Days Pass Quickly Now (Nights Are Seldom Long)

Time as I've known it
Doesn't take much time to pass by me
Minutes into days turn into months turn into years
They hurry by me        ( John Denver)

Yesterday was the Winter Solstice. In past years I would get up early and drive through the Canyon to enjoy the sunrise and take a few pictures to celebrate the event. Here is a picture from the last time  -

That was five years ago. I haven't done it since. It's not because I'm not able to do it any longer. Sure, I can't go as far or as fast as I once could, but I don't have any physical restrictions that prevent me from these occasional adventures. I just don't have the desire. Well, I guess I should say that I 'rarely' have the desire. One day in June of last year I got up before sunrise for a hike up to Devils Bathtub knowing I would likely have the place to myself, stripped off my clothes and went down the natural waterslide like we used to do all those years ago.  (Click on the link if you'd like to review that story)

https://whatsyourroadblog.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-early-bird-gets-wet-back-to-devils.html

But those days are few and far between now, and every year drop off a little more. I've noticed this past year the trend has increased with even fewer outings. 2022 is the year I finally started feeling...old. But the good news is I'm fighting the feeling and I don't plan on giving up easily. I have a few ideas running around in my head. There are some places I'd like to go and some things I'd like to do and see. I'd like to get back on the trails more often, take more pictures, continue to push my artistic boundaries and generally just not act my age. Maybe I'll listen to more John Denver songs. He seemed to get it -----

The days they pass so quickly now, nights are seldom long

Time around me whispers when it's cold

The changes somehow frighten me, still I have to smile

It turns me on to think of growing old 

Roger O'Dea 12/22/2022

Fake News

Want to know what really makes me mad? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. It's media bias and deception. As I was browsing the news online this morning a headline by AP on Yahoo! caught my attention. It read Fox Pushes Misinformation Post-Election. My initial thought was "Those SOBs. There they go again." So, taking the bait, I clicked on it. It turned out to be total BS. It mentioned a video clip showing a Wisconsin poll worker initialing ballots before they were given to voters. And even stated that it's normal procedure on election day, which it is. What happened was someone not associated with Fox News posted that clip to social media and claimed instead that it showed a Philadelphia election worker doctoring ballots. Of course it went viral. That fact is included in the AP story. The story further stated "It's an example of election day misinformation that reveals how misleading claims emerge and travel, and how innocent events can be spun into the latest viral election hoax." Yeah, but in this case it was AP doing the spinning by posting the misleading headline! Not once anywhere in the entire twenty-two paragraph story did it actually accuse or offer any evidence of Fox News suggesting there was ballot tampering by anyone. In fact, the only mention of Fox News in the entire story was the headline. 

Look. I am not of fan of Fox News. I do like Neil Cavuto, one of the few honest commentators on TV these days. I also believe Tucker Carlson is one of the worst. But in this case they were obviously smeared and I don't appreciate that happening to any person or organization. I call out corruption wherever I see it. And I see it a lot. So do you, if you're honest about it. 

Nearly every morning I take some time to catch up on the hot topics of the day. 

I check right and left but try to stay in the middle. It's getting harder and harder to do that. So I try to read between the lines and consider my sources carefully and with the understanding of any built-in biases. One site that helps me do that and that I trust is Ground News, which actually rates media bias. Here is a link if you're interested:  https://ground.news/

By the way, the person who wrote the Associated Press story is David Klepper. So if you see his name on any other news stories you may come across, or anything by AP in general, I suggest you keep on scrolling. They are not to be trusted.

Roger O'Dea    11/10/2022

Room With A View (Into the Wilderness)

I was starting to panic. It's September and, although days are still warm, summer is ending. Probably sooner than later, and I haven't done enough summer stuff. Last summer I hiked up to Devil's Bathtub and went for a swim. It was the highlight of the season. See my post from 6/8/2021 "The Early Bird Gets...Wet (Back to Devils Bathtub)." I haven't had that kind of a highlight yet this year so I decided I'd better get busy and do what I had intended to do all summer but never got around to it - go for a long hike into the Black Elk Wilderness area of the Black Hills National Forest. Last Saturday was the perfect day for it with a forecast of mid 60s for the high temperature and mostly cloudy. I got up early, stopped by a garage sale to pick up some records, and arrived at the trailhead shortly after 10 a.m. 

I had never hiked this part of the Black Hills before and was pretty excited about the possibilities. I wasn't disappointed. The trail guides you through dense forest and steep rock formations with an elevation gain of about 600 feet at the highest point. The first mile is almost completely uphill with some uneven rocky sections and the entire trail is almost 6 miles roundtrip so it's not easy. Bring plenty of water, snacks, and wear good shoes. You'll enjoy great views and impressive rock formations.

You'll come across many good areas to rest. Several offer good cover from the hot sun if you decide to make the trek on one of those uncomfortably hot days like we've experienced this summer. 

There are some interesting sights along the way, in addition to some amazing views. I believe this was the beginnings of an old mica mine which apparently didn't pan out.

I saw the remains of several lightning-struck trees. At least I assume that's what they were. I don't believe they were remnants of a fire that covered any significant ground as there were no others in the same vicinity showing signs of charring. I thought this one was cool because it looked to me like a hand with one finger pointing to the sky.

Another highlight for me was encountering several groups of Boy Scouts (with a few young girls also mixed in, which I was happy to see and found encouraging) on a hike to Mt. Rushmore. I had a chance to talk to some of the scout leaders who said they were camped at Medicine Mountain Scout Camp a few miles away. One of the activities during the annual campout is a "pilgrimage" hike. This year it was to Mt. Rushmore. It brought back some wonderful memories of when my wife and I were scout leaders and attended the annual Medicine Mountain event with our son and other members of our local troop. 

I will now tell you about another encounter along the trail. When hiking in the Black Hills there is always a chance you will encounter wildlife at some point. Most likely deer, possibly elk and very rarely a mountain lion. It is also quite possible to come across a snake or two on or off the trail. Perhaps like this one - 

I'm not sure how I spotted it. It was completely still and silent. But I do try to be very aware of my surroundings when alone in nature and it caught my eye as I passed by. It looks a lot like a rattlesnake but could possibly be a harmless bull snake. The picture isn't great due to using the manual zoom on my camera so I wouldn't have to get too close, and then snapping the picture with an unsteady hand. I'm leaning toward it being a rattler. To quote Indiana Jones, "I HATE SNAKES, JOCK! I HATE 'EM!" Me too, Indy. Me too.

Roger O'Dea      9/11/2022

A Very Good Most Excellent Day

I have not abandoned my blog, but I will admit it's been a while. It's just that I haven't had much to write about lately. But I thought you might like to hear about a string of random events that inspired me to put some words together and share my thoughts. If my writing isn't of interest - I have pictures. I always have pictures. So welcome back to What's Your Road.  

It started out with a visit to Everybody's Bookstore in Rapid City. I regularly visit another store that sells used books but it has been some time since I have visited this one, and it has changed. For the better. Extremely well organized, groovy staff and a very positive vibe. And the exterior has been freshened up with an awesome mural by Derek "Focus" Smith, a very talented local area artist.

They were having a big sale and I was glad to see a good turnout. Everyone was finding books to buy and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Including a number of children. That made me happy. I always enjoy seeing kids get excited about books. 

And speaking of kids, as I was browsing the shelves I overheard a young girl maybe around 8-10 years old say to her grandmother, "Four dollars for a book? Maybe you should try to make a deal with them." 

I wonder if they noticed the smile that brought to my face. I don't think it's the kind of store that bargains with customers on price, but I guess you're never too young start working on your negotiation skills. 

As for myself, I thought the prices were very reasonable - as evidenced by the fact that I walked out with five books for an amount I was quite happy with.

As I was leaving the store I received a text from my friend Amber alerting me to an event at Crow Peak Brewery in Spearfish featuring a new brew introduction and a Volkswagen bus meetup. I don't have a VW but I do enjoy seeing some classic VW vans, and Amber and Josh have a cool "Westy" that they would be bringing, so that seemed like a great idea. Besides, she said there would be some great photo opps so I stopped by the house to pick up my wife (and camera) and we headed to Spearfish. She was right about the photo opportunities.....

I should have taken more pictures but I was sidetracked by a pint of Canyon Cream Ale and other friends we hadn't seen for awhile. It was fun. Good friends, good conversation and a beautiful summer day. Oh, and a hot tip on a private bass dam that sounds promising. What more could anyone ask for? 

Well...pizza maybe. It would've been nice if that guy was there with his portable brick oven. But still overall a pretty excellent day.

                    

Roger O'Dea     6/5/2022

Back To The Rez (Wounded Knee 49 Years Later)

I didn't get past the roadblocks on Highway 27. I don't know what I was thinking I was going to do or see, but I took great interest in the American Indian Movement (AIM) occupation of the village of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation in February of 1973, so I decided to go down and see for myself what was happening. Shots had already been fired, FBI agents were everywhere, the government was moving troops in, and a military helicopter was circling above. I turned around. 

I have been back to the reservation since, but only to the town of Pine Ridge from the west on Highway 18, not on 27 from the north, which passes through Wounded Knee. So now, forty-nine years later, I decided to go back to pay my respects at the original site of the 1890 massacre. If you are not familiar with what happened there, I suggest you look it up. 

I was also curious to see if there was anything still there. I didn't find much. Only the front section of the church remains at the entrance to the memorial marking the mass grave of those killed by U.S. soldiers in the 1890 tragedy, and a small cemetery surrounding the memorial. 

And only the chimney is still standing on the site of the old trading post. 

The remnants of a museum and gathering place still stand nearby, just off the highway. I was fortunate to encounter a local resident who told me the history of the museum, including the fact that it was in use until 2019 and then abandoned when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and funds to maintain it were no longer available. It's sad to see how much it has deteriorated in only a couple of years. 

The local resident turned out to be the artist who made the image above. His name is Sun Bear. Mato-Wi in the Lakota language. At first he was reluctant to allow his photograph to be taken, but after we spoke for some time, he posed for one picture standing outside the once beautiful and functional facility. 

Mato-Wi walked the cemetery with me and told me some history of the graves. When we came to a headstone engraved with the name "Lost Bird" I asked him if it is the grave of 'THE' Lost Bird of Wounded Knee who survived the 1890 massacre as an infant. He said it is. Her remains were moved here from California in 1991. 

The story of Lost Bird is fascinating. The link below provides an overview of her story. I recommend you find the book and read it if you haven't already. 

https://sdpb.sd.gov/Lostbird/summary.asp

One final note relating to AIM and the events that took place in 70s. It concerns Leonard Peltier. He is still sitting in a prison cell after being convicted of killing two FBI agents in 1977. Some say, including me, he is the victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice. Here is a link to a recent article about his case:

https://nativenewsonline.net/opinion/president-biden-enough-is-enough-free-leonard-peltier

I suspect this post will not be of much interest to most of my readers. It doesn't contain the usual elements of odd humor, sarcasm or satire found in my posts. But it was a special journey for me, even if it was just a day trip.  And if you take nothing else from this story, I hope you will at least be curious enough to follow the links. 

Roger O'Dea     2/20/22

Nostradamus Was A Fraud - My Predictions For 2022

 I've been seeing predictions for 2022 by sources including political commentators, astrologists, soothsayers and Peruvian shamans. Probably the most famous prognosticator in history was Nostradamus, who published his book of predictions in 1555.  His prophecies are so vague that people can interpret them in whatever way fits their agenda or beliefs. I will be more specific.

1.  Aliens from outer space will make themselves known to us, but will not interfere in our lives. There will be no widespread panic. They will soon move on to other more interesting planets.

2.  Bigfoot will be revealed as a time jumper and will continue to mess with us.

3.  Enough people will get so fed up with the dishonesty and manipulation of TV news and commentary shows that they will stop watching, resulting in ratings increases for TV Land, Golf Channel and HGTV.

4.  Recreational fishing and rockhounding will increase dramatically. 

5.  Master tapes containing never before heard songs by Jim Morrison and the Doors will be discovered in a storage shed in Laurel Canyon. A vinyl record box set will be produced and sell for a price of $10 to make sure it's affordable to everyone. Because everyone should be turned on to the Doors.

6.  Summer nights will be warmer and last longer.

7.  The number of mean people will be greatly reduced.

8.  Contributions to charities will increase significantly.

9.  The two major political parties will lose millions of members. Independent-leaning voters will make major strides in beginning the process to "throw the bums out."

10.  The Denver Broncos will get a new head coach and a new quarterback.

So, if you've read this far you've noticed these are not really predictions. They are more like hopes and wishes, and all pretty specific to me...things I'm interested in and would like to see happen. You probably have your own list, but it would be cool if you share some of the items on mine. And - don't bother listening to the soothsayers. They are usually wrong. Just what is a soothsayer anyway?  

Roger O'Dea.    1/1/2022