Stopping first at the President William H. Taft National Park we met a lovely local couple celebrating their wedding anniversary (who also happened to be a carnivore/vegetarian duo) and apparently wishing they had pursued jobs as tour guides. Before our tour even began they had loaded us up with maps and recommendations that would have taken us days to do.
A Ranger who reminded us of Jackie from Roseanne led us through Taft's childhood home detailing his lifelong dream of becoming a Supreme Court judge. If you can believe it even becoming President did not surpass this ambition. He did at last achieve his goal and became the only President in history to serve on the Supreme Court following his term at the White House.
Teddy Roosevelt was dear friends with Taft and his biggest supporter, wanting Taft to replace him as President. Taft, however, was his own man and a staunch constitutionalist and the two men's friendship became strained when he didn't continue Teddy's plans for the country when he took over.
Though he certainly accomplished quite a bit as President, it was his work on the Supreme Court that was Teddy's strongest legacy. First he ensured that there was a building for the highest court in the land and then gave freedom to the court to choose the cases it hears, thus eliminating years of backlog that had been commonplace before his appointment.
We tried to follow all of the couple's eager recommendations but ran out of time and meters, but we did cross the famous Roebling bridge (famous especially for the Brooklyn Bridge) and toured the breathtaking St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in nearby Covington which boasts one of the largest stained glass windows in the world.
Next we tried some OH chili at Skyline which consisted of chili beans piled on top of spaghetti and topped with a gigantic helping of shredded cheddar cheese. It was good but probably not for the health conscience.
Taft House
Roebling Bridge
Basilica
No comments:
Post a Comment