Worrall Travel R's

Worrall Travel R's
Roz and Russ

Worrall Travel R's - Kicking the Bucket List

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Time Travel - America's East Coast

Receiving a birthday gift from one of my ancient ancestors - Human Origins Exhibit

Tuesday, July 2, 2013: Yep, I'm 65 and Still Alive!  Where has the time gone?


Greetings from the East Coast of America.  We arrived the last week of June.  Rather than travel geographically (Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland,Virginia, DC, and Virginia again), it seems with all that we have seen and done, it might be better to share our experiences as time travelers through history, since the East Coast of is filled with the stories and artifacts of our past, our present, and our future.

So let's start with the

National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.


There is so much to see and do in Washington, D.C.  We bypassed some of our favorite places that we had visited before, Air and Space Museum, National History Museum, Art, and Archives.

This time we chose to visit the Natural History Museum.  And we are so glad we did!  After our trip to the Creation Museum in Kentucky where the super natural and allegory reign over evidence and facts, and visitors are filled with nonsense, it was heartening to see beautiful scientific exhibits laying out the past with solid evidence that makes sense.  Natural History Museum exhibits were crowded with people from all over the world.

Let's start our travel 13.6 billion years ago!


We are awed and alive because of the heat, warmth, and energy from the sun on our planet.
Archeology, geology, anthropology, chemistry, and genetics come together to tell the story of our origins
 Let's look back now to just 6 million years ago.  (Long after the dinosaurs went extinct).  Just want to clear that up for the young earthers who believe humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time.


1.5 million years ago


The Genome Project confirms that all of f us today carry the DNA of early ancestors...not space aliens.




Russ's brother Ted recently had his genomes analyzed by the human tree project in which he discovered 1% of his DNA was Neanderthalensis.  Who does this look like?



Over millions of years ago, our early ancestors left Africa and migrated across the continents and land bridges to inhabit the earth. The Americas were inhabited early on by indigenous travelers, Native Americans - Indians.

Native Americans were in varying stages of cultural and technological developments when Europeans
Amerigo Vespucci in the early 1500's charted the newly discovered continents that Columbus thought were the Indies.  The original map, America's Birthday Certificate, naming our continent as America is on display at the Library of Congress.  Sorry, I wasn't allowed to take a photo of the map, but the Library is incredibly beautiful and impressive.




The first colony of the Americas in the late 1500's  (1585-87) was on Roanoke Island in North Carolina.  Sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh.  This fledgling colony was established but disappeared when the governor returned to England for supplies and suffered a three year delay return because of the English and Spanish war.  It is known as the Lost Colony.  There is not enough evidence of bones through excavation (yet) to indicate that the settlers died here.  They may have moved on and died elsewhere, but where....no one knows.





We attended the symphonic play of the Lost Colony.  Longest running play in America....Over 70 years.

Twenty years later, in 1607 the Virginia Company charter in hand from King James I, tried again to establish a colony in on the East Coast of America, this time a little further north in a swampy area we now call Jamestowne.  These early colonists 104 men and boys came to develop products for the Virginia Company.  Ill prepared as colonists in a a new and strange world, the colony barely survived it's first year and did so only from the help of the Indians.  Women and children came to the colony to help establish permanence, but by then relations with the Indians had broken down.  Fighting and the lack of food nearly wiped out the colony of 300 down to 60.





Eventually, these colonists did survive and established a new capitol away from the swamp in Williamsburg.  Today there is both the recreated Jamestown, and the original site that is being successfully excavated.  Just recently, one of the skull bones that was found here during the "starving time in 1608 and 1609, indicated that a young adolescent girl had been cannibalized, most likely after her death.  Some of the artifacts and ground shadows indicate that the recreated village from earlier records may have actually differed a bit from what has actually be excavated.























Williamsburg, 1775:  Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and many of the other Virginia statesmen hung out here prior to the Revolutionary War, formulating the Declaration of Independence.  It must have been an exciting place.  Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence is one of our favorite founding fathers.  He was a brilliant man.  Bringing domed buildings to America along with his genius, education, and the Declaration of Independence that guarantees us rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness are just a few of his achievements.

Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C.

Back to Willimsburg
Royal Governor's Palace

Show of British Arms

Not true to form as women didn't get to sit on the jury back then, but today was an exception in this recreated trial.

Colonists gear up for the Revolutionary War

And the War is On!

The last battle of the Revolutionary War was fought not far from here in Yorktown.




Russ and George confere on the battle plans

Once the Revolutionary War was over,  the US Constitution was adopted in 1787, ratified by 11 states and went into effect in 1789.  The Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791.  The first amendment covered five very important rights which we still cherish today.  Freedom of Speech, Press, Religion, Assembly and Petition.

Freedom of Religion and Freedom From Religion - To Believe or Not is a Matter Left up to Individuals, and not the Government

A Free Press is Critical to A Democracy - Newseum in Washington D.C.

America has always been a country of diverse opinions and cultures.  Nothing divided us more than the issue of slavery.  African Americans were an integral part of the development of agriculture in America.  Unfortunately, it was at a terrible expense to the African Americans who were slaves in this endeavor.

Abraham Lincoln's abhorrence slavery preceded his presidency and the southern states began to formulate their plans to secede from the Union.  At Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, 1861, the new president said he had no plans to end slavery in those states where it already existed, but he also said he would not accept secession. He hoped to resolve the national crisis without warfare.   Unfortunately, Lincoln was unable to stave off the warfare in which Americans fought each other in a bloody battle  until 1865.  Today Lincoln is honored for abolishing slavery and keeping the union in tact after the fall of the confederacy.



Shortly after the Civil War, Cape Hatteras Light House was built in  1870 on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to warn away approaching ships from treacherous reefs.   It is the second tallest light house in  in the world.  (Tallest is in Yokohama Marine Tower, Japan)



Having withstood many a hurricanes, the erosion became so great and so close to the base of the lighthouse it was moved to its present location nearly a half mile up-shore in the late 1990s.  It was a remarkable feat of engineering.

Hatteras today is a beautiful seashore habitat with beautiful sunsets, not necessarily over the sea but to the west.




In 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright conquered the air with the first airplane.  Our visit to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina was inspirational.



This is where the first real flight began!


The Beginning

Flight is one of human's greatest achievements, and it started here!
Today, our flight history is captured in the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia.


Satellites

Space Shuttle Discovery



Thank you Wright Brothers and all the courageous men and women who followed in their footsteps.  Before we get to far into the future.  We visited our nation's capitol where history comes alive through so many wonderful monuments and museums. 


Smithsonian Castle

Washington Monument

























Memorials to our soldiers.....World War II,




Korea, Viet Nam and to the men and women in law enforcement who protect and defend our freedoms.  As always, we are saddened to see the names of all who died, and particularly so when we knew them personally.  Office Bill Bean from Colfax is memorialized in Washington, D.C.


Wall of Honor



And of course there are tributes to Presidents and Leaders of Peace and Civil Rights.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Dr. Martin Luther King

The travel through time that was most poignant for us was our visit to the Newseum.  Where we vividly  relived some of America's and World History that occurred in our life time.  Once again, we mourned the assassination of President Kennedy and the loss of our innocence in a violent world.




We cheered when the Berlin Wall was torn down.


the Soviet Union collapsed and nations of the USSR became independent.

And we cried as we relived 9/11.


Freedom of the Press is such an important right.  We often take it for granted as we have had it for so long.  Unfortunately, America is slipping in our grasp of being a truly free press.  Consolidation of media by a few corporations, big money, and slanted reporting are chipping away at these freedoms.  It is more and more difficult to trust that what the media is telling us is really the truth, and objectively vetted through multiple sources.  Good news reporting is not blogging where subjectivity sneaks in, nor  is it manipulated to isolated sound bites out of context that skew a story to favor a particular viewpoint.

America is more than half way towards not being a truly free press.  It's sad when Russ and I can get more news about the world and what's really happening in the United States when we are out of the country. 





America is 18 out of 30.  Numerous countries outrank our Freedom of Press.



If we as Americans accept all that we are told without skepticism, we are doomed.  Checking your facts from reliable sources is paramount.  Otherwise, our freedom and our rights will be manipulated and diminished.  Keep faith with the first amendment.  A free press is the 4th branch of a democratic government....executive, congressional, judicial, and the press.  Okay folks...so much for the journalism and history lesson and our travel through time.

We are on our way to Philadelphia to celebrate our nation's independence.  Happy 4th of July.  More later from the Worrall Travel R's.


Friday, June 21, 2013

Flying through New Mexico to Virginia

Our Hitch Hiking Travel Bugs
It has been nearly two weeks or more since our last post.  My Mac Pro needs a new logic board which means photo editing and manipulation is a colossal pain.  I was advised at the Genius Bar in Albuquerque, NM to avoid photo editing until this faulty board could be replaced.  I've tried, really, but  I couldn't help myself.  So I've been torturing myself and backing up frequently.  We have an appointment in Maryland when we get there, but in the meantime, it's been a tedious, crash and re-crash process to load, edit, and upload photos.

GEOCACHING

Once we left Arizona, we have been on the fly, staying in states long enough to see one major attraction, finding a geocache, and moving on.  The photo above is our band of 9 geocaching travel bugs that are racking up miles as they visit caches from around the world.  Dragon has the most miles 71,000 followed by Hang a Left Hal - 61,000 miles.   The boot (Maine bound) on the left is our newest bug followed by pirate, Hal, world, tiki, gnome, vessla, and dragon.  Each of these bugs have been picked up from various places around the world...New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, Kathmandu, etc.  Each time we find a geocache www.geocaching.com, we record a visit for the bugs.

States and One+ Major Attraction

In each of the states, we would have liked to have stayed longer and to have seen more, but we were on the move.  Time is growing short before we arrive in Vermont.

New Mexico - Route 66 - Apple Store in Albuqurque and Old Town




















Texas - Amarillo - 72 oz Steak House and RV Museum

Getting our Kicks on Route 66


Trying to Wolf Down a 72 oz Steak in 1 hour....Yes?  It's Free...No It's $72.00


We also enjoyed the RV Museum in Amarillo.



Loved this little KIT


















Oklahoma - Roz and Russ's High School Friend Don Wedemyer and Wife Debbie



Arkansas - Little Rock and the Clinton Presidential Library


President and First Lady

Clinton's Oval Office




















Tennessee - Memphis and Graceland...Elvis Lives!


One for the Money, Two For the Show, Three to Get Ready, and Go Cat Go!




Kentucky - Mammoth Caves, Creation Museum, Lincoln's Birthplace




Contrast the scientific geologic timeline with that of the Creation Museum.  Which one do you think is the fantasy?

We heard about the creation museum and as free thinkers want to see what it was about.  The museum was very sophisticated, well presented, but the content was mind numbing, dark age, idiocy.
Young Earth - Less than 5,000 years old

YES IT WOULD, YES IT HAS, and YES IT SHOULD

And Rightfully So!
The last presentation was geared for young people to be disciples and to spread the word of this fantasy and to challenge their science teachers.   It was amazing and frightening to see so many families with young children, nodding their heads and agreeing with the presentations.

Yes folks, those are dinosaurs boarding the Ark.  The Flintstones were real!
Our democracy in America depends on an educated public.  Thankfully our public schools teach students to understand their world through science and history not mythology and religious creation stories.  Support public education.

We also visited Lincoln's brith place in Kentucky.


Inside the Memorial Lincoln's Birth Place Log Cabin Resideds


Indiana - Lincoln's Boyhood Home

Lincoln's family moved to Indiana when he was a young lad.  He lived with his family in Indiana until he was a young adult and moved to Illinois to begin his political career.



Memorial on Indiana Farm where Lincoln Grew Up
Ohio - Scenic Ride along Ohio River Valley

We enjoyed our scenic drive along the Ohio River to West Virginia.  The river was brown and swollen after some late rain storms.

We are the only ones here on Father's Day
West Virginia - Webster Family

We reached West Virginia late in the day to visit our niece Sue Worrall Webster and her family in Charleston.  It was a short but sweet visit.
Lovely West Virginia Home

Roz, Kate, and Sue

Brett, Russ, and Sue

Cally and Kris

Kate and Sue
Both Kate and Kris just graduated from High School and will be off to college next year.

Virginia - Friends in Rural Retreat, Friends in Richmond

Our first stop after West Virginia was in Rural Retreat, Virginia.  Until our friends Doug and Catherine Hounshell, Berkeley Yacht Club Members and Baja Ha Ha 2009 fellow sailors, moved to Virigina for the spring and summer of each year, we had never heard of Rural Retreat, but should have.....it's the home of Russ's favorite soda....Dr. Pepper.  Yep!  It was created by Dr. Pepper at the pharmacy in Rural Retreat.
Pharmacy where Dr. Pepper brewed his legacy.

Looks a Little Like Colfax - Train Tracks and Caboose

Catherine and Doug, S/V Galetea - Baja Ha Ha 2009

After our brief visit with Catherine and Doug, we visited Montpilier, home of president James Madison,

and Monticello, home of President Thomas Jefferson.




Then we moved on to Richmond to visit more dear friends.  After too many years to count, I caught up with high school friend Shela Dean and her husband Dale in Richmond, Virginia.  Shela and I reconnected through Facebook.
Dale and Shela showed us Richmond.  We had a lot of fun.
We introduced both Catherine and Doug, and Shela and Dale to Geocaching. Hope they have as much fun with this treasure hunt game as we do.

We are now in Willimasburg, Virgnia.  I'll cover more of Virginia in our next blog.

 In the meantime, All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's.