Aspen/Fall Update

Well, it didn’t take long for fall to arrive here in the Colorado mountains; at least, not above 9,000 feet.

I hiked/climbed the “Bel-Ox” pair (Mt. Belford and Mt. Oxford) on Wednesday and was startled to see large swatches of yellow. The next day Betsy noticed that the slopes of Mt. Columbia, in view from Snowy Peaks RV Park, had, seemingly overnight, become streaked with yellow. However, nighttime temperatures here in BV have so far remained north of 40 degrees.

I saw something very odd while eating lunch on the summit of Mt. Oxford with two other guys. One of them was talking on a cell phone (considered “bad form” and something I try to avoid when others are within earshot). It was very still and calm when a sudden gust of wind hit us and I heard a “zzzipp” sound and saw something fly by out of the corner of my eye. It was the guy-on-the-phone’s hat; one of those round, floppy things designed to shade the face and neck. I didn’t pay it much attention and assumed the hat was long gone. The guy talked another 15 seconds or so and hung up. He and I were musing about the sudden gust of wind when he looked up at the sky and said; “Hey, there's my hat!”

Sure enough, floating maybe 100 feet or so above us (approximately 14,300 feet above sea level) was his hat. The hat slowly circled, sort of like a helicopter or a drone, and then began dropping. Eventually it landed not far from us and he walked over and picked it up. Very weird.

Retrieving the "helicopter hat".

The two guys also brought a flag with them that they said had flown over the Capitol building in D.C. and had also traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan. They took photos with the flag and offered to take some photos of me holding it, which I took them up on.

Mt. Belford has a unique, red rock summit and is named for James Burns Belford, Colorado's first U.S. Congressman who was known for his bright red hair (and avid support for the free coinage of silver). The Bel-Ox is a pretty hike on a good trail with very little talus or scree but, with nearly 6,000 feet of elevation gain over 11 miles, it is a bit of work and requires really good weather because of the exposure during the long traverse from the Belford summit to the Oxford summit and then back over the top of Belford. Fortunately it was a beautiful, perfect day to climb these two mountains.

Belford's unique red summit cap.

It's a long way over to Mt. Oxford; and, don't forget, you have to come back.

 

Oxford's long, flat summit affords great views of nearly a dozen other 14ers.

On the way down from the Bel-Ox I shot this video of a ptarmigan and her chicks. If you are interested in more information about this fascinating bird that lives above tree-line year-round here’s a link.

Prosit!

On Friday we drove over to Breckenridge for the town's annual Octoberfest celebration on Main Street. Like most things in Breck, it was very nice with a distinctly upscale feel to it. A little different than the gigantic "Zinzinnati" Octoberfest that we attended about this time last year in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

It didn't seem quite right to drink an IPA at a German festival, but I did.

On Saturday we stopped in at the laid-back, beer-less Apple Fest in BV for some pie and "farm fun". In the photo the kids are using an old-fashioned press to make apple juice.

Putting the squeeze on some apples.

Front-porch music at the Turner farmhouse, site of BV's Apple Fest.

I also stopped by one day to get an up-close look at the 365-foot smokestack that towers over Salida. In the late 1800s and early 1900s there was a major smelting operation in Salida that employed a lot of people at the task of superheating massive piles of rock to squeeze out a few ounces of silver.

Unfortunately, a byproduct of this smelting process was billows of toxic smoke released from the smelter stacks that sickened and killed, people, animals and most of the trees on the side of a nearby mountain.

The solution to this "problem" for the company that owned the smelter was to quietly pay off people for the damages and, in 1917, to build a new, much taller, smokestack that they hoped would disperse the toxic smoke higher in the air where it would, hopefully, dissipate and be less noticable.

However, the silver market crashed at the end of WWI and the company closed down the smelter for good in 1920 after just three years in operation. The gigantic smokestack was soon considered an eyesore by city leaders and there were attempts to tear it down into the 1970s. But as the demolition became imminent the townsfolk began to embrace the big stack as a symbol of a bygone era when Salida was a mining boomtown and transportation hub. The stack transitioned from eyesore to historic icon and is now a registered National Historic Landmark.

https://youtu.be/vJujHuIUSEQ

http://www.summitpost.org/the-white-tailed-ptarmigan-in-colorado/790652

Lovely, laid-back, languid Chaffee County

Hey, look who's joined me here in Colorado!

After her epic eastern journey and my high Sierra mountain climbs in California Betsy and I rendezvoused in the well-named south-central Colorado town of Buena Vista where we have ratcheted things down several notches and settled into a more relaxed “Colorado Mountain Time”.

I stumbled on Buena Vista and Chaffee County back in 2012 when I used it as my home base for climbing the Colorado 14ers. Betsy visited for several weeks during that summer and we both became rather attached to the place. This is the second time we have returned since 2012 and each time we have stayed in our travel trailer at the Snowy Peaks RV Park about two miles north of the only stop light in Buena Vista (often pronounced buuna vista, or simply called buunee or BV).

14ers Mt. Antero (left) and Mt. Princeton

The town sits in the middle of the Arkansas River Valley, which is roughly 100 miles from north to south and 50 miles across, from the Mosquito Mountains on the east to the towering Sawatch Mountains on the west that are home to 15 14ers and form the Continental Divide.

Attentive blog readers may be interested to know that sawatch (pronounced soo-watch) is a Ute Indian word that means blue earth! Ho, ho, ho!! (Betsy says the "joke" here is to ephemeral and needs explanation...so...Jolly Green Giant-Blue Earth, MN-Ho,ho,ho Green Giant! from the 1960s television commercials...get it?).

Although the precise boundary was not clear at the time, the Arkansas Valley was on the western edge of the Louisiana Purchase and Zebulon Pike came through here on an exploratory trip in the winter of 1806 when he mistook the Arkansas River for the Red River. Pike and his fellow explorers nearly froze to death in a Christmas Day snowstorm near present-day Salida. After the 1836 Texas Revolution the nation of Texas claimed the valley and Sawatch Mountains and continued that claim after statehood in 1845. The matter was not definitively settled until the Compromise of 1850, when the Texas border was trimmed back to its present configuration.

One of the more important events in the Valley's history was the discovery of gold near Leadville in 1860. While it never amounted to much it brought lots of settlers, cemented the final displacement of the Utes to reservations and led to other mining activities in the late 19^th century that were more realistic than gold. Many of the buildings in the valley’s three cities date to the late 1800s and early 1900s, the heydays for both mining and ranching and Salida has a nice collection of these structures in its historic downtown along with a well-maintained and well-used Carnegie library.

Leadville (pop. 2,602), the county seat of Lake County, is on the north end of the valley near the headwaters of the Arkansas River. At 10,430 feet Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the U.S.

The Arkansas River, near BV.

U.S. 24 runs down the middle of the valley, paralleling the river. Buena Vista (pop. 2,617, elevation 8,000), which was the county seat of Chaffee County until 1928, is 35 miles south of Leadville.

Salida (pop. 5,236, elevation 7,000) is now the county seat of Chaffee County and the largest city in the valley. Salida is 25 miles south of Buena Vista. While Salida may have a lower elevation than either Leadville or Buena Vista it also has three marijuana dispensaries and, thus, has a legitimate claim to being called Colorado’s “highest” city.

All three of the cities in the valley have their roots in the mining industry but that has, for the most part, disappeared and been replaced by tourism. There are however hundreds of miles of old mining roads and trails in the foothills, mountains and national forests and ATVing is a popular pastime in addition to rafting, kayaking, hiking and camping. While there are still some large cattle ranches operating in the valley there has been a lot of subdividing into acreage home sites and many of the water rights that once supported ranching activities have been sold to the cities.

Chaffee County has a population of just over 18,000 spread out over 1,000 square miles. By comparison, Bexar County has more than 1.8 million people in 1,240 square miles. The population of Chaffee County has increased some in recent years, but the growth is much slower than the state as a whole.

Chaffee County is also very white and very old, compared to the rest of the state and certainly compared to an urban area in Texas, like Bexar County. Eighty-five percent of the population is White, 10 percent is Hispanic and less than two percent is Black. More than one in five residents is 65 or older while only 16 percent is 18 and under.

Party time at Snowy Peaks RV Park.

Here at the Snowy Peaks RV Park folks are even whiter and older than the locals. The park attracts a lot of Texans along with a fair amount of Coloradans from the front range cities. A sprinkling of Kansans, Missourians and Oklahomans round out the clientele. Oddly, I don’t recall seeing anyone from Arkansas here in the Arkansas Valley.

A Sawatch sunset from our home at Snowy Peaks RV Park in Buena Vista.

K's burger joint in BV is just one of the town's many fine dining venues.

One of our favorite things to do in the late afternoon/early evening is drive down an abandoned railroad right-of-way on the east side of the river. It's about a 15-mile drive on a flat, dirt road that ends up in downtown BV and passes through a series of short tunnels. Check out the video of Betsy driving through the tunnel.


Given the hippy-like vibe of Salida I was a bit surprised to find that Chaffee County is significantly more Republican-leaning than the state as a whole. Statewide President Obama out-polled Mitt Romney by more than five percentage points in 2012 but received just 18 votes more than Romney in Chaffee County. In the 2014 senate race Republican Cory Gardner beat incumbent Democrat Mark Udall by about 2.5 percentage points statewide but out-polled Udall by 4.2 points in Chaffee County. Perhaps the Democrats were too stoned to remember to mail in their ballots (Colorado used an all-mail ballot in the 2014 election)?

When the weather is good and the mood strikes me I am continuing to re-hike some of my favorite 14ers, adding Mt. Harvard and Mt. Huron to the three 14er summits described in previous posts.

With many great views of "The Three Apostles" the hike to Mt. Huron is one of the prettiest and easiest routes to a 14er summit in the U.S.

Check out this video of my encounter with a mountain goat on the Mt. Harvard hike (and note that, although I am on the slopes of Mt. Harvard the mountain in prominent view in the background is Mt. Yale).

While I have been climbing an occasional 14er Betsy has been riding her bike into town to do grocery shopping and purchase a Denver Post; and she has been hiking the Midland Trail in the hills just east of town.

Betsy's view of BV from the Midland Trail.

Over the Labor Day weekend we traveled 100 miles or so to the "ranch" of a college friend Julie and her husband Randy in the Wet Mountains southwest of Pueblo. This is basically an acreage lot subdivision that has a mix of vacation and full-time homes. The mix of "residents" is similar to Snowy Peaks, but with a lot more money and spread out over a much larger area. 

On Sunday there was a big potluck affair that we attended and we did a bit of hiking and ATVing. It was a fun and relaxing weekend.

The potluck crowd helped an ailing neighbor attend the annual event that was hosted by, naturally, a Texan.

Julie and Randy's "vacation barn".

 

Maybe you can't see all the way to Kansas from the Wet Mountains, but maybe you can?

On Labor Day Monday we attended the last Colorado Springs Sky Sox game of the year and Betsy snagged another mascot photo, this time with the impetuous Foxy Sox! By the looks of it she may have gotten more than she bargained for?

 

The Aspen leaves have not changed (much) yet but temperatures are dropping into the 40s at night and there has been a dusting of snow on the mountain tops in recent days. Fall is not far off.

For the remainder of the month we have plans to do some traveling away from BV, to visit friends and attend events. We’ll likely be reporting on those travels in future posts. 

We are planning to leave BV for Texas on September 30.

Travels with Checkers*

8,000 miles on a Mini Journey

by Betsy Pasley

(*Apologies to John Steinbeck, who wrote “Travels with Charley,” a book my son recommended to me last year.)

A graphic rendering of the "house"
I visited in Ithaca.

The gauntlet has been thrown with Dave's recent 13,000-word blog post, so I will try to more briefly document my travels in my Mini Cooper convertible “Checkers” since July 8, when we left Bayfield, WI. In the 37 days Dave was goofing off in California, I traveled more than 8,000 miles, crossed 25 states, stayed in 14 different locations, and visited 20 friends, family members or kids of friends. Not that it's a competition...

In a nutshell

Here's a flyover of my trip:  
* From northern Wisconsin to Madison and a visit to the capital after a breakfast of duck confit hash. 
* From Madison to Chicago for two fun days with friends Whitey and Dawn in a West Loop condo, visits with kids Zach and Rae, and a Cubs game at Wrigley. 
* Past Cleveland, a stop at the capital in Albany, and through Vermont to New Hampshire to visit Chet and Sue, Dave's brother and sister-in-law. We had great grilled food, a movie in an historic theater, and dinner with Tim, an old work friend and his family. 
* Back through Albany to Ithaca for a week with college roomies Susie and Laurel, escaping the heat to air-conditioned movie theaters, and engaging in tons of stimulating conversation. 
* To Cooperstown (see below). 
* Down to Westport, CT for golf and 12-foot screen baseball watching with friends Mark and Jane. 
* Over to Candlewood Isle near Danbury CT for three relaxing days with S.A. friend Mary and daughter Elizabeth at their summer cottage, including uber-healthy food and a view of a rising bright-orange (also blue) moon from a paddleboard on the lake. 
* South to Virginia for D.C. sightseeing and movie watching with Lorri, an old work buddy. 
* Driving to Asheville to meet Robie, another work friend for a "girl's weekend." 
* Back up to Charlottesville to enjoy two meals with Tex and his girlfriend. 
* Finally heading home, beginning on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

While I kept an almost daily journal, for the purpose of this blog I'll more briefly summarize some key themes of my journey. They were: 1) the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony in Cooperstown, NY; 2) tourist time in D.C. and NC and VA and historic connections between my book reading and siteseeing; 3) meeting Tex's new girlfriend; and 4) the danger of parking lots and driveways and some reflections on visits with friends and family.

1. Cooperstown

I've been contemplating this eastern trek since 2013, and it is the reason I headed East instead of West with Dave. Three years ago, when Astro Craig Biggio was first included on the Hall of Fame Ballot, I told Dave that I wanted to attend the ceremony when he was inducted. Unfortunately, nobody was voted into that class. The next year Biggio missed by only three votes, so I suspected he would finally overcome the hurdle in 2015. On Jan. 5 the announcement was made, and I immediately began making my plans. I had hoped my 86-year-old uncle from Houston could have joined me, but he was tied up with family and participating in the Senior Olympic Nationals this summer (he was a real track and field Olympian in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.) I discovered later that he won the national title in his age group in Discus and came in 2nd in Javelin, so I guess it was a productive trip!

But I digress. In the spring, as I planned my trip, I plotted a path that would reconnect me with many special friends and family members who I rarely see, as we are separated by thousands of miles. Highlights of some of these visits are mentioned above and later in this journal.

On Friday July 25, I arrived at my hotel in Utica, in advance of the Sunday induction ceremony. The Holiday Inn was about 40 miles and one hour north of Cooperstown. I don't recall if the options closer to Cooperstown were all booked up in January, or way too expensive for that weekend, but I suspect it was the latter. Anyway, this lodging was tucked away in a nice residential/business park area near Utica College. 

Saturday morning I made my "test run" to Cooperstown, driving the state and county roads, parking (for $20) on the north side of town closest to my exit, and then making the walk to the Clark Sports complex where the induction ceremony was scheduled the next day. I figured it was close to two miles, and was a hilly, yet pretty walk mainly through pristine neighborhoods. 

As I approached the field around 1 p.m., it became obvious that a lot of people were staking out their seats in the free area a day early. I talked to a staffer and a couple of Red Sox fans before deciding to drop the day pack I had been carrying to mark my place. I then trudged back to my car for the folding chair I would be using Sunday, and went back to stake out a seat about 5 "rows" back from the free-area fencing. It had a decent view of the stage but a great view of the large projection screen that would be showing the speakers and video highlights. I was really excited to have that stress out of the way. I then walked to Doubleday Field hoping to find the commemorative brick my sister Kathy and I bought my father in Fall of 2001, before his death in April 2002. Unfortunately I couldn't find it among the hundreds there. That was probably my only major disappointment of the weekend - and the trip. 

It was pretty hot, so I decided a cold beer would be nice, and I found myself at the lakeside hotel where Dad and his friend Roz had hosted me on my first trip here many years ago - maybe 1995 or so? There was a great local Pale Ale on draft, and a nice guy who I helped in getting the bartender's attention treated me to a second one. He and his wife were Yankee fans who come down for autographs every year. 

As I strolled back down the closed-off Main Street, I noticed hundreds more folding chairs, this time holding places for the 6 p.m. Parade of Legends. So, after attending a ceremony at Doubleday for two journalists (including Dick Enberg), I set my tiny folding stool behind some chairs occupied by Astros fans. This group had come up with a tour of more than 300 fans, and were frequently sipping from airline-sized liquor bottles. In the next 20 minutes we became fast friends, and as the parade started up, they invited me to stand next to them for a front-row view. It was amazing, as more than 50 players paraded by, seated in the back of Ford pick-up trucks just 30 feet from where we were standing. I can't list them all, but they included Joe Morgan, Whitey Ford, Al Kaline, Lou Brock, Johnny Bench, Rod Carew, Ozzie Smith, George Brett, Rollie Fingers, Greg Maddux, etc. The loudest cheers from our area were for Nolan Ryan and Biggio, who was serenaded as he made his way down the street with the "B-G-O" chant I would hear many more times over the weekend. It was a great way to end the day.

 

"B-G-O!"

When I finally got back to the hotel, I glanced at my phone to see that I had walked more than 11 miles that day! I packed for a quick departure the next day to guarantee my seat wasn't taken. The staff member I talked to earlier mentioned that some fans just toss chairs aside to get a better seat, so he suggested I arrive early.

 

Clark Sports Complex on Saturday.

Clark Sports Complex on Sunday.

My alarm nudged me out of bed before 7 on Sunday. After breakfast, I put the top down on the car and made my way back south. On the walk to the field, yet another local saw my t-shirt and commented how his town had been "infested" with Astros fans. I’m not sure I like the term, but it was true, and I think we outnumbered the many Red Sox fans there for Pedro Martinez. The place was starting to fill up.  (Later, officials estimated 45,000 fans attended, the most in years. Also, Astros announcers touted a Houston contingent of more than 30,000.) 

Happily, my seat was still there, but what looked like neat rows the day before were now a mishmash of folding chairs and blankets projecting back about 50 yards, so I had to pick my way to my seat, hoping I didn't step on anyone along the way. The place was a zoo; lines for souvenirs and concessions were ridiculously long, and the heat and humidity were relentless.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the 49 returning Hall of Famers were each introduced with a brief video, and we were about an hour in before Biggio's speech. After that first speech, I noticed a lot of my neighbors left to find some shade, which gave the rest of us a bit more legroom. However, since the weather was very Houston-like we Biggio fans pretty much stuck it out. I stayed cool with plenty of water and a wet bandana. 

After the festivities, I hustled back to the car to offload my things, and then headed back to the lakeside hotel for some adult refreshment. This time I sat between two male Houston fans on my left and a couple in Red Sox jerseys on my right. The woman was a retired teacher from Western NY who now gives educational presentations to kids at the HOF museum a couple of times a week. Pretty cool job. 

The drive back with my top down as the sun was setting was spectacular. I briefly mentioned that drive in the post I put on FaceBook that night. What I didn't mention is that I was listening to my Baseball song playlist, including the sentimental theme from "Field of Dreams," a movie about reconnecting with a father. I have to be honest; a few tears were shed on Hwy 20 as I topped the hill to see the pastels of the sunset to the backdrop of this beautiful anthem. 

Here is what I posted to FaceBook that night:

A tribute to baseball - and life

    I was one of thousands of orange-clad fans to attend today's induction of Houston Astros player Craig Biggio to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Why did I go? Well: it was on my bucket list; Biggio is the first player from my team to be voted into the Hall; and he is a great player and role model, having spent his entire 20-year career with one team (unlike the other three pitcher inductees who represented 16 teams between them.)

    But the primary reason I came was to honor my father, who was a huge baseball fan and loved his Astros until his death in 2002.

    He took us to dozens of games in my childhood, turning my sister and me into devoted fans of this historic game. He taught us about the game and how to follow a team. He also inspired me to keep score, helping me understand that each game is unique and the scorebook is where you chronicle that game's story.

   But the moment I remember most is sitting in my grandparent's kitchen one day with my Dad when he told me why he thinks a baseball season is like life. To wit: it's a long season; there might be some winning streaks, but you will inevitably suffer slumps and endure "dog days" where you just strive to persevere; you might even get injured and have to watch from the sidelines. But when the season is over, no matter where you finish in the standings, the question to ask is: "Did I give it my best?" Maybe it's corny, but he believed it, and it works for me too.

    My Dad died not long after that conversation, but his lesson - and his spirit - live on. I felt his presence at the ceremony today, and I am certain I saw him on the way home in a spectacular sunset over the rolling hills of upstate New York. Thanks Dad, for giving me life, and teaching me about it through this lens of the game we love. 

 

My spot at the ceremony - before the swarm arrived.

P.S. I always enjoy when folks comment on my rare FaceBook posts, but two really stood out. One commented "best post I've read all day" and another "best post in the history of FaceBook!" What made these comments special is they are from two people who are both excellent writers and storytellers by trade. So these were amazing compliments. I am just so grateful this story touched so many people. 

2. History, DC, and Virginia

During these travels, I was deep into one of the three history books I was reading ("Mornings on Horseback," "The Bully Pulpit," and "The Big Burn.") about Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the segue into Woodrow Wilson's election. So my mind was stuck in the turn of the 20th century, where much action occurred in some of the places I was to visit.

 

I worked hard to get this picture of the historic
NY Capitol framed in some modern art.

For example, I stayed overnight in Albany on my way to New Hampshire, planning to visit the NY Capitol building where Teddy served as New York state legislator and governor in the late 1800s. After my easy visit to Wisconsin's Capitol, I expected another simple "park-and-visit" stop, but found out you don't just park on the street to see New York's buildings. You have to first ascertain which underground garage is open to visitors, then how to access the plaza from an extensive underground concourse that connects all the old and new buildings. I serendipitously stumbled onto an 18-story observation deck and got some great views of the city and complex, including the Hudson River, the Capitol complex, and the Governor's house where Teddy lived.

The Gov's mansion where Teddy lived.

Then I found my way outside to the plaza to get some better front views of the older capital building where he worked. 

After Cooperstown and a few more stops with friends, I arrived in Virginia in early August to stay with an old work buddy. On August 3, she and I took the Metro into D.C. to circumvent the Tidal Basin, since she had never seen the George Mason, FDR (Teddy's cousin) and Jefferson Memorials, and I wanted to see the new MLK statue. It was a hot, humid slog, but the memorials are all still very inspirational, and the MLK slab design coming out of a faux mountain was really special. 

I think I'm the  only tourist who has posed
with arms crossed in front of the MLK carving.

The next day I had scheduled a private tour of the Washington Cathedral through an old Trinity buddy, who is Provost there. Construction of the Cathedral began in 1905, smack dab in the TR D.C. years, but it wasn't completed until the 1970s. I took I-66 east into town, then drove up Rock Creek Parkway to Massachusetts Ave. My first historic connection this day was driving over the Teddy Roosevelt Island going into DC.

My tour guide was Joey from the development department. He was a recently graduated Philosophy and Religious Studies major from Eckert College in Florida, and a Tom Cruise look-alike in an adorable yellow seersucker jacket. For 2 1/2 hours we scrambled up, down and all around the complex, visiting almost all of the 11 chapels, both bell towers, many narrow outside ledges, the resting places of Woodrow and Edith Wilson, Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan, amazing rooftop views, and astonishing close-up views of some of the damage from the 2011 earthquake.  

At the cathedral, we had a close-up, high up view of the building
 - and 2011 earthquake damage; note the missing pinnacle above.

Among the other unexpected discoveries: the stone cutout of Jesus at the main altar is brighter than its surroundings, since it was carved out of Texas(!) limestone, vs. the Indiana limestone used around it; the large wall tapestries were often used for insulation in these cold stone buildings; the difference between gargoyles and grotesques are that gargoyles are used as water spouts for drainage while grotesques are carved on roof corners to prevent water from eroding the corners; the term "stinking rich" originated from the wealthy donors who could afford to buy a spot in the columbarium in the days before embalming; and there is a gargoyle shaped like Darth Vader on one of the top towers (which was too far away from us to see). I left Joey a small donation to put toward the earthquake fund, beat the traffic back to Lorri's, and got ready for our Asheville trip to see our other USAA friend Robie.

In Asheville we stayed at a great B&B, where we had a two-bedroom suite with a private entrance, our own porch, kitchen and living room. Robie and Lorri's objective in Asheville was to visit the Biltmore Estate, which was built in 1895 (between Teddy's state and national service). My goal was to procure an Asheville Tourists t-shirt with what I think is one of minor league baseball's most endearing mascots (I found out later they had changed the mascot, but we were already committed). 

The beautiful, but ostentatious, Biltmore Estate.

We all met our goals. Friday we toured the 250-room Biltmore house, chilled for awhile, then went to the Asheville Tourists game. In the souvenir shop, I found the only shirt with Ted E. Tourist, the camera-toting, Hawaiian-shirt-wearing bear, and later got a picture with his 6-foot mascot character. Meeting this mascot seemed appropriate, since I was finishing my third Teddy R. book. 

Me and Ted E. with
the new "Mr. Moon" logo.

The next day I had to return the favor by following the girls around the Biltmore Gardens and shopping downtown, which is famous for being 100% local. It was also 100% hipster.

From a historical perspective, I had conflicting feelings about touring the ostentatious Biltmore estate on Friday, since it was intentionally built by George Vanderbilt to be the largest house in the U.S. during a time (not unlike today) when there was an immense gap between rich and poor. Much of his estate was in the previously undeveloped forests of the Blue Ridge. After George died at the age of 51, his wife realized she needed to find a way to maintain this monstrosity, and one of her actions in the 30s was to sell 95,000 of her 125,000 acres in the Pisgah forest back to the U.S. Forest Service. This must have made National Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot - the hero of "The Big Burn" and a secondary character to Teddy in "The Bully Pulpit" - very happy. It was a beautiful estate, and it does offer a tranquil setting in the midst of the Asheville sprawl.

The last connection to my history books was my visit to Woodrow Wilson's birthplace and museum in Staunton, VA. While waiting for Tex and his girlfriend to return to Charlottesville for law school, I drove the 8 miles from my hotel to this quaint little town to take the tour. There were a few original Wilson mementoes in the house, including the original crib for "Tommy," as he was known until he changed his name to Woodrow at the age of 21. So in one week I had seen Woodrow from cradle (in Staunton) to grave (his tomb at the Washington Cathedral.) 

After reading these books and visiting these sites, it easy to draw corollaries to current events. In the turn of the 20th century, there was also a yawning "wealth gap." and the government under Teddy, William and Woodrow made many substantive changes that resonate today, including trust-busting, food inspections, 40-hour work weeks, child labor laws, the income tax, and popular election of senators. I think they all would have preferred to make headway in women's suffrage and race relations, but - regardless of your political leanings - it's hard to ignore these other advancements. The other similarity is the rifts in the Republican Party in 1912 that caused Teddy to run against Taft in the new Bull Moose Party, which resulted in a split vote that propelled the Democrat Wilson into office. Although that heralded the end of Republicans as Progressives, it still feels familiar as we watch the "establishment" branch challenge the ultra-conservatives in today's Republican politics.

3. Seeing Tex, meeting the girlfriend, and motoring the Parkway

Are Tex and Rachel preparing for
their second year of Law School,
or checking FaceBook?

At the beginning of the summer, Dave and I noticed some FaceBook pictures featuring Tex and a brunette, who at first was acknowledge by him as "just a friend." It didn't take more than a few conversations to pick up on the more serious nature of his relationship with fellow UVA law student Rachel. In a matter of weeks we discovered he had bought a plane ticket from Denver to visit her in Philadelphia, the location of her summer internship. We also learned she is visiting our house this coming holiday season, they are making plans to be in the same city for internships next summer, and her parents were going to be in town Aug. 10 to help her move in and go to dinner with Tex. When Tex invited me to join them, since I would be in the East Coast, it didn't take long for me to adjust my schedule. The visit did add 540 miles to my overall mileage, but it was well worth it.

Rachel's mom didn't make it after all, but I did get to meet Rachel and her dad, Mark. He took a $5 Metrobus from NYC to Philly to drive Rachel and her cat Ginny back to Charlottesville. Rachel was what I expected after seeing her on FaceBook: cute, smart, fun and full of personality. Both she and her dad had a good sense of humor. Mark and I split the dinner check; it's very natural to treat our 26-year-old "kids." I was also able to visit with the couple for brunch the next day on the pedestrian mall, before they headed off for a camping trip, and I reviewed my options for the three-day drive home.

Another boring view for me and Checkers
on the BRP.

One of the first things I considered when I purchased my new Mini Cooper convertible last October was using it on a fun curvy road on a pretty (not too hot) day. I was hoping the drive East might include some opportunities, and it did. However, I knew my best bet would be driving on parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway on my way home. Since it starts just out of Charlottesville, I decided to get on it, and - based on how it was going - stay or get off when I wanted to go more than 40 mph. The two previous times I've been on the BRP have been either rainy or foggy, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This day (Wednesday, Aug. 12) was spectacular. I drove 341 miles in about 10 hours, using all my clutch-less manual gears and the "Sport" button to give me tighter steering. I saw very few cars, a handful of bicyclists and motorcyclists, and zero 18-wheelers, Golden Arches, or billboards. If I had stopped at all the beautiful overlooks I never would have made it in one day. This diversion added a few hundred miles to my next two days, but what a delight. 

4. Final random thoughts on friends and parking lots

First, let's talk about where the real dangers are in driving. By the time I arrived in Ithaca on July 19, I had driven 5,000 miles very safely over many county and state roads, toll roads and Interstates at high speeds. But I didn't count on the danger of the parking lot or driveway. One day in June on our way to Wisconsin, while pulling into a parking lot at the Minuteman Missile NHS in South Dakota, I heard a horn blaring behind me. Dave was in his truck following me into the lot and saw a car backing into me from the left. Since I was looking to my right to start my turn, I didn't see him. The driver of the black Charger stopped, but not before I felt an ugly "crunch" on my front left bumper. This car isn't even 8 months old and this is how it gets its first scar? We all parked safely and the driver got out and immediately started apologizing - as he should. I was relieved to see that the impact on my car was mainly to the black rubber bumper, with a small crack to the yellow plastic signal light. He had a bit more damage, and after some back and forth between agents and my decision not to get anything fixed, we closed out our side of the claim. "Good," I thought to myself, "That gets the obligatory vehicle disaster out of the way for the summer." 

Laurel and I in Ithaca with our (luckily)
undamaged Mini Coopers.

Fast-forward 5 weeks and another 2,000 miles, and we are in Laurel's driveway backing out in her Mini wagon. Our friend Susie and I had parked our cars on the left side, seemingly out of the way. As she backed up, we heard a faint" clunk" and Laurel exclaimed "Oh my god, I forgot your car was parked here!" We got out, and the black bumpers (luckily) were pretty crammed together. I got in Checkers and delicately pulled away. No real damage again, but now I'm starting to get waaayyyy paranoid about parking lots and driveways! 

Now, about the blessing of friends. Aside from the baseball ceremony and fun sightseeing visits, the real highlight of this trip was the privilege of staying with special friends and relatives on this journey. I found some houses were uncluttered and sterile, others were tastefully designed, and others were casual and inviting. But all featured gracious hosts, stimulating conversation, and great entertainment. Some came with cute pets or even cuter kids. These were all folks I only see once in a decade (or longer) so it was an amazing time. I am also so energized when I see how the kids are growing up. To a person, each is a distinct personality who has so much talent, and so much to contribute to this world. Spending time with these kids - from 12-year girls to college kids to young adults - is so inspiring, and makes me feel better about the future.

In fact, one specific visit merged family and friends. While in New Hampshire with Dave's brother and sister-in-law Chet and Sue, I also had hoped to connect with a work buddy who moved up north six years ago. Instead of my having to make separate trips, my generous in-laws invited Tim, his wife and daughter to an amazing cookout on their deck. Seeing family, friends, and kids sharing conversation, artwork, and tractor-driving made for a special evening.

Love to all! I’ll leave you with two memorable snapshots.

A summer sunset over the lake at Candlewood Isle in Connecticut.

It was a beautiful view of downtown Chicago from my friend Whitey's 5th-floor balcony.