What I like about Washington:

It felt like “the territory”. I think that is because it was our 42^nd state as of November 11, 1889.

Washington has its own home grown beer brand “Olympia” brewed in Tumwater.

Being a birdwatcher and member of the Audubon Society in the third grade it was not a stretch to love the beautiful Willow Goldfinch.

Love the mountains, I just couldn’t get enough of the Cascade Mountain Range and the Olympic Rain Forest.

Washington’s diverse landscape of the mountains on the west and the dryer area on the east made for some great hiking.

You step out on the streets of Seattle and smell the famous brew of coffee of America’s coffee capital.

The state’s nickname is the Evergreen State and rightly so. Stepping off the plane at SeaTac I could smell the evergreens in the airport.

What I like about Utah:

The mountains and the deserts. The Canyonlands are absolutely gorgeous and the states hugs up to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. What a sight.

And if you are an outdoorsman as I am you will be quick to recognize Utah has 5 National Parks, 6 forests and, and 42 State Parks. You could spend you entire life outside.

The Great Salt Lake is home to the famous state bird, the California Seagull. Also has an island with a bison sanctuary nearby.

Not only is it the only state with three words for its title but all three words are four letters long!

The Dinosaur quarries are open to the public so we can learn interesting facts about the largest footprints and their history in Utah.

Utah is famous for Promontory Point where the Golden Spike was pounded in to show the nations first’s transcontinental railroad.

It may feed the desires of history buffs to learn who walked in Utah, such as the Spanish Franciscan Friars Escalante and Dominguez in 1776. Or the history of Jim Bridger when he discovered Salt Lake City in 1824.

What I like about Nevada (and no it is not about gambling):

While it is true that Reno and Las Vegas are hubs that known are worldwide I did not live in the part of that State. I have been to both, enjoyed shows, food and gambling.

I loved up by Elko where first recorded white men were fur trappers who trapped beaver starting in 1828.

Nevada is loaded with fossils. In fact, the ichthyosar is Nevada’s official state fossil.

Nevada gets its name from the Spanish word meaning “snow-clad”.

Most of the state in fact, is desert. You can see while mustang still roam in the secluded northern part of the state.

Remember the movie The Misfits with Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable? Yep, filmed in Nevada.

And Hoover Dam, who can not visit the beautiful legacy of the Great Depression era without being awe inspired.

What I like about California:

California has great things to do and places to visit. Starting with the famed Redwood forest.

It has history predating the birth of our nation.

Death Valley, oh this place is hot. White hot, recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States.

Movie stars galore, the first motion picture theater was opened in Los Angeles in 1902.

Love the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge, it is also know that the San Francisco Bay is considered to be the world’s largest landlocked harbor.

The wine country. If you have been to California you know this is one place not to miss in the Napa Valley.

And I miss the garlic festival south of San Jose. During the harvest the air was filled with the smell of garlic, still one of my favorite foods.

What I like about Texas:

The Hill Country around Austin is one of the most picturesque places in the spring when the bluebonnets are in full bloom.

Home to some of the most amazing history in our country, who can forget the Alamo or Gonzalez.

I never knew that the Texas flag has meaning for each color; blue stands for loyalty, the white for strength and the red for bravery.

Texas hugs up to the other side of the Gulf of Mexico from Florida, spent many days swimming off of Matagorda Bay.

From El Paso to Brownsville Texas it takes a good two day drive. On the coastline by Brownsville is Port Isabel where the summer resort of South Padre Island invites vacationers. Love it.

Austin has the famous Congress Bridge bats. It is one of the most amazing sites of Free-tail bats that migrate here to raise their young up until early fall.

Because New Braunfels has a sizable German community they start in November with their festival, Wurstfest. You can find bratwurst, beer and song. Makes anyone homesick for Europe.

What I like about Florida:

The Gulf of Mexico. Once you have been there you will not get enough of it.

The Everglades. Few places have I visited that have made such an impact on me. This was the greatest thing I saw in Florida.

Close by the Everglades is historical information about the Seminole Native Americans. Sure Ponce de Leon discovered Florida in 1513 but it was in 1821 that General Andrew Jackson swept through with a vengeance to take over the area in the name of the United States.

Not to mention that Saint Augustine is the oldest European settlement in North America.

But it is Orlando that attracts most visitors than any other amusement park.

Cape Canaveral is America’s launch pad during space flights.

I lived in Niceville. It is home to the famous Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival.

What I like about Alabama:

The climate is temperate, has a great growing season. You can still see cotton fields along the roadways.

Has a nice long list of famous people who have called Alabama home. Three that I have been to their historical sites are Helen Keller, Rosa Parks and Harper Lee, famed author of to To Kill A Mockingbird.

History, history, history! From the early Native Americans to the Civil War on to the Civil Rights movement.

Cheaha Mountain is the highest point in Alabama. The Civilian Conservation Corps instituted during The Great Depression built the park that this mountain is associated with.

Huntsville is home of the famed NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center. It houses the Space Camp that attracts both kids and adults.

The lovely Camellia is the state flower. Camellias first sold in 1807 in American nurseries. They are now considered heirlooms plants in Alabama.

The Gulf of Mexico hugs this state as well, Dauphin Island is one place that we enjoy. It has an Audubon Bird Sanctuary and feeds my historical soul with Fort Gaines, best know for the Battle of Mobile Bay. It also has the Dauphin Island Sea Lab where primary marine education and research.

Lets begin on the West Coast. I was raised in Washington so it was not a hardship to visit Mount Rainer National Park. The glaciers are beautiful and the rainforest makes for great hiking. Plan to hike the Wonderland Trail. Be amazed, refreshed and enjoy your visit. It is within striking distance of Seattle and surrounding areas if urban vacationing is your thing.

Rocky Creek

Did you know: In 1792, Captain George Vancouver of the British Navy became the first European to sail into the Puget Sound. On the horizon, he noted a large, snowy mountain, known to local Native Americans as Tahoma, Takhoma, or Tacobet. Vancouver named it for his colleague Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.

Next travel down the coast to another favorite spot, the Redwood Forest. The massive trees among the trails and roads are no doubt one of the many wonders of the world. Camping and hiking from novice to expert.And bring the little kiddies. I know my kids got to visit several times as young ones.

Did you know: Gray whales migrate just offshore along the California coastline as they from Alaska to Baja California; a 10,000-mile round trip journey. The best time to view these 45-foot marine mammals are December/January and March/April. You can watch for their spouts that are shaped like a heart.

Then move inland to the great State of Utah. While Park City and the Wasatch Range have loads to offer it is the southern part of the State that holds me captive with their parks.

The Utah Canyonlands are some of the most wondrous places I have had the occasion to see.

Northern Canyonlands: Moab will surround you with the warmth and hospitality of a small resort town at the center of some of the most stunning red rock landscapes on Earth.Great place for hiking and biking.

Southern Canyonlands: Welcome to San Juan County, Utah’s Canyon Country!
Where the true west of myth and legend is alive today. Free from the distractions of metropolitan and urban life, the relaxing lifestyle in our charming towns and villages offers the perfect vacation, residential, or business environment. Zion National Park holds the old movies set for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

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If you are not completely smitten by the Canyonlands then move south of Utah to Arizona for another wonder of the world. The Grand Canyon National Park. Oh yes, you will be impressed. I remember driving up to the Grand Canyon and wondering what the big deal was because I could not see it from the road. When we parked and walked to the rim I was over taken with the sheer majesty of it all.

Did you know: On March 31, 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the legislation creating the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
During its nine-year existence, the CCC completed numerous conservation projects in state parks, national parks, and national forests, as well as other public lands across the USA.
The program was an opportunity for poor, unemployed young men to perform critical conservation projects such as tree planting, trail construction, erosion control, forest fire fighting, state park development, and fire road construction. (By Robert Audretsch, Interpretive Ranger)

Okay if these parks are not within your range of travel then maybe further southeast would do for you. What about the Everglades National Park? It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. We took a air boat tour. It seemed like sometimes we were in the middle of the ocean but our guide assured us we could step out into only a few feet of water. We didn’t. Those long tailed critters with the huge jaws were swimming rather close by!

Did You Know: The Everglades is not the proverbial swamp many people consider it to be. It is technically a river, flowing southwest at the slow rate of about a quarter mile per day.

I hope you enjoyed a small taste of the National Parks of the United States. If you have the time and means to enjoy one of these parks this summer, please do.

There are some Parks I have not visited that I want to. Next time I will share with you some of those. In the mean time, enjoy our National Parks. Enjoy the summer. And if you can, take a vacation. It is the best medicine money can buy!

Note: For a complete of all the National Park in the United States go to;

www.nps.gov/

“Alabama photographer/motorcyclist, David Haynes’” wrote a book call Motorcycling Alabama: 50 ride loops”. The rides are only about 75 to 150 miles so they are an easy day trip for the weekend rider. His blog covers the rides, he maintains a list of monthly newsletters and offers pictures that will make anyone want to hit the open road.

As a dog-aholic I was pleased to see that he takes his ride with a side car loaded up with his two goldens, Roscoe and Bailey. To add to the cuteness factor is a great story about these two dogs. He says that Bailey once belonged to his neighbor about two miles away. But she met Roscoe and would come a calling regularly. Haynes would let her play and feed her when she came a calling but would take him home after their play time only to find Bailey back on his doorstep. Finally both Haynes and the neighbors agreed that Roscoe and Bailey were smitten with each other and Bailey moved into the Haynes home. So off he goes now riding down the road with these two adorable goldens.

The side car has been expanded to fit Bailey alongside for the ride. Where ever Haynes stops the dogs attract attention. They clearly are in the limelight. In fact when David Haynes starts his rollout tour for his book, Motorcycling Alabama there will be Roscoe and Bailey riding along with him. Probably stealing his thunder!

Website for David Haynes’ blog: http://motorcyclingalabama.info/

That was the first time I thought about covered bridges but now that I am in the south I see them regularly. Now this is what I see when I travel the byways of Alabama.

The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge is a county-owned wooden covered bridge that spans Crooked Creek in Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It said to be the second longest covered bridge in Alabama.

The Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge, more simply known as Gilliland's Covered Bridge, is a locally owned wooden covered bridgethat spans a small pond near Black Creek in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. It was moved to Noccalula Falls Park in 1967.

The Waldo Covered Bridge, also known as the Riddle Mill Covered Bridge, is a privately owned wood & metal combination style covered bridge that spans Talledega Creek in Talledega County, Alabama, United States. Located behind the old Riddle Mill, now a privately owned restaurant.

Atticus Finch

(To Kill A Mockingbird, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056592/quotes?qt=qt0425293)

I am not from the “south” but living in Alabama has not been wasted on me. As a historian and chocked full of tradition and nostalgia it doesn’t take much for me to appreciate the things that make Alabama famous for its ageless stories.

Alabama is full of story tellers. I love a good a story teller. One such story teller is Harper Lee. Harper Lee is best known for writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)—her one and only novel. She is from Monroeville Alabama where every year in the Fall they stage the play To Kill A Mockingbird on the Courthouse lawn. The Courthouse is where the movie was filmed. When I visited this place, the museum and the Harper Lee information center I fulfilled one of my childhood dreams. I have loved To Kill A Mockingbird since childhood. It is a great piece of literature that stands the test of time. I usually am drawn to the theme of the story about social injustice but today I revisited the dialogue when Atticus Finch explained to Jem why it would be a sin to kill a mockingbird.

I came around the yard to the back gate. There on the utility pole was a mockingbird singing at the top of its lungs. He would take flight about the pole and flit here and there while he sang. I thought of Atticus Finch explaining that these birds are music makers for us to enjoy. And like this mockingbird in my yard they just sing their hearts out. They are not a colorful bird, gray and white. A medium size bird about ten inches long. They just sing, feed on unwanted insects in the yard and eat weed seeds. What is not to like about a mockingbird?

Mockingbirds are famous for their vocal imitations. They have many characteristics I never knew about like:

“The song is a mixture of original and imitative phrases, each repeated several times. It will imitate other species’ songs and calls, squeaky gates, pianos, sirens, barking dogs, etc. During the mating season the mark his territory with song. You will see them singing incessantly. Both night and day, hopping from one song post to another. If you see him jumping up and down in the air, he’s catching a few insects! In the Fall, both the male and female will mark their territory to protect Fall and Winter food sources.” (http://www.birdsforever.com/mock.html)

I never thought about any of these things until I moved to the south. Up until then all I knew about a mockingbird was pretty much summed up in the lesson Atticus Finch was teaching Jem about fairness and propriety. It is near impossible to overlook a mockingbird when you see them every day. There is not a morning that I miss waking up to their strong songs beginning each day anew. I agree with Atticus Finch, “ I reckon because mockingbirds don’t do anything but make music for us to enjoy”. Mockingbirds are unmistakeable in their song.

I look forward to mockingbirds flying into the yard and landing on our utility pole. Many times I step out into the yard while on the phone and just about every time the caller comments on the song bird they can hear in the background. That is our mockingbirds reaching through the phone line to anyone no matter where they live.

What a great weekend! We “unplugged” (okay well, except the phone) and drove to the furthest point south in the State of Alabama. Dauphin Island. The weather was perfect. The first morning we started the day watching the rosy dawn with the sound of the Island Ferry docking in the distance. What a great way to wake up. Throughout the day we could see the bay with boats and the ferry coming in and out. And off on the horizon could be seen oil rigs that turn on lights at night that remind me of Christmas lights lit up reflecting on the water’s surface.  Not a cloud in sky, mild nights and refreshing sea air. Ah, we were on “Island Time”.

This little tiny island has so many things to do and within walking distance. You can walk from the campground directly down to Mobile Bay which takes all off 5 to 10 minutes. On the bay there are two great points of interest. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab offers an aquarium as well as the estuairum. The Estuarium is an exciting educational facility highlighting the four key habitats of coastal Alabama: the Mobile Tensaw River Delta, Mobile Bay, the Barrier Islands and the Northern Gulf of Mexico. It includes the 10,000 square foot Exhibit Hall and Living Marsh Boardwalk.

Then further down within site of the Estuairum is Fort Gaines. This is one of my favorite places because I am a history buff. Best known for the battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War you can stand on the wall facing the ocean and imagine hearing the words of Admiral David Farragut as he said, “Damn to the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

And right outside our camp was the famous Audubon bird sanctuary, Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary has my heart  because I have been into birding my whole life. And while we were there the birds were migrating. ” Many species of birds, called neotropical migrants, nest in North America and spend the winter in Latin America. Twice each year these birds migrate the long distances between wintering grounds and spring nesting locations. Each spring millions of birds that wintered in Central and South America are driven north by the urge to establish breeding territories and select mates. They first push north to the Yucatan Peninsula and the adjacent Mexican coast.

Beginning in early March, migrants reach the tip of the peninsula and if the weather conditions are favorable, just after sunset, migrants leave Mexico and head north across the Gulf of Mexico. The trip across the Gulf is 600 miles and with good weather takes about 18 hours. Arriving on the Texas coast midday, some of these birds stop on the coast; but most will fly inland until nightfall.”

As you can tell it was quite a treat to spend part of three days and two nights on the Island this past weekend. And even our dogs enjoyed it. We nestled our small motor home in the middle of four oak trees. The squirrels and birds did not disappoint. They showed up and watched us eat in hopes of getting a morsel. Our dogs, Pip and Lizzie, guarded our campsite until they were exhausted. We have been home a couple of days and they are still recovering from the necessary job of guarding.

This was one of more pleasant mini vacations we have taken. If you get a chance I highly recommend a visit to Dauphin Island, Alabama.