Distance this!!!

"A good friend of mine told me that going from Minnesota to South Dakota is like going from East Germany into West Germany. All I can say in response to that is - AMEN!!"  

We just got home from our "Freedom Tour". No, we are not a rock band. The Bird (and Mrs. Bird), needed to get out west to South Dakota to see what all this non-fuss was about. Non-fuss? What the what? Well, they have the virus out there, but not that much. And most of it has been centered around that Smithfield packing plant in Sioux Falls. In Pennington County, where Rapid City is located, COVID - 19 is very rare indeed (except for the long term care facility). In fact, the COVID count is so low in the entire state, that yesterday, Florida had more new cases than South Dakota has had since the get-go.

In know, I know. This was a bad week for the country with COVID. I wish it was not. However, in South Dakota, it was "ops normal". And we had a blast! Going out to eat in a restaurant, sitting at a table. Not being forced to wear a mask anywhere (but you could if you wanted to). Oh, did I mention that South Dakota never shut down? Unlike Minnesota, which did shut down, and has terrible numbers to show for it, South Dakota stayed wide open. And the Fourth of July weekend coming up? It is going to be a hum dinger out there. POTUS, fireworks, parties - all in Rapid City and the Black Hills.

Here is what we noticed during our week in South Dakota. Even though their Governor is not a "tin horn" dictator like Minnesota's Governor is, people out there still act with some common sense. In other words, Governor Noem did not give her people dictum's, nor orders. She only told the public what the recommendations were to stay safe. And even though the state was wide open, we saw people acting responsibly. I guess this is what happens when your Governor treats you like adults instead of infants.

It is funny now, how people in South Dakota view Minneapolis. Forty some years ago, when my wife and I went out to South Dakota to be in my best man's wedding, I had a lot of questions from young folks about Minneapolis. Most thought it would be a cool place to visit, and asked what it was like to live there (yes, at that time, we were living in Minneapolis). Today however, I would imagine that most folks in South Dakota would like to remain about 10 states away from all the socialism and nuttiness which goes on in the Twin Cities. I know I would. 

In any event, we are home now, and safe. It was a wonderful trip, and we saw some wonderful things. I have been to South Dakota maybe 15 to 20 times in my lifetime. It NEVER gets old! I absolutely love that state for so many reasons! A good friend of mine told me that going from Minnesota to South Dakota is like going from East Germany into West Germany. All I can say in response to that is - AMEN!!