RV Lifestyle When the Loretto Chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft 22 feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all concluded that access to the loft would have to be via ladder, as a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small chapel. Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the sisters of the chapel made a novena (devotional prayer) to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself having come in answer to the sisters’ prayers. The stairway’s carpenter, whoever he was, built a magnificent structure. The design was innovative for the time and some of the design considerations still perplex experts today. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. Also, it is said that the staircase was built without nails – only wooden pegs. Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairway’s construction. Over the years, many have flocked to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Staircase. The staircase has been the subject of many articles, TV specials and movies, including UnsolvedMysteries and the television movie titled The Staircase. The nearby Cathedral of St. Francis is also worth a stop, as are the Spanish Mission attractions. At Mobile’s Battleship Memorial Park, you don’t have to look far to find heroes. From the Battleship USS Alabama to the Submarine USS Drum and more than 25 aircraft, the spirit of military pride is here. History meets heroism from the Second World War to Iraqi Freedom at one of America’s finest military parks. At Battleship Memorial Park, you’ll walk the decks of a mighty battleship, go below in a Second World War submarine and view cockpits of combat aircraft. You’ll also see tanks, a Vietnam River patrol boat and a plane like the one flown by the Tuskegee Airmen. It’s all here, all waiting to be discovered by you! This ship was also featured in Under Siege, the cheesy 90s Steven Segal action movie. Joshua Tree National Park, California Joshua Tree National Park is immense – nearly 324,000 ha – and is infinitely variable. This is a land shaped by strong winds, sudden torrents of rain and climatic extremes. Rainfall is sparse and unpredictable. Streambeds are usually dry and waterholes are few. Two deserts, two large ecosystems primarily determined by elevation come together in the park. Few places more vividly illustrate the contrast between “high” and “low” desert. Below 900 m, the Colorado Desert (part of the Sonoran Desert) occupying the eastern half of the park is dominated by the abundant creosote bush. Adding interest to this arid land are small stands of spidery ocotillo and cholla cactus. The higher, slightly cooler and wetter Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the undisciplined Joshua tree, extensive stands of which occur throughout the western half of the park. According to legend, Mormon pioneers considered the limbs of the Joshua trees to resemble the upstretched arms of Joshua leading them to the “promised land.” Others were not as visionary. Early explorer John Fremont described them as “…the most repulsive trees in the vegetable Kingdom.” Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, New Mexico USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile, Alabama 32 | www.snowbirds.org
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