NADAC Championships - Part the Second

On the road again! The long stretch between between Minnesota and Wyoming called SOUTH DAKOTA!! I love this state dearly, but can I just tell you how LOOOONG Interstate 90 really is. One of the parts I have really come to like is where you cross the Missouri river and it starts to look like South Dakota. It's just like magic.

Cop shots part deux, I finally got one!

My girlfriend Nicolette who took this journey with me last year could not come this year. Because I missed her so much and in her honor we stopped again in 1880 Town so that I could see if it was as creepy (it wasn't) and to get her a postcard. Lot's of silly dog pictures ensued.

The town itself

Good sports with the bathtub
...still good sports with the stagecoach. I think this one is so cute!
Raven in all of her cuteness.
Here is a shot of the back of town
In the back they have 2 of the mules they used in the movie Dances With Wolves. They used to have Cisco, Kevin Costner's horse, I saw him last year. But he died in August. :( That is this place's big "draw" is all the Dances With Wolves stuff. They have all kinds of props like the dead buffalos and tepees and stuff. They also have a camel. WOOHOOO! It's a thrill ride.

This was the last stop of any photographic interest on the way to Wyoming. I did forget to mention in part the first about the fact that we had a cartop luggage carrier on the van holding most of my parents' luggage and my dad and Josh's fly fishing gear. Well it was pretty noisy most of day one and two. Well on this, day 3 it was DEAFENING!!! It was making this high-pitched whistle that was driving me out of my mind. I am not exaggerating. It actually affected my hearing for a little while it was so bad. I finally stopped at one of the rest stops in Wyoming and stuffed cotton balls in the dog's ears so they didn't go deaf too! They did seem to settle pretty well after that. :) So after about 10 hours of that beautiful music we pulled into the Clarion in Gillette Wyoming!! It was perfect, we listened to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on CD on the way out and it ended about 10 miles outside of Gillette. Couldn't have planned it better!

Upon checking in and returning to the car, I noticed that the cartop carrier was half smashed with stuff hanging out the back... YEESH! The wind is insane out there in the land of no trees. It must have just crushed it with the pressure. Luckily nothing fell out completely. We pitched the cursed thing in the dumpster right there in the parking lot. Silence at LAAAAAST!

Unpacking and settling in was in order. Tomorrow we go to Devil's Tower!

*To Be Continued*

NADAC Championships - Part the First

Ahhh, so I finally get around to starting a damn blog about the trip this year! We left Maryland on September 14 to head out to the NADAC Championships in Wyoming. The first day's trip was just a short one to Maumee, Ohio just outside of Toledo. Mojo and Luxx make themselves right at home in the hotel room.

We set off before the sunrise for our second stop Saturday morning.

I saw a lot of this view, it's the backside of my friend Nelson's van.

...and here is the backside of my rental van. The kids make themselves right at home in the Sienna! I think we were at a rest stop in Wisconsin, but don't quote me on that!

We drove past these interesting rock formations in Wisconsin as well. Interesting place... LOL

Mojo snoozing in the back.

About this point in the trip, I developed this obsession with trying to photograph cop cars who had people pulled over on the side of the road. Boredom does FUNNY things to people you know! Here is my first attempt... not so good. I've pretty much delved into full on madness.
Madness?..... THIS.... IS......SPARTA!!!!!
FINALLY we reach our second night's destination, loverly downtown Worthington, Minnesota! Somehow, don't ask me why they put me in the "Suite" for less than Nelson paid for his regular crap room. LOL We had a lot of fun with this. Of course Mojo and Luxx had to test out everything in the place! First they tried the King-sized bed.


...then they tried the whirlpool tub


...and finally to the sofa in front of the OTHER television.
Needless to say, the 3 of us got a great night's sleep curled up in our nice secluded suite with French Doors cutting us off from the noise and the rest of the world. :) Which is good, because it's a LONG way from Worthington, Minnesota to Gillette, Wyoming!!!

*To Be Continued*