The Gay Life of a Country Boy would be nothing without its listeners and I, for one, would love to thank everyone who listens.  I would also like to thank the love and support of the other podcasters who have helped me along the way and have shown kindness to me.  It means a lot to me and I will never forget any of you.

We do this for whatever reason we feel is best in our hearts and minds.  Many of us find that is is soothing to talk about things.  Others need an outlet for the energy for if we didn’t have that, there would be explosions of body parts flying everywhere.  Some even have a knack for things and they feel that their best way to get out there in the world is to create a podcast so everyone can understand their desires, needs, and wants.  Whatever reason, you can count on learning something you either didn’t know or you will find someone with the same views and feelings.  And if you don’t find either, then just listen and laugh your ass off at the sheer wackiness of it all.

Here’s to many more episodes of The Gay Life of a Country Boy.

In the beginning...

Starting on Sunday, June 20, 2010, I, along with my friend Joe, started a trek along the Appalachian Trail starting at Springer Mountain, GA.  The morning began well.  Of course, there were tons of butterflies in our stomachs.  I knew I had to eat something, but eating was the last thing on my mind.  I managed to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and keep it down.  We gathered all our gear and we piled into the Santa Fe.  Off and runnin’!

When looking at the National Geographic map of the area, it had designations for improved and unimproved roads.  Growing up on a dirt road, I knew very well what the differences in the two were.  Obviously, in the North Georgia mountains, those two meanings aren’t very different.  Picture a winding dirt road with some rather sharp turns and then picture one the same way…only the second one looks as though it hasn’t been bladed/graded in quite some time.  There’s your differences!  I’m glad we have the Santa Fe now instead of the PT Cruiser.  It would have been a sad sight to see that beautiful blue car go through those roads.  They weren’t as bad as I was expecting.  I was expecting tree limbs and all that junk to try and block our way.  The roads do go through lands used by Army rangers that I will be getting to in a later post.  After driving for 10 miles (16.09 km), we were finally at the parking lot of Springer Mtn.

We piled out of the vehicle, stretching and breathing in the fresh mountain air.  It felt so great to be in the mountains.  South Alabama has hills, but it doesn’t allow you to get this wonderful feeling.  I strangely felt right at home where I was standing.  We opened the back of the vehicle and started going through our inventory of equipment and putting on our packs.  “Wes, where are your trekking poles?”  Are you freaking kidding me?  After going through all the stuff the day before, I had left my trekking poles lying on the table.  Oh well!  It’s not like we could turn around and go get them.  I was at the starting point and had to make the most of what I had.  After spraying ourselves down with bug spray, adjusting straps, and kissing the partner goodbye, we entered the trail with open minds, jittery stomachs, and beating hearts.

Trickling stream

It felt good walking through the trail.  It began pretty narrow…probably about 2 feet (.61 meters) wide.  We hiked single file for about a mile or so before the trail widened.  The scenery was to die for…awe inspiring and truly breathtaking.  A plant, whose name I do not know, that blooms in the mountains created an aroma totally inescapable.  It wasn’t bad and it didn’t make my sinuses go crazy.  It simply seemed weird smelling it the entire time we were in the woods.  I’ve mentioned in a previous post my love for bridges.  We crossed a few bridges, like the one pictured, allowing people to cross over smaller creeks and streams.  I failed to get a picture of it, but when we reached Three Forks, there was a camping area next to a nice size creek where we refreshed our water supply.  The bridge traversing the creek was well designed to be the size it was.  Guard railings and nice flooring made it my favorite of the entire hike.  The water flowing underneath was ice cold!  Even in the heat of summer, this creek was full of clear, cold , delicious mountain water.  That is, after it went through a filter and was treated with UV light to kill micro organisms!  We spent some time near the creek, and noticing that we were doing really well on time, we hoisted our bags into place and crossed the forestry service road (read “dirt road”) and continued on our journey.

After hiking nearly a mile, we knew we should be coming up on a fantastic waterfall called Long Falls.  We saw a creek below where we were standing and we could hear water falling.  We thought we had made it.  Venturing off the trail, we went down to the water and were greatly disappointed in what we saw.  If this was Long Falls, someone wasn’t thinking clearly while they named it.  Someone must not have wanted it to feel bad about itself!  We walked through the woods, getting a look at more of the area.  Nothing changed.  We stood by our packs for a minute, boggled from what we had seen.  I looked in my data guide and reviewed the picture.  A white, foamy wall of water was falling from a cliff into a pool at its base.  Obviously, this was not where we needed to be.  Something just didn’t sound right in our gauging of distances.  We climbed back onto the trail and carried on.  We hiked for maybe a tenth of a mile and there was the sign for Long Falls.  A sign…yes!  Look for signs to show you where you should go.  I felt kind of stupid at that point and we headed down the trail to find this great waterfall.

Long Falls

You can imagine how glad we were to see the real waterfall and the amazingly cold water falling into a rather deep pool at the base of the cliff.  There were people sitting on rocks around the falls, enjoying a Sunday snack.  Two southern ladies were sitting around, smoking their cigarettes and talking about life’s issues.  When we walked up, they were welcoming and in that GA mountain voice said, “Hi y’all doin’?  It’s purty hot out here, ain’t it?”  I just couldn’t help myself from being overjoyed and down right giddy!  They asked how far we were hiking.  I told them our goal was Hogpin Gap.  They shook their head in agreement, as though I had asked them a question.  Joe and I took some pictures of the falls before we sat down on the rock made vacant by the ladies after leaving.  While sitting there, a father and his son joined us at the falls and before long, a family stopped by with sandwiches and drinks.  I started a conversation with them…me being the person who doesn’t often meet a stranger…and found they were from the metro Atlanta area.  They said they visit fairly often to spend some quality family time together.  How nice is that, I thought.  Drive at least 50 miles or more to spend time with the kids on a cool rock by a waterfall.  After refreshing the water supply and washing the dishes, we went back to the trail to complete our first day of hiking.

We arrived at a location known as Hawk Mountain.  In some way or another, this was my first real ascent up a country mountain.  Stone Mountain, located in southern Gwinnett/northern DeKalb counties in the Atlanta area, is the only other mountain I have had the opportunity to climb.  With its open landscape, Stone Mtn can be seen as pretty easy to climb, even to those who have never thought of climbing a gigantic piece of rock.  Hawk Mtn, covered in trees and other vegetation, proved to be a bit challenging while carrying my pack of nearly 30 pounds (13.61 kg).  Now was the time I wish I had my trekking poles.  My back was screaming loud obscenities in the direction of my tired brain.  We eventually reached the ridge, taking small water and breathing stops on the way up.  Sounds of thankfulness escaped our mouths as spouts from our camel packs entered.  That was a climb, but if only we knew what awaited us at Sassafras Mtn.

As I’ve said before, the thing I liked about going hiking on the Appalachian Trail is that it provides shelters for overnight camping.  These shelters are spaced at a day’s hike distance away from each other.  The Hawk Mtn Shelter was a nice looking hut, raised off the ground a foot or two and with a loft for those who wanted to sleep higher.  We reached the shelter in plenty of time to sit around and talk before the sun went down.  The father and son team were already there and had set up their tent sight.  We sat down and talked as we rested and thought about fixin’ some supper.  Mmmm! Can everyone say Ramon noodles?  Not long after, a guy from Chattanouga, TN joined us.  He was alone and, like me, wanted to be able to say he accomplished the hike.  Good for him, although, he needed some prier knowledge of his camp stove.  He caught the table top on fire!  Great going!  Joe and I put our tents up a few yards from the shelter.  After hearing some scurrying inside the hut, I knew for certain I would not be giving critters the chance to chew on me, much less my tent.  Many others must have had the same thoughts as me since after we got our tents in place, a group of ten to fifteen people joined us for the night.  So much for a secluded hiking experience, but the more people hiking on a trail that’s 2,175 miles in total length, having others to talk to and have nearby for safety is never a bad thing.

At night fall, we chose our bear cables and lifted our packs into the air.  I, for one, wanted to be as much a part of nature as possibe.  When I entered my tent for the evening, I was naked and without a sleeping bag.  It was hot and I didn’t want to be uncomfortable and sweaty all night.  Oh, dear!  At around 1 am, I awoke to freezing temperatures.  I was shaking and there was nothing to put on besides the clothes I wore that day.  I put on my shorts and walked over to Joe, lying in his hammock.  I woke him up and we pulled down my pack to retrieve the sleeping bag.  It turns out that the hammock was not the best option for cold sleeping and so Joe joined me in the tent for the rest of the night.  If one person can’t make the tent somewhat warm, the heat of two bodies should suffice till the morning.  It was worth a shot.

I spent some time with my parents on Saturday evening, listening to my dad bitch about things not going right with the country. This, however, only proves my point when I say that people in rural areas are shoved so far up Republican ass that they can’t see daylight. I know we are going through some tough times, but they weren’t started during a Democratic presidential term. But putting that aside, I sat in that living room and listened to my dad say one thing and then my mom, in rebuttal, grumble under her breath. She asked me if I was ready to eat, and I said I could stomach something. Supper consisted of baked pork chops, peas, and potato salad. My mom’s cooking has so gone downhill from when I lived there. Half that shit would have been fried! Oh, I forgot. There were some fried green tomatoes. That saved everything! There was no fried okra. There was no big honking piece of meat thrown into the peas along with half a salt block! LOL! Since my dad has been diagnosed with high blood pressure (read Satan), he has been told to not eat fried foods and lots of salt. Such a hindrance to my mom’s fantastically wonderful southern cooking. I digress. I ate, I listened to more talking, and then I went to my sister’s house so that I could get some quiet sleep!

Labrina's great house in Alabama

I am so excited for my sister. She found her house for around $40,000. I almost shat myself when I heard this. You would never find this kind of deal in the Atlanta area. It is a three bedroom, one bath, with a large living room and a combination kitchen/dining room that is amazingly large. The dining room has a fireplace, but she is in the process of getting rid of it. The hardwood paneling in the house is very special. It is made of planks produced by the mill at Scotch Lumber Company in Fulton, AL. Those are not made anymore. Once those planks are varnished, they shine like diamonds. You have to keep them polished, but that’s a little work for something great. I know of at least 4 houses that have these installed. I only wish they were still processed at that mill. I know they can be purchased elsewhere, but they truly aren’t the same. Even the name of the mill is burned into the end of the board. But enough about the boards. As you can tell by the picture, the yard needs some work. The grass will start growing and spread where there is none. She is in the process of renovating some of the house…some things that are necessary these days are missing. For instance, there is no central heating/cooling. There are window units in the bedrooms, but in that area of south Alabama, it’s crazy to have small AC units. It’s a waste of energy. She will soon be installing a unit and will have to install the vent system as well. Nothing was ever made ready for a cooling unit.

I went to the high school I graduated from and visited a teacher that is like my second mother. She was my Spanish teacher and taught me more than just Spanish while in her class. She was one of the better teachers of our day. Mrs. Davis actually cared about the personal well-being of her students. Of course, she probably had her favorites, but that comes with any teacher. If you showed interest in improving yourself, she would stand beside you and help you make that happen. Not so much for the class clowns who didn’t give a rat’s ass about education. She saw the need in my brother as well and became as close to him as she was to me. She came to church one Sunday and heard me sing “Beulah Land” for Baptist Mens’ Day. I didn’t mean to make most of the women cry that day, but it happened. I had a knot in my throat the whole time as well. But onto my visit, the school is the same name, totally different building. The old one was getting too run down and something modern was needed. Oh well, my fond memories will always be in the old buildings. At least two or three of the outlying buildings are there.

I didn’t get to go fishing like I had wanted. That was a downside of the trip. I forgot my rod and reel over here in GA. Could have used my dad’s, but that was OK. I made it through the trip without going. I did make a trip to Meridian, MS. I spent a bunch of time there while attending West Alabama. Probably more than I should have. I could have been studying…..or drinking with friends…..or studying! Went to Bonita Lakes Mall with my brother and then went back to AL.

That’s sadly the extent of my trip. From Saturday to Wednesday evening, my life was just filled with excitement. Extended talks with my brother and some time visiting friends made up the most enjoyable parts. When I get tired of the life in the city again, I’ll find my way down there for a few days.

Because it has been a while since going to Chicago, I have gotten days mixed up. So for the rest of the trip, here it is:

1) We went to the Museum of Science and Industry. If you have never been, you should go. Airplanes, trains, and yes, automobiles are on display for the interested. There are different exhibits about the solar system, antimatter, coal, and just about anything that can be called industrial. You can have a blast for hours.

A German U-boat captured by the USS Chicago

2) We ate at a great restaurant called Hugo’s Frog Bar. It was very appetizing. Pricy, but great food. Things were definitely big enough for the price. The atmosphere was pretty cool…not too pretentious. I would go back there.

3) We visited Millennium Park. We wanted to go to Grant Park but Lalapaloosa was in town and people filled the park. The “stadium” at the park is one of the most fantastic ideas I have ever seen.  The metal bars expand out over the green grass. The speakers are attached to these bars and angle down. The stage is of a considerable size for an outside audience. It’s not Chastain, but it will work just as wonderfully. I like Chastain in Atlanta because of the concrete levels with the picnic tables and chairs sat up so that a family can have a wonderful meal while listening to returning artists like Hootie and the Blowfish and KC and the Sunshine Band. I saw Hootie there, thanks to a good friend we hardly get to see, who had tickets. YAY! The Bean is located in Millennium Park and I couldn’t wait to see it. I have seen it in so many pictures that people have taken when visiting

The Bean in Millennium Park

the city. I had to go and get my version of the pictures! Travis and I flashed away! Not privates…just pictures. You can walk all around it and through it. The inside is pretty neat since it is concave and you can see yourself in a couple different locations. Of course, there were a ton of people at the bean, lost in it’s shiny beauty! I know, it’s just a sculpture. In the park, there is a water fountain unlike any other. About 1,000 pictures were taken of people’s faces in the city. These pictures were used to broadcast onto these large cubes, shooting water out from the tops so that it will flow down the sides. Every now and then, the picture’s lips will purse up and the eyes will close. At that moment, this whole opens and water is shot out the lips. I’ve been told that the pressure of the water is compared to a fire hose. The water shoots out a good distance from the block. I did not partake in the water fun, but there were quite a few people of various races having fun together. It reminds me, on a larger scale, of Centennial Park in Atlanta. Or better yet, the redneck water fountain at the Mall of Georgia. You always see people bringing their children to the mall water fountain instead of taking them to a water park.

Well, that is the trip to Chicago. Thank God this part of the blog is over! I know it has been dragged out too long. So it was good, nice places to stay, and we’re back!