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  The journey out to Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge is relatively short and worth at least one visit to Eagle Days.  This year was the first time we actually made it out there for the event, which offered an up-close look at few different live eagles, including that shown in the photo above, the Harpy Eagle from South America.  The event is held there annually, on or about the first Saturday in December.  There are usually free guided bus tours along the 10-mile route around the wetlands, a few live eagle programs, snacks and the chance to simply enjoy a little northern Missouri winter weather. 

  Almost entirely on a whim, along with a lot of prodding by continual advertising on the airwaves, we made our way out to have a look at Guitars & Cadillacs. We had not been to anything of the sort since PBR Big Sky downtown, which proved to be crowded and lacking in space to do anything beyond drink entirely too much. Guitars and Cadillacs stands apart, reminiscent of the Beaumont in Westport, though a little cleaner.  Live music and a huge dance floor were enough.  An accommodating staff and a friendly crowd ranging in age from 21 to 85 rounded out a recipe for a fun evening dancing and having a good time.  Regular return trips are definitely planned, as long as this holds out.

Setting off on the latest post-holiday adventure, our crew landed in Silver Dollar City without incident.  The remainder of the day would remain in question.  The mass of people joining this expedition proved astounding.  Later inspection of statistics outlined an amusement park at 97% capacity.  It was too much. From the moment of entry, the masses insisted on forward movement.  It did not matter in which direction, so long as it was away from the front gates.  Resistance proved futile.  We persevered though, riding rode the crest to discover the most welcoming place of sustenance that did not already host an hour or more wait. We plunged back into the fray, satisfied and in a better frame of mind to handle the obtuse situation.  Inspecting the variety of offerings brought no real sense of joy.  Silver Dollar City has long since sold out to commercialism.  Very little is actually ma...

An intimate evening with Bob Walkenhorst, formerly of The Rainmakers, performing at a birthday party for a close friend, got love wrapping around us all on this evening. Good friends. Good music. Good times. . . .  further reading BobWalkenhorst.com

A new angle of presentation materialized on the recent journey south into north central Arkansas.  It seemed it might be fun leveraging Google Earth to share these adventures. A lot of consideration ensued with that in mind, and the road unfurled under beautiful blue skies. The weekend lived on the backroads, a few of which were captured on the GoPro.  It all started with a detour down AR-66 in Leslie.  Weary of the view from US-65, the alternate route east along AR-66 from Leslie offered considerably less traffic and beautifully windy roads.  Turning south on AR-263 just before arriving at Timbo took the expedition south to AR-9 at Rushing and on to Shirley and the old Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad bridge that crosses the Middle Fork of the Little Red River. The crossing was assembled in 1907 and opened to travel in 1909, running until 1946.  After that it received concrete makeover for motor vehicle...

Joining colleagues on their rooftop offered up a high-level view of the NKC High School Homecoming parade passing through on this date.  If only the phone had been charged, there might have been more than just this shot. . . . further reading North Kansas City High School (nkcschools.org)

The annual Chalk & Walk Festival returned from the pandemic this year.  A multitude of visitors turned out for the festivities as well.  The works proved as fantastic as ever, if not more so.  It seems some folks have had a lot of time to practice these past few years. . . .  further reading Kansas City Chalk and Walk (kcchalkandwalk.org)

The namesake of Indian Cave State Park only recently re-opened, after having been closed for repairs for a couple of years.  Flooding badly damaged walkways and access to those areas near the river.  A forecast of clear and 30°C day encouraged a wandering to the local.  It is impossible to say how many times it was passed on the way here or there. A 1920's Richardson County Courthouse stood gleaming in the mid-morning sun of Falls City, encouraging the first small break from the road.   Contrary to the forecast, weather made the journey soggier than expected.  Gray skies shrouded the city, and passing through Weston, the clouds unleashed their fury.  Crossing into Kansas improved the situation incrementally, until arriving to full sunshine in Nebraska. Google indicated a seemingly random gravel road would prove a more expedient path and it turned out relatively well.  Blue skies and wide open space unfurl above a sea of corn in every direction....

Cruising southward on a whim, Prairie State Park promised bison wandering about the eastern Missouri prairie.  Hiking along Drover's Trail offered the opportunity to scout out that little fact.  While it is likely true, only one lone soul drifted across the horizon throughout the journey through the tall grass and wildflowers.  It paused a few times, seeming to examine our position, but ultimately headed for the shade of a nearby grove. Minus that beast, there is not much else to fix eyes on in this landscape.  The prairie extends in all directions, rolling and waving over the hills, broken only by the occasional stand of trees, ditch or creek. Other distractions appear in the foreground with varying intensity, when the greater landscape fails to consume all the attention.  While not in abundance, the wildflowers littered the prairie, adding a splash of color here and there, without overstimulating the pallet. The only other bison acquaintance of the day assured...

It turns out the little town of Walnut Ridge had quite a little interesting history.  It had a minor involvement with The Beatles back in 1964, at the height of Beatlemania.  The band only appeared in this out of the way spot twice, and performed neither time, but the situation left a lasting impression.  They would have been disappointed had they stayed longer anyway.  A real breakfast was nowhere to found that morning, making departure more pressing than that of the Fab Four.   A few miles west in Black Rock, Renee's coffee and standard fare slowed the urge to get back down the road.  Since the jump from Pensacola had been much longer the day before, the mostly clear day offered up a bit more time to linger here and there The road did not look a lot different from the endless forest of Mississippi, but it remained better than the monotony of the interstate. Life stands out better on these roads and it is easier to pause and consider the world that ca...

It was difficult to leave the comfort of the shores of the Gulf behind, but it had to be done.  No time remained to linger. Eight and half hours of driving demanded attention to an early departure, with very little time afforded for distractions along the way.  Indeed, the first photographic opportunity of the day occurred over 700 km away from the point of beginning, at the Tennessee Welcome Center in Memphis.  Focus on reaching the intended destination before dark was that sincere.  The interstate proved unavoidable in this quest, but was only offered limited interest. Perfectly aligned to schedule, dinner at the Blue City Cafe on Beale Street followed shortly thereafter.  Ribs and catfish rewarded a growing appetite that had only quieted earlier through small snacks and a couple of light meals.  With time on our side, a bit of wandering Beale Street offered a welcome.  Littering the district were a variety of guitar replicas from Gibson, each painte...

The day had no particular plan, with only two objectives.  When researching this area of the world for potential exploration, an old military fort presented itself as an intriguing situation. The other goal was nothing more than time on that beach made of sugar, splashing around in the crystal clear water, enjoying a little sun, watching the later fade into starlight. A quick journey to the Seville Historic District of Pensacola for breakfast found things frozen in time.  The architecture mirrored much of what is usually seen in New Orleans, without the appearance or stench of decay.  It all appeared rather well maintained.  Bodacious Brew lived up to its namesake with a fantastic fare.  There was not much time to linger, but a quick glance at a nearby park found a memorial to one of the founding fathers of Pensacola, William Dudley Chipley, squarely in Plaza Ferdinand VII. Fort Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore loomed as the primary mission o...

It took very little effort to achieve the intended goal for the day.  Skies were clear, then stormy, then clear again; typical coastal weather for this time of year.  It was still hot, but Gulf breezes began to push some of that away.  The journey proved mostly uneventful through the billion acre forest of Mississippi, then Alabama to Mobile. Mobile offered up the George Wallace Tunnel for amusement, diving 12 meters under the Mobile River, emerging nearly 1,000 meters on Blakeley Island.  Opened in 1973, it is named after the infamous Democratic senator from Alabama, a staunch segregationist, populist politician and two time presidential contender.  A new name has not yet been chosen for the tunnel,  but given his record and the state of affairs, it is likely in the works. Señor GoPro unknowingly went on break just before the Alabama/Florida line, likely out of boredom induced by the interstate monotony.  Traffic crawled in west bound lanes, as the b...