Tips for an AtBiG Style History Adventure

So I received a request. It seems that some of my wanderings (Shiloh, Chickamauga, Wild Man's, side shows en route to Disney, Oakland Cemetery, and, of course, the grand 2013 All the Biscuits in Georgia Road Trip) have piqued the interest of more than one person. 

Some tips for getting out and planning your own history outing:

A GHS marker in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery

First of all, look close to home. Understanding much of what is going on right in your own hometown is dependent on understanding how your town got to this point in history. Check with your local visitor's and convention bureau. Many places have driving or tours that are as simple as downloading a free app onto your smart phone. My hometown has one for our historic downtown cemetery as well as one that keeps us up-to-date with the local goings on. But get out of the car. Read historic markers and monuments in your own town. Understand where you live. 

Carrollton

Nearby towns can be visited using day trips. You don't need lodging and the fuel cost won't break the bank, even at these ridiculous prices. This is the idea behind my day trip to Carrollton for an eye appointment last year. If you are brave and willing to try new things you'll find plenty of adventure and find some really good food. I was rather familiar with the layout of the town but I finally got out of the car and looked around. Walking around a town square or an old cemetery will often give you a lot of insight into the history of a town. Check the historic courthouse, an old downtown church. You will learn something.

Those are the simple ones. Let's get a little more complex.

This country, especially this part of it, is blessed with numerous forts, battlefields, home museums and other historic sites that are waiting to be discovered. 

Some tools I use:

Every state I have traveled in has rest areas on every interstate. Even in such a digital age there is always a display filled with paper brochures of a multitude of places to visit. What are you interested in? Next time you swing through on a bathroom break, take a look. This can help you know what is out there even faster than a Google search. You can use these to help build a list of places to visit. Many of these might be easy stops that are already on your current route. A short detour could turn into an adventure.

Two apps that I find indispensable: The Georgia Historical Society historic markers guide and the Official Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Pocket Ranger. 

The markers guide allows me to bring up a map of my current area and show me, in adjustable increments of 10, the nearest historic markers to my present location, anywhere in Georgia. Anytime I'm visiting somewhere new, I can open the app and in seconds have a list of at least 10 historic sites that I can either go to in person or read the inscription on the app.

The Pocket Ranger offers maps and lists of activities at every Georgia State Park and Historic sites location. you can make reservations for lodging or other facilities. It even gives a description of each site and the significance that each holds that qualifies it to be set aside by the park service. I used this app on our 2012 road trip that took us to Black Rock Mountain, Tallulah Gorge, and Moccasin Creek State Parks while finding a central "base of operations" in Clayton. We spent each evening in a cabin on Screamer Mountain and day tripped to the parks each day of the trip for some incredible hiking and a lot of Georgia history.

Ft. Loudon, Tennessee

I'm not sure about apps and the like but my experience with Tennessee State Parks and Historic sites has been excellent. I rerouted our return from Gatlinburg this past Christmas to take us by Ft. Loudon, which I found by scouring the possible routes home on Google Maps and looking for historic sites that lay along the various options. This stop, aside from a few book purchases and a small donation, was completely funded by the taxpayers of Tennessee. Tennessee sites do not charge admission. Or, at least they didn't charge us. 

The battle ensign on the CSS Atlanta

In 2011 and 2013 we took major road trips. Much like the one I mentioned earlier. The Clayton trip was about hiking and history was mingled in. The other two were history from the very onset of the trip. In both cases we planned ahead of time. We made a list of sites to see. State parks, national monuments, private museums, you name it. Then we prioritized, picked a "destination" that would serve as our centralized "base" and chose lodging there. To me, that's the hardest part. Finding a place comfortable enough for five explorers, affordable enough to not financially eliminate excursions (the reason for the trip in the first place) but yet nice enough to not have coin-operated vibrating beds. You get the picture. Then, just like in Clayton, make day trips. You can add more to a trip by taking routes that pass sites you wish to see. In 2011 that involved eating fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette and learning that onions have layers at the Vidalia Onion Museum. Each of these road trips wound up excluding sites that I wanted to see. While that is sad on that particular trip, it means you have a reason to go back. Part of your next trip is already planned for you

The keys to planning a good trip are: 1) knowing what options are available to you 2)some basic map skills to help you locate destinations and navigate your way to them 3) being willing to get off the "main" road and using routes that existed when the history you seek was made 4) having the flexibility to change plans if you discover a place of interest along a route you're already taking

These tips and some customization of your own could have you on your way to discovering history in your own backyard or 500 miles away.

Recap on Chivalry

I wanted to revisit the last post. The idea of chivalry caught piqued my own curiosity and I went out to see what I could find out about it,

Here was the recurrent pattern: 1) Guy does for attractive girl 2) Guy does for attractive girl 3) Guy does for attractive girl (repeat as necessary).

It sounds innocent enough, especially when we consider the number of single female people that bemoan the death of chivalry and present it as the cause of their inability to land an acceptable mate.

There's one problem with this entire scenario. Claiming to be chivalrous because you performed some polite task is like claiming to have purchased a high-performance sports car when all you have bought is a tire. Further, to perform a few chivalrous tasks in order to attract the attention of the opposite sex in hopes of gaining their affection is like claiming to have bought the aforementioned car while having only seen an advertisement for it between episodes of "Ridiculousness".

Let me put it this way. If you open a door for a lady because you think you are increasing your chances of (don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about), you aren't chivalrous, you're executing a plan.

Chivalry is a lot more than opening a door or pulling out a chair for a beautiful woman. Chivalry is about manners, courage, honor, dignity, respect and propriety. In short, it's about doing the right thing because its the right thing. If you need a reward for being chivalrous, you've missed the point.

So you opened a door for an attractive young lady. Did you then shut it on an elderly lady that you neglected to notice in your haste to try to get the young lady's phone number? Did you then tell the young lady a few lies about yourself in an attempt to impress her? Did you betray friendships to pursue her? Did you break oaths or encourage her to break oaths?

It's far more complicated than a few kind gestures. It's about motivations. Are yours pure or selfish?

A Southerner's Response to Ted

I must admit that I have not listened to very many Ted Talks. But I'll also admit that I've enjoyed what I have heard from them. There are interesting perspectives highlighted and I've walked away feeling that I've allowed myself to indulge in a worthwhile treat.

Which brings me to the the talk posted on Twitter 2/16/14. "We have got to show our sons a new definition of manhood."   http://t.co/Hkx4hLmXHN

I spent a few years working in Men's Ministry. My mother had seven brothers. I'm the oldest of her 4 sons. I have three sons of my own. I spent four years working in college football (in addition to three years playing high school ball). For the last 16 years I've worked for an organization that staffed over 99% by men.

All that to say, I'm familiar with men. I understand the statistics from my ministry days. I'll make no argument about the rate of sexual assaults against women that Colin Stokes makes in the Ted Talk. I'm in full agreement that the state of men in America is sad.

I'm also in agreement with Stokes on the point that men need to be able to work on a team, even one led by women. 

But I want to make a few points from another perspective. 

It's not just my inner Star Wars nerd that was cringing when he shared his concerns about the violence and strong male role models in the 1977 cinema classic. The world is a violent place. Even in Stokes' model of virtue on the Silver Screen, the Scarecrow was torn to pieces before being strewn all over the trail. Later he was set on fire. The raw intimidation the Wicked Witch wielded in Munchkin land belies a level of violence which, while unseen, was very real. And even the villain, the Witch herself going out in a hissing blob screaming in torment, "I'M MELTING!" That's the world you want?

I'm for being selective of my sons' media intake. I like them having strong male role models. Men that are capable of violence under the right circumstances - defense of home, family, friends, freedom, etc. I also want to see men that respect women. I don't mean revering them in some mythical fashion that demeans them. I mean respect their abilities to think, create, work, fight, defend, and be human. This isn't a new paradigm. It's centuries old. It's called chivalry.

It's a concept that has come under fire. Example: women like a certain senator that doesn't like being called "ma'am", being ignorant of Southern or military culture. Bless her heart, she just doesn't understand that if my mama sees me on TV NOT calling a lady "ma'am", I'm going to get my legs striped for me. And I'm almost 40.

You show me a man that says "ma'am", a man that holds a door for a lady, a man that won't sit while a lady stands, a man that doesn't use profanity in front of a lady, a man that will pick something up for the lady that dropped it, a man that respects a lady's spirit and mind as much as (or more than) her body and I'll show you a man that's not a part of the sexual assault statistics that Mr. Stokes shared.

So yes, we need a different paradigm. We need to teach our sons to have a healthy outlook in regard to the female side of the human race. Just as Han and Luke respected Leia at the end of Episode IV; just as Elizabeth I sent her warriors into battle - men who followed her orders and would never speak a word of disrespect towards her; just as Galahad, Bors, and Percival could fight gallantly, achieve glory and remain chaste; we can raise men today - both in fiction and reality - that are strong, brave, and respectful of women.

Oh, it's a different paradigm. But it's not new.