The Gipper's Guide to America

[The Gipper]

In a bit over a month I will be taking another trip to parts of Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas mainly.  Included will be 3 more NP units. George Washington Carver,   

Pea Ridge...another Civil War battle site

Fort Smith.

[The Gipper]

@mjp28 said:

I was toting my pack along the long dusty Winnemucca road
When along came a semi with a high canvas covered load
If your goin' to Winnemucca, Mack with me you can ride
And so I climbed into the cab and then I settled down inside
He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand
And I said, "Listen! I've traveled every road in this here land!"

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere

I've been to,
Reno
Chicago
Fargo
Minnesota
Buffalo
Toronto
Winslow
Sarasota
Whichta
Tulsa
Ottowa
Oklahoma
Tampa
Panama.....been to Panama City Fla....but not the country
Mattua...places by this name in like Russia, Indonesia, Bangladesh.
LaPaloma...this is in Uruguay, never been
Bangor
Baltimore
Salvador
Amarillo
Tocapillo....this is in Chile...never been
Pocotello
Amperdllo...a made up place, nothing on Google or Google maps

I'm a Killer

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere

I've been to,
Boston
Charleston
Dayton
Louisiana
Washington
Houston
Kingston...there are several Kingston, NY state, Ontario, Jamaica.  not been to Jamaica
Texarkana
Monterey
Fairaday..WVa, not been
Santa Fe
Tollaperson....this is another bad misspelling...or another made up place 
Glen Rock...New Jersey suburb of NYC....not sure if I have been there, but been all around it.
Black Rock...the only Black Rock I can find is the temporary city that is set up for the Burning man event
Little Rock
Oskaloussa...SE Iowa, not been
Tennessee
Tinnesay...this is not a place.....misspelling of Tennessee
Chickapee...actually spelled Chicopee
Spirit Lake....in Iowa...will be there in October
Grand Lake
Devil's Lake....State park near Baraboo Wisc.  been by but not to
Crater Lake

For Pete's Sake

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere

I've been to,
Louisville
Nashville
Knoxville
Omerback...Omerbach....Germany...not been
Shereville...another misspelled name I think  Schererville in No. Indiana, Chicago suburb, not been.
Jacksonville
Waterville
Costa Rock....if this is supposed to be Costa Rico...not been...no such place as Costa Rock
Richfield
Springfield
Bakersfield
Shreveport
Hakensack
Cadallic....north central Michigan....not been.
Fond do Lac..in Wisconsin...I have been to many surrounding towns, but not been here
Davenport
Idaho
Jellico 
Argentina....not been
Diamondtina....in Brazil...not been
Pasadena
Catalina...island off Calif...not been

See What I Mean

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel, I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere

I've been to,
Pittsburgh
Parkersburg
Gravelburg....in southern Saskatchewan, not been
Colorado
Ellisburg
Rexburg
Vicksburg
Eldorado
Larimore...in central North Dakota, not been
Adimore...this comes up only as a jewelry store in LA
Habastock.....this may not be a real place.  Closest Google comes in Haverstock
Chadanocka.....this is not a real place apparently...nothing comes up on Google...other than it being in the song
Shasta
Nebraska
Alaska
Opalacka
Baraboo
Waterloo
Kalamazoo
Kansas City
Souix City...Iowa....not been yet, but scheduled to go there in October.
Cedar City
Dodge City

What a pity

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel, I've had my share, man

I have highlighted all the place that I think I have been to.

[TexasAg1969]

Well I'm in Estes Park and just watched a pretty good sized elk with antlers in velvet walk over the hill and down in back of my brothers house about 10 feet from where I was watching him off the elevated back porch. Magnificent animal up that close. This one will be a strong challenger for the females this year. Very broad muscular guy and he is really developing a huge rack to fair him well in Oct.

[The Gipper]

@texasag1969 said:

Well I'm in Estes Park and just watched a pretty good sized elk with antlers in velvet walk over the hill and down in back of my brothers house about 10 feet from where I was watching him off the elevated back porch. Magnificent animal up that close. This one will be a strong challenger for the females this year. Very broad muscular guy and he is really developing a huge rack to fair him well in Oct.

I always enjoy a huge rack.  Err..uhh, ohh...you are talking elk. 

[TexasAg1969]

This video is for Cal who is headed out that direction and anyone else that may be. Interesting. Enjoy!

[TexasAg1969]

My daughter and I took two of my grandkids and one of my brother's to Sprague Lake in RMNP this morning and were rewarded with a bull moose with velvet antlers browsing on the water veggies in the lake. I've seen a couple of females in recent years on this side of the divide, but this is the first I've seen one of the large bulls over here. A herd of 12 was released in the Park on the western slope in 1978 and they now number near 3,000 in Colorado both sides of the divide both within RMNP and outside it since that original release 30 years ago. They have enough now that there is a lottery for licenses to hunt a restricted number of bulls every year in the state.

[calfoxwc]

well, the wolf video seems to be a lot of hokey. You would think that with the wolf population exploding,

that the bunnies etc would go bye bye. It's true however, that keeping a species from overpopulating and starving

out is a good thing.

[The Gipper]

@calfoxwc said:

well, the wolf video seems to be a lot of hokey. You would think that with the wolf population exploding,

that the bunnies etc would go bye bye. It's true however, that keeping a species from overpopulating and starving

out is a good thing.

Does that include humans?  

[calfoxwc]

are you a deer?

we're talking about wildlife, try to keep up.

[The Gipper]

@calfoxwc said:

are you a deer?

we're talking about wildlife, try to keep up.

I am making a fuycking joke,  try relaxing your sphincter.

[TexasAg1969]

@the-gipper said:

I am making a fuycking joke,  try relaxing your sphincter.

Deleted. Realized this is not the political forum.?‍

[TexasAg1969]

This morning in Rocky Mountain National Park --Enjoy

[TexasAg1969]

About 5 am the morning before last my brother had to swat a bear's paw out of the open window after it had slashed through the screen. He thinks it was the same half grown cub he had scared off the hummingbird feeder out on the same back porch two weeks ago.

[TexasAg1969]

@the-cysko-kid said:

Best battlefield is easily sharpsburg, Maryland, aka Antietam creek

Vicksburg is a good one too.

[The Gipper]

@texasag1969 said:

Vicksburg is a good one too.

I will be going to Pea Ridge  (Civil War battle site)  in NW Arkansas sometime next week.  Not been there before.

[TexasAg1969]

@the-gipper said:

I will be going to Pea Ridge  (Civil War battle site)  in NW Arkansas sometime next week.  Not been there before.

Didn't Trump participate in that?(Sorry I just could not pass it up-the devil made me do it.?).

[The Gipper]

On my recent trip to a resort in Northeast Oklahoma, I was able to visit  4 more National Park units that I had not been to before:

George Washington Carver National Historic Park.  This is in southwest Missouri near Joplin.  It is the location of GWC's boyhood home. Or, at least, it was the home of the persons who were he and his mother's slave owners.  Though they were slave owners, it appears that they were pretty good to young GWC.  At one point before the civil war, raiders came and stole he and his mother from this farm.  The farm owner did his mightiest to get them back, but could only get GWC.  His mother was lost forever.  They allowed young George free rein of the property...and in fact, because he was "frail" they did not require him to do the hard work around the farm.  It was in the woods and fields of this location that he learned the appreciation of nature, and of farm techniques.  Later in life he invented many of the methods by which farming was undertaken in this country...by everyone.

Pea Ridge National Military Park.   This is a Civil War Battlefield site in Northwest Arkansas.  It ended up being a Union Victory, the main thrust of which is that it preserved Missouri as part of the Union. The Confederate goal had been to route the Union out of Missouri and to have it joined the Confederacy, but because of the North's victory, that never happened.

Fort Smith National Historic Park. This fort, and the surrounding town, was built originally as a way to protect the Cherokee Indians who had recently been "removed" along the Trail of Tears from the native Osage Indians.  During the Civil War it was occupied for a short time by the Confederacy, but later taken control of by the Union and was in Union hands for most of the war.  More famously this site became the hub of post Civil war activity to try to stifle banditry and outlaws. Judge Isaac Roy Parker (the hanging judge)  held sway here at Fort Smith, along with like 100 US Marshalls whose job it was to chase outlaws who tried to hide out in "Indian Territory"...today, Oklahoma.  (Indian Territory did not have the same laws/legal structure as a state did).  Recall the movie True Grit (either the John Wayne or the Jeff Bridges versions), which depicted the sort of thing going on there in Fort Smith.  And during his time, Judge Parker hanged (not hung)  88 outlaws.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways.   This one I stopped into just one part of it on my way home.  It encompasses the river ways of the Current and Jack Fork rivers there in south central Missouri. It is a big recreation area where you can do all the river type activities, fish, swim, canoe etc. The part I was at was called The Big Spring Area.....and I was surprised and impressed by this.  There is a huge spring where water comes out of the ground, and I mean water:   300 million gallons a day come out of this spring. Almost a gallon a day for every American. And beautiful surroundings there as well. The deer come out of the woods and feed on the grass as you drive right by them.

Revisited National Park Units:

Hot Springs National Park

Buffalo National Scenic River.

These now make  347  of the 417 National Park units that I have visited. 

[The Gipper]

I am starting a new, but related thread all its own entitled:  Rock n Roll Pilgramages.  See the new thread.

[TexasAg1969]

My nephew stands at parade rest as his ship sails under the Golden Gate bridge during the S.F.  U.S.Navy Fleet Week. He is the CWO in charge of all communications and computer systems on board ship. Some 23 years ago my brother kicked him out of the house for not working while hanging around some questionable losers who were also going nowhere. He joined the Navy and eventually got so good at his job that he was assigned to the joint services top notch world combat team that operated out of Ft. Bragg. He went through all the special warfare schools, communications/computer schools and even jump school to a be a part of that major command group. Smart kid who grew up to be a very sharp Naval Career man and Chief Warrant Officer (E-8 I believe). I'm very proud of him and also of my 1st cousin who just retired from the USMC as a Lt. Col. My nephew has put in for retirement, but because of all the $$ they have put into him, they may not let him go yet.

[mjp28]

@texasag1969 said:

My nephew stands at parade rest as his ship sails under the Golden Gate bridge during the S.F.  U.S.Navy Fleet Week. He is the CWO in charge of all communications and computer systems on board ship. Some 23 years ago my brother kicked him out of the house for not working while hanging around some questionable losers who were also going nowhere. He joined the Navy and eventually got so good at his job that he was assigned to the joint services top notch world combat team that operated out of Ft. Bragg. He went through all the special warfare schools, communications/computer schools and even jump school to a be a part of that major command group. Smart kid who grew up to be a very sharp Naval Career man and Chief Warrant Officer (E-8 I believe). I'm very proud of him and also of my 1st cousin who just retired from the USMC as a Lt. Col. My nephew has put in for retirement, but because of all the $$ they have put into him, they may not let him go yet.

Good for him and those involved around him.