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: 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: I’m Dreaming of a White…Wait a Minute…

(Dec. 29, 2017) Snow…icicles...cold weather...a winter wonderland! Ah, I’m dreaming of a white...wait, what? Oops...wrong holiday! I’m sitting in my brother’s house in Huber Heights, Ohio. The skies are gray, a soft snow is falling right now, dusting the land with a gentle white blanket. It’s the perfect, picture-post card type of snow you think … Continue reading Travel Log: I’m Dreaming of a White…Wait a Minute…

Travel Log: I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas

(Dec. 25, 2017) It’s been 10 days since I last posted. I apologize for the delay! The last ten days have been a whirlwind. You’ll notice on the State Map below I’ve notched up two more states: Indiana and Michigan, before returning to my brother’s in Ohio for Christmas. So, as I close out 2017 … Continue reading Travel Log: I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas

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: Back to Where it all Began

(Dec. 8, 2017) I am currently in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Tomorrow I’ll be hitting more railway history (visited the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven earlier today, I’ll talk about that later) and Sunday visit the National Corvette Museum with an old shipmate from USS Ponce (LPD 15). Yesterday...ah, yesterday was special! Yesterday I spent … Continue reading Travel Log: Back to Where it all Began

Travel Log: Balancing Bicycles and Biplanes

(Dec. 7, 2017) I visited Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, for the first time in 2002. I read my first full biography of the Wrights while stationed on Guam as the 2003 centennial of flight was observed. I already knew they had developed their gliders and the 1903 Flyer in Dayton and used Kitty Hawk as … Continue reading Travel Log: Balancing Bicycles and Biplanes

Travel Log: National Museum of the United States Air Force

(Dec. 6, 2017) I suffered a severe airplane coma three days ago. My brother and oldest nephew nearly had to perform mental resuscitation on me after my brain all but shut down from the incredibly amazing sensory overload that is the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The “Air Force Museum” (as it … Continue reading Travel Log: National Museum of the United States Air Force