2021
2021
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| COVID 19 Virus |
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| My COVID Passport |
ORLANDO – Florida
SUNDAY
- February 7, 2021
WEATHER: 7 below zero when I left MKE; 11 degrees in DTW, and 79 when I arrived at MCO
TRAVEL: Fly MKE-DTW-MCO – my 0920 DELTA flight was cancelled and I was rescheduled to fly on the 0700 flight to Detroit resulting in a 3 hour 40 minute layover. Same flight from DTW to Orlando – a small bottle of water, an energy bar and some Cheese-its were served on the airplane from DTW to MCO. No one sat in the middle seats – only aisle and window. The cabin was cold.
I had a car rental form ALAMO. All car rentals were relocated to the lower level in Terminal A 1st level – so I hauled my golf clubs literally from one end of the airport (Delta arrival baggage at the very far end of Terminal C) to the other. Rented an Intermediate Compact SUV - a black Chevy Trax. Forgot my GARMIN so getting out the airport was a challenge – and this wasn’t my first visit – roads always change – I had my SUNPASS for the Florida tolls but it was in my golf bag somewhere.
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| Orange Lake Resort Entrance by Island View Complex |
There was an automated check-in procedure, i.e. used my phone to get in a queue and HIVC called me when to some to the Registration Desk.
Staying at Island View Village. I stayed here two years ago in an almost identical 1 BR unit. Again at the end of the hall, this time in the first building and not facing the Lazy River complex. Adequate – 4 rooms: small kitchen, large shower/no bath, king bed, living room with couch, chair, tables and lamps. Dinner ware with a small sitting booth and counter, coffee maker, blender, refrigerator, 2 burner cooktop (no oven ) microwave, dishwasher in the kitchen. Clothes washer and dryer. WIFI works.
Publix is a five minute drive down the road.
MONDAY
- February 7, 2021
WEATHER:
60 degrees at 5 am, forecast high of 74 with 40% chance of rain in the
afternoon
TRAVEL: Orange Lake Resort – Kissimmee – Best Buy – Miller’s Ale House
HOLIDAY INN VACATION CLUB – ORANGE LAKE RESORT, Kissimmee. WIFI works after operator headspace cleared up. Also forgot a charger that will fit my Lenovo PC – I’ll have to visit a Best Buy after golf.
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| Legends #15 green - aerial view HIVC photo |
7,072 yard Arnold Palmer designed Signature Championship layout is a pleasurable golf experience if you play from one of the appropriate five tees. I decided to play from the 5,780 yard White Tees. The course weaves through a labyrinth of timeshare condominiums and mother nature with no cookie-cutter holes. All eighteen have their own unique challenge including rolling hills, both narrow and wide open fairways, and testy greens. At every hole, the yardage sign has a quote from Arnold Palmer.
Legends plays out of its own
large clubhouse with a well stocked golf pro shop. I got a good price on the
Internet $58 plus tax for a 10:00 AM tee time with a free small bucket of
balls. The expansive driving range is
complete with a chipping area and a practice bunker. A practice putting surface is between the 1st
and 10th tees.
10:00 AM Tee Time: Played with a twosome and a single – all from Michigan. The course is challenging, even at 5780 from the white tees it was rare that I could reach the green in regulation – lots of water and sand. I wasn’t following through on my swing, which resulted in drives just a little over 150 yards, took 16 holes to figure that out. Shot 53 on the front nine (2708 yds) with 21 putts and 51 on the back (2420 yds) with 21 puts and 3 lost balls. Only dropped a putt on Hole #7 for a 5. Stoke total of 104, I expected to break 100 – maybe Wednesday.
BEST BUY – drove 35 minutes to the nearest Best Buy to obtain a cord for my phone and a charger fro the PC. BEST BUY SEEMS OVERPRICED. GEEK in Florida SOLD ME THE WRONG CHARGER at a cost of $69.99. I’ll return it tomorrow. NEVER TRUST A GEEK?.
Dinner was at Miller’s Ale House in Kissimmee – a Mahi-Mahi sandwich that I couln’t finish and a beer.
WEATHER: 62 degrees at 7 am, cloudy, with
20% chance of rain, clear by 9 am – afternoon high of 85..
TRAVEL: Orange Lake Resort – Kissimmee – Walmart – Best Buy – Disney Springs – Lake Buena Vista GC - Best Buy - Orange Lake Resort
HOLIDAY INN VACATION CLUB – ORANGE LAKE RESORT, Kissimmee. WIFI works butit appears my unit does not have a toaster.
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| Orange Lake Resort - Island View Pool Area |
Still able to connect my Android phone to the Chevy display screen for directions and hands free phone – using the Android Auto App.
Checked on on-line for a after-market charger for my PC – Walmart appears to have them – so does AMAZON all available for $20 or less. Drove to Walmart bought a Surf Onn Universal Laptop Charging Adapter with ten interchangeable tips for $19.97. Not exactly what I wanted – but it works. Didn’t even have to talk to a GEEK.
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| Disney Springs - Raglan Road Irish Pub The place is huge and there are more people in church on Sunday than there were in here for lunch. |
I’ve never seen the parking
garages so empty . . . I parked in Orange, everyone goes through
a temperature
screening before entry form Level 2.
DISNEY WELCOME CENTER - exchanged Military passes into Admissions
for self, Pau, Sarah, Casen & Kaden.
Disney parks are a 35% capacity.
It may look crowded but it isn’t.
You need to make a reservation and use it before you can use the Park
Hopper after 2 pm. Apparently if you
have wrist bands you can link them on the app.
Raglan Road – a glass of Harp and an order of wings. There are more people in church on Sunday than there were at theis place.
Drove to Lake Buena Vista Golf Course – the ferry boats are out of service. Made a Thursday tee time for 7.57 AM. Noticed an unadvertised special: 20% off your 2nd round, 30% off your 3rd round, 40% off your 4th round, 50% off your 5th round. Good at any of the Disney courses.
BEST BUY returned the overpriced charger.
Miller’s Ale House – sirloin steak special on Tuesday for $!2.99
WEDNESDAY
- February 10, 2021
WEATHER:
69 and cloudy/foggy at 6 am;
TRAVEL: Orange Lake Resort
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| Orange Lake Resort - this isn't even half of it |
HOLIDAY INN VACATION CLUB – ORANGE LAKE RESORT, Kissimmee. Owner’s Update at 8 am – supposed to take one hour receive $22 round of golf at the Legends – and a $120 food and beverage gift card for use at the resort. We’ll see how well these promises are kept.
Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire!
The update at the Founders Club took 1 hour and 20 minutes. After several offers the final offer almost made me bite – Go from 3500 pts per year to 6000 for an additional of about $5500. Of course the maintenance fees went from $250/year to 500+ per year. A Final Final Offer - offered the deal at no interest if paid within a year. I said NO. Then the sales guy wanted me to donate $20 cash into a ‘Save The Kids’ envelope. When I asked for a receipt he said “Why do you need a receipt?” I said no again “Can I get a receipt/” and the reply was “Why do you need a receipt” I should have said ‘to know that it isn’t going into your pocket.’ Sounded like a SCAM.
It seems there is always at least one employee who can runin your experience at a HIVC resort. Here there were the front desk guy and the sales guy that made the HIVC experience suspect. Unfortunate that time share people here always seem to bring a little rain on an otherwise godd day. It is a nice resort, despite a few sleezy time share sales people.
The LEGENDS Golf Course. Tee time 12:07 PM. When I checked out of HIVC sales pitch I already paid $22 for the golf. I would have paid $98 for the round it may have made sense but I got a round for $58. This was NO DEAL.
I got off early, played through a four-some and caught up to a two-seom on the 8th hole. Shot a 46 on the front nine with 17 putts and no lost balls – par on the par 5 #8. The back nine was not so kind – with a 57 with 24 putts and 3 lost balls. A total of 103 – same total as yesterday. Total playing time about 3 ½ hours.
THURSDAY
- February 11, 2021
WEATHER:
64 and clear 6 am; high of 84
TRAVEL: Orange Lake Resort – Lake Buena Vista Golf Club – Mary Queen of the Universe Basilica – Orange Lake Resort – Hilton Grand Vacations Seaworld – Orange Lake Resort
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| Lake Buena Vista GC |
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| Lake Buena Vista #7 |
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| Lake Burna Vista #7 |
Mary Queen of the Universe Basilica – arrived about 1225, noon mas was just concluding. Apparently they did away with the 8 am mas due to COVID. Also confessions instead of almost all day only from 1000-1130 and 1430-1600. I wonder what they are going to due for Easter Mass?
Dinner at Long Horn Steak House besides the Publix there are at least 9 restaurants within a 5 minute drive from where I’m staying. A good location.
FRIDAY
- February 12, 2021
WEATHER:
67 and cloudy at 6 am; sunny by
10 am - high of 84; forecast for the next 5 days calls for rain.
TRAVEL: Orange Lake Resort – Walt Disney World
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| Animal Kingdom Entrance |
I’ve lost count of the visits here but
it’s always worth seeing.
Parking is $25. Parks
are running a 35% capacity max due to COVID.
No trams running from the parking lot walk to the entry point, temperature check, bag check.
Maybe Disney learning a lesson - - - only swipe your card or Magic Band no fingerprint required or did Disney just back off on security?
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| Animal Kingdom Map |
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| Avatar: Flight of Passage |
Avatar: Flight of Passage – a 40 minute wait mostly a walk for a 6 minute ride
Navi River Journey line was 50 minutes – passed
African Safari was a 20 minute wait for 25 minute ride.
Kalihari Rapids was CLOSED for refurbishment
Everest Expedition – a 20 minute wait/walk for a 6 minute ride. This was surprising, i.e. a short line. Still is a bit weird going backward in the
dark – bounces you around a little.
Dinosaur
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| Dinosaur |
bypassed much of the setup/intro into the supposed ‘mission/ and ‘time travel.’ This was the longest I ever waited for this ride and it is not all that good. I think I may have been disappointed. Again dark and bounces you around.
I returned to Navi River Journey, but the line had not shortened. It was 1330 so I decided to use the Park Hopper option and go to Magic Kingdom. The buses are running, limited capacity, no standing, separated, as most of the rides by plastic barriers distributing seats into twos, threes, or fours.
MAGIC KINDGOM – arrived at 1410 – didn’t appear crowded but the lines were long.
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| Cinderella's Castle |
Jungle Cruise – I haven’t gone on this ride in my last tw0 visits – lines were too long – and it appears that Disney is going to change it after this year – apparently is depicts some people inappropriately – perhaps too many cannibals – the rhino chasing the safari members up a pole has changed. It used to be African porters in Fez hats not it looks like a mix of white hunters and perhaps Egyptian porters. No water spraying from the elephant’s trunks. A long wait of 45 minutes for a 10 minute ride. Probably my last time on this one.
Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion and the Runaway Locomotive and the Seven Dwarves Mine Train all had waits of 50 to 60 minutes. NOT. People Mover was operating but CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT. I decided to take the bus back to Animal Kingdom parking. It was 1630.
Dinner at Bahama Breeze – Kissimmee – a margarita and cocoanut shrimp – but the shrimp seemed overcooked – way too crusty and not even warm - only ate 3 of 6. Perhaps, the manger from the now defunct Applebee's near the Basilica is working here.
I was tired and didn’t want to wait in long lines with people who are on vacation, I can respect that, but they don’t have to be obnoxious. Attitudes don’t make it magical. However, I’ll be back to visit all four parks in six weeks and still have an adventure to share here with one more granddaughter in two or three years..
Future visits – may include just shows or take some of the backstage tours. If Fast Pass returns, I could be coaxed into doing a few rides. I enjoy the visits but today double strollers and wheel chairs are much too much for me. I did enjoy the golf, but never spent any time just relaxing around one of the several pools available or just reading. I’m getting older – perhaps a little out of shape – and everyday was in the 80’s.
SATURDAY
- February 13, 2021
WEATHER:
71 cloudy and 94% humidity at 6
am. It’s going to rain. It did rain hard dealyed between 10 and 11, delayed the flight by 30 minutes.
TRAVEL: MCO-ATL-MKE
SUMMERFEST postponed until September
GermanFest CANCELLED
Festa Italiana CANCELLED
ASH
WEDNESDAY – February 24, 2021
COVID STRIKES AGAIN Another first – ‘sprinkling of ashes’ on the back of your head, the priest can’t possibly touch forehead after forehead with the ‘dirty’ stuff
WEDNESDAY – March 31, 2021
WEATHER: 88 when I arrived in Orlando
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| HGVC Seaworld Even though it was cool kids have to play in the water |
sat in the last seat on the port side of the plane – at least is was aisle seat – better than wasting 2 ½ hours in Detroit or Atlanta. The plane was full.
I had a car rental form ENTERPRISE through USAA. I did not forgot my GARMIN or SUNPASS.
HIILTON GRAND VACATIONS – SEAWORLD. Not my first visit here. The place is full – spring break Easter – but the weather is nice today. Decided to attend the ‘owners update’ – a special just for me presentation at 8 am trying to upsell me in HGVC. I was in and out of Parc Soleil in less than 50 minutes and got a $150 VISA gift card for my time.
DISNEY SPRINGS arrived at 0930 – most stores don’t open until 1000 – same as in February – they check all for a temperature in the parking garage before they let you in. No wait at 0930 – when I left at 1030 – probably a 20 minute wait just to get through COVID screening.
Frustrating trying to make a reservation at T Rex – a recording consistently says the lines are full ‘your call is important to us – please call back’ 10 trys and no thank you
All but impossible to make an online reservation at Oga’s Café for next week Monday. I should have done this back in February.
THURSDAY – April 1, 2021
WEATHER:
COLD FRONT from the north, 52 and windy at 0530; clear and sunny
forecast high in mid 60’s
TRAVEL: HGVC to Disney Springs - Our Lady of the Universe Basilica – HGVC – Orlando International Airport – Enterprise Car Rental - HGVC
WEATHER: COLD FRONT from the north, 52 and
windy at 0530; clear and sunny forecast high in mid 60’s
TRAVEL: Up at 5:45, breakfast, on our way by 7:15 am -HGVC to Magic Kingdom.
Arrived a little after 8 AM . . .
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| Magic Kingdom Walt Disney & Mickey Mouse |
Tomorrowland
Speedway – 20 minute wait, drive a hot rod
Seven Dwarfs Mine
Train – 45 minute wait, race & rock through
a diamond mine
Haunted Mansion – 25 minute wait, a journey through a haunted estate
Few restaurants open and those that are you need a
reservation – ate hot dogs and pretzels outside of what was the Liberty Tree
Tavern (Closed as the line for Peter Pan’s flight wound through the 1st
and 2nd floors of the restaurant)
The Magic Carpets
of Aladdin – 10 minute wait, a magic carpet ride
Pirates of the
Caribbean – 50 minute wait, when pirates ruled the
seas
Big Thunder
Mountain Railroad – 45 minute wait, a runaway train ride
Country Bear
Jamboree – 20 minute wait for show to begin, just
missed one
Peter Pan’s Flight – 45 minute wait, Neverland aboard a
flying pirate ship
Mickey’s
Philharmagic – 20 minute wait for show to begin -
animated 3D Goofy is the stage manger, Donald assists Micky in setting
up the instruments and then takes Mickey’s baton to direct the orchestra through
a journey of some Disney musicals until Mickey returns in his wizards cap, takes
the baton from Donald and directs the orchestra in the Mickey Mouse Club march
Left the park around 6:30 pm, dinner at Carrabas Italian Grill – a long day – Casen and Kaden were troopers – back to HGVC
SATURDAY – April 3, 2021
WEATHER:
cool in the 50’s mostly sunny, high of 70, windy
TRAVEL: HGVC to Animal Kingdom.
Got to the park at 8 am – a day of fun and learning for all
ages
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| Animal Kingdom Kilamanjaro Safaris of course it's a real lion |
Kilimanjaro Safaris – a 20 minute wait
Gorilla Falls
Exploration Trail – an informative alk through a tropical
forest inhabited with African wildlife – gorrilas, hippos and wild birds
Expedition
Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain -25
minute wait – riding a speeding train through the Himalayan Mountains while
avoiding the Yeta and lot dark and unexpected on this sometimes backward roller
coast
Light snack break in the Rivers of Light seating area with
a visit to my favorite Thirsty River Bar & Trek Snacks
Dinosaur – 45 minute wait -a rocking back and forth journey back to
the time of the dinosaurs
1300 take our lunch
from Five Guys and back to HGVC – all
in need of some down time or a nap
1600 return to Animal Kingdom – save your parking receipt form the morning to get back
in
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| Animal Kingdom Wilderness Explorers |
complete challenges and earn badges (stickers) in a booklet from all the lands in Animal Kingdom. Educational and exploratory.
Maharahjah Jungle
Trek – home to Wilderness Explorer Stations, tigers, monkeys, bats and a Komodo dragon
Expedition
Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain – 15
minute wait, this was the second time today - Casen (7) & Kaden (5) love
this ride, they wanted to go again. NOT!
Got in line for Avatar Flight of Passage but
it was a long 75 minute wait and the line was not moving very fast – probably
everyone trying one last time to get on this ride. We decided not to wait and left the line
after about 10 minutes
Na’v’I’ River
Journey – walked right on, a boat ride journey in
a bioluminescent rain forest to where a Na’vi’ shaman sings songs
SUNDAY – April 4, 2021
WEATHER:
70 by 11 am – mid 70’s and sunny, still breezy
TRAVEL: HGVC.
MONDAY – April 5, 2021
WEATHER:
56 at 0530, clear and calm, forecast high of 78
TRAVEL: HGVC to Hollywood Studios.
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
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| Hollywood Studios Rise of the Resistance As Rebel POWs were being led to interrogation on a Star Destroyer |
twice a day (7 am and 1pm). Then you are told what time you’re allowed to join the line. You can only join the queue on the day you have a Hollywood Studios park reservation. We were unable to join the queue at 7 am – most likely due tto the slow WIFI/VERIZON connection at HGVC.
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| Hollywood Studios attempting to escape from the Star Destroyer |
The Millenium Falcon: Smugggler’s Run (45 minute wait) but an almost continuous walk
Muppet Vision 3D – (25 minute wait)
Lunch at Pizza Rizzo – ordered on line and you were given t time to pick up – we found a table inside.
Micky & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (40 minute wait) never been on this before – but if you can wait 45 minutes for Peter Pan this one is definitely worth the wait
For the First Time in Forever: A “Frozen” Sing Along Celebration a good story and I love the music
Star Wars: Rise
of the Resistance got into the virtual queue at 1 pm and
got a time of about 2:30 – joined the
line and still a 30 – 4o minute wait.
All I can say it that it was definitely worth it. Just amazing.
Rock & Roll
Coaster with Aerosmith – unfortunately Kaden was about 2” short
of the 48” height limit.
Dinner at Bahama Breeze.
WEATHER: 58 at 0600, clear and calm,
forecast high 70’s
TRAVEL: HGVC to EPCOT
EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow)
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| EPCOT |
immediately to Test Track but it was shut-down. Headed to Mission Space (45 minute wait). Got into the ORANGE Mars Mission line – after a 20 minute wait we got to the actual entry (by this time it was t 65 minute wait) and parents decided that the experience was going to be ‘to much’ for the children. Disney employee did not offer to put us just to the left into the GREEN Earth Mission line – we were told to go to the end of the line (45 minute wait) we passed.
The Flower and Garden Festival was in full bloom . . .
Soarin’ Around the World – (45 minute wait) for a virtual reality tour
Journey Into
Imagination with Figment (25 minute
wait)
Walked toward Mexico there was a very long line just to get inside the building – did not view the Grant Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Cabelleros.
Norway – Frozen Ever After was a 50 minute wait – been on this before and I didn’t think it was worth the wait – the show in Hollywood Studios is 10x better - we passed
Continued the tour around the world - China, Outpost, Germany-Sommerfest -found a bench and a table for beer, pretzels and brats while Kaden took a nap in the stroller.
On through Italy, and watched a 3 man mariachi band with a marimba perform at the American Gardens Theater in The American Adventure – continued through Japan, Morocco, France, stopped at Rose Crown Pub in the United Kingdom for a glass of Harp and on through .
It was time to go – but The Seas With Nemo and Friends (15 minute wait) was a continuous walk and we spent a good amount of time in the SeaBase watching fish until we decided to leave.
I had suggested Miller’s Ale House but it was extremely full – crowded – so we ate at Twin Peaks immediately next door and were seated right away.
WEATHER: 63 at 0630, clear and calm,
forecast high of 86
TRAVEL: HGVC
Rest & Relaxation & Recovery
THURSDAY – April 8, 2021
WEATHER: pleasant when we left Florida a bumpy airplane ride and a cool welcome in Wisconsin
TRAVEL: HGVC – MCO – MKE - Burlington Southwest Airlines and home
THURSDAY
– SATURDAY April 15-17, 2021
ICE
AGE TRAIL ALLIANCE
2021
VIRTUAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE & MEMBERSHIP MEETING
IATA
offered a virtual conference in almost the same format as the previous
conferences that I attended sans the meals, hikes and outdoor events.
THURSDAY
0900
Welcome below
I chose from each periods 3 concurrent sessions
I listened again to Mark Hirsch (spoke at the 2018
Conference) photojournalist and author of the 2013 “That Tree.” “my unintended adventure.” “That tree changed my life forever.” That Tree was blown down by a strong wind
storm on August 20, 2020.
1000-1130
Geology of the Ice Age Trail: Ice Lobes that Came form the North – The
Langlade, Wisconsin Valley, Chippewa and Superior Lobes Dave Mickeleson – Professor Emeritus – Dept
of Geoscience – UW Madison
Northern moraines have a much higher felief hummocky
topotgraphy than those further south in the Green Bay Lobe. Ice walled lake plains in this region are
also more extensive and abundant. I’ve
heard Dave speak several times before . . .
nothing new here.
1300-1430 Geology of the Ice Age Trail: The Western Green Baby Lobe Luke Zoet- Assistant Professor – Dept of Geoscience UW Madison
Didn’t know that the ‘Kettle Moraine’ is a misnomer. It has nothing to do with moraine, but where
the Green Bay and Lake Michigan Lobes met and debris on top of the glaciers
came down between the lobes and formed the topography.
1500-1630 Geology of the Driftless Area of Southwest Wisconsin and Surrounding Glacial Deposits Eric Carson – Geologist – Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey & Professor UW Madison
The southwestern region of Wisconsin has never been
glaciated. Because of this, ot contains a
unique suite of landforms compared to the rest of the states, which makes a
striking contrast to the glaciated landscape adjacent to it. Interesting that before the Ice Age the
Wisconsin River and the Lake Michigan Valley River system actually flowed north
and east to what is now the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
FRIDAY
0900-1000 Welcome & How to Create a Deeper, More Peaceful Hiking Experience – Dave Caliebe Dave is an enthusiast . . . he introduced William Drew who led us through a ‘meditation exercise’ – a guided minfulness – similar to what Bob Moriarty did in the 70’s whith just a slightly different approach. There is a difference between Joy and Pleasure. Same, Smart, Strong, Best Version of Self. Read Adam Altar’s “Irresitible”.
I did not attend the morning sessions or Annual Membership
Meeting or evening Awards sessions.
1530-1700 Hiker’s Forum: Thousand Miler Stories
Hiker’s Jeopardy – five selected thousand-milers shared
what seemed to be prepared answers to questions. Nothing new that I hadn’t experienced.
SATURDAY
I did not attend the Welcome
1000 1130 Parenting is an Adventure: Take it outside with Hike It Baby A interesting approach – a group with a mission to create opportunities and remove barrier to access so families with babies and young children can take their first steps outside. I think I’ll forward this video to Amy.
1300 – 1430 Teaching Off Trail A very enthusiastic Peter Dargatz, Kindergarten Teacher at Woodside Elementary, Sussex talked about nature infused play. A play based program (Play Based-let the kids lead Place Based-snapshot Wisconsin trail camera program, Great Wisconsin Birding, removal of invasive garlic-mustard Project Based-service learning Personalized-needs of the kids). Apparently there is a Saunters young kids program sponsored by IATA. Tyke Hikes. DIRT DOESN’T HURT – WATER WILL DRY – NO SUCH THING AS BAD WEATHER. This guy was really good.
1500-163 Tales from the Trail: The Thousand Mile Journey of the Magic Woolies The Nowicki family shared their 2019 hike along the IAT with a 4 and 6 year old. Two parents with a love for the outdoors and of apparently fairly independent means. An interesting journey where they took their children on the Ice Age Trail starting at the Eastern Terminus March 23, 2019 and finishing July 29, 2019. Some camping, mostly stays in motels, and lots of side visits. A good amount of water crossings, mosquitos, and falls. To me they made it sound worse than it really was. Kept the kids interested by almost constant rewards.
1700-1800 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION Adventure of a Lifetime: The Ice Age Trail’s First Thru-Hiker – James Staudacher As a 20 year old Marquette University student Jim became the first person to hike the entire route of the Ice Age Trail in 1979. A most interesting tale. When the trail was nothing like it is today. He started May 14, 1978 at the Anahapee Trail and finished at Interstate Park on July 29,1979. Riley Tavern seems like a place to visit . . . . and I’d love to have a copy of the 1976 Guidebook to Ice Age Trail.
MONDAY
– April 19, 2021
WEATHER:
short sleeve weather in KY
TRAVEL: Burlington to Kentucky Dam Village
MINERAL MOUND GOLF COURSE
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| Kentucky Dam Village aerial view |
This peaceful setting on the shores of Lake
Barkley is historically linked to
the author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The property was once the farm of
Willis B. Machen, grandfather of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald. It’s not hard to
imagine the serene, Gatsby-style era from this park, with idyllic days of playing golf and
cruising the lake
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| Mineral Mound #10 Wayne |
fishing pier and a boat ramp.
Situated along the shores of Lake Barkley, Mineral Mound State Park Golf Course is a great place to spend the day and present a challenge to all level of players.
TUESDAY
– April 20, 2021
WEATHER:
wore shorts
TRAVEL: Kentucky Dam Village to Crossville, TN; 75 Eagle Ct, 576 Westchester Dr
DORCHESTER Golf Course
Dorchester Golf Club is an 18-hole course, secluded in Fairfield Glade
and featuring bentgrass tees and greens. The tree lined fairways are narrow,
requiring precision shot-making off the tees. Many water hazards and strategically
placed bunkers provide a challenge for every level of golfer.
Front Nine – White 3044 yds Gold – 2393 yds
Back Nine – White 2773 yds Gold
- 2442 yds
5817yds 4835 yds
Front Nine - shot from the Gold tees 48 with 2 lost balls, 1 whiff and 17 putts
Back Nine – shot from the Gold tees 60 with 4 lost balls 4 in the sand and 19 putts
WEDNESDAY
– ARPIL 20, 2021
WEATHER: snow flurries on the front nine - cold but not miserable if dressed for it high of 42 when we finished for the day
TRAVEL: 435 Lakeview Dr, Fairfield Glade, TN
DRUID HILLS Golf Course
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| Druid Hills #15 |
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| Druid Hills #15 |
Druid Hills Golf Club is an is an immaculately maintained 18-hole course that delivers spectacular vistas. Located on the highest point in Fairfield Glade, as the name suggest, Druid Hills provides several scenic views of the surrounding mountains. With rolling, tree-lined fairways, plenty of water, several doglegs, and undulation bent grass greens, Druid Hills is a true test of golf.
Front Nine – White 3042 yds Gold – 2547 yds
Back Nine – White 2785 yds Gold
- 2484 yds
5827yds 5031 yds
Front Nine - shot from the Gold tees 51 with 2 lost balls, 1 in the sand with 22 putts
Back Nine – shot from the Gold tees 54 with 2 lost balls and 17 putts
THURSDAY
– APRIL 21, 2021
WEATHER: cool to cold wore
winter gloves all day
TRAVEL: 421 Stonehenge Dr, Fairfield, TN
HEATHERHURST – BRAE Golf Course
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| Winter Golf Gloves I got these as a present years ago thinking when would I ?ever use them |
of the original Creek and Mountain 9-hole tracts. The front nine provides the most challenge. Including the number 4 hole, which features a double dogleg fairway. Some consider this hole as the toughest par 5 in Tennessee. The undulating fairways and encroaching bunkers guarantee a challenging and scenic round. Rated 4 stars by Golf Digest’s Places to Play.
Front Nine – White 2986 yds Gold – 2385 yds
Back Nine – White 2994 yds Gold - 2633 yds
5980yds 5018 yds
Front Nine - shot from the Gold tees 53 with 3 lost balls, 6 whiffs, and15 putts
Back Nine – shot from the Gold tees 54 with 1 lost ball, 2 in the sand, and 21 putts
FRIDAY
– APRIL 22, 2021
WEATHER:
cool and
cold, still a winter glove day
TRAVEL: 421 Stonehenge Dr, Fairfield Glade, TN
HEATHERHURST – CRAG Golf Course #17 is extremely scenic.
The completion of nine additional holes in mid-2000 created a
fun and challenging 18-hole course, called the Crag Course at Heatherhurst Golf Club. As with its sister, The Brae Course, it features Bent grass tees and greens. Its well-maintained,
wide fairways are great for the short hitters but some strategically placed
bunkers create a demanding day on the links. Heatherhurst’s original three nine-hole courses were all
given 4 stars from Golf Digest’s Places to Play.
Front Nine – White 2745 yds Gold
– 2403 yds
Back Nine – White 2819 yds Gold
- 2246 yds
5564yds 4649 yds
Front Nine - shot from the Gold tees 51with 24 putts
Back Nine – shot from the Gold tees 47 with 1 lost ball and 20 putts
SATURDAY
– APRIL 24, 2021
WEATHER: rained until –
drizzle – stopped around 2:30 pm – high of 59
TRAVEL: 222 Fairfield Blvd, Fairfield Glade, TN
STONEHENGE Golf Course
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| Stonehenge - Getting ready to play in the rain/drizzle |
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| Stonehenge Golf Club |
Architect Joe Lee has taken a pristine tract of land in the rolling and wooded Cumberland Plateau and made it his personal canvas for the masterpiece that is Stonehenge. The course gets its name from walls of native stone found throughout the 6,549 yard, par 72 layout. Natural rock outcroppings come into play on several holes, with a 15 foot layered stone retaining wall running along the left and rear of the signature downhill par 3, 14th hole. Stonehenge Golf Club is proud to feature bent grass tees, greens and fairways for prime playing conditions. During the winter of 2016-17 Stonehenge Golf Course underwent bunker renovations. This was accomplished in order to improve drainage and playability for a better golfing experience.
Front Nine – White 3154 yds Gold – 2607yds
Back Nine – White 3048 yds Gold
– 2485 yds
6202 yds 5092
yds
We played a nine hole scramble – three of the 4 teams tied at 1 over par, the 4th team was 2 over par. Some played a second nine hole scramble, I did not.
Dinner at Red’s Ale House – a reasonably priced 8 oz prime rib, with potato and salad and one beer for around $19. Very good.5x better than Spike’s.
SUNDAY
– APRIL 25, 2021
WEATHER: 47 ay 0600
TRAVEL: Crossville, TN (CDT) to Nancy, KY (EDT) ((2.6 hr drive, 124 miles on secondary roads, 25.9 mpg) to Clarksville, KY (CDT) (3 hr drive, 181 miles on Parkways or Interstates, 22.7 mpg)
Four guys in the group stayed another week, one went back to Florida early, three back back to Kenosha at 0600, Six back to southeast Wisconsin at 0700.
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| St. Francis of Assisi |
ALVIN C YORK State Park - Sergeant Alvin C. York State Historic Park is located nine miles
north of Jamestown in Pall Mall, Tennessee and pays tribute to one of the most
decorated soldiers of World War I. I was
on the wasy to Mill Springs so I stopped to visit. You could easily spend a couple of hours
here.
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| York General Store & Visitor Center |
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| York House |
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| Sgt York - Medal of Honor |
CANDLEWOOD SUITES Fort Campbell – Oak Grove, KY – mostly soldiers staying here. It is not on post. A large BOQ room/suites with full refrigerator, small 2 burner cooktop, some pots, pans, plates, etc. toaster, dishwasher, microwave, free laundry on the first floor. The military rate is $52 per night.
415
MILL SPRINGS National Monument, Nancy, KY
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| Mill Springs Signing Ceremony |
Interior David L. Bernhardt, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Congressman Hal Rogers formally established Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument in Nancy, Kentucky, as the 421st unit of the National Park System. Mill Springs was the site of the first major victory for the Union Army during the Civil War.
The Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument was the location of the Battle of Mill Springs (also known as Battle of Fishing Creek and as Battle of Logan's Crossroads) in January 1862. It was declared to be a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1993 and authorized as a national monument in 2019.
Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument is comprised of discontinuous segments in rural Kentucky in both Pulaski and Wayne Counties. Located roughly 1.5 hours / 80 miles south of Lexington, KY and 2 hours / 100 miles north of Knoxville, TN.
This was my 3rd visit to the battlefield. Except for a few National Park Service signs in the Visitor Center and no charge to go through the Visitor Center Museum – nothing’s changed – volunteers still man the front desk. No NPS literature in the bookstore.
Hope Fades for a Neutral Kentucky
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As hopes for Kentucky’s
neutrality faded away in the fall of 1861, Brigadier General Felix K. Zollicoffer led his Confederate army of 7,000 soldiers
out of Knoxville, Tennessee, through the Cumberland Gap, and into eastern
Kentucky to “preserve peace, protect the railroad, and repel invasion.” Zollicoffer, a newspaper publisher and three-term U.S.
Congressman from Nashville, Tennessee, had limited military experience,
serving briefly in the Seminole Wars. A brief run-in with Union forces
stationed at Camp Wildcat on October 21, 1861,
pushed Zollicoffer’s forces back to Cumberland
Ford near present-day Pineville, Kentucky. However, this would not be the
last time Zollicoffer would venture deep into
eastern Kentucky with the hopes of securing the border state for the Confederacy.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General George H. Thomas,
a West Point graduate, veteran of the Mexican-American War, and native
Virginian who remained loyal to the Union, took command of Union forces stationed
at Camp Dick Robinson in Kentucky. In a few
short months, the two armies under the command of these generals would meet
on the field of battle. |
Strategic Mill Springs
|
In November 1861, Zollicoffer moved his troops to a defensive position
in Mill Springs, Kentucky, on the south
bank of the Cumberland River. From his winter encampment, he kept an eye on
the Union forces concentrating in the communities of Somerset and Lebanon. The
Cumberland River offered access to the interior farmland of Kentucky and
served as both a supply route and a natural barrier, making it an ideal
strategic location for their winter stay. Zollicoffer immediately ordered the construction of earthworks and
trenches to further protect his position at Mill Springs. During this time, Zollicoffer reportedly used two nearby houses as
temporary headquarters during the winter: the modest West-Metcalfe House,
located approximately a mile away from Mill Springs, and the Brown-Lanier House located near the Mill
Springs grist mill. |
Zollicoffer's Folly?
|
After establishing his
position on the south bank of the Cumberland River, Zollicoffer decided to ferry the majority of his
troops and supplies to the northern riverbank to fortify Beech Grove, a
narrow strip of land between White Oak Creek and the Cumberland River. This
maneuver, widely considered to be a tactical error because the river now
blocked the Confederate army’s only path of retreat, was actually part of Zollicoffer’s overall military strategy. By locating the
bulk of his forces north of the river, he felt a more aggressive stance could
succeed and give a tactical advantage and a clear path to attack if Union
forces tried to move south or slip past Mill Springs to take the Cumberland Gap. A native Kentuckian, Confederate Major General George Bibb Crittenden, son of U.S. Senator John Crittenden, was placed in overall command of the District of Eastern Tennessee and was sent west to take command of the troops wintering at Mill Springs. When Crittenden arrived at Mill Springs on January 7, 1862, he found about 5,000 of Zollicoffer’s troops camped on the north bank of the Cumberland River and 12 pieces of artillery positioned at Beech Grove, while the remaining 1,500 men and 4 artillery pieces remained at Mill Springs on the south bank. He immediately demanded that Zollicoffer return his troops and all supporting artillery to the more protected south side of the river as soon as possible, but the swollen Cumberland River hampered this withdrawal.  |
The Union Advances
|
Union General George Thomas was ordered to move his Union troops
toward Logan’s Cross Roads while Brigadier General
Albin Francisco Schoepf’s troops were on their way
from Somerset. Together, they would concentrate their combined forces to
drive the Confederate army out of Kentucky. Slowed by dismal winter weather conditions and muddy roads, Thomas’s Union army marched into Logan’s Cross Roads (present-day Nancy, Kentucky) on January 17, 1862. Unknown to the Confederate command at the time, Schoepf’s forces had also arrived at the rendezvous point, wading across the swollen Fishing Creek on their march from Somerset. Fearing that the combined Union forces of Thomas and Schoepf would overpower the Confederate’s fortified Beech Grove encampment, Crittenden held a council of war on January 18th. The decision was made to take the enemy by surprise and mount an offensive attack the next day. At midnight on January 19th, the Confederate army began their march to meet the enemy at Logan’s Cross Roads with Zollicoffer commanding the lead brigade. The winter rain left the road muddy, slowing the troops and dampening most of the Confederate’s gunpowder and muskets. Crittenden had hoped to take the Union army by surprise, but pickets of the 1st Kentucky Cavalry and 10th Indiana encountered the vanguard of the Confederate army, firing the first shots of the Battle of Mill Springs around 6:30 a.m. near Timmy’s Branch.
Following this initial skirmish, units from Mississippi and Tennessee advanced on the Union positions but encountered stiff resistance from the 10th Indiana Infantry and the 4th Kentucky Infantry of the Union Army. Confederate troops west of the road, led by Zollicoffer, pressured the Union troops while the regiments east of the road attempted to flank Union troops from below at a ravine. The battle seesawed back and forth until Thomas sent reinforcements forward to stabilize the Union position. |
Loss of a Leader
Tennessee to order a cease fire, convinced these troops were firing on their fellow Confederates. Confederate Colonel Speed S. Fry of the 4th Kentucky warned Zollicoffer “General, it’s the enemy,” but it was too late. A volley of Union fire mortally wounded Zollicoffer, who became one of the first Confederate generals to be killed in combat. During the battle, his body was moved from the Mill Springs Road and placed under a white oak tree, which became known as the Zollie Tree. Left without a leader, confusion filtered through the Confederate ranks as momentum began to shift toward the Union forces.  |
The Tide Turns
successful bayonet charges of the Civil War, folding the Confederate Army’s left flank. This attack coupled with the 2nd Minnesota charge on the center of the line beat back Confederate forces and broke their line. The remaining Confederate forces retreated to their fortified encampment at Beech Grove. The 16th Alabama launched a counter attack, holding off advancing Union troops long enough to allow the rest of the Confederate Army to escape and preventing a total rout. This area later became known as Last Stand Hill and is located approximately 1,500 feet south of Zollicoffer Park.
The Battle of Mill Springs was over, giving the Union Army its first decisive victory of the western theater of the Civil War. Confederate losses at the battle were reported at 552 casualties (148 killed and 404 wounded) with 262 Union casualties (55 killed, and 207 wounded). Critically, the Union victory dislodged the Confederate threat from eastern Kentucky, set in motion the collapse of the Confederate defensive line in the state, and helped secure Kentucky’s loyalty on the side of the Union cause. |
Impacts of the Battle
|
Much more than a
strategic victory for the Union Army, the Battle of Mill Springs served as a
In an issue of Harper’s Weekly dated February 8, 1862, the magazine used the victory at Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Somerset, to evaluate the status of the Confederate army in Kentucky and assess the war effort as a whole. According to the article, The Union Victory at Somerset, Kentucky: “The advantages which this victory gives us in clearing East Kentucky of rebel armies, and opening the way to the capture of Bowling Green and an immediate advance into Tennessee are evident. It remains only for us to consider the direct and indirect effects of our triumph upon the people of the rebel States. …Still, if we may trust at all to the signs of the times, this victory at Somerset inaugurates the close of the rebellion and may be not inappropriately termed ‘the beginning of the end.’” The victory at Mill Springs was closely followed by Union victories at Fort Henry (February 6, 1862) and Fort Donelson (February 11 – 16, 1862), bringing Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant to national prominence. The Union Army’s strategy to control Kentucky is best summed up by Abraham Lincoln’s comment written to his friend O.H. Browning in a letter dated September 22, 1861: “I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone, we cannot hold Missouri, nor Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us. We would as well consent to separation at once, including the surrender of this capitol.” |
MONDAY
April 26, 2021
WEATHER: 43 at 0515 high of 79 driving through Illinois & Wisconsin
TRAVEL: Fort Campbell, KY to St. Genevieve NHP (213 miles, 2.5 hours) to Burlington (408 miles, 5.5 hours, 27.2 mpg)
415 STE. GENEVIEVE National Historical Park, 99 South Main Street, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670
Quaint, quiet - a
nice place to visit. You could spend
several hours exploring the town and shops.
Act of 2018 on March 23, 2018. The act incorporates by reference Section 7134 of Senate Bill 1460, which authorizes the establishment of Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System "to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the themes of French settlement, vernacular architecture, and community form and farming on the frontier associated with Ste. Genevieve."
During its 2018 legislative session, the
Missouri General Assembly passed Senate Bill 907, authorizing the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources to convey property in Ste. Genevieve
to the United States for inclusion in this unit of the National Park Service.
On July 17, 2018, the Midwest Regional Director of the National Park Service
approved the acquisition through donation of the property known as the Bauvais-Amoureux House.
The Jean-Baptiste Valle House was also acquired through donation in
February 2020.
On October 30, 2020, Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park was formally established as the 422nd
unit of the National Park Service. On
November 2, 2020, a formal dedication ceremony took place at the Jean-Baptiste Valle House.
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| Part of a large model of Ste. Genevieve in the Visitor Center |
The Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park's visitor center is housed in what was known as the Great River Road Interpretive Center.
A true embodiment of the "melting pot" metaphor, Ste. Genevieve is rich with history, telling the stories of the people that lived and settled the land. The Ste. Genevieve culture was unlike anything else in what is now the United States. It is also substantially different from its parent cultures in Canada, Louisiana, and France. As a cultural zone it was unique in terms of law, religion, customs, use of the land, architecture, personal philosophy, slave law, and even in a skewed version of spoken and written French.
In Illinois Country, class structure was relaxed. Unlike Canada, class it was not distinct. There were few if any titled individuals. The word habitant was not synonymous with peasant, as it was in Canada, but instead simply stood for a settler.
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| Ste. Genevieve map |
Like food, language helps define a culture. In Sainte Genevieve it was a melding of cultures. Thus new words came into being. Learn how people and place influence common terms still in use today.
The pattern of land usage, settlement, and agriculture that developed in the middle Mississippi River Valley during the 18th century was unique in North America. The system paralleled the communal agriculture of northern France during the period of the high Middle Ages.
By 1804 there had developed an odd mixture of French and Spanish law in Illinois Country, that made the communities more akin to democratic New England than to France or to Canada.
Cooking in the Illinois country was region-specific and thus unique. It has been described as the art form found nowhere else.
The Amoureux House and Jean Baptiste Valle House are two places to explore while in town that are owned by the National Park Service.
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| Louis Boldec House - model. There were several models of homes in the VC displaying the various types of architecture. Interesting that all these homes survived the New Madrid Quake of 1811 and 1812 |
The Jean-Baptiste Valle House is noteworthy because of its association with the last political and military leader (Commandant) of Ste. Genevieve before the American take-over in 1804. The outside of the house features a prominent rose garden believed to be the first West of the Mississippi River.
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| Ste. Genevieve Jean-Baptisite Valle House is acroos from the VC |
Tuesday August 17, 2021
WEATHER: 53 at 0530 Burlington, WI – mid-80’s and muggy in Washington, DC
TRAVEL: DELTA 0700 MKE- AR ATL 0958 LV ATL 1200 – AR DCA (Washington-Reagan) 1344 – taxi to HGVC The District (Embassy Suites Georgetown) METRO (Foggy Bottom to Smithsonian) – Dwight D. Eisenhower National Memorial – return via METRO (L’Enfant to Foggy Bottom)
The
District by Hilton Grand Vacations is located on the top 2 floors of Embassy Suites –
Georgetown. Actually, a good stay at a
reasonable cost – 2 free drinks during happy hour and breakfast included.
417 DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER National Memorial, Independence Avenue SW between 4th and 6th Streets, Washington, DC
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| Eisenhower Memorial - Night View (NPS Photo) |
MAKING THE MEMORIAL - The Dwight D. Eisenhower Commission was established by Congress in 2000. The memorial was designed by architect Frank Gehry. It features bronze sculptures, stone bas reliefs by Sergey Eylanbekov, and a one-of-a-kind stainless steel tapestry.
The memorial is the 5th presidential memorial at the National Mall and Memorial Parks and is one of 421 parks in the National Park System.
The National Park Service formally welcomed the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial as America's 420th unit of the National Park System on Sept. 18, 2020. The memorial honors Eisenhower’s legacy as the World War II Supreme Allied Commander and nation's 34th president
“THE PROUDEST THING I CAN CLAIM IS THAT I AM FROM ABILENE” Eisenhower referred to himself as “a simple country boy.” Nicknamed “Ike,” an abbreviation of his last name, Eisenhower was born on October 14, 1890 in Dennison, Texas. The family moved to the small town of Abilene, Kansas when Ike was two years old. In Abilene, the
Lacking money for college, Ike’s way out of Abilene was delayed for two years. He worked while his older brother Edgar attended college. Learning that the military academies charged no tuition, Ike took and passed entrance exams for the US Naval Academy and the US Military Academy at West Point. He was too old for the Navy. In 1911, he earned an appointment to West Point.
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| General Eisenhower with US paratroopers |
“THE EYES OF THE WORLD ARE UPON YOU” The Army valued Eisenhower for his organizational and team building skills. Rather than sending him to fight in World War I, he was stationed stateside. His first assignment was Fort Sam Houston where he met his future wife, Mamie Geneva Doud.
Seen as a natural leader by Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, Eisenhower was selected to plan the United States’ war effort. He was then sent to Europe where he forged soldiers, sailors, and airmen from the US and other countries into an effective team. Ike’s diplomacy and determination created a multinational headquarters that controlled British and American units. His forces liberated North Africa, Sicily, and Southern Italy.
The culmination of Eisenhower’s work was
the D-Day
attack on occupied France. On, June 5, 1944, paratroopers jumped from planes
while ships and planes bombed the Germans. The next morning, British, Canadian,
and American troops stormed ashore from landing craft. US Army Rangers climbed
the hundred-foot-tall cliffs at Pointe du Hoc and destroyed an artillery position.
Before leaving for the D-Day attack all servicemen
received Ike’s “Order of the Day”. He highlighted the battle’s importance. “You are about to embark on the Great Crusade...The eyes of
the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving peoples
everywhere march with you...We will accept nothing less than full Victory!”
“WE MUST BE READY TO DARE ALL FOR OUR COUNTRY”
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| Eisenhower on White House lawn with grand-daughter Susan and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower |
After the war, Eisenhower became President of Columbia University. In 1952 he ran for president of the United States and won in a landslide. Upon taking office, Eisenhower prayed for, “all the people regardless of station, race, or calling.” He raised the minimum wage and grew Social Security. He started the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Intent on making the US as productive as possible, Ike created the Interstate Highway System.
In his inaugural address, Eisenhower stated, “We reject any insinuation that one race or another... is in
any sense inferior or expendable.”
He put this idea into action by implementing the integration of the military.
He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, protecting African American’s right to
vote. It was the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction. Days
later, Ike sent 1,200 soldiers to Little Rock Arkansas to make sure nine black
students could attend high school.
|
Eisenhower’s first principle for achieving world peace
was “abhorring war as a
chosen way to balk the purposes of those who threaten us.” As such, he sought to
end international conflicts. He brought the Korean War to an unofficial end.
When Britain threatened war on Egypt, his team negotiated a peaceful
resolution. |
Wednesday August 17, 2021
WEATHER: low 70’s to mid-80’s Washington, DC humid – same in Fredericksburg, V
TRAVEL: taxi to Washington-Reagan and meet Chicago Civil War Roundtable bus to Hilton Garden Inn Fredericksburg.
Attempted to visit the Smithsonian National African American Museum. However, it was a ticketed free-entry and all the tickets were taken up for the next 7 days. The Smithsonian Museum of American History was closed. No great desire to visit the Smithsonian Museum of National History or Air and Space again. So, it was a 15 walk to the Foggy Bottom Station, it was humid and I’ve visited so much in DC that I thought I’d just update this blog and prepare for upcoming Chicago Civil War Roundtable tour.
Unfortunate that HGVC The District could not extend my check-out time or allow me access to the Owner’s Lounge. So much for ELITE status. I’m doing the updates in the lobby.
Hilton Garden Inn Fredericksburg is serving as the ‘base hotel’ for the 70th Battlefield Tour of the Chicago Civil War Roundtable.
Thursday
August 19, 2021
WEATHER: 73 at 0600, 93% humidity forecast high of 91
TRAVEL: Chatham – Upper River Crossin - Pelham’s
Corner – Slaughter Pen Farm – LUNCH - Prospect Hill –– NPS Book Store & Sunken
Road/Maryre’s Heights.
This is my 11th tour with the Chicago Civil War Roundtable since 2009. Everyone has be a wonderful experience. However, this is the first without Primary Guide Ed Bearss who past away last year. Additionally, several other longtime members of the Roundtable have also passed Marshall Krolick and Terry Carr. Although, I’ve visited here several times before it’s always a new experience and opportunity to review or learn more. My last visit here was on 8 Nov 2014. Previously visited with the Chicago Civil War Roundtable Annual Tour in 2010 "The Overland Campaign" which started with the Battle of the Wilderness. Additionally, there was at least one more visit to this area before that.
139 FREDERICKSBURG and SPOTSYLVANIA National Military Park 1013 Lafayette Blvd, Fredericksburg, VA 22401
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| Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park - several battlefields and the site of "Stonewall" Jackson's death Fairview Plantation near Guinea Station |
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania--this is America's battleground, where the Civil War roared to its bloody climax. No place more vividly reflects the War's tragic cost in all its forms. A town bombarded and looted. Farms large and small ruined. Refugees by the thousands forced into the countryside. More than 85,000 men wounded; 15,000 killed--most in graves unknown.
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| Chatham Manor |
CHATHAM - Chatham Manor is one of the most visited places in the park because of its beautiful gardens and sweeping view of Fredericksburg. In 1771, Chatham was a lavish plantation that outwardly boasted the wealth of its owners while being sustained by the labor of enslaved African Americans. Throughout its 250 years, Chatham has been a reflection of the social, economic, and political changes in the American South.
The Civil War brought change and destruction to Chatham. At the time the house was owned by James Horace Lacy, a former schoolteacher who had married Churchill Jones's niece. As a plantation owner and slaveholder, Lacy sympathized with the South, and at the age of 37 he left Chatham to serve the Confederacy as a staff officer. His wife and children remained at the house until the spring of 1862, when the arrival of Union troops forced them to abandon the building and move across the river. For much of the next thirteen months, Chatham would be occupied by the Union army.
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| View of Fredericksburg and the Rappahannock River below Chatham Manor |
Seven months after Lincoln's visit, fighting erupted at Fredericksburg
itself. In November 1862, General Ambrose E. Burnside brought the
120,000-man Army of the Potomac to Fredericksburg. Using pontoon
bridges, Burnside crossed the Rappahannock River below Chatham,
seized Fredericksburg, and launched a series of bloody assaults against Lee's
Confederates, who held the high ground behind the town. One of Burnside's top
generals, Edwin Sumner, observed the battle from Chatham, while Union
artillery batteries shelled the Confederates from adjacent bluffs.
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| Replica (built to two-thirds scale for the movie 'Gods and Generals' located at Chatham Manor |
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| Fredericksburg -Upper River Crossing |
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| Rappahannock River - Upper River Crossing All of the pontoon sites were at existing ferry sties because roads led to and from them |
These shots came from a brigade of Mississippians under William Barksdale . Their job was to delay any Federal attempt to negotiate the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg. Nine distinct and desperate attempts were made to complete the bridge[s] reported a Confederate officer, "but every one was attended by such heavy loss that the efforts were abandoned.."
Burnside now turned to his artillery chief, Brigadier General Henry
J. Hunt, and ordered him to blast Fredericksburg into submission with some
150 guns trained on the city from Stafford Heights. Such a barrage would
surely dislodge the Confederate infantry and permit completion of the bridges.
Shortly after noon, Hunt gave the signal to commence fire. "Rapidly
the huge guns vomited forth their terrible shot and shell into every corner and
thoroughfare of [Fredericksburg]," remembered an eyewitness.
The
bombardment continued for nearly two hours, during which 8,000 projectiles
rained destruction on Fredericksburg. Then the grand cannonade ceased
and the engineers ventured warily to the ends of their unfinished bridges.
Suddenly -impossibly - muzzles flashed again from the cobble-strewn streets and
more pontoniers tumbled into the cold waters of the Rappahannock.
Burnside now authorized volunteers to ferry themselves across the river
in the clumsy pontoon boats. Men from Michigan, Massachusetts, and New
York scrambled aboard the scows, frantically pulling at oars to navigate the
hazardous 400 feet to the Confederates' side. Once on shore, the Federals
charged Barksdale's marksmen who, despite orders to fall back, fiercely
contested each block in a rare example of street fighting during the Civil War.
After dusk the brave Mississippians finally withdrew to their main line, the
bridge builders completed their work, and the Army of the Potomac
entered Fredericksburg.
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| Map - Battle of Fredericksburg (note PELHAM - with one gun the 'gallant Pelham' fired into the flank of the Federal forces. It was still foggy and the Federals did not expect confederates on their flank) |
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| Marker at Pelham's Corner |
Pelham’s Corner today occupies a busy
commercial intersection at modern day Routes 2/17 (Tidewater Trail) and
Benchmark Road. It has long been memorialized as the spot where Pelham
made his stand that December morning. The Central Virginia Battlefields
Trust (CVBT) sought to preserve this site early on but the property owner
had intentions of developing the historic crossroads. In 1999 the CVBT
purchased two small nearby parcels equating to 0.63 acres that were of
negligible importance. The intent was to use them for some future
advantage.
 |
| Slaughter Pen Farm - Battle of Fredericksburg |
SLAUGHTER PEN FARM At Slaughter Pen Farm in Spotsylvania County, part of the Fredericksburg battlefield, Union Col. Charles H. T. Collis gallops to the front of his 114th Pennsylvania Infantry, seizes the regiment's colors, and rallies his men for another attack on Dec. 13, 1862. For his extraordinary valor under fire, Collis received the Medal of Honor. German artist Carl Rochling later painted the scene
 |
| Slaughter Pen Farm - Battle of Fredericksburg |
LUNCH at Brock’s Riverside Grill
PROSPECT HILL - Fourteen guns anchored the right or southern end of the Confederate line at Prospect Hill, the last of a series of hills and ridges. Confederate cavalry extended the line further south to Massaponax Creek. Today all fourteen gun pits remain, several contain Civil War period cannon.
General Burnside's attack was focused on this high ground held by "Stonewall" Jackson's Corps. Although Meade's division temporarily broke through at the previous tour stop, Confederate artillery from Prospect Hill helped stop the attackers. Union artillery lashed back killing so many Confederate battery horses that the place was later called "Dead Horse Hill."
The Battle of Fredericksburg is one of the most misunderstood campaigns in all of American military history. Most view the battle as futile frontal assaults on a fixed fortified enemy position. Confederate soldiers were so well positioned that they had an easy victory, mowing down thousands of Federal soldiers in front of the now-infamous Marye’s Heights. The reality of what happened on December 13th is far different than the story that has been told by the majority of the battle’s participants, as well by as many historians. The Battle of Fredericksburg was not a one-sided affair. It was not an easy Confederate victory. In fact, it was a close-fought thing. The Union army came within reach of decisively defeating General Robert E. Lee’s vaunted Army of Northern Virginia.
The Federal plan that General Ambrose Burnside decided upon was simple enough: a pre-dawn, nearly simultaneous assault on the Confederate lines. 1) On the Union left, Burnside amassed nearly 65,000 Federal soldiers. They were to attack across a plain south of Fredericksburg, strike the Confederate right and push it to the west and to the north—away from the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. This would place the Federals between the enemy and their capital. 2) As the rebels were driven back on their right, another Federal force would attack out of the city of Fredericksburg itself. These Union soldiers would hit the Confederate left at Marye’s Heights. These Union troops were meant to tie down the enemy in the northern sector of the battlefield so that they would be unable to shift south and assist their counterparts on the Confederate right, while hopefully dislodging the enemy from their strong position. It was a solid plan on paper; however, the execution of the plan was severely flawed.
NPS VISITOR CENTER is closed but the bookstore was open
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| Located t the NPS Visitor Center near Marye's Heights this phot is a very accurate representation of the conflict sites during the Battle of Fredericksburg |
for seven miles on a series of hills and ridges with the left flank secure on the Rappahannock River above Fredericksburg and the right flank anchored on Massaponax Creek. The most famous part of this high ground were two hills, Willis Hill and Marye's Hill, that the soldiers referred to as Marye's Heights.
During the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederate artillery and infantry lined the heights. Not a single Union soldier reached the heights, although 8,000 fell in the attempt. Five months later during the Chancellorsville Campaign (sometimes called 2nd Fredericksburg), Confederate artillery and infantry were spread thin and Union soldiers seized the heights.
On December 14, 1862 the day after the major assaults, thousands of injured and suffering Union soldiers in front of the stone wall cried for help. Richard Rowland Kirkland, a 19 year old sergeant from South Carolina, voluntarily risked his life to take water and provide assistance to the suffering Union soldiers. He later became famous as the Angel of Marye's Heights. Interesting that the guides made no mention of this soldier or this monument.
Dinner at the base hotel – the speaker was Chris Mackowksi, from the “Emerging Civil War.” His topic was Stonewall Jackson and the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Friday
August 20, 2021
WEATHER: 72 at 6am, 100% humidity, cloudy forecast high of 76 with chance of rain all day
TRAVEL: Stafford Civil War Park – Old Town Fredericksburg – Lunch- Hartwood Church – Kelly’s Ford
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| Replica of log hut used by soldiers |
STAFFORD CIVIL WAR PARK – This 41-acre park tells the story of the Army of the Potomac’s Winter Encampment in 1863. More than 135,000 soldiers occupied Stafford County while their new commander, General Joseph Hooker rebuilt his army. This critical time has been referred to in soldier’s letters as “The Union Army’s Valley Forge.” The Stafford Civil War Park preserves 3 earthen artillery fortifications, many winter hut holes, a Colonial bridge abutment and a corduroy road.
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| Soldiers winter quarters |
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| XI Corps Artillery - Stafford Park |
OLD TOWN FREDERICKSBURG – Three trails begin in downtown Fredericksburg and explore different aspects of the battle. Read “Fire in the Streets” for a tour of street fighting sites; see “Assault on Marye’s Heights” to follow in the footsteps of attacking Union soldiers; and “Kenmore Walking Trail” details Kenmore Plantation's role in the Battle of Fredericksburg.
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| James Monroe Home |
James Monroe practiced law here in Fredericksburg and later was governor of Virginia and the fifth president of the United States. Monrovia, the capital of the African country of Liberia was named for him because of his interest and activity in the American Colonization Society which encouraged black migration to Liberia.
Fredericksburg
was a slave town. In 1860, one-third of its population was enslaved. The
domestic slave trade here was a significant industry–local newspapers routinely
carried ads for the sale of slaves. jails dotted the landscape, and slave
coffles were a common sight in town.
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| Greg Mertz in front of the home in which lived a local member of the American Colonization Society (acorss from the Monroe Home) |
Starting in the 1830s, the Society
was met with great hostility from white abolitionists, led by Gerrit Smith, who
had supported the Society financially, and William Lloyd Garrison, author of Thoughts on African
Colonization (1832), in which he proclaimed the Society a fraud.
According to Garrison and his many followers, the Society was not a solution to
the problem of American slavery—it actually was helping, and
was intended to help, to preserve it
Since the 1840s, Lincoln, an admirer of Clay, had been an advocate of the ACS
program of colonizing blacks in Liberia. Early in his presidency, Abraham Lincoln tried
repeatedly to arrange resettlement of the kind the ACS supported, but each arrangement failed.
Some scholars believe
that Lincoln
abandoned the idea by 1863, following the use of black troops. Biographer Stephen B. Oates has
observed that Lincoln thought it immoral to ask black soldiers to fight for the
U.S. and then to remove them to Africa after their military service. Others,
such as the historian Michael Lind,
believe that as late as 1864, Lincoln continued to hold out
hope for colonization, noting that he allegedly asked Attorney General Edward Bates if
the Reverend James Mitchell could
stay on as "your assistant or aid in the matter of executing the several
acts of Congress relating to the emigration or colonizing of the freed
Blacks". Mitchell, a former state
director of the ACS in
Indiana, had been appointed by Lincoln in 1862 to oversee the
government's colonization programs.
By late into his first
term as president, Lincoln had
publicly abandoned the idea of colonization after speaking about it with Frederick Douglass,[ who
objected harshly to it. On April 11, 1865, with the war drawing to a close, Lincoln
gave a public speech at the White House supporting suffrage for
blacks, a speech that led actor John Wilkes Booth,
who was vigorously opposed to emancipation and black suffrage, to assassinate
him.
LUNCH – Colonial Tavern Home of the Irish Brigade
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| Hartwood Church |
Presbyterian who left his native Ireland in 1803 because of religious persecution. After leaving Ireland, he settled in the Hartwood area of Stafford County, Virginia. The closest Presbyterian church was in Fredericksburg, so Irvine and other Presbyterians were interested in establishing a church that was closer to their homes in Stafford and the surrounding areas. Under the advisement of Winchester Presbytery, about forty members organized a new Presbyterian congregation as the Yellow Chapel Church on July 22, 1825. Until 1983 Hartwood was the only Presbyterian church in Stafford County.
Like
many of the churches in the area, Hartwood Presbyterian was
occupied by both Northern and Southern troops.
The Union Army occupied it for the most time. They set up camp there,
causing great damage to the building.
Hartwood Presbyterian was frequently the scene of contests between portions of the two armies, for its possession, but was finally left in the hands of the Federal Union Army. They used it for a hospital where the sick & wounded were brought. They were sometimes without physicians, and many necessary comforts were supplied as far as possible by the citizens, both by their visits and their means.
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| Hartwood Church |
Hartwood Presbyterian
Church was the specific site of Wade Hampton’s November 1862
capture of 137 men of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, most of whom were asleep
inside the church building. According to the later assessment of Douglas
Southhall Freeman, this was “the first independent operation undertaken in
Virginia exclusively by cavalry from states farther south.” The Union officer
in charge, Captain George Johnson of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry, was subsequently
dishonorably discharged for “negligence and disregard for orders” in connection
with the capture. The church was also the specific location of five skirmishes
in the fall of 1863.
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| Hartwood Church |
During the Civil War, all the wooden parts of the building were used for firewood, and a description of the church’s condition written in 1866 recorded that “at the last not one vestige of the timbers or flooring was left. The pulpit, carpet, seats, blinds, sash, doors and evervthing that was combustible was burned leaving the brick walls standing.” The same document contains a list of members who pledged from one dollar to ten dollars each to rebuild and restore the church.
It
is likely that some of the unmarked graves, or others not apparent in the
church graveyard, are those of soldiers who died in the skirmishes at the
church or during its hospital use during the Civil War. There are two
Civil War veterans buried in the church’s cemetery whose graves are clearly
marked. One is Francis Mankey, Co. B, 98th Regt. Penn. Infantry and the
other is Elisha J. Bell, CSA.
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| The Federal Army's march to Chancellorsville Kelly's Ford |
KELLY”S FORD – Kelly’s Ford on the Rappahannock was
more fought-over, marched-over, more-often, than any other single river
crossing during the entire Civil War.
Because of its strategic positioning four miles below the Orange
and Alexandria railhead at Rappahannock Station (Remington), and
situated two miles south of the Carolina Road, the major north-south byway of
the period, there was no doubt Kelly’s Ford would be fought over once
the war began. This reality was materially compounded considering the Rappahannock
marked the dividing line between contending forces throughout 1862-1863.
A brief military chronology illustrating the significance of Kelly’s
Ford:
In March 1862, General Joseph Johnston fell back
from Centreville and was the first Confederate commander to fortify the south
bank of Rappahannock from Kelly’s Ford upriver to Freeman’s Ford.
In July 1862, Union General John Pope, the, first
Yankee to invade Culpeper County, advanced his 45,000-man “Army of Virginia”
into Culpeper County at various fords, including Kelly’s.
August 1862 witnessed Confederates under General James Longstreet
engaged in a hot artillery duel back and forth across Kelly’s Ford against John
Pope’s big guns.
On February 24, 1863, a Southern cavalry column commanded
by General Fitzhugh Lee forded at Kelly’s and attacked a Federal outpost
at Hartwood Church.
In the first all-cavalry action of the war, General William
Averell inaugurated the “Battle of Kelly’s Ford,” March 17, 1863
when he charged his division over the ford and engaged in an all-day battle
with a Rebel brigade. The peerless Confederate artillerist, Major John
Pelham, was mortally wounded in this fierce action.
In late April 1863, “Stoneman’s Raid” began at
Kelly’s when a large Federal force of over 10,000 troopers advanced toward
Richmond in an attempt to sever Confederate communications. Following closely
on their heels were three full corps of Federal infantry—more than 50,000
soldiers—as General Joseph Hooker opened the Chancellorsville
Campaign at Kelly’s Ford.
In June 1863, two Union cavalry divisions and an infantry
brigade crossing at Kelly’s helped set in motion the largest cavalry battle of
the war as the “Battle of Brandy Station” was kicked off, inaugurating
the war’s threshold military event, the Gettysburg Campaign.
In August, September and October 1863, both armies
jockeyed for possession of the Piedmont as repeated, ferocious cavalry actions
took place at Kelly’s Ford.
On November 7, 1863, the “Battle of Rappahannock
Station” occurred as thousands of Federals under General William French
attacked General Dick Ewell’s Corps at Kelly’s Ford, resulting in a
decisive Union victory.
In December 1863, thousands of Yankees camped at Kelly’s Ford
for five months as every square inch of ground on both sides of the river was
taken over for campsites.
In early May 1864, the “Overland Campaign” began
as the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac crossed at Kelly’s Ford and headed
toward the Rapidan River and the Wilderness, just beyond. And at that point,
the war essentially ended at Kelly’s Ford. But the damage was done, and it
would take many, many decades for Kelly’s Ford to recover from the savage
ravages of Civil War.
Dinner at the base hotel, presentation by Greg Mertz.
Saturday
August 21, 2021
WEATHER: 70 at 0600, partly cloudy, cleared during the day to a high around 80
TRAVEL: Chancellorsville First Day Field – NPS Visitor Center – Lee Jackson Bivouac Site – Catharine Furnace - Jackson’s Flank March – Lunch – Union Defensive Line - Hazel Grove – Fairview – NPS Visitor Center – Site of Jackson’s Recon – Bullock Farm and Apex of Union Defensive Line - Fun Night at Stevenson’s Ridge
139 FREDERICKSBURG
and SPOTSYLVANIA National Military Park Chancellorsville Visitor Center 9001 Plank Rd, Spotsylvania Courthouse,
VA 22553
Major
General Ambrose E. Burnside lasted only a single
campaign at the head of the Army of the Potomac. His abject failure at
Fredericksburg in December, 1862, followed by further fumbling on January's
"Mud March," convinced President Abraham Lincoln to make another change in army commanders.
Major
General Joseph Hooker's energetic make-over
polished the Northern army into tip-top condition, and with more strength than
ever before. Seizing the initiative, Hooker
developed a “perfect” but poorly executed plan to trap Robert E. Lee’s army around Fredericksburg between two pincers
of his force. With around 130,000 men to Lee’s 60,000, Hooker outmaneuvered Lee
the last days of April, when the weather finally allowed roads to harden for
marching.
First
to move was the Union cavalry which conducted a wide, sweeping movement to the
west and then south, but too far away to have any impact on the coming battle.
Next, Hooker kept Maj. Gen. John
Sedgwick’s VI Corps
opposite Fredericksburg to occupy Lee’s attention along the Rappahannock River.
Swinging north and west beyond Lee's left with the remainder of
his army, Hooker approached the Chancellorsville road intersection on the last
evening in April with his V,
IX and XII Corps.
Continuing eastward toward Lee’s
rear, he hoped to escape
the clutches of the Wilderness — the tangled, brush-choked thickets that
covered the area around the Chancellor
family home and tavern.
STOP 1 Spotsylvania County Museum (Civil War
Trust Property) east of the Chancellorsville Crossroads CHANCELLORSVILLE
FIRST DAY FIELD – On May 1, 1863, the Battle of Chancellorsville
begins in Virginia. Earlier in the year, General Joseph
Hooker led the Army of the Potomac
into Virginia to confront Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. ... The
well-executed plan placed the Army of Northern Virginia in grave danger.
On May 1, Lee hurriedly gathered his army from its camps. Missing Lieut. Gen. James Longstreet and two divisions of his army wing on a supply gathering expedition in southeast Virginia, Lee hoped to stall Hooker in the Wilderness, where the Union advantage in manpower would be negated. Lee divided his smaller army and pushed his main body west along the Orange Turnpike and the Orange Plank Road toward Hooker, leaving Maj. Gen. Jubal Early’s division to watch Sedgwick at Fredericksburg.
The
two forces met near the Zoan Church three miles east of
Chancellorsville late on the morning of May 1. On the turnpike, the Union V Corps met Lafayette McLaws’ division and was pushed back after three
hours of fighting. Elements of the XII Corps were likewise stopped by Richard Anderson’s division on the Plank Road
to the south. Then, inexplicably, Hooker
ordered his corps commanders to fall back to Chancellorsville, somehow believing it better to have Lee to attack him there. However, Hooker now loses the initiative.
STOP 2 Chancellorsville Visitor Center (rest stop)
STOP 3 Meeting of Lee & Jackson (Bivouac Site – Orange Plank Rd & Catharine Furnace Rd)
STOP 4 Catharine Furnace
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| Catharine Furnace |
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| Catharine Furnace Ruins |
At around 5:00 p.m. Jackson, having completed his circuit around the enemy, unleashed his men in an overwhelming attack on
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| Jackson's Flank Attack |
STOP 5 JACKSON FLANK MARCH - After learning that the
Union right flank was “hanging in the air, Robert E. Lee
and Stonewall Jackson settled upon a
aggressive plan to march Jackson’s entire corps around the Union
position and onto that exposed flank. After a hard and dusty march on May 2, Jackson’s
column reached the jumping off point for their attack upon the unsuspecting
Federals. Shortly after 5:00 pm,
Jackson’s line surged forward in an overwhelming attack that crushed the Union XI
Corps.
Some Federal troops resisted the advance. The New York and Pennsylvania brigade of Colonel Adolphus Buschbeck rallied briefly with the Ohio battery of Captain Hubert Dilger near Dowdall’s Tavern, but they too were eventually overwhelmed by the Rebel onslaught.
Disorganization and darkness ended the fighting. While making a night reconnaissance, Jackson was accidentally shot by his own troops in the darkness and fell seriously wounded. J.E.B. Stuart took temporary command of Jackson’s corps
STOP 6 LUNCH – Clearwater Grill
When Jackson's men burst out of the thickets screaming the “Rebel Yell” that afternoon, they dashed across the high-water mark of the Army of Northern Virginia. Yet three hours later, the army suffered a nadir as low as the afternoon's zenith, when Jackson fell mortally wounded by the mistaken fire of his own men. The forward momentum of Jackson’s infantry that might have carried them to the Rappahannock river fords was checked by darkness and the orders of J.E.B. Stuart, now in temporary command. Both sides settled in for an anxious night, the pickets occasionally exchanging musket fire in the dark.
The long marches and high risks of May 1-2 gave way on the 3rd to a slugging match in the woods on three sides of Chancellorsville intersection.
STOP 7 Federal Earthworks along Plank Road
Hooker
abandoned key ground. ; Confederate artillery roared from Hazel Grove andSouthern infantry doggedly pushed ahead. When a Confederate artillery round smashed into a pillar against which Hooker was leaning, the Federal leader spent an unconscious half hour. His return to semi-sentience disappointed the veteran corps commanders who had hoped, unencumbered by Hooker, to employ their army's considerable untapped might.
STOP 8 HAZEL
GROVE - The Union
evacuation of Hazel Grove proved to be the key to Confederate victory on
May 3, 1863Despite the stunning blow delivered by
Stonewall Jackson’s forces on May 2, 1863, the Union army remained the
far larger force and it occupied many of the most strategic spots on the battlefield.
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| Probable loacation of Confederate artillery at Hazel Grove. The location was much less wooded in 1863 i.e. more guns were located here |
During the night of May 2, Col. Edward Porter Alexander
of Georgia discovered Hazel Grove during an evening scouting mission. He
persuaded acting corps commander, Maj. Gen. Jeb Stuart, to make its
capture the first priority. At dawn on May 3rd, Confederates under the command
of Brig. Gen. James J. Archer charged up the slope of Hazel Grove
and captured four artillery pieces and roughly 100 men – this small Union force
was already in the process of retreating from this important high ground,
however. Hooker, inexplicably, had ordered the abandonment of this key
position – a significant error for which he and his army would pay.
Employing the new system of artillery battalions—clustering batteries into larger groups—
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| View from Hazel Grove thru Fariview to Chancellorsville Crossroads |
Alexander filled Hazel Grove with 30 cannons and turned them loose on Hooker's lines.
STOP 9 FAIRVIEW - Fairview is the name of the house which was the original home in Spotsylvania County of the Chancellor family. On May 2, Union artillery at Fairview faced west, parallel to the Orange Turnpike. At the daybreak on May 3, Union troops withdrew from Hazel Grove to Fairview. The Confederates massed cannon on Hazel Grove to the southwest of Fairview forcing the Union artillerymen to reorient their cannon in that direction. Most of the Union gun emplacements facing west on May 2 and facing southwest on May 3 have been preserved.
The sheer weight of artillery fire from Hazel Grove, coupled with more guns along the Orange Turnpike, was too much for the Union troops around the Chancellorsville clearing. The clearing was abandoned and Confederate troops and their hero, Robert E. Lee, rode into the clearing, victors of the day.
STOP 10 Chancellorsville Visitor Center (rest stop) – Jackson’s Reconnaissance and the ‘Mountain Road.’ Discovery of the actual site where Jackson was mortally wounded.
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| Chancellorsville - Hooker pulled back from the crossroads |
STOP 11 Bullock Farm – Apex of the Federal Defensive Line By mid-morning, Southern infantry smashed through the final resistance and united in the Chancellorsville clearing. Their boisterous, well-earned, celebration did not last long: word came from the direction of Fredericksburg that the Northern rearguard threatened the army’s rear.
Sedgwick had crossed the Rappahannock and broken through Early’s battle line on Marye’s Heights, a task unachievable the previous December. Pressing west to join Hooker, he met resistance by more Confederates from McLaws’ division at Salem Church on the Plank Road, sent there by Lee who had divided his army a third time. McLaws and Early counterattacked Sedgwick on May 4 and pushed him back across the river, halting the Yankee threat from the east.
On May 5, Hooker held a council of war with his corps commanders. They recommended staying to fight but Hooker had had believed he knew that the Confederate objective was to seize US Ford, so he pulled back in a strong defense. enough. Lee planned to attack, but it rained heavily on May 4 creating havoc on the roads of mud. The attack was delayed until May 5.
Hooker believed he was saving the Army of the Potomac and re-crossed the Rappahannock to its north bank early on May 6. The campaign had cost Hooker about 18,000 casualties, and his enemy about 13,000. But none of the losses on either side would resonate as loudly and long as the death of “Stonewall” Jackson.”
FUN NIGHT AT STEVENSON”S RIDGE – Located in rural Spotsylvania County, Stevenson Ridge is an 87-acre historical property that offers a premier special events facility as well as lodging in restored antique structures. The Inn includes nine private cottages from the 18th and 19th centuries ranging from 1 to 2 bedrooms. Stevenson Ridge offers multiple event spaces including The Lodge, our 12,000-square foot premier facility. Presentation by Frank O’Reilly.
Sunday
August 22, 2021
WEATHER: weather 69 at 0600,, forecast of mostly sunny in the high 80’s
TRAVEL: Guiney Station – Jackson Shrine – Salem Chruch – Box Lunch and bus back to DCA. UA LV Washington Reagan (DCA) 0545 – AR ORD 1948 – DELAYED - LV ORD 0845 AR MKE 0935 FLIGHT TO MKE CANCELLED – SPENT the NIGHT In DC at the Hilton – Crystal City compliments of United Airlines
139 FREDERICKSBURG and SPOTSYLVANIA National Military Park Chancellorsville Visitor Center 9001 Plank Rd, Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA 22553
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| Fairfield Plantation - along RR tracks - close to Guiney Station |
Guiney Station - No great battle was fought
at Guinea Station, Virginia. Yet in May of 1863 the Confederacy lost one of its
greatest generals at this railroad stop twelve miles south of Fredericksburg.
Lieutenant General Thomas J. Jackson – the legendary “Stonewall” – was brought
here after he was wounded by friendly fire during his greatest victory at Chancellorsville.
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| Fairfield Plantation House where Jackson died |
Surgeon, Dr. Hunter McGuire. On May 4 General Lee ordered that Jackson be evacuated to Guinea Station, next to the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad. The railroad to Richmond had been torn up by raiding Federal cavalry, but Guinea Station was considered a safe place for Jackson to recover until the tracks could be reopened. Jackson rode 12 hours in an ambulance over the 27 miles of rough road to the railhead.
Earlier in the year Jackson’s men had bivouacked here and
he had met and been kindly treated by the owner of Fairfield Plantation,
Thomas Coleman Chandler. A patient with a contagious disease was already in the
main house, so Jackson was moved into the plantation office building. It had
room for Jackson and his doctors, staff and servant to be undisturbed. Jackson
would linger there for six days until he died of pneumonia on May 10, 1863.
The building where Stonewall Jackson died
is the only civil war structure remaining at the site. The room where he died
still contained the original bed frame, blanket and clock. The NPS still has the bed, however, it has
been moved to storage because the fire suppression system in the building is ‘unreliable.’
SECOND BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG – This second battle was paid scant attention by the tour guides – the NPS does not even say much about it - there is little on line about it..
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| Fredericksburg - Stone Wall just below Marye's Heights |
with the rest of the Army of Northern Virgiania to deal with Union MG Joseph Hooker's main thrust at Chancellorsville with four corps of the Army of the Potomac. Early had his own division, along with William Barksdale's brigade from McLaws' division and cannons from the artillery reserve; Early was assisted by BG William Pendleton of the artillery reserve. Cadmus Wilcox's brigade arrived on May 3, increasing Early's strength to 12,000 men and 45 cannons. Most of the Confederate force was deployed south of Fredericksburg.
Early was ordered by Lee to watch the remaining Union force near Fredericksburg; if he was attacked and defeated, he was to retreat southward to protect the Confederate supply lines. If the Union force moved to reinforce Hooker, then Early was to leave a covering force and rejoin Lee with the remainder of his troops. On May 2, misunderstanding his orders, Early left one brigade at Fredericksburg and started the rest of his force towards Chancellorsville; Lee corrected the misunderstanding and Early then returned to his positions that night before Sedgwick discovered the Confederate retreat.
MG John Sedgewick was left near Fredericksburg with the VI Corps, the I Corps, and the II Corps division of BG John Gibbon. Hooker's plan called for Sedgwick to demonstrate near the city in order to deceive Lee about the Union plan. The VI and II Corps seized control of several crossings on April 29, laying down pontoon bridges in the early morning hours, and the divisions of William T. Brooks and James S. Wadsworth crossed the river. The I Corps was ordered to reinforce the main army at Chancellorsville during the night of May 1. During the evening of May 2, Sedgwick received orders to attack Early with his remaining forces.
Sedgwick moved his forces into Fredericksburg
during dawn on May 3, uniting with Gibbon's
division which had crossed
the river just before dawn. Sedgwick originally planned to attack the ends of Marye's Heights
but a canal and a stream blocked Gibbon’s Union forces. He then decided to
launch an attack on the Confederate center on the heights, which was manned by
Barksdale's brigade, with John Newton's division; this attack was defeated.
Colonel Thomas M. Griffin of the 18th MS granted
the Union forces a truce in order to gather in their wounded. During this
truce, the Union commanders noticed that the flank of Barksdale's left regiment
was unprotected.
Sedgwick launched another attack against this flank and Barksdale's front using elements from all three VI Corps divisions, which pushed the Confederate forces off the ridge, capturing some artillery. The first men to mount the stone wall were from the 5th WI and the 6th ME Infantry Regiments.. Barksdale retreated to Lee's Hill, where he attempted to make another stand but was again forced to retreat southward.
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| Battle of Salem Church |
Salem Church - Salem Church was an important, yet often overlooked, part of The Battle of Chancellorsville. It is also hard to get to – you can see it , but how do you get to it.
The church was used as a hospital by both sides, and it served as a civilian refugee center during the Battle of Fredericksburg. Today, this part of the battlefield has been almost entirely destroyed by urban development. The church, the 15th NJ Monument, the 23rd NJ Monument, and one acre of ground are all that remain
 |
| Battle of Salem Church |
 |
| Salem Church |
In April of 1863, Union General Joseph Hooker planned to cross the Rappahannock upriver from Fredericksburg and get behind Lee, while another Union force under General John Sedgwick remained in front of the town. Lee would either be crushed between the two forces, Hooker hoped, or he would be forced to retreat southward. On May 3rd, while a big battle was raging around the Chancellorsville Inn ten miles west of town, Sedgwick drove across the Rappahannock, captured the Sunken Road and Marye's Heights, and advanced westward to join Hooker, moving on what is now Route 3. On a low ridge line running at right angles to the road, crowned by Salem Church, a small force of Confederates determined to make a stand. It was an excellent position that commanded the approaches from the east; directly in front of them was a tangle of bushes and undergrowth.
Sharpshooters were posted in the upper gallery of Salem Church on the north side. When the
 |
| Inside Salem Church |
Federals began their assaults, they were met by volleys of fire. The underbrush made the going difficult, but suddenly the Federals were on the crest of the ridge, only a few yards from the church, and advancing determinedly. At this moment Confederates posted in the road cut just behind you sprang up and counterattacked fiercely, driving the enemy back down the slope and onto the plain below. One Federal soldier remembered the opening of the battle this way:
“A tremendous roar of musketry met us from the unseen enemy, one hundred feet away, posted behind a fence and a ditch. Men tumbled from our ranks dead, and others fell helpless with wounds.”
Federal soldiers aimed at the upper windows where the sharpshooters were; the pockmarks from their bullets are still visible. Other bullets ripped through the galleries. Inside the church. Confederate soldiers climbed over the tumble of furniture, which by this time must have been no better than fancy kindling. The next day Sedgwick was driven back across the river and the campaign was over.
Monday
August 26, 2021
WEATHER: 75 at 0600, partly cloudy, supposed to reach 87
TRAVEL: Hilton Shuttle to DCS - UA LV DCA 1330 AR ORD 1438; LV ORD 1603 – AR MKE 1648
Spent the morning labeling photos and updating the blog
Thursday
August 26, 2021
WEATHER: HOT upon arrival it’s Las Vegas
TRAVEL: SW LV MKE 1410 – AR LAS 1555 – Luxor – Palace Station - Luxor
LUXOR HOTEL & CASINO -
Charcoal House – Palace Station Hotel & Casino – off the strip about as far north as Circus Circus on Sahara Avenue - this is a place Clyde visits frequently. We finished around 2230 – Planned in advance, Clyde left his ‘vette with the valet and called an Uber to take me back to the Luxor and him home. W hadn’t drank that much but in Vegas . . . . . . it’s just better to get a ride and not drive even after one drink.
Friday
August 27, 2021
WEATHER: 102 at 1215
TRAVEL: Luxor Hotel to Wild Horse Golf Course – Luxor Hotel
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| LT (TX), CPT Sean Murphy (Ret), self, LT (NM) |
There was a bus that picked up golfers at the Luxor. Only found this out by seeing someone from the Nevada Guard tell me. The e-mails said we were to be picked up at the Mandalay Bay. That’s a 25 minute ‘ruck march’ with my clubs from here. I wasn’t looking forward to it and was considering an Uber to Wild Horse.
Well the fairways were not so lush – the rough was mostly
desert ground with some trees and bushes to provide shade and delineate it from
the adjoining fairway.
Saturday
August 28, 2021
WEATHER: clear 82 at 0600 – Who cares what the high will be today? I don’t intend to go outside – the high was 106
TRAVEL: Luxor – Mandalay Bay Convention Center - Luxor
The National Guard: “All In For America’s Defense”
FIRST SESSION (Business Meeting) Opening entertainment included Elvis Presley (The King of Rock & Roll) and Michael Jackson (The King of Pop). Good show – I’ll let the photos explain all
Roll Call of the States, National Guard Education Foundation, Awards
 |
| GEN Hokanson |
GEN Daniel Hokanson, Chief of National Guard Bureau (NGB) and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) was announced and brought to the dais by Sergeant-At-Arms as a recording of Copland’s “Fanfare For the Common Man” played – being a four star General Officer – he certainly is not the ‘common man’ – I thought the entrance song was rather strange.
In my view a somber presentation with beginning and ending emphasis on “Always Ready, Always There” – a promise to our country and the principle of his message. He recognizes that it’s a balancing act -family, civilian career, military career – for a guardsman – “only those who lived it – can understand it.” I concur but just prior to the opening session, I had a conversation with a retired ‘full-timer’ from Tennessee – he understood the question – i.e. it is difficult to balance – choices are made between promotion in your civilian career or the military. Very, very difficult to have both.
Of course the National Guard is now an ‘operational force’ – don’t get me started on that one – not a ‘strategic reserve.’ Hokanson admits that China is a challenge – I don’t think he said enemy. The NG will continue operational deployments and the NG will expand it’s ‘partnerships’ with foreign countries. Of course the US is “the partner of choice.” His 4 Guiding principles are PEOPLE – READINESS – MODERNIZATION – REFORM. Some of this talking points were healthcare for all soldiers, reduce NGB staff in DC by 10% doing work at home. of course getting equipment for units has always been an issue . . . . ya da ya da ya da – an ‘operational force’
Questions from the floor were all made by Company Grade Officers – a change from the past – i.e. field grades would dominate. Nothing exciting, he talked around the questions – not sure he really answered any. He closed explaining the ‘Fanfare For the Common Man’ – tying the National Guard soldier/airman into being the ‘common man’ – I thought maybe that‘s what he was doing when he came into the hall – I’m not sure it worked - he ended with “Always Ready, Always There”.
GOVERNOR”S RECEPTION - Mandalay
Bay Exhibit Hall – Considered an opportunity to leisurely
stroll the trade show floor with plenty of food and drinks available. Not very creative. Even less creative or user friendly because
there are usually 2 free drink tickets - not today – there were plenty of
places to buy alcohol. However, 50
minutes after the start time – they ran out of food. The food stations closed down. I’ve never seen that happen in over 25 years
. . . . . .
So, I decided to stop at the Irish
Pub on the way back – way too crowded, small and a two piece band playing
way too loud rock music. Eventually, I
grabbed a burger at a place called Slice of Vegas Pizza Kitchen & Bar.
Sunday
August 29, 2021
WEATHER: 91 at 0500 – 106 by 1400
TRAVEL: Luxor – Mandalay Bay Convention Center – Luxor – Las Vegas Country Club – Luxor
NGAUS CONFERENCE Las Vegas, 27-30 AUG 2021
The National Guard: “All In For America’s Defense”
Mass was presided by a Catholic Chaplain from the state of Idaho in the Convention Center at 0700.
SECOND SESSION – Committee Reports, Awards
GEN David W. Allvin – Air Force Vice Chief of Staff (AFVCOS)– second after the Air Force Chief of Staff on the JCS. Allvin did not hide behind a podium with a prepared speech – he spoke with his heart – out in front – he was either sincere or put on a good show – very polished.
Allvin said the ‘guard is the face of stability – in the community – something active duty can never do.’ Allvin’s message “Accelerate Change or Lose”. This is the message of the current Air Force Chief of Staff and sounds just like the previous AFVCOS message several years ago. China is a ‘surveillance state’ – ‘we need to break through bureaucratic barriers’ Chine is not Russia – ‘during the Cold War America was galvanized – the Russians started challenging the US with sputnik, Berlin, - their outcome was very clear – there would be only one winner.’
China is different – ‘they challenge the world where they want to be the leader in the world order - they accelerate.’
GEN James H. Dickinson, Commander, U.S. Space Command – another four star – his entrance song was the theme form ‘Star Wars’ – who was he kidding? I expected light sabers – he read his remarks – and was not very convincing. At least he was the first 4 star to say something about Afghanistan – he recognized those there and all who served there. His theme, “Never A Day Without Space” seemed to be more of a speech for justification of this command than anything else – “for I am the Space Command and I am here’ – HUA!
MG Daryl L. Bohac – made a presentation that had some meat on it. He is President of the Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS). A short report but the ‘battle continues’ between ‘big army’/’big air force’ and the national guard. He took some punches. No soft pedaling here - like healthcare for soldiers not cloaked in READINESS language but because ‘it’s the right thing to do.’
HONORABLE Denis McDonough, Secretary – Department of Veterans Affairs. He read a prepared speech – rehashed a lot of praise for the National Guard – acknowledged those who served in Afghanistan – but he put me to sleep – he’s open to all members of the National Guard able to be buried in VA cemeteries regardless of Veteran Status – well if that isn’t an incentive to serve in the guard . . . .
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| Dean had Locker #2 - Supposedly Frank had locker #1 although didn't play here often - after all - he was Chairman of the Board The hotel in the background became the Hilton and now is something different |
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| Las Vegas CC with Dean Martin Statue |
The Club became the home-away-from-home for Las Vegas’ kingmakers, developers, bankers, mobsters, doctors, lawyers, and seemingly every other notable Las Vegan who has made an indelible impact on the city—and sometimes the world--over the last five decades. When taken as a whole, the men and women of The Las Vegas Country Club, more so than any other private club, helped shape not only a dazzling future of a country club, but the future of a burgeoning city that was well on its way to making an international impact.
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| Members decided to place a replica of the FBI that landed on the 1st hole in 1983 and swerved into the pond - as a memory. The event is relived in the movie Casino. |
Established in 1967, the Club began as the Las Vegas International Golf and Tennis Club and was founded by former Boston Celtics owner Marvin Kratter. In those early days, Dean Martin played the course on a daily basis establishing the Club as a place to be and be seen.
In 1970, the members bought the place led by legendary Las Vegas figures Merv Adelson, Moe Dalitz, Irwin Molasky and Allard Roen. It was then the Club became the social hub of Las Vegas and part of the fabric of the community.
In 2017, the membership sold to the Samick Music Company and an exciting new era dawned with renovations and new excitement all over the entire property and membership. This includes recently purchasing the exact replica of the FBI plane that landed in the middle of the lake on the 10th hole and placing it in the lake with a plaque describing the bizarre story.
HOSPITALITY NIGHT -
Monday August 30, 2021
WEATHER: 82 at 0600 - - high of 102
TRAVEL: Luxor – Mandalay Bay Convention Center - Luxor
A Washington Post
headline yesterday read: Surprise, panic and fateful
choices: The day America lost its longest war
NGAUS CONFERENCE Las Vegas, 27-30 AUG 2021
The National Guard: “All In For America’s Defense”
ARMY BREAKOUT SESSION – LTG Jon A Jensen, Army National Guard
Director,
End Strength – the NG
is exceeding its strength requirement by 1100 to 1200. The “National Guard can
respond to anything.” Spoke in front of
the podium. HE tag teamed with CSM Sampo
Division Alignment – finalize the relationships between the 8 Division Headquarters – tough because of geography and location and the Army wants 2 HEAVY 6 LIGHT.
All mandatory training on the same weekend - seems like the is still an issue for some
CSM John F. Sampa suggests all soldiers should carry a 3x5 card in their pocket with 3 reminders on it SUICIDE SEXUAL HARASSMENT/ASSAULT ACFT (Army Combat Fitness Test) - leaders and others should care enough ot ask questions to show they care – physical fitness is mental fitness. It’s all about SAFETY
They both answered questions from the floor.
Reminded me of “Be SAFE on the MPTR”. Where the word SAFE stands for givens – I suggested that S stands for Safety a given in the artillery, at home, and anywhere you go it could also stand for the ‘harassments’ suggested by the CSM such as, Sexual Harassment/Assault or Suicide – take care of your soldiers. The A stood for Attrition - attrition of soldiers who don’t stay in the guard - which corresponds with LTG Jensen’s End Strength goal. And F for Fitness both mental and physical corresponding to the CSM’s ACFT. Finally my E stood for Ethics – follow the Army Values and your take care of soldiers, each other and combat the ‘harassments”.
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| LTG Aguto - Cdr 1st Army |
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| First Army shoulder patch |
Aguto has been in command for 45 days, he explained what 1st Army is – what it does – when asked questions he usually referenced the fact of shortage of money and tough decisions. Regionally Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model (ReARMM) is a flexible, predictable force generation process that will create an Army that is regionally and functionally capable of supporting the Nation's Defense Strategy (NDS). BOTTOM LINE – reminded me of perhaps why Crusader was dropped as an artillery weapons system and replaced maybe by HIMARS. It was Cost – let alone that Crusader was very heavy - and not air transportable for a force that was not going to fight every war in the desert Aguto also said “We’re about 50 years behind – we need to evolutionize, revolutionize.”. A consistent message from that levels of leadership.
THIRD SESSION BUINESS SESSION – Awards, Resolutions, By-laws
The Governor of Nevada provides National Guardsmen as 3 day ‘sales tax holiday’ on large purchases.
GEN Joseph M. Martin, Army Vice Chief of Staff (ARVCOS) filled in for GEN James C. McConville, Army Chief of Staff (ACOS) – both 4 stars - McConville holding the position previously held by General Milley. Probably had something to do with Afghanistan and Hurricane Ida . . .
Sounds like the Army is not going to grow – the Active Duty – National Guard – and Reserve is at the “minimum”. We need partners in the Pacific to build relationships, access and influence. Key is Re ARMM.
Martin also built off of what the Guard leaders said earlier – harmful behaviors such as Suicide, Sexual Harassment/Assault are “a threat to our foundation.” ‘Society has changed, we’ve got to bring in the 1 in 300 who quality to join the army.’ He recognizes that each soldier is different and the current method of training one way to all has got to change. “We need you”
Observation: this guy listened carefully to the previous speakers and reinforced their talking points - he had an outline and spoke rom behind the podium.
STATES DINNER
Tuesday August 31, 2021
WEATHER: its Las Vegas
TRAVEL: SW LV LAS 1140 - AR MKE 1705 - MC
Made an appointment on line for TSA PRECHECK in McCarren Airport, Las Vegas. I have a retired military ID with a Known Traveler Number but somehow that doesn’t qualify me anymore. I’m not sure if retied is no charge. Options are 10,000 United Mileage Plus Points or a Platinum AMEX Card should be a benefit. Let’s see. Well it din't cost me anything - AMEX gave me the credit. and I got the miles. The appointment went smooth but Im still waiting for confirmation of my KTN as of October 11,2021.
Monday
September 27, 2021
WEATHER: clear - high of 79 in PA
TRAVEL: automobile LV 0340 Burlington, WI LV Sturtevant 0430 - AR Gettysburg, PA miles. Left I-76 and came south on US 30 through Chambersburg – drive from I to Chambersburg is a mountain road. From Chambersburg to Gettysburg is the route Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia A.P. Hill’s Third Crops and James Longstreet’s First Corps took to Gettysburg.
HAMPTON INN GETTYSBURG – good place to stay, includes good sized buffet breakfast with stay, WIFI works
Dinner at Ruby Tuesday, just across the street
Tuesday
September 28, 2021
WEATHER: 63 at 0600 in Gettysburg Sunrise: 0701 EDT Sunset: 1857 EDT
TRAVEL: Gettysburg – Carlisle – Gettysburg
HAMPTON INN GETTYSBURG - breakfast buffet included
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| Gettysburg National Military Park |
Gettysburg, PA
I prepared extensively prior to this visit, reading 2 new books and referencing “A Field Guide to Gettysburg” Carol Reardon and Tom Voslar. The Field Guide is the best I’ve ever come across and recommend it highly. It’s an outstanding resource.
Prior to the drive to Carlisle, I thought an overview of the battlefield would be in order. We visited the site of the ‘old visitor center and cyclorama’ – now restored or a parking lot and travelled southwest along the Emmitsburg Rd passing monuments of MG Sickles III Corps and the Peach Orchard.
Just past the Rose Farm we turned east on South Confederate Avenue past government plaques referencing Hood’s Division, Farnsworth’s ill-fated cavalry charge, along the base of Big Round Top and stopped for a while at Little Round Top. There was no traffic – no one really on the battlefield – it was very peaceful quiet - no distractions.
Continued along Sykes/Sedgewick/Hancock Avenue past LTC Freeman McGilvery’s gun line on Cemetery Ridge – continuing along Hancock Avenue past monuments and plaques to the Winfield Scott Hancock’s II Corps and the confederate “High Water Mark.”
Drove around the National Cemetery and stopped for a short while and walked East Cemetery Hill in front of the old Evergreen Cemetery Gatehouse. Continued to drive along Culps Hill, past Steven’s Knoll, along the I Corps and XI Corps infantry unit markers and out of the park past the Gettysburg Middle School proceeding along a variety of routes to Carlisle.
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| Market Cross Pub Carlisle, PA |
From the USAWC we visited Molly Pitcher’s grave and had lunch at the Market Cross Pub and drove along the route followed by part of Confederate General Early’s Third Corps back to Gettysburg.
Gettysburg Visitor Center – The Museum and Visitor Center is owned and operated by the Gettysburg Foundation. The Gettysburg Foundation is the non-profit philanthropic, educational organization operating in partnership with the National Park Service to preserve Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site, and to educate the public about their significance.
Although the building is free to enter, there
are fees for the following:
- Gettysburg Museum of the
American Civil War.
- Film, A New Birth of Freedom, narrated by Morgan Freeman.
- Cyclorama painting depicting Pickett's Charge.
Gettysburg Foundation Members and Active
Duty military FREE. We took advantage of
the FREE I’m a member and Chad is AD. There
is a well-stocked bookstore.
After a couple of hours at the VC we followed A.P. Hill’s Second and Longstreet’s First Corps routes to Gettysburg through Cashtown along old US 30. Blue & Gray magazine has a outstanding monthly feature entitled the General’s Tour. We followed the tour entitled “Gettysburg: Attack From the West” (June 2000) by Dave Roth and Gary Kross along Old Highway 30, past the Cashtown Inn across Marsh Creek to the First Shot Marker, where on July 1, 1863 Sergeant Marcellus Jones of Company E 8th IL Cav, as part of BG Buford’s defensive perimeter fired the first shot of the battle as MG Henry Heth’s division crossed Marsh Creek.
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| Black Horse Tavern |
We drove down Knoxlyn Rd to Black Horse Tavern Rd and Blackhorse Tavern on the Millerstown Rd. This was the route of Longstreet’s countermarch on July 2 – back to the Chambersburg Pike to the Buford and Reynold’s monuments. This was the area where the Wadsworth’s Division – Meredith’s Iron Bde and Cutler’s Bde deployed on the morning of July 1, 1863 to relieve Buford’s cavalry troopers.
Dinner – Appalachian Brewing Company
Wednesday September 29, 2021
WEATHER: 53 and sunny at 7 am, pleasant all day, high near 70
TRAVEL: Gettysburg, PA Sunrise: 0701 EDT Sunset: 1855 EDT
HAMPTON INN GETTYSBURG - breakfast buffet included
17 GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA
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| Lutheran Seminary from McPherson's Ridge |
From Herr’s Ridge, the battle line of BG James Archer’s Alabamians and Tennesseans crossed Willoughby Run and advanced to McPherson’s Woods defended by Buford’s cavalry and Calef’s two detached guns. At approximately 10:15 A.M. , the brigades of Meredith and Cutler (Wadsworth’s division) arrived and MG John Reynolds placed some of the regiments personally. He was killed while yelling to the 2nd WI of Meredith’s “Iron Brigade” “Forward for God’s sake and drive those fellows out of those woods.” We walked through McPherson’s Woods to Willoughby Run and the quarry where BG Archer was captured.
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| The stone quarry near Willoughby Run where BG Archer was captured |
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| Willoughby Run |
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| Eternal Light Peace Memorial - Gettysburg NMP on Oak Hill |
The Eternal Light Peace Memorial is northwest of Gettysburg on Oak Hill. The memorial was dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt on July 3rd, 1938, the 75th anniversary of the battle. One Union and one Confederate veteran unveiled the 47 1/2 foot tall shaft. Roosevelt compared the task of the men of the 1860’s with the men of his day: “All of them we honor, not asking under which Flag they fought then – thankful that they stand together under one Flag now.” In less than five years the grandsons of these veterans would be standing together in unimaginably terrible battles against enemies around the world.
Over 250,000 people attended the dedication, with an estimated 100,000 more unable to make it due to overcrowded highways. Over 1,800 Civil War veterans attended what was to be the last reunion, all of them at least in their nineties. They lived in a luxurious tent camp complete with electricity and boardwalks set up in the fields north of Gettysburg College, attended by a host of Boy Scouts.
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| Gettysburg - Day 1 - July 1, 1863 |
The memorial’s $60,000 cost was provided by donations from state both north and south. Its base is made of Maine granite, while the shaft is of a lighter colored Alabama limestone. The gas-lit eternal flame burned until 1979 when it was replaced by electricity, but it was restored in 1988. The monument was the inspiration for the eternal flame on President Kennedy’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery.
We stopped at the end of the I Corps line (the tower) at the junction of Doubleday Ave and the Mummasburg Road just below Oak Ridge. The Confederates of Ewell’s Second Corps were positioned on Oak Hill. There was a gap between I Corps and the XI Corps to its right because of the lack of troops. The line was defended by BG Baxter’s Bde – he repulsed an attack by O’Neals brigade from Oak Hill. Shortly after the repulse, Iverson’s brigade attacked across the open field from the west. Baxter’s men played havoc with the front line of Iverson’s attack. Baxter’s men began to run low on ammunition. Baxter’s division commander (BG Robinson) sent the brigade of BG Gabriel Paul to assist. The rebel’s continued their attack with BG Dodson Ramseur’s brigade and eventually forced a federal retreat.
Continued the drive along the XI Corps line (divisions brigades) to Barlow’s Knoll.
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| Marker to Jones' Confederate Artillery Battalion |
By accident we found a section of Gettysburg NMP along a one lane road surrounded by a
subdivision. The Confederate Markers and Tablets identified the Jones Battalion, Charlottesville (VA) Artillery (Carrington’s Battery), Courtney (VA) Artillery (Tanner’s Battery), and the LA Guard Artillery (Green’s Battery). This location is just off the Harrisburg Road.
Another seldom visited site is Benner’s Hill. This was a confederate artillery location on July 2nd. It was a uneven artillery duel with federal artillery located on Cemetery and Power’s Hill.
Attempted Lunch at Ernie’s Texas Lunch (closed) ate at the Lincoln Diner Peach & Pear Wine – Gettysburg Frame Shop has merged with Lord Nelson's Gallery
Drove Confederate Avenue (setup Day 3 Pickett/Pettigrew/Trimble Charge) and Day 2 Longstreet’s Assault on the Union left flank. Pitzer’s Woods, the skirmish with Berdan’s Sharpshooters and Longstreet’s statue. We Climbed the tower located where Confederate Avenue intersects the Millerstown Road.
Drove along Union extended flank at the end of July 2 and start of July 3 behind Little and Big Round Top.
Drove Peach Orchard – Wheatfield – Trostle Farm – McGilvery’s Gun line – 1st Minnesota – was used to plug the Union line as AP Hiill’s brigades (Wilcox) continued with Longstreet’s assault at the end of Day 2 of the battle.
Dinner at the Dobbin House
Thursday
September 30, 2021
WEATHER: 48 at 0630 sunny and pleasant–high of 70 Sunrise: 0703 EDT Sunset: 1854 EDT
TRAVEL: automobile Gettysburg National Military Park
HAMPTON INN GETTYSBURG – breakfast bar
17 GETTYSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA
Confederate Avenue
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| Monument to 83rd PA below Little Roundtop - more than an conicidences that the soldier has a likeness of COL Strong Vincent |
Little Round Top – 20th ME and COL Strong Vincent’s Brigade line. This was the first time I walked the entire line of Vincent’s Brigade. Starting with the 20th ME and extending to the left 83rd PA, 44th NY and 16th MI. The position was described by COL James Rice of the 40th NY as “nearly that of a quarter circle, composed mostly of high rocks and cliffs on the center, and becoming more wooded and less rugged as your approached to your left.” Weed’s brigade connected with Vincent’s on the western face of Little Round Top. LT Charles Hazlett’s Battery D, 5th US provided direct artillery support from above the brigades.
We walked around Devil’s Den. Devil’s Den itself is a unique rock formation of diabase boulders. An geologic anomaly for the area. Initially Devil’s Den played no part in Meade's defensive plan, Initially, it would have only provided advance cover for union skirmishers. However, due to Sickles advance to the Emmitsburg Road line, Meade posted BG John Henry Hobart Ward’s Bde here as the protectors of Little Round Top, as well as, the left flank of Sickles’ command. The skirmish line of the 2nd US Sharpshooter’s extended into the open fields before Devils Den. BG Henry Benning’s Bde attacked Devils Den from the west, as well as Law’s 44th AL from the south and Robertson’s 1st TX coming out of Rose’s Woods.
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| A view of Devils Den |
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| The Attack on Devil's Den |
When Hood’s Division advanced from Warfield Ridge the
fighting in the gorge developed quickly.
After, 90 minutes of hard fighting, Ward ordered his men to the northern slopes of Little Round Top,
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| Cupola Tour - Attic |
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| View from the Copula |
Lunch at Upper Crust– a ‘new’ venue across from the Braferton Inn – not bad pizza. Ernie’s Texas lunch still closed – unable to hire adequate staff
Confederate Avenue below Culp’s Hill – location of Iron Brigade monuments on Culps Hill below Steven’s Knoll – where the remnants of I Corps Wadsworth’ Division manned the line connecting XI Corps to their left with XII Corps when they arrived on July 2
Ranger led program “All Was Confusion: The Battle for Culps Hill”. – from top of Culps Hill to end of Greene’s line – traverse – above Pardee Field
Powers Hill – artillery platform – not often visited
Return phone call from Tom Voslar, he was busy, easy to talk to, still doing work with the USA Heritage Center.
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| Eisenhower National Historic Site |
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| Eisenhower & Krushchev - Camp David |
18 Eisenhower National Historic Site, 243 Eisenhower Farm Rd, Gettysburg, PA – I’ve been here at least 4 times previously. The Park Service
no longer has a bus leaving the Gettysburg NMP Visitor Center for exclusive travel to the Eisenhower farm. They’ve cut a new road the enters the property off of Emmitsburg Road. The Eisenhower house and visitor center/bookstore were not open. It was a self guided tour of the grounds. Exit the site via the Millerstown Road.
12th NJ monument next to Pickett’s Buffet on Emmitsburg Road.
O’Rourke’s – good conversation, bartender and Harp
Dinner at Sweeney’s Tavern and the Farnsworth House Inn
Friday
October 1, 2021
TRAVEL: automobile LV Burlington, WI AR Gettysburg, PA miles
HAMPTON INN GETTYSBURG
Breakfast at Dunlap’s – a great local restaurant – recently remodeled but still good food and friendly service at reasonable prices – not a touristy place – this is where the locals go
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| Hancock's Line - LT Alonzo Cushing's Battery A 2 US |
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| Bliss Farm |
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| Leister House - Meade's HQ |
Drove Confederate Avenue – views of the Bliss Farm and the union line from Seminary Ridge.
Visited Meade’s Headquarters at the Leister House just off the Taneytown Road.
Drove the union line from Little Round Top to Ziegler’s Grove - view union artillery positions and location of Bliss Farm from the Union vantage point
Lunch – Fourscore Brew Company - at the corner of Gettys & Washington – hadn’t been here before – not impressed.
Battlefield Harley-Davidson – been here before – got Battlefield Harley Iron Brigade t-shirts for Chad & Paul Noticed a print of what appeared to be the 2nd WI being led into McPherson’s Woods by MG John Reynolds. It wasn’t for sale. Hadn’t seen this print before – only knew that the artist’s name began with an M. Discovered that this artist is Mark Maritato. The name of the print is “Iron Brigade Forward”
Thursday October 7, 2021
WEATHER: rain thru
most of the day – 72 in Chicago
TRAVEL: AMTRAK Sturtevant
to Chicago Union Station
78th Serra International Convention, Palmer House,
Chicago, IL
The Palmer House is in the heart of the Loop, an elegant
and grand hotel of the past and still in the present. Rated as a Four Star hotel. Lobby is on the 2nd floor. Conference registration is on the 4th
floor along with the Conference Rooms.
Serrans are Catholic lay men and
women who vigorously respond to the call to promote and support vocations to
the ministerial priesthood and consecrated life in the Catholic Church.
5:00 p.m. - Travelers’
Mass – Fr.
Gervan Menezes. About 210 attendees
– Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Fr.
Menezes’ homily referenced some history about Mary and the feast but he real
message was: How do we let people know that we are Catholics? i.e. what’s our elevator speech? – ask - it tied in with the Luke’s gospel 11:5-13
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened to you . . . .
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him?” A wonderful cantor – a
tenor – most responses in Latin – beautiful solos at the Offertory of Ave
Maria and at Communion Panis Angelicus and Ave Verum - Closed
with Salve Regina.
6:30 p.m. – Welcome
Reception a buffet of cheese and crackers, as
well as, two roast beef sandwich stations.
Soft drinks, coffee, tea and water.
Miller’s Pub is
just out the door and half a block down S. Wabash Ave. Busy and service was less than
congenial. It’s Chicago. Returned to the Palmer House and
had a burger at the lobby bar.
Friday October 8, 2021
WEATHER: What does
it matter? I’m inside all day, however, 66
and cloudy at 6 am – forecast calls for partly cloudy – a high of 72 and rain
this afternoon between 1 & 6.
TRAVEL: Palmer House
78th Serra International Convention, Palmer House, Chicago, IL
7:30 a.m. - Serra Leadership Training (led by John Liston) Liston is the Executive Director of Serra International, headquartered in Chicago. His presentation will be distributed via the web later. Mainly covering protocols, Roberts Rules, duties of board members, power, control, policies, committees, task forces, conflict management. His closing challenge: “be a mentor to someone here or in your club – we need leaders to keep Serra moving forward.”
9:00 a.m. - Spiritual
Retreat for Serrans (retreat master Fr. Brian Welter) The Sacredness of
Vocation Ministry
Tim O’Neal, US Serra Council, opened with a short video about what our leaders say about Serra. Nothing profound. Followed by another video about the Serra International Foundation.
Fr. Brain Welter is Executive Director, at the Institute for Priestly Formation, Omaha, NE.
A
native of Chicago, attended public schools, graduated from Bradley University
and studied Manufacturing Technology.
Worked in the construction field for six years framing houses as a
carpenter. Experienced a renewal as a
Catholic and felt a call to the priesthood.
Entered Mundelein Seminary in the Fall of 200. Ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago in
2005. Assignments: Parish priest, 2005-10; Vocation Director for
Archdiocese of Chicago 2010-13; assigned to the faculty of Mundelein University
in 2013 and finished his term as Vice-Rector on June 30, 2020.
Fr. Welter began with his story, how he discerned a vocation to the priesthood and then presented a handout which was actually an outline of his presentation. All tied together very nicely – a good presentation. The talk was divided into two parts.
PART I: Long Exposure in the Night
His
presentations referenced scripture than his own experience/examples of what or
how this has or is happening in the world.
John 20:1 Mary Magdala on Easter morning is looking for something . . . like
first picture of a black hole – and ring of light surrounding darkness – she
arrives in darkness and sees an empty tomb, two angels and finally a gardener –
who she does not immediately recognize as the Lord.
On Deserts (or black
holes or any area deprived of sensory input) – the Israelite’s
were in bondage for 430 years, set free, then wandered in the desert for 40 years
– an experience – maybe a cleansing – i.e. they had become Egyptians and had to
learn again how to be Hebrew – we grow in Love because of the deserts in life –
there is Hope and we grow
On Darkness and
Illumination – when praying do you sometimes ask yourself is that God
talking to me or am I talking to myself – we light fires when we remind people
that they are loved by God
On Staying Close to the
Fire – even when we’re exhausted, continue to pray and keep
faith – finish the task at hand and pay attention to the things that matter
On Concealed Questions – God
and Adam after he had eaten the forbidden fruit – it’s a beginning of a
dialogue not a condemnation – “Where are you” – actually a healing question
On Staying Close to
Jesus – “whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but
will have the light of life” John 8:12 like
Mary when it was still dark – in the midst of the struggle – not when it was
all over – each of us is necessary, God gave us all a task in life
There was a BREAK and Part II was in front of the Eucharist in a monstrance
PART II: Long Exposure to the Light
“Do
not be deceived, my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of Lights” James 1:16-17
On Long Exposure to the Light – references to Yosemite and the Dawn Wall when the sun rises of El Capitan – the surface looks smooth and slippery but there are plenty of contours – good holds and bad holds - places to grab hold off – contours of the heart - contours of sound - what looks smooth – there is a sound of prayer
On Seeing Through
People – we put up barriers – is Jesus talking to us – have
honest dialogue
On Lighting Fires and
the Lay Vocation – Luke 24:30-31 . .
. with that their eyes were opened
and they recognized Him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said ‘were not our hearts burning
within us . . . ? story about it is
easy to light a fire – light small lights everywhere
On Flames and Fire and
Courage – where do we draw our strength – Nicodemus and Joseph of
Arimathea dared to ask Pilate for Christ’s body – stories of Bishop Oscar
Romero and John Newman – thro another log on the fire – even when there is only
an ember the log still sparks – it burns
On the Eucharist – “My
heart is moved with pity for the corw, because they have been with me now for
three days and have nothing to eat . . . How many loaves do you have?” even here the disciples write Him off – yet
all are fed – nothing is discarded, the ‘fragments are gathered up.” -
Five Minutes of Silence
– the ‘as is’ situation in your life – what is in your heart
The
session ended with Benediction and
transfer of the Eucharist to the Adoration Room
Noon - Luncheon Sponsored by The Serra International Foundation
1:30 p.m. - Serra International Foundation Program
Vianney
Vocations – Vocations Week - for schools
and bulletin insert
2:30 p.m. - Speaker: Fr. Nathan Cromly, C.S.J.
Fr. Nathan Cromly is Founder of Eagle Eye Ministries and Saint John Institute. Currently ministers in Denver. He began Eagle Eye Ministries in 2003, now home to six forms of outreach to teens and young adults – a unique program in which young adults earn an accredited Masters degree while receiving spiritual formation from the Brothers of St. John. The purpose of the Institute is to send graduates to work for the Lord in the for-profit world. It raises the spirit of a new evangelization in young people by sending missionary entrepreneurs into the Church.
This guy was really interesting, funny, kept your interest – maybe even a bit of a performer . . . . .
He began with the ‘sign of the cross’ in Latin and how he was called to the priesthood – he was an altar server and wanted to go to World Youth Day (14 AUG 93 Denver, CO) with Pope John Paul II – two ‘old guys’ (Serran’s) paid for his trip – he continued with a short history of Junipero Serra – who had ample opportunities to be discouraged – but he never lost Hope and prayed a novena to St. Joseph – i.e. don’t be discouraged because of young people today, those who have lost faith, etc. – even St. Paul writes “I have worked harder . . . (like those who are active in the parish, KC, Serra) – Mother Theresa quote – along one ‘if . . . . . . . give anyway’ – don’t look at the negativity – see the invisible – have a vision – (this guy is thankful – ‘we are priests because of you – you’re a model for priests for what we are supposed to do’) - Joseph dared the impossible – yet there is not a quote we have of St. Joseph – St. Joseph the worker – the ‘dignity of work’ – it takes hard work to ‘catch a soul’
‘The lost sheep is lost because he wants to be – to bring it home we have to wrestle it – and carry it on our shoulders.’
2:30 p.m. – Concurrent Sessions (choices included)
- Serra International Foundation
- Programs
- Membership
- Vocations
- Communications
I chose Programs and learned a lot – got some ideas
-
There is a Serra Handbook and a ‘new member kit’
- -
serra.org
- -
I though I saw a blud book called Discipleship
- -
Serra Magazine
- -
Some clubs use hybrid meeting (zoom/in person)
- -
Not just speakers bu things that address our call to
holiness
- -
Serra USA Program Comm meets 1st Monday of the
even months
- -
Lent Club get together – Stations of the Cross for priests
- -
Saturday meeting with Mass and Rosary – Chaplain covers something
from the Serra Handbook
4:30 p.m. - Mass at St. Peter’s in the Loop Dinner on your own (We recommend you make your reservations early as spots at local dining may fill up quickly.) Celebrant was Fr. Cromley – same person – started the Mass with Latin ‘In nomeni Patri et Filie, et Spiritus Sancti’ AMEN “Dominus vobiscum’ the congregation answered ‘et cum Spiritutuo’ – Cromley answered ‘just testing’ He sang most of the mass – a mix of Latin and English – solemn and serious. St Peters is tucked into the middle of a block on W. Madison St. A short walk from the hotel.
Dinner at Miller’s Pub – Brewer’s beat the Braves 2 – 1 in Milwaukee
8:00 p.m. - Evening Entertainment I did not attend Holy Ghost Bingo with Nuns 4Fun
Saturday
October 9, 2021
WEATHER: 63 and cloudy at 6 am, forecast calls for sunny and a high of 75
TRAVEL: Palmer House – WIFI would NOT CONNECT this morning
78th Serra International Convention, Palmer House, Chicago, IL
8:30 a.m. Morning
Prayer
8:45 a.m. Serra Around
the World travel to the US
is still restricted by many countries, so this conference is not very
international in attendees. Some
countries sent videos – a report of what they’ve been doing –
- SERRA MEXICO
- SERRA GREAT BRITAIN
- SERRRA BANGALORE-INDIA
- SERRA THAILAND
- SERRA ITALY
- SERRA BRAZIL
- SERRA CANADA
- SERRA USA – presented in person –‘the presentations remind us that the Catholic Faith and Sera are universal’”
Serra Meets, started in December 2018,
was originally planned to last for 6 sessions – now it has been determined that
it will be presented monthly for an undetermined period - indefinite
Seven Serra Prayer Program – I
sat next to this lady at lunch, she is excited ad bounces around everywhere
promoting her program – each club praying for Diocesan Vocation Directors – she
became uninterested in me when in reply to her query – I replied that a year ago
I called the Archdiocesan Vocation Office to obtain there permission to allow a
name and number in the bulletin along with a monthly message, connected to the
gospel reading, on whether ‘you may have the call” – the reply from the Office
was ‘I didn’t know there still was a Southern Lakes Serra Club. She decided to move on to more fruitful territory.
Thoughts after the presentation: Southern Lakes Serra exists but just isn’t with it, prayful and devoted but the 'spark' is missing
9:40 a.m. Coffee Break
10:00 a.m. State of Serra – President Ruben Gallegos, PhD no doubt this guy is dedicated, but a ‘character’ spent the first 35 minutes talking about his life – growing up in El Ranchitos, TX where his mother went to 4th grade, his father 3rd - they spanked you if you spoke Spanish is school and ‘other things happened’ if you spoke English at home. This guy is full of humor, but I wouldn’t urn my back on him.
By 10:35 his message turned to “we must pray for vocations – God will decide where to send them” – Serra has a challenge 20,000 members in 2004, about 12,000 in 2020. “Membership is everybody’s business.” T get new members – you have to invite them. PRAY and INVITE PEOPLE TO PRAY. He ended with the ‘Serran Prayer for Vocations’ and a viral You Tube video – set to “Jerusalem” (sung by two South African artists) nuns dancing. He said the nuns called it a prayer not a gimmick. JOY!
11:00 Serra Meets with Bishop Ronald Hicks, Bishop of Joliet - he started with a very short version of his calling, and then referenced that ending of Matthews gospel – ‘go ye and make disciples of all nations’. There is a rise in the ‘religious unaffiliated” – people who have no faith – it isn’t just Catholics – youth today identify as ‘none’ – his analogy of a cut flower – beauty for a while then it just dies – many today say they are spiritual but not religious – I can do it on my own – self -focused – these people have nothing to pass on to the next generation – a shift in culture . . . .
Bishop Hicks suggested three Ways To Get Back:
MINDS HEARTS WORK
Catechesis Evangelization Faith into Action
Catechesis – become ‘lifelong learners’ not just ‘sacramentalized’ – story of the RCIA convert whose husband attended RCIA and learned as much, more about faith than his wife did
Evangelization – once you are convinced you know Jesus, everything changes, you want to pray – you go to church and help people develop a prayer life
Faith into Action – if you are catechized and evangelized – you will be on fire – i.e. you want to participate/share/take on your ministry to the church
His thoughts on Confirmation/High School – yes Service, is an aspect but students need to know WHY they do Service – ‘a way to grow in faith’ – understand that “I can’t do what you do and you can’t do what I do, but together we can make a difference” –
BE NOT AFRAID MOVE FORWARD WITH HOPE
Noon - Luncheon Celebrating the Missionaries of St. Junipero Serra
1:30 p.m. Serra Townhall
 |
| Fr. Richard Getchel of Green Bay and Serra Chicago 2021 convention attendees extend a blessing over President Michael Bragg and his Serra International Board. |
International handled questions from the floor – and there were many – Opened with a video by Serra’s Episcopal Advisor, Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. Junipero Serra ‘always forward - ever forward he moved in a vision of faith – and trust in God – ever forward’
- There is a You Tube Serra channel use it
- Use your Deacons
- Serra v Sierra ‘were priest huggers not tree huggers’
- Maybe drop the use of the term club – like our discipleship group – do we need ‘structure’ – ‘officers’
- Parish vocation councils – Ignite workshops
- Work with religious orders not just diocesan offices
2:30 p.m. Delegates Meeting the formal business meeting of Serra International – led by John Liston – this is why he opened the conference with leadership and procedures
3:30 Regional Breakout Meetings Meeting as far as I could tell there was not North Central breakout – so I attended Great Lakes (MI, IN,OH, KY). Picked up a few ideas: The Louisville club offered a complete essay contest
5:00 p.m. Closing Mass (Fr. Richard Getchel – Green Bay) Mass of anticipation – therefore the 0800 Travelers Mass for Sunday morning was cancelled
6:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception
7:30 p.m. Banquet
TAKE AWAYS/ACTION ITEMS- get a copy of the wallet card “Serran Prayer for Vocations” for all members
-
read the ending of Matthews gospel as an opening or closing
prayer for the Discipleship group
-
plan a Serra Essay contest fin conjunction with Vocation
Awareness Week in 2022 chucklynch4782@gmail.com
-
recognize altar servers again
-
do we need a fundraiser?
-
Make a call to the archdiocesan vocations office, let them
know who we are
-
Give each member a Serra calendar and rosary card
-
Rosary on line – last Saturday of the month
Brewers
lost to the Braves 0 – 3 in
Milwaukee
 |
| East Cavalry Field |
East Cavalry Field – I read Edward G. Longacre’s “The Cavalry at Gettysburg: A Tactical Study of Mounted Operations during the Civil War’s Pivotal Campaign 9 June – 14 July,1863” last year but without any maps I didn’t find it very useful. This year while driving through the East Cavalry Field again – Chad put the battle together for me. Still a lot to understand – but in his attempt to understand the battle as I drove and pointed out the monuments and markers – I finally understood the directions of the the attacks and defense.
On July 3 BG David Gregg received orders to take his division to “the point of intersection of the Gettysburg and Hanover turnpike with the road which ran in the rear of the right of our battle line” the Low Dutch Road. These were Meade’s main supply routes. Unbeknownst to Gregg, Lee gave MG J.E.B. Stuart orders to move to the same area.
We entered the field along Cavalry Field Road (Battlefield Harley US Hwy 30). The fight between the horsemen developed in three phases. Phase I began around the Rummel Farm, where Witcher’s (CS) men and some of Chambliss’s (CS) troopers all dismounted advanced toward the farm buildings to use them for cover. Unfortunately, Witcher’s men were only issued 10 rounds each. For awhile, they ‘fought with decided effect.” Gregg ordered COL McIntosh to deploy and meet the Confederates. This action initiated Phase II.
McIntosh placed the MAJ Beaumont’s 1st NJ CAV to the north near the road. BG George A. Custer already held the Low Dutch Road intersection, Custer stayed there while Gregg sent dismounted troopers from the 3rd PA & 1st MD CAV to take on Witcher’s men near the barn. As the fight grew in intensity, Custer sent the 5th MI CAV dismounted forward. When the Union troopers pursued with more vigor than Stuart expected her chose a different course of action.
To open Phase III-A, Stuart ordered a series of mounted cavalry charges from the woods. Custer mounted his 7th MI CAV to meet the charge. Confusion reigned as more troopers entered the fray. BG Fitz Lee’s regiments entering the fight appeared to gain the upper hand as Custer’s 1st and 7th MI fell back to the Hanover Road.
Phase II-B Custer in person took the lead at the reforming 1st MI and led a charge against BG Wade Hampton’s confederate cavalry brigade. CPT William Miller of the 3rd PA CAV saw an opportunity to charge the confederate right flank and did so. The 3rd PA CAV unexpected appearance disrupted the momentum of Stuart’s attacking column. Stuart pulled his scattered regiments back and withdrew to rejoin Lee’s main force.
King James Gallery – purchased Parker’s Crossroads by John Paul Strain and discovered that the print we saw in Battlefield HD was actually done by an artist named Mark Maritato – not Mort Kunstler – the gallery will search out the print and call me next week.
Ranger led program “Lincoln and the Soldier’s National Cemetery” - Met inside the cemetery near concrete platform – Taneytown Gate. The platform is not where Lincoln gave his speech, it was built in 1898. There is also a Gettysburg Address monument – it has a likeness of Lincoln on it and a copy of the Gettysburg Address. It is the only monument dedicated to words not a person.
SGT Amos Hummiston
of the 154th NY is buried here
Edward Everett memorized a 2 hour speech – a grand event but few remember what he said or even his name.
Location of speech platform November, 1863 actually in Evergreen Cemetery near the location of Jennie Wade’s gravesite
Dinner at Garryowen Irish Pub on the Lincoln Hwy about 2 blocks west of the town square.
Saturday
October 2, 2021
WEATHER: upper 40’s at 0530; foggy and a low of 39 crossing the Appalachian Mountains going west -
TRAVEL: automobile
LV 0545 EDT Gettysburg, PA AR
Burlington, WI 1715 CDT this trip left
Gettysburg through Carlisle to I-80 to I-76 and point west – figured the tolls
are around $60 one way
The total trip was 1,758 miles and averaged around 25.2 miles per gallon with the Jeep Wrangler.
Thursday October 7, 2021
WEATHER: rain thru
most of the day – 72 in Chicago
TRAVEL: AMTRAK Sturtevant
to Chicago Union Station
78th Serra International Convention, Palmer House,
Chicago, IL
 |
| Lobby of the Palmer House |
The Palmer House is in the heart of the Loop, an elegant and grand hotel of the past and still in the present. Rated as a Four Star hotel. Lobby is on the 2nd floor. Conference registration is on the 4th floor along with the Conference Rooms.
Serrans are Catholic lay men and women who vigorously respond to the call to promote and support vocations to the ministerial priesthood and consecrated life in the Catholic Church.
 |
| Fr. Menezes |
 |
| Entertainment - Welcome Reception |
6:30 p.m. – Welcome Reception a buffet of cheese and crackers, as well as, two roast beef sandwich stations. Soft drinks, coffee, tea and water.
Miller’s Pub is just out the door and half a block down S. Wabash Ave. Busy and service was less than congenial. It’s Chicago. Returned to the Palmer House and had a burger at the lobby bar.
Friday October 8, 2021
WEATHER: What does it matter? I’m inside all day, however, 66 and cloudy at 6 am – forecast calls for partly cloudy – a high of 72 and rain this afternoon between 1 & 6.
TRAVEL: Palmer House
78th Serra International Convention, Palmer House, Chicago, IL
9:00 a.m. - Spiritual Retreat for Serrans (retreat master Fr. Brian Welter) The Sacredness of Vocation Ministry
Tim O’Neal, US Serra Council, opened with a short video about what our leaders say about Serra. Nothing profound. Followed by another video about the Serra International Foundation.
Fr. Brain Welter is Executive Director, at the Institute for Priestly Formation, Omaha, NE. A native of Chicago, attended public schools, graduated from Bradley University and studied Manufacturing Technology. Worked in the construction field for six years framing houses as a carpenter. Experienced a renewal as a Catholic and felt a call to the priesthood. Entered Mundelein Seminary in the Fall of 200. Ordained for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 2005. Assignments: Parish priest, 2005-10; Vocation Director for Archdiocese of Chicago 2010-13; assigned to the faculty of Mundelein University in 2013 and finished his term as Vice-Rector on June 30, 2020.
Fr. Welter began with his story, how he discerned a vocation to the priesthood and then presented a handout which was actually an outline of his presentation. All tied together very nicely – a good presentation. The talk was divided into two parts.
PART I: Long Exposure in the Night
His
presentations referenced scripture than his own experience/examples of what or
how this has or is happening in the world.
John 20:1 Mary Magdala on Easter morning is looking for something . . . like
first picture of a black hole – and ring of light surrounding darkness – she
arrives in darkness and sees an empty tomb, two angels and finally a gardener –
who she does not immediately recognize as the Lord.
On Hiddenness - Moses after talking with God had a radiance on his face
On Deserts (or black
holes or any area deprived of sensory input) – the Israelite’s
were in bondage for 430 years, set free, then wandered in the desert for 40 years
– an experience – maybe a cleansing – i.e. they had become Egyptians and had to
learn again how to be Hebrew – we grow in Love because of the deserts in life –
there is Hope and we grow
On Darkness and
Illumination – when praying do you sometimes ask yourself is that God
talking to me or am I talking to myself – we light fires when we remind people
that they are loved by God
On Staying Close to the
Fire – even when we’re exhausted, continue to pray and keep
faith – finish the task at hand and pay attention to the things that matter
On Concealed Questions – God
and Adam after he had eaten the forbidden fruit – it’s a beginning of a
dialogue not a condemnation – “Where are you” – actually a healing question
On Staying Close to
Jesus – “whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but
will have the light of life” John 8:12 like
Mary when it was still dark – in the midst of the struggle – not when it was
all over – each of us is necessary, God gave us all a task in life
There was a BREAK and Part II was in front of the Eucharist in a monstrance
PART II: Long Exposure to the Light
“Do
not be deceived, my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of Lights” James 1:16-17
On Long Exposure to the Light – references to Yosemite and the Dawn Wall when the sun rises of El Capitan – the surface looks smooth and slippery but there are plenty of contours – good holds and bad holds - places to grab hold off – contours of the heart - contours of sound - what looks smooth – there is a sound of prayer
On Seeing Through
People – we put up barriers – is Jesus talking to us – have
honest dialogue
On Lighting Fires and
the Lay Vocation – Luke 24:30-31 . .
. with that their eyes were opened
and they recognized Him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said ‘were not our hearts burning
within us . . . ? story about it is
easy to light a fire – light small lights everywhere
On Flames and Fire and
Courage – where do we draw our strength – Nicodemus and Joseph of
Arimathea dared to ask Pilate for Christ’s body – stories of Bishop Oscar
Romero and John Newman – thro another log on the fire – even when there is only
an ember the log still sparks – it burns
On the Eucharist – “My
heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for
three days and have nothing to eat . . . How many loaves do you have?” even here the disciples write Him off – yet
all are fed – nothing is discarded, the ‘fragments are gathered up.” -
Five Minutes of Silence
– the ‘as is’ situation in your life – what is in your heart
The
session ended with Benediction and
transfer of the Eucharist to the Adoration Room
Noon - Luncheon Sponsored by The Serra International Foundation
1:30 p.m. - Serra International Foundation Program
Vianney
Vocations – Vocations Week - for schools
and bulletin insert
2:30 p.m. - Speaker: Fr. Nathan Cromly, C.S.J.
Fr. Nathan Cromly is
Founder of Eagle
Eye Ministries and Saint
John Institute. Currently
ministers in Denver. He began Eagle Eye Ministries in
2003, now home to six forms of outreach to teens and young adults – a unique
program in which young adults earn an accredited Masters degree while receiving spiritual formation from the
Brothers of St. John. The purpose of the
Institute is to send graduates to work for the Lord in the for-profit
world. It raises the spirit of a new evangelization in young people by
sending missionary entrepreneurs into the Church.
This guy was really interesting, funny, kept your interest – maybe even a bit of a performer . . .
He began with the ‘sign of the cross’ in Latin and how he was called to the priesthood – he was an altar server and wanted to go to World Youth Day (14 AUG 93 Denver, CO) with Pope John Paul II – two ‘old guys’ (Serran’s) paid for his trip – he continued with a short history of Junipero Serra – who had ample opportunities to be discouraged – but he never lost Hope and prayed a novena to St. Joseph – i.e. don’t be discouraged because of young people today, those who have lost faith, etc – even St. Paul writes “I have worked harder . . . (like those who are active in the parish, KC, Serra) – Mother Theresa quote – along one ‘if . . . . . . . give anyway’ – don’t look at the negativity – see the invisible – have a vision – (this guy is thankful – ‘we are priests because of you – you’re a model for priests for what we are supposed to do’) - Joseph dared the impossible – yet there is not a quote we have of St. Joseph – St. Joseph the worker – the ‘dignity of work’ – it takes hard work to ‘catch a soul’
‘The lost sheep is lost because he wants to be – to brin it home we have to wrestle it – and carry it on our shoulders.’
2:30 p.m. – Concurrent Sessions (choices included)
- Serra International Foundation
- Programs
- Membership
- Vocations
- Communications
I chose Programs and learned a lot – got some ideas
- -
There is a Serra Handbook and a ‘new member kit’
- -
serra.org
- -
I though I saw a blue book called Discipleship
- -
Serra Magazine
- -
Some clubs use hybrid meeting (zoom/in person)
- -
Not just speakers but things that address our call to
holiness
- -
Serra USA Program Comm meets 1st Monday of the
even months
- -
Lent Club get together – Stations of the Cross for priests
- -
Saturday meeting with Mass and Rosary – Chaplain covers something
from the Serra Handbook
 |
| St. Peter's in the loop |
Dinner at Miller’s Pub – Brewer’s beat the Braves 2 – 1 in Milwaukee
8:00 p.m. - Evening Entertainment I did not attend Holy Ghost Bingo with Nuns 4Fun
Saturday
October 9, 2021
WEATHER: 63 and cloudy at 6 am, forecast calls for sunny and a high of 75
TRAVEL: Palmer House – WIFI would NOT CONNECT this morning
78th Serra International Convention, Palmer House, Chicago, IL
8:30 a.m. Morning
Prayer
8:45 a.m. Serra Around the World travel to the US is still restricted by many countries, so this conference is not very international in attendees. Some countries sent videos – a report of what they’ve been doing –
- SERRA MEXICO
- SERRA GREAT BRITAIN
- SERRRA BANGALORE-INDIA
- SERRA THAILAND
- SERRA ITALY
- SERRA BRAZIL
- SERRA CANADA
- SERRA USA – presented in person –‘the presentations remind us that the Catholic Faith and Sera are universal’”
Serra Meets, started in December 2018,
was originally planned to last for 6 sessions – now it has been determined that
it will be presented monthly for an undetermined period - indefinite
Seven Serra Prayer Program – I
sat next to this lady at lunch, she is excited ad bounces around everywhere
promoting her program – each club praying for Diocesan Vocation Directors – she
became uninterested in me when in reply to her query – I replied that a year ago
I called the Archdiocesan Vocation Office to obtain there permission to allow a
name and number in the bulletin along with a monthly message, connected to the
gospel reading, on whether ‘you may have the call” – the reply from the Office
was ‘I didn’t know there still was a Southern Lakes Serra Club. After this, the lady decided to scat around the room - perhaps looking for more fruitful ground.
Thoughts after the presentation: Southern Lakes Serra exists but just isn’t with it prayerful but not vibrant
9:40 a.m. Coffee Break
10:00 a.m. State of Serra – President Ruben Gallegos, Ph.D no doubt this guy
 |
| Rueben Gallegos |
is dedicated, but a ‘character’ spent the first 35 minutes talking about his life – growing up in El Ranchitos, TX where his mother went to 4th grade, his father 3rd - they spanked you if you spoke Spanish is school and ‘other things happened’ if you spoke English at home. This guy is full of humor, but I wouldn’t urn my back on him.
By 10:35 his message turned to “we must pray for vocations – God will decide where to send them” – Serra has a challenge 20,000 members in 2004, about 12,000 in 2020. “Membership is everybody’s business.” T get new members – you have to invite them. PRAY and INVITE PEOPLE TO PRAY. He ended with the ‘Serran Prayer for Vocations’ and a viral You Tube video – set to “Jerusalem” (sung by two South African artists) nuns dancing. He said the nuns called it a prayer not a gimmick. JOY!
11:00 Serra Meets with Bishop Ronald Hicks, Bishop of Joliet - he started with a very short version of his calling, and then referenced that ending of Matthews gospel – ‘go ye and make disciples of all nations’. There is a rise in the ‘religious unaffiliated” – people who have no faith – it isn’t just Catholics – youth today identify as ‘none’ – his analogy of a cut flower – beauty for a while then it just dies – many today say they are spiritual but not religious – I can do it on my own – self -focused – these people have nothing to pass on to the next generation – a shift in culture . . . .
Bishop Hicks suggested three Ways To Get Back:
MINDS HEARTS WORK
Catechesis Evangelization Faith into Action
Catechesis – become ‘lifelong learners’ not just ‘sacramentalized’ – story of the RCIA convert whose husband attended RCIA and learned as much, more about faith than his wife did
Evangelization – once you are convinced you know Jesus, everything changes, you want to pray – you go to church and help people develop a prayer life
Faith into Action – if you are catechized and evangelized – you will be on fire – i.e. you want to participate/share/take on your ministry to the church
His thoughts on Confirmation/High School – yes Service, is an aspect but students need to know WHY they do Service – ‘a way to grow in faith’ – understand that “I can’t do what you do and you can’t do what I do, but together we can make a difference” –
BE NOT AFRAID MOVE FORWARD WITH HOPE
Noon - Luncheon Celebrating the Missionaries of St. Junipero Serra
1:30 p.m. Serra Townhall first time this was ever done – the officers of Serra International handled questions from the floor – and there were many – Opened with a video by Serra’s Episcopal Advisor, Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto. Junipero Serra ‘always forward - ever forward he moved in a vision of faith – and trust in God – ever forward’
- There is a You Tube Serra channel use it
- Use your Deacons
- Serra v Sierra ‘were priest huggers not tree huggers’
- Maybe drop the use of the term club – like our discipleship group – do we need ‘structure’ – ‘officers’
- Parish vocation councils – Ignite workshops
- Work with religious orders not just diocesan offices
 |
| Outgoing President Rueben Gallegos Incoming President Michael Bragg |
2:30 p.m. Delegates Meeting the formal business meeting of Serra International – led by John Liston – this is why he opened the conference with leadership and procedures
3:30 Regional Breakout Meetings as far as I could tell there was not North Central breakout – so I attended Great Lakes (MI, IN,OH, KY). Picked up a few ideas: The Louisville club offered a complete essay contest
5:00 p.m. Closing Mass (Fr. Richard Getchel – Green Bay)
 |
| The Chicago Marathon was held Sunday October 10, 2021 Started in the Loop, a lot of streets blocked off, no cabs so I walked to Union Station |
Mass of anticipation – therefore the 0800 Travelers Mass for Sunday morning was cancelled
6:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception
7:30 p.m. Banquet
TAKE AWAYS/ACTION ITEMS
- -
get a copy of the wallet card “Serran Prayer for Vocations”
for all members
- -
read the ending of Matthews gospel as an opening or closing
prayer for the Discipleship group
- - plan a Serra Essay contest fin conjunction with Vocation Awareness Week in 2022 chucklynch4782@gmail.com
- -
recognize altar servers again
- -
do we need a fundraiser?
- -
Make a call to the archdiocesan vocations office, let them
know who we are
- -
Give each member a Serra calendar and rosary card
- -
Rosary on line – last Saturday of the month
Brewers lost to the Braves 0 – 3 in Milwaukee
Wednesday
October 20, thru Tuesday November 2, 2021
WEDNESDAY October, 20, 2021
TRAVEL: DELTA LV MKE 0550 AR DTW 0800 – LV DTW 1037 AR MCO 1213 – Rental car from Budget –
travel to HGV at Seaworld – PUBLIX for groceries
WEATHER:
82 and partly sunny, not humid Sunset:
1851
HGV at Seaworld - October 20 thru November 2, 2021
Staff not very ‘welcoming’ it may have been a shift change. In Bldg 8 ‘Warwick House’ – I’m on the 4th
floor, the pool I’ve never gone to is right outside my balcony No REMOTE for
the TV in the Living Room – called the front desk – after waiting 45 minutes I
called again – hoping to get it before I go to bed.. Arrived in 15 minutes
after he second call. Light switches for the kitchen were hidden
between the refrigerator and the wall. No
spatula. Could NOT CONNECT to connect
to Hilton Honors WIFI, as usual, FRUSTRATING. If you want an Activity Guide you have to cans it from your TV and download it. Fixed on Thursday. The issue with the WIFI was ‘operator headspace.’ Somehow, I had
changed the settings on my PC – Paul’s Help Desk made it work.
THURSDAY October 21, 2021
WEATHER: 68 at 6 am; forecast
high of 88, partly cloudy Sunrise: 0730 Sunset: 1850
HGVC – Seaworld –
spatula replaced
0915 Owner’s Update - Parc du Soleil - listened to a sales pitch for almost 2 housr, got a $125 VISA card for endurance. However, I did upgrade – AGAIN – LESSON LEARNED: Just Stay Away From Owner Updates.
Replaced the SUNPASS transponder with a new purchase at PUBLIX. Activated on line tied to my old account.
FRIDAY October 22, 2021
WEATHER: 69 at 6 am; forecast high of 89, partly cloudy
Sunrise: 0730 Sunset: 1848
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| Our Lady of the Universe Basilica - statue of St. Michael the Archangel |
little feet that must be clad in iron tennis shoes – and this one can move furniture
1200 - Our Lady of the Universe Basilica – Feast Day of St.
Pope John Paul II
1348 Tee time at Disney Magnolia Golf Course – The longest of the Walt Disney World Golf Courses. Names for its majestic magnolia trees, the course features elevated tees, spacious greens and challenging water hazards. Wide fairways are an invite to long ball hitters, but 11 of the 18 holes have water hazards. There are 97 bunkers.
This was the only course open to a single when I made the reservation on Tuesday. Facemasks required indoors. Cash not accepted anywhere. You are no longer able to view ACTUAL rates on-line. Fall Rate with Military Discount $93.00.
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| Magnolia Golf Chourse |
Par Rating Slope Yardage
Black 72 76.0 141 7,516
Blue 72 74.0 137 7,182
White 72 71.6 130 6,642
Gold 72 69.0 121 6,091
Gold – Ladies 72 74.7 136 6,091
Red – Ladies 72 69.6 126 5,232
I played from the Gold and
expected to shoot 100 and I played terribly.
No doubt it’s a long course but I started on the 10th hole,
all the water
hazards appear to be on the back
nine. I hit 7 of them, lost another 3
balls and was in the sand on 7 of the back nine holes. I shot a 67.
I couldn’t quite find my swing.
The front nine was a little better, one lost ball and one sand trap,
shot 56.
The guys I golfed with were from Pennsylvania and not very friendly, we barely introduced ourselves and there was very little small talk. Perhaps they took the game too seriously. We pulled in after 18, I gave a guy $3 as a tip for cleaning my clubs; asked if he would put them out in front – he replied ‘Yes” and when I came to pick them up – No Clubs! The staff looked all over – of course no one taking responsibility. Finally, one of them thought that the set of ‘unclaimed’ clubs may belong to one of the guys I golfed with – he called him (his number luckily was on the bag tag) and sure enough he had my clubs. I don’t know who loaded the wrong clubs.
I asked if Evergreen at Shades of Green was open. It was. I gave him my cell phone number, he gave me a cart, and I went over to have a Yuengling by the pool. The guy eventually, brought my clubs over and loaded them on the cart – they ‘mysteriously’ appeared? I went back to the Club House and asked for the Manager – he gave me a free round of golf. Reservation is for Lake Buena Vista on Monday November, 1, 2021 at 7:48 AM – PERFECT – a terrible round, but a “Magical Day’ at Disney.
SATURDAY October 23, 2021
WEATHER: 70 at 7 am, cloudy,
rained during the Packer game, high of 87 Sunrise: 0731 Sunset: 1847
HGVC – Seaworld – housekeeping came today about 4:30 pm – Still NOISY upstairs.
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| Disney Springs |
None of the nearby churches offer a Saturday morning mass
Disney Springs – No temperature screening – Masks required when in buildings. Shopping for Christmas gifts again, unable to find Stitch slippers, did find some other Stitch stuff – and a brown plaid HD short sleeve shirt and a black long sleeve hooded Orlando HD sweatshirt
My favorite Margarita bar was not open, nor was Raglan Road (I don’t think they opened until 1130 it was 1120) - so I went to Paradiso 37 – happy hour Margarita’s for $7 and I had two – then went to buy the items above.
SUNDAY October 24, 2021
WEATHER: 73 at 6 am
high of 86, rained most of the afternoon Sunrise: 0732 Sunset: 1846
HGVC – Seaworld I think ‘iron booties’ above me has roller
blades also; it gets NOISY
around 1pm – can’t imagine what ‘iron booties’ is doing up at 2 am last night
0800 - Our Lady of the Universe Basilica
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| Lake Buena Vista Golf Course Dock the boats began running again October 1st |
Lake Buena Vista Golf – got a large bucket of balls - Driver, 3 Wood, 7, 9 and Wedge. Hit off the left heel, follow through, hit the ball first, and right foot a little bit forward. Hit much better – consistently Verified my Monday November 1, tee time at 7:57 am.
GREEN BAY 24 – WASHINGTON 10
MONDAY October 25, 2021
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| Holy Cross Catholic Church |
WEATHER: 75 and
cloudy, high of 84, forecast 30% chance of rain, Sunrise: 0732 Sunset: 1845
HGVC – Seaworld
0800 Holy Cross Catholic Church – about 35 people in church.
at Orange Lake Resort. The golf course has a layout that is similar to traditional Scottish courses. This wide-open golf course features several challenges that require a well-equipped bag of clubs. The Legends layout features winding fairways and strategically contoured greens, which call for well placed approach shots and precise putting. Towering pines and oaks provide shade and scenery, but they add another challenging element to the game. Tee shots often require strategy in order to cut through the trees. Water flows throughout the golf course, coming into play on a few holes. The signature hole of the course is the 13th, called the Island Oak.
I made an on-line reservation Daily Steal for $45. The reservation fee was $1. Par Rating Slope Yardage
Teal 72 71.8 137 7,072
Black 72 74.5 142 6,665
Blue 72 73.0 139 6,263
White 72 71.8 128 5,780
YELLOW 72 68.3 118 5,188
Dinner at Longhorn Steak House on Vineland.
TUESDAY October 26, 2021
WEATHER: 74 at 6 am mostly
sunny, high of 86 Sunrise: 0733 Sunset: 1845
HGVC – Seaworld I had planned on seeing a movie at Disney Springs but
decided to watch Jungle Cruise here in the theater at 6 pm
0800 Holy Cross Catholic Church
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| Jungle Cruise |
Jungle Cruise - Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), is a well-pedigreed botanist, adventurer gathers up maps belonging to her legendary father and travels to the Amazon circa 1916 to find the Tears of the Moon, petals from a "Tree of Life"-type of fauna that can heal all infirmities. She and her snooty, pampered brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) hire Frank "Skipper" Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) to bring them to their destination. The only notable concession to the original theme park ride comes here: Wolff's day job is taking tourists upriver and making cheesy jokes in the spirit of "hosts" on Disney Jungle Cruise rides of yore. On the mission, Johnson immediately settles into a cranky but funny old sourpuss vibe, a la John Wayne or Harrison Ford, and inhabits it amiably enough, even though buoyant, almost childlike optimism comes more naturally to him than world-weary gruffness. Special effects reminiscent of the “Pirates of the Caribbean.” A well spent 2 hours+ with credits. Entertaining and good enough for more than a few chuckles and or groans.
WEDNESDAY October 27, 2021
WEATHER: 63 at 6 am,
high of 83 mostly sunny Sunrise: 0735 Sunset: 1843
HGVC – Seaworld
1200 - Our Lady of the Universe Basilica
Disney Springs AMC Theaters. This is a huge complex., 24
theaters. Expensive? The cost to see Dune in 3D in luxury seats was $15.85 at the Sr./Military Rate- a small popcorn and coke cost $14.47. Watched Dune 3:45 pm 2 hr 35 min
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| Raglan Road - Disney Springs |
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| Dune |
After the movie, stopped at Raglan Road for a couple of glasses of Harp.
THURSDAY October 27, 2021
WEATHER: 66 at 6 am cloudy,
high of 84 and thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon - may
be a good time to see another movie Sunrise:
0734 Sunset: 1844
HGVC – Seaworld - WIFI difficult to connect to AGAIN
0800 Holy Cross Catholic Church
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| No Time To Die |
Disney Springs American Movie Complex AMC – theaters. Watched No Time to Die 2:30 pm 2 hr 43 min Theater was crowed – a rainy day – only 3 seats empty – Cost here was reasonable $8.72 included 53 cents tax – no luxury seats or 3D. Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected leading Bond onto the trial of a mysterious villain with dangerous new technology. The villain looked familiar – I believe he was the same actor who played Freddy Prince in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I didn’t count the bad guys Bond killed, but it envies an episode of “24” episode or any ‘John Wick’ movie. I liked ‘Q’ more than any other character. Entertaining.
FRIDAY October 29, 2021
WEATHER: 72 at 6 am,
cloudy to partly sunny and a high of 79 -
30% chance of rain Sunrise:
0736 Sunset: 1841
HGVC – Seaworld – ‘iron booties’ still living upstairs – active
at 11 am and 7 pm
0800 Holy Cross Catholic Church
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| Bahama Breeze-Happy Hour 1/2 Off Drinks & Appetizers Thursday Night Football Replay W Packers 24 - L Cardinals 21 |
Went to Bahama
Breeze for a Margarita and Cocoanut
Shrimp – Happy Hour 4-6 pm – i.e
. half-price drinks and appetizers – got away
with a bill of only $16.93 plus tip – didn’t know the Packers played the Cardinals on Thursday Night
Football – watched the replay form
the 3rd quarter on – with less than 2 ½ minutes left in the 4th
quarter the Pack
couldn’t score with 1st and goal and 5 chances – Arizona got the ball, moved it down
the field and the Pack
intercepts in the end zone – End of Game – GB Packers 24, AZ Cardinals 21. Whew!
Don’t think Ill be able to bear watching the World Series in Atlanta. Atlanta and Houston are tied 1-1. The chant and the chop are way too irritating.
SATURDAY October 30, 2021
WEATHER: 64 at 6 am cloudy
to partly sunny, high of 72 Sunrise: 0735 Sunset: 1842
HGVC – Seaworld – housekeeping came again today
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| The Last Duel Ben Affleck, Jodie Comey (Marguerite), Adam Driver (LeGris), Matt Damon (Carrouges) |
Disney Springs American Movie Complex AMC – theaters. Watched The Last Duel 12:45 pm 2 hr 33 min. This was in one of the luxury 'dine-in' theaters cost was $11.38. Ridley’s Scott’s gripping tale of betrayal and vengeance set against the brutality of 14th century France. The historical epic is cinematic and thought-provoking drama that explores the ubiquitous power of men, the frailty of justice and the strength and courage of one woman willing to stand alone in the service of truth. Based on actual events, the film unravels long held assumptions about France’s last sanctioned dual between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, two friends turned bitter rivals. When Carrouges wife, Marguerite, is viciously assaulted by Le Gris, a charge he denies, she refuses to stay silent, stepping forward to accuse her attacker, an act of bravery and defiance that her life in jeopardy. The ensuing trial by combat, a grueling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God’s hands. Scott’s characteristic blood letting scenes are epic – the story is divided in Three Parts 1 ‘The Truth According to Carrouges’, 2 'The Truth According to Le Gris' and 3 'The Truth According to Marguerite’ interesting approach.
SUNDAY October 31, 2021
WEATHER: 65 at 6 am
cloudy, high of 74 and mostly sunny by 10 am Sunrise: 0736 Sunset: 1841
HGVC – Seaworld
1000 Our Lady Of The Universe -The Two Greatest Commandments – a one hour and 25 minute celebration – complete with incense . . . . .but the organ and the choir were the reason for attending 10 o’clock mass – 7 outstanding voices in 4 part harmony – all were miced - the harmonies were clear - half of the songs were acapella – pure joy to listen to – the organist is no slouch either – the priest did go about 10 minutes over papal guidance with his homily and stories but he was all right to be listened to – after all a big part of his job is raising money for the basilica
HALLOWEEN – all of the theme parks have a special event on site
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| Disney After Hours Boo Bash |
DISNEY - After Hours Boo Bash will take place on select nights from August 10 through October 31. Ticket holders will be admitted to Magic Kingdom park as early as 7:00 PM on the valid date of their ticket—giving them even more time to enjoy park favorites before the event begins! These dated tickets do not require an additional day theme park ticket or Disney Park Pass theme park reservation.
Admission to Disney After Hours Boo Bash can be purchased online
for $129 to $199 per adult or child (plus tax), depending on the event date.
Tickets are nontransferable and
nonrefundable. The number of tickets available is limited. Tickets are valid
only during specific event dates and hours. BUY YOUR TICKETS EARLY.
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| Seaworld - Howl-O-Scream |
SEAWORLD – Howl-O-Scream A new terror has surfaced, and there’s nowhere to hide. Howl-O-Scream has washed ashore at SeaWorld Orlando, and this time, the fear is everywhere.
Evade angry haunts as they rampage through scare zones. Seek shelter indoors, only to find you’ve entered a house of horrors. Deepen the thrill with a nighttime coaster ride. Feel the monstrous electricity of a live show.
27 nights of a fully immersive fear - Howl-O-Scream is intended for a mature audience. The event contains intense adult content such as violence, gore, and blood. It is a separately ticketed event. No costumes are allowed. Single night $99.99
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| Universal - Horror Nights |
31. Front Gate price $122 + tax, discounts may be available. There are 10 Haunted Houses - I’ve attended this once, now in its 30th year. The Haunted Houses are the best I’ve ever seen. They bring together stories and visions from the world’s most notorious creators of horror, from cinematic greats and crazed current cult favorites to the park’s original abominations.
MONDAY November 1, 2021
WEATHER: 63 at 6am
high of 77 sunny and clear Sunrise: 0737 Sunset: 1840
HGVC – Seaworld – ‘iron booties’ is still active from 11 to
11 above me.
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| Hole #1 Lake Buena Vista GC This is the left side of the fairway I know someone who lost 4 balls here and he plays much better than I |
Par Rating Slope Yardage
Blue 72 72.3 133 6,745
White 72 70.1 130 6,281
GOLD 72 68.5 125 5,910
Red 72 69.7 119 5,177
Even though its my favorite, its still long, I hit every drive in the fairway but it took me 2 stokes to get to the 150 yard marker and a 3rd stroke to get close to the green – maybe if it played about 5600 or 5700 yards. At any rate, I shot a 57/58 with 3 balls in the water, 4 in the sand, and plenty of putts. Maybe I should just leave the clubs at home from now on . . . .
GOLF RATING/SLOPE INFO
USGA Course Rating is an evaluation of the difficulty of a golf
course for scratch golfers. (More specifically, the number is an estimate
of the average scores of the best 50-percent of rounds played by scratch
golfers at the course being rated.)
Course Rating is very easy to understand because it is
expressed in strokes. A par-72 course that is easy might have a course rating
of 68.9; one that is difficult might have a course rating of 74.5. That means
that a scratch golfer should be expected to average 68.9 strokes in his better
rounds at the easier course; and 74.5 at the more difficult one.
Slope Rating (a term trademarked by the United States
Golf Association) is a measurement of the difficulty of a golf course for bogey golfers relative
to the course rating.
Course rating tells scratch golfers how difficult the golf course
will be; slope rating tells bogey golfers how
difficult it will be.
To put it another way: USGA
Course Rating tells the best golfers how hard a golf course actually plays;
USGA Slope Rating indicates
how much harder the course plays for "regular" (meaning not
among the best) golfers.
The minimum slope rating is
55 and the maximum is 155 (slope does not relate specifically to strokes played
as course rating does). The higher the slope,
the more difficult the course is. When the slope rating system was first put
into effect, the USGA set the slope for an "average" golf course at
113; however, not many 18-hole golf courses have slope ratings that low. Some
do, but the real-world average is higher than 113. (However, a slope of 113 is
still used in certain calculations within the handicap system.)
Lunch at Hurricane – beer and wings
UPS Store
TUESDAY November 2, 2021
WEATHER: 66 Orlando/32
Burlington at 5 am Sunrise:
0738 Orlando Sunset: 1754 Burlington
TRAVEL: Delta LV 1030 MCO-AR 1304 LGA (LaGuardia) LV 1545LGA-AR 1707 MKE
The DELTA Experience: A long layover in LaGuardia (still under construction)
turned into a flurry of messages:
1248 Gate Change from C29 to C34
1250 Gate Change from C34 to C26
1307 Flight Delayed from 1545 to 1630
1418 Flight Delayed from 1630 to 1700
1540 At Gate C26 Flight Time Change from
1700 to 1748
1545 Gate Change from C26 50 C30 Departure now 1618
ENOUGH ALREADY - 3 Bub Lights cost me over $30 – I would have had
another beer if the flight was really delayed until 1748 EDT
This should close “Travels” for 2021 – Looking forward to 2022 – COVID – let’s face it – it’s over – i.e. there will almost always be a variant – we haven’t found a cure for the flu or the cold – but we have treatment and vaccines for the flu – Let’s rid ourselves of the masks, the restrictions, the fear . . . . there are plans for 2022 and hopefully I’ll be able to conclude these travels with a trip to Ireland in 2023.
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