Go Big

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Getting to roam the earth like I do, I am often drawn to the most odd-named spots on this planet.   It makes sense that a lot of towns were named after meaningful people or places like New Amesterdam or Georgetown. And, some places are named after a unique geological feature common to the area like South Fork, Colorado named for the adjacent river that runs through it. 

In the San Luis Valley we see the early influence of the Spanish and later Latino peoples in the names of the cities and places like the Sangre De Christo Mountains which translated means, The Blood of Christ.

But Ol' Dutch has always been amazed at some of the names he visits and reads about and I have to wonder where these could have possibly originated?  You don't have to look far to find a Bugtussle, Texas or a Boring, Oregon. There is a Why, Arizona and there is Whynot, Mississippi. Another interesting place is Loafers Glory, North Carolina which I take to be a good place to re-shoe oneself but Trixie says that maybe is where Ol' Dutch can ply his trade of "loafing."

The town of Sweet Lips, Tennessee gives me great memories of a gal I knew from the South and Lick Skillet, Tennessee kind of leaves a slick feeling on my tongue.  I know nothing about Hell, Michigan but it would give most preachers fits as they try and convince their congregations that they need to be "saved from Hell." Personally, though, I have been in a few towns I wish someone had saved me from too so Ol' Dutch thinks this might just be one of them.

Now Ol' Dutch has never been one to be too prudish but how people came up with Intercourse, Pennsylvania for a town name is a tad suspect. As for other less than dainty sounding names there is Dildo, Canada to which Ol' Dutch won't touch with a 10 foot pole. And Middlefart, Denmark brings up thoughts of odoriferous airs about town. 

We cannot fail to mention Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales which has fewer residents than the letters in its name.  More local place names include Center which lies in the center of the Valley and Creede, named for Nicholas Creede who first found silver deposits there. 

I guess my favorite of all times however would have to be Timbuktu which is located far away on the edge of the Great Sahara Desert. This name invokes something far, far away and is also just fun to say like Waxahachie, Texas. 

Maybe this year you will find yourself in Hygiene or Spook City, Colorado. Or possibly you could find your way to Wideawake or maybe pick up a few new house guests in Old Roach, Colorado? There is one thing I do know after all these years and that is "wherever you find yourself, there you are" and the journey is half the fun of any adventure. 

So should this year find Ol' Dutch and Trixie in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico or  Pee Pee Ohio or some other town with an interesting name, we will try and always remember the old saying, "you cannot judge a book by its cover.” Even if we end up in Anus, France Ol' Dutch will try not to have a crappy outlook on life. 


 

Kevin Kirkpatrick and his Yorkie, Cooper, fish, hunt, ATV or hike daily. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. And his blog is www.troutrepublic.com.

Hair Raising Situation

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Last week found me traveling out of the Valley on my winter sojourn to warmer climes in search of more fishing adventures. All was fine until I started down the east side of La Veta Pass where all of a sudden I lost the trailer brakes.

I pushed down hard on the brake pedal but if felt like a spoiled peach. Things soon got hot and the truck started shaking and bumping and grinding all over the highway like I did the last time I walked across the beach barefoot.

Only the truck wasn’t quite as loud as I was. My hair was standing on end and turned two shades whiter while Cooper slept on. That just shows you that dogs trust God more than we do -- or something like that.

A quick consult with the man upstairs was in order and He must of not been too busy this day as I was able to bring the entire rig to a halt at the bottom without incident.

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Volume Buying

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Ever since I was elected to be the one to go to the store when the TOILET PAPER emergencies occurred in our household, I have always bought plenty and had it on hand no matter what.

 

Living 12 miles from town in those days made it a tad harder than a run to the corner market too. So I learned to pick up a LOT of TP whenever I was at the store which caused no end to tension about storage space. Now that I am full time Rv-ing the lack of space does cause some difficulties in keeping very much on hand. When I switched RVs last year, Trixie was flabbergasted at the number of rolls I can stuffed away in nooks and crannies.

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Armchair Olympians

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This week finds most of us watching the Olympic Games being held in Sochi, Russia. For those of you who don't know where that is, it is at the proverbial end of the earth – or, at least, you can see it from there.

While the media does its best to concentrate on the athletes, the real news out of that area is the number of empty seats in the Olympic venues, non-working toilets, athletes having to smash through doors and packs of roaming dogs.

Even in the midst of difficulties, the Olympic Games go on and athletes from across the globe have gathered to try and win a medal, instant  fame and a lifetime supply of Wheaties cereal.

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