Robert Wadlow Statue (Madison County, Illinois)

 My final stop this morning, while re-visiting the storied history of my hometown of Alton, IL is the bronze statue dedicated to the Robert P. Wadlow, known as the Gentle Giant. Wadlow was born in Alton in 1918 and quickly began growing . . . and growing . . . and growing. He eventually reached a height 8'11.1", making him the tallest man in recorded history. He died at the young age of 22 due to infection from complications with a leg brace he had to wear, but is remembered as a kind and gentle soul. 

My grandmother once told me that she encountered him, as a young girl, on the streets of Alton with his shoe laces untied. Seeing what struggle it would have been for him to bend over to tie it himself, she retied the shoe laces for him. He was very grateful and the two went on their respective ways.

The bronze statue here was constructed to be life size and erected on the former site of Shurtleff College, which Wadlow attended. I've visited this place a few times in the past, including very shortly after it was built in 1985. Standing next to the statue, any human being would feel dwarfed by the size of the gentle giant.

Elijah P. Lovejoy Monument (Madison County, Illinois)

 My next stop while visiting my hometown is the magnificent monument dedicated to Elijah P. Lovejoy, which stands atop the bricked Monument Avenue overlooking the Mighty Mississippi River. Lovejoy was a abolitionist in the 1830's and run a a newspaper called the St. Louis Observer within the borders of Missouri, a slave state. After his printing press was destroyed three times by slavery advocates, he relocated to nearby Alton, IL, which was a free state, and renamed his newspaper the Alton Observer. Although Illinois was a free state, it's close proximity to Missouri meant that there were many supporters of slavery in Alton. In late 1837, a crowd of these slavery supporters attacked the warehouse where Lovejoy's printers were stored. Lovejoy and his men tried to defend his property, but he was killed during the exchange. He is celebrated as martyr of both the freedom of speech and the abolition of slavery. This grand monument was erected in his honor in 1897.

Illinois State Penitentiary at Alton (Madison County, Illinois)

 I don't get back to my hometown very often, but since I'm here and with everyone else in my party asleep at the hotel, I thought I would take a little time to myself to revisit some of the historical landmarks that give Alton, IL it's character. First up is the Illinois State Penitentiary. All that remains of this structure are the blocks forming one corner, but plaques and historical markers give a short history lesson.

The structure was build as the first state penitentiary in 1833, but closed in 1857. During the Civil War, it was reopened to house the growing number of Confederate prisoners of war. Unfortunately, there was an extremely high number of deaths at the prison due to outbreaks of rubella and smallpox. Of the 11,000 prisoners incarcerated here during the war, 1,534 died. The prison was closed once again at the end of the war in 1865 and later demolished, leaving only this section of wall to remember its dark history.

Graceland (Shelby County, Tennessee)

 

My mother, who lives with my wife and I, is a huge Elvis Presley fan. She collects memorabilia with his image on it and is constantly either listening to his CD's are watching his movies. I can't say I hold him in as a high regard as she does, but I do think he was gifted with a terrific singing voice. For Mother's Day this year, we decided to surprise my mom with tickets to visit Graceland in Memphis, TN. The plan is take mom home Alton, IL to visit friends and family for the long weekend, but to take a slight detour through Memphis. While we're doing this a couple of weeks after the holiday occurred, I don't think she will mind. Though my mother still gets around pretty well on her own, we purchased a light weight travel-ready wheel chair for her, as we think this will make things much easier.

We arrived in Memphis last night and stayed at a nearby hotel. After getting packed and eating a quick breakfast, we drove a mile or so to the parking area for Graceland, which is really more of an amusement park and museum combination these days. Walking (and pushing mom's wheel chair) through the entrance area, we enter the ticketing building and after talking with one of the greeters and showing her our tickets, she lines us up in the proper place. Once a few minutes have passed, we climb aboard a shuttle bus to be ferried up to the actual mansion. All of the employees are incredibly helpful and polite. 

Departing the bus, we step out right at the front entrance of Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion. It's very pretty from the outside, but much smaller than I was expecting. As we enter through the front door, we are greeted by numerous staff members and exposed to the designs of the early 1970's. The word 'gaudy' is the only thing that comes to mind for me. The mansion has been preserved with it's period decor from just before the passing of the King of Rock and Roll in 1977. 

As we pass through the various rooms of the mansion, I think my mother is in absolute heaven. I'm glad she's enjoying this. She has had some health problems over the past couple of years and when we first moved her in with us about three years ago, I had promised to bring her here at some point. It's great seeing one of her dreams fulfilled. 

The wheelchair poses some issues inside the mansion, but accommodations have been made as much as possible and where there are challenges, the staff do a great job of assisting. We visit the dining room, the den, and the kitchen upstairs. In the lower floor, we pass through the pool room and some type of cocktail room. I can't help but laugh at the wood paneling, shag carpet, and the numerous CRT televisions imbedded in the walls of several of the rooms. It's like taking step into the past, though I'm sure this was all the latest style and technology at the time.

Leaving the interior of the mansion, we step out onto the grounds behind the main house. There are several structures back here, including a swimming pool, stable, racquetball court, and others. The grounds are very well kept and in the distance, we can see horses enjoying the grassy fields. I believe they said the estate is thirteen acres in total, which probably gives those horses plenty of area to pay and graze.

Beyond the pool, we enter the Memorial Garden, which is the final resting place of several Presley family members, including Elvis's mother, father, grandmother, daughter, and of course, the King himself. Mom takes a minute to say a silent prayer over his grave and then we move on. 

This is the end of the mansion tour, but far from the end of our adventure. From here we are shuttled back to the starting area and enter building after building of tribute to Elvis. In these museum-like areas, they have collected many of his cars, performance costumes, instruments, and just about everything imaginable related to his career. It's actually pretty fascinating and I think my mother is really enjoying herself.

One stand out to me is the wall of gold and platinum album awards. There are so, so many of them, which is understandable given the impact this man had on modern music. There are also several areas within the museum where recordings of other musicians and celebrities are speaking to the impact Elvis had on them and their careers, and music as a whole. I don't recall who said it in one of those videos, but the statement that "Elvis really invented the rock star" rings very true with me. His extravagant lifestyle really set the tone for the next half-century of stardom. 

After exiting the museums, we enjoy a pretty basic burger and hot dog meal at Glady's Fine Foods within the park. Mom has purchased numerous souvenirs and is anxiously going through them as we finish our lunch. I think she really enjoyed this, at least I hope she has. It was quite a task to get his all planned out and get her her, but seeing one of her dreams come true was well worth it. 

Tahoe East Shore (Washoe County, Nevada)

 

I've made a quick trip to my former home in Reno, NV this weekend to visit friends. While here I decided to get a short hike in. After a terrific breakfast with my friend, Nick, I headed up to nearby Lake Tahoe, which is only a twenty minute or so drive from Reno. My plan is to hike the recently constructed Tahoe East Shore Trail and possibly up to the Monkeys Head, which is a spur off of this trail.

After find a parking spot and paying the fee, I head out along the paved walkway. There are quite a few people up here enjoying the day and getting some exercise, but the path is wide and can easily accommodate these numbers. As I approach the area where Monkeys Head Trail breaks away, I note a sign that indicates a fee is required for this section. A little disheartened by this, I decide to just continue along the Tahoe East Shore.

This is really more of a walk than a hike given the paved path. Walkers, runners, and bikers seem to be enjoying the undulating walkway as it climbs above the cars driving highway 28. From here, we are afforded some fantastic views of the lake. I've always believed this is the best time of year to visit Lake Tahoe. The contrast between the snow-covered mountain peaks, the emerging greens of the pines, and the deeply rich blues of the water just does something magical for the eyes. 

As I turn around and start heading back towards my rental car, I catch of hint of the pine forest aroma. I really miss this place. When it's all said and done back at the car, my tracking app indicates that I've only walked about 2.2 miles. Not really much of a hike, but getting up here to remember the sites and smells of my former home makes it all worthwhile. I wish I could do more, but I have plans with friends and need to get back down to Reno.

Son of the Tree that Owns Itself (Athens-Clarke County, Georgia)

 

While in Athens running errands, I wanted to stop by and visit a local landmark known as the Tree that Owns Itself. This is a tree near downtown Athens, also known as the Jackson Oak. As the legend goes, sometime between 1820 and 1832, a man named Colonel William Henry Jackson, who owned the surrounding property, had cherished childhood memories of the tree and wanted to protect it. He deeded the tree and the land within eight feet of its trunk to the tree itself. The tree itself was thought to be the biggest tree in Athens at the time and to have started life in the mid-16th century. 

The tree stood for more than a hundred years after being granted possession of itself, but finally fell in late 1942 during a violent windstorm and after years of declining health. Soon after, a young man with ties to a local garden club suggested a replacement be planted in the trees place. As luck would have it, several acorns had been collected from the original tree over the years and one such specimen was planted on the site, becoming known as "The Son of the Tree that Owns Itself". That is the tree that I visit today.

There are two tablets standing within the chained off area meant to protect the tree. Both commemorate the proclamation of Colonel Jackson. The proclamation and tree itself have been the source of healthy legal debate over the years, regarding the validity of such an action. Generally considered invalid due a non-sentient being's (such as a tree) in ability to understand the terms of the deed. However, the city of Athens and the larger public acknowledge the tree's self-ownership and the current property owners adjacent to the tree and the local government have accepted stewardship over the tree's care. It's an interesting legend and legal anomaly.

Georgia State Botanical Garden (Athens-Clarke County, Georgia)

 

I had a couple of errands to run in and around Athens, GA and so, when I saw one of the local meetup groups post a hike at the Georgia State Botanical Garden, which is just outside Athens, it seemed a good opportunity to get in a few miles. I hiked some of the trails here when I first moved to Georgia, three years ago. It was a fairly average hike, but I thought the group might offer some new perspective and possibly some new routes.

I met up with the group at the visitor's center and soon we were off on this extremely humid Sunday afternoon. First we meandered through the garden itself, which is full of numerous flowering plants, all quite beautiful. Soon, we found a gate in the fence and left the pavement for the a single track trail into the woods. The trail followed the Middle Oconee River for a while, which offered some nice views. 

After a couple of miles, we left the river and headed slightly uphill into a series of shallow ravines. The trail is well maintained and pretty easy, but it's still nice to be outside. When we stopped for lunch beside an old fireplace, its house long since gone, we played a memory game of "name a band who's name starts with the letter __". I'm actually pretty good at these types of games and ended up winning. 

Soon we were on the trail again and making our way back towards the parking lot. I ended up leaving the group a little earlier, as I wanted to get my errands done and get home for dinner. I wished them well and made my way back to the parking lot, while the group continued on a different trail across the other side of the parking lot. All in all, I got in 5.8 miles. It was only an average hike, but the conversation was pleasant, as always.