Man, have I been busy!

I know I haven't done so well keeping up with the blog, but bear with me.  I have some free time this week to get caught up, and will be looking forward to talking about John Farnam's "Urban Rifle" and "More Advanced" handgun classes, as well as the DPMS Outbreak Omega event, plus an update on my Tantal project.

I wanted to take a moment though, to comment on what happened in Colorado on Thursday morning.

This particular incident has affected me more that similar incidents because I can see myself in that situation.  I turned down an invite to the local premier of that same movie here in the Twin Cities on Thursday - not for security concerns but because it interfered with my work schedule.  I often attend such events for movies I am interested in - for example several weeks ago I went to see the Prometheus opening at a midnight show. 

Any large public event is a possible target for a mass murderer or terrorist attack (the FBI has been sending out warnings about potential movie theater attacks for over a year).  When I attend one, I take a minute to plan for such an incident.  I review with my wife (and/or anyone else I am with) a plan to rally outside if something happens.  When I go in, I locate all possible exits so I have options if an escape route is blocked.  If possible, I do my best to get an aisle seat so I can get out quick.

Day or night, I always carry my Streamlight Microstream light.  When practical, I also carry a "real" flashlight (usually my BHI Gladius or my new ASP Triad).  My primary carry guns also have lights mounted on them (I admit it adds some bulk but I've gotten used to it).

Carrying is just one piece of the puzzle.  The gun is just a single tool, and a last resort tool at that.  Planning ahead and preparing for the worst is just as important as carrying your gun.


We have to accept that the world is a dangerous place.  As a recent article in the Washington Times points out, Batman is not going to save us.  We have to take responsibility to save ourselves and the people we care about.

(Regarding the specific subject of engaging an active shooter, I put my thoughts to words in a blog post a while ago.  You can read that here.)

The Road to Sturgis - Part 3

It's Monday and we're checked into our hotel room in Deadwood, South Dakota. Tomorrow morning I'll be driving up to Sturgis for John Farnam's Urban Rifle Class, but today we had our last day of sightseeing.

We spent the night before in Hulett, Wyoming, in a cozy little A-frame at the Hulett Motel after spending the day at Devil's Tower. 

 
Seeing Devil's Tower in person is an experience I find difficult to describe. My rational thoughts tell me that it's a unique formation of igneous rock formed by millions of years of erosion, but seeing it simply stunned me into silence. I'll the photos speak for themselves:

As you hike around the tower, you experience seeing it from different angles, the sun casts different shadows, the wind blowing through the forest, the wildlife – it creates a truly extraordinary experience.

After leaving the tower, we spent the night in Hulett, more a ranching town than tourist town. It does have two local museums that are worth checking out. The Hulett Museum and Art Gallery has a nice collection of Devil's Tower memorabilia, dinosaur bones, and of course – some guns!

The other place, called “Rogue's Gallery” was billed more as an antique shop, but had an incredible display of artifacts from the Indian Wars and settlement of the Great Plains. Among these artifacts were a large collection of Indian guns, some of which may have seen action at Little Big Horn.

FBI evidence seized after the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation.

This revolver was used in a notorious local murder.

Guns captured by Indians and used in the Indian Wars.

In the morning, we headed out for Deadwood, with a short stop in Aladdin, Wyoming. The Aladdin General Store has been in business for over 100 years.

Just outside of Aladdin, we stopped to see an old tipple from the Aladdin coal mine. The tipple is an inclined series of chutes for sorting coal.

After checking out the tipple we stopped for breakfast in Belle Fourche, South Dakota where there is a monument to the geographical center of the United States.

We also checked out the Tri-State Museum, which featured the mount of a local infamous wolf, “Three Toes” who killed thousands of dollars worth of livestock and terrorized the locals for over thirteen years.

And of course, no museum would be complete without memorials to its local veterans, including a pilot from the Doolittle Raid. 

I have to admit, seeing the same type of uniform you wore in the service in a museum makes you feel kind of old:

Our drive to Deadwood took us through the beautiful Spearfish Canyon. While it may have taken a little longer, it was worth it for the breathtaking scenery:

Bridal Veil Falls

Once in Deadwood, we did some local sightseeing, including the Bullock Hotel, the site of the No. 10 Saloon (where Wild Bill Hickok was killed). 

Deadwood's historic Main Street.

 

We also headed up to the town of Lead (pronounced LEED) to see the Homestake Gold Mine. The mine's now closed, but it's home to a particle physics laboratory, where experiments are being conducted to study theoretical particles over 4000 feet underground (you can't do this sort of thing on the surface because of cosmic radiation interference). 

The original mining pit is over 1000 feet deep - deep enough to swallow Devil's Tower!  The actual mine itself goes over 8000 feet deep. 

Tomorrow, I start the class, which is the whole reason for this trip. But getting here has been half the fun!