Take Me Home Country Roads (Prairie Music)

The day after a  big rain there was a promise of good weather for an outdoor concert way out there on the prairie. So I headed east on a two lane blacktop, curved northeast, and after fifty-nine miles made a hard left onto an unpaved country road. Dodged few puddles and soft spots on the way to my first stop, which was my friends' house located miles from nowhere. Enjoyed good conversation, some delicious homemade stuffed mushrooms and a few excellent songs...which I may talk about another time. I would have liked to stay longer but I didn't want to be late for the show. So I got back in the car, turned left back on to that country road and drove due north for twenty-something miles, turned east at Honeywagon Corner until I came to Seymour Corner. Made a left and continued up to Highway 20. A right turn this time took me east for a few miles until I saw the sign -

I made it. One hundred and twelve miles, half of it on unpaved roads, but it would turn out to be worth it. I knew it would. Eliza Blue was hosting a free concert at her family ranch. Actually, it was more like a picnic -

...with live music -

(The JailByrds)

Opening acts featured some local talent, including singers aged 8, 13 and 14. They were all very good. I'm always encouraged when I see young people overcoming their fears and putting themselves out there to advance their art. I didn't take any photos of them. They were nervous enough without someone they don't know pointing a camera at them. 

Headlining the show was Charlie Parr - 

If you haven't seen him perform...you're missing an incredible talent. Seek him out. If he's ever in your area (or even out of your area), go see him. You won't regret it. I feel like I'm better off for hearing him talk about the "long view" and listening to him sing "I Ain't Dead Yet." And the man plays a pretty mean guitar. 

It was a great afternoon and a wonderful evening. There is one thing I don't understand, however. On my way to the concert, somewhere on the Prairie City Road, I stopped to marvel at a vast field of sunflowers.

It was quite a sight. But I don't know why they all turned their backs on me. 

Maybe they were just camera shy.

Roger O'Dea    8/7/2023

Between Two Skies

I had heard somewhere that the sky is a darker shade of blue at higher elevations. Personal observations from my recent travels have confirmed it. I covered 2,544 miles in five days at various elevations ranging from around 4,000 feet in Wyoming to over 9,000 feet at the summit of Mt. Rose in Nevada. I made it a point to do some sky gazing at both extremes. I really did see a difference. I saw a lot of other things, too. That's what I want to talk about. After connecting onto Interstate 80 in Southeast Wyoming I followed it all the way to Reno and it was quite unremarkable. On my return I dropped down to Highway 50, known as the Loneliest Road in America. 

It was much more interesting. In the 300 mile stretch across Nevada I saw gigantic strip mines carved out of mountainsides, fields of sagebrush as far as the eye could see, a giant sand dune over three miles long and 600 feet high, and small towns stuck in time. It was the towns that held the most interest for me, so I took time to explore several of them...in black and white. 

Inside an abandoned shack in Austin, NV

Looking down from the above shack on the town of Austin

Eureka, NV

Historic Middlegate stage stop near Fallon, NV

Adult entertainment in Ely, NV 

(There are two large copper mines nearby with a total 

of over 1,000 employees. Most of them men). 

One of many abandoned structures along the highway.

Sometimes, though, a photo with rich tones and contrasting textures requires color. Like this one -

I think this old shack was in Austin, but it could have been Eureka. Or Fallon. Or any one of those small towns located between the two skies. 

Roger O'Dea       5/16/2023

Jesus Revolution - A Review (and memoir)

I went to a movie with friends last night called Jesus Revolution. Almost changed my plans when I got there and saw that Cocaine Bear was also playing. Glad I stuck with the original plan because I really enjoyed it. Kind of funny that the first thing my friend Al Margheim and I mentioned after coming out of the theater was the music. If you know us at all you know that's how we roll. Killer soundtrack but not always accurate. The movie was set from about 1968 - 1972, but one of the songs featured didn’t come out until 1974 and another one 1977. I’ll allow some artistic license because they’re good songs that fit the mood of the scene. I did not, however, enjoy some of the movie goers acting like it was a revival meeting with their loud “amens” and comments. I thought of saying to them that this was not The Rocky Horror Picture Show and audience participation was not required. But I didn’t, and they calmed down a bit after awhile. Some of the characters in the movie reminded me of my own experiences during that time with the unkindness I was shown and holier-than-thou attitudes of a few church authorities and leaders. I remember, for example, visiting a local church and having one member of the hierarchy tell me I would never be fully accepted into their congregation unless I was able to “speak in tongues.” Well, I couldn’t see that happening so I left. Other scenes brought back some very fond memories of the friendships I had and fellowships I shared with some beautiful people. I also liked the fact that they included a VW van and an old beat up Corvair in some scenes. I had some good times with friends in a VW van and drove an old Rambler. It wasn't a Corvair, but pretty close. I later upgraded to a Chevy Impala which was way cooler.  So...yeah...I recommend the movie. Especially to people who were coming of age about that time. If you are between the ages of 62 and 72 it's going to be right in your wheelhouse. I also recommend it to anyone younger. You will see for yourself that your parents and grandparents dealt with a lot of the same things you might have dealt with while growing up or maybe even that you are dealing with right now. And...you may realize that we were actually pretty cool. Once upon a time.

Roger O'Dea      2/27/2023

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