DT
Blogger
Seems to be on the warpath the past few days.
This message is getting to be common:
Sorry, the blog at variouswebsites.blogspot.com has been removed. This address is not available for new blogs.
It's one reason this site is on WordPress.
Continue reading →Tunesday: King Crimson – Epitaph
A sample of some obscure - and maybe not obscure - tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today's medley selection: King Crimson - "Epitaph" 1969
From the 1969 album "In The Court Of The Crimson King", the cut was released as a single in 1976.
King Crimson was a 5-man band formed in London in 1968. "In The Court Of The Crimson King" was their first and most successful album. The original band broke up and personnel fluctuated during the recording of the band's 2nd and 3rd LPs: "In The Wake Of Poseidon" and "Lizard". One of those changes in personnel was with Greg Lake (bass, vocals), who because of the band's uncertain future, teamed up with Keith Emerson of Nice and Carl Palmer of Atomic Rooster to form Emerson, Lake, and Palmer after recording Poseidon.
Continue reading →In Case You Were All Wondering
Larry Lambert over at Virtual Mirage posted a picture of me preparing posts for New American Digest.
Enjoy ... :)
Continue reading →Little America
Proving it's possible to be in the middle of nowhere even on a modern interstate, roughly halfway between Green River and Fort Bridger in Wyoming off I-80, sits a motel with gas. Or what used to be just a motel with gas. Perhaps the only motel with gas in the country with its own zip code (82929) and listed as a census-designated place (pop. 68).
Stephen Covey was herding sheep as a boy in the 1890s and got lost in a blizzard. Forced to make camp in 50mph winds and -40° temperatures, he recalled dearly wishing for shelter of some kind. In 1929, Covey saw photos of Admiral Byrd's Little America camp in Antarctica. Recalling his time as a boy, he returned to the place he camped in 1934 and built a 12-cabin motel with two gas pumps. He added a cocktail lounge with small cafe for travellers along the Lincoln Highway which would eventually become US30, then I-80. It was named "Little America" because Covey felt the comparison with Byrd's Antarctica station was valid: a place of shelter in the midst of a (at times) frozen, desolate wasteland.
It was Robert Holding that turned Covey's Little America into the empire it is today. The stop was struggling financially, the facility was isolated and staff was hard to hire and keep. Covey offered Holding and his wife the opportunity to manage the place. They accepted and moved into a small apartment on the grounds. Winter weather caused frequent closures of I-80 (still does), stranding travellers literally on their doorstep. The Holdings chose to concentrate on quality and volume rather than taking advantage of those caught in the frequent road closures.
Building on the Antarctica inspiration, penguins were chosen as the facility mascot. Billboards were placed 100s of miles away, reminding travellers that an oasis in nowhere awaited them. Large ice cream cones were a staple in the advertisements; originally a dime until inflation caused a rise in price to 50¢ (I believe the price has now increased to 75¢ but still a value for the money).
Gasoline sales were so successful, the Holdings bought their own refinery in Casper and in 1976, they bought out Sinclair. In 1979, a massive blizzard stranded 500 people. The hotel rooms were full, every spare mattress and blanket was pulled from storage and lined the hallways. The kitchen stayed open, serving coffee and soup to all regardless of payment.
TheAt one time, the stop had the largest number of gas pumps in the world with 55 pumps.
Robert Holding died in 2013 holding a personal worth of over $3billion
The billboard penguins have been removed, the facility evolved into Grand America Hotels & Resorts consisting of a chain of 8 facilities. The original site now has over 140 hotel rooms but still only has 55 gas pumps.
The company is still owned by the holding family but like many successful ventures, quality and service got in the way of profits.
Pay Up
Stole this from MidwestChick's place:
At least they're telling the truth instead of some nonsense like "Safety" or "For the Children".
You have to pay a fee for permission to drive effectively - a license so to speak, billed upon usage. But you're only allowed a certain number of fees paid before you get a time out until your fee count resets.
I assume this is Aurora, Colorado so I have to believe those that posted this sign didn't realize the message.
Continue reading →Another Current Event
While I can't say I support Russia in this mess, I can see their point ... and I do not favor Ukraine or US support of same - mostly because of the prominent US supporters: Biden, Pelosi, Romney, Kerry and who knows how many others (that twit from Kenya?). I'd say that Zelenskyy can go bugger himself but I'd be too late. His one talent seems to be playing a piano with his penis. Which pretty much sums up the skill level needed to be a politician.
I wonder if any US politicians have that level of skill.
But DT, that's not a current event ...
But this makes it so - apparently released yesterday (Fri, June 12).
Another conspiracy theory turned into fact:
“Politicians and so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team lied to the American people about the existence of U.S.-funded and supported biolabs, and threatened those who attempted to expose the truth.”
Yet people still believe Fauci.
Anyone believe such efforts have stopped?
Continue reading →1873 Mason Bogie Locomotive
Mason Bogie locomotives were first developed in the early 1870s. An articulated tank locomotive (no tender and the drive wheels swivel), it was intended to be used on poor track with sharp curves. 146 of these engines were built between 1872 and 1890.
The most famous of these engines ran on the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad which operated 23 of them.
The only surviving engine of this type is the "Torch Lake" which is operational and lives at Greenfield Village outside Detroit.
Built in late 1873 by the Mason Machine Works of Massachusetts for use in the copper country on the Keweenaw Peninsula off Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co operated the engine as its #3 locomotive. It was obtained by Greenfield Village in 1968 and was once the oldest operating steam engine in the country. (In 1981, the 1831 John Bull operated under its own power but it is now on static display at the Smithsonian).
Several engines of the same era are operating or undergoing restoration at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, the most famous of which is the 4-4-0 Reno built in 1872. Once common in westerns, the Reno was damaged in a fire at Old Tucson and has since been moved "home" to Carson City where it was once the primary passenger engine of the Virginia & Truckee of the Comstock Lode days. The 4-4-0 narrow gauge Eureka, also from Nevada, was built in 1875, is operable, and is often seen on the Durango & Silverton Railroad.
Last time I visited Greenfield Village, the Torch Lake was undergoing maintenance and parked in a roundhouse replica. I played around with the processing a bit - here are the reasonable results.
In the background sits an 1870 0-4-0 unnamed switch engine once used at one of Thomas Edison's companies. Henry Ford purchased the engine in 1932 for his museum after rebuilding it into a 4-4-0 configuration and named it "Edison". Both engines operate at the museum on a regular basis.
Continue reading →Current Event
Karmelo Anthony got off easy.
Continue reading →Garden Of The Gods
On the western fringes of Colorado Springs and across US24 from Manitou Springs sits a region of raw sandstone formations. It was dedicated to the city in 1909 by the rancher that owned the property under the provision it remain free to the public. The park is actually on the smallish side with development approaching the park boundaries. Rock-climbing and hiking are popular activities.
Being so close to a substantial city, it receives something in the neighborhood of 2 million visitors per year - it can be crowded at peak season.
Not ones to pass on an opportunity to collect money, the city has attempted to collect a $500 fee from "professional" photographers. It is uncertain what constitutes a "professional" photographer. There have been attempts to get around the "free admission" provision, including putting the park into the National Park system but such attempts have failed.
Definitely worth a visit if in the area; not sure I'd plan a long trip with the park as a destination. Valley of the Gods in Utah near Mexican Hat is in the red rock country and does not have the feeling of being in someone's back yard.