Big Bone Lick & Texas - Jim Colyer

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August, 1986 - Big Bone Lick

Charlotte and I went to Big Bone Lick State Park near Florence, Kentucky. The site was once a salt lick, and fossils of Pleistocene mammals such as mammoths and mastodons have been found. The park sits near the Ohio River, the southern most boundary of glaciation during the Ice Age. Coming back 42, we viewed the Ohio from Butler State Park in Carrollton. This was the third time I had been there in 10 years. The second time was with Karen.

Charlotte and I made a trip to My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown to see the Stephen Foster Story.


January, 1986 - Texas

Chester and I made a Grand Tour of Texas during the state's Sesquicentennial. We unloaded the truck near Graceland in Memphis. It was a cold night, and Graceland was lit up. The Space Shuttle Challenger became the major news story. Following the Red River Valley, we first heard of the explosion in Burkburnette. I was sitting in the truck. As soon as it came on the radio, I knew something was wrong. It was on to Fort Worth, down I-35 to Waco, Austin and San Antonio. We took I-10 over to Houston. There was sympathy for the Shuttle crew.


Summer, 1985 - On truck with Chester.

We circled Chicago and came within 5 miles of Wisconsin. We crossed Michigan to Detroit. A second trip took us through Harrisburg and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and across lower state New York. I was going through a divorce in what I refer to as the "summer of hell." I was gallivanting around the country when I should have been taking care of my son. I had lost control. It would be awhile before I regained it and when I did, things would be different.

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