Roots, Routs & Routes

Year One in the Land of Awes Chapter 21

When Ed and Rachel Barnhart retired in 2004, the intrepid RVers hooked up their Alfa Gold fifth wheel on a mission to see all that God created and man constructed…and find the best pizza in the USA. From the beaches of Seattle, Ed and Rachel set their sights on Maine. From there they would turn south toward the sunshine, only to be greeted by the worst Mother Nature had unleashed in decades. Undaunted, the Barnharts headed off into the sunset, through the southwest and across the Rio Grande to the shores of Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. From sea to shining sea and back again, all in their first year exploring the country they dubbed the “Land of Awes.” In Chapter 21 Ed and Rachel explore the home of our Founding Father, walk the grounds where our nation tore itself at the seams and barely escape the wrath of nature.

We had been tensely following the weather reports for several days as Hurricane Ivan headed for landfall. As we woke the morning of our scheduled trip to Mount Vernon, we got an all-clear and headed out with cautious optimism.

Washington’s Estate sits along the Potomac River just shy of 40 miles from our campsite. While it is universally known as George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon is but one of five farms he owned in the area. By his death in 1799, our Nation’s first President owned over 8,000 acres of the land he helped create. Each farm was set up to be self-sufficient; therefore the estates operated more like small villages than homes. We walked in, around and through the buildings, gardens and fields designed to provide all the necessities of life in 18th-century America.

When Washington inherited the estate he enlarged the main house by adding a second floor and building large room at either end of the original four-room building. All the additions and the interior decorations reflected a distinct, albeit ironic, Georgian style. The second addition served as George and Martha’s private quarters. The upstairs housed their bedroom and the downstairs was where Washington headed each morning around 4:00 a.m. to pray, read the Bible and conduct the business of the estate.

While history remembers him as an inspiring general and pioneering statesman, Washington always thought of himself as a farmer. He decorated the ceiling of his main dining room with a variety of farming tools and spent a great deal of time experimenting with agricultural science. His lands offered hard, clay soil, so it was a constant trial to learn new ways to loosen and fertilize it. Washington believed that America could be the general store of the world and suited the business of his estate to this purpose. He grew flax, hemp and cotton for cloth as well as tobacco and wheat for exporting. He designed a threshing innovation that utilized horses pacing a large, 16-sided room to separate grain from chaff.

Walking the estate grounds is a brisk and interesting hike. In addition to the main house and outbuildings, you can tour the unique barn, a river landing on the Potomac and a “demonstration garden” where you can view the different crops that were grown at Mount Vernon. Continuing on this track leads to a quarter-mile forest trail that returns guests to the visitor’s center. Back in the truck we cruised three miles down the road to another of Washington’s farms, the location of his gristmill and distillery. It was here that we learned the difference between the various types of waterwheels we had seen on this and previous mill explorations in Old Sturbridge (see LOA Chapter 11) and Sandwich.

“Overshot wheels” were most often used when water was plentiful and the ground sloped appreciably. Water passed over the wheel forcing it ahead. Where there was little slope, an  “undershot wheel” was used. The wheel sat in the water and was forced ahead from the bottom. The compromise between the two is called a “breast wheel.” Water came to the wheel about halfway up, at the “breast.” When water flow was limited, such as Washington’s gristmill, a “pitch back” wheel was used. Designed to catch and drop the water straight down on the near side of the wheel, the pitch-back held the water in the buckets longer than the others and forced the wheel to spin backwards. The engineering adaptations used in milling are diverse and impressive, and still work well today, a testament to the staying power of a good idea.

On our way back to the RV park we stopped at Manassas Battlefield and joined a guided tour detailing the battle of First Manassas. The guide was well-versed and thorough, explaining at each stop where we were, what had happened there and when it had taken place. After a picnic lunch we took a 16-mile self-guided driving tour of the places and events surrounding Second Manassas. Each of the eleven sites was a short hike from the parking lot. Add this walking to our tour of Mount Vernon and we were plenty tuckered when we got back to the campsite.

After our tour of Manassas and several other significant Civil War sites, one fact sticks out. Of 4,137,000 soldiers who fought in the Civil War, 662,000 died. This is more than all other American wars combined! Further, that number was roughly 2% of the then-current population of approximately 30 million. While that number may seem small, the equivalent in today’s population of 300 million would be 6.62 million lives! Consider, too, that this war was not fought on foreign soil. It was fought in the front yards of regular Americans, many of whom had not chosen a side. That is why some historians have said that a proper understanding of our Nation cannot be had without a proper understanding of the Civil War.

Manassas Battlefield

The morning after our trip to Mount Vernon and Manassas, we woke and quickly checked the weather to see what gifts the tropics were bringing. Our intended route from Virginia was down along the East Coast and then up and around the Gulf coast. Charley had offered us doubts about that plan. Gaston and Frances seconded the motions and Ivan passed it unanimously. So, we checked the weather, did some praying and turned our “wagons” West. As it turned out, that was the right decision. Ivan danced in, out and in again causing tornadoes, flash flooding, washed out roads, mudslides and rockslides even far to the north of our current position. The death toll from that storm extended into Maryland shortly after our departure.

We have said many times that we attempt to sense and follow God’s plan for us as we traverse this awe-inspiring Land. As we head west, the path of destruction wrought by Hurricane Ivan is frighteningly obvious. Though we are disappointed that we will miss the Sunshine State on this trip around the sun, we are thankful to have been protected from Ivan’s wrath.