Went down to sunny (read: rainy and FREEZING) Crawford, Nebraska today, to the Hudson-Meng Bison Kill site, where I really winged it and both saw the site for the first time and started teaching kids about it (but more about archaeology and paleontology), all within ten minutes. It was really a great day, though, I didn't have to go outside and freeze my tail off throwing atlatls at a foam rubber bison.



A pretty place. Except it was really, really cold and rainy, so the chance to stay inside was more than welcome. I'm glad to have gotten some more experience teaching science (impromptu as it was) to kids, and I got to see Nebraska for the first time.

The bunch of us that went stopped at a little Old Western cafe/mini-old-fashioned-town/cottages and I had an Indian Taco and some Sarsparilla ("The Grandfather of All Root Beer")...the brand is Sioux City (it was pointed out that, of course, the brand is bottled in New York...but, the illusion was tempting)...and cowboy hats and friendly smiles abounded. Wow, that was kind of poetic......not really. But the owners were real nice and the whole place smelled nicely of a wood stove and had lots of western eclectia (bison skulls, animal hides, old gas lamps, old farm tools and horse bits, that sorta stuff). The food was great, too, if I hadn't been so full I would've tried their coconut cream or sour cream and raisin pie. Mmmm yum. Hopefully I can return there, soon.

When I got back I found to my great delight (and surprise) that a visitor had filled out a "Governor's Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Hospitality" and I had received ten bucks (good anywhere in Hot Springs) and a Certificate of Employee Excellence. That really made my day, even more! Times like these I'm so glad I came out here.