Winter along the Stillwater

Dayton, Ohio's Riverscape Fountain

Riverscape Fountain from Deed's Point (the confluence of the Miami and Mad Rivers in Dayton, Ohio

Alison

Blackwater River Falls

The Blackwater River Falls is located in West Virginia, not far from Seneca Mountain, and just about 30 minutes south of Oakland, MD.

Huffman Prairie Reserve

Huffman Prairie is a natural prairie and a preserve, but what makes it even more special is that it was the very first "airfield" where the Wilbur and Orvill Wright advanced their skills as the very first aviators and developed the first practical airplane. Later, it became the very first aviation school and was used until 1916.

A trail is cut through the tall grass prairie and I was able to take some time early in the morning to photograph some wild flowers, grasses, vegetation, and even some wildlife. Here are just a few photos from my first and second expeditions.

Casey Jones

I had to stop by the Casey Jones Museum in Jackson, Tennessee because what could be more "Americana" than Casey Jones?

Here's a photo of a replica of the engine he was driving when he rode the train to his death, sacrificing his own life to save the lives of all of his passengers. His locomotive was traveling at 75 miles per hour when he spotted the red light on the caboose of a freight train stopped on the tracks ahead. He had to ride the breaks all the way so he could get the train slowed down to a survivable speed for the passengers. The collision was unavoidable and his engine rammed the other train at 35 mph, overturning and taking the life of its driver. Although still a young man at the time, Casey was well known for bringing his trains in at the advertised time to each stop. That took a talent and a skill far better than the average engineer.

Casey was a family man, married with three children, and a convert to Roman Catholicism.

Casey's real name was Jonathan Luther Jones. He got the name "Casey" when he first moved to Jackson and upon announcing that he was from Cayce, Kentucky, he was given the name and it stuck.

Here's a review of the song, "Casey Jones" as performed by the Grateful Dead. Kevin Scanlon hit the nail on the head. All I have to say is it is ironic that a band that made Americana Jam a genre would do such a diservice to a true-to-life americana folk hero.

Classic Grateful Dead Song Reviewer: Kevin Scanlon 10/23/2007 A great comic song on the hazards of drug use that refreshed the memory of Casey Jones in the public consciousness, albeit in an unflattering light. He was not a drug user but this song has continued to give people that impression. The original ballad about him that made him famous was first published by Seibert and Newton in 1909 ("Casey Jones, The Brave Engineer") and it too was a comedy song that was sung on the vaudeville circuit and lives on in 40+ versions. Poor Casey has YET to have a hit song about him that honors his selfless sacrifice in a sober manner! It's been 107 years and counting, people.