Greyhound to Fresno

Exactly 45 years ago today I was on a Greyhound to Fresno. I had enjoyed a great 4th of July party where I was proud to tell anyone that would listen I was joining the navy in a couple of days.

It was a classic bbq. Burgers and hot dogs, corn on the cob, and watermelon as far as the eye could see. The Stars & Stripes were everywhere. Laughing kids chased each other with water balloons and squirt guns. Adults patted me on the back and said, “Good for you. See the world!”

There I was in the summer of 1981 riding a bus to the AFEE’s station in Fresno. Armed Forces something something. I may have missed an F. Anyway it was a shabby little office in central Fresno that I had been to previously getting my pre-enlistment physical. I had to get two waivers to join when I did.

One waiver was for my ankle. When I was a child I had climbed up a 4×4 that was leaning against the house. As I was trying to get up it, I got splinters in my hands. When I got scared walking around up there, I didn’t want to climb back down. So I jumped. I guess because I was a kid instead of breaking my ankles, I just sprained one terribly. From then on, if I just sat on my ankle wrong, it would dislocate and I would be unable to walk for days. When I got to be a teenager, my parents finally got tired of me doing it intentionally to get out of chores they had it surgically repaired.

For the US Navy, when they looked at the x-rays of my ankle, they said it was a compound fracture and medically disqualifying w/o a note from my doctor explaining that my ankle was now fully functional. Waiver approved.

The other waiver was for my age. I was only 17. I wouldn’t turn 18 for a couple of months so my parents had to sign paperwork. One was in Alaska and one in California. Not easy, but it got done. Waiver approved. I could join the navy now.

As I was processing through the AFEEs station, I saw the recruits from all of the branches of the services gathering in their groups. Most were like me, straight out of high school, although some were older. One of the older guys (mid-20s?) came up and started talking to me about why he was joining the navy. I remember he was a bouncer at a bar. I was only a month out of high school. He impressed me immediately as a guy who had been places and done things already.

We would have to stay overnight at a cheap motel and wait for our plane ride to boot camp in San Diego early the next morning. Being a grown ass man, he could and did, go to the store and buy beer. After having spent the last couple of years having my prematurely balding best friend buy beer with a fake ID, this was also impressive. As the night wore on and we got more and more drunk he gave me a life lesson. No, nothing bad if that’s what you were thinking.

It was a demonstration of willpower. If you are properly motivated, you can do things you wouldn’t have thought you could. As his example he held out the plastic rings that had formerly held one of the 6 packs together. He folded it up until it was a single ring. He handed me the ring and said, “Hold it with one finger hooked on each side and try to pull it apart.”

I gave it a mighty pull, but it was useless. I couldn’t do it. Then he said in my face at increased volume, “Now imagine someone is attacking your mom! If you can’t break this, you can’t help her!” Sure enough this time I split the rings easily. It was a silly demonstration and point, but for some reason it has stuck with me since.

The next morning we were awakened by the sound of the shuttle bus horn blaring, waiting to take us to the airport. Hungover we grabbed our bags and ran out to the bus. A couple of life lessons indeed. First, don’t try and keep up with a guy who weighs twice as much as you, (and an ex-bouncer to boot!) in drinking beers. Second, you can summon strength, courage, or whatever you need with the right inspiration. I think the faithful know this too. If you seek devoutly in a time of need, help can be found within us.

I have changed so much in the 45 years since getting on that Greyhound to Fresno, I can hardly remember being that naive kid. It was all so exciting and new. I hope you had a great 4th of July. I hope you feel proud of being a part of this great country. I know I do. And I’m a Democratic Socialist!

Ancestry & Geology

The longer I stay in Wyoming, the more I find to love. I came to Wyoming last year looking for a place to live. Cheaply. There’s more than one reason Wyoming is the least populous state. But those reasons have resulted in some cheap rent, and I’m happy for that. But that’s not the only reason I’m here.

My great-grandfather was adopted by a man of Irish heritage named McLaughlin. Growing up I was proud of my Irish heritage. I loudly celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, cheered for Notre Dame, and made sure when giving my name it was, “Capital m, small c, capital L…” My mom had t-shirts made with the Mclaughlin family crest. Why?? We weren’t Irish!

Supposedly the child that was adopted Mr. McLaughlin was a Native American kid adopted from the Wind River reservation. So that made us part Shoshone! My grandad had very bushy eyebrows. That was supposedly because of his native heritage. My grandparents lived out there retirement years in Arizona. They adopted Native dress and jewelry. As if they were elder indians living on the reservation. We’d call that cultural appropriation today. I guess they thought it was just easier to pretend they were what they looked like, rather than be what they were. It sort of makes sense for my grandad, after all he was supposedly secretly native. But my Grammy?

I got a DNA test done. 0.0% Native American. There’s some hint of Irishness, but mostly my ancestry comes from England and Northern Europe with a trace of African ancestry. My suspicion is my biological great-grandfather was of mixed-race African ancestry and his dark complexion was attributed to Native instead of African for acceptability reasons in 1890s Wyoming.

The puzzle-solver in me wants to find out where my great-grandfather came from. But now I have to try and find the birth, baptism, or adoption records from 1890s Wyoming. It was just barely a state! I think he came from either Wind River or one of the Catholic missions/schools of the area. I don’t know if I have enough interest to maintain an investigation.

Especially when there’s so much to look at! If you like looking at geologic strata tilted at angles when you’re driving, Wyoming is the place for you! Just don’t bring a light trailer as it is likely to get blown over in the near-persistent 50mph winds the state is know for! But my goodness the views you’ll see out your window as you drive across the beautiful state!

Ok, just one example of how awesome this place is that I just discovered. In northern Wyoming there’s a beautiful majestic whit mountain called Heart Mountain. It’s like a huge white rock plunked down on a base of lesser rock. It turns out unlike most of the rest of the world, the older rock is ON TOP of the younger rock. Rocks are supposed to get older the deeper you dig. How’d this huge big old rock end up on top of the younger base? Millions of years ago a 40,000 square mile section of a mountain broke free and slid at about 50 mph for over 30 miles. Heart Mountain is just the tiny remainder of the result of the world’s greatest landslide!

Road trip idea

Fresno State Football is ranked again! They will be playing the Cowboys @Wyoming, Laramie, WY on 10/7. Then at @UtateState, Logan, UT

No, they’re the Utah State Aggies. The Utes play for Utah. But that’s not all!

The Annular Eclipse of 2023 will occur over North America. This is a good warm up for the Total Eclipse coming 4/8/24. Can’t wait to share that one with family and friends!

So I’m going to share my experience as if it was a blog that I’d try to live off of. Monetize it. Why not? 😉 The American way!

What’s that? I don’t know anything about making money off of a blog? True. That’s why god invented AI. To help me. I’m going to tell my story. I think I’ve lived an interesting life. I’m going to try to get it as close to correct as possible. Then record it. To make a McLaughlin Museum.

Then put a Disneylandish merchandise opportunity at the end of it. Creatively make money. Instead of slavishly.