Colorado, Part 4

The United States Air Force Academy, located just outside Colorado Springs, was today's stop.  There are six places to visit for members of the general public (and more if you have an active military ID, apparently), and we started at the Visitors' Center and museum.


Along the Center's walls are displays showing cadet life.  There is one board each for Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years, outlining what is to be learned and what major tests must be passed.  The picture at right shows the Sophomore board.







Interior displays include the various clubs cadets can join, designs for the Cadet Chapel (more on that below), and a falconry display.  The falcon is the Academy's official mascot.  At left is a hand-carved falcon donated to the Academy.

 At right is the schematic of the Cadet Chapel, a distinctive building that houses places of worship for Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist students.  (There is both a Protestant and a Roman Catholic section available.

























At left is the outside of the Chapel, the Protestant section on top, and the other sections on the bottom.

At right is the interior portion of the Protestant Chapel.  It's difficult to see in this shot, but there is a large, thin cross hanging from the ceiling.

Sections of the stained-glass panels highlighting the windows.  The panels continue on to the ceiling.

The altar.

The Catholic Chapel (pictures of the current Pope were kind of a give-away when you walk in.)

One of the Stations of the Cross.  It appears to be Jesus comforting the women of Jerusalem.  Sections of all the chapels were roped off and closed to visitors, but there were still plenty of items to photograph.

The front of the Jewish Chapel in the basement.  The room is round, and located in the center of a small area behind the Catholic Chapel.

The small Buddhist Chapel.  Visitors are asked to remove their shoes before entering, but the entire room was roped off, so it was kind of a non-issue.

A view of the campus from the Chapel steps.  Over 1200 students enter the Academy each year.

Colorado, Part 3

May 16th:

We had planned to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, but there were apparently some concerns about the roads, so we skipped that and visited Idaho Springs, noted for its gold, silver, and metal mines.  There is a small museum and visitors' center in town, and we stopped there first. 

Because of "orphan mines", the area water supply has been contaminated, and the entire back of the museum is a display of clean-up efforts.  Partnerships between local groups, mining operators, and the federal government have been formed.  Land has been reclaimed, and mines sealed to prevent run-off of dangerous metal into the local water.  At right is a display of "before" and "after" in one area of the county.

During our visit, we were joined by a group of school kids, most of whom had no interest in the museum, and were either playing with items in the gift shop, or playing hide-and-seek among the displays.  Mom finally complained to the owner, and the kids were brought under control by their teachers.  We've been with school groups before, and many were well-behaved, so we know it can be done!

We then walked the local historic district, and did some shopping.  I picked up a couple items for myself, as well as three Christmas gifts. 

We returned to Black Hawk to our hotel room for the night.  Above is a picture of the elevator floor, just for everyone's viewing amusement.  Mom had the most excitement at this stop.  She played a game of Roulette, and won $3.  She also tripped on the sidewalk on a walk around town, and now has a number of bruises.  No broken anything, though, and she's doing pretty well.

Colorado, Part 2

So, it's off to Black Hawk, small city of casinos.  But first, we're stopping at Celestial Season's Tea Factory for a look at how tea is make and the ingredients found.

Celestial Seasonings teas are found in most grocery stores around the country, but all the tea is made in Boulder, Colorado.  The herbs, flowers and leaves that make up the tea, however, come literally from all over the world.

The Virtual Tour here is a super-simplified version of the tour we took.  Unfortunately, pictures couldn't be taken on the tour, so this is the best I could do.

I can, however, show you some of the pictures of the cafe, which included displays of the process, as well as four cases of seriously cool teapots and cups, and pictures of the art produced for boxes of the various flavors of tea.

At left is one of the display panels, detailing some of the ingredients used in various flavors, and where they' re grown.  These include chamomile, peppermint, vanilla, lemongrass, blueberries, and honey, to name only a few.

The tour of the factory began with a short video about the teas, the people who develop the different blends, and the farmers who produce the ingredients.  Then everyone donned hairnets, and a few of guys "beard nets" (yes, really!), and we walked into the factory.

 At right is one of the teapots on display in the lobby.

Our tour guide explained that most teas had to be blended, and showed us the large plastic "tubs" that shake and roll the mixtures.  She then walked us through the storage area, where we could see boxes and bags of different ingredients.

One whole room is devoted to the mints -- peppermint, spearmint, and wintermint.  This is because mints have such a strong odor that they would overwhelm all the other scents if not kept separate. 

 It's hard to see the full teapot at left because of the camera angle, but all of those "branches" are actually part of the handle or feet.  I seriously want one of these.  (It stood over two feet tall.)

We continued on the tour, and ended up at the final step in the process: the machine that stacks the packed cartons of tea for shipping.  Then we continued on around the room, looking at the boxing machine, the area in which the tea is actually placed in teabags, and the conveyer belts that move everything along.   The full tour took about 30 minutes, and ended up, of course, in the gift shop.

At right are two of the paintings of art produced for the tea boxes.  Some of the art was labeled with the name of the flavor it was produced to represent, some was not.


While waiting for the tour to start, you have a chance to sample some of the teas, including green and red tea flavors, "zingers" (which have a distinct "zip" to them), and chilled flavors of iced teas.  You also picked up your "tea-ckets" (a variation on the word "ticket"), which showed that you belonged on this particular tour.  Each "tea-cket" was a packet containing three teabags of a particular flavor.  We had peppermint.

In the video theater was the Sleepytime Bear, the official representative of Celestial Seasonings.  Of course, Mom had to have a photo op.  And the staff was kind enough to supply Dad with a wheelchair, so he didn't have to stand through the whole tour.  (No pictures of that, though....)








Once finished with the tea factory, we stopped briefly at Into the Wind Kites and Toys, at the request of my friend David.  This was something of a mistake.  Mom's rubber duck collection suddenly grew by about half a dozen members....

Just to give you an idea of part of the store's inventory:

Colorado, Part 1

Arrived in Trinidad, Colorado this morning, rented our car (well, it's more like a mini-van, but that's the only thing they had available -- I'll post pictures later), and drove out to Colorado Springs to tour the Garden of the Gods.  (Another good website here.  Lots of photos.)

This is a drive-though park, with no admission fee, easy walking trails, and dozens of red and white rock formations.  Some can be seen from the road, others only from the trails.


The formations made this area a landmark, not only for the Ute and other local Native Americans, but also for people moving west to prospect for gold.  It was dubbed "The Garden of the Gods" in 1859 by a young man named Rufus Cable, who thought it too majestic to be a mere "beer garden", as one of his friends called it.

 At right, if you look closely, you can see the red and blue of a rock climber.  Several people were climbing this afternoon, which is allowed as long as you have the proper equipment. 

At left is one of the rock formations along the Perkins Central Garden Trail.  This one can only be seen if you walk the footpath.  The stones were formed millions of years ago as sediments settled to the bottom of the ocean that covered this region at that time.  Later, the rock was pushed upward by geological forces.  Wind and water wore the softer parts of the stones away, leaving the formations you see here.

Several stones, also along the Perkins Trail.  More information on the history of the area can be found here.
 

 




The Balancing Rock.  Weather and water have eroded the stone's sides and base.  (And no, there are no blue shapes on it -- that's a camera issue with the sunlight's angle.)






Mom promised people "waves" from various places along our trip, so here's the first.  Please note that none of us are providing the laughter you hear in the background before the clip ends; my camera's microphone just picks up everything.

Alabama, Part 3

 On to the city of Montgomery, and the Hank Williams statue, museum, and grave site.

The statue, left, is supposed to be life-sized.  Mom and Dad give it some perspective.  (Yes, it's raining.  And chilly.)

We also attempted to find the restaurant/hamburger place where Williams liked to eat, but were informed it had burned down a year ago.

The museum lobby, including a display of photos of people with whom Williams worked.  Photos were not allowed inside.

One half of the grave site, just outside of the city.  Hank Williams is buried on one side, Aubrey (the first wife) on the other.  Below is a video so you can see the whole thing.

Alabama, Part 2

Our next stop was just down the road and over a couple of hills at the Tuskegee Airmen Museum.  These were African American men who wanted to fly for their country during World War II, but were banned from doing so by law.  Finally, a program was started at the Moton Air Field in Tuskegee, and in 1942, the first group of trained pilots, bombardiers, and navigators were ready to serve.

The museum pays tribute to everyone involved in the training: recruits,instructors, intelligence officers, technicians, and support staff.  After watching a four-minuted video, visitors could walk into the hanger and take a self-guided tour.

At left is a wide view of half the museum.  Note the parachutes hanging from the ceiling; there were three staff members who packed and checked the chutes -- all of them were women.  There is actually a hands-on parachute station at which visitors can try their hand at this job.  It's not easy!

At right is a practice console used in training.  Navigators and pilots were expected to be able to fly using only their instruments.  Below is the simulator, provided by Link Aviation.  Yes, the one outside Binghamton, NY.  Mom is sitting in the cockpit.  She worked for Singer-Link for six years in the late 1950s.

The exhibit features recordings of actual base personnel, including the trainees, intelligence officers, mechanics, secretaries, and others. 











At right is a restored Piper Cub, one of the planes used for training flights.





Since both this and the Tuskegee University sites are run by the National Park Service, I could get my NP Passport book stamped in both places.  Also, admission was free in all areas (although donations were cheerfully accepted).

Alamaba, Part 1

Got off the train in Birmingham, rented a car, and drove off to Montgomery.  Our first stop was the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, which includes Tuskegee University, the George W. Carver Museum, and the home of Booker T. Washington, who served as the university's president from 1881 until his death in 1915.

 We started in the Carver Museum.  George Carver was born a slave in 1864, near Diamond, Missouri.  At one week (yes, one WEEK) of age, George, his sister and his mother were kidnapped and sold in Kentucky.  The Carvers, who originally owned George's family, hired a man to located the kidnap victims, but George was the only one who could be found and returned.  George and his brother James were eventually adopted by the Carvers after slavery was abolished.  George showed an interest and aptitude for natural sciences, especially botany, and his parents encouraged his interests, sending him to school 10 miles away in Neosho.

As he grew older, George continued to seek education wherever he could find it, often doing menial labor to support himself.  He eventually gained fame as a botanist (although he also loved to paint).  In 1896, Booker T. Washington invited Carver to head the agricultural department at Tuskegee Institute.

The campus houses an entire museum dedicated to Carver's work.  His greatest interest was in teaching practical knowledge that could be used to make a living, so that people of African descent could achieve equality with their white neighbors.  Carver taught mostly farming techniques, but also experimented with weaving, pigments for paint, and processing of crops such as sweet potatoes, cotton, and, of course, the peanut.

 At left: Carver's mobile classroom.  He often loaded displays and tools into this vehicle and drove to communities to talk directly with farmers who couldn't attend his school.

 

At right: pigments of paint that Carver developed.  Some could be used to paint houses, others were for decorative work like his painting below, "The Peaches".  This is the original painting, one of the few survivors of a fire that destroyed some of his other works.  The colors have become muted due to smoke and water damage.

By the way, George Carver never actually used the middle name of "Washington" himself.  He added the W. initial while attending one of many schools, because there was another "George Carver" there.  People asked if the W. stood for Washington, and he answered, "Why not?"  He himself used only the letter.




At left is a painting of Booker T. Washington, and his home, The Oaks, was the next stop on the trip.  The house was built in 1899, and was meant at least partially as proof that African Americans could live just was well as whites.  The house had the most modern anemities Washington could find -- indoor plumbing, lighting, even a sauna.  Like many of the buildings at the Tuskegee Institute, it was built by students of bricks made on campus.  Many of the furnishings were also made by students and other local crafters.

Pictures are allowed inside as long as a flash isn't used, so I do have this photo of Washington's study.  The ornate chair was carved in China and shipped here as a gift.

Many of the furnishings are period pieces, not authentic to the house, but most of the items in the study did belong to Washington.

According to our tour guide, Washington was meticulous about details and demanding of his employees.  Often students would train with him to become housekeepers, one of the few jobs in which African American girls were accepted.  Washington insisted on a scrupulously clean house, and several fresh shirts in his office each day -- every time he began to sweat, he would change his shirt.  Of course, in Alabama, sweating is expected, especially during the summer.