Highams Up The Middle 2019
On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again! This year we have decided to go up the middle of the United States to see what we can see. Our adventure began on June 22, 2019 and will end at the end of August unless we just can't stop travelling.
Memphis, Tennessee
August 17, 2019 - The Lorainne Motel was the site of Martin Luther King's assassination. On the balcony railing in front of room 306 hangs a wreath marking the location where King was shot by James Earl Ray. Beale Street was a lot like Bourbon Street in New Orleans or Broadway in Nashville. A noon visit while it was 94 degrees outside kept the crowds to a minimum.
August 16, 2019 - Graceland is incredible! Today is the 42nd anniversary of Elvis's death who died at age 42. We toured the mansion and the grounds. It is a self guided tour with an individual Ipad. The decor remains pure Elvis. The second floor remains private and not tourable. The mansion and grounds are packed with memorabilia. Elvis and his parents are buried on the property. Many fans left flowers at the grave.
There is now much more to Graceland than just the mansion. There is an extensive complex on the other side of Elvis Presley Blvd. It includes his car and motorcycle collection and a display of his two jets. There are several exhibits recreating the studio at Sun Records and displaying his many Gold Records and incredible costumes. There are restaurants and gift shops galore. We spent the entire day wandering.
There is now much more to Graceland than just the mansion. There is an extensive complex on the other side of Elvis Presley Blvd. It includes his car and motorcycle collection and a display of his two jets. There are several exhibits recreating the studio at Sun Records and displaying his many Gold Records and incredible costumes. There are restaurants and gift shops galore. We spent the entire day wandering.
August 15, 2019 - Deciding to skip Little Rock, Arkansas we had a long drive to Memphis, Home of the King! Not knowing it was Elvis week we got lucky and were able to make a reservation at Graceland Campgrounds, right across the street from the mansion! We arrived just in time to join the candlelight vigil, the highlight of Elvis Week. Over 18,000 people filed through the meditation garden and passed his grave. The ceremony lasts all night until the last person can pay their respects. Many people set up memorials to him on the street outside the property.
Branson, Missouri
August 13, 2019 - The Butterfly House was just so relaxing and it gave me some new ideas for my yard. Live music was being played by a dulcimer musician.
August 12, 2019 - After a quick overnight stay in Jefferson City, we arrived in Branson. It kind of feels like we are in Pigeon Forge with all the touristy things. There are tons of tribute band concerts and it was hard to pick two but we went with a 60's show and an Eagles tribute show. Both were really fun in their own different ways. Watching aging white performers sing Motown hits was strange. Branson is a middle America version of Las Vegas without the gambling.
Hannibal, Missouri
August 10, 2019 - We are staying at the Mark Twain Cave and Campground. As a youth, Mark Twain explored this cave extensively and it is the setting for much of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. When Norman Rockwell was given the job of illustrating Tom Sawyer, he came to Hannibal to visit the town and see the cave to inspire his illustrations. His original drawings are on display in the Mark Twain Museum, The cave has the signature of Jesse James. It has been verified that Jesse James did in fact hide in this cave. The cave has been open for tours since 1819 when John East discovered it and gave tours for 10 cents. The tour is now Twenty dollars and well worth it. There are 260 side passages. No wonder Tom and Becky got lost.
August 9, 2019 - Everybody knows that Samuel Clemens grew up in Hannibal, but did you know that the Unsinkable Molly Brown also came from these parts? We visited her very humble home and learned a lot about Maggie Tobin Brown. She acquired the name The Unsinkable Molly Brown from screen writers after surviving the sinking of the Titanic.
After lunch we toured the boyhood home of Mark Twain and museum. Fred and I have been rereading Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn to get a feel of what it would have been like during the time he grew up in Hannibel. Even though the books are fiction, he based them on his friends and escapades. Huck Finn was modeled after his best friend Tom Blankenship and Becky Thatcher was based on his across the street neighbor Laura Hawkins. We visited their homes as well.
Waterloo, Iowa
August 5-7, 2019 - We came, we stayed, we left. Not much going on in Waterloo.
Rochester, Minnesota
August 4, 2019 - Today's excursion took us to the Mayowood Mansion of the Mayo Brothers who founded the Mayo Clinic. The house was built by Dr. Charlie Mayo in 1910 and cost $60,000 at that time. The estate encompassed 3,300 acres and the house had 30 rooms. Three generations of the Doctors Mayo lived in the home at the same time with all of their children. Guests and friends of the Mayo's included Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Helen Keller and the King of Nepal. In 1965 they gave the house to the Olmstead County Historical Society. It was too expensive for the historical society to maintain so it was deeded to the Mayo Clinic which maintains the residence and uses it for corporate functions . Pictures were not allowed inside the house.
A little oddity - We couldn't help but wonder about this trailer. It serves a dual purpose, camping trailer in the summer and ice fishing house in the winter.
Shakopee, Minnesota
August 2, 2019 - Stopped in to see Uncle Richard and Aunt Eileen. Uncle Richard took us to see Minnesota's Largest Candy Store. And yes, it was huge! And yes, some purchases were made! We saw some very odd confections too. Who doesn't love bacon, but I think some of these are a little much.
Wadena and Pierz, Minnesota
July 26 - August 1, 2019 - Lots of family reunion things happening between these two places. Both of our campgrounds have been in lovely parks with little rivers running through them. A lot of the towns around here have a population less than 1,000 people. There are no traffic jams.
Escanaba, Michigan-Cameron, Wisconsin
July 24-25, 2019 - Bob and Cheryl had to get back to reality so we dropped them at the airport and made our way to Cameron, Wisconsin for an overnight stay. These are some oddities we saw along the way. We stayed at Buck and Beam's Campground and Bar where we had a great pizza dinner.
Paradise, Michigan
,July 22, 2019 - Today's adventure took us to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum which is located on Whitefish Bay. If this sounds familiar to you, think "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". The first lighthouse was built in 1848. It was replaced in 1861, and had several improvements over time including the addition of Coast Guard quarters. Another building housed surf-boats which were used to rescue ships in peril. The light was automated in 1971. It is estimated that there are over 6,000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes and Whitefish Point claimed at least 240 of them.
Twenty years after the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald, grieving families were still seeking a way to bring closure. After discussion with the families, it was agreed that retrieving the ship's bell would serve as a symbolic memorial. The bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald was recovered by divers on July 4, 1995 and in a ceremony titled "Call to the Last Watch" the bell tolled 30 times, once for each of the Fitzgerald's crew, and one last toll in honor of all sailors who have died on the Great Lakes.
Twenty years after the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald, grieving families were still seeking a way to bring closure. After discussion with the families, it was agreed that retrieving the ship's bell would serve as a symbolic memorial. The bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald was recovered by divers on July 4, 1995 and in a ceremony titled "Call to the Last Watch" the bell tolled 30 times, once for each of the Fitzgerald's crew, and one last toll in honor of all sailors who have died on the Great Lakes.
July 21, 2019 - The Mackinac Bridge connects the Upper and Lower Peninsula's of Michigan. It is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere and is five miles long. We had no problem crossing since there was no wind.
After setting up camp which is on the Tahquamenon River we proceeded to Tahquamenon (rhymes with phenomenon) Falls. They appear brown in color due to tannic acid. They weren't the prettiest falls, but still nice to observe.
After setting up camp which is on the Tahquamenon River we proceeded to Tahquamenon (rhymes with phenomenon) Falls. They appear brown in color due to tannic acid. They weren't the prettiest falls, but still nice to observe.
Petoskey, Michigan
July 19, 2019 - Fun day trip to Mackinac Island. We drove an hour north to Mackinaw City, and hopped a high speed ferry. We took a short detour to go under the Mackinaw Bridge which marks the spot where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron. We reached the island ten minutes later. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the island. All people and goods are transported on horseback or horse-drawn carts and carriages. After a quick lunch, we (and Sophie) got on a two-horse carriage that carried twenty people on a 45 minute tour around town and up to a blacksmith workshop, and an beautiful stable and carriage museum. The next leg of the trip was about an hour long. It was pulled by three huge draft horses. We traveled through a hilly park, past a revolutionary era fort, and got off to walk to the elegant Grand Hotel , built in 1887. The building is huge and each of the 397 rooms is uniquely designed. We didn't get to see the rooms, but we did tour the lobby, the galleries, and we had a drink at the cupola bar.
July 18, 2019 - The Tunnel of Trees on M-119 begins in Harbor Springs and ends 20 miles later in Cross City. Be advised that it is a very winding, narrow road and one should not sit in the back seat while travelling this road. Lunch was at an iconic Polish restaurant called the Leg's Inn with a view of Lake Michigan. Stanley Smolak created this fantasy world with his carvings of animals and other creatures. The gardens are beautiful! The return trip was taken on a much better road! Bob and I are also in search of some Petoskey stones. They are a rock and a stone that is composed of fossilized coral. Really neat looking.
July 17, 2019 - The Petoskey Resort is probably the nicest campground we have ever stayed in. Our site is large overlooking lovely water features with fountains and waterfalls. Sophie has made friends at the dog park. After we paid a visit to one of our friends who stays in here during the summer we had dinner and learned that Ernest Hemingway's early years were spent in Petoskey.
Traverse City, Michigan
July 15, 2019 - Traverse City is the cherry capital of at least the US. They produce more than 74% of the country's tart cherries. It is also home to the World's Largest Cherry Pie Pan. After listening to the boasting by the nearby city of Charlevoix about their pie pan, Traverse City set out to create a world record. The pie they baked was 17 feet 6 inches in diameter and weighed 28,350 pounds. I would have loved to see the oven they had to build to bake that pie! Many cherry orchards dotted the scenery and called our names.
Afterward we set out for the Mission Point Lighthouse. It was decommissioned in 1933. In 1938 a stationary buoy was erected in the bay.
We also discovered many giant marshmallow farms!
Afterward we set out for the Mission Point Lighthouse. It was decommissioned in 1933. In 1938 a stationary buoy was erected in the bay.
We also discovered many giant marshmallow farms!
July 14, 2019 - Bob, Cheryl and I met my lovely cousins Charlene, Patty and their mom Barbara for lunch at the Apache Trout Grill, a great restaurant with a beautiful shoreline view of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, Fred could not come with us as he had to actually work, and computer woes plagued him. After lunch we drove through the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive on the way to Sleeping Bear Dunes. The dunes are 450 feet high with a 60% slope. Visitors are warned to not go down them. It takes at least 2 hours to climb your way back up to the top, sometime on all fours. The local fire department conducts a few dozen rescues each year which may cost as much as $2,000 each.
Shipshewana, Indiana
July 11, 2019 - Elkhart is a nearby town, home of the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum. A beautiful facility with the history of RVs and Manufactured Houses. The earliest RV was a 1913 "Earl" Travel Trailer and Model "T" Ford. A guitar called the "Airscreamer" was a tribute guitar for a band called the Trailer Park Troubadours and is the only guitar shaped like an RV. A 1939 travel trailer was designed specifically for Charles Lindbergh. Mae West had a 1931 House Car. Also in the museum was a 1910 Model "T" replica that my parents had given me when I was 5 years old. I am sure some of you will recognize it.
We are also in the middle of Amish Country. There are horses and buggies everywhere. Oh...and great bakeries!
Indianapolis, Indiana
July 9, 2019 - Cheryl and Bob have joined us. We picked them up at the airport and toured the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, which is on a 150 acre campus featuring the art museum, the Eli Lilly (of pharmaceutical fame) mansion, and lovely gardens.
July 7, 2019 - Benjamin Harrison's Presidential Site was next on our agenda. President Harrison and his first wife built the home in 1875 and lived there until he died in 1901 except when he lived in Washington while he was in the Senate and of course as President. The house has 10,000 square feet with 16 rooms, three stories and a basement and cost him $29,000.
July 6, 2019 - Indianapolis welcomed us with a fireworks show. I guess they are very glad to see us. The next day we toured the Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens. It was worth the $2.00 just to see the sensitive plant (I haven't seen one since I was a child). There were some beautifully colored hibiscus and the biggest pitcher plants I have ever see.
Louisville, Kentucky
July 5, 2019 - The Howard Steamboat Museum - In 1834 James Howard built his first steamboat in Jeffersonville. James tragically drowned in the river in 1876 when his horse and carriage rolled off a ferryboat. In 1890 James' son Edmonds and his wife Laura began building the 22 room mansion. They moved into the house in December 1894 with their two grown sons, Clyde and James. Since the family owned the shipyard they had access to many fine craftsmen who furnished much of the lovely woodwork in the house. In 1937 the Ohio River flooded 7'1". The family still lived in the house until the water receded. They climbed out the second story windows to bring the mules from the shipyard into the mansion. The last family members to live in the home were Capt. Jim Howard (Edmonds and Laura's son) and his wife Loretta. In 1941 the Howard Shipyard (located across the street from the mansion) was purchased by the US government to build LST's for World War II. The Howard family had owned the shipyard for 107 years. After the war the government sold the shipyard to Jefferson Boat and Machine Company. In 1971 a boiler in the basement blew up and started a fire. There was a lot of damage to the house that the museum has been restoring a little at a time when they get some money. The 3rd floor and basement still need to be renovated. Sadly the shipyard closed in April 2018.
July 4, 2019 - Call to the Post! We were at Churchill Downs and Kentucky Derby Museum to take a walking tour of the buildings and a van tour of the backside of the track. The race course was founded in 1875 by Merriweather Lewis Clark Jr., the grandson of William Clark (as in Lewis and Clark). Clark got John and Henry Churchill to provide the land for the race course and the race course was named after them. The iconic twin spire grandstand was built in 1895 and many additions have taken place over the years. The Kentucky Derby has been held every year since 1875 even during wars and floods. On the opposite side of the track from the grandstand lies the stable areas where the two year old horses are housed for training. The trainers rent the stables from Churchill Downs and there are a variety of people to take care of the horses. The groomers of course groom the horses after their training session (which begin at 6 a.m and end at 10:00 a.m.) and many of them live above the stalls in small apartments, the hot walkers cool the horses down, others to muck out the stall, and a vet sees to each horse every day.
The museum showed a very cool 360 degree movie about horse racing. There were many artifacts such as Secretariat's horse shoe, American Pharoh's triple crown saddle and fabulous hats worn by the belles. We ended the day by watching fireworks from our campground. The track is in hiatus now so there were no races. It was a lot quieter than last Derby Day when 150,000 people attended.
The museum showed a very cool 360 degree movie about horse racing. There were many artifacts such as Secretariat's horse shoe, American Pharoh's triple crown saddle and fabulous hats worn by the belles. We ended the day by watching fireworks from our campground. The track is in hiatus now so there were no races. It was a lot quieter than last Derby Day when 150,000 people attended.
July 3, 2019 - About our campsite---- Fred usually does some research before we move sites to make sure we can actually get there. Thank goodness he did that because our RV Garmin (which is supposed to keep us from going where an RV shouldn't go) wanted us to take this road. We need 10'8" to clear the top of the trailer. The Garmin directed us under a train trestle that had only 10 feet of clearance. When we got to our campsite we felt the "earth move under our feet". See the trees in the background of one of the pictures? We are not even 100' away from the train tracks! John Steinbeck would call this a hobo camp. We haven't seen anyone hopping a train yet.
Nashville, Tennessee
July 2, 2019 - We explored the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. Gorgeous doesn't begin to do it justice. The hotel has 3000 rooms and is the largest hotel in the country without a casino. It is a series of 7 story buildings with a massive footprint. The lobby atrium is comprised of Waterfalls and lagoons with lush tropical plants that are the backdrop to many of the restaurants and bars one could partake of. I would love to have my yard look like this! The Grand Ole Opry was next on our agenda. The Opry began as a simple radio show in 1925 at the Ryman Auditorium and moved to the current site in 1974. It continues to air on several stations. Lee Greenwood and Kelly Pickler were the headliners but we also saw Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press (yes, the song Rocky Top), Diamond Rio and Mickey Guyton (who sang Rose All Day, as in the wine). Each singer had about a 15 minute set. The show closed with Lee Greenwood singing God Bless the USA and he received a standing ovation.
June 28, 2019 - It is pretty warm here in Nashville. Zack has joined us for two nights on his way back to Largo. Our first stop on Friday was the Country Music Hall of Fame. Elvis' gold cadillac, Minnie Pearl's dress and straw hat with the price tag still on it, Roy Roger's boots and Gene Autry's guitar were just a few of the artifacts displayed. A walk down Broadway was next on our agenda with a stop at the Wiskey Bent saloon for, well of course, a shot of whiskey! We were able to meet with cousin Joe Higham and his son Rob for dinner for some excellent bar-b-que and conversation. On Sunday night we were treated to a concert at the campground by the pool. I don't think a bad singer or band can be found here in Music City.
Chattanooga, Tennessee
June 23, 2019 - Arrived here at the Racoon Mountain Caverns and Campground. We wanted to tour the Cavern that was discovered in 1929. We elected not to go on the Wild Cave Tour that has guests " crawl, climb, stoop and squeeze their way through the guided tour" and instead did an easy walking tour. There were very cool formations and even some cave wildlife!
Chattanooga is on the banks of the Tennessee River where the river cuts through the Appalachian Mountains. Although in 1860 its population was only 2,500, its Civil War importance was significant since it provided the convergence of four railroads with the Tennessee River. It was the heart of the Confederate supply lines. Control of the city would determine the outcome of the war. In the summer of 1863 the Confederate Army was forced to abandon the city because of a Union advance. In September the Union occupation was threatened when the South won a major surprise victory at the Battle of Chickamauga. This allowed the Confederacy to surround the city and cut off Union supply lines. The stranglehold was released in November when the North prevailed at Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. The battle fields are well maintained by the National Park Service and dramatically illustrate the scourge of the war.
Cordele, Georgia
June 22, 2019 - After a long drive we pulled into our campsite at the Georgia Veterans State Park. It was a very pretty park with lots of space between sites. They were having some sort of festival that we thought about going to but decided to stick with our original plan to have dinner at the Daphne Lodge that our friends Jay and Gail had found. Great food in a building that was built at the turn of the century and had started out as a dance hall. Upon finishing dinner we tried to leave but faced a deluge and had to wait out the storm on the front porch. We got back to our campsite only to find out we had lost electric power. Fortunately, the storm had cooled the temperature down so sleeping in the trailer without A/C wasn't too bad.
