Mao and Me

Revolutionary Chinese Leaders

Before I visited China, I had no idea Mao Zedong was highly revered by the Chinese.  They view him as a hero in the fight for Chinese Liberation. I previously thought the harshness they endured during the communist era erased any benevolent feelings. But, I was wrong.  

Chairman Mao Zedong

Chairman Mao is respected and believe me, there are no shortages or missed opportunities to sell statuettes, memorabilia or souvenirs being his resemblance.  

Mao Memorabilia for sale in China

On my tour of Shaanxi Province, I stopped at three major communist monument locations honoring Mao.  The first, I call “Mao’s Fortress.” It was a rural revolutionary base where Chairman Mao and the Chinese Communist Party leadership lived for a while and planned their military actions against the Nationalist Government.

Mao's Fortress is now open for tourists.

Mao's Fortress is very far out in the countryside filled with cave homes. 

Meeting room used by high communist party officials.

 Part original and part reconstructed, the fortress includes meeting rooms, maps, bedrooms and secured area for high ranking party officials including the office of Premier Chou En-Lai. The mountainous area surrounding the fortress includes many cave homes. They made excellent hiding spots and were safe during bombing raids. The fortress lies so far off the beaten track, I doubt many Americans have ever been. 

 

Upper level of the high security compound.

For me, the highlight of the tour was meeting Chairman Mao himself.  I couldn’t resist the opportunity for this photo op, now one of my favorite souvenirs from my trip. I must say, the impersonator really looked the part.  

Mao and Me

Moving on, we visited the city of  Yan’an following behind a group of Chinese students, some in old Chinese Communist military uniforms. They were  taking what are becoming popularily known as Red Tours. These tours are organized by government agencies and private companies for their employees to learn more about Chinese history. 

Guide in a government uniform. 

Yan'an in northern Shaanxi Province, is regarded as the "birthplace" of the revolution, All students study it in school because Yan'an was Chairman Mao's wartime base. 

Statues of the Chinese Liberation Leaders at the Yan'an Compound

The Red Army arrived in the city at the end of 1935 after making the gruelling Long March, an 8,000 mile retreat from the Nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek. It was in the nearby caves hollowed out from the local loess plateau, that Mao masterminded a dazzling comeback and victory.

Auditorium or Staff Club 

Interior of Auditorium where Political Bureau of Central Communist Party worked overnight to pass a decision for Mao to go to Chongqing and negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek for coalition government to avoid civil war after the Japanese surrender. 

Private apartments of communist party leaders

  

 The modest caves became the command center. The former residences of Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, and Zhou Enlai are well preserved and crowded with tourists. Each cave room is exceptionally simple, just desks, wooden chairs and hard beds. In front of Mao’s former residence, under the tall locust tree, stands a stone table along with several stone stools at which Mao was interviewed by American Journalist Anna Louis Strong in 1946 and where he liked to play chess. 

Mao Zedong's Barren Bedroom

After touring this area, my group went to the Yan’an Revolutionary Museum downtown. Here we were told the museum, “focuses on the period of the most arduous yet glorious times.” The modern facility exhibits personal items and the daily necessities of the leaders, plus a myriad of photos, sculptures, and audio and video materials. There are numerous dioramas that display battle scenes and lots of old documents and artifacts. Some of the signage is in English, but I found the museum a bit overwhelming. (I know I was tired.)

Exterior of the Yan'an Revolutionary Museum, a must-see on a visit to Shaanxi Province.

 

Diorama of a battle scene.

My group’s last stop was Pagoda Hill. Thankfully, our bus made the trek up the 3,725-foot climb because we were feeling a bit ragged at the end of our long march through China. 

Tired (but happy) Good Girls after their own march through China!

Pagoda Hill is the symbol of Yan’an and is known to the Chinese people through television, photos and even on bank notes. The landmark was first erected in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The 44-meter-tall nine-story brick pagoda is shaped like an octagon. 

Yan'an Pagoda

Resting next to the pagoda is a Ming-Dynasty iron bell, which was used both to mark the hours and as an alarm during the revolutionary period.

Still no authority on modern Chinese history, but I was exposed to and understand much more about the Chinese Communist party and Mao Zedong than I did before my trip. That’s certainly a good reason to visit and return to China.

Ever faithful guide and interpreter, Paul explains some history. 

Horsepower Amarillo Texas Style

Americans love horsepower, but Texans really love their horsepower be it four hooved, two- , four- or more-wheeled.

"But you must see it," we were told after explaining that the Good Girls' idea of camping was winding up in the room farthest from the lounge at a Hilton.

So we did and they were right, you really must see Jack and Trent Sizemore's Travel and RV Museum.

The 1946 Tear Drop came as a kit. Photo by Judy Wells.

RVs from teeny tag-alongs to behemoths of the road are displayed as you might have seen them used, many surrounded by grills, chairs, toys and sports gear of appropriate ages.

The "Age of Aquarius" VW van caught our eyes, of course, as did the monster house on wheels from the Robin Williams film, "RV."

The late Robin Willliams filmed in this. Photo by Judy Wells.

Remember-this type memories popped up as we peeked inside and "traveled" through styles of the eras like the oranges, mustards and olive greens of kitchens, burnt orange shag carpeting and aqua sinks in bathrooms.

Remember aqua tile and porcelain bathrooms? Photo by Judy Wells.

Classic motorcycles fill wall space in the vast two-room "garage" and all come with signage on the history, restoration process and other interesting details.

Ron and Marilyn Smith. Photo by Debi Lander.

Our advisors were right, it is a find but our favorite find of all was meeting and comparing travel tips with Ron and Marilyn Smith of Chaumont Bay, NY, who detoured to see the museum during their 11,000-mile cross country RV trip.

Museum of America's Horse

 Refrigerator, three-time Champion of Champions, the first to break the $2 million winnings record. Photo by Judy Wells.

If you are like us, it will take awhile to get inside the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum because the outside Wall of Honor Plaza is so interesting. A wall of photographs provides a handsome backdrop for bronze statues of racing, cutting, ranching and pleasure Quarter Horses and their breeders.

Grand Hall.

Keep going, though, because there's good stuff inside. The Grand Hall is quite impressive with a large medallion of a Quarter Horse at the far end flanked by panels with names and photographs of those whose efforts have made the breed a success. There's a nifty gift shop and a film theater, too.

Slide the lighted panel along the horse to see the inner workings of the entire animal. Photo by Judy Wells.

On the second floor, interactive displays chart the Quarter Horse inside and out, follow the history of its development and show standout examples of the breed. Quarter Horses are known for their versatility so visitors can try out a Western and an English saddle to see which they prefer.

Race horse's eye-view of the starting gate. Photo by Judy Wells.

 It will probably be your only chance to see a race track starting gate up close. After all, the first American race tracks were quarter-mile straightaways where settlers, who didn't have time to clear any larger spaces, matched their speediest horses.

Another room is filled with displays of the development of America and the West, from Native American life and early ranches to the stock work, racing and recreational contributions of Quarter Horses.

With the rodeo in town, fellow visitors from ranchers to little buckaroos made our visit especially interesting. Having owned and loved a Quarter Horse for many years, Judy was between memory lane and horse heaven, but time was a' wasting so we skipped the library and research center.

The museum served another major purpose for the Good Girls as we made our way around Amarillo. The area is flat, East looking pretty much like West, so unique signs and buildings like this one told us if we were going in the right, or often wrong, direction.

"Blue Blaze" at Amarillo College.

Following the Hoof Prints

 We looked for another kind of horse as we drove around. Hoof Prints is Amarillo's answer to the pigs, fish and jaguars public art projects of other cities. This project of Center City and the American Quarter Horse Association has placed life-sized statues of Quarter Horses painted by regional artists around the area.

"Happy" at Happy State Bank.

We met City Center Executive Director Beth Whitley Duke, "the mother of horses," over coffee our first morning in Amarillo.

What began with 20 horses in 2002 has grown to 103 unique works and still reproducing.

"Reflections of Love" by Jill Wyatt Marshall.

All are stallions except for two, a mare sponsored by Hooter's and a spectacular mirrored mosaic mare and foal at the Women and Children's Health Center.

They have become the object of family scavenger hunts, photo projects and of devoted fans. Count us among them.

"Cherry Lime" by Gary Ward.

"When No. 50, "Cherry Lime," at the Sonic Drive-In was removed for repainting, we had calls galore," said Beth.

Western of "Total Package" at the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum.

Evidently, "Don't mess with our horses" has joined "Don't mess with Texas" as an Amarillo warning.

English side of "Total Package," artist Gabe Treisio's clever way of showing the breed's versatility.

Galloping along Virgiinia's Eastern Shore

Chincoteague, VA. Photo by Debi Lander.

Rugged men, resourceful women, wild ponies running free and oysters worth slurping occupy the Eastern Shore year 'round. Off-islanders visit when the water warms and the weather is better along this 70-mile-long pointy finger of a peninsula from Kiptopeke in the south to the bottom half of Assateague Island to the north.

You know this peninsula with the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier islands on the East Coast (23) has to be worth visiting when you consider the effort and expense of building and maintaining the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connecting it to the mainland. The 17-mile-long creation is considered one of the seven engineering marvels of the world.

Barrier Island Center. Photo © by Judy Wells.

One road stretches like a spine from end to end of the peninsula, giving residents a simple way to identify their locale: baysider or seasider, up the road or down the road. Our first stop was The Barrier Island Center in Machipongo, an enjoyable way to learn what life on barrier islands was like.

Westerners have been settling here since the 1600s. Early cash crops were salt and wool. The salt came from the ocean and settlers found a cheap and easy way to control sheep for the wool: maroon them on smaller barrier islands where they could forage for themselves. Today the descendents of those 17th century sheep are adding to the historical accuracy of Colonial Williamsburg and Mount Vernon.

By the 1800s rich northerners were flocking to Hog Island for the hunting and fishing.

Hog Island Hotel desk. Photo © by Judy Wells.

 A large part of the center's displays are dedicated to the community of watermen on Hog Island that was washed away and deserted following a storm in the 1930s.

From the Hog Island Hotel front desk and the watermen's boats to locally carved wooden decoys and the annual July Fourth baseball games and the recipes for food to fuel them, displays emphasize personal lifestyles.

The 17th century cook house, left, and what had been the African-American women's housing. Photo © by Judy Wells.

The Center's building comes with its own history having served as the Almshouse Farm since 1803. Machipongo, by the way, is an Indian word meaning place of fine dust and flies. It was windy during our visit which kept the flies down and the thriving grass took care of the fine dust.


If, like Judy, you grew up on Newberry Award-winner Marguerite Henry's books and fell in Love with "Misty of Chincoteague," the Museum of Chincoteague  will be a must stop. The protagonist of that book is stuffed and on display as is Stormy, her third and last foal. So are other mementos of life on Chincoteague, but after the Center you will have seen much of that already. You may leave wishing you had kept going with only Wesley Dennis's illustrations of Misty, but go ahead and stop anyway.

Stormy

Misty

View from the Visitors Center. Photo © by Judy Wells.

We went to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge to look for the real things, the wild ponies that live on Assateague Island. The popular myth is that they were washed ashore from a capsized Spanish galleon, but genetics indicate they were of domestic stock that were put on the islands to escape a livestock tax and turned feral over the centuries.

Chincoteague ponies.

After checking with the National Park Service Visitors Center at Little Toms Cove, we found a threesome in the distance while driving along the Wildlife Loop Road, where we also encountered bird watchers sitting in lawn chairs to watch an eagle's nest.

One very preggnant mare and a Misty look-alike. Photo by Debi Lander.

Denise Bowden,

We heard a lot more about the ponies during dinner at Don's Seafood where we met Denise Bowden, the first woman accepted into the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The company owns and is allowed to graze the 150 ponies on the Virginia end of Assateague. Some 30-40 ponies live on the Maryland end of Assateague, their numbers controlled by artificial birth control.

Fairgrounds.

Since the early 1940s, said Denise, the Chincoteague firemen have auctioned off young ponies as a way to control the size of the herd and to raise money for equipment. The round up, swim from Assateague to Chincoteague, pony penning, auction and carnival are held the last consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday of July. Preliminaries - rounding up the herds, walking them to the assembly area and checking the ponies for health and destiny - fills Saturday through Tuesday. The swim takes place on Wednesday, the auction on Thursday, Friday the ponies swim back to Assateague and, as Denise says, "Saturday we fall out."

Easily understood when a town of 3,000 hosts 50,000 or more visitors.

Make way for ducks and ducklings.

It's easy to see how Chincoteague has been voted happiest town, best seaside town and other hospitality and lifestyle kudos over the years. Ducks have the right-of-way, locals are surrounded by sea and bay with all of its bounty, the wild things that live or visit are respected and residents live at a pace that fits with tides and ducks.

Kayakers in Assateague Channel.

There is room for all, even the human tourists who flock to their beaches, paddle in their waters, come to observe wildlife, clog restaurants and streets of this half-mile-wide, seven-mile-long island.  Even when visitors push ordinary out-the-door lines at the Island Creamery to a length that anywhere else would engender wait-rage, the locals smile.

Marsh mud, an unbelievably dense chocolate, is worth the wait and they know when the winds blow as cold as the locally made ice cream inside, the island will be theirs again.