A Triple Treat: Three Museums In One……….OHIO on the road less traveled

NATIONAL ROAD- ZANE GREY -ZANESVILLE ART POTTERY MUSEUM. I know most readers of this blog post will never have the chance to visit in person soooo my hope is that in viewing this post you will be able to say “I’ve been there.” This post will cover the NATIONAL ROAD portion 0f the museum..just to much to see.. Sometimes I need to remember there is a lot to see close to home…

The National Road Museum is just north of I-70 at exit 164, on US Route 40. It is 10 miles east of Zanesville. 8850 East Pike Norwich, OH 43767 Hours:May 1 through October 31 Monday and Tuesday – closed Wednesday – Saturday 10am to 4pm Sunday 1pm – 4pm…………………………………..

The National Road, in many places known as Route 40, was built between 1811 and 1834 to reach the western settlements. It was the first federally funded road in U.S. history. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson believed that a trans-Appalachian road was necessary for unifying the young country. In 1806 Congress authorized construction of the road and President Jefferson signed the act establishing the National Road. It would connect Cumberland, Maryland to the Ohio River. READ MORE..A quick look around outside::

The segment of Zane's Trace between Wheeling and Zanesville was rebuilt as part of the new National Road

Ok, time to head inside where we are met by a very personable young lady know as “Kat” short for Kathryn.

I found Kat to be very knowledgeable concerning all areas of the museum with a specialty in pottery.

Many of the photos are of the 136 foot long miniature diorama depicting the progress of the National Road.

The museum has an original Conestoga Wagon. Probably one of the few still remaining after 200 years.

George Diven, a farmer and wagoner was the earliest inventor of the friction brake for Conestoga wagons.  For a good story on why it is called Brake Shoe Click

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller

“Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.” ~Charles Kuralt, (So check out Route 40)

“I had gained the summit of a commanding ridge, and, looking round with astonishing delight, beheld the ample plains, the beauteous tracts below.”Daniel Boone

Mark Twain: “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." Dr. Seuss

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” - Paul Theroux.

Legendary hospitality offered on this well-traveled route to the west. INNS ON THE NATIONAL ROAD

"Not all those who wander are lost."- J. R. R. Tolkien

“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost

The Bicycle Lobby LOL..They did get the job done.'Roads Were Not Built for Cars' is a history book, focusing on a time when cyclists had political clout.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world .... And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again -- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more." Pico Iyer

Trains started the real decline of the National Road…

This post has been a journey in itself and I only covered one of the three museums..Stay Tuned for more…As always thanks for stopping by.. I will leave you with this::

"Benedicto: May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through miasmal and mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you -- beyond that next turning of the canyon walls."
— Edward Abbey

Technorati Tags: NATIONAL ROAD,ZANE GREY,ZANESVILLE ART POTTERY,MUSEUM,QUALITY TIME,ROAD TRIP,LANCASTER OHIO ONE TANK TRIP

Most quotes came from SlowTravel NATIONAL ROAD- ZANE GREY -ZANESVILLE ART POTTERY MUSEUM.

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

WESTERN TRIP

“In Durango, tucked in the back of the rail yard, you’ll discover the 12,000-square-foot D&SNG Railroad Museum. The Museum was created in 1998 utilizing 8 stalls of the ‘new’ 15-stall roundhouse built in 1989. READ MORE

The museum staff is knowledgeable in the history and current affairs of the local railroad.

Durango & Silverton Railroad Music Video.At least listen to the music while you view the rest of the post.

After Watching/Listening to the video are you ready for a train ride????

476 saw  extensive service on the San Juan passenger train, which ran between Durango, Colorado and Alamosa, Colorado until 1951.

Two drunks were walking upgrade between the railroad tracks. One of them said, "this is is longest stairway I have ever been on. ." The other one said, "It's not the stairs that bother me, it's the low banister.

A man and a woman, who had never met before, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train. Although initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly -- he in the upper bunk and she in the lower. At 2:00 a.m., he leans over and gently wakes the woman, saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold." "I have a better idea," she replies. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married." "Wow! That's a great idea!!" he exclaims. "Good," she replies. "Get your own damn blanket."

Linda and I were in Durango to hop aboard a coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive that travels along the same railroad tracks that miners, cowboys and the early settlers of the Old West used over a hundred years ago. With about an hour to spare before boarding the train I had the opportunity to visit the museum..

800-square-foot model railroad :: SEE VIDEO of HOn3 Train - Silverton to Durango

The wall is lined with military miniatures..I didn’t know what the connection was so I did a little research.“I’m delighted to have a place where thousands of people will see them,” said Capt. William “Bud” Davis, U.S. Marine Corps (retired), center. Davis was referring to his collection of 5,000 lead and plastic military figurines that now will be housed at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad & Museum. Davis painted all of the toy soldiers and casted most of them himself. He has been at it since 1950. Read More

Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum Ranked #5 of 37 attractions in Durango Read reviews at TripAdvisor 

Nearing the end of the post:  Caboose - The end of train, a non revenue car.

Linda and Sara say, “Where have you been.”

The train is ready to leave the station.

Safely onboard,Melissa will highlight the trip to Silverton.Which may be another post….

Joe Todd posting from the Durango & Silverton…Thanks for stopping by. P.S. The jokes don’t have anything to do with the museum. I found them on the net while doing some research. Made me LOL so thought you might enjoy..Also,one photo is from Wikimedia.

Technorati Tags: Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad,Museum,QUALITY TIME,WESTERN TRIP

If you want your own train::

Bachmann Durango and Silverton HO Scale Ready To Run Electric Train Set

Durango's Strater Hotel, Western History since 1887,Author Louis L'Amour,The Sacketts

WESTERN TRIP

“L'Amour began bringing his family to Durango in the summers beginning in the mid-1960s, and there he wrote the popular Sackett series of Western novels. The room, available to guests, still includes the desk on which he wrote.”Read More:

Mr. L’Amour is probably my favorite author and I have read all of his books, sometimes more than once.

I was told, “L'Amour would bring his family to Durango for a month or more and stay at the Strater Hotel room 222. His family would be in the adjacent room.”

 He wrote the Sackett series of Western novels from this table.

“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast,and you miss all you are traveling for.” Louis L'Amour

“Durango, Colorado – The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) has designated the historic Strater Hotel Guest Room 222 a Literary Landmark ™ in honor of Twentieth Century American author Louis L’Amour.Saturday, August 25, 2012.” Mr. L’Amour credited his inspiration to the sounds of Honky Tonk piano emanating up from the Strater Hotel’s Diamond Belle Saloon.” Read More

Waiting for a table at the Diamond Belle Saloon.

“A little rest and meditation often saves a lot of riding over rough country.” ― Louis L'Amour

“Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him.”  Louis L'Amour

“Too often I would hear men boast of the miles covered that day, rarely of what they had seen” Louis L'Amour

“If you want the law to leave you alone, keep your hair trimmed and your boots shined.”
― Louis L'Amour, The Man Called Noon: A Novel

Diamond Belle Saloon Gunfights, May 21 - October 12, 2012
Monday, Wednesday, Friday - approximately 7:00 p.m. out front of The Belle

Some of the photos are more “scenic” than others LOL

“Knowledge was not meant to be locked behind doors. It breathes best in the open air where all men can inhale its essence.” ― Louis L'Amour, The Haunted Mesa…(check out my blog post:: about Cedar Mesa and The Valley Of The Gods..Is this the Haunted Mesa..I think so..

 Thanks for stopping by. If you are ever at the Diamond Belle Saloon make sure to say Hi…. Joe Todd says, “Thanks for the great service.”

NOTE: All photos are mine except two.. One is from Wikimedia and the other is from The Strater Hotel Web Site. One other photo is from a dining establishment in Silverton…  Go back and look at the photos and see if you can figure out which is which… For more Louis L'Amour quotes CLICK

Technorati Tags: Durango's Strater Hotel,Western history,Louis L'Amour,The Sacketts,Diamond Belle Saloon,Haunted Mesa,Cedar Mesa,My Quality Time

“Fully excavated, the kiva reveals itself as anomalous in having no sipapu” HAUNTED MESA”…

Do you see the sipapu in the above Kiva? (Mesa Verde)