H.A. Larson's Blog, page 24

Latest Libations: 13th Edition

It's been a hot minute since I've done a Latest Libations post. The reason for this is largely because 2017-2018 was financially hard years so I mainly drank cheap light beer. Not that I don't appreciate a cheap beer but making a post with several photos of Keystone light probably isn't going to pack much of a punch. haha
This year has been kinder financially, so I can afford to get some quality brews once in a while. I snagged this Cucumber Sour by 10Barrel Brewing Co. one warm day on a whim. I'm not typically a cucumber fan but this was a surprisingly tasty, light, and refreshing sour. Sours are pretty much was the name implies: it's acidic and sour to taste. I do like sours so I would recommend this. 



Southern Prohibition Brewing makes this tasty Strawberry Saison. Saisons are a pale ale that are fruity and spicy. The fruit in this instance was, obviously, strawberry. Not overly sweet (I've mentioned plenty of times that I don't like super-sweet beers) this extra-carbonated ale was tasty. You could really taste the fruit and the spice. I enjoyed this beer quite a bit.



I like weisse beers, in fact, my favorite beer ever is a weisse variation. This weisse, Tropical Lover Berliner Weisse from Sweet Water Brewing Co. was a decent one. With tropical fruit notes, while not being sweet, this was a decent sipping beer. I've had better weisse, but this one was all right.



Ahh, Boulevard. Rarely does this brewery ever brew a beer I dislike. This particular one, Flora Obscura is a dry-hopped porter, a porter that is hoppy, if you will. This means you get all the dark, deep, and rich notes of a porter with the bitterness of an IPA. Quite frankly, I hate it. I'm not fond of IPAs and I'm kinda tired of seeing every brewer sticking loads of hops in their other offerings. Just stop it! Keep IPAs hoppy and leave the rest of the beers unscathed!



I love cider and I love anything blackberry flavored, so Made Marion by 2 Towns Ciderhouse should theoretically be right up my alley, right? Right! It actually was. It was a good tasting drink. I don't think I'd like their plain cider as much as this flavored one byt this one was good.



The latest craze in the drinking world are hard seltzers...and I'm all on board! I don't care what anyone thinks of these, I think they're awesome. They're light, they're refreshing, and brewers are starting to take them more seriously. This Key Lime Hard Seltzer by Pacific Sparkling is one of the craft seltzers that are starting to hit the market and I loved it.



Goses are heavy on the wheat and usually brewed with some acidity like lemon. Lighter than a porter but stronger than a lager, I tend to like these on summer nights that have just a bite in the air. This one, by Anderson Valley Brewing Company, is a Framboise Rose Gose. I've drunk enough Lindemann's to know that Framboise is raspberry. This was okay. It wasn't as raspberry as I had hoped and the gose itself was just okay.

And there you have it, another installment of LL. What kinds of beers or drinks have you been enjoying lately? Let me know in the comments.

Hiking Brent's Trail

The map of Brent's Trail. See the elevation in the lower right-hand corner?
Recently, in an attempt to find long hiking trails in my area, I did a Google search at work one slow day. What I found was the recently (June 2019) dedicated Brent's Trail. It's an eight-mile trail that connects Gleason-Hubel Wildlife Area, Loess Hills State Forest, and Murray Hill Scenic Overlook. While I've never hiked the Gleason-Hubel Wildlife Area - honestly, I didn't even know it existed - I have hiked in the Loess Hills State Forest and Murray Hill Overlook. In fact, I've posted about both of those places here.
Apparently, it was the dream child of a long-time state forester, Brent Olson. While he passed away before he saw his dream become a reality, the project was completed via a joint effort by the Harrison County Conservation Board and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Reading about it piqued my interest pretty high so I emailed the trail map (top) to my Dad - my favorite hiking partner - and asked him if he'd like to try it. Of course, he was totally on board with the idea.

We chose Saturday, October 19th as our day to hike this. One, because of weekend commitments on both of our parts, but mainly because neither one of us likes to take difficult hikes on warm days. The cooler the better for me and Dad both! We met up at Murray Hill Overlook where I picked up my Dad and left his car there. We drove over to Gleason-Hubel where we left my car to be retrieved after the hike. We saw three sets of people during our hike, and they were all doing the half route of starting at one end-point and hiking halfway through and back, or starting mid-point, going to an end-point and then back. This is exactly why we left one car at one end-point: so we could hike the entire trail. It's long enough at 8 miles that 16 miles would've been ridiculous. Maybe someday, though...






Right from the start, we had to take a steep incline from the bottom of the Hills to the top of the Hills. In fact, this is a pattern that repeats itself four more times! 



These metal oak leaf signs mark Brent's trail. Unfortunately, they are not always where they should be. For instance, at the top of our first hill in Gleason-Hubel, there was an intersection that wasn't marked. One would assume you'd take the left when you actually go to the right. We knew for sure after we had gone aways to the right and finally saw the sign. Luckily, Dad and I both carry maps, compasses, and trails maps. 



A shot up the first hill. It's hard to tell the incline from a photo, but, trust me, it was a toughie.



After we got to the top of the first hill, we walked along the ridgeline, which gently waves up and down. The Fall colors were showing off up here and we enjoyed the hike.



Our first unobstructed view of the landscape from the top of the ridges! Isn't it gorgeous? The small field below is planted with saplings. This is something I've seen before in the Loess Hills State Forest.



A shot of my Dad climbing up a hill.



After you journey for away, you come to Fulton Ave, a dirt road that you walk in as a trail connector.



Walking along Fulton Ave.



Another dirt "road" along the trail. 



We stopped along the trail for a snack and a water break a few times. One of my favorite snacks - and it's keto, too - are mixed nuts. This combo was premade and contained cashews, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, and pepitas. I've learned, the hard way, that you need to eat very light on tough hikes. If you eat very much, your body is going to slow down to digest food and that is the worst. A handful of nuts a few times and 5 bottles of water is what I consumed on the trail.



Forest trail. It was an incredible trail in that we saw a variety of landscapes in different settings: valleys, ridgelines, forests, and old dirt roads. 



This is the part of the trail that led into the Loess Hills State Forest section of Brent's Trail. It was my favorite section, with good reason. This just looked and felt like what a Saturday in Autumn should look and feel like. Truly stunning.



My favorite part of hiking the trail was spending time with my Dad. We both enjoy that a lot.



Just look at that view. I could've sat there all day...if it weren't for the Japanese beetles. An invasive species that likes to bite, they were a real nuisance for a few miles.






After a while, we came down the hills again and made our way towards the gravel road that one can drive up to the Loess Hills State Forest on. We had to walk on that for aways, take a left into the parking area there, then make our way up the hill for the second half of Brent's Trail.



Right around mile 4, according to the map.



Somewhere between mile 4 and 5, we were treated to more beautiful, expansive views of the terrain below.



My Dad stops to admire the scenery.



Back into the forest!



You can take a cut-around between mile 5 and 6 to skip one of the last two hills before Murray Hill Overlook, which we did. 
After this point, I was completely whooped and stopped taking pictures. It was the most grueling hike I've ever taken. According to my fitness watch, we climbed the equivalent of 84 flights of stairs and descended 79. For comparison, when we hiked up Black Elk Peak - the highest point in South Dakota - which stands at 7,244 feet, we ascended 50 flights of stairs and descended 22 flights of stairs. This means, of course, that Brent's Trail was significantly more difficult to hike than that mountain. 
This trail, dedicated in June, is also rough. What I mean by this is that it's not in a maintained state and is difficult to see and/or find at times. For this reason, and the aforementioned difficulty level, I would NOT recommend this hike for anyone who's not a seasoned hiker. Not only do you need to be in great shape, but you also need to have some ability to scout and look for trails in rough terrain. Dad and I discussed ourselves how better in shape we need to be, so this was a good hike in terms of figuring out where we can improve. We're going to hike this again next month.
Having said all that, if you are a seasoned hiker looking for beautiful terrain in a challenging hike, then this trail is definitely for you. It's amazing to have a hike like this here, but not surprising. The Loess Hills, which I lovingly call the Iowa Mountains, are really quite high and rival - in many ways - smaller mountains like the Ozarks. Whoever thinks this area of the country is flat would be dead wrong. So, if you're ready for a challenge, and you live in my neck of the woods, get out there before the snow hits.

Healthy Life: Getting Real with Myself

After I tackled all of the mental health stuff in my life, I realized that my physical health was starting to take a back seat. Of course, this means I had to take one of those much-needed, long, hard looks at myself in the mirror and give myself a reality check. 
One of the things I tend to do when times get tough is to placate myself with food. I had been doing this with the end result being that I was starting to eat and munch on food more than necessary. When I stepped on the scale in September, I was upset to see that I had gained back seven pounds. This gain followed several months of plateau, which was also bothersome, so I figured I'd better give myself the aforementioned reality check.
I was at work one day, looking through articles and YouTube videos, trying to find a good diet plan that would work for me. I knew I wanted something that would force me to eat right and watch my calories. Sometime during that day, I was in my boss's office talking to him when we started talking about dieting. He had been limiting his food intake and had lost some weight. He was planning on giving the keto diet a try for a month and he asked me if I wanted to do it with him...be a diet buddy. 
Now, three things about this were attractive to me. One, his office is within my office so we literally can tell what the other is doing all day, two, I did keto last year for a month with really great results, and three, I was already quite familiar with it from that month last year, so it would be easy for me to know what I could and couldn't eat. Learning how to eat keto can be a challenge, so this last point was important, as it meant I wouldn't have to do any research.
So, I've been doing keto this month - three weeks so far - and my strategy has been to largely eat the same things. I spend a week eating the same lunch and dinner, then switch it up the next week. It's easy for me to do this because I can prep everything on the weekend and then just take my lunch with me and warm up my dinner when I get home. The added bonus of this is that it also means I have my calories tightly controlled. The thing about keto that is just like any other diet is that one still has to restrict their calorie intake. 
Well, I got on the scale this morning and I'm happy to report that I've lost the weight I've gained. This means I'm back down to my lowest weight-loss weight. I'm super excited about that and energized for sticking with the keto diet. I'm going to continue the diet this time until I get down to my goal weight. 
As far as the other half of my healthy life goes, the exercise, well, let's just say that I'm in perpetual training. I'm still walking 4.5 miles every workday, on average, and taking at least one good hike on the weekends. This morning, in fact, I'm meeting up with my Dad in my beloved Iowa Mountains to hike a new, long trail that opened up there in June. I can't wait, and I'll be posting all about it very soon.
I hope you are inspired by my journey to a healthy life. I'm always honest with myself, and you, about my accomplishments but I'm also honest about my setbacks. Because, truthfully, setbacks are normal! You're always going to have setbacks, but it's how you deal with those that make a difference. Let me tell you something about that real quick. Last weekend, we went to the KC Renaissance Festival. I always pack our own food because it's economical, but I forgot to pack food for myself, so I ended up eating pretty much nothing but carbs for a few days. I got right back on that wagon on Monday though, even though my boss was concerned. I told him, "Whenever I fall off the wagon, I don't let myself stay derailed, I get right back up there. Otherwise, I'll never succeed."
I hope you have a great weekend and that you make the most of it. 
-H.A.

Kansas City Renaissance Festival 2019

Bubbles!
This past weekend, I traveled to Kansas City with my kids to attend the annual Kansas City Renaissance Festival (KCRF). If you know anything about me by now, you'll know my absolute love for renaissance faires and pretty much anything related to that time period. I always go to the Nebraska Ren Faire every year - which rivals any larger one - and then try to go one of the bigger ones in the Fall. Usually, that means the KCRF as it's the closest to my home in Omaha.
I got an Airbnb for the whole weekend so we wouldn't have to rush around on the festival day, which made for a much more relaxed and fun trip. We met up with my friend Audrey there, which we usually do almost every trip to the KCRF. Bonus score this year as she won free tickets for all of us from her local radio station. 


The kids went off to do their own thing while Audrey and I walked around - after I grabbed a glass of meade for my Jolly Roger (picture forthcoming). She told me she needed to grab some Garlic Garni from the garlic vendor before we left the area because "it's good on bread, pasta, meat..." I asked her if it would be good for the souls of my enemies. I grabbed a bottle for myself so I'll answer that question the next time I do some baking. Hopefully, it makes them more tender and delicious.



We always wander through the Enchanted Forest to check out the Fairie House competition. Someone, I'm guessing kids, make Fairie Houses and they eventually get judged and prizes, I assume, are awarded. I don't know any of that for a fact, but I would bet that's how it all goes down. At any rate, there are always a bunch of them and they are all interesting to check out.



I caught the Plague Doctor checking out prospective patients from the London Bridge.



The Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. God Save the Queen!



Ahh, what Ren Faire would be complete without minstrels?



Or a parade? I don't make a point of checking out the parade that much anymore, but as I was stuck in the longest line ever for a Beyond Burger, I had time to check it out this year.



My Jolly Roger filled to the brim with a Revenge of the Dragon Nitro Stout. Jolly Roger is a skull mug I bought many years ago at the KCRF and I take him with me to every Ren Faire I go to. He's aptly named after the infamous Skull and Crossbones Pirate Flag. Yo ho ho and a can of stout!



Every faire, I try to check out different stalls and entertainment. This year, Audrey and I got tickets for the King's Happy Hour. This 21+ event is held in one of the Festival pubs and includes two drinks, a plate of hors d'oeuvres, and bawdy entertainment. I laughed quite a lot as it was a fun show. Best hour of the day!

So, there is another successful faire under the chastity belt. We enjoyed ourselves and took in all the sights and sounds of the festival. Now, it's time to relax and ready ourselves for the Nebraska Ren Faire some spring.

My Metamorphosis

My kids, hiking with me, Mother's Day 2018Recently, I was looking back on some of my older posts here - something I do fairly regularly - when something struck me pretty profoundly: I've become a true, legitimate hiker.

Now, you might be asking yourself what I mean by that. I've always been a hiker, right? Well, not exactly. I think I've always fancied myself to be a hiker, but never really fully embraced what it takes to be one.

For years, I would avoid hard trails and take short hikes of just a few miles. Why? Well, because hiking is hard and I can be a lazy person when faced with hard tasks. I also wasn't in the best shape for many years, even after I had lost significant weight.

The turning point came in April of 2018 when, after a long winter that never seemed to end, I began hiking and walking more earnestly. This led to me making a 100-mile-a-month goal that I continue to this day. I walk back and forth to work (and now on my lunch break as well) and hike on the weekends, no matter what the weather is like outside.

Of course, this all culminated in my hike up Black Elk Peak after hiking up Bear Butte the day before. This, in turn, propelled me to take the hardest trails in one of my favorite spots - the Westridge Trail at Hitchcock Nature Center - not once, but twice. I also have two long, hard hikes coming up this month, and I can say with confidence that I've truly arrived.

To say this has done wonders for my mental and physical health would be an understatement. All the miles I've put in, most of them solo, have given me lots of time to pause and reflect upon my life. The exercise also helps me burn off stress and steam during the tough workdays when I can put on my headphones and take a long lunchtime walk. Physically, the benefits cannot be understated either. I'm in the best physical shape of my life and my legs are strong. This will, of course, benefit me later in the month when I face two of my greatest hiking challenges - not excluding Black Elk Peak or Bear Butte.

It's a feeling like no other, this feeling of being an athlete. For that's what I am, an athlete. My entire life, I don't think I would have ever thought that I would be one, but I am. I'm a true hiker and I spend my days in constant training - just like an athlete would do.

I'm proud of myself for what I've accomplished, and with how far I've come. The last few years of my life have been a challenge, but I've persevered and managed to come out better than where I was when I started. That's how life is, honestly, I'm pretty sure: a cycle of good & bad times leading to change and personal growth.

I'm truly healthy and happy for the first time in so very long - my metamorphosis, significant.

Have a great week, my friend.

Hiking Basics for Beginners: Gear

By now, you (and by "you", I mean my regular reader) know that hiking is my thing. In fact, I am not only a seasoned hiker but a mountain hiker as well - not to be confused with mountain climber, climbing and hiking are two separate things.

This wasn't always the case, though. I grew up with a single, hiker father that, more likely than not, drug his begrudging daughter along. While I enjoyed the easier hikes, for the most part, I detested hiking. I was lazy, out-of-shape, and had absolutely no desire to go hiking.

When I got older and had kids of my own, I can remember having a moment where I wondered how I could get more active and, in turn, get my kids more active while, at the same time, adhering to a shoestring budget. I remembered those times hiking with my dad and thought about them fondly. Thus, my love of hiking was born.

Since then, I've graduated from novice, unexperienced hiker that would only go a few miles on easier trails to a seasoned hiker that tackles mountains. It hasn't always been an easy experience, but I've grown to love hiking with a passion and have learned a lot along the way. While I know a lot about hiking, I'm not what I would classify as an expert. I am, though, a well-seasoned hiker who knows quite a bit. If I were new to the sport and wanted some basic information, I would appreciate some pointers.

This post, then, is the first of a series that I will do about hiking basics. It is meant for those who are interested in hiking and would like some tips on how to get started. This first post is about hiking gear, so read on:


1. First things first: Footwear

The single most important item you will need for hiking is footwear, and not just any footwear either. You're going to need the correct kind of shoes for hiking. When I first started taking my kids out hiking, I used tennis shoes. While you can wear tennis shoes, I wouldn't recommend it unless you plan on rarely ever hiking. For people who rarely hike, it doesn't make much sense to drop a bunch of cash on hiking shoes if they're not going to use them regularly. If you're unsure if you're going to enjoy hiking enough to commit to it, go on a handful of hikes first. You'll know quickly if hiking will be for you or not.

If you do know for sure that you will be hiking regularly, then I highly recommend getting hiking shoes or boots. Why? Well, terrain that you hike on is unstable, not flat, and often rocky. Tennis shoes have flimsy soles against that and they don't give you the kind of support your foot will need on uneven, unstable, rocky ground.

So, which kind of hiking footwear? Well, that's up to you. Again, I would recommend an all-purpose, all-around hiking boot that's waterproof. As for myself, I have a pair of breathable hiking shoes, a pair of hiking sandals (that I don't use much), and a pair of waterproof hiking boots.


2. A small backpack

If you know for sure you'll be hiking regularly, a hiking backpack is a must. Now, I'm not talking about some big, awkward school backpack. I'm talking about a more compact backpack that you can secure to the front of you and carry basic supplies. School backpacks are terrible for hiking and you'll wish quickly you weren't lugging that around. A smaller backpack, made for hiking, with securing straps for the front of your body is ideal.

I've been hiking long enough now, and seriously enough, that I'm going to upgrade to a small pack with a water reservoir in it. It will be so much handier than having to take my pack off each time I need a drink of water.


3. Basic emergency supplies

You should always carry a small first aid kit (you can either make your own or buy one from somewhere). It doesn't need to be filled with lots of stuff, but a few things that would come in handy: gauze, bandaids, triple antibiotic, a few wet wipes, and pain relief will cover most issues. I also recommend a rain poncho (you can buy the kind that is folded into a space of a thin couple of inches, a whistle (to blow if you get trapped and need to alert someone of your presence), a decent pocketknife, and a small flashlight.


4. Water bottle

Get yourself a decent water bottle. When you hike, fill it up and put it in your pack.


5. Bug spray and sunscreen

I have small versions of both of these that easily fit in my pack.


6. Trail food/snacks

I buy bags of nuts, granola bars, dried fruit, and jerky (for the meat-eaters) from the dollar store, take them out of their packaging, put them in a big plastic storage bag, and keep it in my pack.


7. Hiking clothes

I've learned, through trial and error, what kinds of clothes to wear when I go hiking. The things that you should consider are:

Comfort: Can I wear this for a long time and be comfortable?Fit: Is it snug enough to not chafe me or snag on anything while still allowing for comfort?Practicality: Is this a practical item to wear hiking?Weather: Is this weather appropriate? Should I dress in layers?How you dress, then, is up to you but choose wisely. 

8. Hiking Stick/Poles
I would consider hiking sticks and poles to be a useful item, but only if you feel that you need them. When I first started trying to be a real hiker, I found some inexpensive hiking poles at Walmart and they came in handy. Now, I never use poles because I feel that they're more of a hindrance than a help. I only need them in the most treacherous of terrain and they're not easy to carry with you when you don't need them. Having said that, though, they can be really great when you're not steady on your feet all the time, when you're coming down or going up a steep incline, or any other time you just need more support. I don't consider them a necessity item, but they are great for some hikers. I'll leave the choice of these up to you!


If you're a burgeoning hiker, I hope you found this post useful. I'll do a few more posts in this series, so stay tuned for those.






My latest review/interview with the band Fluids is up on Slime&Grime, and you can check that out here: https://www.slimeandgrimeomaha.com/post/fluids-an-icky-sticky-extra-saucy-friday-the-13th-interview-album-review
My online discussion series with Politipeeps and Dr. Mathias Nordvig is up on YouTube, you can check those out here, here, and here.

If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, get on the list: https://mailchi.mp/32e649d0f0f3/ha-larsons-newsletter

October has Arrived

It's hard to believe, but it's October already. Where has the time gone? I ask that ironically because we both know all too well where the time has gone, but it just seems that time flies by more quickly all the time. I can't say that I'm sad about it as October is absolutely my favorite month. The weather is perfect, the foliage is gorgeous, all the fun Fall activities hit full stride, horror movies are in abundance, light jackets come out, and Halloween is just around the corner.
While I'm gleefully happy about the arrival of October, I can't dismiss how great September was. After all the negativity that has transpired in my life, it was truely amazing to have a month full of positivity. Even more than that, my life has really started moving in newer, yet familiar, directions. It's been quite some time since my life has felt this full and meaningful.
My writing life has been coming back together, and I've finally finished the first chapter of my latest book and have started on the second chapter. Once I get a few more chapters out of the way, I'll reveal my cover as well as give you a taste of the story itself. It's truly is a story worthy of October and all things spooky and I can't wait to hear your thoughts and opinions on it.
The days will become shorter and darker and the leaves will start to shed their leaves. Pumpkins will appear on many front porches, hayrack rides will be taken, and long, crunchy walks in the woods will transpire. I'm looking forward to crispy, cool evenings wrapped in a blanket while sitting around a bonfire. 
Are you ready for October? I sure am.




My latest review/interview with the band Fluids is up on Slime&Grime, and you can check that out here: https://www.slimeandgrimeomaha.com/post/fluids-an-icky-sticky-extra-saucy-friday-the-13th-interview-album-review
My online discussion series with Politipeeps and Dr. Mathias Nordvig is up on YouTube, you can check those out here, here, and here.

If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, get on the list: https://mailchi.mp/32e649d0f0f3/ha-larsons-newsletter

Taking New Paths

The beginning of a trail we'd never been on before.
Recently, I took the kids up to Neale Woods, my personal favorite place to hike in the metro. Now, I've been hiking in here for a decade, but, because I was a novice hiker for so long, I had yet to hike all the trails that were there. I decided, then, that it was high time we tried hiking some of the other trails.


I like this picture because my son gives scale to it, showing you just how massive a forest can be.
A few weeks prior to this, my Dad and I took a solo hike in here and we took a trail that I had never been on either. In fact, we used a trail map. While I haven't needed one in here in years, it was a necessity these two trips because, both times, we took trails I've never been on before. Also, they've done a lot of work in the forest so many of the trails have been rerouted or removed and new ones have appeared as well.


Again, but this time with my daughter, you get a real sense of the size of the forest.



These wooden steps were fun, although we know their purpose is to fight erosion and run-off.


Neale Woods has a decent amount of elevation gain, and here we were on top of a ridge.
It was so interesting to take a new path in a familiar place. My son even remarked, "Mom, this is fun!"


This scenery was gorgeous. You can just see Autumn lurking in the colors, ready to bloom.
Indeed, it was fun. It was like hiking in a brand new place.












I always take pictures of interesting fungi when I see them.



This was a big fungus we spotted.

We really enjoyed this hike. We enjoyed it for the time we spent together, we enjoyed it for the hiking, and we enjoyed the adventure that comes from exploring a new place - even if it wasn't new for us. It's definitely got me thinking about how I need to take all the trails in the places around here that I hike the most. Not only is it fun and interesting, but it helps cut the boredom that sometimes comes from hiking the same places over and over again.
As we hiked, I thought about taking new paths and how that relates to life. No matter where we are in life, we can always forge new paths. So much has changed in my own life this year, and I've taken new paths that I never thought I would. As was the case for Neale Woods, the paths I've taken have been a nice addition to the familiarity of life - changing things up and exploring something different while other things remain the same.
I hope your weekend has been great so far and that you've gotten to explore a new path or two.
-H.A.




My latest review/interview with the band Fluids is up on Slime&Grime, and you can check that out here: https://www.slimeandgrimeomaha.com/post/fluids-an-icky-sticky-extra-saucy-friday-the-13th-interview-album-review
My online discussion series with Politipeeps and Dr. Mathias Nordvig is up on YouTube, you can check those out here, here, and here.

My October newsletter will be coming out in two days, so get on the list: https://mailchi.mp/32e649d0f0f3/ha-larsons-newsletter

I've Found Contentment in my Life

Photo: Sergey Nivens / Shutterstock

I'm going to come right out and admit that I am driven by flights of fancy. While my body is always physically present where I am, my mind often wanders to faraway places. Why you may ask? The answer, my friends, are my hopes and dreams.

I've never been one to lament the loss of my hopes and dreams because, quite frankly, I never really had any until I hit 40. Sure, I had some very basic notions of getting a great-paying job, buying a fabulous house in the suburbs of some metro area, and traveling on two-week-long vacations every summer. Pretty basic, huh? To be clear, there's nothing wrong with having dreams like that, they're just not really my dreams.

It turns out that my dreams involve me being a writer based in another country somewhere while traveling, hiking mountains, and having adventures. I want to experience what the world has to offer and explore every nook and cranny - well, most of them anyway. Because of this, I've spent countless hours researching, reading, and thinking about many things related to my dreams.

What I didn't expect to come from all of this, but I welcome readily, is how I turned my own life into one of fun and adventure. I figured, why wait until I can live out my hopes and dreams to live of a life of adventure? Why wait until I live in another country to explore where I am? And that, my friends, is exactly what I have done.

Over the past five years I've explored many areas around where I live:


I have taken many day trips to explore wineries, breweries, unique businesses, museums, nature centers, restaurants, and, of course, hike the landscape.I've hiked the many places around my city alone, with family, and with friends.I've gone to many free events, festivals, and concerts in my city.I've gone on many weekend trips to other cities within a few hours drive and explored them.I've traveled to various states and indulged in everything I could: South Dakota, Oregon, Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, Wyoming, and even Washington D.C.I've gone to many concerts, local and in other places.I've been to various Renaissance Faires, local and in other cities.I've taken long weekends to visit with family and friends. It was nice to get out of our town for a few days and do something different.I've rented cabins and pitched up tents many weekends where I soaked in the beauty of nature and sat around flickering bonfires.I've gone to movies, pumpkin patches, scenic by-way tours, and county high points.

When I look back on all that I've done over the past five years, I'm blown away by all of the things I've experienced, accomplished, and seen. So, while I have lamented - and will again, I'm sure - my lack of international travel and adventure, I cannot overlook how much adventure I've already instilled into my life. My life is so full, so rich, so rewarding, and, yes, chock full of adventure. I'll travel away from my country again one day, but, until then, I'll keep living my life like every day counts. Because they do.




My latest review/interview with the band Fluids is up on Slime&Grime, and you can check that out here: https://www.slimeandgrimeomaha.com/post/fluids-an-icky-sticky-extra-saucy-friday-the-13th-interview-album-review
My online discussion series with Politipeeps and Dr. Mathias Nordvig is up on YouTube, you can check those out here, here, and here.

Garden Path Tour 2019

Highways 75 and 77 runs part of their length through Omaha and Sioux City. Collectively, in that area, they are known as the Lewis and Clark Scenic Byway. Now, if there's anything you know about me from reading this blog over the years, it's that I love scenic byways. Off the beaten path, scenic, relatively quiet, and home to many unique places of business, points of interest, and nature stops, you just can't beat a day trip on one of them. So, when I saw that the L&CSB had the Garden Path Tour 2019 held on two separate Saturdays, I thought that sounded like a great idea. The Sioux City Journal touted it thusly: "Adventure is waiting when you tour gardens, flower shops, farmers markets, greenhouses and more on Nebraska's Lewis & Clark Scenic Byway. The byway follows Highway 75 from Sioux City to Omaha for a self-guided auto tour. August 31 and September 7."
I got ahold of my bestie, Libby, and we decided to go together with her three-year-old and my thirteen-year-old. We both packed a nice array of picnic goodies and set off to explore the places on the list that we chose.

A map of the L&CSB Garden Path Tour 2019 stops.
Our first stop was between Omaha and Fort Calhoun at the Super Bee Orchard. We grabbed a map/brochure (we knew they were available at each participating location) and perused their homemade jams, jellies, crafts, and, of course, fruit.


The museum proper is located in the old Fort Calhoun State Bank.
We then stopped in Fort Calhoun to check out the Washington County Museum. Typically, it costs money to go but every participating point of interest was free for the Garden Path Tour.



I was actually quite impressed with the museum. I've been to tiny-town museums before and, usually, there's not much going on, but this one had several rooms of quality museum displays. Here we see one about Henry Schneider, and it shows the actual gun and holster he used during his years as Washington County Sheriff.



Money issued by Waubeek Bank, a territorial bank back in frontier times.



There were a series of old photos of children that I really loved. This one, in particular, is just too cute with the little boy and his kitten.



The museum even had an interactive display where you used an old rope-making machine. The kids both took a turn, with help from the moms as it takes two people, making rope. Little man wanted to keep making rope, and, hey, who can blame him? It was fun.



After our museum stop, we were ready for lunch so we stopped at the public park in Blair, NE, to have our picnic lunch. I made a chipotle southwestern pasta salad, plant-based cold cut sandwich, and pretzel chips with my homemade carrot hummus. Man, that hummus was killer.



After lunch, we decided we needed some wine, so we drove through Tekamah, NE, and into the country to go to Silver Hills Winery - one of two wineries on the tour. I've actually been to this winery before and it's a beautiful place to sit and have wine on a nice day. They have a large garden and patio, so the kids ran through the gardens and then did art at an adjoining table while Libby and I enjoyed some adult libations. 



This guy was weaving a web next to our table, and he was interesting, so I snapped a picture of him. 
I grabbed a bottle of port on our way out as I love port and it's not easy to find. Libby grabbed a few bottles of wine as well, and then off we went to our next stop.



I had Libby stop here so I could get out and snap a picture. The rolling hills and farmland of Nebraska can make for some picturesque moments, that's for sure.



Out next stop was at the John G. Neihardt State Historical Site in Bancroft, NE. John G. Neihardt is the Poet Laureate in Perpetuity in the State of Nebraska - the only one in the state's history.



The site has a visitor center/museum that is small, but quite interesting. Outside, you are welcomed by a statue representing one of Neihardt's most famous works, "Black Elk Speaks." The statue, then, is of Black Elk and John G. Neihardt.



A copy of the book is on display.



Also in the same exhibit is a picture of Black Elk giving a prayer at Harney Peak. This was interesting for me because in July I was in South Dakota where I climbed Black Elk Peak. It used to be called Harney Peak but was


Also on the site is the one-room house where John G. Neihardt did his writing. You aren't allowed to go in, but you can peek through the windows into the simple building.



After the JGNHS, we headed towards home. We thought we'd stop at Chatterbox Tap House in Tekamah for a drink. I like a good beer now and then, so tap houses are typically a great place to get a quality beer from a local brewer. We were disappointed in the level of service and how they didn't have menus for food nor for the brews on tap. I finally squinted hard enough at the taps to figure out a beer to try.



The only redeeming factor about the place was it's quiet and cutely decorated backyard area. It was cozy and the kids played the yard games they had while Libby and I drank our beer.

All in all, I'd have to say that the Garden Path Tour was a lot of fun. There were so many places we could have stopped but we only had one day. But, since this is an annual event, we decided we should go each year so we can go to different stops on the tour. Another thing I really liked about the Garden Path Tour was that it fit nicely into my day-trip criteria: cheap/free activities, a variety of things to do, and taking paths lesser-known. It was a fun, inexpensive way to spend time with my daughter and my friend, all while learning new things.
I hope you have a great weekend, my friends. I'm heading out later today for a few hours north where I'll be attending a big tour. I'll be seeing some of my favorite metal acts. I'll probably blog about it later.
My latest review/interview with the band Fluids is up on Slime&Grime, and you can check that out here: https://www.slimeandgrimeomaha.com/post/fluids-an-icky-sticky-extra-saucy-friday-the-13th-interview-album-review
My online discussion series with Politipeeps and Dr. Mathias Nordvig is up on YouTube, you can check those out here, here, and here.