Missive #460

Tells the stories of explorers, mountain men, missionaries, thieves, settlers, naturalists, and writers associated with the Sierra Nevada Mountains and discusses the history of the region. Goodreads online

This is the ninth in the American Folkways Series and like most of them it has almost nothing on the web about it. It also has almost no readers at Amazon or goodreads.com. I did get the following from the dust cover end flaps which was a book promo.

Four hundred and thirty miles of rugged peaks and granite spires, interspersed with mountain meadows, crystal lakes and snow-fed streams make up area known as the High Sierra Country. A link in the vast chain which stretches from the southernmost tip of South America to the fog-bound islands of the outer Aleutians, it is among the great mountain regions of the world.
To thousands of Americans, it is unparalleled as a vacationland, a land of grandeur and profound beauty. Here is the home of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, and Lake Tahoe, which Mark Twain called “the fairest picture the whole earth affords.” And it is Bret Harte country, gold rush country, a place of unending legend and interest.
The High Sierra’s eventful history be gins with the first expedition across its lofty summits in 1827. The difficult and often perilous routes of the early days are a far cry from the gently curving highways known to present-day tourists. Stories of the first trail-breakers are still among the most exciting adventure yarns of the Far West. Helen Hunt Jackson immortalized this period in her dramatic account of Sierra travel, Ramona.
From the earliest days of the gold rush to the turn of the century, the High Sierra Country has captured the imagination of storytellers. Horace Greeley’s tale of his terrifying trip in a stage driven by John Monk at breakneck pace along ill-defined trails is among the most famous. Mark Twain wrote about the area in Roughing It, and his story of Jim Smiley and the celebrated “Jumping Frog.” which took place in an early mining town, launched him on his literary career. Legends about the notorious “bad men” are still being told: men such as Black Bart — who held up twenty-seven stages without ever firing a gun, and then turned out to be a mild-mannered, dapper little man with graying hair — have become virtual folk heroes. In this new American Folkways book. Oscar Lewis gives a panoramic picture of the entire region. From accounts of its spirited history and descriptions of the unusual climate and scenic wonders to colorful anecdotes about past and present personalities. Mr. Lewis has produced a rich and fascinating chronicle of one of the most interesting parts of the United States.

I went to Naco yesterday for my dental appointment. The most importatant thing that I needed him to do was pull the roots of a tooth that broke off about three weeks ago. They have not been causing me any pain but I thought they should to come out. I was in and out in about 30 minutes. The most painful part of the root extraction was the two novicain shots. I now have another appointment for the cleaning that was scheduled to be done yesterday.

I had a visitor yesterday that I just missed when he stopped by around noon. But we connected via email and he came back at 2:00. He is a long time email friend and fellow full time RV nomad that does most of his time boondocking. We get together face to face about once a year when our orbits put us in conjunction.

I finished the Australia 1989 WordPress Page and it can now be seen by clicking on th Hamburger Menu in the upper right corner of the screen. It is a sub-menu item under Other Trips. The other problem that I thought was a slide show that wasn’t sliding seemed to have been a false alarm. They all were sliding yesterday so I consider that issues also fixed. HA!

I’m starting another Page that is a transfer from my old postings in the Archives, maybe get all of the Car Trips posted as Pages in WordPress.

I have also changed the keyboard on both of my touchscreen tablets. Now need to get familiar with it. It is SwiftKey that gives me up and down arrows while typing; something that I’m hopeful will make WordPress postings easier to do. Will see!