Untold Tales from This Side of Nowhere

My twin brother Adam and I go way back. No, seriously, all the way back. He is in town this weekend, so I only thought it appropriate we use this one for the Untold Tales Retold this week. Enjoy!

If you have kids, you know what a joy fishing with them can be. There's nothing like watching your kids land a fish. The excitement. The laughter. The joy. Then there are the countless hours spent untangling knots, the complaining about the cold, and the crying. Yes, fishing with kids is a roller coaster. Sometimes they just want to get back in the truck, and maybe you should too...

It just seems like a good time to talk about fishing, and nothing beats the authentic fishing experience. Only the true anglers among us know what I'm talking about. If you don't listen to find out!

It's the 4th of July, and the United State of America is 250 years old! For this week's episode we're looking at one of the 50 states and what makes the Cowboy State unique. Only in Wyoming can you have more trailers than neighbors. Or have people stop to take pictures with your population sign...

This shocking tale is sure to make your blood run cold--if you can stop laughing. This episode featured one of our very first guests on the show and it's definitely worth another listen!

If you were a Boy Scout, then you may remember the hiking merit badge--or maybe it's a repressed memory! One of the major requirements for the merit badge is the completion of a 20 mile hike, and in northwestern Wyoming, a 20 mile hike can take you to the middle of nowhere...

With all the summer driving we're doing, it brings back memories of working with my Grandpa Iverson delivering ice. Grandpa was notorious for working long hours, and that often made him sleepy. Sometimes he even drove while drowsy, and that was when things got interesting...

People used to say, "If I had a million dollars..." but with inflation, you almost have to have five million to really do anything extravagant. That would also allow you to take care of your family and charitable pursuits before turning to important matters--like hunting and fishing. With that much money, even my wife wouldn't mind hunting and fishing--or would she?

This is the first story I ever published! It was featured in the Wyoming Rural Electric News (WREN) back when we lived in Idaho Falls. Just like chocolate ice cream, though, it's still good any time you want it!

I think every kid in the good ole US of A has played at least one game of baseball, and us kids growing up in the middle of nowhere were no different. I'm sure you'll relate to the Jones's experiences learning to play America's pastime and hopefully get a few laughs along the way. Play ball!

I know some folks might take a lot of stock in what I have to say, but it might surprise you how often people do ask me for advice. It's practically on a daily basis! If you don't believe it, just give this one from our first season a listen!

It really is a crying shame, the way some people treat their children. I myself fell victim to a highly addictive habit at a young age, and in this episode, I tell you all about Al's journey down a path from which he has never recovered...

The description I wrote for this one is good enough to use again!: What happens when you mix four boys with about a million hornets? Quite the story, that's what! Listen in to find out what new mischief Al and his twin brother get into in their little town of Poverty Flats, Wyoming during this week's untold tale from this side of nowhere.

In addition to an essay on Wyoming and its history, there's some big news to share from the Jones family! Or some little news, I guess, depending on how you look at it... If you want to know what it is, I guess you'll have to give this one a listen!

Listening to this one again brought back great memories, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it, too. Like when pennies were a thing. Or my kids were littler. You get the idea. Enjoy!

You have it. I have it. We all have it. It's spring! Or at least we wish it were... Don't worry, winter will end. Eventually.

My Grandpa Hildreth is one of my favorite people in the world, and telling a story with him on the podcast was a blast! Listen in for a story from a golden storyteller on this Untold Tales Retold.

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if an electric fence is active or not. They usually make noise, but you can never be too sure. Surely Al and Fred would never be dumb enough to touch an electric fence to find out...

Here's a throwback to the first year of the show! If it ain't broke, why fix it? Unless it is broke, then I guess you're going to have to...

First dates can be so intimidating. You always wonder how things will go. Will you hit it off? Embarrass yourself? Have to change your name and move to a different state? Luckily for Lily and Al, their first date worked out just fine.

I was probably ten years old when I learned there are alternatives to processing your own wild game. I just didn't know you could harvest a deer and then you could pay someone else to cut it up for you! (If you are just now learning this as well, we probably had similar upbringings...) That being said, the Jones clan cut up a LOT of their own meat...

A student-teacher was telling me the other day how it feels like time just seems to fly by when you're in the outdoors. It reminded me of this episode from February of 2023. My how time has flown! Almost as if I actually had been fishing the past three years...

From time to time we receive listener mail here at Untold Tales from This Side of Nowhere, and once in a while it's even from people who enjoy the show! In this episode Al answers a few of the messages we've received here at UTFTSON. Enjoy!

You probably have some irrational fears. Al has his own, too, and they make for great podcasting. Listen to one of our favorites, the second ever episode of the show and a story that was featured in the WREN (Wyoming Rural Electric News) magazine!

Dirt. We're surrounded by it. It gets in the house; it gets in your shoes; it gets in your hair. But if you try to buy some, you find out just how valuable it is...

Here's another fan favorite from back in the day! Take a seat and enjoy "Getting Benched," an episode that talks not only about Al's illustrious career riding the bench on the basketball team, but also about the infamous bench seat of an old pick-up truck...

The decision to discontinue the penny was a long time coming, but it still hurt. Can you believe there was a time when you could buy candy for a penny? For Al's Grandpa Myron, that was a reality for most of his life. In an episode celebrating what would have been Grandpa's 100th birthday, Connor tells the story of Grandpa Jones and the piece of penny candy he almost didn't get to eat...

They say there's no such thing as too much of a good thing, and we agree. Here's an episode you probably haven't heard for a while--maybe for a few years! For your listening pleasure, Episode 1, Welcome to Poverty Flats.

"I love getting sick," said no one ever. Getting sick is the worst, and there are certain places and times when getting sick is even worse. In this episode I recount a friend's experience on a flight to go hog hunting in Texas. Let's just say it wasn't his best flight...

Merry Christmas! In this holiday special, Al spends Christmas a long way from Poverty Flats in sunny Southern California during his time as a missionary. You'll never believe what happens--it may even be called a Christmas miracle...

If you think this episode is about bears, you're right. If you think it's about another embarrassing event in the lives of Fred and Al, you are also right. Guess you better listen to this one!

Let's face it--everyone has a great story about getting stuck, and plenty of advice about how to get un-stuck. But does anyone have advice on how to actually get stuck in the first place? Introducing the first-ever (mostly) complete guide to getting stuck. Now you can really spend some quality time in the mountains!

In the first few days of the Jones' Charleston vacation they've seen the ocean, been saltwater fishing, and visited Fort Sumter, but there's still so much more to do in South Carolina! The best is yet to come, though, in the final part of this three-part story.

The South Carolina vacation continues in part two of West Meets South, and in this part, the Jones boys actually get to go fishing! But how will two country boys born a thousand miles from the nearest ocean fare saltwater fishing?

It's a long ways from Wyoming to South Carolina, and the two places couldn't be more different. One is bone-dry with frigid winters, and the other hot and humid. When the Jones boys and their spouses go to South Carolina, they bring a piece of the West with them, and they're more than pleased with what they find down South. The only question is--do people really fish for dolphins in South Carolina?

There are only four states in the US that don't have a professional sports team--minor or major--in at least one of the "big four": baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. Wyoming, unsurprisingly, is on that list, but that doesn't mean Wyomingites aren't sports fans, the Jones family included! So, if you don't have a home team, who do you cheer for? Join me and my special guest, my sister Brinna, as we discuss!

When people say "we're building a house" they usually don't mean it. Very rarely does someone actually build their own house; most of the time they mean they're paying someone to build it. That wasn't the case with the Jones family... You'll see, er, hear what I mean.

The law of causality states that all actions are followed by a direct consequence. You might know it as karma. But did you know it applies to the outdoors, too? I'm sure you've been the victim of this particular brand of karma and its cousins. Like that one time...

Life is full of unsolved mysteries. Who actually built Stonehenge? Why doesn't the close door button on an elevator do anything? What's for dinner? These are just a few. In this episode, Al tackles a few unsolved mysteries and you're sure to be amazed by his deductive reasoning. Or maybe not...

Free pizza for life. Pickup trucks that get 45 miles to the gallon. That Nigerian prince who wants to give you five million dollars. There are lots of things that are too good to be true, and this story is about one of them. On a hike to Lost Lake, Al and the rest of Troop 41 are amazed by what they find at the lake--and it makes the effort of getting there worth it.

When your friends start interrupting you to say they've already heard the story you're telling, it's either time to get some new friends or time to get some new stories. Both can be expensive. But what if you had a story no one has heard yet? One even the person who knows you best has never heard?

There are watering holes. There are donut holes. There's even a Hole in the Wall gang, but if you grew up in the country, then you are probably also familiar with the swimming hole. This side of nowhere, there's no better place to be on a hot summer day, and Al, Fred, and the Trio of Trouble would have to agree.

It's not uncommon for the more experienced among us to spend a fair amount of time shooting the bull, but this episode isn't about that kind of shooting the bull, is it? When Al and Fred's cousins from the West Coast come to town, they find out that shooting the bull can a have a different meaning when Grandpa gets involved...

A breeze. A zephyr. A gale. Whatever you call it, Wyoming's got it, and it's taken more than a few people by surprise. Wind is just a part of life in Wyoming, and it would never make life's tasks more difficult, right?

Of the many pets owned by the Jones family over the years, one of the most memorable was Levi the Leviathan. His meteoric rise to fame and eventual fall from grace would result in a tragedy of dramatic proportions–or at least dramatic for a crawfish.

Some movies are just so quotable. From Star Wars to Monty Python, cinema is replete with lines that fit so many situations, and Al and his friends love dropping movie quotes whenever they get the chance. "I'm going in!" might just be one of the most infamous...

You'll never forget the day you got your first pocket knife--and everyone who knew you at the time won't forget it either. From your parents to the paramedics who assisted with the aftermath, everyone involved will forever have that day etched in their memories...

Every year, the graduating class of Poverty Flats' high school takes a trip to the nation's capital to broaden the students' cultural horizons and give them an appreciation for our nation's rich history and the workings of the US government. That isn't to say they don't have a good time or have to make some last-minute changes to their plans...

Taking a trip can be expensive--and painful. I should know since I have plenty of experience. You have probably taken a trip a time or two yourself. Parents trip over their kids' toys, construction workers trip head-first into manholes, and athletes trip on untied shoelaces. Everyone trips, but outdoor people probably trip more than anyone else. That's where trip insurance for the outdoors comes in...

It's spring in Northwestern Wyoming, and that not only means things are greening up, but farmers need to make way for new growth. So, they burn, and sometimes--just sometimes--things get a little out of hand...