Travel Log: A Day in the District

(Jan. 17, 2018) I officially picked up Maryland on the 11th for my State Collection, and got Washington, D.C., on the 12th. If you check the state map, you’ll see I’ve also picked up Virginia (Jan. 13) and Delaware (Jan. 17). I know D.C. isn’t a state, but the federal city is our capital, and … Continue reading Travel Log: A Day in the District

Travel Log: John Brown Marches On

(Jan. 10, 2018) John Brown cast a long, long shadow across the United States in 1859, a shadow so long he is (in my opinion) rightly considered one of the final causes of the Civil War. I did my master’s thesis on him while I was still active duty, focusing on how, despite his spectacular … Continue reading Travel Log: John Brown Marches On

Travel Log: A Bridge to the Past

(Jan. 8, 2018) I’m sitting in Charles Town, West Virginia, tonight. Tomorrow (weather permitting) I’ll tour Harpers Ferry. I did my master’s thesis on John Brown and how he became such an avatar of terror for the Antebellum South that his 1859 raid is (rightly, I think) regarded as one of the specific events that … Continue reading Travel Log: A Bridge to the Past

Travel Log: A Bear in His Natural Habitat—a Studebaker

(Jan. 6, 2018) I’m currently sitting in a Motel 6 with no working WiFi outside Charleston, West Virginia. This is just a stop for the night before I finish getting up to Harrison County tomorrow. However, my teddy bear encouraged me to catch up a bit more on back-posts, and I always listen to him. … Continue reading Travel Log: A Bear in His Natural Habitat—a Studebaker

Travel Log: Serpent Mound

(Jan. 3, 2018) Began the next part of my Great Walkabout today. The Upper Midwest leg is officially over and, next up, is the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast leg. But, as I’m not done with Ohio, the Midwest is still technically on the chart, but work with me here, people! One cannot explore without taking some detours and … Continue reading Travel Log: Serpent Mound

Travel Log: Lincoln Grows Up

(Jan. 3, 2018) Happy new year! Ok, now that that’s over… Still catching up, so let’s go back to a wild two days in Indiana last year (technically true, even though it was literally last month). Specifically, my visit to Lincoln’s boyhood home in Indiana on Dec. 16, 2017. In 1816 Thomas Lincoln moved his … Continue reading Travel Log: Lincoln Grows Up

Travel Log: Kentucky Odds and Ends

(Dec. 31, 2017) It’s a snowy New Years Eve. We got more snow here where my brother’s family lives in Huber Heights, Ohio, today. Not much, but it was a lovely dusting this morning that added at least half an inch over the landscape. A white Christmas and a white New Years. Temperatures over much … Continue reading Travel Log: Kentucky Odds and Ends

Travel Log: Poetic Controversies

(Dec. 15, 2017) Outside my window it’s a cloudy morning over Ft. Knox, Kentucky. For three years (2007 – 2010) I was an instructor at the Defense Information School on Fort Meade, Maryland. My former students are all over the map now, and many have built highly successful careers for themselves, some in the ranks, … Continue reading Travel Log: Poetic Controversies

Travel Log: A Proud Lion’s Road to Corvettes

(Dec. 10, 2017) Ok, I’m still in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Today, at the National Corvette Museum, shipmates and their ship were reunited far inland from the great waters where they roamed. One of the personal missions I’ve taken on is symbolically letting my old ship, USS Ponce (LPD 15), see the country she spent 46 … Continue reading Travel Log: A Proud Lion’s Road to Corvettes

Travel Log: Ok, All Aboard!

(Dec. 8, 2017) I am currently still in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I just published my blog about Lincoln’s birthplace. Now, let’s turn to something less profound and more fun: the Kentucky Railway Museum! Located in quiet New Haven, Kentucky, the Kentucky Railway Museum is the official state museum telling the story of the rails in … Continue reading Travel Log: Ok, All Aboard!