Saturday, September 19, 2009

Heading south

Second trip to the Annapolis, MD capitol. No tour this time either. Last year, construction and this year, a power failure.
The capitol grounds. Annapolis also served as the US capitol for about 10 months beginning in Nov. of 1783.
The capitol of New Jersey in Trenton.
Virginia's capitol in Richmond.
A Washington monument on Virginia's capitol grounds. That beautiful building behind is the old city hall!
In the Raleigh, North Carolina capitol building's old library.
On the grounds of the North Carolina capitol. Statue of the three presidents from NC.
Massachusetts high point--Mount Greylock. That tower is a recycled light house, erected as a Veteran's War Memorial.
Ebright Azimuth--What a name for the highest point in Deleware. You can probably see the exhaustion in our faces from this climb.
Show off!

Civil War history galore in Virginia.
This is near Fredricksburg.



In Richmand, VA. Maggie Walker NHS. She was the first woman bank president and was African/American.


Also in Richmond at the Tredegar Iron Works. This place supplied the Confederate Army with munitions and is part of the Richmond National Battlefield Park. Richmond was the Confederate Capital and was basically under seige the whole war. Richmond fell only after a 10-month seige took Petersburg, its supply/railroad hub.

In Richmond's Hollywood cemetery, a monument to the Confederate dead. Dennis is in the picture too, but is wearing stone colored clothes.


Petersburg National Battlefield. This is a mine shaft burrowed below Conferderate weapons cache, filled with powder, and exploded. 1700 pound cannons were tossed around, a large crater was created, and the Union attacked! They charged into the crater and could not climb the other side. Soon, over 1000 dead and wounded filled the crater.






George was quite well off. We toured the grounds of his parents' plantation.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Maine

Visited States

Arriving at our Katahdin Maine area capmground.



Beautiful stream along our 17 mile in park route to the Double Top Mountain trailhead.



Mount Katahdin, Maine's highest point, in Baxter State Park. Also called Baxter Peak.
This place is WAY out in the wild. The park has one gravel road through it and was set aside for people who are willing to hike to see wild places. Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian trail.


This is the hike (Double Top Mountain) we took because Katahdin closed before 6 AM!
It is also the steepest hike we have ever done. It was only 3 miles to the top, but the first and the last mile were relatively flat. The middle one gained nearly 2000 ft. Our calves, thighs, and buttocks are sore.


At the trailhead and the bottom of Double Top.



A little weary at the top.




At the top with Katahdin behind us. We will count this hike as visiting Maine's high point.
That makes 38.



Still at the top, resting and preparing for the trip down.


Thursday, September 3, 2009

PEI, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick

Just inside Prince Edward Island is a gift shop!!
With a statue one of the island's most popular character.
Anne of Green Gables written by Maud Montgomery.
We visited the authors home and the farm of Green Gables.
Both are National Historic Sites and in the Prince Edward Island National Park.


The Confederation Bridge. Eight miles long and connecting New Brunswick and P.E.I. It is the longest bridge over frozen waters. Fortunately we had a beautiful warm day to tour.

A Provincial Beach Park showing the red dirt cliffs and mud-red waters. P.E.I. is washing away at the rate of one meter per year due the strong tidal and wave actions.



Green Gables NHS, but that is not Anne





Cape Tyron lighthouse. A beautiful area and cape in the boondocks.





The "road" to Cape Tyron





Back in Nova Scotia at the World Heritage Site. These fossil beds are known for the fossils of Hylonomus lyelli, the first reptile to come onto land from the sea.
Some of the best examples of Carboniferous Age fossils in the world are found here and the place is referred to as 'the coal age Galapagos'.








This appears to be a large fossilized stump of a palm tree.







Human activity for fun--no fossils.










Holding a collection of fossils--apparently all of the TERRIFIC samples have been taken to the lab. This one is OK, but nothing to write home about.










A closer look.










In New Brunswick, near the Maine border is the world's longest covered bridge. It is our last stop before recrossing into the USA.