Along the Valley of the Snake

Snake River Canyon just north of Twin Falls, ID

(A trip to Idaho and Utah in August 2013)

In late August, I took a long trip to a part of the American West that I had not yet visited. On Sunday the 25th I flew into Salt Lake City to begin a 10-day tour of Idaho and Utah.

My first stop Sunday was the Golden Spike National Historical Site, twenty miles south of I-84 near Promontory, Utah. The site marks the spot where the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. Promontory Point was chosen because it was near where the Central Pacific and Union Pacific crews first met each other. The site today houses replica steam locomotives of the two used that day. Within a couple decades the railroad had built a causeway across the Great Salt Lake and bypassed Promontory.

On the way back from Golden Spike, I stopped at a display of missiles (and missile parts) at the headquarters of ATK, an aerospace manufacturing company. Then it was back to I-84 and a drive up to Twin Falls, ID. I got caught in a dust- and rainstorm just outside of town, getting a tumbleweed stuck in the front grill of the rental car.

Monday I visited the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls and then drove I-84 northwest to Ontario, Oregon. There I visited the Four Rivers Cultural Center on the campus of Treasure Valley Community College. The Four Rivers Cultural Center celebrates the history and people living in the area drained by the Snake, Payette, Malheur, and Owyhee Rivers. Featured were the Euro-American, Native American, Basque, and Asian-American communities. From Ontario, I drove back to Nampa, Idaho.

Tuesday was my day in Boise. The Idaho State Capitol is full of gray marble, but does not contain much in the way of statuary or art. The inside of the rotunda is painted plain white, with none of the ornate paintings I have seen in other capitols. The legislative chambers were very accessible – I was able to climb into the dais of both the House and Senate chambers. I signed the guestbook in the Governor’s Office, but did not find any formal reception room in the Capitol.

The Idaho History Museum is celebrating the 150 years since Idaho was organized as a territory by an exhibit that shows 150 unique things about Idaho. Potatoes makes the list, as does the blue turf from Boise State. And the door from the cabin in Ruby Ridge. Also in downtown Boise is the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, which celebrates the area’s large Basque population. I ate lunch before visiting the Basque Museum, and thus missed the authentic Basque restaurant on the other side of the museum. I stopped at Boise State University and its Student Center on my way out of town.

Wednesday I drove from Nampa back to Twin Falls. As I had on the drive on Monday, I crossed the Snake River a number of times. I stopped at Three Island Crossing State Park in Glenns Ferry, where early pioneers on the Oregon Trail had a tricky crossing of the Snake River. Crossing here brought danger, but it meant better water and grass. I also stopped at the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in Hagerman. The Visitor Center there includes information on the fossils dug out of nearby hills and also includes a temporary display about the Minidoka Internment Camp located east of Jerome. The Internment Camp, which housed Japanese-Americans during World War II, has all but disappeared back into the barren landscape. There is talk of one day replicating some of the buildings of the original site.

The most spectacular view of the Snake River I saw all week was at the Snake River Canyon just north of Twin Falls. It was this canyon that Evil Knieval tried to jump in his motorcycle back in the ’70s. He didn’t make it, but his parachute did successfully deploy.

Wednesday afternoon I had my hair cut at the Wendell Barber Shop in Wendell. Wendell touts itself as “the Hub City of the Magic Valley.” The shop is located on Main Street, just off the main thoroughfare. It’s a two-chair barber shop with a red-and-white barber pole and bench outside the shop. Inside are some other unique touches, including a new-style barber pole (with red and blue stripes) and a barber pole on the floormat. I didn’t have as much time as I would have preferred to observe the shop, as I was Gail’s only customer at the time. I paid $13, plus a tip for the haircut.

Thursday I drove from Twin Falls to Idaho Falls. I stopped in American Falls, where I visited the Power County Historical Society Museum. American Falls was relocated to its current location in the 1920s, to make room for the dam that was completed in 1927. While in American Falls I ate at the R&B Drive-In, a local hamburger and milkshake place. From American Falls, I drove through Pocatello, stopping long enough to walk around the campus of Idaho State University.

Thursday afternoon I visited the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot, housed in an old railroad depot. The museum celebrates everything about Idaho’s most famous crop, including its history, how to cultivate and grow them, and little-known facts. (Did you know Thomas Jefferson was the first person to serve French fries in Washington DC?) The potato in front of the museum was impressive, but I enjoyed the carton of hashbrowns that came free with admission, as well as the potato sack used to hold souvenirs.

Thursday and Friday nights I attended home games of the Idaho Falls Chukars, the Pioneer League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, as they hosted the Grand Junction Rockies. Thursday night saw both teams struggle to get hits, with Idaho Falls scoring the game’s only run in the bottom of the 8th. Friday Grand Junction defeated the Chukars 6-3. Melaleuca Field is one of the newest in the Rookie-level Pioneer League and the sizable crowd was into the game.

Friday I made two lengthy site-seeing trips. In the morning I drove to visit the Experimental Breeder Reactor I on the Idaho National Laboratory Site near Arco. EBRI was built to determine if domestic nuclear power was possible. The reactor was decommissioned shortly after its mission was accomplished and it has been open to the public since the late 1960s. Visiting a nuclear reactor was interesting, both the empty landscape for most of the 50 miles from Idaho Falls and the somewhat ominous-sounding warnings in the building. The EBRI does still have traces of radiation bonded into the floor, so visitors are told to wear shoes and keep them on at all times. For their own safety and protection.

Friday afternoon I drove to Rexburg. The Rexburg Tabernacle houses the Teton Flood Museum in its basement. In June 1976, the recently constructed Teton Dam collapsed, flooding communities downstream with a flood of up to 12 feet deep and 17 miles wide. Rexburg, about a dozen miles downstream had water up to eight feet high. Blackfoot, another 40 miles down the Snake, was flooded with water up to 10 feet deep. The flood was contained by the American Falls Reservoir, which had the capacity to absorb the water. The museum has fascinating pictures and footage of the flooding.

On Saturday morning, I left Idaho Falls and returned to Utah.

The scorecard for the first portion of my trip (and the number of states where I’ve done each):

States Visited (44, 45, 46) – Utah, Idaho, and Oregon
Haircut (37) – Wendell Barber Shop, Wendell, ID
State Capitol (31)
Church (33) – Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Boise, where the Tuesday morning mass doubled as a school assembly
Movie (32) – Lee Daniels’ The Butler at Edwards Spectrum 14, Nampa
Barbecue (31) – Goodwood Barbecue Co, Meridian
Baseball (27) – Idaho Falls Chukars
Community College (33, 34) – College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls; Treasure Valley CC, Ontario, OR
Complete State Sets (22) – Idaho

Idaho Potato Museum, Blackfoot

Experimental Breeder Reactor I, near Arco, ID

The visiting Grand Junction Rockies line up for the National Anthem at Melaleuca Field, Idaho Falls

Across the Red Hills of Oklahoma

Heartland CC and UConn-Avery Point line up for the national anthem before Game 5 of the NJCAA Division II World Series, David Allen Memorial Ballpark, Enid, OK

Over Memorial Day weekend 2013, I took a trip to Oklahoma. Why Oklahoma? To explore the Sooner State. And also to watch baseball.

The National Junior College Athletic Association has three divisions of play in baseball. The Division II World Series is hosted at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, OK. To qualify, teams must win their district tournaments (and regional tournaments before that if necessary). Ten teams qualified for this year’s tournament, which was held May 25-June 1. David Allen Memorial Ballpark hosts Enid’s outstanding American Legion baseball teams, and is a nicer facility than some minor-league parks I have visited. The event was very festive, as each team brought a loyal cheering section. I attended three games on Sunday and Monday. In Game 5 on Sunday, Heartland CC from Illinois defeated UConn-Avery Point 9-1 in seven innings (there is an eight-run mercy rule after seven innings). In a noon Game 8 on Monday, North Iowa Area Community College defeated Murray State College (OK) 7-6 with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th. The following game saw Madison College of Wisconsin defeat Grand Rapids CC of Michigan 9-1. Murray State later won all its games in the tournament, winning the national title in its first World Series trip.

Although the NJCAA Division II World Series was my primary reason for going to Oklahoma, I did take part in a full week of adventures. After the game on Sunday, I visited the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center in Enid. (It is not to be confused with the Cherokee Strip Museums in Perry or Alva.) The area was given that name to reflect the tribe’s ownership of what was once considered to be the finest grazing lands in the West. The museum celebrates the Land Rush of 1893, the last great land rush in Oklahoma.

I spent Tuesday in Oklahoma City. The State Capitol has oil derricks on its lawn – they do not appear to be in operation now, but oil was extracted from those wells in the 1930s. Oklahoma is the only state to have oil wells on its lawn, I’m sure. The Oklahoma History Center across the street does a good job covering Oklahoma’s history, devoted a large area to covering the history of the state’s Native American tribes.

I was sobered by my visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Tuesday afternoon. Even though its been 18 years since the bombing, I remember where I was when I heard about it (sitting in a HS government class). There is a sidewalk along the reflecting pool that I think covers the actual site of the blast. The Museum is located in a building that was damaged in the blast, and you can see where the repairs were made.

Tuesday night the Oklahoma City RedHawks defeated the Omaha Storm Chasers in a Triple-A Pacific Coast League game in Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. This ballpark has often been touted as one of the best Triple-A parks in the country. Given that it was a Tuesday night, the crowd was sparse and the upper deck was closed off. I can imagine how alive with energy it would be hosting weekend games. The park does a good job of celebrating all the Oklahoma baseball legends. (Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench have statues and entrances named for them. Others like Dizzy Dean, Jim Thorpe, Allie Reynolds, and Warren Spahn are commemorated by large picture displays. The game was warm and windy, and I felt inadequately prepared for the state song (a showtune from Oklahoma!) was played at the seventh-inning stretch.

In addition to the ballpark, the Bricktown area of Oklahoma City contains an arena, convention center, and numerous bars and restaurants. It also hosts the American Banjo Museum, which celebrates over 180 years of the fine instrument. You can see their collection of banjos and tour the Four-String Banjo Hall of Fame on the second floor.

Wednesday morning I stopped for a haircut at Dave’s Barber Shop in Okemah. It’s a one-chair barbershop decorated with John Deere signs, hunting and fishing signs and trophies, and occasional witticisms. Dave carried on conversations with the other customers while I was there, so I contributed little to the experience. (I did contribute some hair.)

Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning I visited sites and museums related to the Native American tribes relocated to Oklahoma. I stopped at the Creek Council House and Museum (which was closed) in Okmulgee. I visited the Five Civilized Tribes Museum in Muskogee, which recounted the removal journeys and a little more attention on the Creek tribe. Thursday I visited the Cherokee Heritage Center in Tahlequah, which hosts two re-created villages (one traditional and one 1890s). The Cherokee Heritage Center is on land that was once home to the Cherokee Female Seminary, a 19th-century institute that was years ahead of its time. I also visited the reconstruction of Fort Gibson, the US military’s main outpost in the region at the time of the Five Civilized Tribes’ arrival. It was interesting to learn more about the tribes I have read about for years.

Thursday night I attended a Northwest Arkansas Naturals game in Springdale, AR. I had doubts the game would be played, given the impending weather. The wind blew strongly throughout, but the storms held off long enough for the game to be played. The host team helped the game move quickly by forgetting to bring their bats, managing just three hits in a 5-0 loss to the visiting Corpus Christi Hooks. The Naturals have existed for five seasons in the AA Texas League, and Arvest Ballpark still seems not quite fully finished. It may be due to the location (out of town a mile or two) or the lack of development nearby. The team mascot is a Sasquatch named Strike and yes, I did mess with Sasquatch (I gave him a high-five and fist-bump).

Friday morning I visited the Pea Ridge National Military Park in northwestern Arkansas. Pea Ridge has intrigued me over the years – it was an 1862 Union victory that kept Missouri on the Union side in the Civil War. I wrapped up my eight-day trip by returning to Tulsa and flying home on Saturday.
—
An update on My 50 State Project (number of states in which I have done each):
Haircuts (36) – Dave’s Barber Shop, Okemah (pronounced o-KEEM-uh)
State Capitol (30)
Church (32) – mass at St Joseph’s Church, Hennessey
Movie (31) – The Great Gatsby at Arrowhead Mall 10, Muskogee
Barbecue (30) – Massey’s Bar-B-Que, Okmulgee, a sliced brisket sandwich and baked beans
Baseball (25,26) – the NJCAA Division II tournament in Enid, OK; and the NW Arkansas Naturals.
Community College (32) – Tulsa Community College
Complete State Sets (20, 21) – Oklahoma, Arkansas

The Oklahoma State Capitol (and oil derrick)

Strike, the Sasquatch of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, approved this picture

Haircut at a Bryan’s Barber Shop

Bryan’s Barber Shop, Greeneville, TN

As you know from previous posts, I have found unique places to get my haircut. The latest? A Bryan’s Barber Shop. Thanks to the Internet, I found a few such locations – Houghton, MI; Burlington, KY; Newcastle, OK; Wilmington, NC; and Greeneville, TN.

In my years of getting haircuts, I have looked for a barber shop with my name on it. I came across a 2011 article from the Greeneville Sun announcing the opening of Bryan’s Barber Shop near downtown. On Veterans Day weekend, I made the trip to eastern Tennessee for the haircut. The shop has just one barber chair inside, in the middle of a large room. There are about 10 or 11 chairs for waiting customers. There is a hood from a stock car with a Bud advertisement and autographs, and it hangs on the wall next to the back bar. There is an old-fashioned set of scales, with a large round face, in one corner in front of a wooden wagon wheel. No other customer was there and I was served immediately. This also limited my observations to what I could see without my glasses. Conversations included where I was from and the Andrew Johnson museums downtown (I had visited them previously). He worked very quickly and efficiently, minimizing the need for conversation. Bryan charged me $9, plus a tip for the haircut.

In addition to seeing the Andrew Johnson museums, I have seen other attractions in the area – the five Appalachian League teams, the Rocky Mount State Historic Site in Piney Flats, the Davy Crockett Birthplace in Chuckey, and the Bristol Caverns. In fact, I achieved most of my Tennessee set in eastern Tennessee – an earlier haircut in Elizabethton, a movie in Johnson City, church in Limestone, and Northeast State Community College near Blountville.
—
Two history lessons from eastern TN:
1) The State of Franklin. In 1785 a group of settlers in what is now eastern Tennessee petitioned Congress to admit the state of Franklin as the 14th state. It stretched from modern-day Boone, NC west to the Cumberland Gap and south to present-day Chattanooga. NC contested the claims and blocked statehood. The Constitution was passed a few years later, and the territory that is now Tennessee was created. The State of Franklin lives on only in regional history and as the name of a major thoroughfare in Johnson City.

2) Gov. William Blount. At the time of his stay at Rocky Mount, he was an upstanding public official. He later became one of TN’s first two US Senators in 1796. He took bribes to foment rebellion against the Spanish in New Orleans and was almost impeached by the US Senate in 1797. (He was expelled instead.) The Rocky Mount Museum presents this almost as him pursuing an alternative means of raising personal funds.

Reconstructed Capitol of the State of Franklin, downtown Greeneville, TN

Living Free (A Trip to New Hampshire)

Fall color on southbound NH 4A, somewhere between Enfield Center and Andover

I returned yesterday from a trip to New Hampshire (and other parts of New England). My approach for this trip was to base myself out of one location and take day trips to different parts of the state. The leaves were starting to turn colors when I arrived and really took off due to the cold nights while I was there.

Wednesday I flew into the airport in Manchester, New Hampshire. It has 14 gates, so it’s not the smallest airport I’ve flown into. It’s roughly the size of Tallahassee’s airport, which I used for two years. I stayed a few miles north of the airport, on the southwest edge of Manchester.

Thursday I drove down to Lowell, Massachusetts. I wanted to visit Lowell National Historic Park, which celebrates the area’s textile mill heritage. I walked around downtown, noticing the ruins remaining in the canals and visiting the Boott Cotton Mills museum. They maintain a spinning and weaving room for demonstrations. The clackety racket of the looms are enough to drive you away after a few minutes. Lowell is also the hometown of Jack Kerouac, whose words are memorialized in a commemorative park along the riverfront. I read his quotes from On the Road and from his books based on his early life in town. He wasn’t famous when he lived in Lowell; his success came overnight after On the Road was published. He was living in New York City by then.

From Lowell I returned to New Hampshire to celebrate another writer who became famous overnight and after he moved away: Robert Frost. I visited the Robert Frost State Historic Site outside Derry, where the poet lived from 1900-11. There is a mending wall along the road. And there are trails diverging in the woods at the back of the property. I couldn’t tell which one was less traveled, so I didn’t take either. The farm provided the inspiration for many of his later poems, although they were published after he had moved to England. Frost did return to New Hampshire later in life, but he lived far north of Derry that time, almost in Vermont.

Friday I drove north to Concord. On the way there I stopped in Suncook Village, specifically the Town of Pembroke. I had my haircut at A Main Street Barber Shop. It was known as Dean’s until he retired earlier this year. The two barbers changed the name but not much else. There is only one chair in the shop and it is so small that the barber can step on the toes of waiting customers as he moves around the chair. Russell kept some of his tools in a sterilizer, which looked to me like a small toaster oven. The barber shop is an institution, possibly the longest still-existing business on Main Street, in a well-preserved New Hampshire village.

The State House in Concord is visible as you drive in on Interstate 93, similar to the view you have of the capitol in West Virginia from Interstate 77. The New Hampshire State House felt rather cozy. The state Senate has 24 members, but the state House is the largest in the nation – 400 members. They meet in a chamber that resembles an auditorium. The Governor’s aides let me wander around the Reception Room as they tended to their business. Every governor had a portrait, including some of the royal governors before the Revolution. New Hampshire governors serve two-year terms and do not have term limits, so you can imagine how many there are. I ate in the basement cafeteria and then visited the Museum of New Hampshire History and the Pierce Manse in town. The Pierce Manse is the home of Franklin Pierce, our 14th President and the only one thus far from New Hampshire.

Saturday I drove east to Portsmouth. First I drove across the river to Kittery, Maine and donated a few books to the library. Then I returned to Portsmouth and visited the Strawberry Banke. The Strawberry Banke is a collection of the town’s old houses and business as they have been relocated to a park. It’s how Colonial Williamsburg would look without any Rockefeller money or support. Also in Portsmouth I crawled around the USS Albacore, an experimental submarine that has been beached and is open for tours. I could not have served on board for two reasons: I am too tall and I am too claustrophobic (a crew of 50 served in tight quarters on a 204-foot vessel).

Sunday I drove back up to Concord. I had hopes of seeing a fall baseball game, but the drizzle and rain cancelled the doubleheader. Instead I watched the first half of a soccer game between NH Technical Institute and University of Maine-Presque Isle. I will have to catch a baseball game in New Hampshire on my next trip to New England.

Monday I drove to western New Hampshire. I stopped in Hanover where I walked around the green at Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College graduates include Senator Daniel Webster and the writer of the movie Animal House (the College denied it was the inspiration for the movie). Dartmouth is less than two miles from the state line and so I crossed into Vermont. I drove to Windsor, Vermont where I had lunch at The Windsor Diner. I also visited the American Precision Museum in Windsor, which celebrates the craftsmanship and machines used to craft tools and weapons, mainly around the time of the Civil War.

From Windsor I drove back to Manchester on the backroads, traveling on NH State Route 4A and NH 11. Many of the leaves had changed, with beautiful color all the way to Andover. Farther south and east the colors were not as widespread. I took a few pictures when I could – I was busy watching the road and for the moose that were periodically rumored to be crossing. I didn’t see any, unfortunately. Tuesday I flew home.

Other findings from the trip:

1) Seafood dinners are easy to find, and cheap and good. I ate at the Clam Haven, a Clamtastic roadside restaurant in Derry; had lobster in Bedford; and at Tinker’s Seafood in Manchester.

2) I was accused of having an accent twice – once in Windsor, VT and once in Concord. I don’t think I have one, but everyone else around me seemed to.

3) There are a plethora of educational institutions in New England. In addition to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and Dartmouth, I visited three community colleges and Southern NH University in Manchester.

My 50 State Scorecard (and number of States in which I have done each):

– States Visited (41, 42, 43): New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont
– Haircut (35): A Main Street Barber Shop, Pembroke, NH
– State Capitol (29): New Hampshire
– Church (30): mass, St Joseph Church, Epping, NH
– Movie (30): Trouble with the Curve, Cinemagic, Merrimack, NH
– Barbecue (29): KC Rib Shack Bar B Cue, Manchester, NH
– Community College (30, 31): Middlesex Community College, Lowell, MA; Nashua Community College, Nashua, NH

Clam strips at Tinker’s Seafood, Manchester

Strawberry Banke, Portsmouth, NH

Pueblos, Tube Alloys, and Green Chile

Heading up to Los Alamos

(My adventures in New Mexico May 2012)

I flew into Albuquerque Saturday afternoon, a day that the city was experiencing gusts up to 50 mph from the SSW. Also the direction of the biggest forest fire in New Mexico history in the Gila Wilderness. The smoke was bad, but not as bad as elsewhere. The state is abnormally dry right now (only about 5% humidity while I was there). Saturday I ate barbecue at Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q. I couldn’t find the “Country Store” part, but did find Texas-style barbecue along the lines of Smitty’s in Lockhart, TX from a couple years ago. A half-pound of brisket moist, potato salad, and coleslaw.

Sunday I drove east up to Tijeras, where I walked around the archaelogical site of the Tijeras Pueblo. Then I went to mass at Holy Child Parish. Some of the songs alternated between languages. Most of the audience didn’t miss a beat, as many were bilingual. From Tijeras I drove back to Albuquerque, where I visited the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, a recounting of the building of the atomic bomb (or “tube alloys” as the British referred to them in WWII research).

Sunday night and Monday afternoon I attended home games of the Albuquerque Isotopes. (Yes, it’s named after The Simpsons’ episode.) They beat the Oklahoma City Redhawks 11-9 both games. The games are high-scoring in part because of the altitude (the ball did seem to carry further) and in part because the Isotopes bullpen struggles to hold a lead. The Isotopes are Triple-A affiliates of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and one of their stars was rehabbing last weekend. He hit about three home runs in all. The fans loved him.

Monday was a walk around Old Town Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico. (Go Lobos!) Then the Isotopes game. I was going to visit a few museums but they were closed for Memorial Day.

Tuesday I visited the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, where it was mentioned that the Pueblos overthrew the Spanish in 1680. (This fact came up at every museum I visited.) I stopped in Bernalillo and had my haircut at Lilo’s Barber Shop by Gabriel. I then drove past Santa Fe to the Pecos National Historic Park. I walked around the ruins of the eastern-most pueblo and the gargantuan mission church built nearby. Picture a grand cathedral today, only made out of adobe by hand in the 17th century. That’s how big it was.

Wednesday was my day around Santa Fe. I visited the State Capitol (built to resemble a sun dial) and therefore without the requisite dome. I visited the San Miguel Mission (the oldest church in the US) and the Loretto Chapel (home of the Miraculous Staircase). If you don’t know the story of the Miraculous Staircase, the sisters of Loretto Chapel had a choir loft, but no way to reach it. They had no carpenter, so they prayed to St. Joseph (their patron saint). A carpenter mysteriously showed up one day, built a spiral staircase (without rails), and then left before the Sisters could pay him. They believe he was an angel.

The Palace of the Governors and Plaza are dotted with Native American artists and craftsmen selling their wares. The front porch is reserved for them. The Palace itself is part of the NM Museum of History and is well-maintained. I also visited the Bataan Military Museum maintained by the NM National Guard, in honor of the NM soldiers who died on the Bataan Death March. (Grandpa mentioned his Uncle died on that March.)

Wednesday night was my culinary adventure. I had tried green chile at the Isotopes (they put it on a hot dog like onions and call it a New Mexico Dog) and on a cheeseburger at Twisters in Bernalillo. Both were easy to handle, with only mild spice. So, at Tortilla Flats (yes, I thought of John Steinbeck), I ordered a beef brisket burrito smothered with green chile and two cheeses. Tortilla Flats did not hold back on the green chile and it was hotter than most things I’ve ever eaten. But it was good.

Thursday I drove up to Los Alamos (Where Great Discoveries are Made!). When I say up, I’m referring to the last ten miles into town, uphill the whole way. Santa Fe and Albuquerque are in a valley, but Los Alamos is up on top of the mesa. I visited the Bradbury Science Museum to learn more about the Manhattan Project, then visited the Los Alamos County Historical Museum to learn how the atomic bomb built the town. The original buildings were built in a hurry and have long since been torn down. So much of the downtown is built where the original work was done. Afterwards I drove back to Albuquerque, where I flew out Friday morning.

My 50 State Scorecard (and number of States where I have done each):
States Visited (40)
Haircut (34): Lilo’s Barber Shop, Bernalillo
State Capitol (28)
Church (28): Holy Child Parish, Tijeras
Movie (29): The Avengers, Santa Fe Place Regal 14
Barbecue (28): Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q, Albuquerque
Baseball (23): Albuquerque Isotopes
Community College (29): Central New Mexico CC, Albuquerque
Complete State Sets (17): New Mexico

The Center of the Universe is just outside the University of New Mexico’s Carlisle Gym

Inside a reconstructed kiva at Pecos National Historic Park

Haircut in a Bar

The Kilted Buffalo Pub and Barbershop in Huntersville, NC

So this guy walks into a bar…and comes out with less hair!

The Kilted Buffalo bills itself as “Contemporary Men’s Grooming and Classic Watering Hole,” and is located in the Birkdale Village shopping area in Huntersville near Lake Norman. The Kilted Buffalo was opened in 2010 by a Marshall University graduate, who named it in honor of his ethnic Scottish ancestry and his college mascot. The barber shop is located in the bar, but is walled off behind a false wall that is about half the building’s height. As a result, you can hear the sounds of the TVs (I counted six scattered throughout the establishment). The barber shop has three barber stations, with a couch and matching easy chair for three customers to wait. Or the customer can sit out at the bar, one of the many bar stools, or play arcade games. I played a couple games of skee ball, despite it being built for someone half my size and a third my age. While waiting, I also took note of the souvenir merchandise and the hair products for sale in a rack next to the couch. When my turn came, Danielle cut my hair. The conversations included the ACC basketball tournament going on and Danielle insisting that she once had a good driver’s license photo. The conversation mingled with other conversations and the sounds from the six TVs to create a cacophony of noise. I paid $23 for the “Premier Haircut Experience.”

I count this as my Official Bar Haircut, a challenge posed to me by my brother. I found The Kilted Buffalo on the Internet (www.thekiltedbuffalo.com) and had a friend check it out for me ahead of time. For men wanting to grab a drink, watch the game, and get a haircut, this would be a great place to visit (particularly while their lady friends shopped at the plethora of commercial options nearby).

The barber shop area inside the Kilted Buffalo

The menu of hair care options

Snip Snip Give – My Haircut for Charity

Another unique idea for a haircut I have had is to get my hair cut for charity. Here is how I did just that.

For five years now the hair salon Blo has held a 24-hour cut-a-thon (“Snip Snip Give”) to benefit a local charity. After reading about their 2011 event, I made plans to participate in their event this year. The chosen charity in 2012 is SAFEchild, fighting child abuse in Wake County. For a $40 donation to SAFEchild, individuals could set up an appointment for any of the salon’s services from 8AM on Sunday through 8AM Monday. I set up my appointment for 1:45PM Sunday. Blo is a large salon with a modern look to it. The reception area has a check-in desk similar to those at hotels. Waiting customers can sit at any of the eleven chairs scattered around or they could sit at the table with another six rolling chairs. The table held Jimmy Johns sandwiches and McDonalds apple pies donated for the cause. There are three sets of shelves (each set has four shelves) filled with all manner of hair products for sale (including towels and combs), and a large display for hair coloring. The only reading materials available were a couple of books of hair styles and hair colors. The place was generally a hive of activity, given the charity event. There was a designated photographer/camera man who took my picture while I was getting my haircut. There are several sections to the salon – chairs for about a dozen customers, four shampoo/rinse stations, and a section in the back that I am assuming was for hair coloring. (I did not venture back there.) Jennifer cut the hair in back, then took me for a shampoo, then back to cut my hair while wet. After most of the hair was cut, she rinsed it and then did a few touch-ups. After all was done, my hair looked great. Throughout we talked about travels in North Carolina, how the Cut-a-Thon was structured, and what training was offered through the job. The Cut-a-Thon runs for 24 hours, with the stylists taking different shifts. There were cosmetology students helping clean up around the chairs, although the hours did not count towards their licensing requirements.

In addition to counting as my Official Charity Haircut, it is the first time I have had my hair shampooed and rinsed as part of the process. Since Blo is the first modern hair salon I have patronized, the entire set-up was new to me. Since I do not use hair products and do not color my hair, I could not identify any of the products for sale. $40 is the most I have paid for a haircut, but all proceeds went to a worthy cause.

The salon, located in the Brier Creek Commons shopping center

Haircut on a Military Base

The Post Exchange Barber Shop, Fort Bragg

After getting a haircut at a truck stop and on a college campus earlier this year, I have now had my haircut on a military base. I visited the 82nd Airborne War Memorial Museum and the Special Forces museum at Fort Bragg on Veteran’s Day 2011. Afterwards I visited one of the barber shops located on the base. Here are my thoughts on the experience.

The barber shop at the Mini-Mall on Reilly Road looks like many chain barber salons located in shopping centers all over the country. What makes it unique is its presence on Fort Bragg, an active military base west of Fayetteville in Cumberland County. The shop contains at least 10 barber chairs and stations, with the middle of the shop holding two rows of seats (similar to seating in airport terminals) that can hold about 20 waiting customers. There are a few other chairs along the wall as well, and I would guess that about 35 can sit comfortably at any given time. On Veteran’s Day 2011, there were five barbers (including at least two women) working and only about five customers. I was seated immediately and served by Dana. I had approached the haircut with some fear that only one style would be available, but Dana cut off only the half-inch I requested. He was very efficient and thus our conversations were minimal. I paid the military price plus a tip, bringing my total to $8. Being on a military base was interesting, as I saw a mixture of veterans, off-duty and on-duty active military at the base’s two main museums and the post exchange.

Boots, Bulls, and Baseball

Wyoming State Fair Bull Riding

(My trip to Wyoming in August 2011)

Wednesday morning I flew to Cheyenne via Dallas-Fort Worth. The Cheyenne airport is a simple affair. No actual gates. Just walk off the tarmac. It was built in 1960 and looks the part. (It does have a barber shop and three rental car counters.) The smallest airport I have visited. No intercom (the security guy talks loudly) and no flight status board. Who really needs either?

Wednesday afternoon I drove around Cheyenne. I caught a matinee at the local dollar theatre (where my drink cost more than my ticket) and visited Laramie County Community College during registration week. Wednesday night I ate at T-Joe’s Steakhouse and Saloon on the extreme eastern edge of Cheyenne. The steak may have been raised on the nearby Hereford Ranch just south of Interstate 80.

Thursday morning Brother #3 joined me in Cheyenne. We went to the State Capitol, the most accessible capital I have visited recently. While we were in the Senate gallery a friendly state employee let us into the interior of the dome. It’s only the second time I have ever had that opportunity. (Minnesota is the other.) I thought about counting the omnipresent cowboy logos, but the sheer volume is overwhelming. There are at least three memorials to former governor Clifford Hansen, who died in 2009 at age 97. His grandson is the current governor.

After the state capitol, it was north into the interior. 59 percent of Wyoming’s landmass is high plains prairie and we drove through a respectable amount of it. We stopped to visit the Jackalope in Douglas, ate in Glenrock, and ended up in Casper.

Thursday night we attended a Casper Ghosts game at lovely Mike Lansing Field. It was the only game we saw, as Saturday’s was cancelled due to poor field conditions. Thursday night’s game was against the Great Falls Voyageurs. Three Great Falls pitchers combined to no-hit Casper – the starter went six perfect innings and two relievers finished the 4-0 victory. Only three Casper baserunners reached all game – a walk in the seventh, a fielding error in the eighth, and a dropped third strike in the ninth. It’s the second no-hitter I’ve witnessed, and Brother #3 was with me for the first one as well. (In case you are wondering, the team mascot is a purple platypus named Hobart and not the lovable childhood movie character.)

Friday morning brought a haircut at Glenrock Barber Shop in the lovely town of the same name (pop. 2,231). Jerry Miller operates the one-chair shop and had at least two unique customers that day. The Glenrock Barber Shop is the epitome of the small-town barber shops I like to patronize. He promotes local business and industries on the walls of his shop. Glenrock also has the Paleon Museum, where they are extracting and displaying dinosaur fossils.

Friday afternoon and evening was the Wyoming State Fair and Rodeo. The State Fair is the smallest I’ve attended, but it is about the right size for a state of less than a half-million residents. The Rodeo was a spectacular and authentic experience. All events were held – bull riding, barrel racing, bronc riding, tie-down and team roping, and my new favorite, steer wrestling. In steer wrestling a mounted cowboy starts from the gate the same time as the steer. He then leaps off his horse onto the back of steer and has to twist it to the ground. His score is the time it takes him to do it. Never mind that the steer outweighs him by several hundred pounds and has sharp horns. I also enjoyed the hat toss, where free cowboy hats were tossed into the grandstand. Next time I’ll sit closer. This wasn’t my first rodeo, but it was the first I had seen outdoors and with a full complement of events.

Saturday I visited the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, located near the last pioneer trail crossing of the North Platte River. I also visited the Fort Caspar Museum, a restored Civil War-era trading post on the edge of town. In spite of its roles in overland trails and the Pony Express, the area has survived economically on oil and mineral mining. The Union Pacific chose to build further south along the coal fields.

Sunday was the drive back from Casper. We stopped for church in Wheatland and to tour the University of Wyoming in Laramie (where it was move-in weekend). Brother #3 and I parted ways in Fort Collins, Colorado. Monday I visited the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne and then flew home.

My 50 State Scorecard (number of states where I have done each):
States Visited (39) – Wyoming
Haircut (33) – Glenrock Barber Shop
State Capitol (26)
Church (26) – Wheatland United Methodist
Movie (28) – Cars 2, Lincoln Saver Theatre, Cheyenne
Barbecue (27) – Boots BBQ, Casper (it’s doggone good)
Baseball (22) – Casper Ghosts (Pioneer League, rookie-level)
Community College (26, 27) – Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne; Front Range CC, Fort Collins
Local Museum – Paleon Museum, Glenrock
Complete State Sets (16) – Wyoming

Other findings –
1) Casper and Fort Collins, Colorado are named for members of the same family. Colonel Collins left the Ohio Senate and raised a regiment to fight in the Civil War. He was stationed in the Colorado Territory and commanded a fort that bore his name. His son Caspar followed along and, as a young lieutenant, was killed by attacking Indian warriors. His commanding officer chose to name the new fort in Wyoming after him but misspelled his name on the orders he sent to Washington.

2) A note about no-hitters – I have seen two no-hitters pitched in the 225 baseball games I have watched since fall 2000. That makes an average of about one every 112 games. (The first was thrown by Gib Hobson of NC State in March 2005.) At my attendance pace, I’ll see another sometime around Opening Day 2015. This is statisically incredible, as many fans never see a no-hitter, let alone two. Even more incredibly, I have watched eight games with Brother #3 and two of them have been no-hitters (a 25 percent rate). That is statistically impossible. But to be on the safe side, I think Brother #3 and I need to make plans to attend a few more games together.

3) Jackalopes do exist. I saw two of them in Douglas. One is in downtown and the other is at the Chamber of Commerce.

Jackalope

Not Heaven. Just Iowa

The view from third base at the Field of Dreams, Dyersville, IA

(The title courtesy of Ray and John Kinsella, in my favorite movie Field of Dreams)

My trip to Iowa started last Wednesday when I caught an early morning flight through Atlanta to the Moline Quad Cities Airport. From there I drove to downtown Moline, IL and visited the John Deere Pavilion and Store. There are several large pieces of equipment and displays on how John Deere has shaped the lives of American farmers over the years.

Wednesday afternoon I visited the World’s Largest Truck Stop, also known as the Iowa 80 Truck Stop, in Walcott, Iowa. What qualifies it as the World’s Largest Truck Stop? Here are just some amenities it offers – convenience store, curiousity shop, a full-service restaurant AND a food court, a custom truck detailing shop, a Super Truck Showroom (which includes two trucks inside the building), a large selection of DVDs, and a game room. On the third floor are the trucker services, which include showers, laundry, a TV lounge, a movie theater, a library, a barber, and a dentist. Located in nearby buildings are the Truck Wash and the Pet Wash (I was confused as to whether this was the same facility); the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum; and what appears to be a small hotel. The Iowa 80 Trucking Museum’s prime attraction was the “modern trucking video” from 1949 that showed the trucking industry pre-Interstate and pre-computers. A very enjoyable period piece: “Watch the friendly trucker stop and help a motorist along a deserted two-lane road. What fine moral character!” From the fine selection of the World’s Largest Truck Stop merchandise, I bought a tin of breath mints and a magnet. Learn more about the World’s Largest Truck Stop here: http://iowa80truckstop.com/

Thursday I drove out to Des Moines. I stopped in Iowa City and visited the Old Capitol Museum, located on the University of Iowa campus. I walked around campus and visited the bookstore. Two more hours of driving west put me in Van Meter, Iowa, hometown of the late great Bob Feller (whose fastball was once known as “The Heater from Van Meter”). I went through the little museum there, which includes paraphenalia describing all parts of Feller’s life. I felt enlightened after reading Bob Feller’s autobiography, Now Pitching.

Friday I walked around the State Capitol in Des Moines. It has a dearth of statuary and celebrations of famous Iowans, but two statues of Abraham Lincoln. There is a display celebrating the current Governor and his accomplishments throughout life, something I had not seen in any other capitol. From Des Moines, I headed east again. I stopped in the Amana Colonies and watched the intro film. The fine settlers of Amana were part of a particular religious congregation that lived communally from 1855-1932. The main street has antique stores, restaurants, and other shops.

Friday afternoon I stopped in Solon for the Official Iowa Haircut. The Solon Barber Shop once also included a laundromat, but that closed sometime in the last year. The barber shop is a one-chair affair. The windows were opened to the street and I could hear the traffic and passers-by, which included a party bus sponsored by the bar next door. Lisa cut my hair as I instructed her to compensate for my previous, too-short cut. The price for the haircut was $11.50, rather than whole dollars, the first place I had experienced that in the last 10 years.

Friday night I watched the Cedar Rapids Kernels beat the Peoria Chiefs, 2-0. Saturday night I watched the Kernels beat the Chiefs, 6-5 on a walk-off home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth. Unfortunately they were the only two games I saw all week, as my Wednesday night and Sunday afternoon games were rained out (in Davenport and Clinton, respectively).

Saturday I visited the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, which was flooded in 2008 by a 32′ crest of the Cedar River (1993 was only 19′). I also visited the National Farm Toy Museum in Dyersville (which is where the Ertl Company is based). But the highlight Saturday was my visit to the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville. They have put up a sign on the fence in front of the house, but the field has not been maintained as well since I was there in 2002. I walked around the field, taking pictures. I even took a little batting practice, the first time I had swung a bat in 20 years. I took some pitches courtesy of a group of guys on a baseball trip of their own. I didn’t hit the ball out of the infield. I was amazed at all the fans present. Many wore apparel celebrating their teams – Red Sox, Twins, Philllies, Cardinals; but also the University of Minnesota, the Indianapolis Indians, and me with my Durham Bulls jacket. A spontaneous game broke out while I was there. I imagine it was just as Terence Mann envisioned it would be.

Sunday I attended church at the First Federated Church of Lisbon, Iowa. Severe storms had moved through the Cedar Rapids area just ahead of me and knocked out power to the church in Lisbon. For the first portion of the service, we were in darkness. Not to be confused with the Biblical Evangelical church’s pastoral sermon on several verses in Revelation. There were 26 others there, several of whom greeted me. Because the storms flooded the warning track and concourse in Clinton Sunday, I drove around town and then headed back to the Quad Cities. Monday morning I visited the Buffalo Bill Museum in LeClaire before flying home. The Buffalo Bill Museum celebrates town native Buffalo Bill Cody, who was born there shortly after the town’s founding.

My 50 State Scorecard after my adventures in Iowa (and number of states in which I have now done those activities):
Haircut (32): Solon Barber Shop, Solon
State Capitol (25)
Church (25): First Federated Church, Lisbon
Movie (27): Fast Five, Jordan Creek 20, West Des Moines
Barbecue (26): Bandana’s Bar-B-Q, Coralville
Baseball (21): Cedar Rapids Kernels, Class A Midwest League
Community College (25): Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids
Local Museum: Bob Feller Museum, Van Meter
Complete State Sets (15)

Other findings –
1) File this under Good Idea/Bad Idea. Good Idea: The Cedar Rapids Kernels celebrated Star Wars Night on Friday by selling toy light sabers in the gift shop. $5 each, your choice of red, blue, or green. I think they sold about 500. Bad Idea: Do you think those 500 kids waited patiently until they got home to start playing with them? There’s a grassy berm down the third-base line at Veterans Memorial Stadium. There, sword battles broke out in the top of the second inning and continued throughout the game. Not to mention the kids wandering around the concourse or banging the seats around them.

2) Interstate 80 across Iowa is straight and uneventful. As the clerk in Davenport instructed me, “Put on your cruise control and you’ll be there in 3 hours.” However, it is thrilling compared to US 30, which has portions which do not appear to have been resurfaced any time recently (cue washboard effect).

The World's Largest Truck Stop, Walcott, Iowa