College Football Hall of Fame

Today, my dad took me to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend. It's the second time I've been there. The first wasn't too long after it opened in 1995. It's slated to move to to Atlanta in 2013. I wanted to visit before it did. It hasn't changed too much since my first visit. We watched the stadium show and walked around the exhibits, spending a lot of time in the earlier section finding the plaques for names we recognized—Walter Camp, Amos Stagg, and Jim Thorpe to name a few.



Desmond Howard, one of Michigan's 30 inductees, was inducted in the most recent class. They displayed the 2011 inductees on the ramp leading in to the main exhibit areas.

Dowagiac

Today, I embarked on my first ride since last Wednesday's scorcher. Conditions were a million times better and I didn't ride quite as far. I rode northeast to the next major town, Dowagiac, where I bought some refreshments, which I ate on the nearby campus of Southwestern Michigan College. I attended a few classes at this community college while high school and almost matriculated there post-secondary before my last minute admission to Michigan.

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From SMC, I started riding back to Niles. Along the way, I saw a crop duster working on a field off Pokagon Highway. This wasn't a rickety old plane like the one from North by Northwest, but a modern machine designed for the purpose. I was quite a sight to watch it make pass after passing, banking high in the air between each, and swooping down to just above tassel-height each time.

Trip Statistics
Length: 46.9 miles
Ride Time: 3 hours 52 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 33 minutes
Avg. Speed: 12.1 MPH
Max. Speed: 25.9 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 58 RPM
Total Ascent: 1,300 ft.
Max Elev.: 864 ft.

Elevation Profile

Downtown Dowagiac

Southwestern Michigan College

Wildflower Field

Crop Duster

Saint Joe

After mowing the lawn, my mom offered to treat me to lunch in St. Joe, an offer I couldn't refuse.  It's a great lakeside town just a short drive from Niles.  It holds a lot of great memories for me.  Right now, I'm enjoying a short walk out to the end of the pier at the mouth of the St.  Joe river.

New Buffalo

Last Wednesday, I hopped on my bike for the first time in nearly a month. I'd been looking forward to getting out and riding through some old haunts. The last couple times I've been able to do so, I really enjoyed myself. This last ride was not so enjoyable. Everything about it was hot: the temperature, the breeze, the water, the ice store where I stopped for refreshment. I waited a couple days since getting back from Florida to venture out. The weather was steamy hot the whole time. I finally got tired of waiting.

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Not by design did the ride passed through three"New" towns: New Carlisle, New Buffalo, and New Troy. I was intent on reaching Lake Michigan and New Buffalo is the closest point from Niles. The other towns drew me as likely places to find refreshment. The last, New Troy, was especially replenishing. It's is such a small town I was not even sure I'd find nourishment, but I did at a well-named establishment no less. It wasn't a pleasant ride by any stretch. I rode slower than my normally slow pace and stayed well hydrated. After it was over, I felt good for having completed a lengthy ride under difficult conditions.


Trip Statistics
Length: 67 miles
Ride Time: 7 hours 6 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours 13 minutes
Avg. Speed: 9.4 MPH
Max. Speed: 28.8 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 54 RPM
Total Ascent: 2,100 ft.
Max Elev.: 849 ft.

Elevation Profile

I couldn't resist riding through the irrigation spray to cool down a little.

Lake Michigan. I didn't go in, but I bet even the water was hot.

Mill Road

Molly's Corner

STS-135 Shuttle Launch Recap

Since I kept posting while on the road, a long narrative of my recent trip to see the shuttle launch would be redundant, but I did want to include one wrap-up post with map, statistics and a few of my favorite pictures from the trip. Each pine on the map includes a brief description for each notable stop I made along the way.

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Statistics
Miles: 4,694
Days: 13
States: 17
New (never before visited) States: 3 (Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas)
Total Counties: 170
New Counties: 144
Pictures Taken: 539
Pictures Archived: 250
Fuel: 142.6 gallons
MPG: 32.9
Cost: $1,860.09

Biltmore Mansion

Seaside, Florida

French Quarter New Orleans

Oak Alley Plantation

Sunset in Natchez

Graceland

South Bend Silverhawks

One of the things that I wanted to do while in Niles is attend a Silverhawks game at Coveleski Stadium.  Tonight, my mom & I are watching them take on the Clinton Lumberkings.  South Bend has a 1-0 lead.  It's been quite a few years since I've been to a game here.  They have made a couple improvements since then.    One change I don't like is the mascot.   The team name comes from a Studebaker car model once manufactured here.  The used to use the ornament from that car; now it's a generic bird with snarling teeth.  Still, I'm rooting for the home team, but whatever the outcome there are fireworks afterward.

Atlantis Launch

As I mentioned in my post just after the final space shuttle launch, despite my intentions to do otherwise, I broke down and snapped a few pictures of the actual launch with my digital camera. Here are a couple of those shots along with some taken before and after the main event.

Atlantis the night before its final launch

Atlantis just after lift-off

Atlantis during take-off

Atlantis's Exhaust Trail

Me after the launch

Also, here a map showing my viewing location in proximity to the launch pad.
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Chief Menominee Monument

Last night, I caught up with my uncle in Paoli, IN.  We talked so late that I ended up staying the night there.  Today, I officially finish this trip.   I'm only a few miles--relatively speaking--from home.   On US-31 south of South Bend there is a sign pointing to "Chief Menominee Monument," which I've passed countless times.  Today, I figured what the heck; this is a good time to check it out.  It was tough to find, but I eventually did.   Chief Menominee led a band of Potawatomi Indians at the time of the ouster as part of the trail of tears.

New Harmony

My last point of interest stop on the tour was New Harmony, Indiana.  Founded in 1818, by the Harmonic Society, it was one of the early attempts at a religious utopia in the US.  They were known for making quality goods like furniture & cloth.  After less the 10 years they moved to Western Pennsylvania, selling true town to a group that tried to create a secular utopia.  That attempt didn't last 3 years.

Tower Rock

A sign to something called Tower Rock was too intriguing to pass up.  A drove to the end of the 4 mile road and the scene wasn't promising.  A closed campground, a picnic area, and a boat launch.  None interested me,  but I drove on and spotted a sign for a short trail.   It led to this great view of the Ohio River from the top of cliffs along its banks.

Cave-in-Rock

I made what should be my last stop in Illinois at Cave-in-Rock State Park.  The cave is along th banks of th Ohio and was once used as a pirate hideout.

Fort Massac

In the nonfiction category, Metropolis's most famous attraction is Fort Massac, a replica of an outpost built by the French, occupied for a time by the English, & then the Americans during the Revolutionary War.  It appears to be undergoing extensive renovations so I could only inspect from behind a construction fence.

Metropolis

This Illinois town (pop. 6,500) pays homage to its self-proclaimed most famous resident.

Confluence

This is the confluence of the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers.  It marks the end of my journey with the Father of Waters.  From here, I'll follow the Ohio for a little while before turning north for the final stretch.  I may stop along the way if something interests me,  but mostly I expect a lot of driving today.   I'd like to be home by the end of the day and that is still 360 miles away as the crow flies.

Lunch/Dinner

At rendezvous in downtown Memphis.  I got the tip while talking to someone at Mud Island.  Engaging with people while I travel isn't my strong suit. I wish I were better at it, because as this meal shows it can really pay off.

Mud Island

In downtown Memphis, I rode a streetcar to the terminal for the monorail out to Mud Island, the city park on an island in the Mississippi.  On the island, I visited the river museum & walked along the model of the lower river.  The museum was the best overview of the river I've seen on my trip.  Appropriate given my theme.  With the model, I enjoyed retracing my steps from recent days.

National Civil Rights Museum

Martin Luther King was assassinated outside his motel room on April 4, 1968.  The motel was the Lorraine in Memphis, Tennessee and it is now a civil rights museum.  I stopped there after my visit to Graceland.

I'm Going to Graceland

Technically, I'm already there.  I did not plan to stop in Memphis on my way back, but last night I arrived here about bedtime & found a motel. Finding myself in Memphis, a stop at Graceland seemed the thing to do.   I toured the mansion first thing in the morning.  I plan to look at some of the additional exhibits but do not expect to stay here too long.

Winterville Mounds

<p>I made a brief stop off of MS-1 to learn about the Winterville Mounds, which were built  by the Mississippi culture   around 1100 AD.   This, the tallest mound, is as tall as a five story building.</font></p>

Louisiana Cotton Museum

I stopped for lunch before leaving Vicksburg.  Consequently, I arrived too late to see the Louisiana Cotton Museum.  It is too bad because it looks like a neat place.  I walked around the grounds & read the interpretive panels,  but would have liked to do a more complete visit.  It wasn't on my radar until I passed a sign for it.  That's one of the pitfalls of unplanned travel.  Sometimes you find unexpected gems like sunset in Natchez; other times you miss out.

Coke Museum

I came to Vicksburg expecting to visit the battlefield.  I didn't expect to find a Coke museum.  Intrigued, I gave it a look.  Vicksburg's contribution to Coke history is the sit of the first bottling operation.  Up until then,  the drink was only sold T soda fountains.

Vicksburg National Military Park

I spent the morning touring Vicksburg NMP.  I bought a companion CD to guide me as I drove the driving tour of the fortifications that surrounded the city,  two-thirds of which are park of the park.  They also have on display the recovered remnants of an ironclad that that the Confederates sunk with a mine in the Mississippi.  I followed up my tour of the battlefield with a visit to the Old Courthouse Museum in downtown Vicksburg.

Sunset in Natchez

One of the dilemmas with using th Mississippi River as a guide to lead me north.is that while driving, you don't see that much of the river.  When the road runs close enough to it, it is usually behind a level.  The best way to see it is to cross over it, which I've done 6 times so far.

But by far the best view I got so far was at the end of today.  I arrived in Natchez, Mississippi minutes before sunset & watched it from the park that lines the high bluffs along the river.

Morganza Floodway

At the beginning of this year, I had never heard the term Floodway.  With all the flooding this year, it is a term that was.much in the news.  I just drove over the entrance to one that was uses as a relief valve for the lower Mississippi.  Frankly, much of today's drive was pretty uninteresting,  but this section of highlY was anything but.

Port Hudson

Port Hudson anchored the southern end of a 160 mile stretch.of the Mississippi that the Confederates managed to maintain their control over until July 1863.   Within days of receiving word that the northern anchor, Vicksburg, had fallen into Union hands, the Confederate commander surrendered Port Hudson.  It was their last military post in the river.

Plaquemine Lock State Historic Site

After Oak Alley Plantation, a toured a second, nearby plantation, called Laura, which was operated by a Create family.  It gave me a different perspective.  Then, I began my drive north.in earnest.  I  plan to parallel the Mississippi River most of the way.   On that theme I stopped a river related historic site.   plaquemine locks completed in 1909 & until it was replaces with a bigger nearby lock, it allowed boats a shortcut between the river and gulf.

Oak Alley Plantation

A visit to Louisiana wouldn't be complete without a visit to a plantation.  There are plenty to chose from. I picked Oak Alley, an antebellum plantation most remarkable for the 28 oak trees that line the walk from the river to the house. The trees
Actually predate the house by about 100 years.

Barataria

Now, this is what I call a swamp.  Armed with a can a bug spray, I hiked a pair of trails out to an overlook of southern Louisiana bayou country.  Along the way, I passed through a classic swamp with moss draped cypress trees;  sounds of frogs, owls of insects competing for attention; and plenty of bugs to swat at.

The Big Easy

I'll be spending the day in New Orleans.  Last knight, I found my hotel in the French Quarter.  It was a little hard because the GOD recommended routd was blocked by a dixieland band.  This morning, I woke up early, went to mass at the cathedral, and walked around the area for a little while.  It's only 9:00 AM, and its already 86 degrees.  I currently waiting to start a NPS tour of the riverfront.

End of one road.

US-31 passes just west of my home.  This is the southern end of the route.  If I recall correctly, the northern terminus is just before the Mackinac Bridge I could take this road almost all the way home, but I have something different in mind.

USA Alabama

I arrived to late in the day to visit the th USA Alabama which is part of a military park in Mobile, AL.  It is too bad because it looked interesting.  Still it makes for an impressive site when driving the long I-10 bridge approaching town.

Seaside, FL

When I was studying for my Urban Planning degree, we spent a lot of time discussing th New Urbanist movement,  the idea that city planning should return to design principals the emphasize pedestrians over automobiles.  Seaside Florida is one of the best examples of this theory put in practice.  I came to check it out for myself.  I also got a late lunch while enjoying the sea breezes from my seat at the patio bar of one of the town' restaurants.

Apalachicola

Traveling west along the coast of the Florida panhandle today.  The weather initially promised to be the best since my fist day out, but within fifteen minutes of me putting on sunscreen it started to rain. 

I'm currently in Apalachicola, once the third largest cotton port in the country.

Paynes Prairie State Park

Like Natural Bridge State Park in Kentucky, Paynes Prairie was featured in National Geographic Guide to State Parks. On that.recommendation, I wanted to check it out.   The prairie is in a large depression where seasonal floods and fires keep trees to a minimum.   It's a unique landscape for Florida &, given how wet it is, is very different than the prairies of the American heartland. 
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It is still raining so a long hike is doubtful but I will walk the short Wacahoota trail through the woods on the edge of the prairie.  This picture is from a sheltered observation tower near th visitor center.

Ravine State Gardens

I'm back on the road today, headed back to Michigan the long way.  It's been raining off & on all day, but it hasn't much affected the driving. Florid state highway was particularly scenic.  I took a chance and visited Ravine State Gardens,  state park in Palate, FL.  I even got out & walked around the humid soggy grounds for a bit.  The time to visit I'm in the spring when the extensive azalea collection is in bloom, but I enjoyed my visit today even without.