Shawnsmusic

Fun place to visit. I was with the Indiana university pepband performing for the NCAA tourney. A great trip, great places to visit and great people. There is just so much to do that I cannot even begin to tell you everything. Just go and be surprised…Maybe do like we did and play a little miniature golf as well.

This spring is not far from Tallahassee, but it seems like you’re in the middle of nowhere. There are boat rides down the river and lots of alligators to look at. Funny thing is that you can go swimming at the headwaters of the river. The water is crystal clear and deeeeeeeep. Never mind the fact that there were alligators just a couple hundred yards away. They told us that the water was too cold for the alligators to bother with those of us swimming. I guess, but we kept our eyes open anyway. Pictures coming soon

Not an ending destination, but nice for passing through. Nice Civil War reenactment on the waterfront across from Rock Island. Some nice old houses on the hills too. Take it for what it is and enjoy.

Its a nice view of the city. We were here for the All-American Bowl back in 86. With 300+ of us there, there wasn’t a whole lot of room or time to look around. The view of Birmingham was nice though. Baby Do’s Matchless Mine Restaurant was good too. Do them both on your trip.

Not your typical Civil War battlefield, Pea Ridge does have something that few others do. A great view of the field. From the top of the ridge, you can see a great deal of the area being contested. Although the Elkhorn Tavern is hidden by the large boulders on the ridge, it is nearby and the fighting could, no doubt, be heard. I was a bit disappointed by the brevity of the Driving Tour tape, but the actual battlefield is interesting.

Take some time and explore the field and imagine what it would have been like to face Pea Ridge from the plain below.

Its a nice place to just get lost in the past. Aside from the big ad painted on the side of the hill, its virtually 1862. The lower town was the set for much of the Fredericksburg part of the movie Gods and Generals because of that very reason.

The history and natural beauty make it a great spot to see. Look across both of the rivers. I looks like you could walk across on the rocks without getting your knees wet.

If you are a Civil War buff, this is a great place to go to explore what led up to the war and the role that geography played in the war. John Brown’s Raid didn’t start the war, but it got many on both sides thinking. Imagine being in Harper’s Ferry surrounded my cannon on all three sides. Not a good place to be. Well, you now see why the Union lost Harper’s Ferry to the Confederates just prior to the battle of Antietam. It was like “shooting fish in a barrel.”

Some say Harper’s Ferry is haunted. I don’t know… I saw some strange things, but who’s to say. Go see for yourself

And ignore the “not worth it,” folks. They just don’t get it.

This is a nice stop along the way to wherever you might be going. Having lived there for a while, It was just a nice place to go and get away from everything. This is simply another example a town named after something and then getting too big to really appreciate it anymore. Take a look. Can’t hurt and you may just like the walk.

Now I’m not a farmboy, but this was really pretty cool. The Pavilion and the adjacent museum were interesting and simply fun to walk around it. Tractors of all shapes and sizes…of course they were all the same color…you guessed it. John Deere green.

It was 1984 when I attended Ridgecrest as a youth From FBC Mt. Healthy, OH. While in the area, we decided to venture out and find Sliding Rock. After wandering around and getting lost (thus the reason I don’t offer travel tips on this one) we made it.

After sliding down the rock face (in very cold mountain water) I decided I’d slide down the left side of the rock. There were several spots that looked like flat spots on the rock. I ecided it would be fun to hit those and do a “jump.” BAD MOVE! Those were not flat spots, but instead pools of water with very hard edges on them. I hit one and ended up with bruises all over my backend. I learned quickly. I was a great visit though.

After recovering from the injury. I joined several others and waded on downstream for a way. If you get the chance to go…do it, even if you don’t slide.

This is a free museum folks. Take advantage of that fact of go. YOu get to see some great architecture in the process. This is located in the monument in the middle of Indianapolis’ monument circle. Park at one of the garages and walk the short distance to the museum. Once inside, you will see a number of solid dispays and exhibits. I feel that this is along the same quality as the museum in Bardstown, KY if not a little bit better. (The Bardstown museum has a cannon used by Col. Lilly’s soldiers) After seeing this museum, grab a bite to eat and walk up the street to the Indiana War Memorial/Museum. Good things in Indiana.