Wild Walley’s Blog

Our Top Pick for this massive roadtrip:  Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls…Wow, did this place take me by surprise.  Everyone I know, that has been here, said to stay on the Canadian side…they were right.  The Sights…Awesome.  Waldo Quick Fact:  The Niagara River and entire Great Lakes Gasin is a Legacy of the Last Ice Age.  The Niagara Penisula become free of the ice aobut 12,500 years ago. 

Check out this shot I got of the ‘American Side of the Falls’…

  The Canadian side of the Falls…

Waldo Factoid:  20 percent of the worlds fresh water flows over Niagara Falls…and 34 Million gallons of water are going over both Falls ever minute.  Fact:  34 Million gallons of water are going over both Falls every minute.  Fact:  An estimated 60 Tons of dissolved minerals are swept over the Falls every minute.  The Green color of the Niagara River is a visible tribute to the erosive power of the water.  Hey Mr. Waldo Wizard, tell me more.  An estimated 60 tons of dissolved minerals are swept over the Niagara Falls every minute.  The color comes from dissolved salts and ‘rock flower’, fine ground rock and limestone bed.  

Journey Behind the Falls

Here is a glimpse of what I saw ‘Missing Twins of NYC’…all the images and stories of 9/11 came back with this vision.

Can you see where they were before…

Until September 11th, 2001, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center towered over lower Manhattan, the tallest buildings in the city, and the second tallest in the United States.

Where were you when the ‘World Stopped Turning’…September 11, 2001?

Ground Zero - June 2008

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Naked Cowboy performing in Times Square
Born Robert John Burck
December 23, 1970
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

You know you made it…having ‘Times Square’ as your venue…and Wikipedia has you listed: The Naked Cowboy…Occupation Actor, singer, songwriter, writer , years active 1998-present.  I met ‘Naked’ after he got arrested after crashing a couple events…Reds Opening Day, and Dayton Air Show…I have a shrine of Underwear in the Rebel Studio.   

Robert John Burck (born December 23, 1970; Cincinnati, Ohio), better known as Naked Cowboy, is an American busker and prominent fixture of New York City’s Times Square. His routine consists of playing guitar wearing only cowboy boots, a hat, and a pair of briefs, with the guitar strategically placed to give the illusion of nudity.

Is “Naked Cowboy” and “Naked DJ” an illusion…Couple of Buckeyes, hangin’ out at Times Square. lol. 

Burck was also in an episode of the game show Street Smarts, and featured in the music video for Cake’s 2001 song “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”. He was also in Nickelback’s music video for the song “Rockstar”. In addition, he is known to have discussed possible television show concepts with several production houses, including one in the Greater Cincinnati area, though nothing is known to have come of these talks yet.  ________________________________________________________________________________

Nickname: The Big Apple, Gotham, The City That Never Sleeps, The Capital of The World, The Empire City, The City So Nice They Named It Twice (Wikpedia tidbits).

Everythings seems bigger in the ‘Big Apple’…Check out these Billboards and sights…

This guy looks like he’s checkin’ out the “Bull S*$t” down on Wallstreet USA…

…These little town blues, are melting away…

…I’ll make a brand new start of it - in old new york…

…If I can make it there, Ill make it anywhere…

…Its up to you - new york, new york…

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The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. Its name is derived from the nickname for the state of New York. It stood as the world’s tallest building for more than forty years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center’s North Tower was completed in 1972.  Following the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, the Empire State Building again became the tallest building in New York City.

Also known as ‘King Kong’s’ hang out…before being shot down in the movies.  I like the corny B&W movie the best, the acting was top notch and the effects (stellar - LOL)

The Empire State Building has one of the most popular outdoor observatories in the world, having been visited by over 110 million people. 

 Going up…we went to the 86th floor, the deck offers impressive 360-degree views of the city.

Check out this shot…86 stories…I found the ‘Empire Shadow’ shot.  Thats a geeky tourist.

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  The boat ride to Ellis Island, was a moving experence.  I thought about my ancestors, leaving the country of their comfort for a better life in American.  I had family from Germany, Ireland, and Sweden take the voyage. 

They say roughly 40 percent of all Americans owe their citizenship to a relative who walked on American shores for the first time at Ellis Island.   From the 1890s to the 1950s, millions of immigrants, mainly from Europe, bet everything they had at Ellis Island.

Located just north of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island now houses a museum and exhibits that tell the stories of some of the millions that were granted citizenship.

For those who sailed from the Old World for a better life in the United States, entry into the country wasn’t guaranteed. Immigration inspectors and doctors examined each potential new citizen before allowing them into America.  After arriving in Ellis Island, everyone entered the lower level…left their worldly belongs (trunks, suitcases, and other items) in one area at the entrance…then proceeded up stairs for processing.

Then they made their way to the upper floor known as ‘The Registery Room”

…An orginal bench in the Registry Room…

…Signs for a better tomorrow…could you work for these wages…

 The ‘Stairs of Separation’…and the story…

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 On our first day in NYC, we had two famous American landmarks in mind.  Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  Straight to the shoreline…I got my first glimpse of ‘Lady Liberty’…Peaking between the tide.

Liberty Enlightening the World (in French: La liberté éclairant le monde - I know your impressed).   Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté), was presented to the United States by the people of France in 1886.

It stands at Liberty Island (part of New York but physically on the New Jersey side of New York Harbor) as a welcome to all visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans.

Lady Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the United States and is a gesture of friendship from France to the U.S.

The statue is of a robed woman holding a lit flame.  It stands atop a rectangular stonework pedestal with a foundation in the shape of an irregular eleven-pointed star. The statue is 151 ft tall, but with the pedestal and foundation, it is 305 ft tall.

Worldwide, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons of the United States, and, more generally, represents liberty and escape from oppression. The Statue of Liberty was, from 1886 until the jet age, often one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants after ocean voyages from Europe.

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The Crew on the overlook of the Liberty Pedestal…

Visually, the Statue of Liberty appears to draw inspiration…

There are 354 steps inside the statue and its pedestal.  I did it Charles!  (Baer Fitness - shameless plug)

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After leaving Philly…I had no idea what to expect on the upcoming adventure.  Getting around in NYC, you have to have a plan.  Go by Bus, People Mover, Cab…or Car (and your crazy if you do)  Yikes.

We took the bus into the city…and I have never seen traffic like this, except on TV. Road Rangers carry the a mighty weapon, the middle finger. You saw yellow taxi’s and black limos…You heard Horns and Brakes chirping…You saw people everywhere.

…and around this corner…more People!

…more and more people…Check out the guy in the white t-shirt “Are You Lookin’ at Me”…

We meet our Guardian Angel on the first bus in, first day in the city.

John was his name and walked us, out of his way, to be be sure the seven of us made it safely to our “Hop on, Hop off” Tour destination. To you John…Thankyou!  He worked for the Rolex Watch company.

Everywhere you turned buildings were billboards and they were big screens…

Hey…when is trash day?  At the end of each day…it’s pilled high for pickup…smell this…

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 Let Freedom Ring…was on our mind leaving D.C.  The history has yet to sink in…and we were about to continue the “American Adventure” by stopping in Philadelphia…on our way to New York City.

 Since Philadelphia is best seen by foot…we parked the ‘Truckster” and took ‘The consitutional Walking Tour” to the Liberty Bell. 

What we discovered was an Awesome explore in America’s Birthplace. 

The Constitutional walk told the dramatic story of the brave men and women who were responsible for creating America. The rest is simply history…

…Sign on the Bottoms line?  Looks like ‘Liberty Idol”…

The Liberty Bell, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a bell that has served as one of the most prominent symbols of the American Revolutionary War. It is a familiar symbol of independence within the United States and has been described as an icon of liberty and justice.

According to tradition, its most famous ringing occurred on July 8, 1776, to summon citizens of Philadelphia for the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The bell had also been rung to announce the opening of the First Continental Congress in 1774 and after the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775. Historians today consider this highly doubtful, as the steeple in which the bell was hung had deteriorated significantly by that time.

The Liberty Bell was known as the “Independence Bell” or the “Old Yankee’s Bell” until 1837, when it was adopted by the American Anti-Slavery Society as a symbol of the abolitionist movement.

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HELP…WE GOT BLISTERS!!  The Walk-a-Thon is still on…and in all reality, it’s just started.  Next stop…we go Natural.

The National Museum of Natural History is a museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The museum’s collections total over 125 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, meteorites, and human cultural artifacts.

It is the second most popular of all of the Smithsonian museums and is also home to about 185 professional natural history scientists — the largest group of scientists dedicated to the study of the natural and cultural history in the world.

The Hall of Dino’s…I think someone’s hungry for some Red Meat…

The Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

The National Gem and Mineral Collection is one of the most significant collections of its kind in the world. The collection includes some of the most famous pieces of gems and minerals including The Star of Asia Sapphire…and the World Famous Hope Diamond. 

There are currently over 15,000 individual gems in the collection, as well as 350,000 minerals and 300,000 samples of rock and ore specimens.

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