Week One- Proposed Itinerary

My dad is going with me for this portion of the trip. He has traveled with me before.He was with me in Spain & Portugal in 1999 (also with my mom), We spent two days seeing Washington, D.C. in 2005, and he spent three days walking around Boston last year. He's a great traveling buddy, laid back and completely agreeable, even putting up with my crazy schedule.
Ok- So here's the plan right now.
I am leaving on Friday morning, June 5th early in the morning. Our plan is to spend the evening with my friends, Matt & Lisa Stueber in Lincoln, Nebraska. That's 800 miles of driving, with only one stop, The Ronald Reagan Birthplace in Dixon, Illinois, between Michigan and the plains of Nebraska.
Day two starts at Homestead National Monument in Southern Nebraska, followed by one of two Pony Express Stations, either Rock Creek in Southern Nebraska or Hollenberg in Kansas. I haven't decided on which on yet. I'd love to visit both, but the day is already pretty packed. We will be stopping at the monument makrking the Geographic Center of the lower 48 States near Lebanon, Kansas. Nicodemus National Historic Site is next, followed, time permitting, by Cottonwood Ranch, a Kansas State Historic Site. Then the 275 miles to the suburbs of Denver where we will spend the night.
Sunday will be entirely devoted to Rocky Mountain National Park, which is probably the most famous and well-known park on this trip. We have both visited here, but not this throughly. we'll be spending the night in the home of the Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs.
On Monday, we will visit both Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and Great Sand Dunes National Park, spending the evening in Farmington, New Mexico. Between the two parks we'll be driving through some of the most scenic parts of the Rocky Mountains.
Day Five, Tuesday, finds us at Chaco Culture National Historic Park, a series of Indian ruins in New Mexico that come highly recommended. In the afternoon, we'll see Aztec National Monument before heading to the Four Corners Monument. The plan for the evening is to stay in Cortez, Colorado.
One of my favorite National Parks, Mesa Verde, is on tap the next day. I hope to get on a tour exploring one of these ancient cliff dwellings. We'll be driving the Million Dollar Highway during the day, finding our way to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, a park I visited on my 2003 trip, but only took 5 photos due to inclement weather and it being the last park on the trip. Our evening destination is Grand Junction, Colorado.
Following the great pictures I got of Sunrise over the Atlantic last year, I vowed to do the early morning at least once per trip. On Thursday morning, we'll be rising early to take pictures in Colorado National Monument. After a stop at both the Colorado and Utah districts of Dinosaur National Monument, we'll be camping at the Strawberry Reserivior located in the beautiful Unita Mountains.
The next morning, we'll be visiting Kirk & Denise Stueber in Salt Lake City, before I take my Dad to the airport and I head North to Idaho to begin the second week of the trip.

Out West 2009 Trip Prep

I know I've been lax in updating my blog over the last few weeks. Heck, the one year anniversary of the blog passed without even a post on that day (May 26th). I've been busy getting ready for my trip, on which I will depart this Friday morning. I hope to update the blog frequently while on my trip using my cell phone, but with the remoteness of many of the areas I'll be visiting, we'll see how well that promise holds up. I will be focusing on the blog more than the usual trip page, which is more thorough but appeals to less people because it takes so long to look at. Still, I'll be posting a link Thursday to the trip page and anyone interested in that is welcome to follow along that way as well.

Tomorrow I'll be posting some more information about the proposed itinerary of the trip.

#128 FDR Memorial

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is a presidential memorial dedicated to the memory of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and to the era he represents.
Dedicated on May 2, 1997 by President Bill Clinton, the monument, spread over 7.5 acres (30,000 m2), traces 12 years of the history of the United States through a sequence of four outdoor rooms, one for each of FDR's terms of office. Sculptures inspired by photographs depict the 32nd president alongside his dog Fala. Other sculptures depict scenes from the Great Depression, such as listening to a fireside chat on the radio and waiting in a bread line. A bronze statue of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt standing before the United Nations emblem honors her dedication to the UN. It is the only presidential memorial to depict a First Lady.
Considering Roosevelt's disability, the memorial's designers intended to create a memorial that would be accessible to those with various physical impairments. Among other features, the memorial includes an area with tactile reliefs with braille writing for people who are blind. However, the memorial faced serious criticism from disabled activists. Some of the braille and reliefs were placed well above the reach of even a very tall person, rendering the braille pointless because no blind person could reach high enough to read it.
The statue of FDR also stirred controversy over the issue of his disability. Designers decided against plans to have FDR shown in a wheelchair. Instead, the statue depicts the president in a chair with a cloak obscuring the chair, showing him as he appeared to the public during his life. Roosevelt's reliance on a wheelchair was not publicized during his life, as there was a stigma of weakness and instability associated with any disability.[2] However, many wanted his disability to be shown to tell the story of what they believed to be the source of his strength. Other disability advocates, while not necessarily against showing him in a wheelchair, were wary of protests about the memorial that leaned toward making Roosevelt a hero because of his disability.
The sculptor added casters to the back of the chair in deference to advocates, making it a symbolic "wheelchair". The casters are only visible behind the statue.
Many disability advocates remained upset with the FDR statue. A group spearheaded by the National Organization on Disability raised $1.65 million over two years to fund the addition of another statue that clearly showed the president in a wheelchair. In January 2001, the additional statue was placed near the memorial entrance showing FDR seated in a wheelchair much like the one he actually used.
Running water is an important physical and metaphoric component of the memorial. Each of the four "rooms" representing Roosevelt's respective terms in office contains a waterfall. As one moves from room to room, the waterfalls become larger and more complex, reflecting the increasing complexity of a presidency marked by the vast upheavals of economic depression and world war. When the memorial first opened, people were encouraged to wade into the fountains and waterfalls. Within a matter of days, the National Park Service prohibited people from entering the water because they were unable to get insurance.

Tour guides describe the symbolism of the five main water areas as:
* A single large drop - The crash of the economy that led to the Great Depression
* Multiple stairstep drops - The Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project
* Chaotic falls at varying angles - World War II
* A still pool - Roosevelt's death
* A wide array combining the earlier waterfalls - A retrospective of Roosevelt's presidency
Smaller waterfalls and a reflecting pool located between the "rooms" lend continuity to the water theme.
The memorial was designed by Lawrence Halprin, and includes sculptures and works by Leonard Baskin, Neil Estern, Robert Graham, Thomas Hardy, and George Segal. The national memorial is part of National Mall and Memorial Parks. As an historic area managed by the National Park Service, the memorial was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places on date of its establishment, May 2, 1997.
Today, more than 2.8 million people visit the memorial each year.

See more of my pictures here.

#127 Jefferson Memorial

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is a presidential memorial in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, an American Founding Father and the third president of the United States. The neoclassical building was designed by John Russell Pope. It was built by Philadelphia contractor John McShain. Construction began in 1939, the building was completed in 1942, and the bronze statue of Jefferson was added in 1947.When completed, the memorial occupied one of the last significant sites left in the city.

Composed of circular marble steps, a portico, a circular colonnade of Ionic order columns, and a shallow dome, the building is open to the elements. Pope made references to the Roman Pantheon and Jefferson's own design for the Rotunda at the University of Virginia. It is situated in West Potomac Park, on the shore of the Tidal Basin of the Potomac River. The Jefferson Memorial, and the White House located directly north, form one of the main anchor points in the area of the National Mall in D.C. The Washington Monument, just east of the axis on the national Mall, was intended to be located at the intersection of the White House and the site for the Jefferson Memorial to the south, but soft swampy ground which defied nineteenth century engineering required it be sited to the east. In 2007, it was ranked fourth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

See the rest of my pictures here.

Leaving for the Reception

Valley of the Winds

This is the Valley of the Winds in Kata-Tjunja National Park in Central Australia. These features are also know as The Olgas.

See more pictures here.

#126 Washington Monument

See Pictures from the top of this Monument here.

#125 World War II Memorial

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The U.S. National World War II Memorial is a National Memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II. Consisting of 56 pillars and a pair of arches surrounding a plaza and fountain, it is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

It opened to the public on April 29, 2004, and was dedicated by President George W. Bush on May 29, 2004, two days before Memorial Day. The memorial is administered by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial Parks group. As of 2009, more than 4.4 million people visit the memorial each year.

See More Pictures Here.

#124 The White House

See More Pictures Here.

#123 Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP

The military park encompasses four major Civil War battlefields: Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of the Wilderness, and Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. It also preserves four historic buildings associated with them: Chatham Manor, Salem Church, Ellwood, and the house where Stonewall Jackson died. The ruins of the Chancellor family mansion are included. There are two visitor centers staffed by Park Service rangers, one in Fredericksburg near the foot of Marye's Heights, and another at the Chancellorsville site.

Here are Page One and Page Two of pictures.

#122 Manassas NBP

Manassas National Battlefield Park marks the site of two major battles in the Civil War. The first Battle of Bull Run was in July of 1861, and The Second Battle of Bull Run was in August of 1862. Both battles were Confederate victories, but the losses suffered by both sides meant very little ground gained either way.

See More pictures here.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. (She won't see this- she's on a 20 hour plane flight to Borneo for a two week tour of the Malaysian side if the island).

Castle of the Moors, Sintra, Portugal

This ruined castle, built in the 1200s is located on a hill outside of Sintra, Portugal.

See More pictures here.

#121 Monocacy NB

Monocacy National Battlefield is the site of the 1864 Union victory. The victory is considered "The Battle that Saved Washington".

See more pictures here.

#120 Appalachian Trail National Scenic Trail

#119 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. It was the site of John Brown's famous raid in 1859, where he attempted to raid the arsenal, arm the slaves, and free them. He was defeated and subsequently hanged.

See More Pictures of Harpers Ferry NHS here.

#118 Antietam National Battlefield

Antietam National Battlefield memorializes the September 17th, 1862 battle that remains the single bloodiest day in American history, with over 23,000 casualties. The battle was a draw, but the Union forces held the battlefield upon the ending of the hostilities. President Lincoln wanted Union General George McClellan to follow the drastically weakened confederate army into Northern Virginia, but he refused allowing the Southerners to regroup and prolong the war. The picture above is of Burnside's Bridge.

See more pictures here.

#117 Chsapeake & Ohio Canal NHP

Started in 1824, The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal or "The Grand Old Ditch" was a key transportation route for coal from the Appalachian Mountains to Chesapeake Bay. The Canal was discontinued as a transportation route after devastating floods in 1924.
Today the 184 mile long canal has a popular bike and hiking path, as well as visitor centers which explain the canal's importance to early industrial America.
The above picture is of the canal in the Georgetown area of Washington D.C.
See More pictures here.

St. Goar, Germany

This picture is of St. Goar, on the Rhine River, in Western Germany. It was taken from Burg Rhinefels, the great, old castle overlooking the town.

See more picture of St. Goar & The Rhine Valley here.

Brooklyn Bridge

This picture is from Matt Jackson & I's stroll across the historic Brooklyn Bridge in June of last year. It was very hot, 88 degrees at 8 A.M., but still enjoyable.

See more pictures here.

#116 Sleeping Bear Dunes NL

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, located west of Traverse City, Michigan, is a National Park that is very special to me. I spent two summers working at Camp Arcadia in Arcadia, which is about an hour south of the park. The ending of our many canoe trips was a Platte Point, the spot where the Platte River meets Lake Michigan. This spot is located within the park. This picture is from April of 2005, on the first trip I took with the pop-up.

See more pictures here.