Deadwood, South Dakota...Sounds romantic, doesn't it?

We're heading out to Deadwood, South Dakota Saturday for Valentines day weekend.  I'm really looking forward to my first real vacation alone with Ed. 


Historic Deadwood, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is an old mining town formerly visited by Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock.  Today there are over 80 gambling halls, shopping, restaurants, museums, lodging and more.
 
We're staying in a small cabin. The Cabin  I'm looking forward to the drive-the scenery out this way is incredible.  I'll post an update on the trip once we return.

 

Happy Valentines Day!

 

 
 

A Wisconsin style restaurant in Scottsbluff, NE

I've enjoyed two incredible meals so far at the Emporium in Scottsbluff, NE.  Scottsbluff has been featured in Gourmet magazine for it's Mexican cuisine which doesn't come close to places like Conejitos and La Fuentes in Milwaukee.  Restaurant options in this town and especially the little town I live in are VERY limited (there are only two bars in Dalton that serve food).  So, when I entered into The Emporium near where I work, I was extremely pleased.  The food was delicious, service was wonderful and the atmosphere was similar to something I would enjoy back home.  The waiters/waitresses dress in black dress pants and dress shirts with white aprons and are very attentive.

The cuban sandwich that I tried for lunch doesn't compare to the one at Cubanitas, but it certainly is a nice change from the fast food options around here.  The dinner dish I tried was a Cajun seafood pasta that was just as good as any Italian dish I'd find back home.

I'm looking forward to dining outdoors in summer and think I've found my favorite little place for date night. :)

The accident

Yesterday evening, on my way home from work, I saw one of the worst accidents I've ever seen.  The accidents out here aren't like back home.  First off, it doesn't back up traffic for miles (since there never is any real traffic).  Second, since the speed limit on most of my drives is 65, the accidents always seem to be very serious.  Finally, when an accident occurs at night, it's very hard to see the accident until you are right on top of it.  Yesterday happened just like that.  I came over a hill and there it was less than a half a city block in front of me.  At 65 miles an hour, i slammed on my breaks and swerved off the road. As I slowly crept by one of the vehicles a man came from up to my car and asked me to pull ahead and put on my flashers.  The worst part about this accident....the vehical with the most damage was stuck in the middle of the road and since the front 1/4 of it was gone...you couldn't see the vehicle at all.  I'm confident that I prevented at least one other car from adding to the accident.
I left as soon as the sherriff showed up.  Which shockingly always appears to be in a very short period of time from when an accident occurs out here.  I spent my drive home thinking about how precious life is and how quickly it all can change.