Wrangling Rick Takes The Stage

Wrangling Rick, Krazy Kirk, Animal Anders, and Whistling Rick

Last weekend at Knott's Berry Farm, Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies took the stage with a guest musician. Kirk introduced him as Wrangling Rick. Apparently he is a vegetarian, and earned his name by wrangling with cucumbers. Kirk never explained why Rick took issue with cucumbers, but I suppose even vegetarians must have some vegetables they dislike.

Wrangling Rick and Krazy Kirk jam.

Aside from being a vegetarian, Wrangling Rick has another claim to fame: he inspired Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies to add "Sharp Dressed Man," to their set list. He and Kirk then led the group in a crowd-pleasing rendition of ZZ Top's hit song.

When Animal Anders joined Kirk for a fiddle duet, Wrangling Rick then took over Animal's bass. He laid down a strong backbeat that helped the two fiddlers shine.

Whistling Rick

All this proved too much for Whistling Rick. As a regular, he resented all the attention the new boy was getting. So he challenged Wrangling Rick to a duel.

Wrangling Rick and Whistling Rick: dueling banjos.

While Krazy Kirk and Animal Anders urged them on, the two Ricks demonstrated their banjo prowess. First Whistling Rick would try his stuff. Then Wrangling Rick would follow his lead, and perhaps add a little something extra to get on the regular's pecs. When the competition was over, no formal vote was conducted. Nonetheless, Kirk declared that the victory definitely belonged to, um...Rick.

Krazy Kirk says, "See ya!"

The end of the show came all too soon. Krazy Kirk wished us well, and thanked us for our participation in the show. That's the real secret of concerts with Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies: they're not only accomplished musicians, but they enjoy having fun with the audience. Now there's a fact that no one can dispute. Not even someone with a name like Wrangling Rick.

Dragon Dave

Everyone's Smiling at Knott's Berry Farm

It can be scary to go new places. This is especially true at Knott's Berry Farm during October.

You could find yourself in some real hot water. Or worse, facing otherworldly creatures lurking in the water.

But provided you remain vigilant, you should survive these dangers unscathed.

Smiling helps too. It reinforces a positive mental attitude, which can help you defeat any foe, regardless of how scary they seem. A good rule for life, don't you think? (Not to get preachy, or anything).

Ultimately, Knott's Berry Farm may seem scary during October, but everyone's really having lots of fun.
  

But then, everyone's smiling at Knott's Berry Farm, regardless of whatever month you visit, which helps with the whole positive attitude thing, I suppose. (Again, not that I'm getting preaching or anything).

Dragon Dave

Insane Discover America Tour 2016: Destination 4

The day we drove to Bryce Canyon National Park, we had to stop along the way and take photographs of these amazing cliffs and hoodoos. After visiting Bryce the previous day, we decided to skip the crowds, the long lines, and visit Red Canyon instead. We enjoyed walking amid such grandeur, over accessible paths, and taking in the hoodoos and other geological formations. The sandstone in this area of the Dixie National Forest has been carved into all sorts of shapes. It's easy to just gaze around, let the mind wander, and the imagination soar.

Chess, anyone?

No wait! Pass this spot carefully! Don't wake the dragon!

Dragon Dave

Insane Discover America Tour 2016: Destination 3

We knew we were headed toward a popular place when the road slowed to a crawl a half-mile before entering Bryce Canyon National Park. Traffic like this always gets me angry. It just seems to me that if a place gets visitors in this number, something should be done to prevent such traffic from occurring. By the time we got past the guard shack, several of the first scenic viewpoints were filled, and the entryways blocked off so no cars could enter. Again, I ask: Why? You drive hundreds (or thousands) of miles to see a National Park, you pay your entry fee, and then...it's just crazy, right?

Letting go of irritation and anger can be hard, even in an area of such scenic beauty. Like Cedar Breaks National Monument, Bryce Canyon National Park is a canyon, and the public access areas are all located along the top. This makes hiking down into this scenic wonderland difficult, as you're already at 8,000 to 9,000 feet elevation, and the air is thinner, which can lead to high altitude sickness. So unless you're at the peak of fitness, or feeling real adventurous, you probably don't want to hike down into the canyon very far, as you'll need to hike back up again later. 

My wife tells me I was sort of irritated all day, which is a shame, as there was always plenty of beautiful scenery to glimpse. In the afternoon, we were able to get back into one of the areas that had been closed off earlier, and even do a little art. We sat in our canvas chairs, overlooking the landscape below, while people stopped by to glance at my pencil sketch and my wife's watercolor. I heard quite a few folks tell their friends that they wished they could draw, which made me feel nice. 

Although we had allotted for a second day at Bryce Canyon National Park, gazing down at remote geological features isn't the same thing as walking amidst them. Couple this with the wait to enter the park, the blocked-off areas, and the crowds everywhere when you're trying to "immerse yourself in nature," and another visit to Bryce Canyon National Park seemed more than a little, uh...insane.

Dragon Dave

Jane Austen: Madness Versus Dampness

Several years ago, a saleswoman in a bookstore tried to arouse my interest in Love And Freindship, a short novel by Jane Austen. But the price of the slim hardcover volume seemed steep, and the print was small, so I decided to buy one of the novels that was published during Jane Austen's lifetime instead. 

Reading Love And Freindship now, as part of an ebook collection on Kindle, I think I made the right choice. The story is structured as a series of letters, in which an older woman recounts the major experiences of her life to the daughter of a friend. This story was written by Austen in her early teens, and lacks much in the way of causality. One event happens, then another, with no real reason why one should follow another, and no later recounting of how those events occurred. This may follow the random chaos of life, but a well-crafted novel attempts to make sense out of the chaos. That's the appeal of fiction: it helps us better understand reality.

The story itself, in many ways, reminds me of a farce. Here's one little bit I found memorable. The protagonist and her friend are going here and there (for various reasons) in a horse-drawn carriage. At some stage (I forget why) they leave the carriage and are walking along the road. Then they hear a crash, and rush back along the road to the scene of an accident. There they find their husbands lying amid the wreckage of another horse-drawn carriage. While the protagonist goes mad, and runs about screaming, her friend suffers a serious of fainting spells in the damp grass. By the time the protagonist awakens from her madness, her friend has caught a cold from lying in the damp grass in the chill of the evening. They make their way to a cottage, where the protagonist nurses her friend. Before her friend dies, she extolls the protagonist's wisdom in giving way to madness instead of fainting. This, she asserts, is the best way for a young woman to handle a traumatic event. Then she dies.

Love And Freindship is wacky and hilarious. It reminds me of some of the hysterical and trivial women that populate Jane Austen's novels, such as Elizabeth Bennett's mother in Pride And Prejudice. It's easy to see that kind of character relating the high points of her life in such a fashion. I'm not sure I love it enough to have bought a bound and printed edition, but it was a pleasant diversion, and provides an insight into the young Jane Austen, as she experimented with fiction, and gradually learned her craft.

Insane Discover America Tour 2016: Destination 2

Cedar Breaks National Monument is located adjacent to ski resort town Brian Head in Utah. It's named for the Cedar trees that grow there, and the canyon of colorful cliffs that early settlers called Breaks. It's got just one great canyon to gaze at, so after doing that, my wife and I took an alpine hike along the rim. In the afternoon, I sketched a pile of rocks, while my wife did a watercolor (of the same pile of rocks). I had expected to see a beautiful meadow up top, but this late in the year, few flowers were growing. So, like I said, we sought inspiration in a pile of rocks. As they say in the movies, "That's the breaks, kiddo."

Dragon Dave

Insane Discover America Tour 2016: Destination 1

Earlier this year, I presented my wife with a proposal to visit Arches National Park and Mesa Verde National Park as part of a vacation. This plan gradually evolved into a driving tour of lots of parks throughout Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It involved a lot of driving, but promised a lot of adventure. So here's the first stop on our Insane Discover America Tour 2016.

It's Kolob Canyon, an extension of Zion National Park in Utah. Isn't she beautiful?

Dragon Dave

Wilkie Collins: The Ordeal of the Woman in White

Does reading a novel ever become an ordeal? Do you sometimes find yourself plugging through a book just to get through it? That proved my experience with The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins. This novel is the fifth written by Charles Dickens' friend and contemporary author, and considered the best written by Collins. It is said to be one of the first Mystery novels ever written, or at least a precursor to the later Mystery literary genre. The novel impressed fans and authors, including a young Agatha Christie. Yet I found the pace glacial, and the story largely uninteresting. How could this be?

Perhaps a little comparison is in order. Earlier this year, I read The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. It was my first experience with Dickens (at least as an adult, and as best as I can remember). Dickens peppered his story with lots of characters, who each had interesting stories to tell. Many of the characters were quirky and amusing, and perhaps a little far fetched. I suppose the story was rather satirical. Yet the one thing that sticks in my mind was how much sheer story there was. Like The Woman in White, The Pickwick Papers was serialized in a magazine/newspaper. There was mini-adventure after misadventure. It was a lot of fun, and told me a lot about England during that era.

By contrast, Collins' novel was more focused, and the story simpler. When one character left the stage, the next person involved continued the linear narrative. There were complications, and a few interesting characters, but only one plot thread. So if you got bored with that story, there was nothing else to look forward to but more of the same. 

Most of Collins' characters left me flat. There were only three well developed characters, in my opinion. The rest seemed more like charicatures. Now that's fine in a humorous novel, but not so good in a serious narrative. The whole point about The Woman in White was that it was breaking new ground for its time. It was a Sensation novel, a fusion of the Romance and Gothic literary genres. It clearly spoke to contemporary readers and authors, even if many reviewers hated it. Even today, it is ranked as one of the most important English language novels ever written. Yet I slogged through it, and feel robbed of the enjoyment that others have derived from the reading experience.

Don't you hate it when you miss the party?

Dragon Dave

Knott's Berry Farm Nostalgia

When I was growing up, my grandfather always loved visiting Knott's Berry Farm. His favorite part was Ghost Town. It's fun to tour Ghost Town now, and watch its costumed citizens demonstrate how they make cloth on looms or arrest criminals. There are so many displays, and examples of history, that you could spend the entire day there, soaking up the history of the Old West. 

Or you could pet the horses that pull the stage coaches around the park, and tell them how pretty they are.

Whenever I mention Knott's Berry Farm, people invariably ask "What's your favorite ride?" While I'm not sure if I have one, I can say that these guys are my favorite attraction. Their name is Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies, and they can play practically any song with a little humor, and in a Country style. They've played together for decades, and hail from the wild hills of Santa Monica. You can listen to their songs, and watch their shows, by liking them on Facebook. But there's nothing like seeing them live in the Birdcage Theater.

As you get older, some loves you keep, and others lose their savor. When I was a kid, I loved Peanuts and Charlie Brown. But my interest in the comics, and the animated TV shows, faded as I grew older. Still, it's nice to see the ice skating show, Boardwalk Beagle, and remember that love of my youth. I think I still have one of my old Peanuts books somewhere. Maybe I should hunt it down and read it.

Dragon Dave

Knott's Berry Farm: Troublesome Rides

It's kind of strange how some rides affect you adversely, and others don't. Two of the rides, which set you spinning, bother my head, and really make me feel sick. But others, such as these spinning sombreros, I'm totally fine with. Strange, huh?

I'm not normally keen on getting wet, as I'll have to walk around wet until I dry off. So I've taken to wearing a windbreaker when I go on Bigfoot Rapids. That shields my shirt from a lot of the splashing. Plus, in the summer, you dry off pretty quickly.

I like the Supreme Scream. They belt you in tightly and motor you to the top of the tower. I suspect most people are scared by the drop. For me, the most frightening part is going up. As it takes a long time to get to the top, you're constantly aware how high you are, and the restraints don't feel like they are nearly enough. But then you drop, and you're having fun again.

One ride that has only an up side for me is the sky cabin. It glides up and down on its central pillar, and slowly revolves to give you a 360 degree view of the park. It doesn't bother my head, and I always feel safe. So that one's definitely a keeper.

Dragon Dave