Winter Escape! Day #2 Land of Palm Trees!

After a better than average night's sleep, I woke up this morning in Asheville, North Carolina to an outside temperature of 28 degrees.  Brrrrrrr! Winter coat weather!  Asheville is surrounded by mountains.  The tall pine trees remind me of Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada.  I find a half-full soft drink can left in the car is totally frozen.  Note to self: don't leave liquid in the car!  What if something had frozen and burst?  What a mess!

Mountains, from Asheville, N.C. (1/31/14)

The sun felt warm and there was no wind.  I was daring and took off my coat to pump gas and do some shopping.  Can't believe I'm actually getting used to winter!  At last I found I-26 (Interstate #26): 138 miles to the next turn, my trusty GPS informed me.  I enjoyed all the unusual names on the road signs: "Bat Cave," North Carolina.

Oh, there was a dreaded "deer" sign!  One year ago, at 6:30 on a Sunday morning, I was on my way to the hospital to work.  It was pitch black dark and I was on one of the few country roads in the city of Lexington.  A deer jumped out of the bushes and hit the front side of my car!  I was lucky to be going slow.  The car sustained over $5,500 damage. (I didn't think it was worth that much to repair but the insurance company thought otherwise.)

South Carolina at last!  Be sure to stop at all the Welcome Centers when you first drive in to a new state.  They are very helpful suggesting attractions in your destination city, will make motel reservations for you, and besides, you get a free, up-to-date map of the state.

Welcome to South Carolina!  Note the snow lingering. . . (1/31/14)

The mountains in South Carolina really scale down to big hills.  The photo above shows the mountains northwest of South Carolina, in North Carolina.  At 11:25 a.m., the outside temp was 46 lovely degrees!  I've seen a few - not as many as usual - parts of recycled tires strewn about the highway and sides of the roads so far on this trip.

When daughter #5, Mary, had her orientation to Boston University in the summer of 1990, daughter #2, Carole, and I drove nonstop from Kentucky to Boston, Massachusetts.  In the distance on a highway, I saw a big dark blob on the side of the road.  I commented, "Oh, look, a dead deer!"  When we got closer, it was just a big tire part!  Now, if I'm in the car with either of them and we see tire parts in the road, I know I'll get teased again: "Look, mom, a dead deer!"  Groan!

Passed "North Tyger River," South Carolina. . . strong skunk smell!  I hadn't smelled a skunk in the road for years.  Daughter #8, Jeannie, and I commuted from Danville, Kentucky to Lexington, Kentucky, for several years - 99% country roads.  Jeannie always brought brought perfume with her to spray about the car in case of a skunk.  Somedays, it would just be a 'one skunk trip.'  Other days, it would be a 'two skunk trip.'

At 12:10 p.m., I passed "Little Mountain", South Carolina. I was getting hungry and found a McDonalds restaurant just outside Columbia.  Then it was 48 degrees!  And I saw my first palm trees!

Stately Palm Trees grace a McDonalds Drive-Through (1/31/14)

I found it hard to see that snow was still in the shady forests beside the highways, with even 55 degrees weather. "Old Sandy Run," South Carolina: I'm all for the beachy sand!  At the next Rest Area I actually took off my outer sweatshirt!  Spanish Moss - everywhere - a sure sign of the South!

At 1:46 p.m., I was on I-95 south, heading toward Savannah, Georgia.  It seems that beyond I-95, the land is very flat with green grass, scattered swamp land and NO MORE SNOW!!  I passed "Tullifinny River."  At 2:45, I'm a mile from leaving I-95.  The sign said, "Coosawhatchie."  Who named that!

Off I-95 is a two-lane road.  It is 59 degrees.  I put the A/C on! When passing "Spanish Moss Road," the sign said, "31 miles: Hilton Head Island! - my destination today!  The first major high bridge crosses over to Pickney Island, over the Atlantic Intercostal Waterway.  The last and tallest bridge goes to Hilton Head.  There seems to be water everywhere here!  I love the marinas, all the boats!  At last I reach my friend, Peggy's, condo, where I will spend the next two weeks. Tomorrow we'll make a few plans and, of course, take a very, very long walk along the beach!

The Island of Hilton Head is perfectly groomed in every place.  More tomorrow! (1/31/14)

Winter Escape! Day #1:South, Thru the Mountains!

Today I'm heading South!  The day in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, started out with a temperature of 14 degrees, COLD and WINDY!  (My apologies to you sturdy Yankees who don't mind the freeze.  Last week when I was moaning about the weather, I talked with someone in Minnesota who said the temperature there was minus 25 degrees!)  By the time I was almost to the Kentucky-Tennessee border on I-75 south, it had reached 37 degrees!  When I made a quick stop at the Tennessee Welcome Center, it was positively like Spring - 39 degrees!  It doesn't take much to make me happy!

Frankly, I'm sorely tired of winter!  The dead trees are so drab and boring.  Snow was nice the first time but now it is patchy, old snow, backed up against every curb, nook and outdoor cranny as grey ice.  I keep my house cold (68 degrees) but sometimes it seems impossible to pull on enough blankets to get warm.  Good old gas logs in the fireplace!:  I've been running it much too much just to thaw out!

As I was prepared to tolerate but not enjoy the trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains, I am very pleasantly surprised.  There's quite a lot to like, even if there's no flower show or leaf show.  How I love my rolling hills in Kentucky! The more South you progress on I-75, the hills rise and turn into mountains.  It was exciting to see, once more, the mountain peaks emerging behind mountain peaks.  All of these mountains are tree-covered, except for a few bare cuts made for power and telephone lines.  That makes a hill look like a poodle on which someone made a random mistake with clippers!

Since most of our Kentucky interstate highways are relatively new, big cuts into the rocks had to be made.  And the water streaming from those rocks is now frozen white waterfalls.  The more I saw of these tall and long ice sculptures, the more I thought they resembled the big organ pipes at church!  I drove along and tried to think of a proper song for the outdoor organ pipes.  "Faith of Our Fathers" popped into my thoughts.

The roads are chalky white with the tons of ice the highway departments have had to apply to keep away the snow and ice.  The roads look like they've been all white-washed. There are always plenty of new signs and buildings even though I've passed this way many, many times over the years.  Shortly after the Tennessee border on I-75 is the big Titan rocket at the fireworks store on the right side of the road.  A few miles further, on the left, is the giant green dragon.  It's fun to see some of the landmarks I've seen for years.

The first time my family went south to visit my Daddy's family, I must have been about ten years old.  We traveled along a long, two-lane road.  There were many country shops with hanging quilts hanging on clotheslines.  And they all had signs, "Antiques."  I asked my mom, "Mommy, what are anti-quays?  She laughed and told me how to pronounce the word and what they were, "just old junk."

In Kentucky, the lakes I passed had ice around the shore and a few patches of ice but I passed over a very large lake in Tennessee today that was iced over. Ice, ice!  Give it to the Yankees - they love it!

Driving through these mountains brings back a lot more memories.  Before my daughter #8, Jeannie's last Spring Break at the University of Kentucky, she mentioned, "Mom, you know this will be the last time we get to take a vacation together.  Why don't we go somewhere during Spring Break?" I asked where would be a good place for us to go.  Jeannie had a ready answer, "Why don't we go to Charleston, South Carolina?"  And we did!  What a lovely time we had!  Spring in South Carolina was in full swing.  We enjoyed every warm minute! A week later in Kentucky, we had our second spring as the trees were just starting to bloom.  (Then a week after that I went to Boston, Massachusetts, and actually had my third Spring that year - but that's a story to be told at a later date!)

Another year, we were driving through the Carolinas again, in July.  The highway had hundreds of wild mimosa trees blooming with their pink puffs. One fall, as I was driving north into Kentucky on I-75, the sun was low in the sky and made the red and gold fall leaves look like pools of velvet.  It was enchanting.

Right now I'm in a motel room near Asheville, North Carolina.  It is perfectly quiet.  All I hear is the soft hum from the heating unit.  I'm tired enough to have a really great night's sleep - after reading for a while.  Tomorrow I'm heading for the BEACH!!  I suffer from "Periodic Beach Withdrawal," you know.  The only treatment is a few days on the beach of a genuine ocean.  I can almost hear the pounding surf!  I'll let you know tomorrow where this beach will be!

"P" Help #9: Maps & GPS

To explain what "P" Help means, if you're a new reader of my travel blog, or to refresh your memory, if you're a previous reader: I'm a retired nurse.  The 5 "P's" were drilled into our heads in nursing school and refreshed periodically in our jobs: "Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance." With these helps, I'm giving you what I know about the different aspects of traveling.  I've ventured many places through the years of my lovely, long life, in or on about every mode of transport except by submarine or spaceship, and, if given the chance, I would go there also!

My GPS is invaluable!!  I will admit to 'get lost' genes.  No matter how hard I try to follow a map or verbal directions to a place - I usually manage to get lost!  Two of my brothers have the same problem and one seemed to be normal.

When buying my first GPS, I was cheap and bought one that could not be updated by computer.  Within several years, it was woefully out-of-date; there were too many places that I couldn't find.  I'm giving this one to a friend so she can try it out on the major roads to see if she'd like to invest in a new one herself.  I taught another friend on it and gave her the part that suctions to your windshield when she needed one.

Now I have a terrific Garmin Nuvi 50, which I just updated via computer this morning.  (I don't get paid by them, it's the only brand of GPS I know, just wanted you to know how pleased I have been with it.)  This is the second time I've updated it.  I'm getting ready for a BIG trip by road soon, taking a month to travel 2,000 miles through southeastern United States.

My daughters have their GPSs through their I-phones. They're great but use up a lot of their power.  I like mine better.

Wonderful as it is, I supplement the GPS with paper maps.  Every time I reach a state's "Welcome Center" for the first time that year, I pick up a free new roadmap of the state.  If I know I'll be staying in a motel, I'll get them to call one in the city I need; beats paying for it on my cell phone or showing up and hope they have room.

For a REALLY BIG road trip, I'll go to AAA and get their maps and guidebooks (the best!) and get them to plan a trip and to print out a very detailed 'triptik.'  Since I have all the states' maps from last year, I won't go to AAA this year (at least for this particular trip).

Also, I print out a 'www.mapquest.com' trip outline.  I find these really helpful, particularly for an overview of the trip.  What I'll do is study this map, write down the major interstate roads, in order, for example,
I-75N  > I-64E > whatever.  Then it will be easier for me to look for this on the GPS and on road signs.  There are so few stoplights on the interstate roads, thankfully, you need to be sharp so you don't have to change lanes in a hurry or backtrack.

It's a whole lot more wonderful if you have along a 'co-pilot,' a family member or friend who can take care of the maps.  But you can go it alone without problems.

My other eight "P" Helps begin with the first on Wednesday, July 31, 2013, "The Five Ps: "P #1": Before you leave, learn about the new place."  See the lists along the right side of this blog for further P Helps.

Dinkelsbuhl!

All I had to see was one word - Bavaria - in the first paragraph of "Dinkelsbuhl, Romantic Vision From the Past," in the December, 1931, issue of National Geographic Magazine (no author listed), and I MUST read on!  My Grandmother Marie claimed that area of Germany was where "our people" came from.  So, I need to know more.

Aha!  Dinkelsbuhl (pronounced dinkles-bool) was, at least in 1931, a small walled, out-of-the-way, medieval, "living, fairy-tale town - a vision from the long-gone Middle Ages. . . Everything is incredibly old but extremely well preserved" (p. 689).  The town was settled more than  1,000 years ago.

There was an annual play put on by children re-enacting the surrender of the town to the Swedes in 1632.  The Swedes were about to take over and plunder the town when they heard that the Swedish leader's little son had just died.  An child offered to go to the leader and offer gifts.  Not knowing anything else that might work, they agreed.  The Swedish leader was so touched that he still took over the town but commanded his troops to not kill or plunder.

The Church of St. George, built in the 15th century, dominates the Market Square.  It is "perhaps the finest late Gothic church in southern Germany" (p 692).

Have you ever heard of this: "the three upper stories of the steeped-roof building. . . were used to facilitate the storage of grain. . . for use in times of siege"? (photo caption, p. 693).  What a well-fortified village!  And how many times must they have had to prepare for siege in 1,000 years!

In this short article, there are several color photos of the town in all its glory in 1931.  I googled the town, found it still performs the annual play in mid-July.  I'm hooked!  I'm in love!  I will go to Dinkelsbuhl some day!!

Sailing Across Both Oceans!

"A Modern Saga of the Seas: The Narrative of a 17,000 mile Cruise on a Forty-Foot Sloop by the Author, His Wife, and a Baby, Born on the Voyage," by Erling Tambs.  With a title like that, who could resist beginning to read the next National Geographic Magazine article (December, 1931)?

Mr. Tambs bought Teddy, the retired sailboat of his childhood dreams, in his small hometown of Larvik, Norway.  He worked hard and used his last coin to restore and outfit Teddy.  In August of 1928, he and his new bride set out from Norway's capital city, Oslo, to See the World.  "In the snug shelter of this little cove we passed the last night on native territory, and thence we set out for the freedom and romance of the deep blue sea" (p. 648).

With neither money nor modern navigation equipment, Tambs was not the slightest bit concerned.  "Would I have changed places with a king?  Not I; for I was a King myself.  Mine was the staunchest craft, mine was the pluckiest girl, and mine was the utmost degree of independence that mortal man may attain," (p. 649).

His euphoria soon evaporated as gales lasted for the next 16 days.  Finally, Teddy reached the port of LeHavre, France.  The newlyweds looked forward to a rest.  On shore, a British colonel admired their boat.  He proposed to buy the boat and offered a price three times what the Teddy was worth.  Tambs denied him the prize.

In Vigo, Spain, the two, captain and first mate, took on a new crew member, "a dog of indeterminate ancestry but fine qualities" (photo caption, p. 654).  They named the dog, "Spare Provisions," or "Teddy."

Teddy acquired yet another crew member while the crew laid over for four months in the Canary Islands, east of Africa.  Master Antonio Tambs, the new baby, was born in a friend's house in the town of Las Palmas.  The Teddy left port when the baby was six weeks old.  Tambs commented, "by the time most boys begin to think of going to sea, this young man should be an accomplished mariner" (photo caption, p. 663).  What a handsome lad!

At last, when the Teddy and its sailors were nearing the coast of South America, I found out exactly how experienced was the Captain of this adventure.  "If I was a poor navigator with poor navigation facilities at my disposal, at least I knew something about seamanship.  I had served eight years in square-rigged ships in my younger days.  I knew how to handle my boat, and my faith in her knew no bounds" (pp. 668-669).

The Tambs family arrived at the Panama Canal Zone on November 24, 1928, and stayed there seven weeks.  "We lived on board, where I did my writing, while my wife and baby went promenading beneath the palms.  I had commenced writing a Norwegian book on our travels" (P. 674).

They passed through the Canal uneventfully, partially by being towed, mostly under their own sails.  Then the happy sailors stopped for three months, enjoying the "hospitality of some charming people and being befriended by all" (p. 675).  There is an adorable photo of baby "Tony" "fishing" at sea.  He has on a harness attached by a rope to the boat, lest he fall overboard!

The Island of Tahiti marked the halfway point of their journey.  They stayed there three months, "dreaming away the days under a continually blue sky" (p. 680).  I'm beginning to envy this wandering family of the sea!

The dangers of the open sea were chiefly the unpredictable winds and the heat.  In addition, due to not being able to afford food in abundance, the family's diet was limited.  The boat started filling with water and Tambs ran the pump till it gave out.  When they reached Papetoai Bay, west of Tahiti, "we had at least 5 tons of water inside. . . half hour longer at sea would have finished us" (p. 681).

On January 6, 1931, they arrived at Auckland, New Zealand and received "a heartier welcome than we had anywhere else" (p. 683).  They stayed with his aunt's family on their sheep farm.  On February 3rd, a great earthquake devastated some of the towns.  Tambs' nephew died and the farm suffered heavy damage.  The Tambs had planned to leave soon but stayed to help with the aftermath of the earthquake.  "Shocks and tremors were experienced every day, but they were not so violent as the first one, and gradually one became accustomed to them" (p. 687).

While Mrs. Tambs and Tony stayed with his aunt, Tambs picked up a crew and entered Teddy in a sailboat race between Auckland and Sydney, Australia.  Three weeks later, Tambs writes, "I have returned to Auckland with my boat.  Teddy, now more than forty years old, has won the Trans-Tasman Cup, the trophy in the first proper ocean race of such length in the Southern Hemisphere!  But she deserves it.  She is a beauty in spite of her years. Good old Teddy! (p. 688).  His writing style is so interesting and exciting - I hope to see more articles by Erling Tambs in the pages of the National Geographic Magazine!

Jungle River!

In April of 1800, Baron von Humboldt plodded up the Orinoco River in canoes, in northeastern South America, and returned with over 6,000 previously unknown species of plants.  No wonder scientists would brave unknown dangers to search for the new biological treasures.  Ernest G. Holt made the same journey in a wood-burning steamer primarily to mark the boundary between Brazil and Venezuala, South America, but also to collect specimens of birds.  "Four hundred years after its discovery, the Orinoco remains much the same, and, at least in its upper course, almost as little known as when Diego de Ordaz (the original discoverer for Europe) entered its mouth," "In Humbolt's Wake: Narrative of a National Geographic Society Expedition Up the Orinoco and Through the Strange Casiquiare Canal to Amazonian Waters," National Geographic Magazine, November, 1931, p. 621.  The trip up the river is 1,118 miles in length; it is the third longest river in South America.

Holt compares the Orinoco with the Amazon River and concludes that while it can not compare in size, "the Orinoco is the more picturesque of the two.  Flocks of waterfowl, and numerous caymans lying like watersoaked logs on the margins of the beaches, add life (and danger!) to every scene" (pp. 627-630).  At one point, the author did the local women washing their laundry a large favor by shooting a cayman venturing too near.

The river periodically floods.  "When the Orinoco is at low stage, thousands of turtles assemble on two sand islands above the village of La Urbana to deposit their eggs.  In turtle season, the river people eat practically no other meat" (photo caption, p. 633).  The turtles appear to be half as large as a man!

The goal of finding the international boundary was difficult but they attained it.  "Every foot of line had to be hewn with ax and machete, the men often standing waistdeep in muck and water" (photo caption, 644).  A never-ending aggravation was the constant hordes of insects which frequented not only the rivers but the thatched huts in which they sometimes stayed.  The Holt group found all the natives friendly and helpful.

There were several treacherous long rapids around which the boats had to be painstakingly dragged.

Mr. Holt particularly enjoyed the many strange and beautiful birds in the forests living the river banks.  "Birds, birds, no end of them!  Tiny manakins, whose heads shine as brilliant spots of color in the shadows; jacamors, like giant humming birds, burnished bronze and green. . . But I am not writing a book. . . suffice it to say, that many that we collected now repose in the cabinets of the United States National Museum.  . available for study by the ornithologists. . . of many generations to come" (p. 644).

Washington, D.C., the Pride of America!

The Capital City of Washington, District of Columbia (D.C.), USA, rivals any European city in its beauty!  The President of the National Geographic Society, Gilbert Grosvenor, LL.D., Litt.D., describes the history of the United States government and its capital buildings and grounds in "Washington Through the Years: On Rolling Woods and Colonial Tobacco Fields, Where George Washington Dreamed Our Nation's Great Capital, His Gorgeous Vision Comes True," National Geographic Magazine, November, 1931.

"With no fixed abode, the war-time Continental Congress met in eight different cities. . . the new government moved about, like a poor relation.  George Washington never dwelt in the White House" (p. 517).  "President John Adams, its first official occupant, moved here in 1800 from Philadelphia, overland . . . Here was a village when Adams came.  The party escorting Mrs. Adams got lost in the woods on the way over from Baltimore, and she used the unfinished East Room of the White House as a laundry" (p. 522).

A Frenchman, Pierre Charles L'Enfant laid out the plan of the capital.  The roads and the buildings stayed true to the design, at least until 1931.  With the large, beautiful architecture in Washington, no one bothered paving roads until after the Civil War and President Grant.

In 1901 the National Geographic Society boasted of a "million and a quarter members drawn from every civilized community in the world" (p. 545).  They built new headquarters in Washington, D.C.  In 2014, there are 8.5 million members across the globe.

I've seen many photos of the hundreds of cherry trees blooming around the Tidal Basin in the city. I would love to see it someday.  The trees were donated by the Mayor of Tokyo and his council in 1912.

In 1931, the Capital Building housed both the Senate and House of Representatives.  The Supreme Court was located in the center section, between both branches, but a new building was in progress for the high court at that time.  Also in 1931 additional office buildings were under construction for the expanding government.. President Hoover remarked, "This effort is more than merely the making of a beautiful city.  By its dignity and architectural inspiration we stimulate pride in our country" (p. 549).

The Washington-Hoover Airport in 1931, "with 50 scheduled landings and take-offs of passenger planes each day, now ranks second in the world and is busier than any foreign field in scheduled passenger traffic" (p. 552).  In 2014, there are two Washington airports: Ronald Reagan Washington National and Dulles International.  Baltimore (Maryland) International also serves the area.

Mr. Grosvenor lays out for us the government bureaus and their various buildings with numbers of staff.  It was quite impressive!  One department, for example, Agriculture, was responsible for an amazing number of advances and products to benefit not only Americans but all humanity, "Plagues of cholera used to sweep away vast herds of swine.  Now, by the virus-serum treatment discovered in that department, this plague is controlled. . . It culminated, through preliminary work in the Bureau of Entomology in man's mastery of the mosquito-borne yellow fever and made feasible the Panama Canal" (p. 554).

There was an unprecedented number of color photos in this article, 32 pages in all.  I found them particularly beautiful: America is my wonderful country! These photos were not devoted to a particular theme.  There are buildings, parks, monuments, and miscellaneous subjects such as inaugural ball gowns of the First Ladies.  Of particular interest is a copy of the Gutenberg Bible, "Numbered among the choicest of literary treasures, this copy of the Gutenberg Bible (in three volumes) came to the library (of Congress) in 1930. . . at a cost of more than $300,000.  It was printed some time between 1450 and 1455, and is one of three perfect copies on vellum known to be in existence.  The skins of 300 sheep were required to make it" (p. 584).  The book appears larger than I expected.

I first traveled there in December of 1990.  The occasion was my brother, Don's promotion to an officer in the United States Navy. Son #2, John and I drove to Columbus, Ohio, to meet up with my brother, Bob, and two of his children.  With a snowstorm chasing us, we drove to Washington. The 8-lane beltway highway (one way!) around the city was quite intimidating to us but we managed to find Don, his family, and our parents and had a most enjoyable visit. My dad, a retired Army officer, was incredibly proud to be a part of the ceremony during which my sister-in-law, Kathleen, pinned the officer's insignia on Don.

Later in the 1990's I traveled with daughter #2, Carole, and her family to the Washington, D.C. Zoo.  They lived in Frederick, Maryland, at the time.  We took the sleek and clean subway to avoid having to shark out a parking place in the crowded city. Particularly memorable was a Red Panda, smaller than the familiar white and black panda they have in the zoo now.

"A walk through the National Zoological Park of to-day is like an afternoon stroll with Adam and Eve through the animal, bird, and snake-infested forests of Eden.  Amid all the squawks, shrieks, grunts, growls, and cackles of this Zoo, you fancy that the beasts and birds of the land also send delegates here to speak for them. . . More than 2,500,000 people a year visit the Zoo" (p. 563).

The Smithsonian Institute's favorite exhibit in 1931 was Lindberg's plane in which he was the first to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.  I spent a day there.  It was spectacular!  I'd like to be able to spend a week there.  One of my daughters actually spent her honeymoon there.

My favorite monument is the Lincoln Memorial.  Mr. Grosvenor writes, "The soothing harmony of its line and form, with its colossal approaches, is fully appreciated when seen from the air.  What infinite melody it suggests to those who feel that "architecture is frozen music"!" (p. 564).  I agree!

Washington government buildings were massively large in 1931 but the largest was the government printing office.  It was responsible for not only printing our money and stamps, but government publications.  "From 404 type setting machines some 1,635 compositors, operators, and proof readers turn out more than 2 1/2 billion "ems" of type each year!. . . Printing is turned out literally by the acre.  More than 1,000 carloads of paper and something like 21,000 miles of sewing thread and stitching wire are used annually.  So huge is the output that a belt conveyor runs through a tunnel under the street carrying printed matter directly to the Post Office for mailing" (p. 569).  And how would our modern computer development have changed that!

Even in 1931 there existed a parking problem in D.C.  "To-day private cars crowd the curb like pigs fighting for nose room in a trough. . . But huge motor travel is nothing compared with the crowds that come by rail.  All counted, at least 5 million visitors a year see the Capital and 10,950,000 travelers use the Union Station annually" (p. 602).

Washington, D.C. was a construction zone in 1931, getting ready to celebrate the 200th anniversary of our First President, George Washington's birthday.  "The Bicentennial, centering here will be the most widely organized celebration any American city ever observed. . . abiding structures of grace and beauty (are being) built so that Americans for hundreds of years may use and admire them" (p. 619).

What a wonderful, comprehensive testimony to Mr. Gilbert Grosvenor's profound love for our Capital City!

Update

The readers of this blog deserve to know why they haven't seen anything new for several days!  I have been reading the longest article I've seen so far in the National Geographic Magazine!  It is 102 pages long.  The topic is the city of Washington, D.C., and it's been extremely interesting to see how the various departments of government have developed.  The photos are stunning!  Some of the places I remember from previous visits, in person.  Tomorrow, I hope to report on this November, 1931, article, hopefully!  Thanks for your patience!

Of course, I invite you to entertain yourself with my other blog on Relationships, www.stoptwistedlove.blogspot.com!

Sincerely,
Jan

The World in a Circus

Before I-phones, I-pads, TVs, DVDs, and talking movies was the CIRCUS!  I hope you've experienced a circus at least once in your life.  When I was 7 years old in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, my dad took me to a circus at the local indoor arena.  I still remember the beautifully costumed women dangling from a rope hanging and doing acrobatics upside down.  I was mesmerized by the trapeze artists, seemingly barely missing the bar and tumbling high into the air.  There are so many other performers in a circus: the clowns, the equestriennes, cowboys, animal trainers, to mention several.  Many support staff are required, executives, laborers, cooks, etc.

"Circus people receive a geographical education that might well be the envy of every one interested in broadening his mental horizon.  The big show covers thousands of miles in a single season visiting areas of States and frequently foreign cities," ("The Land of Sawdust and Spangles - A World in Miniature," Francis Beverly Kelley, National Geographic Magazine, October, 1931, p. 463).

Apparently in 1931, the circus was much bigger than we can imagine now.  In addition to the performing lions, tigers, horses, bears, and, of course, the elephants, there must have been animals on exhibition.  Ms. Kelley lists "Under a single spread of canvas are gathered hundreds of animals and birds," (p. 463) leopards, giraffes, deer, antelope, tapirs, polar bears, hippopotamuses, monkeys, llamas, pumas, macaws, sea-lions, sea-elephants, rhinoceros, hyenas, camels, zebras, water buffaloes, kangaroos, and zebras.

FYI: Elephants: "It is not true that they never forget although elephants do have good memories; also, they do not live to a phenomenal age.  The elephant's span of years is about that of a man.  Some of them live to exceed the century mark" (pp. 470-471).

In 1931, the Circus was definitely a big business that could expect 2 million customers in one season.  The circus didn't travel in winter but stayed mostly either in Indiana or Florida.  "The largest circus carries its own doctor, lawyers, detectives, barber shop, blacksmith shop, fire department, chefs, business experts, and postal service, and it travels on 100 railroad cars in four sections" (p. 476).  There were many competing circuses.  The Ringling Brothers circus and the Barnum circus were mentioned as major circuses.

"Circus exhibition in the United States had its beginning in 1785. . . Circuses were not presented under canvas until 1826, and the combination of performance and wild animal menangerie did not enter the picture until 1851. . . Canvas inclosure (tents) . . . served to hide the circus from those who had not paid admission . . . Even today nearly all European circuses and those of other continents present their programs in a single ring and travel overland, clinging to the traditions of another generation" (p. 478).  In America, we like to think big: railroad travel of circuses began in earnest in 1872.

In 1931, the Ringling Brothers circus erected a big top tent "large enough to accommodate 15,000 spectators at one time" (p. 478).

FYI: Camels: "Whether one- or 2-humped, members of the camel family have double-barreled tempers, swivel joints permitting kicking in any direction, and no sense of humor" (photo caption, p. 484).

Let's not forget the midway, or side show.  For a small fee, one could marvel at "freaks," the giant tall man and the midget, bearded ladies, armless wonders, sword swallowers, super-fat ladies, snake charmers, the tatooed lady, fire-eaters, the human cannon ball, and other wonders.  Missing from this account of the midway was the many rides, such as the ferris wheel which are still in amusement parks and county fairs today.  Perhaps those attractions came at a later date.

FYI: Midgets: "The smallest man on exhibition anywhere is Major Mite, and he does credit to his stage name.  His height is less than 30 inches and he weighs about 25 pounds.  He has a brother who is 6 feet tall, and his parents were normal height" (p. 487).

Have you seen movies in which a circus parades through the Main Street of a town before the performance?  Ms. Kelley reports that in 1931, due to the busy motorcar traffic, this practice was no longer followed.

FYI:  Languages: Do we truly think America is bilingual in English and Spanish now?  In 1931, "The flaming circus lithographs (posters) that herald the approach of the spangled caravan must be printed in several different languages in a number of places: posters with Hebrew lettering in New York City's Jewish districts, Italian in both New York City and Chicago, French in parts of Montreal and Quebec, and Spanish in certain Southwestern cities" (p. 496).

Have you seen trapeze artists skillfully jump from one swing to the next and back again?  "It is frequently 20 degrees hotter directly under the canvas top than on the ground" (p. 512).

Even a deaf person could enjoy a circus because there are very few words spoken, usually those of the Ring Master, the announcer.

Here's a story to end this report of circus entertainment: "Johnny Patterson, famous Irish clown, lay dying in a dressing tent.  The physician who attended him tried to cheer him up and upon leaving, said, "Goodnight, Patterson.  I will see you in the morning."  A smile flickered across the old clown's face.  "I know you will, doctor," he replied, "but will I see you?" (p. 516).

Seriously, this was a long article, 52 pages long. I had intended to take at least 2 days to read it.  But it was so engaging, once I started, I had to finish and ended up having a late supper tonight!

Burma's Land of Temples

Mr. William H. Roberts was on a quest to visit ancient Buddhist temples in the country of Burma in 1931.  This country is now called Myanmar; it is in southeast Asia, south of China, west of Thailand and Laos, and east of India and Bangladesh.  "The 5,000 Temples of Pagan: Burma's Sacred City is a Place of Enchantment in the Midst of Ruins," National Geographic Magazine, October, 1931, is his account of that journey.

He writes, "As soon as one has surmounted the slope (in Mandalay, the ancient capital), he finds himself in the midst of a veritable forest of temples and pagodas, large and small, nearly perfect or almost unrecognizable because of decay" (p. 445).  The largest and most beautiful is the Anada, all white with a 168-foot tall golden spire: "Some 1,500 plaques of tile, arranged in bands around the exterior walls of the four terraces of this matchless temple, depict scenes connected with Buddhist ceremonial" (photo caption, p. 445).

The temples lie "for eight miles along the (Irrawaddy) river bank and extend. . . two miles inland. . .   and the very ground is so thickly covered with the crumbling remnants of ancient shrines that . . . it is impossible to move hand or foot without touching a sacred object" (photo caption, p. 447).

Mr. Roberts tells of many legends about the builders of these temples, many approximately 1,000 years old.  There is a colorful 8-page section of photos of the native costumes.  The author is very impressed with the beauty and religious nature of the temples, "As the swift steamer of modern science bears one away from this scene of vanished glory, solemn and lofty feelings come crowding upon the heart" (p. 454).

The Original ATVs

OMG! (Oh, my gosh!)  More names of places I have to google to discover where in the world they are located before I finish the first two paragraphs of the next National Geographic Magazine article: Srinagar (a district in Kashmir, India), Kashgar (a city in Chinese Turkestan) and Pamir (mountains on the Afghanistan border).  This article chronicles an automobile expedition of two separate groups. The author, Mr. Maynard Owen Williams, Litt.D., titles the article, "The Citroen Trans-Asiatic Expedition Reaches Kasmir: Scientific Party Led by Georges-Marie Haardt Successfully Crosses Syria, Iraq, Persia, and Afghanistan to Arrive at the Pamir."

This was such a massive undertaking in 1931 that a prior issue of National Geographic Magazine detailed preparations for the trip (see this blog, Saturday, December 28, 2013: "Getting Ready for a BIG trip!).  A caravan of 'cars' left Beyrouth, Syria, (present-day Beirut, Lebanon) on April 4, 1931.  It  was to proceed east over desert and mountains (hardly any roads, any place!) and meet in Kashgar with another motorcade which started from the Asian Pacific coast.

The lofty goals of this journey were: "To study this interesting old continent; to follow pilgrim and trade routes older than idols or money; to record the sights and sounds of the changing East by methods unavailable to former expeditions, to share our results with millions" (p. 392).  The motorcars resembled the American Model-T Ford trucks in the front and military tanks with treads in the rear.  They were equipped to travel on all terrains.

As the cars were bulky and slow, the occupants could see desert life, primitive except for that of the sheiks.  "Hurdling a rise in the desert, we suddenly saw Khaqin (Persia), with a wide bridge crossing an unexpected river, with women in bright colors doing their laundry in the muddy water, and storks perched on little mud houses set among the slanting palms" (p. 402).

The troupe at last saw some "great green valleys tucked in between barren hills . . . springtime Persia (modern Iraq) is a lovely land" (p. 403).  Automobiles were strictly a luxury among the wealthy; the common folk traveled by camel, donkey, and horses, or super-crowded "motorbuses."  There were great herds of sheep scattered over the countryside.

Mr. Williams was the only American in the motor caravan.  He particularly appreciated the ancient forts and ruins.  These cultural opportunities were everywhere, particularly in Teheran, Persia.  "Tak-i-bosson artists carved these reliefs thirteen centuries ago" (photo caption, p. 410).

The further East the seven-car calvacade proceeded, the more their group was a novelty to the natives. "We are as good as a circus.  Our creeping cars demand attention.  Our dress is noticeable from afar.  When I use a large, shiny camera, perched on a tripod as high as my chin, and dodge in and out of a sheetlike focusing cloth, it is little wonder that folk who never saw such an instrument come running" (p. 419).

In Afghanistan there were poppy fields everywhere.  I found it interesting, yet sad, reading about Helmand province, where my nephew, Justin was killed in 2008 by an IED.  Justin was an American/Irishman, formerly U.S. Navy, in the Irish regiment of the Royal British Army at the time of his death.  The Afghan language is called "Pushto;" Justin learned it, hoping to help the Afghan children.

Even in the desert were scattered garages, "service stations" for the new motorcars.  Thus far, the great majority of peoples were Mohammedans. Mosques of varying sizes were found in every city and town.

In 1931, a modern section of Kabul, Afghanistan, was being built along side of the ancient city.  Mr. Williams writes, "On a wind-swept hill commanding magnificent views of this fertile plain, we were entertained in a country home which now belongs to the municipality" (p. 428).  It seemed that everywhere the motor-caravan went, they were royally treated. He observed, "The women of Afghanistan are kept in more rigid seclusion and are more closely veiled than those of any other Moslem land" (photo caption, p. 429).

The explorers took many side trips to see local sites of interest.  Close to Kabul was Bamian, "first century center of artistic and commercial influences reaching far into Iran, India, and Central Asia" (p. 428).  "The two colossal Buddhas, 175 and 116 feet high, are crude and lifeless. . . Climbing about in the interior of the cliffs, nudging around rock shoulders high above the ground, mounting the stairways that lead to the heads of the colossi  . . all this is a thrilling and unusual experience" (p. 431).

Mr. Williams also appreciated the beauty of the land: "Not since leaving Beyrouth (Beirut), our starting point, had we seen anything so fine" (p. 432).

As always, river crossings were generally challenging to accomplish with their heavy vehicles and equipment.  Williams writes, "Deep and swift were the Afghanistan streams, which presented the most difficult problems of the 3,500-mile trek from Beyrouth to Srinagar; but generous and whole-hearted native cooperation enabled the Expedition to overcome such hazards without casualty to motor cars or personnel" (photo caption, p. 433).

There was a complex political situation in the Middle East in 1931. It appeared that the places the caravan visited so far were all ruled officially by the French although the local sheiks and shahs ruled in lesser matters.  Yet there was peace.

"The Afghan King was genuinely grateful for the kind treatment he received in France . . . His majesty spoke enthusiastically about America: "I hope many Americans will visit Afghanistan, where they will be made most welcome" (p. 437-438).  "The hour we spent with the king . . . was the climax of a month's uninterrupted hospitality" (p. 438).

Next the tour passed through the North Gate into India, under British control.  "The British tried to outdo one another in honoring and entertaining us" (p. 438).  So, life "on the road" was not all unbearable heat, hardships and deprivation!  "And so we passed Taxila and Rawalpindi and came to Srinagar, 3,445 miles, 53 stages, and 81 days from Beyrouth" (p. 439).

Sailing Forbidden Coasts

Before the 1930's, American women must have been ultra-protected, even isolated as fragile creatures.  You know, "The woman's place is in the home."  In this last article in the September, 1931, issue of National Geographic Magazine, the independent, fearless, New American woman is evident.  Ida Treat yearned to visit the coast of Dankali, in the country of French Somaliland, in northeast Africa, south of Ethiopia and Eritrea, opposite Arabia across the Red Sea.  Even today I would ponder carefully if it was safe to venture in that troubled part of our world.

Ms. Treat was told outright, "You will never get permission to touch anywhere on the Dankali coast.  With the exception of Oback, perhaps, it has been taboo for years."  "But that is where I want to go," I (Ms. Treat) protested.  "And that is where I (the captain of a sailing ship) intend to take you.  Only you will have to travel as contraband.  If you were a man, it would not be so easy. . . they are not used to ladies embarking on any such wild cruise. . . So don't worry.  You will slip through the hands of my official countrymen like a letter in the mail," ("Sailing Forbidden Coasts," p. 357).

The author and the Captain were making these plans in the European town of Djbouti, French Somaliland, in a car heading to the Somali coast along the Indian Ocean.  Of course, Ms. Treat asked, "Why is the Dankali coast taboo?" and the Captain answered, "Oh, for a lot of reasons.  Chiefly because the Dankali have a deep rooted aversion to white skins.  And a nervous hand on the trigger.  They have never taken kindly to colonizing" (p. 357).

Once aboard the Captain's sailboat, the Altair, Ms. Treat was disguised in a sailor's uniform.  They sailed overnight to reach the Dankali coast and dropped anchor at the village of Oback.  The supplies they brought for trade were taken ashore.  In the evening, Ms. Treat was led through the streets.  Her feet and hands were stained deep red with henna and she was dressed like an Arab woman.  "That is in case we go ashore at Tadjoura," the Captain of the Altair explained.  "Not even I would care to land there with a European.  In that costume you will shock no one. They will take you for an Arab, a fitting companion for a Mohammedan of my importance" (p. 365).  The Captain, Ms. Treat, and sailors returned to their boat.

They skirted the coast and stopped near beaches several times to pick up bird eggs and other food.  At last they reached Tadjoura, the Dankali capital.  The Captain, Ms. Treat, together with two crewmen with rifles, proceeded after landing, up the beach and through the town.  Ms. Treat was impressed with the perfect cleanliness in evidence, "none of the cluttered filth of European towns."  At last, "Toward the outskirts of the town we turned into a gate that opened on a courtyard vaster than any I had yet seen and white with a layer of tiny shells" (p. 376).

In this Arab nation, incense was used everywhere to ward off the "dread jinn, those children of the devil . . . who are responsible for all the ills and misfortunes in this world" (p. 376).  Ms. Treat heard drums and screams of women and was told about the Zar tradition in which once a year young married women dance all night until almost in a state of collapse.  This guards against infertility and pregnancy problems.

There were several French officials, the only whites in the town.  They were tolerated but even spat upon by the children.  "I begun to understand why French officials preferred that no white man, unless escorted by colonial troops, should land on the coast of the Dankali country" (p. 378).  They left Tadjoura that night.

When the Altair retraced its route along the coast and returned again to Dankali, Ms. Treat learned from an important Sheik, friend of the Captain, several reasons why the white race was so hated.  First, the white interfered with their long-standing slave trading; secondly, they felt that white men would not honor their pledges.

The Sheik was concerned for the safety of the Captain, crew, and passenger due to pirates killing a ship crew within the past week.  Sheik Abd el Hai spoke, "And with Madame on board. . . there is only one man who can assure your safety . . . myself.  I will go with you" (p. 386).  Ms. Treat was safe on the rest of her exciting, adventurous, dangerous journey.

Hanging Fork Creek and Deer Tracks

Oh, dear, I was almost finished with "Hanging Fork Creek and Deer Tracks" when I noticed it was NOT on this, my travel blog, but on www.stoptwistedlove.blogspot.com, my relationship blog!  I'm pleasantly tired from a lot of walking and driving today.  Please go to the other blog to see my fun day trip today.  Thanks!!

Cute Bears

One feature of the National Geographic Magazine I particularly enjoy is their articles about animals from time to time.  Who doesn't love teddy bears!  "Koalas are sloth-like creatures about two feet tall, tailless, and dressed in a coat of thick, grayish fur," ("The Koala, or Australian Teddy Bear," F. Lewis, September, 1931, photo caption, p. 347).  "They were probably one of the most common animals in the Australian bush, but about forty years ago a widespread epidemic overtook them and they died by the thousands" (p. 346).

Similar to the panda bears of China, these fluffy fellows have a diet consisting of leaves from certain eucalyptus trees.  With their clawed five-toed feet, they can climb nearly everything and especially love flagpoles.

Like Australia's kangaroos, koalas are marsupial animals; the young koala cubs (called 'Joeys') are carried in their mothers' pouches for six to ten months.  "They are very easily tamed, and when captured as cubs speedily become attached to their owners and follow them about much as a puppy would" (photo caption, p. 352).  The government of Victoria province in Australia forbade their capture in 1931.

"Koalas are, as a rule, silent, but when frightened or annoyed will cry very much like a child" (p. 355).  In 1931, only the San Diego, California Zoo in America could provide the specialized diet of the koala bear.  In 2014, there are eight United States zoos that keep koalas.

Ever Been Inside a Volcano?

In the September, 1931, issue of National Geographic Magazine, Bernard R. Hubbard, S.J., writes, "We had thought ourselves sated with years of Alaskan exploration, yet Aniakchak Volcano revealed to us new wonders. . . it encircles with its 3,000-foot walls a variety of scenic features and an abounding bird, animal, fish, and plant life that make it a world in itself - a world inside a mountain" ("A World Inside a Mountain: Aniakchak, the New Volcanic Wonderland of the Alaska Peninsula, is Explored," p. 319).

Mount Aniakchak is situated on the southwestern peninsula of Alaska.  It was discovered in 1922.  At that time three volcanoes to the north were sending up plumes of smoke: Martin, Mageik, and Kukuk.  Aniakchak has a rim 21 miles in circumference - BIG!

Mr. Bernard, chair of the Geology Department at University of Santa Clara, California, U.S.A., ("S.J." after his name means he is a member of the religious Jesuit order) took an exploring party and their supplies up the Aniakchak River in a motorboat, then set out on foot with 100-pound backpacks to reach the volcano.

The hikers followed bear tracks (much larger than the men's bootprints in the snow!) into the Aniakchak volcano's crater.  It was still "smoking" from the fumaroles (vents).  "Tufts of fur about the vents prove that the animals use these natural Turkish baths to help them shed their winter fur" (photo caption, p. 328).

They found "a majestic Vent Mountain, with snow-covered truncated top, rising 2,200 feet from the 30-square-mile floor of the crater - volcano within a volcano!" (p. 329).  They also found the source of a river in a cave in the hardened lava.

Hubbard continues his account, "We had expected to find nothing but sterile wastes inside the volcano, and the amount and variety of life astonished us."  There were many kinds of birds, including eagles and sea gulls. The lake was a spawning bed for salmon.  In addition to bears were foxes.  "The fish, game, and bird life was even surpassed by the variety and profusion of flowers, particularly orchids"  (p. 332).  The Chignik Aleutian natives lived nearby.

The party found a part of the crater with so many smoking vents, they called it "The little Valley of a Hundred Smokes."  This was considered their greatest discovery since Aniakchak was supposed to be a dead volcano. "Our finding of activity not only changed its classification but identifies it as the largest explosive active crater in the world" (p. 340). The colors of the hardened lava were terra cotta red, black, and vivid red, made even brighter by the surrounding snow. At one point they found a tall column of obsidian, black glass tubes, 600 feet tall and one mile long. Many prehistoric fossils were found in the volcano.

The stream bed and rocks are colored a deep orange by the iron-soda-bicarbonate water of the springs, and the near-by shores of the lake look as if strewn with a bargeload of oranges. . . following the example of our bear friends, we drank freely" from the lake. (p. 341).

Mr. Hubbard concludes, "After living two weeks inside its protecting walls, we were loathe to leave our volcanic wonder world" (p. 342).

My mother considered the cruise she and dad made to Alaska as her favorite.  Those of my friends who have traveled to the Alaska mainland agree.  Perhaps someday I, too, will be able to venture to this beautiful State of America!

New Hampshire, the Granite State

The history of how each of the 48 continental states was carved out of the coast-to-coast American territory is most interesting.  In northeastern New England, New Hampshire was originally a part of Massachusetts.  The southern boundary with Massachusetts was set by the King of England.  At one point, both New York state and New Hampshire claimed Vermont but it was made a separate state.  Then there was the matter of the 58-mile border New Hampshire shares with Quebec, Canada, resolved after only two or three wars.  New Hampshire was one of the original thirteen colonies in the United States, deep into the Revolutionary War to separate from England. New Hampshire has only a small coastline on the Atlantic Ocean north of Massachusetts.

Franklin Pierce, born in Hillsboro Town, New Hampshire, was the 14th president of the United States.  His father, Benjamin, was a farmer there during the American Revolution.  At the news of the battle at Lexington, he "hitched his oxen to a stump and set off with his uncle's gun.  He became an officer in the Revolutionary Army and later a governor of New Hampshire" (photo caption, p. 276). In 1774, "it was on New Hampshire soil that the first armed blow was struck at British domination, when a band of patriots. . . overpowered the small garrison at Fort William and Mary, in Portsmouth Harbor" (p. 307).

New Hampshire is called "The Granite State" due to the White Mountains.  "With 86 peaks in an area of 1,270 square miles, New Hampshire's White Mountains contain the highest elevation in the northeastern states" ("New Hampshire, the Granite State," George Higgins Moses, National Geographic Magazine, September, 1931, p. 304).  The residents take full advantage of The White Mountain National Forest.  In 1931, there were 160 girls and boys camps.  Campers came from many corners of the country.  Hunters also love this rugged country and come to hunt the Big Game of bears and deer. New Hampshire is a land of 400 lakes.  There were 225 forest industries in 1931.

The people of this state prided themselves on religious tolerance and were extremely productive in 1931.  One-quarter of the farmland was devoted to hay crops.  Other major crops were ferns, apples, flowers and bulbs.  There were many dairy farms.  Mica and fellspar were mined.  In the town of Peterboro was established the country's first tax-supported free public library.  In 1776, New Hampshire drew up the first state constitution.

Some of the names of the New Hampshire towns were taken directly from England: Manchester, Concord, and Canterbury.  Other towns have Native American names: Sunapee, Pemigewasset, Pasquhey, Cocheco, Piscataqu, Winnepesaukee, Waukewan, Asquam, and Opeechee.

"New Hampshire winters are usually long and severe, but, instead of considering the months of cold and deep snows as liabilities, the state has converted them into assets, with communities holding winter carnivals every year and more hotels offering facilities for winter sports" (photo caption, p. 299).

A few years ago, daughter #5, Mary, and I drove from Boston north along the coast to Portland, Maine and stopped at the lighthouse in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. There were many beautiful lighthouses along the rocky coast, as you can imagine.  We hope to make this trek again soon.

To Hot Madrid!

"Midsummer and high noon!  I stood by the parapet of a castle in Spain and looked out over a treeless plain," ("Madrid Out-of-Doors," Harriet Chalmers Adams, National Geographic Magazine, August, 1931, p. 225).  I want to be there, too!  From the castle, Ms. Adams traveled south to the capital city of Madrid, "approximately in the geographical center of Spain" (p. 225).

Ms. Chalmers reports that at one time 900 years ago, Christian Spain had been largely conquered by the Moslem invaders.  Armored knights battled hard to win back their country.

In 1931, "Madrid's outstanding feature is the great avenue, Gran Avenida de la Libertad, one of the finest boulevards in all Europe" (p. 225).  Temperature in the summer resembled that of Sacramento, California, U.S.A.: very hot, but dry.  "Shops close every afternoon from one or two o'clock until four or five. . . Madrilenos know how to enjoy the magic hours of early evening" (p. 231).

Someday I would like to visit the Prado Museum, where are kept masterpiece paintings from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries.  "In the opinion of many, this is the finest art gallery in existence" (p. 233).

Spain was the only country in the world allowed to send letters to the United States at domestic rates iin 1931.  The Spanish were quite proud of their efficient mail service.

The Madrid citizens were formal and prided themselves on being mannerly and courteous.  "Spain is, above all, a country where the wishes of others are respected, the land of personal liberty, of a democracy which is practical" (p. 235).

Madrid was as modern as any other large European or American city of 1931, with movie houses, tall buildings, a subway, telephones, and plenty of automobiles.

Here's a cultural habit that surprised and enlightened me: The Spanish take 'siestas' in the afternoon, not to escape the heat, but because they stay up at night so late - frequently until dawn!

No article about Spain would be complete without mention of bullfights.  When the bull is in a good position, the matador "will attempt to drive home a death stroke between the bull's shoulders" (photo caption, p. 243).  Even the little boys pretended to be bulls or matadors.

During my recent trip to Italy, our tour group was warned about gypsies: "Don't leet yourselves be surrounded by them; they might steal your wallet or purse."  We had no problems.  Gypsies in Spain have been there since the fifteenth centure, "coming in at the northeast from France" (p. 246).

In the Royal Armory were kept a great collection of knights' shields and swords, "and the arms of lesser conquistadors who, sailing under the banner of Castile, won a New World for Spain" (p. 248).

Ms. Adams also writes about cities close to Madrid,: Segovia, Avila, and Toledo.  There is, as in most of Europe, ruins of the ever-present Roman aqueducts, near Segovia.  She concludes that "these country people, who toil in the fields so near the capital, will be slow to change. Generation on generation they have clung to old customs" (p. 256).  I submit that therein lies their charm.

As a university student in the early 1960s, I learned to love all things Spanish.  I studied the language, met friends from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Barcelona, Spain.  One evening we watched a show of Flamenco Dancers.  I must travel to Spain one of these years!

Oh, Good, A New, WARM Island!

Mabel Cook Cole, author of "The Island of Nias, at the Edge of the World," National Geographic Magazine, August, 1931, was lured to this island from reports of an ancient civilization.  Thus she traveled some 15,000 miles to a small eighty-mile long island off the west coast of Sumatra, in the Dutch East Indies, presently called Indonesia.

Nias, an island little known in 1931, was called the "Island of Gold."  A visiting Mohammedan merchant reported in 851 A.D., "The people are rich in gold; they eat coconuts and cover their bodies with the oil; that when a man wishes to marry he must take the head of an enemy.  If he takes two heads, he may take two wives; if he obtains fifty, he may have that many wives" (p. 201).  Yes, we can see why Mrs. Cole was intrigued by this unique society!

Due to earthquakes destroying coastal villages, the Dutch were not interested in this island.  "It is only during the last twenty years that the white man has really ruled the land" (p. 201).

In 1931, there were no cable or wireless connections in Nias, only contact by boats.  Mrs. Cole landed "at Goenoeng Sitoli, a pretty little village with a palm-fringed beach." (p. 201).  Then she realized her last connection, the supply steamer that brought her, had left.  Mrs. Cole was traveling with her husband.

She told a Dutch official she wanted to travel to the other end of Nias.  He was friendly and flatly refused. "It is impossible, especially for a lady," she was told (p. 202).  He discouraged her in every way possible. Mrs. Cole wrote, "He never had come into such close contact with the undaunted strenuousness of America" (p. 203).

Finally, the Coles found three horses, hired a young native interpreter, and took with them their former auto mechanic. Soon they passed native villages and noticed that the native peoples appeared sickly and malnourished.  The Coles wished to hire some as carriers but the natives "did not want money and could see no use in working" (p. 208).

In North Nias, the round houses "are built chiefly of bamboo and are raised high above the ground on posts.  Their inhabitants live half the year on rice and half on sweet potato" (photo caption, p. 207).  The travelers found a friendly chief who educated them about the particulars of their ancestor worship, the work of their magicians and meaning of their ancestors' skulls under the outdoor stone benches.

The group paid their respects to the chief and moved on.  "The water in our canteens was tepid, and frequently we stopped by a clump of coconut trees, the Nias substitute for a soda fountain . . . It was not especially good, but it was wet and safe" (p. 209).

The next day they wanted to cross a rickety bridge over a river. As they noticed crocodiles infesting the river, they sent the horses back and crossed on foot.  They soon came to a series of villages and were treated very well.  The first village chief insisted on having his men carry the four visitors to the next village.  "For many years these people resisted the white man's rule, and even now, though head-hunting and warfare have diminished, they lead very much their own lives" (p. 213).  The village chiefs were quite resplendent with gold ornaments.  The architecture of their large houses was amazing in its complexity and fine craftsmanship.  Some of the village streets were paved with stone.

Sadly, with foreign rule, the ancient ways in Nias were disintegrating in 1931.  When the Coles were on an outbound steamer, Mrs. Cole reminisced, as she looked back on the island, "We forgot the heat, the moisture, and the malaria that had marred our first picture of Nias. We saw, in our mind's eye, only that strange city on the hill, and we breathed a prayer that it might long survive" (p. 224). A worthy trip it was, for such staunch adventurers!

Indo-China Visited

Once, my friend Rosemary thought she might move to Hong-Kong, China, to join her husband, Jeff, who traveled there so frequently on business he might move there permanently.  "Would you come to visit me if we moved there?" Rosemary asked.  "Oh, yes," I enthusiastically replied.  But alas, neither their plans nor mine came to be.

I had to return to my world map before I got very far into the next National Geographic Article, "Along the Old Mandarin Road of Indo-China," W. Robert Moore, August, 1931.  In that year, the country we now know as Vietnam was called French Indo-China and Cochin-China.  The cities of Hanoi, Phnom Penh, and Hue will be familiar to anyone who was an adult during the "Vietnam Conflict."  What was different? The city known as Saigon is now Ho Chi Minh City, to honor the North Vietnamese Communist dictator. The countries of Laos and Cambodia have the same names. Siam is now called Thailand.

Mr. Moore's journey began on the western border of Cambodia, then a French colony, in the town of Poipet.  Moore and his group took a side trip to Angkor Vat, site of an ancient temple.  "The great Khmer temple remains in a remarkable state of preservation, despite the fact that for centuries it was engulfed by the jungle" (photo caption, p. 158).  "Whether by moonlight, in the searching glare of noonday, or at eventide, as long queues of winging bats pour out like wisps of smoke from its darkened towers, Angkor grips one with its spell of grandeur" (p. 159).

The French used part of the old Mandarin Road for their Coloniale Number One Road, 1,600 miles long from Poipet to China.  Rice fields were everywhere, covering more than 13 1/2 million acres.  "The whole length of the Mandarin Road is a story of rice, and every stage of its cultivation may be seen simultaneously" (p. 163).  Primitive agricultural methods were used throughout Indo-China, very labor-intensive.

In the countryside were groves of coconut trees and kapok (tree cotton), plus rubber plantations amidst areas of jungle.  Fishing was the main coastal industry.  Surface coal mines were worked.  There was a substantial silk industry.  Native wood carving was fine and very intricate.

Similar to the ruins of castles, churches, and forts in Europe were the ruins of ancient religious monuments in Indo-China.  "At various times, among the country's racial groups, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Naturism, Confucianism, Animism, some Mohammedanism, and of late, Christianity have found adherents" (photo caption, p. 168).

Some of the mountain tribes were matriarchal, the first such society I have encountered in National Geographic Magazine.  "The women of these tribespeople are the leaders of the family; the property is at their disposition, they care for the family, buy at market, and otherwise hold the purse strings.  The men show them respect, and if they want to drink rice wine or make purchases they must obtain permission from their wives" (p. 175).

Hunting of wild animals was very popular due to the abundance of tigers, leopards, deer and wild buffalo in the hills.  Elephant travel was gradually being replaced by cars and buses due to the new roads built by the French government.

"The city of Hue is located a few miles inland from the sea, on the banks of the winding River of Perfumes - a name given because of the sweet scented flowering trees growing along its banks" (p. 180).

There must have been a complicated government in French Indo-China.  "Royalty still lives in Hue even though French authority may stand somewhat ill-concealed in the background."  Mr. Moore visited the royal princess in her home.  At that time, "the young emperor, Bao-Dai (Greatness Sustained) was studying in France" (p. 181).

The city of Hanoi, on the banks of the Son Koi, or Red River, was the French capital.  The French fought the Chinese who were the previous rulers.  At last Mr. Moore "rounded a curve and before us stood the "Porte de Chino," with its stone walls, like sinuous Chinese dragons, mounting the hills on each side" (p. 199).  This was a very interesting mix of Oriental and European cultures!

Serious Ice and Snow

Out of my treasured collection of maps from my National Geographic Magazine collection going back to 1927, I pulled out "The Making of Canada: Yukon and Northwest Territories (1997)."  I wanted to know more details about where I'll be heading on my next virtual trip.

Amos Burg was interested in traveling through northwestern Canada by canoe.  He and his friend, George Rebec, "stowed three months' supplies of hard-tack and bacon, into our canoe for our 1,800 mile voyage to the Arctic Ocean . . . we were to traverse wind-swept lakes, descend the treacherous rapids of the Slave (River), cut through the Arctic Circle, cross the snowy passes of the northern Rockies, and go through the territories of seven semi-civilized Indian nations," ("On Mackenzie's Trail to the Polar Sea," National Geographic Magazine, August 1931, p. 127).

The two started their adventure on a June 18 day, on the Clearwater River in northern Alberta, the Canadian province north of the American state of Montana.  On the shores of the large Lake Athabasca, they joined a mining party to boat north on the Slave River to the Great Slave Lake. Ever-present in Canada on the rivers and lakes were huge mosquitoes, swarms of which were so thick that sometimes they almost blocked out the sun.

At the town of Resolution, Burg and Rebec parted company with the miners.  As they paddled their canoe, they encountered small settlements of friendly native Indians - the Slaves, Yellow Knives, Crows, Loucheux, and the Dog Rib tribes - along the way.  Particularly welcome was a short stop at the Police Station at Fort Smith; they were fed well.  "Fewer than a hundred men of all ranks, scattered among the twenty-four Royal Canadian Mounted Police posts maintain law and order in a region one-third as large as the United States" (p. 136).

The two had to carry the canoe on shore on stretches of the MacKenzie River where the wind whipped up the water, and to avoid rapids.  At the village of Norman, Rebec had to leave to return to work in Oregon (U.S.A.)  Mr. Burg reported that soon thereafter, he "had the good fortune to gain another companion," Hans, a young trapper, who came with two canoes and three dogs.  Burg "soon found that Hans was willing to eat anything, sleep in any place, and complain about nothing" (p. 149).

FYI: How are log cabins kept warm in the north?  By chinking the spaces between the logs with mud mixed with moose hair.

Two weeks and many miles later, Hans thought the Mackenzie River delta was too crowded with trappers and left to strike out on his own. Burg found the solitude to be a joy.  "This was a big moment for me.  There was no life to be seen - only that life I had come to know in the wind that chilled me and in the sun that gave warmth.  In the silence I could hear my watch ticking" (p. 151).

At the village of McPherson, Burg decided to sell his canoe, hire a Loucheux Indian guide, and hike across the Rocky Mountains to the Yukon River.  It was late August and the weather was icy and windy.  Even the guide, Abe, commented, "It is bad."  (p. 151).

The wilderness inhabitants were all busy preparing for the coming winter by hunting from the abundant herds of caribou and drying fish.  When Burg reached Old Crow Village, all 154 men, women, and children came out to shake hands with him.

The last leg of this journey was made as a passenger on the motorboat launch of an Indian named Bully Joe.  Several hundred miles and many shore adventures later, in late September, they reached the waters of the mighty Yukon River.  "Looking back from the scow, I could see Bully Joe throwing his helm to starboard, as we swung upstream for the whitewashed buildings of Fort Yukon, where rugged arms of chimney smoke curling skyward waved welcome to journey's end" (p. 156).

Recently on a TV weather report, I saw a map of Canada displaying below zero temperatures: -36, -56, etc.  My daddy's Tennessee blood flowing through my brain tells me that probably that is too cold for humans, especially ME! Therefore I have no desire, at this time, to travel to see the Yukon River in person.

American Excavation

In "Unearthing America's Ancient History: Investigation Suggests That the Maya May Have Designed the First Astronomical Observatory in the New World in Order to Cultivate Corn," Mr. Sylvanus Griswold Morley first tutors us on the difference between archeology and history.  "Archeology brings man's record forward from the remotest past to the dawn of history . . . begins when man as a species had become a biologic fact, 500,000, a million years ago."  "History carries on this strong story through written records - hieroglyphic inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, papyri, codices, chronicles, books, and documents of a description - down to the present day . . . not more than 7,000 years old at the outside, the closing chapter only in the story as a whole"  (National Geographic Magazine, July, 1931, p. 99).  This is important knowledge for us travelers through time and continents.

"Just as rice is the food staple of Asia, and wheat of Europe, so in ancient times Indian corn . . .was the food staple of America" (p. 100).  The cultivation of corn brought about a change in the way native peoples lived.  Instead of the nomadic life of hunting and moving on after an area was hunted out, cultivation of corn required staying in a fixed area.  Permanent homes then could be built.

It was the Maya Indians who widely cultivated corn and thus needed a reliable calendar for planting and harvesting.  "Perhaps as early as the beginning of the first millennium B.C. a number of time periods, especially the length of the year and of a lunation, had been accurately measured" (p. 108).  Next, they developed simple writing to record their calendar and religious ceremonies.  "The birth of the New World history was at hand" (p. 109).

 "They seemed to have moved southeastward into the great forests of what is now northern Guatemala" (p. 109).  Then the Mayans founded cities, built stone pyramid temples by the hundreds.  Many crafts were created: painting, pottery, weaving, and wood carving, to name several.

The Maya moved on for the second time to the Yucatan Peninsula where they reached a period of brilliance "in the 11th to 14th centuries.  Architecture, for example, reached a development never before attained" (p. 112).  Chichen Itza became their capital.

"The Temple of the Warriors is the most imposing structure excavated at Chichen Itza.  From a state of almost hopeless ruin it has been restored in a manner worthy of its original importance" (photo caption, p. 117).  I find it amazing that this ruin was even discovered, let alone excavated, in 1931, since it was covered by dense jungle after being abandoned in the middle of the 15th century!

The city of Uaxactun, "on the basis of the dated monuments. . . is the oldest center of the Mayan civilization. . .The arrangement of temples and pyramids . .formed a sort of giant sundial for determining the positions of the equinoxes and solstices in the year" (p. 114).  This information was used by the agricultural population of the surrounding country in regulating the different activities of their agricultural year, the felling and burning of the bush, planting and harvesting, with the ceremonies appropriate to each occasion" (p. 115).

Unfortunately, a civil war weakened their empire that "when the Spaniards arrived, a hundred years later, the warring remnants of this once great people fell an easy victim to the shock of foreign conquer" (p. 113).

The author concludes that "It is far too early to write the final history of this period."  I look forward to reading more recent reports of this ancient American civilization.