Footsteps of Liberators on a Path through Normandy
Much has happened since Eisenhower first drafted that triumphant call to arms some seventy years ago. The world is very much a changed place. There are no more air-raid sirens blaring over the streets of London; no more war planes soaring over the skies of Dover; no more anti-aircraft batteries booming off the beaches of France. But to go back there, to see the place where 160,000 allied troops made their landing on June 6, 1944, was for a me a walk in the footsteps of liberators.
“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.”
Posted in Adventurous Places, Europe, Historical Journeys and tagged D-Day, France, normandy, Omaha Beach, world war 2 timeline by Big John with no comments yet.
Wisdom of the Wombat
The wombat is perhaps the most misunderstood creature in all of existence. Contrary to popular belief, this oddity of nature is neither a womba nor is it a bat. The so-called experts define the critter as a quadruped marsupial; but I doubt any of these so-called experts have ever been abducted by a clan of them, and then forced into hard labor deep within the subterranean turnip fields of Tasmania.
Map of wombat controlled areas in 2015 (Classified: Top Secret; CIA)
Like the kangaroo, wombats have a pouch in which to carry their young. Unlike the kangaroo, these mammal’s pouches are located on their backs. This unique feature makes the creature an incredibly adept smuggler whom should be considered especially dangerous when boarding a plane alongside you. (more…)
Posted in Australia, Tall Tales and Big Fish Stories and tagged Australia, Tasmania, wombat by Big John with 2 comments.
Greenville- My Hometown of Heroes
The beautiful Upstate city of Greenville, SC was once known as the Textile Center of the World. During the textile industry boom, the Poe Mill was the largest manufacturing center in the area. At one time the mill encompassed 75 acres of property and employed nearly 400 workers. Today all those spindles and looms have long since been silenced. As a result, the vibrant city reinvented itself and is now an internationally recognized city of commerce.
Poe Mill, Greenville, SC
Personally, Greenville isn’t just a place of old red-brick mills and emerging institutes of commerce. If you ask me, my hometown is a place of heroes. The city’s name alone was taken from a hero of the American Revolution, Major General Nathanael Greene. This General of the Continental Army commanded the Southern Campaign and was considered George Washington’s right-hand man. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Historical Journeys, North America and tagged greenville, South Carolina by Big John with 10 comments.
A Towering Friendship Between a Lawman and President Roosevelt
When I first discovered the Friendship Tower in the mid 1980s, I was only 13 years old. I stumbled upon it quite accidentally while hiking through the snow with my little brother, Aaron. The site had fallen into obscurity. There were no paved roads leading to the site; no signs; no parking lot, no gift shop. There was nothing to explain the purpose or meaning of this stone tower. It was a lost monument without fanfare buried deep within the Black Hills of Deadwood Gulch. Well, nothing save a small plaque on its rock wall that read:
IN MEMORY OF
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
“THE AMERICAN”
OCTOBER 27, 1858- JANUARY 6, 1919
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED BY THE SOCIETY OF BLACK HILLS PIONEERS
JULY 4 1919
My brother and I entered the tower and took refuge halfway up its spiraling steps. Aaron’s feet were near frozen from trudging through knee-deep snow in cheap plastic tennis shoes. I removed his shoes and damp socks, and began warming his small feet with my hands. As young boys often do while exploring, we reclaimed the discovery as our very own, and renamed it The Castle. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Historical Journeys, North America and tagged deadwood, friendship tower, roosevelt by Big John with 10 comments.
How to Travel Europe on a Dime…or Less
People are always coming up to me and asking, “Hey Big John, how can I see Europe on the cheap?” and “What’s the best way to travel Europe on a dime?” and “Why are you so ruggedly handsome?” Okay, so nobody’s ever actually asked me any of that stuff; but if they did, I would have a thing or two say about it!
Big John knows about traveling cheap in Europe and really making that dollar stretch! But you don’t have to take my word for it. I was only voted the number one travel consultant in the entire industry by Frugal Travel Guru magazine (it’s one of those lesser known publications). Because you are all such loyal readers, I’ve compiled a never-before-seen list of my most cost-effective strategies to travel Europe on a dime. I would ordinarily charge thousands of dollars for this information but today I’m giving it to you absolutely free! (more…)
Posted in Europe, Tall Tales and Big Fish Stories, Travel Tips and tagged travel europe on a dime by Big John with 7 comments.