States – Page 31 – Wandering Dawgs

F.D. Roosevelt’s Little White House

April 20, 2017Posted in Georgia, Historic Sites, Tourist AttractionsTagged F.D. Roosevelt, Little White House, Pink Dogwood, polio, Warm Springs4 Comments

The campground in F. D. Roosevelt State Park was a great home base to explore nearby Warm Springs, Georgia.

Franklin D. Roosevelt served as the 32nd President of the United States from 1933 until 1945. He died at his home in Warm Springs, Georgia on April 12, 1945 after suffering a stroke while posing for a portrait.

FDR was born in New York and was diagnosed with polio in 1921. In 1924 he made his first visit to Warm Springs to receive physical therapy in the warm waters of the springs (88 degrees year round). He returned many times to Warm Springs to receive therapy and although it did help it did not cure his disease. The pools are no longer used for therapy. They are now part of a museum with displays about their history and how they were used to help polio patients.

These pictures show what the pools were like when FDR used them

He loved coming to Warm Springs and built a home overlooking the mountains just a short distance from the pools. A tour of The Little White House begins in the museum with many artifacts and interesting displays telling about the time he spent in Georgia.

FDR's carriage in Warm Springs — FDR’s carriage in Warm Springs

The Little White House was even smaller than I imagined. It had a tiny kitchen, living room, dining room, one bathroom and two small bedrooms. The best part of the home was the veranda overlooking the mountains. I was so busy enjoying the view I forgot to take a picture!

Around the house were Sentry Posts for Secret Service and Marines. Servants quarters and a guest house were also on the property. Everything in his home has been restored and everything is original to the house.

Dogwoods blooming at the Little White House

Marine Corps Sentry Post at Little White House

Servants Quarters and Guest House at The Little White House

One of the many boats built by FDR while at the Little White House

“The Unfinished Portrait” – FDR had a stroke and died while having this portrait painted

Pink Dogwood blossoms on the grounds of the Little White House

One of his favorite spots to get away was Dowdell’s Knob. He even had a barbeque pit built there that is still on the property. There is bronze statue of him on a bench looking out at the view.

Dowdell's Knob with FDR's barbeque pit — Dowdell’s Knob with FDR’s barbeque pit

Spring at Callaway Gardens

April 17, 2017May 12, 2018Posted in Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, Georgia, Nature, Tourist Attractions, WildflowersTagged azalea, Callaway Gardens, F.D. Roosevelt State Park, Flowering Dogwood, Pine Mountain, Spring17 Comments

Our latest wandering took us on a short trip that was full of excitement. Our first stop was F. D. Roosevelt State Park, Georgia’s largest state park, in Pine Mountain. It was the perfect place for us to use as home base for exploring both Callaway Gardens and F.D.R.’s Little White House in Warm Springs.

After driving in the rain on the winding road through the park we arrived at the Visitor’s Center to check in just after a tornado warning had been lifted. Everything was fine in the campground and we set up camp just before another rain shower began.

“Connecting man and nature in a way that benefits both.” – Callaway Gardens Mission

With the sun shining the next morning we drove about 15 minutes from our campsite to Callaway Gardens. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Callaway Gardens opened in 1952. Today, there are many different gardens to explore, a lodge, golf course, swimming beach, and even a zip-line adventure.

Our tour of the gardens began with a stop at the Pioneer Log Cabin. From there we strolled along the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Trail with many Georgia native plants. The Flowering Dogwoods and many other wildflowers displayed their brilliant spring colors.

Flowering Dogwood on Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Trail

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Trail at Callaway Gardens

Next we walked on the trails to the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center for a look at some tropical butterflies. Butterflies of all sizes, shapes and colors fed on the colorful blossoms and sailed by our heads as they flew from flower to flower.

Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens

We learned about some of Georgia’s birds of prey at the Discovery Center. As our guide gave a very informative presentation, two different species of owl and a red tailed hawk flew over our heads during the program.

Juniper the Great Horned Owl at Birds of Prey program

Willow the Barred Owl Birds of Prey demonstration at Callaway Gardens

Red Tailed Hawk Callaway Gardens Birds of Prey Show

We must have just missed the Azaleas at their peak because most of the Azaleas on the Overlook Azalea trail had finished blooming. The Flowering Dogwoods and other trees added color to the landscape.

20170404Callaway-Gardens-Azalea-Trail — Callaway Gardens Azalea Trail

20170404Callaway-Gardens-Flowering-Dogwood — Flowering Dogwoods were in bloom at Callaway Gardens

Eastern Redbud Callaway Gardens — Eastern Redbud at Callaway Gardens

Our visit to Callaway Gardens included only a few of the many gardens there. It is a wonderful family destination and bicycles are a popular way to get around the park. There are several restaurants to choose from or you can have a picnic in one of the picnic areas.

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Minnesota

April 4, 2017April 18, 2017Posted in Lighthouse, Minnesota, Wandering around America, WildflowersTagged Blue Mounds State Park, Green Giant Statue, Itasca, Mississippi River Headwaters, Spam Museum, Split Rock Lighthouse17 Comments

State 21:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Minnesota

Minnesota became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. The capital is St. Paul.

Our first visit to Minnesota can be described in one word – SNOW. It started snowing shortly after we left Wisconsin one morning in early April. As we traveled west on I-90 we crossed the Mississippi River into Minnesota with the wind blowing snow horizontally across the interstate. It was so bad we pulled off the interstate and spent the night at a Holiday Inn Express in Winona. I will be forever grateful to the kind employees who put us up in a downstairs room with our Labrador Retriever. There was a restaurant in the hotel and they even had an indoor pool so we were roughing it in style.

20070411Snow-(6) — Crossing the Mississipi River to Minnesota in a snow storm

20070411Snow-(7) — Snowing over the Mississippi River

20070411Snow-(14) — Terrifying icy road conditions in Minnesota – at times we couldn’t even see the road

Overnight Camping at a Holiday Inn Express

The next morning the hotel let us have a late check out so we could wait until the roads were safe enough for travel. Later that day we checked into Blue Mounds State Park and we were the only campers in the park. With snow on the ground and temperatures below freezing the water was turned off and the dump station wasn’t operating. It was a great adventure!

Camping in the snow at Blue Mounds State Park

The weather was much better on our other visits to Minnesota. During our stay at Temperance River State Park on the Minnesota North Shore we enjoyed wandering around Split Rock Lighthouse and on the huge boulders beside Lake Superior.

Split Rock Lighthouse on Minnesota's North Shore — Split Rock Lighthouse on Minnesota’s North Shore

Island in Lake Superior on MInnesota's North Shore — Island in Lake Superior on MInnesota’s North Shore

We loved visiting the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Itasca State Park so much we camped there twice.

Mississippi River Headwaters in Itasca State Park

20110611Mississippi-Headwaters-and-Sunset-(22) — Walking across the headwaters of the Mississippi River

Mighty Mississippi River near the headwaters — The mighty Mississippi River near the headwaters

Walking across the Mississippi River near the headwaters

We made several visits to the St. Paul area to visit family. While there we visited the Mall of America and the Minnesota Arboretum.

Minnesota Aboretum

A trip to the Spam Museum and the Green Giant Statue were on our bucket list as we traveled through Minnesota.

We drove out of our way to visit the Spam Museum in Austin, MN

Green Giant Statue in Blue Earth, MN

Some of the wildflowers and wildlife we found in Minnesota.

Bluebells on Minnesota North Shore

Tortoise on Minnesota North Shore

20110611Mississippi-Headwaters-and-Sunset-Lady-Slipper

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Michigan

March 24, 2017April 17, 2017Posted in Birds, Lighthouse, Michigan, RVing, Wandering around America, WaterfallsTagged Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City, Pictured Rocks, Porcupine Mountains, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Upper Peninsula25 Comments

State 20:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Michigan

Michigan became the 26th state on January 26, 1837. The capital is Lansing. Michigan is the only state with two peninsulas.

Our wandering around Michigan took us to three great lakes, two national lakeshores, huge sand dunes, magnificent waterfalls, a beautiful island with no motorized vehicles allowed, a lock connecting two great lakes, lighthouses, and gigantic cliffs.

Our Michigan journeys included camping in Muskegon State Park on Lake Michigan and in Lakeport State Park on Lake Huron.

20080610Muskegon-Channel-Swan — Swan in Muskegon Channel

20080611pmLakeport-(7) — Beach on Lake Huron in Lakeport State Park

We picked a beautiful day to explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan.

20100528Sleeping-Bear-Dunes-(24) — Dune Climb at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

20100528Sleeping-Bear-Dunes-(49) — 450 feet above Lake Michigan at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

We had a great view of the Mackinac Bridge from our campsite at Macinaw Mill Creek Campground. The campground was our home base for a visit to Mackinac Island.

Mackinac Island Ferry

On the ferry to Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island

Lilacs were blooming at Fort Mackinac

Mackinac Island

After crossing the Mackinac Bridge we spent a few days in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, otherwise known as the UP. We spent a day marveling at the spectacular waterfalls in Tahquamenon (rhymes with phenomenon) Falls State Park.

20100601Tahquamenon-Falls-(23) — Upper Tahquamenon Falls

20100601Tahquamenon-Falls-(88) — Lower Tahquamenon-Falls

We drove up to Sault Ste. Marie for a look at the Soo Locks.

Another day was spent exploring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

20100602Pictured-Rocks-(12) — Sable Falls

20100602Pictured-Rocks-(52) — Miner’s Castle

20100602Pictured-Rocks-(70) — Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Our campsite at Porcupine Mountains State Park was right next to the rocky shore of Lake Superior.

We enjoyed seeing a few of Michigan’s Lighthouses.

Muskegon Lights

Round Island Light, MI

Round Island Passage Ligh, MIt

Cheboygan Crib Light, MI

Old Mackinac Point, MI

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Massachusetts

March 20, 2017April 17, 2017Posted in Lighthouse, Massachusetts, Wandering around AmericaTagged Fisherman's Memorial, Gloucester, Man at the Wheel Statue, Rockport, Ten Pound Light Station10 Comments

State 19:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Massachusetts

Massachusetts was one of the original thirteen colonies and became the 6th state on February 6, 1788. The capital is Boston .

On our one and only trip to Massachusetts we wandered around two gorgeous waterfront towns.

Our first stop was Gloucester where we visited the Fisherman’s Memorial. The Man at the Wheel Statue faces the sea. Across from the statue beside the waterfront is a List of Names honoring not only those men known to be lost at sea but also the men and ships lost without record. The number of men and ships who left from Gloucester and never returned is staggering.

Sebastian Junger’s book “The Perfect Storm” (and later the movie starring George Clooney) told the story of the fishing vessel Andrea Gail from Gloucester that went down with all of it’s crew during the storm of the century in 1991. The names of the crew members are included on the List of Names at Fisherman’s Memorial.