More Random Thoughts

I prefer the fun of a riding mower

Hard to justify with a quarter of an acre -- to say nothing about hard to maneuver.

I'm tired of mowing as well. Speaking of which, my lawn is in need of some attention.

Mine will probably be a mite shaggy as I will not be able to mow until after we get back from vacation next week.

That's what she said.

Indeed.

Iago, I may have missed your post. Where are you going on vacation?

South Dakota. We leave Friday and spend four days at a lodge in Badlands National Park, then a couple of days in a hotel in Rapid City. Lots and lots of hiking in my immediate future!

That sounds like a good way to justify to Eve the purchase of a brand new atv.

Or at the very least, a new gps.

At least there would probably be clear sky for it to work. I doubt that I am going to get a cell phone signal out there, or at best a weak roaming signal.

When we were at Yellowstone this year, there was service at the main road junctions, but nothing inbetween. Also, there was no cell service at Cooke City, where we stayed. However, we did have WiFi acceess at Cooke City.

It's good to be unplugged every now and then. I find it liberating.

We are in Mitchell, SD tonight and at least have wifi at the hotel. No wifi in the cabins that we will get to tomorrow!

No, we did not bother visiting the Corn Palace! I think Eve bought some postcards, though.

The main lodge does have wifi, so I can message periodically.

Enjoy. Sounds like the perfect setting for a wood fire.

No fireplace, sadly. No interest in building a pit!

Other then the lack of fireplace how goes the vacation? I have to say I am a bit disappointed that you are still using the boards while you are away. It seems that technology makes it impossible for anybody to truly go on a vacation these days.

If I went I think the only thing I would take with me would be a gps. I would take my cell but for emergencies only it would remain off under all other circumstances.

I am not a back-woods type. As long as I can get wifi somwhere I am happy.


We have been having a great time, and have covered many, many miles of trails, off-trail, and general running. I managed to do a 5k run up the hill by Cedar Pass Lodge and back down again. Eve has been running 8-10 miles a day, including Badlands hills, and all of our hiking, climbing and trekking has been on top of that. So ten minutes of posting here and there is hardly detracting!

We are in Rapid City now, and spent yesterday at Lake Sylvan in Custer National Park. Today we are going to roam the rest of the park. If you are on Facebook, I uploaded a bunch of cell phone pictures. I am also taking some b&w shots on my old Canon, and when those are developed and scanned in I will create a Photobucket album.

Hmmm. I like hiking, but I have to admit: the last thing I think about while on vacation is going for a run.

I actually ran up that mile-long hill twice.


We still do our morning exercise routines, even if we are going to be hiking later in the day. You have to stick with a routine. I even brought a stability ball and some bands so that I could do modified weight routines.


And thank God for technology -- I found an awesome, surprisingly authentic Mexican restaurant in Rapid City thanks to Yelp.

Well, if you are ever looking for a any-where-you-are-body-weight-only exercise routine, let me know. I have a few. They won't necessarily build huge amounts of muscle (unless you can find a bar for chin ups and dips), but they are fine for maintenance while you are away from a gym. I do actually use these, even while on vacation.

I was going to do my standard away-from-home routine, which has side planks, t-pushups, step-ups, and things like that, but coincidentally I got an email from Muscle & Fitness a week before we left with four weeks of ball-and-band routines:

http://www.muscleandfitnesstrainer.com/home/articles/workout-solution-without-the-gym?