15- YES...FOUGHT A MOUNTAIN FOREST FIRE In HIGH SCHOOL.....

A) Near the top few experiences ever!  Now I know, especially this year, when reading about the many forest fires around our America!  Three of us volunteered.  Was so so difficult, exhausting and...dangerous!
B) It was in the George Washington National Forest in Augusta County, Va.
C) We were camping overnight at foot of the mountain in a cabin when we smelled smoke drifting
        down to us and took off up the mountain, fearing that the forest fire would take the cabin and
        and others around us.  And found the fire moving straight up the side of the steep mountain with  George Washington National Forest trucks and men...immediately volunteering, working with an experienced firefighter beside us!
D) Each one of us strapped on a heavy tank of potable water and carried two tools, rake and 
       mattock, to dig out and try to stop the rapidly moving line of fire.  All of this being on the 
       steep side of the mountain.  The efforts were grueling, but the two buds, I and GWNF leader
       kept right with it.  Other small groups were to our left and right!
E) When the wind and fire would shift directions, the leader showed us how to drop down on
      forest floor, below the line of smoke, then get back up and attack it again.  We knew that the
      leader was taking care of us and appreciate what we had volunteered to do!
G) After what seemed to be hours upon hours, he yelled for us to take a break...that the line of fire
      had fizzled away just before reaching the summit and heading down the other side of the'
      mountain.  Only then did the three of us took of the heavy water tanks, dropped the tools and
      sank to the steep terrain, totally exhausted.
H) Within a short time, the crew leader had "called" for sandwiches and COLD iced tea to be 
      be brought up the mountain to us!  So, while stretched out on that very steep side of the rugged
      mountain, the FOUR of us quietly and devouringly, around 4:30pm, ate a well-deserved
      meal...no laughing, no talking...too tired.
I) But I'm not finished....  The crew leader asked if we had enough energy to go through the section
     and actually dig out and spray ANY spark or patch of glowing leaves or wood.  He also told us
     that we could leave if we wanted to, after working so hard all day.
J) But we all three volunteered to....stay for more extra duty!  Only then did we discover that he 
     had gotten our names and addresses in order to send in a "pay order" for meritorious duty!  A 
     few weeks later checks arrive.  We, of course, never knew that the "pay" was a part of the plan.
     We had volunteered and FOUGHT the FOREST FIRE because we had honestly felt it was
     our civic duty!!!



       
       

14- HITCHHIKING...THUMBING A Ride During HIGH SCHOOL And COLLEGE DAYS!.....

A) Today....i would NEVER hitchhike!...too many strange ones "out there!"
B) First studied at Bridgewater College waaaaay out in the Shenandoah Valley countryside.  Would, 
         at times, hitchhike from school back home 20 miles down the road.  Never, though, had a 
         problem 'cause i always had a sign:  "COLLEGE STUDENT!"
C) Once, nary a ride came along a country road...and did some "shank's mare" walking.  Looked
        over into a pasture and noticed a little colt just born, and its mom.  Little guy was trying
        and struggling to keep on its wobbly legs, with nudges by the mare!  But the colt DID NOT
        quit and eventually took off all around the pasture, with mother watching closely!  LIFE 
        beginning in a country field...keeping on keeping to succeed in something elementary as...
        "galloping."


D) Seemed to meet and develop girlfriend relationships in Roanoke, Va. while in high school.  
        Would either hitchhike or take a Trailways to the "Star City", not having my own auto
         back then during summers.  Never slowed me down, though.
E)   

13- SUMMER STUDY ADVENTURE WAAAY OUT TO MONTANA!!.....

A) Was chosen, one summer, to study "Federal Gov't" at Montana State U./Bozeman. For an added bonus, classes were spent at Big Sky Resort, as our"campus." That's not far from the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park. This educator and explorer had never been that far into our West by car....
B) One night I stopped in Nebraska, with the Indiana Jones idea of spending the night, in my car, in a cornfield. I had this "wild" plan to smell the Nebraskan countryside aka a cornfield! And did!
Early that morning, I awoke to the "putt-putt" sounds of a farm tractor near my car just inside the opened cornfield gate. A farmer was putt-putting away on his tractor, staring at me. I had been taught to always take the initiative when confronted with a problem, and got out and immediately explained, wiping my sleepy eyes, that I was an educator traveling to study in Montana and had wanted, at least once, to spend the night in a cornfield?
He continued to stare out of puzzlement....then laughed and invited me to follow him over to their farmhouse. His wife would prepared me a true Nebraskan COUNTRY breakfast!!! Well, I did....
C) Passed into Kansas and paused for a time in Lawrence, noting that a large university was there...summertime! Along the way, stopped at a small diner for, yes, my very first Bison 'burger...delicious!
D) My plan was to spend the night in Denver. As I approached from Kansas, could see the night lights of Denver up higher from the Plains, along the edge of the lower Rockies. However, Denver was hosting a huge square dance festival, with, it seemed, every gosh darn room taken! Turned north towards Fort Collins, another university town...in the dark.
E) Fort Collins, Colorado is another unviersity town. Spent the night in an old-fashioned downtown hotel. The, next morning early, drove straight north into Wyoming. Laramie was holding a great big RODEO. Yes, had to stop and enjoy and mingle.
F) Next stop...CODY, Wyoming! Stopped for plenty of time to explore the famous Cody museum before heading into Montana.
G) Last destination was Big Sky, where I would begin seminar classes on Monday morning at this resort for the summer studying "Federal Government." Neeeded, first, to go straight through Yellowstone National Park to get there, though. But, didn't realize how huge that very first American National Park was. Saturday night, decided to drive through the Park...late...and not stop until reaching Big Sky.
WHAT AN EXPERIENCE, driving through the night, with all kinds of critters out and about me on that narrow two-lane road through and around the Park loops! Saw Yellowstone Lake by moonlight...moose (what the heck is the plural of moose?)...coyotes...wolves...bison.
H) Made it to that first morning class on time!.....more....

12- OLD-FASHIONED 'COON HUNTING (NO gun!).....

A) My first and only "OLD-FASHIONED 'COON HUNTING" Adventure!...no guns, am NOT that kind of 'hunter'...my choice!
B) On one of my many adventures out and about my native Virginia, photographing, exploring and researching" in nearly every nook and cranny, this "Indiana Jones-kinda guy", met some country folks in Albemarle County, Va. up next to the Blue Ridge Mts. They described how they had, often, ventured up in the moutains, 'coon hunting....and invited me to go with them one evening....did I quickly say, uh, "YES!"
C) Was in a November, and little did I realize and know that THIS adventure would remain in my memory bank until today. And now I know!
D) My new country folk "friends" had invited me for a real country meal, of porkchops, mashed potatoes, a casserole and strawberry shortcake. After a fine meal, they took some time to explain how the 'coon hunt would go, warning me that I was in for some walking that night.
E) Using a farm truck, one of the guys drove what seemed to me straight up the side of one mountain, through the trees, over rocks and down a ravine...really! They were after the "perfect" area for 'coon activity that night. A plump acorn tree in an oak grove was THE destination, and one of the guys knew exactly how to find them in the middle of what looked like a mountain wilderness, in the DARK!...and we did.
F) Did I mention their coon dogs? No! There was Bessie...Jake...Gertie...and Eisenhower. Discovered that each one had a different bark sound for any given activity. The mountain guys taught me, quickly, to pause and listen. They knew what dog was doing what, when and where. Fascinated the living heck out of me....in the DARK roaming all over, up and down and sideways on that mountain!
Was this townie guy going to give up? NO!
8) TREED! That's the term... Finally, WE heard "that sounds"...TREED! And all of us took off down the mountain towards the hounds. Gould have sworn that this was the same spot where we first started at the cars? Flashlights...there was the little furry critter, high up in a tree, with the four coonhounds yelping and jumping around the base of the tree.
"C'mon, hounds...time to call it a...a night! Let's go over to the truck...."
9) "Wait...that's it?" I muttered, trying to stand up from fatique....... "Just thought of something...what was in that casserole, earlier?"
"Uh....'taters, carrots, onions and...and 'coon."

11- The BARN, EARLY ONE MORNING, WAITING For The SCHOOL BUS.....

A) I was 7-years-young, waiting for the school bus in front of an old brick house with a barn in back. There were a few of us, kids, waiting. All of a sudden, adults came running from different directions and towards the old barn in back. In the early morning semi-darkness, I could see them all standing, just peering into the opened barn door. No one ventured inside.
This little boy, as always, was curious about anything and made my way to the barn. Again, the standing men said not a word but stared inside the barn. To this day, I can hear the sound of a rope slowly twisting from inside the barn..... I dared not squeeze through to take a...a look-see.
B) You can complete this true experience..........

10- WORKING AT CIRCUSES and CARNIVALS In HIGH SCHOOL!!....

A) When they would come to my Shenandoah Valley town, a temp job was in store for moi!
B) My grandfather, Carl, my father, Melvin, and all of my Steffey uncles were huge fans of circuses, always visiting each one that came to my town in the Shenandoah Valley! My father, in his 'shop', designed and made miniature circus wagons when I was little.
C) My goal, as a kid, was to one day see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus under the bigtop!...and get a temp job putting it up! And when the impossible did happen, that circus coming to our small town, guess who was there at the crack of dawn?
D) That VERY EARLY Saturday morning three of us chums rode our bikes waaay out in the country to meet the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus by train. The country sidetracks of the C&O was the only spot for many miles to unload onto trucks and then on nearby to a large open farmer's field. We saw the lions, tigers, elephants cars being unloaded into cages. The work elephants did most of the heavy unloading, methodically and under the guidance of their trainers.
This young freshman high schooler, back then, never once thought of whether the animals were treated with respect and dignity. Today, I do think back over those kind of thoughts. During those early years of being thrilled about circuses, I observed a handful of traveling circuses and often slipped around "back" to watch. Now, I do remember "seeing" much more than just unloading an animal or an animal trainer "making" an animal perform a trick before "adoring" circus fans. More about those NOW feelings for another commentary!
E) We all three did get circus jobs. "WOW"...I uttered that exlamation over and over moving around and inside the upraised BIG Top. My jo was to help raise the side show tent nearby. That side show boss, around noon, brought us a genuine circus hot dog with "everything!" for lunch. And I, later, was given two (2) official tickets for the circus show later that early evening. Of course, my girlfriend at the time was invited. Since I had no driving license at the time, her father took us waaaay out in the country to the circus!
F) And what an ADVENTURE the entire looooong day was.... That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!!
G) And those CARNIVAL sideshows...this boy soon learned the reality of the "carny life" by heading out to each on an early morning. They were called 'roustabouts.' Once, a gaggle of us boys opened a large carnival truck that had been sitting on the town fairgrounds. We began to pull out rolled-up tents and poles. From the middle of a sideshow tent? Out rolled a 'carny'...alive.
The neatest part of a carnival was the sideshow, with large paintings on canvas signs advertising the acts. I got to go inside, that evening, and see the performers...often polluted.

H) AND WHY DO I HAVE A BIT of SADNESS, though? At that age, had not discovered the wonderful world of cameras, especially since they weren't sophisticated! DID NOT take any pics of this momenteous period of my adventurous life...NONE! However, had, by then, developed that great "memory bank" system of storing visual details and senses. Can "bring up" detailed memories right away for "seeing" experiences and adventures in order to write about them....

9- CLIMBING an OLD WATER TOWER......

A) The same chums who took a ride on that freight train also looked up, one day, nearby, at that TALL, OLD abandoned water tower and, yes, decided to climb it and touch the 'ball' at its zenth ......
B) This adventure, by the way, required a major ponderable. Was my turn, that morning, to go, uh, first. So, I slowly began the ascent up the narrow metal ladder on the outside of the tank. At times, would pause and look UP, without spying that 'ball' on the very tiptop, hidden around the larger storage water tank.
C) The other chums were on the ground urging me on up further. They were going to come up behind me. About halfway up the very tall and sorta terrifying ascent, this boy decided to stop and begin, backwards, coming back down. One of the other chums then went up...and, after a time, came back down. We all three never said a word then or afterwards, ever.

8- The MISSISSIPPI RIVER...VILLAGE of HANNIBAL...And THAT CAVE Of BECKY'S!!....

A) Another of my ADVENTURES was traveling across America to study at Montana State U. in Bozeman, Montana! Instead of flying, like the others did, I drove, for the very first time! And honestly rediscovered, down on the ground, my America. This native Virginian is even mo' of a patriotic kinda person, now, as a result of that trip!!!
B) Saw the Mississippi at St. Louis for the first time! And paused a bit to explore that Gateway Arch along the banks. By the way, what IS the official title for this Arch?................Jefferson Naional Expansion Memorial!
C) Then drove north along the river, going through the real country (love small country towns) to Hannibal! First thing I did was to get out of the car and wade into the semi-muddy Mississippi River, sans sandals, before exploring the quaintm historic small town. Yes, commercialization had moved in with real places. Remember, also, that the Samuel Clements award-winning fictional characters and places were just that...fiction.
D) ....more.....

7- HOT-AIR BALLOONING...UP, UP And AWAY EARLY One ALBEMARLE COUNTY MORNING!....

A) My beautiful little daughter then, Sarah, spent the weekend with me and a friend from New England and had decided to visit and surr-prise both of us early on that Saturday morning! We had no idea whatsoever of what she was up to, not until she drove out in the country to an Albemarle County lodge outside of C-Ville. And there we saw the crew, preparing for sending alft a huge HOT-AIR BALLOON!
B) Was early...7:30am, needing to "catch" the early am currents! Best times to balloon ARE early in the morning or late afternoon. During the day, because we were beside the Blue Ridge Mts., the air current had a tendacy to move up the mountain. We didn't want to wind up across and over in the Shenandoah Valley. HOWEVER, doing so would have been another neat adventure on its own.
C) Ten (10) of us, three in my group, walked over to the small thatched box, thru the little door and were greeted by the Pilot. Before lifting off, he shared brief instructions on how the hot-air balloon system operated, making it all make sense! And then the ground crew loosened the support lines, and we were quickly off and moving up, up and away! WHAT A THRILL!!!
D) Did take a bit of getting use to the firing sounds of the pilot opening the burner above for hot air to drift up into the Envelope. I covered her ears, and she, within a few minutes of time, adapted and moved to the edge to experience the terrific adventure, as the balloon began to quickly soar straight up for height. She was OK for non-stop smiles spread across her face. And they were non-stop smiles for the rest of our hour flight!
E) We could see the lay of the foothils all around us, for miles, and up the old worn Blue Ridge mts., including barns....farmhouses...lakes...ponds. Horses and cows would see the shadows coming across from above, in their fields, and take off running, fearing something strange!
F) Once, the pilot went straight up into the clouds....then came back down to skim across the treetops, with Sarah reaching out and pulling off some leaves! She really had a smile for that one.
G) After an hour of so, the pilot searched for a good, treeless spot to land, and found one near a solitary house. As we slowly ascended, we could see, on this early Saturday morning, family inside having breakfast in the kitchen. Suddenly, the two childrend jumped up and ran out on their porch, excited to see such a HUGE hot-air balloon landing right near their home. The parents came out to join them, WITH a camera. What an ADVENTURE for them and for us.
H) By the way, "ron rascal" (college nickname) had taken my Nikon, as usual, and recorded the ADVENTURE....recently, sent Sarah pics of her at and inside the hot-air balloon!
I) ...a bit more coming....

6- WHITE-WATER RAFTING on the GALLATIN RIVER in MONTANA!.....

It was a scary thrill, through those wild river rapids in the Gallatin Valley, near Bozeman, that helped me become a much better and stronger person, inside. And, at the end of the float trip, inside, I yelled..."I DID IT, SQUIRE, I DID IT!"
Was studying the "federal government" with a special Montana State U. class meeting at Big Sky, all expenses. Intead of flying out to Bozeman, Montana, like the other ten from different schools, rr decided to leave early from Virginia and drive across country, for my first ever trip on ground. First night was in a small Illinois town, then off to see the great Mississippe River. Took time to explore the St. Louis ARCH. And then took the route up the river to Hannibal, Missouri. Explored that writer's old town, houses, cave and...waded in the M-i-crooked-letter, crooked letter-i-crooked-letter-crooked-letterhumpback-humpback-i!

5- SUPPER With A POLTERGEIST?.....

One of my many interests, and adventures, included an invitation from an older country couple to spend the evening in their home. The invitation included, yes, a homemade supper and meeting the family dog, Sam. And as a part of my research on ghosts...a poltergeist.
The meal was in the large country kitchen...a new addition to the old home, with a reason why.
The poltergeist...the old country home dates back before the Civil War. A girl, who worked for the original family back then, began to experience strange and unusual occurances only when she was alone in the house doing her cleaning chores. Objects about the room in which she was working suddenly flew up and around, directed at the girl, often hitting her with force. When she would go outside on an errand, globs of mud would appear, as if thrown by someone with malice and strength. She, according to stories told in the county, would run and scream back inside, only to have objects about the room come flying at her. Mud, even inside, would suddenly appear and hit her.
When the girl left the house, in fear, the happenings ceased!
After supper, and listening to the elderly couple describe the tales told to them over the years, from the Civil War era, the husband told me to come over to the door from the kitchen to the older, original portion of the home. He proceeded to pick up Sam and carry him into the old sitting room. Immediately, Sam squealed and scrambled back into the 'safe' kitchen and turned around to mysteriously stare back into the sitting room, nervously.
The husband picked up Sam again and placed him once again further back into the sitting room.
The same mad dash to return to the kitchen happened again, with Sam turning and looking back, scared!
That's my story, and this educator, historian and researcher is sticking to it!

4- YES, HITCHING A RIDE ON THE SIDE OF A MOVING FREIGHT WAS ONE OF MY MANY A-D-V-E-N-T-U-R-E-S!...

During high school, there were three us chums living in the same country neighborhood, and across a small valley, with the mountains about 15 miles off in the distance. That day we three decided to hitch a ride...on a lonnnnnnnng freight train outside of town that was slowly heading up a long hill grade. And here's where my tale begins!
The first freight train was moving rather slow up a long grade, heading, eventually to Ohio. As we approached the Appalachian Mts., about 1o miles from town, I had visions of winding up in Ohio, so, I jumped, with the others following. No problems, from the slow moving freight.
We could tell that another train was coming because of the green light on a tower on the other track. So, we waited, ready to catch it back to town. And it did, also moving slowly up a long grade. We each grabbed on to a railing on different boxcars. Little did we realize but that train was beginning to go down the grade....a very long grade, picking up speed as it lumbered along. We knew that the town's station would be soon coming into view. One of my chums decided to jump off first. When he did, he landed in the small rocks of the tracks, breaking his glasses. it was my turn next. I lept way out...and landed in the fine black "gravel", coming to a halt when my feet stuck in the fine black "soot".... The motion of jumping from the boxcar in connection with me moving forward MADE me go forward into the "soot"...yeah!
Our third pal was scared and didn't jump, instead going around the bend, headed for the station.. By the way, freight trains never stop at the stations. We figured he was going on to Richmond or Norfolk....hmmmm.
Maybe 15 minutes later, we saw him walking back along the tracks, headed our way. After we settled down, from the scare of riding a freight train and jumping off, we made a pact to NEVER EVER do that again...until the next adventure cropped up. For the record, the next adventure that cropped up was....climbing a very high water tower and touching the "bulb" on top. That's for another time and adventure!

3- SEARCHING For EARLY 20th CENTURY HUGE BUILDING WALL SIGNS OUT And ABOUT MY HISTORIC VIRGINIA!....

The huge brick wall signs, usually, were located in our small towns in every nook and cranny in the Old Dominion! Older cities, like Newport News, Richmond and Northern Virginia are included, also. Like all of my other dozens of researches on my native State, this historian has traveled extensively with notebook and Nikon, recording much on paper and especially on slides and prints.
1) One of my 115 essays, now, in the Virginia Gazette and published in January of this year, was given nearly a page on the old "Adverising Art on Town Walls." Since the 1990s, one of my many research adventures has included exploring nearly every nook and cranny of my native Virginia! And, searching for old barns, lighthouses, standing depots, old-fashioned lunch counters, abandoned farmhouses and even swinging bridges, I noticed in every small town and old areas, like Richmond, Newport News, Roanoke and Norfolk, these large store brick walls and even water towers with very large advertising signs! To me they were a definite part of our Virginia art history. With this venture and adventure, I've discovered that this was and is the first, and original, history project!
My fave advertising art wall? There are two. One, "UNEEDA BISCUITS", is on a brick wall off of Broad Street (east) on Church Hill, near that famous Patrick Henry church! The other one is in Chilhowie, near Marion..."PIGGLY WIGGLY" sign painted on the side of a brick wall!

2- EXPLORING THE ROSEWELL RUINS ONE SUMMER WHILE STUDYING AT W&M!...

The ROSEWELL Plantation home in ruins...Gloucester County, on the north banks of the York River. I wandered about the vine entangled ruins years before, on a weekend while studying at William & Mary, years before a group cleaned it up, like it is today. My directions were given the class back then by an excellent History prof.
I drove acorss the York River bridge early on that Saturday morning, carefully following each step on the map, in my little VW 'bug', with no problem and stopped along the country road in Gloucester County...where were the ruins? Only a cornfield and a large patch of woods in the middle.
Getting out, I pulled on my trusty Konica, then, found an open path and walked. Was summer hot, plenty of insects. My eyes were fixed intently on the woods in front of me, in the middle of the field.
A strange shiver of a feeling came over me as I approached the edge of the woods. The tangled vines and weeds made the going rough, but I was certain that my directions were on target. With my eyes adjusting, the outline of IT came into focus..........(more)....

1- BLUE RIDGE and APPALACHIAN MTS....VIRGINIA TROUT FISHING.....

You're being introduced to Virginia ADVENTURES, pure and simple, taken from the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mts. on both sides of our Shenandoah Valley, plus down along the rivers of the Chesapeake Bay. "Shenandoah" is a Native American word translated as "daughter of the stars."
a- Fly-fishing up in the North River gorge was my refreshing adventure!
Mountain trout are my fave, 'cause they MUST live in the icy cold streams in the mountains. As a high school-ager, two of my chums and I would take off, on the weekends to the North River gorge stream up in the mountainous area of Augusta County, in the VAlley. We would split up and head, separately, to our own "secret" spots. My fave spot was waaaaaay up past the other two fishing. Was one stretch where some beaver had built a dam. Usually, when walking into that nice stretch, pool, would forget that beaver were around and suddenly hear them slap those tails to alert the others, scaring me for a second or three. Would study the stream carefully, using polarized glasses, to search for trout patterns. Had discovered long ago how trout liked to roam...in a pattern. And I would "lie in wait" with a fly moving on top, down their way or an orange salmon egg, on a #10 Eagle hook, drifting on the bottom in the current. WORKED nearly every time! Had my limit of 8, often. Then, would take off my shirt, put on goggles from my rucksack and slip into the stream to explore the bottom, the outside of the beaver den.
Once, when sloshing back down the trail to meet up with the others, came across a looooong black snake in the woods, who promptly began chasing me! Little ron ran through the woods, like the wind!!!! The critter finally gave up but not me.
b- COMING....time a cougar/mt. lion stalked me through that same gorge. Another time, was caught in the middle of a terrific thunderstorm there. Time my father and his brothers, uncles, took me night fishing along a river bank, NOT stream. Can still "hear" those late night river bank sounds! One uncle pulled in a snake on his line, in the dark. We were using lanterns on the bank to see. Hmmm...never went there again! Simply DO NOT like snakes, period!