2019 04 01 - 04 26 Independence MO, Bulltown Campground Burnsville, WV.

Harry S Truman, Independence, Missouri - Tuesday 2 April 2019

Jackson County Courthouse where Truman had his first real job in politics as a District Judge. His office and courtroom are the two lower left windows. From his reputation for integrity and hard work as a judge, he was voted into the US Senate in 1935. The family (Harry, wife Bess and only child, Margaret) moved to Washington but all remained Missourians at heart. He became the 33rd President of the United States after the death of Franklin Roosevelt. 

Upon returning to Independence after his second term, Harry, Bess and Margaret returned to the house that Bess' grandfather had built. Bess and her brothers moved with their mother into this house in 1901. After their marriage in 1919, Harry and Bess moved into this same house thus having four generations living in the same house together. The front rooms are the parlor and formal living room which were rarely used by Harry and Bess. They preferred the smaller library for reading and listening to the radio, the kitchen for meals (unless the weather allowed for dining on the screened in porch) and one small bedroom upstairs. 

Directly across the street is the Noland house, Harry's aunt and uncle. In 1910, Harry was visiting and volunteered to return a cake plate to a neighbor, Mrs. Madge Wallace. Bess greeted him at the door and their courtship began. In 1911, Bess declined his first proposal. It would be another 8 years before she would accept his second one. 

Clinton's Soda Shop has been in business since 1988 while the building on Independence Square dates back to the 1800s. Decades ago Harry Truman worked at the pharmacy and soda fountain on this very location. Bob and I had to stop to choose between a "sundae or phosphate". I had Harry's favorite - a chocolate ice cream with butterscotch syrup. Delicious.

Harry's famous "The Buck Stops Here" plaque.

Battle of Lexington, Lexington, Missouri - 2 March 2019

During 1861, the Civil War came to this farming community in the First Battle of Lexington, also known as the Battle of the Hemp Bales, and took place from 12-20 September 1861. The participants were the Union Army and the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard.

The home of Oliver Anderson faced the Missouri River where hemp (for ropes), tobacco, coal and cattle all contributed to the town's wealth. Though Missouri remained in the Union during the war, many of Lexington's residents were slave owners and several were openly sympathetic to the southern cause. Sometime in July 1861, the Anderson family was evicted from their home by Union troops for its strategic location and for use as a hospital. In violation of "laws of war", the State Guard captured the house on September 18th. The Union had established its fortifications on top of a hill less than 100 yards from the back of the house and charged from those lines to recapture the house. They could not hold the house against a second State Guard assault later that day. The final day the Guard pushed large hemp bales to be used as cover when they made their way uphill, finally routing the Union soldiers. 

A few items from the era include a portrait of a child who has died (removing a shoe so visitors did not ask about the child), a stereoscope and hair wreath.

The front room parlor with a piano. The piano is still played when special events are held at the house. 

Upstairs, one of the connecting bedrooms had been converted into an operating room, using a door as the surgical table. On the wall behind are several bullet holes. The hardwood floors were quickly soaked in blood and the tale says the three holes near the surgical table were to allow the blood to drain away. 

Built-in china cabinet and to the left is a linen drying cabinet next to the fireplace which provided heat for drying linens.  Bedrooms contained closets less than 10 inches deep. A room could be taxed if you could step completely into the closet and turn around with the door closed. When I was 16 my parents rented a house near Chicago that had very shallow closets. We could not figure out why but maybe now we know. 

Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City, Missouri - 8 April 2019

Considering the entrance building, we had high hopes for a wonderful visit to the Kansas City Zoo. The first creatures we saw were a pair of river otters frolicking in front of the glass. The second space was occupied by a young polar bear. Both of these are favorites of ours, especially when it's a lovely day and they are actively entertaining themselves.   

We stopped off to see the penguins in their new environs. From that point, we were sadly disappointed. We are very adept at map reading and following signs but were baffled by the oddness of layout and configuration of roads. There was so much unused space for expansive enclosures. Perhaps it is a lack of funds or only the front of the zoo has received any updating. We did get way over our 10,000 steps, so that's a positive. 

Granite City, Illinois - 13 April 2019

Met Bob's brothers, Mike and Jim with their wives, Julie and Jan at the restaurant/brewery across the street from Our Lady of the Snows. Huge building, half of which is the brewery. The tables are laid out for large gatherings and the atmosphere is Oktoberfest all year long. TRIVIA QUESTION - What was the original purpose of Oktoberfest? No cheating by using Google.

As you can see, there is a rivalry "brewing" here. St. Louis Blues fans and Columbus Blue Jackets fans. Fortunately, they came together to share a meal (that is the meat platter(s) that Bob and Mike shared) and walked away content to hope both teams survived through the first round. It's Time, Jackets!

The live music was very loud and seemed to be in German (maybe, maybe not) but it had a good beat and you could dance to it. TRIVIA ANSWER - Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810. All the citizens were invited to the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the royal event. The fields were named Thereienwiese (Therese's Meadows) in honor of the Crown Princess and have kept that name ever since.

St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Missouri - 15 April 2019

The Return of the Bears! St. Louis Zoo has acquired two grizzly bear siblings, Huck and Finley. They were orphaned at 2 1/2 years old and came to this new enclosure in 2017. Today they had plenty to do gnawing on enormous joint bones. All grizzlies are brown bears but not all brown bears are grizzlies. 

Our struggles to see wild puffins finally came to fruition in 2010 after four attempts but it so much easier to see them here. The horned puffins (left) develops the brightly colored bill during breeding season but are named for the two horns above their eyes. The tufted puffin sports feathers behind the eyes that become bright yellow during breeding season. 

At lunch out on the patio, Bob noticed a clump of fur up in a cottonwood tree. Turns out we were watching nature in all her glory as this barred (or hoot) owl turned to monitor all the chattering, both from the diners and the other birds. We think this one lives in the cottonwood since its flight feathers don't seem to have grown in yet. 

Western Lowland Gorilla, one of several silverbacks. 

We also stopped at the new polar bear exhibit. Kali (pronounced "Cully"), a 2 1/2 year old, 850 pound male was orphaned in Alaska as a cub. For the 30 minutes we watched, he spent swimming in his pool while playing with a PVC pipe connected with a 90 degree angle. Loads of fun letting it sink and plunging to the bottom to retrieve it. All the children were delighted at his antics and amazed at his swimming abilities.

A Sichuan Takin (rhymes with rockin') an antelope-like goat and little known relative of the musk ox. It shares its bamboo forests of China with the elusive giant panda. And like the panda, they are considered national treasures.

Reticulated giraffes

Grebe's Zebra, White-faced Saki, critically endangered Addax

Columbus Zoo, Columbus, Ohio - 21 April 2019

Still our all time favorite zoo (with St. Louis a close second), a visit to Columbus is not complete without spending a day here. 

It wasn't too crowded, the flamingos were frisky and the tulips and daffodils were in bloom. 

The outside enclosure for one of the three groups of gorillas consists of one silverback, two adult females, three juveniles and one youngster. It was Easter so the enrichment was large sheets of paper, dried grass and colored eggs (peeled). The youngster spent most of his time playing "catch me if you can" with the silverback and practicing his chest smacking.  

How many Asian small-clawed otters do you see? One has ducked behind the left rock. 

The keepers do provide fish and mussels during the "talks" held on the bridge crossing above the enclosure. The otters quickly learn to bark and sit up begging for food anytime people gather. What is cuter than an Asian small-clawed otter? Eleven of them.

Our last day in Columbus was enjoyed in the company of our former neighbors, Tony and Ann. Gracious hosts who always invite us to their house for cocktails before we all walk over the the best pizza in town at Enrico's, a family-owned restaurant that began serving authentic cuisine after arriving from Italy in 1968. 

Flatwoods, Sutton, Burnsville WV. - 24-28 April 2019

Bulltown Battlefield - 27 April 2019

Bulltown is an extinct town now contained within Burnsville, West Virginia. Our campgrounds were along the river downstream from the Burnsville Dam, built by the Army Corps of Engineers. At the front of the campgrounds the battlefield contains fortifications dug to protect the Union fort which defended the highway connecting the northern and southern portions of West Virginina. Had the Confederate assault been successful, Col. William L. "Mudwall" Jackson (cousin of Stonewall) would have severed northern communications and created an opportunity to march on Wheeling, the center of Union support in the state. The site also includes the last resting place for seven unknown Confederate soldiers, intact sections of the Weston-Gauley Turnpike and the Cunningham House which sheltered Confederate supporters. 

Several historic buildings were purchased and moved here by the Army Corps of Engineers in order to save them during construction of the dam. 

Spring is beginning to arrive with the blooming of dogwood trees. Our puppies really enjoyed exploring the wooded area on the bluff where the fortifications are located. 

Add a flowing stream and they had a splendid day after several of rainy days stuck in the RV. 

In West Virginia folklore, on 12 September 1952, two brothers, Edward and Fred May and their friend, Tommy Hyer said they saw a bright object cross the sky and land on the property of local farmer. The boys, Tommy's mom and a local National Guardsman investigated the scene finding a pulsating red glow on top of a hill. They saw a 10-foot tall man-like figure with a round, red face surrounded by a pointed, hood-like shape. Fifty years later, investigators concluded the light was a meteor and the "creature" was a barn owl perched in a tree, with shadows making it appear at be a large huminoid. Even the explanation is fanciful. In popular culture, "Braxie" makes an appearance in the 2018 video game Fallout 76 and in 2019 the second episode of Project Blue Book on the History Channel.

Burnsville Dam is located on the Little Kanawha River. The earthen and concrete dam is 90 feet high and 1,400 feet across. Beginning operation in 1978, creating a lake of 968 surface acres with an average depth of  20 to 25 feet. Seems to us the amount of released water is a little high as the walkway along the shore has disappeared and sitting on the bench Bob is likely to get his feet wet. The three panels between the towers could be raised by giant steel arms to release additional water.

After a long day, Bob and Tori take naps to recover. In town, we could still find real working public phones. Sometimes we felt like there should be more of them since phone service was spotty at best, Wi-fi was a joke and television was completely absent (hence the neighbor's satellite dome) but with a view like this and lots of places to walk around, nature was her own entertainment.