Hello Everyone!
It’s been a wonderful week here in southern Wisconsin and I’ve spent most of it among family and friends. The weather is so much cooler here with the high today supposed to be 76°, and life for me is always better in cooler temperatures. It still feels like summer, but not summer on the surface of the sun. This may have been the week that really saved my summer from slipping away as it’s been full of boat trips, barbecues and even a wonderful day at the Wisconsin State Fair. I haven’t traveled too far or done too much in the way of sightseeing or exploring, but I’ve laughed a lot and sometimes that’s the best thing you can do with your time.
After leaving you last week, I headed out into Madison and made a stop at Forest Hill Cemetery to visit the grave of Eston Hemings Jefferson. Eston was the youngest son of Sally Hemings who was an enslaved woman of mixed race who spent much of her life at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Virginia. DNA evidence from 1998 shows that Eston’s father was a Jefferson and while any number of people have tried to argue that it wasn’t our third president himself, there can be no definitive proof one way or the other. Thomas Jefferson’s documents show that he was present at Monticello when Eston was conceived, and Eston’s brother Madison stated during his lifetime that his mother had told them that Jefferson was their father. Of the more than 600 people enslaved at Monticello during his lifetime, Jefferson only freed a handful in his will. Eston and Madison were among them and all of those he freed were related to Sally Hemings. Eston lived with his mother in Virginia until her death and then moved to Ohio and on to Madison, where he lived the rest of his life. He and his wife both passed as White and their two sons served on the Union side during the Civil War. It was interesting to visit the grave of a man who was likely the youngest son of Thomas Jefferson and to think about his life. Forest Hill is also the site of the northernmost Confederate cemetery in the country, as nearby Camp Randall (now the site of the University of Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium) served as a POW camp during the Civil War.
Hello Everyone,
It’s been a hot week here in Montana. Two weeks ago it was snowing in Butte and two days ago we were hitting record high temperatures across the state. It’s been dangerously hot out, especially since I have no air conditioning in my van. I’ve been holed up here in Livingston for a few days and spent the last two nights in a nice, air conditioned hotel room. It was a nice break from the road and from the heat, but it’s frustrating to feel penned in and not be able to go exploring. It’s been a tough summer so far, and the heat is not making things any easier. I’m much better at dealing with the cold than dealing with the heat and my van is the same. That being said, I did get out and see some cool places this week and I’m very grateful to have some friends to hang out with this week, as that really makes a big difference in my morale. The heat should break in the next day or two, and then hopefully it will be a little easier going.
So after I finished up this post last week, I meandered down to the little local history museum there in Great Falls. It was a cute little museum with some interesting exhibits on the history of Great Falls, one called Spirits of Cascade County: Bootlegging, Bureaucracy, and Breweries, and one about feisty Montana women (their words, not mine). There were some cool bronze sculptures and some neat miniature building models as well. They also had a really interesting exhibit in what must have been some sort of event space on the historic Ozark Club, a black owned nightclub which had opened in Great Falls the day that prohibition ended and lasted until the owner’s death. After a nice visit to the museum, I did return to the Sip ‘n Dip Lounge to watch the mermaid in her pool behind the bar. Their tiki drinks were not very good, but the show was fun and I really enjoyed being there. Leaving the lounge, I wandered around downtown a bit and then called it a night.
Hello Everyone,
I’ve got good news and bad news to start off this week. The bad news is that Shadow Catcher is still in the shop in Missoula, waiting on parts. My new axle housing has made its way all the way from Florida to Indiana where it is currently being rebuilt. They should be putting it on the road to Montana by Friday with it arriving early next week. Once it’s here, it should only take a day or so to get it on and to put everything back together again. I will likely be writing this post from Missoula again next week, making it three weeks since we pulled into town, but I will hopefully be on my way soon thereafter. The good news is that the shop has loaned me a truck in the interim, so I have packed up my camping gear and hit the road in it. I’m very grateful to them for the loaner as it has allowed me to get out and do some exploring this week. It’s not the easiest way to travel, but it sure beats sitting around on my hands in Missoula. I think if I had three weeks to sit there and stew, it would be hard to bounce back from. This week has taken me south through the Bitterroot Valley, across the Big Hole and the Bozeman Trail and is winding up here in Butte, where I am writing to you from today. The weather has been great and I’ve definitely been enjoying myself despite the difficulties of being out here without my van and the stresses involved with that.
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After finishing up this post last week, I went out and enjoyed a wonderful night of music with a songwriters’ round at the Zootown Arts Community Center there in Missoula. This event brought together four unique songwriters from around Montana who took turns sharing their songs and the stories behind them. It was the first event of the newly formed Montana Songwriters Collective and it was really enjoyable. After the show, I went down and had a burger at the Missoula Club and then headed back across the river for the night.
Hello Everyone!
Well it has definitely been a tough week out here in Montana. The bad news is that I’m stuck in Missoula waiting for parts for a major and expensive repair to Shadow Catcher’s rear end. The good news is that at least I’m in Missoula which is a lovely city with a lot to keep me occupied.
When I wrote last week I was on my way into Missoula with an appointment to have someone look at one of my air shocks which still wasn’t working properly. On the way into town, I started feeling some vibrations coming from the rear end. When they looked into that issue, what they found was that the bearing which had been replaced in Idaho a few weeks back had failed completely causing major damage to my axle which now needs to be replaced. Finding the parts has been challenging and time consuming and so even though they are ready to move ahead with the repairs there’s not much else to do but wait.
Hello Everyone!
Greetings from sunny Bend, Oregon. It feels like this week has lasted considerably longer than the seven days since I last wrote. Unfortunately, I was falling into a bit of a funk in Idaho as everything seemed to still be closed for the winter. From roads and trails to campgrounds and museums, I constantly felt like it was more effort than it should have been to find things to see and do. And since it was cold out there, I struggled to get out of bed in the morning. I wouldn’t say I was depressed, just kind of bored and anxious to be out exploring, as summer is fast approaching and this may be the last summer I have off from work for a while. I want to make the absolute most of it. A little dose of Oregon was just what the doctor ordered. Oregon has been bright and sunny since I arrived over the weekend and it’s been amazing to be out on the trail, chasing waterfalls and beautiful scenery and finding things open around town. I will look forward to seeing more of northern Idaho in a few weeks, but for now it is great to be back in the Beaver State.
After finishing this post last week, I set out into the night to enjoy one last wander through downtown Boise, a city I have come to really enjoy and feel comfortable in over the last year. I stopped into Gatsby’s 1920 speakeasy, where the correct password got me buzzed in through the plain door in a dark alley. Once the door shut behind me I found myself in a small library where a bookshelf was swung inward to reveal a beautiful old wood-paneled bar. I had a nice cocktail and then moved on to Press and Pony, another prohibition era bar, where a Guinness seemed to be the best option. I wound up back at my old favorite, The Pengilly Saloon, for some live music and a nightcap to end my time in Boise for now.
Hello Everyone,
It’s been a pleasant but quiet week here in southern Idaho. I spent the early part of the week in the Magic Valley out by Twin Falls, and the latter part of the week in the Treasure Valley here in Boise. The weather started off sunny, quickly turned cold with freezing rain pelting down on me, progressed into some beautifully warm and sunny days and is finishing off cold and rainy. It is nice to be here in Boise, a comfortable and familiar city, and I’ve actually been taking it easy here the last couple of days as I needed to take a breather from the road and this is a good place to do just that. I’ve been able to catch up with a few friends, get some much-needed supplies delivered from Amazon, resupply on food and water and get ready for the road ahead. It’s been a good week on the road.
After finishing up this post last week, I set off to explore downtown Twin Falls. I’ve been to Twin Falls a few times before, but never really had any time to check it out. The downtown area was really quiet on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, and I had the streets almost all to myself. There are some great old buildings around, but mostly Twin Falls is a modern city. There’s a nice city park in the middle of town with an amazing old band shell which still apparently hosts the Twin Falls Municipal Band it was built for in the summertime, although it’s now called the Magic Valley Symphony. There’s a magical old post clock on Main Avenue, a couple of nice statues and some interesting historical signs to help understand how the city has changed over the years. I stopped for a delightful pint of porter at Koto Brewing Company and then headed out of the city center for the night.
Hello Everyone! It’s been a lovely week here in the greater Lake Tahoe region. The weather has been cold, but also clear and sunny and hard to beat for the middle of January. I’ve spent most of the week catching up with old friends and taking it slow which has been really nice. I did get out for a day on the slopes in South Lake Tahoe while I was here which was awesome and a real treat. It’s about time for me to hit the road again and head out across Nevada, but it’s been a nice break here in the mountains among friends…
Hello Everyone! It’s been a cold week out here on the road with nighttime temperatures dipping into the single digits. While I’m always prepared for the cold and have plenty of warm clothes and blankets, it’s no fun getting out of bed in the morning. Thankfully it’s also been a week of catching up with old friends and tagging along with them on their adventures so my spirits have been high all week. I started my week in Winnemucca, made my way across the top of the state on Interstate 80 and am finishing my week here in Reno, “The Biggest Little City in the World”.
Hello Everyone,
Sorry I didn’t get this post done last week, but it’s been a busy time since I got home at the beginning of the month. I wish I could say it’s been a fun kind of busy, but it has mostly been continuing to clear out my uncle’s house in Virginia and dealing with my dad’s estate (tasks my good friend, Gillian, refers to as “sadmin duties”). Last week I took a whirlwind trip to West Virginia to drop off my dad’s probate papers at the court, go to the bank, pick up some of his things that I want to get to my brother’s house next week and come back. I hit some serious snow in the mountains, but it was beautiful and didn’t slow me down too much. In other exciting news, I’ve also been to the dentist, several doctors and the Department of Motor Vehicles, all thrilling adventures for sure (but thankfully all routine, so I am counting my blessings). I have been able to spend a little bit of time with my friends, gotten together with my Monday night music group and had some good times with my family, so I’m grateful for that. I also took a nice trip to Delaware last weekend which I’ll tell you more about below.
Hello Everyone,
It’s always good to be home. Home is definitely sweeter when you come in off the road, especially when it’s cold and dark out there. December is a great month to be in Washington D.C. and I’m really looking forward to a few weeks of rest before getting back out there at the end of the month. I have plenty to do while I’m home as I need to sort out my dad’s estate, work at my uncle’s house and help my folks out with a number of things, but I’m also looking forward to holiday shows, playing music with my friends and quiet nights by the fire. I’m not going to lie, 2025 was an incredibly difficult year for me and I’m very much looking forward to putting it behind me. 2026 is going to be better. It should be a very busy year and I am looking forward to it very much, so I hope to be well rested by the time it kicks off. I did have a nice week in Eastern Oregon and Boise, though and I want to tell you all about it, so let’s jump into it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends here in the United States. I hope you get to spend the day with friends and family, good food and cheer. To those of you who will be spending the holiday alone, as I will be this year, I hope you can have a quiet and peaceful day and find a good meal somewhere. I have officially left the state of Washington and returned south to Oregon. My last few days in Southeast Washington were excellent and I was sad to see it fade away in my rearview mirror. I was there for over two months, though, and saw most of what I had hoped to see and it is wonderful to be back in The Beaver State. It’s a little bit warmer and a little bit less expensive here and I’m looking forward to this coming week here before I fly back to the east coast for the holidays. I have a lot of photos left to edit and publish from Washington and I’m looking forward to catching up on those in December and starting fresh and up to date in 2026.
It’s been a busy week out here on the road in Central and Southern Washington. I’ve traveled down some beautiful roads this week, many following winding streams and rivers, and stopped in some really cool little towns. I’ve been listening to a great radio station out here playing real oldies – like oldies that were oldies when I was a kid. I haven’t heard a lot of those songs in decades and my toes have been tapping as I cruise down the road. This is apple country and it’s cool to pass through the apple orchards and see many with fruit still on the trees, while the leaves have turned bright orange with the season. Empty apple crates dot the landscape from earlier picking. There are plenty of grapes out here too as this is Washington’s wine country. The weather hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been terrible and there have been some wild clouds in the sky overhead much of the week. The days are short, but I’ve been trying to make the most of the daylight I have as I wind up my time in Washington State.
