 Hear this here! EXIT 188n off I-95 to Patrick AFB, Satellite Beach in Brevard County Florida No doubt it’s good to get where you are going in good time. But sometimes a detour is well worth the circuitous route since you encounter people and things that make a voyage even better. The next exit offers that kind of detour.   As Rick Neale wrote in the magazine Florida Today: “On Dec. 7, 1941, armor-piercing bullets from Japanese Zero fighter aircraft tore holes into the Battleship Arizona at Pearl Harbor. About 15 minutes into the surprise Pearl Harbor attack, a Japanese bomber dropped a specially converted 1,700-pound projectile onto the Arizona — igniting powder magazines and triggering an immense explosion powerful enough to lift the 33,000-ton vessel out of the water. That day 1,177 sailors and Marines lost their lives aboard the battleship.  Two generations later, those bullet holes remain visible amid rust-red corrosion on a 4-by-5-foot steel section of the doomed warship's superstructure that has arrived on the Space Coast. Brevard Veterans Memorial Center officials publicly unveiled the World War II relic and accompanying museum exhibit during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony.  Around the grounds and throughout the museum, various decommissioned jets, jeeps, canons and other war mementoes stand testament to the Vets who used them. Other than sunny skies, a tropical disposition, and this bullet ridden hunk of battleship infrastructure what does the Space Coast of Florida have in common with Pearl Harbor and Honolulu, Hawaii? Well most relevant was that not far away several veterans from the surprise attack lived out their days as normal senior citizens. No one would identify one of these heroes from the other elderly folks who pass us every day. And even though they experienced the horrors of that day that lives in infamy, they may be said to be the lucky ones. After all, these Vets were there at the beginning of the most destructive war in history and they managed to retire in sunny Florida. Florida resident Joseph Iscovitz was 103-year-old when he died in 2020. Young Joseph Iscovitz was a supply sergeant that sunny Sunday morning in 1941 in Pearl Harbor. He oversaw a weapons depot.  Speaking to the Associated press on the occasion of his father’s passing, Doug Iscovitz said his father could see the faces of the Japanese pilots as they dropped bombs around the naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1941. His son says they were woefully unprepared for the attack and feared an amphibious assault later that day. He said his father helped string barbed wire along Waikiki Beach in anticipation of the invasion than thankfully never came.  Sergeant Iscovitz also fought in the Korean War. Like so many others, Sergeant Iscovitz was to be laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery outside the nation’s capital. His wife died in 2000 after 56 years of marriage. Joseph Iscovitz is survived by his four sons. “With all the turmoil going on in our nation, it will be an honor to have my dad buried at Arlington among the many heroes in our nation's history,” his son Doug said.  If you want to see the bullet ridden relic from the Arizona and other museum displays, like Huey Attack Helicopters from Vietnam or even a Marine Harrier Jump Jet or just things brought back by our veterans from their tours of duty, get right to exit off upcoming Exit 188. Since the museum is located in an active Veteran’s Post, aside from museum pieces, no doubt you will meet the real thing —some real heroes. Now that’s worth a little detour isn’t it? After all, it can be said that America’s Veterans made a little detour in life for their fellow Americans. Now did’t they? That’s right, nice and slow, now get over… and don’t forget your blinker…. #PealrHarborDay #PearlHarbor #Vets #Arizona #BattleshipArizona #MelbourneFlorida #MerritIsland #BrevardVeteransMemorialCenter
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 EXIT OF THE DAY Hear this right …. here! EXIT 15 I-95n to: US 7, Norwalk and Danbury, CT  New York Times Best Selling Author and Emmy Award-winning Historian, Rick Shenkman, is on the Board of Advisors of RoadSpoke. Mister Shenkman can be seen regularly on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. A historical pundit and author of 7 books including Political Animals, as well as Legends, Lies and Cherished Myths of American History, Mister Shenkman recently retired as publisher of George Washington University's History News Network. The HNN website attracts 1.55 Million Page Views and 300,000 Unique Visitors per month. The majority of HNN’s audience is composed of students, college professors, and media writers. No doubt Mr Shenkman will appreciate this bit of trivia which is relevant to Norwalk Connecticut’s next Exit.    In October 1801, Mister Nehemiah Dodge, a Norwalk resident wrote a letter to President Thomas Jefferson expressing concern that — as a Baptist — he and his congregation in Danbury may not be able to express full religious liberty in Connecticut whose constitution was adopted before the establishment of the Baptist church. At that time in America, Baptists were a fringe religious group. The majority of Americans were one of three religions. Like the second president, John Adams, they were either Congregationalists, , who were the spiritual descendants of Pilgrims... Or they were Deists who believed in Christian morals but rejected that Christ was the only Son of God. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were members of this faith. Most Americans were Episcopalians. Episcopalians were former Church of England members. But since the Church of England requires its followers to believe the king or queen of England was their spiritual leader, and the United States had just fought England for its freedom, all those Anglicans in the United States could not rightly worship a British tyrant as their leader. After the Revolution, those former Anglicans had formed a new religious sect which had no single leader. Their leaders were an Episcopate of bishops. Episcopate of Bishops is a fancy way of saying “a group of bishops.” That protestant sect was now called Episcopalians.  Episcopalians today are a small minority in America and Baptists are a far larger group. Today of America’s roughly 360,000,000 citizens, just a little over 1% or 3 million citizens identify as Episcopalians. That’s one in a hundred.  Conversely, Baptists have 50 million members in America. One in seven Americans identifies as a Baptist.  But back then, Episcopalians were the vast majority. Many so-called Founding Fathers, like George Washington, were Episcopalians.  Given the Founding Fathers’ recent rebellion against dictators of religion and law, it is not surprising that the First Amendment in the United States Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” In 1801, President Jefferson replied to that Baptist’s letter with his own epistle. It is famously known as the “Danbury Letter”. President Jefferson wrote that there was "a wall of separation between church and State" that protected a person's right to worship whatever he wanted wherever he wanted. This well-known phrase, “a wall between church and state” occurs in Jefferson's letter and not in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as is commonly believed. #FirstAmendment #Constitution #Religion #Episcopal #Baptist #Congregationalist #Deist #DanburyLetter #Dodge   EXIT 161 I-95n to: Fort Belvoir, Mt Vernon, Virginia Are you tired of driving? Might you want to give your hardworking automobile some chill time? Do you feel like turning around and heading south for some Florida sunshine. But you do not want to drive? But you want your car? What do you do? How about training your vehicle to the Sunshine State? The Lorton station is a railroad terminal in Lorton, Virginia. It is the northern terminal for Amtrak's Auto Train which operates between this station and sunny Sanford, Florida. Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States. The Auto Train is the only north–south Amtrak train in the east to use Superliner cars. The train is notable, especially within the Amtrak system, for the high quality of its equipment and of its customer service. The train operates every day. At 11:30 am, the station gates are opened to allow the passengers for the next trip into the vehicle staging area where vehicles are assigned their number, which is affixed to the driver's door magnetically. The vehicle is then video surveyed to document any pre existing dents and other damage. The passengers leave their vehicles here and take their carry-on bags with them into the station to await boarding. Passengers do have a choice between either coach seats or private sleeping car rooms while their cars, vans, sport utility vehicles or even boats are carried in enclosed automobile-carrying freight cars, called autoracks. The vehicles are themselves staged near the autorack ramps by size and length for optimal loading order, and are then loaded onto the autoracks. In the case of motorcycles, the owner assists with tying their bikes down. Passengers do not have access to their vehicles during the trip. But with sleeping berths and dining cars, they do not lack for amenities. Unfortunately for RoadSpoke fans, since The Auto Train avoids driving Interstate 95 in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida you will get no auto tour and will miss out on hearing about Civil War Battles, homespun heroes, sports stars, Scarlett O'hara, and other southern wonders. And you better want to go to Florida and no place in between. The train is non-stop. All Aboard! #Autotrain #Superliner #Amtrak #LortonStation #autotracks    Hear this Here… EXIT 90 I-95n in North Carolina: To Newton Grove (Near Devil’s Racetrack Road) If you had the Road Spoke app this is what you would hear. “Upcoming a little beyond Exit 90 is Devil’s Racetrack Road…  “…This road has a lot of history. During the Civil War, General Sherman’s Union troops used the route to march on Raleigh Durham coming up from Georgia. Later it was a venue for many houses of ill repute and seamy gambling parlors. No doubt, folks may have gathered outside to watch fast cars race down the relatively straight road. There may even have been some wagering and liquor involved.  It is hard to believe given all the hoopla and sponsorships and million dollar motorcars and bazillion dollar endorsement deals in today’s Daytona 500 but…From rude roads in the woods of the south, NASCAR evolved. NASCAR stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. What that means is that the cars used in stock car are rather generic. They are cars like you and I drive, manufactured mostly by companies like Ford and GM. No fancy little Formula One race cars here — no single seater go-carts with external wheels driving around Monte Carlo. The origins of NASCAR are a working man’s sport. Back in the 1930’s, folks would gather here to watch souped up cars race. North Carolina claims this as part of their heritage. The Museum of NASCAR is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and well worth the visit. However, the roots of NASCAR are spread throughout the south — wherever there is a thirst for speed… and liquor. Moonshine to be precise Liquor? Why is that? The Origins of NASCAR come out of Prohibition when local moonshiners needed fast cars to outrun the police. That’s right folks. Today’s All-American sport was conceived in crime. But can you blame the folks in the depths of Depression from wanting a sip of local craft brew?  Anyways, these Shiners had super powered their cars to run hooch to customers all over the South. During Prohibition in the 1920’s, police could not chase bootleggers across county lines. So these stock cars need to be able to blast down roads and make the border fast.  Cops had no authority except in their own small jurisdictions. Can you imagine that? An Interstate free of State Troopers? Well let’s be honest: until the late 1950’s there were no Interstates either. But I digress. Cross County jurisdictions tells you why today only State Troopers patrol Interstates and not local cops.  Anyways, the bootleggers and the moonshiners created super fast cars to outrun the cops — to get to the county line. After Prohibition ended, the cops stopped chasing moonshiners but the love for fast cars did not stop. Former fast driving bootleggers would meet on dirt tracks to race one another. And so NASCAR was born!  Incidentally cops, liquor, and fast cars are still tied up in neat bundles. Many of the biggest sponsors of NASCAR are liquor companies like Jack Daniels Whiskey and Budweiser Beer....but more on that at another roadspoke. Just watch out for Smokey as you transverse these parts. No Kidding. Troopers are often lurking hereabouts.  Possibly the greatest race car driver ever, North Carolina’s own Richard Petty was a Seven-time Daytona 500 champion. He tops NASCAR in wins with 200 poles and 127 wins in a season —27 in 1967 alone.   Known in NASCAR as the King, or King Richard, Richard Petty is a Tar Heel from the town of Randelman, just west of the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill Triangle. Like a proper king, Richard is part of a dynasty.  He is a second generation champion. His father, Lee Petty, won the very first Daytona 500 in 1959. Lee was himself a three-time NASCAR champion. Meanwhile, Richard’s son Kyle is also a respected NASCAR driver. SADLY, Richard’s grandson, Adam was killed in a practice RUN crash. Adam represented a fourth generation of Pettys at the top of the sport.    That said, the Pettys were historically cautious about allowing their kids to go into the family business. In fact, although young Richard started to work in his father Lee’s pit crew at age 12, Lee did not allow Richard to race until he was 21. Funny thing… Daddy Lee may have not allowed young Richard to race till he was 21; but odds are, Richard was sipping moonshine by then!” #RichardPetty #1000 #NASCAR #Racecars #TarHeels #June15 #LeePetty #AdamPetty #KylePetty #RoadTrips   Hear this here... driving northbound: EXIT 4, I-95 N to Indian Field Road, Cos Cob & Riverside in Greenwich CT I-95 on Mianus Bridge, Cos Cob to Old Greenwich, Connecticut "Ok Road Trippers, upcoming is a Road Test, so pay attention. We will discuss local born presidents and pot holes. Here are the Fast Facts:  "The Interstate Highway system was the brainchild of President Dwight Eisenhower. Correction: It was the brainchild of General Dwight Eisenhower who as one of the Supreme Generals in World War 2 was aghast that it took troops almost 10 days to get from one coast to the other...  Frankly, Dwight borrowed the concept of Hitler’s Autobahn and applied the concept to the United States. The high speed system would have no stop signs and would link all major urban areas all across the country. In addition to troop movements, commerce would be expedited and the benefits would accrue to every citizen -- not to mention trips home to Grandmom could be done in hours instead of days. The Interstate system was funded by Congress in 1956. You are now driving across the Mianus River Bridge. Beneath your vehicle are several commercial buildings alongside the river in Old Greenwich and Cos Cob. Nowadays NOT investing in America's infrastructure is a hall mark of our Congress. In 1983, the Bridge on which you drive, collapsed. Yup, the entire northbound side fell in.  Three people were killed and three others were seriously injured. Casualties from the collapse were so few only because the disaster occurred at one thirty in the morning when traffic was low. Perhaps in some kind of Karmic revenge the one car that drove off the bridge was a recently stolen BMW containing the 3 car thieves. All the occupants died in the fall.  In the nineteen fifties, investing in Connecticut’s infrastructure meant short term costs for smart long term gains. So while Connecticut lost many wartime factories following the end of hostilities, by investing in Highways, the state shared in a general post-war expansion that resulted in solid growth in suburban areas. One strong supporter of Long-term Infrastructure improvements was Greenwich native, Senator Prescott Bush. In conjunction with Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, Senator Bush, also a Republican, saw the need to invest in a coast to coast Interstate Highway system. Senator Bush represented Connecticut in the United States Senate from 1952 to 1963; his son George Herbert Walker Bush and grandson George Bush both would become Presidents. Another Grandson, Jeb Bush became the governor of Florida. Now for the road test: What was Senator Bush's first name? #MianusBridge #InfrastructureInvestments #PrescottBush #PresidentBush #Old Greenwich #Connecticut #CosCob #OldGreenwich  EXIT 15W; I-95N, to Meadowlands Sports Complex, Met Life Stadium Ok Football Fans, now it is time for another Road Test and this one can save you maybe a cool thousand bucks. Here now is the Question... how is it that New England Patriots' Quarterback, Tom Brady has the rival New York Jets to thank for his career? Since the inception of the American Football League in the 1960’s , the Jets have clashed in a marquee rivalry with the New England Patriots. But it was not always such a huge rivalry till the mid 1990’s. The rivalry began to receive increased media attention in 1997 when a disgruntled Hall of Fame Coach Bill Parcells quit his head coaching position with the Patriots to join the Jets. This left New England seeking vengeance on an annual basis. Fast Fact: Parcells was born in nearby Englewood, New Jersey and most famously turned the New York Giants into a Super Bowl winning franchise in the 1980's.    But I digress. Fast forward to 2001. The New England Patriots star quarterback was Drew Bledsoe. Then just 12 days after 9/11, on September 23, 2001 Jets linebacker Mo Lewis slammed Drew Bledsoe, leaving the New England star with internal bleeding. This provided an opportunity for a young unknown to take over. That unknown was a gangly hard working backup named Tom Brady. So... now if you tap Deal Radar on your Smart phone, you can use the RoadSpoke RoadTest to get 20% off Season Tickets starting next season. Anyways, getting back to Tom Brady and his New York roots... Since that game against the Jets, Tom Brady led New England to four Super Bowl titles and arguably had become a dynasty of sorts. Meanwhile the Jets have struggled in the shadow of not just the Patriots but even their crosstown rivals, the Giants.  The New York Jets was founded in 1959 as the New York Titans, an original member of the American Football League. The current name was adopted in 1963 when the franchise moved to Shea Stadium in Queens. Led by the quintessential playboy quarterback, “Broadway Joe” Namath, the Jets advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 1968 and went on to compete in Super Bowl 3. There they faced the much favored Baltimore Colts under Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas. To great surprise, they defeated the Baltimore Colts, becoming the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game.    Since 1968, the Jets have appeared in the playoffs 13 times, and in the AFC Championship Game four times, most recently losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. However, the Jets have never returned to the Super Bowl.  On your left is MetLife Stadium. If you are passing it on a Sunday evening in the autumn you can tell which team is playing. Back in the early aughts, the Jets agreed to enter a 50–50 partnership with their rival, the Giants, to build MetLife agreeing to a 99-year lease. MetLife Stadium became the first in the history of the NFL to be jointly built by two franchises. It opened in April 2010 and saw the Jets and Giants open the stadium together in a preseason game.  Except for such so-called “subway series” contests, the stadium is illuminated in different colors depending on which team is hosting a game: blue for the Giants; green for the Jets. Will this season be the one in which the Jets win their next Super Bowl? If the lights glow green, just ask any nearby fan on the Interstate. The answer is always yes. Go Gang Green! #NewYorkJets #GangGreen #BroadwayJoeNamath #SuperBowl #NewYorkGiants #NewYorkTitans #Meadowlands #Englewood #BillParcells #NewEnglandPatriots #TomBrady #DrewBledsoe #MoLewis #NewJersey    EXIT of the Day: EXIT 64 I-95 To Baltimore Beltway. Baltimore, Maryland Hear this Here.... "As longtime baseball writer Roger Kahn once wrote, Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles made a career of "pounding pitchers with fine impartiality." At the time of his retirement in 1976, Frankie Robinson’s 586 homeruns ranked fourth in baseball history behind only Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.     Invariably described as the orneriest, most competitive player on any field, he was also the only player to be named the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER in both the National League and American Leagues. Another Frankie Robinson First: in 1975, Frank also became the first black manager in the major leagues. Off the field, Frank made waves as well. Rewind to 1965 when he was traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Baltimore Orioles. In Baltimore, he famously incited racial animosity after he moved into a white neighborhood with his family. When asked how he was reacting to the pressure, he said he was tough and you don't get as far as he did in life if you were not. Must be true. In 1966, he not only became the first player to hit a home run out of Memorial Field, but he also he won the Triple Crown, leading the American League with a .316 batting average, 49 home runs, and 122 runs batted in.  While in Baltimore, and inspired by his snub in the real estate world, Frank became active in the Civil Rights Movement. He originally declined membership in the NAACP unless the organization promised not to make him do public appearances. However, after being personally insulted by Baltimore's segregated housing practices, he became an enthusiastic speaker on racial issues. This helped influence the acceptance of Black Players in all sports... and in all neighborhoods.  One of ten children born into brutal poverty at the height of the Great Depression in 1935 in Texas, Frankie one day would win the highest Civilian award in the land; fellow Texan, President George Bush the second awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. This was as much a honor for George as it was for Frankie; that's because the President himself had a prior day job as a co-owner of the Texas Rangers. President Buch was a lifelong fan. On his death, in February 2019, the Baseball Hall of Famer was survived by his two children and his wife, Barbara Ann Cole Robinson.  Final Note: Barbara Ann Robinson is herself a force to reckon with. After being turned away from living in racially segregated neighborhoods in Baltimore, when the Robinsons next moved to Los Angeles, Barbara Ann herself became a Realtor. Targeting professional black athletes, she became one of the top grossing Realtors in Southern California. On a more personal note, she had a hard time watching Frank play baseball since at bat, Frank crowded the plate so aggressively. According to the New York Times, Barbara Ann got so worried that she had to move a different seat because she couldn’t bear to sit behind home plate with the other baseball players’ wives. That’s because Frankie stood so close she didn’t want to watch the pitches come so close to her husband’s head. Their marriage lasted nearly 60 years. #BarbaraRobinson #FrankRobinson #TripleCrown #MedalofFreedom #NAACP #CivilRights #BaltimoreOrioles #CincinnatiReds #Baltimore #WillieMays #BabeRuth #HankAaron #MostValuablePlayer   Hear this… Here! EXIT 284 I-95n to State Road 204, Route 1, Bunnel & Flagler Beach, near Crescent Lake, FL “Coming up in 3 miles is EXIT 284 which leads you to a Cabela's Out Door Store. Don't you love them? You can try on clothes and check out the latest fishing and outdoor gear. So now it is time for a RoadSpoke Road Test. If you get the answer you can get 20% off any purchase of items over $100 at any BASS PRO SHOPS, CABELA'S SUPERSTORE or OUTDOOR WORLD Superstore. This generous deal is offered anywhere in the United States on purchases made in the next 90 days -- even to purchases on line. So think about who is on your Christmas or Easter or Birth Day gift list, then check it twice because you will save money by shopping for fabulous fishing and outdoor gear at these amazing stores. All you need to do is right now, tap the Deal Radar button on your smart-phone and say, "Deal Radar get this deal!" Now, isn't that easy?... So here now is the Road Test:"  "Upcoming and off to the left in that tangle of Cypress swamp is a sunlit span of water known as Crescent Lake. A large deep lake, it is famous as a prolific fishing hole — especially for Largemouth Bass. Largemouth Bass are little fish that mean BIG business.   The fish inhabit ponds as small as large puddles and lakes as big as small states. Their range is from Canada to South Florida. Personally I can attest: even from muddy ponds, they taste good! Because they and their even more feisty fast water cousins, the Small Mouth Bass are tough little fighters, they are pursued by hundreds of thousands of American Sportsmen and Sportswomen. And little kids too.    Likely you have passed Bass Pro Shops along I-95. These mega stores service the great American Angler. Founded by a sports man Johnny Morris, this chain of Recreation shops are themselves an 8 billion dollar business. They made a guy from Missouri who sold fishing gear from the back of a truck into a billionaire. Mister Johnny Morris today is worth around 6 Billion bucks.  Starting from a single shop along a well travelled Missouri road, Johnny Morris now not only owns Bass Pro but he recently bought the hunting fishing superstore chain, Cabela’s.  On top of being a sportsman the Springfield Missouri father of 4 is also a conservationist, which only makes sense when you consider there is no sportsmen if the eco systems are depleted. In fact in February 2019, no less than the Audubon Society honored Johnny Morris with its Audubon Medal for Conservation. Why is that? Well, consider the joy fishing brings. I quote here a David verses Goliath Story from famed Fishing Guide Jim Porter… …about a kid and his first fishing adventure.  Writes Mister Porter, “Well, so his name is Andrew and not 'David'. I still think the title above fits pretty good!! He's 4-1/2 years old and weighs in at 35 pounds. And, Andrew Morrisette recently accomplished what most grown-up anglers have never done - he landed a 9-pound largemouth bass. On top of that, he got his trophy from a northeastern State where bass of that size are extremely rare. On the 1st of June, Andrew and his Dad, Gary, took a trip to Darrah Pond in New Hampshire. Armed with a yellow grub, they proceeded to catch some small fish. Andrew had no trouble with that and proudly displayed his first fish for the camera.  After a short period with no strikes, Dad switched Andrew over to the Rapala minnow. In a few casts, Andrew called out that he was hung up. But, then, the snag started to SWIM. Suddenly, all dickens broke loose and the big bass busted the surface trying to rid itself of the Rapala. Andrew hung right in there and, with a little help from Dad to keep from being pulled into the water, eventually dragged the giant fish up on the sandy shore. This time, Andrew said he was afraid of the fish because it was so big that his brother had to hold up the fish. As for Andy he was happy to stand behind the camera. That day Andy did not just catch his first fish, he also took his first picture!  But, all ended well for everyone. The big sow bass was released and Andrew got his pictorial proof of the catch of a lifetime. Who knows - maybe he and the bass will meet again when BOTH are older -- and bigger!” Maybe this is why the Billionaire from Missouri got so rich. He is not selling fishing gear. He is selling experiences that families will remember forever. OK. Now it is time for the road test. What is the discount offered to you at Bass Pro Shops if you spend $100 any time in the next 90 days? If you said 20 percent... you win. So do not forget to shop at Pro shops soon. " #BassProShops #JohnnyMorris #AudubonMedalofConservation #BigMouthBass #Cabelas #SpringfieldMissouri #CrescentLake #FlaglerBeachFlorida    If you had the RoadSpoke app you would hear this here on your car radio. EXIT 15X in NJ: I-95s to Lincoln Tunnel at Meadow Lands, New Jersey "Up ahead the highway runs up onto elevated pylons along the shoulder of a rocky hill. Even now you may be driving over the bodies of many lost and tortured souls. "  I kid you not... The ground below you was once a graveyard for the un-named and insane. They were deemed beyond the help of even their own loved ones. But more about that later… Not far from the Holland and Lincoln tunnels which daily belch a hell fire of automobile soot upon the wetlands that were once known as the "New Jersey Dumps", there rises a gnarled and strangulated hill, barren and grey where men once disappeared into a massive lunatic asylum that never would tell their tales. As Richard Conniff wrote in National Geographic, “In the strange territory called the Meadowlands, just west of Manhattan, a battered volcanic knob of rock juts up from the mudflats and reed thickets. Its history, like its name, is colorful. Snake Hill was once home to the insane, and prisoners in the county jail here broke up the rock with sledgehammers.  Its solidity once inspired a passing ad man to use “the rock” as the symbol of a great insurance company (though the concept somehow got refined along the way from Snake Hill to Gibraltar). On a windy evening, this remnant of the Triassic is an excellent spot to sit and look out on one of the weirdest and least reputable landscapes on Earth: the New Jersey Meadowlands. Everybody’s trying to get somewhere else. Rush-hour trains moan and clatter across the wetlands. Trucks on the New Jersey Turnpike roar right through a cut in the rock. A tailwind sends a flight of swallows whipping past and strips back the leaves on the trees so only the pale undersides show. Still impressive, what you see today is only a fraction of the story. Snake Hill was largely obliterated in the 1960s by quarrying. The rock was used as building material in areas like nearby Jersey City. The soil was used to fill in the graves of so many inmates lost and forgotten.  Today, the remnant of the hill is the defining feature of Laurel Hill County Park. The high point, a 203-foot (62 m) graffiti-covered rock formation, is a familiar landmark to travelers on the New Jersey Turnpike's Eastern Spur, which skirts the hill's southern edge. Snake Hill was formed by the same intrusion of magma that created the Hudson Palisades. These cliffs are all roughly 200 million years ago. The Dutch colonists who originally settled the area called the 252 foot high bluff 'Slangenbergh' ('Snakes Mountain') because of the many snakes found there. But for over a hundred years this was a place of insanity and sorrow.  From 1855 to 1962 there were Hudson County penal and charitable institutions on Snake Hill, which was essentially a self-contained city in which hundreds of people lived at any given time. The grounds had its own support facilities that included a sewer system, reservoir, electricity plant and incinerator. The on-site institutions included two almshouses, which provided shelter for the poor and elderly, a penitentiary, quarry and a number of medical facilities, all grouped on the north side of Snake Hill. In an era of wholesale quarantining, the medical facilities included a Contagious Diseases Hospital, a Tuberculosis Sanatorium, and the Hudson County Lunatic Asylum. The Asylum existed from 1873 to 1939.  When the Asylum opened it had a capacity of 140 patients. Different wings were designated for men and women, and each room held several beds. More feared were the numerous operating rooms where frontal lobotomies were frequently performed to neutralize troublesome patients.  People admitted to the Asylum were not restricted to the mentally ill, and whose conditions ranged from schizophrenia to syphilis. Many people were admitted to the hospital "who had no reason to be there: healthy residents who had been determined by their relatives to be a burden." Residents sometimes signed in their elderly relatives when they could no longer take care of them. Once committed, these old relatives rarely emerged alive.  It was not difficult to sign in a patient, but harder for one to leave. According to Secaucus Town Historian Dan McDonough, "Anybody could sign somebody in. However, you would need three doctors to sign you out." The causes of death of many patients were not recorded, because the patients had been given pauper's funeral in the potter's field on the grounds, which is known as the Hudson County Burial Grounds. Society slowly amended its treatment of the mentally ill and indigent. By the late 1920’s Snake Hill was renamed Laurel Hill. Then in the 1930s the Asylum adopted the name Mental Disease Hospital as that was believed to be a less offensive name. At the end of that decade, the hospital was moved to County Avenue in Secaucus, at the location where Meadowview Psychiatric Hospital now exists. In 1939, the Mental Disease Hospital, which by then housed 1,872 people, ceased operations.  In 2003, more than 4,500 bodies of poor people, prisoners and patients were moved from the grounds to make way for the Turnpike's Exit 15X ramp. You may take that Exit now. And do not worry about aggravating avenging angels: all the cadavers of the poor unfortunate inmates of the Snake Hill Asylum have been moved. Or have they? #SnakeHill #SnakeHillAsylum #PottersField #Insane #InsaneAsylum #Meadowlands #Secaucus #HudsonCounty   Here this HERE... along I-95 "OK Road Crew, now it is time for a Road Test. The Road Test is brought to you by Walmart and if you stop into Walmart any time in the next 30 days we will give you a free coffee at the instore Dunkin Donuts.   "Isn't that a DEAL?... Not like the prices in Walmart are not low enough already, right? So tap your Deal Radar icon now!  "Ok. Time for the Road Test. So here now are the Fast Facts. Back in 1945, a former J. C. Penney employee opened his first store in north west Arkansas. Sam Walton’s focus was to sell products at lower prices to get high volume sales, portraying it as a crusade for the consumer. He was able to find lower-cost suppliers than other stores. Sales increased 45 percent in his first year of ownership to $105,000. The lease then expired so Sam opened up a new store on North Main Street in Bentonville, naming it "Walton's Five and Dime”.  By offering always low prices, always, within its first five years, the company expanded to 24 stores in Arkansas. Sam did not expand outside of Arkansas till 1968 -- some 23 years later. Bad Business? Well consider this...  Today, Walmart is the world’s Largest Retailer with 11,000 stores in 27 countries and Growing! It is also the largest employer in the world with over 2 million employees and growing. Each week, over 275 million customers shop at Walmart or its other outlets like Sam’s Clubs. Other superlatives include many environmental initiatives like using wind turbines, biofuel boilers, and solar panels. In fact, it is the biggest commercial producer of solar power in the United States. It is also the biggest seller of organic milk and the biggest buyer of organic cotton in the world. In so doing, it demands that Walmart suppliers cut back on harmful fertilizers. What does it mean to you? Well, the Average American saves nearly $1,000 annually by shopping at Walmart. Plus it has the widest selection of goods and produce, so who does not shop there? Finally, while a lot of Walmart’s inexpensive merchandise is produced in low wage places like China, the management insists over $10 Billion a year goes to US manufacturers and another $250 Billion in purchasing comes strictly from United States based corporations. It even has started societal initiatives to impact its customers in good ways. For instance, in 2011 Walmart announced a program to improve the nutritional value of its store brands, reducing the amount of salt and sugar and completely eliminating trans fat altogether. Oh and Walmart is still a Family Store. The Walton kids and grandkids still own over 50% of the stock.  So what happened to that first Walton Five and Dime in Bentonville? Well, That store is now the Walmart Museum. Now for the Road Test: where did Sam Walton work before he started his own company? You have 3 seconds. Three… and two… and one. If you said JC Penney, you would be correct. #Walmart #SamWalton #Walmart Trucks #Bentonville #JCPenney #LargestRetailer #LargestEmployer #BetterTogether #Alwayslowpricesalways         Hear This right.... HERE! Onramp to I-278s; New Jersey, Goethals across I-95 to Elizabeth, NJ & Staten Island NY "You are driving through the salt-water marsh that made a Hollywood Studio millions of dollars and set the bar for modern TV dramas. In fact if you tap Deal Radar now we will offer you 3 free months of HBO Membership so you can see this drama in the next year. Speaking of years and drama.... As opposed to the northern neighbors which were the British owned colonies of New England, way back in the 1600's, the Dutch were first to settle both New York and New Jersey. And while New England was composed of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, the 2 states of New Jersey and New York were a very separate country called New Holland. This large swamp-land area was therefore named by the Dutch. In the Dutch language, a stream or a brook is known as a Kill. The English translation for the huge marsh hereabouts is “fresh-water streams”. Today these meadowlands are still known by their Dutch name: the area is known as Fresh Kills. New Jersey Mafia boss, Tony Soprano knows something about Fresh Kills. Tony Soprano is in the waste removal business. A lot of Tony Soprano's garbage ended up in these wetlands. “The Sopranos” television show made much use of the wetlands in and around Staten Island and North Jersey. Utilizing the bleak beauty and the gritty industrial patches of these wetlands, scenes were shot showing recyclables being dumped, hijacked trucks getting offloaded, and dead bodies being disappeared.  In reality, believe it or not, there are many mob bodies buried out there since much of the show's inspiration derived from true life. Just look around. How hard is it to hide a dead guy in all that swamp? The Sopranos is a crime drama television series created by David Chase.  The story revolves around the fictional character, New Jersey-based mobster Tony Soprano played by the late great James Gandolfini. The series portrays the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflict of his family life with his well, family life. Drawing heavily from his personal experiences growing up in New Jersey, David Chase says he tried to "apply his own family dynamic to mobsters.”    For instance, the tumultuous relationship between Tony Soprano and his mother, Livia, is partially based on Chase's relationship with his own mother. Chase was also in therapy at the time and modeled the character of Doctor Jennifer Melfi after his own psychiatrist.   The TV show is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. The series also won a multitude of awards, including Peabody Awards for its first two seasons, 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. A staple of 2000s American popular culture, the series has been the subject of controversy and parody. It has spawned books, a video game, high-charting soundtrack albums, and a large amount of assorted merchandise. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America named The Sopranos the best-written TV series of all time while TV Guide ranked it the best television series of all time. Chase had been fascinated by the mafia from an early age, witnessing such people growing up. The series is partly inspired by the Boiardo family, a prominent New Jersey organized crime family when Chase was growing up, and partly on New Jersey's DeCavalcante family. What you may ask does a guy named David Chase know about Italian mob guys? Well, David Chase's real name is David Dee Ceasare. And now you know the rest of the story! #Sopranos #TonySoprano #FreshKills #Meadowlands #NewJersey #StatenIsland #DavidChase #Boiardo #EdieFalco #HBO #StevieVanZandt #Mafia #TheMob  EXIT OF THE DAY: Exit 26 I-95n to Spiney Bluff, GA. Hear this here: On your right, you're passing the Sanctuary Golf Club. What with the all year climate, the varied terrain and the presence of The Master’s Tournament up at Augusta, it’s no surprise that Golf is huge all over Georgia. Locally several Pro golfers have hung up their woods and called the region home.  Cross jump to the British Open in 2018. As written by the Des Moines Register newspaper, “There was a loud gasp in the media room just off the first tee at the British Open, where a good number of assembled reporters were waiting for Tiger Woods to talk after his round..." "A television in the corner of the room was airing live coverage and suddenly the conversation from Woods’ 5-under 67 switched to Zach Johnson’s bomb of an eagle putt at the par-5 sixth hole. Suddenly, Tiger Woods knew that sinking feeling.”  The Golf Icon had reason to fear the less famous Zach Johnson. An Iowa native, Zach maybe naturally gravitated to Georgia since he won his first Pro Championship here. Zach won his first Tour event at the 2004 BellSouth Classic outside of Atlanta. He followed that up with another major win on Georgia greens. On Easter Sunday April eight, 2008, Johnson won his first major title. He put on the green blazer at the Masters Tournament in Augusta. He won the tournament by a margin of two strokes over the runner up. That contender was Tiger Woods. After winning, Zach thanked God, saying: "This being Easter, I cannot help but believe my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was walking with me. I owe this to Him.” Zach must feel closer to God in Georgia; he, his wife, their daughter and their two boys now live on the coastal island of Saint Simon’s.  But Zach is not the only pro golfer in the neighborhood. Therefore he does not lack for competition in his daily rounds. Other notable professional golfers owning Saint Simons real estate include Davis Love III, Matt Kuchar, and Jonathan Byrd. With practice rounds with players like that, much less Phil Michelson and Tiger Woods -- plus a little boost from the Man upstairs, Zach Johnson is sure to win again -- Tiger Woods notwithstanding. #TigerWoods #ZachJohnson #Bellclassic #TheMasters #PGATour #Augusta #DesMoinesRegister   If you had the RoadSpoke app you would hear this here: EXIT 15E I-95n in Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal to Holland Tunnel to NYC Of his presidency, George Washington himself said, “I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent.”  First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen. In 1789, on the steps of the Federal Hall on Wall Street in Manhattan, George Washington was inaugurated as the first nationally elected President of the United States. It marked the beginnings of the first modern democracy in the world. The concept of democracy was utterly unique. It required wholly new and invented protocols. A man of great civility and a student of The Liberal Enlightenment, Washington believed dignity, and admiration of the truth were tantamount to the character of a leader. At the same time, he had always been ambitious — perhaps since he was not born into Virginia’s aristocracy, the so-called “Planter Elite”. So while not immodest, he was not a naif. In fact, on the day the Continental Congress was to choose the Supreme Leader of the Continental Army in open revolt against British Overlords, Washington was the only Delegate to show up in his old military Uniform from the French and Indian War. Supposedly, no less than Ben Franklin and Tom Jefferson chuckled at that not-so-subtle suggestion. Needless to say, he got the job!  Fast forward 10 years to Federal Hall in Manhattan. After swearing a solemn oath to uphold the US Constitution, the world’s first President retired indoors to read Congress his inaugural address. With not a little trepidation, he spoke of “the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” No one in the room was certain democracy would work. Many even hoped that Washington would take over as King. But Washington did not seek to be a tyrant. Years earlier in the throes of the Revolution, on a sub-zero day in icebound Newburgh, New York, a coterie of his officers had even proposed that he seize power from Congress. Their pay was late. Their rations thin. They had no winter uniforms. Some had no shoes. Even Washington had to sleep in the frozen elements. But Washington was aghast. He angrily disavowed any desire to create another tyranny. That was precisely the purpose of the American English Revolution: to throw off the yoke of monarchy and give power to the people. Washington threatened to arrest any officer who spoke further of such treason. History would remember this incident as the Newburgh Conspiracy. Still, at Federal Hall, Congress was certainly aware that Washington was close to ideal as the first president. Not only was he a man of law, but he had no children which meant no dynastic aspirations. And then there was his huge personal bravery and honesty. He would not destroy the Constitution for personal gain.  Whatever he faced, Washington would act "presidential". In his 2 terms as President, George Washington set the bar for all who followed. Happy President’s Day! #GeorgeWashington #Inauguration #Newburgh #FirstPresident #FederalHall #PresidentsDay2020        MILESTONE: Today, we just crossed 246,000 page views for our SINGLE post about Jimi Hendrix and Woodstock. Will RoadSpoke pass a quarter million Views? Stay Tuned! Question: What does Mark Zuckerberg and hip hop group Cypress Hill have in common? You choose: Answer #1: Both came from Scarsdale, New York and were the children of dentists? Answer #2: Both headlined at Woodstock 94 — the 25th Anniversary of Woodstock? Answer #3: Both are advocates of the legalization of weed? Answer #4: Both joined over space and time to reach nearly a quarter million viewers on RoadSpoke’ Facebook Page? If you selected Answer 4, you would be correct. Mark Zuckerberg and Cypress Hill both provided generous service for RoadSpoke to reach so many thousands of people without RoadSpoke paying a nickel! While Zuckerberg provided the platform, Cypress Hill no doubt shared the RoadSpoke’s Post and as of today we have … …reached 246,260 people! WOW! Thank you CYPRESS HILL! Thanks Marky Mark! Hear this right… >Here! EXIT of the Day Exit 75 I-95s,in Richmond Virginia To: I-64  "From what we get, we can make a living. What we give however, makes a life." Does anyone know this quote? If so, you probably know that one of the greatest tennis players ever uttered those words. That tennis player is named Arthur Ashe. Ashe may have gotten famous for tennis, but his legacy is so much wider. Using tennis to leverage his message, Arthur Ashe became a crusading advocate for equality and justice. Returning to his quote, Arthur gave so much. But Arthur would be the first to admit that so many gave of themselves for him, Arthur, to succeed. Arthur Ashe is buried in Richmond’s Woodland Cemetery. Somewhat notably, Arthur Ashe is buried next to a woman that is not his wife. If you want to visit their graves, start to bear right to exit at upcoming Exit 75 to Interstate 64 and then onto the Mechanicsville Turnpike. The side trip is only about 3 miles, 6 miles there and back.  Arthur Ashe was born in segregated Richmond Virginia in 1943. When Arthur was seven his mom died. This left Arthur’s father to have to care for him and his sister. The future professional player was discovered and taught by a local tennis star named Ron Charity. Ron was also black.    Ron encouraged Arthur to compete locally, despite not being allowed to even walk on the court in certain racially segregated tennis clubs. Ron Charity then brought young Arthur to a fellow tennis coach named Doctor Robert Walter Johnson.  A Lynchburg, Virginia native, Dr Johnson, was already famous for coaching the first African American tennis great. That tennis great was a woman named Althea Gibson. In the 1950’s Althea Gibson had won Wimbledon, the US Open and several other so-called Grand Slam events. The five foot eleven New Jersey phenom was the first Black tennis player to shatter the color barrier. Yet she was not widely known beyond tennis. That distinction would be left for Arthur Ashe, Dr Johnson’s next big tennis ingenue. Johnson helped tweak Ashe’s game making him better. In 1963, Ashe became the first African- American tennis player to be part of the United States’ Davis Cup Team. He accepted the trophy insisting his father stand beside him.They were a team — on and off the court. Ashe then received a tennis scholarship to University of California Los Angeles. This was after Ashe was awarded many awards such as being featured in Sports Illustrated and winning the National Junior Indoor Tennis title. Again, he was the first African-American to win that title.  From 1966 to 1969 during the Vietnam war, Arthur took a hiatus to serve in the United States Army. He turned professional the same year he was discharged from the military.  During his pro career, Arthur won multiple awards and received endless recognition for his game. Arthur Ashe’s career consisted of multiple victories in the Grand Slams. His first win in a Grand Slam was in 1968 while still in the Army. That victory happened at a little thing called the United States Open. Two years later he won again. This time in the Australian Open. After two defeats in following two years he was crowned champion again at the US Open. This was in 1975. Ashe also had multiple other awards over his career. Many of the awards occurred while being the first African-American in the sport to accomplish them. This gave him the stature to speak out about racial injustice. He became friends and advocated with many of the towering Civil Rights leaders of his day.  By the end of his career, Ashe had an amazing winning percentage of 75%. Arthur was victor in 75% of all tennis meets which include winning innumerable elimination rounds to become the event champion. In 1977, Arthur married Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe.  Jeanne is a photographer and activist. She is best known for her work in magazines, newspapers, and several photography books. She later became a leading AIDS advocate. During retirement, Arthur was outspoken about racial inequality and became a well -respected journalist and editorial writer in his own right. He also was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He and wife Jeanne adopted a daughter and in 1988, mourned the death of his father.  A few years later Arthur Ashe very publicly announced he had AIDS. Ashe had contracted HIV years earlier in a tainted blood transfusion from a heart operation. Arthur Ashe died in 1993 in New York Hospital from pneumonia and complications due to AIDS. In an era where people concealed their HIV affliction, Arthur represented the wider heterosexual threat from the deadly scourge. At his request, Arthur was buried in Richmond, Virginia. He is buried there beside his Mom, Eliza — a Mom who will share eternity with her son… but a Mom who missed in life seeing all her remarkable son would accomplish. And all he would give. #ArthurAshe #AltheaGibson #JeanneMoutoussamyAshe #Tennis #WoodlandCemetery #Richmond #UCLA #USArmy #AIDS |
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