ROADSIDE HISTORY...

We hear a lot about stories of 'The Wild West' but, unfortunately, most only hear the ACCEPTED versions. The history books and what is taught in schools is seldom the whole truth, if any truth at all. The victors write THEIR version and that is suppose to be taken as the truth.
American history is packed with stories of heroes fighting off the wild  'Red Man', which(according to the writers) did nothing but attack the innocent settlers without good reason. OK! That's one version...

Although it has been many years since all that passed, and I'm sure much of the world thinks the American Indians are all gone, nothing can be farther from the truth. A little bit at a time, more of the truth finds it's way to the surface. Truths, that never were meant to be known, and in time, hopefully forgotten or rendered unimportant enough for anyone to notice. If it were not for some good hearted souls that realized the Indians got the short end of the deal, in the settling of the western United States, the lies might have gone unnoticed.

In the mid 1800s a unit of the Colorado Militia, under the command of Colonel Shivington, rode down on a peaceful Cheyenne Indian village in eastern Colorado, along what is known as Sand Creek. Before attacking,  he ordered his soldiers to remove their jackets, in anticipation of the blood he intended. He had already made up his mind to slaughter as many as he could. As the story goes, the Chief of the band was known as BLACK KETTLE. This particular band had made peace with the whites and he was  given an American flag to fly over his village to keep them from harm. That meant nothing to Colonel Chivington. He only wanted DEAD Indians...
The battle raged, most of the village was killed; men, women and children. There were to be no survivors...

A few years ago I was driving down across a secluded back road in western Kansas and dropped down into a small ravine and as I crossed  the bridge I saw some sort of  home made monument off to the side of the road. I needed to take a break so I stopped in a wide spot there and decided to look.  I was curious what this crude sign and park were all about. What could be so important that anyone would go to the trouble of erecting a monument; Monument to what? It was,  for sure, home made; Nothing official, like the State would put up.

Was I ever surprised when I realized  what some local historian had done here. I had never read anything about SURVIVORS, from the Sand Creek massacre...But apparently, many living locally had heard the story over the years, and one man decided to do something about acknowledging this lost band of Cheyenne survivors.
As the story goes, Chief Black Kettle and a few had managed to get away and made their way to this small, obscure valley, where they hid out for some time, before it was safe to move on.The sign was made of heavy, rough,sheet metal and the inscriptions were all roughly hand painted There was a list of the names of the Indians that survived. I have to say, I was amazed that this man went to all the trouble, and he was not even an Indian. Some descendant of one of the settlers that realized what the Indians had been subjected too.

In the above picture, the rough iron statue of an Indian on his horse, stands majestically atop the hill, for those who might forget. If  this one man  hadn't cared enough, this remembrance of a once proud people might have been lost. Obviously, it wasn't important enough to make mention of it in the OFFICIAL history books.

A LONELY ROAD And WHATEVER...

Everyone has their opinions on what exists and what they can't believe... might...
Back in the early 1970s, some of the highways across the western US, were not so sophisticated as they are now, and particularly, in West Texas. There were still a lot of narrow two lane highways, and a long distance between towns, or anything big enough to be called a town. On a dark night between Ft. Stockton and Sonora , a driver might be lucky to see another vehicle for a long time. It was dark and it was lonely. Almost, as if, one was out there, all alone.

Back in those days, I always carried food and water in the truck, in the event that I might have a breakdown and be stranded. Today, we have lots and lots of truck stops, but back then, we had to be prepared to 'Camp Out', if necessary. Nobody ever plans a camping trip like that , BUT...just in case...

On the particular night I remember, I was making my way across 'no man's land', and hadn't seen another vehicle or any sign of life for 2-3 hours. The truck was running fine and everything seemed alright. It was a hot summer night and with NO air conditioning, I was running with all windows open. I have no idea why I had my CB radio on, since there was no body to talk to, or anything to hear, but there was the low, scratchy static coming out ; the only sound, other than my engine, that I heard. The radio I had was only good for a short range; Nothing fancy, or over powered. It had to be close or I would never receive a signal...

The monotony of the night and the road ahead was about to put me to sleep. It was such a flat, uneventful stretch of road that, even IF I had fell asleep and driven off the road, there wasn't much to hit. It was beginning to be a struggle to stay awake. I considered pulling off and taking a short nap, but hadn't been able to find a spot wide enough for a big truck...

Suddenly, I begin to hear a faint sound. At first, a slight beeping sound, and I thought of something like a tracking collar one might put on an animal. I knew that sometimes, they collared certain animals to track their movements. As I drove, the sound seems to be getting ever louder; as if whatever it was, was getting closer, rather than farther away. I reasoned that if it was a animal, he should be getting farther away, besides, I was running about 65 miles per hour. What sort of animal would be moving that fast, and WHY...in my direction.
What the heck was it?

I kept heading east and the sound got constantly louder,  till I finally reached up and and turned the radio off.

I didn't want to think about what had popped into my mind, but I had read some time ago that THIS area was well noted for...UH... reported UFO sightings?
 Call me crazy, or please explain to me WHAT is was. And don't tell me it was a Jack rabbit running along beside my truck. It was still another 90 miles to Sonora, AND I made it, but have always wondered what it was out there with me that night. Some might say a satellite, but back then, the heavens were not cluttered with such technology, as it is today...Anyone have a better explanation??

A MAN'S WAY BACK...

In today's society, if a man is mentally disturbed, or in anyway a hinderance to anyone, he(or she) may be locked away forever. It's true, we call ourselves civilized but that can be interpreted as a matter of opinion(my opinion, anyway). Different cultures around the world may consider an individual's  state of mind differently...

Long ago, many of the American Indian tribes had a different way of looking at life; Their own life and that of others around them...

Although, these people were considered less than human by some of their lighter skinned neighbors,  the(so-called) RED man had the idea that each two legged (meaning mankind) had his own individual path  to walk. Each has a special way we must go, through this life and into the beyond. Sometimes, one might lose his or her way and leave the path, then bad things happen...What some might call insanity these days...

Often, the lost one wanders from the good path and become confused, not in their right mind; Often a very troublesome person to be around.  As I said before, in today's society this type of person is locked away in a hopeless situation and often forgotten. Lost from the path,  never to find their way back.
Many of the tribes believed that, UNLESS the lost one is a threat to, or attacks another, they were to be tolerated and left alone. If for some reason someone were to take  the man's life, they would be lost forever, with no chance for redemption. That act in itself was bad medicine...

The idea was that each should do the right thing and help the lost person if they could, but NEVER impede their chance to find their way back. None knew for sure, but MAYBE, the great spirit had touched this person to see how others would react. If THEY were worthy of redemption...No! They would be left alone and tolerated.

It is my personal opinion(again) but isn't that along the lines of how ALL religions SHOULD work...

BELIEF...OR NOT?

Belief and faith in anything is almost impossible to explain; It's more of something you FEEL...and often more than one can explain. It is just that most of us NEED to believe in something greater than ourselves. Whether it be a lack of confidence in our own abilities, or just the fact that we KNOW we are not, totally, in control.

When we were younger, our Mom and Dad was always there to reassure us; tell us that all would be ok. We believed in Mom and Dad and that was good enough at the time. Suddenly, years later, we find WE are Mom and Dad. Now, WHY do we NOT feel the same secure feeling that our Mom and Dad provided to us. Was it all a little white lie to make us feel better. Now, we have to provide for our kids and what do we tell them?

There is evidence to say that since the beginning of time(or mankind, if you will) humans have always sought to explain our reason for existence. We BELIEVE we have become more educated, more knowledgeable, or EGOTISTICALLY speaking...superior to our predecessors. We, really, can only guess, as to how smart our ancestors were or what their lives were like. We so-called SMARTER humans are still trying to figure out and judge our animal counterparts. Many seem to think that animals don't have a thought process, as do we human beings. I couldn't really say, as I am not the animal in question. I am only THIS animal in question.

Around the world , beliefs and  cultures vary drastically, as to WHAT or WHO we should look up to or believe in. Wars are fought and hatred abounds as to who is right and whose Creator is bigger or more powerful. If, for one moment,  everyone would stop their quarreling and fighting and THINK about it...

I don't have the answers, anymore than the next can prove who or what is right, but IF(and I'm sure...something) created all of this existence(including us), I DOUBT that it was for the purpose of granting some unloving, misguided individuals the right to judge and kill at their pleasure. WHO..or WHAT would want to create anything,only to have it destroyed?

I don't understand ALL beliefs but somehow I think WHOEVER is in charge would prefer we work it out peacefully and love one another. As for the OTHER animals that we CLAIM to be superior to...I remember what my Granddad  told me years ago: IF it is necessary to kill an animal, show it respect and DON'T make it suffer...We are ALL living beings and life is precious.

Out Of The Corner Of Your Eye...

Have you ever had the feeling you are not alone in the room? Like someone or something is right there, but you can't see them...THEN, suddenly...out of the corner of your eye, you are sure you saw something move?

At first, you attribute it to your imagination; that is the rational thing to do. But STILL... you can't shake the feeling that you saw something...Like it or  not, you may well have witnessed a brief crossover from our fourth dimension. We KNOW it's there. We just can't see it, but sometimes conditions are just right and whoever, or  whatever is in there, steps over the line and we come face to face(briefly) with things or persons we have never met before...at least in our present memories.

We live with and constantly intermingle with an untold number of things that we neither understand, or can explain. Just because we can't explain them is by no means evidence that they don't exist. We ARE NOT alone, and we can't hide so we need to accept the idea and when they show up...Just have a friendly chat with them...They are  our neighbors...

MAYBE, A Murder...(Short Fiction)

'Just A Hat'...
A group of old men, the same bunch every morning, sat around tables at the only cafe. They drank their coffee and talked of what happened.
All that was left of him was his hat, they said. Found alongside the road, alongside the ditch bank.
They found his hat, but they never found him. Just his hat. Just gone, without a trace...
Whoever he was, he wasn't from around here, they said. Nobody knew him. Nobody knew his hat. He couldn't have been from around these parts. Wrong kind of hat...
They all agreed, since nobody knew him, it didn't matter what happened to him. They didn't know him, so he wouldn't be missed.
MAYBE...He was JUST a hat...

Reflections on time/Alone In The Forest(Fiction)

It has been theorized that time doesn't travel;We do.Time is like a forest and remains in place, forwards, backwards, from where we are. In short, we pass on our journey through the forest, with new scenes before us and the old, behind us, but it never changes. Standing in place, vibrating forever the same.
I must have made a wrong turn somewhere back there, because suddenly, I didn't know where I was. I had been down this road before, but now, things were all different. It seemed impossible, because there were no other roads I could have turned off on, still I seemed to be in a different place. To make things worse, it was starting to get dark.
I was just about ready to turn around and go back the other way, when I saw some lights a little ways up, and decided to stop and ask.
It was a small gas station, but the sign above it was something I hadn't seen in years; The sign of the 'Flying  Red Horse'. I was born in the 40s and gas station signs and a lot of things had changed since, but sure enough, that was what it was, and the station was open.
Like I said, I had been this way before , but I didn't remember ever seeing this filling station before. How could I have missed such an odd thing? Even the gas pumps were ancient; I wondered where they got their gas from? I needed gas, so I stopped st the pumps. When I looked at the price, I knew something wasn't right. It was leaded gas, and it was fifteen cents a gallon. The thought went through my mind; Where am I?
I had heard the bell ding when I pulled in , but couldn't believe it when the man came out to pump the gas.
He smiled and said, "Howdy! What can I do for you"?
I told him, "I need gas, but do you have any unleaded gas"? He just smiled and replied, "I know where you came from, they must have it, but not here...yet! What we have will work  for you, till you get back." His remark totally  confused me, but he seemed to realize the problem. He explained.
"You made a wrong turn; One that you couldn't see, but you are not where you are suppose to be, AND you are not the first to  do this. About 5 miles back up the road you will be back in your own time." He laughed and told me this had happened many times before, but if I followed his instructions I would find my way back.
I paid the man what I owed him and thanked him and told him I didn't understand. "Not suppose to...but follow my directions and you can think about it later". Again he laughed heavily, waved and disappeared back into the station.
I turned back the way I came and sure enough, I soon found unleaded gas stations. My head was spinning. I felt funny, but now I knew where I was. What I can't get out of my mind; Where had I been?