Bougie-Sedona-Arizona-Bob Davis Podcast 1023

Bougie Sedona Arizona

Firstly if you like spas, hair and nails, pretentious art and Tortellini then Bougie Sedona Arizona is for you. Learn more in Bougie-Sedona-Arizona-Bob Davis Podcast 1023.

A General Store And Shacks For Hippies No More

Secondly many remember when Sedona was a General Store and a few shacks where hippies lived.

Welcome To Myrtle Beach

However these days Sedona is more like Myrtle Beach than Arizona.

Bottom Of The Barrel

And Myrtle Beach is the bottom of the Barrel.

True West?

Even more locals and old timers remember when all these towns around here were true western mountain towns.

How Picking Up My Mail Became A Trip Through Newport California

Most importantly I came to Sedona to pick up my mail!

But even the mail effort did not work out here.

Some Great Campgrounds Though…In The National Forest

On the other hand I found some great National Forest Campgrounds Between Bougie Sedona and what some even call Bougie Flagstaff.

And I was able to stay up there for three days.

Day Areas Crowded

In addition there’s so much great hiking up there even the day areas are crowded.

In Season…Or Not

Therefore if you’re coming during before or after the season expect LA level traffic jams

Lots Of Pretty People There

Certainly the good news is lots of really good looking people sitting in their two hundred thousand dollar Mercedes Coupes and Porsche Cayenne’s.

Welcome To The Jersey Shore

Consequently one can only accept that these once western towns have become just like Orange County California, or even worse the Jersey Shore.

In the same vein you expect traffic jams and saltwater taffy on the shore.

Even the locals think it’s gone way too far. You’ll hear them in Bougie-Sedona-Arizona-Bob Davis Podcast 1023.

Kitsch

On the other hand you don’t expect that level of kitsch in the mountains of Arizona.

We All Want An Experience

Finally everyone wants a unique experience these days.

Camping. Hiking. Breathing the fresh air.

These ‘wants’ have become ‘needs’.

Just Not This Experience

In short this development question comes up again and again in my travels.

The Search For The Unspoiled West Continues

We all have to travel to the most remote sections to find what one might think of as unspoiled.

To sum up I get it.

I’m not against people making money.

Or the idea that certain things are necessary in small towns.

Pave Paradise…

But I think there’s a real question and concern about development destroying whatever remains of the myth and reality of what once was…

The Old West.

Sponsored By Privacy Post

Bougie-Sedona-Arizona-Bob Davis Podcast 1023

 

 

Minnesota Road Trip-Progressives-History-Politics-Duluth 2018-Podcast 727

These days one of the things you learn on a road trip is how big the United States is. Then, how big individual states are. Finally the traveler discovers how each state is different. In Minnesota Road Trip-Progressives-History-Politics-Duluth 2018-Podcast 727.

Get Off The Interstate

Most noteworthy is what happens when you get off the Interstate and onto the back roads. That’s when you really see how it is.

Covering Politics In 2018

2018 is an election year. I said I would cover the Minnesota political scene this year. The first stop is the Minnesota State Republican Convention. Duluth. On the shores of Lake Superior.

Minnesota History

Furthermore some of the state’s old hands don’t know Minnesota’s unique social and political history. We’ll discover it together in Minnesota Road Trip-Progressives-History-Politics-Duluth 2018-Podcast 727.

Town Hall Is In Our Blood

Sure, we know our pioneer history. Especially relevant is the unique history of political grass roots and town hall style representation.

Minnesota’s first settlers were New Englanders and New Yorkers. They brought town halls with them. Later immigrants from Scandinavia, Germany and Ireland formed the bedrock of so called ‘progressive‘ politics in the state. Therefore, those ideas are still with us.

Yes Republicans Were Progressives and Populists Too

In addition while some people assume progressive politics these days is only the political left, republicans too have a long history of progressivism. Find out in Minnesota Road Trip-Progressives-History-Politics-Duluth 2018-Podcast 727.

Tim Pawlenty Tries To Derail Caucus Process

Will the grassroots system survive in Minnesota? Former republican Governor Tim Pawlenty isn’t attending because he’ll be clinking crystal with rich guys at the Minneapolis Club. Pawlenty’s operatives will push the convention to refuse to endorse a candidate for governor. This is the main issue in Duluth this weekend.

Do We Really Want To Dump The Town Hall?

Moreover populists and progressives go back to the roots of Minnesota Republicans and democrats. Probably a big part of that process has been town hall style politics in the caucus system. Most of all do we really want to get rid of it?

Surprises In This Podcast

In conclusion as I researched this podcast I learned a few surprising facts. I think you will too.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Two things. First, it’s not 35W heading to Duluth, it’s just 35 North. Being a Twin Citiean, I have to get on 35W before 35 North. Second, for some reason I thought the State DFL convention – the democrats – was being held in Rochester, Minnesota the week after the Republican Convention in Duluth. Once again those sneaky democrats have managed to slip out of my grasp. It’s in the 40’s in Duluth and the 80’s in Rochester. Given the quality of the speeches in Duluth this weekend, I wish I had gone to Rochester!)

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

Minnesota Road Trip-Progressives-History-Politics-Duluth 2018-Podcast 727