Sassafras MountainSouth CarolinaMay 2013 The mountain laurel is in bloom. Mountain laurel is the official flower of my home state of Pennsylvania, but we won’t get the bloom up north for a few more weeks. What else grows here in the South, in addition to the laurel? Hey, it’s spring. Plenty grows here. Pink lady… Continue reading Sassafras
Author: asiwentwalking
Carved in Stone
Black MesaOklahomaMarch 2013 Ahead, we see something with straight lines subtly sticking up perpendicular from the straight horizontal line of the horizon. I’ll bet that’s our ultimate destination: The marker at the high point. Another ten minutes. After an anything-but-grueling 600-foot climb, we comfortably arrive at the summit, in the midst of the flat highland. … Continue reading Carved in Stone
A Rather Naughty Way to Store Water
303 North Summit StreetYpsilanti MI 48197September 2022 Just the name of the town itself sings: Ypsilanti Ips sill anty. The first Domino’s Pizza location was here in Ypsilanti. Ypsilanti has one of the three tridges in Michigan. A tridge is a three-way bridge, sometimes called a Y-bridge for its shape. The shore of… Continue reading A Rather Naughty Way to Store Water
Colors of the Appalachian Trail
the Appalachian Trail It is easy not to get lost while hiking this granddaddy of a trail. Just follow the blazes, the 2 x 6 inch vertical paint swatches on trees, sign posts and rocks along the pathway. When the blaze is white, it means you are on the route of the main trail. When… Continue reading Colors of the Appalachian Trail
Virginia’s High Point?
Mount RogersVirginiaJuly 2011 & July 2014 We’re enjoying the summit of Mount Rogers, the high point of Virginia. Which means that after hiking so many hours to gain 1500 feet of elevation, we’re doing nothing in particular, just being here. Lisa does a little exploring of the high woods in our vicinity while I absentmindedly… Continue reading Virginia’s High Point?
Pennsylvania Series XXV — The Mütter Museum
PhiladelphiaPennsylvaniaOctober 2004There are 27 columns in my Pennsylvania Series. Behold! What’s normal? Statistics say that normal falls between 30 and 70 percent. The government agrees that Normal is a town of about 47 000 humans in Illinois. According to… Hey, wait a minute. That’s not what I want to write about here. What I want… Continue reading Pennsylvania Series XXV — The Mütter Museum
Pikes Peak America’s Mountain
ColoradoJune 2018 First, let’s get the name straight. They don’t call it “Pikes Peak.” They call it “Pikes Peak America’s Mountain.” Or at least the P R people call it that. Next, Pikes Peak America’s Mountain is… – the second most-visited mountain on the planet. For 50 points, which one is first? Right! Mount Fuji… Continue reading Pikes Peak America’s Mountain
Jesse James is Hiding Here
Taum Sauk MountainMissouriJuly 2012 Lisa and I walk from the parking area to the summit. Takes about ten minutes. At this high point is a polished granite marker immediately before a two-foot high rock and a forty-foot tall oak tree. It appears that the rock is pushing the tree over, starting with the roots. It… Continue reading Jesse James is Hiding Here
Las Vegas — Whoopee!
Las VegasNevadaMarch 2019 Our flight lands in Las Vegas. I would be remiss if I did not spend a little time describing this desert burg to you. It is nicknamed Sin City although I will be quick to point out that prostitution, which is legal in the state of Nevada, is not permitted by law… Continue reading Las Vegas — Whoopee!
Moving the Earth
2021 When I walk, I move forward by placing my feet, alternating one by one on the ground, pushing backward. Using my hamstrings, I am pushing Earth away from me, back toward where I was. I’m staying in the same place, but my mighty hamstrings push the entire planet backwards. The illusion is that I… Continue reading Moving the Earth