Yellow Creek Park - Disc Golf

On Saturday, 4/16/16 - (Day 104) on my way to overnight in Evansville, IN, taking my time following the old US highways, I decided to go to Yellow Creek Park just east of Owensboro, KY to play disc golf.

It is a well maintained park with the first 9 holes in woods and a couple fields.  The wooded areas were not tight to play.

On the first hole my drive set me up for 2 on a par 3 hole but I needed a 50 foot out.  Here is my disc and if you look close you can see the basket.  I made the put that put a smile on my face.

When arrived there was a line to tee off on the first hole.  I made me a sansmdwich and the backlog was gone.

Here is one of the tight drives.

The 2nd nine holes were around a small pond. This drastically increases the difficulty for playing and the chances of loosing a disc in the alge bordered pond.

I got to the 18rh hole and couldn't play it or should I say I didn't want tin play it.

I threw one 290 foot drive today but typically I throw around 200 ft drives, so although I could possibly make the drive across the water probability has it that I couldn't make it.

Here is the throw.  A group of 4 played this hole before me and they had to work arounnd this woman and child sitting at the end of the tee box.

I decided to play another hole twice to get 18 holes in.

Although I have improved my game each Travels I know my limitations and unfortunately my game isn't a long one.

Brent 

macaloney@hotmail.com

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park - Part 2

This is part 2 of my brief review of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park focusing on Chickamauga in this post.

Today is Thursday, 4/14/16 (Day 102)

Chickamauga National Park is land that the Civil War Battle was fought on and set aside to remember all those that lost their lives.  I believe that Chickamauga was the second largest casualties in the war.

The battle field is in the most northwest part of Georgia, but only a few miles south of Chattanooga, TN

The park is similar to Gettysburg in many ways.  The area set aside for the park is large.  You need to drive around the park to see everything.  There are monuments commentating unites and people where battles took place.  Lastly the land is similar with flat to rolling hills with a few high spots that were strategic in the battles.

There is an audio tour so as I drove or walked around you get the story to your phone and this makes for a much more interesting tour.

At this stop you climb the tower and here I learned of the;

7-Shot Wonder: The Spencer Repeating Rifle

See the follow descriptive link

http://www.gunsandammo.com/historical/7-shot-wonder-the-spencer-repeating-rifle/

The history of this rifle is interesting and that it wasn't initially adopted by the Northern Millitary.  Men and units bought their own.

One Calvary unit from the north stayed in place while other northern troops retreated as they were successful in holding off attack after attack by the southern troops and finally they were ordered to retreat.  

This was a farmhouse at the time and the family left the battle field.

Although I have studied Civil War history this battle was basically a draw although the north retreated to Chattanooga to regroup for what would be Sherman's march to the ocean in Savannah through Atlanta.

It more than interesting and worthwhile to fill my brain with what really happened here.

Brent

macaloney@hotmsil.com

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park - Part 1

This is part 1 of my brief review of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park focusing on Chattanooga in this post.

Today is Thursday, 4/14/16 (Day 102)

I  drove up from the GTG in AL through the mountains along the ridge that is Lookout Mountain at the top of the ridge overlooking Chattanooga.

The building above is the Visitor Center.

I parked at a metered spot on the street only to find out the National park has done free parking behind this little building.

There is a smallish room behind the counter area with this wonderful mural on the wall.

The painting is from down in the valley by the river where Chattanooga.

The mountain in the picture is where I am.  No Civil War battles took place on this mountain but there is a memorial here for the battles in and around the city.  This area up here was held by Confederate Troops.

This is the entrance to the park across from the visitors center.  This is a National Park fee area.

This is a monument to the New York soldiers who fought in the battle of Chattanooga.

Confederate gunnery placements were on this hill but didn't serve much purpose as the battles took place down below.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

GTG - Alabama - Sunday, 4/3/16 to Friday 4/15/16 (Days 91 to 103)

I drove all day Sunday, 4/3/16 (Day 91) from Lake  Charles. LA to Stevenson, AL for the SE GTG.

I arrived in the daylight / early evening and settled in with about a dozen other vandwellers who were already here along the Tennessee River.

The Southeast (Roving) Get ToGether moves around the southeast US usually in Florida in January, where its warmer until it gets warmer further north.  I met up with the group last year in January before heading west.  This year I skipped Florida as I wanted to visit the RTR in Quartzsire, AZ.

This Vandwelling group is tied to Yahoo Groups and its informal leader is Cuzzin Dick, who keeps the tribe posted on what is going on. 

The GTG doesn't have the hundreds of people attend that the RTR has, but I like the smallness of this gathering as it is less formal.

Other than Dick I also knew Jane, who I met last year.  What is nice is that I met everyone that was there and that left or came during the GTG.  One was Rob in his van that remembered my Gold Prius at the RTR but we hadent met to remember each other.  As usual there are solo woman and solo men that make up the majority of attendees, with just a few that are couples.

At night we had a campfire that Dick was nice enough to arrange by having wood delivered.

This area of northeast Alabama worked out for me as a good place to use as a base to see area attractions a a visit to my cousin's in Georgia, where I spent 2 nights out of my starting and ending time here.

I generally go out each day and I would check back to see if anyone needed anything as I would stop and get things that others that that stay put like Dick may need.

This couple cooked on this wood fired jet boil rig by collecting twigs.

Camping along the Tennessee River made for a nice setting.  The road in was rough but my Prius had no problems.  The road did get worse while we were there as it rained and with the fishing traffic it made more muddy holes to try to drive around.

The US Coast Guard pushing a barge with channel markers they were setting.

Evening fisherman with tug pushing 6 large barges.

It was a wonderful time at the GTG meeting everyone and enjoying their company.  Everyone is so friendly.

The Roving GTG is off to a new location now and I'm headed in a different direction.  I hope to meet up with these folks next year.

Now to publish what I have been doing while I was here.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

The Beauty Of Driving Back Roads

On Saturday, 4/9/16 (Day 97) while heading back to Alabama from visiting my cousin in northern Georgia I often take back roads.

I rad across a couple of fields in visiting up bloom.

This shot is of old brown corn stalks in contrast to young spring flowers.

Taking the back roads gives me the opportunity to stop and enjoy matures gifts.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Iced Tea & Cultural Differences

I have never spent much time in the south, so my stay in Northeast Alabama and taking trips into Georgia for nearly two weeks and spending so much time with people in this area is as diverse as any cultural experience that I have had traveling to all 50 states.

You can say you have been to AL like I have claimed in the past having driven through or stayed in Mobile, AL, but it's not until you sit and talk and open up a deeper level of dialog than buying a meal do you begin to notice the subtle differences and the many more similarities.

We talk different.  We have some different cultural norms.  Yes, there are stereotypes that we both have if each other.  The stereotypes do not apply to all of any group of people.  When you get right down to it we all want the same things in life.

Well, that's not totally true.

You all know I visit many, yes many McDonalds across the country.  Hundreds of McDonalds a year.

There are all kinds of little differences that exist.  Recently in St George, UT there was a mini flip chart on the table announcing a new way of getting your McDonalds burger, with all kinds of toppings and options.  In conservative Massachusetts where I come from we are the last to see changes.

Well, sitting in Scottsboro, AL McDonalds  I noticed what I had not noticed elsewhere in my travels.  2 sweet tea containers to one unsweetened containers.

A confirmation during a discussion of locals proved the theory that overwhelming numbers of people will drink sweet tea over in sweetened.  In fact, many don't know why unsweetened exists.

Here in Trenton, GA the odds are skewed even more with 3 sweet containers and a half unsweetened container. That's a big difference to my home area where there is one of both containers.

We as people have the same wants and desires but not when it comes to iced tea.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Huntsville Space Center - Wednesday, 4/6/16 (Day 94)

The Huntsville Space Center has been something I wished to go to for a long time.  Being that I would be only a little over an hour away while at the SE GTG, I knew it was my chance to go.

When I say I have wanted to go for a long time I am not exaggerating so my expectations were high, and that is not always good.

My arrival was about 10:30 am and all was good including the ride over and through the city.

As I was driving to the center the parking was on the left and for some reason it was all coned off except the handicapped parking.  I drove down the drop off road to the main entrance wondering if today thebplacecwasnt open.  I see someone with the site uniform on and got out and asked about parking.  She said I needed to go past the building to park.

Clairvoyant I'm not, and I was a bit frustrated that they could take the time to close off the parking, but couldn't put up a sign pointing to alternate parking or have someone direct the visitors that were arriving.

I parked and went inside to pay entrance.  There are 3 things you can pay for. Entrance to the site and buildings, IMAX theater, or bus tour of the  space center.

I purchased the ticket for entrance at I think $22 and I thought that the bus to the space center down the road would be good at $15.

I had about 1.5 hours to look around before the bus tour that occurs only once a day at 12:30.

I  was given a map of the site and started out through the doors I was directed.  Then it became confusing as there is no logic to how to transgress the various exhibits in that first building.  The map was generic as to location but the multi-levels, ramps and stairs and some are blocked off made it frustrating.

I found myself eventually looking at the pictures above and below that were amazing images from outer space using the Hubble Telescope.  I was glad I finally found something of interest.

I walked through a large exhibit of jewelry that were labeled in a way to imply they had space designs but looking at them I saw nice jewelery but didn't see the connection to how this got billing to be here.  There was no one to ask.

I finally got to a dead end in the maze of rooms and I went out an exit door to the back of the building where the rockets in the first picture reside.

This is also the amusement ride area that doesn't appeal to me, but the school kids there were having fun.  One was the g-force spinning thing and another was you sit and are pulled up a tower and dropped.

I make my way over to this building where there is some connection to Nationsl Gepgraphic.

I walk in and there are no signs on where to go to the exhibits.  I see a theater entrance on the first floor so I suspect there may be a film but there is no listing on what or when.  I head up these large stairs to a large hall with a full size Titan Rocket that you can't get in one picture.

My spirits were up to be looking at real space stuff.  Along the outside wall of this very large room were many displays and timelines of the space program.  

On the inside wall of the very large room are more interactive displays.  There were older men in white coats seeming to give mini tours but there was no way of knowing how to get one and they were busy and unable to ask.  I was guessing that they may have worked for the space program at one time.

It was getting close to noon and I needed to start heading to the bus tour at 12:30, so I went outside and wondered over to the other side of the first building where there is a full size space shuttle.

There was another smaller building in the back by the shuttle but I could not tell if it was open as workers on a hydraulic lift were working above the entrance and although it was not coned off, I wasn't about to walk under the workers when they were working.

I found another way into the first building to go to the bus through the cafeteria and halls that I had not found before when I was in here

Out the front door to the bus loading area 

When you buy your ticket for the bus they don't tell you that you need to be a few minutes early and you need a government ID.  I was early and had my ID.  

Your name when you bought your ticket and ID need to match and they keep this record so they can get on to the NASA Space Cebter area a few miles down the road.  

An armed security guard comes on the bus as we enter the gate to check the records.

Our first stop is this building above where we go in on the first floor for orientation and then climb stairs to the mission control center for payload operations.

The current mission being monitored is the International Space Station and the room is manned 24x7.  There are status boards and we are told about all the seated jobs.

Next we were taken to one of the original missle testing sites.

Here are the homemade bunkers from tank cars for monitoring the tests.

We viewed other sites and were provided additional information and chance to ask questions.

I had a side conversation with our guide about nuclear space transportation as I had recently been to the National Nuclear Testing Museum in Las Vegas and had seen a display on the Nuclear space rocket program.

We eventually got to a site where the nuclear rocket was to view and he wanted me to speak to the bus.

I gave a brief overview of the Museum in Las Vegas and what I had learned using the PA on the bus.

We returned back to where we picked up the bus after this 2.5 hour tour, which was excellent.  Knowing that if I had time for only one thing I would take this tour.

The guide on the bus did explain the reason for blocking off the parking lot and that was for the rover challenge where schools all over come and compete with their rover vehicles doing all kinds of things.  They have to meet certain standards and do certain things.

I returned to the National Geographic building where this moon rock (above) is located.  I also played with the interactive displays that were occupied before.  One example was the loner lander.  Yea!  I didn't crash the first attempt.

I then walked over to the first building to those halls near the cafeteria.  There was an interactive display for landing the shuttle.  I scored again by not crashing the shuttle on the first attempt.

It was time to head back to the GTG and I still needed to stop and do laundry.  

I left with mixed feelings about my visit to the Huntsville Space Center.  The bus tour was great and I would highly recommend it.  I didn't have time for the IMAX theater so I can't say how this was.  Possibly my expectations were too high from all the years of waiting to go.

I think if you have 7+ aged children they would have fun.  There isn't much for real young children.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com