In Dillon you will find Pedro, the mustachioed, 97-foot-tall “Patron Saint of Travelers In Need of a Pit Stop”.  No Baloney. That’s what Pedro is the patron saint for.  Visitors can drive through his legs and find a parking place. Then it’s time to stretch, hit the bathroom, grab a hot dog (or a banana), see some gators and buy a few fireworks to detonate later on the beach. ​

South of the Border is a roadside mash-up of tacky souvenir shops and wacky attractions. For over forty years, these billboards have delighted children and quite honestly,  annoyed parents.  After years of disapproval by the forces of political correctness, Pedro will no longer be able to entice with his corny epithets and awful broken English puns. ​

Not surprisingly, Locals refer to the site as SOB.  Speaking of SOBs, what you have not seen as you approach the border between two Carolinas is the Carolina Pararkeet. ​ SOB's are responsible for that loss no doubt.

2018 marked the sad centennial for the extinction of the only Parrot in The United States. The last known  bird died at the Cincinnati Zoo on February 21, 1918.  This was the male specimen, called "Incas", who died within a year of his mate, "Lady Jane". Coincidentally, Incas died in the same  cage in which the last Passenger Pigeon, "Martha", had died nearly 4 years earlier.

The Carolina Parakeet is believed to have died out because of a number of different threats.  Large areas of forest were cut down, reducing its habitat. The bird's colorful feathers (a green body, yellow head, and red around the bill) were in demand as decorations in ladies' hats.  It has also been hypothesized that the introduced honeybee helped contribute to its extinction by occupying the bird's hollow tree nesting sites. Finally, they were killed in large numbers because farmers considered them a pest. ​

Sadly, the most egregious factor that contributed to their extinction may have been loyalty or compassion. Family members would return immediately to a location where flock members had been shot. This led to even more being shot by hunters as the parrots gathered about the wounded and dead members of their flock.

From Pedro to compassionate parrots, South Carolina itself is a proud mashup of conflicting and complementing inspirations marked by beauty, soulful loss, and great commercial promise. ​

Welcome once again to the Palmetto State.


#PalmettoState #SouthCarolina #NorthCarolina #DillonSouthCarolina #CarolinaParakeet #SouthoftheBorder #Pedro #Patronsaintoftravelerswhoneedapitstop #Billboards

​Like in many resort towns around Florida, while many are year round residents, most are in fact winter snowbirds. If you cruise down Wilton Drive, the so-called main drag, you will see these residents frequenting its many restaurants, bars and other gay-owned businesses.  The scene is very colorful and frankly inclusive. Between cruising, drag and birds, my commentary is rife with bad puns. But do not hold it against Wilton Manors; this winter nest is a hot-bed of creativity and culture.

Interestingly, like the majority of snow birds elsewhere in Florida, most of the LGBT community here live in family households. The 2010 U.S. Census reported that Wilton Manors is second only to Provincetown, Massachusetts in the proportion of couples  relative to the total population. 


The city is very progressive and boasts a lot of well, pride. The art scene spills out onto streets that are well manicured and spotlessly clean. ​

It should be no surprise of course that this brazenly flamboyant community contains a large Pride Center, the World AIDS Museum and Educational Center, and a branch of the Stonewall National Museum & Archives.  The Stonewall Museum commemorates a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village which was the birthplace of the Gay Pride movement. ​

"Ok Road Crew, now we play a game called "Name that recording artist."  The winner gets to claim a free month of Pandora app. ​

...having summers off,  beginning in 1953, the family spent summers on Martha's Vineyard. Regardless of his privileged upbringing, our hero suffered from depression so much so that between his prep school and college year, he committed himself to a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts.  Between the meds and the organized schedule he started to achieve structure which he credits for saving his life and influencing his music.  Still he lived chaotically and despite getting signed by the Beatles Apple Records he wound up becoming addicted to heroin.  However he continued to be productive. He wrote songs, including "Carolina on My Mind”. Paul McCartney and an uncredited George Harrison guest sang on "Carolina on My Mind", whose lyric "holy host of others standing around me" referred to the anonymous Beatle pals.

​Once he recovered, our hero moved to California, and there he produced his second album. Titled "Sweet Baby James", and featuring the participation of Carole King, the album was a  triumph.  Memorably, it included the single "Fire and Rain," a song about experiences in rehab and the suicide of his friend, Suzanne Schnerr.  In 1970, the album and the single reached #3 on the Billboard charts, with Sweet Baby James selling more than 3 million in the United States alone.

​The entire album was received as a folk-rock masterpiece, marking a direction he would take in following years. In following years there were many more triumphs than personal slips including a ten year marriage to singer Carly Simon.  Quick aside: Carly Simon likely appreciated her husband's literary chops because her dad was the founder of Book Publisher "Simon & Schuster."

So now can you name that artist?  You have 3 seconds to guess. Three, two... and one.  

EXIT OF THE DAY:
I-95 Exit 90 in SC To: US 176, to Cameron, Holly Hill, South Carolina.

Hear the here!

​"In upcoming Cheraw, South Carolina, famed jazz trumpet player "Dizzy" Gillespie was born in 1917.  Before he found music Dizzy was a tough kid with a stick on his shoulder. But then Dizzy picked up a trumpet -- and a new Faith. ​

​As for the trumpet… in the 1940s Dizzy Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He mentored many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, Arturo Sandoval, and Chuck Mangione.
​
Apart from cheeks that blew up like balloons he is most famous for adding layers of rhythm and complexity previously unheard in jazz.  His combination of skill, showmanship, and wit made him a leading evangelist of modern jazz just as his beret,  his scat singing, his bent horn, his pouched cheeks and his light-hearted personality provided the soulful stereotype for the Beat Generation's jazz intelligensia.  Along with other musicians and Beat Writers, like friends Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, Dizzy haunted all the smoke filled hipster bars in New York’s Greenwich Village long before it was trendy.

​What is not as well known was that Dizzy was a member of the Baha'is of the United States Faith. Dizzy was a Bahá'í since about 1970. He was one of the most famous followers of the religion.

​Baha’i helped him make sense of his position in life, his great success, as well as turning his life from knife-carrying gangsta to a global citizen and from alcohol to "soul force".

Bebop and Bahai. Up from Cheraw, South Carolina. Now that is BEYOND cool.

#DizzyGillespie #Bahai #DizzywasBahai #MilesDavis #CharlieParker #Bebop
#CherawSouthCarolina #BirthofCool #Baha'i

Many immigrant doctors in the US, despite having years of experience, are left on the sidelines of the COVID-19 fight. 



FAST FACT: ​Muslims in Healthcare is hardly unusual. According to the American Medical Association (AMA),  more than 10% of American physicians are Muslim, while Muslims make up less than 3% of the total U.S. population. “Thus, its safe to say there is number of Muslim physicians is above average,” says Dr. Salim Aziz, a prominent heart surgeon with offices in Maryland and Washington DC.
​

Khalif was born in Somalia.  His family came to the US as a child. Growing up, he travelled the world with his father and learned the languages of the places he lived - ranging from Somali to Hindi and Mandarin. After graduating from a medical college in China, he worked as a primary care doctor in Somalia. He returned to the US five years ago in hopes of doing the same here. 


Despite passing his board exams and having broad experience, he did not land a residency this year, the final and highly competitive step before becoming accredited to practise medicine in the US.


Khalif hopes states will allow foreign medical graduates to work, even if in rudimentary roles. This could range from working as a scribe in emergency rooms to conducting nasal swab tests for COVID-19 to simply cleaning contaminated areas.. ​

​As the death toll rises across the USA, Khalif said the most frustrating part is not being able to practice, even after having passed all the necessary exams. He described it as watching his house being attacked while being tied up and left defenseless.


"All of us are just itching to get out there and help our fellow colleagues," he said.

EXIT of the DAY: Exit 58 in GA I-95s To: Townsend Rd, Eulonia near Townsend, Georgia​.
If you drove by this EXIT and had RoadSpoke, you would hear this:


"Up the next Exit many music superstars have driven. This unassuming EXIT was an onramp for success for rock stars like Little Richard, The Allman Brothers, Bill Berry of R.E.M, Otis Redding, and Country Star Jason Aldean.  No surprise the Macon sound is a mix of influences and the musicians have no problem mixing with others in the broader industry.


In July 2018, like many  Country Stars, Jason Aldean drove up this Exit to his home town,  Macon. He had just played a benefit concert to a sold out Atlanta crowd.  But Jason is a new breed of country star. ​

Jason’s songs liberally include rocker licks. On top of that,  he rubs shoulders with hip hop stars. In fact, his pal Georgia born rapper Ludacris​ joined him on stage for a set. ​

So while Jason sells out stadiums with country and western audiences, he is not afraid  to think different. And he draws in a more mixed bag of fans.  It’s a mix that allows for diversity and inclusion.    


Jason loves to use his celebrity to do performances that are about something bigger than himself.  For the man whose hits “Any Old Barstool”, “Tonight Looks Good on You,” and “Fly Over States”, this was the third year he has done a concert benefiting sick kids cared for at the @Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital.





​



​​Says Jason: “There are a lot of reasons I love doing what I do, but being able to give back to these kids and their families is definitely really important to me.”   Obviously he is moved by having a large raucous family. Even on the road he tries to get home as often as he can to his 4 kids and wife, Britney. ​

Jason’s roots run deep in Macon. He was raised by his Mom in Macon. He first performed on stage at the Macon VFW Hall when he was 15.  But before that,  during summer break, he would spend time with his Dad in @Homestead,Florida. Before his father went to work he would instruct Jason where to place his fingers to play chords. Then while his dad was at work, young Jason  practiced all day. When his dad got home, they got out their guitars and played together.


Moving home to Mom was no bad thing for Jason though.  Jason loves Georgia deeply. In fact except for watching @Bulldogs Football every Saturday you could find Jason in the Georgia woods since he is an avid outdoorsman. He even owns a Hunting Company called Buck Commander. ​

Until recently, Jason stayed out of the debate that's going on over gun control. Then in a new interview, he reveals there should at least be a more thorough vetting process. After the shooting Jason visited survivors in the hospital. He admits to serious guilt over the fans who got shot. They were present to see him.


He also feels a connection to the survivors from  the high school mass murder in @Parkland,Florida.  Many of those students have become gun control activists. Says Jason,”Unless anybody has witnessed anything like that, it’s really hard for people to really understand where you’re coming from on that stuff," he reflects. "It’s like the kids from the school in Florida, that shooting. I get it, man. I understand how they are feeling.” ​

​Hear this here!


EXIT 188n off I-95 to Patrick AFB, Satellite Beach in Brevard County Florida


No doubt  it’s good to get where you are going in good time. But sometimes a detour is well worth the circuitous route since you encounter people and things that make a voyage even better. The next exit offers that kind of detour.

Two generations later, those bullet holes remain visible amid rust-red corrosion on a 4-by-5-foot steel section of the doomed warship's superstructure that has arrived on the Space Coast.  Brevard Veterans Memorial Center officials publicly unveiled the World War II relic and accompanying museum exhibit during a Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony. ​

Florida resident Joseph Iscovitz was 103-year-old when he died in 2020.  Young Joseph Iscovitz was a supply sergeant that sunny Sunday morning in 1941 in Pearl Harbor. He oversaw a weapons depot. ​

Speaking to the Associated press on the occasion of his  father’s passing, Doug Iscovitz said his father could see the faces of the Japanese pilots as they dropped bombs around the naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1941. His son says they were woefully unprepared for the attack and feared an amphibious assault later that day. He said his father helped string barbed wire along Waikiki Beach in anticipation of the invasion than thankfully never came. ​

If you want to see the bullet ridden relic from the Arizona and other museum displays, like Huey Attack Helicopters from Vietnam or even a Marine Harrier Jump Jet or just things brought back by our veterans from their tours of duty, get right to exit off upcoming Exit 188.  Since the museum is located in an active Veteran’s Post, aside from museum pieces, no doubt you will meet the real thing —some real heroes. Now that’s worth a little detour isn’t it?  After all, it can be said that America’s Veterans made a little detour in life for their fellow Americans. Now did’t they?


That’s right, nice and slow, now get over… and don’t forget your blinker….


#PealrHarborDay #PearlHarbor #Vets #Arizona #BattleshipArizona #MelbourneFlorida ​#MerritIsland #BrevardVeteransMemorialCenter

EXIT OF THE DAY
​Hear this right …. here!


EXIT 15  I-95n to:  US 7,  Norwalk and Danbury, CT

​New York Times Best Selling Author and Emmy Award-winning Historian, Rick Shenkman, is on the Board of Advisors of RoadSpoke.


Mister Shenkman can be seen regularly on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.  A historical pundit and author of 7 books  including Political Animals, as well as  Legends, Lies and Cherished Myths of American History,  Mister Shenkman recently retired as publisher of George Washington University's History News Network. The HNN website attracts 1.55 Million Page Views and 300,000 Unique Visitors per month.  The majority of HNN’s audience is composed of students, college professors, and media writers.


No doubt Mr Shenkman will appreciate this bit of trivia which is relevant to Norwalk Connecticut’s next Exit.

In October 1801,  Mister Nehemiah Dodge, a Norwalk resident wrote a letter to President Thomas Jefferson expressing concern that — as a Baptist — he and his congregation in Danbury may not be able to express full religious liberty in Connecticut whose constitution was adopted before the establishment of the Baptist church.

At that time in America, Baptists were a fringe religious group. The majority of Americans were one of three religions.  Like the second president,   John Adams, they were either Congregationalists, ,  who were the spiritual descendants of Pilgrims...

​Or they were Deists who believed in Christian morals but rejected that Christ was the only Son of God.  Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were members of this faith.

​Most Americans were Episcopalians. Episcopalians were former Church of England members.  But since the Church of England requires its followers to believe the king or queen of England was their spiritual leader, and the United States had just fought England for its freedom, all those Anglicans in the United States could not rightly worship a British tyrant as their leader.


After the Revolution, those former Anglicans had formed a new religious sect which had no single leader.  Their leaders were an Episcopate of bishops.  Episcopate of Bishops is a fancy way of saying “a group of bishops.”  That protestant sect was now called Episcopalians. 

Conversely, Baptists have 50 million members in America. One in seven Americans identifies as a Baptist.    ​

​

But back then, Episcopalians were the vast majority.  Many so-called Founding Fathers, like George Washington, were Episcopalians.    ​

Given the Founding Fathers’ recent rebellion against dictators of religion and law,  it is not surprising that the First Amendment in the United States Constitution states:


“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
  
In 1801, President Jefferson replied to that Baptist’s letter with his own epistle. It is famously known as the “Danbury Letter”.  President Jefferson wrote that there was "a wall of separation between church and State" that protected a person's right to worship whatever he wanted wherever he wanted.


This well-known phrase, “a wall between church and state” occurs in Jefferson's letter and not in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution as is commonly believed.


#FirstAmendment #Constitution #Religion #Episcopal #Baptist #Congregationalist #Deist #DanburyLetter #Dodge

The Lorton station is a railroad terminal in Lorton, Virginia. It is the northern terminal for Amtrak's Auto Train which operates between this station and sunny Sanford, Florida.


Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States. The Auto Train is the only north–south Amtrak train in the east to use Superliner cars. The train is notable, especially within the Amtrak system, for the high quality of its equipment and of its customer service.


The train operates every day. At 11:30 am, the station gates are opened to allow the passengers for the next trip into the vehicle staging area where vehicles are assigned their number, which is affixed to the driver's door magnetically. The vehicle is then video surveyed to document any pre existing dents and other damage. The passengers leave their vehicles here and take their carry-on bags with them into the station to await boarding. Passengers do have a choice between either coach seats or private sleeping car rooms while their cars, vans, sport utility vehicles or even boats are carried in enclosed automobile-carrying freight cars, called autoracks. The vehicles are themselves staged near the autorack ramps by size and length for optimal loading order, and are then loaded onto the autoracks. In the case of motorcycles, the owner assists with tying their bikes down.


Passengers do not have access to their vehicles during the trip. But with sleeping berths and dining cars, they do not lack for amenities. 

Hear this Here…
EXIT 90 I-95n in North Carolina: To Newton Grove (Near Devil’s Racetrack Road)


If you had the Road Spoke app this is what you would hear.




“Upcoming a little beyond Exit 90 is Devil’s Racetrack Road… ​

“…This road has a lot of history.  During the Civil War,  General Sherman’s Union troops used the route to march on Raleigh Durham coming up from Georgia.   Later it was a venue for many houses of ill repute and seamy gambling parlors. No doubt, folks may have gathered outside to watch fast cars race down the relatively straight road.  There may even have been some wagering and liquor involved.​

The origins of NASCAR are a working man’s sport.   


Back in the 1930’s, folks would gather here to watch souped up cars race.  North Carolina claims this as part of their heritage. The Museum of NASCAR is located in Charlotte, North Carolina and well worth the visit. ​

Cops had no authority except in their own small jurisdictions.  Can you imagine that? An Interstate free of State Troopers?  Well let’s be honest:  until the late 1950’s there were no Interstates either. But I digress.  Cross County jurisdictions tells you why today only State Troopers patrol Interstates and not local cops. ​

Just watch out for Smokey as you transverse these parts. No Kidding. Troopers are often lurking hereabouts.   ​

Possibly the greatest race car driver ever, North Carolina’s own  Richard Petty was a Seven-time Daytona 500 champion. He tops NASCAR in wins with 200 poles and 127 wins in a season —27 in 1967 alone. ​

Known in NASCAR as the King, or King Richard, Richard Petty is a Tar Heel from the town of Randelman, just west of the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill Triangle.  Like a proper king, Richard is part of a dynasty. ​

He is a second generation champion.  His father, Lee Petty, won the very first Daytona 500 in 1959.  Lee was himself a three-time NASCAR champion. Meanwhile, Richard’s son Kyle is also a respected NASCAR driver. SADLY, Richard’s grandson, Adam was killed in a practice RUN crash.  Adam represented a fourth generation of Pettys at the top of the sport. ​

Hear this here... driving northbound:
EXIT 4, I-95 N to Indian Field Road, Cos Cob & Riverside in Greenwich CT

I-95 on Mianus Bridge, Cos Cob to Old Greenwich, Connecticut


"Ok Road Trippers, upcoming is a Road Test, so pay attention. We will discuss local born presidents and pot holes. Here are the Fast Facts:

"The Interstate Highway system was the brainchild  of President Dwight Eisenhower.  Correction: It was the brainchild of General Dwight Eisenhower who as one of the Supreme Generals in World War 2 was aghast that it took troops almost 10 days to get from one coast to the other...   ​

​You are now driving across the Mianus River Bridge. Beneath your vehicle are several commercial buildings alongside the river in Old Greenwich and Cos Cob.


Nowadays NOT investing in America's infrastructure is a hall mark of our Congress.  In 1983, the Bridge on which you drive, collapsed.  Yup, the entire northbound side fell in.

Three people were killed and three others were seriously injured.  Casualties from the collapse were so few only because the disaster occurred at one thirty in the morning when traffic was low. Perhaps in some kind of Karmic revenge the one car that drove off the bridge was a recently stolen BMW containing the 3 car thieves.  All the occupants died in the fall.

In the nineteen fifties, investing in Connecticut’s infrastructure meant short term costs for smart long term gains. So while Connecticut lost many wartime factories following the end of hostilities, by investing in Highways, the state shared in a general post-war expansion that resulted in solid growth in suburban areas.


One strong supporter of Long-term Infrastructure improvements was Greenwich native, Senator Prescott Bush. In conjunction with Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, Senator Bush, also a Republican,  saw the need to invest in a coast to coast Interstate Highway system.

​Senator Bush represented Connecticut in the United States Senate from 1952 to 1963; his son George Herbert Walker Bush and grandson George Bush both would become Presidents. Another Grandson, Jeb Bush became the governor of Florida.


Now for the road test: What was Senator Bush's first name?    


#MianusBridge #InfrastructureInvestments #PrescottBush #PresidentBush #Old Greenwich #Connecticut #CosCob #OldGreenwich

​EXIT 15W; I-95N, to  Meadowlands Sports Complex,  Met Life Stadium


Ok Football Fans, now it is time for another Road Test and this one can save you maybe a cool thousand bucks. Here now is the Question... how is it that New England  Patriots' Quarterback, Tom Brady has the rival New York Jets to thank for his career?

​Since the inception of the American Football League in the 1960’s , the Jets have clashed in a marquee rivalry with the New England Patriots.  But it was not always such a huge rivalry till the mid 1990’s.  The rivalry began to receive increased media attention in 1997 when a disgruntled Hall of Fame Coach Bill Parcells  quit his head coaching position with the Patriots to join the Jets.  This left New England seeking vengeance on an annual basis.  Fast Fact:  Parcells was born in nearby Englewood, New Jersey and most famously turned the New York Giants into a Super Bowl winning franchise in the 1980's.

​But I digress. Fast forward to 2001. The New England Patriots star quarterback was Drew Bledsoe. Then just 12 days after 9/11, on September 23, 2001 Jets linebacker Mo Lewis slammed Drew Bledsoe, leaving the New England star with internal bleeding. This provided an opportunity for a young unknown to take over.  That unknown was a gangly hard working backup named Tom Brady.  So... now if you tap Deal Radar on your Smart phone, you can use the RoadSpoke RoadTest to get 20% off Season Tickets starting next season. 

Anyways, getting back to Tom Brady and his New York roots... ​Since that game against the Jets, Tom Brady led New England to four Super Bowl titles and arguably had become a dynasty of sorts.  Meanwhile the Jets have struggled in the shadow of not just the Patriots but even their crosstown rivals, the Giants.

The New York Jets was founded in 1959 as the New York Titans, an original member of the American Football League.  The current name was adopted in 1963 when the franchise moved to Shea Stadium in Queens.     
​

Led by the quintessential playboy quarterback, “Broadway Joe” Namath, the Jets advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 1968 and went on to compete in Super Bowl 3.

​There they faced the much favored Baltimore Colts under Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas.   To great surprise, they defeated the Baltimore Colts, becoming the first AFL team to defeat an NFL club in an AFL-NFL World Championship Game.

Since 1968, the Jets have appeared in the playoffs 13 times, and in the AFC Championship Game four times, most recently losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010. However, the Jets have never returned to the Super Bowl.

On your left is MetLife Stadium. If you are passing it on a Sunday evening in the autumn you can tell which team is playing.  Back in the early aughts, the Jets agreed to enter a 50–50 partnership with their rival, the Giants, to build MetLife agreeing to a 99-year lease.  MetLife Stadium became the first in the history of the NFL to be jointly built by two franchises. It opened in April 2010 and saw the Jets and Giants open the stadium together in a preseason game.

​Except for such so-called “subway series” contests, the stadium is illuminated in different colors depending on which team is hosting a game: blue for the Giants; green for the Jets.   

Will this season be the one in which the Jets win their next Super Bowl?  If the lights glow green, just ask any nearby fan on the Interstate.  The answer is always yes.   
​
Go Gang Green!


#NewYorkJets #GangGreen #BroadwayJoeNamath #SuperBowl #NewYorkGiants #NewYorkTitans #Meadowlands #Englewood #BillParcells #NewEnglandPatriots #TomBrady #DrewBledsoe #MoLewis #NewJersey

On his death, in February 2019, the Baseball Hall of Famer was survived by his two children and his wife, Barbara Ann Cole Robinson. ​

Final Note: Barbara Ann Robinson is herself a force to reckon with.  After being turned away from living in racially segregated neighborhoods in Baltimore, when the Robinsons next moved to Los Angeles, Barbara Ann herself became a Realtor. Targeting professional black athletes, she became one of the top grossing Realtors in Southern California. ​

The fish inhabit ponds as small as large puddles and lakes as big as small states. Their range is from Canada to South Florida. Personally I can attest: even from muddy ponds, they taste good!


Because they and their even more feisty fast water cousins, the Small Mouth Bass are tough little fighters, they are pursued by hundreds of thousands of American Sportsmen and Sportswomen. And little kids too. ​

Likely you have passed Bass Pro Shops along I-95. These mega stores service the great American Angler.  Founded by a sports man Johnny Morris, this chain of Recreation shops are themselves an 8 billion dollar business. They made a guy from Missouri who sold fishing gear from the back of a truck into a billionaire.  Mister Johnny Morris today is worth around 6 Billion bucks.   ​​

Starting from a single shop along a well travelled Missouri road, Johnny Morris now not only owns Bass Pro but he recently bought the hunting fishing superstore chain, Cabela’s. ​

On top of being a sportsman the  Springfield Missouri father of 4 is also a conservationist, which only makes sense when you consider there is no sportsmen if the eco systems are depleted. In fact in February 2019, no less than the Audubon Society honored Johnny Morris with its Audubon Medal for Conservation.      ​

Why is that? Well, consider the joy fishing brings.  I quote here a David verses Goliath Story from famed Fishing Guide Jim Porter…


…about a kid and his first fishing adventure. ​

From 1855 to 1962 there were Hudson County penal and charitable institutions on Snake Hill, which was essentially a self-contained city in which hundreds of people lived at any given time. The grounds had its own support facilities that included a sewer system, reservoir, electricity plant and incinerator. The on-site institutions included two almshouses, which provided shelter for the poor and elderly, a penitentiary, quarry and a number of medical facilities, all grouped on the north side of Snake Hill.


In an era of wholesale quarantining, the medical facilities included a Contagious Diseases Hospital, a Tuberculosis Sanatorium, and the Hudson County Lunatic Asylum. The Asylum existed from 1873  to 1939. ​

In 2003, more than 4,500 bodies of poor people, prisoners and patients were moved from the grounds to make way for the Turnpike's Exit 15X ramp.  You may take that Exit now. And do not worry about aggravating avenging angels: all the cadavers of the poor unfortunate inmates of the Snake Hill Asylum have been moved.


Or have they?


#SnakeHill #SnakeHillAsylum #PottersField #Insane #InsaneAsylum #Meadowlands #Secaucus #HudsonCounty ​

Hear This right.... HERE!

Onramp to I-278s; New Jersey, Goethals across I-95 to Elizabeth, NJ & Staten Island NY


"You are driving through the salt-water marsh that made a Hollywood Studio millions of dollars and set the bar for modern TV dramas. In fact if you tap Deal Radar now we will offer you 3 free months of HBO Membership so you can see this drama in the next year. Speaking of years and drama....    As opposed to the northern neighbors which were the British owned colonies of New England, way back in the 1600's, the Dutch were first to settle both New York and New Jersey. And while New England was composed of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, the 2 states of New Jersey and New York were a very separate country called New Holland.  This large swamp-land area was therefore named by the Dutch.   In the Dutch language, a stream or a brook is known as a Kill.  The English translation for the huge marsh hereabouts is  “fresh-water streams”.  Today these meadowlands are still known by their Dutch name: the area is known as Fresh Kills.


New Jersey Mafia boss, Tony Soprano knows something about Fresh Kills.   Tony Soprano is in the waste removal business. A lot of Tony Soprano's garbage ended up in these wetlands. ​

“The Sopranos” television show made much use of the wetlands in and around Staten Island and  North Jersey.  Utilizing the bleak beauty and the gritty industrial patches of these wetlands, scenes were shot showing recyclables being dumped,  hijacked trucks getting offloaded, and dead bodies being disappeared. ​

​In reality, believe it or not, there are many mob bodies buried out there since much of the show's inspiration derived from true life. Just look around. How hard is it to hide a dead guy in all that swamp?


The Sopranos is a crime drama television series created by David Chase.

The story revolves around the fictional character, New Jersey-based mobster Tony Soprano  played by the late great James Gandolfini.  The series portrays the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflict of his family life with his well,   family life.


Drawing heavily from his personal experiences growing up in New Jersey, David Chase says he tried to "apply his own family dynamic to mobsters.” ​

For instance, the tumultuous relationship between Tony Soprano and his mother, Livia, is partially based on Chase's relationship with his own mother.  Chase was also in therapy at the time and modeled the character of Doctor Jennifer Melfi after his own psychiatrist. ​

​The TV show is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. The series also won a multitude of awards, including Peabody Awards for its first two seasons, 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. A staple of 2000s American popular culture, the series has been the subject of controversy and parody.  It has spawned books, a video game, high-charting soundtrack albums, and a large amount of assorted merchandise.