Travel – Kennedy Space Center

Posted on May 5, 2014 by jeff0006

Hello, it is Jeff again. Barbara normally writes the travel posts for this blog, but she knows how much I love everything about NASA and the Space program. You may have figured it out, I’m a space nut! My dream when I was 10 years old was to be an astronaut and I still love everything about space! When we went to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in 2010 we arrived when it opened and hours later we were still there when it closed for the day (I could have stayed even longer!) and my family had to drag me out!! There is so much to see at the Kennedy Space center that when (not if, when!) we go back I will suggest to my family that we allow at least two days to allow for more exploring of the facility and exhibits!

Before getting into the details of the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral today, let’s take a brief look at the history of the site. The Joint Long Range Proving Ground was established in 1949 after initial testing on Topsail Island in North Carolina had to be halted due to bad weather conditions and increased water traffic. The first launch at the Cape in Florida was on July 24^th, 1950 when the Air Force launched a V-2 rocket. This launch and many others can be seen here in this government information film “The Cape: 1963”. There were many major American space exploration “firsts” that happened at the Cape and are mentioned on Wikipedia, including: the first U.S. Earth satellite (1958), first U.S. astronaut (1961), first U.S. astronaut in orbit (1962), first two-man U.S. spacecraft (1965), first U.S. unmanned lunar landing (1966), and first three-man U.S. spacecraft (1968). It was also the launch site for the first spacecraft to ever fly past the other planets in the Solar System (1962–1977), the first spacecraft to orbit Mars(1971) and roam its surface (1996), the first American spacecraft to orbit and land on Venus(1978), the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn (2004), and to orbit Mercury (2011).

You may be wondering … what about the some of the most famous launches, such as the first flight to the Moon and the Space Shuttle? These events all happened at the Kennedy Space Center. After President Kennedy announced the ambitious plan to go to the moon, NASA realized that their facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base were inadequate. Initially they wanted to take over the Air Force base, but they needed more space and NASA began buying 200 square miles of land north of the base on Merritt Island. At this site they constructed the launch platforms and support buildings that were used for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions and until most recently the Space Shuttle program.

One final question that needs to be addressed is the name. Is it Cape Canaveral, Cape Canaveral Air Force Base, Kennedy Space Center, Patrick Air Force Base or Station No. 1 of the Atlantic Missile Command? The answer is that all of these names are correct! The confusion lies in Executive Order 11129 issued by President Johnson three days after President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Not only did he name the Air Force base and the NASA facilities the Kennedy Space Center, but he also had the land renamed as well. This didn’t go over too well with the citizens of the area who had been calling it Cape Canaveral for a very long time. To make a long story short, in 1973 the land reverted back to the name of Cape Canaveral and the NASA facilities on Merritt Island would retain the name of the Kennedy Space Center. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command 45th Space Wing, which is headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base.” For us space enthusiasts, the place to visit on a trip to Florida is the Kennedy Space Center, particularly the Visitor Complex.

As I said before, there is A LOT to do at the Kennedy Space Center, but it all starts by purchasing an admission ticket. Admissions for the center can be purchased online at www.kennedyspacecenter.com/tickets. The types of tickets available are single day as well as multi-day admission tickets, but if you plan on visiting the KSC on additional visits within a one year period I would recommend an annual pass. Travel Note: The KSC website is little harder to navigate through but I would suggest calling them directly to make your arrangements via phone, 866-737-5235. Many of the KSC tours/experiences admit limited numbers of guests, so make sure to make your reservations early especially during the busy summer months!

I would recommend starting your day at the Kennedy Space Center with one of the bus tours, which is currently included in the admission ticket, more extensive “Up Close” tours are available for an additional fee. Since the KSC is undergoing changes and adjustments since the ending of the Space Shuttle program, the tours might change and it is advised to see their website for the most current information, www.kennedyspacecenter.com/tours. When we visited for the first time in 2010, we went on a tour called “Today and Tomorrow” which is similar to the “Then and Now” tour that is currently available. The good thing about taking one of the KSC bus tours is that at the end of the tour they stop at the Apollo/Saturn V Center (which is included with an admission ticket) where visitors can see a real Saturn 5, all 363 feet of it!! Can you tell I am still in awe over our visit?

There are a couple of other experiences at the Kennedy Space Center that I highly recommend. First consider the “Lunch with an Astronaut” which allows visitors to share a meal and meet someone who has actually been in space. We haven’t done that yet, but visitors get to hear a lecture presented by an astronaut and afterwards they will spend time with the visitors answering questions. Second, go see the new Atlantis exhibit!! (Unfourtunately, the exhibit was opening after our most recent visit to KSC which is my perfect excuse to go back!) Also available is “The Shuttle Launch” experience “ride” which is fabulous but be sure to make time to see all the other exhibits and don’t forget to visit the rocket garden. If you have a full day to spend at KSC, and if you plan in advance, you can make reservations for the Astronaut Training Experience (ATX). My daughter and I did this during our most recent KSC visit in 2013, it was so much fun and we got to meet an astronaut, play in the centrifuges and other space training equipment and finally participate in a launch simulation. The ATX is a little expensive, but well worth it!!

So, to finish this post, I’ll leave you with some space facts, trivia and additional links to enjoy:

Atlantis traveled 125,935,769 miles in space over the 307 days it was in orbit.
President Bill Clinton was the only president to watch a shuttle launch live on site. He and his wife watched John Glenn’s return to Space on STS-95 on Oct 29, 1998 from the Kennedy Space Center.
Wally A. Schirra was the only man to fly in all three of NASA’s ‘Moon Shot’ programs (Mercury, Gemini and Apollo). Alan Shepard flew in Mercury and Apollo, but not in Gemini. Gus Grissom was involved in all three projects, flying in Mercury and Gemini, but he was killed during a pre-flight simulation in his Apollo 1 capsule, so he never actually flew in the Apollo program.
The Sun is about 93 million miles, or 150 million kilometers, away from the Earth. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, therefore it takes a little over 8 minutes for the Sun’s light to reach the Earth.
The Mercury capsules named by the astronauts. Each astronaut named his capsule and added the numeral 7 to denote the teamwork of the original astronauts.
Seats on Virgin Galactic cost $250,000 each. The full fee is due upon booking. Here is the booking link: http://www.virgingalactic.com/booking/. (Maybe if Virgin Galactic’s prices will come down enough before I’m too old to afford it so I can take a ride!!).
The Astronomy Picture of the Day has been posting annotated pictures based on space themes since June of 1995. I have been reading them almost daily since then.
You can view images of and help classify galaxies at http://www.galaxyzoo.org/.
You can help look for extraterrestrial life at http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
The Kennedy Space Center is run by Delaware North Companies Parks and Resorts; the same company that manages the attractions at Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.

Travel – Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

Posted on April 13, 2014 by barbara

During our family vacations around the country over the years we have been able to visit many historic homes of our past U.S. Presidents, such as George Washington’s Mt. Vernon, James Monroe’s Montpelier, and Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield, IL. On a road trip through Virginia in 2002, we visited Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello located near Charlottesville, Virginia and it is my personal favorite of all the Presidential homes we have visited. In this post, I will discuss the history of Monticello as well as travel information if you are planning a visit to the area.

The history of Monticello

The Jefferson home was located in Shadwell, Virginia but the family relocated to the area near Charlottesville when a friend named William Randolph died in 1745. Randolph’s will stipulated that Peter Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson’s father, be appointed guardian of Randolph’s Tuckahoe plantation. The Jefferson family lived at Tuckahoe for seven years before eventually returning to Shadwell. When Peter Jefferson died in 1757 his estate was divided and his son, Thomas, inherited approximately 5,000 acres of the former Tuckahoe tobacco plantation.

At the age of 26, Jefferson began plans for his home and since he had independently studied the principles of architecture, he based the design on a neoclassical style developed by Andrea Palladio who was a popular Italian Renaissance architect in eighteenth century Europe. The home was to be built on the top of an 850 foot mountain located on the property and Jefferson named it Monticello which was an Italian word meaning “little mount”.

As work began on the building in 1770, Jefferson lived in one of the outbuildings on the property known as the South Pavilion. A few years later, he married Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772 and construction was still had not been completed on the house. Sadly Martha died in 1782 and Jefferson soon left Monticello to go to France, undertaking a political position as Minister of the United States. The construction on this first version of Monticello was considered finished in 1784 while Jefferson was still in France.

During his time in Europe, Jefferson had an opportunity to see the classical building styles that he had only read about in books. His concept for the design of Monticello began to change and he wanted to include the design elements of French architecture. By 1794, Jefferson had returned to America to serve as the first Secretary of State for the newly formed United States. At Monticello, Jefferson’s home underwent a remodel and expansion to incorporate the design elements that he had seen in Europe. The construction continued throughout the years that Jefferson served as President of the United States. Although the building was considered completed in 1809 Jefferson continued to make improvements and changes on the existing structure when he returned to Monticello fulltime after he retired from his political life.

Thomas Jefferson died in 1826 and per his request he is buried in the Monticello cemetery. At the time of his death, estate was more than $107,000 in debt (which was a considerable amount of money at that time). Jefferson’s daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph, found it necessary to sell the Monticello plantation including the house and surrounding property, she also sold the furnishings of house, livestock and farm equipment and the plantation’s slaves to pay off the debt.

Over the years, Monticello was sold to different people until Uriah Levy bought the property in 1834, the Levy family continued to own the property for almost 90 years. Levy, a former commodore in the U.S. Navy, had long admired Jefferson and he wanted to restore and preserve the home and property. In 1923, the Levy family sold the property to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, a private non-profit organization. The Foundation now owns and operates the house as a museum, maintains the grounds of the property and administrates an educational center. Monticello is a National Historic Landmark and in 1987 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the nearby University of Virginia which Jefferson had also designed many of the buildings on the campus.

A brief tour of Jefferson’s Monticello home

The Monticello plantation, which Thomas Jefferson owned for over fifty years, was the site where he had built his wonderfully designed home on a mountain top overlooking the property, there were also extensive flower gardens, a vineyard, several outbuildings used as storage houses and for various trades such as blacksmith and joinery and situated to the south of the main house were the slave quarters known as Mulberry Row.

When visitors come to Monticello today, a home tour begins at the East Portico steps where the tour guide gives a brief history of Jefferson’s home and then visitors proceed through the doors into the Entrance Hall, this is where Jefferson would personally greet his guests. Displayed in the Entrance Hall are a large collection of maps, Native American artifacts, mineral samples, the antlers and horns of several North American animals (such as: elk, moose, deer, buffalo, Big Horn sheep) and one of Jefferson’s favorite items was the jawbone and tusk of an ancient mastodon found in Kentucky. The items in the Entrance Hall were frequently used by Jefferson to inform and educate his guests about the natural history and geography of the United States.

The high ceiling of the Entrance Hall was built to accommodate a very unique feature to the house and one of Jefferson’s inventions. The Great Clock was designed by Jefferson and built to his specifications in Philadelphia in 1793. The large cannonball sized weights and pulley system operate a seven day calendar clock with marks on the south wall that indicate the days of the week, a hole in the floor was made to reach the marks for Friday and Saturday. The Great Clock not only marked time in the house but a Chinese gong on the roof struck on the hour for people working outside the home and a second clock face is on the West Portico of the building.

The Parlor room can be entered directly from the Entrance Hall and there is also access to the room from the West Portico. The Parlor, located in the north wing of the home, is the room where Jefferson socialized and entertained his guests. Just as the Entrance Hall was used by Jefferson to educate his guests, the Parlor was once decorated with thirty-five portraits of the men who influenced American and World history, these great also inspired Jefferson’s values and beliefs. (One can just imagine the interesting discussions that went on in this room between Jefferson and his guests!)

The Dining Room was where Jefferson sat down with his family and guests to eat the two main meals of the day, breakfast and dinner. Two dumbwaiters are installed on either side of the fireplace to bring wine up from the cellar. A unique revolving serving door was another invention by Jefferson to omit the use of wait staff and facilitate a type of self-service meal. The adjacent Tea Room is elegantly decorated with a collection of engraving, portrait miniatures and plaster busts of Franklin, John Paul Jones, Lafayette and Washington.

Two guest bedrooms are located in the north wing at the east front of the house. One special bedroom is known as Mr. Madison’s Room and was used by Jefferson’s close friend James Madison on his frequent visits to Monticello. The room is decorated with distinctive trellis wallpaper; the current reproduction is of a pattern originally purchased by Jefferson in Paris in 1790.

The south wing of the home is located on the other side of the Entrance Hall and at east front are the Family Sitting Room and the Book Room. The Family Sitting Room was used as a private space for Jefferson and his family to gather and relax during the day or in the evenings to play games or music. Adjacent to the Sitting Room is an area known as the Book Room of the house. At one time, this is where Jefferson’s library was located and it held one of the largest personal collections of books in the country. Jefferson was an avid reader and his interests were numerous and varied ranging from subjects such as world history, astronomy, science, natural history, horticulture, philosophy, poetry, classic literature and politics. After the War of 1812, when the British burned Washington D.C. and destroyed the White House and U.S. Capitol building, Jefferson offered his personal collection of books to Congress to replace the ones destroyed. (The sale of Jefferson’s books was a substantial start to the Library of Congress , for more information please click on the link)

Located in the south wing of the home at the west front of the house were Jefferson’s private rooms, his Cabinet and Bedchamber. The Cabinet room was where Jefferson liked to read and answer his many correspondences. In the center of the room Jefferson had a revolving chair and a writing table, the top of the table also revolved. Placed nearby are several of Jefferson’s clever inventions, on the table is a copying machine which Jefferson used to duplicate his numerous letters and next to the table is a revolving book stand that allowed Jefferson to read and reference five books at a time. The room is also filled with several scientific instruments, such as telescopes, microscopes, compasses, thermometers and an astronomical clock that enabled Jefferson to calculate solar and lunar eclipses.

Adjacent to the Cabinet room is Jefferson’s Bedchamber which features an unusual arrangement of Jefferson’s unique double sided bed that is placed in an alcove which allowed him easy access to either the Cabinet or the Bedchamber. Jefferson was an early riser and after waking he would note the time on a black marble obelisk clock located on a shelf at the foot of his bed, he designed the clock’s unique features and had it made in Paris in 1790. Visitors to Monticello always notice and inquire about the purpose of the holes seen in upper portion of the wall. Located in the area above the bed alcove is a closet space that stored some of Jefferson’s clothing and it was accessed by a steep staircase and the openings provided light and ventilation into this area.

Jefferson died in his bed at Monticello on July 4, 1826, he was 82 years old. The date also marked the fiftieth anniversary of the day that the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, a document that Jefferson is credited for writing, which officially marked the former British colonies freedom from England. On the same day, miles away at his home in Massachusetts, John Adams died five hours later. These two men, friendly adversaries and former Presidents, were the last surviving members of the Continental Congress to have signed the Declaration of Independence.

Travel information for Monticello
(UPDATE: note that the following information was current at the time I wrote this post, for current information and restrictions please consult the Monticello website).

Monticello is open daily year-round and there are several different guided tours and day pass packages available for visitors. For more information on dates and hours of operation as well as tour times and prices, please check the Monticello website at www.monticello.org

The Monticello Day Pass allows visitors access to the Visitor Center to see the wonderful exhibits and film about Thomas Jefferson as well as the beautifully landscaped grounds of Monticello which include the flower garden and the vineyard, the vegetable garden with the adjacent Mulberry Row where the plantation’s slaves lived and the cemetery were Thomas Jefferson and his family are buried.
The Basic Tour and Monticello Day Pass Package – The Basic Tour includes the guided tour of the first floor of the house and also included are two additional seasonal guided tours: The first one is the “Slavery at Monticello” tour which is available each weekend in February and daily from April to October. The second one is the “Gardens and Grounds” tour which is available daily from April to October.
The Behind the Scenes Tour and Monticello Day Pass Package includes everything mentioned in the Basic Tour with the addition of a guided tour of the second floor house, the Dome Room on the third floor and access to a new interactive “Crossroads” exhibit located in the cellar of the house. This is a great tour package for visitors that are interested in information about the unique architectural features of the interior and learning about the current restoration projects at Monticello. For more information on specific dates and times please check the Monticello website at www.monticello.org
The Family Tour and Monticello Day Pass Package is designed especially for families with children between the ages of 5-11, this package includes a special 40-minute guided tour that is customize for children and their parents. This package is available at limited times during the year: April, June to August, weekends in October and one week in December. For more information on specific dates and times please check the Monticello website at www.monticello.org

The Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center –

After purchasing tickets, I would highly recommend a visit to the Thomas Jefferson Visitor Center either before or after a scheduled house tour, it is a wonderful place to learn about Jefferson’s personal and political life. Currently there are four interesting exhibits that inform visitors about Jefferson’s important legacy and contribution to the United States. The first exhibit is about Jefferson’s values and ideas about liberty, the next exhibit explains the various principles and horticulture techniques that Jefferson developed at Monticello, another exhibit is about the design, architecture and construction of Jefferson’s home, and the final exhibit explores the words and wisdom of Jefferson. Also while visitors are at the Visitor Center they should see the 15-minute film, “Thomas Jefferson’s World”, which explains the importance of Monticello to Jefferson and how it influenced both his personal and political life.

Mulberry Row –

When visiting Monticello, I highly recommend seeing Mulberry Row which is situated to the south of the main house. Mulberry Row was considered the center of Jefferson’s 5,000 acre plantation and it is where the slave quarters were located and the site for the plantation’s vegetable garden and also several outbuildings used as storage houses and for various trades such as blacksmith and joinery.

The vegetable garden was first planted in 1770 but by 1806 Jefferson was making improvements and the 1,000 long terrace supported by a large stone wall was built by the plantation’s slave labor to accommodate the slope of the mountain. In the middle of the garden is a pavilion built for Jefferson’s use in the 1820s and it overlooks an 8-acre orchard of 300 trees and the plantation’s vineyard. The main part of the 2-acre garden grew an abundant variety of produce, such as tomatoes, beans, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, peas and figs, an additional garden plot grew various types of berries such as gooseberries, raspberries. (Travel note: The vegetable garden allows visitors to Monticello a wonderful opportunity to see the beautiful and dramatic views of the Virginia countryside. It is a wonderful place to take photos!)

The Jefferson Family Cemetery –

When Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, his will stipulated his wish to be buried at the family cemetery at Monticello. The large stone obelisk has the inscription, “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson the author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the statute of Virginia for religious freedom and father of the University of Virginia”. The cemetery is still in currently in use as a burial site for Jefferson’s descendants.

Travel – Fort Sumter, SC

Posted on April 12, 2014 by barbara

It has been over 150 years since the first shot was fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 marking the start the Civil War between the North and South. Our family travel loves taking summer vacations or weekend day-trips to see historic sites and during our travels we have been very fortunate to have visited a few Civil War sites. Several years ago, during a summer road trip to Pennsylvania, we visited the Gettysburg National Battlefield which was the location of an intense three day battle between the Union and Confederate troops. On another road trip through Virginia, we visited the site of an earlier battle of the Civil War, the Manassas National Battlefield located near Washington, D.C. On that same trip we visited Appomattox, the location where General Grant and General Lee meet to negotiate the terms of surrender between the Union and the Confederacy. Since visiting the location where the Civil War officially came to an end, we decided that we eventually needed to see the site where the Civil War began. So, last summer on a road trip to Florida, we stopped in the beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina which is the location of Fort Sumter.

Fort Sumter, which was named after the Revolutionary War General Thomas Sumter, was one of several defensive sites located along the eastern coast of the United States. Construction began in 1829 and continued for over thirty years until it was finally completed in 1861. Fort Sumter was built on a sand bar located at the entrance to the harbor in the Charleston, South Carolina. Several thousand tons of granite were used to create a five-sided 170 feet by 190 feet long structure made with walls that were five feet thick, it was an impressive fortress and an effective first line of defense against attacking forces in the region.

In the mid-1880s tensions between the northern and southern regions of America began to escalate over several important political and social issues and this lead to the state of South Carolina becoming the first state to succeed from the United States in December 1860. In response to this action, Major Robert Anderson made the critical decision to close Fort Moultrie and move the U.S. Army troops to nearby Fort Sumter. He felt that Fort Sumter would provide a stronger defensive position against the South Carolina militia despite the fact that construction was still not fully completed and the fort was armed with fewer than half of the cannons that should have been in place.

After South Carolina, several additional southern states quickly succeeded from the United States and formed the Confederacy of the South. The U.S. Army of the North, now known as the Union, prepared to send additional troops to defend Fort Sumter. As tensions continued to increase over the next few months, the Confederate General Beauregard demanded that the Union troops occupying Fort Sumter surrender, but Major Anderson refused and his troops continued to defend their position. By the time the “Star of the West”, an unarmed merchant ship carrying Union soldiers for reinforcements at Fort Sumter, arrived off the coast of South Carolina on January 9, 1861 the Confederate troops fired the first shot of the Civil War to prevent the ship from entering the Charleston Harbor, they were successful.

After a few more months the situation was becoming desperate for the Union troops at Fort Sumter and they were running out of food and other supplies. In early April 1961 newly elected President Lincoln dispatched more ships to the Charleston area with reinforcements, military equipment and supplies. When the ships arrived off the coast of South Carolina, General Beauregard sent his aides to Fort Sumter to demand a surrender but Major Anderson refused once again to negotiate. On April 12, 1861 in the early morning hours the Confederate troops opened fire on Fort Sumter and the bombardment continued non-stop for the next 34 hours. The citizens of Charleston watched from the verandas of their homes overlooking the harbor throughout the day but when the night came the battle was finally over. The next morning, April 13, the Union forces surrendered to the Confederates and left Fort Sumter.

Throughout the Civil War, the Confederates occupied Fort Sumter and as Union ships repeatedly attempted to access the Charleston harbor the Confederates would fiercely defend their position and many Union ships were sunk near the entrance to the harbor. Under the cover of night, Confederates forces stationed at Fort Sumter would salvage the military canons of those ships and move them to the fort to increase their defensive arsenal. Finally in February 1865, as the Union forces were gaining an advantage in the war, the Union General William Sherman successfully invaded the region and was creating a path of destruction across the south as he made his famous march to the Atlantic and by the time he reached the coast of South Carolina, the Confederate troops had abandoned Fort Sumter.

After the Civil War had ended with the surrender at Appomottax, extensive work was needed to repair the severe damage caused by the numerous military battles and attacks on Fort Sumter. The battered walls of the fort were rebuilt and eleven of the original gun rooms were restored. For the next 30 years after the war, the facility was only used as an unmanned lighthouse. Then in 1898, Fort Sumter again became an important defensive site along the coast of the United States during the Spanish-American war and reconstruction was needed to fortify the fort and a large concrete blockhouse was built within the walls of the original structure, it was named the “Battery Huger” in honor of the Revolutionary War General Isaac Huger.

But Fort Sumter was never to be involved in another battle and over the following decades it remained abandoned until the National Park Services took over its management and maintenance.

Fort Sumter Travel Information

Today, the Fort Sumter National Monument includes the restored Fort Sumter located in Charleston Harbor and two additional sites, the Fort Sumter Visitor and Education Center located at Liberty Square in the city of Charleston and Fort Moultrie located on Sullivan’s Island.

For most visitors, access to Fort Sumter is restricted to special ferries that depart from Liberty Square to Fort Sumter; the ride is approximately 30 minutes and a convenient car parking facility is located at Liberty Square. Please be advised that there is limited parking available in downtown Charleston for over-sized vehicles, such an RV or bus. It is recommended that visitors traveling to see Fort Sumter in larger vehicles take the ferry from Patriots Point where there is ample parking for oversized vehicles with no height restrictions. For more information and directions to Fort Sumter, please see the NPS website at www.nps.gov/fosu (There is additional access to Fort Sumter by private boat or other water vehicles and for more information and restrictions check out the NPS website)

Advanced ticket reservations for the ferries to Fort Sumter are highly recommended prior to the date of your visit especially during the busy summer months when tickets can sell out quickly. For more information regarding prices, hours of operation and departure times, please check out www.FortSumterTours.com

The Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center located at Liberty square offers a museum featuring exhibits about the history of the Civil War and Fort Sumter for visitors to view while they are waiting for their ferry departure times. The ferries to Fort Sumter are very comfortable and there is ample passenger seating available both inside an air conditioned cabin and outside on deck. Be sure to take in the wonderful views of the city of Charleston during the 30-minute ferry ride from the dock at Liberty Square to Fort Sumter. (During our trip we were able to see dolphins in the harbor!)

Once visitors arrive at Fort Sumter, there are NP rangers available which provide visitors with a brief history of the battle of Fort Sumter and there are also several interpretive exhibits located throughout the grounds. There is also a small museum on site featuring information about Fort Sumter’s involvement in the Civil War and some interesting exhibits featuring the original flag used at Fort Sumter and other Civil War artifacts.

Important Travel Note: Please be advised that there are safety restrictions at Fort Sumter, such as climbing on the canons, and it is important if you are traveling with small children to watch them closely to avoid injuries.

Travel – Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve

Posted on March 25, 2014 by barbara

Seeing the fields of the California poppies, those delicate orange flowers which bloom in the early spring, is truly a wonderful sight to see. (After this harsh winter in the Midwest, I am definitely missing the sunshine and scenery of the state of my birth!) The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is a great place to see an abundance of the colorful poppies. The reserve is located in the western Mojave Desert, 85 miles from Los Angeles, and it is known for the beautiful fields of poppies that cover the surrounding gentle sloping hillsides.

The California poppy (eschscholzia californica) is a flowering plant native to the United States and Mexico. The flowers bloom annually and the plants can range in height from 5 to 60 inches tall with blue-green leaves. A single flower grows on each stem and each flower is made up of four orange petals that can measure almost inch or two inches long. The early Spanish settlers of California called the poppy by the name of dormidera, which means drowsy one, because the petals of the poppies close at night opening again with the morning sunshine. The poppy petals also close in cold weather or cloudy days. The poppies normally bloom from mid-February to late May and the date can vary from year to year depending on the amount of rainfall prior to the blooming season.

The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is a protected area of the Mojave Desert and is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The reserve offers a great viewing area for the colorful poppies that grow with a mixture of other wildflowers that cover the gentle hillsides each spring. The California State Park leaves the flowers in their natural state and does not water the flowers. Also in order to protect and regulate the growth of the poppies, the California Poppy Reserve prohibits sheep and cattle from grazing on the surrounding hillsides and since 1994 controlled fires have been used to clear dead brush and invasive plants within the reserve.

Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve – Travel information and tips

The Jane. S. Pinheiro Interpretive Center is a great place to start any visit to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. The center is opened seasonally and visitors can watch a short video, see several the displays on wildflowers, plants and wildlife or pick up maps and other information. Also on display in the center are the wildflower pencil drawings and watercolor paintings of Pinheiro, she was a local artist who was involved in the civic affairs of the Antelope Valley and instrumental in establishing the California Poppy Reserve and the center is named in her honor.
There are over seven miles of hiking trails at the 1,760 acre reserve. The Antelope Loop Trail covers some of the area portions of the trail are easy gentle slopes and some are more steep climbs over the hills. Before starting out on the trails, check with the park staff for the best hikes for your abilities.
Picking or destroying the poppies in the park is a violation of the California State law. Please do not collect any items; all natural elements of the reserve are protected including other plants, rocks and wildlife.
Please be aware that rattlesnakes are present in the area. If you see one on the hiking trails, they are not normally aggressive and will not attack unless threatened. The rattlesnakes are important to the natural environment of the desert and are needed to keep the rodent population down because the animals would consume and destroy the poppies.

The desert weather can be very unpredictable and temperatures can vary or change throughout the day. Be sure to wear sunblock and bring a light jacket depending on the weather conditions.
Please do not bring dogs or other animals to the reserve with the exception of service dogs. Horses and mountain bikes are no allowed on the trails.
For the Antelope Valley California Poppy Center location or directions, please check out the Antelope Valley California Poppy Center website through the following link, www.parks.ca.gov
For the current season’s poppy/wildflower bloom information call the Poppy Reserve Wildflower Hotline at (661)724-1180 or the Theodore Payne Foundation Wildflower Hotline at (818) 768-3533.

Travel – Montpelier, VA

Posted on March 16, 2014 by barbara

In honor of James Madison’s birthday (Born: March 16, 1751 Died: June 28, 1836) this post is about the history of his beloved home known as Montpelier which is located in the beautiful countryside near Charlottesville, Virginia. I have also included a tour of the estate as well as travel information if you are planning a visit to the area.

The history of Montpelier

In 1723, Ambrose Madison received a large parcel of land located in Virginia. By 1732 he had built Mount Pleasant which became the home for his wife, Frances Taylor, and their three children. He hired an overseer and acquired 29 slaves to work the land and they planted tobacco, which was a very lucrative commodity. Unfortunately, six months later Ambrose died and it is believed that three of his slaves had poisoned him. Only one of the slaves was convicted and executed while the other two slaves were severely whipped and eventually returned to work on the plantation. According to the custom of the time, upon Ambrose’s death his oldest son, James Madison Sr. inherited the tobacco plantation of Mount Pleasant and the widow Frances helped to manage the estate until her son came of age in 1744.

After inheriting the plantation, Madison Sr. acquired even more land and the estate grew to over 5,000 acres making him the largest landowner in the area. Mount Pleasant soon became a prosperous plantation and Madison Sr. established several more businesses, including a distillery and ironworks. He also served the community in a public capacity as a road surveyor, sheriff and later as a colonel in the Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War. In 1750, Madison Sr. married Nelly Conway and they would eventually have 12 children. In order to accommodate the growing Madison family, a new house was built in 1764 and it was located about half a mile from the old plantation house. When it was completed, Montpelier was a two-story brick Georgian styled house and at the time it was one of the largest houses in the area.

Madison Sr. and Nelly’s oldest child was James Madison Jr. and while the young boy enjoyed life on the plantation as he grew older he realized that he wanted to pursue a career in public office. He eventually went to school at the College of New Jersey and then on to Williamsburg and Philadelphia. Then while serving in the new nation’s capital of Washington as a congressman, Madison meet and married a young widow, Dolley Payne Todd, in 1794. By 1797, construction had begun on the front portico and a 30-foot extension on the main building at Montpelier. The couple was spending more time there and the additional space would provide separate housing for them. During this time Madison Jr. had retirement from public office and had gone home to spend more time with his ailing father. Sadly, Madison Sr. died in 1801 just as his son had accepted the position as Secretary of State for President Thomas Jefferson.

After the death of his father and during the time that James and Dolley returned to Washington, Madison’s mother continued to reside at Montpelier. Between 1809 and 1812 construction was completed on a larger drawing room as well as two one-story additions attached to either side of the main house. The widow Nelly, “Mother Madison”, would live in one of the new wings until her death several years later. The other additions to the house were required to accommodate additional living and entertaining spaces due to James Madison rise in public office from Secretary of State to President of the United States. Finally in 1817, after serving two terms as president, James Madison and his wife Dolley once again left Washington and retired to Montpelier.

After leaving public office, James and Dolley Madison lead a very full life and together they spent many years editing his presidential and personal papers. They also enjoyed entertaining political statesmen and diplomats as well as their personal friends and neighbors. When James Madison died in 1836, the estate went to his stepson Todd Payne. Dolley continued to live at Montpelier for a short time until Payne’s financial mismanagement forced her to move to Washington permanently in 1844. Montpelier was sold and the estate moved out of the Madison family. Dolley Madison died in 1849.

From 1844 until 1900, Montpelier went through a series of six different owners. Then in 1901, William DuPont Sr. bought the property. The wealthy DuPont family was very influential in the development of Thoroughbred horse racing in the United States and for this reason several barns, stables and other equestrian building were built on the property. After the death of William and his wife Annie, their daughter inherited the estate in 1928. Despite the renovations made on the Madison’s former home, Marion meant to preserve much of the estate, gardens and additional grounds. At the time of her death in 1983, Marion DuPont Scott bequeathed the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Unfortunately, her father’s will stated that if she died with no children the estate would go to her brother William DuPont, Jr. (Now, this is where it gets complicated) Even though her brother died in 1965, technically his five children legally would have inherited the property. In Marion’s will she encouraged William’s children to sell their interests in the Montpelier estate to the National Trust and if they did not, they would be denied their share of the additional $3.1 million trust fund that she had set up for them. Three of the children quickly sold their interests in Montpelier to the National Trust and the other two children contested the provisions in the will and took the case to court in 1984 but failed at breaking the will.

Since 1984, the National Trust for Historic Preservation took ownership of the estate and the organization has worked to restore Montpelier to how it would have looked during the time of the James and Dolley Madison. To acknowledge and pay respect to Marion DuPont Scott’s generosity and foresight to preserving the estate, one of her favorite rooms is retained in the newly renovated and expanded Montpelier Visitor’s Center.

To honor the heritage of the DuPont family and their equestrian interests, the annual Montpelier Hunt Races started by Marion and her brother William still takes place every year. Also in 2003, the National Trust formed a partnership with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation to provide 200 acres of the estate to be used as a TRF farm to proudly showcase American race horses.

Finally, from 2003 to 2008, the Montpelier former home of James and Dolley Madison underwent a $25 million restoration project funded by the National trust to remove the renovations created by the DuPont family and restore the building to its original 1820 look.

The Montpelier estate and grounds

Today, the Montpelier estate is approximately 2,700 acres and is located just south of Orange, Virginia. It was the childhood home of James Madison, the fourth President of the United States and later was where he retired with his wife and popular first lady, Dolley Madison. In 1960, Montpelier was declared a National Historic Landmark and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 1983 the estate was bequeathed in the will of Marion DuPont Scott, the last private owner of Montpelier, to the National Trust for Historic Preservation who now owns and operates the estate.

It is recommended on the Montpelier website that visitors should allow at least 2-3 hours to see the estate. Suggested activities include viewing the orientation film at the visitor center before taking the house tour and then walking the estate grounds to see the outdoor exhibits, gardens and the Madison family cemetery where both James and Dolley Madison are buried.

The Montpelier Visitor Center –

Starting at the visitor center is an excellent way find out about the history of Montpelier. Tickets can be purchased at the information desk before viewing the 15 minute orientation film at the Potter Theatre. Then be sure to see the displays and exhibits about the Madison family and the DuPont family if time allows before the house tour starts. Visitors should also see the Marion DuPont Scott Red Room exhibit, this room was originally located in the main home but was moved during the restoration of the house and restored completed in an area at the visitor center.

The home of James and Dolley Madison –

Located a short distance away from the Visitor Center is the former home of James and Dolley Madison. The highlight of a visit to the estate is the 35 minute guided tour of the house. The home underwent an extensive restoration on the exterior and the interior from 2003 to 2008 which returned the house to the original 22 rooms that were used during the time it was occupied by the Madisons. The additions added by the DuPont family in the 1900s were demolished and the stucco exterior was removed to reveal the original brick building. The Drawing Room and Dining Room were areas of the home in which the Madisons entertained and hosted dinners for their distinguished guests, friends and family and the rooms are beautifully restored and decorated with period furniture and decorations.

Also recently renovated in 2014 is James Madison’s library in the home. The room is filled with a collection of more than 4,000 books that reflect the interests of Madison, such as history, philosophy, law, science, agriculture and politics. Before Madison died he gave the University of Virginia in nearby Charlottesville over 400 books from his private collection for use in their school library. After his death, Dolley Madison gave an additional donation of hundreds of books to the University but unfortunately the University’s collections of books were destroyed in a fire in 1895. Later after the death of his mother, Madison’s stepson John Payne sold the remaining personal collection of Madison’s books to pay his outstanding debts. The books currently seen in the Montpelier Library are a collection that is being acquired by the Montpelier Foundation to replace Madison’s original books that were lost over 160 years ago.

After the guided tour of the lower floor of the house, visitors can proceed on a self-guided portion of the tour the upper floors which includes exhibits on the War of 1812 and the restoration projects of Montpelier. Then visitors can proceed to the lower cellars of the home which show the kitchen area and the some of the other working spaces of the estate.

The grounds of Montpelier –

When visiting the estate, it is recommended that visitors take the time to walk around the property which has lovely picturesque rolling hills and large horse pastures. Just north of the house, is the Temple that offers spectacular views of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains. The Madison Family Cemetery is also located nearby, just behind the Mount Pleasant site, and is the final resting place of James and Dolley Madison.

The Annie DuPont Garden –

The two acre formal gardens features wonderful beds of flowers and an herb garden accented with several beautiful marble lions and urns. Originally, this area of the estate was a small garden during the time that the Madisons lived on the property but in the early 1900 Annie DuPont renovated and expanded the garden to the state that visitors see it today.

For more information regarding Montpelier and the hours of operation, ticket times and prices or additional activities at the estate, please see their website at www.montpelier.org

Special Travel Note: Located within this area of Virginia are the homes of three former Presidents of the United States; Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, James Monroe’s Ash Lawn-Highland and James Madison’s Montpelier. Most visitors to the area come to see Jefferson’s magnificent Monticello but if the travel schedule allows a two day visit, I would highly recommend a tour of the other two homes. (Montpelier is located about 30 miles from Monticello and Ash Lawn-Highland is a little over 3 miles away from Monticello) There are numerous hotel accommodations and restaurants located in nearby Charlottesville available for overnight stays.

The Enchanted Manor

a lifestyle blog by Barbara Jones

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