Clowns attempt sabotage at North Dakota nuclear facility. Really.

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Taken from this DefenseTech article:

Clowns attempt to sabotage nuclear missile near White Shield, ND!

Ya know, it takes all kinds. And I guess even North Dakota’s got ’em. After all, we’ve got a Bismarck Democrat comparing South Dakotans to the Taliban and then denying it, and removing his original post from his blog when he announced his candidacy for state House of Representatives.

As far as the clown wackbags, they’re lucky. I’ve heard tales of people who got their kneecaps shot out trespassing at nuclear facilities, and I think the rules of engagement are pretty serious up there if you pose a definite threat.

I’m not sure what to think about the Catholic priest playing the part of activist. He chose to quote the Bible, and out of context at that. I would politely point him to Ephesians 2:8-9 then, and ask him why he’s preaching that sacraments are necessary for getting to heaven. Or I Timothy 2:5, and ask him why he’s trying to usurp the role of Jesus. Perhaps he should spend more time reading his Bible instead of trying to paint missile silos.

Protesting is one thing, but this is treason. Free speech is one thing, trespassing on a nuclear facility is another. If you think treason and its prescribed punishment are too harsh, imagine if they could have possibly done some damage to the facility. That’s part of our nation’s defense system, a system that has helped preserve the right for these buffoons to be so stupid. Hang ’em high, I say.

Hopefully our new bridge will be this cool…or cooler

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This photo was taken on the bridge between Fargo and Moorhead, on Main Street. If you remember the old bridge, it was downright spooky. The new one is very nice and was well overdue. It’s also got a wide pedestrian area and the nice lit architecture shown in this photo.

There’s something similar planned for the new Liberty Memorial Bridge between Bismarck and Mandan. I can’t remember exactly how it’s going to look, though. My friend Alex did the architectural drawings for it, and I got some footage of it while videotaping the dedication ceremony, but I’m not sure where I put the pictures.

Because our bridge is a memorial to veterans, there will either be a monument in the middle, or one on either end. I’m fighting a migraine this morning, so I’m unable to think back far enough to remember.

In any case, it was neat to spend some time hanging out on the bridge in Fargo; it’s not just a walkway across the river, it’s a wide open area. There will be something similar on our bridge, and we’ve got a much nicer view than the muddy ol’ Red River.

Chasin’ the Station

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My friend Jerry mentioned today that he had seen the International Space Station pass overhead last night. That piqued my curiosity, so I decided to look up on NASA’s site to see if it was passing overhead again tonight. It was, at 10:20 pm and 11:56 pm.

The sky was simply too bright to get a decent picture at 10:20pm, so we decided to meet up again at 11:30ish. This time it came in at a different angle, passing right over the top of the Capitol building. I had the shutter set to stay open for 30 seconds, so you get to see the streak. Obviously this station travels very quickly; it passed quite a long ways in those 30 seconds. That allowed us a window of 2-5 minutes to see it if we’d been able to see both horizons, but really only a matter of seconds from the wooded Capitol grounds.

I did “push” the exposure a little bit to help get the streak to show through better. The lights of the Capitol were blinding and they shut off right after the ISS slipped out of sight at midnight.

Wednesday night sunset

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This was the view from Hillside Park Wednesday night. Stacy and I decided to take a nice leisurely drive up there after church, only to discover that it was a pretty popular spot. There were a couple of benches available, so we grabbed one and watched the sun go down.

Hillside Park is great for sunsets, frisbee golf, tennis…the works. There were a lot of people partaking in all those activities tonight, and the skate park was full. It’s a blessing to have such nice recreation areas!

It lurks beneath the surface…in a little stream east of Bismarck…

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I was walking across a foot bridge over the stream running along Bismarck’s east edge…minding my own business, if that’s possible with a 300mm lens. I glanced at the water below as I casually made my way back toward my truck…but wait! The water moved in a very peculiar fashion, or part of it did, anyway. I swung my camera over to get a closer look.

The water’s pretty low right now, and dark as well. There’s a bit of moss, algae, and debris that add a lot of clutter to the surface in the shallower parts of the stream. That’s where I saw a familiar shape gliding along slowly, leaving a muddy trail of swirling eddies in the muddy current behind it. It was a HUGE snapping turtle.

I tried to hold the camera steady as he eased to a stop and poked his head out of the water. His head alone was at least the size of my fist if not larger! His jagged shell stayed obscured by the water, and his head blended in with the debris almost perfectly. Had I not seen his slow movements a moment before, I’d never have spotted him.

He looked about for a minute or two, although it certainly seemed like a much longer time. I leaned on the railing of the bridge and snapped away, hoping to get at least a couple of clear pictures. When a lens is zoomed out that far, it’s hard to be steady enough without a tripod or monopod. I had neither; they were back in the truck, of course.

His curiosity satisfied, he eased his head back into the water and began to swim under the clutter. In doing so he lost some of his muddy cover, and it was then that I got a fleeting glance at his shell…just before he disappeared under the plant cover for good.

Watch your fingers and toes in the shallow water east of Bismarck!

Bike to Work Week this week in Bismarck

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Time to get healthy! I have yet to really get into the routine of biking to work; in fact, it’s only been a couple of times this year. But this week should be extra motivation for all of us to push a pair of pedals other than the accelerator and brakes! This is Bike to Work Week in Bismarck.

Riding to work always seems so easy to do, yet so hard to get motivated for. I like to run around with my camera or run errands after work, so it’s better to be on my motorcycle or in my truck. But that bike isn’t riding itself; I’ve gotta start doing it. I’ve got just under 2,800 miles on this bike and a little over 2,000 on my other one…let’s just say that under a hundred of those miles have taken place in the past year. So perhaps riding to work would help me get back in the swing of things!

The week is organized by Activate Bismarck-Mandan, a program run by the YMCA. You can find read their announcement and browse their website by clicking here.

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On Saturday the Patriot Guard Riders and their supporters gathered to support the second of two families grieving the loss of young soldiers. We had a rider’s meeting at 8:00 am, well before the funeral, for people to gather and for protocols to be set. We easily had two or three times as many bikes as on Thursday, likely because more people could make it than on Thursday. There were trucks with coolers full of water and ice tea for the riders, and it quickly got warm enough for us to need it; after all, leather’s pretty toasty.

We were briefed by the Patriot Guard leaders and instructed to just ignore the protesters if any showed. Our primary mission is to support and honor the fallen soldier, his family, and the community. I’d like to think we did just that.

Protesters? What protesters? We were not there to acknowledge any. Again, our mission is one of patriotic support. We kept our flags held high and kept our back to anyone who might have a different motive, as we were allowed to be in front of the public or anyone else who might decide to show.

This line of supporters was a block long and pretty deep. Many veterans were in attendance. I saw local officers I know, wearing their Blue Knight colors. I also saw a few friends who are active duty Guard members. We had a diverse crowd again; sportbikes, Harleys, import cruisers, sidecar rigs, Gold Wings…the works.

It’s that unity that makes this day even more special. There were a few times I was greeted by a friend I hadn’t seen forever…Sid Hardt, one of my favorite all time DJ’s; Gary, an old riding acquaintance and teller of tall tales; some of the guys from Mandan PD. If you want to talk about diversity…come hang out in this crowd. This isn’t the kind of “diversity” that divides people; rather, we were united. And that in itself is an emotional experience.

Even the youngsters were there on their rides! They didn’t have any leather jackets or chaps though. Give them a few years, maybe they’ll grow up to be Patriot Guard riders! These kids apparently were from the neighborhood, not part of our riding group…lots of people other than that Patriot Guard Riders came to show their support.

Whenever a uniformed soldier went past to enter the church, the crowd applauded. Most of them were tearful at the display of support for them and their mission; they’re modest about what they do. We don’t underestimate their bravery and commitment, and it’s great to have the opportunity to applaud them and their service.

The Governor was there, of course…he and Mikey thanked the people gathered to support Travis’ family. Rep. Earl Pomeroy was there as well, only one day after he voted NO on a bill in the US House declaring “that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.” You’re not fooling anyone, Earl.

Again, no images from the ride; but I can sum it up for you:

Today, as expected, there was an even greater showing of support along the procession route. There were a lot of people with homemade signs applauding Travis, his family, our military forces, and our country.

Officers and military were all along the route, sharply saluting as the flag and procession went by. There were many soldiers in uniform along our route, lined up in uniform. I saw a lot of flags. A LOT of flags. Many were homemade. Taking the time to sit down and make a sign or a flag to come and stand in the heat and show support is not an impulsive thing; these people are patriots.

It was good to see employees of businesses along the route lined up as well. The median along Memorial Highway in Bismarck had a lot of people standing on the grass. The crews from the car dealerships were there. The fellas from Schwan’s quick lube building were out, hands over their hearts, as the flag went by. The staff of Roughrider Harley-Davidson were lined up tightly along the road in front of their dealership; they were busy with an annual charity day for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, but stopped the festivities as the procession went by. The most beautiful woman in the world was standing there too, looking on in a spring dress…she doesn’t really understand why I’m such a motorcycle and speed enthusiast, but she understands that I am.

All the way to the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery we saw cars pulled over with people standing in support. There was a crane with the flag held high above the boom. People young and old, clean cut and otherwise all took part in this day. As Travis’ loved ones look back on this day I hope that’s the memory that they keep with them.

I can’t imagine that lonely ride down Highway 1806, knowing that their beloved soldier isn’t coming back. But hundreds, probably thousands of people stood with you that day. As most of the homemade signs said, “God Bless America” and “God Bless Our Troops!”

What protest?

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There were many of us worried about the impending protests against our fallen soldiers. Obviously nobody wanted to see the garbage they’d written. Churches were concerned that people might think that these losers were actually Christian, or even specifically Baptist. Thankfully I don’t think any of that happened. In fact, if not for the coverage in the media, I don’t think anyone would have seen them at all.

I wasn’t going to even post a picture of the protesters; in fact, our stance as Patriot Guard Riders was to not even acknowledge them. It is important, however, to show what kind of pathetic inbreeders we were so worried about.

As you can see in this picture, all they could muster today was a couple of adults and their brainwashed kids. They had a 45 minute window according to their permit, and as soon as that time was up, they were escorted to their minivan and told to leave by our courteous local law enforcement. Amen.

There just isn’t any more to say about that.

The damsels have returned

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In force, too! Just find yourself a little bit of sheltered water and there will be damselflies nearby, darting around in the weeds. Some even land atop the water if possible, such as in this photo.

These are weird little critters…watching them fly is just bizarre. They can dart all over the place but never change orientation…it’s just plain unusual. Getting them to sit still for a picture isn’t always easy, either!

I’m not the only wildlife photographer in this house

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My wife and I spotted this litte fella perched alongside the bike path as it heads east, between Washington and Airport Road. Someone at one of the apartment buildings nearby has some feeders set up, and he seems to feel right at home there.

I didn’t have my camera on that particular bike ride. She had the presence of mind, while riding with a friend yesterday, to take her Canon with and keep her eye out for unusual photo opportunities. I guess I’m starting to rub off on her in that respect. She grabbed a few really good shots, including these two pictures of the blue and white swallow. I’m so proud of her!