Grayson Highlands State ParkVirginiaJuly 2014 We stepped off the trail to allow an equestrian to pass. The rider smiled and said, “It’s a young horse. He may yump.” “’Scuse me?” She repeated, “It’s a young horse, a little nervous. He may yump.” Yump? We shrugged it off, not having a clue. She did, however, put… Continue reading The Yolly Horseman
Author: asiwentwalking
Looks Like Rhododendron
PennsylvaniaJuly 1994 On a training hike, this one after a storm, there are blow downs, cut downs, fall downs, anything you can imagine to obliterate the footpath. I had to fight my way through tangles of bushes and brambles. I recognize some of it as rhododendron. Two days later, I recognize some of it as… Continue reading Looks Like Rhododendron
Nibbles Woodaway and Friends
ProvidenceRhode IslandAugust 2012 Along our route to Jerimoth Hill, the highest point in the state of Rhode Island, we take a twenty-minute detour to see something you don’t see every day. Near the Ponkapoag Trail, or just north of the Thurbers Avenue interchange on Interstate 95, is a building that houses the former New England… Continue reading Nibbles Woodaway and Friends
One Mile High
DenverColoradoJune 2018 You know darn well that cities are not flat. Right? Then how the heck do you tell what the altitude of a city would be! Take Denver, Colorado, for example. Everybody knows that Denver is nicknamed the “Mile High City.” Well, everybody except for perhaps a few Broncos fans. Nonetheless, how do you… Continue reading One Mile High
Kenton
KentonOklahomaMarch 2013 It is getting dark and we don’t know where we will stay the night and we don’t have our camping gear. We’re in the area of Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma. I look at the map and suggest we drive into Kenton, the small community on the highway before the turnoff… Continue reading Kenton
The World’s Largest Beetle
Colorado SpringsColoradoJune 2018 The world’s largest beetle. The world’s largest beetle is bigger than your pancreas. That is a very large beetle, an Oh-My-God! sized critter. It’s called Titanus giganteus, or the Titan beetle. I’ve been told that the Titan beetle is strong enough to snap a pencil (why it would do that is still… Continue reading The World’s Largest Beetle
Home Improvement
Loyalsock TrailPennsylvaniaSeptember 1998 The car breaks down outside of Williamsport, an hour shy of our destination, trailhead for the Loyalsock Trail. Turns out we need a new transmission. Yikes! We make a few calls and rescue comes. Car secured on the truck bed, we jump into the cab for the ride to the car dealer. … Continue reading Home Improvement
OK, the Sooner State
OklahomaMarch 2013 The name Oklahoma comes from two Choctaw words. Okla, means “man” or “people,” and humma means “red.” Therefore Oklahoma translates to “Land of the Red People” or “Land of the Red Man.” Some sources explain that Oklahoma or Oka-oma means “mobile home destroyed by tornado,” but this is unverified. It makes sense to… Continue reading OK, the Sooner State
Country Music Highway/The Peace of Wild Things
Black MountainKentuckyJuly 2011 Literally more than a ton of country music performers come from eastern Kentucky, appropriately nicknamed the Bluegrass State: Loretta Lynn, Wynonna Judd, Naomi Judd, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tom T Hall, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless, Crystal Gayle, Bill Monroe, Dwight Yoakam and a number of other talents. That’s a lot of twangin’ and… Continue reading Country Music Highway/The Peace of Wild Things
Those Crosses
West VirginiaJuly 2011 Route US-19 South, on our way to Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia. We behold an amazing assortment of “roadside attractions,” including the nearly ubiquitous sets of three crosses alongside the highway. We don’t count how many we see on this trip, but there are easily more than the number of… Continue reading Those Crosses