P for A-Z Challenge

P-Paducah, Kentucky

 

 

Paducah was originally called Pekin around 1815 and was a mixed community of Native Americans and white settlers .The legend is that Chief Paduke welcomed the people traveling down the Ohio and Tennessee river on flatboats. That brought growth and goods to his community but along came the Lewis and Clark Expedition with a title deed to the land that Pekin sat on and they were asked to leave. Perhaps a common history but a sad one I think, The name was then changed to Paducah in honor of the chief.

 

 

 The area has mostly mild temperatures but in 1937 the Ohio River at Paducah rose above the 50-foot flood stage and flooded the community forcing 27,000 residents to flee to higher ground. Some of the buildings downtown still bear plaques that show the high water marks.

I found this surprising.......

 

 In 1950 Paducah was selected as the site for a new uranium enrichment plant and construction began in 1951 and was completed in 1952. The DOE is still the owner of this plant but I could not find out any details about it....like if it is still active and etc.





You will never guess what the main attraction in Paducah is.........

The National Quilt Museum

 On April 25, 1991, The National Quilt Museum opened in downtown Paducah. The Museum is a cultural destination that brings a worldwide audience of  over 40,000 quilters and art enthusiasts to the Paducah area on an annual basis. The Museum features professional quilt and fiber art exhibits that are rotated throughout the year.

Paducah also has a one of a kind welcome center. 

 

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

A restored 1860s Southern mansion called "Whitehaven".

 

This is another unusual site.....

In 1985, sculptor Peter Toth hand chiseled a 56,000 pound red oak into “Wacinton” To Have Understanding—a monument to the Chickasaw Indians who lived and hunted in the area until the Jackson Purchase.
Peter Toth is a Hungarian emigrant whose family escaped from Hungary just before the Communist takeover in 1956,
to read more about him and his works go here....

As you drive through the town you will be amazed at all the beautiful murals that give honor to the vast history of the area....

 

 



 

 

Well, there is one more one of a kind spots you can visit before leaving here....

 

Some people call it art, some people call it a toyland and then there are some that simply call it junk.....

 

 

 

 

 



A throw back to the old by-gone tacky roadside stops you could find in the 1940-1960. There is a old Gulf gas station and store and over 3000 toys here at Hillbilly Gardens.

 

 

 

Happy Trails

 

O for A-Z Challenge

O-Ocean City, Maryland

 

 

 Atlantic Ocean resort town

 

 Fortunately Ocean City maintains a fleet of open-air shuttles called the "Boardwalk Tram" and they run the entire length of the boardwalk.

 Passengers can board or get off at any point simply by notifying the driver so covering the nine miles with its condos hotels, and restaurants is no problem.

 

 

 

 Of course all the ocean fun activities are available and shopping galore but you may be surprised to fine a memorial to the firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11.

It is engraved in brick and stone and includes a piece of one of the twin towers that collapsed. Seem strange? Well, Ocean City is home to the annual Maryland State Firefighters Convention.

 

 

 

 Another sight you might be surprised and thrilled to see is wild horses roaming the marsh and sand dune grasses.

 

These are Assateague wild ponies and they have roamed the area since the 1600's. Some people believe the horses arrive when a Spanish galleon ship (with a cargo of these horses) sank offshore and a recent discovery of a Spanish ship wreck  found in the waters off Assalegue tends to lend itself to that theory.

 

 

 



 

 This was a surprise to me. Imagine cowboys with all the works right next to the Atlantic Ocean!!

 

Looks like a fun place........

 You wouldn't want all that water to go to waste.

 

 

 

You will also find a museum that is dedicated to the history of life saving on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Delaware and Virgina.

 

 

 The giant Farris wheel can be seen for miles

 

and Ripley's Mirror Maze

 

 

Will be a challenge to get out of.

 

 

But the best part costs nothing

 

Happy Trails

 

 

 

N for A-Z Challenge

N-Norfolk Virgina

 

 

 

 First off I have to say I have been here. You see our son-in-law was stationed here when the kids first married and he was on the

USS Enterprise

He did a 6 month tour on this ship while daughter and son held down the fort at home. It wasn't long after that they decided that it would be best for their marriage and child raising if it didn't include those 6 month tours and he got out.

 

One of the things I remember is how worried about crossing the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. It wasn't because he was afraid but rather that if something happened in that tunnel like a accident or something you would be stuck there for hours and hours because there was only one way in and one way out.

 

 When you look at it from this perspective you can see what I mean.

 Going it

 

 and coming out. It is hard to imagine being under the water all that time.....gave me the willies. We did see most of the sights I am going to share here but most of all it was time to see the daughter and grandbaby that I desperately missed.

 

Of course the biggest thing is the Naval base and you would often see sights of these magnificent ships pulled into dock.

This is the Nauticus, the National Maritime Center where there are more than 150 hands-on exhibits. Kids can land a warplane on an aircraft carrier, watch a hurricane form and pet a real shark.

 

 

and you can tour the USS Wisconsin

 

It is quite an experience to be able to go through this ship and see how narrow the walkways are and how many doors you have to go though and see all the gauges and things that have to be taken care of. A real eye opener for the concept of "Join the Navy and see the world"....this is not a cruise ship in any form! I must say though my son-in-law has no regrets and was proud to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Armed Forces Memorial in Norfolk, VA is a  tribute to the service people in the United States who gave up their lives in war. This memorial is a collection of twenty inscriptions of letters written home by these soldiers who lost their lives.

The letters are thin sheets of cast bronze that seem to appear scattered across the ground as if the wind picked them up and carried them. Upon reading these letters most are deeply moved. The Armed Forces Memorial does a great job in not letting the public forget those soldiers that have died for our country. These letters are from the Revolutionary War, World War I and II, the Civil War, the Gulf War, the Korean War and even the Vietnam War and

 A stark reminder to those who did not make it home.

 

 

While we were there we visited Bush Gardens which is close by but if the grandson would have been a bit older I think it would have been a great treat to bicycle "The Norfolk Botanical Garden" on Bike Night and pedal the 12 miles of pathways or maybe even take the canal boat

 or tram tour. In 2006 they opened the "World of Wonders" A children's adventure garden which is to have a walk-through world map and a theater for child-oriented shows.

 

The other thing I learned about Norfolk while we were there is that if you were a visitor you said Nor Folk and the residents said Nor Fuck...sorry folks it is how it is.

 

 

 

Happy Trails

 

 

M for A-Z Challenge

M-Mammoth Lakes, California

 

 

 

 

 

The Town of Mammoth Lakes is a small area of only four square miles. It's full time population is only about 8,200 people but it gets 1.3 million visitors in the winter and 1.5 million visitors in the summer. That is an average of 2.8 million visitors each year! Well I don't think you have to guess what fuels this little area's economy.

There are more than 4,500 rental units in Mammoth Lakes here is one example...... 

 

 

The Village lodge in the summer

 

 The Village lodge in the winter

 and more that 64 restaurants with a variety of themes and menus from Traditional, American, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, German, Italian, Thai and French but the big money maker is the, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). The 13% tax is added to the rental of any lodging facility and campgrounds for stays.

 

 

Of course in the winter it is all about skiing

 

but in the summer it becomes the Kamikaze biking challenge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devils post

A formation created by a lava flow, how many years ago is in dispute but anywhere from 100,000 to 760,000 years ago. 

 

 

Mono Lake

 

Is a large, shallow saline soda lake that was formed at least 760,000 years ago. There is no outlet to the ocean so high levels of salts accumulate in the lake. Believe it or not this alkaline lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp that thrive in its waters

 

and provides habitat for two million annual migratory birds that feed on the shrimp. 



 

 

 

Rainbow Falls



 

 the San Joaquin River tumbles over an abrupt 101-foot drop, sending rainbows of color into the mist and making for perfect picture opportunities.

 

 

Listen if that high rental tax is a problem you can always do it the old fashion way...

 

Happy Trails

 

 

 

 

L for A-Z Challenge

L-Las Vegas, Nevada

 

 

 

 

Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps.

 

 

 You can find the worlds biggest neon here...

 yes it is the cowboy of old and fortunately they have preserved it and the old town so that all can enjoy. No cars are allowed in the area and it is a wonderful place to walk and gawk:)

 

 

 

You will also find one of the most romantic restaurants here...

Hugo's Cellar located in the Four Queens Hotel and Casino  (been here and don't know that I would consider it the most romantic place I have ever been but they do give you a rose and you have several servers to cater to your needs.)

 

 

Here are a few tidbits for you:

 

 Over 60,000 pounds of shrimp are consumed every day here....as much as all of the U.S. and the
most popular?

  Shrimp cocktail



In the Chinese culture the number four is considered bad luck so at the Wynn

 

and other high towers they do not have floors that start with four so the elevators count 38, 39, 50, 51 etc.

If you have ever been on the strip you have not been in Las Vegas but rather on unincorporated land governed by Clark County. The Las Vegas City city limits starts at the Sahara Ave. northward. 84.4% of Nevada's land is owned by the federal government - more than any other state.


The first hotel and Casino was none other than the Golden Gate

 

It opened in 1906 as the Hotel Nevada. It too is in old Town.

The famous Flamingo Casino and Hotel was named so by Bugsy Siegel (Iconic gangster) after the long legs of  his showgirl girlfriend (Virginia Hill).

Las Vegas is a fast moving and growing city and to date there have been 15 Implosions to make room for progress....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOWER NAME	BUILT	DESTROYED	AGE (YRS.)
Landmark	1963	1995	32

The Landmark hotel was built in 1963, but didn't open until 1969. It stood tall and proud to be Howard Hughes' vision come true. The Jetsons-esque architecture was both loved and hated in the community.

In 1995 it became the second major property in Las Vegas to be imploded. (You can see the actual implosion in one of the scenes from Mars Attacks). It also had its last hurrah a month or two before the implosion by being the outside version of the fictional casino, the Tangiers in Martin Scorcese's film, Casino.

The Landmark was old, in bad repair, and unpopular. The Las Vegas Convention Center needed more parking, so on Nov. 7th, 1995...ka-blamo.

The 22-acre plot is still a surface parking lot which is becoming more valuable as time goes on. There are no immediate plans for developing the site. For more examples to here.



I know they tell you "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" but don't you believe it for a second. Ever notice all those camera's in the ceilings?

 

Happy Trails