Fredericksburg, TX - 4,973 Miles

Fredericksburg Texas is a typical touristy town. Lots of old stone buildings built by early German immigrants who settled this area. Their sturdy buildings have been converted from homes and basic farming community businesses into boutiques, restaurants, and gift stores with the usual flower boxes out front in the windows. That is, I guess, progress. The surrounding farms and ranches look prosperous and well-kept.

Fredericksburg is the home of the The National Museum of the Pacific War which is a complex of buildings and courtyards with memorial walls honoring individuals as well as ships. I didn't see any of the vessels I sailed on back in my Marine Corps days. Troop ships like APA-228, the Rockbridge, are not as glamourous as cruisers and destroyers I guess. Some of the ships I was on did serve heroically in WWII so they should qualify I think for a small spot on the wall. Maybe it is there and I just didn't see it. The Admiral Nimitz part of the museum was undergoing renovation so we did not get to visit it.

The museum is very well done. The organization and the displays are great. The exhibits effectively told the story of Pacific War. There were so many pictures and artifacts that I had never seen before it was almost overwhelming. We spent about an hour in the museum when we realized that a presentation was going to start at another museum a couple blocks away. When we came back we spent another 2 hours at the museum and had to be asked to leave just as we were finishing the exhibit on Japan's surrender. Fascinating material.

One interesting place was the Plaza of Presidents. It had places for 3-5 more memorials to our Presidents but stopped with Bush 41. The museum website says that the memorials on the plaza were to honor Presidents serving in WWII. I really wonder if that was true given the amount of space remaining in the plaza. The next president we all know was a draft dodger and I can't imagine a committee of old grizzled combat vets honoring him with a memorial.

We needed a campground and didn't want to go looking for one that met our criteria - cheap - so we elected to stay at Camp Wally. Fortunately on the east side of the parking lot there were some level areas. The rest of the parking lot was pretty steep for RV camping. It was quiet thank goodness. We were tuckered out.