Pittsfield/Mount GreylockMassachusettsMay 2014 Herman Melville was the author of the big fish story called Moby Dick. One of the stops on our drive from Mount Greylock, the high point of Massachusetts, is a home in Pittsfield. It’s called Arrowhead and this is where Herman Melville, the writer, lived. We briefly tour a small part of… Continue reading Herman Melville & Friend
Author: asiwentwalking
The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll
ClevelandOhioJanuary 2018 Section 5E, Lot 383-0, Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland. It’s quiet here. Of course it’s quiet. It’s a cemetery. This quiet is in contrast to the way this particular plot’s occupant lived his life. Who lives here in this burial place? Alan Freed. Alan Freed was born in 1921 in Windber, Pennsylvania, 59 miles… Continue reading The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Sneakers
Mount MitchellNorth CarolinaJuly 2011 Clearly, wilderness trails in the eastern United States are nothing like the sidewalk by your home, nor anything like the tiled floor of the mall. The trail is rough and uneven, an irregular surface marked with dips and holes, roots and rocks. Hikers often realize that, for the past twenty minutes,… Continue reading Sneakers
Slugs
my own gardenPittsburghSummer 1993 Carol said, “Put a dish of beer in the garden. It will attract the slugs and keep them from eating our vegetables.” She even gave me a couple of attractive ceramic bowls. After getting over the initial shock of feeding beer to anything non-human, and well aware that slugs have bad… Continue reading Slugs
Wind
Guadalupe PeakTexasMarch 2013 You won’t ordinarily find the Guadalupe Mountains on lists of “windiest places.” And yet, the Guadalupe Mountains are known by some to be relentlessly windy. How windy is it? I think back to my telephone conversation with Ranger Hal. I called him weeks before our trip to get some preliminary information. It… Continue reading Wind
Lenny
ScarboroughMaineAugust 2012 Soon we make a stop at a standard looking confectionary store next to the Cornerstone Baptist Church and across the highway from the gas station. Among the great assortment of chocolates and moose-themed tchotchkes — we’re in Maine, moose country — is Lenny, the featured attraction. Lenny is a moose, a 1700-pound moose. … Continue reading Lenny
Five Cows
here and there, cow country cow #1 Matthew Calbraith Perry was an American naval officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. He was a big deal military guy in numerous other conflicts and gained a stellar reputation. Among other accomplishments, he helped to establish the curriculum… Continue reading Five Cows
Guesswork
Spruce KnobWest VirginiaMay 2014 On the trail, I told my hiking buddy this story. “Rod, last fall, I had some chest pain. After undergoing a number of tests, I came out clean as a whistle, whatever that means. A gastroenterologist suggested that my chest nerves were irritated. My regular doctor responded, ‘You know what that… Continue reading Guesswork
Goldschläger
Humphreys PeakArizonaJune 2013 On our hike down from the summit of 12633-foot Humphreys Peak, we encounter an animated group of college-age hiker gentlemen. We can’t help but overhear their conversation. They are discussing Goldschläger, a cinnamon schnapps invented by the Swiss. It is a liqueur of 43.5% alcohol content or 87 proof. We’re talking headbanger… Continue reading Goldschläger
Flink
It’s unlikely that anyone will allow you the use of the word flink when you are playing Scrabble. Lisa’s parents, both particularly adept at the game, grunted and bewailed at me when I tried. Mom wears a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “SCRABBLE QUEEN” so I know that when I chose to create “flink” on… Continue reading Flink