Montgomery, Alabama

The Alabama Capitol with marchers foot prints leading to it's staircase.

Montgomery Alabama is a great capitol city. We were only there for a day found and it to be friendly and walkable. Parking was easy and we found a variety of things to see and do.

Fred and I drove into the city on a workday Monday and expected to find a lot of traffic. We must have timed it right because we were able to get right in to the Capitol building and found metered parking not far away.
Alabama's capitol building is beautiful. White Alabama marble, a grand staircase and a stately rotunda make  an impressive structure that is fitting for a Government building. The building (circa 1851) is designated a National Historic Landmark  as the first Capitol of the Confederacy.  Statues of Jefferson Davis and a Confederate monument grace the landscaped lawns which were originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, author of New York's Central Park and North Carolina's Biltmore Estate.
Those steps were the end point for Dr. Martin Luther King's 50 mile march from Selma to Montgomery to petition then Governor George Wallace to end racial discrimination in the state of Alabama. The crosswalks in Dexter Avenue leading up to the capitol are painted like the soles of the many shoes that marched with him.

Dexter Avenue Baptist Church

We took a walk down Dexter Avenue and passed the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Dr. King led the congregation in the late 1950's.

Entrance to The Alley

Railyard Brewing Company

We walked down toward the river and found the site of Rosa Parks bus stop and the Hank Williams Museum before ducking into Alley Station an entertainment district that groups together bars, restaurants, and live music in an environment that provides indoor and outdoor seating away from street noise and busy sidewalks. it was like a little oasis from the downtown heat. The Alley is near Riverwalk Stadium the city's minor league ball field and that's where we found Railyard Brewing Company where Alabama brewer Jamie Ray produces craft ales in a great environment. Railyard offers a  pub style menu and a variety of brews from a Pale Ale to a Double Black IPA. The bar is in an interesting old building that was once part of the warehouse system for the railroad. The atmosphere is dark and cozy with exposed brick, old wood beams and railroad memorabilia that included a reception desk shaped like and engine. Fred sampled and enjoyed some of their offerings.

We had wandered a long way and made our way back up to the Capitol giving our Fitbit's a workout. No trouble recording those 10,000 steps this day!

First white House of the Confederacy

Our last stop was the First White House of the Confederacy. The building is Italianate Style and is furnished in period pieces from the 1850's to 1860's.  It was built in 1832 by a relative of Zelda Fitzgerald and leased by the Confederate Government to serve as the first home of it's President. The house features many artifacts of the Confederacy and Jefferson Davis's presidency as well as a research library.  It was an interesting walk back in time to see the house fully furnished as it would have been in 1861.

The Wright Flyer

We enjoyed our day in Montgomery and headed back to base. Along the way we stopped at a red light on Maxwell Blvd.and spotted an airplane mounted on poles in a small pocket park. It was a replica of the Wright Flyer.  We discovered that the Wright Brothers first flight school was located in Montgomery at the area that is now Maxwell Air Force Base. While the flight school was only in Montgomery for a year it is considered an important reason for the development of interest in aviation in Alabama.  I love learning this kind of history. It made our day and we were happy to discover another facet in the history of American Aviation.

Stone Mountain Georgia

Stone Mountain Monument to the Confederacy

Washington was a great experience but we needed a little downtime after that whirlwind of National Monument sightseeing. We started a slow move south by spending 3 nights at one of our favorite military fam-camps, the Westin Lake Recreation Area at Fort Jackson South Carolina.
Westin Lake is a beautiful and at this time of the year peaceful place to stay. It was just what we needed after a busy week.

We took te opportunity to hike again in the Congeree National Forest. We found many closed trails due to recent heavy rains and flooding but managed to have a great walk just the same.
we headed to Woodstock Georgia next to spend a lively and wonderful Thanksgiving with the Luse/Autry clan. It was fun to get to spend some time with Fred's extended family.

Stone Mountain has been on my list of places to visit for quite some time. it is an amazing sight. I should have realized from the name but the mountain is quite literally one huge chunk of granite. It looms in the landscape like a bald headed man in the company of the Beatles.

We could really see the depth of the carving from our sky ride gondola.

This is much more than a mountain. We followed signs and entered into a complex that included a Conference Center, a golf course, an RV Park and at it's center an Amusement Park dressed up for Christmas. To get to the mountain you must pass through the Amusement Park.
High above the twinkling lights, the gift shops and a snow tube run, in the center of the granite rock face, the huge high relief sculpture of Jefferson Davies, Stonewall Jackson and Robert E Lee looks down over the park. 90 feet by 140 feet huge.
This monument to the Confederacy is impressive. Looking at the carving from 400 feet below we were amazed at the detail especially in the faces of the men and the bodies of the horses. From the ground it looks almost like a monotone painting.  We were surprised to learn that the carving is recessed 42 feet into the mountain.

The top of the mountain was cold and barren.

We decided to take the sky ride in order to get as close to the art work as possible. The sky ride is like a gondola on a ski slope except the ride is much shorter. It took us up the mountain to the left of the sculpture and close enough so that we could see the depth and intricacy of the carving. i even managed to stop clutching the rail long enough to snap a few pictures.

Atlanta Skyline from the top of Stone Mountain

The top of the mountain is barren of trees and has few plants. we saw some lichen and a few hardy grasses but everything else was discouraged by the strong winds and lack of soil. The views were quite spectacular. We saw Atlanta's skyline to the Southwest and Allatona Lake to the North.  Our campground was located on Allatoona Lake but we had no idea how large the lake is until seeing it from this perspective.

We decided to walk the 2 1/2 miles down the mountain and back to the parking lot. It was a beautiful day for a short hike once we got out of the wind.

Stone Mountain Express

Once off the mountain we grabbed something to drink and walked around admiring the Christmas decorations. Fred believes the designer was influenced by Clark Griswald. We rode the old train around the mountain ans sang carols with a family that we met while waiting in line. I was surprised to find myself tearing up, missing Mom and the kids.

We had a great time at Stone Mountain and were happy to see this controversial monument and enjoy it for the impressive artwork that it is.