Roadtrip-Adventure-Ohio-West-Virginia-Bob Davis Podcast 879

West Virginia Stand Out

I promised a podcast for Ohio and West Virginia. West Virginia though, is most noteworthy. Find out why in Roadtrip-Adventure-Ohio-West-Virginia-Bob Davis Podcast 879.

Hard To Remember Where I was!

I’m on a mega road trip for Thanksgiving week. Heading across the central United States from Minneapolis and Saint Paul all the way to Richmond Virginia and back. As a result it gets difficult to remember just where I was.

Back Road Fading

First of all I intended to include more of Ohio. My route for a good part of this trip is US 33. Truth is, much of 33 through Ohio is actually more like an Interstate than it is a two lane back road.

Pouring Rain and Autobahns

Moreover through most of the time in Ohio, it was pouring rain. As I angled down toward West Virginia I focused on driving. In addition, I was a little frustrated with highway improvements that have left 33 a four lane autobahn with seventy mile an hour speed limits. I am searching for adventure in Roadtrip-Adventure-Ohio-West-Virginia-Bob Davis Podcast 879. That means backroads.

Wild and Wonderful

In contrast, there is West Virginia. I am enchanted with this “Wild and Wonderful” state. A place that turned out to be the stand out of the trip so far.

Mountains Mountains Mountains!

Maybe it’s the mountains. Towns and mountain hamlets. Old trailers and school buses. Picturesque unincorporated clusters of churches and antebellum houses. The contrast between wealth and poverty in some places goes back generations.

Hairpin Curves and 10 Percent Grades

Due to the mountains, there are times when Mobile Podcast Command was rumbling along at 25 to 40 miles an hour, rather than freeway speeds. Through most of the state 33 is two lanes, with hairpin curves and 10 percent grades up and down. Almost heaven!

Story Within A Story

Seems like every little turn and twist in West Virginia’s mountain roads have a story. From Glenview to Elkins and more. Almost certainly all these places actually do have pretty good stories.

Crystal Clear Night

Finally this podcast ends in Virginia. One hundred miles from nowhere. On a crystal clear quiet night just before Thanksgiving.

Now I get to plan the return trip.

Stay Tuned

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Roadtrip-Adventure-Ohio-West-Virginia-Bob Davis Podcast 879

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Media Lies-Travel Truths-Small Town America-Bob Davis Podcast 789

To hear Der Spiegel tell it, Fergus Falls, Minnesota is a very special place these days. The town on Minnesota’s prairie is in a deep forest. A city manager carries a gun. The local high school sports iron doors and metal detectors. Moreover the mouth breathing savages that inhabit this place all voted for Trump. Learn more in Media Lies-Travel Truths-Small Town America-Bob Davis Podcast 789.

All Lies

The most noteworthy thing about this story is the fact that it is a complete fabrication. To Der Spiegel’s credit, the magazine is sending a reporter to Fergus Falls.

This time to apologize.

Dark and Dangerous Rural America

Sadly often media lies tell us more truth about biases than their coverage. Especially relevant are the new storylines about the mysterious and the mystical “rural America”. Land of republicans and Trump supporters. Dark and Dangerous. Well spring of public radio’s murder mystery podcasts. Source of the angry and red faced nationalist republican.

Small Town America

Truth is rural America is just as difficult to report on and explain as any urban center. We’ll talk about it in Media Lies-Travel Truths-Small Town America-Bob Davis Podcast 789.

Travel Is The Antidote

More importantly, travel is the antidote for the half truths and fairy tales of the media. I have traveled back and forth across this country, east to west, west to east and north to south many times. There are places I have missed but in thousands of miles of travel over the past few years, I have learned a great deal.

The New Nomads

Moreover many people have taken to converted school buses, RV’s and even Ambulances in search of their own version of America. Here’s to them.

Have A Cup Of Joe

In small towns across the US dedicated to ranching, farming, and mining people aren’t just going to walk up to you and tell you their life stories. Simple observation won’t tell you their stories either. Travel takes you through but you have to stop. Have a cup of Joe and talk to people. Get to know them over time.

Sometimes Working Together…Sometimes Not…Just Like The Big Cities

Finally what I’ve found in these places are all kinds of people living and working together. In some places things are better than in others. Reasons for decline or improvement are often elusive, even to the locals. Whether it’s a mining town or a farm town.

Politics Doesn’t Make The Man or The Town

In conclusion, I am sick to death of reporters telling us politics determines whether we are red or blue. These things don’t take the measure of the people who live in a town, large or small.

Coast To Coast and Back Again

Join me for Media Lies-Travel Truths-Small Town America-Bob Davis Podcast 789. Hear the sounds of some of the places I have visited over the last few years, from a hound dog in Mendocino, California to the total eclipse in Makanda Illinois, and finally overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the coast highway.

I’ve got a few stories of my own to tell.

Sponsored by Reliafund Payment Processors, John D. Scott Personal Injury Lawyer and Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

Media Lies-Travel Truths-Small Town America-Bob Davis Podcast 789

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Podcast 464

Welcome to Tennessee. Live from Bristol, Tennessee – The Birthplace Of Country Music. New Hampshire’s primary is history. Flush with new data and fresh story lines, every satellite news truck and reporter is rolling out of the Granite State headed for South Carolina, the third primary in election 2016. The Bob Davis Podcasts are already in the south, taking a break from the political craziness. Welcome to Tennessee, and to one of the coolest towns in Eastern Tennessee and Western Virginia: Bristol. Part of Bristol is in the Volunteer State of Tennessee and the other part is in the Old Dominion. This is a great introduction to South Carolina, because this part of Tennessee and Virginia are in the Appalachian Mountains, first settled by the Scots-Irish, English and Germans over two hundred years ago. They brought their culture with them including stories and music dating back centuries. Industrial growth from the late 1800’s and beginning of the twentieth century brought change to the people who call this part of the country home. In 1927 a Bristol area musician and performer recommended the town to a recording engineer and talent scout. The scout brought the latest recording technology to town, set up shop in a hat factory, placed an ad in a local newspaper and prepared to record. Ralph Peer’s Bristol Sessions turned out to be seminal in the development of American Roots music and the careers of artists who later became major country music stars. The Bristol Sessions are often referred to as ‘The Big Bang of Country Music’. The Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol celebrates the Bristol Sessions and so much more. Take a break from the endless political nonsense going on, to get a sense of the influence this part of the country has had on the rest of the United States, and the gift the people of Appalachia have given us all. Today the south is a major economic, social and political influence, equal or greater to any other part of the country. Get set for surprises after South Carolina votes, and after the mid south primaries on Super Tuesday. (Big Thanks to Renee Rogers and Charlene Baker for meeting me at the Museum office back door on a snowy Monday, and for doing an interview for this podcast.) Sponsored by X Government Cars, Pride of Homes and Luke Team Real Estate.

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