Billboard Twist

Messages on the side of the road have ranged from the historical humor of Burma-Shave, to modern safety warnings to Buckle-Up, Don't Text and Drive and Hands-Free Phone Use Only in Construction Zones.  There has even been spiritual guidance drawing on scripture to be attentive and show kindness to others on their journey.

Nowadays a trip on any stretch of Highway 29 is dominated by a couple of personal injury lawyers.  You know who. 

On the trip home from a South Dakota pheasant hunting trip there was this breath of fresh air....

State Highway 29 just east of Thorp; That's between the Wisconsin cities of Chippewa Falls and Wausau.

Happy Motoring.... 

BDA

Saturday evening President Trump claimed that United States strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had been completely and totally obliterated.   

Bomb damage assessment (BDA) is the process of assessing damage inflicted on a target following aerial bombing or following a strike from a stand-off weapon; this continues.

Clearly the sites Iran had been using to produce highly enriched uranium have been seriously damaged as a consequence of US bombing.  The question on everyone's minds is whether Tehran's program had been decapitated or simply pushed into smaller, secretive scattered facilities.  In the run up to the latest hostilities it was assumed that most, if not all, of Iran's cache of 60% enriched uranium was stashed at the bombed locations.    

There are plenty of analysts who believe Iran moved much of its enriched uranium—especially its 408 kg (~900 lb) stockpile enriched up to 60%—to undisclosed or underground locations before the strikes on Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. 

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access is now severely restricted following the strikes.  Inspectors have no immediate access to key sites and the IAEA is presently unable to conduct comprehensive assessments to confirm damage to centrifuges and other production technology, confirm damage to actual uranium, or if it has been removed. 

The strikes appear to have slowed Iran’s nuclear program temporarily, but not destroyed it. Iran likely relocated both enriched uranium and centrifuge assets beforehand. Without full IAEA access, the true scope of Iran’s enriched stockpile and hidden capabilities remains unclear. Analysts estimate Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for 6–10 bombs within weeks given its current enriched stock and capacity.  Considering that Iran has patiently proclaimed Death To America for fifty years; proliferation risks persist.

I could be wrong, but without further information, verification and diplomacy I'm unconvinced President Trump has made your and my world a safer place.  And, jessus, this second rodeo has so many bright shiny objects it's enough to make the heads of us great unwashed spin faster than an enrichment centrifuge.  

Note: In the early-mid 1990s The Missus and I were on a western road trip and found ourselves slightly lost while looking for Knob Noster State Park. Stumbling-upon the guard gate to Whiteman Air Force Base we asked for directions, got turned around and set straight for the campground. I actually spotted a B-2 Spirit bomber on that drive to the state park.  Low on the horizon it was possible the aircraft was making an approach for landing.  Distinctive in that it could be seen in thin profile during a turn; vanishing from sight on the level.  It is still amazing to me these messengers of death and destruction can depart from a sleepy Missouri location, travel to the other side of the world, wreak havoc and return home in the space of a four shift workday.  

Photo Credit - Air and Space Forces Magazine

 

Original Sack Lunch

The Deerfield (Michigan) Testicle Festival is a fundraiser for American Legion Post 392 that’s been held every March for over two decades, started by some folks with a great sense of humor. 

They buy hundreds of pounds of Rocky Mountain Oysters—deep-fried bull testicles—every year, a few volunteers cook them up a day or two before the event, and they serve them on a first-come-first-serve basis. 

Learn more about this road trip destination here. 

You'll Get A Charge Out Of This

Last year Ford Motor added the Tesla network of Super Chargers to their existing charging network.  As an EV owner this is pretty cool as it expands significantly the chargers available thru Ford's Blue Oval charging network.

On back order since last autumn this showed-up on the porch last week.

A free adapter so I can hook-up to a Tesla fast charger while traveling.

Since I already use a Level Two Tesla Universal Charging Station at home this is an easy-peasy adaptation (pun intended).....

And So It Begins

The calm before the storm.....

 

Blue Lightning

Last weekend I took my Mach-E Mustang on a short road trip to deliberately and impose by force some range anxiety on myself.  

I was seeking confidence in my battery and the vehicle's technology in response.

On the return leg, and before reaching Green Bay, at 30% battery remaining the software began messaging me the closest DC charging station.  Yes, it becomes more shrill as you further deplete your battery and ignore the vehicle entreaties to pull off at a convenient location to add some kilowatts.  The car will "nudge" you by purposefully disengaging the autopilot (Ford Blue Cruise) and the disembodied voice will strongly suggest the driver redirect the route.

The thing of it is, is that I knew exactly how many miles to get home and my Tesla Level Two Universal Charger.  And I had very high confidence in the the instrument readout on remaining battery life and range.

I left home with a 92% charge and returned home with 17% battery and 31 miles of range to spare.  Plenty to have gotten me to Sturgeon Bay and a fast charger if I wanted to.

Most of the trip utilized some form of hands-free driving (I still keep one hand on the wheel anyway) and I got to fill the cabin with really loud rock n' roll music from the Mustang's 10 speaker Bang & Olufsen entertainment system.

And I fetched five boxes of delicious venison sausage goodness too.

Our Stang is a Premium version (Standard, Premium and GT).  The Premium line gets you and extended range battery (optimally 300 miles give or take) and AWD.  Four electric motors is rated at 346 HP and 429 LB-FT of torque.

0-60 in less than 4.8 seconds.

Hubba Hubba...

 

What's-Up With The Price At The Pump?

Greetings!

I bring you glad tidings of supply-demand economics and an admonition to steer clear of magical, wishful thinking and disinformation found in the Face Book cesspool of lazy economic thought.  

Consider the cost of a gallon of petrol nowadays – $4.64 at the Shell station in Sturgeon Bay yesterday.  That's come down a bit lately, yet remains almost a couple of bucks higher than what it was a year ago.  Filling your tank is even costlier in some parts of the country (be grateful you do not live in LA County).  

On Face Book it is frequently implied that our presidents establish the price of gasoline. I wonder - is there a big switch in the White House basement bunker that POTUS flips to peg the price at the pump?  We all know that isn't true.  Here at least.  

It was true in a place we call Venezuela.  This country happens to be a major oil-producing nation and the government subsidized the price of gasoline (and a lot of other things) to curry favor with the populace.  But I think we all know how that socialist worker paradise turned-out.  Sadly, a nation awash in oil and the entire shebang collapsed.  The lesson is to be careful what you ask for.  But I digress.

I understand that economics is sometimes hard to wrap your mind-around.  Back when I had a day job as a wealth manager and trusted financial advisor I made a very good living making complicated economic and financial subject matter understandable for the average person.  Here’s a simple explanation to keep the facts straight.  

There are only a handful of contributors to the price of a gallon of gasoline – with the largest contributor being crude-oil prices. Presently at 60% - the largest driver of the cost of a gallon of gasoline is the price of crude oil.  This is compared to 25% in April of 2020.  My recollection is that this was when the pandemic crushed the cost of crude as demand fell along with that of other goods and commodities.   

 

Other contributors to the cost of a gallon of gasoline include (in this order) refining, state and federal taxes and distribution and marketing. 

Crude oil is a dollar-denominated commodity that trades on the global market.  The price of crude is considerably higher today than a year ago and higher still than two years ago. So, if you’re pining for the days of yore when gas was really cheap you need to consider your willingness to revisit a period of Covid restrictions, lock downs, a global collapse of travel, tens of millions of unemployed and a tanking economy that contributed to the collapse of crude oil prices. My recollection of that hot mess is still quite fresh and I want nothing to do with it.

 

Complicating matters is the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  On their own, wars generally rattle commodity markets.  As a major oil producer the economic sanctions placed on Russia have further sent more than a few shock waves thru the energy markets.

 

Finally, the OPEC+ nations have deliberately kept their production levels at, or close to, the levels negotiated by the Trump Administration  a couple of years ago.  This was done to rescue our own domestic oil producers staggered by the drop in oil prices.  If OPEC increased production (supply) prices would likely drop.  The Biden Administration is going to pay a call on the Saudis to see if hearts and minds might change on the matter of increased production.  Good luck with that.  If I was a member of an exceedingly profitable cartel I'd be disinclined.  Time will tell.

 

Enough said about the cost of crude.      

 

The second contributor to the recent rise in gasoline prices is growing demand as workers have returned to the office, resumed daily commutes and a weary population embraces a post-Covid world and is traveling.  We embarked-upon a marathon road trip in April and while I didn't particularly care for the high price of gasoline the Missus and I really didn't give a rat's ass.  We had places to go and people to see.  We also caught Covid - but I digress, again.

 

Just this past Friday I had to go to town to run an errand and I was witness to an extended wait to cross the four lane highway.  The northbound traffic was a solid and seemingly endless parade of campers, trailers, boats, kayaks, car-top carriers, bike racks and travelers sporting out-of-town vehicle tags. While some of you readers may have grumbled over the wait; I saw room taxes, vacation spending, restaurant meals and winery visits.  All of it principally fueled by an increased demand for gasoline.  Don't take my word for it though tourism trade on the peninsula continues to set new records for visitor taxes.

 

If you were to talk to the people over at AAA they would tell you that the post-Covid pent-up demand of American motorists continues to set record highs.  And with no slack in fuel consumption (get ready for this) demand is going to keep gasoline prices elevated.  

 

The question of the day is this: Have you curtailed your vehicular use as a consequence of the price at the pump?  I haven't.  And most of my contemporaries haven't either.  Welcome to the demand side of the economic equation.

 

The third (and smallest) contributor to rising prices is another of those nagging supply-chain issues.  Gasoline inventories are ample at the present moment - although refinery capacity struggles from time-to-time.  

 

Addressing one last bit of FB chicanery is that the price at the pump has nothing to do with canceling the permits for the Keystone XL pipeline.  The second Keystone pipeline. That project was conceived by a Canadian company to move low-grade tar sand crude to the gulf coast for export overseas.  And after more than a decade of controversy wasn't even slated for completion until sometime late in 2023.  As a general rule gasoline is not refined from tar sands due to the extraordinary costs.  Besides, the first Keystone pipeline has delivered over 3.3 billion barrels of crude oil since 2010.  It was never shut-down and continues to meet domestic and global energy needs.  To be clear, Biden energy policy might have a long term impact on energy prices.  Presidents can, and do, impact energy costs over the long term by means of policy.  Biden hasn't done much of anything anyway and when the GOP regains control of congress he's stuck.  For the present, current pricing is impacted principally by the global market price of crude and strong consumer demand. 

One final thought. There is a silver lining here if you look for it. Plenty of our countrymen work in the oil patch. A couple of years ago petroleum engineers and refinery workers were being furloughed in record numbers. Today domestic producers have recovered and are humming-along trying to keep-up with demand. That’s a good thing and a contributor to a healthy economy.  And for us retirees who belong to the investor class - energy and related shares are rocking the nest egg.

I don't want to minimize the reality that energy executives are loath to increase production (supply) while they are reaping record profits.  Their duty is to shareholders and employees first.  Markets drive pricing.  That's how business works in a capitalist economy. 

Raising a toast to the 2022 road trip wherever it may take you.

 

Bonus:

 

The Ukraine War, a New Flashpoint and the End of Europe's Energy Innocence

 

Civil Rights Museum - Part 2

As a follow-up to Monday's post here's a sampling of some of the historic content curated at the Nation Civil Rights Museum located in Memphis, Tennessee.  

The museum complex is situated in downtown Memphis and is associated with the South Main Arts District.  The site includes the Lorraine Motel and the buildings across the way on 422 Main Street.  On Main Street is the rooming house from which James Earl Ray stalked and later assassinated Martin Luther King.     

All the properties, with the exception of the motel, are owned by the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation.  The State of Tennessee owns the motel.

The museum houses a vast collection of interactive media, exhibits, oral and written histories and artifacts.  Visitors follow a self-guided experience through five centuries of history spanning the slave trade, racial segregation under Jim Crow, the civil rights movement to modern time.  In 2016 it became a Smithsonian Affiliate. 

I haven't thought about this much since I ceased traveling to Providence, RI on business. The rum trade became The Golden Triangle between New England, the West Indies, and the African Gold Coast that maintained the prosperity of the northern colonies throughout the eighteenth century.  In this triangular trade, molasses was sent to New England, rum to Africa, and slaves to the West Indies. 

One enslaved worked was expected to produce 200 pounds of sugar a year, yielding up to 110+ gallons of molasses eventually distilled into 73.5 gallons of rum.  Simple economics.

City bus...

Actual school song, Central High School Little Rock, Arkansas...

View from the balcony where Martin Luther King was shot in the direction of the rooming house from which James Earl Ray shot King...

Building and bathroom (open window on the right) from where the killing shot originated...

The museum collection includes the weapon, bullet and autopsy report too.  Anything tagged "green" is original....

Nothing in this museum is white washed (pun intended).  The grim and stark truths on display are in your face.  And while some of my acquaintances would casually dismiss this is "woke culture" it's actually history.  And sometimes history can be uncomfortable.....

Civil Rights Museum - Part 1

I'm a museum person.  Maybe even a museum geek.  With the proper content curation I can get lost in a gallery or museum for an entire day.  Sometimes two.  But I digress.

The next time you undertake a road trip to Tennessee or find yourself in Memphis be sure to pay a call at the National Civil Rights Museum.  Convenient to the city center historic and entertainment district you can easily walk to it.  It's large and content-rich so allow about a half-day.  On your walk back to your hotel be sure to catch some live music, BBQ and adult beverages.

The site includes the Lorraine Motel - where Martin Luther King was assassinated and two adjacent buildings that are associated with his death.

The oldest part of the complex of buildings was originally the sixteen room Windsor Motel constructed around 1925.  In 1945 Walter Bailey purchased it and named it after his wife Loree and the song Sweet Lorraine.  Bailey operated the hotel for black travelers during the segregation era.  Published from 1936 thru 1967 the Negro Motorist Green Book was the go-to resource for African-American travelers.  The Lorraine was a popular destination.

With time, the Baileys expanded the business adding a second floor, a swimming pool and drive-up access for additional rooms.  Eventually substituting motel for hotel in the name. 

Speaking of the 1960s, as upscale lodging catering to a black clientele, visitors included names such as Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Louis Armstrong, Wilson Pickett, the Staple Singers and many more.  Close proximity to Beale Street and Stax Records made this a destination spot for black performing artists visiting Memphis.

History records its most famous guest as Martin Luther King.

King had lodged at The Lorraine multiple times when in Memphis.  In the spring of 1968 he had returned with other civil rights activists to support striking sanitation workers.  On April 4 he stepped out of room 306 to speak with associates in the parking lot below.  As King began to return to his room he was struck by a single bullet and killed.  When she heard the gunshot Loree Bailey suffered a stroke later dying on April 9th, the same day as King's funeral.

 

With the passage of time the neighborhood deteriorated and the Lorraine Motel became a destination for the prostitution trade.  

Walter Bailey declared bankruptcy in 1982 and while under ordinary circumstances the real estate would have been sold at auction a non-profit acquired it with the intent to turn it into a museum.

Following multiple fits and starts, negotiations, renegotiations and governance disputes the museum stands at 450 Mulberry Street.  The museum complex is situated in downtown Memphis and is associated with the South Main Arts District.  The site includes the Lorraine Motel and the buildings across the way on 422 Main Street.  On Main Street is the rooming house from which James Earl Ray stalked and shot King.     

All the properties, with the exception of the motel, are owned by the Lorraine Civil Rights Museum Foundation.  The State of Tennessee owns the motel.

The museum houses a vast collection of interactive media, exhibits, oral and written histories and artifacts.  Visitors follow a self-guided experience through five centuries of history spanning the slave trade, racial segregation under Jim Crow, the civil rights movement to modern time.  In 2016 it became a Smithsonian Affiliate. 

George Bailey died in 1988.  The neighborhood is revitalized and to a degree gentrified.  Nowadays, the Lorraine welcomes more guests than ever before.

 

Beale Street

Beale Street is situated in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee which dates to 1900.  It stretches from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately 1.8 miles. It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in music history - Blues in particular.  

The first significant stop on our recent road trip was Memphis Tennessee and Jill had reserved a room at a hotel located in downtown Memphis a block (and walking distance) from Beale Street.  Two nights and a full day.

It is roughly three blocks and 27 acres of nightclubs, restaurants and shops in the heart of downtown Memphis. 

It's a melting pot of  blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll and gospel.

Good food too.

Memphis is home to significant construction and redevelopment and has a pile of goodness going for it.  If you ever have a notion to visit I'll be posting some tid-bits worthy of consideration....

More about this later

Alley parking

And the late night life explains why this was the first time in my life a hotel provided ear protection....

The Road Trip Chronicles 2022

Heretofore we have basically resumed normal life post-Covid.  Masks and optional and rare and donned under specific circumstances.  The cancer clinic comes to mind.  We used to hang-out in an occasional bar yet have eschewed the experience.  That's not an altogether bad thing and I suppose eventually I (we'll) resume enjoying a fish fry at the local watering hole before too long.

 

This series of blog posts are a taste of our effort to break-out of the post Covid world and begin to normalize our traveling experience.  We decided to do so with a traditional road trip to the deep south and hook-up with the kids and grandson in northern Alabama.

 

2500+ miles later it feels cooler yet terrific to be back home. 

Jefferson Barracks Bridge, officially the Jefferson Barracks Memorial Arch Bridge, is a pair of bridges across the Mississippi River on the south side of St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. Each bridge is 3,998 feet long with a 909-foot long arch bridge spanning the shipping channel.

Folks, that white stuff you see on the side of the road is hail!

And the further we traveled the direction of our destination on day two of our trip the worse the weather grew and the deeper was that stuff on the side of the road. 

Fortunately, the tornadoes and hail preceded us. Nevertheless, Ma Nature slapped any worthy road warriors with 2-6 inches of rain on the road to Memphis. 

It’s been a spell since I drove a white-knuckler.

Stay-tuned for more roadside curiosities and other fun stuff…..

 

Antebellum Mansion

The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion  is one of the grandest antebellum homes found on the gulf coast and it is right in downtown Mobile Alabama  in Springhill Avenue.

click on images for a better look

 

Built in 1855 by Judge John Bragg it served as the Bragg family's winter home and was the center of the lively social scene stretching from Thanksgiving through Mardi Gras.  The Bragg's primary residence was on their cotton plantation in Lowndes County near Montgomery.  

It sports a couple of massive parlors, a circular staircase and rooms constructed on a grand scale for a time in history when hospitality was a way of life.  An example of Greek Revival architecture the mansion's floor plan and details make it stand out among historic building in the area.  Judge Bragg died in 1878 and four other families have lived in the mansion since.  The last private owner was the A.S. Mitchell family who purchased in in 1931 for the princely sum of $20,000. 

During the war between the states the Confederate forces defending Mobile felled all of the stately live oak trees on the property so that artillery would have an unimpeded field of fire.  Bragg also arranged for all of the furnishings to be removed and taken to the family plantation for safekeeping.  Ironically, everything at the plantation was burned by Wilson's Raiders during the conflict and Mobile never suffered armed conflict.  The live oaks on the property today were sown by Judge Bragg from acorns collected from the original trees.

Notable is the local architect of the mansion - John's brother - Alexander J. Bragg.  Another brother - Braxton Bragg - served in both the United States Army and rose to the rank of general while charged with the conduct of military operations in the Army of the Confederacy.  Fort Bragg North Carolina memorializes Braxton and with 50,000 active duty personnel is the largest military installation in the world.  Another brother - Thomas - was Attorney General for the confederacy.  Overachievers the Bragg brothers were. 
Who says a road trip can't offer-up some interesting history.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places you can learn more about the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion here.

Curiosities by the Side of the Road - Part Two

Most of you readers know that Jill and I recently completed a road trip to the gulf coast and back.  Time behind the wheel allows for the opportunity to ponder all manner of things including road trip observations.  In no particular order are the following:  

Nothing is better than happy hour at Wintzell’s Oyster House - frosty Yuengling tappers and raw oysters with your son-in-law        

An investment in an I-Pass transponder is an excellent dollar value          

The ‘public phone’ installed at an Indiana rest stop is the same as found in a prison - use it at your own peril as you can expect a ginormous charge to materialize on your next Master Card statement         

There are countless wind turbines outside of Lafayette Indiana        

I-65 carries an amazingly stunning volume of trucked and intermodal freight         

The hill country of Kentucky still, to this day, is home to any number of depressing-looking ramshackle homesteads  

Why are Adult Super Stores located at interstate highway exits?
Why are they called the Lion’s Den instead of something more descriptive?
(I do not believe African lions traffic in porn)      

Grits are terrific with salt, pepper and a pat of butter - take a pass on the cheese and shrimp         

The Waffle House waitress will always call you ‘hon’       

Billboards: Darryl Isaacs - The Hammer - (Isaacs and Isaacs - auto, truck and personal injury lawyers). Call ‘The Hammer’ Now!       

The Honda Odyssey minivan averaged 30+ mpg (give or take) at a sustained highway speed of 75 MPH - I embrace the van

Curiosities By the Side of the Road - Part One

Most of you readers know that Jill and I recently completed a road trip to the gulf coast and back.  Time behind the wheel allows for the opportunity to ponder all manner of things including road trip observations.  In no particular order are the following:          

There are no home basements in Mobile Alabama - the city was built at sea level

Much of Alabama is red dirt and pine forest            

Gas is cheaper in Alabama                   

People are universally friendly in Trump Country        

Billboards: One Call Y’all! (Personal injury lawyer Morris Bart)         

Speed limits are generally not enforced on I-65                    

Indiana has more Christian radio stations than I’ve ever scanned on the FM band                                    

The hill country of Kentucky is stunningly beautiful               

Nashville appears to be built on bedrock       

The first Waffle House sighting is evidence you have crossed the Mason Dixon Line                        

Southern cooking will slowly but surely kill you - and you will die with a smile on your face                 

Over the past half-dozen years religious folk who live in the Bible Belt (basically the Deep South) watched the most porn out of everyone in America

Your Mileage May Vary

Some of you readers may know that this fall Jill and I purchased a mini van.  A Honda Odyssey to be exact.  A 2015 with only 18,000 miles on the odometer - a steal as it came off lease.  The owners manual was still in the manufacturer's wrapping and it even has a wee bit of new car smell.

In any event it was with no small amount of trepidation that I entered-into this purchase.  Having sold my mistress to a younger man this past summer and preparing to sell the GMC sport utility on Craig's List it seemed that I was trading Detroit muscle and style for cup holders.  This was cause for some small amount of cognitive dissonance and angst in the image department.  Jill loved the van from the very start.

Nevertheless, the Odyssey has grown on me.  Spacious and smooth-riding with a terrific view of the traffic around me - I have grown to like it.  There is ample space in the back for a couple of full-size crates to haul the Labs, a low step for the elderly dog to enter and exit, and all sorts of extra space for hauling.  Removing the dog crates there is seating for seven adults.  My descent into practicality is complete.

The other day we returned from a whirlwind road trip to visit the grandkids, daughter, son-in-law and extended southern in-laws on the gulf coast.  The van was our chariot.  The trip from Milwaukee to Mobile Alabama is something on the order of 1020 miles and takes 14 and a quarter hours if you do it in one excruciating pull.  We take a couple of days with a layover in Nashville. 

Note this - before we departed I tanked-up with gas in Manitowoc, fiddled-around Wauwatosa for a couple of days running errands before leaving for the coast.  We did not have to refuel until well-south of Indianapolis.  And even then we still had about a quarter tank to go.  On the highway the Honda is a gas miser. 




Averaging 30+ MPG for the entire trip a full tank of gas allows for about 650 miles of range per fill.  The way I figure it two tanks of gas to make the trip and there's still quite a bit left to spare.

click on images for a closer look

I embrace the mini van.

Bosom Bridges

General W.K. Wilson Jr. Bridge – Interstate 65 – Creola, Alabama.      

click on images for a closer look

 

This bridge is a crossing for a parallel concrete and steel viaduct of concrete span carrying four lanes of Interstate 65 across the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta northeast of the U.S. city of Mobile, Alabama.      

Built from 1978 to 1980, it spans a distance of 6.08 miles (10 km) over the delta, making it, along with the Jubilee Parkway across Mobile Bay to its south, among the longest bridges in the nation.  It was named in honor of Walter K. Wilson, a Chief of Engineers with the United States Army Corps of Engineers and long-term resident of Mobile.  He was credited with being one of the first people recognizing the need to construct a high-level bridge on Interstate 65 over the Mobile River that would not impede waterway development.   The state of Alabama named the bridge in his honor after completion of construction in 1978.       

The bridge has red warning lights atop the parallel support arches which, when combined with the shape of the supporting arches when approached from certain directions, have caused the bridge to gain the nickname "The Dolly Parton Bridge".    -Wikipedia

Friday Music

A little over a year ago I was cleaning out my basement in preparation for moving.  In the process I discovered a treasure – a nylon CaseLogic tote of cassette tapes – most of them homemade mix tapes of my own recording.  In any event, the case of tapes found its way to our ancient Chevy pick-up truck which actually has a factory-installed cassette player.  If I'm going to the dump or hauling something it is a welcome respite to indulge in older music from decades ago.  

Last weekend the First Mate and I spent a few days fishing the Eagle Chain and the tapes found a reprise while traveling down the road on our road trip and eventually they found their way into the boat – which also has a factory installed stereo cassette player. 

It was a regular walk down memory lane for the both of us to work our way thru music from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. 

One of the tapes featured a collection of Southern rock and roll artists including .38 Special.   Their album Tour de Force is the sixth studio album by the band released in 1984.  It featured this tune:  Twentieth Century Fox   

Of course – the First mate reminded me of the debut album by The Doors, released in 1967. This album featured their record-breaking single Light My Fire.  It also featured:  Twentieth Century Fox   

While I may have taking a shine to .38 Special in the 1980s they’ve got nothing compared to The Doors.   The Doors' album sold 20 million copies, was ranked number 42 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest albums of all time and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Light My Fire was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 

Here are both videos. 

You chose…