Sioux City, Iowa

I'm here! Started yesterday morning parked between a row of hunters, there was snow and ice out and it doesn't get light here until 8 A.M. The hunters did get on their way around 6 A.M., scraping their windshields with hard core Minnesota scrapers, not the little plastic stuff we use. I got on the road at 8:30, on snow and ice, it was treacherous and I was scared silly. Once you get on the road in farm country, you can't get off. There are no turnouts, especially not in the snow. I drove for two hours, I could barely breathe, and then had lunch at Pipestone National Monument. This is a sacred place to the indians, some have an old story that they come from this place and that the red in the rock is the blood from their ancestors, so it is sacred. I took the 3/4 mile trail with snow and ice, kept myself from falling, but forgot to take my camera. It is a very cool place.

My phone died. Found out the only AT&T store is here in Sioux City. Got there in time, the guy fixed it to his and my (happy) surprise. It really doesn't matter much at the moment since there is no AT&T serviced out here. I wonder why they even have the store, who are the selling to? Who would want a server that doesn't serve the area? Another mystery.

I spent the night in the local Hilton. Very nice, very warm, all the amenities you could wish for. The weather is turning to rain. That is actually a good thing - not snow.