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Picture This – Boot Hill

28 Nov

Tombstone is on television at the moment, and it brings to mind a trip I made to the real Tombstone a few years ago. For anyone interested in the American West, this small town in southern Arizona is a place that must be visited. Not only is it the location of the Gunfight at the OK Corral, but it is also the perfect example of the boom and bust economy of the 1800s American West.

There are places in Tombstone that everyone has to see. The OK Corral is the most famous and the most popular. The Birdcage Theater was one of the most famous houses of sin and ill repute and is currently advertised as one of the most haunted places in the United States. People should also stop by and chat with an important resident. Ben Traywick is the local historian and is a native of my Tennessee county. When I visited with Mr. Traywick, we spent an hour talking about people that we both knew before branching into the history of Tombstone.

Those are great ways to learn, but the essence of the West comes through at Boot Hill Cemetery. This is the place where you can focus on the hardships faced by the people who lived in this environment. The myth portrayed at the other sites fades away to show the reality of life in the West. The cemetery is filled with people who died through violence, disease and other dangers faced on a daily basis.

The above photograph shows the graves of the men killed at the OK Corral. Movies show them as bad guys who tempted fate by facing down the heroic Earp family and their friend Doc Holliday. Movies can be simplified into those wearing the black hats and those wearing the white hats. However, history is not that simple. Maybe, they were bad. Maybe, they were good. The fact is that they ended up in Boot Hill alongside many others.

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Time for a Little Bragging

11 Nov

The latest edition of Travel and Leisure contains an article about America’s favorite cities in 2012. Apparently, over 40,000 people voted for cities in different categories. You guys know that I am addicted to lists, but I am writing about this list for an important reason – Nashville, my city, made the list. I know it’s a great place; other people in this area know it’s a great place; and, it’s good to know that other people are discovering the great aspects of Nashville.

So, where did Nashville gain points?

It ranked first in the Friendly category.

Nashville came in second in Safety and Affordability.

The city’s collection of Antique Stores pulled it up to fifth in that category.

People who like Happy Hour ranked Nashville fourth.

Music lovers said that Nashville’s Music Scene comes in second to New Orleans. They must have miscalculated on that one.

It also finished highly ranked in the following categories.

People

Attractive #6 (I don’t know why they didn’t include a picture of me.)

Driving Ability #3 (Again, where is the picture of me in my car?)

Intelligent #9 (Uh, they should have just called me for some pictures.)

Charming Local Accent #4 (Charming? That’s one way to describe it.)

Proud of Their City #3 (This is definitely true.)

Sports-Crazed #8 (This would be higher if the Titans didn’t suck.)

Stylish #8 (Yeah. Lots of style here once you look past the rhinestones.)

Type of Trip

Base for Day Trips #6 (There’s a lot to see around here.)

Family Vacation #7 (Just keep the kids out of the honky tonks.)

Girlfriend Getaways #3 (Hmmm.)

Wild Weekend #5 (I wonder if this can be combined with the one above.)

Nightlife

We have a lot of this one. Cocktail Lounges? Check. Singles Scene? Check. Sports Bars? Check

Culture

Yes, we have culture, and I don’t mean agriculture.

Historical Sites/Monuments #9 (This is good for the history professors among us.)

Street Performers #2 (Hit a corner on a Saturday night, and you will hear someone who should have a recording contract.)

Theater/Performance Art #7 (There’s more than just Country stuff around here. I promise.)

Food/Drinks/Restaurants

Nashville ranks highly in Barbecue, Hamburgers, Ice Cream and Pizza. (Let me say something about hamburgers. You haven’t had a hamburger if you haven’t been to Rotier’s. It’s the place that inspired Jimmy Buffett to write “Cheeseburger in Paradise”.

Quality of Life and Visitor Experience

Apparently, Nashville is clean because it ranks #3 in Cleanliness. You can hang around out clean city and take part in People-Watching, where Nashville ranks #6. It will be a nice day because it ranks #7 in Weather. Oh, you can do all this while playing on your iPad because Nashville is #1 in Wireless Coverage.

So, when are the Best Times to Visit? the survey says 4th of July, Christmas, Fall, New Year’s Eve, Spring Break and Valentine’s Day. But, I think you should drop by anytime.

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A Few Days in Asheville

26 Oct

Earlier in the week, I went to Asheville, North Carolina, one of my favorite cities. It is an artistic city with eclectic shops, art galleries, interesting restaurants and, during this time of year, sits among the fall foliage of the Appalachian mountains. Unfortunately, I wasn’t artistic enough to remember my camera. So, if I include pictures, then they are going to be of the stock variety.

We arrived on Sunday morning and spent the afternoon exploring downtown. We hit a few shops and galleries, but my favorite store was a tribute to that short period of the 1960s when hippiedom was the rage. It was filled with tie-dyed shirts, beads to hang in doorways, posters of Jim Morrison and albums by The Grateful Dead.

Downtown was packed with people from all walks of life. Tourists mingled with locals, and it was not difficult to tell who was who. Mainly, the locals had their dogs. Asheville is a dog-friendly city, and man’s best friend is welcome both inside and out. However, the sidewalks were not only filled with sightseers and pets. It seemed that every corner had a musician playing for tips. Being from Nashville, this is a common thing to see. The difference, i.e. great part, was that they were not playing country music.

The sidewalks were also filled with vendors selling their wares. The most interesting was a lady who made candles in which the melted wax could be used as lotion. She invited everyone to stick their hands in the wax to try it out. I passed. I don’t like lotion.

Anyway, downtown was great, but the best part was a total surprise. We ran into the Asheville Jewish Festival and filled ourselves with hummus, potato latkes with apple sauce and sour cream, and kosher hot dogs. It was awesome stuff.

After the jaunt through the city, we drove to the Grove Park Inn, a rustic, Victorian Era hotel with one of the top spas in the country. We didn’t have time to visit the spa, but we had plenty of times to sit by the fire in the lobby and have cocktails. Some of the most famous people in American history have stayed at the Grove Park Inn, and, unlike this post, they have the pictures to prove it.

Ok, I broke down and used stock photos.

On Monday, we went to the place that everyone must visit while in Asheville, the Biltmore Estate. Built by George Vanderbilt in the 1890s, it is the largest home in the United States. Covering 175,000 square feet, the house is a monument to the extravagances of the Gilded Age. Honestly, the house is too amazing to describe and has to be seen to be believed. I have been several times and am impressed each time I go.

Another stock photo.

After touring the mansion and having lunch in the stables-turned-restaurant, we drove to the Biltmore Winery and sampled its creations. I am not a big wine person. It all tastes the same to me – like vinegar. But, I think I am cultured enough to act right during a wine tasting. I am not sure what I was drinking, but everyone else seemed to like it. I took that as a good sign for a winery in North Carolina.

The day ended with dinner at The Bistro, the restaurant that is attached to the winery. It tries hard to be on the cutting edge of the food scene. Does it succeed? I don’t know, but I know that I really liked the duck breast with potatoes soaked in orange sauce.

The next morning, we hopped into the car for the trip back home. Along the way, we had breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Newport, Tennessee, and I realized that had made it back to the real world.

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Listeria – Travelogue Edition

17 Oct

The latest issue of Travel and Leisure has an article called “101 Places Every Traveler Should Know”. As you know, I am a freak for lists, so I scanned the article to see which ones I have visited. The following is my personal list from the 101, along with a three word synopsis of each.

The Road to Somewhere

2. Maine – lots of lobster

7. Las Vegas – please read this

14. New York City – too many people

17. Kauai, Hawaii – most beautiful island

24. London – where’s the queen?

26. Jackson Hole, Wyoming – outdoor adventures galore

27. Salmon River, Idaho – riding rapids rapidly

33. San Francisco – tour Alcatraz Island

40. Miami – hot women everywhere

41. Los Angeles – seeing fallen stars

45. Napa Valley – vine to bottle

49. British Virgin Islands – hitting the bars

51. Chicago – my favorite city

54. Charleston, South Carolina – history and food

55. Amsterdam – red light district

59. Big Island, Hawaii – lots of lava

60. Sedona, Arizona – get some crystals

68. Venice – birdshit never dries

78. Yosemite National Park – beauty beyond belief

89. Rome – ancient and modern

95. New Orleans – varieties of decadence

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Picture This – The International UFO Museum and Research Center

15 Sep

A couple of years ago, I ventured into Roswell, New Mexico and visited the International UFO Museum and Research Center. As you may know, Roswell is the home to one of the most famous UFO encounters. Apparently, there was a crash and a quick cover up by the military. This museum is dedicated to telling the story of that event and others like it.

The museum was what I expected. There were a lot of photographs, videos and eye-witness accounts. The research center had shelves filled with anything you would want to know about UFO’s. I found the register most interesting because it contained the names of people who I have seen on UFO documentaries through the years.

However, I came out of the museum with one surprise. It seems that Big Foot is an alien. I would have never guessed that.

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One Night in Vegas

4 Sep

Crazy stuff happens in Las Vegas. Just ask Prince Harry or the guys from The Hangover. It’s a place where you expect the unexpected. It could be something tame like locking your keys in the car at Hoover Dam – with the car running. Or, it could be something crazy like, I don’t know, getting a bunch of women to visit your suite and play strip billiards. Whatever the case, it seems that everyone who goes to Vegas comes back with a story.

This is the story from my last visit.

As the cab took us to check in at The Mirage, the hotel with the erupting volcano in front of it, my girlfriend noticed the sign in front of Caesar’s Palace. Elton John was performing that week, and she wanted to go badly.

I never understood what a volcano had to do with a desert mirage.

After getting the room situated, we walked through the mall at Caesar’s and made our way to the box office. The Caesar’s mall is designed to look like the Roman Forum and is filled with fancy stores. Since the Roman Forum was outside, this mall is designed to look like its outside.

It never rains in the mall at Caesar’s Palace.

The lady at the box office said that the show was sold out, but we might have an opportunity to get in. The first three rows were reserved for high rollers, and they probably wouldn’t fill all of the seats. If we would come back a few minutes before the start of the show we could get a couple of those seats.

We went back to the box office ten minutes before showtime and got third row seats FOR FREE. We walked down there like we were somebody. If the people in the upper deck only knew. Anyway, the show was great. Elton John’s piano was right in front of us, and the stage wasn’t very tall. It was like seeing him in a piano bar. They showed cool videos with each song, and he explained what each one meant.

Then, the usher walked up and tapped me on the shoulder. I thought this is it. Some high roller decided that he wanted the tickets, and we were going to get kicked out. Instead, the usher said:

“During the next song, you need to go onstage.”

“What?”

“During the next song, everyone in the first three rows gets to go onstage and dance.”

When the next song started, I grabbed my girlfriend and said, “Let’s go!”

“Where are we going?”

“Up there.”

Dozens of people danced around Elton’s piano as we danced to “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting“. The linked video shows a similar scene. I hung around the lead guitarist because I wanted to see what he was doing. Balloons fell around us as Elton played and sang. It was one of the coolest things ever.

Yep, it didn’t take long to get from “Light Blue 4” to the stage.

When we got back home, I told everybody about it. Some thought we made it up. Others thought it was cool. My more close-minded friends went another direction with stuff like:

“Did Elton get your number?”

“I bet they only invited guys up there.”

“I hope you stuck close to your girlfriend.”

You know, crap like that. I don’t care. I still thought it was great.

As we left the concert, my girlfriend and I were still talking about being onstage. We walked through the mall to get back to The Mirage and were not paying attention to where we were going. As we turned a corner, I literally ran into this guy.

Hey, what the fuck?

That’s right. After dancing around Elton John’s piano, I almost knocked over Ozzy Osbourne.

I didn’t get anyone to play strip billiards with me, but that was my best night in Las Vegas.

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To Yellowstone and Beyond

17 Aug

Our last full day on the trip was a good one because went to my favorite place, Yellowstone National Park. We didn’t have time to go into the heart of the park and see the geysers. However, just entering its borders provided a feeling of being somewhere special.

We exited the interstate at Livingston, Montana, famous for being the filming location of A River Runs Through It. Livingston is a small town that can easily be turned into a scene from the early 2oth Century.

This church can be seen in the movie.

Before it became a movie locale, Livingston was known as the “Gateway to Yellowstone”, as travelers disembarked at its train station to take coaches into the park. Although, the north entrance has little traffic today, at one time this is how everyone entered Yellowstone. It’s ease and its history makes it my favorite way to go in.

The road out of Livingston follows the Yellowstone River through a valley filled with farms, ranches and vacation homes. We passed livestock and people fly fishing. As everyone took in the scenery, my mind drifted into the past. I was last in Yellowstone fourteen years ago. I had spent some time doing research in Butte and decided to spend my last weekend at the Old Faithful Lodge. It was a different time and place in my life, and I couldn’t help but think how much things have changed.

Finally, we made it to the gate that, at one time, everyone went through.

Gateway to Another Dimension – a Dimension of Natural Wonders

This led us to Mammoth Hot Springs, one of the park’s least appreciated wonders.

It looks better than it smells.

After walking the planks around the hot springs, we had lunch at the Roosevelt Lodge, where a Tennessee girl was our waitress. It was nourishment, but that’s about it. But, I needed it because I hiked with my nephews at Tower Falls. Going down was a lot easier than coming up. However, we got some good pictures.

Tower Falls

Proof that I hiked to the river.

We left the falls and drove toward the park’s exit and Cooke City. From the back seat, I said, “This is the first time I have ever been to Yellowstone and not seen buffalo.” Around the next bend, we saw buffalo, the best thing in the park, and my trip was complete. There is nothing that provides me with the feeling of the West like seeing these majestic creatures, the ones that were almost extinct.

There was once millions of buffalo throughout North America.

We stopped in Cooke City for a short break before driving on. We knew that there was a beautiful drive ahead, and I seemed to remember going that way on my previous trip. However, we were not prepared for what was about to happen. We went winding up and up until we reached an elevation of 11,000 feet. It’s one of the highest roads in the United States. As we went up, the air got colder and the sky got darker. Before we knew it, we were above the tree line, and it was snowing. Pictures can probably describe it better than I can.

That’s some cold water.

Only George Custer would have a national forest named after him that had no trees.

Remember, this is early August.

As my nephews played in the snow, my dad, my brother and I were wanting to get off this mountain as fast as possible. We finally did that and found ourselves in Billings, the city where the trip began. We even got the same hotel rooms that we had on the first night. After checking in, we ate at Jake’s, in downtown Billings, and talked about the past week.

We all had a great time and saw some great places. However, the best part of the journey was completing it together.

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Come On In – The Steak is Fine

14 Aug

When we left Glacier National Park, we were entering a new, adventurous phase of the trip. We weren’t pulling a Lewis and Clark and going into an unknown territory. We weren’t roughing it on some mountain trail. For the first time, we were operating without hotel reservations. Being road trip veterans, we knew that it would work as long as we got a room early enough in the day, and, as we came upon Missoula, we had no worries.

My brother pulled up to a hotel, and I went in to get a room. No vacancies. We hit another hotel. No vacancies. The third one was the same.

Brother: What’s going on in town to cause this?

Me: They say it is just summer travelers.

Brother: Is there anything available? The next town is over 100 miles away.

Me: They all said that there are rooms at the C’Mon Inn.

This sent a collective moan through the car. The C’Mon Inn, really? I am sure my dad and brother had the same thoughts I did. Rooms rented by the hour. Vibrating beds. Free porn on the TV. We had a choice – drive over 100 miles or check it out. We checked it out. Guess what. The C’Mon Inn was the best interstate hotel I have ever stayed in. The rooms were great, with each one opening into a huge lobby with all kinds of activities. It was good enough that we called ahead to the C’Mon Inn in Bozeman for the next night.

The next day was relatively uneventful. We toured the Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge.

He got his man.

After that, we made a couple of stops of personal and historical import but nothing worth blogging about.

The real treat of the day came after we checked in at the C’Mon Inn of Bozeman and went to the Museum of the Rockies. I just couldn’t figure out why it had a huge Napoleon Bonaparte exhibit.

The dinosaur that ate Napoleon.

What was that treat? A trip off Broadway in Manhattan, Montana. No joke. There was a Broadway through the middle of town. We had heard about a legendary restaurant that would have the best steak we had ever tasted. As we went in and out of Manhattan, we began to wonder if we were heading in the right direction. However, it wasn’t too long before we came upon The Land of Magic.

Mickey Mouse has nothing on this Magic Kingdom.

What’s magical about it? A spell came over the me, and I made a 20 ounce ribeye (the smallest one they have) melt in my mouth and disappear in no time. It made my brother eat a piece of meat without covering it in Worcestershire Sauce. It made my youngest nephew put the ketchup away for a few bites. Simply, it was the best steak any of us have ever had.

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To the Sun and Across the Great Divide

13 Aug

We left Great Falls and moved north toward Glacier National Park. Keeping with the plan, we skipped the interstate and went up Highway 89, one of those dotted roads on the map that signifies a scenic drive. We were not disappointed with the landscape, as we passed agriculture of all types and a few cyclists, which we did not anticipate in such an isolated place.

It wasn’t long before we entered the Blackfeet Reservation. I can always tell when I enter a reservation because the entire atmosphere – air, land, roads – becomes more depressed. It’s as if the fog of history has never lifted from the lives of Native Americans.

Our destination was the Glacier Park Lodge, and there were some concerns from the group about our accommodations. Lodges, both around and within national parks, tend to be remnants from the turn of the last century and are built in the Victorian rustic style. I have no problem with this, but a few of us have issues with staying in hotels that are a century old. Also, these lodges have some rooms without bathrooms. Instead, there is a communal bathroom at the end of the hall.

I must admit that I was wondering what we were getting ourselves into. None of us should have been worried. The Glacier Park Lodge was a great place to spend an evening. We were not even concerned that the rooms had no televisions.

I thought I would see Jack Nicholson busting through a door. Luckily, that didn’t happen.

The lobby, where everyone hung out because of the “NO TV” rooms, was awesome.

I want a room like this is my house.

The view from the back porch was also pretty good.

I also want a view like this from my deck.

After checking in, we had a little time for me to show my nephews how to play pitch-n-putt.

He has this putt to win The Masters.

Overall, the Glacier Park Lodge was a great place, but there was a somber reminder that national parks contain dangers as well as beauty. The front desk was plastered with information of a missing hiker. He had been gone for a few days by the time we arrived and had not been found when we flew home.

The next morning we ventured into the park but not before there was a struggle over which way to go. My dad and brother were convinced that we needed to turn right. My oldest nephew insisted that we go left. My nephew was right. We made the correct turns; made it to the eastern entrance; and, drove on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Words can’t describe its beauty, so I will let a few photographs do the talking.

Along the way, we crossed the Continental Divide.

We did it just like Lewis and Clark.

I have some advice for those thinking about going to Glacier. Enter the park from the east because there is a lot less traffic that way.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. We had a nice lunch at the western entrance to the park. I thought my nephews were getting bored with the ride, so I bought them something to read. It was the literary classic, “Who Pooped In The Park?”. They thoroughly enjoyed it.

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I Want My Tay Made With Really Old Water

9 Aug

We left the wheat fields and returned to Lewistown to get our tire fixed. In my town, it takes forever to get that done, but in Lewistown the job went lickity split. My nephews wanted to cross the street to check out a cool-looking store. Alas, it was closed, but there were some interesting objects outside.

Nice guy. He’s just a little stiff.

We followed Highway 87 westward through towns such as Moccasin and Geyser before reaching Great Falls. I’m not sure what we thought we would find in Great Falls, but it is a thriving city with all of the franchised amenities of other cities. We all assumed that this was because it serves as home to Mainstrom Air Force Base.

We checked into the biggest hotel room I have ever stayed in; my youngest nephew swam; then, we went out for dinner. This brought us to a problem that faced the expedition several times. No one cared where we ate. You must understand that this is coming from a group of individuals who like for things to go their way. Yet, we rode around while the SUV filled with indecisions.

Finally, we decided to try Jaker’s, a restaurant chain in that part of the country. My dad and oldest nephew had been to one before, so we figured it would be good. We got seated next to the slot machine room (most Montana establishments have slot machines), and the waitress came by to take our drink orders.

Brother: I would like iced tea, and my dad would like iced tea, as well.

Me: I would like tea.

Waitress: (confused look) What?

Me: I would like tea.

Waitress: I don’t understand. You want tay?

Me: (getting frustrated) I WOULD LIKE ICED TEA!

My brother said something to ease the tension, but she walked off. I understand that I have a southern accent, but I also know that my brother has the same one. She understood him just fine. On top of that, there are probably some southern people serving at the base. Anyway, I was tired and wanted food and drink. I probably overreacted because she never came back. Some other waitress worked with us after that. Oh yeah, the food and tay sucked.

We went back to the hotel, and I made the same mistake that my youngest nephew made earlier in the day. I used a toilet that didn’t work and ended up going to the front desk to get a plunger.

The next morning was spent visiting the tourist sites of Great Falls. First, we went to the Lewis and Clark National Trail Interpretive Center.

For some reason, I like to take pictures of signs.

The center was pretty cool, with a couple of good films and a decent museum. Most of it focused on the Corps of Discovery making its way over the waterfalls of the Missouri River, from which Great Falls gets its name. The group had to tote their boats around the falls, and they covered many miles.

Fake people taking a fake boat over fake land and around a fake waterfall.

Honestly, I had more fun looking over the real Missouri River behind the center.

Lewis and Clark passed by here. Of course, they passed by a lot of places.

Next door was a place that our wheat-growing friends told us to visit, and it turned out to be very interesting. This thing flows at over 330 million gallons of water per day and forms the Roe River, the shortest river in the world. It has been determined that the water travels for 3,000 years from its source before reaching this point.

This water has been around since they were counting years backwards.

Then, we made our way to the C.M. Russell Museum, which displayed the works of Charlie Russell – cowboy turned artist. It was a huge museum that showed works by many artists and had an excellent exhibit on the story of bison, a symbolic animal of the West. It was also the location of Russell’s home and workshop. My youngest nephew is an aspiring artist, and I took a picture of him in front of the shop.

One day, people will be taking pictures in front of his workshop.

In the next post, we will journey north.

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