Go West, Young Man...

Ahhhhh, Jasper… I remembered after arriving here last evening, that I’d stayed in that smallish but thriving town once before. It was the time I’d ridden to Double Springs, AL, just down the road, to investigate the ‘Free State of Winston’. Yeah, I’d never heard of it either, until…

I was seated on a bar stool minding my own business back when what many years ago used to be the Holiday Inn in Eufaula, AL. Only two other patrons were in the bar then, and they were engaged in their own business, so… just me and my thoughts.

Suddenly, the door opened and about fifty folks walked in! They were all members of the Police Benevolent Association, and their meeting in one of the conference rooms had just ended… Like good cops everywhere, they’d dropped in for ‘the final word’ to conclude their gathering...

A white-haired gentleman sat next to me, as the bar quickly filled-up. He and I struck up a conversation, and it turned out he was the state president of the Alabama chapter of that organization. We had a chat about this and that, and especially about organized labor with its good and not so good features…

I was impressed with his conversational skills, and with his remarkably even-handed view of the world. During this chat, however, it was discovered we also had a mutual interest in history. Well, things took off from there!

Sometime during the two hours or so that we chatted, he asked if I’d ever been to the ‘Free State of Winston’? Never heard of it… “What?”, he said incredulously. “You call yourself a history scholar, and you’ve never heard of that?!” No sir, I responded, and I’ve never claimed to be a scholar, either… just a student of history. Last call interrupted our discussion…

He invited me back to his room to continue, and I accepted… We spent another couple of hours examining mankind’s perilous, often circuitous journey to modernity, all the while sipping single malt and increasingly slurring our words…

During that session, he also told me enough about Winston County, Alabama, to whet my appetite to learn more… I’d later gone there on yet another ride… I'd even dropped by 'Looney's Tavern'... but I’d actually spent the night in a motel in nearby Jasper…

It had been a fascinating visit there, and I’d gained some insight into the many contradictions and ‘out-lying’ details of the Civil War, especially the ‘ramp-up’ to that terrible event, that are too nuanced and complex to be covered in any depth in the ‘overview’ that is the essence of courses in history taught in most secondary and undergraduate studies. Certainly, a fitting topic for some graduate student’s dissertation, however…

What a voyage of discovery my life has turned out to be! I’ve traveled the length and breadth of our nation and of Canada, as well. I’ve even done a bit of international travel beyond North America. I’ve met amazing characters in some of the most out-of-the-way places and well off the beaten path, but all of whom have had an influence upon me, my thinking, and the person I have become. All the encounters and experiences that preceded ALI, however, were more like undergraduate studies… foundation work to prepare me for the deeper things that lay ahead… One step at a time, grasshopper…

I went outside to have a look-see the next morning, and… it came to me… I just didn’t want to return to Florida right then. I suppose my subconscious was wrestling with the conventional logic that we must have a goal or destination in mind, or it’s time to return home…

Try as I may, I seem totally unable to reprogram my thinker muscle or edit-out that old script entirely! I can override it, and I very often do, but still, if I’m not paying attention, that old habit tries to lead me right back towards… that danged ol’ recliner!

When in doubt, go west, young man! A rule of thumb I picked up somewhere back in the fog of distant memories… Actually, the only way to go, if one wants to venture very far from a home in Florida or the deep southeastern region of our continent! Well, I suppose one could always go north; but, during the cold months, this delicate soul doesn’t ever consider that option!

But where, I asked myself…? Don’t start that crap again, I sternly responded back to myself… just follow the road and everything will come into focus in its own time… I loaded up and did just that… WOW! What a great call that has turned out to be!!!

DDT