The Perils of a Paperboy in Deadwood Gulch
Growing up I never stayed put in one place for any extended period of time. The conditions surrounding my childhood were such that I had lived in seven states all before the age of eighteen. Looking back now, there is one place that brings back more fond memories than any other. That place is the historic old-west city of Deadwood, SD.
Main St, Deadwood Gulch – circa 1876
This frontier town was a place born out of adventure. It was certainly a rowdy place in 1876 when Wild Bill Hickok was shot playing poker in Deadwood’s infamous Saloon #10; and it was still a place of excitement in 1985 when I moved there at the youthful age of 12. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Historical Journeys, North America and tagged deadwood, paperboy by Big John with 4 comments.
Snow Skiing in the Desert of Arabia (Mall of the Emirates)
Everybody knows that fantastic snow skiing can be found in places such as the Swiss Alps, Utah, and the Colorado Rockies. Many of you though might be surprised to hear that great skiing can also be found in North Carolina, as well as a few other places in the Southern United States. But would you believe it if I told you that snow skiing could also be found in a Middle Eastern desert? It’s no Breckenridge, but if you ever find yourself in the United Arab Emirates, in the city of Dubai, look no further than the Mall of the Emirates for snowy fun on the slopes!
Donning their winter garb and eager to hit the slopes, varied crowds of people form up inside the Mall of the Emirates’ Ski Dubai. Forget the Alps or the Rockies, everybody knows that the world’s best snow skiing in the world can only be found inside Middle-eastern shopping malls. Seriously though, this indoor snow skiing complex is really one-of-a-kind. I guess that’s all just par for the course though when you’re talking about all of the wonderous innovations found within the vertical city of Dubai. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Asia and tagged mall of the emirates, Ski Dubai by Big John with 2 comments.
Fort Monroe, Virginia is an amazing place!
Not that long ago, Rebecca, Noah, and I visited the historical Fort Monroe outside of Hampton, Va. Having never been to the fort before we didn’t quite know what to expect. We were all pleasantly surprised with the entire experience and would definitely recommend this place to those that love American military/ Civil War history.
F/A-22 Raptor flies over Fort Monroe, Virginia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker) (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Historical Journeys, North America and tagged Abraham Lincoln, fort monroe, ft monroe virginia, General Robert E Lee by Big John with no comments yet.
Hungry as a Hog inside Jamestown Colony
Yesterday we drove along the Colonial Parkway in Virginia. The fall foliage is so beautiful this time of year and the colorful drive really carried with it a certain spirit of the seasons. We had originally planned to visit all three points of interest: Yorktown, Jamestown Colony, and Colonial Williamsburg. After getting off to a late start, and then getting lost, we had to curtail our schedule a bit and ended up making it to two out of three places. This is my unfortunate tale of being hungry as a hog inside Jamestown colony.
Jamestown Colony, America’s First English Settlement in the New World
This was a return trip for me ; although it had been several years since my first visit. Upon our arrival, we first visited the reenacted settlement before going to see the original one. I must have been a lot hungrier this particular visit since the first time going there; because once I got inside the park all I could think about was food! When one of the park actors in colonial garb began talking about the amount of settlers that died of starvation the very first year in the colony; well I started to get even hungrier… you might even say that I was scared hungry!
As luck would have it, I came upon a deerskin hat lying on the ground outside the makeshift Indian village. I just knew that a Powhatan had lost it and now they were going to have to do some real bartering to get it back. (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, North America, Tall Tales and Big Fish Stories and tagged colonial jamestown, colonial parkway, jamestown, jamestown colony, jamestown colony virginia by Big John with 35 comments.
Will Work For Vacation
Today I’m back at work and I wish more than anything that I was still on vacation. It’s not that I don’t enjoy my job. I find it to be a very rewarding career. With today’s job market, I’m very fortunate to have a steady paycheck when so many other Americans aren’t so lucky. I guess I just have that wanderlust spirit and most likely always will. There are really only two things I enjoy about being back in the hustle and bustle of daily life… Yes, really just two!
Back in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
The first thing I enjoy about being back home is definitely the money situation. I happen to be one of those less fortunate souls that goes on vacation for one week, and then goes on a diet for about a month afterwards because I can barely afford groceries. I always seem to come back home penniless. I guess when I’m vacationing, it’s easy to forget that I earn a meager living shaving the backsides of llamas. The trade-off always seems worth it though. Everything just seems somehow better when your away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Even food tastes much better on vacation. I could eat nachos out of a dumpster, if that dumpster was in… say….the Mayan Riviera… and they would be delicious! (more…)
Posted in Scattered Thoughts and tagged mayan riviera, South Carolina, vacation by Big John with no comments yet.