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The wind howls along a lonely stretch of railroad. Snow drifts line the track, the product of snowstorms that have been hammering the area known as the midwest snow belt for weeks on end. It’s just after Christmas and the number 5 train is making its way down the line, the double engines leading the way slowly but surely.

The train, with its nearly 160 passengers, was due in Cleveland nearly 2 hours ago, but the weather hasn’t let up and the blizzard is making travel nearly impossible. Some of the passengers have been talking about the possibility of the train getting stuck, but the driver of the lead engine, The Socrates, is determined to make it to their destination.

As they approach the small burg of Ashtabula, Ohio, a lone bridge stands between them and the station. It’s a newer structure, having only been built 11 years prior, and even with the snow there’s no reason to think the crossing would be anything but routine as the front wheels of the locomotive inch onto the steel frame.

Within minutes, a loud crash and the frantic blowing of a train whistle is heard throughout the surrounding hills. No one knows it yet, but this night will be etched in history and remembered for centuries for what has just happened.

Welcome to season 2 of The Long Way Home. I’m your host, Josh “Bearheart” Hawk. In this episode we’re digging into a terrible tragedy that happened nearly a century and a half ago in the small town of Ashtabula, Ohio. I covered the story first on YouTube as part of my Legends and Tales series, and now I want to go beyond what happened and talk about a few of the people involved.

So buckle your seatbelt and lean back as we take a drive down dusty back roads and open freeways. The destination isn’t really important, it’s all about the journey, and the journey is so much better when you take The Long Way Home.

You can pick up copies of my books now on Amazon!

On The Long Way Home, Josh "Bearheart" Hawk shares stories from his life, love and past as well as Legends and Tales you can get lost in. Each episode is a drive. Sometimes, the road is covered in dirt and gravel, with clouds of dust kicking up in the rearview mirror. Others, it's a long stretch of highway fading off into the distance.

No matter what lies under the tires, the road ahead is full of promise. You might wind up in a different time zone, or even a different time altogether. The destination isn’t really important, it’s all about the journey, and the journey is made so much better when you take The Long Way Home.

My website: https://www.joshbearheartlegendsandtales.com/

Buy my books on Amazon or on the website!
The Journal - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXMX81G5
Legends and Tales - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHL3RCD3
GPS Signal Lost - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY7TGMM2

You can find me over on Patreon, where you’ll get access to exclusive benefits and be the first to hear about upcoming projects: https://www.patreon.com/joshbearheart

Send me a message!

The year is 1889. You’re sitting around a campfire after a long day of logging. The sweat has finally dried off your brow and the smell of smoke and beans fills the air. You’ve only been on the job for a few weeks, having moved to northern Wisconsin to escape the city life that had become too busy to bear.

Lost in your own thoughts, you don’t even notice when someone new joins the circle sitting around your fire. The sound of a match striking pulls you into the moment and you look up to see the man lighting a cigarette, tossing the used match into the fire as he looks over at you.

“So, you’re the new kid, eh?”

“Yeah.”

“The kid from New York?”

You nod and look back at the fire.

“Hopefully you’ll last longer than the last greenhorn we had. I could smell his momma’s milk pouring off him. Just try not to get yourself killed and keep an eye out for the hodag.”

You perk up.

“Hodag?”

“A terrible beast. Long, sharp claws like a lion. Horns like a bull. Its tail is enough to make the ground quake and it loves fresh meat. It’s got spike all down its back, and it’d just as soon kill ya as look at ya. Just don’t wander off alone after dark in these parts.”

That’s how the story of the hodag started. A tale told around the campfire at logging camps in the 19th century. But if not for one man in the 1890’s, it might stayed as nothing more than a tale, lost to time and forgotten by all but a few.

Welcome to season 2 of The Long Way Home. I’m your host, Josh “Bearheart” Hawk, and as we start a new year, I’ve got some amazing things coming your way. If you’ve been listening for a while, you might notice there’s a new format for this season and I’m a little more organized. My goal this year is to give you something to listen to on those dark, lonely nights as you travel down dirt roads in the middle of nowhere or work your way along a desolate freeway. The destination isn’t really important, it’s all about the journey, and the journey is made so much better when you take the long way home.

You can pick up copies of my books now on Amazon!

On The Long Way Home, Josh "Bearheart" Hawk shares stories from his life, love and past as well as Legends and Tales you can get lost in. Each episode is a drive. Sometimes, the road is covered in dirt and gravel, with clouds of dust kicking up in the rearview mirror. Others, it's a long stretch of highway fading off into the distance.

No matter what lies under the tires, the road ahead is full of promise. You might wind up in a different time zone, or even a different time altogether. The destination isn’t really important, it’s all about the journey, and the journey is made so much better when you take The Long Way Home.

My website: https://www.joshbearheartlegendsandtales.com/

Buy my books on Amazon or on the website!
The Journal - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXMX81G5
Legends and Tales - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHL3RCD3
GPS Signal Lost - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY7TGMM2

You can find me over on Patreon, where you’ll get access to exclusive benefits and be the first to hear about upcoming projects: https://www.patreon.com/joshbearheart

Send me a message!

As 2024 draws to a close, I wanted to take a minute to talk about what's coming next for The Long Way Home. Season 2 is gonna bring some more great stories and my thoughts on some great topics, but more than that it's going to include a new format, aimed at listeners who prefer to listen to something a little creepier on those late-night drives.

From deeper dives into the stories I cover on my Legends and Tales YouTube channel, to original tales spun as works in books I'm working on, we'll be getting into some amazing stuff. Make sure you follow me one whatever podcast platform you prefer and let's have some spooky fun!

On The Long Way Home, Josh "Bearheart" Hawk shares stories from his life, love and past as well as Legends and Tales you can get lost in. Each episode is a drive. Sometimes, the road is covered in dirt and gravel, with clouds of dust kicking up in the rearview mirror. Others, it's a long stretch of highway fading off into the distance.

No matter what lies under the tires, the road ahead is full of promise. You might wind up in a different time zone, or even a different time altogether. The destination isn’t really important, it’s all about the journey, and the journey is made so much better when you take The Long Way Home.

My website: https://www.joshbearheartlegendsandtales.com/

Buy my books on Amazon or on the website!
The Journal - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXMX81G5
Legends and Tales - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHL3RCD3
GPS Signal Lost - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY7TGMM2

You can find me over on Patreon, where you’ll get access to exclusive benefits and be the first to hear about upcoming projects: https://www.patreon.com/joshbearheart