Leaving SD

I'm at the airport waiting on my flight, and notice that everything in and out of Dallas is cancelled.  I'm glad I'm not going that route, and at least the weather looks good for me from now on.  

I had an 8 am appointment to renew my drivers license, and because it was below zero the night desk clerk said she would drop me off when she got off work.  I arrived at the DMV at 7:30 and was out of there by my original appointment time of 8 am.  I'm good to go for a while now.

I love South Dakota, and especially the people who live here.  I have been treated so well and everyone is friendly.  

Flying might get you there faster but it is definitely a pain in the neck.  I prefer the time when you got a "ticket" that served as ticket, boarding pass, and everything involved with your travel.  They stapled your baggage claim to the ticket and of course you didn't have to pay $25 to check your suitcase.  Some things were better way back when.  I didn't have to take off my shoes for TSA this morning - maybe because I'm wearing Birkenstocks sandals, but the rest of it was crap.  

I arrived at the airport early and stopped at the bar where I had a tall draft Blue Moon.  I would loved to have another, even a smaller one, but I figure d I'd better move on.  It's hard enough to deal with the walkway to the plane and I don't need to be under the influence.  It's been a stressful morning though, and I would enjoy getting "tanked" although I know I wouldn't enjoy the after effects!  Actually, I would go to sleep before I showed the effects.

The Dakota Lodge where I spent the night is a great place to stay if you aren't traveling with an RV.  They took care of me in so many different ways that were just plain nice and friendly, and not expected, such as making sure I didn't walk in the cold to the DMV, printing my boarding passes for me, and lots more.  I figured out the RV dealership next door sells 5th wheels and toy haulers.  I don't know how I feel about towing anything these days - I think I'd like a small fiberglass trailer such as a Scamp, maybe an A-Liner or a teardrop, but I think I still prefer my old fashioned "set up a tent" or "check into a motel" method that I use today.  I really don't want to deal with maintenance on anything, or having to worry about extra mechanical stuff.

So all in all I am in a fantastically great mood - everything about this trip worked out well and I got to see most of my siblings plus lots of nieces and nephews, and spend time with Bill and Wilma, my brother and s-i-l who celebrated their 50th.  Even the delay in leaving Milwaukee turned out well in that I got to spend quality time with them after everyone else had left.  Life is good!