Untold Tales from This Side of Nowhere

"'Tis better to beg forgiveness than to ask for permission," the old saying goes. But does it apply to fishing? For Al, it does! Listen in as Al's innocent love of fishing gets him into a trouble (again) in the latest episode of Untold Tales from This Side of Nowhere. I'm sure you won't be able to relate at all!

They say that two things are unavoidable--death and taxes. And while it's true that you can't take it with you, you might wonder what will happen to your hunting and fishing equipment when you're gone. More importantly, what will happen to your good name? Al and his buddy Marty attempt to scratch the surface in the latest episode of UTFTSON.

Chances are you have one at home. It's known by many names--a chest freezer, the deep freeze. Your mother thinks its just for frozen food, but we all know the possibilities are endless...

Merry Christmas! We're closing out 2024 with a Christmas story from Al and Fred's Boy Scouting days. Will they get what they wanted, or will it be socks again? 

Winter driving is just part of life this side of nowhere, and the Joneses grew up driving in the snow. Most of the time they even stayed on the road. This episode is chalk full of stories you won't want to miss out on, and many you can probably relate to. Listen in for Al and Fred's adventures traversing Wyoming's roads in the snow.

In most places, the term "traffic jam" refers to a high volume of cars stopped in the middle of the road. A Wyoming traffic jam occurs when there are so many cows on the road, no one can get by to feed their own cows. This and other terms take on new meaning in the Cowboy State, and in this episode I break down some of the more common terms. Test your knowledge of Wyoming jargon with my (sort of)...

Medicine Lodge Campground and Archeological site is a popular destination for Wyomingites and tourists alike, and its easy to see why. Located on the banks of the beautiful Medicine Lodge Creek, this campground is a regular paradise, and its petroglyphs have been drawing visitors for generations. Could it attract visitors from even farther away, though? Perhaps otherworldly visitors? Listen to fin...

Fences--if you're from the West, you understand. For most people, fences play a passive role, but that's not the case This Side of Nowhere! In this episode I'm joined by special guests, my sons Reuben (5) and Joseph (2) as we talk about fences in the great American West, and the boys have some pretty great insights!

Living in Southern California for two years as a missionary was definitely an adjustment. Surrounded by buildings and people, I missed the wide open spaces of Wyoming, but that didn't keep me from getting outside now and then! In this episode, join the then Elder Jones and his missionary companions on a hike they all enjoyed--well, almost all of them.

Surprise! Betcha thought this one was a two-part episode. Now I guess you have no choice but to listen to part 3! Do the boy scouts make it out of Carroway Canyon? Do they get eaten by a large carnivorous animal? There's only one way to find out...

The epic journey of Troop 41 down Carroway Canyon continues in this, the second part of a two-part episode. Or is it a two-part episode?

It has been my experience that things usually go according to plan until they don't. The anxiety of waiting for things to start going south can be too much for many people to bear, so what can you do? Well, starting things off by going downhill is one solution! That's pretty much what happened with our hike down Carroway Canyon...

The Olympic Games were absolutely amazing this year, as they always are, but I can't help but feel they would benefit from an outdoor twist. Perhaps some wildlife or some extreme outdoor elements would heighten the excitement, don't you think? I have some personal experiences that make me think so!

Anyone who has ever shot a gun has missed their mark. When you miss, one of two things happens. Either the miss isn't a big deal, or you need to change your name and get a new identity. This story may lean toward the latter of the two...

Unfortunately, even though hunting and fishing provide an escape from the world, you still have to pay to get to the escaping part. In this episode, Al tries to get his hunting and fishing spending under control and plan for the future, but as you can imagine it's easier said than done!

Ever noticed how two people can remember the same event or conversation in completely different ways? Just ask any politician. In this episode, Al and his buddy Mark find out how much trouble differing memories can cause, especially where land use is involved...

Special Guest alert! In this episode I'm joined by my mom, Leslie to share another story from this side of nowhere. From iPhones to cars, it seems we are always getting locked out of things. In this episode of Untold Tales, the Jones family finds out what happens when you get locked out of a pickup truck hundreds of miles from civilization--by a two-year-old!

I am always losing things I need and finding things I don't--like rocks. They always seem to turn up where I least expect them, almost as if they can actually move on their own. Maybe they can! I have a few experiences you'll want to hear about that may just convince you rocks aren't as motionless as we'd like to think...

There are certain endeavors that require complete commitment in order to be successful--playing the piano, baseball, yodeling, whatever. Then there are endeavors in the outdoors that call for a totally different level of commitment, mainly because failure probably means certain death, kind of like doing backflips on concrete. Curious? You should be!

Bet you've never heard of fur-bearing trout, but if you're one of the few who are lucky enough to have caught one, you're probably richer for it. At least, that's what Al, Fred, and cousin Jim are banking on. You're an adult, though, so you would never waste time or money on something as far-fetched as furry fish--or would you?

Ever had an experience that completely and irrevocably changed the way you look at the world? These shifts in perspective can come from any number of things--an accident, age, an embarrassing situation (you've never had any, I know). However these shifts come, things will never be the same. Listen in to see how Al's perspective has shifted--and to hear about some of the humorous experience that ha...

I know you've had an experience involving miscommunication via texting or social media--we all have. Unfortunately, with all the abbreviations and slang used in texting, it can become almost another language--and that's before auto-correct gets involved! I bet you didn't know those who love outdoor sports have a whole different set of meanings for the most commonly used texting abbreviations--Lily...

Chances are, you either have one right now or you're going to have one once that sunburn you got this weekend heals a bit. Farmer's tans aren't just for farmers, and they are the most popular summer look in Poverty Flats, Wyoming. In this episode, we delve into the topic of tans, the absence thereof, and really bad sunburns.

Camping during the warm months of the year has its own challenges, but winter camping? That's a whole different ball game. If you've never tried it, you are probably a rational human being. If you have done winter camping, then you will probably relate to this story! This week join me for another Untold Tale from This Side of Nowhere as I recount the most infamous winter campout in Wyoming scoutin...

Perhaps the greatest adventure of life is parenthood, and that has certainly been the case for our family! We just welcomed our third son to the family, and it's brought back tons of memories, so this week's story is about the arrival of our first son, aka, Al Jr. Join me and my wife Haley, along with William, the newest member of the Jones clan, for this week's episode.