History Lesson #6: Jonathan Young & 7 Historical Windmills

Windmill, Photo by Krenda

Admiring the De Gooyer Windmill in Amsterdam, the tallest wooden mill in the Netherlands and a registered National Monument, I hoped I could share the experience of admiring historical windmills with my kids.  The Dutch refined the windmill to adapt for draining lakes and marshes.  However, the De Gooyer Windmill ground corn during WWII.  Farmers began using windmills to pump water, grind wheat and corn, and cut wood at sawmills.  

I took my kids to visit the Jonathan Young Windmill, one of the oldest or the oldest windmill in the US, built approximately 1720, moved in 1839, and moved again in 1897.  It's now located near the highway in Town Cove Park (41 Old King's Highway, Orleans, MA).  Look for when the mill opens to the public; the resident miller told historical stories and pointed out parts including the windshaft (center pole), brake wheel/bull wheel (wooden gears), drive shaft or spindle, hopper, and shoe. 

Massachusetts has a long list of windmills.  If you live outside of the east coast, here's eight windmills you can show your family:

1.  Murphy Mill, San Francisco, California:  Smock 1905 windmill appeared in the film A Jitney Elopement starring Charlie Chaplin

2.  Vermeer Mill, Pella, Iowa:  Smock windmill designed by Lukas Verbijin in the Netherlands, now the tallest working windmill in North America; visit the museum ($10 adults) or Tulip Time festival

3.  Danish Mill:  Elk Horn, Iowa:  Smock windmill built in 1848 at Norre-Snede Denmark, dismantled 1957 and re-erected at Elk Horn in 1976

4.  De Zwaan Windmill, Holland, Michigan:  Smock windmill first erected in 1761 in the Netherlands

5.  Bevo Mill, St. Louis:  After $1 million in renovations, it's open again as a restaurant Das Bevo Bierhall
6.  Millbank Holland Grist Windmill:  South Dakota, smock 1882 windmill, one of only 50 working windmills in the country, visit during Farley Fest for tour

7.  Mankato Seppman Mill, MN:  Tower mill 1864, repaired by Blue Earth County Historical Society and transitioned to state, now preserved at the Minneopa State Park

Mom Blooper: Goat & Grant's Farm

It's time out for another "Mom Blooper".  Travel can lead you to so many adventures, including unexpected ones.  People always joke about the ultimate excuse "the dog ate my homework."  Somehow family travel led me to claiming "the goat ate my daughter's snow cone ticket."

It all starts with a casual family outing to Grant's Farm, a family friendly attraction in St. Louis, MO.  It's a great deal - free admission to the park, free tram ride to tour the deer park, a beer garden with free tastings, and free animal shows.  The Busch family, the family who owned the Anheuser-Busch company, owns 281 acre Grant's Farm.  You can see the famous Clydesdale horses and carriage houses even without the $25 Clydesdale Experience Tour.  The park offers a 1.5 hour estate grounds tour "Estate Tour" for $25, but you can spend much longer just walking the grounds and seeing animals.

In this wonderful land of free fun, there's an opportunity to buy a bundled "fun pass" for only $6.  Here's the beginning of "the goat ate my daughter's snow cone ticket" claim.  The pass includes one carousel ride, two goat feeding bottles, and one snow cone.  Who could pass up such a combination?

My daughter entered the goat feeding area with two bottles and her remaining snow cone ticket.  The goats surrounded her.  I don't think she expected goats trying to eat her skirt while trying to feed another goat.  The snow cone ticket got too close to a goat mouth and we watched in terror as the goat quickly snatched it, chewed it, and swallowed it.  My daughter exclaimed "no one's going to believe that the goat ate my snow cone ticket!"  It's a hot day.  Her cousins and brother still own snow cone tickets.  You know it, mom must approach the window to explain to the compassionate employees the entire ordeal.  The employees didn't seem to phased by the story and gave us a snow cone ticket. Perhaps I should have paid more attention to the "goats can be aggressive" sign, but we had a fun time overall.

Gym Class #8: Yacht Competition & 6 Schooner Rides

America's Cup, Photo by Krenda

America's Cup established in 1851, making it the oldest and most prestigious yacht racing.  America's Cup name came from the 1851 winning schooner America.  Six members of the New York Yacht Club built America and beat fifteen yachts in the UK during the World's Fair.  America finished miles ahead of the others and  it began a winning streak for Americans.  A famous line cam from Queen Victoria asking who came second and the simple response "Ma'a, there is no second." Americans won the trophy for 132 years.  Australia broke the winning streak in 1983.  

2016 marked the year of the first America's Cup race held on fresh water.  Fortunately for our family that location was off the shores of Chicago on the Great Lakes.  The America's Cup qualifying races included six teams from around the world:  1) Emirates Team New Zealand, 2) Softbank Team Japan, 3) Team France, 4) Oracle Team USA, 5) Land Rover UK, 6) Artemis Racing Sweden. 

 

Yacht races know the media well.  The first use of the wireless telegraph was to report cup races from the water.  ESPN began live coverage in 1987.  Rather than watch the event on tv, I took my family to watch the event from the water.  We took a ride on the schooner Tall Ship Red Witch.  The boat ride itself was joy, passing the Chicago shoreline under the sun.  Our captain did use media, turning up the radio so we could hear about the race while watching it.

The competing yachts seemed to fly above the water at approximately 35 knots or 40 miles per hour.  Foiling happens when the boats reach a certain speed and skim over the water.  Both powerful and graceful, the movement amazed me.  

Photo by Krenda

No doubt that yachting has been a sport for the wealthy.  It's involved business owners like French manufacturing tycoon Baron Marcel Bich (Bic pen).  Volvo and sixty other Swedish companies supplied money, technology, and research in 1977.  Now professionals sailors compete in the high stakes competition.

You can sail with your kids for under $50 per person.  Consider a short sail.  We took a special event sailing on Tall Ship Red Witch in Chicago, but Red Witch normally has low sailing price of $25 out of Kenosha Harbor in Kenosha, WI.  Here's other options:

1.  Schooner Pride (Charleston, SC), 2 hour dolphin sail $42 adult, $30 child

2.  Traverse Tallship Co. Manitou in Grand Traverse Bay (Traverse City, MI), 114-foot 19th century cargo schooner replica, Moomers ice cream sail $43 adult and $23 child; floating B&B overnight $217 to 245 couples

3.  Schooner Surprise (Camden, Maine), 2 hour sunset cruise $45 adult and $35 child 

4.  Inland Seas Education Association Great Lake Discovery Sails in Suttons Bay (Suttons Bay, MI), 77-foot schooner, various themed sails, Astronomy Under Sail or Breakfast on the Schooner, adult $45 

5.  Dennis Sullivan (Milwaukee, WI), 137-foot schooner, 2 hour sail $45 adult, $40 child

6.  Schooner America 2.0 in New York Harbor (NY, NY), 2 hour Day Sail to Statue of Liberty $60 adult, child $32 

NPS #4: Grand Canyon National Park Mule Rides or 4 Mule Days

Mules at Grand Canyon National Park  Photo by Krenda Frushour

Mules have played a part in American history through agriculture, war, pulling canal boats along the Erie Canal, and hauling goods along the trail rides west.  Famous leaders appreciated mules from George Washington the mule breeder to President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir riding mules in now Yosemite National Park.  If you have older kids age seven or above, your kids can ride mules in national parks.

Mules have characteristics that make them right for the job of carrying people near a canyon rim.  As an offspring of a donkey and horse, many consider mules as hardy and long-lived, less likely to spook, slower, more patient, and having higher endurance than horses.    

Grand Canyon Bright Angel Lodge

Shuttle to Mule Rides

We took a mule ride along the Grand Canyon south rim.  Reserve early because the park limits the number of riders per day.  The Grand Canyon is a popular National Park.  National Geographic's book 100 Places That Can Change Your Child's Life lists the Grand Canyon as a must see site, "The iconic Grand Canyon experience is the overnight mule ride down to the Colorado River; riders must be at least four feet seven inches tall and weight less than 200 pounds.  The ride can be physically taxing, especially in the heat of summer."
We had my younger, shorter nephew and took a less taxing ride under two hours.  It began our adventure by checking in at the Bright Angel Lodge's transportation desk.  The employees checked whether we met the requirements (above age seven years old, below two hundred pounds).  A shuttle bus took us to the mules and wrangler.  Park employees helped visitors get into the saddle and they assured us of the positive mule traits such as sure-footed and motivated by self preservation.  Our mules took us up and down the trails, through the forest, and giving us unique views of the canyon.  I'd suggest wearing jeans, sunglasses, hats, and bandanas.  The sun shines down and the dust kicks up.    

Grand Canyon guide, photo by Krenda

National parks seem like the perfect place for a mule ride.  It combines the natural beauty of the park and guides to tell you more about the park.  The Grand Canyon offers rides at both the north and south rim.  Here's three other national parks offering mule rides:

1.  Yosemite National Park by Big Trees Stables, 2 hour horse or mule ride, views of Big Trees Lodge, the Wawona Meadow Loop, a former encampment, and Wawona Dome.  $65/rider.

2.  Bryce Canyon National Park - Bryce Canyon Lodge, leaving from Sunrise Point for views of Wall of Windows, The Chessman, and Bristle Cone Pine Trees; 2 hour tour to canyon floor $65 or 3 hour Peek-A-Boo loop trail $90

3.  Zion National Park by Canyon Trail Rides - offered March to Oct., one hour trip Virgin River Ride $45/person includes view of Three Patriarchs, The Beehives, and cactus gardens or 3 hour tour along Sand Bench Trail $90 offering views of the park's southern end

 If you want to spend less than $65/person, find other ways to get your kids close to mules.  Look for a Mule Days festival.  Here's four annual Mule Day festivals:

1. Mule Days Bishop (Bishop, CA, Memorial weekend, Sat. show $15 adult and $10 child): attracts over 300,000 fans, 700 mules, and 14 shows within six days, boasts the "World's Longest Non-Motorized parade", watch hitch classes, timed cones, donkey driving timed, team roping, Sat. night dance $10, BBQ dinner $25 adult and $10 child
 

View from mule, Grand Canyon NP, photo by Krenda

2. Mule Days Columbia (Columbia, TN, April, Fri. & Sat., $10 and free for kids under 12)- celebrate the "mule capital" of the world, even began in 1840 and now over 200,000 people attend; lumberjack competitions, clogging, log pulling competition, bluegrass music, gospel singing, worship service, chili supper, dance, Mule Day Queen competition; entertainment includes a mule pull contest requiring a pair of mules to pull a sled loaded with cinder blocks ten feet

3.  Benson Mule Days (Benson, NC, Benson Singing Grove downtown, 4th Sat. of Sept.), attracts 40-50 thousand people, rodeo $15, American Legion dance $9, mule pulling contest, camping, sidewalk chalk art, bluegrass, karaoke, 
 
4.  Harrison Mule Days (Woodbine, MD, Carroll County Equestrian Center), primitive camping $20, mule jump, hay ride, baby bottle race, night coon hunt, cornhole tournament, animal dress-up competition, cowboy church, and auction