James Dean Burial Site - Fairmount, Indiana

James Dean

ROAD TRIP TO JAMES DEAN GRAVESITE

Fairmount, Indiana.  This is no Pere Lachaise in Paris, France where Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf rest.

It is a small town between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.  Not a destination in itself, but if you are driving in the area, it maybe worthwhile to detour.

Off Route 31 you get the sense of why James Dean escaped to Hollywood.

When you walk into the Fairmount Historical Museum, you will be won over. 

The museum is full of the actual items owned by James Dean.  There are four rooms packed full of James Dean's own clothes, letters, photographs, school reports, motorbikes, toys and other memorabilia donated both by the local community and by his film star friends.

Park Cemetery itself is a big place, far bigger than you'd expect of a town with a population of less than 3,000, so the map they give you at the museum is essential. And there it is: a modest headstone bearing his name and the years 1931-1955. Nothing more. It's no different from the hundreds of other headstones here, just as Fairmount's no different from thousands of other towns in the Midwest.

The 2011 James Dean Festival will take place from Thursday, Sept. 22nd through Sunday, Sept. 25th. The festival's main attractions will be the Annual Museum Days and the Annual James Dean Run.

Museum Days, a four-day long remembrance celebration, will feature live music performed on the Main Street stage; free showings of "East of Eden," "Rebel Without a Cause" and "The Giant;" James Dean look alike contest, dance contests, and a number of other events and activities suitable for children and adults of all ages.

The James Dean Run will take place at Fairmount's Playacres Park and feature car judging, flame throwing contests, music, trivia and much more.

The James Dean Festival is the quintessential festival for fans that wish to honor and celebrate the young actor who personified what it meant to be "cool" - James Byron Dean.

North Carolina Fall Color Report - The Final Weeks of 2010

  North Carolina - Vacation Paradise

North Carolina - Autumn Colors

Driving from the Piedmont Triad north to Stokesdale and Route 65 toward Belews Lake provides a nice outing. Route 89 to Hanging Rock State Park in Stokes County is a beautiful scenic drive. Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain State Parks are past peak but still provide some late season color.

Check out the leaf color forecaster here.

In many areas sugar and red maples continue to blaze with yellow and orange, especially when back-lit in the afternoon sun. Numerous species of oak trees are actively changing into russet and brown and combine nicely with the still colorful maples and sourwoods.

Even though autumn color throughout most of the North Carolina Piedmont region is past peak, some eastern sections of the province remain stubbornly green.

William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh, for example, reports mildly colorful landscapes while several tree species are only now beginning to yellow. Whether or not full color will eventually appear in these areas is uncertain. Kim Hyer, Naturalist at Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve in Southern Pines says the turkey and blackjack oaks, usually brilliant with reds and oranges this time of year, haven’t even begun to change.

Every North Carolina fall season is beautiful with the state’s vast forest resources in the mountain region and numerous state and local parks

FORT MACON, NORTH CAROLINA - TRAVEL GUIDE

Fort Macon, North Carolina

Fort Macon State Park is a North Carolina state park in Carteret County, North Carolina, in the United States. Located on Bogue Banks near Atlantic Beach, the park opened in 1936. Fort Macon State Park is the second most visited state park in North Carolina, with an annual visitation of 1.3 million, despite being the third smallest park in North Carolina with 389 acres (1.57 km²). The Battle of Fort Macon was fought there during March and April 1862.

The ramparts

In addition to the fully restored fort, the park offers visitors both soundside and surf fishing, nature trails, ranger guided tours, a protected swim area, a refreshment stand, and a bathhouse. With the exception of the bathhouse, there are no fees to enjoy the park.
The park is open year round and does not charge an admission or parking fee. During the non-summer months the protected swimming area, refreshment stand, and bathhouse are not available. However, you can swim at your own risk and public restrooms are open year round.
Fort Macon State Park also completely surrounds United States Coast Guard Base Fort Macon. The main gate is located directly across from the park office and barracks, and visitors can catch a glimpse of one of the Coast Guard Cutters that are moored there.


Safety Tip:  The Fort is built for war, not safety.  Be cautious where you step as there are unprotected ledges.

HISTORY:

Five-sided Fort Macon is constructed of brick and stone. Twenty-six vaulted rooms (also called casements) are enclosed by outer walls that are 4.5 feet (1.4 m) thick.
In modern times the danger of naval attack along the North Carolina coast seems remote, but during the 18th and 19th centuries the region around Beaufort was highly vulnerable to attack.
Blackbeard and other infamous pirates were known to have passed through Beaufort Inlet at will, while successive wars with Spain, France and Great Britain during the Colonial Period provided a constant threat of coastal raids by enemy warships. Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge "QAR" is thought to have been discovered in shallow water right off the park in the Atlantic Ocean and is being recovered. Beaufort was captured and plundered by the Spanish in 1747 and again by the British in 1782.

TRAVEL REVIEW:

The fort is very close to Atlantic Beach a popular destination.  We drove over from our hotel, The Sheraton Atlantic Beach.  Fort Macon was a nice break from the beach.  The view from the top of the fort is great, the boats going back and forth from the inlet were nice to see.

Labor Day was still very warm and the air conditioned exhibits were a nice retreat from the heat.

About to live fire a musket

This will be loud

The gift shop had thoughtful workers.  On our way out they reminded us that there was going to be a live firing of a musket gun.

The musket was fired by a Civil War re-enactor.  It was very fun and informative.

I had been to Atlantic Beach several times but never visited the fort.  It is a worthwhile side trip.

Scary Bridges - Caution - Don't View if you Fear Heights

WORLD'S SCARIEST BRIDGES

Many courageous (or foolhardy) travelers seek out hair-raising bridges just for the thrill. The bridges along the route to Colombia’s National Archaeological Park of Tierradentro are a good example. Though there are safer routes via bus from La Plata, some thrill-seekers choose to ride motorcycles over slippery bamboo crossings deep in the mountains, where one wrong move could mean plunging into a turbulent river.

So get ready to face your fears—or maybe find your next adventure—with a list of the world’s most petrifying bridges.

Suspension Bridge - North Vancouver

Capilano Suspension Bridge
Canada

Originally built in 1889, this simple suspension footbridge surrounded by an evergreen forest is very high, fairly narrow, and extremely shaky—the cedar planks bounce on their steel cables as you walk across them. If the bridge doesn’t scare you, wait until the spring of 2011; the Cliffhanger attraction will allow visitors to climb across a series of suspended walkways attached to a cliff.

Where: British Columbia, across the Capilano River.

Stats: 450 feet long; 230 feet high.

Vietnam - Monkey Bridge

Monkey Bridges
Vietnam

It may seem that only monkeys could make it across traditional monkey bridges—after all, they’re typically made of a single bamboo log and one handrail. However, the name comes from the stooped monkey-like posture you have to maintain when crossing, so as not to plunge into the river below.

Where: Various points across the Mekong Delta at the southern tip of Vietnam.

Stats: These bridges are built by hand by local residents and vary from town to town. Newer ones are made of concrete.

Autumn Colors - Blue Ridge Parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway

Discover the haven of rolling hills and wildflowers that is Appalachia along the Blue Ridge Parkway, which stretches 469 miles from Virginia to North Carolina.  Drive the entire length if you have time, but for a shorter trip, start in Asheville, North Carolina, and follow the Parkway north.  Instead of gas stations and strip malls, the road is dotted by dogwood, tulip trees, and red maples with the soaring Appalachians standing in the background.

Grandfather Mountain

Must-sees include Grandfather Mountain and the Gardens of the Biltmore Estate, a 19th-Century Vanderbilt mansion near Asheville.

Grandfather Mountain has an amazing swinging bridge that offers an amazing view.  Grandfather Mountain also has environmental habitats for black bears, river otters, cougars, bald eagles, golden eagles and white tailed deer.







The Biltmore Estate, is a historical landmark in Asheville.  The estate is America's largest home.  The celebrated architect Richard Morris Hunt modeled the house on three châteaux built in 16th-century France. It would feature 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The basement alone would house a swimming pool, gymnasium and changing rooms, bowling alley, servants' quarters, kitchens, and more.

The Biltmore Estate

Budget Travel - Save while Seeing the Sights

Budget Tips -

Water Bottles - Bring your own.  Take along refillable water bottles for each member of your group.  Fill up the bottles at hotel, park or attraction water fountains.  By doing so, you could save a group of 4 $20 a day. 

Pack a Lunch - Plan on eating at least one meal a day in your room, cabin, tent or picnic in park.  Pack a simple lunch, sandwich, fresh fruit and chips.

See the Alternate Sights - Pick a day and stay out of the tourist traps, amusement parks and other expensive outings.  Chart your own course and save.

Save at the Pit Stop - Find the best gas prices on the way, use GasBuddy.  This site is a user reported gas price site.  You can chart the cheapest fuel along the way.

Autumn Leaves - Optimal Viewing

No season is more glorious in colorful road trips than the fall.  Autumn is a sight to see from New England to the West Coast.

In North Carolina, visit the always Romantic, Asheville.  From the Biltmore Estate to the Blue Ridge Parkway, it is well worth the trip.

The hot and sticky summer blows away on cool and crisp Autumn breezes.  As the leaves scatter, hit the road and take in the sights.

In the next few posts, we will reveal the scenic, the festive and the beautiful.