Category: Museums

Madeline Island

by Greg • September 22, 2025 • 0 Comments

Saturday, September 20, 2025

L:59 H 75

Martha loves a farmer’s market, so we went to Bayfield. It had been cloudy and a bit of rain, but by the time we got there, it was a sunny, beautiful day. It was a nice, little market with about 12 booths. Martha bought a couple of different mushrooms, a candle and ……

Every week a different musician comes to play

We walked down to the water and sat on a little dock, admiring the view. We decided to take the ferry over to Madeline Island. It runs every hour on the hour, returning on the half hour. It is the only inhabited island of the 21 Apostle Islands, named by Jesuit priests for the 12 apostles.

I love walking the docks, looking at the boats. As we walked the Bayfield docks, every boat was a winner. The Apostle Islands make for great sailing, so there were a lot of sailboats. Lots of people were scurrying around, loading coolers, some with music playing. Turns out there was a two-day regatta.

Maritime Museum

We put our things in the truck, got a sandwich at a little shop and walked a few blocks to the ferry. Since they do this all day, every day, they were very efficient. It’s about a 15-minute ride across the bay. With a clear blue sky and sailboats headed for Hermit Island, it made for a pleasant ride.

We had no idea what to do on Madeline Island, so we sat in a gazebo, ate our lunch and looked at the town map. I was surprised at all the cars and trucks on the ferry. There was also a group of bikers. Somehow I envisioned a more remote atmosphere. It’s a relatively large town with the usual things. We opted for the museum first. We could have rented bikes, but it’s a big island. This might be the occasion for an electric bike.

The museum was surprisingly good. A pretty, young lady and an Objibwe man greeted us. We asked for two senior tickets. She asked is we were veterans. Martha said I was, but I don’t carry a card. The young lady said, “That’s OK, we don’t check ID’s anyway.” My phone battery was about drained, so Martha asked if they had a charge cord. The man rummaged around in the back and found one.

I charged it as we watched a fast paced movie of the history of the island. The Ojibwe people had some disagreement and the tribe split, half migrating west, ending up in these islands. They built their beautiful birchbark canoes, sliding through a great marsh while thrashing wild rice into the boats. Fishing and hunting were great.

The white men came, trading furs. The Jesuit priests came, and then the tourists came in summers. Like most museums, it’s hard to take it all in, but I was intrigued by the boats. There were tools, starting with the Ojibwe, then the early European settlers. I liked the coffee roaster.

Walking back to the original museum, a man dressed in early settler attire, greeted us. This building was like an old cabin. Actually, the man said, it was three buildings combined – a cabin, the original jail, and something else that was brought in.

I asked what the difference was between the Chippewa and Ojibwe. He said they are the same people, but the Chippewa had a different way of sewing their moccasins. Hanging on one room was a sleigh, older than ours, but very similar. It’s a great museum. We thanked them and put a 20 in the donation box.

We walked a couple of blocks to the bike shop. A very large crowd gathered at a municipal building. It seemed like the whole town was there. A couple of doors down was another crowded place with a different atmosphere.

At the bike shop, mopeds and electric bikes were lined up outside, but the door was locked. Martha went next door to ask. They said there was a funeral that many people in town were attending. That accounted for one of the large gatherings we had seen. This seemed a great way to see the island. Perhaps another day.

The town map showed a trail across part of the island, so we walked up the main road with yellow lines down the middle and a fair amount of traffic. Heck, it was as large at the Trans-Canada highway!

It took us 20 minutes to get to the Capser Trail, a well-maintained trail through a pretty forest. A couple of loops would make a longer hike, but we weren’t up for that. Early on, it went through a beautiful stand of big white birch trees, and later what I thought were black birch, but my plant identifier app said they were big quaking aspen.

We came out to another road and followed it to the ferry. Our timing was good. There was only a short wait. We sat next to a gregarious couple. They were celebrating his 80th birthday with their children, and had been to Tom’s Burned Down Cafe. Tom’s is apparently a famous place, but it burned down. After some time, Tom bought a trailer and opened back up, saying, “I ain’t done yet.”

They had been drinking Bloody Marys, and although not drunk by any measure, he was talkative. They have been coming here from the St. Croix area for years. They had a sailboat and love sailing these islands. “Best place to sail in the world!” He pointed out a boat in the distance that they sailed yesterday. The boats were sailing against the wind now, moving slowly.

The wife asked us where we had been and where we were going. She suggested following the Mississippi River south. She said it is quite pretty, and there is a lot of history. I thanked her and said I would look into that. She also said to go to the little town of Cornucopia, just west of our campground.

Back on land, we walked back up through the busy, little town of Bayfield to the truck. It was only 2:30, so we drove to Cornucopia just to get a preview. There is a busy marina on the north side of the highway. We turned left to find a “town” composed of 5 buildings. the interesting one was a very large general store. I’m quite sure that would be interesting, but having gotten up this morning at 3:00, I was pretty tired.

We turned left at the stop sign to see the rest of the town, but there wasn’t any. We were getting ready to turn around when we saw a sign for Siskiwit Waterfall. We were the only ones in the parking lot, but as we walked down a pretty, little trail, we saw people on the other side on another trail.

It was a very unique cascading waterfall over solid rock. I don’t know how far this goes, but we followed it for 300 yards. A sign posted limits for trout and salmon. The river was crystal clear and depth would be measured in inches. Looking up the name later, I would find a site for “18 Waterfall Hikes Near Cornucopia!”

Heading back to camp, we stopped at Myer’s Beach in Apostle Islands National Park. Cars had filled the parking lot and spilled out along the entrance road. It was Saturday, sunny and warm, but hardly swimming weather. A large sign warned of the dangers of kayaking here. If you turn over, you have limited time to get upright. In 30 minutes your hands and feet will get numb. In an hour you will lose consciousness. Martha read another warning for the current lake water temperature. It was 47 degrees!

But another part of the sign showed the attraction, and a large part of the attraction of the Apostle Islands – sea caves, arches and tunnels. Several kayaks were returning from their trip. The beach is very long and pretty.

The drive back to camp didn’t seem so long, and we saw 6 more turkeys. Now I was very tired. Martha made a very nice dinner of pork chops and cooked the mushrooms with peas in butter. Yum!

Apostle Islands National Park, Apostle Islands National Park, Bayfield, Wisconsin, Little Sand Bay Campground, Bayfield, WI, Maritime Museum, Bayfield, WI

A Rainy Day In Little Sand Bay

by Greg • September 21, 2025 • 0 Comments

Friday, September 19, 2025

L:58 H:63

It was a rainy, gray morning, which was nice to catch up on a few things – emails, a little news, the blog, etc. Since the Apostle Islands Cruise was cancelled yesterday due to high winds, we had scheduled for today. However, it wasn’t looking so good for today either, so we rescheduled for Sunday.

We kept looking at our schedule. we might not even see this national park at this rate. We are supposed to leave on Wednesday for St. Croix National Scenic River. We considered cancelling that to give us more time here.

After lunch, we decided on two things we could do in the rain – the Maritime Museum and driving “The Fruit Loop.” Parking in Bayfield is a trick, but we are getting the hang of it. In front of the museum a man was building a small boat. A volunteer, he was very polite in telling us what he was doing, and he loves working with wood. It was like a boat museum in Newfoundland where volunteers built a boat every year, then auctioning it to raise money for the museum. The Bayfield volunteer said they haven’t caught onto that yet.

It was very cool inside, with displays of big and small ships and fishing boats. There was a display of the shipwrecks around Apostle Islands. I was fascinated by the display of sailboat rigging. Around the corner Martha worked on a hands-on display of knot tying. We might have stayed there for an hour, but others wanted to try it.

There were engine displays, both big and small. The one that intrigued me was an old Indian recording of how he built birchbark canoes. A real birchbark canoe was standing against the wall. I would like to listen to that again. He looked for a special birch tree and told how he stripped the bark, sealing the seams with pine pitch. The frame was made from a special northern white cedar. He said he only cut three of them down in his life.

On our way out, Martha put $20 in the contribution box. The man working the front thanked us with a smile and said, “Ring the bell.” After looking around, I pulled the string beside the door, ringing the bell. Outside was a big bell from a boat, so I gave that a ring too.

We walked over to the fish store. Most things had been sold because the weather had limited fishing. They did have some whitefish liver, which we had seen on the menu at Manypenny Bistro. The young lady behind the counter said she had never had it, but reports are that it is similar to chicken livers. “It’s a thing here.”

This area is big for fruit farms, and there is a drive that takes you past some of the farms that have shops, stores or roadside stands. Apples are big, but also blueberries, raspberries, grapes and more. It was raining pretty hard when we stopped at the first one, Apple Hill Orchards.

I thought he had an Aussie accent, but he was from England. A soccer player, he had traveled to many places, but he always liked this area the best, so he and his wife started this orchard. We bought a bag of Courtland apples on his recommendation, a candy apple and an apple crisp. He was a nice chap, and we enjoyed talking to him. We were going to the farmer’s market tomorrow, so there was no sense in stopping by more farms.

Missing one of our turns, we ended up driving by a lot of the farms, wondering what was being grown. We saw 24 turkeys on our 30-minute drive, plus a beautiful red fox dashing full speed across the road. Later I looked up what turkeys eat, since they seem to proliferate here. Acorns are a staple of a lot of wildlife, but turkeys are omnivores. They eat insects for protein, acorns, and they love fruit. They will eat apples on the ground and berries from bushes, but also clover, grass and other soft greens. No wonder they do well here.

We stopped at a tiny log house with a sign. We have passed it a number of times, but had other things to do. Interesting story.

Back at camp, we drove around a bit and found the closed visitor’s center had WIFI, but it is only strong at the building. I took my computer over and loaded pictures for the blog, We can get one bar of cell service in the Airstream, but our cell booster gives us one more. That’s enough to get messages and emails, but not enough to upload pictures, and surely not videos. Moving my phone around the trailer, I get one bar sitting at the table, two bars in the cabinet above the refrigerator and three bars up against the booster. I’ll try to find a way to hang the phone there.

Martha made a fine dinner of pork chops and mushrooms from the farmer’s market, cooked in butter with peas – very good.

Bushpilot Museum, Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

The Bushpilot Museum

by Greg • August 11, 2025 • 2 Comments

The #1 TripAdvisor recommendation of things to do in Sault Ste. Marie is the Bushpilot Museum. I love this place, although it has changed with more emphasis on fighting fires, which is no doubt a huge issue today.

The museum as we saw it 12 years ago, focused on individuals exploring Canada after the invention of flight. Up until then, exploration was done by canoe. That requires a level of toughness I can barely comprehend, especially in winter. When flight entered the picture, things may have gotten physically easier, but brought increased requirements of navigation and survival. Like the wild west, it took a certain breed to want to tackle immense challenges. No one is coming to get you should something go wrong.

At the entrance is a camp set up to resemble maybe a 1940’s to 1950’s fire fighting campsite. Just a basic camp was a load to carry in a small plane, and this was a well-equipped camp with a big canvas tent, axes, saws, etc. Most would have gone to hunt, fish and explore. Imagine the game in those days!

Today the focus is on fire-fighting, which has its own requirements for bravery, flying and fire-fighting skills. A good movie puts you right in the middle of the fight with all the modern communication and fire-fighting planes. Just the skills required to scoop up water from a lake, and then dump it on just the right spot, and you have to be accurate. They call it precision bombing.

The museum has many more planes than were there 12 years ago. In those days it was run more like a club. Volunteers who loved flying, history and the exploration of Canada, worked on and restored all the planes. They bragged that every one of them flies, and they were anxious to show you around. I was disappointed not to see any of those men today, but it is still the #1 thing to do in Sault Ste. Marie. You will know where it is when you drive down the street and look up to see what looks like an old plane about to land in the street.

First flight in Canada
Movie theater
Canoes made in sections so they could be carried on plane

Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Greyhound Hall of Fame, Kansas

Abilene, Kansas

by Greg • October 10, 2022 • 0 Comments

Saturday/Sunday, September 10/11, 2022

It was a very pleasant drive on I70 from Oakley to Abilene. At first it was very dry in Colorado, then turned to irrigated to pretty lush, green, huge farms and a lot of sorghum in Kansas.

It was cloudy all day with no rain until we were an hour from Abilene. Then it started to rain pretty hard. Why it didn’t produce much-needed rain in Colorado, I don’t understand, but I guess that’s the way it is.

We pulled into the campground with no one in the office. Finally, we took a pull-through spot, filled out an envelope at the bathroom and put a check in it.

We settled back on a chilly, rainy Saturday afternoon and watched a good football game between Tennessee and Pittsburgh. Trains kept coming down the track close by.

In the morning we went to the Greyhound Hall of Fame. We were greeted by a nice lady and two greyhounds that were very sweet. She gave us a bit of history of greyhounds and their origins as hunting dogs that could run all day at great speeds. Their top speed is 45 mph, but can be outpaced over long distances by huskies. Like horse racing, racing dogs began with, “My dog can run faster than your dog.” That started hundreds of years ago and evolved to what it is today.

Our host said they make great pets, but they need exercise, and that means running. We walked through the exhibits for an hour. There were sections for the dogs, trainers and breeders. I enjoyed reading the names of the great ones like Dyna Double One, Balleyregan Bob and More Taxes. Also I was amazed at a skeleton in a glass case. The greyhound skeleton reminds me of a bird. It is so light and small, it looks quite fragile.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/826692075331527420/

After lunch we went to the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Talking to our neighbor at the campground, he said that was the reason he was here, and that he had been to 12 presidential libraries. Eisenhower grew up in Abilene, then and still a small midwestern town. There are two big buildings on a campus-like setting, one is the library and one is a museum.

The museum is nicely organized in chronologic order starting with his childhood, sports and activities in a small town. It was very interesting how his whole life prepared him so well for the job he would eventually do in WWII. Then on to the presidency and all he accomplished. I was tired just walking through, I can’t imagine a man continuing at such capacity for so long. For some reason the museum closed early that day, but I had filled up with information and was ready to call it a day. I thought it was a great museum and would go through it again. We have the big picture now, so if we went back, I would take four or five days divided into growing up, West Point and early military, WWII and the presidency.

Eisenhower childhood home
Beautiful campus grounds
Museum
Abilene train station
Abilene train station
Downtown Abilene

A trip on the Abilene and Smokey Valley Train would be a fun thing to do here, but we didn’t allot time for that. Also popular is a tour of the Seelye Mansion. Dr. Seelye started the Seelye Medical Company in 1890. We walked around town, which is very nice, but it was all closed up on a Sunday. There is also a highly-rated Heritage Center and The Great Plains Theater.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame

US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame

by Greg • October 7, 2022 • 0 Comments

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Colorado Springs has an Olympic Training Center, which would have been a lot of fun to see, but we couldn’t go. We did go to the Hall of Fame though, and it was very cool. It’s a museum also, so there are lots of pictures and stories of famous athletes. Like most museums, it is difficult to take it all in.

The coolest part was a group of demonstrators where you compete against other visitors. There is a two-lane track to test your speed. There are three simulators – a soccer goalie, a bobsled run and a downhill ski course. That was good for some laughs 😊

Read her incredible story at https://www.infinite-women.com/women/candace-cable/

Demonstrating the importance of trains in Colorado Springs

Moving our campsite, we had a deer visit

Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs, Hotels, Penrose Heritage Museum

The Broadmoor Hotel

by Greg • October 6, 2022 • 0 Comments

Thursday, September 8, 2022

We went for a visit to the Broadmoor Hotel, an iconic, beautiful hotel in Colorado Springs. Passing by lovely Pauline Chapel, we we went to The Penrose Heritage Museum just across the street from the hotel. It is mostly a carriage museum, but also has cars and motorcycles owned by the original builder and owner, Spencer Penrose.

https://usrepresented.com/2022/09/06/broadmoor/

We have two carriages and a sleigh in our garage, so I was very interested with all the carriages and a few sleighs, all in immaculate condition. It would be so much fun to drive these!

Penrose bought 500 acres including a hotel in 1916 with the goal of building the finest hotels in the United States. The history is quite interesting, and a good summary can be found at https://usrepresented.com/2022/09/06/broadmoor/.

It has it all – championship golf course, spa, riding stables, Olympic level ice skating facility, fishing, hiking, clay pigeon shooting and more. The flowers and landscaping are beautiful. They have what many call the finest level of customer service anywhere in the world. https://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/12/19/9-customer-service-hr-and-leadership-secrets-from-the-broadmoor-hotel/?sh=3f9c20456570.

Walking around the lobby, I was struck by amazing art work. I have since learned they have one of the largest collections of western art. I could have wandered around looking at the art for a long time. Maybe we saw 5% of the resort. I would love to come back to walk around more. I would have to find some kind of deal as the rooms are listed at $600 plus the usual resort fee, plus the taxes, but they are completely booked next week for its 784 rooms.

Colorado, Colorado Springs, ProRodeo Hall of Fame, CO

Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum

by Greg • October 5, 2022 • 2 Comments

September 7, 2022

The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs is dedicated to professional rodeo riders, livestock, equipment, clowns and events. Opened in 1979, it has historical exhibits, stories of over 300 inductees and displays of saddles, ropes, lariats and outfits. I learned that lariat comes from the Spanish, La reata or lasso. It is a light rope, usually of leather or hemp, used to catch livestock or tie grazing animals.

We first watched a 15-20 minute video showing all the events and history of rodeo. Then we toured the museum.

I wanted to pick up one of the saddles to see how heavy they were, but they were anchored in place. They look heavy, maybe up to 60 lbs. This article notes that a working saddle needs weight to remain stable under stress. They also distribute the load over a larger area, therefore applying fewer pounds per square inch. https://www.western-saddle-guide.com/saddle-weight/

I also enjoyed the outfits, shirts, hats and chaps. Rodeo has certainly brought out more flare to the dress. Having been in the southwest all summer, I tried to picture what it was like on a cattle drive for a couple of months. You would have only one outfit, a raincoat and bedroll. That outfit would have to be pretty versatile.

Then I looked around for my old hero, Gene Arnette, who roped for a time, but he didn’t make the Hall.

Arroyo Seco, NM, Art Store, Canoncito Trail, Arroyo Seco, NM, Millicent Rogers Museum, El Prado, NM, New Mexico, Taos, NM

Canoncito Trail/Arroyo Seco, NM

by Greg • September 28, 2022 • 3 Comments

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

A lady in one of the shops had recommended the Canoncito Trail just outside Arroyo Seco. It’s a bit strange because it goes across private property, and you have to pay $10/person. That’s unusual, but I understand the problem. For one thing, there is very limited parking. People will also leave trash, bottles, clothing and other things, so someone has to go and clean up. I’m sure it got to the neighborhood’s nerves, so the $10 deters some people. But, hey, I never thought I would pay to go trout fishing.

Field of sunflowers leading to Sangre De Cristo Mountains

The trail follows a very small stream that you must cross a number of times. Someone has put down logs and rocks to cross this 4-inch deep stream so no one gets their feet wet. Being a trout fisherman, I have said many times – it is much safer to get your feet wet than trying to balance yourself on slippery rocks and logs.

On the fifth crossing I was looking down at the logs as I pulled myself to land, holding onto a pine tree. Well, a broken snag of a limb jabbed me on the top of my head. It hurt a bunch, and I quickly started bleeding, well, like a stuck pig. I kept pressure on it with a bandana while muttering a few expletives. Martha took a look and said, “Oh my!”

As the pain subsided, I left the bandana on my head and put my hat over it. I realized it would have been a lot worse if I hadn’t been wearing a hat. We continued the hike, but I walked through the water at every crossing the rest of the way. This is one of the 16 reasons to carry a bandana:

Wipe sweat
Clean up blood
Blow your nose
Sweatband
Make a sling for a broken or hurt arm
Tourniquet
Neck gaiter to protect from old or sun
Pot holder
Dry your hands after washing
Mark a trail or trout stream
Emergency coffee filter
Clean your glasses
Padding under straps
Lens cover if you lose yours
Make an ice pack
Tie brightly colored bandana to tools or people to keep track of them

It was a nice hike. I guess there are some pretty views further on, but we didn’t make it that far. Back at the truck, I pulled out the emergency kit and we cleaned up the wound,

We drove down the road to Arroyo Seco and explored the shops. We had a very nice lunch at the Sol Food Cafe. Next door they had an excellent, little grocery that was packed with all kinds of good stuff. In a small town like this, people came in steadily. There are a lot of artists in the area. One Art Gallery in particular had an impressive collection from many artists. They also had a unique approach to selling art. We have some incredible art on this trip, but how many things can you buy? This gallery turns the art into very nice greeting cards. Arroyo Seco is one of my favorite places of the trip.

Beautiful Airstream used as an overnight rental

Further down the road, we went to the Millicent Rogers Museum. From the brochure: “The Millicent Rogers Museum was founded in 1956 by Millicent Rogers’ youngest son, Paul Peralta-Ramos, as a lasting tribute to his mother. Born in 1902, she originally hailed from New York high society and was the granddaughter of Henry Huttleston Rogers, the cofounder of Standard Oil Company. Millicent came to Taos in 1947 and immediately fell in love with the rich Native American and Hispanic traditions of northern New Mexico. A philanthropist and life-long collector of fine art and antiques, she began to focus on the variety of arts unique to the Southwest and developed relationships with the local craftspeople, artisans and cultural communities. Millicent’s own creativity flourished in Taos as reflected in the merging of southwest cultural design elements within her own creations. The collection that Millicent developed became the core of the Museum’s exhibitions after her son, Paul, donated it upon the Museum’s founding.”

She had rheumatic fever as a child and suffered multiple heart attacks and pneumonia. Her left arm became debilitated. She died in 1953. She was known for unique style, her own fashion designs and for designing jewelry.

New Mexico, New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe Historic District

by Greg • September 20, 2022 • 2 Comments

August 23, 2022

65 deg at 6:00, high 78

We have been passing the Pantry Restaurant every day, and there are always people sitting on benches outside, waiting to get in, so we went in for breakfast. Martha ordered an omelette, while I ordered sausage and eggs and blue corn cakes with a hint of cinnamon. The coffee was very good, the service excellent and the food very good.

We returned to the Farmer’s Market for a quieter Wednesday edition. Sadly, the chicken pot pie people weren’t there, but there were plenty of fruits and vegetables.

World’s best corn salesman with a joke for every customer

Now that the Indian Arts Festival was gone, we wanted to explore old town Santa Fe. A sign noted the end of the historic Santa Fe Trail. Another marked the end of the old Spanish Trail. As we have learned, the Indians have been using these routes for centuries.

From United States National Park Service-Map, Robert McGinnis-illustration, https://maps.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/santa_fe_trail94.jpg

“Between 1821 and 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was primarily a commercial highway connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The route was pioneered by Missouri trader William Becknell, who left Franklin, Missouri in September 1821. Others before him had been arrested by Spanish soldiers once they neared Santa Fe, and most had been hauled south toward Mexico City to serve lengthy prison sentences. Becknell, however, was pleasantly surprised to find that Mexico had overthrown the Spanish yoke, and the new Mexican government – unlike their predecessors – welcomed outside trade. Not surprisingly, others got into the trade soon after Becknell returned, and by 1825 goods from Missouri were not only being traded in Santa Fe, but to other points farther south as well. Some traders used the so-called Mountain Route, which offered more dependable water but required an arduous trip over Raton Pass. Most, however, used the Cimarron Route, which was shorter and faster but required knowledge of where the route’s scarce water supplies were located.

From 1821 until 1846, the Santa Fe Trail was a two-way international commercial highway used by both Mexican and American traders. Then, in 1846, the Mexican-American War began, and a few months later, America’s Army of the West followed the Santa Fe Trail westward to successfully invade Mexico. After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war in 1848, the Santa Fe Trail became a national road connecting the more settled parts of the United States to the new southwest territories. Commercial freighting along the trail boomed to unheard-of levels, including considerable military freight hauling to supply the southwestern forts. The trail was also used by stagecoach lines, thousands of gold seekers heading to the California and Colorado gold fields, adventurers, missionaries, wealthy New Mexican families and emigrants.

In 1866, just a year after the Civil War ended, an unprecedented period of railroad expansion began in the new state of Kansas. Within two years, rails had been laid all the way across central Kansas, and by 1873, two different rail lines reached from eastern Kansas all the way into Colorado. Because the Santa Fe Trail hauled primarily commercial goods, this railroad expansion meant that the trading caravans needed to traverse increasingly short distances. During the early 1870s, three different railroads vied to build rails over Raton Pass in order to serve the New Mexico market. The winner of that competition, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, reached the top of Raton Pass in late 1878. Additional track mileage further shortened the effective distance of the Santa Fe. Then, in February 1880, the railroad reached Santa Fe, and the trail faded into history.” From https://www.nps.gov/safe/learn/historyculture/index.htm.

“Originally a Spanish town with a presidio surrounded by large defensive walls that enclosed residences, barracks, chapel, prison and the Governor’s palace. It was at the end of El Camino Real, the Spanish Royal Road from Mexico City.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_Plaza)

The old town is very pretty, in pueblo style with a Spanish square and beautiful Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi. It is still a center of trade, art and cultures. I loved walking through some of the art stores, where there are incredible works. Paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry and baskets of the highest quality are displayed. In shop after shop, I was amazed, and I probably didn’t see 20% of them.

We had a nice lunch at The Burrito Company, sitting outside, across from the New Mexico History Museum. After lunch we went into the museum. With less than an hour on our parking ticket, we moved through, concentrating on the Indian art and discovery, passing up the wars and Santa Fe Trail. It expanded our already high opinion of Indian art from the festival. The work today has the advantage of modern techniques, but to see what they made in the 1200’s is amazing.

A gathering of some of the best Indian artists

I don’t know why, but walking around like this is very tiring. I tried to compare it to a hike. I know we haven’t walked as far as our hikes, and it certainly is on level ground. Maybe it is all the visual intake that makes you tired, but we had enough by 3:00. We left a lot unseen, but we also took a lot in.

Louisiana, Mark Zablotsky Photography Workshops, New Orleans, Port of Call, New Orleans, World War Ii Museum, New Orleans

World War II Museum, New Orleans

by Greg • May 26, 2022 • 2 Comments

Friday, May 6, 2022

Ed Brownfield told me not to miss the World War Ii Museum. Then several other people told me the same thing. On a rainy morning, Mark and I decided to go, and we were not disappointed. But be sure to get fueled up before you go.

“We have faith that future generations will know that here, in the middle of the twentieth century, there came a time when men of good will found a way to unite, and produce, and fight to destroy the forces of ignorance, and intolerance, and slavery, and war.” Franklin Roosevelt

Jeep frame
Jeep
All the ships and planes in Normandy landing
Section setup as a ship
The Pinup girls

Makes you feel you are in the middle of the scene

The World War II Museum is a great place where you walk through history, following the arrows through the war, in rooms set up to make you feel like you are in the war, on the beach or on a ship. Like most museums, you can’t take it all in. Like Ed said, you have to come back many times.

Lunch was at Port of Call on the corner of Esplande and Dauphine, known for their hamburgers and steaks. We waited for 45 minutes, but it sure was good.