Sugar Creek OH 07 2020

AND here is another video from Amish Country Ohio, featuring the World's Largest Cuckoo Clock in Sugarcreek Ohio!

Walnut Creek OH 07 2020

I will try to get some pics up from this trip in the next month or so....  but I have already put a little video together....  This is from a recent trip to Amish Country Ohio- specifically Walnut Creek Ohio!

Amish Country OH 07 2020

I will try to get some pics up from this trip in the next month or so....  but I have already put a little video together....  This is from a recent trip to Amish Country Ohio!

"Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks" by Andrea Lankford

I read the original and well put together book "Haunted Hikes" by Andrea Lankford and really enjoyed it.  I saw that she also wrote another book about her time in the National Parks.  It looked interesting too so I read that one recently and really enjoyed it too!

First off "Ranger Confidential:  Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks" really delivers with what it's title suggests.  This is a very open, honest and human book about what its like to be a ranger in the National Parks.  Andrea tells her very personal at times stories about getting her foot in the door as a ranger, and she talks about her friends experiences too.

AND, like her book "Haunted Hikes"...  this one gets a little dark.  The book covers a lot of first hand accounts of people dying in the parks.  Like, a lot of them.  There are falls, plane crashes and other deaths.  Andrea talks about how a 1993 movie influenced suicides at the Grand Canyon.  There is a crazy story involving a BASE jumper's death during a protest at Yosemite.  The jumper was protesting the park trying to keep people from BASE jumping for their safety.

There are some sweet stories too.  The author talks about trying to save turtles and helping them survive.  She talks about horses knowing when to help with ranger work.  There are some great stories of survival and rescue.

The book does end on a tragic note as a close friend dies.

This is just a well done book though, lots of honesty and ups and downs.  I really enjoyed reading it and, like Andrea's other book I mentioned, this one also gets my highest possible recommendation.

When Bears Attack by Joseph B. Healy

I've mentioned the wonderful books "Bear in the Backseat" and "Bear in the Backseat II" here before.  Those are great books written by a former Great Smoky Mountains National Park Ranger.

Well, I found" When Bears Attack: Close Encounters of the Terrifying Kind" edited by Joseph B. Healy recently, and I thought it might be as interesting as the Bear in the Backseat books.

There are various bear related stories by a number of different authors in this book.  Frankly, some of the stories are better than others, but I still enjoyed the book overall.

Some of the stories are a bit stiff too....  not to knock them....  but a few aren't as accessible as the tales from the Great Smoky Mountains.

Still, this is an interesting book.....  and you can skip a few chapters after reading a page or two if you want.  The other chapters will still be worth reading.

AND, I appreciated the completeness of the book.  Some of the stories are old, and the chapters come from diverse areas.

Buffalo Trace Hard Hat Tour, Frankfort, Kentucky

 We stopped by Buffalo Trace in Frankfort again.  We are there a lot.  Its a great tour to take out of the area friends to.

We took the "Hard Hat Tour" and had a great time.

This is a great tour, as you get to see a lot of the behind the scenes type stuff.  We saw a truck unloading corn.  There was mash everywhere.

AND, Buffalo Trace is adding a LOT to their operation.  We saw where 6 more large containers for the mash would be added.

Here are some pictures!

Summit Park in Blue Ash

 Our friends who live in Cincinnati took us to see the very high tower at Summit Park in Blue Ash.

This is at a great, clean, nice and family friendly area with some cool walking trails.  AND, they have a tower that you can go up offering a great view of the area!  There are stairs for the adventurous, and an elevator for the rest of us.

"An Obvious Fact: A Longmire Mystery" by Craig Johnson

let me just admit upfront that I picked this book up at a Half Price Books because it was cheap, and because I liked the Devil's Tower cover.  Yes, economics sometimes dictate my book buying choices.

HOWEVER.....  this is just a darn good book!  Like, really, really good.  AND, I am mostly not a fan of modern fiction.

I know that Longmire is a popular TV show, but I have never seen it.  I plan to now though, after I got some other shows I want to watch out of the way.  We tend to watch a complete series at my house, then we start another one.  Not at one sitting of course, but over a long period of time.

Anyway, Craig Johnson's "An Obvious Fact" was just a fun read.  It is about 300 pages, but it has a nice flow, and you can knock it out in no time.

The story is interesting, the characters are vivid and believable.....  It is very easy to visualize whats going on as you read Johnson.

Sheriff Longmire, a couple of friends and a dog are investigating the serious injuring of a young man on a motorcycle near Devil's Tower.  Lots of other interesting characters show up, as the Motor Cycle Rally is going on.  An ex-girlfriend, a biker gang, and a drunk viking all complicate things.  A possible family connection to the biker makes the situation even more interesting.

"Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park" by Lee H. Whittlesey

I almost hate to admit that I enjoy reading the "Death in" books.  Maybe "enjoy" isn't the word I am looking for, but I do find them so fascinating.

Well, Lee H. Whittlesey has given us, "Death in Yellowstone" noting all of the deaths that have occurred in that National Park.  Lee's book is mindbogglingly thorough.

There are a LOT of ways that death has happened in this park.  In fact, there are some ways that are almost exclusive to Yellowstone.  I absolutely don't want to get too detailed here, but there are some natural boiling hot water pools at Yellowstone.  There are bears.

AND, the area has a lot of history too.  OLD history- so there are deaths that have happened involving Indian wars and stage coaches.

Lee's writing style is perfect for this volume too.  The details of each case are given a good amount of attention.  Its obvious that he took his time combing through archives and old papers.  Interestingly, he even has some personal connections to some of the tragedies.

I took some time and read through this one slowly, as each story is fascinating.  This would make for some interesting reading before or during a trip to the park!

"Now You Know Nashville" by Mason Douglas

I wanted to give a quick endorsement to a nice travel guide I found recently.  I picked up "Now You Know Nashville" by Mason Douglas and I REALLY like this one.  I read it through, and I will be keeping it around as a nice reference.

This is a bit of a down and dirty guide.  Douglas lists addresses of various country music stars homes, he talks about where big music deals went down, and he does venture some outside of the Nashville area.  The book is very music focused (the author admits he is specifically a big fan of Garth Brooks, and the book shows that) but he gets in to local history too.

I liked reading about the areas connections to Lexington's Jim Varney and also reading about the famous graves in town.

Chicago 1993

Here are some more old photos I recently scanned in.  These are from my trip to Chicago back in 1993.

These aren't as diverse as the ones from my New York trip, but they are still fun.  Most are of shots you would expect from Chicago.  Several are from the Hard Rock Café (I recognize a Motley Crue guitar, a Joe Walsh Guitar, and Mick Fleetwood's drum set).

This was a fun trip, but I do remember that I was constantly harassed by shoe shine people... even though I was wearing a pair of high tops I paid maybe $12 for at the dollar store!

The Human Bean Lexington KY

Hey, have you been to the "Human Bean" coffee shop in Lexington?  I know it is drive through only (and I am big on nice coffee shops for reading) but these guys do a nice job.  They know coffee, they are quick, and they are friendly.

This has become a very nice, and convenient stop for us.

Gatlinburg May 2020

Here is a video we made back in May of this year, 2020, while driving around the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas.

Mammoth Cave Historic Tour 06 2020

Here is a recent video I took while doing the self guided Historic Tour at Mammoth Cave.

The History and Mystery of the Menger Hotel by Docia Schultz Williams

As we travel, I have really started to develop an appreciation of historic hotels.  Sure, its fun reading about the history of a state, a town, an event, but there are some really interesting hotels out there!

After our visits to San Antonio Texas over the last few years, I have developed a fondness for several hotels in that area.  The Menger, however, is simply one of the most interesting historic hotels around.

Covering that history is author Docia Schultz Williams' book, "The History and Mystery of the Menger Hotel."  The book came out back in 2000, but it still seems to be the very best book covering the Menger.

Williams talks about the beginnings of the hotel, built on ground where men fell during the famous Battle of the Alamo.  AND, it was built relatively shortly after the battle (less than 3 decades later).

She covers the owners and their families.  Docia talks about the legendary bar in the hotel, and it's connection to Theodore Roosevelt.  There is an interesting section on significant events that occurred at the hotel.

Recipes from the hotel, and a large section on ghosts of the Menger take up some space in the book too.  In fact, these sections could have been converted into books on their own by the author!

I especially enjoyed a short section by Ernesto Malacara who has worked at the hotel for many years.  He gives some interesting stories about dishonest employees, guests cars being lost, etc.

This is simply a fun book to read about a legendary hotel.

"Here I have Lived: A History of Lincoln's Springfield 1821-1865" by Paul M. Angle

While we were in Springfield Illinois, we visited the legendary collectible bookstore Prairie Archives.  I mentioned before that it is a great place to find a special volume.

Well, as I talked to them and told them what I collected, they showed me a wonderful signed first edition of Paul M. Angle's "Here I Have Lived:  A History of Lincoln's Springfield 1821-1865".

I have read Angle before.....  He has covered a lot of Illinois ground!  AND, the last time I read him he was discussing crime in the southern part of the state.

Anyway, "Here I have Lived" came out in 1935.  The copy I now own was probably in someone's hands that year.  Also, the Abraham Lincoln Association published the book.  I am guessing (though, there is a good chance I might be wrong) that, since this book, VERY connected to Springfield was bought in Springfield, it may have, until I brought it to Kentucky, spent it's entire life in or near Springfield.

That adds to the magic of a book like this.  It came out (the book, and my copy) about 70 years after the death of Lincoln.  It was in an area where a lot of people knew him.  As I read this copy, I thought to myself that, someone before me may have held or even read this very copy.  Those hands possibly could have waved to Lincoln as a small child, or they may have even shaken his hand!

At the very least, the fascinating author, Paul Angle, at one point held my copy.

The book itself is a great study of the town of Springfield, discussing its origins, people who helped get it up and running and on the map.  Housing, economics, etc are discussed in a fun to follow way.  In fact, the town of Springfield is the main character- evolving as it grows.  The book does cover Lincoln and his quick political ascent, but the town is the focus.

Obviously transportation, and the transporting of goods is important early on.

Oh, and I love how Angle really shows that locals had mixed feelings about Abe, as could be seen in the numbers of city and county residents who voted for AND against him.  The book is closer to the source of the events....  and it gives a really interesting description of the opposition Abe faced, even in the north during the Civil War.

Yeah, this is a fun book to read on its own, but I feel very privileged that I found a beautiful old copy at a good price from Prairie Archives.

South Dakota 2012 and 2019 2 of 2

Here is part 2 of my videos from South Dakota.