Video: Who We Really Are

"They can't touch us up here." That burrowed straight into my patriotic soul.

Mini Photo Journal: Columbus Day Weekend Adventures

Apologies for the lack of a post last Saturday. I was driving around the White Mountains like a normie enjoying the first signs of fall. See below for some of the photo evidence:

Real posts will resume next week. I'm resurrecting my Right Geek podcast next Friday night at 9e/8c with #1 Marmaduke Fan, a member of #Comicsgate who went to art school and thus experienced the fruits of the academic social justice ideology up close. I also plan to talk more about mass hysteria and that m-word we're not allowed to use to describe people who have completely lost their minds. Stay tuned!

Final Vacation Log

Click below to see the final crop of photos from my pre-Dragon Con vacation!

Vacation Log #2

Click below to see the photos!

Vacation Log #1

Hello from the Smoky Mountains!

Yesterday, I stopped for a short spell in Cherokee, NC, where I visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and an adjacent store that sells native crafts. What I appreciated most about the museum were the traditional stories they wove through the exhibits. I'm not sure why, but I found the creation story in particular to be quite enthralling. If you're ever in Cherokee, I definitely recommend you go to this museum first.

After the aforementioned stop, I took the scenic route to Gatlinburg, TN.

My mother, who spent most of her childhood in the Rockies (Salt Lake, to be precise), doesn't believe these are "real mountains," but I'd like to note for the record that the changes in elevation on this drive still made my ears hurt!

Today, meanwhile, was devoted to exploring downtown Gatlinburg. Early on, I hit a bump the wrong way with my rented scooter and took a tumble - but luckily, several tourists nearby were able to quickly pull me off the street. Also fortunately, I was more scared than hurt and was able to proceed to the Pancake Pantry for brunch.

Then, after filling up on some sweet, delicious crepes, I went shopping and played some ski ball in the arcade!

The Village Shops

My Favorite T-Shirt Company 

And My Favorite Arcade Game

Tomorrow: the Aquarium of the Smokies. Then I'm heading to Huntsville to see the Space Center. Stay tuned!

The Great American Eclipse! (Updates)

Apologies for failing to post this weekend, but I was caught in this:


I-85 wasn't too bad, but I-95 in Virginia was an absolute disaster, turning what is usually a seven or eight hour trip into eleven hours of pain.

It was worth it, though. I'm now well-situated at the Anderson Road branch of the Greenville County Public Library after an amusing breakfast at the local Waffle House, where the cook jokingly regaled us with warnings about alien warp gates, zombies, and - after a reminder from me - a return of the subterranean lizard people.

Currently, it is 1:45 PM EDT, and the partial phase has started. Stay tuned for an update once we've hit totality!

Edit 1, 1:55 PM: The librarian here is fielding dozens upon dozens of inquiries regarding eclipse glasses, and there are none to be had. As a matter of fact, the madness for glasses is so high right now that I just made a few bucks selling my extras. Thank God I planned for this months ago!

Edit 2, 2:50 PM: Totality has come and gone amidst much cheering!

Here is the library parking lot before totality:


And here is that same parking lot during totality:


Huzzah!

Wednesday Night Photo Journal: The County Fair

Our local county fair is a very small shindig, but it still provides opportunities to get up close and personal with some livestock. Ah, the good life!

Click below for the photos...

Vlog #4: Another Fall Weekend in New England

More Photos: The Virginia State Fair

Quick Admin Note: This week, I will be posting content on Tuesday and Thursday to accommodate my travel schedule.

Despite recent lousy weather, I was finally able to attend the Virginia State Fair for a few hours this past Sunday afternoon before I had to head back home to teach my church's brand new confirmandi. Click below for the pics and the commentary!

Weekend Photo Journal: The Rappahannock Farm Tour & Historic Occoquan

Because this is the season for fairs, farm tours, and trips to Mt. Washington (among other things), I will be devoting the next few Mondays to photo blogs of my weekend adventures. Up today? Some more pictures of my soon-to-be home in Rappahannock County, VA, and some additional shots of an attraction that's a bit closer to my current abode. Click below for more!

Steph's Two-Week Odyssey, Part IV: Route 66

The Tuesday before I headed off to World Con, I took a day trip to Tulsa to visit my Significant Other. Running through Tulsa is a segment of the historic U.S. Route 66, so - of course - we drove the length of that segment to check out the sights. Below are the best of the resulting snapshots:

Along the route were several historic motels, remnants of the route's heyday.

We also passed by the Circle Theater in the Whittier District...

... some rescued signs...

... the banks of the Arkansas River...

... and a preserved filling station with a classic car parked out front.

Coming up on Wednesday: the final installment of my photo album, which will cover World Con itself. Hope you enjoy!

Steph's Two-Week Odyssey, Part III: Branson

Greetings once again from your traveling blogger! This post is pre-published; by the time you read it, I will already be at World Con.

As I write this up, I am sitting in a hotel room resting after spending the first half of the day enjoying the sites and attractions of the historic district in Branson. The weather is pretty poor at the moment, so I was unable to head over to Silver Dollar City to check out the artisans. All the same, I enjoyed what little I could fit in before the Rains came.


I started the morning with a ride on the Branson Scenic Railway, which took me on a beautiful trip through the Ozarks into northern Arkansas, then turned around and came back. I think what fascinated me the most were the stories the conductor told about the two now-dead towns whose remnants lay on the route. First was Melva, MO, which was completely leveled by a tornado in the 1920's and never rebuilt. According to the story, two women survived the tornado by sheltering in the local hotel's fireplace. Second on the route was Cricket, AR, which used to be a rail stop until the Great Depression destroyed its economic reason for existence. We've all heard of ghost towns, of course, but the tragedy of both of these communities still touched me all the same.

After I got off the train, I went looking for food...

... and then checked out some of the local shops. My two favorite were the Victorian House and the Dick's 5 & 10. The former sold all sorts of pretties; it took a great deal of willpower not to spend too much money!

The latter was just pure fun. The pics below only sample the silly items they had for sale.

And I think I'll stop there until the next post, in which I will share a few more photos from the non-World Con part of the trip and - maybe - some World Con snapshots as well. It all depends on how much free time I have between now and then.

Thanks for stopping by!

Steph's Two-Week Odyssey, Part II: St. Louis

Hey all! It's time for another update on my trip to World Con!

Before I share the best of the photos I took in St. Louis, though, I just want to encourage all my readers to sign up to vote for the Dragon Awards. As you may have heard elsewhere, the short list has just been released to currently registered voters, and several eminently worthy writers made the cut, including Chuck Gannon, Jim Butcher, Larry Correia, and other best-sellers. And by the way, voting won't cost you a thing; this process is 100% open to all fans regardless of your ability to pay a fee.

Now, with that public service announcement out of the way, here are the aforementioned pics:

The Gateway Arch.

A view of St. Louis from the top of the Arch.

A view of the Mississippi from the top of the Arch.

The Old Courthouse.

The Old Cathedral.

A giant grasshopper, which was shot at the Missouri Butterfly House.

Another pic in the Butterfly House.

This is probably my favorite of all the pics!

On Wednesday, I will post highlights from Branson. Until then, God bless!

Steph's Two-Week Odyssey, Part I: Food Porn, Churches, Mammoth Cave & More!

Our supposed cognoscenti will find this terribly gauche, but I love my country. Not only do I love the ideas that animated its founding, but I also love the land itself; indeed, when the Discovery Channel aired its North America miniseries, I had several religious experiences. Thus, when I decided to go to World Con this year, I also decided to drive -- and to take the long way around. Currently, I'm sitting in a hotel room in St. Louis; over the past few days, I've traveled through West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Click below to see some highlights!

Photo Journal: Exploring Dad's Future Home

So in my last post, I alluded to a grand adventure. The adventure in question was a trip out to Amissville, VA, an unincorporated rural community situated in Rappahannock County between Warrenton and Washington, VA. Why did Dad, Matt, my sister-in-law and I decide to take such a journey? Because Dad has just bought some land out that way and hopes to retreat there once his planned dream home is finally built.

At the moment, Dad's land is unimproved former grazing land that is overgrown with shrubs, brambles, grasses, and poison ivy -- but it has definite possibilities. This angle doesn't really show it, but the plot has a good view of the Blue Ridge.

It also sports a magnificent sycamore tree that Mom and Dad want to leave in place.

Once we'd spent a little time struggling through the aforementioned overgrowth, we hopped back into the car and headed down the road to explore the general store that marks the center of Amissville and looks to be its central meeting place.

While Dad talked to the ladies up front about some services he needed, I wandered around the store and looked through its contents.

They were selling used items of all kinds...

... including a selection of books and movies...

... and some surprising agricultural products.

I eventually decided to buy a jar of apple butter and a novel written by a local author.

Overall, I loved this place, and I can't wait until my parents move here for good. This is yet another neighborhood where, I feel, the good life can still be found.

Photo Journal: A Little Town in Southwest Virginia

This is The Light in Floyd, Virginia. Yes, that's right: The Light. The town only has one.

I decided to stop in Floyd for a bit on my way to Liberty Con because -
around 14 or 15 years ago - our current cat was born and rescued from a trash can here.

Floyd is the county seat for Floyd County, so the tiny town center does sport a courthouse...

... as well as several small businesses.

You can tell that Floyd's residents take pride in their slower rural lifestyle...

... as well as their Appalachian heritage. This was, to date, the cutest way to package a t-shirt I've ever seen.

Alas, my time in Floyd was too brief to experience everything the town - and the surrounding county - has to offer. But who knows? Maybe I'll return one day. For some reason, it feels important to me to document the pockets of America that our clerisy and our political class seem determined to ignore.

Strictly for Fun: Five Odd Touristy Places I'd Like to Visit

As you may have noticed, I've been struggling to come up with things to post this week. I do have ideas (like, for example, my brewing post on the environment); trouble is, said ideas need a little more development before they see the light of day.

Then, this afternoon, Facebook came to the rescue, alerting me to the existence of a rather amusing Utah attraction -- and consequently reminding me that I love odd-ball touristy places and always have. Indeed, when my brother went on a storm-chasing trip through the plains a few years ago, the gift he brought back for me was a snow globe from:

Cawker City, Kansas -- home of the World's Largest Ball of Twine. 

Matt knew I'd appreciate that little trinket -- and he was right.

And while we're at it, here are four similar attractions I'd also like to visit:

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Michigan

Here, you can celebrate the holidays in July. Or October. Or March. Or basically any time you choose. At Bronner's, it's Christmas 24/7/365. And when you've had enough of Santa, a reliable expert informs me that the vicinity also boasts a Bavarian-style castle and competing chicken joints. The upshot? The whole town sounds absolutely amazing.

Roswell UFO Museum, Roswell, New Mexico

Because seriously -- what science fiction fan doesn't want to go here? I honestly doubt that we've actually been visited by aliens, but the exhibits are probably very interesting. And the gift shop? I'm guessing it's a hoot.

Dinosaur Land, White Post, Virginia

I feel bad. My family has been settled in Virginia for over twenty years -- and yet I still haven't been here. As a brief search of Roadside America reveals, Americans have built dinosaurs like this all over the US for some beautiful and mysterious reason, but I figure I should give it up for my home state first.

Fork in the Road, Pasadena, California

In addition to erecting dinosaur sculptures, Americans also have a penchant for putting other random objects on public display. Apparently, the Pasadena Fork pictured above was targeted for removal by -- you guessed it -- an overly fussy government agency, but local residents loved it so much that it managed to survive for six months without that agency's blessing. Guerrilla folk art for the win!

So what say you, readers? Do you have strange roadside attractions to recommend? If so, leave a note in the comments!