War is... Busses, Battlefields, Crime

WHEN: Random Days in August (we call these Sandwich Days)

WHERE: Freedom Riders NM, Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP, Kings Mountain NMP, and Cowpens NB

WHY: Gotta make good use of that road time and take in some history!

SHELTER: No shelter, just long rides between destinations.

PERKS: We love finding historical locations off the beaten path.

Freedom Riders National Monument, Alabama Free, handicapped accessible, the bookshop wasn't open for a stamp so I made one and ordered a sticker.

Anniston was a bit out of our way, but as we were passing Birmingham, we realized it would take days to begin to make a dent in the city's Civil Rights history. But thanks to our trusty National Park Service App, we found a low-key Civil Rights memorial.

Arriving in Anniston early morning we figured we would run into the usual traffic but it felt more like a ghost town or 2020 and we didn't get the message. We don't know where everyone was, the only people we saw were some guys cutting the park and a florist putting his plants out for sale. We almost missed the monument as it is a painting in an alley with a storyboard. (seen above) With the app, we were able to take an audio tour that normally would have been escorted by a ranger. (Click here for a PDF of the tour)

We learned quite a bit about this town's industrial and civil rights history and we have high hopes for the people who live there now pushing past their past to define themselves as more than their history. We aren't quite sure what criteria a location needs to meet to receive an NPS stamp of approval, but we felt this place deserved more recognition.

As I said, we couldn't get into the bookshop to get a stamp so I made one. I have added below my "fake" Freedom Riders NM stamp and a legit stamp from C&C NMP for comparison. I also had to get a sticker from Travelstamps.com as there was no NPS version of this sticker. It's quite unusual not to obtain a sticker from the NPS for a park listed in their passport book. I hope this park receives more attention in the future.

Next Stop!

Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP, Georgia - Tennessee $0-$10 (some areas are free), handicapped accessible, and we got a stamp.

Here I have a lot to say while having very little to say. This was Bob's first visit to this area of Tennessee but it wasn't mine. As we went off the exit into a neighborhood that made me want to lock the doors my childhood memories flooded back with piles of confusion. Did my child-brain sugarcoat my memories of Chattanooga? I just did a little research and FYI this is one of those towns that has an above-average crime problem. Back to my childhood memories...I feel like my mom and I camped often enough that I have multiple memories. I also remember one particular camping trip where my mom seemed scared. And while she was not a praying woman; she was that night. We survived the night and I am not a scaredy cat as I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and have spent many years living and traveling in urban areas. I was just surprised that Chattanooga with all it has to offer also has to fight this crime problem. I know, a funny concern for a couple headed to New Orleans.

About Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP, since we were only passing through, we decided to visit one location out of the more than five available sites: Lookout Mountain.

This area is what the child in me remembered, Ruby Falls, Rock City, and all the trails and small towns. We visited the small museum and headed over to the enclosed memorial park.

The overlook is beautiful but the 1863 memories of bloodshed are harsh.

Below: “Battle Above the Clouds”, Civil War casualties, and Bob looking over one of the battle cliffs. Here the union took control of much-needed railroads, rivers, and roads.

Due to the heat, my limited mobility, and our brief timeframe, we decided to shorten our visit and plan to return for a camping trip.

And we wandered...

Kings Mountain, South Carolina Free (as of 1/2025 limited access due to Hurricane Helene ), handicapped accessible, and we got a stamp.

Another sandwich stop, no not for sandwich eating even though sometimes that is what we do. The Rootless Ramblers define a "sandwich stop" as any place where we can obtain a National Park Passport Stamp while on the way to our actual destination. At times, they are slightly inconvenient, while at other times, they contribute to a restful night's sleep. While we wandered this mystery road to a location suggested by the NPS app Bob had the same reaction as I did back in Chattanooga. Not the moment when I felt unsafe and wanted to lock the doors, but the moment when memories overwhelm us. Bob remembered camping around King's Mountain with his son's Boy Scout Troop. He shared several good memories with me as we made our way to the visitor center.

King's Mountain needs a bit more study on my part, I am a bit ashamed as a historian and fan of Outlander that I don't know more about what happened here. In a nutshell, I believe it was the only battle of the American Revolution that had zero redcoats involved. This was a true battle between brothers before America existed enough to have a civil war. This battle was between Loyalists (greencoats) who wished to stay under British rule and Continentals (patriots) who sought independence from the crown.

There is much more to see here with plenty of activity around the park that we would like to see more of and come back for a camping trip. Now off to our final sandwich stop.

Our last stop

Cowpens NB, South Carolina Free, handicapped accessible, and we got a stamp.

Plenty of activity at Cowpens with ranger events and people being walked by their dogs and some even out on bicycles. We opted for the autotour also available for download on the app since the internet is less than spotty out here. It was worth the stop as we spent at least an hour exploring and feeling that we enjoyed the space. We even learned that they found an old toothbrush during one of the archeological digs.

Cowpens is another battlefield of the Revolutionary War connected to several locations we've already visited, as well as some we still plan to see. I read this article to help connect the Southern Campaign part of the Revolution with all our various stops.