Where In the World Is Shane (and Mark)?

Usually, when Shane is away on business I have him email a photo he
takes our his hotel window and have people guess where he is. Since I
went with him in this trip, I took this photo outside our window this
morning. Don't be jealous over this gorgeous view of downtown Sioux
Falls, SD. That is the Chevy Impala that we rented and Shane drove all
over. We saw lots of the USA in our Chevrolet.

Obviously, you can't really see Sioux Falls from our room at the
Ramkota, but we did drive into downtown Sioux Falls last night, and
they do have a nice restaurant area. We ate a diner and had a
delicious breakfast for dinner.

Today, we're headed back to DC, and we are very anxious to see our Maudie.

Badlands National Park - Is this the Earth?

We had to drive back to Sioux Falls, SD, today from the western side
of South Dakota. On the way, we drove through part of the Badlands
National Park.

The Badlands are very cool. It does look like another planet. I felt
like I had just beamed down from the USS Enterprise on a mission with
Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk.

We also stopped at the Visitor's Center and watched a film about the
history if the area. I did not know the whole area was once covered
with shallow water. It has changed a bit since then.

Scary Signs at the Badlands

In addition to this sign warning of rattlesnakes, another sign at the entrance says that the prairie dogs have plague. Plague!!! The lady at the ticket booth said we would be ok as long as we don't touch them. We saw lots of them, but kept our distance.

If It's Monday, It Must Be Crazy Horse

We started out our day today at the Crazy Horse Memorial. It is still under construction, but was very interesting. We watched a film about it at the Visitor's Center. It really is an amazing story and the monument will be much larger than Mt. Rushmore and should be astounding when it is completed. The statue is hard to see in this photo, but this is as close as we could get, and the iPhone doesn't zoom. You can see the completed face over my left shoulder.

I, by the way, am still sick as a dog. It is just a bad cold, but it sucks! I think Shane has had enough of my snorting and nose blowing. I can't blame him. It gets old.

Mt. Rushmore -- The Main Attraction

We finally got to see Mt. Rushmore today. The weather has been so so,
but it couldn't have been better today. The rain is supposed to return
tomorrow. Waaaa!
Amazingly, we ran into the same couple from California at Mt. Rushmore
that took our picture at Devil's Tower.  Kristen has become our
official trip photographer. As you can see, she does a great job.
All the pictures I'm posting while we're in South Dakota have been
taken and posted with the iPhone. I plan on posting more later after
I can download them from my good camera. Hope that gives you
something to live for.

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

We got some up-close views of lots of deer and antelope, but the
buffalo were amazing to see. We drove down to Custer State Park and
drove on the Wildlife Loop Road.

At the Geographical Center of the US

The geographical center of the 50 US states is just north of Belle
Fourche, SD. They have a small monument set up there for people to
take silly photos. That is just what we did. There is an irony to
being off center at the center.

We have now been to the southern-most point (continental) and eastern-
most point of the US. I think we should aim to go to the other
various extreme points of the US. Maybe.

Shane at the Center of the US

He is actually a bit off center also.

My First Trip to Montana and Wyoming

Yes, we are two of those crazy people that stops and takes photos in
front if signs like this.

That Is One Scary Sliding Board

Finally Finished Our Mashed Potato Sculpture

We have LOTS of photos of Devil's Tower. LOTS. A nice couple from
California took this one of us.

Close Encounters Film Set Visit

We Went to see Devil's Tower, the rock formation that was in Close
Encounters of the Third Kind.

Driving to Wyoming for a Bit

Since the weather was not so nice in South Dakota, we decided to check
out Wyoming. We drove through a little but of a snow squall to get
there, but we did find warmer temperatures and some blue skies.

Our South Dakota Digs

This is the cabin we are staying in for a few days just outside of
Hill City, SD. It is just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore and other
attractions in the Black Hills. Thankfully, since the Government is
staying opened, we will get to see them after all. We just need some
dryer weather. Yes... That is the remains of a snow pile outside our
cabin. We saw som deer on our drive here and hope to see more outside
our cabin window.

Visiting Wall Drug in South Dakota

We made a quick stop at this tourist town on our 350 mile drive from
Sioux Falls, SD, to Rapid City, SD. We are staying in a cabin near
Mt. Rushmore. The weather sucks--misty rain and chilly. We're having
fun though.

Making Friends at Wall Drug

Could Things Be Worse?

I am having a crappy day.  The government, my employer, is on the verge of shutting down as we're about to leave for South Dakota to visit various possibly closed National Parks and to top it all off, I'm getting a cold.

I was supposed to run the second Crystal City Fridays 5K today, but it was cold and rainy here and I was not feeling it.  I'm tired, achey, and snotty.  Fun times.

Of course, things could always be worse, but I am in the mood to whine.

UPDATE: A deal was struck and the Government is open! My cold is bearable, so things are looking up. Here we come SD!

My Home County Makes News Headlines

My niece, Kelly, Tweeted the following story along with a comment about how, when our home county, Cecil County, MD, makes the national news, it is for this classy event.

Maryland man glued to Wal-Mart toilet seat

(CNN) -- Police in Maryland are on the hunt for the perpetrator of what appears to be an April Fools' Day prank that left a man glued to a toilet at a Wal-Mart store.

If caught, the jokester who doused the seat with glue at the Elkton Wal-Mart on March 31 could face second-degree assault charges, said Lt. Matthew Donnelly of the Elkton Police Department. Police, along with the Singerly Fire Co. and the Cecil County paramedics, were called to the scene at about 7 p.m.

There, they found the 48-year-old victim, who called for help after realizing the sticky situation he was in when he tried -- and failed -- to stand up and leave the superstore's restroom, Donnelly said. It took responders 15 minutes to remove the victim from the stall, but they were unable to disconnect the toilet seat from his body, Donnelly said.

Instead, the victim was taken to Union Hospital of Cecil County, where the seat was detached. He left with only minor injuries to his buttocks, Donnelly said. Police do not suspect that the victim was specifically targeted, but that the incident was a random prank, Donnelly said. They have not received reports of glue-laden toilet seats since.
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Who sits on a bare toilet seat in a Wal-Mart with a wet, sticky substance on it long enough to get stuck to it?

Bad Timing for Possible Government Shutdown

As a Federal employee, a Government shutdown may be good news if we get a week off and still get paid, like the last time there was a shutdown.  I didn't mind that at all.  However, this weekend we have plans to travel to South Dakota.  Shane has a business trip there and we decided it would be a good time to sightsee Mount Rushmore and other National Parks in that neck of the woods.  But, with a shutdown looming, the National Parks may not be open.  Our access to all the stuff we're going out to see may be limited.  Bad timing for us.

In addition, there is no guarantee that a shutdown will only last week or that we will get paid after it is over.  So much drama!  It seems crazy that the Republicans are letting the Tea Party goofs put them in a situation where they are going to shoot themselves in the foot.  I put total blame on the GOP.  The cuts they are insisting on are tiny in the scheme of things.  I'm not saying there isn't a fiscal crisis, but this obviously isn't the answer.

5 for the Fifth: My 5K Struggle

This is an idea from State of the Nation UK -- taking five photos and share them with the world on the fifth of the month.  This month is really a double cheat since I am not following this month's theme: blur; but also, I did not even take any of these photos.  They are from last Friday, April 1, at the first of five Crystal City (VA) 5K Fridays in April.  There was a blog posting about it here on April 1.  The first photo is the start, which I am technically in (but not visible), and the second is of me somewhere during the race.  The last three photos are of me at the finish.  I ran this race harder than I intended and I think these photos show I was struggling.  I did finish in under 24 minutes, which is astounding for me.