Winchester Ohio and Morgan's Raid

 While we were in very rural Southern Ohio, we drove through Winchester....  there is a historic marker mentioning the towns connection to John Hunt Morgan and the Great Raid in the Civil War.

Keeneland Horse Racing Lexington KY April 2023

I put a short video together from my time at Keeneland here in Lexington this year!  We have really started to enjoy horse racing there!

"Thunder Dog" by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

 "Thunder Dog- the True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog & the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero" by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory is a GREAT BOOK!  I have been going down the 9/11 rabbit hole again and this book really got my attention when I was googling around for books on the topic.

VERY briefly, the story is about Michael Hingson, who is blind, and his guide dog, Roselle, as they escape from the World Trade Center on that terrible day.  They literally walk down 78 flights of stairs to escape the building after the first plane hits.  Of course, they still have a way to go before getting home safely.

The author does a great job of telling his and Roselle's story, and he also talks about his life as a blind person.  It was fascinating to hear about how he has been able to pretty much live his life like anyone else.  He has hobbies, and has been very successful in his career.

His parents were very supportive and he was always motivated.  There is a great story about his dad getting upset with neighbors who were concerned about Michael riding his bike as a child!

Higson does give the reader a great telling of his experiences right there in the middle of things on September 11th.  I was very moved by his story involving his and Roselle's encounter with a fireman going up the stairs as they were going down. 

I could go on and on about this book.  Its a great, easy read.

Murphin Ridge Inn West Union Ohio

So, I believe Murphin Ridge Inn in Southern Ohio is our new favorite B&B......  We had a very relaxing stay here, and we had some delicious meals too.  No TV, cell service was iffy, and it could not have been more perfect.

Its in a very rural area with a large Amish population.  This is a perfect spot to visit to totally relax.

Deer at Murphin Ridge Inn March 2023

 While staying at the flawless Murphin Ridge Inn in Ohio (more on that later) we saw some deer right outside of our room!

Peebles Ohio March 2023

 Check out the pleasant little town of Peebles Ohio!

Greene Beanery Coffee Peebles Ohio

The Greene beanery in Peebles Ohio is in a great old historic building!  It was once a B&B!  Now, it is just a perfectly little coffee shop that feels so cozy.

Icy Strait Point Alaska September 2022

We are almost out of Alaska (though I still have several videos of Vancouver to post from our cruise!) but I wanted to put up a quick video of our exploration of Icy Strait Point in Alaska.

"White Pass & Yukon Route Handbook" by C.E. Mulvihill

I mentioned that I picked up "Ride Guide to the Historic Alaska Railroad" before getting on the Alaska Railroad trip that we enjoyed.  Well, while in Skagway, I picked up the similar "White Pass & Yukon Route Handbook" by C.E. Mulvihill.

I think I paid about 10 bucks for this one.  Even though we weren't able to enjoy this ride, I was glad to get this book.  It literally gives a mile by mile description of what can be seen on your journey! 

We are talking about a return visit to Alaska, and this book has made me really want to get in some track miles when we go back to Skagway.

I would love to know of other similar train related guidebooks that are available.  Any suggestions?

 

Skagway Alaska September 2022

I have already posted about our two GREAT excursions while we were in Skagway Alaska on our cruise....  Well, this is a quick look around the town itself.

Ketchikan Alaska Free Shuttle

 

This is just a short video I put on youtube of our ride around Ketchikan on the city's free shuttle.  This is mostly made for locals, so there was no narration or anything like that.  I pretty much left it out of the video, but I did have an interesting, though hard to understand conversation with a fellow who was very drunk.

"Murder at 40 Below" by Tom Brennan

So, I wanted to do some reading on crimes in Alaska before our cruise....  Luckily, I found this volume.

In fact, the state should probably be proud of the fact that there aren't a whole lot of true crime books about it.

BUT I did find the very fascinating book, "Murder at 40 Below" by Tom Brennan.  The author has put together a book about all of the well known murders that have gone down in Alaska.

Brennan tells about 10 of the most shocking that have occurred.  AND, though the strange crimes in Alaska are few and far between, there are some terribly strange ones.  The descriptions of some of these crimes are pretty vivid and sadly some involve children (as victims and one as a killer).  The author doesn't hold back.

The characters are a collection of drifters, unappreciative family members, artists and others.  The very fascinating Robert Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz) is covered here.

This is a very well done book covering true crime in Alaska.  I felt like the author connected the crimes to the location.  You feel the remoteness and the coldness- I think if the author never mentioned the crimes were in Alaska, you could probably guess it.

Noche Mexican BBQ Louisville Kentucky

Check out Noche Mexican BBQ in Louisville Kentucky...  on Bardstown Road.  GREAT unique Mexican restaurant!

Martin Groves- "Beasts Between the Rivers"

I grew up in rural Western Kentucky and I spent a lot of time in the Land Between the Lakes area.  I'm not a hunter myself, but I know my dad, uncles, cousins, and other friends spent a lot of time hunting, camping, and fishing down there.

Well, over the last year or so, I had heard on some of the more fringy podcasts that there had been some strange sightings there.

So I was very interested to check out Martin Groves books that came out recently about strange happenings at LBL.

First off, each of the books is worth picking up for their spectacular covers alone!  Very well done artwork by Tony Merkel.

The first book, simply titled "Beasts Between the Rivers" is Martin Groves' personal telling about his and a friend experiencing some weird things while turkey hunting at Land Between the Lakes.  Things are thrown at them, they see what might be a man hiding in a ghillie suit and they are eventually attacked by "Dogmen".  There is more....

Martin has been involved in law enforcement for decades, and his story is very believable.  As he describes his experience, well, it sounds like a very traumatic thing.  It makes sense that someone who went through that would tell it the way Groves does.  He describes the sounds and fear vividly.  He also talks about the confusion he went through as he first saw the monsters.

His friend with him that night experiences even more dramatic stressors that would affect him forever.

Martin also hears about the death of another hunter that night- that is mostly brushed off by rangers.

The second book, "Beasts Between the Rivers:  A Trace of Death" is Groves' book about his own research involving strange sightings at Land Between the Lakes after having his own- he asks around and finds many other people with similar stories.  Martin gives some more details about his own mid 90s experience from the first book, AND the author has another weird experience himself close to his first encounter, this time in 2022.  This one is even more strange!

Most of the reports in the second book are similar, and many witnesses describe a creature like the ones Martin saw, though there are a couple of stories of the traditional Bigfoot type.

A book like this does cover common ground when it comes to mysterious creatures- like cover ups (a ranger even opens up to the author about some things he saw).  Several witnesses say they were encouraged to forget about this event, or they were told bears or coyotes were responsible.

Even if you are a skeptic, but enjoy a good scary read, the first book especially could satisfy that need.  Again, the author is very believable, and writes his book in a casual way.  You feel like you are listening to a pleasant local telling you about his horrific adventure.

Dinos Under Louisville Mega Cavern Kentucky

I ALWAYS love having an excuse to go to the Mega Cavern in Louisville.  The place is just cool, and it is so unique.

I recently heard that they were having a "Dinos Under Louisville" event- with life sized animatronic dinosaurs....  I knew I had to check that out!

So, here is my mostly complete drive through video!