Jayden Kates Coffee and Donuts Jackson KY

we stopped by the cute little coffee/donuts/boutique shop, Jayden Kates in Jackson!

"Unsolved History: Investigating Mysteries of the Past" by Joe Nickell

 I picked up "Unsolved History:  Investigating Mysteries of the Past" by fellow Kentuckian Joe Nickell recently.  Flipping through it, I saw that he looks at several mysteries and researched them thoroughly.

Almost all of the cases he looks at are ones I have an interest in too, and many have a Kentucky connection.  A couple hve a Red River Gorge tie in specifically (the "D. Boone Hut" and the "Swift Silver Mine legend").  He also hits on the Shroud of Turin, and the identity of Nazi death camp guard, Ivan the Terrible, among others.

Nickell is a very logical skeptic, and looks at these, and other strange mysteries.  Don't expect to read about ghosts or UFOs here.

His research and reasoning are on spot, and I enjoyed reading about what he found out.  He ties in other stories too.  This is just a fun book to read.

Driving from Owensboro to Lexington

The drive between Lexington and Owensboro is one I have made probably hundreds of times.  I thought I would put up a very edited version of that drive, for the other people out there who might also make this trip!

Windy Hollow Biscuit House Owensboro Kentucky

Its at the old Pondarosa....  but its now the Windy Hollow Biscuit House in Owensboro!  Check out the Windy Hollow Biscuit House!

"No Direct Evidence: The Story of the Missing Sodder Children" by Bob Lane Bragg

I have brought up the recent "West Virginia Bigfoot Festival" in Sutton a couple of times recently.  The place was a goldmine for people like me who enjoy reading books on the weird and unexplained.

I came across Bob Lane Bragg while I was there.  Bob had a booth selling all sorts of books like this (he was representing the West Virginia Book Company).  AND, Bob himself had written a book, "No Direct Evidence:  The Story of the Missing Sodder Children".

This is probably West Virginia's most famous unsolved mystery/possible crime.  Briefly, Christmas, 1945, the Sodder family experienced a house fire.  The two parents and nine children were home that night.  After the house was evacuated, only four of the children seemed to have escaped the fire.

Oddly, no remains of the other five kids could be found.

Bragg covers the details of the family and the fire.  Some odd events are noted around the time of the fire- including a phone call that night, a ladder that could have been helpful had been moved away from the house, phone lines were cut, among other issues.  The family starts to believe the house fire was arson, and the other children were taken.

At first, this almost comes off as a situation where the family cannot accept the obvious, but.....

Bob Lane Bragg, through various sources and research, shows that there could have been much more to this case, and the strange events occurring around the time of the tragedy.  The family's Italian background, the father's business dealings, and many other factors could lead in another direction.  I'm not going to say Bragg solves the case- he clearly doesn't.  He DOES show that some small almost forgettable events could have had a lot of meaning.  My mind was blown at the end.

This might be one of the more perfect true crime books out there.  Bragg discusses the case thoroughly.  He talks about why some of the family members to this day may be reluctant to discuss it.  He offers a very logical potential conclusion to the case.  This book gets my highest possible recommendation.



 

West Virginia Bigfoot Festival 2025

Check out my short video from the 2025 West Virginia Bigfoot Festival in Sutton West Virginia!

"The Silver Bridge Tragedy" by George Dudding

 West Virginia author George Dudding has written a ton of books, mostly in the UFO/cryptid/ghost area.  I have read a few and I was glad to meet the man at the recent West Virginia Bigfoot Festival.

Many of his books give a fairly basic telling of a particular event.  If you are looking for a nicely detailed book on a topic that you can probably read in one setting, he is your guy.  You get all of the details, but the books are not encyclopedic.

One thing he definitely has over other authors though, is that he was right in the middle of a lot of West Virginia weirdness.    We was literally AT the Silver Bridge shortly after it fell.  He grew up in Point Pleasant.  He has some serious cryptid cred.

He has written "The Silver Bridge Tragedy" about the collapse.  He is a science/math guy too, so Dudding gives a good explanation of what happened (he gets a bit technical, but you can still follow him).  He also talks about the rumors (and initial reluctance to believe) that the bridge fell.

He has a couple of books on the Mothman legend too.

I had a nice chat with him at the West Virginia Bigfoot festival.  I figured he might be a bit stiff (he holds degrees in math and physics).  He is a very matter of fact guy but I had a great talk with him mostly about Point Pleasant and a few other related topics.

Big Muddy Monster Festival and Castle Perilous Games & Books in Illinois

I was unable to make it to the "Big Muddy Monster Festival" in Southern Illinois this year, and I REALLY wanted to go.  It is one that has been on my radar, but, I just couldn't get things to line up.  An exclusive comic has been made available there the last couple of years, and I REALLY wanted this year's comic!  Check out that great cover art by the way!

ANYWAY, I wanted to tip my hat to the great guys at CASTLE PERILOUS GAAMES & BOOKS in Carbondale (207 West Main Street).  They have been able to help me out the last couple of years with getting the comic!

I look forward to my next visit to the area so I can visit their shop.
 

White Pass and Yukon Route Train Ride Skagway Alaska 10 02 2024

We had a great time on the White Pass and Yukon Route Train ride from Skagway Alaska!

Jellyfish Donuts Juneau Alaska

We stopped by Jellyfish Donuts while we were in Juneau Alaska!

Glacier Bay Alaska on our Norwegian Cruise

Taking a cruise through Glacier Bay National Park was a highlight of our Alaskan adventure!

Seattle Great Wheel Ride!

We had a nice ride on the Seattle Great Wheel!

Red Swing Coffee Parrish Ave Owensboro Kentucky

 

Check out Red Swing Coffee on Parrish in Owensboro!

The Westin Seattle

We had a very nice stay at the Westin in Seattle before our cruise!

Primate Rescue Center Kentucky Members Event 2025

We had a great time at the recent Primate Rescue Center Members Event!

Seattle Tacoma Airport & Sub Pop Record Shop

There is a Sub Pop Record Shop inside of the Seattle Tacoma Airport!

Seattle Mariners T Mobile Park September 2024

We got to see a Mariners game while we were in Seattle!

Venom Extraction and Snake Show at the Kentucky Reptile Z00 May 2025

Right at a month after being bit and injured by a poisonous snake, Jim Harris was back extracting venom at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo!

Lexington Legends Baseball 2025

Here is a quick look at the Lexington Legends!

Somerset Kentucky 2020

I filmed around Somerset a few years ago, then didn't do anything with what I filmed.  I figured after the recent tornado that went through Somerset, someone might find some value in what I filmed, so here it is.

Red River Gorge Bigfoot Festival Kentucky 2025

We went to what will hopefully be the "1st Annual" Red River Gorge Festival recently!  This was a great event!

Pike Place Market Seattle Washington

And we were able to spend some time at the legendary Pike Place Market while we were in Seattle!

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Seattle Washington

Seattle has a great, "Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park" covering the Gold Rush!

Pike Pub Pike Brewing Seattle Washington

We stopped for lunch at the Pike Pub while in Seattle!

Beatles Invasion Norwegian Encore October 2024

We enjoyed the Beatles tribute act on our Norwegian Cruise to Alaska!