Kooky's
Road Trip

Hitting the road in old cars, carrying old film cameras

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A Photo Walk With Two of My Boys

Kurtahs Mikhael and Parker Viers joined Kooky's Road Trip today for a photowalk around Globe, Miami, and Superior in Arizona.

Hwy 54 South to Las Cruces

Yesterday, after a short stop at Allsup's in Santa Rosa, NM for, well, you know why I stop at Allsup's...I headed south on 54 to Las Cruces.

January 20, 2020

And They Say You Can’t Go Back

They say “you can’t go back.” Well, I just did it. I threw a few clothes in a bag, packed some cameras and film, put on my boots, my hat, and headed south toward Lamar, Missouri in my ‘96 Ford F-150 with Biggie in the back seat.

December 31, 2019

Worth Every Cent

I was up the block a ways when I saw her, singing an old country tune. I dropped a dollar in her basket and asked if I could take her picture.

December 19, 2019

Hanging Out in Tombstone with Johnny One Dog

I pulled into Tombstone on a warm and sunny late Tuesday morning and was immediately underwhelmed. I’m not saying don’t go there, I’m just saying I’m not a big fan of things that smell too “touristy.”

December 14, 2019

Dinner with Friends in Rural Oklahoma

“I’m hungry,” I said to myself after getting my tires fixed in Shamrock, TX. Hmmm...Wynoka is only a few hours away.So with German food and bier on my mind, I texted Dieter to see if he had room. He replied with some obscure text I didn’t understand so decided to call.

October 24, 2019

Jonathan Visits Kookyville, KS, population 1

A week ago Tuesday started out simply enough...we woke up early and hit the road north to Marceline, MO to tour the Walsworth Publishing plant, then lunch at Tall Paul's in Bucklin, MO with Meghan Viers Jolliffe, Joe Cupp, and Beverly Cupp. From there, Jonathan and I would wander rural Missouri so he could get a glimpse of life out here.

August 24, 2019

Heading to Lamar With My Old Cameras

I'm planning a short, impromptu Kooky's Road Trip to the Lamar Free Fair, in Lamar. MO. I'll wander south this afternoon, drop by the fair tomorrow and blow through some film, then head back north at some point.

December 21, 2018

The El Rancho Motel

Day Six: I’m stopped for the night at the famous El Rancho Hotel & Motel in Gallup, NM right on Route 66. That’s Leroy...he checked me in. Each room is named after a movie star...I’m in the William Bendix room. ... I’ve never heard of him either.

August 24, 2019

Driving Through Prescott, KS

I stopped along the back roads I was taking home in a little ghost of a town named Prescott. I let Biggie stretch her legs while I had a cigar and enjoyed the quiet of the neglected baseball Diamond on the edge of town. As we sat there, I watched a young father giving his toddler a ride on his motorcycle. Around the block he went...then again....

The Norwegian Wine Debacle of 2019

Every time I get a little cocky about my traveling prowess, something will happen that reminds me that I’m just a dope. Case in point, two nights ago I arrived in Oslo, Norway. Now this isn’t my first time here, and I’ve learned, after many trips, that Oslo is very expensive. But there are a few tricks to save a few Krone.

Stop and Smell the Cigar

As I walked along the sea in Reykjavik, Iceland on this perfect afternoon, taking shots of the rocks various people had stacked on the shore and enjoying a cigar, an older lady stopped her bike behind me and started talking to me in what I assume was Icelandic.“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,”

Cruising Colfax Avenue in a Taxi With My Cameras

I want you to drive me to Colfax Ave. so I can photograph old stuff....

Neon Lights and Cheap Motels

Motels are always iffy. One must keep the expectations low and hope for vacancy...

Flood Zone…Again!

It’s strange to drive on I-29 and be the only car, going either direction. Period. It’s like a scene from a movie.

January 2, 2019

Reconnecting With Something From My Past

The first time I heard Navajo spoken as a natural course of conversation was in Holbrook, Arizona. I was in an art gallery that sold various Indian art. The owner, Nakai, spoke to one of the locals, who dropped by, in his native tongue. He sold me a ring in English.

December 22, 2018

Losing Her Allsup's Burrito Virginity

Day Eight: For the whole story here, I need to backtrack about seven years, maybe. Not sure, my life’s been a blur. I was driving home from Pampa, TX and staying off the main roads. I wanted to see what was going on behind the scenes...

December 21, 2018

All That For a Cup of Joe?

Day Seven: I needed a cup of Joe to keep me homeward bound. I stopped in this tiny town and am at the only place in town, having good coffee and talking with the old timers. I love this stuff.

December 20, 2018

Opportunity Clock, my ass

Day Six: I love waking up without an alarm. There’s a reason it’s called “alarm” and I can’t think of any good ones.

December 20, 2018

Waking Up in a Wigwam

Day Five: I finally made it to Route 66! Can anyone guess which motel I’m staying in tonight?

Getting Lost...or Found

It doesn’t take much to get me off the Interstate. I’ll take U.S. or State Highways any day. County roads are even better.

January 29, 2020

More to it Than Flying Down a Mountain

There’s a lot more to bobsledding, I’ve learned, than the push, getting in quickly on an icy surface, holding on for dear life, and screaming at the top of your lungs while racing, as quickly as possible, to the finish line…and stopping.

January 21, 2020

The Previous Ten Minutes of My Life

I arrived at the hotel where I like to stay in Zumikon, Switzerland, just up to hill, outside of Zurich...

September 18, 2019

Humans Being Human

I saw what appeared to be a homeless man, on his knees curled over, forehead on the ground. He wasn’t moving....

Welcome to the U.S.

The conversation I would like to hear happening at our southern border: Border Patrol Officer: “Welcome to the United States of America. How may I help you?” Asylum Seeker: “We would like to apply for asylum in this country.” BPO: “Oh, I’m sorry that you felt you had to leave your home and family to do this. Please, come with me and we’ll start the application...."

January 6, 2020

Buckhorn Baths Buddies

As we pull into the lot in front of the big sign, I realize just how right Kurtis was...this is fantastic!

Liberté

“Liberté” is how Josef described his life to me, distilling it down to a single word. As he said it a second time, he lifted his hands, palms up, toward the sky and faced the sun, smiling, “Liberté.”

RussellViers.com

Welcome to my new site. A special "thank you" to Julia for building it for me. As I started pulling content together for it, I realized I have A LOT of photos and stories and not enough time to put it all on here. So this site, like all of them, I guess, is a work in progress and this is the first phase. If you don't see your picture on here, but think it should be, just wait. I'm sure I'll stumble across it some day and add it on.

Digiversity.tv

Digiversity.tv has been around since 2001, but what you see now is a rebirth. New brand identity, new website, and new videos. In addition to the videos are blog articles and, just for fun, Julia and I do Digiversity.tv LIVE, where we get to share tricks and techniques we use on a regular basis, things we've learned, and introduce you to our friends who come on as guests to share their knowledge.

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