I Did I Did I Did the Iditarod Trail

  Alaska has scenery that will make you stop and stare, the people are friendly, and there is always some really large fresh fish to eat. I never thought a great way to see “The Last Frontier” would be with a group of 25 people I had never met before.

 Along with the great folks, with the great accents, from Wisconsin based Holiday Vacations, I hosted the WRAL Great Alaska Adventure. A Hoke County farmer, a female welder from Wendell, an ex-Chatham County Commissioner, it was a fascinating cross section of people who took the big trip.

 We trekked from Anchorage to Denali to Fairbanks to the Yukon Territory and finally to a cruise down the chilly waters of the Inside Passage. There were early starts and long days, potholes too numerous to count on the Al-Can Highway, and many switches from bus to boat to train to plane. And yes, the sun never really set. Each challenge was met with a helping hand, a joke, or a story of bigger trials back in the Carolinas.

 It was a great group, a great trip, and only one thing really changed.

 None of my fellow travelers is a stranger anymore.

 To see “another view” of the Great Alaska Adventure check out “Off The Mark” on wral.com.

How Convenient

It’s those little out of the way places in life that sometimes make life better.

If you are headed up to the scenic portion of Kerr Lake along highway 39 north of Henderson, there is such a place. Don’t blink or you’ll miss Townsville(lots of peeling paint but the people are nice). Head north out of town, then quicker than you can tell the story of the striper that got away, on the right side of the highway there it is…R.J’s Country Store.

The first thing we city slickers noticed was the big “Wi Fi” sign spray painted on a hunk of particle board out front. Behind the counter and just below the Beer Can Biplane suspended from above, owner Rex has a friendly greeting for all. He knows everyone who has put a toe in the lake and knows a ton about where the fish are biting. He was kind enough to exchange the hot dogs I wanted to use for bait for some nightcrawlers. The store has everything from Spam to spray on tan. I went with the bass bucket and an R.J.’s front pocket T-shirt. The wonderful staff at the “Wi Fi” café in the back will make you just about anything. We just clicked on the lap top, ordered up a sweet tea and waited for the grilled cheese and bacon sandwich. Ask inside if “Crash” is selling any of his famous Kerr Lake Produce and you are in for a highly unusual experience. Check out “Crash” and the lively scene up at the lake on this week’s “Off The Mark” on wral.com

Interview Friendly

  During all those years I bounced around North Carolina as a reporter for WRAL TV, the one thing that could make or break your day was finding “interview friendly” subjects. No matter what the level of death, murder or destruction we were always tasked with getting the right people for the story and getting them fast. People who wanted time and space to prepare(a smart thing to do from an interviewee standpoint)could make you late for a live shot, knock out your chance to get video or other interviews, and generally make the broadcast day more challenging.

  N.C. State’s Dr. Mike Walden is probably the most interview friendly subject I ran across in 25 years of reporting. As an economist, Walden is always up on the latest “watch out” issues the news media frightens us about daily. Home sales, gas prices, the stock market, unemployment, Walden was always ready with an informative comment on each. On top of that, this was usually the drill. “Hey Mike I need a comment on gas prices.” “No trouble, I’ve just read the latest, meet me in the parking lot in 15 minutes.” You know how hard it is to park at state. We’d roll up, keep the engine running, jump out for a quick interview, and we were on our way. Usually to lunch, since we had saved so much interview time.

 Due to his lofty status as “Most Interview Friendly Subject” Mike Walden was a great choice for our fist installment of the Triangle’s newest game show…”O.K. Smart Guy.” Check him out on this week’s edition of “Off The Mark” on wral.com

Seniors Rule

When the jovial man dressed in black said he was in his 80’s, I couldn’t believe it.

From his cowboy hat to his pointy boots he was having a blast at the Golden Jubilee Senior Expo at the State Fairgrounds.

Laughing, joking to the point of slapping his knee, he couldn’t wait to jump up on stage and do a line dance with his senior dance troupe. We can all learn a lot from the white haired man in black, and his seasoned friends who “get up and boogie.”

Many half their age suffer from a tremendous lack of motivation, and sometimes can’t even get up off the couch.

The next time you go into “blob” mode, think of the dancing seniors.

You can check them out on this week’s “Off The Mark.”

Some of their favorite tunes may surprise you.