Dan Goes Outside

24 Days Left in Dallas

So, we have finally arrived at the moment that felt so far away it was as if it was never going to arrive and now it’s here. When I first made the trip here back in October I never could have imagined how much this place was going to change me. I flew back and forth until November with the plan to drive to Dallas from Tampa right after New Years. Around 1,600 miles. I had my annual camping trip with Adam at Ocala National Forest and the moment I got home packed for a trip that I would be on for the next eight months. I was very anxious about leaving and I had no idea what to expect. This was going to be the largest project I had ever done and I was doing it solo. I did have Leonor with me and that made everything a lot easier and way better but she had her own job to do so all the filming was up to me. I was pretty nervous.

Upon arriving after a day and a half of driving I found that nothing was as advertised. None of the apartments had furniture, the beds were on the floor, no TV, and it was absolutely freezing with Dallas having a winter storm coming in. It was supposed to be severe with the possibility of power going out for a few days. Just what you want to hear after leaving Florida. I huddled up by my heater and worked on uploading the film from every days filming. Putting up the massive FIFA Broadcasting Hub in downtown Dallas. It was a massive project that I am so lucky God let me have that opportunity to film. There were moments I thought I was going to go crazy when we were grinding filming everyone work 15 hour shifts and then go home and be up all night downloading and tagging everything and then waking up to repeat everything. I thought, I am in over my head but It started to become habit and I slowly started to settle in to my temporary home in Texas.

The assembly of this massive worldwide broadcast hub from where they broadcast the World Cup started in late January and was finished in mid May. We had a massive party. Our bosses rented out a pub and gave us an open bar. I drank heavily and celebrated. Everyone was there patting each other on the back. Well deserved too. Lots of people said this was going to fail and a lot of people have come and gone from this project between October to now but I am so happy that I got to see the entire thing through. Now, we need to go through the film and make some beautiful stuff out of it and that is going to be really fun but a lot of work. A lot has happened to me in those moments in between behind the camera with my new friends. A few drunk nights to tell tales about, add a couple tattoos, and a new perspective on just life in general. How, up until now, how I felt like I have been doing it all wrong. At least not entirely how I should be looking at life anyway.

Before I came here I was really sure about what I thought and how I lived my life. Being here though, having so much time to myself to reflect and to meet people so different from me and hear about their views and beliefs made me realize how amazing and how awesome people can be. The soul of people is something extremely beautiful and in some people it makes your own soul light up. People like this should be protected and cared for. Being someone who did not meet a lot of people it blew my mind just how many great and genuine people are out there. I took the time to try and figure out what kind of person God wanted me to be and how to do it. I fall short a lot but I am at a point where I want to be better and I know that God will bless me if I put Him first and He will always be with me. He brought me here to show me that. I really wish I learned it sooner but I have a chance to take what I have learned here and let it change me and take that change home with me and build it into something legendary.

I came to Texas and I sometimes complained about it too. The roads, the confusing Dallas traffic, and the insane hours I pushed myself to endure. As I am here at the end of it looking back though, I would not have wanted to be anywhere else. This place has somehow made a place for itself in my heart and as I walk around my temporary home I know that somewhere within me I will always miss my apartment back in Dallas. My Farmers Market across the street, the empty gym upstairs, and the amazing people like my buddy Bogar, Luis, and Kennedy. They all have such intricate and beautiful lives and for a moment I got to be part of it and play a little role in it. In twenty four days though my pass as well as my filming will officially come to an end. The focus will then fall to packing up my apartment and making the drive back home to Florida before the apartment lease runs out September 1st.

As I write this I realize, I am really going to miss this place. I am really going to miss my little apartment across from my farmers market with the empty gym. I am going to miss my crazy friends that made me forget I am 40 and remind me life never runs out of adventures if you just keep chasing the horizon. I can’t help but wonder and daydream a lot lately about what will happen to all of us when we finally come to that day we all have say goodbye. I am sure we will all try to keep in touch as long as we can but life and time can be brutal with long distance friendships. I wonder what will happen to me and where I will go. I am sure wherever it is God will be with me and it will be awesome. I hope all of you reading this are well, God bless you, and until next time, see ya later.

Running Trails with the brand new 2026 Polaris ATV

When I got home from Dallas for the first time in months I first hugged my family, held my cat, and then immediately started prepping to head out to Croom for a day of trail running with Adam. Adam who usually rides a dirt bike recently bought a brand new Polaris. This beast was the trail model so it came with a lift kit on it, a winch and the bars you would usually see on an ATV have been removed. It is a black beast of a four wheeler. I never personally thought I would love an ATV with an automatic transmission but let me tell you this thing was so smooth running those trails.

We got out to Croom a couple weeks before the fourth of July and Croom was totally empty. The weather was brutal, to be specific the intense heat was brutal with a average temperature of about one hundred degrees. I can see what sitting on top of a extremely hot motor may not sound very fun to most people, especially my cousin who wears work out gear when he rides, but I am not a normal person. So I came anyway. The dust was intense at the sand pit but because there was no one there we got to really see the Polaris at speed off road which was apparently on half throttle. Adam is making a point of easing it in which I totally agree with just not great at practicing it. There has been a couple times that Adam had to be a little more clear about slowing down until it is completely run in. Sorry Adam, I am working on this.

We were pulling into the perfect spot with a good canopy lining up our trucks, Adam in his white Dodge Ram that is a beast just like the ATV it brought into the Withlacoochee Forest today. I, of course, was in Big Red, my ’79 Ford F-150 with my ’98 Honda Foreman 400. We didn’t waste time before jumping on the trails. Adam was eager to find some mud to put his four wheel drive to the test and maybe even to get stuck and give his new winch a test drive. The heat and how dry it was I wasn’t too sure we would find any serious mud but we had only been running the trails for about ten minutes before we found the same exact spot my ATV had gotten stuck the last time we came out there with Chris. When Adam saw that mud he went straight into it.

He hit the mud and at first he was plowing right through it until he started to come to the other side of this miniature lake and he got bogged down. I had gone through a smaller cut next to him so I wouldn’t get stuck since he was very stuck and I was gonna need to help pull him out. I cam around and he looked up with a huge grin, the kind you would expect on the kids on Christmas morning, and says out loud “WINCH TIME!”. Yes, it was indeed winch time. We first were going to set it to a tree, why not my ATV? Adam also wanted to see how long it was. When we couldn’t reach the tree so we hooked it up to my ATV. It came right out, I loved it. It was so awesome rolling through here now with a winch. I even bought one for my ATV, I just need to take it my ATV shop and have them install it because, surprisingly it is much more complicated than just bolting something on. So I would be visiting Haps in Sarasota very soon.

We probably rode for about three hours before having to return to reality but we already have started planning a longer moto-camping trip, something we have been talking about for a couple years. We are currently looking at the Ocala National Forest, since we already know the terrain really well, we can make that our first location for a full on, off the grid, moto-camping trip. Both of us having 4x4s, winches, and the ability to carry a decent amount of cargo. The possibilities are endless. I look forward to telling you more about this in the future. Thanks so much for reading, don’t forget you can watch this adventure at my YouTube channel Dan Goes Outside and check out Mud, Dust, and High Speed Rust. I promise that you will enjoy it, and please like and subscribe, it truly does help. I hope you have an awesome day wherever you are my friends, God bless, and don’t forget to go outside!

What’s a bill when you’re at Willie’s?

As we came close to the end of my birthday celebration in New Orleans I wanted to finish it up with a delicious Seafood Boil. We find an awesome place called Willie Seafood Boil near Bourbon Street. On the corner we walked in and they sat us immediately. They were really quick about getting us in our seats and getting us a drink. As it was the last day of vacation I had my traditional double shot of whiskey and a Dr Pepper. Sipping my whiskey as I explored the menu. Leonor was checking out what the table next to us was having. A huge table a couple were sharing that looked absolutely delicious. We agreed that was the way to go. I was committed to drinking at this point and had passed all food decisions to her and simply nodded with approval when any questions were directed to me. I couldn’t see how anything could possibly go wrong for me tonight. Just enjoying some Irish whiskey in the Big Easy.

When our food came I was at first confused. Since we had not received one but two huge platters with two lobsters, some snow crab clusters, a few dungeon crab clusters, shrimp, mussels, sausage, and oh my giddy up so much food. I looked at Leonor in utter bewilderment and asked, “What did you get?” her horrified expression immediately told me she had this well in hand and everything was under control. Or maybe not. I took a moment after calculating the mountain of food to look at the price for such a large meal. I had somehow nodded a five hundred dollar boil to my table. As we explained our case to an even more confused server and manager I once again employed my nodding and motioned my hand to forget any complaint and I simply said bon appetite.

The manager seeing the mistake and how we wanted to enjoy it either way made everything awesome when he laughed and said that we may eat everything. I thought that would be impossible looking at this mountain of food. You should never underestimate the power of Irish whiskey and weed munchies in moments like this. I started with the shrimp and then after enough of those delicious morsels were cleared I finished off the perfectly steamed crab legs. Amazing… I then finished off the shrimp and then tore into the mussels. I then finished it off with not just my corn on the cob but Leonor’s as well. I will never forget the managers face as he rounded the corner just in time to see me clear my plate and give me the most dry hilarious “I told you so” stare before I shrugged the most “yeah you totally did” grin back to him before we broke out laughing and he offered us another drink which I happily accepted. It was the most expensive meal I ever paid for but I think I got more out of that meal than just amazing food. Money always comes back, but living your life, that is something you can never get back. Life is a lot like a great meal, best enjoyed in good company.

Ghosts, Beignets, and Cafe Au Lait

Some things that you have to do when you are in New Orleans is getting drunk off of a special liquor slushy called a daiquiri, I suggest the Quad shot (four extra) if you want to live dangerously as I do. I was walking by the way do not visit Bourbon Street and plan to drive. And the other thing is a ghost tour. Now, if you are reading this and you need to find a tour I recommend a very cool chap who’s name I unfortunately cannot recall in a small red box pavilion and ask him about the New Orleans night walking ghost tour. It is awesome.

After you go book your tour you need to follow the Mississippi River to this outdoor/indoor cafe called the Cafe Du Monde. It may look a little hectic because it is a place where you go in and seat yourself and another heads up, it is cash only, but it has the most amazing beignets you will ever eat in your entire life. Now, it looked busy every time I had gone so you may have to rub a shoulder or two but try to get a look inside because every time I went inside it was easy to find a table compared to outside. I think people just grab the first empty they see which is outside which makes sitting inside pretty easy. So, in case you want to grab a little air conditioning its perfect. I had an order of beignets, which is three per order, which may not sound like a lot but these things can really fill you up. Start with a single order and get it with a small Cafe Au Lait, which is just coffee and milk, simple, but delicious. It’s hard to beat a classic. After you enjoy your coffee and beignets and enjoy the music from the street. The street performers while I was there was amazing. It really added to the experience.

When you leave, and do please tip your server, exit and go towards the Mississippi and you’ll cross some rail road tracks and find yourself at a beautiful side of the bank, seeing the crescent bend that New Orleans is famous for with the great bridge in the background. You will also see the paddlewheels working up and down the river, something I wonder if Mark Twain would recognize and find cool that we still enjoy them today. Standing there an older gentleman with a guitar began playing a very beautiful almost lo-fi jam that made the entire view surreal. As I stood there listening to the music the clouds released a misty haze soaking in the moment as the wind blew over this great river.

Later that night, we made our way back out for a walking ghost tour. Now, I love tours but i had never done a walking ghost tour. I love history and I lose the paranormal so I was really stoked but at the same time I was afraid of getting too excited and then leaving disappointed. It started off in a room that was decorated to look creepy where we met our tour guide. A very cool Irish dude named Orion. Now this dude is awesome and it is not because I am Irish and so is he or that I believe that the Irish are the best story tellers in the world, though they are absolutely are. I liked him because he allowed himself to get lost in the story, to become emotionally invested on a level. The stories were also pretty wild. I am not going to tell you what they were because, as Orion said, that is his product and I do not want to give it away, but I can tell you if you book a ghost tour in the French Quarter you are going to have an amazing time. We hit several very haunted locations, one in particular was the LaLaurie Mansion.

The LaLaurie Mansion was very creepy. We heard the story and we all were like “ahh that is scary” but this spot was really weird. First, the tour guide would not get close to it. He said we could walk under the balcony and get close to it but he had no interest in getting close. Now, it wasn’t weird at that moment for me. We went through the rest of the tour which was awesome but later on we got hit with a really hard rain walking back to the hotel room. We stopped at a pub called the Voodoo Tavern. I had a delicious po’ boy and Leonor had something else. I drank a Dr. Pepper… no alcohol… After I used the lavatory I came back and sat down and was talking about this place and felt a really strong poke on my shoulder. I though something had dripped on me so I started looking on my shirt. I asked Leonor if she saw anything I was so sure something had to be there. Nothing… now I know this sounds kinda silly but it was really weird. It felt like someone had poked me as if to say, “Hey, I heard you..” and this city is so charged with the paranormal that you can feel the history every where. That night, I had a weird feeling that something was on the couch at some point but I told myself I was tired and imagining things.

If you ever find yourself on the banks of the Mississippi River make sure you pop into Cafe Du Monde for a beignet and a Cafe Au Lait and relax to the saxophone player bringing life to the busy streets stretching through the Quarter. Every corner has its own story, has its own unique history, and its just waiting to be found and explored. This place has such an enchanting energy, it’s impossible not to be drawn in to the mysterious beauty of this place. If you ever have a chance I highly recommend coming here and really letting yourself get lost in the Quarter.

Exploring Bourbon Street and a Quad Shot Daiquiri

I finally turned forty years old last week and to celebrate this well rounded number my girlfriend took me to New Orleans. I had not been to New Orleans since I was a small child so I was really excited to experience a city, that as musician, I had always heard as being a hoppin city. We left Dallas in the morning and drove which came out to be around eight hours. That may sound like a long drive but honestly with the right company it is an amazing drive. I took a longer route taking me through several small towns that were farming villages that’s main crop appeared to be sugar cane. At first I was not sure what it was because it looks like a bush but as it grows you begin to recognize it. Miles and miles of sugar cane fields slowly give way to the bayou as you drive into Baton Rouge and cross the great Mississippi River. If you have never seen the Mississippi River then I highly recommend you find the chance. Such a huge mighty river. You can see how it captivated Mark Twain to write so much about it. After crossing a huge bridge it was about another hour and a half and we came into the famous city of New Orleans.

Now, I stayed at the Hotel Indigo it’s about a five minute walk from Bourbon Street. Which is perfect, just close enough to enjoy but far enough to not have the party on your front door stoop. When we arrived we immediately dropped of our bags in our room and immediately made our way to Bourbon Street for a delicious New Orleans meal. We paced the French Quarter where I saw several palm readers and fortune tellers as well as an accordion player what felt like it was straight out of a scene of Master and Commander, that was especially awesome. The park was filled with all kinds of things like that. Eventually, we found ourselves at the Oceana, a hot spot in Nola. I remember the meal was delicious but the four shots of Irish whiskey make it hard to be specific about what exactly I ate. I know the hush puppies were amazing.

After my four shots and delicious New Orleans meal we began making our way around Bourbon Street, getting lost exploring the Quarter. It was about then that I passing the twentieth daiquiri shop when I finally asked what it was. Apparently this is a liquor slushy. I immediate thought this must be a traditional native drink of Bourbon Street and if I really wanted to immerse myself in the culture I would have to drink one. I approached and began looking at the flavors and decided on watermelon I think. I know the liquor added was vodka. I asked if we could add additional shots. Now, this is where the story gets really exciting.

“Can I get two extra shots?”

“Yes”

“Can I get three extra shots?”

“Ugh.. yes..”

“Ya know, we should probably go ahead and do four extra shots.. can we go ahead and do that?”

“Wow.. ugh.. yes, we can do that”

I began exploring the French Quarter armed with my liquored up slushy and began getting lost in Nola. We made our way to a huge beautiful Catholic Church that someone was saying something about a giraffe but I have no idea what the hell they meant and I don’t think that is totally the six or seven shots of liquor. Actually, as I write this, it may have been. The Church is extremely beautiful and sits directly in front of a large park. This is where I heard the accordion player and palm readers. I then popped in a few shops and got some cool stuff. The feeling on Bourbon Street is definitely a party atmosphere but it has such a deep soul. You can feel the history of this beautiful city all around you. It will be easy for me to remember this as one of the best birthdays I have ever had.

Editing Days in a Dallas Apartment

It has been nearly a week I believe since I have gone outside except for the occasional taco. We are getting very close to the end of this project and therefore coming to a conclusion in the filming which means I have to now start seeking an “ending”. Something to really sum up the film of this huge adventure, this David vs. Goliath of long odds.

The arrival in Dallas came immediately after New Years. Driving the sixteen hundred plus miles from my hometown in South Florida to Dallas Texas was an awesome ride. Cruising past Pensacola, Through Mobile Bay, past Louisiana, and finally arriving in Dallas, Texas. After being taken in by the breathe taking skyline and being shown to the apartment that would be home for the next eight months I took in one immediate fact. That the roads in Dallas must have been drawn by someone who had taken too much Adderall. Winding through one way streets and immense hoards of the homeless wandering around downtown almost like something out of an old zombie movie. Though this place has begin to grow on me. The friends I have made here have been some of the most amazing people I have ever met.

It is hard to believe that we are already in May and going through that month faster than anyone could have expected. I have gone ahead and purchased tickets to go to Japan with Adam and Chris. The trip we have been talking about for a couple of years is actually on the way. This November eleventh this adventure will begin just as this current one comes to a close. As I sit here now working through all the footage I have filmed for the last 5 months it is dawning on me that I will have to say goodbye to Dallas soon as well and I believe that I had forgotten what it was like to love something or someplace and then let it go. For me, personally, that’s the hardest part, the letting go. I always wish I can bring all the awesome people I meet with me, but they have their own adventures to embark upon and thus we must enjoy our time on the trail together, we all have a different camping spot we are hiking to in life so be kind, love, care for, and enjoy the other people you find on the trail. God bless you my friends, until next time.

Goatman’s Bridge in Denton, TX. No ghosts just good times.

I had been reading about and hearing stories about this location for years and even saw a few segments on TV talking about how paranormal it is. So Leonor and I decided to take a ride up there and check it out. It was a little late in the day so when we actually arrived at the bridge, which was not in a scary location at all but off a very busy intersection. So, upon arrival I pulled into the parking lot and was not too confident that I was in the right spot. It was dark, there were surprisingly a lot of cars parked here and as I was pulling in another person was pulling in behind me. I immediately thought I must be in the wrong place. We watched the person who had just parked get out of their car and start making there way down this trail. We looked at each other and decided we should go up there and take a look. It wasn’t too dark but definitely getting towards dark, still well beyond sunset but the full moon provided a lot of visibility.

I grabbed a camera and we started making our way down to the bridge. The forest around it is supposed to be haunted also with shadow figures, disembodied voices, and other strange things. I felt absolutely none of this. I did get the vibe I was strolling through a picnic area with a ghost theme attempted to somehow spook people. There was a large group of ghost hunters, I say that very liberally, as the questions were not the average questions someone would ask a ghost, like, how did you die, are you angry, tell us if your spirit is still tormented. They though felt compelled to ask Goatman if he disliked his name and that a bunch of giggly woman were bothering him by being on his bridge. But as most men are around a bunch of women like this, Goatman remained silent.

There was one group with a couple of men one of these gentlemen had what looked to be high tech ghost hunting gear, like spirit box and one of those rumba things that the light changes when a ghost is supposed to be close. He also had something with a screen where the ghost would apparently use the electrical powers to transmit a message like a paranormal text message to the ghost hunter asking the question. Knowing a ghost can text better than most of my own family makes me just LOL. Though as I walked across the bridge that is supposed to curse you when you walk to the end and tell the Goatman to follow you back felt more like a peaceful place to smoke a jay with your friends and enjoy the still river beneath you. The hiking trails did look very inviting but given it was the middle of the night at this point I chose to stick around the bridge with the paranormal experts.

In short dear friends, you may be more likely to catch a buzz and a calm breeze than a glimpse at a terrifying demon at this particular bridge here in Denton. Take this with a grain of salt but the atmosphere seemed more like a carnival environment than scary and I had no feelings of dread or strange feelings of being watched or anything that felt negative in anyway. It was actually quite the opposite, it was a very peaceful and beautiful place. I am not going to say do not check it out but do not expect a visit from the “other side” but go and enjoy a piece of history at this old truss bridge, enjoy the quiet, explore the trails, and really relax in a piece of Texas history.

Getting Lost in the Dallas World Aquarium

It was a cold and rainy day in Dallas when I made my way twenty minutes from the apartment I am currently staying in to the Dallas World Aquarium. The parking was a bit difficult but once I navigated the craziness of Dallas’ streets and parked I was surprised that the line getting into this aquarium stretched around the building, literally. Snaking its way through the alley and then finally reaching the entrance I was really surprised by how nice this place was. Just the entry itself was already impressive giving the feeling that you are walking into a jungle. Around you bamboos are roped together making homes for toucans and other brightly coloured and beautiful tropical birds. Their native calls filling the halls as we all lined up eagerly to enter. I was already getting excited and I knew it was not just me because Leonor was also getting really eager to see what was there to discover here.

When we made it past the cashier where we paid to get in we immediately see by the stairs taking you to the first level were a family of baby penguins. Just hanging out, three of them looking at us through the glass as we admired their beauty. One of them darting through the water. Those National Geographic shows are not joking, let me tell you, these birds are as fast as sports cars when they are underwater. I started going up the large spiral staircase and all of a sudden I found myself in a South American jungle. Complete with waterfalls, tropical birds, and even a tiny deer which I am sure was not a deer but looked like a deer if you shot it with that laser from “Honey I Shrunk the Kids”, what a great movie. If you haven’t seen it you have to give it a try.

Making our way through the jungle passing the waterfall looking down several stories into the heart of this portion of the aquarium we could see a large pool at the bottom with two enormous crocodiles in one area. At the top monkeys played and laughed alongside birds resting and singing in the trees. Making our way through a fog past the waterfall we approach several tanks containing brightly coloured poison dart frogs. Colours unimaginably bright: gold, turquoise, bright blue, and more. Crawling around on their leaves inside their tanks, sometimes taking a moment to see because they are about the size of a half dollar, give or take. We then passed by something that holds a very special place in my nightmares. As a boy growing up in a small town in Venezuela when my father was working there as a contractor were the stories about the anacondas. Huge snakes that have been known to eat large prey like deer, cattle, and even people. When I was hiking with my family in Canaima (may have spelt that wrong) the main thing the guide made cautioned us to be aware of the anaconda as they wait under the water and snatch their victims squeezing them to death.

Now, here before me this enormous snake, that almost looks too huge to possibly be real. Truly a monster of the jungle, an apex predator, now resting in this tank in Dallas looking back at me. Wandering past the tank we made our way down to the next floor. We were now seeing colourful fish, sunfish, clown fish, and a “Dora” fish. Then we got to Shark Tunnel that held many different sharks including the most peculiar shark that seemed to have a large saw blade for a nose sticking out of his. What was most unnerving about this shark was the mouth and how oddly human it looked. It definitely made you more uncomfortable the longer you looked at it.

We eventually wandered into an area where a huge eagle with a very large Arrium with very tall tree it was going from branch to branch from. Open to the outside air the eagle seemed happy to feel the cool breeze and almost performed when it saw people out of excitement. Another animal that almost played with the people watching was the sea otter that was the size of a large dog. Such a beautiful animal and so playful just swam past anyone who would get close splashing around to get more attention. Truly the puppy dog of the water. We went past the eagle and saw another very large enclosure with a small cat. An ocelot pacing and waiting to get fed maybe. Honestly it really reminded me of my cat, Rocket, how he would pace back and forth while I got his food out and got it ready for him.

Finally getting to the final floors we got to the penguin outdoor exhibit. The penguin is definitely one of my favourite animals and the fact that we can get so close to them was really an awesome experience. There was maybe six of them or so huddled around another waterfall just relaxing. It was really awesome being able to see so many different animals and to see them sometimes with no barrier and really enjoy their beauty. There was so much more that we saw that day that it would be more like a book if I tried tell you it all. What I can tell you is that the Dallas World Aquarium is definitely a place that you should visit and if you love nature, the ocean, and all the amazing creatures that reside in it or near it, then this a place you will want to see. I highly recommend.

The Sixth Floor at the Texas School Book Depository, Dallas, TX.

Driving to Dealey Plaza is surreal as someone who has spent years reading about this place. Nestled in a beautiful and busy part of Downtown Dallas, Texas, it takes a moment for you to realize where exactly it is you are standing. It took me a moment to find the parking area, that once you find it it is just a short walk from the Grassy Knoll. As I exit the car I look up at the old brick building standing ominously in the Texas sun. I gaze over to the Grassy Knoll and my gaze followed past the knoll to the rail road where a witness said he saw a group of men and what looked like a puff of smoke, possibly from a rifle. He mysteriously died after his testimony. Dallas Police also found several footprints and cigarette butts on the knoll.

I made my way across the parking lot to the entrance of the Sixth Floor Museum at the Texas School Book Depository Museum. The building where it it said that Lee Harvey Oswald had a sniper nest and murdered the young and beloved charismatic President John F. Kennedy. That is what the government told us for years amongst the sea of conspiracy theories and inconsistencies surrounding the death of the president. Going through the main doors we are directed to a cashier and given a ticket that grants us access to the elevator that takes us to sixth floor, now a museum in honor of the late President John Kennedy and that haunting day in American history.

Exiting the lift you walk through a short accessway passing the original freight elevator that Oswald would have used to transport the books to the storage area on the sixth floor. The books stacked in a certain way would have made it somewhat easy to make a hidden sniper nest by a window as it is posed that Oswald did but the location he selected is still something that continues to cause debate amongst theorists. As I looked out the window myself I could see that his vision would have been obstructed slightly by a large tree and that the position of the motorcade before the turn on Elm would have been a better location for a solo sniper operating by himself but Oswald didn’t do that.

The museum is a showcase of the achievements of the late President Kennedy and the life of a young Oswald leading up to the day where the tow paths would cross for the last time on this Earth. The exhibits include Oswald’s wedding ring, the sweater he wore when Jack Ruby shot him, and a historical walk through of that day that will leave you moved with its immersive experience.

Leaving I took a stroll over to the Grassy Knoll and gazed out of the white dome next to Elm street. I strolled slowly past the first X higher up on the drive. Where the first shot struck the president in the neck. A little further a more defined larger white X. The spot where the fatal shot stole the life of a president who had just started a legacy that would change the country forever.

Looking around now, the business of downtown, the families walking by, the drivers passing over the X. It is as if the history of this place rests quietly amongst those ho call this place home but never truly gone. A place renowned for conspiracy and sadness that changed a country forever.

Evening Run to Vulcan

My nephews and I have created this tradition that every Thanksgiving I drive my family up to my old hometown in Alabama and after we have our big meal that is usually around twelve in the afternoon we go up to Oak Mountain and hike up to Peavine Falls. Oak Mountain is a huge State Park near Birmingham and is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Now, one thing I always do is, when I am at the top of Red Mountain I would always survey the neighboring mountain tops for Vulcan. Now, Vulcan is the largest cast iron statue in the world and it too sits atop Red Mountain so I am surveying the tops of all the surrounding peaks but I can’t see him, I never do. Then I launch into my usual speech about how much I wish we could take a side quest to Vulcan before heading home but there is no way it would be open that late… or would it? I had equipped my phone now with the latest in AI technology that even James Bond would feel a twinge of jealousy about as I asked ChatGPT what Vulcan’s hours were. I was blown away when I saw it was open until ten. I immediately rounded up the children and made the twenty minute drive to Vulcan Park. It was a very short drive so it was not long before we were coming up the road taking us up the mountain when we saw him. Vulcan, the largest cast iron statue ever made in the world. The gray steel colour was outlined in the dark blue sky standing high on his pedestal reaching up towards the sky. It was nearly sunset. We first headed into the museum to get our tickets to go to the top of Vulcan but we were once struck with a kind providence as we were informed that their computer systems were down and therefore we would not be charged. We were given our official post it note and made our way over to the pedestal that Vulcan sat atop. The entire monument was being renovated so naturally the lifts were out but that was fine by me as I was interested in seeing the guts of the statues as we lumbered our way up. The pedestal was a stone mason style that felt like an old turn of the century design. Accurate since it was made in the early nineteen hundreds. The bottom of the stairs was a white marble room with the stairs starting on the right and wrapping around the wall going to the left. After going up the original stairs the marbles gives way to a dark stone. The original walls of the statue. Going up the only hint to how high you are is the thin windows. Approaching the top, the large steel doors open to an outside view of downtown Birmingham from almost two hundred feet above Red Mountain. I am actually slightly averted to heights but I can never say no to a breathtaking view and the thrill of filming it. As I stepped outside into the cold high altitude breeze I could see the lights of downtown lighting up and in the distance the sky was a deep red being washed out slowly by a black star dotted sky. I made my way slowly walking around the entire deck and seeing the entire three hundred and sixty degree view that Vulcan offered. There is something almost spiritual for me being in places like this. I had visited Vulcan years ago when I was a kid and it was an inside observation room and you couldn’t see Vulcan but just the surrounding view but now being outside in the wind looking up and seeing the great cast iron olympian and not only see the view but really feel. The grating was a little bit of a shock when I realized I could see all the way to the ground. After taking a moment to really take in the view I had been waiting to see for years I took my time climbing back down the stairs. I felt like I was leaving a friend’s house that I knew I wouldn’t be seeing again for a very long time and it was a little sad. Before leaving though we took a walk through the Museum at Vulcan Park, spoiler alert, there is a celebrity housed there, Bill for Capitol Hill, if you know you know. Making my way back to my ride I stopped and turned around and took a moment to really let the moment sink in, to really let it settle in my memory before heading back. If you are ever in Birmingham, Alabama I highly recommend a stop to enjoy it. Sunset, in my opinion, is the very best time. Until next time dear adventurers, God bless you, St. Brendan travel with you, and may you always find the right trail.