Tag Archives: Travel Series

Random Memories of Virginia

21 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

RANDOM MEMORIES OF VIRGINIA

Fred and I recently made a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, to visit our daughter, Janet and her family.  We had lived in that part of Virginia for nearly 13 years before we moved to Florida, where we now live.  It’s always nice to get back to Virginia, since we spent so much time there.  It is actually the place we lived the longest, continually, since we married, over 61 years ago, so it holds a special place in our hearts.

Credit Google search and Wikipedia Sign along Interstate 64

On our first day there, since the twins were in school, Tom was working from home, and Janet was at her job in Richmond, we decided to take a ride and see places we had been/lived.  As we were driving down the Colonial Parkway from Colonial Williamsburg, we began to reminisce about things Virginia.  Therefore, I would like to present my readers with some random memories of Virginia.

Credit Google Search

1.   Driving the Colonial Parkway brought thoughts of how much we enjoy that drive – in all seasons.  Spring brings new-green leaves on all the trees and some flowers – the redbuds, and especially the Dogwood blossoms.

Credit Google Search

Summer is lush foliage all through the drive.

Credit Google Search

Fall has the gorgeous fall colors on the trees – golds, yellows, oranges, reds.  Beautiful. 

Credit Google Search and RVing with Rex

Winter is beautiful in its own way – snow on the trees and shrubs.

Credit Google Search

Not so nice is the snow/ice on the roadway.  The Parkway is made up of aggregate, and the ice on it isn’t very comfortable.

While unmarked, one can readily see the three lanes of the Parkway, as they were laid.  There are frequent signs for “Do Not Pass” along the way, especially when the road turns and the way ahead is not easy to see.

The Parkway has a 45 mph speed limit, which can be frustrating if one is in a hurry!  However, it is an easy thing to set the cruise-control for 45 mph and just let George (the cruise control driver) do the driving.  The Parkway is heavily patrolled, so it pays to pay attention to the speed limit.

I worked in the Colonial Williamsburg area at one time, and had a certain way I liked to drive to work.  From our house in Seaford, down Denbigh Blvd, to U.S. 60 or Warwick Blvd to Williamsburg.  However one of those mornings, I was nearly involved in a fatal accident.  Coming around a curve in the road, the car coming toward me slipped onto the dirt and gravel  – probably losing control of her car – and rammed/slammed into the front of the pickup truck in front of me.  By the time we stopped and I got out, the driver from the truck said the driver of the car was dead.  Turns out, she was just 18 years old, and on her way to her college class.  I was so upset by the entire thing, that I found I couldn’t take that route to work for many months – I kept seeing the accident in my mind.  So I started driving the Colonial Parkway – set my cruise-control to 45 mph and just rode until I reached the Colonial area.  It was a great way to get to work, and the reminder of the accident diminished in my mind.  Time heals.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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2022 Road Trip-Part 18B

22 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 18 Continued (6/2/2022)

Leaving Wildwood, I headed south 20 miles on I-75 to look for the Fort Armstrong Historical Monument located in Bushnell, FL.  This Florida monument describes the 1836 Battle of The Wahoo Swamp during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).  General Richard Call lost his command because of the disastrous defeat his 2500 soldiers suffered during that battle.  It also tells that later that year, Fort Armstrong was built by Major Robert Armstrong and his men to protect against the Seminole attacks on the Fort King Trail.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was less than 10 miles south on I-75 to where I found the Richloam General Store & Post Office located near Webster, FL.  This former old 1921 Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Depot was the first depot in Richloam and Postmaster, Lucius S. Brinson, moved the Riverland Post Office to this building in 1922.  Soon after that Brinson opened and began operating a general store in the building, and it remained in operation until 1936.  The building was used as a private home until the 1950s, after which it stayed vacant until 1973, when Brinson’s son, John, renovated the building, and reopened it as the Richloam General Store & Post Office.  This building is the last remaining structure from the Richloam Community.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed south five miles on SR-421 to Linden, FL where I turned east 10 miles on SR-50 looking for the Paradise Airsports field located in Groveland, FL.  This small grass field caters to Ultralight aircraft and has a flight school in one of the ‘open-ended’ hangers there at the field.  I stopped long enough to watch a couple of colorful Ultralights take off and fly around.  I had always wanted to own an Ultralight, but never had the money or time to spare to get into the sport.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was another 15 miles east on SR-50 to where I visited the Central Florida Railroad Museum located in downtown Winter Garden, FL.  This small museum is situated in the old restored 1913 Tavares & Gulf (T&G) Railway depot that replaced the original 1899 station there in Winter Garden.  This museum is filled with antique railroad artifacts, photos, and memorabilia relating to the history of the railroad’s influence on the city of Winter Garden and the surrounding Orange County area from the late 1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving Winter Garden, I continued another 15 miles east on SR-50 to visit the Orlando Science Center located in the Loch Haven Park area of Orlando, FL.  This large privately owned museum has four floors filled with exciting exhibits, giant screen movies, interactive programs, the Dr. Phillips ‘Cinedome’ and more.  The lobby was overrun with kids, so I opted not to go thru the museum today.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I looked for the Orlando Fire Museum reported to be located there in the Lock Haven Park, but neither Greta (My Garmin) or I could find it anywhere.  I circled the park twice and never saw it.  So, I continued east for the last 35 miles of this trip on SR-50, which took me back to my home in Titusville, FL from where I started 18 days ago.  Boy, was I glad to be home.  My lovely wife, DiVoran, had cooked a delicious meal for my homecoming, and we enjoyed it together, on our screened-in back porch, over lots of conversation about what we both had been doing for the last two weeks.  Tonight, I get to sleep in my own bed which I have sorely missed.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

This brings to a close my 2022 Road Trip.  I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures as much as I have enjoyed remembering and writing about them.  Join me again next time as I explore new areas of our wonderful country and visit new historical places and museums.  Keep your eyes on the road and drive safely.

Photo Credit: https://www.clipartmax.com/cartoon-driver-waving/

—–The End—-

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip-Part 17B

9 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 17 Continued (6/1/2022) 

I was intrigued by the name ‘The Graveyard Mud Bog’ so, on my way out of Jasper, I stopped just south of town, off US-41, to see what it was all about.  Turns out I passed a dirt road, with a sign, to an old graveyard on the way to Mud Bog Park.  I guess that’s where they got that crazy name.  There was nothing going on at the Mud Bog today, so I continued south, looking for my next museum. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

After some 20 miles south on US-41 I visited the Steven Foster Museum located within the Steven Foster Folk Culture Center Park which is located on the banks of the Suwannee River in White Springs, FL.  I discovered that besides the museum, this 800-acre park includes a bell tower that chimes ‘Old Folks at Home’ and other Foster melodies throughout the day, a campground, hiking trails, bicycle trails, wildlife viewing areas, canoeing, and more.  The museum contains eight model dioramas depicting Steven Foster songs, and a collection of 18th century pianos and harpsichords.   

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Now it was only 15 miles southeast on US-41 to visit the Columbia County Historical Museum located in downtown Lake City, FL.  This museum is situated in the old restored 1870s home of the John Vinzant Jr. family and has a large collection of photographs, artifacts, and memorabilia related to the history of Lake City and the surrounding Columbia County dating from the early 1800s. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

While I was in downtown Lake City, I walked over to get a photo of the Columbia County Courthouse which is located across the street from the Olustee Park.  The building was built in 1905 and was designed in the Classical Revival style.  It was renovated in 2003 for continued use by the Columbia County residents for what has now been 117 years of continuous service. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

I took the time to try and find the ‘Lake City Historic Railroad Crossing’ but couldn’t find a sign or Historical Marker for the site.  Not sure what the historical significance of the crossing could have been, other than Lake City having been the northern most point of the Southern Florida Railway beginning in the late 1800s.   

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

So, I gave Greta (My Garmin) the address of tonight’s motel, there in Lake City, and she took me right to it.  While checking in, I asked the desk clerk about good places to eat, and he said if I liked seafood, I might try Zebo’s Crab Shack there in town.  I ordered their steamed Snow Crab & Crawfish Plate which included fresh-water muscles, corn-on-the-cob, and hush puppies.  I enjoyed every bite of that delicious meal. 

Photo Credit: zebo’s crab shack lake city – Search (bing.com)

After that delicious meal, I headed back to the motel and recorded the day’s activities.  I tried to find something on TV but had to settle for the last part of an action movie I had seen before.  It was lights out for me after that.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip-Part 17A

1 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 17 (6/1/2022)

This morning after breakfast I headed southeast 40 miles on US-431 to try and find the Slosheye Trail Historical Marker, said to be, located in Hawkinsville, GA.  Greta (My Garmin) found the marker in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse (you can barely make out the marker in the photo below).  The marker informed me that the Slosheye Trail once extended from Hawkinsville, on the Ocmulgee River southwest some 65 miles to Drayton, on the Flint River and was used by Indians and early fur traders as early as 1750.  It continued to be a major travel artery in the Georgia frontier area for many years.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed south 45 miles on US-129 to visit the Blue & Gray Museum located in the Fitzgerald Depot in Fitzgerald, GA.  The Blue & Gray Museum displays 1200+ Civil War artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia dating from the early 1800s.  The Blue & Gray Museum shares space in the 1900s Fitzgerald Depot with the AB&A Railroad Exhibit, which includes antique railroad artifacts and memorabilia related to the growth of Fitzgerald and the surrounding Ben Hill County area dating from the 1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I continued south about 10 miles on US-129 to visit the Confederate Monument located on the lawn of the Irwin County Courthouse in Ocilla, GA.  This monument was erected in 1911 and is dedicated to all the Georgia soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War.  This massive Irwin County Courthouse was built in 1910 to replace the first county courthouse which was built in 1883, and has served the Irwin County residents until the present day.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was another 30 miles south on US-129 to where I was looking for the Old Coffee Road historical marker in Nashville, GA to see what that was all about.  It turns out The Old Coffee Road was established in 1823 and built by General John Coffee.  It was the first road to link the Ocmulgee River, near Fitzgerald, to Thomasville for the transport of goods back and forth to this area. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Before leaving Nashville, I drove over and stopped to check out the CarterParrett Railnet (CPR).  This turned out not to be a museum, but a rail-yard for another small private railway (80 miles of track) that only services the southern part of central George.  I took a quick photo and continued on my way to find the next museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I headed south another 60 miles on US-129, across the border, to visit the Old Hamilton County Jail located in Jasper, FL.  This museum is situated in the old restored 1893 two-story brick Hamilton County jail, which was the only county jail in Hamilton County until 1984, when a new county jail was built, there in Jasper, to replaced it. This museum displays antique artifacts, photos, and memorabilia tracing the history of the Florida jail system in the 1800s.

Photo Credit: www,Bing images/old hamilton county jail jasper florida

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip Part 16B

22 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 16 Continued (5/31/2022)

After the visit to the Criswoldville Battlefield I drove into downtown Macon to visit the Allman Brothers Band Museum located in the Midtown area of Macon.  This museum is housed in the 1900 Grand Tudor style home (known as the ‘Big House’) where Duane Allman and his brother Gregg started a popular American musical revolution (Southern Rock) during the 1960s and 1970s there in Macon.  The museum displays artifacts and memorabilia from the Allman Brothers Band and other groups during their popularity.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Before leaving Macon, I drove a few miles north of the city, to check out the old Fort Hawkins.  The fort was built by the U.S. Army in 1806, in what was then part of the western frontier.  Overlooking the Ocmulgee River, the fort was used by the army as a military command headquarters for the southwestern frontier, and as an Indian training post, to help further Native-American and European-American interaction.  The fort was named for Benjamin Hawkins (1754-1816), who was serving as General Superintendent of Indian Affairs at the time. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was another 20 miles south on US-129 to where I visited the Elberta Train Depot located in Warner-Robins, GA.  This small depot was built in 1816 and served the residents of Houston County as a whistle-stop for many years.  Moved to this location in 2003, the depot now serves as a museum displaying antique railroad artifacts related to the history of the railroad’s influence in the Warner-Robins area dating from the late 1800s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was only a couple of miles south on US-129 from the Elberta Depot, to where I visited the Museum of Aviation located adjacent to the Warner-Robins Airforce Base.  I was pleased to find this military museum off the base and accessible to the public.  This large museum has a really great collection of some 80 static displayed military aircraft, from the single engine Forward Air Control (Bird Dog) to the giant C-141 ‘Starlifter’ multi-engine cargo plane.  The ‘Military Airlift Command’ is represented by 15 of their larger aircraft displayed around the outside of the main museum building.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

As I was passing the Boone Bradford Plaza there in Warner-Robins I happened to see the Splinters Axe House and stopped to see if they were open.  They were open, and since I had missed seeing the one in Lexington, SC this morning I went in to check it out.  I told the young man who was in charge of the house that I didn’t want to throw an axe because of my bad shoulders, but just wanted to see how it worked.  He gave me a short demonstration of one and two handed over-head, and under-handed throwing.  I was really impressed with his skill with the axe.  He made it look so easy.  However, it really is too much for me and my shoulders.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was getting late, and I was getting hungry, so I thanked the young man for the demonstration and gave Greta (My Garmin) the address of the motel in Bryon, GA which was only about 15 miles west of Warner-Robins.  It wasn’t far, and before I knew it, I arrived at the motel.  I got checked in, got my things into my room, and warmed up my leftover fried pork chops meal from ‘The Lizard Thicket’ and enjoyed that delicious ‘Soul Food’ (minus the iced tea & cornbread muffin) again.  Yummm!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

With a full tummy, I recorded my day’s activities and tried to find some TV to watch.  I couldn’t find anything that interested me, so just went to bed in hopes of getting a good night’s rest.

—– To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip-Part 16 A

15 Feb

#Road

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 16 (5/31/2022)

This morning after breakfast, I headed southwest out of Columbia 15 miles on US-1 to visit the Craft Axe Throwing Company located in Lexington, SC.  I have heard about axe throwing, and I’ve read about it. My son tells me he has done it, but I have never been in one of these places to see what it’s all about.  When I got there, this place didn’t open until later in the day, so I just continued another 60 miles southwest on I-20 to visit my first museum of the day.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

This took me across the border, not to a museum, but to Broad Street in downtown Augusta, GA where I stopped to take a photo of the Confederate Monument.  This impressive 76-foot-tall monument, also known as the Richmond County Confederate Monument, was erected in 1878, and is dedicated to all those Georgia Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Just a few blocks from the Confederate Monument, there in Augusta, I saw a mural on the side of a building that honors the musician, James Brown, and his contribution to the music world as the ‘Godfather of Soul’ music.  It appears that the mural by artist, Cole Phail, was the winner of a Greater Augusta Arts Council contest in 2020, and named his mural ‘The Spirit of Funk.‘

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed 35 southwest on US-1 looking for the ‘Old Quaker Road’ historical marker located in Wrens, GA.  I couldn’t find the marker, but the internet tells me this marker designates where that important road ran thru this area in around 1769.  As it turns out, this area is also where the ‘Famous Indian Trail’ connected Augusta with many of the Cherokee, Creeks, Choctaws, and Chickasaws Indian tribes in the mid to late 1700s.

Photo Credit: www.bing.com/old+quarker+road+historical+marker+wrens+ga

It was another 30 miles southwest on SR-88 to where I visited the Old Jail Museum located in Sandersville, GA.  This museum is housed in the old 1891 Victorian era sheriffs’ home and jail, and really doesn’t look like the ‘Old Jail’ I was expecting on the outside.  I was sure it had been given a major facelift at some point, but no, that is the way it was built.  Looks like the sheriff lived in style.  The museum is filled with historic jail artifacts as well as historic local county, and state memorabilia dating from the mid-1800s.  The old jail has a gallows yard at the back of the house. That’s not a pretty sight.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was just a few blocks from the Old Jail where I planned to visit the Sandersville Railroad Museum.  However, what I found was the privately owned Sandersville Railroad, which is a relatively short section of track used for freight between Deepstep and Tennile.  The Sandersville Railroad was formed in 1893 with only 3-miles of track.  The railroad continued to grow, over the years, until now it provides rail transport services to a variety of companies on its 37-mile rail system, which also has links with the Norfolk-Southern Railroad.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed west 30 miles on SR-24 to visit the Museum on Main located in Scottsboro, GA but it was closed.  So, I continued west another 35 miles on SR-57 to visit the Griswoldville Historic Battlefield located just outside Macon, GA.  This historic site is dedicated to the memory of the northern and southern soldiers who fought at the Battle of Griswoldville, when General Sherman made his famous ‘March to the Sea’ from Atlanta to Savanah in November of 1864.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip-Part 15B

9 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 15 Continued (5/30/2022)

After another trip down memory lane at the Morrison Motor Car Museum (I especially liked the DeLorean display), I headed southwest 25 miles on I-85 to check out the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  There were no races going on today (looks like I missed the Coca Cola 600 race there at the Charlotte Motor Speedway by just one day), but I got this cool photo of the track entrance.  I love watching NASCAR racing and just get a thrill seeing one of these famous racetracks.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was only a couple of miles from the Charlotte Motor Speedway to the Hendrick Motorsports Complex there in Charlotte, where I wanted to visit the Hendrick Motorsports Museum, Performance Shop, 40/5 Race Shop, 9/24 Race Shop, and Engine shop but they were all closed for the after-race holiday.  I was disappointed as Jeff Gordon (No.24) was one of my favorite NASCAR drivers.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I drove into downtown Charlette to visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame located in their new ‘Uptown’ facility.  This Hall of Fame (Shrine) is dedicated to the memory of NASCAR racing history and the drivers and race teams that made the sport possible.  The NASCAR Hall of Fame offers 50 interactive experiences including an ‘iRacing Simulator’ that tests your racing skills on your favorite NASCAR racetrack, NASCAR Cup winning race cars, and much more.

Photo Credit: nascar hall of fame north carolina – Bing images

Before leaving Charlotte, I headed over to the Jackson Homes area to visit the Carolina’s Aviation Museum located adjacent to the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport but they were closed.  I was surprised to find a museum of this size, situated right next to an international airport closed, but that’s what the guard at the entrance gate to the North Carolina Air National Guard Base told me.  So, I took a photo of their ‘Gate Guard’ and headed for my next museum.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed south 30 miles on I-77, across the border, to visit the Comporium Telephone Museum located in Rock Hill, SC.  This small museum displays artifacts and memorabilia that records the history of the telephone and other technologies for communications in the Rock Hill area dating from 1894.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving Rock Hill, I headed south 45 miles on I-77 to visit the South Carolina Railroad Museum located in Winnsboro, SC.  This museum has several pieces of restored antique rolling stock and other railroad related artifacts.  However, the museum is best known for its weekend hour-long train rides pulled by their restored 1927 Baldwin 4-6-0 steam locomotive #44 on a section of the Rockton, Rion & Western Railway.

Photo Credit: https://www.coladaily.com/sc-railroad-museum/

Next, I continued south another 30 miles on US-321 to visit the South Carolina Military Museum located in Columbia, SC.  This turned out to be another museum located on a military base that is closed to the public except by special pass.  It was after 5:00, and I couldn’t get a pass today anyway, so I headed downtown to the Elmwood Park area to check out the world’s largest ‘Fire Hydrant’ located in the ‘Busted Plug Plaza.’  Standing 40 feet tall, this piece of ‘Art’ weighs 675,000 pounds and may be the reason it is leaning (not sufficient foundation).  

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Just a few blocks from the Busted Plug Plaza, I stopped on Hampton Street to take a photo of the ‘Never Bust Chain’ that appears to link two large office buildings together across an alley.  Built in 2000 by artist Blue Sky (Warren E. Johnson), who is also the designer of the aforementioned World’s Largest Fire Hydrant.  The ‘Never Bust Chain’ is said to be intended to ‘Bring Together Industry & Art Culture’ while others in the city describe it as a whimsical artistic prank.  However, it should be noted that the ‘City Fathers’ must have had to approve its installation.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I was getting hungry by now and had looked up places to eat there in Columbia.  The one I selected was the “Lizard Thicket” restaurant located in the Elmwood Park district on Elmwood Avenue (US-21).  This restaurant specializes in regional Southern home-style cuisine (Soul Food) and I ordered their fried pork chops with collard greens, black eyed-peas, and creamed corn.  It was served with freshly baked cornbread muffins and strawberry jam.  What a delicious taste treat!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

With a full tummy (I had enough left over for dinner tomorrow) I took my brown bag and headed for the motel there in Columbia.  Greta (My Garmin) found the motel with no problem, and I got checked in.  I got my things moved into my room, recorded my activities for the day, and went to bed.  No need for TV tonight.  I was too tired.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip-Part 15A

1 Feb

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 15 (5/30/2022)

This morning after breakfast, I headed south out of Winston Salem 25 miles on I-285 to visit the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Museum located in Lexington, NC.  This museum has a great collection of NASCAR race cars and memorabilia about the lives, times, and drivers of the RCR team from its inception to the present day. Visitors can walk down thru the years of NASCAR racing with each RCR race car they pass.

Photo Credit: Richard Childress Racing Museum – Bing images

At some point after leaving the RCR Museum, I heard a clicking noise coming from the front of my van.  It turned out to be a screw in my left front tire.  I looked up ‘Tire Repair’ on the internet, but they were all closed for the holiday.  I drove slowly, trying not to dislodge the screw until I could find someone to repair it.  Luckily the screw stayed intact, so the tire didn’t go flat.  I finally found a WalMart Auto shop there in Lexington that was open, and got the tire repaired.  Whew!  I was afraid I would never find anyone open today.  Thank you Lord.

Photo Credit: walmart auto tire repair – Bing images

After being saved by the WalMart Auto Repair people from a major desaster, I headed southeast out of Lexington 30 miles on US-64 to visit American Classic Motorcycles Museum located in Asheboro, NC.  This museum has one of the country’s largest private collections of antique Harley-Davidson motorcycles dating from 1936 to 1978.  The collection is displayed in a two-story building along with a gift shop, a motorcycle repair shop, and the Heritage Diner.  Located at the intersection of I-75 & US-64, on the outskirts of Asheboro, this museum is a real All-in-One stop.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

While I was in Asheboro, I headed over to visit North Carolina Aviation Museum located adjacent to the Asheboro Regional Airport.  This museum has two large 20,000 sq. ft. hangers filled with around 15 restored civilian aircraft dating from the 1930s to the 1950s.  There are lots of other aviation related artifacts and memorabilia, along with lots of model airplanes, in the Aviation Hall of Fame and the Piedmont Airlines display areas.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Now I headed downtown to visit the Carolina Classic Cars Museum there in Asheboro.  This museum is a huge showroom filled with sports cars, exotic, and classic cars, as well as late model muscle cars and trucks that are on display by sellers for buyers to inspect. It is truly an auto buff’s eye candy store.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I headed southwest out of Asheboro 55 miles on SR-49 to visit the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame located in Kannapolis, NC.  As it turns out, the Music Hall of Fame shares the same building with the CURB Music & Motorsports Museum.  The N.C. Music Hall of Fame honors 75+ local North Carolina inductees and groups, from all music genres, over the years.  The CURB Music & Motorsports Museum is the private motorsports collection of racecar enthusiast, Mike Curb, who is also the founder of Curb Records.  The CURB collection includes NASCAR race cars, Indy cars and modified race cars dating from the 1940s and includes some 700+ wall displays and photos.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

As I was on my way to visit the Stewart-Hass Racing, there in Kannapolis, I passed the Research Campus of the University of North Carolina and stopped to take a photo of that impressive building.  I’m always surprised at the accommodations of some universities, compared with the old WWII wood-framed structures the university I attended used for some of their classrooms and workshops.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was only a few miles to where I visited Stewart-Hass Racing, where I discovered NASCAR Cup Series champion, Tony Stewart, and Gene Hass, founder of Hass Automation created this facility to design and manufacture unique parts and assemblies for their winning NASCAR Cup Series racing team cars.  The amazing capabilities of this facility blew my mind!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

The next 10 miles south on US-29 went fast and before I knew it Greta (My Garmin) notified me that I had arrived at the Mustang Owner’s Museum located in the Carpenter Industrial Park in Concord, NC.  This museum has on display some 25+ Ford Mustangs dating from the 1964 World’s Fair introduction model to the present.  The museum also has a Mustang Hall of Fame for annual inductees and hosts local Mustang events throughout the year.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

It was just a few miles to where I visited the Morrison Motor Car Museum also located there in Concord.  Jimmy Morrison and his brother created this museum, which displays over 50 beautifully restored antique cars, classic cars, street cars, muscle cars, and modified race cars and motorcycles, some dating from the 1920s to the present day.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip-Part 14B

25 Jan

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 14 (5/29/2022) 

Since I couldn’t find anyone to talk to at the Planet Chopper, I just continued southeast another 25 miles on US-52, across the border, to visit the Thunder Road Museum located on the west side of Mount Airy, NC but it was closed.  I was disappointed as I remembered the 1958 movie “Thunder Road” with Robert Mitchum, about the running  of bootleg moonshine in the Tennessee & Kentucky hills during the 1950s, and I was looking forward to seeing the museum’s car collection.  Bummer!  But, it was only a few miles east to where I visited the Andy Griffith Museum there in Mt. Airy.  This attraction includes the Andy Griffith Playhouse, as well as the Museum which displays a large collection of artifacts and memorabilia related to the life and times of Andy Griffith, who was born and raised in Mt. Airy. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Now I headed southeast 35 miles on US-52 to visit The Winston Cup Museum located in Winston-Salem, NC.  This museum displays a marvelous collection of NASCAR Winston Cup winning cars. Visitors can walk thru the history of NASCAR racing with the very cars that won those races dating from the inception of the Winston Cup Series of races.  What an impressive collection of racecars! 

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Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

After that exciting trip down memory lane, I drove over to the ‘Old Salem’ part of town to see and learn about some of the old Salem home and building restorations.   Wikipedia informs me Salem was originally settled by a Moravian community in 1766, and the area has now been restored into a living history museum that tells the story of how that small community lived and worked in the 16th and 17thcenturies. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

Before leaving the Old Salem area, I stopped to get a photo of Mickey’s World’s Largest Coffee Pot, which has become an Old Salem landmark.  

This 7-foot, 3-inch-tall coffee pot was originally designed and built in 1858 by two Moravian tinsmith brothers Julius & Samuel Mickey to advertise their coffee shop and has been an item of legend in the Old Salem area over the years. 

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

It wasn’t far from Old Salem to where I stopped to take a photo of the last Shell Oil clam-shell Service Station in America.  I had never seen one of these stations, but maybe that is because they only lived in North Carolina before I was born.  The story goes that local distributors, Joe Glenn and Bert Bennett built six of these clam-shell shaped stations in Winston-Salem during the early 1930s to help boost their businesses.  After the stations closed in the 1950s, the ones that remained standing were used for various types of small business shops until the 1980s when they all but this last one disappeared.  I believe this one is still standing only because it is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Photo Credit: /www.bing.com/images/search/oldshellstation/  

Now it was time to head for the motel there in Winston-Salem for the night.  On the way to the motel, I saw a Chick-fil-A and stopped to have an order of their Grilled Chicken Nuggets with Bar-B-Q sauce and a big cup of iced tea.  It was quick and delicious. 

   https://www.bing.com/chick+fil+a+grilled tenders  

Then it was on to find the motel, which Greta (My Garmin) did expertly.  I got checked in and got my things into the room, after which I took the time to record the day’s activities and fell asleep trying to watch TV.  ZZZZZZ. 

—–To be Continued—– 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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2022 Road Trip-Part 14A

18 Jan

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 14 (5/29/2022)

This morning after breakfast, I headed southeast out of Charleston, WV 60 miles on I-64 to visit The Veterans Museum located in Beckley, WV.  This is a small ‘All Wars’ Museum that displays military artifacts following the history of U.S. Military involvement in wars from the Revolutionary War to the present conflict in the middle east.  They also have a scale model of the Battleship West Virginia (BB-48) on display.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

From Beckley I headed south 40 miles on I-77 to visit the Mercer County War Museum located in Princeton, WV.  This museum is housed on three floors of the old renovated 1928 Princeton Municipal Building. The museum is another of ‘Those Who Served’ museums that displays local artifacts honoring southern West Virginia, Mercer County, and local Princeton members of all U.S. military services who served in wars dating from the Civil War to the present.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

While I was in Princeton, it wasn’t far to where I visited the Princeton Railroad Museum located in the old restored early 1900s Princeton Depot.  Known as the “Richest Little Railroad in the World,” the depot served as one of the stops on the Virginian Railway’s Hampton Roads to Deepwater route from 1909 to 1959.  This museum has two floors filled with local railroad artifacts related to the development of the railroad from the early 1900s.  The restored 1949 Virginian Railway caboose No. 308 is displayed outside the museum for visitors to go thru.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving Princeton, I headed south another 40 miles on I-77, across the border to visit the Great Lakes to Florida Highway Museum located in tiny Wytheville, VA.  This turned out to be a small museum situated in an old restored 1926 gas station.  This small one-room museum displays antique gas station artifacts and tells the story of the early highway (US-21) that was used to connect the states of Ohio and Florida during the early 1900s.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Before leaving Wytheville, I drove downtown to check out Edith Bolling Wilson birthplace.  This museum is situated on the second floor of the old restored 1860s Wilson home and is filled with antique artifacts of the life of Edith, from her birth in 1872 to her death in 1961.  As I’m not an American History scholar, I had no idea what an influential person Mrs. Wilson was in her later years.  It turns out she not only was First Lady to Woodrow Wilson, our 24th President, but it is said that she was also a descendant of Pocahontas, and was somehow related to Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert E. Lee.  What a lady!

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Leaving Wytheville, it was less than 10 miles east on I-81 to where I planned to visit the Mansion at Fort Criswell, VA but the address Greta (My Garmin) took me to was nothing but a sign pointing which way to go on a rutted wagon trail that was closed off with a barbed wire fence.  Their website describes the place as an elegant mansion filled with mid-1800s furnishings, but that trail didn’t work for me.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

So, I picked up I-77 and headed south 20 miles to check out the Planet Chopper (?) located at the intersection of Woodlawn Road and Coulson Church Road in Woodlawn, VA.  I pictured a motorcycle museum or shop, but what I found was a three-story travelers bunkhouse, store, and motorcycle repair shop, all closed with no one in sight.  It appears to be a motorcycle B&B and support organization to help riders enjoy touring the surrounding area on their bikes or on rentals.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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