Ellis Island

Next we took the ferry from the Statue of Liberty to Ellis Island. While the girls worked on their Junior Ranger badges I went into the historical documents area to look up my Great Grandfather, Hilary Suchy. I found a thousand Suchys but no Hilary. Maybe he came into another city.

 

Liberty

Yesterday we took the free ferry from Staten Island to Manhattan and then got on the next ferry to the Statue Of Liberty. Inside the museum is the original lamp. The new lamp is all copper and no glass. Copper handles the weather better than glass.

We walked up 200+ steps to get to the neck. Here is the view from the neck.

I think this is New Jersey.

View of Manhattan.

To walk up all the way up to the crown means you have to make your reservation 4 months in advance. We did  not look that far ahead so could only take a photo of the steps inside the head.

Now I am standing from the island closest to Manhattan. She looks great!

 

Today I went on a family trip to NYC. Last night we stayed at the Navy Lodge on Staten Island.. We were up early and drove to the ferry station and took the ferry to Manhattan, passing the Statue Of Liberty along the way. Laughing girls and ring billed gulls flew along with us.

We landed on the south shore of Manhattan. We walked north past the statue of the bull and past Wall Street. Wall Street is called that because in the 1600's the people from the Netherlands had their slaves build a wall to protect the town from intruders. Here is the rebuilt World Trade Center.

There are two memorial pools. This is the southern pool. The names of the people who died in the 9.11 attacks are etched into the stone. The pool on the north side is under repair and has no water in it. After that we walked north exploring places such as the African American Burial Ground, Stonewall National Park, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, the American Girl Doll Museum and Central Park. At the end of the day we took the subway south and the ferry back to Staten Island.

 

New Trails

Here in Pennsylvania I have been spending time with the grand girls, walking them to school and attending sporting events. I was sent on an errand today to pick up some groceries. I decided to spend some time at a local park exploring. New trails are always exciting. I found a dirt path that went along a creek and found this wonderful spot.

 

Her Hidden Genius

 Marie Benedict writes stories about smart women living in a man's world. I have read The Other Einstein and Lady Clementine and The Personal Librarian. This time I read Her Hidden Genius which is about a British scientist named Rosalind Franklin. She studies physics and chemistry and takes pictures of things with X-rays.  She was the first to hypothesize the double helix structure of DNA. James Watson and Francis Crick got the credit and were the first to go public with the hypothesis. This was an enjoyable book. The author does extensive research.

Immune

 I listened to a non-fiction book called Immune: A Journey Into The Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive. The author, Phillip Dettmer, is enthralled with the immune system. He complains about some of the confusing named immunologists use. The book was scientific but sprinkled with humor and easy to understand references to animals. I know much more about my immune system now than I did before. Also, despite advertising to the contrary, there is no way to boost your immune system. And you might not want to do that anyway. Keeping your immune system in balance is essential to our  health. He compared the health of a group of Hutterites in North Dakota to a group of Amish in Pennsylvania. Hutterites farm differently than the Amish. Amish tend to have old fashioned farms with a variety of animals. Hutterites use more machinery and farm more like corporations. The Amish have a significantly lower rate of auto immune disorders than the Hutterites. Also developed countries have a higher rate of auto immune disorders than underdeveloped countries. I guess the next time I catch a cold I will be more grateful to my swollen glands and fever.

Skyline Drive

This morning I started driving the Skyline Drive of the Shenandoah National Park. I had great weather. I started at the south eastern end of the park and drove northwest finishing about 5 p.m. The speed limit is 35 mph but I often went slower. Congested areas have a speed limit of 25 mph. The road is smooth and in great shape. I stopped at one visitor center about 10:30 to walk for an hour. This road has about 500 scenic overlooks. I didn't stop at them all. In the Smoky Mountains National Park admission is free but you pay for parking in one place for more than 15 minutes. I paid $15 for a five day pass. Here there is no fee for parking but I had to show my senior national park pass.

I saw many squirrels and 4 deer and turkey vultures, red tailed hawks, Carolina wrens and tufted titmouse.

The first section of the park has the highest elevation. I stopped for lunch at 1 o'clock at the Grand Meadow visitor center. Here, in the middle of all these mountains, was a huge meadow. Field sparrows called as I walked through the meadow. I saw dozens of people biking on this road. 

These two does seem to enjoy running with me down the road. I had a great day driving on mountain roads making sharp turns and going up and down hills.

At my third and final hike of the day I came upon a puddle in a dirt road. Tadpoles were swimming!

 

Shenandoah

Today I drove from Waynesville, NC to Stauton, VA. Tomorrow I will drive the length of the Shenandoah National Park Skyline Trail. I plan to do a couple hikes while I am up there.

 

Happy Earth Day!

 

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Written in 1933 by James Hilton, Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a novella about a teacher at a boy's boarding school in England named Mr. Chipping. He teaches Latin and Greek to the boys in his school and maintains a firm discipline with them. In his 40's he goes on vacation and meets a woman. He marries the woman and she influences his discipline on the boys and improves his sense of humor. Unfortunately his wife and child die during the process of childbirth. Mr. Chips spends the rest of his days working at the school and learning about boys. I enjoyed reading this story about a kind and gentle man and his career with children.

 

Smoky

 

Today was a rainy day and it was fun to watch the smoky clouds move over and through the trees on the mountains.

Manhattan Beach

 Jennifer Egan won the National Book Foundation Award for fiction in 2017 for writing Manhattan Beach. The story starts out with with 11 year old Anna Kerrigan going to visit a gangster, Dexter Stiles, with her father, Eddie in 1934. Eddie worked in vaudeville when he was young. He later became a stockbroker but lost everything during the Depression. Eddie needs money to pay for a wheelchair for his younger daughter, Lydia. When Anna is 16 her father disappears. Anna supports her mother and her sister by working in the Navy Yard. At first her job is to measure small parts with a micrometer. Anna hears about people employed to dive in the Navy yard and she is very interested. Despite the efforts of the man in charge of the divers to thwart her, she passes the diving test which includes wearing 200 pounds of equipment and untying a knot underwater. I loved reading about Anna Kerrigan and her life in New York. This is a really good historical book.

Bagpipes

Today was laundry day and after that chore was done I walked to downtown Waynesville to check out a community celebration. The road in front of the Hayward County Courthouse was blocked off for ten blocks. Food trucks were available and people were selling pottery, candles, carvings, paintings and jewelry. Suddenly I heard bagpipes playing.

How wonderful to find a Scottish band playing music while wearing kilts!

 

Cataloochee

Today I went to a different area of Smoky Mountains National Park. I went to the Cataloochee overlook. This area was much less crowded. That spot of yellow between the trees is my car in the parking lot. The road to get there started out fine with a four lane highway. When I turned off the highway the road was narrow and winding and about 45 mph. Then the road went down to 35 mph. At the last house on the road the pavement went to gravel. This road was so narrow two cars could not pass. For about 10 miles I drove on this narrow road with curves so sharp I had to go 5 mph. I have never driven on such a dangerous road before and it was thrilling. When I got to the National Park the road went back to asphalt and was wider. I was ready to be done driving so I parked in the first spot I saw. I took my lunch and started walking down into the Cataloochee valley. After an hour of walking I came to the river, turned around, and started hiking back to my car. Hooded warblers were calling from the trees.

The Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited parks in our country so today was nice to get a break from the crowds.

 

Andrews Bald

After visiting the tower I thought I would take a hike. The hike to Andrews Bald was only 1.8 miles but it was very steep. By the time I got here it was 3:30 in the afternoon so I stayed for 10 seconds and started hiking back to my car.

On my way back to my car I found a rock between two trees that looked surprised.

 

Clingman's Dome

Here is my view from the parking lot at Clingman's Dome in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

This is a beautiful part of North Carolina.

This is the visitor tower. It is similar to the one we saw in March at Shark Valley National Park. This tower was constructed in 1959 and is different from other National Park buildings. Normally the National Parks use stone and wood and natural materials. This is cement and designed to look like a space tower. This is a brilliant design way ahead of time because it allows people with disabilities to visit.

From the tower here is the view to the south that includes part of the ramp I walked up.

The view to the east.

The view to the north. The town in the distance is Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This tower is right on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.

The view to the west.

 

Spring Ephemeral Season

Spring ephemeral wildflowers grow only for a short time before the forest leafs out. I got lucky to be visiting this national park during this season. I hope I got the names right. Rue anemone.

Long-spurred wood violet.

Bristly buttercup (both a criticism and a compliment).

Creeping phlox.

Philadelphia fleabane.

Solomon's Plume.

Mountain Doghobbie.

This is a babbling brook. Rain began to fall on my walk back to my car. I did not bring a rain coat. As I walked along the sound of heavy rain came to my ears and I was glad to see it wasn't hard rain but just a babbling brook.

Southern Foamflower.

Common blue violet.

Creeping phlox.

Loads of large white trillium.

Last but not least dwarf crested iris.

 

Ocanaluftee

I traveled in the Smokey Mountains National Park to the Ocanaluftee Visitor Center. Inside they had exhibits about the people who lived here. About 5% was dedicated to the Cherokee people and 95% to the white settlers here. Outside they had a settler's farm.

This is the sorghum processor.

The corn crib.

I had a nice hike along a stream.

Elk were grazing in a couple places along the road.