o start off, my return twit :
7/18 :
roughly 5days, 5.5hrs, & 1,900+ miles later, I have returned...! now to relax, very slowly unpack, and prepare to return the car tomorrow
...and what a Roadtrip it was ! *whew* still kinda buzzed from it, but that's the sign of a good vacation roadtrip, isn't it?
just got back from returning the car then posted some random photos from the trip and now The Tale Of The Trip
...ok, how about just (The Short Version Of) The Tale Of The Trip ?
:)
ANYways...
Wednesday 13th ::
started off by picking up the rental car, packing it up, and off northward to the tiny towns around Oslo, MN/Inkster, ND...
well... an old friend from 30yrs back took me out drinking, a couple drinks turned into many drinks and so on
by 2a this old friend was cuffed and off to jail and I was brought to her husband and daughter's house *whew/Oi!*
Thursday 14th ::
after spending the morning/afternoon with the old friend's husband and daughter, I got ahold of a closer friend that was in the area
had an absolutely wonderful rest of the afternoon and evening with the always-lovely and smiling Sari
watching the Kickoff Parade for the Pennington Country Fair in Thief River Falls, MN - and then some time in the Fair itself with the wonderful Sari and some of her brood :)
laughing and smiling and just having a wonderful day... making me feel younger and a part of things that I haven't felt in a long time
*smiles*
Friday 15th ::
headed off on the 12hr drive into ND and SD, with a few random stops here and there...
helluva trip, but ended up finding a place to crash in Deadwood 'round 10p :)
Saturday 16th ::
holy hells, what didn't do on this day ?!?
for some reason I got a bug up my butt, my energy levels still high from the rush of Sari, the drive, the vacation, etc., and drove here-to-there-and-back-again checking out every little thing that caught my eye...
the tail end of the 45th Annual black Hills Corvette Classic ( Spearfish )
the tail end of the 3-Wheeler Rally & BTW National Trike-In ( Deadwood )
walked around Deadwood, talking to locals, bikers/trikers, 'vette fans, and checked out Boot Hill ( of course! )
headed to Mount Rushmore, enjoying the bloody gorgeous day, talking to foreigners and people from various states
hit Keystone, Hill City, and the Needles Highway until the sky started to darken
headed to Crazy Horse, hit by a thunderstorm just as I arrived and until I left, taking several tours and talking to locals
headed to Custer State Park by late afternoon where I took a slow drive and many, many stops just enjoying the hell out of the park
...then got some really bad directions from a dumbass that took me into - and got me stuck in - Rapid City for a couple hours before I was able to escape *ugh*
I then hit Black Hawk and decided to spoil myself with a jacuzzi suite
( by the way, the staff at the Black Hawk Ramada kick ass... if you ever end up there, I hope you meet these same people - they're great! )
Sunday 17th ::
decided to take it a little easier this day - first night that I got more than 4hrs of sleep *laughs* ( the relaxing in the in-room jacuzzi helped, too *grins* )
headed to Wall / Wall Drug for the tourist trap hullabaloo, meeting more bikers for great convos ( as always! )
then I hit Badlands National Park shortly after noon and took a VERY slow drive, stopping everywhere and staying until the sky grew dark (evening started) *smiles*
...seriously, the Badlands are bloody, gorgeously, wonderfully, absolutely, unquestionably beautiful !
I even did the requested video I'd posted in multiple locations there, just up from Bigfoot Pass ( what being half-sasquatch and all, I found it a fitting locale )
it was 87, with humidity so low it barely felt hot at all, and I just soaked it all in...
seriously, while I liked Custer State Park and its beauty and animals, I absolutely fell in love with the Badlands !
Helsyeh - I'd go there again in a heartbeat :)
( I had brought a shitload of water along for the whole trip - and you will need it! ... just an FYI )
ended/spent the rest the day in the little town of Kadoka, where I had hilarious conversations with some reservation locals
...seriously, there really isn't ANYthing in Kadoka - if it wasn't for the storm that hit, I may've moved on... but meh, it was a good, cheap place to stop.
Monday 18th ::
headed on back, stopping for a bit down a backroad to see the Missouri River and enjoy the light breeze
...by the time I hit MN, the humidity kicked-in and the heat became annoying rather than feeling good upon the skin
once I hit the Cities, the construction and traffic came outta nowhere *laughs*
oh, well - I was expecting it and spent at least an hour-and-a-half just getting back to my 'burb of the Cities
...so there she is - just an enjoyable li'l trip, with no plans, stopping where I feel like, and just... being there, enjoying the days.
nothin' too out there except for the rough start with one friend that made seeing and spending time with the next friend work out even better *smiles*
Here's hoping all you lovelies and gentlefolk had yourselves a decent week, if not a wonderful one, as well !
pre-trip twittage ::
7/11 :
remembering when "edited for television" mean blurred nudity and 'shit' replaced with 'shaft' or even 'darn' :)
7/11 the 2nd :
I hae ne'er seen one barclgschnufin, a'yet I hae ne'er seen one naught barclgschnufin, a'kin t'wit they 'ave- if it helps the "g" is silent
* trust not that which is roasted and beefy, for it be not steak nor steakable :(
* "lemon tart," she said with nigh the quintessence nacht effluvester to become it so
* you cannot fool me, oh ye thus soured and krauted be, for thine taste is horreur magnified t'wit & t'will'nt
7/11 III :
and one final word to cast off the eve and into the mentalplex in righteotudenous fashion : "durstn't"
7/12 (4:30p) :
It Has Begun !
just a little over 7 days, 13 hrs before I return to work *whew* - car tomorrow, then off into this wasteland earth I go :)
7/13 :
"zombie mall" dreams at the MOA, surviving solo facing zombies and other small groups of survivors, "living" in a top-floor Hot Topic
7/13 II :
*yeesh* just finished a weird phone survey, most of the questions amounted to "would you vote for the democratic front-runner if..." *ugh*
This Week's Random Pre-Trip Playlist ::
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Unvarnished [entire album]
Angelspit - Krankhaus [entire album]
Deadsy - Phantasmagore [entire album]
watched recently :
via netflix/hulu:
Astro Boy
Daredevil (2nd Season)
ownedflix:
Disney's The Lone Ranger
The Muppet Movie
Coraline
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Ghost In The Machine
-thom Wolfox sR Rhose
unusualist - I have yet to find a religion and/or spirituality that fits my own personal beliefs... other than, of course, the fact I am a (fallen) god.