. One person who found a rock completely moved it from Ohio all the way to PA which is awesome, who knows how far it could have travelled by now!
As we were leaving I also snapped a picture of a saguaro cactus, apparently what I think of as the stereotypical cactus is only found in a small area in the south west. It made me laugh to think that just the day before I was stunned into silence by the splendor of the Grand Canyon. One day later I was overjoyed to see roadrunners and cacti. One could say I am easily amused however, as I see it, there will be a lot more roadrunners and cacti in my life and way less Grand Canyons. I have to find a way to recognize the joy in small moments.
After leaving Anthem we drove to Tucson. I had originally wanted to go to Arizona in 2019 and planned on visiting with family but I was unable to take the time off. For most these trips we didn't tell people where we would be and didn't try and meet up in fact there wre a couple of times where after making an instagram or facebook post I would get a message from a friend or family member that we had just passed them. Now as the trip was approaching and Covid numbers were rising I did reach out to them a few times just to be sure they would be comfortable meeting up. I didn't want them to feel pressure to meet up, there would be other road trips and other chances. We did end up meeting up at Barrio Brewing for a delicious meal and just some catching up that is always fun when you have family members who you don't see often spread out around the country.
We also had a neat road side attraction to visit in Tucson. It is a statue of an invisible horse. In a median of a four lane road there is a statue of a horse and baby. From a distance the statue is nearly invisible then as you approach it to view from the side it becomes visible. The best way to view it is to get into what looks like a bus lane but after driving by a few times I realized it was there to see the statue.
After leaving Tucson we began heading east towards our final state, Louisiana. Our route took us east and back in to New Mexico. It was late at night when I stopped at a rest stop off highway 10 in New Mexico. I got out of the car and began closing the door when I looked up and froze. Above me was the most beautiful clear and star filled sky I have ever seen. If I had time to just stand there for hours I think I would have. It just further convinced me that New Mexico really is a magical place of enchantment. Next time I drive through I will be leaving plenty of time for night sky watching.
We continued driving east to Las Cruces. A gentleman at the Veterans Memorial had told us about the farmers market in Las Cruces, New Mexico but we weren't there at the right time. We did get to see a giant chile pepper.
Our route took us all the way to the American/Mexican border so not only did we drive in all 48 contiguous states but we also managed to drive close enough to our neighbors to wave hi!
We stopped for lunch in Odessa, Texas at Frisky Brewing Co. The food was good but the best part was sharing our trip with the waiter who brought us out a special dessert and asked if he could take our picture.
And then we were there.....
State 48: Louisiana!
Steel Magnolias is a movie that I watch whenever it is on. As a family we have watched it many times and we saw it performed on Broadway. So this movie about women supporting each other and the relationship between a mother and daughter made perfect sense as our last stop.
At the street was a sign that marked the house as the "Steel Magnolias House." The house is in a neighborhood of similar beautiful homes most of which seemed to be Bed and Breakfasts. We parked on a side street and walked in front of the house. I had hoped to get a picture of us on the porch but a woman who was working on the yard of the house next door yelled at anyone who went near the house telling them the owners didn't want anyone near the house. So I settled for this picture from the sidewalk.
Now Louisiana is famous for its food and I have a whole road trip planned to New Orleans that is basically all eating. So we wanted to get something that would be unique to the area we were in and decided on ice cream at Yum Yum Dessert Bar. We watched as they made to order our rolled ice cream. The owner, Shika Stewart, was behind the counter with a young man who was still learning the technique. She patiently showed him and re-rolled some of the ones he had done. This one he did perfectly well on his way to being a master with an excellent teacher!
The process takes a bit of time since they pour a house made ice cream mix on to a frozen slab and then using spatulas/tools they flatten it into a smooth layer that can be rolled as you see above. It is definitely a skill and amazing to watch as they work the mix into a delicious dessert.
And then we drove home. We accomplished something amazing we saw so many different places of historical or geological value. We saw locations famous because of movies and songs. We visited must see tourist destinations and holes in the wall/ rare gems that no one had ever heard of, even locals.
Thank you to anyone who has shared this adventures with us!
Now it was time for our fifteenth road trip of this series. Most had been quick weekend trips but we ended with a series of long trips. The map of states we had visited looked like this:
Clearly with two trips left the directions we needed to go were obvious.
This trip was back in the first week of October so it nicely coincided with Meg and my birthday and the beautiful sight of leaves changing color in the North East. I was excited for all the trips but this one was a bit of a home coming because so many of these locations were places we had been before and hadn't seen in awhile.
Before we left we grabbed lunch at Cori's Dog House Nashville location, the original is in Mt. Juliet. It seemed fitting to eat at a restaurant with a hot dog for every state when we were about to embark on a road trip to 13 different states. I had the New York #1 (fitting) with sauerkraut and deli mustard. Yummmm.......
And I want to say Cori's set the mood for food on the trip. We had some of the best meals on this trip. Not that we didn't find stand out restaurants and breweries on most of these trips but given the season and locations on this trip we paired it very nicely with food and drink.
Our first day of travel didn't have any planned stops. We were on our way to PA but it was too much to drive in one day especially because we didn't leave in the morning. So we stopped in Moorehead, KY for drinks at Sawstone Brewing Co. and dinner at Rise and Roll food truck. The side street was closed off and tables were set up but we sat up on the patio with the dogs. We were right next door to the county courthouse which had a statue out front in honor of the Quilting tradition of Kentucky.
We continued on until we reached Morgantown, West Virginia where we stopped at a really nice LaQuinta right off the highway. We liked the hotel which was good because on the way home from the trip we stopped here again. It was a bit of a stretch drive and we didn't end up settling to sleep until midnight and with a lot of ground to cover before our next stop we had to get up early and hit the road before 7am. It took a little under 2 hours and we reached our first location in Shanksville, PA and the Memorial to Flight 93. September 11th, 2001 is a day that none of us will ever forget. I have written about it before: I Remember. The pictures in the post are broken links I think because I copied them from facebook but I don't think I have them anymore: one was the tower of light, one was a typewriter, and the last was the picture which is now hanging in my Mom's condo. The first time we had been to The Flight 93 Memorial it was very early on and there was just a small storage building or maybe a trailer at the empty field. Now the Memorial was finished. We walked the Observation deck that followed the path of the plane and ended pointing directly to where Flight 93 crashed. On the ground were markers giving the times of when the other planes and Flight 93 crashed. From there we drove around the field to walk the wall of names. There was one area where people had left metals and trinkets of memorial. I left behind a painted rock with a quote from Sandy Dahl, wife of pilot Jason Dahl, that I found particularly beautiful:
"If we learn anything else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate."
In the background you can see the boulder that marks where the crash site and debris had been found. Someone had left a pamphlet about the Miraculous Medal of Mary but there was no medal. Oddly enough I had one in the change pocket of my wallet so I placed it down with the pamphlet. I still feel like the Memorial has a more peaceful feeling then Ground Zero. I wonder if the difference, for me, is the choice the passengers made. They were in a terrible situation but they chose to act they chose to give their lives to protect others and there is peace in them taking back what control they could. We left the crash site and went to the Tower of Voices, a 93 foot tall tower with 40 wind chimes one for each of the passengers and crew members. In this picture you can see the beautiful blue sky. That is what the sky was like on 9/11/2001. We all commented on it to each other. Every time I see a sky like this it makes me think of that day.
From PA we traveled north into western NY. The leaves along the highway were all sorts of beautiful reds and oranges as they changed colors. When we were kids every fall we would drive north into upstate NY or CT to see the leaves. That was part of the reason I wanted to make this trip in the fall. Our next stop was the Anchor Bar where my Mom and I had stopped years earlier but Meg had already moved to TN. We couldn't remember if they had outdoor seating and it turned out they did not so my Mom waited with the dogs and Meg and I went in to make a to-go order. For those who don't know the Anchor Bar is the original home of the Buffalo Chicken Wing. The story of the Buffalo wing started in 1964 when Teressa Bellissimo's son Dominic and his friends came to the Bar looking for something to eat. It was late so Teressa had to improvise. She deep fried some chicken wings and covered them in a sauce. The wings were a hit and word spread about them. They were added to the menu and since then have been served all around the world. But none can match the wings at the Anchor Bar!
We drove over to a park along Lake Erie to eat our wings along our second to last Great Lake but the park was closed due to recent storm damage so we used the car as a table and dug in to the delicious wings.
From there it was a short drive to our next stop: Niagara Falls. Unfortunately the observation platform was closed due to Covid-19 so people just standing along the walk way to view the falls. It was still a good view but lost some of the full force of the Falls. Last time my Mom and I had been there the falls were frozen, a neat view, but it was nice to see and hear the rushing water.
Next we began driving to Wilson, NY for a view of Lake Ontario, our final Great Lake. Again this was a spot my Mom and I had been to before. Years ago there was a very slight chance that we would see the Northern Lights from upstate NY so my Mom and I took a road trip (this was when we had first visited the Anchor Bar and Niagara Falls). I had found a spot right on Lake Ontario looking north to try and get as dark a sky as possible. This time I returned to the same boat ramp at the very end of Lake Street.
From there we continued on Lake Street to Woodcock Brothers Brewing Company. Now I credit this brewery with kickstart my love of craft breweries especially ones that have food and also the start of our growler collection. It was the spent grain pretzel appetizer that we ordered all those years ago that had me ordering spent grain pretzels whenever I saw them. I've said before that craft brewer's overall have such a care for ingredients that I think comes out with every bit and sip at their locations. So we immediately sat down and ordered the pretzels. Now unfortunately these pretzels were up against the memory of what we had had before that was totally built up in our minds. So while they were good the were also disappointing. I don't think that is a fair reflection on their quality but speaks to the many many many spent grain pretzels we have ordered at breweries across America. Also as Meg pointed out the beers being brewed would impact the taste and type of spent grains.
The next day we continued our tour of upstate NY but driving to Lake Placid. On the way though we stopped at a gas station to fill up and saw a sign claiming to have the best milk in New York. Now as children our parents insisted we drink milk with most everything except fast food and tomato sauce and to this day every once in awhile I like to have a cold drink of milk. In TN we have Purity brand milk and it is really good. So I bought a small chocolate milk to try and see. While it may be the best milk in NY I think Purity is better but definitely good on taste and texture.
Lake Placid is another spot upstate that my Mom and I had visited without Meg. We had been at home watching Miracle about the 1980 USA Men's Hockey Team and after the movie had decided to drive up and see the Lake. Unfortunately by the time we got there it was dark and while we could see the stillness of the lake by watching the reflecting lights in the water I think we lost a little bit by it being dark. Also it was snowing and cold and a very tense drive home on icy streets. This time the trip was obviously better planned out and when we got there it was day light. We stopped at Mirror Lake and put our name down to eat at Lake Placid Pub and Brewery and then we walked around the Lake as we waited for about a hour for a table.
The food was good but I felt bad because our dogs were not behaving very well. They had ben so good on so many trips and just like anybody they can have a bad day or moment where they just aren't in the mood. I think they had enjoyed the walk around the lake and wanted to continue. After our delicious meal we drove over to Lake Placid, a lake so still it was incredible. And the water was clear such that you could see the large rocks below.
Next we packed back into the car to head to our next state: Vermont. We arrived in Burlington late and after checking into our hotel we stopped at Zero Gravity Brewing. Oktoberfest marzen beers is the closest I have to a favorite style and while checking in their Oktoberfests on the Untapped app I received a badge for "Brew Traveler" I had checked in a beer in 35 states/countries.
The next morning we drove to Lake Champlain at the ECHO (Ecology Culture History Opportunities for stewardship) Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. It is a science museum and outside they had a few science based displays about transfer of energy. It also has a USGS weather station that was monitoring the lake.
Next we went to Warren, New Hampshire to see a Redstone missile. The missile came to Warren thanks to the work of Ted Asselin who was stationed in Huntsville in 1970. He saw some Redstone missiles in a field and asked if he could get one donated to Warren, NH. After all while there are differences between Redstone rockets and missiles it as still a Redstone which brought Derry native Alan Shephard to outer-space. The army told Ted they would release one to Warren but the town was responsible for transport. Ted took the cost of transporting the missile himself. After a "Yes" vote by the town Ted and Irving MacDonald headed south with a 60 foot trailer loaned to them by Lew Brown of Wentworth and Holderness. I'm sure the drive back north was quite a trip with the 73 foot missile. Apparently the townspeople of Warren were so excited that a septic tanker caused the entire Welcome committee to rush into position thinking it was the missile arriving.
I looked up Ted Asselin on the website Find A Grave to learn a little more about the man who saw a missile in a field and actually had the gumption to ask if he could take it home with him. Henry Theodore Asselin was born September 20, 1931 in Woodsville, NH. He served in the military for 22 years including two tours in Vietnam, Berlin, Panama, and Redstone Arsenal. Over his career he earned several decorations including a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. In his obituary it said:
"He will be most remembered for the love he had for his family and friends and his ability to tell funny stories for hours. Most of them were actually true."
I'm sure a bunch of them had to be from the drive from Huntsville to Warren with the rocket. Ted passed away at 81 on June 19th 2013. His son Michael passed away at the young age of 38 in 1994 and on the bottom of Ted's grave it says "Me and you kid" which I assume is for reuniting with his son.
State number 3 of the day was Maine when at around 1pm we arrived at the Nubble Light House. All three of us share a love of light houses so this was an obvious spot to pick to represent Maine. It was a nice return to the Atlantic Ocean as well. The light house was built in 1879 to help guide ships around the dangerous rocks near York beach.
We dipped back in to New Hampshire for a birthday lunch at Smuttynose Brewing Co. Meg covered a lot of the meals on the trip but my Mom insisted she was going to pay for lunch on our birthday. The brewery has been trademarking beers since 1994 and have two locations. We were at the restaurant in Hampton which featured a beautiful patio. We settled in with the dogs and looked at the menu. I said earlier that this trip had the best meals of all and Smuttynose plays a large roll in that. You really can't get much better than fresh lobster in the north east.
The lobster roll was overflowing with lobster and it was absolutely delicious and refreshing. The house chips were good but I was so full on lobster I couldn't finish them. Our waiter was excellent about coming over and checking on us just everything from the atmosphere, beer, food, and service was perfect.
Next we drove to Auburn, MA and the Pakachoag Golf Course where a little bit away from the road is a monument marking the site where Robert Goddard "The Man Who Ushered in the Space Age" first launched a liquid propellant rocket on March 16, 1926.
Milton Lehman in his book "Robert H. Goddard: Pioneer of Space Research" tells the story of when Goddard was first inspired to dream of man traveling to space on October 19, 1899.
"On this day I climbed a tall cherry tree ... I imagined how wonderful it would be to make some device which had even the possibility of ascending to Mars, and how it would look on a small scale, if I sent up from the meadow at my feet... I was a different boy when I descended the tree from when I ascended."
While I was researching Goddard, who not only is credited with inventing the liquid propellant rocket but also multi-stage rockets, I came across a quote from a speech he gave:
"Just as in the sciences we have learned that we are too ignorant to safely pronounce anything impossible, so for the individual, since we cannot know just what are his limitations, we can hardly say with certainty that anything is necessarily within or beyond his grasp. Each must remember that no one can predict to what heights of wealth, fame, or usefulness he may rise until he has honestly endeavored, and he should derive courage from the fact that all sciences have been, at some time, in the same condition as he, and that it has often proved true that the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. "
And that is a beautiful thought.
We spent the night in Massachusetts ending the night at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center where we stopped at Bay State Brewing (a brewery in an ice rink) and we started the next day with a coffee and donut from Dunkin Donuts which is pretty much as MA as you get.
Our stop for Rhode Island was to visit Narraganset Brewing, which I didn't realize was really just the brewing facility and not an actual brewery. There was another brewery there and seating area out back but I think it was for the other brewery. Either way we were there too early for it to be open. Now in case you don't know Narraganset is the brand of beer that Captain Quint is drinking in Jaws.
Our next stop was in Danbury Connecticut a location famous for hats and being made fun of by John Oliver. Outside of the public library is a statue of Sybil Ludington, who at 16 rode 40 miles horseback to warn American militia of the approaching British army approaching Danbury on April 26, 1777. She was the daughter of a New York militia leader and while her father prepared a plan she rode off to rally the troops. There are questions about the veracity of her ride but in 1975 the US postal service honored her with a stamp and the City of Danbury has a statue of the young heroine.
Up next was New Jersey where we had two stops planned. The first was the Armstrong Tower in Alpine, NJ. The tower is named for Edwin Armstrong who registered over 40 patents including one for superheterodyne circuit and while trying to improve on AM radio he became the first to use frequency modulation transmission or as we know it FM. After RCA had Armstrong's antenna removed from the Empire State Building in 1938 he built this tower in order to continue work on FM broadcasting. In an effort to get a picture of the tower we drove through one of the fanciest areas I have ever been in, in fact I am really surprised it didn't have a gate and security. The houses were incredible mansions.
On 9/11/01 when the Towers fell a lot of broadcasters actually switched to the Armstrong Tower in order to continue providing info and news to the country.
Speaking of Broadcast our next stop was Princeton Junction, NJ a town that was at the epicenter of Orson Welles radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds. He mixed in music with news flashes and witness statements and sent people into a panic.
Next we drove to Delaware- Rehoboth Beach to be exact where we ate at Dogfish Head Brewery another fantastic meal that made this trip one of the best.
I had the crab cakes and we tried Bending Time Dogfish Head whole leaf gin, chamomile, honey, and lemon. I also left behind my all time favorite rock that I had painted.
We spent the night at a Laquinta just a stones throw from the beach. If the door to the balcony had had a screen we would have slept with it open to listen to the sound of the waves. In the morning we woke up before sunrise and took a walk on to the beach. Gypsy Rover could not contain her excitement at feeling the sand and seeing the ocean. She jumped around and darted from side to side with her ears flapping in every direction.
And then we hung back and watched the sun rise over the Atlantic. We checked out and began driving away from Rehoboth. We wanted to find some place to get bagels for breakfast but everything was still closed early in the morning. It was about an hour later in Selbyville when we found the Synergy Cafe. Even though I was originally looking for a bagel I could not resist the strawberry Nutella flatbread. The walls had small trinkets like a Bob Ross bobble head. And there were photos as you entered from a local retired woman who moved to the area in 2019: Maryfrances Berger.
Next was a bonus stop: Washington DC. If traveling to the 48 contiguous states was a video game then we had several side missions. So for example seeing all the Great Lakes was a side mission- we could have seen all 48 without seeing the Great Lakes but it was an extra challenge, also sun set on the Pacific and sun rise over the Atlantic, and now visiting our Nation's Capital.
Our stop in Maryland was in Fostburg and was listed on Roadside America as the oldest street sign in America. The Braddock stone was named for British General Edward Braddock and at one time sat on the Braddock road. It marked the distance to popular locations like Ft Cumberland, Captain Smyth's Inn and Bridge Crossing, and Redstone Old Fort. On the black it says "Our Country's right we will defend." The stone was broken in half by a local man who took it and tried to build stairs with it before it was recovered by police and returned to its location. Now it is protected in a glass case in front of a school. I left a rock there inspired by the monopoly B&O railroad spot.
And then we returned to Morgantown and this time we got to look around a little bit. After checking in to our favorite Laquinta in West Virginia (seriously I liked the hotel.. to the point where when I started looking up other places in West Virginia I wanted to visit I checked to see if we could stay at this hotel then too). We went to the Wharf and Warehouse District to eat at Mountain State Brewing Co. When we arrived at our table the waiter promptly told us that due to Covid 19 restrictions there was a time limit on how long we could be at the table. At first that was a little off putting and I understand that with limited seating it helped to keep tables turning so more patrons could be sat. And as someone who on a couple of earlier occasions had waited well over an hour while people sat at tables ordering nothing and just nursing drinks I understood why it might be necessary. However I wish they just let it happen naturally and just managed the time and if a table did seem to just be sitting around that would be time for a manager to intervene. We had a good meal and ended it with the delicious Stout Float. It was made with their Miner's Daughter Oatmeal stout, vanilla ice cream, and a blackberry brandy.
The next morning we left for our final stop on the road trip: The New River Gorge Bridge. The bridge is the longest single span bridge in the western hemisphere and the third highest bridge in the United States.
We had one more trip to go and our map of travelled states now looked like this:
