Podcast 472

Texas. That’s all you need to say. Texas. We start on the Texas Gulf Coast at Galveston and work our way up to Beaumont, Houston, on through central Texas with an eye toward La Grange, Austin, Waco and finally to Dallas. If you woke up in one of these places, even any of the smaller towns along the way, you would know, you could only be in Texas. Along the way, lots of stories from this Road Trip so far, including the drive up the Gulf Coast through Mississippi and Alabama, and Louisiana, ending in New Orleans on Saturday night, where Mobile Podcast Command was forced to break the law, in service of a cup of chicory coffee and a pastry from Cafe Dumonde. Sadly, New Orleans seems like it is still struggling to overcome the effects of Katrina, which is probably why there are suddenly so many parking restrictions, and the parking authorities so vigilant. So out of character for this ‘anything goes’ town. In Mississippi, you pass the beautiful home of the president of the confederacy Jefferson Davis, and one can only wonder what it must have been like to leave this gorgeous home on the beach, move to a place like Richmond, to ‘run the confederacy’; a really bad decision in the long run. Did he ever make it back? Then the gulf coast, with its brand new ‘towns on stilts’…literally the houses, the stores, the cafes are all built on pylons, to withstand floods and perhaps the intense winds of hurricanes, which come every year. The Bolivar Peninsula, and Galveston where I finally found the deserted coast line I have been looking for. Finally central Texas including Houston and finally Dallas. Both of these cities are juggernauts on their own. When you combine Houston and Dallas with San Antonio, Austin and the western Texas cities, you begin to understand why this state is so important, and why it is unlike any other. Sponsored by Hydrus and Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. 

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Podcast 469

Key West. Not what you’d expect. What is the urge to travel all about? Is it a search for that ‘perfect’ place? Something fixed in the mind? A weather-beaten cottage on the beach, in the moonlight? A mountain town in West Virginia, or Tennessee? The high desert? High in the Rockies in Colorado, or Montana, or the pine country of Northern Arizona. ‘The Search’ brought the Bob Davis Podcasts to the Florida Keys. While the keys north of Key West are slightly less ‘touristy’, close to what it must have been like in the 1950’s or 1960’s, Key West seems to have had a little too much success. If you decide to come to any of the keys in season, planning ahead is ‘key’. Even RV Road Rangers will need to make reservations, and will have to research the best places to park, lest you end up in a gravel pit somewhere near a swamp. And no, you won’t be able to park on the beach overnight. Standing on a corner anywhere in Key West one gets the impression that the best thing to do would be to rent a boat and head for the uninhabited smaller Keys that dot the water around the ‘big’ keys, if you want peace and quiet. God knows how much that is. There is something magical about this place, but it is getting shouted down and drowned out by commercialism and tourist pandering that sometimes takes your breath away. 145 dollars for a campsite for one night. 15 dollars to walk through a museum that features a video from a documentary done 20 years ago, and some artifacts from a treasure hunt. Breaking Bad and ‘I’m With Stupid’ T-shirts. Unless you’re staying at an expensive resort, you won’t really have access to a great beach. Vacancies? In season? Now that’s comedy. Peace and quiet? Everywhere you go you’ll be bombarded with music, in various forms of live. Old Town Key West is homey. The people all through the Keys are amazing and helpful. Key West may be considered a rival to the resorts in Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, and other places in the Caribbean, but it doesn’t quite rise to the level of services seen in those kinds of places. Sometimes it feels like the Jersey Shore, but the Jersey Shore actually does ‘Beach Town’ better, in season. Back on Florida’s amazing Interstates, as The Search’ continues, heading for the Gulf Coast. Listen all the way through for a little surprise, especially if you’re still in the frozen north. Sponsored by Brush Studio and Hydrus.(Editor’s Note: Got a message from my best friend in Arizona today. I didn’t just mispronounce Islamorada’s name, I butchered it. My deepest apologies to people who live there, who will have a good laugh I am sure. I won’t even attempt a phonetic spelling. I’ll just have to live with that massive mistake, although I’ll hate it.)  

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Podcast 467 – Rick Barry

Rick Barry. One of the all time NBA greats joins the Bob Davis Podcasts live from South Carolina. It may be a bit of a departure for me to talk about sports, but really it’s Rick talking about sports, and so much more. For some the campaign trail is endlessly exciting, but when you see the same thing over and over again in produced events and stump speeches, a departure helps with campaign fatigue. Rick Barry also helps transition the podcasts into the travel/adventure part of this trip, as we prepare to head down to the Florida Keys. Barry’s emphasis on preparation and the basics of the game helped him become a Hall of Fame basketball star, playing in the ABA and the NBA. His experience informs his positions on the game and the league today as well as a good portion of this podcast spent on politics. Rick is a no nonsense guy when it comes to his experience and knowledge of the game. His opinions about talk radio are particularly enlightening, when considering callers as well as hosts. Then onto some trivia. Why did Barry shoot an underhanded free throw? Why did Wilt Chamberlain stop shooting this way? How did Rick learn to shoot this way? He talks about his father, a semi pro player and coach, and his values. I think this is a great lesson for anyone trying attempting to fulfill their God given talents in almost anyway. I learned a lot talking to Rick Barry, and we come from completely different worlds. The first thing I said to him was, “I hope you aren’t offended, I don’t know anything about sports.” I don’t think he was too impressed (LOL). Barry is known as one of the most opinion players in the NBA and he doesn’t disappoint in this podcast. ‘t any case it is a great sit with a legend who shares my passion concerning Hydrus. And…if I don’t say so myself it’s hard to believe you can do a mobile podcast from a truck, and it sounds like the studio. Thank you Rick for taking the time to do the interview and to meet me. It was a pleasure. Also sponsored by Pride of Homes and Luke Team Real Estate.

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