The black mailbox was white. Or more precisely it was a black mailbox locked inside a white outer box, a mystery locked inside an enigma, a fitting symbol. Among all the graffiti, stenciled in large black letters, was the name Medlin. He still lived here. He still collected his mail…
Read moreIt’s true. Mountain biking is one of the most exciting, gut-checking, adrenaline-pumping sports there is. It requires skill, finesse, courage and physical strength. At Moab it also requires a comfortable familiarity with pain, a friendly association with contusions, a nodding acquaintance with exhaustion, and a willingness to get cozy with…
Read moreWhen I told my friend Gray that the final drop-off in the Wolf River rapids in central Wisconsin was a Class IV, he scoffed. He was of the opinion that any river that could be run by inexperienced rafters, many of them unable to paddle in a straight line and…
Read moreThe Old West was just the briefest snapshot in time. It’s odd to think that the era we consider the Rootin’ Tootin’ Wild West lasted all of about 15 years, existing during that brief period of time between the arrival of the first settlers and the effective establishment of law…
Read moreThe years 1944-1960 saw the greatest expansion of the American economy we may ever know. They saw the end of Second World War, the dawn of the nuclear age, and the beginning of the Cold War. They were among the most challenging and rewarding years in American history, and they…
Read moreIn all of human history there may be nothing as anti-climactic as a moon rock. After spending 10 years and $150 billion, the US space program reached its summit by landing a man on the moon and bringing back 50 pounds of rocks. Today those rocks are valued at $100,000…
Read moreAs I came into Florida, home of the largest concentration of senior citizens in the United States, on my way to the oldest city in the United States, I was feeling a little creaky in my limbs. I had stayed up too late watching the game, it had been a…
Read moreLincoln rebelled at the idea of getting wet. “My blood has become too thin living in Miami,” he declared. But by the time we got to the place on a tranquil channel beside a mangrove swamp in Key West the temperature had climbed to 74 and the sun was shining…
Read morePeople disagree about Jesus. That’s no surprise. Jesus Christ, the man of sorrows, the Son of God, the lamb, Jehovah, the almighty, is a slippery character. By comparison, Harry Potter is easy. The Harry Potter saga consists of seven books and a single, consistent narrative. The Jesus saga, by comparison,…
Read moreAt around 3:25pm on April 5, 2010 Rex Mullins and Nick McCroskey were working 1000 feet underground at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia. Mullins, a 50 year old mining veteran, was working with McCroskey, a 26 year old graduate of Bluefield College, on the shearer of…
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