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Historical Museum Travel

Lincoln Exhibition

Lincoln D.C. Exhibit
In this year of celebrating Lincoln’s 200th birthday EVERYONE seems to be having a party. Our Library of Congress which sits behind the Capitol Building was no exception.

OK, it’s official … I’m on a Lincoln kick! Thru a highly improbable series of web clicks I ended up on YouTube watching a video about a Lincoln exhibit at the Library of Congress that was ending in two days.

I got right on it!

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Cave Look Back Travel

A Look Back: Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns
One trick to an amazing cave tour is the lighting. Carlsbad did the best job of all the caves I’ve toured. The place is astounding to walk through and shoot. I’ll definitely be revisiting Carlsbad in the future!

Cave visits seem to be a recent theme so I thought I’d surface one of the very best. Located in New Mexico, this National Monument is vast, vast, vast and chalk full of formations. Better still for a photographer, you can enter with a tripod and go at your own pace. This luxury affords a great opportunity to capture wonderful images.

To see some shots from Carlsbad Caverns click here.

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Bridge Cave Family Historical Museum River Road Technology Travel

Mammoth Cave Loop

New River Bridge
The to and the from of any road trip can be every bit as rewarding as the primary destinations. That was certainly true of this trip through West Virginia and Kentucky!

I won’t mince words. I love my daughters. My older daughter Courtney is a student at the University of Virginia which could be along the way of this road trip if I wanted it to be so I stopped both ways and each time Courtney graced me with some attention. She can make a father’s heart soar!

 

At UVA with CourtneyOn my way west, as I entered West Virginia I drove by a National Park Service sign. These always catch my attention because they’re without exception wonderful places to visit. “Cool” I thought “I need a little break from driving so I’ll check it out.” I’d never heard of the mis-named New River but it’s one of the oldest rivers on the continent with the deepest gorges in the east. The bridge pictured above spans the New River gorge and is the longest arch bridge in the world. How great! Seeing it wasn’t even on my list!

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Cave Travel

Tourist Spelunking

Mammoth Loop
Before I left on this trip I was asked if perhaps I should delay due to bad weather. My reply? “Weather isn’t much of an issue in a cave!” This proved to be true and the weather was terrible.

After my earlier adventures caving, I decided I wanted more. Mammoth Cave is world-famous and only in nearby Kentucky so I set my sights on the National Park as my primary destination. However, the entire region is limestone and much is covered by sandstone so it’s ripe territory for caves.

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Historical Museum Road Travel

Lincoln’s 200th Birthday

Shaking Lincoln's Hand
200 years after his birth this great American still took the time to shake my hand. What a guy!

My interest in President Lincoln started by accident.

Kelsey and I were driving down historic Route 66 in Illinois when Beth for the 20th time suggested we stop in Springfield and visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “Why in the world would we want to do that?” we wondered but assuming it was good advice we sought it out. Wow! What a fantastic show! It did the job of educating me a bit on Lincoln but more importantly it kindled a desire to learn more about the man.

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Historical Museum Travel

National Museum of the Marine Corp

Marine Corp Museum
As I analyzed this building I saw allusions to one of the Marine’s great moments in WWII, the marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima. Do you see it too?

This blog post of the National Museum of the Marine Corps has nothing to do with the traditions of the Marine Corp or its history as portrayed at the museum. This visit was simply an exercise in shooting shapes and playing with depth of field. With that in mind …

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Historical Museum Travel

Glen Echo Park

Glen Echo Park
For eighty years this was Washington’s premier amusement park till racial strains from the late 1960s caused it to fail. Now, 40 years later it’s refurbished, it’s painted, and it’s ready for action coms spring!

There’s not a lot of action here in the dead of winter at this come-back-from-the-brink amusement park. Founded in 1891, this facility changed many times and in many ways. Now it’s owned by the National Park Service and operated by Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture. This national park now hosts art, history, and environmental programs thru the year … when it’s not too cold. Even in mid-January you can see its charm below.

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Historical Museum Road Train Travel

Baltimore Museums

B&O Railroad in Baltimore
Looks like a horse drawn coach but it’s a very early passenger car from the dawn of steam locomotion. Fascinating to see a legacy of the old be used in the new transport ... a distinct character of transition.

Today’s winter weather promised to be unseasonably sunny and 60 degrees so at 7:30AM I headed out the door for Baltimore. Only an hour away, I’ve given Baltimore almost no attention over the years but after consulting AAA.com I found an abundance of interesting sites to visit. Today I hit Fort McHenry, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, and the B&O Railroad Museum.

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Animal Historical Museum Road Travel

Delmarva Loop

Misty of Chincoteague
Everyone to whom I wrote to about my visiting Chincoteague asked about Misty. Well here she is on Assateague Island where she lives till The Spring Swim during which the herds are chased from one island to the other.

A busy, busy couple of days! Intended as a pleasant two-day drive to acquaint myself with the Delmarva peninsula (Delmarva = Delaware, Maryland,Virginia) it turned into a very substantive trip. The original plan was to head to Jamestown, drive north to Chincoteague, and return home via Baltimore. Simple, right? No. As is so often the case, the closer you look, the more there is to do. 

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Family Road Travel

Staunton Inaugruration

UVA at Obama Inauguration
Ostensibly I was simply transportation for Kelsey to go visit Courtney but it turned in to so much more including the opportunity to view President Obama’s inauguration in the UVA Arena with thousands!

Recently the short trip theme has seen lots of activity. Two hours from home is Charlottesville and only 45 minutes further puts you in Staunton, VA. “So what?” you may ask, “What’s there?” To which I say “A surprising lot!”

Here you have it:  I visited Woodrow Wilson Museum and Birthplace, the P. Buckley Moss MuseumMary Baldwin College, the Lunatic Asylum, historic downtown Staunton, the Frontier Culture Museum, and Sunspots Studios. I’ll tell you, I was not hurting for things to do!

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