2018 Trip 3: March 29-31: KY and TN

Miami Beach FL. March 31

Cruise ship leaving Miami as seen from our lodging in Miami Beach

As promised, the blog posts are stretching out as we do more relaxing than traveling. The breakfast at Battleview B and B lived up to Chris’ comments about B and B breakfasts; nutritious and wide-ranging in items offered. Our plan was to not rush out the door since Atlanta is but 100 miles away and we hoped to avoid its rush hour traffic. Well, the plan was adhered to but the hope of avoiding traffic was fruitless. We even added on an extra, spontaneous stop hoping it might get us past traffic jams.

Breakfast at Battleview B and B

As we were driving down the road, a sign for Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park appeared. Google Maps was still showing red for heavy Atlanta traffic and we had not visited Kennesaw back in the fall of 2016 when we were last in this area. Who can pass up the chance to obtain one more National Park Service stamp in their NPS “Passport to Your National Parks”? Not us; we are around 220 of 417 and still adding more.

Kennesaw was busy, we had to park in the overflow parking lot a block away. This site is part of the battle for Atlanta as Union General William T. Sherman was pressing Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston for control of the area. Sherman was on his march to the sea plundering and burning supplies, buildings, manufacturing and transportation to destroy the Confederates ability to wage war. Atlanta was a key site. Kennesaw Mountain was the last major mountainous area between Chattanooga and Atlanta and Johnston had fortified the area well.

One view of Kennesaw Mountain

It was May of 1864 and the North was getting tired of war; Lincoln was facing opposition from General McClellan for re-election as President and it seemed only a major victory could provide for his re-election. A series of minor skirmishes and flanking maneuvers were not providing a victory although Sherman was getting closer to Atlanta each time. In late June 1864, a series of full force battles at Kennesaw Mountain forced the Confederates to give up the fortified positions and retreat. By early September, Atlanta was in Union hands and Lincoln had the victory that guaranteed his re-election two months later.

One poignant circumstance was detailed in the video and displays. At the “Dead Angle”, the fighting was fierce and numerous bodies, primarily Union, were left in the middle of the Battlefield with troops on either side of the bodies. After two days of a lull in the battle here, the two sides agreed to a brief cease-fire to bury the rotting bodies of the dead and tend to the wounded. Union and Confederate troops worked together to accomplish this, even going so far as to share food and water and spend some time in games of chance. When the cease-fire ended, they went back to killing and maiming each other.

We resumed our travel and arrived in the Atlanta area around 12:30 PM. The traffic was horrendous, six to eight lanes in either direction, fully clogged and moving slowly. We later discovered two facts: A. Atlanta is ranked number 8 in the world for traffic problems; and B. A couple from Atlanta we met later in the day indicated they had been driving there at the same time and thought the traffic was actually better than usual for that time of day.

Miami Beach Friday evening

Lake City Florida was our overnight stopping point before the final drive to Miami Beach. Miami is another traffic hotspot but we lucked out on Friday and had no major issues arriving at our lodging by 3 PM. Our room was ready and after unloading, we headed up the street to have a late lunch at the Front Porch, one of our usual hangouts. After a restful nap, we walked the boardwalk and enjoyed the almost full moon. This week, there are no major conventions or events going on; just spring breakers and regular tourists so the streets and walkways were quieter than usual. A pleasant way to wrap up the day.

On Saturday, we used the whirlpool and roof top area to relax and enjoy the weather. Saturday evening we headed over to the New World Symphony. New World is a training ground for musicians who aspire to join major orchestras as professional musicians. The students have already received bachelor and master degrees from major colleges around the country. 87 students receive up to three years of paid training; the goal for many is to land a gig prior to the three years being completed. Chris and I have been coming to their performances for years; they used to be housed in an old movie theater on Lincoln Drive. Now they have a Frank Gehry designed campus including a performance venue, practice rooms and living accommodations.

Home of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach FL

Before the concert, two of the musicians gave an informal discussion of the evening’s music, then answering questions about the music and their own background. Tonight’s music was described as relatively new compositions in a minimalist style. We were told the composers were more interested in process and in presenting rhythm and tonality. I hope that you understand that better than I did. Once I heard the music, though, the comments made more sense. Even I could recognize set tones being repeated with varying background changes.

My two favorites were the first piece: A Short Ride on a Fast Machine by John Adams; and the last piece: many loves by Samuel Adams (son of John Adams who was also the conductor for the performance). Fast Ride is well-known and one can hear recordings of it on the Internet-it is only four minutes long.

Ed and Chris April 1. Happy Easter

Epilogue: Snippets on life in America from Chris
Day 16: Sorry family in MN and MA. After two weeks on the road, we have finally arrived to sun and warmth-Miami Beach. We all know that we cannot control Mother Nature. Fortunately, we are driving this trip so we have multiple types of jackets, shoes, and warm headgear.