Washita Battlefield National Historic Site...

The Park Headquarters and Visitor Center

...out here it sits on the Oklahoma plains,
a visit to our past, a history of our pains;
it's the site of a battle or retaliation if you will,
the place where George Armstrong Custer went in for the kill.

It could have been much worse, but the Seventh made escape,
and some soldiers left behind made it out after a long wait;
but eight years later, Little Big Horn was the place,
when the soldiers left behind failed to help Custer win his final race.**

The Battlefield Monument

The land is now at peace

Birds the live here, and the sunset.

**There was deep resentment within the 7th Cavalry that never healed.[53] In particular, Elliott's friend, H Company captain Frederick Benteen, never forgave Custer for "abandoning" Elliott and his troopers. Eight years later, when Benteen failed to race to Custer's aid at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, his actions were closely examined in light of his long-standing anger toward Custer for the events at the Washita River.

Whiskeytown National Recreation Area...

Sunrise on Trinity Lake

...up here by Mount Shasta in the mountains and the lakes,
rugged camping and hiking, if you've got what it takes,
I'll just look at pictures that other people took,
because I can't climb the mountain, or even bait a hook.

Having driven through this area and hitchhiked it too,
and I have flown over, it's really quite a view;
there are some parts you can access with a car,
and the views are worth the trip, if you want to go that far.

The Lower Tow-click

A hiking trail, hilly, very hilly

What a view!-click

Voyageurs National Park...

Fresh fish!

...Remember yesterday Tehachapi Pete was right next door,
so let's look at this one, what are we waiting for;
this one's on an island in the corner of the lake,
but it's got more scenery that we have camera to take.

It's very nice up here in the very north,
except maybe in springtime when the mosquitoes come forth,
or, maybe not in winter with all the ice and snow,
but it's sure nice in summer when the gentle breezes blow.

Beautiful rocks, color is not bad either.

A look from the air

The sun sets on Voyageurs National Park-click

Valley Forge National Historical Park...

The Monument for the Soldiers of the Continental Army-click

...The place where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1776,
of course, back then this place was in the sticks;
the park contains exact copies of the cabins that they used,
and if we had to live there, we would be sure we were abused.

The large grounds of the park offer plenty to do,
twenty-six miles of trails to bike, or to shoe;
be sure to take your time, and to see all the sights,
and be grateful, that you, won't spend your winter nights.

One of the cabins-click

Each cabin had bunks and a fireplace, dirt floors-click

A gunners with canon-click

Upper Delaware River Scenic and Recreational Area....

Winding river, winding road

...follows the Delaware River from New York to Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, whew!
And as the name implies, it's scenic through and through;
it's really worth the ride, if you can stand the miles,
because what there is to see, will bring you lots of smiles.

When you look at the road, the way it winds around,
it must have been hard to build, on such different ground;
so we should be thankful, to those that went before,
for building those roads to open wonders door.

Upper Delaware Water Gap-click

The water runs a little low in late summer-click

Nice view of sky and river-click

Tuzigoot National Monument...

The Hilltop Pueblo

...Arizona, a three story pueblo with 110 rooms,
this large structure over the Verde Valley looms;
built around 1125, that's a long time ago,
terraced gardens, for the crop they grow.

They were traders these Sinagua people were,
maybe some of their crops for somebodies fur;
I think it's amazing what some people built,
stone buildings and fences with no sign of guilt.

The Terraced hillside-click

A long ways up-click

The trail in-click

Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve....

A Mocama Chieftain village-click

...Jacksonville, Florida, groups of peoples who lived here 2500 years BC,
all un-earthed in a few big digs, they found things for us to see;
there may have been 25 villages, all with a different Chief,
what happened to them remains unknown, history silent as a thief.

These were civilized people, able to live in a group,
they kept animals on farms, and chickens in a coop;
they were gone already when explorers came,
but what archaeologists have found did much to explain.

Kingsley Plantation, came a little later, a lot later really-click

Spoonbills and Pelicans-click

Shoreline of the villages