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It practically gallops!

Pretty Big Stuff

Smoky Mountain Morning, the online video show I’ve been co-hosting with Taz Cable, is changing and growing. On October 15, a new version of the show, now called Smoky Mountain Magazine, will premiere on East Tennessee PBS. It will air weekly on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m., right before Marshal Andy’s show. Taz has been working very hard to make this deal happen. As you can imagine, I am extremely happy about the news.

Smoky Mountain Magazine will be a show for anyone who uses the Smokies, whether they live in Tennessee, North Carolina or anywhere. The broadcast signal of East Tennessee PBS reaches four states. Clips from the show, along with timely updates, will be available online to viewers worldwide.

Because locals and tourists use the Smokies as a place to relax, the show will focus on recreational activities and entertainment. I’ve already been contacted by someone who wants to teach me fly-fishing for a segment. Taz and I are also looking forward to covering performances and festivals around the region. I’m already wondering what different foods I’ll be able to try, like the duck taco I ate at Bele Chere in July:

September 8, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 6 Comments 

Boomington, Minnesota

The World’s Largest Prairie Chicken could have improved our trip through Minnesota. Last month, my wife and I visited the last four states on my quest for all fifty. Because we were going to be in the neighborhood, relatively speaking, we added stops in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I had visited those two states but my wife had not. Both turned out to be a bust.

My wife read about a restaurant in La Crosse that was designed to look like the betting parlor in “The Sting.” However it was closed on Sundays and holidays, which meant bad news for us over the Fourth of July weekend. After a long day of driving, we elected to skip the town’s Riverfest, even though two-hit-wonders the Spin Doctors were playing. I figured that the $7 per person admission fee could be better spent on buffalo burgers or loose-meat sandwiches in the days ahead.

Because we love the movie “Fargo,” we originally planned to drive through Brainerd, Minnesota. We scrapped those plans and chose a more direct route to Fargo, North Dakota. Along the way we stopped in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Some quick research revealed that they had a giant river otter statue. Unfortunately neither the customers nor the employees at Walgreen’s could give us usable directions to find it. We drove around the wrong city park several times, only getting frustrated. Things immediately got better once we reached North Dakota, thanks to the staff at the Fargo-Moorhead visitor center.

Two days ago, my friend Bean shared a photo on Twitter that he had received from one of his followers. It showed the World’s Largest Prairie Chicken. I Googled the bird to learn more about it. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that it is just off I-94 in Rothsay, which is about halfway between Fergus Falls and Fargo.

August 27, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

In the Mood

“Are they closed?” My wife wondered as we parked outside the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum in Clarinda, Iowa. I reminded her that we were often the only visitors at a tourist attraction. In fact, our visit to the South Dakota Hall of Fame started that way. We added Clarinda to our itinerary after seeing an ad for the museum in a copy of Our Iowa magazine on the first day of our trip.

Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum - Sure enough, the Miller museum was open for business. The woman in charge ushered us in to a screening room and started a documentary about the bandleader’s life. She said we didn’t have to stay for the whole thing but by the time we started getting restless, it was almost over. We couldn’t walk out right before they got to Miller’s untimely death. If they do choose to edit the film, they could probably shorten a few of the interviews and show highlights of the musical performances instead of full songs.

Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum - The museum is a year old and its collection is growing. Among other things, they had gold records, sheet music and musical instruments on display. My favorite item was the metallic bandstand donated by Tex Beneke. He inherited them after Miller’s death and used them for years. The museum replaced Tex’s name with a replica of the letters G.M. that had been there originally.

Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum - The museum is adjacent to the home where Miller was born. The birthplace is being restored and furnished to how it would have looked in 1904. They removed a part of the house that was added-on by a subsequent owner in 1912.

July 24, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Stamp Site

Boys Town - World's Largest Ball of Stamps The choice of a Nebraska tourist attraction was a no-brainer. Boys Town was founded by a Catholic priest; it was the location of an Oscar-winning movie; and it is home to the World’s Largest Ball of Stamps. My wife found a reference to the stamp ball when looking online for free things to do in Omaha.

Boys Town - Frank Murphy at the World's Largest Ball of Stamps Boys Town - World's Largest Ball of Stamps warning The ball, which was featured in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”, was completed in the 1950s and is the centerpiece of a stamp-collecting display. A nearby workbench offers a “penny bin” of old stamps that kids can add to their own collections. A small message warns visitors to not add any stamps to the ball, which means someone must have tried it.

Boys Town - I bought a couple of postcards featuring the stamp ball and some air-mail stamps from the 1960s to use as postage. I also supported the cause by buying a pound of flavored coffee. I chose English Toffee, which I am enjoying as I type this. The clerk told me that their most popular flavor is “Jamaican Me Crazy,” which I found somewhat amusing since we were only a few hundred yards away from their behavioral health facilities.

July 23, 2011 | Filed Under Catholic | Comments Off 

Nebraska Five-O

The conclusion of my 50-state quest came as we drove across the Missouri River from Yankton, South Dakota, into Nebraska. My wife and I stopped at the Corps of Discovery Welcome Center in Crofton. The center is on a bluff with a nice view of the river, looking back toward Yankton. It offers clean restrooms, a map for visitors to mark their hometowns, and free coffee… when they’re open.

July 22, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments 

A Bust in the Hall of Fame

Pat O’Brien is a good guy who has graciously survived some embarrassing moments. He was always an excellent guest when I booked him on KPWR and KROQ. He’s back on the air at Fox Sports Radio. I’m happy that we’ve reconnected via Facebook and Twitter. He writes about various topics including sports and entertainment but I especially like his inspirational posts, which can apply to life in general, in addition to his recovery.

In April I was using Twitter to solicit suggestions for things to see as I concluded my 50-state quest. Pat suggested I visit the South Dakota Hall of Fame. He’s in it.

South Dakota Hall of Fame - exterior South Dakota Hall of Fame - empty display case for Communications Inductees My wife and I found the Hall easily. It’s just off I-90 in Chamberlain. We signed the guest book and looked for the Arts & Entertainment inductees. In addition to Pat, the Hall has honored Tom Brokaw, Mary Hart, Bob Barker and other household names. Instead of their memorabilia, we discovered an empty display case.

South Dakota Hall of Fame - Pat O'Brien's book and Dakotans blazer The staff at the Hall was very apologetic. They had used the case for a recent art exhibit and had not yet replaced the items. Since I was an acquaintance of Pat O’Brien, they offered to go into the back and get his placard. They returned with more. Before long, I found myself holding a copy of his book, “Talkin’ Sports: A B.S.-er’s Guide,” and his Dakotans blazer. No, I didn’t try it on.

July 21, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Another Brick in the Wall

Wall Drug - enjoying 5¢ coffee The omnipresent billboards for Wall Drug on I-90 in South Dakota make you feel obligated to stop. You don’t want to be the one tourist who missed out, right? I’ve heard that South of the Border on I-95 in South Carolina uses a similar approach. Wall Drug offers free ice water and 5¢ coffee, which was surprisingly good. I had expected watered-down “church coffee” and ended up buying a second cup.

The word “overkill” came to mind several times as I walked around the various shops. I asked the sales clerks in the Souvenir Department how they could stand listening to the floor that squeaked every time a patron walked past. They said they could tune it out, until someone mentioned it. Oops.

Wall Drug - Jennifer's Facebook photo from 6/26/11 Wall Drug - bookmark is missing 7/7/11 My wife and I knew that we had to go to Wall Drug ever since our friend Jennifer stopped off there 11 days earlier. I joked on Facebook that she should hide something for us to find. She cleverly put a bookmark into a copy of “Some Awfully Tame but Kinda Funny Stories about Early Dakota Ladies of the Evening” and posted photographic proof on her Facebook wall. I found two copies in the bookstore but was disappointed that the bookmark was not in either one. Then I thought about someone who may have unwittingly purchased the book with Jennifer’s note inside. How will they explain that one?

July 20, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

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