H.A. Larson's Blog, page 10

A Week in the Appalachias: Part Two

It's another beautiful day here in the Midwest! The temperatures have cooled down and the leaves are starting to turn. This means, of course, that Autumn is here and you all know that it's my favorite season. At any rate, it's time for the second part of my week in the Appalachias - enjoy!

 Peaks of Otter consists of three mountain peaks: Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill. The park is maintained by the National Park Service and has a modern lodge with a restaurant,

 a picturesque lake flanked by a historical building,









a beautiful boardwalk section, 
and a couple of campgrounds (one primitive and the other RV-ready). We set up our tents at the campground then hiked down to the lake, around it, over to the National Park center,



and finally around a loop trail right behind the National Park center. 
That night, I slept horribly because my sickness had completely clogged my sinuses and I barely got an ounce of sleep. Still, that next morning, I wanted to climb up Sharp Top, the largest and tallest of the Peaks of Otter. If being horribly sick wasn't bad enough, it became clear at this point in time that the torn meniscuses in my knees were re-tearing, particularly the one in my left knee, so hiking was completely off the table. Still, there is a shuttle that will take you within 1/4 mile of the top, so I paid for us to go up.



The views and scenery were incredible but my left knee was in such pain at this time, that I had to let Amy go to the top without me. It was a major bummer and, if I'm being honest, I cried. The whole trip had become an exercise in frustration for me.



At least the views made me happy.



Since it was our last night at the campground, we decided to drive over to a winery we had seen on the map. It's in a Century Farm that got into winemaking.



The farm is called Johnson's Orchards, while they've named the actual winery Peaks of Otter Winery.  The winery was unique compared to other wineries I've been to.



The winery area of the farm is in a very old barn.



The samples were smaller - they were served in plastic medicine cups - but you get nine so it was a decent bargain.



After the winery, we were hungry and also wanted to sample some Virginia beers so we headed nearby to eat at Beale's and sample one of their craft brews. I got their Lime in the Coconut, which according to their website: We put the lime in the coconut! We started with a Cream Ale with lactose and lightly toasted coconut and added key lime puree. The result is a balanced tropical daydream that will help you kick off your summer vacay.
The beer was excellent. We were there to eat, so I also ordered Mr. Ward, their Texas-style brisket sandwich. While the beer was great, the meal was not, so that was a disappointment. The brisket was mainly fat and gristle (which is not really edible) and my side of mac 'n cheese was drier than the Sahara desert.

Since the Peaks of Otter is right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, we stopped to check out some of the views. 



This was one of them, right before the sun was setting. Gorgeous.
We had always planned our last two days of the trip to be spent in Roanoke, so after our time at PoO, we checked into our hotel in Roanoke.



The next day, we visited some local tourist spots, one being The Roanoke Star. Sitting on top of Mill Mountain, overlooking the city, this neon star is a sight to see at night. I'll have to take their word for it, though, since I was there during the day.



There are some trails you can walk on up here - which I had to skip because I could barely walk at this point. Again, the views from up here were pretty fantastic.



After we visited the Star, we went to the quaint downtown part of Roanoke and went to Three Notch'd, a brewery that makes a variety of beers. I got the Blood Orange Gose while Amy got a craft seltzer that I cannot remember the name of.



We walked around a little bit, and I mean a little bit.



There's an arboretum at the local community college, so the next day, we went over to check it out.



It was neat, but there wasn't a whole lot to see. However, it's free so I would recommend it if you ever get to Roanoke.
After this, poor Amy was itching to do any kind of walking/hiking outdoors, so we drove down to Natural Bridge State Park where I sat inside while Amy checked out the park. This would normally be high up on my list of the kinds of places I love to walk/hike around so it was sad to have to sit it out. Still, here are two pictures that I didn't take of the park building and the natural bridge in question:





I sure wish I could have walked down there!


And so, that wraps up my trip to the Appalachias. While getting horribly sick (a sickness that stuck with me for weeks!) and re-tearing my meniscus really put a damper on the trip, I tried to enjoy my time anyway. The amazing views in and of the mountains while spending time in them was worth all the crap I had to deal with. Still, I will definitely be back one day when I'm healthy!

Autumn is Nearly Upon Us

I was out at one of my favorite spots this weekend when I snapped this picture. While the foliage is still quite green, you can see that it's touched with a hint of brown. Soon, the leaves will begin to change, turning into every gorgeous shade of yellow, red, brown, and orange imaginable. The air will become cooler and crisper, encouraging you to put on a sweater or a flannel shirt. Pumpkins will be everywhere, hayrack rides will be taken, and people will prepare for the best holiday of the year: Halloween.
Without a doubt, Autumn is my favorite season. It's beautiful, it's comfortable, and there's lots of fun and outdoor activities that are perfectly suited to this time of the year - like Pumpkin Patches and Renaissance Faires. Sipping some spiked cider over a cozy fire sounds like pure heaven after a long, lazy walk in a dazzling colorful forest. Casserole dishes will be dusted off and soft blankets will be a staple.
As the days get shorter, I will fight to get outdoors before the Sun hits the horizon. This means getting moving earlier on the weekends and making the most of it during the shorter days. Still, I can't wait to just breathe it all in and I sincerely wish Autumn could last all year.
Alas, it is sadly the shortest season. Knowing this, I will soak it all in, drinking every last drop that I can squeeze out of my favorite time of the year. I'm waiting for you, Autumn.

I hope all is well with you. I recently went on a trip to Seattle, a place I've never been. I'll be sharing that, along with the remainder of my trip to the AT, so stay tuned. They will be coming...they will.  






 

A Week in the Appalachias: Part One

Several years back, I was rediscovering a love for hiking that I hadn't experienced since I was a kid. As I was learning and growing as a hiker, I heard about the Appalachian Trail (or AT for short) and thought hiking it one day sounded like something I might like to do. One of my best friends from high school, Amy, works for the Nature Conservancy so I mentioned it to her in hopes that maybe she might like to join me. She decided she did but that it would only be for a section hike and not the entire thing, and so the seed was planted for hiking the AT one day. We determined that we should do it when we turned 50, and that time was this year.
We settled on a week of backpack camping and AT hiking near Roanoke, Virginia. We flew in late in the evening/early in the morning and spend a day in town getting items we couldn't take on an airplane and making last-minute arrangements. Unfortunately, I came down with a horrible, long-lasting sickness on the morning of day three. This altered our plans quite a bit, still, I have some photos and memories of the two days we were active on the Trail plus a few days elsewhere. There's a lot of stuff to cover, so this post will be split up into two parts. So, here we go with part one!



We set up camp between Cove and Brush Mountain, near Trout Creek for our first two nights. After setting up camp on day one, we headed up Cove Mountain. We stopped here, at Pickle Branch shelter, for a quick break.



There's a lot of tree line along the top, but we still managed to find a rock outcropping with a view as soon as we reached the ridge.



The Trail is mainly surrounded by a relatively thick dense of tall trees. Not only beautiful but good for getting some shade. 



After a good 8 miles for me and 10 or so for Amy, we arrived back at base camp where we had some sketchy seating and a firepit to enjoy. We were soon joined by the gentleman on the left. He's a local that gives thru-hikers what is called "Trail Magic". Trail Magic is when locals like this meet thru-hikers and do wondrous things like feeding them, giving them rides to town, letting them stay at their homes, or, in the case of this trail magic, handing out cold cans of beer. See that green garbage can behind the woman on the right? Finding one of those on the trail in the forest is almost unheard of, but for another gentleman, that was his trail magic to hikers. He does come and retrieve it each evening so the bears won't get into it and destroy it.
After filtering some water and getting some dinner made, we were joined by this family of thru-hikers (they're the people you see in the photo besides trail magic guy) that consisted of Dad, Mom, four kids, and one dog named Muir. This wasn't their first thru-hike and they were cool to visit with. After their dinner break, they carried on to spend the night at Pickle Branch shelter.
Not long after they left, another thru-hiker, called Yardsale, come through. He stopped for the free beer from trail magic guy and ended up setting up camp with us for the evening. We stayed up late visiting, telling stories, drinking some strong hooch, and being entranced by the flames that emanated off the fire pit.



The next day, we set off in the opposite direction from the day before in order to climb Brush Mountain. It was as much elevation gain as Cove Mountain, but it happened over a shorter distance. While that might sound good, it just means the trail was steeper and, thus, harder. We took a food break at the top.



The nice thing about Brush Mountain in comparison to Cove Mountain is that there were more clearings in which we could get those ridgetop views. 



Difficulty be damned, it was sure a beautiful hike. Truth be told, Brush Mountain had better scenery than Cove Mountain.



The Trail Magic guys (I nicknamed them Beer Guy and Trash Dude) came by again for a longer visit the second night, along with another random guy who was playing some kind of drum for thru-hikers. He slept in the bed of his truck close by that night. I woke up that next morning with the stark realization that I was definitely moving quickly towards sickness.
We were already planning on moving to set up camp at a new location with different AT hiking opportunities. With my sickness, though, we decided to hole up at a motel for the day. We washed our clothes, showered, ate some fast food, and then I slept for a solid twelve hours driven by my illness. I woke up the next day feeling even worse so we stayed another night.
We decided that we better alter our plans to accommodate my illness, so we scoured a map of the area. We decided to rent a car and spend our last two nights camping at Peaks of Otter. 



On our way to the Peaks, we stopped at a scenic overlook that surveyed Porter Mountain. It was a gloriously beautiful day and, for a moment, I forgot about my sickness and never-ending cough.


That's it for part one. Stay tuned for part two!



 

Life Lately in (Unedited) Photos

Life is grand, my friends, and I've made good on a promise to myself to get back out and live life again. You know, like I used to. Recently, I drove out to one of my favorite nature spots: Neale Woods. The weather was ungodly hot and since I'm giving my knee plenty of time to heal, my goal on this day was to just meander around a bit, take a few photos, and soak in the beauty of the Ponca Hills.



Native wildflowers are a hallmark of this place and I never tire of seeing them.



I'm sad to report that the old Nature Center, a.k.a. Carl Jonas' house, has been torn down. All that remains are some ground cover that has grown in and this picnic table. While I understand the reasons behind tearing down the Center - as well as pretty much all the other outbuildings - it still makes me sad. It also makes me a bit nostalgic for when I first started hiking here. All the things that made this place special to me are gone. It's not the same anymore.



The wildflowers, like this beardtongue, made me happy, though.



This little guy was eating some dinner.



The outdoor "school" is still there...for now.



Summer in Omaha just wouldn't be summer without Shakespeare on the Green. For the past 36 years, Nebraska Shakespeare has put on two of William Shakespeare's famous plays, free to the public, on a piece of land between Elmwood Park Golf Course and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. You're allowed to bring in your own food and spirits - can't beat that.



My friend Rebecca and I went to a showing of The Tempest. It was special this year as the role of Prospero was played by famous actor, and Omaha native, John Beasley.









One supremely gorgeous Friday night, I met up with a friend at Soaring Wings Vineyard. It's the only winery around here, that I know of, that allows you to bring your own food in. Often, then, on a Friday night, I'll meet up with a friend or a few for live Friday night music. We'll pack our own food, pay $5 for the band, and share a bottle of wine (or two).







My friend Audrey drove up for a quick weekend visit, so we escaped the Saturday heat by wandering in and out of buildings in Omaha's historic Old Market District. We stopped by my favorite haunt there: the Passageway.



No visit to the Passageway would be complete without a stop to the Garden of the Zodiac, a small art gallery that has a small garden contained within. It's always gorgeous this time of the year.











The actual gallery had a collection of animal art. I thought my daughter would appreciate that, so I snapped some pictures for her.









One evening, I was driving southbound on 60th Street towards Maple when I saw the old Louis sign in the back courtyard of these apartments. I hadn't even thought about Louis' in years since they tore it down. Louis', for those who don't know, was a combination of a small grocery store and a bar that was everyone's favorite watering hole. I'm glad the sign is still standing.



As I mentioned in my previous post, I changed positions at my employer. I moved from an academic department back to a business & finance department. One of my favorite faculty members went to Iceland not long before I left and when she returned, she brought me a chocolate bar from an Icelandic chocolate factory she went to as a goodbye gift. 



I took pictures because the packaging was very cool! Well, and I've never had chocolate from Iceland before.



How cool is that?



Man, it was just as delicious as it looks. I wouldn't hesitate in the least to say this was the best tasting chocolate I've ever had.



Aaaand, back to Soaring Wings for another Friday night of friendship, food, and wine. You can't beat the view either.



The Sun sets on an evening at the winery.


Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my life as of late. I've been enjoying it, without a doubt. It's Friday again, and I'm going to a different winery with a handful of friends to watch a movie, drink some wine, and have some laughs. Then, I'm off to spend the weekend with my son, who has his own quaint little apartment in Lincoln.
Have a great weekend,
H.A.






 

A Season of Change

"Seasons change and so do we."
Hello old friends. Your weary author is back and change has finally smiled upon me, but first, let's catch up.
The last time you heard from me, I was in the throes of May. I had taken a fun trip during a long weekend to Denver and was busy preparing for a big adventure...



...to the Appalachian Trail! Fulfilling a lifelong dream and a goal that my BFF Amy and I shared for the arrival of our 50th year, we flew to Roanoke, Virginia, on June 4th to spend a week backpack camping and hiking the AT. The first two days were great - tough, but great - until fate had other plans for me.
On the third morning, I woke up with a terrible cold/flu that derailed our plans, our trip, and my health for the next three and a half weeks. While it sucked for me, it sucked more for Amy who was healthy and had trained so hard for the reality of the AT. My sickness sidelined us both and I felt bad, both physically and mentally. Still, I do have pictures and stories from my time there, so I will make a post about it sometime soon.
I started to feel better right before the 4th of July weekend, only to be struck down with the flu on July 5th where I spent a solid week and a half either sick or weak. Fortunately, I fully recovered from my illnesses - you don't realize how much something affects you until you feel better. It's an understatement to say how great I feel.

Now, for the changes...



I've finally walked to the long, hard road home.
Two years ago, I was working my ass off, trying to get out of a crappy marriage, paying off a mountain of debt, and finding a new happy home for my daughter and myself. Through my hard work, I accomplished all of it in April of last year and even bought myself a brand new car in July of last year so I could resume my life of adventure. It should have been a wonderful new beginning, right? Well, it wasn't.
See, right around the same time, I was dealing with two awful realities. First, the job that I had loved going to every day had become a place I hated. Secondly, my daughter was suffering greatly from a mental health crisis. While I'm not going to delve into the details of either, it's safe to say that my new life was on hold because of these two things. 
Things have finally turned a corner. After a lot of hard work, my daughter is doing well, and...I moved on to a new position with the local University I work for. In fact, I went back to the first department I worked in, a place where I loved all my coworkers dearly - just not the job itself. This time, I've moved into a different position there and it feels great to be back in a place where I love the people and I'm happy. It's been a few weeks now and as if life wanted to sweeten the deal, my old lunch buddy showed up yesterday to have lunch with me. 
Life is good again. Life is where it should be, and I finally feel like I can begin the new chapter that I so desperately longed for a few years ago.
I have arrived, and I am ready.




It's not just a new day, but a new life I spy on the horizon and I couldn't be more happy or content than I am right now. Well, that's probably not true, but it sure feels like it.
In honor of it all, I have some fun stuff planned for the rest of this amazing year. I have a new return trip to the West coast (finally!) to visit my bestie; I have a weekend planned with another bestie to go to my beloved Kansas City Renaissance Festival in October (the best month of the year), and I'm finally going to work on my new Nebraska Wine Passport - even if it won't be with quite the zeal of last year's. 
I've also been earnestly writing again, something I will talk about in another post.
Lots of things are happening, so stay tuned!


Until then, have a great rest of your week, and I'll be posting soon.
-H.A.




 
 

A Weekend in the Mile High City

Back in October of 2021, I was supposed to attend a concert in Denver with a friend of mine. Earlier in the year, I had hesitated to buy a plane ticket because...well, you know...Covid. Every concert I had even thought about attending was ultimately canceled. Finally, in June of last year, Southwest Airlines was having a killer sale so I purchased a round-trip ticket for ridiculously cheap and booked a couple of nights' stay at a hotel using some of my rewards points (thank you, credit card churning!). 
I swear, not even a week later the concert was canceled! Throwing my hands up in the air and audibly groaning, I canceled my hotel room, secured a refund for my concert ticket, and canceled my flight with Southwest. Of course, Southwest wasn't about to give me a refund so, instead, they gave me a voucher to use against a future flight...provided I booked said flight within one year's time.
This year, I have a couple of trips coming up and had hoped I could use my Southwest voucher against one of those flights. Unfortunately, Southwest didn't fly to one of the destinations, and the other would cover so little of the flight as to be laughable. Realizing I had to use it or lose it, I thought, "What the hell?" and decided to go ahead and fly out to Denver some random weekend. 
I found a flight one weekend in May - flying out on a Friday and flying back in on Monday - that the voucher almost completely covered the cost of and booked it. I looked for a hotel room (using reward points again, but this time for a different hotel chain) and was able to cover two nights out of my three-night stay. I have a friend that I grew up with who lives in Denver so I figured we could hang out and catch up while I was in town. I messaged her to see if she would like to hang out over the weekend and possibly host me the first night. She generously offered for me to stay with her the whole weekend as she had bought a house with a guest bedroom and even volunteered to pick me up at the airport. I gratefully accepted!
I flew in and the next day, after a leisurely coffee morning, we headed to Red Rocks, the infamous amphitheater in the mountains that has hosted the likes of U2, The Eagles, the Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix - to name but a few. In addition to the amphitheater, there's also a decent 1.5-mile hiking loop and a small rock museum, mainly dedicated to John Denver.


While it was getting warm by the time we got there, the skies were gorgeous and the scenery was one-of-a-kind.






We walked through what felt like an endless landscape of red rock set against the brightest blue sky filled with big, white, fluffy clouds. It was truly a wonderful contrast.



For only being 1.5 miles long, the trail was definitely a bit more challenging than one would think.



Completely worth it, though.



After we made it back to the Visitor's Center, I stopped right outside to snap a photo of this statue of John Denver.



As I mentioned before, the center's museum is largely dedicated to John Denver - no surprise considering how much he loved the Rocky Mountains. To learn more about Red Rocks, click on this link. 



The next day we drove up to Lookout Mountain. Not technically a mountain, but rather a foothill, it sits on the eastern flank of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. While you can hike various trails around here, it was Mother's Day, so my friend Cassie and I just leisurely explored the grounds.



The lookout affords expansive views of the mountains and the town of Golden, which sits at its base.









Even though it's 12 miles away, we could clearly see downtown Denver from our vantage spot.



An interesting point of interest at Lookout Mountain is that it's the final resting place of Buffalo Bill Cody. We took a tour through a small museum dedicated to the showman. 



Considering I visited Buffalo Bill's Ranch last year during a trip out to Western Nebraska, it was cool to bring it all full circle at his grave.



A plaque marks Buffalo Bill's final resting place.


I had a wonderful weekend in Denver. It was relaxing, I got to see a few neat things, and I had so much fun catching up with Cassie, reminiscing about our childhoods and all the shenanigans we got into when we were younger. It also marked the first time in a couple of years that I actually got farther away from Omaha than a few hours away or got away by myself. I truly needed it.

Have a wonderful, long weekend, my friends!



 

The Long Road Home

A handful of weekends ago, I was relaxing at home when I realized that for the first time in a long time, I felt that the huge weight I had been carrying on my shoulders was lifted. Even better, I felt happiness and a sense of peace. I went to bed that night in good spirits but concerned that these feelings would be gone by morning. Much to my delight, they were still with me the next morning and continue to be.
To shed my burdens and be filled with life again cannot be understated. The past four years of my life have been, without a doubt, a tremendous challenge. I dealt with unbelievable pain, anguish, sadness, loss, helplessness, fear, and insecurity. The maelstrom of feelings buried me in a hole so deep, that I feared ever being able to climb out of it.
But, little by little, life started to slowly turn around. I have walked the long road to get where I belong and, in the process, have created a new life for myself. Sure, some things are the same but so much feels different now. I'm taking better care of myself, I'm getting out and traveling again, and I'm looking forward to the future. Combine that with covid being endemic, and that future looks bright.
To that end, I have been incredibly busy. Work has been insanely busy with lots of paperwork between the Spring and Summer semesters and, on top of that, my whole department is being temporarily relocated while work happens in our building. The moving process has been a nightmare so I'll be happy (and less stressed) when it's over.
Life at home has also been busy for the past few months. I've been preparing for a big trip coming up in June while also taking a quick trip to my Dad's for a family event and a trip a few weekends ago to Denver (post forthcoming!). Last weekend I had company in the form of my bestie from Portland coming to stay 24 hours while visiting family, my son was home for a few days, and we enjoyed an afternoon at the Nebraska Ren Faire (a favorite of mine). 
This weekend, I am backpack camping in preparation for my big trip in June. Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and I'm so glad it's a three-day weekend for me because it's the last weekend before the BIG TRIP and I will need the extra day to prepare.
I'm still here and, yes, I still have posts that need to go up. But, with life returning to a new normal, I won't be posting any more than I have...at least for now. We'll see what the future holds, shall we?

Enjoy your weekend, friends.




 

Color the Wind Festival

In 2002, avid Clear Lake kiters, Larry and Kay Day, started the Color the Wind Festival. Held on the third Saturday in February each year, this colorful festival of kites has been a tradition for the last twenty years, bringing in people from all over the country, and even from other countries. 
I attended the Festival for the first time this year after my friend Libby brought it up in January. I asked my Dad if he'd like to go, so Libby, my dad, Libby's son Eddie, my daughter Eva, my stepmom, and I all made the journey to visit this family-friendly event. Clear Lake is also infamous for the Day the Music Died and we visited the sites from that tragic event as well, which I posted about last weekend.



With ample parking and shuttles to and from the lake, it's easy to get there in this small Iowa town. While it was nearly 60 degrees F in the surrounding areas, Clear Lake was cold and the lake was frozen solid. We brought our winter gear and changed after we parked. We saw plenty of people wearing nothing but jeans, slip-on shoes, and hoodies. Yikes! We didn't imagine that they probably stayed long. 



If you haven't already guessed, the Color the Wind Festival is a festival of kites. Not just any kites though...we're talking giant, colorful, and festive kites that are held by wire and bolted into the ice. The kites literally color the windy skies, hence the name.



There were so many kites of different shapes. While some were geometrically shaped, most of them were familiar to the eye, like this octopus in the foreground, that pig in the back, and lots of other animals.



This Chinese dragon kite was my favorite while the friendlier dragon in front of it was a favorite of Eddie's.



My dad never goes anywhere without his camera and he was warm and ready for some photography!



Eva and Eddie had fun just playing on the ice, honestly, and Libby and I enjoyed watching them have a good time.



Seeing all the kites was a bit magical.



A stingray and a giant squid against the blue sky made it seem like they were swimming side-by-side in the ocean.



This shot shows exactly how the kites are held in place.



Of course, I had to get a close-up of my favorite kite!

While it was really cool to check out all the kites, there's not a lot to do other than just take it all in. However, the legendary Surf Ballroom is open and offers free admission on the day of the Color the Wind Festival, so I recommend stopping in there to round out your visit. Of course, you can also drive a few miles north of town to check out the crash site that put this town on the map, which I highly suggest if you're a history buff like myself.
All in all, it was a fun day trip to take. Anytime you can get out of your surroundings and explore something or somewhere new is a good day. Whether you travel near or far, nothing enhances life more than discovery.


Have a great weekend, friends!
-H.A.





 

Day Trip Adventure: The Day the Music Died

In January of 1959, some of the biggest stars of Rock 'n Roll set out on a whirlwind 24-day tour called the "Winter Dance Party". The headliners of the show were 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 17-year-old Ritchie Valens, and 24-year-old The Big Bopper (aka J.P. Richardson). 



Ballrooms were THE place for concerts of the day, and the tour, with the exception of a few theaters and one armory, was set to play in them all across the Midwest. It was a cold, brutal winter, and tour buses did not have heat in those days. So, it came to be on one such frigid day on February 2nd, the tour arrived in Clear Lake, Iowa, named for the lake it was built up around. Lakes lend more chill to an area than those without, so Buddy Holly, tired and cold, decided to charter a small plane to take him and two members of his band The Crickets - Waylon Jennings (yes, that Waylon Jennings) and Tommy Allsup - to the next stop on the tour after the Clear Lake gig.
The Big Bopper had the flu so Waylon gave up his seat to him and Tommy flipped a coin with Ritchie Valens for the last seat. Tommy lost and Ritchie reveled in the fact that he wouldn't have to face another freezing night on the bus. 



By all accounts, the show that night, held at the Surf Ballroom, was electrifying. These were some of the biggest acts in Rock 'n Roll at the time, and the air in the ballroom was palpable. After the show, Holly, Valens, and Richardson hopped on the plane to go to their next stop on the tour, Moorhead, Minnesota. But, it wasn't to be as the wintry, weather conditions and poor visibility made flying difficult and the pilot, a fairly inexperienced 22-year-old, crashed the plane in a farmer's field a mere two minutes after takeoff, right before 1:00 a.m. on February 3, 1959. The four of them were killed instantly upon impact and, as they say, the rest is history. That day will forever be known as "The Day the Music Died", crushing the hearts of rock 'n roll fans all over the world and immortalized in Don Maclean's 1971 song "American Pie".
A little over 63 years after that infamous night, I made the trip to Clear Lake, Iowa, with my folks, my daughter, my best friend, Libby, and her son to attend the annual Color the Wind Festival. I won't get too deep into the festival itself as I will make a separate post for that, but as a big fan of '50s and '60s pop and rock music, I couldn't NOT go to Clear Lake and visit the Surf Ballroom and the crash site of the Day the Music Died.



The Surf Ballroom, according to its website, "got its name (and motif) from the desire of the original owners to create a ballroom that resembled an ocean beach club. The murals on the back walls were hand-painted to depict pounding surf, swaying palm trees, sailboats and lighthouses. The furnishings were bamboo and rattan and the ambiance that of a south sea island. The stage is surrounded by palm trees and the clouds projected overhead make it seem as if you were dancing outside under the stars."



The Surf Ballroom is on the National Register of Historic Places and, to this day, remains lovingly maintained with its ocean motif.



Inside the entry, the walls are covered in pineapple wallpaper.



The dancefloor is polished to a high shine that reflects the floodlights from the ceiling much like the sun on the ocean.



The dance floor is massive, and I can only imagine how crowded it was the night that Buddy Holly took the stage.



High on the ceiling opposite the stage are paintings of the iconic trio that lost its life a mere five miles away from this spot sixty-three years prior.



This stage is locked in time, forever surrounded by fake palm trees.



The booths that flank the dance floor on two sides look the same as they did when the Surf Ballroom was built back in the late 1940s. The painted and embellished ceiling recalls the beach canopies of yesterday. I can see young couples eating at the booths, surrounded by the crashing waves of the wall murals.



The old booths are painted with fish swimming at the bottom of the sea, their air bubbles making their way to the surface at the top of the booth seat.



While the little boxes remain on the booths, they are no longer working, but are there to keep a piece of history alive. These boxes allowed staff to indicate that the booth was reserved and a little walkie-talkie radio of sorts sat where the hole sits empty. This radio allowed patrons to order food from their booth, which they would order over the radio to wherever staff was taking orders.



Beyond the borders of the dance hall, a museum of the Surf's history is showcased. Famous acts and old show posters line the walls.



The biggest showcases in the ballroom's museum are, of course, of Buddy, Ritchie, and J.P. Inside this case is an old guitar of Buddy's plus interesting tidbits about his life - along with photos, of course.



Here's the Big Bopper's.



And Ritchie's.



After the balloon festival, we made the five-mile drive north of town to visit the crash site. You can't miss it as a large replica of Buddy Holly's signature glasses can be seen easily from the gravel road.



A mile walk to the west, through a farmer's field (the family - which has remained the same since 1959 - has allowed visitors here since the crash) takes you to a memorial to the Day the Music Died. The main memorial, on the left, is to the rock 'n roll trio, while the memorial plaque on the right is for the young pilot who crashed the plane, Roger Peterson.



The memorial is a metal guitar plaque with the trios' names and...



...a metal record with the biggest hit each of them had. Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue", Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace", and Ritchie Valens' "Donna".

As someone who loves music from that era, I've listened to the music of Buddy, Ritchie, and the Big Bopper many times. Visiting the Surf Ballroom and visiting the crash site of the Day the Music Died wasn't just something to do, it meant something to me. I admit I got a bit misty as my Dad, my bestie Libby, and myself broke out singing Buddy's "That'll Be the Day" on a frigid Saturday afternoon in the middle of a stark, muddy, corn-stalk strewn field. And the Sun shown down bright - much like the memories that began right in this spot. Memories of what was, what could have been, and what will never be forgotten.


"That'll be the day when I die."
-Buddy Holly











 

Basic Financial Fitness: Everything Costs More

You'd have to be living under a rock not to notice the increase in price on almost everything. Seriously, literally, everything has gone up in price - often by a LOT - since last year. I typically use a tank of gas every two weeks, mainly to travel to work, but also to go visit family, friends, take a day trip here and there, and do a fair share of hiking. Last summer, it costs roughly $50 a month for this, but now the price has gone up drastically. It now costs me around $42 to fill up my gas tank ONCE. It's not just at the gas pump where I see the drain, but also at places like the grocery store and when I open my electric bill. 
Because of this, I've had to adjust the budget of a few of my core bills upwards, but only as much (or as little, in my case) as I dare. I've started keeping my house temperature lower - which was horrible (okay, that's an exaggeration) for both my daughter and me at first, but we've adjusted. There were a lot of road trips I had planned on taking this Spring that have been put on hold for the foreseeable future, and, in fact, I don't drive any more than I have to...period. I also began making a lot of food items from scratch again, like bread and milk. I put my clothes through the sniff test more often than I care to admit and wear them many times over (especially my work clothes) to cut down on how much I have to wash/how often I have to do laundry.
I've even suspended my once or twice a month meal and drinks out with friends. When I stepped into the Dollar Tree the other day, it was the first time since Christmas that I had not only been there but gone into a store to buy something other than necessities. 
On top of all that, my first year in my new apartment is fast approaching and I signed a new lease for another year. Not surprisingly, they've raised the rent a bit.
With all this in mind, I've gone through my bills and shopped around to find better prices on the things that I could. Before I moved into the apartment, I switched my daughter and I's phone plan from Verizon (very expensive) to T-Mobile (less expensive but shitty coverage). I kept hearing about Mint so decided to give them a go. I actually get better service AND coverage than T-Mobile but I only pay $15/month/phone. The $15/month price has to be paid in 3-month chunks, otherwise, it's $20/month. Also, when I signed up I got an extra three months for free, so I paid the same price for 6 months of service that I paid for one month of service with T-Mobile. 
Next on my hit list was my car insurance. I've had Geico for years but felt that my 6-month premium (which I always pay in full as it saves money) was a bit steep. So, I shopped around and got the same coverage through Progressive and saved over $600/year! I also switched my renter's insurance from Geico to Progressive and saved another $40/year. The savings in my insurance was enough to cover the cost of my rent increase plus put an extra $32 into my monthly budget.
What also helps me out is the credit card churning I've been doing for almost two years now. My Fidelity Investments Visa is attached to things like my electric bill, car insurance, internet bill, phone bill, and my lone subscription (to YouTube), while I use the Citi Double Cash card for everything else. My Citi card gives me 1% back on everything I buy, plus an additional 1% back when I pay for said things. Granted, I don't spend a lot because I maintain a strict budget, but every bit extra I can score for myself is a win.
Sure, if I didn't save & invest 33% of my income, I'd have plenty of money for things now...but I would sacrifice the future I have envisioned for my retirement. I'm willing to sacrifice unnecessary things now to thrive later in life. And, to be sure, I don't sacrifice anything that I need as we never go without, but I definitely don't purchase things (with rarer exceptions these days) that are strictly want-items.
Have a great rest of your week, friends.

-H.A.