Racism and Immigration

Until I started on my odyssey 4 years ago I'd done almost all my
traveling in the theatre of the mind through books. But for all their
verisimilitude they cannot totally replace first-hand experience.

One of the realities that has struck me in the last four years is the
degree to which slavery and racism are alive and well after over a
century and a half. As an outsider I recognize that I have to tread
lightly but as a caring Christian I cannot miss the tensions that lie so
close under the surface. I have been in the presence of people I sense
to be Klan and known families that, though they will not discuss it,
obviously once owned slaves.

Growing up in rural Nova Scotia I spent the first 18 years of my life
having never seen a person of colour. I grew up with the language of
racism which seems to be endemic but it didn't mean anything to me,
black people were an exotic species. In college I met International
African Students who were just as homesick as myself.

It wasn't until I read TJ Styles biography of Jesse James that I
confronted the concept of one man actually owning another and an
understanding of the fact that the wealth of a plantation owner lay not
in his crops or land but in the human chattels which he possessed. I
had, of course read Gone With the Wind and its counterpart Uncle Tom's
Cabin but these romanticized versions of slavery and its economy did not
strike home in the same manner.

This morning listened to CBC's Writers and Company, a podcast of a
program that won't be aired until 3 this afternoon. I'm ornery enough
that I resist reading books that are on the best-seller list though
sometimes I'm shocked to learn a book I liked actually made it onto such
a list. My taste in TV is such that I've come to consider my liking a
show the kiss of death for its continuance. This by way of saying that
if Oprah endorses a book I generally steer clear. That book stores will
order 50 or 100 copies of an unknown book just on the strength of that
endorsement seems scary. But I digress. Toni Morrison was interviewed
this morning and what she had to say about slavery and racism struck a
chord.

Racism between poor white people and black people was necessary to
prevent the two from uniting to destabilize the upper classes.
Separating the two guaranteed the security of the position of the upper
classes. It ensures that poor whites and poor blacks will never
associate socially and politically for their own betterment. In Virginia
no black man shall ever carry a weapon and no white man shall ever be
accused of hurting or killing a black man. Equating black people with
slavery was what was wrong. Racism was necessary for slavery to
function. It protected the elite. The wealthy of every nation won their
fortunes through slavery. Although my upper-middle-class white friends
in Austin may bristle at the thought I equate labour laws in Texas with
slave-like conditions, the fact that construction workers are not owned
by their employers is moot.

Unemployment, poverty, and lack of education breed racism as well as the
use of illicit drugs in Canada as well as America. It was with some
interest I learned that an African Methodist Church in Oakville was once
the Northern Terminus of the Underground Railway--in what was the
richest community in Canada. Back on topic another concept I've mastered
is poor white trash. Anyone not a landowner, a member of the small
Merchant Middle Class, or a plantation overseer wasn't long in
discovering that his labour was worthless in the South. Why would anyone
pay to have work done their slaves could do? The manner in which this
circumstance bred resentment and fueled racism is obvious.

There is no easy frontal assault possible against racism. The education
of the public at large, the provision of work, and the raising of living
standards are the surest ways of obliterating these attitudes. Universal
Health Care is one plank in that war on poverty. The provision of
educational opportunities another though I do not endorse a university
education as the Holy Grail for all. Affirmative action programs have
been implemented to ensure a more diverse cultural and racial workforce
but as with forced busing of students to integrate schools the outcomes
for the people involved are not always positive and those passed over to
implement these programs cry reverse discrimination.

Having spent time in Southern California I have become vividly aware of
the way in which hiring practices in police services made it impossible
for Asian Ethnic Minorities to get work there resulting in a situation
where police had no one who spoke the language to combat the Asian
Triads when they moved in. The situation today is such that law
enforcement may never recoup the situation in many cities. I was shocked
to see full-page ads for officers on tourist literature. There is a
price to be paid for discrimination.

It was in Natchez Mississippi I confronted the reality of a Black Man
owning slaves. Somehow that just seems so wrong on so many levels.

Memorial Day

Let's be clear on this. If we send young men to war they deserve to
expect that they will be supported when they return. How open-ended that
support should be and what constitutes abuse of that system is another
matter. Similar discussions could surround the obligations we owe former
slaves, North American Detainees in Concentration/Internment Camps, and
Aboriginal Land Claims. History teaches us that America's present wars
will cost $45,000,000,000,000 in Veteran Support over the next 60 years.
That's a frightening number of zeros and should give our leaders cause
to pause before they engage in future wars.

It should be immediately apparent that I am a pacifist by nature. The
commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." underlies a belief in the sanctity
of all human life. It is at great peril we train young men to suppress
that taboo. Is there such a thing as a good or righteous war? I would
differentiate between conflicts that circumstance made necessary and the
rightness of the cause on either side. Remember, more wars have been
fought in the name of Religion than any other cause and in general both
sides in the conflict were firm in the belief that God was on their side.

It is a natural human trait for those who have made great sacrifices on
behalf of their nations to want to believe that their cause was not in
vain, that their personal costs accomplished something of worth. Witness
the sense of personal betrayal felt by participants in the conflict in
Viet Nam when they returned to protests of the war on the home front.
That a grateful nation should owe its veterans a debt of gratitude is
not in question. However the goals that motivated a declaration of war
may be questioned in the arena of historical observation.

The most costly war in human terms to be waged on this continent was the
War Between the States--the Civil War. Whether or not it served to end
slavery the aftermath of Reconstruction is still felt to this day.
Making the owning of another human being illegal did nothing to
eliminate racial prejudice and intolerance. States of mind are not
subject to legal rulings. The laws that govern the work place in many
southern states including the 'Great State of Texas' make non-unionized
laborers in effect indentured servants and little better than slaves to
my way of thinking. Any society whose standard of living is supported by
such laws has no right to call itself great.

The tangle of defense treaties in force leading up to The Great War to
end all wars made that outbreak unavoidable. The mean-spirited terms of
the German Surrender made the outbreak of World War Two almost
inevitable. The partitioning of Germany after that conflict led directly
to the so-called Cold War. The paranoia with the spread of Communism
that characterized that period leads one to ask, just what did democracy
have to offer as an alternative--McCarthyism? The conflict in Korea
described as a Police Action hangs on as unresolved warfare between
North and South to this day. In Cypress Greek and Turkish Cypriots would
rather score points against one another than do good for their own
citizens. The veto rights held by permanent members of the UN Security
Council serve to make that body ineffectual. The US payments in support
of UN programmes show more arrears than every other nation on earth
combined.

Anyone who believes that American support of Kuwait in the first Iraq
War was motivated by support of a regime that differed greatly from
their oppressor is misguided. Cynically I say that that first war wasn't
pressed to its conclusion because weapons experts wanted an opportunity
to try out new toys. The second Iraq War was merely a continuation of
the first. The fact that America had no plan in place to deal with the
populace once they succeeded led to a loss of cultural artifacts that
will never be replaced and left the Iraqi People in a state of anarchy.

If 500,000 crack Russian Troops could do nothing to suppress Afghanistan
what did America, Canada, and Britain think that they could do. When
these troops finally leave the feudal lords will return to infighting
much as they have for 5000 years. The American Armament industry supply
the weapons for both sides and their only accomplishment is to give
combatants more efficient weapons with which to kill one another. Those
suppliers are the only winners in this conflict.

"War, what is it good for? Absolutely Nothing." And yet, as I have
traveled around America in the last four years, I have never ceased to
be amazed at the number of military installations in every state and
have to come realize that over a third of all Americans have some form
of involvement with the military. Yes, it may instill a sense of
discipline in those who badly need it; but is this the best means of
learning self-discipline. Is America not paying the price for having
such a high proportion of its populace trained to kill. Is the right to
bear arms worth the price?

Everest

Every year Everest claims a new batch of foolhardy erstwhile climbers.
The fact that one can afford to do a thing and find someone reckless
enough to agree to take one is no recommendation as to the wisdom of
going. For people who have lived most of their lives near sea level an
increase of elevation to even 3000 M can cause life-threatening altitude
sickness. Above 8000 M the air is too thin to support human life and no
body can adjust to that condition. At that height all living things
begin dying and the summit of Everest is above that elevation. Summiting
Everest should not be considered a tourist destination. The place is a
junkyard of abandoned gear and a graveyard of unretrieved bodies. Elite,
well-trained athletes make it to the top at their peril. One misstep or
an unforeseen change in weather can spell death in seconds. What the
tourists who pay someone to get them to the top seem to forget is that
above 8000 M all are equal. If they run into trouble their guides will
be incapable of rescuing them because they too are at the extreme end of
their endurance and in a race with death. And at that elevation the air
is too thin to support a helicopter rescue. But still people go because
it is there.

Reminiscing & Griping

Reminiscing

I've been back in Oakville for ten days now and taking my ease. Getting
reacquainted with my own apartment, getting various utilities restarted,
and watching favourite DVD's on my Home Theatre System.

When I stepped on the scale and got scared about what's happening there
decided I needed a walk, a daily walk in fact. At least my BP Monitor
declares that's in check. Walked to the end of the cul de sac at the
east side of Trafalgar on Marlborough Ct. Surprising how tall the trees
grow but then I've lived in the area 35 years. I can remember when the
first apartment buildings were built on this land just after Tree Top
Estates Townhouses were marketed in MacLean's Magazine with much hoopla.
I met four people out walking. Two an elegant elderly couple out for a
stroll with adjustable canes. It got me to thinking about how things
have changed since I came to Oakville 40 years ago. Can it really be
that long.

In Austin my pastor friend who lives in an upper-middle-class
neighbourhood with doctors, lawyers, and retired generals locks his door
immediately upon entry. Makes me think back to my days delivering mail
in the Reynolds/Trafalgar corridor. If one had a parcel for a customer
one opened the front door and tossed it gently inside making sure the
door was closed again before Fido could make it there. Always delivered
the mail through the slot afterward to much ripping and tearing. The
world has changed so much since those innocent days. A few blocks east
of there the egg man used to come in the back door, open the fridge and
check to see if his customers needed eggs.

On to some news items.

The Grand Ole Opry, it seems, began as a radio station founded as a
means of schilling insurance. Who knew? They still flog Humana health
insurance.

Recently the southern most point in Canada, Pelee Island, became
isolated when both it's ferries broke down making an expensive plane
ride the only means of getting onto or off the island. This in the
middle of the spring bird migration.

A recent show I listened to on NPR made the point that Europe doesn't
have a debt crisis, it has a loan crisis. The banks who hold the loans
in question are on the hook and should either Greece or Italy default on
those debts the amounts are so big that no government is capable of
bailing them out. At stake is the collapse of the Euro Zone.

On a lighter note:

Which muscle is the strongest?
The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

Take that Arnold Schwarzenegger.

United Airlines once had a campaign that encouraged business flyers to
take their wives along with them. It was very successful so they wrote
letters to the wives thanking them for participating. Turns out he women
who received the notes were not the 'wives' their husbands took with
them. End of campaign.

Home I Be

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Every kitchen should have a drain in the middle of the floor. After
unloading my RV Fridge, turned it off and left the door open removing
everything that might be water damaged from my ABS floor. Next day I
simply opened the floor plug and let the water drain.

I've been out only once since to pick up another small load. In the days
since I got back I've been allowing myself the luxury of some
decompression. I've watched a couple of my favorite movies and sorted
through six months of mail; most of it VISA Bills I've already seen
online. The amazon in Utica will be glad to know I have a brand new Good
Sam Deluxe Member Card, the b----h went online to ensure my membership
was valid. Guess I shouldn't let people like that get me riled, at least
I held it under my hat in her presence.

The Final Leg

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Left Wabasha 900 miles from home before my host got out of bed. Not a
challenge as he isn't an early riser moving fast only when behind the
wheel of his Shelby Super Snake--who actually needs 1000 horsepower? O
to 60 in 2 seconds. Stopped in Winona for groceries and gas, then drove
East and South through Wisconsin in the rain along I-90/39 staying about
60 miles west of Lake Michigan to miss the cities of Milwaukee and
Chicago. Stopped in Utica Illinois at one of 'those' campgrounds that
find Campers an inconvenient consequence of doing business. The place
was well-kept and organized but who wants to read two pages of rules and
face signs at every turn telling you what you shouldn't do. That night
managed to catch a couple shots of the 'Big' Moon.

Next morning the drive East on I-80/94 to Indiana cost me $1.10 cent in
highway toll fees and was busy with truck traffic but on a Sunday
morning there were no tie-ups, in fact traffic moved at 10 over the
speed limit. Made good time to Michigan City and spent the rest of the
day catching up as my last campsite has nearly non-existent Internet
Wi-Fi. I did take time to walk about the park and check out the Canada
Geese and the wildflowers. My decision to stay over an extra day proved
prescient when thick morning fog blanketed the area the entire day and
non-stop thunder crackled through the afternoon and evening.

Tuesday Morning commenced the 300-mile drive to Emmett, Michigan just
short of the Canadian Border. This highway is groved concrete block with
frequent sections of uneven chinks made so by the heavy truck traffic
that it handles. Much of the highway is 6-lane as it passes Lanzing and
Flint. Not fun when one gets behind two transports passing one another
on a 4-lane. Michigan law mandates trucks drive 10 under the car speed
limit. Stopped in Kalamazoo at Denny's for a lunch break. I have yet to
find one that makes good coffee. The couple next me did their best to
give my waitress a hard time, nothing it seems suited them. Even blacks
can be ugly Americans. Mark Emmett KOA as another place that's off my
list. Electric and Water connections were ill-placed; the site not level
and grass with molding mushrooms. The Internet Service worse than
non-existent. Not only was it slow but squelching prevented me from
opening Farmville even at 3 in the morning.

Wednesday morning after a stop at a gas pump which refused to fully fill
my tank I set off on the short drive to the Bluewater Bridge amidst
heavy construction. The toll is now the same in Canadian and American
Dollars. The young polite male Canada Customs Agent subjected me to the
most thorough inquisition I've suffered to date; then sent me for a
'declaration verification' inspection. Fortunately for me they chose not
to find anything to fuss about but they did make a mess--particularly
the female agent. They were polite about it. Dismissed I set off across
the fields of South/Western Ontario thankful no one was spreading pig
manure.

Although sunshine welcomed me to Sarnia I soon passed through a cold
front that dropped the temperature 10º C spawning thundershowers and
gusting winds. This weather pattern chased me all the way home. Had a
break at the En Route Rest Area in Woodstock sporting over-priced gas
and fast food restaurants. Noted not less than 5 people bappering away
in as many languages on ear-based head-set telephones and as many using
cellphones. No wonder the roads are littered with unsafe distracted
drivers. Police are now disguising themselves as hobos to catch
cellphone using drivers at stop lights.

Was forced to slow down considerably as I came down the Niagara
Escarpment in Hamilton by high gusting winds and fight afternoon
traffic. Got off the highway when I reached the Bronte Creek and
Oakville to stop at Oakville's new postal facility and get a personal
tour from its manager. Best I not make public comments about my beloved
former employer, they still pay my pension. Suffice to say I'm thankful
I don't have to work there.

Drove the remaining kilometers home on city streets finding 50 Km/hr
painfully slow and traffic lights.... Was grateful to find a parking
space waiting for me at my Condominium and backed into it, locked up my
RV, and went home with my laptop. After turning my fridge and furnace
back on visited my neighbours.

Alma & Kellogg

On May Fourth hit the road to see just a bit more of the area. Drove
across the Mississippi once more to the Wisconsin Side and south a few
miles to Alma. The 100-Mile Garage Sale it seems had a few takers who
made the roads interesting with their parking habits. Even on a Friday
Afternoon much of the town had the sidewalks rolled up. Tourist season
won't start until Memorial Day. A barge system was passing through the
lock which with its dam is located right down town. Wings Over Alma is a
combo Art Gallery, Tourist Bureau, and meeting place. The fluorescent
OPEN sign on the Drug Store belied the fact that the lights were off and
nobody was home. The store had plenty of company in this regard.

Found an art gallery owner just opening her store, having fought the
same traffic I had to get to work. Brought the baker up from a trapdoor
to the basement when I walked in and checked out her wares. Got a loaf
of bread and a breakfast croissant. For the rest just soaked up the
ambiance of a small downtown street-scape. Alas by the time I made it up
the hill to Buena Vista Park for the lookout the weather had closed in
again. On the way back to my RV ran into a picnicking high school ball
team. Toured the nearby winery but thanks to impending customs couldn't
buy anything.

Drove back to Wabasha and a few miles south to Kellogg. Lark Toys which
is out on the highway is the only real point of interest in Kellogg but
is accounted one of Minnesota's premier attractions. Combining museum
pieces behind glass it specializes in selling battery-free toys for all
ages along with Nature ware, and books. At one end is a working indoor
Carousel with fast food area adjoining. Ice Cream and Hot Dogs anyone?
The 18-hole mini-golf surrounds a landscaped waterfall.

April Rant--Overdue

The New York Subway is buying wider seats for it's new subway cars to accommodate larger posteriors. Fat asses if you like.

Kodak is going bankrupt.

In Newfoundland a teacher sprayed air freshener on a student because he stank of salt cod.

In Cape Breton Nova Scotia authorities admit the disappearance of the keys to 100 homes used by electrical meter readers. At least the keys were not identified.

The Quantico Firing Range sees millions of rounds fired annually yet not a single deer that lives on the property has ever been hit.

Was just hearing about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Somehow it's hard to imagine him married. Even with all his money must have been hard to build a home big enough for him, her, and his ego.

Germany has a multi-million dollar problem. Seems their police officers can't fit into the new police cars that were just purchased. Seems there isn't room for all the gear the officers are required to wear on their belts. So much for German ingenuity.

A few items from Austin where it's hip to be weird. When I mentioned on a beach in California that even owned I a thong I wouldn't go riding a bike clad in nothing but that thong. My conversation partner replied, 'Oh, you must have seen Leslie.' Leslie Cochran died around noon on a Thursday a few weeks ago A former mayoral candidate who actually once came in second he was 60.
Artz Rib House folds, this time for good it seems. I wasn't impressed with the weeds growing up through the bricks on the patio. Like so many other iconic locations in Austin the place was a dive.

Earl Scruggs, who recorded the theme from the Beverley Hillbillies died 2 weeks ago at 88. The funeral was held at the Ryman in Nashville.

Justin Trudeau is 40, seems only yesterday his pot-smoking mother gave him birth. In any case he engaged in three rounds of fisty-cuffs with a Quebec Innu 37 and reduced the martial artist to a defenseless quivering mass in under 3 rounds. Score one for the Liberals over a Tory Senator. Match in aid of Cancer Research. See the match here:


http://youtu.be/PBXBeTNf-KA

Along with all the job cuts and the continued rape of the CBC Harper's Tory Government's Budget announced the phasing out of the penny, the last ones to roll out of the mint in September. In other news a change in the metal content of toonies and loonies is making them lighter and will create a $40 million dollar headache for vending machine operators and municipal parking meters nation-wide. Way to go.

Canada Post showed an annual loss of $253 million in 2011, the first time the agency has failed to make a profit in 16 years. Guess they ran out of surplus property to sell. Buy your stamps now. Expect them to buy more computers and lay off more delivery personnel. They actually got rid of some 3000 useless supervisors last year. They still have 4 levels of management forwarding the same E-mails down the line. What else they do besides take coffee breaks, read their E-mail, and surf the net no one knows.

The 100-Mile Tour

Monday, April 30, 2012

Having gotten everything ready for travel set out to do the great circle

tour of Lake Pepin. The west side being in Minnesota; the east,

Wisconsin. The Red Wing, MN airport is in Wisconsin mind you. The day

dawned foggy and remained so until the sun broke out around 5:30 PM when

I got back in camp. Sound familiar?

As the route progressed the roads became narrower, hillier, and rougher

though it was all paved. Beginning as a four-lane divided highway 61

becomes a two lane until one heads out of Red Wing toward the Twin

Cities. On the Wisconsin side the road becomes quite hilly, winding, and

uneven though when it follows the river, more scenic. I took few

pictures as the haze obscured the view.

My first stop was in Lake City where I visited the Chamber of Commerce

and a helpful lady chatted me up and offered assistance. I walked the

downtown and visited the one gift shop that was open. Driving on I

pulled into the village of Frontenac home to a few remaining Antebellum

homes left over from the days when slave owners from the 'low country'

sent their families up-river to escape the unhealthy hot weather. I had

no idea they made it this far. This summer 10-story wooden

paddlewheelers will again ply these waters drawing 9 feet under their

flat-bottomed hulls. Dredges are at work as we speak pumping muck out of

the channel.

Red Wing is a major urban centre. I drove through downtown and stopped

at Perkins Restaurant North of town. After a mid-priced brunch and hot

half decent coffee drove up and found the Hobgobblin Centre. It combines

a harp/dulcimer factory on the frist floor, with a sales centre for a

cornucopia of instruments on the second, and a performance space on the

third of an old barn with a growing vineyard out back. On my way back to

town stopped for a few groceries though fresh produce is hard to find here.

Took the bridge across Ole Man River and started down the Wisconsin

side. Actually I started gaining altitude rather quickly and didn't

catch another view of the river for a few miles. I passed through a few

villages that rated speed zones but stopped in the town of Stockholm,

the Dalla horses confirming its background. The corner bakery sold

homemade ice cream and their own pies at $18.00 each. Not prepared to

spend quite that much for just I, picked up a mini pie for $7.00. Next

door ABODE sold furniture, handmade local works of art, Wisconsin

Cheese, locally brewed beer and cider, and hand picked morels along with

maple syrup, coffee and tea--you get the drift. I picked up some

well-hopped Glarus Brewing Company Beer which has a flowery flavour

without the usual bitterness. Wish I could buy more. Walked the four

corners watching the train roll by and noting the two bike racks with

bikes for the borrowing--simply return. What a concept!

Took in the rest of the drive back to the bridge to Wabasha again

regretting the continued haze. In Wabasha finally found the National

Eagle Centre and decided to visit. Without the 3:00 PM presentation it

would have been a bore but a large family from Switzerland whose

offspring became part of the demonstration added greatly to the show

with their stunningly handsome eldest son and his three younger male

siblings, one actively snogging with a girlfriend. The third in leather

pants. Father was presented with a bedpan to catch any fecal matter that

might be squirted toward the audience. A female eagle outweighs her

husband by 2 pounds at about 12 but both have a wingspn of c. 7½ ft.

They get their white head feathers and tails at about 5 years. In the

wild they live about 20 years, the oldest here is 31--known from the

band placed on her talon in the nest. The birds here are injured

specimens that cannot live in the wild. Those brought in for show were

fed raw turkey bits which they swallow whole. Eagles can digest bones

but regurgitate a pellet of fur, feathers, and scales. It was claimed

that birds are faithful to their nest sites more than to each other and

nests can be added to until they weigh 3 tons--capable of supporting an

elephant. Do you suppose they paint their toenails red?

Walked down to the river after supper that night and spent some time

talking with one of the neighbours--Matt, who works at the Mayo Clinic

in Rochester. I have certainly heard of the Mayo Clinic but I had no

idea it was 35 miles distant. According to my partner it employs 3600

people and is accounted a top ten employer in the US.

Day Seventeen

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Not being anxious to brave downtown La Crosse, WI; I drove back into
Minnesota to La Crescent, a rather smaller berg. Learned later that I
should have waited until I reached Winona where the gas was cheaper and
the stores larger. Since I was motoring in driving rain I wasn't moved
to climb up to the Mississippi River overlooks. The drive up the Great
River Highway (61) was variable. I failed to stop for Lark Toys:

http://www.larktoys.com/

Though I later learned it's one of the states principal attractions.

My GPS expressing no knowledge of my campground I used street signs and
horse sense to find it. I asked for a quiet corner where I could catch
up on my E-mail, read, and write blog entries. For once that's exactly
what I got. I wasn't ready for the request that I pay in cash but the
owner was willing to wait until I hit an ATM in town the next day for
payment. Pioneer Campsites Resort is not prepossessing but it's been in
business with its 240 some sites for two generations and several decades
with 200 of the sites occupied by seasonal campers. There's an air of
Evangelical Christian about the place but it isn't in your face unless
you count the sign that indicates up for Heaven and down for Hell. The
wood shed and the ice freezer lack locks and there's an air of trust and
informality about the place. I'll forgive the owner his recommendation
of a Vancouver New Age Religious writer I'll not be reading.

Sunday morning I drove into town and my GPS led me to the local cemetery
in lieu of Faith Lutheran Church. I drove on to the feeless ATM at the
Kwik Trip. For once a gas station with a decent collection of groceries.
Got back to the church and enjoyed worship in a mid-sized congregation
that has two Sunday Services. After drove home and spent a quiet
afternoon exploring the neighbourhood.

Day Fifteen

Got off slowly after a bout with loose stool. Paused to pick up info at
the Minnesota Welcome Centre passing up their coffee. Stopped at
Worthington for gas having to drive into 'town'; I lacked the appetite
to stop at the local Perkins Restaurant recommended by my last host.
During my travels I've passed at least a score of Laura Ingalls-Wilder's
Homes. I suppose if she was going to become famous for writing Little
House on the Prairie it was generous of her to spread the wealth around
however--though I've heard of being born again I don't quite understand
how she can have all those multiple birth places.

Found my way to Pettibone RV Resort in Wisconsin without incident. It is
open but the promised Wi-Fi doesn't exist. Walking a quarter-mile up to
the office to use the internet just doesn't cut it. That a steam-shovel
was dredging out a boat channel opposite me didn't add to the park's
appeal. The bleeping of dump trucks is annoying. The young hunk running
the office/bar while he browsed E-mail and watched a sports channel
seemed utterly indifferent. Pettibone is on an island in the middle of
the Mississippi on the Wisconsin Side of the Border--that border running
close to the West bank. My campsite backed on that backwater. The place
being in a flood plain the electrical hookups are at eye-level. When I
sampled the water I was thankful I'd filled up in Sioux Falls on the
soft water there. That night the temperature dipped to freezing and I
was thankful to awake next morning and see nothing white outside my
windows. Spent the day walking about the park, reading, and talking to
my neighbour; a retired probation officer from Winona. It was he who
recommended I head North-West toward the resort area of Lake Pepin.

Days Thirteen and Forteen

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Set off once more through the Badlands for I-90 at Cactus Flats. The
drive east was once more littered with sign pollution but uneventful
otherwise. There was little to relieve the tedium of the drive. At the
two hour mark stopped at Al's Oasis in business since 1919. Not quite
the size of Wall Drug but hopeful. Gave up on brunch at the restaurant
after no one approached me even with 5¢ coffee after 5 minutes. The
grocery store was well stocked with fresh goods--I picked up Mesquite
BBQ Sauce and smoked Cheese from Kansas.

Two hours later reached Sioux Falls near the border with Minnesota. The
only place open to camping was Yogi Bear's Jellystone and it was a
construction site in preparation for the pouring of the deck around the
new pool behind the office. My A/C covered the majority of the noise.
Next morning drove the 10 miles north and 1 mile east to a dead end that
marked the USGS EROS Centre:

http://eros.usgs.gov/

In spite of the fact that almost all their displays were of locations
outside the US the guided tour emphasized their principle task as being
the tracking of land changes on the US Continent. Tracking the Landstat
Satellite this facility adds 1 Terabyte of information to its existing 4
petabytes daily. The security one is subjected to suggests that 600
people working in the middle of a cornfield do much more but who will
tell. The place has been there since 1972. Interesting tour.

Day Nine and Following

Friday, April 20, 2012

Paused for one last breakfast and set out along Hwy 44 for a grasslands
drive to Badlands National Park. Decided it wasn't worth driving miles
out of my to save a few cents on gas and filled up along the way. Passed
the town of Scenic on the way to Interior before entering the Pine Ridge
Reservation to find the Badlands KOA beside the White River. The place
is surrounded by that river, the Lost Dog River, and the highway.
Wounded Knee is a short drive further. The kampground is quiet save for
the Western Meadowlarks, Killdeer, and woodpeckers. The occasional deer
wanders by and the eagles and buzzards soar overhead. After spending a
day catching some rest set out on Saturday to tour the Badlands. Nature
provided cool weather, a sparkling azure sky and low-hanging fleecy
clouds for perfect photography. The gent behind the desk at the Visitors
Centre was ill-informed and the movie he showed was out of sync with the
house lights and the closed captioning. The park was spectacular.

On Sunday morning biked up to Interior, pop 70 to attend Presbyterian
Church. A congregation of fifteen worshiped in simple surroundings
accompanied by a pianist called in at the last minute. Rode through town
pausing at the general store I'd visited the day before where the meats
were all deep frozen, Bud Light seems to be the poison of choice, and
fresh fruits and vegetables hard to find. Interior has 3 bars, general
store, and gas station; a couple seasonal inns. Spent the rest of the
day quietly walking up to the height of land at dusk.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Today the sky was clear but hazy and the weather hot. Drove up Hwy 240
to see the Eastern end of the Badlands. At my first stop ran into a
young couple whose male member looked like an NFL Player. She was
concerned about non-existent rattlers. Without clouds the views lacked
Saturday's charm. At my second stop ran into a young man who was setting
off on a difficult trail without water or any tracking skills--buzzard
bate in the making. I did catch sight of a perched eagle. The drive up
to Cactus Flats was quiet. I did not stop to see the Minuteman Missile
Site or the oversized Prairie Dog Statue. For convenience grabbed I-90
back to Wall and parked at the National Grasslands Visitor Centre where
the staff were out to lunch.

Much of the rest of Wall was out to lunch as well. The restaurant opp
Wall Drug sported a flashing OPEN sign but all its doors were locked.
The Post Office was out to lunch. The one gift boutique that was open
had a stuffed animal exhibit which included a Polar Bear? I gave up and
went back to Wall Drug for a tasteless Grilled Chicken Salad--the greens
were fresh but the dressing had to be fought out of a blister pack. Back
at the Grasslands Centre the movie seemed long--not for children and the
picture was out of focus. Six Billion a year in revenues from Grasslands
in grazing rights, mining, and oil production. Definitely not a
recommendation for environmental protection. Drove back through Badlands
on roads I'd traveled Saturday seeing it in reverse order.

Day Six

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Took my time getting started today. The drive was due West along
Interstate 91 with only a light head-wind. This stretch of I-90 in South
Dakota displays the most egregious example of sign pollution I've seen
in 50,500 miles of driving. Firehall Brewing even has an old firetruck
parked beside each of its hoardings. The route tracks due West at 270º.
After seeing a score of signs got off the highway at Wall to visit the
Grasslands Visitor Centre to pick up bumph, then walked up to visit Wall
Drug. They have signs posted worldwide advertising free ice water. Must
be seen to be believed. Beware the T-Rex that lifts its head every 12
minutes to scare the kiddies. Chicken Fried Steak at $5.99 was an
acceptable meal. Coffee is 5¢. Not sure why anyone would want wine with
this menu. Bud Light on Tap for $3.99 in a frosted mug. I passed.

Stopped at the Visitor's Centre in Rapid City, then drove down to my
KOA. I am pleased to report that I received a cordial welcome and found
the staff helpful and engaging. The hale storm that blew in with
marble-sized hale as I was out photographing the area was not so
pleasing. When the first balls of ice hit I feared for my rear windows.
Even this early in the season enjoyed the fact that someone was present
to cook bacon and eggs plus pancakes at 7:00 AM in the morning. Lucked
into a two-man guided tour in a Dodge Van of the local scenic backroads;
Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and The Chief Crazy Horse Memorial. I
chickened out on the idea of Bison Stew, kudos to the Governor-General
for trying raw heart. The prairie dogs whistled for us, the pronghorns
wandered by, the bison imperiously ignored us, and the begging burros
stuck their heads in the windows for carrot treats. The sheer scale of
the effort at Crazy Horse enthralls, I'm not certain how many
generations it will take to complete the carving of an entire mountain.