Travels with Fred

Sunday, 22 May 2022

It’s funny how quickly you can get back into a routine. Get up, make coffee, pour cereal, do computer work, morning walk, etc. I am certainly a creature of habit. What’s strange is any time I take a trip, my routine goes out the window and yet when I return, so does the routine.

Sunday morning is my usual grocery shopping routine and since I tried to use up everything before my trip, I had to do a lot of restocking on this grocery visit. I was out of just about everything.

The afternoon was spent entering my trip expenses into my MoneyDance software program so I can see if I really have any money left after the trip. It was cheaper than I expected.

I spent $520.94 on food and I have to admit I could have done that a lot cheaper but I figured while on vacation to go ahead and spoil myself. The sad thing is the food at all the restaurants wasn’t that great. Almost every restaurant I visited was having labor problems – not enough people.

Lodging ran to $1530.00. I stayed in some very nice places and some so-so places. Diesel fuel ran to $428.52 and miscellaneous stuff like gifts, entry fees, etc. ran to $336.56. All total I spent $2,816.11 on the 13 day trip or approximately $216 per day. When you consider the price of diesel ($5.19-5.99 per gallon) it was a fairly economical trip.

Other than the visit with Jimmie and Stephen, the highlights of my trip was my stay at the Beechwood Inn, hiking Black Rock Mountain State Park trails, and my ability to hike the Deep Creek/Juney Whank trails without stopping to gasp for air. The stay at Wakulla Springs lodge was a bucket list item and it met expectations.

Black Rock Mountain State Park
Juney Whank Falls/Deep Creek Trails

Now, back to my routine.

Stay tuned!!

Home Again

Saturday, 21 May 2022

I pulled into the driveway around 1 pm this afternoon after 2, 117 miles and 13 days of travel. It was a great trip.

I left Jacksonville around 7:30 this morning after a few starts and stops. I parked in the public garage next to the hotel where the first floor is reserved for guests of the hotel. No one said anything when I checked out but I asked at the desk how to get out of the parking garage.

Unbeknownst to me, you were to keep one of your room key cards and use that to to open the gate. It didn’t work. I even tried my credit card and it wouldn’t accept it. I re-parked and went to the front desk where they took my key card and re-coded it for the city code. It finally worked.

On the way out I filled up with diesel and also aired up the left front tire. It seems to be leaking more and more these days. I guess I’ll start looking into tires this week. I still need to see about getting the driver’s head rest repaired or replaced.

Ever since fudging my response to a question about unpacking from a camping trip during my Boy Scout days, I’ve always unpacked as soon as I got home. I don’t like doing it at the time but it makes life a lot easier the next day. I even wash clothes and put everything away.

Tomorrow is grocery shopping and sometime this week I need to wash and clean the jeep. Love bugs were out but not as bad as I had been expecting. It’ll still take some scrubbing to clean the bumper and grill. Fortunately, it rained several times during my trip so I washed away most of the dirt road episodes.

I admit to being tired. It seems the last leg of the trip – coming back home – is the most tedious. Instead of the usual slow down in Palm Beach (they have apparently finished construction on all the exits) I slowed to a crawl on Commercial Blvd. There was no reason other than the right hand lane ended and everyone was frantically trying to get over. There was the usual mess at Broward Blvd.

Tonight I intend to relax, have a glass or two of wine, and go to bed early!

Greensboro – Day 2

Tuesday, 18 May 2022

I was a late sleeper this morning. Part of the reason was taking a Benadryl last night for itching. I probably needed the sleep anyway since I’ve been getting up around 5 am on this trip.

Stephen had coffee ready for me first thing and then we all sat down to bagels for breakfast. From there, Jimmie and I decided to head to Kernersville to tour the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden and Körners Folly. My GPS routed us through the back roads to Kernersville and we both thought how quickly the trip went even though it was the back roads. We figured it was because we were busy talking and seeing the sights of the area we passed through. Actually, Kernersville is 14 miles west of Greensboro.

This is a really neat, small quintessential southern town. The main street is Main Street. Some of the architecture of the old homes reminds me of the Federalist period.

Private home in Kernersville

The botanical garden was named for Paul J. Ciener who had a vision on the garden for the Piedmont triad of North Carolina. I can safely say I’ve never seen a better maintained botanical garden. That may be, in part, due to the small nature of the garden (7 acres) but when Jimmie and I arrived there was a host of volunteers at work weeding the garden.

View of the visitor center from the garden

The visitor center was completed in 2011 and when the garden is completed, the garden will have 25 different botanical areas.

Butterfly houses

Most gardens have butterfly gardens to attract butterflies but this is the first time I’ve run into butterfly houses. Look at the slots on the houses. At first confusing, I realized that the body of the butterfly can fit through the opening when the butterfly’s wings are folded upward over the body. The idea is to protect the butterfly from predators.

A trellis made to look like a fence
Formal garden

There is still a good bit of land for development of the 25 areas but the areas that are complete are exceptionally maintained.

From there, Jimmie and I walked two blocks to Körners Folly. The bachelor home of Julius (Jule) Körner is 6,000 square feet, 7 levels, 22 rooms and 15 fireplaces. It is one of the most unusual architectural structures I’ve ever seen.

Körners Folly

The home was initially completed in 1888 but it’s probably been under constant construction during Jule’s lifetime. It was scheduled for demolition in the 70’s but a private group took over the facility and began renovation. There are still rooms that need renovation but the house is in amazing shape.

Dining Room

What is now the dining room was originally a carriage entrance where carriages would pull into the center of the house and guests would then enter the “real” house to be entertained by Jules. Eventually it was enclosed to include the dining room and the breakfast room seen at the back of the arch.

Playroom Number 2

There were two playrooms for the children. The ceilings were exceptionally low (child height). To get there, you had to walk up a confusing number of stairs and twists and turns in the house. It was very easy to get lost in the house but the staff figured out that if they numbered the rooms, tourists would be able to figure out if they had missed any of the rooms. I think we must have missed room number 5 but to be honest, I was doing good to figure out how to get out of the house.

The reception room

The reception room was probably the largest room in the house. Guests were entertained here.

The theater

The top floor (remember there are seven levels) was a home theater with a stage where plays and performances occurred. It was easily the second largest room in the house.

If you are ever in the area, this place is a must do on your list.

Our last stop of the morning was at the Musten and & Crutchfield market.

Jimmie wanted to stop and get their original pimento cheese. Jimmie and I have a pimento cheese history. Both her mother and my mother used to make it for us. My grandmother had a hand grader that you slipped cheese into and you turned a handle that rotated a cylindrical drum that grated the cheese.

Her mother had a sausage grinder that clamped onto the kitchen table. Both made excellent pimento and cheese. We were pretty much raised on pimento cheese sandwiches, potato chips and cokes. We are pimento cheese connoisseurs. She swears by the version put out by Musten & Crutchfield. I have to admit, we had some for dinner tonight and it is far and away better than any pimento cheese you can get remade in supermarkets.

Of course, I make a superior pimento cheese by adding raw onions to mine. There are enough people who don’t like raw onions in their pimento cheese that they refuse it when offered which means there’s more left for me. I think what makes Musten & Crutchfield’s so good is they add a little vinegar to theirs – no onions, though.

Tomorrow is tea cake day. We’ll make a batch from my great grandmother’s recipe and eat ourselves into a sugar coma.

Stay tuned.

Cedar Key – Day 1

9 May 2022

I backed out of the driveway at 9:45 this morning. My GPS continues to direct me to I-95 and then to Commercial Blvd to the Turnpike when I can get on the Turnpike 2 miles from my house. I continued to ignore Cassandra until she finally figured out I was on the Turnpike.

Things got very interesting when I left the Turnpike at Wildwood and was routed to US41 through Inverness and Dunnellon. That now makes three Invernesses I’ve visited in my lifetime: Inverness, MS, Inverness, FL and Inverness, Scotland. The Scotland version is the nicest of the three.

After Dunnellon, it got hairy. The GPS, for some godforsaken reason, routed me to a dirt road. Dirt roads don’t really bother me. I grew up with them and pretty much learned to drive on them. What a lot of people don’t know is you can easily skid on them. That’s where I learned you have to steer into the skid to get the car back under control. You also learn to ignore washboard dirt roads. It’s teeth chattering but there’s no real damage.

Then there’s the road the GPS routed me to.

At first it looked OK. Then it narrowed and got rougher.

It seems Cassandra wanted me to drive back roads through a hunting camp (private property no less). The road started out like any normal dirt road but then it got worse.

This was typical for about 15 miles. Some times I could actually speed up to 20 mph but 2-4 mph was more the norm. Instead of washboard road, it was more washout road.

At least I didn’t have to put the jeep into 4-wheel drive. Finally, I turned onto FL24. I was 6 miles from Cedar Key. I will have to admit Cassandra cut significant time off my trip but I could just see someone stopping me on hunting club property or even worse, shooting me while I was driving down their road.

I made it to Cedar Key around 4:15.

Estuary as you come into Cedar Key

I parked directly in front of Island House.

The building was constructed in either 1859 or 1860. It was first a general store. The lower floor is concrete coccina a foot thick and the wooden structures are all cedars from the area.

The place is on the National Register of Historic Places. Supposedly Grover Cleveland stayed here. John Muir walked from Louisville, KY to Cedar Key, developed malaria along the way and had to stay in Cedar Key to recover. Other famous people on the register are Pearl Buck, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Frances Langford, Myrna Loy and Richard Boone. Boone supposedly wrote during the day and drank at night. Jimmy Buffet often stayed and would hold impromptu concerts in their bar. It’s also been famous for housing Florida governors, members of the legislature and Congress because of its closeness to Tallahassee. Everyone would drive down for the weekend and they would fish, eat, and drink, and legislate.

My room is great! The hotel is so old, the floors slant.

The width of the room is not much but there is a small love seat, dresser, and ewer stand. I feel like I walked back into the 1800’s.

The term “water closet” comes to mind when you see the bathroom.

The white structure to the right is the smallest shower known to humankind.

My room is just off the second floor “lobby”.

Note the checker table! Also, the walls contain a mural that blends into the wood.

The second floor opens onto a porch that I plan to spend some time on.

The only scary thing is being on the second floor which is composed entirely of wood. Very old wood. Everywhere through the hotel they remind you smoking is strictly not allowed.

The lobby downstairs is more typical of a hotel lobby.

There’s a classic “check-in” area.

By the way, the hotel is up for sale. The current owner has worked it for 18 years and is ready to give it up.

Alas, the restaurant and bar are closed on Mondays. I’ll have to make use of them tomorrow. The restaurant is considered one of the best on the island.

I took a walk around Cedar Key. It reminds me of the Key West I visited 40 years ago before it got trendy.

Although these buildings look new and touristy, they are really mostly wooden structures that have survived numerous hurricanes. There are gift shops but most of what you see are seafood restaurants and bars – with the emphasis on bar.
Every restaurant and bar overlook the Gulf of Mexico.

I’ll do the complimentary breakfast in the hotel restaurant tomorrow and walk around to see the sights. It’s pretty much an artist colony and they have two museums to visit.

Stay tuned!

Cedar Key

8 May 2022

I’ll be back on the road tomorrow to Cedar Key, Florida. Enough with the pandemic! Besides, everything in and around the house seems to be breaking down – including me. First, it was my iMac computer that died. I had to replace the hard drive. Then the internet in the house died. Of course, I had to spend an hour on the phone with a representative from ATT going through diagnostics before he reached the conclusion that yes, I did indeed need a service call to my home. Luckily, the service technician came the next day and replaced some components to the outside junction box and replaced the router with a new one.

Then the electrical receptacles by the sink went out (except, strangely for one pair). Dinnen Electric came the next day and it was found the ground fault interrupter (GFI) had gone bad.

Next to break was the toilet. First, once flushed, it started to make groaning noises. After it quit that, it began to continuously run. I used Kyle Plumbing and when they found out my toilet was a Kohler, they said they didn’t carry the parts and would have to order them. We agreed to replace the entire guts of the tank as the originals were getting a little ragged looking. Simple toilet parts used to be inexpensive. These cost $75.

Next, I had to rewire the lamps in my bedroom. It got to where they would flicker on and off. At least I was competent enough to accomplish that on my own.

Hurricane season begins on June 1st and ends on November 31st. I always try to get my palms trimmed before June 1st. Coconuts become cannon balls in 100 mph winds. Luckily, my next door neighbor directly across from me is in the business and he scheduled the trimming the day before bulk trash pickup to save me the land disposal charge. He and his crew did an excellent job and my yard has never looked so good!

And then, when I was getting ready to post this blog, I found that I could log on to WordPress (the blog software) but when I went to start, the page continuously reloaded. I called iPage (the web hosting site) and after trying really hard to solve the problem, they kicked it upstairs to a more technical person. I got an email saying they would have a response in 24 hours. True to their word, I got an email the next day saying I wasn’t the only one with the issue but they had fixed the problem. Sure enough, since you are reading this, they did!

Instead of waiting around for something else to break, I decided to schedule a little trip. My first stop is Cedar Key, Florida, a quaint little town that reminds me of Key West before it got rediscovered for the fiftieth time and turned into a playground for the rich and famous.

I’ll spend two nights at Cedar Key at the Island Hotel and Restaurant. I also hope to do some hiking (bad hips not withstanding).

From there I’ll drive 2 1/2 hours northwest to stay two nights at the Lodge at Wakulla Springs, just below Tallahassee. I used to go to Wakulla Springs when I was doing my library science degree at FSU back in the late 80’s. I also swam in the river (they have a great swimming area there) but you have to be watchful for alligators in the swimming area – that and the Creature from the Black Lagoon – since it was filmed there. I’ve also scheduled a boat ride up and down the river. The lodge serves three meals a day and hopefully they are as good as I remember from my Tallahassee days.

From Wakulla, it’s a long drive to Clayton, Georgia (approximately a 7 hour drive). I’ll be staying at the Beechwood Inn for two nights. Clayton and environs seems to have some quality dining opportunities. The first night will be at the Julep Kitchen, a farm-to-table establishment. The next night is at Lake Rabun Hotel and Restaurant for dinner. I tried to reserve a session on horse back riding but the stables apparently don’t take advanced reservations. They keep telling me to call back closer to time. Don’t know how much closer I can get so if they aren’t interested in my business, too bad.

The next two nights will be in Bryson City, NC. This will not be my first rodeo in Bryson City. My first time there was with my best friend Crag Knox when we had hiked in the area. I remember we ravenously opened a restaurant one morning. We had the country ham with red eye gravy. My blood pressure went up about 100 points with all the salt in the ham, but damn it was good. Since then I’ve been back to Bryson City many times, mostly associated with the Deep Creek Campground. That first time, Bryson City was a sleepy little town at the foothills of the Smokeys. Today, it’s a real tourist destination. This time, I’m roughing it at the McKinnley Edwards Inn not the Deep Creek Campground (no showers).

Hopefully, during my two days in Bryson City, I’ll get some more hiking in and a trip to Gatlinburg to get my dose of salt water taffy.

Next up is three nights with my cousin Jimmie and her husband Stephen in Greensboro. I’ve gotten to where I really like this town. It has a lot of interesting parks and museums. Unfortunately for Jimmie and Stephen, they treat me too well and I keep turning up like a bad penny.

On the 20th of May, I’ll head to Jacksonville and spend the night at a rather less bucolic inn, the Hilton Garden Inn. Actually, I’ve had some pretty good experiences at their Garden Inns. From Jacksonville, it’s a 7 hour drive back to Fort Lauderdale. Actually, it’ll take longer because I-95 slows to a crawl near Palm Beach.

You may have noticed I keep saying “I hope to get some hiking in.” The reason is one of the breakdowns seems to be my hips. I was diagnosed with bursitis in both hips where the ilium and trochanter meet. Currently, I am in no pain and that’s why I hope to get some hiking in. What prompted the doctor’s visit and diagnosis was the pain, at one time, was so bad I couldn’t finish my morning walks. It’s also the reason I’m camping inside lodges, inns, and hotels, as well as my cousin’s house.

I hope to blog every day, or at least every other day if not internet. Stay tuned! And yes, I’ll be wearing my mask.

Everything Fred – Part 38

11 August 2021

Life has a way of throwing challenges at you. Believe me, I’ve been challenged a lot in my 72 years. One challenge sticks with me over a lot of others because it was a challenge I put own myself.

I was a late comer to the Boy Scouts. I think I joined Troop 28 in Morton when I was 15 years old – older than most and a little embarrassing to join as a Tenderfoot (the initial rank you attempt). After a few years, I found myself ready to try for Eagle Scout – the epitome of achievement in Scouting. There was, however, one major roadblock – lifesaving merit badge. If I remember correctly, you had to earn 21 merit badges for Eagle and some were required – lifesaving among the required.

I’ve related about my experiences with water at different times in this blog – the near drowning on three separate occasions – and learning to swim with lessons from the Methodist minister’s wife. However, earning a lifesaving merit badge was serious business and it was the roadblock to most scouts trying for Eagle.

We were only allowed to attempt the badge by going to Camp Kickapoo in Clinton, Mississippi and since our troop only went for one week of the summer, your opportunities to complete the merit badge were limited to a few years. Added to that was the seriousness the Andrew Jackson Council took their lifesaving merit badge program at Kickapoo. All of the counselors on the waterfront were either Red Cross certified or had their Scout Lifeguard certification. You were going to be put through the wringer with the camp program.

I was an OK swimmer. After my cousin Jo taught me how to get out to the diving board at Roosevelt State Park by swimming on my back, I was eventually able to make it with the American crawl. As kids, we would play around the diving board and it wasn’t long before I could make it out and back without any trouble. The real problem was that my swimming ability at the time was not going to make it for the merit badge at Kickapoo.

My Scoutmaster was H.D. Polk. He managed a hatchery for one of the chicken companies in Morton. He was a no nonsense type of person and came across as very strict but with a real streak of humanity in him. His wife, if anything, was better educated than he. He went to Mississippi State and majored in agriculture (he was a life-long State basketball fan – he would listen to the games during campouts). I think his wife must have majored in liberal arts. She was the most educated person I’d met at that time. She could talk on any subject in depth. I suspect her major was literature from some of the conversations I had with her.

Hiram Polk had three sons. I remember two of the three: Don and Danny. Don was the youngest and the “bad boy” of the family. He was always lipping off to his Dad (never his Mom) and it was probably because he was more like his Dad in temperament. He had a way of getting under Hiram’s skin. Danny was the older of the two and had been in the military. He was more like his Mom and more laid back.

In any case, Mr. Polk knew I was not ready for lifesaving at Kickapoo. He told Don that Don was going to teach me and Buzz Shoemaker lifesaving so that we would be able to pass at Kickapoo. Don kicked up a fuss but reluctantly agreed. I suspect his Dad paid him to take on me and Buzz. Don took no prisoners.

During our first session at Roosevelt, he had us swim around the boundaries of the swim area. When we got close to the pier at the end of the swim, he jumped in on me and grabbed me to pull me under. Not only was I tired from the swim but I hadn’t fully taken in his instruction on how to break a hold from a panicked swimmer. He finally realized I was close to drowning and released me. Buzz was next. I figured we were done for the day after that but no, we had to swim the perimeter again and again.

Slowly, over the early summer, Buzz and I developed stamina, improved our strokes (American crawl, Australian crawl, backstroke, sidestroke and breast stroke. Don trained us over and over on how to break a hold while under water. Of course, he would wait until you had done the perimeter swim three or four times before he grabbed you and drug you under.

On occasions, Don couldn’t make it and Danny would take over. We were at Roosevelt every day for three or four weeks. Danny was more instructive. Don was more physical. If you didn’t fight Don as hard as you could, he would make you pay for it by increasing the number of times he tried to drown you in a session. He was wanting us to quit. He tried every trick in the book to get us to stop the lessons. He cursed us, damned near killed us, and told us what pieces of shit we were and that we didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell to pass lifesaving.

Once it got close to going to camp, he changed his mental abuse and started building our confidence. Slowly. Very slowly.

The first day of camp, you normally get to select what programs you want to attend. Mr. Polk was having none of that for me and Buzz. He assigned us our merit badge classes and lifesaving was first thing in the morning, right after breakfast.

We thought Don was hard. Lifesaving at Kickapoo was brutal. First, Buzz and I were split up. We were not allowed to team together. I was put with some guy from Yazoo City. I always thought of Yazoo City as a large city. In reality, it only had around 11,000 residents but that dwarfed Morton with 2,000.

Strangely, the guy and I got along. I’m surprised because I was so shy back then but we both got into the swing of the training. This guy also had a big city attitude – at least for Yazoo City.

The swimming area at Kickapoo was much larger than Roosevelt so swimming the perimeter was a challenge. That was only the first day. We later were swimming the entire lake. A lifeguard would row along side of us as we swam. Every so often, he would jump out of the boat onto one of us and we’d have to break his hold and then continue swimming. The one rule was once we broke the hold, we’d have to swim them to the boat and place their hand on the gunwhale.

The Scouts teach you a saying: “Reach, Throw, Row, and Go.” The idea is if you can’t reach someone in distress from the dock (with a reach pole), then either throw a line to them, row out to them, and lastly only when everything else has been tried do you dive in and go after them.

We were coming up on the last day of camp and we needed to demonstrate we could save someone drowning by swimming out to them, dive in front of them before they could reach out and grab you, then push them upward out of the water as you came up behind them, and reach across their chest in a chest lock. In essence, you floated them on your hip and did the sidestroke back to the pier.

The Yazoo City guy and I were teamed together and we each had someone assigned to pull in. The first thing he did was cross my lane and headed for my guy (his was bigger and had a reputation of really working you over). I pulled out in front of him as I swam and told him he was heading for the wrong guy. I kinda felt bad about that but no so bad I was willing to take his guy on.

When you swim toward a drowning victim, you never lose sight of them. You have to swim with your head out of the water as you jump in. You never dive in after them – you simply jump shallow so your head doesn’t go under. You never take you eye off the victim.

As you approach, when you get within 3-5 feet of the victim, you then dive in front of them and sneak around the back of them while under water. Then you grab their legs (dangerous because they are kicking) and then force them upward so they rise up out of the water. As you do that, you then come across their chest and place them on your hip. You then start swimming towards the dock with the side stroke – without the use of your arms. It’s all leg kick. I was fortunate to have a very strong leg kick back then.

Our instructors had this system where they would let you get within a few feet of the dock (remember, you had to place their hand on the dock) and they would use their feet as a rudder to take you back out. Once they had you far enough away from the dock, they would then break your chest hold and take you under. In this case, they would grab you around your arms and chest and sink to the bottom. You had only a breath of air to break their hold and repeat the technique of coming up behind them and putting them back on your hip.

They would do this two or three times to simply tire you out. They would see if you could break their hold (most were gym rats and were twice our size). Several were football players at colleges in Mississippi. If all else failed, you would have to get really physical with them. Several of the lifeguards would end up with bloody lips and noses. Unfortunately, that would also make them angry and they’d make you pay.

Eventually, my guy must have gotten tired because he let me pull him in all the way to the dock. What a relief it was when I put his hand on the dock and he acknowledged I had “saved” him.

Once out of the water, I looked for my Yazoo partner. He was still at it but finally was able to also pull his guy into the dock. As we headed to the community showers, he looked over at me and told me he would not have made it if I hadn’t been his partner. I acknowledged the same with him. We challenged each other every day of the week and were stronger for it.

We still had to wait until the next morning to find out if we passed the merit badge. Buzz and I both did.

This was probably the most physical and mental challenge I have ever had up until the time I hiked Guadalupe Peak in Texas. However, I was 70 years old when I did that so I still consider lifesaving merit badge to be one of my biggest accomplishments that I set for myself.

I kept in touch with the Yazoo City kid for a few years but then college happened and we lost touch. I never found if he made Eagle. Everything after lifesaving was a piece of cake so I made Eagle that year.

Mr. Polk, Don and Danny, and the kid from Yazoo City taught me that if I put my mind to something, I could probably accomplish it. It built my confidence for the rest of my life. Challenges simply became obstacles to get over and not to be feared or dreaded. It’s what got me through Ole Miss, boot camp in Alameda, four years in the Coast Guard and graduate school. I learned that I can not only cope but also do well.

Lifesaving merit badge was a significant goal that allowed me to have some modicum of success. I suspect I even surprised Mr. Polk when I completed it. I also suspect Don was in significantly better financial shape after he “tutored” me and Buzz.

Lifesaving Merit Badge

Go West – to New Mexico – Day 12

Big Bend National Park

19 July 2021

We had intended a drive through of Guadalupe Mountains National Park this morning but Siri steered us southeast and away. It turned out for the best because it would have given us less time in Big Bend today.

I was last at Carlsbad Caverns 50 years ago. I was last as Big Bend in 2016. In 2016, I approached Big Bend from the south end via the Cottonwood Visitors Center and stayed at Chisos Mountain Lodge. I hiked the Windows trail that visit.

Today, Jo and I entered via Persimmon Gap entrance in the North and drove to the Panther Junction visitors center. The Border Patrol was in place just before you entered the park but they didn’t stop us and were not doing any inspections. It’s 29 miles from the entrance in the north to Panther Junction and that’s at the speed of 45 mph, so it takes a while to get into Big Bend. However, it is worth it.

Near Persimmon Gap

What really stood out to me was the difference in the southern approach and the northern approach. The southern approach is more spectacular and you drive up into the mountains to get to Chisos Mountain Lodge.

The northern approach takes you through a valley where you are literally surrounded by mountains. It’s only when you reach Panther Junction that you begin your climb.

Near Panther Junction

What also stood out were the giant puffy clouds over the entire valley. It was great to watch the clouds cast shadows on the mountains.

There are several significant things about Big Bend. It is comprised of 1,252 square miles of Chihuahuan Desert. It’s the 14th largest park in the national park system. The Chisos mountain range is contained entirely within the park, the only mountain range in the U.S. to be contained within a national park. There are three major ecosystems: Rio Grande River, Chihuahuan Desert and the Chisos Mountains.

Texas’ Zabrinski Point?

One geological formation stood out at Panther Junction. It reminded me of Zabrinski Point in Death Valley.

Zabrinski Point in Death Valley National Park

Once we reached Panther Junction, we had the opportunity to drive nine miles to Chisos Mountain Lodge or turn around and head back to Alpine, Texas for our rooms for the two nights. We turned around and I managed to get a load of laundry in.

I made reservations with Open Table for a restaurant in Alpine called Reata. We showed up at the correct time but the place was closed. That’s unusual for Open Table to have that type of misinformation.

Instead, we walked to the place next door called the Old Gringo Hotel Bar and Grill. This place is a gem!

The Old Gringo Biker Hotel Bar and Grill

It advertises itself as a biker hotel. The inside decor was great with wood carved seats and sculptures.

Note the 12 point deer antlers and the bear on a limb. To the left of the photo you can see an intricately carved chair.

Before we even sat down, the bar keep and one of the owners, who served as a waiter, came by to welcome us. Later, the chef came out and introduced herself and we all got to talking. One of the owners of the bar is from Mississippi.

This guy came in and set up. He’s playing a twelve string acoustic, electric guitar. I always thought acoustic meant you didn’t have an electrical connection. In any case, he was very, very good. He mixed his songs with country and Mexican.

The menu was eclectic with a little leaning towards Tex-Mex and Cajun. They even had red beans and rice, Texas style.

Tomorrow we will do some very short day hikes in the morning and then drive to Chisos Mountains Lodge with additional stops along the way.

Stay tuned!

Everything Fred – Part 7

17 March 2021

The Reliance was an interesting duty station. We docked in the Corpus Christi ship channel. Those of us who didn’t have wives or apartments in town slept on the ship. It was here that I learned I was more military than the military. There was plenty of discipline but not much sanitation.

I remember complaining the milk was always a little sour. One day on watch at the Officer of the Deck (OOD) shack, I saw a station wagon pull up. It was hot as hades. This guy gets out and pulls out our container of milk – unrefrigerated. He had driven across town (Corpus Christi is 22 miles long and five miles wide) in the heat of the summer with that milk.

The radio crew we had was great. The person in charge of the radio shack was RM1 (radioman first class) Buford McBee. He was quiet but always professional. He transferred out to another assignment not long after I got there. Also with me were RM2 (second class) Randy Peters, Johnny Bland, RM3 (third class) Richard Mudd, Michael Darling, and Victor Lopez. I was also RM3 but was soon to make RM2.

Richard Mudd was the great, great grandson of Dr. Mudd of Abraham Lincoln fame. His family had tried for years to get his conviction overturned. As far as I know, they never did. Mudd was pardoned by Andrew Johnson for his work with yellow fever at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas (off Key West). Dr. Mudd heroically treated yellow fever patients during an outbreak in the fort.

Probably Mike Darling was my best friend on board. He and his wife would invite me over to their house and it was there I first had guacamole. Victor was from Puerto Rico and a great guy but his English was a little labored. We got to where we could understand his Spanglish pretty well. Peters eventually took over for McBee. Bland was very steady and nothing ruffled him.

Not long after I was stationed on board we got underway for a PR mission to Vera Cruz, Mexico. What was really strange about the Mexican Navy at Vera Cruz was all the ships docked stern in. U.S. Navy ships always dock longways on the dock.

We were granted liberty and cautioned that we represented the U.S. government and to be on our best behavior. We were cautioned to be sure not to attend the sex shows at Vera Cruz where a women and a donkey would get up to some interesting antics.

I had liberty with Victor, Michael, and Richard. We decided to get a hotel room in town and bar hop. The hotel was one of the nicest I’ve stayed in and with the room split four ways, it was unbelievably cheap. We ate in the restaurant attached to the hotel and had a five course meal for about five dollars. Then came the bar hopping. After imbibing too much, we all staggered back to the hotel and had to sleep two to a bed.

The next day, everyone started drinking early and by the time we were due back at the ship that evening, our Spanish speaking guide, Victor, was too inebriated to speak coherently. It was left to me to get us back to the ship with my two semesters of college Spanish. The only thing I remembered was we were docked near a bank. Fortunately, it was the only bank in Vera Cruz and I told the taxi driver to take us to el banco. He got the idea and we weren’t late for duty – just hung over.

Later we learned that the XO (executive officer) who gave us the lecture about representing the government, ended up drunk and abusive in a bar and the crew had to pull him out of the bar before an international incident.

Sitting watch in the radio shack was a pretty lonely job at night. During the day there was enough activity in the shack but at night, you usually stood your watch alone. However, if something happened – like a ship sinking – it got busy and people off duty would come up and help without asking. It was a good team. Everyone got along.

Our transmitter would put out thousands of watts of power. It was an old tube transmitter. To get the thing to transmit, you had to get one particular tube to glow cherry red before you could send any messages. It was laborious to tune but in a pinch, we could get it up and running in about 5 minutes.

We petitioned constantly for an upgrade to a transistor transmitter. We were told to forget it. Our ship was the most reliable in the fleet because of the tube transmitter. It seems transistors didn’t take too well to the pounding of the seas and we had more up time with our transmitter than any ship in the district.

We would periodically go on Gulf Patrol. We would spend 8 weeks at sea and then come back to port. We had a desalination unit on board for fresh water but while at sea you had to take sea showers. That meant you briefly turned on the water and ran under the water and cut it off immediately. You then soaped up and cleaned the best you could and then you only turned the shower on long enough to rinse the soap off.

Occasionally, the desalination unit would conk out and we would have to take salt water showers. You always ended up with a fine film of salt all over your body and it sucked.

Our watches were staggered and we often ran 4 hours on, 4 hours off. We would also switch watches. First watch was 2000-0000 (military time), Mid watch was 0000-0400, Morning watch was 0400-0800, Forenoon was 0800-1200, and Afternoon was 1200-1600 and Dog watch was 1600-2000. This went for three days and then you started over again. In essence, you never got used to the changes of shifts. In addition, you always had day duty if you were not on watch. In port, I was OOD at the shack. Other times I would have head (bathroom) cleaning duty, inspection cleanup, etc. There was really very little down time except for when you would get a couple of days off or if you were on leave.

Not only that but if you were on liberty, you were often on 2 hour recall notice. You had to call the OOD every two hours to be sure we had not gotten an underway notice. You had to be able to return to ship within two hours or you would be marked AWOL (absent without leave). If a movie ran long, you had to run out and put coins in a pay phone to call the ship and then go back to the movie.

One great benefit of Corpus Christi as a duty station was fresh seafood. Shrimpers would literally pull up to the rear of a restaurant and offload fresh seafood into the restaurant. It was some of the best seafood I’ve ever eaten.

We also were fortunate to have the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. That meant we had a PX we could buy stuff on the cheap. I bought my first and only Rolex watch there very cheaply. That’s also where we went for medical issues. We had a corpsman on board but anything serious was sent to the naval air station infirmary.

Personnel changed. Richard Mudd finally got off the ship. He was chronically seasick. He would get seasick tied up to the dock. His replacement was Ron Wilkins who soon became another close friend. He had retired from the U.S. Navy and enlisted in the Coast Guard. He had a Filipino wife. I would often go over to his trailer and his wife would could native Filipino dishes for us.

In the Coast Guard, if you are on a ship, you are required to be able to perform any function on a ship. I had to learn how to steer the ship and how to work in the engine room. To show you how specialized some branches of the military are, Ron, while in the navy, only tuned transmitters. That was his only function. He didn’t sit code duty or voice duty or any other radio duty. He had a steep learning curve when he joined us.

The Reliance was somewhat jinxed in that its engines never seemed to work and we had never done well at underway training (a periodic exercise everyone had to go through). I went through one underway training and it was in Norfolk, VA. To get there we had to sail around Florida. We put in at Freeport, Bahama and had liberty. It was Ron Wilkins who convinced me that conch chowder was good to eat and I’ve loved it ever since.

Underway training is pretty rigorous and we practiced it for weeks in advance. Once we got there we earned an “E” for excellence – the very first time the ship had done that. We got liberty in Norfolk and I remember walking into town and seeing signs that said “Sailors and Dogs Keep Off the Grass.” It seems military personnel were not considered “good” people by the folks of Norfolk. You have to remember this was during the Viet Nam war years.

Later, I was sent to cryptography school in Charleston, SC. That was one of the best TAD’s (temporary assigned duty) I ever had. For some reason I excelled at cryptography. I still can’t tell you anything about it but I can tell you that the original system was designed by George Washington. It’s been modified and codified, and changed significantly but the cryptography system has an interesting history.

We had some rough characters on board. They weren’t above slicing peoples tires or putting sugar in gas tanks for those who pissed them off. One group I learned not to piss off was the stewards. Our stewards were all Filipino and highly educated. Most had masters degrees. I remember students from Corpus Christi Community College coming on board and one Filipino steward tutored him in calculus.

The reason we had such highly educated stewards is they could put 20 years in the Coast Guard and retire back in the Philippines with quite a nice retirement considering the cost of living in the Philippines.

Unfortunately, a lot of the officers and most of the chiefs treated them poorly. Bad decision. I’ve seen them spit in the milk before they served it. I also saw one throw a steak down on the floor after he cooked it and wipe the floor with it and then serve it to a chief petty officer. The chief later told the steward it was the best steak he ever had.

Another person not to get on the bad side of was the yeoman. In essence, he was in charge of your pay check. He could really screw with you pay if he got mad at you. Several had to learn that the hard way.

One of the more humiliating things crew had to do after a prolonged liberty was undergo short arm inspection. You had to go to the corpsman and drop pants and he inspected your penis closely for venereal disease. Officers didn’t have to perform this function – only enlisted crew. Chief Petty Officers also got a pass.

Every Chief Petty Officer on board was obese. They almost rioted when the Coast Guard decided they had to pass annual PE tests like the rest of us.

Ship life was rough. You got very little sleep, you had long hours on duty, and you were in constant danger, if not from the weather then from accidents on board. We had a flight deck where rescue helicopters could land. Radiomen didn’t like helo-ops because we had to take down our main antenna (around 150 feet long) for that exercise. It was a cable that was strung from the mast to the fantail of the ship. It had to be removed so the helicopter could land on the flight deck.

During helo-ops, for safety, you shut down transmission on all transmitters and placed signs on them and notified the officer of the deck. Once you loosened the cable from the fantail, you would wrap it around a ladder on the bridge. Only once the radioman completed that task would the ship be allowed to transmit. Even the Captain couldn’t overrule that.

Once, I was charged with breaking down the antenna and wrapping it around the ladder and was climbing said ladder to the bridge when I heard the OOD announce begin transmission. I could have been electrocuted. I charged onto the bridge and lost it by screaming “Who gave that command.” A much chastised lieutenant admitted to it. The Captain gave me a look and a smirk tacitly agreeing I had done the right thing to challenge the order.

When the helicopter landed, you always observed the operation from the starboard (right) side of the ship. The reason is because the rotor blades are held on to the helicopter by a “Jesus” screw. I asked why it was called a Jesus screw and an officer told me because if it ever came off during helio-ops all you had time to say was “Oh, Jesus!” The reason for the starboard side is the rotation of the blades, if they come off, rake the port side of the ship, probably killing everyone on the port side of the bridge.

I’ve copied my share of SOS’s. Yes, international Morse code still uses SOS for rescus. It’s 3 dots, 3 dashes, 3 dots. We monitored two emergency frequencies in the radio shack 24/7. One was 500 khz (kilohertz) which is the international distress frequency for ships at sea using Morse code. The other was 2182 khz which is a voice frequency. I’ve copied messages from sinking ships on both.

You might wonder about why we would still use Morse code at such a low frequency (500 khz). First, the transmission is more reliable and less affected by atmospherics at low frequency. Even nuclear submarines still use Morse code today. Also, radio waves bounce. The lower the frequency, the greater the bounce so your transmission is more likely to be picked up from a distance. I’ve been at sea in the Gulf of Mexico and copied Morse code from ships in the Indian Ocean.

I’ve been through several hurricanes in Florida but my first two were aboard the Reliance. Both times we put out to sea. You ride out hurricanes where you have more maneuverability. Once, we were out for a hurricane and three of our four engines were out. We were doing 4 knots and the hurricane was doing 7. We had to get back to port.

Ships have water tight integrity. To obtain that, doors and hatches have to be “dogged” down into position. I was sitting on the mess deck one day during a storm with waves washing over the bow of the ship. The doors to the mess deck were dogged down and I saw a wave wash over us and come through the supposed water tight door. That’s not a confidence builder.

The Reliance was an unsteady ship. It was 210 feet long and there was 80 feet from the bottom of the keel to the top of the mast. When fully ready for sea, it drew 10 feet of draft – in other words, 70 feet were above the water line. It was like a cork floating in the ocean. We have had several retired navy personnel who served on destroyers who got seasick on our ship when they didn’t on their destroyer.

The Reliance was designed to take a 45 degree snap roll. That means the ship can tilt up to 45 degrees at sea and still roll back into upright position. Anything over 45 degrees and all bets are off. You might flounder. I’ve been on board when it was 35 degrees. I was on the bridge when that happened and the Captain turned white as a ghost. At 35 degrees, you can almost walk on the bulkheads (walls of a ship).

One night I was sitting radio watch in the shack during very rough weather. (I had a garbage can between my legs so when I puked I didn’t have to get up.) We took a pretty severe roll and the books in the book case (tied in with bungie cords) came flying by my head. A few minutes later, every radioman on the ship was up in the shack. They wanted to be above the water line if we floundered.

In really rough seas, you would have to brace yourself in the bunk. I would put my back against the bulkhead in the bunk and my feet were braced against the outside rail of the bunk. That was just to stay in the bunk from rolls. Pitches were just as bad. If we took a deep dive into the waves, you would often come out of the bunk and hit your head on the bunk above you.

Once of our fireman (engine room crew) was from Alabama. Our engineering officer made him do double duty in the engine room. In reality, you could only work 15 minutes in the engine room at a time due to the heat. It upset the Alabama boy. He wrote his Senator. The one that was chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The engineering officer was transferred to French Frigate Shoals in the Pacific – the most remote base in the U.S. military.

We had a gun. Actually, it was called a three inch mount. That means the projectile has a three inch diameter. Our gunners mate was Sandy Blackshear – a man of few words. However, with that three inch mount he was deadly. During gunnery exercises, Sandy would load and fire. Once the gun fired, the projectile brass was ejected from the gun at about 95 miles per hour. Sandy would calmly catch the projectile casing in mid air. After all, you don’t want shell casings rolling around on the deck. It was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen.

One time we had an ecologically sympathetic engine man. He was upset we pumped our bilges into the ship channel. The bilges often had oil in them and we were, in effect, polluting the ship channel – ironic since one of our duties was pollution control. He called the EPA and reported a ship pumping bilges in the ship channel. They told him to call the Coast Guard. His reply was “I am the Coast Guard.” We continued to pump bilges into the ship channel.

All good/bad things must come to an end and I applied and received transfer to Radio Station New Orleans (by then it had become Communications Station New Orleans but I liked the old name better). I had spent 18 months on the Reliance and was now headed for land duty.

Stay tuned!

New River Gorge – Day 2

8 March 2021

Well, it was a cold night. It got down to 38F by morning but I was snug as a bug in a rug with a sleeping bag rated to 10F. As a matter of fact, it got a little warm and I had to come out of some clothes.

Yesterday when I entered the park, there was a “Campground Full” sign out by the office. However, when I did a quick bike tour of Dogwood Campground there were three empty sites. I suspect they were simply cancellations at the last minute. There seems to be a lot of people my age in their RV’s or coaches. A lot seems to be Trump supporters as evidenced by their Trump flags at the campsite.

Breakfast was quick. I had Blue Bottle drip coffee and oatmeal/blueberries/quinoa combination. I was on the trail by 8:30 am. The first trail is located in Dogwood Campsite – Dogwood Trail. What a misnomer. There were nine dogwoods (one I suspect planted at the lodge) and only three along the trail. The other 5 were deep in the woods. It would be more appropriate to call it the Azalea trail since there was plenty of those.

Eastern dogwood (Cornus floridans)

Dogwood is a 1.22 mile trail that ends near the day use area of the park. Not much is in bloom this time of year but I did see some violets and bluets (albeit white ones).

Not sure what species this is. Viola sp.

About halfway down the Dogwood Trail is the junction of Limestone Trail which is a 0.62 mile loop to an old quarry. Most of the quarry is now grown over with vegetation but it’s still a decent size hole in the ground.

The old quarry.

Once you reach the day use area, you can cross the swinging bridge across the Santa Fe River. The bridge and much of the park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 30’s.

Suspension bridge across the Santa Fe River.

As you cross the bridge, you can walk the River Trail, a 1.44 mile loop that takes you to the River Sink. The Santa Fe River suddenly disappears at the sink and goes underground for 3 miles to reappear at River Rise State Park.

The Santa Fe River, which is currently in flood and flowing at a pretty good clip, goes underground at this point.

It’s estimated there are some 150,000 feet of underground, flooded tunnels, many of which have been explored by divers. It’s said this is the largest underwater system of caves and tunnels in Florida.

The loop brings you back on the other side of the river since you crossed a natural bridge over the river where the river goes underground. As you exit the loop, you get to see the old CCC lodge which no longer appears to be in use.

The inside was totally dark. The only reason this came out is the sensor attached to my iPhone that allows photos in exceptionally low light.

The CCC also built a fire tower that is now the nature center. The old CCC architecture is really quite fascinating. They were certainly inventive with their use of natural building materials in the park.

All total, I hiked 6 miles today in 3 hours and 15 minutes. I suspect I’ll need some Advil tonight since I haven’t hiked in some time.

I slept pretty well last night for the first night in a tent in almost two years. However, even though I checked everything twice this morning before setting out on my hike, I still forgot to include an extra water bottle and my Tilley hat. It was cold enough this morning I started out with my watch cap and didn’t think to pick up my Tilley hat (with brim). As a result, the sun was in my eyes all morning.

Tomorrow is another travel day to Amicalola Falls State Park.

New River Gorge – Day 1

I actually slept late this morning – 6:30 am. There was some last minute small stuff to load into the jeep and I got off from the house at 9:47 am. The Florida Highway Patrol was out in force onI the Ronald Reagan Turnpike in Broward and Palm Beach counties but I kept my jeep on cruise control for the whole way.

It was like learning to drive all over again. It’s been over a year since I’ve been on the Florida Turnpike. It was obvious that everyone else had forgotten how to drive also. No one seemed to know the etiquette for transfer trucks or letting someone go around a slower car.

I made it to Oleno State Park by 3:10 pm and it was the simplest check in ever. I gave my name and he turned to the computer (sans mask) and confirmed me and handed me the trail guides and the rules of the park.

Home sweet home for the next two days.

The trip was 337 miles and it took 5 hours and 23 minutes. I averaged 26.3 mpg of diesel. I made sure to fill up before I entered the park so that I’m ready to go after two nights here.

I spent the 5 hours and 23 minutes with a sing-along. My iPhone has a list of my favorites and I belted out each and every song along the way. I’m a little hoarse at the moment.

It took me a while to remember how to set up my tent. It was made worse by the stretch cords that connect the tent rods together. Over time, they’ve stretched too much and I eventually had to simply cut them away. Then there was the obligatory tripping over the tent pegs.

Tonight’s dinner is Chili Montagnard. I was able to go through all my freeze dried meals and find enough vegetarian meals for the entire trip! The only real problem is getting my digestive system used to the freeze dried food.

Predicted low tonight is 39F for High Springs – 12 miles away.