Category: Stage IV

On our way from Florida to Texas, we took a circuitous route through three neighboring states to visit their state capitols and mark yet another state (Georgia) on our Airstream map. While I can condense the information from these marvelous stops into one blog each, you may want to go and visit them all to see for yourself!

March 13, 2025. Atlanta Georgia.

We spent the day in Atlanta and earned two passport stamps. One for the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, and one for the State Capitol. The Carter Center is also worth a visit, although I was a little disappointed in the lack of display or mention regarding his recent death. On to the Capitol.

A bit of history of the Capitol for the “buffs” (from the brochure). In 1868, Atlanta became Georgia’s fifth permanent capital city. James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia in February of 1733, on the site of present-day Savannah, which was Georgia’s first capital. After the Revolutionary War, the General Assembly met alternately in Savannah and Augusta. As Georgia grew the capital city moved to Augusta in 1786, Louisville in 1796, Milledgeville in 1807, and, finally, Atlanta in 1868. The General Assembly first met in the Atlanta City Hall/Fulton County Courthouse before relocating to the nearby Kimball Opera House. In 1883, the legislature appropriated $1 million for a new building. Designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke and Franklin P. Burnham and built by Miles and Horne of Toledo, Ohio, construction began in October 1884 and finished in 1889– $118.43 under budget. The new Georgia Capitol was built using many of the state’s natural resources. Georgia marble is only found on the interior due to high cost. The Capitol’s exterior is Indiana limestone. The Capitol was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark in 1977.

The dome is not the tallest, nor is it the most exquisite. But it still made me stop long enough to get dizzy while looking up.

The fourth floor comprises a museum of Georgia artifacts, gems, agriculture, fun facts and oddities. Probably the most intriguing are the two-headed cow and two-headed snake. These reminded me of the movie Dupont, and made me wonder if there was something in the water from where these animals drank. Here are a few pictures from the museum. One could spend a lot of time reading everything up there.

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À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

February 7, 2025. Tallahassee, Florida.

We finally made it to Florida! The weather is so beautiful, as one would expect (hope for) in the Sunshine State. The humidity so common in the summer months has not yet arrived, and we have had a nice pleasant breeze so far. We left Texas two days ago wearing shorts and t-shirts, stopped in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and then on to Tallahassee, where we visited the State Capitol.

I wouldn’t say this is the most exclusive of the buildings we have toured. After seeing 17 to date, we have a general idea of what capitols might include. Big domes, cupolas, grand marble staircases and columns, famous artwork, rare and exotic wood, historic artifacts, governor’s office, senate, house, and the supreme court amongst other things. Tallahassee has a new capitol building that is 22 stories high with an observation deck overlooking the city. It houses all the current workforce. The New Capitol overshadows and dwarfs the smaller, Old (Historic) Capitol, which the state outgrew many years ago and has since been turned into a museum.

This is the fourth building to serve as a capitol for Florida. A log cabin served as the first capitol, erected just two days after Tallahassee became a territory in 1824 (Florida would later become a state in 1845). The cabin was replaced by a 2-story frame structure. The third Capitol was built in 1845. (Can you guess why? Hint: the date.) They considered demolishing that Old Capitol building, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed. The Old Capitol was restored to its 1902 state, and is now home to a museum similar to the ones we have seen in so many of the other capitols we have visited. The New (current) Capitol was built between the years 1973-1977, and opened in March of 1978.

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This building does have a couple of interesting features. The State Capitol is one of four official Welcome Centers for the State of Florida. We stopped at the one in Pensacola and got some free orange juice, which they do not serve at this one. I’m not sure other state capitols have official welcome centers inside their buildings. Wikipedia was not helpful.

The lower floors have a nice display of the Florida State Seal, Florida Halls of Famers, and Florida fun facts. Of course there are chambers for the House of Representatives and Florida Senate where we looked down on from the galleries, but we couldn’t go inside.

An interesting carving titled “Resilience” is on display outside the State Senate. The plaque tells the story of the carving and the wood, which I’ll repeat here as well.

This distinctive wood is unique to the Southeastern and Gulf Coastal Plains. The holes within the wood occur when a fungus enters a cypress tree after a limb falls or an injury to the tree occurs, typically in cypress trees more than 100 years old. Over time, the holes grow in number and size; however, the spring fed, low oxygen waters of certain Florida rivers protect the wood from decomposition. Estimates indicate the cypress wood used in this sculpture was originally harvested during Florida’s Steamboat Era, the time of the territorial State Senate.

We enjoyed visiting both the New and Old Capitol buildings. The New Capitol has an enclosed observation deck on the 22nd level, overlooking the city. It was foggy and cloudy when we went up there, so we couldn’t see very far away, which of course was disappointing. Try to go on a sunny day if you have options. Two groups from very different schools were also touring the building. It was interesting to see the first group, dressed in street clothes. They were not necessarily unruly, but they didn’t demonstrate the same decorum and level of respect as the second group, dressed in Ivy League uniforms.

Art exhibits are rotated on the top floor. Famous Noh Masks were on display around the deck when we were there. There are a few other interesting pieces of art, but otherwise, it’s a pretty neutral building. The exterior is also under construction, which makes it hard to find one’s way around to the visitor’s entrance. The Old Capitol has a small dome with stained glass,

One thing that really impressed me about this capitol was the elevator system. I know! It’s not a big deal, right? But it was the first time I have seen this technology in use. It has apparently only been around for the past few years, and is used in tall buildings around the world. Quite cool if you ask me. Watch this brief video of us using the elevator system, and be sure to watch to the end for views from the observation deck (and Noh masks).

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There is a glass dome, which is a replica because the old one was removed when it started leaking within the first year after it was installed. Interesting fact: When they restored the building to its 1902 glorious self, they found over 100 pounds of broken dome glass in the walls of the building. The original glass was made by the Opalescent Glass Works, who also made the glass used by Louis Comfort Tiffany in their famed lamp designs. Perhaps hiding it in the walls was some worker’s way of saving the beautiful glass pieces. Or, it was simply easier than throwing it all away. Makes me wonder what we will find inside the walls of our new house that is currently under construction. The things that make you go “hmmm.”

Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court in the Old Capitol are interesting to look at. Hard to believe Florida population used to be small enough to only need a building this size.

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I hope you enjoyed our little tour of the Florida Capitol. Sign in and comment below to let us know what you think! I promise we won’t bug you or send you a bunch of spam emails, but it will give you an opportunity to interact with us in the comments.

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À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!

November 1, 2024. Frankfort Kentucky.

I grew up in southern Ohio, and I remember hearing as well as repeating this joke. How do you pronounce the capitol of Kentucky: Lou-EE-ville, or Lou-IS-ville? Answer: Neither, it’s Frankfort (insert rimshot) 🤪.

The entrance to the building is nicely decorated with flowers, paths, and street parking big enough for a King Ranch pulling an Airstream 😁. It was a little confusing as to where we should enter the building, as the signs were misleading. We just missed an opportunity to enter the Capitol a day earlier. Costumed trick or treaters were given candy by the governor inside the building last night. Mischievous ghosts and goblins might account for the entrance signs leading you in a circle 😂. But today we were the first (and sole) visitors, so it was a peaceful tour. 

The guided tour wasn’t for another hour, and we were on our way home, so we just walked on our own with the self-guided brochure. The tour desk lady provided some valuable information about things we should not miss before we began. And she stamped our passport on the way out.  (Don’t forget the stamp!)

We met a man under the rotunda who told us that if you rub the boot of Lincoln, it is supposed to bring you good luck. That is why his boot is so shiny under the rotunda. Click the link below to see a short video of our interaction, as well as the changing lights under the rotunda.

The House of Representatives and Senate were next. While they look alike, you will see the House is more arched and contains beautiful roll-top desks. We walked around and even sat in the chairs (they are very comfy), which isn’t permitted in some of the Capitols we have visited.

Infinity mirrors are a fun find in the State Reception Room. I found it ironic that no food or drinks are permitted in the reception room. Isn’t that what you expect to find in a reception 🤪 😂?? Paintings decorated the walls, painted to look like antique tapestries.

Unique aspects are the shifting light colors in the rotunda seen in the previous video, the infinity mirrors in the State Reception Room, and the irreplaceable mahogany wood from the Honduran rainforest found in the Supreme Court Chambers seen in the short video below. I told Tim I hope they planted some trees after that!

I always love looking at the displays of First Lady dolls (and even a dog in this one), similar to the ones we have seen in other Capitols. Here are the first and current First Ladies. It’s fun to witness how the dresses have changed over the years.

In the basement, frames lined the walls with important documents that have been a part of our American History, including The Mayflower Compact, the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, the Constitution of Kentucky, The Star Spangled Banner, a picture of Lady Justice, and several more. Amongst these prestigious documents governing our land was The Ten Commandments. We were pleasantly surprised to see it there.

Even though this might not be the most ostentatious of the Capitols we have seen, it is certainly noteworthy. Tim described it as the “most comfortable” of the Capitols we have toured thus far. It is certainly roomy, and one could easily get lost in there.

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À la prochaine … hasta la próxima vez … Until next time!

Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Columbus Ohio.

I grew up in Ohio, but I don’t recall ever spending much time in Columbus. It was fun to visit the city and spend the night in a King-sized bedroom with a walk-in shower that we could stand under as long as we wanted. Fortunately we looked ahead and learned that the Statehouse was not doing any tours on October 31st. We originally planned to go on Halloween, but we changed our plans when we discovered they would be closed, stopping on the way to the hotel rather than going the next day.

It’s always a good idea to check for hours of operation before your visit to any State Capitol. You will see flags flying at half-staff in this picture. We would later learn from our tour guide that Ohio’s first female House speaker, Republican Jo Ann Davidson, died at 97 years of age earlier this week. Among her many other accomplishments, she was largely responsible for the Capitol’s restoration project. She made a commitment to keep the old Statehouse features rather than building a new one. Her portrait is the only one displayed in the entire building. Tomorrow is her funeral so there will be no public or private tours. 

Ohio Statehouse. We had a good tour guide. Take away the mustache and he reminded us of one of our pastor friends (you know who you are). He started by having us stand on the map of Ohio that was crafted into the floor. The information was reminiscent of my early school years, learning Ohio History.

Ohio is the 7th largest in population. This building is called a Statehouse because of its architecture, rather than a “Capitol,” although it is the capital of Ohio. The interior and exterior have different architectural designs, built in the Greek Revival style, constructed from 1839-61. The interior is Roman, whereas the exterior is Greek, plain and unadorned. This was intentional to save money.

Private citizens exerted their wealth and will to get the Capitol where they wanted it, and that’s exactly how it was paid for. Because of their economic influence, the capital of Ohio moved cities several times in its early history. Ohio limestone is found on the stairs and the walls. The building was restored in the 1980s, back to its original 1861 style.

After much movement, Ohio finally established a law that says the state Capitol has to be within 40 miles of the center of the state. That’s how it ended up in Columbus, and that’s where it has stayed since 1861. Interestingly enough, the state motto is “With God All Things Are Possible,” which is written in the Passport Book.

The Senate and House look very similar, except you can see the Senate has telephones on the desks, and the podiums are different. They didn’t spare the same expense there, as they are made mostly out of marble. This is unique than most of the Capitols we have toured, as the House and Senate are typically very different in their appearance, from the carpet to the chairs, the podium and the chandeliers. Again this speaks to their financial frugality while making a very nice place to hold sessions.

During renovations in the 1980s, they uncovered muse murals and other features that were covered up and “lost” sometime in its history. 

I may have shared a bit more in this Statehouse blog, since it’s from my home state. It was an interesting visit, and I do recommend taking the tour. We may go back for a second visit, as there is an entire museum we had to miss in the timeframe we had. I also read online the “World’s Largest Steel Gavel Sculpture” is located in downtown Columbus near the Ohio Supreme Court building. Somehow we missed that.

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Back at the hotel, a pumpkin carving contest was in process. Here are the very creative pumpkins the staff came up with, one of them nodding at the famous Jimmy Buffet. It seems “carving” has morphed into “painting” these days. But hey, in the words of C. S. Lewis, “Have fun, even if it’s not the same kind of fun everyone else is having.”

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À la prochaine … hasta la próxima vez … Until next time!

October 28, 2024, Indianapolis.

This building is referred to as The Statehouse, and we never figured out why during the tour, so I did some research on good ol’ Google to learn more. This website was very helpful. Capitol buildings are categorized in three ways: statehouses, domed capitols, and executive towers. There is also one “roundhouse” that serves as a Capitol in New Mexico.

The shape of the building, when it was built, and architectural style all play a factor into which category it belongs. Indiana has a statehouse because it is has a flat front, square windows, and a federal front. The dome in the center was under construction while we were there, but you can see the rotunda from inside. This building is not the first statehouse. The original building still stands in another location, but we didn’t get to see that piece of history on this trip.

Our original plan was to boondock in a local parking lot, but after driving around downtown it didn’t feel like the safest place to stay overnight. It was still daylight so we went a little further down the road to get out of the city traffic and boondocked in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. In case you don’t know, boondocking is dry camping, without any hook-ups to electricity, water, or sewer. We used the water from our fresh water tank, and battery–operated lanterns to save our batteries (Batteries are one of the reasons we going to get warranty work done).

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À la prochaine fois … hasta la próxima vez … Until next time!

Friday, October 18, 2024. Des Moines.

October has been a complicated month of travel for the Wests. When Tim realized he had a work trip in Minnesota while we would be camping due south in a small town in Missouri without close access to an airport, he decided to drive it. He asked if I’d like to ride with him and spend time together rather than fly, and of course I said YES! It would be nice to sleep in a big king-sized bed for a few days.

He rented a car on his way home from the airport last week so we would take that rather than put extra miles on the truck. Plus, if we leave the truck parked with the Airstream it gives the appearance we are home. We left yesterday (Thursday) from Marceline, visited the Hoover Presidential Library and National Historic Site in West Bend Iowa (different passports), spent the night in Iowa City, then drove to the State Capitol this morning on our way up to Minnesota.

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The Iowa Capitol is a pretty building. It has the “wow” factor. When I asked Tim what he liked about the building, he said he liked the domes amongst other things. I concurred. It has five domes on top. The center dome is covered in 23-karat gold leaf. The most recent re-gilding began in 1998 and was completed in 1999 at a cost of approximately $400,000. All I can say is WOW 🤯😳. The other four domes are copper with gold leaf stripes.

Construction of the Capitol began in 1871 and was completed in 1886. The building feels “original,” another thing Tim likes. Even though they have done some restoration, you get the sense an old, antique building. When you walk through the halls, it’s like you are transported to a time and place 150 years ago. It’s a timepiece from that era.

Ground Floor. We didn’t get to take the guided tour since we were pressed for time to get to Tim’s site visit, so Tim acted as our tour guide. He’s not quite as old as our last one, and a lot less eccentric 🤪 😂. He was actually really good! Their self-guided tour brochure is very well laid out, and highlights some important facts about the art and architecture we would see along the way. Some of the facts in this blog are borrowed from the brochure.

Visitors enter on the ground floor on the side of the building, where security checks your bags and asks you to walk through a metal detector. You are greeted by a series of tables and chairs and a cafeteria, which serve as a lunch room when legislature is in session. A school group gathered in these tables while we were there as well. The Iowa State Capitol Tour Guide desk and Gift Shop are located toward the center of the building near the rotunda. We stamped our passport, picked up our brochure, and listened to some tips on what to look for. There are a few facts on a plaque about the fire of 1904 near the stairs, but the main tour starts on the first floor.

First Floor. The first thing you notice is the rotunda, with stairwells and wings leading to various suites. According to the brochure, the building’s interior is furnished with 29 types of marble and a variety of woods.

The reception room to the Governor’s Suite has high ceilings and a beautiful chandelier (which I would hate to have the task of cleaning). Visitors can’t go beyond the ropes, but it was fun to peek inside.

In the hallway outside the governor’s suite, there is an encased collection of “first lady” dolls dressed in their inaugural gowns. Currently they have a female governor (Kim Reynolds), the first female governor in Iowa, so there is one lonely male doll front and center representing her spouse. That was a unique display we haven’t seen in another Capitol to date.

Second Floor. The marble and granite Grand Staircase leads to the second floor. There are some other interesting facts about this in the brochure which I won’t repeat here, but you can perhaps see by the pictures it is a beautiful staircase. I liked the six mosaics on the wall of the third floor, also seen from the first floor just above the mural. More on that later.

Third Floor. This is where you can stand in front of the six mosaics and see the details of the tiny tiles. The craftsmanship takes my breath away.

The galleries for the House of Representatives and Senate are also accessible from this floor, on either end of the rotunda. They don’t include the third floor in the self-guided tour brochure for some reason, maybe because it’s just the galleries. It was a challenge to find the elevator to get up there, and the stairs were closed off, but we really enjoyed the close-up view of the chandelier overlooking the House once we found it. Those galleries are tight, with very narrow walkways between rows, again challenging for someone with acrophobia!

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À la prochaine…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!