A Grand Tour of The Entire Midwest, But Mostly Wisconsin (UPDATE 11/12--BONUS Texas TR NOW COMPLETE)

[Steppesister]

All caught up with you Chatty Cathy's over here. And here to say have a great couple of weeks while I'm gone. Leave the lights on and I'll see you on the flip side.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Nope. Got a weather rock for that.

So practical! I've got to get me one of those.

For the losing side.

NOW you tell me.

Don't think I did. I'd heard it wasn't that great.
Guess it got afflicted with sequalasitis.

Yeah, I wouldn't make any special effort to see it. I think it was funny for the first 10 minutes or so and then quickly went off the rails.

What?

Just what I suspected.

Nyet!

Thanks for clearing that up.

You could put it on wheels.

True story: While my brother was still in school was about the time when Corps and Bands started allowing electronic interments. Our HS fielded a Fender Bass his senior year. The guitar was easy enough for the young’en to carry, but the big Ampeg 2x15 amp & cabinet was on a custom designed hand-truck that included a tray for the transformer and car-battery that powered the beast. There was a separate young’en who volunteered to push that half of the rig around the field.

Did you see me, Mom? I was pushing the hand truck!

Delaware!
Close to where you’d rather be.

Exactly.

Works for me.
And there were only four or five scattered on the plate - almost like garnish - so you’d have no trouble ignoring the fool out oF ‘em.

Yeah, those would get scraped to the side very quickly.

Maybe…
I still need to get a couple more chapters written before I’ll feel good about posting any more.

Can’t explain clearly why this one was such a problem.

I'm just glad you're back at it!

So… a normal day for you then?

Pretty much, yeah.

Why, Dr Oblivious… Whatever are you doing in such a nasty place?

Why dontcha come on down here, I'll show ya.

Ooooo…. Going all Old Testament on us, I see.

So let it be written...so let it be done.

Keep track of the comment and punish you for it later on.

In that case, it'll just get added to the pile.

Clearly, you’ve never had them prepared properly then.

Probably not.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

All caught up with you Chatty Cathy's over here. And here to say have a great couple of weeks while I'm gone. Leave the lights on and I'll see you on the flip side.

Have fun storming the castle! I hope you all have a fantastic time and I'm so glad for you that it's finally here!

 

[Steppesister]

Have fun storming the castle! I hope you all have a fantastic time and I'm so glad for you that it's finally here!

The castle looks lovely me it's already going to get a thorough storming. Not sure I can top that.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Why dontcha come on down here, I'll show ya.

Thank you, my friend, but I think we are all very 'com-fer-ta-ble" up here.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

The castle looks lovely me it's already going to get a thorough storming. Not sure I can top that.

That's a great point!

Thank you, my friend, but I think we are all very 'com-fer-ta-ble" up here.

Son of a...

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Son of a...

It was not to be, chrie.

 

[pkondz]

So practical! I've got to get me one of those.

It's never wrong.

Yeah, I wouldn't make any special effort to see it. I think it was funny for the first 10 minutes or so and then quickly went off the rails.

Guess I'll pass then.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chapter 5: Rope Drop Or Bust.


I’d like to start with a shout-out to the Country Inn & Suites of Rapid City, South Dakota. When we’d checked in the night before, the front desk had informed us that breakfast was served beginning at 6:30 a.m. Unfortunately, we needed to be on the road by 6:30 a.m. The woman working the desk immediately offered to make breakfast bags for everyone in the family, and true to her word, they were ready and waiting when I checked out in the morning. She’d hooked us up with bagels, fruit, orange juice, and muffins. That was quality service.


By some miracle, we had completely packed up the van, everyone was awake, and we were on the road by 6:40 a.m., heading east on I-90. There was nothing to accompany us except our breakfast bags and the occasional Wall Drug billboard.


If you’ve ever driven I-95 in the Carolinas, then you’ve seen the hundreds of billboards for South Of The Border, a somewhat creepy tourist trap that lies just south of the North Carolina/South Carolina border. In similar fashion, I-90 in South Dakota is plastered with billboards urging you to visit the less visibly creepy drug store in tiny Wall, South Dakota, about an hour east of Rapid City. If the sheer power of suggestion isn’t enough to persuade you, they offer an incentive:

How can anyone resist?


For the time being (mostly because it was so early), we did resist the siren call of the tourist trap. Don’t worry, we’ll revisit this later.


In the meantime, we were on a mission to get to the Middle of Nowhere as fast as we could. And we did just that; by 7:35 a.m. we were taking exit 131 to SD Route 240, turning north. Right there next to the interstate is the visitor center for the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

This site is a result of the signing of START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) between the United States and the former Soviet Union, which required a reduction in nuclear arms in both countries. As part of that treaty, this site was preserved as a monument to the Cold War and a reminder of that era’s potentially devastating arms race.


The historic site actually encompasses three different sites in the area: the main visitor center off exit 131, the Delta-01 command center, and the Delta-09 missile silo. The reason we needed to be at the visitor center so early is that they offer daily tours of the command center on a first-come, first-serve basis. There’s an elevator inside the command center that can only hold six people at a time, so the tours are timed and they limit each tour to six people. The visitor center opens at 8 a.m., and once the tickets are gone, there’s no chance to get into the tour. Well, unless you want to try to sneak into a nuclear missile command center.


At the time, their website kept making noise about an online reservation system, but that never came to pass before our vacation. Now, they actually do have an online system that will charge a small fee for the tickets. In any event, I desperately wanted to do the tour, so we needed to show up early and follow Rope Drop protocols.


While Julie did the photo shoot at the entrance sign, I hopped in line.


There was already a small crowd in front of me. I wasn’t sure when they had all arrived, but several people were sitting near the front door in lawn chairs. Clearly, they’d been planning ahead and had been there for a while.


Meanwhile, Drew wanted a close-up.

And Sarah was feeling patriotic at the missile site. (Yes, she chose this shirt specifically for this tour.)

The visitor center is a new building that just opened in the past year. Prior to this, they just had a mobile trailer nearby. That’s me in the white t-shirt, rudely shoving people out of the way holding our place in line.

At about 7:50 a.m., a park ranger stepped outside and explained how the procedure for tickets would work. He said they were scheduled to give 9 tours that day. Julie and I quickly took off our shoes so we could do the math. That meant there were a total of 54 tickets available—we started counting the people in line in front of us and came up with 36. Whew—we were in!


At 8:00, the doors would open and we were to proceed in an orderly fashion in single file to the desk. Only one person from each party needed to be in line, and when you got to the front desk, you’d be shown the times that were still available and could request your tickets. That seemed simple enough.


True to their word, the doors opened promptly at 8. A few stragglers tried to cut their way in front of us, but the guy right in front of me was having none of it and dismissed them with some stern words. I shook his hand.


I had one slight issue to resolve—our friends, the ones we’d met up with last night, had not yet arrived as planned. We’d texted back and forth and they told me to try and get tickets for them if they had any available. But that would be four additional tickets, besides the 5 I needed for my family (Drew and their youngest son were too young to be allowed on the tour, and my friend’s wife had no desire to be in an enclosed space underground so she’d volunteered to stay behind and watch the little ones). By the time I got to the desk, they had three tours available (11:30, 12:30, and 2:45), plus a couple of single or double tickets for tours that weren’t quite full. There were still quite a few people in line behind me. So I grabbed all of the remaining tickets and waved them in the faces of everyone behind me, shouting, “Should’ve woken up earlier, losers!”


Ok, I didn’t really do that, in spite of Julie’s insistent urging. In the end, I didn’t feel right grabbing all of those tickets and stiffing the people behind me who’d gotten up just as early to try and do the tour. So I only got five tickets and hoped my friend would understand. He had made noise the night before about not being sure if his kids would want to do it or not, and that he might end up going with us by himself. So I was hoping we’d figure something out.


After everyone else got through the line, I went back up to the desk. There were three tickets remaining, all for separate tours. One of the tickets that was left was for our tour time. With no one else in line, I asked if I could have that one and they obliged. Another couple came up and grabbed the remaining tickets.


“And we’re done. We were out by 8:17 this morning,” the ranger said. “Sometimes, we’re out of tickets by 8:03.”


I’m guessing that now, if you want to do the tour, you’d better reserve a ticket online, or you’ll probably be shut out on the day of your visit.


The visitor center looks impressive from the outside, but it’s a fairly small building. They did have some exhibits inside that we wandered through while the boys worked on their Junior Ranger badges.


This is a full-scale replica of the blast door in the command center. Apparently working here as a missileer gives you a dark sense of humor.

And here’s Scotty, about to make something happen.

When you’re dealing with weapons capable of destroying all life as we know it, you want them to be in the best, most capable, most responsible hands.

I thought this was a cool display. It showed each stage of a missile launch from the U.S. to strike in Russia. As promised, a nuclear blast 6,000 miles away in 30 minutes. And we had thousands of these missiles. So did they. Quite a sobering thought.

The gift shop here was also tiny, but had some of the coolest souvenirs I’d ever seen. We ended up with a magnet for the fridge declaring it a fallout shelter, Top Secret notepads, and a metal sign destined to be hung on the door leading to our garage that is partially in Cyrillic and declares that we are “now entering the American Sector.”


So, who’s ready to tour a nuclear missile command center??


Well, too bad. Our tour wasn’t until 2:45 p.m. So we’ll talk much more about this site in the next chapter.


I’d actually chosen that later tour time because it made the day much more convenient. Since it was still relatively early in the morning, we’d be able to swing to the south and drive the loop road around Badlands National Park, eat lunch, and then return for the tour later without having to do too much back-tracking. I’d thought this would make for the most efficient use of our time and it worked out great. I love it when a plan comes together.

Just a few miles south of the Minuteman visitor center lies the eastern entrance to Badlands National Park.


In 2015, President Obama had announced an “Every Kid In A Park” program that was designed to promote families to visit the fine national parks in our nation. The program offered a free annual pass to every 4th grade student in the nation, and would include his/her family. They specifically chose 4th graders because…reasons. Anyway, I’d originally gotten annoyed because although Scotty was a 4th grader in 2015, they’d announced that the pass was good for the 2015-2016 school year. So my interpretation was that it would be no good during the summer break, which is when most families are able to travel. So what good was that pass? Secondly, it didn’t seem very inclusive if it was being offered only to 4th graders that particular year.


Well, I was completely wrong. The program clarified later that the pass was good for the entire calendar year beginning in the fall of 2015 with the school year. So even though Scotty graduated the 4th grade in June of 2016, he was still able to get a pass to use that summer. And the program was extended each year, so future 4th graders will get a turn as well. In the end, I think this is a fantastic program and hope it continues for a long time. And once again, we see a real-life demonstration of the principle that rushing to immediate judgment of a situation before receiving all of the facts just makes you look like an idiot.


But you knew that about me already.


Just beyond the entrance is the Big Badlands Overlook, where you get your first taste of badlands country. It’s similar to those we saw in Teddy Roosevelt N. P. back in North Dakota, but the scale feels bigger here. There’s actually three regions of the park—the North Unit, Stronghold Unit (South), and Palmer Creek Unit. All of them are filled with these giant sandstone cliffs that are slowly eroding away. We’d be exploring the most-visited part of the park, the North Unit.

We actually got all the way to the visitor center before our friends finally met up with us, so we backtracked a bit to the Window trailhead. There’s a large parking lot leading to short boardwalk trails to three different features in the rock formations: the Door, the Window, and the Notch. We chose the Window trail to give the kids a chance to get out of the car and hike a bit.

My friend, Bob, took the big kids to explore a bit while we stayed back with the little guys.

Still going! This gave us plenty of time to run back to the van and drive off in a spray of gravel.

Sigh. Of course we didn’t. The Fun Police wouldn’t let me.

This seemed to be a popular pose for the day.

We look like we’re having fun, but it was over 90 degrees and the sun was really beating down on us. Naturally, this is when Drew wanted to run around the most.

If you look closely, you can see me trying to hold Drew’s hands down away from his face so we can get a decent photo. There’s something about a camera that automatically causes toddlers to have an overwhelming urge to pick their noses.

We went back to the visitor center to eat our gourmet PB&J lunch and finish up Junior Ranger activities. While we were there, a biker group pulled into the lot. One of them saw Drew eyeing up the motorcycle and gave him a chance to see it up close.

After lunch, we were a little limited on time, knowing we had to get back to the missile site for the 2:45 tour. So we took one of our patented “McTours” of Badlands, cruising along in the blessedly air-conditioned van and stopping occasionally at the overlooks for photos.

My favorite spot was the Conata Basin Overlook, where you could first glimpse some bright yellow layers in the formations.

We got close to the western entrance to the park and suddenly Julie and Sarah cried out that they’d seen wildlife up on one of the rock outcroppings above the road. I executed one of my patented 28-point-turns in the middle of the road, holding up 13 cars in line behind me, and drove back down the hill.


It was worth the effort. We found a couple of female bighorn sheep and their lambs taking a mid-day break.

Between the overlooks, the visitor center, the hiking/climbing, and lunch, I’d say we spent about 4 hours or so exploring Badlands National Park. It felt about right. And it provided a great way to spend the time while we waited for our tour of the missile site. It was nice to have the itinerary work out according to plan for once!


Coming Up Next: Hey, what does this button do?

 

[cj9200]

When you’re dealing with weapons capable of destroying all life as we know it, you want them to be in the best, most capable, most responsible hands.

Since I am here, I assume they didn't launch. Way to show restraint guys.

So even though Scotty graduated the 4th grade in June of 2016, he was still able to get a pass to use that summer. And the program was extended each year, so future 4th graders will get a turn as well. In the end, I think this is a fantastic program and hope it continues for a long time.

Stupid idea. Why do kids need to go out and breathe fresh air and see the beauty of their county? The sun is going to explode someday anyway.

 

[justafigment27]

That was really nice of the hotel staff to prepare you a to go breakfast! I would have never even considered that a possibility.

Great that you got tickets for the command center tour - I knew it was on your agenda from your last trip report, so I'm glad that it worked out and I'm really looking forward to reading. I think you handled the ticket situation with your friend in a reasonable manner ... it sounds like he unintentionally put you in a tough spot.

Beautiful pictures of Badlands National Park! And you saw baby sheep! Awww ... how cute! Kudos to Julie and Sarah and their great wildlife spotting skills!

 

[pkondz]

I’d like to start with a shout-out to the Country Inn & Suites of Rapid City, South Dakota. When we’d checked in the night before, the front desk had informed us that breakfast was served beginning at 6:30 a.m. Unfortunately, we needed to be on the road by 6:30 a.m. The woman working the desk immediately offered to make breakfast bags for everyone in the family, and true to her word, they were ready and waiting when I checked out in the morning. She’d hooked us up with bagels, fruit, orange juice, and muffins. That was quality service.

Impressive! But that's just Midwest manners, no?

If you’ve ever driven I-95 in the Carolinas, then you’ve seen the hundreds of billboards for South Of The Border,

Odd. I have a couple of times, but don't remember that.
Wait...

My bad. I was thinking... "through the Carolinas"? Whoops, I take I-75 through Georgia.




Nevermind.

by 7:35 a.m. we were taking exit 131 to SD Route 240, turning north. Right there next to the interstate is the visitor center for the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

Cool!

The visitor center opens at 8 a.m., and once the tickets are gone, there’s no chance to get into the tour. Well, unless you want to try to sneak into a nuclear missile command center.

Try it! Let me know how that works out for you.

but several people were sitting near the front door in lawn chairs.

Reminds me of getting concert tickets, back in the day.

And Sarah was feeling patriotic at the missile site. (Yes, she chose this shirt specifically for this tour.)

She has that head tilt down pat.

That’s me in the white t-shirt, rudely shoving people out of the way holding our place in line.

I don't believe the striked out text. As in I don't believe you should strike it out.

That meant there were a total of 54 tickets available—we started counting the people in line in front of us and came up with 36. Whew—we were in!

Close one. How much later do you think you would've had to be there to not get the tickets? 5 minutes? Half an hour? Or were there enough tickets that day for everyone that was there while you were there?

A few stragglers tried to cut their way in front of us

What's with people and this sense of entitlement that some of them have?

but the guy right in front of me was having none of it and dismissed them with some stern words. I shook his hand.

But did he want to shake yours? Or did he say "Where were you when they were going past?"

There were still quite a few people in line behind me.

Already asked, but... curious if everyone was accommodated.

So I grabbed all of the remaining tickets and waved them in the faces of everyone behind me, shouting, “Should’ve woken up earlier, losers!”

All right! "In your face!"

Ok, I didn’t really do that

oh. well that takes the fun out of it.

in spite of Julie’s insistent urging.

In the end, I didn’t feel right grabbing all of those tickets and stiffing the people behind me who’d gotten up just as early to try and do the tour.

Yeah, I get that. Especially if they weren't even sure if they'd do it.

With no one else in line, I asked if I could have that one and they obliged.

As in you bought it?
The tours weren't free, were they?

“And we’re done. We were out by 8:17 this morning,” the ranger said. “Sometimes, we’re out of tickets by 8:03.”

Holy crap.

I’m guessing that now, if you want to do the tour, you’d better reserve a ticket online, or you’ll probably be shut out on the day of your visit.

Good to know.
I think I'd like to do this some day.
Heck, it's just over there. I can see it from my house.

Apparently working here as a missileer gives you a dark sense of humor.

Dark? Yes... but...

When you’re dealing with weapons capable of destroying all life as we know it, you want them to be in the best, most capable, most responsible hands.

Meh. Probably just as qualified as the people who worked there... with a cleaner conscience.

I thought this was a cool display. It showed each stage of a missile launch from the U.S. to strike in Russia.

That is cool. Didn't realize there were so many jettisoned parts.
I still think that most people don't realize what the term "ballistic' implies.
Movies show them always with the rockets firing (as they approach cities just before the good guys shoot them down.)

As promised, a nuclear blast 6,000 miles away in 30 minutes. And we had thousands of these missiles. So did they. Quite a sobering thought.

True. Insanity breeding insanity.

and a metal sign destined to be hung on the door leading to our garage that is partially in Cyrillic and declares that we are “now entering the American Sector.”

Love that!

So, who’s ready to tour a nuclear missile command center??

Well, too bad. Our tour wasn’t until 2:45 p.m.

Oh.... poop.
Totally unfair.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Especially because when they don't... they really don't.

Who took the picture? You hadn't met your friends yet.

They specifically chose 4th graders because…reasons.

Sure. Totally makes sense when you explain it like that.

Well, I was completely wrong. The program clarified later that the pass was good for the entire calendar year beginning in the fall of 2015 with the school year. So even though Scotty graduated the 4th grade in June of 2016, he was still able to get a pass to use that summer.

Sweet!

And once again, we see a real-life demonstration of the principle that rushing to immediate judgment of a situation before receiving all of the facts just makes you look like an idiot.


But you knew that about me already.

It takes a wise man to be able to recognize his flaws.



So Julie told you, huh?

All of them are filled with these giant sandstone cliffs that are slowly eroding away. We’d be exploring the most-visited part of the park, the North Unit.

Those photos bring back memories.
Last time I saw them was in 1974.

I've seen that shot before!

Still going! This gave us plenty of time to run back to the van and drive off in a spray of gravel.

Sigh. Of course we didn’t. The Fun Police wouldn’t let me.

We look like we’re having fun, but it was over 90 degrees and the sun was really beating down on us. Naturally, this is when Drew wanted to run around the most.

Let him! Think how quiet the van drive would be if he's passed out!

If you look closely, you can see me trying to hold Drew’s hands down away from his face so we can get a decent photo. There’s something about a camera that automatically causes toddlers to have an overwhelming urge to pick their noses.

We went back to the visitor center to eat our gourmet PB&J lunch

There it is!

While we were there, a biker group pulled into the lot. One of them saw Drew eyeing up the motorcycle and gave him a chance to see it up close.

Nice. But I'm not surprised. I've only been a Harley owner for a little while, but the folks for the most part seem really nice.
And kids (heck, adults too) love the bikes.

I rode out to a friends place and I let his 10 yr old rev the engine. Should've seen the grin on his face.

My favorite spot was the Conata Basin Overlook, where you could first glimpse some bright yellow layers in the formations.

Sulphur? Or did you not find out.

I executed one of my patented 28-point-turns in the middle of the road, holding up 13 cars in line behind me, and drove back down the hill.

So that was you!

Should've known.

It was worth the effort. We found a couple of female bighorn sheep and their lambs taking a mid-day break.

Cool! I've always wanted to see some, but never have.

Coming Up Next: Hey, what does this button do?

Uh, oh.

 

[KathyM2]

Just discovered your TR...great so far!! You make travelling with so many kids look easy!! I know of course that looks can be deceiving but...sure looks like a lot of fun was had!!

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

I’d like to start with a shout-out to the Country Inn & Suites of Rapid City, South Dakota.

Hay to them.

When we’d checked in the night before, the front desk had informed us that breakfast was served beginning at 6:30 a.m. Unfortunately, we needed to be on the road by 6:30 a.m. The woman working the desk immediately offered to make breakfast bags for everyone in the family, and true to her word, they were ready and waiting when I checked out in the morning. She’d hooked us up with bagels, fruit, orange juice, and muffins. That was quality service.

I didn’t realize that stuff like that still went on in the US.

By some miracle, we had completely packed up the van, everyone was awake, and we were on the road by 6:40 a.m

Must have been a bit of Karma giving back for all the delays at the front end of the trip.
Too bad I don’t believe in Karma

heading east on I-90. There was nothing to accompany us except our breakfast bags and the occasional Wall Drug billboard.

What more could you possibly need?

If you’ve ever driven I-95 in the Carolinas, then you’ve seen the hundreds of billboards for South Of The Border, a somewhat creepy tourist trap

Pedro? Creepy?
Just because he’s a painful stereotype and encourages your kids to be defiant and makes incredibly lewd comments and... Ummmm…
Yeah; OK… I’ll buy that one.

In the meantime, we were on a mission to get to the Middle of Nowhere as fast as we could.

Barry’s rocket powered van would have been helpful in this situation.

The visitor center opens at 8 a.m., and once the tickets are gone.

Similar to the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty
(but then again, both of those were shut down to visitors during the times I was in their vicinities…
so it didn’t matter anyway.

Well, unless you want to try to sneak into a nuclear missile command center.

“Do you want to play a game?”

Now, they actually do have an online system that will charge a small fee for the tickets.

Useless for y’all, good to know for the rest of us.

There was already a small crowd in front of me. I wasn’t sure when they had all arrived, but several people were sitting near the front door in lawn chairs. Clearly, they’d been planning ahead and had been there for a while.

A bit like showing up at 2am in NYC to find a spot to watch a parade.
But only a certifiable nut job would do something like that.

Meanwhile, Drew wanted a close-up.

It’s probably easier to just say: “Drew wanted” about every other sentence and keep moving

And Sarah was feeling patriotic at the missile site. (Yes, she chose this shirt specifically for this tour.)

Striking…
(sorry, couldn’t resist)
It’s always good to find the apropos attire for the moment at hand.

That’s me in the white t-shirt, rudely shoving people out of the way holding our place in line.

Should have sent Sara to do it.
No one would stand in the way of Captain America.
Captain Oblivious, however…

Julie and I quickly took off our shoes so we could do the math.

Teamwork!

There were still quite a few people in line behind me. So I grabbed all of the remaining tickets and waved them in the faces of everyone behind me, shouting, “Should’ve woken up earlier, losers!”

You are the very picture of civility and graciousness.

Ok, I didn’t really do that, in spite of Julie’s insistent urging.

And a master of deflection too

After everyone else got through the line, I went back up to the desk. There were three tickets remaining, all for separate tours. One of the tickets that was left was for our tour time. With no one else in line, I asked if I could have that one and they obliged.

I believe you did the best you could do for your friends under the circumstances.
I’d have certainly thought so, were it me who was running late there.

“And we’re done. We were out by 8:17 this morning,” the ranger said. “Sometimes, we’re out of tickets by 8:03.”

Oddly, this really does not surprise me.

his is a full-scale replica of the blast door in the command center. Apparently working here as a missileer gives you a dark sense of humor.

As a matter of maintaining one’s sanity, I don’t see how that kind of reaction could be avoided.

When you’re dealing with weapons capable of destroying all life as we know it, you want them to be in the best, most capable, most responsible hands.

I’m good with this…
Better that some options

We ended up with a magnet for the fridge declaring it a fallout shelter…

It worked for Doctor Jones…

Top Secret notepads,

and a metal sign destined to be hung on the door leading to our garage that is partially in Cyrillic and declares that we are “now entering the American Sector.”

Ok, now THAT is cool!
I need one of those.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Still going! This gave us plenty of time to run back to the van and drive off in a spray of gravel.

Sigh. Of course we didn’t. The Fun Police wouldn’t let me.

Dang… There always seems to be one adult in every group.

This seemed to be a popular pose for the day.

Apparently…
Surprised, considering the agenda for the day that no one struck this pose:

If you look closely, you can see me trying to hold Drew’s hands down away from his face so we can get a decent photo. There’s something about a camera that automatically causes toddlers to have an overwhelming urge to pick their noses.

Cameras?
Most social situations seem to cause the same reaction.

a biker group pulled into the lot.

Heading to or from Sturgis?
The world wonders…

One of them saw Drew eyeing up the motorcycle and gave him a chance to see it up close.

Very classy.

So we took one of our patented “McTours” of Badlands, cruising along in the blessedly air-conditioned van and stopping occasionally at the overlooks for photos.

Works for me

We got close to the western entrance to the park and suddenly Julie and Sarah cried out that they’d seen wildlife up on one of the rock outcroppings above the road. I executed one of my patented 28-point-turns in the middle of the road, holding up 13 cars in line behind me, and drove back down the hill.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Sorry I've been scarce lately. I have been dealing with a personnel issue at work that has basically sucked up all of my time. This is why we go to school for all of those years, right? To deal with stupid crap like this?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Since I am here, I assume they didn't launch. Way to show restraint guys.

Probably a safe assumption. As we learned later, there were a lot of safeguards in place to make sure there were no accidents.

Stupid idea. Why do kids need to go out and breathe fresh air and see the beauty of their county? The sun is going to explode someday anyway.

Good point. Back to the Xbox!

That was really nice of the hotel staff to prepare you a to go breakfast! I would have never even considered that a possibility.

I hadn't considered it, either! She just offered it on the spot. That was such a huge help for us starting the next morning.

Great that you got tickets for the command center tour - I knew it was on your agenda from your last trip report, so I'm glad that it worked out and I'm really looking forward to reading. I think you handled the ticket situation with your friend in a reasonable manner ... it sounds like he unintentionally put you in a tough spot.

I think everyone had good intentions--he knew it would be hard to get there that early with six kids in tow, but I think he underestimated how many other people would show up for tickets. I tried to be as fair as I could. He completely understood when I met up with him later.

Beautiful pictures of Badlands National Park! And you saw baby sheep! Awww ... how cute! Kudos to Julie and Sarah and their great wildlife spotting skills!

I was so glad they made me turn around--that was a rare sighting!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Impressive! But that's just Midwest manners, no?

Odd. I have a couple of times, but don't remember that.
Wait...

My bad. I was thinking... "through the Carolinas"? Whoops, I take I-75 through Georgia.




Nevermind.

You're not missing anything. We stopped there...once.

Try it! Let me know how that works out for you.

Yeah, I'll get right on that.

Reminds me of getting concert tickets, back in the day.

Now, it's more like Black Friday at the Walmart.

She has that head tilt down pat.

That's my girl!

I don't believe the striked out text. As in I don't believe you should strike it out.

Close one. How much later do you think you would've had to be there to not get the tickets? 5 minutes? Half an hour? Or were there enough tickets that day for everyone that was there while you were there?

Hard to say for sure. I'd guess another fifteen minutes and we might have been out of luck. They seemed to have enough for everyone who showed up by 8:00, but only just barely.

What's with people and this sense of entitlement that some of them have?

I firmly believe that the root cause of most of our current society's woes is selfishness. At our most basic level, we are an extremely selfish lot.

But did he want to shake yours? Or did he say "Where were you when they were going past?"

We were right at the spot where the line was making a right turn to get inside the doors, so they were angling for the door. The other guy was standing just at the threshold, so I think he took it as though they were trying to squeeze in front of him.

Already asked, but... curious if everyone was accommodated.

Just barely!

All right! "In your face!"

Suckers!

oh. well that takes the fun out of it.

Sorry. Blame the Fun Police.

Yeah, I get that. Especially if they weren't even sure if they'd do it.

I was struggling as far as the right thing to do. I didn't want to let my buddy down, but I knew how early the others in line had to get up in order to be there.

As in you bought it?
The tours weren't free, were they?

Yes! Looks like there is now a fee for the online reservation system. But when they were first-come, first serve, they were totally free. Best deal of the trip, by a landslide.

Holy crap.

Yeah. It gets popular in the summer.

Good to know.
I think I'd like to do this some day.
Heck, it's just over there. I can see it from my house.

I'll go into a lot more detail in the next update, but this tour was one of our favorite things we did on the trip. It's fascinating.

Were you standing on a beer can when you looked to the south?

Dark? Yes... but...

Pretty much my reaction, too!

Meh. Probably just as qualified as the people who worked there... with a cleaner conscience.

Don't want to spoil things too much, but I think anyone working there knew that if there was an actual launch, it was the end. Period.

That is cool. Didn't realize there were so many jettisoned parts.
I still think that most people don't realize what the term "ballistic' implies.
Movies show them always with the rockets firing (as they approach cities just before the good guys shoot them down.)

Right. It's all about physics, and if you need to hit a target 6,000 miles away, you need to ditch that weight. But you also need the thrust and power provided by all those pieces at the start.

I guess rocket science deserves its reputation!

True. Insanity breeding insanity.

It was interesting to see what the policy of "deterrence" actually meant.

Love that!

If I remember, I'll try and grab a photo of it at home.

Oh.... poop.
Totally unfair.

Patience, young grasshopper.

Especially because when they don't... they really don't.

As we saw in our little airport escapade.

Who took the picture? You hadn't met your friends yet.

Random stranger who also pulled over at the sign. We were going to get our typical photo with just the kids at the sign, but he offered to get one with all of us.

Sure. Totally makes sense when you explain it like that.

I'm sure they had a reason. I have no idea what it was.

It takes a wise man to be able to recognize his flaws.



So Julie told you, huh?

Every. Single. Day.

Those photos bring back memories.
Last time I saw them was in 1974.

Sounds like it's time for a road trip!

I've seen that shot before!

Hey, me too!

Let him! Think how quiet the van drive would be if he's passed out!

We definitely have made use of that technique before!

There it is!

Two days in a row now with PB&J. We're hitting our stride.

Nice. But I'm not surprised. I've only been a Harley owner for a little while, but the folks for the most part seem really nice.
And kids (heck, adults too) love the bikes.

I rode out to a friends place and I let his 10 yr old rev the engine. Should've seen the grin on his face.

Every biker we met was very pleasant. As most bikers know, Sturgis, SD is nearby and a haven for bikers so they tend to be numerous in the Black Hills area. I think the big Bike Week there is in August.

Sulphur? Or did you not find out.

I didn't find out at the time, and sulphur was my guess, but it's not the case. Looks like it's a fossil layer of ancient ocean mud that has weathered into that color over time.

So that was you!

Should've known.

Sorry. It's that selfish entitlement thing again.

Cool! I've always wanted to see some, but never have.

Saw my first bighorn sheep last year at Rocky Mountain National Park. And we're not quite done with them on this trip yet.

 

[Flossbolna]

This is why we go to school for all of those years, right? To deal with stupid crap like this?

Yep. Especially since road engineers are especially qualified for this!

Sorry you have to deal with stupid crap. Hope it is over soon!

 

[pkondz]

Sorry I've been scarce lately. I have been dealing with a personnel issue at work that has basically sucked up all of my time. This is why we go to school for all of those years, right? To deal with stupid crap like this?

Yes

You're not missing anything. We stopped there...once.

Oy. Must make a not of this.... Do. Not. Stop.

Now, it's more like Black Friday at the Walmart.

Scary indeed.

I firmly believe that the root cause of most of our current society's woes is selfishness. At our most basic level, we are an extremely selfish lot.

I wanted to say that!

We were right at the spot where the line was making a right turn to get inside the doors, so they were angling for the door. The other guy was standing just at the threshold, so I think he took it as though they were trying to squeeze in front of him.

So he didn't realize that you really are just a scaredy cat.

Sorry. Blame the Fun Police.

Julie!

Yes! Looks like there is now a fee for the online reservation system. But when they were first-come, first serve, they were totally free. Best deal of the trip, by a landslide.

Totally shocked. Something free??? Thought that was like unicorns.

I'll go into a lot more detail in the next update, but this tour was one of our favorite things we did on the trip. It's fascinating.

Were you standing on a beer can when you looked to the south?

I did a Sarah Palin and stood on my porch.

Don't want to spoil things too much, but I think anyone working there knew that if there was an actual launch, it was the end. Period.

No kidding. There are no winners in a nuclear war.

Right. It's all about physics, and if you need to hit a target 6,000 miles away, you need to ditch that weight. But you also need the thrust and power provided by all those pieces at the start.

I guess rocket science deserves its reputation!

Makes sense. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to see that.

Random stranger who also pulled over at the sign. We were going to get our typical photo with just the kids at the sign, but he offered to get one with all of us.

Ah.

Every. Single. Day.

Welcome to the club.

Sounds like it's time for a road trip!

It'll be a while.
Gotta get the other two trips out of the way first.

We definitely have made use of that technique before!

Every biker we met was very pleasant. As most bikers know, Sturgis, SD is nearby and a haven for bikers so they tend to be numerous in the Black Hills area. I think the big Bike Week there is in August.

Yup. Don't know if I want to go or not. I'm not a fan of giant hordes. Not even in Disney.

I didn't find out at the time, and sulphur was my guess, but it's not the case. Looks like it's a fossil layer of ancient ocean mud that has weathered into that color over time.

Hmmm.... But what's the reason for weathering into that colour?

Saw my first bighorn sheep last year at Rocky Mountain National Park. And we're not quite done with them on this trip yet.

Spoiler. Been to the Rocky's last month and.... nada.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Just discovered your TR...great so far!! You make travelling with so many kids look easy!! I know of course that looks can be deceiving but...sure looks like a lot of fun was had!!

Kathy!

We always have a lot of fun! Don't know if I'd call it "easy" but I do like to tell people that you can do a lot more with kids than you think.

I didn’t realize that stuff like that still went on in the US.

There are plenty of great people around. Just not the ones running for office.

Must have been a bit of Karma giving back for all the delays at the front end of the trip.
Too bad I don’t believe in Karma

Me neither. But I also think it's amazing what can happen when you ask a question rather than assuming the answer will be no.

What more could you possibly need?

Pedro? Creepy?
Just because he’s a painful stereotype and encourages your kids to be defiant and makes incredibly lewd comments and... Ummmm…
Yeah; OK… I’ll buy that one.

Also, his "resort" is pretty crappy.

Barry’s rocket powered van would have been helpful in this situation.

Indeed.

Similar to the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty
(but then again, both of those were shut down to visitors during the times I was in their vicinities…
so it didn’t matter anyway.

That stinks. We just started trying to pick a date to go to the Washington Monument since they had re-opened it, and...they just closed it indefinitely again.

“Do you want to play a game?”

Careful...you almost stole my chapter title for the next update.

Useless for y’all, good to know for the rest of us.

I try to keep these chapters up-to-date just in case someone happens to be looking into traveling to these places.

A bit like showing up at 2am in NYC to find a spot to watch a parade.
But only a certifiable nut job would do something like that.

Seriously. That's insane! No reward is worth this.

It’s probably easier to just say: “Drew wanted” about every other sentence and keep moving

Good point.

Striking…
(sorry, couldn’t resist)
It’s always good to find the apropos attire for the moment at hand.

You might notice the occasional t-shirt theme in our photos. It's fun when we think of it. On this date, mine wasn't particularly suited to the nuclear missile site. But I wore one of my favorites.

Should have sent Sara to do it.
No one would stand in the way of Captain America.
Captain Oblivious, however…

There's not that much of a difference, is there?

You are the very picture of civility and graciousness.

And a master of deflection too

That's more American--it's always somebody else's fault!

I believe you did the best you could do for your friends under the circumstances.
I’d have certainly thought so, were it me who was running late there.

Thanks. That makes me feel better about it.

Oddly, this really does not surprise me.

I can't imagine people not wanting to check it out if they'd heard about this place.

As a matter of maintaining one’s sanity, I don’t see how that kind of reaction could be avoided.

Me neither. I'd have joined right in.

I’m good with this…
Better that some options

He would love to press the buttons.

It worked for Doctor Jones…

Nuking the fridge again, are we?

The cigarette is a nice touch.

Ok, now THAT is cool!
I need one of those.

Like I said earlier, I'll have to grab a photo of it.

Exactly.

Dang… There always seems to be one adult in every group.

They're the least fun.

Apparently…
Surprised, considering the agenda for the day that no one struck this pose:

Is that better?

Cameras?
Most social situations seem to cause the same reaction.

True.

Heading to or from Sturgis?
The world wonders…

It wouldn't surprise me if they'd stopped. The major bike week wasn't for another couple of months, though.

Cool, you found the video footage!