The Myers Great American Tour: Days 4/5/6

Hello Everyone!
 Sorry that it has taken so long for me to write these updates! We have been very busy. I have to make this short, as I am tired and are all ready to go to bed.

Day 4:
(Still in Richmond) We visited Tredegar Iron Works, where much of the Confederate's cannon power was manufactured. We also toured the Confederate White House where Jefferson Davis and his family lived during the Civil War. Afterwards, we went to a massive mansion that was nearby Richmond. It was huge and very opulent. Mom and I got to do a tour of the house and grounds.

Day 5:
(Leaving Richmond) We visited Cold Harbor, a battlefield in the Civil War during 1864. 15,000 men were either wounded or killed there, 2/3 of which were Union. We walked 2 1/2 miles through the walking tour. It was one of the coolest battlefields that I have seen. Everywhere we walked were original trenches dug by Union and Confederate soldiers. Some were very visible and others were tucked away in the forest. The Battle of Cold Harbor was the first time that trench warfare was used in the United States. The battle lasted two weeks, and much of the battlefield is still intact.
Afterwards, we drove south to Yorktown Battlefield. This is the place where the final major battle of the Revolutionary War was fought. We got to hear a park ranger speak (One of the best ranger talks that I have ever heard.) as well as do a car tour throughout the battlefield. We saw where the British earthworks, the French Lines, the American Lines, as well as several of the batteries. We also got to see Redoubts #9 and #10, two of the most famous parts of the battlefield. Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette planned and executed attacks on the two small forts. The fall of the forts caused the fall of Yorktown. Finally we got to see the place where the British and German forces surrendered. Afterwards we stayed in Yorktown.



Day 6:
(Leaving Yorktown for North Carolina) Today, we drove from Yorktown to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We stopped to see Kitty Hawk and the place where Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the first airplane. It is constantly windy here, and you can see why it was a good place to practice flying. After visiting the park, we headed to the northern area of the Outer Banks, to our hotel. It is right on the beach, and it is just a two minute walk over a large dune to the beach. The three boys spent several hours in the water this afternoon, dodging waves. It is really pretty here.

Now I'm caught up! In the future I will try to be more regular in my posting. we are staying here through Wednesday morning, before we head to Washington DC for the convention of the National League of POW/MIA Families. Thanks for reading!
JM

The Myers Great American Tour: Day 3

Hello Everyone!
 Today we traveled six hours to get to Richmond Virginia. Instead of going a few more hours to Fredricksburg, we chose to stay in Richmond.  We spent most of the day driving. When we got to Richmond, most of the museums were closed, but we were able to walk around the riverfront  of Richmond and see many of the sights there. We saw numerous moorings of bridges and buildings that the Confederate Army blew up on their way out of town. We also saw one of the largest cannon foundries that was in use during the Civil War in the south.

The bridge just a few days after it was burned in 1865.

If you look behind us in the picture, you can see the remains of the bridge.
(Look above Jake's head but below the current bridge.)

Tomorrow we will stay in Richmond. The plan is to visit The Confederate White House and the Museum of the Civil War in Richmond, before heading out to the Cold War battlefield. The battlefield is about 15 miles north of Richmond. This week is the 150th Anniversary of the battle, so there will be re-enactors and a ceremony. It will be cool. I promise I will have more pictures tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
JM

The Myers American Tour: Day 2!

Hello Everyone!
 Sorry this is a late post. Yesterday was a loooong day. We got pummeled with storms at the hotel, and even lost electricity for two hours! The storm was moving the same direction we were, so we waited to leave the hotel until 10 AM. We drove through Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, where we are staying. We arrived around 8 PM eastern time. (We're now in the eastern time zone.) Just as we started unloading, the storm that had been behind us that we had been out running started pouring on us. It was incredible the amount of water that came down in those 20 minutes. (Omaha, friends, I have a feeling you can relate.....) However, even though Dad and I looked like drenched rats, we managed to get all of the luggage into the hotel.

Today we are not sure what we are doing. The original plan was to go to Fredericksburg Virginia, which is a Civil War battlefield. Unfortunately, most of the park is under renovation. So, it will be interesting to see what happens. We will drive into Virginia and I'm quite confident we will find something interesting to see. Check back later for tomorrow (um, today's) update! Thanks for reading!
JM

The Myers American Tour Day #1

Hello Everyone!
 I am writing this post from Springfield Illinois. We left our house this morning at 7:30 and drove to Springfield Illinois. We drove around 7 hours.

 This afternoon we went to Abraham Lincoln's home and tomb. It was awesome to see the place where Lincoln lived. We saw the place where the Republican Party's delegates officially gave him the Party's nomination, and his bedroom. Much of the furniture was original and it was cool to think of Abraham Lincoln sitting at a desk, writing letters, or shaving with his shaving kit. I don't have many pictures today, but I will try to get some tomorrow.

 We missed most of the severe weather today but we will get hit tonight. Tomorrow we will be driving in the remains of this storm for much of the day. We will drive 12 hours to Charleston, West Virginia. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
JM