Ghost Train RadioThree Fingered Jack
I’m having fun trying to write songs that are my interpretation of Mountain Folklore. From what I have read so far – the most notorious Three Fingered Jack story comes from the Sierra Nevada in California. That story centers on a Jamaican who was supposedly a real ruthless bugger. However . . .
The Three Finger Jack that I am enamored with is a peak that we will be able to see a half a block away from our new house in Bend. Its farther away than Broken Top and Mt. Washington – but on a clear day I expect we will see it. Of course – it has the best name of all of these gorgeous Cascade Mountains – all seem to be old volcanoes with their tops blown off – as is the case with quite a few in California.
We are working daily on getting our Orinda house ready to sell. It will take all of May – my guess – and luckily, we aren’t in a hurry. The nice thing is while I am dreaming about Oregon every day – I am also going to take my time to say a lovingly good bye to California. I have Boogie Boarded in the Pacific Ocean, paddled the SF, Half Moon and Tomales Bay’s and hiked and back packed in the Sierra’s. I even lived in San Francisco for 10 years – so I have had a wonderful life with the best career you could ever want here in California. I will never trash it and always revere it. I might have my roots in New Jersey – but I have to admit – The West is where my heart is – I would never move back east – even if it were some really gorgeous place like Vermont!
When I feel that there might be a God – its when I am in such natural settings. These scenes are so overwhelmingly awesome – it just seems like something or someone created this beauty with nothing but pure love. Nature has ALWAYS done this for me – from being a kid in those Appalachian woods and Trail – to everything out west.
My very good friend Mike also grew up in and around Appalachia, where it gets really, really nice and he also seems to share my sentiment. Maybe we both wanted to be near really big mountains?
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