Quick post to notify everyone that I am alive and "well"

I'm on CQ duty right now, which means if anything goes wrong tonight, I'm the point of contact. It also means that I have to conduct checks of the barracks to make sure the fireguard is awake and doing its job, and enjoy some interrupted sleep for the next few hours. On the plus side - internet access.

As it turns out, being a cadre member at Warrior Forge is not that much better than being a cadet. While I don't have to participate in all of the training, I also have even less time to sleep than the cadets. As much as it might suck to be a cadet, the schedule usually includes personal hygiene time, down-time to prep for the next day, and little things like that. Also, the cadre ensure that cadets get three meals a day, and they are offered laundry services. As for cadre, we get our $10 a day per diem so if we are in the field, we are kind of on our own about meals. We have personal hygiene time before we wake up the cadets and after we put them to bed which is about the same time we pack our rucks, prepare for the next day and do laundry. As one person has already told me (and I've figured it out on my own), they really don't take care of the cadre here.

I'm in this weird position in the middle. I'm cadre but I was a cadet only four weeks ago. Also, since all of the 2LTS have to proceed from here to BOLC II, the next Army training camp in store for us, somebody decided it would be helpful to have all the 2LTs go through basic rifle marksmanship and land nav. We had to do the BRM training with the cadets so that makes it a bit harder to really act and appear as an authority figure. We also have to take a PT test, and are expected to work out while we are here, but there is no time in the day for the TACs. It's not like taking a PT test is going to help me perform well at BOLC II - I know my own limits already, and it's not like a PT score is going to train me or change them.

Anyway, I should probably go take this opportunity to take a quick nap before the next cadets show up to replace the ones currently pulling fire guard.

ACUs

I bought my ACUs today. Since I hadn't actually seen anyone in the uniform before, I was a bit confused when I got to the store and tried them on, especially since the collar has to be velcroed down. It also turns out they were out of quite a few of the smaller items such as patrol caps (which I won't need until I'm in the field) and the normal issue socks. The ACUs don't look or feel like real uniforms to me yet, but I'm sure I'll adjust. The velcro is actually more convenient than I expected: all the patches just attach to the uniform so that will save money on sewing (and it's also much easier than getting the Class A uniform ready since all the areas are pre-marked - no need for a ruler or anything). However, I'd still feel safer if the patches were attached by something more than velcro. I'm a klutz, so I could definitely see myself walking into a thorn-bush or branch and accidentally ripping off random patches.

I've also never actually bought boots before since I always just used what they issued at school. A lot of the cadets that were also in the National Guard seemed to be into buying their own gear and special boots but I was never that interested. The only thing I ever got non-issue was my poncho liner. As a result, I was standing in the back room, looking at the boots with absolutely no clue. My solution? To call every single 1LT whose phone number I happened to have in my phone (fortunately, the list is pretty short at only two). I ended up with a $130 pair of boots and two $10 pairs of socks (Thorlo Brand) so hopefully I won't blister up too badly during road marches.

My university's mascot was the Chief. There has been a long on-going controversy about the Chief and whether or not he is a degrading stereotype, or a symbol that honors the Illini tribe. Personally, I was always on the anti-Chief side of the debate, but it was not an issue I was actively involved in. As it turns out, my future unit's nickname is the "Indian Head Division" due to the symbol on the patch. I think I was the only one in my class that was anti-Chief, and I'm the one who gets assigned to the unit that has a chief of its own. Talk about irony. I wonder if there has been any controversy about the Army patch like there has been over the mascot?

Pictures

Here are the last of the pictures from my trip:

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

View from Rest Area in East Washington

Columbia River, Washington

The End of the Drive (at least for now)

I made it out to Seattle in one piece. Today was definitely the worst part of the drive, although still very scenic (I'm at the Kingsgate Library and the computer only has a disk drive, but not one for CDs, so I can't post my new pictures). Idaho was short, very mountainous and thus rather pretty. The Montana/Idaho border area had a few too many winding roads and sharp turns, so it was a bit more intimidating than anything previously. Of course, once I hit Spokane, where there was (gasp) traffic, I would have preferred the turns.

I stopped in Ritzville for lunch because the map gave the impression that there would be no towns of note for at least an hour, and I was hungry. Unfortunately, that meant I ate at the slowest Perkins ever. I understand food taking a while, but I had gone to the rest room, returned to my seat, and read at least ten pages in my book before my drink even came. And then it tasted weird. Well, it's not like I'm ever going back to Ritzville anyway.

Today's drive seemed extremely long - I'm not sure if it's because it was my fourth day on the road (by the way, I think I have permanent sun-glasses indentations on my nose), or because I have other reasons to be a bit hesitant and reserved about actually being here (one of them of course being my lack of desire to be a TAC). Although, I probably shouldn't complain about the Army thing that much. One thing that this drive has helped me realize is the fact that I'm independent, which is nice. I have a few friends that are still living at home or had to move back home due to money issues. I might be in the Army, but I'm also financially self-sufficient, and I should be able to save up a nice nest-egg to help support me through grad school. And thanks to my parents, I was able to move out during college and live in dorms and apartments despite the fact that the University was in the same town, so it's not like I'm going to need to adjust to my new and complete financial independence (if anything, I might need to adjust to living with people again, since I might end up with a roommate in barracks).

Another thing I discovered today is just how grateful I am to my parents for the fact that we moved out of the Seattle area before it was time for me to start driver's ed. The traffic is crazy here: I was going 20 miles on the interstate at times, there were too many other cars, and then there was the elevation issue. At one point (off the interstate), I was behind a car on a hill, and it was stopped. Obviously I stopped and left a bit of space between us because I was afraid the car might roll back. For some reason, this made the car behind me honk, so then I started freaking out about rolling back when I took my foot off the brake. My solution: hit the gas and then take my foot off the brake. My tires squealed but at least I didn't start rolling down the road into the people behind me. (And for anyone thinking I'm an idiot: I'm from Illinois, it's flat, and I have never stopped on a hill before - back off.)

Montana

Montana was much better than I expected. Last time I drove through here was almost exactly seven years ago, and it felt way too long. It's still long, but I enjoyed it a lot more this time. I think the fact that I'm doing the driving helps. Also, seven years ago we drove from Washington to Illinois so that the landscape became flatter (and more boring) as we went, while this time it's the opposite. Of course, I also had a friend who kept telling me how horrible Montana was so that may have clouded my judgment.

Little Big Horn

For the most part, I just drove straight through, but I made a stop at the Battle of Little Big Horn. I'm not actually sure why since I have always thought of General Custer as a pompous, self-involved idiot that got his men killed in his reckless pursuit of honor and glory. I always thought he deserved what he got, and felt sorry for his wife who devoted the rest of her life to his memory (although his memory was probably less demanding than the man himself). I think perceptions of Custer are changing, or at least he is no longer seen as quite as important in the battle. After all, the battle field has been renamed from Custer's Last Stand to Little Big Horn so I think that's a positive sign. It shifts the focus more on all the parts of the battle rather than some overly flamboyant general's death. The gift shop had quite a few books about the battle, and the different people involved, although a majority were devoted to Custer (or his horses). I couldn't find the biography I read many years ago but it might be dated by now (also, I think Stephen Ambrose's reputation may have suffered a bit among real historians as a result of some lazy use of sources). I read it back in high school, so I am not sure if it was really that good.

The Memorial at Little Big Horn

Big Sky Country

Wyoming

I loved Wyoming. Despite the fact that I had no cell phone reception and there were miles upon miles between any signs of civilization, I loved it. It was just so beautiful. Being from the flat lands of Illinois, I'll admit that I'm easily impressed by any sign of elevation but Wyoming really was that nice. Unfortunately, I was driving, and there weren't that many places to stop so I passed by most picture opportunities (they had one or two places to pull off the interstate to take pictures, but I think I would have put them in slightly different places - also, the entire area around Exit 88 was just neat - lots of hills and inclines). Closer to Sheridan, the landscape changed a bit; the whole area just looked big and vast, with mountains looming in the background. Unfortunately, my camera could not quite capture the feeling, since I can't do panoramic, but it's definitely worth the drive. Although, based on Wyoming (and also Montana), I have to say I'm still not that supportive of the idea of "scenic routes" as advertised in South Dakota: I-90 through Wyoming and Montana is basically a scenic route, and at points, I was having problems keeping my eyes on the road and not the surroundings.

Actually the very lack of civilization might have been the reason it was so picturesque. And another plus: very few billboards. Oddly enough, there were actually billboards for Wyoming in South Dakota: "74 more miles until Wyoming and cheap gas." Of course, once I got into Wyoming, I needed gas, and the first gas station was about twenty to thirty miles into the state.

Even the view from the gas station is amazing.

South Dakota: The Land of the Billboards

I spent most of today driving through South Dakota. Quite the experience.

Things I Liked About South Dakota:

• 75 mile speed limit
• The scenery (once I was two hundred miles into the state, up until then it was rather unremarkable)

Things I Disliked About South Dakota:

• Too many cops on the interstate, especially in the area surrounding Rapid City
• Lots of small road construction zones
• The Anti-Abortion (ok, technically, Pro-Life) signs: included slogans such as "A choice that kills" and "God Gives Life" - now, I know by talking about religion I am a bit out of my element, but doesn't God also "give choice"? In fact, isn't the whole Christian religion based on the idea of choice? After all, we have the choice whether we accept Jesus as our Savior or not.
• The billboards for Wall Drugs: The exit for Wall Drugs is the same exit as the one for the Badlands, so it's about two hundred miles into the state of South Dakota. I started seeing signs for this place before I'd even crossed the state line between Minnesota and South Dakota. Talk about overkill. Also, the wording on some of the signs annoyed me: "Wall Drugs as told by [insert magazine/newspaper here]." As told by? That doesn't even make sense. It just sounds bad. Did you mean "featured in," "mentioned in," "advertised in"? I wish I could say I didn't stop but after two hundred miles of billboards and the promise of homemade fudge, I pulled over. I never did find the fudge.
• 20 mile an hour speed limit in towns: Well, actually I don't know if that's true everywhere, but there was a sign for a Sioux Museum so I took the exit. They actually expect people to transition from doing 80 miles an hour to 20 miles an hour? I couldn't locate the museum, either, and after crawling along for about a mile, I didn't care anymore.
• "The Scenic Route": There were a few different places with the option of getting off the interstate to take the scenic route. Now call me crazy, but what's the point? There were a few views on the non-scenic route that were rather beautiful but I couldn't take a picture because I was driving; if I took the scenic route, I'd just be wishing I could stop and take pictures. Ironically, there was a rest area at one point made for the purpose of enjoying a scenic view but this stop was in the flat part of South Dakota. You'd think if they are going to have something like that it would be in a place where there actually is a view.

I also stopped at 1880 Town although I was sure it was going to be a tourist trap. I probably should have considered myself forewarned when I saw the "Kids Love It" billboard. It's a recreation of an old town. It's similar to New Salem for any Illinoisans out there, but smaller. The nice thing about New Salem is that you can actually walk around a little bit but the only walking in 1880 Town is the small path connecting all the buildings. They also have a room devoted to props from Dances With Wolves, and Kevin Costner horse (Sisco?) is in a corral. Unfortunately, being the absolutely brilliant person that I am, I couldn't take a picture of him because I remembered to bring my camera but I left the batteries in the car. Of course, the horse is the only thing I would have taken a picture of, so no real loss. They also rented out costumes for $3 so I could have taken a picture of myself in early 20th clothing, but they didn't have anything that interesting to wear. What can I say, I was looking for the show girl costumes (I'm pretty sure show girls back then still wore more than most college students today, and besides, it just sounds more fun than dressing up as a proper village matron). The best thing about the town were the two cats, who were extremely friendly.

Has anyone seen the show Deadwood? One of the billboards advertised the fact that the place had 80 casinos. I was actually considering stopping there since I'd heard of the series until I saw that little fun fact. Besides, I was sick of South Dakota by that point.

The goal for tomorrow is to make it through Montana. I'm currently in Gillette, Wyoming (the next city was an hour away, and I was ready to quit for the night). According to my map, I-90 is in Montana for about 550 miles. That's about how far I drove today.