Saturday, 29 August 2026

Race Track Diary, Entry Number 42 – Billy Budd’s (August 15, 2026)

Race Track Diary, Entry Number Forty-Two – Billy Budd’s (August 15, 2026)

Introduction

This blog and some following blogs are sections from an informal diary of “visits to the race-track” at a particular time and place, by a person who has followed the races with varying levels of participation over a long period. These relate primarily to some visits to the track and/or off-track betting venues in the 2025 period and onward. They contain observations about the activity, both specific and general. Although these remarks are personal, they also reflect general cultural and historical trends, as they have impacted horse-racing, wagering and culture in general.

The setting is Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (population of about one million plus). However, I imagine that the observations would apply to many places in the world, as they are a reflection of how changing trends in technology, globalization and culture in general have affected this ancient and honourable activity of horse-racing.

For now, I will use what I call “polished point-form” for the narrative.

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42 – Billy Budd’s (Aug 15, 2026)
- There was a fair crowd when we first arrived at Budd’s, at about 3:00 in the afternoon. There was the usual mix of regulars and non-regulars, largely skewing older and male. That said, there were some exceptions i.e. younger people and a scattering of females.
- The local football team, the Elks (not a great name, that) were playing on one of the screens. My brother Craig had some money on the game, which had been tied at 17 when he left his house. However, by the time we got to Budd’s Montreal was just shy of two touchdowns up. Needless to say, he was disappointed.
- Then things go worse. There was another touchdown. Some cheering and clapping ensued. However, it was not the home team that scored and someone was rubbing it in. A gloater, obviously.
- Which reminds me of an old Blackadder episode that involved the concept of gloating.
  - Percy: Em, well, you know, you could be a gloater.
  - Lady Farrel: I beg pardon.
  - Percy: You know, a gloater, eh, come to gloat over the condemned man. I mean we’re up to our ears is gloaters here.
  - “Can I come in for a gloat?” they shout and we shout back “Oh you heartless gloaters”.
- Just so. Heartless gloaters. Why do they not stop to consider that someone might have lost money on the game? :)
- While waiting for the bucket-pullers, I kept tabs on some of the thoroughbred races, looking for that elusive odds drop, that signals inside money is on the job.
- In Race #10 at Woodbine (thoroughbreds) I observed a drop from 14 to 1 to 8 to 1. The horse promptly won, but I skipped betting on it. Then in Race #11 there was another drop, of about 50%. So I bet that one to place. It lost. So it goes.
- That was a bit concerning. I had had three straight winning days, so I figured I was probably due for a bad outing. This seemed to be an omen of that.
- That was it for the thoroughbreds.
- The harness races at Woodbine/Mohawk started:
  - Race #1 was my usual beer bet, which I need to win, in order to have a frosty brew. To facilitate this, I bet the #6 horse to show. Both of my systems liked it (for place) as did the morning line of the racetrack touts. It placed, as expected. However, though it went of at 3 to 1, the place ticked was only worth $2.70 and the show ticket was a measly $2.20. Such are the mysteries of the betting pools. In any case, I got my beer bet.
  - Race #2 had a horse that was a heavy favourite in the Morning Line (3 to 5). It actually went off at under 3 to 2. That was hardly worth betting, so I put a place bet on the #6 horse, which went off at 18 to 1 (show betting was not allowed). The big favourite tanked, coming in third. That freed up a lot of money in the pool, so my place bet returned $18.90 for each $2 bet. It just goes to show: sometimes your non-Win bet pays way less than you figure that it will based on the win odds, and sometimes it pays way more.
  - I skipped the third race, as I was preoccupied by eating my pizza. That was just as well, as the horse I intended to bet (#4 at 28 to 1) came in fourth. It is doubtful that I would have bet the winner (the #6) as it had no obvious indicators in my system (though the touts did have it at third).
  - The horse betting area had emptied out by now, as it was the supper hour. There were only a few of us left, including the stalwart lady known as Lil. It is too bad that the bucket-pullers and the later hour means that not too many people stick around. It is definitely more interesting when more people are around.
  - In Race #4 I bet the #6 horse to show. So far, the #6 had been kind to me, so why not go back to it? One of my systems did like it, though the touts didn’t agree. At any rate, it came in third and paid $5.10 to show. So, by now I had a fair bit of the track’s money to play with, which is always nice.
  - For Race #5, I went back to the #6 horse to show. It looked good for much of the race, but tired in the stretch, finishing fourth. My seven-race win-streak (including the last outing) was over. Though, I suppose ‘in-the-money’ streak is more accurate.
  - In Race #6, I doggedly went back to the #6 to show. This time it wasn’t close, coming in seventh, after looking good for much of the race.
  - Same thing in Race #7. I bet the #6 to show, but it came in way back, finishing in the eighth position.
  - Feeling a bit gun-shy, I skipped the 8^th Race. That was too bad, as my system liked the #5, which came in to show, paying a healthy $5.90.
  - The sky was beginning to look a bit ominous by the 9^th race, so that was to be our final race. I bet the #5 to show, as both of my systems and tout’s liked the horse. It came in second. Though it went of at 3 to 1, it only paid $2.50 to place and $2.10 to show (ouch!).
- So, that was it. It was a good day, doubling my money. That was mainly due to a big payoff and a moderately good payoff, supplemented with a couple of tiny payouts. I made 7 bets, with 4 of them paying out. I should note, however, that I lost the single thoroughbred race that I bet.

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And here’s an account of some road trips in south-western Alberta:

A Selection of Back-Road Trips Around

Southwest Alberta

There are two main aspects to a road trip: the journey and the destination. Sometimes the trip is all about the journey, sometimes it’s all about the destination. Usually it is a little of both.

This collection of back-roads journeys feature a little bit of both of these aspects. Some accounts are more about the ‘journey’, such as a road trip on scenic Highway 22. Others are more about the ‘destination’, such as the show-jumping at Spruce Meadows. I hope you will enjoy reading some of these accounts and maybe give them a spin for yourself.

Southwest 1 – A Road Trip on Scenic Highway 22

Southwest 2 – The Equestrian Competitions at Spruce Meadows (Calgary)

Southwest 3 – The Bar U Ranch, south of Long View

Southwest 4 – Kananaskis Country

Southwest 5 – Blackfoot Crossing

Southwest 6 – Back-roads, from the Prairies to the Foothills: Brazeau Dam Trip

Southwest 7 – A Back-roads Trip to Hinton and the Forestry Trunk Roads

The reader may wonder “what about the Ice-fields Parkway?” or “where is a visit to Banff?” I would answer, that these famous destinations are covered very nicely by other books. This account is meant to focus on some less travelled areas, thus the “back-roads” descriptor.

I should note that the other three quadrants of Alberta also have a lot of interesting back-roads journeys, but those are material for some other books which will be published in due time.

Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon U.K: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DCMJP47G

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ASelection of Back-Road Trips Around Southeast Alberta

There are two main aspects to a road trip: the journey and the destination. Sometimes the trip is all about the journey, sometimes it’s all about the destination. Usually it is a little of both.

This collection of back-roads journeys feature a little bit of both of these aspects. Some accounts are more about the ‘journey’, such as Drumheller, via the Backroads of Central Alberta. Others are more about the ‘destination’, such as the Viking Ribstones. The collection even includes a train trip, on the historic Alberta Prairie Railroad, which strictly speaking isn't a back-road trip but rather a back rail-road trip. I hope you will enjoy reading some of these accounts and maybe give them a spin for yourself.

Southeast 1 – Stettler Train Trip – Living History on the Alberta Prairie Railway

Southeast 2 – Viking Rib Stones – Indigenous Heritage and Tradition

Southeast 3 – Drumheller, via the Backroads of Central Alberta

Southeast 4 – Cypress Hills – An Island on the Prairie that Escaped the Ice Age

Southeast 5 – On the Road with Bronco Billy, A Trucking Journal – Southern Alberta Section

Southeast 6 – A Back-road Trip to Bittern Lake and Lake Miquelon Provincial Park

Southeast 7 – A Back-roads Trip to Rochon Sands, Buffalo Lake Provincial Park

The reader may wonder “what about the Tyrell Dinosaur Fossil Museum?” or “where is a visit to the Calgary Stampede?” I would answer, that these famous destinations are covered very nicely by other books. This account is meant to focus on some less travelled areas, thus the “back-roads” descriptor.

I should note that Southwest and Northern Alberta also have a lot of interesting back-roads journeys, but that is material for some other books. The southwest collection is available now on Amazon, the northern excursions will be published in due course.

Just $1.99 on Amazon, or free if you have Kindle Unlimited. It is also periodically on free promotion.

Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon U.K: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DCWCCTKC

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A Dark Horse

In “A Dark Horse”, a gambler’s desire to hit a big win seems to lead him to make a Faustian bargain with a supernatural evil. Or is it all just a string of unnaturally good luck?

The story is just $0.99 U.S. (equivalent in other currencies) and about 8000 words. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited and is occasionally on free promotion.

U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MDMY2BR

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01M9BS3Y5

Here’s an interesting review from Goodreads

(BTW, the writer has never met the reviewer and was not even aware of the review until very recently – You can look up the review on Goodreads, if you like)

A Dark Horse

Every gambler is bound to run out of luck eventually, right?

By far my favourite type of horror is psychological horror. I was quite pleased with how Mr. Olausen frightened his audience without spilling a single drop of blood or so much as hinting at anything gory. He knew exactly what hints to drop for us that made us deliciously dread the next scene simply by throwing out hints about who or what the dark horse might actually represent. This is the kind of stuff I love getting scared by, especially as Halloween approaches.

It would have been helpful to have more character development in this short story. While I certainly wouldn’t expect to see as much time spent on this as I would for a full-length novel, I did have trouble connecting to the main characters due to how little I knew about them and how much their personalities seemed to remain the same no matter what happened to them. If not for this issue, I would have felt comfortable choosing a much higher rating as the plot itself was well done.

I must admit to not knowing much about gambling at all, so I appreciated the brief explanations the narrator shared about how placing bets works and why some people have so much trouble walking away from a bet. While I will leave it up to experts on these topics to say how accurate everything was, I did enjoy learning more about the main character’s addiction and what he hoped to gain from betting on just one more game or race. It gave me a stronger sense of empathy for folks in his position.

A Dark Horse – A Gothic Tale was a deliciously chilling story for the Halloween season and beyond.

A Small Publisher's Observations on Amazon and the Over-Production of AI Generated Content – aka “AI Slop”

A Small Publisher's Observations on Amazon and the Over-production of AI Generated Content – aka “AI Slop”

Over the last year or two, the phenomenon of “AI Slop” has increased significantly. For those few who haven’t yet been introduced to the term, it refers to content (text, code, pictures and video) that has been generated by generative AI algorithms. These are enormous deep-learning neural-net based programs that are fed tremendous amounts of data (called ‘training data’) that then generate new data, based on the input prompts given by human users.

There are a lot of issues with this process that generally fall into the categories of financial, ecological and social. There is a lot that can be said on any of these categories, but in this blog I am focusing on the social side, though that naturally has interactions with the financial and ecological sides of the question. My main issue will be about how generative AI is affecting human-created creative efforts and how the use of the technology is affecting the platforms (such as Amazon) that are used to transmit and market these creative efforts.

For what it is worth, here are some personal observations from running a small book business, primarily on Amazon:

Over the last couple of years, the amount of our free promotion downloads has declined quite significantly, by about half.
On the other hand, the amount of our paid sales (purchase and page-reads) has held fairly steady.
New books seem to be harmed more than older books. This is partly due to the proliferation of content in general, but this has been super-accelerated by AI slop.
One gets the impression that people are using publication date as a way to filter out AI generated content.
If this is the case, Amazon and similar sites should make a policy of forcing people to identify AI usage when they upload. They already require this information when uploading a book, but they don’t seem to be revealing it to potential customers.
This is probably a good example of how companies are conflicted – they want the increased content of AI generated content , but don’t want people to know which stuff is AI generated. In the long run, I don’t see how they can have it both ways.

On a related matter, I have noticed a lot of content on Quora that seems to be AI generated. I tend to avoid that and its prevalence on the site has made me less willing to contribute my own content and/or consume other content.

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An article from the Globe and Mail (sourced as New York Times News Service) provides much of the data for the comments below. The title of the article is “Like many consumers, tech giants are sick of AI slop”.

The article goes on to describe the problems that companies such as Google, Meta (e.g. Facebook) and Amazon are having with generative AI content swamping their sites. These include things like google searches, Amazon’s book platform and Facebook’s feed. Naturally, there are plenty more companies facing the same problem (e.g. most other social media sites). It is, of course, ironic that the very companies that are spending extraordinary amounts of money and other resources on AI development are also being harmed by the output of these technologies. The phrase “hoist on their own petard” comes to mind.

Here are a few examples of what these companies have done:

Spotify removed tens of millions of “spammy” uploads, presumably generated by AI or at least facilitated by AI in the upload process.
Linkedin has added a button for users to notify them of content that seems like it was generated by AI.
Youtube had wiped hundreds of thousands of channels in recent months, that appear to be low-quality AI generated ‘slop’.
TikTok has removed hundreds of thousands of videos recently for violating their AI policies.
Messaging apps, review sites, academic archives and dating services are also attempting to get rid of AI generated spam and slop.
App sites (such as the Apple store) are being flooded with vibe-coded content, another type of AI generated content.
X has banned apps that facilitate AI slop (it is estimated that over half of short tweets (less than 50 words) are AI generated).
Substack is actively scanning posts for AI useage.
Unfortunately, the article doesn’t say what Amazon is doing about slop, though it does note that it is an ongoing concern for them.

The article goes on to note that these companies have mixed and contrary strategies and incentives. On the one hand, AI generated content can initially increase engagement on their sites, just by sheer volume. That can mean gains in revenue and/or investment dollars. However, people can quickly tire of this deluge of AI slop and turn away for using the site. That can negate all those gains and ultimately poison the site.

This might all be considered part of the “tragedy of the commons”. Slop is cheap (sometimes free) to make and market. That attracts slop developers who see a quick buck, that is there for the taking. That works for a while, but the profusion of slop soon saturates the site and people then tend to desert it.

This problem may resolve itself, once the AI investment bubble is over. If Tech companies have to recover costs and make sustainable profits, the cost of using generative AI may become too high to be profitable for the slop producers. As an example, if it takes a lot of energy and computer chips to produce a novel, it may well be cheaper for novels to be written exclusively by humans.

There is also the fact that humans just naturally seem to dislike AI generated content, once the novelty wears off. This may also lead to the reduction, if not elimination, of AI slop.

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And here is a science-fiction novel, featuring a galactic AI threat which might well be considered the ultimate in the AI threat (the book itself is human-generated).

The Magnetic Anomaly – A Science Fiction Novel

The novel version of The Magnetic Anomaly is now available on Amazon (ebook, print version, also audible version soon to come).

Summary

Two young Earth scientists, Alex and Mary, get caught up in a vast conflict, based on an accidental finding that they make at a diamond exploration camp in the far north. Eventually, this discovery leads them on a perilous quest and involvement in an interstellar war, a conflict of literally cosmic proportions with a rogue AI, which considers itself duty-bound to destroy sentient life (or, from its point of view, liberate sentient life).

During this time, they encounter a variety of enigmatic persons, as well as other entities, all of whom are also engaged in this struggle. With some of them they end up allying; with others, they contend in deadly conflict. The struggle takes them around the world, and eventually into the far reaches of the solar system.

During this time their relationship continues to evolve and deepen. Circumstances demand that they grow in courage and confidence, though within the scope of (mostly) normal people, as has been the case for countless people throughout history.

The story also showcases some historical events, relating to different versions of what went on in Antarctica, shortly after World War 2. Several versions of these events, official and unofficial UFO lore are given. This becomes a springboard to much of the action. Some philosophical and scientific concepts are also explored, though not in such a way as to get in the way of the plot.

Amazon:

U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

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Thursday, 27 August 2026

Race Track Diary, Entry Number 41 – Billy Budd’s (August 1, 2026)

Race Track Diary, Entry Number

Forty-One

41 – Billy Budd’s (August 1, 2026)

Introduction

For now, I will use what I call “polished point-form” for the narrative.

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41 – Billy Budd’s (Aug 1, 2026)
- There was a fair crowd when we first arrived at Budd’s, at about 3:00 in the afternoon. There was the usual mix of regulars and non-regulars, largely skewing older and male.
- It is that time of the year when there isn’t a lot of big-game sports going on, so the watchers were fairly subdued. There was some talk about baseball and naturally enough, talk about horse races.
- Renegade was mentioned, the horse that didn’t win the Kentucky Derby. Clearly people are still expecting great things from the horse. I won my bet on the Derby, with Renegade (a show bet if I recall correctly), so I am happy with the horse.
- That was about it, for general observations, outside of observations about horses and betting. So, let’s get right to that.
- I kept an eye on some of the thoroughbred races at Del Mar and Woodbine. Nothing too striking came up, in terms of odds drops, though there was a drop from 15 to 1 to 8 to 1 at Woodbine. That horse came in third, though I didn’t get around to betting on it.
- Eventually the harness races at Woodbine/Mohawk came on:
  - In Race #1, I bet the #6 horse to show. That was strictly to get my beer bet in, as the odds for the horse were low by race-time. The horse came in second, and paid 2.80 to show. So that took care of the beer bet. It was a fun race – my horse was in second for much of the race, then dropped back to fourth, but rallied for second place at the wire.
  - I missed Race #2, as I had to do a reply message to a couple of people that I used to work with long ago, who wanted to get together for lunch soon. That was fortunate, as it is doubtful whether I would have bet correctly.
  - In Race #3, I went back to the #6 horse to show. It had some good indicators, and went off at pretty good odds of 5 to 1. It did indeed come in third, but the crowd had loaded up the show pool on the horse, so it only paid $2.50 on a $2 ticket.
  - I missed the 4^th Race, which was too bad, as my ‘long-shot with a chance’ system did like the eventual winner, which paid $7.20 to win. But I was busy eating a delicious pizza at that time, so too bad. Priorities!
  - In the 5^th Race, I bet the #7 horse to win, as both of my systems and the racetrack touts had the horse as top pick. It ran as per expectations, and paid paid $4.50 to win. The judges gave a ‘did not get off to a fair start’ decision for the #2 horse. It is hard to say whether that affected the final prices, though.
  - I missed the 6^th Race, due to problems with the signal. A bunch of screens started going black, which made it impossible to discover the odds on the horses. The winner was ranked quite highly by one of my systems, but one never knows how his bet would have gone.
  - The 7^th Race had a huge favourite, the #6 horse going off at 1 to 9. My systems thought pretty highly of the #1 horse, so I bet it to show, as it went off at 32 to 1. It placed, paying $8.20 for second and $6.00 for third. These show pools are weird when there is a big favourite in the race.
  - At that point, the screens began acting up again. There were some thunderstorm warnings as well, so Craig thought it best to retreat, as he had got caught in some nasty weather last time out. That necessitated waiting out a fierce thunderstorm for half an hour (the rain was too hard to drive in), then detouring around several flooded roadways. As they say, sometimes discretion is the better part of valour.
- Summing up, I did ok, rather well in fact. I picked up money on all the races that I bet, which included a couple of decent prices. In percentage terms I came close to doubling my money, though I was betting quite lightly, so in pure dollar terms it wasn’t all that much.
- There was some luck involved, I suppose, since I did skip 3 races, for one reason or another. However, there was a decent chance that I would have got at least one of those, at a nice price. One never knows what might have happened.
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On the Road with Bronco Billy

Sit back and go on a ten day trucking trip in a big rig, through western North America, from Alberta to Texas, and back again. Explore the countryside, learn some trucking lingo, and observe the shifting cultural norms across this great continent.

Amazon U.S.: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon U.K.: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Germany: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B00X2IRHSK

Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00X2IRHSK

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What follows is an account of a ten day journey through western North America during a working trip, delivering lumber from Edmonton Alberta to Dallas Texas, and returning with oilfield equipment. The writer had the opportunity to accompany a friend who is a professional truck driver, which he eagerly accepted. He works as a statistician for the University of Alberta, and is therefore is generally confined to desk, chair, and computer. The chance to see the world from the cab of a truck, and be immersed in the truck driving culture was intriguing. In early May 1997 they hit the road.

Some time has passed since this journal was written and many things have changed since the late 1990’s. That renders the journey as not just a geographical one, but also a historical account, which I think only increases its interest.

We were fortunate to have an eventful trip - a mechanical breakdown, a near miss from a tornado, and a large-scale flood were among these events. But even without these turns of fate, the drama of the landscape, the close-up view of the trucking lifestyle, and the opportunity to observe the cultural habits of a wide swath of western North America would have been sufficient to fill up an interesting journal.

The travelogue is about 20,000 words, about 60 to 90 minutes of reading, at typical reading speeds.

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And here’s an account of some road trips in south-western Alberta:

A Selection of Back-Road Trips Around

Southwest Alberta

There are two main aspects to a road trip: the journey and the destination. Sometimes the trip is all about the journey, sometimes it’s all about the destination. Usually it is a little of both.

Southwest 1 – A Road Trip on Scenic Highway 22

Southwest 2 – The Equestrian Competitions at Spruce Meadows (Calgary)

Southwest 3 – The Bar U Ranch, south of Long View

Southwest 4 – Kananaskis Country

Southwest 5 – Blackfoot Crossing

Southwest 6 – Back-roads, from the Prairies to the Foothills: Brazeau Dam Trip

Southwest 7 – A Back-roads Trip to Hinton and the Forestry Trunk Roads

I should note that the other three quadrants of Alberta also have a lot of interesting back-roads journeys, but those are material for some other books which will be published in due time.

Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon U.K: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DCMJP47G

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The Magnetic Anomaly: A Science Fiction Short Story

“A geophysical crew went into the Canadian north. There were some regrettable accidents among a few ex-military who had become geophysical contractors after their service in the forces. A young man and young woman went temporarily mad from the stress of seeing that. They imagined things, terrible things. But both are known to have vivid imaginations; we have childhood records to verify that. It was all very sad. That’s the official story.”

You can purchase it for all of 99 cents. Alternatively, keep your eyes open for a free promotions, which occur periodically. Or, get it with Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon:

U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0176H22B4

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0176H22B4

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0176H22B4

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0176H22B4

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0176H22B4

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0176H22B4

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0176H22B4

Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0176H22B4

Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0176H22B4

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0176H22B4

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0176H22B4

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0176H22B4

Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0176H22B4

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The Magnetic Anomaly – A Science Fiction Novel

The novel version of The Magnetic Anomaly is now available on Amazon (ebook, print version, also audible version soon to come).

Summary

Amazon:

U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0F9J3HHFW

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Friday, 21 August 2026

Race Track Diary, Entry Number 40 – Billy Budd’s (July 25, 2026)

Race Track Diary, Entry Number Forty

40 – Billy Budd’s (July 25, 2026)

Introduction

For now, I will use what I call “polished point-form” for the narrative.

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40 – Billy Budd’s (July 25, 2026)
- It has been an insane weather summer locally, oscillating between extreme heat and extreme rain and thunder storms, much of the time. This Saturday was one of the hot days, and would conclude as one of the stormy nights. But, fortunately the air conditioning was working nicely in the off-track-betting area of Budd’s, so we received some respite.
- It was a pretty good crowd when we first arrived at about 3:00 in the afternoon. There was the usual mix of regulars and non-regulars, largely skewing older and male, though not exclusively, as a couple of ladies shared a table not far from where we were sitting.
- Our old racetrack companion Ted wasn’t in attendance but I reckon he will show up every now and again. His usual venue is in a different part of town, in the west-end.
- We had some time to kill before the bucket-pullers would start, so I kept an eye on a few thoroughbred tracks, namely Saratoga, Gulfstream and Del Mar, for big odds drops from Morning Line to Race-time. However, no interesting angles came up during our time of waiting.
- Here are a few general notes of a non-racing variety:
  - One guy yelling (though not very loudly): “Come on Johnny, run away, run away!” I have heard this encouraging vocalization before; I don’t know if the fellow has a favourite jockey of that name or just uses that as a general term of endearment/abuse for any and all jockeys (like any American G.I. during WW2 being called “Joe”).
  - One of the waitresses laughing, while talking to somebody (off in a far part of the pub): “I needed some extra money, so I brought out the girls today.” And it turned that she had, as became evident when she served our side of the pub, later on.
  - I realized that one of the two women sitting behind us was Lil, the lady that some guy was trying to smooth-talk during another visit. She and the other lady were very intent on the horses this time and seemed quite knowledgeable. I got the feeling that they must have lived around horses in their younger days, maybe growing up on a farm or having relatives in the racing game.
  - Me (to another fellow):
    - “It looks like your high-beams are still on.”
    - He looks around in confusion, then notices light being emitted from his shirt pocket. “I’m not used to these smart phones, this is my wife’s phone that she lent to me.”
    - He turns the smart-phone flashlight off and fishes out a flip-flop phone from another pocket. “I’m used to these.”
    - Me: “Yeah, those are good.”
    - Him: “With smart phones, you touch the wrong part of the screen and you don’t know what will happen.”
    - Me: “Right. Whoops, I think I just launched some missiles.”
  - The waitress nearly tripped going up the small staircase to where some of the off-track-betting tables were located. But she managed to catch herself and recover without spilling a drop. According to my earlier observations, there were glass spilling or glass breaking incidents during racetrack diary entries #2, #15 and #23. So, given that this is diary entry #40, the time is about ripe for this event to happen again, according to Poisson process statistics.
  - The screens were full of tornado and thunderstorm warnings, as the afternoon and eventing wore on. Craig and I traded some dark humour about the weather paranoia of recent years. However, we did get caught in a wicked thunder-storm on the way home at about 9:30, which lit up the sky like high noon and dumped oceans of rain, which necessitated pulling over to the side of the road, as visibility went to nearly 0. There is a lesson there about taunting the weather gods.
- At about 4:30 the harness races at Woodbine/Mohawk started:
  - Race #1 was a Trot and all my systems had the #6 horse taking it. Oddly enough, the morning line had it third, but the crowd wasn’t fooled, as it was bet way down, to 1 to 2. I went with it, strictly as a beer bet, betting it to show. It came in second, paying a whopping 2.10 to place and the same to show. So I won my beer bet, but a lot of people must have gotten burnt rather badly on the win ticket. Note that this was the only Trot race today.
  - In Race #2 I bet on the #4 horse, to place. It finished way down the track.
  - In the 3^rd Race I was shut-out. That was just as well, as the horse that I planned to bet came in fifth. None of the top three horses in the race paid much on a bet anyway.
  - In Race #4 there was big odds-drop on the #4 horse, going from 10 to 1 in the morning line to 2 to 1 by race-time. In addition, one of my systems had the horse rated quite highly (second), so I put a place bet on it. It won by a neck, paying $5.90 to win and $3.30 to place. It would have been nice to get the win, but you take what you can get.
  - For the 5^th Race, I bet the #6 horse to place, as both of my systems had it rated at or near the top. The #10 horse was the favourite, but it came out of the gate very poorly and was never in the race, finishing last. It was then decided by the judges that it didn’t get a fair start and all bets on that horse were cancelled, with bettors getting their money back. My #6 horse actually won the race, so I won my place bet, which paid $8.70 to win, $5.00 to place. The fact that the judges cancelled bets on the favourite probably cut down those payoffs, likely by no small amount. The decision struck me as a dodgy one that cost me money.
  - In Race #6, I bet horse #6 to show, as my “long-shot with a shot” system liked it. It did come in third, not far off the winner, but it was bet down to less than 2 to 1, so the show ticked only paid $2.40 per two dollar bet. My notes say “kind of a joke”, as it was 5 to 1 in the morning line. So it goes.
  - I skipped the 7^th Race, as it was a short field and had a decent purse. It just seemed like a tough race to call. My systems did like the winner, but picked it 2^nd best. The horse it liked best came in next-to-last, so it was a good race to skip. The winner (#6) ran an interesting race, laying up in last place until the 3/4 pole, then charging down the stretch, to finish in first place. Nice to watch, as long as it didn’t beat out your horse.
  - In Race #8, I bet the #1 horse to place, primarily on the basis of a rather large odds drop, from 8 to 1 to 3.7 to 1. Neither of my systems thought much of it, but I have learned to respect these odds drops. It turned out that it ran almost wire-to-wire, winning the race by two ticks (i.e. two-fifths of a second, which translates to somewhat more than a length). It paid nicely, 9.40 to win and 5.10 to place.
  - As for Race #9, I skipped it. My favoured horse was a huge long-shot, and I was tempted, given the odds that it was going off at. But I decided against it. It came in 7^th, the crowd’s estimate of its potential being correct. There was no show-betting allowed, which seems odd for a 10 horse field.
  - In Race #10, I bet the #6 horse to place. It was rated second by both of my systems and it also had a substantial odds drop, from 6 to 1 to 3 to 2. It ran wire-to-wire in first place, paying $5.20 to win and 3.20 to place.
  - I skipped Race #11. My systems liked the #5, but I didn’t feel confident about it. As it turned out, the #6 horse won, paying quite handsomely, 16.30 to win and 7.50 to place. One of my systems did rank the #6 second, but only slightly better than a few other horses, so it didn’t seem like a good bet. Besides, I had been hitting most of the races, getting at least a bit of money, so I was beginning to feel that luck was bound to turn against me soon.
  - Race #12 proved that my premonitions were accurate. I bet the #7 horse to show, as it was favoured by both my systems and was going off at 50 to 1. But it came in dead last.
  - Race #13: skipped it.
- Summing up, I bet 8 races and won money on 6 of them. I skipped 5. Most of the prices were short, but I managed to grind out a profit between 10% and 30%. The uncertainty is due to my bad record-keeping on one race, where I am not sure if I bet place or show (though I am fairly certain that it was place).
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On the Road with Bronco Billy

Amazon U.S.: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK

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And here’s an account of some road trips in south-western Alberta:

A Selection of Back-Road Trips Around

Southwest Alberta

There are two main aspects to a road trip: the journey and the destination. Sometimes the trip is all about the journey, sometimes it’s all about the destination. Usually it is a little of both.

Southwest 1 – A Road Trip on Scenic Highway 22

Southwest 2 – The Equestrian Competitions at Spruce Meadows (Calgary)

Southwest 3 – The Bar U Ranch, south of Long View

Southwest 4 – Kananaskis Country

Southwest 5 – Blackfoot Crossing

Southwest 6 – Back-roads, from the Prairies to the Foothills: Brazeau Dam Trip

Southwest 7 – A Back-roads Trip to Hinton and the Forestry Trunk Roads

I should note that the other three quadrants of Alberta also have a lot of interesting back-roads journeys, but those are material for some other books which will be published in due time.

Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon U.K: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCMJP47G

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCMJP47G

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Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DCMJP47G