Carl Henning

Sometimes the travel blog takes you only five miles from home. After four years here we finally visited The Humble Museum. “Humble” is an adjective meaning modest, but in this case, Humble is the name of a Texas town. It’s pronounced without the ‘H’ because in 1886 when Pleasant Humble applied for a post office, the town adopted his pronunciation of his name, ‘umble.

Being a relative newcomer to Texas, I don’t know much Texas history. (Except The Alamo. I remember The Alamo.) Visiting The Old Stone Fort on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University filled in some on the gaps.

Skyline Drive runs along the ridge of Shenandoah National Park. We entered on the north near Front Royal, Virginia and exited 30 miles later. The Drive goes on many more miles but we had a good sample: scenic vistas and 25 deer.

In Staunton, Virginia, we visited the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum. I think this is our third presidential library after JFK’s and Rutherford B. Hayes. Tours of his birthplace house are offered.

We paid a perfunctory visit to the home of Confederate Civil War General Stonewall Jackson. From this we gleaned that he was successful in the Mexican-American War, taught at Virginia Military Institute (VMI), owned slaves, and was wounded in the arm, leading to his death. 

Casey Jones was the famous train engineer that saved his train (and people) by braking hard to minimize a collision with a freight train in the wrong place. He died in the effort after telling his fireman to jump.

In addition to the Bathhouses over the hot springs, Hot Springs National Park includes Hot Springs Mountain and other scenic locations.

Touted as the first location for baseball’s spring training, Hot Springs provided access to bars and baths. Gangsters frequented both, too.

Medicinal hot springs, Al Capone and other gangsters, illegal casinos and brothels, and major league baseball spring training. What do these have in common? Hot Springs National Park.

Many Christians have some version of the poem Footsteps in the Sand (sometimes, just Footsteps) in their homes. It’s often give as a gift. The authorship is disputed, but here is one version: One night I dreamed a dream. As…