Tim and Sara are the Best !

Today was my chance to relax for a while and put down some roots.  My friends Tim and Sara had not been able to use their timeshare this year and it was due to expire at the end of March.  As we were booking last minute the points required for a week's stay were very minimal and we managed to get me a week starting today and then 2 other units for the following week, one for me and one for Sara and her parents, poor Tim being left behind to run their business.

I had heard that timeshares were quite nice but I hadn't expected it to be quite this nice !

I checked in, resisted the invitation to attend a presentation about timeshares and decided to take advantage of a beautiful day and grab a quick 9 holes on one of the two courses that they have here.  Now those who have played with me know that I am a casual golfer in every sense of the word.  Double bogey is my par and I play anything from two to ten times a year.  But I enjoy myself and that is what it is all about.

It was a lovely course and I was one of very few people on it.  It had lots of running water as well as ponds and even a lake or two.  All very beautiful to the casual observer - and terrifying to the amateur golfer.

I am pleased to report that I did not lose a single ball through the first 8 holes.

If you look closely you will see my ball in front of the red stake and in the distance a small yellow flag which would be where said ball is expected to end up after a few swear-words have been uttered in the time-honoured golfing fashion.

But if you look between the two, you will see a pair of ducks who looked at me and turned away, clearly impressed by my Ping clubs and my air of confidence and with no realization of how easily I could hit the ball 10 feet and endanger them.  Happily, I did not.

Now here I am on the 9th hole, my final one for the day.  It's a par 3.

See that bit of nice flat green grass just over the water.  That's where the green should be for a par 3.

But, noooooooo, that's not where they put it.  See the other bit of flat green grass over TWO bodies of water and at the top of a hill that requires a moderate amount of climbing gear to scale.  That's where they put it.

Clearly the Americans still hate us after the War of 1812.

Caverns and Drag Queens

Today I headed deeper into Virginia expecting more Civil War but actually found myself in deep caverns which was a pleasant change !

The Skyline Caverns were discovered in 1937 and opened to the public in 1939.  Dr Walter S Amos (have you noticed how often Americans use their middle initial in their day-to-day names ?) was specifically looking for a set of caverns that could be used as a tourist attraction and discovered what are quite an impressive set of caves.

Entry is by way of a guided tour and they are very clear that no-one is to touch the rock as the oils from our hands can cause damage.  Halfway through the tour there was a very large stalactite that had broken off and fallen and was the only piece of rock that it was permitted to touch and indeed it was easy to see the different texture of it after having been handled for 70-odd years.

They had done quite a good job of lighting the rock with some areas illuminated with multi-coloured lights and others just by white.

It was amazing to think of much of this being packed with mud that had be dug out by Dr Amos and his work crew; a back-breaking task no doubt.

At one time during Dr Amos' dig he thrust his shovel into a wall of mud and was unable to pull it out.  Eventually with great force he managed to work it free only to hear a sound he later described as a shotgun blast, his hat sucked through the hole and a great wind.  He had just penetrated a naturally created vacuum, quite rare on earth, we were told.

Once inside the cavern that had previously held the vacuum, Dr Amos located his hat as well as a distinctive rock growth never seen before which he was therefore able to name.  The picture to the left shows this growth of Anthodites which resemble a fern of sorts but are actual growing rock.  Well they were until the vacuum was broken and it is believed that they are growing no longer.

Should one wish, a marriage can be arranged in the cavern to the left and several have been held here although, deep as it is, one would want to make sure the guest list was fairly fit as there were no escalators or elevators to the surface !





Following my ascent from the caverns I continued my trip to Harrisonburg and, after checking into my accommodation, checked to see if there was anything happening in the town that night.  Online I discovered that the local Playhouse was putting on a production of Steel Magnolias and, with tickets just $12, I thought it might be a pleasant way to spend the evening.

I bought ticket and called for a cab, thinking that I might have a few drinks after the show in the town.  Chatting with the driver, I mentioned that I was visiting civil war sites. He said that Virginians were very proud of their civil war forebears and went on to say that there were two main things to remember: first that slavery should never have happened but, secondly, that the north handled it all wrong and a war could have been avoided. The war may have been 150 years ago but it is clear that it is not a forgotten topic here in Virginia where 60% of the battles were fought, some areas being systematically destroyed in scorched-earth action FIVE times as the armies passed back and forth. 

The cab driver dropped me off and I collected my ticket but had an hour to kill so looked for a place to grab a bite to eat. I wandered through the theatre and found this wonderful old show shine station which looked as if it was still in use although I didn't get a chance to return to verify that.  I wonder how many people in this day and age of sneakers who wear shoes that require a shine.

I walked next door and there was a bar that appeared to need a cover charge. I mentioned to the chap selling tickets that I was just looking for some food thinking it was going to turn into a nightclub later on. He let me in and I walked into a place half full, with sparkly curtains on a tiny stage and a couple of completely done out drag queens complete with wigs, make up, heels and dresses. Thinking I'd wandered into a gay bar but one that served food and me being hungry, I ordered some food and a beer. As I ate, the venue started to fill up and so, intrigued by what was going to happen, I googled the group. The show was only on for tonight and had rave reviews so, as Steel Magnolias was playing for 2 more nights, and as I was supposed to be experiencing everything on this trip, I decided to stay. Tickets were just three dollars and I settled down to see what the show would bring. 

I had originally asked for a light beer at the bar, not recognizing any of the pumps, but this time I asked what it was I was drinking as it was different to anything I'd had before, although very good.  I was told it was a pear beer...yes pear, I had to double check too !  Devil's Backbone Pear Lager to be exact. If you find yourself in a bar with it on tap, I recommend the experience.

I can't, however, recommend the drag show that I saw.  While the outfits were magnificent and the singers larger than me, especially with their 6 inch heels I was disappointed to find that there wasn't going to be any actual singing taking place and all the show involved was some rather bad miming and each performer just walking around through the audience as people waved dollar bills at them.

I suspect even the most amateur performance of Steel Magnolias would have been a better option.

The men's washroom was also an interesting experience as it was one room, with no door lock, 2 urinals and a toilet.  I certainly don't mind sharing a washroom with other men using the urinals but I think I would draw the line at having someone sitting on a toilet behind me !

US Army Heritage and Education Centre

Today was going to be a travel day with little in the way of planned visits but I suspected that something would pop up of interest, and I was correct.

I was heading down Interstate 81 when suddenly I saw a field of military vehicles and bunkers to my right.  It was clear that this was a museum of sorts as opposed to an active military base due to the fact that the vehicles were not current issue.  I took the next exit and worked my way back to the area and discovered that I was at the US Army Heritage and Education Centre which is adjacent to the United States Army War College where hand-picked Lieutenant-Colonels and Colonels go to develop Strategic Leadership.

The Heritage and Education Centre was geared, I felt, more towards the younger crowd with the ability to lift up soldier's kit, to see how much different rifles weigh and even a mock rifle range, although clearly the rifles sights were off as I managed to hit the grand total of zero targets !

I was far more interested in the vehicles outside which are laid out in a walking trail of slightly over a mile and cover all the periods of conflict.  I shall let them speak for themselves:

National Civil War Museum

Today's major stop was at the very impressive National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

It is a very imposing building constructed on the top of a hill overlooking the city.  I was surprised to discover that it is a private museum but it is affiliated with the Smithsonian which allows it access to exhibits from that institution.

The first thing seen upon approaching the building is a statue of Sergeant Richard R. Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Infantry who, at the Battle of Fredericksburg Virginia, left the Confederate lines laden down with canteens to attend to the wounded of the Union Forces lying in no-man's land.

Wars often carry with them tales of heroism and compassion such as this.  His actions resulted in a ceasefire as he tended to the wounded and dying before, a few hours later, the two sides continued trying to kill one another.  Of course, the most famous example of an impromptu ceasefire is during World War 1, the so called Great War, when German and British soldiers met in no-man's land between the trenches and played soccer and exchanged items as gifts to those who they would soon be trying to kill.  Madness.


The Museum runs chronologically from the beginnings of the Civil War until General Lee's surrender  at Appomattox Virginia in 1865 and favours neither side in its exhibits, often having one side of a room dedicated to the Confederate Army and the other to the Union Army.  It makes excellent comparisons to the two sides with breakdowns of infantry, cavalry, artillery and naval forces.  It also makes excellent use of technology as each gallery has a set of screens that show various characters as they explain what is happening to them throughout the course of the war: a southern plantation owner's wife, a slave, a man whose brothers have split fighting for opposing sides, a southern woman married to a northern man, a Washington DC reporter.  They do an excellent job of bringing the issues of the day to life.

The only thing that I felt lacking was a sense of where different events were taking place.  Perhaps all Americans know these things but I certainly did not and it would have been useful to have a series of maps as one progressed through the galleries anchoring the events and giving an overall picture of the progress of the War.

Having left the museum and heading to my accommodation I came across the most unique house that I had seen, built as the entrance-way to a cemetery  Perhaps for the groundskeeper ?

People in Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Stones

((apologies for the photo organization.  I'm yet to fully figure out the blogging program that I am using))

Today was a day when I thought I'd make sure that I did something that wasn't military related.  As I mentioned the US is very proud of its military history and current military and so evidence of military memorials and displays is much easier to stumble across that in other countries in which I have travelled but one must remember that there is much more to America than just the military !

So today I set my GPS to Corning, NY and the Corning Glass Museum. which was founded by the Corning Glass Company in 1951 and houses some 45,000 glass objects some of which are over 3,500 years old.

It's a fascinating place with wonderful static displays and a regular schedule of demonstrations.  I managed to catch a glass-blowing demonstration and one on hot glass-work.  The Museum sends its artists around the world on cruise ships to demonstrate their skill, each person spending about 3 months away on board ship and they make what is a difficult skill look remarkably easy.

I have to confess that I have never really given any great thought to how a milk bottle (when such things existed) was made, especially in such great quantities as must be required.  The displays were very well thought out, flowed nicely through the museum and were well explained.  The staff were friendly and helpful and it made for a very pleasant couple of hours.

The Museum also holds a number of workshops where visitors can try their hand at making a stained glass window, a pendant, a sandblasted tumbler and other such objects.  Rather than a simple 30 minute class with a bunch of kids I was more interested in their weekend Introduction to Glassblowing courses but they were all booked up right up until the time I would be in Ecuador.

It really was a very well put together museum with lots of factual information regarding glass for the adults and lots of activities for the kids as well.

Then it was time to hit the road again and continue with my meandering in a generally southern direction.  It wasn't long before I came across another military sign although this one was rather mournful I thought.

It was simple and to the point but bears no reference to what must have happened on that day in 1779 when General Sullivan led an expedition to punish those Iroquois tribes who had supported the British during the ongoing War of Independence.  This 'scorched earth' campaign destroyed settlements, burnt crops and effectively destroyed the strength of the Iroquois Confederacy.  The British also turned their back on their Iroquois allies by refusing to send reinforcements to oppose Sullivan until far too late.  Ironically, Sullivan's actions caused other tribes to join the British for fear of attack by the Americans.

It seemed to me rather sad that, in a land where military memorials are so prevalent, that an action such as this should garner only a roadside sign with no real reference to a people that were effectively driven out of the area.  Such is the way for the defeated, perhaps.